#i need simple -- overly complicated but simple -- connection. i need someone who just wants me physically & nothing more

[transsexualcunt]

it's fine

[fellmonarch]

♛ ━━━ 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 : 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄. / 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 & 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬.

care to fame, Sombron is a complicated character to insert into otherwise casual interactions, especially with his tendency to prefer directness over connecting with others. thus, I had to alter a few plots to provide a gap for us, as the writers, to work within without retracting the joy of the mission. bear with me as I wrestle him further into his disguise; and similarly, understand that the majority of these plots may be slightly aggressive in terms of bonding! since he doesn't believe in that, of course, which is totally real and totally makes sense.

as always, the cap of threads I'm willing to take is three to five, with the exception of greeting asks spilling over into their own interactions. I am also not taking up any plots that are not listed here, since I likely won't have a proper reason to include Sombron there without causing a few contingency errors in and out of character. but despite that, if any of these itches your fancy, then contact me on Discord through the server, DMs, or comment on this post and I'll get back to you once available.

SOMBRON IS AN UNAFFILIATED MUSE, THEREFORE HE CAN BE ASSIGNED TO MISSION PLOTS AS NEED BE.

#MISSION BOARD.

ANY SKILL +1 : this hunter has not been hunted since he was a young babe, showing off his growing fangs to the only mother proud enough to spy his sharpening adolescence. all this is to say is that Sombron is not afraid of these monsters, nor is he amused by their intelligence; for any being that prides their mind above his isn't as smart as they claim. in his experience, monsters will bend to their instinct no matter how great their will, so his methods are. . . questionable. questionable as in he will offer these monsters the delicacy of flighty prey to appease their ego and thrill of a chase. however, Sombron's role in this is the executioner, so either your muse will agree to fill the sheepskin of the victim, aid him in finding a less fortunate bystander, or you'll learn he is not foreign to the art of creating sacrifices from unwilling patrons. / TAKEN BY SOJI & RAFAL

STRANDED BY SHORE : surviving in the wake of disaster is a skill he was forced to learn at an unfairly young age, and one he sought to teach to his children hands - on. so, having to remember all he learned, and why, is an introspective thrill I would love to explore. for narrative purposes, the storm is likely still a remnant in the air surrounding the isle, since anything else is likely weather he can fly through ( whilst leaving your muse, I'm sorry ) . preferably, this can be taken up with a muse who is knowledgeable on survival techniques, since anyone else will be seen as a liability and thus, a one - course meal instead of an ally. unless. . . you want that and like the thought of fending him off while trying to survive. we can likely make a game out of this, if so.

AUTHORITY +1 : less likely to revolt because of physical grievances, more likely to revolt because of the distaste that accompanies an overly qualified worker beneath an incompetent boss. he's already beneath two authority figures as of waking here, and he's not willing to add a third to the dreaded list. however, Sombron is willing to work aside someone to overthrow the respective supervisor of their team; as long as you're willing to get your hands dirty with his twisted morality. the plan is simple: kill the supervisor, assume their position, and gather the respect of the workers for liberating them— all before you work them to their hardest! easy, right? unless you're mortified by his ideology and wish to stop his ridiculous plan before the cycle repeats. / TAKEN BY ASTER & ALEAR

FLYING +1 : i swear i have an idea give me a minute just think about the differences between taming beast and human and the value of both before and after entertaining their purpose just think about t / TAKEN BY NEL & MICAIAH

#NON - MISSION BOARD.

FAITH +1 : I want this one so badly, I'm willing to sell my heart to write this. however, the likelihood of Sombron allowing himself to be the subject of a self - imposed exposure, especially when he believes fears are beneath his kind, is low to zero. thus, we have to bend this reality just a bit. imagine that the guru is attempting a spell for a loving, paying customer's complex fear when— oh no!— the magic is disturbed by a mistake, rocketing out of the guru's grasp and into two people passing by; our muses! the horror! in order to get out of this strange limbo, the guru tells you two that you have to face the fear head - on and release your belief in it. the good news is that you don't have to pay for the mistake, though the chances of obtaining financial compensation from him are unlikely. the bad news, though, is that you both are entrapped in the same spell, facing both your fears and each other's. . . / TAKEN BY NEURO & MORION, LEON & VEYLE

[lovclies]

[ halle bailey, cis woman , she/her ] - it looks like zuri morgan is late to class once again . how do they expect to get their degree in dance by skipping class ? it’s a wonder that the twenty year old made it to their sophomore year . then again , i heard that they were + reliable which may give them a pass with professors , but they are also - self centered so maybe not . i heard they were blasting lilith by halsey before class . all i know is that they remind me of muffled screams into a pillow, unread text messages, watching the sun rise through her window after an all nighter.

           STATISTCS   |   WANTED  CONNECTIONS   |   PINTEREST

background  :

     tw  death   the  youngest  of  two , zuri  was  born  as  the  second  child  of  a  loving  and  hardworking  couple  who didn’t  have  much  money  but  still  tried  their  hardest  to  provide  for  their  children  the  best  life  they  could  get . the  father , however , suffered  an  accident  during  his  job  as  a  fireman  that  he  didn’t  survive . zuri  was  a  young  kid  when  this  very  unfortunate  event  happened  to  the  morgan’s , leaving  her  with  only  a  few  memories  of  times  when  her  family  was  complete , due  to  her  young  age .

     their  mother  was  left  to  raise  the  children  on  her  own , it  wasn’t  an  easy  job , to  be  working  as  nurse  and  give  a  good  life  to  her  kids . she  did  it  anyway , being  the  strong  woman  she  was . it  wasn’t  a  secret  for  zuri  and  her  brother  how  much  their  mother  had  to  handle , it  doesn’t  need  a  lot  to realize  that  conciliate  grief , work , motherhood , bills , etc , requires  too  much  from  one  person  to  handle  on  her  own . zuri  understood  that  from  an  early  age , which  helped  to  build  the  good  relationship  she  always  had  with  the  family .

personality  :

     basically , zuri  is  very  straightforward  and  blunt , can’t  keep  her  mouth  shut  even  when  she  should . taking  one  second  to  think  before  speaking  ?   not  possible  for  her . she’s  that  person  that  once  you  know  her , will  try  to  have  an  impact  in  your  life  unconsciously . she  has  a  big  personality , is  very  stubborn , opinionated  and  fiery , but  also  a  humble  person , spontaneous , vivacious  and  free - spirited . and  when  someone  gets  in  her  life ,  won’t  ever  want  to  let  them  go .      owns  an  explosive  temper  but  her  outbursts  never  last  long . unless  something  severe  happened , she’ll  soon  forget  it  and  won’t  hold  a  grudge .      zuri  doesn’t  have  any  patience  for  when  people  make  situations  unnecessarily  complicated , she’s  direct  and  practical , every  time  the  girl  has  something  on  her  mind  she’ll  just  spill  it  out , if  there’s  something  bothering  her  with  someone , she’ll  go  to  the  person  and  deal  with  it . hates  games , overly  dramatic  situations , manipulation , etc .      very  independent , likes  to  think  she  doesn’t  need  anyone  for  anything . and  absolutely  hates  to  be  restricted  in  any  way .      tends  to  avoid  anything  that  seems  like  a  waste  of  time  for  her , which  can  go  from  simple  things  such  as  a  night  out  to  relationships . spending  time  and  energy  with  meaningless  things  is  an  actual  fear  of  her .       the  type  of  person  that  will  be  down  for  whatever ! you  wanna  go  to  a  party ? that’s  your  girl . you  wanna  skinny  dip  3am  in  the  winter ? call  her . wanna  go  to  a  road  trip  in  the  middle  of  the  night  having  work  in  the  morning ? she’ll  do  it . generally  a  fun  person  to  be  around .       zuri’s  bad  with  serious  talks  especially  if  they’re  difficult  and  involve  feelings / emotions , she  prefers  to  just  avoid  it .

      she’s  a  pretty  trustworthy  person , would  never  go  around  spilling  secrets  or  talking  behind  someone’s  back , but  since  she’s  someone  who , most  of  the  time , doesn’t  really  think  before  doing  something , she  can  hurt  people  around  her  without  realizing  it .  and  she’ll  only  later  see  that  her  actions  may  have  caused  harm  to  someone , because  that’s  genuinely  not  her  intention .      also  tends  to  avoid  thinking  about  the  consequences  of  her  actions  because  it’s  just  easier  to  not  deal  with  it  at  the moment  and  leave  the  problems  for  her  future  self , in  fact , most   problems  she  gets  herself  into , could  probably  be  avoided  if  she  started  to  think  before  taking  actions .

[gwarden123]

Watched Three Thousand Years of Longing. Narratologist travels to Istanbul for a conference, meets a djinn. Kind of a Thousand and One Nights set up. Cute, but overly long. Very pretty visuals.

It's told in a fairytale style, which I think is part of the problem. Fairytales condense a lot of information into a very small space by conveying things as simply and boldly as possible. Half an hour in I was thinking right, we've got all we need to know, now's the climax. I know I'm impatient, but this was just from the information that had been laid out to me by that point. But, no. There are two more stories to go. Two more stories that I don't think told us anything more than we already knew.

This is the second problem. The stories tell the djinn's backstory, and they kind of tell a different thing about love, but I feel they aren't presented in a way that feels like someone laying out an argument. The someone being the djinn in this case, because he needs Tilda Swinton to make a wish of her heart's desire in order for him to be free. There is some back and forth between them, but I feel there should have been more and in a more antagonistic way. Something to build up to the conclusion. As it is, the stories just feel this happens, and then this happens.

Which is all the more disappointing, because the opening up to the point where she collapses on stage at the conference has this very strong, dynamic style. And then it all just goes. It's still kind of there in the fairytale parts of it, but those are already stylised as part of being a story that someone is telling. So it doesn't feel as strong. I suppose you can't keep tightening and tightening a spring, but it feels like stepping off a jumping castle onto flat ground. There was a driving energy and the rest of the movie didn't really have that.

All the emotions of the characters felt a bit distant too. It's the same problem I had with Fury Road. They're these operatic stories, and yet the bombast of characters' emotions just aren't there. Or they're very muted, like there's a layer of glass between them and the audience. Tilda Swinton's character actually says something similar, that she can't read the feelings of other people and that she connects to them through stories. I don't know if that's something George Miller feels, it is based on a short story, but the main character is a student of stories who has to relearn how to tell stories herself. But this might all be a me problem, and I might be reading into things too deeply.

Something I did like is that the fairytale elements are kept very simple. Modern storytellers, meaning at least from the seventies, sometimes want to complicate or add more detail in to make things more "real" but this often ends up destroying the weight of the story. Three Thousand Years of Longing gets it right by keeping the sets of the fairytale parts fairly sparse, and they only get more stuff in them as the stories approach modern times. Like, yes. This is the idea of a place, rather than a perfect historical recreation of a place. "Realism" can be a very powerful storytelling tool, but fairytales are symbolic. They don't need to be "real".

Again, it is a very beautiful movie. Beyond the shattered remains of my beloved, the opening scene, the more abstract depictions of magic or the nature of reality are very pretty. And it uses sounds very well to portray the "noise" of the modern world, Tilda Swinton only "hearing" it after the djinn shows her what electromagnetic waves sound like to him. I also like that the movie doesn't bemoan technology taking over from magic, the djinn saying what wonderful things that humans have created that surpass event he power of the djinn, the example being a doctor performing brain surgery on a patient to remove a cancer, if I'm remembering correctly. The movie uses montages very well.

Remember that, kids, when telling a story. Sometimes having a point of view character physically there to witness a thing happen can be very powerful, but sometimes it's better to just say the thing happened in narration. Don't waste your audience's time.

So, yes, it was a nice movie. There were a lot of things I liked about it, things that I didn't even mention, but the whole was less than the sum of its parts, unfortunately.

[lovee-infected]

Hello! Recently I've seen a lot of twst blogs arguing on how twst characters are mischaracterized, especially Malleus. So do you have any ideas on how he is mischaracterized? Also, is it okay to ask for your general opinion on questions like a short character analysis or how a healthy a relationship with each twdt guy might be? Hope it's okay to ask!

For your first question anon, it's a GREAT thing to ask and to be honest I've been waiting for a chance to talk about him! And for your second one, yes, of course! I just love writing character analyis and it's totally okay to ask for character/personality/relationship analysis here! I've got a lot to say about Malleus so this is going to a detailed analysis about his whole personality.

There are commonly two popular opinions on how Malleus is which divides the fandom into two groups:

Group A:

Those who consider him to be an absolutely soft, baby dragon who just wants to be invited and have a friend. They believe that Malleus needs more attention and can be quite affectionate at the time, he can also be sometimes idiotic toward simple stuff like working with a computer or trying to talk with others which makes him even more adorable. "Despite Malleus's harsh and emo appearance and terrifying powers, Malleus is just a small baby inside," is also a common belief of this group.

Group B:

Those who argue that group A is totally shading everything important about Malleus's personality and true self just because he looks cute and plays with a childish tamagotchi. These group also comes up with rather strong points about his personality such as his status as a crown prince, his naturally dark personality as not only a dark fae but also Maleficent's grandchild, his maturity and cold nature and also, the aspect of his hellish powers which can make him look like an absolute monster at the time.

I believe most of you are familiar with these points of view but the question is, which one of them is the real Malleus?

And the answer is: Neither of them; yet both of them do have a point.

The main problem is how the fandom portraits him as either an emotional tamagotchi baby or an absolutely cold and heartless mister of evil, while the true Malleus is far beyond than just being either good, or bad.

Now let's discuss some of the important facts and common mistakes about Malleus's personality:

(1) Malleus isn't a baby, but he isn't a monster either

This is supposedly the main idea here which will be continued to be discussed through the rest of this analysis. This is often how many end up mischaracterizing him because: the way the describe Malleus is either too dark or too childish. What we need here, is a balance. This is the grandson of one of the most important Disney villains that we are talking about, and don't forget that Maleficent herself was confirmed to consume the powers of Hell, as she was indeed the mistress of all evil. So this dragon boy here surely isn't one to underestimate, and he clearly has inherited that hellish power of her grandmother. It's obviously seen through the story as well, from the way he was presented in chapter 2 and beans day event to how terrified other students always are to even talk about him.

But the thing is, there are softer aspects of his personality as well which prove that Malleus isn't just designed to present an undefeatable force of evil, and this is exactly what makes his personality a lot more interesting.

(2) Malleus is actually hard to approach and talk to

Let's be honest, Malleus isn't as soft and easy to befriend as many fans consider him to be. He doesn't get too friendly or chill as he speaks, and even his close allies like Silver and Sebek fail to get close to him as much as they wish to. When we talk about his dark aura, we aren't just talking about his horns and fearsome magic, it's also because of his personality itself. His calm yet cold tone always remains still regardless of who he's talking to. No need to mention that he isn't an ordinary student either, he not only comes from a well-known family but is also the crown-prince of valley of thorns. Out of all twst characters Malleus is the only one who is directly connected to the great seven by being Maleficent's grandson. His family and people on the other hand are overly protective over him, to the point of not letting him to even have a fake proposal in the ghost marriage event which means that Malleus has also got each and every of his actions under watch.

(3) He's slowly getting used to isolating himself

In his ceremonial robes story, he's obviously upset that he never had a chance to wear his ceremonial robes because he never got invited, but when Lilia says he'd one day overcome his ill fate and gets to wear them as he always wanted to, he says that he's fine. Then again when Lilia tried to bring him to the singing test in chapter 5 he avoids showing up. In his voice lines he also said: "Are you as well scared of me?" which is clearly shouting that he's no longer surprised to see people being afraid of him, he's getting used to being feared and at some point, hated. That's probably one of the bitter sides of his personality which he's slowly giving up on trying to change it.

(4) Malleus has got a great confidence and isn't shy at all

There many fanfics in which Malleus is presented as a shy boy who's scared of confessing to his s/o or asking them out, while he's the total opposite in reality. Just like Maleficent herself, he speaks calmly and in a formal tone, is very respectful as he speaks, and isn't one to ever have problem while talking to others.

It's others who always avoid talking to him while Malleus himself isn't the least uncomfortable with presenting his ideas and asking others for help when he needs to.

He isn't ever shy over his lack of ability to work with machines or asking others for help for seemingly childish issues like having his tamagotchi fixed or finding a friend for the GaoGao dragon.

The only thing left is how Lilia described him as "Kind of shy" in chapter five, which is most likely because of another reason discussed in part (3)

(5) He doesn't eat ice cream and play with a tamagotchi for no reason

Malleus explained that everything is ran by magic back in the valley of thorns and no one really uses any machines there, that's how he's pretty new to both technology and complicated tools.

I believe that the tamagotchi part was given to him on purpose, because else than showing the fact that he's bad with tools, it's great contrast to the harsh picture that his power and personality gives him!

Admit it, it's a funny and somehow, adorable contrast to see one of the strongest magicians who can burn the room to ashes in just a matter pf second playing with a children's toy. And I believe that it was given to him on purpose. They meant to give him some soft and cute features as well instead of just presenting him as an evil fae. He is indeed evil and his powers are terrifying, and that's how watching him play with a tamagotchi is rather surprising to many. If you saw Ortho or Cheka playing with one it wouldn't have gone any further than a simple "Awww" or "How cute" because it's something you'd expect to see from a kid, but when you see Malleus of all people playing with it, you can't help but to fascinated and flustered over how cute this fae's habits can be.

Ice cream on the other hand doesn't really have to do with cuteness, it's something Yana Toboso discovered while doing her researches on fae mythology which discuses that Dark faes enjoy cold and sweet foods, especially cream. So it doesn't really have anything to do with him being either a soft or a cruel boy, it's just a normal part of his nature as a fae.

(6) He might be crazily old to humans, but he's still pretty young as a fae

This one has really been getting on my nerves, come on people! It's true that he's probably been living for decades and possibly, centuries but don't forget that it isn't that much compared to a normal fae! Even Sebek calls him 'Young master' which means that he's still a pretty young one, no need to mention that he hasn't yet became the king either so he's not much different from the rest of the students in NRC.

I've seen people saying: "No Malleus won't do that he's -too old-" and I've got to say: What?

Come on even someone like Lilia who's been living for over 5 centuries can act like a nasty 14 year old at the time, so for faes at least, age isn't a limitation.

Malleus on the other hand is still a teenage fae! He needs to discover new things and talk with more people, just like a normal human being does. So if he doesn't enjoy doing anything too silly or stupid, it's because of his 'personality', not because he's too old. Even when tells Lilia that he isn't a child anymore, it's like how an 18 year old says it to his father.

(7) Malleus won't take insult easily

He is polite and respectful in general, but when he's offended, he'd seriously respond to it. Remember that a single swipe of hand from him can set the whole room on fire.

Rook and Leona were probably one step away from being burnt and when Leona really got on Malleus's nerves by humiliating him, Malleus stopped respecting him as a prince of an ally kingdom and humiliated back.

He is calm but to a specific point, and you can make sure that he won't be any soft or forgiving if you offend him, and it'll probably end in no good if he gets mad. So better not think that Malleus is one to just keep it in and later cry in a room because he's sad baby when someone dares insult him.

(8) Angelina Jolie's Maleficent has nothing to do with his story!

Nope, Malleus never had a lover who cut off his wings and sent him to a hell of depression and loneliness, and no you cannot find those two wounds on his back regardless of how romantic it may seem.

I admit it, it's a lovely Au, but it's JUST AN AU! I can still see people saying stuff like "Ohh!! Will we discover if Malleus too had his wings cut off in chapter 7?" and the answer is NO. While Angelina Jolie's Maleficent is surely a great one on its own, it needs be understood that twst's source of main information and characters designs is nothing else than the original Disney villains.

Malleus cannot be associated with any Maleficents else than the version we saw in 1959's sleeping beauty and it's an important fact to look through.

(9) Malleus is NOT Maleficent!

While they are a lot more similar than you can imagine(in both power and personality), let's not forget that Malleus is NOT Maleficent! He's a total new character on his own, and is unique in his own way.

He is twisted from Maleficent which means that no matter how similar they are, Malleus is a new character with a new personality.

Saying that he isn't soft at all and the fandom will see his true face when he overblots ( It's supposed to mean that the real Malleus is an absolutely evil and destructive one, just like Maleficent) is nothing different from denying all of Yana's hard work on designing him and his personality!

Malleus himself said that his grandmother's skills were far greater than his and most importantly: Malleus still has chance to have a better fate than Maleficent did.

Once again: He's still young! He still has a chance to be saved from turning into a heartless and isolated creature like Maleficent. No matter how cold he is, he hasn't yet got to the point of hating the whole world and losing all of his emotions. And that's why it's totally wrong to deny all the good that he might still have inside by saying that he isn't soft at all. He isn't a baby, but he isn't a monster either. Not yet.

(10) Even Lilia agrees that Malleus is still learning and his personality is in development

Can't you see? Malleus isn't attending to this school for no reason. His magic is already top notch, and his knowledge goes far greater than anything they might teach in NRC.

If you take a look at the story, you'll see signs of Lilia indirectly giving us signs of why Malleus still needed to attend to this school. In Malleus's SR robes' story, Lilia told him that he still has a lot to learn and knowledge isn't everything. And what might he find in NRC which has nothing to do with knowledge? People.

Lilia is trying to hold him back from isolating himself like Maleficent did, and is indeed trying to help him make friends and learn to get along with people without thinking that it's useless because they'd fear him anyway.

Also, he clearly wants Malleus to learn and experience new things in NRC by taking part in activities. In Malleus's Halloween SR story Lilia, who was always the one to choose Diasomnia's Halloween costumes, asks Malleus to choose this year's costume instead of him. Lilia first says that he wants Malleus to do it but later tells him that he has other reasons as well, he was trying to put Malleus into trying something new therefore he can have something learn from the experiment! (What a cute papa he really is...)

This is another proof of him not having the cold and unapproachable picture some imagine him to have, he isn't against experiencing and trying new things.

(11) He's still looking for a true friend

Malleus needs a friend, that's a fact. During his chats he mentions how Maleficent always had her loyal pet crow by her side as the only reliable creature she could always trust, and how Malleus wonders if he can ever find such a worthy ally of his own.

Even as he has Lilia, Silver and Sebek by his side he doesn't feel like he has such a friend.

People have been avoiding him through his whole life, and you can see how excited he got when Cater asked him for a selfie as he was one of the very first people who ever tried to approach him.

While he's slowly getting used to being feared by everyone, he'd still appreciate a friend and he needs one. Not even Maleficent herself could've made it all on her own without a friend by her side.

(12) Malleus isn't heartless

While he won't easily fall for anything or anyone, it isn't impossible for him to love.

We haven't yet seen anything that directly gets us to the point of love in the story but it's something you can tell through his actions and words.

When he cares for something or someone, he'd be serious about it.

Two obvious examples would be his tamagotchi and the ramshackle dorm. He'd certainly get out of his way to find someone to fix his dear tamagotchi and as we saw in the Halloween event, he furiously stated that he'd burn anyone who tries to the ramshackle dorm any harm, because he likes that place.

There isn't much he holds dear in life, but when he does, he won't let a single soul to take it away from him.

When he can be this protective over something that just entertains him, just try to imagine how far he might go to protect the one he loves. He falls in love very slowly and it'll probably take him a while to realize it if he actually does. He can begin with small interests and repeated meetings but at some point, it'll turn into a routine, an obsession. He won't easily fall in love, but when he does, he won't be able to easily let go of it either.

(13) His relationship with MC is far more important than you're thinking

Just by going through his voice lines, you can tell how MC is effecting Malleus's personality and life. I'm not saying that it's love or anything but the thing is, MC is changing Malleus nonetheless.

Their relationship has been a totally new thing for Malleus to experience from the very beginning, because MC didn't know him. Malleus is obviously used to being well-known as the infamous prince of the Draconia family by almost everyone, but MC was an exception.

He asked MC to talk to him and tell him stories, it can be clearly see that he enjoys talking to them.

He also mentioned that MC has made him feeling lots of things he hadn't felt before, which can also be connected to part (10) where we discussed how he's still young and needs more of communication and friends because he needs to learn.

Some argue that Malleus couldn't care less about MC and the only reason he shows up around them is because of the ramshackle dorm, which can be easily proven wrong by two hints:

1) Malleus sent a Happy holiday card to MC after the winter holiday.

2)What Malleus told Lilia at the end of the Halloween event stories after all the troubles that was brought upon the ramshackle dorm: "I want that human to enjoy Halloween too"

While it isn't necessarily romance that we're talking about, his relationship with MC is clearly telling us that he's a lot more of emotions and humanity inside him than what we were expecting.

At this point, it's important to see that in spite of his cold nature and mature personality he is slowly beginning to feel more and more emotions as the result of meeting newer people in NRC, especially MC. Saying that he is nothing but a heartless fae who is wrongly thought to be a soft and emotional boy is nothing different from judging him the same way as most of the people in twisted wonderland itself judge Malleus, it's important to see that he's a lot more.

His personality itself is surely amazing and as a Malleus hoe stan myself I can't wait to get more of his background in chapter 7, although it's probably going to be dark as well. They really did give his design a twist and that's how he's a balance of and menacingly powerful magician and a young boy who's just learning to deal with emotions.

For now, that's all I had in mind! Hope that I didn't miss anything. This was a general character analysis which also discussed some of the common mistakes about Malleus's personality but-

In case that you're wondering how he's being mischaracterized in reader insert fics, that'll be a totally different issue to discuss which would also need another post to be discussed through.

Small note: Just saying that there's often a dark lore to twst x reader fics (Especially for Malleus/ Leona x reader) which is usually better to be ignored while reading/writing for them...

[zulivaris]

Art Block tips that helped me

 I’ve recently experienced art block after 3 or so months of overcoming my last one. Thankfully this block only lasted a few days thanks to some things I’ve observed and noted down from the previous time. So I’m sharing these few tips in hopes that it might help someone get unstuck :D!

First and foremost if you’re tired, sad or anxious don’t be surprised that you can’t make art, go and take care of yourself by treating yourself with kindness and patience, the sketchbooks and canvases will wait for you :)

The tips are under here:

Separate art studies from the creative time:  When you do art studies you’re there to focus on specific things, learn and understand how things work so you can apply them later in your art. Studies take a lot of energy and focus and are the opposite of the creative "flow” of making your own pieces. If you combine the two the results are either unfocused studies or stiff drawings. When you sit down at your desk ask yourself “Do I want to learn something new or do I want to create something of my own?”

When you have an idea don’t be afraid of being messy: Let’s say you want to make a picture of several cats kolo dancing in the moonlight. How do you go about doing this? Well since you came up with the idea you already have a vague image in your mind, sketch it out with simple shapes, stick figures, circle and spheres etc Don’t worry about cat anatomy, or the dancer’s moves, sketch out the essence of it. This method removes the need to be perfect or accurate. 

Ok after the messy sketch then what? Well now that you have sketched out the essence of your idea (and hopefully had fun doing so) now you go on to look for references! You put the creative process on pause and you can do a few brief studies if you need to: anatomy, color schemes, values, poses. Pick out a few of your favorites but don't obsess over them, they are a guide, a tool.

You know much more than you think. You’ve probably been drawing for a few years now. You’ve probably done some studies and drawn more than one type of subject. Then you have already internalized some of that information. I used to be obsessed with capturing the minute detail of the subject, and not be able to draw ANYTHING without reference. Instead of a useful tool, references became another obstacle to my creativity. That’s perfectionism my friend, and that’s no good. Here is an exercise a good friend of mine offered: Draw a few characters, animals and objects from imagination. Make sure that the subjects have no personal value to you (no ocs for example) so that if you make a mistake you won’t feel bad about it. Make the process relaxed and comfortable, pour a nice cup of joe, listen to your favorite music ... You will notice that you do indeed know how to draw some things without reference, and it’ll help with your confidence. 

The more you do studies the more you understand This seems evident but the more you understand your subject the freer you can be and the easier it’ll be to draw it from imagination in the future. If you really struggle with something to the point of frustration (as in you can’t get it right even with reference) It means you have to study it. Have a study list, for example: hands, perspective, color theory etc. And one of those days you want to study pick something from the list, and look for videos on youtube or useful sites like line of action etc. Only study one thing at the time. You can go from studying hands to studying arms since they’re more immediately connected, but you can’t study hands and then jump to learning perspective right after. Trust me you can learn perfectly fine with the resources online, and I’m sure you’re clever enough to do it :D

Mistakes don’t mean you “suck”  I’ve noticed that the two most common causes for art block are perfectionism and lack of self-confidence.  The two can often go in tandem which is worse :’D But let me remind you of something, you can fix your piece along the whole process. Use erasers, lasso tools, liquify , select, paint it all over etc If something looks off to you then you also know deep inside how to fix it. Useful ways to see what clunks: flip canvas horizontally (helps with placement, proportions), turn the image to grayscale (helps to check values and where your eye tends to look), look at your image in thumbnail size and ask yourself if it’s clear, see the pose’s silhouette and ask yourself if you can tell what the character is doing etc. Don’t fret, everything can always be fixed :)

Perfectionism, sometimes it stops you before you begin Perfectionism causes you to overwork a piece, it makes you draw less, it makes art stressful, it brings insecurity. Let’s remove it with a simple exercise. It can be combined with the “draw things from imagination” once you’ve drawn something you like: dont do line art, don’t shade it, keep it as simple and crude as possible and then...post it. Yes, post it. You’re not at your best? You’re only human, this will help you embrace that very human side of you. You make mistakes. So what? The more mistakes you make the more you know what you need to study and the better at art you become. Mistakes are there to show us what we need to learn. See them as another tool and not a sign of failure.

Make the process as enjoyable as possible: You like art. You love drawing. Never forget this. Otherwise why are you drawing if you don’t enjoy it? It’s easy to fall prey to the mentality of those relatable memes that “art= suffering” or “I can’t even draw the other eye”. No no no my friends, these messages are fueling your insecurities instead of overcoming them. Let me tell you what, art is fun. It is. Art is fun, because I decided to make it fun again. And you should decide on that too. Personally I adore lineart but my hand-eye coordination is lacking to do it digitally, so....I just skipped it. Yes. I skipped it. I do the sketch, I clean it up a bit and then jump onto color which I adore. It allowed me to draw more and more freely. When I draw I listen to music, make strokes with the rhythm, I take breaks often and I drink my favorite iced teas. If you don’t like coloring do it in grayscale, if you love lineart then do that etc It doesn’t mean you won’t learn your weak points in the future with studies and practice, but you won’t let your weaknesses prevent you from drawing at all. No no, you won’t let them. You draw because you want to, despite of them.

Don’t wait for inspiration, provoke it  Inspiration is not a divine and capricious muse. You make inspiration. It’s easy just collect all the things you like, music, artists, objects, characters, animals, patterns, plants etc Make boards on pinterest or similar sites, combine things you like. You like suits? You like birds? You can draw a bird in a suit, or a bird-inspired suit design, there is frankly a lot of ideas that can spring up from little things like these.

When a project stops being enjoyable either pause it for now or move on to the next thing. Pieces aren’t precious. They’re not “the one time I got x right” they are one of many. This advice goes mainly to hobbyists who can afford the luxury of passing to a new project. I have a WIP of a character who is overly complicated (I enjoy a challenge from time to time) sitting for half a month. I sometimes come back to it and add something... but as soon as it starts to create discomfort and insecurity instead of enjoyment I move onto something else. In the meantime I created 3 or 4 new pieces. If I had waited on finishing that piece I would have been severely creatively and physically exhausted. The art comes from you, not inspiration. The more art you make the better you become.

That’s about it :D I know it’s long but I prefer to be thorough and cover all the possibilities. If you have read of this: Thank you so much I hope this helps you at least a bit, if it helps only 1 other person I’d still be very happy. Have a nice one, and kick art block’s butt!

[boldlyanxious]

Still Trusting

Jasonette July 17: crime boss

Follow up to Tenuous Trust

My masterlist

Jason saw her not long after he entered. He had been invited as an olive branch after he gave up his plans of vengeance. He didn't know she would be here but the idea of seeing her would have helped him make his decision on whether or not to show up. Probably not the best reasoning for decision making but he wasn't exactly known for his good choices.

He didn't approach her though. To most she would seem carefree and happy but he could see her stance was tense and her eyes constantly checked for ways to escape. Instead he headed towards the drink table to get himself something to make the night easier. He wasn't ready to approach his family yet. It was probably the night he met her that gave his family hope that the Jason they once loved was still in there somewhere.

He wasn't ready to decide if that was true. It had been a long road from his days when he thought becoming Robin was the best day of his life. His thoughts on that varied. He was better off than he would have been on the street but the cost had been paid on his own blood. He was already committing pretty theft and then some before he met Batman but now he had been the man in charge. He spotted Tim first but neither of them were ready for that meeting so Jason turned and walked away while Tim glaced around for anyone else to greet.

Jason hadn't meant to approach Marinette but there she was nervously adjusting the straw in her drink while a man in a suit proved he wasn't as slick as he thought he was. She stepped back away from his hand reaching out for her arm. Jason couldn't hear her words from where he was but her polite rejection was clear as Jason continued approaching.

"Come on Sweetheart. Just one dance." He heard.

Marinette didn't quite step back quick enough to avoid his hand on her forearm. The man stepped between her and the rest of the crowd. Jason sped up when he saw her wild eyes, clearly darting around trying to find a way out of the situation. Jason arrived and addressed Marinette as if they already knew each other. They did in a sense, but she wouldn’t know that and he didn’t want to bring up their meeting. He took her hand and tugged it away from the grip of the other man.

“There you are; wait until you see who is here,” he said loud enough for others to hear before dropping his voice to a volume only loud enough for her. “Which way do you need to go? Is there someone you trust who could help you calm down?”

Marinette looked back up at him in shock. He let go of her hand as soon as she was walking with him and she used it to point in the direction he had seen Tim go. He might be seeing his little brother sooner than either of them had planned. It would be okay in public though. Tim would not want to cause a scene and Jason didn’t want that either. He was accepting the offer of peace but he didn’t know if he was ready to be a part of the family again so soon.

He wasn’t surprised when they arrived at the other side of the room and Dick and Tim were there already trying to talk about the boring things society people were bound to talk about at such events. Jason managed to keep his groan internal but he looked around for the best way to acquire another drink. Dick saw him first.

“Jason! And Marinette!” His eyebrows shot up along with his voice’s inquisitive tone. “Did you guys just get here?”

“I got here a few minutes ago. But I ended up talking to someone over by the drink table before this man offered to help me find you,” Marinette said.

Jason wasn’t sure whether he should mention the other man’s behavior. She seemed to be more worried about causing a scene than her own comfort. But if anyone would understand why she was on edge it would be the people right here and Bruce and Alfred, possibly a few others if she had talked about her experiences.

“He seemed like he was a little too insistent for your boundaries. I was happy to help and removing you from the situation seemed more helpful than hitting him.” Jason said. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“You haven’t even had an actual conversation yet. Don’t run off.” Dick said, then pointed. “Look, there is a drink tray. That is probably what you were leaving for anyway.”

Jason conceded with a nod. Dick turned around and officially introduced Marinette. They spent a few moments talking about her recent work with Wayne Enterprises and their plans for continued work together. Jason had intended most of the night to be him forcing himself to appear interested, but he suddenly found the need to try not to appear overly interested in everything about Marinette.

He couldn’t deny he was very interested in her but he doubted that they could be involved without it getting very complicated. He already knew about a dark period in her life that she likely rarely talked about and he should keep his past hidden from her. He watched her try to cover her blushing face when Dick and Tim continued to sing her praises. There is no way she would be interested in a crime boss or a reformed one after what she had been through..

Jason looked up as Bruce walked up. Dick and Tim had turned back to their earlier conversations and Marinette turned to greet Bruce. Jason really couldn’t get away without the awkward interaction that was about to happen, it felt oddly reminiscent of that night on the rooftop with the 3 of them. He wondered if Bruce felt the same way. Whatever he felt was quickly covered by his public mask. Jason was happy to see that Marinette seemed to have calmed down after her interaction. He shocked himself and everyone else at the next break in conversation by asking her to dance.

He hadn’t danced in many years but he always had some skill. He wouldn’t be able to tell her that his most recent experience was from the League of Assassins as a necessary deception and reconnaissance skill but she still seemed to be enjoying herself. He should be talking but he couldn’t think of what to say. He could feel her pressed against him and moving to the music and he lost all ability to make conversation. She didn’t seem to mind. Her face was completely serene and she didn’t seem to even realize he nor anyone else was there so he just let her have her moment.

After returning her to the group, he excused himself. It had been several years since he had been inside Wayne Manor. He couldn’t bring himself to wander through all the rooms he had known growing up. He might like to see Alfred in the kitchen but he would prefer not to pass by all the memories that haunted him. He chose instead to go to the garden. The air was much cooler out here than the warmth in the ballroom and there was a pleasant breeze. He passed by the benches and found a tree that he used to climb.

It had changed and was taller and wider now, much like him. He found some comfort in that. He sat and leaned against it and sighed as he closed his eyes. It was a few minutes before he heard someone approaching. He had expected someone to follow him out but he was surprised when she spoke after standing silent for a few minutes. He would have guessed Dick or that Bruce would send Alfred. He wondered if she had come to find him or if she had been sent as an emissary.

“It’s a nice night.” she said softly.

“It is. Shame the event is indoors.”

“I’m not sure it would be as nice if everyone was out here. I like the quiet.”

“True. Did you enjoy the party anyway?”

“Mostly. I don’t seem to have as much energy to be social for the whole night.”

“I feel the same. I always like to take a break and go back when everyone has enjoyed the party too much so I can laugh at them.”

He loved her laugh and that she felt relaxed enough to laugh.

“I’ve not seen you at any of the other events. I’ve been to several over the past few months.”

“I missed a few. But I think I might be at more of them in the future.”

“Since you’re not busy being a crime boss anymore.”

He looked up at her and she met his eyes and held his gaze. When he looked down she sat down against a different tree facing him.

“Did someone tell you or were you able to figure it out.”

“No one told me. ‘Jason’ was always talked about in hushed tones and there was always a long story that no one wanted to tell. But I recognized you. It took time for the things to connect. The look you had on your face when you helped me get away from the man earlier. But mostly I recognized your voice.”

“Usually that would be distorted. I wonder if Batman has that problem.”

“He would never admit it. But I wouldn’t do anything to give you or him away. You saved my life and he helped me stay safe after. I saw enough to know that the threats were very real.”

“They are both dead now and not a threat to you.”

She nodded rather than responding and then they sat in silence again for several minutes before she spoke again.

“How did it happen?” she asked. “The story no one wants to tell. Will you tell me?”

He paused before responding. But then he started from the beginning and told her the whole story from his initial meeting with Batman as a child to his death and resurrection and finally his time as a crime boss. She listened mostly in silence except for a few reactions and utterances to help him. He hadn’t even realized she had moved so close to him. She was holding his hand when he finished. He looked back into her eyes and she was looking at him with such understanding. He used his other hand to brush her wisps of hair away from her temple. He was surprised when she responded by leaning forward and kissing him.

He didn’t want to question whether that was the right response or why she had done it. He just leaned into her and enjoyed it when she didn’t stop with the simple brush of their lips. He hoped she wouldn't regret the impulse and wished it could continue longer but they could hear someone approaching so they pulled away. Jason stood and held out his hand to help her to her feet and he was surprised she didn’t immediately pull her hand back. So they walked back into the ballroom with Dick and got their opportunity to laugh at all the people who had dissolved their inhibitions with too much champagne. She was laughing beside him and he was happy that it was with him.

Taglist

@jasonette-july-event | @theymakeupfairies | @emjrabbitwolf | @vixen-uchiha | @trythisagainlove | @trippingovermyfeet | @tbehartoo | @adrestar | @zynna

[honey-dewey]

The Story of how you Accidentally Married a Selkie

Pairing: Selkie Ezra/Reader

Word Count: 1,954

Warnings: None

When you met a handsome stranger with a fur coat in a coffee shop, you expected your one-time interaction to be just that. One time only. And then he shows up the next day with an engagement ring and things get a bit more complicated. (This is shamelessly based off that one Tumblr post about picking up a selkie’s coat and accidentally getting married to them.)

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell 

Living in a small town was, in your opinion, the epitome of living. Nestled on the seaside, the Green was a tiny spit of a town with all of two grocery stores, one bank, a single bar, three coffee shops, and maybe two hundred people. 

So, yeah, it was perfect. 

Nestled down in front of your favorite coffee shop, overlooking the crashing waves, you slowly worked on a writing assignment for your boss, typing away at your laptop and letting the lull of the ocean keep track of your time. 

Eventually, once high tide came in and the salty water came spraying up onto the road, you decided to move inside. Abandoning the sun, you shut your laptop into your bag and drew your jacket closer around your body as you hurried into the coffee shop. 

Waving to the sweet college kid behind the counter, you found your normal seat, tucked away in a corner where you could still see the ocean, but it wasn’t threatening to kill your laptop. 

Halfway to your table, you stumbled over something thick. A beautiful pale grey fur coat, speckled with darker grey and so soft looking. It was ringed around a chair with someone sitting in it, so you assumed they’d draped it over the back of the chair and hadn’t known that it had dropped. 

“Excuse me!” You said, scooping the jacket up and holding it out to the person. “You dropped your coat.” 

The person turned, eyes wide with surprise as you handed him back his coat. He was attractive in an almost inhuman way, his eyes too big and his skin too soft. But you just chalked it up to the lighting and walked towards your table with a small wave goodbye. 

The entire time you worked, the man stared at you, still looking shocked. When the college kid came around with your coffee, you grabbed their attention. “Hey, do you know who that is?” 

They shook their head. “Apparently he’s a regular around this time of year. Story goes he’s just passing through to visit his family. 

You nodded, wrapping your hands around your cup and turning back to your laptop. Now that you thought about it, that head of brown curls with the prominent blond streak was familiar. 

Once the sun had begun to dip below the horizon, you headed out, bundling up and waving yet again to the pretty stranger. His wide brown eyes caught the light and seemed to almost glitter as you left the coffee shop. 

That night was bizarre. The waves were almost violent, crashing against the shore with a strange urgency. The wind howled mournful words, as if someone was singing. You heard the soft barking of faraway seals, although that must have been stray dogs. The Green didn’t have seals. Rolling over in bed, the softness of that fur coat crossed your mind briefly before you slipped away into sleep. 

The next day, you woke up to birds chirping. It was horribly cliche, but you did. Getting out of bed, you stretched, opening the curtains on a picturesque summer’s day. 

“Thought it’d be stormy,” you mumbled to yourself, digging up work clothes and beginning your morning routine. 

Most days, you were able to slip away during work hours and sit in the coffee shop, but today was too busy. Instead, you were trapped in the office, your only connection to the outside world being your open window. Occasionally, a warm breeze would drift through and you’d smell the baked goods across the street. It was awful to know that your sanctuary was literally twenty feet away, and yet you couldn’t visit until work was over. 

At noon, you happily left work, waving to your boss and promising to get all the appropriate documents emailed to him by the time you went to bed. 

The weather was warm, warm enough for you to leave your jacket draped over your arm as you pulled open the coffee shop door. 

“Hey!” The college kid said happily. “You weren’t in for breakfast!” 

“Work,” you explained, holding up your laptop. “Anyway, is my table open?”

They nodded, and you smiled. “Perfect.” 

You were only settled down for a few minutes before someone sat across from you. 

Looking up, you got a pleasant surprise. It was the man from yesterday with the fur coat. Said coat was currently draped over his body, overtop a black shirt and pants. Now that you could get a good look at him, you were able to commit his details to memory, like the unique slope of his nose and the way his deep brown eyes yet again seemed overly large. You were starting to suspect he really wasn’t human, which was a ridiculous theory, but it was either that or he had an incredible plastic surgeon. 

It wasn’t until he fidgeted that you realized two very noticeable things about him. Firstly, he had no right arm. Secondly, he was holding a small black box with foreign words written in silver on the top. He held the box out to you, a clear invitation to take it. 

You did, hesitantly opening it up. Immediately, embarrassment and surprise filled you. That was definitely an engagement ring, with silver swirling designs and a stone in the center that looked just like the ocean, a beautiful teal with just a touch of white. “This is,” you paused, suddenly unable to find the words. “Is this an engagement ring?” 

The man nodded, his wide eyes filling with worry. “Do you like it?” 

“It’s beautiful,” you said slowly, still enthralled by the ring. “Why are you giving it to me?” 

“Oh!” The man went red, ducking his head down and smiling nervously. “I just figured, and pardon me if I got it wrong, but I assumed you’d want us to be married by human customs as well.” 

That was where he lost you. His words snapped you out of your shock, causing your face to go cold and your voice to fail beyond one simple word. “What?” 

The man faltered, his expression turning sour and almost broken. “I-“ he stammered, taking the ring and snapping the box shut. ��I have to go.” 

Before you could say anything, he was gone. 

“Wait!” You shouted, following after the mystery man in a hurry. The issue was, you had no idea where he went. Looking up and down the street, you saw no indicator as to where he had gone. 

“Dammit!” You yelled, heading down the street, towards where the road sloped down to the beach. It was your thinking spot, and you definitely needed to think right now. 

When you managed to get down to the beach, you sat automatically on your favorite rock, the one with the jagged back and the small spot that was indented to make a seat for you. At high tide, it was partially underwater, so you had to wade out to sit down. Looking at the rolling waves, you breathed in the salty air. Technically, the entire Green was under the veil of ocean air, but out here it was especially prominent. It calmed you to your core, the gentleness of the water lapping at your ankles tethering you to the earth below you. 

And then you saw him. 

The fur coat yet again was the focal point, draped across his body as he lay in the sun not even twenty feet from you. He was breathing in and out deeply, eyes shut as he simply basked in the daylight, on his back in the sand. The ocean water occasionally soaked him, coming up as it hit the shore and covering everything from the waist down, reaching just high enough to wet his curls before it receded again. 

You almost wanted to say something, anything really. He’d looked absolutely heartbroken when you’d recoiled from him, and it was a look that made your chest ache. And then there was the issue with what he said. Married by human customs as well. As well, two small worlds which implied that by some magical, non-human custom, you and him were married. 

You watched the waves come up again, soaking the fur coat. As the water flowed back once more, you remembered an old folks tale you’d heard upon first moving to the Green. Something about the beach being a safe haven for Selkies during their migration. For five nights in the middle of summer, the beach filled with Selkies, who were allowed those five precious days to shed their seal skins and run around as humans. The seal skins, which turned into...

“Fur coats,” you breathed, whipping around to stare at the man. “And I returned his coat.” Which meant that, yes, by Selkie standards, you two were married. 

“Hey!” Jumping off your rock, you fought the water as you ran towards the man, who sat up with wide and suddenly fearful eyes. “No! Don’t go!” 

He tucked the coat close to his chest, holding it in place with his arm. “You.” 

“Yeah,” you agreed, sitting beside the man, not caring if your clothes got soaked in salt. “Me. I’m sorry I overreacted in the coffee shop. I just, I didn’t think Selkies existed! This is kind of a shock.” 

The man’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry!” He said, scooting closer to you. “I should’ve explained.” 

“And I should’ve listened,” you replied, smiling. “I suppose we got off on the wrong foot. It feels horrible to be married, or are we engaged?” 

“Married.” 

“Oh.” You paused. “Okay. Married to someone who I don’t even know the name of.” 

The man nodded, taking your hands in his. “I’m Ezra.” 

You gave him your name, and he grinned. “Nice to meet you.” 

“Right back at you,” you said happily. “So. Married. How does that work?” 

Ezra pulled the ring out of a pocket in the coat and shrugged. “I’ve never been married before.” 

You took the box, flicking it open. “So we’re winging it?” 

Ezra smiled, putting his arm around you and nodding. “We’re winging it.” 

-Two Years Later-

You hummed to yourself, flickering around the kitchen and making dinner. The window in the kitchen was open, and whenever you stopped to put a dish in the sink, you caught a wave of ocean air, pausing for a second before going back to whatever you had been cooking. 

A wet sound on your back deck caught your attention, and you smiled, not pulling away from the pot of pasta. “Back door’s open!” You shouted, hearing the creak of the rickety sliding door being pushed open. 

Ezra came up behind you, pressing a salty kiss into your skin, catching your lips the second time. “I missed you.” 

“Ditto,” you said happily, watching Ezra out of the corner of your eye as he hung his coat up on its designated hook on the coat rack. “How was the migration?” 

“Long,” Ezra groaned. “I’m glad we’re here though. Shame I can’t stay until the equinox.” 

You shrugged, pulling the pasta off the stove and properly greeting your seal husband. “Damn shame. But that just makes the time we have all the more precious.” 

Ezra grinned, long and lazy. “That is true, my love. That is so very true.” 

Late that night, after dinner and after Ezra had given you a thorough hello, you lay in bed, curled around him, breathing in the ocean and dust smell. Both of your rings sat on the bedside table, glittering in the low moonlight. 

Rolling a bit so you were facing Ezra, your head pressing against his chest, you were very glad, not for the first time and surely not for the last, that you’d picked up that Selkie coat.

[corinnesamuels]

Guarding the Gates, Chapter 8: A Fine Gentleman with Questionable Taste in Friends

James has been dreading this moment since he was discharged from St. Mungo’s.

But if he’s honest with himself, he knows that he’s been dreading this for a lot longer—months, maybe even a year before. It’s why he’s never gone through with it. It had been easier to let things continue than deal with the awkwardness and potential drama of a breakup.

That reluctance and hesitation had come at a cost, though, hadn’t it? There was nothing to be done about it now.

James lets this sentiment steel him as he knocks on the door of Miranda’s flat. Their last conversation had been less than pleasant, and he’s prepared for a similar response when she opens the door. But he’s thrown for a loop when she answers with a broad smile, as if seeing him had made her entire day.

“James! Why didn’t you tell me you were getting out of the hospital today? I would have come and picked you up.” Miranda hugs him and kisses him softly on the lips before stepping back to let him inside.

James is stunned. While he hadn’t expected her to be happy to see him, he definitely hadn’t been prepared for her to greet him as if their last conversation didn’t happen. Surely, she hadn’t forgotten—

Oh. He thinks to himself as he registers what’s going on.

It isn’t that Miranda has forgotten their tiff in St. Mungo’s. She’s employing their usual method of working through problems: avoidance.

“Aren’t you going to come in?” Miranda asks. He sighs to himself at her overly casual tone.

That’s exactly what this is.

“Right, sorry.” James says as he walks in. His eyes travel across her flat, immaculately decorated and tidy, as always. A picture of the two of them sat on the mantle. He supposes that they were at some Puddlemere or Ministry-do because of the dress robes they wore. As James watches the two of them pose and smile in the frame, he sees the photographic version of himself pull her in but notices that he doesn’t hold her there. Their doppelgangers don’t laugh or share an inside joke, they don’t gaze deeply into each other’s eyes adoringly, but they do smile at each other, looking happy enough.

That thought, “happy enough,” unsettles him.

“I don’t have much by way of dinner, but it’s a bit early for that anyway. I suppose we could pop into that place near King’s Cross that we’ve been meaning to try.” Miranda says as she walks over to the loveseat and sits, waiting for him to join her.

James takes a deep breath. “I didn’t come for dinner, Miranda.” he says. “We can’t pretend like our last conversation didn’t happen.”

Miranda freezes for a moment before shaking her head with a small laugh. “Oh, that? I’m not worried about that. I know you were probably still in shock from your injuries and the mayhem that had happened that night.” She waves her hand dismissively, but James sees her demeanor falter.

“Miranda, we can’t keep doing this.” He says softly.

“Doing what, James?” she says through gritted teeth.

“We can’t keep pretending like things are okay or that things are working.” He says, sitting down in one of the armchairs across from her. She looks bothered that he doesn’t join her on the sofa, but he knows they need some distance for this conversation. “I know that you see it, Miranda.”

“See what? That you’re throwing away everything that we’ve built?” she asks angrily, crossing her arms and looking away from him.

“What have we built?” He asks. It isn’t forceful or unkind. Just a simple question to which he knows—they know—there is little response.

Miranda sighs heavily but only shakes her head. She still won’t look at him. They sit in silence for a while, and James alternates between watching her and the photograph on the mantle. He almost laughs as he realizes that even in photograph form, the two can only go through the motions. How had he not realized that this wouldn’t have worked?

“Is it her?” Miranda asks finally.

“Miranda—”

“Is. It. Her.” She repeats, forcefully punctuating each word.

“No. This is wholly and totally you and I.” He says, relieved that it’s the truth. This could be so much more complicated if it weren’t. “Things weren’t working before Lily even came back into town. You know this.”

“Yes, well, I thought things were getting better. It seems I was mistaken.” She says crossly.

“Did you think they were getting better, or did you think we had just gotten better at going through the motions?”

Miranda doesn’t respond to this question either.

“Somehow, we’ve been together almost two years, but we barely know each other.” He says. “We’ve learned more about each other in our arguments in these last few months than we ever knew before. Did you know that I had no idea that you and the boys never really got on?”

“Do I need to be chummy with your mates in order to be with you?”

“Yes.” James doesn’t hesitate. “With other blokes, maybe not. But with me, I’d follow them into war. And you aren’t the type to be okay with that.”

“Oh, so you do know me now?” Miranda says, looking away from him again.

James lets out a dry laugh and smirks despite the situation. “That’s one of the things I learned recently.” He pauses and studies her for a moment. James knows that this conversation will be difficult enough without it going south. But he also knows that he owes it to her to consider her feelings in this space. Just because they aren’t compatible doesn’t mean that they need to be harsh with each other in the conversation.

“The reality is that you deserve to be with someone who wants the things you want, Miranda.” James says. “Someone who you have a real connection with, whose priorities are in line with your own. And it’s been abundantly clear for a while now that I’m not that person. We just aren’t that person for each other.”

Miranda runs a hand over her mouth and shakes her head before clasping her hands together tightly in her lap. “We were happy once, weren’t we?” She asks softly, almost imploringly.

“Happy enough, I think.” The phrase has left his lips before he remembers the discomfort it had given him earlier.

Miranda laughs this time, though there’s no mirth in it. “‘Happy enough’ isn’t the same as ‘happy’ though, is it?”

James realizes that this is the crux of the issue. “No, I don’t suppose that it is.” He says. “Do you disagree?”

“Do I disagree with what ‘happy enough’ means, or do I disagree with the idea that ‘happy enough’ is all we were?” she asks.

“Both.” James shrugs.

“No. I don’t disagree.” The façade Miranda maintained during the early part of their conversation has all but fallen away. James notes that this is probably the most honest that they’ve ever been with each other. She begins to grow restless now and stands up to pace the room as an outlet for her nervous energy.

“My parents aren’t discrete about their concerns with me being unmarried at my age.” She says. “They’d assumed that I’d leave Hogwarts engaged and would be a happy housewife by now. When you and I began dating, it got them off of my back. I went through the motions because it was easier than feeling like an old maid.”

“Miranda, you’re not old.” James says disbelievingly. “None of this stuff matters. It’s just old-fashioned nonsense.”

“To you.” She corrects him. “It’s nonsense to you, James. It feels quite real to me.”

James doesn’t know how to respond to that.

“I thought that if we stuck it out, things would be fine. My parents weren’t madly in love when they got together. It was a good match that grew over time.” She shrugs. “And then recently, I thought that if I convinced you not to be so outspoken about whatever is going on with You-Know-Who, that you’d make the time for us to finally settle down and be happy.” She looks at the photograph that had caught his attention earlier, brushing her fingers across it lightly.

“Happy enough.” James says, echoing their earlier conversation.

Miranda gives another mirthless laugh. “Happy enough.”

“We don’t even look at love the same way.” James says, mostly to himself. “This situation being what it is . . . This is on me. I can be honest and say that I didn’t give our relationship full effort until recently, and by then, it was too late. I never cheated on you, not with Lily or anyone else, but I wasn’t quite what you deserved either.”

“And I wasn’t quite what you needed.” She looks at him now, and he sees something in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in some time: understanding. “So, what now?” she asks. “Am I supposed to do the cliché thing and cry and beg you to stay? Say that I can’t breathe without you? Tell you that I’ll pretend to like your mates more than I do?”

“Merlin, no.” James laughs outright this time. “No. I think what we do now is acknowledge that this is the right thing to do, and then I’ll leave. And you’ll find some bloke who will really make you happy. Someone who will go to the fancy events, live a quiet life with you, and be a better partner to you than I could ever be.”

“Let’s hope so.” She replies with a weak smile.

James notes that she looks disappointed, but she doesn’t look at all sad. He takes this as confirmation as he stands and pulls her into one last hug, kissing her lightly on the forehead when she finally returns it. “Goodbye, Miranda.” He says as he grabs his cloak and walks toward the door.

“James.” She calls to him when his hand reaches the doorknob. He turns to look at her, hoping she doesn’t try to talk him into staying. “You may not be leaving me for her, but I know you’re still in love with her. I knew the moment you added her name to your Puddlemere ticket list.”

James doesn’t know what to do with that statement, so he gives her one last nod and half a smile before walking out the door. She was wrong, of course. But correcting her wouldn’t have made the conversation any better. Not when the truth was that he had never taken Lily off of his ticket list in the first place.

Subconsciously, he always hoped Lily would come back, even when he stopped believing that she actually would. Peter had teased him lightly for it, but he wasn’t bothered. If that meant that he was in love with Lily, James didn’t know.

He is pondering over what this might mean when he makes it back to the manor. He waves hello to his father, who is half asleep in his armchair, and walks up the stairs to his room. The exhaustion of the day hits him all at once as he closes the door, causing him to lean his back against it and close his eyes to catch his breath. A flash of fire catches his attention when he opens them.

A red phoenix feather is suspended in the air in the middle of his bedroom, half enflamed, with a note hanging from the bottom.

Read the rest at ao3!

Start from the beginning.

[firstumcschenectady]

“Humans: Needing Love and Comfort”

(a sermon dialogue with Rev. Lynn Gardner of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady and Rev. Sara Baron of the First United Methodist Church of Schenectady)

Part 1: Our awareness of our need for mothering (which is our need to be loved, and comforted)

Lynn: It started when I was on my yoga mat. It was early one morning last spring. I hadn’t been sleeping well, and I was up as the sun was rising, moving through familiar yoga asanas, gently stretching, moving, breathing. I was in child’s pose… curled over bent knees, forehead resting on the mat, when the crying began. Everything that my body had been holding in was let loose in a torrent of tears, growing into deep sobs. Worry, grief, fear, sadness, loneliness and anger, pouring out. My heart ached thinking of all those who were suffering alone or separated from anyone who was familiar.

On the day we were born and received the gift of our first breath we depended on our mothers, our parents, or other caring adults in order to survive. As we grew, those needs changed, but our need to be loved and cared for is still part of us. That morning on my yoga mat, I rocked, and cried, feeling the vulnerability of being human… that we need one another. This may be our vulnerability AND our strength.

Sara: The past year has been one of developing my identity as a mother. My child was born 51 weeks ago today. It has been a very long time since I’ve needed mothering as much as I have since I became a mother. It turns out that the capacity to give my child what he needs is dependent on having enough of my own needs met and, quite often, I can’t fulfill both sets of needs on my own, and am dependent on others to hold me up so I can hold him up.

I was raised upper middle class, and I’m white, and I have internalized the message that self-sufficiency is “good.” Which means I’m REALLY BAD at asking for help, and that hasn’t made me need it less. The pandemic has complicated EVERYTHING. When I needed help the most it felt least safe to receive it. When I hit the end of my capacity and could go no further, when tears filled my eyes and I simply could not do what I needed to do, when without love and comfort and support I could no longer offer love and comfort and support… I have spent this year learning that I need to be mothered well in order to mother well. For me, at least, this applies both to parenting AND to pastoring. To offer love and comfort to my congregation ALSO requires that I have something to give, and that means I have to reach out when I need love and comfort too.

Part 2: Stories of times we have received loving, comforting care when we needed it

Support can come in a wider range of formats than I ever knew. There was, for me, one day when everything I needed to do most profoundly exceeded my capacity to do it. Before that day was easier, after that day was easier, but on that day I could simply go no further. I remember texting 3 friends. It was August, and nothing felt safe, especially not in person. One friend got in the car to come help. Another stayed on the phone with me until she arrived and let me cry while being heard. The third texted back and forth all day assuring me that I was allowed to make things easier on myself, and it didn’t mean I was failing as a mother to do so.

Those three friends comforted me that day, they let their love for me become support when I needed it. I think it is fair to say that they mothered me, and BECAUSE they took care of me, I was able to take care of my child.

In some ways this story seems too small, and in other ways it seems … archetypal. Looking back at my life there are innumerable times when my pain or burden was too much to bear. In every one of them, I reached out for support. Sometimes I reached out directly to the Divine, which for me means I disappeared into nature and silence for the hours I needed before I could form words again. Other times I have reached out to family or friends (or my own pastor), and let them hold me up. It is in being held - in any medium- that I can regain my own self-regulation and find my way again.

Lynn: Isn’t it amazing when someone shows up in simple yet deeply caring ways? 21 years ago I went to stay at my parent’s home when my Mom was nearing the end of her life. She had been diagnosed with cancer just five weeks earlier. She was at home with hospice care, laying in a bed where she could look out and see her garden, and my father and sisters and I were caring for her and for one another. A long time friend called and asked if she could come by. She arrived with three hot-fudge brownie sundaes, one for me, one for her, and one for my Dad. Let’s go for a walk, she suggested. We walked and ate. She listened, and we cried and laughed together, and also held space for the comfort of shared silence. That was the most delicious sundae I have ever eaten.

Each of these moments in our lives have served to remind us that we are not self-sufficient, we do not walk or work alone. It is because of our connections that we are.. It is because we have been nurtured that we are functional and able to offer nurture.

Part 3: Growing us into capacity to give mothering

Sara: Our sweet baby is teething. It is miserable for everyone involved. We are very thankful in our house for pain medication. But sometimes it isn’t enough. Sometimes he hurts, and nothing we can do makes the hurt go away, and it is awful. In those moments, all we can do is be with him and assure him he isn’t alone. It doesn’t feel like enough in the moment, but I also wouldn’t dream of letting him suffer alone.

There are many sources of pain in life, physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. In some cases we are able to do things that change them, like feeding people who are hungry. In many cases we cannot change reality, or the pain people experience, when they are grieving. In those cases all we can do is be with one another, and assure each other we aren’t alone. It doesn’t feel like enough, but the difference between being alone and being supported is significant. Our congregations can be communities of practice… where we continue to learn about giving and receiving care.

This has been one of the worst parts of the pandemic, that the means of support and comfort we are used to offering grieving people have been taken away. I invite those who are safely ready and able to loosen their COVID restrictions to think about how to offer love and support now that wasn’t possible before.

Learning the limits of what comfort I can give has never felt enjoyable, but it seems like the capacity to be a mother grows along with my awareness of my own limitations.

Part 4: The Divine as Nurturer, and Faith as Subversive when it comes to nurture.

The Gospel lesson we read today in the United Methodist church instructs us to “abide in love,” and expounds eloquently on the subject. I believe that this is what faith is all about. In Christian and United Methodist lingo we talk about “sanctification” which is the process of letting go of whatever is not love and being filled up with love so that you can respond to every person in every moment with pure love. In our models, continued faith development is all aimed at sanctification. (John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement believed that people could reach perfection in love during their life times. ;) I share that as an interesting historical fact.)

In real life though, things are complicated. In many circumstances it is not clear what the most loving response actually is. What looks from one angle like loving nurture looks from another angle like enabling. These days I find myself reminding myself several times a day about the process of emerging from cocoons. That is, when transformed creatures emerge from cocoons it is a slow and seemingly painful process. Over the years many well meaning humans have tried to ease creatures ways out of the cocoon, only to learn that the moths and butterflies are permanently damaged by having the process eased. There is a fine line to walk in care for others, and I find I am never clear which side of it I’m on.

Lynn: Receiving care can also be complicated. Sometimes we just need someone to help us, or for someone to comfort us, but we don’t ask, and feel resentful. Or we don’t know who to ask… or we tell ourselves we don’t deserve it, or that someone else needs it more. And sometimes, it is so hard to just allow ourselves to be cared for… to really receive the love that is being offered.

Prior to seminary, I worked in child care for 20 years. Over those years, and while raising our daughter, I have held and rocked many a tired cranky little one. Whether you have done so yourself or not, I invite to imagine holding an overly-tired toddler, who is crying and pushing away, resisting their need for sleep with every ounce of energy they have. They are so tired… and so upset… not wanting to give up, to let go, and to sink into the arms that are holding them.

Unitarian Universalism affirms that each of us is worthy of love…. That we are each more than our worst mistake. That we are each worthy of care and comfort. We are all held by a larger Love that will not let us go… even when we struggle… even when we push away… I can imagine the Holy whispering, “shhh…. Shhhh….. I’m right here.”

Sara: I’m also deeply aware that while the Divine, faith, and Biblical teaching all call us to love, in our society the expectations around that love vary according to the bodies we occupy. Lynn and I have been reflecting on the human need to receive mothering - the human need to receive love and comfort - and suggesting that faith communities may be sources of giving good care so those in them can then give good care to the world. Yet, I keep thinking about the realities of “emotional labor” and the ways that female embodied people, and people of color, along with others thought in society to occupy subordinate positions are subliminally taught to offer care and nurture to those who are male embodied, white, and empowered. Kate Manne in “Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny” talks about the ways emotional labor is thought to be the work of some and the privilege to receive of others, and how this is encouraged with “carrots” and enforced with “sticks.”

This awareness brings some of the deeper challenges of celebrating love and comfort into view. Humans need love and comfort. Humans can give love and comfort. But often the giving becomes the role of some and the receiving the roles of others. I believe that one of the subversive narratives of faith is inverting those roles, and making the giving of love, comfort, and nurture the role of all people - especially the ones in power.

So, dear ones, may we receive the wonderful mothering of the Divine and of the people of faith, and may we soak in love and comfort so that we are able to share it with abundance.

Amen

[aspiestvmusings]

ZEP: S1 - THE ZIMON FACTOR

This is part of my ZEP: S1 Thoughts Master Post

Here’s the new & updated long analysis post for ZEP S1. This one features the whole season, all 12 episodes.

Just me...dissecting & analyzing the storyline...with focus on Zoey & Team Max. But since the stories are so intertwined, there’s Zoey/dad & Zoey/Simon talk, too. Among other things...relevant to it all...

ZEP: MAX & ZOEY -  THOUGHTS 1 [LINK HERE]  

The one & only reason I can’t be Team Simon.

I cannot ever consider Team Simon for one simple reason - the writers had the character be in a relationship/engaged…when his emotional affair with Zoey started. IF he would have been single, I could talk about choosing sides/teams, but this single fact takes Simon out of the equation. No matter how good looking, cool, hot, or compatible he might be with Zoey. No matter if their relationship grows in the future… Their first moments were cheating (on Jessica), and no matter how “human” and “real”, that is the line for me that shan’t be crossed. And the fact that the relationship ended does not change what happened before - they kissed while he was still engaged. You can’t take that back. IF the writers would have made him single..since start…I could debate which Team I’m on, but the fact he was engaged eliminates him for me. But none of their cute moments or shared grief bond… or hot dances change the simple fact that he cheated on Jessica.

Sidenote: if we’re talking cast, then I’m both Team Skylar AND Team John C. Those two gents are both great AND they can both sing!

THE ZIMON  FACTOR

In the Pilot Max was encouraging Zoey to go after Simon, cause he knew she’s interested in the new guy… but that changed…at about the time she/he/they found out the guy is taken/engaged. That’s the moment when his “best friend mode” kicked in & tried to not let Zoey make her past mistake again with overly complicated, exhausting for everyone & not good relationship choices…

So there are two big things they can play with in the future that will help create the big drama they love - S. finding out that it all started because of Z’s superpower (she cheated in the game) and not because she could emotionally connect on her own. And in a nearer future Max finding out about the 1x08 Z/S kiss. Which has to come from her, directly, if she plans to stay true to her promise to be completely honest with him. And third could be S. finding out about the powers. (part of me thinks it should happen, part of me thinks it shouldn’t happen in S1)

Either way… we know that there are going to be scenes/moments (heart songs) from/with both of the men. Whether these are “love songs” or “heartbreak songs” or “angry songs” or… something other… we don’t know for sure..yet.

When I nwrote this there was ONLY THREE EPISODES left of S1. 1x10 on April 19th, 1x11 on April 26th & 1x12 Finale on May 3rd. And the finale was gonna brings us a very special “heart song” from/with one of the two men. So there are clear sings that by/in the S1 finale the show will “commit” to one of the ships. And since we have small bits & pieces about the coming eps & finale, we can put together a part of the puzzle already. And though it seems that the Finale will sadly be when Zoey says goodbye to her dad, there seems to be lot more going on. Work stuff/Team song, guest appearances by some past characters, Zoey revealing her truths and… more….

My “advice” to Zoey & Simon:

IF I could talk to these fictional characters, then the advice I would have given them…weeks/months ago would have been: just talk to your family & friends…the important people in your life. That’s Jessica for Simon, and Max (Mo, her mom…) for Zoey. Luckily we finally saw Zoey do that in the latest episode. So far we haven’t seen her really share the specific details on her dads health & her feelings regarding it all, with him. She hasn’t really confonted her feelings about it…til now or really confided in anyone in her family…etc… until now/finally. But Simon doesn’t seem to be doing so (he kept it all inside for a long time…until he had a chance to talk to a stranger, Zoey), and even though he made a point to not talk to her about it all, there has been no indication that after the “smoked roses” incident he’s confided in the person he should, Jessica.

Because… it doesn’t take a shared experience to get the support you need. The other person doesn’t have to have lived through the same/doesn’t have to know what it feels like in person to be the right person to lean on. And that was beautifully showcased at the end of ep 1x08, when Max, after he had been told about her dad’s condition, and her feelings regarding it, was the emotional support she needed. It just takes one person - somone who knows you best/well… to help you nagivate your “grief”.

To elaborate: That moment, when she finally was completely honest with Max, and let him in on her dad’s situation, was very important. It was the step to right direction. It also showed Zoey & us that it doesnt take a person who has experienced the same to understand her, support her. It just takes one person, who knows you & is there for you no matter what. And we shan’t forget that since Max was also close with Mitch, he will be personally affected by her dad’s death. So a shared experience… shared grief. Max being “in” on the details means that they’ll lean on each other more on this (so less need fo Zoey to connect about grief with Simon…who doesn’t have a connection with her dad & who doesn’t really know her). It was a crucial moment: Zoey finally not running from it all & properly starting grieving (going through the stages). And she finally let someone really in (something Simon can’t/won’t do with his fiancee… both cause she doesn’t understand him & his not willing to let her in), so this will make their friendship stronger going forward. Meaning: she doesn’t need Simon fro grief bond - she can get that support from Max, too.

And they really need to explore Simon’s character…and let him grow. Based on spoilers we know that were gonna get (finally) some more development and closer look into Max. But they need to look into S. (Is it just the grief? Is is something…more…)

As for Simon… I hope the show is not gonna go with the message: “Since he didn’t mean to do it then that makes it ok that he hurt his fiancee, and his grief-buddy” Even IF it really was all unintentional & he’s behaviour is all due to grief, that doesn’t make it OK to go to her house late at night without telling your life partner, it doesn’t make it OK to kiss her (when you’re still engaged)  just because she gave you signals that she’s into you… Nope… he can’t take that back. And him being a “good guy, who is just a mess” doesn’t make it  OK.

But… I am not so sure Simon’s not sketchy. I mean… he & Jessica clearly had problems before he ever got to SPRQ POINT. She seemed to want to help him, but didn’t really get him. He didn’t really confide in her, and really let her in on his feelings. Also… Jessica’s jealousy (the whole Zoey) thing could very well have roots somewhere… so perhaps this isn’t the first time he’s pursued other women, while being in a relationship? Of course it’s possible Jessica simply is/was jealous by nature, but maybe she has a reason/experience from past?  

As for S & Z: their whole connection in built on a lie. He thinks she actually gets him, when that’s not true - she knows about his “grief” only thanks to her superpower. And you can’t really build a lasting relationship on “lies”… even if there is a connection (shared grief experience) that came AFTER the initial lie. Just think about when/if Simon finds out how/why it all began… that’s not gonna go as well as Max finding out about the games she played with him (that unnecessarily hurt Autumn in the end)…

Zoey’s first “real” interaction with Simon was in the Pilot episode, when she heard him sing “Mad World”. In the latest episode, 1x10 he sang the same song again. And I am predicting that the song MIGHT even be heard the third time during the season…in the finale. (or maybe she’ll just come to realize why she heard him sing that again.. in 1x10)

We’ve seen how Simon has been unable to deal with his grief, to move on, to let go. We’ve seen how it has destroyed him, his relationships… everything. And if we listen to the lyrics (original song by “Tears for Fears”, the extra sad newer version by Gary Jules), and think of Simon’s behaviour (he really is the great pretender”!…as demonstated well in many little scenes in 1x02 & 1x03…for example), I think it’s possible he’s gonna try to go down the same path his dad did. And that’s the “bad thing” Zoey is trying to stop in the s1 finale.

On this note: I can’t believe that Zoey still hasn’t figured out why Simon was put in her path..at this time. She’s not just supposed to help him, he’s supposed to help her. She’s supposed to learn from him and not make the same mistakes (since she’s not figured that out yet, she’s going down the same path as he is). Simon has been avoiding his grief, and it has made him a mess. He’s not talked with anyone about it..really, he’s not talked about it with his loved ones, and it lead to destroying himself, and his relationships.

And guess what Zoey has been doing…ever since we met her? She’s avoiding dealing with “her daddy issues”, and it has made her a mess, and ruined many of her relationships (best friends, relatives…). Until she realizes that she’s not supposed to make the same mistakes, and she’s supposed to learn from him, it’s not good. She’s ignored or forgotten (by the next day) all good advice from her friends and family…on this.. and she can’t take it all on her own..she needs to share the grief with people who care about her… to be able to deal…with it all…

[alyssa-ward]

Return to the End

[ Following Bared and Stolen Souls ]

Anger. Panic. Frustration. Pain. It all came flooding through as the link ripped violently open without so much as a 'Hello, how are you?'.  It’s a shock to the woman in the dagger, snapping her attention to Riley as the single word comes through in Alyssa’s mind. "Fuck..."

"What happened?" Alyssa, still reeling from the mental assault of Riley’s emotions, she lets her own worry come through.  The last thing she remembered was Riley telling her they were getting the soul tonight.  Clearly that’s gone wrong.

"You remember how I said 'if everything goes according to plan blah, blah, blah..." Laughter both heard and felt with a dark undertone that puts Alyssa on edge. "Well, that was my first mistake. The second - and this one's a doozy - was assuming that insufferable prick's bodyguard had turned in for the night after the shift change. Because of course, the one fucking night he doesn't..." More laughter, but the pain is still visible, audible too in an exhaled sigh. "Plans change, we adapt, we survive." The words spoken like a mantra, repeated over a couple times before she regained her focus.

"Can we just kill the bodyguard too?" Alyssa interrupts the repeated mantra, trying to not let too much of her concern or thoughts show through the link. But she's worried.  If Riley dies here, this is the end of it.  Enough to make someone think they might be cursed. "I can make use of both...you okay? Hurt?" She pushes off the stump with the wolf, and a moment later she's standing before Riley's soul, studying it for harm.

"Just took a lucky shot, I'll be fine," the reply is pained, but it doesn’t seem overly labored. "Didn't even make it to the mark before this bastard blindsided me," and then quieter, as though not directed at Alyssa "...throws punches like a damn Gronn..." "The bastard's big, but he's slow. I've been leading him to the outskirts - figure that'll save me from having to dispose of a small giant in the middle of the city." Another pause to slow her breathing and better clear her thoughts. "You ready in there..?"

"Don't die on me, I'll start to think carrying me around is bad luck," after deciding there's nothing she can do for Riley's soul she returns to the clearing, already gathering power into herself. "I'm ready. He might still try to take a few swings after you cut him but he'll go down fast."

"Me? I'm too stubborn to die." A lighthearted joke in the midst of chaos is almost too appropriate for the woman delivering it. "As for our oversized friend, I'm not too worried ab-..." Riley's words cut jarringly short, but the link remains open.  Whatever just happened, she’s still holding the dagger. A flash of blinding rage in the wake of sudden shock, and then the link starts to flicker, weakening in waves that become increasingly more pronounced with each second that ticks by. 

“Riley?” Alyssa’s worry rises and flares as the connection wanes.  She’d only meant the death thing as a joke.  "Riley stay with me. Don't you die on me. I don't want to have to explain to Kat at the end of this that I got her friend killed."

There’s a distinct lack of fear from the other side. Instead, an almost eerie sense of calm, felt even as the connection continues to wane, and in that surprisingly serene break in the chaos, Riley's voice comes through her thoughts, clear as day. "Hope you're okay with a bit more than a cut..."

Relief across the link from the warlock as the voice comes back through. "More than okay, just get me his blood."

And then the action requested comes through clear as a bell.

The trees in the Darkened Woods of Alyssa’s mind part.  As every time before, the vibrancy of the soul the blade has stabbed into is intoxicating.  Her mind blanks, hands thrown outward to entangle the bodyguard’s revealed soul in chains of fel and soul magic, purples and greens leashing her hands to the very essence of the man.

Whatever happens outside of the blade is lost to the Warlock.  Even Riley’s soul dims at the corners of her vision as she puts single minded focus forward.  She can feel the man’s suffering as she tears out his soul, the chains binding and tightening as it condenses and draws into her extended palms, forming yet another perfect little purple crystal.

Alyssa stares down at the crystal in her hands, shoulders trembling as she has once again given in to her addictions.  Riley’s voice, raspy now, snaps her out of it. "Will it work..?" The question ended with a grunt, and the trees to the now empty clearing that was the bodyguard close once more.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out. It's going to take some work to separate the usable stuff out of this. His soul is not a very bright one." the reply is distracted, Aly’s mind is already racing with next steps.

"Sorry about that..." Riley murmers, her voice straining with the effort before she returns to purely mental communication. "If there's nothing salvageable, I'll find something better," tone is cold, but not disingenuous. "Otherwise, we continue with the plan, and make our way to Uldum."

"Agreed," Alyssa replies. "How long will it take you to travel? I couldn't even estimate how long this will take me, because...time and all." Her inability to determine durations from within the dagger goes unsaid. "I'm going to strip this soul apart, I'll fuel myself with the bad parts, nothing will go to waste. Whatever good there is in here, I'll see if it can strengthen the wolf." A pause before she adds, "I'm sorry Riley. There's every chance I could be wrong about all of this. I could be misunderstanding what Kat sent me. This may not work at all but I don't have many ideas."

"I've got a connection that'll set me up with a portal, so I could be there as early as tomorrow morning. From there, it'll take some time to travel to the right camp, but I figure... if we can just find her, we might be able to buy a little time for you to utilize whatever tricks you've got up your sleeves." A pause. "Metaphorical sleeves, of course." The attempt at levity seems to cut through her previously chilled tone in favor of something slightly more welcoming. "You've got nothing to be sorry about, Alyssa. Not as far as I'm concerned, at least. If this doesn't work, we'll just have to figure out something that will. It's as simple, and as complicated as that."

"It's nice to work with someone who shares my feelings on the impossible. If nothing else works I will find my way into the Shadowlands and pull her out myself. She's not gone. I don't accept it." Riley's levity, and determination makes her smile, a warmth that can be felt across the link through the weapon. "We'll figure something out. Simple and complicated as that," she echoes the other woman's words, finding a liking for them.

"Seems stubbornness is a trait we share in spades," Riley’s reply makes Alyssa smile to herself.

About to end the conversation, to turn focus fully to the soul, something else strikes Alyssa.  Something put off too long. "Could you do a favour for me, before you leave Stormwind? We are in Stormwind right?"

"Your tab's starting to add up, Alyssa," Riley’s tone is teasing, but it’s not unfounded either.  Alysa already owes a great debt to this woman. "You name it, and I'll do what I can."

"I'll pay it if I'm ever alive to make good," amusement bleeds from the Warlock in return, before her tone sobers. "When I died, my home burned down. It was a...cautionary measure. I don't think my brother knows what happened to me, he's been left with nothing but the mystery. Could you have a letter delivered? Just something simple. Alyssa is okay, she misses you, she'll be back eventually, something nice like that?"

A somber sense of understanding emanates from Riley's side of the link then, and her gentle nod is almost felt. "Of course. You tell me where it needs to go, and it'll be done."

"Thank you. He's lost enough, he shouldn't have to lose his sister too. Not yet." Appreciation can be felt in return. She gives the address, a townhouse in Old Town near the fountain, and the name, Damien Ward.

"I'll make sure he knows you're still here, until you're able to tell him yourself." There's a faint flicker of hope in Riley's tone, despite the many uncertainties that lie before them. That handled, the subject turns back to the most pressing matter. "I'll give you some space to get to work while I take care of things out here, and check in with you once everything's in order. Yeah?"

"Yeah, I appreciate that. I'll let you know too if I make any breakthroughs. You make a good partner...we'll find her." As much for herself as for Riley, as her attention shifts off the conversation and onto the soulstone she now holds. Splitting apart a person's soul into its base elements is taxing work, and a slip up could cause whatever she has to escape into the shadowlands, so for now, she is silent and focused.

Theory and practice are very different things.  Alyssa finds as she works that if this were the real world, if she was in her physical form, this task may be wholly impractical.  “Y’really not goin’ t’elp me even a little are you?”  She asks the wolf, without looking up from her work. The soul shard now dances through the air, shattered into a million little motes of flickering crystal shards, like glitter on the air of her consciousness.  If she truly breathed, rather than the false life she lives in her dagger prison, she would inhale the dust of it, but here it is safe.

Though she can’t extract actual memories from a soul, what she can see is intent.  The glittering motes of the bodyguards soul are washes of intent.  She begins the slow process of work, hands extended out to manipulate.  The bits of colour dance about with subtle gestures of fingertips.  Steady concentration slowly separates the motes out into clusters along a timeline, capturing bits and pieces of brighter light from childhood, from times of innocence.  Darker along the ends of a life lived in sin and anger, of dark deeds.  A flick of her wrist motions the entire back half of the man’s life to coalesce into a ball of inky dark glitter that drifts into her palm and is simply absorbed.  The wolf won’t need those parts, but she can use them for strength.

Sifting through the rest she pulls on moments of intense emotion.  On the hints of a first kiss.  On the warm memory of a mother caring for a sick son.  On the thrill of freedom of a first coin made honestly.  These glittering bits and pieces she plucks from the myriad array of crystalline fragments before her, slowly and painstakingly pulling every drop of goodness and light and justice out of this battered soul that she can.  

Some motes darken at her touch, her own corruption bleeding through and ruining them, those she absorbs for herself, redoubling her efforts to create a small clean pure soul.

It feels like it’s been days.  A week or more.  Of every moment digging through the atoms of the universe that made up this man.  It can’t possibly have been though.  If so much time has passed, Riley would have stopped her, chimed in.  Regardless of the true passage of time, Alyssa holds, floating above her palm a small crystal, all but radiating light to a near painful degree.  More pure and just than any soul has any right to be, let alone one from the source she took it from.

The freshly born have done more wrong and seen more trauma than what she holds now.

The moment of truth, Alyssa approaches the sleeping wolf with shaking steps.  “Y’ready f’this?  I’m countin’ on you t’take it and do...somethin’.  Anythin’.”  Her hands extend out, floating the crystal towards the wolf, carefully not touching it lest she taint it with her own essence.  The glowing crystal presses against the white wolf, and then sinks into it as Alyssa’s woven magic infuses it into the creature

A glow begins beneath the fur of the white wolf, beginning from somewhere inside and then radiating along its body, rippling beneath white and grey with a brilliant light.  Aly finds herself covering her eyes against it, a grin lighting lips, excitement as something begins to happen.

And then her face falls.  The energy infused burns away, eaten up by the sleeping creature.  It dims, fades, and puffs away, and all the hard work is gone.  The moments of painstaking extraction snuffed out in a small puff, with no sign or trace of the magic she put into it.

Alyssa sighs, slumping down to the forest floor to rest head against the log, and await the next time she sees Riley’s soul visible in the woods.

"Riley? I don't have good news," time has passed, who knows how much, but the woods part, Riley’s soul revealed, the link re-established.  Alyssa wastes no time.  Her voice dejected and lost.

Clear hesitance from Riley. Not surprising. "I'm afraid to ask..." she finally says, bracing for what's to come.

"It won't hold the energy," the news could be worse. Alyssa didn’t kill the wolf. She didn’t take away any shred of hope, and yet, she feels in many ways like there is none. "There was some reaction, but then it simply burned off what I put in and we're...back to where we were. Maybe more power? But I don't know how long we have to keep trying things. Best to just find her." The temptation to ask for more is there.  Kill a priest, a paladin, bring her a better soul, try something bigger...but she’s not ready for another failure, nor is their timeline.

The equivalent of a long, deep sigh could be felt, a definite sense of begrudging acceptance. "Of course..." It comes quietly, but Alyssa with their connection still hears it well enough. Still, the disappointment didn’t seem directed at her. "Alright. Alright- at least we know now, yeah?" Riley pauses, letting that small sliver of reassurance hang by a thread for a moment. "We'll stick with the plan. Get to Uldum, find her, and... whatever comes after that. If an opportunity arises between now and then to try for something a little stronger..?" Another pause. "Well, I've never been one to pass up a good opportunity..."

"That all suits," Alyssa certainly isn't defeated, but she'd hoped for a breakthrough. The lack of one shows in her tone. "Yes, if we get the chance at something stronger, we can take it. Otherwise...well if we find Kat we will go from there? I have no idea what to do Riley."

"We just need to focus on what we do know." Riley’s words make Alyssa smirk.  What they know isn’t much. "Take this whirlwind of shit one step at a time..." Once again, she seems to be making an attempt at convincing herself just as much as she was Aly. "Are you alright..?" The concern, for a moment, surprises Alyssa, but then, they do seem to be establishing a rapport. "I'm just about packed and ready to go, but... are you ready for this?"

"I appreciate you asking. I'm as alright as I can be. No harm done, I'm recharged a bit off what I took from that person if anything. I'm just...tired emotionally." As if that wasn't evident enough in her bleed into the link.

"At least something good came from all of that..." The sentiment in Riley’s words feel genuine, as opposed to leaning towards sarcasm. "You? How are those injuries?"

"I'm fine. I don't want to come off as a prick with the whole 'I've had it so much worse' routine, but... I really have had worse. Just a couple bruised ribs and a whopper of a headache."

"I actually don't think I can say that right now," some amusement about the situation comes through in Alyssa’s reply. "Surviving the end of Gilneas was close, but I think my current situation is about as bad as I've gotten." Being dead and trapped in a dagger is...its own sort of special.  

"Alright. I think you win this one..." An attempt at a lighthearted tease to add to their brief moment of levity before she also shifts her attention back to their looming journey.

Alyssa lets attention shift back to the topic most relevant, "I'm ready as I will be. I think it's on you now, I don't know what else I can do beyond supporting you until she's found."

"I've got everything squared away here. All that's left to do is lock up and head out - with any luck, I'll be ankle-deep in sand within the hour." This she does not seem happy about, despite her phrasing.

"Going to have to go see Uldum for real some day, if I ever get out of this. I've only ever been as a kitchen accessory," Alyssa's trying to stay light, it's easier that way. "I'm here. We'll get through this."

"Hey, for what it's worth, you make a good-looking knife - these engravings are gorgeous." Riley falls into a pattern of light banter as though it's second-nature. Perhaps it is. "Hold tight in there, Alyssa. I'll see you on the other side..." Perhaps a poor choice of words before the link is severed, given what they're about to walk into.

"Thanks. Good genetics," she jokes back. And then once more the link is gone, and Alyssa returns to waiting.

[ @blue-eyedraven ]

[ Mentions of @kat-hawke​ & @dardillien-ward​ ]

[ajnerdess]

Rise of Skywalker thoughts

Spoilers ahead.

Honestly, I enjoyed the film, I think people are taking the entire franchise WAAAAY too seriously and seemed to have forgotten that a, the original 3 films were simple good VS evil space fantasies and the prequels had their fair share of tragedy(and were largely disliked because they steered so far from the OG trilogy AND tried too hard to be overly complicated) so honestly, I don’t understand why some people (cough, cough, hardcore Reylos) are surprised to the point where they are slating the film and saying it’s bad because they didn’t get their lovey dovey ending. It was obvious that wasn’t going to happen if you go by EVERY other star wars film.

Do I think there were plot holes and things shoehorned in that mildly annoyed me? Yes. I thought the Palpatine plot didn’t have as much build-up as it needed and I was just a little like “oh ok, that’s happening now, sure, ok”. I personally didn’t like Poe’s questionable past seeing as he was raised by heroes of the Resistance. There were characters that were pointless and I can’t even remember their names which just seemed unnecessary. But other than that, everything else largely worked and made sense to me.

As a HUGE Hux fan, i’m obviously sad he was killed off so quickly but I knew he was going to die and I knew he wasn’t going to get the spotlight. As much as I love him, I mean, come on people, I've written a 385 page fanfiction involving him and Poe, he was a secondary, if not tertiary character in the new trilogy. He was never going to get as much love as the main trio and Ren, especially as the plot had to cram so much into the story. I’m grateful he had as much screen time as he did and as someone who has spent so many chapters of my own story trying to give him a developed personality, I am SO glad he semi redeemed himself somewhat by becoming a spy for the Resistance, even if it was just because he was a petty bitch. As for people saying it was against his character..... was it? I mean, Domhnall had said over and over again “Hux is like a kicked dog, if you kick him too much, eventually he’s going to bite back” the comic basically said that he believed everyone underestimated him and didn’t take him seriously and never saw him as a threat, what better way to prove them otherwise than to deflect to help bring them down??? Maybe i’m just trying to see the good in him as a character when I shouldn’t, but honestly, I had geared myself up for the worst regarding his character and I was actually pleasantly surprised. 

As for Ren, personally, I don’t like his character. I never did, and his ‘romantic’ link with Rey sort of reminded me of a 50 shades of grey type of uncomfortable male love interest territory. I don’t think he was as bad as some male love interests but I definitely never felt the connection between him and Rey and thought he could often be manipulative and emotionally abusive towards her, and besides that, he, you know, murdered his dad and tried to kill his mum. Much like Hux, not a nice guy, so I really am not surprised they killed him off, but am glad they gave him a nice lil redemption arc, much like Darth Vader’s, to me, that was pretty poetic, seeing as he always wanted to be like Vader. Point is, it’s not shocking he died. It’s not shocking he didn’t end up happy with Rey, I mean, did you see Padme and Anakin’s love story?? Even Leia and Han didn’t exactly have a healthy, happy relationship so, go figure. I don’t think it’s a valid enough excuse to hate the movie as much as some people are. To me, it still falls under Star Wars canon and is very reminiscent of the original films. 

The only major point I will say that served as a downfall to the film, is the fact that it’s VERY clear JJ hated the Last Jedi and tried to do everything to pretend it didn’t exist. That’s fine, but then it just angers me a little that we even had the last Jedi. It would have made more sense to have JJ direct all 3 so the middle film could have served as the build up to Palpatine’s return so it wouldn’t have seemed so out of the blue in this film. 

I loved the trio’s interactions. I loved the environments, I loved the campy space creatures, like the little one that fixes C-3PO and the ones on the desert planet in the colour festival scene thing. I liked the plot. I liked what they did with the characters. I liked how they wrapped up the Skywalker saga. It felt much more like an old star wars film than the Last Jedi did. Was it as good as the original trilogy? No. Was it as good as Force Awakens? No. But was it still a good film and good in comparison to TLJ and the prequels? In my opinion, yeah, I really think it was. But then I went into the film with relatively average expectations and knew not to take it too seriously. 

Edit: I am also sad about FinnPoe not being real, but again, I knew Disney wouldn’t be brave enough to do it. I'm just super grateful we have Oscar Isaac and John Boyega who champion the ship so much and support it to a level I've never seen before, so let’s just be grateful for those wholesome beans! I also realise I said luke and Han's relationship, not Leia and Han, but honestly Luke and Han deserved some homoerotic undertones because who the hell doesn't?

[pilyarquitect]

War for Genius - 1.- Interest or obsession

Hello everyone!!!! How are all of you handling all this situation? I hope you’re fine, or as fine as you can be. Welp said that, I bring you a new story, actually not a new story but a translated version of my story ‘Guerra de Genios’.

I’m very, very, very grateful to @empro-8 since she helped me editing my translations. Without her, this story would harder to read and some parts probably hard to understand. I’m really blessed for having her help.

That said, I really hope that you’ll enjoy it! Let’s begin.

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The situation had finally calmed down. What was previously an uproar was now just the whispers of the few people who were still gathered around the building. Everything seemed to be a happy ending now. Well… happy more than less because all the people were safe, but not overly happy because apparently Gizmoduck had died saving all of them. But Mark Beaks was not happy, he was not at all. What had happened there that afternoon was going to ruin much of his and Waddle’s image, and that was somewhat difficult to recover.

After what happened, just a few minutes ago, he’d been viewed as a complete idiot. More than that, he was portrayed as an irresponsible person who puts people in danger rather than helping them. And all this mess caused by a comment that angered him, a simple comment pronounced by someone who had long since stopped admiring him, without Beaks having done anything to deserve such contempt from that person.

Mark's eyes traveled to who was truly responsible of everything that had happened there that afternoon. A young duckling dressed in a red shirt and a cap of the same color (Huey if he remembered well). The boy was there, standing next to one of the journalists who had come to cover his press conference. Mark focused all his attention on him and glared at him, eyes full of fury.

If it hadn’t been for the interference of that kid, his press conference wouldn’t have become a potential massacre. But that wasn’t the case. When he came down with the Waddleduck suit for his daily press conference, there was the duckling, manifesting against Waddleduck. Why? Mark had seen the news the previous day, and he knew that boy had been very excited about the appearance of a new robotic superhero. Why did he change his mind when that superhero started working for Waddle? What was wrong with the fact that even he himself as CEO and principal image of Waddle, had decided to be the new Waddleduck? Seriously, that boy was a real headache.

But there was something else about this young duckling, something that the boy was capable of solving. Something the manufacturer of the Guizmo Suit and even Mark himself had failed to solve! And that something was to give to the suit an organic processor and not an artificial one. An organic processor that wouldn’t explode if overloaded. How could the young boy come up with such a conclusion or even be capable of fixing the suit’s connections to make this a reality in an emergency situation? It was a mystery, but that in turn showed him one thing: That boy was a genius.

Actually... Mark had already realized that this child was... efficient, organized, diligent and a committed worker. Except when he went crazy after appointing the other child as vice president. But pushing that little detail aside, Beaks saw it after having fired them both for the entire TAH-DAH project incident. Yes, after the two brothers left, Mark reviewed the work the two ducklings had done, and realized that the one who wore red had done in a few hours the work that many of his employees did in a few days. He was so good that with just a few hours he knew almost perfectly the internal distribution of his company.

If all his workers were as efficient as that boy, his fortune would probably now be greater than the fortune of Scrooge McDuck himself. Ah, but he’d to realize that when it was too late. He’d spoiled a unique opportunity.

Focusing all his attention on the kid again, an anger started to rise inside of him. He was furious with the boy, but at the same time he was fascinated. Ideas kept coming to his mind of everything that he could achieve if the boy worked for him. He had so many ideas, so many plans… but as much as he wanted the kid being at his service, he knew for sure that that was something that wouldn’t never happen, he’d never accept a job at Waddle again.

Suddenly, Mark saw how the kid looked down to the water and shouted:

“Hey, there’s someone there!”

The police officer who had been circling the area quickly approached to look, and Mark realized that her face paled. She had probably recognized whoever was there, because he almost instantly heard her scream:

“¡Fenton!”

Fenton? Wasn’t that the name of the one in the Gizmo Suit? Did it mean that Gizmoduck had survived? Great, the other top responsible for his downfall.

From where he was sitting, Mark saw how the health aids quickly came to help Fenton. They put him on a stretcher and took him to an ambulance, with the police officer always by his side. As they passed him, Mark found that he was indeed the one wearing Gizmoduck's suit before he appropriated it.

Mark felt his anger grow even more, between Gizmoduck and that little duck dressed in red, they had ruined everything. Also, the Waddle’s CEO still remembered (not with much enthusiasm) that the same duck accused him of kidnapping his great-uncle during the birthday party of even though he didn’t do anything! And on top of that he was expelled from that house in a very bad way, thrown without ceremonies through a window. Not to mention that the kid was able to throw his last replacement mobile phone over the rooftop. How could someone be so cruel? Those were some of the motives that made him feel resentment against the boy. He wanted make the kid pay for all the humiliations he’d suffered every time they crossed paths.

But, how to accomplish such a feat? What was clear to Mark was that he didn’t want the typical revenge of torturing his victim until he begged for his death. No, that wasn’t his style. And he also really wanted to have this kid, and the ideas he could have, at his service. And maybe… maybe there was a way he could get it. He’d try to talk with the boy, hoping if by some miracle he’d accept to work for him, and, if he did, Mark’d have him sign a contract that would link Huey to him for life. But, in case of not accepting, he’d have to resort to... other methods to get that new employee.

Mark knew that he was starting to get obsessed with the boy, it’s the same that happened with Gizmoduck. But to be honest, what he saw the kid to do just a few minutes ago, playing with the cables and connecting them to the first one so that the connections he’d established would perform the function he wanted, it was something really brilliant. And in such a short time and under pressure and risk of his own life? Simply magnificent. He needed this child, at any cost.

Speaking of the young duckling, it seemed that the boy was leaving soon, because he saw him take his mobile phone, probably to give someone the advice that he was coming back home and after that, he started to walk away from the place.

Mark immediately stood up and he turned his back on the boy so that he wouldn’t see him. From his position he was keeping an eye on the red duckling’s movements. And when the duckling passed by him, Waddle’s CEO quickly spun around and grabbed the child by the arm, and dragging him to the other side of the ambulance he had been leaning against. He wants to speak quietly, without anyone seeing and disturbing them.

To feel that he was suddenly grabbed and diverted from his course made Huey let out a frightened Yelp. But Mark ignored it. He was going to talk with him, whether the boy liked it or not.

When he was sure that nobody could see them, he dropped the duckling and turned to face him, saying with false enthusiasm:

“Hi kid!”

The young boy dressed in red frowned and crossed his arms. He asked with an angry voice:

“What do you want now Beaks?”

Okay, this will be complicated. It was clear that the young kid was still furious with him, if he wanted to have the slightest hope of getting the boy work for him, he’d to… lie. Pretend to succeed. Thankfully, he was pretty good on it, first of all, he’d to pretend shame and sorrow for whatever that happened and then he’d have to move on to admire and flatter the boy for how well he’d solved the problem, yes, if he followed that strategy, that should work:

“Well, you see… I… wanted to apologize for all what happened here and also… I wanted to say that you’ve left me very surprised, more than that, impressed about how you’ve got that the GizmoDuck suit user have the completely control of its functions.”

Beaks didn’t know if Huey knew who was the one inside the armor, so he decided to keep it as a secret, just for if the boy preferred to admire a secret identity hero over than know who was hiding under that helmet.

On the other side the Waddle’s CEO checked joyfully that Huey's features softened slightly at the mention of his work with the suit. Yes, flattery had worked.

The boy with red cap put down both arms and with a bit excited voice he said:

“Really?”

Beaks smiled, maybe he’d make the duckling work for him willingly. So, while still smiling, he replied:

“Yes, of course.”

Then the kid adopted a reflexive pose, his and his gaze drifted to the ground, after a few seconds, he looked back at Beaks and said:

“Okay, I accept your apologize, but I think you should publicly apologize to everyone who has been in danger this afternoon, not just with me,”

Beaks felt his blood starting to boil, how dared a ten years old kid to suggest how had he to act? Mark tried to calm down himself, he didn’t want the kid seeing through his mask. Instead of that, he stared looking the boy in silence, because the kid was looking the ground again, he seemed to be searching the best way to say whatever he was going to say next. When he talked again, his voice got out a little hesitant while he said:

“And… thanks for… the praise.”

After saying that, the young boy turned around to leave, but Mark called him to stop him, and when the young boy turned around again, he talked to him saying:

“Hey, there’s something I wanted to talk with you. Would you want to work for Waddle?”

The kid did not hesitate with his response:

“No!” he answered quickly and dryly.

His response was so instantaneous that Beaks was speechless. He hadn’t expected the young boy to be so blatant with his refusal. Recovering as fast as he could from his shock, the Waddle CEO said:

“Are you sure about that? I’m not suggesting you to be a simple intern, I offer you a real place in my company.”

Huey’s crown only grew deeper. His hands were clenched into fists and with a hard voice he answered:

“I’ll never work for you again Beaks. Never again.”

And after say that, the boy turned and stormed away. Beaks watched him go, the mask he’d worn so far fell and revealed how furious he really was. He looked after the duckling with narrowed eyes and when he disappeared from view, he said in a sinister voice:

"We'll see that, Huey.”

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Welp, this was the first chapter, what do you think about it! Did you like it! If so, please don’t hesitate to follow or/and put this story among your favorites, and please, do not doubt on leave a review here. It’s always nice to know what readers think.

See you in the next chapter!

Pilyarquitect

[geneshaven]

A King Of Heroes

Now that Arrow has reached its zenith, this is my homage to a show that captured me with so many hours and weeks and years of action/adventure, of family and fandom, of love and the power that it brings. Watching the show all these years was like being entrenched with a lover I could not get enough of. I know this story, these characters, and this endgame. I’ve never written fantasy before, at least not in the ‘once upon a time’ narrative. I started this project three years ago, just before the beginning of Season 5. But I became daunted by the task of writing about Oliver and Felicity’s genesis, the events that brought them together and made them superheroes. It seemed too vast and I felt the narrative would not be strong enough to tell the story. So, I put it aside and stored what I had already written on my computer. But it would not go away, like being haunted by voices that finally led me back to my computer to have another look.

 Chapter 1

 Once Upon A Time…

…there was a young man born into wealth and privilege. He was a Prince in a city called Starling, ruled by corruption and travesty. He moved through the realm of this kingdom, assuming that anything and everything he needed or wanted was his by royal right. His parents, part of the hierarchy who ruled the city, were grooming their son to be an heir, to one day ascend the family throne and do great things.

Life was good for the young Prince. Apart from having the love and financial support of his parents, he also lavished adoration on his younger sister, Thea. At this time in his life, and really unbeknownst to him, she gave our unlearned Prince lessons of how to love and care for and protect someone other than himself. They had a connection that bonded them, that pulled them together through all the complicated business dealings and the choices their parents made to ensure the continued growth and survival of the family empire.

To be sure, the young Prince was not always a beacon of admiration. He did not set an example that would inspire other people in the realm. He did have an abundance of acquaintances, but most of those who did come into his orbit was not overly impressed by the shallow, self-centered way he granted them an audience. His motivation to adopt these people into his life was not out of any need to forge life-long relationships. He did not need them to fill the avenues in his life that brought loneliness and a requirement for acceptance. His wealth and privilege gave him that, like an antidote to the sickness of his indifferent soul. There wasn’t really anything these people could give that he had already amassed for himself as if he was buying and selling commodities. Anything and everything came easily and he didn’t have to put out any effort to earn it. He already had all he wanted the moment he was pulled from his mother’s womb and out into a golden world.

There needs to be mentioned here two people who did and would play important roles in our young Prince’s life. One, Tommy Meryln, was like himself, a Prince of the realm in business and industry, a man who started his close friendship with our hero when they were children. This best friend was fathered by a man suffering a sociopathic loss of a cherished wife, murdered in the streets like a simple commoner. That action would have a grave outcome and cause more damage and misery, not just for his son who grew up in the shadows of loss his father created, but for the whole city as well.

The other person in our hero’s early life was the beautiful daughter of a Law enforcer; Laurel. She grew into a woman in love with the young Prince. She envisioned a life with him and the hope that he wanted and needed her in the same way.

These three friends created a triangle that would follow them into their adult lives with unimagined consequences.

*

Life rolled on for our hero.  It was a life of bright lights and expensive pleasures. Drinking and partying and living in the fast lane became his identity. His reputation propelled him into many short-term liaisons. Women appreciated his rugged good looks, his unlimited capacity to impress upon them a brief taste and desire for the good life, no matter if it was an illusion. He would sway them into his debauchery and naked passions, taking them deep into the night.

He could have stepped out of that illusion and have something real with Laurel, but it wasn’t enough for our Prince. He wanted and needed more stimuli, a self-appreciating pace to his life that would fill him with a satiation not to be given by just one person. Because of his personality, he often strayed from normalcy and felt he could only garner what he truly needed through his wealth and privilege.

So he hurt people on an emotional level, unaware that it was not normal to do so. He used them to fill the parts of himself that were immature and callous. Our young Prince saw that things and people in his life were nothing more than bright, shiny baubles. He could not fathom that they might be able to lift him above his vain and selfish persona and make him realize it wasn’t a weakness of character to love and need and be supportive. He could be giving and also be given to.

So, one night, before our hero’s life would be altered in ways he could not imagine, he met yet another commoner amid the swirling lights and music of a nightclub. She was a raven-haired beauty called Samantha, and the Prince gravitated towards her like she was something to be conquered. He used charm and guile as his weapons, and she saw and felt the excitement he exuded. This woman was captivated and captured, and she left with the Prince for a night of sex and false passion. It was a one-time affair, and when it was over, the Prince left a seed of himself behind, setting off a chain of events that would later come back to both gratify and haunt him.

The young Prince did not know what he had wrought that night. Along with his mother’s help, he dismissed any potential complications and continued on with his privileged life. Laurel furthered his distress by suggesting they try living together, that she would be the one to ground his reckless life. Our Prince became alarmed at that kind of commitment and gave her false hopes by telling her he would consider it. She clung to that and was willing to wait for him to resolve his uncertainty.

A few weeks later, he finally made a choice. His father was taking the family yacht on a journey and the Prince took it as an opportunity to avoid his “girlfriend” and her suggestions. On what would turn out to be a bombshell that would blow up two families, the Prince had been secretly seeing Laurel’s sister, Sara. He took her on the voyage with him. The yacht pulled away from the dock. They set a course, for him and everyone on board, which would become legend.

Our brash, young Prince’s real life was about to begin…

@it-was-a-red-heeler @memcjo @hope-for-olicity @swordandarrow @icannotbelieveiamhere @cruzrogue

[knytime]

Gay shinobu.

As you wish

Shinobu x (female) reader

It is a known fact of life that girls are hot.

Or at least, it is to (Name).

Being a demon slayer wasn’t exactly high up on the girls list of future occupations, but when she saw the literal goddess Shinobu, she knew she had to do whatever it took to meet her.

And so, she trained...

And trained..

And trained.

Until she was good enough!

And then she risked her life to join the demon slayers.

Just because she saw a pretty girl.

Needles to say (Name) didn’t have much of a life.

“The butterfly estate.. if I’m correct..!” (Name) stopped herself from letting out an excited squeal. I mean, hello? This was it. She would meet Shinobu, and then die. That was her life goal. Maybe she’d even get Shinobu to stab her..?

“Ok (Name), kinda weird.. gotta stop doing that” The girl scolded herself, facing the estate once again.

“Let’s go-“

“Yoo~hoo~” a sweet, angelic voice called out.

(Name) spun around and met eyes with none other than Shinobu Kocho, far too close to her face for comfort.

“A-aAH!” (Name) cried out, startled. She wasn’t mentally prepared! What if she said something weird?? She might just kill herself! Actually, no! Scratch that! She would definitely kill herself!

“Ah.. h-hello!” (Name) stepped back, standing straight and feeling herself flush slightly. God damnit (Name)! Control yourself! You cant mess up here..!

“Are you the new girl I was told was coming? (Name) was it?” Shinobu pondered. Despite the fact she was asking a question, (Name) couldn’t tell if she was supposed to reply. She nodded slightly, feeling herself blush.

Shinobu smiled gently. “No need to be nervous, come along now. I have a lot to show you.”

“A-ah! Ok! But are you sure you should be showing me around personally? Surely you have more important things to attend to?” (Name) internally cursed at herself. Don’t waste this chance you idiot! An entire day with Shinobu? SCORE!

“Do you really dislike me that much?” Shinobu kept the same, almost unnerving smile on her face.

“N-NO! I didn’t mean it like that! I just-“

Shinobu cut (Name) off by placing a finger on her lips. (Name) felt her face turn an even darker shade of red at the contact.

“I was joking~” Shinobu hummed, walking past name and grabbing her hand, leading her towards the estate. “Let’s go~”

(Name) felt like she might pass out as she felt her eyes lingering at their connected hands. What the hell?? Was this a dream?? No way this was happening!

The tour seemed to finish all too quickly as Shinobu led her to the final room.

“And this will be your bedroom! Ta da~”

(Name) smiled, “Ah! Thanks! Uhh- the tour was great!”

Shinobu smiled as she left, and the second the door was closed, (Name) fell into her pillow and half screamed.

“Oh my god! You idiot! Why! W H Y?!” She rolled over, holding her hands over her face in shame and embarrassment. “You are the most awkward person I know!” She snapped at herself, taking a moment to ponder how strange this would sound to someone outside.

Lowering her voice, she whispered “an entire day with Shinobu? Ahh.. it feels like a dream.”

The next day was very similar, (Name) found herself spending almost all her time with Shinobu. And the next.. and the next-

Eventually (Name) fell into the routine of spending time with Shinobu, and eventually stopped being such an awkward stuttering mess. Kinda..

“Shinobu, we just got this order of supplies in, where should I put it?” Despite the facet that (Name) was a demon slayer first and foremost, she spend the majority of her time helping out in the butterfly estate.

“Ah, just put them in that closet and I’ll sort them out later.” Shinobu replied, waving her hand at a room which had once been for storing clothes, but now was yet another medicine room.

The petit girl didn’t even look up from the patient she was bandaging up, biting her lip slightly in concentration.

“Um.. Shinobu, I can always do that.. I’m not the best at complicated stuff but I can do basic first aid-“ Shinobu cut (Name) off almost instantly,

“No, it’s ok, I’m not doing anything anyway..” and returned to her work.

(Name) frowned. During the last couple of months, a friendship had grown between the two. Of course, (Name) was still head over heels, but she didn’t have any confidence, no way she’d confess!

Despite the fact that the two had grown close, (Name) still lacked the confidence to speak against the older girl. But still, she was quite worried about Shinobus health.

“Ah, I’m not trying to undermine you or anything, I just think that you should rest, you’ve been pushing yourself a lot lately, and I’m worried about your health—“

“I’m fine!” Shinobu snapped, finally turning towards (Name) “I think I know how to do my job, I don’t need the help of someone who’s just followed me like a lost puppy since day one! Now if you’d please, I have a job to do!”

(Name) stepped back, instantly feeling regret craw up her back, a sickly feeling settling in her stomach. “Ah.. o-ok.. I’ll leave you alone.”

(Name) stepped away, walking as quickly as she could. She bit her lip fighting off tears until she reached her room, where she collapsed against the wall and hid her face in her hands, muffling a wail by biting on her collar.

“You’re such an idiot..” she mumbled through tears as she replayed the others words over and over. “She’s right.. you’re just a burden. Always have been.. always will be-“ she cut her herself off with yet another choked out sob.

Shinobu sighed, placing down the bandages in her shaking hands. (Name) was right.. she wouldn’t be able to do anything like this. She felt bad, she hadn’t meant what she’d said. Not really. She just— she had to do better! She couldn’t keep messing up!

She let out a shaky sigh as she glanced into the corridor, grabbing the nearest medic and asking them to finish off the simple tasks.

The harsh words she’d aimed at (Name) ran through her head in circles. They weren’t necessarily false, but the way they came out— she didn’t mean it like that.

She paced through the estate, restless. She knew it’d be better to get some sleep, but she also knew that wasn’t possible in her current state.

She paused outside of names room, pressing an ear to the door. Nothing. She let out a sigh, what was she hoping for? Honestly, any noise probably would’ve left her feeling unfulfilled.

She wanted so bad to go and talk to her and apologise and hug her and hold her hand and— but she didn’t feel it was her place. Not after what she’d just said.

She turned away and walked to her room, feeling exhaustion finally closing in on her as the adrenaline left her system.

She laid in bed, half fearing that sleep would bring her horrible nightmares, but also just wanting to escape.

Shinobu shot up out fo her bed, drenched in a cold sweat, breathing quick and laborious. What was that? She’d just heard something break through the silence. She hopped to her feet and grabbed her sword, just to be safe.

She swung open the door, ready to swing down, when she saw.. “(Name)?!”

(Name) winced at the familiar voice. This was the worst thing that could’ve happened.

Shinobu grabbed the girls arm and pulled her up as gently as she could manage.

“Shinobu- I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I just- I’m sorry..” (Name) stopped abruptly, shaking slightly, biting her lip to stop tears falling.

“Hmm? No, it’s ok. Do you want to come in?” Shinobu asked, deciding to take this opportunity to apologise.

“Ah, well-“ (Name) wanted to refuse, she had something that she really needed to do. But.. it was Shinobu, and despit how much her heart was hurting, she couldn’t say no to spending time with her.

“Ok.. for a little bit.” (Name) gave in, walking behind Shinobu, and putting her arm behind her back.

Shinobu flicked on the lights, and instantly noticed there was something wrong with the way the slightly smaller girl was holding herself. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing!” (Name) responded, slightly too quickly.

Shinobu reaches forwards and grabbed her arm, tugging to forwards to reveal that the sleeve was drenched in blood.

“Ah.. right. That.” (Name) averted her gaze, not wanting to meet Shinobus eyes.

“What happened?” Shinobu asked, voice laced with concern as she lifted up the sleeve to show a jagged cut through the skin.

“Well..” (Name) paused, feeling slightly embarrassed. “I wanted to apologise, so I figured I’d get you a vase.. but I was too scared to give it to you in the day so I figured I’d leave it outside your door for you to find. But.. I dropped it, and cut myself.”

Shinobu paused, bandages in hand. “Apologise to me..? Why?” She was afraid to look up, afraid to meet names gaze.

“Well.. I’ve been really annoying you— and I know I can get really clingy- and I was afraid that you’d leave me, just like everyone else..!” (Name) felt the tears she’d been trying to suppress come out, as she shook from her crying.

Shinobu finished bandaging her arm and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry.. I really didn’t mean it. I just- got a bit overwhelmed ~” Shinobu let out a small laugh, as she tightened to grip on the other girl.

“You don’t have to pretend to make me feel better- I’d rather have the truth than live in a blissful lie..”

“And that is the truth! Gods, I could never hate you or find you annoying, I love you for gods sake!” Shinobu exclaimed, realising what she said just a second too late. “Oh dear.” Was all she said, feeling herself blush slightly.

But that was nothing compared to (Name) who was already overly emotional.

“You what?”

“Uhhh- love you? Oh gods I can’t believe I actually said it~ aha.. ahaha..” Shinobu found herself laughing as she hid her face in her hands. “I’m really sorry.. I’ve made it awkward haven’t I?” She glanced through her fingers at the other girl, who had a completely blank face.

“Mission accomplished. Now I can die happy. But wait! I still have to go on dates! And.. c-cuddle! And maybe even— no, that might be a bit much— but maybe even k-kiss..?” (Name) blabbered to herself, forgetting about Shinobu for a second.

“AH! R-right! Umm, I l-love you too! Oh my god I actually just said it!” (Name) played with the hem of her top nervously, glancing up at Shinobu, who was smiling.

“I’m glad, you know? That could’ve been really awkward~” she took (name)s hands in her own and smiled, “and I can’t wait to date, and cuddle, and maybe even kiss~”