#I do feel like the title is not great. like it feels unrelated for most of the book

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads // twitter thread

Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach

sff novella merging a future recovering from climate catastrophes where the rich time travel to the past for recreation, and historical fantasy

a woman who’s spent her life restoring ecosystems puts together a small team to get the chance to time travel back to 2000BC to survey the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

aging MC with octopus leg prosthetics

[geekgirles]

Yumalia's Reunion

Back on my Yumalia brainrot, I can't get over all the layers and depths of their brief interaction in episode 11.

The moment Yugo is done defying his mother and forced to watch her leave, for she had long made her choice, Amalia doesn't hesitate to reach out to him and hold his hand, which Yugo immediately squeezes right back. Even with the threat of imminent war for her people's safety, Amalia's first instinct is to go to Yugo and offer whatever comfort she can, and he just lets her because if there's someone who can ground him, it's Amalia.

That's exactly what she did at the end of season 3. Not only did she tell Oropo he would never be Yugo because Yugo would never willingly or knowingly sacrifice anyone for his cause (even during his fight with Ad during the OVAs he always thought his brother would eventually come back), but she unknowingly dissuaded the fears and insecurities that'd been plaguing him throughout the entire season, both regarding his past actions and his own relationship with her. Because even after all they'd been through and his insecurities hurting Amalia deeply, she still chose him, and she still reaffirmed her love for him in such a way it would allow for their interactions in season 4 to be that much more openly affectionate and less restrained.

But not only that, back then she was also there to ground him when Oropo's passing and his absorbing of the Eliotropes overwhelmed him, helping him see all the good despite what they had lost.

And she is doing that yet again when they finally reunite.

But there is so much more going on here. So many emotions running deep between them.

Look at Yugo's expression, that mixture of surprise and awe etched onto his face. I feel like this is the moment where it truly clicks for him just how much he's changed and all the possibilities his new body entails, especially for their relationship. And Amalia is just happy, happy that he is alive and happy that he can finally see and feel like the great king and warrior she always knew was already there.

For the first time since he's met her, Yugo doesn't have to look up to meet his love's eyes, and you can clearly see how the mere thought takes him aback. But I believe there's so much more to it, so many things left unsaid.

He's looking at her like she's finally within reach, and not only because now they're closer in height. Yugo had to spent the last few years of his life watching how the love of his life grew into the most beautiful flower in Sadida's garden, into a queen, while he remained stuck in his child-like body, with only a title for show despite he too being royalty.

It's all in his eyes!

He isn't just looking at Amalia. He is staring at her like a dying man stares at his salvation, like someone who's been wandering in the dessert for ages looks at an oasis. And it's not just because they might finally have a shot, but because she is there and she is real.

Despite Yugo's unrelenting optimism and will, upon being captured by the Nécromes, a part of him had probably been forced to accept he would never see Amalia again, either because he would remain the last of his days as their prisoner, or because she would too fall soon.

Given his predicament, thanks to Oropo and Qilby's intervention, Yugo was most likely running on adrenaline when he noticed the portal in the Sadida forest and what it would mean for Amalia. His mind was set on protecting her, not on the fact that they would be reunited after such a horrible ordeal. And I don't think it really sunk in that he would see her again until she touched him, until she literally became tangible and attainable.

But she is real, and she is with him, they are together again. Only this time, they might actually get to be together.

Look at such level of intimacy! Such tenderness mixed with the underlying unbriddled passion they feel for one another! Yugo might have been shown being okay with revealing his wings to his friends, but he always took the hood off himself; but not with Amalia. With her he trusts her enough to let her do the honours and all he can do is melt under her touch.

Seeing Amalia again after being held prisoner in the Nécroworld and forcibly aged has allowed Yugo to fall in love with her all over again and, more importantly, to finally allow himself to love her with his whole being in return. No more holding back, no more second thoughts, no more take-backs. No more denying themselves what they have been desperately yearning for.

He loves Amalia and she loves him. And he's going to hold onto her for as long as they both live.

And I am so not normal about them.

[xjulixred45x]

heyyyyyyy!! so i saw that your reqs were open and thought id throw one in since YK- LOVE UR WORK!

and ik ive been requesting this kind of thing only (if u dont wanna do it for this reason, i understand!!) but- Could I please have a Yanplatonic Mephisto/Lucifer/Amaimon x Reader?

This time could you maybe do it with Reader being human, An exwire and completely unrelated to them at all. They hate demons with a passion, But somehow these mfs suddenly decide "yep, new sibling" and surprise adopt kidnap her?

Thanks for considering!! Love your work, Make sure to take breaks if tired!

-TML

YES!!!working on this kind of this is what make Requests so fun!Amaimon will be kind of funny to write🤣 thanks for the Request ❤️

PD: for some reason i imagine this Reader has some Shinobu personality? It's hinch.

Platonic Yandere Mephisto Pheles,Lucifer and Amaimon x Ex-wire! Reader

Genre: Headcanons

Reader: female

Warnings: YANDERE BEHAVIOR, PLATONIC YANDERE, OBSESIVE BEHAVIOR, MENTIONS OF BREAKING READER, FORCED FAMILITY, the three of them TOGHETHER on the title is NOT enough warning?? Illuminati, Amaimon is Mean sometimes--

SPOILERS FROM THE MANGA!!!

As said above, (reader) has a very complicated past with demons, to the point of hating them.

It can honestly be anything, whether your family has been affected by the blue night, by District 13 or simply that your parents have been exorcists who have died in the line of duty.

In any case, (reader) ended up developing a great hatred towards these creatures and decided that she would become an exorcist, in order to get out all that pent-up rage.

In general, I imagine this (reader) as a quite aggressive person and has trouble opening up, so she gets her emotions out through outbursts of anger.

but at the same time he is very intelligent, he uses his environment to his advantage and knows how to take advantage of his resources.

He has what we call "street smarts"

I have no idea who would be the one to take care of (reader) during her training before being Ex-wire, although with her personality, she would run away from any caregiver she had.

(I think the only exception would be Angel because 1- he is strong like that and 2- they share a similar hatred towards demons).

(reader) manages to enter the Ex-wire class, and stands out both for better... and for worse.

First of all, her classmates have a difficult time trying to talk to her (even Shiemi) precisely because of her closed attitude, in addition to the fact that she has constant friction with Izumo and even with Bon.

and most importantly she feels something strange with Rin...

(reader) doesn't know what it is, but she already hates it.

The only one safe from his outbursts is practically Konekomaru (and the weird kid with the puppets, whatever his name is).

It is because of this very fuss that it causes that it ends up attracting the wrong attention.

Mephisto is the first to have interest in (reader)

Not from the beginning as such, no no, although Mephisto had noticed her completely wild attitude compared to her companions (which he found hilarious to say the least) I think it would not be the trigger for him to become interested in (female reader).

I think it's only until (the reader) gets to share her experience, her horrible past with demons, the pure, burning HATE she has for them, that Mephisto finds her very interesting.

Oh humans, so diverse and with many facets~

but Mephisto definitely liked how open she (reader) was in her hatred, that she wasn't looking for moral supremacy or anything like that, she just wanted blood and she loves that!

so he tries to approach in a very unsubtle way and see more of that side knowing how much she hates demons.

appearing out of nowhere in the hallways to scare her and make her curse him, appearing in his dog form in her room to parasite (and then being kicked out) and a long etc.

In this way he not only became involved in the life of (the reader) but also learned more about her in the process, giving emphasis to the growing obsession.

Mephisto wants to know more about this "problematic" student who has caught his interest, whether it is having her academic record or all the information he has and whatever he has, he is not satisfied until he has it all.

It's almost as if I had replaced reading manga with the history of (reader)😅🤣

In this way, now every time he ran into (the reader), Mephisto made jokes and pranks that were increasingly more personal, more intimate.

and that is very scary.

apart from the fact that he behaves in a more... sticky way with (reader).

and that is VERY obvious.

He greets you with a HUG or a pat on the head (no, he doesn't care if you bite him or try to hit him).

and he is even the first to ask (reader) to call him "Oni-chan"

(how fucking disgusting--)

Mephisto is like the older brother who constantly bothers you.

and it is very difficult to get out of its grip.

Do you try to go outside the bedrooms? appears in the form of a dog.

Do you try to go for a walk around campus? appears randomly. It is impossible to surprise him.

But he does have something like an agent that helps him keep (the reader) in line.

That's when Amaimon comes in.

Honestly, he wouldn't be interested in (reader) at first, even though his older brother seemed to have an interest in her.

So, when he told him to keep an eye on her, he didn't think much of it other than it was a nuisance.

While Amaimon finds the task of "taking care of (reader)" annoying, he can't really do much against his brother. Although I think that to have fun from time to time he would make some things happen to (reader) just to make her angry. Like trowing insects at her or even leaving Creepy ass things in her locker.

It's boring for him, better than being a hamster, but extremely boring, so he starts picking on her.

She clearly sees him and curses him every time she sees him about to do something "mischievous" to her or when she hears him commenting on how "weak she is" in training. He thinks it's funny to see her all grumbling.

although eventually it becomes more than that.

Amaimon seems quite carefree, but as time goes by, he takes his "task" of "protecting" (reader) more seriously.

After all, being so weak, who else could take care of her?

He is one of the first to kill for the "well-being" of (reader).

I mean, he can do it as long as it's not one of the Okumura brothers, let him have some fun.

at the same time that he begins to want to have more interaction with (reader) beyond making her angry.

fight, for example.

After all, there must be something about her that caught her older brother's attention. Maybe she has something that he doesn't realize?

although without knowing it he is only falling into the same obsessive trap as his brother.

Once Amaimon becomes a student, rest assured that he will be glued to (reader) and insist that they fight, but she either tells him to fuck off every time or tries to escape from his grasp, without success.

It's like the meme of "fight me You nerd ass punk"🤣

Although don't get me wrong, I think he would be the most manageable of the three, even the "best" brother as far as possible.

(Bonus if you are a distant relative of Shiemihaza, maybe it would explain why Mephisto likes to mess with you so much, to screw with the Vatican)

He already understood that he can't make (the reader) fight with him by bothering her, so now he's simply trying to "figure out" what the hell he does to get there.

although at the same time, being as carefree as he is, he doesn't have so much problem giving (the reader) some time alone and can even distract Mephisto for a while so that she is less irritable.

Amaimon discovers that he actually likes it when (reader) talks and doesn't just grunt.

He's like that awkward brother but if you do him a favor he'll have your back, more or less.

Because he wants you to spend time with him.

It makes (the reader) at least watch him fight if she's not going to fight him.

I think Lowkey wants to show her how strong he is because well, Ego. but it is also a way to measure the strength of (reader) by her reactions. And intimation

although I doubt this (reader) will be intimidated.

He is definitely the first to suggest eliminating (reader's) entire family if she has one left :)

He's not really a fan of (reader) calling him a brother like Mephisto, but he demands the respect of an older brother and at some point he won't let (reader) walk all over him.

Mephisto and him argue about whether it's a good idea to let him (reader) fight him or not, precisely because Mephisto doesn't want him to get hurt.

and Amaimon WANTS to understand what made him become so attached to her. Maybe by fighting he will understand.

NOW, THE MAIN COURSE.

LUCIFER

(reader) at first would only know him from certain mentions of Amaimon that came to nothing, but when the Illuminati's declaration of war occurs or in any case something related to section 13, she understands everything...

There's a small chance that Shima told the Illuminati about (reader) seeing how "close" she was to Mephisto, which would make Lucifer interested.

Why are his brothers so interested in a completely human student who isn't even related to them?

(reader: same man, same)

So naturally he makes them investigate (reader) to understand why out of nowhere his brothers seem so attached to a simple human.

Who knows, maybe it will serve the Illuminati in some way.

(ignoring the hypothetical case of being a descendant of ShiemiHaza) when Lucifer does not find anything really relevant in his search, he is more doubtful than before, but he reasons, perhaps the human has some kind of ritual that only Mephisto knows about.

There HAS to be something that makes his brother like this.

For the same reason, if Lucifer tries to ask Mephisto directly, he becomes very defensive, telling him to stay away from the students and especially from (the reader).

which only gives him more motivation to want to know more about her.

so 1- seeing that she really doesn't want to be with Mephisto and Amaimon orders Shima to recruit her or 2- (more likely) he directly kidnaps her during the declaration of war on the true cross :)

Be that as it may, (reader) ends up on the Illuminati ship more deranged than ever, and well, it makes sense, now they not only harass her, chase her and pull her from one place to another, but they kidnap her!

Even if Lucifer maintains manners and courtesy, as soon as (the reader) realizes that he is a demon, he becomes wild and tries to get out by all possible means, including jumping off the ship!

Fortunately, Homare constantly watches her and, to his relief, she is not very talkative.

But Lucifer is still quite confused. If this human has absolutely nothing special then why is he important?

although he understands a little better when Mephisto demands that he return his "sister"

Ah, so that was it. family ties.

He is the quickest to accept that (reader) is something like a new brother, so as soon as he finds out this new information, he goes to (reader) and demands to know EVERYTHING about her.

likes, dislikes, what her life was like, her abilities, her weaknesses, whatever, his most obsessive side comes to light.

and (reader) is so confused that she barely answers 1/4 of the questions.

Now, Lucifer is like combining Mephisto and Amaimon.

He is very protective, but he is not on top of (reader) all day (at least not the same one, Homare is usually the one who watches the reader)

He wants (reader) to treat him like an older brother and be referred to as such, but he doesn't force her.

uses a similar approach as with Yukio. He slowly attracts her so that she gets used to HIM.

but it doesn't mean it's not bad.

If (reader) still has a family, he will use them as a constant threat against (reader) to improve her attitude and behavior, he is not above killing them if he feels particularly jealous.

Although I think he would kill (reader)'s sibilings if she had them. After all, she already has him and his brothers, humans could never be equal.

He doesn't spend as much time with (reader) as the other two, but he makes up for it with PRETTY expensive gifts and things he knows she likes (from stalking her).

I think he would only return (reader) if a kind of agreement is reached with Mephisto, in which they both share (reader) and Amaimon goes with her when she is with both of them, that way Mephisto can ensure that Lucifer returns (reader) (reader) and vice versa.

I know this was about their relationship as brothers with (reader) but it reminds me a lot of divorced parents who share custody of their children... although of course, these parents are crazy.

going straight all together, it's not as bad as one would think.

Mephisto is the biggest pain in the ass, that's for sure. He is VERY POSSESSIVE of (reader) to an almost ridiculous point.

He likes to put clothes similar to him, it's a way of "showing dominance" and he likes to think that this way they seem more like a family.

Being with him prepare yourself for a lot of unwanted physical contact and to spend HOURS watching your former classmates suffer from his tricks and be left on the sidelines because you can no longer even carry a weapon...

INFANTILIZATION AT MAXIMUM POWER, he loves to pamper (the reader) and act as if she were a little girl, either because it amuses him to see her angry or because for someone who is thousands of years old like him, she IS indeed a baby.

he reacts VERY badly to rules being broken, if (reader) wants to save herself from punishment (most likely having broken bones, even if he speeds up time so it's not THAT bad, it's horrible) she should go to Amaimon.

He's the best, I already said it.

more than anything because he "understands" better the situation of stress under the thumb of his older brother and now he can understand affection a little better, even if it is still toxic.

but don't be fooled.

If he sees the slightest possibility that (reader) is going to leave him, then he will tell Mephisto or Lucifer to ruin any plan, that's how he is.

apart from the fact that he follows (reader) s everywhere to "inform" Mephisto and Lucifer of his well-being. and it is impossible to lose him, he has a connection with the entire earth and a great ability to find what he wants. Do not even try.

although as long as you give him some affection and treats, he's actually quite manageable, not clingy or overly jealous, just very aggressive and protective.

(another who would want to kill the reader's brothers when seeing them as a threat to their relationship).

and Lucifer...he's a mix.

he's not AS possessive as Mephisto, but he definitely wants everyone to know that (reader) is HIS sister.

He has great respect for the rules and he wants them to be followed, but when it is (the reader) who breaks them, he is much more lenient.

Be careful, I don't want to say that he is exempt from horrible punishments, if (reader) exceeds a limit of errors, then he will not be saved from one.

but Lucifer goes more for the Psychological side of things.

It makes (reader) believe that she is in control of the situation, a situation where she has no real advantage.

In this way he gains her favor but causes him to fall into his trap.

because HE is the one who is in control of everything. If (reader) goes far, it is because he allows it.

very protective, more than Mephisto, if it were up to him she wouldn't leave the Illuminati base, but at the same time he gives (reader) much more autonomy than Pheles.

It's very difficult to come to terms with him, but at least you can use his own sense of the rules against him :D

I think that the one most likely to break (reader) would be Mephisto, followed by Lucifer, these two would undoubtedly do it on purpose so that (reader) would stop trying to escape. Amaimon would only do it by accident due to his lack of knowledge of the human mind.

If (reader) develops Stockholm syndrome, Mephisto is throwing a fucking party! even LUCIFER would be happy (reader) has returned to her senses! and Amaimon would be happy but he would definitely miss the anger.

In short, it's chaos, but it balances out in certain curious ways so you get a little bit of each world.

Overall, it's a VERY fucked up yandere trio to be with, but look on the bright side! you will never be alone...

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

thanks for the request ❤️

ahhhh I loved writing this but I feel like some parts are messy?😭 or maybe because it's my longest fic so far?? I hope you like it and I'm sorry if it's too loaded!

[bermuda-n-drangle]

Wilds of Eldraine Is More Arthurian Than Throne of Eldraine Was

Wizards of the Coast personnel, most prominently Mark Rosewater, have been transparent that Eldraine began its creative life as an Arthurian/Camelot inspired plane. Which it still is, but it was originally just that. However, they'd run some polls, and general public's recognition of things from Arthurian legend was limited in scope compared to the actual breadth of source material. So, to avoid a second Kamigawa, they supplemented it with the "fairy tale plane" premise, which has also been on the short list for years but didn't have enough thematic legs to stand on its own. They would play off each other: fairy tales needed a kingdom of humans, and Camelot legends needed a magical element outside the kingdom.

It was a pretty great idea. Then, the set came out, and the "Arthurian half" of it was received much more mildly than the fairy tale half. So, in Wilds of Eldraine, the fairy tale half is given much, much more prominence. This is obvious in every aspect of the set, from key art to draft archetypes, to the absence of Knight typal.

So this post's title probably seems like a weird sentiment to have. But I feel like Throne's Arthurian side feel flat because it was barely there to begin with.

Here, walk with me through a creative exercise. Suppose you have been tasked with making a setting inspired by Arthurian legend, the way Theros is inspired by Greek myth. You do not yet know that you will be given a fairy tale parachute later on. What's step one?

You probably said "make an analogue of King Arthur and/or Camelot". Because that's the right answer. And that is, indeed what they did.

Sort of.

Eldraine's Camelot is Ardenvale, and its high king is the Good King Algenus Kenrith. He underwent many trials to claim his crown, and all of the realm looks to him for leadership.

King Kenrith's card is not in booster pack, and his entire role in the story is that he is kidnapped and turned into an ungulate.

That's a pretty odd way to handle the King Arthur of your King Arthur setting, in the set that's introducing the setting. But okay.

You have your Arthur expy, and you have his kingdom. What is Step 2 in making a resonant facsimile of the Matter of Britain?

If you said "make four more Camelots"... Well, I'd say that's an odd pull. Given that there was only one Camelot in the source material. However, I did say that in this scenario you were designing for a Magic set, and if a plane doesn't have five or ten of its main gimmick, Richard Garfield will just die on the spot.

This is how we get the five courts. There is Ardenvale, yes, but that's just the white guys. Each court is a different take on the virtues of knighthood and chivalry. Ardenvale values honor and loyalty, Vantress values wisdom and knowledge, Locthwain values determination and persistence, Embereth values bravery and valor, and Garenbrig values strength and fortitude. Thus, the Knight, which is traditionally very white and sometimes black, can be in any color it wants this set and still make sense.

And that was very cool of them, honestly! However, it doesn't get us any closer to the setting feeling Arthurian. Setting aside that you're making a Magic set, ask: once you have King Arthur himself and Camelot, what do you need next to truly be Arthurian-evocative?

There's a pretty good chance that you said either Merlin or Excalibur. And Eldraine does indeed have those! Sort of.

This is Gadwick the Wizened and Embercleave. The former is from Vantress, and the latter associated with Embereth.

I have just told you all the lore about Gadwick and Embercleave.

They are both part of cycles of cards. Gadwick is the only card in his cycle that has anything to do with King Arthur conceptually, and in-universe he does nothing significant and is unrelated to Kenrith or Ardenvale, so it's really only process of elimination and word of God that places him as this setting's Merlin. Embercleave is part of a cycle of artifacts meant to represent different artifacts from Arthurian legend. Except the blue one, which is another fairy tale thing, and the green one, which is... Stonehenge, for some reason.

In fact, Embercleave almost did not exist. It was originally the Irencrag, this world's Sword in the Stone-- or rather, Stone with the Sword. (Note: Excalibur isn't even the sword in the stone, Excalibur was from the lady of the lady, the stone sword is different, look it up) Knights of Embereth, as a rite of passage, stick their weapon into the rocky edifice, and if they can pull it back out again, they are worthy of knighthood. And that's a very fun, cute way to take a recognizable motif of the source material and expand it into a whole cultural thing, genuinely.

But you're telling me early drafts of your Story of King Arthur Plane didn't have an Excalibur? Like, I'm glad that you caught it before you went to print, but where are your priorities where that almost happened? And it's not like Arthurian myth has some kind of dearth of legendary relics! Rhongomyniad, Failnaught, Carnwennan, the Ring of Dispel, the Green Sash, Prydwen. There, I just made another five color cycle with one to spare, and I wasn't even trying!

But fine, it's fine. You have your King Arthur, your Merlin, and your Excalibur, and even your Holy Grail, even though not a one has anything to do with the other and only one of them will do anything of significance within the story. You also almost had a Morgan le Fay analogue in the form of Sheoldred the Whispering Witch, but you cut her later in design because you wanted Eldraine to be a breather period after WotS and not another immediate ramp-up (good call, btw, but her replacement, Oko, is very much not a Morgan).

Is there... anything else? Something... synonymous with King Arthur, present in virtually every pop culture depiction of the man in some fashion? Something that a layman might naturally finish the sentence "King Arthur and his..." if prompted?

That's right, his Round Table!

King Arthur's iconic Round Table, which he famously sat at all by himself. His Round Table which was definitely intrinsically magical and NOT, by any means, a symbol of a regent placing himself on equal footing with those who swore allegiance to him.

In case my sarcasm is not portraying my frustration adequately: there are no Knights of the Round Table in this set. There plenty of knights, sure. A glut of them. And, as seen above, there is something of a Round Table that some of them are associated with. But there is not elite fellowship of legendary knights with the King counted among their distinguished and exclusive ranks.

The set Throne of Eldraine have five legendary knights at uncommon, plus a sixth if you count the commander precon. None of them have any lore or characterization beyond "hey remember how we said knights of this color are like? this is one of them".

Lancelot, the peerless master of weapons whose base desires doomed the court to infighting. Bedivere, the king's first knight of unfailing loyalty and single arm. Kay, the king's stepbrother turned protector, know for his mix of fire magic and swordplay. Gawain the gentleman, whose arrogance is tempered into humility. Mordred, the child of the king and his worst enemy, traitor to the crown. Tristan of the tragic romance. Galahad, Agravain, Percival.

Not a single one of them has an intentional parallel in Throne. All real estate for legendary knight characters in what is, ostensibly, The Legendary Knight Setting, is dedicated to going "knights are in all five colors in this setting isn't that neat".

And one might think "oh, they were just worried that the average consumer isn't going to have the knowledge of the specific of King Arthur's court". And ordinarily might be inclined to agree with you, but: they printed Questing Beast.

Yes, everybody's favorite 4/4 for four with three keywords and more further upsides than most would care to count. The questing beast is an actual thing from Arthurian lore, and like a surprising number of other mythical creatures, it probably originated from someone poorly describing a giraffe. Still, it's extremely obscure. I count myself the biggest authority in Arthurian stuff in most of my friend circles, and I'd never heard of this thing until its card was spoiled.

So this thing that almost nobody had ever heard of, it gets to be in the set, legendary, at mythic, and strong enough to warp standard, PLUS explicit lore importance. But making room for a single Knight of the Round Table? In the Camelot setting? Couldn't be done.

I'm not asserting this is actually true, but looking at the set, I can't help but feel that whoever pitched "let's do an Arthurian world after War of the Spark" knew nothing about King Arthur stuff besides what cartoons and movies made casual reference to. Like, really. Assume that you aren't allowed to say "there's a king" or "there are knights", because those are both things true of very many planes, and tell me, how would explain what makes Eldraine "Arthurian"?

Oathsword Knight is a Monty Python reference, is that anything?

So, yeah. The set comes out, and according to market research, the Arthurian side of the plane "tested poorly", which is to say, most players didn't realize it was there, which is to say, they realized it wasn't. So, in response to this-- I mean, by sheer coincidence, the Phyrexians destroyed all five courts in the invasion. References to them still exist, but Eldraine is focusing much more on the fairy-tale side of things this time, hence the name Wilds of Eldraine. There's knights, but no knight typal. Humans, but no adamant.

And then something funny happened.

I won't go into every last detail of Wilds of Eldraine's story, but: Will and Rowan are in disagreement of how The Realm should be salvaged. Rowan, frustrated with ideas like "social reform" and "negotiation", wants to do so with her magical prowess, and is willing to swear fealty to her evil witch aunt to make it happen. Will, meanwhile, is more level-headed, and wants to untie the realm by simply being a good leader and trusting the people to believe in him. And at first, they don't. But Syr Imodane, knight turned raider turned knight again, sees his earnestness and decides to place her loyalty in Will, and others follow after her.

One day I was thinking about Imodane, who features prominently in the story, and I had a small realization. The prosthetic arm, the mixture of fire magic and melee combat, being first to join. She's sort of like Bedivere and Kay rolled into one character. Except, you know, meaner, and a woman of color.

Then, like a flash, it clicked for me.

Algenus was never the Arthur. He was the Uther, THAT'S why he barely did anything. Will Kenrith is the King Arthur, the boy who became king because somebody had to. Eriette is the Morgan. And Rowan, her pawn and Will's flesh and blood, is the Mordred.

And just like that, they've done it. They have captured, not just the surface-level aesthetics of the Matter of Britain, which are by themselves nothing extraordinary, but the SPIRIT of it.

Many people thought getting rid of the courts would dilute the setting's Arthurian theme to nonexistence, but honestly? The courts never had anything to do with the Arthurian theme, not really. Apparently, they were just getting in the way.

Ultimately, making a setting "Arthurian" is a foolhardy task, because the setting of King Arthur himself isn't interesting, and it's not what makes the tale of Camelot interesting. But making STORY "Arthurian", making its cast and their relationships and their arcs and their virtues line up with what the tale of Camelot explores? That's something. Strange that it took making a limited archetype about evil candy to accomplish this, but we got there.

[heart2beom]

Hellooo I’ve said this as an anon before but I absolutely love your writing! Unrelated, but I was wondering if you have any Beomgyu fic recommendations? I read everything I could in the long post containing fic recs on your previous 4beomy account and I loved every single one of them, but now I can’t find anything left so I’m just rereading my faves LOL Thank you! (And also, thank you for writing! Again, your fics make me so happy)

You’re sooo sweet, thank you for complimenting me not once but TWICE 😭😭?? In terms of recs, I honestly have no idea if I’ve read anything much lately so I had to quickly cruise through my likes both on here and my old blog 😭

I present to you the list of beomgyu fics I’ve decently enjoyed (hopefully no repeats from my other list):

-> Message in a Bottle by @delacyrose224

very cute stuff, best friends to lovers...everyone knows at this point, but i'll forever express my love for this basic ass trope (i literally have a full list of books for b2l. the best romance books come from this trope!!!). one thing i loved about this fic is the portrayal of beomgyu-- just a genuinely good guy. the way he was discreet about his jealousy instead of making a whole deal about it, like fuck i love a mature, healthy dynamic, its so freaking cute

-> Night In by @tqmies

a dark fic, but its so good. i especially liked the fantasy element/twist on a common trope. everything about this is well written but the ending will give you some heebie jeebies (cant believe i just used that) its some fucked up shit 😭 um but b2l beomgyu!! (shoot me in the head)

-> A Recipe for Love by @tinietaehyun

who doesnt love a good old b2l beomgyu roommate fluff!?!?! it's soooo freaking cute i swear i never giggled so much 😭 this writer in general is very good with words and imagery, it's incredibly vivid.

-> how could you not know? by @angelbythewindow

have you noticed the pattern? yeah, it's another b2l. i LOVED the use of flashbacks here and the cute usage of the childhood "beanpole" nickname like shut up do you want me to die? the emotions here were OVERPOWERING. i felt everything beomgyu felt, felt everything mc felt, it was just sosososososo well written.

-> Why We (Don't) Work by @cafeseoulmate

haha. definitely not another b2l!!! i never included this on my other blog's rec list (bcs i dont think it was out at the time) but it is my most recent reblog on 4beomy so i'm fairly sure you've seen it. but regardless, for anyone else who's looking for beomgyu fics, please please please READ THIS. i wouldn't say it's a plot sort of story, it builds off of a lot of flashbacks and whatnot, but that's what makes it so great. like you get a feel for their relationship, why both characters just wouldn't work out (hence the title) but then the more you read the more you're like...alright... YOU KNOW?? like fuck, i almost teared up by the end it was such a cute love confession. a must read for all the bamtoris.

-> slam dunk, lover boy by @qqtxt

just absolutely cute stuff. check out everything from this blog, just binge, you're guaranteed fluffy cuteness. nothing really happens between the two here, but its still really cute and ykw i wanted some change here, so this is a sprinkle of e2l beomgyu

-> Stood Up by @imaginidol

okay, it's angst, i'll be straight up. but idk it was an enjoyable read, even though a little sad at the end 😭

-> Moonflower by @sleeping-sirens

really sweet short stuff, i love beomgyu i swear

-> somniferous confessions by @gyu-xiao

i don't usually read bulleted fics (this is the only one i've read actually 😭) but this is worth the read. i genuinely squealed a few times, giggled like tons, it was so adorable i loved it.

-> be my date by @blossom-hwa

honestly a little bit of a blur, i read this ages ago, but it's good because blossom hwa wrote it like trust me.

-> i know i love you by @universecorp

tried really hard to not include smut but this is definitely a little more plot driven than it is smut, it's sweet. a little angsty but i love it. smut at the end is definitely skippale, just concluding it as the fact that they made love is cute enough too 😭

-> check yes, juliet by @fairyofthestar

-> Yours Truly by @boba-beom

so so freaking cute. we're back with the b2ls but who cares, we all know it fits him so well!!!

-> old friend by @hueningshaped

a little bit of a spin on the fake dating trope and i love it. exes pretending to be lovers? hello? i'm so happy the ending wasn't hard hitting 😭

Fics I'm looking forward to read:

-> The Case by @tinietaehyun

not beomgyu centered but idk i love everything this person has written so far so i'm going to tackle this series. give it a read, i'm sure this'll give someone a good mindfuck since it is a detective series 😭

-> Ashen by @writingmochi

i think i might read this tonight actually, but yeah definitely check this one out. i can sniff out a great writer when i see one!!!!

-> Newsflash! by @ijhyo

teaser has me hooked, like everything about the secret identity...yeah, will wait on it.

-> This Love by @delacyrose224

ive always thought a beomgyu and taehyun love triangle would be a recipe for a perfect fic like… it just makes so much sense because theyre so different in personalities and that clash is just a perfect storm for a love triangle. so i will be reading 🙏 plus, it’s decently long! does it get any better?

Hopefully I got you covered for a couple of days anon 😭 I'll go back to reblogging recommended fics again once I get my shit together at uni, too many good writers out here 💔

[swbookerr]

thoughts on shanks/mihawk?

I love Shanks/Mihawk. They're great from what little we see of them together, especially in the live action. The 'divorced dad' vibes are very strong.

In my head—and in my Shanks/Ace universe—Shanks was romantically involved with Mihawk (and with Buggy to a lesser extent; they were only young, after all). I believe his experience and his failures (self-perceived or otherwise) with Buggy informed his relationship with Mihawk. I imagine that Shanks and Mihawk started out as rivals, fighting all across the Grand Line, then they became true equals, and then lovers.

Mihawk is somewhat of an isolated person by choice (putting it lightly), so his relationship with Shanks was bound to be distant in some ways—but I think that wasn't helped by the fact that Shanks learned to put his goal above everything (he's such a martyr). Shanks may have also looked at what went wrong with Buggy and decided that he shouldn't get too close to Mihawk, for both of their sakes.

(Unrelated to Mihawk, but Shanks' friendly demeanour is connected to this; it lends the appearance of friendship where there may be none. That way, he doesn't actually have to get close to people. Also means people underestimate him. The older he gets, the more he realises the importance of relationships—the sheer trust he has in Benn is something that helps teach him that—but I think, after Roger's death and Buggy's departure, Shanks felt like he couldn't afford to have too many people close to him. He has a small, fairly weak crew that he protects. I feel like he's always known the importance of bonds to other people, but has often neglected them for "the greater good" or something like that.)

Of course, Mishanks love each other, they do. But things take a wobble when Shanks disappears for a fucking year, having robbed the Gum Gum Fruit from the Marines, and returns without his arm—his dominant sword arm. Where Mihawk and Shanks used to be perfect equals, they are no longer—or, at least that's how Mihawk sees it. Things are weird then, because they still love each other, but it's not the same. Mihawk's a pretty simple guy, cares mostly about swordsmanship, whereas Shanks has always had bigger plans. They decide they make better allies than lovers.

Years later, Ace comes into play with Shanks. At this point, Shanks is preparing for Luffy's (Joy Boy's) arrival, so a lot of his part is over for the time being. Ace is someone he can see feasibly having close to him (for a lot of reasons) without compromising himself, his crew, or his goals.

Meanwhile, I could see Mihawk getting with... Well, Zoro, honestly. (Wouldn't that be funny? Mishanks both get much younger boyfriends and meet randomly at sea one day. Hah!) He could get with anyone (looking at Crocodile and Buggy), but Zoro and Mihawk share a very passionate interest in swordsmanship; it's the most important thing in the world to both of them. They could totally get together. (And their relationship could totally end with Zoro killing him for his title.)

Having said all of that, I'm also a sucker for stories where Shanks and Mihawk end up together. But, geez, sorry for the rambling! Hope this was the kind of thing you were looking for?

[devondespresso]

WIP WhhhMonday Nightish

Once upon a time Devon was tagged in a wip wednesday by @eriquin and meant to do it but missed both wednesday and the weekend before remembering again. totally unrelated, Devon is working on getting their official adhd diagnosis.

i also noticed that the past snippets shared in wip-whatever posts have been purposefully the least interesting parts because i was worried about spoilers, which is dumb because that's created the unintended consequence of my tag is full of everything i don't like as much and a very different impression of what my fic is (as seen by most of these snippets being my rewritten scenes despite the actual fic being mostly new in-between scenes)

TLDR: WIP Whatever-day-it-is: But Actually For Fun This Time

The Rules

Post the file names of up to 5 of your WIPs for people to send you asks

Post a snippet of one of those WIPs

When people send you an ask with the name of one of your WIPs, write 3 lines of that WIP.

(Optional) Post the lines you wrote.

You can send multiple requests especially since this is going on through the weekend!

The WIPs

we're doing bulleted chapter titles to share from since that was my favorite and genuinely most productive format I've used. Feel free to ask for as many as you want, I plan on working on this basically all week

Karen Wheeler POV Bonus Chapter (Prologue kinda? side story in the same universe?? Bonus chapter set after season 1 and way before ch 1)

Steve, are you okay? Are you okay, Steve? (ch 9)

What's this? The consequences of my actions? (Is that a motherfucking Lovejoy reference?) (ch 10)

Kidnapping? no. surprise adoption. (lol get taken care of BITCH) (ch 11)

NEXT CHAPTER BC IDK HOW TO TRANSITION (ch 12) (a very tentative title for the next chapter to be written)

The Snippet

here is my favorite and most recent scene I've written, which takes place before they junkyard where Steve and Dustin are at the grocery store to get that ungodly amount of raw meat they have to toss around (also i've split chapters up a bit in the name of structure so the third chapter is now called "Mommy Issues Central". Lemme know any goofy vine reference ideas you guys have or if it should stay like that) (fear not, Get Yo Fucking Dog Bitch lives on still as chapter 4)

___

They turned down the next aisle, lining the edges of the cart with some other pasta-related shit that he could still probably use. They heard someone coming over from the next aisle and before he could turn the cart around Mrs Wheeler pulled up.

"Oh, Steve ...and Dustin. What're you boys up to?"

He took a short breath to work their story into something without Mike, but Dustin beat him to it.

"He's teaching me stuff." 

He was imitating the tone Steve used but still way too vague. Mrs Wheeler held up a smile, her brows slightly lifted.

"Y'know, like cooking-" Steve said, throwing in a little gesture to the cart.

"And cars, changing oil and things. Y'know just.. dad stuff."

Dustin's part convinced her, Mrs Wheeler's expression softening into a real smile.

"Well I won't keep you long," 

She nodded off to the side to talk to Steve one-on-one.

Great.

“Are you and Nancy okay?”

“Wh- we’re- Why? Did she say something?”

“No, no, she’s just been… closed off, lately. And I drove her to school the other day, she didn’t say why.”

“Sh- yeah, that- that’s on me. Sorry.”

“Did you break up?”

“No no, definitely not. We’re kinda… we’re working on it. I’m going to try and make it better, after y’know..” he gestured to Dustin behind him.

“Right.” she smiled again, “Let Nancy know she can talk to me about any of this? Please? I tell her but- I don't know, maybe it’d be different coming from you.”

He held up a smile for her.

“Yeah, sure. Mind if we..” he jutted a thumb towards the end of the aisle.

“Yes, go ahead.”

He gave her a short wave and turned back to Dustin, who studied random shit in the aisle like Steve would believe his sudden fascination with olive oil outweighed childish curiosity.

“Steve-”

He turned back around, seeing Mrs Wheeler coming back up to him and whispering again.

“I know I’m not your mother, but you can talk to me, too. Both of you, okay?”

He kept the smile in place and nodded again, and she finally went back to her cart.

Dustin “Definitely-Not-Eavesdropping” Henderson followed him out of the aisle, thankfully waiting until they were out of earshot to ask.

“What's going on with you and Nancy?”

“Thought we had ‘much bigger problems than my love life’?”

He pulled up to the deli, stopping to pretend to look at the options.

“We’re not dropping everything for it but we can still talk.” he groaned.

“I’ll tell you later, kay? Not exactly the best place to talk.''

___

Tags

@stobinesque @spoookysix @marvel-ous-m @alexcharmsyou @museumgiftshoperaser @blushweddinggowns @sharpbutsoft @fag4dykestobin @findafight (no pressure ofc and feel free to switch it to actually wednesday fhuhjdklashj) (also just let me know if you don't wanna be tagged in these)

[edensrose]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ    ꒰❀꒱ 𝒗𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆! 𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒖 ❜࿔ 

─────── .°୭̥ ✿ˎˊ˗ “ oh darling , the devil's whispers are sweet. . . and its bite is sweeter ’

( ❀ ) ˙ ˖ ainur⠀〳 reader⠀ ៸៸ vampire themes ៸៸ blood mention ៸៸ biting, so much biting ៸៸ some violent themes ៸៸ dark fantasy ៸៸ royal aspects ៸៸ victorian esque ៸៸ various other tags  to be listed as the au ensues ❜࿔

꒰❀꒱ 𝒗𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆. 𝒂 𝒎𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅.

· ⊰ synopsis. a world where mysterious, terrible creatures of the night rule over the land from the shadows. mere myth to most yet reality to others, it seems that the latter might become more apparent as there is an uproar in the vampire royal court. this victorian esque story follows the lives of the vampire court, the internal divide between kings, the struggle of scientists fighting for humanity. . . and the war between creatures of twilight and the divine hunters that vow to eradicate them. 

· ⊰ notes.

꒰❀꒱ ainur are either vampires or vampire hunter 

꒰❀꒱ while it is a victorian-like setting, it is not to be matched with the real-world time 

꒰❀꒱ some plots might have dark themes, but that depends on the premise 

You step through a dusty, dim lab. Strewn in blotched parchment, painted with crimson soaked into the carpet and wooden desk. 

Minding the shattered test beakers and other scientific apparatuses, you find your way to the table that lay across the dishevelled room. A half-melted candle lies abandoned on the side and you strike a match to alleviate the strain on your vision. 

Before you lay an open book. Droplets of that same crimson staining the worn-out parchment, coupled with hasty ink on the last pages. You brush the paper, feeling a sense of dignity almost emanating from them as you page to the front. Diagrams, sketches, essays and descriptions - whoever wrote this took great care and observation. You felt their life's work between your very fingertips, their pride and joy. 

You read over the title, The Vampire Legendarium, before slipping into the seat and reading the elegant handwriting. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 0.1

Many think me insane for this research and its findings. 

Many call me a lunatic, a crazed fool.

However, I have seen it with my own eyes, what these. . . night demons are capable of. Beings of enhanced speed and strength. A terrifying intellect like no other. They stalk the twilight, but I believe that some may even walk the day. Exceptional hunters by nature, they seek only one goal throughout their frightening existence. 

An unrelenting, unquenchable, borderline sadistic craving for human blood. 

Perhaps I have lost my sanity whilst documenting what I can, but I only ask that you humour my insanity for but a moment, as I take you into the world:

Of the Vampire. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 1.

To start my research, I scoured various myths and legends. There had to be some sort of explanation as to why these beings walk among us. 

Many tales were found, but there was an occurring story that seemed to stand out amongst the rest. A tale of the sun goddess Anartári and the moon god Isiltar. I will try my best to form a cohesive briefing of this story, as in order to understand one's present standing, you must first dissect their history. 

At the onset of creation, Anartári blessed the humans faithful to her with divine prosperity. This ancient race of humans grew to be more advanced than what we have today, in body, mind and spirituality. Records do not name these humans, so it is up to me to name this race,

Eruva; the divine. 

Blessed by the sun herself, their splendour reigned throughout the land. The Eruva adored their goddess and made it so that others conformed to her worship as well. The tree of Laurelin became their item of praise, their symbol of loyalty and the essence of their greatness. For whoever ate the fruit and drank its wine was sanctified.

Yet for all their otherworldly knowledge and excellency, they fell victim to the same fate that most mortals do: the folly of man. 

Greedy to conquer even death itself, they too went into the field of science and alchemy. Some even branched out, extending to the opposite spectrum. The tree of Telprion on the opposite end of the vast land, the essence of the moon god Isiltar.

And from that tree, coupled with rituals and blood sacrifices, came a result that no man could ever perceive as something divine or holy. . .

Vampires.

Better in every way were these creatures. Different too. And for a time, they were even praised. Exalted. Though something was off about these creatures: they served the moon. Praised and worshipped it. An act that was considered evil amongst the Eruva. Hypocrites.

But the final straw was when the Eruva came to learn that there was a price for immortality. For when these creatures grew hungry, mortal food was not enough to satisfy them. 

The land was painted red, and there was nothing to be done.

How can one kill the unkillable?

In their desperation to destroy the object of their own greed, they formed what would come to be known as the Laurëmá. 

An elite of hunters tasked with purifying the world of the evil that they created. 

I believe that they exist even to this day. With that being said, it is evident that they have not succeeded in their goal. As Vampires still dwell in these cursed lands.

Intricate. That was the only way you could describe these accounts. Your page slides down the width of the sewn-together book and you decide to continue. 

Paging through the old parchment, you scan different headings that caught your eye. Detailed, flawless. You might have even considered this to be the handiwork of the aforementioned Eruva. If this was not divine intellect, then what was?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 3. — Anatomy & Function 

While more popular tales and stories depict these beings as walking corpses, my findings show that it could not be further from the truth. 

They bleed like man, some cases of house invasion and disguise note that they even eat and sleep much like us humans. 

The notion of vampires sleeping in coffins and holding no reflection are plain inaccurate. While they are vastly different to us, their similarities are what allows them to blend in with the average human. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 3.1 — Bodily Function 

With the previous statements above, I would like to note that while they might have the capability of blending in with humans, their abilities are far from what anyone would consider humane. 

While I cannot detail the extent of these extremities, the following is a general outline of the known vampire abilities: 

- enhanced speed, strength and agility 

- advanced senses, including a sixth sense

- night vision 

-  amplified cell replication, results in a healing factor 

Note: it is to be speculated that these advanced qualities of human function are not the only noteworthy abilities. These creatures obtain various mythical-based capabilities. Otherworldly and stemmed from magic.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 3.5 — Appearance 

A common misconception is that vampires are ghostly pale and as such, this is their identifiable characteristic. As stated in my previous entries, vampires walk among us. While it might be virtually impossible to decipher a vampire in disguise, there are a few general characteristics when they are not fooling the human eye. 

- taller height 

- crimson eyes ( they seem to mask this )

- slitted pupils ( see above )

- large frontal fangs ( addition from entry 6: different shapes for different species )

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 4. — Diet

One of the few conceptions that remain apparent would be the vampire’s diet of human blood. While I do not have enough information regarding the amounts and the duration between feeding periods, my observations show that vampires go through some sort of. . . bloodlust. 

The variables of this remain unknown. 

Addition from entry 7: studies indicate that the different ranks have a play in the duration between feedings. Purebloods last the longest without blood whilst Halfbloods have the less desirable hunger habits. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 7. — Ranking 

Quite the interesting discovery has been made, with the aid of my brother. 

It appears that vampires have their own ranking system, although I would also classify it as a range of subspecies. There are two main tiers of vampirism:

Purebloods and Halfbloods. 

The former are born vampires, whilst the latter is a result of a human being turned. 

There is a clear distinction between these rankings, most likely in correlation to their strengths, weaknesses and diet. 

Thankfully, from what I have deduced, Purebloods are no longer an existing subspecies. A mere myth nowadays. 

 Perhaps we should praise whatever gods are up there that the strongest of these creatures are dead and gone. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 7.1 — Subcategories 

In my previous entry I concluded that there are different tiers of vampirism. Today I write that upon further investigation, I have discovered that there is a third category. 

In regards to Halfblood vampires, they divide one more time into two other sections: High-Rank Halfbloods and Low-Rank Halfbloods. 

The first is a result of a human turned into a vampire by a Pureblood, whilst the latter is created when a High-Ranked Halfblood turns a human. 

This brings the official ranking, from strongest to weakest, to: 

-Purebloods

-High-Rank Halfbloods

-Low-Rank Halfbloods 

Taking the previous entry’s findings into consideration, I can safely conclude that there must be a reduced number of High-Rank Halfbloods, if the ones that turn them have gone extinct. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 11. — Weaknesses 

Once again we find that the tales passed down along generations are not entirely true. A common denominator would be garlic, silver or sunlight. However, it is far more complex than what many have come to believe. 

My findings have concluded the following results as accurate weaknesses of vampires:

- sunlight 

- gold 

- wild roses 

Further investigations will have to be conducted in order to devise the extent and conditions of these weaknesses. What one can assume is that they have a direct correlation with the rank of vampirism. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 11.1 — Sunlight 

The notion of vampires burning to death in the sun seems to only be half-true. As I have stated countless times, these creatures of the night do walk amongst us. Including throughout the day. 

While this was a mind-boggling investigation for the most part, I believe that I have found the answer to this phenomenon.

If a vampire wears a piece of enchanted jewellery, they will be able to walk the day just like you and I. This piece of jewellery is more often than not, a ring. What is often referred to as a daylight ring. 

One can assume that without this, they are doomed to the rise of the sun every day, unless they find themselves indoors and away from its searing light.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 11.2 — Gold 

While I have already ruled out the weakness of silver, I was just as surprised to discover that the true weakness of vampires is gold. 

It seems that the myth of a silver stake torn through a vampire’s heart immediately kills them is in fact still applicable to gold. 

However, the condition of this is that the stake must consist of pure gold. Alloys tend to not do much damage, let alone be considered fatal. 

Gold dust may also be utilised to burn the flesh of these creatures. 

Entry 7.3 — Wild Roses 

If the discovery of gold as a weakness stunned me, then I must say that the notion of one of my brother’s favourite flowers being detrimental to vampires left me speechless. 

When roses make contact with a vampire’s skin, particularly the petals, it burns through their flesh.

While not entirely lethal, it is still enough to deter most vampires due to the sheer intensity of the pain that sears into them.

One might speculate that this extends to the essence of roses. Such as rose water, rose-based perfumes and other products. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 12. — Strengths 

Now that I have uncovered the weaknesses, the next course of action would be to investigate the opposite end of the spectrum. 

I urge you to freshen up your knowledge of the named strengths that I have listed in entry 3.1, for this section will focus purely on the aforementioned ‘magic-based strengths’. Or rather, supernatural powers. 

The following will be explored in depth in the upcoming entries:

- compulsion 

- magic and enchantment 

- healing saliva 

These investigations require further observation. As I am sure you might assume, that will be far from an easy task.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 12.1 — Compulsion 

Compulsion is a supernatural ability that occurs when a vampire looks into the eyes of its victim and commands them to carry out a task. It is unbeknownst to me what they might use this for, but one can only assume that most cases are for sadistic purposes. 

When commanded, the victim will be unable to refuse. Even if their mind is strong enough to remain conscious and not enter a dazed-like state. 

Additional findings: further investigation concluded that one can combat this ability if they have wild roses on their person. One might even think to wear jewellery infused with this flower in pendants or chains.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry. 12.2 — Magic & Enchantment 

This is a rather vague discovery as I have not found enough information regarding this quirk. From what I have been able to gather, the higher ranks of vampires have magical abilities that vary between individuals. 

One might speculate that this enchantment is what allows them to create their daylight rings. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 12.3 — Healing Saliva 

It might sound quite bizarre, but vampires have a certain uniqueness to their saliva. However, this is not in regard to their own wounds. 

Their saliva acts disinfectant to a wound, however, it causes the wound to bleed longer yet slows down the rate of bleeding so that the victim does not bleed out immediately. . . I can only assume that this is so that these demons can enjoy their ‘meals’ for longer. 

Sadists.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 17. — The Turning Process 

Going into this, I assumed that I would not bear witness to such a. . . horrific act, but I suppose that I should not have expected anything less from these night demons. 

The process of turning a human into a vampire is far more complicated than a simple bite to the neck. 

While this part of my investigation was rather gruelling and. . . nauseating, I have managed to comprise a list of the accurate steps in turning a human into a vampire:

- the human must be bitten and injected with ‘vampire venom’

- the human must consume the vampire’s blood 

- the vampire must then. . . kill the human, who will awake as a Halfblood vampire after a day or so 

From what I have gathered, the venom induces agonising effects and excruciating pain on the body once injected. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 20. — Moon Phases 

After growing rather curious regarding vampires’ connection with the moon, I decided to dig further into their relationship with the celestial body. 

My discoveries uncovered the following: during a new moon, a vampire is at its weakest — regardless of its ranking. 

However, there is a flip-side to this as well. 

During a full moon, the opposite occurs. Yet in a far more drastic way. Not only do they grow stronger, but their already insatiable bloodlust grows worse. 

This reflection of the moon pattern on their behaviour could help counter their attacks if followed with great consideration. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 26. — Hunters 

To garner more information on the creatures of the night, I concluded that one might find out more from those who are possibly in contact with them the most — and live to tell the tale.

I could not uncover much about vampire hunters, but the little knowledge that I have obtained has quite piqued my interest. 

As stated in Entry 1, vampire hunters were a result of the Eruva seeking to eradicate the world of their own failure. From them stemmed Laurëmá: the golden hand. An elite group of hunters who took an oath to finish the task — by whatever means necessary. 

Some of the more ancient and experienced hunters can be identified by their. . . unique gold markings. While at first I insinuated that this was a result of gold-dust mixed into tattooing ink, I soon discovered that it is far more. . . unhinged, than that. 

Considering that these hunters are Eruva, they obtain an increased bodily function. Enhanced speed, strength, agility and endurance. While they are mortal, some live to be hundreds of years old — depending on their meditation practices. 

Upon obtaining injuries, particularly during their training years, hunters clean the wound before filling it with gold. To serve not only as a reminder of their cause or their loyalty to the sun, but to create a sort of built-in armour into their own bodies. Seeing as vampires cannot touch gold.

Yet the most intriguing factor about them, in my opinion, must be a phrase that they use. A motto. 

“Aurë entuluva’’ . . . meaning ‘day will come again.’

Beautiful, is the only way I can bring myself to describe it. Not only as a reaffirmation of their loyalty, but as a foil to those creatures of the night. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 29. — Isilhíni

While I must admit that this entry will be rather short, by no means is it lacklustre. Through my findings I have unearthed an almost fantasy-like detail.

Then again, I suppose in a world of blood-sucking demons and sun-blessed humans, this might not be too much of a shocker. 

The Isilhíni. Translation: children of the moon. 

It is all in the name. The descendants of the moon god, who are ordinary humans just like you and I. But with one exception.

Their blood is of extreme importance to vampires. It is to be upheld, as it holds the essence of their precious Isiltar.

I have not found all that I would have liked to, but this fact alone could be a crucial factor in stopping these sadistic creatures.

I will have to find out more. There has to be something greater regarding these god children. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Entry 30. — Purebloods 

I write this entry in haste. 

While I have previously disregarded the existence of Pureblood vampires, recent incidents leave me anxious and I must note down what I have discovered. 

Purebloods are the nightmares that you think them to be. All known vampire weaknesses do not affect them. Roses, sunlight, gold, none of it!

They are stronger, smarter, and all the more dangerous. Their bloodlust knows no bounds, and from what I have uncovered — they were even considered royalty. 

I do not have much time. 

Purebloods can be killed only by having a stake from the tree of Laurelin. The tree that was destroyed centuries ago. But there is hope, some of Laurelin’s fr ﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Scribbles. 

Scribbles and blood splatters.

That is all that is left of the scientist’s writing. As though the scene itself told you a story — and suddenly, the cluttered state of the room made sense. 

Closing the book, you lift it into your hands. You would not let this work be done in vain. You felt as though you owed it to this mystery writer. Determination swells within you and you make a move to leave at last.

Well,

That was until a creak in the floor echoes from behind you. 

( ❀ ) ˙ ˖ next up: characters

[gemini-sensei]

GEMINI what are your thoughts on how the boy's parents would react to their kids?

like i think johnny would be happy but panicky at the same time, he's nervous for robby. he supports robby as well as he knows how, and prays that robby doesn't make the mistakes he did.

carmen and miguel's yaya would be SOOOO happy for him, and they're so supportive!! they're in utter shock (in the good way) when they find out that there's triplets on the way.

i don't know what to think about eli's parents or anything cause we only saw his mom Once. but i like to think he tells daniel and amanda, as well as johnny, and they're so so happy for him!! i think daniel and/or amanda came up the the terror twins title.

I love this and I've thought a lot about this since I got it.

(unedited)(unfiltered)

Johnny is low key a nervous wreck. He thinks he knows what he's talking about when it comes to being a dad, but he never had a good father figure in his entire life, so most of his principles come from TV and movies. Old TV and movies. So sometimes it's questionable. So he'll give advice and if Robby has to question that advice whatsoever, he usually does the opposite of that or gets a second opinion.

However, none of that has to do with Johnny's feelings about his granddaughter/grandchild (grandchildren). Somehow, "father" and "grandfather" get separated in his mind. So he doesn't think he needs the experience of being a father to be a good grandfather. He's a fun grandpa, but he's not the best when it comes to babysitting. He needs a supervisor if he's gonna watch the grand-babies tbh.

All that to say, yes, he's happy but worried, but tries to play it off. Like, he tries to ignore his worries when in front of Robby, but keeps himself up and night hoping Robby knows what he's doing because for the life of him, he doesn't.

○

Carmen and Rosa are so excited. They sit with Miguel and his wife for hours just talking about when Miguel was a baby and even when Rosa had Carmen. When it's announced that there's three, they are quiet for a moment and then they're cheering. The information takes a moment to sink in but they're so happy. More babies to love! They're also ready to go all hands on deck and be helpful.

We saw Rosa make Miguel a Halloween costume out of olf nedsheets, but I think for her great grandchildren, she'd save up to buy new fabric and yarn to make them little hays and baby blankets. Does to crochet or knot? I don't know, but I know she sews and there's a lot that can be done there. I just love that trope of someone (not necessarily a grandparent) making baby blankets. [Unrelated, but Moon gives me that give a lot.]

○

For the Moskowitz parents, they're hard to pinpoint. I have a solid headcanon for Eli's mom, but I flip-flop with his dad a lot. So for context, I think Eli's mom is supportive of her son, she gives him the means to do whatever he wants, but she's not really there or paying attention. She works and that keeps her undivided attention unless something is very obviously wrong, like her son crying. She probably freaked out about the forced shave because her son was assaulted, but Eli probably begged her to let it go and never named names. With his silence and shutting down, she dropped it in hopes that it would help him get back to himself. He also hid a lot of the stuff he did whilst in CK - the tattoos, the bad behavior, etc - so she probably thought for a while, he was well mannered and didn't have to worry about him.

As far as his dad goes, I think he's away a lot. Either in the office all day, 9 to 5 sort of thing, and only sees his son late at night or on the weekends, on the rare chance they're home at the same time. Eli wants a better relationship with his father but has stopped trying to achieve that and started reaching out to other father figures he could find; he did this with Johnny, Kreese and Daniel and relieved different things from them. Johnny gave him tough love, I can't think of the word but whatever the fuck Kreese did, and then Daniel gave him the opportunity to earn respect and gave it back to him. That's why I believe Daniel is the best sensei for Hawk because in the beginning, they were reaching out to each other but missing, but given the tools and lessons needed, Hawk was able to build bridges, earn Daniel's respect, and in turn respect Daniel for what he was offered.

With all that out of my system, Eli's parents are shocked, but supportive. I honestly see his dad being business-like and very analytical, but means well. So he asks the hard questions; are you sure your ready for this? What's your plan? How are you gonna support two babies? It comes off as lecture-y, but it's from hisnheart. He wants his son to succeed as a parent and that first means being a provider. His mom is ecstatic. She hugs him and his girlfriend (in my mind they got pregnant first, had the baby, then got married) (also Eli would be kind of sappy and want to include their kids in the wedding, I mean they're literally a living symbol of the love he has for his gf/wife) they're there for him, but he struggles to connect with them as parents/soon to be parents.

I like the idea of Eli going to Daniel and Amanda. He looks at them and sees two people who not only raised two pretty great kids, but made it. They have a business, they have theblife they wanted for themselves and their kids, they're happy with their family and each other. They support each other despite some of the crazy ass shit they do (for Daniel it's getting involved in the karate war, for Amanda it is all her hot headed reactions; they're perfect for each other and I love it [yes I'm over looking Amanda being done with the shit because it was pulling Daniel's attention away and blah blah blah, that was a bump in their marriage and those happen]) where was I? Oh yeah, Eli.

So he goes to them and asks for advice on stuff, especially when they find out about the twins. He's excited but nervous for twins. So he asks them how to go about having two kids and they offer him the best advice.

It was Daniel that said "two Hawks... that's almost a nightmare."

And Amanda said "watch them be terror twins."

I also like to think that, even though we know nothing about Demetri's home life, Eli would also look to his mom (I personally think Demetri lives with his single mom). Demetri and Eli are binary brothers, they had sleepovers, it was Demetri's mom he would have to wake up in the middle of the night because he wet the bed. Yes, I believe he'd go to all the parents he knows and use bits and pieces of what they all offer him to inform his future parents decisions.

○

Johnny is, well, Johnny. He's proud but terrified that his son, Miguel and Eli are going to be fathers. He's watched them all grow onto young men; give or take what time he spent with Robby. Actually no, when they decided they were gonna fix their relationship was a big step for them. With Miguel and Eli, he basically helped shape them into who they are today, or at least got them on that path. He's proud.

He also finds it very hilarious that they manage to knock up their ladies around the same time. He's also a dumbass and gives the guys credit for it, especially to Miguel and Eli for having triplets and twins even though that's not how it works exactly. You can't tell him any different though, he won't understand. I wouldn't waste the time or brain power trying to explain how someone gets pregnant with multiple, let alone the different between identical and fraternal.

This got super long, but I had a lot of thoughts lol 😅 anything I missed? Anything you wanna add?

I'd love to hear alternative thoughts or add on thoughts to what I have here.

I love these headcanons, baby headcanons are my jam.

Did this even make any sense? Lol

[sunekichi]

Top 10 Episodes From The 1979 Anime That Every Doraemon Fan Must Watch

many people were introduced to this franchise by the 2005 anime, however the previous series is worth watching as well if you wanna get the full doraemon experience! considering it has nearly 1800 episodes and has lasted for 26 years (1979-2005), one might not know where to start from, so here's a list of the best episodes from the series, if you're interested in watching it!

disclaimer: if you don't speak japanese, italian or hindi it's gonna be a bit harder to watch the 1979 series, as these three languages have the most episodes in dub. i have watched all these in italian on youtube so if you want to know the italian title of any of these episodes because you couldn't find it in another language feel free to ask!

p.s. every ōyama doraemon episode mentioned in my old post titled my favorite episodes that are centered around suneo could easily make it into this list but since i don't wanna be repetitive i won't include them in this post.

10. Lovey Dovey Umbrella

あいあいガサ (#1328), 1994

in which nobita gets jealous after seeing shizuka and dekisugi walking back home while standing under the same umbrella, so doraemon gives him an umbrella that will make shizuka fall in love with him, if he manages to make her stand under it while he's holding it. obviously something goes wrong and that's what makes this episode fun to watch for me as i'm not the biggest fan of these gadgets that manipulate one's feelings.

9. Ichiyadzuke / Last-Minute Cramming (?)

いちやづけ (1993), #1262

uncertain about the english translation of the title (as the one i found on the wiki, last-minute cramming, seems very unrelated to the plot and the used gadget) but i watched it in italian and it's called la verifica di matematica (the math test). with that being said, you need to know that i watch this episode before every math test for good luck (it never works but it's my fault, not doraemon's), so of course this episode had to make it into my top 10! as you can guess, doraemon lends nobita a gadget that can help him learn stuff without any effort, and when the teacher announces a math test, gian and suneo will do anything to convince nobita to share said gadget with them.

8. Confidence Machine

自信ぐらつ機 (1985), #807

after hearing gian boast about his muscles and strength and suneo brag about his wealth, beauty and intelligence, nobita is fed up with their conceitedness so he borrows a gadget to lower their self-esteem; although the artstyle is more polished in the 90s and early 2000s, i think the funniest stories were mostly in the 80s. the following 15 years also have amazing episodes, don't get me wrong! the entirety of ōyama doraemon is truly a work of art and is very special to me, especially the early 2000s episodes which i grew up with.

7. Recollection Hammer

思い出しトンカチ (1995), #1359

the ending is what makes this episode so good; recollection hammer is useful if you forgot something and would like to remember: all you need to do is tap on your head with the hammer while you think about what you're wondering and you'll instantly recollect your memories. first doraemon uses it to help nobita's father then gian tells nobita that he would like to remember a certain girl he was friends with during preschool, but for some reason nobita refuses to and runs away.

6. I Am Nobiko

わたし、のび子よ (1996), #1402

nobita is absolutely convinced that girls have it easier and asks doraemon to make him become one. to prove him wrong he accepts his request and makes him use the what if phone booth. the next day at school everything seems to go well as nobita expected, until... well you'll have to watch the episode to find out!

5. The Generator Of Great Performances

メー演機 (2002), #1691

worried and envious that dekisugi might get the role of the prince in the cinderella school play, nobita asks doraemon to make him become a great actor and thus get the role. at his audition he accidentally recites the lines of both the prince and cinderella, which will have its consequences; i'm surprised this is the only 2000s episode i could think of but maybe it's because the rest are on my other post.

4. Mind Reading Helmet

さとるヘルメット (1986), #854

in which doraemon lends nobita a helmet that lets him read people's minds so he knows when gian is about to beat him up; no spoilers but this is one of those episodes that shows his kind and unselfish side and it made me cry, like i genuinely felt bad for him.

3. Boygirl

オトコンナ (1993), #1215

one of the most important doraemon episodes and it blows my mind that a kids show would deal with the topic of gender roles in the early 90s (i don't think i need to remind you that japan isn't the most left wing country in the world). and for once it isn't played for laughs like in i am nobiko or in any episode where someone is made fun of for their interests or the way they act, because there's an actual scene where nobita discusses his thoughts and has a serious conversation with doraemon, trying to understand why certain things are considered masculine or feminine.

sure, the episode still doesn't deal with this topic in the most perfect way, for example after switching the gender roles, nobita and doraemon are disappointed at women being less kind and laugh at men for being more sensitive, so are they really above the kids who laughed at nobita for preferring indoor hobbies over outdoors sports?

we might as well talk about how nobita himself laughed at someone else *cough cough* suneo *cough cough* for the same reasons and more than once in other occasions, but with thousands of episodes it's hard to make them all coherent with each other so i'll give them a pass.

p.s. i don't agree with the gender stereotypes that the episode shows, for example after using the gadget on everyone, i don't think tamako's personality changed at all, she simply started smoking and is reading a newspaper but she was already strict.

2. Fellowship Badge

なかまバッチ (1987), #944

nobita is upset that he doesn't have a friendship like shizuka and dekisugi's or suneo and gian's (especially after dekisugi excluded him from their studying session and gian beat him up because he thought he was bothering suneo), so doraemon gives him matching badgets, and the person who wears must come save you everytime you need it and viceversa.

1. Drunken Lid

ホンワカキャップ (1984), #752

nobita wants to get drunk like his dad to forget the misfortunes of life but since he's too young to drink alcohol, doraemon gives him a bottle cap that can turn your drink into something that has the same effects as an alcoholic beverage without alcohol consumption; suneo is the absolute protagonist of this episode without the story being centered around him, bravo! needless to say that this is the most controversial episode of doraemon of all time and it probably won't get a remake in the 2005 anime.

[theizzifromosaka]

Monster Never Cry

Been a while, huh? I’m back for another Monster Girl review, I feel this time more than any other I need to introduce what I’m reviewing

Monster Never Cry is a Gacha game whose premise is you are the recently defeated Demon Lord, tasked with rebuilding her army and retaliating against the warriors who got you. There’s also a weird meta aspect to it where the whole thing is an MMO, but it’s a mobile game. Who’s playing this for the story? Nah, like most mobile game players, I’m here for the PNGs. Like actually, I would never have given this game a shot if not for the whole monster thing. We got a lot of monsters to cover this time, I’m reviewing every fem presenting monster available in this game, so I’ll be going through each entry quickly.

Coronis

So she’s like an archer crow lady? Not really a monster is she? That artwork doesn’t really do her favors, but the alt skin looks pretty nice.

Lilith

Not exactly an original idea but it’s executed pretty well here. Rich fancy vampire princess, what else can I say?

Sadora

This design is great, among my favorite in the whole game. It’s a shame it’s stuck on a mid tier monster, in terms of gameplay. Creepy animated dolls are what got me to try out Bloodborne, we don’t see enough of them and this one is among the best I’ve seen.

Undine

I think she’s a water elemental or a minor deity or something. It conveys that idea well enough, and the harp angle is interesting but it’s just not really for me.

This does give me the opportunity to address what I’ve referred to in the past as the “paint her blue” problem. Monsters in this game have a small chance to be shiny like in Pokémon, and in many cases the shiny has a more human skin tone. I previously expressed distaste for this trope but this game’s monsters make me reconsider my opinion.

Sylph

This game has a few plant girls and they all have the same problem, they’re all pretty much just girls with plant bits on them. This one’s pretty good though, and I like the Mario reference in her shiny, intentional or not.

Oul

I think this one’s supposed to be a Djinn? Her title implies she’s some sort of mage and in game she acts like a merchant, so I’m not sure. The design is pretty busy, and I think the shiny should have been the default. Something about Genie girls with purple hair just feels right, couldn’t tell you why.

Unrelated, I’m real excited for Risky Revolution. It’s crazy that it’s actually getting made now.

Arachne

Basic spider girl, and it’s not really trying to be anything else. It’s pretty good for what it is, though I wish they’d committed to giving her extra eyes instead of those weird red patches.

Gurnius

For a mid tier monster her design is very busy. You see a design like this and immediately think it’s gonna be a rare strong monster, that’s not just me right?

Daisy

The one exception to the weak plant girl designs in this game, and it’s on a low tier monster. Cactus cowgirl is way too good an idea to waste on a low tier in my opinion.

Siren

I think she’s a forest nymph? It’s a fun design, if a bit basic. Butterfly-winged forest fairy ladies are kinda a dime a dozen so I don’t have strong opinions.

Why is her name Siren though?

Rabby

“Boxing Champion”.

It’s a good rabbit girl design, though I’m obligated to point out: That’s not a monster, it’s just anthro.

Pania

“Forest Priest” is about as helpful as “Boxing Champion”, though it at least gives us a habitat. My headcanon is she’s a Duende. It’s a passable design, cute little girl stands out in this game.

Sarcophagurl

Another Frankenstein girl has appeared in this series, and honestly? I like this one a lot. The eyeball theme is a bit incongruous.

...“Mech Maiden”? In what way?

Vespa

I think she’s supposed to be a succubus, which is kinda funny as she’s one of the least malegaze-y designs in this game. The alt skin amends this, and considering Succubi are sex demons honestly I think it’s fine. Pretty good design, all things considered.

Zenobia

Dragon Girl with a sleek design. The outfit here is an absolute disaster but if she was wearing full armor or even a t-shirt and khakis she would be completely fine, pretty good even.

The human skintone on the shiny makes me uncomfortable, probably because it accents just how awful that outfit is.

Octasia

I’m not sure what she’s supposed to be. I guess she’s like Ursula from Disney’s The Little Mermaid? So she’s a Mermaid? Mixing vertebrate and invertebrate features is always a risk in my opinion and I don’t think it works here.

Medusa

Like straight up? This game’s also got “Dracula” so I guess so. Another otherwise good design ruined (in my opinion) by a weird outfit. I do really like how this game does animals though, with those Rareware-style googly eyes. It really helps this game’s designs stand out where they show up.

Palaeophis

Another Mermaid, assuming Octasia is, in fact, a mermaid. This one’s name shoulda been Siren. Mostly naked is par for the course for Mermaids so I can’t really fault this design for that, but I will once again complain about it being busy. Weird for a design with almost no clothes.

Kukulkan

That Mesoamerican deity is eating a girl. That’s brutal.

Jokes aside I would like this design drastically more if the girl aspect was removed and it was just the winged serpent part.

Nafisa

This design scratches the same part of my brain as Aigis from Persona. Not really sure what’s up with that floating head but I can’t help but like this one. Creepy doll girls, I’m telling you.

Mischa

Pretty good design for a Beegirl, but once again, that’s not a monster, that’s just anthro. Hold on, why is the Succubus named Vespa and not the literal Vespid?

Venus

It would’ve made more sense if Sylph, the man-eating plant girl, was named Venus, as most man-eating plants are styled after Venus Flytraps. It still works for a thorn girl, but the same issue Sylph had is present here. She’s got thorns and flowers coming out of her but she is essentially just a girl.

Kurarith

Anthro Jellyfish girl. Mixing Vertebrate and Invertebrate features like Octasia. Just like with Kukulkan she’s kinda just a girl attached to a monster, and like Zenobia she’s got a stupid outfit. Really a showcase of every design decision I don’t like this game has made, but interpreted instead as a jellyfish themed outfit it’s actually not bad.

Tarani

This character has not been added to the game yet and I cannot begin to guess what kind of monster she’s even supposed to be. Maybe a Satyr? Angelic Beast? Dragon Girl? This one’s just bad, sorry. I hope they reconsider the direction they’re taking these designs in.

The Demon Lord

Arachne was just A Spider Girl, The Demon Lord is THE Spider Girl. Kinda an interesting choice to make the leader of the Monster Forces a spider. It’s an alright enough design, reminiscent of Kumoko from So I’m A Spider, So What?, specifically in how a girl pops out of the spider’s head eventually. Didn’t like it there and I’m not huge on it here either, though the girl pops out pretty early here and replaces the spider’s head.

I’m overall kinda surprised at the quality of the designs here, even when the designs are weak there’s usually at least a good idea in there. Is it worth putting up with a Gacha game for? Probably not, though I think I’m gonna stick around at least just to see what new characters they add.

Previous review:

[bornonthebreakofdawn]

Hi Born! I was in reading slump and stopped reading for a while. I'm wondering if you could share your current fav read? I'm craving for some good NH fics huhuhuuuu thanks in advance! Hope you are doing great with life! 😘😘

Hi Anon! Thank you for sending this ask! Life has been okay for me so far, and I hope you're doing wonderful over there!

Hmm... Well, lately I just keep trying to find new lengthy fics to read (mostly I've been binge reading NH canon-rewrite stories, usually those that have more than 100K+ words/around 20+ chapters, apart from the fics I was already following) but I'm not sure if you'd be into those.

For now, I can recommend these stories that are still ongoing/I'm currently following, as I do love rereading the NH parts to these so you might be also interested:

Love Is Not A Cage by NightOwl27

Rating: Mature

Summary: When Naruto comes back to his senses after the battle with Pein, the first thing he remembers are those baffling words she said just before she nearly died for him, and he NEEDS to hear them again. Will the truth set them free? Or are some confessions too much for the soul?

Best Friends by Seriously Nuts

Rating: Mature

Summary: "I have to do this Hinata. I have to take you down. Don't make me hurt you." Sakura wore her Anbu uniform and pulled her mask to the side as she looked at Hinata. Her dearest friend just looked at her with frostbitten eyes, "But Sakura. I thought you were my best friend."

Seasons of Life by BomBidiBom

Rating: Mature

Summary: Hinata finds out she is expecting another baby and is afraid of how Naruto will react. They never planned to have any more kids after Himawari and this was most definitely not the best time in their lives to add a new baby to the mix. The story follows Hinata as she deals with this new information and contemplates how she is going to inform her husband of the news. ---

Let me also add these completed stories that I go back to from time to time if I wanted to satisfy certain fic cravings I have:

Postscripts by WaterRolls

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Drabbles of the NaruHina kind.

A collection of unrelated short stories prompted by the wonderful and creative readers of tumblr, FFN, AO3, and Wattpad :) Mostly humor but will have occasional drama. Slice of life, romantic fluff, family bonding, what-ifs, AUs, angst.

"Chapter" 101 is an index that lists the prompts and the corresponding chapter numbers.

The Bathhouse Incident by Mojojojo2017

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Naruto and Hinata are acting stranger than usual. And Kiba is determined to find out why...

i.e. Naruto accidentally stumbles in on Hinata at a hot spring and things become a little awkward between the two. But their friends help them smooth things over.

Family Burdens by Seriously Nuts

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Being a Hyuga was never easy for her. Now she was their leader. She didn't want it at first, but now, she didn't want to let it go. And she wouldn't.

Steel Under Her Velvet by arunikas

Rating: General Audiences

Summary: Original Prompt: Kawaki realizes how Hinata is the one who comes to mind when he thinks of a mom and protects her like he does with Naruto. Then a crisis happens and realizes that she can protect all three of her children just as well as Lord 7th.

Friends by arunikas

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: So their lips parted, breathless and oh-so drunk, "What are we, Naruto-kun?"

"Uhm…friends?" he hesitated.

"But, friends are not supposed to know how each other's lips taste, are they?"

The Red Scarf by PepcornPress

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: Super boring title to a super boring concept: What if the Last (the movie) didn't happen. A regular-degular love story between Naruto and Hinata. No moon falling. No kidnapping. No flashy genjutsu traps.

Just two people who realize how they feel for each other. That's it.

I hope you would enjoy these Anon (Although I suspect some of these you may have already read. hehe)

Happy reading! 😊

[thechaseofspades]

3 characters that inspire you?

Did that thing again where I turned a fun little ask into a whole essay. Whoops haha.

1. Libby Stein-Torres

I love "Mazel Tov, Libby!" so much. Everything about it was great, but it really felt like a coming out party for the Libster. How anxious she was when the party started going against her plans, especially at the Hora scene. Her moment with Molly at the end where she admits all she wanted to do was spend time with her best friend. The freaking turtle races!!! Such a great episode.

Libby gors through the "first friend" arc as I call it. We all know how it goes. Shy character meets somebody and becomes friends but they don't really know how to be friends with somebody yet so they have to figure it out as they go but it all works out because they're perfect for each other and 100% supportive of one another. And now she's in the title sequence too! Go Libby!

(Honorable mentions for this category: Webby Vanderquack and Casey Goldberg-Calderon, who both also went through the "first friend" arc and I just couldn't go without mentioning them. Libby gets the edge because Mazel Tov was so good)

2. Luz Noceda

I think I made a post about how sometimes I don't understand the blatant messaging of media until I see an hour long video essay about it. That was in reference to Luz. I had the pleasure of finding a lengthy video taking about her as ADHD/neurodivergent rep and had that in mind watching S3 and wow yeah it's definitely there.

In many ways, I'm not like Luz. We have different diagnoses and different traits. So obviously it's not 1:1. But in my time watching The Owl House, I've had my own (unrelated) journey about learning to accept myself and embrace who I am. Seeing it all culminate for Luz these past six months made me feel really good. Too good to describe because I wouldn't be able to do it justice.

3. Huey Duck

Oh hey what's this how'd my favorite show end up on this list that's crazy.

I talked about this during Huey hours earlier this week but I'll repeat it here. I really appreciated how Ducktales handled Huey's autistic traits for the most part. Astro-B.O.Y.D.! being the obvious example, but I want to focus on examples like the Terra-firmians episode or Timephoon!, times where Huey was "wrong". Sure, his reliance on order and structure and his strict adherence to the JWG led him to inaccurate conclusions, but he was never *wrong* for doing it that way. The lesson was never "stop being who you are and doing what you're doing".

Compare that to the seemingly countless examples where Huey bailed the family out of a situation because of his knowledge in certain subjects or recalling rules from the guidebook. With a success rate like that, it's great that the show let him flex that strength whenever it could.

The lesson of this whole thing seems to just be to never stop being who you are. Even though sometimes it might set you apart and make you different, or might be difficult to navigate, or might send you in the wrong direction on occasion, it's still worth it to be true to yourself and do what you love. Do what works. Do what makes you you.

That's the lesson I've learned in the past few years. And maybe it's not a coincidence that I learned that lesson at the same time that I watched these shows. Whether I noticed it or not, I might have been inspired by them more than I think.

Thanks for the ask!

[thisaintascenereviews]

AJR - The Maybe Man

Up until listening to pop-rock / indie-pop AJR’s new album, The Maybe Man, I only knew that a lot of people hated them. I had only listened to a couple songs, and I never thought they were outright horrible, but I wouldn’t want to listen to a full record of that. Well, things change, and I decided to be morbidly curious about The Maybe Man, both because I had never heard a full record from these guys and because the circumstances behind it were interesting. This record was written either before or during their father’s passing, as AJR is composed of three brothers whose first name comprise the initials of the band, so they were really going through it. I also listened to a podcast that they were on and talked about the record, so it made me want to hear it, since they seem like great, earnest, and down to earth guys that love music, so I hunkered down late last week and spent some time listening to this record. Is this band as bad as most stuffy online critics make them out to be?

Honestly, no, not at all. While I won’t say that this is the best album of the year, it’s a genuinely good one that kind of surprised me. I had a lot of fun with this, and I found myself surprised by how solid it truly was. I don’t want to oversell this album as some kind of masterpiece, because it’s not, but this record is a lot of fun and oddly poignant in some ways. This album is kind of rooted in rather sad themes, with a lot of songs being about disillusioned with fame, dealing with mental illness, struggling with getting older, and their father’s passing. This album has some good hooks, such as “Touchy Feely Fool,” “Yes I’m A Mess,” “Intertia,” and “Hole In The Bottom Of My Brain,” among others. Hell, the song “Steve’s Going To London” is a song that’s kind of a commentary on how songs don’t need to be about anything. The first half is a bunch of nonsense lyrics about a bunch of people doing unrelated things, and the song jumps into a bit of meta commentary on how they tried to a write a song that tries too hard to be about writing a song.

The album’s centerpiece, though, is the second to last song “God Is Really Real.” This is the track about their father’s passing and it’s honestly kind of a tearjerker. You can really feel the band’s pain as they come to terms with it, but some of the song is about how they’re in denial of their dad’s illness. It’s not attempting to be corny, silly, or over the top, but it’s grounded in more reality. The title is also rather interesting, because one of the biggest lines in the song is “God is really real when you really, really need him,” and “God’s fucking fake ‘til he’s not,” which is a variation on the idea that someone is only an atheist until something bad happens and they need to pray, but it weirdly works.

At the same time, I can understand why people wouldn’t like this. This album is a bit overblown in spots, and some of the lyricism is very corny (there’s a kind of cringy reference to Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools” in “Steve’s Going To London,” but it works okay for what it is), but they downplay the over the top sound that they normally have. This album is more stripped back, despite having some moments that bombastic and over the top, and it feels more like a straightforward pop album. It won’t blow your mind, by any means, but if you never liked these guys, I’d check this out, even if it’s out of pure curiosity. I won’t say it’s amazing, or even great, but it’s still really good.

[tired-biscuit]

hello Biscuit! we're new moots and I honestly do not know very many people who have a Naruto central blog so I hope this is okay to ask.

I recently started watching it from the start, and I'm on season 2 episode 90something, but I was wondering if I should watch the fillers? I've googled the list and some are canon/filler episodes.

I'm really not sure how to proceed, some say to watch them and some say don't so I'm not sure lmaoo, so I'm here to ask if I should go ahead and just watch the fillers? TIA <3 I hope you're well!

hii, ofc it's okie to ask!!

well, it's like you've mentioned; watching filler or skipping it varies from person to person. i personally skipped quite a bit of it, but i did make sure to watch the episodes that included characters i enjoy watching and wanted to see more of. i basically went down the list and decided if i should watch a certain filler by the title and a short summary.

so if you love certain side characters we rarely see in canon, i suggest you watch those episodes that include them because if you like the characters, it won't even really feel like filler but rather like an insight to their personalities, ig. it's just fun seeing your faves act goofy on screen a lil bit; i remember really enjoying kiba's determination and the bathhouse episode where they're just acting like normal people instead of fighting all the time vjjdjsjsjsh.......

like there's just so much filler that i don't really think you need to watch all of it cos it can drag out, ya know? it can get a bit boring, especially if the plot is at its most intense part and then all of a sudden you get a completely unrelated number of episodes in-between lmao. sours the experience a bit imo

though, i do think the movies are great. i watched almost all of them :)

[canmom]

any thoughts on Mawaru Penguindrum? (if you watched it)

Remembered it out of the blue, and the only thing that stayed over in my brain is that it had a lot of "empty- feeling symbolism" in there... maybe i was just a lot worse interpreting media when i watched it, haha. (i also remember it having odd incestuous elements to it??)

I respect your opinions a lot so i wanted to hear your more anime- savvy take on it ^^

Mawaru Penguindrum! I have a positive feeling towards it in my head, but I watched it some years ago and mostly did not grasp what it was doing. Way overdue for a rewatch! When I get round to that I'll definitely try to write about it here.

I'm generally very glad Ikuhara is doing his thing, even if sometimes that thing is lost in translation when it hits the outer autism layer of my brain ><'. He's never made an anime that isn't extremely visually engaging to watch, and I appreciate the effort towards taking a whole different approach to visual language and plotting, building out of Dezaki's theatrical style towards a different corner than most of his contemporaries. And it's fantastic that he's been able to pass that torch to people like Tomohiro Furukawa (c.f Animation Night 92), I'm very excited to see what both of them will do next.

I don't think of Ikuhara's anime as empty, but for me at least it is definitely on the 'high concentration' end of media for me, and sometimes I get lost in the shapes and sounds of repeating sequences, and not really have a sense of what it all means lol. My ability to engage with Ikuhara anime with any sort of real facility is definitely pretty dependent on all the people writing helpful essays about it >< Maybe doing my own writing about it will help, I always get things clearer in my head when I take the time to write about it - which means time spent going back and forth, looking up names, and sorting it through.

Anyway, whenever the fansubbers get their hands on a BD release of the recycle of this year's Penguindrum compilation movies, it will be great time to finally do an Animation Night on Ikuhara. I'll try and rewatch the original series by then and find something interesting to say about it!

(Also unrelated to anything else, it is a useful mnemonic for remembering the reading of 回る... even though that's not actually the kanji used in the show's title I believe it's part of a pun, since according to my dictionary 輪る is not actually a verb, nor is mawa among the usual readings for 輪! So by using this kanji meaning 'ring', and giving it the reading of the usual word for 'to revolve', they have a double layered meaning.)