#and how that sets them up perfectly to put themselves in the position of protector and comforter etc

[afarthestarsarewaiting]

One day I will stop looking up triggering things on the internet I promise

[ode-to-anemo]

Your Royal Tutors - FT. Anemo Boys

Notes: I had a lot of funning trying to put this one together. I hope you enjoy!

Prelude:

The land of Teyvat is vast and sprawling, filled with lush forests, mountains that climb to the heavens, and waters deeper than the sea of stars.  You are an heir to small country of Mondstat, beloved by her people.  You have had a number of tutors and teachers through the years, but today, we look to the four that arrived not long after your coming of age. Each took an oath to ensure that you are well versed and taught in all things needed to be a successful ruler.

Venti, Tutor of Music and Dance:

What better a teacher of music than a bard? Especially the best known bard in all of Mondstat. It was never made completely clear to you how Venti fell into this position. You’ve heard some gossip from butlers and maids that he was “hand plucked” by soldiers in the Royal Guard from the bar Angel’s Share to become your teacher. Others say that he attended one of the Duke’s events and upon hearing his wonderful performance, your parents chose him for the role.  These tales were never confirmed by the musician himself and you didn’t bother to ask. With a face and voice like that, the specifics were not important.

Today, you and Venti were reviewing your harp skills. Venti was very adamant on you learning two instruments, one on and one off to keep things interesting. You had a few lessons on the giant instrument so far, enough to learn basic finger placement and chords. You lean forward with a furrowed brow as you plucked the thin strings, bottom on the edge of square stool.

You had been at this for about an hour and half now, one of the chords just not setting right. The frustration begins to set in, you sigh and roll your shoulders.

“I’ll get this…”

“Of course you will, my student. You always do.”

Venti gives you a comforting smile and pulls up another chair right behind you, legs placing themselves directly on either side of your hips. He places his hands parallel with your own on the stringed instrument.

“Here, let me do it then you follow me.”

He leans forward, the warmth of him radiating onto your back and shoulders. His cheek right beside your ear, the softness of his breath brushing by.

Your breath catches in your throat and your upper body tenses immediately. There have been times where you have been close, like side by side on the piano bench, but this is a different kind of closeness. You can not read his expression or predict his next movement.He plucks the strings in order in slow movement, fingers long and elegant. He does this once more and then pulls his hands away, gently nudging your right arm towards the harp.

“Alright, now your turn. You can do this, take as much time as you need. Mastery isn’t something you learn in just a few lessons.”

You inhale a shaky breath and place your hands where his just were. After a pause, you begin to flick the strings in the same order he demonstrated. Towards the last two notes, you pause with a bit of uncertainty. You can feel Venti lean forward against you unconsciously in anticipation of your next move.

You pluck the last two strings and the pattern is completed perfectly. He chuckles behind you and places his hands gently on your shoulders, giving them a proud pat.

“See? I knew you could do it!”

Xiao, Tutor of Battle and Tactics:

There was no questioning why the legendary, yet mysterious adeptus was head of the personal royal protectors unit.  His presence commanded attention, his teachings deadly but would steel any strong enough to survive his routines. Somehow, you wondered often, included you.

Once he was satisfied with your recitation, he’d give you a small break, only to begin the next section of the lesson with stretches. He’d do them with you, standing slightly in front and to the side of you. This gave you the perfect view of marveling at his lean form as his muscles move under his tattooed skin. Keep it together, you would repeat to yourself.

Tactics were taught on a chalkboard at the opposite end of the training courtyard. He made you stand at attention and show what you had learned at the end of the lesson. Thankfully, despite your consistent nervousness around him, you’d be able to regurgitate back to him what you’d seen on the board.

Following the stretches, he’d toss you a wooden sword and square off with you.

“We’ll start off with forward lunges. Now, strike me.”

He waits for you to move forward in a defensive position, from his stance you could tell that he was going to attempt to parry your attack. You move a step forward, swinging your sword back to gain momentum. During the moment you lean your arm back, he moves forward, his foot hooking around your ankle, sweeping your foot out from under you, causing you to fall on the ground.

“No, you must not show your movements so early on. Get up, again.”

This goes on over and over again, each time you try to do a better job of either moving quickly enough or making your next movements not so obvious. Each time seems to get easier, but the frustration in your chest builds, your brow deepening after each fall.

“Again.”

His voice is rough, his eyes ever watchful of your movements. There is a glint in his yellow eyes each time you make a move. It’s like he can read your mind, knowing your body better than yourself.  The thought strikes heat across the back of your neck, compounding with the irritation from falling over and over again.

Something in your chests bursts, your movement quickens. You avoid his movement to trip you up, he strikes at you to make up for it but you parry it, striking the blade straight to the side so it falls from his grip. You end with your blade above your head in both hands, angling the steel downward towards his chest ready to plunge.

Heat seers your lungs, sweat drips down from your temple to the corner of your jaw. Xiao looks straight into your eyes, mouth slightly open in surprise. He closes it quickly and sets his brow forward.

“Good. Now do that again. We aren’t done yet.”

Kazuha, Tutor of Poetry and Literature:

The smell of ink and old paper. The warmth of the late afternoon sun pouring through the windows. The sound of turning pages and writing quills. This was the essence of the Tutor of Poetry and Literature.

A few years ago, your parents made a trip to the mysterious land of Inazuma, newly opened after several decades. They came back with several trinkets and antiques, but surprisingly, enlisted the help of two tutors from the islands as well. A wandering samurai with a penchant for poetry and a detective well versed in knowledge of the law from all of Tevyat.

The calmness of your lessons with Kazuha were a reprieve from the business of music or the physical intensity of training. You always looked forward to these times through the week.

The start of your lessons would always start with a selection of poetry he hand picked himself. Quietly, you would read over the selections and took some notes on the form and meaning. When you were done, you would set your writing utensil down and he would look up from his current book. It was different each time, he never came in with the same one.

“Are you ready to begin, your highness?” He gives you a soft smile and rises from his chair to the board that was setup. Together, the two of you would go over each line, discussing possibilities and the history of each piece. Your voices the only two in the study.

After the lesson would end, you would ask a servant to prepare a pot of black tea, but no snacks or tea sandwiches. When it would arrive, Kazuha would retrieve a cloth wrapped sack from his bag, setting it on the table. He’d untie it, uncovering small delicacies from his homeland.

The two of you would share small conversation over the tea and snacks. You’d tell a story of something silly the maids did and he’d recount a few tales from Inazuma after you asking. You’d be entranced by him recounting a few battles and the picture he painted with his words of the deep purple scenery.

When he finished his story, he looked at you for a moment. Then leans over, hand reaching towards your face and brushing some crumbs away from the corner of your mouth. He ensures there are no more and begins to pull away, catching your eyes.

Needless to say, your cheeks fire up and your eyes search his face before looking away, brushing at your mouth to make sure that nothing is left over.

“A-ah, my apologies your highness! That was too forward of me!”

Heizou, Tutor of Law and Order:

Your lessons for learning the laws of Teyvat and it’s nations was different to say the least. First off, it wasn’t inside any classroom or in a court yard, but instead took place in a different place all the time.

Walking around the palace halls, strolling around the stables and gardens, even taking a trip to the nearest town. All of them with the head of the secret royal task force, Shikanoin Heizou, at your side.  As the two of you would walk around, he’d quiz you over some random fact he’d brought up two lessons ago. And if he never actually said it, he’d use is as a way to segue into the topic.

As he would listen to you recite whatever you knew on the topic, he’d be looking around the area. Often times, he’d point out two or more people and begin with, “You think they are doing this right? Wrong, they are actually-”, to which he would describe some illegal act. Like clockwork the very next day, he’d leave an envelope under your door with the latest news- the very people you saw yesterday arrested for the act he described.

You knew that he was head of the secret task force and that he always had some kind of intel, but just walking around and being able to point these people out was wild each and every time.

On one of your lesson days, you and Heizou are making rounds in a deeper part of town. The market place is bustling and people go to and fro running their errands.

“Make sure you stay close, your highness.” He spoke into your ear softly, his arm moving around you as he pulls you back and out of the way of a fast moving horse with a wagon. You lean into his chest to get as far away from the main road as possible.

Your cheeks turn red- and of course, he notices.

“Aha, don’t be so flustered by getting so close to me. We know each other pretty well after all these years right?”

He chuckles and looks at you, then his face turns serious, analyzing something behind you up the way. Again, he tugs you into the nearest ally among some crates and barrels. There is shouting coming from around the corner, people moving and huffing as a large group of people passes through.

Heizou presses you into the wall gently, blocking your side so if anyone looked down alley way, it would just seem as though he was standing there alone.

You whisper into his neck, flustered heart racing, blood pumping through your ears.

“Who is it, Heizou?”

“Fatui.” He hisses the word like an insult.

“I knew they were going to show, but didn’t figure this early. Something must of changed.” His brows harden in frustration, you knew that he was always on the money, so something happening that he did not expect was as surprising as it was worrying.

“Alright your highness, let’s just lay low here for now till they pass…”

[fallinglikemagic]

Penny Polendina alludes to Astro Boy - and how this allusion foreshadows Penny’s eventual resurrection

Some of you may remember my first post in which I compared Penny and Astro Boy, with a specific focus on the version of Astro from the 2009 3D animated film (if not, you can read it here, but I'll be repeating everything stated there anyway). In the month or two since I first made that post, more and more parallels have start to pop up, with one of those parallels matching one of our most popular theories and foreshadowing Penny's upcoming resurrection.

In order to write this, I went through and watched the entire film, taking notes as I went. I'm not going to include every single detail that I noticed, only the things that seem the most relevant and can be put together in a single post in a comprehensive manner. Believe me when I say that I've thought about this a lot, and the sheer amount of parallels and connections (and the fact that I'm not the only one to notice these connections) has lead me to believe that this has been done intentionally. 

With that being said, I'm only going to focus on the Astro Boy film from 2009 - the Astro Boy franchise is massive, going back to the first manga coming out in 1952 with a few different adaptations and reboots with different versions of the story, and I just don't have the time to go through all of those. As such, I'm going to be focusing on the movie, due to the fact that it has the highest amount of parallels to both Penny specifically, and RWBY as a whole.

So, let's get into this.

Worldbuilding

Metro City and the Surface - Atlas and Mantle

One of the reasons I've decided to focus on the film in particular is due to the nature of the film's setting. Astro Boy (2009) takes place in two locations - Metro City, and the Surface.

According to the opening of the film, Metro City was created when the people who would become the founders of the city noticed the world changing for the worse, and responded by taking part of the land and lifting it into the sky, creating a floating city - the opening voiceover refers to it as "an oasis, a floating paradise". Everybody else is left behind on what is referred to as the Surface, left to fend for themselves while the people of Metro City largely ignore their existence.

The parallels to Atlas and Mantle are crystal clear. Atlas and Metro City are both set up as a beautiful city above the clouds, meant to serve as an inspiration for the rest of the world. In reality, it's a place where the rich and privileged can live in comfort while shunning the poor. Meanwhile, down in Mantle/on the Surface, people are suffering and struggling to get by. Additionally, both 'surface' and 'mantle' are words that are associated with the ground.

The Blue Core (and the Red Core) - Penny's soul and Maiden powers.

Another concept that is (as far as my research shows at least) unique to the film is the Blue Core and the Red Core.

The Blue Core is a small sphere that is filled with pure positive energy, referred to as Blue Core Energy. It was created by Dr. Elefun, made from the fragments of a star that no longer exists - meaning that the Blue Core is all that's left, and cannot be recreated. This is reminiscent of how Pietro has no more aura left to spare, and thus is unable to give any more of his soul to Penny like he did the first time she died. In this allusion, the Blue Core is representative of Penny's soul and the power of the Winter Maiden.

When the Blue Core was created, there was also a byproduct - the Red Core. Essentially, it's the same thing as the Blue Core, but with negative energy instead of positive. If the Blue Core and the Red Core make contact, they both die - this is relevant later.

You could compare the Red Core to Watts’ virus, due to the way that it causes a robot to have red eyes and that it coming into contact with the Blue Core destroys them both.

Character Parallels

Before I get into this properly, I wanna give a quick side note. While Astro matches up to Penny perfectly, things get a little bit messier with the others in that we have a case of characters taking on multiple roles. However, this is far from unheard of in RWBY - let's not forget about how Blake represents both Belle and the Beast, Yang is sometimes the Beast to Blake's Belle, and Adam is an amalgamation of every antagonistic force in Beauty and the Beast. It's far from uncommon for a character to allude to multiple characters from the same allusion, or vice versa, which is what we see with some of the characters in this allusion as well.

Astro - Penny Polendina

Unsurprisingly, Astro himself is our parallel to Penny.

After the death of his son Toby, Dr. Tenma rebuilds his son as a robot, using the Blue Core as his energy source. The Blue Core is stated to be unpredictable, and it's this that makes Astro who he is, what makes him unique from every other robot. As stated earlier, the Blue Core represents Penny's soul (and the Winter Maiden powers that are attached to it). When the Blue Core dies - and Astro dies with it - and Dr. Elefun is asked if he can be rebuilt, the answer is 'no' because the Core was unique and can't be remade - just like Penny's soul.

While Astro appears perfectly human on the surface, he's fitted with as much self-defence technology as Tenma could fit in him. The most iconic of these upgrades (and the only one that's consistent across every single version of Astro throughout the franchise) is the rocket boots. He even flies in a very similar way to Penny - pay attention to the posing, especially with the legs.

When Astro starts making friends with humans on the Surface, he conceals the fact that he's a robot, afraid of what they'll think of him when they learn he's not human. This matches up to Penny initially hiding the fact that she's not human, seeing herself as 'not a real girl'.

Astro has two father figures - Dr. Elefun and Dr. Tenma. Similarly, Penny has two father figures - Pietro and Ironwood.

During the climax of the film, Metro City starts to fall out of the sky and back down to the Surface. This is a parallel to two seperate moments in RWBY. The most obvious one is when Atlas is falling onto Mantle after the Staff of Creation is used. However, I think this scene more closely resembles the scene from Amity in which Amity Tower begins to fall.

When Astro sees that Metro City is falling, he immediately flies in to hold it up, despite the incredible strain it puts on him. This is a direct parallel to how Penny flew in to hold up Amity Tower.

Astro pushes himself to the limit when he holds up Metro City, to the point where the flames from his boots burn so brightly that they turn blue - oh hey, doesn't that look familiar?

Astro also demonstrates self-sacrificial tendencies at a few points in the film. When he's captured in order to have his Blue Core taken out and placed into another robot, he simply accepts it, saying that "I think maybe this is what's supposed to happen...this is my destiny". This becomes a lot more interesting when you remember that the Blue Core is representative of Penny's soul and Maiden powers. Astro giving himself up to President Stone (the film's main antagonist who later ends up in a sort of 'fusion' with the Red Core) so that Stone can use the Blue Core could be a reference to the virus making Penny want to give herself up to Ironwood so that he can use her soul to open the vault - especially if we believe that the Red Core is connected to the virus in some way.

Near the end of the film, in the fight against the fusion of President Stone and a giant robot containing the Red Core (it's a long story, I'll get to it later in the post), Astro makes the decision to sacrifice his own life in order to destroy both the Red Core and the Blue Core, saying “this is what I was created for” and saving the lives of everybody else in the process. I doubt I need to explain how "choosing to die in order to protect other people" relates back to Penny in Volume 8.

At the end of the film, and in the rest of the Astro Boy franchise as a whole, Astro takes it upon himself to be the protector of Metro City (and technically the Surface, but since Metro City has fallen, they're not exactly seperate locations anymore...). 'Robotic guardian of a city who's seen as a hero by the people' - you don't get much more obvious of a connection to the Protector of Mantle than that.

Additional details that may not be intentional but I still noticed anyway;

- Dr. Elefun describes as Astro by saying "That robot had more humanity than most of us". At this point, there's been many moments that affirm Penny's humanity - "You have an aura, Penny. A soul. That's who you are - our friend. Not a machine", "Her soul is who she is", the fact that she was able to receive the Maiden powers, all of these moments affirm that Penny has always been just as human as anybody else. This is also contrasted against Ironwood (and, for a while, Winter), who act more machine than human.

- Astro is actually rather heavily trans-coded. Penny is also trans-coded, but this is mostly likely a coincidence that happened as a result of the inherent transness of robots

- Elefun tells Astro that he's "not actually an entirely ordinary boy", which is reminiscent of Ruby describing Penny as "she's...not your typical girl."

- The shape of Penny's bow (the way that it sticks out more on one side while the other side is more vertical) looks similar to the shape of Astro's hair (this one was pointed out to me by @cosmokyrin​ when I mentioned this theory in the Frosen Steel server)

Dr. Elefun - Pietro Polendina

Dr. Elefun is one of Metro City's top scientists, and one of Astro's father figures. He is soft-spoken and gentle, a dreamer but a genius. In terms of personality alone, he's a pretty good match with Pietro. He's also the one who created the Blue Core, which draws a direct parallel to Pietro creating Penny's soul from part of his.

Dr. Elefun is the first person to truly see Astro as who he truly is. Dr. Tenma expects Astro to be a replacement for Toby, and is disappointed when he isn't. Similarly, everybody else sees Astro as a robot just like any other at first - an advanced robot, but nothing more than a robot. But Dr. Elefun gives him genuine praise, and encourages Astro to live his life and find his place in the world, just like how Pietro tells Penny that he wants to see her live her life.

It's also worth noting that in most other versions of Astro Boy, Elefun takes the role of Astro's primary caregiver after Dr. Tenma no longer wants him.

President Stone - James Ironwood

President Stone is the current political leader of Metro City. For the entire film, his entire focus is on combat and military strength, and on multiple occasions he actively expresses his intention to start a war with the Surface. He believes that the best way to get re-elected is with a show of military force and violence.

His primary goal throughout the film is to have Astro destroyed in order to retrieve the Blue Core and use it for his own gain. This is a direct parallel to Ironwood's goal in Volume 8 - to hunt down Penny and have her use her Maiden power to open the vault, and destroy herself.

Stone wants to use the Blue Core in order to power a specialised combat robot, ironically called the Peacekeeper. When Astro continues to escape his clutches, he decides to use the Red Core to power the Peacekeeper instead, but it doesn't completely go as planned. The Peacekeeper is equipped with what the film calls 'adaptive technology' - it's capable of absorbing anything it makes contact with into its own body.

And I do mean anything

After Stone is absorbed by the Peacekeeper, he's in full control of it - essentially the Peacekeeper is nothing more than a metal outer shell. President Stone has become a fusion of man and machine.

Dr. Tenma - both Pietro Polendina AND James Ironwood (a bit more Pietro than Ironwood but it's worth acknowledging both)

You might notice that while Elefun and Stone do have plenty of references to Pietro and Ironwood respectively, there are gaps where they don't cover every aspect of these characters and/or their dynamic with Penny. This is where Dr. Tenma comes in.

Dr. Tenma is Astro's dad, and the one who built him. He originally created Astro as a sort of 'replacement' for his biological son Toby after he died, giving Astro all of Toby's memories (more on this later). Naturally, this is a very clear connection to Pietro.

Additionally, Dr. Tenma uses the Blue Core - a completely unique, one-of-a-kind technological marvel - in order to power a single small robot that's intended to be nothing more than a replacement for his son, saying "I can't lose him again!". In this moment, Dr. Tenma is so focused on not losing his child that he doesn't acknowledge the big picture.

However, once Dr. Tenma realises that Astro isn't a perfect replica of Toby, but rather his own person, Tenma discards him, not caring if Astro gets destroyed or not. Similarly, when Penny stopped doing what Ironwood wanted her to do, Ironwood stopped caring about her as anything more than a container for the Maiden powers and is perfectly willing to let her die once the vault is opened.

Luckily, Dr. Tenma does have a change of heart, deciding that while Astro isn't Toby, he's still his son. Near the end of the film, Astro is very injured, and Dr. Tenma encourages him to get far away from the danger. However, Astro refuses to back down, instead choosing to sacrifice his life in order to stop President Stone, despite Dr. Tenma begging him not to go. Here, we have yet another parallel to this moment in Amity.

Bonus (aka characters that aren't perfect allusions, but connections do exist)

When Astro ends up on the Surface, he's taken in by a man who calls himself Hamegg. Hamegg ends up being a jerk, and while his personality and actions in the film don't particularly match up with any characters in RWBY, his backstory is a perfect match to Watts - a head scientist in Metro City who was shunned and fired for reasons unknown (Hamegg claims that they were 'intimated by his ideas and talent', but this was when he was trying to impress Astro and he lies a lot anyway, so this could be a complete lie).

On the Surface, Astro befriends four human kids (Cora, Zane, Sludge and Widget) and their robotic dog, Trashcan. While the personalities don't really match up (though Cora, Astro's closest friend, does bear a visual resemblance to Ruby), the idea of a 4-person group + a dog could be a parallel to Team RWBY and Zwei.

Zog is a very old, very large robot that had been 'dead' for several years until Astro found him and revived him by giving him some of his Blue Core Energy. Zog is our allusion to Winter - Astro giving Zog some of his Blue Core energy is a parallel to Penny giving Winter the Maiden powers. Additionally, in The Final Word, Winter explicitly calls herself a machine. While this does have significance on it's own, it could also be a nod to this allusion. That being said, the main connection between Winter and Zog (and possibly the most important part of this post) is based on events that have yet to happen in RWBY canon, and so I'm saving that part for the end of the post.

Story Parallels 

Toby's Death

Toby Tenma, Dr. Tenma's biological son, was very similar to Astro in terms of personality (with some key differences), as well as having a strong physical resemblance.

When the Blue Core and the Red Core were first being shown off to President Stone, Toby was accidentally locked behind a sealed off barrier, trapped with the Peacekeeper containing the Red Core. Toby was killed in a blast that completely disintegrated him, leaving nothing but a hat containing a single strand of hair.

This hair is important, because Dr. Tenma used this hair in order to extract Toby's DNA and memories, which he was then able to implant into Astro in order to make him resemble Toby.

This scene is most likely a parallel to Penny's first death in the Vytal Festival. In her first death, Penny's body was destroyed, but her core remained intact. Her core, which contained all of her memories, was the key piece in properly putting her back together without erasing who she used to be. The strand of hair containing Toby's DNA is representative of Penny's core containing her memories.

Additionally, there's the fact that when Toby was rebuilt as Astro, he was given various upgrades to allow him to better hold his own in a fight, with the most obvious behind the ability to fly via rocket boots. Penny received similar upgrades when she was rebuilt as well.

It's worth acknowledging that Toby's death could potentially parallel the moment that Ambrosius separated Penny from her robotic body, with the strand of hair instead being her soul, separated from her dying body and then disintegrating. However, due to the timeline and order of events, I think that Toby's death is more likely to be a parallel to Penny's first death, and her separation from her robot body is instead a parallel to the next scene I'm about to mention.

Momentary Death

When Astro is captured by President Stone and taken back to Metro City, Dr. Tenma actually does remove the Blue Core from his body, which does cause Astro to temporarily die.

Luckily, it only takes a few moments for Dr. Tenma to change his mind and return the Blue Core to Astro, reviving him.

Astro's 'soul' was removed from his body, causing that robotic body to die, even though in the end Astro does survive it. This is reminiscent of Ambrosius removing Penny's soul from her robotic body, letting that body die, while Penny survives.

Zog

I briefly went over Zog earlier, but I wanna go into more in-depth about him, because the parallels between Winter and Zog and the implications of said parallels are the main reason I ultimately decided to make this post.

As I said earlier, Zog is a very old, broken down robot that nobody has been able to revive in years. When Astro finds him, he brings him back to life by giving him some of his Blue Core Energy. Astro essentially gives Zog some of his lifeforce, a part of his soul.

Winter was on the verge of death at Ironwood's hands, but Penny was able to save her by giving her the Maiden powers, and her soul with them.

However, Zog doesn't keep all of the Blue Core Energy Astro gave him all to himself...

Resurrection

As I've mentioned a few times in this post, Astro does die - and I mean properly die, not a death that lasted 2 minutes at the most and had no consequences. Astro sacrifices himself and his Blue Core dies, all in attempts to protect the people of Metro City/the Surface and his friends. Dr. Elefun says that he can't be rebuilt because his Blue Core, his soul, was unique.

But then, Zog comes around. Zog, who is holding onto what is a part of Astro's soul - the only surviving part of Astro's soul. Zog returns some of the Blue Core Energy to Astro, which brings Astro back to life.

So, to recap: Astro gives a part of his lifeforce, part of his soul, to Zog. When Astro dies, Zog gives some of that soul back to Astro in order to revive him.

If you've been looking at the theories regarding Penny and Winter recently, this will sound VERY familiar. While the specifics vary, the essentials of the most popular theory is that Penny transferred her soul to Winter to hold on to along with the Maiden powers, and that somehow, Winter will return that soul to Penny in one way or another (either by putting her into another robotic body, or just somehow extracting her soul and letting it form it's own body again). The fact that this movie has these exact events occurring makes this seem more and more like the most likely route.

If Penny really is an intentional allusion to Astro Boy - which, based on the sheer length of this post, seems pretty damn likely - then the film practically spells it out for us. Winter will give part of her aura, the part that Penny gave her, in order to bring Penny back to life.

thank you for coming to my ted talk

[zodiactalks]

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT LEO ZODIAC SIGN

Strong-willed, determined, charming, and ruthless. Like the lion that embodies them, Leos love to lead and garner attention, and they're awfully good at that.

Their determination and love for the limelight are well-documented traits, but it's worth taking our time to learn more about this ferocious sign.

#1. Leos Go Big or Go Home

Leos don't half-ass anything if they can help it, particularly when it comes to things they care about.

When Leo wants to do something, they'll do it all the way. They commit to it wholeheartedly, and they make herculean efforts to ensure everything turns out just like they want it.

#2. They're natural-born protectors

Were you expecting 'leaders' instead?

While it's true Leos make fantastic leaders, their drive to lead comes in no small part from their desire to protect.

Leos know themselves strong and resilient, so they won't hesitate to put themselves between their loved ones and danger.

#3. They keep it real.

Maybe it's their self-assuredness, perhaps it's their lack of tolerance for fools, but Leos are as direct as they come, not mincing words if they can help it.

Leos express themselves as straightforwardly as possible, a trait that can make them come off as intimidating, but many appreciate thanks to their honesty.

#4. They love the sound of their own voice.

Leos love talking, that's just a fact of life.

Though they might not come off as chatterboxes, they're perfectly capable of talking about themselves for long periods.

If we're honest, Leos love having conversations, but if the person they're talking to doesn't have anything interesting to contribute, then it's not Leo's fault if they'd rather talk about themselves to fill in the silence, right?

#5. They care about being seen, not being liked.

Leos thrive under other people's attention, regardless of how positive or negative it is.

Leos love to lead, love setting an example, love having everyone's eyes on them, but they don't care one bit if they're liked since they're well-aware of their worth.

#6. Their enthusiasm is infectious.

Leos sure know how to make the most out of any situation, and they do so with the kind of enthusiasm that inspires others.

It's one of the reasons they make such good leaders. They aren't just domineering, but they inspire people to follow them with their optimism and charm.

#7. They're misunderstood.

Leos aren't actually obsessed with themselves; they're just well-aware of their worth.

They know their skills, talents, achievements, and everything they bring to the table, so they want to make sure others know about those things.

#8. They worry a lot.

Though they're not open about it, Leos worry a lot about those they love, their jobs, their goals, and more.

Not only that, but they do it all the time.

Leos are huge worrywarts, but they're very good at hiding it from others.

#9. They're horrible at pretending to like others.

Seriously, they're the worst.

Leos are honest and direct, so pretending to like someone they hate is something they just can't do.

At most, they'll act like they tolerate the person in question, and that's already a stretch.

#10. They're wonderful at reading people.

To Leos, other people are like open books, and while they may not be open about it, they're constantly analyzing other people's actions to determine if they can trust them.

Even when Leo has decided to trust you, chances are they'll be keeping track of your every move, though this time they'll do it too ensure you're happy and well.

#11. They don't follow fashion; they make fashion.

Leos are fashionable by nature, but they don't tend to follow fashion trends.

Instead, they create trends by pulling off their individual fashion-styles so well that others can't help but want to imitate them.

In a way, Leo's fashion-sense is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

#12. Leos are huge flirts.

It's true! They are!

Though they're the very definition of loyalty, and they wouldn't even think of betraying their loved ones, they still enjoy the act of flirting, even if it's with perfect strangers.

They usually don't mean anything by it. Leos like it when people appreciate them, and flirting is just another form of appreciation.

#13. They're fueled by spite.

Nothing motivates Leo as much as doing the impossible.

People doubting their skills or outright telling them they can't achieve something is a sure way of getting Leo to do that, no matter how hard or challenging.

Leos know precisely what they're capable of, and they won't rest until the rest of the world knows it as well.

#14. Reverse psychology doesn't work on them.

Either they'll take you at face value or realize you're playing mind games and will want nothing to do with you.

Remember, Leos are straightforward and honest, so they value when other people are too; If you want a Leo to do something, just tell them.

#15. They're unbelievably sarcastic.

Leos are so sarcastic that they sometimes don't even know if they're being honest or joking.

This can make them come off as aggressive or insensitive, but more often than not, they're just trying to diffuse a tense situation.

#16. They have energy to spare.

Unlike the lion, who prefers to conserve its energy by lazing around all day long, Leos are always on the move.

No one knows where they get their energy from nor how they manage to get so much done in a single day, but it sure is amazing!

#17. They need strong people in their life.

Those weak of heart need not apply.

Leos have a strong personality, and they need someone just as strong by their side.

Friends, family, romantic partners. It doesn't matter; they all need to be strong to keep up with this powerful sign.

#18. They have no time for grudges.

Leos see absolutely no point in spending any time wishing people ill or holding on to negative emotions. Things in their lives are either productive or gone.

Keep in mind, though, that although they don't hold grudges, they don't forget easily.

#19. They love the good life.

Leos love pampering and treating themselves with good food, expensive clothes, gorgeous jewelry, and more.

They work hard to achieve what they want, and they're always willing to go the extra mile to achieve their goals.

They deserve it the opportunity to relax, and they know it.

[flickeringart]

Cancer Sun and Moon Combinations

Planets represent different energetic principals in the life of an individual – the signs show how these energies express themselves.

Having an inner planet (or luminary) in the sign of Cancer gives the personality a softness, a caring quality. No matter what other placements the person has, the sensitivity and protectiveness is going to come through.

To simplify;

The Sun represents individuation, ideal self-expression and conscious self-actualization.

The Moon represents instinct, emotional nature and needs.

Cancer Sun – Capricorn Moon

The Cancer identity is sensitive to emotional stimuli and copes by retreating physically or emotionally into a ”shell” of safety in between necessary excursions out into the world. With a Capricorn Moon, there’s a need to compensate for innate lack or guilt of not being good enough through fierce ambition. The emotional resiliency and capacity to keep working through rough times is not how the personality expresses itself – it is careful and too touchy to take on the expression of unwavering competence. Cancer Suns are very human in that there are obvious fears and worries in their lives, but paired up with a Cap Moon, this emotionality gets modified slightly by a strategic and stoic temperament that is perfectly suited to face limitation and restriction. These signs are in opposition and complementary at the same time – The Cancer identity accommodates for weakness and worry, the Capricorn temperament is determined and practical – there’s little room for ”irrational” emotion. The person could be a very good preserver and protector of stability, a rock through thick and thin. Letting loose might not come naturally, because there’s too much emphasis on the consequences and the longevity of things. However, it might pay off to withhold temporary pleasure for a sense of security and trust in one’s ability to survive throughout time. Defensiveness and emotional coldness could be potential negative factors – people might have a hard time making sense of a person that is both moody and fuzzy as well as unaffected, controlled and inhibited. The emotionality would come off as more of a personality expression than genuine feeling that stems from one’s core. This double sided individual could put people off, and even more so as they get to know the person’s serious and somber temperament more intimately. The split is difficult to deal with for the person, and for people in their vicinity. None the less, there’s realness to this person, and that’s likely to be appreciated - no glamour or extravagance or godliness to inflate ordinary human existence with.

Cancer Sun – Aries Moon

A feisty temperament that wants to assert it’s own emotions and impose it’s perspective on the environment doesn’t always work in harmony with a sensitive and careful Cancer personality. Emotions rise to the surface with the speed of lightening, coming out before any inhibitory function has begun to set in. This might make the overall identity uneasy, uncertain of the ability to control impulses that might cause trouble. Cancer’s agenda is to avoid emotional harm and discomfort, it’s instinct is to preserve and protect. The Aries Moon is just out to walk it’s own path with courage and is not prone to feel lingering, debilitating emotion. Emotions peak, but they are symbols of one’s potency and power, of oneself as an individual. This combo creates a person who is full of energy but is likely concerned about how to handle the amount of force that wants out. The personality navigates to find comfort and soothing, not to compete or be the best. The two signs are conflicting, but from a positive perspective, there might be a great ability to advocate for gentleness and humility with passion. However, it can backfire and make the person react violently to the tiniest stimuli, making it difficult to socialize and not take offense from the things people say. The Aries temperament is enthusiastic and passionate, while the Cancer personality prefers to handle things indirectly without living and breathing their life’s mission. This presents a problem and the person might switch between being extremely invested in something to downplaying their involvement. Underneath the timid personality lies a fiery instinct that is quick to anger and frustration. It can be constructively used to assert boundaries and provide the Cancer personality with a bit a directness that it originally lacks. The Cancer identity can serve to direct the strong impulses of the Aries Moon as to stand up for things they care about and think are important. Compassion that is so important to Cancer can be disregarded in favor of the Aries Moon need to confront and assert. In the best of worlds, these can be integrated and lived as to add to one another.

Cancer Sun – Libra Moon

The Libra Moon temperament is designed to modify and balance out anything that is not socially appropriate. It operates from the standpoint of actualizing an ideal. Emotions are primarily dependent upon the fulfillment or unfulfillment of this ideal – if something is off, there’s dissatisfaction, if something is on point, there’s satisfaction. Within the context of a Cancer personality this temperament poses a bit of a conflict. Cancer relates to the feeling nature, the fluctuation of moods while Libra likes to keep things balanced and polished at all times. The person would inevitably feel as if it’s impossible to have an emotionally shifting personality with ups and downs and still satisfy the need for harmony. Seeking to have interdependent, emotional, intellectual and spiritually balanced relationship contradicts the Cancerian priority of being cared for and care for others through the overwhelming harshness of life. The personality is protective and the instinct is idealistic. The cyclical changes and phases are part of the person’s identity, while the emotional nature has the tendency to look to the thought scape for constant perfection. If it’s possible to find a creative solution to these conflicting energies, it would look something like working towards cultivating an ideal of beauty that involves inconstancy, to live out romance through mutual care and emotional intimacy, to seek to preserve a positive social image, to not seek to judge and label but allow for honest expression without too much censoring. This person has the potential to be very romantic and indulgent of the sweet and tender in life. It would be wise to watch out for laziness and avoidance of challenges, certain things require head-on confrontation and this is not the person’s strong suit. This combo screams indirectness, which is not to say that the person is passive, but the person would always attempt to flow around obstacles instead of attacking them honestly and directly.

Cancer Sun – Cancer Moon

The double combo reflect an immensely caring person – not only as a personality expression that stems from identification, but on a deeper, instinctual level as well. The ability to be in touch with the changes in the emotional atmosphere is superb which makes this person extremely attentive to other people’s needs. On the downside, it also makes them super sensitive, defensive and protective of their own needs. Cancer is not the one to glorify excessive independence, especially not a Cancer Moon. The person would absolutely need a support network and be a valued member among their associates. The person would probably not play out the role of the archetypal victim, but they could allow themselves to lean on trust-worthy people and provide support in return. Emotions are a natural part of life – especially for a person with this setup. They would be dead set on providing comfort for themselves and doing the same for others. If the situation requires, they might prioritize others needs as a way of manipulating them to extend services to them later on. Cancerians always appear very innocent - sometimes even fragile as to compel other people to treat them nicely. A face that reflects the capacity to be hurt can sometimes work as a defense against attack. This kind of person requires emotional intimacy and reacts strongly to attempts to create separation and distance. A glance, a tone of voice, a gesture or any other subtle indicator that one has lost emotional communion with another might cause a rage to be stirred. This is true of Cancer Suns, but especially of Cancer Moons as the Moon is the raw, instinctual nature. Clinginess and inability to accept rejection would not be unlikely. Dwelling in emotions and being unable to get out of the excruciating feeling of loneliness could sink the person quite badly. Detrimental coping mechanisms might be employed, from food, sleep, video games, exercise or anything else – chances are that they start off as comforting routines and end up consuming the person’s life. The person would not set out to overcome anything, but rather, get away from things. At the core, Cancer is protective and not provocative. There’s no aggressive imposing, but rather a powerful defensiveness in the face of threats.

Cancer Sun – Taurus Moon

The earthy Taurus Moon gives a sense of stability and grounding to the emotional personality. The instinctual nature of a Taurus Moon is in need of comfort and stability – but more as a sensual pleasure as opposed to emotional cocooning. The need to feel valuable and able to provide the things one wants to experience is strong with this temperament. Preferences and taste is important, as is control over one’s physical situation. The Cancer personality facilitates this through creating emotional connections with people, through defending and preserving personal possessions and resources. This is combo points to a person a great emotional sensitivity to physical threat. The person would have a hard time coping with changes imposed on them. Change implies uncertainty, which makes the Cancerian personality stressed and worried while the Taurean foundation for calmness is uprooted. It takes a while for a fixed earthy temperament to adjust to new situations, the person might be quietly frustrated and shed a tear or two while slowly but surely transitioning into a new normal. There’s serious attachment to people and things with these placements. The safety is in the routines with a Taurus Moon and in knowing what to expect. The Cancer personality will indirectly and subtly make sure to satisfy this need by tying close bonds to people and places. Buying people gifts, making other people food, welcoming people into their home and securing a safe base on a physical and emotional level is what the person’s life is centered around. There’s no risk taking in the person’s life, there are way too much attachments present to prioritize freedom at any cost. Even if the person is emotional and indirect, they would stand in the way of threat and protect their safety, - not their individuality however. The Cancer personality would defend through using their leverage on the emotional level, subtly coercing people to get their way. There’s little to no room for escaping up into the clouds with this combo, the person lives squarely in the reality of the physical and emotional, which can make it difficult to take a broader, more expansive perspective on life.

Cancer Sun – Leo Moon

Emotions starts to glitter and glimmer with this combo. The Leo temperament is radiant, craves attention and glamour. The person feels themselves to be important somehow, a child of the gods or the divine. This person has the capacity to own everything they go through, like a star in a movie they are enhanced through their experiences even if they’re difficult and sad. Paired with the sentimentality and emotional clinginess of Cancer, the person lives proudly in their constant moodiness, creating art out of everything. The Leo temperament gives the Cancer emotionality a rightful place in the spotlight. This can be done with a small circle of friends or on a larger scale. The fire Moon provides an inner source of light that can be drawn upon in the most depressing times, but it can also serve to inflate the ego, to dominate the atmosphere with suffocating stickiness. There’s great capacity to love and honor people, to be drawn to people in need of care and attention. However, Leo Moon is proud and would never diminish their own light for someone else. Cancer Sun, might not care about standing out which could present a problem. Insecurity and shyness could dominate and cause the more extroverted needs to take a back seat. It would be worth exploring ways of combining the two energies – to allow creativity to flow without having to be in full view all the time. Safety and comfort would be important, but the person would not want things to turn mundane and boring. There would have to be a sense of magnificence and specialness in daily life for these people – and it’s not difficult for them to create. The way they carry themselves, dress and behave says it all. Drawing inspiration and comfort from the past could be a thing since Cancer Sun tend to be very sentimental. The bitter sweet moments are like food to the soul. The person would be prone to fantasize about things that could’ve been, past connections and abandoned dreams. The feeling of being undeservingly robbed of their grandeur could break their heart – and the Cancer personality would dwell in the emotions of it, potentially try to calm themselves down with food or love or any other mildly addictive substance.

(Buy products with my art)

Cancer Sun – Aquarius Moon

The Aquarius instinctual nature is intellectual and emotionally detached while the Cancer identity is emotionally fluctuating. This combo presents a conflict because it combines rationality and objectivity with the desire to protect and preserve what’s safe and familiar. Both signs contribute to create a reserved person with a lot going on inside. On an instinctual level, there’s a need to do things their own way, to think for themselves and believe that they’re right in thinking what they’re thinking. There’s strong attachments to being smart and reasonable, but the Cancer emotionality could skew one’s objectivity and confuse the need for comfort with correctness. Other people might be hesitant to trust the Aquarian vision when they see it in the same person who changes their opinions based on their moods and is desperately clingy at times. The person might deny any tendency to be emotional and crave distance while secretly yearning for closeness. The Aquarius temperament appears to be beyond human nature – coldly dealing with emotionally loaded topics like a surgeon using metal instruments to operate on a body. All the while the Cancer identity is emotionally unstable and need reassurance and mothering. Ideally, the person would find someone with whom they can bond over shared interests and causes while being emotionally contained. It might be that the person find is ok to show weakness and concern in relation to a concept rather than a personal experience. For example, the person might get emotional about the concept of friendships dying rather than the actual personal experience of loosing a  friend. Generalization is the greatest tool in the tool box for these people. On another note, they would get a thrill out of novelty – anything unpredictable or mentally exciting would make them feel emotionally satisfied. However, unless the timing is right it might just make them upset, for Cancers it’s all about the timing. Originality is usually associated with an Aquarian temperament and the person would prefer to exist out of the norm. The person would probably have great compassion and fondness for the little quirks in others.

Cancer Sun – Scorpio Moon

This combo is indicative of a person that lives in the emotional realm. They live through the intangible, the subtle shifts and movements of the tides in the atmosphere. However, on an instinctual level there’s the compulsive need to be in control. Whereas Cancer Moon would more easily display weakness and lean on others, the Scorpio Moon would seem more detached and composed at the core, unwilling to share their inner lives. This individual could seek to gain power through portioning themselves off from the emotional happenings – while being caring and emotionally reflective on a more general level. The primary need is to be able to make an impact but remain unaffected oneself. Defenses could be quite strong and rigid with this combo. Not many people would be trusted and not many would manage to figure them out even if they tried. The person is equipped with an eye for detecting dishonesty and manipulative tactics, as well as using them to secure their own needs. While the person is dependent and whiny and in need of reassuring, they instinctively prefer solitude before unpleasant company. The needy nature of Cancer is counteracted a bit by the desire to remain in power and not lay all the cards on the table for everyone to see. With people they trust, however, there’s great love and support of emotional needs. There’s the potential to have an intensely intimate connection with this kind of person. Not everyone is capable of seeing through all the barriers of the personality structure and get down to the bottom of existence, but this person would. The deepness of the Scorpio Moon would be nicely complemented by the Cancer’s proclivity for softness and compassion. ”It’s safe to be vulnerable” is the goal of the Cancer personality, ”it’s ok to be gentle”. The Scorpio temperament would make it possible for self-containment and resilience rather than complete dependence. But, the paranoia of being screwed or out-maneuvered could become excessive and the fear of getting hurt could make the person walled-off. There’s a sharpness to this Cancer personality that is capable of direct attack if needed. In the midst of general moodiness there could be a sharp remark or stinging glance that is directed on purpose.

Cancer Sun – Virgo Moon

A very sweet, caring and practically oriented individual is indicated by this combo. The Virgo temperament is analytical and detail oriented– it needs to process things until it makes sense. Since Cancer Suns are all about preserving and protecting what they’re emotionally attached to, the Virgo Moon would facilitate this through organizing and structuring life in order to make it possible. If the person feels neglected or mistreated by the people in their life, the Virgo instinct might be to add to this by finding little annoyances and faults in their concrete behavior. Some little thing taken out of context could be very upsetting. Not bothering to give them a hug or not looking them in the eye could be be a big deal even though it might mean nothing to certain people. The little everyday things have a lot of impact on these people – it can either make or break their day. This individual would feel seen through acts of service – it would melt their heart to know that someone notices their preferences and attempts to accommodate for them. There could be a tendency to get lost in over-thinking and worry. The person’s might not be able to relax because they must get everything right to a T – their emotional well-being depends on it. This would not only make them exhausted but other people around them would suffer as well. Yet, they can’t help it, because the details matters. The person would be adept at sensing what others need and seek to provide it in material form. There might be discomfort around confronting emotions directly and a tendency to deal with them in practical terms. ”I can’t cry right now because it would be inconvenient” is their stance. There’s a time for everything in Virgo Moon’s book, and spontaneous self-expression is too risky. It’s the details that are important, not the big picture. If they can’t get a grip on things on a micro-scale these people are prone to freak out and distrust that things are going to work out. Reassurance and protection from stress is what these people need, yet their nature kind of works against them on that point.

Cancer Sun – Sagittarius Moon

The emotional Cancer personality is complemented by a scattered and restless spirit. Life is exciting and full of potential, yet one worries and whines over minor discomforts. It’s difficult to be adventurous and careful at the same time – there’s no room for taking risks in the name of freedom, yet this is what this person would do, impulsively. Chances are that efter the mess is caused, there’s deep regret and insecurity – the person didn’t really want to say that thing or do that thing. When reality catches up, the person doesn’t want to deal with it and seeks to hide at a safe distance. The person is bold at times but overall surprisingly needy and clingy. Instinctually, the person is casual and arrogant, but the personality is quite humble and meak. When acting consciously, there’s great care and respect for others and themselves, but when on auto-pilot anything could come out of the person’s mouth and destroy the intimacy that the person craves. If there’s not enough awareness around this tendency, other people could feel deceived and gaslighted. Carefully planned trips in the company of people that can be trusted is what this person craves. They would need some padding and cushioning from the harsh outside world while still being able to explore it. Cancer’s need to retreat into a private world could suit the Sagittarian temperament well if it involved some kind of exploration of interests. Home life is always likely to be important for a Cancer Sun, however, it might be difficult for the Sagittarius Moon to take on the responsibility required to create a safe and caring environment. Sagittarius likes to speak the truth and does so without consideration of the cosequences. The intactness of the family unit might suffer because emotional boundaries are not respected and there’s no effort extended to create intimacy. The Cancerian need to secure permanent relationships can be difficult to fulfill, as the person’s instinct is to be inconsiderate and impatient. There’s the potential for great understanding and sympathy, but it’s on a more abstract level than what is usually required to sustain close personal relations. Adjustment is needed in order to not lose what one values and still satisfy one’s free spirit.

Cancer Sun – Gemini Moon

This combo screams scatteredness and moodiness. While the personality navigates the emotional realm, the instinctual nature is cerebral and intellectual. There’s a capacity to detach and play different roles but there’s also the conscious desire of wanting to create lasting relationships, be supported and offer support to others. The innocent dishonesty that comes with a Gemini temperament could sabotage the deep loyalty that the Cancer Sun is cultivating. The need to spice things up, to play with people and pull little tricks is irresistible. Usually they’re smart and playful enough to get away with it. This type of Cancer Sun combo has the potential to be very fun. Amidst the caring and gentle personality there’s a mischievous streak. The person is likely to be talkative and constantly active mentally. This person might love to satisfy the Cancerian need to escape by reading or watching interesting documentaries. Anything that stimulates the mind and is nuanced enough to be exciting would be satisfying. Relationships could work quite well, given the Cancer Sun intuition and attentiveness to emotion in combo with the Gemini Moon craving for interaction and communication. However, anything that stagnates will bore the Gemini temperament and there’s little patience for this experience. If there’s no movement, the person might attempt to set things in motion. The person is likely very resourceful and clever at coming up with creative solutions. On the downside, the capacity to manipulate and lie is quite advanced. On a deeper level, these people have no sincere feelings and can easily be immoral and cruel. On a general level, these people might be very caring, but subconsciously they have a hard time feeling remorse. What happens in the intellectual realm is not necessarily real, thought is potential and these people might fail to recognize that if thought is put into practice, it sometimes has serious consequences. On an up note, the emotional tides that Cancers can get stuck in is easier to see oneself out of with a Gemini Moon.

Cancer Sun – Pisces Moon

This is the kind of person that can see into your soul. There’s great sensitivity to this combo and a deepness that is immeasurable in comparison to the other Moon placements. There’s a lot of mood swings and one might want to crawl back to a state of pre-birth and pre-existence in order to find comfort. It’s difficult for this person to deal with the harshness of the world. One wants to protect and defend goodness and innocence at all costs. There’s the risk of falling prey to all consuming experiences and be overwhelmed on a daily basis. The person would need a soft environment that is designed to heal and sooth and might be surprisingly vicious in this pursuit. Insensitivity is a crime to this person, but at the same time there’s the understanding that every attack is a cry for love. Cancer Suns are not quick to forgive but a Pisces Moon might not have the stomach to hold grudges for long. It hurts them to not feel at one with other people and the world – and grudges is a sign of separation. The solution might be to extend love from a distance, while still keeping oneself safe through exercising healthy boundaries. Although Cancer and Pisces are softhearted signs, they have a hidden cruelty to them. Their aggressiveness often comes through emotional blackmail, identifying as a victim or a martyr. They’d want to be seen as harmless and brave in the face of injustice, to be the bigger person and take the high road of non-resistance. There’s no doubt that this person feel strongly and wants closeness and acceptance at all costs. Other people might appreciate this or shy away from their suffocating clinginess. Instinctively, there’s the pull to merge with the environment, to dissolve and let go of separateness. This need might not be completely conscious. Cancer Suns want support and care, but it’s not as keen on letting go of individuality and go with the flow. Cancer Suns have a lot of attachments – to the body, to their family, to their memories and belongings. They seek to preserve these, not to give them away or let them wither away.

[apparentlyaswarmofbees]

I've been asking around this one question for a few people now, because I like hearing what people have to say about it...

So I wouldn't mind it if you shared a list on who's your favourite (from Most to Least) from the Obey Me! Crew (Brothers & Formally Undatables)...

Also, please feel free to ramble on about why you placed them in each space...

O-oh dear-

First off, you spoil an infodumper like me too much lol (I am happy sfjsjjdjn) and I am going to go overboard (and changing the order of things) for my own pleasure.

And so...

Second off...

Gladly

Here is My List of LEAST to MOST Favorite of The Obey Me Boys ^^

That I just did on spot because I didn't have one ready because it's hard for me to rate the characters as they all have their traits and even their flaws add something good to the character but I'll be dammed if I don't enjoy deep frying my brain for fun.

Please take note I am taking this literally and all characters in here are FAVORITES, just some will be more and some less, which mean I LIKE ALL OF THEM. Yes, I have changed my opinion on a certain two characters I have said to not like, and I am not ashamed to say I was incorrect.

So let's start this off with the right foot shall we?

#12 | Diavolo

He is still infuriating I won't deny that. And I won't pity him though he is a tragic character that is so lonely he overrates any kind of affection, that doesn't know how to interact with others without exagerating, that has no one to give an oposing opinion because of his status and so it's increasingly hard for him to learn to make good decisions, and with his goal to unite the realms I could almost say he is naive. He's a bit of a puppy always wanting some pets, but as a not dog person, I don't have enough in me to be always playing, so to me an overly needy puppy can end up getting annoying, though of course, I can't help it but at least give it a few pets before going my way.

.

#11 | Simeon

Yes in the end I actually liked him all along but was just in denial after I thought about it. Simeon is a good character, he's a dick even though he's an angel and he doesn't bother to be any different, he definetelly has his own set of rules he follows and I believe he would be a Chaotic Good just like me. He's well made. And as much as he is pretty unlikeable, the mystery, the questions, the fact that he has always been the same we just didn't get to interact with him much to see it, to have a naturally asshole character put down some of his walls to help us even if part out of possible self interest. And of course he's also fun. Simeon is charming, and I have come to appreciate all of him.

.

#10 | Luke

A kid. A brat and a tsundere. I Absolutely love the character development and it's extremelly adorable. He's now officially our guardian angel and I love that. He was just a prick that I rolled my eyes so hard whenever I encountered him in the game and now he's just a lil' bratty brother that is fun to tease and squish the cheeks off. He's a really nice kid in the end, just previously ignorant, but still nice because he was willing to learn and change despise saying he didn't want to. I personally can understand Luke as I was pretty alike as a kid. Again, he's a nice kid I would gladly buy some balloons and cotton candy for.

.

#9 | Barbatos

The number 1 buttler, he's just, a good dude l o l. He has his distance from everyone due to his position but that doesn't make him any less interesting. He is mysterious and powerful and yet he feels, so chill. He's also fun and actually has a pretty soft personality in which he knows exactly when to switch off to strict. He's a character I respect and wish existed in real life so I could be friends with (╥﹏╥).

.

#8 | Solomon

Shady sorcerer is actually a pretty good guy though mildly insane. He is actually responsable (and takes it pretty seriously seeing he's basically the representative of the human realm). He's kind though again, mildly insane, and diligent. He may have terrible food but the fact he does it with good intentions is pretty adorable, he just likes to follow his instincts and be spontaneous because he likes new and exciting things. He probably has quite a bit of angst to him due to his not only immortality in not aging but also by not being able to be killed but even so it feels that, contrary to how many human immortals end, he still hasn't lost the light in his eyes and can still enjoy things and enjoy being alive, and that is most likely thanks to other immortal/long living beings such as demons.

.

#7 | Lucifer

Yep. Lucifer is actually a really fucking great character, he's fond of his family, hard worker to the point of destroying himself, self punisher, elegant, pretty af, cute at times. But not exactly my most favorable cup of tea. Seeing I can see through his bullshit all his posessiveness, all his pettiness, all his actions just becomes ridiculous and annoying. And theres also a problem with the fact we always end up submiting to him, I don't want that. For every time he disrespects me I want him to kneel and kiss my feet. His pride collides with my own, and his decisions do too. But even so he is very reliable and so he has my respect for that, I do want to hug him and tell him he deserves nice things and that he can rest now this is not the war anymore you don't have to bow down to anyone anymore you didn't doom your brothers but freed them instead, but then again he makes bad decisions because he has zero braincells for emotional intelligence and that pisses me off and makes me just want to yeet him off a cliff. Yeah Lucifer, I would gladly kick you in the balls with ♡°.•love•.°♡.

.

#6 | Leviathan

Surprising is it not? But it's true, I often focus on Levi due to him not only being pretty alike to me but also because he's related to many things I have been familiar with since I was born: animes and games. His anxiousness is relatable, the outcastness is relatable, the awkwardness is relatable, the obsession is relatable, the references are relatable, the infodumping is relatable. He's very relatable to me, but not my most favorite, and all because of his envy. He's a guilt tripper, and though I am long immune to it in real life due to extreme exposure to it from my family, it still is enough for his rank to go down. I still love him though, but mostly as the character that represents the thing I am most familiar with in life: myself.

.

#5 | Beelzebub

Big puppy, he's the type of guy who will talk to plants. He has big and strong hands that could crush anything and yet he will do his best to handle some things gently. He's chill and non judgemental, loyal to the core. Once you win him over, you win him over, he would die for you. He is purposely childish at times and it's cute. He is amazing. I wish I could enjoy eating like he does. He's the only character I truly feel hurt for, as he is deeply inflicted by survivor's guilt and it just pains me I can't comfort him because he isn't real ಥ‿ಥ

.

#4 | Belphegor

Hoh boy. The brat. The fandom itself is pretty divided on their liking of Belphie and it's understandable lol. But I personally understand Belphie. To hide hurt behind anger, hate and spite, to turn to agression to prove a point but you end up just fucking up. But the guilt and wish to fix things can lead one to giving themselves up, and so it becomes a constant battle of getting close but not too close for the sake of both parties involved. I get this boy more than I wish I ever did, and that's why he's high on the ranking. And because he's cute ngl.

.

#3 | Satan

H o h b o y, another one that reminds me of myself, only it's the aftermath of the above where one bottles up all their negative feelings because being emotional is not being rational and who the fuck even wants to not be rational. Where you have no fucking idea who you are because all you know is to stomp your feet and scream for the sake of making an statement but that just proved all your enemies a point so now you turn to smarts to prove yourself. To make others angry, to make them frustrated and infuriated with your knowledge because you want to prove yourself, be reconized for who you are, to be someone and also, hopefully, change other people's ways, to make them understand they are wrong because you deep down actually want to get along with them. Yeah, Satan is high on the list, and it's also because he likes detectives uwu.

.

#2 | Asmodeus

What a fucking icon he is I love him okay. It frustrates me when people use cheating as a angst prompt for him as he's obviously someone who just isn't made for monogamy, and he's pretty honest and I feel he would have nothing to hide and would talk it all out with all his partners. He's a sweetheart that works hard on daily basis and hour after hour to mantain an image, he likes the attention, he wants to be loved. If anyone mildly self centered ever told me 'I love you as much as I love myself' I would marry them on spot. Asmo is just incredibly sweet and I love all his affection and respect him for all the work he does to make a good impression and look up to that self confidence even though most of it is actually just him trying to convince himself. Also perfect example off gender is an ilusion lol.

.

#1 | Mammon

Yep, our number 1, The Great Mammon, the most lovable dumbass that has been by our side from the start though with a bit of whining. This man is perfect. He has incredible self control over his powers, and as someone who used to be an angel to be able to use money all you want bro. I wouldn't feel bad either. He's our protector from start to end to the point he focuses on us instead of the queen in the Dame event. He isn't stupid just has selective focus just like me! And all the people with ADHD and many other neurodivergents. When he wants something he does is perfectly and diligently, he just needs the right push at the right time. He's the most good of all demons and even angels and he loves all his brothers deeply, he is always there to support everyone to the point of even allowing himself to be the punching bag for the sake of them not turning too much on one another. He was literally our first SSR card, our first call, our first pact, our first and the best. He IS great, truly.

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Come What May

Request: hey! can i get a request for an american transfer (i’m not sure if they were even a thing lol but anyways) and she is a hufflepuff? maybe she becomes friends with remus due to him being a prefect and sirius ends up really liking her? if you want to change it up a little bit for your writing that’s perfectly fine! xx

A/N: I loved writing this - it took me some time to start, but I loved writing it. I hope you like it and I hope I’ve done it justice. I’ve no clue whether I’ve made the reader American enough but I still hope its good nonetheless. Moulin Rouge is one of my favourite musicals; the title is the name of the song. Enjoy!! :)

Pairing: Sirius Black x American!Transfer!Reader

Warnings: fluff, mentions of pregnancy, I wanna say swearing but I can't remember, mentions of nausea, mentions of anxiety, mentions of homesickness

Word count: 3.3k

In an attempt to improve relations between the wizarding worlds of the United States of America and the United Kingdom, MACUSA and the Ministry of Magic set up a transfer scheme for sixth years of Ilvermorny and Hogwarts. The entirety of their sixth year would be spent abroad where they would gain the worthwhile experience of receiving an education in a different country.

Some pressure from your mother had you applying to spend a year at Hogwarts. Only ten students from the year group were given the opportunity – when it was offered to you, you took it with both hands. A year abroad would look good on your final transcript when applying to train as a Healer.

Upon arriving at Hogwarts, you were swiftly sorted into Hufflepuff; a kind, gentle house that made you feel welcome. Their proximity to the school kitchens would help with reducing the stress for exam season, you thought.

Your first week was plagued with intense homesickness. The Scottish Highlands were hauntingly beautiful, but they were nothing compared to your surroundings at Ilvermorny. You longed for the familiar sight of the familiar Mount Greylock. You missed your family, but your mother’s letters would still find you at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall had assured you of that.

Your classes were hard to navigate. Hogwarts was bigger than Ilvermorny and you found yourself running from one side of the castle to the other in an attempt to get to lessons on time.

“Hi, are you okay?” A male voice asks. You turn to find lanky teenager with scars littering his face looking at you in concern. A prefect badge on the collar of his robes had you relaxing; here was someone that could help you.

“Hey!” You shout, eagerly, happy to see a friendlier face, “I’m lost. I’m trying to find Divination.”

He smiles at you, “You’re in luck, I’m heading to Divination as well.”

“That’s great, I’ll follow your lead. I’ve been here three weeks; you’d have thought I’d have the layout down by now.”

He chuckles, “I’m Remus, by the way.”

You hold a hand out to him, he shakes it once, “I’m (Y/N). I’m part of the transfer scheme between Ilvermorny and Hogwarts.”

Remus sits beside you in Divination; helping you when you struggled with understanding the teacher’s accent. Divination was taught at Ilvermorny, and along with Herbology and Potions, was one of the subjects you excelled at. Your four times great grandmother on your father’s side was a prophetess who barely escaped the witch trials in Salem; her talents had been passed down to you.

The lesson is over fairly quickly with Remus by your side, helping to translate the Professor’s words. You’re packing your books up, hoping your usually spot in the library isn’t taken when Remus asks: “(Y/N), would you like to join me for lunch? You’ll have to meet my friends, but they’re mainly harmless.”

“Mainly?”

Remus flashed you a grin, “They’ll talk your ear off, but they mean well.”

“In that case, I’d love to join you for lunch. I’d be spending it in alone in the library, so this is a definite upgrade. Lead the way.”

On the walk to the Great Hall, you and Remus bond more and you can feel the start of a genuine friendship beginning to be built.

By the time you arrive at the Great Hall, you have decided that Remus is in fact a sweetheart with a heart of gold who loves his books as much as he loves his friends. From your limited knowledge of Hogwarts houses, you can see exactly how Remus meets the standards to be a Gryffindor.

Remus automatically heads to the table assigned to Gryffindor, spotting his friends in the crowd. You only hesitate for a moment before joining him.

“(Y/N), these are James, Peter and Sirius.” Remus introduces, pointing to each teenage boy with their name. They look at you with fascination as you take a seat next to Remus, who hands you the pitcher of water without a second thought. Yes, your friendship with Remus would be something you truly treasure with all of your heart.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” You greet, not missing how their eyes widen at your accent.

“Are you one of the American exchange students?” Peter asks.

You nod, smiling at him, “I am.”

If it’s possible, his eyes widen further, “You must be really smart then. Like super smart to get into the programme. The one’s we got in Gryffindor are like geniuses.”

“Thank you, that’s a very nice compliment.”

Peter blushes, breaking the eye contact between you two.

You start placing food onto your plate, eating a forkful in between answering questions.

“My turn now – how did you all become friends?”

James grins, “We all met on train and became friends. It seemed fate was on our side when we were all sorted into the same house.”

You look at the ties each worn by the teenagers; stripes of solid red stand out against dark black. “You’re all in Gryffindor!”

James nods, “We are! And our ever-lovely Remus is our prefect.”

You smile when you see Remus out of the corner of your eye, sitting a little straighter at the sound of his school role.

Sirius catches your eye, a smirk turning the one corner of his lips upwards, “What house were you sorted into?”

You point to your tie, not missing the way his eyes rake up and down your body, “Hufflepuff,” you state proudly, feeling very at home with your Hogwarts house.

“What’s your house at Ilvermorny?” He asks, pronouncing each syllable of your school separately, testing out the sound of it on his tongue.

“Pukwudgie.” You declare, prouder than ever of your house back in America. Those sorted into Pukwudgie are defined by their passions and their desires; they commit themselves fully to everything they do whilst being fiercely loyal caregivers and protectors.

Sirius’ lips tremble; he wants to chuckle at the odd sounding name. You don’t miss the expression on his face, rolling your eyes at it.

“We have four houses at Ilvermorny: Pukwudgie, Wampus, Horned Serpent, and Thunderbird. It is said that my house, Pukwudgie, favours healers which makes sense since that is what I’m working towards. I want to work at the hospital for magical folk in New York City. The other houses favour different positions; Wampus – warriors, Horned Serpent – scholars, and Thunderbird – adventurers. Truthfully, we aren’t that different to Hogwarts expect for the fact that we’re in America. The Hogwarts students over there are probably realising the same thing. ”

The four boys look at you in astonishment, and you realise that since you arrived in Scotland, those were the most words you had spoken in succession.

“Well,” You say, grinning, taking a sip of your water, “we aren’t entirely different other than the fact that we’re better

James squawks in indignation, “How? I think you’re mistaken. I’m going to need a point by point explanation of how that is even possible. Hogwarts is the best school out there!”

You laugh at him, “Hogwash. Are you ready for that conversation, James?”

Sirius grins, showing off his perfectly straight, white teeth, “Oh, I like you. I think we’re going to get on like a house on fire.”

With your heart racing, your answering smile is blinding.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Marauders adopt you as an honorary member; Peter had dubbed you the emissary to Ilvermorny with a promise to tell your tales of your time at Hogwarts to the student body of the school; to make them famous ‘across the pond’.

The more time you spent with the pranksters, the more you saw them as themselves. James and Sirius were ridiculously smart but played aloof – happier to marked as the class clowns than the smartest in the class (though they were by miles). James was besotted with a red-haired girl named Lily who never seemed to want to give him the time of day, but he persisted.

Peter had the best stories from his childhood, and he was more than happier to tell you them. But there was something simmering under the surface with Peter, as if he was too close to the flame of something he couldn’t quite pull back from. You hoped he would before it was too late.

Remus confessed to you a month into your friendship, of his lycanthropy – he trusted you, he knew you wouldn’t spread his secret and you wouldn’t. You could see his self-hatred always simmering, but Remus was so pure of heart with a predisposition for trouble that made him a natural leader when planning the school-wide famous pranks, that you knew he would not let the wolf inside him control him for longer than was necessary.

The friendship you had created with all four of them was something you would cherish upon returning to Ilvermorny. In such little time, they had taken you in and made you feel at home within their group.

Out of all them, you felt drawn to Sirius and he was more than happy to entertain you. He found you fascinating as well as extremely beautiful. There was something about your eyes that he couldn’t put his finger on, but they had him from the very moment they fell on him in the Great hall. He could sit and listen to you for hours whether it be a story or a rant. He was more than happy to let you talk and for him to listen. You had bewitched him; mind, body and soul. He’d follow you to the ends of the earth.

It was this that made you fall in love with him.

As cliché as it is to describe, your feelings for Sirius took you by surprise. In a matter of few weeks, you had started to fall in love with the shaggy-haired prankster. He had captured your heart in a way you never thought possible; you found it hard to think of anything but him. Your heart raced with every bit of eye contact made across the classroom; as if you were the only one in his line of vision.

Sirius had a way to make you feel as if you were the only one in the world; he would listen to your rants over the differing education systems between the USA and the UK or if someone had gotten on your nerves. He would defend you if ever a cross word was even uttered in your direction; Severus Snape had been on the receiving end of most of Sirius’ hexes. Sirius had you completely enthralled.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You spend weeks agonising over your feelings for the Gryffindor; badgering Remus at every opportunity until he cracks and tells you that Sirius feels the same but doesn’t know how to approach you.

You decide then and there that you’re going to tell him; that you’re going to confess your feelings for him. As you rush to the library, you steel yourself in case of rejection. It would break your heart, but you would find a way to repair the friendship.

You find Sirius in an isolated corner of the library, pouring over one of the many leather bounded books. The library had taken your breath away when you first arrived; never in your life had you seen so many ancient and dusty tomes dedicated to the practice of witchcraft and wizardry. Now, your eyes are drawn to the teenager hidden among them.

Sirius is sitting in one of the few arm chairs. You don’t sit down; the anxiety and adrenaline preparing your legs for a quick exit if needed.

“Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?” You ask.

Sirius looks up from his book, wide-eyed, “What?”

“Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend? I know it’s a free weekend for the both of us and I’d like to go with you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I like you, Sirius and I think you’ve known for a while that I do.”

Sirius can’t help the blush that rushes to his cheeks, “I know of your feelings.”

“I need to know: are they returned or am I overstepping here?”

Sirius places his book on the table, “No, no, you’re not overstepping. I’ve had a crush on your for a while.”

Your grin lights up your face and Sirius find himself making the promise of to always be the cause of your smiles and never your tears.

“So would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me?”

“As long as you let me pay; it would be shame on my name for me to let such a beautiful person pay for their date.”

“You are a gentleman. So you will come?”

“Yes, we’ll go to Hogsmeade on a date this weekend. I adore your confidence.”

“I’m American,” You state, shrugging your shoulders, “We’re born with it.”

Sirius barks a laugh as he pulls you into his lap, his hands on your waist. You press not one, but two kisses to his cheek where the blush still remains, savouring he fact that it was you who affects him so, and no-one else.

Sirius relaxes beneath you; happy to have you in his arms for however long you have left at Hogwarts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the muted light of the moon reflecting into his dorm room, you can be honest with each other. Your time at the school for witchcraft and wizardry was coming to a close with little under a month before you were returning to Ilvermorny to complete your final year of education.

You didn’t try to ignore the lance of pain spearing your heart as you imagine that year without Sirius. A little over four months with him and you knew that you have found the love of your life; that there would be no-one else for you.

“I don’t want to leave you,” You whisper in the dark of the night, curled under his arm, your hand pressed to his chest so you can feel his heartbeat under your palm.

“I don’t want you to go.” He whispers against your hair.

Tears sting the corner of your eyes, “What are we going to do?”

“For now, I’m going to sleep next to the girl I love. Tomorrow, we are going to talk about it, I promise. I just want to hold you now.”

“Tomorrow,” You promise, “Tonight, I just want to be held by you.”

Sirius pulls you tighter to him; as if the two of you aren’t already pressed together. He drops another kiss to your head while you press one to his shoulder. You aren’t sure whether of you get a lot of sleep that night; worries of the future working their way down the familiar path of your mind.

The following morning brings lingering touches and unhurried kisses. The anxiety from last night hangs like a dark cloud over the both of you but there is a determination within you to hurry it away.

The day is spent slowly; slowly walking around the grounds, slowly reading in the common room, slowly kissing. As if the slower your pace, the longer you can spend in his arms where you truly want to be.

The topic needs to be approached; it needs to be addressed or else it’ll sour the remaining time you have left with the boy you’ve fallen in love with.

Laying on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, your head in Sirius’ lap, you ask, “What are your plans for the summer?”

He sighs, pretending to think it through as he brushes a hand from the top of your forehead to the tip of your nose, “I’m not sure, I think I’m going to be visiting this really pretty girl that I’ve fallen in love with.”

You beam, “Yes please. Come stay with me! My family is going to love you.”

Sirius’ cheeks warm, “Really?”

You nod, “Definitely, I’ve already told them all about you in my letters. My mom is going to love you. My dad is going to take some persuading though. I think the whole family won’t be able to leave you alone. I go to Scotland and come back with a boyfriend.”

Sirius laughs, warm and rich, “I’ll have to bring my charming self.”

“You do that, and you won’t get to leave.”

“Maybe that’s the plan. I think we can do it, you know.”

“Can do what?”

“A long-distance relationship. I think we can do it; I think we’re strong enough.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I know we haven’t been together very long but I’m in this for the long-haul. I want no-one else but you; I love no-one else but you. In such a short time, you’ve shown me what a relationship should be like and I want it. I want it all with you. So I think we’re strong enough to get through it. We can send letters and on the longer holidays, we can alternate between America and the UK.”

“You’ve really thought this through.”

Sirius nods, nudging you to sit up. “I have. I thought of it last night, I don’t know how neither of us thought of it earlier.”

You think it through, seeing no disadvantages to his plan other than the fact that you would miss him dearly. “I like it. Let’s do it, let’s do long-distance. I love you too, I want no-one else either. I hope you’re ready for all of my letters, Black.”

He laughs; the sound music to your ears, “More than ready.”

You can’t help the smile as you lean into kiss him.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 years later:

The house is quiet; too quiet, you think as you push your feet into your slippers. You make your way downstairs to be greeted to the sight of your husband of five years cooking with your four year old daughter. 

“I think we’ve been caught, sweetheart.” Sirius whispers to the toddler sitting on the kitchen counter.

Your daughter turns from her place, “We’re making pancakes!”

“I can see that,” You say, chuckling, making your way to your husband – kissing him before kissing your daughter on the top of her head.

“We wanted to give you a bit longer in bed. I know you were up most of the night feeling sick.” Sirius says, a hand touching the barely-there bump.

“You’re my knight in shining armour, Mr. Black”

“Always at your service, Mrs. Black.”

Your final year at Ilvermorny was filled with letter upon letter from Sirius telling you the stories of his final year at Hogwarts. You were very happy indeed when he reported that James and Lily had finally started to see each other, and that Remus was thinking of going steady with a girl in Ravenclaw who loved books as much as he did.

The long-distance relationship was hard at times; always after a visit from one of you to the other but nevertheless, you both persevered – worries always extinguished over written word. Your family understood that your home was now in England; in the arms of a black-haired prankster that had captivated your heart from the very first smile. Your dream of being a healer was still very much attainable in England.

You and Sirius were not long behind James and Lily for marriage. Sirius had proposed one evening after you returned home from your shift at St Mungo’s; bone tired and in the need of a hug, you were shocked to return home to rose petals leading to the living room where Sirius was down on one knee – the only light in the room being from the candles lit on every surface available. You both cried when you accepted; you both cried at the wedding a year later.

You didn’t think there would be any more room in your heart to love someone else other than Sirius.

Then you found out you were pregnant. And your heart made room for one more. Your heart had stretched to fit three when your test came back positive for the baby currently growing in your womb.

As you sit in your kitchen, watching your husband cutting up pancakes for your daughter, you feel overwhelmingly grateful for your mother pushing you to fill out the transfer paperwork all those years ago.

*******

Harry Potter (General) taglist: @slytherinprincess03 @bforbroadway @obsessedwithrandomthings @the-hufflefluffwriter @masterofthedarkness @kalimagik @summer-writes @lupins-sweater @mischiefsemimanaged @soleil-amaryllis

Sirius Black taglist: @cheapglitter @fific7

[recurring-polynya]

What comparisons can be made between renruki and Ichiruki? I often wondered about this.

This is such a hot button issue that as soon as I received this (perfectly polite) ask, my body tensed up and my brain went Am I being trolled?

It’s honestly a shame that there is so much bad blood behind this, because it is, in fact, a very interesting thing to talk about, and I am going to attempt to do so in good faith, because I love thinking about this kind of thing. Even though I am very openly a Renruki shipper, I love all three of these characters very much, and I think that Ichigo and Rukia’s relationship is very important! I am doing my best to be neutral, although I have not read very much Ichiruki fanfic/meta, so please give me a benefit of a doubt. Obviously, I can’t stop anyone from reblogging this and putting their own comments on it, but I have no interest in getting in debates over it, so don’t be surprised if I don’t engage.

This is both long, and I am sure some people don’t care, so I’m gonna put the rest under a cut. I have tried to hard to write this in a way that will not make anyone mad, but if you think it will make you mad, please give yourself the gift of not clicking on it.

So, what is the same between Ichigo and Renji? Lots, actually. Physically, they are both tall, strong, and have ridiculously colored spiky hair. They are outwardly grumpy, but secretly have soft, gooey centers. Neither one of them is dumb, but they are both dumbasses. They are protectors: they would rather take any amount of pain or damage onto themselves than see a loved one hurt. Their friends are everything to them, and that goes triple for Rukia.

How are they different, then? There are three major bullets:

- Ichigo is alive. Renji is dead. Perhaps this is a little flip, but Renji belongs to same world that Rukia does, and Ichigo does not. This is not a value judgment, it is just a fact: If Rukia ends up with Renji, she stays where she is. If she ends up with Ichigo, either Rukia or Ichigo have to make a huge change. I will get back to this.

- Youth vs. Experience. Ichigo is a 15-year old boy, as we are told about 1000 times. There is some mystery over how old Rukia and Renji are, but they have graduated from secondary education and are currently employed. I think it’s safe to assume that they are roughly close in age to each other, but I think Rukia may perceive Renji as seeming older than herself-- he graduated from school, and she didn’t; he’s on his third squad transfer, whereas she’s hasn’t budged from her initial, entry-level job, and he’s now middle management. However, the arc of the story we don’t get to see, is that over the timeskips, Rukia not only catches up to, but surpasses him. Also, not for nothing, but I think that in the same way Rukia is immediately drawn to Ichigo because of his resemblance to Kaien, I think she is also drawn to him for his resemblance to Young Renji-- a grumpy, prickly young man, leaking self-doubt from every pore, whom she is more able to be generous towards through the lens of age and experience. (And I think this comparison could support either ship)

- Ichigo is the protagonist. Rules don’t apply to him. Fate breaks on his sword. He represents the triumph of love or hard work or dreams or what have you over the cruel millstone of the world. Renji, on the other hand, is firmly bound to the rules of the world in which he inhabits. In fact, that is arguably the entire purpose of his character. Renji’s fights are often used to set the stakes of the conflict-- ah, Renji got mangled, this guy must be tough. In the Soul Society Arc, he is an antagonist because he is doing what he is supposed to. In the TYBW, Kubo literally throws the two of them in a pit to fight some asauchi just to make the point that Renji is a shinigami and Ichigo is something else.

Let’s jump over to Rukia for a moment. Rukia is a great character, one of my favorite characters in any media. Rukia contains multitudes. She is tough and strong, but often melancholy. She can be beautiful and elegant, but she also lies and breaks rules and tried to put Kon in a dead cat once. Emotionally, she likes to present a cool front, but she has a big, loving heart, and she feels deeply. As a character, all of this makes her very easy to project onto, which is why I think so many people OTP her with someone, no matter who.Some people choose to try to make her into one of these things or another, and some people try to keep her as the full bundle of contradictions that she is.

There is no romantic content in canon Bleach. There is no romantic content in canon Bleach. There are many, many scenes that can be interpreted romantically, but no one goes on a date, no one kisses. Ichigo gazes longingly into the eyes of all his friends, it’s just a thing he does. Orihime does explicitly proclaim at one point that she loves Rukia, although I suspect that in the original Japanese, it’s the word for “friendship love” and not the very-rarely-used “romantic love.” I have seen a scene-for-scene comparison of IchiHime “romantic moments” only it’s Chad and Uryuu (which I choose to believe supports IshiChad, rather than negates IchiHime, but we may all choose for ourselves!) My point is that shipping in Bleach is a DIY craft, which, when we’re all having a good time, is what makes it so fun.

So, bringing all of this together, given that Ichigo and Renji are fairly similar characters, why are the ships so different, and what makes one appeal to some people and be abhorrent to someone else?

I think about romance stories a lot. I actually took a class on romance novels in college and I just really like to think about the mechanics of stories. In the truest sense of the word, “romance” is about extremes-- about sailing the high seas and wearing ostentatious shirts and shouting off a cliff in a rainstorm. When we talk about romance as a genre, the characters tend to behave in a way that we would not prefer our actual romantic partners do, but the over-the-top nature of it makes us swoon and our hearts drop -- except when it doesn’t. What is heart-breakingly romantic to some people can be a huge turn-off to others. The biggest fight my husband and I have ever had was over a kdrama. The male lead was hiding his identity from the female lead in order to help her, and I found it all to be deeply, deeply romantic, and my husband turned to me and said “He is being dishonest with her and I think it’s morally wrong” and I almost died.

So, let’s break down some of the themes of the two ships, which I think gets at the meat of what you were asking. Now, like I said, shipping is very participatory, and anyone may have their own ideas of how these relationships would be, and I am a big fan of “a great writer can get away with anything”, but in broad strokes, I think that these are the themes of the two ships:

IchiRuki:

Love conquers all/ Love is enough to overcome differences of class, age, lifestyle, geography, etc.

Instant connections/Love at first sight

Love is a force of the universe that cannot be denied or defeated

Young love

Grand gestures

Your partner changes you (in a positive way)/You effect change in your partner

Your partner is the center of your world

Your partner is the one person who can get through to you/You are the one person who can get through to your partner

Banter

Dumbassery

RenRuki:

Love takes work

Best friends to lovers

Second chances/Broken things can be repaired

Love is a choice

You improve with age

Shared experiences build love

Pining

Working together with your partner to create a mutually satisfying life together

Your partner enriches your world, but your independence is maintained

Banter

Dumbassery

There is also some degree of character interpretation at work, too-- there seems to be a huge degree of disagreement between fans as to whether:

a) Ichigo enjoys his normal, human life, and even though he do anything to protect what he loves, he would prefer to live a human existence with his human friends and family. He credits Rukia will helping him realize his strength and powers.

b) Ichigo is unsatisfied with his human life and that meeting Rukia opened the doorway to a life of excitement and adventure, on top of being given the strength to protect his loved ones.

As far as Ichigo pairings go, I think that most IchiHime people fall in category (a) and most IchiRuki (and GrimmIchi) shippers fall in (b). In both cases, peoples’ ships align with their view of what makes Ichigo happy. Most IchiRuki content I have seen  seems to feature Ichigo moving to Soul Society, rather than Rukia moving to Karakura. Rukia pretty explicitly indicates at the end of the Soul Society Arc that she wants to stay in Soul Society, plus she’s got a pretty established life there. Contrast that to the story of Isshin and Masaki-- Isshin seems pretty flippant and disaffected about his life in Soul Society; it doesn’t seem like it was a particularly hard choice for him to give up being a shinigami. Also, it’s pretty clear that what Isshin did was illegal, and I’m not sure there would be an easy way for Rukia to just say “WELP, I’m off to live as a human, smell you jerks later.”

To try to wrap things up, I think the actual dynamics of an IchiRuki or RenRuki relationship would be very similar, actually. They would banter a lot and dive headfirst into danger and support each other no matter what. Byakuya would treat either guy with the vaguest, most grudging amount of respect. The primary perpetual, unresolved argument between Rukia and Ichigo would be “The Living World is dumb/Soul Society is dumb”, whereas with Rukia and Renji, it would be “Squad 6 is dumb/Squad 13 is dumb wait no I didn’t mean that Captain Ukitake is an angel.”

Personally, I headcanon Renji as being more able than Ichigo to step back and be the support person in the relationship (see that bullet about Ichigo being the protag), so I think that RenRuki could manage to run a functional household, whereas Ichigo and Rukia would just go on adventures until they got arrested for tax evasion.

*For the record, I am very pro-IchiRenRuki, except that they would be even worse at running a household. It’s just Renji trying to explain how a chore wheel works while Rukia and Ichigo walk out the door on him.

[novannna]

Write Our Story in the Stars

so for school we did nanowrimo and i actually like the story I wrote so i’m posting it to tumblr :)   

This story is about a girl and a princess who grow up together, closer than sisters.  The girl wants only to be the princess’s guard so they can stay together forever.  When she gets a chance to prove herself worthy to be the princess’s sole protector, she jumps on the oppurtunity.  She and the princess leave on a journey to find a stolen treasure.  While on the journey, the girl finds out a dark secret about her past....(cliche, ik)

tw: blood, death, violence, mentions of abuse in later chapters

wc: 2589

Chapter 1

This story starts like most fairy tales. It starts with a princess. But she is not the main character. No, our story is about the little girl who was raised in her shadow. This girl has never had an easy life. She was orphaned at an early age, and sent to live with an abusive family. At only ten years of age, she escaped her home and went to live in the great capital city. She found work in the palace, and quickly befriended the princess. You may think that being overshadowed in such a way would anger the young girl. It did the opposite. She never liked attention. All she wanted was the princess’s love as they were the closest of friends.

As time passed the princess grew older and had other duties to tend to. And the young girl was now no longer so young. She had a new goal in her life. She wanted to be the princess’s protector. The royal guards laughed and scorned her for wanting to become a warrior, but that did not stop the girl. She trained night and day, waiting for a chance to prove her worth. She was still ignored, but not by the one who mattered most. The princess saw everything her friend did. She watched, and her heart hurt for the girl whose life was so different than her own. The princess never knew the hardships the girl faced. She knew she would never face anything as hard as the girl. She could never suffer an equal amount of pain. And so, when a chance came for the girl to earn her place, the princess jumped on it.

Chapter 1

“Mallory, come on!” Talia laughed. “You’ve been out here for hours. Aren’t you hungry?”

“No.” Mallory gritted her teeth, and pulled another arrow out of her quiver. “I have to keep training. You know that.”

“Mal, come on. You have to eat sometimes,” Talia begged. “You can keep training tomorrow, but it's almost nine.”

Mallory ignored her. She let her arrow fly, and it hit the center of the target, running right through an arrow already there.

Talia groaned. “This is for your own good.” She pushed up her sleeves, and marched over towards the girl. “If you won’t come willingly, I’ll have to drag you in. And do you really want that?”

Mallory scoffed. “Will you?”

Talia bobbed her head up and down. “Yes. I will, thank you very much.”

Mallory sighed. “Listen, Tal, I have to train. I have to be the best if you and I want to be together forever. This is the only way we have a chance to stay together.”

“You are already the best. You’ve beaten every single person who’s fought you. You're the strongest person I know. Come in for the night. Please.”

“Fine,” Mallory groaned. “But I still have to train tomorrow. No exceptions.”

“Yeah yeah. Come on!” Talia tugged Mallory towards the door.

“Don’t you have boring princess duties to take care of?”

“They can wait. I feel like I never see you anymore. So… tonight we’re hanging out, just the two of us!”

“Yay,” Mallory replied with little enthusiasm.

“That’s the spirit. Race you to my bedroom!” Talia shot off, her hair billowing out from behind her. “Last one there’s a rotten egg.”

Mallory shook her head and chuckled. She started to sprint after her best friend.

---

“I won,” Mallory said breathlessly.

Talia pouted. “No fair, you took the servants path. That’s cheating.”

“No, I just thought smarter than you. We never said it wasn’t allowed.”

“Fine. But I’ll get you next time. Just you wait.” Talia pretended to glare at Mallory.

“I’m terrified,” Mallory dead-panned.

“Oh! I have something for you!” Talia grinned wildly, and reached under her bed.

Mallory smiled from Talia’s infectious joy. “Do you?” She held out her hands to grab the long parcel Talia dropped into them.

She started to unwrap it, but Talia stopped her. “Wait! Open this first.” She handed a heavy looking large bundle that clanked suspiciously.

“What is it?” Mallory asked nervously.

“Just open it!”

Mallory carefully tore away the paper. Gleaming metal and fabric shone up at her. A uniform. But, not just any uniform.

“Is this…”

“The uniform of the princess’s guard? Yes, yes it is.”

Mallory’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe it. Everything she had ever worked for. A chance to stay with her friend forever. A chance to be together till they died. This was her dream. Her dream ever since she had laid eyes on the princess. She knew it was silly. Who would ever let her, a nobody, guard the princess? But the gleaming armor was right in front of her.

“How?” Mallory asked, her face shining with joy. “This… this is incredible!”

“I pulled a few strings. But, you have to prove yourself first. It’s not a solid position yet, but you have a chance.” Talia said. “A chance for us to stick together, no matter what.”

Mallory’s heart fell. She did not get this because she had dedicated her life to this, she had gotten this opportunity because Talia had asked for her to get this. She didn’t earn this. But, it didn’t matter, she told herself. You and Talia both know you deserve this. Yes, it would have been nicer if she had earned it on her own, but she still had a chance. And she would not waste it.

“Talia, this is amazing. What did you mean by prove myself? Is there some sort of test or…” she trailed off.

“Nope.” Talia’s face brightened. “They have a job of sorts for you to complete. A weapon that was stolen from the treasury long ago. The jewel of Asno. And they want you to get it.”

“I’ll be away for a long time then. So why do you look so happy?” She asked. Talia was smiling ear to ear.

“Because… only someone of royal blood can touch it. Which means I’m going with you.” She slung her hands over Mallory’s shoulders. “It’s going to be so fun! You and me, on an adventure. It’s a chance for you to prove yourself, and a chance for you and me to go on a trip together.”

Mallory squirmed away. “Your dad is letting this happen?”

“That’s the beauty of it! He doesn't have a choice. The princess can choose her guard, and they can prove themselves in a task of her choice. So he has to let me do this.”

Mallory smiled slightly. “Thank you for this.”

“Of course! You’re my best friend. I’d do anything for you.” Her eyes brightened. “Oh, wait. Don’t forget this!” She nearly shoved the long parcel into Mallory.

“...okay.” Mallory pulled out a beautiful sword from the parcel. “Oh,” she said quietly. “It’s beautiful.” The blade was made of an odd black metal, and the handle had pearl and gold inlaid in a criss-crossing pattern. Mallory drew her thumb across the blade, and hissed as red blood welled up.

“I thought you’d like it. It is really beautiful isn’t it.”

Mallory nodded mutely. “And deadly.” She jumped to her feet, and swiped the blade through the hair. It cut without a sound. A smile split her face. “Thank you Tal. Thank you so much. For everything.”

“Of course Mal. This is your dream. And you’ve earned it.”

“Not alone. I’d still be stuck as some lowly servant if you hadn’t seen me. I’d probably be dead. You encouraged me, and never let me down. Thank you so much for that Tal.”

“Well, of course I’d do that. You’re like my sister. I love you. Now,” She shoved Mallory lightly. “Go try it on. I want to see how my trusted protector looks!”

Mallory rolled her eyes. “If you insist.”

“I do.” She turned around. “I’m not looking, I promise.”

Mallory laughed and started to put the uniform on. It fit perfectly. She walked towards the mirror once she had finished, the metal barely making a sound. The uniform was beautiful as well.

Black pants with shining metal greaves, similar to the sword, tucked into black boots. A red shirt underneath a black chest plate. She tucked her hair up into a helmet with a vibrant red plume. Finally, she strapped her sword over her back.

“It’s beautiful,” Mallory whispered. “I- I can’t thank you enough, Tal. You’ve given me everything.”

“Can I turn around now?” Talia asked.

“Oh,” Mallory laughed. “Yes, you can.”

Talia leapt to her feet and squealed. “Oh, it’s perfect. You’re perfect.” She clasped Mallory’s hands tightly in her own, and spun around the room. “You did it Mal. You’ll be my guard, and wherever I go, you can follow.”

“Inseparable till the end.” Mallory took her helmet off, and set it down. It was far too hot to wear it there. “When do we leave?”

“A week’s time.” Talia sighed dreamily. “Oh, it’ll be amazing. Can’t you imagine.” She leaned her head on Mallory’s shoulder. “Green hills, and mountains, and deep blue lakes.  It’ll be everything I dreamed of.”

“You’ve never really been out of Asnon have you?”

“Well… I’ve been to other palaces. But I’ve never been to the real world.” She spun around, her arms wide. “Isn’t it so exciting.”

Mallory laughed. “The real world isn’t a paradise princess. It’s got ugly parts too. Asnon is beautiful compared to other places. This isn’t going to be easy. We’ll be in danger the whole time. From the moment we leave the borders assume everyone hates you, and wants to kill you.”

“But I don’t have to worry about it. Because you’ll be there to protect me.”She returned to Mallory, and clasped their hands together. They leaned forward as one, and pressed their foreheads together.

“I’m so proud of you, Mal,” Talia whispered, her words warm on Mallory’s face. “You’ve deserved to get this from the second I met you. I love you so much.”

“Thank you for getting me a chance. I promise, I’ll never leave you. I swear, my life belongs to you, and I am yours to command.”

Talia giggled. “Well, I command you to come with me to the kitchen. I’m starving, and you must be too.”

“Your word is my command, princess,” Mallory replied with a bow. She extended an elbow, and the princess looped her own through it. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” They turned, and walked out the doors as one.

---

Back in the safety of her own room, Mallory began to take off her uniform. She had everything she had ever wanted, so why was she so disappointed.

She knew Talia loved her like a sister, and just wanted the best for her, but it still stung to get things only because the princess had helped. She had always wanted to be the princess’s protector, but she had wanted to get there on her own. She did not want the princess calling in favors or asking nicely. She wanted the captain of the guard to look at her and realize that Mallory was perfect for the job. She was hard working, and fierce, and tough. She was a better fighter than anyone in Asnon. But they still looked down on her. Because she was born a nobody. An orphan, sent to live with   a family that didn’t want her. A family that hurt her, and told her she was worthless. Mallory had fought tooth and nail to live, and she wanted to earn her place in the world. She didn’t want it to be handed to her. Then people would question her right. No, Mallory wanted to fight for it. She wanted everyone to watch, and see she was the only person, woman or man, who was worthy enough to protect the princess. She sighed and flopped down, onto her bed.

She should not be complaining. Her life was perfect. She had a chance to win everything. She should not be disappointed. But she was.

Mallory was furious that the princess didn’t understand. She’d never understand.

And that was not her fault. Talia didn’t understand how much it hurt to know that everything Mallory had achieved was because of her. She didn’t understand, and she was just trying to help.

Mallory groaned and rolled over. She pressed her face into her pillow.

A knock sounded on her door.

Mallory grimaced, and slowly got up. She opened the door to find the captain of the guard and the king standing in her doorway.

Mallory dropped into a low curtsy.

“Your highness. What do I owe this… visit?” She asked uncertaintly.

“Good evening Mallory. My daughter has told me she wishes to make you her personal guard,” the king said in his deep voice.

“Yes. It is an incredible honor. I hope to serve her as best as possible.”

“I wanted you to know that I do not approve of her choice. I know that you two are close, but you have not proved yourself.”

Mallory bit her lip. She knew that most people would not approve of Talia’s choice.

“I understand sir…” She started.

“-However,” he continued. “I will give you the benefit of doubt. Talia and you are to travel across the land, to Monopya, to find a stolen weapon. That is your chance to prove yourself. In order for you to gain my trust, I’m sending the captain the captainwith you to ensure the princess’s safety, and observe your progress.”

The captain straightened, and nodded his head sharply at Mallory.

“Is this understood? This is your one chance to prove to me I can trust my daughter’s life in your hands.”

Mallory nodded. “I’d die for her your highness.”

“I am happy to hear this. I wish you luck on your journey.” The king nodded sharply, and spun on his heel. He marched off, the captain close on his heels.

Mallory shut the door, and slid down to the floor. Great. This was just great.

Her every move was going to be watched. And if she messed up, she’d never have a chance again. She’d probably have to leave the palace.

And the captain of the guard was coming. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the man, he had helped her train when she was younger. He never treated her like a kid. He had let her use his weapons and swords. He had helped her learn complicated moves. But he never offered her a chance to become something. And she was still hurt from that. He knew how much it meant to her, but he never said anything. And now he was going on a journey that was supposed to be just her and Talia.

“This is your dream Mallory. You can’t change it now, so go with it,” she said to herself.

Mallory sat on her bed and hugged her knees to her chest. She had gotten so far already.  What was one more mountain? She’d conquer it the way she always did.

Still. The sting of knowing it wasn’t her skill that had gotten her there still hurt. But not enough. Not enough to make her turn away.

Besides. Mallory did not trust anyone else with Talia’s life.

Mallory lay down on her bed, and shut her eyes. “This will work,” her mind whispered. “It has too. If it doesn’t, then you're out of luck.” Everything was on stake. Her very life could be. She would not fail Talia. She would not fail. She could not fail.

[artemis20]

Artemis Fowl’s hideous movie: A firey review

Today I’ve decided to see the nefandous movie known as “Artemis Fowl”, just because my aim is to completely destroy that movie as that movie destroyed the book series. Caution for there will be spoiler from both books and movie. You can read my first impressions from the trailer here, and I can say that they did not change.

First thing: Disney decided to “unite” the first two books from the Artemis Fowl’s series in one movie, which is not a good idea at the core, but they failed completely, not only because of the alteration of the plot that such a cut requires, but also because the movie fails as a stand-alone, since it ends without the defeat of the villain, thus opening for a sequel, BUT IF YOU NEED A SEQUEL YOU COULD HAVE DONE ONE MOVIE FOR THE FIRST BOOK AND ONE FOR THE SECOND AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

So now I’ll list the pro and the cons of the movie.

Pro (very few):

The Ireland is as always wonderful, I longed to see the green shores, visually it didn’t disappoint at that point. Fowl’s Manor was also ok, I liked the setting, less the colours of the building.

The graphic was actually great, I loved the representation of the LEP technology and the City of Haven. In general, all the movie was a pleasure for the eyes and a knife in the heart and brain for the story.

I actually didn’t mind the cast, since the beginning. I had no problem with a black Butler, or Juliet, and to me Holly didn’t seem too young, actually she was as I imagined her. Female Root didn’t bother me, because the change of sex didn’t affect the character, so kudos to that. The actors also I think they did a good job; the problem is the writing for some of them as I’ll show later.

I was so happy to see Foaly, I was really scared that they would have cut him. We’ve seen him very little, but he didn’t seem OOC.

The Haven part was okayish? I mean the plot of the LEP instability was from the second book and it was mixed with the Mulch-Holly encounter which was from the first book. The whole scene in the end kinda works, and it is one of the two watchable scenes of the movie.

The launch from E7 with the lava vamp was very impressive, I really liked it.

The kidnapping scene until the beginning of the Fowl Manor scene when Holly wakes up was actually good, can we pretend it’s the only scene from the movie?

The battle with the troll at the Manor was also okay, a little bit different from the book but not too much except for one thing: Artemis that shoots and jumps, and he doesn’t fail doing that. That character is not Artemis Fowl II, not in a million years. In the later books Artemis is forced to move a little to save his life, but he remains unable to perform notable physical task, he’s at best as able as us couch potatoes.

End of pros of the movie, total watchable time: ten minutes at most.

Cons (very long list)

The movie has problems since the beginning, the first scene is the abduction of Artemis Fowl I, so it seems okay, but then we see THE HUMANS ARRESTING MULCH DIGGUMS. That is NOT possible, the existence of the People is concealed and it remains concealed, if Mulch is arrested, half of the premise of the series, the reason why the LEP acts in the first, the third and the fifth book (which is stopping mud people from learning that fairies exist) is cancelled. I understand that they wanted to preserve the narration technique from the books, which is that the author is Artemis’s biographer, but it doesn’t work this way. Mulch can work as a narrator, but you can’t have him narrating it to humans. In later books, there’s a character who would’ve worked very good as the role of the listener, and is Dr. Argon, who works in a clinic in Haven, and he actually has this role in the last book.

Since the beginning the entire movie revolves around the search of this “Aculos”, which is the source of People’s magic. This thing doesn’t exist in the books, but the real problem is how it is used in the movie. It works as a deus-ex-machina at the end to resolve the father’s abduction, because they finished the time screen, but they still had to save him. So no mission on the Artic, no learning to become a team, just magical teletransport (which doesn’t exist but ok).

Artemis in the first scene is surfing. Book description of Artemis Fowl II: “Riding was the only form of exercise that Artemis had taken to. This was mainly because the horse did most of the work.” He’s also described as having “two left feet”, he is not the perfect specimen of humanity, he is the greatest genius that isn’t able to jump a rope.

The scene with the psychiatric seemed great (ignoring the reference listed in the following point), but it was completely ruined at the end: Artemis would’ve never stormed off that way, he is not a normal teenager, he is practically an adult in a teen body. He’s controlled, he doesn’t externalize emotion to people, he controls them perfectly and is capable of acting and disguise his true character if necessary, and he’s able to play the emotions of the people he has in front.

Angeline Fowl is dead in the movie. That completely cancels the reason that triggers Artemis’s redemption. At the end of the first book he gives back half of the gold obtained by the people for his mother’s health, and in this book his family is pretty much the only thing he cares about besides his goal. Until the fourth book almost all his good actions are triggered by guilty conscience, caused by thinking of what his mother would’ve wished he would be. Angeline is the first positive force in Artemis’s life, and her worsened health is one of the reasons that we see such an evil Artemis in the first book.

The worst part of the movie is the fact that Artemis Fowl Senior knows about the People and works to protect them. Oh boy, I cannot even begin to list how much every word of that sentence is wrong. First: the Fowls were never protector, only criminals (yeah in the movie we are told they are, but they are justified by their motives, in the books they are criminals who care only for themselves). Second: Artemis Fowl discovers the Fairy People all by himself, it is the first time that the readers understands how clever he is, Artemis begins from zero (or only with the tales and legends) and he discovers the existence of the People, he manages to have a Book and have it copied, he decodes it and learns the language and the rules and exploits them for his plans. The Artemis in the movie doesn’t do that, he has everything already prepared by his father (to the point that I actually was led to believe that Book! Artemis was the father, but not such luck unfortunately). He is not a genius, he’s a normal teenager. I repeat: THAT. CHARACTER. IS. NOT. ARTEMIS. I will call him Orion from now on, since calling him Artemis is an insult.

Mulch mentions Butler’s name. OH. MY. GOD. His name is SECRET! Only his family and his dojo master know it, and he reveals it to Artemis in the third book because he’s in a death-or-live situation. There is no way that Mulch knows his name.

Artemis Fowl Senior was not abducted by Fairies, it was the Russian Mafia. People don’t usually mess with humans, it’s Artemis II that goes and start the interaction by kidnapping Holly.

Opal Koboi (who doesn’t even appear in the first book) is revealed to be the villain almost at the end of the second book, in a twist similar to the Bellweather’s one in Zootopia. Revealing it at the beginning takes away the twist.

After the call, Orion doesn’t deduce anything about the kidnapper and makes no plan, which Book! Artemis would’ve never done, but we are in front of his dumber twin soo…

Why put the plot that Mulch is a giant dwarf? He is not so much taller than other dwarfs in the books, I don’t see the point of this plotline.

Another invented plotline: Holly’s father. Holly has a parent who died heroically but it’s her mother, and she died because of mud people. This, in the books, is another reason why Holly doesn’t trust Artemis the early books, but in the movie is the reason why Holly trusts him, because their fathers worked together, exactly the opposite. At the end of the book, Holly relates to Artemis’s pain of having an ill parent, but it is pity, not trust.

Again, Orion does nothing but follow instructions, ok, let’s move on.

Juliet is too young; also, why did they make her Butler’s niece instead of his sister I don’t know.

This point deserves a standalone post, however I will start mentioning it here: I’m Italian, I’m fed up with the stereotypical representation of my country. It’s racist Disney, stop it.

Because of the Book’s rules Fairies cannot enter in a human building without permission. If they do, they feel ill, vomit and on the long run they might lose their magic. In the movie Orion invites Holly in the Manor but she was not affected by the rule at all. Also, this is the reason why the LEP recruited Mulch, he entered in so many human houses to steal things that he lost his magic, so that rule doesn’t apply to him anymore.

I only noticed when it happened that Orion changed in a suit after half of the movie. Artemis had to be forced to wear jeans from his mother.

The scene where Butler defends the Manor is also in the books but here Orion fights, I mean he’s not Artemis, who would have observed from a window

Why Opal claim to act for the People? Opal doesn’t care at all about the others, she just wants the powers for herself.

Why are Orion and Holly bonding? It’s too soon, they literally have no reason to trust each other at this point. Also of course Orion is so stupid that Holly manages to make him take off his sunglasses, he’s lucky that she was not book! Holly, because she would’ve knocked him down.

Mulch enters the Manor and tries to open a safe, and Orion declares that’s “exactly what he wanted”. Since I still hoped that that character was Artemis, I thought that either the safe was a test to prove Mulch’s ability before recruiting him or a trap. No, instead it was the fact that Orion isn’t able to open a safe inside his own house. How am I supposed to believe that this person is a criminal mastermind? He’s just a normal heroish-movie teenager.

Holly isn’t able to heal Butler just to create drama, also the almost death scene is supposed to be in the third book.

Artemis’s mastermind plan to overcome the People technology: not present

At the end they are all friends, even if they actually needed four books for that.

As I said before the magical resolution that they use to save the father does not work. There is no tension, no scene, no action for something that it was constructed at the beginning of the movie. The reason of everything is resolved in a magical PUFF.

Now that I see him more Artemis Fowl Senior is too kind and invested in his son since the beginning. He is supposed to be rigid in his education until he’s saved (one of the reasons why Artemis is also so stern).

They changed everything but they cut some of the best scenes: the beginning in Ho Chi Minh, Mulch that knocks out Butler, Holly’s escapade…

Artic mission (and therefore the evolution of characters that happens there which is a lot): not present

Goblin’s riot (and the plan to put out Opal Koboi): not present

This movie has the characters named after the ones in the books, it has the setting and the technology, but it has nothing to do with Artemis Fowl II’s history. They did the absolute worst they could have done plot wise, firstly because Orion says that he’s a criminal mastermind but he’s not even clever and the only criminal act that he does is the kidnapping (but we know from the beginning that it’s for the good of his father and the world, where in the books we discover later that he wants to save his father). As I already said the beauty of this series is that it shows Artemis redemption, from villain to hero, it’s a long road and it’s done gradually.

Second: if you want to make a stand-alone movie of Artemis Fowl, you could just adapt the first book. Opal is of course the most important and interesting villain of the series, but each book works also as a standalone itself. Even without a sequel, ending the movie with the victory of Artemis against the People works well.

If you did want to adapt the first two book in one movie, there was only one way to do it well, and it’s Zootopia. Really that movie is a more faithful adaption of the first two books.

In the end they only managed to make a movie without not only a good plot, but also an ending. As I said at the beginning, the movie ends with Opal still on the loose, so congratulations: you achieved nothing at all.

[lady-plantagenet]

Unsolicited Book Reviews (n3): The Sunne in Splendour

Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️(+1/2?)

Even before I had an account, I tended to go to tumblr to see people’s opinions before buying a histfic. Certain books are either severely underrepresented, where I feel like there needs to be something on them, whereas others, though talked about enough, something more can still be said about them. So for my quarantine fun, I have decided to start a series where I review every medieval historical fiction novel I read. Hopefully, it will either start interesting discussions or at least be some help for those browsing its tag when considering purchasing it.

TL;DR: Keep in mind that I’m harsh with my ratings. I don’t expect my historical fiction to offer some sort of insight about the human condition or be some perfectly manicured prose, but this book’s biggest detriment was its lack of depth. Some scenes packed a serious emotional punch, but then again I am attached to this era and given the length, it would be insane not to. I learned a lot - no lie, but while my background knowledge on the wars of the roses has become enriched, I feel no closer to Richard.

Plot: We follow Richard III from a young boy at eight right before the catastrophe that was Ludlow to his death and a few years after. This story seems to be told through omniscient third person point of view, which creates issues when it comes to voice - a lot of the characters sound the same (John ‘Jack’ Howard, Francis Lovell, Richard Catesby to name a few). This is only a natural consequence of the sheer amount of people Penman chose to portray. I’m honestly still grateful for this as I was not a fan of Richard III’s POV, but really enjoyed Richard Neville Earl of Warwick’s, Margaret of Anjou and Cecily Neville’s. Everytime these three were the center of the chapter, it was truly enjoyable and multi-faceted which comes to show that Penman is capable of writing complexity when she wants to. I would also like to add that the author’s knowledge of medieval life (e.g. the food, the dogs, the nature of battles) was a high point of this novel and did something to counter-balance the rampant late 20th century flavour in this novel. She tries way too hard to adapt a medieval man such as Richard to our modern values to propagate her Richardian Agenda, which ultimately underscored this.

It must be said though that the author clearly did her research as most of what she said regarding minutae such as: what day of the week it was, where the characters were at one time, details of documents, who did what in which battle, what laws were passed etc... I had just come back to this time period after some years and I thought I knew all there was to know, yet, here comes this book which springboarded me into a wealth of new research - I suppose I am grateful for that. However, do not let that delude you into thinking it is comprehensive. There were historical innacuracies which I can only guess were intentionally made for the sake of the author’s Richardian goal e.g. Anne Neville being forced into her marital duties when historicalMargaret of Anjou made it clear that there would be no consummation until Warwick would prevail at Barnet, Isabel Neville being ‘abandoned’ by her husband in France when really it was only about 4 months they were apart and it would have made no sense for Isabel to sail with an invasionary force, Richard III abolishing benevolence tax because he thought it unfair as opposed to the reality which was that he had failed in his initial attempt to raise them because the population opposed, Richard III allowing the marriage between Jane Shore and Thomas Lynsom when in reality he had initially opposed it... Historical fiction is entitled to innacuracies but given that the author made it clear in her afterword that the only time she strayed was setting a scene in Windsor as opposed to Westminster, it is dishonest to conceal the aforementioned blips, especially when they are so unobvious that it would take a seasoned enthusiast to spot them. As you can tell they either do have a negative bearing on Richard’s image as a saint or show detractors in a positive light, clearly neither that which she was in a mood to explain away.

Characterisation: I can not stress enough how well Cecily Neville was portrayed, every scene she was in, I felt. She tends to be a very difficult character to get because of the whole illegitimacy rumour which casts shades of doubt. She was proud but also pious, subservient but also commanding... just an incredible woman of gravity. I enjoyed Warwick in all his flamboyancy as well and Edward IV was masterfully portrayed as the intelligent but forgiving man that he was. You could clearly see how despite his indulgent character, he knew when it was time to be serious, it was a joy to read the scenes where he strikes people into subserviancy. Anne Beauchamp was also quite a treat for the little time we had with her.

There were also some portrayals of mixed quality: George Duke of Clarence for one, his warped sense of humour and charm were well presented, his unpredictability adequately captured. The issue I have though is that no man is unpredictable to themselves and while it may make sense for other characters to see his temperaments as those like a weather vane it would make no sense for it to be this way in the chapters where he is the POV. Penman’s basically wrote him off as crazy (I mean literally mad) for the majority of the story which is utter tripe given that the whole madness angle is a modern invention. I won’t write more on this now as it deserves its own post (btw if anyone wants me to elaborate on anything I said so far send me an ask). Last thing I will say though: the last scene we have with him is utterly tragic and still sticks with me today, honestly the best writing in this novel was during the ‘Anne’ Book and ‘Protector of the North’ in the years surrounding George’s death. Speaking of, where do I begin with Isabel Neville and Elizabeth Woodville? Their marriages with Richard’s brothers are portrayed negatively for no other reason than to set up Richard and Anne Neville as a perfect love story. This story-telling technique is cheap as hell and I did not expect to find it in a novel so highly acclaimed for its ‘quality’. Let me make this clear: The marriage which was hailed as a love match at that time was that of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV. Anne and Richard could have been just as much a marriage of politics as George and Isabel’s, or the latter’s just as much a love match. George fought for Isabel just as much, if not more than Richard did for Anne, George stayed loyal for a surety whereas Richard’s bastard John’s conception may have coincided with his marriage according to Hicks, Marrying Anne was highly advantageous for Richard as marrying Isabel for George... I could go on. Therefore, why is Isabel constantly described as wretched, miserable and at one point abused(!) by her husband whereas Richard was nothing but gentle to the happy Anne. The Mary of Burgundy proposal story is often cited as proof that George only cared about power... but what about Richard’s proposal to Joanna of Portugal one month after Anne died? This may sound minor but it’s a perfect example of the author trying hard to make Richard a modern romantic figure which he wasn’t. I think he may have loved Anne Neville, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was a medieval king and made marriage provisions after her death to secure the succession. For a 800+ page novel about Richard III some seminal pieces of information were left out such as his seizure of the aged Dowager Countess of Oxford’s Howard fortune, the mysterious circumstances in which George Neville Duke of Bedford died young and unmarried after becoming his ward. All in all, do not let the wonderful historical detail fool you into thinking this is a complete account of Richard III’s day to day life.

Don’t even get me started on the Woodvilles... They were all treacherous villains and social climbers who belonged in hell. EVEN ANTHONY WOODVILLE - what has he ever done to Penman or anyone? All scenes with Elizabeth Woodville at the beggining were bedding scenes pretty much, which shows that the author saw her as nothing more than a heartless seductress. There was even a point where Edward in his rage said: ‘you would lie with a leper if it meant you becoming Queen’ and I was just shocked at that. I was further shocked when her daughter Elizabeth of York was musing that if her mother had been a good wife her father wouldn’t have needed to stray and I was just like... ‘I thought we were trying to be sensible in this book 0_0’ - How is it appropriate to have a woman blamed for her husband’s infidelity? How can we have such blatant classism and sexism on the one hand and late 20th century wokeness on the other? It’s what I said earlier, the author can’t prop up Richard and Anne without putting down all other couples in this book. By the end of the book I was honestly finding myself cheering for Elizabeth Woodville as she was becoming the woman with sense and cunning as we all know her, the saving grace of this entire characterisation was that Elizabeth became the only person with a brain by the end (I doubt this was the author’s intention). Down here in this category of bad characterisation I will add Richard and Anne themselves. Anne Neville though often absolutely adorable to me lacked any personality trait apart from being in love with Richard and past sexual abuse by Edward (which didn’t historically happen). Anne’s father and only sister die and she barely thinks about them, which severely undermines her portrayal as a loving and empathetic person. Her death scene and wane was tragic and affected me as a reader but holy Christ before that the author was very heavy handed throughout the book with her martyrisation of Anne, even when she was a young girl and everything was going well she cried in nearly every goddamn scene. Yes, this is Warwick’s daughter we are talking about. Richard (unlike the real great man that once lived on this earth) was similarly flawless and any small flaw he had was something like: ‘too trusting’, ‘acts then thinks’ - essentially ‘too good for this world’ flaws. No one is like this, least of all the real Richard who would not recognise this weird contrived romanticisation of a man. The saving grace of all this is that he admitted around the end to himself and Anne that he did want to be king a little bit, which YES, at least we get that because no one goes through all the procedures he did and endangers the survival of their house, unless they wanted to become king, at least a little bit. All in all, if Penman’s Richard III is the real man, all I have to say is: thank god his reign was cut short because this character would have made a terrible and weak monarch.

Prose: And here is where another of the stars was deducted. The prose is largely very pedestrian. It was full of modern phrases such as ‘hear me out’, ‘He thinks I am in the wrong’ ‘he can’t get away with this’ and other such likes. Also, I know it’s difficult to write a book where everyone’s names are Elizabeth, Edward, Richard and Anne, but apart from ‘Nan’ which was a nickname of that time, the modernity of ‘Bess’, ‘Bella’ or ‘Lisbet’ and the use of them in-text and not just dialogue, did much to draw me out of the medieval era. This is not just a criticism towards Penman but a grand majority of historical fiction novelists of this period. Having said that, her choice to cut conjunctions and use the word ‘be’ intead of ‘is’ or ‘are’ did not bother me at all and I found it effective in dating the language a bit. I appreciate that writing in poetic prose for 800+ pages is extremely difficult, but other’s have done it. And even in other novel where that’s not the case, the writing is still profound and impactful and conveys a deeper meaning, whereas here it’s more of a fictionalised history book. The author appears to have some imagination as the few scenes she made up e.g. Catherine Woodville’s visit to Richard or Edward summoning Edmund’s previous carer John to talk about Edmund as he was trying to deal with the grief of losing George, any scene with Cecily Neville in it, Anne Neville and Veronique (OC lady-in-waiting to her) when they were in hiding, Rosamund and Richard at the end, Margaret of Anjou when she was lodged at that abbey, When Stillington visited George before his death to give him a rosary and last rites and he refused to get them from him, Anne and Richard going to Middleham and Isabel’s lying in state were just some of them. However, even if you took all those well-written scenes and stuck them together they would not be more than maybe 150 pages which is not good in such a massive novel. I really don’t know how I would rank the prose, I feel weird saying it’s at the low bestseller level because at least it’s not overwritten and annoying, however, it lacked a lot of soul most of the time, which is dissapointing given what Penman had to work with. I can see that the author has some strengths, for example she’s good at writing about the weather and the natural landscape, she’s also good at describing facial expressions. But her massive flaw is dialogue and flow - especially the latter. The flow is hindered by her abject inability to weave historical events and their happenings into the prose, so she often settles for an exposition dump, especially when it comes to some male chatacter’s POV such as John Howard, Francis Lovell or Buckingham. A lot of the characters exposited at each other too, which wasted the opportunity for some serious character profiles. Basically too much telling and not enough showing. In conclusion, It didn’t always feel clunky, expository or laboured, but it way too often did for the good to be redeemed by the bad prose-wise.

In Conclusion, I cheated on this book a couple of times when it dragged, but got right back into it whenever the good sections came along. It is one of these books which people cannot stop raving about and I can’t stress how much I wanted to love it when I got it. It’s nice being a fan of something a lot of people are too for once, but it was just not to be. But at least now I can say I have read the cult classic of this histfic niche which apparently everyone has read and cried over. Even though it took me 7 months where others got through it in a week through sleepless nights. Despite all the negativity in this review, I would still reccomend it as it is a solid book and written by someone who clearly gets the conflict and time period. You will learn lots with this book (I intend to keep it as a sort of timeline) regarding things that you might otherwise find too dry to research in depth e.g. battle strategies and sieges. But what you will not learn about is the characters’ psychologies and personalities though Penman tries very hard and heavy-handedly to exposit their feelings to us.

[elvendara]

Yooran Week 2020

For @yooranweek2020

I have to admit, this one had me stumped and took me a while, but, thanks to @booyakasha516 and her suggestion of a Werewolf Holiday, it was off to the races! FYI, there is nakedness in this fic but no funny business, and no describing the nakedness, very PG!

Day 6: Holidays/Cultural Festivals

 Mullin Salang (Love Bite) is a werewolf holiday of reaffirmation. It is a day that only comes every five years. Werewolves mate for life, yet, there are times when this may be mitigated by outside circumstances. The death of a mate, the injury or health issue of a mate, the state of mind (certain mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s etc.). Mullin Salang is a time in which mates either reaffirm their connection or sever it. It is usually celebrated privately, although some packs celebrate together. This will be Saeran’s and Yoosung’s first Mullin Salang Day.

 “Come on MC, what should I expect? It can’t be any more surprising than the beginning of mating season!” Yoosung prodded. MC laughed and patted him on the cheek.

“Stop worrying about it! Are you afraid Saeran is going to want to sever your bond?”

“No, of course not. It’s just, well, I’m not a werewolf so…”

“Saeran will tell you what to expect I’m sure.”

“He won’t! I’ve already asked. The little I know has to do with both turning into werewolves, how does that impact us?”

“You’re guess is as good as mine, don’t forget, this will be Saeyoung’s and my first Mullin Salang Day as well.”

“You’re right! 2020, we all got married within the last five years. But, has Saeyoung told you anything else?”

“A little, but mostly he said it would be better if I just followed his direction. It isn’t like the bonding that happens during mating season, there isn’t any magic. He said it was much like Valentine’s Day for humans, just a tradition kind of thing. Though he said the older a mated couple gets, the more the day is infused with reverence. I guess I understand.”

“So you don’t know much more than I do.” Yoosung wilted.

“Why are you so worried?” MC’s brows furrowed above her honey colored eyes.

“I don’t know. I guess…I kind of feel inferior, like, I can’t contribute the same as Saeran, after all, I’m not a werewolf.” Yoosung shrugged.

“But you are Saeran’s Beta. And that’s the only thing that matters.”

“Hey! There you are, you ready?” Saeran popped into MC’s bedroom nodding towards Yoosung.

“Yeah, I guess. You sure I don’t need anything special?”

“Positive.” Saeran grinned and held out his hand towards Yoosung. With a final look to MC, who gave him an encouraging nod, Yoosung stood and took the offered hand. He could feel Saeran’s excitement, his blood pulsed through his veins so forcefully he could feel it throbbing through his skin.

“I, uh, hope you’re not disappointed.”

“Disappointed? Why would I be disappointed?” Saeran laughed. “You’re taking this too seriously, it’s just a silly holiday.”

“If that’s all it was, then you wouldn’t be so excited. Don’t bother trying to deny it, I may not have your superior senses, but I do know you.” Yoosung stopped, in so doing, he effectively kept Saeran from proceeding as well.

“Yoosung.” Saeran sighed and hugged his husband, then pulled away after a few seconds, looking into the gorgeously brilliant lavender eyes. “I’m excited because I get to reaffirm my love for you, my affection, my bond, my desire. I’m excited because I get to show you how much you mean to me and continue to mean to me. If I could, I would ask you to marry me all over again. When you walk into a room, I still get goosebumps and my heart races. When you hold my hand, I still sweat and blood pounds in my ears. When you focus your attention on me and only me, I still get tongue tied and my brain buzzes telling me I don’t deserve you yet here you are. Loving me. Today I reaffirm that I still choose you, over everyone else in the entire world, none can ever take your place by my side. And I hope you feel the same.” His eyes slid away from Yoosung and to the side, worry lines forming on his forehead. Yoosung reached up and smoothed them away.

“Always.” He gave Saeran a soft smile then planted a chaste kiss on his lips. “Let’s go.” Saeran relaxed and led Yoosung outside the house and towards the singular path in the woods.

“Are we going to the lake?” Yoosung asked. It was a favorite spot of theirs.

“No. Not this time, besides, Saeyoung said he wanted to take MC there.”

“Oh, where then?”

“It’s a surprise! But it’s going to take a while to get there, at least the full moon will be high in the sky by the time we arrive.”

“What?” Yoosung was a little unhappy, it sounded as if he would have to walk for a long time.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you!” Saeran winked at him. As soon as they made it past the first few lines of trees into the woods Saeran began to undress. He took the backpack he was wearing and set it on the ground, folding his clothes and stuffing them into the bag. He handed the backpack to Yoosung and had him put it on. Once that was done, Saeran began to transform, his nose and mouth elongated, his jaw expanded, the teeth sharpening and coming in like daggers. He fell to his hands and knees, paws springing forth and fur sprouting from his pours. Once he was fully transformed, he shook his golden reddish fur, his mint colored eyes luminescent. He motioned Yoosung towards his back.

No matter how many times Yoosung witnessed this miracle, it still left him stunned. Saeran pushed at his abdomen with his snout and huffed.

“Right, sorry.” Yoosung sighed and did as he was expected, climbing onto Saeran’s back. He held on to his fur but tried not to pull too hard. As soon as he was secured, Saeran took off. Yoosung lay close to his back and tried to keep his eyes open. The trees were flashing around him, the wind buffeting him but even though Saeran was dodging and jumping and sliding under all these obstacles, he somehow managed to keep Yoosung perfectly balanced.

Yoousng laughed with exuberance. It took them almost two hours to reach the base of a mesa. Saeran slowed down and Yoosung was able to sit up. Saeran stopped at the entrance to a cave. Yoosung slid off, his eyes large and round, he’d never been this far out from the house before.

Saeran returned to his human form and took the backpack from Yoosung, redressing himself. Once he was finished, he took Yoosung’s hand and they made their way inside.

There were torches set into the cave walls and Saeran quickly had them lit with a lighter.

“Wow.” Yoosung stepped into an opening that stretched out to either side. In the center there was a pool, overhead an opening big enough for the moon to filter through, its mirror image shining in the water.

“I thought you’d like it. It’s not as comfortable as the grass at the lake, but it has its own beauty.”

“It sure does!” Yoosung’s voice was full of awe, but Saeran only had eyes for him. Yoosung was distracted as Saeran took his clothes off again and transformed. He nipped at Yoosung’s backside which made the blond yelp and jump.

“Stop that!” he swatted at Saeran but he also laughed. Saeran bit his shirt and pulled. “OK OK, I got it!” Yoosung began to undress, folding his clothes and setting them atop Saeran’s. Saeran had sat next to the pool and stared at the moon. Yoosung sat in front of him and did the same. Without warning Saeran began to howl, the sound reverberated around the cavern and in the distance another howl could be heard. Saeyoung. Yoosung watched his husband, the hair on his body standing on end. The power in that howl was humbling. He felt ridiculous but the desire to throw back his head and howl was overwhelming, so he did. His blond hair shook away from his face, he closed his eyes and felt the sound originate in his belly and travel outwards until it was released through his mouth.

They howled for several minutes, Yoosung’s voice never even coming close to the breadth and depth of Saeran’s but the intensity was accurately matched. Once they had exhausted themselves, Saeran cocked his enormous head. Yoosung was flushed with exhilaration. He knew what was expected of him and complied, leaning his head to the left and exposing the soft tissue of his neck. Saeran opened his mouth and bit. His sharp teeth pierced the offered skin and Yoosung gasped but did not flinch. It was superficial. Once done, Searan backed away and licked the wound carefully, he then sat back and reverted to his human form and offered Yoosung his neck. Yoosung gulped but understood what he was to do. He pushed up to his knees and sank his teeth into Searan’s flesh until he tasted blood. Saeran’s intake of breath was sharp, lacking pointed and sharpened teeth, Yoosung’s normal flat teeth were more painful on Saeran. Yoosung flinched but reminded himself that Saeran would quickly heal. He pulled away and also licked Searan’s wound. While it had made him feel bad to hurt Saeran in that way, the mark also made him proud.

“Will you remain my Beta for the next five years Yoosung?” That was the only thing left to say, everything else had already been said.

“Yes. Will you remain my Alpha for the next five years?” Yoosung answered and asked.

“Yes.” Saeran whispered. “I reaffirm my devotion to you, and vow once more to be your protector and champion.”

“I reaffirm my devotion to you, and vow once more to be your protector and champion…and lover…and confidant…and friend…and occasional nag…and…” Yoosung went off script.

“OK OK OK!” Saeran laughed and kissed his mate. “I love you dummy.”

“I love you too, idiot!”

[morievna]

Strangler Fig and Given - Ritsuka

I hope that everybody who is reading it is okay. It is rather anxious what is happening now... Personally I am fine – I am healthy and lucky enough to work remotely from home. And marathoning Twoset violin vids xD

I have realized recently that I rarely wrote about Ritsuka outside chapter analysis. I like him, but his character arc after volume 2 is kind of stuck and sometimes he is only there as Mafuyu’s boyfriend. Hopefully, it is just slow build-up since current arc provided some opportunities to explore his character further. Actually now I am interested when it all will go and whether story will take some a bit dark turn. Well, Gusari likes drama so who knows ^^

What got me thinking more about him is that when I reread Strangler fig some time ago, I noticed something interesting:

This part from Ritsuka POV  (chapter 23) reminded me of Seiji POV from Strangler Fig:

Even though it is worded differently, it is rather similar way of thinking about who needs more somebody in relationship. As though characters Seiji and Ritsuka are very different, both stories are about struggling with repressed feelings and relationships entwined with dependency, jealousy and possessiveness.

But before going deeper, there is another interesting thing – how perfectly fits symbolism of titular strangler fig with all of it.

Strangler fig was named for their pattern of growth upon host trees, which often results in the host’s death. Beginning life as a sticky seed left on a high tree branch by an animal, the young strangler lives on the tree’s surface. As it grows, long roots develop and descend eventually reaching the ground and entering the soil. Several roots usually do this, and they become grafted together, enclosing their host’s trunk in a strangling latticework, ultimately creating a nearly complete sheath around the trunk.

Although a strangler fig often smothers and outcompetes its host, there is some evidence that trees encased in strangler figs are more likely to survive tropical cyclones, suggesting that the relationship can be somewhat mutualistic.

[source]

Note here that whether we are thinking about the positive or negative, the idea is to use the symbolism for self-introspection and personal growth, so even if we are looking at the negative aspects, it helps to approach this symbolism with the intention of achieving transcendence. Intuitively, it is not difficult to see that dependency and possessiveness emerges as a theme in the strangling fig story. Are we forming a dependency on a person that is ‘strangling’ him or her? Are we using a person as a clutch for personal gain? Are we possessive in our personal relationships?

[source]

I found it pretty fascinating – thanks Kizu Natsuki for opportunity to learn some random tree facts xD

Okay, I am going to compare Ritsuka and Seiji - there will be some spoilers for Strangler Fig, but more just about character than plot. At the end there will be some speculation where I think story may go.

At starting point both of their relationship with respective love interest are quite similar – they both see themselves are protector of his beloved one. Seiji regarded Akira as crybaby and Ritsuka thought of Mafuyu as adopted stray dog. That’s why both of them was acting as they are more dependable one, who has to look after another. Of course I don’t mean it as something bad, I think just some people feel better when they are in charge actively and taking care of others as having some control of situation and not being helpless.

As story progresses relationships changes as well – in SF it is more direct like the quote I attached at the begining, where Seiji realized that relationship is not so simple and he needs Akira more than he thought previously. In Given it is shown more gradually with Ritsuka realizing Mafuyu’s influence on his music and what it really means. Over time Ritsuka is no longer teaching Mafuyu, but realized that his own music changed and that he have feelings for him – we see him struggling accepting sexual orientation. But after advice and support of others he is able to confess his feelings before live performance, which ultimately leads to him and Mafuyu getting together.

The same struggle has Seiji – as he tried to suppress his feelings while dating multiple girls at the same time. It was also related with family expectation – being heir to rich family, which owns big company and he was strained by it. We see much later in the story how much his father’s acceptance of his sexuality puts him at peace and allowed him to move forward.

But before that happened – there was a domino effect that led to tension and later separation between him and Akira. The factors were as mentioned earlier –  trying to suppress his love as well as  jealousy and possessiveness over Akira. Besides, he was unsure what Akira was thinking and feeling of him and that’s why later seeing Akira’s jealousy made big impression on him.  

In Given there are similar motives as well, jealousy is often brought up in Ritsuka’s arc as he is struggling with his feelings for Mafuyu. So let’s take closer look.

In chapter 18 there was Ritsuka’s outbreak about his jealousy of spending so much time with Akihiko. I found it interesting especially that he looks up to Akihiko a lot – whatever is it wanting to be muscular like him or looking for advice. All of it looks to me as he is insecure and afraid that Mafuyu will chose somebody better than him (in his mind).

It maybe is a stretch, but it is interesting how he commented to not wanting to be feminine while Akihiko appears to be more hmm traditionally masculine at first glance. But I am not sure that Gusari intended Given as gender commentary, so I won’t look deeper into this since it is a bit tricky topic. But still you can see that Ritsuka has a set of expectation about what he wants himself to be.

His insecurities showed back again in chapter 23 – he still is unsure what Mafuyu thinks of him and what wants out of their relationship. All makes him more trying to control and suppress his desires. In addition, he is afraid that he will hurt Mafuyu. Just like in Strangler Fig – Seiji is pretty much fearful too that his feelings will consume and destroy Akira. Both of them are quite unsure how to express their love and affection and fear that it will turn badly.

When Mafuyu mentioned that there was similar clock in Yuki’s home, Ritsuka’s reaction is quite telling too. It is interesting that he perceived it as some sort of test. To me it feels like he want to be worthy of replacing Yuki in Mafuyu’s life – like wanting to not be worse than him and setting expectation which he thinks that has to fulfill. It is interesting how much jealousy and insecurity are combined together.

In addition, this theme reappears in mix_3

It is quite peculiar how much is not believing that Yuki was that good in music – as it was easier for him if it was otherwise. It lines up with text on cover of this chapter – Ritsuka wanting to forget that Yuki possesed many of Mafuyu’s firsts. Again, insecurity.

As mentioned earlier – seeing Akira being jealous gave Seiji clue about he is thinking about him. I think it is possible that we see something like that in Given too.

Way back in chapter 5 there was jealous Mafuyu, but back then he couldn’t talk about his feelings. Although a lot changed since then, but still he has some problems with that (which is totally understandable) and his character development is not over after all. I think it would be good to see him exploring and expressing more negative emotions since it is important to acknowledge them too. So I think it will be something another situation with in the future and he will express and handle it better. Personally I think it would be interesting if it would be similar to mentioned case with Ritsuka and Akihiko – feeling jealous over person he looks up to like for instance Ugetsu.

On the side note, I will be surprised if there is none of interaction between Ugetsu and Ritsuka in the future. Or rather it would be wasted potential. To be honest I considered it a bit weird that Ritsuka was called a prodigy around volume 3. I would say he always appeared to be quite skilled and very hard-working since he was young, but being prodigy is sort of different thing. It would make more sense to me if it was done on purpose that he and Ugetsu would foil each other at some point and have some sort of dynamic like Oikawa and Kageyama from Hq. Besides, it would be interesting to see Ritsuka questioning his own talent and reasons to play music.

So where it all leads? *ominous voice*

Okay, so I will run wild with speculation.

As I mentioned several times before I think that Mafuyu will sing Yuki’s song and perform together with Ritsuka and Hiiragi and Shizu. My main reason behind is that it would be good closure for the story, tying past and future together into something new. But I am afraid that lots of drama will lead to that.

I think that current situation will escalate – Ritsuka will be more and more engaged in playing with Hiiragi’s band instead of Given. As a way to prove himself to be not worse than Yuki he will keep working hard and focusing more on music than anything else. Which of course will bring Mafuyu anxiety since it will remind of his past and will make him worry that it will repeat.

I think there will be some argument between Ritsuka and Mafuyu and it will too overlap with some Akihiko-Haruki drama (since Akihiko is trying to balance violin and drums I am expecting some collision like violin contest and Given performance happening in the same time. And you know these instruments have double meaning xD), which all of it will cause that they will disband or simply stop playing together for a while depending how much angst Gusari wants.

I think that Yayoi will try to make up for her mistake and nudge Ritsuka into talking with Mafuyu. Then they will finally talk about his past with Yuki (I mean it has to happen at some point) and make it up. Then I think there will be proposition for Mafuyu to play with them and sing Yuki’s song.

After all music is foundation for Given, but still main theme is love story. So I believe it is not about small band becoming successful, but rather showing Mafuyu’s journey – how he healed from past trauma and regained back love (Ritsuka) and community (Hiiragi and Shizu) as well as reconcile at spiritual level with Yuki by playing his song. This is how end of his arc would felt satisfactory to me, but we will see what Gusari is planning. Of course, I don’t expect to be right about everything, it is more that these are themes I expect to appear in story.

As always thanks for reading.

[fullmetalscullyy]

his protector - chapter 5

summary: “you no longer hold the status as my first knight.” that felt like a knife in her heart, but riza had expected it. harsh, but she knew the consequences of her actions and would accept them wholeheartedly, because it was for the king’s own safety. “you’re no longer a part of my court. get the hell out.”

rated: t | words: 3999

read chapter 4 | read on ao3 and ffnet

Riza returned to the inn she’d found Mr. K in. It was far enough away from the castle that she didn’t need to think about court politics or him anymore.

Apparently, even that wish didn’t come true though because the owner popped her head in with the rather nervous sounding announcement that she had a visitor.

Riza sighed, pressing her forehead onto the back of her palms.

“All right.”

She was currently lying on her stomach. The owner’s eldest daughter was training to become a healer so had looked at Riza’s back for her. Apparently, it was deeply bruised, and the woman had scolded her for not resting it immediately after it happened. She also didn’t take the announcement that she’d jumped out a window well either.

“Idiot,” she’d snorted and Riza smirked at her tone. She was inclined to agree.

They’d spent a lot of time together as she treated Riza, and they’d become quite friendly with one another. Rebecca was her name, and she regaled Riza with her dreams of making it out of the inn and into a town to treat people properly, instead of the travellers who found themselves on the doorstep of the inn. Rebecca had shot Riza a pointed look, who’d laughed and stated that was a fair point.

“However,” Rebecca had argued in favour of her home. “I wouldn’t meet so many weird and wonderful people if I moved into a boring old town,” she grinned, winking at Riza.

The door opened to her temporary hospital room and Riza geared up for the upcoming conversation.

“Al, I told you to go home.”

The room was silent as the door closed. There was no immediate response either.

“It’s not Al.”

Riza’s eyes popped open, staring down at the makeshift cot that had been her bed for the past three days. A cold sweat prickled over her entire body, coating her bare back that was open to the room. Her shirt had been removed so Rebecca could work on her entire back and help heal the muscles that had also taken damage when the blow was dealt to the lower portion.

“Did they do this?” Roy whispered.

Riza didn’t dare move. She didn’t dare breathe.

She could pick up every movement he made. Roy approached, slowly walking further into the room towards her. He paused by her side, no doubt staring at the black and blue mess that was her back. She shivered, feeling his eyes on her as if he was touching her with his hands.

“Yes.”

There was a sharp intake of breath at her admittance. It was followed by an exhale, the air let out in a rush. It caressed over the skin of her back unfairly and Riza squeezed her eyes closed and grit her teeth, her whole body tensing at the sensation.

This wasn’t good.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she managed to choke out.

“It’s safe. My men scoped it out beforehand,” he reassured her. “If it wasn’t safe, you wouldn’t be here either.”

“That’s not what I meant. After all, your safety is no longer my concern.”

It slipped out. It was the truth, but she didn’t mean for it to come out like that. She had to remember she was no longer on friendly terms with him, and he was her King. That was it.

That was a lie though. Despite it all, she still fucking cared when she felt like she shouldn’t.

“You’re right.” At least his tone was subdued. Dare she say it, he almost sounded sad about that fact. It must have been her imagination.

“Why didn’t you come to me for help?”

Riza scoffed. Surely, he wasn’t that delusional, right?

She pushed herself up painfully to her elbows. Grabbing the shirt Rebecca had draped across the chair next to her bedside, Riza swung her legs out of bed. To his credit, Roy quickly turned in place to give her some semblance of privacy. She hissed in pain as pressure was placed on her lower back as she sat up. Gripping onto the chair, Riza pulled herself off the cot to a standing position, unable to let out a sigh of relief as the pain eased from her back. Stooped over, she pulled the shirt over her head with a grunt as she stretched, and painfully made her way to a standing position.

“You don’t need to stand for me,” Roy reassured her. “Please, rest –”

“I have to stand for my King,” Riza interrupted him, unable to keep the slight mocking tone out of his title.

When he turned, his face looked pained. He was the one who cast her out. Obviously, he was regretting it now, but she’d been through hell because of his stubbornness and had almost died. She didn’t feel like playing the obeying subject right now.

Riza realised she was angry at him, and rightly so.

“Why didn’t you stay?” he asked. “We could have helped with that injury.”

Willing herself to calm down, Riza shuffled over to the wall next to her, leaning the side of her body against it. If it was anyone else, she wouldn’t want to show her weakness to them, but it was Roy. They’d been together for so long it wasn’t even something that crossed her mind.

He had been your best friend, remember. He ended it.

“I didn’t want to impose,” Riza replied.

Roy frowned at her. “You could never do that. You know that.”

“Do I?” Riza asked, her eyes sharply meeting his. “Because the last time I had a conversation with you, it didn’t end so well, and I was shunned.”

He was guilty. It was clear as day on his face, but that wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t undo the hell she’d been through for his sake. Maybe a few weeks ago, but not now.

The door to her room opened and Alphonse walked in, despite her urging for him to return home. He didn’t deserve to put up with her mess anymore, and it would be better for him if he did return to his family.

“Hey, Riza, I –” He stopped when he noticed she was no longer alone, and a disapproving look crossed his face. Riza would need to make a point to remind him that Roy was the King and while Alphonse may not approve of his actions or like him one bit, it may work in his favour if he at least pretended to be civil in his presence.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Alphonse asked, ignoring the monarch in the room, who’d turned to face the young man. Alphonse approached and from the look on his face, he was ready to turf her back onto the bed.

“I needed to stretch off.”

“I spoke to Rebecca. You shouldn’t be moving.”

“Al,” she sighed.

He was just looking out for her however it was smothering at a time she didn’t need it to be. She needed to deal with their guest first, then she’d stay in that cot until her entire body went numb with how uncomfortable it was.

“Riza, you –”

“We have a guest,” she interrupted, making a gesture towards the King and shooting Alphonse a pointed look. As she moved her arm, her back throbbed in pain and she grimaced.

“I can see that, but you’re in pain.”

She was this close to snapping at him again. He didn’t deserve it. He hadn’t deserved her earlier anger either. She was frustrated at her life and how she’d only tried to do good in this world, but it had ended up blowing up in her face. She only wanted to help people, but she ended up hurting them instead.

“I will, I promise. This won’t take long.” A different tactic, which would hopefully work.

Alphonse eyed her critically, then nodded reluctantly.

“Okay. I’ll be back in ten minutes.” It was spoken like a warning.

With the door closing and the two old friends finding themselves in privacy once more, it was Roy who spoke first.

“He’s right, you need to rest –”

“And I said I would,” she replied, quite snippily. “I don’t need to be babied.”

“We’re not trying to baby you –”

“We?” she scoffed.

Roy frowned. “I want to help, Riza. I know healing magic too. I can ease that bruising.” He swallowed after he finished his sentence, his guilt returning to his face.

“I’ll be fine, thank you.”

“Riza.” His frustration was showing. A long sigh left him, followed by a hand placed against his hip. His other rose to his forehead to rub it, then move down to rub his face.

“I’m sorry,” he apologised. “I apologise for my actions. I… I was a complete idiot, and I realise that now.”

His remorse was clear in his eyes. They shined in the light of the room as Riza watched him warily.

“Why didn’t you come to me for help?”

“You didn’t heed my warnings about the danger. Why would I come to you for help on a mission that apparently wasn’t dangerous in the slightest?” Her irritation flared.

“Not about that,” he shook his head. “That was on me, and I’m so sorry. I meant about your injury.”

“I was under the impression you wanted nothing to do with me anymore, Your Highness."

She wasn’t sure where this harshness had come from, however it was the truth. It was how she’d felt when her oldest friend and closest confidant dismissed her completely and ignored her. He’d betrayed her too.

“You’re still one of my people,” the King replied. His jaw set as he clenched his teeth. “I wouldn’t have turned you away.”

“I left because you made your feelings perfectly clear, Your Highness,” Riza replied. “I wouldn’t want to take up anymore of your precious time –”

“Riza,” the King uttered tiredly, surprising her. “Stop it. Please.” He was pleading with her.

Riza watched him for a second, noticing his posture and expression. He looked exhausted. Despite the tiredness and regret she saw on the King’s face Riza was still annoyed. He was acting as though it’d been her who’d upped and left.

“I understand your question, Your Majesty, however remember, it was you who cast me out, not the other way around.” Riza’s voice was hard and unforgiving. “I was only following your last order to me.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I also understand your frustration at my actions. However, it does baffle me at the same time. I was only trying to save your life –”

“You went behind my back,” he reminded her, a bite to his voice. He was getting angry now. Good. A shouting match might help them air out all the shit that had transpired over the past few weeks.

“To keep you safe,” Riza fired right back. “To do my job.”

“I asked you not to.” He rounded on her. There was fire in his eyes that was burning as he vented out what had happened between them. Riza understood the feeling of betrayal he harboured, but he was too damn stubborn to realise that it had been for his own good. “I asked you to let me handle it.”

“And where would we be if you had, hm?” Riza prompted. “Because I was right. The meeting was a plot to try and kill you.”

“At least I would have been there!” he yelled. It sparked Riza’s anger further. “At least I could have fought alongside you! Instead,” he spat. “You and your mage friend interrupted my court session with you bleeding out on my floor, poisoned.” Riza watched as his nostrils flared with his anger. His breath was heavy as he let out everything. “Imagine how I must have felt when you appear out of nowhere, dying on my floor?”

“I imagine the same way I felt when you exiled me for trying to save you,” she spat, not giving him an inch. “You cast me out for trying to protect you and do my job. If you won’t listen to me and you berate me for doing my fucking job, then why do you need me there? Why do you care?”

“Because I love you,” he hissed. “And I didn’t want you to deal with it all by yourself.”

Riza’s heart thudded in her chest. This was… a development, her brain thought stupidly.

“But no,” Roy continued to rage, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “You had to go off and do it yourself anyway.”

“To protect you, idiot!” The shock was gone, replaced by her irritation.

“And who was there to protect you?” he bit back.

Riza narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need protecting. That’s not your job.”

“No, but I want to,” he glared. “You just won’t let me.”

Riza laughed to herself in disbelief. “When you told me to “get the hell out” – your words, not mine – where was that sentiment? When you stripped me of my title because you were too fucking proud to accept help, when you kicked me out of your court because I “went behind your back” to try and save your fucking life, where was that same sentiment? Because I sure as shit don’t remember seeing it anywhere. Don’t pull that bullshit with me now, Roy, just because your conscious is weighing on you. Don’t use this as an attempt to try and make yourself feel better!”

He had no reply and Riza scoffed and walked back across to her cot. Her back was in agony, Rebecca’s healing spell beginning to wear off. She needed to lie down before she collapsed. As her hands hit the bed heavily, she could have sworn she heard Roy step forward, but once she caught herself and glanced over her shoulder, Roy was still. He was watching her helplessly.

“I’m done,” Riza announced quietly, turning away from him.

She’d had enough. This battle wasn’t worth it. Not anymore. It was like talking to a brick wall and there was no way through it for either of them.

Her father had always told her as a child that power sometimes went to people’s heads. It blinded them to what was really going on in the world. When in the position of a ruler, some Kings and Queens weren’t aware of the consequences their actions had on the people around them that they cared about. They had so many people to care for and worry about – a whole kingdom – that they often forgot to take care of the people closest to them. Riza was so sure Roy would never be like that. When it came down to it, he was a good King. Riza would defend that until her dying breath, because he was. He was kind to his subjects and was always open to helping with disputes and making things right in the world. But her father was right. With his power came great responsibility, and he’d lost sight of the people closest to him.

This Roy was not the same Roy she grew up with, fell in love with.

Roy’s mouth parted open in shock. He blinked at her once, then twice.

“What?” he stuttered. His anger was gone.

“I’ve tried to protect you,” Riza continued. “I did so for years without complaint. Went through hell and back for you with no thanks. I was justified in what I did, I think. Alphonse agrees with me. It turns out my word means nothing to you anymore.” Riza hated to admit it, but it was true.

Roy straightened his spine. It was like a rod had suddenly been attached to it. He looked scared, all his anger and bravado gone.

Good, Riza thought petulantly. It was childish but she wasn’t having this argument anymore. It was wearing her thin and she had work to do and people to help. If he wasn’t willing to listen to her, then her time with him was over.

“Wait –”

“I’m done waiting, Roy,” she told him. A laugh of disbelief left her. “As I said before, you made your feelings perfectly clear when you stripped me of my title and exiled me. I’m not going to stay to be a verbal punching bag for you.” She straightened and set her shoulders, her resolve resolute. It pained her back, but it was like she was shaking off the troubles of this situation.

Maybe one day, once her job was done and things had calmed down, they might work things out, but it would be nothing like what they had. That would be what Riza grieved for the most… Roy muttering under his breath to her about his true feelings towards a particularly annoying Lord, trying to get her to laugh and break her professional mask. The two of them walking through the castle gardens as they talked through his plans and worked through his thoughts. The nights she’d spent checking up on him, only to find him exhausted and asleep at his desk in the Royal Office. She would never again place a blanket over those broad shoulders and that back, one she’d sworn she’d watch until her dying breath.

That saddened her most of all.

This was not how she envisioned this conversation going, but if this was the natural course of things, then so be it. She wouldn’t put herself second for him anymore. It was time she put herself first. It would be the first time in her life that she had.

“I’m done.”

He was obviously panicking, because the King’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he could even formulate a sentence.

“Where will you go?” His voice was hoarse. He almost choked on the words.

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she admitted, because she didn’t. It was the truth. With Alphonse they camped or stayed at inns overnight. “But I do have work to do.” She was still committed to this job and was determined to see it through.

“Riza, please, wait –”

“I’ve waited for you for years, Roy.” She silently cursed herself at how quiet her voice had become. She cringed at how it sounded, so charged with emotion that the words themselves may make her burst into tears at any moment. “I waited for you to come to your senses and realise I was only doing my job and ensuring the goddamn King doesn’t die because of his own stubbornness.”

Riza glanced over her shoulder at him, hoping she didn’t look as defeated as she felt. He certainly looked like it. His eyes shined in the light, but it was too little too late.

“I always hoped the power wouldn’t go to your head.” Roy shook his head but Riza never gave him a chance to interrupt her. “It didn’t negatively, however, you were so focussed on bringing peace to the kingdom – and rightly so – that you didn’t stop to think how your actions affected those around you.”

Riza turned, away from the cot, to face him completely. She had one last thing to get off her chest. If he wanted her to wait for him then he was going to listen to what she had to say for once.

“Do you realise how much it stung to have you dismiss my concerns because you were so deadest on bringing peace with this shady kingdom? No one has even seen their ruler, Roy. No one knows if they even exist. In my experience, the land is full of dark mages, bandits, and thieves. They’ve tried to kill me twice.” Roy blanched. “That’s right. Twice. They tried to kill Alphonse. He’s a teenager. Please enlighten me before you go, Roy, because I’m having a really hard time trying to figure out why you’re so desperate to come to peaceful terms with people like that.”

He was silent. He had no answer for her. Probably because he was so blinded by his resolve and this “project”, he hadn’t fully realised just how bad the situation was over there. Being the King, he would have no reason to travel there on a trip to see it for himself. It was too dangerous.

“So, do you believe me now, when I ask you not to pursue it? No,” she corrected herself. “I didn’t even ask you in the end. I begged you not to go through with it. You dismissed me. You made me feel inferior. You cast out me, your oldest friend, when it was clear you were no longer listening to reason. I was only working in your best interests. For your own safety.”

Roy nodded. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Riza swallowed. “Good. Use this as a lesson with the next person you assign as your First Knight. Fucking listen to them when they tell you it’s dangerous because you’re far too fucking stubborn to determine that for yourself.”

Alphonse entered the room at that very moment and Riza had never been so relieved. He strode over and motioned for her to lie down on the bed. His expression told her there would be no arguments, but Riza was more than happy with that.

It was a painful affair, but they managed to get her lying down between the two of them. She groaned she stacked her hands atop one another and placed her forehead against them, her body finally relaxed.

“If that’s how you feel,” Roy swallowed. “I won’t bother you any further.”

Riza froze. She thought he’d have left. She didn’t realise he was still here. He was trying to keep things under control because Alphonse was there, but she heard the quiver in his voice.

Alphonse snorted through his nose beside her as he fussed, pulling her shirt up to examine her bruised back. It was almost silent but still conveyed what he thought about that promise.

“I’m truly sorry, Riza.” She heard Roy audibly swallow, even across the distance between them. “You’ll never know how much. I hurt you deeply, I realise that now. I’ll never forgive myself for that,” he whispered. “And I don’t expect you to either.”

It felt like a blanket covered the back of her body and she sighed quietly in relief as Alphonse cast a spell over her to ease her pain. Surprisingly, this was stronger than his previous one, before he’d supposedly left to return home to his family.

“I’m sorry,” Roy whispered before he stepped out of the door.

Riza remained still, her forehead pressed against the backs of her hands. The door closed and the sound of the latch catching was like a gunshot. It caused tears to build in her eyes. It was time to let it all go.

She’d gone against his wishes, but it was for his own good. He couldn’t see that now, maybe he never would, but it would mean he would be safe. That was all that mattered right now to his First Knight.

She still cared for him. In the moment, after their argument, she hated that she did, however Riza knew that feeling would never go away.

Maybe they’d grown apart and she hadn’t realised it? Riza had to admit, she’d been caught up in her duty and loyalty to the King. Perhaps she’d been blind to it too. Now she’d been freed, her eyes had been opened and she’d seen what he’d been like all along? There was no way of knowing. What was done was done.

Riza only hoped he heeded her one last piece of advice. Because despite it all, she still loved him. She didn’t want him to die.

“Thank you, Al,” she whispered, sniffing.

“For what?” he asked, his hands pausing as he adjusted the sheet over her body.

“The spell. This is a nice one, whatever it is.”

“Riza… That wasn’t me. I haven’t cast any spell.”

The silence that blanketed them was deafening. Tears dripped down Riza’s cheeks silently. It was a time to grieve for everything she’d lost.

[enapouyou]

Hello ! I am a French writer of Wattpad. Sorry in advance for my english ^^’ On my account, it's been a year since I work on a child NightKiller, Insomnia. And as some readers have sometimes redesigned and put on Tumblr, I jumped and I come at least introduce my little baby here too. Then in passing, I will also post drawings that I realize hoping that it will please those who see them!

~Ena~ 

And now, the Insomnia character sheet :

Born on April 6 ( Created on April 6, 2018 on Wattpad) Size : 1m75 Physical appearance : Skeleton with white bones. Pupil right nonexistence and left pupil blue sky, azure. Cheekbones marked with black traces that can be compared to traces of hate tears. Round and red soul separated into two circles. On the largest circle that surrounds the smallest, a black spot is visible on the bottom (since its 15 years). Has four blue appendix night he can make appear as he wants.(Némésis can not revoke them).Némésis : He is the corrupted part of Insomnia. He gave him a name to try to differentiate him from him.

Family :  Nightmare : Father Killer : Father  Incubux : Big half-brother Dream : Uncle Cross : Uncle All the other adults of the castle are his uncles !

Powers : He can corrupt a specific part of his body to hit harder or to cash a hit. He can summon bones and blasters even if he prefers combat with his bare hands. Do not feel the feelings of others and reach the world of dreams only once every 100 tries. He knows how to teleport or open portals between worlds.

Arms : His corruption, his tentacles and his fists.

Phobias : Black because his father scared him of his life when he was little. Now he can not stay in a dark place without risking hyperventilation. His room is decorated with hundreds of small stars on the ceiling that make him like a real starry sky, preventing him from sleeping in complete darkness. Water because one day, it has failed to drown. He is still able to take baths or drink water, but if he finds himself in a place where he has no foot, he will panic and run the risk of becoming alone or freezing. unable to go back up.

Character : He is very serious and thoughtful. He avoids acting under his emotions but is often overwhelmed by them. It is a very passionate reader who can read a dozen books in one night. In other words, his father's library did not last long. He is not very good at social relations with strangers and has a quick tendency to hit if he dares to insult his family. He never went to school, having learned everything at the castle. He has a big lack of self-confidence because of Nightmare who never congratulated him for what he was doing. He tries to compensate for it by working all kinds of magic, just to catch the eye of his father, his model. As a protector to his brothers, he is not the type to stifle or smother them, knowing that they are great and able to make their lives by themselves. He is discreet, the kind to fade to not disturb anyone, and often absent from the episode "nemesis" with a big tendency to always get into his shop, HavenTale.

Relationship :

Nightmare : They are appreciated, but it is difficult to live together. If the father is still disappointed in his heart of Insomnia's inability to control the part of the magic he inherited from him, the youngest when he is, almost kills himself to the task, really eager to please to his father. On the other hand, the fact that Insomnia and Nemesis cohabit perfectly together make Nightmare cringe (because he and his host are clearly not able to.)

Killer : Normal father-son relationship, all that is banal. He loves his dad, and his dad loves him in return. Although he would like this one to take his defense more often, or at least from time to time when Nightmare emphasizes his incapacity ...

Incubux : Being his half-brother is his best friend. The first friend of his age who lived at the castle. They are bullshit buddies and even with age, they still like to make other people run around the castle.

Dust : It was his fighting teacher. He taught him to use his bones and blasters but the young ended up preferring his tentacles and his corruption. But Dust has remained a very good friend with whom he has fun from time to time to test their strength.

Horror : Insomnia has always admired him. This guy is able to eat and it's good for everyone! Once, Horror left him cooking and Insomnia set it on fire ... Since then, he has only the right to help cut food or set the table.

Dream : He thinks he could adore her but he can not stay close to him because of his positive aura. She weakened Nemesis and ended up hurting Insomnia.

Cross : He finds it funny and at the same time, it has become Killer's rival. It's just a game but Insomnia and Incubux is trying to prove that their second dad is the best. So Insomnia has noted many of Cross's mistakes and he finds it amusing. But he likes it anyway.

What he likes: his family. Read for hours. Search the universe to find new books to quench his curiosity. Vanilla cream.

What he does not like: Make fun of his family. To see that his magical efforts never work and does not attract the eyes of his father. When Nemesis tells him uncomfortable truths to hear.

[sleepyfan-blog]

First Meeting

Fandom: Dreamtale AU

Set in the same AU as this

Characters: Nim, Ink, Dream, Nightmare

Warnings: blood

Word count: 1,466

Summary: Nim, dying and desperate, contacts Ink for help.

Nim coughed a little, shuddering for a moment as she stared at the twisted mess of blood and flesh that she had hoped to be the vessels that her successors could live in. Her magic was starting to fade, and she knew that her time was short. There were a near-infinite number of AUs with which she could try to draw inspiration from in order to attempt to create bodies for Positivity and Negativity - the little energy beings nuzzling on either side of her face, trying to soothe her distress and ease her pain. Would a monster’s body work? What type? Or should she copy a magical automaton instead, which would give them more physical endurance than she had?

Nim coughed and stretched her consciousness outwards, lightly brushing a strange creature - the self-proclaimed protector of the AUs. He was young, compared to her, but he was powerful and clever. “Please come to this timeline, I need to speak with you, fellow guardian.” She sent towards him.

He appeared within moments, leaning against his brush, the easy-going smile on his face fading as he saw the damage done to her and The Tree, rushing forwards and saying “I-I’m not sure what I can do to help you - I can try to heal you, but I’ve never been able to heal anyone who’s been as badly injured as you.”

Negativity let out a tiny squeak and hid behind his other half, growling a little, his violet energy flaring in shock. Positivity chirped a little, curious but his darker half’s wariness kept him close to both Negativity and their creator.

Nim smiled and gently raised a slightly trembling hand to both of the tiny spirits, gently petting them and sending a gentle pulse of calm their way, as she responded “I doubt that there’s anything that you can do. I am dying, and The Tree of Feelings - which is what this is - must not go unprotected. I have created these two to take my place - as I will merge with the Tree in order to ensure that it will heal from the damage done to it by my slain attacker.. But they will need physical bodies to inhabit, in order to…” She coughed, biting back a pained groan as she grabbed hold of the Tree in order to steady herself. “To defend it… I… I have given them all the information I possess, but they will… They won’t have any life experience to put such information into context… Please I… Please protect them while they learn their powers…”

Ink nodded, pausing for a moment before rushing forwards, his hands glowing green “I… Ican at least ease your pain, a bit? I… I will try to help them as much as I can… How old are they?”

Negativity hissed and actually charged Ink, passing through the soulless skeleton harmlessly, apart from a vague sense of distress and unease that he briefly felt. The very young energy spirit squeaked indignantly and charged through him again, nuzzling Positivity and clearly began to sulk, the little frown on his face more pronounced.

“... I brought them into being roughly ten minutes ago. But they cannot start out as infants - their magic is too strong for that, and they will need to be able to defend the tree, at least in a rudimentary fashion when you have to defend other worlds.” Nim explained, blinking for a moment as she focused on the other’s physical form. A skeleton, that should work. Powerfully magical, with enough substance to interact with the physical world, but without too much physicality all of the time to be overloaded by the sheer magical power and potential that both Negativity and Positivity possessed. She scanned several nearby AUs and copied two of the same skeleton. “I… I must merge with the tree now, so that it will be able to heal fully. Negativity, Positivity, please go into the bodies so that you will have physical forms, please." She ordered gently, trying to encourage them to merge. It would take them time to merge and acclimate to their bodies, and in that time, she would become one with the Tree of Feelings.

Positivity zipped over to the small bodies that she had created for the both of them, gently nudging a little at one, then glancing up, chirping at Negativity, who was still lingering near one of her shoulders. The violet spirit squeaked in response before reluctantly coming over and gently poking the body that Positivity hadn't.

"Go on... They're for you. These bodies should work much better than the last ones... I promise." Nim encouraged, coughing a little. Ink's healing was helping to some extent, but it wouldn't keep her from dying. She didn't want to merge with the tree in front of the very young spirits - they might think it was what they were supposed to do as well, leaving the tree defenseless.

With only a moment's hesitation, both Positivity and Negativity buried themselves in the chests of the tiny skeletons, one awash in violet magic, the other awash in golden magic.

Nim held her breath for a couple of moments as she waited... But the bodies did not start cracking and twisting under the strain of the magical power. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Ink - who was frowning with concentration and still healing her "I... Please stop. Since they seem to be able to actually stabilize with their physical bodies, I don't want to take more of your energy - not when I will still die, anyways."

Ink nodded, though he frowned "I... I try not to interfere in the actual timeline itself... But I... I promise that I will watch over them as much as I can."

"Thank you... This is all I ask of you." Nim responded with a small smile, closing her eyes and moving so that she was pressed against the bark, shifting so that neither of the other two energy beings could see her as her physical body sunk into the tree and her consciousness began to meld with the magic and power of the tree. She'd be able to watch over them as they lived, though there was very little she could do other than offer them comfort.

~

Ink watched this happen, his eye lights mainly focused on the newly created spirits. The one with violet eye lights - Negativity? Was that what she had called them? Stirred first, staring up at him and glancing at his other half, gently shaking one of the other's shoulders, a quiet sound leaving his lips, before he managed out "Dream! Wake... Dream! ... Please?" Tears gathered in his eye sockets, fear obvious on his face.

Oh no - what should he do? He didn't really dealt with children very much - and why had the other guardian chosen a littleswap Sans to give them bodies? Unless she didn't have much of a choice, energy wise? "I... Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you. She-" He gestured to the tree "-asked me to come here in order to help you and Dream. What's your name, kiddo? Mine is Ink." He smiled warmly at the other, hoping that it would help. He sat down where he was, not wanting to scare the kid.

Dream stirred and yawned a little bit, staring curiously up at him "Hello mister! I'm Dream - this is Nightmare! It's nice to meet you, papa."

"I-I... W-What?" Ink startled, a light blush appearing on his face.

"We couldn't have bodies before you came! Mama is the tree." Nightmare explained softly, not quite looking at him "These bodies look similar to yours. U-Unless you don't want to be called that?" He was pretty sure that was the term that more or less applied, from what he was told.

"No... No, papa works well." A small smile appearing on his face as he scooted a little bit closer to the both of them "Err... Do you have preferred pronouns, or have you not decided yet? that's perfectly fine if you haven't of course. I generally use he/him pronouns, but sometimes I use they/them... And once in a very great while I use she/her pronouns.”

Both of them stared at him uncomprehendingly, tilting their heads in opposite ways, as if trying to process what he’d just said. Dream rushed forwards, a bright grin appearing on their face, and tackled him, purring happily “It’s nice to meet you papa!”

“Aww… It’s nice to meet you too - both of you.” Ink responded with a cheerful laugh as Nightmare made his way over to him at a slower rate, shyly hugging him as well. They were both so adorably tiny! He scooped them up and hugged him tight to his chest, determined to protect them as best as he could.