#*obviously* vampires are outside the realm of possibility

[itsclydebitches]

I've been thinking about Astarion's lack of reflection combined with the, "Lol how can this idiot think he's hiding his vampire status his bite marks are RIGHT THERE" reaction from the fandom. Crazy thought but what if Astarion just... doesn't know? It's not like he can see the marks for himself. Would anyone ever mention that to him? Does every vampire scar so deeply? (I personally didn't catch any on his siblings.) Can he feel them? I have scars that look very raised but don't feel significantly different from the surrounding skin. Or at least, I may not have realized what I was feeling was a scar without having seen it first.

Really, I think it's difficult for those of us with sight to conceptualize just how much we take our appearance for granted—how often we see it throughout the day and how much subconscious info we glean from it. Does Astarion know how high a collar needs to be to hide potential scars? How wide he can open his mouth before his fangs show? That the white of his hair looks significantly different from someone who has aged? Sure, he'll pick up on some things from being around his siblings (oh look, everyone has glowy eyes. I must have those too) but even among the spawn there's a lot of diversity. It's not like seeing them truly gives Astarion a sense of what he looks like. Now, toss in the fact that he was enslaved within a community that likely wasn't offering up a lot of insight purely out of the goodness of their hearts (here, let me sketch you) and the fact that Astarion's job was seduction (obviously I still look 'normal' enough that people will trust/sleep with me) and I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that he doesn't quite Get™ how vamapire-y he looks.

[messenger-of-stupidity]

As a bisexual with a raging hand fetish, when men, women, and everyone in between or outside of wear rings, it is something glorious.

But as much as I would adore every character wearing rings, I just don't personally believe they all do. Could they all pull it off? Abso-fucking-lutely.

But here's my opinions that no one asked for but people are getting regardless. Starting off strong with the Shaw Pack. (I'll do the listeners in part two)

David - I'm sorry but the only ring he wears and is going to wear is his engagement/wedding ring. No matter how much Angel wishes he would wear others.

Asher: no rings, but his nails are always manicured. He loves getting designs done. (Besides wedding ring ofc)

Milo - thumb rings. That's all I have to say. He wears a promise ring on his thumb since he doesn't want people to think he's married since he and Sweetheart agreed that marriage wasn't for them.

Christian - he likes wearing rings on his middle fingers and pinkies.

Arden - nah.

Amanda - she gives off bracelet vibes.

DAMN SQUAD (+ Cam) -

Gavin - he's got the rings that have chains to connect it to the bracelet. He knows he has nice hands and likes to accentuate it in whatever ways possible.

Lasko - he had a fidget ring on his thumb of his non dominant hand so whenever he is talking someone he can spin that bitch like a record player

Damien - I wanna say yes, but he wouldn't. The metal would take longer to cool off and it would just be a pain. He doesn't know when he's going to have high emotions that raise his temp.

Huxley - no. The rings would get dirty if he was digging in the dirt and he doesn't want to dirty them because that "like, not very cool to do ya know dude?"

Caelum - Freelancer once tied a piece of string around his finger and he shows it off everywhere he goes because it's his favorite piece of jewelry.

Cam - yes. He wears fidget rings but they only exist to gift to his more anxious charges so he can help them. It's easier to keep them on hand for when needed. (Haha get it?)

Sovereign-related storylines (+ Hush) -

Elliot - yes. I can't really explain why but he gives like twisted metal delicate ring vibes. He definitely has pinkie rings, if not others.

Blake - as much as I want to say yes because I adore him... No. he doesn't. 😭 He feels it would get in the way of him tracing the designs on his listeners skin. Plus if he's touching them, he doesn't want anything between him and them, rings included.

Avior - Yes. Very much yes. Yes bark bark grrr woof bark awoo

Vega - considering he doesn't really care for human materialism, I don't see him wearing rings. Unfortunately. Fingers crossed that Warden convinces him to.

Brachium - yet another I wish was true but he hasn't ever been to the mortal realm in person so he's never had the opportunity to try rings. I think he would look nice in them though. 👉👈

Hush - he seems to be having an interest in humanity, so I can see him exploring it. He figured out rope knots so he obviously been researching. So yeah, I could see him playing with rings.

Unempowered (+ Morgan for organization) -

Aaron - No he doesn't. I can't explain why but he doesn't give me that vibe.

Ollie - yes. But for one reason. Erik said Ollie is most like himself and Erik wears rings. (Does that make me simp for his hands? Perhaps. but that doesn't matter nor is it something I will ever put where he will see it.)

Guy - I'm going to say yes. He consistently takes them off and tries to use them as currency to Honey so he can have the hoodie. He takes them off before going to work since he works with his hands (ehhhn)

Ivan - sometimes. It's not a habitual wearing, but rather needs a reason.

Geordi - he used to. Then they felt like they weighed his hands down too much. He talks with his hands a lot, he's very expressive.

Morgan - No. Another that doesn't give me that vibe.

Vampires -

Vincent - Yes. He was the reason I made this post because I wanted to talk about how fucking amazing he would look in rings. 🤤🤤🤤

Sam - He doesn't seem much of a ring person for some reason. He would look good in one, especially when driving.

William - Yes. He likes to buy one at each turn of a half century. He has favorite ones he wears all the time. They have big jewels and are older than most vampires in his clan.

Adam - he only lost his head, not his hands. He was wearing spooooky rings when he died. (Plus he liked the way Lovely shuddered ever so slightly when the cold metal of his rings dug into their skin just before he bit them. ... God I'm a simp)

Quinn - yes. Just... Yes. He also had those full finger rings. The ones that have claw at the end, you know what I mean. He wears those to draw blood from his victims needlessly. It only serves to bring them pain. (I'm going to hell for this thirst)

Alexis - yes. It makes her feel superior to have pretty things.

Edit:

James - he only really wants to wear his wedding ring. He only wears other rings to make people believe all his rings are decoration and people don't go looking for his partner.

Marcus - no. I don't know why but no

Anton - also no. He could look nice in them though I think.

Brian - his wedding ring. That's it.

Xavier - before he died, he wore rings when he wasn't playing. He didn't mind the cold material.

[antique-symbolism]

blorbo blursday! have you ever thought about a miniature roses modern au, and what might be different for minnie and ruzena if their story took place in good ol 2023?

Yes, I've thought about this a lot! Miniature Roses was conceptualized as a historical fantasy for a very particular reason. I needed long-term blood storage in large amounts to be just outside the realm of technological possibility in order to present Minnie and Ruzena with the challenges they need to drive the plot. So the story would actually look so much different!

However, I love to think about what the two of them would think of the modern world (and, thanks to vampiric immortality, this could even be canon if Minnie ever joined Ruzena as a vampire). Here's some thoughts:

Ruzena would love to see another hundred years of fashion history evolve. I think she'd be fascinated especially by any subculture inspired by historical wear (Japanese lolita fashion, for example). I think she'd love to sew for historical reenactment, and her work would obviously be unparalleled in accuracy. She would be very hardcore about it and actually revert to old methods of construction.

Even I cannot fathom the depths of Minnie's excitement to see a hundred years of science history unfold. Imagine her seeing the polio vaccine, the development of quantum physics, the moon landing (she and Ruzena both would watch that with bated breath), the sequencing of the human genome, better and better imaging techniques for unlocking the mysteries of the human body, and so much more. Minnie would absolutely still be working in the sciences, but what field she ends up in could be anyone's guess!

[uroborosymphony]

For the infamous Queen of the Night, Daughter of Hecate, Sovereign of the Ghouls, and Witch Killer to end in prison - How Ironic. The day of Calixtus Orion's arrestation made history in the world of the Night. Celebrations accross the material and immortal realms thrown, towns covens and villages brought back to life - while her Council, her Armies of vampires and other servitors have, just like her, been arrested, locked, damned. It took weeks for the Mothers of all Covens, the King of Hell and the Immortal Knights of the Moonlake Order to decide which establishment Calista should been locked in awaiting for her trial. An establishment where even the gods powers were magically cut, ineffective. "A mistake. Magically restrained is not enough for a criminal like of her calibre. We will all regret it, sooner or later." Spoke Mother Yokhulan, the Grand Priestess of Yatsugatake - yet a line the Moonlake Order's first knight decided to contest and still agree Calista should reside here, in this retreat for the time being. Wasn't the Mother Witch always right with her foreseeing? Perhaps they all should have listened to her. Her first days at the facility passed, slow, empty as Calista's head does nothing but spiraling into despair. Her war made history and became one of the biggest and most admired croisade one has lead in the eyes of her fanatics and followers who were still waiting for her on her outside., Yet in her eyes? An humiliation to have been stopped before reaching her goal : to find the power that could end her immortality and terminate herself. In the facility obviously the word spread that the war criminal would sit among the other minor deities being punished, just as well. Funny she thought, for them to be Oh so scandalised and fearful of her when truly, their powers are quite frankly on the same level. Calista is no Goddess but a Daimoness only, her real weapon is her intellect. If her reputation built from her manic laughters echoing from the hills of her battles, it is her mind one should be careful about. It's only a matter of time before she cracks the code of her way out, her escape, the only thought keeping the Lamia's head alive. As usual in the afternoons, she is sitting away from her group as they stand meters away in the grass. She is thinking. Watching. Observing. From an outside point of view there is nothing more sinister than the pale skinned blood manipulating creature, with her white immaculate hair and perfectly straight spine, staring in nothingness for hours without a bink, the palms of her hands on her knees. Every single peace of her brain is constantly running, going through all the possible scenarios until finding the perfect one to escape, her thin and sharp nails still, even though they haven't lacerated a neck in a very long time - she misses that. A presence is felt by her side, on that bench in the outside gardens, one that seems to take place right besides her. Perhaps the only other soul who ever addressed a word to Calista since her arrival : Love. The lamia clearly isn't the most social creature yet she appreciates the other's company, finding her smarter and more interesting than the rest of the convincted ones here. They have lunch together sometimes. Not that Calista can absorb anything besides blood and flesh, she simply watches Love eat in silence. Came conversations later down the road, of their tales, interesting ones. Their mutual wish to get out of here has been shared too, perhaps the birth of an alliance. "Have you been assigned to the displeasure of being my partner for the next grass sitting and emotional sing along? I should have tried killing myself a little harder." It is the Lamia's very own way of debasing and mocking the activities offered by the place. To "rehabilate" them, oh what a joke. As if exploring her inner bucolic self would stop her from remaining a mass murderer once out. "I must warn you though." Calista speaks, her head mechanically orientating to the side to catch the other's eyes, a cynical pinch to her lips. "I do not hold hands."

            for @dollypardonne

[ravensrevcnge]

FULL NAME: Kodi Oliveira SPECIES: Human (ex-hunter (?)) AGE: 26 DATE OF BIRTH: October 7th GENDER IDENTITY: Demigirl (she/they) NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown OCCUPATION: Radio DJ, true crime/horror podcast host WORKPLACE: Coast2Coast Radio POSITIVE TRAITS: independent, hardworking, resilient NEGATIVE TRAITS: suspicious, cantankerous, fickle LENGTH OF TIME IN RAVEN’S PEAK: 1 month FACE CLAIM: Kiana Madeira

BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGER WARNING: murder, death, injury

Kodi learned from childhood about all the things that went bump in the night. While her classmates were screaming over the villains of Scooby Doo, Kodi was memorizing all the ways to protect herself from the real villains of the world. By middle school she was joining her older brothers and parents on hunts, mostly protected by their larger forms keeping her behind them at all times, but still there all the same. Kodi saw the vampires when their fangs descended and eyes turned red, thinking they'd get to feed tonight. They witnessed the turn of the werewolves who were claiming the lives of others in the nearby woods every full moon. And she learned and helped to dispatch them time and time again.

Constantly moving from place to place as a child, Kodi never really knew what it was like to have real relationships or anything lasting. The only constant was their brothers, whom they followed around like a shadow, mimicking everything they did. She could play any sport with the best of them and wasn't afraid to get their hands dirty or skin their knees. For a while they moved up and down the California coast in search of various supernatural creatures, and while the family went on hunts, Kodi spent most of the time on the beach, learning to surf and bathing in the sun.

Hunting was in their blood, of course, and as she grew older she dedicated more and more time researching and hunting down the murderous supernatural creatures that plagued their world. When one of their brothers ended up with a serious injury that left them hospitalized for weeks, Kodi personally made it their mission to hunt down the creature responsible and make them pay. It gave them a purpose, hunting the evil in the world and taking it out one by one. But there was so much more that Kodi wanted from life, too. They loved playing sports on sunny afternoons, or watching horror movies, or dancing wildly to music all day long. It was hard to find a balance when there was always another lead on a creature that needed to be put down.

But what if they weren't all bad?

It had been a question in the back of Kodi's head time and again. Of course, most of them were bad - Kodi's family discovered them because of the trail of bodies they left behind. But there had been more than one occasion that monster had begged for it's life, had claimed it was a mistake, or that they hadn't done anything wrong. Obviously words could always be twisted. People would do or say whatever was necessary to stay alive.

Then...they met her.

Kodi was in town investigating some strange happenings when they stumbled upon Camila and hit it off. They spent some time together, and Kodi ended up crashing at Camila's place, watching movies, eating junk food, and generally enjoying one another's company. It was the first night in many that Kodi actually felt like a normal person and was enjoying herself. But when Camila's parents came home, chaos resulted. In the end it was revealed that the family were witches, and the bodies of both parents ended up dead on the floor.

Without knowing what else to do Kodi took it upon themselves to clean up the scene, using their hunting training to make it look as if the family had decided to simply pick up and leave in a hurry. It wasn't that far outside the realm of possibility; it wasn't as if they spewed neighborly love and positivity. It was like any other hunt - but there was a loose end that Kodi knew the rest of the family would never approve of. Leaving Camila alive would be seen as a mistake, and the Oliveiras did not make mistakes. But Camila hadn't done anything wrong. She was just put into a position she had no control over.

So in the end, they ran away together. They traveled a while, trying to figure out their next steps. When they arrived in Raven's Peak, it seemed as good a place as any to settle down and figure things out. She found a job at the local radio station and, from there, started thinking about possibly putting a podcast out there talking about all things crime, paranormal, or generally spooky. Perhaps a little ironic coming from such a town, but that wasn't important. She even decided to jump on an audition and put her guitar skills to the test with a band.

While Kodi is still a bit antsy when it comes to being surrounded by the supernatural, they're working on reversing some of the lessons learned in childhood. They're not all bad. And here? That especially seemed true. Or at least, they could only hope so.

[ravenspeakrp]

Welcome to Raven’s Peak, Erin, we’re excited to have you! Kodi Oliveira (Hunter, Kiana Madeira) has been accepted. Please be sure to stop by the CHECKLIST for the follow list, tags to track, and other reminders.

IN CHARACTER 

FULL NAME: Kodi Oliveira SPECIES: Human (ex-hunter (?)) AGE: 26 DATE OF BIRTH: October 7th GENDER IDENTITY: Demigirl (she/they) NEIGHBORHOOD: Downtown OCCUPATION: Radio DJ, true crime/horror podcast host WORKPLACE: Coast2Coast Radio POSITIVE TRAITS: independent, hardworking, resilient NEGATIVE TRAITS: suspicious, cantankerous, fickle LENGTH OF TIME IN RAVEN’S PEAK: 1 month FACE CLAIM: Kiana Madeira

BIOGRAPHY

TRIGGER WARNING: murder, death, injury

Kodi learned from childhood about all the things that went bump in the night. While her classmates were screaming over the villains of Scooby Doo, Kodi was memorizing all the ways to protect herself from the real villains of the world. By middle school she was joining her older brothers and parents on hunts, mostly protected by their larger forms keeping her behind them at all times, but still there all the same. Kodi saw the vampires when their fangs descended and eyes turned red, thinking they'd get to feed tonight. They witnessed the turn of the werewolves who were claiming the lives of others in the nearby woods every full moon. And she learned and helped to dispatch them time and time again.

Constantly moving from place to place as a child, Kodi never really knew what it was like to have real relationships or anything lasting. The only constant was their brothers, whom they followed around like a shadow, mimicking everything they did. She could play any sport with the best of them and wasn't afraid to get their hands dirty or skin their knees. For a while they moved up and down the California coast in search of various supernatural creatures, and while the family went on hunts, Kodi spent most of the time on the beach, learning to surf and bathing in the sun.

Hunting was in their blood, of course, and as she grew older she dedicated more and more time researching and hunting down the murderous supernatural creatures that plagued their world. When one of their brothers ended up with a serious injury that left them hospitalized for weeks, Kodi personally made it their mission to hunt down the creature responsible and make them pay. It gave them a purpose, hunting the evil in the world and taking it out one by one. But there was so much more that Kodi wanted from life, too. They loved playing sports on sunny afternoons, or watching horror movies, or dancing wildly to music all day long. It was hard to find a balance when there was always another lead on a creature that needed to be put down.

But what if they weren't all bad?

It had been a question in the back of Kodi's head time and again. Of course, most of them were bad - Kodi's family discovered them because of the trail of bodies they left behind. But there had been more than one occasion that monster had begged for it's life, had claimed it was a mistake, or that they hadn't done anything wrong. Obviously words could always be twisted. People would do or say whatever was necessary to stay alive.

Then...they met her.

Kodi was in town investigating some strange happenings when they stumbled upon Camila and hit it off. They spent some time together, and Kodi ended up crashing at Camila's place, watching movies, eating junk food, and generally enjoying one another's company. It was the first night in many that Kodi actually felt like a normal person and was enjoying herself. But when Camila's parents came home, chaos resulted. In the end it was revealed that the family were witches, and the bodies of both parents ended up dead on the floor.

Without knowing what else to do Kodi took it upon themselves to clean up the scene, using their hunting training to make it look as if the family had decided to simply pick up and leave in a hurry. It wasn't that far outside the realm of possibility; it wasn't as if they spewed neighborly love and positivity. It was like any other hunt - but there was a loose end that Kodi knew the rest of the family would never approve of. Leaving Camila alive would be seen as a mistake, and the Oliveiras did not make mistakes. But Camila hadn't done anything wrong. She was just put into a position she had no control over.

So in the end, they ran away together. They traveled a while, trying to figure out their next steps. When they arrived in Raven's Peak, it seemed as good a place as any to settle down and figure things out. She found a job at the local radio station and, from there, started thinking about possibly putting a podcast out there talking about all things crime, paranormal, or generally spooky. Perhaps a little ironic coming from such a town, but that wasn't important. She even decided to jump on an audition and put her guitar skills to the test with a band.

While Kodi is still a bit antsy when it comes to being surrounded by the supernatural, they're working on reversing some of the lessons learned in childhood. They're not all bad. And here? That especially seemed true. Or at least, they could only hope so.

EXTRAS

FILLING CONNECTION: Banks's bandmate INSPIRATIONS: pinterest

[za-baransu]

☆ Belief

As the spectrum of what constitutes as belief is rather broad, I will go over a few possibilities.

As for religious belief:

Jugram is a monotheist by association. Not because of heritage. Not because of what could be called the forefront religion from where he's from [ Quincy have german origin and the prevalent religion in Germany is Christianity ], but 'simply' because his God is Yhwach Bach. He doesn't particularly care for any other God/s besides him and will hold him in a reverent state with a near-religious fervour whenever speaking to anybody else about him. Additionally, it's safe to say, that when Yhwach died [ for Jugram's survival verses ] he flat out lost his religious values and became an atheist. It is unlikely that he will take up the Japanese religion of Shintō or turn to Christianity as a whole. For him, what can be accounted to something akin to religious affiliation or confession, 'died' the moment Yhwach died.

General belief in the supernatural:

Bleach is full of supernatural beings, specifically Shinigami, Spirits/Ghosts, Hollows and obviously, he interacted with them. Quincy themselves are not to be seen as "purely human", given that they are the closest to immortal as a being can be [ although they can be killed ] and are capable of 'messing' with the Balance of the World, a power that is Jugram's very own. So that aside, when it comes to entities outside of the realm of Bleach that aren't particularly familiar or are even alien [ Vampires, Ghouls, Banshees, e t c ], he has little to no thought about if he should "believe in them" or not. If he happens to meet them, he just happens to meet them, as they are creatures just like anything else he's encountered before. When knowing Death Gods, something that claims to eat humans or drink blood is not out of the ordinary nor "surprising", if at all, it depends on how they behave around him to see how he treats them. Alas, Jugram is capable of ignoring a person out of his own sphere of existence if they annoy him too much, so there's that about 'believing in something'.

Belief in the afterlife:

He doesn't. It's simply nothing he needs to believe in, nothing that brings him 'comfort' as it is so often for other people. If he dies, he dies and that's about it - even though, since they live for millennia, his mind also never really set on the fact if he - or anybody else he knows - could die. So as it is, Jugram just didn't put up any thought towards the afterlife past " I do not care. "

[scripted-downfall]

Obviously, I'm as much a collector of how-to-bring-back-Eddie theories as the next good fellow, but I think it'd be especially funny for him to come back as a vampire just so Steve can have a moment of (fully-deserved) I told you so.

(Yes, this is about, "Stake? Is he like a vamp-Is he a vampire?")

[zombiepirates]

1, 3, 7, 9, 15, 18

1 - favorite eddisode?

absolutely spares hands down

3 - zanta claws or zombeh attack?

zanta claws :)

7 - least favorite ship?

i think edd/ell or any ship like that

9 - least favorite eddisode?

probably hide and seek?

15 - vampire matt, monster tom, or poweredd?

monster tom ig, his ties to the red army make him interesting

18 - if you could write an episode, what would it be about?

this is obviously very outside the realm of possibility but i'd love an episode that reintroduces tord as a recurring villain but in a cheesy way like eduardo lol

[adiabolikpastel]

Title: Lunar Eclipse Masquerade

Reiji pt. 2

Rating: PG

Word Count: 2,409

Pairing: Reiji x ? (m/f)

ღ Reiji finds himself attending this Masquerade alone, despite somehow miraculously getting all his brothers to make an appearance. The effects of the moon fuel is longing for the one he loves, but a nice distraction can solve all that. ღ

Mun Yu: We made it to the second wave of LEM. I hope you all enjoyed the set up, and are ready for the main event. Our Lunar Eclipse is in full swing as the masquerade beings. These chapters will be longer.

Additionally: I would love to thank @dialovers-translations for translating the Shu and Reiji versus CD which show cased them during the Lunar Eclipse. It helped me greatly to write his personality.

☆+ ﾟ .+ .ﾟ.ﾟ｡ ﾟ ｡. +ﾟ ｡ﾟ.ﾟ｡☆*｡｡ . ｡ o .｡ﾟ｡.o｡* ｡ .｡

Despite what most people think, demonic beings are very social creatures. The elites hold countless balls and parties, celebrating their immortality together, and entertaining one another with stories. Typically, they are done in celebration for something – though this is not always the case. All types of beings from across the Demon Realm will come if the host is of high enough prestige.

There would be no such host if it was not for Karlheinz. Seated as the head of the Bat Clan (vampires), Karl’s reach spans far. Being the widow for the former Demon King’s daughter, and having children of the first blood, an invitation from the Vampire King is not one to refuse. Though why would you? In his immaculate castle within the Demon Realm, Eden Castle, it is always quite the spectacle. While the celebrations held in his Human World mansion are nice, nothing compares to a true night of pleasure within the true home of the King.

On this night, there was to be a Masquerade in honor of the first Lunar Eclipsed Moon in over two years. While this night may serve each species differently, the idea to celebrate its return was simply too tempting. For this reason, Karlheinz took it upon himself – or rather – his house, to host the event. This extended to his offspring as well, regardless of their personal agenda. Members of every social elite race accepted the offer, and gathered for a truly unforgettable evening.

The past week had been hell. Getting a hold of all his siblings was no easy task, now that most of them no longer lived in the family mason. Contacting Shu was simple enough, as the two of them were closer now. It was strange. Most of his life, Reiji had hated Shu. Not that there weren’t thing that still made him crazy about his brother. However, they now had a common goal – one that Shu was actually willing to help with.

He was honestly surprised his elder brother agreed to the task. Ever since Reiji learned the true purpose of the Adam and Eve project their father was slaving away over, he knew that there would only be Shu who could actually take his place. Not for anything lacking in himself, of course. Between the two of them, Reiji was clearly a better suited ruler. It was for the simple fact that Shu would be unable to make a true connection like the rest of them.

In order for Karl’s project to work, truly work, his sons – or Adam – must become connected with a human. To adapt their emotions, and breed in order to make a new form of being. Once that was achieved, it was then up to that chosen son to defeat their father. Obviously, there were a good number of them who fit the first piece of that criteria. However, there was an overwhelming lack of interest in the second. While none of the triplets had interest in taking over the position of their father, Subaru also showed little interest.

Which left Reiji and Shu, the two eldest of the sons, to fulfill this plan of their father’s. While Reiji had always wanted to rule after their father, he was not sure that he could actually defeat him. Nor did he want to. His admiration for is father was too great to ever actually defeat him. Which only left Shu, and while Reiji did not want to admit that he would need the assistance of his loathed brother- there was no other option.

Strangely enough, when Reiji had talked to Shu about it, he wasn’t opposed to the idea. Seemed he deserved more credit than Reiji had every given. All that to say now, the two brothers were slowly growing closer – and Reiji was actually starting to enjoy his brother. It was at first disturbing – but the two of them were much more alike than Reiji had ever thought. The two had gotten so close in fact, they were able to connect with one another through the magic they’d been practicing in the Makai. Now all the two of them had to do was concentrate on the other, and a telepathic bound would be formed for communication.

With Shu contacted, next he would need to track down Laito and Ayato. It took a few days, but eventually the familiars were able to locate the middle children. Ayato was annoyed, but he and Yuko accepted the invitation. Laito was worse, since he had intended to cut off ties to the family. Reiji had warned him that it was no possible, and that if he did not attend this event, their father would find him. Which only left Subaru and Kanato. Those two Reiji decided to tell the night before, that way they could not refuse the invitation.

The only person he could not convince to come, was Rika, much to his dismay. She apparently had a thesis paper to work on, and experiments that couldn’t be left unattended. While this upset him, there was not much he could do about it. Such a change in personality for him, to actually allow a human to deny him. The thought alone made him want to call her again, demand her presence, or take her by force. However, he was much more attracted to the fact that Rika had goals as she did. She was driven, smart, proper, sexy, honestly – there was nothing he would change about her. He would simply go to the event alone.

With is brothers taken care of, Reiji went on ahead to Eden Castle, to assist his father in any preparations. When he arrived, he was surprised to find Skye commanding the familiars in his place. Reiji wasn’t the biggest fan of Skye – mostly because he felt uneasy that a male dressed the way Skye did. It was already unpleasant when Laito would force his human stalker to do as such – but to see someone else do it – in his father’s home no less – was simply unnerving. With Skye, Reiji never knew how to address him – though the siren never corrected him if he were wrong.

The two of them were effortlessly able to prepare the castle for guest, and the night of the Lunar Eclipse arrived in grand fashion. Karlheinz had not skipped any member of the Makai’s social elite. The Snake Clan, Eagle Clan, Wolf Clan; and a few of their sub families – not to mention sub families of the Bat Clan as well. Reiji was surprised at how many guest could fit into the Castle, then again, it was magic – no doubt that played a hand in helping.

Reiji proudly stood to greet guest as they arrived. This brothers all came in their own time, and even for a while Shu stood with him. Although it did not last, as Shu was apparently doing enough by being present. Reiji could all ready see a future of him taking on a lot of Shu’s duties once their plan had come to completion. Once a great number of guest had arrived, Karlheinz himself finally made an appearance. Although, it was in rather poor taste.

Growing up, Karlheinz never formally came into an event with any of his brides. This was, at least to Reiji’s understanding, out of respect – or even a lack there of- for each of them. It would be unwise to come in with all three of them, less he look like a glutton. However, he couldn’t very well come in with just one of them, as it would show favorite and a neglect of the other two. As Reiji got older he also believed that there was hidden malice in what his father did, though he also understood that ground rules must be set for behavior.

On this night, however, the Vampire King arrived with a woman on his arm. She was stunning, however, Reiji had the sinking suspicion as to who she was. If that were the case, then his father had indeed lost his mind. Not only was this woman not his wife, but if she were even his current lover – the thought made Reiji shiver. Perhaps in his old age, his father had begun to lose his mind. In any case, it was not his place to comment on the two of them. Though it did make him annoyed, as the thought of how his mother had always stood off to the side whenever the great Karlheinz made an appearance, yet this ‘woman’ was on his arm now.

Putting it out of mind, Reiji tasked himself with ensuring the night could go over smoothly. With it being a Lunar Eclipse, things were bound to get dicey. He even felt himself growing aggravated that he was unable to be with Rika, especially when seeing Ayato and Yuko. How he longed to hold her in his arm, parade her on the dance floor like the jewel she was. Not to mention the thirst for her blood was reaching its limit. How long had it been since he had last fed from her?

The moons forces seemed stronger this night, in this place. Deciding to clear his mind, Reiji walked out onto the ballrooms balcony. The night’s air was soothing, though the moon was in full view. Deep red in color, it seemed to dominate the night’s sky. As he walked over to the railing, he noticed someone else outside as well.

She looked to be about his age, though with demon’s one can never be certain. Her head was bowed and hands clasped, as if she were praying. That wasn’t a sight one saw often in this realm. Reiji’s curiosity was peeked. This woman stood to just about his shoulder level, and had long hair – which was tied back- but one could tell it had natural curls to it. There were two distinct colors in her hair, with it being a drastic change form top layer to bottom. Her skin was a darker shade, though not pitch black like other demon races may have. A nice tanned color.

The dress she wore had off the shoulder puffed sleeves, with a yellow base color. The top of the dress was covered in a navy lining, which sparked in the moonlight. Her face covered in a mask of similar color, with a navy base, and golden decoration. Reiji could also see horns nestled on her head, definitely a demon of some kind.

She seemed completely unaware of his presence, normally he too would remain to himself, but something in him this night urged him to speak. So Reiji softly cleared his throat, to alert her, “Ahem, excuse me. I don’t mean to interrupt.”

Almost immediately her head shot up, in search for the sound. When her eyes settled on Reiji, he was taken back for a moment. They were an intense golden color. Clearly the eyes of a predator, as if she were searching for a threat. As she took in the vampire, the intensity cooled slightly. “Oh no forgive me. I was simply paying my respects to the moon.” Her voice held some type of accent – which Reiji couldn’t quite place.

Reiji smiles, moving his hand in a dismissive gesture. “You are a guest, and this is a celebration of the moon. It would be rude of me to deny you the pleasure. I do wonder, if I might ask, your accent. I recognize it being European in nature. Where is it from?”

She blushes slightly and covers her mouth, “Ah, was it that noticeable? There are times when I get languages mixed up in my head. When we are in the Human World, my family lives mostly in Greece. However, we travel quite a bit. I simply found the language so beautiful, subconsciously I find myself speaking that way.” As she spoke, her Japanese became more fluid, the accent fading. “Languages are something of a passion of mine.”

Reiji admires how she was able to adjust her way of speaking. Neither language must be her native tongue. “I am also quite fond of learning new Languages. I find my repartee with most to be quite fluid. You seem to be skilled with them as well, the accent was all but gone by the end of your sentence.” Reiji offers her a smile and moves a little closer to her. “I have yet to introduce myself, Reiji Sakamaki.” He offers her a small bow.

In response, she offers him a small curtsy, “Calli, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Sakamaki-san.” She smiles up at him as they both rise. “You would be one of our host son, am I wrong? My father has told me stories about the famous Karlheinz. I had wondered about his children.” Calli looks back over to the moon. “I am glad to have met one of you, it makes me a little less nervous now.”

Reiji was not sure what she spoke of, though from the way she spoke, she must be a daughter to one of the Demon Lords. Which clan though, he could not say. Reiji new much, but there were still so many things about the Makai’s residents he had to learn. Something he would learn, as he and Shu continued towards their goal.

There was something alluring about her mystery. Form the small conversation they shared, Reiji could tell she was a very learned woman. Her upbringing was proper. She carried herself with grace. It was strange that she did not give her last name to him, though perhaps she was worried her title would be less than his own.

Perhaps it was the moon, but something inside him was compelling him to learn more about her. “You said that Greece is your home? I have not been there is quite some time myself. From what I do remember though, it was quite lovely.”

This seemed to light something inside her, as Calli turned to him in excitement. “Oh it is, personally I believe it to be the most beautiful. Though, my mother might not like me saying that. Our family has lived in many different places, and her favorite has always been in South America.” She covers her mouth slightly, “Forgive me, I got a little excited. I have not been around others too much, outside of my siblings.”

“Ah, I can relate to that.” Reiji says offering her a small chuckle. “It feels like an eternity since I have been able to speak with someone who did not share my blood.” He said this, but it was not entirely true. Rika was someone he spoke to as often as he could, but as late that has not been an option for them.

The two of them stayed out on the balcony for quite some time. It felt easy to speak with Calli, which was strange for Reiji. There were not many that shared his intestate, aside from Rika, but this was different. Calli was like him. She was much older than her appearance, and even though she was kept close to her family, she had years of knowledge. Similar to himself.

Even though it felt like a long time, in truth, the two of them only spoke for a few minutes. Their conversation interrupted by a loud crashing sound from inside. Followed with a voice Reiji recognized all too well. “Ah… it would appear I am needed. It was lovely to meet you, Lady Calli.” Reiji offered her a quick farewell and took his leave.

As he walked through the crowd of guest, something compelled him to look back. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Calli now speaking with a rather large man. This man he could easily identify. That was Ajax, current Head of the Eagle Demons. His body language to the much smaller female was that of someone who cared about her greatly. Perhaps she was his daughter?

☆+ ﾟ .+ .ﾟ.ﾟ｡ ﾟ ｡. +ﾟ ｡ﾟ.ﾟ｡ TO BE CONTINUED ☆*｡｡ . ｡ o .｡ﾟ｡.o｡* ｡ .｡

[bemused-writer]

Looking at Mikhail's actions in chapter 50 I find them at least somewhat contradictory. His goal is explicitly to be able to be together with Vanitas and Luna again but he provokes a very serious fight between Vanitas and Noé. Obviously Misha expects Noé to win and Vanitas would probably have to be alive to see his memories but still, Misha himself says, "Try to kill each other for dear life!" I know Noé's considerably less likely to commit murder than Vanitas but it isn't completely outside the realm of possibilities. Especially to Misha who does not actually know very much about Noé. What do you think though? Even ignoring the possibility of Vanitas dying or being seriously injured none of what Misha is doing will make Vanitas want to be anywhere near him.

(We’re now at recent Asks!) You’re completely correct, Anon. Misha’s stated objectives and his actions really don’t line up whatsoever and I think this is in part because his plan just... isn’t that good. Like I’ve said before, Misha is definitely smart, but he’s not a criminal mastermind. There are way too many ways for this to go awry and one of those is Vanitas dying, just like you said.

Now, I think that to Misha, there’s no way Noé can fail. He wants to see them fight one another ferociously as if they’re going to kill each other, but he doesn’t actually expect death to happen. Why? All I can assume is that he’s heard tales of them and figures they’re on a similar level. Or, much like Vanitas himself, he assumes Noé is too kind to do something like that. I think a lot of people make the mistaken assumption that Noé‘s kindness will prevent him from taking drastic measures, but Noé‘s no pushover. He’ll do what he must.

But getting back to Misha, I think he very much assumes both Noé and Vanitas will survive, Noé will win in his battle against Vanitas, he’ll get his answers, and then he’ll just... drag Vanitas off and give Dominique back to Noé. Again, it’s a terrible plan. XD But he is pretty young (I’m guessing in the 12-14 year old range) and he idolizes vampires, so that’s probably where some of this is coming from outside of his mental instability more generally.

Thanks for the Ask!

[panlight]

anon please! i’m so curious: are you team edward or team jacob?

Both? Neither? 

I’m not here for the central romance. I understand, intellectually, that it’s the Point of the story. I do in fact know and understand that! And I’m happy for people who are invested in either the E/B or J/B romance aspect of it. Enjoy yourself. Read/write all the fanfics! Draw all the fanart! I’ll read some of it, reblog some of it. 

It’s just not where my interest is. I’m more interested in the Big Picture stuff, in other character dynamics, in backstories, etc. I’m waaaay more interested in the psychological toll of immortality than I am in any Mate Mythology or Imprinting Lore. At the end of the day I’m just not that shippy.  

Obviously SM meant for E/B to supernatural soulmates, designed for each other and meant to spend eternity together. It’s a fantastical romance, sweeping and epic and outside the realm of human possibility by design.  He can’t read her mind; she was born to be a vampire. It was fated and magical. 

But with Jacob, Bella would have been able to grow and change and mature, not be forever locked into who she was at 18/19.  With Edward, Bella will want for nothing. She will be invincible, rich, beautiful, never grow old, never get sick, never have to have a job and because of vampire mating rules, forever in blissful love, forever surrounded by family. Bella isn’t turned off by the vampire thing, so the whole idea of this being a sacrifice never quite worked for me. 

Jacob doesn’t come with those kind of guarantees. It’s much more of a risk and you can make the argument that that makes it more romantic. There’s no financial guarantee, they’ll have to work and they’ll probably have to take care of Billy if his health deteriorates. They could grow apart on break up, he could imprint on someone else. She could die young in an accident like his mom, or from illness, or whatever. It’s more of a risk. It’s a cliff jump. A leap of faith. Nothing is certain with Jacob because nothing is certain with humanity. 

One is a fairy tale, the other is a down to earth romance. I can see the appeal of both but in this particular case I’m not personally invested in either. 

[lilmissbacon]

Adding Characters to the Big Four (RotBTD)

I've already made a post about just "How the Big Four Work so well (discussion)" which talks about their personalities are and what their stories have in common, as well as what criteria they follow.

So if you want to understand exactly what I'm talking about I'd recommend you read this first:

Now I'm gonna go into what characters would fit and why. So if you want to add other movies to this world, I would recommend Moana, Epic, The Croods or maybe even Hotel Transylvania and here's why:

Moana – Begins with narration but ends with a song. Although it's a song that sums up what Moana had learned and what her people have now become. So it is, its own form of narration. She also goes through the journey of finding herself by becoming a wayfinder like her ancestors.

Moana definitely adds to the groups resources with being friends with the ocean, knowing about the realm of monsters and being friends with Maui & Te Fiti. She would definitely get along great with the big four friend dynamic in many ways.

Hiccup: through their ability to lead and quick thinking. They also both understand what it's like to grow up on an island with their fathers being the leader who expects certain things from them.

Rapunzel: because they understand going against a parent's wishes and working to make their dreams/wishes come true. They also have the same type of bubbly personality and would converse well.

Jack: they both understand what if feels like to be chosen for something they feel they're not ready for and what it feels like to be an outsider from the people around them.

Merida: their tough and somewhat playful nature as well as their diplomacy skills match each other so well. They'd definitely be the closest of the group because of their strong personalities.

Out of a friend group consisting of: the girly-girl, a troublemaker a nerd and a tomboy, she fits into the literary dynamic through being the 'athlete.' In battle, consisting of: a leader/strategist, a healer, a sniper(bow and arrow) and a speed fighter, Moana fits in as the 'close combatant' in battle.

The magic also can still follow the guidelines of rotg. They speak about Gods but what if there really aren't any? The only 'God' we see is Te Fiti, who is the bringer of life. Or in other words; Mother Nature. The God that had raised Maui could've actually been the man in the moon and that would be how Maui was given magic and doesn't age. He goes around, calling himself a demigod but in reality, he's a spirit. And of course he's able to be seen since everyone on Motunui believes in the demi/gods.

Seasonally, Moana would most obviously be put in summer. But there are a lot of people who feel that adding more characters to the big four kind of breaks the seasonal aspect and that's fine.

But here me out.

The seasons effect the land on earth but if Moana is a spirit of the ocean, then she's effecting the rest of the earth's surface. The ocean doesn't necessarily have seasons so you don't need to apply one to her in order for her to add to the group. BOOM! Loophole!

I believe she's the BEST additional choice out of them all. Plus she'd definitely be chosen to become a guardian because *cough cough* SHE SAVED THE WORLD FROM DECAY.

Eep – A lot of applications for Moana fit for Eep too. She has narration at the beginning and end of her film. She'd fit in literarily as the 'athlete' and battle-wise as 'close constant/brawler.'

She also kind of has an arc of finding herself by leaving her cave days behind and following the light with her family. And being that she's from the caveman days –a time even before Moana– she could definitely add to the group with her survival skills.

Eep's dynamic with the others would be:

Hiccup: he understands overly strong women and would be able to keep up with her. She also has an innocent side to her and would be enthralled with his inventions. She'd just sit there and watch him work 😆

Rapunzel: being that Eep is getting a new friend in Dawn (who reminds me of Rapunzel) in "The Croods 2," I would imagine Rapunzel would also be intrigued with Eep's scars/adventures and Eep would be more than happy to boast.

Merida: their roughness and competitive nature would make them the best frienemies. They'd be closer than ever but do nothing but wrestle and compete.

Jack: like how Eep would boast with Rapunzel, Jack would boast with Eep. She would be in love with Jack's magic and he'd be more than happy to show off.

There really isn't a magical aspect to compare with rotg so the world can still fit into the dynamic here.

Eep is witty, optimistic, energetic, speaks without thinking and fails to plan ahead a lot. Therefore, as a seasonal spirit, Eep would bring spring.

MK – Begins with narration but doesn't really have any at the end. She can add to the groups resources by knowing about the leafmen and the whole mini society, of course.

The magic also stays in line with rotg and it probably helps that the creator of Epic was also the author of the Guardians of Childhood books that inspired rotg. The moon is what blooms the pod, so it's possibly the man in the moon passing his magic into the pod so it gives the next queen her powers.

In the literary dynamic, MK would be the 'city girl' friend-wise and the 'reanforcement' fight-wise. Getting along with the rest would be:

Hiccup: she would be a sense of familiarity with MK's dad being a scientist and Nod's sarcastic nature. Hiccup would also be very intrigued to learn more about the Moonhaven kingdom.

Merida: their stubbornness and being able to understand having a parent that doesn't listen.

Rapunzel: their (new) love for nature and exploring. As well as being able to understand the pain of losing a loved one.

Jack: understanding the feeling of being invisible to the people around you. MK definitely felt this way after her mom died and when her dad wasn't listening. She mentioned how she felt alone to Ronan when he brought up the "many leaves, one tree," line.

I believe she could've been chosen to become a guardian because she did save an entire society and forest. Seasonally, I believe MK would be made into a fall spirit. There are certain places that relate to or even represent the seasons. When you think of Fall, you think of trees. Spring relates to a field/garden, summer relates to a beach and winter relates to just about everything being in snow, but usually frozen bodies of water. She's also very dependable, willing to work, disagreeable and easily irritated. All traits that relate to Autumn.

Mavis – Probably the least workable candidate. There really isn't any narration in this movie and she also doesn't really "find herself" either so her movie criteria don't really work here.

But her character criteria still does. The magic still fits because we know that spirits are created by the man in the moon. If we go by the GoC books, the mim is alien magic. But who's to say that earth didn't have its own magic in the form of monsters (which can also fit for the realm of monsters from Moana.) So the magical dynamic still works.

She could also add to the group by knowing about monsters as well as being a vampire herself. She could turn into a bat or travel as smoke to sneak around places to find information if need be.

She'd fit in literarily as the 'gothic (not so much as personality but by style)' friend-wise and the 'sneak attacker' fight-wise. Getting along with the rest would be:

Jack: there are many takes on the Jack Frost myth and in a few of those takes, he's a monster. The reason for this could be because Jack has come across Hotel Transylvania and the monsters could see him (not being human and all) and he befriended Mavis, knowing she was lonely. They have the same type of fun personality and are both great with balancing tricks. I can imagine Jack getting Mavis into trouble through pranking the hotel guests.

Rapunzel: they'd both be able to understand being locked up in some way by a parent and wanting to travel the world. They both also have naiveties about the real world and would be learning things for the first time together.

Merida: through their daily activities and love for food. I could imagine them trying each other's scream-cheese and haggis😂 I'd also imagine Merida being the one to help Mavis socially catch up.

Hiccup: much like Eep, she'd be incredibly intrigued by Hiccups inventions. I think she'd even try anything to assist him while he's testing certain things. I can imagine him also being the one to help Mavis socially catch up as well.

She's very curious, friendly, energetic and tender-hearted as well as undecided and talkative. So seasonally, she too, would go to spring. She unfortunately can't go into sunlight but there are plants that actually do better in darkness. That would be where she specializes.

I hope you all like this. I hope you find this whole thing very interesting and informational. If you have any other characters you think could add to the big four, I'd love to hear it.

[aion-rsa]

The Horror Influences of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan

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This article contains spoilers for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is beloved by shounen anime fans for its nonstop action, absurd and over-the-top showdowns, and creative Stands (physical manifestations of one’s true self). It’s a bombastic series that defies predictions. We’re still waiting for the fifth part of the manga, Stone Ocean, to be released as an anime adaptation, and the story is still ongoing. Strangely, there’s still no confirmation that a fifth season is even coming yet.

In the meantime, however, we got something of a holdover: Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan. An adaptation of a series of one-shot chapters from JoJo creator Hirohiko Araki, it bridges the gap between the fourth season, Diamond is Unbreakable, and the fifth season, Vento Aureo. But while it follows manga artist Kishibe Rohan and what he’s been up to between both seasons, it takes on a decidedly different slant than the vanilla anime. Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan takes more inspiration from episodic horror anthologies, like that of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. It is, by all counts, a horror series. 

It’s a new direction for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, though not completely unexpected. The thing is, JoJo has always been riddled with disturbing, horrific, and downright chilling moments. They’ve just been couched between action-packed showdowns and bombastic character design so that the terror creeps in without you even realizing it’s there. Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan approaches the genre in a much more straightforward manner, though, wearing its influences on its sleeve. Both series, including JoJo to a staggering degree, are inherently spine-tingling properties, even if they don’t seem so at first blush.

Creator Hirohiko Araki is a ravenous horror fan, after all, and makes no secret of his passion for the genre. In his book, Hirohiko Araki’s Bizarre Horror Movie Analysis, he cites some of his top 20 favorite films as Misery, Alien, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The work itself is divided into several parts, each exploring a different branch of chilling media, such as “Bizarre Murderers,” “Animal Horror,” or “Sci-Fi Horror.” It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to think that, despite Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan originally being meant to be unrelated to JoJo, Araki created it to satisfy his love for the macabre.

The episode “Mutsu-kabe Hill” follows a woman named Naoko Osato, who belongs to a well-to-do family. She’s living in a house that belongs to said family along with boyfriend Gunpei Kamafusa. But she can’t be with Gunpei, as she’s already betrothed to a man her father has chosen. Plus, Gunpei is a family gardener, a profession her father won’t abide. The two end up arguing, and Nao tries to pay off Gunpei to get him to leave, as she knows her father and fiancé are on their way to the home. But tensions escalate as the two become violent. 

Nao pushes him into a set of golf clubs and Gunpei dies instantly. He’s bleeding, and while Nao struggles to figure out what to do with his body, her father and fiancé are approaching her home. No matter what she does, she can’t get Gunpei’s corpse to stop bleeding. In the end, she lives with this bizarre phenomenon, telling no one about her plight, and doting on Gunpei’s corpse, disposing of the blood he continues to generate for the rest of her life.

Several comparisons can be drawn from this episode to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” in which the narrator commits a murder, dismembers a body, and hides it beneath some floorboards. Despite having seemingly gotten away with the perfect crime, the narrator is driven insane by the sound of his victim’s heartbeat. He ends up confessing to the authorities as he believes they can hear it, too. It’s the story of an unreliable narrator whose sanity is slipping. 

Though the narrator in that story ended up confessing to ease his suffering, Nao chose to live with the consequences of her crime, succumbing to a monster that lives off of people’s affection. The stories are quite similar in tone, though with very different outcomes. 

In “At a Confessional,” Rohan recounts a story of how he met a man who confided in him while in an Italian confessional. The man spoke of a beggar to whom he refused food and instead forced to work until he died. The beggar returned as a ghost, swearing revenge on the man who wronged him, promising he’d return on the happiest day of the man’s life. Return he does, as the man has enjoyed riches beyond belief, a beautiful marriage, and the birth of a daughter. 

The beggar appears in the form of an apparition in the man’s daughter’s tongue. He forces the man to toss pieces of popcorn his daughter was eating into the air and catch them with his mouth three times in a row in an absurd challenge. If the man succeeds, his life will be spared. If not, he’s beheaded instantly.

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This tale immediately recalls Stephen King’s Thinner, a similar story about a man who’s committed several wrongs, cursed the father of someone he’s murdered — this time, because he runs over a woman while driving and engaged in a sexual act with his wife. The curse finds the man, who is obese, becoming thinner and thinner at an uncontrollable rate. 

Eventually, there are options available to the man, who pleads for a resolution. He’s informed by the same person who cursed him that he can eat a strawberry pie with his blood in it and die, or give it to someone else for him to be spared. It’s just as gruesome as forcing the rich victim in Kishibe Rohan to munch popcorn or die. 

In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, the scares seem to come directly from a series of inspirations for Araki instead of new stories based on the media he’s obviously consumed. 

The first JoJo arc, Phantom Blood, sets the stage by introducing a swath of Gothic horror elements. It introduces the eventual vampiric rise of DIO in a Victorian society, which directly references classic novels like Dracula and Frankenstein. There’s even a serial killer named Jack the Ripper, who faces off against Jonathan and his allies, pulled straight out of history — a perpetrator of grisly murders who ends up transformed into a zombie. The undead are also a major component of Phantom Blood, likely due in part to Araki’s love for classic zombie cinema.

In the arc Stardust Crusaders, Jean-Paul Polnareff finds himself de-aged by a Stand user named Alessi. A young woman named Malèna nurses him back to health, up until Alessi uses his Stand, Sethan, unceremoniously de-ages her to that of a fetus outside of the womb. A few of Araki’s favorite horror movies of all time, including Basket Case, center on body horror, which doesn’t make this narrative decision surprising. But for those reaching that point in the story for the first time, it’s chilling in a way that even some of the most nightmarish films can’t even touch. 

While the visual of a fetus itself isn’t as offensive as some gnarled, disfigured victim, its implications are disturbing, to say the least. A fetus outside of a mother’s womb will eventually succumb to a slow death, especially one of Malèna’s apparent age. That makes Polnareff’s eventual victory over Alessi and his Stand so bittersweet.

The entirety of the fourth arc, Diamond is Unbreakable, plays out like a classic slasher flick with the introduction of Yoshikage Kira, a man with a powerful obsession with hands to the point of fetishism. He murders women with “beautiful hands,” then keeps the hands as his “girlfriends.” It wouldn’t be a stretch to compare Kira to classic killers like Psycho‘s Norman Bates or The Silence of the Lambs’ Hannibal Lecter, as Kira is believable and charming when he isn’t committing grisly murders.

Most of JoJo’s Stands are horrific on their own, and even though their story arcs enhance their terrifying power, there’s a fair amount of fridge horror to be found in these beings. The Freddy Krueger-like Death 13 can kill you in a nightmarish dream world while you sleep. Metallica (yes, named after the heavy metal band) forces you to cough up razor blades or have scissors burst from your chest. 

Another Stand, Green Day, can secrete a deadly mold that will rot and destroy the flesh of anything it touches in an instant. Lastly, Rohan Kishibe himself has a fairly disconcerting Stand: Heaven’s Door. It allows him to literally read someone like a book, then erase parts of their being, or add in what he pleases, like the ability to learn a new language as his pal Koichi asks in Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan.

It’s easy to see how Araki has masterfully melded horror into every space when it comes to both JoJo as well as Kishibe Rohan. With that in mind, it’s strange that the former has been relegated only to a series of one-shots when it shows so much potential as its own project, in which Araki gets to stretch his Rod Serling-esque legs or impart some very Argento-like stylings into his works. For now, we can appreciate what’s there — and continue finding parallels to additional well-loved classics in the genre. 

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Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan is available to stream on Netflix now.

The post The Horror Influences of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[nvvermore]

Amaryllis — Reversed

I feel like I’ve seen a lot of talks lately of reversed apprentices/OCs and so I just have to butt in with mine for Amaryllis. Under the cut because these did get a little long, but my two concepts are ‘basically a vampire’ and ‘basically persephone’.

Disclaimer: I probably barely remember the plot in this game correctly especially towards the end so forgive me if I get messy with canon details or how reversed endings actually work. Also most of what’s here has simply been a stream of consciousness so.

basically a vampire

Would happen under circumstances similar to Julian’s reversed form, either in his route they jump in to make the deal, or in some apprentice route. Having a them turn only physically monstrous wouldn’t work as a punishment or as a way for the Devil to keep them isolated, so it has to be something that preys on what really matters to them (literally).

If Amaryllis were to just look like a monster but knew they weren’t a danger to anyone, that wouldn’t keep them from seeking everyone out. They doubt Asra or Julian would just turn them away because of it, because in their opinion of themself they were already a monster well before now. And even if they did shun Amaryllis in such a state, it’s not like it can be fixed if they don’t all come back together.

But remaning mostly unchanged physically, but now with the need to survive off of blood, would keep them away from seeking everyone out. Insert all sorts of common vampire turning tropes, and Amaryllis hasn’t seen another person since this started happening and sometimes they feel out of control around animals when clearly they aren’t what they should even be feeding from. Obviously someone has to stumble upon them at some point (Asra, probably), and it probably doesn’t go well because of Amaryllis’s fear and not any sort of urge to attack who finds them. Also isolation is going to be triggering for them without the devil sending apparitions of people and things.

Also, since reversed ends are what happens when growth does not stick and the unhealthy methods and impulses are what is done in the heat of the moment, Amaryllis’s tendency for manipulation and self-sacrifice has to play into it. Now, they’re going to be more inclined to manipulate anyone, not just bad people, and because they look the same there’s another level of misleading others. And the Fools reversed meanings need to fit too: holding back (from seeking out their family), recklessness (to have struck a deal at all), and risk-taking (it’s apparent they don’t know if it will work but don’t feel like they have time to consider).

basically persephone

This would happen in a similar manner as above, but I think plays into their less desirable qualities even better and is generally more tragic.

I do have a vague scene in mind for this. Again, Amaryllis steps in for a deal before anyone else can, and attempts to callout how lonely the Devil must really be. He’s bored and alone for eternity in his realm, and that’s why he’s doing any of this. So, Amaryllis offers themself in exchange for the safety of the world and everyone in it. He agrees to the deal, Amaryllis is gone, and the world is righted.

Obviously, everyone very quickly gets to work on figuring out how to rescue Amaryllis, as their wording of the deal was very specific, enough to leave room for the possibility of their rescue that leaves the deal intact, or they can just figure out a way to seal him in his realm now that there’s more time on their hands.

Also obviously, the Devil forsees this, and didn’t expect or even want to keep Amaryllis in his realm full time, but framed it this way to guarantee that they would end up staying for some amount of time. Here is where he offers them the pomegranate seeds, chosen because of the pomegranate juice Asra used to sabotage his plans three years ago. In turn, the Devil would use the same fruit to ruin his.

The Devil knows that holding them as essentially a hostage won’t foster any sort of good relationship between them, and he wants to because they were right in their assumptions about him. And between Amaryllis and everyone on the outside, he’d always need to be on guard, as clearly they’d only done this in an attempt to get close to him to seal him, and their family who he knows won’t give up trying to get Amaryllis back. So keeping them for eternity doesn’t work in his favor at all. (And maybe the mechanics of a person staying in the realms for too long is a problem? Or not because they have the Fool’s magic? It seems like they can stay in the realm forever with Nadia but I don’t remember why.)

Amaryllis accepts, because as far as they know food in the realms isn’t real and the Devil can’t lie, and they eat six seeds. It’s their favorite fruit, so they don’t see anything symbolic about it past thinking of it like some sort of olive branch.

So when eventually everyone breaks through to attempt to rescue them, the Devil is prepared and they aren’t able to seal him. But he offers to “amend” his end of the deal, trying to seem benevolent. He says they can stay down for six months and up for six months, and if the threat of breaking the deal isn’t an enough of an incentive to bring them back to him, then he reminds them of a separate deal he struck with them. He reminds them of the pomegranate, and how that had tied them to this realm indefinitely. The six seeds they ate represent how long they can stay away before they will begin to die. Everyone hears this, so while Amaryllis might (impulsively) let themself die to avoid it, no one else in that room would let them do so.

And really, it’s not that horrible of a deal. Everyone and the world’s safety and all Amaryllis has to do is live— very comfortably— in the Devil’s realm for half the year. None of them can really complain too much about it now. Not that it makes any of them any happier now either. But everyone does learn to live with it, and after a few years and failed attempts, Amaryllis stops plotting on how to seal him away. Asra definitely never stops trying to find a way though, and the six months spent without them are passed obsessed by trying to come up with a solution.

So in the end, trying to manipulate who they seem deserving is their downfall, paired with the Fool’s reversed meanings similar to the ones above.

[rj-anderson]

Why I Write About Faeries

I went to look up this essay tonight and found that the page where it was originally posted had been deleted, so I dug it out of my e-mails so I’d have a copy of it SOMEWHERE on the web that I could link to. Here it is, slightly revised and updated from its original format:

The Beautiful Other: or, Why I Write About Faeries

When @shvetathakrar​ asked me to participate in her “Three Days of Fey” blog series, I was delighted to accept. But what to talk about? So much has been said about faeries already, by authors far more dedicated to and knowledgeable about the subject. Did I really have anything new to add?

But then I looked back at some of the previous posts by other faery book authors, and realized that I might be coming at this topic from a rather different angle after all.

You see, what interests me about faeries, or at least what led me to write my own faery book, is not their immortality, or their unearthly beauty, or their power, or their inhuman cruelty and caprice. All those elements are certainly present in the lore about faeries, and other authors have written compelling books based on those faery traits. But I wasn't interested in exploring what faeries are and have, so much as what they aren't and haven't.

As a child and teenager, most of the faery-related stories I read were about humans being charmed or abducted or otherwise drawn into contact with faeries, and the faeries were seen through a very mystical lens as these beautiful, dangerous Others. I'd also seen faeries portrayed as frivolous, silly creatures, like Tinker Bell. But they always seemed to be viewed from the outside, through human eyes, and I found myself wondering about the faery's perspective. How might the human world, with all the aspects of daily life we take for granted, appear to a faery who'd never seen it before?

The more I thought about this idea, the more I liked it. I was especially drawn to the possibility that faeries might be just as fearful of, and fascinated by, humans as humans have traditionally been of them. What would the first encounter with a human being be like for a faery? What would she find shocking, or frightening, or enticing about us?

Obviously the idea of faeries being afraid of humans is easier to understand if there's a size difference, so I quickly settled on the idea of writing about small, winged faeries in the Victorian mold (though the idea of faeries as tiny humans with wings didn't actually start with the Victorians: as Melissa Marr has pointed out, you can find something similar in the Welsh legends of the Ellylon). But small faeries can easily come across as twee, and I didn't want that. So as an antidote I decided my faery heroine would be dangerous in a purely physical sense: not some delicate child-woman dressed in gossamer and flitting about on butterfly wings, but a fierce, deadly assassin who could maneuver like a fighter jet, and take on enemies twice or three times her size.

But here the logical part of my brain raised an objection. Why would a faery need to develop those kinds of fighting skills if she could just as easily defeat her enemies with magic? The answer was, of course, to remove the magic. Which then handily supplied me with one of the most important elements of the plot, as my heroine sets out to discover what happened to her people's lost magic and try to get it back.

Even so, I didn't just want to write a story about vulnerable little faeries vs. scary giant humans. Somehow my heroine's natural fear and hostility toward a potential predator had to develop over the course of the story into a powerful attraction, similar to the allure that Faeryland and its inhabitants have traditionally held for humanity. And here I found that far from having to turn the old fairy tales on their head, my ideas were actually confirmed by them. Time and again in the folk tales we find out that the beauties of Faeryland are only an illusion, that its riches turn into withered leaves by the light of day, or even that the faeries themselves are hollow inside. The ordinary world, for all its flaws, is far more meaningful and real, and the human traveler enticed away by the faeries eventually finds himself longing for home.

So ultimately, Knife and its sequels Rebel and Arrow are not about the perilous beauties of some enticing magical realm and its inhabitants so much as about finding the magic and the wonder in our own human world – discovering, in essence, that we are the Beautiful Other. Which is not to say that our existence in this life is idyllic, or anything like it. But there's a dignity and value in being human, "made in the image of God" as the Bible puts it, that's worth celebrating, even though as humans we often fail to appreciate that and yearn for immortality, or stunning beauty, or magical power, or all the other kinds of things that faeries represent to us.

I couldn't have explored that idea nearly as effectively through the eyes of a vampire or a werewolf or a zombie or a ghost, because all of those creatures were once human themselves, and the human world comes as no surprise to them. My heroine needed to be from a race similar enough to humans to be plausibly interested in them, yet different enough to see them through fresh and wondering eyes.

And that's why I write about faeries.