#final presentation went well ^_^ there were some tricky questions but it’s all stuff I talked about in my thesis so it was fine

[sableeira]

I finished my degree!!! 🥳 uni stress done, enter job search stress

[ladylynse]

Chapter 5 of Forewarning [FF | AO3]

All Dipper knew was that there was something buried in some special thermos behind the shack; all Danny knew was that he had no idea how he’d gotten here.

Inspired by this artwork by @hashtag-art

(beginning | previous)

-|-

“Look, kid,” Stan said after taking a quick peek at his watch, “I need to get going, and you shouldn’t be working on any of this by yourself.” He nodded at the portal. Truth was, he didn’t want Danny touching it at all when he wasn’t around. “Safer for both of us if you keep your expertise on these things for when I’m around to hear what you’re saying. That sound good?”

Fortunately for Stan, the kid nodded. His next repetition of that proposal might’ve been a lot less careful and a lot more, well, direct. Not his usual method, not punching, not now that he knew at least part of this kid was human and still very much a kid and that the part that wasn’t could go right through his punches, but he’d learned enough from the kid to know the sort of thing that would work. Quite aside from the fact that Stan knew exactly how dangerous some of this stuff could be, he wasn’t going to risk thirty years of work being for nothing if something got changed when he wasn’t around to see it happen.

Of course, that was why he had to say this next part. And he couldn’t even be very subtle at it, since he was pretty sure subtle would go over the kid’s head. “I wanna protect my family,” he said. “That includes everyone you’ve met up there, and that includes protecting them from all of this.”

Dammit, the kid was pulling a face. “I’m not sure if you can.” His words were slow. Deliberate. “From what I can tell, when you finally get to the point where you turn this on…. It’s going to be obvious.”

Stan snorted. “Not more obvious than any of the other things that go on around here.” He might not like where things had been headed, but he could make this particular turn of the conversation work to his advantage if he picked the right words, and he was very good at doing that. Experience could be an effective teacher. “It’s not a coincidence you got the reaction you did. This place is called the Mystery Shack for a reason.”

“This place is tourist trap.”

“Not all of it. And every single person up there knows it.” Stan jabbed his thumb towards the ceiling. “You do, too.” Judging both by what he’d said and the way he was acting. Stan was not foolish enough to think that Danny was comfortable right now. “That book you mentioned earlier? Yeah, it might need updating, but you already know not all the info in it is wrong.” He saw Danny frown and kept going, adding on what he’d wanted to say in the first place. “Tell you what. You want to make sure the book the kids are looking at is accurate when it comes to you not planning on destroying all of us where we stand? Grab it and stash it down here. We can update it tonight.”

The kid rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know if stealing it is the best way to go.”

It was the best way for Stan, but all he really needed out of it were the missing pages of blueprints. The rest of the info in there might be useful, but it wasn’t immediately important. There was more than one way for him to get a look at those pages. “Then ask for it.” All he needed was for Dipper to pull that book out in his sight so he could ask to see it, even if he pretended it wasn’t important, or at least not nearly as important as it was….

“I don’t…. You were listening when I said they threatened to exorcise me, right? They probably already would’ve if they hadn’t been too busy asking me questions. They’re never going to hand that over to me when they don’t trust me.”

Oh, oh, that was getting dangerously close to so why don’t you just ask for it? territory, and Stan didn’t want to go there. “You give them much reason to trust you?”

Silence.

That’s what he’d thought.

“I’m keeping this a secret to protect all of them,” Stan said with a nod towards the portal. “You know how dangerous this is if they accidentally mess something up, and I’m not about to present them with Pandora’s Box.” There was enough truth in that to be believable; he could see the rueful agreement on Danny’s face. “You’re trying to protect yourself with your secrets, but that’s just putting you in danger. Wasn’t that why you came clean with me?”

It wasn’t the whole reason. Stan knew that. But it was part of the reason. It was reason enough.

Danny sighed. “Yeah, okay. You’re right. I’ll try to explain. I wouldn’t mind the backup, though. They act first and ask questions later.”

“Survival instinct. You don’t have to live here long to get it.”

“Gathering that,” the kid muttered, his eyes flicking over the hidden lab once more. Then, louder, “Fine. I’ll talk to them. But you’ll at least save me before they do anything drastic if it goes sideways, right?”

And back to the tricky part. He suspected that one of the reasons Dipper had never told him about the journal was that he made a big show about not believing in any of this. An effective show. “Just be yourself. No more tricks. Don’t know who you’re used to fooling, but we’re made of more skeptical stock out here.”

It wasn’t a promise, and narrowed eyes told him that had been noticed. After a heartbeat, though, the kid’s shoulders relaxed, and his suspicion drained away. “That’s one of the ways you’re trying to protect them, isn’t it? By not admitting how much you know.”

He hadn’t expected Danny to hit that particular nail on the head, at least not so quickly, but Stan grunted in affirmation anyway. The kid hadn’t argued, which meant he’d seen the point of it, even if he hadn’t realized the breadth of Stan’s motives behind that choice.

“I get that,” he whispered. “I’m doing something similar. Sometimes the…. Sometimes the truth hurts, y’know? And it’s just easier to live the lie. Safer. For everyone.”

Practice was the only thing that kept the surprise off his face. For all of Danny’s rambling earlier, he’d neatly avoided alluding to that before.

“It isn’t always.” Stan was painfully aware of that. Sixer had realized it, too, before…before…. “Your situation isn’t the same as mine. Just because you think secrecy is the right choice for everyone else and not just you, doesn’t mean it is, and you shouldn’t assume as much simply because it’s more convenient for you.” Rich words, maybe, coming from him, but the kid had no idea of how much of his life was a lie.

He had no idea it went far beyond a secret lab, a reverse engineered portal, and a determination to fix his mistakes.

“Maybe.” It was clear that Danny didn’t want to talk about it. That suited Stan just fine. He didn’t want to keep talking about this, either. “I need to get home before I get to worry about that, though.”

Stan wouldn’t mind having words with the being that had put Danny in this situation, and not just because he suspected it might give him some insight about his brother if said being happened to be in a talkative mood. The ghost—if the thing really was a ghost like Danny claimed and the kid wasn’t wrong about that—sounded like he could use a knuckle sandwich to go with said words, and Stan wouldn’t have a problem serving that up.

“Then I’ll see you back here tonight.”

“No. I…. I’ll see you before that. Because you’re right. I need to explain myself. You might not be the only one I’m supposed to help.”

Stan wasn’t entirely convinced the kid was really supposed to help anyone. Manipulative beings came in all sorts, and they were usually smart enough to have agendas that either aligned with what you seemed to need to do anyway or were just plain impossible to realize until it was too late to turn back. Saying that wouldn’t help the kid, though, so Stan just nodded. “You head up first. I’ll catch up.”

-|-

Dipper had decided to chop some wood, thinking—among other things—that Wendy might see what he’d accomplished and tell him he’d done a good job of it.

The problem was, even he knew he wasn’t doing a good job, and there was very little chance of him turning it into a good job by the time she saw it.

So far, he’d accumulated a small pile of interesting wedges on the ground and what felt like the beginning of three blisters, two on his right hand and one on the left. He was sore and hot and sweaty, despite ditching his vest and using it to cover up the journal. He was getting better, though. Marginally. Maybe.

Dipper took a deep breath, judged the angle, and then swung. The axe hit true, biting into the dead centre of the block of wood he was trying to split with a satisfying thunk. And then it stuck there.

What should have been a great feat had come to failure in time to be witnessed by his sister.

“Just hit the ground like you’re playing whack-a-mole,” Mabel suggested as she dumped a handful of sticks into the box of kindling that would eventually make its way over to the fire pit. “That’s gotta be easier than yanking it out.”

“Safer, too, probably,” Dipper agreed, but Mabel was standing there and watching him now, and it wasn’t working fast enough. At least, two more solid whacks hadn’t split it. He tried to swing harder and managed to catch the edge of the wood block on the ground, tilting it but not loosening it entirely—nor, notably, splitting the wood in half.

“I could try,” offered Mabel, but Dipper shook his head.

“I can do this.”

“We might not need it, anyway. Soos split some earlier.”

“It’s always good to have extra.”

“Suit yourself, bro-bro.”

Dipper assumed Mabel would head back out to gather more deadwood, but she just stood there and picked stray bits of bark out of her sweater. He gave up trying to split the wood block—or straighten it out on the axe; he wasn’t picky at the moment—and instead let his aching arms rest. “What’s bothering you? The phantom, or whatever he really is?” It was safe enough for them to talk; Grunkle Stan and Wendy had gone into town, and Soos was touching up the window frames with a fresh coat of paint. Not that Dipper wouldn’t have had this conversation right now if Soos were in earshot, since he trusted Soos, but if Phantom did decide to pull some tricks, it wasn’t smart to give him leverage.

In Dipper’s limited experience of ghosts, they were happy to use things and people you cared about against you.

Not finding more bits of bark in her sweater, Mabel began tracing circles on the ground with her the toe of her shoe. “I know you’re worried about this,” she said slowly, “and what it said in the journal—”

“I don’t even know everything the journal says. That’s what worries me.”

“But I don’t think Phantom is that bad. I mean, he hasn’t attacked us, even when we split up.” They hadn’t split up far, true—she’d stuck close, well within screaming distance and maybe even his sprinting distance, after their summer so far—but Dipper had thought that might coax Phantom out into the open again. It hadn’t, but Phantom not falling for it didn’t mean Mabel was right.

“He’s not like Mermando. It’s not just a stroke of bad luck that he’s here. He was trapped in that thermos. It can’t have been because he’s nice.”

Mabel stuck out her tongue at him. “Then why’d you open it?”

“Because I didn’t think ‘something stuck in some special thermos’ meant ‘secret containment of something that can kill you more easily than everything else in this journal and is freakily good at pretending to be human.’ I thought it was going to be a note!”

“You mean you thought it was going to tell you who the author was.”

Dipper sighed and sat down, shifting as a wood chip dug into his leg. “I thought it might be a clue to his identity,” he admitted, “or hints about the other journals. We don’t know anything about them.”

Mabel dropped down beside him and started pulling out blades of grass. “What if Phantom is right and we—you—need to forget about the author? Before we get in over our heads?”

“You know I can’t just forget about this. It’s…. There’s so much here. I can’t just walk away and pretend I didn’t see any of it. I just…. I can’t.”

Mabel nodded as if she hadn’t expected him to say anything else. “I think Danny—Phantom—whoever—came back earlier.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” He scrambled to his feet and glanced at the shack, which looked exactly as it had the last time he’d looked at it. The runes must be holding up. “How long ago?”

“When Wendy sent us outside. And I didn’t tell you because we’d already drawn all that warding stuff. And because I don’t think he’s as bad as you think he is.”

“You can’t risk everything just because you think he’s cute!”

“I’m not! If he wanted to hurt us, he could have. You know that. I think he’s looking for something. If we help him, he’ll be able to go home and everything will be fine.” She tossed bits of shredded grass aside. “Sit down. Please?” Dipper sighed and sat down, so she continued, “You know not everything in the book is dangerous. And you don’t know that he’s dangerous; you’re just assuming that because you don’t know what the book really says.”

“His section is in a special code. What am I supposed to think?”

“The section about him. Not the section telling you how to find him.”

Dipper stared at her for a few heartbeats. “You really don’t think the author wrote that part, do you?”

“Is the handwriting the same?”

“It’s similar enough. The code is more symbols than letters, anyway.”

“Maybe it’s a message for Phantom then, not whoever finds him.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“He knows time travel is real, and he knows someone around here has done it. That’s not something people randomly guess.”

It didn’t mean he was innocent, either, but Mabel had already made up her mind. It was like she’d forgotten the last time someone supposedly completely innocent and pretending to be human had turned up in their lives, which had already happened more times than Dipper would have thought possible before this summer. Sure, there was a chance she was right, but if Phantom didn’t have some nefarious plan, why masquerade as a human? Had he honestly thought they wouldn’t see through it?

“Okay,” Dipper said slowly. “Let’s assume our warding in working. If he still came back and hasn’t shown himself to us, then he’s looking for something, and he thinks it’s hidden inside.”

“And he doesn’t think we have it or he would’ve been more subtle.” Mabel wrinkled her nose. “He was knocking on walls and the floor and stuff, like he thought something would be hollowed out.”

“He thinks Grunkle Stan is storing something under the floorboards?” No, that couldn’t be right. Grunkle Stan wouldn’t have stashed anything useful for a ghost. “He thinks the author did? Maybe he does know about the journals and just didn’t want to tell us. Maybe he thinks the first one is hidden inside!”

“Or maybe I was wrong and he does think we have it and he’s trying to scare us into moving it.”

“You don’t think he’d try torturing us or something like a normal phantom of pain?”

Mabel shrugged. “He really doesn’t act like the other ghosts.”

No, he didn’t, which didn’t sit well with Dipper. Did he claim to be a phantom to throw them off the scent? It couldn’t be to try to intimidate them—from what Dipper had seen, he could’ve impersonated a category ten if that were the case—so maybe it was meant to mislead them, to keep them too preoccupied to realize the truth.

It was working.

Dipper huffed. “I know you want to trust him. Fine. I can’t, not until I get some answers.”

“Then let’s get some answers.”

“Summoning him again won’t exactly make him want to tell us anything,” Dipper said with a grimace.

“Talking to him might,” Mabel said, her gaze fixing on something over his shoulder.

Dipper swallowed and turned. It was Phantom all right, back as Danny Fenton. He was coming from the right direction, walking in from the path that led towards town, but Mabel wouldn’t have been wrong about earlier, which meant he was deliberately trying to be sneaky. Great. At least he wasn’t that good at it, judging by his attempts to play off Fenton as just a friend earlier.

“You see if you can get the axe free,” Dipper muttered, picking up a stick that was meant to be kindling for later. “I’m going to see how far I can get on a protective circle before he gets here.”

-|-

Soos stepped back and eyed his handiwork. It wasn’t his best. It wasn’t as good as he’d like. The salt had made the paint clumpier than he was used to, but Wendy had been right about it being a good starting point. If they weren’t sure exactly what they were dealing with but it seemed ghost-like, salting the thresholds without being too obvious about it was a good start.

He’d spent the last twenty minutes going over the door and window frames. He should probably find an excuse to go on the roof and do something around the chimney, though not with the paint colour he had. That would be too obvious on the shingles, and not drawing attention to what he was doing was preferable.

He still thought the kids should know right now, but Wendy had a point. Dipper wouldn’t be able to resist getting involved, and he’d think it was his job to save them all. If they could get a few preventative measures in place before the kids knew all the details—and, preferably, if he and Wendy could get a better idea of what those details were first—then maybe there wouldn’t be any more saving left to do.

Just because Wendy didn’t trust this not-quite-a-ghost, didn’t meant it was actually out to get them. Soos liked being an optimist. You needed to be, sometimes, to get through what life tossed at you. It could hurt—he wouldn’t deny that—but he figured it was better to hope than to just give in to doom and gloom and despair.

Ghost stories after marshmallows, Wendy had said. Marshmallows wouldn’t be the only thing she was getting in town, but Soos wasn’t sure how they were supposed to fight an unknown entity. If they didn’t know what it was, there were only so many general things they could try before they ran out of ways to stop it. They had enough things around here already if something needed to be set on fire, but if it required something weirdly specific, like holy oil? That wasn’t something you could just pick up from the grocery store.

All right, so maybe that’s another reason Soos wanted to tell the kids sooner rather than later. Even if Stan didn’t believe in all this, they did, and Dipper’s book clearly had some information in it. They’d be more than willing to sell this whole thing as a gimmick to their grunkle, too. Well. They might try to convince him it was all real first. Then they’d settle for selling it as a gimmick.

Another coat of lumpy salt paint wasn’t going to improve matters right now, so Soos scraped the remaining paint into a can he could seal and store for later and set about washing out the bucket and brush. He could grab his hammer and nail down a few loose shingles on the roof. That would give him a good reason to be up there. Maybe he could mix some salt with glue and then hammer down some shingles on top of that. It might last a little longer. It might last long enough, which was all that really mattered right now.

Soos was swapping supplies in the toolshed when he heard the crunch of gravel underfoot. No roar of an engine or whine of the golf cart, but the kids had been out in the other direction when he’d left them. He stuck his head outside, waving at a teen who had stopped awkwardly in the driveway at his appearance. With Stan out, he was filling in for Mr. Mystery, so he put the tools back down on the bench and stepped out to give the kid a proper greeting.

Customer from town, probably, though it was odd that he’d come this late, so close to closing.

And alone.

“Welcome to the Mystery Shack!” Soos started, but the boy stepped back and held up both hands.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, “but I’m, uh, not here for the tour. I had it earlier this afternoon.”

Funny. Soos had been working outside most of the afternoon because it had been slow. He didn’t remember seeing this kid. He didn’t remember any customers since that one car had come in this morning, to be honest, and that couple had only had a disgruntled daughter with them.

“Um. I was actually hoping to talk to Dipper and Mabel? If they’re around?”

Dipper and Mabel hadn’t mentioned anything, but it’s not like Soos had quizzed them as they’d skipped by to start gathering wood.

Still.

This boy was a tourist. Coming from town. Without parents. Soos didn’t know too many teens who would make that walk; even most of the locals preferred to drive it, since people tended to consider it just this side of too long to be comfortable, and none of them would have to worry about getting lost.

“They might be about,” Soos said carefully, but the boy was already looking around, and it wouldn’t be long before— Yes. He’d spotted them. Raised his hand in a wave. No welcoming shouts back, so not someone the twins considered a good friend, not yet, but no clear signs of confusion, either, at least not as far as Soos could tell. The boy mumbled some excuse to Soos and jogged around him, and Soos let him go.

The hair on the back of his neck was still standing, though.

Keeping one ear pointed towards the kids, just in case, Soos kept his head down and started to walk the driveway. They’d gotten a load of gravel in recently, and he’d spent an evening raking it down just the other day. It hadn’t had much traffic on it yet, just the occasional car—including Stan’s—and the golf cart. No rain since it had been dumped, either. Far more of it was loose than ground into the road, which made it an easy enough thing to follow the boy’s footprints.

Right up to the point where the trail stopped.

In the middle of the loose gravel.

No skidding to indicate that the boy had jumped from the side of the road, and no path worn enough in the road yet to hide his tracks. It was as if he’d just dropped down out of the sky and started walking in. Soos turned to look back towards the Mystery Shack, frowning. The sight lines would’ve been fine when there were fewer leaves on the trees, but as it was, the road jogged just enough for the foliage to obscure this part, and Soos didn’t need to look in the other direction to know how the road curved.

As far as Soos knew, a ghost wouldn’t have left any tracks like this, but Wendy had said this whatever-it-was wasn’t a ghost.

Wendy had also wanted to keep the kids out of it, but from what Soos had just seen, the kids were already up to their necks in it. The boy had known their names, and they must have known him, even if they hadn’t yet realized what he was.

So much for a boring summer holiday. Those two didn’t joke about being the Mystery Twins for nothing. Despite Wendy’s best efforts, they were getting sucked into every black hole of a mystery that existed in Gravity Falls.

Well, if that’s the way it was, then the least Soos could do was see if they needed anything.

(see more fics | next)

[stayforya]

SPRING DAY | MIN YOONGI

member: min yoongi

genre: soulmate!au

words: 7.9k

summary: from the moment you said hello to the moment you teared apart, from winter to spring – you never stopped thinking about each other, not even a day.

a/n: every time I listen to spring day, I can imagine many scenarios and this is one of them. long time friends/lovers who keep meeting again because life doesn't seem to want them apart.

spring, 5 years ago

spring is one of the most beautiful seasons. after a long, cold and monochromatic winter, the flowers start to bloom, the trees become green again and the fresh air and bright sun breathes life into people’s faces. you were going through a good moment – finally started college, met new people, got into a whole new world. even though you weren’t very good at starting things over, the challenging feeling would always be worth it in the end and you were quite excited about the unknown this time. the idea of ​​how unexpected life is and how the little moments of today can become decisive in the future has given you a sense of "destined to be". the random person you partnered with for an assignment in the first few weeks of school was now your best partner, for instance. 

later that day, you finished everything you had to do. in the front courtyard of the university, the cherry blossoms were blooming and some petals even fell due to the strong wind that blew every now and then. it was a romantic setting, some couples were walking and hugging, some people (like you) were watching or reading books under the trees, and a few others seemed to be living a decisive moment on a beautiful day. a day like that didn't go well with breakups, but the couple sitting on the bench a few meters from where you were seemed to be going through a difficult time.

“just tell me right away. you’re letting me go because you found a better one, isn’t it?”, his voice was stable and calm, as if he wasn't sad. but his face showed something else, he barely looked at the woman beside him.

“where would I find someone better than you? listen, what I’m saying is that we are both going through a hard time”, she explained, gesturing a lot.

“we are not going through a hard time in this relationship. our issues come from college, job, these kind of stuff. but between us, isn’t it all fine?”

she remained silent, no longer looking at him but at her own hands on her legs. you felt weird for listening to that conversation while keeping your head hidden behind the book you were reading.

“my family and I have other plans for me now. I’m going abroad”, the woman said. that made the guy immediately look at her, probably looking for answers in her face, but all he could find were more questions.

“so why are you creating excuses? why didn’t you say it right away?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you! and I am hurting too”, she was actively defending herself as if she was being wrongly accused.

“are you? are you really? I am almost graduating and I have no steady job, but I would move heavens and earth to find anything that would make you feel safer with me. I was ready to give you whatever you needed.”

his words were so sincere she started to cry. you could see the tears falling down from her big eyes and his hands reaching hers. she didn’t let him touch her hand because she reached out for a hug, holding him closer not to keep him, but to say goodbye. you didn’t know if he still had hope, if he was still waiting for her to change her mind and stay with him.

“you can’t give me what I need, yoongi. I’m sorry”, she said looking into his small and sad eyes that didn’t shed a tear.

“will you come back?”, he asked.

she shook her head in denial, “I still don’t know. don’t wait for me, though, you’ll find someone better.”

he didn’t say anything else while she stood up and left. he also didn’t look her way again, maybe because it would make the moment even harder. by the way his face seemed unbothered, you knew he was the type that hurts inside. the type that wanted her to stay, even though he didn’t ask for it directly. you spent the rest of the day thinking about this couple, the reasons that made her go away. as a believer, you know everything happens for a reason and you were dying to know how that love story would lead to the other chapters of that couple’s life. it was just your common habit, to imagine what fate had prepared for people, how moments interconnected and how paths could cross again. you always think about it, always about others, never about you. 

didn't fate have something ready for you too?

winter, 5 years ago

rainy days were great... when you were home. to go out in the pouring rain could be very annoying, considering what the wet weather makes to your hair and how tricky it is to run under the rain. as if you didn't know that, you still left home late. you had this very important presentation about modern art at the fine art department, which was open to the public. thankfully, there would be many other presentations happening at the same time as yours and the rain could make people give up going. the auditorium was reasonably full when you arrived. there were fifteen minutes to go and your professor was already looking at her watch impatiently when she saw you walk through the doors.

“I thought you wouldn’t come!”

“I’m sorry, ms. lee. the rain didn’t help at all”, you sighed, putting your bag on the table. “is everything ready?”

“yes, we still have some time. here”, she handed you a bottle of water. she was a great professor. that presentation wasn't the easiest thing you had done in life (in fact, it was very challenging), but she believed you when she chose you after a classroom presentation. and when someone believes in you, you must also believe in yourself. 

during the remaining fifteen minutes, more people arrived and you went up the stairs to the auditorium stage. your heart was beating so hard that you could only hear the blood pumping. talking about modern art is a pleasure to you. from the historical to the visual – when the pictures appeared on the big screen behind you –, it was like immersing yourself in the painters' minds. all you wanted to do was to transmit some passion on to those who were watching the presentation, because that is exactly what you feel when you are studying the fascinating world of art.

and so you did. you didn’t have more than thirty minutes to say everything you wanted to say, but it went just like you rehearsed a hundred times at home. it was fascinating to see some unknown faces enjoying the historical and visual travel you tried to communicate through the images stamped on the big screen. after you, someone else would present too for the next thirty minutes, so you sat down to watch and breath again, feeling as if a heavy weight was taken off your back.

“what is the next presentation about?”, you whispered to your colleague. 

“it’s about the relationship between music and art”, he gave you the flyer of the event. you found your photo there, along with all the people who would be presenting that week, schedules and themes. you were too focused on that flyer, but when classical music reached your ears, your attention went directly to the stage.

the man on the stage was wearing all black clothes. the turtleneck shirt, the coat on top of it and the glasses made him look like a professor, but you knew that everyone who was presenting was still a student. he spoke smoothly, which perfectly matched what he was talking about and made the entire auditorium pay attention not to miss a word. somehow that spell was hitting you too. you had studied a lot what you needed to say, but the way he spoke seemed like he had already been born knowing everything. it was a relief that he took the stage after you and not before.

after all, everyone got up and started to leave the auditorium. the organizing team, however, remained there and so did you. the turtleneck guy (you decided to call him like that) was there, still talking to two people who went to ask him questions after the presentation. you were also finishing a brief conversation with a girl very interested in modern art.

ms. lee called you and you immediately answered. she wanted to thank everyone for the hard work, as she always did. you saw the turtleneck guy approaching the group too.

“it was great, everyone! we shall do it again”, the whole group smiled. “of course I need to thank the team from music department, thank you for joining us and bringing so much content to today’s meeting. mr. min, your professor must be very proud of you.”

it seemed like everyone knew who mr. min was, you were the last one to find out by looking at the same direction as ms. lee. the turtleneck guy was mr. min and it sounded even more sophisticated.

“thank you, ms. lee”, he formally thanked while a shy smile appeared on his lips. you wondered if you were overanalysing him, since you couldn’t lose any opportunity of looking at him, mainly because his face was somehow familiar. 

you didn’t know you’d do what you did next until you already had done. when everyone started to leave the auditorium, you followed mr. min-turtleneck for some reason.

“congratulations on your presentation”, he looked back to find out who was the owner of the voice. it was okay to say that, right? you and him were the ones who presented something, so it was perfectly okay to congratulate him.

“oh, thank you. congratulations on yours, too”, it was kind of... nonchalant. or maybe you were expecting more, even though he didn't say more than this to anyone else during the last minutes. 

he kept walking and you stood in the hall, wondering if you should walk into another auditorium to attend a lecture or just go home. the rain hadn’t ceased, you could see through the big glass doors of the building, and your professor and colleagues had gone somewhere else, but you had already lost sight of them. you walked to the glass doors to watch the rain while you waited for it to stop. it wasn't like you had nothing to do, you just weren't in a hurry to get home.

your phone was ringing non-stop because of the messages, which you read and replied quickly. the ideal for that post-presentation night was to go out with your friends, eat something, have fun. however, everyone was busy or traveling, so you would have to deal with an evening alone watching netflix and eating chips (which wasn't too bad, honestly).

you felt a human presence next to you, but you were too absorbed in watching the rain to look at the person. only when you heard the sound of someone putting up an umbrella, you redirected your attention. about to step out of the building, there he was: mr. min. you swear you looked at him for only two seconds, but it was enough for him to notice and look back at you. you didn’t avoid eye contact, though, because it would be more awkward and, honestly, you didn’t know what to do when the whole hall was empty, leaving you and him alone.

“do you have an umbrella?”, he asked. the words ran out your mind for a moment.

“I don’t”, you answered. it would definitely be easier to say you did, so the conversation would be over and your mind would be at ease again, because your brain was working so hard you didn’t understand what was going on. was it because he was a very smart guy and you were scared to sound stupid?

“do you want to...”, he didn’t finish the sentence and you felt so much better to see he was feeling awkward to say that too. mr. min was pointing to his own umbrella with his head, which meant he was willing to help you get to the bus station or wherever you were going.

“it’s fine, I can wait.”

“it doesn’t seem like it will stop anytime soon...”

you looked at him for a while and shrugged, “fine”. you were proud of yourself, since you seemed calm and unconcerned by the way you responded . your brain rested a little now that the situation was under your control, but it didn't take long for you to feel tense again. he wouldn't borrow the umbrella, he would go with you under it, and the space seemed too small. “you can leave me at the bus stop”.

the whole one minute walk was silent. when you reached the bus stop, you were ready to say goodbye and thank him for the help. however, he didn’t leave, he put down the umbrella and stood there.

“it’s okay, you can go if you want to...”

he looked at you, confused, “go? where?”

you were as confused as him. “wait, will you wait for the bus too?”

“yes. why did you think I was here?”, his tone was calm, but you felt your face warming slowly as if you said something wrong. “wait, did I sound harsh?”, there was a bit of concern in his voice.

“no”, you giggled. 

“oh. I thought I made you blush because I sounded harsh.”

“huh? you didn’t- forget it”, you gave up and he smiled, not looking at you. you just stood there, waiting for the bus. it took about five minutes, but it felt like forever because you and mr. min were in complete silence. by the way, calling him ‘mr. min’ was starting to sound weird now that you saw a glimpse of his sense of humor.

when the bus arrived, he started to move and you noticed he was about to get on. he was closer to the door, so he got on first and sat on the chairs at the back. the bus was almost empty, just you, him and three people sat separately. where would you sit? would it be weird to sit far from him after getting to know him, or it would be better to sit next to him since you got to know him? it was pretty confusing and you had to think quickly. 

he was looking through the window when you sat by his side, unbothered by your presence. you were feeling stupid for sitting there and for the fact that your heart was beating faster than it should in this situation. why was that, though? maybe because of the mysterious vibe he had and how he started to show a glimpse of his personality when he joked about you blushing.

you knew breaking the silence was the only way to make it less awkward. “are you going home?”

“no, I’ll meet some friends”, he said, looking at the watch on his left arm. you never noticed watches a lot, for you they were just essencial items. but looking at his left arm, relatively close to yours, that silver watch was shining and his hands were so beautiful. you scolded yourself for paying attention to those details, after all, it would only lead you to have a crush on someone who had a high chance of never seeing you again. “you?”

“I’m heading home”, you felt his eyes indirectly looking at you. 

“you don’t seem very excited about it”, he said and you still felt his eyes on you. he was looking at your arms holding your bag, because you two were a little too close to look at each other’s faces.

“I am not, indeed. I’ll just buy food and watch a nice christmas movie”

“so, netflix and-”

“stop there, just netflix”, you interrupted him immediately because you didn't know if he would complete the sentence. he laughed after he understood what you were saying.

“I was just going to say netflix and eat”, discreetly, he raised his hands in surrender. “what are you planing to watch?”

you shrugged, “anything, from the grinch to a cliche rom-com.”

“it sounds fun, though”, he started to look at the window again.

“you don’t look like someone who watches the grinch or cliche rom-coms”, you said.

“it depends. I think everyone needs to watch movies like these once in a while.”

“and christmas time seems like the perfect time to watch them.”

“exactly”, he agreed. it didn't look like he was the serious person who was giving a lecture an hour ago, because of the way he managed to get from that to someone talking about fun movies with a stranger on the bus, and that said a lot about him. “oh, I gotta go”

the bus slowly stopped close to a busy street full of restaurants and people. he stood up and looked at you before the door opened.

“I’m yoongi, by the way”, he said.

“I’m y/n. nice to meet you”, you smiled without much excitement, a little disappointed because he was getting off the bus. 

summer, 4 years ago

it was finally summer time, the sun was bright and high in the sky. you felt it warming your skin and it felt good, because it was time to have fun. your friends called, wondering where were you. they were waiting for you at a restaurant, with some other friends of them and people you probably didn’t know yet. but to be honest, you were excited. it was summer, time to have fun and enjoy. plus, you were free for that day and the whole weekend too.

you entered through the front glass doors, thankful for the cold air conditioner that reduced the heat, because the day was really hot outdoors. your friend raised her hand, signaling where they were, and you walked to the table. there were ten people there, most of them you didn’t know but already had seen before.

you sat next to your other friend and she immediately asked if you wanted to eat something. you said yes, while she started to introduce you to everyone, but then your eyes met someone else’s. his eyebrows raised discreetly and you tilted your head to the left, trying to understand if you were really seeing what your eyes were witnessing. 

“we know each other”, he said when your friend said his name and yours, introducing both of you.

“really?”, she was surprised and glad at the same time. the way her eyes looked at yours said something, you immediately remembered: she said you and one of her friends definitely should meet, because you two would match well. was it him?

“yeah, we met before. it’s good to see you again”

“you too”, he said and then everyone started side conversations. he was sitting in front of you, which made him comfortable to talk a little bit more. “did you watch the grinch?”

“hm?”, you almost choked on what you were drinking, “you didn’t forget, right? actually I watched it and other two movies that night.”

“oh, it was a long night, then”, he took a sip of his drink.

“yep, it was”, you took a sip too.

when all of you left the restaurant, the sun was almost setting and the weather was much better. each would go their own way, some as a couple, others among friends and others alone. your two friends were accompanied by their boyfriends, but they still asked if you would like them to go home with you. you said you would be fine, you wanted to buy some stuff before going home, anyway. 

“didn’t you like him?”, one of them asked.

“who? yoongi?”

“yeah, he’s the guy I mentioned, the one that matches you well.”

you laughed, “no, forget it. but he’s nice.”

“well, you should give it a shot...”, she shrugged and smiled. yoongi said goodbye to his friends and walked up to you with his hands in his pockets. there were only you and him behind everyone else. 

“are you going to ride the bus?”

you looked at him quickly, “no, I’ll buy some stuff before.”

he nodded and didn’t say anything else, which forced you to speak again to keep the conversation going. you wanted to talk to him.

“and you?”

“I have nothing to do right now.”

“is this your way of offering to go with me?”

“excuse me?”, he looked at you and smiled. you noticed you were smiling too, because looking at his face made you smile for no reason. “if you want me to go, just ask.”

“I want you to come with me. what about it?”

“I will go with you, thanks”, he was acting so cool you laughed at his attitude.

walking around with yoongi wasn’t supposed to be that fun – at least you didn’t expect it to be. he helped you to find nice sneakers, laughing at the ones that didn’t fit your style at all. he went to the makeup store with you, giving an opinion on everything you tested (but his opinion wasn’t always valid because, when it comes to makeup, he said all of them looked good on you). 

“do you want to eat something?”, you asked, “you must be hungry.”

“nah, we have been walking for just four hours”, he exaggerated and made you laugh. you were walking just for one hour and a half, maybe.

“is that so boring to walk around with me that it feels like four hours?”, you pretended to be offended, but he hesitated for a second, as if reflecting on what he said before. “I’m just kidding”, you said.

“you really got me thinking for a second”, yoongi said and you two laughed for real. when you laugh with someone, it's like a connection is created between you. that's exactly what happened, and because of that connection, the two of you were closer, including physically. if at the beginning of the meeting you were a little far away, respecting the space, at that moment you could already feel your hand touching his when the bags you were holding hit the ones he was holding.

yoongi said he knew a nice place to stop by and eat, so you told him to take you there. it was a lovely cafe with a pleasant atmosphere, and he guided you to the second floor, where there were fewer people and more space to be at ease. he asked for the bag that was in your hand, added it to the bag that was in his and placed it near you.

“I’ve never been here, it’s nice”, you said.

“I come here mostly by myself, it's a quiet place to work. and the food here is great”, yoongi looked through the glass wall, through which you could see the street.

“and you work with music”, you guessed it from the lecture months ago.

“yes, I do”, he smiled slightly, but with satisfaction. you could tell he was looking even more cute at that moment under that light. “I like it very much, to be honest. but tell me about you too”

“what do I do? I am still studying art and now working with it. an internship”, you said.

“by the way you spoke at that lecture, I’m sure you’re doing amazing”, he said, but didn’t look directly at your face. the way yoongi was confident at some moments and shy at other ones made you smile every time.

the conversation was interrupted by the person bringing the orders. you thought you both would eat in silence, but none of you could stop talking. he asked more about you, and you answered, also asking about him. it was obvious how you two wanted to know each other in a short amount of time, as if at the end of the date you would part ways for a long time, like before.

you liked when he laughed at what you said, because it felt like winning an award. yoongi was deeply into that conversation, almost forgetting to eat the cake you two were sharing.

“if you don’t eat, I’ll do it”, you said.

“I’m full just by watching you eat”, he said and you giggled immediately, “was it too cringy?”, he laughed too.

“no, it wasn’t”, you knew your eyes said it all. you were having way too much fun.

yoongi told you stories about his work, his university years and his friends. you could say he was comfortable with you by the way he spoke easily, not holding back details. you enjoyed to listen to his intelectual side, the way he knew everything about music; but when he told you stories about his life, it was even more enjoyable. 

but he didn't just talk, because he wanted to know about you too. after only two or three questions from him, you were comfortable talking about your life and your plans. it wasn’t difficult to do that because he didn’t judge what you said or thought, he was interested. 

it is extremely difficult to put some feelings into words, but to shorten the story: the feeling was that you had found much more than a nice person, but a connection so strong that for a minute you could believe in soul mates. not soul mates who can’t live without each other, or who are incomplete on their own, or who knew each other from other lives, as people said. not like this. you felt like you connected more than through a good conversation, or physically, but in an even deeper way.

after eating and being much more closer than before, he walked to the bus stop with you. it was time to part ways and you were already missing the unexpected date you and him had. 

“let me give you my number”, he said, right away. you felt your heart skip a beat.

“here”, you handed him your phone. he called his number so your number could show up on his phone and he saved it.

“I had a great time today”, you said, not looking directly into his eyes.

“me too”, hands on the pockets. “wasn’t it unexpected? how we met today.”

“yeah, I had no idea we had mutual friends.”

“neither did I, even though my friends know a lot of people”, he smiled. “but it was a nice surprise to see you again.”

you finally looked at him. his eyes were affectionate, just like everything about him.

“then we should see each other again”, you said.

“then don’t go”, he joked, but he was also saying the truth. “you can call me, ok?”

“I’ll be waiting for your call, too”

“I’ll do it at the moment I ride the bus”, he said and you smiled. 

you got closer to him, your arms touching his. why wait? slowly, you touched his arms and placed yourself into them. you hugged him and he hugged you back, trying to hold on from not holding you closer and tighter. you felt his head touching yours. 

you and yoongi were so close that when you separated from the embrace, it was inevitable that the faces wouldn’t touch. then, without thinking too much, the two of you leaned in sync for a kiss. his gentle and warm lips touching yours, warming not only your face but your whole body. yoongi’s right hand stroked your hair and the side of your face, which made you forget everything else. he smiled when he noticed you liked the kiss. yes, you liked the kiss and you liked him. you liked to spend time with him. you could forget the bus, but it was almost arriving. your hand touched his neck and you left a last kiss on his pink small lips, noses touching.

autumn, 3 years ago

in one year together, a lot happened to you and yoongi. a lot of great things. you had dated before, but no one could ever compare to him. he was something else, he was special. he could be a very serious and focused guy when working, fun and affectionate when with you. was it possible not to love him? not to want to spend your whole life with him?

the way he holds you, kisses your cheeks with his pink lips, buries his face on your neck, caresses your hair. the way he tells you beautiful things, talks to you about his feelings, plays the piano while you’re around, watches the corniest movies with you and make fun of every cheesy line of it.

he doesn’t say he loves you all the time, because he shows it through every single thing he does for you and with you. but when he says it, he’s so sure, so intense, you could marry him right away. 

“you look tired”, he said, as tired as you after a long day of work.

“it’s because I am”, you smiled looking at him. you two were cuddling on the sofa. 

“do you want to eat?”

“no, I’m fine”, you touched his hair. “how about you?”

“as long as I’m with you I’m good”, he hid his face on your neck so his voice was barely audible.

you caressed his hands until he looked at you again, then leaning to a kiss. he loved when you kissed him first, he once said it (and never again, because he was shy to admit sometimes, but you knew it just by the way he smiled when your lips touched). he touched your arm, shoulder, neck, until his fingers were placed comfortably in your hair. he kissed you slowly and when your lips parted, still close enough, he looked at you and said “I love you”. he meant that. he always did. he meant it with his gentle touch, kisses, hugs, words, and even when he didn’t say anything but cared for you in so many ways. “please, just stay forever”, you whispered against his lips. he gave you a smooch. “between you and I, nothing will ever change”.

that moment lasted forever. it really felt eternal and you didn’t want to leave. you were in his apartment, which was almost half yours just by the amount of time you spent there. he gave you the password, said you could go there whenever you wanted, even if he wasn’t home. you did the same, gave your password to him, and that led you to a bunch of times he surprised you when you arrived home. wherever, to be you and him alone was the best thing in the world.

the bell rang and took you out of that moment. it was not eternal, after all. you hadn't ordered food, nobody was coming to visit. what could it be? you stayed there, sitting on the sofa, and yoongi got up to open the door, without even checking who was it through the screen next to the door. he didn't expect it to be who it was. he was too sure it was probably someone knocking on the wrong door, but it wasn't.

“jia?”, you couldn’t see who it was from where you were sitting, but he sounded very surprised.

“hey, long time no-”, she walked in and found you on the sofa, as confused as she was from that moment on, “oh, sorry.”

you got up quickly, as if you were a visitor and not the person who has been in that house almost every day in the last few months. “it’s okay”, you tried to smile.

“I’m jia”, she said.

“I’m y/n, nice to meet you”

yoongi was still there, but you almost forgot. he was the central figure in the story, the person who knew you and knew jia, yet he was immobilized behind her. you could see him from where you were and he was uncomfortable, you knew it.

“sorry, y/n, this is jia. and jia, this is... y/n”, he said, pausing before he said your name. you thought he would say who jia was and who you were, but he didn’t. “I didn’t expect you to come here”, he said to her. 

“I thought you were by yourself, that’s why I came over. I arrived last week, but I lost your number... anyway, I’m sorry for interrupting”, she looked at you and you could say she wasn’t expecting you there. for some reason you felt like you were the person who was interrupting, because something about the way jia and yoongi communicated had some kind of familiarity from long before you.

“yeah, hm... the boxes are in the bedroom”, yoongi extended his arm towards the bedroom door. his bedroom. jia excused herself and opened the bedroom door, once again with such intimacy that it felt like she lived there for a long time. still standing there, you thought: maybe she really lived.

yoongi breathed out through his mouth, running a hand through his hair.

“won’t you help her?”, you said. it came out of your lips before you even think properly. he finally looked at you.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting it to happen... like this.”

“was it supposed to happen, then?”, you asked, looking for your bag.

“yes, she was supposed to pick up her stuff a long time ago. I was almost sending it to charity... wait, are you going?”

you tried to look at the bedroom discreetly and saw jia there, “well, she’s right now sitting on your bed, I don’t think she’ll leave too soon.”

“hey”, he knew you were uncomfortable with the situation, “I’m sorry, it really was unexpected... jia is my ex girlfriend, as you may have noticed. we broke up a long time ago and now she’s just picking up her stuff.”

“yoongi”, jia showed up with a medium box and a backpack. yoongi, who was touching your arms, stopped instantly. you noticed, of course. “I couldn’t find my perfume anywhere”

“maybe you didn’t put it in the box or it’s just not here”, he said.

“yeah... that was a good one”, she looked at him and they were communicating through their eyes, a communication you were not part of and you would not understand. “hope you’re not keeping it, huh”, she joked and laughed.

you couldn’t see very well, but yoongi smiled for a second. what was happening there? were they just very friendly? you were there. his girlfriend. why were they acting as if you were just another friend standing there, or worse, as if you weren’t even there?

“I’ll open the door for you”, he walked her to the door and you stood there. you wanted to move, but somehow you were stuck.

“see you?”, she smiled at you.

you smiled back, “see you”, even though you didn’t really mean it. 

“oh, this is heavy...”, jia said.

“is your car downstairs?”, yoongi asked, opening the door.

“no, I took a cab here. I’ll just take the bus home now. it’s not that late, right?”

you showed up next to them, bag on your shoulder. yoongi looked at you and you felt like she was indirectly asking him to take her home. 

“I can... give you a ride, I guess”, he looked at her and then at you, wondering if you were okay with that. “it only takes ten minutes, I’ll come back”

“no problem, I’m also going home”, you said.

“won’t you wait? I thought you’d-”

“stay?”, you completed the sentence, “next time. bye”

you walked out. when you reached the sidewalk, you felt weaker and hated yourself for that. it was as if the feelings were hitting you because you knew, somehow, that would lead to something bad.

winter, 3 years ago

you wish everything could be different. the arrival of jia shook everything between you and yoongi, even when you tried so hard to keep it steady. she wasn’t a bad person exactly, but she surely wanted to start over from where they stopped and you felt like an intruder. days went by and things started to get harder. firstly she showed up out of nowhere to return his old coat that was still in her stuff. then, she started to send him messages, or set up a meeting with friends from the university days so he could go too. 

you never really told him you were annoyed by this. you just questioned him a couple times and he noticed how upset you were when jia made a new move. maybe the lack of communication set you two apart. day by day, you were drifting away from him and it was harder to come back to what you two were as a couple. you stopped going to his house, started to find excuses to not meet him, because you knew everything was different for you now. 

until the day he came to your house to spend time with you. you were different, you just couldn’t be with him like before, as if by staying far from him you could avoid the inevitable heartbreak. 

“what’s going on, y/n?”, for the first time ever you saw him extremely worried and upset. 

“nothing, I just... I’m just tired, yoongi”

“you don’t tell me what’s going on anymore, we don’t go out as often as we used to, you don’t even... you don’t even kiss me like you did before.”

tears started to fall from your eyes slowly, “did you ever ask? since your ex came back, did you ever ask why was I different?”

“why is jia a problem? what’s really going on?”

“see? I am telling you! everything changed from the day she put her feet on your apartment and it felt like she was just coming back to her place. she’s finding any excuse to meet you and you’re simply going. can’t you see? she doesn’t want to be friends with you, she wants you. I just don’t want to compete for a place in your heart.” 

you didn’t know how but it all came out as a flash flood. was he really naive about her intentions or did he like it? 

“y/n...”, he hugged you and you let him do it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“and I don’t want to be hurt. that’s why I can’t be the same anymore. I can’t be who I was because I feel like things changed.”

“please, I love you...”, he didn’t know what else to say but you could feel his heart beating fast.

“don’t say it...”, there in his arms, all your worries seemed to fade.

“there’s nothing going on between me and jia. it’s all past. please, don’t let it set us apart now.”

you walked away from the hug and looked at him. “is there something you wanna tell me?”, you knew him very well.

he sighed, sitting on the sofa. you sat by his side, still waiting. “I received my enlistment letter a while ago, before even meeting you that day. I can’t postpone it anymore, mainly now that I already achieved my academic goals. I really need to fulfill my duty, y/n.”

“wait...”, you were confused, “I thought you already completed your military service.”

“most people did... I wish I could have done it before, but I had to go through a shoulder surgery. I told you about the accident while working for the company that fired me after that. I was dealing legally for a long time to finally receive the benefits I didn't get from the company back then, and jia was helping me with this, since she’s a lawyer.”

“you should have told me.”

“yes. I should have told you since the start. I’m sorry for that... I didn’t want to worry you.”

“the only reason you postponed was the surgery?”

“no, at that time I got accept into the university and wasn’t able to stop studying for two years, because I was enjoying it so much ”, he was very sincere. “I love to study and work with music, but I know I also have to fulfill my duty now.”

to hear him say that again made it feel more real.

“when are you going?”

“next week”, he looked away while saying this.

you blinked twice, trying to understand if you heard correctly. some of it had been explained, but now a new problem has arisen. you knew, he had to serve for two years in the army. two long years. would you two be able to wait? you needed to think. the idea of seeing him just a couple times during the year, how would you deal with it?

he pulled you into a hug again and then whispered, “I’m sorry”, and you almost didn’t hear it. he hugged you so tight, you wanted to cry. cry because of everything, cry because of him, because of you, because of the love you were feeling.

“will we be able to do it?”, you looked at him, still into his arms. 

he touched your face and looked into your eyes. you knew his eyes very well and you could notice the sadness in them. “I don’t want to be apart”.

“neither do I.”

but how would you manage it? he didn’t know. none of you did. you only knew you wanted him – would that be enough for the two years ahead? so many questions. you shut all of them by kissing him like before, like you missed him already.

summer, 2 years ago

since you lost contact with yoongi, you were trying to move on day by day. breaking up wasn’t the only solution, but you and yoongi decided it was the best. you met him one day before he enlisted and had a great time together, as friends. 

you talked to him once in a while, when he sent a text or a picture, and it made your hear race because of the notification. you met your friends in common, even met jia on a store, which was surprisingly nice. but of course, even moving on, even finding things to do on your own, even not being in bad terms with him, you couldn’t stop thinking about him and wondering: did he think of you too? would you even meet him again?

you didn’t know, but he always thought of you. he thought about sending you a text or a picture when he had time to use his phone, but maybe it wasn’t the best option since you were living a life without him now. he was thinking of you while you were thinking of him. missing each other and wondering without answers. 

on a day off, he was walking by the same street you two hang out on that summer day, for the first time. he didn’t know you were there too, just like you didn’t know he was there, but for a second you thought you saw him.

winter, months ago

how could you watch the grinch and those cheesy rom-coms without thinking of him? you smiled, wanting to send him a picture of your tv. “hey, guess what I’m watching for the 2397473rd time?”, you almost typed. does he have time off on christmas or... has he been discharged already? no, maybe he’s busy, you thought.

he was home that night, by himself. drinking wine, eating and, yes, watching tv. searching for the grinch or any new rom-com to watch, even though he didn’t really enjoy those at first. but because of you and the memories you two created together, those kind of movies made him feel good, have a good laugh and think of you. 

spring, nowadays

life is better on spring – that’s what you always thought. just by walking and seeing the cherry blossoms painting the world in pink made you feel like a brand new person. you were feeling good, having a nice time, feeling the spring breeze on your hair. for the first time in a while, you weren’t overthinking anything, your mind was completely in that moment.

it was 4pm, you finished all your work for that day and it was time to go home, take a bath, maybe hang out with your friends later... you were open to other possibilities. when you approached the avenue, the pedestrian crossing traffic light turned red and you remained standing, holding the bag with both hands in front of your body. you were looking at nothing in particular, but when your eyes briefly passed over the faces of people across the avenue, a face caught your eye.

under the golden light of that time of day, yoongi was standing in front of you. many meters away, but still in front of you. you would walk to the side he was on, he would walk to the side where you were and your paths would cross in the middle of the avenue. maybe he would pretend he didn't see you, or maybe you would. but was it possible to pretend when it was written on your faces how surprised you were to see each other again?

the traffic light was now green for the pedestrians and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. you started walking and then lost sight of him. for a second you thought you would stop in the middle of the avenue, just to look for him, but you were still walking to the other side. 

when all the people walked by and you were reaching the sidewalk on the side he was on, you saw him. standing in the same place, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his cell phone and wallet. looking at you. a strong breeze made some flowers come off the tree and it looked like a movie scene, those beautiful ones. was it fate? was that moment meant to be?

you were finally by his side, on the sidewalk, and felt his gaze on you. you always thought that, if you saw him, your first impulse would be to hug him again, but no – something stopped you. 

“hey”, he said first.

“hi”, you answered. “nice to see you”

“I’m- hm, nice to see you too. how are you?”

“I’m fine, yeah”, you brushed a strand of hair away from your face. “and you? how’s life going?”

you knew he finished his service months ago because a friend in common posted a picture with him. 

“great, I got a new job after completing my service”, he was still talking when a very hurried person accidentally bumped on your shoulder. then yoongi touched your arm lightly, so that the two of you would move away from that busy area a little.

“this is great news! I’m happy that now you’ll be able to keep working with what you like the most.”

“yeah, right? well... I’d love to hear about you too. maybe we can see each other anytime?”

you just needed five seconds of courage and less pride. now or never, you thought.

“do you have time?”, you heard the words coming out of your mouth.

“now?”, you could see he was surprised, but not in a bad way. 

“yes. maybe”

“I do”, he said, “let’s go somewhere, then”

“I need to buy some stuff, if you don’t mind”

“no problem”, he said with a smile on his face. you knew it because you looked at him quickly, smiling too. you two were walking side by side, trying to avoid eye contact and craving for looking at each other at the same time. it would take just a few minutes for you two to start feeling comfortable again, after all this time. you knew it because it was like this since the first time you met him and, years later, it surely didn’t change.

it was a spring day again; you missed him and he missed you. but now you were face to face.

[hatsukeii]

Okay so regarding the thing I reblogged from @saturnmoon last Sunday >:)))))

I thought it’d fit better as a scenario instead of hcs, so apologies if this isn’t what you wanted exactly-

Thank you, daddy// Tsukishima x reader

Word count: 1700+

Warnings: None, tiny bit suggestive at the end, but I’m gonna let your imagination do the job.

Summary: Questionable names should stay in the bedroom.

Your face burns scarlet as you walk through the empty streets, white box in hand and a very, very flustered Tsukishima next to you.

“I’m sorry, okay? I was joking!”

No reply. All you get is a side glance behind his steel black glasses.

How did you get into this situation, you may ask?

Well.

It all started when Tsukishima decided to get the two of you matching headphones.

You see, Tsukishima’s pretty subtle when it comes to affection. He doesn’t want people viewing him as soft, or as Nishinoya says, a simp. He shows the absolute bare minimum amount of affection, pda never happens, and he doesn’t like to talk about his private life with classmates. Some may argue that he dates you out of boredom or pity, and doesn’t give a flying shit about how you feel about him. Others might not even know of your relationship. However, regardless of what everyone else says, the two of you care for each other deeply. You were like a bunch of helium balloons in his hand, flying as high as you can, seeking out opportunities, dreaming of possibilities, bringing up his spirits whenever he was down. In return, Tsukishima was the one holding you down, bringing you back to Earth whenever you were too carried away. Contrasting personalities mixed to form an amazing relationship. It was quite literally the definition of opposites attract. 

However, the two fo you are very different when it comes to your views on normal things couples do. You don’t like being cheesy. At all. Just the thought of someone making a grand confession, or asking you out in an extravagant and crazy way in front of people was enough to make you want to shove a finger down your throat and retch. On the other hand, although Tsukshima doesn’t show much affection towards you around his friends, he’s secretly a big fat romantic dork. The only reason why he didn’t confess to you in front of the entire school was probably because he wasn’t about to sacrifice his dignity and ruin his image. He’d always see couples in the hallways sporting matching accessories. Whether it be promise rings, or keychains, or even glasses, and secretly think it’s adorable. Knowing how you dislike cheesy and cliche moves however, he holds back and keeps those thoughts in his deepest fantasies, never to be seen by anyone else but himself.

Anyways, back to your tricky situation. When I said he shows the absolute bare minimum amount of affection, that means that he only rarely holds your hand in places with people that know the two of you, almost never kisses you in public, and at last, but not least, rarely gives you gifts. He always thought his affection for you was enough, and it wasn’t like you’ve ever gotten him any presents either. He simply didn’t care about materialistic gifts. You don’t really mind that he doesn’t get you gifts either. As long as he treats you for food, you’re all good. Once in a while, you’d try to treat Tsukishima, but he would never let you pay for him. He would always reach the cashier first and pay for whatever he was getting. He didn’t want you to pay for his stuff, not when you didn’t want him to pay for yours either. That would be unfair. It was a weird relationship, to be frank. Not having mementos of your partner wasn’t a usual thing. 

It wasn’t until his headphones broke, did he finally succumb to the idea of matching with you. He’s been using his headphones for years without any problems. He wore them to school every day, used them while doing homework, and has slept with them on at some point. It was no surprise the speakers would eventually give out. When they broke, Tsukishima was beyond miserable. These were his headphones. His most prized possession. He treasured them so much, it was almost heartbreaking to have to replace them. Not even you understood how much they meant to him. You were beyond confused when he called you at night, crying. You thought he got hurt or something, when in reality, it was just his headphones breaking. If someone asked, you could still repeat the entire phone conversation word for word. You thought it was both hilarious and a bit heart wrenching, to say the least. You promised to bring him headphone shopping today, even insisting on paying for them, which he immediately refused to let you. Instead, once he got to the store, he basically zoomed to the headphone section, looking through it excitedly. When his eyes landed on a pair of black and white headphones, he swiftly grabbed two of them, shoving one of them into your hands.

What?

“Hm? You’re getting two? That’s really expensive, plus a pair will suffice for like another five years!”

“No, dumbass, this is for you, I’m just making you hold onto it while I grab my wallet.

You looked down at the box in your hands, then back up at your boyfriend, eyes wide in disbelief. He was getting you a gift? For the first time in the few months you’ve been dating for? And you haven’t given him anything at all? Ever? There was no way. You knew your boyfriend like the palm of your hand. He would never just buy you a gift, let alone such an expensive one. To say you were shocked would be an extreme understatement. His face was dusted a light shade of pink that was almost unnoticeable in the dark store, where the only light sources were the LED lights that were set to white.

“Kei, you’re for real right now? I don’t want you to waste your money for me-”

“I want to match with you. I love you and I don’t like that it seems like I don’t put in effort at all.”

Tsukishima was now a blushing, flustered mess. He wasn’t even able to look you in the eyes. His heart was racing, anticipating your reaction. Did you hate the idea? Were you freaked out? Grossed out, even? What if you hated the thought and decided to break it off with him? What if he just screwed up big time and embarrassed himself? What if-

“OH MY GOD! KEI SWEETIE THAT’S SO CUTE! THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE ACTUALLY INTO MATCHING!”

You went silent for a moment, before continuing.

“But... I feel bad. I’ve never gotten you anything, and here you are, gifting me a pair of expensive ass headphones.”

Tsukishima’s blush faded, a tiny smile gracing his face.

“The only thing you have to do is wear them with me. Promise me that.”

Sending him a cheeky smile, you linked your pinkie with his playfully.

“Promise.”

Pinkies still linked, the two of you headed towards the cashier, where a line of people were waiting to check out. You continued to show your gratitude towards your boyfriend, hugging his arm and cuddling it like a teddy bear. His heart melted at the sight of you being an absolute cutie. This is the most pda he’s received in public. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was. He could try it out sometime. Poking your nose jokingly, he smiled, mocking you playfully.

“I’m getting you a pair of headphones shorty, can I get another thank you? It was cute when you said it just now.”

Smirking at his subtle joke regarding your height, you retorted, puckering up your lips.

“Thank you dadddddyy~”

The store went silent.

Tsukishima’s mouth hung wide open, his eyes frantically looking around as his face went bright red. Customers stopped what they were doing, some of them in the middle of paying for their products. From the corner of your eyes, you could see a child’s ears and eyes being covered by his mom, who was glaring daggers towards the two of you. A couple of old men sent judgemental looks your way, silently discussing how teenagers this day are corrupted and unreliable. The cashiers were clearly shocked, staring at the two of you, brows either furrowed, or raised. The store was so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop. You let go of Tsukishima’s arm instantly, letting your arms fall, the headphones still in hand. Recovering from the incident, customers continued to chatter amongst themselves,  cashiers continued to check items out, however you and Tsukishima stayed dead silent. The tension in the store could have been cut with a knife. Customers were avoiding your gazes, shuffling along towards the exit as soon as their products were in the bag.

“I definitely said that too loudly didn’t I.”

Tsukishima didn’t say a word, his face still crimson as he tightly shut his mouth, pursing his lips.

Approaching the cashier, he grabbed both boxes, not saying a word as he handed them to the cashier along with the money. Once that was done, he shoved one of the boxes into your arms, grabbing your vacant hand and dragging you out of the store, legs moving as quick as they could.

So now, you’re stuck in an awkward ass situation, with a flustered, silent Tsukishima. He hasn’t said a word since the two of you left the store, and that’s making you feel all sorts of ways.

His house is mere miles away. You can see the lights in the living room illuminating the area around it. Speeding up, you struggle to catch up with him, your shorter legs starting to sprint desperately.

Pulling you into the house, he slams the door behind him, locking it.

You don’t even have the chance to catch your breath, when a hand tickles your neck, before gripping on it tightly and pushing you harshly, your back forcefully hitting the wall behind you as the impact makes you hiss in pain. The headphones in your hand drop to the ground, toppling over. You open your eyes, only to be met with Tsukishima’s shit eating smirk.

“K-Kei?”

Forcing you into a harsh kiss, he assaults your lips, biting and sucking occasionally. You grasp at his hand, panting and gasping for air, but gave up as you came to the realisation that you enjoyed this. You enjoyed being choked by him.

The blond chuckled at your struggling figure, eyes going dark.

“If you really wanted to call me daddy, you could’ve told me long ago sweetheart.”

You were in for a long, long night, and honestly? You weren’t complaining.

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I hate myself lmao this is TERRIBLE HELP-

Okay imma sleep now gn kiddos

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars XLV (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: Poor kids, they’re not so little anymore.

Words: 2,707

Warnings: Mentions of period (as in menstruation)

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Chapter Four: Back In The Routine.

The days passed and they finished packing. 

Mel tried several times to get an answer from her uncle about where he was going, but he would change the subject just as fast.

She was worried, to say the least. If he moved even further away that'd be problematic for Mel and her mother. Considering how often her uncle gets sick, it was almost bound to be tricky, and now that she was attending Hogwarts, the chances of helping were slim.

Her uncle didn't seem to be thinking about that though, he did act nervous, and Mel had noticed he'd started to read magical books more than usual, most of them about creatures and curses and all that. She wondered if he was thinking of going on some kind of dangerous trip. Either way, it was time to say goodbye, and Mel knew she wouldn't be seeing him for a while, maybe until next summer.

She was getting ready to bed when something felt odd. She'd been feeling uneasy the whole day, but thought it was just the nerves and excitement of seeing her friends again. Thinking that maybe she'd gotten sick, the girl got out of her room and into the bathroom.

It was worse, way worse than she'd thought it would be.

Mel had gotten her period.

"Oh no," She breathed, "no no no no no no..."

A knock startled her.

"Yes?" She said in a high-pitched voice.

"Is everything alright?" Uncle Lu asked, "You've been there for a while–"

"I need Mum," She said, "I'm- I'm having a bit of uh... I got my... I'm bleeding?"

There was a deafening silence after her sentence. After what felt like decades to her, Uncle Lu finally spoke up.

He cleared his throat, "I'll call her. You... you wait here..."

She was still a little girl... Okay not that little, but she was a girl! Girls didn't have periods!

Or did they?

"Love?" Her mother called softly through the door, "Can I open the door?"

After a short confirmation, the door clicked and her mother entered holding a small package of something she recognized immediately. Mel started to cry.

"S'not fair!" She sniffed, "I don't like how it feels!"

"Oh, darling..." Her mother kneeled beside her, stroking her back. "I know is not nice, but it'll pass..."

"I don't want it!" She continued, "There has to be some magical fix that you can give me!"

"There is," Her mother grimace, "but I can't give it to you, this is the first time, you have to let it happen–"

"Why?! It sucks!" She didn't know why she was so affected about it, as if the worst of diseases had fallen upon her.

"It could damage your body if you cut it out so soon..." her mother cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable, "I don't know if you'll want babies, but it's better to have all the options than having none, right?"

"Babies?!" She said with horror, "I am a baby! I don't even know if I'll want to date!"

Emily's lip quivered, but it was hard to tell if it was because she was holding her laughter, or if she was just as affected as the girl.

"I don't want you to grow up either, Mel. But it looks like your body has a different idea."

Mel leaned back on the toilet, looking up at the ceiling in total despair.

"This is it. The boys will know."

Her mother laughed.

"They won't. But who cares, anyway?"

"I do!" She frowned. "And I'll have to deal with this nonsense! How long 'till I can take something to make it stop?"

"A year," Her mother said, preparing for impact.

"A YEAR?!"

"Shh! Mel, you'll scare your uncle!"

"A year," She repeated, "oh, bloody- I mean... this is going to be a horrible year."

Once she was tucked in bed, sad as ever, her uncle sneaked inside her room, holding a cup of something.

"Chocolate," He said simply, before leaving again, "drink it, it'll help."

She stayed silent for most of the trip, sleepy and soar, didn't want to talk about it. It was sad to leave her uncle like this, but she hoped he understood, Mel was growing against her will.

When they arrived at the leaky cauldron, Mel wanted nothing but to take a nap for the rest of the week, but she soon forgot about it when Harry walked down the stairs, probably about to go shopping.

She dropped her luggage in surprise, the noise catching his attention.

"Glasses!" She rushed over to the boy. "How've you been? Did you miss us lots?"

Harry chuckled as he returned the hug.

"I've been busy... How was your break from my annoying face and all?"

"It... went well, most of it anyway," She shrugged, deciding she wouldn't say a thing to Harry about her new burden. "Are you going to Diagon Alley? Mum! Can I go?"

Emily approached the kids, giving Harry a quick kiss and hug before replying.

"Just try to get here before dinner, I'll take the things to our room..."

Both kids went to the back door and pressed the third brick on the wall.

"There's a new broom," Harry started, practically dragging her to the store, "you ought to see it, I want to ask about the price but I won't dare, I have my nimbus after all, but it's just... you need to see it."

They stopped at the shopfront, Harry pointed eagerly to the broom facing them.

Mel gasped when she saw it. It was truly impressive, the way the wood and every little branch was shaped so perfectly. Its name was Firebolt, and Mel loved it.

"Woah..." She leaned closer, it looked like she was trying to go through the glass, "should we ask? Just to know- I know I wouldn't be able to afford it... not that I need it since I'm not on the team but... wow"

"I know," Harry agreed.

"Harry! Mel! HARRY!" A voice called from a few feet away.

Sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, were Ron and Hermione, both waving at them.

"Finally!" said Ron once they approached them. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but they said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and —"

"I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"You didn't tell them?" Mel frowned.

Harry seemed taken by surprise by her question.

"I only told you..."

"Dad told me," Ron replied casually.

"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" said Hermione seriously.

"I didn't mean to," said Harry while Ron and Mel laughed. "I just — lost control."

"It's not funny," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I'm amazed Harry wasn't expelled."

"Oh, I am too," Mel nodded.

"So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let me off, does he?"

"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" Ron chuckled. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me. Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!"

"Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."

"Excellent!" said Harry. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"

"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. And we've got all our books —" He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."

"What's all that, Hermione?" Harry asked. Hermione had three full bags of books.

"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than you, aren't I?" said Hermione. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies —"

"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Ron, rolling his eyes. "You're Muggle-born! Your mum and dad are Muggles! You already know all about Muggles!"

"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view," said Hermione.

"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry.

Ron laughed. Hermione ignored them.

"I've still got ten Galleons," she said. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."

"How about a nice book?" Ron asked innocently.

"No, I don't think so," said Hermione. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol —"

"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers. And I want to get him checked over," he placed Scabbers on the table. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him."

"Poor thing," Mel mumbled, then added, "I need to buy my stuff too, just got here from visiting my uncle..."

"There's a magical creature shop just over there," said Harry, pointing to his left. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl. Then we can get your stuff, Mel."

"Well, if you don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle.

"Okay," said Ron. "How much — OUCH!"

Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers.

"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" cried the witch, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door.

"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, racing out of the shop after him; Harry followed.

"How pretty!" Hermione approached the cat as the boys ran out of the store.

"Uh-oh," Mel whispered, "Mione, are you sure?"

"Crookshanks has been here for ages, you know," The witch lamented, "he's got an awful temper, that's why..."

"Has he?" Hermione asked, deeply touched, "but is he in for adoption?"

"Yes," The woman said with hopeful eyes. "Are you interested?"

"I am," Hermione beamed.

"Mione," Mel said with caution, "that cat went straight for Ron's throat."

"He just got excited," Hermione brushed off, "I'll take him."

"You bought that monster?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open.

"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" said Hermione, glowing.

"Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" said Ron.

"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" said Hermione.

The cat purred happily in her arms.

"At least Grey will have some company now," Mel added.

"And what about Scabbers?" said Ron. "He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?"

"That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic. And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him." She said as she offered the tonic to Ron.

"I wonder why," said Ron sarcastically.

"Let's move on," Mel pushed him away from the girl, "I got some shopping to do..."

"Harry! Mel!" Mr. Weasley said as they entered the leaky cauldron. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks," said Harry.

"How are you?" Mel asked politely.

Mr. Weasley put down his paper, Harry spoke up before the man could reply.

"They still haven't caught him, then?" he asked, pointing at the picture in the Daily Prophet. Sirius Black.

"Hey!" Mel's eyes widened. "That guy was on the telly!"

"Well of course he is," Ron rolled his eyes. "He's just as dangerous to muggles as he is to us."

"Who is he?"

"He's a murderer!" Ron replied eagerly. "Quite crazy, they said they killed about ten–"

"No," said Mr. Weasley, interrupting his son and giving him a severe look. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" asked Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money —"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."

Mrs. Weasley got inside the place, followed by the rest of her children. Ginny, as usual, got very red when she saw Harry, barely capable of muttering just a greeting. Percy, however, was outdoing himself.

"Harry. How nice to see you." Percy shook his hand with utter formality.

"Hello, Percy," said Harry, glancing at Mel and trying not to laugh.

"I hope you're well?" said Percy still on the same tone.

"Very well, thanks —"

"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy —"

"Marvelous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. "Absolutely spiffing."

Percy scowled.

"That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum!" said Fred as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand too. "How really corking to see you —"

"I said, that's enough," said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair.

Mel laughed, unable to stay quiet any longer. The twins noticed her presence and dropped the act, ruffling her hair in their normal attitude. She hugged both of the boys, truly happy to see them again.

"Hello, dears. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" Mrs. Weasley pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!"

"And last," Fred muttered to Mel, though he did it loudly enough for his mother to hear.

"I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."

"What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, snorting. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

"Besides, you'd have to punish yourselves all the time," Mel teased.

"You want to set a better example for your sister!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.

"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother," said Percy. "I'm going up to change for dinner..."

As he left the room, George added. "We tried to shut him in a pyramid, but Mum spotted us."

"Pitty," Mel rolled her eyes, but grinned anyway. "I bet Egypt was fun..."

"We got so many new ideas!" Fred replied, putting an arm around her shoulders and guiding her towards the stairs, "Hear us out..."

"I don't want any part on it, just to set things clear," Mel shook her head, "I'm starting new this year! I told you Dumbledore offered to give me extra lessons? I can't set a bad example now!"

"Oh, don't be dull," George scoffed, "don't tell us you're planning to be Head Girl or something..."

"Maybe," She shrugged, "I told you, you can't judge people just because they don't have the same goals..."

"Well, that's just a terrible idea," Fred shook his head, "A Head Girl! Think of all the possibilities you're throwing out! Behaving like a good student won't leave enough fun memories for when you grow up."

"Yeah, what're you going to tell your kids?" George inquired. "All your stories will be about your study sessions and the grades you got– That's boring."

"I don't know if I want kids!" Mel snapped, her talk with her mother coming back in full force.

"Don't upset her," Ginny had followed them upstairs, she managed to push her way in between George and Mel, and was now grabbing her arm, pulling her away from Fred's grip. "It's my turn to talk to her, go away!"

"You saw that?" Fred said with wide eyes, "The disrespect!"

"You give them freedom and this is how they pay you," George shook his head, "okay then, we'll leave you..."

"Come on," Ginny said to her with excitement, "I'll show you all I got from Egypt!"

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

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[omyeol]

chances - 00 | kjm

word count: 4000+ words

genre: angst, fluff, but mostly angst. 

<< story masterlist >> | << writing masterlist >>

prologue - 2018

The apartment was filled with so many cameras that it made Minhyo feel so subconscious ever since she woke up. People could say that she grew up in front of the cameras, but even until now, cameras still made her nervous. Now that her apartment was filled with things that made her nervous, it became a little bit uncomfortable to move. Everywhere she looked, there would be a camera ready to catch her every move. Well, except in the bathroom, which was also the place she spent quite a few time in the morning to actually shower and to get herself together before facing the world.

When she woke up in the morning, she tried to act indifferent and still did what she usually did in the morning. She still made herself a light breakfast with soft pop songs playing in the background. She still had her breakfast while she watched the morning news on TV and called Bomi to make sure that she was awake. 

She started to feel a bit more normal despite the very unusual situation until Bomi said something that had the same effect as pouring cold water on her.

“Happy birthday!” That’s what Bomi said when she called Minhyo back to thank her for the wake-up call.

“Is it really my birthday?” Minhyo ended up asking back as she placed her empty breakfast bowl on the coffee table and leaned back on the sofa, her phone still lying beside her and the call on speaker. She didn’t like putting the call on speaker, but she had to for the sake of the camera. 

“It really is! Why would I lie about it?” Minhyo pondered for a moment and ended up agreeing to it. “Oh! Also, unnie, I think I left my pouch at your guest room. My phone charger and laptop charger, and my earphones are in it. Could you please check it for me?”

“Yah, why do you always do this? You left your stuff everywhere.” With a sigh, she walked to the guest room to check if Bomi’s pouch. And there it was, Bomi’s pouch, left on the bedside table. “I found it.”

“Is it okay if I come over to fetch it later? I’ll be done with my schedule before midnight, and I’ll go straight to your place.” Minhyo could only agree because she knew Bomi couldn’t leave without her laptop and that she hated buying a new charger.

Bomi’s phone call seemed to open the floodgate of birthday wishes from her family, boyfriend, close friends, manager, and her fans. There wasn’t a quiet moment in her day where someone didn’t wish her happy birthday—when Minhyo met her sister for lunch or when she went grocery shopping and met some people that recognized her. While it’s nice to have so many people remembered her birthday, it also made her feel forlorn.

That’s why she decided to bask in the glow of her loneliness at 10 p.m. She already did everything she was supposed to do on her list that day, and with only two hours left of her birthday, she decided to spend it with a tub of ice cream and a whole four episodes of The Most Beautiful Goodbye. She knew that when the episode of her doing all these airs in the future, people would wonder why she decided to do what she did. She had a group of friends who cared immensely about her, but their unavailability to spend her birthday with her had dampened her mood and she could’ve sworn that if the cameras weren’t there, her day would be much worse.

The heart-clenching part was coming and a few tears were already spilled, when the doorbell rang. With a loud grunt, she rose up from the couch and walked to the foyer, placing the ice cream tub on the dining table as she walked by.

Thinking it was only Bomi, she opened the door in all her‘bare face, messy hair, and pajamas’ combo, but only to be greeted only by Bomi but also the other four men—Kim Junmyeon, Park Chanyeol, Doh Kyungsoo, and Oh Sehun. To the world, all the six of them—including Minhyo—were a famous celebrity group who were all from the same company and was envied by others. The visuals and talents combined in the group were overwhelming that it got so much attention from the public. When someone spotted them hanging out together, they always let out awe at them and felt intimidated. 

But to Minhyo, these people were the only group of people she could only trust with her whole life—the people that she could talk to whenever she felt like something was wrong with her—the second family that always made her feel so loved and appreciated. The five of them had been her pillar and also the very reason why she hadn’t lost her mind. She took her friendship to the heart and held it very dearly. It was a treasure for her. 

When each of them called to wish her birthday earlier in the morning, Minhyo already thought that they wouldn’t be coming to give her a surprise—Junmyeon was practicing for his upcoming musical, Kyungsoo was promoting his new movie, Sehun had a photoshoot in Japan, and Chanyeol wasn’t feeling well. Bomi was the only who’d come, and even then, Minhyo didn’t hope for anything because they had a tradition to not celebrate a birthday until everyone was present.

That’s why she burst in tears when she saw everyone gathered at her door, Bomi was the one holding the cake and Chanyeol was the one recording everything with his phone—everyone was already singing happy birthday to her. 

“Make a wish! Make a wish!” Minhyo shut her eyes, although a few tears still spilling out from the corner from her eyes—and she could feel someone wiping them out of her cheeks—and made a wish that she always made every single year.

Opening her eyes to see all her friends watching her expectantly with eager eyes, she finally blew the candle, triggering another whooping—that was Chanyeol and Sehun, she knew—and applause from the others. They were all still crowding in her foyer and Minhyo ushered them in to let them settle in her living room. 

“You all are really terrible people,” Minhyo complained as she plopped down on her previous spot on the couch after a round of group hug that made her feel warm all over. Bomi sat next to her while the guys were all sitting on the floor with the cushions. “I really should’ve been more suspicious, but gosh, I can’t believe you all just tricked me like that, especially you, Oh Sehun.”

That opened up a floodgate of constant chattering and laughing in her apartment. What once was quietness inside, it all changed because of them. Although mostly it was Junmyeon doing most of the whining because Sehun didn’t want to cooperate at first, Kyungsoo fueling the fire, and Chanyeol failing miserably at containing his laughter, Minhyo couldn’t feel any warmer. Yes, with all of them by her side sometimes her voice was drowned by the guys, but she was okay. She was okay because they had managed to change her slightly bitter day into a really much better day.

Somewhere between watching Chanyeol trying to make Kyungsoo do aegyo for her—it’s his gift for you, noona!—and chuckling at them because Kyungsoo looked like he was done with Chanyeol and his antics, Minhyo could feel her phone vibrating. Sliding them out of her pocket, she realized that it was a message from Junmyeon. She looked up from her phone to give him a look, but he wasn’t looking at her.

With a sigh, you opened the message.

You okay, babe? You haven’t said much.

I’m okay. Just grateful and blessed to have you and the kids.

Locking the phone and putting it back in her pocket, she leaned on the back of the couch and sneaked a few glances at Junmyeon. It took both of them a few tries, but when he finally caught her glance, he cracked a small smile behind the beer can he was sipping on. The move was simple and not subtle enough to be caught on camera and twisted into a piece of news. Her heart maybe was a bit uneasy and her hands were a bit itchy because she couldn’t sit beside him, hold his hand, and lean on him like she used to, but that simple smile from him was enough.

For an actress, Minhyo had a quite terrible poker face. While her brain and mouth could still work in sync and get her out of the tricky questions asked by the hosts, sometimes her facial expressions just couldn’t lie. She could hardly maintain the poker face. A split second after whatever things she spurted out to answer the question, the corner of her lips would twitch and her fingers would shake slightly. It was not a problem at all if she didn’t personally know the hosts, but if she did, they would tease her and make things more complicated.

Just like the show she just did with one of the senior MCs from the same company, Hyun Moo. Minhyo had never really met him outside of a few shows they did together, or company gatherings, but Hyun Moo was close friends with her current boyfriend, and while she knew he wouldn’t dare to ask questions that could point to that direction, she just still felt uneasy.

As if Hyun Moo could sense her uneasiness, he approached her and signaled her to talk somewhere less crowded.

“Don’t be nervous. You know I’d never ask anything about your relationship with Junmyeon on TV.” The words reassured her a little bit, but her fingers twitched out of nervousness as a small part of her still worried over the other hosts.

“But what if the other hosts—“

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it if something happens.” Her eyes widened at the words. “Not that something would happen, though.” She let out a loud sigh and hung her head down, feeling her heartbeat to calm down a little bit. “You worry too much, Minhyo-yah.”

The recording started just a few minutes after the conversation she had with Hyun Moo. She had to wait a little bit before the hosts called her to join and talk about her routines while she lived alone for years. It was a bit weird, seeing her daily life shown on the screen provided in front of them.

When the scene where Junmyeon and the others came over to sing and wish her a happy birthday along with her other close friends shown on the screen, she felt her heart skip a bit. Worries began to build up within her, and she prayed that she could maintain the small, easy smile on her face as she watched the interactions between her and Junmyeon in the kitchen that was managed to be caught on camera.

“Ah, you’re really close with your co-star Kim Junmyeon.” Park Na Rae quipped from beside her, her eyes still on the screen watching how Junmyeon moved about easily and effortlessly in Minhyo’s apartment.

“Yes, yes, we’ve been friends even long before the drama. We always see each other too at the company workshop and parties. He’s a kind man, and it’s easy to talk with him,” Minhyo responded calmly, and Na Rae just nodded before concentrating on the screen again.

On the screen was shown the clip where Junmyeon was making himself at home, setting the takeaway containers he bought at the kitchen island while Minhyo grabbed the plates and chopsticks from a kitchen drawer. Na Rae noticed the domesticity between the two of them—especially after Sehun joined Minhyo both in the kitchen and whined about her both taking too long, which she replied with a mother-like scold—and questioned it.

“The six of you together are like actual family, and you and Junmyeon are the parents,” Park Na Rae commented casually and Minhyo let out a chuckle at the statement because it was true. The lot of them were like a big family; the one that she could handpick herself because she clicked with them.

“Yes, it’s somehow like that. I actually nag a lot like a mother,” Minhyo acknowledged herself with a laugh and a faint shake of her head.

“How actually does the friendship start between all of you, though? I’m sure a lot of people are curious about it,” the host prompted and Minhyo grabbed her bottle of water and untwisted the cap, taking a few sips of it before she started speaking.

“Well, it actually started when I first became friends with Kyungsoo. We met at the company workshop in Jeju a few years ago. We were in the same team during the workshop and although we actually have seen each other a few times before, that was the first time we became friends. It was only the two of us until Kyungsoo brought Junmyeon and Bomi around. He spoke something about how Bomi is a huge fan of mine and how Junmyeon is like a real brother to him. From that, Junmyeon brought Sehun, and Sehun brought Chanyeol. And I guess, that’s when everything starts,” she explained softly with a far off look. “Originally I didn’t have close friends from this industry. It’s hard to find the people who really connect with me and I don’t think I have many friends too. I just couldn’t find the people that have a deep connection with me, until the five of them. So, yeah, it’s really nice to have them by my side.”

After requesting her to send a video message to her close friends and watching the remaining fifteen minutes of the clip, the shooting finally came to an end. As usual, she exchanged pleasantries with the hosts and the other crews and even took a picture together before she could finally leave the place. The whole time she was glad that the hosts didn’t ask any further about the relationship between her and her close friends—especially between her and Junmyeon. If someone had picked it up asked her about it, she actually didn’t know how it would turn out. She knew neither she nor Junmyeon was ready to have the relationship out to the public just yet.

Minhyo could feel the heaviness in her eyelids as she struggled to keep her eyes open and herself awake, waiting for her boyfriend to come. The text she received earlier in the day when she just wrapped up an interview for her upcoming drama made her look forward to finishing her day. It’s something that they both had always been aware of—being busy with each of their schedule and limited communication throughout the day—but despite it being a problem in the past, now it was something that pulled them closer. The obstacles they faced made them work harder and look forward to meeting each other at the end of the day more memorable—like all their hard work throughout the day was finally paid off.

That’s why even though Minhyo felt like she could fall asleep anytime soon, she kept her eyes open and glued to the rerun of Return of the Superman on the TV. It was almost midnight, and knowing how busy Junmyeon could be, he could be home at any minute or he could be home at 2 a.m. She could never guess.

But the sound of the front door opening halted her thoughts. A smile spread out across her face as she turned the volume of the TV down and listened to the sound of Junmyeon dragging his tired feet to the bedroom where she waited. She waited with her heart hammering against her ribcage as if they hadn’t seen each other in so long—when in fact it was only two days. Two days were too long for her, though—especially when her mind was going to many different directions.

“Babe? Are you asleep yet?” she darted her gaze away from the TV to the doorway where the door was already opened and her boyfriend was making his way inside the room, still clad in black track pants with red linings on the side and a black t-shirt under his grey hoodie, his hair hidden under a black cap. Even from her place, she could still see the worry lines on his forehead that were caused by something that happened during rehearsal or meeting with the company. Her hands itched, wanting to smooth those lines and run her fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp with her blunt nails to soothe him and relieve him from his stress.

Minhyo just hummed and blinked her eyes at him, a small smile spreading across her face. “Ah, I thought you fell asleep again watching that show,” Junmyeon commented as he placed his bag near the dresser and made his way to his girlfriend who was lying casually on her stomach on the bed, plopping on the space beside her.

“How was your day?” she asked as both of them situated themselves to get comfortable on the bed, Minhyo rolling over to lay on her back and Junmyeon lying next to her, turning to face her and put his arm around her.

“Long. Tiring,” he breathed out. “Gosh, I can’t wait for tomorrow.” Minhyo shut her eyes and smiled at the thought of being away from their hectic life for a few days. The thought of finally being able to walk around the town with Junmyeon while holding hands and probably sneaking a kiss or two made her feel giddy and excited.

“Yeah, me too,” she murmured, opening her eyes only to find that her boyfriend was already looking at her with a fond look and a small smile across his face. Her heart skipped a beat when he leaned in to press his lips against hers, her eyes automatically shutting at the feeling of his soft lips. She hummed when he placed his hand on her cheek, his thumb caressing her jaw ever so softly.

She liked it when he kissed her like this. It was definitely one of her favorite things—one that she looked forward to every single day. What was stuck with her the most was how she could sometimes taste a little bitter taste of coffee in his mouth, and how he always cradled her face in his hand with his thumb stroking her cheek—one of his favorite body parts of hers—delicately as if she was made of glass and everything fragile, when he knew she was the exact opposite of that.

Junmyeon pulled back too soon for her liking, eliciting a whine from her and a low chuckle from him. “How was your day?” it was his turn to ask, wanting to show Minhyo that he also cared about her and kept her in his thoughts throughout the day. “Did something happen?”

A lot happened, she thought but didn’t dare to say. Her mind drifted to the things that happened that day—the promo, the talk with her father and her brother during lunch, the meeting with the company, the crying fest in her car, and the dinner with her sister. Out of the things that happened in the span of twenty-four-hour, she had a hard time choosing the one better suited to tell him.

“Nothing much happened, to be honest,” she opted to say after a moment as she situated herself to lay on his chest. “I managed to have a late dinner with In-Hye, though. She kept babbling on and on about this party she went to last weekend and how she met this really cute guy. But you remember she told us how she would never bat an eye at any guy for a while, right? She’s unbelievable.”

At her words, Junmyeon let out a chuckle. “You out of everyone know how she likes to exaggerate things sometimes. That’s why I told you she would never stick to what she said. A month is all it takes.” He absentmindedly stroked her hair, causing a rush of warmth to run through her veins. It was the perfect little touch that she had been missing all day.

The gentle touches on her hair and the steady heartbeat were slowly lulling her to sleep. And she would have done so if Junmyeon didn’t ask her another question. “You’ve been watching that show a lot. Are you trying to give me a hint or what?”

“Huh?” She furrowed her eyebrows in pure confusion and looked up.

“You know, babies…” The faint blush on his cheeks and the pout across his face really made her feel so many things at once. That look was one of the reasons why she was in love with him. The way his peachy cheeks naturally reddened and the way his lower lip jutted out in a pout whenever he felt shy or embarrassed. That look made her want to reach up and kiss that pout away.

“I admire you trying to be sensitive and all, but no. Not that I don’t want to have kids with you, but it’s too early. Maybe sometime in the future, but not now,” she reasoned with a soft smile across her face and planted a kiss on his jaw.

“Mhmm. Fair enough.”

There wasn’t much to say after that. As the clock ticked and the night deepened, the woman was already fast asleep on the man’s chest and the TV was shut off. After making sure that the pillow had been fluffed, Junmyeon moved her head to the pillow really, really and brushed the hair off her forehead before planting a kiss on it.

Apart from the sound of Minhyo’s soft breathing filled the room, it was quiet inside the bedroom. Junmyeon laid down beside her, watching the way her eyebrows furrow in her sleep as if something confusing just happened in her dream and throwing his arm around her waist protectively, hoping that he could help and save her from whatever happening in her own dream. Scooting closer to her, he leaned in until his nose pressed onto the side of her head. The scent of her shampoo filled in his nostrils, the apple scent relaxing him to the bone.

It was a typical night for both of them. Half-asleep conversations, settling on the bed after midnight. Every little moment they could have together always left them feeling warm as if their insides were burning. It was one of the moments they had always cherished the most, no matter how simple it was. Being wrapped up in each other’s presence in their own little bubble was a kind of their fuel to always keep the romance between them alive.

The overjoyed and satisfying feeling of being together again after a few days apart made Junmyeon think of the possibility of them living abroad together. For once, he wanted to be selfish and spend time with her out in the open, holding hands without minding other people. Spending a day out in the sun and the night in the confines of their house was a very tempting thought. If only their lives were simpler, he could make that happen. But sometimes reality crashed on him in the worst possible timing ever and he thought there was a slim possibility they could do that. There was basically almost no possibility of them doing that, for the storm that they would face in the future and the reality that would dawn on them after their life was put to test.

[phoenix-downer]

Kingdom Hearts 3 Ultimania - Interview with  the Destiny Trio VAs - Paopu Sharing Scene

Okay, a few things before we begin.

Miyu Irino (Sora’s VA), Risa Uchida (Kairi’s VA), and Mamoru Miyano (R*ku’s VA) have known each other for years. In previous Ultimania interviews, they have mentioned that they even went to Disneyland together after the recording sessions for KH2 I believe it was. For each of the numbered titles they’ve had an interview like this together, and KH3 continues the tradition. The KH1 Ultimania has an interview of them when they were still teenagers to give you an idea of how long they’ve known each other. They’ve spent much more time together for KH-related stuff than the English VAs for the Destiny Trio have.

The whole tone of the interview is very relaxed and they all seem to be having fun and teasing each other a little even. You can tell they all get along really well, understand their characters well, and build off each other well. Irino and Miyano in particular were very supportive of Kairi and talked about how they’d like to play a KH game as her. Irino even suggested a Destiny Trio game, and Miyano suggested Kairi be in the middle with Sora and R*ku following her. 

With that in mind, let’s get started. Usual disclaimers apply about how my own Japanese ability and translation abilities are still a work in progress, etc. Feel free to compare it to the other translations floating around to get a fuller picture. I may update my translation if I notice mistakes or things that need to be changed for clarity. R*ku’s name is starred out and has an asterisk inserted in the Japanese version so this won’t show up in his tag.

ー　カイリといえば、最終決戦の前にソラとパオプの実を食べさせ合うシーンもこころに残りました。

Interviewer: Speaking of Kairi, before the final decisive battle, the scene where she shares the paopu fruit with Sora also really stuck with me.

Notes: The phrase I translated “stuck with me,” kokoro ni nokorimashita, is more literally “stayed in my heart.”

Also, “shares the paopu fruit” is more literally “feed each other the paopu fruit” in Japanese, so I’m going to use that translation from now on. Just wanted to note that here because “share” is what the official English version of KH uses.

内田　私も、すごく大好きで大切なシーンであると同時に、（“重い”シーンだな……」と思っています。

Uchida: Me too. I really love (it), it’s an important scene, and at the same I’m thinking, “This is a heavy scene, isn’t it...”

Notes: It’s really nice to hear Uchida’s thoughts on the scene in question. I thought her performance was wonderful here.

入野　食べさせるパターンと食べさせないパターンの両方を録ったんですよ。収録時にはどちらの展開になる決まっていなくて、最終的に食べさせるほうが採用されたみたいですね。ふたりの気持ちをどこまで描くのか野村さんも悩んでいたんだと思います。

Irino: (We actually) recorded both a version where (we) feed each other (the paopu fruit) and a version where (we) don’t feed each other. At the time of recording, it hadn’t been decided which direction the development would go in, (but) ultimately, it seems like (the version where we) feed each other the fruit was used, doesn’t it? I think Mr. Nomura was also worried about to what extent (he wanted) to depict Sora and Kairi’s feelings.

Notes: the word I translated as “version” is literally “pattern” in Japanese. The “feed each other” is “share” in the English version of KH. 

Irino uses the particle yo at the end of the first sentence to indicate he’s imparting information to the interviewer (hence why I included “actually” in parentheses).

The word I translated here as “recording,” shūroku, can also mean “editing.”

“Which direction the development would go in,” is more literally something like “which one will become the development/progression” but I tried to get it to sound more natural in English. It was a bit hard for me to parse, to be honest.

I used “doesn’t it?” to translate the ne particle at the end of the second sentence because it’s generally used to indicate someone is seeking affirmation/agreement. There was no question mark in the original Japanese version.

“Sora and Kairi’s” is more literally “the two’s,” but I changed the wording to make it sound better in English.

I added in “he wanted” in the last sentence to make it flow more smoothly in English, but it isn’t in the original Japanese version.

宮野　ソラとカイリの純粋な想いが表れている繊細なシーンですからね。あのやり取りは、見ていてときめきます。彼らは自覚していないでしょうけど恋心がなかったら、あんなにときめくシーンにはならない（笑）。

Miyano: It’s because it’s a subtle scene that expresses Sora and Kairi’s true feelings, isn’t it? When (you’re) watching that exchange, (your) heart pounds/flutters. They probably aren’t aware (of it) themselves, but if there isn’t (any) love/love awakening, then it wouldn’t be such a heart-pounding scene (haha).

Notes: The word for “true” here, junsui, can also mean “pure, genuine.” The word I translated as “feelings” is omoi with the kanji that tends to be used for the feelings sense of the word. “Subtle” can also mean “delicate, sensitive.” 

I used “isn’t it?” to translate the ne particle at the end of the first sentence because it’s generally used to indicate someone is seeking affirmation/agreement. There was no question mark in the original Japanese version.

The word for “heart pounds/flutters,” tokimeku, can mean a number of things according to the handy-dandy jisho.org: (a heart) beats fast, flutter with joy/anticipation, throb, pound, palpitate, etc. It doesn’t seem to have the same connotation of danger that the English “heart pounds” sometimes does though. Think of it more like “heart flutters,” “heart beats fast,” that sort of thing. The connotations, or feelings and ideas the word invokes, are somewhat different from the English phrase “heart pounds,” which brings me to my next point.

The word I translated as love/love awakening, koigokoro, can also mean yearning for or missing someone or potentially even a heart in love. Again, the Japanese word has a different set of connotations than the English one. That’s what makes translation so tricky; for more abstract concepts in particular, a translator can introduce a whole host of connotations that were not present in the original language and/or can lose some of the meaning implied by the original language as well.

The last sentence (where Miyano talks about why the scene makes your heart flutter) I’m feeling a little iffy on, but I think I got the general gist of it, so let’s continue.

入野　でも、食べさせ合うことが「恋心を持っている」という明確な答えではないと思うよ？

Irino: But, I think that feeding each other (the paopu fruit) isn’t a clear/precise answer (as to whether/that means) “(they’re) in love?”

Notes: The phrase I translated as “they’re in love,” koigokoro wo motteiru, is more literally something like “have a heart in love,” “have love,” “have a love awakening.” Not 100% on this and I think that’s where a lot of the confusion is coming from.

(As to whether) isn’t in the Japanese version at all, I just added it to make the sentence smoother. From what I can gather, Irino uses the toiu pattern in this sentence to define the kind of answer he’s discussing - “a clear answer that means (they’re) in love” kind of a sense.

I added in the pronoun “they” because English requires pronouns... but not Japanese, and there is no pronoun here. It’s sort of ambiguous... he could be referring to Sora and Kairi sharing a paopu in particular, or paopu sharing in general. In context, since they’ve been discussing the scene where Sora and Kairi share it, I’m going to go with the former, but I’m not 100% on this.

The question mark comes after “I think?” in the Japanese version, but Japanese has different word order than English, so it got moved to the “(they’re) in love” part of my translation.

Irino is saying he doesn’t think there is a clear answer... not that the paopu sharing isn’t romantic at all. This can’t really be used to disprove that Sora and Kairi are in love; he’s merely saying he thinks there is no clear answer when it comes to sharing the paopu fruit. From what I can gather, he also isn’t necessarily commenting on the legend of the paopu fruit itself, just Sora and Kairi sharing it in this particular scene, but I am less certain on this. 

We need to be careful when examining this sort of thing because context matters. And when you think about it, it makes sense within the context of KH3 itself. Sora has his love epiphany in the light in the darkness scene later on, not here. Miyano picked up on this and noticed that while Sora and Kairi might not yet be aware of how they feel about each other in the paopu sharing scene, the viewer certainly is. 

And man... that light in the darkness scene. By the end of that it’s obvious both Sora and Kairi know how they feel about each other. 

All that handholding...

...those held gazes...

Sora literally seeing the light...

...and then looking at Kairi as she gives him a knowing look, like “figured it out, did you? I’m in love with you and this was my act of true love.” 

AND THEN THE SMILE ON HIS FACE AFTERWARDS!

Going back to the interview, Miyano is very quick to correct Irino. He clearly thinks there is a clear answer even if Irino isn’t sure if there is!

宮野　いやいやいや、だって、そもそも俺、カイリからお守りとかもらってないし……。

Miyano: Now hold on just a second here. Okay, first of all, I don’t get (things like) a charm from Kairi (among other reasons)... 

Notes: I changed the wording around to make this sound more natural in English. Miyano says something more like “no no no” at the beginning to indicate he is strongly disagreeing, then a very emphatic “but,” then “from the beginning I, / in the first place I,” maybe? I tried to go for the overall gist of what he meant instead of the literal wording. The “I” actually groups with somosomo, so... I’m having a little trouble parsing this part here, but the takeaway is that he’s disagreeing with what Irino said. 

Also, I love how he’s the one to point out that Sora got a special gift from Kairi and R*ku didn’t. He’s also saying this isn’t the only reason he has for thinking how Sora and Kairi feel about each other is pretty clear by using the -shi construction, which is used to give reasons.

He also identifies himself with R*ku by using ore, the masculine pronoun “I”, which also happens to be the pronoun R*ku uses for himself. In another part of the interview Miyano used the more polite masculine pronoun boku to refer to himself. He really loves and understands his character to the point he’s speaking as if he is R*ku here, and it’s pretty awesome.

入野　約束のお守り？

Irino: Oathkeeper?

Notes: the name for Oathkeeper is a bit different in Japanese. It’s more literally something like “promise charm.”

内田　ごめん！（笑）

Uchida: Sorry! (haha)

Notes: Uchida laughing here shows how playful the whole exchange is. They’re having fun and they aren’t taking themselves too seriously.

宮野「KHI」のときにも、俺に内緒でふたりだけで島を出ようとしてたでしょ？

Miyano: In KHI as well, you kept it a secret from me that just the two of you were trying to leave the island, (right)?

Notes: “right” more literally means something more like “wouldn’t you agree,” but I changed it to fit the register Miyano is currently speaking in here. And again, he’s speaking like he is R*ku, using “I” to discuss what happened instead of R*ku’s name. 

Speaking of which, he remembers what happened well, haha. Could it be that R*ku’s still a little upset about it? ;) 

Also, I love how Miyano is basically teasing the two of them here. Again, you can really tell how well he understands R*ku as a character. R*ku teased Sora hard about his feelings for Kairi in KH1. Seems like that hasn’t changed.

入野　もしかしたら、リ*クを闇に向かわせたのはカイリなのかも。ソラと仲良くしているカイリを見て、リ*クは孤独を感じちゃってたんじゃない？

Irino: Maybe Kairi caused R*ku to turn to the darkness. He saw how well she was getting along with Sora and felt lonely, didn’t he?

Notes: The word for “maybe” here is kamo, and it can also be used to mean “might” or “perhaps.” I get the sense it’s not quite as strong as “maybe” is in English. Irino is just indulging in speculation here.

The second sentence is more literally something like “(R*ku) saw Sora and (a) Kairi who is getting along well with him, and he regrettably felt loneliness, no?” but I switched things up to sound more natural in English. 

Again, this is just fun speculation. I don’t think we can really say Irino is actually blaming Kairi for R*ku’s fall to the darkness, because the tone of the interview matters, and it was very relaxed and fun (while still professional, of course) and this part in particular is very playful.

And... when we look at KH1 itself, yeah, you kind of do get the sense that R*ku was jealous of Sora, and in KH2, he even admits he was. R*ku is both Sora’s best friend and, at times, his rival (which this very Ultimania pointed out in R*ku’s profile), and to me at least R*ku seemed to be crushing on Kairi in KH1. It’s not much of a stretch to think his jealousy as Sora and Kairi got closer and closer might’ve fueled the darkness in his heart.

内田　……そうか、私のせいだったのか（笑）。

Uchida: ...You’re right, it was my fault (haha).

Notes: “You’re right,” sōka, is more literally “oh, I see” or “is that so?”

Again, this is a teasing, playful joke, and Uchida plays along, indicated by her laughter there at the end.

That concludes my translation of the paopu sharing scene in this interview. Hope that helped clear things up!

Edit to add: too late to fix it now, but by “Disneyland” I mean “Tokyo Disneyland.” The three of them went to Tokyo Disneyland together :)

[comicteaparty]

June 1st-June 7th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from June 1st, 2020 to June 7th, 2020.  The chat focused on Phantomarine by Claire K. Niebergall.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Phantomarine by Claire K. Niebergall~! (http://www.phantomarine.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until June 7th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

copperine

Ooh I'll answer a few asap!

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

As another creator/reader, I feel Phantomarine has a lot of good parts: 1. So it starts off thrusting us into the middle, which is unique. Even though we are underwater, the creator gives delightful warm palette. You can identify the spooky 'evil spirits' from the protagonist without the page looking cluttered. 2. I quite enjoyed Ch 2 (The Horizon Child) where I'm presented with more world building and how the story ties with the Red Tide King's lore. My favorite part is the Fracture Day Festival, the colors and the clever plot tactics written. 3. As for character(s), I love Phaedra's noble character. She is a future Queen and has a heroic presence. I also like Vanna, seldom I see great parent writing as her. She is both nurturing and an intelligent doctor. I admire how Lady Lazuli ties her job to Paval's condition. I have a soft spot for silly Paval, his character is both silly yet wholesome (he's not bratty <3) 4: So far, I enjoyed Cheth's interaction (in Ch 1) it told alot about his character; his tendency to shapeshift into different forms. I like his unusual character, hitting my nostalgia buttons for a good villain.(edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

For themes, it seems to explore family grief and sacrifices within the chapters I read. To have a stable life, one has to endure hardship such as Phaedra taking on the burden of her father's role. I enjoy reading that life philosophy theme not often explored in web comics. Also Vanna and Paval's interaction gives me good family vibes 7-8. I feel Phantomarine storytelling is intricate and expresses the vibe of an experienced creator. Tackling multiple plot points, stringing them into good beats; is tricky but Lady Lazuli pulls it off almost effortlessly. Initially chapter 1 left me with questions and it starts to reveal itself as the story progresses. I came into the story following Phaedra's adventure and will be in for the ride. 5. I have some favorite illustrations: this one http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-horizon-child/2-27-the-maritime-fair/ I love the colorful festival. and also the opening page was quite impressive with the crowds of souls, where they become silhouettes, yet convey enough visuals. I LOVE this page in Ch 3 (Fata Morgana), the way the words 'RUN' echos through http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-fata-morgana/3-33-the-dark-shoreline/ There's alot of things I like about it: pacing, the plot progression and as I struggle with stringing multiple plot points, I marvel at this skill in the comic.(edited)

Miranda

1. I love that the stakes are high after just a couple pages. There's no dallying and it draws you in so well. Also Cheth is just fantastic and his introduction is so well done! 2. I really loved Pavel eating pancakes and Pavel hiding in his stuffed animal hammock nest to point out a few scenes. It's so hard to choose a favorite moment, but sadly I'd have to say the end of Chapter 3 and just how that all unfolds. 3. GAH! Pavel? Ya...Pavel. Cheth is wonderful, but I feel like Pavel is so young but already has such an interesting personality and I love his spirit. 4. I really enjoyed Pavel and his Mom. But Cheth and Phaedra's interactions were very entertaining. But Pavel and Vanna are just so close and supportive it's just heartwarming sniffle because I know what happens And the warmth and love there stands out a lot against the harshness of the "convent-like" place and Halea's temple, etc. 5. OMG. where to start? I don't even know. I love it. I love the colors. I love the designs. I love the pages with all the tiny little details, they are wonderful. But I think one of my favorites is: http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-fata-morgana/3-34-the-prayer/ because I love the contrast between Pavel and Cheth and I think there's just a whole bunch of emotion in this page. 6. This might not be a purposeful theme, but in general I've caught a theme of how danger and bad stuff is handled and I love seeing such strength in all the characters. Phaedra with he just outright defiance, Pavel with his positive outlook and Vanna with love and compassion but also with a analytical mind. They all handle tragedy and loss in their own ways and it's very well done. 7. Everything. This is a very difficult question. 8. Use of color and characters that all stand out from each other.

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

cracks knuckles Alright, let's GO! 1. I loved how we immediately know the stakes. We see Phaedra's personality in the challenges Cheth offers, and we know that she's well aware of the situation she's in. It gives it a mythological feel, of the hero in the underworld fighting to the surface. Only this time, there's a caveat; she's still technically an underworld denizen, but allowed to roam the land of the living. The colours set the mood very well too; I loved that the Red Tide King's ghosts were all rimmed in red, while the protagonist were either yellow or blue (diametrically opposed to the red.). And of course, Cheth; he's a wonderful villain opposed to the protagonist, and they have great rapport.

2. Oh dear, there are several to choose from. My favourite one so far is when Cheth asks Phaedra how many people were made into orphans after the war. It was that scene that immediately made me hooked onto the story; a story that went there and isn't afraid to go to that deep, dark place will always get me to keep reading. Another more minor moment was when Eddy was revealed to bully Pavel due to not having his family visit him; it's a great way of having an antagonist show that they are not truly all dark; rather, it's a morally grey area that the characters are in. Even an antagonist can have layers and it makes them seem more human. Finally, Vanna's passing into the Fata Morgana. The scene where she said that she was glad to have saved him, and where they said their goodbyes made me cry. As someone who's had to say goodbye to my own mom as she goes abroad....and not knowing when she'll be back, it hits a deep part of me. I really thought Vanna would be one of the main protagonists.....but alas, it was not to be.(edited)

3. CHETH! Hands down, CHETH! Notwithstanding my bias for underworld cthonic deities, I LOVED his personality. The fact that he reminds me of one of those deliciously personable villains from Disney helps a lot. And I loved how he never let's Phaedra forget that he is a threat, a blue/orange morality villain throughout; he uses his collection of souls to yell at her to be quiet, points out that she's a monster like him, and impersonates her dead father. But he also shows signs of not being a completely inhuman god; like when he shows a slight look of pity/sympathy for Phaedra mourning her father, or when Pavel mourned his mom's passing into the otherworld. Also, I don't see a lot of deities who fluidly go between genders like he does. It makes him so much more interesting, that he shifts into different identities that way. One of the best portrayals of a death deity I've ever seen.

4. Cheth and Phaedra. There's an interesting power dynamic going inbetween these two; on one hand Cheth is a literal god, and he holds a lot of power. On the other hand, Phaedra has shown time and time again to outsmart him both mentally (e.g. winning the questions) and physically (e.g. cutting off his hand). And yet Cheth recuperates from those injuries fast enough to go against her again. It's a back and forth game of David and Goliath. Interestingly enough.....Cheth seems to hold some measure of interest with Phaedra, as if she is an entertainment to him. However, there's also his slight contempt with where she came from, and it's as if however entertaining she is....he'll never forget that. Meanwhile, Phaedra outright wants to kill him....which I don't think anyone can blame her for. It would be interesting to see how their relationship evolves throughout the story as foes.

5. THE ART. IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. The colours balance each other well, the painting style gives it a soft feel, like going into a new world. But I absolutely, absolutely HAVE to give kudos to the details LadyLazuli gives in the backgrounds and the world in general; worldbuilding wise, it shows strong potential for show and don't tell. Several of these pages can be standalone posters themselves!

http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/king-of-the-red-tide/1-1-king-of-the-red-tide/

Several. http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/king-of-the-red-tide/1-31-the-echoing-graveyard/

I mean it http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/schooner-of-the-moon/4-1-schooner-of-the-moon/

6. One theme I'm really interested in and noticed is the idea of paranoia of the vulnerable/sick. Cheth has brought up the idea that a living soul is needed to help Phaedra; however, as she is a seaghost, many people would either be too scared or repulsed by her to aid her. And the seabitten were generally treated as needing to fear or be ashamed of their own "afflictions". Pavel and his mother, however, seem to take exception to that rule and are more interested in helping or accepting these afflictions, trying not to let the fear and paranoia prevent them from being charitable. It would be interesting to see how this theme develops more, as Pavel and Phaedra eventually meet. Would Pavel still keep to these views? Or will society....or....something else, convince him to fear them even more. Or worse, would his mother's death make him more frightened of the seaghosts?. I can see a lot of parallels with this theme to the lepers and other people with diseases; people were scared to even interact with the lepers and they were considered "dirty". It is a common and sadly still very prevalent theme in real life to this day.(edited)

7. I have to say....everything. It just sucks you in very easily.

8. The strength is that it reads like an epic, and not just any epic....a true to life one. The story and dialogue flows amazingly and the colours are vibrant. Overall, it's exactly how I imagine a perfect seafaring mythological story; sometimes I feel like I'm watching a film. I will note that one thing LadyLazuli nailed is pacing. She knows which panels to have dialogue and which ones to not. Sometimes we get dialogue and other times we're just....enjoying the atmosphere and the beautiful backgrounds. Hayao Miyazaki once clapped his hands slowly, making sure to leave a pause inbetween. That was ma, the emptiness, where there is no noise, but just the peace to enjoy and savour. Where there is no action needed. I think Lady Lazuli nailed the concept of ma perfectly. Because she lets the readers enjoy her world.

SkewricArt

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it! The backgrounds and color choices are stunning every single time. The page where we first see the fata morgana, with the off whites and ethereal blues looks absolutely haunting to me and it's a favorite (The Archer, 3.26) and the context makes me wanna CRY but that page is so incredible zjsfskf(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Wow, a mountain of words after the first day And all of them extremely kind. Thank you all so much! This has seriously lifted my spirits today

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

You are welcome, Lady Lazuli! I binged in 3 days. oh dear I feel like I was writing a book review more than a Q&A at this point (edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

These honestly feel like book reviews! Extremely passionate book reviews It’s a wonderful sight. And it helps me know what people respond to, and how they respond to it. I will be going back and reading these like direction notes, ohoho~

RebelVampire

What I like about the beginning is kind of how much world lore is snuck in. We learn a lot about Cheth, the state of the sea, how death works, get name drops of other people like Cheline. So without having this long narrative about the world, we get to know a lot about it in the conversation without that necessity. For favorite moment, it's probably when Pavel and Vanna met Halea. Cause I've never seen a scene scream danger at the top of its lungs or feel a child was so threatened by anything. My favorite character at the moment is definitely Pavel. Pavel is just a cute boy who wants to heal the ocean even as most of the adult's around him say "Nah bro dat bad." I also just think it's cute how much he takes after his mother in regards to his appreciation of science. I also just in general like his design. I enjoy(ed) seeing Pavel and Vanna interact the most. They had a super cute parent-child relationship. I like how Vanna kind of balances keeping Pavel in line while also acknowledging that he's ultimately kind of the odd man out both in regards to his physical situation and his beliefs that he shares with his mom. Just all around I love the artworks color. There's a lot of great palettes, a lot of atmosphere, a lot of great contrasts, etc. All around it's just beautiful colorwork that really knows how to make the mood of each scene and character work. As for themes the comic explores, definitely for me science and the opposition scientific pursuits science can face. It's easy to say "But science", but when people are afraid of science or just don't like new ways of doing things, it can become hard no matter how much promise your work has. And I think the comic captures this really well, while at the same time combining more fantasy elements that still blend together really well.

What I like about the comic's overall story insofar is, as a personal bias, the high stakes political plot where people are getting assassinated, souls are being bargained, and so forth. I am a sucker for that since even if it's not the main focus, it adds a sense of danger and high stakes that otherwise would not be presence. For overall strengths, I refer back to the art question. It is definitely the entirety of the beautiful artwork.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Once my work day is done I'm going to comment on some bits of feedback - before other questions come out soon! These observations are tickling my brain. Some are things I haven't even considered before which is extra fun as an author.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Something interesting is that... right now, I'm not entirely sure Cheth is the bad guy? Like, Pavel noted that the red ghosts don't actually attack people. And Halea is definitely all sorts of suspicious, despite being a follower of Cheline. Yet if Cheth isn't a bad guy, he sure didn't make any effort to convince Phaedra of that. So there's a question of who's actually responsible for all the stuff that's going down (all the assassinations, all the attacks, etc).

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Good point! Not only that.....but did you notice that the Fata Morgana has feathers? Kind like how the followers of Cheline do...

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I think the page where Pheadra reveals it's the year of the bonefish was the moment where I was like "oh, I don't think Cheth's bad. I think he's a lonely jerk trapped essentially by himself at the bottom of the ocean with a bunch of soulless dead people." Just the look on his face on this page and the second one make me think that it hasn't been his year in a long time. Or maybe ever XD which would probably turn anyone into a jerk. http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/king-of-the-red-tide/1-10-mark-of-the-bonefish/

And it maybe have also been that I had just finished rereading His Dark Materials when I originally read this but I very much hope at the end all of the Seaghosts are released from the ocean and balance is brought back to death. And I'll stand by my original comment at the end of the chapter still. Still team Phaedra as a Persephone figure at the end XD

I'm looking forward to actually meeting Cheline. Currently I'm pretty anti-Cheline (because I'm a Cheth apologist lol) but I imagine she will also be complex and neither 100% good or bad.

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

@mariah (rainy day dreams) so it was YOU who made that persephone/hades comment!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

And it maybe have also been that I had just finished rereading His Dark Materials when I originally read this

@mariah (rainy day dreams) HDM is one of my favorite series ever so this pleases me MUCHLY. Absolutely a big influence!

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

It’s an amazing book series. For quite a while I imagined what my daemon would have been when I was younger.

mariah (rainy day dreams)

@mariah (rainy day dreams) so it was YOU who made that persephone/hades comment!

Lol yes, that was me XD

@mariah (rainy day dreams) HDM is one of my favorite series ever so this pleases me MUCHLY. Absolutely a big influence!

@LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) It's so good has definitely left big marks on my own writing and I love seeing it's influences other places :3

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I feel Phantomarine storytelling is intricate and expresses the vibe of an experienced creator. Tackling multiple plot points, stringing them into good beats; is tricky but Lady Lazuli pulls it off almost effortlessly.

@Joichi [Hybrid Dolls] This is very kind! This is my first experience making any sort of long-form story, and my first-ever comic but I think my background in animation has given me a crash course in storytelling - how to convey information as simply/quickly as possible while still being impressive and fun to watch. I watch a lot of storyboards all day, so I'm sure that certainly helps! And I don't have any other stories in my head right now, so I guess I'm throwing everything I have into this one. There are still things I’m discovering as I go along, too. I know all the major destinations, but the paths between them are sometimes still a mystery to me. It's like a puzzle I'm solving slowly

6. This might not be a purposeful theme, but in general I've caught a theme of how danger and bad stuff is handled and I love seeing such strength in all the characters. Phaedra with he just outright defiance, Pavel with his positive outlook and Vanna with love and compassion but also with a analytical mind. They all handle tragedy and loss in their own ways and it's very well done.

@Miranda I like this very much. One of the main themes I wanted to cover in the comic is the idea of brokenness. The circumstances that break people, how they react to it initially, how they react to it as time progresses, and how they try to solve it... if they can, or want to. Being threatened by danger and darkness is absolutely a source of fear, and can lead to a broken feeling, so this lines up!

2. Oh dear, there are several to choose from. My favourite one so far is when Cheth asks Phaedra how many people were made into orphans after the war. It was that scene that immediately made me hooked onto the story; a story that went there and isn't afraid to go to that deep, dark place will always get me to keep reading. Another more minor moment was when Eddy was revealed to bully Pavel due to not having his family visit him;

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) YES. I'M SO GLAD.

4. Cheth and Phaedra. There's an interesting power dynamic going inbetween these two; on one hand Cheth is a literal god, and he holds a lot of power. On the other hand, Phaedra has shown time and time again to outsmart him... It's a back and forth game of David and Goliath.

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) I never thought about it like this, but that's absolutely the mood I wanted. A pair of characters in constant conflict, and even though one seems far stronger/scarier, there is more of a balance between them than expected.

6. One theme I'm really interested in and noticed is the idea of paranoia of the vulnerable/sick.

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) A lot of the big emotional segments of the comic are drawn directly from my experience with an illness I developed in my early 20s. I felt like I had lost not just my strength and health, but everything I had worked so hard for. There was also a risk of being physically marked by the illness, so everyone would be able to tell I was sick, and therefore write me off as unreliable or broken. I never meant to write a whole story about that feeling, but it seemed to happen on its own

I will note that one thing LadyLazuli nailed is pacing.

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) I think my pacing is incredibly fast in chapters 2 and 3 but it's only because I wanted to get back to the main story SO badly. But maybe the things I had to cut were unnecessary. I do like to keep the plot moving; with how long the pages take, I don't have much time to lose!

Miranda

(I have to second that pacing comment. You do it so well!)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

For favorite moment, it's probably when Pavel and Vanna met Halea. Cause I've never seen a scene scream danger at the top of its lungs or feel a child was so threatened by anything.

@RebelVampire WELL, GOOD By the time this story is over, I wanted people to feel physically ill whenever they revisited that scene, knowing everything that will happen. I hope I eventually succeed... (edited)

As for themes the comic explores, definitely for me science and the opposition scientific pursuits science can face.

@RebelVampire Ooh! This was unintentional from the start, but is absolutely something I'm exploring as I'm planning the rest of the story. I like where it started to go on its own, so I'll be doing more of it for sure

And it maybe have also been that I had just finished rereading His Dark Materials when I originally read this but I very much hope at the end all of the Seaghosts are released from the ocean and balance is brought back to death. And I'll stand by my original comment at the end of the chapter still. Still team Phaedra as a Persephone figure at the end XD

@mariah (rainy day dreams) I actually have a couple different potential endings in mind, depending on how the plot goes and how audiences react, so... nothing is out of the realm of possibility here for better or for worse!

I'm looking forward to actually meeting Cheline. Currently I'm pretty anti-Cheline (because I'm a Cheth apologist lol) but I imagine she will also be complex and neither 100% good or bad.

@mariah (rainy day dreams) Can confirm no one in this story is 100% good or bad. That is all I will say. As I scream internally.

Okay, that was a lot. More than good enough for now

Deo101 [Millennium]

Okay, so I finally managed to get caught up on this one. I've been meaning to for a while! I don't do very well with questions so I'm just gonna kinda ramble on about how much I absolutely love this so far. The worldbuilding is seamless, it never feels like infodumping even though a ton has been revealed to us. I'm also endlessly curious about everything that's been brought up. The kinds of themes being covered; Light and dark, Death, Nothing being quite as it seems (Cheth being sympathetic, and Halea seeming like she has some dark secrets...), The trickery, The need to do what's right, Just all of it! This comic is making me think, and that's really pretty rare! (For something to get me to think about it and theorize, I need to not get caught up on anything else... The pacing, the visuals, the way the dialogue is written and arranged, it's all very clear and easy to follow. I might not remember all the names, but I know who is who and I know who is being referenced) It made me cry, and I am so excited to see where it's going. It's really hitting everything I love about a good story so far. Really this is incredible. I'll be trying to keep up with the discussion this week!

I only read it once and I went through it pretty fast so forgive me if this is a crazy theory but I wonder if Halea died, and won back her soul? Or, if she was seabitten and traded more than just her eyes so she wouldn't die. I notice all of the seabitten people have red eyes, and hers being glass would certainly hide that. She also specified cremating phaedra, rather than burying her, and I don't know if that's customary or just cause it took so long to find her, but I wonder if it's partially to try and make it harder or impossible for phaedra to return... Not sure if that would do anything but hey why not spill all my thoughts while I've got the chance?

(now after having said that it's time for me to backread and see if i've embarassed myself)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

does mental calculations No, no. This checks out with what's been stated so far. Theory is legitimate! And... is focusing on all the right things

Deo101 [Millennium]

phew lol

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Ayy, you finally read it!

Was it as good as we hyped it up to be :p

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah, Ive been meaning to read it i didnt need to be so thoroughly peer pressured... ;)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Sorry I haven't participated in this book club yet ;; I will before the end of the week, I promise

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Also WOW what incredibly kind words again. Thank you!! And did it really make you cry?? I'm always so confused when people tell me that - I keep thinking there's too little story there yet to cause tears

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah ;a;

I work with children

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Maternal love resonates very strongly with me

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Ohhh god. Um... okay... then.... checks notes Have a bucket ready after chapter... six, ish??

Deo101 [Millennium]

so just the line "I didn't know how much it would hurt. How... how did you handle this pain...?" really got to me

(sorry had to go find it so I could get the qote)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

AHHHH

Yess

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

That scene was a slog to get through. Every penstroke hurt.

Deo101 [Millennium]

and yet you say "I'm always so confused when people tell me that"

-_-

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

for me it was these lines

the obvious ones lol

Deo101 [Millennium]

spoiler that

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Maybe I don't think people are getting as hurt as I am

Deo101 [Millennium]

you dingus

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i did...

Deo101 [Millennium]

oh my god I must have clicked as soon as you sent it

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

you-

Deo101 [Millennium]

sorry I obsessively click while I'm reading things

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

ugh what even is the point of spoiler tags when there are people like you around

Deo101 [Millennium]

people who click every spoiler tag even if they know they dont want whats underneath? or people who click with reckless abandon

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

BOTH

(sorry off topic i will stop now)

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah so anyways back to my theories. I need to remember them now, you DISTRACTED ME.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

your theories were too good, i didn't want to be shown up

Deo101 [Millennium]

ugh. I don't remember but it was something about what must have been used to save pavel. It must have been some kind of a relic like the one phaedra needs (which can complete her and her friends souls, again, This would be assuming that being seabitten involves a part of your soul being taken which I assume to be true), something like phantomarine which repels the seaghosts (This would be assuming that seabiting as a disease is akin to being a zombie, which I am less convinced of because it turns you into a fata morgana- not a seaghost, but there could be some reason for that difference), or something with a sacrifice (goes along with my other theory)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

It's similar with me, I don't often see good parent writing with indie comics. (I'd love to read more on good family writing) So Phantomarine convinced me of Vanna's believable maternal nature. I was counting the pages, and you have a good pacing, it has a good balance of world build with showing in pieces. I'm impressed because I've drawn comics for afew years but it's always a learning process whenever I draw a new series, explore new themes. So I admire your skills(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

Also, Cheth suggested that there is not really a way for souls to come from nowhere. They are consumed by the ghosts or him, And in Phaedra's case she had to split her soul among her friends; they couldn't get theirs back, they were gone. I'm at least partially convinced that The relic will be a way to steal someones soul to restore your own, or that there will be some kind of moral dillemma with needing to feed on other's souls to bring yourself back. I don't think it will be a "and then everyone gets out scott free" sort of deal

again I read it once and really fast so I'm assuming a LOT here sorry if im like. way off base

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

WOA

I love that. I felt like there would be something about relic that was too easy

I really like that theory

Deo101 [Millennium]

continuing the last little bit, I think that there is potential, if it was a sacrifice on his mother's part that he is alive now, that pavel is going to start deteriorating and his seabite will begin to spread. I think I could imagine phaedra giving up the part of her soul she has to restore his or something.

okay im getting crazy now sorry GASJDGKLGJSKLGD

depends on what's gonna happen in chapter 6 that rips our hearts out I guess, doesnt it?

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

hm, i'm not sure phaedra would do that. i think she has too much of an obligation to her country to give up her soul to a random kid?

Deo101 [Millennium]

well theres a lot of development that would happen before then :/ Just a thought!

im not saying "yeah this is what its gonna be"

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i know

Deo101 [Millennium]

but I think phaedra does have a lot of growing she needs to do, in many directions

and. she's also clearly compassionate towards children. who have lost their parents. just. as an addition

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

@Joichi [Hybrid Dolls] My brain is a web of red threads connecting random pieces of paper The first chapter took me about 2.5 years to complete (I was slow... and Photoshop is slow... and work was overtime-y... and crowds are a terrible idea, please don't do them) so it gave me lots of time to build up the story beyond it. And I didn't post it publicly as I went along - I went back and changed a lot of things as I came up with new ideas. It's only now that I feel comfortable enough to say the machine is 'rolling' But there were some elements that I only came up with, like, a week before posting a page?? The Fata Morgana didn't exist for the longest time, for example, and now they're crucial to the plot. But you don't see me mention them at all in the first chapter I'd go back and change that if I could.

Deo101 [Millennium]

not a random kid I thought it was p obvious that hes the living person who would be willing to work with a seaghost

and then they'll get to know eachother and phaedra is gonna be changed by his big heart.. obviously...

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yes of course

wholeheartedly looking forward to them meeting

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

wholeheartedly looking forward to them meeting

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) ...THIS SUMMER

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

ayyy

Deo101 [Millennium]

coming soon

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING

literally

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

STARRING!

A bunch of people who all don't know anything!

Join them in not knowing anything!

Deo101 [Millennium]

hey! all the time and effort more than shows

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

it's a reference to all the dang mystery and complexity in this webcomic!

like dang, claire, why you gotta make us think?

was trying to relax, geez(edited)

not even your characters know what's going on

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

only one does

...sort of

......ish

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Cheline?

Deo101 [Millennium]

probably whoevers doin the dang murders(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

...Keep thinking

Deo101 [Millennium]

omg

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

someone we know so far?

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

nods

...Claire STOP NODDING

IT'S DANGEROUS

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

second guess would be halea, but i don't think she knows about phaedra or about the specifics of vanna's research. third guess Vanna(edited)

hey

Deo101 [Millennium]

guy who died I forget his name and hes not in the cast list(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

maybe that's why you got rid of her(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

wait he didnt die my b he was silenced(edited)

thats my guess

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I still need to read the most recent chapter ahh

Deo101 [Millennium]

im so sorry. fish you lulled me into not spoilering. I'll go edit

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

oop

oh claire left

did one of us get it right

Deo101 [Millennium]

probably me

imagine us elbowing eachother trying to get through the same doorway, here(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Everyone wins. You all get candy.

But no answers

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

cool mail it to me

my address is 2938..

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah i noticed all my theories didnt get answers either... damn. waiting is hard.

fish you've got my address too can you just pass it along, thaaaaanks

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

it'd be cool to read the book club back in like

a year or two

:0

finally a chance to doxx someone

what i've always wanted

Deo101 [Millennium]

I feel like this is implying i'll forget my theories. I wont. they live in my brain now.

literally forgot them in the middle of this conversation

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yeah but i might forget your theories

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Go put 'em in the theory channel where I can't see them. Even though I've seen them now OHOHO

I am literally not allowed in my own theory channel

Deo101 [Millennium]

wait WHAT? you made a channel you couldnt see...????

I would die

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

oh what you can't see the theory channel? always just assumed you lurked there

Deo101 [Millennium]

we are polar opposites I will go off about all my plans if someone even hints at me that they want them

maybe i could learn a thing or two from you.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i would too but no one ever asks

Deo101 [Millennium]

I wont. but I'm sure I could

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I do not! I don't want anyone thinking I've stolen their idea, and I don't want my original plans to be changed... so... Off-limits

Deo101 [Millennium]

That's fair ^^

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i thought you had several plans :0

how are you choosing between them?

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I have told the full story to... um... three people so far? And by told, I mean... screamed at them

I have minor changes I can make to the ending, but the pathway to them is pretty much the same!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

woah, okay!

i don't think anyone would think you stole their idea though

if anything, i think they'd feel smart for getting it right!

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah I'd just be like yesss I was right

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I think, before the theory channel opened, I saw one theory that was spot-on

And I was like you children are smart

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

time to look through chat logs

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

HAHA. Best of luck

Deo101 [Millennium]

but there is a history of some people having literally been sued for ppl stealing their ideas from their fanfics and whatnot

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i've heard if you send an unsolicited pitch to a big studio they will always return unopened partially for this reason

Deo101 [Millennium]

so its safe for you to not see them.. but I would be sad in your shoes. but I can tell that you're definitely not like me in this aspect. Plus your story is really pretty clearly woven very tightly to be a mystery and I have a feeling you want it to unravel in a specific way, where spoilers would actually change how it's percieved.

vs. yknow. spoilers don't change how ppl read my story. so I get it! I hope to one day write a story i need to keep secret tbh

n youre doing a good job of it, clearly

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yee. It's "aaaaaa" now, but I can't wait to be "WOAH" when secrets are finally revealed!

Deo101 [Millennium]

and then the re read party

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

THough to be honest, I'm looking forward most to character interactions, not worldbuilding details

Deo101 [Millennium]

I'm not, I want to know the mystery!!!

I mean im looking forward to the character interactions and all that yadda yadda

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

even just like, "pavel and phaedra meet" is enough to keep me engaged :)))

yeah for me, i don't usually care as much about world details

I'm more like

I wanna see what happens to Vanna!

I wanna see Cheth sad

I want to meet Phaedra's friends

And I want to know everyone's backstories

which is probably not possible to piece together from present plot details

Deo101 [Millennium]

Anyways phantomarine kicks ass and I've already sent it to someone asking them to read it.

also full disclosure I thought that phaedra's name was phantomarine for like a long time

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I am absolutely fine with this.

By Twitter naming conventions she will be Phaedra Phantomarine anyway

Deo101 [Millennium]

I was literally just imagining. one sec.

I need to do an edit. one moment please.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Zelda is a cute boy\

love playing as him

Deo101 [Millennium]

I was gonna edit her introducing herself as phaedra phantomarine but I'm struggling to find the perfect page for it

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Well I'll just have to draw more of her then

I really haven't drawn her looking happy or confident very much yet

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

She always looks so cheerful and sure of herself in concept art

and then in the comic it's like

">:(" "D:"

Deo101 [Millennium]

the range

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

She's just... stressed

A very stressed character

Deo101 [Millennium]

Lord do I feel that

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. In what way do you think Pavel’s story will with connect with Phaedra’s? How might the two help or hurt one another as they pursue their individual goals?

10. Do you believe that Phaedra will succeed in her quest to restore her and her friends’ life? What challenges do you think she will face along the way? Also, what do you think will happen to her even if she does succeed given the shady origin of her death?

11. Why do you think Pavel and Vanna were attacked? What does this have to do with them being given Phantomarine? Also, what might this all have to do with their chance encounter with Halea and the coincidental Fata Morgana attack?

12. What do you think Cheth’s ultimate goals are besides collecting souls? What do you think caused Cheline and Shoshana to banish Cheth during the Fracture, and what might all this backstory have to do with the seaghosts and potentially fixing everything?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Miranda

9. Well I definitely think they will work together to help restore souls...in some way....and I'm thinking Cheth might guide Pavel towards Phaedra, either knowingly or not. Or Phaedra will come to save Pavel. But I think they will work together for the most part and be able to commiserate over their lost parents. Once they get the relic, there might be some tension regarding how it is used. 10. As people mentioned, her soul is split between her friends. I think she'll be able to restore her own soul, but likely at the cost of her friends dying. I agree that the relic Cheth told her about can't be as easy as he made it seem. There has to be some trick to it. I think she's already facing her challenges of trying to help and get help as a partial sea ghost. I think there will be a bigger challenge once she gets the relic for the afore mentioned reasons. I think her coming back will upset certain people significantly. But I don't think know enough about Halea's plan to know just how upset she'll be at that. 11. Possibly, sea ghosts are drawn to Phantomarine, but are unable to get close enough. So they swarm because it's a beacon to them. So while the Phantomarine protected them, it also put them in the line of fire. I'm liking the idea that Halea was seabitten and that ties in to why she has glass eyes, so discovering another seabitten that's survived is going to be very interesting to her. I'm not sure what it had to do with the Fata Morgana attack besides drawing the swarm towards them. From what we've seen, Fata Morgana seem to appear where there are a lot of sea ghosts. But they very well could be Halea's assassins.

12. I think he wants to return/go on land (as he been on land before) and return to his "rightful" place. Maybe they banished him because he was preventing people from passing on properly, so they banished him thinking he would be less able to meddle with the passing on of souls. But obviously that didn't work. I would imagine if Cheth leaves the sea somehow, the souls he's gathered would be able to roam the earth as well, and that could just cause chaos for the living. But maybe it would also require him to leave his souls to pass on finally, leaving the ocean at peace?

Deo101 [Millennium]

I keep thinking about how the sea keeps being referred to as being "broken", and I wonder so much what that means. Could have something to do with the nature of cheth being banished off shore, and perhaps the existence of phantomarine itself? It seems to be linked with the seaghosts and him, and we've already seen prices being paid to gain power, and I assume the price that a god would pay is far steeper than what humans do... And then that leads me to thoughts about why cheth would have been banished. I think he knows something, or his sister wanted more power, or something like that. The people very obviously are dead set against hating cheth and loving everyone else, and I can't help but think how history is written by the Victors..

RebelVampire

My friends, just as a reminder, even if you spoiler tag here (which is fine for the chat), spoilers cannot be hidden in the archives.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Are we not supposed to talk about them? I'm a little confused sorry

RebelVampire

No you can. I'm not gonna stop it. Just saying it as a reminder.

Miranda

I was just spoilering for people that maybe aren't caught up that wanted to read in this channel.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I guess if people read everything after the fact, spoilers will still show up in the conversation's archived state but hopefully no one reading it will be unfamiliar with the comic. At least I hope so. Dunno why they'd be reading the archive and not the comic

Deo101 [Millennium]

Kinda what I was thinking, I was just worried we were being like, edged into "hey maybe stop doing this thing in particular" but idk what that thing would be

RebelVampire

I have no clue why anybody would be reading an archive before the comic, but sometimes people be crazy? XD But again, just as a reminder in case there's super secret information that reveals all.

Deo101 [Millennium]

My theories are too good apparently

I'm kidding. thanks for the reminder!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Your theories are indeed very solid. I didn't intend to write a mystery, but here we are

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Alright! my turn to give this comic more love! 1. The absolute Tension that was created between Cheth and Phaedra, and the fact that we jump right into this conversation involving SO MUCH! It's an incredible way to start off with so much intrigue and suspense as to what happened with Phaedra, her crew, her father, her family- and to have it all tied to a challenge set by Cheth to essentially put all the pieces together- sublime! What a way to kick off! 2. My fave is probably the beginning of chapter 2, with Pavel and his wee adventures and curiosity about the sea. It really gives that light to show just how much potential Pavel has about uncovering those mysteries of the sea he so lovingly interacts with (and on the same hand the one who gave him his pain and purpose). 3. Vanna. Hands Down. She's loving, she's fast acting, and she's someone who holds that ground for characters. I also really love Fata Morgana for her design and her energy. Super chaotic and mysterious hunter of death for the red tide king? sign me up. 4.Lady Halea and Pavel! That was such an interesting moment of her being knowing and foreboding at the same time. I can't wait to see what more of a role she plays in the future! 5.http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-horizon-child/2-1-the-horizon-child/ This is my favourite panel, along with the entirety of chapter 3's colour vibe. Claire has an incredible way to create and lead with atmosphere and design- the characters and world feel so well lived in and alive. Each page is given breath and love, it's astounding to see! 6. I love the theme of honour and accountability that Phaedra leads with in the beginning. Her drive to defeat the wrongs done to her by the red tide king, and her perseverance to do more for those also affected. Pavel and his themes of hope, light, and a second chance also really strike such a chord with me. He's a character that has the power to alter the decisions of those around him for sure!

7. Phenomenal and wonderfully put together. You can instantly tell that this story is going to be a classic with the way it's set up, and with the care and thought of each chapter reading like an epic, Phantomarine has a lot to offer! 8. There are so many to point out, but I definitely want to re-iterate the design. It's insanely solid and so recognisable on it's own. I love the lore and the thought that was out into making this world as alive as it is!

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

9. I think Pavel is more or less a 'bringer of light' I think his decisions will cause major rifts in the story, and help Phaedra through looking at her situation with a different perspective. I think he's a really strong character! 10.I do believe that there is going to be loss and love along the way, like any long journey. The amazing thing about this is the possibilites of their actions, and where Phaedra may actually end up in the end. Her firey personality certainly can be her down fall to a degree, but I think that her goal will be reached in the end, though perhaps not in a way she expected ! 11.Vanna certainly knew more than she let the readers know, and Fata Morgana (and cheth) knew of that potential on that island. Im also feeling like Lady Halea, shady as she is, knew about such a possibility of an attack (but that is based on my own personal hunches !) 12. Cheth misbehaves and he's ready to make some waves in the water (literally ) I think he's ready to strike against his imprisonment, and Phaedra and Pavel are his 'potential pawns' along the way. I don't know if he is really behind a larger part of the plot, tbqh, and think that he's more so an opportunist who's ready to get out of time out. Halea and the gang on the other hand strike me somewhat differently

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Krispyyy these are all so lovely AHH

And some your readings are spot-on I’m so glad

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I think peoples’ reaction to Pavel is such a pleasant surprise. I was very unsure of adding him initially, and some people have said that seeing him right after ch 1 made them worried to keep reading... but he’s absolutely the link between the two conflicting sides of the world. I honestly tried to think of kid characters I liked in various forms of media, and ones I DIDN’T like. I considered him a challenge, and I wanted to do right by him. If Phaedra is the brain of the story, and Cheth is... whatever Cheth is... then Pavel is absolutely the story’s heart. He’s so important.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I did find Pavel as a good refreshing take on the 'energetic boy lead' or deuteragonist in this case. At first I thought he was that usual rascally boy who does what he wants. I think of Hogarth in Iron Giant. But the nice bits of sympathy you put into him, made him a stronger character.(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Hogarth is pretty much a perfect child character in my mind. Still learning, still reckless, but capable of understanding deeper concepts than most would expect. His naïveté drives the story, but not in a bad way.

Deo101 [Millennium]

I absolutely love Pavel. He rings true to the kinds of children i work with, rather than the endlessly annoying types that are for some reason more typically depicted

Granted some kids are annoying but not usually how they're shown to be

Miranda

Oh Hogarth. I love that movie

But yes. Pavel is such a great character. There's so much to him and he's only a child but it doesn't make him seem less childish...if that makes sense

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Yes or you didn't run into the issue of him making adult choices even though he's a child. He feels like a geninine child character. I second with loving Vanna(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I admit at first I thought, oh no, unrealistic child character, but I kept reading to see Phaedra. But then you really proved my first impressions wrong as the chapter went on

Also, Vanna

Vanna's great too

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Pavel has actually skewed a lot more toward Aang from AtlA. He doesn't have this grand destiny on his shoulders, but in terms of his maturity, and trying to see the good in things, that's absolutely him.

And yes, Vanna is absolutely essential to his character. I specifically wanted a scene where she had to turn on the mom face. Pavel's not perfect, even if he's well meaning. He still has to be careful.

Miranda

ya, maybe that's it. He doesn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders like most kids in shows these days. He just has kid problems.

copperine

I love Pavel, he feels very genuine to the world and his life

copperine

He feels very confident and naive at the same time, which is something I relate to (from when I was a child anyway) but I don't see portrayed as well and real-feeling that often

spacerocketbunny

Ok FINALLY JOINING THIS TEA PARTY, here we go: 1. Phantomarine has an incredibly solid start, from foundations to characters to motives, everything is so concrete and CLEAR. We enter in with huge stakes and high tension, it's immediately gripping and very effective! 2. So far is the introduction of the Fata Morgana! The chapter starts pretty tense and it goes from "can we trust Halea?" to "OH NO WE CAN'T AND EVERYTHING JUST GOT 100 TIMES WORSE" Wonderful execution on this scene, it's tragic and all the heavy hitting moments and spot on! Plus I love the FM's design it is just so GOOD 3. My favourite would have to be Halea so far! There's a lot of shifty mystery behind her and I'm super intrigued to see what her business is all about. Also would it be fair to say that the Fata Morgana is an instant favourite at this point? might be soon but have I mentioned that I love that design yet? LOL 4. Cheth and Phaedra I think is just a no-brainer there.The tension, the drama, the high stakes, Phaedra's conviction and Cheth's underhanded tricks, it's all there folks 5. The art is so fluent and feels like a beautiful whimsical puzzle that all fits together so perfectly. The environments are solid and thoughtful, the character's expressions are clear and amusing, it all just goes together wonderfully

spacerocketbunny

There's so MANY strengths for this comic, it's fun, it's beautiful, the pacing is impeccable and the characters are so strong and unique to each other. Everything about it is just so MEMORABLE, there really isn't anything I don't like about this comic. it's the kind of work that you can see getting easily adapted into animation/movies/WHATEVER it just has everything going for it honestly!

I'm not super great with speculating about events and all that but I will stand on top of a mountain to SCREAM MY PRAISE FOR IT

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

SPACEEEEEE

Would you actually like to know something fun about the Fata Morgana? TOO LATE I'm gonna tell you anyway

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

TELL US

copperine

YES

TELL US

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

So just before I had finalized the design of the Fata Morgana, @FeatherNotes(Krispy) had sent me this guest art for the hiatus

And I was like........ that's a freaking awesome motif I haven't thought of. Like a cursed halo.

copperine

a cursed halo.

@LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) yes

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

So... I had the mummy/bandage motif already set, but I knew it needed more. So I slapped some of those rectangles all over the fata morgana as... like... cursed jewelry that evoked the same mood as those divine bands.

SPOILER

ET VOILA

copperine

Omfg

That's incredible

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I couldn't do a full halo, but I could do lots of smaller ones

I loved that idea so much. Like... black bone jewelry, mourning a dead king

And I was like SOLD

So congratulations. Cartridge directly influenced a major design in Phantomarine

copperine

God, I aspire to that kind of thing

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Ditto......damn

and it's one of the best designs too....

okay...gonna try my hand at round 2

spacerocketbunny

YAY OH MY GOSH THAT MAKES ME HAPPY

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

9. I believe that Pavel will be that living soul that helps Phaedra find the relic. But here's the thing....he just lost his mom to sea ghosts. The question is that while he's usually really helpful....would a part of him be scared of the seaghosts, and in extension, Phaedra? Would Phaedra be positively influenced by Pavel too?

Furthermore, Pavel and Phaedra both lost parents in violent ways; Phaedra lost her father last year, while Pavel just saw his mom seabitten and vanish. I think they can gain solace/a sense of camaraderie from that common factor.

10. Even if she does succeed, she'll always have people try to kill her. I wonder....I really wonder....if she'll consider abolishing the monarchy in place of a democracy for the islands. Phaedra seems to want to save everyone, but like other people have mentioned.... what if she can't? I think she's going to lose someone....and if it's not her, it'll be someone

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Ohhmyy gaoihhhgs that is so cool Claire!???? Im so happy that that inspired u to make....the Bae even Bae-er

copperine

@FeatherNotes(Krispy) you're famous

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

11. Halea seriously....she gives me the creeps. And I think the Phantomarine was supposed to protect Pavel and Vanna from being attacked or seabitten. But unfortunately, someone wants to silence them....and Vanna wasn't close enough to the phantomarine to be protected. I think as soon as she saw Pavel was still alive, she didn't like that....that someone who was seabitten hasn't been taken yet.

If she IS in control of the Fata Morgana, or specifically, CHELINE, wouldn't she want more to flow through the ranks. What if they found a treatment, or worse, a CURE for the fata morgana? Doesn't that mean their assassin army could be diminished? What if it meant, I don't know.... less power for Cheline? If there's one thing that the gods in Phantomarine don't seem to like, it's their power being questioned.

12. Deo made some VERY good points. Cheth strikes me as a trickster god....but he's also not stupid. What bothers me is that he's not an omniscient god; he is only tied to whatever the ocean tells him. But like Deo said...what if that's the point, to prevent him from knowing more? Was he banished because he wanted more power? Or was it because he knew too much AND opposed Cheline?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Man... I have a theory for something that might happen later down the line, but it makes me sad

Vanna returns as an assassin

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

I wonder if Cheth/Cheline have had an arms race and they are trying to outcompete each other....somehow. And thousands of years ago, Cheline won. Because she had a mortal on her side. But this time....maybe Cheth is trying to use Pavel/Phaedra as his mortal champions now, just like how the Greek gods used their champions in the Trojan war. Like someone said....Phaedra and Pavel may just be pawns in Cheth's great scheme of things, and maybe he ultimately wants to be free of his chains.

Also....who said that the relic ONLY brings back seaghosts? What if it can bring back Cheth too? Maybe Cheth is just using Phaedra to bring him the relic so that he can escape the sea. Food for thought.

@snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights) with how the panels introducing the Fata Morgana seemed to mirror Vanna's face.....I think you might be right. And she'll try to kill Pavel.

It's a lot easier to kill someone if they're frozen in fear.

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

ok I've only read chapter 1 so far but I'm just bowled over by the sheer beuty of the comic. Going to try for the first round before going on to the next chapters just because I want to gush about it a little.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Snuffy... I had the same thought

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

1. The opening scene is an instant win. The challenge and how the dialogue naturally reveals the stakes and the strengths and weaknesses of both Phaedra and Cheth make for one of the best openings I've ever seen in a comic, print or web. Just amazing. 2. Favourite moment in Chapter 1 was the turning point- right after Phaedra won her bet, and how she crossed a line that leads to a pretty underhanded emotional attack on the part of Cheth. Master strokes. 3. As a favourite character I have to go with Cheth, though I like Phaedra as well. he's just so deliciously sleek and evil, and his shapeshifting and soul possessing are very entertaining- thanks to the wonderful art that illustrates it. Great work. 4. I haven't seen more characters yet than Cheth and Phaedra but their interaction is superb. I will be surprised if I get to prefer another set and not those two interacting going forward. 5. The art shines the most when Cheth does his thing with the various shapes he takes and souls he wears. Going to hold on answering the other questions until I've read some more.

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

Finished reading through, but it's 2 am and I won't be coherent answering questions. Gotta wait till tomorrow but I had to say, what a compelling tale. So glad I got to read it. Bookmarked to stay on for the ride. Congrats!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

You're very kind. Thank you

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

6. I think there's nuance on and about a wide range of issues. From religion and faith to politics and bias, discrimination and the fear of death. Complicated, fascinating stuff. 7. I like how characters feel alive, each with their own agency. I also like how it might come down to a competition on who actually is the villain- don't want to spoil anything. 8. The comic's strengths are many- art, plot and dialogue deliver an engaging story with good suspense. I'm a sucker for suspense, so I'm hooked (edited)

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

9. It seems Pavel might be the living person Phaedra needs, with enough quid pro quo to keep them on the same team at least for a while. 10. I'm not actually sure. I'm leaning towards 'yes' but the story might surprise me. If she resurfaces alive, she will have to deal with plotters in her court for sure, and perhaps uncover truths about their clergy that will be ...let's say at least uncomfortable. 11. I think the attack has everything to do with their chance encounter with Halea, considering the warnings they were given. I also have this inkling that their connection to the throne might be a bit more complicated that the average islander's there, which is why they were told to run and hide. 12. Cheth reminds me of Loki a lot (including the male/female ghost wearing) so I'm assuming he pulled a prank or attempted something that potentially would break the world, or some such thing, which got him banished. I'd expect his goal is to escape his banishment, which might then make him more likely to be a big and deadly threat. The seaghosts I think are connected to him directly which is why he knows everything in the sea, or some such thing. But I'm still forming my own theory on that so I can't say I feel confident making any kind of guess on that!

Once again, congratulations @LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) I thoroughly enjoyed this.:)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

7. I also like how it might come down to a competition on who actually is the villain

@Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight) Ooh. Maybe there are still two! And it’s just a question of who is worse

12. Cheth reminds me of Loki a lot (including the male/female ghost wearing) so I'm assuming he pulled a prank or attempted something that potentially would break the world

@Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight) The Loki/Lady-Loki similarity was something I realized far later than I should have. It’s totally true! Might have been a subconscious influence. I always thought the idea was awesome

And thank you very much again for checking it out!

RebelVampire

Given that Phaedra is basically a ghost and Pavel is basically the only person who likes them, it is destiny he will be the only living person who can help her. However, my impression of Phaedra was that, at first at least, she may be overly concerned with her own goals and kind of forget that Pavel is just an adorable boy who needs help. So I kind of feel why Pavel will help her at first, it won't be a two-way street for a while. I definitely think Phaedra will succeed, but I also definitely think that won't be the end of it. Cause there's clearly a conspiracy to kill her. So sure, she may succeed, but then whoops have to stop corruption and the work is never done. As for challenges along the way, I'm sure there's gonna be some occassional Cheth's appearances of mocking. Mostly, though, I think it's gonna be protecting Pavel from the various dangers of the sea. I'm just gonna go definitive on this one with my theory. Halea is the one who had Phaedra assassinated and Halea somehow controls the Fata Morgana. And when she saw that whoops, maybe no more minions, she had Vanna and Pavel attacked cause they were clear threats of power. Cause Halea's power is entirely derived from the fact the sea is broken. If you unbreak the sea, no more power. So gotta maintain that status quo. As for the Phantomarine, I think it's more that in order to escape the dangers, Vanna and Pavel would probably have to travel far away from the safety of the lighthouses. I think Cheth just wants to be not trapped. I kind of feel like there's some unfairness going on here and that while maybe Cheth wasn't the greatest person, but also probably didn't deserve to be cast into the sea forever. And if I'm honest, I think it probably is what made the world worse than anything else.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Solid answers, all of them. Sometimes the strongest theories are the simplest ones

boogeymadam

Oh nO these ended up so long asdfg my bad 9. They’ll probably be connected by a shared-quest. They can help by retrieving things for each other they couldn’t otherwise. We know Phaedra’s gonna need someone to go on land for her and retrieve that Sacred Relic capable of reviving the dead, so I’d be curious to see if Pavel would need the opposite for some reason. Whatever the case, my vague theory on how they’ll connect revolves around Katja! Simply because she seems like the perfect friend for him (and tbh, anyone). And because Pavel seems to like quite a few Seaghost animals like Salty Joe..... and because petting and playing with a fluffy sweet dog is exactly what Pavel deserves Hurt?? Is a more difficult question. I would imagine it’s Cheth related. So far Pavel has shown a lot of sympathy for Cheth and could almost be considered a fan of him based on the costume he wore to the maritime fair. Meanwhile Phaedra has very personal reasons for despising him. 10. Hmm.. Maybe… All the twists and turns in the story so far have taken me by surprise so I really don’t have a clue what kind of challenges she’ll encounter next, or whether she’ll end the story alive. LadyLazuli doesn’t seem to be afraid of breaking reader hearts (and i say that with love lmao). Almost certainly Phaedra have more challenges involving her dad. I’m very curious to know more about him and if he’s as honorable as he seems. If she succeeds, assuming she learns about Vanna’s Seabite cure from Pavel, perhaps she’ll make that a more widespread thing so Seabitten children aren’t abandoned at the aquifier. However, seeing as she was assassinated (or at least Halea claimed she was) she’d probably have to unravel the mystery of whoever is out to get her before she can safely return to the living life, or risk ending back where she started.

11. My interpretation of the exciting latter-half of chapter 3 is this: The instant Halea learned that Vanna cracked the code to curing or at least strongly delaying Seabite, she made up her mind to have her and Pavel killed. For some reason she doesn’t want knowledge of the cure to spread. Perhaps so she has more Fata Morganas under her control? So meanwhile, knowing how Halea operates somehow, Garth gave Vanna the Phantomarine a means of protection, one that a Fata Morgana would not be able to destroy with a bone arrow perhaps. His reasonings for summoning Cheth are very mysterious to me, but I think someone Garth once cared for, this “Snowbelle”, may have had a positive-enough interaction with Cheth that Garth thought “yeah okay I’ll trust you to help my friends” :0c 12. I haven’t picked up on a clear indication of Cheth’s goals, so I’m pulling this mostly out of my bum, but I think it has to do with his skull. It’s on an island so he can’t reach it (unless the lighthouses go out apparently, http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-horizon-child/2-21-golden-feronia/ ) and Vanna makes it sound like something terrible would happen if he could reach it. His manifesting and wearing all these other souls, but never appearing close to any of the bonefish imagery makes me think he can’t assume that form without his skull being in the water, but maybe that would unlock some other powers too. Maybe that would undo the banishment, and he’d be free to leave the sea. Which is really funny to me that only once he unlocks fishmode, can he go on land lmao. What he’d do once he’s got that freedom tho, who knoooows I kinda think the relic Cheth told Phaedra of could be the skull, but it’s so... huge… Phaedra and her friends would have no means of getting it into the ocean that I can think of. Maybe they don’t need to in order to revive themselves though?

WAIT i sent that and it just clicked for me that seaghosts can go on land but Cheth can't so whether or not the lighthouses go out, that skull's off limits. but still.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

boogeymadam

13. most looking forward to meeting Phaedra's friends and learning more about the world they live in. Every place we see is dripping with character and a unique atmosphere and unexpected purpose, like the aquifier vs. the venue Vanna and Pavel were in at the end of the maritime fair. 14. It's just such an absolute treasure of a comic, one that is immediately so intriguing that I couldn't have stopped after the first page if I wanted to. (And with a premise and style like this, who would want to!) Its tone is whimsical and a wonderful balance of heartwarming and heartbreaking. Makes me feel nostalgic for old animated movies. Also the pacing great! Phantomarine can pour so much progress and into a single bubbly page and then others have thoughtful pauses that allow for plenty of breathing and digesting of that information. Aside from it being just overall enjoyable, it's also great learning material~

Miranda

13. Honestly, right now I’m really excited to see Cheth and Pavel interact. But besides that I’m looking forward to Phaedra and Pavel uniting 14. KEEP IT UP YOU BEAUTIFUL PERSON YOU! WE LOVE YOUR COMIC AND IT BRINGS JOY TO OUR HEARTS. But seriously. It’s a work of art and you are telling an amazing story in a spectacular way.

Ryccomics

I eschewing the prompts I cannot find them anymore. Good: First, love the art, and color scheme. Second, probably the best backgrounds I have seen in a webcomic, they useful for the telling the story. Love the crowd shots, and the people in the crowd being detailed and different. Pavel’s design quite unique. I really adore the self-contained story of chapter 1, it set up main character, their goal very efficiently, and at least temporary villain (we’ll see about that later). Chapter 2 and 3 I was little less keen on, now we are focussing a different set of characters, and I am waiting for the stories to re-converge. Although, the Vanna death(?) scene was very well done. Most of dialogue has this will matter later tone to it. I feel confident the story has a direction, and a route to get there (this very important given the nature of web comics).

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

13. I'm looking forward to Phaedra and Haldea interact. That should be juicy. 14. Just keep on going. You're doing great!

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

13. I can't wait to see the lore unfold in Phantomarine. It's a world that I want to keep exploring along with the protagonists. And I do want to see how the crew would react and cope to being seaghosts and what that would mean for their relationship with Phaedra. And of course, Cheth. I want to see more Cheth. 14. Claire, your webcomic is amazing, and just want to say that you're doing a wonderful job with it. Please keep up the good work, and I look forward to reading and drawing shitmemes for it

eliushi [a winged tale]

Everyone has already said so much more eloquently of what I wanted to say! I also love the very creative use of typography and background art as Pavel ran through the house to escape in the last chapter. Excellent suspense and tension! As always, looking forward to more!!

Jiblish

Ahhhh I’m late but 13. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the threads come together and seeing all the tension that has been building up unravel. It’s always cool, in stories with different viewpoints happening simultaneously. to see them all crash into each-other. More specifically with Phantomarine, there’s so much we feel like we know and don’t know so it’ll be exciting to get more pieces to the puzzle about people’s true identities and intentions as time goes on. Oh, also, I hope my man Garth is doing okay haha 14. I’ve said this before, and people have said it here, but you can tell this story was crafted with love and somebody with the intense desire for good storytelling. It’s wonderful. Keep doing what you’re doing! We’ll be excited for whatever you cook up next

RebelVampire

I am looking forward to learning more about Cheth cause I really feel like there's something deep just under the surface that's waiting to burst out and scream surprise. As for final words, this is all around a beautiful comic with some really interesting lore with lots of detail and thought put into it. And I think that along makes it worth a read even if it's not your cup of tea!

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Im looking forward to seeing how Pavel really develops. I've said in my questions before that I believe he's a character that has the power to alter and change the course of events-! I think he's going to really turn Cheth on his head with these next new pages too. Also, Fata Morgana is DEF a fave, i want to know so much more of her purpose in the cogs and gears that turn the story U-U All in all, i cannot express how much I truly love this comic. I discovered it a while ago and was instantly hooked with the visuals, characters, and power of story. There's definitely a sense that Phantomarine will easily become a classic amongst the webcomic medium, and that it's certainly a work of art to keep tabs on!

eliushi [a winged tale]

I love the comic layout, the colours and the theme of Phantomarine! It really feels like I’m watching a show since it’s so polished with great movement between each panel. I’m super looking forward to all the character developments and unraveling more mysteries

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I wanted to thank everyone for your kind words before this Book Club officially closes up. I've jumped into the webcomic community without much prior experience or exposure, and I've been amazed by the outpouring of kindness and guidance from everyone I've met, including the people here. Thank you for all the encouragement this week - to me, Phantomarine's story is just barely getting started, but to know it's already this well-received is very affirming (and a little overwhelming!). I consider it my duty to deliver a satisfying story from here to the end, and I'll keep aiming for that goal until my job is done. Big hugs from me, and thank you very much for the feature! I'll have a blast looking back on this in the future

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Phantomarine this week! Please also give a special thank you to Claire K. Niebergall for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Phantomarine, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://www.phantomarine.com/

Claire’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/phantomarine

Claire’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Phantomarine_

[connan-l]

Ciconia Phase 1 Ramblings

Well, it sure was a wild ride, but I enjoyed it quite a bit!

The whole thing was very Heavy and Intense and Long and a lot of stuff happened. I’m not sure I really digested everything yet, but I have Thoughts.

GOD I spent so much time writing all of this... At first I just wanted to make a short Twitter thread about it, but it ended up a lot longer than initially... 😔

Those are just some messy ramblings and I don't think I said any more new or interesting stuff than what other people have already said, but I still felt the need to write it down, so...

Ciconia spoilers for Phase 1 and the tips:

So I thought overall it was pretty good and interesting! As someone who didn’t play the demos, I went in completely blind, and it was a nice read. (As such the flood of Okonogi memes some time ago were kinda confusing to me at first lol.)

It was radically different from Higurashi and Umineko, but that was something I expected (Umineko was radically different from Higurashi, after all.)

I’m not sure if it’s going to hit me as personally as Higurashi and Umineko did yet, or even if I’m going to like it as much — I enjoyed Phase 1, and the story is really intriguing, but it’s not quite on the level of its predecessors for now. Then again, it is only the first part of the story so it’s a bit unfair to compare them now, and I remember I was far from being into Higu and Umi by just their first installments too. So I guess I’ll just have to wait for the other phases and see!

On a technical level, this is definitely ones of Ryukishi’s most sophisticated visual novels — with the big animations and sound effects during the battle scenes, of course, but also with the numbers of different backgrounds and the visuals for the Kizuna thing. The sprites are also my favorites from all of Ryu’s games, they have the uniqueness of his artstyle all while being more polished and with really pretty coloring. And the character designs are SUPER GOOD — the best of 07th Expansion works to me (well, I was still a bit disappointed in Vier’s design, though. I mean. She’s just Takano with a lab coat. You could’ve at least changed her clothes or something, Ryu.) The music was the only thing that was... pretty average. It wasn’t bad, there was a lot of neat OST in it... but there wasn’t really anything memorable either (Alright, except for Apocalypsis Ciconia II. This one was dope as hell and it gave me chills.)

I was pleasantly surprised by how good and compelling the worldbuilding was too, as personally I find this peculiar part of Ryukishi’s writing has always been one of his weakest points. I don’t know much about sci-fi stuff admittedly, so I’m not sure how that would be perceived by fans of the genre, but Ciconia’s world is still quite fascinating — the different factions, the technology and selcom stuff, the way childbirth is managed or the history of World War III, all of that was good. Although to be honest, some stuff felt kinda contrived too (like, sure, let’s say the entire history of WWIII is entirely erased, like that we don’t have to deal with the political issues of our current real world lmao), and I don’t know all of the histories of the countries mentioned, so I can’t really tell if some things were insensitive (for example, how Africa was “unified” by a single king felt a bit off to me, but, er... I don’t know...)

The more absurd elements like the conspiracy theories, the chivalric orders or the freaking ILLUMINATI KINGS were pretty hilarious, honestly. I’m... not sure what to make of them. Obviously none of Ryu’s stories were ever going to be realistic (and well, the entire premise of Ciconia is about children soldiers who have the strength of an entire army in one gauntlet, which is ridiculous enough), but knowing him I wonder how much of this is going to be played straight and how much of this is meta stuff. Especially with all the religious/spiritual references (the blue bodies of Evil Miyao and of the gauntlet girls alluding to the Hindu god Shiva, Seshat being a Egyptian goddess, etc.)

I have more mixed feelings about the plot, and especially the pacing. Most of it was okay, but some scenes were really dragging and redundant. Which, isn’t really something new with Ryukishi’s writing, but here especially with the political stuff and the long blocks of exposition it was... kinda boring and hard to focus on it, and after a while it even felt quite egregious. Some of those parts weren’t needed, or at least didn’t need to be that long. Especially given that after the first hours, there were not a lot of more peaceful moments that would give the player time to breath. 

Which is another one of my complaints: a lot of intense things happened, but the narrative rarely give you the time to actually digest those things, especially in the second part of the story. It often pretty much felt like “X event happen > Discussion of X event between the characters > Y event happen > Discussion of Y event between the characters,” and this without any breaks (with the exception of some exposition here and there in between, of course). The events, discussions and characters were interesting enough to more or less keep my attention, but it still felt like too much at times. Part of this may be volunteer, as it put a stressful and opressive feeling on the reader (God, the clock and quotes between each chapters stressed me out a lot lol), and after a while I really felt like I was kinda suffocating with all of this like the characters — but even so I think it would’ve been better to give us some pauses here and there. Which is something we could have had with, say, the tips. I thought it was a shame all of the sixteen tips could only be read once the main story was over, because the narrative could have really benefited from having them fit into the plot or in-between chapters, like in Higurashi.

Also, I know Ciconia wasn’t exactly marketed as an horror story unlike the other WTCs, but hoo boy, I think some of the sequences in it are honestly among the most gory and disturbing things Ryukishi wrote? I haven’t read Iwaihime or TRianThology, so I can’t really say for sure, but damn, those human factories really are big nightmare fuels...

Now, I think the most tricky parts and the ones who are gonna get the most criticisms are, likely, the whole political and military stuff. Ciconia is probably Ryukishi’s most political and provocative work so far, maybe on par with Rose Guns Days — not to say Higurashi and Umineko are not political, they definitely are, but here it truly is in-your-face. Which is not a bad thing, per se, but... let’s say it all depends on how Ryukishi handle and criticize all those stuff down the line in the other installments, when so far it’s been... meh?

Like, the whole military stuff, specifically, was... shaky, at best. The thing with fiction that portray militaries with soldiers as their main characters is that they walk a thin line between just portraying this thing and actively glamorizing it. The narrative was definitely critical of some of it (lol the whole massacre at the end was very obviously there for a reason), and I appreciate Ryukishi often makes a point in his stories to frame a problem with different persepectives... but the whole “healthy military balance” and “Walls of Peace” thing was still iffy, and I’m... unsure about how much of it is going to be criticized within the narrative in the end. Now, again, it is just the beginning of the story, and Ryukishi has always been good at presenting a thing at the start for later on tearing it down to pieces, so... I don’t know.

It’s way too early to decide what kind of themes and messages Ciconia is going to have, so here too I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m just a bit wary given some things that were in RGD were... definitely questionable. Now I actually think Ciconia got to a better start than RGD, but... well. I’m also not really someone who know much about these stuff, so I’m not the best placed to talk about it, but it’s definitely something worth to be under scrutiny.

On the more positive side, there were times where some things felt really, really real, as well as pretty in tone with some of today’s social issues. Like all those news about the terrible things going on in the world and that a war can happen anytime, the military propaganda to recruit young people who “want to fly” in the army but who just end up killing each other, or the feeling that these kids have about how in the end they’re just powerless pawns  who can’t do anything used by selfish old men... I saw someone said Ciconia was basically Fuck Boomers: The Game, and... yeah. Yeah, that’s basicaly it lmao. All of the adults being assholes is not new in WTC or even in Ryukishi’s works in general, but here it was definitely a big theme. God even the whole thing at the end about how the planet is dying and that everyone knows it but people just don’t care about it... lmao, if that wasn’t directly referring what we’re living right now with climate change, I don’t know what is.

I just really loved too the way the game was sort of sold as this “cool sci-fi battle royal,” but in the actual story all of those kids are desperately trying to not kill each other, until the very end where everything just goes to hell.

I said it before, but there really was a huge feeling of suffocating and being powerless the more and more you reach towards the end, and the way everything culminated in this huge massacre truly sent shivers in my back. I know at some points I could really feel for the kids who were like “Well, fuck it, let’s just let all those awful people kill each other and the world get destroyed.” The final scene with the Christmas party was really powerful and also so uncomfortable to read, it was really well done.

Otherwise, if there was one work I wasn’t expecting to scream “LGBT+ rights,” it was Ciconia, but here we are I guess lmao. Honestly, that entire conversation was super neat, not just in a “Oh it’s great they acknowledge gay and trans people exist in a positive way,” but also because it really adds a lot to the worldbuilding. I remember some people talking about it when a similar thing happened in the comics of The Legend of Korra, and honestly more stories should do that, not just in term of representation but because, well, it’s just good writing to put this much thought in your fictional world. The conversation in itself was a bit clumsy (GAYS DON’T FUCK), but it also felt very sincere and a pretty believable discussion a bunch of teenagers with very different backgrounds could have on the subject (and I really loved the narrative acknowledge how different cultures and religions feel about those topics, without it being judgemental.) I’m also thankful it was here at all because of the, uh, gay jokes made about Miyao and Jayden early on that were a bit tasteless to me.

(Now it would be even more great if we could have actual canon gay and trans characters too. Ryukishi... please...... I beg you........)

And of course, the characters were also really good! 

It was so nice to have such a big diverse cast all constituted of likeable characters, and I was honestly impressed Ryukishi managed to handle it. That was something I was wary of when the game was first released, but in the end I think he did a good job so far. Of course, that’s only from my point of view, so I can’t say if other people found there were some things he did badly or that was offensive...

But personally, I honestly love all of the Gauntlets kids so much. They’re all so good and charming! And I kinda want to adopt them all lol.

I think my favorites for now are Miyao, Gunhild, Naima, Rethabile, Chloe, Koshka, Rukhshana, and Lingji... But like I said, they are all really good it’s hard to choose!

However... when it comes to their writing I felt Ciconia went in the continuity of Rose Guns Days and concentrated more on the plot than the characters, and that’s something that... honestly bother me a bit. I liked RGD, but Ryukishi’s writing is still at its strongest when it comes to very human, character-driven narratives, like Umineko and Higurashi. Like I said, I love all of these kids a lot, and some of them have pretty solid characterization and screentime... but in the end a part of me still feel like we didn’t really... get to know them much, if that makes sense? Even with the main ones, like Miyao, Jayden or Gunhild — most of their scenes were principally focused on the Plot Stuff, and not much about them as people.

I know there are a lot of folks who criticize the slice-of-life parts of Higurashi and Umineko, where there are lots of scenes of just the characters spending time with each other or goofing around and that don’t do much to advance the plot — and in a way I understand that, because yeah, some of these scenes can be pretty long to get through and drag the pacing. But personally, I always thought those sequences are very important. Even if some of them are admittedly unnecessary or are a bit too long, they’re really needed to humanize the characters and make you invest in them  — which was something that was a bit lacking in Ciconia. Basically I guess I’m saying the VN needed more slice-of-life stuff, and that rejoin with what I said earlier — that including some of the tips in the plot here and there instead of putting all of them at the end would have really helped with that.

Now, that said, again I’m aware this is just the first part of the story. I understand Ryukishi needed to have all of those exposition blocks and truly pose the basics of his story first and foremost. So I’m really hoping that after that he’ll be able to focus more on its characters  — especially on those who got almost no screentime, like the Yeladot Shavit and Cairo Squad girls. Having characters and human grounded moments is especially important in a story where war is a big focus like Ciconia.

Now, on the characters themselves... 

Miyao was a really charming protagonist, and I love him a lot! He was so endearing to me during the whole story. He was instantly more likeable as a male protagonist than Keiichi and Battler, where it took me some time for them to grow on me — principally because, well, Miyao don’t have the shtick of sexually harrassing the female characters around him, which was profoundly annoying in the other WTCs. I loved his serious but caring and friendly personality, his friendship with Jayden and Gunhild and with all the other kids, and his anger against the adults trying to use him and the others. His relationship with his father too was interesting. His interactions with Evil Miyao were also pretty intriguing, even if I’m not sure yet what to think of him being a “murder program” or about what even is Evil Miyao. 

Now, the only thing I am on the fence about him is... his whole DID thing and Meow. Like, on one hand, I think it is neat to have a likeable protagonist with a named mental illness, and the narrative felt sincere on not wanting to present this as a bad thing and just a part of who Miyao is... but on the other hand, there were all the jokes made as a result of this, which made the whole thing pretty awkward to me. Furthermore, there’s the problem that this “CPP” thing is not really DID, as if I recall it doesn’t actually seem to come from any trauma-related reason, and is almost a made-up condition? It kinda gave me Kara no Kyoukai flashbacks, in which Shiki, the protagonist, also has an alter, but it is not as a result of trauma or anything — it has a fantasy explanation. And, I mean... An author taking an actual, real condition that a lot of people have to bend it at their will to fit a story isn’t super cool, especially if you’re going to make some jokes at its expense... The other kids calling out Jayden on how he didn’t act properly with Miyao about this was nice though. (Also, now that I think about it, did Miyao just... randomly told all of the other gauntlet knights about it? Wasn’t it said that “CPPs” were something most people didn’t like to talk about? It’s a bit odd.) Plus there’s also the fact Miyao is possibly a “program” and it adds another layer of not-so-great stuff... So I’m just really wary of how Ryukishi is gonna handle this going forward...

Those problems aside, Meow herself was... fine. She’s cute, but she doesn’t really have much going on for her. She and Jayden are dorks together and their scenes definitely made me smile, but their relationship still felt kinda shallow so I don’t have much feelings about them as a couple (like, it’s just that to me Miyao and Jayden have a lot more chemistry and have been friends for quite some time, so it’s just odd that he instantly decides to date Miyao’s sister whom he just met. And, also, he was definitely flirting with Miyao before meeting Meow, too.). It was also pretty jarring the way she just... almost disappears once the war stuff began, so in the end I had this disagreeable impression that she really was just here to be Jayden’s girlfriend, and not as a character on her own or to develop Miyao more...

Jayden was pretty neat too! He’s a character that could be “yikes” pretty easily, but in the end he really did come across as a awkward but kind teenage boy who may be clumsy at times but is still trying his best. In fact, I really wish Ryukishi had wrote Keiichi and Battler more like Jayden. It was nice in general that none of the guys in Ciconia acted inappropriately towards the girls (with the exception of Toujirou, I guess. The way he acted towards Valentina especially made me go “ehh dude please no.” Like I know the LATO girls are said to be older than the other kids so they’re probably 18 or something, but still, it was a bit ugh... But even then it wasn’t something that was too overt, so it didn’t bother me too much), because some of Keiichi and Battler’s antics towards the female characters was something that annoyed me greatly. Don’t get me wrong, I did end up liking Keiichi and Battler despite this, they’re both good kids at heart — but it’s possible to write horny teenage boys without them ~comically~ sexually harassing the girls around them, if you feel me? Aside from that, I like that the story made a point to show that Jayden is actually a pretty lonely and kinda socially awkward kid just like Miyao, and that’s why their friendship work so well. On the other hand, though, his character mostly only turned around Miyao and Meow, and so we didn’t get much of him as a person? Which is a bit disappointing as he is meant to be one of the main kids, so I’ll hope he’ll get more interesting later on.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GUNHILD, she really intrigue me! I wasn’t expecting to love her so much — for the most part I thought she was okay but nothing more... though now that I finished the story, she’s probably my favorite character for now? Her scene in the restaurant with her sibling, and especially the tips focused on her, really got to me. I loved her cool personality and her backstory was really interesting, as well as her relationship with Miyao and Jayden. She seems to honestly like and care for both of them, but at the same time resent them, and the way she obviously have a lot of pent-up anger towards the world and some self-hatred make her a truly compelling character. I’m pretty intrigued by Maya and her relationship with her too. She’s honestly one of the characters towards who I look forward the most, and I really hope Ryukishi will deliver on her. 

Chloe has definitely a lot of Rena Vibes, so of course I was going to love her lol. Although honestly for now I find her mostly... confusing. She’s obviously really fucked up (CHLOEVIL), and she made me pretty nervous during the entire story because there was this “Okay so when is she going to snap?” kind of tension with her. And her last scene with Lilja gave me chills... At the same time, her kindness and caring nature as well as her friendship with Koshka, Lilja and the  others felt genuine, so it was an interesting contrast. Other than that I wasn’t a fan of the running gag of Okonogi hitting her whenever she mess up (or do not mess up, for that matter)... Like obviously Okonogi is meant to be a Bastard, but the thing being presented as comical made me go :/ I really wish it’s going to stop.

Koshka was cute and also Extremely Relatable in a lot of ways (I, too, would rather spend my time playing silly games on my phone rather than socialize lmao). I love her a lot, and like Gunhild she really fascinate me. I like the fact that she’s meant to be an asocial, cold person but that at the same time it’s pretty easy to see glimpses of the affection she has for Lilja, Chloe or Miyao, and how she’s actually a deeply traumatized and angry teen. I’m pretty intrigued by what kind of “crime” she must have committed and how she ended up being an “equipment”... Not sure what to think about her super brain or the thing about her being some sort of “chosen one” lol. It sounds really shady.

For Lilja, I have to say I wasn’t exactly fond of her at first, but then the small moments we got with her where she obviously care a lot about Koshka and Chloe still got to me. That scene in the tips where she fiercely defends Chloe made me go “awww.” She really give me the impression of being the sort of person to hide her vulnerability behind a tough façade and her odd tics, and in that way she’s pretty similar to Koshka, which is how their friendship feel really special. The revealation at the end that she’s probably faking a lot of her personality and of her friendship with Koshka because it’s an assigment made her and her relationship with Koshka a lot more interesting to me, and I hope it’s going to result in a lot of compelling character stuffs.

Lingji was great! She’s pretty cool. I liked her optimism  and her will to do the right thing, and how that actually cover the fact she’s a pretty fragile and sheltered person. Her scene where she break down after her grandfather’s death is really illustrative of this especially, and where I really felt for her too. I think she’s the most interesting character in term of possible development. I quite enjoyed her friendship with Miyao too, but here again I wish these two had gotten more moments together. Like, how much more impactful the scene where Miyao kill her would have been if we had actually seen these two have some intimate moments before? But, oh well...

Aysha was really cool too, and I especially loved the way her sharp and down-to-earth personality contrast to Lingji’s idealism. The moment where she calls out both of her teammates was super good. Momotake was okay, and I love his intense admiration for Lingji (I’m a sucker for male characters really looking up to cool female characters lol)... but otherwise I felt he was honestly the most stereotypical character of the bunch — especially compared to Lingji and Aysha.

NAIMA IS THE BEST, SHE’S MY BABY I LOVE HER SO MUCH. She was my favorite before I even start the game because of her design alone (SHE’S THE CUTEST CHARACTER RYU EVER DESIGNED OKAY), and I wasn’t disappointed from seeing her actual personality. She’s not especially complex or anything for now, but she has a lot of potential. I loved her relationship with Naomi and Stan too — it kinda felt like two older siblings looking after their annoying youngest one reluctantly, but who still have a lot of affection for them. Also she’s such a little badass, I literally cheered out loud during that rescue scene or during the last battle scene where she screams she wants to protect all of her people. I want more of her in Phase 2 pleaaaase!

Naomi was really overshadowed by Naima and Stan, so as a result I don’t have much to say about her. I think she’s cool, and her backstory about how she apparently lost a lot of her memories and emotions is interesting, but again I can’t say much given we barely see her at all. Stanisław was a good boy, but despite the fact we see him a lot during the story, I... don’t really have a lot of thoughts on him? I liked his implied friendship with Gunhild as them being death metal buddies, but we didn’t actually saw them interacting at all, which was a shame.

Rethabile was the coolest character of the cast, I love her dearly! I like how she can be so adorable and such a dork but at the same time she’s probably the one who has her shit together the most out of all the kids. I feel she really has a good grip on politics and how the adults just want to use them compared to the others — which, well, isn’t all that surprising given she’s literally a princess. The scene with her brother’s death was pretty harsh, and I’m sad they didn’t really... put much attention to her reaction to such a traumatic event. I know the plot hadn’t time for that, really, but I feel even Lingji got more focus when her grandfather died, so I wish we had more of that with Rethabile too.

Ishak and Abdou... well, they didn’t really get much time for them either. They seem like nice dudes, and I really love their relationship with Rethabile, how they tease her quite a bit but there’s still obviously a lot of complicity and respect among them. So I hope we’ll get to know them more, especially on an individual level — as for now they were only present as a duo.

The LATO girls were... interesting too. I especially love Valentina, because she really give me Bad Bitch vibes and I love bitchy female characters lol. It’s pretty clear she has some Secrets and I’m really curious about her goals. As for Maricarmen, I thought she was mostly going to be comic relief like the Yeladot Shavit, but towards the end she actually showed some interesting depth so she did grew on me quite a bit.

And then there was just the teams no-screentime lol. Alright, I guess Suparṇa did get some time, and Rukhi is ones of my faves, but they still were really sidelined. I liked Sujatha, she’s such an uptight idiot, and her scene towards the end where she says she was aware that Miyao’s plan was doomed but still played along for Lingji made me kinda emotional. Rukhshana is the cutest and the greatest — I really liked her personality, how she can be extremely shy but then also completely goof around when she actually trust the people around her. And that moment at the end where she just say to her superiors to fuck off was glorious and one of my favorite scenes. Her relationship with Sujatha and Andry is adorable too. Andry himself was also... not present at all, but I really love the small glimpses of him we have seen, he’s pretty cool. I like how he sincerely seems to care a lot about his teammates despite his aloof character (him protecting Rukhi when their superiors try to hit her at the end was sweet.)

Still, Suparṇa wasn’t sidelined as much as Yeladot Shavit and Cairo Squad, though. I mean, I do like those girls — I adore Gannet because she’s cute as hell, Noor seems cool and Mariana intrigue me, but I can’t actually say much about them. Leah, Fatma and Stephania were also mostly comic relief except for one or two scenes towards the end. So I really hope Phase 2 will remedy to this, ‘cause I want more of these six, definitely!

I’m not sure I have a lot of thoughts about the adults characters quite yet — GERMAN TAKANO cracked me up, but she’s just as great as her Higurashi counterpart for now, and I always trust Ryukishi to write good Terrible Women. Especially Terrible Mothers, which is one of my personal weaknesses. Though I guess it’s not actually been confirmed she’s Miyao’s mom? It’s heavily implied, but we all know Ryukishi love to troll his audience so I wouldn’t put it past him that it is in fact just a red herring, but well, we’ll see I guess. 

Toujirou is obviously a bastard, but he’s an interesting one, and I have no fucking idea what is going on in his head. Like it’s interesting that on the one hand he seems to genuinely care about his son, but on the other hand he has no problem manipulating and screwing him over (and the implication of Miyao being maybe just a program is... ooof.) Okonogi was... a bit less worse than in the other WTCs, I guess? He obviously care about the kids in his own way, and him defending them at the end was nice... but I still can’t really feel anything but contempt towards him. He’s still a pretty bad instructor, and like I say, I’m really not a big fan of the way he treats Chloe at all, even if it’s meant to be “comical.”

The Three Kings mostly made me laugh to be honest, and they’re more plot devices than actual characters for now so I really don’t care about them (a part of me even wonder if they “exist” at all, because, you know, meta stuff). I absolutely LOVED Jestress on the other hand! I have no idea what’s the deal with her, whether she’s Lambda or whatever, but she’s really intriguing and her design is top notch and I want more of her. Seshat was so fucking cool and I don’t have much thoughts about her yet other than I wanna marry her.

And that’s pretty much it!

I’m not really good at predictions or at throwing theories around (sorry, Ryukishi), so I’m not sure what to expect for the rest of the story. I guess my only thoughts are that the moles are probably Gunhild and/or Chloe, but then they seem like obvious candidates, so I don’t know. I kinda suspect Valentina too, because, er, I do not trust her at all and she just have that traitor vibe. 

I really hope too that we’ll have time loops here again instead of a linear story because... well... I don’t wanna these kids to die okay... I also know that Ryukishi said Ciconia is only going to have four parts, and that’d make sense given how long Phase 1 was... but a part of me still kinda hope we’ll have a bit more... I guess it’s just that only four phases seems really little compared to the density of the story, and I’m really hoping he’ll have the time to develop well all of his narrative points and characters...

In any case, I think my thoughts on Ciconia for now pretty much get down to: it’s interesting and it has the potential to be a really great story, even if it’s far from being flawless and that I’m still very wary about how Ryukishi is going to handle some elements in the future.

But I’d definitely recommand it to people who love 07th Expansion stuff and sci-fi stories, and am very much looking forward to Phase 2!

[eviesmyspiritanimal]

Genevieve Labrador Chapter 4

Summary: Evie and Mal are looking for Mal’s spell book that Celia has stolen again when a certain mishap occurs… A hairy mishap that Mal and Evie very unfortunately have to deal with. Bal, Huma, Jaudrey, Jarlos, and Core Four feels with a special emphasis on Evie and Mal’s sisterly/best friend relationship.

  “I cannot believe that we’re seriously doing this. I am not somebody’s pet!” Evie indignantly announced to the two girls as they headed into the pet store, Evie close beside Mal. Uma just groaned loudly, throwing her head back in pure frustration as she listened to Evie’s whine for what felt like the thousandth time.

  “You’re Mal’s pet. Now shut up before people start staring!” Uma commanded, and Evie closed her mouth, throwing Uma a nasty look.

  “I really hope we don’t run into any cops, because I’m pretty sure there’s a leash law,” Mal nervously expressed, and Evie pressed her nose against Mal’s knee gently in an expression of reassurance.

  “What? You didn’t use that remembering spell on all of the laws of Auradon like you used it on the spells in your very much illegal book?”

  Mal just stared at Uma, glaring at the other girl with her eyes narrowed as she resisted the overwhelming urge to growl under her breath.

  They entered the pet store, Mal holding the door open for Evie as they went in. The place was sleek and crisp in its modernity, and Mal couldn’t help but admire the setup. There were several people around with dogs of all shapes and sizes, all inspecting the varying pet products. There was a grooming area on the nearest corner to the door, and Mal’s eyes widened as she spotted an employee shaving a dog.

  Apparently, Uma must have spotted the same part of the store as Mal had, and her entire face lit up in an enormous grin as she moved her gaze down to Evie.

  “You feel like a little trim today?” Uma suggested nonchalantly, and Evie’s eyes were wide and her jaw was dropped in the midst of her pure horror at the very idea of looking anywhere near the way that the poodle not too far from them was looking as the woman shaved the fur around her hips.

  “Okay, Uma, I think you’ve successfully traumatized her,” Mal cut in, trying to guide Evie along as she reached down and pulled at Evie’s shoulder. Evie finally spurred herself into motion as she absentmindedly walked with them, her gaze still locked upon the poor victim of a dog that was getting clipped.

  They approached the boy nearby that was stocking the shelves, his back to them, and Mal cleared her throat, getting his attention. The boy turned to face them and Evie almost found herself drooling at the very sight of him.

  It was Leo, the very handsome, very well-muscled son of Hercules, and also known as the boy that could make any girl swoon with just a slight flash of those perfect teeth. Those gorgeous violet eyes and that thick, brown hair made Evie a little weak in the knees despite herself.

  “Hi,” Mal greeted, completely unfazed by his obvious charms.

  “Hey! What brings the Queen to my part of town?” he flirted nonchalantly, and Mal felt Evie leaning hard against her leg in what was almost a faint as her tail wagged ridiculously hard. Uma angled her head toward Mal a bit, her mouth nearby the purple-haired girl’s ear.

  “I’m beginning to rethink the whole Harry Hook package,” Uma mumbled to Mal, unashamedly looking Leo up and down as she regarded him. Mal rolled her eyes, knowing that Uma wasn’t serious and was quite possibly the most loyal person in that she would never desert Harry or any of her friends. Mal knew Uma was just enjoying looking at the boy. Even Mal could see that he was incredibly good-looking.

  “Well, we are looking for several things. We need a leash and a harness. We also need to talk to an employee here. She’s an older lady?” Mal requested, hoping that Leo would have at least a bit of an idea of where things were.

  He blinked at her, and he looked down at the box nearby him before he smiled.

  “Here’s a leash and a harness, but if you want more variety, check Aisle Six over there,” Leo pointed in a vague direction somewhere on the far-left corner of the store. Mal nodded slowly as she observed the leash and collar. It was a startling shade of bright pink, which Mal knew Evie wouldn’t go for. If she was going to have to be dressed in dog-wear, then she would want her apparel in her colors.

  “And the old lady that you’re talking about is Heather, and she’s off today,” Leo informed them, his hands in his pockets as Mal took that in with some disappointment.

  “Oh, well,” Mal started to turn away so that they could head toward the aisle he had mentioned, but it quickly occurred to her that she could see if he could give her any information.

  “Hey, do you know about dog-friendly human food recipes?” Mal tried. Leo shrugged his shoulders with a crooked smile. If it was at all possible, Evie’s tail wagged even harder at the sight of his grin.

  “I don’t know much about that, I’m afraid,” Leo informed her, and Mal nodded, resigning to text Carlos about his recipes before they informed Harry and Gil about what to get.

  “Well, thank you anyway. I guess we’ll head over there and see what we can find,” Mal informed, moving away with Evie close beside her.

  “No problem! Make sure you get that dog on a leash, though. It’s a fine one, and you wouldn’t want anything to happen to it,” Leo suggested before turning back to his work.

  As soon as they were out of earshot and eyeshot, Evie let out a dreamy sigh before dropping to the tiled floor.

  “Evie? What are you doing?” Mal questioned, and Evie just smiled dopily up at her.

  “He said I looked fine,” Evie explained, her eyes practically sparkling. Mal just rolled her eyes and reached down, trying to drag Evie up.

  “That’s just it. ‘Fine.’ Not good looking or anything,” Uma piped up, but Evie was too absorbed in her own infatuation to consider Uma’s comment.

  “C’mon. I think you got a bad case of puppy love,” Mal informed her and Evie hesitantly stood up to walk with her, her tail still moving in that ever-present wag that it had been having since she spotted the boy.

  The three entered Aisle Six, their eyes wide as they gaped at all of the dog accessories. Evie grinned widely at all of it, completely dazzled by the amount of possibilities.

  “Look at all the stuff,” Evie spoke, her voice conveying just how amazed she was feeling.

  “I want this!” Evie quickly cried, hurrying over and sticking her nose to a red harness with decorative spikes as her tail wagged furiously. Mal strolled over and took it off the hanger easily, smiling at her best friend’s enthusiasm.

  Evie then bounded over to the leashes, marveling at them for a moment before she grabbed a matching leash between her teeth and tugged it down to her level. However, she accidentally broke the hanger in the midst of her effort, and it went clattering down to the floor. Uma and Mal’s eyes widened as Evie stared at the hanger in shock.

  Uma then edged over and kicked the hanger underneath the shelves. Evie looked up at her strangely, and Uma shrugged.

  “Y’know, hide the evidence,” Uma chuckled nervously and backed away so that she was standing next to the faerie.

  Uma looked around carefully, checking for anybody that could have seen them knock it down.

  “We need a collar,” Uma suddenly announced, completely deadpan. Evie glanced up at her, shaken from her stupor as she attempted to find out what Uma was planning.

  “Why do we need a collar?” Mal asked, and Uma’s lips curved in a wicked grin. Evie’s tail drooped as she realized that Uma was surely about to suggest something positively humiliating.

  “Because look at that!” Uma pointed eagerly, and Mal followed her finger to see a dog tag dispensing machine. Evie’s ears laid back, and she looked at Mal desperately, hoping she’d save her.

  “M, now that’s just adding insult to injury,” Evie expressed and Mal looked down at the dog apologetically before heading over to the tag machine.

  “I’m sorry, Evie, but it really might not be such a bad idea to get some physical identification for you just in case.” Mal pressed a few buttons on the machine, getting ready to type Evie’s name and Mal’s phone number.

  Uma leaned against one side of the machine, watching Mal type before she smiled widely and glanced at Evie.

  “You know, we could put Mudball as your name and you couldn’t do a thing about it,” Uma mentioned, and Evie sat directly next to Mal, looking up at her best friend faithfully and knowing that she wouldn’t do anything like that to her.

  “You want the tag in gold, red, blue, pink, black, or green?” Mal questioned, moving her gaze to the dog resting at her feet.

  “Gold, please. It’ll match the leash and the harness we’ve already got,” Evie requested, and Mal tapped a button.

  “Okay… Type my phone number… And it should be ready,” Mal announced before swiping her credit card. After a few moments, the tag was dispensed, and Mal held up the shiny, heart-shaped gold tag.

  “Now, let’s get a collar,” Uma excitedly told her before hurrying back into the aisle. Mal furrowed her brow as she approached Uma from behind.

  “Why are you so excited about this?”

  “I don’t know. Something about the humiliation that comes with being an official pet with a tag and everything,” Uma explained herself, unable to keep her monstrous grin away. Evie came over and touched a red spiked collar with her nose.

  “This is the only collar I can agree to,” Evie begrudgingly spoke, and Mal took it. They then left toward the front of the store and approached the cashier. Once they paid for the items, Mal knelt down in front of Evie, and clasped the collar around her neck. Evie touched her cold nose to Mal’s hand fondly and Mal smiled slightly before taking the harness.

  “Okay, E, help me out here, because this might be a little tricky,” Mal told her, and Evie nodded subtly. After all, there were people around, and they were trying to be at least a little surreptitious about Evie’s ability to speak.

  Mal held out the holes and Evie stepped in carefully. Mal then connected the harness together across her back before clipping the leash onto the harness. After that, Mal finally slid the tag onto the collar before standing up with a smile.

  “You look cute,” Mal complimented and Evie’s tail wagged happily at the praise. Mal then handed the leash to Uma carefully. Uma raised an eyebrow, confused at the sudden handover of responsibility for dealing with the dog.

  “I’ve got to use the bathroom. You hold onto her for a minute. I won’t be too long,” Mal assured her before leaving toward the restroom. Uma and Evie shared a glance before Uma started to look around the place as they waited. Her eyes skimmed over several rather uninteresting parts of the store until her gaze fell upon a certain booth toward the right.

  She scanned the name that was above the table and she smiled widely, starting over toward it as Evie followed along trustingly.

  However, when they got really close to the booth, Evie stopped, her paw-pads dug into the tile of the floor as she realized where they were going.

  “Uma, what are we doing?” Evie questioned, and Uma just tugged at the leash as she started trying to drag her.

  “We’re getting you microchipped,” Uma informed her as she pulled the dog across the slick floor. Evie started trying to scramble backward, but Uma’s strength coupled with her better grip on the floor left Evie on the losing end.

  “No way!”

  “Yes way. After all, Mal said that we should have physical identification just in case,” Uma wickedly spoke, and Evie started putting even more force into getting away.

  “No! I’m not a dog!” Evie cried, completely forgoing any sense of quietness as everyone started to turn and stare at the pirate captain that was currently dragging a talking dog across the store.

  “You look like a dog to me,” Uma expressed as she finally reached the table. She placed her elbow on it as she leaned hard, putting her weight into keeping a hold on the dog.

  “Okay, I want my friend’s dog microchipped.” Uma kept a tight hold on the leash as Evie continued trying her best to escape.

  “Mal!” Evie called loudly, trying to get her one and only chance at being saved to come.

  The people at the desk handed Uma a clipboard and she signed Mal’s information quickly onto the paper before the staff reviewed it.

  Uma couldn’t help but feel just a little bad, and despite her wicked enjoyment of the humor behind it all, Uma really did have Evie’s best interest at heart. Since that Leo boy suggested that something could happen to her, Uma had gotten a bad feeling in her gut about Evie and what could occur while she was a dog. Of course, Uma had to cover it up with a sick sense of humor in torturing Evie, but that really wasn’t her ultimate goal due to the fact that she actually was truly concerned and caring about Evie’s safety in this vulnerable state.

  However, before anything else could happen, Evie managed to pull the leash out of Uma’s hand with a mighty thrust, and she started running through the store, her feet slipping in her haste. Uma’s eyes widened and she took off after her like a madwoman.

  Evie rounded a corner, her leash catching on the shelf, and it started to lean with the pure force that she was exerting upon it. Uma stopped quickly, hurrying backward as the shelf slowly fell on another one, starting a domino effect.

  For a moment, Uma just stared, but she then quickly ran down the center of the aisles in a panic, terribly afraid that a shelf might fall on the dog.

  The shelves were moving fast, and Uma saw that Evie was about to go down an aisle that was about to be crushed by a shelf. Uma didn’t hesitate before hurrying through the aisle, nearly crashing into Evie as she grabbed the dog and slid out from under the shelf that was quickly falling.

  She safely made it to the other side, Evie huddled in her arms as they both gaped at the utterly enormous mess that had been made. Evie offered Uma a lick on the cheek as she shook fearfully.

  “What was that for?” Uma asked as she winced, wiping her face on the fabric covering her shoulder.

  “You really do care,” Evie beamed, her voice shaking with her joy and her pure fear. Uma rolled her eyes, patting Evie’s back firmly as she looked back at all of the pandemonium that had taken place behind them.

  “Don’t go sharing that or anything. ‘Kay?” Uma smiled slightly. However, her smile quickly disappeared upon spotting a vibrantly purple head of hair through the crowd.

  “What is going on?! EVIE?!” Mal yelled as she charged over, pushing through the people that had gathered. Evie crawled out Uma’s arms quickly, and Mal bent down, grabbing Evie’s face firmly in her hands as the dog whimpered in her fear.

  “What happened?!” Mal demanded, staring at Uma as if she was going to kill her.

  “I was going to get her microchipped,” Uma informed her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, gathering herself to her feet as she glanced back at the shelves once more.

  “Why?” Mal spat venomously as she stroked her thumbs across Evie’s furred cheeks comfortingly.

  “Because I was worried about what could happen to her,” Uma expressed, an odd amount of genuineness in her voice, and Mal just huffed as she rolled her eyes.

  “Boy, that is a crazy dog you’ve got,” Leo suddenly piped up, and Evie shot him a wicked glance, taking offense to his comment. Well, so much for liking him, Evie couldn’t help but think as she glared at him.

  Before she could say anything else, a man came toward them, an angry look on his face as he severely failed to control his complete and utter fury.

  “Your majesty, if you don’t mind, we need to clean this enormous mess that this… dog made,” he spoke, his face turning ever redder as he stood there fuming. Mal glanced at his nametag and noticed that he was the manager. She offered him a strained smile before standing up gracefully, taking Evie’s leash in her hand firmly and Uma’s arm in her other hand.

  “Of course, sir. We’ll be going now,” Mal told him, attempting to dissipate the building tension in the air surrounding them as she dragged the both of them out of the store quickly.

  Once they were finally out, Mal’s phone made a noise, and she checked it quickly. It was a message from Carlos, and he had sent her the list of ingredients that she had asked him for while she was in the restroom.

  Mal then forwarded the message to Harry’s phone, and she stuffed it in her pocket. However, before they could even start toward Charlene, the device made another sound. Mal looked at it again, and it was Harry.

  “Can u call me? Have small problem,” the boy sent to her. Mal closed her eyes in exasperation, quite afraid indeed that Harry had done something that he most certainly was not supposed to do.

  So, Mal quickly ran her hand down Uma’s pocket, feeling for the other girl’s phone in the midst of her stress surrounding the fact that they were practically kicked out of the pet store and that Evie had been completely and utterly traumatized. Uma raised an eyebrow, her upper body leaning away from the faerie a bit as she tried to regain at least a small sense of personal space.

  “Is there some reason you’re doing that?” Uma questioned, and Mal withdrew Uma’s phone finally, putting it in Uma’s hand as she stuffed her own phone away.

  “Call Harry. According to him there’s a problem,” Mal informed her shortly, and Uma groaned deeply before dialing his number swiftly.

  It rang for a few moments before he picked up.

  “Ahoy, Cap’n,” Harry greeted on the other side of the line.

  “What did you do?” Uma simply asked, not hesitating for one moment.

  “We have an… ‘ittle bitty, tiny problem. ‘Tis certainly no reason to overreact, get cross, or blow up o’er-”

  “Did you get kicked out of Walmart?” Uma didn’t waste any time, already knowing from his overly large buildup that it was certainly something that she should get angry over.

  “Ah, well,” his voice got high-pitched for a moment, and Uma could picture him doing that oh-so-familiar gesture with his hook-covered hand, “yes. We did.”

  “Didn’t I tell you not to?!” Uma demanded, and Harry chuckled, knowing that he was definitely in big trouble.

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you still sitting in the parking lot?”

  “Yeah…”

  “Get in your car and leave, moron! Go home where you’re not going to cause any more trouble!” Uma raised her voice.

  “I love you!” Harry announced in a sing-song tone of voice, and Uma just rolled her eyes.

  “And I hate you,” Uma shot back, but there was some tenderness beneath it.

  “Ah, ah, ah, ye know ye love me.”

  “Whatever. I keep you around, isn’t that good enough?” Uma informed him wittily but allowed a small laugh at the end to express her true feelings about it.

  They then expressed their goodbyes and Uma hung up before facing Mal, her eyes half-lidded.

  “Guess what we have to do?”

  “Go to the Walmart and buy everything that those two idiots didn’t get because they were kicked out?” Mal questioned, keeping Uma’s same tone as she faced the other girl.

  “Yep,” Uma simply replied.

  “With a talking dog in our midst?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Bring it on.”

[storyunrelated]

George & The Dragon

I have a soft spot for ‘human male faffs around with non-human lady’ because sometimes you just want to be friends with something enormous but which still has a pleasantly soothing voice and I have the things I like and this is my blog so I’ll do whatever the fuck I want, fight me.

-

George & The Dragon

"Knock knock!" said George, not knocking and just coming on in. He did this a lot.

George's name, it should also be pointed out, isn't actually George. George's name is actually Lawrence. The reasons for him being called George was unclear. It isn't his middle name, nor is it the name of any of his relatives. It's just that, shortly after he was born, both his parents took to calling him George, and it stuck.

Why they hadn't just named him that to begin with was a question that everyone had always been too polite to ask.

Jessica, into whose room George had just let himself, was dozing on her hoard of books, stuffed animals, Airfix kits and other crap she liked. She did not uncurl but did not open one eye to look at the intruding human

Jessica's name, it should also be pointed out, isn't actually Jessica. Being a dragon she had a suitably grandiose and impressive draconic name, the sort of thing to be bellowed out while stood on a rocky promilitary during a thunderstorm.

To properly pronounce it, however, required the kind of vocal architecture that George simply did not possess, and since he'd pointed out that the last part of the name kind of sort of maybe sounded like 'Jessica' - full of sibilance and magnificent hissing sounds - that is what he elected to call her.

And since she had something of a soft spot for the human she allowed him to get away with this.

"What is it, George?" Jessica asked, still not moving but following him with one eye as he moved over to the chair that had been set aside specifically for him. She noticed - in that way that dragons always noticed - that he had a shopping bag with him.

"Just wanted to see my friend! Feels like it's been forever," he said, sitting down.

"You were here yesterday," she pointed out.

"Yes, and yesterday seems so long ago now. Time is passing by so quickly! I don't know if you went outside at all today but there was a certain chill in the air - Summer is passed, I think! And now we're heading on into Autumn. Moving into my favourite part of the year!"

"Is that so?"

George nodded enthusiastically.

"It's bracing! A lovely smell to the air. And the leaves were turning red, too! Rather reminded me of you, actually."

This being because Jessica was red, obviously. A very bright shade of red at that.

This fire-engine red colour was a constant. Those times when Jessica deigned to take a human form as dragons were sometimes wont to do, the red would always be there somewhere, most often - though not always - her hair. Apparently this was a dragon thing. They all had their little giveaway, and this was hers.

"It did?" She asked, stirring a little at last just to get a better look at him. George nodded again, beaming.

"Yup. Your shade is my favourite though, I must say. It's just so nice and bright," he said.

A benefit of the red being that blushing well hidden. Not that dragons ever blushed, of course. That would be biologically unfeasible, for one, while also just being very undragony. Unheard of. Not ever.

George leaned back in the chair, setting his shopping bag down beside him and putting his hands behind his head.

"I do like Autumn. And then into Winter! A lot of people see it as dark and miserable but I do rather like it. We have Christmas, and a good excuse to stay in and be cosy! What could be better?" He asked.

"Warm weather and sunshine?" Jessica offered.

He considered this answer.

"Well...you would say that, I suppose. Fair play."

For creatures with such an intimate connection to the earth and the ground dragons, in George's experience at least, did have something of a fondness for hot weather and the sun. Then again, his experience was limited to Jessica, so perhaps she was an outlier.

"So I take it you haven't been outside today, then?" He asked and Jessica curled up once more, closing her eyes. Still listening though.

"I was sleeping," she said.

Dragons slept a lot. It was just in their nature. The older they got, the more they did it.

Eventually - many, many years in the future, when George would be long dead - Jessica would move into the later and final stage of the dragon life-cycle, whereupon she would curl up on her much built-up hoard and sink into a sleep from which she would never naturally awaken. The world would move on, the land would creep over her, and she would be buried, there to sleep eternally with her hoard. Assuming no-one dug her up by accident.

That did happen, incidentally, and was never a good thing. It paid to check where you were digging.

For now though, being young, the sleeping was more of a choice than a necessity. Jessica just did it because, being a dragon, she enjoyed it. And she didn't have a whole lot else to do. George worked during the week, and it wasn't as if anyone else was going to invite her anywhere to do anything.

George regarded her on her hoard, all curled up. He then snapped his fingers and landed back onto all four legs of the chair, hard. This made Jessica jumped.

"Ooh! That reminds me. Other reason I came here. I was walking past the charity shop and I saw a couple things that made me think of you."

This made Jessica actually sit up for the first time since he'd come in.

"Presents?" She asked, ears twitching, doing a good job of keeping the note of sudden excitement from her voice. George grinned.

"If you want. Mostly I just thought you'd like them," he said, reaching down for the bag and then reaching into the bag.

As with sleeping, a deep and abiding love of stuff was kind of a defining trait for dragons. It was just built-in. It wasn't really greed, really - well, it was, and if left to run unchecked could often have unfortunate consequences, but most dragons knew this so most dragons kept a very close eye on it and kept in company that would help them reel it in if it looked to be getting out of hand.

Most all tended to settle on a few things that they preferred over other things. This wasn't a conscious choice, and more just something they drifted into over time. The traditional classics of gold, gems and the like were still indulged in, but other items could also qualify. Jessica's preferred items - as previously alluded to - were things like books and toys, mainly.

Why? Why not?

"What is it?" Jessica asked,  extending her head towards him, tail flicking out behind her.

"It is - and get ready for this - a VHS copy of the Care Bears film and some Lego. Look! It's a complete Lego kit! Can you believe someone just gave this away? For shame."

He handed these items over to Jessica who held them both in the upturned-palm of one her claws. She looked at them, and then looked up to George.

"Only two presents?" She asked. George pouted and made to remove them from her.

"Hey, I can take these back if you don't want them," he said. Jessica's eyes widened.

"No! They're mine!" She said, scurrying back onto her pile, clutching her gifts. George chuckled.

"That's what I thought. I can help you with the Lego, if you want. I know you have trouble with the fiddlier bits."

Understandable, given her size. A few years back - back when she and George had first met - she'd been small enough to be able to handle Lego easily enough. Now thought she'd been through a spurt and was getting to the size where even Duplo was kind of tricky to manage.

"I - " Jessica started, her draconic pride telling her in no uncertain terms to turn down this offer, only for the unusually pleasant, warm and fuzzy ideas of spending an idle evening with George just messing around with Lego to stop her in her tracks.

It wasn't as though she was helpless, was it? And it wasn't as if he'd be doing it for her. He'd just be there to deal with the parts of it that were beneath her. Yes?

If she looked at it like that then it was acceptable.

Tucking the video into the hoard she kept the box of Lego out, holding it up between two talons.

"I'll allow you to assist me," she said, loftily, tail continuing to flick and wag behind her, something that always happened when she was feeling nervous, excited or both.

"Cracking," said George, beaming ear to ear. He didn’t notice the tail. He never did.

Jessica's smile was, by default, much bigger than his.

[three-houses-text-files]

ignatz/lysithea

c-a support + paired ending

*i did my best for their a rank support, but it was pretty tricky so i probably got stuff wrong?

c

Ignatz: Good morning, Lysithea! Out for a stroll, are we? It's lovely weather for it. I: I might go wander outside myself. I'm sure I can see some beautiful sights. Lysithea: Ignatz—hold still, will you? I: Uh, sure? L: Your shoes are untied. It looks sloppy. Let me just fix it for you. I: Oh! Thank you for letting me know, but really, I'm perfectly capable of tying them myself. L: Pfft, clearly that's not the case, otherwise this wouldn't be an issue. Now, hush. I: Um. L: There we go. I: Thanks... L: You’ve also got awful bedhead. I: What?! But I examined myself in the mirror before leaving my quarters! L: It’s the back of your head. Quite unkempt. You really should get it together. L: I mean, really. You're born to a noble-adjacent merchant family, aren't you? You really should be more presentable. I: Sorry, Lysithea... You're always so perfectly put together. I: In fact I'd say you're perfect in all respects... I don't think I've seen you fail at anything. L: Well, consider that if I make even the slightest misstep, everyone will treat me like a child. L: There’s nothing I hate more than that... I: I see! Well, I think you're very mature. If anything, you may be overdoing it somewhat. I: I mean, people treat me like a child sometimes. But I like it, because it reminds me that other people care about me. You know? I: No matter how much we stretch, some things are always beyond us. I think it's fine to be vulnerable and ask for help sometimes. L: Ignatz, are you really lecturing me about how I conduct myself right now? L: You’re a sheepish, unreliable scatterbrain who can only ever think about what others think of him! L: Perhaps you should worry about your own maturity before you start questioning mine. L: Although you certainly look the part of a baby, so maybe that's asking too much. L: Anyway, I've got things to do, so I'm going to go now. I: Uh, Lysithea, wait! Hey! L: Outta my way. You're such a child, I swear... I: That was uncalled for. After all, I am older than she is.

——————————————————————————————

b

L: Oh, hey. It's you. Going for a walk again today? I: No, I'm on cooking duty today, and I have to head into town for some groceries. L: All on your own? Hm, I'd better go with you. I'd be worried if you went by yourself. I: No, please! I can manage on my own. L: But won't you have a hard time carrying everything back? I: Not at all. I'll be fine. I'm just replacing a few ingredients. I: Also, I may not look it, but I'm actually quite strong. I've been exercising every day! L: You’re right—you don't look it. Your biceps are a fraction of the size of Raphael's. L: If you start fumbling around under the weight of all the groceries, and then you trip and spill everything everywhere... L: Look, I'm just saying, that could be your future. It could happen. It doesn't look pretty. I: That's what you think of me, huh? L: Yep. You're honestly a bit of a mess. I: I see. If that's how you feel... L: Oh, knock it off with the wounded puppy-dog eyes! L: As though I'm some sort of villain in your story... I: I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. I: I'm just a bit sensitive, that's all. You're talking like you don't respect me. L: I see. So now it's my fault? L: No matter how grown you seem to think you are, there's so much you're incapable of. L: You can play at being a mature adult, but it only ever complicates things. And that's exactly what makes you look like a child. I: Oh, enough already! Would you just leave me alone?! L: Maybe I...went a bit far that time... L: But he's so stubborn despite his ineptitude. I can't just leave it be. L: He’s so foolish—constantly making a mess of things. Wait... But then… I: No matter how much we stretch, some things are always beyond us. I think it's fine to be vulnerable and ask for help sometimes.* L: What he said to me before... L: To everyone else, do I seem just like Ignatz?

*flashback?

——————————————————————————————

a

L: Um, hey... I: Oh! Lysithea. I: Something I can do for you? L: Can you help me out with my shopping? I: Yes, of course. You need me to carry stuff? L: Actually, can you pick up some tea for me? I'd do it, but I'm drowning in work. I: You’re so busy you can't go shopping? OK. Do you have a favorite kind of tea? L: I'm not too picky. I just like having it around, really. L: Whatever's cheapest works for me. Here's some money. I: One question. Why me? You don't really need my help for this. L: I just thought I could lean on you a bit. L: You know, rather than trying to do everything on my own. I: Right. I see. Well, good! I'm glad you decided to approach me. I: Ah, but, for this particular task, you might be better off doing it yourself. L: Oh? I: There are so many different kinds of tea, and I'm not very discerning. What if I get you one you don't like? L: When I do my own shopping, I pick a tea at random. Otherwise I'd be paralyzed by all the choices. L: It's the same with food. Sometimes I stare and stare at the options and never decide. I: You looked like you were doing just fine when you went to get groceries the other day. L: I really had to push myself to do that alone. I don't think I can do that again. Sorry… I: Aha. So you've stopped trying to do things on your own, then? L: Yeah. Still, though... I: For today, how about you have some of my tea? If that'll do... L: Sounds nice, sure. Do you mind brewing mine while you're at it? I: OK! Though I can't do it as skillfully as Lorenz, I'm afraid. I: I’ll get it ready right away. Feel free to start focusing on your work. L: Heh. I: What? L: I mean, you seem plenty reliable to me. I: I do? Really? How so? L: You're fun, you're easy to be around, and you rarely complain when you help others. I: Well, I'm just pouring you some tea. I'm not sure that qualifies as "help." L: It’s not easy for me to rely on people, but with you, it's different. I: Well, there aren't many things I can do, frankly. I: What I can do, I will do! So if you need anything, ask me, and I'll try to help. L: You really are unreliable, as it turns out! Guess I'll just have to take your word for it.

——————————————————————————————

paired ending

Lysithea returned home to help her parents restore their family land. Years later, when the end to their hard work was finally in sight, she relinquished House Ordelia's claim to nobility, and the family retreated from the public eye. In her new life as a commoner, she had a chance reunion with Ignatz, who had persuaded his family to allow him to travel the world as an artist. Lysithea became enchanted by his determination, and by the landscapes and portraits he painted of all he had seen in his travels. She offered the remainder of her short life in support of his work. It is said that Ignatz's most famous piece, Portrait of a Goddess, used Lysithea's face as a reference.

[mrsspidermanmaryjanewatsonparker]

You seem pretty well versed in Peter and Mary Jane’s history, and I just want to ask, can you go in depth about Mary Jane’s personality? I know her history, her terrible home life, her history with Peter, but I want to know about HER. Her personality. Her dynamic with Peter. I feel these days that she’s been reduced to the “Pretty love interest” for Spider-Man, which I hate. I KNOW Mary Jane has a lot of depth and evolution as a character.

I know she’s a party girl. Fun loving. Spunky. Independent. Funny. Intelligent. Confident. But I want to know MORE about her, as a person. What else does she do in her life? How does she interact with other people? Before she got in serious relationships, did she sleep around? Was the type of gal that did drugs? Is she open minded? Those seem like weird questions, I admit, I admit, but they really help define her character. How energetic and charismatic is she? Does she completely control the life of the party?

Mary Jane has really become a character I’m really interested in, but I’ve never really seen her “Comic Accurate” personality adapted to a modern adaptation right. The closest I would say would be the Spectacular, but even then she felt too calm.

So I want your answer. I wouldn’t mind hearing an in-depth one. I know you’ve got idealized versions (And I do to, I think I can go on an essay long rant about why I think the two complete each other) but I want to hear YOUR opinion. And if you could adapt the story into the modern day, what would your idealized Mary Jane be like? How would she and Peter’s lovely history happen?

Sorry for the long, oddly specific question, but I really want to figure out MJ, and you look like you have the matching passion and knowledge to help interested fans in her like me.

MJ’s personality is tricky because it evolves over time. But modern MJ when written correctly would have, as we all do, multiple sides to her personality.

She can be goofy, funny, carefree, a party animal, a worry wort, self-deprecating, harsh to her loved ones, selfish, self sacrificing, brave, fearful (but never cowardly), ambitious, beat herself up, socially savvy, very confifident, innately sociable, can keep a secret and just about everything between all that.

 Her dynamic with Peter is also very complicated, it’s ort of easier to talk about examples you throw out at me. But I guess on a fundamental level her dynamic with Peter is all about mutual emotional fulfilment and how that is ultimately mitigates the extreme baggage that comes from life with a hero.

You can phrase it in many different ways but fundamentally MJ loves Peter because of his sense of responsibility.

In essence her Dad was her male role model in terms of a romantic partner, but in the negative. So she found herself attracted to a guy who on a certain superficial level (studious, a bookworm) was like her Dad but on a much deeper level was the polar opposite. Peter wasn’t a raving tyrant, he wasn’t a selfish dick, he wasn’t irresponsible.

She grew up under the fear of a (verbally) abusive man but in Peter she saw a guy who in spite of having a lot of intelligence and raw physical power to also be an abusive and exploitative person, instead NEVER truly abused his gifts and chiefly used them selflessly, even at personal cost.

It is not canon but a great summation of this is in Spider-Man: Reign #4 where MJ’s ghost tells Peter she didn’t love him because he could beat bullies like Flash up but because he could but never would.

Similarly in Web #6 MJ ponders how she could never marry peter due to the worry over his risking his life and how if he didn’t do that he’d have been someone she’d have jumped to marry. But then she realizes if he was someone who was selfishly going to use his abilities for fame and fortune he’d never have BEEN the kind of person she’d have fallen for.

So MJ, unlike Peter’s other girlfriends, is the one who loved him for the thing that most defined, him his sense of responsibility.

But it’s a double edged sword because in caring about him, she obviously doesn’t want him to be hurt, hence you have this brilliant narrative tension.

Wrapped up in this is the fact that MJ understands Peter’s issues with guilt and responsibility because she also renegaded upon her responsibilities and has felt guilty about it ever since because it also hurt her family.

So they are kindred spirits but whilst Peter passively stood by and let the burglar escape MJ actively ran away from her pregnant sister.* Then both of them kept that pain all to themselves for years before admitting it to one another, whilst also keeping their true personalities concealed behind public masks, meaning MJ gets that about him too.

But in confiding in one another they were able to remove those masks and be themselves in one another’s company.

You asked what else MJ does in her life. Mostly she has great ambitions in regards to usually acting, modelling, night club owning, stuff like that. MJ enjoys the spotlight and always has since she was a child.

Her interactions with most people used to be light and jokey or flirtatious. Now they are more even handed though she can be lightly flirtatious just because its in her personality.

MJ’s sex life is very much up in the air. Fans have presumed she had a lot of sex prior and after her first relationship with Peter but there is little on the page evidence confirming or denying this. Certainly she went out on a lot of casual dates.

MJ in terms of drugs is also something never touched upon in spite of her name. However the subtext of the Harry drug story implies MJ is aware of Harry’s drug abuse and she does dump him during that arc specifically when he is as high as a kite so it could be implied from this that MJ has little time for drugs.

When you think about it, between her abusive Dad and her need to maintain a facade around herself it’s unlikely MJ was going to use drugs. She wouln’t want to risk losing any control of her facade. She did smoke in high school though and later due to stress when she was married to Peter, but only briefly.

Is MJ open minded? Well...that depends upon the topic doesn’t it. She isn’t racist or homophobic. She was okay with doing a nude scene in a movie or wearing revealing lingerie on a modelling gig, only really being concerned with how Peter might feel about her doing that, so she’s no prude. She did display an initial prejudice against clones during the Clone Saga. Again what topic are we talking about.

How energetic or charaismatic is she. I mean...very charismatic and energetic most of the time. but it depends upon the situation. She’s not gonna be charismatic or emergetic after someone has died.

MJ could probably control the life of a party if she put her mind to it, yes.

Regarding the Spec cartoon, yes maybe MJ wasn’t comic accurate and more calm but in fairness everyone was because you aren’t going to present a modern cartoon with the same over the top characterization as a Stan Lee 1960s comic book. Peter was comparatively more chill in that show.

In terms of how I’d adapt her and Peter’s story and her characterization it would basically be as it was from the comics but with modern dialogue and pacing with more foreshadowing towards MJ having a hidden personality. I have mapped out my ideal Spider-Man TV series and in that you get MJ in season 2 ala her Romita era debut and then things are as they are in the comics up until she breaks up with Harry. I’d leave them separated unlike what happened in the comics (due to them repurposing an older story where they were together but that’s another issue) then have her and Peter fall in love as they did in the Conway run and break up as they did in the Wolfman run but change it from Peter proposing to MJ to asking her to move in with him.

My rationale is that in the modern day its very uncommon even for a college senior to be discussing marriage. You’d get the same thing with him surprising MJ with a crackerjack box or something but it’d have his apartment key in it instead of a wedding ring.

Additionally, I’d have her outright dump him (as opposed to the pair just not going steady anymore) and leave New York within the same story, the same story where Peter graduates, just because it’d make for a good season finale and makes the story more concise. In essence MJ just hard runs away from Peter the moment commitment rears its head.

This would lead to more of an impact in the next season when he’s dating Felicia and MJ (with no foreshadowing, which is how the comics made things happen) shows up at Peter’s door.

Again from there things would progress as they did in the comics except when we get to the MJ backstory episode I’d work her scenes from Parallel Lives into that too.

For reasons I won’t go into, for this hypothetical adaptation I’d bring the events of Hobgoblin Lives way forward in time so instead of happening when Peter and MJ are married shortly after the Clone Saga they happen shortly after Ned Leeds dies and after Peter and Felicia have broken up again. They would form the basis of another season finale wherein MJ’s role would be functionally the same as in the comic book but with two additions. Since this would be the season finale there should be some payoff for her and Peter’s relationship.

So after she, Peter, Flash and Betty formulate their plan to smoke out the real Hobgoblin MJ asks Peter how he copes with this stuff and he shows her by taking her out webswinging and we homage Sensational Annual 2007. Then later after Hobgoblin beats Peter hard he recovers at MJ’s place and she covers for him and they almost kiss before he heads off to save Betty.

I’d open the next season with the storyline wherein Peter proposes to MJ and they eventually get engaged. But instead of them marrying immediately I’d adapt loads of stories that in the comics happened after the wedding and use those to present challenges and doubts to Peter and MJ about getting married. It’d basically be a whole season about whether or not they will get married at all.

So you’d get things like the Jonathan Caesar storyline, the return of Black Cat, Kraven’s Last Hunt as the mid-season finale and the penultimate episodes would be the introduction of Venom. Obviously Venom debuted confronting MJ so there is that, but also Brock is a divorcee, the symbiote is literally one of Peter’s ex’s and a lover scorned, whom he tried to kill in a church bell tower. In the first Venom story and in my version Spidey and Venom end their first battle in that same church bell tower.

All of which is thematically juicy for an arc about relationships and marriage (because wedding bells get it).

I’d make 2 major changes though, one of which is Venom’s battle with Felicia from the second Venom arc would happen before he confronts Spidey for the first time and Peter would defeat Venom in his classic suit. The idea being that MJ makes a new version of his classic suit both because she prefers it and because it represents his true self vs the black costume which is what he’s like to be.

The classic suit = friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man/ the black suit = bad ass scary Spider-Man.

So only by being himself, by being the person MJ loves, can Peter defeat Venom this dark reflection of himself.

The story would end with Peter and MJ reunited but both clearly having doubts, as though Venom has ‘poisoned’ their future relationship.

The actual finale would mostly be an adaptation of ASM Annual #21 but with more of a focus upon the doubts each character has and unlike the comic we see HOW those doubts are put to rest. For MJ its having a conversation with Bruce and with Peter its having a conversation with the hospitalized Felicia.

Through their conversations the pair realize that rather than all the stuff they’ve been through (Venom, Kraven, etc) showing them they shouldn’t be together, the fact that they’re still together in spite of all those things proves that they can make things work. So the season wraps up with them getting married.

The next season would be a Harry Osborn centric season but MJ in response to Peter’s parents seemingly returning would seek out her sister and her Dad in jail and reconcile with them like she did in the Clone Saga.

Then I’d do the clone saga so that’s essentially going to be the same thing except obviously Peter will not be hitting any pregnant women in this version because fuck that shit. Also Peter and MJ wouldn’t leave New York although Peter would still temporarily retire as Spider-Man.

Finally I’d do a season set after the Clone Saga leading up to the pair reuniting with their kidnapped baby, Peter losing his powers and truly retiring forever, then we go into a Spider-Girl TV show.

   *This is important also because when MJ closed the door after Gwen died to comfort Peter she was choosing to do the OPPOSITE of what she’d done with her sister.

In essence Peter made MJ a better person, he made her confront her issues or helped her to do so and she grew as a result. She became a more heroic, more self-sacrificing and more responsible person. This was always the case since before they were dating Peter pushed for MJ to give a witness statement to the cops about a murder which she didn’t want to do out of fear.

In turn MJ made Peter fight all the harder. He very much needs her in his life as she has emotionally, mentally and physically saved him multiple times, see Kraven’s Last Hunt for an example.

[dprdabin]

DPR: ‘We Did this Ourselves From the Ground Up’

From a hit debut album to an upcoming world tour, producer DPR REM and artist DPR LIVE talk about their hip-hop crew’s ambitions and expansion plans

Talking to the members of DPR is almost always like a productive frisson that leaves you breathless and excited for the things to come. On the day we chat, the voices of producer Scott Kim—better known as DPR REM—and Hong Dabin, aka DPR LIVE, crackle through the phone on a fine Seoul evening, merging together in waves of introspection and quiet, focused ambition. They’re gearing up for their first world tour, but also trying to wrap their heads around the fact that it’s finally happening.

“Everything is just still so surreal for us. It’s not like we’ve done this in a past life or we had experiences in other entertainment companies. This is all ‘Do It Yourself’, like DIY,” says DPR REM. “Every day is a new experience and a new journey, and I think this world tour is one of the biggest steps we’ve taken in that direction.”

On the off chance that you’re a stranger to DPR, short for Dream Perfect Regime, it’s worth noting that ‘Do It Yourself’ is the cornerstone of the septet’s philosophy. The crew, which has morphed into one of the most prominent and creative voices to emerge from the Korean hip-hop scene, is a completely organic and independent effort–a rare feat in South Korea’s label-saturated music industry. They first gained prominence through their captivating and cinematic visual output which included music videos for K-pop acts such as Big Bang and MOBB, courtesy of in-house director and free-spirit extraordinaire, Christian Yu (known as IAN within the collective.)

Rapper DPR LIVE, essentially the face of the collective, is both a founding member and their first formal artist. LIVE started out by uploading his music on YouTube and eventually commanded people’s attention through his tightly packed, spitfire rap on the viral collaborative 2016 hit “Eung Freestyle.” Then in 2017 came Coming To You Live, his debut EP featuring an impressive roster of collaborations and an even bolder declaration—DPR had arrived in full swing. This, however, was followed by the comparatively mellowed out HER the same year. While Coming To You Live was a grand display of confidence, HER was more focused and convergent in its themes, essentially a one-man act that took DPR LIVE to No. 8 on the Billboard World Albums Chart. “I think going off of CTYL, it was hard to just really stick with one theme because there was just so many people involved. We wanted to keep it open-ended for the artists to translate and interpret the way they wanted to,” says DPR REM, who’s produced both albums. “On the cover album for CTYL, we have a change of seasons going on in the background.” DPR used that as a metaphor of how they wanted to offer different varieties of songs and themes, so it not only introduces DPR LIVE as a rookie artist but also incorporates a lot of the other artists that featured on this project to display their thematic lyricism.

However, REM goes on to explain that when it comes to HER, it became a very solo project for LIVE. “It was solo for being not only for his own experimental purposes, but also in that he really wanted to zone in on his artistry and portray his story, and really give the fans like, ‘Okay, this is me, really like raw, without anybody around. This is the music I want to do right now, the vibes I want to put out.’ I think that’s the distinction.”

At just 26, LIVE is succinct but assertive, prefers to channel his words through music and is always aware of his values and goals thanks to his time in the army, which he says brought focus to his music. “I went to school in Guam. I knew how to speak Korean, because that was the only language my mom and my dad can speak, but I definitely wasn’t good at it.” When his family came to Korea, he had to enlist in the army within a year of arriving. “You have to stay in this military camp for two years, being told what to do, when to eat, when to sleep, and stuff like that. I actually really just honed in on myself, my goals, what I wanted in life, my values, and I learned patience and focus there. I think it was a very good thing to do though, because I don’t think I would have learned another way,” he says.

With millions of online views on their videos and the label of an underground collective left in the past, the members of DPR are gearing up to perform at sold out shows in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Here are excerpts from our conversation with REM and LIVE, where they discuss their success, music, and plans for expanding in the future.

On their collaborations with other artists and Coming To You Live:

LIVE: I think for collaborations, it’s always important to meet the person you’re working with, to get a vibe of their energy, their lifestyle, their beliefs. Just getting to know someone as a human is so helpful in understanding them as an artist. Through various talks and meet-ups, I think that’s where the music just naturally comes about. At least in my experience, that’s how you can be versatile. Meeting with various individuals and just communicating – it really opens you up to new thoughts and experiences.

REM: We were actually very lucky with that, because it just all timed perfectly. Usually, you hear a lot of stories where schedules don’t match up or you’re waiting for some other person and they get back to you, which is very often in the entertainment industry, but just—I don’t know what it is. I like to think it’s a lot of luck, to be honest, there’s a lot of great timing and luck that happened.

On music videos and DPR’s visual output:

LIVE: Not just my input, but everyone’s input goes into our visuals. It’s a collective effort, and that’s exactly the reason as to why I think we are able to deliver top notch quality works. We each present a different piece to the puzzle.

REM: I dedicate a lot of that to Christian. He’s a genius when it comes to that. I really think he’s just a crazy gifted kid that you just can’t put into words at times. It just happens for him.

“I don’t want our tour to just be your typical ‘show’ or ‘performance.’ I want fans to gear up for an actual party–a family reunion,” says DPR LIVE. Photo: Courtesy of Dream Perfect Regime

On being independent artists in South Korea:

LIVE: We really did this ourselves from the ground up. Countless mistakes were made, but through just pure diligence, we were able to get to a point where now we can constantly create and make what we want to. That freedom is priceless.

On their Billboard charting and online success:

LIVE: Although I’m super grateful and humbled, I try my best not to focus on stuff like that. The more you start thinking about certain stats and whatnot, I just believe it tends to really limit and almost negatively impact your career. Constantly being burdened and stressed with thoughts like that seem to do way more bad than good. I think these days I’ve just been working on trying to create constantly and explore myself as an artist more and more.

REM: We’re still young kids if you really think about it. Beyond the fame, beyond the success, it’s the fact that we have influence, and that’s what drives us, right? I think we’ve gone various letters in the email and handwritten letters from our fans all across the world, saying ‘Your music has shifted me in this direction and it’s for the better’ and ‘Your music has really inspired to go and pursue my dream, my passions.’ When we get things like this, it’s a very surreal experience. I’m sure a lot of artists feel the same way, but for us, really coming from the ground up, really not knowing anything that we were doing, going through countless mistakes, countless failures, it’s a really rewarding experience, more than anything.

On getting more people to hop on board:

REM: The short answer is: of course, we’d love to build this movement. I think the betterment of the team is just getting more people on board. The bigger your movement becomes, the bigger impact you get. The long answer to that, now, is that because we’re so family oriented, it does get a bit tricky. You have seven kids that grew up together making this DPR dream a reality. At this point, and we’ve said it before, we know each other so well. If we had disagreements and communication problems, it’s exactly how a family would handle it. This is not a company vibe at all, and I feel like, going off of that, we want to conserve that culture as much as can. That’s where it gets difficult, because you have somebody from the outside coming in, and it’s just like… can they really adapt to this environment? Can they adapt to this culture that we’ve set up before it already? I think that’s the hard question for us.

On the upcoming tour and possible new locations:

LIVE: Besides the fact that I’ll be able to finally see my fans face to face, I’m most looking forward to just being in a space filled with people who really support our movement and resonate with us. I don’t want our tour to just be your typical ‘show’ or ‘performance.’ I want fans to gear up for an actual party–a family reunion. Anybody that supports DPR knows up front that our culture goes hand in hand with family. So for us, this tour is similar to like seeing your long lost relatives, or getting together with family members you haven’t seen in years. That’s the level of excitement the team and I have.

REM: We really tried to include as many cities as we could in this tour. It is a world tour and we wanted to hit as many cities as we could, even despite our physical health or whatever. We really wanted to make the time and effort to get to any place that really knows of us or wants us. Even other Spanish-speaking countries or places like India or South Africa… we have tons of fans hitting us up saying we have fans here and there, and we want to cater to those markets much as we can, but at the same time just thinking about the whole bigger picture of the scheduling and the logistics it just couldn’t work out.

That’s what we told our fans, that ‘Hey, just because we’re doing this first world tour doesn’t mean it’s the last world tour. We’re just getting started here, right?’ This is just the beginning, so it builds momentum for the next few cities that we have yet to hit. We’re like, ‘Hey, we see you guys. We know you’re there. Just wait for us.’

© Lavanya Singh @ Rolling Stone India

[kierongillen]

Writer Notes: The Wicked + the Divine 36

Spoilers, obv.

Well, this was a fucker.

I wrote the following while drunk a few weeks ago.

This is something I only found myself chewing over the way home from drinks in town when I select a Spotify playlist for fist-pumping tracks. And it's mainly stuff like Ram Bam's Black Betty and My Sex Is On Fire or whatever, but it also includes Billy Joel's We Didn't Start The Fire. Which is out of place in such a playlist, but also welcome.

It's a song which came out during the brief period between me becoming someone who bought pop music and someone who was a hardcore metalhead. It's a song I bought, and intensely loved. It's perhaps not a surprise. It's in its deeply unfashionable way, entirely me. A pure burst of reference pop.

It's a gimmick song. A list song. It's a list of events from Joel's life – it gives the impression of building towards the present day, but really is pretty fucking random from across the timeline, selecting stuff as it would occur, a ramble. The song is so sleight to be sarcastic, but it's delivered with a frustration and attack. The words are all meaningfully chosen, with juxtaposition between huge events and trivia equally sang with commitment, but the context is so traditional a frame to be almost dismissive. Yet with this disengagement – and with tricks thrown in to maintain interest from its monotony and add towards a slowly build tension – it builds towards an apocalypse, before backing off to a statement of that is how life feels as it is being lived, and the sense of apocalypse is an illusion, and the real horror is that this will continue ever onwards.

So, I was listening to that, while thinking about this issue, and sort of smiling.

And I can see what drunk me was getting at.

Okay – this is a tricky issue to talk about, as you slice somewhere and its guts come falling out. I've written a lot, but I'm also aware that writing that begs more questions which begs more specific answers. As always with these notes I say "This is a collection of thoughts from the making of the issue, but not comprehensive." Even in one like this where I'm saying a lot, that still holds true. This could have gone on forever. And on and on and on and...

Yeah, you get the point.

Perhaps the most common request from WicDiv fans is “Are we ever going to get a list of all the pantheons?” or, for the more demanding, “are we ever going to get a list of all the gods.” The latter makes me blink, for reasons I'll probably segue into, but we did want to do the former, at least as best as we could within the limitations we've set ourselves.

But also, I always think of the nature of murder and plans stretching across time. “I have been murdering people for hundreds of years” is a cool line, thrown off, never examined. I kinda wanted to examine it, and play with what the human brain does with repetition.

I recall a critique of the brilliant (and highly influential on yours truly) Heavenly Creatures, of the considerable sympathy you hold for the titular teemage murderers despite the horror of the murder on screen. The critique noted that the murder on screen was highly sanitized, and the actual murder had forty-five injuries, over twenty of which were head wounds. So the three or so blows shown in the murder were bad enough. When we're forced to really live with the actuality of what the murder required, to not just hit thrice, but again and again and again and again and again and again and many more times, at which point does any sympathy we have evaporate in the face of the actual reality of the horror of what they did. Murder is ugly.

I found myself thinking of an aside in one of the WW1 episodes of Hardcore History, which describes American reporters sitting in Belgium, watching the German army march past on the first offensive. It's over a million soldiers. The reporters sit in the cafe, and it's instantly astounding. And then it goes on, and the effect deadens a little. And then it becomes almost comic. And then, hours later, when you realise it's taken an entire day for these people to stomp past, it becomes surreal, brains shaking at the sheer size of it. That.

Also, Modern art, especially music, is about an exploration of repetition with minimised variations.  Paul Morley's Words And Music posited all pop music as a line from Alvin Lucifer's I Am Talking In A Room to Kylie's Can't Get You Out Of My Head, from which a city emerges. That.

And a lot more – that's a selection of thoughts that went into this. It's idea rich, and frankly there's some stuff which – like any experimental piece – was a surprise for the team itself. We walked away with new stuff in our heads, learned from having a jackboot stomp on a human face across all human history, and what we saw when we juxtapose all these things together. I highly recommend trying the impossible, at least once.

When I first suggested it to Jamie, he was excited. The thought was that it'd be a whole issue, with three panels a page. This would have been an easier task, partially as it would be the only work required in the issue, and also the framing in a wide panel would require more detail, but less total research. In short, you wouldn't have to worry about what people were wearing on their legs in periods with scant research.

That fell by the wayside when I did the tight plotting for the arc. We couldn't afford the space, and I can only imagine what the response to the issue among the anti-this-kind-of-stuff readers if we had.

(The response was exactly what we expected it be, in terms of strong polarisation between The Best WicDiv Thing Evvvvaaa! and those who it had no effect at all, that its non-traditional form of comic narrative was essentially invisible.)

It was a few other things as well – in one way, I just wanted to give Jamie a guitar solo. I think he's the undisputed costume designer of his generation in the American field – even putting aside his work on WicDiv, he's responsible between three of the most influential looks of our time, two of which are going to be everywhere for the next five years at least (Miss Marvel and Captain Marvel being the Everywhere-ers, and Ameican Chavez being one of those period touchstones.) The idea of having half an issue devoted to 128 new and individually reseached character designs is absolutely a mike-drop. No-one's done this. No-one would try to do this. I wanted Jamie's peers to cry at the idea of even considering trying this. Admittedly, this involved Jamie crying doing it, but the cost of doing business.

So yeah – while arrogant and desperately overambitious, especially in the context of a monthly comic book (this is easily as much work as two monthly comics) this is one we're intensely proud of.

I have also promised everyone I will never do it to them again. Because once you've done it once, there's no need to, right?

Okay – let's do this.

Jamie/Matt's Cover

Continuing the theme of the arc in terms of covers of “Persephones” and “Anankes” and “Minervas”, and clearly set up to be a “Hey, here's a new interesting character.”

Babs Tarr Cover

God, Babs is a hell of an artist. As usual, we just asked what she's be interested in, and the Persephone on Bike seemed too good to resist, with the implicit MotorCross Crossover thrills. Wonderful stuff.

Page 1

Cutting this to the bare minimum is always the thing. Enough to treat the characters as iconic as the ones in the present – the three panels with 2/3rds main image is what we use for the vast majority of the traditional transformation, and with small tweaks we keep the same beats.

We'd normally do a LOC CAP or similar in this scene, but that would step on the effect as we start LOC CAP-ing on the next page.

Of course, by now, we know how this scene goes...

PAGE 2-12

I'm not going to go too deep into this, and try and talk about top level thinking and the choices you make when going on this kind of an endeavour, especially when you know that there's no ideal one. History is a mess.

If you want a panel by panel walk through of the periods, I direct you to Twatd's extensive 6000 years of murder. They've also just put it in an ebook for their patreon folk, if you want to throw them some coins. I'll be picking up some various bits of details.

First leg of this fucker was me, basically on my own with the history books and the spreadsheets.

The main part of that was simply positioning each one, for definite. Until now, I've allowed myself some flexibility, based into the nature of the recurrence. I didn't need to know the exact dates until I wrote a story in the period, so I didn't nail them down. As we set up in the first issue, it's every ninety years from the end of the previous pantheon. The Pantheon length varies between 1-3 years, depending how quick the gods die. A 1 year pantheon would be them all dying in two calendar years, and a 3 year one being a very slow one. There's few of them. Most Pantheons are across 3 calendar years (Therefore, a 2 year pantheon). I'd checked I could land a pantheon on 455 earlier, based on the squishiness in these math, but I learned how to actually work a spreadsheet, put the math in, and tweak.

On another bit of the spreadsheet I started doing the other half of the work, which works in parallel (but mostly separate) from the main thrust of history. As in, Ananke's story. Where she is at each point in history, what she learns there and what she's trying. There's some areas where the change in her tactics is quite obvious, and can be discerned from just what's shown in the panel. The ones where it's major but bemusing are likely the ones we'll be delving into in the future – either next issue, the final special or some other point.

Even writing this part was strange, entering the mind of someone who's been working on a project for 6000 years, and the waves of ennui and experimentation and strangeness. How to think like Ananke? It's hard. Every ninety years this thing happens. How she gonna play it this time? You occasionally get WicDiv readers asking “Why doesn't Ananke do X thing?” and this answer she probably gives would be “Yeah, tried it a few times, doesn't work nearly as well as you think it would.”

The biggest problem is choosing the pantheons, and the narrative it's choosing to tell through it. With the big list of pantheon dates the two core questions are...

What's the most culturally influential thing going on in this period that we know about?

How can we get the best global sampling that we can?

The latter is the fucker, because records are bad, and while history isn't written by the winners, history is written by those who write histories or at the least those who make things which historians can find or those historians have bothered to try and find. That warps the options for choices intensely, and often ways which frustrate our desires and choices. The script draft had multiple options for each category, and we chewed them over – there's a page in this month's Image+ which shows some of my notes there. Especially with the super-long-lived cultural empires, we looked opportunities to justifiably use anything other than them to just avoid 3000+ years of alternating between China and Egypt.

(Seriously, of all the many things this project has given me, a better understanding of the physicality of time, both its expanse (as in, HOW LONG HAS EGYPT BEEN THIS CULTURAL CENTER?) and its shortness (It is 66 full-lifetimes between us and the start of this mess. The last page skipping back from 2013 hits the majority of what we think of as history. It's a vertiginous book if you let it get beneath your skin, and we had to.)

Equally, we should unpack “culturally influential.” “Culturally Influential” normally means “invaded and killed a bunchy of other folks and made them take on your culture.” This is mainly a list of cultures who've dominated their locales. This has always been there in WicDiv. The 20th century Pantheon is primarily (though not solely) American. The 19th century one was primarily European. 455 is about the fall of Rome.

I'm not sure if I have to state the obvious: all the choices flow from the nature of WicDiv gods as cultural epiphenomenon (or, if not epiphenomenon, heralds. Or both. Either way, the gods dovetail with the rise of "civilization")

We map the gods to known history. If it's troubling, it's troubling because world history is troubling. And I do find that troubling.

At the same time, the concept of the book also lets us create spaces for possibility. We are showing one god from the period - Persephone. There's another dozen elsewhere. While we've shown some pantheons work with a tight geographical focus (such as the London/UK one) others have sprawled across considerable spaces, covering at least a continent and sometimes more. Some of the pantheons shown in this issue imply that kind of gap, normally signified by Ananke dressed in culturally different garments than the Persephone. Equally, some of the more extremely positioned Persephones are a snapshot that implies that gods can end up that far afield, at least occasionally.

In other words, if we drop a pantheon anywhere on the continent it implies that in some of the pantheon are in areas other than the direct place we're putting them. Steppes People bar one Hunnic one. Africa South of Mali. Most of East Asia, bar China and Japan and one Vietnamese Persephone we squeezed in. A lot of South and North America. We just don't have the history to know what or when to pick, and the relevant reference to draw even if we could.  

(The exception we forced was Australia, as we didn't even have a single god on that continent. As such, it was key to show a god on that continent to show that gods could be on that continent and by implication they could in one of the other pantheons.)

The above grates, but this issue was one of a bunch of compromises and decisions. This

There's also an attempt in the Ananke/Persephone pairings to talk about various stories. Sometimes the Persephone prefigures a culture's dominance. Sometimes it prefigures its fall. Sometimes it prefigures an option simply not taken. There is an implicit complexity and ambivalence to what we're showing here, as human history resists easy answers.

The naming is the other major bugbear. After the above choices were made, I spent a clear week going back and forth for a standardised naming system to use. Having one which I felt made sense, I spot the couple of exceptions where it didn't, and flick back entirely the other way. There's been times when the whole thing had generalised “Africa” or “Europe” captions. There was times when I considered not even having any captions at all – but these sacrifice so much in terms of the thrill of the mystery of these names. When (say) “Uruk” turns up it's meaningful and interesting, and losing that seemed a huge cost.

The rules we went with were as followed...

If we want to place this Persephone to a specific locale that exists and I want to specifically set the story in that limited locale, we use that name. (e.g. Athens, Uruk)

If a cultural region exists, and I don't want to tie the story to happening to a specific settlement in it, I use the cultural region (e.g. Egypt). If I want to be a little more specific, we can include geographical detail (e.g. Northern China).

If nothing exists for sure, use pure geography (e.g. The Upper Nile.)

All this also ties into my own knowledge of any areas. Some areas I have more confidence in choosing where to place the implied story. Some, I'd rather step back and be broader. This is based upon the background knowledge in a section. To do otherwise, I'd have to do reading akin to a WicDiv special for every panel in this issue, and as each WicDiv special is basically 6 months work, I'd have to had spent 33 years on this one.

This has one eye on the future – if we ever go back and do stories in WicDiv's history when all this is open, I want as much room to manoeuvre as possible. Do not close stuff off we don't have to, while also leaving enough room for people's imagination to populate the world.

Christ – this is 2500 words already, and I haven't said anything yet. You should see the script. There's actually a page of it which is going to be in the next Image Plus. I was a little reticent, as any one page was either too long or too fragmentory. We included one, which includes a couple of notes in from various levels of the production. The basic structure is that the panel is split between a “What the interaction is between the Ananke and the Persephone” and the “What period is this set in or what choices do we have?” And then there's a mass of conversation, both online and in person, after that. We say that all scripts are conversations, but it was never moreso in this issue.

The main take away from the second half was wanting to give Jamie as much room as possible and cut as many corners as he needed to get through it.

This is Jamie. He's never going to cut any corners.

(There's sections at the start where I suggest doing things like dropping backgrounds entirely and making it symbolic or whatever, but Jamie! That guy. THAT GUY.)

The baton of the workload then passed to Jamie. This is simultaneously a much bigger workload and a significantly different. I was performing a great filter. He was digging into specifics.

To get an idea of the scale of this, hired a costume researcher for this for a week of solid work, and they managed to do about a quarter of the periods, and even then not completely. The rest were done by Jamie and Katie as they proceeded through the issues.

Our costumes and choices are most conservative in the periods we know least about, and are normally excused by “if we don't do this, we miss this culture out entirely.” The further back we went, the harder it was, but even that isn't on a level playing field. When we get past the history and into the quasi-myth it also becomes tricky. It's just tricky.

As this was all only completed right up against the hard deadline, it also left barely any time to actually do the level of due diligence we wanted. We were expecting that we'd have stumbled over something accidentally mortifyingly offensive by accident in terms of colour choices or something else easy to stumble over, but the surprise is that there's been relatively little about that. We were expecting to have to do a bunch of tweaking when we come to the trade, and just mea culpa. In fact, there's only a handful of things to tweak – one place name which, after due consideration, I think I'll change and one architectural mishap. Frankly, this is much better than we were thinking, though I guess there's time for more stuff to be spotted.

Right – let's do a quick tour through the pages, with me pulling out bits and pieces which spring to mind.

Page 3 – still dealing with regions-rather-than-places, with Uruk being a side-step. Also sets up the rhythm of things staying the same and then things changing – as in, repetition enough to let people know there's a pattern, then a subversion. As it's the opening, the pattern is pretty obvious – straight murder until a Persephone gets wise and fights back, and then a change of tactics. Er... I'm not going to go in detail on this stuff from now, as that's reading the bloody comic for you, and I'm not one of those comic reviewers who just do a synopsis of the comic and sticking a 7/10 at the bottom. Even when I was a critic, I was the type to write a synopsis and stick a 6/10 at the bottom as I was a big ol' meanie.

The thing which most strikes me as sad about the research is that any headwear is a total waste. Man! Decapitation is the worst.

Page 4 – Japan 2942BC is one of my fave Persephone looks. I also like Ananke Northern China.

Yes, the “Crete” one is very clearly a “Wait – what happened here?” one. More anon.

Page 5 – Watching Ananke across this period is the interesting one.

Wrangel Island is one of my favourite historical things, in that it's the last place Mammoths were alive on Earth, around this period. There's a story I've wanted to do that is set this period. Maybe one day I will. I want to do it as an OGN, but part of me thinks it's actually a 5 page short story.

Egypt shows the arrival of the Pyramids here – architecture in backgrounds is one of the trickier things we had to deal with, but something that big and iconic is hard to resist. This was one of the problems culturally speaking – that there's many cultures we couldn't get good (or any) reference for their houses, so they tended to be put in rural/wooded situations, which carries an implication we weren't fond of. Occasionally we pushed it as far as we dared with simple housing to avoid that.

Man, I love the movement Jamie does in the middle two panels – plus the treatment of colour from Matt. That's actually worth stressing – I said it was a huge amount of work for Jamie? It's equally hilarious for Matt. He normally gets to set up a palette on a scene, and then carries it to other panels. Here, he has to reinvent it every single time. Stuff like the transitions from Egypt to Wrangel Island is dazzling.

Page 6

I resisted the Druidic one for a while – the earlier Western Europe one too – but they were both also (I think) Egypt ones. Basically everything here which is us going “We can use this for another locale” is taking out an Egypt or a China. Egypt and China have done so much stuff, guys. It's kinda scary.

Australasia is clearly one where we played it particularly tight – by definition, Ananke will have travelled here, and we minimise as much of Persephone's clothes due to not knowing for sure what people would wear in the period.

Page 7

Honestly, with out own interest in decapitated head, we were hardly going to resist the Olmec heads, right?

I like the implication of the story with the Egypt one here. You can see Ananke taking the Persephone all the way beneath the surface for this scene.

Page 8

Any time I look at the Assyrians I think of taking my friend Sarah Jaffe – not someone who is into ancient history – around the British Museum. When passing through the Assyrian display, I tried to work out how to sum up the Assyrians. I ended up with “The Assyrians... well, the Assyrians were tossers.” I may have used a stronger word than “Tosser.”

How do we know this? They spent a lot of time carving pictures of how much a tosser they were, just so we all know thousands of years later.

I find myself wondering what looks Ananke most liked? Does she look back fondly at certain periods? Almost certainly.

Page 9

It's around this point the sheer size of ancient history starts to get to you. Especially in the earlier Egypt/China-duopoly drafts it was like being punched in the face. It goes on and on and on and on. Which is the effect we were looking for, of course.

I kinda wished I could find somewhere other than Macedonia to do this one, but I couldn't find anything that made sense.

Eturia is one of those implied-other-story ones. This is near Rome, but not Rome. Eturian culture was significantly different from Rome, and you wonder what a more Eturian influenced Roman culture could have been like. I mainly ramble by way of example in my thinking for some of these.

Page 10

Yes, I smiled at Judea. Into the AD!

The South East Asia one is Vietnamese, and one of the ones we had least to draw off, but when there was so many East Asia pantheons, having them all be China and Japan felt worse than doing one with minimal sources.

The Eastern Europe one is my one complete fuck up when scripting this – it was originally the Hunnic invasion of India, with Persephone as a Hun. Except I had just read a number wrong, and the Hunnic Invasion of India was a century later, at a similar time to the Fall Of Rome Pantheon. A quick last minute panic kept it as Steppes People, and just had it out there, in the regions were the Huns were pre most of this, foreshadowing.

454 is earlier in the Fall Of Rome special. One of my reads in my research on that one was that Roman failure to integrate Germanic peoples into the empire to rejuvenate it (as they had with previous migrant groups) was one of the prime causes for the western fall, so this seemed a symbolic way to go. And look at the dappling!

Page 11

Tikal is the one I'll tweak. That's a more modern name. I'll likely tweak to Yax Mutal in the trade.

The Constantinople panel is the architectural problem – that Hagia Sophia look is simply from a much later period.

The acting in the first four panels are basically my favourite thing in the whole issue. Yes, the fourth one is “that time with the Franks” as referenced earlier in this arc.

I did try to tweak numbers and end up with a 999 pantheon, but couldn't make it land, and I decided that the Nun Lucifer story would work better later, circa the Black Death. As such, doing a millennial pantheon this far from the AD timeline appealed. And look at the fashion!

Page 12

The next special is 1373, so close to the fourth panel here. More to come, etc.

First two panels are the Crusades, mirroring one another.

Page 13

When planning this originally, I thought 60 pantheons. I then failed to realise I did the math wrong, and if I started close to 4000BC, it'd be 66 pantheons – so we'd need 11 pages. I did have a draft with a slightly longer start, but I realised that I couldn't afford another page, when I had a lot of work to do in the latter half of the issue.

I also realised that it's not 66, as the first one is actually the one we saw in 34, which is by definition, not in this sequence. Which left us one panel at the end. We played with various options, but calling back to a sequence from issue 9 seemed a good move. It's a scene which, of course, reads differently now.

These are the most familiar pantheons, of course.

Page 14

Interstitial, a nod to the Kanye track. I originally had this as the interstitial at the end of last issue, but felt that it contextualised Baal in a crass and deceptive way, and made it more likely to be taken as literally without any nuance. By placing it between these two horror stories, applying the word to both Ananke/Minerva and Baal, there's more space to think about it.

Page 15

I normally do a tight synopsis for the whole arc before starting. I did for this arc, and it actually expands to next arc too. However, these always change. When I reached this issue, especially when I realised it would be 12 of the 20 pages, I did some reworking of plot threads, moving a couple of other beats either to a teaser for next issue or just to next issue – as next issue is one with much more space available for present day stuff.

I did it as basically Baal's origin (there's no other word for it – Baal is a classic superhero origin story, as pure as Spider-man's) requires the space. He's earned it.

Still – as there is one other key thing which needs space, the question how to approach it was there. The final choice was minimalistic and cleanly. Three panels here, into the flashback. Red colouring. Baal's colours now.

Flame fade out to flashback, ala all performance-storytelling we've seen so far. As in, Gods' signature segues to flashback.

Page 16-17

I love what Matt is doing here with texture and shape. It makes everything feels alive, like ornamental, pushing against Jamie's art. It's like a mural, it's art.

Not a back garden but a playpark. I imagine Baal on the way home, crossing across here, meeting the lady and...

2 page scene. This needs space, in its own way.

Page 18-19

A spread, but this is effectively one page in terms of page use. Trying to get as much story as we can from the limited page count available. This is almost all Star Superman in cutting to the basics – a single image showing a fragment of the fight, and one of Baal's line.

More red. You see where we're going, as it's building up.

“that night, I did it” just made me shiver.

Page 20-22

We talked about various approaches to this – on a single page. but we chose to burn pages. As always, these are free, and don't come from the page count of the issue. In this case, it lets us dwell on it, and hit it again and again.

Page 23-24

And a segue out, back into reality. This is where we crunch the details we feel people need to know.

Of course, this is why Baal has always taken the Great Darkness more seriously – not least he knows what he has to do if the Great Darkness isn't dealt with before another three months ticks over. You can probably chew over yourself how much is him believing it's saving the world and how much he believes it's just saving his family. I don't think you have to choose one or another.

“You don't need to know” is a very WicDiv choice, isn't it?

It's one of the things which is there, but never stressed – Baal, for all his bluster, has never won a fight in all of WicDiv, when actually fighting against someone who fights back. Here's the reason.

It's worth noting Baal had the necklace, at least occasionally, before issue 4 of WicDiv. Woden is completing it as he hands it back. As in, it's been tuned up for a while – obviously it needs to be completed with what Ananke suspected may be coming with Lucifer. Er... this is probably too much to say here? It just occurred. It's the sort of stuff we chew over.

I suspect “I want to die/but I want to live” is one of those axis which WicDiv is built around? I found it upsetting to write, which is normally a tell.

Page 25

I said this when asked about the pregnancy plot when the issue came out...

Thanks for your faith, but I understand cynicism. It’s not as if there’s much track record for media doing this well. I’ll probably write a little more about it in the writers notes - I just deleted a paragraph here as I want to chew over my exact wording carefully. The short version is, like everything we do, we take it intensely seriously and we didn’t go here lightly. I also have faith in the readers unpacking it and making their own sense of it as we continue - I think Pomegranate’s take is basically the best sort of response we could have hoped for at this point, really.

… and after chewing it over, I don't think there's much I can add to it, really. Further into WicDiv I'm sure I will, but it's too connected to everything, and any explanation just leads to questions I can't answer yet.

I do wish I had slightly more space here to push the pause as Baal chewed it over longer.

Page 26

The idea that Baal would burn down Valhalla only struck me as I was writing this sequence. Of course he would. It just made sense.

This is a great example of Jamie being an amazing storyteller. I put her outside, and Jamie asked questions about how far, what would be nearby and so on. So we end up with an image which grounds this melodrama back to reality, hard. We see this godly palace burn sown from a simple London street. The movement between the two worlds. And morning. This is real. We wake up.

Also – Matt follows him. After the mythic colouring we've seen earlier, here we have this very normal, very real dawn. He's wonderful.

Worth noting there is a considerable time skip. By implication, Baal's performance lasted much longer than it took to read.

Mildly frustrated the issue printed a little dark, so the message was nearly unreadable, and was missed as the cliffhanger it is. Namely, a message from someone (I suspect many will guess who) catching up on the nights events... and The Norns being locked up again after Cass has said stuff?

In the original draft for the text I used the phrase “Sectioned” but was informed it's something which wouldn't make sense for a North American audience. I suspect I'll tweak again to get a cleaner message out.

Anyway – mildly frustrated the information doesn't 100% land here, but next issue goes at it running.

Page 27

I wanted a simple title here. It's Baal's story.

And that's it. God knows how much I'll edit out of this mess. The next issue is out tomorrow, and hopefully you'll find it interesting.

[hendratds]

Religious Robots

Esh’s Dream Journal: Entry 4

Bringing this back, because why not. But this time, I’m writing it all out in a full fic. Warning, this is a long post (it was 22 pages long in Word)

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The following is a recalling of a dream I had. This is by no means meant to be accurate. Characters are guaranteed to act OOC and events are sure to be jumbled and will make no sense. After all, this is a dream and not a well thought out fic. But anyway, enjoy!

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             When I fell into the deep void of sleep, I had a very strong feeling that things were about to so into weird dream town. As the world of reality faded and I felt myself diving into the deep abyss that is the mind, I started hearing something. It sounded like rain drumming against the roof of a car. There was no engine running, but I felt like I was sitting in a car seat.

           When I finally opened my eyes, I was indeed in a car. It looked like the inside of a Jeep Cherokee. No memories of my life in reality were present. All I knew was my name and my powers from my imagination world.

           I was wrapped in a soft blanket (that I later remember to be a larger version of my childhood kiddy blanket), seated in the passenger side of the car. I didn’t know where I was. I didn’t know how I got here. After a few moments of contemplation, I sat up and began examining my surroundings in more detail.

           There was no one else in the car. The keys were in the ignition but were not turned. There were no decorations other than the plush toy bunny hanging from the rear-view mirror. After freeing myself from the softness that was my blanket, I grabbed the car keys and exited the vehicle, determined to find out where I was and what to do. When I got out, there was no rain. Had I imagined the rain? Was it a part of a radio broadcast? I don’t know.

           I found myself on the outskirts of a city. To the back of the car was a large, towering cityscape. The buildings rose up into the sky, and the silver and glass made it shine in the setting sun. The sky showed it to be nearing dusk. A clear day, with the sun setting behind the buildings and giving the city an almost ethereal glow.

           To the front of my car, down the road I was parked on, was a flat plain with no end in sight. The road went straight into the horizon, which showed no faraway structures. I could only guess that it was a vast meadow with no real end. The next settlement must be far away.

           As I twirled the keys around, trying to decide on my next course of action, I hear a voice.

           “Hey! Over here!”

           Startled, I turned to see someone approaching. A tall young man with silver hair and bright aqua eyes. I recognized him almost instantly as Riku from Kingdom Hearts. He was wearing the attire he wore within the game Dream Drop Distance. He was waving at me and jogging to approach.

           I waved back, of course. I couldn’t just be the broody girl on the side of the road. When Riku reached me, he spoke again.

           “Hey, are you okay with giving me a lift?” he asked. “I need to get to the next big city,”

           “Of course!” I replied. “Though… I can’t guarantee I’ll know the way. I mean, I don’t even know where I am right now,”

           “What do you mean?” Riku asked.

           “I kinda just… woke up here?” I looked up into the darkening sky, squinting my eyes as I try to find the right words to describe my situation. “I don’t really remember much of what I was doing before this, but I do know that I just woke up in this car. I don’t know where I am or what to do,”

           Riku seemed to take a moment to take in what I said. He looked like he wanted to ask a question but couldn’t find the words. He also seemed concerned, as if my situation was something he was familiar with.

           “I mean, if it’s a straight shot down this road, I could probably take you there. I know the basics of how the drive,” I continued, my memories of only having one driving lesson in a run down parking lot evading my mind. “Maybe it’ll also help me remember what happened to me,”

           “Maybe,” Riku replied. “Do you know anything else?”

           “I know who you are,” I said immediately. This caught him off guard, as he seemed to tense up a little. “Like, I don’t know why I know who you are,” I added quickly. “I know your name is Riku, and I know of Sora and your journey with King Mickey and all that. I don’t know why I know, but I do,”

           Riku didn’t respond. I can only guess it was from being on guard. I could see why, though. I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to respond if someone was telling me the same thing.

           “My name is Esh, I know that,” I said. “I’m not sure I can really remember much else except my powers, but I’m not too sure if I can use them or not. I don’t know my situation,”

           “Perhaps… You can test them out?” Riku said slowly, as if he was unsure whether or not to say it. “We’re in a rather big field right now, after all,”

           “That is true,” I nodded, looking down at my hand and flexing my fingers into a fist a couple times. For a moment, there was a bout of silence. Riku seemed to be sizing me up, wondering if I was a threat or not. Given the information presented, I’m not surprised he was on his guard. I decided to take the bull by the horns.

           “I… I think I can understand that hearing me say I know about you and stuff would come off as… untrustworthy. I’m pretty sure I raised a lot of red flags,” I told him. His eyes widened, as if he wasn’t expecting me to address this. “I don’t know how to prove it to you, but I can assure you that I’m telling the truth. I really have no idea how I got here or where I am. And frankly, I just want to find out what happened. And if helping you is what I need to do, then I’ll do it,”

           After my speech, I stood up straight and sighed. I really didn’t like making speeches like this. I was always afraid of messing up my words. I’m glad I was able to get it out without any hassle.

           “I see,” I heard Riku mumble. My head shot up to face him. He was deep in thought, his arms crossed and fingers on his chin. “If you really have lost your memories like it seems, then perhaps I can help. Where I’m going should be a place that can help you,”

           “Really?” I asked. I found myself smiling with relief. I really didn’t like being kept in the dark about this stuff. “Thank you, Riku. I mean it,”

           “It’s the least I can do, since you’re offering to take me on a road trip,” Riku replied. “It’ll be a long drive. Are you up for it?”

           “I’ve sat in a car for an entire day, for three days before. I can handle this,” I responded, giving my chest a light punch. “Ah, but… I do still need to test if I can use my powers. I don’t want to be a burden in battle, you know?”

           “What powers do you have?” Riku asked as we began making our way away from the car and towards the open grassland.

           “I have an elemental control over something called Atomic Fire,” I explained. “It’s a really bright blue fire that sparks a lot and explodes on contact with… anything really,”

           For a moment, I almost began explaining to him my powers over Darkness as the Incarnation of Darkness. But knowing his experience with the dark, I kept my mouth shut on that. I probably wouldn’t need those powers anyway.

           “Really?” Riku tilted his head a little. “Sounds pretty useful for area damage,”

           “When you have a lot of control over the energy of it, you can do a lot of things,” I explained. “I can use the heat and energy from the fire to create a strong laser beam, I can set things on fire without it exploding, I can use it’s power to give myself a speed and power boost… It took a lot of training and a special artifact to help me learn all I could about it,”

           “Well, let’s see if you can do it,” Riku gestured to the open pasture. There were not animals from what I could see. I stepped forward and breathed in. I really hoped I could use my element. I didn’t want to look like a fool in front of my favorite Kingdom Hearts character by dancing like a drunken pelican.

           I closed my eyes and searched for the unstable heat I had grown to know, deep within my Being. I opened my eyes and swung a hand back, fingers clenched like I was holding a baseball and arm ready to fling forward as if I was throwing one. I swung my arm forward, and out came a wave of sparking, scorching hot blue. The Atomic Fire raced out of my hand and into the air, quickly igniting the oxygen and exploding out like a missile.

           The blast startled me, and I found myself jumping back as the explosion flattened the grass and scorched the ground in front of me. The flames soon turned into black smoke, rising up from the aftermath. I turned to Riku, who looked just as startled, if not more, as I was.

           “Well… I guess it works!” I said as the resonating boom faded like rolling thunder.

           “That is some power,” Riku told me. “I’m sure nothing would stand a chance against that,”

           “Well, it’s only if I can do anything to them,” I replied, shaking my hand out. “You fight Dream Eaters, Heartless, and Nobodies. Heartless and Nobodies? Yeah, I think I’d be able to do that. But Dream Eaters? I don’t know,”

           “They are a tricky bunch,” Riku agreed. “But you never know until you try. If we run into any Nightmares, I’ll take care of them,”

           “If my fire doesn’t work on them, that is!” I told him with a wagging finger. “But your Keyblade is one nifty weapon. I’m sure we’ll be safe,”

           “I agree,” Riku said. “Now, shall we go? It’s better to go before the sun completely sets,”

           “Agreed,” I followed Riku back to the car. This time, he took the passenger seat and I took to the drivers seat. I started up the car, we buckled up like good people, and began driving down the road.

           “It is basically just a straight shot,” Riku explained. “This road directly connects the two cities,”

           “If I may ask, what’s in the next city?” I asked him. “You know, the reason why you’re going there?”

           “Well- Ah, you said already know about what happened… The keyhole for this world is in the next city. I need to get there to unlock it,” Riku explained.

           “So, this is a slumbering world, I guess?” I pondered. Riku nodded, responding with a mhm! before continuing.

           “Master Yen Sid told me and Sora that we needed to enter the Sleeping Realm,” Riku explained. “It took a couple of tries for Sora to get into it. I think this is my second attempt. I found Nightmares in the city behind us, so I can only guess that I made it,”

           “For your Mark of Mastery Exam, right?” I asked.

           “Yeah,” Riku said.

           “It must be so cool to be a Keyblade wielder,” I said, leaning back onto my seat. “I mean, I get all the training and discipline and experience, but I’d choose that over my life before I woke up here. It’s pretty boring,”

           “You can control an explosive fire, how is your life boring?” the silver haired boy asked me.

           “Well, I do remember that I was kinda stuck in a way,” I began explaining. Memories of my fantasy situations in reality came forth, but I believed them to be reality. “I’m not sure how, but I was stuck in full human form, all my powers locked away. My current theory is that I was blasted back in time and forced to live a human life. Frankly, it’s getting a little tiresome,”

           A paused for a moment. “I guess this is a little breath of fresh air. I can use my powers again, but it looks like I’m still in human form,”

           “What form are you usually?” Riku asked.

           “Well, it’s a little complicated,” I said, watching the passing scenery as we went down the road. “I’m about… less than 25 percent human? The rest is alien, alien deity, and Primordial. It’s all really confusing. I don’t even understand it totally yet,”

           “That does sound confusing,” Riku told me, though I could tell he didn’t fully believe me. To which I could understand.

           “It’s all really jumbled,” I sighed. “It would take an entire book series to explain it all,”

           “Well, we have time. Explain away,” Riku assured me.

           I took a good three hours explaining my origin story from my fantasy worlds. The sky turned black with the night and the stars shone like there was no light pollution. Riku was an amazing listener and asked plenty of questions. I also caved in and explained to him my powers over darkness. At the end, he nodded in understanding.

           “What is your… opinion on Darkness?” he asked me. “I know you have powers over it and were born into it… but what do you think about it?”

           “It’s a part of our existence,” I answered with full confidence. “Dark. Light. It makes up everything that we know. Darkness isn’t evil. And Light isn’t good. It’s what a person does with it that matters,”

           “I… I didn’t think about that,” Riku said after a moment of silence.

           “Balance is… What I strive for,” I added. “I know a perfect balance is impossible, but I do try to keep it as centered as possible in my life. Because tipping the balance is never a good idea,”

           “I do agree with that,” Riku said, staring off into the dark sky.

           “It’s pretty late. Why not get some sleep?” I offered to the Keyblade wielder. “I just woke up, technically,”

           “That sounds good,” Riku said. He shifted into a more comfortable position and began to doze off. I leaned into my seat and let my mind wonder while still focusing on the road. It was a lot to take in at the time. I woke up in a weird car, in a strange place, with my powers back. It was so ethereal it didn’t feel like it should’ve been real. It was kind of ironic.

           I didn’t know how long it would take to actually make it to the next city. I hoped it wasn’t too long, as I was getting hungry. After a good long while of driving, I saw something up ahead. It was a rest stop. The brightening sky showed that the sun was on its way to rising. Slowing down, I turned into the rest stop and parked. I then turned to Riku.

           “Hey, Riku,” I called, shaking his shoulder. He started, looking up and around as if disoriented.

           “We stopped?” he asked, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

           “At a rest stop,” I confirmed. “We don’t know how long it’ll be until we reach the next city. Might as well stock up on some food while we’re here,”

           “Good idea,” Riku said. We exited the car in unison and entered the rather fancy looking rest stop building. The inside was dressed with marble and carved stone, with silver chandeliers hanging from the pointed ceiling. I found myself gazing around at the décor, wondering if I should take a picture for future reference for my drawings. As I looked around, I heard one of the vending machines vend something. Switching my gaze from the room to the machine, I saw Riku grabbing a couple of drinks.

           “Here,” he held one out to me. I couldn’t discern the label. It was a brand I had never seen before, but I took it nonetheless.

           “Thanks!” I replied. Opening it, I took a swig. It tasted like a citrus soda, with a hint of Mountain Dew. It was really good.

           “Ah, that’s good. Lemme get us some breakfast,” I said, pointing to the other vending machine that was filled with snacks. “Any preferences?”

           “Just no sour stuff,” Riku told me. I took out my wallet, but Riku stopped me from taking any money out. “Watch this,” he said.

           Summoning his Keyblade, Riku punched in the number of what he wanted and then proceeded to hit the side of the machine with his weapon. The vending machine then proceeded to vend out the wanted product.

           “Whoa,” I said. “I didn’t know that Keyblades could do that,”

           “I didn’t either until now,” Riku responded. We proceeded to get one of each item and three of each of our favorite snacks.

           “If I can down this,” I was holding a large chunk of black licorice. “In one bite, then you have to drive,”

           “That stuff is horrible,” Riku looked disgusted at the mere thought of eating it. “I highly doubt you’ll win that bet,”

           “You wanna wager?” I said before stuffing the black candy into my mouth. It tasted like burning rubber and NyQuil, and I nearly gagged it back up. But I kept a straight face (Lord Chaos knows how I did that), and then swallowed it. Riku looked stunned.

           “Did… Okay, I guess I’m driving,” Riku said. I silently tossed him the keys and took a deep breath. He caught the keys, and then stepped forward to look at my face. “Are you okay?” he asked.

           “That shit was horrendous,” I said in an overly dramatic voice and as blank of a face as I could keep. The result was worth it. I grinned as Riku chuckled, clearly amused by my antics. Mission accomplished: make Riku laugh.

           “Hey, let’s see if there a map somewhere,” I said, slinging the bag of snacks over my shoulder. “That way we can get a better grasp of how far away our final stop is,”

           “Sounds good,” Riku agreed.

           We looked around the building and found no map. There was no other floor other than the ground floor, and I wasn’t one for acrobatics. Riku made sure to check above in the rafters for some reason. The walls were bare of any map or indication of a map’s whereabouts. I thought maybe there was a map somewhere outside?

           “Hey, I’mma go check if there are any maps outside!” I called up to Riku.

           “Wait! What if Nightmares-” Riku called back, but I had already turned and exited out the door.

           The air outside was crisp and clear like it was in the winter, yet it wasn’t cold. It was quite warm, but a comfortable warm. Like the kind of warm you would feel when you’re wrapped up in a blanket.

           I looked around the front of the building. Through the window, I saw Riku jump down from the rafters and onto the floor. He raced out of the building and to me.

           “Hey, don’t just go wondering off like that,” he said.

           “Sorry, I thought it was a good idea,” I said, not feeling much remorse or guilt. “You know, splitting up to cover more ground?”

           “Nightmares could appear anywhere,” Riku argued. “We need to stick together in case they ambush us,”

           I placed my hand up in surrender as Riku wagged an accusing finger at me, as if he was scolding a child for breaking the movie the parent’s had planned to watch that same night.

           “Okay, okay!” I said. “Lead the way then,”

           Riku gave me a curt nod of approval, then began leading me around the building. We checked the right side first, which consisted of a few cobblestone columns and flat marble walls. Using the parkour skills I had apparently developed, I climbed the cobblestone and checked the roof. Riku followed close behind.

           As I examined the shingles, I noticed a tall chimney that reached four or five times higher than the actual rest stop building. I thought to myself Hey, maybe I can try and get a better vantage point from up there!, and began to climb. The chimney was made of a reflective metal that crunched easily in my hands, allowing me to create hand and foot holds for myself as I climbed. The actual structure of the chimney didn’t seem affected by the dents I was creating, as it stood tall and proud and unmoving.

           Once I reached the top, I balanced myself into a one foot crouching position, holding on to the chimney with one hand as I shielded my eyes from the sun with my other. The plains were vast and ongoing. There weren’t even any trees or shrubs, it was just flat grassy land with no imperfections in the landscape.

           To the south I spotted the tiny dot of the city me and Riku left behind. It was so small that I almost didn’t notice it had I not checked the road. To the north, the road continued on. For a moment, I did not notice anything else until I squinted my eyes and saw the faint, foggy outline of buildings in the distance. They resembled skyscrapers.

           “Hey, Riku!” I called down.

           “Did you see anything?” Riku called up.

           “Yeah, I see a settlement up ahead!” I announced. I jumped down without a second thought, landing hard but unscathed. I dusted myself off. “Did you find anything?”

           “Yeah, I think I saw someone near the back of the building,” Riku responded. “Let’s go talk to them,”

           “Roger that!” I saluted, following Riku again as we hopped down from the roof and into the back of the rest stop.

           The back area was shaded my a large stone canopy, with benches sitting comfortably in the shade and two pill shaped garden beds under both corners of the awning. On one of the benches sat a middle aged man with a greying beard, a pipe hanging from his lips, a fishing hat on his head and fishing attire adorning his body. I wanted to question why a fisherman was out here in the middle of a pondless plain, but I knew I needed to focus on the task at hand.

           The man was holding and reading through a newspaper. He didn’t look up as me and Riku approached him.

           “Excuse me?” Riku started. The man did not move other than turning the page of his article of literature.

           “Uhm, hello? I need some directions,” Riku tried again, with no response once more. Riku looked to me, as if hoping I would step up. And step up I did, walking up to the mand and flicking his newspaper to get his attention. The man started violently, looking up at me with wide eyes.

           “Oh, I’m sorry!” he said. He had the voice of someone who had smoked a lot, as the voice was hoarse and gravely and it grated on my ears. “I get so distracted…”

           “It’s fine,” I say, taking a step back. “Sorry to startle you, but me and my friend here need some directions to…?”

           I turned to Riku, who nodded and aided me.

           “Satellite City,” Riku responded. “We’re heading to Satellite City. You wouldn’t happen to know how far it is, do you?”

           “Oh, that big town?” the man rubbed at his beard, as if it itched and he wanted to rip it off. “It’s a good three day drive if you’re coming from Crown City, to the south,”

           “That’s where we came from,” I say with a nod. “And what about the settlement just north of here? I saw some buildings,”

           “Oh…” the man seemed to shrink back and deflate, as if he was trying to hide away from the topic and mere thought of my question. “Regional Center. It’s a messed up place, kids. You best just drive pass it without lookin’ at it. It’s nothing but trouble,”

           “What do you mean?” Riku asked.

           “They used to be the most advanced settlement between the two main cities,” the man explained, his eyes darkening and his face growing solemn, as if he was dragging out a horrid memory. “But they’re under a new management, and since then the place has become akin to a cult haven,”

           “Is there anything else we should know?” I asked, my curiosity about this place growing by the second.

           “If you do end up stopping there… Don’t speak to anyone. Their words will crawl into your brain and never leave,” the man whispered.

           “Thank you, sir,” Riku said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I took that as a sign it was time to leave before things got weird. I gave the man a warm farewell, and we made out way back to the car.

           “Three days, huh?” I sighed, resting my head in my hands as I reached up to place them behind my head. “Well, we already got passed one night, so we have two and a half days to go,”

           “And we don’t have time to spare,” Riku said, making his way to the driver’s side of the car. “Get in, let’s go,”

           I got into the passenger’s seat and watched as Riku started up the car and began driving down the road. I eyed the silhouette of the town that was named Regional Center as it got closer and closer. It looked like a cluster of skyscrapers in the area of a small town that could barely fit 500 people.

           “I wonder how bad it really is,” I pondered out loud. “From technological prodigy to cult club haven? That’s a story waiting to be told,”

           “If they are in trouble, then maybe we do have to make a stop,” Riku commented. “Even then, we’re running low on gas. We need to stop to refill anyway,”

           “Oh, that sounds fun,” I drawled out sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “Let’s hope we don’t have to talk to anyone. I know how it feels to get words stuck in my head. It’s not fun,”

           Regional Center was, indeed, like a miniature city. The signpost that told that we were entering the town was old, rusty, and told of a population of under 500 people. As we drove around in search of a petrol station, I surveyed the land and the people. The people seemed okay, though their outfits looked to belong in America’s colony days. The buildings were mostly old and run down brick buildings. The tall skyscrapers with modern perks and designs seemed further down the road. The architecture was all over the place, giving the settlement a wacky aesthetic.

           “I can’t see one, you?” Riku asked, eyeing the people staring at us as we stopped at a stop light.

           “Nope. Perhaps we have to ask around?” I offered.

           “Good idea,” Riku agreed. After the light turned green, Riku exited the intersection and pulled to the side of the road. I rolled the window down and waved over a couple of old ladies. They hobbled up to me with identical smiles.

           “Excuse me, can you tell me where the nearest gas station is?” I asked them.

           “The only fuel you need is His grace,” the ladies said in perfect unison. “He shall make us human, like the Father promised us,”

           “He?” I asked. “And what do you mean human?”

           “The one called God,” said one of the old ladies. “We’re modern creations of men, with metal skin and electricity for blood. He will turn us to flesh and bone,”

           “Ooookay…?” I raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re all robots?”

           The ladies nodded.

           “And you believe that Christo will turn you in humans?”

           A synced nod.

           “That’s great. Can you please tell me where the nearest petrol station is?” I asked, wanting to end the conversation.

           “We already said-“ the ladies began, but Riku tapped my shoulder.

           “We can probably find it in that modern looking place,” Riku said to me. “Let’s look there,”

           “NO!” the old ladies screamed, bringing attention to our car from the surrounding automatons. “You mustn’t go where the sinners go!” the old women said, reaching to me. I quickly raised my window, and they knocked on it.

           “Sorry, but we’re trying to get to Satellite City. We need gas,” I told them as Riku began to pull away.

           “Don’t let them drag you down!” the ladies screamed. “They’ll doom you to the pit!”

           “Oh great, religious robots,” I mumbled, leaning back into my seat.

           “It’s quite weird, I’ll give it that,” Riku said with a nod. “I’ve seen some weird things, but this takes the cake,”

           “If I’m right…” I started. “If they call the modern place the place where sinners are, then that probably means the people there don’t follow the religious teachings. Extremists tend to outcast those who don’t agree with them,”

           “Do you think we’ll get more info on what’s going on from them, too?” Riku suggested.

           “Probably. Maybe we can even help them,” I offered with a mischievous grin. “You know, overthrow the corrupt extremists and save the town and become small town heroes?”

           “Your mind is weird,” Riku said. At that moment, I had a small jolt in my body. My mind was weird. My mind usually came up with weird things. Things as weird as this. I began looking around at things in more detail. Though I didn’t know why there was something buzzing in the back of my mind, I feel that this was the first hint of the true nature of this adventure.

           As we approached the towering silver buildings, the denizens were all waving at us and yelling, trying to tell us to turn around before we entered the territory we were heading towards. Some of the robots even tried to jump in front of our car, but Riku deftly dodged them and kept driving forward.

           Once the road went from gravel to asphalt, the people in the town behind us stopped yelling. They stared at us with unblinking eyes filled with sorrow, disappointment, and anger. Oh well for them, I thought.

           The modern part of the town was mostly desolate. No lights were on, the streets were empty, as plastic bags and paper flew around like modern day tumbleweeds. Riku pulled over and parked. I immediately climbed on top of the car and looked around, trying to see any movement.

           “Hello!” I called out, cupping my hands around my mouth to amplify my voice.

           “Hey-“ Riku looked ready to shush me, his brows furrowed. But I continued.

           “Is anyone there?” I called out. “We need some gas for our car!”

           My voice echoed off into the distance, bouncing off the buildings and fading away. There was a long pause, and then I saw movement in the buildings. All of the buildings. Metal heads began popping up, their eyes glowing blue and staring at us. Human shaped machines, looking more cybernetic than the robots of the older looking part of town, began emerging. They had silver and white plating for skin and black, wire covered indo-skeletons.

           “Over here,” came a heavily automated voice. Me and Riku turned to see a robot sporting a platinum blonde wig and wearing a scarf like a sash.

           “Hello!” I greeted as a slip down off the car and to Riku’s side.

           “Greetings,” the adorned robot said. “I’m glad you got through our counterpart’s territory. They can get drastic when it comes to stopping people from coming here,”

           “Well, I’m Riku. This is Esh,” Riku introduced us.

           “You may call me Andra,” the robot told us. “I am the… leader of these outcasts,”

           “If I may ask, what made you all outcasts?” I asked.

           “Before that, allow me to do you a favor,” Andra said. She turned to a group of five robots. “You, go and scavenge the gas from the petrol station for them,”

           The group wordlessly got up and began jogging away.

           “Thank you,” Riku said, watching the robots run towards their quest.

           “It’s no problem. Please, let us sit down,” Andra led me and Riku to the sidewalk, where some more cybernetics had laid down some blankets and milk crates for seats. I took to sitting up against the nearest building.

           “I’m sure you’ve heard, but our village was once the center for all technology,” Andra began as Riku sat down. “That is why a majority of the population is synthetic. However, the scientists once guided this town perished to disease. And in their place rose… the Father. He and his group quickly began spreading the words of their beliefs around. Now, this wasn’t a problem. We synthetics didn’t mind following the belief,”

           “So, what happened that made everything go downhill?” Riku asked.

           “It wasn’t long before the Father began preaching illogical things,” Andra said. “He told us that if we followed his word, the almighty would turn us human. He and his human followers had fed us all the wonders of being biological. We didn’t think anything of it until he began making us follow a mundane, repeating schedule. Wake up from recharging during the night, go to church, pray, and then sing to the heavens in hopes God will send an envoy to grant us true life. We were forbidden from diverging from this schedule,”

           “What happens if you do?” I asked them, leaning forward like an excited child listening to a campfire story.

           “We’re sent here, to the last remnants of the old days,” Andra responded. “We oppose the word of the almighty by opposing the Father’s word. Thus, we are banished here to rust away,”

           “You all don’t seem to be rusting,” Riku pointed out. Andra gave us a rather poor attempt of what seemed to be a smile.

           “The Father didn’t count of us being able to build charging stations and sustain ourselves,” the adorned robot said.

           “Maybe we can help?” I offered, earning a glance from Riku. I ignored him and continued. “Is there any way to talk to the Father?”

           “The Father is very set in his ways,” Andra said, shaking her head.

           “I can be very persuasive,” I assured Andra. “Here,” I stood up, placing my hands on my hips and standing proudly. “I’ll go talk to the Father. I’ll see if I can plant the seeds of doubt into the circuits of your brainwashed brethren by hitting them with logic,”

           “I hope you can,” Andra said. Riku stood as well.

           “I guess we’re doing this…” he said with a sigh. He shook her head and rubbed the area between his eyes with his knuckles, then looked to me. “In that case, I’ll stay here and work out a strategy for these robots. If Esh can talk to the Father into letting you guys back into their society, or something similar, then you will need some strategy of entering,”

           “I concur,” Andra said, standing up and extending a hand to each of us. Me and Riku shook her hand, which felt strangely warm for a hand made of metal.

           “Alright! Any idea where I can find the Father?” I asked, pumping my fists like an excited child.

           “You may find him at the church near the road,” Andra pointed to the northwest. “Today, the town should be gathering to sing chorus,”

           “Alright! Good luck, Riku. I’m off!” I said, and I turned to run back into the run-down part of the settlement. In order to save time, I leapt onto the building’s roofs and began jumping from roof to roof. The streets and sidewalks were now bare of any denizens, probably gathered at the church to sing.

           I closed the distance to the road and followed it north until I saw a red brick, rectangular building with a stone cross on each wall. I heard the echoes of singing automated voices coming from that building, so I could only conclude that it was the church.

           I hopped down from the roof and snuck around the building to the front. I slowly peeked around the corner and bore witness to the largest congregation of singing robots I had ever seen. They were all wearing block robes (except for those who resembled old women), and were throwing their voices up towards the sky. I stepped out of hiding and tried to wave at them, but they didn’t seem to notice me in the slightest. I weaved around the congregation, trying to spot anyone who looked like the Father. As I realized that I should’ve asked what the Father looked like, I spotted someone walking through the mass.

           I quickly gave chase and found the man slowly walking down a pathway walled by the mass of robots. The Father wore a long black rode with dark blue and faded yellow trim. He resembled the fisherman from the rest stop, only his beard was shorter, scruffier, and was dark brown in color instead of grey. He wore large framed, black glasses and had his arms spread like he was expecting someone to hug him.

           “Excuse me?” I called. The Father didn’t seem to acknowledge me.

           “Hello? Father? I need to talk to you!” I called, but to no avail.

           I raced up to him with plans to grab his robe to get his attention, but the Father turned at the last second and dodged me without losing a beat to the harmony of the music. This continued for a long moment, with me calling to him and him dodging my attempt to grab at his robes.

           It was as he dodged me again and I stumbled to land on the ground that I had an idea. I got up, dusted myself off, and made my way to the church building. I used some loose bricks to help me climb to the flat, brick roof. Once I was situated and was looking over the entire group, I took a deep breath.

           Reaching in and tapping into the darkness I had come to know and represent, my form made a very flashy and very noticeable change. In a flash of light that turned into rays of black shadow, I found myself cloaked in a vantablack cloak. My hands were adorned with black, clawed gloves, and I wore black boots with rattling chains wrapped around them. Giant, black, feathered wings exploded out of my back, spreading up and reaching up to block out the dawn sun.

           Needless to say, the mass ceased singing.

           “Who are you?” called the man who I thought was the Father.

           “What my name is is none of your concern,” I announced. “I have a few questions for you and your followers, Father. Let us all speak inside,”

           I gestured to the doors of the church, which swung open on my will and wordless command. The robots were all looking amongst each other, whispering about angels and finally being able to call down one of His messengers. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as everyone poured into the church.

           I entered last, closing the door behind me. The entire church was just one big room. Everyone was sitting on the floor, their only cushions being white colored blankets. The entire room was lit with only candles. On the far side of the room was a small, Christian themed alter made of marble and gold. The Father and I were the only ones standing. He glared at me, clearly knowing that I was not here as a messenger from big gun’s upstairs.

           “Are you an angel?” asked one of the robots. Before I could answer, another one piped up.

           “Are you here to grant us humanity?”

           “No,” I told them. “I am here to grant you a reality check,”

           “What do you mean?” asked a teenager looking robot. One of their eyes was missing, replaced with a red marble.

           “I want you all to tell me exactly what your Father here,” I pointed to the Father, my eyes glowing red. “has taught you. What has he said about the word of the almighty?”

           The robots all took turns telling me what Andra had told me, but in a more suppressed way that told that these robots thought that they were in the right.

           “And sin is bad,” one continued. “We cannot sin, not if we want to be healthy when we become human,”

           “What do you mean? If you want to be healthy?” I asked. I was slowly walking around the robots like a lion stalking its prey.

           “Sin is a mental illness,” one of the robots told me. “If we sin, we’ll get sick when we turn human. We’ll get covered in boils and we’ll be marked, doomed to the pit and never to regain true humanity,”

           “We sin when we go against the word of His mouth,” someone else stated. “The Father is his voice. We sin if we don’t listen and heed his words,”

           “If we diverge from his words, we sin. We must stay on His path forever and always.”

           “To oppose his word is to doom yourself to the pit,”

           “I’ll tell you right now,” I started, cutting everyone off. “That this total bullshit,”

           The gasp that resonated through the room was almost comedic in style. Had I not been seething with anger towards the Father, I would have laughed.

           “Sin is not a mental illness,” I announced before they could start protesting. “What you have been taught is not sin. There is nothing wrong with practicing your free will,” I shot a harsh glare towards the Father. “Something your Father here seems to have taken away,”

           The Father stayed silent.

           “Sin will not make you into a deform monster,” I continued. “If we were to go on that, then I would be deformed, covered in boils, and whatnot. Do you see me as deformed?”

           “No,” the robots said in unison.

           “I don’t follow the teachings of Christianity,” I told them. “I follow my own path. I do what I want to do. There’s nothing wrong with following a belief. But when it starts taking away your basic freedoms and teaches you to outcast those who dare to be themselves, then it’s time to rethink what you’ve been taught,”

           There was pause, and the synthetics were all mumbling amongst their own. I heard phrases ranging from disbelief to words that proved that I was getting through to them. I looked to the Father, who was red in the face and looked ready to tear apart the nearest robot circuit from circuit.

           “According to your belief, Christo gave life free will for a reason. To take away that free will would technically be going against his word, would it not?” I offered. Heads turned towards the Father, showing that everyone knew who I was referring to. There was another long pause, and then…

           “So… we don’t sin if we follow our own wishes?” someone called out.

           “As long as you’re not hurting anyone, I don’t see anything wrong with following your own path,”

           “What about our humanity? Is it even possible?” someone else called.

           “I think you shouldn’t worry about becoming human,” I told them. “Embrace who you are and what you are, and work to be the best you can be. You don’t need to become human to be alive,”

           The robots began talking amongst themselves again, this time with increasing fervor. I watched as some robots began standing up and stripping off their robes, revealing their metal bodies and slipping off the masks they were wearing to make themselves look human. They looked a little too real to me, those masks. I had many a dark idea as to where they came from.

           “You all are doomed,” the Father finally spoke, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. He turned to the only door in the church, one that he was leaning on. I did not notice it before, but I’m guessing that it led to another room.

           “You all are listening to a creature of darkness, a black wing,” the Father growled, swinging the door open. “It’ll drag you all down to the darkest parts of the pit,”

           “But… You did take away our free will,” said one robot. “I used to build street lights before all this,”

           “I was once a caretaker at our orphanage,” said another. “I miss it so,”

           “I’ve always wanted to run track!”

           “I can take up magic again…”

           “I can work on my wing invention. Soon we’ll all be flying like angels!”

           “Doomed idiots, all of you!” The Father barked. He turned and entered the dark room, slamming the door behind him. I growled, marching up to the door and quickly kicking it back open.

           “I’m not done with you, Father!” I roared out. As the door fell to the ground, I bore witness to the Father raise his hand up. I spotted a translucent glass ball in that hand before he threw it to the ground in an explosion of red dust and blinding white light.

           When I opened my eyes, the church building was gone. The synthetics were all safe and unharmed, but they were all fleeing the area coated in red dust. Suddenly, the light from above was blocked out. I looked up and watched as clouds formed and swirled like a hurricane. Thunder rolled and the clouds darkened into a thick, dark grey mass. In the eyes of the storm, the clouds opened up a path to a bright white light. I noticed something, someone, was coming down from this light. Feeling the presence of someone powerful, I leapt into the air to meet them halfway. I hovered below the cloud line and watched as the figure approached me.

           The being before me was all black, with stars in his skin and eyes shining like the sun and moon. A black, dark blue, and purple robe fell from his shoulders, and six enormous black wings were spread wide like my own. A bright halo of light shone behind its head. I knew I was looking at an Archangel. As I stared, a name etched itself into my head, as if I knew who this was, and I was realizing their name. This was the Archangel Gabriel.

           This Gabriel looked like nothing like the Gabriel from the show Supernatural. He radiated power. I knew, as he pulled out a black blade, that I was in for a fight.

           Without a word, Gabriel launched himself forward. At the last second, I was able to summon my own weapon to block his attack and push him back. In my hands was a dual scythe that was taller than myself, with dark blue and purple blades on either end of the dark silver staff. I recall its name being the Dual Scythe of Obsidian Fear.

           I held my ground, determined not to make advances towards this being. I had never fought an Archangel before, I knew I needed to stay on my guard. From below, I heard the Father shout “A servant of the Lord shall vanquish you! Let it be your last attempt to tempt any more souls!”

           As if his words were a trigger, Gabriel charged again. He darted to my right, to which I swung by scythe and quickly swung around to keep facing him. Our wings clashed in a mass of black, ethereal feathers as I blocked his attacks with the black blade.

           At one point, we clashed our weapons in unison and then proceeded to jump away from each other. As his large wings folded forward, I rushed him the blunt of my weapon aimed for starry his chest. I hit true, but he quickly grabbed the staff and threw it to the side. Since I was still holding onto the staff, I was thrown off balance. I saw the edge of Gabriel’s blade swinging towards me, so I reached out with a hand to grab the sharp blade. I caught it with my hand, but the blade easily sliced open my gloves and my hand. Garnet colored blood ran down my arm and soaked into my cloak, but I held onto the blade and yanked it out of Gabriel’s own hands. Flipping it so that I was holding onto its hilt, I charged Gabriel once more.

           Gabriel’s glowing eyes had widened, as if he was astonished that I was able to even wield his sword. Using my scythe and my own wings to keep his wings away, I grappled with Gabriel as he tried to grab his weapon back from me. I felt the wind rushing through my hair and cloak, and I barely noticed that we had begun plummeting down towards the earth.

           Taking the moment into consideration, I yanked the sword away and tossed it. Gabriel turned and looked ready to dart after it, but I blocked his path with my scythe and dashed forward to grab at his neck. We sped down and hit the ground, the force sending up a cloud of red dust.

           When the dust settled, Gabriel was on his back with me standing above him. One of my hands was resting on his color bones, holding him down with my claws close to his neck. My other hand held my scythe above and behind me, red to swing down in case I need to knock him out. His sword landed a few meters away, landing blade first and sticking up from the ground like the sword in the stone.

           The spectators watched in amazement. I didn’t see their faces, nor did I see the reaction of the Father, as I was focusing on Gabriel.

           “Release me,” he said, his voice sounding like the howling winds of a hurricane.

           “Why were you summoned?” I asked him, tapping my claws on his vitals.

           “I was summoned to dispose of a dark entity,” Gabriel responded, not making a move to try and escape.

           “Well, as the Incarnation of Darkness, I would be considered dark,” I told him. “But I’m not the one who took away these robot’s free will and turned them into husks,”

           “What?”

           “You heard me. The one who summoned you has been siphoning the free will from these robots and teaching them lies, saying that Christo would turn them human and that sin would deform them into beasts that were doomed to Hell, without any hope of forgiveness,”

           “Let me get up,”

           “Why?”

           “I have business with someone now. I plan to deal with him,”

           I slowly moved off of Gabriel, allowing him to rise up to his full height of seven feet tall. He opened his hand, aiming it to his sword. It rose from the ground and into his hand, to which he placed it on his belt. With a wave of his hand, the world shifted, and reality warped to make it look like he had opened an invisible door that led to nothing but white. Gabriel entered in, but left the door open.

           I heard footsteps and turned to see the Father marching up to me with eyes seething and face red with rage.

           “You beast! What have you done?” he screamed at me, spittle flying from his mouth and barely missing me by centimeters.

           “I don’t know what I did yet,” I answered.

           “You-“ The Father suddenly jolted, looking down at his feet. I followed his gaze and watched the as the ground seemed to open up. The fires of Hell burst through as scaled red hands adorned with black claws rose up from the cracks and grabbed onto the Father’s legs, dragging him into the fiery pit.

           The Father screamed and clawed at the ground, trying to keep from being dragged down. He even reached for my own cloak, but I stepped away and watched as he was swallowed by the earth. Once the cracks closed, Gabriel emerged from the door of light once more.

           “Was he dragged into Hell?” the Archangel asked.

           “Very dramatically,” I confirmed.

           “Good. I called a demon to drag him down,” Gabriel said. “He was doing a great evil, keeping these synthetics from practicing free will,”

           “Yeah. Hey, sorry for the whole body slamming thing,”

           “I’ve been through worse battles, Esh. But I do hope you realize precisely why you won that fight,”

           At that moment, it clicked. Everything rushed back into my head so quickly that I almost flinched. Why my powers were back despite me still being in human form. Why everything seemed so wacky and out of place. Why I was able to defeat an Archangel.

          A dream. I was in a dream.

           “Farewell, Esh,” Gabriel said, clapping me on the back before heading back to the door of light. “Your friend Riku comes,”

           The door to the light shuts just as I hear Riku’s voice call to me from behind me. I quickly quelled the darkness that altered my form and returned back into my normal human shape, then turn to see Riku running up to me with the rest of the synthetics from the skyscraper district in tow. Riku hurried over to me and looked me over.

           “Are you okay? I saw the battle from the city!” he asked. He had a Keyblade in his hand. He was clearly ready to fight. But my body felt stiff, I felt light headed. He wasn’t going to fight anything any time soon.

           “I’m okay. We cleared everything up. The Father is no more,” I told Riku with my best smile. Riku sighed with relief and patted my shoulder. We turned to see the two groups of synthetics converging, reuniting with each other. Andra was jogging up to us with her weird smile.

           “You did it!” she exclaimed, taking me in her arms and spinning me around. When she put me down, I felt dizzy. Luckily, Riku was there to be a good support figure. “My kind has come to its senses!”

           “It took a bit more than just talking,” I told her. My arm refused to move from its position. It was glued to my side, and I felt the fabric of my bed sheets rubbing on it. I tried to force myself to stay asleep. I needed to stay asleep for a little while longer. My arm began to move again, the feeling of my bed sheets fading.

           “We all agreed that I will be taking charge,” Andra said. “I will lead this town to a better future, now that we’re not tied to a schedule. We can just do what we wish, within reason,”

           “That’s always a good thing,” Riku said. “I’m glad we were able to help,”

           “You two are headed to Satellite City, right?” Andra said, reaching into her metal plating and pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. She handed it to me. “Here’s a map of the city for when you get to it. It’s a big city, so I bet this will aid you in your quest there,”

           “Thank you!” I said, handing the map over to Riku. The silver haired boy took it and placed it in his pocket. “But now, we should get going. Riku’s got something he’s got to do,”

           “We both do,” Riku said, flashing me a small smile. “Thanks for all your help, Andra,”

           “No problem. Here comes your ride,” Andra, Riku, and I turned to the sound of a car pulling up on the road. It was our Jeep, in mint condition. The robot driving it exited and made its way to us.

           “Let’s go,” Riku said. We waved goodbye to the synthetics and went to meet the robot who drove our car halfway. It gifted Riku with the car keys, wished us goodbye, and went to join its brethren. Riku and I got into the car and breathed simultaneous sighs of relief.

           “That was a wild ride from start to finish,” I commented.

           “That was a really intense battle, as short as it was,” Riku said, turning to me with a worried expression. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem dazed,”

           Riku’s voice seemed to echo around, the world growing fuzzy. I knew I couldn’t stop it this time.

           “As well as I can be,” I told him. “I’m a little sad, though. My journey with you is about to end,”

           “What do you mean?” Riku questioned, placing a worried hand on my arm. I barely felt it. “We still have a whole two and a half days until we reach Satellite City. We still have a long way to go,”

           “You have a long way to go, Riku,” I said, turning to him with a pained expression. It hurt to leave him. “Thank you, Riku. I had a lot of fun on this trip. But I have to wake up now. Goodbye,”

           As I muttered the last syllable, I found myself blinking open my eyes. The blurry sight of my room filled my near-sighted vision. Everything that transpired in my dream replayed in my head, and I found myself letting a few tears fall from my eyes.

           I didn’t even get to hear Riku say goodbye.