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radiowallet · 2 years ago

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Eyes Open - Chapter 4

Pairing: Marcus Moreno x Amy Oliver (ofc) Summary: Amy and Marcus get some much needed advice. WC: 2K Warnings: 18+ MDNI Canon-typical violence, talk of police work, slow burn, yearning, idiots friends to lovers, financial stressors, second chance romance, workplace romance (sort of), older love interest, single parents, DID I MENTION THE YEARNING?

Series Masterlist II Main Masterlist II Marcus Moreno Masterlist

Cross-Posted to AO3

Part 3 >>> Part 5

For any new writing follow @radiowallet-writes and turn on notifications.

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“You almost kissed?”

“Yes.”

“Almost?”

Were it anyone else repeating the question to Amy so incessantly, she would have very quickly ended the conversation with a middle finger and a few choice words to match. Since Christine is her best friend, she gets handed a glass of wine instead.

“Yes, Chris,” she answers again, crossing the living room and sitting opposite her best friend, passing her one of the glasses she brought over from the kitchen. “Marcus and I almost…kissed.”

She whispers the last word before glancing down the hallway where Harris and Millie are playing, as if they could hear the conversation over their raucous tea party or the raspy tones of Fleetwood Mac humming from her record player. Chris, for her part, does her best to look supportive, but the impact is lost with the way she tilts her head, one dark brow arching up into her hairline.

“I don’t get it though,” she settles back into the couch, pulling a well-loved throw pillow into her lap. “You go upstairs, stamp Baldwin’s papers, and then…?”

Amy gives a halfhearted shrug as she takes a sip of her wine, swallowing past the cheap white’s sting on her taste buds. “I watched the front door until he walked out.”

If she was honest, it had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. It was still burned into her memory, the way Marcus moved towards her, slow measured steps that brought them chest to chest, fingers reaching out and grasping sweetly. The whole of him, broad warmth and desperation, overwhelming her in the best way, leaning in just so and letting her have the room to take that final step.

She can still smell his aftershave, sharp spice, and sweet citrus. Can still feel his breath, honey slow along the seam of her lips. There in the dark, dusty files and dirty lies scattered around their feet, Amy had been ready to take that next step.

Until life, in all its ridiculous casualties, decided to intervene.

Fucking life.

“Smart, yes. I see. You like him. He likes you. So naturally, you watch him walk away.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” she argues back. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I…” Amy glances around helplessly before turning back to her friend. “How do I even know he likes me? I mean, he’s practically a celebrity. He could have anyone? Someone…I don’t know, a little younger, with less baggage?”

“Girl, say that one more time and I will smack you so hard you’ll forget every thought inside your head including your goddamn age.”

Amy knows she’s right. Hell, if the statement had come out of Christine’s mouth her reaction would have been twice as visceral. And in all honesty, Amy’s age didn’t bother her in the slightest. 38 years on this planet have gifted her with confidence, content in the path she carved out for herself, and for her daughter. But sometimes it was hard to ignore the deepest of insecurities, including the ones that were absolute rubbish.

“You have to say–” “I don’t have to say shit and you know it.”

Christine grabs her hand and squeezes hard, holding Amy’s attention just as tight.

“You are a catch. A woman with a messy life, yes, but so what? It’s a good life and it seems like this man may see exactly that.”

Amy nods and frowns, refusing to succumb to tears over cheap wine and girl talk on a Wednesday night. She casts another glance down the hallway, the chatter of Harris and Millie drifting out of her daughter’s bedroom. The sound would have usually brought a smile to her face, but instead, she frowns, shifting further away from the pleasant feeling of Marcus’s breath mingled with her own until reality snaps back into place.

“And what am I supposed to tell Harris?”

“Oh no. No, no. That excuse might have worked back when she was 2, but she’s old enough now to at least understand her mom can have a life outside of this apartment.”

Amy hums into her glass, searching for a retort to convince the other woman this was for the best, but she knows that’s too tall an order. Out of everyone in her life, Chris would know better than most. They had met years ago, their well-meaning mothers signing them both up for a single mother’s playgroup. After twenty minutes they locked eyes and nodded, before making a quick exit, landing back at Amy’s apartment where they split a box of wine while the girls babbled baby talk back and forth surrounded by Harris’s stuffed animals.

She stands and moves towards the record player, flipping the vinyl over with practiced ease and resetting the needle. Christine doesn’t miss a beat.

“Besides, isn’t Mr. Heroic man a single dad?”

“Missy is 16.”

“Oh, and did she come out of the womb that age? Because if she didn’t I’m pretty sure Marcus knows what it’s like to have a 7-year-old in the house.”

“You’ve made your point, Christine,” Amy concedes, moving back to the kitchen to top off her glass.

“Good. Now,” she meets Amy where she stands in the kitchen stealing the bottle from her hands to refill her own glass. “What are you going to do about it?”

-----

“So you didn’t kiss her?”

“No.”

“You…?”

“Almost.”

“You almost…?”

“Kissed. We almost kissed. Happy now?”

Miracle Guy rolls his head over to stare Marcus down, a short laugh snorted out between them. “Well, I would be ecstatic, except you didn’t close the deal.”

Marcus does his best to ignore the outdated statement from his friend, instead focusing on the empty building across the street. They’d been hiding out on an abandoned rooftop, the brisk night air whipping around them as they watched for any movement below. They had spent the better part of their night in silence, waiting for something - anything - to happen and after a few hours of stark silence, Miracle had broken, starting in on his favorite topic. It didn’t take long for Marcus to admit to the stolen moment in the filing room, followed, of course, by instant and painful regret.

Maybe if he changes the subject.

“Do you think we’re wrong about the pattern? Maybe they’re not coming tonight. Or they’re in a different part of the city?”

“Everything we mapped out from the case reports you stole–”

“I didn’t steal anything.”

“Fine. Borrowed. Procured. Acquired. Whatever way you spin it, there’s a distinct pattern. A new building, on a new block, on a new night. This is the only vacant building in the radius we mapped out, and they have yet to make a move on a Wednesday night. Now tell me again why you didn’t kiss her?”

Marcus listens patiently as Miracle Guy goes through each piece of information they honed in on over the past two days of research – case reports, suspicious activity, rumors, receipts, data scrubs – biting hard at the inside of his cheek when he inevitably ends right back where they started.

“I told you, her boss interrupted us right before…” he lets his words drift off, remembering that moment in vivid detail. How beautiful Amy looked, the low light cresting elegant shadows across her features, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed, the tips of her fingers finding his own as they slowly moved closer and closer together. “Shit. I fucking hate her boss.”

“He does seem to have your number,” Miracle laughs, reaching for the bag of Cheetos sitting between them. “Think he’s sweet on her?”

“What? No, no…and even if he was, Amy doesn’t…” His words trail off one more time as paranoid panic settles deep in the pit of his stomach. Amy was confident and funny and beautiful. Any man would be an idiot not to notice, and Derek Baldwin may be many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. But if she had any interest in the other man, Marcus surely would have noticed.

Right?

He had been so sure; her warm breath painting his lips, her voice desperate as she whispered his name, her heartbeat pulsing loud enough for him to hear it alongside his own. He hadn’t imagined any of it. So why was he suddenly so worried if she laughed at Baldwin’s jokes? If she squeezed his shoulder on bad days? If she knew how he took his coffee? How he ordered lunch? How he kissed?

Marcus’s frown deepens and he presses up from the pavement, elbows digging into the gravel hard enough to bruise. He groans, arching his back into a stretch before falling back down to his stomach and helping himself to a handful of Cheetos.

It isn’t lost on him how his body aches after just a few hours on the ground and he can’t help but wonder when these stakeouts became so hard. But the longer he lays here the more apparent it becomes — tight joints and a sore back, tired eyes and a strained neck — he’s old.

“Horseshit,” Miracle Guy grumbles through a mouthful of chips, and in a fit of embarrassment, Marcus realizes he must have said that last part out loud. “You can’t be old because that would make me old.”

“You do have to admit, these stakeouts were easier when we were in our twenties,” Marcus hums, readjusting his weight yet again, another failed attempt to ease the pain in his back.

“Yeah, well, doesn’t mean I want to go back and be 21 again.”

Marcus barks out an agreement, a snort of laughter following the confirmation. “Still, what if I’ve just got too much shit going on. I mean…I’ve got a teenage daughter.”

“Doesn’t Amy have a kid?”

“A daughter,” Marcus clarifies, smiling despite himself. “Her name is Harris.”

“Well isn’t that something,” Miracle marvels, letting sarcasm drip down into each and every word.

It’s annoying, despite his rather clunky way of going about it, how easily the blonde man is shooting down each and every one of Marcus’s concerns. He’s about to complain about just that when the sound of a truck catches his ear, and when he glances down to the alley below, he can see that their days of research paid off.

“Do we move in?”

Marcus doesn’t answer right away, instead watching quietly as three large men clamber out of the truck and move inside the building, the low mumble of their words lost beneath the puttering of the engine they left running.

“Let’s just watch. Gather what intel we can.”

“And if it looks like we’re right?”

Again Marcus is quiet, knuckles dragging along the cold pavement, jaw ticking where he holds it too tight, eyes still trained on the truck below. Without a word, he pulls his cell from his back pocket and sends one, two texts back to back before finally giving his order.

“If we’re right we call it in.”

------

Amy hears her phone ding from the bathroom, her toothbrush hanging from her mouth, a pore strip still stuck to her nose. She follows the sound down the hall to where it sits in the kitchen next to her and Christine’s dirty wine glasses. She figured the small mess along with the girls’ tea party/fashion show/Barbie battle melee could all wait until tomorrow to be tackled. The mess never bothers her, preferring the comfort of her home, clutter and all.

She spits the mouthful of toothpaste in the kitchen sink while she blinks her phone awake, two messages from Marcus waiting for her. She holds her breath and counts backward from ten before letting all the air from her lungs free in one go.

When she finally taps open the texts, equal parts confusion and affection swirl low in her belly.

M: I was thinking about Monday.

M: Call me tomorrow?

Barefoot in her kitchen with only the glow of the stove light keeping watch, toothpaste dripping down her chin, and hair piled into a messy bun, she taps out three letters and hits send, a secret smile turning up her cheeks.

A: Yes.

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A/N: I can't begin to express my gratitude to everyone who has read, liked, commented, and reblogged this silly little story. It's been an absolute joy to play in this sandbox and I can't say thank you enough.

And to my ride or die -- thank you @jazzelsaur for reading every silly line about these two. ilu

#marcus moreno fic #marcus moreno #marcus moreno x ofc #pedro pascal characters #we can be heroes fic #we can be heroes

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savagecowboy · 1 year ago

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𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑

A cursory search found the home devoid of life. It would do for the night. With the efficiency of the well traveled, they unloaded what few belongings necessitated quick access, and drove their stolen vehicle into the copse of trees surrounding the cabin; keeping it hidden from anyone on the main path. Chances were it was a summer retreat for the affluent, the theory confirmed upon entering and seeing the overly decorated nature of everything within-- most notably, when venturing into the largest room in the house.

The five of them stared at the kitchen as if discovering new, previously unexplored territory. For some, this was the first time they had ever really born witness to the modern, elaborate appliances the more well off could afford in the current age.

Some were foreign in appearance and function, others familiar, but with significant alterations. The regular occupants had made sure to clear out any perishables that might rot in their absence, yet the pantry was well stocked with dry goods. After making sure all the windows were fully covered, Severen slung his bag in a corner, pulling a chair out from the breakfast nook, sitting heavy in it. He stretched his legs out long, spurs jingling as he slumped down. Jesse had moved on to check the other rooms, just making sure— for the third time— that they truly were alone. Homer went into the living room, exploring the knickknacks the absent owners had felt worthy enough for display. That left Diamondback and Mae still staring at the glossy pine cabinets.

The few with glass doors displayed stacks of plates and drinking glasses, packaged foods and seasonings. Diamondback swung one of the doors open pulling down a box of Kraft Mac ‘n’ Cheese, she smiled at it, though her recall on the flavor was far distant. She shook it to hear the pasta inside, turning to face the others with a far off look in her eyes. “You ever think about this stuff?” Severen looks sidelong from picking grit out of his nails. “Ain’t nuthin’ but cattle feed” Diamondback smirks, playfully chucking the Mac ‘n’ cheese at him, he swats it from the air, diverting it from hitting him, tumbling it to the hardwood floor where it slides along to stop before Mae’s feet. The slightly crumpled box brings back memories. “I had plen’y a this” Mae chuckles picking it up, turning it in hand, looking over Diamondback’s shoulder to see what else is on the shelf. Jesse returns from his patrol, finally satisfied, looking from the women to Severen.

“What’r ya’ll doin’?” He eyes the other chair, Severen kicking it out for him. “Goin’ down mem’ry lane looks like” the Savage One answers idly, glancing up from his continued task, surveying the activity bemused, mildly disinterested. “Jess, you remember the last thing you ate?” Diamondback asks. Jesse hesitates, trying to push his mind back far enough to claim the past. He comes up empty. “No” he answers simply. “Smoked meat and beans” Severen answers from the other side of the table, staring at a hole in his jacket he thought he had fixed once before. Three heads turn to stare at him. He looks up shrugging his shoulders. “If it keeps, it eats”. “Hard to imagine you cookin’ in cast iron over the fire cowpoke” Diamondback laughs, it is not mean, but certainly aimed to make fun. Severen gives a mildly defensive scowl “It was good too. You think I had anyone to cook for me out on the trail? I know how to feed myself”. He goes back to his own business, put off from their discussion.

“I went over after supper”, Mae started, filling the silence, “I heated up one ‘a those Salisbury steak dinners…” the words, once begun strong now drifted off as the remembered images came clear. There was an evident conflict of emotions in her expression, too many other memories tangled about the singular recall. Diamondback instinctively reached for her, wanting to ease her internal pain, but it was Homer who broke the moment.

“What’s Salisbury steak?” He asks having moved silently into the kitchen from the living room. Jesse responds almost automatically, “You’d know it more as Hamburg steak, if you knew it”. Homer gives a small nod, yet does not seem to have an answer if he had any experience with the meal. “I ate a rat once” he offers instead. Severen laughs, “Had me plen’y a squirrel and possum, but rats?” He cuffs Homer, “How was it ol’ man?” Homer shrugs, “I think I was too hungry to taste it”. The other men give slow nods of understanding, they had known hunger frequently in their living days. Diamondback covers a laugh with the back of her hand, “The last thing I had was bathtub gin”, the humor overtakes her, “This cad didn’t even buy me dinner before turnin’ me!” Jesse breaks into a lopsided grin as his lover laughs. “I must be some cheap date!” Her laughter infects all of them to some degree, Severen and Homer the most mildly amused.

Mae looks back at the cabinets. “I know it doesn’t really taste right anymore, but you miss it?” “Sometimes” Diamondback offers, the other three keep their thoughts to themselves. There is a lull in the conversation as Mae grabs down another box, this one cake mix. “You think maybe we could…” there is a hopefulness in her eyes; as she turns them on Diamondback she receives the answer before she can finish the thought, “Yes, I think it’d be fun!” Jesse squints a little in confusion, “Do what now?” “We’re gonna cook a lil’ sumethin’” Diamondback announces with a toss of her blonde hair. “I don’ think we should go makin’ a mess—“ “Awh hell Jess, what’s wrong with a mess!” Severen interrupts him swiping the napkin holder off the table and spilling the handful of captive napkins onto the floor. “They ain’t gonna mind, report the place broken into anyway, let’em have their fun”. He says waving a hand dismissively in the ladies direction. Noticing the toothpicks on the table, Severen fishes one out, scrapping the scrap of wood along the uneven grooves of his sharpened teeth. Jesse looks slightly put off watching him; he voices no more complaints.

“Alright, I ain’t cookin’ though, never was any good at it”. “My sailor never peeled potatoes?” The Pale One jokes, Jesse chuckles, “Preppin’ maybe, but don’t let me near the pan”. He walks over and plants a kiss on Diamondback’s forehead, the two moving over to the pantry proper hand in hand, looking through the collection of dry goods the family left behind. “Homer, wanna help me bake a cake?” Mae asks hoping to include the quietest member of their crew. He gives a small grin, joining her in looking at the box. “Need a step stool to reach the counter lil’ man?” Severen jokes cruelly. The look Homer gives him would be deadly to any other. “Maybe I break yer legs and just use you” he snaps back, the challenge delights the cruel creature, inciting him to lean forward still seated. “Love to see you try, boner”. Homer bares his teeth, ready to spring at Severen, but is interrupted as the cowboy lurches backward, thrusting his hand up into the air to catch a metal can hurtling toward him right before it makes contact with his skull. “Why don’chu make yourself useful instead’a flappin’ yer gums” Jesse chides him, a clear ‘cut the shit’ command in his silver eyes. Severen grimaces, still he stands, turning the can around to see what he is holding. “Fine”. He snorts derisively, going over to the stove, throwing open the cabinets surrounding, searching for the household's collection of pots and pans. Mae has already taken down bowls, and dug out a set of multicolored measuring cups for them to use. “I don’ know what we’ll use instead’a eggs” Mae sighs, looking at the back of the box while Homer dumps the contents of the bag into a bowl. Diamondback slides her an unopened jar of applesauce. “This’ll replace it”, she gives Mae a wink when confused blue eyes are turned toward her, “Been outta eggs plenty in my time”. The women share a smile while everyone turns to their work, a newfound diligence set in place. While ingredients are measured, Severen stirs around an emptied can of beans in a sauce pan grimacing at the look of them.

“It ain’t gonna be nothin’ like what I used to make” “It says bacon and beans” Diamondback teases. “What I made was good, this looks…” he curls his lip, “regurgitated”. “Careful Severen”, Homer warns, “use words like that and I might think you were educated”. There is a strong temptation to fling the slop at his elder that is only quelled by the frigid looks given him as he raised the spoon in threat. “Could you preheat the oven Severen?” Mae asks politely, trying to intercede in their quiet row. The addressed stares from her to the collection of knobs, his lack of understanding making clear he had gotten lucky even selecting the one that had turned the right burner on.

“Which is that?” Diamondback looked over her shoulder thinking she might be able to assist, yet is brought up short herself; the last oven she had known involving wood or coal. Mae had to walk over, spinning a dial on the far right to a three digit number. “It just does that shit?” Mae shrugged with the casualness of those indoctrinated into the modern age. “Ya”. Severen caught Jesse’s eye the old partners sharing a companionable, mystified stare, one or both wondering what other conveniences had passed them by without their engagement. Mae went back over to Homer, supervising his mixing. Diamondback was busy emptying cans into a glass bowl, Jesse watching with his hands clasping her hips. They each continue their task in peaceable silence, Severen making casual remarks while raiding the pantry and cabinets for seasonings to save whatever is in the pot.

An hour later the blonde vaudevillian pulls a rectangular dish out of the oven and places it onto a trivet on the table. Beside it are a bowl of Severen’s beans and Mae’s cake, the frosting looking soft and melty as the two bakers had not waited for it to cool first; an advisement made by Diamondback a little too late to save it. The smells are not terrible, the canned meat of Diamondback’s meatloaf not as offensive as they had expected-- although the combination of canned beef and spam left all seated apprehensive. Jesse serves everyone a decent helping of the limited spread, five pairs of eyes staring with ambivalence at the meal. Regardless of the effort expended, all are unenthused about attempting to try what they know will be abhorrent to their specifically adapted tongues.

“Awh hell” Severen declares, shoveling a bite of meatloaf into his mouth. He chews a couple times, wrinkles his nose swallowing hard. His stomach cramps painfully causing him to slam a fist into the table making the cutlery jump. After a moment it passes and he hisses through his teeth “Goddamn”. “That bad, huh?” Diamondback asks separating chunks with her fork. Severen does not answer, he scoops a forkful of beans into his maw chewing methodically. It still rankles his tastebuds, but swallowing is easier, the pain-- mercifully-- does not come as intensely. He gives a series of facial expressions ranging from agreeableness to mild disgust. Lastly, he shovels in a decent helping of cake, which doubles him, his arms wrapped about his stomach, head banging on the table. “Mother. Fucker.” He chants in a staccato beat to the radiating pain. The rest of the table's attendees trade looks, poking at their servings with fresh misgivings.

“Maybe we ain’t quite ready to go doin’ anythin’ too crazy” Jesse suggests mildly, laying his fork beside his plate. “Seems kind of a shame…” Mae offers, staring at her slice of cake with a genuine, sorrowful disappointment. “G’on, try it” Severen pants, looking up from where his head lay beside his plate. A dribble of foamy, dark colored saliva is in the corner of his mouth, eyes wild with pain, a sheen of sweat on his brow. Mae hesitates, she surely owes him enough to join in the suffering, yet his abject misery is a pretty good warning of what would come; she of all of them does not have a good head for pain— not to that degree certainly. Diamondback leans over Severen, moving strands of damp hair away “You alright sweetie?” It is the most she has ever sounded concerned for him. He moans “Lemme alone”, making no move to stop her coddling. Mae swipes a finger full of frosting, thrusting it onto her tongue before she can second guess herself. At first she does not notice anything, it just tastes sour, chalky as she mixes it around her mouth, then she feels her throat contract, refusing the substance that has entered her mouth; insistent that it desist from trying to make it further into her body. She clamps her hands over her mouth, barely resisting the urge to vomit. She tries to swallow, but it won’t happen. Mae grabs a napkin off the table and spits into it. Balling up the mess, she tosses it onto her plate, looking miserably at Severen who really must be in agony. He silently allows Diamondback to rub his back as she hovers motherly over him.

The rest of the crew unseat themselves, pushing away from the wasted feast, the show clearly over as the main performer lies upon the stage in defeat. Homer retires into the living room, pulling out a tome, reclining in an overstuffed chair to drift into the world between words. Jesse is without his usual diversions of cards with Severen or curling up with Diamondback while she is caring for the aforementioned patient, so in true modern fashion takes the other easy chair, turning on the television. Mae, feeling queasy herself, lies down on the couch staring numbly at the images on the screen, hoping that the nausea ends soon. Diamondback half drags Severen to the bathroom where he is violently ill, then left to soak in the tub, "A remedy for all things" she assures the pitifully moaning creature. Once cleaned up herself, she joins Jesse in his chair where they cuddle uncomfortable, glad for one another until numbed limbs have them up seeking more accommodating furniture to relocate to.

The evening goes by in relative silence. The day comes and goes. At the rising of the moon they gather again, Severen the last to drag himself before the group. "Did you sleep in the tub?" Homer asks staring at the taller man with a smirk at the miserable sight of him. Bedraggled, he manages only a glare along with the word "No"; failing to add he had only made it as far as the bathroom floor. All packed up, back in their vehicle, Jesse meets each pair of eyes, declaring that they stick to the tried and true from now on. Silently to themselves they admit that the experiment had its fun, even better leaving the mess to someone else to sort out; gone the days of caring for stable homesteads.

"Any chance you're hungry Severen?" Jesse asks pulling out onto the main road thinking about where they might make their stop for the night, always thinking ahead to when they would again need to bed down. "Starved" he declares, rolling down his window to brace his arm along the frame, staring out into the night, a familiar gleam returning to his eye. Jesse smiles, knowing now with certainty that his old companion is much recovered from his bout of self inflicted suffering. "Good. Let's eat".

#near dark #near dark fanfic #severen van sickle #✘ ONE SHOT.

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thefestival · 1 year ago

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Character Bios - Nishma Mauranyan

Starting today, I will be rolling out a series of posts dedicated to explaining the lore of The Festival and its cast, starting with our enthusiastic protagonist, Nishma Mauranyan.

Nishma Mauranyan

Age: 26 (Born September 24th, 1996)

Parents: Eilios Römaeros Mauranyan (Father), Leena Mac Carthaigh Mauranyan (Mother)

Siblings: None (Only Child)

History

Nishma Orissa Mauranyan, 26, is an aspiring revolutionary from Nehrut, a small town at the base of the Arpos Mountains, on the border between Epyros and Kharmouz. She is of mixed heritage, having connections to all the major nations of Eastoria, which she takes immense pride in. When the Citizens Militia first arrived in her village in 2019, she knew that she wanted to join their ranks and help the people of Eastoria at large.

Having already worked in an administrative capacity assisting the village council, Nishma has an eye for logistics and planning. She is also incredibly caring and compassionate, if at times a bit of a doofus. She also has a knack for pulling off tasks that others would find too difficult or time-consuming, which quickly earns her a reputation as a hard worker. Since she was a child, Nishma and her family helped organize small spring festivals each year, which helped preserve people's spirits in light of the hardships of the War.

Her experience with these festivals is what inspired her to organize a festival for the entire country, as she hopes it will help bring people together after years of strife and agony. The festival in question – intended to observe the Day of The Divine Union (4/21) – has historically had major cultural and religious significance in Eastoria. It is the traditional Eastorian new year, marking the beginning of Spring and symbolizing the birth of new life, but it has not been observed on a national level since the start of the Eastorian Civil War.

Nishma is working to arrange the festival with litany of characters. Her main allies are Gil Yurez, a soldier of the Citizens Militia who has been assigned to watch over Nishma as she travels across the country; and Quartermaster Jonathan Holmes, an officer in the Citizens Militia who is assisting Nishma with the planning and logistics for the festival. Given the religious nature of the festival, Nishma must also answer to Patriarch Haytham and Matriarch Zaineb, the head priests of the Common Temple where the festival will be held.

Struggles

Nishma is energetic and very eager to help people, but she is also in many ways naïve. Though she and her village felt the pressures of the war bearing down on them, she nonetheless comes from a relatively privileged upbringing as her home was left mostly unscarred by the Civil War. As such, she doesn’t have the same traumas as many of the characters she meets, and she runs the risk of reacting inappropriately or accidentally offending people.

These difficulties often rear their head when she is convincing people of the virtue of her mission to organize the festival. Some see it as frivolous, and some may even insult her for not being a true Eastorian because she has not suffered as much as they have.

Another issue in this vein is that she is a small town girl who is finally experiencing the rest of the outside world for the first time in her adult life. Many parts of Eastoria are nothing like her home of Nehrut, and she will have to adjust quickly if she wants to complete her mission.

Her main challenges in the game are twofold: she must constantly justify her decision to organize a festival to others, and she must strike a balance between being assertive and accommodating in her dialogue.

Justifying her actions will not take a one-size-fits-all approach; some characters may need to be convinced using arguments Nishma is not used to making. Meanwhile, Nishma can run the risk of being too standoffish if she acts too mean or refuses to compromise with people, while she risks being taken advantage of if she is ‘too nice’ and does not put her foot down or set boundaries.

Despite the many difficulties ahead of her, Nishma is determined, persistent, and enthusiastic to tackle the hard work that awaits her.

#character bios #nishma mauranyan #the festival #the festival: eastoria #game design #game development

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ghoulfr13nd · 1 year ago

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imagine i take your ocs into my hand like your dolls and say "i just think they're neat! :3" fsdhj

you know, that makes sense for them to be chaotic! i remember when i was focusing more about lyrics and wasn't looking at the order of the songs and suddenly was hit with Moonlight Sonata i was shooketh! so id say it is effective with stopping listener in their tracks same way the moments where Mac's true feelings show! but so i see it depends on the character what type of the playlist would work best which is a very good mindset to have!

i'm so attached to these little guys you have no idea! i wonder what kind of being Linsey would end up as since you're reconsidering! in your story there are only demons and angels or are there other supernatural creatures?

thank you for indulging me and my questions! :D

i love this art! is Finn trans? i care him 🥺 he has fisherman clothes and honestly he makes it work! and linsay this poor traumatized kid </3 maybe stabbing people isn't the best coping mechanism in the long run ;v; (i really hope you find the rest drawings though! <3)

oh btw, would you be ok with me telling you songs that made me think about your ocs? just to clarify i don't mean it'd be my proposition to add to your playlist, just me saying which song i thought had the oc vibes to me :D

(hmmm about my ocs, man, i have so many, think typical shounen anime cast of main characters sdfjksdf maybe ill tell just about my main MAIN one to not take too much time fdhsj they're called Klepsydra and in short, they have some type of regenerative powers: when they get hurt (emotionally or physically) they take life-force of things around them and use it to heal. It's not conscious on their part and they hate it. They had to learn how to repress emotions to an extreme degree and wear a very thick skin so their emotions couldn't get hurt and put others in danger, they constantly wear a smile and to an outsider they are very happy-go-lucky. they want to isolate from people so they won't get attached, they don't want to risk getting hurt from them or hurting them when they'd be in worse mood, but they also hate being mean, they are very nice in fact, and like to help others, so whether they want it or not, they gather a "small" group of friends around themselves. but when things get Real/Sad/Negative/Dangerous they are the first one to run + they are amazing at dodging hits and avoiding injuries :D two songs i simultaneously associate with them is Dashboard by Modest Mouse and Lonely Hearts Club by Marina fdhasj thank you for asking!!! ;v;)

music anon 🎶

ok anon….. ok anon..!!! ITS HAPPENING…!!! ITS REALLY HAPPENING IM REPLYING FOR REAL FINALLY!! i come to you live from the notepad on my laptop. i broke out the laptop for this. thats right. i'm locking the fuck in, and i'm not moving until i'm DONE. ok? ok. let's do this.

i am thrilled that moonlight sonata was able to hit you that way! i had the idea in my head that it would work that way, but i wasn't sure if it would really come through to anyone else who might listen. i'm so pleased that it did. i clap my hands together!! i am full of glee and whimsy! it means so much to me that you like them fr T_T honestly it's been really hard trying to figure out exactly how i want my characters to interact and how i want their story to playout, and i've really been able to get a clearer idea just from talking with you. your questions have been really helpful with my world-building!! with Linsey…. hmm…. see, the thing is (and also to answer your question) i'm not sure whether i want there to be more than angels and demons! and i dont really see Linsey as either. she's certainly a creature, but i don't know that that's necessarily a paranormal thing jshfd

and THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME QUESTIONS ?????? ARE YOU KIDDINGGGGGG IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT!!! and yes!! finn is trans c: he loves his waders lol sure, maybe stabbing isn't the best coping mechanism, but, you know.

also are YOU KIDDING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES YES YES PLEASE REC ME SONGS BASED ON MY OCS NOTHING WOULD MAKE ME HAPPIER

what kind of story is Klepsydra's? :0 they seem like a really interesting character!! also very heart-bound. we are just two guys making fucked up little guys who don't know how to express their emotions like normal people. i'm sure this says nothing about us. ALSO I LOVE THESE SONGSSSS very very good vibes i love them. just realized i need to add them to your playlist!! so im doing that now.

ok cool one down!! see ya in the next one >:3c

#music anon 🎶

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lupinescribbler · 1 month ago

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I really wish I could give you a single answer, unfortunately I have way too many thoughts so you get a list instead lol

1) a presumed dead story/plotline. This might be my number one, a proper ‘everyone thinks Mac is dead’ storyline or episode would have been awesome imo. Whether it’s accidental and Mac ends up having to fight to survive on his own, or intentional as in Mac has to fake his own death, I would have lost my mind over it. I am obviously biased though since I’ve written almost 50k words along this premise lol.

2) accidentally baby acquisition. Obviously this is a sillier one, but ending up having to take care of a baby while on a harrowing mission I think would be the perfect set up for both hilarity, potential childhood angst for Mac, and wholesomeness. Just imagine Mac and Jack bickering with a baby howling between them and Bozer — who I’m convinced would be the only one capable of taking care of a baby — trying to give advice over comms. Mac improvising a baby carrier, Jack trying to sing them to sleep, heart to heart when the baby finally goes to sleep, shenanigans.

3) lugging unconscious comrade to safety. One of them gets knocked out or otherwise incapacitated, and the other has to drag them through dangerous territory back to safety. My heart says Mac hurt and Jack has to get them to safety, but honestly I would equally love to see it vice versa or with other members of the main cast. All of those, please.

4) getting through a mission while injured/somehow disadvantaged. They did this a little with Mac losing use of his hands in that one later season episode, but I’d’ve really wanted to see it with Jack involved. One of them gets blinded, deafened, muted, etc and has to work around it with the help of the others to complete the mission or get home safe. This is one I would like to see with Mac most, since I feel the way he’d creatively work to overcome it, and his stubborn insistence to refuse to let it slow him down in any way, would be so fun to see. Imagine Mac scampering off in a fire fight to try to pull off some crazy plan, blind and operating entirely off of hearing and touch meanwhile Jack experiences a literal heart attack.

5) underwater episode. Something involving them having to dive, maybe with improvised equipment, maybe trapped on a sunken vessel or compromised underwater tunnel, maybe a rescue mission, maybe they just need to rescue themselves… idk, I just love that eerie atmosphere of having to be deep underwater and the anxiety, tension, and Mac improv that could happen. Of course, obligatory, someone has to drown and be revived.

Episode wishlist: Is there a trope, episode, theme etc that you wish the show had tackled?

#macgyver 2016 #angus macgyver #jack dalton #let me know if any of these actually happened in canon and I forgot lol #or in a fic

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politicalprocrastinator · 7 years ago

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... I'm just gonna say it ...

The remixed theme song is the reason Veronica Mars got cancelled

#Mac is finally in the main cast though #But yikes the remix is horrific #I came here to scream out some pop punk not stare witheringly at some shite zoom ins #And I love logan but I'm pissed that Wallace got bumped down the pecking order #Veronica Mars #Vm liveblog #veronica mars liveblog #veronica mars spoilers #Kristen bell #kristen bell #Veronica Mars season 3

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ravenstargames · 2 years ago

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✦ Lost in Limbo Masterpost ✦

Everything you need to know about the game so far! 💜

When you finally quit your dead-end job and move back to your mother's house in the ever-peaceful town of Faybourne, you think things could only get better. However, the moment you set foot in your childhood home, a harrowing nightmare long forgotten reappears to haunt you once more.

A tower that crumbles in the vastness of a bleeding sky. A voice that mourns and yearns for something.

Torn away from your peaceful life and thrown into a world of danger and deceit, you are at the mercy of the Seven Sovereigns of Limbo, almighty gods that have sworn to be your protectors...as long as you prove yourself useful.

As the consequences of a plan set in motion long ago start to unveil, will love be the key to your freedom, or the first chapter of your downfall?

To obtain every CG, we reccommend playing the demo twice and testing different options!

🔮 JOIN OUR KICKSTARTER PRE-LAUNCH!

✦ PLAY OUR DEMO NOW ON:

🔮 STEAM (MAC, LINUX, WINDOWS)

🔮 ITCH.IO (MAC, LINUX, WINDOWS)

🔮 GOOGLE PLAY

✦ THE STORY ✦

Lost in Limbo is a dark fantasy & romance visual novel taking place in the mysterious realm of Limbo. Take the role of River Winchester (full name and pronouns changeable), a human dealing with common-life problems, as you find yourself trapped in a foreign world.

Try to survive and go back to your family with the help of the Seven Sovereigns, gods who rule over Limbo and have sworn to be your protectors...even if their intentions may be completely different.

Which of the Seven Sovereigns will be in charge of your life is up to fate, but whether you fall in love or in disgrace... is up to you.

✦ THE GAME ✦

✦ Lost in Limbo is rated +17 and will include flashing lights, mild horror, disturbing imagery, mild jumpscares, implicit and suggestive sexual scenes and discussions, sensitive topics such as toxic family relationships, anxiety, depression, depictions of alcohol / drug use, etc. Each route will have content warnings available for the player.

✦ The game and demo will be released on itchio and then steam. Other platforms (mobile/nintendo switch) are being considered and will depend on future kickstarter stretch goals.

Keep reading to know more about the game and the choice system, the cast, the MC and the Demo release!

✦ The game WILL NEVER depict gruesome scenes such as torture, sexual assault or any kind of overly cruel violence. The game has some fighting, a few deaths, and some unsettling descriptions, though!

✦ There will be four different choice systems that will give shape to your playthrough:

Trust Points centered around your Love Interest; a low level of trust can translate into Bad Endings*.

Plot-driving choices that will shape the story and its possible endings and the fate of the side characters.

Personality choices that will determine the Main Character's relationship with their Love Interest, as well as how the MC reacts to certain events, their abilities, hobbies, etc.

Flavor choices! These don't impact the game directly, but are there for the main objective of the game: having fun!

*In Lost in Limbo, there's not only one correct answer and one wrong answer. There's different ways of earning trust points without having to stick for the "one and only right answer", and mistakes can be redeemed...sometimes.

✦ Lost in Limbo treats consensual sex as a natural, integral and positive part of the game. Every Love Interest will approach it differently based on their experiences and their preferences; the player will have the choice whether to engage or not* without being penalized.

*Amon's route is strongly centered around the sexual tension between him and the MC, and how this attraction quickly develops into a physical relationship. Sexual scenes will be more frequent than in the rest of the routes and can be skipped, but happen nonetheless.

✦ This is a LGBT+ game.

✦ THE CAST ✦

The Seven Sovereigns: Because a family of gods can be a father and his six children...with all the problems that this entails.

✦ Lost in Limbo features seven Love interests and a wide cast of secondary characters yet to be revealed. Each Love Interest is in a different stage of their lives and has a past and personality that molds their relationship with the MC into different kinds of romance.

✦ The routes will be episodic, meaning that the game will update regularly with new chapters instead of the complete routes being released all at once.

As the older sibling, Amon had plenty of time to learn how to be a god living amongst mortals, and yet, that hasn't stopped him from indulging in mundane pleasures...greatly so.

A frantic-paced and intense romance in which a physical relationship blooms into love with a great deal of hardships to overcome.

Dedicated and brave, Praefectus Raeya takes her role as Limbo's protector extremely seriously, but the truth behind the realm's darkest times will soon put her loyalty to the test.

A woman bound by duty and a romance full of yearning and mutual pining. A route centered around trust, forgiveness and finding the strenght to fix what's broken.

Pronounced [ɡaˈel]

Master of the Grand Houses, Gael is admired for his humble and altruistic persona, but a dangerous secret has kept him away from love his whole life.

A fake-marriage scenario turns into a forbidden romance for a man who has been denied affection since the day he was created.

Stripped of their name and shunned after commiting treason, the Sovereign now known as Lord Envy lives a life of solitude—if only he could get rid of his siblings.

An enemies-to-lovers romance, a betrayed heart that needs healing, and a god who constantly denies themselves from being happy.

Kind and caring, Ara is not only determined to make your time in Limbo a happy thing to remember, but also to make things go back to the way they were, no matter the cost.

A charming and playful romance and the tale of a girl who takes matters into her own hands—for better or worse.

As the youngest sibling, no one expects anything from Xal, not even himself. He is seen as a good-for-nothing and a poor excuse of a god, but you two are about to prove everyone wrong.

A first love romance about a young god who was born in the wrong side of the universe, and how someone can be the reason to try again where you once failed.

Creator of Limbo, Father Pride has to watch over the safety of his realm and the happiness of his family. However, the life of the God of Limbo can be solitary...and that solitude can lead to one's demise.

A convoluted love story about a god that can't let go, as much as he wants to. A dramatic route where the right decision is never the easiest to make.

Pride's route is the sometimes hopeless tale of an all-mighty god brought to his knees. His good ending will be "harder" to obtain than the rest of the cast. It'll be the last route being written and produced because of its weight plot-wise.

✦ THE MC ✦

River Winchester (name and pronouns changeable) quit their job and had to move back to their childhood town to live with their mother and grandmother. Old family dynamics and the dread of an unknown future await them—as well as a cryptic nightmare they have been having since they were a kid.

A past buried under years of lies must come to light sooner or later, if you are able to put together the pieces of the puzzle and live to tell the tale.

✦ The MC is written as a young adult who is at least 21 years old. The player can headcanon their character as any age they desire, but every route is written so the MC is of an age similar to that of the chosen love interest, except for Father Pride who is older than the MC.

✦ The MC is a strong-willed individual who isn't afraid to jump into action. In the game, you'll be able to channel these characteristics in different ways. River is funny, kind and a bit too stubborn—but you choose how to manage those traits and whether to let them shine or not. The game will remember, so if you are not too athletic, maybe hitting that monster with a chair isn't a very good idea.

✦ The MC also has some default tastes, hobbies and memories. During the game, you'll be able to personalize how the Main Character feels about their interests, add new ones, or reflect about how the past affected them. The characters will remember this.

✦ THE DEMO ✦

FEATURES:

The first version of Lost in Limbo's prologue

Customizable first name, last name and pronouns of the MC (she/her, he/him, they/them) or use a default name; River Winchester.

Over ~42k words (around three hours of gameplay)

Seven CGs (one per character) + mini-CGs to enhance the experience!

Over 25 different choices (some of them timed!)

If you have made it this far—thank you for your time! We are sorry for the obnoxiously long post. We hope it has been useful to at least solve some questions you may have about the game. You can always ask us anything and we will reply as soon as possible! 💜

#Lost in Limbo #About the game #visual novel #otome #dating sim #interactive fiction #indiedev

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floofsselfshipblog · 2 years ago

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Hi! I would love to hear more about your lego monkie kid oc and their relationship to their F/Os! I don't know much about the show, but I'd love to learn more about it and how your OC fits into the story.

Now that I’ve finished Season 3 I can CONFIDENTLY ramble about Láng and his relationship with Wukong, Macaque, and Chang’e-

Gonna start with Chang’e first cause her and Láng have the least complicated relationship compared to Sunny and Mac! So quick context- Chang’e is a moon goddess who hosts this cooking show she broadcasts to the mortal plain. She is also the holder of this ring that unlocks this powerful weapon the main cast uses to defeat the big bad of the season.

Láng watches the show with Pigsy and very clearly has a little celebrity crush on the moon lady (Wukong is jealous but since they aren’t together at this point he doesn’t say anything). Anyway- Láng, Sun-Wukong, Pigsy, and MK build a rocket to get to the moon and retrieve the ring- not before getting caught by Chang’e though who thinks they stole her recipe book along with the ring (Pigsy took it to leave a parting recipe as a gift). Obviously Láng is starstruck and is a bi disaster towards Chang’e- but she finds this cute and Pigsy tells her that Láng also bakes! And since I also ship Chang’e and Wukong- I feel like they’d have this interaction

Wukong: Hey so- ya seem nice buutttt stay away from my man- k?

Chang’e: Ok! :D [flirts with both of them]

Wukong, also bi panicking: Wait-

Láng has a little communicator to keep in touch with Chang’e :3

Now Macaque!

They start off as enemies at the beginning of the season- obviously, Macaque is trying to turn them in to the Lady Bone Demon (big bad demon lady). UNTIL Mac says something that catches Láng’s attention-

“I’ve had my taste of dying before and yeah- wasn’t a fan.”

Láng figures there’s something more to Macaque working for LBD- but it isn’t until the two speak in a fanfic I’m writing Láng learns what’s what. I’m not gonna spoil it, but after their talk the two are- kinda friends? It’s complicated- but they’re working together in the season finale (plus Láng kisses him)

I also like to think after the events of Season 3 the two are living together

And now the main man himself- Sun-Wukong!

Sunny has probably the most complicated relationship with Láng, the dynamic evolving SO much! Originally in season 1, the two would casually flirt- Season 2, Láng shows to have care for the monkey king, straightening up his home and stuff- and then Season 3 happens-

Wukong isn’t entirely truthful to everyone, he’s a terrible mentor to MK- leaving him to learn how to get his powers back by himself- and Láng is just…stressed beyond belief trying to make sure Macaque doesn’t harm anyone. I like to think there’d be an episode, or a scene at the end of one where Láng goes off and tells Wukong how frustrated he is with him- obviously they’d make up by the end but Láng deserves to go off. During Embrace your Destiny the two would have a moment before the final fight where Wukong apologizes and Láng forgives him (and also kisses his dumb face :33) before the gang goes off to fight.

And in my hypothetical season 5 that focuses on Láng’s backstory and powers, they’d definitely be on better terms with Sun trying to be more trustworthy to Láng

#WHEW long post!#but thank you for the ask mate!#I got a lot to write for these goobers TwT

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 4 years ago

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Love is a Bundle of Contradictions.

This artwork was a piece I commissioned from @shimmeryspark!

... There is no explanation for this other than my friends encouraged me to write Valentine’s Day Raven and Jade fluff, since the main saga is a bit lot of angst right now. (Special thanks to @twstpasta since they let me borrow their twstsona for plot reasons :9)

Imagine this...

“You WHAT?!”

“Ehehe~ Sorry...!! I guess I went and made a bad decision, heehoo~” Mac stuck out their tongue and lightly bonked their own head with a fist. “Silly me~”

“Making a deal with Azul is the very definition of a bad decision,” Raven groaned, slapping a hand to her face. “I... I cannot believe you. Dare I ask what the conditions were?”

“I gave him my taste buds! He said he’ll give them back if you help out with stocking up on supplies for the Mostro Lounge.”

“That’s... suspiciously simple. And you really just handed over your taste buds just like that? You can’t taste your beloved cheese anymore.”

“I know!” Mac pouted. “It’s so sad, so you’ll help this rataroni out, right?”

“I find it odd that Azul is demanding my assistance, seeing as how I am not the one that made the deal with him to begin with. However... I cannot turn my back on a friend in need. I will lend you a helping wing—er, hand.”

“Sweet, sweet!!” Mac clasped Raven’s hands happily. “Just remember to show up this Sunday afternoon. Meet up’s in the town square. Oh, and be sure to wear something cute!”

“Something cute? Why would...”

“It’s part of the deal—so you just gotta, okay? That’s what Azul said!” Mac paused, before adding, “Oh, oh! And bring some homemade choco in a heart-shaped box!! That’s another contract condition!”

“Oh... O-Okay...?”

Raven leaned back against a lamp post, anxiously winding a finger around the string of small pearls at her collarbone. In her other hand was a bag, and in that bag, a heart-shaped box of homemade chocolates—just as Mac had told her.

A silver heart-shaped charm dangled from the necklace, lying still against her real hammering heart. Rarely did she venture out into the local town—and, standing there by her lonesome, the raven felt out of place and awkward.

An addendum to a story that had already been penned.

She watched as her silver charm caught a wink of sun and guided the light down its curve. Reflected back in the charm’s surface was the raven herself.

Today, her inky hair was cast up in a high pigtail and secured with a cobalt ribbon. She had traded her usual outfit for a pale blouse with billowy puff sleeves, white stockings, and a high waist skirt in a plaid pattern—cobalt, like her ribbons.

I hope this satisfies the conditions of the deal.

Raven checked the time on her phone; any minute now, Azul would be showing up, and they’d get this over with. Then she could return to her attic to roost, and Mac could return to feasting on cheese and inhaling poison—

“Oya. Do my eyes deceive me, or is that you, Miss Raven?” a silken cadence called out to her, rising above the hustle and bustle of the town.

“... You,” she responded flatly, narrowing her eyes at a certain eel as he parted from a crowd.

Ah.

Jade, too, had abandoned his typical uniform in favor of casual comfort. He wore a pair of dress pants and a grey turtleneck—and over it was a brown trench coat, unbuttoned to show off how snugly that sweater fit against his lean, muscular body.

Raven squinted. His earring was slightly different today as well. Rather than three diamond shaped sturgeon scales dangling from his ear, there were heart shaped ones. Blue and glassy, like the calm sea after a storm.

His hands were polite folded behind his back... hiding something. Whatever that something was, petals of pink, red, and yellow-orange were poking out.

If she didn’t know any better, she would have said he looked handsome—and innocent—enough. But she did know better.

“What are you doing here?” Raven demanded, no longer playing with her necklace. Her hands went to her sides, curling into balls.

“Fufufu. The town is a public space. I am free to come and go as I please, the very same as you.” Jade tilted his head to one side. “Although today, I am here on an errand. The Mostro Lounge is short on centerpiece supplies, you see. I have been sent to restock.”

“What a coincidence. I’m also here to help the Mostro Lounge restock,” Raven said, a bit of bitterness slipping into her voice, “as per a contract.”

Jade attempted to appear sympathetic—but he allowed a cruel chuckle to escape him. “I see now. I was not aware that you were the one indebted to Octavinelle, Miss Raven. Had I known sooner, I would not have hesitated to summon you to fill in for Kon-san’s morning shift.”

“I’m not a waitress for you to order around.” Raven jutted out her chin defiantly. “I’m here strictly on business, so if you would kindly leave me be...!!”

“I believe you said you had to assist the Mostro Lounge. Would it not be prudent, then, to go about tending to that duty rather than standing about and looking like a lost lamb?”

“Sh-Shut up! It’s not my fault that Azul is running late...!!”

“You were waiting for Azul?” Jade said, his brows pinching together briefly. “You are terribly mistaken. It is not Azul who is assisting you with the restock, but myself.”

“... Beg pardon?”

Wear something cute, bring homemade chocolates, Mac had said. And it has to be you, Raven, not me! But why? Slowly, slowly... The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

A thought dawned on Raven:

I’ve definitely been tricked.

“Well!! That’s all fine and dandy, but I think I shall be on my way home now. I really must be having a chat with a friend of mine,” she babbled, turning on her heel. They’re going to be buried in tomato sauce when I get to them.

“How cruel of you to abandon those in need, Miss Raven. And to think that Mac-san shall be without their taste buds... and I, burdened with the task of restocking by my lonesome. What a tragic way to spend Valentine’s Day,” Jade exhaled deeply and wiped at an imaginary tear. “Shikushikushiku...”

Raven’s left eye twitched. “Don’t you paint me as the bad guy here...!!”

“Aren’t you?” Jade challenged, a smile still plastered on his face despite his mocking tone.

“Grrr...!!” She whipped around, thrusting an index finger at him. “Listen here... Leech!! The only reason I am even here was to help someone out of a contract your shady boss roped them into!”

“If you are as selfless and loving as you claim to be, then you should have no issues with shopping with me,” Jade countered smoothly. “After all, they say that actions speak louder than words.”

The little bird vibrated with irritation, her cheeks puffed out in a pout. Her stomach coiled tight, uneasiness brewing. As much as she hated to admit to it, he was right.

Raven clenched her teeth and sent a glare his way. “Fine...!! But I will be keeping an eye on you to ensure that there is no funny business!”

“Then by all means, ‘keep an eye on me’, and do not let your gaze stray for even a single moment,” Jade chuckled, somehow sneering through his smile. “I welcome it.”

The eel held out a hand to Raven. “We’d best not be separated while on our errand.”

She stared hesitantly. Her eyes flickered between his eyes and the hand he offered. Subtle changes in her expression occurred in rapid succession—the raising of her lids, the tremble to her lower lip, the tinge to her cheeks.

“... Yeah. We’d best not,” Raven finally agreed, her grip on her bag—the bag containing her chocolates—tightened. “Which is precisely why I will follow you at a safe distance.”

“Ah, but that would ruin the surprise.”

“What, the bouquet? You’re not exactly doing a masterful job of hiding it.”

“Nor are you doing well to hide your little surprise, Miss Raven.”

“I was deceived. This chocolate is not meant for you.”

“I didn’t say that it was, now did I?”

“... I’m going to eat them myself, then. That’ll show you!”

“Do with it what you wish, for selfish purposes or not,” Jade laughed, revealing his bouquet—all the colors of the setting sun. “These flowers, on the other hand, are meant to be gifted...”

He pushed the bouquet toward Raven. Up close, the flowers seemed even more vibrant and beautiful. Their warm hues enveloping the raven, enchanting her senses. Mesmerized, she reached out to accept the flowers—when Jade suddenly clicked his tongue and pulled them away.

“But alas—not to you,” he teased, pressing a finger to his lips. “Do try to keep up with me now, Miss Raven.”

Jade turned and dove into a sea of townspeople, leaving a trail of sunset-colored petals in his wake. And, like the fool that she was, a fuming raven stormed after him—chocolates still in hand. Heart quivering.

Terrariums—the flowers were meant for terrariums all along.

Jade had taken his sweet time leading her down a winding path and to an art supply store tucked away in a corner, and even longer to observe the shape and feel of each terrarium container. Spherical, cuboidal, prismatic... Holding up the bouquet every so often to compare how the flowers would look in each.

In the end, he had gone wild with his purchases, electing to buy a selection of shapes, along with other supplies—just to keep himself amused. Jade had paid with a platinum card embossed with Octavinelle’s logo. Mostro Lounge Master Cash Card, it read. Azul’s property; do not steal! Sign the loaning form if you must borrow.

It was all for the terrariums, for business as usual.

I should have realized sooner. Stupid, stupid, Raven scolded herself.

She grunted, struggling to carry the bagful of terrarium supplies that Jade had saddled her with, while he carried one of his own without any trouble. The eel cast her a mocking glance over his shoulder.

“Are you in need of a break, Miss Raven?”

Bite me, she wanted to snap back—but a bark of pain shot up her arms, silencing her defiance. “... M-Maybe.”

He sighed in an exaggerated fashion. “Very well. I see a café up ahead. We can rest there for a few moments, though it may require the purchase of a food item if we wish for a table.”

“Sounds peachy.”

Together, they swept through the café doors. The duo was immediately greeted by the smell of sugar and the hum of the other patrons, many of them couples.

Raven stiffened at the sight, turning a deep shade of red. Suddenly, she was very, very aware of how she—and Jade—looked.

“I think I changed my mi—“ Raven was cut off when he grasped her hand and held fast. She jolted back, her skin turning clammy. “Eeep! Wh-What are you...”

“Table for two,” Jade requested of an employee. “We do not intend to stay for a large meal, so just an ice-cream parfait will do.”

“Certainly, sir. Right this way.” The server quickly seated them, and with a bow, departed to retrieve their order.

“... You can let go of my hand now,” Raven hissed, attempting to free herself. To no avail, initially. She tugged again, and finally broke free, aggressively rubbing at her hand to ward off the residual eel cooties.

Jade chuckled, tucking his strand of black hair behind his ear. His earring glimmered in the afternoon sunlight pouring in through wide windows. “Play along. You are aware that today is Valentine’s Day, yes?”

“Yes, but I do not understand what that has to do with... physical contact, especially seeing as how we are not engaged in that kind of a relationship.”

“It is simple.” He laced his fingers together, resting his chin on them. With the most serene of smiles, Jade purred, “We should take advantage of the couple discounts being offered at eateries such as this. An excellent way to save on spending, especially after that particularly large purchase made on the Mostro Lounge’s coin.”

“You’re a shrewd one.”

“Why, thank you.”

Raven’s hands curled in her lap. Her lips pursed, she found her gaze trained on the white lace of the tablecloth, rather than on her dining companion.

Time and time again, she has been tricked today, told white lies. Teased and deceived. It was simply how he was—and though it did irk her in some ways, it also never made a moment dull.

Hot and cold. Push and pull. Bitter and sweet. That was Jade Leech.

“Your parfait is here!!” The server from before popped up in her periphery, startling the raven from her thoughts. They set it down and stepped back. “Here you are—enjoy your date!”

“Thank you. We certainly will,” Jade reacted before Raven could and dismissed the server with a wave. “... Well, let’s dig in.”

“You didn’t correct them.”

“We won’t get the discount if they don’t believe this farce,” he replied calmly, nudging the parfait and a spoon toward her. “Now then, less talking and more eating. You need your strength if you plan on helping me haul all the supplies back to campus.”

She let out a huff, but dug her spoon into a frozen mound. The parfait was massive, composed of several scoops of pink, blue, and green ice-cream, flanked by chocolate wafer bars. With a smattering of sprinkles, a crown of whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry on top, the dessert looked absolutely picture perfect.

Raven steadily brought a spoonful of pink goop into her mouth, allowing a sweet bubblegum flavor to spread across her tongue. Her eyes cut to Jade, who had not bothered to sample any for himself. He smiled back, gaze half-lidded as if recalling a fond memory.

“Have some, too. I feel weird eating it alone—and you must be hungry too. I know how big your appetite is.” Raven pushed the parfait glass toward him.

“If you insist.”

The head of his spoon sunk into a green scoop with shards of chocolate chip weaved throughout. It pulled away cleanly with a large mound, which was soon consumed. Then another bite, and a third, a fourth... Before Raven knew it, a good third of the parfait was missing.

Jade patted his mouth with a napkin, eyeing her expectantly.

“Are you still hungry?” Raven asked, eyebrows raising. She retrieved a scoop of blue this time—vaguely flavored like a medley of fruits.

“Perhaps... though I do not plan on taking more of the parfait for myself. Were I to, there would be none left for you.”

The fruit seemed to sour in her mouth. It was true that she was hungry, yes—but at the same time, she did not wish for Jade to be left dissatisfied.

She frowned, setting her spoon down and reaching into her bag. Seconds later, she produced a heart-shaped package and shoved it at him.

“Here, chocolates. They’re yours now, since I have no other use for them,” Raven mumbled insistently. “You can eat them now, or save them for later. Just hurry up and take them before I change my mind.”

“Oya, it is rather bold to profess your undying love to me in such a public space.” Jade teased, chuckling lightly into his hand.

“B-Be quiet...!! We... We can’t get that couple’s discount if one of us passes out from hunger.”

“Fufufu. I doubt that either of us would.” His mismatched eyes twinkled with mirth. “... Thank you for the sweets, Miss Raven. I will be certain to savor every last bite.”

The town became even busier in the late afternoon, filing with the sound of street performers and spectators. A monkey in a vest and a small hat barreled by Raven’s feet as she and Jade exited the café, nearly causing her to double over. A chorus of children’s laughter chased after the monkey—and she, the raven, stumbled on her recovery.

“Perhaps now would be a good time to reconsider my offer,” Jade suggested, a hand on the small of her back to support her. That same hand trailed around and tickled the back of hers. “It would be a shame if we lost one another in this crowd.”

Raven regarded him with a pointed look, but slipped her hand into his without further resistance. “... Only because I have to.”

“Of course, of course.”

Together, they braved the bustling streets.

A new world unfolded before Raven’s very eyes. Costumed performers of all kinds paraded about, garnering attention from passerbys. Some tossed confetti and candies, others brandished instruments. Brass, strings, percussion—all their notes floated up into the festive atmosphere.

There went a dancer, leaping like a lithe deer, limbs outstretched and the flowy fabric of their uniform like a curtain of smoke. And here was an artist perched on a stool, sketching the outline of a woman posed on a wooden crate. A young man jingled a tambourine, trying to catch coins in his cap.

A number of food carts patrolled the roads, calling out their wares. Crepes, sandwiches, sodas... Families, friends, and couples lining benches, exchanging bites.

Love was truly in the air and oozing out of every pore of the community.

Raven couldn’t keep her head still. She turned this way and that, trying to soak up every last sight and sound. Her golden eyes sparkled with wonder.

Jade, of course, took note. “Excited, are you?”

“It’s very different than Night Raven College,” she replied shyly. “Almost like a magic kingdom.”

“Magic kingdom? You can be rather melodramatic at times.”

“Yeah? So can you and Azul and Floyd, with all your fake tears...” Her wandering eyes caught something bright red as she spoke. “Oh...!! Look.”

Raven tugged on Jade’s hand, urging him to a halt. Her gaze was transfixed on a lamp post with a multitude of red strings. At the other ends of those ribbons were heart-shaped balloons, as red as blood.

His eyebrows pinched together in mocking sympathy. “You truly are fascinated by the simplest things. Is it true what they say? That ravens are attracted to shiny objects?”

Her mouth flew open to protest, but she was interrupted by a woman by the balloon-bearing lamp post “You there!! Sir with the earring and ma’am with the blue ribbon! Care for some balloons?”

“Er... What are they for?” Raven asked.

“For love, of course,” the woman laughed. “Today’s all about appreciating one another, right? This is my way of spreading love.”

She separated three balloons from her bundle and offered them with a flourish. Raven eagerly accepted them, staring up in wonder at their floating bodies.

“Oh, and one more thing!!” The woman produced a red ribbon from her jacket pocket and nodded at the duo. “Your pinkie fingers, please!”

Raven held out her hand as directed, letting the woman secure the ribbon in a neat little knot. The balloon bearer extended the length of the ribbon, glancing to Jade. Raven, too, looked at him expectantly. Jade expelled a quiet sigh and allowed the red ribbon to be tied to his pinkie.

“There you go!” the woman declared triumphantly. “You’re all set now! Enjoy the rest of your Valentine’s Day, folks!”

“Thank you!” Raven shouted over her shoulder—even as Jade started to lead her away. The woman waved and waved until she was out of sight.

“... It has been a while since I have seen you this enthusiastic,” Jade remarked with a glance to the balloons. “I do suppose it is a departure from the monotony of daily life, but to think that such little things bring this amount of joy...”

“It reminds me of a story a little birdie once told me,” Raven chirped with a small giggle. “The story of the Red Thread of Fate.”

“Oh?” Jade raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

“The Red Thread of Fate is said to connect ‘destined people’. It can tangle, twist, or stretch, but it can never break. From the moment you are born, you have an unseen thread flowing from your pinkie finger, tying your fate to that of the person on the other end,” Raven recited, her tone turning solemn—her storytelling voice.

“Someday,” she said, “you will cross paths with the one that shares your thread, and your lives will be forever changed by the encounter. It could be a meaningful battle between rivals, the loss of a loved one, the promise of marriage... but the course of their stories will never again be the same.”

“How sentimental. And what, pray tell, does this red thread of ours mean, Miss Raven?” Jade questioned, lifting his end of the ribbon—the crimson shining in the sunlight.

“How would I know? I’m not a god,” she huffed. “It’s just fun to imagine the possibilities.”

“It is, indeed. Even so, surely there must be one favored conclusion to the story of the Red Thread of Fate in that pretty little head of yours.” He brought a hand to his mouth, yanking Raven toward him.

She glanced up with a glare. “I’d have to have a bird brain to tell you that.”

“Is that not the duty of a storyteller? To stand on stage and tell the tale until the curtain closes. Your adoring audience awaits.”

“You’re being booted from the metaphorical theater before you get to hear or see the ending.”

“I would like to see you try.”

Jade slowed to a stop, Raven following suit. They were back in the town square, by the lamp post where they had met up. Ending where it had all begun.

He pulled out his phone and consulted the time. Jade unlocked his device, quickly wrote up a message, and tucked it away again. “I can take it from here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Besides,” Jade cast a pitiful look at Raven’s trembling arms, “I doubt you would be able to haul those supplies the remainder of the way, and certainly not in an efficient manner.”

“... Then what was the point of stating in the contract that you needed a helping hand?”

“I am afraid that even I am not entirely privy as to Azul’s intentions,” he chuckled, gently prying a bag from her hands. “I will be certain to let Azul know that Mac-san’s end of the contract has been fulfilled.”

“Eh...? But—“

“You have our thanks for lending the Mostro Lounge your time. You are free to go now, Miss Raven. I’ve already summoned Floyd in your stead to assist me.”

“Th-The ribbon, you fool! I can’t leave if I’m still bound to you!”

“Oh? You don’t say.” His singsong held no concern whatsoever, only amusement.

“S-Stop playing dumb! You know very well what you are doing!!”

“You said it yourself, Miss Raven. Our lives have been forever changed since our encounter. There is no going back now.”

“Stop manipulating the narrative to suit your needs.”

“I haven’t the faintest clue what you mean. Jade smiled, feigning innocence. “You’ve resigned yourself to spending the rest of the day with me—at least until Floyd arrives to relieve you of your burden. Ah, but given his moodiness, who knows when that will be.”

“Just because your surname is Leech doesn’t mean you need to suck the life out of me like one,” Raven snapped. She reached for the red ribbon, intending to undo it—

—only to be met with a bouquet a second time. Flowers the color of the sunset, smelling like the drip of sunshine and a cut of meadow.

“For you—no strings attached this time.”

“Those are for the terrarium centerpieces.”

“I can easily replace them,” Jade insisted, “and I must repay you for your kind chocolate gift. Consider this... ‘favors for favors’, so that neither one of us is left indebted to the other.”

“... Alright. I’ll take them, but only because they might be useful for brewing some new inks.”

“I’m glad to see that you are being agreeable.” Jade slipped the flowers to her. “Take good care of them.”

Raven leaned against a lamp post, cradling the large bouquet in one arm. Her heart fluttered, and her limbs felt as light as air. Warm and floaty, like the balloons in her hand.

Favors for favors—but it still counted as a gift from Jade, and that very thought sent her mind spiraling. She took a shaky breath, and focused on the confetti and laughter in the distance, the song and dance of the street performers.

Waiting and waiting for Floyd.

“Miss Raven.”

“What now? Haven’t you bullied me enough for today? Are you still not satisfied, you sadist?”

She dared to lift her eyes to meet Jade’s—and her heart stood still, for he looked back. His sharp eyes soft and shrouded by long lashes, his lips pulled into a tender smile.

“Contract or no, I always enjoy my time with you—I enjoyed today,” Jade murmured. “I hope that we are able to do this again sometime.”

“... Shut up. J-Just shut up already, i-it’s embarrassing listening to you speak...!!” She buried her head in the flowers, concealing her pink face. Still feeling floaty, like a balloon, high on happiness.

“Fufufu. Happy Valentine’s Day, Miss Raven.”

#twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #Jade Leech #Raven Crowley #Jade Leech thirst #something no one asked for

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popculturebuffet · 4 years ago

Text

Scottrospective: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together! or Days of Summer

Hello all you happy scottaholics! Welcome back to those of you who’ve read the rest of this retrospective and welcome to those of you just joining us. This is the Scottrospective, my look at all 6 volumes of Scott Pilgrim, the game and the movie. It’s all the video game refrenes, slice of life story telling and boob punches you can handle!

It’s been three months since I left off with “The Infinite Sadness” , and while I intended to cover this one for Valentine’s Day, my schedule got away from me and with March being full up, this ended taking till April

I”m not too put off by it though as the hiatus between these two reviews is fitting for this one both in story and out. In story there’s a couple month time skip between books, while out.. this book got delayed a few times.

This is notable to me at least because this was the first volume of the series I bought when it came out. As i’ve brought up before I came into the series via the Free Comic Book Day Issue and the second and third volumes, picking one up later. I still have my original copies despite no longer really needing them thanks to having the color editions in general. Always will provided something dosne’t happen to them. So this was my first instalment that I got to read fresh and got to wait for and be hyped about and i’d saved enough money that I was able to pre-order it. So the experince of waiting and waiting for the book only to keep seeing it slide back is vivid in my mind as is the frustration I felt having the one thing I COULD NOT WAIT FOR, keep going further and further back.

So with this long wait and the fact I bought this one when it came out, as I would for the next two which didn’t get delayed thank god, this volume naturally means a lot for me. When I wrote Scott Pilgrim fanfiction, this volume’s status quo is what I based it on. It was the coolest to me and the one I loved to reread the most. It has the most contained story, the most character growth at the time, and the best art due to Bryan’s style having finally hit it’s stride. Not that the art for volumes 1-3 is bad mind you, but it’s very clear his style was changing and shaping into what it is now with each one and while it’d change a bit more, this volume is where the style and quality everyone thinks of when they think of this series and the kind you see on various art done from it comes from.

So as you can tell i’m excited for this one. Before we get started there WERE two shorter comics released between this one both for Free Comic Book day, the first of which, Free Scott Pilgrim, is the reason I got into the series and the second, the Wonderful World of Kim Pine .. was both delightful and sets up Kim moving in with Hollie for this volume. Originally I intended to cover these in this review.. but I realized they wouldn’t of helped the pacing and this review is going to be way longer than my standard as is.

So instead I came up with the compromise. I did review them.. but as bonus reviews on my patreon. For just one buck a month you can read them and help me reach my stretch goals which now include reviews of Lost at Sea, Seconds and SnotGirl, aka Bryan’s OTHER comics. You can find my patreon THROUGH THIS LINK HERE if your intrested in the exclusives or helping me reach my reviews. I also intend to do an exclusive of Monica Beetle, a short comic Bryan did starring Scott’s dad in the 70s at some point so keep your eyes peeled for that, as well as the three strips he did of Style, the comic that gave us the prototypes for Lisa and Kim.

I will talk about their connections and setups for this volume briefly: FSP sets up the next ex as a ninja, with Roxy having a bunch of posters come to live and pummel our boy, while Wonderful World has Hollie tell Kim she can move in with her. It’s not much, hence why i made these exclusives but they are good stories, so check them out. And with that JOIN ME UNDER THE CUT, as we enter Scott’s world once more as he grapples with the past, employment, and saying the L-Word... which might be Lesbians. I don’t know. Find out bellow!

So we open Two Months after Volume 3 with a beach birthday party! Complete with Kim in a swim suit!

But it’s for Julie who lobs a volley ball at Scott’s head when he and Ramona try to make out.

I also dont’ know if “Manfiesting out of all the world’s collectives sorrows” counts as a “birth” necessarily but whatever. I love a good beach story. It’s just a fun setitng for swimming, romance and battling a giant crab with the help of the bird what lives in your backpack.

So after the beach our heroes get dinner and Ramona sweetly calls Scott the nicest guy she’s ever dated. He responds with “That’s sad”. Blunt, but entirely accruate. Julie calls it pathetic and tries to counter Ramona RIGHTFULLY saying “who the hell asked you?” something that really should come after EVERYTHING Julie said with “Back off bitch i’ts my birthday”

So later that night Sex Bomb-Omb has a beach sing along, and I can’t help but notice Neil’s hairy legs.

I mean yes it does make since for a 19 year old to have leg hair, but of all the characters besides Stephen, the ONLY other character we’ve seen it with to give it to, why the character you specifically single out as “Young” it’s just a weird choice I never noticed before.

But anyways Julie has to whine about it because she’s Julie, she can’t stand other people being happy and complains the song...

One of my faviorite moments of the series. Knives puts a nicer spin on it, she’s here too and not over with Neil because, as we’ll find out later they broke up, but she just asks if Knives should be drinking. She shouldn’t but for fucks sake lady she was just trying to talk. I also do like that despite Julie trying to control Ramona’s love life, you know the thing the VILLIANS are doing, Ramona cannot stand her now.. and honestly probably never did.

But Julie, SOMEHOW turns out to be right for once as Kim and Knives have disappeared later that night, and Scott elects to go look for them. Also Ramona says she wants to marry kim while drunk after Julie asks if she does. The throuple is strong with these three... serioulsy that’s my one true pairing for all three now. I mean it ballances out their collective flaws, it’s cute and Ramona is just as into her boyfriends ex as she is her actual boyfriend even when she’s not hamered. Why the fuck not?

Scott instead finds the two making out. I will confess I shipped these two when I was younger.. but I don’t. Not because their gay or anything or because I found another ship for them but because the age gap is still just as wide as it was for Scott. The game did not get this memo and made them a couple which is... ehhhhhhhhh. I mean I wouldn’t mind either being bi, but it just brings up the same problems even if their both hammered. I also question why this scene exists. No really outside of one face punchingly dickish comment from Scott later, this never comes up again and it doesn’t effect Kim’s or Knives character any. Why have this? it’s clearly not fanservice, it’s just a thing that happened. And while Scott Pilgrim as a series does have some of those, as does life and that’s fine.. this is a bit too major, i.e. Kim and Knives, two of the main cast, making out, drunkenly or not, to just.. gloss over you know? I feel Kim would feel majorly guilty for this, as she has the most active moral compass of the main group, and Knives would be massively confused but it’s just.. forgotten because I dunno. In a story that’s otherwise pretty stellar this stands out as an utter waste of potential. I’m not saying have them hook up, gay or not it’s still not better than what Scott did, but have them at least talk about it and have both grow or something from it. Sheesh.

So we cut to.. another day. Maybe the next day I dunno but it’s August. Point is Scott and Wallace are grocery shopping and Wallace notes they can’t get fancy mayo as their barely in budget. I would’ve glossed over this scene... but @panur pointed out back around the Infinite Sadness review that this scene reveals something very intrestng: Scott.. is kind of a fincial burdern to Wallace. Before this while Scott mooched off him it wasn’t all that clear that Wallace was struggling.

But here we notice that outside of some Havarti, it’s just the simplest stuff imaginable: turkey, bread, boxed mac and cheese ramen noodles... it’s nto BAD stuff, I have all of that in my house and it’s good stuff... but it’s not the kind of thing that you need to carefully budget for. Now granted part of this probably is Wallace as he likely spends a LOT on drinks, condoms and two 2 liters of diet soda a day.. but while he really needs to adress his alcohol issues, the rest is fair. He should be allowed to have as much sex and diet coke as he wants it’s his money. Same with the havarti. He earned it if he wants some really delcious cheese with herbs, seriously Havarati is the best, then that’s his bidness. But the rest of the time he’s barely managing to get a basketfull of cheap food.. because he has to provide for Scott. It’s clearly something Scott dosen’t get and something I can relate to not getting. It took me a while to get how hard it is to budget for a full family, let alone two people on one income like Wallace has to. But Wallace is working on a nice job... but still a call center or something. He can’t pay for everything and the finccial stress is about to give as their landlord wants to meet with them. And as we’re about to learn things were even worse than we thought.

Our heroes head home where we get a truly iconic conversation when, over margeritas (again proving my point that while Scott certainly isn’t HELPIGN wallace’s finacials, it’s not all on him)

This will be imporant later.. both the Lesbians part and Scott’s struggle saying it. he tried earlier on the beach but couldn’t get it out and Ramona clearly didn’t want to hear it as she kapt sshhhhing him.. playfully of course but still.

So some time later it’s moving day! Kim is moving into Hollie and Josephs, and Scott, Stephen and Jason are helping. You might be wondeirng who the hell Jason is. He’s Kim’s boyfriend. I do not likes him. Not because he’s kim’s boyfriend, getting upset because a fictional character you fancy is dating is just patently stupid. I’ts like getting upset a celebrity crush is in a relationship: you had no chance anyway why. I wasn’t even bothered as a kid. I don’t really like him.. because he has no real personaliy and no real baring on the plot and I struggle to think why Bryan included him other than for a really annoying plot twist next time, which does not help my liking him knowing what’s coming.

But while our heroes help our heroine move in, and Scott is suprised Hollie is there despite Kim having told him a minute ago she was moving in with her, something I can relate to sadly, we get something vitally plot important; Stephen passes Joseph’s room.. and notices he has a small recording setup in his room. Stephen quickly begs him to record the band’s album and Joseph agrees if only because he finds Stephen hot. Eh i’ve seen better relationships start on less, fair enough. And yes I said relationship more on that in a bit.

So after a brief scene of Scott and Ramona having lunch where Scott fails to know her age and when Ramona says he could just ask.. hea sks and she dosen’t tell, not a bad scene character wise just not very plot important and probably should’ve bene swapped in order with the previous scene, we get to the next day. There’s a heat wave so Wallace orders Scott to go to the mall maybe find a job. He emphasises that.

Instead Scott just sorta bums around thirst but nto having any money.. until an old face shows up.

For those who forgot like Scott has, it’s Lisa Miller from the Volume 2 flashback, the girl who had a crush on Scott and was close friends with him and Kim. After a tackle hug and some panic Scott eventually remembers.... if in a curiously unique and self serving way

At the time this was just hilarous. Now it’s very clear foreshadowing for the big twist in Volume 6. The two catch up while Scott is very clearly attracted to her but very clearly dosen’t want to be, with Lisa wondering where kim is, finding about Ramona, etc, before offering Scott lunch as the two catch up and Scott is very conflicted about how he feels. It’s nice visual stuff as he’s blushing, something more clear in the color version and trying to desperatley sort things out. As for why Lisa’s here she’s moving to the states soon, but is staying with her sister for now.

So after an incdental scene with Wallace we catch up with Knives, who has broken up with Neil. And after some talk about Clash at the Demonhead, Tamra notes Knives apparently put a big x on her shrine of Scott... which baffles Knifves as she sure as hell didn’t do it and is still, sadly, obessed with Scott as ever. Granted Tamra isn’t at all helpful here claiming she did it even when she says she didn’t, is clearly confused and while yes we don’t know who else would care Tams, that just makes it all the more creepy. Stop gaslighting your bestie, she’s already got enoguh issues. She dosen’t need thinking she might have a split personality on top of the stalking, obession over a guy who has no intrest in loving her back, and attempted stabbings. Knives dosesn’t get a ton of focus in this one sadly. She kind of takes a back seat, and while sh’es not GONE from the volumle and someone close to her does impact it, she dosen’t really have any personal progression, negative or positive, like she does in every other volume, a shame since her personal jouney is one of the most intresting of the main cast.

Anyways that night Scott hangs out with Lisa, having not gotten around to telling Ramona she exists yet and plays a game of find the Kim Pine. She goes to Neil’ and Stephen’s place for practice, but finds no one there and Neil being a dick... get used to that it’s going to get about 80 times worse soon enough. Though we do get this classic panel i’ve gotten some use out of

He goes to Kim’s place, but she , Hollie and Satan’s Misterss have all left to Sneaky Dee’s, the local mexican place, for something to eat and Stephen is either high or doing.. something with Joseph.

Yeah i’m not hiding that Stephen turns out to be gay in the final volume or cheating on Bitch and a Half with Joseph. And even if I hate Julie with the power of a frozen sun, I still dont’ think cheating on her is kosher. He could’ve just broken up with her and while part of it was likely confusion, and he could also be bi and not decided which one he wanted to be with, it’s still a dick move.. and later makes him a hypocrite but that’s a rant for next volume.

So our heroes FINALLY find Kim, along with Hollie and Mouthface. And a nice thing I like is that Kim and Lisa are just.. increidbly close, happily catching up and making plans to hang before Lisa leaves, that despite Lisa having feelings for Scott the two ended up as close and She and Scott did and i’ts sweet to see. it’s also just.. rare to see Kim GENUINELY happy. I mean look at her

It’s not like she HASN’T smiled across the series but normally she’s just so miserable, likely because her best friends are a grumbly asshole who forces them to hang out with a raging typhoon of bitchiness, and an insenitive asshat who she never got closure with. This is the first decent human being whose not Ramona or Hollie, and that last one’s not going to last, in a while. It’s genuinely sweet to just see her.. enjoy the moment for once, honestly engaged with someone. Ramona shows up and finally meets Lisa, who apparently was on Degrassi.. I mean she says candaian show no one ever watched, and I watched that plenty but i’d like to think she was on there for a season or two. I liked Degrassi.. I honeslty miss it and think it could use some form of revivial and think porting it to netflix was a smart decision.. what wasn’t so smart was not having the other seasons leading into it on there. Need to watch more of it.

So the next day Ramona stumbles into Scott’s dreams and both are annoyed, with Ramona suggesting he get a job. This finally gets him to try. He asks about Wallace’s work but understandably, he dosen’t really want scott there and asks if he even knows. So Scott sets out to ask his other friends for jobs, while Knives shows up saying she’s “totally not stalking him” but someone is following HER, a mysterious spiky haired dude in a black leather jacket, shades and with a sword on his back. Whu-oh.

He tries Second Cup, with Julie annoyed that Stephen’s recording.. it’s hard to tell if she’s annoyed because she’s a bitch or because Stephen is both gneuinely annoying right now and clearly screwing around behind her back. My take?

But Scott realizes maybe getting a job at his Sister’s place of work who also works with his arch enemy might be stupid and backs out. He next tries Kim’s, but backs out of that too, admitting to kim it’d be stupid and Kim lists off all the reasons (His lack of resume, the fact them working together would be stresful and his ountain of late fees) why that’d be stupid, but in a jovial way. For once i’ts clear that while she’s still taking the piss out of them she isn’t mad at Scott.

In fact she genuinely helps him get a job, taking him to Stephen’s work since hers is dead right now anyway, a vegan place. While Scott naturally compares things to a job system as he’d start as dishwasher while Stephen taught him prep, Scott agrees to genuinely take this seriously and Stephen’s boss decides “eh why not” when he asks her to employ him. Scott is gainfully employed baby! God I miss that. Seriously i’m not pimping my patreon for shits and giggles.

But as he celebrates and Kim wishes she could punch his life in the face, they run into some trouble on the way home: Katana man who slices a motherfucking bus in half and chases them, with Scott reluctnat to fight because he has a sword and Scott does not, which is valid. He does escape though using subspace. He and Kim part awkardly and he returns home to Wallace throwing a party with two intresting charcters, a woman and a man of color, one of the few in the entire work, who are never seen again.

The next night is practice.. or rather recording, and we start to see Neil get edged out, with him unable to come due to exams and clearly not happy about it, and Stephen just kind of ignoring anything he cares about like the dickhead he is. It dosen’t get any better as “recording” ends up just being Scott, Ramona, and Ratfaced Knacker watching bored with Joseph and Stephen work. Eventaully Scott and Ramona decide to get out of there as things are getting tensed between thing one and thing bitch, and leave.. and take Julie with them for some reason.

So the three have dinner with Lisa, Kim, and Jason before The Mummies Curse thankfully leaves. Jason thought they were friends.

We also get this exchange.

I mean.. she is the better option. She his THE option. But before we can get the obvious answer of

Stephen comes in with Knives. He smuggled her in. This leads to problems when Scott returns from the bathroom to find Queen Bitch throwing a bitch fit about him having brought her and screechs at her when she dares to talk to him “How do you even know my name?” Well Ted Cruz, you see when someone is an actually thoughtful and likes other people, they keep track of things about them and don’t constnatly tear them down or assume their partneer is automatically bonking a 17 year old instead of you know, actually forming something of a friendship and not shutting her out sensing she needs this friend group. Some people are not vacous piles of vitriol who care about nothing but themself and seem to go off at the slightest thing.

Scott takes Ramona home but finds a drunken barely awake wallace so no sexy times. Not that he could anyway as the next day is the meeting with Peter their landlord.

Peter reveals they’ll have to clear out by the 27th as their lease was for one year and their paid up.. as in only the first and last month. The two part melacholy knowing this sucks and isn’t a great situation. Then it’s time for Scott to work work, angelica, work work, eliza and peggy. After grueling day, can relate, he runs into a wisp on teh wend and steels himself for a fight.. okay he bitches about it being too hot but it’s Scott. so it’s expected. He does get a hit in on his mysterious persuer.. and that’s when we meet Roxy.

Via boob punch, something Scott’s not proud of but in his defense, as Roxy keeps complaning about it, he was blindly struggling for a hit and din’t know the next Ex, or any of them, were female.. not that Ramona didn’t suggest it loudly enough by empahsising “exes” but scott’s a bit of a fuckwit. She mentions “everyone allways remmebers you”.. which is kind of ominus and tells me she tried to hook back up with ramona despite her having a boyfriend and she rejected her. Still on good terms though. But this confusing encounter ends with Roxy vowing she’ll get him next time gadget, next time.

So we get some assorted slice of life scenes with the band, lisa and what have you as Scott tries to get in touch with Ramona but she keeps avoiding him. THat’s not worrysome at all. And Lisa brings up high school while drunk and clearly hits on Scott. He sidesteps it with her drunkness.. but this clearly isn’t over or going to stop being a problem.

Speaking of problems Wallace makes Scott confront the truth: He either needs to find a new place to live or commit to staying, though Wallace is trying to nudge him toward asking Ramona to move into her place. Scott starts thinking it over, it being very hard especially since, as Stephen points out this was his very first place of his own.. but Stephen also points out these things are temoporary.. right before Scott ducks from katana guy.

At work Scott wonders who it could be, though it turns out Stephen’s met him before, as he’s brought his family in here. So he’s PROBABLY not one of the exes.. but it leaves the question why he wants to cut Scott in half like Dewey Cox’s brother. But it turns out he’s nto the only enemy Scott’s casually running into as Roxy is there too.. with Ramona.

The two talk, clearly about Scott and Lisa with Roxy trying to convince her he’s cheating and Ramona rightfully trusting Scott: while he IS attracted to her, he’s been fighting it every step of the way. Scott storms over to find out what’s going on and while Ramona is more distracted by his new job, she eventually realizes Roxy did attack him and he simply dscribed her poorly when he mentioned the incident over the phone. Scott is confused as he dosen’t get it. Is she with one of the exes what? After some hiinting from both parties, and Roxy rightfully mocking him for not getting the obvious... he finallyg ets it in the grandest way possible.

So Roxy gets ready to fight and Scott can’t because sword, and gets fired in the background as he hides in Ramona’s bag and Ramona prepares to step in. Roxy screams at her for trusting him and defending him when Ramona.. just dosen’t her boyfriend to be bisected by her ex. A fight insues and a damn cool one at that. I honestly wish the movie had taken more from this, but simply didn’t have time leading it to instead be more like the envy fight with a bit of the Winfried Hailey fight from Free Scott Pilgrim.

Roxy chases her and Ramona rightly points out Scott can’t run forever but takes him into Subspace.. where Roxy heads them off, having “taught you everything you know bitch” leading to a cool fight in the wintery version of subspace. Again why THIS wasn’t used instead I have no real idea. We also find out she’s a half ninja but she eventually leaves afer Ramona presses that button.. but Rammy is actually apologetic about it and Roxy’s “I hope you and your 24 children are happy together comment” is telling.

Upon this readthrough of the volume.. I realized Roxy is the most layered and intresting of the exes next to Gideon himself. None of them are out and out terrible, but most of them have pretty simple motives: to kill Scott, ???, profit. Or in Todd’s case to kill scott, bang around and be a dick. But Roxy.. genuinely wants Ramona back. She’s the ONLY one who does: Gideon kinda does, but only in the sense that he wants her for his collection. But Roxy geninely still loves her, admitting so during this fight. And it’s not like she has no chance: out of the 7 exes she’s the ONLY one who parted with Ramona on anything resembling good terms. While intrestingly we don’t find out WHY they broke up, Ramona didn’t cheat on her like she did everyone else she was with. The two have coffee and hang out and Ramona geninely dosen’t even consider until Roxy tries to attack Scott that she’d really try killing him and tries her best to talk her out of it. But what holds Roxy back is her anger: She’s so bitter about the fact Ramona is bi or pan, so dedicated to viewing Ramona’s very orintation as a betryal (though Ramona calling it a phase dosen’t help and the movie RIGHTLY has Roxie comment on it and fly into a rage over it), and so driven to make sure the woman she loves dosen’t get hurt again that it blinds her to the fact Ramona dosen’t love her the same way anymore, and that while Scott is objectively a dick, and a cheater, and a greasy buttcrack pooflap, he is not a terrible person. A meh one sure, but he’s got good to him. She’s so biophobic she simply can’t see he’s a harmless moron.. well harmless to Ramona even with the cheating. He’s killed two people at this point and will kill again. Also she apparently has issues with only being a half ninja but this is never adressed. Point is Roxy’s really grown on me and is now probably my faviorite ex.

Scott and Ramona talk it over on their way to Sneaky Dees and Scott finally asks to move in and gets a yes. His response is downright adorable.

So at Sneaky Dee’s Young Neil is just a bit absolutely irate with Scott.. which isn’t fair as them not playing things is entirely on the blocky face asshole. Yell at him.. which he does, pointing out that they haven’t played shows in forever, and that the lady who owns Sneaky Dees not only runs shows, in the upstairs space, but has been asking them to play. Kim is rightly curious about this and to both Stephen just keeps saying “We’re recording right now.” And some of you may of wondered why I hate him. Well while he’s not exctly stellar in the first half in the second Stephen becomes goddman insufferable, slowly destroying the band for his affair and not giving one iota of a shit what anyone else wants. He’s a selfish, egomanical cheating prick. And yes I get it their recording an album.. but doing live shows would give them extra practice, MONEY, even if likely not a lot and exposure for said album. I get professoinal bands stop touring for a bit to do an album but you are not a professional band, and said bands still often iron out the album on the road. God you suck.

But while Scott sidesteps this argument he walks into another where Ramona confronts him about lisa about liking her.. and he rightly says if there was anything, which there was not it’s in the past. And while yes he is a cheater, she does not know this yet. This plot honestly would’ve worked better if she learned about the knives thing sooner, but instead she just comes off as paranoid for listening to Roxy about something that isn’t happening. Yes Scott’s been shown to be attracted to her.. but he’s been ashamed of it, fighting it and in denial about it, and is clealry all in with Ramona. Being attracted to someone else on a phsyical level does NOT mean your relationship is doomed.

Things get worse as he goes home to ruminate.. and instead sees a man’s Penis. And Wallace..is at his second most unsymapthetic, not letting Scott get a shirt or a bus pass or something like a decent human being for no goddamn reason. Usually when Wallace is a dick to Scott, Scott’s earned it and badly needs a slap in the face. Here he’s just being a prick because.. the plot needs him to? I dunno it dosen’t work for me. It’s in character, I just don’t have to like it.

So with no other options.. Scott ends up at Lisa’s. And so we get the last temptation of Scott. Lisa admits, embarassed that she’s been wearing sexy dresses and what not specifically to attract him, with Scott also mentioning how things are rough, Lisa tries to fight it herself pointing out he’s with ramona.. and when Scott points out they didn’t do anything in the past Lisa points out they should’ve.. and maybe they should now.

We fade to black as Scott ends up in a dream and finds Roxy, who naturally has the same skill and tries to Freddy Kruger him before he wakes. He finds Lisa but they didn’t do anything: Scott pushed her away and babbled about how much he loved Ramona instead. As i’ve said.... his heart was never with LIsa... and even when he was so close to giving in he couldn’t. It’s a tangible sign of growth: He screwed around on Knives with Ramona, and given how bad things were getting with Ramona, it would be oh so easy to once again ditch a relationship the minute he found something else and oh so understandable. But... he dosen’t. He loves Ramona even if he hasn’t said it, he wants to make this work, and he’s changed. She’s changed him. He’s not quite a good man yet.. bu he’s getting to be good enough. Love turned him from a skeezy dumbass into a far more loveable dumbass. Ramona’s gotten him to stop dating a teenager (even if again he cheated), face his past with envy to finally move on and now get a job. He’s realized just hwo much she means to his life and world and so he goes to tell her.

Riggghtttt after going to get his job back and works a shift, with steven wanting to punch his life in the balls. Stephen shut the fuck up. Just because Scott is lucky and your stuck dating satan’s scrotum does not mean you get to punch his life int he balls. Kim does, because he’s put her through more shit but not you.

He goes to second cup to talk to Stacey.. only to end up at the wrong one where Knives also now has a job... and we finally get an answer to who the mystery katana guy is...

Yup turns out wielding giant weapons in vengance runs in the family. As for how he knows about Scott her aunt mentioned her boyfriend, everyone freaked out and obviously while her mom was mentioned as knowing in volume 1, they did not tell her dad whose brain turned into an engine of vengance and defaced the shrine. While part of it is apparnetly racisim for Scott being white the fact is he clearly saw Scott’s photograph. The guy is 5 years older. I get him being protective. Still dosen’t justify cutting off his head. His balls maybe but not his head.

And then Scott ran, once agian finding a subspace entracne.. and this time we see inside ramona’s head and well...

Yeah.. that’s.. kind of fucked, and Ramona isn’t happy scott saw that, though she backs down once Scott explains..a nd then gets upset over him staying at Lisa’s but before SCott can tell her he loves her it turns out Roxy stayed over. So yeah, Ramona might of cheated, she tells him to alk it off and he runs around in a psycadelic haze of emtoinal confusion. And meets.. someone new...

Scott snaps out of his funk and ignores his doppleganger heading back for Ramona... whose fighting Mr. Chau. Scott left the door to Ramona’s head open and he followed him through Subspace. Scott lures him into the house and away from her only to run into Roxy. This leads to both of his attackers fighting and her wondering if Gideons ent him “Why does no one ever belivie in me?!”

She soon realize no i’ts just unrelated and calls Scotto ut on hiding behind not having a sword and behind her being a woman, caling it a flimsy excuse. I mean she’s tring to kil lhim. It’s okay to hit an enemy combatant. Scott realizes he has to stop running... and get real with ramona leading to a truly epic, romantic and heartfelt speech and given how far he’s come and just how heartfelt it is it’s a real sign of how deep he feels. Sure we’ve seen genuine chemstiry between the two.. but htis moment is a shit.. from a simple relationship.. into true love.

I may of only had a few but Relationships are not easy, They take work, they take time, they take patience and theyt ake love.. but if your willing to work with someone, look past some flaws and help them with the rest.. then it’s worth it. And Scott has finally realized it and for the first time in a while is running TOWARDS something difficult, actually working on this relationship and talking with his partner instead of running finding someone else or wallowing. He’s truly grown up. While he still has miles to go.. he’s taken about 50 steps forward with this. And as such given the kind of unvierse we’re in, as Ramona is genuinely touched by it he levels up a glowing sword with a heart shaped hilt coming out of his chest.. and realizing what’s happening he pulls it out....

So Scott faces off with roxy and in an awesomly short battle, their sords clash.. and he bisects her.

Scott then honestly talks down Mr Chau who leaves after a nod, and Ramona tells Scott she loves him two. The two make out and all is well.

One make out fades into another, as we cut to Scott moving in with Kim and Blockhead’s help. Well kinda they only had one box but they owed him one. He and wallace comiserate over the end of their time as roomies. They’ll always be friend but it’s truly the end of an era. Also Wallace gets off another bit of dickery as he’’s very glad it all worked out for scott...

Now there’s the Wallace I know and love. Dickish but just the right loveable kind of douchebag with that swagger.

Back at Knives house she’s apparenlty into somebody though who I have no idea, Mr Chau give sher his blessing and she.. apparenlty doesen’t know chinese. I dunno. As I said her subplot this go round was her weakest overall.

And so we end with the whole gang gathered to see Lisa off. It’s a REALLY nice shot, and one of the only times Wallace is seen with the Sex Bomb omb side of the group. Oh sure he goes to their shows and what not, but generally their never in the same vincinity so while there’s no interaction I still find this neat. Seriously the whole main cast is there, it’s a really lovely shot

Also Jason and Hollie.. who are getting awfully chummy. Whu Oh. And of course Craphole and Mouth Face are as likeable as ever.

So we jsut get a genuinely nice sene. Except Stephen and Julie reconciling. Fuck that. Please move on. And as everyone fondly wishes Lisa adeu and wish she stuck arond the res tof the series we end on Scott and Ramona snuggling, Scott asking her her birthday and finding out she’s 24, and they both will be come september. Scott wishes this moment could last.

They probperly snuggle as the volume ends on a high.

Final Thoughts:

Yeah.. Gets it Together is, on rexamination, DEFINTELY my faviorite of the 6. Besides personal value i’ts hte best contained story, contaning lots of character development, great character moments, jokes, and EASILY the best art so far, with goregouness and creativty abounding.

There is a problem here or there: Stephen and Julie’s subplot feels underbaked, and not just because I hates them, and there are several scenes that don’t further plot or character stuff. Ther’es also stuff that could’ve been expanded on.. but given this is still a pretty meaty graphic novel, it’s understandable why it wasn’t.. though it is why I’d love a streaming series since while the movie is excellent, a full series could expand on stuff from the books more Brian simply didn’t have time for. Knives also didn’t get a lot to do.

But their drowned out by tons of great decisions: Lisa was a wonderful additoin to the cast and I genuinely wish she’d stuck around, adding in some energy, blending well with the Sex Bomb Omb crowd, and having great dynamics with everyone and her arc with Scott is heartbreaking,knowing she can’t have him but wanting him anyway having never gottne proper closure on the man she’s always wanted. She’s a heartbreaking character and its nice to see her end in a decent place and on good terms with Scott, having let him go for both thier sakes.

And while Lisa is a highlight everyone is on their a game here for the most part apart from knives, girl hitler, and captain dumbass: Scott grows signfigantly but is funny as hell, Wallace has an intresting arc trying to nudge Scott out without being overt about it, scared to really confront him, Kim is in a happy and serene place for once and it shows. The villians are also intresting: While Mr Chau is a tad underbaked, he’s sitll a cool imposing presence. I do think he shoudl’ve had more to do with the plot.. but is still just so freaking cool it papers over that and him just.. disappearing after this like poor Lisa.

Roxy is far more intresting, having clearly more going on than we see and while I wish we’d got her backstory, she’s easily the most engaging of the exes, being the only one to actively compete with Scott (All her and ramona end up doing is making out a little it turned out), and have bigger stakes than just “The glasses wearing douche asked me to beat up my exes boyfriend and I was like alright.

All in all Gets it Together is really magical, the series high point, and just damn fun and it was a pleasure to go through

Next Month on Scott Pilgrim: It all falls down as we take a look into what once was my least faviorite Album, vs the unvierse. Two perfect assholes try and murder scott with Robutts, his relationship and band crumble and things get sad so very very sad.

Next on this blog: More LIlo and Stitch! The Proud Family come to Kauai and get into a fight with our heroes. Also wizard kelly... who if nothing else is now far more tolerable now i’ve had to spend another volume with the wicked bitch of the west. Touche universe touche. See you at the next rainbow.

#scott pilgrim #ramona flowers #wallace wells #roxanne richter #knives chau #stephen stills #julie power #mr chau #stacey pilgrim #neil nordgraf #young neil #comics #oni press #scotrospective #lisa miller #kim pine #jospeh

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descendantofthesparrow · 4 years ago

Text

Interlude - Rewrite POYW - Part 5 - Future vision and new VKs

-two days later(August 2016)-

Uma perked up from the small sea glass bead bracelet she was working on, a smirk growing on her face as you appeared from the brush of the forest and walked toward her, a black bag in your right hand full of food. “Took you long enough, I even started working on this!” Uma held up the unfinished bracelet and set it to her side, making grabby hands at your bag as you stepped closer to her “Gimmie, I know you brought pineapple wedges.”

You laughed a bit and held out the bag to her, taking the bag off your back and taking out a towel and laying it down on the sand before sitting next to Uma “I brought your pineapple wedges” which Uma was already getting into “Some mac and cheese that Gil made, chicken breast, cornbread, and some packs of apple juice. bone app a teeth” Uma gave you a look at your last couple of words but shook her head at your grin.

“Weirdo” she mumbled, pulling out the containers filled with chicken and a fork, popping open the lip, and chowing down “Damn, who made the chicken?”

“Someone in the kitchen” you chuckled, picking up the box of cornbread and grabbing one to eat “Harry, Gil, and I didn’t feel like eating in the cafeteria last night so we took some of the food from the kitchen that the students have access to that was in the ‘take whatever you want’ fridge that the chefs load up with so much shit, and Gil made the mac and cheese like a day ago, everything is pretty fresh” Uma shoveled some of the mac and cheese into her mouth and groaned, her eyes fluttering.

“Fuck that’s good, even on the isle Gil was a good chef, he needs to cook more” you laughed at that, grabbing a box of apple juice and stabbing it into the top.

“He does, he makes bomb cookies too.” Uma perked up at that, giving you a look that said ‘bring me the cookies or I drown you’ “Hey! Don’t give me that look! Next time he makes cookies I’ll bring ‘em, okay??” Uma continued to stare at you with that look before nodding, satisfied with your answer.

“So?” Uma swallowed her food and dug out an apple juice box from your back, pointing at you with it in her hand “Updates, what happened with the new vks? I saw the limo go in and out two days ago.”

“Complete success, we got Harriet, CJ, Sammy Smee, Skipper and Sterling, and Dizzy all off the isle, and they’re all at the dorms now, Harriet’s gonna be transferred to the college next quarter and school starts next-next week” Uma nodded at your explanation, twirling the fork in her hands. “Your hair looks really good by the way” Uma looked at you, a soft smile on her face.

She had undone her braids about a week ago, to let the ocean water properly flow through the strands, and now rested against her back and shoulders in thick curls. “Thank you” she hummed, picking at her cornbread “I've been trying to get the…shrimp smell out”

You furrowed your brows and reached up, stopping yourself a few inches from her hair “May I touch your hair?” Uma glanced at you, slightly surprised you had asked, and nodded. Tilting her head a bit as you gently tugged on a lock of her hair. “it’s really soft, and personally I don’t smell anything bad, especially not shrimp, more…the ocean and coconut” Uma laughed a bit as you released her hair and set your hand back on your knee.

“I've been using coconut to take care of my hair…good to know it's working” you smiled to yourself as a soft grin grew on Uma’s face, one of her hands reaching up and curling a lock around her finger.

“Yeah… Evie's business is picking up” Uma raised her brow, as if saying ‘nice subject change, and I care why?’ “Well” you laughed, pushing Uma’s shoulder a bit as she rolled her eyes “hold up a moment im getting to the good part, but her business is picking up and Harry works for her as a model” Uma’s brows raised at that, “Told you, anyway he works for her as a model and with her business picking up, he models for her more often and she's paying him for it, soooo Harry’s getting fucking moneys~”

Uma hummed and picked at her chicken slice “Really? How much?” you grinned, making Uma sit up and grab at your shoulders “Okay how fucking much is Harry making from modeling; because that grin tells me he’s already rich.”

“He very well might be in a year or two” you laughed, gently removing her hands from your shoulders and readjusting your sitting position. “somewhere between 30 and a thousand per paycheck” Uma gave you a blank stare for a few moments before she rolled her eyes.

“Okay don’t tell me then, sheesh” you fell back as you laughed, Uma twisting around and sitting cross-legged, picking up another apple juice box and sipping at it.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry, um, Harry and Evie said it should increase as her business grows n stuff, but right now he’s making about eight hundred a paycheck.” Uma turned to you with wide eyes, mouth dropping open slightly in shock.

“whaaat?!” she screeched, dropping the now empty apple juice box into the sand “Eight-hundred?! That’s more-that’s more than I've made in a month at my ma’s shop!!” you laughed a bit, nodding your head as Uma continued to stare at you bewildered.

“Yeah, he’s already put a lot of it into a savings account, something about getting an apartment for us in the future with room for the Smee boys and his sisters if they ever needed a place to stay, but that won't be for another year or two since you have to be 18 to rent an apartment without parental permission.” Uma smiled a bit, Harry was one to think of the future, even on the isle. He would stash away rubies and gold coins in a savings stash under a floorboard in his old apartment for when they got off the isle.

“That sounds nice, make sure he gets one with a pool for me yeah?” you laughed again, shaking your head a bit as you and Uma side fist-bumped.

“I’ll make sure of that yeah” you took out your phone and sighed, standing from the beach and wiping the sand from your pants “I got to go, Ben wanted me for a meeting at 1, I'll get the bag when I come back tomorrow, see you!” Uma accepted the crouch side hug from you and waved you off, casting a spell to keep water off and out of the containers of food and the bag as she packed it up and dove into the sea, swimming back out to her mother's old hideout.

She slowed to a stop in front of the main opening, stepping through the air bubble she had made a while back and snapping her fingers, the water disappearing off her body by magic. “There we go” she mumbled, swinging the backpack off her shoulder and walking over to the “kitchen” area of the old hideout. She stashed away the food into the “fridge” aka old spell and potion cabinet that she had cast a cold holding spell onto to turn it into a makeshift fridge.

With a wave of her hand, her clothes transformed from a tank top and calf cut cargo pants to a long-sleeved red shirt with a hook stitched to the chest and black leggings. She stretched her arms behind her back and groaned as her back pop slightly.

Uma sighed and looked around the hideout, eyes landing on the claw-shaped cauldron in the middle of the room. it was odd, being in her mother's famous lair, but…also comforting, in a strange way.

She couldn't explain it, but…she felt safe. Probably because the only people that came around here were teens or kids on a dare and were easily scared off. So Uma was pretty much alone in the deep of the ocean.

Uma walked over to the little corner she had turned into her bedroom and sat on her bed, picking up the orange blanket you had given her cotillion night and curling it around her, staring off into space as she thought about…well everything.

From the new vks, the transfer plan, her boys, you, the isle, the vks still on the isle…the future was so unknown, what she would give for just a glimpse, just so she wasn’t so scared for it.

wait

Uma’s eyes widened, drifting between the clawed cauldron and a small set of books that were hidden behind her mother's vanity.

She could see into the future!

Uma lept off her bed and towards the books, pulling them out until she found one with the symbol of twisting water and tentacles appeared in her hands “there you are” she whispered, she had gone through these books when she found the lair and in them, she found hundreds of spells and potion instructions ranging from simple hair or visualization spells to transfiguration and curses.

“Future vision, future vision, future-ah!” Uma landed on the page she needed and stood, walking over to the cauldron and conjuring a stand for her to set the book on. She set it down and read the instructions, it seemed she would need to both make a potion and use an incantation.

“Okay, I got this” she let out a breath, rubbing her hands together as she spun around and walked over to her mother's old ingredient cabinet.

The tail of a sea worm, the clenched fist of a long-dead merman, the head of a fish, wings of a dust fairy pixie, and the eye of a seer. She carried the items over to the cauldron, casting a levitating spell to keep them next to her as she reviewed the spell.

“Okay, okay I got this” she took another breath, opening the caldron and tossing the ingredients in, leaning back a bit as smoke and vapor released from the cauldron. “Oof, okay”

Uma took one last look at the book, muttering the incantation to herself as she held the eye of a seer above the cauldron.

Finally, as she dropped the eye into the brew, and she clutched her necklace as the incantation echoed around her.

“Though winters past and summers morn, the future will be shown/the sight clear and sounds echo, I see into a world unknown”

Uma leaned back a bit as golden shimmering dust rose from the cauldron, slowly forming into a shape…of the isle. “The isle?” Uma mumbled, leaning closer to the image, squinting as she watched the golden magic bridge build and a limo enter the isle, the main bridge part looked very different than the rundown broken castle-like area she was used to, it looked to be rebuilt with signs on the front. “They’re getting more kids, when is this?”

The isle disappeared and was replaced with the image of a golden calendar, showing the present date then suddenly the pages were torn off at a rapid pace, Uma desperately trying to keep up with the passing dates before it stopped.

Uma blinked and looked closer, her brows furrowing as she looked at the circled date. “August 2nd…2019?!” Uma took a step back, her hands clenching at her side, three years? The vision she had seen before was in almost three years? But…it could possibly be one of many pick-ups? “How many vks have been picked up between the six from two days ago and the vks from the vision just before” Uma hoped the spell worked like this, she was in for shit if it didn’t.

Thankfully, that’s how the spell seemed to work, the image of the calendar disappeared and the sand like magic stayed dormant, shifting within the caldron…it seemed the spell didn’t know how to answer that question “Maybe I need to make it clearer?” Uma hummed, tapping her fingers against the rim of the cauldron before it came it her “How long will it be between the six vks two days ago and the next transfer of vks.”

The calendar appeared again, now first showing the date of two days ago, and then ripping off the pages rapidly “Oh no.” Uma muttered, sinking down to her knees slightly as the calendar stopped at August 2nd 2019 again. “two and a half years? Seriously?! What the fuck?!” Uma growled and knocked over the stand that held the spellbook and whirled back around at the cauldron “Why does it take so long!?”

The calendar disappeared again and was replaced with a long table with about twelve people sitting around it, and she could recognize King Ben sitting at the end, his head held in his hands as the others all held a hand up, glowering at the young king. “His council?” Uma murmured, looking at the faces of the people to see if she recognized anybody, only able to pick out Aurora mother, who had her hand up, and ex-king Luis, Cinderella’s father-in-law, who had his hand down, seeming to be on Ben’s side of whatever they were debating.

“What did they vote for?” Uma asked, biting her lip as the council disappeared and a paper took its place, the top reading ‘Application for juvenile Reunification’. Uma furrowed her brows, confused for a moment before she kept reading, rage bubbling in her gut as she did. “They have to fucking apply??! Just to get the freedom they deserve?! Do they agree to this?!”

The application disappeared and was replaced with the moving image of Ben and (y/n), Harry glaring at the king just behind (y/n). (y/n) was yelling, so was Ben, both motioning to the paper in (y/n)s hand. “That must be the application thing or whatever” Uma muttered, smirking as (y/n) crumbling it in her fist and shook it in Ben’s face.

Ben seemed to nod and point at it, and Uma leaned in reading his lips ‘that’s what I want to do (y/n), but I can’t! When they overrule me, I can't do anything about it! I’m sorry, but if we don’t go by their rules then we don’t get kids off the isle im sorry!’

(y/n) shook her fist in his face again and turned, walking towards Harry and burying her face in his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and glared at Ben, Uma leaning in again to read their lips. Ben spoke first ‘I am sorry, I’ll try to get everything ready as soon as possible, but some of it is going to take almost two years, maybe almost three! Especially the shelter and cps agency, and the council required those to be done before we can even send out the applications’ Harry stared at Ben for a moment before looking down at (y/n) and pulling her tighter into him.

‘Get it done beasty boy’ Harry seemed to growl, his lip set in a slight snarl ‘and quick, if this takes longer than yeh say, you’ll be hanging from the mast’ Ben nodded, turning back to his desk and picking up a thick folder.

‘I'll hold you to that’ Ben said back, about to say something else but the image disappeared before Uma’s eyes before he could finish.

“Dammit,” Uma muttered, rubbing her with her palms as she grit her teeth. It was the same reason they had taken so long after Ben had promised to get her off the isle after the coronation, the council kept pushing back everything, so stuck in their old ways of thought that they just couldn’t bear to have more vks in Auradon.

“Bastards” Uma growled, standing from the floor and looking back in the cauldron, it seemed the spell had finished, and she wouldn’t be able to ask any more questions about the future. “Ben, (y/n), I hope to Hades you don’t fuck this up for those kids”

Celia couldn’t help but keep her eyes locked on the spot where the Auradon limo had been parked only two days ago, the spot where Dizzy had left her on the isle.

Dizzy had promised to get her off next, whispering it in Celia’s ear as Dizzy hugged her tightly just before she left. Dizzy was hardly one to break a promise, even in a place where promises were never kept, so Celia trusted her.

She just hoped that trust wouldn’t be proved wrong.

Celia sighed, looked at her watch, and realized she had to go pick up some stuff for Hades before her usual fortune-telling shift in front of the arcade.

She quickly traveled to the market and snatched up some cans of corn, cans of refried beans, and a large loaf of bread, that was only a day past its baking date. Celia took another loaf for herself and her dad, suppressing the smile she had as she walked towards the mines.

it was nice having actual food to eat, Celia no longer went hungry every other night and no longer needed to scrounge for money to get the food that was being kept on the market thanks to Harriet's crew that was making sure the merchants weren’t keeping the food away from everybody due to selling it at a high price as they usually did for the better food as they did before the program.

“Celia~” A velvety voice cooed behind her, and Celia turned, raising her brow as she spotted Ginny Gothel, Mother Gothel’s daughter. Ginny Gothel was a flirt, a heavy-set young woman who dared to blow a kiss to Harriet and survive. her dark curly hair was in a short bob that showed the shaved part of her neck. her face, which was always either set in a glare or a flirtatious smirk, was painted with dark makeup. she collected crystals and rings to adorn herself, black and dark red fabrics flowed around her body when she strut down the market place with pride. she was a part of the older villain kids, so respect came with her presence.

“Celia darling~” Ginny cooed; Celia just slowly nodded to show she was listening “do you think you can ask Dizzy if she's got an opening? I need a touch up” Ginny's hand reached up and brushed against the back of her neck where her hair was beginning to overgrow where it was supposed to be. Celia huffed, fixing her grip on her supplies for hades.

“First, I ain't in charge of her and you can go find out yourself I ain't your errand rant, second, Dizzy left two days ago” Ginny's eyes went wide at that “She's in Auradon now, with all those prissy people, so tough luck, eh?” Ginny groaned and leaned heavily back against the wall she was next to, throwing her arm over her eyes.

“Noooo how am I ever going to get my hair cut now?! Dizzy was the only one to understand exactly what I needed!...” her arm dropped to her side as she pouted, looking back at Celia who just stared at her with bored eyes “Well I could go to the hearts salon but I do not trust that mad queen with those sheers”

“Suck it up and get it cut you weenie” Celia snarked, smirking as Ginny scoffed at her and walked off, presumably to the queen of hearts salon.

Celia shrugged Ginny's dramatic attitude off and made her way to the mines.

Ginny sighed dramatically, rubbing her hands against the back of her neck again, she really did need a touch-up. But Dizzy was in Auradon and she was the only hair person Ginny trusted with her hair. The last time she went to the hearts salon she ended up with the wrong cut and length.

But then again. Ginny stopped in the middle of the street, hands on her hips as she pouted at the floor, she really-really needed a touch-up on her undercut.

Fuck it, if it got fucked up, she’d fix it herself.

She twisted on her heel and walked over to the side of the isle that housed the red-hearts salon. She pushed the main door open and crossed her arms, her dark amber eyes scanning the customers and workers.

“Ey darling, you here for a cut or a dye?” Ginny turned, smirking as she locked eyes with one of her closest cohorts on the isle, Colin Hearts. The only other person she trusted with her hair, she had hoped they were working today, and lucky for her they were.

Colin was a lanky teen, their heels making them seem taller than they really were. they always seemed to wear flowing shirts and tight pants, and wore five-inch heels more often than not. Their natural dark red hair had been cut into a fluffy bright red Mohawk and their brown eyes were hidden behind purple contact lenses. Their teasing lips were always painted with black lipstick, and their nails sharp and red.

Ginny walked to her “friend” and they shared a quick handshake they had made when both of them were young. “Yeah, due for a buzz on my undercut, think you can do that for me, hun?” Colin looked up at the ceiling, their painted lips in a false thinking pout “Colin.” Colin smirked at Ginny's low tone and nodded.

“Yeah, I can do that for you, come on~ you know my station~” Ginny gave tight-lipped smile to Colin and strut over to the scarlet red chair with painted white hearts that Colin had decked out a while ago to claim it as their station.

Ginny sat down and crossed her legs, examining her black nails as Colin settled behind her. “So just a touch up, eh?” Colin murmured aloud, Ginny nodded in confirmation, leaning her head back to peer at Colin.

“Don’t fuck it up or I take those red lace pumps you treasure so much” Ginny grinned as Colin gasped at that and pushed their hand to their chest at her threat.

“How dare you~!” the two shared a nasty grin and Colin reached for their electric clippers, throwing the hair catcher towel around Ginny's neck and turning the clippers on. “So did you hear that Harriet ‘n her sister left to Auradon two days ago?” Ginny gasped at that “Really?” Colin leaned into Ginny's line of sight “You’re obsessed with that girl; I’m surprised you didn’t sense the moment she left the barrier” Colin chuckled at Ginny's glare and went back to her hair.

“Dizzy’s left too” Ginny sighed, twitching as Colin let out a small laugh.

“I know, if she wasn’t you wouldn’t be here” Colin lifted up the back of Ginny's hair and started to buzz her undercut, going quiet as they focused on not cutting more than Ginny wanted.

“Smee’s boys left too, all three of ‘em” Colin muttered, shaving the design into Ginny’s undercut “Six more vks off the isle, wonder if any more will follow” Ginny hummed at that, watching Colin in the mirror as they worked at her hair. That was a question, would there be more vks to follow the six that left two days ago?… Ginny hoped so, she would love to get off the isle and away from her mother.

“Think they’ll pick any of us if it continues?” Ginny asked, leaning on her hand as Colin tilted her head. Colin shrugged after a moment.

“Dunno, maybe not us, but-” they nodded their head to the right, Ginny's eyes following to see Diego De’vil sitting in the salon chair reading a book as one of Colin’s coworkers finished on cutting his hair “-Diego maybe, considering he and Carlos are cousins there might be more of a reason” Diego looked over at them, raising his brow “Ey im not talking negative, just possibilities” he sighed and went back to his book, rolling his shoulders a bit.

Diego was a strapping young man, the older cousin of Carlos and the lead singer and guitarist of the Bad Apples. when he was younger, he would sneer at those who would either compare his looks to his much smaller at the time cousin or accidentally call him Carlos. nowadays he took a bit more pride in being Carlos’ cousin. his hair was cut into a short-brushed back Mohawk that transitioned from black at the roots to white at the edges, similar to Carlos’ hair. he wore red and black most of the time, decorated with spikes and pins with hard combat boots and patched-up jeans. his fingers were calloused from years of guitar picking and freckles decorated his face and shoulders.

Colin's coworker finished up refining his mohawk and took the towel from his shoulders, Diego stood and placed a handful of silver coins into the worker's hands. They nodded and walked to the register as Diego examined himself in the mirror “so De’vil?” He turned to look at Colin, who was brushing off the buzzed hair from Ginny's shoulders “Do ya think your cousin will get you off of here or nah?” Diego stared at them for a moment then shrugged.

“Dunno” he grumbled, grabbing his jacket from the counter and slipping it on “Not up to me, but I’ll do anything to get away from my maniac of an aunt, she keeps mistaking me for Carlos” Ginny and Colin winced at that, remembering the old days when the once runt-like Carlos would run out from Hell Hall with a screaming Cruella behind him, a burning cigarette in her hand.

Pity wasn’t a thing on the isle but many of the younger isle residents would take it upon themselves to keep Carlos away from his deranged mother when possible, even Mal had done it when she was younger and much more…nasty, it was like seeing a puppy being kicked while it was already down, you couldn’t help but just care for it.

Then once Mal created her little group the incidents where Carlos ran away from his brother bruised and bloody lessened, until they completely stopped because he was in Auradon.

Now Cruella, ever the insane woman, attempted to chase after Diego, but Diego was stronger and taller than Carlos ever was against Cruella, and easily battered her away when he needed to.

Cruella didn’t bother him much after the first fist to her face.

Diego waved Colin and Ginny goodbye and walked out of the salon, making his way towards the rundown movie theater for band practice. He turned down an ally for a shortcut and appeared on the other side in the market, making his way down the market to get to the other side of the main street, where the theater was.

As he walked someone caught his eye, and he looked to his right, seeing Claudine Frollo picking through a basket of apples for whatever reason, probably her father making her do the grocery shopping.

Claudine was the bell ringer for dragon hall, she was quiet and soft-spoken, hardly talking to anyone her father didn't approve of. she wore clothes that covered her almost completely, as her father said it ‘keeps the sinful eyes of others away’. her sunflower curly blonde hair was always wrapped in a tight bun, it always got caught in her cross-necklace chain if it was let free. many assumed Claudine was a weak girl, her small frame and wide doe-like green eyes didn't help with the assumption, only to be in for a surprise when it was learned she could knock someone out with one clean punch, bell-ringing every day wasn't an easy task after all. she had many pursuers, many of which didn't go any farther after they were reminded of who her father was.

Diego stepped next to her and grabbed an apple, remembering he was wanting a snack before he had gone in for a haircut. She jumped slightly, turning to him with scared eyes before she realized it was him.

“Oh, hi Diego” Claudine mumbled, going back to grabbing some apples and stuffing them in her black and violet messenger bag.

“Hey” he mumbled back, picking up a sturdy-looking apple and biting into it, suppressing a smile at the crisp texture and sweet taste, fresh apples were so much better than he’d ever thought it be.

Claudine finished filling her bag and nodded at Diego, bidding him ‘adieu’ and turning to go the opposite way Diego had been going. Diego watched her for a moment before turning on his heel and resuming his walk towards the theater.

He arrived soon after and pushed open the doors, walking down towards the left hall past the broken-down arcade and stepping into the 2nd theater on the right.

“Eyyyyy look whose finally ‘ere~” his drummer, Ezekiel, called out to him, as he was sitting down on the stage in front of the screen. Diego nodded to him and climbed up the steps up to the stage, nodding at his bass player and secondary guitarist as they messed with their instruments “What took ya so long?”

“Haircut and snack” Diego shrugged, tossing the apple core to Ezekiel, who gagged and tossed the core into the trash a few feet away “let's get to it”

“Yeah~” Eva, his secondary guitarist and support singer, finished with her guitar and set up the mics and speakers. “Let's do dis~”

Kuvira, his bass player, nodded swinging their bass onto their back, and helped Eva set up the last of their gear.

Ezekiel plopped into his chair and spun his drumsticks between his fingers, grinning at Diego as he took out his guitar and threw the strap around his neck “So what shall we start with~”

“…” Diego looked off to the side for a moment, going through the mental list of their songs. “Different Evil Incoming, let's do that, it’s a wicked warm-up song” his band members nodded, setting up their instruments, following Diego’s lead as he started to shred on his guitar.

Claudine let out a sigh of relief as she stepped into her ‘home’, her father must have still been at his church service. She glanced at the calendar on the wall and closed her eyes, he had marked it as an all-day service which meant she was alone in the house until midnight.

Thank the gods.

She walked up the stairs to her room and unpacked her food into the fridge in her room, going back downstairs to pack away her father's food in the cabinets. Her father shunned modern technology, calling it the devil's work.

But Claudine would rather have her food last just a bit longer than they did in the cabinets.

Claudine took off her jacket and stretched her arms, groaning a bit as her back popped, she scanned the living room/kitchen once to look for anything out of place, and when she found nothing, she grabbed her jacket and ran back up to her room.

She closed the door behind her and took off her thick sweater, grabbing a thinner long-sleeved shirt and pulling it on, sighing in relief to be free of the slightly constricting fabric.

She glanced at her clock and smiled, it was hardly even one-thirty, she had plenty of alone time before her ‘father’ was home. As she grabbed her favorite book and walked to her closet, which was the only way to access the attic of the apartment, her mind flashed back to when she was much younger.

She was barely 4 years old when her mother died, leaving her scared and alone in their home. She didn’t know how much time had passed after that but she knew she was very hungry and very tired, that’s when Claude Frollo stepped into her mother's home and found her.

He had been looking for her mother after her mother had missed several church services, and with how devoted her mother was to the church it had ticked off the ‘that’s odd’ box for Frollo.

He found her, and in thanks to her mother for being so devoted to the church, adopted her, claiming her as his own and raising her under the name of ‘god’.

It had been 13 years since then, and Claudine had all but forgotten the face of her mother. She brushed away the memory of the day she had been found by her adoptive father and pulled herself into the attic carefully stepping around her piles of books, pillows, and blankets and settling into the corner next to the window, where she could read in peace with the natural light illuminating her favorite fantasy book.

Her father always said these books were works of the devil, but Claudine loved them too much to care, she knew they were fake but they allowed her mind to wander to a place far from the isle of the lost.

She set the book on her lap and opened it, beginning to read.

Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.

-one week after the new vks are transferred to Auradon-

Ben growled into his hand as he glared down at the new documents the council had presented to him. ‘we hereby overrule the vk transfer plan, it is rushed and unplanned, you bringing six villain children over with no security checks or going through their history on the isle will doom Auradon’

While he and (y/n) had figured out the council couldn’t change the rules of his first proclamation or straight up say no to it, they had forgotten if they got enough evidence or if the whole council agreed they could shut the program down.

Luckily Ben had been able to salvage the isles fresh food and necessities program as it had high security going in and out of the barrier and the Auradon guards personally handed out the shipments to make sure no one snuck anyone or anything back into the ship.

Only one person on the council had gone against the rest, ex-king Luis, Prince Charming’s father. He understood the need to continue to get innocent children off the isle and had adamantly refused to vote against it, and helped Ben salvage the fresh food program.

Ex-queen Leah had been the biggest voice against Ben, and he knew she had orchestrated the meeting and the others to cut off the transfer program, she was still angry at Ben for bringing over the daughter of the fae that had “ruined” her daughter's childhood and ruined her motherhood.

Luckily, Ben had found a loophole, he had shown them his plans for the CPS and shelter, where each vk would have an adult to be in charge of them and a place to stay away from the general population and the council agreed that he could continue the vk transfer plan.

But only once he had finished building both the CPS and the shelter, then they demanded that there would be a more thorough screening of the villain children. In the way of applications, they would give their name, parents' name, fingerprints, an essay about why they wanted to come to Auradon, and then a section for the villain children to tell them about their lives on the isle. And then the council would go through the applications and THEY would approve of who was allowed to come to Auradon, and then Ben could choose out of their approved applications

Ben was angry, very, very angry. All the progress that he made within the last two months, gone. Only a day ago he was able to just point at a vk and say ‘you’re coming to Auradon’ and it could happen, with hardly any mess, yes, he would have to get a guardian for them and then get them approved by the school board for a new student and then get the new vk approved to live in the dorms but, that was a lot fewer hoops to jump through then this new application bullshit which would take so much more time.

And he wouldn’t even be able to be the first person to look at the applications as an unbiased person, they would go through cooky old people who still held on to their grudges against these kids’ parents, and pass that grudge onto the kid who wasn’t even born during that time!

Ben threw down the file containing the new guidelines for the transfer plan and buried his face in his hands. The shelter alone would take almost a year to be fully refurbished to be able to comfortably house hundreds of kids that ranged from toddlers to barely adults, then the CPS?? There was so much more to that than on the surface, he had to hire people, make sure they were certified, give them a place to base out of, get them trained to be able to handle the kids off the isle who most of which were probably traumatized! Get therapists ready, medical staff, kitchen staff, living wages, and so much more that just made Ben's head hurt.

Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to make a sixteen-year-old a king? His own father wasn’t king until he was well past his teens, why did he think his kid would be ready for all of this so much earlier than he did?

Ben sighed, lifting his head and rubbing his eyes, this was all going to take over a year, at least, possibly two, maybe almost 3. so the vks would just sit there and wait until they in Auradon were ready to have them come.

Ben felt rage bubbling in his gut, he just wanted to say fuck it and continue doing it the way he was, except with more kids each round. He wanted to go to the isle and just scream at the top of his lungs ‘those who wish to live in Auradon follow me!’ and be able to give those kids the freedom they deserved.

Ben’s anger-filled thought stopped at the sound of slamming on his door. ‘(y/n)’ Ben thought, slightly nervous. He had sent a text to the group chat telling everyone about the council's interference and it was safe to say no one was happy.

Mal had never responded but he heard that there was a new hole in the dorm building wall (which she thankfully repaired but it didn’t stop her from being pissed and deciding to go out for a fly to burn off her anger), Evie had let off a wide range of curse words, some of which were definitely not English, Jay had sent a flurry of random letters and a small rant, Carlos had chucked his phone and was busy repairing it.

And (y/n), Harry, and Gil? Gil was understanding, knowing Ben had no part in it, but the other two? (y/n) had gone silent, and so had Harry.

That was never a good thing.

Ben stood and walked over to his door, dragging his feet slightly as he did. He unlocked it and quickly took a step back as the door swung open and he was greeted by (y/n) and Harry's pissed-off faces.

“So what's this I hear about a meddling council” (y/n) hissed, stepping into the room with Harry following her, closing the door with his foot, and locking it. Watching as (y/n) stormed over to Ben's desk and picked up the file. “How could you let them do this?! Do you know how long it been for those kids?! Eight months!! And now you are going to let them wait even longer!? Fuck that!” (y/n) crumbled the file in her hands and Ben gestured to it as he gave a pleading look to (y/n)

“That’s what I want to do (y/n), but I can’t! When they overrule me, I can't do anything about it! I’m sorry, but if we don’t go by their rules then we don’t get kids off the isle…I’m sorry.”

(y/n) shook her fist in his face again and turned, walking towards Harry and burying her face in his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and glared at Ben. The two stared at each other for a moment, waiting to see who spoke first. Ben took the first word “I really am sorry, I’ll try to get everything ready as soon as possible, but some of it is going to take almost two years, maybe almost three! especially the shelter and CPS agency, and the council required those to be done before we can even send out the applications”

Harry stared at Ben for a moment before looking down at (y/n) and pulling her tighter into him.

“Get it done beasty boy” Harry seemed to growl, his lip set in a slight snarl “And quick, if this takes longer than yeh say, you’ll be hanging from the mast” Ben nodded, stepping towards (y/n) slightly and taking the crumbled file from her hands.

“I'll hold you to that” Ben sighed, stepping back and setting the file on his desk “In fact I’ll remind you if it does…what are we going to do about those kids in the meantime?”

“We can't let them sit there in the dark.” (y/n) mumbled, pulling away from Harry's chest and looking towards Ben “You remember the last time we did that, with Uma? You said she thought Harry and Gil abandoned her. We can't let those kids think we are abandoning them again; we need to let them know we’re doing everything we can”

“And we will” Ben nodded, the fire igniting in his chest again as he realized not all hope was lost “Those kids will know that we aren’t abandoning them. Through a newscast or a radio, I don’t know, but we'll let them know”

You and Harry nodded at Ben, who nodded back. “We'll figure this out.” Ben walked around his desk and sat down, glaring at the file. “We won't let them down.”

-end of part 5-

Part 5! and Uma can see into the future~!! also yep the council are dicks and prevent Ben from doing everything easily. also yep more vks! more to come about them in future parts! hope you enjoyed!

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yyh4ever · 4 years ago

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Voice Actors' Enthusiastic Chase Team - Part II

After two years, the fight is over, now...

一Five people say goodbye to "Yu Yu Hakusho"一

After a short break from the emotional recording of the final episode, we interviewed the five main cast members again. We had Director Noriyuki Abe read his comments to the five and asked them about their current feelings.

Part I: Special Coverage - Immediately after the final dubbing recording

Source: Animage vol. 200, pp. 48-50 (1995). Photos by @kurodenwa2

p.48 - Yusuke (Nozomu Sasaki)

Nozomu Sasaki ●Yusuke Urameshi

Born on January 25th, 0-type, Aquarius. Representative works include "Samurai Troopers" (Suiko no Shin); "Momotaro Densetsu" (Momotaro); "Genji Tsūshin Agedama" (Agedama Genji); "AKIRA" (Tetsuo); "Legend of the Galactic Heroes" (Julian). He is currently appearing in "Magic Knight Rayearth" as a Guru Clef. Lately, he has been obsessed with Mac. I grew up with Yusuke.

Yusuke has really become a tremendous human.

"Thank you" from Director Abe

The work "Yu Yu Hakusho" is a kind of taking turns for the main voice actors. For example, when Hiei is the focus, the lines are concentrated on Mr. Hiyama while the others are extremely comfortable. However, in Yusuke's case, since he is the leading role, that kind of unbalance is the least, so I think Mr. Sasaki had a hard time.

He fulfilled the heavy responsibility of the leading role beyond our expectations. In the second half of show, he grasped Yusuke perfectly. His screams were so sharp that he was able to do them in one take.

Questions to Nozomu Sasaki

Q: Director Abe was saying that Mr. Sasaki "became Yusuke"...

Sasaki: Thank you very much. I'm happy. I have been playing the role of Yusuke for over two years. By the end, I felt confident enough to say: "This is Yusuke".

Q: For the time being, what are your thoughts on finishing "Yu Yu Hakusho"?

Sasaki: I'm desolated that I won't be going to the studio I used to go to every week, but at the same time, I feel relieved. Since it's a weekly dubbing, I've always been nervous about maintaining my condition. There was no way I could take a break due to injury or illness.

Q: Because it's the leading role, right?

Sasaki: So, for now, I feel the weight is off my shoulders, because the whole story was completed successfully.

Q: When you said your last line as a Yusuke, did you experience any kind of feelings or sensations?

Sasaki: Of course, there was the thought "this is the last time", but I didn't feel it until after the show. I don't think I was any different from usual when I was performing.

On the contrary, it is a part that I consciously tried to perform in the same way as usual.

After all, that's not the last line for the man named Yusuke, right? His life is still going on even after the story is over, and he may still be speaking somewhere. Even though it was the last line for me as Yusuke, it was just a word that had the same weight as the others for Yusuke himself. So, no matter how I felt about it, I thought that I shouldn't let it reflect on my acting.

Q: Looking back, what are the most memorable lines to you?

Sasaki: Hmmm.... Recently, I would say the line that Yusuke, who became a mazoku, said to his father, Raizen: "If you can only eat humans, I'll snatch two or three for you".

I don't mean it in a negative way, but this line stuck in my mind in a strange way. Because, Yusuke, who was supposed to be a human until recently, had an unconcerned look on his face and said: "Eat humans". In a sense, it seems something Yusuke would say, because he's not satisfied with winning against Raizen, who's on the verge of starvation. But it's still a shocking line, isn't' it? This line made me realize that Yusuke had awakened as a demon. After that, I played with the feeling "Then, let's play as a mazoku"...

Q: When I listen to you, it seems you are especially attached to the role of Yusuke, right?

Sasaki: He became my masterpiece. Yusuke has become a special character in me, after all. Yusuke's character in the anime was never created by me. There was this person called Yusuke and I was the closest person to that person. While watching that person's actions and ways of thinking up close, we grew up together. However, in the end, Yusuke became a tremendous human, so I'm worried if I could keep up with him ... (laughs).

Q: Lastly, what has Mr. Sasaki gained through the work "Yu Yu Hakusho"?

Sasaki: What is it? ......"power", it isn't the power of fights, but a power in a more spiritual sense. I've been hanging out with a "powerful" Yusuke for two years.

p.49 - Kuwabara & Keiko (Shigeru Chiba and Yuri Amano)

Shigeru Chiba ● Kazuma Kuwabara

Born on February 1st, O-type, Aquarius. He is currently very busy with the script and direction of the Drama CD "I love voice actors! Part 2", a satirical and absurd tale (scheduled to be released in April by MEDIA REMORAS label).

"Kuwabara" is my past, which is still alive today.

The hot-blooded man Kuwabara. The Toguro edition was cool!

"Thank you" from Director Abe

Mr. Chiba is a person who maintains his own stance and enjoys expanding in all directions, no matter what the situation is.

Especially this time, partly because of the character Kuwabara, I feel he had a lot of fun playing this role.

Kuwabara has many gag-like scenes, but even in those scenes, you can see "Mr. Chiba" Kuwabara's gags everywhere. In that sense, I think he adds an unique flavor to the character Kuwabara, don't you think?

Questions to Shigeru Chiba

Q: How do you see your relationship with Kuwabara?

Chiba: Kuwabara is just my past self. We're in a state of "craving" and only have confidence in our brute strength.....Moreover, this is not something that disappears when you get a job or change your social environment. You have to learn how to free yourself from pressure and complexes by accumulating experiences, one by one, over time.

In particular, Yusuke and Kuwabara's age is the most sensitive to the contradictions of the society. Since that age, I've been searching for something that feels like "this is it!" Through such terrible battles, Kuwabara and his friends surely had "100 years of experience" and will have certainly accepted the existence of "love." I think that's what I envy.

Q: What was the most exciting thing about working on this project?

Chiba: Did you have the opportunity to meet fans that you wouldn't normally be able to meet?

From the moment the curtain opened, the whole hall was standing, even the people on the third floor were shouting.......It was amazing. This is the popularity of the character, not "my popularity", but I think it was great that I was able to have a shared experience with many people using the character as a point of contact.

Q: How do you understand "Yu Yu Hakusho"?

Chiba: On the surface, it is violent with blood content and slaughter, but it is a deep work that constantly asks the question: "Have we not forgotten our true nature?". Right now, I happen to be a human being with a physical body, but I believe that if I'm detached from my body, I can go to the Spirit World or even the Demon World. The hypothetical world called the "Demon World" in "Yu Yu Hakusho" is actually an extension of human activities. I hope that people who watch "Yu Yu Hakusho" will realize that both "evil" and "good" exist within us.

Yuri Amano ● Keiko Yukimura

Born on January 5th, A-type, Capricorn. She is currently playing the role of Alcyone in "Magic Knight Rayearth". Many of her co-stars in this show are fellows from "Yu Yu" such as Mr. Sasaki and Ms. Ogata.

T/N: In "Magic Knight Rayearth", Nozomu Sasaki played the role Guru Clef and Megumi Ogata voiced Eagle and Princess Emeraude.

Keiko's voice is close to Amano's usual voice.

Keiko is an ordinary girl. It was hard.

"Thank you" from Director Abe

She has a very clear and beautiful voice, so she often plays the role of a young lady, or conversely, a villain-type character with a firm acting. Whereas, Keiko has a slightly different image, she is an ordinary girl and a little strong-willed. But I think that, in turn, led to a fresh charm. Keiko really came to life thanks to Ms. Amano's performance.

Questions to Yuri Amano

Q: Looking back, what kind of work was "Yu Yu Hakusho" for Ms Amano?

Amano: It was my very favorite work. I didn't really like battle-themed works, but in the case of "Yu Yu Hakusho," the interior of each character was deeply explored, so I was moved every time I played.

Q: How did you interpret the character Keiko?

Amano: She's just a normal girl, right? If I think of myself as being back in junior high school, I'd be just like that....However, I think the shock is strong.

During the Dark Tournament, she was watching the matches with Shizuru-san, Botan-chan and the others all the time. In that group, Keiko is the only normal person with no psychic powers or anything. Of course, there is the strength that comes from the feelings for Yusuke, but I thought that the strength seen in that situation was not from a normal girl.

Q: What kind of difficulties did you face in this performance?

Amano: It was a very difficult role because she was a character that wasn't depicted in great detail. There are a lot of times when I don't appear in scene. So, when I don't come out, I have to fill in the "......" in my mind properly before I face the next scene. That's a very difficult thing for an actor.

Also, among all the other people who are so unique, Keiko was the only ordinary girl, so I was quite worried about how I should play her.

Q: Ordinary roles are the most difficult to play, aren't they?

Amano: Yes, I tried to do my best to play Keiko in my own way, but right after it was over, I had a lot of thoughts: "I should have done more".

Q: Director Abe made the following comment (see column) about Ms. Amano's Keiko.

Amano: (Reading the comments)...It was like a letter from my father back home, I'm touched. I'm really glad I could participate in this work. I would like to try playing the role of an ordinary girl like Keiko again if I have the chance.

p.50 - Hiei & Kurama (Nobuyuki Hiyama & Megumi Ogata)

Hiei ● Nobuyuki Hiyama

Born on August 25th, A-type, Virgo. Currently playing the role of Rai in "Galaxy Warring State Chronicle Rai"; active in the role of Hyuga in "Captain Tsubasa J" etc. His hobby is historical research. His role as Rai is too addicting!?

A page engraved in the history of Nobuyuki Hiyama.

Mr. Hiyama says he likes Hiei's own pace.

"Thank you" from Director Abe

Hiyama-san and Ogata-san were still close to newcomers when "Yu Yu Hakusho" started, so they got better and better while the show went on. Hiei has few lines and it seems to be an easy role at first glance, but it's actually a difficult one. He's collected and cool, therefore it's easy to go in a direction that makes you feel comfortable, it tends to become a stereotyped performance. I think Mr. Hiyama responded really well to the task, controlling it and putting his emotions into the acting.

Questions to Nobuyuki Hiyama

Q: How do you feel after reading Director Abe's comments?

Hiyama: Well, this part of "stereotyped performance" has always been a task for me during the production of "Yu Yu". I'm really happy I could get the passing mark in the end. Indeed, I would be helpless if I was told that after two years and three months of work, I didn't do well (laughs).

Q: Was the fact that you only had a few lines, a difficult part after all?

Hiyama: Yeah. If you have a lot of lines, for example, even if you think you messed up on one line, you can regain the pace in the subsequent lines. If you compare it to baseball, even if the first ball becomes a foul ball, there are still chances for the second and third balls. However, Hiei is an one-ball game (laughs). I was under a lot of pressure because I couldn't strike again. Towards the end, I think I still managed to perform a hit with success...

Q: When it comes to a line, do you have one that you especially liked?

Hiyama: Speaking of liking, I like everything...In "Yu Yu Hakusho", I had the chance to read the next episode's preview once. It was the story about Hiei's past. There was always a catchphrase at the end of the preview, something like: "I haven't seen the afterlife for nothing", but at this time, the catchphrase was: "Don't underestimate the power of the evil eye". Therefore, I wonder if this is the typical line of Hiei. Certainty, it's a very typical Hiei's line, isn't it? Challenging, full of self-confidence and the feeling of looking down on the others...

T/N: In the English dub, the main catchphrase was adapted to: "The Other World isn't watching for nothing!"

Q: Lastly, what do you think you have gained from "Yu Yu Hakusho"?

Hiyama: That's right. For one thing, I was given a big signboard for my work as a voice actor. Also, as an actor, I think I've grown a bit both internally and technically. This work is an unforgettable page engraved in the history of Nobuyuki Hiyama.

Kurama ● Megumi Ogata

Born on June 6th, B-type, Gemini. Her photo book "Warrior's Rest" (Senshi no Kyūsoku) was released on January 7th (Tokuma Shoten/list price: 1,500 yen including tax). It includes a long interview: Ogata's full of charm.

"That person", born of loneliness and kindness.

Kurama is attractive for his clean-cut appearance and sharp fighting.

"Thank you" from Director Abe

Regarding Ogata-san's voice, a woman's voice coming out of Kurama's face, I don't actually think it's out of place. Even so, the amazing thing about her is that she just gets into the role at any rate and makes her own voice sounds like Kurama's.

I think she's the type of actor who can put her feelings into a role more than the others. She may be too absorbed in it and fail sometimes, but I hope she doesn't be afraid and will continue to push on as it is.

Questions to Megumi Ogata

Q: What kind of person did you think the character "Kurama" was in the beginning?

Ogata: First, I read the original work carefully and created a "Kurama image" that I thought was faithful to the original. In the Youko era, he was a child who was too preoccupied on being brilliant that his coldhearted side was laid bare. His loneliness was the result of his wisdom, but he was unaware of it. When such a person is treated kindly by others and realizes the existence of "kindness" for the first time, he is very shocked...That's how the current Kurama, Shuuichi Minamino, was born. There was a person close to me who was just like Youko, so I tried to play Kurama that way while keeping that person in mind.

Q: I think you had a hard time creating the voice because you were playing the voice of the opposite sex...

Ogata: Actually, the first time I saw the dubbing of episode 6, I was upset (laughs). There was a scene where two very masculine men, Mr. Hiyama (Hiei) and Mr. Norio Wakamoto (Gouki), were barking at each other, it hit me like a bucket of cold water at the time, the difference between my Kurama and their voices was too big.

I've played a male role in a play before, so I didn't feel uncomfortable playing Kurama, but there is a difference between a play, where you can show a "man" through visual elements such as gestures and costumes, and dubbing. I can only play Kurama with my voice. I thought I had to make his voice properly. That person [note: Kurama] handles things quietly, so he really needed a natural and low voice.

Q: What kind of voice did you create?

Ogata: My vocal cords are long for a woman, but that's not enough. I was advised by a professor from the Vocal Music Department of Music College to "strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, back and diaphragm". I became a "machine training oni" for a while (laughs).

Q: Lastly, why do you call Kurama "that person"?

Ogata: When I talk about Kurama, as Director Abe pointed out, it's like I'm talking about myself somehow ...... (laughs). Objectively, it's a way to create distance so that I can speak.

Source: Animage vol. 200, pp. 48-50 (1995). February issue (published in January). Photos by @kurodenwa2

🇯🇵 日本語

熱烈的声優追跡団

2年間を戦い終わって、今一「幽★遊★白書」へのさよならを語る5人一感動の最終話アフレコから少し時間を置いて、メインキャストの5人に改めてインタビュー。阿部紀之監督から5人に当てたコメントを読んでもらい、現在の心境などを伺った。

浦飯幽助●佐々木望

ささきのぞむ●1月25日生まれ・0型の水瓶座。代表作は「鎧伝サムライトルーパー」 (水滸のシン) 「桃太郎伝説」 (桃太郎) 「ゲンジ通信あげだま」 (源氏あげたま) 「AKIRA」 (鉄雄) 「銀河英雄伝説」 (ユリアン)など。現在は「魔法騎士レイアース」に導師クレフ役で出演中。最近Macに凝っている

幽助と一緒に僕も成長した

本当にでっかい人間になった幽助

阿部監督からの「ありがとう」

「幽★遊」という作品はメインの声優さんにとっては一種当番制みたいになっていて、例えば飛影が中心の回には檜山さんにセリフが集中するかわりに他の方達は極端に楽になる。ただ、幽助の場合は主役ですから、そういうアンバランスさが最も少ないわけで、佐々木さんは大変だったと思います。

そんな主役の重責を彼は我々の期待以上に果たしてくれました。後半の彼は完璧に幽助を掴んでいて、叫び声も一発でビシッと決まるほどでしたね。

一阿部監督は佐々木さんについて、「幽助になりきってくれた」とおっしゅっていましたが......。

佐々木ありがととうございます。嬉しいですね。2年以上幽助を演ってきたので、最後のほうには「これが幽助だ」と言える自信もついていたような気がします。

一とりあえず、「幽★遊★白書」を終えられての感想は？

佐々木毎週通っていたスタジオに行かなくなるので寂しいのと同時に、ほっとしたという気持ちも強いですね。

毎週のアフレコなので、コンディションの維持にはずっと神経を違っていたんですよ。ケガや病気で休むわけにいかないですから。

一主役ですからね。

佐々木だから、とりあえず全話無事に終えられたことで、肩の荷が下りたという気分です。

一幽助という役については悔いなく完全燃焼できたんでしょうか。

佐々木焼いはないですけど、燃えつきてはいないですね。やれるものなら「幽★遊★白書」はあと何年でもやりたいし......。これだけの作品だから、充実感や満足感はもちろんありますけど、やはり完全燃焼というのとは違って、どちらかと言うと精神的に何かは脱したような感覚に近いです。

一幽助として最後のセリフを言う時には、何かこみ上げてくるものはあったんでしょうか。

佐々木「これで最後だ」みたいな感想はもちろんありましたけど、それは終わってから感じましたね。演じている時は普段と変わなかったと思います。

逆に、意識していつもと同じょうに演じようとした部分もあるんですよ。

だって、幽助という人間にとってそれが最後のセリフじゃないわけでしょう。彼の人生は物語が終わった後もま続いているわけで、今もどこかで喋っているかもしれない。幽助を演じる僕にとって最後のセリフでも、幽助自身にとっては他と全然比重の変わらない一言に過ぎないんです。だから、僕に何が感想があったとしても、演技にそれを感じさせてはいけないと思ったんですよ。

一緒り返ってみて、印象に残っているセリフというと何でしょう。

佐々木う~ん…。最近で言うと、魔族になってしまった幽助が親父の雷禅に言ったセリフで、「人間しか食えねェってんならオレが二、三人かっさらってきてやる」という一言ですかね。

このセリフは、否定的な意味じゃなくて、僕の中で妙に引っ掛かったんです。だって、この間まで人間だったはずの幽助が平気な顔して「人間を食え��って言うわけですよ。餓死寸前の雷禅に勝っても満足できないというのが理由だから、ある意味幽助らしくはあるんだけど、やっぱりショッキングなセリフですよね。このセリフで、僕は幽助が魔族として覚醒したことを実感できたんです。その後は「だったら魔族として演ってやろうじゃない」という感じで演じました。

一お話を伺っていると、やはり幽助役にはとりわけ愛着が深いようですね。

佐々木僕の代表作になりましたし、やっぱり僕の中で特別なキャラになってるんでしょうね。アニメの幽助というキャラクターは、決して僕が作ったんじゃないんですよ。幽助という人がいて、その人に一番近い人間である僕がいて、僕はその人の行動や考え方を間近で見ながら一緒に成長していったんです。もっとも、最後には幽助は相当でっかい人間になっちゃったので、僕がそれについて行けたかどうかは不安なんですが……(笑)。

一それでは最後に、「幽★遊★白書」という作品を通じて、佐々木さんが得られたものは何でしょうか。

佐々木何だろう......「強さ」かなあケンカの強さとかじゃなくて、もっと精神的な意味での強さ。2年間、「強い」幽助とつき合ってきましたからね。

桑原和真●千葉繁

ちばしげる●2月1日生まれ・0型の水瓶座。現在は不条理なコントが楽しめるドラマCD 『声優大好き！Part2』 (メディアレモラスより4月発売予定)の脚本・演出で超多忙…

「桑原」は今も生きている僕の過去

熱血野郎・桑原。戸愚呂編はカッコよかった！

阿部監督からの「ありがとう」

千葉さんは、どんな場合でも自分のスタンスというのをきっちり持ちながら、楽しい展開をしてくれる人です。

特に今回は桑原というキャラクターのせいもあり、かなり楽しんで演じていただけたような気がします。

桑原はギャグっぽいシーンが多いんですが、その中でも〝千葉さんの〟桑原のギャグっていうのが随所に見られるんですよ。そういう意味でも、桑原のキャラクターに一味つけ加えていただけたんじゃないでしょうか。

一桑原とご自分の関係をどうとらえていますか？

千葉桑原はまさに過去の僕。「渇愛」状態で腕力にしか自信がもてない......。しかもそ��は決して就職したり、社会環境が変わったからといって消えるタチのものではなく、時間をかけてひとつずつ経験値をためてプレッシャーやコンプレックスから自分を解き放つ方法を身につけていくほかないんですね。

特に幽助や桑原の時代は社会の矛盾にもっとも敏感な時期。僕もあれ位の年代から気持ちの上では「これだっ！」という確たるものを探し続けているんだけど。桑原たちはあれだけのすさまじい戦いを通して、まさに「百年分の経験」をし、「愛」というものの存在を確かに受けとめているでしょう。それが僕はうらやましいと思うね。

一この作品に参加して一番うれしかったことはなんですか？

千葉日頃会うことのできないようなファンの人に会える機会に恵まれたってことかな？もう幕が開いた時から会場中総立ちで、三階席の人まで叫んでいる……凄いモンでした。これはキャラクターの人気であって「僕との人気」じゃないんだけど、キャラクターを接点として、たくさんの人と共時体験ができたことはよかったと思います。

一作品としての「幽★遊★白書」をどう読み解かれていますか。

千葉表面は暴力とか殺戮とか、血生臭い内容であるんだけど、そういった中から常に「本質を忘れてはいないだろうか」という問いを絶えず投げかける深い作品です。今僕はたまたま肉体をもっている｢人間」ですけど、体を脱いでしまえば霊界へ、魔界にだっていく存在だと思っています。「幽★遊★ 白書」で「魔界」と呼ばれている仮想界は、実は人間の営みの延長線上にあるもの。「幽★遊★白書」を見た人が、「悪」も「善」も自分の中にあると気づいてくれればいいと思います。

雪村螢子●天野由梨

あまのゆり●1月5日生まれ・A型のやぎ座。現在は「魔法騎士レイアース」にアルシオーネ役で出演。この番組の共演者には佐々木さんや緒方さんなど「幽☆遊」の仲間が多い

難しかった普通の女の子

螢子の声は天野さんの普段の声に近いという

阿部監督からの「ありがとう」

螢子という役は、天野さんが普段演られているキャラクターとは少し異質だと思うんですよ。彼女はすごく透明感のあるきれいな声質なので、お嬢様系の役とか、逆にちょっと堅めの演技で悪役系のキャラなんかを演じることが多いですよね。そこへいくと、螢子はちょっと気の強い普通の女の子だから、若干イメージが違う。でも、そこが逆に新鮮な魅力につながっていたと思うんです。螢子は天野さんに演ってもらってすごく生きましたね。

一今振り返ると、「幽★遊★白書」は天野さんにとってどんな作品でしたか。

天野とても好きな作品でしたね。私、戦いがテーマの作品ってそんなに好きじゃなかったんだけど、「幽☆遊」の場合はそれぞれのキャラクターの内面が結構掘り下げられていたから、演ってて毎回感動があったんです。

一螢子のキャラクターについては、どのように解釈されていましたか。

天野普通の女の子、ですよね。自分が中学生の頃に戻ったと考えれば、そのままあんな感じになりそうな…...。ただ、シンはすごく強いと思います。

暗黒武術会の時に、静流さんやぼたんちゃんたちと一緒にずっと観戦していたじゃないですか。あの中で、霊感も何もない普通の人間は螢子だけなんですよ。幽助への深い想いから来る強さはもちろんあるでしょうけど、あの状況で観ていられる強さっていうのは、やっぱりただ者ではないと思いました。

一演じていく上での苦労みたいなものは。

天野あまり詳しく描かれていないキャラクターだけに、非常に難しい役でしたね。出ない回が割りと多いので、出ない時の「……」 (てんてん) を自分の中でキチンと埋めてから、次の回に臨まなくちゃならない。それって、役者にとってとても大変なことなんですよ。

それと、他があれだけ個性豊かな人たちばかりの中で、一人だけ普通の女の子ですから、どう演じたらいいのか結構悩みました。

一普通の役って一番難しいですよね。

天野ええ、自分なりにベストを尽くして演じたつもりなんですけど、終わった直後って「もっとこうすれば良かったんじゃないか」みたいな考えも次々湧いてきちゃうんですよ。

一天野さんの螢子については、阿部監督からこんなコメント(コラム参照)をいただいています。

天野 (コメントを読んで)…まるで、故郷のお父さんからの手紙のように、ジーンと来てしまいました。この作品に参加できて本当に良かった。螢子のような普通の女の子の役には、機会があればまた挑戦してみたいですね。

飛影●檜山修之

ひやまのぶゆき●8月25日生まれ・A型の乙女座。現在は「銀河戦国群雄伝ライ」の雷役、「キャプテン翼J」の日向役等で活躍中。趣味は歴史研究。雷役はハマリ過ぎ!?

檜山修之の歴史に刻まれた一頁

飛影のマイペースさが好きだと檜山さん

阿部監督からの「ありがとう」

檜山さんと緒方さんは「幽★遊」が始まった頃はまだ新人に近い状態だったので、やっている間にどんどんうよくなっていきましたね。飛影はセリフも少ないし一見簡単そうな役に見えるけど、実には難しいんです。クールでカッコいいからどうしても自分が気持ち良くなる方向に行っちゃって、型にはまった演技になりやすい。そこをセーブしながら演技に感情を込めていくという課題に、檜山さんは本当によく応えてくれたと思います。

一阿部監督のコメントをお読みになって、いかがですか。

檜山いやぁ、この「演技が型にはまる」という部分が、「幽★遊」をやってる問ずっと僕の課題だったんですよ。それに結局及第点をいただけたんだとしたら、本当に嬉しいです。まあ、2年3か月もやって結局ダメだったって言われたら救われないですよね (笑)。

一セリフが少ないというのも、やはり難しい部分だったんでしょうか。

檜山ええ。セリフがたくさんあると、例えば一つのセリフでちょっと失敗したなと思��ても、その後のセリフでペースをとり戻せるじゃないですか。野球に例えると、一球目がファウルになってもまだ2球目、3球目とチャンスはあるわけです。ところが、飛影というのは一球勝負ですから(笑)。打ち直しができないプレッシャーというのはありましたね。最後のほうには、それでも何とかヒットっぽい当たりを飛ばせるようになったんじゃないかと、自分では思っているんですけど……。

一セリフということでは、特に好きだったセリフってありますか。

檜山好きと言えば全部が好きなんですが…。「幽★遊★白書」の中で、一度だけ予告を読ませていただいたことがあるんですよ。飛影の過去がらみの話だったんですが、予告って最後に必ずキャッチフレ一ズが入るじゃないですか。「ダテにあの世は見てねェぜ」みたいな。この時は、それが「邪眼の力をなめるなよ」だったんです。だから、飛影の代表的なセリフというとこれなんだろうなって思います。確かに、いかにも飛影らしいセリフですよね。挑戦的で、自信満々で、どこか他人を見下した感じが......。

一最後に、檜山さんが「幽★遊★白書」という作品から得たものは一体何でしょうか。

檜山そうですね。ひとつは声優という仕事をやっていく上で、大きな看板をいただいたな、と。そして、やっぱり役者として内面的にも技術的にも、少しは成長させてもらったと思います。この作品は、檜山修之の歴史の中に刻まれる、忘れられない一頁でしょうね。

蔵馬●緒方恵美

おがためぐみ●6月6日生まれ・ B型の双子座。1月7日に写真集「戦士の休息」( 徳問書店/定価1,500円税込) が発売された。ロングインタビューもついてオガタの魅力満載。

孤独と優しさから生まれた「あの人」

端正な容姿と鋭い戦いぶりが魅力の蔵馬

阿部監督からの「ありがとう」

蔵馬の顔から緒方さんの声が出るということについては、何と言っても女性の声だし、実は違和感がないでもないと思うんですよ。ところが、彼女の凄いところは、とにかく役になりきることによって、自分の声を蔵馬の声として聞かせてしまうんです。

彼女は役に対して人一倍気持ちを入れられるタイプの役者さんだと思います。のめりこみ過ぎて逆に失敗することもあるでしょうが、怖れずに今のまま突き進んでほしいですね。

一最初に「蔵馬」というキャラクターをどんな人物として考えましたか。

緒方まず原作を丁寧に読んで、自分としては原作に忠実だと思われる「蔵馬像」を作りました。妖狐時代は頭のよさにかまけて、冷淡な面をむき出しにする子ども。賢さが高じた孤独を抱えているけれども、そのことに気がついていない。そんな人間が人から優しくされて、初めて「優しさ」の存在に気づく時、とても大きなショックを受ける……そうして生まれたのが今の蔵馬、南野秀一というように。私の身近に、ちょうど妖狐のような人がいたので、その人のことを頭に置きながら、そんな作り方をしてみました。

一異性の声を演じるということで、声を作る上でご苦労があったと思うのですが......。

緒方実は、初めて六話のダビングを見て、私はひっくり返ってしまったんですね (笑)。檜山さんと若本規夫さんという非常に男っぽいお二人が、ガンガン吠え合っているところに水をかけるシーンなんですが、私の蔵馬とお二人の声とでは落差が大きすぎた。芝居で男役をやったこともあるので、蔵馬を演じることに違和感はなかったんですが、仕草や衣装という視覚的な要素で「男性」を表わせる芝居とアテレコは違うんですね。私が蔵馬を演じることができるのは声でだけ。これは声をちゃんと作らなければいけないと思いました。あの人〔注・蔵馬〕は静かに物事を処理する人なので、どうしても自然で低い声が必要だったんです。

一どんな声の作りをしたんですか。

緒方私の声帯は女性にしては長い方ですが、それだけでは不十分。音大の声楽科の教授に「腹·背中・横隔膜の筋力を鍛えること」とアドバイスされ、一時期は「マシーン・トレーニングの鬼」と化しましたよ (笑)。

一最後に、蔵馬のことを「あの人」と呼ぶのはなぜですか。

緒方蔵馬のことを話すと、阿部監督のご指摘の通り、どこか自分のことを話してるようで......(笑)。客観的に、話せるように距離を作る手段なんです。

出典: アニメージュ 1995年2月号

#yu yu hakusho #voice actors #seiyuu #megumi ogata #kurama #nobuyuki hiyama #hiei #nozomu sasaki #yusuke urameshi #shigeru chiba #kazuma kuwabara #yuri amano #keiko yukimura #noriyuki abe #interview #anime

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mousedetective · 4 years ago

Note

i can't remember if you watched csi ny or not, but, for the meme :)

OMG, I was a NY addict. It's so nice to revisit my old fandom!

OTP(s): Flack/Angell was my main one. I had issues with Danny/Lindsay when I was still watching the first few seasons, but when I went back to the show in the last season it seemed like they were doing pretty well together. And I was a huge Mac/Stella and Hawkes/Stella shipper. Also, Flack/Maka and Danny/Maka, even though Det. Maka wasn't on much.

BROTP(s): Flack & Danny.

NOTP(s): I don't think I had any. I was such a huge multishipper when it came to this show.

F/M/K any three characters: Fuck Kaile Maka, Marry Don Flack, kill the writers for the shit they pulled in season 5

Best plotline/arc: Sam Flack's sobriety issues.

Storyline that made you go “WTF were they thinking?!?”: The aftermath of Flack shooting Angell's killer (and him doing that in the first place)

Do you currently watch/did you watch through to the end? I skipped a few season after the first few eps of season 6, but I did go back for the final season.

Character you’d kill for: Flack

Character you’d kill: Sonny Sassone

What are you glad NEVER happened in canon? I am really glad Zao and Maka weren't on enough to get fucked over the way Marty and Jess did, when it comes to recurring characters.

What do you WISH happened in canon - a) realistically & b) anything’s possible? a) They'd have told us what happened to Danny's brother after the beatdown he got when he tried to clear Danny's name. b) They hadn't killed Angell.

Supporting character you wish you’d seen more of: Zao, Maka, Marty, Angell...they had such great recurring characters in the early seasons. Aiden, too, since she was booted and then murdered after the first season.

Character you wish you’d seen less of: None that I can think of, so far.

Best dressed: Stella for the women, Flack for the men (minus his chronically bad ties)

Food you associate with the show: Fried spiders

Do you read fanfiction for it? Got a favorite to rec? Not really? It's a pretty dead fandom and most of the stuff I loved when it was active is gone. I'm one of the few authors still transferring stuff to AO3 for that fandom.

What bad take/opinion/trope gets under your skin? I don't think I have one, other than the way they handled the aftermath of Jess's death was really fucking stupid.

What actor best embodies their character? Gary Sinise. He is basically Mac Taylor, as far as I can tell.

Who would you recast? No one. The cast was amazing.

Biggest surprise: The shit they pulled on Marty. It came out of nowhere and was just...WTF-inducing.

Which company in the show would you like to work for? The NYPD crime labs.

Would you want to actually live in this universe? Maybe? It seems a lot like regular New York, with just a teeny bit more weird murders.

Fun Fandom Friday Quiz

#my thoughts #csi new york #csi ny #answering asks!

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fleetingfigures · 4 years ago

Text

Mitigation made Manifest - A Scholar Analysis

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first part of my analysis series! Today we're going to be taking a look at the titular Scholar job, as well as delve into how it works, what it excels at, what it comes short on, and how well it is designed!

In an effort to keep everything organized, I'll section off this post into 4 main portions. If you're on a computer, you can use ctrl+f (or command+f if you're on a mac) to search for the following headings:

[ Basics ] [ How Scholar Works ] [ Gameplay, Tips and Design ] [ Final Evaluation ]

With that out of the way, let us begin!

[ Basics ]

Before we dive into Scholar, I believe I must go over a few things, the first being the issue of Scholar’s origin. Scholar, and by extension, its sibling, Summoner, have a unique system wherein they originate from the same base class, Arcanist, and also share each others’ levels (i.e if you level Summoner to 71, your Scholar will also be 71). As per most jobs, many of the base class’ actions translate to its advanced jobs, but the issue comes in its respective role - Arcanist is a magical dps. For Summoner, this is a fine transition as they share this role, but for Scholar, it is a tad awkward. At no point in your time as an arcanist are you ever really taught how healing in FFXIV functions, nor is it ever your ‘job’. The only real healer you can even start the game with is Conjurer, and beyond that, if you want to pick up a healer on the side without a level skip, only Astrologian and Conjurer are healers right out of the gate. As such, It’s hard to recommend Scholar as someone’s first healer as its levelling experience does not translate to how healers are played effectively.

Though, on this topic of effective healer play, I also feel the need to describe XIV’s healing design. At its core, a healer’s job is to obviously keep the party, and most importantly their tank, from dying. But, this is where some issues arise. In higher-end content, a healer is expected to also carry their weight in terms of DPS, and should have comparable RDPS (Damage taking into account buffs/debuffs applied) to that of a party’s tanks. This brings me to the focus of XIV’s healer philosophy: One is to balance the healing they must do with the damage they output. Spending all of your MP on healing is forsaking your duty to at least deal some damage, and only doing damage will obviously cause your party to die. Healing is essentially a game of ‘how low can I go?’, and as you gain more experience and comfort in the role, you can push that threshold lower and lower.

As for more general terms to be aware of, I shall make a small list!

DPS/ADPS/RDPS: Damage per second/Actual damage per second/Raid-contributing damage per second. These are terms used mostly by raiders to quantify how much damage is contributed. For classes that have buffs and debuffs, their DPS/ADPS do not accurately show their true damage, but their RDPS takes into account the bonus damage their buffs and debuffs have granted. Slidecasting: A term describing the leniency that cast times are given in this game because of server connection. For all spells, you do not have to be sitting through their entire cast bar, as they can instead be cut short so that one can still move while in the last bit of their cast. When one can slidecast a spell is dependent upon the cast time of the spell and the spell speed of the individual. HoT/DoT: Heal over time, Damage over time. GCD/OGCD: Global Cooldown/Off-Global Cooldown. Spells and weaponskills operate off of something called a ‘GCD’. A GCD is essentially a lockout until you can cast your next spell/weaponskill. For spells, as they have a cast time equivalent to their GCD, you can cast another right after you finish the first. By default, this GCD is 2.5 seconds for every class, and is reduced by abilities and skill/spell speed. But for weaponskills/spells that are classified as instant, that GCD lockout can instead be used to move or to use OGCD’s, namely abilities, that aren’t constricted by the GCD. The use of OGCD’s during a GCD lockout is called... Weaving: Using OGCD’s during a GCD lockout. Using just one in this timeframe is referred to as a single weave, and using two is referred to as a double weave. For SCH, you want most weaves to be double weaves. Ghosting: The bane of all arcanist-based classes. Unfortunately due to the AI of pets in this game, there is a delay between when you input an action and when your pet performs it, and a general delay in all pet actions if you are moving and they have to catch up. Sometimes when inputting abilities too quickly or using a demi-summon as actions are queued (like Summon Bahamut, Phoenix Trance and Summon Seraph), the queued action will either be delayed or never go off, but will still go on cooldown. Hence the term ‘ghosting’.

[ How Scholar Works ]

Now with the basics made clear, we can get to the actual meat of this analysis! In FFXIV, there are two denominations of healers: Shielding and Pure. Scholar falls into the prior classification as most of its kit is themed around the prevention of damage. Adloquium and Succor, for example, heal less than White Mage’s Cure II and Medica II, but apply a shield equivalent to 125% of the health restored. As such, Scholar is less of a reactive healer, but more of a proactive one; they set up their resources in advance so that the fight flows with less chaos. Scholar’s base kit is as follows:

Ruin/Broil I, II, and III: Your standard damage spell for a healer. Cast this when you’re not healing. Bio/Bio II/Biolysis: Your standard DoT spell for a healer, ticks 10 times over 30 seconds. Make sure to always have this on the enemy, that is unless the enemy is about to go away, or will die in 15 seconds or less. if this spell sticks to a target for more than 15 seconds, then it technically has outdamaged 1 broil, thus making it a theoretical gain! Physick: The basic heal for a healer; heals for about 400 potency. Once you get to a higher level, you should realistically never touch this heal again. Adloquium (Lvl 30): Scholar’s ‘big single target heal’; heals for 300 potency while erecting a shield equivalent to 125% of the healing done (technically 675 potency in total). Shields generated by this are denoted by the ‘Galvanize’ buff. If this crits, bonus shields will be added as another buff called ‘Catalyze’. This shield does not stack with itself, Succor, Seraphic Veil, or Nocturnal AST’s shields. Succor (Lvl 35): Scholar’s AoE heal; heals for 180 potency and erects a shield equivalent to 125% of the healing done (technically 405 potency in total). Shields generated by this are denoted by the ‘Galvanize’ buff. Like Adlo, it does not stack with what was listed above. Ruin II (Lvl 38): An instant cast version of ruin. It’s potency upgrades as you level, capping at 200 at level 72. This spell is mostly used to weave OGCD’s, or to just generally move while not missing too many casts. Art of War (Lvl 46): Your standard AoE spell for a healer. Deals 160 potency to all enemies in 5 yalms and is instant. Unlike Holy, this spell is a DPS gain on 2 targets or more. Deployment Tactics (Lvl 56): As an OGCD, spreads the target’s Galvanize buff to all nearby allies within 10 yalms. Does not spread Catalyze. Emergency Tactics (Lvl 58): Transforms the shields from Adlo and Succor into a flat heal. Useful in a pinch, hence its name, and gives Scholar a chance at outputting fat heals. Chain Stratagem (Lvl 66): Where Scholar’s RDPS comes from. Applies a debuff to a target that increases the chance they receive critical hits from all allies hitting it by 10% for 15 seconds. Multiple of these cannot be applied to the same boss, and will overlap. Keep in mind its 120 second cooldown as it is crucial to getting better at Scholar! Recitation (Lvl 74): Your next Succor, Adloquium, Excogitation, or Indomitability will always crit. In the case of Succor and Adlo, they will also not cast mana. In the case of Excog and Indom, they will not require an aetherflow stack. Mostly used to cast excog/indom through a double weave, and is immensely useful to make healing easier. 90 second cooldown.

To build off of my last point of resources, it’s high time to introduce two of Scholar’s best friends: Eos and Selene! Eos and Selene, as per SCH’s Arcanist base, are the pets for this job. Unlike carbuncles and egis, they do not deal damage, but instead use their actions to heal, and are crucial to Scholar’s gameplay. Also like the other pets, their action potencies scale differently as opposed to the player’s. For example, Eos/Selene’s Whispering Dawn skill has a listed regen potency of 120, meanwhile WHM’s Medica II regen has a listed potency of 100. One would think that Whispering Dawn would tick for more than Medica II, but through my testing, it is only about 86.8% as effective (due to number variation in FFXIV, this percentage is subject to change). The factor in which pet scaling affects your fairy’s heal is about 64%. With that little disclaimer out of the way, the Faeries’ kits are as follows:

Embrace (Lvl 1): A 150 (96 with pet scaling) potency single-target heal. This is what your fairy will do with its free time. Whispering Dawn (Lvl 20): A 120 potency regen over 21 seconds (537 potency heal in total with pet-scaling). Due to FFXIV’s server ticks, HoT’s and DoT’s hit every 3 seconds, and as such, WD translates to about 840 potency (in terms of your pet’s scaling that is). This ability is activated by the player as an OGCD. Fey Illumination (Lvl 40): A buff that reduces magic damage taken by all allies in range by 5% and increases their healing received by 10%. Lasts 20 seconds. Dissipation (Lvl 60): Munch on your Fairy to gain 3 aetherflow charges and +20% healing magic. This does NOT AFFECT THE POTENCY OF YOUR OGCD HEALING. Your fairy will automatically respawn after the 30 second duration. Aetherpact & Fey Union (Lvl 70): Designate an ally as an OGCD to form a tether between them and your fairy. Your Fairy gauge will then deplete by 10 every 3 seconds to apply a 400 potency (256 potency with pet scaling) heal. This tether will break after the target is 15 yalms away, if you cancel it by using aetherpact again, or if you use another fairy skill. Fey Blessing (Lvl 76): As an OGCD, spend 10 Fairy Gauge to have your Fairy perform an aoe heal of 350 potency (224 potency with pet scaling). Summon Seraph (Lvl 80): As an OGCD, replace your fairy with Seraph. Embrace now becomes Seraphic Veil, a 200 potency (128 potency heal with pet scaling) heal + shield. Consolation (Lvl 80): Essentially Fey Blessing, but only available during Seraph. Heals for 300 potency (192 potency with pet scaling), and shields for the same amount. Has 2 charges per every Seraph summon, and the shield stacks with your own shields as well as a nocturnal Astro’s shields.

Now that those are out of the way, you must be thinking, “The fuck is fairy gauge and aetherflow?” Well, I’m glad you asked, as they’re both intrinsically tied to each other! Starting at level 70, every time you spend an aetherflow stack, you gain 10 fairy gauge, pretty simple, yea? As for aetherflow itself, every 60 seconds you can cast the skill named, well, Aetherflow, to gain 3 stacks of it and recover 1000 MP. These Aetherflow stacks can be used on the following OGCD abilities:

Lustrate (Lvl 45): A 600 potency heal. Very straightforward, and often not used because of the value of the other options. Energy Drain (Lvl 45): A 100 potency damaging OGCD. If you don’t need to heal, and you don’t think you need to heal for a bit, this is your go-to aetherflow dump. Also, if you’re attempting parses on Scholar, have fun using all your aetherflow on this. Sacred Soil (Lvl 50): Create a bubble that reduces damage taken by all allies inside by 10% for 15 seconds. At level 78 this upgrades to offer a 100 potency heal (500 potency heal in total). Only costing 1 aetherflow gauge, having a 30 second cooldown, and lasting 15 seconds, this skill is INCREDIBLY GOOD, especially after the level 78 upgrade. Indomitability (Lvl 52): A 400 potency AoE heal. Straightforward, but very effective because of its numbers. Excogitation (Lvl 62): An 800 potency heal that triggers when the target falls under 50% HP, or if its 45 second duration ends. While it feels awkward to use for beginners, its usefulness is immeasurable. It is technically a higher potency version of Lustrate, with a slight cooldown and delay, but fills a more ‘fire-forget’ niche. Very useful inside of all settings but remember, it will not proc if the target will outright die to the damage before it triggers (i.e if a tank takes a tankbuster at 51% health, and the hit does 60%, excog will not proc.)

[ Gameplay, Tips and Design ]

Scholar, as I have stated, fills the role of a preemptive healer, especially with all of the mitigation present in its kit, as well as the existence of Excog. As such, this job sees a greater increase in effectiveness as you yourself learn a fight compared to a pure healer such as WHM/Diurnal AST. If you know when the party/raid-wide damage is coming, and you prepare accordingly with... Say, A sacred soil and a succor, that is a good chunk of damage you or your co-healer won’t have to heal, thus affording both of you more time to deal damage. Inside of higher end content, like savage raids, having said mitigation is both invaluable for progressing through fights, as well as streamlining and perfecting them. For a while, because of that fact, SCH was the unofficial ‘king’ of healers for a very long time, especially considering there used to be a lot more damage inside of SCH’s kit (rest in peace almost everything that made it unique lol). The start of Shadowbringers was when SCH was finally taken off of its throne, not by AST like many would think (also because it took quite the hit), but by WHM of all things. Thankfully through a series of buffs since 5.0, SCH would begin to see themselves slowly climb back and situate in a comfortable position, but while Scholar is in a good spot now, that does not mean it’s perfect.

Scholar’s ability to heal pure HP is a bit lacking, especially so when dealing with attacks that place the party or specific players at 1 hp. SCH’s find themselves having to use multiple resources in trying to recover that lost HP, often losing much more damage uptime in comparison to WHM or AST (Which is why the ideal healing composition involves 1 pure healer and 1 shield healer). This usage of multiple resources also makes SCH a fair bit more punishing to inexperienced healers than AST or WHM. With the HP recovery of fairies being nerfed in Shadowbringers, much more of the agency is placed back upon the player, who in turn must pay attention to everything that the class has to offer. Obviously not all content is going to necessitate OPTIMAL PLAY, but with all the moving parts present within its kit, Scholar demands a bit more attention to be paid towards it and its skills.

Outside of a learning curve and lack of pure healing, Scholars are punished heavily for dying. Not only must they spend a GCD in resummoning their fairy, all fairy gauge and aetherflow stacks are also lost on death, and if aetherflow was on cooldown at the time, A SCH is going to not have a majority of their kit for awhile on top of having reduced healing due to weakness/brink of death. This once again lends itself to Scholar being less beginner-friendly as opposed to the other healers, even with the existence of freebie heals from your fairy.

Hell, speaking about fairies, therein lies an issue itself - Scholar being a pet class. Conceptually it’s awesome, but with how FFXIV handles pets/demi-summons and their AI, it’s also quite the hassle. Like I mentioned above, ghosting is a problem when it comes to pet classes, and if you don’t properly adjust around it, some of your cooldowns can simply just go poof. Weaving both Whispering Dawn and Fey Illumination in the same double weave will cause the one that’s cast later to cast quite a bit later. On top of that, if you’re moving while you’re weaving them, there’s a chance you’ll have to wait for the fairy to catch up to you to finally cast them (which is why placing your fairy pre-battle is very useful). And as a general rule of thumb, never use summon seraph right after you use Whispering Dawn or Fey Illumination. Wait until after you see the buff apply on everyone as using Seraph will cancel the queued action.

With all that being said, however Scholar is still highly effective in what it does, it just requires a bit of experience. While I can’t offer tutorials on every fight, there are a few general tips I can give for aspiring scholars out there!

[ Tips ]

(General Advice + Combos)

Double weaving on Scholar is rather straightforward, but if you're using Ruin II to do so after your Broil, it will be a technical DPS loss if you do not use an energy drain within the weave window! Broil III has a potency of 290, Ruin II has a potency of 200, and Energy Drain has a potency of 100. In weaving without the use of energy drain, you will lose 90 potency in comparison to if you were to cast another Broil III. Using Energy Drain will add another 100 potency, thus gaining you 10 potency overall. Of course you shouldn't always dump an aetherflow on energy drain when you're weaving, but it is something to keep in mind when you are aiming to do more damage!

- Healing Combos -

[Single Target] If you are AoE'ing, replace ruin II/Biolysis with Art of War!

[AoE Mitigation] (Shield + 5% magic damage mitigation + 10% all damage mitigation)

[Panic AoE Healing] (1029 potency AoE Healing) As a bonus little tip in regards to this, remember Scholar's AoE healing spell/ability priority! The above combo is when you cannot afford time for a regen, but if you can, follow this list. 1. Whispering Dawn (if you can afford time for the regen) 2. Fey Blessing 3. Sacred Soil (if you can afford time for the regen) 4. Indomitability 5. Succor + Emergency Tactics 6. Succor

Scholars luckily have a wonderful mobility tool in Ruin II which allows them to position easily, though at the cost of DPS. However, this loss is minimal compared to its cohorts, wherein WHM either has to clip their Dia or use a lily, and AST either has to use Lightspeed, or slowly shuffle over with Malefics. This makes Scholar a bit easier to navigate when learning fights! Don't be afraid to use Ruin II if you're looking to push for a clear or learn a mechanic better, as a dead scholar is worse than one that is losing dps.

A crucial part of Scholar's kit is actually Chain Stratagem. While it loses much of its usefulness in public groups, or those who do not exactly care for proper rotations, when you can coordinate buffs and opening combos, it provides a large boost in DPS for the whole party. Typically, the ideal time to use Chain Stratagem is upon your 4th GCD, and everytime it comes off cooldown after, but this can change depending on your group. Here is an example 4th GCD Chain opener.

(Dungeons)

While AoE’ing mob packs, you can keep your focus target on the tank. It will make it much easier to heal them in a pinch.

Sacred Soil is essentially a free 15 second long cooldown for the tank, that ALSO heals at level 78 and above. It’s very, very useful.

Using Excog and adlo between pulls will allow you to spend more time AoE’ing mobs

Don’t forget about your fairy skills, especially fey union. Lazy mode is using fey union after whispering dawn, fey illumination and sacred soil and then proceeding to press art of war until the cows come home.

(Trials/Raid)

Recitation + Excog on your main tank pre-pull. Many use recitation+Adlo and then spread the shield with deployment tactics, but you don’t need to use recitation for that! Catalyze is the bonus shielding a crit adlo creates, and cannot be spread. Therefore save your recitation for a free excog and use a normal adlo+deployment tactics afterwards.

Please, please, PLEASE, if you are in a static or raid environment, make sure you allies stand in Sacred Soil when they can. It makes all of your lives easier.

Pre-placing your fairy in the center of the arena is a good habit to get in, but if you need your fairy AoE’s while you’re away from the center, make sure to press heel on your fairy hotbar to make it follow you again.

[Design]

Outside of all that, there is a collection of miscellaneous things that I do want to prattle off in relation to this category, mostly being some design choices and ideas I had for the class going forward. So, let’s begin!

Why does Fey Blessing not become Consolation when you have Seraph out? They are essentially the same thing, and you CAN’T EVEN USE FEY BLESSING WHEN YOU HAVE SERAPH OUT. WHY IS FEY BLESSING AND CONSOLATION SEPARATE BUTTONS. ANSWER ME SQUARE ENIX, TELL ME WHY.

There should be another way to dump Fairy gauge. It would make the system a bit more interactive (A lot like how lilies got an AoE version as well as Afflatus misery with SHB).

We should be able to cancel fey union in the middle of a cast. Breaking the tether does not have an animation nor any animation lockout, and in my eyes is technically not an OGCD. With this change, cancelling fey union can be done on the fly and not require a weave so as to not lose uptime.

The delay upon shield application is a tad annoying, especially so in the use of deployment tactics. Sometimes, if you cast too late, the boss’ Aoe will eat the heal, but not the shield. And in the case of the latter, if you use deployment tactics too quickly, you’ll spread nothing.

Bring back fairy uniqueness ;-;

[ Final Evaluation ]

Now comes time for my final grading.

Going forward with these Class Analyses, I will grade the class upon a set of categories unique to their role (DPS, Tank, Healer). As such, in my grading of Scholar, I will judge it based on the following categories, on a scale of F-S:

Damage (Personal) - The damage they bring to the table by themselves. Damage (Raid setting) - The damage they bring based upon their RDPS potential Accessibility - How easy is it to pick up and play? Mitigation - How well can they prevent damage? Healing - How well can they heal damage? Fun - Well, is it fun? Fantasy fulfillment - Does it fit the class aesthetics/lore?

Damage (Personal) [7] - While not as powerful alone as White Mage, Scholar is not entirely dependent upon team mates for damage like Astrologian.

Damage (Raid Setting) [8] - The addition of chain stratagem to Scholar’s already decent damage takes that one extra step beyond.

Accessibility [4] - Starts as a DPS in Arcanist, has many unique functions and is punished heavily if they die in the middle of a battle.

Mitigation [10] - They’re the originator of shield healers, and definitely keep the crown. Sacred soil is always going to be ridiculous.

Healing [6.5] - Scholar’s pure healing is a bit lacking, but with Square’s fight design, any healer should be able to make it through a fight. Therefore, I cannot rate Scholar all too low in this category.

Fun [7.5, almost 8] - Keeps you engaged, but lacks the pizzazz of Astro and the oomph of White Mage. Still a fun class at the end of the day, though!

Fantasy Fulfillment [9] - As tactical geniuses in the lore, the feel of Scholar gameplay fits that ideal! Through your mitigation, pre-planned abilities, and setting up of fairy abilities, you definitely feel like a tactician controlling the flow of battle, though it does falter a bit with a lot of their old options being removed in SHB.

[ End ]

And with that, we are done with this analysis! As for my personal conjecture with Scholar, it’s one of my mains, and used to be my go to raid healer, that is until my static needed a bit more upfront healing for e12s prog awhile back. If you were to look at my FFlogs, you’d probably see an absolute deluge of WHM parses since it’s uhh... Kinda technically my new healer main, but I still love SCH I swear! Another thing that made me switch from SCH to WHM was the inclusion of a DRK in our static. The ability to instantly remove Walking Dead with one button is so much easier than blowing cooldowns on both healers. Though, technically, from a savage perspective, the highest damage team setup is SCH + AST (Mostly because boosting teammate damage will always do more than just being good yourself, especially this late in the tier).

Anywho... This is the REAL end of the analysis. Hope you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions, questions or things to address, just comment and let me know!

Yabi, out~

#ffxiv #ooc #guide #Scholar #Class Analyses

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