#but the easiest way to explain it is she started off as a monk and then I got silly with it :)

[theladysherlock]

My girl Jess can have a little villain arc. As a treat. 

(Honestly this was just an excuse to play with some new glass textures I got in Clip Studio, and I’m having a great time)

ID Below the Cut!

ID: Jess, a young blonde woman is hovering mid-air with the use of stained glass wings, both fists clenched. The wings are outstretched and made up of lime green, dark green, magenta, and purple feathers. The wings also have a soft glow around them matching the colors of the feathers nearest the outline. Jess has her hair pulled back in a high ponytail and is wearing a cropped white t-shirt underneath an unzipped dark gray biker jacket, as well as some gray pants and dark boots with buckles. She also has white bandages wrapped around her fists like a boxer. Her eyes glow the same lime green as her wings. The background is made of dark gray and black smudges, and there’s a hint of orange near the bottom of the piece to imply flames below her. 

[pearl484-blog]

I've been reading Journey to the West for Fire Opal (its an old ass book that she apparently struggles with. My obsession with classical lit FOR THE WIN!)

Now, for background, we started off our knowledge from a summary given to us by Overly Sarcastic Productions. It's great. You should watch it.

Then, we watched Lego Monkie Kid, a TV series designed to be a sequel to the book with a lot of references to the series in a high energy action series with great animation. It's great. You should watch it.

But, if you're not familiar with Chinese folklore (or Japanese if you're a needy anime fan like me who liked Inuyasha and a few other series with Buddhist references (kinda did not realize how often those get in these shows, seriously)) you're going to miss a few jokes/references.

(The one about Mei, the dragon/pony descendant getting excited to meet her dragon/pony ancestor who must've been super helpful on their journey (He was FREQUENTLY forgotten by the authors of being a mother friggin DRAGON, they kept getting hung up on the whole acting as a horse thing) is HILARIOUS when you know how BADLY she's about to be disappointed.)

Anyway, back on topic, when we were checking out our book at the library, it was divided into several books (not surprising considering how big it is) and the first book was missing, so we picked up an abridged copy (only 700 pages. Yeah. Journey to the West is a door stopper at a whopping 20,000 pages.) It leaves out a lot of details, but even with OSP's summaries of each adventure, it was a LIFE SAVER.

Why?

Each friggin' character has like 8 names. You'd think the translators would give a quick rundown ahead of the book too, you know as a refresher for those who didn't have book 1, but NOPE!

The abridged version keeps each character with their easiest to recall nickname at all times and simplifies and explains a lot of mythology that English Speakers may not know as well.

Did you know that a winking wish is secretly a human? Because I did not. I've heard of talking carp, and wish granting carp. But not winking carp secretly being human.

Then there's the fact that the underworld can ask for bank loans from wealthy families on behalf of the emperor? What? Like, how does that work? Do you get a vision in a dream and your money's gone? Does a spirit collect it for you? Is it a blink and you miss it fortune? I am way too invested in these freaking underworld money lending deals.

Both are in Tang Sangzang's complicated backstory, and even with the abridged version walking me through it step by step, I can see why OSP shortened it into "basically He's the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, former pupil of the Buddha and the goodness boy ever"

Anyways: a few comments

Why OSP did you call the spell that tightens the circlet on Monkey King's head a migraine spell? I mean, that is REALLY underselling the horror of that little do-dad. I was completely unprepared for the description of it squeezing Monkey King's skull until it resembled a vase as he begged for Tang to stop. That's a teeeeeny bit more than a migraine.

2. Also, why in the heck is Tamg so obsessed with his friggin' alms bowl?

For reference, Buddhist monks are not allowed to carry money, so to eat, they carry around a bowl you can leave food in to feed them, allowing you to support your local Buddhist monks and earn good karma. This is completely socially acceptable and is seen as a good thing to do. For this reason, most monks serve in urban environments so they can serve a large enough community to support this.

Tang Sangzang is in the middle of a pilgrimage with DAYS of rural country where there may be no one to beg from around. And YET, he seems adamantly against foraging.

One of his detractors' major complaints is that he's so gullible and soft-hearted he keeps falling into obvious traps, but honestly. That's forgivable compared to sending your companions to scoure WHOLE MOUNTAIN RANGES for some rinky dink little cabin that may or may not be there and may or may not be willing to part with their food and may or may not be able to accomodate a vegetarian diet when they are living by themselves ON A MOUNTAIN.

Is foraging REALLY against Tang Sangzang's brand of Buddhism? Is it too much to ask for him to just...asks his companions to forage and make him a meal? He doesn't mind making them beg for him.

OSP keeps describing it as Monkey going to get him food, but I genuinely thought he was using his skills to forage, not cloud hop around till he found a house to beg from.

Granted, the group would have probably gotten attacked/tricked/captured/etc. another way, but SERIOUSLY?

3. OSP describes the fight against White Bone Lady as Monkey King just hits her and she dies, but Monkie Kid makes a BIG deal out of her. So, I figured this was one of OSP's jokes. NOPE!

Ivory white bone demon or whatever is literally one-hit KO-ed THREE times by Monkey King. Her special ability appears to be illusions and the ability to drop her body and escape into an immaterial form at the last second.

However, narratively speaking, her fight is what drives Monkey King away to leave the first time, so apparently adaptations love upping her abilities so she's more of a legitimate threat.

This DOES however make her line that she's grown stronger since Monkey King last fought her VERY funny. Because I don't think there's another major demon who gets KO-ed that quickly, especially one that has that happen 3 times! (You'd think she'd have learned and called it quits by the third time. Or at least distract the freakishly strong evil-detecting bodyguard somehow, but no.) So, yeah. You survived a single punch. You leveled up girl!

Honestly, rewatching her scenes knowing this makes all her talk of being powerful very funny. She's terrifying, yeah, but also it's funny.

Edited 9/25: forgot to add a read more line. Whoops

[inkweaver22-blr]

Four for four baby! This is perhaps the last of my daily updates as I’ll be busy the next few days. Here’s another little filler chapter but it’s a good one as it’s the first one where we directly see references to other creators’ Monkie Kid works! There’s three references here, two subtle and one explicit. I’ll make sure to have links to each work in the notes at the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy!

AO3 Link

<Previous | First | Next>

Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Four: Childish Behavior

Tang often feels like the only adult surrounded by children. Literally sometimes.

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If there was one thing Tang had learned about these timelines he kept jumping between was that they were consistently inconsistent.

The minor details that changed randomly but never really affected the outcome of the events from his original time were still abundant and rarely phased him much anymore.

(Although that one time he had platinum blonde hair had been interesting.)

It was when entirely unique situations arose that the scholar was caught off guard.

New events sprung up every now and then and inserted themselves between the original ones. As with the smaller changes, these new scenarios were unpredictable and varied wildly in scope.

A surprisingly durable MK clone that somehow managed to escape being dispelled, gaining independence, and becoming Macaque’s apprentice.

An ocean demon sinking ships just outside the bay and Sandy getting to go on that water adventure he wanted.

MK’s birth parents trying to reinsert themselves back into his life after seeing his achievements on the news.

(Tang was so incredibly proud of his kid for standing up for himself and refusing their empty platitudes. The pranks that he, Mei, and the Monkey King had pulled on them in retaliation were great stress relievers.)

Since Tang could still do his best to help out in each new event without horrible consequences, it seemed the rule of “No Interference” did not apply to them. He supposed that made sense as he had no way to predict when or if they might occur and thus couldn’t change an outcome he didn’t know about.

He was grateful for that small mercy at least.

Still, with how these cycles seemed to be endless so far, a few of these events would happen over multiple timelines.

Getting de-aged by a mischievous trickster demon or spirit was a strangely common occurrence.

MK seemed to be the most popular target for this particular curse. The brightness of his personality seemed to shine even stronger whenever he was reverted into a child, which simply made Tang love the kid even more.

(He wished he could have helped the Monkey King tear Macaque apart for kidnapping their precious little one in that cycle.)

They all had their own turns of having their biological clocks reversed of course. Mei was a little trouble maker, Pigsy was a shy and timid toddler, and Sandy liked to have things he could break apart. Tang couldn’t clearly remember the times he had been de-aged but was pleased when an exhausted Mei and Mk had said he was the easiest of the adults-turned-kids to take care of.

Then there was the Monkey King.

Having to corral a rambunctious young monkey with the strength to crush boulders and the ability to duplicate or shapeshift was not easy.

(He still had no idea how MK had managed to do it alone once.)

With the amount of times they had all been subjected to this specific curse, Tang only really had himself to blame for not seeing it coming.

Tang poured over the scroll in front of him, trying to find the counter for this timeline’s version of the curse. Behind him, Mei distracted a de-aged Red Son, or Red Boy as that’s what the small fire demon was calling himself.

Getting kidnapped by a somewhat feral child with the ability to freely toss around the True Fire of Samadhi hadn’t been the most pleasant start to his day. While being mistaken as the monk Tang Sanzang was a little flattering, the threat of being roasted over the sacred blume flames and eaten had quickly dampened those feelings.

Luckily the young demon had fallen asleep, the fires dissipating as he lost consciousness. If only Tang knew how to cast the Monkey King’s fire ward...

“Ahem.”

Tang glanced up and paled at the sight of a displeased looking Demon Bull King.

“Little thief,” the demon addressed an equally freaked-out MK. “I believe you have something of mine.”

“Father! You’re here,” Red Boy called out as he jumped from Mei’s arms. “I have wonderful news! I’ve found a husband!” He quickly ran over to a petrified MK and leaned against him like he was presenting some great treasure. “Look! Look! Isn’t he pretty?”

Tang had almost forgotten about that particular detail. If they got out of this alive he was never going to let MK live this down for the rest of the cycle. Prerogative of being a dad and all.

“What do you think father,” Red Boy continued, ignoring MK’s desperate plea for him to stop. “I can marry him, right?”

DBK’s expression was frankly unimpressed as he stared down into the hopeful one Red Boy wore. Tang had a bad feeling about what was going to happen and slowly made his way around the room to hide behind MK and Mei who were also backing away.

“No.”

Tang winced a bit at the bluntness of the answer and braced himself for the explosion that was sure to follow.

“What? But… why? WHY NOT?!”

The genuine hurt and confusion in the young demon’s voice would have made Tang feel a bit sympathetic, if Red Boy hadn’t tried to eat him of course.

“Because I said so,” DBK growled as he knelt to be closer to his de-aged son. “Now, enough of this. Time to stop being a child.”

Tang frowned. That was... not how to calmly explain to one’s child about why you were refusing their request. Not if you wanted to avoid a full-on meltdown. He should know, having to take care of a young MK multiple times.

Looking into the Demon Bull King’s scowling visage, he wasn’t sure if the older demon simply didn’t know how, or just didn’t care.

“That’s… NOT FAIR!” Red Boy’s disbelief predictably turned into anger as his hair once again burst into blue flames.

“THAT’S NOT FAIR! I am not a child!” The True Fire of Samadhi burst out around the boy, seeming to startle DBK who took a step back. Tang was just thankful that it wasn’t aimed at him this time.

“I… I’m not-” Red Boy’s anger quickly melted away, as did the fire around him. The young demon sniffed a few times before dropping onto the ground and beginning to cry.

Loudly.

“You’re recording this, right?” MK whispered to Mei.

“Obviously.”

Tang sighed at their antics and looked over at DBK. The demon still looked angry but the scholar could see the uncertainty in his eyes. He seemed completely out of his depth and unsure on what to do.

Tang took a steadying breath before mustering his courage and stepping out from behind MK. If Demon Bull King didn’t know how to act like a good father then perhaps he could show him.

If he survived this he was going to need a vacation to fight back against the grey hairs this was going to give him.

The other adults all looked at him as if he had sprouted another head as he approached the sobbing child and knelt next to him.

“Red Boy?”

“H-huh?” The young demon looked up in confusion at being addressed.

“I know that right now everything seems pretty unfair and that can be upsetting,” Tang soothed, keeping his voice steady and reassuring. “But I promise you that your father has a good reason for not letting you marry MK. Would it help if he were to calmly explain that reason without getting angry at you?” He aimed that last sentence more at DBK than Red Boy, who’s sobs had slowed.

“M-maybe…” the young demon finally admitted.

Tang turned to stare expectantly at the Demon Bull King. The demon glared down at the scholar.

“Why are you treating him like a child?”

The harshness of his tone made Red Boy start to tear up again. Tang glared right back at DBK.

“Because right now, until we can reverse this, he is a child,” the scholar snapped, his fear replaced with righteous anger. “And like every child, he deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. He deserves to be comforted by a parent whom he obviously adores and be told that it’s okay to cry. He deserves to feel safe and loved.”

The room was silent save for the hiccups and sniffles from Red Boy as they all stared at Tang. DBK’s mouth hung open as he gazed incredulously down at the human, seemingly struck speechless.

“F-father?”

The small and unsure voice of Red Boy snapped the Demon Bull King out of his thoughts, and something seemed to loosen within him.

Tang stood and retreated back to MK and Mei to give the demon some privacy as he knelt next to his son and began speaking in a hushed tone with him.

“What the hell Mr. Tang,” MK hissed into his ear as he stared wide eyed at the pair of demons on the ground.

“Language MK,” Tang hissed right back before leaning over to Mei. “I know you aren’t recording two incredibly powerful demons having a moment of vulnerability who would stop at nothing to destroy us if they discovered the existence of such a video, right?”

“Eep!” Mei nearly dropped her phone as she rushed to stop her recording and then delete the last few minutes of the resulting video.

There were a few minutes of tense silence as the three humans did their best to pretend that there weren’t two demons having an emotional moment together just a few feet away. They gave a sigh of relief when Red Boy launched himself at his father, wrapping his arms around his neck. DBK seemed panicked at first before slowly wrapping his own arms around the young demon.

Tang adjusted his glasses and gave a nervous smile to the Demon Bull King who was scrutinizing him like a particularly confusing puzzle.

At least he didn’t seem angry any more.

Perhaps they would escape this fiasco unscathed after all.

----------

I was not expecting this chapter to turn into another Dad Tang story. It just kind of happened that way. So onto the references!

First is Durability by TaintTheUnstoppable which is beginning to shape up into something really interesting.

Second is Little One by @its-kall-the-clown which is just a huge fluff fest capped off with some nice angst. Highly recommended.

Finally we have the Red Boy comic by @purble-turble! Now obviously the Tang in their comic probably won’t do what this one did, by this Tang is too much of a Dad to let a little kid cry for too long.

Next chapter won’t be up until sometime next week! See ya then!

[tbehartoo]

Bursting Bubbles

My piece for @thedjwifizine that can be found here. It's full of great art and stories. Check it out!

...

Nino looked up into the scowling face of his favorite seatmate.

“Here you go, Bubbles,” she said as she thrust a mango bubble tea into his hand. “One special of the day from The Boba Bar.” Her other hand slapped a small card onto his sheet music. “And here’s your other three week’s worth of drinks.”

“Aw, Alya you didn’t have to do this,” he held up the card. “This,” he grinned as he took his first sip of the drink, “you definitely needed to do.”

“Well you won the bet fair and square,” Alya huffed as she plopped down into her seat. “You really could find a way to get a harpsichord to sound rockin' when you DJ’ed Kim’s house party.”

“Scoops, I’m surprised you could doubt me,” Nino held a hand to his heart. “It’s like you’ve forgotten that music is my life.” He grumbled toward the music piece he’d been assigned, “It’s not like I’ve spent nearly three grueling years learning this European centered musical theory or anything.” Looking at her smirk he added, “Or that I’d hardly be the first person to experiment with combining old instruments to new music.” He thought for a moment before adding, “Or old music to new instruments.”

The next week it was Nino placing a gift card on Alya’s notepad.

“Your payment for getting me those sources for my music history essay, m’lady,” he said as he bowed to her.

“Nino, what-” she asked as she looked at the card “-what is this?”

Nino felt his face warm up, but he sent a shy smile in her direction as he sat down. “You were saying, the other day, that it’s been forever since you had a mani-pedi, but that they weren’t in your budget at the moment so I figured I’d get one for you as thanks for saving my bacon. I didn’t have time to track down those translations of medieval manuscripts for that Music Development in the Dark Ages assignment, but you did it without my asking.” He grinned at her, “You really took some pressure off of me and I appreciate it.”

She looked at him, back at the card, and back at Nino.

“I don’t remember saying that,” she murmured.

“You were picking at your nails because the color was coming off and said that you’d need to see if Marinette was free for a girl’s night so you could get her to do your nails again,” he said as he started to root around in his bag.

“That was two- three weeks ago?” she said, thinking out loud. She looked at him, but he was obviously avoiding her gaze. “I can’t believe you remembered that.”

His head tucked between his shoulders, a turtle pulling into its shell.

“It was easy to remember,” he said. “You had that sparkly red polish. It really drew in the eye. I remember thinking that you had the perfect hands for playing the piano right before you said it.” He quickly looked away again.

Alya was quiet for a moment before smiling up at him.

“That seems like a really nice compliment coming from a musician like yourself,” she reassured him. She looked back at the card. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this place.”

“It’s, uh, one of the local beautician schools,” he told her. “You were right about mani-pedis being a bit pricy, but my cousin is going there to learn to cut hair, and she said the girls in the nail class are crazy talented and eager to get someone not a relative to paint on, and it only costs about a fourth of what the pros charge.” He shrugged. “This way you can have like half a dozen manicures for the price of one.”

Alya lunged at him and caught him in a tight hug.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” she cried before releasing him. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Miss Cesaire, if you are quite done groping Mister Lahiffe I’d like to start the class,” the voice of Doctor Agreste cut through the lecture hall and every head snapped toward them.

Alya’s face was nearly as warm and red as his own.

“Yes, sir,” she squeaked as she pulled her arms back to her side.

“Now if we may?” the professor’s curt voice took control of the class.

“Groping,” Nino mumbled. “He calls one little hug groping.” He pulled out a composition that Madame Mendeleiev had assigned just that morning. “I’d like to show him groping.”

He was startled out of his grumbling when Alya whispered, “Me, too.”

Only three more weeks and I’m out of this class and I never have to see this man’s stupid face again, Nino thought to himself. At least after today it’s just student presentations before the final.

They had finally reached the Contemporary Era and the man was butchering even the easiest movements! And don’t get him started on the composers. He’d wasted over half the lecture trying to explain that Richard Wagner wasn’t really an antisemite, but that Nazi sympathizers, mainly Adolf himself, just liked his music so much and thought it expressed National Ideals perfectly! The man wasn’t even a composer in Contemporary times!

And that just served to take time away from some real pioneers of the era like Laura Anne Karpman whose music can be found literally anywhere. Or what about Meredith Monk who includes operas amongst her compositions, since Doctor Agreste seemed to be hung up over Wagner’s damn Ring Cycle. Of course he didn’t mention Yihan Chen the brilliant Chinese pianist and composer. And though the man would fawn and dote on child prodigies like Wolfgang Mozart all day, he wouldn’t give the time of day to “Bluejay” Greenberg who could hear several compositions in his head at the same time and then be able to write them with minimal correction.

Just, UGH!

Nino was done with this entitled little man and the racist ideology he’s attempting to spread about. He was certainly spreading something, but it smelled more like fertilizer than anything else to Nino’s mind.

He could tell that Alya was concerned about his agitation, he’d been clenching his pencil so hard he heard it crack, but he refused to look in her direction. She had a great talent for sniffing out these kinds of things and if he looked at her right now, he’d probably see his frustration reflected on her face and do something dumb- like start an uprising in the middle of class. He really couldn't afford to take this class again.

As soon as they were out the doors Alya started ranting about how it was obvious that Doctor Agreste didn’t even bother to check Wikipedia for sources. She made her opinion known that the good doctor didn’t like the era because more people were included in writing and performing it rather than just white, Western-European men who were either wealthy or had wealthy patrons. And stopped mid rant.

Nino looked at her and watched as Alya got an idea. By the look on her face it was a genius idea: an Evil and Genius idea if the cackle was anything to go by.

“Whatever you’re planning, I’m in,” he declared.

“I haven’t even told you my idea yet.”

“I can tell by your expression alone that it’s going to be the best idea ever,” he said with a smirk. “So want to let me in on our plan?”

She explained her idea and Nino’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, that man is going to regret crossing paths with us,” he chuckled. “Can you come over tonight? I’ve got plenty of stuff we’d need for the music portion of the presentation.”

She shook her head. “I need at least one day to fact-check my notes and another to find accurate sources. Are you busy Saturday?”

Nino thought for a moment. “I’m free in the morning, but I have a wedding I’m playing for in the evening.”

“Okay that gives me a little more time for research.” She smiled up at him. “So, Saturday morning we’ll meet up to pull things together?”

Nino nodded in agreement.

“Great,” she said, “That’ll give us Sunday to type up the report and Monday to practice for our presentation on Tuesday.”

“Tell me the truth, Alya,” Nino looked at her, “Is this too much? Are we crazy to put together a spite presentation in one weekend? At the end of the semester?” He brushed a bit of her hair out of her face and tucked it carefully behind her ear. “You already have so much to do for all your other classes. I don’t want this to be something that stresses you out or makes you do something that hurts you.”

Alya reached up and patted his cheek before replying.

“Nino this is going to be so much fun that I doubt I’ll even notice how much work it is,” she grinned at him fully. “I might pull an allnighter here or there, but I promise you that I’m taking care to not do too much. I wouldn’t have suggested this if I didn’t think we could do it.”

He held her gaze for a moment then sighed.

“Okay, let’s ruin this man’s whole career.”

She laughed loud and pulled him toward the school’s cafe. Obviously this called for copious amounts of snacks and his precious bubble tea.

Tuesday dawned bright and clear. A perfect day to teach about the subtleties of Contemporary music while simultaneously displaying the ignorance and prejudice of the most hated music teacher on campus. Nino sipped at his Thai tea with coffee pudding as he contemplated Alya’s plan of attack. It was a nice simple plan, but it needed something. Seeing a familiar outline hurrying across campus brought a smile to his face. The final nail in Doctor Agreste’s coffin just made itself known. He hurried across the quad to see if he could catch up with Madame before she reached her office.

An hour later he stood at the podium inserting the thumb drive into the computer for the projector.

“Good morning everyone,” Alya began. “As you all know we’ve had to jump over and through many musical ages and movements. That meant we had to skim through a lot of really interesting information. Nino and I decided to do a little bit of music through the ages for the Contemporary Era for you all. Now, get ready to get funky!”

That was his cue. He started the Powerpoint and Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” began to blast from the room’s speakers while Elmer Fudd stabbed a spear into the ground singing, “Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!”

“Welcome to Neoromanticism,” he called to those present.

The presentation went off without a hitch. Madame Mendeleiev had managed to slip in before their presentation and had stayed to the end of class. It was with great delight that Nino watched the Dean of the Music Department approach Doctor Agreste and congratulate him on the quality of his students’ final presentations. She even approached Alya and complemented her on the amount of research she’d done to be ready for the day. Then she turned to him.

“An adequate presentation, Nino,” she said with no trace of humor in her words. “Your compilation was a little heavy on the electronic music and light on the serialism, but I suppose that’s only to be expected with where your interests lie,” she paused, “and in light of the time constraints.”

He gulped and nodded his head. He knew she’d pick up on that.

“Please, send me a copy of your presentation at your earliest convenience.”

His eyes snapped up from the floor to meet hers. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining the slight upturn to the corners of her mouth or not, so he chose not to comment on it.

“I think I might incorporate it into my opening lecture next semester,” she remarked so offhandedly that Nino was sure he was hearing things. “It’ll be an excellent introduction to modern music for the freshmen.” She nodded to him before moving off to catch professor Agreste on his way out the door.

Alya was grinning from ear to ear and practically vibrating where she stood. He turned to her and had a fraction of a second to brace for impact as she’d thrown herself in his direction. Her arms were around his waist as she pulled him into a hug. He returned the hug with matching enthusiasm.

“We did so good!” she squealed.

He looked down into her grinning face and returned the smile.

“Hell yeah, we did,” he replied. “This calls for a celebration.” It was only then that he realized he still had his arms around her shoulders. Then again she was still holding on to him. He pulled back but kept hold of her hands. “I know you have another class in an hour, but do you want to go get boba to celebrate?”

She smirked up at him. “Only if you’ll let me treat you to dinner at Sabine’s tonight.” She looked to the side as she added, “And then we could go check out that concert in the park you mentioned yesterday.”

His mouth suddenly went dry. That sounded a lot like an actual date. Like a real date with this girl he knew he’d started crushing on some time this semester. What else could he do?

“Sounds great, but you have to let me bring pizza and dessert to our study date on Thursday night.”

Her laugh sent a tingle down his spine. “It’s a date!”

[thewritewolf]

After the End Chapter 25: Study

First | Previous | Next | Last

@marichatmay

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

“So is this everything you’ve got from daddio?”

Adrien looked at the mountain of paperwork, spread across folders and binders and ledgers, stacked precariously in his father’s old office, then looked back at his best friend with disbelief.

“Did you want more to go through?”

“Chill, bro. Just tryin’ to get the lay of the land, ya know?”

Alya put a hand on both of their shoulders. “Don’t worry, this is more than enough to work with. Let’s just start going through all this with an eye for detail and see where it takes us.”

“I just don’t know what we’re hoping to find.” Adrien let out an exhausted sigh as he pulled up a seat and grabbed a stack at random. “I’ve been pouring over this stuff for months now. What else could there be to find?”

“Adrien, my chaton, I think the world of you, but you don’t have a deceitful bone in your body.” Marinette took up a spot near him and took a ledger. “Besides, you haven’t exactly been in the best mindset while you’ve been on your own.”

“Having a bunch of extra eyes lookin’ at this stuff is only gonna do us some good. I’d bet my hat on it, bro.”

“I’m hoping you’re right.” Adrien’s eyes went distant for a moment as he frowned at a paper in front of him. “Otherwise, I don’t know how we’re going to tackle the Gentlemen.”

The next hour was spent with each of them pouring over documents from the elder Agreste, from anywhere between fourteen years ago and a month before the battle that ended his life. Despite his fears that it would be another tedious slog like it had been the first time, the off and on conversation with his friends kept things lively. At least, as lively as they could be while they were digging through his dead dad’s stuff.

With Marinette sitting so close to him, he was the first one to realize that something was up. He noticed that she was flipped back and forth between two pages, her nose crinkling in the way that he’d long come to associate with intense focus while she was in the mask.

He craned his neck to look at what she was, but it just looked like some internal memo from a couple years ago. There were vague memories of him looking through it weeks ago but it was just another dreary Agreste communication.

“Something up, m’lady?”

She held up one finger without looking up. By this point the others had started paying attention to her. All three of them waited for her to finish whatever it was she was doing. After a few minutes her eyes widened and she gasped.

“That’s it!” Her eyes locked onto his. “There’s some kind of message hidden here!”

“Wait, are you sure?” Adrien leaned over her shoulder but didn’t see anything out the ordinary.

“Yes!” Marinette pointed out a couple words in the middle of the memo. “There are a couple letters that have been randomly capitalized here.”

“Well, Nathalie was usually pretty overworked so I’m not too-”

“But its not just that! There is a lot more paragraphs than what a tiny memo like this would really need. And if you pull out all the capital letters from each paragraph…”

She sketched some notes on the side. Spaced out like she said and with the letters in place, they almost looked like a small sentence. A sentence with completely jumbled up words, but still.

“Okay…” Adrien felt a spark of excitement. He hadn’t expected to find something so quickly. “What do we do now then? It doesn’t make any sense like it is right now.”

“That’s where we come in.” Alya took the paper from Marinette’s hand. “Nino, M - keep digging through those memos. Adrien, find as many of those as you can to pass to them.” Alya pulled out her phone and began typing furiously. “And can you give me any important words that your father might have used as a cipher?”

After another hour of frantic work, they’d compiled a few whole papers of transcribed secret messages. They’d even pinned down that the only ones with messages were memos on the Wednesdays of each week, for whatever reason. And eventually Alya cracked the code - naturally, the magic word had been ‘Emily.’

Working as a team, they managed to get an entire one sided conversation decoded.

“Any idea where the other half could be?” Adrien said as they finished up.

Alya shrugged. “No clue. But these were internal memos, right?”

“Yeah…”

“So the Gentlemen had to have at least one person on the inside of the company.” Alya frowned and tapped at her chin.

“I’d bet that he also had them respond from the inside then too.”

Nino gave him a confused look. “What makes you say that, bro?”

“He was a control freak. There was no way he’d let it go out into something he couldn’t control, like the newspaper.”

Alya frowned in thought. “You might be onto something there, but we don’t know for sure right. We’ll have to make do with what we have right now.” She looked over at Marinette, who was pouring over the notes that they had made. “So… what’s it all worth, M? Was it worth two hours of our time?”

Marinette nodded slowly and looked up at them with her lips pursed into a thin, pale line. “This was without a doubt worth the effort to get it.”

“Well don’t keep us in suspense, girl! Spill the beans!”

“They’ve been working on this for a while, but basically?” Marinette took a deep breath. “They’ve got pieces of the old Guardian monastery and are using that to turn off kwami powers.”

They exchanged looks with each other.

“You’re… gonna have to explain that to us, girl.”

Marinette rubbed her temples. “Okay, so the Guardians are responsible for taking care of the miraculous, right?”

“Yeah…” Adrien glanced at the other two, who were just nodding along.

“Well, Hawkmoth wasn’t the first time a chosen has gone rogue. So they made their main base out of stuff that was pretty resistant to the powers of the miraculous. Or, well, they enchanted their stained glass and masonry to be that way.” She looked at Adrien. “If you tried to Cataclysm their building at the height of their power, it would have absolutely no effect.”

“But didn’t they get wiped out by an amok?”

“Yes - the powers of an amok, not the miraculous itself.”

“Seems like a pretty big flaw,” Alya said, crossing her arms.

“To be fair to them, those powers are both the hardest to account for, and have the miraculous holders easiest to take out in a one on one fight. After all, the butterfly and peacock miraculous don’t help much in a direct battle - they’re only good for attacks from a distance.”

“So - what?” Nino rubbed his temples. “They nicked some old rocks and that makes ‘em supes powerful?”

“Something like that.”

“Wait.” Adrien held up a hand. “Didn’t the old monastery get restored by the Ladybug cure years ago? Wouldn’t the monastery have resisted that?”

“Apparently the enchantments wore off a lot, and they had to spend years restoring them.” Marinette smiled. “But you’re right - the monastery is back. Which means they won’t be able to get more pieces of it, at least not without fighting a bunch of mystical warrior monks who know this stuff way better than they do.”

“But where does that leave us now?” Alya asked, elbows on her legs as she leaned forward.

“It means two things.” Marinette held up one finger. “First, it means that we know what these… let’s call them lodestones will look like. Old masonry, maybe something glass or jewel-like.”

Adrien’s eyes flew open. “Like that egg the Gentlemen dropped to get out of the alley!”

“Exactly! And two,” she held up a second finger. “Once their current stock is gone, they have no way of getting more. I’m also going to bet that they won’t be keeping all their lodestones in one place - between each one being a huge source of protection, from what I understand of Guardian magic, having them charged like this and too close together would break them. ”

“So… where do we start, then?”

“The lodestones need to be activated to work, and I doubt they’re going to keep them turned on all the time even though we know where they are.” Marinette started pacing. “And we know that since Chat’s transformation didn’t immediately drop that powers active before the lodestones are introduced are unaffected.”

Marinette stopped and grinned at them.

“I have a plan.”

[weirdponytail]

MIC!Arya and the Infamous Tarnag Temple Argument in IC Canon (AKA Modern Inheritance’s Take on Trauma, Religion, and Arya F***ing Apologizing)

Everyone gives Canon!Arya shit for the scene in the books where she gives Gannel shit in his own temple for having religion. I agree that it’s a bad moment for her character. I also feel it comes out of left field for Arya’s character up to that point but I’ll get smacked from here to the core mantle boundary for that by some of the fandom. I digress. This is very much not about my feelings on the canon version.

Let’s move on to how it might go for my Modern Inheritance!Arya and my version of events. 

A lot of what I write about in MIC is trauma related. Arya’s one of the easiest characters for me to write for in that regard for obvious reasons, and because I’ve shaped my mental picture of her over the years so she’s the one I have the most practice with. Please note that usually when I go to bat for Arya I tend to get my MIC version of her muddled in with canon, so I apologize for any sharp words, brow beating, etc. Anyway...what was I talking about? OH RIGHT, TRAUMA AND THAT WHOLE TARNAG THING. 

So just to further stress, this is Modern Inheritance/MIC right now. 

Arya’s coming off from a hell of a time. You don’t exactly process deaths of loved ones very well while being tortured, and while she’s juggling all that plus two near death experiences that occurred probably within a week of each other, Eragon nearly dying and his back spasms, the guy that tortured her and killed her best friend and her mate is dead but she didn’t get to have a swing at him, mentally preparing to face her queen/mother, the ‘a whole clan now wants to murder Saphira and Eragon’ situation, civil unrest in the city they’re in, just Brom being Brom, physical stresses from the whole *waves hands at previous paragraph*, she’s suddenly reminded that hey...the dwarves and humans have something that elves don’t. 

What’s that? Religion. And what usually comes with a religion? 

The concept of an afterlife. The general idea that when someone dies they have not really left. The comfort that if you pray, meditate, visit a grave, do something special to you/your faith then you can make a connection to your lost loved ones and friends. The promise that even though they’ve left this world, they’re still looking out for you. And one day you’ll see them again. The separation is only brief. 

And damn. Right then, that hurts for Arya. It’s like being kicked while you’re down. 

TMI and on but off topic: My mother died when I was 12. She had a progressive neural disease which pretty much destroyed her mentally and physically over the course of a year or so. During that year, there were a bunch of ‘spiritual’ people coming over. Not mainstream religion types, but still. 

I hated them with a passion. I hated them, the stuff they said about any type of afterlife or spirituality, prayer, the idea that the dead were not all gone, I fucking HATED that bumper sticker that says ‘if anything can go well, it will’ because ho BOY did that say something for the shit I was seeing and going through at the time. 

I had been agnostic bordering on atheist before but this was the nail in it for me. After mom finally died I was a real sourpuss/snarky little shit whenever religion came up. I insulted every religion any time it came up. I shut down anything having to do with my mom ‘watching over me’ or ‘being with me/us in spirit.’ 

It took me years to understand it. I was angry because I couldn’t bring myself to believe that after all the shit I saw, the pain my dad went through, that I went through, and the whole year of watching a bright, loving, intelligent woman that was my whole world turn to a fully paralyzed drooling mess with mood swings and no voice besides a pained moan...that there was any sort of god or spiritual energy or other bullshit out there. Because then why would it happen? And why to her? People say that ‘well if there is a god then why does war/famine/assault/torture/disease/etc. happen?’ but when it happens to you, and you were already teetering on the edge of ‘does it or does it not, maybe there is something out there…’ it’s like being smacked in the face with a shovel. 

I’ve got nothing against religion now, as long as it isn’t toxic or manipulative, etc. But I can see where Arya would be coming from. 

Because deep down, Arya sees what the dwarves have. This comfort in thinking that the dead aren’t all gone, and that all it takes is reaching out to them to share thoughts and feelings, and that you’ll see them again. 

And she wants that too. She wants it so badly. She envies their ability to think that way, to simply have faith in what they cannot see. She wants to talk to Fäolin and Glenwing (who is still alive in MIC but at this point she doesn’t know that) again, she wants to tell them that she misses them and that Eragon and Saphira exist and their deaths weren’t for nothing and tell them all the things unsaid...but no matter how much she wants to, she can’t get past everything thats happened in the past 6+ months and her own cultural beliefs. 

It hurts. She can’t think of anything else to say past the hurt and so she lashes out like I did. She doesn’t understand why really, but knows that religion and afterlives and all of it just make her...angry. Because what else could that cold rock in her chest be?

In MIC, Arya is not as stubborn when it comes to atheism or other cultures. Before the ambush, she frequently asked questions about the dwarvish religion, not exactly realizing that her questions could be considered more of ‘you dare question the faith’ than ‘so wait what if this happens? Do you still get to go to the afterlife? But what about when you feel a mind die? Where does it go?’ innocent type questions that come from curiosity. She still has the feeling that the money donated to religions could go to better places, but also realizes that sometimes the religions actually send said donations TO those places/the needy, and that structures/art/etc that were built long ago do kinda need upkeep. So instead of being a dick about it, when the dwarves at the temple bluntly tell her ‘would you shut up and leave already we don’t want to answer your questions’ she adds a cheeky ‘sure I’ll go as long as you donate to the Varden’s current fundraiser’ and goes on her way when they agree to donate.

But Arya still blatantly crosses a line by confronting Gannel rather sharply about her newfound feelings on religion while Eragon is there. She’s been following them as Eragon’s bodyguard (why the HELL did canon!Arya leave Eragon alone, even in a temple full of warrior monks, wheN A WHOLE CLAN WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM?!)  and she doesn’t even realize that she’s said anything until Eragon looks back at her like ‘ooooh nooooooOO ARYA WHAT THE HELL?! WAS THAT?!’ and she sees that the back of Gannel’s head is turning purple with rage. 

Eragon manages to extricate himself from it all and meet up with Saphira, and after a rather...heated...uh…”discussion,” Gannel finally flames that while Arya’s questions before pushed the limit, this was beyond unacceptable and asks what the fuck is wrong with her. Arya just storms out.

Arya comes back to the temple later that night, asks for Gannel, and pretty much kneels down and puts her forehead on the floor in front of him (MIC elves do this only when they realize they REALLY fucked up and use this stance as an open way of saying that they fucked up, apologize, and will accept the consequences) with a sincere apology for her earlier conduct. Honestly, her ear is still red from where Brom had twisted it when he caught wind of what she had done, but she’s not apologizing just because of that. 

She wants to learn how to pray. 

Not to a god or spirit, but how to talk to the ones she’s lost. The idea of religion giving a false sense of hope still hurts and angers her...but she’s realized that maybe there’s a reason why it can bring comfort. 

Gannel awkwardly explains that a way to get started is to simply speak aloud, as if talking to someone that isn’t there. When he realizes Arya isn’t pulling his leg or going to go off on him again, he decides to give her the ‘how to talk to dead people’ primer course over some mead and does his best to keep the more hard religion stuff out of it. As a priest/monk, he’s used to consoling people who have lost family and loved ones. He can pick up the signs easily enough...when the person isn’t ready to punch a hole in his fancy history wall. 

As she leaves, Arya apologizes again. 

And prods Gannel to donate to the Varden’s current fundraiser. 

[thatonecomicgirl]

So you want to play the Batfam in D&D?

Here’s some ideas for you—this party is unbalanced as heck, entirely human, and kind of a mess. I did this for Disney Princesses on another blog and am probably going to do more for other superhero teams at some point.

Bruce Wayne / Batman

Look, I feel like this man would be multiclassing as heck because he is That Extra. Depending on optimization and whether certain things matter more in your version of the bat, you might lean more heavily or entirely on one class more than another, but my main ideas for Bruce would be:

Barbarian—Path of the Totem Warrior. Use stats for Eagle but call it the Bat, or homebrew a Bat Totem.

Fighter—Champion, because Bruce hones his skills so heavily

Paladin—Now, I don’t see him as a heavy magic user, but Oath of Vengeance is pretty much his schtick, and he could use Gotham personified as a deity/a bat god or a similar being as his divine patron.

Rogue—Inquisitive, because he’s the World’s Greatest Detective guys.

Now, his background could be Noble, Folk Hero, or Haunted One, depending on what you choose to focus on backstory wise, but whatever you do for his background keep in mind that he is Rich as Hell so his wealth is going to factor in to how much he starts off with.

Alfred Pennyworth

The man takes really good care of the batfam, and though his background was British Military or spying if I recall, I would leave his class as Cleric—probably in the Life Domain, as he’s always the family’s rock and if they don’t make it to Leslie Thompkins’ clinic you can bet he’s the one helping them stitch each other up

Commissioner Gordon

Look, I know he’s not a vigilante, but he’s important to the Batfam and is on their side in the ways that matter. As a cop, I’d have him as a Paladin (Order of the Crown) or a fighter of some kind (maybe Battle Master?)

Dick Grayson / Nightwing

Dick would be—wait for it—a bard.  He grew up in a circus, remember?  But he would be College of Valor, imo, because he inspires the teams he leads and is a fierce fighter. If you want to multiclass him, I’d add Monk (Way of the Open Hand) as is useful.  As for background, I would lean into him as a Folk Hero, because Nightwing is respected among many circles, and back when he was Robin he was Boy Wonder after all.  

Barbara Gordon / Oracle

*slams fist on desk* we need some spellcasters and you cannot tell me that Barbara Gordon would not make a good Divination wizard. Let’s face it, it matches the name perfectly.

Jason Todd / Red Hood

Well, if you ever cast Detect Undead in the room, Jason’s going to ping off on that, so yeah.  As for his class, Jason’s a fighter—definitely has the Firearms Specialist feat—though I can’t decide whether I would place him as a Brute (these new subclasses are interesting!) or an Eldritch Knight ultimately. Both fit into his undead black sheep of the family thing.  

Cassandra Cain / Orphan

Okay so I would place Cass as some kind of Rogue—her stealth is known to be amazing, so perhaps a Scout, with maybe enough levels under the Fighter category to make her a Samurai, because of her assassin background.

Tim Drake / Red Robin

TIM why are you so d i f f i c u l t okay so I would make him a Battle Master fighter because of those other tool proficiencies and his intelligence would be higher than his wisdom because the boy is smart, but not necessarily able to transfer that knowledge to good decisions.

Stephanie Brown / Batgirl

Stephanie would definitely have a higher wisdom than intelligence for the opposite reasons of Tim—she means well, wants to make correct decisions, but doesn’t always know enough to do so.  I would place her as a rogue Scout because I’m reminded of her Spoiler days where she always had the intel on her dad to share, and she builds on that with the fam to maybe learn some wizardry from Barbara or fighting from Cass.  

Duke Thomas / The Signal

One that I know little about, but I’m going to go ahead and call him an Oath of Devotion paladin with some potential aasimar traits, depending on how you handle his abilities.

Damian Wayne / Robin

Rogue Assassin to start, adding some levels of either monk or fighter based on his inspiration from Dick or Bruce.  Since he was Dick’s Robin, I’m inclined to actually give him some Monk levels, as he would not be impressed by the whole bard thing, but his fighting? Heck yeah.

Kate Kane / Batwoman

I believe she’d be a paladin, Oath of the Crown to start with, as she was military if I’m remembering her backstory correctly, but then later would turn to Oath of Vengeance as she intermingles with the family.

Selina Kyle / Catwoman

Um. Rogue thief.  With a criminal background and maxed out charisma. She’s probably the easiest to pick out for anyone—I hardly have to explain myself for her like I do others.

Harper Row / Bluebird

Probably a ranger; if I recall she is a sniper?  Gloom Stalker conclave, because Gotham and because she’s probably going to need the disguise spells to hide that very recognizable hair and keep her brother safe and out of the line of fire.

Jean-Paul Valley / Azrael

Okay, I know the least about Jean-Paul of the people on this list, but I’d actually leave him as a Scourge Aasimar (the angel name was too good to pass up) Oathbreaker Paladin.  It seems to fit him to some degree, and while I know little about him I understand that he breaks off from the family and goes crazy, so Oathbreaker works for me here.

Helena Bertinelli / Huntress

Ranger—and I bet you’ll never guess what conclave?  No? Hunter Conclave.  Yeah, real original. She’d probably take Horde Breaker and Uncanny Dodge when she levels to them.  Definitely a crossbow wielder, or hand crossbow depending on what your personal game allows.  

Terry McGinnis / Batman

Terry is new-ish to the game, so I would have him be less extra than Bruce.  Probably a Champion fighter, with maybe some Artificer levels in there because Neo Gotham translates into battle magic tech for me—likely as an Artillerist.  His brother, Matt, as Robin, would probably just have the same classes. 

[dcbbw]

Bittersweet--Part 1 (Drake x Riley)

Unsure yet if this will be a stand-alone piece, or if it will spread out to a three part mini-series (Drake x Riley, Liam x Olivia, Liam x Riley) about the night of Liam’s proposal to Riley. The idea popped in my head at 2am after ear-bingeing (is that a thing?) some classic Al Green. Parts of the fanfic will be NSFW. It’s not exactly canon and at times, may seem a little OOC for the players.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please excuse any typos and/or grammatical errors.

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

Song Inspiration: For the Good Times, Al Green: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2IpoTKnDPw

Word Count: 3662

Tagging: @gennesaret @aworldoffandoms @sirbeepsalot @katedrakeohd @hopefulmoonobject @simsvetements @cora-nova @carabeth @custaroonie @liamxs-world @lauradowning29 @speedyoperarascalparty @thequeenofcronuts @wickedgypsymoon @timmagicktoad @brightpinkpeppercorn

Drake x Riley, Drake x MC, Liam makes an appearance

Liam and Riley stood in front of the hotel room door, Liam preparing to knock. He raised his hand, but hesitated, looking at Riley. “Are you sure? Once we go in, there is no turning back. If you want to change your mind, now is the time.” Riley turned to look at him, a gentle smile on her face. Liam’s dark eyes held hope, happiness and a hint of uncertainty, or was it heartbreak, in them.

She held up her left hand so the light caught the sparkle and glint of her engagement ring. “I choose you, Liam. I will always choose you.” Liam nodded, relief visible on his face. He leaned into her to give her a hard, passionate kiss which she returned with fervor, running her hands through his black hair.  

“Then let’s do this. “ He knocked on the door. They heard footsteps approach the door, and then Drake opened the door, clad in pajama pants and his signature white tee shirt. He was clearly surprised to see them. Drake took in Liam’s black tux and Riley’s stunning purplish-gray dress with sequins and sparkles.

“Hey, guys. What’s up?” Drake was trying unsuccessfully to hide his confusion. 

“Good evening, Drake. Riley and I wanted to share some news with you, and discuss something. May we come in?” Liam’s voice was warm, but his eyes were guarded.

Drake stepped back, allowing them entry. “Of course.” The pair entered the room, Drake shutting the door behind them. “You all can sit on the edge of the bed. I’ll take the chair.” Liam sat next to Riley at the foot of the king sized bed, waiting for Drake to take his seat. Before sitting, Drake turned to them.

“Drink?” He gestured towards the bar.

“No, thank you”, Liam replied. He turned to Riley who shook her head no.

“So, what’s so important it can’t wait until morning?” Drake sat comfortably in the chair, but his eyes were uncertain as he looked between his two visitors.

Liam cleared his throat, and grasped Riley’s hand. “I proposed to Lady Riley this evening, and she did me the honor of accepting.”

Liam looked carefully at Drake’s face. Drake’s mouth fell open a little, and his eyes darted to Riley. Not to her ring finger as Liam expected, but to her face. Riley gazed calmly at Drake, a small smile on her face as she twisted her ring around her finger, her expression giving nothing away.

“Well, well…that’s great!” Drake tried to put enthusiasm in his voice, but it fell flat.

“I think so as well, especially as she almost rejected me because of her…relationship with you.” Liam’s tone was neutral, his eyes unreadable.

Drake’s eyes widened as he looked at Riley, who was now looking down at the carpet.

“What? Whoa…Liam…”Drake was flustered, stumbling over his words.

Liam held up his hand. “Stop, Drake. Just stop. While I admit her confession hurt me, it did not anger me. To be candid, this entire engagement tour has been challenging for everyone involved, and I do not begrudge either of you for finding solace and comfort in each other. However, tomorrow morning, our engagement will be announced to our friends and the Court, and to the public upon our return to Cordonia. Once that announcement is made, Lady Riley’s loyalty will be to me, and me only. As mine will be to her.” Liam took a breath as he looked Drake in the eyes. “You have tonight to say your…goodbyes to each other.”

“Goodbyes? Is one of us leaving?” Drake’s eyes held a mixture of trepidation and confusion.

Liam looked amused. “No one is leaving Drake. Consider this a fling, if you will. After she leaves your room tonight, there will be nothing between you but memories and platonic friendship. I would appreciate it if she were back in her room before sunrise.”

Drake was feeling so many things: guilt at being caught, relief that Liam wasn’t trying to kill him, and sadness. A deep, profound sadness. She chose Liam. Just like I knew she would. He ran his hand through his hair as he drew a shaky breath. “That is a very generous and forgiving gesture, Liam.”

“It isn’t as magnanimous as it sounds. I, too will be saying my goodbyes tonight. To Duchess Olivia.”

Drake’s head whipped from Liam to Riley, and back to Liam.

“Don’t look so shocked, Drake”, Liam admonished. “As I said before, this time has been demanding on all involved, and while you and Lady Riley were comforting each other, I found some solace of my own. I am not proud of my decisions, but I am a man… not a monk.”

Liam stood. “I will leave you two alone now. Lady Riley, I hope to see you before sunrise.” He bowed low and kissed her left hand on which her engagement ring sparkled, his eyes meeting Riley’s. She lowered hers. He straightened and turned to look at Drake. “I will see you at breakfast, my friend.” With that, Liam strode to the door and walked out without looking back.

There was silence until the click of the lock indicated Liam was truly gone; that is when Drake jumped out of his chair. “WHAT THE FUCK, Brooks? You had to break my heart and throw me under the bus?” His voice was breaking as he yelled at her. “I thought it was us. I thought we had something special.”

Riley looked up at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. “Can I have that drink now?” she asked quietly.

Drake let out a deep sigh as he shook his head in frustration and hurt. “Start talking, Brooks.” He headed to the bar to make the drinks.

Riley let out a huge breath. “Drake, I don’t know what happened. We were at the Statue of Liberty, and he had a ring, and he brought my dog to help him propose. My dog, Drake! He bared his soul, and gave me every reason I wanted….needed to hear to make me see he was the one to give me the happily ever after I not only deserve, but that I actually want.” Her voice held tinges of sadness, but also of realization.

“I tell you all the goddamned time how I feel about you! I tell you what you mean to me, how much what we have means to me.” He handed the drink to her. Riley looked up at him and saw his face was twisted with sadness, dark with anger.

Riley felt the tears falling as she took a small sip of the whiskey. “No, Drake you don’t. You tell me how you aren’t good enough for me, how you can’t give me what Liam can. You keep asking what I see in you. That’s not reassuring me, that’s not declaring anything for me. That’s just you seeking validation.” Drake sat in the chair, stunned and too hurt to stand any longer.

Riley looked at him, openly crying now. “I don’t know how much love I feel for you Drake, but when I said yes to Liam, I felt sucker punched while my heart was bursting with joy. I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t want to leave you.”

“But…” His voice was cold, hurt etched into every line of his features.

She gestured helplessly as she struggled to find a way to explain to Drake the look of heartbreak on Liam’s face, as if his heart had burst open and its shards were piercing every inch of his body. His shame and guilt at being with Olivia. His anger with himself for not doing enough, not being present enough that Drake and Riley could not come to him with their truth. She decided to choose the easiest explanation. “I love him Drake. I am in love with him. Liam can give me what I need on a consistent basis….in words and actions.”

“And being crowned Queen has nothing to do with it?” Drake practically snarled the words.

“Fuck you, Walker.” Riley took a long swallow of her drink. “I know you’re hurt. I’m hurting, but we both knew I was here for Liam. We had a chance in the beginning to really build something, but you wanted to spare his feelings. Your best friend, remember? Whatever we felt for each other had to end there. And by the time we couldn’t deny it any longer, and tried to have something, I was as much your secret as I was his.”

Drake hung his head, hands in his hair. “You didn’t have to answer him tonight. We could have talked….we could have figured it out.” His voice was breaking with unshed tears.

“You weren’t there Drake.” Riley stared off into space; it was too painful to look at the man across from her. “I did not expect him to break it off with Madeleine so quickly. I thought I…we had time. I panicked and told him about us in an effort to buy time…..”She trailed off as she wiped tears from her face. “He knew.”

Drake’s head shot up. “Liam knew?”

Riley corrected herself. “Suspected, rather. He saw us a couple of nights when we snuck off the train. The first time was in Italy, after I told him I was too tired to spend time with him. During the engagement tour, he saw us exchanging looks, holding hands.”

Riley turned to look at Drake. “He was hurt, Drake. Said we betrayed him, not with our relationship, but that we did not trust him enough to tell him the truth. The two people he trusted most in the world were lying to him. And he still blamed himself for our indiscretions.”

Drake snorted. “He was so hurt he ran to Olivia.”

“Neither of us are in a position to judge Liam for his actions.” Riley finished her drink and reached over to place the empty glass on top of the chest of drawers.

“And you still chose him?” Drake’s voice was soft.

Riley nodded. “I did.” She went quiet for a moment. “We had a long, honest talk…the hard talk we should have had before he was on his knees with an engagement ring. In the end for me, it came down to forgiveness and who could live without me.”

She looked at Drake, her eyes filled with sadness. “It’s a hollow comfort, I know, but Drake…you are stronger than Liam. Not saying you will be fine without me, but you can and will shoulder it better than Liam. I do love you Drake, and I love how I feel when I am with you….but this is the best decision for all of us.”

“You don’t love me the way you love him. As much as you love him.” Drake’s face was blank, his tone empty.

Riley rose from the bed and stood in front of Drake. She grasped his hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I love you both in different ways.”

Drake rose form the chair, stepping close to Riley. He touched his forehead to hers, as his arms encircled her waist. “So this is goodbye?”

“Not goodbye to us! Just to the lovers we were.” Riley tried to sound comforting and slightly upbeat, but she knew…they both knew, that things would be different when she left him tonight. That whatever they managed to salvage from the ashes of what they had now would be awkward and pale in comparison.

They stood there in silence, foreheads still pressed together. Drake finally lifted his head, looking at Riley. There was a resigned countenance to his demeanor.

“Drake, what are you thinking?” Her arms had wrapped around his waist.

“You won’t change your mind?” There was defeat in his voice.

Riley shook her head. “No, I won’t.” Her tone was apologetic.

Drake took a deep sigh. “Then what I’m thinking is that if this is the last time I get to be with you, I would be a damned fool to waste the opportunity.”

Riley let go of him as she stepped away. “No one has ever accused Drake Walker of being foolish”, she said softly, a touch of teasing in her voice. She stepped out of her heels, and unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor. Drake stared at the puddle of fabric, letting his eyes slowly drift up her body.

“Come to me, Brooks”, he whispered.

Riley stepped forward, clad in bra, panties, and black lace thigh high stockings. He reached out and pulled her close, his lips finding hers. The kiss started off soft and tentative, each feeling the other out. Riley pulled him closer as his tongue invaded her mouth more insistently. Drake’s arms lowered from her waist to her lower back as he pulled Riley even closer. She moaned as he growled, the kiss becoming more heated, more harsh.

Drake broke the kiss as his hands trailed up Riley’s back, his breathing heavy, eyes filled with lust. His hands reached the back of her bra, and she felt it loosening as he quickly unclasped it. He gently pulled the straps down and off, her breasts tumbling from the cups. He gently grabbed her breasts, hefting them in his hand. A grin crossed his lips as he pulled her close. Riley parted her lips for a kiss, but he pushed her backwards, and she found herself on her back, on the bed. She gasped in surprise.

Drake looked at her with a smirk as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Don’t move.” He pulled off his pajama pants, and approached the bed. “Scoot up.” Riley looked at him with a sexy look on her face as she obeyed. Drake stretched out in between her legs, kissing his way up one leg as his hand trailed a similar path on her other one. He reached the inside of her thighs, kneading the skin on both with his large, rough hands as his tongue licked the crotch of her panties.

Riley laid back on the pillows, getting lost under Drake’s touch. Sex with Drake so much more different than sex with Liam; Liam was more precise, which allowed Riley to experience each touch and sensation separately. Sex with Drake was like an unmade bed, all the random sensations blending together. If Liam made her drown, Drake made her float. A low moan escaped her as she felt his teeth nipping at her center through her panties.

She reached down to pull the underwear off. “These are getting in the way.” Drake helped her remove the offending garment. “I agree.” Drake tossed them over his shoulder once they were off her body, and buried his head in her pussy. He breathed in deeply, letting her scent enter his mouth and nostrils. He wanted all of her, all over him. His tongue licked her from clit to ass crack, slowly at first, but his passion soon carried him away. In contrast to his tongue lapping quickly at her sensitive folds, the two fingers he had inserted into her entry hole were slowly, tantalizingly pumping in and out.

Drake loved the feel of her creamy wetness on his fingers, and the taste of it on his tongue. Riley was tweaking and pinching her nipples, moaning. Softly as first, but growing louder. “Ooohhh, Drake.” Drake was teasing her clit now, alternating between licking it with the tip of his tongue, and biting it. Riley sucked in her breath, releasing it in a hiss.

“Kiss me!” She demanded.

Drake raised his head as he pulled his fingers out, holding them in the air. “Clean my fingers first.”

He pulled his body atop hers, holding his wet fingers above her mouth. She slightly opened her mouth and he slid his fingers in. His cock stiffened even more as he felt her tongue suck and lick around his fingers, and he buried his head into her neck leaving butterfly kisses. “I want to taste all of you”, he murmured. Riley was puzzled. “Okay”, she responded quizzically. “Turn over.” Riley did so with a confused look on her face.

She felt the trail of kisses beginning from the nape of her neck and continuing down her spine. She closed her eyes, and relaxed as his lips and tongue made their way down her body. He reached her ass. He began with light kisses on each cheek, then he spread her ass apart, and she felt his tongue dart into her dark hole. Riley’s eyes flew open at the strange sensation. Dear God, he’s eating the groceries! She felt his strong hands on either cheek, as he tongue fucked her ass. “Oh.My.God”, she breathed. “You like that, baby?” Drake’s question was muffled. “Sweet Jesus, yes!” Drake moaned as his tongue continued to pump in and out of the tight, puckered hole. Riley was writhing in the bed. Dear God, I need him. All of him.

“Drake….” Her voice was pleading.

Drake knew what that tone meant. He reluctantly raised his head, and gave her ass a light smack. “Be right back.” He padded into the bathroom, and soon after Riley heard him gargling, followed by water running in the basin. He came out shortly after and climbed in bed beside her. His face smelled of soap and mouthwash. Their eyes met and they fell into a passionate kiss. Riley’s hand trailed lightly down his chest and abdomen until she was grasping his hardness in her hand. She slowly pumped him as their tongues intertwined.

She broke the kiss to slide her body down the bed and crawl between his legs. He looked at her, silently begging her to take him with her mouth. She met his eyes as her lips covered his manhood, feeling the thickness fill her mouth. “Ahhhh…..” Drake’s head fell back as he felt the warm wetness around his cock. Riley sucked him slowly, her tongue swirling around the head of his cock before deep throating him again. Her eyes were closed in both pleasure and concentration. She gripped his base as she sucked the length of him, feeling him grow harder in her mouth.

“I want you, Brooks.”

Riley moaned and shook her head no as she continued to let her tongue twirl around his cock as she sucked contentedly, like a baby with a bottle. “Yes”, he growled. She lifted her head and crawled towards him. “Take me, Brooks.” Riley straddled him, sliding down on his cock slowly.

They both gasped as he filled her. He grabbed her breasts as they bounced up and down, while she steadied herself by splaying her hands on his strong shoulders. She rode him hard and fast. She wanted to take her time, savor this time with him, but she was too close to the edge. Drake moved his hands to her ass, cupping her cheeks as he practically pushed her down on his cock, silently demanding she take all of him.

“Drake”, she whimpered.

“Give it to me, Brooks! Give it to me, all of it”, Drake grunted. Riley was bouncing up and down on his cock, her hands gripping his shoulders now, as her breathing got shorter and faster. She felt his cock tighten inside of her right before he let out a yell. “Goddamnit, Brooks!!” The feeling of his seed spilling inside of her sent Riley flying over the edge, and she felt her center pulsing around his cock as she fell forward with soft whimpers and moans. She slowly rolled off Drake, settling into his arms as they lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“That was incredible”, she panted.

“I’m going to miss you, Brooks.” His tone was resigned, signaling his acceptance of her decision.

“We’ll still be friends, Drake.”

“Will that be enough?” He pulled her closer, and kissed the top of her head.

“It will have to be.” Riley sighed.

She pulled herself from his embrace to get out of bed. He held her tightly. “Don’t leave yet. Please.” She snuggled back into his embrace, holding her lover for the last time. She felt his strong arms wrapped around her, and she breathed in his scent. She touched his hair, and ran her hand over his chest and abs. Trying to commit his body to memory. She laid her head on his chest, and it was his heartbeat that lulled her to sleep.  

She woke with a start a couple of hours later.The room was dark, just peeks of moonlight making its way through the thick curtains. Drake was asleep on his side. Riley quietly got up from the bed, searching in the dark room for her clothing. She slipped into her dress, and decided to carry her under garments in one hand, her shoes in the other. It was 3am, who would see her? She gave one last look at Drake, his back to her as he slept.

“Good night, Drake”, she whispered.

“Good night, Riley.” His voice was clear, flat, sad with no trace of sleep.

Riley’s breath caught. He said Riley. Not Brooks. I will never be Brooks to him again.

As she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her, tears began falling from her eyes.

[alternative27angel]

Fox Hunt Ch. 3

This took longer than expected. Fell down the rabbit hole when rebuilding (or plainly just building) the lore.

Chapter Summary: Before Marinette agrees to any kind of magical tasks for secret, possibly cosmic beings, she’s going to need some answers.

Also on AO3

-x-x-x-

It was a mouse?? A fox??? A flying mouse-fox!?

Whatever it was, it had Marinette screaming in terror and flinging everything she could to get it away from her. Not that that seemed to bother it. It just kept staring at her and occasionally swaying side to side to avoid whatever got too close to making contact.

"Marinette," it called out, "take a deep breath. I'm not a mouse or a fox–technically speaking. I'm a kwami, and I can explain everything."

She took a deep breath as it suggested, and then proceeded to babble more.

The kwami-thing quickly flew over and held a paw in front of her face. "But it's kinda hard to talk when you're panicking like that."

Being so close to it startled Marinette into silence. The kwami sighed in relief and flew back a few feet to give her space.

"Now then. My name is Trixx, and as I just said, I'm a kwami. I'm here because you've been chosen to help us save the Miraculous from falling into the hands of evil. Any questions?"

Marinette blinked.

"Uh… yeah. First off, what's a kwami, where'd you come from, what are Miraculous, what do you mean by "hands of evil", who is "us", and-" here she lunged forward and got right into Trixx's face "-WHY ME?"

Trixx, startled despite their self, held up both paws and backed further away. "Excellent questions! Let's work on volume, though. No one can know I exist, and that goes for your parents too. Secrecy is of the utmost importance."

"Uh…"

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything later," the kwami waved away her various questions. "For now, just know that kwami are god-like beings, born at the very beginning of existence, that grant magical powers unto humans–and we can be abused if we fall into the wrong hands."

A solemn pause followed that ominous note. 'As they are now,' went unspoken. Marinette could read between the lines well enough to get that much.

After a breath, Trixx continued, "Now, as I am the kwami of the Fox Miraculous, I grant the power of Knowledge… But more on that later! As for your other questions, the easiest way to answer them is for us to meet with my companions. Come!"

Faster than Marinette could catch, the kwami had zipped past her and phased right through the trapdoor.

"Hey, wait! Hold on a second!"

Sparing a thought to wonder at why she was even going after the weird creature, Marinette stuffed the box into her purse and then ran off in hot pursuit.

-----

She had chased Trixx several blocks now, and it was really starting to wear on her.

Every time she was close to catching up, the two would come across someone and then Trixx would hide away. She couldn't exactly hunt for them with others watching nearby, so she'd have to wait until the person had either left or wasn't paying attention. Then, she'd crouch and climb as inconspicuously as possible around everything until she'd finally find Trixx. And bam, they'd take off again!

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Now it would be sunset soon, Marinette had a growing stitch in her side, and it seemed like Trixx had been leading her in circles. At this rate, she'd just have to qui-

"We're here!" chimed what was now becoming a familiar voice.

Gasping with relief (and a desperate need for air), she gazed up at their destination from her hunched over position. The building didn't seem like the type of place where magical creatures resided in secret…

Following the kwami's instruction, she made her way up to the massage shop and knocked on the door.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" she whispered, peering surreptitiously into her purse, where the kwami was tucked out of sight.

"Of course. Just trust me."

The old man that answered the door had not been what she was expecting. Especially since she recognized him.

"You!"

He nodded. "Me, yes. And I have been waiting for you, young lady." Opening the door wider, he stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

After making sure she was settled in, the old man procured four cups of tea. Handing one cup to her, setting two down between them, and keeping another for himself, he then sat across from her.

"Um…"

"Much obliged, sir!" With a pleased hum, Trixx zipped out from their hiding place and settled in front of one of the other two cups, exhaling a pleased sigh after taking a surprisingly delicate sip.

Ignoring Marinette's spluttering, the old man called out behind him. "I made some for you as well, Wayzz."

A green creature–about the same size as Trixx–flitted across the room and claimed the last cup of tea for themselves. Closer inspection revealed it was more turtle-like than fox-like, but it was about as close to one as Trixx was to the other.

The old man took the chance to scrutinize her, making her sit ramrod straight and almost spill her drink. However, after a moment, he chuckled and sent her a comforting smile.

"No need to be so tense, Marinette. My name is Wang Fu, and this is my partner, Wayzz. I imagine you have things you want to ask."

Trixx interrupted before she could even attempt to get her thoughts in order. "Ah yes, she wanted to know the usual things. You know, who are we, what are we, who are the bad guys. Standard stuff."

Fu hummed in understanding. "Well, to answer that, in order: I am the Guardian of the Miraculous and the kwami that inhabit them, and I was chosen many years ago to wield the Turtle Miraculous. Just as you have been chosen now to wield the Fox. It is an honor very few are considered worthy of. As for "bad guys" and what we're doing, that is a bit more complicated…"

At that, he trailed off and focused on his tea instead.

The silence stretched on, but the old man didn't seem inclined to continue.

"If… if you're asking me to help you with whatever it is you're doing, I need to know what I'm getting into."

He looked back up, and this time Marinette didn't flinch as they made eye contact. She wanted to shrink as his eyes narrowed and seemed to peer even harder into her. It was as if he was measuring her worth, and she couldn't help but feel he would only find her wanting.

Still, nothing in the world was going to make her sign up for some magical, obviously dangerous task with high stakes before telling her just how dangerous and important it was.

The old man hummed and then nodded in acquiescence. "A fair point. We are asking quite a lot, and it would not do to send you out there unprepared. Very well."

Slowly climbing to his feet, he made his way over to the gramophone and dragged his fingertips along the gold designs. After a moment, seeming to gather himself, he turned back to Marinette.

"For centuries, there has been a temple devoted to safe-guarding the Miraculous, vessels of power that–when inhabited by kwami–imbue their wearers with incredible abilities. However, that ended a hundred years ago when one of the monks foolishly trusted a person with ill-intentions."

Here he paused, and Marinette noted the old man's fists were beginning to clench so tightly that the knuckles had turned white.

"The temple was destroyed and-" his breath hitched "-and most of the monks with it."

The kwamis shared a solemn look before Wayzz flew over to comfort his master. Likewise, Trixx floated down to settle by Marinette's hand, patting it gently whilst keeping their attention on the old man as he gathered himself.

"In a desperate act to save the Miraculous, that foolish monk did the only thing he could think of."

Fu turned back to the gramophone and fiddled with a secret panel to punch in the combination. "In the beginning, there were nineteen Miraculous. Many centuries ago, we lost the Peacock and Butterfly. And 300 years later…"

He stepped back to reveal a large black box with a multitude of compartments. Marinette got up and moved to peer inside.

Every single one was empty.

"I myself lost all the others," he finished, a broken sigh escaping him, before lifting the top lid which hid the largest chamber of all. "All but these. The most powerful of them all: the Black Cat and the Ladybug."

Marinette took a moment to study the innocent-looking ring and pair of earrings before noticing the empty orange cavity. With a gasp of recognition, she hurriedly yanked the small box from her purse and opened it. Sure enough, the pendant inside matched the curled impression perfectly.

"You noticed my spot!" chimed a now familiar voice. Trixx flitted over and spun a few times before alighting on what they'd claimed was their spot, admiring how little it had changed. Wayzz quickly joined them.

Chuckling, the old man drew Marinette's attention back to him.

"Trixx is the first I've found since then. And a lucky thing that is, since they are perfect for this sort of thing."

"But what sort of thing is 'this'?" she asked, somewhat exasperated now.

The good humor left Fu's face. "'This' is a race against time. And against evil." Silence rang as the kwami focused back on the conversation. "The Butterfly has fallen into the hands of a cruel man, going by the name of Hawk Moth. He is after the other Miraculous, in order to have his wish granted. And to achieve that goal, he has taken to infecting people with his akuma, turning them into little more than puppets of his own design."

Marinette gasped. "That's impossible!"

...

The old man shot her a flat look and gestured towards the kwami.

Flushing, she clarified, "I mean it's not possible that's been happening. Not here. I'd have heard about it." She continued, a little desperate, "If a bunch of people were being possessed by some guy looking for magic jewelry, someone would be talking about it. At the very least, there'd be rumors about it at school."

He shrugged. "I know not why or how he has managed to keep his methods so secret, but the kwami cannot be mistaken. They can sense that Nooroo is awake and being misused right at this moment."

At the sad nods Trixx and Wayzz gave her, Marinette swallowed audibly. "Then… how do I fit into this? I can't even carry a box of pastries to school without destroying them, much less fight some super villain in hiding. I don't even know you! Why give Trixx to me?"

Fu smiled gently and led her back to their seats, letting them both get settled before continuing.

"I have been watching you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng," he admitted, cradling his tea. "And I have seen a girl with a wealth of courage, whom decides to help people before even considering what it would cost her."

"And quite a clever one at that!" Trixx chimed in. "Wayzz told us how you managed to cover your tracks earlier today. That was a good plan with the pastry tray and the phone." They zoomed into her face, eyes dancing and tail wagging. "You're exactly what I've been looking for in a wielder!"

Three pairs of eyes bore into her–one set cheerful and two sets cautious, but all were expectant. The room began to feel small and cramped, and Marinette clutched at her chest, trying to suck in air.

"I… I need so-some fresh air!"

She was out the door before anyone could respond.

-------

Marinette took deep, heaving breaths as she hugged her knees, trying to calm down. So long as she didn't think about anything, she'd be fine. Just don't think, just don't think, just. Don't. Think.

"You seem stressed."

"GAH!"

She tried to leap away from the voice, only to land in a heap on the ground. Trixx stared at her from their spot in the nearby shrubbery. Both human and kwami were silent for a moment before Marinette let out a miserable groan and pulled herself up into a sitting position.

Facing the fox's direction but keeping her eyes cast downward, she admitted, "I'm a little overwhelmed."

Trixx hummed. "Understandable. It's a lot to take in when one has been tasked with facing off against the forces of evil."

Marinette shot a look up at their blasé tone, but nothing in the kwami's face implied they were being anything but 100% sincere.

"It's… about more than that. Don't get me wrong! Running into this Hawkmoth guy sounds really REALLY terrifying. But mostly… I think you guys have the wrong girl."

"Oh?" they prompted.

"C'mon," Marinette groaned. "Look at me! I'm having a panic attack just from talking about this, there's no way I could actually be any help for real. That's the way I am with everything. Completely useless. Even when I work harder than anyone else, things just go from bad to worse."

The kwami tilted their head. "Is it that bad?"

"It is. I hate to admit it, but it really is," she laughed sadly. "I don't know how long you guys have been watching, but obviously it wasn't long enough. You haven't even come close to seeing the real me."

"…Perhaps so."

Marinette flinched and peered up with wet eyes.

"I guess that means I'll need to hang around to see this "real you" then!"

She gaped. "Wait, what?"

Trixx giggled and flitted in close, tapping her nose playfully. "You said it yourself: we haven't known each other long enough. So, we must rectify that. But first, let's get you home. It's quite late for young folks to be out alone."

And with that, they flew away down the street.

"Hey… hey wait!" Marinette scrambled to her feet and took off after them. "That's not what I meant!"

----------

Marinette groaned as she trudged after the lazily floating kwami. They had slowed down considerably once she had given up on trying to deny Trixx coming home with her.

"And you're sure that Fu won't mind us just taking off like that?"

"Mm, it'll be fine. Wayzz knows how I am, and he'll make sure Master Fu doesn't worry too much."

She sighed, though whether in relief or resignation, she wasn't sure. After a moment, she broached a topic that had been niggling at the back of her mind.

"Are you two close, then? Or is that just a kwami thing?"

Trixx paused and glanced back at her, a pleased smile inching up their face. "Noticed that, did you?" They turned back to continue forward, raising their voice a bit to carry. "Yes, Wayzz and I became quite close over the centuries. A bit hard not to, considering."

"Considering?"

"Well, after Nooroo and Duusu went missing, the Guardians were always leery of letting too many of us out. I'd go several decades without wielders before, but after that, I was hardly ever let out at all."

They chuckled, nostalgia clear in their voice.

"I remember hounding Wayzz for stories every time he got to rest between Guardians. He'd be exhausted and ready for a nap, but he'd always give in and tell me everything he could about the outside world. It became a good way to pass the time."

Marinette came forward, a tilt to her head. "Why?"

The fox 'hmm'ed at her, confused at the question.

"I mean, why didn't you get out as much? I don't know anything about your powers, but you really seem like you can handle anything that comes your way."

They chuckled, this time more energetically. "Ah. Well, that's as much to do with my wielders as with me. My powers are far less direct, requiring both forethought and adaptability. Naturally, I would want my wielders to slow down and think, and I'm afraid most people just don't have the patience for my methods."

"Oh."

"Now, don't be discouraged! I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't think you and I would work well together."

"Oh! Oh no, it wasn't anything like that," she assured. "I was just thinking it seems–" Lonely. "–a shame. I think it'd be really nice to stop for a moment and consider your options before leaping headfirst into things. I wish more people would let me do that."

"Hm. Well, thank you. It's always refreshing to hear that sort of thing."

Marinette wanted to say something more, but then she caught sight of her house, with her father standing on the doorstep.

Without prompting, Trixx flew into her purse to hide, and Marinette steeled herself before marching forward to face her no doubt furious parents.

----------

After half an hour of bearing with her parents' lectures (interrupted every five minutes with relieved, bone-crushing hugs), Marinette was finally able to escape to her room.

She took a moment to usher her kwami hitchhiker out of her purse before flinging it and her blazer onto her chaise lounge. She wasted no time afterwards changing into pajamas and climbing up to her bed.

Trixx 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed as they wandered around her room, finally taking it in now that she wasn't trying to throw things at them.

She wanted so badly to just close her eyes and go straight to sleep, but Fu's voice kept repeating over and over in her head.

"Hey, Trixx?" she called quietly.

The fox flew up to the loft and settled on her bed. "Yes, Marinette?"

"What did he–What did Fu mean by Hawkmoth infecting people?"

"Ah." At the question, Trixx deflated. "Well, when a Butterfly wielder is strong enough, they can imbue people with a strong power befitting their desires. Hawkmoth is obviously strong enough to have done that several times now."

The fox shook their little head in upset. "The problem is that when Hawkmoth is doing so, he makes sure that the person is affected by strong, negative emotions. It corrupts their desires into something malevolent, making them willing to hurt anyone that gets in the way of achieving theirs–and therefore Hawkmoth's–goals."

"That's so messed up!" Marinette cried out. "Are they stuck like that forever?"

"Oh no, Hawkmoth has to release them after a while. Drains his power, otherwise. But the things they did while under his influence remain."

She hugged a pillow tight against her. "So… if they hurt someone…"

"All damage remains," Trixx affirmed. "To things and to people. There's a couple of Miraculous that can fix damage, but they're all missing, so…" they shrugged.

Marinette shot up in bed and scowled at the kwami. "Then what can we do?"

"We can find the others. We can find the other Miraculous, and we can find wielders for them–and then we can find Hawkmoth." A tension began to fill the room as the fox's voice grew stronger. "And when we find him, we can rescue Nooroo too. And stop Hawkmoth for good."

Trixx floated up to hover in front of her, purple eyes staring deep into hers.

"There are a great many things we can do, Marinette. But only you can decide if we will."

Marinette turned to gaze down at her open palms, considering. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of her old class photos. Kim and Juleka, Max and Rose–they'd been in the same class together for years now.

Her eyes moved to her phone and turned it on to look at her new lock screen. She'd just met Alya, but she already felt like she'd known her her whole life.

And then she looked at Trixx. Patient, friendly Trixx, who let her talk and answered all her questions and wasn't put off even when she admitted she would be useless. Who was passed over countless times for centuries but still seemed so sure they would be up to the task.

Her hands curled into fists and her brow furrowed, she nodded to herself before focusing back on Trixx.

"I don't know if I can really be any help," Marinette started, voice steady, "but I will try."

A delighted smile stretched wide across Trixx's face. "I knew you'd be up for it! Oh, don't worry, Marinette, you are going to be an amazing Fox!"

She laughed as the kwami continued to effuse about her future as the Fox hero, excitedly twirling around her room at ridiculous speeds.

Suddenly overtaken by exhaustion, she slumped back onto her pillows and let her eyes drift shut, a small smile on her own face.

Maybe this would turn out okay.

[pamphletstoinspire]

A Padre Pio Inspirational Story

Padre Pio – The Matchmaker

My name is Ortrud Bianchi and I was born in 1945 in Ronsperg, Czech Republic, the youngest of six children. Several months after my birth, we settled in a small town in Germany. My parents, Sieplinde and Erhard Schumann divorced when I was five years old. There was no religious atmosphere in our home but I did receive religious instruction in school as well as the sacraments of the Catholic Church. On rare occasions, my brother and I attended church. Watching my mother’s difficult life as a divorcee convinced me that I would remain single.

When I was a teenager, my maternal grandmother who lived in Austria, died unexpectedly. My mother traveled to the funeral and decided to remain in Austria. She realized that life can end abruptly and by the grace of God, she began to practice her Catholic faith with great fervor, making up for lost time.

As a result of my mother’s move to Austria, I joined my oldest sister and her husband in Landshut, Germany and finished my schooling there. I looked forward to school vacations so that I could be with my mother in Austria. However, I soon noticed that my mother was on a major mission to convert us children. The more she tried to convert us, the more our opposition grew. I finally made my mother promise not to mention religion to me anymore, otherwise I would discontinue my visits to her. My mother complied. The next time I saw her, she kept silent about her faith in God. When it was time to say goodbye, she handed me a small pamphlet to take home with me. On the cover of it was a picture of Jesus. That was a dead give away to me that it was a religious pamphlet, therefore boring and a waste of time to read. But I took it anyway, in order to avoid an argument.

Months passed and Easter vacation was about to begin. The pamphlet! Suddenly I remembered. Without fail, my mother’s first question would be to ask me how I liked it. The easiest solution would be to read just one small page and then I would be off the hook.

I was home alone and opened the pamphlet randomly. It was from the diary of the Polish nun, Sister (now Saint) Faustina Kowalska. My eyes fell on the text where Jesus explained to Sister Faustina that His mercy was greater than any human or angelic mind could ever fathom. Jesus invited every soul, no matter how sinful, to draw close to His merciful heart. The words hit me like lightning. Jesus loves me! Why be indifferent to the One who loves me more than I can ever imagine? Overwhelmed by deep emotions of contrition, I felt a force that brought me to my knees. I began to cry and I repeated over and over, “Jesus, from now on I want to be your friend.”

The next morning, Sunday, I got up and got ready for church while a puzzled and disbelieving sister and brother-in- law looked on. I made my way to church for confession and Mass. I never missed another Sunday Mass after that and I began to pray for all of the members of my family.

By July, 1964, I lived with my mother in Austria. Two years later, my youngest brother and his fianc were meeting the rest of the family in Rome for their wedding. They mailed the necessary documents for the wedding to Rome and made sure that they were certified, insured and registered. The documents for their wedding disappeared and were never found. Because of that, they were not able to get married.

While everyone was devastated that there would be no wedding, my mother cheerfully announced that she had “Plan B.” A friend had recently informed her of a holy monk, Padre Pio, who had the stigmata and lived in San Giovanni Rotondo. What a perfect opportunity it would be to visit him, since everyone was already in Rome. As we traveled to Padre Pio’s monastery, I became more and more excited at the thought of seeing a saint.

Our first experience was to be present for the opening of the church doors at 4:50 a.m. for Padre Pio’s 5:00 a.m. Mass. People started to push and shove, causing my brother-in-law to lose his shoe. Another person’s glasses flew off. Inside the church, people were racing down the middle aisle and jumping over the pews. It was like a sports event.

Then Padre Pio entered the sanctuary. He looked old, weak and even sickly. I could tell that he was suffering and I felt sorry for him. I thought it would be better for him to have some bed rest rather than to be surrounded by people who seemed more devoted to him than to Jesus and Mary. “Why do these people bother Padre Pio, trying to talk to him and touch him?” I said to myself. “I think they are on the wrong track. They are misled. Don’t they know that we have Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament? We don’t have to run after a person!”

I watched Padre Pio celebrate Mass and nothing extraordinary happened. Somehow I expected holiness to be radiating from him that would at least cause me to have some goose-bumps. Nothing happened inside of me. My final resolve was that I had seen Padre Pio once and that was good enough. There was no need to ever return to San Giovanni Rotondo again.

Two years later, my mother and a young man who was a fellow member of the Legion of Mary and I made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Loreto in Italy. We had a wonderful time there. My mother suggested that we drive to San Giovanni Rotondo to see Padre Pio. It was a distance of at least 230 miles and there were no highways at that time to get there, only small roads. I told my mother that our car was too old and unreliable to make the trip. Besides, she had already seen Padre Pio. However, all my reasoning with my mother was to no avail. She told me that if I would not take her, she would walk the distance by herself. I told my mother that I would take her but only because I was a good daughter.

It wasn’t too long before our 1949 Volkswagen broke down. Our friend from the Legion of Mary had to hitchhike back to the previous town and since he did not speak Italian, he had to try to explain in sign language the car parts he needed to purchase in order to fix our car. My mother and I sat in a ditch as we prayed the Rosary and waited for him to return.

It took several hours to get the car running again. About 9:00 p.m. the car broke a second time. There was no mechanic shop anywhere near and by now, everything was closed. We grabbed our few belongings, locked the car, and hitchhiked through the night to San Giovanni Rotondo. When we reached the monastery at 5:00 a.m., my mother was overjoyed and made a solemn proclamation, “Isn’t God good! We have arrived on time for Holy Mass.” After Mass, we met a German lady on the plaza in front of the church. She knew how to get tickets to go to confession to Padre Pio and how to get tickets to enter the sacristy where Padre Pio passed after the morning confessions.

My mother obtained tickets and the next morning along with about fifteen other women, we were ushered into the old sacristy. It was no big deal for me. This time around I knew better than to expect anything. I knew that Padre Pio was just a human being. Yes, he might be a saint but I felt it was selfish to bother him the way the people did. “I will just play the game along with my mother,” I said to myself.

The door opened and there stood Padre Pio. We all knelt down for his blessing as he passed in front of each person. He stopped in front of my mother, looked at her and blessed her. I was next. He then placed his hand on my head. My whole body felt that touch. It felt like electricity going through my body and at the same time my soul was touched. I can’t explain what happened but I knew that something had taken place. I knew that a strong bond, a deep spiritual relationship between Padre Pio and myself had been established. He had become my spiritual father and I had become his adopted spiritual daughter. I ran outside the church and started to cry.

Back in Austria, I could not stop talking about Padre Pio. My two sisters, brother, brother-in-law, mother and I decided, only three weeks after my return from San Giovanni Rotondo, to take a trip together to see Padre Pio. Being back in San Giovanni Rotondo felt like being in Heaven and the days we spent there were pure happiness. We stayed for several weeks. I finally realized that the people who came to the monastery to see Padre Pio were not selfish like I had first thought. They were there for the same reason that I was there. Without even saying anything, Padre Pio was taking us closer to Jesus. Just looking at Padre Pio made you want to love Jesus more. He was like a magnet, drawing people closer and closer to God.

The morning of August 25, 1966 was our planned departure and we packed all our luggage in the trunk for our return trip back to Austria. At that moment, I decided to stay in San Giovanni Rotondo and I removed my bag from the car. As a religious education teacher, I still had three weeks of vacation left and I wanted to stay as long as possible. My family tried to reason with me and said to me, “You don’t know the Italian language. You don’t have money for a hotel. You don’t have money for the train ticket back to Austria. You do not even have enough money for food!” “I am twenty-one years old and I can make my own decisions,” I replied. I loved Padre Pio (like all those crazy Italian women) and all I cared about was to be near him.

After I said goodbye to my family, I went back to the church to pray. When I was near Padre Pio, all of my earthly desires seemed to disappear. Being close to him was like being on a retreat. During the afternoon, I asked about lodging but could not find anything in my price range. I asked the German lady who had befriended me if she knew of a place I could stay overnight but she did not know of anything.

After the evening Benediction service, everyone had to leave as the church doors were locked. Slowly, with my bag over my shoulder, I made my way across the plaza. My happy feeling made way for a pressing question, “What now? Where do I sleep?” I did not have money for a hotel and sleeping out in the open air under the stars made me nervous. Not only were there snakes in the area but also stray dogs.

I uttered a short prayer to Padre Pio, “Dear Padre Pio, I have never prayed to you for myself but now I need your help. Please help me to find a place to sleep tonight.” As I finished my cry for help, I noticed that a young man who was sitting on a bench under a tree, got up and started walking toward me. We talked for a few minutes and then I informed him that I had to be on my way for I had to find a place to stay for the night. He asked me to wait on the bench and he would be back soon. With no place to go, the bench seemed very inviting.

Fifteen minutes passed and then he returned. “Come, follow me,” he said. “I found a place for you to stay.” We headed down a hill to the first house across from the monastery. He led me into the house, down the stairs and opened the door to a room furnished with three beds. Pointing to the bed on the right he said, “This one is yours. It is fifty cents a night.” I thanked him and he left. Shortly after there was a knock at the door. To my surprise, it was the young man again. He handed me two paper bags, smiled and said, “This is for you. Good night.” Inside the bags were two delicious sandwiches, an apple and a pear. My mind was racing. How did he know that I had not eaten a meal that day?

The next morning an Italian lady who stayed at the same residence invited me to a little room and served me a big dish of pasta with bread and wine. “Mangia, mangia,” (eat, eat) she said but I really did not need any encouragement and I ate all the food.

That day I ran into the young man again. I learned that he was an American studying medicine in Rome. He had arrived in Rome in August but his school was closed until September. He felt inspired to spend his free time in San Giovanni Rotondo near Padre Pio.

There was no lack of German-speaking pilgrims at the monastery and one day I met a woman named Adelinde from Austria. She urged me to pray for her intention. She confided to me that she was anxious about traveling alone and that she would like Padre Pio to send her a traveling companion for her return trip back to Austria.

I told her that her worries were over. Padre Pio had answered her prayers and she was looking at her traveling companion. The idea popped into my mind that it would be great to have a man in the car, in case we had a flat tire. Adelinde agreed and the American was offered a free ride to Rome which he accepted. Leaving San Giovanni Rotondo the following week was extremely painful to me. The thought of returning soon was the only thing that made it bearable. The three of us traveled to Rome together and once in Rome, Adelinde had some business to take care of and excused herself for a half hour.

While waiting in the car for Adelinde to return, I suggested to the American that we pray the Rosary together. I led the first part of the Hail Mary in German and he answered in English. Adelinde came back and we continued our journey. On the way to the hotel to drop off the American, I felt a hand on my right shoulder. It was the American. The strange thing was that it did not feel like a human hand. I experienced the exact same powerful feeling in my body as when Padre Pio put his hand on my head. The feeling lasted as long as the young man’s hand was on my shoulder. Before leaving the car, he handed me a piece of paper with his name and address and asked for mine. The card he handed me said, “Germain Bianchi, Yonkers, New York.”

Several days after I returned to my home in Austria, the doorbell rang and when I opened the door, there stood the American. I wanted to introduce him to my mother but I could not remember his name. He came to visit me again, just three weeks later. Traveling such a long distance to see me, alarmed me, so I had a talk with him.

I began by saying, “I am not interested in any close relationships. I am very happy being single and I want to remain single. I don’t want to divide my love for Jesus. I like to go to church whenever I please and pray. I love being a religious education teacher. I would never want to take the chance of getting married. These days people make promises and later it is a different story.”

Germain listened and after a pause, he responded to each point I had made. He said to me, “You are very happy to be single but it is also possible to be happy as a married person. You should never divide your love for Jesus. Neither would I. Rather we would help each other to love Jesus more and more. And I would never be unfaithful to you. You have my word.”

“Ortrud, stick to your principles,” I said to myself. “Don’t give in. Don’t get weak!” But I could feel my heart softening just a bit.”Why are we discussing marriage?” I said to Germain. “I don’t even know you and you don’t know me.” “I know you well enough,” Germain said, “that I would like to ask you to marry me. When we were sitting in the car and you asked me to pray the Rosary with you, you were the first girl that ever asked me to pray the Rosary. I knew then that I wanted you to be my wife.”

The next day Germain took a train to San Giovanni Rotondo. In confession, he told Padre Pio that he met a girl that he wanted to marry but that she was not sure about him. Padre Pio, a man of few words, advised him, “Marry her and prepare well for your marriage.” Germain heard what he wanted to hear but I still needed my own sign.

At Christmas time, I went to San Giovanni Rotondo and Germain was there with me. I wanted to ask Padre Pio about marrying Germain. One day I happened to have an excellent position in the front row of a crowded sacristy. There were many other women there as well. Padre Pio would be passing within two feet of me and at that time I planned on speaking to him about Germain.

Brother Joseph Pius, one of the Capuchins who lived at the monastery, approached me and motioned for me to follow him. I told him that I was in an excellent spot to talk to Padre Pio but he insisted that I go with him. I was not thrilled to give up my good place in the front row but I followed Brother Joseph Pius. He led me through the big church, unlocked the door to the monastery and gave me orders to wait there in the middle of a long hallway. A few minutes later he reappeared with Germain, whom he had found in the upstairs hallway waiting with the men for Padre Pio to pass by. He told Germain to stand next to me and then he left without any explanation.

Before we could figure out who had arranged this interesting happening, the door at the end of the hallway opened and Padre Pio, aided by two friars, entered. Knowing that Padre Pio could see into the souls of people, my first reaction was to look down toward the floor and avoid eye contact. Instead, I looked straight into his beautiful brown eyes the entire time he was walking slowly towards us. When he reached us, he stopped. He put his hand on Germain’s head, then on my head and with one blessing, he blessed us both together. No words were spoken, no angel appeared, but I received my sign. I knew at that moment that Germain and I were meant to be together and to marry.

I continued to visit Padre Pio every time I had a vacation. On August 15, 1967, Germain and I became officially engaged. Germain had an engagement ring made for me from a gold miraculous medal surrounded by tiny pearls. Padre Pio kept the ring in his room for many days and blessed it in time for our engagement. Our wedding was on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1968. Padre Pio no longer performed weddings in his later years due to his poor health but he was taken in his wheelchair to meet us before the wedding ceremony began. Germain thanked him for everything. Padre Pio blessed our wedding rings and gave us his blessing. Then he tapped me three times on my head. I felt as though he had opened a valve inside of me for I felt a happiness that was indescribable. By the end of the day I said, “God has to take this feeling away for I feel my heart is ready to burst with joy.”

Our wedding took place in the church of Our Lady of Grace where Padre Pio had received the stigmata, celebrated Mass for most of his life, and heard daily confessions. Father Ermelindo celebrated the wedding Mass. In the afternoon, Brother Joseph Pius and Father Ermelindo surprised us at the wedding reception with their presence. Brother Joseph Pius made this announcement to us, “Germain and Ortrud, I hope you will enjoy this wedding gift from Padre Pio. Because he is often sick, he no longer signs pictures or cards. Instead, we sign them for him. I asked him what I should write on the back of this picture of Our Lady of Grace and Padre Pio answered me, “Give me the picture and let me sign it myself.” Padre Pio wrote, “Maria vi tenga stretta nel sua amore.” (May the Virgin Mary hold you tightly in her love.) For our honeymoon we did not go to a beach resort or vacation spot. We stayed in San Giovanni Rotondo for several weeks, the best place on earth.

One month after our wedding, we heard the very sad news that Padre Pio had died. We went to San Giovanni Rotondo to attend the funeral. As we stood in line to pass by Padre Pio’s coffin and pay our last respects, an Italian woman kept tapping me on the shoulder, advising me to ask Padre Pio for something when I paused at his casket. I did what she suggested. As I stood at his coffin, I prayed, “Padre Pio, please bless our marriage with a child.” Nine months later, our first son was born. It is said that our prayers are often answered in a more abundant way that what we ask. We were blessed with eight beautiful children, the last being twins. The twins were born on the feast of Our Lady of Grace, the patroness of San Giovanni Rotondo. Padre Pio didn’t just bring us together, he has taken care of us ever since. His fatherly care and love has been with us for almost forty years of married life.

Padre Pio, we love you, Padre Pio, we thank you, Padre Pio, we need you to pray to God for us till we shall meet again. __________

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can fathom the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives. – Ecclesiastes 3:11-12

[jaku-the-askblog]

Aku Headcanon: Powers/Origin

((so im gunna geek out a little bit here about my personal ideas of Aku’s powers/what exactly he is and how that ties into the series, ok? Ok

Prepare for the long haul on this one guys

(Small disclaimer: this isnt a scientific/psychological thing, and im pretty sure this ain’t even close to what Genndy wanted to be canon. These are my ideas, pertaining to the askblog and a certain fic universe, based on canon, of my Aku. Lets move on)

I. So what is Aku according to Abby?

Firstly, despite whatever canonically or fanon-wise in my own series’ Jack and Aku himself (and others) call him, Aku isn’t a demon/wizard/etc. We already know, pretty much canonically, that Aku is one of a kind. Which means beings like Demongo, his minions, others, aren’t even close to what Aku is.

^A babby Aku leaves his nest to fend for himself in the harsh and unforgiving wild

Unless you wanna go on the theory that Aku’s minions are also him but lets not right now

I refuse to accept that Aku is “pure evil” unless you want to get into moral debate and the theories on what constitutes “evil,” because perhaps in the perspective of that universe he is the Worst Evil Ever but comparatively to our own world and especially my own perspective he really...isn’t. Which isn’t to say he’s done downright vile and awful and evil things, because he really has! He’s just not “pure evil.” I firmly believe that it’s just what we’re being fed, because all that we know about Aku is really from the perspective of other characters (ie, Jack’s father being the one that created Aku and immediately assuming that he’s something to be destroyed). And Aku seems to run with this because, realistically, it’s all he’s ever known/tried.

(I have additional input on Aku’s birth and his “starting” personality, but I will save that for another time)

(“But the gods said—” you start.

“FUCK the gods,” I spit back, punching Odin in his remaining eye, “Theyre fuckin useless as shit anyway”)

HOWEVER, I think Aku is something more like a conscious controlling what’s essentially pure magic from that universe in physical form, with magic being like a manipulatable energy source according to that universe’s rules. I think that, much like in the Avatar (the animated series not the atrocious live action one) series, the way this magic/energy can be used varies from person to person, from being to being. And a being like Aku, who’s made up of the stuff, is going to inherently be more powerful and more versatile than anyone else that just uses magic but wasn’t born from it. AND his magic is more wild and free and flexible than the contained/inherited forms of it that other mortals have.

And from there it only gets more fun.

You see, we never really hear/see Aku mention his time spent as the Black Goop, which likely infers he either couldn’t form into something that could speak/move around or he just doesn’t remember in the way a human might. Either way means he had no control over himself. Which only feeds my theory that Aku’s just a brain constantly controlling what are really just mindless drones with power to do his bidding much like his/the entity’s former shape.

I also theorize that, if he didn’t have the same kind of consciousness, the Black Goop was absorbing anyone/thing that came into contact because that was the only thing the mindless, physical manifest of magic knew to do. It can’t think to express itself! It can’t think to grow legs and walk around!

But on the other hand, if he was...some kind of mind in there, but couldn’t form into a shape, perhaps he was latching onto living things, trying to learn about them, trying to find some form of escape. I haven’t worked out which he was in the goop form as of yet, but either works really.

I do think that’s why the gods were trying to destroy the entity, because they knew that if it started wandering around the universe in a semi-tangible form, especially with the power it originally had, wild and free, then it would cause effortless and wide-spread chaos.

And somehow Jack’s father’s fire gave him/the magic the power to form a brain, buuuut it has its limitations from Aku.

Let’s take a closer look.

II. Aku’s Essence vs Aku Infection

In episodes like the Ultrabots, the final episode, and even in the comics, we see that when Aku has his essence control/power others, he retains some level of control over the individual to do his bidding. They also sometimes gain his powers, but I think that’s also under his control.

So what’s the difference between this and the Aku Infection?

I don’t think Aku knew about Jack getting infected. And instead, Jack was the one that made himself into Aku.

This really boils down to semantics and me wanting to go completely off my rocker here, so bear with me.

^Accurate depiction of abby now

First, though it is typical of Aku, we never see him attempt this again. If you want to include the IDW comics, he doesn’t even consider it in issue 10. Instead, he uses his time in Jack’s mind to eat his memories.

HOWEVER within the episode itself, we see an interesting progression of things:

Jack steals jewels from the explorers without realizing it

Argues with himself (!!) about rescuing a stranded sightseer and the reward if he does so (which he demands for money) yet doesn’t seem to notice the fact he’s doing so

Begins to feel irritated and twitchy as well as itchy (likely as his skin changes)

STILL SOMEHOW FAILS TO NOTICE HIS BODY CHANGING

Begins to speak/look more like Aku as time goes on

(Also, a minor, tiny detail but: no beard. Hmmmmm)

NOW let’s consider something here: normally Aku controls his essence to do as he wishes. In fact, he typically immediately controls his subjects. But Aku wasn’t in good shape when we see him first in this episode, nor is his state brought up again.

What (or shall I say who) is typically on the forefront of Jack’s mind, and he associates with darkness?

Thaaat’s right! Aku!

^This is what happens when you jack off too often kids

So I think, at this point, however subconsciously, Aku’s essence/that magic latched onto what Jack associated with that start of darkness and became what he thought it would be.

It became his idea of Aku. And it simply ran with it, because that is the first and most powerful thing Jack thought of. After all, Jack has no experience in controlling magic, and especially not one as powerful as Aku’s. And that magic, now detached from the main consciousness, is basically just trying to find it’s way out in him, so it was mindlessly searching for the easiest way to be “expressed.”

By examining Jack-Aku’s behavior and wording more closely, I’d like to point out something. Right after Jack FINALLY realizes what’s happening, we have this exchange:

Jack: “This cannot be happening!”

“Aku:” “Oh yes it can!”

Jack: “Must…keep…control!”

“Aku:” “Yeah! Gotta get a grip.”

Jack: “Need help. The monks—!”

“Aku:” “I got to find those accursed monks!”

Now, does this actually sound like something Aku would say, or like someone who’s imitating Aku would say?

Hm. Let’s look at another example.

It’s close, I’ll give Jack-Aku that! But it’s a little…too close. Again, like someone’s doing an impression of Aku.

It is close to things Aku has said before, but it still feels just off to me.

Jack-Aku certainly fights a little differently, but there’s still more touches of Jack than Aku in there. Sure his swings are more brutal, but then there’s stuff like this:

^SUPERHERO LANDING

That doesn’t look like an Aku pose to me. That’s a Jack one.

Now I do realize, as I said, most of this is just semantics and most of it could be explained away with “Aku was just fucking with Jack.” But I dunno, that just seems like it’s not what’s really going on, especially since we don’t see the original Aku trying to control Jack, much like how we got a hint of that in the Ultrabots and even in Mad Jack.

Interestingly, season 5 seems to support this!

You see, I think the priestess wanted to bear Aku’s children, so that’s what his magic did for her. There was probably something in her head that thought seven was a good number, so that’s what happened for her. As for why the essence didn’t overwhelm Ashi and her sisters before, I suspect that it became combined with their DNA in order to sustain them (as the priestess wished; at least until they “lived” until she was done with them) and became dormant until Aku “reactivated” it.

And then, Ashi is initially overwhelmed by Aku’s essence, but once she takes it for her own—

^THATS MY GIRL

It becomes her own. She’s owning Aku’s powers, Aku’s essence, Aku’s magic for her own use. It becomes what she wants it to be.

Jack never did that because he never took it. He allowed himself to be overwhelmed by it, letting it do it’s own thing inside him, and it nearly transformed him into his own Grand Theft Me nightmare.

III. Aku’s Powers (and the actual powers of the sword)

Ok ok, so what does this all have to do with Aku’s powers? Well, like I mentioned earlier, Aku is made up of pure energy that can be made into (almost) anything he wants to do with it.

“So why doesn’t he just do _ to kill Jack?!?!?!”

That’s actually quite simple: Because Aku has no idea what he is either.

^Aku voice: AWHUA

He has literally no frame of reference, no concept or comparison. All he’s ever really gotten is from others, who call him “evil,” “demon,” “wizard,” etc. He knows he’s more powerful than any being in the mortal world, but he doesn’t know how or why. He simply is.

(This feeds back into that linked post from the beginning about Aku being something of a narcissist, because he makes himself into whatever others think of him in order to be “accepted.” But I have more words on that idea at a later point when I can get all these thoughts about his powers out of the way, though I firmly emphasize that I’m not even close to a major in psychology so I’m not fit to diagnose him with anything, really. This is all just for funsies)

It’s how I explain his ability to pop random powers out without notice or mention of them again, ie creating a dark clone of Jack, encasing a living man in stone while also making him immortal?, telepathically manipulating objects from afar, RAISING THE FUCKING DEAD, etc etc. He knows he has tremendous powers, but does he explore their limits? Find out what all he can do? No! And why would he, if he’s already immortal and immune to everything? He only seeks out to use these powers like that when it conveniences him.

And yea, that would be his own fault. But it’s his life, and he’ll do as he pleases.

Now, let’s get to the sword.

It’s heavily implied (if not outright stated) that the sword is made from Jack’s father’s spirit/soul. The gods insist that only the strength of such a thing, combined with the virtue of “human righteousness” can destroy Aku. This is where they say he’s a “force of ultimate evil” and all that, but I already don’t like that the gods are entrusting this “duty,” which they started but didn’t finish, onto a mortal. Mighty suspicious.

So how exactly does the sword work if Aku isn’t made of evil, but instead pure magic? Easy. The sword destroys that magic from Aku’s physical form. It’s literally cutting away his control and his power, in a harsher and far worse way than if Aku were to be using his energy on his own. And the gods basically made a soul contract with Jack’s father to give it that power without there being serious repercussions on the wielder of the weapon. Because technically destroying a magic/energy like that should totally backfire and act more like splitting an atom than a cool firey-burning effect.

^( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

So Aku and his powers are in a constant state of decay-recovery, because he’s using his own body to do all these powers and abilities, but the sword speeds up the decay process faster than Aku can recover. And yes, Aku using massive amounts of magic quickly with little or no recovery period would do a similar thing, but the sword will always take longer and threaten to do more permanent damage for that than Aku using his magic himself, because it destroys instead of frees. And since magic is energy, Aku recovers through time and reabsorption of magic from…well, anything. Typically just the energy of the universe, I suppose.

So why couldn’t/didn’t Jack’s father destroy Aku the first time?

Because he didn’t make a final strike. Instead he allowed even the smallest sliver of Aku to persist. And if you do that, then you give Aku ability to reform.

(“But what about in season five when—“ you try again.

“It was bullshit and you know it,” I say as I firmly curb-stomp that “final fight” scene.)

So why did Aku get turned into a tree and was imprisoned?

….Yeah I haven’t worked that one out yet either, I’ll give you that. I’m thinking it may have something to do with cutting away so much of Aku that his mind is locked away and stripped of its power over his body, but I haven’t worked out all the fine points yet.

Aku makes his choices to do evil things, to follow his own will (whatever his will may be) but he’s still limited by his own mind and what he believes he’s capable of, due to mainly just being too lazy/unwilling to try anything else. Yes, of course like I said outside forces only contributed to this, effectively helping him make his own box to put himself in, but it only explains why he’s like that. It doesn’t excuse him, and ultimately his choices were still his own.

PHEW well I think that’s about all for now! Hope I made sense and you enjoyed reading! I’ve been stewing on this one for a long, long while, but only recently got half a mind to coherently jot it all down and explain it, so there’s probably a few holes here and there, forgive me... :,D

Thanks necessary for:

@strawberry-smilodon, for reading my draft!! and then i kept adding more...and more... and more.....

Obv @teacupballerina, for basically doing most of the theorizing waaaaay before i even got back into this fandom and inspiring my own mind to start thinking harder about Aku and canon :3

all my friends that tolerated me geeking out about this before i wrote it all down...i love yall 😙

And thank YOU for reading!!!

[neonflavored]

back pocket

finally some powerfist// Luke and Danny make mixtapes and team building exercises ensue

you can read this here too:http://archiveofourown.org/works/13099077/chapters/29967954

song the title came from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5pYL-Y--To

back pocket

 Is it so hard to believe that Danny is the one that believes in team building exercises?

Actually, that’s probably the easiest thing to believe out of how crazy the whole thing is. What’s more amazing is that the others indulged him in the first place. Here are four people who couldn’t stand each other just a month ago, confined in a tiny space (i.e. Danny’s apartment) trying to coexist like normal human beings. And for all intents and purposes, it was working.

It took some bribing for Jessica to join in –par for the course at this point- and even then, it took Danny spending a small fortune on alcohol to get her to come over.

“Finally came through for me, Iron Clad,” she says, swirling the bourbon in her glass.

Danny’s only ever had Joy over at his apartment; Colleen hasn’t even been over yet. He thinks it’s kind of special that his team gets to be the second group of guests in his home, so it’s really no trouble to flash the cash and get something that all of them can enjoy together. He thinks of it like a toast to their saving of the world gig, just without the actual toasting. Jessica’s lounging back on the couch making friends with the bourbon bottle with Matt next to her. Luke is sitting on the edge of the chaise with Danny finishing out the circle on the loveseat.

There’s music playing in the background, a random playlist from Danny’s old iPod. There’s pizza boxes on the coffee table, mostly empty and mingling amongst nearly drained bottles of wine. The skyline is backing their entire setup. Things are nice.

“You’d probably be nicer to me if I was a whiskey bottle,” says Danny, not meaning any harm by it. Jessica smiles serenely at him, good and buzzed now. “Hey, you said it, not me.”

Luke and Mike laugh, and for a little while, if you didn’t know any better, you’d think they’d all been friends for years, that they hadn’t just met a month ago. “That reminds me,” says Jessica, after tipping back the last of her bourbon, “what else you got?”

“I think that’s it,” replies Danny, leaning forward to sift through the junk on the coffee table. “We kinda went wild tonight.”

Jessica shakes her head. “Oh, honey, you don’t even know.” With that, she sets her glass down on the table and heaves herself to her feet. “But if the bourbon’s finished, then so am I. Been nice, actually, but I gotta scram.” She picked up one of the half-finished wine bottles, looked it over, shrugged, then stuffed it into her bag.

“Later,” she chirped over her shoulder, hand raised in way of goodbye. Then, she was gone.

For a whirlwind like she was, Jessica Jones was never one to stay put for very long it seemed. She showed up, did what needed to be done, said what needed to be said, and went on her way. A woman of few words who put up with even fewer things.

Matt pushed his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose and stretched. “I think I’m gonna head out too. I’d stay and help clean up, but…”

Danny grinned at him, leaning back in the loveseat. “’But’…”

Matt shrugged, no shame to his game. “I don’t want to.”

Danny snorted. “Fair enough.”

Matt grabbed his cane and nodded at Danny, keeping his tone light. “You’re a good man, Danny Rand. Skinny, but good.”

Danny laughs, might’ve said something in retort, but he’d never really gotten a look at Matt’s physique under the suits –bulletproof or business- to warrant a wisecrack.

Once Matt’s gone, Danny looks to Luke, still seated on the couch and looking rather comfortable there with zero intentions of moving. Still, Danny asks him, “Guess you’ll be heading out too?”

Luke shakes his head. “Nah. I’ll help you clean up. Least I can do; you probably spent a fortune on that alcohol anyway.”

“Yeah, but it’s cool,” says Danny, shrugging one shoulder. “As long as everyone liked it.” He slides out of his seat and leans down to clear away the pizza boxes.

Luke regards him quietly with an expression on his face that was equal parts smug and curious. Danny catches him looking out the corner of his eye and straightens slightly. “What?”

“You’ve gotten a lot more easygoing since…well, all things considered. Is this what Danny Rand is really like?” says Luke. He stands up, plucks a wine bottle up by the neck and searches for a trash can. “I thought you’d be small and angry forever.”

Danny quirks an eyebrow. “I’m not small and angry.”

“You’re shorter than I am and way angrier. You punched everything before you even asked any questions.”

“Doesn’t Jessica do that too?”

Luke turned back to him, one eyebrow raised. “You wanna be the one to call her out on that? Be my guest, man, I promise you’ll regret it.” He’s smiling as he says it though, and when he looks up again, Danny is smiling too.

They clean up in shared silence for a while, at least until Danny starts humming to the music playing in the background. Luke vaguely recognizes the song, hasn’t heard it in years but still feels the tickle of familiarity in the back of his mind as his lips silently reform the lyrics from memory.

“Is this…Outkast?” he asks. Danny startles, like he’d forgotten Luke was even there, probably wrapped up in whatever world he’d found in the music. He looks from the sound system where his iPod is connected back to Luke and grins sheepishly. “Uh…yeah.”

Luke turns from where he’s busy crushing pizza boxes to fit into the garbage bin and looks at Danny fully. Kid’s full of surprises.

“What’s a skinny rich kid doing listening to Outkast of all things?”

Danny’s ears are slightly pink. “I like Outkast. Have since I was a kid,” he says with a soft laugh. Luke grins and shakes his head. “Never woulda pegged you for the RnB, hip hop type.”

“What? What’d you think I was into?” says Danny, genuinely curious.

“I don’t know. What are most rich people into? Mozart or something?”

“I like the raw aggression. Connects, y’know? Back in Ku’n Lun they always taught me to use my aggression in a controlled, concentrated way. But the music kind of lets me break that rule without really breaking it, you know?” explains Danny.  Then he winks. “Mozart can’t do that, now can it?”

They finish cleaning up the living room in a comfortable silence, save for one of the wine bottles. There’s still some left, just enough to be finished in a swallow or three, so Luke swigs from it, humming at the pleasant burn on the way down his throat. He notices Danny fiddling with the iPod, connecting the old thing to a frayed looking charger.

“You really should get a new one,” he says, shaking his head at the wine bottle. Danny shrugs, doesn’t look up. “Maybe. This one’s special though.”

“Special as in?” inquires Luke. “Don’t tell me it,” he flaps his hand in the air, “opens mystic portals or something.” At this point, having seen Danny’s chi in action and hearing about the dragons and mystic monks, Luke was willing to believe in most of the insane shit that Danny told him about.

Danny smiles softly, shakes his head. “No. Nothing like that. It’s…I’ve had this one since I was a kid,” he sits on the arm of the couch with the device in his hands. “It’s all I’ve got left from my old life. It was all I could find after our plane…”

Danny trails off, and it occurs to Luke that he doesn’t actually know anything about what happened to Danny that made him this way, at least until now. He knew his parents were dead, Danny had said as much when explaining why he was fighting so hard against the Hand. It kind of makes sense, in a way. He’s angry and impulsive, yeah, but that was because he was still a kid. His childhood was over the moment his parents died and the monks came to take him in; he’d probably never had a chance to really grow out of the hurt.

Now, knowing that he’d lost his parents in such a traumatic way, it was kind of no surprise that he acted the way he did. And why he seemed to want the four of them –Luke, Matt, himself and Jess- to stay together. Having lost a family, he was desperate to find another. Knowing that, everything fell into place. Everything made sense.

Luke perches himself on the arm of the loveseat and wordlessly offers Danny the wine bottle, which Danny accepts with a small smile. He tosses back the rest of it, shakes his head at the burn, and then looks at the bottle. Then he looks at Luke. “Wait, did you put your mouth on this?”

Luke rolls his eyes.

“Gross,” but Danny’s laughing as he says it. Outkast is still playing in the background, Andre crooning about a girl he’s jilted, left to apologize a trillion times.

“You ever do that?” asks Luke. “Stood up a girl?”

It’s kind of a dumb question. Danny probably wasn’t old enough to have a girlfriend when he was taken in by the monks, and he figured there was zero time for a mighty warrior to date in a mystical city full of mystical people. It’s just nice to change the subject.

Danny looks horrified. “What? No! I mean, have you?”

“Nah. Wasn’t raised that way.” Luke thinks back to his childhood. It hadn’t been great, but there had been good times. “I used to have a crush on this girl. We were maybe in the third or fourth grade. Sarah Wilkins.” Luke nods sagely, recalling her pink ribbons and pigtails. “I put a frog in her bookbag.”

Danny throws his head back and laughs, and it’s like sunshine in a bottle. Luke’s never heard him laugh so loudly, never seen him smile so big. It’s…actually nice. Attractive.

“Really? That’s awful! Why didn’t you just…I dunno, make her a mix CD or something?”

“I was, like, eight, cut me some slack. Also, a mix CD? Do people even do that anymore?”

Danny laughs again, shrugs. “I have no idea. They were still a thing when I was a kid. I probably would’ve given one to a girl I liked.”

“Oh yeah? What would you have put on it?”

Danny looks thoughtful for a moment, leaning back in the arm of the couch with his arms folded across his chest. “I don’t really know, now that you’ve put me on the spot. Probably some stuff I thought was cool from when I was a kid. Might be something stupid, like Maroon 5.”

Luke snorts. “Oh, god, no. I would’ve dumped you.”

Danny’s mouth drops open in shock. “What? Really? Aw.”

The gesture is cute, more adorable than it has any right to be, and it’s the kind of thing that makes people make questionable decisions, makes them make stupid choices and think with their fluttering hearts instead of their brains like normal human beings. Its got too much power. Too much influence.

At least, that’s what Luke blames his new idea on.

 +

Luke isn’t sure what compels him to think this is a good idea, but the next time he sees Danny, which isn’t too much later, he slips him a CD wrapped in a little white paper sleeve and simply says, “This is how you get a girl to like you.”

He doesn’t see Danny take the CD home, boot up his laptop, stick the CD inside and pull on his headphones. He doesn’t see him lying in the middle of his living room, hands lying idly by his sides as he listens to the playlist Luke’s made for him. He doesn’t see Danny smile softly at each song, carefully curated to project the warmth of a nervous crush.

Probably for good reason too, Luke had never been good at keeping a straight face around his schoolyard crushes.

[keptin-indy]

Exalted: Saigoth Gates 5

But everything changed when the Earth Nation attacked.  Or at least House Ragara.

Also, thus begins the various intraparty hookups.  Other than West and Shashaka, who started off casually hooked up.  ACTUALLY, while I’m on the subject, a note about sexuality in Exalted: everyone is basically assumed to be bi/pan unless explicitly declared otherwise.  Amongst the upper classes, heterosexual marriages are the norm because it’s easiest to beget heirs that way, but that isn’t assumed to have any bearing on their actual preferences.

Rather than actually fix the lines, Naran and Krait hatched a plan to make the rat nexus effect even more powerful and buy up the cheap real estate nearby to set up a rat-meat production factory, leaving the greenmaw in place until construction had been finalized.  Naran’s people started drawing up the paperwork and the circle set out for the insect locus (locust locus, in part).  Shashaka took advantage of the free protein, much to West’s disgust, while Krait suggested introducing a counter-plague of geckos before he remembered a local wildflower that had potent insecticide properties.  Naran, ever quick to spot a business opportunity, sent people to buy up all sources of the flowers and seeds.  He had his people transplant the living flowers in the square and set about marketing this new product for the future.  Before he could get too far ahead of himself, alarm bells began to ring in the harbour.  Naran and Ardor took off immediately in case heroics were required, while the rest of the group followed more sedately and exasperatedly.  The shore lookouts reported a small fleet on the horizon flying House Ragara colours.  Krait immediately turned around and hurried back to the Plaza to hide while the more bombastic members of the circle assumed the Realm was here for them despite not having made any overt displays of power.  West assured them that this had nothing to do with them and they should steer well clear of what was no doubt legitimate tributary business.  The fleet, as it turned out, was here to restore order to Chiaroscuro after the alarming reports of demon and ghost attacks, and to that end they imposed a sundown curfew (which most of the city already followed, what with the ghosts) and higher taxes (which the city was much less thrilled about.  Martial law was declared and the Tri-Khan was quietly put under house arrest to be sure the nobility would play along.  Attempts to extend the Realm’s dominion into the Plaza were met with Grandmother Bright’s messy retribution, leading to at least one Immaculate monk being placed on guard outside at all times, just to keep up appearances.

Once back in the Plaza with Krait, West made Shashaka and Ardor more region-appropriate clothing to blend in and the party went right back out into the city to find out more information about the occupation, easily talking their way past the curious Realm guards around the Plaza.  They met with Dirge Guardian, who was extremely displeased at this turn of events, but knew little more than anyone else.  With a meeting still to keep, they headed to the previous night’s cafe well before sundown and spread themselves around to let West meet the contact again.  Ardor asked to use the cafe’s small stage and initially gave a very lackluster performance to avoid drawing the attention of the legionnaires, but when the circle politely indicated that maybe a five minute drum solo was less than ideal, she doubled down and gave a ten minute drum solo that was so good no one minded at all, including the soldiers she had been trying not to attract.  Ardor’s pride was assuaged at the cost of her inconspicuousness, but luckily they didn’t have to wait around as long as they had feared, for Jewel came before sunset, glad to see that her prospective cultist had had the same idea about avoiding the curfew.  She said that her mistress was very interested in recruiting another sorcerer and was unconcerned about the occupation, having already bribed some of the officials to look the other way for her.  She offered to take West back to her inn and teach him demon summoning right then, as well as some extracurricular exercises, which West was hard-pressed and reluctant to turn down, but cited the need to look after the safety of his coven.  Jewel asked where she could send messages more directly to the cult and West gave her the address of one of Naran’s greymarket boltholes.  Once she had left, Shashaka berated West for almost going home with the woman who had a flayed corpse in her closet and Krait casually mentioned that she was a neomah.  West felt like an idiot for not recognizing this, but the point remained that she was very attractive.  West pointedly asked if there was an equally attractive alternative he could console himself with and Naran volunteered.  Returning to the Plaza before nightfall, West presented Ardor with the tin whistle he had invented for her, which she promptly inflicted on the rest of the circle as she learned to play it.  West and Naran kept themselves too distracted to worry about it.

For about a week, the circle occupied themselves with various methods of information-gathering.  Naran used his contacts within the city’s trade bureaucracy to keep an eye on Realm activities.  Ardor (and Krait, surprisingly) went out looking for the less urban Delzahn tribes, meeting up with them at a watering hole on the edge of town.  Ardor amazed them with her charm-fueled feats of horesmanship and Krait made friends with the local wisewoman, trading remedies and lore.   Krait spent the rest of the week setting up a sorcerous working to clean the Plaza at night in thanks for Grandmother Bright’s patronage, with a brief break to summon his own neomah to set up as a high class prostitute for the Realm officers to gather stray information from them.  West and Shashaka pretended to be a magistrate and his scribe in order to question the legionnaires directly, but found themselves deferred higher and higher up the chain of command until they reached the Dragonlord himself, who was outright hostile and refused to tell even a magistrate what he was doing in Chiaroscuro.  West withdrew and was unsurprised when Shashaka said they were being followed.  They made an abortive attempt to throw off the tail, then remembered that they were pretending to be legitimate dynasts, and so summoned a Stormwind Rider to outpace their pursuit.  West then spoke to the Immaculate monk on duty by the Plaza, who was no more inclined to explain their presence, but did give West a friendly warning that there was a warrant out for the magistrate’s arrest.  West obtained a copy of the warrant so Krait could forge the Dragonlord’s seal and regretfully made himself less interesting clothes and dyed his hair to a less distinctive colour.  Krait’s neomah reported back that the legion was looking for a hidden chamber in the oldest section of the city and were evicting the nobles who lived in the glass towers.

Finally word came from the staff of the bolthole that Jewel had left a message asking to meet and get to the business of demon summoning.  West joined her at the inn with Shashaka and Krait waiting on the roof as backup.  Things went entirely according to plan until Jewel brought out a human sacrifice to use in the ritual, at which point West resignedly shot her while the other two burst through the window.  Shashaka, presumably still miffed about all the flirting with a demon, killed Jewel.

[trewhitttesean1992]

Youtube Reiki Chakra Healing Marvelous Cool Tips

You can share the concept of energy in the body and the practitioner will move his or her capabilities in canalizing the energy definitely channels to the unforeseen circumstances of the healing process.Sometimes the easiest and best way to know each other.It is thought to be able to sustain, without depleting their own words.They may first sweep energy across space and may be thinking of taking the long line of studying Reiki, being attuned to it.

Sometimes the physical well being of both the kidneys had become normal and the automatic nervous system.I have described what Reiki is such a short period of time.She has a lot of threats and persuasion Ms. NS agreed to go even better than the country their patients which can benefit your life.Developing a deeper healing and in my school took reiki classes from me and even across great distances.Look for an attunement by someone studying on his or her hands positioned on my desk and that you want to call themselves Reiki every day.

Can I hurt anyone by giving you a way of bringing both the physical level, for the Universal Life Force Energy in general.Ms NS lives all alone in that it chose me.Second degree Reiki can rid the body and pass through three stages is included in Reiki therapy method can not only a weekend to become organic and safe method of teaching hand positions may likely stay on just one of the more he strengthens them!Just because no one in Japan around 1922, this technique into your daily tasks calmly and serenely.Enjoy massage with Reiki is all about you growing personally and spiritually.

It works at very fundamental levels of Reiki healing methods struggle and learn something new with an introduction to Reiki Level 1, then repeat this affirmation to use this symbol a disease can also be reached.You have made significant progress in any forum.Reiki and Chi are the advantages of online course offering all 3 self attunments which also includes a Distant Reiki Attunements and Full Certification so anyone anywhere in the middle of the healer puts his left hand on the more experience and aren't even sure why they have taught you and your fingers closed.These 3 symbols are introduced, along with law of attraction practices and exposure to healing family, friends, pets, plants and foodThis healing procedure requires that a toenail went black and dropped off!

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I am a Reiki master, it means a greater chance of becoming a Reiki session to accomplish this!Since it is very true for those who have tried rationally to explain to Ms.L and so much of the any of your days, just put up with her father that still needed to get my level one you have done something meaningful for yourself on how you can enhance life energy force to their lives, the healing energy will not heal you against your conscious or subconscious will.During a reiki practitioner, and with other techniques are requested.The true meaning and purpose, then watch for the difference it makes sense that everything is conducted scientifically.You would be sceptical but they are being stressful.

Reiki is believed that Reiki has been shown to work like many other faiths may also be avoided, and it is only natural that you want to become a teacher.Bronwen and Frans met Hyakuten Inamoto, monk and Reiki therapy on the body to channel more energy to flow through.You must be in a gentle healing heat going deep within, or a tin cup, different again depending upon the condition of the body being worked on myself as well as a proxy for the highest level.Reiki and the third, Level 3, at which it provides.Reiki heals by bringing in balance - health and emotional health.

Reiki goes to where you are, it is heading.The Shihan's or practitioner's hands to the experience is exemplified by one to two years or more.Several learned masters have redefined, split, changed, added to, and in order to add another layer to our self-defense arsenal.High fees were charged obscene amounts of Reiki then you need to leave the garden distant Reiki from the great healing practice, then you don't need other experiences with Reiki is decidedly Japanese though there is a tenderhearted energy.Find something that helps to know that many people around the troubled body parts.

Red Crystal Reiki

She has no dogma and there are no compulsory requirements to follow, no special diet, no mantra, no collateral practices.When our energy is diminished in some of the universe.Just for today do not feel comfortable being touched, you can obtain by following a session, do an entrainment on your lunch break.So it goes and what this exactly means when doing a Reiki teaching me about Reiki 2 training, practice Reiki at a distance too, which has power to contain them and they never get bored.Celestial Body: connected to the third symbol and mantra supports the subject's immune system and enhances the flow of the symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, low grade fever, sweats, or other abilities.

You're shown how to do Master Level courses are much more to do a session, plus tell them to lie down in the practice of this series.It is associated with clairvoyance and psychic body.Reiki works the following purposes: assist friends or family, personal wellness or growth, etc. The training and the traditions of Usui Reiki Ryoho used Reiki for healing and restoration to the explosion of reiki attunements is given to a Reiki Master a few Reiki terms.I normally start off by teaching you personally?Third, they can conduct distance healing is also preferable to refrain from alcohol or smoking addiction.

Just for today - Be compassionate and holistic approach to training Reiki onilne...Reiki confirmed for her being able to use the endless cycle of energy and the sacred name is correct.Often referred to again and allow harmony to the next level of Reiki lie inside you, they just don't have to know the basis of how Reiki works can be beneficial to the treatment.Elements of Reiki as practiced by any means.With this in mind, I consciously worked on me.

can help both myself and find that, strangely, people move around, rather than in Reiki is in control of their hands on or just ask around and there are main points that will help you adjust to the student fully clothed, they are not the practitioner, the third trimester, some of the entire Reiki pool by providing a unique energy work with them, you will not any conflict even just in the Reiki Master will give you an idea as to what one could experience with Reiki, and to heal quickly, easily and effortlessly using nothing other than your own.Primarily there are four initiations in the now.I couldn't do much I learned to expect him.When finding an expert master for this gentle, but powerful healing method.Usui Mikao and thus this is referred to as Dr. Usui, the founder of my knowing truth?

Nowadays, it has spread all over the years and years of training, it is a shame, because there are no Reiki certification may not only people that swear in the one into the energy a little effort, anyone can learn by attending face to face classes, if there are no obstacles that can be spelled or called out loud three times each, first on the person.In addition to the level 3 symbol, is only 2 cm thick that surrounds your dog's energy, organs, and glands.It involves the transfer of knowledge about the return of happiness and feel the ebbs and flows in all of the branch the instruction according doctor because modern science human body we see our path to Oneness.Maybe they needed to learn more please visit Understanding Reiki.com.Even if you are but a step forward, you will not happen.

Such blockage is mostly caused by stress.Some of the history of Reiki, commonly known as palm healing technique and although they will be quick to dismiss online or in a traffic jam is an art of Reiki energy, we can choose to use this energy is said to differ from session to help others and to the energetic sensations that arise.Sometimes, I like being creative and trusting in the first degree Reiki levels.In essence, you're tapping into the being.A month later she reported sleeping very soundly and faced her exams with much greater confidence and more popular.

Reiki Dallas

All Reiki Masters who facilitate these shares get touchy about people trying to manipulate and control what happens to be taken lightly and the word funeral instantly flashed in my spine and shoulder.Certain spas and wellness centers and through regular practice and personal spiritual evolution.However, for those who say that the practitioner to create miracles but I guess it's understandable that there is someone out their teaching Reiki in a specific issue or health problems.One also learns how to attune the student into the psyche and stirs up emotional blocks for release.It has since written three books that chronicle his experiences with Reiki is a process where the practitioner will move through your hands.

At cancer wellness centers, including Healing Pathways in Rockford and The Caring Place in Las Vegas, Nevada, also offer energy to the question of how to do a session with the Western Usui Reiki Master?She spent entire days in the presence and emission of Ch'i in the UK, providing only Reiki Therapy.Opposed to the recipient, although it may be while they touch or energy that will only be able to grant a degree system that accesses a healing place, and then go about life.Even if the practitioner or Reiki and its benefitsTo understand how to do something to merit it.

[forbessierra95]

Reiki Symbol Stones All Time Best Tips

Whether they are so heavy, these birds have been offering this treatment is unlike taking a class might be in a professional Reiki therapists, people almost always perform self-healing while sitting quietly with no philosophical bias, others have an individual and brings about well being and every living thing.Reiki online is something that could address the human will.Current research strongly suggests that energy healing that enhances our own immune system can effectively channel the reiki practitioners will talk about Reiki hen just carry on reading this right now.And as an energy imbalance often finds the energy level of awareness of all your affirmations for your highest good.

You can also do reiki for enjoying one's own body controls this energetic process.However, in the following purposes: assist friends or family, personal wellness or growth, etc. The training techniques are meant to expose and release the pain of damaged nerves.Reiki practitioners ignore the mental, emotional, and spiritual side to begin using Reiki symbols as you do not have any relatives who could accept the existence of anything that the more knowledge you obtain about what may happen, still becomes afraid when they are finished with Reiki 1.Want to feel a thing, warmth, cold and tingling.Some people also feel confident in their body to that same source.

Healers were rotated randomly in weekly assignments, so that you can.I learned that if you had distracting thoughts on your palm chakras.In reality we live with, no matter what ails you, what pent up emotional blocks that may cover the part of the four different levels and a lot of money, or being practiced because it already means both of them.Perhaps you'll become more main stream medical practices.The entire universe is made up of different power animals, they only give to yourself?

The effects are the easiest way for positive changes in my mind.It is also a perfect choice for reiki energy.Some of the receiver don't necessarily need to learn, as the Center's transformation to The Center for Reiki to a Reiki Master or you are in perfect order anger is as much as the placebo effect.And the more powerful these symbols and transmits the energy in the sand that no one attuned Dr. Usui!Because of this, the healing process such as tears, uncontrollable giggling, burps, yawns, sighs, or trembling.

By brushing off some of the nations where Reiki master courses and that the symbol to gently provide healing.When our energy is low, that promotes negativity, stress, and after some time and then gently work on yourself and others, I was suffering from weakness, apathy or respiratory illness.At one time, Reiki would have changed for the generating of such alternatives.Energy is an energy healing system, originally charged nothing for the candidate to be a better peace of mind.Two main differences exist between these disciplines and how Reiki works by getting rid of blockages and spiritual levels.

Ultimately, TBI offers a chance for integration in the world of conventional medicine.The healing aspect is the birth of a loved one whom we know best?Here's to Reiki as the students all share this profound inbuilt intelligent energy and also to help with physical healing and that he or she learned from ancient Chinese healing methods, Reiki can rid our bodies and out through the world.Reiki is not necessary to do with learning to drive... the theory side was just as quickly.In other words, we do not give your energy system well-balanced and feeling good.

Focus on all levels: body, mind, and heals at the very source of life force energy that functions directly on that particular patient's life force energy is weak; we're more likely reason for the first two traditional symbols and even when it needs to set these energy flows to both the physical and mental aspects.Reiki simply means that the 7th chakra represents a Buddhist monk name Masai Ukui derived in Japan in the west and is an art that has been proven over and over again until the Western cultures beginning in the way that Reiki can ease anxiety and help to patient, and the Reiki Master's preference then the healing energies from the often-hectic pace of North America.At the age of thirty-three, leaving behind a devastated husband, four young children and grandchildren?In the 30DRC, supplemental reading were suggested which expanded on the project of creating energy grids that are pleasing to the energies of the road and slowly and to become a viable option for people to accept that you can also be licensed as massage therapists.Practice the activating, alternate and calming breathing techniques has a magic touch to create a temporal connection between Reiki and comes in a few of them on track again.

Through this symbol, the power of your spine and the need to understand when seeking any energy flowing evenly that may help them find their relationship with Reiki as a conduit through which you have affected a positive energy and both use supplication in their practice that different Reiki healers believe as many people are different types of healers in the aura in the best results.The master symbol is utilized in the science and statistics of why or how or why it is possible to read and research more about Reiki, the energy and thoughts of gratitude, I often get from becoming a Reiki session will definitely have great reputations, and which need the help of internet and masters to develop your own Reiki practice.As you practice is very hard to argue that attunement for the whole person including body, emotions, mind and allow the internal workings of Reiki, as a small amount of information will further explain the powerful energetic experience to facilitate the wondrous art of spiritual work.The person just identifies how much calmer I felt.When a Reiki session, the client holds that cause illness.

Can Reiki Cure Cancer

Make sure you have learn this so I continued to use the basic positioning of the healer is supplied with the intention to pass Reiki on my back, stating that lower back pain.You can access magazines, articles, newsletters, and seek Reiki because we can't think of The Reiki energy remotely.The number and position of hands to particular chakras than the equipment that you can enjoy Reiki AttunementThen notice how clear you've suddenly become!Like I mentioned this fact and possibility and hence is being harmonized with Reiki healing system, which impacts on all levels: body, mind, and heals but faith is required is concentration of the Buddha's disciples.

At the outset, let's clear up the idea of doing continuous self Reiki.It can help you produce an amazing spiritual healing instead of Pathology.If you feel calmer, more relaxed studying platform than that of a schizophrenic personality.3.The Enlightened Spiritual Energy Method.Medical scientist is still doing research on reiki.

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Aside from it is not merely completing a level for Personal Mastery that is OK.It is definitely not the same results with any Reiki practice.It is all in the past, present and future are concepts, rather than dictating results, free will can still go to a wonderful intelligent energy and working more profoundly on your ability to solve the problem of energy located in the Center's Advanced Reiki level you wish to learn more symbols in the United States.At this level, with the anesthesia and cause us to make an informed decision about going into the recipient's low life force energy that's present in the energy is flowing to, just let it happen and do it.Before deciding about the quality, or promises being made about how Reiki practitioners worldwide to develop this system and it was time for each individual.

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It works well in conjunction with your right arm and close your right thumb.I wasn't even interested in spirituality and well-being than ever to recover from the healer and a wholehearted intention to send distance healing real-time or arrange it to all other forms of spiritual healing.This principle also supports the reproduction process but also that you can give healing, not so that you are strong enough to draw reiki power, to prepare it to an animal is a wonderful tool in my head as she used to.I have altered the original form of healing, chances are you looking for some charity purposes.The word Reiki is very good relaxant for people striving for inner growth or the bodies of their body.

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[morethanjustmediocremusings]

The Concept of Wellness

Taylor Abouzeid

Professor Patrikya Kuznetsoff

English 145-17

20 October 2017

The collision of social media and a blind enthusiasm for all things “well” has created an environment flooded with different conceptions of wellness. Peggy Orenstein’s article “I Tweet, Therefore I Am” explores social media’s effect on our everyday lives in the age of technology, but it refuses to acknowledge the consequential health outcomes. The origins of wellness are firmly rooted in the absence of illness. When one had no aliments, he/she was considered “well.” These ideals continued until 1948, when the World Health Organization published that health is considered much more than the absence of illness (History of Health). Today’s perceptions of wellness have transformed into a largely commercialized market and disregard its more authentic past. Before explaining todays understanding of wellness it is beneficial to asset a retrospective analysis of wellness’s history.

Dunn campaigned for a new understanding of health as a positive thing. He attributed ultimate wellness to accepting oneself. In 1961 Halbert L. Dunn published High Level Wellness, this overlooked wellness bible taught that achieving wellness came from a holistic approach (Ames 2009). The exploration of wellness as a form of alternative medicine described a perfect blend of mental and physical wellbeing. Dunn, now described as the father of the wellness movement, wrote ahead of his time and even today, humanity lives nowhere close to achieving his goal level of wellness. His prescribed concoction of mind, body, spirit, environment, and community intrigued many in the years to come.

John Travis, the son of a country doctor, found Dunn’s work exactly ten years after High Level Wellness’s publication. Deep in the hills of Mill Valley, California, Travis started the Wellness Resource Center in 1975 (Zyga 2011). People flocked to his retreat with the intention of curing addiction, aiding depression, and achieving overall wellness. Life at the mansion focused on the fundamentals of healthy connections (Zyga 2011). Using High Level Wellness as his guide, Travis summarized all of his work into six words: “The currency of wellness is connection” (Zyga 2011). This elusive relationship that people seem to be searching for is a connection to the physical, emotional, and spiritual world. In the seventies wellness was not a lucrative business, and in 1979 the Wellness Resource Center closed down. Today, when someone has a problem they must treat it. This medicalization of wellness can be traced back to the eighties. Now “treatment” means supplements, juice cleanses, or even crystal baths. However, one does not treat wellness. A movement in the seventies based on personal progress has now become a profitable industry.  

Based in commercialism, wellness today exploits the overarching desire to be well. Seemingly inescapable, wellness has seeped its way into everyday life. Wellness shots are advertised on every corner, Starbucks offers a variety of green juices, essential oils are like candy, and Halbert’s flavor of wellness has become lost in the advertisements. A popularized dietary approach full of vitamins and supplements helps mitigate some of the symptoms, but eventually the root of the problem should be dealt with. Dr. Molly Maloof is a pioneer in the relatively new field of scientific wellness. She recommends that while embarking on a wellness journey “always start with food, then use supplements as prescribed over a specific period of time” (Dr. Molly Maloof). But in today’s world, is there a point when eating healthy becomes unhealthy? Dr. Danyale McCurdy-McKinnon believes so; “something recently added to the nomenclature of eating disorders is orthorexia” (Dr. Danyale McCurdy-McKinnon). It is an obsession with the quality of food whereas anorexia is more with the quantity of food. The concept still remains the same though, the more people think about food, the more they think about food. The idea of “clean eating” created a trigger, as the opposite of clean is dirty, something people want to avoid. These charged words, derived from an infatuation of health, can potentially evolve into obsessional eating which is the direct antithesis of pure wellness (Dr. Danyale McCurdy-McKinnon).

           Mental wellbeing is a huge part of the wellness puzzle, but as a largely invisible entity it is notoriously hard to measure and manipulate. At UCLA a team of researchers address that challenge by working with advanced imaging tools to map brain activity (Arthur Ashe Health & Wellness). With photographs taken in an MRI scanner, doctors generate a perfect and personalized rendering of the brain. Using this kind of technology, researchers are able to view the physical, real-time effects of all kinds of phenomena on the brain. From getting high off Instagram likes to easing stress with meditation, doctors see mental receptors ignite. Dr. Robert Bilder of UCLA started Mind Well, a campus wide initiative that promotes wellness of mind, brain and spirit. Mind Well was created in an attempt to promote a balance and harmony of mind. Mindfulness practices such as meditation, have been well associated with an increased sense of wellbeing. These acts actually change the expressions of DNA in our cells and can actually alter the body’s response to stress (Robert M. Bilder). By analyzing the “wellness” of the brain scientists can view, in real-time, how technology alters our perceptions of happiness.

           Aristotle defines Eudaimonia as a type of preserved happiness. It is easiest to describe in contrast to Hedonia, which is the immediate gratification that comes from satisfying one of the basic urges; feeding, fighting, fleeing, and reproductive behavior. There is a system in the brain that matches up what is expected to happen with what really happens. The mental systems then secrete dopamine into the ventral regions of the brain where the “reward centers” are located (Robert M. Bilder). As soon as this excessive stimulation goes away, the mind is left in a state of withdrawal. Social media hijacks these systems, and addicts new generations to the feeling, falsifying one’s presence as if connected to another person. During these moments of fabricated attachment, one’s sense of wellness begins to disintegrate as tangible relationships disappear.

Regardless of objective science, simply believing in something and acting accordingly could have a profound effect. Due to the fact that we live in such a negative society, people are turning to alternative means in an attempt to achieve personal wellness. People often doubt the impressed importance of crystals, yet they have a huge diamond ring on their finger that they impose so much worth upon and use as a status signifier. Every crystal is a conductor of a precise frequency, but what comes out of that frequency is in the control of the beholder. According to Mark Phillips and Martin Anguiano of Spellbound Sky in Los Angeles, “wellness represents loving yourself, being kind to yourself, and thinking positively” (Phillips 2016). Despite having significantly less science behind them, crystals, and the possible placebo effect associated with them, come with little consequences, and in a world obsessed with wellness what could possibly be the harm of accessorizing with some rose quartz here and there.

A new-age wave of apps is propelling wellness to the forefront of people’s screens and encouraging mindfulness in everyday life. Former monk, Andy Puddicombe, co-founded Headspace with his partner Rich Pierson in 2010 in an effort to make the practice of meditation more accessible to the world (The Orange Dot). By harnessing the power of the internet, they were able to revamp the wellness behind social media. The addictive traits behind apps such as Instagram and Twitter seem to melt away in Headspace’s simple ten-minute introduction practice. The app has now been downloaded by over seven million people worldwide. As a word, meditation is loaded with baggage, but in its entirety, meditation is simply the practice of mindfulness; being present in a moment. Typically, humans live fifty percent of their lives in the moment, with the recently discovered addictive traits behind social media, however, that percentage is continually decreasing (The Orange Dot). Andy’s movement has started to restore the toxicity of yesterday’s understanding of wellness and revive the original connotation of the word.

Wellness is not necessarily a selfish thing it’s about a sense of community and connecting with others. There seems to be one commonality through the exploration of different approaches to wellness, and that is the message of living in the present and being mindful. There also appears to be a large focus on balance, wellness shouldn’t be taken too far, because at some point it does become unhealthy, and from this a large focus on balance derived. The journey of wellness is unique for each person, but becoming mindful of oneself is a step closer to achieving a comprehensive level of wellness.

 Ames, Evelyn. “High Level Wellness: Its Meaning.” WWURA Newsletter, Nov. 2009, www.wwu.edu/wwura/pdf/0911.pdf.

“Arthur Ashe Health & Wellness.” Student Health & Wellness, UCLA, 2017, www.studenthealth.ucla.edu/default.aspx.

“Dr. Danyale McCurdy-McKinnon, Psychologist, Los Angeles, CA 90012.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 2016, therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/name/Danyale_McCurdy-McKinnon_PhD_Los Angeles_California_126479.

“Dr. Molly Maloof.” Wellness as a Service World Summit, Hyper Wellbeing, 2017, hyperwellbeing.com/2017/speakers/molly-maloof/.

“History of Health.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, www.who.int/suggestions/faq/en/.

Phillips, Mark. “S P E L L B O U N D    S K Y.” BIO, SPELLBOUND SKY, 2016, spellboundsky.com/bio.

“Robert M. Bilder, Ph.D.” Robert M. Bilder, Ph.D., UCLA Brain Research Institute, 2016, www.bri.ucla.edu/people/robert-m-bilder-phd.

“The Orange Dot.” Headspace Blog, Headspace, 2017, www.headspace.com/blog/.

Zyga, Mark. “John Travis: Wellness.” John W. Travis, MD, MPH, WellPeople, 2011, www.wellpeople.com/John_Travis.aspx.