#yes I’m only in act 3 but I have been spoiled for a chunk of stuff

[cutter-kirby]

getting into both of these games at the same time is pretty funny

[haik-choo]

karasuno boys as boyfriends

a/n: im just basically astral projecting myself into these situations; ALSO if you want more detailed ones, just ask, and you shall receive! (also this is my first post i’ve written on here! but if you want plenty of kpop content i’m @hyucksong where i’ve been writing and I am still active! :))

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[KARASUNO BOYS AS BOYFRIENDS HEADCANNONS]

-tsukishima, yamaguchi, hinata, kageyama, tanaka, nishinoya, sugawara, daichi, and asahi

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tsukishima kei.

the type to look you straight in your eyes when you ask for a hug and say “no, who do you think i am, your boyfriend?”

runs his hands through your hair from the front and then when his hand reaches the back of your head he pulls you into him and kisses you either on the forehead or the lips <3

in order to be in a relationship with him you HAVE to have the same type of humor.

i don’t think he could date someone who doesn’t make fun of people with him

you guys are like best friends who make fun of each other and. make out a little every once in a while

he’ll hold your hand and hug you in public but he will NEVER do anything else, especially not in front of the boys

he thinks the blush that ignites on your kissable cheeks should be for his eyes only

he gave you a keychain that had a cute little strawberry shortcake on it. and it’s your most prized possession 

will shoot a glare at anyone who watches you too closely. like no. don’t get googly eyed over MY girlfriend. 

and you don’t have a problem with that ;) 

yamaguchi tadashi.

he likes to watch you when you’re not looking to pick out the little habits you do

he thinks that knowing someone’s little hardly noticeable habits is one of the most intimate things on mother earth

he knows that you stir the milk in the bowl three times before you pour the cereal in to check for chunks because you accidentally drank spoiled milk when you were younger

NEVER has an issue getting you a gift for any occasion. he ALWAYS knows what you’re looking at and what you want and you lowkey think he can read your mind but in reality he just pays attention <3

you’re either just as shy as him to bring out his more assertive side or more assertive than he is to bring out his more timid side -- both are good

kisses you on the forehead and holds your hand in public -- he loves PDA because he can show you off :’)

yes. he kisses the back of your nape in public. so what. 

YES. HE CLOSES HIS EYES WHEN HE DOES IT AND ACCIDENTALLY INHALES YOUR SCENT AND WHISPERS IN YOUR EAR THAT YOU SMELL GOOD. IDC IF YOU THINK THAT’S CREEPY. IT’S CUTE. YES. HE GIVES YOU THAT LOOK THAT SAYS HE’S CRAZILY IN LOVE WITH YOU. SO WHAT.

kageyama tobio.

he probably fell in love with you because you were just as passionate about something else as he is about volleyball; music, drawing, writing, math, science, reading -- whatever

i see this relationship as being one that’s like...accelerated friends. like,,, you act like him and hinata except you kiss sometimes and he can see you at the end of the wedding aisle

DEFINITELY reads cosmopolitans once you start dating because he wants to be a good boyfriend for you <3

PDA is literally little to NONe,,, not because he doesn’t like it...it’s just because he doesn’t realize that he’s not showing you affection lololol

like in one arm he has his athletic duffel bag and the other he has a volleyball

he doesn’t mean to neglect you he just does AGAGAG

realized he liked you when he thought about you when he was drinking his milk and mindlessly bought you one too

the first time y’all kissed. he literally stared at you so intensely for a SOLID ten minutes debating in his head whether or not he should just go for it or wait or just smash his face into yours and hope your lips connect

he chose to cross his fingers and ended up smashing his forehead and nose into yours 

it was cute tho <3

hinata shoyo.

YALL HAVE DATES WHERE YOU BABYSIT HIS SISTER. WTF SO CUTE

when yall cuddle and you’re the little spoon he likes to put his head on your shoulder/between your neck and watch as you scroll through tiktok or instagram and just mindlessly talk about his day 

the type of boyfriend where neither of you can cook and you both confusedly look at recipes on google like: ????? wtf is the difference between brown sugar and regular sugar

it’s his INSTINCT to hold your hand. no matter what. his hand just...gravitates to yous.

AND HIS LIPS JUST FIND YOUR CHEEK??? like it’s so natural to him to kiss your cheek when he sees you, even in public. it’s so adorable i--

THE TYPE OF GUY TO WIPE OFF FOOD FROM THE CORNER OF YOUR MOUTH AND STILL EAT IT AND SAY “you taste good!~” AND NOT EVEN REALIZE WHAT HE SAID. BUT WHEN YOU DO IT TO HIM HE BLOWS A FUSE

he loves to tickle you. like you’ll be vibing, drinking whatever you drink in the morning and he’ll come up to you all casually and kiss you cheek...and then he’ll pounce 

he holds you close to his chest when he tickles you, partally because he likes feeling your laugh vibrate on his chest, and partially because it’s easier to not get tickled if he’s right behind you

his sister LOVes you and it just. makes him so happy

tanaka ryuunosuke.

you CANNOT remove his hand from your ass. it is permanently glued there. it is attached to you. yes, even in public.

number 1 hypeman! he will always support you, no matter what! you could be in a competition to raise the biggest beetle and he’ll be there rooting you on and staying up late with you as you rear your award-winning beetle

you two lay next to each other on the couch/on his bed and he’ll have his arm around you and you’ll lay your head on his chest as you watch netflix shows

YOU, NISHINOYA, AND TANAKA? UNSTOPPABLE TRIO. POWER TRIPLET. 

i don’t imagine him being shy when he first kisses you; the first time he kissed you, you were literally just. existing and he literally just...couldn’t hold it in...and he just went for it

literally CATAPULTS himself into you and kisses you senseless

yes you and saeko are besties she gives you ALL the tea about young tanaka

the type to take off his shirt more during practice if you’re there watching, and literally BURN red if you mention anything about his muscles

you once traced a vein in his arm and commented on how hot it was and he literally short-circuited 

kiss his biceps. kiss his abs. kiss his cheek. please. it’s all he wants. he’s touch-starved

nishinoya yuu.

SUCH an excited boyfriend

like he seriously gets so hype doing ANYTHING with you pleaSE give this man an award. you’ll be at the amusement park and the line to get into a ride will be three hours and he’ll be like

“I get to spend three hours with you?!! fucking sick! absolutely radical!” 

he’s bold in public, but only because he wants to rub you in his teammates faces, but his ears will be Red

at home, he’s calmer :) he just loves to spend time with you, even if you’re sitting on a bench watching him practice receives for five hours straight in the blazing sun. 

he just treasures your time so much, you treats you like a precious gem -- he will NEVER treat you wrong. deadass has no problem admitting when he’s wrong -- but if he thinks he’s right then he WILL stand his ground

he’s a passionate man, who loves just as passionately.

his favorite time to kiss you is after you’ve taken a sip of a soda because he likes the taste of the syrup and the burn of the carbonation, but most of all because he likes the taste of your lips in combination with all of them

NIPS AT YOUR EAR. DEADASS JUST LOOKS AT YOU BRUSH A PIECE OF HAIR BACK WHEN YOU’RE DOING HOMEWORK AND IS LIKE “free real estate” AND C H O MPS

the day nishinoya told everyone yall were dating, kiyoko stopped you in the hallway and deadass got on her knees and thanked you LITERALLY she was like “i’ll buy you anything. give the word and it’ll be yours.” 

sugawara koushi.

would kiss you on the first date. deadass. he’ll just drop you off at your doorstep and you’re still high on adrenaline, and you’re lowkey hoping he’ll kiss you and you get  little disappointed when he doesn’t and then when you least expect it. bam. his lips on yours

his smell oh god, he literally smells like fresh sugar cookies. it’s like as soon as you get anywhere near him his smell just invades you nose and. you’re powerless. you just wanna hug him

never smells bad. try me, bitch. NEVER.

his hugs are literally god’s gifts. he loves hugging you. he just completely envelopes you with his pretty setter arms and his smell takes up all the space in your head and nothing else exists for that moment, just you two

loves tucking your hair behind your ears or just moving it out of your face; doing homework and your bangs are in the way? not for long because he’ll clip them up for you <3

he’s pretty mischievous and will playfully put his hand next to your head and lean down with such a HOT look in his eyes 

and he’ll say some shit like “i wanna devour you” and then he’ll laugh afterwards and give you a kiss on the forehead and you’re standing there. like -.- o.o -.- o.o

whenever he feels insecure about his position on the team, you’re always there to comfort him and he’ll just lay between your legs and rest his face on your stomach as you comb your fingers through his hair and scroll through tiktok

PDA? yes please. uh huh. mhmm. he doesn’t care who sees his love for you he just wants to love on you baby. kisses you on the lips, no problemo

daichi sawamura.

you and suga are the only ones who can scare him when yall are mad lol

boyfriend where you’ve dated for like a year but it feel like 50 have already passed. in a good way!

this relationship is so ungodly domestic. like from the first day it’s just pure comfort and he’s like your rock and you’re his anchor

you two bicker a lot but it’s lighthearted and you just feel so secure with him that poking fun at him and at yourself is just natural

daichi. gives. god. hugs. he does. it’s fact. 

his arms are just so big and he has so much body warmth and he probably smells like some bullshit cologne like “smoldering woods” and it’s just so. daichi

you two spend the night at each other’s house so often it’s like you already live with each other and people always forget that you don’t lolol

totally sleeps with his shirt off and only with underwear. isn’t awkward about it either;  when he wakes up he puts on sweats but still remains topless (not that you’re complaining)

you two are like. the strict parental couple, when you walk together whether it be down the street or in the hallways, you just look so right for each other it’s. mind blowing

doesn’t mind kissing you a little in public but really thinks that stuff should be for private; so normally he just kisses your temple and always has an arm either around your shoulder or around your waist

WHEN THE TEAM SEES YOU KISS ON THE LIPS THEY GO “EW” EVEN SUGA AND ASAHI AFIEFHEWIF

asahi azumane.

literal fucking teddy bear. god please cuddle him. please kith him. please comb through his hair with your fingers and kiss his nape and kiss the back of his head. please i beg of you.

did NOT ask you out first. he wrote love letter to you and then waiting behind the gym because he thought being near the volleyball gym would give him some luck and them you got in front of him and he was. deer in the headlights

needless to say you asked him out and kissed his cheek. he DIED

even once yall are comfortable in the relationship he still needs reassurance every once in a while because he’s a little insecure, not that you’ll leave him for someone else, but that he’s not good enough

his PDA skill are. subpar. he usually just holds your hand and that’s it, but sometimes kisses the corner of your eye or nose and you just combust

OH RIOGEH TOTALLY DOES BUTTERFLY AND BUNNY KISSES. YES GOD YESSSSS

when yall cuddle he doesn’t like spooning. he likes to be able to see your face and the expressions you make, so doesn’t like being the little or big spoon; yall face each other and just lets your head lay on his arm even tho it’s numb. im: soft

kisses are so sweet, slow, and hesitant. he doesn’t really kiss you often because he has terrible timing but...when he does it’s like the whole world just becomes still in that moment and nothing matters but his hands on your waist and yours in his hair 

[turtleedovee]

Life Has A Funny Way of Working Out (Pt. 3)

Chapter 1  Chapter 2

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader

Word Count: 2,454

Warnings: cursing, shouting, destruction (kinda), magic using, controlling someone, manipulative ex (if there’s anything else I miss please let me know!)

A/N: Part 3! hello lovely people thank you for reading this, I really liked writing this so I hope you guys enjoy this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it, not gonna lie... shit kinda hits the fan. There will probably be one more chapter after this, I mean I didn’t really see where else I was going with this after this last chapter but idk I might pick it up if I have another idea but anyways enjoy! Remember that I also post this on my ao3 so if you want to read it there my user is the same as my tumblr.

The next morning Bucky woke up to the sunlight streaming into the room, he began turning around and the first thing he noticed was how your side of the bed was empty. Panic began to set in until he heard shuffling in the living room, he slowly got up, rubbed his eyes and headed towards the noise coming from the living room, noticing how you were chipping off a piece of your broken wall.

“Hey, goodmorning?” Bucky asked, confused as to what you were doing.

You turned around to face Bucky, “Oh, good morning. I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

“No don’t worry about it, what’re you doing?” He spoke while watching you struggle to pull a small piece of wood off the wall, the white paint slowly peeling off.

“Need to get this fixed before my landlady sees it and goes berserk.” You trailed off finally getting a big enough piece, you put it in a baggy and stuffed it inside your pocket. “Come on, let’s go.” You said grabbing your bag from the counter.

Bucky stared at you, dumbfounded, “Wait, wha- go where?” 

“To get coffee? It’s the least I can do for you.” You grabbed your keys and made your way towards the door.

“I told you, you don’t owe me anything alright.”

“Barnes.” You stated, placing your hand on your hip and drumming your fingers on the counter, “Get your ass ready and let's go get some coffee.” You ordered.

Bewildered, Bucky responded, “Yes ma’am.” and headed towards your bathroom and began getting ready, mainly to make sure he didn’t look like he just woke up.

————————————————————————

Getting out of the house was good for you, having something to do to distract yourself seemed like a good way to heal. Both you and Bucky went out to get coffee and some breakfast. While you two sat down and ate you also talked and laughed, really about anything and everything, the conversation going from fits of laughter to comfortable silence. Bucky then joined you to the hardware store to buy paint and other supplies to fix your broken wall, he had offered to help which you happily took, being around the people who you cared about most was all you wanted but you wanted to refrain from going to the Compound for ‘no reason.’ Everyone there was highly perceptive and you really didn’t want anyone else to know, part of you knew you shouldn’t feel ashamed and yet you did. They were like your family so you weren’t sure why you didn’t ever feel ready to share your anger.

But telling Bucky felt right. You two had been there for each other during some of the lowest moments of each other's life, so he knew how to comfort you. He was always patient with you which is saying something considering how frustrated he gets when someone takes too long trying to do or explain something.

After running around the city for a few hours and feeling pretty good, you and Bucky started walking towards your apartment building when you looked up and suddenly the pit in your stomach formed and you shuddered with dread.

“What the hell are you doing here?” You said, almost shouting, at your ex who was now exiting your apartment building.

“Oh… hey, I was looking for you.” He said casually, as if you two were doing just fine.

You felt your face begin to heat with anger, “I told you I didn’t want to see you again, what do you want?”

“Listen I just want to talk about the mistakes of last night-”

“Oh! The mistakes?! Which one, do you mean the one where you decided to hit me?” You stepped closer, not caring who heard you.

“Babe please I was angry you can’t be mad at me about that.” He calmly said. 

You knew what he was trying to do, you didn't want to give him the satisfaction of trying to play himself off as the calm collected guy and you as the crazy girlfriend.

You took a deep breath to calm yourself, “I am mad at you and I told you: we’re done. So you need to leave. Now.”

He started to reach out for your hand. “C’mon I know you don’t mean that-”

“Hey,” Bucky, who had stood back throughout the conversation letting you take charge, came in front of you and diverted the hand from coming near you, “she said to leave her alone so I suggest you listen to her before things get out of hand.”

His calm and cool demeanor changed in an instant when his eyes landed on Bucky. He scoffed, and noticed how you backed-up behind Bucky, “Are you being serious right now?” He looked at both of you and as if something clicked in his little brain he stepped back from the both of you. “Oh I see what this is, you only dumped me so you wouldn’t get caught cheating on me with this dick.” He said and shoved Bucky back, you grabbed Bucky’s arm to stop him from doing anything stupid, mainly so you could do something stupid and make sure Bucky didn’t get into any trouble.

“I told you I never cheated on you, and whatever my business with Bucky is, it’s my business, I don’t owe you any explanation given that I broke up with you so get over it.” You gritted your teeth, standing in front of Bucky to stare down your ex.

He gave a harsh laugh, “This is unbelievable you’re freaking out on me for catching you and now you don’t even want to admit that you did anything wrong!” He shouted, Bucky began to glance around noticing that people were staring.

“I didn’t cheat on you, asshat!”

“Oh please, now you're acting like a bitch.”

“Okay, that’s enough, leave her alone. Before you make yourself look more like a fool.”

He sized Bucky up, “Or what? You’ll kill me?” He puffed out his chest and pushed himself forward getting in Bucky’s face. “I know what you are: a killer, that’s all you ever have been and all you ever will be.”

Bucky didn’t move, didn’t break eye contact. You feared that he wanted Bucky to beat him to a pulp, but he stayed there, unwavering in his stare.

“She asked you to leave.” Bucky repeated. “So leave.”

“Nah… I don’t think so.” Before Bucky could even blink he noticed a rising fist coming straight for him. But before he could block the blow, the fist stopped; midair, the guy’s face contorting in pain.

Bucky looked over his shoulder and realized you were controlling him, anger clouded your eyes.

“I told you to leave me alone. But you didn’t listen.” Bucky stepped back as you stepped forward, forcing your hand forward, making him drop to his knees, grunting in pain. “I told you what would happen if you so much as looked at me. Do you know how easy it would be to kill you right now?” You leaned into his ear and whispered, “Like breaking a toothpick.” You stood back up, anger creating an invisible barricade between you and him, you didn’t care who saw, you didn’t care what happened, all you knew is that he deserved nothing. “Give me one good reason why I should let you live.”

He tried to open his mouth, but you didn’t let him, he could see sweat falling down his forehead, and Bucky looked around, seeing all the eyes staring down at you in fear. Bucky walked up slowly to you and put his hand on your shoulder, feeling how tense you were. “[F/N], not here not now.”

Bucky’s touch seemed to remove the dark clouds that surrounded you and his soft words brought you back to reality. That was when you noticed the crowd, eyes just staring at you, along with flashes of cameras. He got what he wanted, he wanted you to lash out so he could play the victim, and you fell right into it.

You dropped him and started walking back to your apartment, Bucky following quickly behind you. You heard him start yelling, you tried not to pay attention but something he said caught your attention, “You think you’re done with me?! Just wait until your little guard dog leaves. Now what I did in there was just a warning.” He shouted while he started standing up.

“What was just a warning?” You asked, already up the stairs to the entrance of the building.

He just smirked, “Oh you’ll see, don’t think you can embarrass me like that, once I’m done with you, you’ll regret everything coming your way.” And with that notion he walked off, with a noticeable limp; you tried to process what he just said. What was he doing in your apartment? How did he get in? All of these thoughts ran through your head as you started fumbling with your keys.

“Shit.” You whispered as you began racing through the hallways towards your apartment, not paying attention to Bucky trying to tell you to slow down. When you finally arrived at your door you carelessly shoved the keys in and pushed the door to open when you finally realized what he meant as a warning.

You seemed to stop breathing all together dropping the paint and other supplies you needed to fix the hole in the wall, now, useless. He completely destroyed your apartment, your eyes scanned the living room and kitchen; to your right plates, mugs, and bowls were shattered into a million pieces, the different colors made a mosaic on the floor, the refrigerator door was left open and fruits and other foods laid splattered as well, now most likely spoiled. Your dining table was broken, all the legs of the chairs were sitting scattered with wood chunks around them. The potted plants you had now laid down on the floor, dirt pouring over the floor. Your couch had slash marks, the stuffing inside them was sprayed everywhere on what remained of your coffee table, your television now screening the various black and white speckles along with glass falling from the screen and surrounding the living room you were in the night before; and you could only imagine what else he did in your room.

Devastation couldn’t even begin to describe how you were feeling. You clenched your jaw, you felt more violated than before. He somehow managed to sneak into your home, and destroy the first place you had felt at peace in. You slowly stepped inside the apartment, the crunching of wood, glass, and broken ceramics under your shoes, and looked closer at everything, you felt as though your entire world had been slipped out from under you; grabbing a broken picture frame you looked at the picture inside now covered in dust, stuffing, wood chips, and dirt.

Bucky was at a loss for words, you two were only gone a few hours, that man you once trusted managed to destroy the one place you were safe in. He didn’t know what to say, or how to comfort you. 

“You should get going,” You said quietly, not looking up from the picture, “I need to fix things around here.”

“[F/N] please, you don’t need to do this alone, let me help-”

“No!-” You shouted, “Please just, I need to be alone for a little.”

Your sudden shout startled Bucky but he knew when to back off. “Alright, call me later ok?” He asked, heading towards the door.

“Yeah, for sure I’ll… see you later.” You said distracted. Barely noticing that Bucky had walked out the door, you looked back down on the floor and noticed another picture, this one was ripped in half. Slowly picking it up you realized it was a picture that you and the rest of the Avengers had taken during Tony’s holiday party, the happy faces now ripped apart and stained.

————————————————————————

Bucky stayed outside your door for a few minutes, conflicted knowing that you wanted to be alone but he was worried that if he left your ex would come back and in his gut he knew that no matter how strong you were, being alone with him would not be the best thing in the world for you right now. He usually could help you out with anything but this was something completely different. Sure there were bad guys back in the 40s but growing up with sisters and a mother with a firm hand, he knew how to be a gentleman; and so did most men back then. He tried racking his brain for how he could help you out, when he finally got an idea. He made his way to his motorcycle that he had parked across the street the night before and headed towards the Compound.

After about half an hour later he made it back to the Compound and began his search; he looked around the living room and kitchen but it seemed empty, and after wandering for a few minutes he decided it would be pointless running around this Labyrinth. 

Sighing, he said, staring at the ceiling, “F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Yes, Mr. Barnes?” An automated female voice responded back.

“Where’s Tony?”

“In his lab, sir.”

Bucky began his trek to the lab, “Thank you F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

“You are welcome sir.”

After a couple of minutes of walking he finally arrived at the entrance of the lab where he noticed Tony tinkering with the helmet of his suit, too busy to hear that Bucky had now entered his lab.

“Tony I need to ask you for a favor.”

Tony just sighed, not taking his eyes away from his helmet, “Kind of in the middle of something Barnes so you better make this quick.”

“It’s about [F/N].”

This seemed to cause Tony to take his eyes off of his project and stare at Bucky, puzzled.

“And what about [F/N]?” Tony asked, standing up and crossing arms.

Bucky knew you didn’t want anyone else to know about what happened, but he knew you needed help, so he chose his next words carefully, “Something happened and well her apartment was compromised. She needs a new-”

“Was it that douche-bag boyfriend of hers?” Tony stated flatly.

Bucky stared at Tony, bewildered,  “Ex-boyfriend.” He corrected.

Tony just hummed, after a few seconds of silence he finally started, “I can tell you don’t want to tell me whatever it is that happened and well whatever did happen doesn’t matter anymore so, tell me Cyborg, what is it you need me to do?”

Pushing aside the nickname he started to tell Tony his plan.

[ichika27]

The World Ends with You

(Yeah, it’s the same screenshot I used for my post about ep. 1. I couldn’t get a new one so...)

Ah, first week without the TWEWY anime to look forward to. I’m actually kinda sad cause I’d miss waiting for the episode every Saturday night (Ani-One posts theirs on that day here). I have some stuff I wanna say about the anime so I thought I’d make one of these plus this is a good way to end the twewy anime blog post series I make every week. I’ll try not to spoil until the very bottom of this post which will have a spoiler warning.

Also, this will be very long and rambly as most of my fandom posts are haha.

Story:

A boy named Neku wakes up in the middle of Shibuya with no memory and finds himself as a player in the Reaper’s Game. For a week he must partner up with a girl named Shiki and both of them must complete missions, battle creatures called noise, and survive as failure meant erasure.

Characters:

Neku Sakuraba - our main protagonist who somehow lost his memories and is now playing the Reaper’s Game. He’s a loner who isn’t too keen on getting close to anyone let alone working alongside anybody - unfortunately for him, it’s a requirement if he wants to survive. As a player he has an assortment of abilities to fight off noise and other enemies (in the game this meant he can use a lot of different pins).

Shiki Misaki - the nice and friendly Shiki becomes Neku’s partner in the Reaper’s Game. Unlike Neku she has knowledge of the game and fills Neku in on things he doesn’t understand. Her ability is to control her stuffed toy called Nyantan/Mr. Mew which she uses in combat.

Beat - the tough skateboarding player, he’s somewhat more like the typical hot-blooded shounen protagonist when compared to Neku. He’s protective of those he care about especially his game partner, Rhyme. He uses his skateboard in battle.

Rhyme - Beat’s game partner who is a lot kinder and calmer than him. Rhyme tends to be the one to reason with Beat when needed and the two are always seen together.

Yoshiya Kiryu - a mysterious boy who seem to know more than he lets on and acts at times acts suspicious. He prefers to be called by the nickname Joshua.

Sanae Hanekoma - a cafe owner who helps out Neku and the others and would give them advice. His advice prove to be very helpful and Neku takes them to heart. Seem to have a lot of knowledge about the Reaper’s Game but doesn’t seem to be a reaper himself.

--

Thoughts:

(I tried my best to not be spoilery in the character descriptions so some names weren’t written in full)

The World Ends with You (or in the original Japanese “Subarashiki Kono Sekai”/It’s a Wonderful World) is an anime based on the video game of the same name. It had to compress an entire game’s worth of story within it’s 12 episode run which meant they cut out a lot of things and combined some scenes to quickly run through them. It’s theme song is the anime version of the game’s original OP “Twister” although this wasn’t what was originally planned but an incident involving the band who sang the original theme forced them to make changes. The original voice actors from the game also reprised their roles for the anime. The series is created to be watched before the release of the long-awaited sequel game.

The art style is made to be similar to it’s game version (with a bit of change to adapt it as an anime like when it comes to body proportions). They also retained the effect of the characters from the UG (players/reapers) being brightly colored while those from the RG having darker/muted colors. While the noise are obviously cg, I personally liked this since they’re said to be from a different plane anyways so it’s a nice contrast to those from the UG and RG. They had to update the setting though as years had passed since the original game’s creation and they had to model anime version of Shibuya to what it’s real life counterpart now looks. The characters are also given smartphones instead of the flip phones they had in the game (anime-only watchers who are gonna play the game would have to get used to them still using flip phones though lol).

Okay so story-wise... it’s rushed. Of course it is. They shortened it so that what’s left would mostly be important plot points from the main story but they cut out many scenes that consist of character interactions and several little things that could’ve fleshed out the characters more. The gameplay is also made simpler with some mechanics taken away and the mini games weren’t adapted (RIP to Reaper Creeper and Tin Pin Slammer, especially the latter as you’re severely missed). The game boast an assortment of characters and some NPCs have their own stories but due to the anime’s limited run time, they had to either be cut out (and are just given cameos) or given smaller roles (and their stories weren’t adapted). They did, however, give a few bits and pieces of information that weren’t in the game such as some details about certain characters and one supporting character was given a bit more screentime that they did in the game version.

Despite the rushed nature of the series (which may or may not affect how one views the story itself), the anime made sure to adapt several important scenes and the dramatic stuff is made worse... like, they really had to make some deaths harder to take. The battle scenes were nice as well although my biggest complaint about them is that the boss fights were over too quickly. There were scenes that were changed for the anime version and there are those that I liked and those I didn’t but there are many which I think was as good as the game’s version.

Do I recommend the anime? The game is better, the characters and story are more fleshed out and the way the character/relationship development happens is better paced so of course, me, biased already would tell you to play the game instead if you haven’t yet. Do I recommend those who played the game to watch the anime? Yes! Yes I do. I think the anime is better watched when you’ve played the game and know the stuff that they cut out cause it’ll make better sense that way. Plus I found it enjoyable seeing the scenes from the game animated and the characters are speaking whole dialogues and moving. It’s great!

Even if the anime wasn’t perfect, like I mentioned before, they did their best to condense the entire main story in a 12 episode series and it tried to be as faithful as it could to the original story so despite the deviations when it comes to how things got to the way they did, if you summarize important plot points, they would be the same (with some details changed). Overall, it was very enjoyable and it wasn’t as bad as I feared when I heard how many episodes the anime was going to have.

--

Some spoiler thoughts:

It would’ve been better if the anime had more episode count than just 12. Cramming a 3 week story of game into just 12 made the thing very rushed with Week 1 only getting three episodes, Week 2 getting four, and final Week getting five. They had to get to the good stuff so they cut off a lot of scenes where the characters are interacting with each other which means they suddenly get character developments and relationship developments too quickly. It might not be that obvious to anime-only watchers but to me, it felt kinda sudden and it feels like it doesn’t work out well story-wise since Neku had to learn how to trust other people and make friends and with how he started vs. how he came out of it contrasting each other.

By the way, they made the characters look good in the anime. Especially Joshua. Have you seen Joshua? He’s so pretty in the anime. I want a picture of him I could stare at anytime I want to (I do not own a phone, sadly).

I like how they gave Eri more scenes though and that they changed her outfit for the anime so she won’t look exactly like UG!Shiki. All of her scenes though made me feel like I wish the anime gave closure to Shiki’s own story by showing us her and Eri making up. Another scene I liked in the anime is Neku’s fanboying of CAT when he finds out the truth. It was adorable.

Some info was taken away from the anime. Beat and Rhyme leaving home had scene dialogue and unlike Beat just narrating it in-game but they didn’t mention specifically why he was angry and his trouble at home. Joshua wasn’t present when Sota and Nao gave Neku a pep-talk either which is a shame cause I think that helped Josh as well. 

I mentioned before how the anime made things go too fast. They cut off chunks of not-main-plot story that let the characters interact with each other more which means each game day is shortened as well. I think it made sense that Neku wakes up at the scramble in the end and not stressed out because he didn’t go through as much as his game counterpart did. That said, game Neku learned a lot from more than just the main cast in the game compared to the anime so I like his character development in the game better.

They took away Tin Pin Slammer. I am sad and disappointed. I was hoping so bad for Another Day to be adapted even if it’s an OVA. That and the ramen incident are part of Josh’s week which meant some side of him wasn’t shown (I mean, anime fans don’t know he wasn’t there on week 3 since he’s busy playing a kid’s game elsewhere and how he could talk about food like he is from a cooking anime). Speaking of Josh, they made him very suspicious from the get-go in the anime. I understand as there’s a limited run-time and they can’t really afford to be subtle about it but it meant some of the fun interactions with Neku is gone and so are some scenes where they actually got along. At least they had ice cream together, I guess?

(I have more to say when it comes to Joshua cause he’s my fave character but this is long and my thoughts on it would make this way longer. I might make another post.)

In the end, it wasn’t perfect but the anime was fun and enjoyable enough that I found myself looking forward to it every week. Seeing scenes I recognize from the game in animated form (with voice acting!) felt exciting and awesome. I’ll miss this show and I still wish it was longer.

If you’ve read this far well, thank you. And also I’m confused why but still hopefully that was a good time-killer. I have so many other things I wanted to comment on but that’s for another time. Maybe.

[lunnamars]

prompt for luffy/nami: maps

Am I super late? Yes, of course. I think I received this ask in...June? May? I don't remember, so I apologize from the bottom of my heart, dear anon, but I was going mad with deadlines and I'm still going through a writing block, so I really hope you like it! I swear I did my best. <3 

You can read this on AO3 too!

map of the problematique

The day was almost ending, the sky burning with the sunset, and Nami still had a pencil in her hand, scribbling lines and forms on a once empty paper. Other supplies scattered across the table, along with the quietness of the library, helped her finish another map successfully.

Being able to see the piece of work coming to life filled Nami's chest with pride and joy; there wasn't a clear explanation to what she felt every time.

She took a deep breath and tried to rest her sight — looking intently at one thing for an extended period always gave her a headache, even if it was her beloved maps or tangerines. Robin was there with her too, but her silence was welcoming and contrasted so much with the usual ruckus of the ship. Nami rested her face on her right hand, admiring the neatly drawn shapes and lines, how her scale was correctly measured, she double-checked, and the vivid colors on the paper. She ran her free hand over the map with fondness, a soft smile on her face while thanking the heavens for being free to do what she liked; what she was meant to do.

Sometimes, Nami wondered how her life would have been like if she had never met Luffy. Where would she be now? Still with shackles on her feet, bound to Arlong? Stealing, risking her life, suffocating more and more?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on the door and the voice of her captain, "Oi, Nami, are you there? Can I come in?"

Robin chuckled and stood up, walking in the direction of the door to let the firecracker of a man get in. She opened the door and smiled at him, saying with the calm voice of usual, "Hello, Luffy. Can we help you with anything?"

"Hey, Robin, didn't know you were here. Can I stay here with you two?" he asked with his never-ending energy. 

Hmph, always brighter than the sun, Nami thought.

"Why, of course. But I was already on my way out. Nami is still staying for a while. Want to keep her company?" Robin asked and looked over her shoulder to the navigator, winking at her.. Nami narrowed her eyes and pouted, catching on the implicit invitation behind her words. 

Why must Robin be so damn smart? For fuck's sake. 

Luffy had no idea of what had just transpired between the girls and happily added, "Sure! Bye, Robin!"

The archeologist softly grinned and sprouted two hands, patting their heads and bidding them goodbye. Nami heard Luffy's chuckle before the door clicking shut and right after, the sound of his flip-flops across the floor. She felt his breathing on her neck and couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine, her heart starting to beat at an alarming pace in the blink of an eye.

He rested his head on hers and asked, cheerful and beaming as a goddamn sunflower, "Hey Nami! Can I see your maps?"

She knew she couldn't be the sun like him, especially not after the trick he played on her the day before so she grunted, "No."

"C'mon, Nami! Lemme!" Luffy whined like a spoiled brat, entangling his rubber arms around her neck. Took a shower and smelling nice, aren't you?

Nami sighed and crossed her arms, fighting the urge to look in his direction and forcing her heartbeat to stabilize. Damn him and his damned carefree laugh. She snorted, "Luffy, what are you doing here? Don't you have anything else to do?"

"Sheesh, Nami! You're mean! If you don't want me here then just tell me." He let a deep breath and she could feel him pouting. Luffy was still holding her when he spoke again, voice low, "You have been away for almost the whole day, Nami. I was just worried."

"Of course I was, you moron! Have you forgotten what you did yesterday? You almost fucked up the maps that took me almost two weeks to finish!" How easy it was for him to stir her up and make her angry. Luffy was amazing but sometimes he acted like a child, something that always drove her mad.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" He held her tight so she wouldn't escape but careful enough to not strangle her. A great show of controlled strength. She tried to disentangle herself from his embrace, but that only made him encircle his legs around her torso now. Acting like a child again, wanting the adult to forgive him at all costs. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to! I swear I'll… I swear I'll… I swear I'll eat vegetables for a week, and I won't complain!"

His plea seemed sincere, but the idea that he was bargaining a thing that should be on his menu on a daily basis, instead of the huge chunks of meat he thinks is the only necessary thing to make him survive, baffled her. Then, it came in fits and bursts. One snort, then a second, the third was already mixed with laughter, and in the end, Nami was laughing at her heart's content.

He followed her, chuckling slowly and grinning warmly, then his candy-coated laugh that always melted her heart finally reached her ears. They laughed until their ribs hurt. Luffy's occasional child behavior would always provoke two reactions in her: complete anger or complete amusement. Sometimes both.

"Okay, okay. I'm fine, you silly goose. Thanks for apologizing." Nami patted his head, finally having the courage to look into his owlish eyes. His grin became bashful when their eyes met, but he stayed wrapped around her. She pinched his nose lightly and said in a loving voice, "C'mon, let me go. You must be feeling uncomfortable holding me like that, with the chair between us."

Luffy instantly released her, the characteristic sound of his arms and legs retracting echoing in her ears before grabbing another chair and sitting beside her. Her anger towards him long forgotten Nami decided to get back to work. Sometimes it was complicated to get things done when the captain was around but there were times where Luffy would seek her for silence.

The boy from two years ago wasn't like that. But the man he was now valued quiet and peaceful times as well. He was often watching the sunset, humming some song sitting on top of the Sunny's figurehead. Sometimes he was even lost in thought.

He rested his head on her shoulder, watching her pencil carefully slide across a new blank paper, firm and precise black lines appearing. Luffy's silence and steady breathing allowed Nami to enter her focused mode once again.

“Whaddya wanna do after you finish the map of the world?” Her captain spoke again after a while, voice a bit rough from disuse and a bit husky, something she hasn’t gotten used to yet and still has no idea how to deal with. It made her hand falter, the perfect line broken now, and a vein popped on her forehead. 

Nami took a deep breath, picking up the pencil and sharpening it before answering him, "I… Don't know?"

"Wanna go back to your village?" Luffy asked, apparently not paying attention to the way her concentration was interrupted. 

She looked down at his face resting on her shoulder, meeting his eyes and responding warily, "I still haven’t thought about it, Luffy. We still have a long way to go before all of our goals are achieved."

Nami heard his agreement in the form of an "Mm-hmm,” and they both fell silent again. It was completely dark outside now, and the lights of the library had turned on automatically. The navigator decided to call it a day and give some attention to her friend, waiting patiently for her. Waiting was not precisely the right word since she could hear soft snores, but he stayed there, by her side trying not to bother her, but wanting a bit of her presence.

She put away the new map with the others, organized her drawing supplies and putting them away in the drawer below her dedicated desk in the library. Nami rested her hand on her now empty desk, drumming her fingers following the rhythm of the happy-go-lucky songs coming to life through Brook’s violin and thinking about what she could do right now with the moron glued to her side. 

A stolen glance at his peaceful face was all she needed to make her forget any of her worries. The face of someone who's half  boy and half  man, who has kindness in every movement and was able to see right through people. A beautiful soul able to connect with anyone's soul. Her best friend and the boyish man she loves, a person who lived his life to its fullest. Always wanting people around to do the same.

Nami scooped him in her arms — he always became a bit lighter when sleeping — and nestled him to her chest when she settled them down on the couch next to the window. The motion woke him up, but he only curled more against her. The red head rested her chin on his head and mumbled softly, "And you? What do you wanna do after becoming the Pirate King, Luffy?"

"Keep traveling, I guess." He answered and shrugged, voice still hoarse, now from sleeping. 

Nami knew that was an answer that suited him. The freest man in the world would like to keep traveling, learning new things, and meeting new people. She just nodded as he started to play with a thread of her hair before asking, absentminded, "Do you think you'll finish the map of the world before I become Pirate King, Nami?"

"Honestly, I don't think so. The world is huge, and the sea is vast. It will take me a long while, I guess."

It was true. Nami would probably be one of the last to achieve her dream. Not that she minded, no. If the Pirate King wanted to keep traveling then she would continue being his navigator for however long he needed. Eventually she'd finish her map, and his promises to her would be fulfilled.

"Good. That means you'll stay," Luffy replied quietly.

She chuckled and watched him wrap a thread of her hair around his finger, "Are you still so dependent on your navigator, Captain? I can make you a copy of my maps."

"It's not that!" Luffy turned around fast, almost headbutting her, his face closer than before. She meant to scold him, she really did. But the way he was looking at her, with pleading eyes and some emotion behind it she couldn't quite put her finger on it forced her to shut up. Was he truly afraid of being left alone? Did he think they'd separate again?

But there it was once more, the fuzzy feeling every time she was the focus of his undivided attention. The mysterious warmth that enveloped her when he was that close, when she was caught off guard. Although she knew there was no mystery there, she knew the reason behind the phenomenon, definitely knew how to spell the word that explained it all. 

It had been easy falling for that mess of a man, there was no one in the word that was immune to Luffy's charm. The man had the whole world in his hands, always captivating people everywhere he went with his simplicity. But admitting that… Admitting that had been hard.

And there wasn't a time where Nami didn't have to fight the urge of finally reaching, of finally closing the gap. Maybe I can do it today?

"Then what is it, Captain?" she leaned in, her lips almost brushing against his and let herself hope he wouldn't push her away.

Luffy stared at her lips, her eyes, and then her lips again. 

She wondered if Luffy had ever kissed anyone. And if he did, how would he kiss? How would it feel— her lips on his? Would it be like kissing a rubber? That’d definitely be weird. Would she find out today? Why couldn’t she close the gap? 

Afraid. You’re afraid this would change everything.

And losing Luffy would be like a nightmare. It would be suffocating the same way she felt when working on her maps for Arlong in that lonely room.

But Luffy had another idea in mind. There was almost no one as straightforward as him and he made the decision for her. 

Oh.

It felt like rubber and she finally satiated her curiosity, but for some reason it wasn’t weird. It was a simple peck on her lips, gentle and chaste. Maybe that answered her question, maybe he hasn’t kissed anyone yet and her heart soared as she thought she might be the first one, feeling like a little girl again. 

He indeed had the world and her heart in his hands.

Luffy moved away a bit, his owlish eyes piercing hers, studying her reaction. It had been so quick, so fleeting, but her lips tingled. And that was so unfair because she wanted more but had no idea if she could ask for it. She was a greedy witch, but this was way more dangerous than money and bets. 

But then he dived in again, this time with a hand on her neck and the other on her hip, squeezing and making her open her mouth in protest. She felt the tip of his tongue and felt his hesitation. He was unsure of what to do despite his initiative. It was sweet and endearing, but she remembered how greedy she was. And Luffy was her treasure much like her gold and maps.

Hands tangling in the hair on the back of his neck, the growl he let out making her pull him closer, as much closer they could be. Her tongue brushed against his and it’s really all downhill from there. 

When she broke the kiss, who knows how much time later, she looked at him, trying to make him see that she wanted to know the answer to her question.

His big toothy smile told her he was about to assure her everything was okay, but he actually didn’t need to. Everything was always okay when he was around, even with his shenanigans, even after he almost destroyed two weeks’ worth of work.

""It's not about the maps! I just don't wanna sail without you, Nami!"

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 7 Part 2

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations - Ko-fi

T/N: Chapter 7′s title completely spoils one of the big events of the chapter, so I won’t be putting it in my tumblr posts like I usually do. You can check out the Google Doc, where I could hide it. Highlight the Table of Contents page to see it. In the event that this is your first experience with FE4′s plot, read the title after Chapter 7 Part 3. Those who have played FE4, it is of course nothing you don’t already know.

———————————

Chapter 7

Part 2

Text under cut for spoilers.

Prince Kurt’s death had a huge impact on the imperial court of Balhalla.

He’d been King Azmur’s only child, and never married, so it meant the death of Saint Heim’s bloodline.

King Azmur had already been sick, but when he heard of the prince’s death, his health declined rapidly, and put him on death’s door.

The next day, the message that Dukes Byron and Ring were the perpetrators was sent through the semaphore line.

The next signal announced that they were on the run.

The three Dukes left in Balhalla, Reptor, Arvis, and Claud, held a meeting to discuss how they should handle the situation.

Reptor immediately suggested that they deploy the Roten Ritter to take down Sigurd’s army in Augustria. “We already know that Sigurd has tried to act without consulting His Majesty before. There’s no question that he plotted to usurp the country with his father.”

Arvis disagreed. “If we deployed the Roten Ritter, the capital would be defenseless. We should wait until the rest of our army returns home from Isaach.”

“Plus, we have very little information.” Claud added, but his voice was as quiet and timid as ever. “Judging from their personalities, I’d never imagine that they’d ever try to harm Prince Kurt…”

“But they’re running away! What more proof could you need?”

“That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that the opposite isn’t also a possibility.”

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t know for sure if they weren’t assassinated alongside the prince.”

“S-So who do you think did it!?”

“I’m not saying I know who did it. I’m just pointing out another possibility. I’ve decided to go to the Bragi Tower. That is, if you two agree to it…”

“Why would you go to the Bragi Tower now, of all times!?”

“I apologize if I’m repeating anything you already know, but High Priest Bragi sealed the Valkyrie Staff there. If Bragi’s descendant prays to the staff, then it will tell them the truth.”

“But how is that relevant to what’s going on now…?”

“The truth is always important.” Arvis cut in. “Father Claud, I think you should go. I only ask that you tell us what truth you saw when you return.”

“Thank you. I’ll come back as quickly as I possibly can, so please wait to deploy any soldiers unless it is absolutely necessary. I’m going to leave for the tower as soon as I am done with my business here, so please report to His Majesty in my place.”

-

Claud started for Augustria alone, and continued on without even stopping at his own villa.

The fastest way to get to Bragi Tower was to take a boat from a port in Grannvale, but he wanted to alert Sigurd of what was going on.

Traveling through Augusty meant that he would have to cross Duke Reptor’s duchy, Friege.

-

Unlike her father, Reptor, and her brother, Bloom, Princess Tailtiu was a warm, cheerful person.

Because Bloom had inherited Thrud’s Holy Mark and the Holy Thunder Tome Mjölnir, Reptor didn’t pay much attention to her. It was a good thing, because it allowed Tailtiu to leave the castle and have fun around town, but it also meant that her family ignored her and she often felt alone, so she was very conflicted by it.

On the day that Claude visited Friege, she was out again, watching a traveling troupe of acrobats in the town plaza.

After they gave their first performance, she walked up to one of the members of the group, a young woman.

She asked what it was like to live life traveling from place to place, why the woman had joined the troupe, what was the best thing about it, what was the worst thing about it, and many more questions.

When their second performance started, Tailtiu watched from the front and center spot once more.

It was the same performance as before, but when she connected it to all the things the woman had told her, she wasn’t bored in the slightest.

When it was over, she threw them a gold coin.

They thanked her, then picked up their belongings and left.

She knew that it would be best to return home soon, but didn’t feel like it, so, she wandered through shops aimlessly, until she just so happened to see the archbishop of Edda coming her way. “Long time no see, Father!”

Claud was surprised by her voice.

“Oh hello, Princess of Friege! Um… what was your name again? Tail… Tail…”

“Tailtiu!”

“That’s right! Hello, Tailtiu! How are you?”

“I’m doing great! What about you?”

“I’m fine, but in a tough situation.”

“Why are you here in Friege?”

“Well, I’m actually on my way to the Bragi Tower. I decided that I would stay here for the night, so I’m looking for an inn right now.”

“Oh really? Then why don’t you stay at the castle? You’re welcome anytime!”

“That’s very kind of you, but…”

“As I thought… You know I’d be the only one to welcome you…”

“N-No, that’s not it…”

“Say, don’t people usually go to the Bragi Tower by boat?”

“Yes, that’s true, but this time, I couldn’t…”

“Wow, sounds like you’re on an interesting adventure! I know of a great inn, and I’m hungry, so why don’t we eat and talk about it there?”

“Alright... Let’s go…”

Tailtiu’s best trait was her cleverness. By the time their meal was over, she already understood the gist of what was going on.

“I’m going to go with you, Father Claud!”

“Huh? But why?”

“Because I heard that pirates have been hanging around the Bragi Tower recently! It would be careless to let you go all by yourself. And I may not look it, but I can use a little magic! You can’t use offensive magic, so….”

“But what would your father say…?”

“You, he, and Duke Arvis all decided at your meeting that you should go to the Bragi Tower, right? So to protect you is to serve an important role for Grannvale!”

Of course, that wasn’t really her main concern. After meeting the acrobats, she now wanted to travel. She had a feeling that there was an adventure out there, waiting just for her.

“What time will you leave tomorrow?”

“Hmmm… About eight in the morning, I believe.”

“Okay, let’s meet here at eight o’clock sharp! I’ll be waiting until then!

-

The next day, Claud walked out of the inn thirty minutes early.

However, Tailtiu was already waiting. “Good morning!”

“Ah, good morning, Princess Tailtiu…”

“I bet you’re surprised to see me, huh?”

“Y-Yes, I didn’t think a princess would be such an early bird.”

“That’s true, but yesterday, when you said eight, I could tell by your face that you were lying!”

“Huh? I… I could never make such a face!”

“A priest shouldn’t lie, Father! Now let’s go!”

-

Erinys left the castle to complete her morning reconnaissance duty.

She always started by first traveling east. Today, she saw a unit of armored knights marching towards Augusty.

She started to head back, but then decided to check north first, and once again saw a group of armored knights moving towards Augusty. There were also cavalry behind them.

‘And what about the western forest?’ She thought.

She flew over the forest and saw the shadow of someone trying frantically to hide in the bushes.

And to the south, she saw a cavalry unit that had already come very far from Silvali Castle.

She returned to the castle and reported every thing she’d seen.

The battle preparation fanfare was sounded immediately.

The army leaders all gathered in the castle reception room.

Sigurd had a grim look on his face. “I don’t want to fight Eldigan. There’s still three more months before the time I promised him we would pull out. I want to figure out a way to end this without fighting. Oifey, can we hold the castle?”

“There’s one general rule for holding a castle - that an army should only do it if there’s a possibility that reinforcements will arrive. Can we expect reinforcements at this time? I don’t think there’s even a chance of that. In addition, we are in enemy territory. The moment they caught on to us, they’d easily be able to send in more and more soldiers to put pressure on us. We have no choice but to leave the castle.”

“If we can’t avoid fighting, then we can’t avoid fighting. But what kind of strategy can we utilize? There’s enemies coming at us from all four directions!”

“King Chagall's strategies are simply whatever comes to his mind. There’s both infantry and cavalry in his army. The best strategy is to have all units march together and surround the enemy castle, yet he has his soldiers all coming from four different directions. He probably thought that we wouldn't notice anyone coming if he sent his army in chunks, but it means they are all moving at different speeds. We can deal with them each individually."

"I see. Since we have no choice but to fight, then let's give it all we've got and claim victory! We’ll deploy after breakfast."

Sigurd returned to his room, and was greeted by Deirdre, who was carrying Seliph, and looked terribly worried.

"Are you going to fight again?" She asked.

"King Chagall's army is coming this way from all four directions. But you can't come this time. You mustn't leave Seliph's side. He's still just a newborn."

"But… But I'm worried."

"Then I'll tell Shanan to protect you two. That should put your mind at ease."

It was actually him that she was worried about, but Sigurd did not realize that, and went ahead with calling in Shanan.

“Shanan, will you protect Deirdre and Seliph while I’m out fighting?”

“Okay! I’ll take care of them while you’re gone!” It was the first big responsibility the Isaachian prince had ever been entrusted with, and he was very excited.

“See? Shanan will be with you, so rest easy. And I’ll come home as soon as I can. We won’t be separated forever.” Sigurd said, then left the room.

She didn’t know why, but her husband’s words made Deirdre even more uneasy. As she watched him leave, she whispered, “Lord Sigurd…”

-

Sigurd’s cavalry unit first hurried south to fight the armored knights.

The knights were caught completely off guard, and suffered total defeat in a matter of minutes.

Meanwhile, the infantry traveled north, hid in the edge of a forest, and waited for the enemy to draw near.

The battle started with the arrival of more enemy armored knights. Sigurd’s infantry unit was unable to finish them off before the cavalry unit arrived, making the situation very harsh for them.

But the tables turned yet again when the cavalry unit returned from their fight to the south.

Lex looked for Ayra, then rushed up alongside her. Though they exchanged no words, they felt like the perfect team as they fought together.

The Brave Sword he’d gifted her was unbelievably sharp. It paired perfectly with her Astra technique, and cut through the enemies like paper.

After they defeated the cavalry from the north, yet another cavalry unit arrived from the south. It wasn’t Eldigan’s Cross Knights, as Sigurd had originally feared. Eldigan must not have answered Chagall’s request for soldiers.

Since Sigurd’s army was so much larger, they had the overwhelming advantage, and this battle also ended quickly.

When they’d defeated this second cavalry unit, the unit approaching from the west was still in the forest.

Sigurd formed a side unit to fight them, then led the main force to Madino.

Claud and Tailtiu met up with the latter group.

Claud told one of the soldiers that they were looking for Sigurd, who led them to him.

Once they had a chance to talk alone, Claud explained the situation to Sigurd. “Duke Arvis is against deploying the Roten Ritter, so he suspended the attack on you and your army, but most of the people in the imperial court right now are part of Reptor’s political party. Please do not do anything to provoke anyone in Grannvale until I’ve figured out the truth and talked to the king.”

“Understood. I’m want to return home because I’m worried about my father, but I’m fighting right now. His Majesty also ordered me to protect Augusty. I’ll stay here until you’ve returned.”

“Please do.”

“But why is the princess of Friege going with you to the Bragi Tower?”

“Oh, we ran into each other while I was staying in the castle town for a night, and she insisted on coming with me. I was troubled by it, too… But she doesn’t have anything to do with Reptor’s party, so don’t worry about her.”

“Really? If that’s the case, then it should be fine… Anyway, I’ll order some soldiers to guard you until you’ve left Augusty.”

After saying their goodbyes to Sigurd, Claud and Tailtiu left with the guards, then headed west towards the port.

-

Deirdre had just put Seliph down to sleep and gotten out of bed when a black shadow began to form on the wall.

The black shadow gradually became darker and darker, until a man wearing a wine red robe appeared from it.

“I’ve finally found you… daughter of Cigyun.” He stared straight at her as he spoke.

“What!? Who are you…!? How do you know my mother’s name…!?”

The man cackled in response. “You will now be reborn! ...By my dark magic, all your memories will be erased, and you will become that man’s wife. ...It is your fate. Do not try to fight it!”

The man’s voice echoed through her head and clouded her thoughts.

He took a step towards her.

“Wh-What are you doing!? ...Stop! ...No… Lord Sigurd…”

Seliph burst out crying.

‘And, Seliph… I must not forget for his sake, too…’

She thought about them as hard as she could, but the darkness was already consuming her consciousness.

Her memories vanished, and she was engulfed in darkness.

By the time Shannan heard Seliph’s cries and rushed into the room, Deirdre had already disappeared.

[sukunasdirtylaugh]

Surprise Me

I went through an emotional roller coaster and I have this story all planned out! This chapter took me 3 (almost 4) days!!! I am so excited to share this with you guys and i hope you love it as much as I do. 

Chapter 1    

 Chapter 2 = May 17th

Chapter 3= May 24th

Chapter 4= TBD

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: None, but LOTS OF EMOTIONS and fluffy lowkey flirting

Paring: Bucky x Female Bookstore reader

Summary: Bucky finally decided to go out to the city. ( I really want to say more but this story will most likely make you a wreck and I don’t want to spoil it). All I can say is, be warned, enjoy it, laugh, smile, cry, and squeal if you must because you have just signed yourself to the RMS- I’m gonna fucking die if you don’t update this shit- ship. 

Go out in the city, said Sam.

 It would be fun! Sam said. 

Bucky couldn’t even keep a straight face and frowned. Well I sure as hell don’t see any fun, Sam. He said to himself as if he was conversing with the man in his head. 

New York was still New York. The city. The taxis, the food stands, some things were still the same. Others, not so much. 

I really have been missing out a lot, haven’t I? He asked himself as he looked at a big billboard that mentioned something about love and car insurance. Are they really comparing love to that? He scoffed in disbelief. He knew they had to be joking, right? Or is love now just different? He had never really fallen in love before but he could imagine how it would feel like. Sure, he would be interested in a girl; like Dolores Huerta, but he could never say what it felt like to be in love.

 Bucky shook his head and looked at the floor. 

Putting both hands on his waist, he shook his head and looked around, “I gotta get outta here. Somewhere where it doesn’t feel packed.” and that’s what he did.

 After passing a few blocks that mostly consisted of apartments, and occasional small businesses, he stopped in front of one particularly odd place. He couldn’t recall seeing it before, but something about this business screamed old and new, and he liked it. 

To his surprise, the building was located on a corner- clean, but it held a rustic atmosphere. The doors were a dark shiny red and the squared windows were clean and their frames were as dark as a polished shoe. It read, “Antilly’s Books”. 

Books, he thought. How long had it been since he had read a good book? Too long. The bookstore seemed to be secluded from the city. It didn’t even feel like New York just by looking at the little bookstore. There were rarely any people in there and he felt somewhat relieved. He needed  something like this. 

Stepping in was also a relief. As he opened the door, a little bell rung, announcing his presence. He was a bit startled, but saw no one in sight except for a girl. The girl seemed to be too focused to even notice his presence as she had her body slightly crouched, eye leveled to the books, going through each book with her index finger as she muttered her way through. Bucky couldn’t help but stare in awe. The way her hair was tied back into a ponytail and the way she would push her glasses up the bridge of her nose to keep them from slipping seemed like such a simple act in a simple life. He wanted to be like her. She would probably be studying by the looks of her age; something in the arts-maybe even be in a relationship. She probably met her boyfriend in a shop like this, he scoffed to himself and smiled. He would probably like the same things as her, they would eventually marry, travel the world if they’re interested, and have kids. She looks like she could have 2-3 kids and maybe even a- wait what am I thinking? He scolded himself shaking his head. I’m already invested in a strangers life and they don’t even know- THEY’RE LOOKING AT ME RIGHT NOW SHIT-

“Oh hi! I’m sorry I didn’t notice you were here for a while, you probably need help looking for something, do you?” she asked as she swiftly approached him. Her ponytail swaying back and forth. She works here, he thought as he drew a sharp breath.

What am I supposed to say? “Uhh yeah. I don’t really know where to start-“

She laughs and beams him a smile. “Well that’s what they all say. Lucky for you, it’s my job to help. Now tell me, how often do you read?”

Well it’s been decades- “just a few months.” He quickly said.

She gave him a look. A look that he had never gotten used to. The one his mom would give him when he’d lie. He hated it and almost felt like confessing.

“Years.” She said affirmatively before nodding her head, “It’s been years. You haven’t read a book in years. But there’s no shame in that. I’m glad you stopped by because we’re gonna get you back on track honey.”

Honey. He thought. Is she calling me that just for me? Or has she called other clients of hers that haven’t read a book in years honey?

“Now, tell me something,” she said as she started leading the way, “do you prefer BIG chunks of books like 500 page books? Or generally short ones?”

He shook his head and shrugged. “Whatever you want.” He put his hands on his pockets and a small smile played on his lips. “Surprise me.”

She turned to him, already looking at a few bookshelves and raised a surprised eyebrow at him, “Surprise you? I’m not going to surprise you. I’m going to blow your mind and I just know how.” She said the last part challengingly as if this were a dare.

“Follow me,” she said as he followed. Her back now facing him, “Oh I bet, you’re going to love this. You’re going to love it so much, you’ll even come back again just to ask me for another recommendation! The look on your face! Ha!” She said as she shot her hands up, walking through the isles like a mad scientist that had just found a cure to a disease.

“That is, if  I like it.” 

“Oh, you will. I’m certain of it.”

Bucky said no more and decided to keep his mouth shut. He just held a smile to himself and continued to follow the woman in the bookstore. From what it seemed, it looked like they were the only ones in the store. Whatever Sam intended, he didn’t know if he would consider this as fun but it was definitely something.

“Have you found it?” He asked after the minute she stopped at an isle, hands behind his back like a gentleman.

She scanned the shelves like earlier, crouched and index finger roaming each and every one of the books. She finally stopped at one and quickly pulled it out. “Aha! Okay! I found it! Close your eyes.” She instructed.

“What? Close my eyes? What am I- t-ten to you?” He asked followed by a loud shhhhh from her. 

“Just do as I say, okay?”

“Okay,”

Bucky could feel her pull the book from behind her back and was that a smile he was sensing?

“Since you haven’t read a book in over a couple of years, I thought it’d be a good idea to stick to something...classic.”

Classic  he repeated. Classic sounds good.

“I hope this is to your liking. You seem like you would but go ahead, open your eyes.”

When he opened his eyes, he instantly saw a copy of “The Beautiful and Damned.” one of his favorites. He actually had the opportunity to read the book before there was even a war to go to.

It was quite simple actually, there was a bookstore near where he lived. His mother would work here and there to make ends meet and they had just enough to go to school and with the money he’d get for lunch, he’d take portions of that money and save enough to buy a book or two. One day, when he was 16, he had saved what seemed to be enough so he took his money to go to the bookstore. There, he noticed that it wouldn’t be possible for him to buy a book until another week, maybe two.

f  l  a  s  h  b  a  c  k: 

“What seems to be the problem, young man?” A man that seemed to be the owner asked.

“Nothin’ sir.”

“Oh c’mon boy. You know that’s a lie. Really, what’s on your head?”

Biting his lip hesitantly, he answers, “it’s just that...I don’t have enough money to buy a book.”

He looks over to the man who nods and looks away in thought.

“I see. Why don’t you pick a book you like?” 

Didn’t he hear me? I told him I didn’t have enough money.

“But sir-“

“Yes I heard you. I’m not that old you know,” he joked. “Pick out a book you like, then come see me at the front desk. We’ll sort something out young man.”

He nodded and thanked him.

One thing that he never seemed to forget was his respect for the elderly. His mother taught him that (along with respecting women). It was natural of him to always be respectful towards elders. A habit of his.

After a few minutes of not finding anything, the man approached him again

“I’ve seen you have been having trouble picking a book. Other boys your age would just stick to putting a Huxley cover over a gentleman's magazine and sneak them through thinking an old man like me wouldn’t notice.” He said letting out a small laugh at the end.

“You seem like you need something new, refreshing. You need change, boy. And I know just how to help.” He said before speaking up shortly,

“Follow me.”

It seemed just right. Behind the counter, the man pulled out a book that seemed to be new. The man had the book in his hands and waved it to him.

“The Beautiful and Damned?” 

The man nodded, “I know, I know. It doesn’t have a title necessarily appealing to ‘men’ but it’s brand new. Not one single other store has a copy and the authors friend actually gave it to me. Met the author actually. A nice fella he is. Give it a read, see if you like it. I would’ve liked to have something like that when I was your age so think of it as a gift, alright boy?”

Bucky’s eyes widened at the amount of information the man had given him, “Y-yes sir.” He stutters at a loss for words, “Thank you. I-I don’t know how to thank you.”

The man smiled at him faintly and waved his hand down wards, “Please, there’s no need for that but you can start by calling me by my name. I’m Stuart Lieber.”

E N D  of  f l a s h b a c k : 

“Do you like it?” She had asked.

“Well Darlin’, I haven’t even read it yet.” He lied. “What made you want to give me this?”

“You looked like you needed something, different. You seem like you need something new, refreshing. You need change.” Her words echoed in his mind.

She seemed to struggle with her words before speaking up. “I know it probably doesn’t look as appealing as it would. Most men don’t read any of Fitzgerald’s works and stick to things more…”

“...more…?”

She sighed in defeat. “Explicit.” She said disappointingly. “It’s a shame really, not many people have such appreciation for literature as they did in the 20’s or 40’s.” a hint of sadness lingered around her voice.

She spoke up and startled a small laugh in hopes to break the awkward silence, “Kinda makes you wish you were born in another era, right? But that’s enough of me talking.” She said before shaking her head with a smile in attempt to try to forget what she just said.

There was so much going inside Bucky’s mind. Lots of thinking. Maybe this was the first time in years he’s been thinking too much.

Little did he know, he didn’t say anything-causing the woman in front of him to start mentally panicking. 

Oh God, she thinks, This is what happens when you’re too nice you start to freak them out. Look at him, he’s thinking, contemplating on whether he should leave and how he’s gonna do it without ‘hurting me’. 

“I see what you mean,” Bucky said softly after a moment of thinking, “Things aren’t the same here as they were back then. People change, life changes. It’s not like we can really go back to before but we always have-“

“-little reminders?”

Bucky presses his lips into a straight line trying not to smile but the woman in front of him notices a small smile, “Yeah,” he says, “little reminders.”

She nods and smiles as well feeling like she just discovered something, “Okay,” she smiles, “In how much time do you think you can finish that book?”

Bucky feels a boyish smile creep up but is quick to replace it with a smirk, feeling his older self shine.

 He smirks, and holds the book with his right hand, slightly leaning it against him, “How much time?” He asks.

 Before he can even open his lips again, the woman speaks up. “You know what?” She asks as she puts her hand out to stop him, “Surprise me,” 

.

.

.

A/N: IM HONESTLY SO PROUD OF THIS??? Did you guys get the references? (Hint: Stan LEE). 

also, want to be added to a tag list so you know when the next chapter comes up? Message me with the name of the book (I have another series too) so I don’t get confused lol

[rhetorical-ink]

Rhetorical Ink Reviews: “Spiderman: Far From Home”

**WEB SLINGING SPOILERS BELOW**

I hadn’t seen the first Spiderman: Homecoming film in theaters, but I really liked it -- so, I was excited for this new film, but not sure what to expect. I went in with no spoilers, so if you get a chance to see it before being spoiled, DEFINITELY DO -- and then come back and read --

My Top Ten Thoughts on Spiderman: Far From Home:

10. I instantly love the chemistry all of this cast has throughout the film -- from the classmates, to the teachers, to Fury with Peter, to ESPECIALLY Mysterio and Peter Parker -- the acting is just top notch and everyone pulls their weight throughout the movie...yes, even Brad!

9. Samuel L. Jackson really brings it in this movie in terms of comedy -- heck, the comedy is really brought well throughout. This film has a very odd tone -- there is a lot of darker humor throughout, from the very first frame of the film to the last shots of BOTH after-credit scenes (so stick around for those). I personally loved the tone, and thought it was very effective in being both humorous and serious with high stakes throughout.

8. Peter’s struggle is real -- Everyone’s putting a LOT of pressure on Peter to be the next Iron Man -- and Peter, like we all would, rightly freaks out about that. He’s already having some PTSD symptoms pop up whenever Tony Stark is mentioned. In fact, it’s his stress of being a 16-year-old put with so much weight on his shoulder that drives his trust of Mysterio further. While we’re on the topic:

7. Damn, Jake Gyllenhaal NAILS it as Mysterio! As a fan of the comics, I knew that Mysterio would be, SURPRISE, a villain, but the way Jake acted and really sold the performance was so, so satisfying. He took what could have been a flavor-of-the-week villain and made it an extremely memorable performance! I predicted part of the film early on, but loved the explanation of The Elementals and his powers -- it made SO much sense and was SUCH a call back!

6. Mysterio’s big power is illusions and MAN, are the illusions trippy, scary, and really interesting in this movie! There is a moment when Peter first confronts Mysterio, and those illusions had my mouth gaped open -- one particular part was actually creepy and toeing the tasteful line **Too Soon?** but I was just in awe -- it was like a comic book battle between Peter and Mysterio come to life, and really led to some EXCELLENT character moments later between Peter and Happy and in the climax of the film!

5. I love that Peter is kind of like Tony’s would-be-son, but he’s definitely his own person...seriously, Tom Holland is PERFECTION in this role as Peter Parker. I just love him as this super hero. He’s my favorite actor to play this role, and he just delivers all the way through! A scene leading towards the climax between him and Happy is just so quiet, tender, and sweet -- my heart was swelling!

4. My only complaint in any Spiderman film is usually how CGI Spiderman looks in action, and yes, that is definitely the case here -- especially in the “illusion” sequences, but I’m willing to overlook it because of how good the script is. SERIOUSLY, the writing in this script is just flat good. Clever, fun, unexpected at times, and just helped to make the visual effects be a complimentary feature and not the “soul” of the film. It goes to show just how powerful a simple, but effective three-act structure can be.

3. I wasn’t on board with Zendaya as MJ in Homecoming, but I really liked her in this film and with Peter Parker’s relationship that blossoms. They spend a good chunk of the film building up the relationship, and it pays off in the end -- I was SO rooting for them and loved how it ended up! Although --

2. Those after credit scenes! I’m at such a loss now as to where Peter Parker’s story is going to go, especially after how Mysterio basically screwed him over with that first after-credit scene. But regardless, I’m excited to see his next adventure -- and maybe how Flash Thompson will react to Peter’s secret getting out? Cue the “Led Zeppelin,” right?

1. Go see this movie! If you like Spiderman, you will love this. If you like Marvel movies, you will love this. Personally, for me, this ranks up there with the first Avengers, Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of writing, action, humor, and overall fun!

[dreamingdolls]

Top Ten Games of the Decade

Inspired by my friend @luniil I figured I would try and write down my top ten games of the decade before we ring in the new year. This list is quite obviously going to be extremely subjective. Note that I am limiting myself to one game per franchise to avoid potential bias there.

With that said, let’s kick this thing off, shall we?

#10 - World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria

Whatever my thoughts on WoW are today, I will never deny that for a long time it was my main game, barely playing anything else at all. Mists of Pandaria then was by far my favorite expansion. Challenge Modes were a blast, the new Monk class quickly became my favorite and for the most part the writing was great. Pandaria was shrouded in mystery - as Thrall told us in the trailer - and much of the writing reflected that. After years of expansions pulling from the past, this stuff felt new and fresh, while not out of place either. Throne of Thunder is and will probably always be my favorite raid instance of all time as well, with quite honestly every single fight there being enjoyable from start to finish.

#9 - Undertale

The tears. Oh FUCK the tears when I reached that ending. And then the tears when I learned that wasn’t the end at all and there was more if I rebooted the game - they got me with that one. I was extremely late to the party with Undertale, only starting playing it as late as half a year ago, but I was inspired by Rey to try it out and I absolutely loved it. Bonus points for the 4th wall breaking throughout - a trope I admittedly might enjoy too much.

#8 - Hearthstone

This game got me into card games. I mean, I dabbled with some Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh cards as a kid but that was more of a collecting thing than actually playing the games. The polish on this game is honestly amazing from the voice acting on every card, the animations, the trinkets and odds to mess around with on every board... It’s a great game to play when I’m not really in the mood for something too intense and just want to sit back and play some joke decks.

#7 - WildStar / TERA

I’m cheating a little here by listing two games as a pair because both are here for very similar reasons, and I wouldn’t really feel right listing either above the other. I play MMOs. Like, it’s probably my favorite genre. I love the social interactions and as I play on a relatively limited budget compared to most of my friends, the constant updates and stuff to do is a very big draw for me as well. However, I’ve always felt the combat could be a bit... More involved beyond just hitting buttons on a hotbar. WildStar and TERA then seemed like the answer to my cries, taking a more action combat approach to the genre. I *loved* playing these games and it’s unfortunate the communities in both seemed to dry up so easily. Evidently I am in a minority enjoying these, but I have fond memories of both. RIP WildStar.

#6 - Pokemon B/W2

I had to really think hard which Pokemon game I would be listing here. One way or another one would get a spot but I wasn’t sure which. I loved mega evolutions, and regional forms were an amazing idea too. For all the hate Sword/Shield have gotten, I’ve still gotten a ton of fun out of them as well. But ultimately? All of these I liked for a gimmick. Megas, Regionals, Raids... Each of them a great idea but none of them defining the core experience. Black/White 2, on the other hand, was the first game where I wanted to get my main team to 100, and where I actually wanted to put thought into my main team as opposed to just kinda rolling with whatever I run into. The story was great, the returning characters were great, and the variety of Pokemon in a playthrough was incredible. Easily one of the best Pokemon games of all time.

#5 - Super Smash Bros Ultimate

There isn’t a world where this couldn’t make the list. I grew up with Smash from the N64 days. I love the crossover aspect and seeing everyone return in one game, plus newcomers including, at last, BANJO? This game is why I bought a Switch in the first place, and it continues to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. For the first time I’ve dabbled in competitive play as well, and I’ve been loving every moment of it, even the losses. World of Light was a blast to play through and having each character’s Classic mode follow it’s own theme was brilliant. Ultimate indeed.

#4 - Mario Galaxy 2

HOLD THE PITCHFORKS! Had it not been for my one game per franchise rule Odyssey would have made it on to the list. However, between the two, Galaxy 2 easily wins out as the better game. Odyssey had a lot - to the point of fatigue in some cases. Yes, there are 880 moons versus 242 stars, but a good chunk of the moons felt tacked on towards the end of the game. Galaxy 2 on the other hand was a blast from the very first star all the way to the last. It took the idea of Galaxy and made it easily ten times better, and where most people are hoping for an Odyssey 2 or Sunshine remake... I’m lowkey praying for a Galaxy 3.

#3 - Skyrim

Skyrim is not perfect. I’m going to say that right away. Plenty of bugs including some gamebreaking ones are about. But with that said, I still got an easy 350 hours of joy out of the game and still have stuff left unexplored. See, being that I’m gaming on a budget longevity is very much a part in how I rate games. I’d rather buy a good game that lasts me forever than an amazing game of 5 hours with no replay value, and Skyrim is full of the former. And while it might not be perfect, it’s still got a lot of good things going for it on top of that replay value. That is why it deserves it’s spot on my list.

#2 - Life is Strange

Excuse me while I cry my eyes out please? There isn’t much I will write on the actual story here as I don’t want to spoil things for Rey (with whom I’m replaying the game as of late) or any other reader that might pick the game up, but few games have made me as emotional as this series. There’s some cheesy jokes that might be trying a bit too hard, but in general the actual story is brilliant.

#1 - Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers

Dear reader, let’s run back through the previous points I’ve made in this post for a minute before we properly dive into the number one pick here. I’ve mentioned a love for MMOs and their social aspects. I’ve mentioned a love for stories that aren’t afraid to shake the norm up a little. I’ve told you about valuing replay-ability, which the job system in FFXIV definitely offers. And, I’ve mentioned a love for games that make me cry my heart out.

Shadowbringers got all of that and then some.

Never did I think a MMO’s story could bring me to tears quite as badly as Shadowbringers did. I always kinda accepted well, a MMO is just that first, RPG second, prioritizing the online experience above a coherent story. Shadowbringers took that and threw it in my face, telling me no, damnit, I can do both. Even characters I wasn’t all that fond of on a personal level, the game does such a great job at establishing them that if they kill anyone off my face is full of tears in a matter of seconds. But they don’t even need to go that far. The storywriting is strong enough that even without shock value moments I’ve bawled my eyes out on my keyboard. Shadowbringers is a heartbreak in the best way possible, and that’s not even mentioning the music or hell, the actual gameplay yet.

“Remember.. Remember us. Remember, that we once lived.”

[elizabethrobertajones]

14x08 watching notes

This episode is the Worst I had to lie to my mum when I came downstairs trembling and tear-stained to get a cup of tea to recover, and play it all off as cold symptoms, and now I feel complicit in some sort of deceit with the episode and like Meredith broke the fourth wall through sheer pain.

Good morning, I slept in until seven after they started digging up the road outside at 9pm at night, so I still kinda have a lingering headache from that, but I'm pretty sure Meredith is about to make good on the Dean n Jack murder pact or something else of that level of awfulness so... *deep breath*

-

YAY it is Lily!! I mean it was pretty obvious from the costuming because wow she's a distinct person but idk maybe some people thought it was her mom?

Anyway getting a recap just of how terribly Jack is doing and then also a reminder of Lily Sunder is just.. Good recap. *kisses fingers*

(*curls up in agony*)

In all the drama I never noticed Rowena being among those who yelled "Jack!" when he went down and to be honest she knew him five minutes and I'm crediting all that panic in her voice to his absolutely ridiculous powers of being the most adoptable creature in the cosmos. You take one look at him and you want to make sure his shoelaces are tied properly and he has a glass of milk.

Anyway he totally caught Rowena off her guard and made her express an Emotion(TM) that was not spite and a good chunk of that is new and improved Rowena of the last year or so, but also just... She bonded HARD :P

-

Ironically I left the spoon in my coffee in my haste to get up here and start watching so now I will drink it like that and possibly exit the episode also wearing an eye patch

-

I watched a second and tucked the largest, most comforting stuffed toy this family owns under my arm. Yes, not my personal stash of friends, the family heirloom squishy guy who has been with us through all the worst stuff D:

-

The framing is Sam sitting at Jack's bedside, Dad no.1 as season 13 firmly established for us, and the dad with the closest traditional relationship of father/son to Jack. Then Cas hovers nearby, struggling to be as close but still Dad no.2 with the ongoing and uncomplicated connection to Jack in the sense that both just sort of accept they're now father and son without any debate or internal wrangling, and that's always been Jack's in with the family and the way he inadvertently got Cas to vouch for him from beyond the grave when he said Castiel was his father and Sam immediately just flipped to Team Jack, not, of course, that he'd not been giving him a huge chance and trying to reach out to him already, but that was his "oh shit this is now my son because Cas is dead" moment.

Finally, Dean fills the foreground, face in shadow, the conflicted Dad no.3 who can't even face his dying son, taking it personally because this is literally the fourth smol child he's taken under his wing who he then lost, from Sam, Ben, Emma, a truly tragic collection of lost children. He resisted adopting Jack because he couldn't be a parent again, not after what Sam put him through as a parent, and yet Jack, the most adoptable boy in the cosmos, eventually wormed his way under Dean's skin too, and by the end of season 13 Dean was acting fatherly towards him and by this season Dean's been opening up the doors and letting Jack be his son. And. Whoops. As SOON as you took him on a hunt for one on one father son bonding time, look what happened.

And so Dean will lurk in the foreground, not looking at Jack, peering moodily into some dark empty box that metaphorically is his soul or his remaining ability to cope with losing children or some such nonsense. The pandora's box of parenthood. He's full on dark romantic hero brooding.

-

OH  NO  IT IS A RECORD PLAYER NOT A BOX

-

I need our family to retroactively adopt a larger, squishier friend to hug in this trying time

-

Having archived every single one of my watching notes ever between last episode and this episode, I'm more than usually pained by Dean's "not meant to be crap" line because he's been resisting it the entire frikkin time, when Sam kept, even long long long before they knew their real destinies, musing if HIS own personal angst was meant to be and Dean was like don't give me that destiny crap. I swear there's lines about this back in season 2 or 3 when Sam is musing on his powers and the grim lot fate had dealt them. This is a callback line to Dean dealing with his own sense of unravelling control and pure panic about what was happening to Sam, back when that was a thing in the very early seasons and he was having to face the kid he raised from a baby amongst all that tragedy now recklessly declaring all sorts of horrific things about not being able to resist his destiny. Oh, also, in season 2, while under a murder pact from John about killing him if he couldn't save him.

Honestly, it's barely a relationship worth mentioning if you don't have a murder pact going with Dean. Ben is literally the only one of all 4 children AND CLAIRE who hasn't had one with Dean.

-

If this episode involves Dean bringing any of his records in to play for Jack I'm gonna go out in my pyjamas and take a long walk to the sea and then keep walking once I reach it

-

Dean you did not walk nearly far enough for Jack to not hear you thump the wall outside his room

-

PS: totally figured the promo scene was an early emotional beat between Dean and Cas which utterly delights me because the earlier that came in the episode the better as it meant less and less chance it was about anything other than Dean and Cas having an intense relationship over this whole thing.

-

Jack is the absolute worst about dying. He's this saintly angelic little boy from like, no later than 1900s literature, who exists only to bravely suffer and love with his whole heart. He's snatched out of an era when kids needed morality tales about how to die politely of consumption with the least amount of fuss for their parents and 300 siblings.

How dare you fucking die selflessly. Humanity is at its Bithc This Isn't Fair stage. Throw a fit. Go walk into the sea out of protest.

-

Okay you're in Kansas I understand how that is an unrelastic option and I grew up spoiled by the immediate location of the sea should I ever need to walk into it.

-

This show has never made me cry before the title card before.

-

This is the Pippin and Gandalf scene from Return of the King with the whole Into the West thing that they wrote for a sick fan who died before the movie came out and literally Annie Lennox sings what would be Jack's THEME for this scene.

-

Sam is horrified that Jack didn't even live long enough for a LotR marathon to explain the reference that's making him bawl.

-

I LOVE that this scene with Dean n Cas is just about Dean being a wuss about watching his son die because that's so much worse than Jack having asked for a mercy kill or anything. And this all before the title card. Cas tearing Dean a new one about going in and watching your son die smiling beautifully like a little cherub who can't wait to find out what happens next.

-

Jack's gonna be dead before the title card, isn't he?

-

Oof.

-

Hey, Dean, one more reason to hate yourself :) :) :)

-

Also robbed Cas of watching him go.

-

But I think tbh they could have done this if Dean wasn't being a coward about watching Jack die that they would leave Sam to sit at this side in the last moment.

-

Ugh, my eyes are leaking too much to type. What the hell is all this wet stuff coming out of them.

-

I've never seen a TFW shot where Sam was the shortest but he is slumped over like someone cut all his strings.

-

"Your brother's in pain" AND WE'RE NOT? YOU'RE NOT? CAS ISN'T?

-

Dean stopping Cas going after Sam with just a catch of his shoulder... Ugh. The two of them are still connected through all this in a way where Cas and Dean are connected whether Dean's in the most obvious pain or Sam is.

-

Cas, pls be selfish and in the most obvious pain at some point this episode.

-

Oh please don't make me watch Dean telling his mom that Jack died

please

I beg you

-

They put a photo of Kelly next to Jack's bed D: Or has he always had that?

-

That's not even the photo that Cas had pinned to his board in 12x10 and yes I went and checked, I'm leaking tears too much to watch because Cas is standing over him and this is going to be the worst while Dean's answerphone message lays over the top.

I'm so not here to watch TFW mourn their son.

-

They had him for like a WEEK this SUCKS.

-

ALso I said "please don't make me watch" so they cut away to Cas mourning silently while Dean talks to Mary's answerphone because Meredith is an evil fairy who whimsically takes your wishes and twists them into even worse options.

-

*takes my glasses off and throws them aside angrily when Sam emerges carrying a duffel over his shoulder and wearing the fucking orange jacket he first met Jack in*

-

God, I don't even wear them for focus, just lack of headaches. Why was I bothering.

-

7x10 and this episode are probably going to be unholy companions in this show's canon

"She's come down with acute Tear Duct Blockage. The only option is head amputation or we make her cry, NOW" "Don't worry, I have just the thing."

-

Dean this answerphone message huuuurts

Also explains the Buckleming issue of not calling Mary, to just say, yeah, it escalated, rapidly.

-

Your brother is storming off and Cas is broken.

-

If I have to see Cas see a set of PB&J crusts and a glass of milk identical to what Dean saw in 9x10 I'm - well, I'm still here instead of walking off into the sea so my threats are starting to look a bit performative. BUT I'M THINKING IT.

-

Cas watches Sam go, while Dean is being dwarfed by the bunker and obfuscated by its maze of corridors.

-

*presses my hands over my eyeballs* STOP. STOP IT. GOD. You're not even sobbing or anything you're just lEAKING. This is so annoying! I'm gonna dehydrate and they'll find a shrivelled skellington here and I'll go with just a few quiet sniffs and a dumb smile on my face like fucking Jack did.

Now I'm just distraught about the first time ever in canon we see Cas drive, it's in his dumb blue car and Dean's broken and not up for driving even if Sam presumably hadn't stolen the car for his errand/driving until he finds the sea and walking off into it mission. All my myriad fantasies about Cas behind the wheel of the impala and Dean grinning at him like yeah that's my baby (which one is he talking about?), and nope we're getting Cas's little partymobile and Dean's mute expression of grief.

-

NEVER MIND THEY SHOWED ME SAM CURLED UP ON THE GROUND USING THE IMPALA AS A BELOVED FAMILY HEIRLOOM TO HUG AND I SOBBED OUT LOUD FUCK  YOU MEREDITH FUCK YOU

-

I need the tissues why were they not here in preparation for this episode

-

I need to avoid my mum all day on the ground of spoilers because my face is a walking spoiler

-

"TELL ME YOU DIDN'T  MAKE A DEAL" "wha- no, I'm trying to make a pyre"

Making a pyre doesn't usually involve curling up on the floor.

Cas is getting an accidental glimpse of 13x01's emotional landscape, not that anyone will tell him this was what it was like for Dean, that we now have Sam in the spot of. We're getting some mirror image missing moments, like we just saw Dean get the axe out but did see him begging God... in this one we see Sam go take it out on a tree.

-

Incidentally I re-read all of Terrible Coffee AU two days ago for Reasons and the scene where Sam is whaling on a tree while screaming into the sky is pretty much this. Which is fucking hilarious that 2 years ago I decided Sam taking out his feelings on the local trees was a Thing when he was depressed.

(I wrote that scene the day Eileen was murdered on the show and honestly at the time he was mostly just angry on canon!Sam's behalf and I figured I'd come up with plot reasons later.)

-

Oh, they weren't driving the party!mobile, they were driving something else. I'm not even gonna ask where they get these vehicles

-

Yeah I'm harping on Dabb vs cars because Cas is talking about Jack's story ending like this and certainty of death for angels and this is just... the worst.

-

the story line - Cas deciding how their stories go. Dean resisting the how it's supposed to be of Jack's death. TFW want to take the narrative into their own hands. We KNOW in this world deaths are stored in notebooks, potential ways to pass that you skate past until one claims you. They're free to write their own stories but the ending is always pre-written for them... It's just a matter of which one. But Cas especially... Jack was supposed to bring paradise, and maybe the emotional landscape between season 12 and 14 is a gulf of difference in their openness and bonds, largely facilitated by Jack's presence in the narrative and relentless open love for everyone who was nice to him and even those who weren't in Dean's case. He breezed through their lives, manic pixie dream girl'd them to emotional health, and mayfly'd out. But that's THEIR stories. That's not JACK's story. That's not the epic destiny something as cosmically powerful as him was due, and the potential he was shown to have... It abruptly gets into the territory of Dany having her whole Stallion That Mounts the World prophecy for the son she lost... I've not watched the TV show since it diverged so wildly I couldn't hack it any more, but the books with everyone wondering if, like, Jon Snow was this guy instead, etc, picking this that and the other guy... what if Dany's lost child WAS the only one it applied to and the prophecy just fizzled out? ASoIaF looms over Jack's narrative... He's literally been framed against an Iron Throne in the past, and his character arc for parts of season 13 was a sort of anti-Joffrey in many ways. And then in death, GRRM's unromantic look at fairytales and heroic narratives comes for him too, that maybe it doesn't always happen like the stories say...

... but of course, he also has LotR coding, and in THAT regard, Sam Gamgee has his good old speech about the heroes in the stories and how we relate to them and are inspired by them and become them. The stories that matter. And Jack's was supposed to be one of those. In a way, their lives have been so epic that Jack mostly having a personal impact rather than a cosmic one seems wrong to them. That he didn't become the great hero of his own story, but was a tragic hero who ran a dramatic but personal arc and burned out because his asshole father killed him and his asshole uncle presumably finished him off with an experiment in grace transfusion. At least if my dashboard is to be believed :P It's inconcievable to TFW, the "making it up as we go" people who tore up the script and threw away the pages, that they can't just make this happen or that Jack didn't serve some great purpose. Even men as weary of Destiny as they are, struggle. Just because that was their lives, so how could the son of all three of them not follow in all his fathers' footsteps?

-

"Jack being taken before his time... Being taken before *me*" Cas shut the fuck up.

But that is the speech from Theoden, and once again Sam is Gandalf, which is fucking hilarious that Sam's been Gandalf TWICE this episode.

Ever it's grown on the tombs of my forebears...

you have four bears???

-

God dammit that joke didn't stop me crying as they go knock their glasses together and hold Jack's lil 3 dads wake

-

3 Dads Wake is a great name for a whiskey

-

God, Cas is drinking.

-

CAS.

-

They need to give him like one bottle to every finger of whiskey they drink but dammit if they don't get Cas loaded.

-

Letting them talk privately about how aweomse Jack was and not letting us hear it is a crime

-

Listen you don't even know me if you didn't think as soon as the nougat appeared on screen I didn't hit pause and sob for a whole minute with my hands over my face

-

Officially worse than bobby and the goddamn licorice conversation

-

Cas laughing with caramel hanging out of his mouth is the worst thing the sho whas ever done and I'm suing for emotional damage

-

Imagine being one of the bitter stans who hates one or more of TFW or Jack right now watching this scene. God, are you even human. They're eating Jack's secret nougat stash they all pretended they didn't know he had.

-

I can't believe I'm now thinking that Lily showing up will probably be a lighthearted way to bring up the mood of the episode.

-

Cas is offficially wobbly! We have Cas tipsyness!!

-

Sam tapping out first. Oh no. Don't leave. Don't.

-

Fuck you Sam Winchester how dare you canonically be the most lightweight of TFW consistently for the entire show and need to go crash off the side of your bed and sleep on the floor while Dean n Cas are still drinking together.

-

Did Dean seriously outdrink Cas.

-

Well that's... something.

I am gonna cling to that like a rock in the churning sea I have walked out into.

-

Also I managed to calm myself down with walking around my room taking deep breaths so I could go downstairs pretending not to be a wreck, so I could get tea, and my mum made me finish the sudoku for her. I don't have the heart to show her this episode. She loves Jack more than anyone in this god damn fandom and maybe more than Cas does. Maybe I'll lie to her and say the show ended last episode and Jack was fine hahahahaaaa

-

OH FUCK I hit play and there was a single line of dialogue for the whole wake. Dean drunkenly slurring to Cas, I think, you know we did everything we could, right?

I'm...

*walks further out into the ocean*

-

"Here's to you Jack, wherever you are" I am not okay.

-

Oh fork you Meredith we did not need to see the boy in Heaven eating burgers.

-

Oh fork you Meredith we did not need to see the boy in Heaven eating burgers while on a case with all of his dads.

-

OH SON OF A BENCH THIS IS THE DODGE CITY CASE AKA 13x06 MEREDITH YOU DINK.

-

Oh dear, Heaven is broken. Who was the ashhole who was saying that Jack should die so that he can go to Heaven so he's well-placed to help deal with all this nonsense.

-

LOL Jack would be the sort of person who goes to Heaven and doesn't need more than a second of prompting to be  like oh wait I am dead and in Heaven, and just, like... Go open the door. Just pop his head out like cooee I wanna hang with my dads anyone here to replace the bulb in the sun so I can carry on hanging out here for eternity?

Like, seriously, I'm dead, this is when I am supposed to catch a break.

-

Let The Boy Say Fork.

-

Listen, secondary to his power to be adopted by everyone on sight, Jack is uncanny also with just walking into trouble.

-

And to try and be clam for a moment, this is Jack getting pulled back into the story, but not just by unfortunate happenstance, because he was the one with the sharpness, the cosmic awareness even on this level that Heaven just doesn't quiiiiite work for him in the way it's supposed to even if say it was at full power, that he is the one who voluntarily not just understands instantly that something is wrong, but then is fully snapped back to his old self, and chooses to open the door, and that is the moment of choosing to continue his story, at least for now.

It's like how the last time we saw Bobby chronologically was in Inside Man and Cas and Sam woke him from his repose and got the fighting spirit back into him enough to open his own door and rejoin the story for one last hurrah... And it was a choice there too, a moment of once more telling the natural order to screw itself, Bobby could step outside the proscribed ending of his narrative one last time.

Unless Jack finds him and is adopted on sight today.

-

Sam looks way too healthy.

Invigorated by having a Plan

-

Lils. Finally getting to see the Bunker filled with all her stolen research notes.

And no that wasn't canon before, but boy am I hoping she recognises her research amongst all the bunker's angel lore.

-

Men stealing fuckin everything

-

"We've never looked through Kevin's angel tablet translations"

HAVEN'T WE?

NO

WE HAVEN'T

THEY HAVE BEEN THERE

FIVE

FUCKING

YEARS

And every forking time something comes up where they might be useful I say, HEY WHAT ABOUT KEVIN'S ANGEL TABLET TRANSLATIONS?

and the show says

hey so we don't have the angel tablet but we do have the demon tablet

and I'm like I'm sure that won't have any dumb side effects that could be avoided by having the angel tablet translation just on hand in your archive

did Meredith hear me screeching

because I screeched very very loud after 13x14

13x13 sorry

that was Bucklemming handing her the wrong fucking tablet

-

this is bitter vindication but feels even better than her and Bobo remembering the grace extracting needle in 12x19

-

Glynn is a fucking gift.

-

On the other hand this episode now is pulling on 9x06 and 12x10 at once and that makes me feel woozy

I can't deal with a Glockeybo combo

-

Also waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah Kevin's handwriting. I can't deal with that AND Bobby memories AND FUCKING NOUGAT DEATH

-

Which I mean I do feel instantly better about once he opened the door and let himself back into the story and I stopped crying at once and cheered up and Lily is indeed providing much needed relief, wild as that all sounds.

-

Lily trying to explain her soul magic to Sam and Dean, rubes who haven't done a single enochian calculation in their lives.

Wait, no, Sam has done one, in ... 12x19 ...

But yeah, a rube and a completely self-taught asshole who knows like one thing about it.

And she's like oh yeah just use his soul and they're like AAH WTF LILY and she's like er this is the most obvious thing in the world what is the problem here

-

where are my cas reaction shots

-

Jack wearing an eyepatch for the rest of the show would be adorable and hilarious

-

"it won't cost much... he'll never miss it" trust me his soul is enormous and boated with sweet nougat love, he can spare it, guys.

-

Dean being able to say "Jack's dead" one day later, when he couldn't say it about Cas practically until he was BACK

-

Nice trade. TECHNICALLY nothing dodgy about it at all, at least in the sense that aside from resurrection consent issues from Jack, once he's back the choice is still on him to choose to grow old and die as Lily has done, or even to stop using the magic to sustain himself and die again immediately if he is squicked out by it... Or it all comes from trading on his OWN soul power.

Definitely better than demon deals or having any favours looming over them etc

And with Heaven in the state it's in, honestly sending Lily there might be easier than they think if NO ONE IS LEFT TO RUN IT.

Er, imminent ghostpocalypse issues aside.

-

We're in ghostpocalypse territory as of a minute ago show time, btw.

-

Cas has quietly observed all this chatter and we get back to him when he says, "Don't you think Jack should decide for himself" so honestly Cas is right there with me, and I always like when me and Cas are the ones agreeing on a thing in the episode.

-

Obligatory reminder that Sam is more aware than most about soul stuff

*takes another piece of coal off the pile I was going to send Meredith for ruining christmas*

-

HEY, ANUBIS.

Don't tell him about what they did to Osiris

Unless that would amuse him

Wait never mind Meredith is literally throwing in amusing snark about 7x04 which I think when Adam Glass disowned that episode (despite how I actually think it's really good and he was too hard on it) he never expected anyone would ever want to throw in amused references about it in canon ever again.

-

"When God left - sorry, long story - " Lily is one of the few people who seems able to conceptually roll with the nonsense TFW deals in all day.

She should join the squad. Always room for a 100 year old badass with deep enochian lore knowledge.

-

I'm sorry has Jack crashed Kelly's heaven or is this a rando little girl. I immediately thought she was Kelly in the long shot and they substituted a lil girl for POV when we got closer and actually had to go back and look again and she was the little girl all along.

-

This also conceptually looks so much like Cas's eternal tuesday afternoon.. A rainy, flower-filled garden.

-

Roosevelt looks SO much like the doggie in 11x20 aside from anything else

-

IT IS KELLY

-

This is horrifying since they never ever got to meet ever until now and I'm suing Meredith

-

I mean I'm already suing her but I'm just adding this to the list of complaints. My laywers are working overtime on this episode.

-

FORK!! THEY GOT HER BACK FROM LEGENDS OF TOMORROW FOR A DAY!!!!

-

Can Kelly and Jack go on a rampage around Heaven to fix things?

-

Her hair is suspiciously darker from the back which I think is her Legends look from the gifs I've seen

-

Wait, Bobby had a forking dog called Rumsfeld, and Kelly has Roosevelt.

-

"Hi mom you're dead"

".......................................................... NOooOoOooooOOoo No no no baby no"

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

-

Dean resisting the spell and complainging "gotta happen, no other way" is making me feel like the Heaven Drama is going to smack them right before they can get it all done and give them a LOT MORE to worry about than Jack but also give them a roundabout way to see him again and also, of course, mean Lily might be useful for an entirely other purpose while she's here...

-

Dean right now is rationalising this through the lens of that all their terrible deals have been terrible and that this is just one more step on the Winchester life and death merry-go-round, and of course that Jack is about to get the full family treatment he deserves. But that's the Winchester lens of looking at things that even when deaths are brutal and lives cut unfairly short, there's going to be a way to bring them back if they haven't finished their stories. John finished his, in 2x22 seeing Dean get the revenge he needed to be at peace, but everyone else...

Is it ethically right to put Jack on that merry-go-round when he smiled sweetly and died with as much enthusiasm as he gave pretty much everything in his life?

-

The table lamps are out in the bunker D: them being dark is so ominous

-

And Cas shows up like shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit something worse going on guys

-

They're so casual about just summoning gods into their front room these days

Of course they're doing it in the spot in front of the door with the war room behind in one direction... The opposite end of the library to where they opened the rift.

-

Sam picks his way through the wet paint but Dean stands right in the centre of this circle for SUMMONING THE GOD WHO DECIDES WHO LIVES AND DIES AND WHERE THEY GO to have this lil chat with Lil?

-

And now Dean steps out of it and corners her with the obvious question - what's wrong with your magic and why are you risking going to Hell to stop using it entirely?

-

I'm so sorry you have to look at more dead angels, Cas

I'm also so sorry they were killed by black slime because wow after season 7 that was a laugh and a half for you

-

... Can you swear in the hallways of Heaven?

-

DUMA LIVES

(probably "for now" though hopefully longer than that)

Ma'am are you aware you have a Nougat on the loose too

I'd love it if Cas is like hi what's happening also have you seen my son

-

This actress needs to come back for a 3rd time to follow Dean around in a crisis moment.

-

OH NO now Cas is coming to the heaven memory and seeing what Jack considered his best memory

-

YEAH. I knew Naomi would show up, I just didn't know when :D

(She wasn't in the credits as far as I could tell but I already sort of knew they were leaving people off? Or maybe I was thinking lol I bet Amanda Tapping is in this episode and they won't tell us... On the other hand she mAY have been in the credits but I was WEEPING MY EYES OUT so didn't clock her despite my efforts to hold myself together and see who was coming up on screen)

-

Naomi doesn't have the most dramatic entrance on the show but she sure is racking up points for good entrances one at a time each time she appears. She never just, like... toddles onto screen normally.

-

"Perhaps the angel side of him knew he was in Heaven" honestly the most tragic thing I was trying not to think about is that he knew the entire time but he was willing to play along and enjoy hanging with his dads for eternity despite that.

-

Oh man it's another dispute over who owns Jack. Is this kid never going to be allowed to just sit and eat burgers and nougat? (Hopefully not at the same time)

-

Also based on last episode where it seemed like the Empty was awakening but had Lucifer's eyes and we were all NOOO fork that!! is there some more complicated forked up aspect to what's going on or is it just itself and awake and coming for Jack?

-

I love how Naomi just casually knows how many people are in Heaven

-

"What's one nephilim boy against all that?" "But he's MY nephilim boy!!"

-

OH NO NAOMI

-

NOT LIKE THIIIIIS

-

We better get an answer on her state by the end of the episode because she's my fave villain bar Metatron on the entire show and devouring her in shadow is just... yikes.

-

"give it a sec" *POOF* Anubis is prompt, okay.

-

He probably honestly is somewhat slighted that they're 14 years into their career and he hasn't clapped eyes on them.

-

"Yeah, we've died." "A LOT."

-

I honestly, at this point, do not blame them for their lax attitude towards the permanence of death. They need a lot of counselling they're not getting and until they do they really are going to always be terrible at this.

-

A brief moment where Anubis is like, am I going to get Flirty Banter with Dean Winchester?? and he looks at him and Dean's eyes are all dead and "my son is dead" and Anubis sighs like welp not today oh well better luck next time, if I survive this...

-

Getting flirty banter with Dean is a sign of high honour and takes you to some very interesting places.

-

Into Dean if you stick with it like Crowley did

-

And Lily's been standing there this whole time like wow these boys suck up all the attention in the room and I kinda hate them

-

Oh I LOVE this abacus. Is this some nerdy ass research that meredith did to know better than most what to expect here? Even I haven't heard this one, though I haven't really revisited Egypt lore after the expected Egyptology phase as a kid...

Anyway the half white half black beads are super interesting in a wider show symbolism way.

-

Oh deeear, Lily.

-

Of course that instantly makes you fascinated about what would happen if TFW stuck their hands over it.

-

What a good line on the show's philosophy about making your own fate - it's not destiny or a choice from above or anything like that. Your individual actions get you sent to Heaven or Hell in the natural course of things and it's weighed in such a way all he can do is use his equipment to read which way you're going... Everything else is down to you. Free Will, write your own story.

Of course, if Lily did some huge sacrifice I bet she could change things.

-

CAS LAUGHED

ugh this episode should be banned.

-

If you hug Kelly I'm rioting.

-

Everyone who ever hugs Cas slaps their hands firmly on Misha's broad shoulders like it's law and digs in and I don't know if it's because Cas has this wonderful presence about him that even when you're around Misha acting him in the moment you get swept up in it, or you just want to hug Misha like that, but Cas hugs look like the most amazing hugs in the universe and everyone just GOES for it.

Also I am typing this nonsense because I literally used up my box of tissues earlier and the next option is stealing a roll of toilet paper. So I will snark and try and ward off the sobbing.

-

"I'm so sorry. I failed you." Kelly, who has spent about 5 minutes in Jack's presence and understands his nature even beyond her blind faith in him from before but now gets to see the evidence of it: "You didn't. You didn't."

Yes, please can more characters tell Cas that he did a good job even when things don't quite go to plan. Dean's drunken slurring about how they did the best they could, this...

Kelly tells Cas how wonderful Jack is like Cas doesn't know and Cas breaks up.

And you know what this looks like and I'm not going to survive typing this and can already feel my eyeballs filling up with water... 10x20 and Jimmy and Amelia talking about Claire at the end of the episode oh god I hate it take it away from me.

-

Oh good Cas telling Jack we need you alive to fix Heaven but just in a passive way where you not being dead means the Empty backs the fuck off rather than you having to DO anything

-

Ooops the Empty is here as Dumas. I suspect she's not surviving this episode but MAYBE Naomi survives.

-

I am saying with full wishful thinking after seeing her completely consumed by black goo

-

I do like the concept of "THERE ARE MAJOR STAKES TO RESURRECT THE BOY. BRING HIM BACK THIS INSTANT. LITERALLY SAVE THE UNIVERSE BY BRINGING THE NOUGAT SON BACK TO EARTH." because that makes it so much different from "hey bring me back and maybe accidentally unleash some terrible evil in the process but we'll deal with it later  because that's what we do"

-

"HE'S OUR KID" Sam snaps

I hate it, thanks

For the love of god appeal to  her more as a fellow parent.

-

Dean DIRECTLY EQUATES Jack and May

Hold me

-

Equating no soul to not being human in front of Sam aka our no soul test case. Owie. Another reminder of just how hard Dean took it in season 6 until he got Sam back, all that skin crawling feeling of being around him...

You know what? Jack reminds me of the sort of example nice ensoulled Sam stuff we saw in 6x12 when Jared was allowed to play over the top sweet and uncomplicted for a few scenes, just to be a total contrast to how he'd been acting thus far in the season. Of course, we saw him for like 3 scenes of Dean smiling in pure relief when Sam did Nice Things before it all got complicated again, and Jack's been a long-time character :P But Sam does have a sweet street that when it emerges in the rare times it can be uncomplicated, is I think the closest equivalent to where Jack's innocent sweetness is drawn from. He's the son of Sam's puppy dog eyes specifically.

But yeah I think Lily just needs to have this resistance and anger about it all to make it so much more of a flip if she were to decide to do the spell, so that it counts as an even gooder good deed to MAYBE flip her chances. By giving her a good work to do.

And hey maybe if she meets Jack for a minute she'll love him and then be changed by the experience and go out and do more good things etc etc.

-

DUMAS IS SO GOOD AT BEING CREEPY!!

-

Misha hammed the FORK out of being the Empty and now she has to live up to it and she IS.

-

CAS don't fight the Empty by trying to stab it, fight the Empty by humming this is the song that never ends.

-

*makes a disgruntled sad noise about being forced to see Jack laid out on a table in his cute lil PJs with his cute lil socks*

-

Wait, if Lily does this spell does this mean she's using up the last of her soul to do it and going to the Empty anyway?

-

ANGRY LIONESS KELLY COMING TO YELL AT THE EMPTY AND GIVE IT A PIECE OF HER MIND

I've just paused after her yelling "STOP" but whatever happens next, she leaped in when Cas was getting kicked around and that's BAD ASS.

-

Hitting Kelly is like... probably a rage button Jack didn't even know he had so I would like to see how that goes over, but we cut to them trying to resurrect him.

-

I forking love how this is 2 seasons in a row where the message seems to be that you live to spite nihilism and the bitter end of death.

-

D'aw even though Sam said they'd pray it was Dean who used prayer to reach out to Cas in Heaven to give him that heads up. Like, totally practical rather than the sort of prayer he's made before to Cas that was all emotional appeal, but, let's save our son, huh?

-

CAS NO DON'T SAY THAT

The Empty might also really want to think about that because it knows you forking suck to keep around so trading yourself for Jack is like... really? do I really want that? :P

-

"Not for years. EONS, MAYBE." Cas, bud. I love you. I want you to stay alive that long. Do you really forking think that with the life you lead you have eons left? I mean it's really heartening to hear you talk about yourself this way. But I have to ask.

-

The Empty telling Cas that it'll come for him when he finally lets himself be happy is forking hilarious. Cas hasn't been happy once in his life and he doesn't plan to start now. Eons, maybe.

Just like that, he's unlocked eternal, grumpy life. Take notes, Lily.

-

I mean on a practical level this is basically like, yeah, this is why Destiel isn't canon, because as soon as Cas allows himself to be happy, he's ALWAYS known he gets punished for it. In 4x20 he rebelled for Dean and was instantly dragged back by Naomi... This sense of another mission, never belonging, always being on the outside and not getting the emotional resolution he needs, and actively running from it at times or throwing himself in the way of danger to make Dean be happy without him... it's interesting honestly that the Empty is here as Duma and not Naomi as she's been the agent of hoiking him back from happiness enough times in canon... And that fear of losing everything as soon as you're happy? That's what first kept Dean from Jack and then as soon as he really truly fathered Jack, happened to him. Like, that's Team Free Will's entire life story, starting with Jess, to date, here with the Empty making this threat.

-

Duma survived!!

-

Cas... really could have just bought a few minutes to do the spell rather than given himself that burden >.>

But he's determined to make a more lasting sacrifice, one that ensures this won't happen again with Jack, that he can always die whenever he wants and go to Heaven and not be bothered here.

-

Oops Jack's angry now. Now he's seen a dad sacrifice for him, he's suddenly got a case of the Winchester Angsts. Dean in season 2, for starters. Not a good place to be D: Dean in season 2 is proportionately his worst season.

-

I'm not crying because I think I already died earlier in the episode, but that was... truly awful... to watch Cas tell Jack he's at peace with it and he loves him and everyone loves him and then Kelly butts in like I LOVE YOU TOO and mom him a bit with straightening his jacket and hugging him and... UGH.

-

Lily has either the start of a heart attack or loses her soul entirely in the background and wanders into a corner to die? Er.

-

OH HEY WE ALSO MANAGED TO GET THE WORST DEAN HUG SINCE 2x22 WHEN HE GRABS JACK. NEVER SEEN HIM HUG LIKE THAT BEFORE, DON'T WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN THANKS

-

Nope, she just dieded.

Let's hope she went to heaven and we get a super corny young Lily surprise Alicia Witt return moment at the end since this episode is just throwing everything at it.

-

It's Anubis' office!!!

Wow, that's a noisy annoying place to work

Still, I LOVE these visualisations of where the cosmic forces of the universe work

-

I called it super corny but I'm DYING to see Lily's fate change.

-

"Say hello to your daughter for me" DOn't make me cry about Lily please I beg you I am run dry

-

OH THANK GOD NAOMI SURVIVED. Hooooooraaaaay!!!!!!! Oh this is a wonderful ending to a perfect episode to not have to deal with her having being consumed and left dead off-screen somewhere.

-

LOL that slam as he realises what's up and even though she obviously can do what she wants, he's still protectively closing Kelly's door to put a barrier between her and Naomi.

-

"I'm here to thank you"

Oldest trope in the book, but I love when they look over their shoulder to see if "you" is someone else, and Cas, unflappable Cas, in Naomi's presence, still checks the infinite empty corridor.

-

*double checks*

"...... you're welcome?"

Wheee unlocked new plot for altrusim!

-

Ahahaaaahaaaaaaaaa Jack wrapped in a fluffy grey robe. Listen. I am

not

okay.

Jack with his burger and Dean's dead guy robe, spitefully living...

-

I bet Dean made the burger

-

WHY did I type that when I knew how likely it was to make my eyes burn.

-

I did not cry at the last scene of them all at the table so I am going to eat extra cookies at lunch as a reward.

And Jack and Cas sharing a little glance, knowing what Cas did. Father and Son's first dire family secret! :')

-

And gently roll the camera away to credits to leave them to their happy little scene.

-

Presumably with a slow fade so you can fumble for some more tissues.

Gyah.

[tiffotcf]

Tagged by @eyeliner-vampire​ back in Aug 2018. (I’m only 8 month’s late, it’s totally cool)

Rules: Answer 10 questions, write 10 questions, and tag 10 people

1. Do you name your characters with nicknames in mind, or prefer to call them by whole name only? OR what’s your wackiest/coolest character name to date?

100% I always think about possible nicknames when I pick character names. As someone who lives now by what was once a nickname I think names given by those who come into your life can have a pretty big impact. Especially, if the character felt like they didn’t have a place that they belonged before. 

2. Do you talk about your WIP to others or prefer to keep it close to the chest?

It kinda depends, I think I mostly keep things to myself unless it is someone that I have specifically decided that they will be my sounding board for this story. Or if I am talking about the story to someone who I know will never read it. Then I will spoil them all day. because I am talking to them about story crafting and not just this work in particular. 

I don’t like to talk about something that is coming up with people who might read it because I want to know what they think of the actual story as it presents itself, that way I know if it is working. 

3. What’s something you’ve learned during your growth as a writer?

Oh man, a lot of things. Like personal ways of thinking about things and like stylistic things. And of course true to writing I can’t think of anyone thing in particular now. 

I think something with my recent edits to KH that I kind of learned/evolved in is letting the audience fill in the gaps. When I did my re-read & edits there were times where I realized I was hinting at how things were going and then I would just flat out say them and I realized that the second part was probably redundant so I cleaned a lot of things up so that there are more things for the audience to piece together but that it is still clear what is going on. 

The other BIG  thing I tried to evolve with is giving the characters agency even if it means I don’t get the ‘moment’ or trope that I wanted. Especially because often I found that if I let them act things ended up falling into place just not in the way I had originally forced it to.  

4. What’s your average number of characters in your works? Do you think you could handle more/less?

Hmm, this varies. Though in general I think of stories in terms of novels. It is really hard for me to think of a short story and that means that I have a long list of massive stories that I want to do and I can never get anything out and done. KH eneded up at about 100k words and I am happy to have others end up just as long if not longer. 

5. What’s your religion system like in your WIP? Is there one?

Well one of my WIPs has a relationship with Buddhism but who knows if that story will every get done. 

Religion in most of my other stuff is either not mentioned or it is a tool and belief system of various secondary characters. 

6. How do you balance your writing with daily life?

I can’t and I really need to find a way to do so because I really miss writing and desperately need to get back into it.

7. Are there any stories behind any of your characters, creation wise or other?

Uh, depends on the story. 

For KH obviously the main characters are based on the series characters, so for that I will talk about the two main original characters. 

Yuuki Oshiro- he is the bad kind of ‘soft boy’ he has been sort of dismissed by his family and kept quiet about it. But when he finally finds the strength to do something for himself he goes about it in allllll the wrong ways. He expects the world to pay him back for all the poor treatment he has received and he doesn’t think of others in pursuit of this expectation. 

Fun Fact: Since it might not have been obvious in the book, Mai’s is not the first body Yuuki tries to steal for Eloise. He actually got his feet wet in the body stealing game by trying to have Eloise possess his brother’s wife. :/ (there is a whole world of issues wrapped up in there) And it was his and Eloise’s attack on her that leads his brother to call on SPR.

Jack Murphy- He’s an actual narcissist; self-important, lacks any sort of empathy, fantasies about power, has a MASSIVE sense of entitlement, has a history of exploiting others for personal gain, and as most of you know he is directly based on my old boss. He’s a real piece of work and some of the worst things he says are basically things I got to hear IRL. One positive of working with that thing. Good story fodder. 

8. What’s your setting like in three words or less.

Uh, I guess I will do this for the story I am supposed to be working on ATM

Wet, salty, hot   (ewww, I don’t really like it when I say it like this)

9. How many different colors/shades are you currently utilizing in your WIP? Do you use color for any specific reason (emotion, tone, etc)?

oh color, Well in this story blue will be a thing I think for sure. Turquoise blue, like a coral pink, and maybe gold. Hmmm. I find that color tends to come for me as I am writing and then I will end up seeing a pattern emerging that I can end up leaning into as I move forward or go back and edit.  

10. Do you gain inspiration from any source outside of writing (video games, rp, real life, dreams, etc)?

Sure, I think about everything in terms of story telling. When I over did it at the gym last week and had to lay on the floor trying not to puke or pass out. I tried to think about how to describe how this felt and how my trainer was acting as she worried over me and my reactions to her. ( I wish I had a video of it to know what it looked like) But I totally was thinking about how I want all of this information for a scene where someone has fought hard against something but eventually they are reaching their limit and their body just turns against them and they can’t anymore. I also thought about how much that experience exhausted me for the rest of the day and how it was effecting me hours and even a day or two later. 

I have thought about wiring out the stories that I started when I did TTRPG with my friends. We all got too busy and stopped playing all of our various games at this point but I love a number of the stories that we started with and the variety of characters we had and since we stopped I think about just continuing things but... I don’t have the time. Need to work on the stuff I have. 

These two long rants are to say yes. Inspiration from almost everywhere. 

Questions Time!

Because of how my brain works a lot of these are linked to one another. 

1.If you could write anywhere, where would you write?

        1a. What is the weather there? 

        1b. What do you hear/ are listening to?

        1c. What are you drinking/eating?

2.If you could come up with any story, your dream story, what would the setting be? 

3. Do you have any preferred patterns for setting yourself up to write or rituals that help you get into the flow?

4 Can you write for just a few moments at a time here and there or do you need larger chunks of time to even get started? 

5. What is your favorite piece of work?

6. What is its main theme? What about it holds you so deeply?

7. Pick a character you are writing/like to write, where is their favorite place to go?

8. What is their favorite sound? food? time of day?

9. What would the character you were just thinking of have to say about you?

10. When you are stuck how much compassion do you show yourself?

Tagging time!

@sprghosthunter ​, @seoulsborne123 ​, @radiowrites ​, @amynchan ​ @taniyamamaiumi, @megabadbunny, @samantha-girlscout, 

@frenchcirce, @csakuras, @snavej

[davidmann95]

The Kingdom Hearts III Reaction

First thing’s first: yes, I got the responses to my initial reaction letting me know I could use L2 to cycle through triangle commands, and oh my god that made things so much more manageable, so thank you.

Gameplay wise, I said what I had to say right off the bat earlier: lot of fun, best version of the traditional playstyle. Gorgeous except for when it’s the most gorgeous. Way more game than I could handle on the margins, but it felt like fun available options I could choose whether to pursue or not rather than overwhelming.

Under the cut I’m gonna talk some broad structural stuff; I’ll avoid anything overtly spoilery, but it would certainly be understandable if you’d rather stay away. Under another bolded sign though I’m going to get into MAXIMUM spoiler territory, so those who just want my basic impressions but would prefer to hold off on more than that until they have their own go at it can know where to get off.

So this game does like 90% of everything I ever wanted it to do, plus so much MORE than I ever would have expected, resulting in a finale even more grand and resonant and satisfying than I might have imagined after nearly 13 years of waiting. The problem is that all that stuff is in the last 8 hours, and it is very, very clear that’s the part of the game Nomura and company actually cared about. This wasn’t interested in being Kingdom Hearts III, it wanted to be Kingdom Hearts III Part 3/3: The Finale after Dream Drop Distance and A Fragmentary Passage covered the other biggies, to the point of as mentioned before critically compromising the beginning of the game. It reached the point where Dream Drop Distance went from just baaaaarely pulling ahead of 358/2 Days to dead damn last in my ranking of these, because it not only set the tone for what went wrong here - even if this succeeded in the end in a way that couldn’t - but sponged off vital reveals and the conclusion to Riku’s character arc, both of which 1,000,000% needed to be in here so this could be a complete sequel rather than in an intermediary story where they were weakened by context.

Long story short, Nomura and Square are going to have to think very, very hard about what kind of a role the Disney worlds are going to play in these going forward, because the enthusiasm for them on the part of the writers is visibly dead. Not across the board, passion clearly went into the likes of the Toy Story and Big Hero 6 worlds, but it could not have been plainer that Monsters Inc. and Frozen were checkmarks being crossed off, perfunctory in a way I genuinely don’t feel the Disney worlds were in the past (though that may be in large part because this time around Sora is literally just there for level grinding, rather than an immediate search for friends, stripping away the central underlying emotional urgency of I and II). It would’ve been alright if there had been a major act break of the sort II had to provide a sense of forward momentum, but as is it really is just marking time while characters other than Sora drive the plot in the background, mostly in the form of catching up with what the audience already knows. They’ll always be a part of the franchise, and obviously the iconic Disney figures in Mickey and the rest will always be central, but unless the powers that be find a fresh new angle I think it’s getting to be time to scale the movie settings back in favor of the main story and original worlds, if not to the extent the Final Fantasy elements have received.

So I spent most of the game disappointed, figuring it would pull it all together for the finale and more than satisfy me, but not enough to retroactively redeem the game as a whole. And then it retroactively went and redeemed the game, because when I say it kicks off in the last 8 hours I don’t mean that that’s where things start getting parsed out in time for the finale. I mean it’s 8 solid hours of climax, physical and plot and character, the most intense and overwhelming of the franchise, answers to real-life-decade spanning mysteries and character resolutions and endgame-scale setpieces and catharsis being delivered just one after the other after the other. It’s the entire emotional underpinning of the game in a single titanic endrun, in an experience and at a pitch I’ve never seen before. Even the parts that should have been set up earlier in the game still have the entire rest of the series and years of anticipation leading into them, and while it’s a shame it had to bank on that advantage, it worked, because when I look back on the game in years to come it’s going to be this that I’ll remember, and when I someday a long time from now play through the franchise as a whole, I’ll go through the parts that previously irritated me with a smile on my face because it’ll just be a charming interlude rather than a dead stop. I can’t put this over II’s more well-rounded experience because of those structural issues, but while 0.2 is maybe the purest expression of intent thus far in the series, its brevity, and the fact that as good as it gets its best isn’t as good as this gets, puts III neck-and-neck with it as the franchise runner-up for me.

Okay, BIGGEST SPOILERS IN THE FUCKING WORLD UNDER THE IMAGE

So being a person who exists online in the 21st century, I had some key images of the ending spoiled for me well in advance, which sucked but was also maybe a blessing in disguise, because if I hadn’t been braced when those last three seconds came...that would have been rough. It was startlingly rough as is, which is odd because as much as I’ve always liked Sora as a character and appreciated the odd way his nature as a Disney hero in a Final Fantasy dark epic makes him a perfect lead and counterpoint, I never realized the depths of emotional investment I’d attached to his specific fate until the rug got pulled out. It would be as blatant a “but there’s no body!” moment as any there’s ever been even without the secret ending and the confirmation on Nomura’s part that Sora will remain the main character, it’s an emotional blow and a setback and a mystery for the others to solve rather than a full tragic ending (and one would have to imagine the characters themselves would believe that and will act accordingly given this entire story was itself about bringing back a bunch of Very Definitely Dead Folks), but it’s harsh as hell even if it’s very clearly the next step in a Master Plan rather than purely blueballing players for the cruel joy of it. Still, even if it’s reminiscent of stuff we’ve seen before, a melancholy-at-best ending is fully within the franchise wheelhouse; if I’m right and there’s one full trilogy of main games remaining in the series (I’m guessing without many if any spinoffs, Nomura’s bosses are definitely going to have his nose to the grindstone to get through the remainder of this thing on a sane timescale so as not to have another...well, this), maybe it’ll fully establish a sad-odd-numbered-ending, happy-even-numbered ending pattern, with IV having a gleeful reunion, V ending with all seeming lost, and the grand finale letting the heroes have their happily ever after.*

Before getting into the gushing praise for the rest of it, the reason this is at 90% of everything I wanted rather than complete: Kairi is bizarrely shortchanged here compared to every other central character, especially given her relationship with Sora is the foundation of the very end and she’s the logical main protagonist for IV. Even her ‘death’ isn’t my issue so much - by the end of the game Sora has rescued literally every other main character from beyond the veil of the afterlife or a living hell in fairly rapid succession, she’s just the last and biggest deal to him personally - as that even a few more scenes with her would have shored up so much. Not that her material isn’t good when she is there, I absolutely do think it was, and the emotional buildup from the series up to this point was more than enough in my opinion to carry her stuff through, but it’s the equivalent of, say, Lois Lane appearing out of nowhere at the end of a Justice League story to provide the impetus for Superman: obviously this works and makes sense because we know how much they mean to one another, but in the context of this as a lone narrative it’s a little out of nowhere. Riku gets it pretty bad too, if not as much so, but he has the ‘excuse’ of having his character arc resolved in Dream Drop Distance. Still though, it means the central trio is scarcely a thing in here the way it was in the past, though it looks like the next game is going to be entirely about getting them back together and hopefully they’ll stay as a complete unit from there on out.

Also prior to gushing praise: if Dream Drop Distance hadn’t happened, it would be so easy to restructure this in a way that would make the whole thing satisfying instead of just a perfect chunk of it. Open the game with Sora and Riku going into the Realm of Darkness to save Aqua, have Sora succeed but in the process of THAT lose his powers (making it a noble sacrifice on his part foreshadowing the end rather than a non-fuckup that the player pays for); Aqua has to recuperate, preferably with Kairi and Lea so they can get more screentime, Sora’s off regaining his powers and tracking down clues to the location of Castle Oblivion since it was under Organization control and therefore hidden, and Riku’s off with Mickey having his DDD arc. Stick the reveal of the real Organization XIII midgame, and keep the finale almost exactly as is. That way, plot and character’s doled out throughout, character screentime is rebalanced, and everything that worked stays working and comes to the exact same conclusion.

Gushing praise time: holy fuckin’ cow, this hit me in ways I did not see coming. The reunion of the other two trios was something I looked forward to well enough but not anything I fully expected to outright bowl me over, but by god they pushed those buttons as hard as they could and made them everything anyone could need them to be. But that was expected, to one extent or another; what I don’t think anyone could have seen coming was, in the final gasp of this saga of hilariously, broadly Arch villains, every single one of them turning out to be a real goddamn human being with understandable emotions and motivations and implied history and arcs. Monsters see the light (with the contextually hilarious exception of the one character fandom MOST wanted to see get a face turn with Vanitas, and even he finds understanding and peace) after a whole series of believing there’s one in the darkness when only one or two major characters had made a turnaround, and it doesn’t just make this game richer, it retroactively improves the entire series thematically and emotionally, as well as setting the stage for more of that approach based on what we know of what’s to come. And action-wise, it really does go for trying to beat II’s last Xemnas fight, and while I don’t know that it manages it in sheer cool thanks to that final laser blocking/dual wielding finale, it I think really does come out on top in the fights leading up to it and the spectacle and the emotional power and the beautiful interface screw (after the shit with the tornado earlier!), nevermind the absolute end where Our Nerd Dad Luke Skywalker** shows up to give his blessing to the franchise and usher out the story as it was.

As for the pair of post-credits scenes: in each instance I had something spoiled for me, but also in each instance not the BIG thing. I knew Xigbar would live and summon the Foretellers, which honestly is not that shocking for me. That he IS one of them, that he’s been putting on an act (one clearly in the shape of his teacher) and been a bigger villain than Xehanort THE ENTIRE TIME? I believe that got a literal gasp out of me, and THAT’S before it turned out that after bullheadedly clinging to the idea that she’s still a main villain for all these years, Maleficent might actually end up a main villain again. And the secret movie? I had the title spoiled - and god what a perfect twist, the most gleefully apeshit moment in the game and already probable best moment in gaming of the year coming back around in a completely serious way to define the future of the franchise - but assumed wrongly that it meant Sora would be in some way ‘reincarnated’ amnesiac as Yozora and needing to be returned to himself. But nope, Sora’s for real out there alive as himself in...something like the real world? Or The World Ends With You, which I understand is at least a lot closer? And Riku’s gonna wind up stuck out there too? And because Yozora’s there it means they’re in some kind of fuckin’ Flash of Two Worlds! situation?! Or if it’s in the same physical realm (which I have to doubt or Sora would rush home as soon as he got a ship) it’s the equivalent of that dope two-part Terra Obscura arc in Tom Strong?! Sora and Riku, trapped in a world where Kingdom Hearts is a Dark, Realistic Modern Urban Fantasy (which, if Sora got here by dying, does...does that mean Gritty Realworld! AU Kingdom Hearts fanfic is that universe’s version of hell? Because that would be beautiful) (did “This is a fantasy based on reality” end up carried over as the logline to Final Fantasy XV from Versus XIII? Because if not, absolutely use it here to keep that gag going) and having to fight their way back to their world and friends, hopefully with Kairi going on her own playable adventure on the other end of the cosmos to find them since there’s no way she wouldn’t be leading the search? And with the Master of Masters waiting in the wings, the perfect villain in general because if Sora is the MOST Disney character in this universe he appears to be the LEAST, and especially perfect here now that Sora’s symbolically if not possibly literally on his turf? Waiting I’m guessing another 3-5 years is gonna be hell (I’m guessing IV’ll be announced next year or maaaaaaaybe late this year because thus far Kingdom Hearts has never gone with no announced games on the horizon longer than the end of the next calendar year, and we’ll see how development goes after that; like I said, I imagine the pressure is on for Nomura), but this could not look more like my shit.

So that’s, after all these years, Kingdom Hearts III: an understandable, maybe unavoidable, but still crushing disappointment that undermined itself narratively before it even began production and ran on a burned-out crew that could never meet the impossible expectations surrounding it. Until it suddenly winks, brushes itself off, and lives up to damn near EVERYTHING on its shoulders in the most incredible ways possible while also transcending its previous limitations as a story right in front of you, and then breaking your heart before planting the seed to repair it and charting a path towards an even more exciting future. All said and done, I liked it a whole lot, and it’ll always be special to me.

* At this point, I really could go for the ending of the whole thing literally being Sora and Kairi walking into the sunset together, with the camera panning up into the sky and text (not mysterious narration like in the past, but old-school Disney-cartoon-style outside-the-world of the story cursive text) appearing to declare 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇. That is the level of closure and myth and satisfaction it’s gotta be building towards after everything thus far and everything to come.

** If you are reading this without having played or watched the game: given I know that’s now in the realm of possibility, no, I don’t literally mean Luke Skywalker showed up.

Yet.

[sandflakedraws]

Hey so I've been considering checking out abot for a while now. But before I do, I wanna know what the draw is for you. What do you like so much about it ?

Strap yourself in, we’re about to go through one longass hell of a ride. Fair warning that this gushy love letter has a good chunk of spoils for canon mp100 and abot alike, so do with that what you will. (though i keep most of the spoils to the earlier chapters so i can leave some firsthand experience left)

ABoT has 5 main (not all) attractions for me, most of which are incredibly personal :1. nuanced, actually mature depiction of abuse2. lack of a ‘perfect savior’3. plotting cause+effect4. scene setting (okay this one is more a taste thing that i happen to really love)5. incredible writing all around

Part 1. Nuanced, actually mature depiction of abuse.

I was an abused and neglected child. As such, it’s very easy to see where some of the appeal of this type of fanfic would come from. Course, I’d encourage a looksie regardless because it’s written with respect to the subject matter, and because fics like these have great potential to expand on human understanding and empathy.

THAT SAID ! In order to talk about the depiction of abuse in abot, I first need to talk about the abuse in mp100 canon.

To be frank, I think phantomrose96 handles it better than mp100. Especially the execution and aftermath of said topic.

For comparison I’m going to use the Mogami arc (an arc i do like, perhaps less than the majority of fandom, tho this’ll likely shed a light on why)

The depiction of abuse between abot and canon have some similarities. In both cases, Mob is uprooted from his foundations of support, and the strain goes on for a lengthy amount of time. Canon!Mob’s experiences are 6 months long, and abot!Mob is 4 years. The differences start hereafter, though.

For starters, with canon!Mob, we learn about his torture mainly through his own POV, with Mogami making commentary. His firsthand experience is bolded and put at the forefront, and functions as the end note of the scenes which feature them. Mob is isolated, ostracized, and bullied. He is beat up at several points. One such instance sees him lose a tooth. His bullies torture a cat to death, smash a brick on his head, and stab him with an exacto knife.The ‘maturity’ of canon!Mob’s abuse comes firstly from the severity and cruelty of it. And secondly, for how it could drive him into using his psychic powers against people willingly. It highlights that one can be as shaped by their surroundings as by their choices.It’s dark, and it’s weighty.

However, the abuse in the arc is used a mechanic, and is glossed over once its primary use is over with. No abuse in this vein crops up after this arc.

The point of it’s presence is to raise the stakes, to showcase “this is fucked up” and then move on when the lesson is learned. We only get 2 peaks that Mob even remembers it. Once is with Mob acting quite fearful when Mogami shows up again, and the other when Mob goes to help a cat off a pole.

Still, the fact remains that it’s never mentioned for the rest of mp100. 

And thusly, Mob is presented with no means to process or deal with the trauma other than to, presumably, remain quiet about it. Or otherwise, for the reader to assume that the experience was relegated to subconsciousness. After all, we’re told expressly with Minori that the memory begins to fade as early as a day after. 

This stance can be detrimental to those who experience abuse, as it can imply that no help exists for the survivor to seek. That it’s better to simply forget about it, and move on without guidance.

Which, y’know, could work fine if it was ONE’s intention to showcase that some people don’t deal with trauma outright, keeping it hidden.

But there is a difference between “purposefully writing someone to seem unaffected when they really are” and “purposefully writing a macguffin to clear the way of an old arc to make room for a new one" 

I love ONE’s writing, I do, but it seems very clear to me that he was giving himself an out for having to write long reaching consequences of such a brutal arc going forward. Folks can get from the arc what they want, and that’s hella valid. I mean, shit, my trauma was never front and center either when I was Mob’s age. 

However, there’s a clear delineation between coincidence and intentionality. 

By having the abuse all happen in a dreamlike world, he gives himself an out. The characters are more or less able to skirt around the issue, or otherwise forget about it.ONE thereby dodges having to write further complications to the story he wants to tell.

Enter A Breach of Trust.

In Abot, the aftermath of being abused is a part of Mob’s day to day life, like actual trauma do. And here, the process of dealing and coping with said abuse is the main function of it’s appearance in the fanfic.

The four years Mob spends on his own are broadly covered in a punchy ~1k words at the beginning of chapter 4 (the fic is 133k words long, for comparison). They are to let you know the nature of Mob’s problems, without lingering unnecessarily on them, exploiting them, or making them voyeuristic. And in fact, Mob gets out of the Mogami house in chapter 8 (again, in a fic 24 chaps long).

The rest of the chapters where Mob makes an appearance are about addressing what he went through, and trying to help him. 

As opposed to mp100 canon, we learn a lot of information as to the nature of what mob experienced through Reigen. He often has sad or horrified responses, as one could expect to have in his shoes. But his response is not the end note of the scenes which feature them. Instead, it’s the actions he and Mob take, in equal turns, to bring about change which gets the end note.

I’ll use the milk scene in chapter 11 as an example.

Reigen learns a piece of information about Mob’s life, namely that he was denied milk:

“You have milk?”

“Uh…yeah. Not even expired. I bought it like two days ago.”

“But Shishou said…” Mob swallowed the words. His breathing picked up, eyes flickering across the single carton of milk in Reigen’s fridge. Slowly, his voice almost choked, Mob answered, “Yes, yes please…”

Reigen’s response:

He couldn’t fathom what sort of world the kid had just escaped, but he knew now he didn’t want to. And he didn’t want to make Mob relive it, not if it was something so horrific that a single glass of warm milk could move him to tears.

The end note of the scene (literally the last line):

“Here,” Reigen said, sliding his mug across the oaken table. “Have mine too…”

Abot, unlike a good chunk of media, seeks not to use traumatic experiences as a throwaway mechanic for a separate, main focus. Or as a stand in for faux character depth or grittiness. I’m lookin at you Kaneki Ken.  Or worse, as an inevitable reality. No.

The actual maturity of abot!Mob’s abuse, which I’ve been hootin about with the title card, comes from its application to Mob.

It will not be brushed off as a bad dream. It will not be relegated to subconscious, or forgotten. It is not a ‘shortcut to coolness’, or a ‘dark history’ to earn abot!mob some tragic backstory cred. Nor will it be “solved” with a single long talk, or hug, or even to just put Mob back in his house.

Abot seeks to offer a more layered, real world approach to it. That trauma, fictional or not, does not make you cooler. That it takes several, seemingly small steps to start on the path of recovery. And that there is no reaching your “before” status, but just changing the shape of your “after”.

For that matter! Mob also has agency of his own. It is not Reigen that springs Mob from the Mogami house, but rather Mob himself, taking matters into his own hands. 

There was no plan to it. Mob moved. He raced to the door and the inky world beyond. His feet collided with cold stone. Stone became grass, which sheared away before each footfall, leaving wet pulp and mud beneath his beating steps. The vastness of the open sky and the world stretching off in all directions, even after four years, could not overwhelm him more than the image of his dead Shishou scorched behind his eyelids.

Mob will fight on matters he considers important, calling the cops, for example.

Mob’s jaw moved, his wide eyes steeled over, harder now, resolve tight in his face. He looked up to Reigen. “I…wouldn’t like that, Mr. Reigen.”

He’ll voice his own opinion, draw his own conclusions, set his own goals.

His hands twisted in his lap, eyes dropping to them for a moment before they flickered up with new, burning resolve. “…If you could teach me…”

“Teach you?”

Mob nodded vigorously. “How you’re getting rid of it.”

And Mob is not relegated to cowering at all times either.  He’ll enjoy things he likes, build himself up, amongst other things.

The rain drenched him. Through the blues and pinks, water could pass. Water wasn’t living, so it wasn’t stopped, it wasn’t shredded. But it felt alive enough to Mob. It felt like something that wanted to reach him, and could.

Mob shut his eyes and smiled. Even if he couldn’t suppress the barrier now, that wasn’t reason enough to give up, not this time around. This time was different.

Rest assured that this journey is as much an active choice on Mob’s part, as it is Reigen’s. Reigen is simply a guide for Mob. And he’s meandering through his guidance half the time, which brings me to part deux.

Part 2. Lack of a perfect savior

I will be the first to admit that Reigen is hilariously flawed. Abot!Reigen likewise. And yes! This is another reason why I like Abot ^^

Preface in place before I talk about this, I am. a tough ass customer. We just had a whole previous section of analysis to illustrate that (which confession time, i cut that down by half), but to go more in depth - It is extremely easy to take me out of a story. And this is because, ironically, I love storytelling.

For better or worse, when I’m consuming media, I cannot turn off the storytelling part of my brain. Ergo, if I see something that can be improved, I’m launched back into a 4th person perspective, no longer engaging directly with the content. Sometimes it’s minor enough where I don’t mind any. But unfortunately, more often than not, it’s enough to get me to drop things when too many instances pile up. 

And as one of those Hoity Toity Connoisseurs of the hurt/comfort genre, the human version of the Messianic Archetype™ is both a common occurrence, and a surefire way to get me to drop your story upon first sight.

I cannot engage with media that have regular ass people know exactly how to react, what to say, what to read into, on the first try, when the nature of human existence so chaotic and varied.

Maybe that kid is hiding under the table because you’re wearing fuchsia, maybe it’s because your voice sounds like someone they had a nightmare about, maybe its because the lights hurt their eyes, maybe it’s because they feel safer in cramped spaces, maybe they’re eating ants. You don’t know. They don’t know. Getting things wrong is as much a part of the process as getting things right.

SO!!! ONCE MORE WITH FEELING!!! ABOT!!!

Phantomrose makes it clear, as early as Reigen & Mob’s first meeting, that we’re dealing with a regular ass human fuckup, even in the midst of the rose filter from Mob’s POV.

In the scene, Reigen is presented as being undoubtedly ignorant as to the true nature of what the hell is going on. He, mistakenly, does not believe that the barrier is real. All he knows that is Mob has come from some Yikes and needs help. Oh, and in Reigen’s limited knowledge, he thinks there’s a confirmed Dead Man off somewhere too.

And yet, despite the pressing circumstances, or y’know, having a presumed corpse he should probably mention to somebody, Reigen does not call the cops.

“Okay. Okay… Do you—just—do you want to come to my house? Just for tonight. It’s…late. Don’t feel like dealing with any more police officers tonight anyway. Maybe we just…go sleep. Get you some clothes or, a shower probably. It’s…I’m tired. You’ve got to be tired too.”

We get an explanation for this later on, in chapter 14…

What if he ran off again, back to his dead Shishou’s basement…?

…but. Were the audience not clued into Mob’s circumstances, one would argue that though well intentioned, Reigen’s messing up. And despite the many things Reigen does to help Mob (which he does, he really does) this motif continues throughout the fic.

With Reigen sometimes saying insensitive things to Mob.

“No, I’m…” Mob paused. He hiccupped, voice still hitching, body still trembling. “I’m sorry Shishou is dead. I did something to make him kill himself. I know it.”

“Good, Mob. Good…”

Mob stared up, jaw slack, baffled.

With Reigen often acting as much as his own interest as in Mob’s.

“Toast, Mob, it’s going to be toast. And eggs. And yes. This is breakfast for both of us, and you’re going to help.” Reigen looked the boy over, and the feeling in his chest was almost manic. He was looking at something maybe he could fix.

Where Reigen will make logical assumptions, but false ones nonetheless.

“I’m going to grab just a handful of things from those aisles, okay? Not going far. I just want you to stay here, with the paper, and pick up our order when it’s ready. Okay? It’s another exercise. I’m still here. I’m still suppressing the barrier. I just think you’re strong enough to stand here for a moment by yourself. Can you do that?”

–carved things up, sliced them, killed them…

Mob’s mind filled with static.

He nodded. It was the only thing he could think to do.

Reigen smiled, and stood up from his crouched position. He turned on his heel, toward the left side of the store. He rounded the edge of the counter, and suddenly he was gone.

And yes ! As a survivor, this shit is important to me. 

These scenes showcase that comfort does not have to be found gift wrapped, pure and untainted, and delivered by an angel spluttering down from the shiniest parts of heaven. No. It can be found in people who are flawed and sometimes selfish and who are just trying. It can be found in folks like abot!Reigen.

In folks who weren’t predestined by some holy undertaking, but rather who are just making the best of the circumstances they find themselves thrust into.

SPEAKING OF WHICH,

Part 3. Plotting cause + effect 

I’ll be honest and say this is something I learned very recently from Phanrose. 

From my creative perspective, as long as an action is in character for someone, I can find a way to make it happen. A good showcase for this is, ironically enough, Attic Au, and it’s many incarnations. I can adapt to circumstances to cause what I want to happen. 

This is, again, a tie-in to the way I rationalize the chaotic nature of human existence. Sometimes shit can just do, and as long as you pull hard enough emotionally, you can get people on board. So I spend a lot of time on the “why”, with my “hows” remaining fairly lose and interchangeable.

Abot takes this in the opposite direction. She says ‘okay but what if I use the chaotic nature of human existence to cause everything to bump into eachother’.

And honestly I’m kinda tripping over it ?? Like it’s extremely fun ? Connecting all these dots? And it doesn’t feel convenient either. It feels like a logical progression.

To use early examples, as I have been for the most part:

Jun hires Reigen to investigate her husband Tetsuo disappearing at weird hours.

“That’s really all I want from this.” She looked up now, palms in her lap, eyes set to Reigen. “I want you to just figure out what’s going on because I can’t.”

Reigen then discovers that Tetsuo is being possessed.

A thousand memories assaulted him at once, tainted with the raw smell of incense, the grittiness of salt between his fingers and under his nails, dimmed lights and candles and incantations and that dread in the air, like pressure, that he felt whenever a Spirits and Such case turned out to be real.

Reigen decides to confront Mogami 2 different times. The first time he learns his identity, and the second time Reigen gets too close to hitting on Mob’s presence for Mogami’s comfort.

“Why did you buy cough syrup today?” Reigen blurted out. “You miss that taste too? Tetsuo doesn’t have a cold. It’s not for him. You got other puppets I don’t know about?!”

Mogami threatens to kill Tetsuo and take Reigen, so Reigen makes a bargain (with newly cut up hand to make his 1 sigil out of 1000 work).

Reigen thrust his hands down and out, body displayed unprotected. Sweat slid down his face, soaked through his suit, mixed with the blood in his palm. “Come possess me! Space for rent right here, y-yeah? Yeah! Not gonna resist. Not gonna fight. All I’m gonna do is slam you with these tags if you get too close!” 

The tag works, banishing Mogami. Mob notices the lack of Mogami’s presence, and goes looking for him.

Even when Mogami left the house, his aura only ever grew fainter, steadily diffused as Mogami established distance between himself and the house. It was an easy blip to detect at all times. It was a constant thrumming presence in Mob’s life for the last four years.

And it had vanished in an explosion that left Mob’s psychic core ringing.

“…Shishou?” Mob called through the door.

Upon finding Mogami’s corpse in the attic, Mob makes for the streets, thinking Mogami has freshly killed himself and that he can no longer stay there.

Mob shot down the hall, took the stairs two at a time with his hand skimming the banister. His mind wasn’t clearing. His thoughts weren’t forming. The reality of what he’d seen beat in heavier against him with each passing second. Mob let out another keening crying, finding no response in the black house.

Another brush of wind, Mob turned toward the foyer. He’d been right—the front door had been left open.

This makes for a wonderful storytelling device. Firstly, it makes the audience both wary and excited for the consequences of any actions in the future. If any action can seemingly build off one another, what’s to say a throwaway moment wont come back to haunt us? 

Plus! Aside from making scenes engaging, it also subverts some tropes while it’s at it.

Reigen, despite literally being a PI, does not find Mob on a missing person’s case. And does not discover Mob either of the times he followed Tetsuo into the Mogami house. Instead he only finds Mob by the boy crashing into him. Which only happens again because of a set up in chapter 3.

This carries on and spills over into Ritsu’s plotline too! Which nbnmbxn, I haven’t touched on as much in order to leave a good chunk of story there to peruse as you will.

I’ve learned a lot just from watching pr96 chisel out a story. And you wanna know what else I’ve learned?

Part 4. Scene setting 

OKAY I FESS UP THIS IS JUST ME HAVING A THING FOR SETTINGS BEING INCORPORATED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE SCENE OKAY, OKAY.

With that out of the way, she’s damn good at it yall.

Phantomrose96 likes to employ what I call mood scenery. Where the physical objects present in a setting take a backseat to how the characters feel about it, and therefore flesh it out all the better.

Compare how Reigen sees his apartment:

Reigen cringed a bit as he looked about, taking in, remembering the mess decorating the living room. The ashtray on the table overflowed with cigarette butts, staining the wood around it with sooty acrid residue. Three empty plates were pushed to the table’s edge, scraped of food and left to stagnate for…how many days, Reigen wasn’t sure. Empty beer cans gathered in a herd near them, a few on the floor, leaving sticky coagulated rings around their rim and smelling of staleness, of stagnant fermentation.

With how Mob sees it:

Mob’s apprehension eased off. The look was replaced entirely with something like confusion. He pulled out of his blanket cocoon, let his eyes rove over the apartment in full inspection. The confusion never left his face.

“It’s so much cleaner than Shishou’s house.”

Scenes like this are peppered and expertly handled throughout the entirety of abot. 

As a comic illustrator, I often struggle with coming up with backgrounds that tell you a bit about the circumstances of the people who live there, and about the mood of someone viewing it. But Phananarosa does it.

And, like. every setting is like this. Instead of getting fatigue at scene changes, I eagerly dive in because what’s not to love !!! It captures just enough details that it can be fleshed out, without boring the audience with a surplus of inconsequential details.

Teruki walked past the rows of lockers. Further back were bathroom stalls. Three sinks lined up beneath a wall-length mirror. This area existed as its own pocket, seemingly separate from the rest of the lockers, and the light only scarcely touched it. The shadows grew heavy along a gradient, the farthest sink half shrouded in darkness. Even farther back, crowned by a single burnt-out hanging light, was a row of four showerheads, no curtains separating one from the next.

It is no coincidence that some of the backgrounds I consider to be some of my better ones, are ones I made for abot.

It’s very apparent that Phanro9 knows what she’s doing with the words she chooses to dress these with. And, you guessed it, TIME TO SEGUE INTO

Part 5. Incredible writing all around

Okay now I can just gush about some the extra little details that GhostFlower96 uses that just make her tale that much more fun to read.

Amazing dialogue. Especially in Reigen’s case.

“Gottaswirl the eggs to seal in the moisture. Gotta just…put extra butteron the toast, I guess, so you don’t taste the black part cuz that’sprobably bitter, so you—never mind I’ll make different toast thatisn’t burned, gimme your plate.”

You ever tire of reading fics where the characters sound the same ? Spectreblossom has got you covered!

He thrust a hand out, palm open to Ritsu. “My name is Teruki Hanazawa. I’m the esper who’s better than you.”

Ritsu stared at the offered hand. He fought the instinct to step back. “The spirits didn’t say anyone owned them.” He paused, and weighed his options. “And who says you’re stronger than I am?”

Say you wanna feel ur heartstrings tugged because god oh god he’s a mess but he’s still good for something. we got a fresh supply

Beside them, the rice pot boiled over, glutinous water dripping down the black pot’s side and charring against the newly cleaned grating. The sauce bowl sat stagnant and undissolved, a colloid of new and stale ingredients perhaps unsalvageable for the recipe. Broken spoons, filthy sponges, open containers of starch and sugar and soy sauce littered the counter tops, the smell of something burning lingering overtop.

And at the center of the mess, Mob sliced the knife clean through the red bell pepper.

You wanna be haunted by singular closing lines? Already on it.

Thebarrier swept back around Mob, like the curtain drawn at the close ofa play.

Kids ? Being written like kids ? In phantomroseyboboeybananafanafofoseyfiphimomoseyphantomrosey’s fanfic? It’s more likely than you think! 

“After this, can we go back to the park?” Mob asked. He wobbled, tilting his head over his shoulder to ask Mogami directly.

“We go to the park every day.” Mogami answered. He walked the sidewalk, thin silver hair catching sunlight and twists of icy wind. The hollow pockets beneath his eyes were deep, but not unkind, intently watchful of Mob who dipped and wavered with each balance-beam step.

“Yeah, because I like it.”

You want some de-glorification of teenage violence? Boy have I just the thing.

He felt 9 again, scared, weak, unsafe, and he cried quietly while he watched the consciousness leave Teruki’s body.

Limp and loose, Teruki’s hands dropped from the tie around his neck.

You like metaflours and symbopolism ? WE GOT THAT TOO

Reigen looked over his shoulder. Mob shut the door behind them, turning to investigate the apartment with wide captive eyes. “…It’s warm,” he muttered, and stepped in line behind Reigen.

You wanna feel like you got punched in your chest ? Even on things you knew already ? Even things you had every tool in your belt to see coming?

Reigen stopped. He lost track of his own words as his focus fell entirely on the sight in front of him. The kid was standing halfway between the bathroom and the living room, his hair still a bit wet, and his borrowed clothes soft and loose. He stood a head shorter than Reigen, and his wide eyes stared back, lost, waiting for instruction. Waiting as though he needed permission to even get his sheets and go to bed.God, it really was just a kid…

fuck ing , d we . g o t       tHat    t o o         goddammit

If you wanna read, you can start here ! Or here, on tumblr.

[nessaandoliver]

title: grief characters: nessa, oliver words: abt 3k notes: this little exercise was basically just “how many spoilers can i stick in here without actually spoiling anything” lol. i had too much fun writing this. hope you enjoy <3

::::

He startles awake to see Nessa bent over him and he panics for a moment, afraid that something might be wrong, until he registers the look of quiet conspiracy on her face. She presses her finger to her lips, her gaze quickly darting to where Adam lies sleeping soundly, snoring lightly with his mouth wide open.

Oliver gives her a questioning look, but she nods to the door and then skirts around his sleeping mat and quietly leaves. He is tempted to lay back down, but she must have come to him for a reason. Still half-asleep, he pulls his worn jacket on over his sleep shirt and slips into his boots in the corner of the room. To err on the side of caution, he straps his gun at his hip and then sleepily makes his way towards the door.

He stifles a yawn and runs a hand through his hair, trying to fix the awkward tuffs sticking up in the back. Nessa waits outside the room, leaning against the wall with her hands tucked behind her. He raises an eyebrow as the door clicks shut behind him.

“What are you doing up this late?” he whispers.

The moonlight that slants through a nearby window catches on the curl of her hair, turning it birch white. “I couldn’t sleep,” she replies softly. “I...want to show you something.”

“Now?” he asks, propping his hands on his hips like a disgruntled mother of two.

“No, tomorrow afternoon,” she drawls with heavy sarcasm. “Yes, now! Come on.” She beckons him to follow with the twitch of her finger and, against his better judgment, he follows.

The old castle hallways are drafty, and even though it’s late summer, this high up in the mountains the nights are chilly. Oliver pockets his hands as he follows Nessa down spiraling staircases and stone corridors, feeling more and more awake with every step he takes.

“Reina would kill me if she knew I let you lure me out of the castle without proper protection,” he says, speaking softly even though they are alone. There may be ghosts in this castle, forgotten by time, and he doesn’t dare talk louder than he has to, out of fear he may disturb them. Dust makes the air feel thick.

Nessa replies, “What Reina doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” After a beat, she adds. “You make it sound as though I’ve left you no choice.” He hears her footsteps stop and he makes a soft sound of surprise when his chest bumps against her shoulder; he hadn’t realized how close he was walking behind her. “I’m not a princess anymore. I do not give orders.”

He regrets his poor word choice. “I know,” he says. “I almost just went back to bed.”

She starts forward again. “You’ll be glad you didn’t, I promise.”

They fall into a comfortable silence as they make their way toward the grand entry hall, where all the tall windows are glassless and gaping, allowing large chunks of moonlight to split across the marble floor. Oliver pauses when she reaches the front doors and pulls on the metal rung to swing it open.

“We’re leaving the castle?” he asks.

She flashes him a smile that is far too mischievous, and far too pretty. She is practically monotone, bleached by the moonlight, but it turns her into a dreamlike figure. He wonders briefly if he had even woken up at all.

“Think you can handle it?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. He draws closer to her with a smirk.

“Oh, I can handle it,” he assures her, straightening the lopsided collar of her jacket.

She peers up at him without restraint or hesitation, meeting his gaze head on, mirth hiding there at the corner of her mouth. He grins down at her, giving her a wink, his hands lingering around her throat. Oliver retracts his hands and pockets them, but he doesn’t step back and neither does she.

“There’s a little chapel on the castle grounds, down by the river,” she says in a voice quieter than before, warmer than before. “It’s really not so far from here. We’ll be fine.”

He tilts his head, a gesture that invites her leadership. “Show me.”

She gives him a slight smile and then turns and beckons him to follow as she begins her trek down the gentle slope from the castle doors. The shallow hill stretches for at least a mile, all the way down to the riverbank. He walks side by side with Nessa on the path, the two of them resting in a companionable silence, neither of them wanting to shatter the quiet moment.

He can’t remember the last time he was alone with her. Reina and Adam are always close by, both a blessing and a curse. He can’t do or say anything stupid to Nessa with an audience, but on the other hand, he can’t do or say anything to her at all. Reina’s obvious and disgruntled disapproval of him is no secret, either. It’s funny, how she trusts Adam - Nessa’s least favorite person - more than she trusts Oliver, especially since he’d never done anything to explicitly deserve her skeptical scrutiny.

Fixing his thoughts back on the moment, Oliver wonders how Nessa would react if he reached out and took her hand, and then banishes that thought entirely. This is no time for him to indulge in his own desires, and it would be cruel of him to act on them when she has had so much else to deal with lately.

He dares a quick glance at her from the corner of his eye. Her short hair bounces around her chin, her eyes half-lidded in thought as she watches her boots crunch against the dirt path. A part of him very nearly asks her what is on her mind, but another part reasons that if she wants him to know, she’ll share. Nessa has never been afforded very much privacy in her life, and the last thing he wants to do is pry.

About fifteen minutes later, she points to a tiny, building standing alone near the bank of the river. Nessa’s steps quicken. “Do you see it?”

“Yeah. It looks small.”

She nods and goes on ahead. He smiles as he watches her rush forward, content to linger behind for a moment, and take in the lovely, moon-bleached scenery around them. The chapel is as tiny as he thought it was going to be. The white stone nearly glows in the moonlight, crumbling pieces of the roof resting on the ground, overgrown with tiny purple flowers. The grass here reaches Nessa’s knees, swishing as a gentle breeze blows through the valley.

Nessa takes a deep breath as she pushes the front door of the building open. The hinges creak with dreaded protest, loud and wailing and resistant, before the opening is large enough for her and Oliver to both slip in. She disappears into the shadows first, not even looking back to make sure he would follow.

“Watch your head,” he hears her say from inside.

He ducks as he enters. “Were people back then always so short?” he asks.

“No, you’re just freakishly tall,” she replies.

Oliver opens his mouth to respond to that, but his quip dies on his tongue when his eyes find the large, stained glass window at the back of the chapel, casting jewel tones on the ground. The inside of the building itself is empty, the pews had either never existed or had been taken out a long, long time ago. A bed of grass covers the floor, softening Nessa’s footsteps as she goes deeper inside, the many windows wide enough to allow for bright slices of moonlight fall into the building.

“It’s beautiful,” he says, finding his gaze drawn back to the stained glass. How it had survived for so many years without shattering is a mystery. The castle has to be at least a couple hundred years old, and abandoned for half that time; it’s only safe to assume the chapel has been around for just as long.

“Isn’t it?” Nessa replies, her back to him, voice echoing off the empty walls.

A thought occurs to him. “How did you find this place? When did you find this place?”

She shrugs, the wave of her hair caught in the moonlight, still facing away from him. “I went for a walk last night.”

He frowns. Hadn’t she told him tonight that she couldn’t sleep either? That makes this two nights in a row. Oliver approaches her slowly, entering the the shadows before her and turning to face her. The darkness almost entirely obscures her expression, but she can probably see his clearly and that’s all that matters. His hands curl into fists inside his pockets.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly.

She is quiet for a moment. “Not yet,” she says, her voice fragile.

He blows out a breath in relief, glad that she isn’t going to try and hide this from him. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks, even though he promised himself that he wouldn’t pry.

She gives a funny little laugh, almost self-depreciating. “Do I?” she wonders aloud, as if to herself. “When Reina asked, I said no.”

“That’s okay,” he assures her gently. “You don’t have to.”

Nessa takes a deep breath. “Reina did not have an easy life. Her mother died giving birth to her and her father was very sick, and blind. He couldn’t do anything for himself. At a young age, Reina was out selling newspapers and picking up other odd jobs just to take care of her father and herself. She never got to go to school. I think some neighbor took pity on her and helped her learn to read and write.

“Her father died when she was fifteen years old. She had to spend a year on the streets of some backwater town in the west, fending for herself, until she turned sixteen and enrolled in the military academy in Niaren. She excelled. Just before her eighteenth birthday, she was promoted to the royal guard. That’s when I met her.”

“We’ve been together ever since,” she continues. “Reina knows everything about me, and I have always trusted her with all of my secrets. I’ve shared everything with her. So why?”

The words hang in the air between them. Oliver feels as though she might be on the cusp of breaking. “Why what, Princess?”

When she speaks, her voice is eerily calm. “Why can’t I tell her how scared I am?” she asks quietly, as though speaking too loud could bring the whole church down on them. “I watch that horrible day play out every night in my head and I can’t stop it and I can’t tell her.” She sucks in another deep, deep breath.

Oliver knows. She doesn’t have to say that she blames herself for what happened at the palace. She doesn’t have to cry or scream to relay the pain she keeps where no one can see it. He knows because he has lived it, too. He lives it every day. His face crumples like a wad of paper at her words. He swallows a thick lump of emotion caught in his throat.

“The night my parents died...the night my sister was kidnapped… I just.” He stares hard at the space between their boots on the dark floor. “I just hid. My mom was screaming for me. I could hear my father yelling for someone to go get help. The nearest neighbors to our estate were only two miles down the road - not very far away at all.”

He wrinkles his nose, smelling phantom smoke. The nasty scars on his arm and shoulder throb at the memory. Shame wells up inside of him, but he forces the words out. It’s been a long time since he’s shared this with anyone and it hurts. “I didn’t do anything. I just sat in a closet with my hands over my ears until the ceiling fell on me. I woke up in a hospital two days later.” His voice is as soft and flickering as the single flame of a candlestick. “I understand, Princess. I blame myself, too.”

She is quiet for a long moment, and there is a slight hitch in her breath as she struggles to compose herself. Again, he wants to take her hands in his, to feel her skin on his and ground her to this spot. He doesn’t know if its more for her comfort or for his. Instead, he just stands there, hands tight in his pockets, memories searing across his thoughts like shooting stars.

When she speaks again, her voice has a tremor in it. “Does it get easier?”

He can’t lie to her. “No. But you get stronger. And you can promise yourself that you will do everything in your power to make sure it never happens again.” He blows out a puff of air that lifts the lock of his hair off his forehead for a moment. “Princess, listen. I personally think you’re crazy for believing even a fraction of this is your fault, because you can’t control the will and actions of another person. But I get it. Just… Just don’t let it consume you.”

He steps closer to her and he reaches out with both of his hands to take hers. Propriety be damned. “Promise me.”

Her hands, stiff at first, become pliant, her fingertips chilled against his warm skin. “I didn’t want to burden you with all of this when I brought you here, Mr. Kenton,” she says.

“It’s no burden,” he replies. “Seriously. You’ve never been a burden, Princess.”

She sighs, an unexpectedly harsh sound. “Can you stop calling me that? I’m not a princess anymore.”

Despite the situation, he chuckles at her frustrated tone. “You’ll always be a princess, whether you like it or not.”

Her hands tighten on his and she steps even closer. The toes of their boots might be touching. The corner of her open jacket brushes against his thumb and he can smell the rosewater of her hair drifting up to meet him. He acknowledges the way his heart does a quick sprint, and swallows.

“I am not your princess, do you understand?” she says softly. “I don’t want to be that person, to you.”

He feels his gaze grow sharper, more focused. Even in the darkness, he searches the shadows of her face for her expression and is disappointed when he can’t see a thing but the slightest slope of her nose.

“I wish you’d just call me Nessa,” she adds after a moment.

His breath catches. “I can’t,” he says, very nearly pained by the words. They come out of his mouth like cotton, dry and rough.

She lets her fingers play over his, sighing more softly this time, turning her head down to look at their hands. He is content to stand there and let her think, enjoying the simple feel of her chilly skin against his.

“I know,” she finally says, her thumb resting in the cradle of his right palm. After another moment passes, she adds, “I promise.”

He softens like butter, feeling half-drunk on the resolve in her voice, the way her fingers thread through his and then squeeze. “You won’t be alone,” he tells her, his voice far more intimate than he means for it to be.

“I know,” she murmurs again.

They stay like that, silent again. Oliver dreads the moment they have to let go. He doesn’t know when he will be this close to her again, so raw and vulnerable and open. He is sorry that she is enduring so much pain but he more than glad to share it with her. To make it so that her demons can rest with his.

Reluctantly, he pulls away when she yawns.

“We should probably get back,” he says. “It’s getting colder out.”

She hums in agreement. When they get back to the palace later, he makes sure to walk her to the room she shares with Reina, knowing that when they separate, everything will go back to the way it was before tonight. There will be distance between them in the daylight.

He catches her hand at the door. “Please remember what I told you,” he murmurs.

She nods, looking up at him with sleepy eyes. “I will.”

“And I’m here to talk whenever you need to,” he adds.

“I know.” She smiles just a bit but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you for sharing your story with me. I know...I know it must have been hard. I’m so sorry.”

Oliver resists the urge to touch her face, to see if she will lean into his hand and linger there. Instead, he steps forward and brushes the hair back from her forehead to place a chaste kiss there at her hairline. She goes utterly still for a moment, but her hand tightens around his marginally before letting go. When she steps back, her expression is soft as a dream.

“Goodnight, Princess.”

She opens the door to her bedroom and mouths a timid little, “‘Night,” before slipping away. The door closes with a soft thump. Oliver holds his breath for a moment before letting out a big sigh, resting his forehead against the door. He stays there for a while, shelving away everything that had happened meticulously, afraid of forgetting even a single second.

The only thing that pulls him back to his own room is the promise of a decent cushion and the happy knowledge that he is far too tired for dreaming.

[janethepegasus]

BMC Miraculous Ladybug AU RP Thing: Miraculous Vacation

An RP me and @pika-ace did relating to the BMC Miraculous Ladybug AU where the Armada goes to a private resort to have a vacation. However, Spam wants to claim the resort for himself (Immature, i know. He kinda acts like that sometimes... >_> )

(The Miraculous Armada arrive at the private resort, suitcases in hand)

(The kids had excited looks on their faces, ready to have some fun time at the beach)

Brooke: Oh my gosh, it's so pretty!!

Jenna: Yeah! :D

Christine: Time to relax! :D

Jeremy: Yeah, FINALLY we can just chill and relax! :D

(They all head towards the building, unaware of Spam lurking in the background)

(Spam glares at them, being VERY jealous at them)

Spam: Stupid holders with their fancy resort...it'll be mine... Dusk: But Master you don't own it- Spam: It will be mine! >:(

Dusk: *rolls eyes* Sure, whatever. *very softly* You're acting like a spoiled child who wants everything, Master. -_-

(The holders all divide up into who's staying in what room and if they would be alone or with another)

(Obviously Eric and Jordan stay in one room together)

(All the couples get a room and everyone else either buddies up or gets a single room)

(Jeremy leaps onto the bed with a big smiles on his face, landing next to Micheal)

Michael: This is gonna be sweet :3

Jeremy: Yeah! :D

(The other couples collapse on their own beds together)

(Eric nuzzles against Jordan)

Jordan: You know, Joe let Hayden and I know that these walls are pretty soundproof :3c

Eric: Really? :0c

Jordan: Yep; no kids are being mentally scarred on this trip :3

Jordan: We could do our little “thing” whenever we want to, as long as no one walks in on us~ (Jordan makes bedroom eyes with Eric and lightly strokes Eric’s sweet spot)

(Eric shudders in pleasure) Eric: Well, I'm certainly looking forward to that ;3c

Jordan: Me too :3

(After everyone gets settled in they start making use of their resort)

(Michael and Jeremy run towards the water and jump into it)

(The other kids join them while the adults sit in chairs under umbrellas on the sand)

(The kids swim and play around in the water, while the adults watch over them)

(Spam watches from a distance) Dusk: Do you have a plan? Spam: Of course I do!

Dusk: And what is it exactly?

Spam: I'm going to lie in wait, give them a few days until their guard is really down; and then at the right moment, I'll snatch them one by one and get them out of

this picture so I can enjoy it myself >:) Dusk: *internally* My god, you're immature...

Dusk: *internally* You're in your 20's, Master. Not 5 -_-

Spam: So for now, we wait...their time will come; let them think they're safe; they're NEVER safe from me >:)

Dusk: Ugh...alright... >_>

(Meanwhile, the holders keep having fun)

(Michael looks at Lin and smiles) Michael: Hey Linny! Why don’t ya join in? The water’s great! :D

Lin: Sure! :D

(Lin gets up from the chair and jumps into the water)

(A few other adults jump in too)

(The kids and adults play around in the water)

(As the day passes, the holders go inside one by one to rest or do something else relaxing)

(Jordan and Eric collapse on the bed to rest)

Jordan: Great first day so far

Eric: Yeah...

Eric: I already love this place

Jordan: Me too :)

(Eric cuddles against Jordan)

(Jordan smiles at Eric)

Jordan: I think we both know what can make this vacation even more great :3

Eric: Yeah :3

Jordan: Shall we? While all the kids are still outside? Eric: We're still locking the door

Jordan: Yeah, but other than that... *looks at Eric with bedroom eyes* Shall we? Eric: Yes, we shall. :)

(They lock the door and go ahead of get their clothes off and go at it)

(The day passes as they do this)

(Meanwhile, everyone else has slowly migrated inside, doing their own thing, while Spam keeps lurking without a trace)

(Spam smirks as he’s sneaking around)

Dusk: What are we doing? Spam: Looking for a good place to stash all these holders when the time comes, obviously; I don't want to see them at all while making use of this place

Dusk: *softly* Of course... -_-

(Eventually, they find a big storage room) Spam: This will suffice nicely

Dusk: Of course it does, after all, it can fit all of them in there. :/

Dusk: Now what? Spam: Now we can spend the next few days observing them and planning an attack on each one; when will be the perfect time to whisk them away without anyone noticing?

>:3c

Dusk: Oh joy... -_-

(The next day comes and the holders keep on vacationing to the max)

(They spend the whole day having fun)

(About four days come and go) Spam: And now...we begin... >:3

Dusk: Oh boy, here we go...

Spam: And I know just who to start with... (He gathers what he needs and heads for Post's room)

(Post is just relaxing in his room, cuddling with some plushies)

(Post eventually get up and heads to the closet to get a few more, when hands grab him and cover his mouth, yanking him inside the closet)

Post: MMPH!!!

Spam: Shh shh shh little brother, we don't want to disturb your friends >:3

Post: MMPH!!!! MMMMMPHHHH!!!!!!

(Spam ties him up and puts tape over his mouth and opens a hidden door in the closet) Spam: I've had lots of time to explore; this place has many secrets >:3

Post: Mmph?!

(Spam plucks off his Post's Miraculous and drags him into the door, closing it behind him; he carries Post through a hidden tunnel that leads him to a hall towards the

storage room)

(Once he got into the storage room, he throws Post into the storage room)

Spam: Don't worry, you won't be alone for long >:3

(Spam leaves the storage room, leaving Post alone) Post: MMPH! MMMPH!! MMMMPH!!!!! (DAD!! ROMEO!! ANYONE!! HELP ME!!!!)

Spam: Alright, who's next?

(He looks at the kid’s rooms)

(He spies Romeo heading for his and Post's room) Spam: May as well make brother dear happy

(Spam head towards Post's room)

(Romeo hurries in, having felt something wrong) Romeo: Rose?

(He opens the door and sees that Post isn't in his room)

(Romeo starts looking around but Spam grabs him in the same fashion as Post and pulls him into the closet)

(Spam covers his mouth as he drags him in)

(Spam ties him up and puts tape on his mouth as well) Spam: What a good boyfriend, checking up on poor little Post

Romeo: MMPH!! MMPH!!!

(Spam grabs his Miraculous and drags him to the storage room, throwing him next to Post)

Post: MMPH! (Romeo!)

Romeo: MMPH!! (Rose!)

Spam: There, i'll leave you two alone while I get the next one to snatch! *leaves them*

(Post and Romeo can only struggle and watch in horror as Spam keeps reappearing, bringing in the tied up kids one by one and throwing them in the room with them)

(Eventually, Spam manages to take all the kids and threw them all into the storage room)

Spam: There, that's a good chunk of you. *he jingles a small bag that's holding their Miraculous* Now better take care of your parents before they realize you're gone

>:)

(He leaves the kids behind)

(Most of the adults are napping or relaxing in their rooms, making them easy targets)

(Spam makes his way towards the adults rooms, ready to strike) (Meanwhile with Joe, he relaxes in his room, but he suddenly feels an aura of uneasiness, a feeling that something is wrong)

(He gets up and starts wandering the resort) Joe: Children?

(He checks their rooms, but finds that they're empty)

Joe: Something's not right... (Meanwhile, Spam has just finished dragging Eric and Jordan to the storage room, tying them back to back; Jordan is unconscious as that was the only way Spam could

even get him)

(Spam throws Eric and Jordan into the storage room)

Eric: MMMMPH!!! (Jordan slowly starts to wake up) Spam: Enjoy your group bonding time together >;3

(Spam leaves them)

Holders: MMMMPH!!! Spam: *holds up his nearly full bag of Miraculous* ...One to go >:3

(Spam head towards Joe's room)

(He slinks in, but finds he's not there)

Spam: What the?

Joe: I had a feeling you were behind this >:(

Spam: Wha?!

(Spam whirls around and Joe suckerpunches him)

Spam: GAH!!

Joe: What are you doing here, Spam? >:(

Spam: Snatching all of you, of course! >:(

Joe: If you've hurt a hair on my children... >:(

Spam: Trust me, i did for a few of them, how else would i could've dragged them in there in the first place? >:)

Joe: You're going to pay for disrupting our vacation >:(

Spam: Your vacation?! It should've been MINE! I should've been here! That's why i'm taking all of you out! So i can have the whole place BY MY SELF! >:(((

Joe: You- *blinks* ...Really? Dusk: Roll with it... -_-

Joe: ...That is the most immature thing i have ever heard from you! >:/

Spam: SHUT UP!!

(Spam punches Joe)

(Spam then transforms) Raven: This is why I left you for last; you're the biggest pain >:(

(Joe growls at Raven and transforms) Owl: Of course I am, i will never surrender or hand myself in to you! >:(

(They fight)

(During the fight, Raven pulls out his scythe while Owl pulls out his sword and they keep fighting)

Owl: Where did you put my children?!

Raven: I'm not telling you! >:(

(They keep fighting)

(They keep fighting for a while, their blades clashing with each other as they fight)

(After a while, Owl manages to get the bag holding the Miraculous)

Raven: NO!!

Owl: Now tell me where they are!!

Raven: No! >:(

(They keep fighting)

(Raven fought viciously, not willing to give up, while Owl fought back, glaring at Raven)

Owl: You better tell me where they are!!

Raven: NO!!! >:((((

(After a while, they reach a stalemate, both of them out of breath)

Owl: *breathing heavily* You're...so...naive...and arrogant...! >:(

Raven: *breathing heavily* I'd add stubborn...because...I'm not telling...unless...you're willing...to make a deal >:3

Owl: *breathing heavily* A...deal...?

Raven: Give me the Miraculous...and I'll tell you where to find them...

Owl: *looks at him suspiciously* If i do...promise you would NEVER...run away...while i get...my children...? >:(

Raven: Well that's just up to you. Promises are made to be broken you know >:3

Owl: ...Alright, but on ONE condition... *stares straight at him* STAY in your spot...don't move...don't escape...and when i return...you properly give them back, and

leave. Understood? >:(

Raven: If that is what you wish >:3 *holds out his hand*

(Owl hovers his hand near his Miraculous, but before he can take it off, he looks straight into Raven’s eyes) Owl: Spam Emella, Holder of the Raven Miraculous, hold on to that promise, and do NOT break it...under ANY circumstance.

Raven: Very well...and I was asking for the bag of Miraculous, not yours

Owl: ...Forgive me...our battle messed with my mind...so i wasn't thinking straight... *he hands over the bag*

(Raven takes the bag) Raven: They're in the storage room on the first floor

Owl: Alright. *glares at Spam* Stay. *gets up*

Raven: >:3

(Owl glares at Raven one more time, then leaves to find the others)

(He runs right to the storage room and flings the door open)

(He sees all the Miraculous Holders, all tied up)

Holders: MMMPH!! Owl: Oh god, children...!

(Owl runs towards them)

(He draws his sword and quickly slices through the bonds in only a few quick slices)

(The ropes fall off the Holders)

(Everyone rips the tape off their mouths) Post: D-Dad!

Owl: Son!

(The holders do a bit of a group hug)

Owl: Thank god you're all alright!

Philip: But our Miraculous...! Sebastian: Did you get them back?!

Owl: Well...Raven still has them...but i promised him to stay put. >:/

Rich: You don't honestly think he's gonna keep that promise, do you?

Owl: I made my point across to him to make this exception, but i part of me doubts we would listen at all. >:/

Jake: Then let's go! (They run back)

(They run towards Joe's room, Owl hoping he kept his word)

(They run back into the room and see Raven lounging on the bed)

Owl: *sighs with relief* Thank god... *internally* He made an exception from what he usually does...

Raven: Considering I was planning on staying here, it seemed redundant to leave

Jeremy: Um...question, why the hell did you come here at all? Besides kidnapping us.

Owl: He was upset that we were on vacation and he wasn't -_-

Owl: And the reason he even did this at all, is because he wanted the resort all to himself. -_-

Holders: O_O ...Wow... -_-

Michael: Dude, that is the most immature reason to kidnap us. Like seriously, that's like...a 5 year old would say if another kid's playing with a toy that they want!

-_-

(Raven silently fumes)

Owl: Alright, i got my children *holds out his hand* Now hand over the bag! >:(

(Raven looks at him and snorts)

Owl: What?

Raven: You must be incredibly naive if you think I was just going to hand them back over and leave like that

(Owl glares at Raven)

Raven: However... *gets off the bed* I may be willing to consider giving them all back on one condition

Owl: And what is it? >:(

Raven: ...Let me stay here >:3

Holders: WHAT?! (Jordan holds Eric protectively, glaring at Raven)

Raven: Oh relax, not with any of YOU, I have my dignity. Just give me a...portion of this place where we can come and go without even remembering the other is there.

Owl: *glares at Raven angrily* ...You think i'm just gonna give you what you want? The one thing that you DESIRED upon arriving in this place? You want to know the reason why we never took you? Is because we wanted to stay away from YOU, leave all the worries of you and your akumas behind us until we get home. But NO, you HAD to come along because *fake childish voice* "I want a resort! I want to go on a vacation!" *normal voice* And whine and complain like a damn child, all because we wanted to get away from YOU for a couple of days. Guess what? You're not getting what you wanted, cause you just proven to us that no matter what we do to enjoy ourselves without you looming over us like a vulture, you always follow, believing that everything we do, should be YOUR business, but it's not! *Owl's eyes glow and his physic powers yanks the bag away from Raven and into Owl's hand* *angry dad voice* Spam Emella, Holder of the Raven Miraculous, leave at once, you are NOT getting what you think should be yours! >:(

Owl: *with his powers activated* Now, you are going to GO BACK to where you came from, and STAY THERE until we all get back! Is that CLEAR?!

(Raven nods)

(He spreads his wings and flies out the window) Holders: O_O Chloe: ...Damn Owl Dad...

Post: ...You did that name thing...to my brother...I-I think that’s the first time you ever did that to him... O_O

Owl: And it was LONG overdue >:(

Owl: *sighs* Now...he won’t be able to hurt us here anymore...

(Owl gives back their Miraculous and transforms back)

(They put their Miraculous on)

Joe: Now...why don't we try and forget...all that happened...

Eric: Yeah...

Post: Maybe...we should all stay together right now...just for a little bit

Joe: Yes...

(They all pile onto Joe's bed and cuddle)

(Joe smiles and cuddles with everyone)

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #112 - The Prince of Egypt

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: DVD

1) The head of Jeffrey Katzenberg, the head of Dreamworks animation at the time and one of the former big wigs at Disney, had been pitching an adaptation of Moses’ story from Exodus to Disney far before he started Dreamworks with Steven Spielberg. During an early meeting of Dreamworks Katzenberg recalls that Spielberg looked at him during the meeting and said, "You ought to do The Ten Commandments."

2) I think the opening disclaimer is a nice touch.

“The motion picture you are about to see is an adaptation of the Exodus story. While artistic and historical license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide. The biblical story of Moses can be found in the book of Exodus.”

3) Music plays an incredibly important role in this film, mostly for setting its grand storytelling and dark tone. This is clearly apparent from the opening song “Deliver Us” which depicts the suffering of the Hebrew people in Egypt and also the hope of Moses.

4) This film also does an excellent job of immediately establishing the brotherly relationship between Moses and Ramses. It’s fun and honest, which makes the following events all the more heartbreaking.

5) Val Kilmer is quite effective in the role of Moses, being able to provide a healthy balance of his youthful joviality and privilege early on and the wisdom that would come to define the character later.

6) This film has three noteworthy actors who have very little lines. The first two of these are Patrick Stewart as Pharaoh Seti and Helen Mirren as The Queen.

Neither of them sing, so their lines are few and unfortunately Mirren feels wasted in the part (less of a comment on her acting, which is top notch as usual, and more from the lack of screen time). Stewart, however, gives Seti some depth. We see him as father and ruler, both roles where he cares about his people, but also murderer of Hebrew babies which gives him a sinister feel.

7) Moses could have been painted as a spoiled brat while acting as prince of Egypt, but he takes responsibility for his actions and mistakes while also trying to shield Ramses from some of their father’s heavy expectations.

8) Tzipporah is established as fierce as heck from the get go.

Kept as a foreign slave in her first scene, she still fights back with great vigor despite being in a room who don’t care if she dies by the hands of the pharaoh. Michelle Pfeiffer imparts some of the strength she brought to Catwoman into the part and it’s a wonderful take on the biblical figure.

9) Sandra Bullock may have more lines than Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, and (later) Danny Glover, but for some reason I’m always wanting more of her and her character Miriam by the time the film ends. I like what I see, I just wish there were more of her in the film (I think).

10) For some reason I don’t feel the way about her brother Aaron, who is voiced wonderfully by Jeff Goldblum. That may be because we see Aaron develop from non-believer to believer over the course of the film (wheres Miriam is consistently good and believing in Moses) and Jeff Goldblum plays both the doubter and the supporter well.

11) Continuing with the excellent music in this film, “All I Ever Wanted,” carries with it that sense of grandeur as well as the heartbreak of Moses denying his true heritage.

12) Moses’ nightmare is one of the most memorable non-musical sequences out of the film (not THE most memorable but one of them), and this is done both through the unique hieroglyphic art style and the lack of dialogue. It is true visual storytelling.

13) Remember how I said Tzipporah is fierce as heck? Well, that continues throughout the film when she decides to drop Moses into a well as a bit of payback for being a prince of Egypt (although she does help him out because he helped her escape the palace).

14) Danny Glover is the third actor who doesn’t have enough lines. He plays the role of Jethro, a character with about ten spoken lines (more or less) and then the rest of his role is in song. And Danny Glover doesn’t sing the song.

In the little dialogue Glover does give though, he is able to establish Jethro as a man who’s heart is as big as his stature. I just wish we’d heard more of him.

15) I mentioned in The Road to El Dorado the effectiveness of using a song to cover large gaps of time. This film is no different, initial with Jethro’s song “Through Heavens Eyes.” It’s a rousing and hopeful number which talks of the Hebrew god and how we can only know our worth when trying to look through (one guess what I’m going to say next) heaven’s eyes. In that time we cover Moses learning what a free life is from these people, his growing humility, and his blossoming relationship with Tzipporah (and eventual marriage).

16) The Burning Bush.

Val Kilmer provides the voice of god in this film, although that wasn’t the initial plan. Originally all the actors in the film were going to voice god at the same time, and were told to whisper so they wouldn’t overpower each other. When the time came to record Kilmer’s lines, they realized someone had to speak louder. It was a happy realization, as the filmmakers later noted that god usually speaks to us as the little voice in our own heads. And it parallels the Cecil B. Demille version of The Ten Commandments where it is said (although I don’t think confirmed) that Charlton Heston also provided the voice of god while also playing Moses.

17) Moses telling Tzipporah about his encounter with the burning bush is another fine example of how filmmaking is primarily a VISUAL medium. We don’t hear a word they saw to each other, but we see him talking and we see her reaction and we know EXACTLY what is happening.

18) Ralph Fiennes performance as Ramses is at its best when Ramses becomes villainous and conceited. Hmm, Ralph Fiennes playing a villainous and conceited villain. Sounds familiar...

19) Playing with the Big Boys is the only real villain song in this film.

Performed by the evil lackeys Hotep and Huy (who are voiced wonderfully by Steve Martin and Martin Short respectively), the song shows off just how dark things in the Egypt really are and how tricky these two “magicians” are. Martin and Short breathe wonderful life and evil fun into the song, and even recorded their dialogue together. And the scenes uses wonderful use of darkness and shadows to make us feel like Moses is in over his head. Which in a way, he is. But the film wouldn’t be interesting if things were easy for the protagonist.

20) The growing conflict between Moses and Ramses is heartbreaking and I give credit to all those involved in this film for that. The directors, the writers, the animators, Val Kilmer & Ralph Fiennes, everyone. We see them go from the best of friends to archenemies and neither of them wants to be in that position. But they are, and they each think they’re doing what is best for their people. It hurts a lot to watch.

21) “The Plagues” is also a great example of how this film condenses what could have been a massive chunk of time into a little two-and-a-half minute song.

It also does not make light of the plagues either. The plagues were horrible. True wrath of god type stuff that ruined people’s lives. And this song is an epic but dark representation of just what those were like while also developing the conflict between Moses and Ramses.

22) I’m not as familiar with my biblical readings as maybe I should be, but I like that this film depicts Moses reaching out to Ramses one last time before he releases the final plague. It is one final reminder that they are or, more appropriately, were brothers. And they almost seem to understand each other, to make peace. But they don’t. Meaning the final and most awful plague is released.

23) I don’t want to get into my own theological beliefs or philosophies, but I am always sickened about the death of the first borns of Egypt.

The scene is animated beautifully but the entire thing is heartbreaking. The idea of a god who will take away the lives of children just to get what he wants, even though he later claims that we are all his children, just never sits right with me. I just...it sickens me. That’s all I can say. It sickens me.

24) “When You Believe” is probably THE song from this film. It won the Oscar for best original song that year, beating out “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith. It is the perfect representation of the power of hope and belief which is the central theme of this film. Michelle Pfeiffer and Sally Dworsky (along with the film’s chorus) do an excellent job performing the song written by Stephen Schwartz, but the pop version performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey is just as good.

25) I think the most memorable part of this film has to be the parting of the Red Seas. And it could just be for this image alone:

That is such a powerful image which really gets across the wonder of what we’re seeing. A representation of the scene which few if any adaptations of the Exodus story have ever lived up to and which I think only animation can bring to life so wonderfully.

26) After the Red Sea crashes down and Ramses is washed away, we see Moses looking off in the distance and hear Ramses screaming, “MOSES!” The filmmakers have suggested that this may be in Moses’ head and that Ramses might actually be dead. I like that idea. It shows Moses still has hope for his brother.

27) And since this is an adaptation of Exodus, of course it has to involve the Ten Commandments in some way. I’m just glad that it’s the last shot of the film. A nice way of ending the story.

It makes sense to end a family film there, as opposed to Moses finding his people worshipping a false idol (a golden cow, I think) and smashing the tablet before God destroys the idol and forces his people to wander the desert for 40 years to kill off the rebellious generation. Oh, and Moses didn’t get to go into the promised land.

(GIF originally posted by @rocktheholygrail)

What’s not family friendly about that?

The Prince of Egypt is a great animated film who’s popularity has unfortunately lost steam in recent years. It represents its story well without beating you over the head with the religion, the animation and music are gorgeous, and the voice acting is top notch (if a little wasted at times). I highly recommend you see it.