#hoo boy but i can tell you lilies sure do!

[argentiswifee]

Thoughts about Valentine's Day Specials...

Characters included :

Blade, Argenti, Stelle, Jing Yuan

warnings:

swearing

love... eugh..

half-assed bcs I wanna get this out before Feb ends :c

Summary :

you give them a Valentine's Day gift! how do they react to it :O

Blade :

As a crush :

He's very surprised when you come up to him holding a large heart-shaped box filled with chocolates and roses, even more so when you admit your crush on him. But he hides it all behind his signature cold, intimidating face, but really he's just panicking on what to say to you since he's never had someone come up to him, give him a gift and admit their crush on him on Valentine's Day, even more so since he's a intergalactically wanted criminal! If he returns your feelings, let's just say you'll have a clingy but silent Blade who scares away anyone who comes up to you, gift in hand.

your gift? it was an earring to match with his!

As his lover :

He's surprised when you suddenly jump out behind him, hugging him with a large heart-shaped box filled with chocolates and a bouquet of roses in your hands! Not that much since you are his lover but still, surprised! Gives you a peck on the cheek, placing your gift (a bouquet of Red Spider Lilies) aside, taking a singular flower and onto your hair. Safe to say, you're guaranteed to be dragged into bed and cuddled up with him for the rest of the day without a word. Just quality time.

huh, what do you mean Kafka and Silverwolf are calling for him? he doesn't hear shit.

Argenti :

As a crush :

HOO BOY, WHERE DO I BEGIN....

Let's just not consider how he would probably turn down your confession for Idrila, The Aeon Of Beauty and focus on if he returns your feelings!

Very surprised, much like Blade, because be honest. Who wouldn't be if someone came up to them with roses and a heart shaped box of chocolates and admitted to having a crush on them? Anywaysss... After crush admitting (idefk if that's a word) he would go down on one knee like he's proposing or some shit, take your hand in his and kiss your knuckles before saying something corny like...

"I am most delighted that you reciprocate my romantic feelings for you, even if I did want to give you a gift first."

Yeah that bitch wanted to give you a gift beforehand, but he wanted to make sure it was worthy of being gifted to you and he couldn't really decide so he just thought he could come back to that store later that day and make a decision but looks like you confessed first!

the gift was between 50 fucking roses or 20 packets of heart shaped chocolate...

As his lover :

He knew you were going to give him a gift sooner or later when he saw you making chocolates not so discreetly in the kitchen, so wanna take a guess at what this guy did..?

I am so sorry but you cannot tell me that after he witnessed you making chocolates for him (HE LOVES HOMEMADE GIFTS THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE MY MIND) that he wouldn't try and one-up your gift by getting a giant ass teddy bear holding a heart that says 'Happy Valentines!'

Has a somehow smug yet, still charming smile when you come up to him and present him the heart shaped box of chocolates along with the bouquet of roses. Poor ol' you doesn't know what you're getting into when he just suddenly POPS THAT SHIT OUTTA THIN FUCKING AIR AND PROPS IT ON THE FLOOR, FACING IT TO YOU.

"Truth be told, my love. I saw you making chocolates in the kitchen for me and I just had to give you something that, at the very least, was equal to a tiny part of my love for you. Though the chocolates are handmade and a product of your own hard work, thus more priceless than any other gift you could've gotten me."

Stelle :

As a crush :

With how straightforward she is? She would probably confess first with a miniature golden trash bag inside a travel-sized crimson red trash can that says 'Happy Valentine's' on the front. What the trash bag is filled with, may you ask? Trash can shaped chocolates mixed in with heart shaped chocolates. nyehehehe, I love making Stelle obsessed with trash related things :3

But if you somehow beat her to giving gifts earlier than the other? Congrats, you're having Stelle follow you around wherever you go like a lost puppy while she noms on the homemade goodness that you call chocolates. No matter if you go Jarilo-IV, The Xianzhou Luofu, Penacony. Yeah, no, she is following you everywhere.

"Hmm? Try the chocolate in the middle? It's caramel flavoured? Okay, don't mind if I do.."

As her lover :

Stelle immediately perks up like a little puppy that misses it's owner when you return home from your errands, she is rushing to give you a big bear hug and help you with your stuff when she notices the bouquet of roses sticking out the brown paper bag and she fucking rushes over there like Usain Bolt(does he even count since he doesn't exist in HSR... 🧍‍♀️)

You notice her and give her a loving smile, setting down your stuff, spreading your arms out since you know she is going to tackle you down if you don't steady yourself first (you've experienced that first-hand a lot of times...)

"Hey, how's my little dustball?" You coo as you caress her hair like you would with a dog's.

Jing Yuan :

As a crush :

Now, we all know this man is RICH rich, being the General of the Xianzhou Luofu an all that. He's also old, so he's definitely an old-fashioned romantic! But he doesn't want to overwhelm you with so much things so he makes his gift at least portable.

Oh, and he would definitely not confess sooner than you, he wants to see you squirm and struggle just to get out those 3 words, just because! So when you go up to him, chocolates and roses in hand, he has a teasing, knowing and sly smirk on his face. So when you struggle to get out your words? He sees an opportunity and he makes his move, brushing your hair away from your forehead and plants a soft kiss on said place.

you overheat shortly after that and steam comes out your head

As his lover :

As he is the General of the Luofu. Naturally, he is very busy with paperwork and such, he doesn't have much time to tend to his lover, sadly. But he snuck out of his work! He can see you, now!

You're just at a flower shop, thinking which bouquet of roses look better, fresher and which one would last for longer for Jing Yuan when the door suddenly swings open with a jingle and you feel someone's arms wrap around your waist as the familiar scent of Jing Yuan's cologne fills the air.

"My little Finch.. Looking for flowers for me, I see?"

He purrs in your ear, you feel him chuckling as he presses his face into your shoulder, finding comfort.

A/N : oh my god this was shorter than anticipated I'm sosososo sorry, I ditched writing for two characters just because I didn't have the energy to write anymore, so sorry. I was supposed to write for March and Ruan Mei but I didn't because I didn't know how to write Ruan Mei and I was fresh out of motivation for March... this was so rushed I need to write better next time and I feel like I kinda mischaracterised them a bit... ｡：ﾟ(｡ﾉω＼｡)ﾟ･｡

[lavendersartistry]

Bane of my Existence

Space Riders AU - @onyxonline Eve Ewe, Bolt - @lavendersartistry

This fic is more of a planned fic for onyxonline's Space Riders AU! This is mainly centered as the slowburn end between Eve Ewe and Bolt! Please check Onyx out, their work is super cool!

Also we get creator cameos! Hope you can spot your character Astra, Onyx!

Want more context? Here!

"No."

Koi rolled her eyes for the nth time. Her and Bobby were at their wits end at this point, trying to help out Bolt with confessing to Eve.

Bolt wasn't doing well for himself if he kept his feelings out of reach for Eve to hold. If he wasn't fast enough, he could miss his chance entirely.

And both Koi and Bobby weren't going to let it happen. But unlike Bobby, who was trying to ease it down, Koi was going to flat out say what he needed to hear.

"You love her, don't you?"

Bolt nodded.

"But doing it like this won't do anything."

Koi scoffed and rolled her eyes again.

"Neither is sitting around, pretending to wait for the right time. This is the right time! Wake up your head for once, boy."

Koi got closer to Bolt, her face inches away from his. Hoppy, in the background, put her hand to her mouth and 'oooh'ed.

"Tell her now or you can say goodbye to being her lover."

That felt like a threat. CatNap took the initiative to hold Bolt back with his tail before he could jump Koi. Bobby immediately went to Koi's side, her soft eyes looking only at Bolt.

"Even if Koi is right, do what makes you feel comfortable to tell her. You know she will only say yes to you."

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

Eve solemnly looked at the lily pond within her chambers. She was beautifully dressed in velvet dark blue, a dress fit perfectly for a queen. But she wasn't happy.

Every birthday started with her and Bolt spending the morning together. Every sunrise was spent with laughter and joy between the two.

So why wasn't he there this birthday?

"You're upset, princess."

Eve frowned, biting her lip to not cry.

"He didn't come this morning, Astra. He always comes by the mornings."

The creature felt sadness in the princess. Yes, it was unlikely of Bolt to miss something so important, but there must have been a reason why.

Astra carefully placed Eve's diadem to her then gave her a hug.

"Don't be too sad, princess. I'm sure he'll be here for your birthday party. Not even him can miss that."

Eve nodded, starting to smile a little.

"You're right, thank you Astra. I'm glad Mother chose you to watch over me."

"I'm just doing my job!"

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

11:55. It was gift time. And still no show of Bolt. It was starting to get irritating for Eve.

DogDay could see how upset she was and was a little upset himself. He knew how close Bolt and Eve were, how desperate they wanted to be with each other.

He quietly placed a hand on Eve's shoulder.

"He's going to come, I know it."

Eve didn't look at DogDay, too caught up in her sorrows.

"You said that hours before. He missed our morning, he missed the party. He's not coming, he doesn't love me anymore."

DogDay pulled Eve into a tight hug, letting her soon cry into his chest. She was heartbroken, felt played. It hurt.

"He does love you, Evie. He just... I don't know at this point, but don't give up on him."

As if on cue, Bolt emerged from the shadows of the gardens. All eyes turned to him. He quietly walked over to Eve and DogDay, internally saddened by Eve's cries. Cries he caused.

"DogDay, if I could?"

DogDay was hesitant but handed Eve over to him, a light glare on the captain's face.

"You better make it up to her."

Bolt nodded and led Eve back to the gardens, where her present awaited her. Eve turned her head up, her eyes starting to sparkle as she saw his gift.

A candle lit path guided her to a river that glowed under the moonlight. A gazebo, unfamiliar to her, was next to it as owls were perched at the top and softly 'hoo' at the sight of her.

"Bolt.. I.."

As the two walked to the gazebo, Bolt kept his hand above hers.

"I know you're mad at me, and you have every right to be. I missed so many things between us, and I'm so sorry. I never wanted to make you cry like this, especially because of me."

Bolt sighed heavily, turning his head away.

"I care for you so much, Evie. You light up my world and my heart. If not a princess, you are a goddess that fell to bless me your presence. And I am always honored to be your guard."

The two entered the gazebo, little wolves and lambs approaching them like innocent children. Bolt turned his head back to Eve, a great smile to his face.

"You're all I ever wanted, princesa. I don't want anyone else."

Then Bolt got down on one knee, making Eve lightly gasp. He wasn't trying to propose already, was he? Eve started getting teary at the thought of it.

"I know this seems like a proposal, but it is in a way. Please listen when I say.. you are the bane of my existence and... and the object of all my desires. I wish to the heavens every night for you and I to be together in every reality this world will give, no matter the form we take. I love you with all my heart, Everiene."

Bolt pulled out a red velvet box and opened it. A promise ring.

"Forever and always, mi amor?"

Eve was stunned yet let her heart control her actions. She threw herself at Bolt, hugging him tightly. She quickly kissed his lips and caressed the scars on his face.

"Yes. Yes, Bolt. Forever and always."

The two embraced as fireworks began flying into the sky, signaling it was now 12:00. Bolt picked up Eve and spun her around as she was tight in his hold.

They laughed and later danced. Forever grateful for their true love.

[enne-uni]

Hii enne :33

Anemone: Favorite flower?

Common Boneset: What are you looking forward to?

Beebalm: Do you have a best friend? Who is it?

Lavender: What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

Glory-of-the-Snow: What are ten things that make you happy/you’re grateful to have in your life?

Have fun <333

Helloo! Thanks for the ask :D

(This got a tad long [sorry ;-;] so under the cut!)

Anemone: Many. But mostly lily of the valley (love their scent, I always gather them when they’re growing in spring). Also forget-me-nots. They have a cool name and are cute.

Common Boneset: Christmas I think? The future isn’t a thing I’m thinking about right now lol

Beebalm: My two siblings probably. They’re the people I can talk about anything with. (But the person I call my best friend is also very cool. We’re very different, though. I’m not even sure how we became friends?? I think I just hated her less than everyone else lmao.)

Lavender: I’m fast at learning things! So I know a lot of random stuff and have a good memory.

Glory of the snow: hoo boy lessa go :]

My siblings. They’re always there for me and know me the best.

This tumblr community! I don’t have many irl friends, so it makes this very important.

Writing. The moment I realised I could actually do something about the ideas and stories in my brain was my best. (Also I’ve met many awesome people [like you] because of it.)

My general life situation. A lot of people have it so hard, and nothing is always the best or easiest, but I’m still very lucky.

Human nature, for some reason? I think humans are funky, fascinating little creatures. It’s cool and cruel at the same time.

Less creative answer: chocolate. Mnnn yea.

Creativity! Everything would be so boring without art.

Rain and snow and weather otherwise. It’s so funny how it does that.

This strawberry juice I’m drinking rn. It’s good man.

Flowers :3

Secret 11th answer is you, Six, but don’t tell anyone shhh

That’s all yay! Thanks again, it was fun!

[hootcifer]

talking about toh | season two, episode four: keeping up a-fear-ances

i ytfugijkvcghdt what

previous | first | next spoilers under the cut, as always

the beginning

my goodness that owl thing is terrifying! i think we saw it briefly in that one promo but still!

young eda is back!

honestly, i thought eda ran away from home after she was cursed. i guess i was wrong.

when the healing coven dude gives eda the gem and says it's in style for young witches, i'm reasonably sure that's a reference to the fact that her gem wasn't originally meant to be an indicator of her curse. if i'm correct, that idea didn't even come about until "the intruder".

i love how eda has a poster in her room for rats, clearly a paridy of the musical cats. musical theatre nerd eda? anyone?

i'll talk more about this later, but we finally get to meet eda's mom! i like how she isn't painted as good or evil, just in between. she also seems to share eda's distaste for the coven system (though not as severe).

so even eda doesn't know where the door to the human realm came from, huh? interesting.

it doesn't look like eda's nickname came from her mom, or from lilith, since they both call her "edalyn" a majority of the time. did she start going by eda in school? did it come from her dad? did it come from somewhere else? huh?

the plot

i think it's kinda neat how eda's gold fang isn't actually meant to be a tooth replacement. it just makes her look cool. very on-brand for eda.

we now have confirmation-- more or less-- as to how the elixir tastes. apparently it's gross.

big fan of eda's new outfit. very much her style.

when eda said "beans" i thought she said "memes".

i love some of the visual humor in this show. the tea leaves "shrugging" made me giggle.

poor luz, she really wants to see her mom again. i can't imagine what that's like given that my mom is mediocre at best and makes me feel like shit a lot of the time but that must really suck. oops, sorry, too personal? let's move on.

i am a huge fan of how much closer eda and lilith seem to be now. they aren't enemies anymore, and that's great.

so witches can't detatch their limbs unless they're cursed? for some reason i thought that was universal.

okay, now we can talk about mrs. clawthorne. i saw her in the trailer, and i knew she wasn't eda because of her palisman. as a matter of fact, it's interesting that all three known clawthornes have bird palismans (palismen?). "escape of the palisman" reveals that not every palisman is a bird. is it a coincidence? is it a family tradition? i'm leaning more toward the latter.

but wow, gwen clawthorne. right off the bat i knew there would be people simping for her. i mean, people simp for both of her daughters, so it only makes sense. now, i'm ace, so i don't know much about milf, but does this make her a gilf? since she'd the mother of two milfs? (or are they still milfs if i don't want to--? never mind.)

i was expecting to dislike gwen, but i honestly ended up enjoying her character. sure, she can be a bit... much... but she loves her daughters.

oh, here's an odd detail. both gwen and eda's names end with "lyn", but lilith's doesn't. coincidence? no?

i would love to hear gwen's "strong words" for belos. let him get told off by an old lady!

aww, poor lilith just wants her mom to acknowledge her. it's not fun being the least favorite. i feel you on that one, lily. the older child is always less favored.

canon confirmation that lilith dyes her hair! i think dana said she did in an ama but now it's truly canon.

i knew something was fishy with wartlock from the beginning. there is no way he could have been legit.

i feel so bad for king. now that he knows he has a dad out there, all he wants in the world is to find him. poor thing.

what the hell is "knife season"?! is that a thing?

not gonna lie, i thought king and lilith got drunk off that ice cream. or maybe they did, and i'm just that bad at recognizing that stuff.

also, loving the lilith-king development. always great when two characters bond over angst.

"you know things are bad when hooty is the voice of reason." ~me, to my friend

honestly, a jar of bees would certainly help me with existential dread. i love bees.

i can't say i'm surprised that gwen's "cure" was just a bunch of made up bs. there's no way they could heal eda so early in the season.

gotta say, owl beast lilith looks dope.

i'm really happy that gwen learned to listen to eda. that's not something every mother learns.

i noticed that gwen was from the beastkeeper coven since we saw her in the promo, because i'd recognized the logo on her arm, but i think her controlling the bees was really cool. maybe i know what coven i would join. then again, i'm pretty much with eda on the "covens bad individualism good" front.

also, it looks like badassery runs in the family just as much as bird palismen do.

can we start a petition to help morton stay in business? he deserves it.

it was really interesting to see eda's point of view when she's the owl beast. it looks like she has to fight with the creature from the beginning for dominance over her own body.

the end

hoo boy. h o o b o y .

okay, let's start at the beginning. of the end. okay.

first of all, it shatters my heart into pieces that lilith is going to live with her mom now. i was just growing to like her, too.

and poor hooty! he found someone who considered him a real friend, only to have her ripped away just three episodes later. i hope she comes back soon.

is episode five going to be the episode where we find out that amity works at the library? (don't answer that, it's a rhetorical question.)

okay, now let's get to the real mind-boggling part: false luz. what--or who--the heck is she?! i've seen a lot of theories about that, ever since we saw the letters at the end of "enchanting grom fright", and we have options. i'll go more into those in the next section.

predictions

belos being behind this new false luz makes a lot of sense, since he's the main bad guy as of now. it's the most likely theory for now, but i feel like it's a bit too predictable.

eda was an option before, but now that she has no powers or access to the human realm, that's off the table.

i've seen theories about amity being behind it, but i suggest a new (and probably false) one.

what about the twins? it could be a situation similar to gwen's determination to heal eda's curse. ed and em seem to care about their sister (more or less), so it makes sense that they would do anything for her to be happy, and for her to be with the person that makes her happy-- even if it means trapping said person in a realm that isn't her own. besides, they're both in the illusions track, and from what we've seen they're very good at it. what if they're the ones who made false luz? i don't know if illusions can interact with things around them, like false luz does with the tissue box, but maybe advanced ones can? also, can you cast illusions in the human realm without a portal? out of all of guesses so far it's probably the least likely, but it's still an interesting concept.

on the topic of illusionists, we also have gus as a suspect. however, we can tell when he's controlling illusions, so surely we would have seen it by now. that does provide an argument against the blight twins being the culprits, but they are both older and more experienced. i'm sure their expertise in their track is similar to amity's in the abominations track, if their parents' expectations of them are anything like their expectations of amity. maybe skilled illusionists can control their illusions with their minds alone? or they can create semi-sentient illusions?

okay, that's enough crazed conspiracy-theorist rambling for today. see y'all next week for episode five!

[britishsass]

So in Compton's mind, the Ford Archetype is quiet but only talks about Lucrecia, and the Bob Archetype talks about he regrets everything. What do the other archetypes talk about?

Here's some extra little stuff for all of 'em, in my opinion. I'm not the Psychoswitch expert, though!

Ford: "Lucy and I are going on a date tonight-- Can you handle things here?"

Lili: Uh... Huh?

~

Lucy: Oh, hello, young one.

Lili: Hi! Do you know about your great-nephew?

Lucy: Augustus certainly is great, but it might not be best to tell him that to his face. He'll get quite the ego.

~

Helmut: It's fine. Just tend to the animals, and I'll be back in no time, I promise!

Lili: ....What?

~

Cassie: Oh, hello. Do you need help with something?

Lili: Yes, actually-- I'm trying to get through some doors downstairs. I don't know how to do it.

Cassie: Oh, ah... I'm not actually that sure what to do. Usually you could use an archetype, but I'm not entirely sure I can help with that right now-- There's a lot going on after all... Sorry, I probably should get back to work.

Lili: Aw...

~

Gristol: Ugh, are you going to hurry up and do something already?

Lili: Are you going to do something other than complain?

Gristol: Listen, complaining is basically my personality at this point. Besides, it makes it sound better when I do like something.

~

Bob: Oh... Uh, hi, kid. I... Sorry if I don't talk much. It's... Been a while.

>"you killed my grandpa"

Lili: You know, you kind of killed my grandparents.

Bob: Hah... Yeah. I killed a lot of people. I... I didn't know what to do.

>"Why did you kill all those people?"

Lili: Why did you do... You know. The whole mass murder thing.

Bob: I... I don't know. Maybe I was drunk. Maybe I was hurting. I was pretty calm in the Gulch. There were a few slipups, but... I didn't hurt anyone but myself back then. And even those were accidents.

>Why were you in the Gulch?

Lili: Why were you at Green Needle Gulch?

Bob: I was there to help with the plants. Ford needed someone to make sure the environment was alright with their mining. Gristol needed someone to get us food. Compton needed ingredients. Lucy needed a friend. I... I needed to get away from the life I was living.

>Do you go by other names?

Lili: So, you're Bob, and Rafflesio... What other names do you have?

Bob: Hoo, boy, where do I begin. Audie O, and Captain, and Robert, and the Overgrowth of Grulovia... Bobby, or Bob, or Zanotto, or a hundred other things. But mostly just Bob. Everyone calls me that. I get real snippy if people try to call me Robert, though. One time, Gristol tried, and I ended up not talking to him for a flat month until he apologized.

>Were you and Compton friends?

Lili: So, you and Compton... Were you close?

Bob: Heh... Well, out of everyone, he was alright. One of the first people I let in. Lucy was my best friend, though, and Helmut... I never stopped loving him. Everyone said we were the sappiest couple. Pet names and presents and making out--

Lili: Please stop.

>"beforehand, you were normal?"

Lili: So before you were Rafflesio, you were just a normal guy...?

Bob: People are... Complicated. I wasn't normal, but I was... I guess alright. But you're what, eight?

Lili: Ten!

Bob: Much too young to hear all the details.

>gotta go!

Lili: I'm gonna go help Compton. Try not to murder anyone.

Bob: I... Yeah. I'll do my best, kid. Good luck.

[thatiranianphantom]

I hear a lot around here that the writers and the actors only care about the money they get or the ratings and that they don't actually care about what happens on the show or about the characters, which means they would write and act what would give them that, money and ratings, and I find it hard to believe. At the end of the day, that's their job, they chose to be actors/ write a TV show. I was wondering what your take on this. Do you think they care what happens, ships, plotlines and all that? Thank you for answering and have a wonderful day. ❤

Hoo boy, some of these anons want to get me cancelled! I don't think I can be fully transparent about this. I'll say that it primarily is a job, and that's fair enough. It's a job with a fandom that's prone to overstepping, and a show that recieves...a lot of public mockery.

In general, I truly truly don't think they care about ships or plotlines. The only thing I can think that they may remotely care about is working with their exes, but they are still professionals. I'm pretty sure Lili is aware that Bughead is the endgame and she's going to have to be professional with her ex for a few years, which I have no doubt she can do. Everyone's gotta be so punch drunk from the Riverdale plotlines of Seasons 1-4 at this point that I also seriously doubt they care what plot they get.

Ratings, at least as it comes to producers, is a different story. Ratings do not tell the whole story, first of all. They're a small picture that doesn't take into account streaming and households outside the US, so they're an indication more than a hard and fast rule. That said, the ratings this season are PATHETIC. Last episode didn't even crack 450,000 live viewers. I know they've already been renewed but I can't imagine that this means nothing to them.

I hope that was at least a little clear. Have a wonderful day as well 💕

[itsybitsylemonsqueezy]

Oh gosh i literally LOVE your analysis thank you. And what about Majima??

Awww, thank you very much ^^; I’ve been having a good time writing these, I”m glad people are enjoying them. And everybody’s free to ask for seconds too, if interested. *breathes deep* Hoo boy, you pulling out the big guns there. Okay lads, settle down, it’ll be awhile. 

character: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS

I would give my life for Majima Goro. But I won’t because that would trigger him to fuck and back. Best boy, golden son, I am mad fucked up about him. I don’t even have time to explain all my feelings about Majima fucking Goro. You can tell because I can’t go a single fucking post without mentioning him. *whispers* I love him. 

ship with: Y’know how sometimes things are popular and you don’t get why? This is not one of those times. It’s cliche, but Kiryu Kazuma is the popular option here For A Reason. Like, I started Zero not knowing a fucking thing about Yakuza, as I think many do. And I wasn’t at all sure how Majima and Kiryu were going to be with each other, I had heard that they were the going ship and that seemed legit enough. Kiryu’s a nice boy, Majima’s a nice boy, they’d probably get on. But you make it through Zero and they don’t meet, not even once. They vaguely hear about each other and if they thought enough about it, they’d probably figure out that each other was holding the other half of their story, but there’s only that 5 second meeting in the epilogue, after the entire game is already fucking over and... Oh Shit. 

That, my many gendered gentry, was an imprinting in live time. 

But first, let’s back up a second, because I bet you’re all wondering about the Other important love in Majima’s life. So Makoto, Makoto... As I discussed in my Saejima post, after Anagura, Majima is living to die. That’s it, that’s his only goal in life, to get back into Tojo and wait there so his brother knows where to find him when he comes to kill him. He’s not looking for any other attachments in life. Because that’s the way Majima loves, body and soul, his whole existence dedicated around one thing. And he’s already signed himself up for sacrificing himself as repayment for Saejima’s sins and wasted years in prison. But then this... tragedy happens. This hit that isn’t a hit, this villain that’s really a victim. Everything goes wrong and Majima is left with do I commit the unthinkable to shorten my wait for my brother or do I forgo my brother’s rightful revenge to save this innocent? And Majima can’t. He can’t. 

He could never kill and he can’t turn his back on someone who needs help. And she does need him, specifically, there’s no one else. Anyone else couldn’t be trusted, or if they can be trusted, they’re dead. Majima is the only person he and Makoto can trust so he’s just here, doing his best, trying to keep her alive in the face of everything he wants and all the power and hate the underworld of Japan can offer. He would sacrifice his one goal of staying alive for his brother if it means keeping Makoto safe. Is that love? Oh yes, but not the livable kind. You don’t come back from that kind of dedication. Majima loves Makoto as gods love: completely. It is without judgment and without reason. That’s not the love of one finite person to another finite person, admitting, exploring, and cherishing all the flaws and limits therein, it’s not even the love of a parent to a child or vice versa. It is infinite love, all-consuming and all-destroying. It is not cognizant of personality, worthiness, or risk. It just is. In many ways, Majima does not know Makoto, he doesn’t see her, neither, ironically, does she see him. These are not two equals of mutual interest enjoying who each other is. This is a far less personal and far more profound experience. It’s like a calling, a quest. And it’s not something a stable relationship can be built on because it doesn’t actually have anything to do with who Makoto is in her day-to-day life or who Majima is in his embodied, finite experience. This is love as a philosophical point, as a moral decision. 

It is the greatest thing I’ve seen in my life that he lets her go. That sort of love will destroy you if you let it, it crushes your existence, your personality and sense of self, entirely into that of another. And you can’t live as a part of someone else, you cannot actually live for someone else, not sustainably, no matter how badly you want to. It’s the strongest thing I’ve ever seen done that Majima has the power to walk away from her and walk away from that sweet, blinding death. To choose a finite, flawed, embodied, but his own individual existence rather than let himself be consumed in an idea. And that they walk away from each other where they can both survive it. Where the idea of what was and what might have been doesn’t drive them into despair of all earthly, finite joys. Because who would choose to have a normal, dirty, working life where you are required each day to be an individual with your own wants and desires that are spurned and rewarded by turns of luck rather than the pure, golden existence of perfect moral agape? And I’m so glad that they walked away before they could be blinded by it, again, ironically enough. 

But the fact that Majima is capable of that level of love is truly terrifying. And then how fascinating that he walks away from it. That he chooses a harder, darker life that will have the normal range of joys and disappointments. The restraint it takes. The incredible, unbending sense of self and to decide that there are selfish, individual things worth caring about, even if you had the chance to become selfless for the rest of your life. I don’t think we talk about or think about that Majima walking away there was a moral choice. He wasn’t walking away from happiness, he was walking towards a different happiness. And, most importantly of all, even though he is still waiting to be killed by his brother, the fact that he walked away means that Majima is much healthier and much less self-destructive than he was at the beginning of Zero. He could have escaped it all if he went with her. But he doesn’t. And that fucking blows my mind.

I love that Majima grows after Zero. That his absolute nihilism changes as he allows himself to care about people again, maybe even care about himself again. Especially after Shimano’s death, he starts to develop relationships and things that he cares about as soon as it is safe to do so. He decides that he isn’t going to waste away waiting for his brother, he will live in this time, even if it has an expiration date. He will build something he cares about. And I think, in no small part, knowing Kiryu gives him the courage and the will to do so.

Because Kiryu is this shooting star in the dark night of Majima’s world. He is this mighty pillar standing amidst slag and waste. Kiryu does things that are right because they are right, with no thought to his own gain or risk. Kiryu does things that are right at tremendous personal risk and will fight through people trying to stop him. And Kiryu will win. Not only does Kiryu agree with the way Majima thinks and feels but, mother of god, eh actually has the power and strength to survive. 

Think about that. You’re Majima Goro and every day since you became yakuza, you have been kicked down, tortured, and abused just because you wanted to do the right thing. You have watched countless friends, allies, and enemies be shot and killed in front of you because they were trying to do the right thing. You have no choice but to do right in the secret places of your heart, to do good only in ways that can never be traced back to you, in ways no one would confuse for being good, kind things. Because it will get you killed, or worse, it will get the people around you killed. It’s not paranoia, you’ve seen it happen, your nightmares are filled to the brim with the blood and horror or good people dying just because they were good and it’s your fault, it’s all your fault because you didn’t warn them, you let them get close, you let them see you were a good person and you can NEVER. EVER. let that happen to anyone again. 

And then there’s Kiryu. Stupid, mutton-headed freak with the arms of a lumberjack and a heart as white as lilies. He’ll be dead tomorrow, you know it. He’s too good, he’s too kind, and he’s not afraid. He’s not damn near afraid enough. He has no idea what’s waiting out there to snap him to pieces. But he’s there tomorrow. Not even a scratch on him, still standing, still strong. You try to warn him, you try to beat him in a way he can survive so that he learns to never try to be good again. But he beats you. He actually fucking beats you and what the fuck are you supposed to do with that? He’ll still die anyway, there’s no way he’ll live where so many have been slaughtered. And he’s still there tomorrow. You pester him, you follow him, you watch him closely, to see what he does, who he is, how is it he’s still alive? It must be some trick, he’s either not as good as you think he is or not as strong or, or... something! Because it’s impossible, it’s impossible that anyone could, that anyone could... 

And he smiles. He smiles at you, like he can see right down to that tiny, beating, pure heart you’re trying every second to wrap in barbed wire. And you’re done. You’re fucking done for. He smiles and... it’s all fucking over. Whatever happens now, whether he dies or lives, it’s too late. He’s everything you ever wanted and it breaks you that he, somehow, wants you too. Because who would smile at you if they didn’t know you? Oh, he’s dumb as rocks still, but... the way he looks at you, in those moments when you fuck up, in those moments that if someone was watching, they would see you. And he sees you. And worse, he thinks he likes it. And... oh god. You love him. This will all end in tears. 

But it doesn’t. Kiryu’s alive and the same and that’s... that’s wonderful. And that’s the love of two people, two people who see each other and know each other and, god help them, like each other. Despite it all, the risk and worry and the problems, they just... get along. That’s why I ship it. 

(I also ship Kiryu/Majima/Tachibana sometimes and we’ll save my essay on that for an entirely different post.)

brotp: Saejima Taiga, obvs. I will not repeat my sentiments on why that’s the brotp here, there’s the Saejima post for that. But I also put Nishida and Kage right up there as Majima’s best bros. You got Nishida out here doing his best to keep his boss from dying and facilitating Majima’s ridiculous courtship ploys and trying to articulate Majima’s feelings for him when Majima Won’t because Nishida cares So Fucking Much about Majima. And he knows that Mjima hates it when people care about him, he knows Majima actively does tno want you to like him but... Nishida’ worked with him for too long not to know what a good, kind person Majima really sis, even if he’s trying his best not to show it. And god damn it, but Nishida’s not going to let him live in misery when he’s got a heart of gold like that. 

And Kage too, he and Majima look out for each other. They enjoy the odd cage match and a morose drink of fine liquor. They’ve both seen tragedy in their lives and Kage tries his best to convince Majima not to give up all hope. That Kiryu boy, he really likes him. Even Kage can see it. He’d be happy to... no, no, alright. Just thought he’d say. 

Because Majima has that effect on people. He makes friends wherever he goes because he’s a good time, he’s generous and kind and has a knack for picking up people who are down. And he’d do anything for you if you didn’t have a friend in the world. He has so much love to gives and slowly, slowly, with time and healing, with the death of Shimano and the return of his brother, slowly Majima is allowed to feel safe in loving people once more. And it warms everyone’s heart to see him happy and whole with a family and friends. Everyone he’s touched just wants him to be okay, after all he’s done for the world, please, just give him this little bit. It’s all he ever wanted.

general opinions: I Am Love. I LOvE HiM. I lOVe. I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE. I Love HIm. *sobs*

[higanbanawritings]

Under the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter One: A long Dream

Ryoka stared directly into the middle pair of the man’s eyes. All six of them, narrowing in on her form sensing the aura of fear radiating off of her body. Ryoka felt a combination of fear and sleepiness. It was like she was in a nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from. One moment she was living with her parents and her younger brother, Momiji. And within a blink she was now sitting across from this man…. No this demon. She was only here because she agreed that he could feed on her blood in exchange for sparing her life and the lives of her family.

Even though she was scared out of her mind sleepiness was beginning to overtake her. All she wanted to do was sleep; Today was exhausting physically, emotionally and mentally. And the events leading up to this moment only made it feel like she was in a long dream. She allowed herself to be willingly given to this man… no this demon in order to save the lives of her parents and her younger brother. She wholly belonged to him now and it saddened her to know that her freedom was ripped from her in one snatch.

This whole situation still felt like a long and tiring dream.

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

Ryoka was walking home after a long day of sewing garments at the boutique. She was an apprentice for Madame Toshiko who was famous for sewing the most beautiful traditional and western clothing. Ryoka worked tirelessly under her to prove that she was worthy of learning the madame’s skills. It was hard work and she was pretty sure that her boss took advantage of the fact that Ririka was young, naive and passionate about fashion in order to make her work longer hours in the name of “perfecting her craft”. But Ririka didn’t mind. The job paid well and within a couple of years she would be able to open her own boutique and make a name for herself in the emerging Japanese fashion scene. She could finally be independent from her family and not have to depend on anyone. She had the freedom to travel Japan even the world. She just needed the opportunity to come to her and this was it.

“EEEeeeeee! PLEASE SPARE US!”

The scream tore Ryoka away from her thoughts. She froze. It was her mother. It sounded like her mother. Ryoka picked her legs. Her family was in trouble and she had to do something. Anything at all to protect them. Ryoka ignored the burning in her chest. She couldn’t stop when her family needed her most. That was until she saw him . She immediately stopped in her tracks when she saw her family huddled together and cowering. In front of them was a tall man. He had long dark hair with red tips and wore a traditional patterned kimono with black hakama pants. He was also holding a katana which was pointed towards her family.

“A burglar and he’s armed. ” Ryoka knew that whatever she did it had to be the right move or things could be much worse.

She remembered that she had gotten paid a healthy sum today from work. Even though she had planned to use this money to buy herself new clothes for the upcoming festival she knew it was better to part with money and earn more in the future than be cut down by a burglar. She immediately ran in front of her family, holding her arms out shielding them from the towering figure, making her purse visible to the burglar. When she was able to get a good look at his face her breath hitched in her throat. This man had three sets of eyes on his face with red sclera and yellow irises. His middle set of eyes seemed to be engraved with the mark of ‘Upper Moon One’, and red markings resembling flames were seen on his face and neck.

It was then that Ryoka realized that this was no man but that he was a demon. She always had thought that demons were simply myths used to scare children into behaving but this creature before her was the real deal. He had no intention of robbing her family. No he was capable of doing much worse.

‘He’s going to eat all of us! Momiji, he’s too young to die like this! I’ve got to do something! I need to do something!”

She closed her eyes, and her head was pounding. There was something she should be able to do. And then it comes to her.

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

Tennouji Ryoka was born a sickly child. Her parents Tohru and Katsumi had tried everything in their power to find a cure but could not. They even visited the most esteemed western doctors that money could buy, but it proved to be futile. In a moment of desperation, they went to a traditional healer named Chiyo who had been able to cure Ryoka.

“What do you mean?” Tohru asked.

“The blood of your daughter, Ryoka. It’s not normal.” Lady Chiyo answered. The old woman took one long inhale of her pipe before puffing out a cloud of smoke. Tohru and Katsumi covered their coughs so as not to offend Chiyo.

“But how could you tell?” Tohru asked, his eyes tearing up from the smoke around him.

“The scent she gives off. It’s one of those who carries abnormal blood inside them. It’s what is making her sick.”

“Did someone curse my daughter? Who would do this? We haven’t done anything to anyone to deserve such cruelty.” Katsumi broke down sobbing. She didn’t know why her daughter had to suffer from a blood disease.

“As far as I can tell she is not cursed. However, I fear that she will live a life of hardship.” Chiyo then got up and walked towards a chest sitting atop a high shelf. She took it down and opened it. She rummaged through the chest until she found exactly what she was looking for. It was a small sack.

“This will be a long process but you will need to bring your daughter here so that I can properly administer this medicine to her.” Chiyo stated.

“What is it?” Tohru asked hesitantly. He already had his doubts about visiting a traditional healer to help Ryoka and this wasn’t helping to ease his worries at all.

“Crushed blue spider lily. I came from a long line of medical healers and while I was young, I happened to stumble upon old documents from an ancestor of mine. He had written about how he was healing a young man who had been sick for his whole life and did not have much time to live. He beloved that this flower, the Blue spider lily was the key to healing that man. Unfortunately, my ancestor had mysteriously disappeared before he was able to write down the results of this medicine. Administering this medicine would be risky, but it’s a risk we cannot afford to take.”

Chiyo’s cure had worked. At least in the beginning. Ryoka seemed to make a full recovery. She was even able to run long distances without collapsing from exhaustion. However, side effects started showing up. Although Ryoka had been cured from her previous ailment it seemed as though she was not out of the woods yet. And it didn’t seem like she would ever be. Unfortunately, Lady Chiyo had died of a heart attack and with it was any possible cure to Ryoka's new "condition".

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

Ryoka immediately prostrated herself on the floor. Keeping her head low and trying her best not to look up even when she heard the demon’s katana being pointed at her. She wasn’t going to let her fear stop her from keeping her family alive.

“Please, sir. Please spare my parents and my younger brother.” Ririka was on the ground pleading for her family with her head bowed low in front of the demon. She dared to not look up at the katana that was pointed at her. She knew it would only add to her and she couldn’t mess up her only chance to save the lives of her family.

“Hoo? And why should I spare your family girl.” The demon asked ,mocking Ryoka’s pathetic position.

“Because you can have me instead. My body produces a lot of blood. More than my body needs. My blood is also rare according to our late village healer. So you can feed on it and it’ll nourish more than eating my whole family can.”

“Ryoka! No!” Her mother wailed.

“Please don’t take my daughter. Eat me but please spare my wife and children.” Her father, a usually stoic man cried out, choking on his own sobs. Her brother was quiet. Tears streaming down his face as he could only watch his sister giving herself away to a demon.

Kokushibou, the demon, couldn’t help but smirk a little. In front of him were four pathetic humans begging and wailing for their lives. It would be better to just kill them all, but the girl’s offer did intrigue him. Hunting for food did take time away from completing his other missions for Lord Muzan.

Ryoka tried her best to stay strong in front of the tall demon despite the pleading of her parents. She then hears the sheathing of a katana back into its scabbard.

“Very well. I’ll come back for you in two months time. I’ll need to prepare your new home. And I believe you’re well aware of what will happen if you try to go back on your promise?” Ryoka nodded, forcing back tears.

“Yes I understand.”

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

Two months came and went. And Ryoka stood on the veranda of her family’s home with some of her belongings on the night of a full moon. She was standing alone. It was much easier that way. The day had already been filled with tearful goodbyes and Ririka was sure that she had no tears left to cry.

“It is time.” The six eyed demon appeared suddenly before her. This was it. Ryoka had to leave her old life behind along with those she loved and cared for.

But before she could take her first step Ririka felt a tug on her kimono sleeve.

“Nee-san Please don’t leave us. I’m praying to the gods and buddha to not have this demon take you away. So please stay with us. I promise I’ll be good and listen to mom and dad… just don’t leave us.” Ryoka looked into the teary warm chocolate eyes of her little brother, Momoji. She knelt down pulling him into a hug and trying to put on her bravest face for him.

“ Momiji, be a good boy. And do your best to look after mom and dad. I’m praying for you to live a long and fruitful life. Just know that no matter what, nee-san will always love you. She held onto Momiji for a few more moments before pulling away, picking up her belongings and walking over to the demon.

It hurt Ryoka to hear her family pleading for her to come back while she followed the six-eyed demon into the night.

“My name is Kokushibou. I thought that it was important for you to know who I am.” The demon, Kokushibou, spoke as they walked towards their new ‘home’.

“Tennouji Ryoka.”

“Hmm. Well then, Ryoka let’s make this a painless experience for the both of us.”

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

“You seem forlorn!” A voice tore her away from her thoughts. It was Kokushibou he was still sitting across from her.

“I know it may seem cruel to take you away from your family. But rest assured I will take care of you.” Kokushibou spoke to her softly, setting a futon for her to sleep on.

Ryoka pursed her lips. She wanted to snap at him. Tell him to go to hell. Tell him that he was a monster for ripping her away from her family and holding their lives over her head. She opted to hold her tongue in fear of angering him. However, that didn’t mean that she was placated. She was still seeing red and she felt hot inside.

Actually, she really did feel hot inside. Like she was having a fever or something. It was becoming more difficult to breath and her head felt light and heavy at the same time. She was trying to keep her composure so as to not alert Kokushibou. His back was still turned to her, talking to her about their arrangement.

“ I have convinced his lordship to let me keep you. However, you must give him your blood as payment. Considering your ‘condition’ that should not be a problem?

As if on cue Ryoka’s nose started to bleed. It was a part of her ‘condition’ as a result of the ‘cure’ Lady Chiyo had given her.. Her body produced too much blood and if she did not drain her body of excess blood it would leak out of her nose, ears , eyes or even mouth.

Kokushibou smelt the blood and immediately came to her side. Grabbing her chin, he forced her to face him . Grabbing a cloth, Kokushibou wiped the blood from her nose. But he could tell by the reddening of her face that she needed to release more blood. He pulled down the shoulder of her kimono. Positioning his mouth over her neck, Kokushibou bites down and starts to drink Ririka’s blood. Ririka gasps from the pain, however soon enough, she begins to feel relief as Kokushibou sucking the excess blood from her body.

It went on like this for a while. Kokushibou released his mouth from Ririka’s neck obviously having his hunger satisfied. Ririka was still panting. Her body was still hot and she needed to cool down.

“Marechi.” Kokushibou stated

“What?” Ryoka asked, still in a daze.

“You have rare blood. Marechi. His lordship will be pleased to know that you can produce marechi blood without risking your life.” Ryoka was waning in and out of consciousness. but she could’ve sworn that he was talking about using her as a blood factory.

Ryoka didn’t have the energy to argue with him about giving her blood away to other demons. She was too tired and she wanted to sleep.

“Good, I am going to meet with his Lordship. My scent covers the area surrounding this estate so weaker demons will be deterred from attacking you. .I should not be gone for long.” And with that he left. But not before breaking off pieces of his sword and leaving them around so that he can keep an eye on her even when he is away.

A few moments passed before Ririka was sure that he was gone.She crawled over to her futon and lied. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep, lamenting her new life as the possession of a demon.

Thanks for reading. You can also find this story on my AO3 page under the username camelliasinspring.

[musicalhqsgossip]

                                     BLAST002: PARTY RECAP EDITION 2.0

looks like this party sure was a cautionary tale ! over the weekend, some were feeling oh-so pretty ( and gay ) while others were falling totally stupid in love… something’s coming, and it’ll have you seeing stars ! eat a cracker and stop by to read the latest scoop on CADY AND MARIA’S PARTY ! if you’re fearless, look beneath the cut for all the drama that happened tonight, tonight…

first off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our lovely ladies, CADY and MARIA ! we heard that the homeschooled jungle freak got w a y too tipsy  and made out with little LES… we wonder what her “ boyfriend “ thought about that… or does he not really care ? perhaps JD still has a bit of VERONICA stuck on his mind. either way, we don’t trust the guy. jd and cady might have made up and locked lips once again… but how long will that last ?

and lets talk about our other birthday girl. seems like MARIA finally got the nerve to ask out her not so secret crush TONY – and with her brother and ex-crush breathing down her neck. do we think it’ll last, though ? those lovebirds wouldn’t know the concept of “ taking it slow “ even if it smacked ‘em right in the face ! though we couldn’t help but have our eyes fixed on TONY and VIVIENNE… what is going on there ? are we delusional, or do those two get along really well ? should MARIA and WES be aware of that little dynamic ?

now we are still on the subject of birthday gals –  what about the soon to be celebrated WENDY BIRD ? just because it wasn’t her party, didn’t mean she had to ditch – and to get high with no one than CLAUDE, no less. talking about a bad influence… a little birdie told me he recited poetry to her, too. how romantic. i wonder whether RIFF ever talks to her like that… 

and talking about the fearless jets leader. showing up to help out little miss sunshine ELLE who was once again crying over WESLEY and VIVIENNE kissing which resulted in yet another argument between the two lawyers… and all over that same boy. again. boo-hoo, tough life much ? maybe next time she should bring bruiser – i am sure that little guy could get a taste for her ex’s ankles… or perhaps she could have wood another guy into taking her home. RIFF took his high as a kite bird, but TONY or JACK might be easily convinced. 

but let’s move on to something more exciting: give it up for our favorite lesbian, WEDNESDAY, finally coming out and proud at last – just in time for the end of pride month ! i mean literally… can i give that hottie a hand ? we are proud of you, boo boo.

CLAUDE got his flirt on with MAUREEN ( who on her turn got a bit flirty with TONY ), again, but after her k i l l e r karaoke performance, our favorite minx went home with MORITZ. did CLAUDE really just let a good one go ? maybe her new boy-toy will impress with his “ talents “ for a bit longer !

moving on to the next topic: the NEWSIES. it looks our newspaper squad stuck together too, with SARAH helping a drunken KAT and SPOT trying yet again to win DAVEY over ! a wholesome crew, you say ? you just wait… there is more. and it’s juicy.

rumor has it that KAT got some loose lips on her, going off and telling JACK that their relationship was never gonna work ( are we surprised ). but it seems that our lil’ JACKIE BOY doesn’t go down without a fight ( again, are we surprised ) and took that passion to kiss the hell outta her ! our baby reporter is gonna have a hard time trying to hide her feelings now. game, set… 

and since we mentioned JACK – seems like the guy got his flirt on again. KAT might have to put in some real effort if she doesn’t want to lose her shot… i noticed a certain BETTY RIZZO getting his interest. our birthday girl CADY seemed to not mind his presence either – i heard that by the end of the night, he was pouring the alcohol straight from the bottle. 

also MINA didn’t seem to mind being left behind: she still got down on the dance floor with MELCHIOR, as if their hookup totally didn’t matter ! or did we completely mistake MINA kissing MARK there… not sure about y’all, but we better see that girl tie him down before he goes running back to AMBER.

talking about our little princess AMBER. i witnessed with my own eyes how she got buzzed and tipsy all too fast and ended up trading kisses with a few exes ! JESSE sure didn’t seem to mind – even though he came with MINA but went off to flirt with ANNA A halfway through the night. that boy sure did not take it easy… maybe these gals were not quite royal enough for his liking. might there be something growing there, ANNA A ? love, at last ?  

and what about ANNABETH. the not-so-little thing must not have known what hit her – poor PERCY and LYDIA attempted a little flirting, but to no avail. will that girl ever get her nose out of her damn book and see the romance right in front of her ? luckily, ANNABETH has seemingly found a new friend in ANNA B. bad bitches have to stick together, am i right ? EVELYN could have been a nice addition to that, but her stone cold type of bitch got in the way again… are we the only one wondering why ETHAN keeps trying with her ? or was that not him talking her up again ? that’s what we thought…

but lets get back to love triangles… how is it that PEDRO keeps getting trapped in the middle of those ? while totally u s i n g GABRIELLA to get over his little birdie ( have a type much, pete ? ), mister ex-boyfriend TROY sure wasn’t too happy about it… you can bet on that ! we spied with our little eye how he was getting drunk early on in the night with no other than JUDAH and boy, did he end up losing his cool at his ex-girlfriend. think GABRIELLA will want him back now ? if they aren’t feeling a headache coming up, i sure am…

speaking of couples that seem to be in trouble: who could have seen the JUDAH and LINK hook-up coming ? sure, we could spot the passion from a mile away – and we could hear them arguing from even further ! but hey – unexpected or not, who really minds two hot boys getting it going… you’re right, not us.

and what is up with MEG and JAMIE WELLERSTEIN… people have reported the brunette to be quite flirtatious that night. and with JAMIE, out of all people ? did not think we would ever say that, but that is a dynamic we will be keeping our eyes on…

a party also would not be a party if there wasn’t some major “ drama “, right ? let us begin with our big bad shark leader BERNARDO – first a confrontation with his little sister’s lover-to-be ex-jet TONY only to go through yet another break-up with ANITA. quite the eventful night for you, huh, nardo… remind us, how many times have ANITA and BERNARDO broken up by now ? is anyone still keeping count ? and what about PEDRO and THERESA ? seems like our little fairy is throwing tantrums again… getting cozy with PEDRO, kissing JOHN, only to get jealous at PEDRO again… what’s up with that, THERESA ? indecisive much ? no wonder WENDY and her suddenly get along – these two aren’t all that different after all. 

talking about JOHN – one darling boy sure did have a great night, huh ? dancing with THERESA after all, flirting with ALIZ, kissing CHINO… not to shabby for a guy who is locked up behind his desk most of the time. you go, dude ! though ALIZ didn’t only get her flirt on with john: the party-planner slash club-owner did not only strike a business deal with LILY, she seemed to get quite cosy with HERO once again. what is going on there ? and are we the only ones who noticed HERO juggling not only aliz but also MEG ? we knew he was an athlete, but not that he’s a player ( see what we did there ? ).

to end on a high note ( literally ), are we the only ones kind of excited by RYAN EVANS’ marvelous appearance – solo and all. sure head bitch SHARPAY will be on cloud nine. and what about that a d o r a b l e reunion between ILSE and her friends – talking about wholesome reunions, right ? guess it wasn’t all bad news that night !

[pluckyredhead]

Daredevil 101: What Happened to Milla, Part 1

For the past while in Daredevil 101, Matt has been somewhat rockily married to a woman named Milla Donovan. Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that Matt is no longer married in comics continuity. What happened?

*sigh* “To the Devil, His Due” and “Without Fear” happened, aka Daredevil v2 95-105 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. Aka an absolutely interminable parade of pointless cruelty riddled with dangling plot threads and misogyny. Yes, the team that gave us the masterful “Devil in Cell Block D” has now gone off the rails so hard that Amtrak is still working on the repairs. (Sadly, their run never improves, so strap in, I guess.)

Now, Milla is not exactly my favorite character, but very few things in DD history make me madder than the way she was written off. It’s so clear that Brubaker wanted to fridge her but realized he couldn’t get away with a fifth dead Daredevil love interest, so he figured out a different “fate worse than death” (hoo boy we’ll have to unpack that in Part 2). No price is too high for a woman to pay if it means Matt Murdock suffers, amirite?

And with that tempting introduction (?), let’s get into it!

Content Warnings: Ableism, sexual assault and implied threats of sexual violence.

We begin with Melvin, who is in jail thanks to having attacked Matt back when he was blackmailed into doing so. Specifically, we begin with Melvin in a room with a bunch of dead bodies he swears up and down he isn’t responsible for.

Matt and Foggy and most especially Becky Blake believe him and take his case, but just a few days later it happens again - Melvin is found surrounded by dead bodies and claiming to have no memory of what happened but that he didn’t do it. The psych eval doesn’t go well, in that, well, he passes:

According to the doctor, this isn’t Melvin being taken over by his Gladiator personality or an actual second person stepping in - this is just Melvin himself killing people. Which for Melvin’s legal team (and friends) is the worst possible option, of course.

Meanwhile, Milla appears to have taken up therapy:

Aside from what this story does to Milla and Melvin, part of what makes it so bad is the structure. This was partially due to a couple of company-wide crossovers that we’ll see marching through the book in a little bit, but also just lots of things being set up and then dropped without going anywhere. Here we see Milla in therapy, which is never returned to or discussed. The sinister way this is framed makes it clear that the person she’s speaking to is the villain of the piece, but the fact that he met Milla at therapy is never revealed or mentioned at all. Later in the scene he says something about how he hasn’t told his wife that he’s in therapy but he should stop underestimating her, which is clearly meant to get under Milla’s skin in regards to her relationship with Matt, but that kind of subtle manipulation is too interesting for this story and leads absolutely nowhere. And of course we don’t get to actually see Milla talking to her therapist, which would require her to have an interior life.

Which means we have an entire scene that could have been replaced with a single panel of Milla bumping into someone on the street that would have had exactly the same effect on the plot. And the pacing problems only get worse from here, folks!

Anyway. The state decides to move Melvin, but he escapes his prison transport - and attacks Matt, who’s been keeping an ear on things:

Melvin kicks the crap out of Matt and escapes, but Matt realizes that there’s something wrong with Melvin - it may not be the Gladiator taking over, but this isn’t his friend, either.

The next day, Nelson and Murdock receive a surprise guest: Lily Lucca, who you may remember as she of the Karen-smelling perfume who aided and abetted in multiple murders and lured Matt into a confrontation with Vanessa Fisk:

As you’ll recall, the perfume Vanessa gave Lily to entrap Matt with makes her smell like every man’s fondest memory [INSERT GIANT EYEROLL HERE], which is why Foggy’s falling all over himself here. But now she has a problem: even though she’s not using the perfume anymore, she still smells like it, which means men are constantly creepily following her around, getting into fights over her, etc.

This is...sigh. There’s an aspect of “female character is punished for using her sexuality” here that makes me super uncomfortable. Certainly 90% of comic book villains have some kind of monkey’s paw in their backstory (“I tried to make a cool suit of armor and now I have robot tentacles!” “I tried to cryogenically freeze my dying wife and now I am really cold all the time!” etc.), but there’s a way in which it’s weaponized against certain types of female characters that’s deeply gendered and often kinda rape-y. (I got this vibe with Debbie and Micah Synn as well.) Lily wanted to control men through their desire to her? Well, now they might desire her so much they’ll assault her! That’ll show her! I guess. Ugh, it just grosses me out.

Anyway, Matt reluctantly agrees to help her, or more specifically have Dakota help her, since she won’t be affected by Lily’s scent the way he and Foggy will. Even with this caveat, when he meets Milla for dinner she does not like this:

I think we’re meant to be reading Milla as not being entirely rational about Lily because she’s so jealous of Karen’s memory and Lily reminds Matt of Karen, but she’s not wrong. I have no idea if we’re meant to read Matt as being sort of a douche in this scene but if my husband was like “Keep your voice down” and “Don’t be so hyperbolic” I would walk out of that fucking restaurant.

Or run, as the case may be:

Matt distracts Melvin so that Milla can get away (lotta Ms in this storyline), then somehow quick-changes to Daredevil for a fight. Melvin knocks him out and Matt wakes up handcuffed in the back of a police car:

The cops are arguing because it’s the middle of Civil War, which didn’t touch the Daredevil book very much but Matt was firmly on the anti-registration Team Cap side, unsurprisingly. As an unregistered superhero, just being out in a mask made him a criminal. (They don’t do anything with the fact that his secret identity was basically an open book at this point, which would have been interesting.)

Anyway, The Mysterious Voice Speaking On A Frequency Only Matt Can Hear gleefully tells him that he left his wallet at the restaurant, which has his home address, which means Melvin knows where to find Milla. Of course, Melvin was one of Matt’s bodyguards when his identity was first exposed and definitely already knew where he lived, but whatever.

Milla is, of course, wandering around the apartment in nothing but a bra and panties when Melvin shows up, because Daredevil artists apparently love putting her in her underwear to terrorize her and this is the last chance they’ll have to do it.

Melvin takes Milla up to the roof to wait for Matt. I’m including this exchange, where Milla tries to talk him down by appealing to his better nature, because it’s basically her last moment as herself. Reminding others of their better angels has always been one of her strengths, and she deserves to have that highlighted before...everything else.

Matt shows up. Melvin throws Milla off the roof:

Matt miraculously saves her and returns to fight Melvin, but Melvin has pretty much given up at this point and it’s all over but the crying. He’s bundled off to maximum security, and that’s...well, that’s the end of Melvin. This storyline came out in 2007, and this sweet, interesting character who has been around since the Silver Age has been unusable ever since. So thanks for that, Brubaker.

Matt’s furious, and determined to figure out who did this to Melvin:

“What did your sensei say about fighting angry?” always makes me laugh. Also, why would you ever suggest Matt follow Stick’s advice, Foggy, honestly.

(Foggy is A+++++ in this storyline and it makes me mad that I can’t even enjoy it because he’s just frantically trying to salvage a steaming pile of shit the whole time. Also given the overall ableism in this story I’m a little :/ that he basically takes over being the functional adult like Matt’s incapable of it.)

Matt runs into another dropped plot thread here because he gets on the trail of a street drug that makes people angry, which, like, how would Melvin have even gotten that in prison anyway, especially nonconsensually? Also, every other depiction of this drug shows it putting the user into a senseless rage, but Melvin sure was able to find his old lair, put on his Daredevil costume, track down Matt, and kidnap his wife when the plot required him to. How very Guardian Devil.

Anyway, Matt starts tracking the drug to its source. Meanwhile, Milla shows up at N&M:

Yeah, from here on out Milla is all tears and hysteria. Sigh.

Foggy decides to take her home, and Lily tags along, even though Foggy thinks that’s a REALLY REALLY bad idea because a) she's upsetting Milla, b) she fucks with Foggy’s head, and c) every dude in the subway is going to be all over her. But Lily insists, because she’s...manipulative? Genuinely feeling guilty and choosing the absolute worst way to fix that? Flimsy plot reasons? Let’s go with flimsy plot reasons.

While waiting for the train, Milla pretty much loses her shit at Lily, and also the world in general:

“I don’t know what I’ve done to you” is pretty rich, Lily. YOU LURED HER HUSBAND ON A MURDER CHASE ACROSS EUROPE.

Meanwhile, Dakota is still trying to figure out where Vanessa got Lily’s original perfume from - and Matt has followed the drug trail back to the Enforcers, a bunch of goofy-ass Silver Age villains we haven’t seen in decades. (They are specifically named the Ox, Fancy Dan, and Montana. They are ridiculous.) They clobber him and take him to their leader:

LARRY CRANSTON. MISTER FEAR. He made the perfume. He drove Melvin insane. And he’s the reason behind what happens next:

Lily lives. The random bystander does not. And when Matt, having been literally thrown out of the window and into the garbage by Mister Fear, returns home, Foggy is waiting for him:

Next Time: Milla is taken into custody, and Matt searches for a cure.

[ilovethetalkingclock]

A Not-Sew-Magical Sequel (LALALOOPSY CREEPYPASTA)

(WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS CONTENT LIKE LANGUAGE, GORE, DEATH, PARASITES, DROWNING AND DARK COMEDY. IF YOU GET SCARED BY THIS, DON'T YELL AT ME FOR IT. YOU CHOSE TO READ IT.) 

(story under the cut, based on a dream I had)

(don’t worry, it’s not a screamer, i’d never do that.)

No matter how many years passed and will pass, I liked and will still like Lalaloopsy. All the characters and concepts were and still are very interesting (though Jewel was always my least favorite) and the couple episodes I saw of both the original show and the reboot of Netflix were cute and in the case of the reboot actually very emotional. I also watched all the movies and while a majority of them were slightly flawed one way or another, that didn’t stop them from being good. Hearing the toys being discontinued and the Netflix show canceled indeed made my heart sink.

But that’s not all what I wanted to talk about. Onto Lala-Oopsies.

If you don’t recall, Lala-Oopsies was a spinoff line. As the name suggested, the characters were in mixed rainbow colors and body proportions that deviated from the usual Lalaloopsy dolls, looking like, in my own words, mutants. They came as princess/ballerina hybrids and mermaids, with the ‘Littles’ (which in the original Lalaloopsy line, were the younger sisters) as fairies. They had one movie, “Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale”. It was like all the others, cute, a bit funny, and a simple Lalaloopsy adventure with the Lala-Oopsies.

What I never knew was that they were apparently planning on a sequel.

I was at a garage sale of sorts (i know, very cliche) when I found a blank DVD case. Here’s what it read:

“LALA-OOPSIES-SEQUEL(UNFINISHED)”

“Is this a joke?”

“Oh, that!” The owner of the sale noticed me and casually went on “I worked at MGA Entertainment… they were making a sequel to the Lala-Oopsies movie… some guy decided to make that, apparently as a joke, and he was fired as it had quite a bit of… crazy stuff. We decided to cancel it altogether as we didn’t have any other ideas... We were handed copies of it from the guy who made it before he was fired. The footage is all there. There’s a lot more stuff that happened after that, but I don’t really wanna go into full detail. If you wanna know completely, it’s worth only a dollar. Not somethin’ I’d wanna watch again.”

Out of morbid curiosity, I agreed to buy the thing.

So I went home, made sure to get my DVD player on, and opened the case. There were two discs. One that read “MOVIE” and another that just had random scribbles on it. I tried to make out if the second one actually said anything, but I couldn’t read it for shit. I got out the one that read “MOVIE”, making sure it was the film itself, and placed it in.

Hoo boy, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

There was no menu or trailers, though that was kinda expected considering it was unfinished. It just went straight to the movie.

It all looked official one way or another. Some scenes were fully animated, others were simple animatics, others were in between. But I’ll just say before we get on that it was not at all the usual Lalaloopsy fare. There was no sign of anyone’s pets at all throughout the whole movie.  There wasn’t any music, like, at all, and that just made it a bit more unsettling.

Well, most of it wasn’t. It started off like your usual Lalaloopsy movie. Bea was walking down a path and singing a song about math to herself. A rather bad one, if you ask me. So bad, I have easily forgot about it. While walking, she finds the door that leads to Lala-Oopsies Land.

As the first movie took place in mostly a story that Bea was reading, she is surprised that apparently Lala-Oopsies are true. She leaves to find her friends, the rest of the Original 8 to be exact, and tell her all about it. This exchange from the conversation is what mainly caught me off guard.

Jewel: “So you just managed to find something from a story you read once in reality? I don’t believe it one bit.”

Spot: “Jewel. This is felting BEA SPELLS-A-LOT we’re talking about. The brains? The genius? The nerd? The know-it-all? She doesn’t seem to be making it up.”

Was felt their way of saying fuck? That was not in the other Lalaloopsy stuff I knew, as it was aimed at young children. I figured that was at least one of the reasons it was never finished. I decided to keep watching to find more reasons.

The Lalaloopsies were at the door to Lala-Oopsies Land, and as she didn’t believe it before as shown by the previous exchange I wrote about, Jewel was understandably dumbfounded. “Felt me, there really is a Lala-Oopsies Land…”

So of course they all opened the door and entered. Only as it turned out Lala-Oopsies land… wasn’t exactly as the story told.

The skies were orange like the original, but were more of a sickly shade of it. The ground was grey, rotted, and corpse-like. The mushroom ‘trees’ looked much more like actual fungi, and the strawberry-milk rivers and seas looked spoiled and curdled, and I could even make out a skeleton (presumably of a drowned Oopsie) in them. Bea probably put it best.

“Well… it seems the book apparently romanticized a couple details…”

The group decided to venture in and explore anyway. I couldn’t help but bring up the fact that a couple of them coughed quite a bit when they went in. Okay, scratch that, they were coughing violently, like they just inhaled smoke.

Pillow: “Felting seamstress, this place is polluted.”

As they were walking through, some sort of large insectoid jumped right on Peanut’s face Alien-style. Now I could really see why this movie didn’t make it. Obviously, everyone was panicking at the sight and trying to get the bug off. It wasn’t until like half a minute that Bea managed to find a stick on the ground and strongly swatted the insect away from Peanut’s face, though it seemed she also hit the face from this dialogue...

Peanut: “TRY AVOIDING THE FACE YOU IDIOTIC FELTING STITCH.”

...and stabbed the insect multiple times, pink-ish blood spraying from the body, gore getting everywhere. The other seven were so disgusted that Crumbs vomited right on-screen from the sight. Organs were coming out of the creature as Bea stabbed, and as I looked close enough the organs seemed rather human-like. That was pretty weird as the insect didn’t look human at all. 

Well at least I found another reason for this movie’s rejection.

Before Bea turned the monster into an unrecognizable bloodied mush, I could make the colors of the insect to be that of the Lala-Oopsies fairy Lilac, hot pink and sky blue. Nah, I’m pretty sure it was just a coincidence. And yet…

Oh, that reminds me of another scene that happened later on.

The eight were venturing on into the islands riding on some sort of old rusted boat they found, and then suddenly some sort of sea serpent or something like that i dunno with the same color scheme as the mermaid Water Lily rose from the rotted strawberry milk oceans. Bea tried to row the boat away, but the monster attacked and even picked Jewel up and devoured her. There wasn’t any doll stuffing or anything cute like that. Jewel’s remains actually spurted crimson blood and human entrails as she was being chomped down on and eventually swallowed. Screaming as if the actress herself was getting violently disemboweled.

I can still hear her agonized screams as I write this, so that’s pretty annoying. 

Pillow’s reaction perfectly described mine.

“HOLY FELTING SILK.”

My god... how the heck was a doll said to be sewn from a dress able to have human blood and guts?! Then again, it was a cartoon… a rather gory one if ya ask me.

In all honesty though, Jewel’s death was horrific yet satisfying for me. I never liked her the slightest.

During the attack, Mittens and Spot fell into the strawberry milk ocean as the boat was destroyed. It didn’t show the rest of what happened to them so I can safely assume they were either eaten or drowned. Or both.

So the ones left were Crumbs, Peanut, Dot, Pillow, and Bea.

They latched onto the boat’s remains as they headed to a large island.

The island’s inhabitants were all the princess ballerinas, both in the first movie and toy-exclusive, mutated to grotesque proportions, their hair all mussy and in tangles. Most of the princess’s faces were obscured by their hair, but the ones I was able to see were distorted in such a way I can’t really describe that well, though I’ll admit they looked pretty damn cool. Oh, their clothes were also a wreck too so yeah.

Crumbs became an idiot and decided to go up close to one (can’t remember which, i think it was Saffron?) to try and approach it friendly enough.

Saffron, like a wild animal, lunged at Crumbs and proceeded to violently rip her to shreds, and sure enough it was just as gruesome as Jewel’s death.

I remember just thinking to myself, “what the hell was this person on when making this?”

And yes, the remaining girls were horrified by that too and ran from the princesses as fast as they could.

Remember the scene I mentioned earlier with Peanut apparently getting attacked by that bug? Welp, they didn’t forget about that. Peanut immediately fell over, having a rather violent fit as she struggled for breath, her skin deteriorating as multi-colored insect larva ate their way out of her everywhere, some even lunging out like the chestbursters in Alien. (yes I know I already made that comparison before but still) They then proceeded to lunge at Pillow and devour her alive as she could only scream and the final two, Bea and Dot, could only watch.

As Pillow was honestly one of my most favorite Lalaloopsy, I just felt awful watching that.

Another princess, Anise, which I recognized full and clear with her pink and blue coloring, approached what remained of Pillow and grabbed some of the larvae, putting it in her mouth and devouring it, as her mouth was coated in a rainbow goo like that one My Little Pony episode with the zombies. 

I would say it was disgusting, but a mutant doll eating a worm was the least of my worries. 

She managed to speak words, which was strange because the princesses here were, again, mostly animalistic. Her voice was rather gravely, only vaguely sounding like the original.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING COMING TO A PLACE LIKE THIS?”

Okay, they weren’t even trying with that line.

Anise proceeded to grab Bea and beat her, but thankfully Bea was able to kick Anise right in the face, knocking her out before the grotesquely mutated princess could finish the job. Dot swiftly took Bea’s hand. Struggling to get up at first, the badly bruised Bea managed to get on her feet and run as Anise came to.

As they ran, Bea and Dot finally found the door where they came in. It tugged my heartstrings seeing the two tearfully look back, apparently reminiscing their friends, before leaving Lala-Oopsies Land for good.

It then cut to Bea in bed, very ill. She was apparently covered in radiation tumors and her hair was almost gone. Apparently the island was highly radioactive. Dot was next to her bed in tears, as Bea weakly said her final words.

“I’m sorry, Dot… sorry… for everything...”

Violently coughing blood, Bea finally kicked the bucket as Dot sobbed hysterically. The movie cut to black and ended there with, surprise-surprise, no credits whatsoever.

All I thought of was “How the hell did Bea get sick from radiation poisoning but Dot didn’t?”

So anyway I took the movie disc out and put in the one with all the scribbles.

It was a compilation of recorded clips, all of them surprisingly in the MGA Entertainment headquarters itself I presume.

One clip I remember was a Lala-Oopsies Princess Anise doll flying, chasing a random employee as said employee was in a panic. Yea it was a weird one.

Another consisted of another employee testing out a Princess Juniper doll. As they were squishing the head, (the Lala-Oopsies dolls had squishy foam heads) the doll suddenly started to bleed violently. Not gonna lie, I laughed at what the employee said.

“GOD DAMN IT GARY WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT MAKING THE DOLLS BLEED.”

Last one I remember was two employees talking to each other. One of them asked the other,

“What exactly was your motivation in making this weird-ass movie?”

The other employee just responded in a weird reverse demonic gibberish I didn’t have time to translate. The first employee’s only response was a flat “what”. Exactly my reaction too. I decided that was enough and took out that disc and put it away.

Where’s the case now?

In one of my shelves. I’m keeping it. I just think it’s pretty unique in a way.

Not like it’s cursed or anything.

The End

[gaamagirl565]

Matters of the heart ep 12

Matters of the heart Episode 12 A day to remember {OPENING CREDITS} {We open to old Corona orchard and people are setting up the orchard for the wedding} Isaiah: Okay good…. lanterns check…. wedding arch check... father being nervous and being teased by the king and mr. Lance…. double check…. {Draki slithers on his shoulder} Isaiah: Oh! Hi Draki! Check it out! {he holds up a clipboard} Isaiah: Grandpa gave me the job of going around and checking off things that are supposed to be on the list... Yep I'm quite the big shot around here… Akina: LOOK OUT! {Akina runs into him and knocks him over} Isaiah: owwwww... Akina: S-Sorry Isaiah! Isaiah: Akina? ...why are you...wearing heels? Akina:....I wanna look pretty...don’t tell mama… {Lily enters frame in a lovely green dress} Isaiah: Lily!...I...uhh...you...Your looking….uh...green!... Lily: what? Isaiah:....one moment… {Isaiah goes behind a tree and screams before coming back out} Isaiah: I’m good… Lily: ummm...okay...I came to get you to tell you apparently there's something going down. Zapada’s freaking out. Isaiah:  is she okay? Lily: donno… Isaiah:  well then this looks like a job for the master of wedding planning! {he holds up clipboard heroically} Lily: I hope you realize your grandfather gave you that job just so you would get out of the way… Isaiah: …. why you gotta do that to me? {Cut to Isaiah’s house and Rapunzel is doing Zapada’s hair} Rapunzel: Calm down Zapada...it’s going to be alright… Zapada: How can I calm it? The wedding is today! And the cake has not arrived, the flowers have not yet been acquired,  and Varian knows nothing of it....but I had mothers necklace cleaned and it is not yet ready! Adira: This is why earrings and I never got married… Zapada: But... you have child? Adira: and? {silence} Zapada: never mind… {Isaiah, akina, and lily walk in} Isaiah: what’s going on? Rapunzel: It's alright kids just a bit of pre-wedding jitters... Adira:....Small one are you wearing heels? Akina: eep! Zapada: Wait! My wedding does not start until sundown... Isaiah... could you find it possible to head to town and acquire a few items? Isaiah: I don't see why I can't! Zapada: Ah! Blessed boy! Mulțumesc! {she hands him a list} Zapada: Take the wagon and horse! Go! Isaiah: You can count on the master of wedding planning! Akina: mama? May I go? Adira:...I suppose...But stay out of trouble, small one! Lily: I’ll go too! Keep these two out of trouble! Rapunzel: Alright you all can go but back here before sundown! Isaiah: Yes, Your majesty! Lily: Yes mom! Rapunzel: go! Go! Quickly! {They all run out; Cut to the main road and the wagon zips past the camera with Isaiah at the drivers seat and Lily and Akina in the back hanging on for dear life} Lily: Isaiah! Have you ever driven before!? Isaiah: Nope! Dad never lets me drive! Woo-hoo! Akina: I can see why! {They go over a bump and gallop through the main gate to the town; People dodge out of the way} Lily: Isaiah! Slow down! We want to get there but we want to get there alive and without homicide charges! Isaiah: ugh...okay, alright relax you kill joys...we’re here anyway… {He slows the horse to a stop} Isaiah: Well that was fun! {He looks in the back to see Akina holding onto Lily with messy hair and Lly glaring at him; cut to the three standing in town; Isaiah tears the list into 3 pieces} Isaiah:  we’ll get done faster if we each have our own individual jobs...Akina you go get the cake... Lily...heh... you go get the flowers… Lily: Very funny… Isaiah:  I'll get the necklace from the Jewelers.. once we're finished let's meet back here. Ready? Break! {They all run in different directions; cut to Atilla’s bakery}

Atilla: one cupcake! Two cupcakes! Three cup- {The door jingles and Atilla looks but no one is there; he goes back to baking} Atilla: four cupcakes! Akina: Ahem! Excuse me! Atilla: huh? {he walks over to the counter and looks down and sees Akina} Atilla: ….awwww! Hi there! Want a cupcake? Akina: um...actually… Atilla: I just made a fresh batch of croissants! with chocolate frosting in the middle! Akina:...sir.. Atilla:  or perhaps you're more of a fruit person!  I made some apple fritters! Akina:  actually I'm here for a wedding cake that was supposed to be delivered today! Atilla: oh...sorry!  you seem a little young to be getting married... or maybe you're just one of those really short people I'm sorry! Akina: N-NO! Not me!!! For miss Zapada! Atilla: OHHH! right! I have it all baked but I still have to decorate it... I suddenly got a huge order of cupcakes for a child's birthday party. Akina:... you still need to decorate it?.... maybe I can help... I used to help Papa with all the baking when I was little... maybe I can help you? Atilla:.. depends... can you hold icing in your hand and not eat it… akina: I can try… Atilla: You're hired! {he puts a chef hat on her and she giggles; Cut to the jewelers Isaiah walks in and the jeweler turns around ready to help} Jeweler: AH!...it’s you!... Isaiah: hello to you too? Jeweler: You...You blew up the marketplace! I lost a month's worth of revenue from that! Isaiah: oh for God’s sa-that was months ago! Jeweler: yes...but...still...what can I help you with? Isaiah: I’m here to pick up a Necklace? Was brought here by Zapada? Jeweler: oh...that one...ugh...yes I have it...but it’ll be ten gold pieces.. Isaiah: *Chokes* TEN GOLD PIECES!? The sign says cleaning is 5! Jeweler: Call it payment for all the suffering you've caused me after that horrible incident… Isaiah: So you're racking up the price for an event that happened months ago which you surely gained the money back for!?   let's not forget I also suffered! do you not see my face!? Jeweler: I could always rack it up to 15… Isaiah: why you stingy little…. {He throws ten gold pieces on the counter} Isaiah: well?...take it or leave it! {The jeweler takes the money and hands over the polished necklace} Jeweler: pleasure doing business with you... Isaiah: Yeah Whatever… {He goes to walk out} Jeweler: Traitor’s son… {Isaiah flinches but walks out with his head high; cut to the flower shop and Lily is looking at the various flowers as the old florist makes the wedding bouquet} Old florist: Something wrong my princess? Lily:  just... I keep wondering if... I don't know... if I'm pretty enough to be considered a princess. Old florist:  it's a boy isn't it? Lily: huh!? Old florist: I've lived a long time dearie…. I know that look in your eyes as well as I know the flowers in this shop.  you're looking for someone to notice you. Lily:  well... there is one boy... I chose the prettiest dress I could for this wedding hoping maybe... just maybe... he would see me as more than just a princess…. Old florist: I see... and what happened? Lily:  he said I looked green…. {The old lady chuckles} Old florist:  men can be a funny thing.  sometimes when they see something so lovely they become tongue-tied and don't know what to say.  another time they don't notice at all.  let me tell you something my princess.  if there's one thing I've learned from all these years on this Earth it's that people don't pay attention to what you look like. if you truly want a person to respect you for who you are rather than what you are show them through action not appearances. Lily: how do I do that? Old florist:  just be yourself...Be Lily... don't be princess Lily… {The old florist walks over and fixes her hair with flowers in it} Lily:. i...I look lovely… {The old florist hands her the bouquet} Old florist: Remember you may be lovely on the outside but what really matters is what's on the inside.  without beauty within we are nothing. Now go shine yourself bright. {Lily hugs her} Lily: Thank you! {She runs out of the store; Isaiah runs up to the wagon} Isaiah: Where is everyone-WHOA! {Akina is behind him covered in frosting with Atilla next to her holding a beautiful white cake decorated with flowers and pink sugar crystals to look like quartz} Isaiah: holy mackerel… Atilla: she did a good job right? Isaiah: Akina YOU  did that!? Akina: y-yes? Isaiah: It’s amazing!! Akina: Really! I did my best! R-really I did! Lily: What’s going on? Isaiah: Aki-wow …. Lily: Isaiah? Akina: Lily you look soooo pretty! Isaiah: yeah...beautiful…… {Lily smiles and blushes} Isaiah: Bwag! Uhh! We need to get back! Got everything!? Akina: right-o captain! {Isaiah goes to hop in the drivers seat but Lily is already there} Isaiah: huh!? Lily: oh no you don’t! I’m driving now! Isaiah: mmmnnn fine!!! Lily: alright everyone in? Then off we go! Hyah! {She tells the horse to canter; they pass by a shop} Isaiah: Wait! {Lily stops the horse; Isaiah takes out a small round object and tosses it into the store; a boom is heard followed by a girlish scream} Jeweler: MY GEMS!!! {Lily glares at him} Isaiah: what?...Oh relax it was one of my dads Bath bombs! Keep going! {she canters the horse; cut to the orchard and Varian getting ready to stand by the arch} Quirin: how do you feel? Varian: nervous...but excited… Quirin: just like I was...you’ve done everything for your family and now it’s getting bigger...I proud of you son. Varian: Thanks dad… {Cut to Zapada outside the orchard} Zapada: where are they!? Rapunzel: Zapada: they’ll be here soon! But the wedding is starting very soon! Zapada: mmnn...alright….lets how you say...do this… {Lily has the horse at a gallop} Isaiah: and MY driving was bad? Lily: oh hush up! We’re going to be late! Akina: Lily We’re almost there slow down! We’re gonna-! {The wagon breaks a wheel on a rock sending everything in the back including Akina  flying} Isaiah: NOO! Lily: ...my bad. Zapada: here we go..sigh...hmm? {Suddenly she catches the bouquet and her necklace} Zapada: Oh!? {The cake lands upright on a table} Varian: ummmm Quirin:...did I just see what I think I saw or am I finally losing it with age? {Distant screaming slowly becomes louder} Lance: MY GIRL! {He catches Akina} Akina: Papa! Lance: why are you covered in frosting? {Isaiah runs up by his dad and Lily runs to her chair} Rapunzel: Well..everything seems to be...in order now...you ready? Zapada:...Da...yes..I am… {The wedding march starts and Zapada walks down the aisle in a white off the shoulder dress with long sleeves, a braid and a flower crown; Varians eyes widen upon seeing her and he feels tears well up} Eugene: he cried pay up… Lance: d’ohhh… {He hands him a few coins and Zapada gets to the arch; Varian kisses her} Isaiah: Dad!...PSST!...Dad! Not yet! Varian: oops!..hehe sorry.. Preacher: Ladies and gentlemen we gather here under the sight of God to join in union this man and this woman in holy matrimony. {As he speaks the camera pans to different people in the crowd looking happy, loving on their significant other, or smiling} Preacher: Varian do you promise to love and cherish this woman, honor her, and be there for her in sickness and in health till death do you part? Varian:...I do… Preacher: Zapada do you promise to love and cherish this man, honor him, and be there for him in sickness and in health till death do you part? Zapada: I do… Peacher: may we have the rings… {Eugene gives the rings} Preacher: repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed… Varian: Zapada... With this ring I thee wed. Zapada: Varian... With this ring I thee wed… Preacher: With the power vested in me...I now declare you Husband and wife...you may k-!? {Zapada jumps and kisses Varian; the crowd cheers and Isaiah smiles Isaiah runs up and hugs them; begin montage of the celebration} {flash one} Zapada: *puts cake on Varians nose* Varian: *laughs* {flash two} Zapada: *throws bouquet* Adira: *accidentally catches it* Lance: *high fives Eugene* {flash three} {everyone is slow dancing} Lily: so uh...Isaiah...you wanna...dance? Isaiah:...o-okay… {Isaiah leads her out to the dance floor and they dance awkwardly at first but ease into it} Isaiah: so umm..you really do look nice tonight lily...and uh..you look...um.. You got flowers...and...ummm {Lily rolls her eyes and gives him a peck on the lips} Lily: hehe shut up… Isaiah:....okay… {pan to Varian and Zapada} Varian: Everything you ever dreamed? Zapada: even more… {They kiss} {END CREDITS}

[starlight-matrix]

Nabari no Ou 15th Anniversary!

@nabaridays wrote up some prompts to celebrate the 15th anniversary of NnO and as it’s my favorite manga series of all time, I had to join the fun!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware of the prompts’ existence until we were about four or five days in, so instead of starting in the middle of the prompt list, I wrote all mine up in a Google Doc and decided to do a big masterpost in the day of the anniversary. And here it is! Beware for a lot of reading, this shit’s at 4.1k words.

- Catherine Lynne / catielynnelove.tumblr.com Fan of NnO since 2012 -

DAY 01 (Jun. 3rd) - Favorites

My favorite character has always been Miharu, though I do struggle to choose between him and Yoite. I have always been fascinated by his apathetic nature, the way he uses is as a shield while loving the people in his life so incredibly fiercely. He appears neutral and uncaring, but the moment you look beneath the surface, you recognize that he would give his life for those he loves in a heartbeat - and has shown this on multiple occasions.

I also love his development over the series. His apathetic facade slowly falls out of use after he meets Yoite, and he learns that feeling your emotions is important, that letting the people you love know when you’re happy or sad or pissed the fuck off is important.

In the first few chapters we as readers honestly can’t tell a whole heck of a lot from what we’re shown of Miharu. He’s plain, uninteresting, even to us (unless you’re the kind of person who automatically reads between the lines, but let’s face it, not a lot of people are). But by the end of the series, he’s such a vibrant and expressive character that I marvel at Kamatani’s ability to drastically a character’s personality in a way that feels so gradual and natural.

Another reason Miharu is my favorite character is because I tend to see parts of myself in him, as many people do with the characters they like most. I can understand and relate to his apathy in the beginning of the story. His memory of his parents deaths is so deeply traumatic and that the very fibre of his being (objectively, Shinra) locked the memory, and most of his childhood, away for years to come. Because at that time in his life, the pain of it all would’ve broken him.

(E/N: I now remember that Asahi actually erased Miharu’s memories of that event, but I think a good chunk of this will still make sense, and I’m lazy, so I’m not gonna edit it out. Enjoy.)

Emotions, especially ones he didn’t understand - or couldn’t understand, like his feelings toward his childhood that didn’t quite make sense because of his augmented memories - were simply so overwhelming that Miharu pretty much just went “lol don’t wanna deal with those so yEET now they’re gone” and locked them up in a box to be dealt with at a much, much later date. That speaks to me, as a person who has struggled with depression, and the fact that he finds a way to recover from this is very reassuring.

Overall, Miharu is a very complex and realistic character that undergoes more vivid character development than I’ve seen in almost any western media. I love him very much.

DAY 02 (Jun. 4th) - What got you into Nabari no Ou?

This is actually quite a funny story, so buckle up for a wild ride y’all!

When I was 12 years old (God, this sounds like the setup for an angsty villain backstory), my family had a housemate who liked anime. One day I came to beg for him to let me use his video game console to play Little Big Planet and he happened to be watching the second half of the anime - I distinctly remember the second Alya Academy episode being the first one I ever saw. It was my first anime experience outside of a Studio Ghibli film, and to this day remains close to my heart, even though the anime adaptation itself really… just… well, it sucked.

After I finished watching it with him, I went and found the first half of the series on Netflix (back when Netflix did the whole send-a-DVD-to-your-house thing) and watched the whole thing from episode one. And then very quickly became obsessed. I probably watched the anime four times in two months. I had every single one of the English VAs names memorized. I was dedicated.

Eventually I looked up the manga online, and HOO BOI, this is the point where my Nabari no Ou origin story becomes ridiculously hilarious (and stupid).

When I read the manga, I was disturbed by the idea of Kouichi being a villain-type character, as he had been one of my favorites when I watched the anime. And, at the time I was first reading the manga, the apparent “ending” from my perspective was the scene where Kouichi takes the newly-made hijutsu scroll from a bleeding, dying Thobari.

Looking back, I figure the website I was reading it on just didn’t have all the chapters, or perhaps I had happened to start reading while the manga was on hiatus, but at that age I didn’t know of or understand either of those concepts and accepted that sad scene as the end of the manga.

And as such, I wrote the manga off as terrible and ignored it for years.

Flash forward to about 2014, two or three years after writing the manga off as a Fat Mistake, I finally decided to give it another shot. And BY GOD did I cry reading it a second time. Whether it was the two years of maturity, my experiences during those two years, or simply the fact that I read the whole thing that time - I was sobbing in my desk chair over NnO.

It was the most beautiful story I’d ever read. Even now, after five more years of reading beautiful manga, Nabari no Ou remains my absolute favorite, and likely always will.

DAY 03 - What are your favorite scenes?

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Alya Academy arc, even back when all I’d shunned the manga and all I had to go off of was the inaccurate anime adaptation, simply because of how well the character relationships are shown during those sequences (this is one thing the anime did really well in my opinion, actually - Shijima’s verbal reflection on how humans connect to each other and how important those connections are is stunning). Not to mention the displays of how the characters care for one another regardless of what side of the war they’re technically on.

I’ve always loved Subaru as a character, too. I find her motivations to be very realistic and really quite understandable, and I love the little easter eggs in later chapters that imply the Kouga ninja are helping Miharu’s side of the fight even though they’re not visibly involved. The scores from the Alya Academy arc are especially chilling and memorable as well.

Another of my favorites are the chapters following Miharu and Yoite’s escape from the Kairoshuu and their travels afterward. They feel mundane and peaceful, yet blanketed with this layer of grief, like we’re all aware that at any moment their calm could be destroyed and lost forever.  

The scenes about Yoite’s gender were very special to me as a teen still learning about the LGBT spectrum and how different people could be, and the scene of Yoite bandaging Miharu’s aching feet? My heart literally swells every single time I think about it! It was so sweet and loving, my fragile fangirl heart does flips when I read over it.

DAY 04 (Jun. 6th) - Photos & Fashion

I like to think that Miharu keeps every photograph he’s taken and has them stored safely away in a box or chest or drawer. In my experience, people who have lost loved ones tend to treasure photographs, more than someone who hasn’t experienced loss might. A lot of times a photo is all someone has of someone they loved outside of a memory, and contrary to popular belief, if you don’t look at someone - physically or in a photo - for a long time, you do forget how they look.

Miharu has lost many people: his parents, Yoite, Kouichi and Shijima, even Shinra, in a way - so I imagine this observation would be doubly true of him. Especially if he has Yukimi as an example to go by - pretty sure that guy has kept every photograph he’s ever taken in his life!

(As far as fashion goes, I honestly think everyone’s fashion in NnO is horrendous, so...)

DAY 05 (Jun. 7th) - Favorite character design in the series?

Gosh, it’s hard to choose, I love so many of them! Gau is fascinating to me because I figure his hair must be difficult to draw, with all those little curls and cowlicks. Shijima’s too, with the way it frames her face and leaves just a tiny little opening for her eyes to peer out at you through.

But, as with most of these character-specific prompts, my answer will have to be Miharu. The idea that Asahi reshaped his face to look more like her own when she used Shinra to save him is very interesting, and the fact that Kamatani manages to draw Miharu in a way that both clearly shows their resemblance to one another and establishes Miharu as his own character with his own unique features and gestures and ways of carrying himself is incredible.

Miharu’s stance are also very telling to me as a reader: he often stands loosely, almost lazily, as if he really couldn’t care less about where he is and what they’re doing, which rings true for a good chunk of the story. It matches well with his (mostly) fake apathy and kind of makes him seem bland and boring as a character. But as the story progresses, he becomes more open, shows affection more easily. He’s quicker to stand up for his beliefs and the people he loves. All of this shows in the way he carries himself throughout later chapters.

DAY 06 (Jun. 8th) - Favorite location in the series?

The Shimizu estate, without a doubt.

The secluded area, the forest in every direction, the house itself - it’s all so beautiful to me. Ot gives me the feeling of rural Japan and more traditional Japanese living. Even after the house has burned away and all that’s left is a field full of Spider Lilies, there’s a kind of sober beauty lying over the place, made even more intense when Shirogamon stands watch over it.

DAY 07 (Jun. 9th) - Positive Influences

The thing that I preach about the most when I talk about NnO to others is the fact that the series has no absolutes. There is no true right or wrong, no clear villains nothing that actually puts our heroes above anyone else. Which, in a way, means that are really are no heroes in the story at all, which is a very rare and interesting way to tell a story.

The entire series deal with a greyscale in morality. There’s no bad vs. good or moral vs. immoral, just your own goals and people whose goals don’t match yours. Opinions and ambitions differ vastly even between people on the same side of the fight - Thobari and Raimei want to seal the Shinrabanshou, Kouichi wants to use it to defeat his immortality, Miharu even changes side on a few occasions - yet they all work together together to achieve their own very different ends.

Even those who can be coded as villain on the surface have something motivating them to do what they do, and more often than not, those motivations are understandable to the reader and actually have you sympathizing with the character. Hattori wanted to rid the world of the need for war. Subaru wanted to save the person she loved most in the world. Yamase wanted to win his family back (I think? It’s been a while).

Even Katarou and Kannuki, two characters who have practically nothing to redeem them, at least have motivations that are pretty damn realistic. Kannuki wanted to capitalize on Kouga’s Forbidden Art and use it to grow Alya Academy’s profit and power through the surface world. A Lot of people are like this in real life, and while you may not sympathize with him over it, it is a motivation that is true of our own world as well as the one in this story.

An Katarou, as far as I understand, is obsessed with Shinra herself, rather than the hijutsu and the power it holds. He manipulated hundreds of people and hundreds of situations to suit his own needs, then literally got himself killed - just to see her one last time. And… yeah, I don’t think anyone really sympathized with him, but hey, I can see what pushed him to do what he did.

To me, Katarou is symbolic of someone with an addiction - their mind is so clouded by a need for some specific thing that all other human aspects of that person just fall away, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get what they want.

I also appreciate how the characters handle their differences throughout the story. Their honesty with each other, the way they support each other even when they’re all heading in opposite direction. The Alya Academy arc (I really love this arc okay) especially shows this, in how the ninja from Banten and Kairoshuu - two very opposing factions - fight together against the Kouga without hesitation, despite the fact that in most other situations, they’d be fighting each other.

It’s a wonderful thing to promote: that even though people might have different opinions or goals, it doesn’t mean they have to hate each other.

DAY 08 (Jun. 10th) - Favorite Extra?

I am IN LOVE with the little between-chapter 4koma pieces, especially the ones from the Alya Academy arc (God, I’ve talked so much about this arc). Subaru fantasizing about Miharu being her little brother and making her birthday cake? Adorable. Miharu and Yoite getting stuck behind a bookshelf and terrifying an opponent by asking for help out? Hilarious.

I love that Kamatani put those in, both as a peek into happier aspects of the world he created, and as a way to add a bit of sun in between the much darker, much sadder chapters.

DAY 09 (Jun. 11th) - Headcanons

I’m not much of a headcanon person, to be honest, and especially not with this series. It feels off to me, to try and add to something that’s already so perfect. However, I do agree with a couple of headcanons I’ve seen - particularly the ones theorizing that Yukimi is aro-ace. It makes a lot of sense to me in how his character is portrayed when nearly every other character in the series has a romantic match, and as an ace person myself, more representation is always welcome.

DAY 10 (Jun. 12th) - Alternate Universe

I once started (and quickly abandoned out of shame) a very cringey, very out-of-character fanfic, in which the Nabari world didn’t exist and all the characters meet through natural means in the surface world. Other than that, however, I’ve not put much thought into Nabari no Ou AUs.

But something I would LOVE to see is a crossover between NnO and Shimanami Tasogare, as the two stores canonically take place in the same location - NnO being in Banten, a fictional town  based on the real town of Onomichi, and Shimanami Tasogare being confirmed to take place in plain old Onomichi itself. It’s been a while since I’ve read Shimanami Tasogare, but I remember the leader/owner of the little house the cast gathers in as giving me a distinctly Nabari-world vibe, and I think it would be interesting to see the NnO characters react to a community like the one presented in Shimanami Tasogare.

(And also perhaps have some romantic relationships and sexualities proven canon. Perhaps.)

DAY 11 (Jun. 13th) - Favorite song from the OST?

It’s a firm tie between the opening theme and the second ending theme. I have every song in the OST memorized after years of hearing them day in and day out, but those two themes always give me this tingling nostalgic feeling, like rereading a book from your childhood or finding a toy as an adult that you’d thought was lost forever. The animation and symbolism in those themes are also very telling of the series and the character’s connections to each other (a bit obviously, at times), and the lyrics are special to me in a way I can’t describe. They’re precious to me, and  to me experience of NnO as a whole, considering I started with the anime first (a bad idea).

DAY 12 (Jun. 14th) - Are there any songs that make you think of NnO?

“Neopolitan Dreams” by Lisa Mitchell ( X ) ( X )

I once watched a cute Raimei/Kouichi AMV set to this song listened to the lyrics, I understood how the author had put them together. I very much feel like the lyrics echo Raimei’s thoughts on how Kouichi starts to act in later chapters, becoming more and more distant until he almost appears to be an antagonist rather than one of the perceived heroes. The song also makes me think of Raimei’s stubbornness and pride, her unwillingness to accept option besides her own conclusions until she’s had the full story and nothing less.

I can never get their faces out of my head while listening to this song, which I guess means the song reminds me more of Raimei and Kouichi than NnO in general, but it still counts, right?

DAY 13 (Jun. 15th) - Food

I’ve never really thought too hard on it, but now that I am, it’s actually very interesting to note how different characters use food - the Rokujo Okonomiyaki shop, in particular - to their advantage.

Thobari uses his (implied, before the start of the overall plot) regular visits to try and get Miharu to believe him about the Shinrabanshou and the Nabari world. Thobari uses the close proximity to explain his motives to Miharu, who physically cannot leave the situation, lest the food burn to a damn crisp (and I figure Naoko wouldn’t be pleased if that happened every time Thobari came in). He also very clearly uses this to keep tabs on Miharu when outside of a school setting where Miharu has no choice to be in Thobari’s sight, and later, as a way to either catch up on what’s going on in the Nabari world or - as in several cases - simply demand answers from Miharu.

Raimei uses the shop as a way to get closer to Miharu. She charms her way into getting free food (and sometimes, free lodging as well) and I assume her thinking is probably something on the lines of “Free Food + Spend Time With Miharu = Information on Where Raikou Might Be.” Of course, this likely isn’t her motive in later chapters, because, well, character development.

Food is also an important bonding thing for Yoite and Yukimi. In a lot of the scenes where we see Yoite and Yukimi in their home, they’re eating together, and I always took it as a display of their familial relationship - cooking dinner for Yoite the way a dutiful older sibling would for their younger sibling - thoughI doubt either of them would admit they’re like brothers. The significance of lemonade should also be noted for this topic - I could go on for ages about it.

(But I won’t unless people ask me to, because this piece is long enough already!)

I don’t have much memory of this scene being as big a deal in the manga as it was in the anime - but I also haven’t seen either in a while, so I could be wrong - but the birthday cake scene from the latter half of the anime left an impact on me even back when I’d only seen the anime, and it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the prompt was “food.” Gau’s pride in the cake he made and his determination to get any kind of praise out of Yoite is very touching, especially when you take into account that Yoite literally saved Gau’s life, and that Gau knows this, as well.

The Kairoshuu - particularly Yukimi, Raikou, Gau, and Kazuho - are all shown bonding on more than one occasion at Kazuho and her husband’s sushi shop, and there is significance to those occasions in the rather heavy conversations they have during those visits. And there’s also the time Miharu cooked okonomiyaki for all the main Kairoshuu member after he’d first joined their clan - similar to how a recently hired employee would bring cookies for their new boss.

Food has a lot of significance in Nabari no Ou, no matter where you look.

DAY 14 (Jun. 16th) - Favorite village, and thoughts on the Forbidden Arts?

As far as morals and motivations go, I would have to choose Banten, as their (or at least Thobari’s) main opinion is that the Shinrabanshou shouldn’t be used because it throws off the balance of the universe. I definitely understand this opinion, because a lot of things can go wrong if the wrong kind of person is making wishes to Shinra and having them granted.

Although, I think that if anyone were to use the ability in a way that leaves the balance of the world intact, it would be Miharu, and this is even shown in the series itself. He doesn’t have the kind of greed or anger that would taint a person’s motivations when making their wishes, he just wants to do what is best for others- especially Yoite. Yoite is important to him, and therefore Yoite’s wish is also important to Miharu. And, as we see in later chapters, Miharu puts granting Yoite’s wish above even his own happiness. I feel I would make a similar decision were I in his shoes.

(For aesthetic, though, I’d choose Fuuma. Their village is hidden and surrounded by forest and in that lovely traditional Japanese style, and their uniforms are great. If Saraba were Chief I’d join.)

DAY 15 (Jun. 17th) - Favorite minor/supporting character

Gau! Definitely Gau! Gosh I love him so much. He’s optimistic and tries his best to look for the best in situations and in people, and his smile is so freaking sunshiney, I bet he lights up rooms with it. He’s awkward and quirky and I can relate so hard. But he’s also strong? He stands up to other ninja even though he really doesn’t have the physical ability to defend himself or others. He puts his life in danger to tell Raimei the truth about her family immediately after swearing silence to Raikou, his boss, who could 100% kill him if he found out Gau had broken his promise. And I bet you Gau would’ve told Raikou about him telling Raimei as soon as he’d gone home, if the bullshit at the Shimizu property hadn’t gone down the way it did.

And speaking of that scene- he throws himself in front of Raikou’s katana to save the life of a girl he hadn’t known for more than a day, who had threatened to kill him, who was seeking to kill the person he treasured most in the world. Who does that?! Gau apparently. He literally gives his life for just the possibility that Raikou and Raimei can make up and be happy siblings again. He gives his life so that the person he loves can maybe reconcile with someone else they loved.

He makes a conscious effort to include Yoite in conversations in which he would otherwise be largely ignored, and while I doubt Yoite would care either way, it’s the thought that counts, right? And, at least in the anime (it’s been a while since I read the manga) he puts his life on the line to help Yoite and Miharu even though, as I said before, he can’t really defend himself all that well.

Basically, I’m in love with Gau and want him to be happy. Sweet baby!

DAY 16 (Jun. 18th) - Free Day

I don’t really have anything else to say but I’m posting all of these today (I was late for the original posting by like four days so I figured I’d write them all out and post them together) so I’ll count this as my day 16 entry! Thank you so much if you’ve read this far, I know it was probably daunting to look at this long as fucking post but I’m glad you took the time to read my personal reflection on NnO! This manga means a lot to me and it’s nice to discover other people who love it as much as I do (I’ve literally met two people in my entire life who’ve read it without me suggesting it).

Keep the love going y’all, I hope to see you again! And feel free to hit me up if you’d like to talk about NnO, I’d love to connect with other fans! Seeya owo

[clownsgobeepbeep]

For when they do meet, how will Mafia au Ula + Amaranthus be

When Lily meets Amaranthus...

Hoo boi...

She will immediately protecc uwu

She will sense that something happened to or with Ama, and of course her behavior will make it a lot clearer. Lily will immediately take a sort of liking to her, tell the boys that they must act like guards to a princess because this new friend of theirs needs protecting.

Even when...god I care hear Lily giving a deep sigh. They would still protecc when they find out it’s Lennie’s niece.

Besides if I remember correctly, Ama’s never really out, so Lily and the boys would teach her all there is to know about the world. Sure it can be scary sometimes, but you gotta kick the cruel world’s butt and show it who’s boss.

[smilingperformer]

SM087 - Plot, plot, plot ~

Silly title is silly. Anyway, Necrozma Arc has finally started in it’s glory, and the newest episode focuses on building up important lore points about the legend of Alola’s Creation and Alola’s three legendary Pokémon related to said lore. I’ll be focusing on the lore and plot in my thoughts post this time around, so I hope you’ll enjoy it! Without further ado, welcome to the start of the Necrozma Arc in Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon:

A Crisis in Alola! The Darkness That Eats Radiance!

Since the start of the episode is important to the plot, let me recap it the best I can: Necrozma is shown to be breaking free from some Crystal-like formation, and as it sees Lunala and Solgaleo, who we know as Nebby, it screams in a scary, possibly painful way, and charges at them. As this happens, Satoshi wakes up only to face a cursed sight of Kukui having his coat closed up and wearing a shirt! Kukui isn’t the only one affected: Burnet is also being extra sleepy and is skipping out on morning Ocean trip! And that’s not all: as we learn after the opening, it’s all of the adults in Alola! Even Rocket Gang! (We can scratch any false information of Rocket Gang being teenagers now right?)

Now that I’ve managed to somewhat explain one of the main conflicts of the episode, and the arc, let us move on to explaining the lore bits of the arc that will become important during the arc episodes later on. Since Kukui was supposed to explain about the following information, but was too sleepy and slacky to do it, Kaki is doing the explanation instead! (And I’ll slack of by showing it through screencaps. Maybe Necrozma affecting me as well. I am a young adult after all.)

The Manalo Festival

This is something I couldn’t understand without subtitles, but is definitely an important lore bit for the future of the arc. I find it clever that they sneaked in the years Pokeani has been airing into this lore. Very sneaky Pokeani team, very sneaky.  We also learn that Manalo and Alola are from the ancient language, where Manalo means “You and I will live together”, while Alola means pretty much what we’ve learned the main treat of the region to be: “To Share”. The Legendary Pokemon in question of the festival is none other than The Radiant One (Kagayaki-sama).

And this is where the next lore point comes to play as well. This time explained by Lilie, who’s been hearing the story about Alola’s Creation from Lusamine herself, ever since she was a small kid. And apparently, Lusamine’s repeating a family tradition with it. It’s actually a continuation from the myth we learned from Acerola back in SM074!

The Myth of Alola’s Creation

Pretty neat bed-time story isn’t it! The emissaries of light are of course Lunala and Solgaleo, while the ends of the sky is a way of describing an Ultra Hole. When you start thinking about the very start of the episode, this story starts making a lot of sence, as it seems to be occuring right at that moment. This bit of lore has made me believe that the main goal of this Arc is for Lunala and Solgaleo to help Necrozma regain its lost light after awaking from it’s long slumber.

But as myths always are, the stories tend to get trimmed over time and important parts of it will become lost. I believe the bit that has been lost in the myth is how Necrozma without light is in constant pain (the scream it makes both at the beginning and the end of the episode makes me highly believe this is the case. It sounds painful), and will use any means to get its light back. That includes its ability to fuse with Lunala and Solgaleo, which is what makes it become Ultra Necrozma, The Radiant One. No one who knows the myth of The Radiant One in Alola seems to know about this bit thou, which highly makes me believe the people of Alola will be shocked after they learn the truth.

Whatever the case, Bebenom is shown to be very curious about The Radiant One in this episode, as it’s been in previous cases. And it seems to sense that the arrival of Necrozma is incoming, and whatever is happening in Alola as of now (with Mysterious Clouds hanging over Alola Region and all) is related to it. Maybe the situation has it’s wary because of how similar it feels to when its homeworld was sucked out of light?

The Z-moves lacking power

For some reason, I saw people claiming this wasn’t important at all, but let me tell you, this bit is extremely important bit to the plot! As we know from the games, and as it is confirmed by Burnet later on in the episode as well, Z-moves power originates from the Ultra Aura that is surrounding Alola, and this Ultra Aura originates from the Ultra Wormhole. And, we also learn later on (more about it later in this post), the whole reason Adults seem to be affected this way is because of a tiny Ultra Wormhole that is sucking Alola’s Ultra Aura, diminishing the amount of it bit by bit. So the reason Z-moves are acting less powerful is because of the same cause as Adults being tired and acting weird. I’m telling you, do not shrug this plot point off as nothing! It will play a part later on! It’s the story-telling 101. Show a plot point, explain it later, solve it later. This will most likely play a huge role with Ultranecrozium Z as well. Hoo boy am I scared of seeing that.

During this scene Bebenom also gets inspired to draw Ultra Necrozma’s symbol. But more about that later!

The tiny Ultra Wormhole sucking up Alola’s Ultra Aura

Pretty much what I explained briefly before. But this time explained by Burnet and Wicke! Let me fastforward the episode for more information!

Thou before that, let it be known that Rocket Gang has noticed the opening of the tiny Ultra Wormhole as well, and are heading to Alola, lead by none other than Matori! And as we know, they’re coming to get The Radiant One. Anyway, fastforward to when the Ultra Guardians and Aether Foundation team gather at the Altar of the Sunne:

(Looks like a full day passed since the episode started, meaning the Solar Eclipse is happening in just one day!)

To anyone believing the Adults only being affected by this won’t be explained, please listen to this dialogue! Because they are acknowledging it, I’m very certain we’ll learn the full reason for this later down the road of the arc. Again, story-telling 101: introduce plot point, explore it, find the explanation.

That hole being the tiny one they found out about earlier in the episode (they also explained it to the Ultra Guardians here). When the new member of the Ultra Guardians team, Gladio, asks about an UB possibly coming out of it, Lusamine tells that if the hole grows larger, there’s def a chance for it. To which Burnet continues.

After small comic relief of Wicke being harsh on Sauboh (unintentionally, because of being tired), Sauboh continues from this:

See? The Clouds itself aren’t the cause of the crisis. They are only one of the outcomes of the crisis happening. So, today’s mission is for the Z-users of Ultra Guardians to power up this machine, so that the clouds can be taken out of the way to help locate the tiny Wormhole before anything else happens.

Here’s the bit that explains the Z-Power lore!

So, the Ultra Guardians fire of their Z-moves, and the clouds are taken out of the way.

The Ancient Painting regarding Alola’s Creation Myth

I actually talked about this a week ago after the preview, so I don’t want to go into detail anymore, but what I want to correct is that Solgaleo actually does have it’s face, but it’s drawn in an ancient akward way. Also, as I was being corrected on, there are Trumbeak in this painting.

Bebenom is shown very, very interested in the painting, and definitely knows about the symbol. And this is very well acknowledged by Rotom and Satoshi!

We once again see that curious, lore-loving Lusamine here. Even when she’s tired, she wants to unlock the mysteries of the ancient myth behind Necrozma. And I’m telling you, I’m certain desciphering this painting is part of the arc. Maybe, possibly during the next episode or two, Lusamine will be trying to uncover the mystery of this painting, while the Ultra Guardians will be trying to Protect Lunala. Speaking off which, we have now reached the end of the episode, where the amazing stuff starts!

The Arrival of Necrozma

After Burnet calls the squad to come back up because of the tiny Ultra Wormhole getting bigger, we finally see Lunala in its full glory, arriving from the hole! But what’s more…

(Did I forget to explain why Gladio is here? He’s here because Silvuddy is scared of the presence Necrozma is giving off through the tiny wormhole, and I bet it’ll increase with the arrival of the being! Speaking of which)

Necrozma arrives right behind Lunala, tearing through the Ultra Wormhole, and making that same scream it did at the beginning of the episode.

Everyone’s reactions say a ton about the situation. This is after Necrozma screamed. Lusamine’s reaction somehow feels more curious than worry or scare. I’m sure she’ll realise this is not the time to be curious during next episode. She has learned the lesson back in Aether Arc after all.

And I have to say this right now: this scene right here has by far my favourite track in the whole series of Pokeani now! The Guitar, the atmosphere, the sound, everything about is so god damn glorious and I want the OST of this series so bad now. Sony, you’re the guys licensing the music, pleaaaaase release the OST!

The End of the episode! Honestly, this is a great start for what seems to be growing into an amazing Arc, and I can’t wait to see the next episode! The music in this episode was excellent, the plot reveals and lore explanations were a delight and the return of Gladio and arrival of both Lunala and Necrozma has be extemely hyped! Necrozma Arc, bring it on!

If I forgot to talk about a certain plot point, please point it out. I wrote this as I rewatched the episode, so I should not have missed out on anything, but, I’m a human, and humans make mistakes. (And I was kinda unfocused during this process. God damn.)

Also, Ishizuka was back to narrating this episode, and honestly the death of him is still affecting the way I hear his dialogue in this episode. ;-;

The PokeProblem segment has Mao’s Papa returning from having spend this… whole time (?) at Yareyutan’s bar, to which Yareyutan just… sighs. Oh dear. A good mood lighter after the plot-heavy episode. Not too comical, and not too serious. I like it.

Next week, Matori shows how good of a secretary she is to Sakaki, and the Rocket Gang’s special Unit arrives to Alola to capture Necrozma, who fights with Lunala, as it seems to eventually manage to fuse with it. Looks to be a action-heavy episode, with Bebenom somehow looking scared D: Everyone, protect the poison baby!

SM088 - Lunala VS UB: BLACK! A Battle at Full Moon!!

And as Gozu says at the end of the preview: Watch it, or you’ll suffer That!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you all in the next post!

[coalitiongirl]

ive been watching your scenes to rewatch and ive been crying at literally all of them. out of curoisity, what are your favourite ouat scenes? either sq or general? also side note, i love your latest fic, such an interesting premise. i get so scared every time someone says an order and emmas forced to comply, that scene with the trolls had me on edge. and the fact that cora must suspect something about emma now - im so scared but excited ahah :D have a nice day :)

OH I super dropped the ball on those omg, i have so many others!! but i haven’t been able to rewatch in a long time, it hard 😩

of course i LOVE almost every swan queen scene!! it’s hard for me to pick favorites because nearly every one pings something else inside me omfg. I don’t think there’s a single sq scene I couldn’t write an essay about WHOOPS. so lemme try to answer this with just some of my favorite non-sq scenes 😅

Emma in True North: hoo boy, this is probably in my scenes to rewatch but that scene on the road, MAN. there’s so much careful buildup with emma’s abandonment issues and how much she sees herself in nick and ava. and they have a chance she never does and dammit, she fights for them!! she fights for two kids just like her and they get their moment and jmo turns that realization into agony with sheer artistry in emma’s FACE in their final moment. god.

Regina in We Are Both: this was the episode that sold me on Regina! tbh i’d marathoned s1 as soon as they announced mulan was going to be in s2 so i hadn’t been focusing much on thinking before that?? and then suddenly there’s Regina, in all her rich and layered stories, and i fell hARD. the whole narrative of the episode- Regina resisting parental abuse until she becomes what she’s always feared to be free!! and that translating into her saying ‘no, this isn’t going to continue to the next generation. even if i lose the only thing that matters to me.’ do u ever stan!!! I DONT KNOW HOW TO LOVE VERY WELL. END ME.

Emma in Firebird: listen. never follow ur idols to ur next fandom or you’ll suddenly realize they actually hate women and then get ‘’’muted’’’ for ‘’’yelling at her too much’’’ but jane espenson did a GOOD with the flashbacks in this one (present day still literal and figurative hell tho!!). The concept of Emma’s jacket as armor isn’t an original one, but the execution was honestly stellar. Emma forging this connection with an older hardened woman who can’t let go of the past either!! emma destroyed and remade into the lady we met on her twenty-eighth birthday. GOD. SHE FINDS HER DAUGHTER. and i gotta say, the vulnerable-tearful-young thing jmo was doing w emma in s5 didn’t work for me in terms of what present day was trying to convey, but it’s a perfect fit for that flashback, i WEPT.

Regina in Quite A Common Fairy: Lana OWNS the cave scene with Tink, god. The depth and breadth of emoTION. The episode and the narrative itself builds it up from episode one! because this regina on the road to redemption but finally giving us a glimpse into the emotional and mental state she was in as the young queen- she has all this rage and she’s SUSTAINED by it, it’s her only real truth and constant and she’s terrified of what might happen if she lets it go for even an instant and chooses hope instead. (Lana’s voice when Regina says she’s afraid that without rage she might just ‘—float away’ is something that has stayed with me for a long, long time.) REGINA PULLING OUT HER HEART TO MAKE A POINT. far from the last time she will, but how affecting!! god!!

Emma and Snow in S1: There are a few moments i’m thinking of (and i’m literally writing this on the treadmill so pls forgive the lack of episode names) and all of them are so stellar, god. The moment when Snow finds Emma living out of her car early on. Snow and Emma sitting at the table at the loft holding hands. Emma lying down next to a crying Snow. Snow yelling at Emma for being so selfish when she tries running off with Henry?? EMMA SHOWING UP AT MARY MARGARET’S DOOR SEARCHING FOR A ~PERSON~ AND MARY MARGARET SILENTLY LETTING HER IN. Snow and Emma work best in S1 in the silences and the fights, where they’re allowed to just care and be family, and I treasure each of those moments as much as they do.

Regina and Zelena in the Kansas: There’s a lot of effort put into this dynamic right near what seemed like the end, playing with how exactly Zelena perceives her happy ending to go- and then Regina strikes it all down by being different, by changing, by being someone Zelena hadn’t believed either of them capable of. And then Regina goes to Zelena’s cell and offers her!! sisterhood!! my god. i instantly fell in love with the dynamic in that moment and i’m forever pressed that the ‘it’s nice to have family in town’ line was cut. because you can tell that regina craves family and craves unmaking this second monster of her mother’s and zelena was going to TAKE that second chance and hey! this seems the perfect time to go off-message and

Belle in Family Business and Heroes and Villains: imma be honest, i like belle just fine in the early seasons but i have zero interest in rumbelle, which means a lot of fast-forwarding through her scenes. But these two scenes were ENCHANTING. Mirror Belle preying on Belle with the truth that she’s afraid to face! Emilie does such a fantastic job conveying so much cruelty in that scene, I was gaping and enthralled and hoping shattered sight was going to work exactly like that (and tbh props to ginny for doing a hella creepy snow at the start of Shattered Sight). And that town line scene!!! What a stunning, evocative scene. Belle reclaiming agency and taking action in such a 100% cold-blooded but necessary way!! that’s my ravenclaw babe!!!

Mulan and Aurora: I was young, and I Believed, and I Believed for a very long time. I am appalled at my naïveté too, don’t worry.

Regina in Enter the Dragon: LOOK it’s not about the leather but it’s a lil about the leather!!! I really appreciate both Regina in the past and present in this one and also how gay it is, and I’m most charmed by lil evil pep talking nugget Regina who just wants you to be the very best villain you can be! It’s such an artful melding of the exuberance of young!Regina and the delight in chaos of eq!Regina and i, for one, am a fan.

Emma (and Henry) in The Stranger/An Apple Red as Blood: my gOD. Okay I think one of the first times I cried while watching this show was in Emma’s desperate, hysterical denial to August about the curse. She’s so clearly hit rock bottom and she’s TERRIFIED of believing and it’s breaking her. SHE DIDNT ASK TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYONES HAPPINESS. SHE DOESNT WANT IT. THAT IS CRAP!!!! i love her!! i love emma swan!!! i do!!!!! and then moving into the end of the next episode when she tells henry she’s leaving and just!! ‘henry! life isn’t a story!’ man this show had some incredible early work. sigh. emma kneeling in front of henry begging him to listen! my god.

Regina in the Cricket Game: so i’m leaving out all my fave sq moments which severely limits the number of regina and emma scenes i can talk about here but the flashbacks in this one SURE ARE SOMETHING. regina has hit rock bottom in this set and you feel it in every moment, in her REGRET THAT I HAVE NOT CAUSED MORE PAIN and frickin stABBING snow and that dark scene with the candle oh god. this is a regina who doesn’t think about looking back anymore but who doesn’t think about looking forward, either, and she’s terrifying. it reminds me a lot of the scene later this season in Welcome to Storybrooke where she takes out snow’s heart and ‘see? i can have everything’ but there are tears sliding down her face. regina in enraged despair is something to behold!!

Henry (and Emma and Regina) in Operation Mongoose: Henry doesn’t often get lengthy times to shine that aren’t about other characters, but he was literally a YA hero in the author’s universe! man! what a kid! and his scenes with bandit Regina are some of my all-time favorites, as is that heartstopping moment when he reaches the top of that tower and flings the door open and Emma KNOWS him. reader, i wept. i wept hard. talk about your earned moments!!!

Emma as Dark Swan: posture! clothing! positioning! voice work! dark swan was a revelation i’m still rightfully bitter about, because she was EVERYTHING in those early episodes. the way she caressed snow’s face in first episode of 5a. the faux-innocent with the calculating eyes on the ship with whats-his-name. every interaction with henry where she was trying to be a PERSON. the way she moved! the way she felt more reptilian than human! i wanted to know everything about her!! (then i did and quit the show lol) honestly some of jmo’s best acting to date, i’m forever in awe.

That Still Small Voice: look, this is an episode about a cricket and it remains one of my favorite quality ouat episodes. Archie sells it best as an adult influenced by his past without quite knowing it, and Archie and Henry make for a really engaging dynamic in here. There is nothing about Archie’s professional behavior that doesn’t make me want to scream but this remains a very, very good episode.

Emma in Sympathy for the De Vil/Lily: okay this is cheating a little because so much of this is also Regina but!! Emma individually shines in this narrative and throughout 4b. From the moment she finds out about what her parents had done, you can watch it slowly draining a part of her?? yes her eyes got redder but there was also this kind of apathy about EVERYTHING. And tbh the Cruella episode is pretty awesome on its own (I love the slow revelation that Cru is the villain, what a stellar execution of a fave trope) but WHEN EMMA KILLS HER. In the exact moment that Cruella says ‘heroes don’t kill’. that’s what pushes emma over the edge!! and then emma ready to kill again the next episode because she feels like she’s sliding into an abyss, i couldn’t BREATHE. emma is incredible when the narrative lets her be angry, and i wanted So Much More. Speaking of which, Emma getting angrier and angrier and almost losing it in The Snow Queen was more of that anger!! i am HUNGRY for it.

Regina and Snow in The Evil Queen: This episode is messy af but damn did my heart skip a beat when a hooded hero saves Regina and tears off her hood and it’s SNOW. This episode does so much of what makes Snow/Regina so fascinating and frustrating, both in the present and the past. Their interactions in the woods moved me! changed me! and Regina had already crossed the point of no return but oh man, oh man, the way they’d almost gotten somewhere for a minute there.

Regina and Henry in Save Henry: A classic, a work of art, and I’ve said so much about it in the past that I’m exhausted just thinking about expressing it all again now. But what a STORY of an evil queen who falls in love with a little boy. What a narrative!! The promo pictures from this episode came out when I was sitting in the hospital for a checkup while I was expecting my daughter, and I was tearing up and the nurses thought it was about the ultrasound. I’M NOT PROUD. This is a love story!!! And it culminates again in A Curious Thing, by the way, which put another ten years on my life, an Epic !

Emma and Henry in New York City Serenade: boy was this a journey, but I was absolutely spellbound omg. This was a love song to a fantasy but it’s a fantasy that never unmakes Emma– she’s afraid of commitment and happiness and everything permanent in her life that isn’t Henry, but she’s still going to take that leap despite herself. It’s a wonderful character study that captures Emma’s essence in a new world, with a new past.

Snow in The Miller’s Daughter: Snow is at her best when the show isn’t painting her with rose-colored glasses and we get to see her darker side, and I don’t think she ever gets quite as dark in the first three seasons as she is when she’s standing there, smiling earnestly at Regina as she tells her that the key to Cora loving Regina is in the poisoned heart she holds. My god. It’s so incredibly cold-blooded and vile, and it’s absolutely the kind of manipulative pragmatism that suits Snow best. I am enthralled and horrified.

Neal and Emma and Henry and Gold in Manhattan: This is one of those really cool scenes where even though I don’t particularly care for half the characters within it, everyone acted the hell out of it and it’s so GOOD. There’s so much tension and you’re holding your breath through the squabbling, and then Henry shows up and you KNOW. You know what’s going to happen and you’re terrified for Emma and it’s so visceral, right up until the instant when Neal demands Henry’s age and Henry shouts ELEVEN and my god, my god. What a reveal. What a scene.

There are more!! so many scenes and moments i’ve loved over the years. Emma and young!Lily! Snowing in Snow Falls! Anna of Arendale!! Snow and Emma in Lost Girl!! Ruby in Red Handed! The David/Emma dragon fight in A Land Without Magic! Regina tearing out that heart in The Doctor and meeting Daniel again?? Regina and her father in hell. all of Hat Trick. i think twenty is a good place to stop, but hoo boy, when this show was good, it was GOOD. alas.