#fallen's manic era

[fallenqrowfinch]

Wdym q!Jaiden and q!Cellbit's duo name is roseduo

Jailbird is literally RIGHT THERE SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU

Clearly I'm the only competent one here /j (I'm manic and vaguely delusional)

[fallstaticexit]

I literally have two versions of the same scene for the next part of Fallen Angel.

One is fluff / One is Angst 😭 the way I’m torn rn

[sapphicseasapphire]

So- I had a question regarding someone else’s question on Sky doing a duel wield on Fi and (I think it was Wars, forgive me if it isn't-) but since Ghirahim was left in the past at the end of Skyward Sword, will he be somewhere in the feature? If he's no longer alive, will his sword fragments (like an artifact) be somewhere in anyone else’s Time Era like a museum, or will it be in a forgotten temple for the chain to find? Would Sky be able to see the so-called “Red string of fate” that would lead him to the sword?

If so: How would Sky react to seeing Ghirahim’s sword? Would he be scared and immediately get away from it? Would he try and fix it outta guilt for how Ghirahim’s fate turned out to be? Or would he feel sorry/ nothing at all for how Ghirahim turned out?

But-

If Ghirahim was still alive but just badly wounded that would take X amount of time to heal (Like the Master Sword did in Tears of the Kingdom) do you think he would actively try and seek out Sky to end his life for revenge for his fallen master? (If so would he be close to ending Sky but would still be too weak to actually properly kill him and just end up nearby waiting for a chance to end him?)

Or: Would Sky find/ spot Ghirahim and offer to wield his sword in order to save him, or, would Sky give the sword spirit mercy and put him out of his misery and finally put him to rest? (If so, how would Wars [or whoever it was rip my memory] react to seeing Sky put another sword spirit out of their misery even if they were badly wounded/ hella sick?)

Sorry, this is so long! I wanted to be clear on what I was asking and what your thoughts were based on these two scenarios!

I have to be… really, really careful with what I say here.

First off, I am a Skyward Sword FANATIC. I’m obsessed with Skyward Sword and have been since I was quite literally seven years old. There’s a reason that the majority of my ideas are about Sky. So this is gonna have some Skyward Sword spoilers!! Just putting that warning in!!

At the very end of Skyward Sword, when Demise is dying, his sword is the first thing to be destroyed. He stuck it into the ground to lean on, and then it literally disintegrated. Into dust. Gone. Demise watched it disappear and then cursed Sky, and then he himself started to disintegrate. After all that, the dust the Demise became was absorbed into the Master Sword to be destroyed over time. Fi did not say how long it would take for Demise’s remains to be destroyed, but she was pretty clear in her purpose.

My entire life, I’ve kind of operated in the belief that Ghirahim was also absorbed into the Master Sword and destroyed. But maybe that’s not the case? Maybe the remains of his sword still lie within the Battlefield of Demise, where the Goddess’s power cannot reach. Maybe he’s recovering, biding his time, maybe he has been rebuilding himself for thousands of years. Maybe he did get absorbed, but has not been destroyed (as he is not Demise). Maybe he’s just trapped within the Master Sword, weakened and shattered, strapped at the side of the unknowing Chosen Hero.

Bro, I can’t tell you what exactly Demise did to Ghirahim. When he pulled the sword out of his chest??? And then took his spirit into the sword??? How Ghirahim laughed??? That traumatized me as a kid and it’s still burned into my memory.

It also traumatized Sky. I’m not going to reveal all of my cards right now. But I can tell you- what you mentioned about guilt- that’s a HUGE part of how Sky remembers Ghirahim. Sky hated Ghirahim. But he truly believes that he did not deserve the fate that befell him. Sky just stood there. He stood and watched as Demise- did Demise kill him? He heard that manic laugh, the silence that followed it. Silent in a way it never was with Ghirahim. It still echos in his ears. He has nightmares about it.

In all honesty, if Ghirahim were still alive, he’d make it his goal not only to get revenge on Sky, but to destroy Fi. After all, the remains of his Master are sealed away inside of her, and if Ghirahim is still living, then there’s a chance that Demise is, as well.

And if Sky were to ever see Ghirahim/Ghirahim’s sword, his first reaction would be fear. And what is Sky’s fear?? It becomes power. Sky is the Godkiller, and he will not be underestimated again. Ghirahim… will not underestimate him again. The fight would be real. Ghirahim’s not playing anymore.

Neither is Sky.

This is all hypothetical, of course. I can make no promises about Ghirahim’s status. Is he alive? Is he trapped? Is he coming back? Does he exist only in Sky’s nightmares? The world may never know.

(I know)

The main thing I want to focus on here is how his memories of Ghirahim affect his relationship with Warriors. Sky has Ghirahim nightmares… a lot. And I don’t want to minimize the pain of the rest of the Chain, but Sky’s nightmares are objectively the worst. He gets them frequently, but the thing that really makes them worse than the others’ is that sometimes, he genuinely can’t tell if he’s just having a nightmare or seeing a prophecy. He doesn’t know what’s real or not and that sucks.

He has a nightmare one night. He’s fighting Ghirahim- Sword Spirit form Ghirahim (like the final battle)- and he thrusts his sword into the diamond on his chest. Ghirahim would cry out as the diamond cracked and broke, as his form wavered. Sky had won. But then he’d blink, and suddenly it’s not Ghirahim’s chest that Sky had stabbed his sword into, it’s Wars’. And Sky watches as his friend shatters around his blade.

When he wakes, it’s with tears on his cheeks and nausea swimming in his stomach. He can’t talk to Wars that day, but he finds himself staring at that diamond. Wondering if the Goddess had shown him that dream as a warning.

Is… Is Sky the monster?

With Fi gone and Ghirahim… gone, the only Sword Spirit in his life is Warriors, and he clings to Warriors for dear life. He’s so scared that his new friend will meet the same fate as the other two: either willingly going dormant or forcefully becoming a weapon. Sky will do anything to keep Warriors safe- safe from a fate that the Sword Spirit doesn’t even know about.

I know this probably didn’t answer your question. I want to be careful not to spoil too much. And also I got very caught up in my rambling. But yeah, if Ghirahim came back, Sky would fight him because Ghirahim would not give him any other choice.

If Ghirahim were too hurt/sick to fight, Sky would probably still kill him just to be done with it. Warriors would be surprised, for sure, but he trusts Sky. (And he knows how awful Ghirahim is).

Sky would never side with Ghirahim and Ghirahim’s soul purpose is to revive his Master. Which means… going after Fi, which Sky will not stand for.

Sky does feel guilty, but that manifests itself in how he interacts with Warriors, not sympathy for Ghirahim.

[katyspersonal]

Djura x Valtr divorce thoughts

Tbh the first thing I thought about when I've learned this bit was that Valtr commissioned this weapon specifically, rather than just used one of them cool Powder Kegs inventions, but it could be even so much more!

'Old hunter' is the term referring to the Hunters of Gehrman's type, the different kind than Church's ones, and we know Djura is one of the Old Hunters as well! It would only make sense that Valtr got in Yharnam around the time when they were pretty active, especially since the pieces of Constable Set (corpses of his dead friends) are picked around Hunter's Nightmare, which is specifically built around Old Hunters era! It is also easy to assume that in that era, Powder Kegs were not active and instead it was Oto Workshop since you get Firing Hammer badge in Hunter's Nightmare, but:

It is hard to tell! The Oto Workshop badge, the Firing Hammer one, is dropped by NPC Bestial Hunter, whereas Oto Workshop did not create the Boom Hammer (funny enough!), and yet Old Hunters all over Hunter's Nightmare are using this weapon! Reasonable to assume that Hunter's Nightmare captivated the timeframe after Oto Workshop already fallen, and was replaced by Powder Kegs. And so, Djura was already a big deal!

I also love the attention to the bit that Boom Hammer entailed an especially strong vitriol towards the beasts. This attitude easily could have been Djura's past prior and during the time of Powder Kegs burning the Old Yharnam, something he came to regret (not unlike Maria). And so, Valtr had an idea for a weapon that would kill in especially twisted and aggressive way - an approach Djura could sympathise with! And moveover, sort of take Valtr under his wing, since he'd have a hard time, really:

Valtr instantly caught extreme prejudice and mockery on himself for the ""awful crime"" of not reacting in the most sane way on having his companions murdered by this beast. Valtr already has an aggressive temper, and clearly companionship means everything for this guy as his dying words are about his confederates, so of course he was more fucked than maybe even another hunter in this same situation would be. He was not even a hunter at that time! The way it is worded, in my opinion, emphasises what the Yharnamites think of him: that eating beasts is "just" what he does, or all those whacky foreigners do for that matter, rather than exceptional moment of his life. I think the nickname of beast eater got glued to him because of that, like eternal reminder that what he experienced, and how he reacted to the traumatic event, now defines him in everyone's eyes, rather than like... he made a habit of eating beasts... Heck, maybe it does define him. Maybe it did change him forever, and this "aggressive manic" character is what replaced the person that died in that day.

It is only fair that Djura would want to give a hand. I like the idea of him being the first one to try to reach out instead of being weirded out or afraid or disgusted: something that even other hunters could have felt nonetheless, as in, 'he is like a beast himself now lmao'.

It is also a no-brainer but I doubt Djura would hate Valtr for eating that beast over "beasts are people tho" sentiment (in other words, what Valtr did was cannibalism I don't see the problem lol). It doesn't feel very 'kind but foolish' person-ish to fear or hate someone for a psychotic reaction in an exceptionally extreme event even after his 'epiphany' on nature of beasts. That would also be at least two layers of hypocrisy on Djura's end then, as not only he himself had regrettable past, but also he doesn't mind "cannibalism" that much if he threatened Paleblood Hunter to leave them as food for his beasts! Three layers of hypocrisy, actually, because even under assumption that Djura did not take part in burning of Old Yharnam himself and just returned to the disaster, he forgave at least two people who did; Djura's Ally and Djura's Apprentice NPCs, who are both wearing Charred Hunter outfits:

Though if Djura was hypocritical in regards to going "actually I now find what you did inexcusable, bye ✌️", that'd be interesting reason for falling out also! It would be a cool goodbye if Valtr addressed it and rage quit, leaving Djura with feeling of shame forever! After all Djura is not only 'kind', but also 'foolish'? Lol Though I'd say Valtr's general attitude was probably the bigger factor, and he is the more likely initiator of the breakup!

Valtr outright states that nothing impure deserves to live, whereas Djura is willing to spare the surviving beasts of Old Yharnam based on the fact that they can't harm anyone outside. He is not against the hunt entirely and is reasonable enough to acknowledge that outside of Old Yharnam seclusion, beasts are roaming the streets and attacking people; he sends Paleblood Hunter off to "make the best out of the night". And Valtr, in turn, could see this as a betrayal of their previously shared still naive ideals to "exterminate all bad things to protect everyone :3". Beasts are a dark concept, they are humans that failed to uphold their willpower and fell for the darkest, dirtiest side of humanity. Even if those in Old Yharnam basically got infected, are not they still "filth" in his eyes? So, Djura suddenly sympathises with the "filth", all after having been the Old Hunter so legendary that Hunters are still modelling their caps after his to this day!

But also, Valtr turned out to be reasonable enough to leave him be. He is not summonable in Old Yharnam, unlike Alfred, who you just can tell has THE fanatical mindset. But Valtr sure could grasp the concept of being pragmatic: Old Yharnam beasts, and Djura himself, are isolated now, right? If he was willing to protect the world from the "filthy" things, as far as he was concerned, it was protected from Old Yharnam. Djura is like a gaoler and beasts are like his jailed criminals, and definitely Valtr would recognise the concept, of all people!

So he and Djura parted the ways without hate but for the same reason why Paleblood Hunter and Djura part the ways. Because there are dangerous beasts 'out there', that need to be stopped. And dangerous people, too, but for Djura there is no difference, of course. I imagine it would still be bitter. Maybe Djura would prefer Valtr to chase beasts in Old Yharnam to get isolated within instead of murdering them, but Valtr would be upset at the suggestion. Leave out the Ashen Blood patients, but the beasts outside certainly, definitely became those due to their own dark impulses. And if some asshole long ago didn't fall for the dark impulses, his companions would still be alive! So how can Djura sympathise with that? Is he implying that Valtr should be (retroactively) sympathetic towards THAT beast too? Really bitter things like this on both sides, and Valtr would have stronger grudge, but they are grown men and can agree to simply never see each other again.

[daughter-of-melpomene]

𝗔 𝗪𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗪𝗜𝗭𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗕𝗨𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗦

So, I’ve been reading a lot of Wizarding World OC fanfics lately, mostly on Wattpad, and have since fallen back into a rabbit hole of thinking about this amazing universe. Harry Potter was one of the very first fandoms I was in, and despite everything and how much I despise and renounce She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, I still love it and I don’t really think I’ll ever stop.

Anyways, as a result of my falling back into my love for this universe, I wound up creating a whole load of plot bunnies for assorted eras, and I thought I’d share them with you guys! I probably won’t wind up making formal intro posts for all of them or anything, but you guys are definitely free to ask me questions about any of them if you want, and I really hope you like my new babies!!

(Tagging my Wizarding World moots @luucypevensie, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @manyfandomocs, @cecexwrites, and @ginevrastilinski-ocs - really hope you guys like these ideas!!)

FANTASTIC BEASTS ERA —

Charlotte “Charlie” Fairweather; pureblood, (former) Hufflepuff, poly Newt + Tina ship. Newt’s best friend from Hogwarts who shares his love of creatures and dropped out after he got expelled to follow him in his travels. Seen as the father of all the creatures while Newt’s the mom, and has a special bond with the Mooncalves. Total sassy sweetheart who has a heart of gold but also doesn’t take crap from anyone, and also a distinguished bisexual who’s very proud of herself for landing people as awesome as both Newt and Tina.

Amelia Jameson; half-blood, (former) Horned Serpent, poly Jacob + Queenie ship. American witch who works in the Wand Registration Department and is Tina’s only friend at work, and winds up getting pulled into the whole crazy adventure because of it. Incredibly intelligent and good at reading people, but never became an Auror because she was too scared to put herself into danger. Has had a work crush on Queenie for years, but never thought anything would come of it until she got to spend more time with her and wound up also developing feelings for Jacob (which causes her a great deal of panic for something that winds up having a happy ending).

Sylvia “Sylvie” Miller; pureblood, (former) Wampus, Bunty ship. Tina’s Auror protégé once she gets reinstated in the second movie who gets assigned to shadow her in her hunt for Grindelwald. Doesn’t see what Tina sees in Newt at all but then becomes a total hypocrite by falling head over heels for Bunty the moment she sees her. Kind of closed-off and over everything all the time, but also a secret lesbian disaster. Incredible when it comes to defensive magic and shield charms.

RIDDLE ERA —

Ptolemus Lovegood; pureblood, Ravenclaw, Tom Riddle ship. Exists in an AU where Tom never becomes Voldemort. Luna’s ancestor who definitely lives up to the Lovegood name, very dreamy and a bit odd, but an incredible artist who creates amazing magical paintings and sculptures. A bit naïve because he mostly lives inside his own head, and gets made fun of a lot by other students. Tom originally gets into a relationship with him because he thinks he can manipulate Ptolemus into helping him in his schemes, but he winds up actually falling in love with him, and Ptolemus slowly helps him overcome his anger and the darkness inside him. Basically this guy is Luna about fifty years in the future, and a bit of a manic pixie dream boy, but we love him anyway.

Sera Malfoy; pureblood, Slytherin, Orion Black ship. Everything you would expect a Malfoy to be - cold, cruel, and arrogant - but never to be made the heir to anything because she’s a woman, which she loathes. Plenty of people at Hogwarts desire her for her beauty, but she never deems anyone good enough for her. Has an on-and-off affair with Orion while he’s already betrothed to Walburga, which is super toxic and messy since Sera is mainly using him to try and get him to drop Walburga so she can be head of the Black household and Orion just wants to have the victory of sleeping with the girl everyone at Hogwarts wants. They actually wind up developing a sort of twisted connection, but break their affair off once Orion and Walburga officially get engaged. Eventually killed by Walburga after she finds out that Sera and Orion slept together one more time after they were already married and Sirius and Regulus were kids. After he moves back into his childhood home, Sirius finds a letter his father wrote to Sera but never sent, and a wrought-iron rose with a snake wrapped around the stem that she gifted him.

MARAUDERS ERA —

Orla Byrne; half-blood, Hufflepuff, Mary Macdonald ship. Daughter of a single mother who doesn’t find out her father was a wizard until she gets her Hogwarts letter, so she knows basically nothing about the wizarding world. Bonds with Mary over being Scottish witches trying to figure out this new world together, which eventually leads to them becoming cute girlfriends. Super sassy for a Hufflepuff and prone to using a lot of curse words. Also becomes besties with Mary’s band of other Gryffindor girls, but also becomes pretty tight with the Marauders, which annoys Lily before she starts returning James’s feelings.

Evelyn “Evie” Prewitt; pureblood, Ravenclaw, Narcissa Black ship. Middle child of that era’s Prewitts - Molly’s older sister and younger than the twins. Almost sorted into Slytherin and definitely showcases it - very ambitious and wants to be a politician. Meets Narcissa after they get paired together for a Charms project and start something of a more-than-friends thing, but they break it off after they graduate and Narcissa marries Lucius even though they genuinely love each other. Evie becomes a high-ranking politician in the Ministry of Magic eventually and never marries anyone else, and they wind up reconnecting and getting back together after Harry defeats Voldemort and Narcissa divorces Lucius when he goes to prison.

Nina Grey; half-blood, Hufflepuff, poly James + Lily ship. Daughter of a pureblood mother and Muggleborn wizard father, has been in ballet classes since she was really little, wanted to be a prima ballerina before she got her Hogwarts letter. Still regularly uses the Room of Requirement as a dance studio to practice her dancing, which is how she meets James when the Marauders run into the Room trying to get away from Filch after pulling a prank. Meets Lily after she sees James and Nina talking and approaches her to tell her to stay away from him, and they become friends, only for James to realize that he’s falling for Nina as well as Lily. Nina has already developed feelings for James and gains them for Lily as well the longer they’re friends, and Lily winds up realizing that she loves Nina about the same time she starts to return James’s feelings, so it’s kind of a whole mess, but they do all end up together in the end. Nina’s a total sweetheart who loves tea and reading and always wears ballet flats - basically she’s very soft-girl core and I love her.

Zachary Alonso; Muggleborn, Gryffindor, Remus ship. Son of Mexican-American Muggles/No-Majs who moved to the UK shortly after his tenth birthday, so he gets his Hogwarts letter instead of going to Ilvermorny. A bit of an outcast in his own dorm room for his first few years at Hogwarts since the Marauders are so close, but becomes friends with them in fourth year after he helps them pull off a prank. Becomes a lynx Animagus with the rest of the crew and gains the nickname Sharptooth. Only gets together with Remus towards the end of seventh year, but they’re a very sweet couple. Kind of a stereotypical Gryffindor - never backs down from a challenge, always wants to protect people, and would do very nearly anything for the people he cares about.

Clarissa Yeng; half-blood, Slytherin, Marlene McKinnon ship. Daughter of a wealthy wizarding family who are just outside of the Scared Twenty-Eight and who have sort of fallen from grace after her father married a Muggleborn witch. Determined to restore her family’s reputation, so she acts like a prime pureblood Slytherin, cold and ruthless and proud. Develops something of a rivalry with Marlene over outdoing each other in the Gryffindor-Slytherin shared classes that eventually turns to secret makeout sessions and, later, genuine romance. Naturally brutally honest and not very expressive, but also really touch-starved and craves genuine love and genuinely tries to be a better person once she and Marlene get together.

GOLDEN TRIO ERA —

Mariela Gomez; Muggleborn, (former) Thunderbird, poly Sirius + Remus ship. Transplant from America who becomes the new Muggle Studies professor in the Trio’s third year and winds up becoming very close to Remus. Winds up following him to the Shrieking Shack to help free Sirius and is kind of hurt upon seeing them interacting and realizing that they’re still in love because she was sort of developing feelings for Remus, but keeps in touch with him after he leaves Hogwarts and helps Sirius while he’s hiding out in his cave, and realizes she has feelings for both of them. Joins the Order once it gets back together and has a whole proper confession with her two boys right before the Battle of Hogwarts, and they officially get together after (because of course Sirius and Remus live, what do you take me for?). Incredibly caring and would do anything to protect her students, but also has no tolerance for people who are assholes to her or anyone else about being a Muggleborn - she winds up taking a lot of points off of Slytherin and makes an enemy of Snape because of it.

Lunella “Luna” Warbeck; pureblood, Ravenclaw, Marcus Flint ship. Daughter of the famous witch singer Celestina Warbeck, and is the exact opposite of her mother, very quiet and withdrawn. A very talented singer, however, and writes her own songs which are all really lovely. Meets Flint because she likes to sit in the Quidditch stands to write and winds up accidentally sitting in on a whole Slytherin team practice before anyone notices her. Gets accused of spying for Ravenclaw, which of course she isn’t, but Flint still invites her to the next practice as a way to show off and stick it to Ravenclaw, and then keeps inviting her and interacting with her until they eventually develop feelings. She winds up making him a better person and stopping him from joining the new Death Eaters after Hogwarts, and they actually get to have a happy ending together.

Hecate Lovegood; pureblood, Gryffindor, Fred ship. Luna’s older sister, but instead of getting bullied, goes mostly ignored by Hogwarts’s population. Autistic and only semi-verbal, so she rarely talks, and has a talent for creating enchanted jewelry. Makes friends with the twins after she lies to help get them out of trouble for a prank and abruptly becomes kind of a popular by osmosis, with a bunch of people wanting to buy her jewelry. Stays at Hogwarts after the twins drop out, but when they open Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes they offer her a whole section to sell her jewelry. She and Fred officially get together after the Battle of Hogwarts (because he lives, of course). Very much like Luna in terms of personality, but also a bit more snarky than her when someone’s being a bellend.

Zain Ahmad; half-blood, Hufflepuff, Oliver Wood ship. Hufflepuff Quidditch captain who has been Quidditch rivals with Oliver since they both started playing. Possibly the grumpiest and most sarcastic person to ever get into Hufflepuff, but still an amazing captain who’s loved by all of their players. Has the classic rivals-to-lovers thing with Oliver, but retires from Quidditch after they graduate and takes a job at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Kind of an asshole with a heart of gold, doesn’t really show they care but always goes out of their way to do quietly nice things for people and would die for those they care about.

Nova Brackley; Muggleborn, Slytherin, Draco ship. A total outcast in Slytherin by virtue of being Muggleborn, but doesn’t really give a shit and can very often be seen flipping off their housemates. Incredibly talented at healing magic and sort of becomes Madam Pomfrey’s apprentice starting third year, and first meets Draco when they’re healing up his broken rib from a Quidditch game. The two of them bicker a lot because Draco feels like he has to be mean to them to keep up his reputation and Nova is not willing to take any of his shit, but they actually wind up falling in love eventually. They break up briefly after Nova can’t stop Draco from following his family into the Death Eaters (some of Draco’s angst in the sixth movie also comes from missing them), but they reconnect after the Battle of Hogwarts and eventually get back together, and Nova becomes a Healer at St. Mungo’s. Nova is basically Rosa Diaz incarnate, stone-faced and tough and not giving a shit what people think of them, but they’re also pretty funny and sweet once you actually get to know them, and they’re incredibly loyal.

Godric Marshe; pureblood, Gryffindor, Cedric ship. Named after Godric Gryffindor, of course, but very definitely doesn’t live up to his name because he basically has Neville’s relationship with magic, except his never gets better. Kind of an outcast and gets bullied a lot, and when Cedric approaches him after he’s been crushing on him for years, Godric definitely thinks it’s either a cruel joke or just the Hogwarts golden boy taking pity on him and trying to do the right thing. Rejects Cedric’s attempts at friendship for the longest time, but eventually they genuinely become friends and boyfriends later. Very quiet and insecure due to his lack of magic, but an amazing writer who slowly comes out of his shell thanks to Cedric and eventually becomes a novelist.

Allegra Pennyworthy; pureblood, Slytherin, Neville ship. Daughter of the Sacred Twenty-Eight but supports Muggleborns and doesn’t give a shit about doing what her family wants, and is something of an outcast from Slytherin because of it. Offers to help Neville in Potions since it��s her best subject, and falls him love with him through that. Eventually becomes Hogwarts’s new Potions professor when Neville takes over Herbology. A total badass, fierce and protective and cunning and never afraid to speak her mind; Neville both adores her her and fears her a little bit, and he’s basically the only person she lets herself be soft around.

Penelope Barker; Muggleborn, Gryffindor, Cho ship. A she/they partner for Cho because she deserved better. Technically Muggleborn, but was adopted by a wizard couple when she was a baby so they’ve always been familiar with the wizarding world. Much more focused on playing Quidditch than on academics, but is still best friends with Hermione and generally relies on her tutoring to pass her classes. Falls in love with Cho pretty much the very first time they see her on the Quidditch pitch, and spends years pining over her until they get to talking at the Yule Ball (Cho went by herself instead of with Cedric), and follows her into Dumbledore’s Army the next year until eventually they kiss after a meeting. Becomes a professional Quidditch player after Hogwarts, on the same team Ginny leads. Incredibly sweet but also super awkward and clumsy off of the Quidditch pitch, regularly tripping over her tongue and her own feet. Becomes a godparent to Hermione and Ron’s kids.

Aaaaand that’s all, folks! Holy shit, this is a lot (😅). As I said, not all of these babies are gonna get official intro posts or anything like that, but you’re always free to ask me whatever you want about any of them!! <3

[synergysilhouette]

Writing another Magnifico villain song

This is like the 4th Magnifico-related song I've written. This is starting to get ridiculous, but I did have two new ideas for Magnifico. First: an idea of what if Magnifico, rather than being a sorcerer, was a fallen star, or even the shadow of our main character Star, who was cast down from the heavens due to innocently granting wishes, only to be taken advantage of and in turn, the heavens gave him amnesia and turned him mortal, making him age like anyone else. When Magnifico decides to grant Amaya's wish--to know where he came from so many years ago--he realizes what happened to him, and how the people of Rosas are making him repeat history. He's angry, he's hurt, and he's ready to take it out on people. He's realizing his full divine-level power after years of putting others before himself, and now he wants to get revenge on the people who ruined him and become a godlike being once more. He only needs to get Star (his brother, so to speak) in order to reclaim his status, as well as throw Rosas into disarray, going from a kingdom of dreams to a kingdom of nightmares. If you need a comparison between Star and Magnifico here, think Vanitas and Ventus (BBS era and a bit of KH3 era).

Second idea: Magnifico is an Evil Queen-like villain who was being manipulated by his magic mirror, having devoured wishes for centuries in order to maintain his youth and power, with said mirror convincing him that this was fine because he only devoured "meaningless" wishes. Over time, the people of Rosas became shallow with their wishes, fueling Magnifico's ideology even more. When Asha wishes Star into existence (or rather, corporeal form), the mirror comes to represent all of Magnifico's negative qualities (fear, anger, sadness, control, etc.), and since he spends a lot of time alone, it gets to him, until he comes to the conclusion that capturing Star and enslaving and/or killing him will give Magnifico unlimited power that will make him the ruler of Rosas for eternity--though seeing how he was mistreated, he plans on razing the kingdom and starting anew with more grateful citizens, which likely involves abandoning Rosas and then taking over a new kingdom and establishing himself as a divine ruler there. Of course, all this curroption is moreso fueling a demonic side to him. While Magnifico is mostly singing to Star and then the people of Rosas in the first idea, this concept has him singing to various people in Rosas, followed by Star during the chorus (in this instance, being in his shadow refers to feeling overshadowed by Star's abilities and luminescence; it's kinda like how Jafar felt overshadowed by Genie).

Either way, I was trying to go for different vibes at different pieces of the song. I'm sure it looks chaotic (I was going from fast and slow interchangeably, as well as the melody change), but hopefully on rereads it feels more cohesive!

I'm in a panic.

Don't understand it.

Trying to stay calm,

Slowly going manic.

Do you get it?

You regret it?

These events are in motion

All because you set it.

I'm crawling and stumbling

How can I be fumbling?

You left me alone

Now the dragon is rumbling!

I am the ocean

You cannot fathom me

I am the storm

You are the ripped up trees

LeT It beGiN...

Falling from the skies....

I never knew why...

I wanted to be free...

From your shadow, can't we...?

No! You missed your chance

I won't let you in.

You ruined me,

Got under my skin.

I granted some wishes,

Fixed famines and droughts,

But you cast me aside,

AND YOU SHUT ME OUT!

(I. CAN'T. BREATHE.)

All of the life you want to

(TAKE. FROM. ME.)

How could you do this?

(UNDER LOCK. AND. KEY.)

Now it's my turn.

(YOU SHOULD'VE LET. ME. BE.)

I'm battered and bruised,

But I'm not one to lose!

And you messed with the man

With your lives in his hands!

I am the ocean

You cannot fathom me

I am the storm

You are the ripped up trees

LeT It beGiN...

Falling from the skies....

I never knew why...

I wanted to be free...

From your shadow, can't we...?

No, it's too late for that. Try to keep in mind that I did try to be reasonable for a LONG time. But you're used to doing things the easy way. But I've spoiled you long enough! I'm sure that very soon, you'll start to see things my way. Sweet dreams, mis rosas.

I never thought I'd be making song rewrites months ago, but I've done it so much by now that it's starting to become a habit. Hope you enjoyed it! I'm also considering making a villain(ish) song with Amaya and Magnifico based on my idea of them being Star's parents. I swear, I need to consolidate all these songs or at least get rid of some of them. I'm pretty sure everyone's confused by now, lol.

[v-era-18]

Sweven ( Apple Black x Demon Slayer )

(The characters of  ‘Apple Black’ by Whyt Manga meets ‘Demon Slayer’ by Koyoharu Gotouge!)

In Taisho-era Japan, two partners by the names of Sano Bengote Tamashii and Opal Wantmore are content with their lives of slaying demons in order to avenge human lives that have fallen to their weak stomachs and horrendous nature. 

Their lives are changed however after a mission to an Opera house, Sano runs into Kibujiski Muzan and is turned into a demon! Determined to turn her partner back to normal, Opal sets out to find answers to a cure in order to turn him back. 

Embarking on her adventure for answers, she soon joins up with her other six  friends to help  aid her in her journey. Faced with even more challenging demons to have Opals and Sanos heads by orders of Muzan would normally be a setback; However how will these characters react once they find out Sano isn't the only demon to live a life without eating humans. 

And the true reason Sano was turned into a demon rather than being killed in the first place. 

Prologue : Toska 

(n.) a dull ache of the soul, a sick pinning , a spiritual anguish 

Despair, anguish, or tragedy. Opal couldn't find which word to describe the situation at hand.  It seemed only an hour ago she was thrown against the tall stone pillar damning her unconscious. In her dazed state she inadvertently listened to the heart retching sounds of death and agony, before black dots consumed her vision. The girl remained on the marbled floor stained red with previous and new accounts of blood from fellow demon slayers listed on the mission inside the opera house. 

Bodies continued to drop one after another, blood curdling screams and manic laughter filling the subconscious as if it was one horrible nightmare. A state of purgatory one might even argue, to hear and feel the pressure of the overwhelming chill knowing someone was being eaten, a fellow member trying to save humanity and her body couldn’t even move. 

Weak, inexperienced, and fearful. So many of them didn’t have what it takes to wield a sword. But they give their hearts souls and minds for the corps, but at what cost? How long will it be before a pillar of hope arrives? How long will it be before half of the humans-teens risking their lives for peace will be eaten by demons they couldn’t finish off. 

The mission was supposed to be straightforward:  head to the old abandoned opera house, bring their blades down upon the demons' heads, and look for survivors. However, they hadn’t anticipated each level to have three demons each, or that Kabusiki Muzan would be paying a visit. They worked so hard, only for them to die such a death at the hands of that monster. May the gods have mercy on their souls. 

~*~

Five hours prior to the incident, two crows flew into view following a cobblestone path towards a wall surrounding the wisteria house appeared within their black hollow eyes. The building was surrounded by towering trees of protection, warding off any demons that dared to run across the premises. 

The house's front gate was worn down, but kept seeming to be replaced every few years or so to provide the utmost protection for the slayers recovering from hard work from saving others from man eating oni. Passing from the gate two demon slayers exited the house following one of the house keepers. The keeper of the house's hair was tied up into a high pony cascading down to the middle of her back. She wore a purple and white kimono with a wisteria family crest with pride on the back. The young woman couldn’t be any older than her twenties.

“Thank you so much for your hospitality!” The black haired boy exclaimed with a wide smile stretched across his face. 

The teen had a blue and white haori over his dark gray demon slayer uniform, the pattern resembled multiple circles with three lines running through reflecting the young boy's family crest. The arm he didn’t lift had an elongated sleeve covering up his well bandaged arm that remains with no invert inflicted . His hair was tied back, blue eyes holding wonder and joy reflecting the morning sky;  a blue and white katana was strapped along his waist 

A girl with a tangerine twin puffed fro bowed in respect with a soft smile, her rainbow dyed haori flowed slightly with the morning breeze with her black uniform. She had brown freckled skin, with bright orange eyes matching her colored hair. Black leather hand warmers were snug against her hands, the sword on her hip matched beautifully with the light green scabbard that withheld gold on the end just like the guard and buttcap. The girl stood up straight, the jewel attached to her hair shined brightly underneath the morning sun. 

Two crows cawed over their heads, gaining the two demon slayers attention, “Kaw!  Kaw! Sano Bengote Tamsii! Opal Wantmore! Report to the opera house to the north! Immediately!” The blue clothed crow cawed above the Tamasiis head, much to his dismay. 

“Already?!” Sano sighed in exasperation, “We just recovered from our last mission! Not to mention the last demon we faced was horrific.” 

Opal twisted her face in discomfort, displeased with the mention of the last demon they fought. Even though the mission occurred a month ago, it seemed only a few days since they last fought off the hysterical she-demon. 

Apparently the demon wanted a baby so badly that they started stealing them from neighboring villages. She wondered if it was even possible for a demon to have a family; how would reproduction even occur under Muzans curse?

A chill ran down her spin; what would happen to the kids if they came out human? The demon they’d encountered two weeks ago was not motherly at all, it takes patience and love to raise a child happily and healthy. During the intense monolog the she-demon had placed Sano especially on edge hearing about her parenting methods to kids before she switched to babies that could barely even crawl. If the child acted out of line or ‘misbehaved’ well, let’s just say the demon had a snack. 

Her stomach lurched and twisted remembering the chilling sight before her as she found one of the infants alive. The nursery was bloodied, the once white walls seemed to be stained pink with dried blood before gradient into a mature burgundy with fresh blood from twenty four hours before their arrival. And oh god, don’t even get her started on the cribs; it was almost as if she wanted a foster home but didn’t want the infants to grow and walk out the large pleasant doors that awaited their future. 

Wouldn’t a parent hold their child and wish them the best of luck before their departure? To utter the words every child would love to hear, the praise, the acceptance, and overall bond they’d share between them as a whole. 

It’s not like Opal would know the feeling, her parents died when she was around the age of five, they probably would’ve loved to know how it would feel; to sit and watch your kin grow into the next generation to surpass the old. Instead they had to watch from above without voicing their approval or dismay with each action she took as a swordsman or a growing woman. 

Instead she had to remember the night her fathers crow sat in front of her older sister, her wails and pleas to the gods falling upon deaf ears. The two of them were left alone, Opal couldn't remember the last time her eldest sibling withheld a truthful smile. 

“Let’s not talk about that one,” Opal lifted her hand up to her crow, it landed swiftly on her palm. 

The crows name was Orion, after a while Opal decided it was best to give her new feathered guide a name to call it as they accompanied her on missions. The bird still had the gold beaded bracelet she made when she was younger, it was loosely around its neck. It still makes her smile a bit to know the crow hadn’t lost it, a silent loyalty. “I’m still not over the ‘nursery’.” 

Sano waved his hands around panicked, “Sorry! I thought you’d be over it by now-not to say that you can’t take all the time you need in order to!,” his face became concerned, eyes laced with worry for her mental health. “Do you need a bit more time-”

“I’m fine Sano, I'd rather not think about anything that has to do with that demon who was a horrible excuse as a ‘mother’.” Her crow was now being fed birdseed along with the boy's crow, ‘Winswerth’ Sano decided to name it, landing on her forearm to join in on the meal. “I’m glad you finished her off quickly while I tended to the boy.” 

“No problem, it was pretty easy! Although I’d have to be honest in all the demons I’ve killed so far, that one I couldn’ t have any remorse for. Even while she cried for her lover who she wanted to give an heir to so badly. I couldn’t help but think of the future the children never got to see.” Sanos words were soft, yet laced with guilt for the lives they couldn’t save. 

Opal smiled, it was of the things she admired about her partner. Sano always thought of others as equals, demons and humans. In all her life she'd never heard or seen a demon slayer have sympathy for demons and compared them to humans. Oni that ate humans in order to grow stronger. She had to admit, after being beside her partner the past year and slaying demons together, and what she witnessed personally, she was torn.

Not all demons were bad. Some had turned and had no other choice but to kill in order to survive. The demon they faced last month was the same. A former human wife who couldn't conceive for her husband she adored.  

However that didn’t excuse their nature and the part Opal loathed the most was from her own horrible experiences with them. 

“The world we live in is complicated,” Sano began as they soon followed the two birds flying overhead towards their destination, “On one hand we control our fate, on the other we let others or our upbringing impact on how we live and our decisions.” 

“The demon was no different. I’m sure she grew up in a loving household, her father or mother found her a well suited fiancé they thought was perfect for her and thought she’d be taken care of-“ 

He cut off, looking back towards the wisteria gate that soon faded from view. No doubt he was thinking about the husband and wife that ran the mansion with their two kids. It was an arranged marriage but they were happy, and even acted like friends. A warm family that devoted their lives to helping the corps for no doubt helping them from demons in the past. 

“I see now not everyone is fortunate to have that dream. I should know better.” 

Opal casted a woeful glance to her partner. Tamashii was an orphan, unlike her, he lost his whole family and clan within one night to a huge massacre from demons. 

The last name Tamashii is well known throughout the corps. A man by the name of Sergo Abraham Tamashii was a famous demon slayer for his strength and mysterious breathing styles no tuskuo could copy no matter how hard they tried. The man was so strong he defeated several hashiras in a fight for training and guidance.  He was feared by all demons, especially the upper moons themselves. The head of the demon slayer corps requested the highest honor to be given, the status of a hashira. He turned it down. Instead, it was rumored he headed back home to his clan and retired early. Devoting himself to his research and settling down. 

The Tamashii clan was burned down to the ground eight years later. 

“It doesn’t hurt to dream, to hope,” Opal began slowly, the breeze was cold and nipped at her chapped lips from jack frost's excitement for the last leaf to fall, “The world is cruel that we know, but it doesn’t matter your upbringing or how bad your beaten into oblivion. It matters how you change your future for the better, to grab onto that string of faith until you make it and see the light.” 

Sano’s mouth was agape before shifting up into a bright smile, “Your right sorry to bring the mood down! We still have a long way to go before we finally have peace!”

He grabbed the girl's hands catching her off guard as they stood in the midst of the dirt road. Sano would have these sudden bursts of excitement here and there, although she has gotten used to it, it still startled her since she isn’t used to being touched often. Orion and Wiiwerth circled above, casted shadows above her and there from the warm sun. 

“Opal I know the others think I’m crazy when I say this but, I’m sure of it! We can make peace with demons!” His face was determined and firm, unwavering as he looked at her. His blue eyes scanned her face for a reaction, what he received was a small smile. With another smile he released her. 

“Alright! Let’s go finish the job so we can meet back up with Angelo-san!” The boy stormed off as the girl stood crossing her arms with a playful look. 

“Tamashii.” 

“Yes?” 

“You’re heading back from when we came.”

It was hours before they arrived at the designated spot, Opal wondered how many demon slayers were assigned here since they couldn’t get the job done. 

They would’ve been there two hours earlier if Sano didn’t keep getting lost on breaks. She doesn't call him ‘lost boy’ for nothing. 

The exterior of the opera house was one to behold. The building was big as expected, however the windows were cracked and busted with age but any eye could see the golden dragon statues in front. They seemed to be tarnished with age on the stairs case, the steps were pure concrete with cracks infiltrated with moss and weeds. 

“It’s a shame it was replaced in the city.” Sano muttered looking at the missing third pillar on the second floor in front . A wash of euphoria flowed through him for a minute as a familiar symphony filled his memory. “Are you a fan of music, Opal?” 

“I appreciate it, it’s really beautiful when people put hard work into their craft. Why are you?” She asked, looking around the entrance to see if there was a discreet way to enter. 

He walked over beside her, a soft look took over his features grabbing her attention. She knew the look too well and fell into the same expression, not out of pity, but a safe welcome for him to share. 

“My mother, she used to play-“ 

An ear piercing scream cut him off as they gazed towards the building, the two of them drew their swords as a figure flew out the second floor cracked window. 

Swathing his sword quickly Sano breathed before catching her mid air and landing on both feet safely. Opal moved towards them, it seemed like a girl two years older than them. Her mouth pooled out blood, her arm sliced clean off with eyes wide with despair. 

“Sano lay her down.” 

The boy did as instructed by a nearby tree, he laid the girl down comfortably as he could. Her gaze was cased over as she looked at him. 

“Papa…..I’m sorry-could…come..home…” 

Sano inhaled, his shoulders shaking as the girl cried believing the boy in front of her was her father she missed dearly. 

One last tear fell, one last breath was taken, and one soul was gone. 

Opal got on her knees and sent a quick prayer of respect, before getting back up and wafting her hand over the girl's eyes to close them. 

“Opal.” 

“I know. No more lives can be lost today.” 

~*~

After it seemed like an eternity, the screams ceased. Amber eyes continued to open and close before widening at the sound of a large faint creak. The girl sat up with a pained whine, her tangerine tinted fro was drenched in blood. Brown skin littered in cuts from the scratches the demons she encountered earlier that month laid waste upon her body. Her rainbow died haori stained red, ripped and torn, her corps uniform didn’t look any better. Another creak sounded out, followed by a thump, then a low growl. 

Opal’s head shot up with an attentive look, her eyes scanning around the room zoning back in on the situation at hand. 

The entrance to the opera house's walls were a muddied maroon red, whereas the marbled floor and pillars added a nice royal touch. imagining how it would’ve been years before, the chandelier would be lit, along with the other candles posted along the walls and pillars would give the room more life. Soft maroon velvet carpet in the halls worn slightly by high quality soles of the rich enjoying the shows as the melodic symphony reached their ears . It was a shame so much wear and rot along the building took over the craft and beauty it had so many years ago. 

Twelve other bodies laid waste upon the floor, six mizuno, four kanoto, and two kanoe. Looking around the old marbled blood drenched floor, she looked around for the signature white and indigo blue haori. 

‘Sano?’ She pursed her lips, none of the uniforms or haori’s displayed her partners colors or the signature patterns she’d grown accustomed to. Letting out a pained groan she stood clutching her side, her eyes locked on the exit she remembered her partner leaving through in fury. ‘That idiot better be alive-‘ her thought was cut short as a sinking feeling entered her stomach. 

Knowing Sano he should’ve been back by now; accessing their injuries and the situation at hand. She allowed her body to lumber out the room, trying to keep her groans and whimpers to a minimum. She could feel her ribs move slightly with each step, her ankle was most likely sprained, not to mention her keen sight was affected from the blunt force to her head. 

The opera house halls were littered in dust, dim candles lit along the hall with an orange hue in its wake. Heading down the hall the smell of protruding ash would’ve been faint to an average human, but to a slayer it was very potent, if Opal guessed correctly seven demons died in the hall alone. 

It took everything in her not to wheeze or gag due to how much ash had lifted into the air alone. It didn’t help there weren't any windows unless you were in a room, the halls weren’t cramped, yet they were just enough to fit two people walking side by side in an appropriate fashion, three if someone was trying to get by. 

The growl and creaks grew louder as she turned a corner leading to what it would seem as a dining hall. The doors were off the hinges, the moon providing light in the dark room. She stepped inside releasing her teal gold sword from its scabbard ,withholding it in a tight grip. The center dining table was smashed right through the middle; large claw-like slashes penetrated the chipping old wallpaper all around the room. Broken glass, porcelain plates, and paintings were trashed and thrown all over the place. 

The teen froze, amber eyes widening at the sight of the teen boy wearing blue and white haori. His hands gripped his head, eyes covered with bangs from his raven tied hair. She took in the scene a breath of relief leaving her lips, but soon a concerned look took place.  

Don’t get her wrong she was happy to see her friend alive, but even she could see there wasn't something right with the scene displayed in front of her. 

“Sano! Thank god you're okay-” Opal cut off as the boy lifted his head, sharp piercing blue eyes took her breath as he let out a low growl from his throat. 

There was no way she was seeing what she thought she was seeing, her hands loosened on the sword trembling in her unsteady grip, backing slowly back to the wall. Sano took a step, then another lifting his head into the full moon light from the large dining window. 

His eyes, the ones that reflected the sky, filled with hope and wonder, were now filled with hunger, sharp with blind rage; another way to simply describe them would be to a snake that was irritated by intruders. Primal incisors were bared in a snarl that didn’t suit the boy's kind nature. Opal couldn't help but feel her stomach drop at the sight, she lost so many people to demons, she never wanted to admit it to herself-.

The boy’s steps got faster, heading straight towards the entrance where she stood, fangs bared for a bite of his first meal as a demon. The moon seemed to freeze them in time as Sano leaped at her, her orbs filled with tears, rejecting the harsh reality, refusing to believe the boy who believed in peace would succumb to the evil that was thrusted upon him.

 -She never wanted to admit that she couldn't stand losing anyone else to the fates laid out before them.  

In the pit of her stomach it finally hit her, the rage and agitation with the curse that's been inflicted upon him. The sorrow and tears she wanted to spill wouldn’t fix this, how many people had to suffer due to Muzans past actions and tracery! So many people die, limbs being pulled, organs spilling out on the floor only for demons to devour them whole with no remorse, only concerns for their soul appetite. Opal loathed the world they were tossed in, she couldn't accept it no longer, Tamshii wasn’t them! He fought bravely to the very end each time they were together and away. The letters they exchanged, the memories of laughter and friendship was all she was going to have left of him? 

No, to hell with fate! 

Quickly with one swift motion, she threw her sword to the side still facing the approaching threat in front of her, grabbing his shoulders as he tried to take a bite, Opal twisted them onto the floor placing her on top. 

Sano struggled and bucked, releasing one growl after another ; she pinned his arms over his head in one hand, using the other to grab a hold of the loose blue knitted scarf to thrust into his mouth, preventing any form of biting to take place. 

“Sano! I know you're in there somewhere!” Opal started, her eyesight growing ever more fuzzy due to the tears threatening to spill over,  “You got this, every trial we always face it together! We came so far….I'm not going home without you so please! Don’t give in!” 

The blue eyed boy struggled harder, biting hard on the knitted scarf, in retaliation he started to grow in size. Amber eyes widened at the strength he grew under five seconds, that wasn’t all, it was the left arm the boy always hid underneath the blue elongated sleeve of his haori. ‘His arm is completely black?! And…. dare I say glowing?’ 

Tamasii always had his arm fully wrapped up from anyone’s sight, one of the many secrets that the boy withheld. But this wasn’t something she expected to be underneath the covering, she expected a burn scar from the fire his family died under, not a full black arm of mystery. 

The boy slipped out of her hold, grabbing by her neck as she was lifted in the air, Opal struggled clawing at the tight grip he started to produce. 

‘Damn it! I lost my focus’ She struggled to stay calm as she looked at the boy below her, tears streaming down her face as hop slowly slipped away with each breath that was lost. Opal placed her foot on the tall demon's chest in protest to the assault, attempting to pry herself from the tightening grip around her windpipe. 

“Sa-no! P-please,” She wheezed, instinctively leaning her head back trying to gain more air, “d….don’t leave me too…”. Her vision seemed to be fading with each breath she failed to take in the room. 

Opal closed her watered eyes, accepting the fact it was over, if anything she would at least die at the hands of someone she secretly adored and held close to her heart. She tried her best, that was a well known fact; now she would suffer the same fate many other fellow slayers have before. A flash of familiar faces filled with smiles filled her conscience, a certain black haired boy stood tall and proud with a raised cup, declaring a toast to a hopeful future filled with peace. 

‘I wish I could've said goodbye to the others-’ Her thoughts of despair were cut off abruptly , with her falling to the floor with a hard ‘thump’. 

Opal inhaled at last gasping air as if she'd never get the chance ever in her life, coughing as she looked up at the boy, inessail shock taking over her features as she took him in. A sobbed left from his lips as he looked down at his hands then back to her.

 “Sa-” She coughed and wheezed again, trying to gain her bearings. A warm heavy weight enveloped her, arms wrapped around her frame, trembling. Opal looked to the side, seeing the familiar sight of black hair tied to the back, she wrapped her arms around him as well, a soft whimper leaving her lips. She can’t remember the last time she cried, gripping his hiori tighter as the girl sniffed. 

“Hey lost boy? Can you understand me?” She hadn’t expected him to speak, he was still shaking. 

Opal knew Sano treasured their friends and especially their friendship, it'll take him a while to get over the fact he tried to eat her after she tried talking to him. A simple nod is all she received, ‘Close enough’. 

Her partner released her, his hand resting on the back of her neck, kneading it softly as if to get rid of the pain he inflicted earlier. His thick eyebrows furrowed, his lips frowned, his eyes still remained demonic but glossed over with tears. She offered a loose smile showing him that she was just glad he was somewhat alright. 

A large bang could be heard through the house of music, startling the two. Voices were heard along with orders given. Opal looked at Sanos' predicament in alarm, realizing a crucial detail. 

‘Sano is a demon now, even though he's showing emotions and hasn't killed anyone he would still be killed. It's against the corp’s rules to let him live!’.

 She stood up in one go instantly regretting it as a wave of nausea and the condition of her injuries caught up with her. Opal wobbled on her feet, the dining room spinning. Her partner was there in a flash, throwing her arm over his shoulders to provide support they’d done so many times before. 

“Sano,” She started with a low whisper, “You have to leave. Now.” 

Looking over at the boy, she was met with an intense stare and frown. Knowing how stubborn Tamashii was, there was no hope for them splitting up due to her injuries. He simply moved her over near where her sword was thrown to the floor. He swiftly picked it up along with his scarf, making sure not to jostle Opal too much around his shoulder. 

“We have no time to argue on this!,” Her tone was sharp, expressing the intense emotions that wound up in the depths of her mind, “Due to the situation a Hashira has most likely been sent here to help! You do know what that means don’t you-“ 

The girl was cut off by her partner throwing her over his shoulders onto his back. Opal was so hellbent on having her partner escape she didn’t even realize they had teleported a good way away from the house of music. It was a habit the boy had to let her ramble as he continued to use his breathing style in order to get them to their destination faster. He didn’t use it all the time though, just in case they ran into a demon unexpectedly one night without proper rest from their last mission. 

Once the demon boy adjusted her as comfortably as possible, gripping her thighs for support he broke out into a sprint, although the girl would’ve laughed, fought, and pointed out how childish the ‘piggyback ride’ was; she simply didn’t have any more energy left. Opal wanted to question where they were going as they passed by streams, bushes and wide clearings they’d used to rest near after a mission. Her eyes could barely stay open, each breath she took led the world as she knew to become fuzzy and merged. 

Sano must've noticed the girl's current state as he started to run faster, teleporting  every now and then to make up for time. He moved his left shoulder in a jerk that her head laid upon, a silent ‘stay awake’ of an order. 

Her partner knew she was trying, but she couldn’t anymore. The grip she once had around his shoulders loosened, soon falling at her sides, resulting in the boy leaning forward so she wouldn’t fall off. Opal glanced up at the moon, the night seemed so pretty even though a series of deaths for so many demon slayers happened every night without fail. 

For a moment, as her eyelids closed, her breathing becoming shallow, the steps of her partner silent yet concentrated to get them to their destination. 

‘I wonder if demons admire the beauty the night has to offer?’ 

[signalwatch]

90's Watch: Chungking Express (1994)

As Jamie and I discussed after the movie - the 90's were the wild west for cinema in the US.  Indie cinema and the *flavor* of that indie movement were a truly big deal.  It was also a rich era for a semi-mainstreaming of international cinema as the same theaters that carried those indie pics also brought in some European film and Hong Kong cinema.  I'm not saying no theaters do this anymore, but it was much more a part of your standard film scene at the time.

And if you didn't see it in theaters, you might still find the movies for rent - maybe not next to Robot Jox at Blockbuster, but in the go-go 90's Austin film rental scene, I could walk across the street from my dump of an apartment and get whatever I wanted at I Luv Video.  

But, as mentioned before, I just never picked up the films of Wong Kar-Wai.  I was too busy watching Chow Yun-Fat kick ass or whatever.  I was still a dude in my 20's.  Grant me peace.

And the reason I bring all of this up is that Chungking Express is more or less what I guess a quirky romantic comedy with some heart to it is made elsewhere by folks with a lot of skill but their own worldview, aesthetic, story-telling modalities, etc...  Ie: what does a Tarantino-era romantic comedy look like coming out of Hong Kong with a storyteller as famed as Wong Kar-Wai?

You can't not mention the film contains two completely separate stories.  They share no common characters (which led to me making a really dumb comment during the film about the chronology), but they do reflect on one another.  It's two cops, one a plain-clothes cop and hopeless romantic, and the other a beat-cop with a certain rigidity looking to get shaken up.    

It's early in the cycle, but both stories have a bit of the manic-pixie-dream-girl aesthetic, one with more of a pulp-crime angle as our clueless romantic pines for a girl who clearly does not miss him until he eventually meets a criminal on the run.  The other is a story of a cop who can't move on (Tony Leung) because, for him, nothing has changed until he meets the erratic girl behind the counter of his favorite snack shop.  

Apparently this was meant to be a triptych, with three stories told - or possibly four.  The remaining story or two were spun off into 1995's Fallen Angels, which I've yet to see, but like the first film, includes the criminal underground of mid-90's Hong Kong in its stories about shattered relationships.

The first story in Chungking Express includes a human trafficker/ smuggler who somehow manages to lose a gaggle of Indian nationals she's sending abroad loaded down with cocaine.  While the cop ignores his job and hangs out at a snack shop hoping his ex will call, a heavily disguised Brigette Lin tries to find her charges in Hong Kong, growing increasingly desperate.  Her concrete worries are juxtaposed with the worries of the cop who thinks his girl will come back to him if we can keep finding cans of pineapple with an expiration date one month from their break-up.  The absurdity of both's plight leads them to meet in a bar, get drunk and find companionship - if not romance - crashing in a hotel room.  

The second story follows Tony Leung who believes he's found the one in an air hostess who dumps him for more exciting times and men.  The somewhat insane new girl working at the snack shop receives a letter meant for the cop, including the return of his key from the air hostess.  While the cop is out, she ventures into his apartment, slowly replacing the items in the apartment - an almost haunted place for the cop who thinks the things there held the sadness he felt - until, eventually, he no longer misses the air hostess and is ready for new things.

Like many 90's relationship movies, or break-up movies, it's a mood as much as anything.  There's certainly plot, but the work of the film is to capture a feeling, some more sympathetic than others.  We can recognize the plainclothesman is a bit of a dumdum in matters of the heart and can't recognize a disguise or actual criminal right in front of him, but still root for him to land on his feet.  And we may think Faye is nuts, but still cheer for she and Tony Leung.

In an American film, I'm not sure how any of this would be presented.  In the mid-90's, I can see the goofy, $15 million dollar movie getting released with one of these stories, but made into a slapstick, knocking the edges off that make this film have a sense of realism and therefore relatability.  It's possible an indie movie would have tried for this, but then you can imagine the fun-friend that would be added to give the cop someone to talk to rather than hearing their inner-monologue.  Everyone would be telling the lead males to buck up.

People love this movie, and I get it.  I liked it a lot.  It made me very glad to not be dating, but I liked it.  And I'll be following up with Fallen Angels soon.  

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from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/gxeYlTZ

[illwynd]

OK so I know even a lot of people who have generally not been pleased with the Loki show have liked Pres Loki for the way he does seem to behave a bit more like the Loki from earlier versions of canon. I was not so pleased with it, and I’d like to explain why. And also why I loved the interaction of the four variant Lokis in the bunker and felt that was a rare moment in the show that displayed any real understanding of the character. 

So let’s start with the gang of Lokis and what that scene did right. With each little interaction, we were given glimpses of the ways in which these four---classic Loki, kid Loki, boastful Loki, and alligator Loki---differed from each other and what traits they shared, but more importantly, the ways they interacted with each other actually said something about how Loki feels about himself. It was, in a word, fraught. It was internal conflict made external, but not just that, because they are also surviving together, as uncomfortable allies. Classic Loki defending and deferring to kid Loki, both because no one one did that for him and because he has also reached the point where nothing really matters anymore and he has nothing to strive for or hope for, and after so long alone, how he treats himself is all he has left. Kid Loki (who we got criminally little of but he made the most of his screentime), the most bereft of all, so young to have such a wound, and who has had to get used to it, and does so by trusting in himself. These other selves. Alligator Loki---who even knows how the world looks to him or how he ended up here, but he’s still fallen in with them, cleaving to the recognition of himself. The group of them, they snipe and squabble, but they also clearly rely on each other for survival and companionship: Loki can always depend on himself. He hates himself and pities himself, he trusts only himself and he attacks himself, he protects himself and he hurts himself. The push and pull of these different aspects and reflections of Loki is an adept metaphor for the internal conflict that the earlier canon showed through different means, in implication and subtle gestures and unspoken words. 

In contrast... the scene with the arrival of Pres Loki and his band of traitorous comrades is... unsubtle, and about as deep as gator!Loki’s kiddie pool. Pres Loki may be suave and confident, but he reflects nothing, and neither do his crew. They show up to conveniently break up the scene in what feels like more of the same disjointed, manic scriptvomit we’ve seen in the rest of the show that seems only intended to harp on the approximately two things that the writers know about Loki, as if he were Thor condemned to do nothing but eat poptarts and speak in a booming voice in a 2012-era fanfic: that Loki is incompetent, and that he reflexively betrays people. The point of Pres Loki’s arrival seems to be “ha ha, Loki is so stupidly committed to betrayal, he’ll even fuck himself over for no reason other than wanting to be powerful even when there is literally no benefit to doing so.” (Another misread of Loki’s character---Loki doesn’t want power for itself, and he never did. He wants it for what it represents, he wants to be seen as deserving of it, he wants to be loved and respected the same way Thor was. In the void, there isn’t any chance of that, so the whole thing is just... baffling.) And, I mean, it’s also just dumb. Pres Loki has none of Loki’s cleverness. How long has he been stuck there? Why is he still surprised at being backstabbed, given how we’re supposed to understand that’s all Lokis ever do? It’s just very Keystone Cops, honestly, and so not Loki.

So yeah that’s my take and why I loved classic Loki and kid Loki and gator Loki and that whole scene but I could have really done without the whole Pres Loki nonsense. 

[maccreadysimp]

breaking down this anti-ian article bc it bothers me ( from the child of a bipolar mother and a male teen with same sex attraction ) while also providing valid reasons ian sucks ( from someone who likes ian )

ive had this drafted for a while so i dont think i cover anything from season 11

tw for i^cest and r^pe

he was with a married man

in this point it points out that he was with kash and he continued his relationship with kash even after linda put cameras in the store

“Ian didn't seem to care about how wrong his affair with Kash was or how much it could hurt Kash's wife Linda, whom he saw at the store regularly. “

that is a quote from that part.

ian gallagher was fifteen in season one, kash was an older man who bought him gifts and payed attention to ian ,, that was not on ian , none of that was ian fault because he was a child

ian wasnt open with lip

“ Ian didn't tell Lip about his preferences and forced Lip to figure it out on his own. Lip was instantly accepting of his brother's truth and even offered to help him figure out any confusion he might be harboring, so it's really strange that Ian wasn't just upfront with his closest confidant from the start.”

no , lip wasnt forced to figure it out on his own and he also wasn’t instantly accepting.

in this point it mentions that ‘they’re extremely close ( bestfriends and brothers ) so its strange ian didnt tell him’

like point 1 , ian is a fifteen year old boy, growing up on the southside , and thoughout the show it has mentioned multiple times that the southside isnt that accepting

back to lip -- lip wasnt accepting, sure he was fine but ‘helping your younger brother figure it out’ by having a (female) classmate give him a blowjob isnt helping

he secretly dated his best friends brother

“Most friends have an unspoken rule about not dating each other's siblings, but Ian broke this rule by secretly entering into a relationship with Mandy's closeted brother Mickey.”

the only thing i have to say about this is , he was still with kash and mickey was a boy in his age group who was gay , growing up in the southside ian probably thought he was the token gay so of course hes going to chase after mickey

he stood by as kash attacked mickey

“Ian didn't do anything to stop Kash from shooting his new lover, and didn't even tell the police about his boss' over-the-top display of jealous action so proper justice could be served.”

okay. because two men he had fallen for had gotten into a fight, there was a gun involved and he panicked, in the end after mickey got shot he went to him

now to address the quote, he didnt say anything to the police because he probably knew that that would bring shame onto kash and his family, along with mickey and his family who are very homophobic

oh yeah and it was like 2011 and cops suck and THEY LIVE ON THE SOUTHSIDE

he and lip tried framing terry milkovich

oh the homophobic and racist dad of his boyfriend and bestfriend who tried to kill him and r*ped his daughter ?

yeah , shit man , that was real bad they shouldn’t have done that /s

he dated jimmy-steves married father

“Ian didn't bother telling Jimmy the truth about his father and didn't end his relationship with Lloyd upon finding out that he had a secret wife and family, either.”

at this point ian is probably sixteen but that doesnt matter bc i wont even address that

he met him at a club and then used his relationship with ned to make mickey jealous which was one of the reasons he kept seeing him, he didnt tell jimmy-steve about the relationship or his father bc he shouldnt find out from him he should find out from his father , again like kash, ned was an older man who payed attention to ian and ned later did develop feelings feelings for ian

he stole lips identity to enlist in the army

he enlisted because he didnt know what to do with himself, its implied/stated that the army timeline was the start of his bipolar

“While impersonating Lip, Ian had tried to steal a helicopter and then proceeded to go AWOL.”

this is because of the bipolar he suffers from, it is referenced later in the series after he gets back and hes manic

ian refused to accept being bipolar

of course he didnt accept it, it is made very clear that his family thinks lowly of monica so of course if hes the lucky duck to get what his siblings demonize her for, of course he’ll not want to be it

“He refused to take medications that could alter his personality or mood.”

okay. this is why im making this whole post, this goes along with part 15 ( or so idk ) ,,

my mother , my dear mother, who is bipolar and doesnt take her meds because they are mood altering , my mom doesnt take med because she told me once that they make her feel like shit, she told me that a little after i was born she started taking them but realized she felt nothing, she felt nothing for my dad or for i ( making her numb )

she told me anti deppresents dont help either because when shes on them and manic it pushes her past productive and into angry

my dad told me that when my mom was on bi polar medication she would seem angry most of the time

he wasnt faitful to mickey

“Ian's bipolar disorder made him very reckless and impulsive and led him to be unfaithful.”

lets break that down.

ians. bipolar. disorder.

this plot point i actually didnt like, mainly bc ian never addresses it so ill give the article a point. but then i take away 2 because they have more of a problem with his bipolar messing with him rather than the fact he never apologized and they never worked it out

ian stole yevgeny

before i start quoting i should mention because his boyfriend, who has supported and helped him is suddenly telling him he needs help, he was helping raise yev so he’ll see yev as his own

“Ian failed to recognize just how crazy he was acting...”

cuting you off right there , he was in a bipolar state, he wasnt ‘crazy’ and isnt ‘crazy’

he cant even keep count of his number of partners

just slutshaming i see

he helped throw frank off a bridge

“His relationship with Frank was understandably never the same after that, as Frank struggled to get over this act of betrayal and cruelty.”

‘was never the same after that’ frank never liked ian, ian was probably his least favorite and that point is very apparent

also , it wasnt just ian , his siblings and his boyfriend caleb

he left a healthy relationship to be with mickey

he fell in love with mickey at 15 , mickey was a comfort and always someone to fall back on, when mickey was taken away and no longer in the picture his heart still obviously was with mickey and when mickey came back he didnt know what to do

he told mickey he had a boyfriend but because mickey has been such a constant in his life he finally has back of course he couldnt resist

he liked trevor, i could tell he did but trevor wasnt the one he watched get r^ped by a russian prostitute, he wasnt the one ian was secretly dating bc it would be a death wish other wise, he wasnt the one there when ian was manic or depressive ( at the start )

he tried blackmailing an old client for money

“Instead of raising the money in an honest manner, Ian chose to visit an old client from his time working at the Fairy Tail and blackmail him into funding the shelter.”

because he felt indebted to trevor and wanted to make it up to him, it would have taken longer to do it in ‘an honest manner’ when his sister would have gotten it instead, he knew how much gay youths like he once was needed a safe place

“He grew up wanting to be nothing like his father, but this whole money-making scheme was straight out of the Frank playbook”

because thats all he knows, he grew up with that ‘playbook’ so of course hes going to take a page out of it, he is nothing like frank , franks money making schemes are selfish and for his own greed while ian wanted the money to help build a safe space for lgbt youth

he let fame inflate his ego

of course he did, hes a southside kid who was destined to fail

also it is very apparent that during the gay jesus era he went off his medication which didnt help

“Before long, he just completely forgot about his ex and focused solely on being a deity”

as much as yes, he did let it mess with his head, he was trying to still help lgbt youth and was going against anti gay churchs , in the end it didnt work out for him because he was off his meds and went over board

he stopped taking his meds

see previous point and ‘ian refused to accept being bipolar’

he actually wanted to stay in prison

because he was doing good in there

ian was helping others and was spreading awareness about lgbt with in the prison , and as him and jail scenes go , we can see people were listening to him and he was trying to make it safe sane and consensual

he let down his army of followers

“Ian admitted that most of his actions were completely irrational and the mere results of his bipolar disorder.”

he didnt want to, we can see this, because he knew he would let down everyone, his family were the only ones to ever ground him and they knew it would be the best option for his own mental health

during the gallavich wedding we can see that a lot of his supporters still have his back because they must know how hard it was for him to put all of that success on something he can’t control

he constantly wasted his potential

this is actually the only point in this article i actually agree with , so only 1/20 i agree with

his relationship with mickey wasn’t actually great

“Mickey spent the first several years of their relationship denying his feelings for Ian.”

he was raised by a homophobic and racist father who he knew would react the way he did when terry had caught the two that one day

“Even after he finally embraced his true self, Ian's bipolar disorder kept them from becoming truly happy together.”

yes but mickey was there for him the entire time and helped him through it, he told him he loved him which was really big for him and did his best to care for him

“They couldn't seem to remain faithful to each other for more than a few weeks.”

back to the point about ians bipolar but for mickey he wanted monogamy , now that scene in s11 may say otherwise but it is very clear that he wants a monogamous relationship with ian and ian ( after getting help ) wants one too, and in the later seasons they are monogamous

“When Mickey asked Ian to run away to Mexico with him, Ian refused.”

he wanted to, it’s obvious, but ian has his family and didnt want to abandon them again, i think part of him knew he would see mickey again because they always find eachother, he gave mickey all of his money and wanted mickey to have a good life

“Their relationship was simply never healthy.”

no it wasnt, but thats why the ship is great in its own way, the gay closet kid raised by a homophobic man is obviously going to have a lot of baggage , and ian who is bipolar and struggling with himself will also have a lot of baggage , but in the end they love eachother and that really shows in season five and season seven specifically

that is all lol ,,, this is long sorry

now, i am not a ian apologist , i love ian but hes a dumbass sometimes

actual valid reasons ian sucks

genuinely believes frank is worse than terry

yes frank was definitely abusive but terry is definitely worse ,,

mentally/physically/sexually abusive , the whole nine yards

terry hired a prostitute to r^pe his son , threatened to kill him and ian on multiple occasions , r^ped his daughter who ended up pregnant and is actively racist

frank on the other hand will make gay jokes but in the end doesnt give enough of a shit , he has attacked his children on multiple occasions but not to the brutality that terry has ( this isnt me excusing it )

sorry ian , terry is worse

never apologized

he never apologized for all the shit he put mickey and his family through, never apologized to mickey for cheating on him , never apologized for all the manic and depressive episodes mickey endured with him

never apologized for walking away when he couldn’t handle it, in hall of shame mickey actually acknowledges this saying ‘its youre whole MO’

debbies sexuality

he has constantly made statements saying debbie isnt gay and that bothers me because , why does it care ? as a gay man and as a gay man who soent time with a lot of lgbt youth wouldnt he support his sister even if shes just ‘experimenting’?

in the recent season he doesnt seem to care and doesn’t say anything but it still bothers me

mickey only getting like 80% of his heart

okay look , i get what ian means when he says this , everyones hes been with has made him who he is but fucking hell dude ,, shut up , thats your husband , thats the love of your life you shouldnt be saying shit like that , especially to him

and then this man had the audacity to say mickey probably feels the same about past flings when he knows that ian is the only one hes probably ever been with/serious about

obviously there is probably more but those are the main ones that come to mind

—

before anyone brings up the trans or bi thing im going to explain my thought process for him

like ive probably mentioned multiple times he grew up southside and obviously only ever grew up with lgb and not t ,, trevor did inform him a lot and ian became supre accepting of everyone,, sexual preference isnt transphobic but i do think he approached the matter badly

now the bi thing , legit all i think is that he doesnt hate bisexual people its just that the man he really liked slept with a woman and never expressed any heterosexual attraction so it probably just suprised him and pissed him off because caleb did cheat on ian

—

if you read this far HOLY SHIT THANKS LOL ,, im not adding things that i think are pro about ian this was just me breaking down that article and giving my two cents :)

feel free to message me and talk to me or send me articles like this about any other character/relationship and i will totally break that one down too lol

thanks for letting me rant

[bunny-j3st3r]

Wanted to do my own addisons :} plus spamton 

info about them under the cut

These addisons take on more animal like features, they tend to hop similar to rabbits, kangaroos or a jerboa when excited/busy/rushing but most of the time they walk (thinking furries tbh)

They are extremely fluffy and tend to make a slight glow when in the dark

They can deliver quite strong kicks that are used to stop any potential thieves or just annoyances in general.

There tails and ears are sensitive.

Mal: Mal is the second oldest addison, he’s a photographer for big magazine publications, he works along side Locket to show off Locket’s fashion designs. He is tired a lot and can get annoyed easily but loves his brothers dearly. He believed Spamton to be dead for years but was the first to see him again when he was tasked with a photoshoot at the church and carnival. To say he was surprised was an understatement, he was pissed, he refused to tell his brothers for awhile until he understood what was going on. He is still mad at (both) Spamton’s to this day but still loves them.

Emote: Emote is the second youngest, he’s a bit off a shut in and does not often get along with other pink addisons who are loud and flirty, he prefers to be a recluse. He spends most of his time in his home making new teas, his home is kitted out like a laboratory. He tends to eat quick and easy meals so his brothers tend to bring him food over. He also likes to collect oddities that some would see unusual, this has him take frequent trips to the city dump. He was the only one who believed Spamton was not dead and had fallen into a down spiral of a manic and depressive episode trying to prove his point. Turns out he was right and cried for a long time sitting with both priest and Ring master.

Locket: Locket is the middle addison, he takes on a sweet and a slight flirty personality, he has an eye for fashion and spends nearly all day in his workshop making new designs. Mal photographs these designs for him so there is often high demand for his clothes. He operates a small boutique. He also adopted another addison called Addi when she was a baby (he’s not good with names) he does not recall if Addi even remembers her uncle but Locket dislikes talking about Spamton and would rather forget about him. It takes him awhile to warm up to either spamton when he found out they were alive, he was hurt and angry but didn’t show it.

Chip: Chip is the youngest addison, he has a hyper personality and works as a model for sports magazines and energy drinks, he has a small fan following and tends to stream and snapchat/instagram A LOT. He does not understand why others nickname him pikachu. He was very young when spamton vanished so he doesn't recall him that much but he still loves his brother(s). He is spoiled by spamton now a lot as the “favourite” brother.

Spamton: Spamton in his big shot era before his... dip. He was loud, a party goer and practically disregarded his brothers feelings. He loved to wear sparkles but had a nervous habit of twirling his tail in his hands forming it to curl, his brothers often joking it looks like the phone he’s so attached to.

After he fell into acid all of his fur began to fall off, his tail practically burned off which still causes slight pain if he sits at an odd angle to this day and his ears shrunk significantly.

But something odd began to also happen, his body practically tore itself in two from distress and whatever the acid did to his DNA, separating his two personalities. In fear both took off from each other, eventually reconciling when in there EX bodies.

The more the two heal the more that pats of there older addisons bodies return, there fluff and ears have slowly began to return to normal, they may possibly gain tails in the future, who knows. 

[kanri-tea]

Demon Slayer! AU (Part 1 - The Beginning)

Ramuda and Jakurai are tossed into a strange new world, but at least they have each other. Things are peaceful at first, but not all happiness lasts.

~~~

“I’m heading out!”

“Be careful,” Ramuda hears Jakurai call out from the depths of the clinic, no doubt busy with another patient. The pattering of footsteps could be heard as children raced around the wooden hut, snow crunching under their feet.

“Are you going to the village today?”

“Ehh? I want to go too!”

Ramuda laughed as the Hanako and Takeo whined. It was almost New Years, so going down and selling charcoal to earn some more money so that everyone could eat to their heart’s content wasn’t a bad idea. Even though Jakurai received many donations throughout the year, even his saintly attitude and charity to every ill and injured person couldn’t keep everyone fed.

“No, none of you can walk as fast as Ramuda. He can’t pull the cart today, so you can’t rest while he gives you a ride,” Suzumi, another live-in patient at the clinic, sighs. The man was still lecturing Hanako and Takeo when Ramuda leaves, waving his goodbyes, but well, that was old man Suzumi for you.

As Ramuda walked down the snowy mountain, his mind drifted. How many years has it been? Five years? Wow, time really has flown bye, he thinks. And it’s probably been even longer for Jakurai. It’s strange, to be stuck in the past with only Jakurai.

Ramuda hummed to himself. Maybe he should buy some fresh eggs – along with mochi of course – while he was in the village! After all, Jakurai always did like having eggs over rice with natto.

They’re facing another bitter and angry person with an illegal microphone. They’re always bitter and angry though, bitter at the changes in the world, angry at their own powerlessness. They’re one of many.

Ichiro, Samatoki, Ramuda, and Jakurai are together, coincidentally, when the man attacks them. They’re not particularly concerned, not at first. They’re known as the top hypnosis mic users for a reason. The Chuuoku is invested in them for a reason.

That quickly changes though when Ichiro disintegrates. And disintegrates he does, starting from his feet and slowly moving up until he’s just… gone. None of them know what’s going on, and by the time they realize what’s happening, Samatoki is already half-gone and Ramuda and Jakurai have already begun to disappear, grain-by-grain.

The perpetrator is laughing now, manically talking about his revenge plans about the Chuuoku, but none of them are listening. They’re frozen, confused and, while they might deny it, terrified.

The last thing they think, before they’re completely gone is: I don’t want to die.

“Well, if it isn’t Ramuda-chan!”

“You really came down on such a cold day? Good work, but you’ll catch a cold, and I’m sure the doctor won’t like that.”

“Oooi! I want to buy some charcoal!”

“Ah, Ramuda! Thanks for repairing my sliding door the other time.”

Ramuda took a deep breath, taking in the scents of the villagers. They’re as busy and energetic as usual, he thinks fondly. Maybe it’s stupid of him, but after so many years in the past and out of the Chuuoku’s control and in better health than he’d ever been, Ramuda couldn’t help but love listening and smelling how people lived and moved… Nah, it was probably the old man rubbing off of him. Eew, Jakurai germs.

“Aaahhh! Ramuda, I’m glad you’re here,” Ramuda turns towards the screaming man. Oof, looks like he pissed off the missus again.

“Can you tell who broke these dishes?! Please help me!”

As the man shoved the broken ceramic towards his face, Ramuda leaned forward to take a whiff. Cat, he thinks, and says as much.

By the time he finishes selling the charcoal, it was beginning to turn dark.

Jakurai’s going to fret again, Ramuda frowns as he makes his way back up the mountain.

“Hey Ramuda! Are you returning up the mountain? At this time? You can’t, it’s dangerous.”

“Huh? I’ll be fine, my nose can smell anything.”

“I’ll let you stay the night, so come. Turn back.”

“But –“

“Enough of that! Come here.”

“Ehh? Mister, what’s got you so scared,” Ramuda sighs, heading over to the hut. Geez, if it weren’t for the fact that Jakurai asked him to play nice with the villagers, he would’ve left Saburo in the dust ages ago.

“Demons will appear,” Saburo replies, with utmost seriousness. Ramuda could practically feel his eyes roll back into the sockets of his eyes. Ugh, every time he thought he was getting used to this place, someone’s always there to remind him that this was the early1900s and people were stupid. Seriously, demons of all things?

As Ramuda settled down for the night, half-heartedly listening to the man’s ramblings about demons, he wondered if the man was lonely. Having lived alone since his family died, Saburo must be pretty lonely. Maybe, Ramuda thinks before drifting off to sleep, he should bring some of the kids to visit next time. He’s sure Hanako and Takeo especially would love the opportunity to meet new people…

Everything is dark… It’s so cold…

He’s drifting, drifting slowly in an abyss of darkness.

Where am I?

What happened?

Ramuda couldn’t remember. Something about an illegal mic, he thinks.

He’s waking up, slowly, and when he does, there’s a familiar scent. Who is it?

“Ah. Good, you’re finally awake,” he hears. The voice is deep, yet gentle and soft, and oh so familiar.

Ramuda turns his head to the side, and then he r e m e m b e r s.

“Jakurai,” he tries to snarl, but his voice is hoarse. It comes out much higher pitched than he’d ever been able to pretend. What the hell?

“Amemura-kun,” the old man greets him, but Jakurai looks much, much younger than Ramuda had ever seen. There aren’t any wrinkles or signs of exhaustion and age that had clung onto Jakurai like a parasite.

“I found you drifting down a river,” the doctor explains quietly, “and I took you back here, to my clinic.”

“Tch,” Ramuda clicks his tongue, “who’d want you of all people to rescue me. Why d’ya have a clinic? Thought you worked at a hospital, or did’ya decide that you’re too good for them?”

Jakurai stills, head tilted, eyes scrutinizing Ramuda. He hates how it feels, the way Jakurai’s gaze seems to burn into him.

“… I see. I suppose you must’ve recently woken up,” Jakurai muses, “you should go back to sleep for now. Rest and recover.”

“Oi, you can’t just say that and not tell me what the hell’s going on!”

“Are you sure you want to know now?”

Ramuda gulped. This felt… serious? He nodded. His vision was starting to darken, sleep trying to pull him into its sweet embrace, but he wanted to know what the hell was going on first, especially with the old man.

“… The illegal microphone, I fear, has tossed us into the past. The Taisho era to be exact,” Jakurai informs him, “I don’t know what happened to Ichiro and Samatoki, but before I found you, I had assumed I was the only one here.”

Ramuda’s vision goes black, sleep pulling him under.

“No. Nononono –“

It’s Suzumi’s body that he sees first, blood soaking the white snow. Underneath the man is one of the kids – Tadashi, Ramuda thinks – and their bodies are cold to the touch and lifeless.

“What – How did this –“

It doesn’t take long for him to see the bloody and broken screen doors of the clinic and the many lifeless and bloody bodies littered on the ground.

Ramuda wanted to scream. What the hell? Suppressing the urge to vomit, he searched through the clinic, hoping to find signs of life.

Hanako, Takeo, Shigeru, Yamato, Sen, Tohru, Sora… The list just went on and on, all the various patients who had come to the clinic in hopes of being healed or saved were dead. The many people that Ramuda had come to love and care about in place of his posse were d e a d.

Jakurai, Ramuda finds though, is still warm. He’s covered in blood just like everyone else, but his breathing was shallow. If… maybe if Ramuda could move fast enough, Jakurai could be saved. Sure, the doctor in the village wasn’t as good as a doctor as Jakurai, but…

Ramuda would save him. He refused to let the stupid old man die too.

He moved quickly to travel back down the mountain, the cold chilling him to the bone and Jakurai’s body acting as a dead weight on his back.

How could such a thing happen? A bear? A bear that didn’t hibernate in the winter?

Fuck, Ramuda thinks, breathing hurts. The winter air was freezing his lung, but he had to move faster. He had to continue moving forward.

I won’t let you die, he thinks furiously, I’ll definitely save you, Jakurai.

He’s… tired. It’s nothing unusual, not particularly, but there’s something about this exhaustion that feels different to Jakurai this time though.

Hunger. There’s an aching sense of hunger in stomach, but why?

The demon! Oh… oh. They were all dead, weren’t they, Jakurai mourned internally. Once again, he was too powerless to protect anyone.

“ – hold it off! I – in you!”

Someone was speaking, but Jakurai couldn’t tell who or what was being said. Why was everything so muddy?

As if the world was trying to convey a message, Jakurai felt himself being flung back, slamming into a tree. He’s being pinned down again, but by who? And why? There’s screaming too, but Jakurai couldn’t make out anything. Why... Why were his senses so dulled? Where was Ramuda? Was he safe?

Bam!

Jakurai’s vision snapped back into focus, just in time to watch as this strange man was pinning him down slam the handle of the katana (what the hell, a small part of his mind whispers, how the fuck does this kid have a katana) onto Ramuda’s back.

As Ramuda’s axe swung towards the man, Jakurai quickly spun into action, breaking free of the man’s hold, and making a grab for the fallen pink-haired boy.

Crouching in defensive position in front of Ramuda, Jakurai glared. He might not know what was happening, but he knew enough that this man could be a danger to himself, and more importantly, to Ramuda.

“I will not let you hurt him,” he tells him, voice hoarse and with a hint of growling for some odd reason.

He hears Ramuda cough, “Finally awake, you stupid old man? Took you long enough.”

Jakurai deigned not to respond, keeping the man within his vision. Ramuda had fallen unconscious, but how did he know this? Everything felt so much clearer and sharper now, his ears picking up even the smallest of footsteps of the critters in the forest to even Ramuda’s heartbeat.

“You,” Jakurai focused back on to the strange man, “Are you… protecting him?”

He doesn’t respond. Was this a trick? Of course he was protecting him. The man in front of him scrutinized them for a couple more seconds, neither party moving a muscle.

“I… I’m going to take a chance with you,” the man slowly says, “but if attack… I won’t hesitate to decapitate you.”

It took a couple seconds of silence, but as soon as Jakurai nodded back, the man turned around, facing a patch of bamboo. With movement faster than his eyes could follow, the man cut the bamboo into pieces.

“Here,” he motioned towards Jakurai. “Bite on this bamboo. It’ll be better than biting the insides of your mouth.”

At this, Jakurai finally noticed that he’d been biting hard enough to taste blood. That was not good. The gnawing hunger was starting to get stronger and stronger, but he now knew better than to fall prey to it. It was a hunger for the flesh of humans, a hunger that only demons had.

Taking the bamboo, Jakurai ripped a piece off his haori and laced it through the sides before securing it around his head and mouth. The bamboo would eventually start biting into his gums, Jakurai realized, but this would do for now. At least until Jakurai had time to meditate and get himself back under control.

“You must never bite anyone. You must never eat a human. If you do, I will cut you down. Do you understand?”

Jakurai pulled out of his thought. Reaching for the bamboo, he moved it aside to answer the man.

“Rest assured,” Jakurai quietly tells him, “My purpose is to serve humanity.”

The man looks startled at the answer, but Jakurai stays firm, light blue eyes never wavering from the man’s darker blue ones.

“My name is Tomioka Giyuu,” the newly named Tomioka tells him, “And when that boy wakes up, tell him to visit the elder named Urokodaki Sakonji living at the foot of the misty mountain. Tell him that I sent you.”

With that, Tomioka began to retreat, leaving Jakurai and the still unconscious Ramuda behind.

“Also, don’t go out in the sun,” Tomioka tells him as one last goodbye before disappearing from sight.

Jakurai let himself relax once the man was out of sight. God, what a mess. Everyone was dead now… And he was a demon? It seems that his original theory of being in the past might not be as accurate as he’d first thought…

But for now, it was time to bury the bodies. If this Urokodaki could help them, could inform them more about this strange world, then Jakurai would go. Ramuda will not be hurt, not by Jakurai, not by whatever dangers this world posed.

Jakurai refused to let another person die, not if he could save them.

Kind, Giyuu thinks to himself as he returns to report to Oyakata-sama. The purple-haired demon's eyes were kinder than any human he'd ever encounter, except for maybe Oyakata-sama. There was an air of kindness and charisma that the demon had that Giyuu had encountered only once before in his life.

It's strange, but Giyuu couldn't help but look forward to seeing what the duo would do. A demon who refused to eat people and a human who swore that he would turn the demon back into a human. Two impossibilities, yet here they were.

Sending them to his teacher was probably for the best. Urokodaki would train the boy to fight demons. The future, Giyuu thinks, might be pretty interesting.

[k7l4d4]

Two New AUs (Loud House & Amphibia)

Today I am rolling out two new AUs for all you folks looking for something to help fill the hole in your lives that only inspiration can! ...That was too over the top and I apologize for it. First off, my Loud House AU, Ring Me Up!

Did somebody call for a hero!? I had an idea for DC Crossover with The Loud House, and I was hoping to share it with everyone. Has anyone heard of the H-Dial? Not to worry for those who haven't, as I will explain! The H-Dial, also called the Hero Dial, is a device that allows someone to tap into a location known as the Hero-Verse, a dimension where every possible superhero that ever was, is, or will be, no matter how improbable, is connected. By dialing HERO, the wielder of the H-Dial can turn into any hero throughout the Multi-Verse! But it's totally random, so you can get either something totally amazing, or incredibly bizarre, and the second is far more likely unfortunately. Enter Lincoln Loud, a seemingly ordinary boy with a less than ordinary family who find the H-Dial. The version he finds is a bit different, as it is an experimental proof-of-concept with an unusual nature; rather than turn the wielder into a hero, it turns someone close to the wielder into one instead! To use it, Lincoln enters HERO into the Dial, and then presses a number. 1: The Determined, heroes with nothing special to them, with either very weak powers or none at all, they became heroes due to the hard work they put in and nothing less. The avatar of this number is Lori. 2: The Gentle, heroes whose greatest strength isn't their powers, but rather their compassion and connection with others, they will reach out to save anyone, even a villain. The avatar of this number is Leni. 3: The Gifted, heroes who were lost in life, without purpose or direction, until something or someone not only inspired them to be more, but gave them the ability to do it. The avatar of this number is Luna. 4: The Manic, heroes who don't always fit in to society, filled with boundless energy, and a though process that is absolutely unique. The avatar of this number is Luan. 5: The Mighty, heroes of strength and prowess, the ferocity within them can never be restrained, whether for good or ill, they invariably have powers that either let them hit, or be hit, harder and longer. The avatar of this number is Lynn. 6: The Tired, heroes who are not accepted by society, defined by the suffering they have endured, they constantly walk the border between the light and the dark. The avatar of this number is Lucy. 7: The Wild, heroes of nature, they aren't afraid to get rough and tumble, and thrive off of what most civilized folks struggle with. The avatar of this number is Lana. 8: The Elegent, heroes who have it all, grace, beauty, power, they constantly battle the temptation to do bad with all that they have, as beneath their beauty lies something twisted. The avatar of this number is Lola. 9: The Brilliant, heroes defined by their minds, who dedicated themselves to using their gifts not just to benefit mankind in the long-term, but the here-and-now as well. The avatar of this number is Lisa. 0: The Future, heroes who embody all the hopes and dreams of a brighter tomorrow, who have walked to the abyss and seen not horror, but unrealized potential and beauty. The avatar of this number is Lily. What do you all think? The above AU requires no hard knowledge of DC Comics, as the only element from DC is the H-Dial, one of the most obscure relics of power in all of DCU Publishing History!

The next AU is for Amphibia, and is what I like to call, Alone Together. Note: This is meant to be a Superhero Reconstruction AU, in which the idea is to breakdown the premise and uplifting notions of comic books heroes, and then build them back up. Here we GO!!! Also, the name of the AU is Gifted Calamities.

Long ago, the Outer Rulers were, well, bored. They had existed for so long, experienced so much, that they struggled to find anything to break the monotony of their immortal existence; it would not be wrong to say that they had been driven mad from boredom!! Yet, soon, they came across a world, just starting to fill with life, and thought of an idea. They had experienced so much, why not make something instead? Falling to the world, which had only just started developing its civilizations, they came upon its people, the humans. With mischief and intrigue within whatever counted for them as hearts, they blessed upon the simple race three gifts: Wisdom, Strength, and Heart. With the seeds of their entertainment planted, the Outer Rulers vanished, eager to see what fruits would bloom under the labor of their unknowing pawns.

As humanity found the Three Gifts, they were enthralled; with Wisdom, no knowledge was beyond their understanding, with Strength, no feat was too daring to accomplish, and with Heart, no soul was beyond salvation. But as with all power, there came those who coveted it for themselves and themselves alone; the Order of the Hungry Beast. This ancient brotherhood found the power as enthralling as their brethren, yet where the others saw beauty, they saw only their most depraved wants and whims come to life. With Wisdom, no scheme could fail, with Strength, no nation could not be conquered, and with Heart, no soul could not fall under their sway. As the Order grew in influence, they encroached upon the Gifts, drawing them deeper and deeper into their clutches. Yet, one day, a young nomad, gifted in the ways of Heart, came upon them in the dead of night, as they schemed to kill the village that held the Gifts and seize them for themselves. Horrified, the nomad, roared in alarm, her furious shriek rousing the village to action. Coming in droves, the humble village, tasked for all these years with guarding the Three Gifts, stormed outward, horrified to see that the members of the Order, those they called brother, sister, mother, father, son, and daughter, were plotting against them.

A great clash rocked the land as the Order of the Beast and the Villagers, headed by the young Nomad, battled to decide once and for all how the power of the Gifts would be used; would they be gifts of wonder, bringing humanity closer together, or gifts of strife, driving humanity against one another in eternal darkness? As more and more members of each side fell, the Nomad looked on in sorrow; for every one of the Order who were taken, three or more of the villagers were lost. It was a battle of attrition, one that they were losing! What could be done? Yet, over the din and cacophony of battle, the Nomad could here two fierce cheers; the young inventress, barred from the conflict due to a broken leg, and the chief guard’s apprentice, who volunteered to protect the children, both yelling to the heavens: “Don’t give up. You haven’t lost. You can still win. We believe you will win, so win!” As the Nomad, heard them cheer, her heart filling with joy and resolve, something... sparked. 

Just as the feeling came, it quelled at the sight of two soldiers from the Order rushed the cheering onlookers, hell-bent on silencing their voices that bolstered the hearts and resolve of the Villagers. As her heart filled with dread at the no doubt bloody sight to come, the Nomad reached out, screams of warning resting on her lips, only to fall silent as the two cheering onlookers sprung into action; the injured inventor pulled a peculiar apparatus, and launched a bolt of sharpened wood into the soldier nearest to her, and apprentice guard sprung into action, crashing down onto the hapless enemy with a fierce grin. Both turned to the Nomad, seemingly seeing her across the carnage and chaos of the battle field, and nodded. As the spark once more burned into her heart, the Nomad turned to the oncoming hoard of Soldiers and said this: “You may rage and struggle, lash out and torment with your cruelty and selfishness all you like. But you will never win. Not because we are stronger than you, that we are more than you, but because, unlike you, we have not forgotten the first Gift humanity ever had. The Gift of HOPE!” With a roar, hearts filled with the Hope burning through the Nomad’s cry, the Villagers, resolve honed into an unstoppable force, leapt into the final clash.

It was over. The Villagers had one. With the final rally of the Nomad, they pulled together the strength to break and scatter the cowardly Order. Yet, in the end, the victory was bitter-sweet. The Nomad, a kind stranger who none knew the name of, had fallen in battle, the corpse of the Order’s leader cooling beneath her. The apprentice guard, so full of life and fire that drew all into her orbit, died standing, guarding the door to the children held within, the corpses of all who tried to cross the threshold piled around her, unwavering in her duty even in her death. The inventor, heedless of her injuries, had lured a platoon that had broken into the Hold into her workshop, and collapsed it all around them, a defiant smile beaming across her face. As the Villagers took stock of the ones who had given so much for them, a noble stranger who could’ve left them to their fate, an absent-minded inventor who constantly worried the village with her studies sacrificed her prized inventions, that which she held more sacred than even her own life, to fell the enemy, and the young guard who went above and beyond her duty for those she loved, they knew what must be done. Taking the Three Gifts and the bodies of their three heroes, the Villagers committed all to fire, both to honor those who gave them their future, and to keep the Gifts from EVER falling into the hands of the Order and their selfish crusade. The Gifts were destroyed, the heroes bodies lost. All they had to do was pick up the pieces.

Thousands of years have passed, and a new era has dawned. The Gifts have returned, as has the order. The only question is: what happens now?

[bridgetstandson]

Prologue II

Prologue I

-ONE WEEK LATER-

Silence.

The winds were still, Titus and his bannermen stood in the ruins of the old Colosseum awaiting the arriving members of the House Juvient. The loyal bannerman would not dare to go against their King but were distraught at the prospect of losing their country and betrayed at the Juvient's for happily wanting to hand over their country to foreigners. So, with heavy hearts and anguish, the loyal bannerman of Dormus looked ahead.

Amongst them was the General. General Zhao, was a steely man in his late fifties born in Yi Ti, he had settled in Dormus twenty years ago along with a small army. Having faced and seen many wars, Zhao was always prepared. But here he sat, the king had ordered the men to come with as little a weeks notice. With recent events and knowing the King forgiving nature, the general had expected him to forget the transgression between the dragon houses, he had expected the king to call for war and avenge their fallen brothers. The general like most men had grown up, hearing the legends of House Romulus, the death bringers as they were often called. But today, he stood, next to Titus Romulus, this was not a man of legends, there was no greatness in his decisions and was a bitter disappointment to his predecessors. Like his father, Titus failed to grasp the power in which his family held and the acts which needed to be carried out in order to keep it.

In the distance, teal and gold banners began to approach, and amongst them banners belonging o the lions could be seen, of course, the Lion for years had their eyes on the riches of Dormus, they would jump at any given opportunity to grasp any semblance of power in the country.

Peace talks, moving forward, the words used by Titus to describe the events that would take place today. But as they approached the general's eyes grew. This was no peace talks. With great urgency, the general turned to the King, "Your grace, we should turn back and head to the keep, whilst we still have the chance". The king remained quiet.

"Your Grace, they are clad in amour, they are not here for peace". Another speaks up.

"Of course, they are, Why the hell would you think different, your grace, this is madness, you are damning us all!"

"They have Lannister's amongst them! they brought lions on our land"

" Why are we entertaining this, what right do they have to stand on our lands!"

"you grace let us leave we can make it back to the keep in time and call for reinforcement!" The general stern voice rang above the panicked men.

The king raised his arm, silencing his men. "Be calm, I would never place any of you in harm's way, we no longer stand with the Targaryen's, Robert promised peace. We are simply here to hear what else they have to offer and see how we can move forward - Together" he reassured, sharing a glance the men placed their hands on their sword, awaiting the worst.

"Your grace...." Estimating at least fifty- thousand men, the general tried to warn the king but was quickly interrupted.

"Let them come, General." A soft voice rang out.

There stood their Queen. Her gown, blood red, hugged her shapely figure tightly and flared at the feet. The sleeves, each an art piece were filled with black embroidery. The black tresses of her hair were pulled back and sat in an elegant bun that sat neatly onto her head. The men glanced at her. There was something different about her, perhaps it was the nature of her smile. Aadya Romulus was a serious woman, rarely seen so relaxed unless in the presence of her children. Yet here she was, her smile soft, like petals caught in a breeze. It was just wide enough to allow a gleam of white from the teeth below. Her eyes were a fire in water if you could imagine such a thing. From those eyes, however, came a sense of malice, malice that caused the mean to shift in their places, their hands instinctively gripping their swords tighter.

" My husband is right, no harm shall befall us today. Today is the day future generations look back and recognise a change. This day marks a new era, a new age for the Romulus dynasty. No one will ever forget what we are."

Titus sighed and smiled, fighting with Aadya was like going to war, a long difficult war. Mirroring her soft smile he stepped towards her, glad to have her in his presence. " I'm glad you came and see the importance of this and the importance of maintaining peace".

Aadya leaned forward, planting a sweet kiss to the corner of his lips. "I will do anything for my children" she whispered softly, her voice carrying into the wind her tone a sickly sweet.

The marching men approached closer.

And then just like that, something changed.

A new silence arrived, but it wasn't just silence, it was complete silence. No sound was present. It was and if nothing existed, the sound of the horses and the clank of armour was muted.

Just silence.

A silence that rang loud and ripped straight to the soul. With only a few feet of distance between them, their faces became clear.

Leading the men, Willem Juvient. He didn't seem to notice the lack of sound surrounding him. Instead, a smug look rested on his face, his shoulders pushed back and chest thrust forward. How victorious he looked. As he drew closer he opened his mouth to speak. Then nothing. He paused, his eyes were drawn to Aadya's. He immediately tensed, a sense of uneasiness filled him. As if sensing the uneasiness too, the horses went manic they began to move, attempting to unseat the riders. The men's faces grew alarmed.

But oddly enough it was still silent...

Then a sound resonated, cutting through the silence.

A crack. A crack sounded through the air. The air shifted.

Aadya's smile grew.

Her eyes turned a bright green.

[dalygrace]

@stlapin said: 🔆 + lear crew + atla (maybe with a sibling agni kai :D)! featuring @catherinedaly and @evcravens

The day of Sozin's comet dawns clear and crisp, a clean slate to usher in a new era of Fire Nation dominance. She follows the armies to the ports, kneels before her father as he prepares to battle. She can feel the energy of victory all around, crackling from the soldiers, and her heart feels as if it has lodged itself in her throat. She burns, all fierce pride, as her father names her successor in the early morning light. Fire Lord. The title is sweet on her tongue, but there is too the taste of ash - her rise tempered by her father's further ascension. Some small part of her stings with this once and final insult, but she shoves it down, revels in the glory of her day, the day of her coronation.

By noon she has dismissed all her personal servants, banished both the Dai Lee and her lifelong advisors, and thoroughly frustrated herself with the ritual hairstyles she needs for the ceremony. In other words, she was doing fabulously. The black rot of her heart was on full display, and she found she quite enjoyed the rush of giving orders as much as she thought she would. She grins at herself in her bedroom mirror, smoothing down the edges of her newly shorn bangs. "What a shame," a voice says from behind her, and Grace's blood runs cold.

Her mother stands just behind her, a sad frown on her face as she takes in Grace's crisp uniform and unruly hair. "You always had such beautiful hair." Grace does not dignify this with a response, only pulls her hair roughly back into a bun, murderous feeling in her chest growing. "How could I miss my own daughter's coronation?" Her mother continues, as if Grace had played into her little dialogue, as if she'd entertained the idea that she was worth her time. "Don't patronize me," she snaps back, eyes blazing. "I know you'd rather it be Catherine, some little soft thing for you to puppet. I am not yours to control."

"You have always been about control," her mother replies, neatly dodging the splinters of Grace's anger that underly her words. "You cling to it, draw it to you with other people's fear. Why?"

Grace's anger boils under her skin. "Being feared is easy," she replies cooly. "I am seen as I should be seen - superior." She clutches her hairbrush like a vice, focusing on the feeling of the wood in her grasp as her mother's eyes turn sad. "Fear may be easy for others, but it is not for you. You use it to push people out, even your friends and sisters." Her mother tilts her head, gaze appraising, driving deep holes into Grace's already crumbling facade. "You are only hurting yourself. Why not try trust?"

"Trust is for fools," Grace retorts. "Fools like Catia and the Avatar." Her lip curls in disgust as her mother shakes her head sadly, and she turns sharply away. "Fear is the only way to bring power," she continues on, bullheaded to the last. "Even you fear me."

"No," the reflection says simply. "I love you, Grace. I do."

Something in her crumples. Her rage expands to fill the space, bright and hot, and Grace hurls the hairbrush at her mother's face. She is out the door before the last shards of mirror hit the ground.

She seethes all the way to the empty palace courtyard, until she kneels before the fire sages and prepares to receive her crown and title. They begin to speak and a sense of calm washes over Grace. Finally, she will be what she has been born for - Fire Lord, ruler, all-powerful. She is moments away from stepping into her birthright.

Which is, of course, why fate sees fit to send her sister back home.

Daly! Catherine shouts, their shared name sharp and echoing around the grand palace architecture. Grace's rage overpowers her and she stands, sneering down at her sister as she slides off the giant flying thing that brought her here, the waterbending boy just behind. "Kitty Cat," she spits, "so good of you to join us."

"You won't be Fire Lord today," Catia continues, and Grace laughs, a cruel sound. "Oh?" She questions, all mock solemnity. "Then who is? Certainly not you," she jeers, and revels in the angry twist of Catherine's mouth, the way Everett straightens up beside her. "If you're so keen for the title, sister," she continues, voice sharp, the plan of attack suddenly clear in her mind. "Then we fight for it. Agni kai."

"You're on," Catherine agrees, ever the go-getter, ever the optimist. Beside her, Everett looks concerned - Good, Grace thinks. He should be. They both should be.

When they fight, it is a battle of light and heat, blue flame tangling with orange. The stands are barren, devoid of the usual jeering and energetic crowd that would come to witness such an event. Their flames lick the edges of the seats, catch the rooftops ablaze. It does not matter to Grace - all she cares about is her sister before her, the scar on her face a reminder of how far she'd fallen, how worthless she'd turned out to be. Grace deflects a blast of orange flame and bares her teeth at Catherine, a sickly sharp grin. This was no agni kai for precious little Kitty Cat's honor, a lesson for her to learn - no. Only one of them was leaving here alive, and Grace knows it will be her.

Catherine's next blow takes her by surprise, a whip of flame that knocks her off her feet. She's gotten stronger since she's been away, become a force with fire that almost matches Grace. "No lightning today?" Her sister taunts as Grace drags herself up from the ground, and something cracks within her. The static charge builds as she rises, sparks playing along the length of her arms. This is where Grace stands supreme, leagues above her sister in ways she could not even imagine. The force of the lightning rips through her, sending her already manic pulse skyrocketing, as she takes in Catia's form, her stance as she readies herself against Grace's renewed onslaught. "Afraid I'll redirect it?" Catherine taunts again, unwavering, and Grace can see she no longer fears her, no longer sees the dominion she holds over her. She thinks she knows what Grace will do, knows her tricks and her vices after a lifetime of battling them - but she has underestimated her once again, here, when it counts the most.

The world stills as Grace breathes. Her vision, dominated by her sister, widens just a fraction, taking in Everett's nervous form behind Catia. He stands like a sentinel, the only witness to this battle of titans, the last puzzle piece in this ramshackle life her sister has cobbled together from the scraps given to her by their father. She sees the fear on his face and knows, in an instant, that it is not of her but rather for Catia's safety. Another smile stretches over her face, angry and cruel.

Grace has seen how Everett cares for people - for the Avatar, for the rest of his traveling band of misfits - but especially for her sister. It strikes something within her, his blind faith that Catia has been redeemed, wiped clean of her sins against him. He is weak for believing it, for believing in goodness even when there is none, just as her sister is. They have not known the path of righteousness that she treads, the unwavering faith in her actions that she holds. They act as though it is Grace who has transgressed, but have they not both acted against their nature, blinded by their so-called morality? It is Grace who has never wavered from her path, who has come, at last, to the apex of her destiny.

Grace channels all the rage she has left and sends it hurtling forward, pure deadly energy, aimed right at Everett's heart.

She sees the instant he realizes, sees the fear in his eyes change, and satisfaction pools low in her gut. They may have underestimated her, but she has read them perfectly - Catia leaps, taking the bolt straight to her chest, and the satisfaction grows, washing over Grace in a sickly wave. "Oh Catia," she sighs, voice laden with sarcasm, "You always were so predictable." She sends a bolt of lightning in Everett's direction as he tries to rush to Catherine's side, blocking his approach. The energy crackles around her as she looks down at her sister, manic smile carved across her face, all teeth and sharp edges.

"Kitty Cat, you don't look so good," she mocks, taking in the crumpled heap of Catherine's body, the small shocks that send her muscles twitching against her will. Before her, Everett looks murderous, and it is all too easy to dodge the wall of water he sends her way. She comes down behind him, lashing out with flames that chase him as he skates away from her. He does not have far to run, boxed in by the faintly burning stadium, pillars to hide behind no deterrent to Grace's determined flames. She stalks him like a cat toying with a mouse, dizzy with power, with the knowledge that she has just killed her sister, with victory sharp like iron on her tongue.

It is easy to corner him, to drive him back against the far edge of the field. "Everett," she coos, sending another blast of fire his way. "Tired already?" The torches flickering around cast ghastly shadows across her face, highlight the wild tangle of her hair as it cascades down her back. It had slipped from its loose bun at some point during the fight and Grace pushes it roughly over her shoulder as she strides forward. Everett says nothing, mouth set in a hard line, and Grace smiles further, feels the muscles in her cheeks pull tight as it splits her face. He whips several strands of water at her, a last ditch effort as he's cornered that Grace ducks into an easy roll to avoid. She comes up, power surging, drawing the crackling energy once more from her heart. She lunges, arm outstretched, fingers pointed at his head - and freezes.

The weight and chill of the ice hit her at once and she panics, unable to move. The lightning fizzles on her fingertips, a shockwave of energy radiating back down her arm to her core. The suddenness of it makes her gasp, an aborted motion as it is then that she realizes she cannot breathe. Everett's slow exhale before her, the way he moves fluidly through the ice turned liquid, only heightens the rapid thumping of her heart, the desperate realization that he has manufactured a space where she is utterly and completely powerless.

No, she tries to scream, as Everett takes hold of her arms, as she feels chains bite into her wrists. She tries to struggle, to pull away, but the ice has her pinned. Panic rises in her like bile as her lungs scream for air, burning as Everett forces her to her knees and pulls the chains tight. She feels as though she is about to burst, flames tearing through her as the ice falls away and Everett lands hard on his knees beside her, breath coming heavy. She breathes flame in a ragged arc, pulling hard against her restraints, undignified tears leaking from her eyes. She pulls hard as Everett rushes to Catia's side, feels her shoulder pop from its socket. The plain blinds her more than her tears and she screams - in pain, in grief, in anger at the mercy she has been shown that she does not deserve.

She screams until her throat is raw, burning from her bright blue flame. She screams until they are forced to subdue her like a rabid animal, muzzled and bound. She screams even then, as her vision blacks out - screams for all that she should have been and never will be. She screams for herself, lost now, irrevocably.

[historytaker]

He knew he was dying. He gave us a farewell as only he could – manic, sardonic, tip-toeing on the periphery of the numinous.  Yet, David Bowie bowed out with Lazarus. It was, as only these 4 short years later, a powerfully humbling take on a life taking account of itself.

           I resented that he died. “The gall,” I’d half mutter with exhaustion to myself. “To go off and die when the world needed his thoughts the most.” The starman took off, nonetheless and the world did continue—a little less. But for my money, anybody who had a bit of Bush-era angst and a penchant for subversive scream matches with music knew they still had Chris Cornell to turn to. And that was very much me.

           In fact, the love affair I cultivated with the Audioslave front-man began in earnest when I was a moody teenager on the back of beyond Missouri. What did I even begin to know of the deep, deep text Cornell was singing about? Not much. But everything struck a chord. I loved his voice. He carried the whine of a trained vocalist recovering from too many cigarettes and nights prolonging themselves from the pull of hard liquor. He managed to be at the top of his craft despite the negligent behavior. I loved the wind tossed black locks of hair and how they fell so defiantly to either side of his temples. Men in those days still very much catered to a tighter look. Not Chris. He defied and made it look sexy. I enjoyed seeing his pouty lips crested by the careless growth of chin strap beard. His eyes bore through any picture of him I ever saw. I suppose buried beneath the incredible vocals, fallen-angel looks and guitar riffs were years of layered pain. But artist carry pain for a living. He simply did something with it.  The very first moment I heard Chris Cornell, he was singing that mystical song constructed with the discarded boards of symbolism, “Like A Stone.”

           As so often is the case with love at first octave—I had to hear more. Fortunately for me, at 14, I had boon companions that were persuaded in the aesthetic of Audioslave like me. My best friend certainly appreciated the first Audioslave album. In fact, our high school years could be characterized by a joint disdain in George W. Bush being president, rural life cultural indifference, and Cornell’s work to anthem us between milestones. Among our group, I was the first to get a job. And who was there to give the newest take on managing school life, puberty, and work? Chris of course. “Be Yourself,”  or “Yesterday to Tomorrow,” “Doesn’t Remind Me,” were all standout songs in the band’s newest album  Out of Exile. Many of the songs on that album could just as easily have described our murky take on this time. And no good high school experience could be complete without long drives at night—preferably a Friday—jamming to the plethora of songs in the cd holder. True to form, there was Chris Cornell telling us what he knew about grief.  Naturally we would slide back and forth between the newest album and the older original. In fact, by the close of sophomore year, I recall distinctly the stuffy humid Missouri early summer working as a veil. Outside, filled with the determination of conquering our minor life major goals, “I Am the Highway” playing low in the background while our group discussed the lovelorn musings of feminine mysteries. None of which mattered to me, I was with the guys I liked. But it mattered to them, so I suppose it mattered to me on second thought.

           2005 produced a lot to be upset and genuinely angry about though. The war on terror was only reported as an aimless mission between ill-defined moving targets. As far as my young self was concerned, Bush – who should not have won—did win and proceeded with the war effort. More Americans were dying and being sent to overwhelm the region. I was inching closer to 18 and not at all ready to be a part of that mess. I saw what cultural conservatism did when it married itself to neo-conservatism—nothing worth being an advocate for. As a closeted gay youth, it was nationwide rejection and state constitutional amendments confirming the position.  Worse still, hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans. For the first time in my life, I saw what racism and failure looked like in one catastrophic moment.  Once again – as so many times before in high school, Chris Cornell was there to put that anger, anxiety, disappointment, righteous indignation to words. “Wide Awake,” called out the failings of the Bush administration. He called out in no uncertain terms just what was going on, and nobody was blind to the motivations of our president.  The album featuring this song, Revelations, was that last time the band would produce anything together. The timing was almost fortuitous because within because our time in high school was nearly finished. But first….

           Chris Cornell returned to a solo career for a while. His celebrity has risen dramatically in the years since being part of Audioslave. In many ways, he was taken more seriously as an artist since his early days in the grunge scene with Soundgarden in the early 90’s. For me, 2007 might as well ought to have been the apogee of his prominence in my heart and life. I was staring at a senior year that was about to begin in the quick few months that separated it from May. Cornell released Carry On that month. His songs were less invective and were touching on something more ephemeral – fleeting love. In love with my best friend, closeted, yet joined by a shared enthusiasm for life and this incredible artist; it had a poetic way of playing itself out.  

           Throughout that senior year, with Chris Cornell’s newest album and everyone of his Audioslave cd’s, we enjoyed his music in abundance. From lung-filled burst of matching pitches, attempting to mirror Cornell, to inventive recreations of his songs in our mundane daily observations, my friend and I enjoyed his music obsessively. With that year came the definitive conclusion—a farewell—to the structured preparedness of oblivious youthful musings; and in that sense, enjoying music superficially. Over that summer, my friend burned a cd that was of Chris Cornell’s first attempt at a solo career—Euphoria Morning. The power, pain, and pros he employed in that cd was much of the same that I would later associate Chris Cornell with. This genre of fusions between genres pulling from rock and blues was astounding. He laments that at 24 that he knows he has everything to live for but this love was not meant to be. It just as well may have been a song aimed at me in my comeuppance. My freshman year in college was an important one. I came out. Additionally, by the end of it, I had finally fallen in love in a way I could accept. But I also drifted from my high school friends. Cornell’s music just could not hit the same—not then, without my best friend to explore its meaning with.

           As it were, I grew beyond his music or my fervor for it anyhow. I never tuned him out. In fact, I did enjoy anything he lent his talents to. But the music just could not hit the same with the estrangement from friends, and the budding introduction to successful attempts at failed love.  In many ways then, my observation and enjoyment of Chris Cornell’s work was largely passive—never fully immersing myself so completely as I did as a zealous teenager. Nevertheless, I recall distinctly the feeling in my gut—being bereft of words and filled with despair in hearing of Chris Cornell’s death. In many ways, all those high school days and summer nights, all those drunken nights in college sleeping with headphones on and drifting in and out of sleep with Chris playing in my ear, comparing my heart’s desires with his wise songs all collided in this ebullition before bursting in what amounted to a inhaled sob.

           I was stunned. Stunned because his death was more than a celebrity death, but also a reconciliation with life having moved on for me so much. After that introspection I then looked into what happened, and the general consensus is that Chris Cornell had been depressed for a long time. He ended his own life. And immediately all of those songs, defying himself, or his lover, were also proclamations against this pain that he carried so completely for so long. He clearly felt things deeply in a way that so many of us could never understand. Surely his joys were a high that could not be comprehended, but I imagine if Hell exists, he dwelt there many times; always climbing out from it, and often with a new message to give us.

           I could not listen to his music for months after he died. It hurt too much. I could not enjoy his gifts to the world or particular contribution to my life while knowing he was gone. Slowly, incredibly slowly, his music crept back in to my occasional listening. This would generally be my new relationship to his music; Always reminded with each passing song as it randomly played on my phone that Chris Cornell was gone.  Then, suddenly, like a grasp at the heart from somewhere beyond—I stumbled on his song “Misery Chain.” Then, years after the passing of the poor man, then I felt the gravitational pull of his heart. The pain, the truth, the baring of his soul is plainly displayed in his song. Nothing unique to him, but the missing piece was the tragedy in knowing how it all ends. Each whine, each extra effort in carrying the note—pushing himself ever forward despite the futility of the exercise, is underscored in knowing in a few short years he would commit suicide. He snubs that misery he knows so well, but we know it was never far away.

           I could not say goodbye. I was not ready. He teaches still, even now from beyond. What he gifted the world in music and honesty, I can only assess through my own life. I lament that his brilliance is bookended by infinity. But I am glad that someone who knew how to share their heart ever existed at all. Indeed he felt, and I felt with him.  I know that now.