#especially since the only other triplets we see in the series are identical as well (Frank + Ernest + Dewey)

[someone-else-entirely]

Me, a child, reading A Series Of Unfortunate Events and seeing that Duncan, Isadora, and Quigley Quagmire are meant to look eerily similar to one another: "Ah. Identical triplets."

Me, a teenager, learning about how genetics work and realizing that a boy and a girl cannot be identical twins/triplets/etc: "Nevermind. Fraternal triplets who just happen to look super similar."

Me now: "They are in fact identical and Isadora is trans"

[booksandwords]

Intensity by Sherrilyn McQueen

Series: Chronicles of Nick, #8 Read time: 1 Day Rating: 5/5

The quote: Let no one take you down. You stand and you fight until the end! Not for fanfare, or for applause or laurels, but because you know what’s right and what’s wrong. Never fight because you have an audience or to gain esteem or notoriety. You fight for what matters—for the right things in life. Truth. Honesty. Dignity. Let no one steal, lie or cheat. You keep what you earn and never allow anyone to run over you because of the lies they tell others. And the lies others are so willing to believe about you. — Cherise Gautier

I am not tagging this with a spoiler warning but read on at your own risk. Intensity (and this review) contain spoilers for the Dark-Hunter verse.

We ended Invision with Simi in danger and being framed for murder. The murders of Tyree and Alan were actually committed by Cyprian Malachai, Nick's son with Laguerre. Cyprian is exactly as dangerous as he sounds given he is the son of a Malachai and War. Cyprian and Laguerre are the ones that Grim was sensing in Instinct and possibly the ones that bought out the Zeitjägers. The very first chapter of Intensity before the prologue, kinda like an introduction but not is called The Meaning of Time. It is about the Zeitjägers, about how they were born and why they were needed. It indicates they will be important to the story in some way.

Interestingly the end of Invision is not addressed until about halfway through the book. Simi isn't addressed at all. There is an awful lot of emotional punches in Intensity. Jared is completely unaware of Xevikan's existence. He knows Myone is his mother but thinks that Jaden is his father not his grandfather. Something I've suspected for a while is that Jared and Jaden are in a self-sacrificial protection loop. Hearing more of the story confirms it for me. Add Xev to the mix, who sacrificed his happiness allowing his father to raise his son and the whole thing is just tragic. We get to meet the beautiful Myone, that was just one of the time I cried in this book. Crying for what might have been and her happiness at meeting her great-grandson. There was a shock for me in that section, it is so easy to see why Xev fell fo Myone why he risked so much for his love of her.

Intensity is a good name for it. Not only is Nick's world ramping up but there is a lot packed in plot-wise. It is an intense read. But I did read it in a single sitting. The ending is effective, if unexpected. It explains a lot. Why Caleb isn't known, why Adrian is gone. Yes, I cried. But it wraps up the series well. If Sherri had decided to leave it there I would have been okay with that. There was true happiness in seeing Xev and Caleb just watching content and talking. Xev openly thinking that Nick is now his and Myone's legacy. But yet again Sheer throw information that we are almost expected to know but didn't. Like Braith and Apollymi being one and the same? Since when? Aside from that, there are a few implications that never lead anywhere like were the swords were saved by Jaden? What happened with Simi? They don't detract per see. Especially because it gives the next series somewhere to go immediately. With questions to answer.

Have a dump of thoughts from my reading.

Of course, Nathen is Cyprian. His pure power is why Kody and Caleb can't sense him. But I'm surprised it isn't having an impact on Caleb having two masters in one place. Though Nathen’s identity is not confirmed explcitly.

Takeshi and Nashira are brilliant together. I did not expect Takeshi at all. He's wonderful. But a trickster demon and a time guard (aka a yōkai and a Zeitjäger) feel like an odd combination, I'd love to know that story.

I like Shadow. I swear I've read a book with him in him before. But I would have noted him in my reviews and I didn't (though I have read the Deadmen series multiple times).

Takara is a surprise. I did not expect to see her. SHe's not in her humanoid form but she is there. Good lord she belonged to Kissare, the father of the first Malachai. She was only ever wielded by two. Kissare and Jared.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the mighty chihuahua as a nickname for Cherise?

Something it's taken me an embarrassingly long time to pick up about Vawn. He's coded trans. Yes here it is by magical means but he is still trans he is a man living in a woman's body.

I really like the Celtic triplets, Arswyd Gan Drindod, the Terror by a Trinity. Rhyvawn Ddu (usually called Vawn), Kaziel and Aeron.  They are terrifying yes but man oh man they are fantastic.

Is it Neria or Nyria? I'm wondering if it is a term of endearment. Her name is Nekoda Kennedy or Belam.

"And not all that far in the future. It would all start when Julian and Grace reunited with Kyrian" (Kody, p.222) — And that would be Night Pleasures. (Julian's story, Julian of Macedon is a prequel)

Damn, I was off on Simi's husband. It's Savitar. It makes sense. Between them, they can broaden the scope of the Omergrion Council. And there aren't too many beings that Acheron would trust Simi with.

So here we are the last book in the Chronicles of Nick series. While I had spoilers for some aspects of the series mostly who characters are and parentage I had no idea for the series ended. I somehow managed to avoid those spoilers. I looked up what happens after this. There is a four-part series called Shadows of Fire, focused on Cyprian Malachai then a trilogy for adults to finish everything off.  Sherri confirms in the bio for Shadows of Fire that CoN & SoF are Nick from Dark-Hunters real and true past. That said due to the dramas with he-who-shall-not-be named we are looking are 6+ years before Heart of Venom (book one in the SoF series). I'm not going to look at the series overall as I sometimes do in the last book od a series because as Nick says “Take my word for it. The end is just beginning.” (Nick p. 280). But what I will say is the series does stand alone if Sherri never gets to Shadows of Fire.

I put in my review for Invision that I felt I needed a family tree to keep up with the familial connections in the Chronicles of Nick. I chose not to add it to that review after reading this before finishing that review (yes I read this in a single sitting the next day). So I'm adding a family tree to this review. It's a family tree such as I read it from the books. There is likely to be errors in here but this is my interpretation of the information we were given. Including the piece where Braith is Apollymi. I know the Dark-Hunter verse a bit, if she is Braith no one knows it. Braith is missing, she's off wandering as far as I understood. But then again most people have no clue who Jaden and Menyara are. CoN gives a dangerous amount of information if you know how to interpret it. Razer is in play though not in CoN, he goes by the Egyptian name Set (I think). If I'm right Razer is tied into Kody's line. So my family tree has some indications of where there is heavy speculation. I did use Sherri's website for some of my workings.

[atc74]

Soul to Souls - Fourteen

Warnings: Doctor’s visit, a bit of domestic fluff, angst, loss, grief,  overprotective!Dean, sex (fem receiving oral, p in v), cliffhanger

This chapter may contain content that could be triggering to some readers - please see the chapter tags. 

Summary: Since she was four years old, Annaleigh has seen the same boy in her dreams. For twenty-five years, she grows to love the boy that has now turned into a man. Dean Winchester just lost the only family he has ever known. The guilt drives him to work harder than ever before. He works to forget the pain, until he meets Annaleigh and she turns his world upside down. What she learns changes both of their lives forever, but what will he do when he discovers the truth? Will he accept it or run back to the only life he has ever known?

Pairing: Dean x OC Annaleigh

Word Count: 3950 (a long one, I KNOW!)

Beta’d by: @amanda-teaches​​​​​​​, @katehuntington​​​​​​, thank you both for being my guides! Dividers and cover art by the amazingly talented @talesmaniac89.

A/N: This was my very first series I ever wrote four years ago in September 2016 and I am so happy and proud to bring this back home. Thank you to everyone that is enjoying the story so far. There is so much more to come!

Like Dean’s scent? Buy it here from @scentsfromthebunker!

Soul to Souls Master List

“Wait...what? Excuse me? Did you say ‘babies’? As in plural?” Anna looked from the doctor to Dean and back again with a look of shock on her face. Anna had seen the visions of their twins, but it still took her by surprise to discover it was actually happening, inside of her.

“Well, yes,” Dr. Ryan chuckled lightly. “Here we have Baby A on the left.  And right here, we have Baby B, but if you look closer you can see Baby C nestled on the right. Baby B seems to be measuring smaller than it’s siblings, but I assure you that is completely normal for multiple births. Congratulations, Mom and Dad; you’re having triplets! But, they are not identical. I see three separate sacs. All that means is that your babies will be fraternal triplets.” She moved the wand again and they could hear the second heartbeat, followed by the third.

Anna turned her face towards Dean and saw a single tear fall from his eye. He stood up from his chair and grabbed her face firmly with both hands kissing her full on the mouth right in front of the doctor. “I love you, Red,” he whispered against her lips.

“I love you, too, Dean,” she echoed. What about the vision I saw? I only saw two babies, not three. What does this mean? She quickly threw up a silent prayer to God, hoping He would answer this time. 

“Okay, you two. I am showing gestation at seven weeks and 3 days. Does that sound about right? That gives us a due date of May 3. Spring babies!” Dr. Ryan proclaimed as she wheeled the machine away. “I am going to let you two have a few minutes. Get cleaned up and dressed and the nurse will be back with some information for you to take home.” She patted Dean gently on the back as she left the room. 

Anna reached for the towel to start cleaning the gel from her belly, but Dean beat her to it. For a rough and tumble hunter, she already knew him to be surprisingly tender and gentle. He reached for her clothes as Anna removed the robe, turning to place it back on the table. She quickly put on her underpants and jeans and grabbed her shirt, pulling it over her head. She felt Dean’s arms wrap around her from behind, and he placed his hands over her belly. 

“You are gonna be an amazing mom, Red. I can’t wait to see you growing with our babies, and I can’t wait to meet them. They are going to be so in love with you, just like I am. ” Dean sniffed, placing his chin on her shoulder.

Turning in his arms, she saw his eyes well up. “Babe, please don’t cry.” 

“You know, my entire life, I’ve only experienced pain, and loss, and then you came along. I think these are the first happy tears I’ve ever cried,” he admitted. “I’m the luckiest man in the whole world.

“Dean, I’m already the luckiest girl in the whole world. I have you. Now we have three babies on the way. It couldn’t get any better than this.” She leaned her head into his and they just stood there in their own little world until the knock at the door brought them back.

A few weeks after that first appointment, Dean made the decision to give up hunting, and only provide research and support for other hunters now. He had started picking up shifts at the garage in town so he could be home for Annaleigh during the pregnancy, and their children once they were born. The decision had all but solidified for Dean the minute she took the first test back in Sioux Falls. 

Dean had always had overprotective tendencies when it came to his family, especially his brother, but now he had gone all mother hen on his girlfriend. He made sure she ate right, took all her vitamins, and he even enrolled her in a prenatal yoga class. 

With Dean being home every night, they fell into a very domestic routine. They were always cooking and cleaning, and the sex couldn’t have been more amazing. Annaleigh was exhausted most of the time, but the doctor said that was normal. 

A few weeks later, Dean left for the garage earlier than usual. Anna took her time getting out of bed and ready, throwing on a pair of light blue leggings and a navy sweater, quickly coming to the realization that carrying triplets meant her figure was growing faster than she could have imagined and nothing really fit anymore. She really needed to get some maternity clothes, sooner rather than later. 

Anna was walking to her studio for her first appointment of the day with Alyssa, who had pulled a few muscles in her back during some...extracurricular activity. Since she was a close friend, Anna didn’t mind opening a little earlier for her. Alyssa was just getting out of her car as Anna unlocked the door. Anna set her keys down and was suddenly overtaken with an excruciating pain that felt as if she were being split in half. 

She dropped to her knees in the small kitchenette just as Alyssa walked through the open door. “Annaleigh?! What happened?” She was on her knees next to her in an instant.

“I don’t know...a cramp, maybe?” Anna whimpered as another one ran through her middle. She rolled to her side and clutched her abdomen and heard Alyssa gasp. 

“Anna, don’t move okay? I am calling for an ambulance, then I am calling Dean.” Alyssa’s voice was shaking and Anna knew there was something terribly wrong; she could feel it. 

“Alyssa, what aren’t you telling me?” Anna asked, fear now evident in her voice.

“Honey, you’re bleeding.” Alyssa was crying as she placed the calls, holding tight to her friend’s hand.

Doctor Ryan was all the things a good physician should be in a situation such as this; she was kind and empathetic, but Anna could tell immediately it was not going to be good news as her doctor walked into the hospital room. Dean was seated next to her on the bed, and she reached for his hand the minute they saw her face.

“Annaleigh, Dean, I am so sorry; one of your fetuses has spontaneously aborted,” Doctor Ryan began with a tear in her eye. 

“Doc, what does that mean?” Dean practically whispered, squeezing Annaleigh’s hand.

“It means that one of your babies has died. At your first ultrasound, I mentioned that one of the babies was smaller than the other two. They were growing much faster and Baby B just didn’t have enough room to grow and thrive. I know it doesn’t help, but that can happen with multiples. I am so sorry, I should have warned you of the possibility.

“In spite of your loss, the other two are doing extremely well, maybe even because of it. That being said, I am putting you on bed rest for a couple of weeks as a precaution and have you come back then for a follow up,” she explained before apologizing once more. She slipped out of the room, giving the grieving parents time alone. 

Annaleigh felt Dean’s grip tighten on her hand, and she could feel his eyes on her. She lifted her head and met his eyes, tears falling freely. Anna released his hand and reached out for him with both arms, scooting over in the small bed. Dean’s large frame dwarfed hers as they clung to each other, grieving the loss of a child they hadn’t even known, but couldn’t have loved any less. 

Carding her hand through his hair, she felt him rubbing small circles on her swollen middle as sobs left him. They comforted one another the best they could through their own pain. Thinking back to the visions she had seen, the loss of this child explained why Anna only saw two babies. Perhaps Dr. Ryan was right; maybe the loss of one child meant the survival of the other two. 

Annaleigh was released from the hospital a couple of hours later with strict instructions to take it easy for the next two weeks until her follow up appointment. No working, no lifting, no chores of any kind. If she thought Dean couldn’t get more overprotective, she was terribly mistaken. 

After they returned home and Anna fell asleep on the couch, Dean went to the grocery store. With a full refrigerator and cupboards, he meal prepped for the entire week while she slept. Less time in the kitchen meant more time with her after work. 

He made arrangements for all her friends to come check on her throughout the day so that she never needed to be alone. While she was grateful for her friends coming by regularly, even if it was at Dean’s insistence, there came a point when she just wanted to be alone. Everyone had a breaking point and by the end of the first week, Annaleigh hit hers. 

“Stop!” The shout pierced the otherwise peaceful evening Dean had planned.

Wide eyed and slightly taken aback, Dean gaped at her. 

“Dean, I’m sorry. I love you and I appreciate you taking care of me, but stop,” Anna sighed heavily, tears filling her brilliant blue eyes. “I cannot take any more of your smothering!”

“Red, I’m sor-.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just stop. I’m not cold, I’m not hungry. I’m not a child and I don’t need babysitting! All I want is to be alone! Stop scheduling my friends to spend time with me, they have lives and jobs, and don’t need to be here all fucking day!” 

“I’m just trying to take care of you the best I know how,” Dean stiffened, his voice cracking. He stood from the couch and headed for the stairs. 

“Where are you going?” she demanded. 

“You said you wanted to be alone, so I’m honoring your request and going to bed, in the guest room, so you can have some space from me,” Dean sniffed, not even turning to face her. 

“Dean, baby, stop please and look at me,” she pleaded, urging him to turn around. 

Steeling himself against the flood of emotions coming from both of them, Dean slowly turned to face her, wiping a hand down his face in an effort to clear the tears that he had shed in his failure to make her feel safe. 

“I’m sorry for being ungrateful, please come sit with me,” she started. Once he returned to the sofa, she snuggled up to him. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m feeling frustrated because I can’t do anything, and I just need to be by myself sometimes. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you, but I need you to stop with all your worrying, and just be with me.” 

“Red, I am here with you whenever I’m not working,” Dean argued, failing to see her point, when her face fell. 

“No, Dean. Not just present, not taking care of me, but here with me. I’m not the only one that went through a loss, is going through a loss. We haven’t had the time to ourselves to grieve the loss of one of our babies, but I don’t want to do it alone, I want us to do it together,” Anna cried softly into his shirt. 

Knowing she was right is what hurt the most. Dean shifted his body, pulling her into his arms, and, for the first time since they left the hospital, the two of them found solace in each other and grieved for the child they would never meet. 

Two weeks later, Dean and Anna sat in Dr. Ryan’s office, listening intently as the doctor talked. Everything was looking normal and both babies were growing. Doctor Ryan, pleased with the test results, lifted the bed rest, but left some restrictions in place. Anna was instructed to cut back her hours at work and the doctor wanted to see her every two weeks instead of monthly, which would be typical for a single pregnancy. 

Dean honored her wishes to be alone during the day, for the most part. He had stopped asking her friends to come over while he was at work; instead, Dean came home every day for lunch, and cut back on his own hours. He only worked every other Saturday now, and instead of hovering, he just spent time with her. 

“Dean?” Anna murmured as they laid in bed one night a few weeks later, not having really discussed it since the night she blew up. “It’s okay, Baby. We are going to be okay.” 

“I know, Honey. It’s just a lot to process. First, you tell me you had a vision of twin sons, then we find out it’s three, then th-this, and I can’t help but feel that maybe it really isn’t in the cards for us. What if the doctor is wrong? What if your visions aren’t real?” Dean’s voice was cracking, and she knew he was trying to keep it together for her. She pulled him closer to her.

“I don’t know either. But, I do know that we can get through it, together. Just...you have to talk to me, Dean. I know this put a lot on you, feeling like you have to take care of me all the time, but please don’t bottle it up like you have done your entire life, okay? Promise me that if you need to talk to me, you will. We are in this together, and I am not going anywhere. God has told me His plan for us and I have to have faith in that, just like I have faith in you, in us,” Annaleigh promised him as they held each other close. 

Pretty soon it was Christmas and Anna could barely see her feet, even though she was only a little over halfway through her pregnancy. This, of course, made sex more challenging than it had been in the first few months, but with the hormones raging inside her, she was not going to let that stop them. Since Doctor Ryan had lifted her bed rest, she assured them intercourse would be fine, but cautioned them to be careful. Since then, they had pretty much stuck to the basics, but with Dean, even vanilla was incredible. 

Anna had only one client one late December day, and it gave her plenty of time to contemplate what she was going to do for Dean when he got home from work. Or rather, what she was going to do to him. As soon as she was done for the day, she closed up shop and headed back to the house, feeling excited and already highly aroused.

She had recently been shopping online for sexy lingerie that didn’t leave her feeling fat. She was surprised to find several styles online that would accommodate her ever changing figure that were also incredibly sexy. The best part was they were delivered the day before. Dean was going to lose it and she couldn’t wait, feeling her panties getting wet just thinking about it.  

She ran a nice warm bath with the lemon bubbles that Dean loved. She scrubbed, shaved, and lotioned from head to toe to make sure every inch was kissably soft. She left all the lights off on the main floor, leaving only a couple of candles and the fireplace to light the space. Anna placed a few beers in an ice bucket for Dean on the coffee table while she opted for sparkling water. 

As she lay propped up on the couch cushions, trying to make herself comfortable and still look sexy, she looked around, pleased with the ambience of the room and dripping with anticipation for Dean to return home. She didn’t know how much longer she could wait before she took care of her own needs. Just a little bit longer. She was rewarded for her patience when she heard the rumble of the Impala just a few minutes later.

“Honey, I’m home,” Dean called out as he walked in the door.  

“I’m on the couch, Babe,” she greeted him.

She could not see the kitchen door where she was, but she heard him drop his boots. The moment he hit the archway leading to the living room, she practically heard his jaw hit the floor. He let out a low growl as he slowly stalked toward her on the couch.

“My God, Red,” he whistled in appreciation. “You look so fucking sexy.” He reached down and grabbed her hands, pulling her upright so she was sitting, facing him as he dropped to his knees on the floor in front of her. His long fingers traced the peek-a-boo cups of the delicate lace on the black and sapphire blue babydoll negligee. 

He placed one hand on each knee and gently spread her legs open, a low moan rumbling from his chest. “Crotchless panties? You naughty girl. Someone’s in a mood.” He wrapped his hands behind her knees and pulled them so her ass was on the edge of the couch, keeping her legs spread for him. Leaning down, he trailed his nose from her ample breasts, down to her navel, peppering her rounded belly with kisses. Dean stopped at the waistband of her barely there panties, inhaling her scent. “Smell so fucking good, Red.” He ran two long calloused fingers over her dripping folds without interference from the fabric. 

Anna moaned as he traced her wet folds, opening even wider for him. “Dean.” 

“You are soaked, Red. Is this all for me?” He leered at her, his eyes dark with want as he brought his fingers to his lips, licking her slick from them.

“This is always for you. Only for you. Because of you,” she murmured. 

He licked one stripe up her center with the flat of his tongue, stopping just short of where she needed him. He continued this torture for minutes. She couldn’t take any more teasing and grabbed him by the head to lead his face to the sweet bundle of nerves that had been throbbing with desire for him all day. It did not take long for him to take over and dive in, taking her clit between his luscious lips and sucking until she lost it, free falling into the abyss of her orgasm. A string of filth fell out of her mouth followed by his name.

“You are the sexiest thing ever, you know that?” he panted against her skin as his lips sought out every inch from her center to her swollen breasts up to her neck. “I can’t get enough of you. There will never be enough of you, Annaleigh.”

He quickly shrugged off his clothes, letting his thick, hard cock spring free from its constraints.  He eased his way back up her body, paying special attention to her overly sensitive breasts and nipples. He freed them from the lace cups, taking the firm nubs between the thumb and forefinger of each hand and rolling them just enough to set free a new flood of arousal down her thighs. The wanton moans escaping her mouth spurred Dean on and he took one in his mouth, running his tongue over it expertly with the just the right amount of pressure and suction. He was the only man who was able to make her cum from this alone and she did, as if on command.

“Damn, Red. You cumming with just some nipple play is fucking hot,” he moaned into her mouth before he continued kissing her.

“Babe, I just need to feel you inside me, so you better fuck me now before I do it myself,” Anna moaned, coming down from her second high. 

“As much as I’d love to see that, I gotta feel that tight pussy, Red,” Dean groaned, stroking his length as he helped her up. 

Although her belly was not too big yet, it still had became difficult for Dean to fuck her into the mattress or couch like he used to. Together, they had discovered a few new positions that they felt would work well for them. Dean held her hand as she turned around so that she was facing the back of the couch, with one leg on the armrest. He placed one foot on the couch and entered her from behind, agonizingly slow. He set a slow pace with his thrusting, heeding the advice of the doctor, and avoiding deep penetration. 

Although his movements remained shallow, he picked up the pace as she held onto the back of the sofa. Anna could feel her third orgasm building again from deep within her core. “Faster, Dean, faster,” she pleaded with him. “Oh, Baby, you fill me up so good. Your cock feels so good, Dean,” she moaned.

“Cum with me, Red. I’m so close, I want to feel you cum so hard around me,” Dean grunted in her ear. As if she wasn’t sexy enough, hearing her get filthy turned him on even more. He pulled her up until her back was flush with his chest and lowered her leg, pushing them together. He could move faster, but it would prevent him from going too deep. 

Anna reached down to her swollen clit, craving the additional friction. She threw her head back, meeting Dean’s strong shoulder. He reached around and covered her hand with his, helping her cross the finish line just before he did.  

They collapsed, exhausted side by side on the couch, trying to regain control. “You are amazing, Dean. I love you so much,” Annaleigh confessed to him as she cupped his cheek, and he closed his eyes, leaning into her touch.

“I am so lucky to have you, Red. I couldn’t love anyone more,” he confirmed. With that, they dozed off, lazily tucked into one another.

Just into her third trimester, Annaleigh had three months of pregnancy remaining. Doctor appointments were every other week for the last trimester, but this week’s visit included another ultrasound. She and Dean had discussed it and, initially, they decided to let the genders of their babies be a surprise, but after encountering too many disagreements when planning the nursery, they made the choice to find out. Neither of them cared, as long as both babies were healthy. 

Dean had dropped her off at the clinic a few minutes early, saying he had to run to the shop, but would be back for the ultrasound. He had been acting really weird lately, but she figured it was nerves and his protective nature kicking in again. With the most recent snowfall, he wouldn’t let her drive herself anymore, so she sat in the lobby, reading and waiting.

After about thirty minutes, the nurse finally called her name. Just as she was getting up from her chair, Dean came rushing through the doors. “Hi, Honey. Sorry I’m late. There was an accident on Main,” he explained, following her back to the exam room, his hand on the small of her back.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to have an exam today, just the ultrasound. She lifted her shirt as Dr. Ryan rubbed the cold gel over her swollen middle. 

“Mom and Dad, there is a note here that you want to find out the genders finally?” Doc asked.

They both nodded, holding hands as she worked the wand over Anna’s belly.

Dr. Ryan continued. “Okay. Here is Baby A, and it looks like we have a healthy baby boy! Let’s take a look at Baby C…”

Did you like it? The nicest thing you can do for a writer is reblog their work and tell them, and others, how much you like it!

Yeah, go ahead, yell at me. It’s okay; I can take it. And I deserve it. 

Soul to Souls tags: @emoryhemsworth​​​​ @flamencodiva​​​​ @iwantthedean​​​​ @jensengirl83​​​​ @deanwanddamons​​​​ @smol-and-grumpy​​​​ @kbl1313​​​​ @waywardbeanie​​​​ @whatareyousearchingfordean​​​​ @princessmisery666​​​​​ @shy-violet-soul​​​​ @lastcallatrockysbar​​​​ @winchesterxfamilybusiness​​​​ @fangirlxwritesx67​​​​ @squirrelnotsam​​​​ @michellethetvaddict​​​​ @magssteenkamp​​​​ @wonder-cole​

[sparklyjojos]

THE SAIMON FAMILY CASE recaps [1/13]

These will be full recaps of the latest JDC book, The Saimon Family Case (彩紋家事件) from 2004, which is a prequel taking place in the late 70s. While it’s a prequel, it can be read without any knowledge about the series. (It does spoil one death from Carnival at the end, but I feel like everyone already knows about this particular one).

It won’t be obvious in the recaps, but the book consists of seven parts seven chapters each (similar to Maijo’s Tsukumojuku) with two additional parts at the end.

The novel is light in terms of content warnings (for a murder mystery, anyway), but small kids WILL die in this, and we’ll be talking a lot about a specific type of systemic xenophobic violence near the end.

See that big family tree above? Save it somewhere for future reference. Believe me when I say you will need it. (Also, as always in the recaps, family name will be given first, Japanese-style.)

Well then—has everyone found their seats? Is everyone ready to witness the most splendid illusion?

Let's start the show.

PART 1

A note at the beginning informs us that soon 20 years will have passed from the end of the famous Saimon Family Murder Case, often called the “Crime Revolution” because of its impact on the future of similar complicated incidents. The details of the case have been hidden from the masses, but the time will soon come when everyone will learn the truth.

--

It’s the very last day of the year 1999. The mysterious first person narrator of the framing device is an older gentleman attending a New Years celebration in Las Vegas with his wife. They watch a fairly young blond magician perform close up magic for the guests. The magician borrows a 10,000 yen bill from the narrator, seals it in an envelope, sets it on fire, and it suddenly turns into a rose in his hand. When the narrator is asked to check his wallet, inside he finds a bill with the same denomination and serial number, but of a noticeably larger size… among a few other stunning differences.

“Happy New Millenium!” the magician exclaims.

This little illusion awakens memories from that case in both the narrator and his wife. As the world heads towards the new century, they are the only people left who were so closely involved in those tragic events of old.

--

It's September 19th 1977, and the entire Saimon family celebrates the 99th birthday of their old matriarch, Saimon Tamako. The celebration takes place on a performance stage next to the family's main residence in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture. Tamako’s daughter Akiko pushes the matriarch’s wheelchair towards the stage.

A perceptive guest may notice two other old women in the crowd who look astonishingly like Saimon Tamako, though they are a little younger (97). These are twin sisters called—if you can believe it—Tsukumo Tamako and Tousen Tamako. The three Tamakos look near identical, and in fact once used that similarity for their magic acts: all secretly shared the single stage name of Soga Tenju. That was decades ago, of course. The Tamakos no longer look like the beautiful young woman (actually women plural) known from her most famous illusion, Courtisane and Bell.

Once Akiko and Tamako take their place on the stage, all the lights suddenly go out for just a second, and in that brief darkness two things happen.

One: the red-and-white stripes of the celebratory curtain decorating the stage suddenly turn into black-and-white stripes of a funeral curtain.

Two: Saimon Tamako dies.

--

Saimon Tamako is ruled to have died of natural causes, not unusual at her age, and the curtain changing color must have been just someone’s attempt at a distasteful joke.

However, the threat of something darker going on still seems to lurk in the background. There’s a lot of people with bad intentions in this world. As part of the Saimons, Akiko is well aware of that. She recalls what she knows about the family's past.

Back at the beginning of the 20th century, Saimon Tamako made her living performing magic with a traveling circus group. Eventually she met a rich man, married him, and with his financial help established the Soga Tenju troupe.

Of course, the magician Soga Tenju was actually three women, all looking identical, all having similarly unclear pasts and wandering with the same group, all being called simply Tamako because no one even knew their real names.

It happened that three rich men of Tsuwano, who all have been friends—Saimon Taishin, Tsukumo Taigen, and Tousen Taikun—fell for the same “Soga Tenju”, and upon discovering the secret behind the magician decided to marry one member of the trio each. Since this was the era it was, the women didn’t really have a say in the matter. (Akiko hopes for more emancipation in the future and feels sad that she probably won’t live to see it; she’s over sixty herself.)

The tendency for similar names came with all sides of the family, it seemed. The three rich men were themselves a little weird, and that shared “Tai” in their names was something they added intentionally to show their bond. Their respective firstborn children—Tsukumo Haruko, Tousen Natsuko and Saimon Akiko—were given names referring to haru (spring), natsu (summer) and aki (fall). Since the Tamakos were so similar looking, their daughters also looked close enough that one could mistake them for triplets.

Akiko herself has three sons—Taishi, Akio, and Takayoshi—but now that they are all adults, they no longer feel so close to her, especially the youngest Takayoshi, who never felt inclined to stage illusion and broke all contact with the family. He didn’t show up for Tamako’s birthday and even now, a month later, hasn’t contacted them yet.

On October 19th, Akiko is busy sewing new props for a magic routine, the Five-Ball Cascade, in which juggled balls seem to change colors between red and white in mid-air. Remembering her times as the young magician Soga Tenshuu, she attempts the act just one more time. As she throws the balls in the air, she feels a stabbing pain in her chest and suddenly sees familiar faces in the balls—her mother, her husband, her sons—changing from white to red, like a bloody cascade. As they fall to the ground, Akiko does too.

--

A month later, on November 19th, a few members of the Saimon family are combing the Tottori sand dunes in search for young Saimon Yuuta, who went missing the previous day after announcing he’d like to show them something at the site. Everyone’s on edge; it’s barely been a month since Akiko's death.

A rope is found sticking out of Umanose, the famous “horse-back” dune, and several people pulling on it manage to unearth what looks like a giant card—four of diamonds—and Yuuta’s corpse tied to it.

--

--

Not even a few years have passed since JDC’s founding when young detective Ajiro Souji and his wife Mizuki take part in Saimon Tamako’s tragic birthday celebration.

The couple feels at home in Shimane, both because Mizuki was born in the prefecture, and because Ajiro has been friends with the Saimon family ever since receiving their help during the Ajiro Family Murder Case—the experience which prompted him to create JDC in the first place.

That case, as usual, was solved by his grandfater Soujin and mentor Shiranui Zenzou [and if you want to know more about it, read Carnival]. Both of them are splendid detectives, but decided young Souji should be the one to become JDC’s representative instead.

...but we keep saying "JDC" here, and the truth is the tiny group doesn’t call itself by the fancy English name Japan Detectives Club yet. It goes simply by Nihon Tantei Club and occupies the third floor of an office building filled with boutiques, clinics and the like.

Aside from Ajiro the representative, the staff consists of six office workers and twelve detectives (not counting Soujin, who is almost always out on business). The detectives are divided into the Shiranui Section and Kirigirisu Section, named after their respective leaders. There is some tension between the sections: the Shiranui part puts more value on past experience and doesn’t approve of choosing young Souji as their representative, while the Kirigirisu part praises his potential and thinks of the organization’s future.

So far Nihon Tantei Club is pretty unknown, no dramatic and giant solved cases to their name, and everyone has a strange conflicting feeling: at once wishing for the peace to never end and wishing for the inevitable tragedy to just happen already; to just get to the point where what should be unusual becomes the new normal, because everyone knows deep down it has to happen one day.

On November 22nd, Kirigirisu Tarou as usual takes the train to work, thinking about how the world will inevitably change as the new century comes around—though, of course, he can’t be sure he will actually get to see it, as nobody knows what will have happened in over twenty years.

Maybe he’s mulling over the passage of time and worries about the future so much because he's a man without a past. Kirigirisu lost all his memories to head injury a few years ago, at the same time when he was wrongly accused of murder. Fortunately, he was proven innocent thanks to both Ajiros, could begin new life as a detective, and even found a wonderful wife called Kano. He would love it if this usual everyday life could continue indefinitely… although without crime, a detective like him would be out of a job. For now he wants to focus on helping the Ajiros as he can.

Kirigirisu arrives at the office, which is mostly empty this early in the morning. Well, except for the delinquent detective Raiouji Rokenrou, looking just like you’d expect a punk named after rock’n’roll to look like (sunglasses, a lot of hair gel…) and taking a nap on the couch. Apparently Ajiro Souji had a long meeting with him about something last night, and now wants to talk to Kirigirisu.

Ajiro Souji is a sharply dressed 29-year-old man, easy to mistake for a normal office worker in the crowd. (Kirigirisu always flinches a bit seeing his elegant tie; he himself has a strange phobia of wearing anything around his neck, which he suspects has to do with an unknown event forever hidden behind his amnesia).

They each light a cigarette and have a friendly conversation. Ajiro mentions that he recently tried to switch to cigars, but alas, it seems that it’s still “too early” for him to appreciate them; about forty years too early, according to grandpa Soujin. [Seeing as Ajiro is a huge cigar fan in most of the series, grandpa miscalculated by at least two decades.]

Soujin is a thin man of short stature who hardly looks like someone in their seventies, although his hair is just as white as his usual suit, with just a black bowtie breaking the color. He always gives off the air of a mafia boss, his sheer power of personality taking hold of everyone around. Soujin apparently feels constant wanderlust, so he almost never shows up at the office. In fact, Kirigirisu hasn't seen him in over two months now. Who knows what he’s doing.

But back to the situation at hand, Ajiro wants Kirigirisu's help. For the next few days, they will investigate a case together in another prefecture, Rokenrou taking care of Kirigirisu’s section in his absence.

The case surrounds a strange series of deaths. First, Saimon Tamako dying (seemingly) of old age on her birthday on September 19th. Second, her daughter Akiko suffering a (seemingly) accidental death on October 19th, when a misplaced sewing needle stabbed into her heart. And third, a very strange but (seemingly) accidental death of another Saimon family member that has just happened on November 19th. Ajiro and Kirigirisu are to investigate whether or not the perfectly spaced string of incidents may be an act of serial killing.

The case is of personal importance to Ajiro. After all, the person who requested their services is the same man that helped solve the Ajiro Family Murder Case: Saimon Ryuusui, known better as the great magician Soga Tensui.

--

(The third person narration swaps here to a completely different font, and informs us helpfully: but ah, before the two detectives could head to Tsuwano, they would go to Yamaguchi first, to watch the magic show of the Saimon family, a marvelous experience that Ajiro has already had a few times because of his friendship with the family, and that Kirigirisu would witness for the first time.

And from the very moment they were invited to see the show first, they felt uneasiness settle inside them. Only much, much later would one realize just how deep the hidden meaning of the show really was, and that solving all its mysteries was crucial to solving the Saimon Family Murder Case.

You could even say that the show itself, filled with so many wondrous mysteries to solve, was the true Saimon Family Murder Case. If so, then the magician Soga Tensui could be defined as its culprit—and if so, then Ajiro and Kirigirisu have just walked right into a marvelous illusion indeed.)

--

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

[tammyhybrid21]

Words on Superheroes

Let’s talk about a trope that people like.

Or rather a concept that people like. Superheroes. Superheroes and superpowers. This comes more or less directly as a result of my brother constantly bursting into my room and discussing it... also as an aside, there’s also the face that Boku no Hero Academia is still somewhat popular. One Punch Man, and everyone still enjoys Marvel and DC so yeah.

Let’s talk about this.

Yeah, this...

So where do I begin... maybe with my own experiences with the trope... which y’know that’s always a good place to begin, whether or not it goes anywhere... so here I go. In my experience, superheroes are just one of those things that has crept into more or less everything... Or at least the concept of beings with otherworldly or otherwise alien/superpowers has crept into more or less everything. Whether it’s your typical super speed, telekinesis or super strength, or even flight, it’s hard to argue that it’s not something that we’re fascinated with.

So, what are my experiences with it...

Well, first off, let’s get the most awkward example out of the way... my Sonic Fandom days... Yes... you heard that right, Sonic Fandom. I uh... went through many phases while I was in Sonic... so you know that’s all good and cool, and...

But yeah.

I’d have to say that Sonic the Hedgehog and his fandom would be what first introduced me properly to the concept of characters with superpowers... before that I was vaguely aware of the superhero fandom, but not really interested in it or anything... I mean, sure there was Spiderman... but... anyway... let’s move onto why this is important...

Furries... And the Furry Fandom...

Yes, I cringe. I cringe because back in the day I was definitely on the fringes of it. Mainly with the Sonic Fandom, which was also where I got into the concept of superpowers, notably superpowered anthros. Because it seemed to be a fandom rule. If you had an OC, they had to have some kind of extra special ability. They couldn’t just be straight forwards...

Which lead to a slew of characters... and well, many of those characters are still around, albeit no longer as Sonic characters... rather... more... general anthro characters. And I’m not really going to talk too much about them... but it is something that I do need to mention... Especially since that’s a concept that I keep returning to in various different iterations as well.

And of course, there’re my surviving OCs who are still around and in use.

Notably, the Fox Triplets, Buziba, and Mana, yeah. Aside those guys, there’s Tony, Zeke, Tamara Alto, The entirety of the Solar and Luna Kingdoms, Vidiarka, Speedy & the rest of the Secret Freedom Fighters... and if I keep going I’m just going to end up with a giant list of characters who you’re going to have no way of decoding or understanding... all you people need to know really is... I have literally hundreds of characters from my Sonic Days...

And the majority of them have some sort of power or other oddity about them. Which alright... I can give my younger self kudos for creativity.

But that’s where I need to get to the point. In the context of the wider universe did it make sense to have over a hundred characters each with their own powers and abilities? Not really... Even as different and as varied as they are... it’s kind of ridiculous looking back that absolutely everyone seems to have some sort of ability...

And sometimes they couldn’t even use them.

Buziba with his telepathy/empathy and the inability to turn it off, Mana literally being time personified in the end... no literally, he was and still is. A small five year old known as the Son of Time... Weak in body, but in spirit and mind-- yeah not so much... And then there was Tai, the ten year old mutt with a “jinx”... And those are the simple ones...

“Simple”

Some like Tamara, my first OC, and kind of obvious self-insert was a bit more complicated with her electrokinesis that also gave her super speed and the ability to absorb electricity and withstand it... Of course I do vaguely recall that she had an upper limit of... I think it was around 50,000 watts? Maybe, I dunno, I can barely remember. And I apparently didn’t have it in her profile... So you know, that was a thing.

That was a thing...

I can’t find the full information on... Aside her, there was her cousin who was a pyrokinetic... and well, her squad of siblings. Who I can vaguely recall all had their own similar vein abilities. Runs in the family and all you know... her slightly younger brother was water, the twins were both earth, Freedom water... she was kind of the odd one out huh... then again fitting...

Of course, Sonic Fandom was also the fandom that spawned my habit of making young characters the most OP things ever--

Mana isn’t the only example of that...

There’s these guys.

These guys... known as the Emerald Children, or the personified Chaos Emeralds... and yes I still have them, and they still look like this. So I should probably give you the basic rundown... But that’s a bit... heh... kind of weird to think about... But for the basic of basic explanations each character had an assigned element and their name vaguely linked them to it.

Scintilla-Energy-Fennec Fox, Ignis-Fire-Chinese Dragon, Alchemy-Light-Gerbil, Hydro-Water-Bottlenose Dolphin, Noctis-Shadows-Honey Badger, Dust-Eartth-Mole and Aero-Air-Masked Owl

Pretty obvious and basic... and since they appeared as kids, of course they were going to be in the Chaos business. They’re kids... how could you expect them to be anything else? Also... I remember having a kind of logic behind their species... But I never really wrote down exactly what that logic was so...

All I’m going to be able to tell you is what their species even are... and before anyone asks... yes they are still those species, and they are still the personification of Chaos Children... Which is still a fun topic... but not one I’m going to get into...

Also these kids... along with Dino, and Inu existed long before Mana...

But you know... I’m not going to talk too much about that, since it’s not really relevant, aside the fact that yeah... really, really young characters with near godlike abilities... Each of them literally personified the element that they were associated with, along with the rest of the power of Chaos...

Which... you know... chaos in Sonic is a little bit ill defined... what even is it? Some kind of magic force, who knows.

It’s chaos we’ll leave it at that.

So... moving on from Sonic, the second fandom that really introduced me to Superheroes as a proper concept was Marvel. Which... actually happened because of a friend of mine. We had this whole concept, a whole story... A whole series actually planned regarding the Marvel universe...

And this is where things get... well weird. You see, I still have all the notes from that whole idea, and it was spawned with some help from the Superpower’s Wiki and the random generator. We both hit the randomize button, twice mind you.. and those were our powers...

If anyone asks, I’m not sure if I’ll answer what mine were but for a small hint of the endgame, the entire thing was to be called Unlikely Balance once it was all done and finished... why is this important...

Because this is where I started to think a hell of a lot more about the concept of powers and the world. At this time, I was still deeply into Sonic and the majority of my OCs were still getting random powers... Sometimes... rather literally.

You see, as a concept Unlikely Balance forced me to stop and actually ask some questions in regards to the world and the characters that we were using, particularly our main trio...

I mean, it was just the two of us who were going to Author it but...

Three main characters.

Genevive Stone/Vidal, Tamika Lore/Mortimer and Lachlan Garvin

And shit... 104 pages worth of discussion and ideas... which... wow... okay... looking at that is very, very intimidating. Especially with the understanding that it started as just us two playing around with the concept of us having powers and then kind of wondering, but what if...

Which lead to a buttload of discussion. And again, it was really the first time I had thought of powers beyond the small perspective of, a character with powers... Since the Marvel Universe really was quite extensive and wild... which meant that we had to figure some things out... especially in regards to how the characters met, whether they knew each other before and in the greater scheme of things what their powers meant...

Of course they begun as just... you know... kids. Kids who had to grow up...

They started the whole series as nine year olds, after all. Which meant we had to really factor in how having those abilities would affect those around them, and what protocols would be followed. How would their families treat them over the abilities and everything--

And I really don’t know if I would be able to really dig through a 104 page document to find all the most important details... Also, by the end it had shifted I remember, from being a Marvel story to potentially an original one... since all that we really needed were our main three characters and the plot.

There was a lot in there actually.

Politics, Laws and the ideas of what exactly is legal for a superhero, and the musings on Secret Identities... to a cult after our main trio because they had a greater destiny due to a time travel screw-up and paradox plot... which... wow-- what a detail to just remember right?

Also there was some stuff about growing up and dealing with that, because of course, they start as kids and the world has some lessons to show them. Which gets into the morality arguments of the whole issue.

Which were huge.

Morality.

Is it right for a superhero to kill, or what?

Which while I won’t go into too much detail... the whole issue is kind of hinted at with their names, along with their ultimate fates... which you know... I’m not going to spoil because there’s the hope that maybe we can or will finagle this into an actual story at some point... maybe.

Who knows?

I mean I sure don’t... right now it’s just a lot of discussion and chaos and well, you know. Needs a lot of sorting...

But on the topic of whether or not it was right to kill villains... well, the two main character’s had what I remember as being somewhat opposing views on death, and whether killing was alright... in fact it spawned a sub-plot where they have to deal with the whole issue... which is kind of funny when it comes down to it because the one who’s more... “morally upright” was the one who was more alright with killing and the one who killed first...

And isn’t that an issue.

But at the same time that’s a huge conflict right there... the plot of an entirely arc... Also I forgot how often a character dies and then comes back to life in this... which is another thing I suppose that I should touch on, but even in context it’s... weird.

Or tricky...

But you know, it was our loophole to deal with how often a superhero would die only to come back... and it was because of clones... Which you know, that’s a perfectly logical explanation one of the trio had the ability to make clones, and those clones would tie to the souls of them, so each time they died, they merely woke up in the body of one of the clones, keeping the experiences...

Which--

Which actually made their ages rather fuzzy if I’m going to be completely honest because the clones didn’t really age from the point that they were first made unless they were disconnected-- which also had a couple of clone villains involved and boy wasn’t that a whole huge mess...

I also don’t remember the order of events as clearly as I would like to-- I mean, I have each arc written but-- well that doesn’t matter as much.

But there was a lot of themes explored in that whole mess, because it wasn’t as simple as here are a bunch of characters with powers go. Unlike in the Sonic Fandom, where it was just... most people seem to have powers for one reason or another... or at least the majority of them do.

So we got into the whole, Mutants, Metas and Aliens-- which alright. There was also time-travel and the exploration of where these powers came from albeit only a base touch down. And since it was Marvel, you can bet we delved into what about the normal human population and all that.

It-- It was heavy.

But ultimately incomplete, and while that did delve into the darker side, it ultimately became just another story about growing up.

Just with superpowers.

Aside that there’s my... Lunia Series.

Which is actually funnily enough a bit of a BNHA story before Boku no Hero Academi-- what if, what if everyone in the world had powers? That was the entirety of the Lunia Series. And... there wasn’t actually all that much more to think about--

Oh

Wait

Actually

The Lunia Series started with one character, and one concept. Like legitimately it started with a character concept of someone with invisibility-- a character who struggled to be seen at all. I mean that was what I started with... and then came the royalty plot, and her “friend” Max-- it grew an awful lot.

And I mean a lot, there’s a whole series-- which actually means I need to stop and talk about this a little bit, because the Lunia Series was my first big project and one of the stories from it... well that was my first year’s NaNoWriMo story...

An absolute mess, I mean I definitely learnt from it... but the issue with that mess, was well-- I got to the word count and hadn’t even hit the first major climax in the story yet. Which okay fair, fair, guess it really was going to be a superhero story-- except Prophecy wasn’t.

It was a story set in the same universe, with another ton of wold-building and ideas like Unlikely Balance... but... You know...

I had a super, super vague idea of the plot for that...

guy writes a fake prophecy so he can run away from the throne, years and years later people are taking it seriously and they think that Ace is the prophecy child, No he's not, Ace decides he has to be and steps up into the role, Prophecy was never real letter found, Chaos, Wait but everything matches it, Ace continues to be Prophecy child... and eventually Rules the country because ??? that's what the prophecy was about...

But beyond that I never had too much of a plot direction it was just Chosen One, Unchosen One, wait he is the real Chosen One playing around with... And a lot of symbolism and doubt and family is super important... with some crossdressing for plot!

Which didn’t translate the best into an actual plot. But it did have so many concepts that I really want to come back to. Because wow, I loved these characters, still love these characters...

But those two stories. Invisibility and Prophecy weren’t the only ones set in that series-- and warning for a specific plotline, regarding Rape and Rape Tropes, but there was a third story called Survivor that I still have the plans for. And this one is where the morals of a society based around superpowers really came into play.

With a lot of questions over self and what constitutes as a crime, and how willing is willing and it was a huge mess. Because some powers muddy the lines, and there’s a huge question in regards to consent and choice...

Which you know, I guess that was something. Also a lot more on the topic of heroes and villains since it was set in a different country from either of the ones that were featured in Invisibility or Prophecy... which actually crossed over a lot closer than one would expect since Tecusa(Invisibility’s Protag) ended up receiving refugees from Dená in the story, refugees that were featured fleeing in Prophecy-- among other crossovers regarding the news and developments in both countries...

And then there was Survivor which was the most set aside of the three.

Taking place in a more traditional Heroes verses Villains setting because that was the way that country was laid out. Nitida, the country of heroes and villains. Set apart from the rest of Lunia by their constant chaos due to that culture... much, much more comic book here--

And then the main character was a rape victim...

Which ahhh... yeah. That was also where I hit that phase, toot toot here come the characters I designed from more or less pure spite because I hated how certain tropes were used and overused... so... I ended up with quite a few character’s who’re kind of-- well.

And no, this isn’t Buziba. Although he falls into the same category. This character was Benjamin “Ben” Chandler... And looking back over my notes... A transboy who’s family accepted him, which alright. Guess younger me had more than a few reasons for why things were happening, but it’s still really, really, really bad.

The execution could always be better.

But that’s why Survivor existed.

To explore those darker things. The crimes that happen, and people don’t want to acknowledge. And Benjamin is a more egregious example, I’ll be real. He’s... not a good character in hindsight, but hey A++ for learning...

Buziba’s a much better character in general and his backstory for it all makes, more sense. But at the same time, I’m not going to lie. My wild boy definitely has more than a few rough spots in his backstory and character that make him something of a cliché/stereotype for this... or at the least, that make the one doing this to him such.

I mean... LOOK AT THIS BOY!

Anyway... Ben did explore another side of the world... and I’m going to leave it at that because honestly. Not much more, to say...

So let’s get into the part of the whole superhero plot that people probably really want to know about, more than stories and themes-- powers.

And what ones I think are more, or less useful. More or less scary. Which ones are the most surprisingly dangerous? Surprisingly tame?

And this--

This is tricky

It really is. Like there are honestly a few powers that no matter what they’re kind of lame, like glowing, but there are others that seem useless, but can be downright terrifying when used in the right, or wrong way. There are some that are just unchanging, and then there are some that sound interesting but always get used in such route and predictable ways...

And then there are the powers that tumblr has gotten it’s claws into and turned into something of pure nightmare fuel by making you stop and think of the greater implications that they imply and the domino affects that they would have. It all matters. It all comes tumbling down. Thankyou tumblr.

But seriously, think about this--

Think about it--

Because how many, how many of these powers have required secondary abilities? If you turn invisible you have to have some other way of seeing things to be able to operate and function in the world to actually be able to live. Super strength and speed both require extra resilience. A healing factor is pretty much required for most powers, by default.

But seriously, how often do people think of these things...

Or the side-effects of healing either...

Aside what Boku no Hero Academia has been doing. Which you know that’s a first, we don’t see the consequences so much. And it messing up your natural healing, that’s good. Really good and interesting. Also... anyone else-- anyone else just generally freaked out by healers in general. You never know exactly where their healing comes from.

Positive or negative.

Also... those who know how to put you back together... typically also know the best way to tear you apart and to absolute shreds. So... you know, fear the healer.

No seriously. Fear. The. Healer.

Fear them.

I want more dangerous healers. Personally, I love my villain healers, villain doctors. Because wow. Break you and remake you. But whatever you know.

I mean, aside that, there’s also that one tumblr post about probability manipulation and wow, wow does that get scary when played a slight bit darker.  But seriously, the general rule for this is really-- really down to creativity. How creative can you be with the powers nothing more nothing less.

I mean I even discussed it with a friend regarding fixing the Power of Three arc in the Warrior Cats series...

Which you know, there is a way to fix that. Although that’s an old cup and in general for Warriors I never got past the first arc and Firestar’s quest so most of what I know is generally, what the fandom puts out more or less... but then I’m the same with most of Naruto because the protagonist just rubs me the wrong way.

But he’s a good example of flaws in a system and disabilities and just... ultimately I don’t know...

But if anyone’s curious about fixing the Three... well, a small thing is it’s kind of spoilers for the vague, extremely vague plan I have regarding my Unbound Unleashed series following Tinderkit-- still, a small hint is the thematics of Mind-Body-Spirit... so do with that information as you will.

Also on that note, special abilities in Warrior Cats in general is an interesting concept, because aside communication with Starclan there is the concept of prophecies and seers, although that’s another pile of prey that I’ll have to get into some other time--

Maybe when my Warrior Cats muse actually returns.

So yeah...

I think that’s all I can really say on superpowers. There’s a lot to say, but I don’t really have much that I can cohesively piece together when I’m just kind of gushing and babbling to fill up my word count for NaNoWriMo, since this month is meant to be vent... so...

Yeah, done.

[80srockher]

Yuri on Ice Rewatch and Live-Commentary, Episode 1: Easy as Pirozhki!! The Grand Prix Final of Tears

*There are spoilers throughout.  I also make assumptions that anyone reading has already seen the episode or has a grasp of the content.*

Source: http://yurionicescreencaps.tumblr.com

The opening scene is so pretty.  Really sets a tone.  I went in knowing nothing about the anime first go-around, so I found Yuri and Victor’s grow/glow-ups montages interesting.  

This theme song is… not my favorite.  Maybe it’s the French horns?  That and too much synth.  I usually skip over it but want to give it a chance this go-around.

Heh, Victor and his gold blades to match his gold medal.  And his European af haircut.  Can’t remember the last time I saw an American past the age of 12 with bangs. No mistaking him for anything other than Eastern European.

Also, the poster on the left is for Victor, I believe.  Can he pull his leg that high in the air?  Was that featured and I forgot?  I’ll be on the lookout for it.

Also, looks like Jean JACK made it to Sochi and placed third here too, lolz.

Yes, please listen to your coach, Yuri.  Don’t poke the wound.  Stay off the internets.  ESPECIALLY the figure skating internets.  What little I remember from when I used to follow the sport is that it’s dramatic, to put it nicely.

I keep getting distracted by the utter Euro-ness of the Europeans in this show. The cut of Coach Celestino’s suit is so Italian I weep. He’s too smooth.

Yuri’s name tag has his name in Cyrillic as well?  Cute.

My first impression of Yuri was that he looks about 18 and that impression hasn’t changed.  Perhaps it’s the glasses, but he def looks youthful. I’m also someone who’s been accused of looking a decade+ younger than I actually am, so I can sympathize.

Speaking of sympathy – Yuri caved to pressure, binged ate before the competition while mourning his dog, then bombed his first trip to the Grand Prix final.  All in front of his idol.  Damnity damn damn.  Sorry, kid.

Is Cao Bin ever introduced on the show?  Something else I forgot, maybe?

Now, when I first saw this poor child crying in the bathroom, that’s when I knew the series was going to be much different from the light-hearted anime about figure skating I expected.  It got real deep real quick.

Yuri Plisetsky “The Russian Punk”.  Is this something the in-universe media refers to him as?  Because I only recall (JPN) Yuri saying it and only this once.

This screencap is during the scene where the journalist Marooka (sp?) is hassling Yuri about his future plans and instead of answering, Yuri can only stare at someone else’s puppy that reminds him of his dead Vicchan.

This baby is crying. Cry.ing.  This has been a tough day for poor Yuri, overall.

And he talks down to himself so much.  It’s all his fault he caved to pressure. He was an idiot to think he could meet his idol on the same playing field.   He’s come so far and still thinks so little of his accomplishments.

So, I understand this “one year later” is not really accurate, lol.  It’s just the new  year following the previous season.  I was confused initially about a number of soon-to-happen events before Yuri’s mental alter ego cleared it up.

So, per Minako’s voice actress, Yuri really is pronounced YOO-RI.  Cute.

Four Continents is… not a Grand Prix competition?  My figure skating knowledge is all rust now.

LOL, Minako does. Not. Play. And she wears a pinky ring.  My God, that death grip on poor Yuri.

It’s snowing outside the train station when Yuri and Minako leave.  So, it’s not unusual to snow in this region in March, but it’s highly unusual a month or so later. Man, hard to believe Yuri sat around for almost an entire month before the infamous video became viral.  More on that, later.

So, based on everyone’s interactions with Yuri so far, the only person who cares that he didn’t make it to the World Championships is him.  And he should care since he’s worked basically his entire life towards that goal.  But, he doesn’t appear to have let anyone down but himself, though he doesn’t act that way.

So, the fact that the family hot springs is named “Yu-topia”… did that influence Yuri’s name at all, I wonder?

Ha!  I wish I could have recorded the Japanese actor’s voice when he says this line.  He makes Yuri sound so done with it all, lol.  It’s the best.

Ok, so a number of very interesting and entertaining things happen in succession that I don’t feel like screencapping.  No hug between the littlest Katsuki and the senior Katsukis, even though he hasn’t been home in 5 years.  Fascinating. No doubt cultural (I’m guessing) but fascinating.  

Yuri’s mom basically calls Minako a drunk.  To her face. LOL.  But I imagine no one can get mad at this sweet lady.

Minako calls Yuri out on his weight gain in front of God and everybody.  Though, I think it’s more of a matter of his clothes no longer fitting due to said weight gain.  

But, his parents don’t care. Eat more pork cutlet bowls, Yuri! Welcome home!

Vicchan’s shrine is where they also store the unused treadmill.  Want to bet the only person to use it was Yuri?

Then older sis Mari-neechan appears with frosted tips.  I can appreciate a character that doesn’t beat around the bush (a trait she inherited from her mother, I imagine).  Welcome home, Yuri, but don’t sit on your ass.  Start thinking about your next move.    

Actually *loads headcanon* I suspect Mari doesn’t want Yuri to give up on skating.  The longer he stays at home, the more quitting becomes a possibility.

So, the Katsuki family hot springs resort (Inn?  Restaurant?) is the last one standing in town.  Very OT, but I wonder if the hot springs are still an attraction at all and are perhaps, government-owned?  Protected, used by tourists for a fee, perhaps?  I think about things like that.

Having never visited a hot spring, and based on the setting around Minako while she watches the World Championships on TV, it appears to be a place for people to come, soak, and lounge and grab a bite to eat if the mood strikes.  So, the Katsukis wait on people basically all day long.  Gotta be exhausting work.

Yuuuuuko!  The Madonna of Ice Castle Hasetsu!  Yuri’s crush on her is hella cute.

A slight segue to Yuri’s perceived attraction to Yuko and what it could imply about his sexual identity.  Per his labeling of Yuko as a “Madonna,” I figure Yuri considers Yuko untouchable, perhaps even “too good” for him.  Yuko, just like Victor, is “ideal”.  For someone as self-conscious as Yuri, comparing any romantic prospects against his two ideals was probably a convenient excuse not to get *too* close to anyone, male or female.  That being said, he didn’t pursue Yuko.  Alcohol loosened enough of Yuri’s inhibitions to eventually openly flirt with Victor, but this is still an important distinction, IMO.  He pursued one of his ideals (in more ways than one, even going so far as to leave home to in hopes of becoming Victor’s equal) and left the other one behind.

Yuri idealizes/d Yuko, and comes to love Victor.  He’s gay.  Bi, at the least.  

I don’t feel confident in applying any other labels, because I’m a straight.  Yuri could fall under any number of categories as long it they include, IMO, same-sex attraction.

In actuality, Yuko is “introduced” to the audience as Yuri’s straight love interest, but that doesn’t last long.  Cute and clever, show creators.  Cute. And . Clever.

Then we find out, via flashback, a) how adorable they all were when they were little kids and b) Yuko wanted to see Yuri compete against Victor.  Yuko has been a profound influence on Yuri.

So, Victor.  This guy is in a class by himself.  The animators obviously invested a lot of time in his movements.  You can see why he leads the field even at 27.

Also, the creators had the nerve, the audacity, the unmitigated gall to compose an original opera aria for a cartoon.  That was my next indicator that this was more than a cutesy figure skating anime.  

The song really is beautiful, too.  Probably my favorite in the soundtrack.

Who’s the last IRL skater to win 5 consecutive World Championships?  Michelle Kwan, maybe?  Who is Kwan’s male equivalent?  Back then, probably Alexei Yagudin?  May research. May not. 

Anyway, Victor is the Michelle Kwan of YOI-verse lol.

Hmm.  Here come the three brats.  Good God.  Poor Yuko and Takeshi lol.

So sweet to see Yuri’s childhood bully is his biggest fan now.

Sooo, Yuko’s triplets secretly record Yuri’s private performance, post it online (sometime before April 10, when Victor shows up), and things progress rather quickly from there...

Or do they?  It appeared to me that Yuri caught up with Yuko at the rink the same day he returned home.  Did he skate Victor’s routine for her that day, as well, or did it happen later?  Perhaps the triplets waited a few weeks to post the video, or else it took a few weeks to go viral.  Did Yuri turn off his phone for *weeks* to avoid the world?

Maybe he got home on March 30 and then the whole month of April just went to hell for him?  The possibilities...

LOL, I’m so SO mad the title of the video is “Katsuki Yuri TRIED to Skate Victor’s FS Program”. Those brats.

This might be the most unattractive Victor’s ever looked.  Severe close-ups aren’t flattering on anyone.  Welp, down the rabbit hole now.  

So, in the next scene it snows in April which doesn’t stop anyone from stripping naked to bathe in a hot spring, apparently.  Or it just doesn’t stop Victor.

#moneyshot

I like this ending theme much better.  It’s a head-bopper.  The Instagram reel kills me.  

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read through this stream of consciousness!  No idea how long it may take me to get through the rest.  I tip my hat to those who regularly and passionately participate in fandom.  It’s a lot of work!