#(she'll be back to her nefarious ways)

[wickedlyqueer]

In the movie there is a case to be made that the closeness between Elphaba and Glinda is the reason Elphaba didn't fall for Morrible and the Wizard's nefarious plan in the first place.

Like, yes, I think it's pretty much canon across all versions that Elphaba will always revolt in the end. That she can't abide to the cruelty against the Animals and will rage against the machine, so to speak.

But what if she was broken first? How much further would she have fallen for that propaganda, if Glinda had not shown her kindness? In the movie, we see Morrible approach is far subtler than the book or musical. And she even manages to redirection Elphaba's anger for the Animals' mistreatment and harness it into powerful magic.

If Morrible had been able to follow that trajectory, how far would that manipulation have gone? I can easily see an abuser/victim dynamic, where Elphaba only feels competent and important when she's being mentored or in the presence of Morrible. And why would she leave her? Morrible is the only person who ever believed in her.

But in comes Miss Bubble and Glitter. Who tells Elphie she's beautiful, and recognizes her immense talent, and worst of all, she's in the same class Morrible uses to try and train Elphaba into a pawn on her chess board. Suddenly, there is no other way but to back off on the emotional manipulation, bc suddenly she is here too…

Even before they step into the throne room, Glinda takes a moment to pause, look her in the eyes and say: "Elphaba Thropp, listen to me. You can do this. You can do anything." Reaffirming her belief in Elphaba.

And then that intimacy between Elphaba and Glinda is instantly turned against each other the moment Elphaba realizes what's actually up. Elphaba can't be manipulated like the way they planned? Fine. Blondie, you're our barging chip now. First it is done as positive reinforcement: "And hey, if it'll make you happy, possibly, your friend [can stay too]."

And then, as Elphaba actively flees, it is no longer Glinda who tells the Wizard she'll "fetch her back." No. Now Morrible is the one who tries the Glinda-as-a-bargaining-chip-tactic and demands her to get Elphaba back.

Sure, Glinda is the one who eventually gets sucked into the position that was meant for Elphaba. But how easily could the tables have been turned? Where Glinda didn't take that leap towards Elphaba at the Ozdust ballroom? Where they didn't get close and Elphaba remained an outsider, fending for herself.

In that timeline, Morrible would've been able to dig her claws in deeper, and it would not be Glinda, but Elphaba who became the Wizard's puppet instead.

[sweetbunpura]

After stepping out of Jungleheart Rollo and Savanaclaw sighs

Round 4!

Round 1 - Round 2 - Round 3

Aqualetta

Before anyone even had the ability to ask what happened, Leona shuts them all up.

"She's not there, she's in Aqualetta."

Floyd let out a loud groan. "I don't wanna go there!"

Jade fought to keep his face neutral while Azul adjusted his glasses to hide his grimace.

"Of all the places to be..." He muttered and made his way towards the doorway with a emblem of a singing mermaid on it. "If we're lucky, she'll be in here. Jade, Floyd, and you too, Rollo-san."

Floyd basically dragged his feet as they entered the portal. The sound of seagulls calling and a warm sea breeze hit Rollo as they appeared in the entrance of the dorm. A seaside "town" surrounded the portal and Rollo could see several Aqualetta members milling about in the town square.

"Welcome to Aqualette. Now let's go before they spot us."

Rollo turned his head to see the trio already making their way towards the castle like structure ahead. He quickly followed them as they decided down the white stairs.

"Ahhhhh~" Floyd placed his arms behind his head and turned to look at Rollo. "Why didn't you keep an eye out for Shrimpy, Snapping Turtle?"

Rollo semi-glared at him. "If you recall, I was busying continuing with my community service. I didn't have a chance to call and ask where she was."

"Mmmm, sounds like an excuse."

"You-"

"Now, now." Jade interrupted. "We all know Miss Yuu is quite hard to get a hold of. So it only makes sense that he would lose her."

Rollo bristled. "You nefarious-"

"I don't need my headache to morph into a migraine." Azul sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, please settle down."

"Alright/Yes, Azul."

They reached the end of the steps and spotted a red haired man talking to a long haired man with light brown skin.

"Oh, there they are!" The long haired man waved to them. "Hello!"

The group paused as the red head turned to face them with shining aqua-blue eyes and a wide smile. Immediately, Rollo saw the three of them flinch and their shoulders drop as the red head approached them.

"Azul! Oh, it's actually you!"

"Hello, Rielle..."

Rielle circled the three mermen. "Jade and Floyd as well! Nanu! Nanu! These are the guys I was telling you about!"

Rollo moved off to the side as he spotted the grimaces on the mermen faces. This Rielle must be a character in order to get even Jade to make a face at him. Nanu laughed as he approached the man.

"Rielle, by the seven, you still do not seem capable of understanding personal space." Azul grumbled.

"Aw, but last time I had seen you, you were a chubby octopus!" He smiles as Azul freezes. "I'm so proud of you for working it off though!"

"I'm sorry about Rielle. He's been excitable ever since he heard Pua's stories about them." He sticks out his hand to Rollo. "Name's Nanu Coulette, I'm the vice leader here!"

Rollo looked at his hand and shook it, only to jolt at Nanu's strong grip as he shook their hands up and down. He let go and the gray haired man fought to keep from wincing.

"Rielle, come." Nanu pulled him back effortlessly.

"Listen, we came here looking for Shrimpy." Floyd growled. "Is she here or not?"

The dorm and vice frowned and shook their heads.

"She was here earlier." Rielle spoke. "Chen'ya had to leave, so she stayed with us...until Riley came over and invited her to Potential."

Floyd let out a low growl as Jade turned to look at Rollo.

"Forgive me for being so blunt, but have you not thought to call her at any given moment?" Rollo saw Jade's eye twitch.

In all honesty, he hadn't thought to call her due to the chaos of everything and before he could even think of pulling out his phone, Nanu answered.

"Oh, uh, she won't be able to answer."

The air crew cold as four sets of eyes glared menacingly at the vice, who raised his hands up.

"Hey, hey! Chen'ya kept putting in the wrong password and it locked her out for a while. No need to be hostile."

"It's that's all," Jade pulls on the back of Floyd and Azul's jackets before either of them have a chance to throttle Nanu. "We'll be taking our leave then. Goodbye."

The NRC boys departed for the portal before the RSA students could say anything.

"...What does Pua mean?"

"He called her Flower." Floyd asks with a monotone voice.

Rollo was going to strangle the next person to give her a nickname.

[judesmoonbeauty]

Can you give the context of BLE chap 25? Pleasee

Hi anon, of course! - MDNI

Longish post

25 BLE starts the morning after Kate and Jude sleep together. While Jude is still sleeping, Kate wraps a sheet around herself and explores his room because she's never been inside of it. As she's looking at all the books on his bookshelf, she doesn't realize that he's come up behind her. He hugs her from behind and calls her out for sneaking around his room.

He says it's fine though because he'll just do something in exchange for it, so he slides his hand down her waist before he rips off her sheet. He pinches her nipple with one hand and then slips a finger inside her with his other hand. He teases her verbally, and then Kate asks him if they're now a couple which surprises Jude.

He says she should know without him saying it, and she argues that some things can't be understood without words. Jude never says 'I love you' to her. Instead, he grabs her by the chin and kisses her with force, and marks a snarky comment that she turned red when she was kissed by a man who isn't her lover (he's implying he is her boyfie), and she says, "then we are a couple." Kate is satisfied with that because she never expected normal words of love from Jude.

Before she can kiss him, he pulls his finger out and says he's got a business meeting that morning. Kate, who is is now wet and horny, asks about the continuation. Jude laughs and tells her to finish off herself, and that's what she gets for cheating him. She asks if he's upset that she consulted Victor and the other Crown members instead of him, about staying at Crown. He says she can think what she wants to think and then leaves......

Darius asks Nica if Jude would be a good fit for their family, and Nica is like...uhhhh, no.

Jude also gives Victor heaps of paperwork and contracts to sign as his punishment for going behind his back to help Kate remain at Crown. Still, he thinks Jude is as vindictive and adorable as ever. Ellis says that up until now, Jude has never once been happy, but since it seems to Ellis that he's at his peak happiness, so he asks Victor if he thinks it's okay to kill Jude now. Victor laughs and says that he can kill him later. Ellis is disappointed, but agrees and then he tells Victor he's going to deliver something to Kate.

However, Kate is not at Crown because she is under cover as a new recruit for a criminal group that's been causing a ruckus lately, and who now have been using Raven Co's products for nefarious purposes. Jude isn't having that.

Kate is in a luxurious room filled with men, booze and smoke. Her part of the mission was to go undercover and steal confidential information, which she already has, so now she's just waiting for Jude's arrival to start his revenge as her signal to leave. But, a thug comes in and says that Jude's been captured, which surprises Kate.

Flash back to a few days before prior to the mission when Jude and Kate are reviewing the operation details, (in which Kate narrates that after they became a couple, Jude often randomly touches Kate, but it's also a regular occurrence that he does before each mission.)

So, we have a very touchy-feely boyfriend.

Any way, Kate repeats the plan to Jude. She'll be undercover for three days, and then he will show up at 8:00 pm on the third day. He asks if she remembers her promise she made to him, and she reiterates that she promises she won't die. Jude says that when it's all over he's going to make love to her until she's hoarse, but her improv skills suck so....

Kate denies that statement, and says that she can too improvise and adapt in any situation. Jude smiles and says he looks forward to it.

Back to the present, Kate realizes that Jude got caught on purpose because he wants to see what she can do. This both annoys her that he'd do something like that to his girlfriend, and excites her because that means that Jude has complete trust in her abilities and he recognizes her. So, she calls out to her boss that she'll take care of Jude Jazza.

When she walks into the room where he's being held in handcuffs, the group is cheering for her to kill him gloriously, and she says to just leave it to her. Kate notices that although Jude looks beaten, his amethyst eyes are twinkling with a smile. She walks up to him and straddles his lap, points her gun at him and asks how she should kill him. The two quietly talk to each other as the people around them jeer for his death, and Kate suggests a bullet to the brain.

Jude says that's fine, but if that happens then she won't get her treat later on. Kate retorts that without her his life would be boring, and Jude admits that while may be true, he's going ruin her life for the rest of her life until they're in hell together. He'll never let her go. Kate says that's fine, they can suffer until they die, together.

His cuffed hands are hugging her waist, and before you know it he's got the cuffs removed, and Kate shoots her gun, and the both of them laugh and smile together as they bring down the criminal group, in his cycle of hatred and revenge.

Let's keep making unfulfilled promises to each other. -So long as I can dream the same dream as you.

The last two lines that finish the chapter are rough translations.

[cerastes]

FNAF but you are a Rhodes Island canteen staff on a night shift trying to prevent Ceobe from raiding the kitchen .

It's a late night at the Rhodes Island canteen, the Elite Operators have an early deployment, and supplies are looking adequate... That is, as long as no incident occurs. Unfortunately for whoever is on shift, Rhodes Island is well known for its late night incidents, incarnated in nefarious individuals whose gluttony eclipses even the most furious of Catastrophes... And the Elite OPs are not going to be happy campers if they can't get their calories for their arduous missions...

--Five Nights At Rhodes!--

Your objective is to protect the delicious ingredients in the pantry from morally bankrupt evildoers that would greedily consume all they can get their hungry little pizza fingers on! Play as one of four culinary heroes to keep those fiends away from the Elite's caloric intake, or face the crushing guilt of seeing Rosmontis go hungry with a rumbling tummy!

The Centurions of Flavor:

Gummy

"The sign clearly says 'Ceobe not allowed', why are you still coming in!"

Known for world-class fried eggs and a healing enthusiasm, this Ursine Defender isn't just a soothing smile to have around, and can use her very own Reinforced Door to fully restore and strengthen one of the doors to the pantry! No means no!

Matterhorn

"Ethan, seriously, you can just ask for a sandwich... You're messing our inventory of available ingredients if you take them on the down low!"

Bodyguard, enforcer, butler, and renowned chef, Matterhorn works with the finest Kjerag ingredients, and knows a thing or two about keeping unwanted company out with his Sublime Sandwich, which can temporarily distract would-be interlopers with its peerless taste and aroma!

Kal'tsit

"If you want something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself... Especially when the would-be crisis jeopardizes the stock of instant noodles in such dire and relentless a fashion."

The boss always has your back in Rhodes Island, and this emergency deployment is no exception! Any logistic is an important logistic! With her Spinal Assistant, Kal'tsit can order Mon3tr to hold one door while she holds the other one! There's no getting a fast one in on this Feline!

Just A Canteen Staffer

"I literally just work here."

With no special abilities to speak of, well... It's going to be a long, long night.

Crooked Adversaries:

Ravenous Hellhound

The nefarious nibler, infamous for her indignant disregard for signaling, reviled for her Indomitable March: What she lacks in tricks, she makes up for in pure perseverance, relentlessly trying to force her way in no matter how many times she's repelled. The countless signals that say "Ceobe Not Allowed" are said to be a ward against the Hellhound. A useless ward, that is.

Renegade Interloper

He moves like the shadow of a ghost, a feared culinary assassin that will make your ingredients and food vanish into the misty night, leaving behind no trace. This Persistence Predator will oftentimes camp outside a door almost completely invisible, waiting for your guard to grow lax. If one pays close attention, however, one might discern small ripples in space where there should be none, or hear a faint music from the Interloper's treasured earbuds...

Prowling Miscreant

The hunter's creed is that a mighty beast is only as strong as its weakest point, and her eye is already trained on the canteen... And the habits of its handlers. You'll be Drawing Dead the moment you think you have a leg up on the Miscreant, as she'll first observe your habits, and then continuously attempt entry from the routes you neglect the most, usually by syncing up with the advance of other Adversaries.

The Ghost of Babel

Feared for their truly wild consumption habits and seemingly unmatched ability to find their way into the pantry, this hooded enigma's wiry, fragile frame betrays their supernatural wiles. This unique Adversary doesn't move in the same way as the others, instead wandering the Area seemingly randomly, concocting their Magnum Opus by collecting all sorts of information and intel that we can't even begin to comprehend. If this is completed, then the Ravenous Hellhound will turn into a creature only known as "Golden Ceobe" and become completely unstoppable. Due to their timid nature, however, they can only work towards the Opus by being in a calm state of mind, achieved by not being observed for a period of time.

The full game COMING SOON to all stores in Columbia, Victoria, Great Yan, not Gaul, and Leithanien! Don't miss out on all these Centurions and Adversaries! Preorder now and get a code to an early download of the DLC Centurions [Fiammetta Who Aggressively Doesn't Want To Be Here] and [Just A Canteen Staffer the Holungday], as well as early access to the challenging DLC Adversaries [Scary Guy] and [D.I.D.I.]!

[zablife]

An Unexpected Family Gathering w/ John

John Shelby x female reader

A/N: Reconnecting or an Unexpected family gathering, requested by @runnning-outof-time. Details of the reader's relationship with dark!John requested by a lovely anon. Part of my Corrupt a Wish challenge.

Divider credit: @wethairjoel

Warnings: coercion, threat with a weapon, mention of poisoning Corrupt a wish reminder: If you think this story has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention. Proceed with caution!

Your infatuation with John began before the war, cautious glances at his handsome features and girlish giggles behind your hands. He paid you no attention in those early days, too infatuated with his sweetheart, Martha. However, that didn't deter you from finding other ways to grow close to him.

It was Tommy who first recognized your potential as a messenger for the family business. No matter the danger, you always accepted, hoping John would hear of your bravery. If there was one thing you possessed over Martha, it was your fearless attitude.

During the war years you continued to help the family as much as possible. You prayed with Polly each morning for the three men away fighting and later for Martha's ailing health. When the time came, you took on the care of John's young children with nothing but love and devotion in your heart.

By the time the men returned from war, you were a permanent fixture at 57 Watery Lane, waiting for the day John would make you his wife. While he hadn't returned quite the same carefree young man you remembered, his bright blue eyes still held a spark of mischievous charm which made you hopeful.

You couldn't say that of his brothers, especially Tommy who began making aggressive moves to control more and more of the city. Within a few months of assuming leadership, Tommy was waging war against the Italians in a bid for power. Ruthless attacks were carried out by his men, cuttings and beatings becoming standard procedure.

The thought of John taking someone's eyes with a razor blade made you physically ill, but nothing compared to the callous way he presented his plan to cut Angel Changretta's throat as he lie helpless in a hospital bed. That's when you knew you'd heard enough.

Small Heath was no longer the place you wished to call home and you began planning an escape from its treacherous depths. However, John was like a bloodhound when it came to sniffing out fear. He sensed the change in you immediately and took the opportunity to question your loyalty in the worst way imaginable.

"I want you to invite Mrs. Changretta for tea at your parents' on Thursday," he casually mentioned as you were getting ready for bed one night.

"Why?" you asked, trying to keep your voice from trembling.

"Cos Tommy said," he gestured vaguely as if to say, If I haven't questioned him, neither should you.

You had the sinking feeling you were luring Mrs. Changretta into blinder territory for nefarious reasons and you quickly worked to appeal to your fiance. "She was our teacher in school, John. A kind, decent woman."

"Then she'll go to heaven, yeah?" he answered, brow furrowing in irritation.

Your heart lurched as you realized the Shelbys were going to kill her. Approaching John gently, you ran a hand across his cheek in hopes of bringing back the kind boy you remembered.

"You don't have to do this. You're not like Tommy, you know. I don't see the same thing in your eyes I see in his," you uttered as you pressed your forehead to his lightly.

Pulling away from your warm embrace, John's blue eyes iced over in a way you'd never witnessed. Grabbing your wrist in a brutal hold to show his determination, he spat, "Tommy puts a bloody roof over our heads or have you forgotten?"

You shook your head slowly, words failing you.

"So you'll do as he fucking says!" John spat, tossing your hand away.

You watched him storm downstairs and grab his coat, deciding to go for a drink instead. Looking back on that moment, you wished you'd run from him when you had the chance, but you didn't have the heart to abandon his children. So you stayed, agreeing to his plan if only to secretly warn Mrs. Changretta of the impending danger.

On the day of her social call, you tucked a small note into the sleeve of your blouse, ready to slip it to her at the soonest opportunity. Your anxious hands trembled when you began to arrange the scones Polly had brought earlier in the day, hoping your nerves didn't show.

Seeing Mrs. Changretta's kind face again soothed you immeasurably. She smiled up at you with the same warmth in her eyes you remembered from your school days and suddenly the memories of your youth came flooding back to you.

Noticing your eyes fill with tears, she asked innocently, "What is it dear?"

Turning your head to swipe a tear from your cheek, you relayed the tender memory of the times she brought you sweets.

"Those were good times," she acknowledged sadly. "Before the lads fell into the hands of the devil."

You took her hands in yours, seizing the moment to place the note to her palm. "It doesn't have to be this way," you whispered, giving her a small squeeze before relinquishing the paper to her grasp. The rest of the visit was carefully monitored by Tommy's soldiers and you didn't dare reach for her again.

That night you woke with John pressing the cold barrel of a gun into your side. Fueled by his outrage and the snow Isaiah had been supplying, he demanded you wake. "I know what you did, Y/n," he whispered as he pressed the weapon just below your ribs.

You gulped as you wondered what he would do to you, his jarring laughter making you afraid to move or even breath beneath his touch.

"The old cunt fell over dead from Polly's scones," he informed you cruelly. "So you see, your little warning was useless." His lip curled into a menacing sneer as he watched your face crumble in despair.

"No!" you cried. "I didn't mean to..."

"But you did," he answered in a mocking tone, releasing the safety with a harsh click.

"John, please," you begged as he began to stroke your arm with a gentle touch that belied the venom in his serpent like hiss.

“You’re so pretty. I couldn’t shoot you.” Cold steel meeting your temple he ghosted the weapon down your jawline as he whispered, “No, I’m not gonna kill you.”

His torture seemed endless as he kept you awake into the early morning hours. Amazed that you were still alive to see the dawn, you pleaded with the man who'd promised to love you forever.

"Let me go, John. Please let me see my family," you begged.

"You will, sweetheart," he promised, knowing the punishment Tommy had devised for you. You would be reunited with your parents on the gallows soon after the arrests for the murder of Audrey Changretta.

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[theemperorsnewfanblog]

one of my absolute favorite developments in the show is not only them humanizing Yzma without ruining her villain role but also her relationship with Kuzco.

In the movie we see there's a tension between them but that they must have been somewhat tolerant of each other until the firing thing happened, given Yzma never had the idea to off Kuzco until Kronk gave it to her. She did raise him for 18 years without trying anything nefarious.

But after that scene and in KNG she clearly just wants him gone so she can be empress. She doesn't care about his fate whatsoever.

We learn in evil and eviler that she refuses to let him die to become empress. She'll just stick with her kinder plan of making him fail school instead, because believe it or not, she does have a heart and a soft spot for him. Even her dream of being empress we learn is motivated more by just wanting to impress her overbearing and judgemental mother.

I love the episodes when Yzma and Kuzco work together, when they take fun jabs at eachother, and those rare moments where they actually support eachother, like in evil and eviler, the musical, cornival, yzma be gone and take my advice. They both have large and witty personalities and so they have great chemistry together, and I'm glad the show let us see it.

I feel like Kuzco does still see Yzma as his mother figure, maybe not the one he wanted but the one he has, and he, even in the movie, liked to keep her around for that reason. Likewise Yzma sees Kuzco as her son, just a silly teenage boy that she has pity for and I think she grew to enjoy his demeanor. To be fair he was a lot more laid back in the show.

My favorite line between them: "you know this truce is temporary and I'll be right back to destroying you tomorrow" (something like that)

Kuzco: I wouldn't have it any other way. 😏

Ughh. They are so cute.

[relleytrots]

"5. What unique Merits, Flaws or Discipline powers do they have? What ability or issue makes them stand out?" GIMME THEM GOOD YAPS AND LORE

*cracking my knuckles*

This might take a while. Dividers by @diableriedoll and I'm gonna need them.

Sorcha is neither one thing nor the other. She was born, raised and groomed to be Kindred, figured out her family's internal Masquerade before her thirteenth birthday, and was planning her mortal life around being Embraced before her thirtieth. And then she overdosed and died and came back thin - except she sees so much potential and camaraderie in being thinblooded. Duskborn got Duskborn. She's made so many (hot) (clever) (brave) (amazing) friends outside the family that her loyalties are - not torn, but definitely divided.

Her biggest projects are gaolbreaking ceremonial necromancy so it can work through alchemy, and sponsoring a safehouse network for thinbloods in sect war hotzones: she is also her father's daughter, her sire's child, heiress to the Gorbals barony and would-be pupil of a Giovanni anziana. Woe betide her if she ever has to choose. She'll probably go mad.

Alistair says it best himself. Other Kindred may have been around longer than him, but he's lived longer than them. The Embrace was his retirement present, his golden handshake. He lived a full, awful, horrid human life. He was sixty-four years old when he died, and he has none of the unfinished personality baggage of the eternal teens and twentysomethings that make up much of the all-night society.

It's not that he's without angst - he spent the 1980s in prison because, in several ways, he wanted to atone for spending the two previous decades actively making the world a shittier place, and he thinks his life was worth living because it produced Sorcha. He has a world's best dad complex like you wouldn't believe. It's that he's at the other end of his original journey, and that gives him the unshakeable confidence of your boomer dad who was also a second generation hardnut. Just don't call him a boomer. He was born in 1935.

Santino is really, really shit at being a Giovanni.

He has the emotional damage, the problematic relationship with his sire, and the practical necromancy down pat. He's a bit of a sadist. He should be very good at this. But he doesn't like spoiling some random person's night, he's not big on slavery, and he made all his money when it was still possible to make all your money out of music. He would honestly rather just rock out, and despite his vague claims about how his musical projects romanticise death and enable the famiglia's goals through soft power, he's kinda full of shit about that.

He was a no hope, dead end, dropout disgrace to the family before Luciana decided she wanted to fuck him (and mould him into a beautiful metaphorical stiletto for her own personal use).

Luciana is, if I break kayfabe here for a second, a studied attempt to deconstruct and explore the Giovanni's "incest and necromancy, spaghetti and corpses" stereotype through the lens that I think it's best read through, to whit eighteenth century Gothic novels with nefarious Italian antagonists who practice black magic and molest their own daughters. Except she's leaning into it, doing it better than her sire/husband ever did, and perpetuating the cycle on her own childer.

In terms of abilities: she's the greatest necromancer of her generation. She is proof positive, to the elders' eyes, that single blood is best blood, that marrying cousins and even siblings does keep the magic strong.

In terms of issues: she has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, one of her lungs has half collapsed, she can barely walk unaided and she was going to die before her fortieth birthday.

I wanted to experiment with a character who was elegant, educated, erotic, deviant, disabled - hot as hell and honestly signalling a whole different batch of mummy issues to the mummy issues I actually have.

Penelope is infuriated by her own bloodline. She was Embraced antitribu, defected to the Sabbat, almost came back again before she was tapped by the (False) Black Hand. She's a Bletchley Park gel and an OG phreaker, a black hat through and through, but she can't get through a revolving door or use a touchscreen.

Also, she's really supposed to be dead. She didn't think she'd survive her first chronicle. I didn't think she'd survive her first chronicle. She's in the "future antagonist" box now.

Riley is the character I never thought I'd play, and that's why they stand out. Their actual issue - they're a woman living as a man and possibly regretting it but also profiting from it and giving girls funny feelings under their petticoats - is only the top layer of their secrets. Underneath that is the delight of the alternate clan bane, and the reinvention of the Ravnos it enables. I've already written about this today so I'mma keep it short: I like them as almost devilish or faerie type Kindred, if you know their true name they have no power over you, and I'm leaning into that with Riley.

Also, their broken-ass build. Presence 3 on top of Siren? Enough Dex that they're a capable fencer? Check the Trunk / Side Hustle so they always have a Background for any situation that might need one? Mmh. MMM!

The irony is, my ST knows I'm squishy for Bahari, and put the bait right there in the chronicle, and Riley is not the sort of person who'd rush into joining a cult. Squaring the circle of her gender, his masque, their whole deal as a person has to come first. If they survive the Victorian Era, I can see them living it up in Soho as a drag king and butterfly Bahari, but they're not there yet.

[anthroposeen]

tmagp 19 relisten notes!

tma/tmagp spoilers under the cut as always, and im so sorry i keep posting these late, ive been a very busy bee!

celia:

- she's been collecting evidence about alchemy, with some of the examples including: transference, the spiritual substitution of elements, but an 'incomplete' version (pointed out by sam)

- she almost encourages sam to continue his research into the institute, telling him he was handling it well and teasing him with having information about it. i dont think she means it in any nefarious way, i think its most likely she wants to have another person to confide in and trust her findings to as she goes, and she finds having a second pair of eyes useful for research.

sam:

- he knows about alchemy from researching the institute, as they were very interested in the field. i think its important to note that he specifies he started learning about alchemy during his research, not during his time at the study. this doesnt mean alchemy played no part in the study with children, it could be that sam was too young to understand or they didnt involve the kids directly in that process, but the distinction feels important

- sam reveals he wants to try and let go of the magnus institute research (not followed by a glitch) because alice has been warning him

- sam has realized hes receiving incidents related to his conversations and interests, "are the computers listening to us?" he poses the question to alice, though, knowing shes unlikely to take it seriously or agree. i think he'll likely bring it up to celia next, but i do think its important he continues to involve alice in his questions despite her seeming indifference

alice:

- as usual, she doesnt believe theres anything supernatural about fr3-d1 and thinks the system is too buggy to do anything that advanced

- shes continuously getting jmj errors throughout her interaction with sam, and seems to be the only one experiencing the issue (no one else is complaining about them or getting them on-screen at least). i think its because she refuses to interact with the bait; the one time she received a targeted incident she chose to ignore it, so it seems that jmj have abandoned trying to reason with her

- this conversation with sam drives her to go visit colin at his house, and she still doesnt believe him ("idiots, idiots all the way down") though i do think she'll notice the connections between her conversations with sam and colin

gwen:

- shes very angry at lena for not giving her any protection or back up during assignments, clearly still shaken up by her encounter with bonzo (and that was with someone there as well)

- shes aware that starkwall have offered security to the oiar before, assumedly from her family and their connections since this seemed to be very hush/hush when sam and alice were discussing it

lena:

- she refuses to give gwen any back up because as she sees it, gwen volunteered for the job, blackmailed her, and is a bit entitled to safety she doesnt grant to others (she demands a body guard on assignments but has no problem with endangering celia)

- she rebuffs the starkwall idea, saying they escalate situations (and are likely not trained to delegate with externals, but to enact the protocol upon them when necessary)

- its revealed she used to be in gwen's position, and has completed many assignments alone before (getting a hint at her journey climbing the corporate ladder)

- she tells gwen to resign if she refuses to do her assignments (an offer she made to colin as well. and we see how distance and unemployment are suiting him and teddy respectively)

- she muses that gwen can have her family find her a new, better position if she does quit

COLIN:

- he's correct in assuming alice's phone is listening in, and refuses to let her enter with it on

- it sounds like hes boarded himself into his house (you can practically see the 4 different locks in the door gap) as he speaks to alice, and he sounds weak and ragged

- "you should be worried for yourselves"

- "what i need is to not be seen. he sees too much already" i dont think this is directed at chester/jon or augustus/jonah, rather i think the man whos been managing colin (the one requesting he make an app) is facilitating the surveillance of the office, but i still dont know the level of sentience jmj may have

- "not that anyone cares as long as it balances out", hes put together that the oiar is trying to establish a balance between the forces relating to alchemy, but wont go so far as to stop all suffering by them. he specifically references mercury and sulfur as elements in the equation

incident:

narrated by chester, directed at sam.

- this incident somewhat follows chester's normal themes: mentions of the magnus institute as well as using an incident relating to their recent conversation *(note on this in the extra comments)

- letter to robert boyle, from the bureau of robert hook (speaker), dated 1684 (before the tma!magnus institute was founded)

- the letter calls for help on the matter of isaac newton, who has been working in alchemy and treading upon 'mad scientist' territory, inciting use of "the protocol". its referred to in this way several times, never mentioning magnus in any way, making me suspect that the name could be a monicker claimed by the institute (or tmagp!jonah) as its own interpretation of the protocol. this also goes to show how old the protocol is, drawing into question if it has always remained the same or if it needs to undergo changes

- its revealed that the protocol was enacted over the entirety of london, potentially explaining why the magnus institute is based in manchester instead

- newton is working on the vegetative propagation of metals

- newton kept a mangy dog around the lab, important potentially for a connection to the corruption as we knew it in tma

- within the lab, there was a large, glowing element, the perfected work of wilhelm holmberg, an early chymist (bridge between the disciplines of alchemy and chemistry) who was working on transmutations of metalic elements

- the element was actually a small tree enveloped in a solution unfamiliar to the speaker.

- newton refers to the tree as a living work (a living organism) rather than a mineral

- the tree bore fruit that newton wanted hook to taste -> clear parallels here to the story of adam and eve, the lesson to not eat the forbidden fruit, when newton quotes a latin bible verse directed to adam

- isaac fed the fruit to the dog, which began to transform very similarly to the tree-hybrid man we heard from in episode 3 (flesh falling from the body, as tendrils root into the ground and it sprouts branches) and with an outside perspective, we can see the dog open one eye to look upon hook.

- this also draws another parallel to the bible (though this could be entirely coincidental), but newton feeding the element to his dog makes me think of abraham attempting to sacrifice isaac to god

- hook was horrified by the knowledge and consciousness within the dog's gaze, "it knew me not as a beast knows its master, but as a man knows another" / "it saw me and it knew me"

- newton 'cured' the dog by pouring the glowing solution over the dog, returning it to its normal form

- hook wants to enact the protocol to stop newton from spreading this to a human, fearing what evil a person could accomplish if given omniscience (another theme common to a chester-narration but equally well suited to an augustus one*)

- he specifies that the protocol should be enacted to destroy newton's lab and experiments, but not to harm newton himself, demonstrating that the protocol is a violent method of achieving balance

glitches/lies:

"just curious", said by celia in response to sam asking why shes looking into alchemy

extra comments:

- *i think that there was a scheduling conflict with the voice actors resulting in a switch between augustus and chester's incidents (since they read incidents back to back that seem to match each other's style and it seems odd that augustus would read a modern incident only for the next episode to match his usual flavor. im unsure if thats been confirmed by ajn or any other member of the crew, but if thats not the case it raises some very interesting questions about the nature of what each voice reads (do they have any control over it? is it driven by preference? by code? by the man colin is referencing?)

- any time gwen's family is brought up (usually as a gotcha) she steps down from the confrontation and deflects. i think she may have a rocky relationship with them, explaining why shes desperate to move up in the oiar, why she doesnt want to quit, and why she seems to cling to fragments of her posh life when she can

- this episode confirms the alchemy theory, and we now have a pretty solid base to start researching from. there seems to be a heavy emphasis placed on transformation between elements (with the trinity of alchemy being the mind, body, and soul) and keeping a balance of all the elements. though, sam observed the model/evidence that celia had wasnt complete. i think that the oiar classification book is a list of potential transformations of the trinity, and documents the different elements used to enact the transformation. i dont know much about alchemy, so ill need to do a deeper dive when i get the chance!

- the dog's transformation struck me as a very clear example of what makes a person a person, the question of tmagp (tma asked what made a person a monster). this poses that people have a level of consciousness that allows for evil and good, for complex recognition and knowledge, and potential. this is also playing on questions of free will (hook is concerned about what choices a person would make if given a higher level of sentience by newton's element. in tma, annabelle cain mused that Tolstoy cpuld be correct in his estimation of free will, that if a person was fully omniscient it would be revealed they have no free will, that by knowing every variable a person's actions predictable and set.)

- it was great to hear colin, even if hes clearly losing it in the physical manifestation of a VPN that he calls a house. i dont believe that the old fears still exist, but that seems to be the only explanation for how hes behaving. hes demonstrating every symptom of a victim of the eye, and i cant think of another element or force that could be triggering this exact reaction

[waytooinvested]

Kara suddenly deciding to come out to the world bothered me so much, despite the fact that in many ways it IS a logical conclusion for her. She spends her life wrestling with the conflict of trying to balance these two sides of herself, never being allowed to just be honest about who she is, and also with the fear of what the world at large finding out will do to the people she loves. That is a massive weight on her shoulders, so of course it makes sense that laying that down and moving forwards as her full self could be part of her happy ending.

HOWEVER.

We have seen repeatedly that her fears around coming out are NOT unfounded. We get shown timelines in which she reveals herself and the people she loves pay for it. And that never really gets resolved before they leap straight to 'and now she comes out and it's all good and happy, weeeee!' while we (I) get left with the uncomfortable niggle of 'okay... and then what?'

Not to mention the fact that while she isn't the only one anymore, Supergirl is still THE big hero of National City, and coming out will thrust Kara into a spotlight that I really don't think she's prepared for. As soon as she's out she won't be able to just take off the cape and relax at the end of the day. She'll be a celebrity. A MASSIVE one. Constantly watched, observed, critiqued, plastered all over the tabloids at every turn. Everyone will want a piece of her. That's a lot even for people like Lena who have basically been raised to it, but Kara? Kara has been raised to hide. And I know hiding is not serving her anymore, but that is a HELL of cliff to jump over, and once it's done, there's no going back.

But all of that could have had a softer, more comfortable landing if they had kind of… laid the groundwork a bit more first?

There are inklings of it already in place - growing up for Esme and her peers is going to be a very different experience to the one Kara had with no need for power dampeners. The world is becoming a kinder place to aliens. If they had taken a bit more time to weave in more of that in the run up to the finale (yes I know, they were kind of busy with the totems and the imps and the, ah... giant cats), it might have changed the reception to Kara coming out.

What if other superheroes started popping up all over the city (the country, the world) so that powered people using their skills for good became just... part of the fabric of society? If there were Super training schools where you could go to learn to harness your gifts and join fire fighters or paramedics or search and rescue teams, and work with humans and make their shared home a better, safer place instead of being held apart from them? Where there are Superhero accreditations and ethical codes and a clear directive for how it's dealt with for when a Super goes rogue that minimizes harm to them and others (because that IS a consideration, and needs to be) without the answer being to lock them away without trial in a secret DEO prison forever.

If they wait for (and work for, and BUILD) that world, Supergirl is no longer particularly remarkable. She's (almost) the first, but she's no longer the only. She is much less in demand. No longer held in such awe and/or terror. She'd still be famous sure, but watered way the hell down, as the danger would be too, because it wouldn't just be her and her little ragtag bunch of vigilantes anymore. She'd still have people with a personal grudge against her (or her family) to deal with, but for the most part it would hardly be worth targeting her specifically, because there's this whole collective of Supers now, and taking down Supergirl isn't going to help your nefarious plan that much in the long run.

AND it would mean she might actually have time to make a go of being editor in chief, because the pressure would be off. She can still do her superhero thing, but she doesn't have to answer every call. There is a citywide network to fall back on, and chances are pretty good that if she is in an important meeting (or y'know, an important makeout session with a beautiful dark haired witch/scientist, because yes I WILL make every post about Supercorp. Every post IS about supercorp. There is no version of a happy ending that does not involve these two admitting they are hopelessly in love and flying off into the sunset together), then someone else will be there. She can't always be their saviour. She doesn't have to be. She gets to live her own life now.

[rallamajoop]

Tiny Follow Me Home preview/update

In news unrelated to my ongoing gay vampire relapse, just sent the latest chapter of Follow Me Home off to my beta tonight. Not sure how soon she'll get the chance to look it over for me, but in the meantime, have a quick preview of a little moment with Mia, that I suspect is going to get a bit lost in the full chapter once it goes up.

*

He finds Mia downstairs on the couch with Rose and a story book ‒ the normal kind, filled with kid-friendly colourful pictures. Miranda’s book of extra-grim fairy tales hasn’t been seen since the night she was shot, and he’d call that good riddance if he wasn’t pretty sure it’s around the house somewhere. He’s still not sure what happened to it.

"Hey," Mia greets him. "Sleep okay?" Rose burbles at him and holds out her arms to her papa for good-morning hugs.

Ethan takes her for a cuddle, muscles working mostly on automatic. "Not really. What time is it?"

"After ten," says Mia. "Woulda woke you sooner, but you looked like you needed the rest."

Ethan only wishes it'd done him more good. "Is our guest around?"

Mia tilts her head back towards the stairs. "In his room, I think. He's got my laptop again."

"Right..." Ethan had mostly forgotten Heisenberg ever asked for it. What he’s been up to with Mia’s laptop feels like exactly the kind of problem he’d be worried about on a better day; right now, a little issue like that can take a number.

"If it makes you feel better," offers Mia, reading his expression, "he hasn't been up to anything too nefarious. A lot of wikipedia and some news, mostly. Looked up a few names I didn't recognise. He found our family photos folder too." She smiles as though she thinks that's charming, blissfully ignorant that there might be anything untoward in Heisenberg looking for photos of Ethan specifically – and damnit, Ethan is not ready for this kind of guilt-trip before coffee. He's not nearly awake enough yet to deal with Mia-the-secret-agent either, casually snooping through their guest's internet history like it's no big deal.

At least he did tell her not to trust Heisenberg; she’s not working on zero information.

"Is that all?" he asks, vaguely.

"Pretty much," Mia’s smile turns a little sly, "unless you wanna know what I'm learning about his taste in porn."

"I really don't." Give or take the part of Ethan that kind of does. Oh please let Heisenberg not have been googling 'hot blond twinks' or something. Mia doesn't even seem bothered that he's been using her laptop to look at porn. It's probably a good thing, from her perspective ‒ suggests he's not being too cautious about hiding whatever he's been up to.

Either way, odds are that Mia’s put together that Heisenberg’s into men by now. If Ethan doesn’t tell her something soon, she’s going to figure it out on her own. It’s not like Heisenberg could find ‘subtle’ in a dictionary.

Well, at least if Heisenberg’s on Mia’s laptop, that should keep him out of trouble for a while. Ethan’s in no state to deal with him this morning, and doubly so before coffee.

[aroundmeblackbats]

national poetry month is almost over but I finished my sestina for "etiology"

the protagonist of this novel has lured her ex-partner into helping her fuck up an evil corporation on extremely false pretenses and occasionally remembers to feel bad about it. scruples, as a concept, are pretty new for her.

tagging @ghostydog as is tradition for sestina posts

the man I loved was a good man. I never

would have gotten mixed up in this if

he hadn't come to me, told me what he knew,

what he was planning. they killed him, of course,

before he could get anywhere. they're going to kill

me in the end, but I'm going to spit in their eye

***

first. and here you are, looking at me. love in your eyes

and I'm going to drag you down with me. I never

should have kissed you, but who wants to die alone? will they kill

you for this? I think I can keep you safe, but if

I'm not careful, if I'm clumsy, you're dead. of course

you know this, but love makes people stupid. you know

***

you're putting yourself in real danger, and you know

my heart belongs to a dead man, I only have eyes

for a ghost. armed with all this information, you set course

for disaster. you kissed me back. you touched me, never

mind your wife at home and how she'll feel if

we're not very, very careful, if they kill

***

you along with me. I didn't tell you how they've killed

me already, just on a time delay. you know

I'm a genius, the foremost expert in memory. if

I hadn't built the little chip they slid through my eye

into my neocortex, I wouldn't be dying now. never

regret your own best work, your cutting edge. of course

***

it has life-saving applications-- in trauma care, for one. of course,

it can be used nefariously-- it'll eat holes in my brain until it kills

me. I don't believe in regrets. I should be dead already. they'll never

see me coming. they damn well should have known.

I'm smarter than them. you'd roll your eyes

and call it hubris, but why are you here if

***

you don't think I can finish this? of course,

I did lie to you in several significant ways. you'd kill

me if you knew I wasn't planning to live through this. you'd never

have taken all these risks if you had known

that I'll be gone soon after we black the monster's eye

you're here to save my life, not my love's legacy. if

***

you knew I was beyond saving, you'd shatter. if

I told you the truth, you'd rage and grieve, of course

and then you'd stay, make me comfortable as I was dying, your eyes

full of love, eating holes in you like the nanites in my brain. it'd kill

you to leave. it might kill you to stay. you know

about the risk but not the grief waiting for you. you've never

***

been clear-eyed here. love lies to you as often as I do. if

I hadn't asked for you, if I'd never nudged your course

towards mine... sometimes it kills me that you don't know.

[hestzhyen]

A Dubiously Useful Character Investment Advisory

Hello internet void... I present this "should I invest in [KB character name]" ramble to you because writing a bunch of gibberish is the only way I know how to understand what I'm thinking about and why.

Seriously though. I usually don't get invested in characters outside of the MC and the folks with him at the start and I'm in uncharted territory here. In an attempt to understand my own deranged thoughts, this will be like that "stock report" that floats around on the subreddit (albeit with far less entertainment value). Starting in order of appearance, skipping dead fodder and obvious bit characters. Note: spoilers for Chapter 40 came out while I was writing this but I'm not going to include them. I am pleasantly surprised by a few things I guessed at though.

More under the cut! But maybe spare yourself instead.

Chapter 1 Kunishige: safe (major). He's dead as a door nail and that won't be changing corpse/spirit reanimation via sorcery to make Chihiro suffer not withstanding. Safe if you like dead goofy dads. His presence has been felt quite strongly despite his absence, which makes sense since his murder is why Chihiro is out kagurabachi'ing all over the place. Every flashback to him is another gut-punch contrast between Chihiro's happier days and his current self, used mostly to help us understand Chihiro's current mindset (and get us emotional because of course). He will keep showing up so we can learn more Chihiro's past self compared to his present, and later on, he'll be a key figure in whatever arc gets into the history of the Seitei war. I'm not ready for whatever Hokazono-sensei has planned but I await it with baited breath.

Chihiro: safe (major). Duh. He has suffered, is suffering, and will continue to suffer, since the story is all about him. Shiba: safe (major). Introduced in Ch. 1 first as an old friend of Kunishige's, then more formally in Ch. 2 as Chihiro's guardian, main support system, and a suspiciously strong fighter. He's our first foil for Chihiro and provides some much-needed levity early on. Shiba's also our main insight into the wider world so far and has connections to the Kamunabi that will keep paying dividends based on how the story's been going. Also Chihiro's strongest (living) connection to his dad and the person who understands him best. There's a lot more to discover about him too (his sorcery power and his past; especially his connection to Azami, Kunishige, and the Seitei war). Only risk is him dying to motivate/further traumatize Chihiro at some point once his plot-relevant PoV is no longer needed. But that's probably a long way off if it even happens at all.

Hishaku sorcerer: risky (minor). The first Hishaku guy we meet is still unnamed and has not been seen since he appeared in a foreboding panel hinting at some nefarious behind-the-scenes plotting. He'll probably come back up as an antagonist in a future arc but he's got henchman vibes since we've met the leader and it's not him. He's the only murderer whose face we've seen so far too.

Chapter 3

Hinao: safe (minor). Our informant and coordinator! The convenient logistical miracle lady! She might be in mortal peril from time to time due to her association with Chihiro and Shiba (RIP Cafe Haru Haru) but she'll stick around to provide exposition and babysit Char and such.

Char: safe (minor). Ultimate woobie and the convenient method for Chihiro et. al. to cheat death when they're inevitably on the run. Her arc was a great way for us to see Chihiro's deeply empathetic and protective nature, and she herself deserves ALL OF IT. She's also our introduction into the underworld that features very prominently going forward, as well as a primer on sorcery and how the enchanted blades (especially Enten) work. Outside of in-universe utility, Char exists to be a permanent way to to soften some of Chihiro's hard edges, and a narrative device to have things explained to the audience (kids are GREAT for that). She's likely to be a background character like Hinao now that her arc is done but we've checked in on her as recently as Ch. 39 so she's not going away for good. Just staying out of the action, very reasonably. She will probably be used as someone for Chihiro to protect and nurture when she's not being cute comedic relief/emergency healing.

Chapter 5

Sojo: inadvisable (minor). The first named villain; the guy who clashed with Chihiro to show us what the rest of the world thinks of his father's work. Gave us a really good idea of what Chihiro was up against not just in the action sense but also in terms of mindset, at least when it comes to the goons that are after the enchanted blades. He died via the same type of explosion that killed Tenri and a report stated his body was accounted for, not to mention the Big Bad separately confirmed he's dead on top of that, but don't let that stop you from believing he can come back. (Basically, bank on the fact that Sojo's past was teased but never elaborated on.)

Chapter 7

Oni mask sorcerer: inadvisable (minor). Made it to the top 10 in the fan popularity poll despite being absolute fodder. At least he lived so he could show up again in the Rakuzaichi arc, for some reason. A hidden villain? I do love it when authors have a unique but seemingly unimportant background character show up a few times until they're revealed to be connected to the plot somehow. That said, probably don't invest.

Azami: safe (minor): Shows up to help Chihiro out of a pinch and to demonstrate the caliber of sorcerer that the government has on hand. He's mostly just delivered exposition and info leaks so far but he'll absolutely be a key player. Not only is he another old friend of Kunishige and Shiba's, he's how we learn about the Kamunabi. There's a ton more to unpack with him in a later arc; he's likely going to be our window into how the Kamunabi, Japanese government, and Seitei war intersected with the Rokuhira's lives (in tandem with Shiba). He's safe for now but once he's done his narrative purpose he could easily die for any number of reasons. Especially if that theory of him being the traitor is true. He's set up for a collision with Chihiro's group just by having allegiance to the Kamunabi in the first place so I'm very excited to see where that goes.

Chapter 10

Ikuto: risky (minor). He's probably going to come back when the story focuses on the Kamunabi, but it's hard to say if he'll have a prominent role or not, much less if he'll be an enemy or an ally with both of his legs missing. He'll probably live but by virtue of being sidelined by his injuries.

Kazane: safe (minor). HEAR ME OUT- Kazane is primed to be another antagonist and foil to Chihiro. He's experienced similar trauma, but he's probably going to have a very different takeaway from it compared to Chihiro if his most recent appearance is any indication. When the Kamunabi get focus he'll probably be core part of the arc and face off against our protagonist to have another clash of ideals.

This wasn't said for nothing, after all. Can't wait to see what comes of it.

Chapter 18

Kamunabi HQ roundtable guys: risky (minor). We don't know their names yet and given KB's penchant for murderizing people with unique designs, it's not advisable to invest too much right now. Wait for a proper Kamunabi arc to see who's worth it. That said, the leader guy (long hair and beard) has shown up twice now so he might be better off than the rest.

Hiyuki: safe (major). She's gonna be the main rival through the series, I can feel it. Similar morality to Chihiro but on a different team to ensure they won't always see eye to eye, and a completely different personality to ensure that even if they do they will still clash in some way. She'll definitely have personal beef with him after the Rakuzaichi arc too. So far she's mostly been a vague threat that could be convinced to ally with Chihiro against orders, so it will be heckin' awesome to see what she does next. MORE HIYUKI PLEASE. I need this violent chaos goblin in my life. She will probably be the character that influences and pushes Chihiro the most through the story, which could make her a compelling love interest if Hokazono-sensei is interested in writing a romantic subplot. I prefer my shounen to be as light on romance as possible but I guess I won't hate it if he gives Hiyuki and Chihiro's relationship the same level of development that rivalxprotagonists usually get. Still want her to be the romantically unattached destruction demon of my dreams first and foremost though.

Chapter 19

Hakuri: safe (minor). OK. Looking at Hakuri compared to the other characters so far, he's most like Char. He gets an arc exploring his circumstances, is saved by Chihiro before paying it back in turn, and is given ties to by the narrative to stick around. (Char: orphan kid with nowhere to go and has a useful ability. Hakuri: disowned guy who can easily choose to stay with Chihiro and has a useful ability.) Labeling as safe but investment levels should be cautious until we know which path he chooses: reforming his family, or helping Chihiro full-time. So far he was Team Goldfish's "in" to the Sazanamis and the auction, fortified Chihiro's resolve multiple times, and proved Chihiro's outlook on fatherhood is the correct one to have. We also learned a bit more about the workings of spirit energy through him, which can be used again if he sticks around and trains his storehouse abilities. After all, after this he'll definitely be the storehouse for the enchanted blades. I rambled at length (>5.5k words worth combined please help I have a problem) about the importance of his emotional support so that's also an option for him. Isou might make him the Cafe Defender instead of a front line fighter, now that I think about it... as cool as it would be to see Chihiro working in "perfect harmony" with a battle partner he could easily stay a mostly solo fighter. Will be interesting to see! In essence, no more doomer for Hakuri. Even if he's not as prominent as I want him to be, he'll be sticking around. The Rakuzaichi was more his arc than Chihiro's in some ways, so I really can't complain about this feast anyway. How many hours of angst putting together this post alone just to conclude the obvious...? Don't worry about it! Don't even think about it! Don't! Fucking! AAAAAH Chapter 20

Tafuku: safe (minor). Hiyuki's main foil at the moment, the Blue Oni to her Red Oni. Her co-worker that grounds her before she ravages everything with Flame Bone and picks her up once she's exhausted herself. Will continue to show up as long as she does. (Hakuri and Chihiro would make a great Red Oni/Blue Oni pair, just sayin'...) Actually, speaking of Oni duos:

Look at this composition! Copium reactivated LET'S GOOOOOOOOO

Chapter 21

Kyoura: inadvisable (minor). He dead af bro, said it himself. But boy howdy did he have an amazing run as an arc villain. Forced Chihiro to take a look at how other prestigious, talented families do things and appreciate the gift of love his father gave him. I also rambled about him at length elsewhere but suffice to say, he's dying as punishment for being the world's worst dad. MFer chose to perpetuate a cycle of abuse instead of breaking it. Yeah, he's a victim too, but he's gotta lose his head as penance for the atrocities he's committed.

Shinuchi's wielder: risky (minor). No name, just a few shots of him sitting in some kind of temple/prison while the Shinuchi is being auctioned off. I assume we'll see more of him soon but can't say in what context or for what purpose yet. Doesn't seem like it will be a positive encounter given how he's portrayed.

Chapter 23

Tenri: inadvisable (minor). Total goner, RIP. Existed to show the ruthlessness of the Sazanami's ideals and the cruelty that their clan has perpetuated on their own flesh and blood for centuries. Also, in my mind, a very clear Bad End preview for Chihiro if he doesn't keep his dad's words in mind:

This came up in Char's arc but I'm not sure we're done with Chihiro's steadfast determination to rampage in his father's memory. He's kept his father's words close to his heart but I feel like Tenri is a warning for him to be ready to change his priorities... or else. Oh and Tenri also helps reinforce the lethality of the datenseki shards too (STAY DEAD SOJO I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU COME BACK-)

Souya: risky (minor). Won't call him a jobber but he definitely existed to make us feel bad for Hakuri first and foremost. Yeah, yeah, he was a symbol of the pain and internalized feelings of worthlessness Hakuri had to overcome in order to realize his latent potential too. Mission accomplished, enjoy getting dominated by Shiba in your crackship. He may or may not be dead after getting his comeuppance; if he lives, I bet we're not done with Hakuri's past quite yet (and the Sazanamis in general since he was going to be the heir). If he's dead, then Hakuri has nothing left to fear within or without himself. And listen, if you can make someone try to jump to their death on reflex as soon as they see you...

... it's OK if you come back to get beaten down even harder the next time. I'll allow it. Especially if it's in the context of revisiting Hakuri and Chihiro's trauma to show how much they've helped each other. Also, it's not lost on my terminally rotten brain that Soya switches from blaming the Ice Lady and Hinao for "tempting Hakuri away" to Chihiro.

(I know he's yelling about Chihiro using and abandoning him here, but I still find it funny.)

Speaking of... Ice Lady: inadvisable (minor). 100% dead for maximum emotional damage to Hakuri. She awakened him to the prison he was living in so that Chihiro could "light his helpless existence on fire" a short time later (oh my GOD Hakuri please).

Chapter 27

Mr. Inazuma (Yuu): inadvisable (minor). Kid's there to tie us to his sister, thus giving some extra stakes to the storehouse fight. Chihiro can't unleash wanton destruction in there and the entire situation can't be resolved until they're reunited. And I guess he's a cute little contrast: kid playing at being a hero vs. Chihiro being That Guy. He could conceivably show up now and again as a playmate for Char but I doubt it.

Chapter 30

Hishaku leader: safe (major). In all ways the major villain until he's defeated or we learn otherwise. He's the guy who's goading Chihiro along for his own reasons. Had his goons kill his dad and steal the swords. Clearly working some kind of machinations behind the scenes that we've only seen a few glimpses of so far. John Hishaku, big bad and mystery man (for now). OK maybe I'm underselling him a little bit because this guy is the one who ripped Chihiro's stoic determinator mask off without breaking a sweat. Other villains had him think and reconsider his priorities and some of his ethos, but Hishaku Leader Guy showed us Chihiro's raw desperation. If there was any doubt left that Chihiro's some emotionless killbot, he erased it completely. Dump everything you have into this guy and wait to reap the profits.

And those are the reasonably noteworthy characters. Why did I write all this? What the FUCK is wrong with me? Well I got to re-read the series for the third time so that's fine. I notice something new each time I do it... Like how cute and boyish Hakuri's posture is compared to Chihiro's more reserved and upright one. So many little details... bless you if you read this.

[seriouslysam8]

Say Lucius slips Maia the diary when she's fairly young. She mistakes it for a sketchbook and when it starts writing back to her she thinks she has super powers in her drawing skills. The diary tells her to keep it a secret or she'll lose her powers. The diary manipulates her into thinking Walburga is a wonderful grandmother and she tells Sirius Tom Riddle is her grandpa and to refer to her as Maia Riddle (this is how he finds out about his biological father), and she needs to help her Aunt Bellatrix. Tom tells her about the chamber and shes drawn to it and trying to summon the basilisk through the pipes at home (the pipes at hogwarts have to lead to scotland and eventually england, right?). How long do you think it would take Sirius to catch on? Do you think Harry would notice first?

That’s a very intriguing concept. Especially with Walburga trying to manipulate her way back into Sirius’ life for… nefarious reasons?

I definitely think Harry would notice first. Or I think Maia would come out and tell him about it. I think Harry would go to Sirius immediately.

But, I dunno. I’d have to think more on it. Very interesting indeed.

[professorspork]

fanfic director’s commentary ask: forever my favorite. so I can be for you what you want to see.

Fighting with Nora is easy.

(��er. Alongside. Fighting alongside Nora is easy. Emerald’s done fighting with these people. Very done.)

It’s weird, because Emerald’s finding working with a full team to be a real adjustment. When battles get big enough to merit it, she’s used to keeping to the sidelines to use her Semblance for nefarious purposes, or, in a jam, used to having Mercury’s six—literally, because all the forward momentum from his feet-first style always left his back wide open. Figuring out where to put herself so that Oscar can use her shoulder as a fulcrum as he dodges, or trying to aim for the Grimm Ren isn’t already shooting (ugh)—it’s taking work.

But somehow, it’s not work for Nora. Nora seems to anticipate with perfect ease how Emerald will move or what she’ll be doing; Nora bobs and weaves around their ragtag little band with her war hammer like it’s breathing.

It doesn’t bother Emerald until it does, and she means to bring it up casually but there’s never a good time. So it just… stews, and stews, until she can’t keep it bottled up anymore.

well first of all writing Emerald POV is always a joy so jot that down. the ways that she'll just... contradict or judge herself for her own thoughts, because she doesn't have the filter to keep them from coming out in the first place but doesn't have the grace or self-possession to move on from them when she misspeaks is one I find massively entertaining, and enjoy deploying in narrative instead of just dialogue to give the whole thing a more Emerald flavor.

as far as this particular moment goes, something that RWBY has always done well is show characterization through combat. that's something I rarely cover in my fics because it's not really my wheelhouse, but I wanted to try and take a stab at it here because I was doing something canon-compliant.

so like. the meat of this story is about how Emerald and Nora are both very codependent people, who came at it from different directions and are trying to grow past it in different ways. I needed an entry-point that would eventually get them talking about this, and how they'd fight Grimm together seemed the most useful way. because we know nothing about how Vacuo's going to go down, it made sense to me to assume the most interaction our survivors would have would be protecting other people on patrols. Emerald isn't a social butterfly; she'll need to be forced into Nora's company, and this was the most reasonable excuse.

and of course Emerald would be hyper-aware of everyone else, because she's still not sure of her role in the group or if she'll be accepted. even if she weren't nervous about that stuff, Emerald is now without Cinder, her lodestar, and Mercury, her constant companion... so how does she function? all of her habits and assumptions have been turned on their head, and it makes her feel clumsy and lonely and awful.

and then she looks over at Nora, who's lost Jaune and all of RWBY and always seemed like kind of a pushover mess who was all about her friends, and she's like... fine? or at least to Emerald it seems that way? and of course Em would obsess over that.

but meanwhile on Nora's end, she's just doing the same thing she's always done: coping and making the best of it, because she doesn't have time to break down or do something else.

[americanghoststories]

content warning: abuse, murder most foul

Our story tonight takes place on Maryland's Eastern Shore during The War (remember, this is the South, there's only one war that's The War). Our villain tonight made his fortune pursuing the fine and noble tradition of smuggling, and with that he'd acquired all the trappings fitting a person of his means at the time, to include a fine plantation and many, many people that he owned. More on that in a bit.

Now legend doesn't tell us how our smuggler came into possession of a small part of the Confederate treasury, but he did. Legend does tell us that many plantation owners in the area had been given some of it for safekeeping, so I suppose we can assume there was nothing nefarious about his getting some. That he had absolutely zero intention of giving any of it back is another story...

Word went out that the Union army was moving through the area, confiscating Confederate treasure and arresting all those found harboring it. Now, spending time in prison was not going to work at all for our smuggler, so he hatched a plan to hide the loot and get away scot-free. And he knew just the person to "ask" to help him with this - Lizz.

Lizz was one of the women our smuggler had enslaved. She was a bit larger and more powerfully built than the other women on the plantation, so had become more commonly known to our smuggler as Big Lizz (he wasn't terribly creative with names). With her strength, she'd be the ideal person to help hide the treasure.

As it turns out, Big Lizz also knew that the Confederate treasure was with her master. And she made sure that the Union know about it...indeed, she's the reason the army was coming to the plantation in the first place.

So Big Lizz and the smuggler went out that fateful day, venturing deep into the Greenbrier Swamp. He ordered her to bury the treasure in a certain spot, which she did. Then he noticed, oh wait, that spot over there is better...so had her dig it back up, and bury it again in the new hiding place. Oh, but wait, what about over there? All day long, over and over again, Big Lizz would bury the treasure, only to exhume it and rebury it somewhere else. It's almost like the smuggler was torturing her this way because he'd found out that she was a Union spy. Oh wait, he did, and it was.

Finally, satisfied with the last hiding spot, he ordered Big Lizz to dig up a sapling nearby, and replant it on top of the treasure so he'd be able to find it again. Which of course she did. As she finished planting the tree, our smuggler stepped up behind her, drew his sword, and with one terrible stroke, cut Big Lizz's head clean off. (Rude!) He stood by, unfeeling, watching the swamp claim Lizz's remains.

Legend doesn't tell us the smuggler's fate, but it does tell us he never reclaimed the treasure. It's still there, in the Greenbrier swamp. Whenever you have lost treasure, people will try to find it. And on this quest, they have...help.

The DeCoursey Bridge now spans this part of the swamp. It is said that if you drive to the middle of this bridge at midnight, honk your horn 3 times, flash your lights twice, and turn off your car, Big Lizz will come. She rises from the swamp, holding her severed head in her hand, her eyes glowing red. She'll point into the swamp, as if showing you where the treasure is hidden, then beckon you to follow her.

Many fools have. And have never been heard from again.

[wastemanjohn]

happy dff!!! i’ve been meaning to ask this question for a few weeks but i always lose track of the days :/

anyway the question is: do you think john would have a madonna whore complex about deanna? or hell even dean? 👀

Haiii happy DFF and sorry it's taken me so long to respond to this! And oh my gosh this question is gorgeous.

I don't know if what I feel about johndeanna quite falls into the madonna/whore complex box, although maybe it's adjacent. In my iterations of johndeanna, I tend to lean in towards John being pretty gross about her. Kinda controlling. That 8 Simple Rules, creepy, overly possessive father of a teenage girl. Every man, at least every man that's not John, naturally has nefarious intentions towards Deanna. John will break noses and quite possibly legs. Get your fuckin' eyes off my daughter. Deanna, boys your age are all the same; no, I can't let you go out with that guy, even if you're home by 10. Sorry, sweetheart, but you know as well as I do that it's not safe out there.

I see John wanting to keep Deanna pretty sheltered from that side of things. He's got no problem teaching her how to behead a ghoul, but god forbid she should so much as kiss a boy. John wants to protect her from all that; keep her his sweet and innocent daughter, because he loves her that way, and god knows she's not innocent about much else. What father wouldn't want to protect his little girl, huh? Especially a single father who lost said little girl's mother so horrifically.

But... Christ, John can see why Deanna has so many boys chasing after her. Her mother did too; and from the back, out of the corner of his eye, sometimes she just... and John's been the best father, the best protector, that he possibly can. He's always done what he's needed to do to make sure some zitty horndog doesn't sully her with his dirty hands. But - John's hands aren't dirty. And he may be a good father; but he's not a saint. His girl is more beautiful every day. And if Deanna wants to get up close and personal with the birds and bees so badly - well, John can show her some things. She's safer with John; her body is safer with John. And if he can sate that curiosity of hers, make her feel good... maybe she'll stop trying to stray from him. He's already lost one of his girls. He can't lose another.

Dean, though? No madonna here... that boy's down to fuck pretty much whenever. Happy days for John.