#if I could make a tv show set in my world... the sheer power I would have.. and nobody would watch it because it would have NO action or

[soullesspen]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and excited to share my first story! (Constructive criticism is very welcome, by the way) !

🕯🕯🕯

The Candle.

I have always felt evenings are weird, it seems like a blend of both worlds. Beautiful, no doubt, but weird. The darkness of the advancing night etching closer and closer to swallow the red aura marking the death of day. The sun passes on its light to the moon, who doesn't really handle the job that well. I mean, it's still dark, isn't it? The only time when you'll see both bats swooshing through the trees and birds flying high up in the sky. Street lights blink open when it's not completely dark. Some people set off to work, while others return home looking so tired as if they just sold their souls. Perhaps they did, how else would they buy stuff? Adults are weird too.

But not as weird as the battered old one-storeyed empty house down our street. Like those few old men in the metro who refuse an empty seat. Standing crookedly on its worn foundations with only the sheer power of will, as if still trying to maintain its reputation in front of its younger neighbors. How can the same house look so different during the day and at night? During the day, you wouldn't bat an eye at this house. It blends in so easily with its neighbors that most people forget it even exists. During night though, it seems like one of those houses you see in those horror TV shows. Like a fusion of the normal and the paranormal. An old dried-up tree, with leaves grazing the foggy broken glass paned windows and a rusty old mailbox on its dark grayish lawn, that had lost its hue due to years of neglect. However, what caught my eye today was none of its usual hideousness.

Behind the broken attic window, just above the front door, I saw a faint yellow glow. Is that a candle? Who would light a candle in an empty house? I hadn't quite followed my thoughts to a conclusion when I found the answer to it. Draped completely in white, a hooded figure, stared intently at the candle, like a moth admiring a flame. I gazed at it for a while, but could not make any sense of it. The more I tried to understand what it was, the more my eyes seemed to blur, not unlike paying attention in math class. Like trying to walk straight through a fog or trying to remember a dream you just had, whatever it was, it seemed to be just outside my reach. I was awake, wasn't I? Then, as if through the fog it turned towards me and I froze. Those intense white eyes seem to glare at my soul. A chill ran down my spine. Panic-stricken, I tried to run, but I couldn't. My body wasn't mine anymore. It seemed to be calling at me. Unknowingly I took a step towards the house. No, I wanted to. I wanted to see the candle, its warm aura seemed to call me. I couldn't look away. I stepped past the broken fence, onto the overgrown lawn.

“Ravi?... Ravi !? ”

An arm tugged me back into reality. I broke out of the trance. It was Jyoti. I had forgotten he was here with me.

“What are you doing?? One minute we were talking and the next you're having a staring contest with someone? Your face is all red.”

I fell on my knees. I was sweating profusely.

Was it fear? fear of death? No, it didn't feel as simple as that.

It took me a while to regain my voice.

“I-”, I stuttered as I pointed at the window I was looking at. And not surprisingly, the figure was gone. But not the candle. I am not dumb, I know a ghost when I see one. Jyoti, on the other hand, laughed at me when I explained everything to him.

“Do you even know why that house is empty?”, he enquired.

Of course not. What ten-year-old would want to know about what happens in his neighborhood? We're more concerned about what happens in the next Power Rangers episode.

“Shall we go in? ”, I suggested.

“What? Didn't you just say you just saw a ghost? ”

“I'm still curious. Who wouldn't want to see a ghost up close? Plus, I want to check out the candle. Why would there be a candle in an empty house? Also, I've always wanted to go into the house but my father wouldn't let me. And I thought you weren't afraid of ghosts. ”

“Of course, I'm not afraid. I don't believe there is anything like a ghost. All those horror shows are fake. Don't you know that? ”

“People like you are the first ones to die in those shows. ”

“Fine. I’ll go! But you owe me a treat. ”

I knew taunting him would work. It's too easy. Also, I don't know why, but I knew it would be reassuring if I had Jyoti by my side. He's not at all skinny, but it would not be right to call him fat. He's somewhere in that sweet gray zone that parents want their kids to be. Overall, if I had to choose someone from a group of ten-year-olds to support me on my Ghostbuster mission, I would pick Jyoti because- well, he seems stronger than me.

“Sure! Who's a goood boy? ”

“Screw you! Not a dog treat. You'll treat me to the special panipuri down the street. ”

There goes my pocket money for this month, I thought.

Standing at the edge of the porch, we mustered our courage. As I stepped through the dark gray grass again, I realized how large they were. These seriously need a trim. Both of us knee-deep, we pushed through who knows how many creepy crawlies brushing against our legs, until we finally reached the balcony. Jyoti tried to peek inside through the windows but was thwarted by the thick layer of dust on it. I knocked at the door, mostly out of reflex. Jyoti looked at me ridiculously. “I panicked”, I gestured silently. “I'm with an idiot”, he gestured back. He made a face that my father makes when I do my homework. Geometry is hard, he doesn't realize that. He never had to do those.

For a while we stood silently, hoping that no response would come from the other side. Surely enough, no one opened the door. Well, at least now the ghost knows that we're polite intruders. We pushed the door open. It took some effort to push through years of dust and rusty hinges. However, a question bugged me, was it always unlocked?

As soon as we stepped in, a horrid stench hit me like a physical force. I retched. Covering my mouth with my hands, I ran to the nearest patch of grass. And, well, let's say I revisited my entire lunch, in reverse. There goes the chicken pakoras I had for lunch. “Chicken pakoras for lunch?” you'd ask. Perks of having a single parent. Of course, in return, I had to promise Dad I would bring an A+ in maths. A deal I am now regretting. Do I still have to keep my end of it? I groaned. Inhaling as much fresh air as possible I covered my nose and went back in. The rancid air still made my eyes water. Imagine smelly rotten cheese mixed with your father’s smelly socks that he has been wearing for a month. Jyoti gagged, a choke escaped from his mouth, but he carried on. I realized we had made another huge mistake. What ghostbuster doesn't bring a flashlight with him? A useless one of course. What will you hit the ghost with if it attacks you? It took a while for our eyes to adjust to the darkness. Faint light dripped through the dusty windows, turning the entire house a pale shade of brown. With tattered curtains and shredded wallpapers, the house added more flair to its decaying aesthetic. Just what you'd expect from a horror house. Thank god for the full moon today. Now I feel guilty for calling it useless earlier.

The first thing we noticed when we went in was a strange graffiti made on the floor. I have played Subway Surfers, of course, I know what graffiti is. Right in front of the door, a white outline of a person dancing. Not exactly dancing, it reminded me of when the Power Ranger villain is defeated and they lie down on the ground, just before exploding in bursts of color. Only it looked much more agonizing. With arms stretched towards the door like the person was crawling towards it. And there seemed to be some dried-up brown paint where the outline's stomach was supposed to be. Some dark moss had gathered over the paint. That's a weird art, I thought. Jyoti seemed to be confused as well. The more I looked at it, I realized the outline was too small to be an adult's. Probably some kid, who wanted his father to draw around him with chalk. My father once made a mark of my height on the door frame, but never on the floor. I'll probably ask him later. What a sweet memory, I thought. Forever engraved into the house.

We were both lost in our thoughts when we heard it. A soft creak, barely enough to be heard aloud. Footsteps! Right above us. The floor above squeaked ever so slightly with every step, and dust fell down as if marking the footprints of the resident above. The footprints stopped just before the door. I felt a familiar chill run down my spine. A wave of goosebumps ran through my arms. I glanced at Jyoti. His terrified face was more than enough to feed my ego. Did I finally make a believer out of him? Oh, what an addictive ecstasy it is to force someone to believe in what you know to be true. Through the fear, a smirk escaped my lips. He caught me looking and quickly handled himself. “Let's go up”, I gestured. He had to follow. It's a matter of his pride now.

A single staircase in front of us led to the attic. I realized the window was just above us, where the footsteps had stopped. With every step, the stairs groaned. I flinched. If only every house had these stairs, there would never be any theft. With Jyoti right on my heels, I went up, with less stealth than an elephant. Each creak echoed through the house, and with each step I took my heart sank. Every shadow I saw through the corner of my eye seemed to move ever so slightly. I kept glancing back, quietly hoping some adult would barge in to stop us from going further, but all I saw was Jyoti's face, now not even trying to hide his fear. Well, that didn't help with my nervousness. I could almost imagine my epitaph reading: “Curiosity killed the Ravi”. Is it just me or did it get slightly cold here? The rotten stench became more intense as we went up. My eyes watered as I tried not to gag again. With each step, I questioned my decision to come in here. Why did I even want to? What called me here? Is the candle that important? I thought of turning back but I knew I would never hear the end of it if I did from Jyoti. It's a matter of my pride now!

A strange light seemed to fill the room above. Is it the light of the candle? I froze in my tracks. Unfortunately Jyoti, not realizing that, kept walking, straight into me. Both of us stumbled forward and fell. Standing in front of the window, with its back towards us, the mysterious resident of this fine establishment and the source of this fragrant smell, that almost made me lose my breakfast too. Seeing it so close for the first time, I realized it was much smaller than the ghosts on TV. Through its pale glowing aura, I could make out the shape of a kid. Someone of my age. Is the kid whose outline is marked on the floor below? Is he looking out the window? No, through his vaguely transparent shape, I could make out a yellowish flicker.

Over at the window sill, stood the lonely candle. Its flames flickered with the evening breeze, dancing to the tunes of an unknown symphony. The rotten smell seemed to disappear, gradually turning into an intoxicating fragrance, truly this time. The tendrils of its smoke seem to strangle my entire being. Bit by bit I sensed I was losing myself. Pulling at my desires, it seems to want to say something to me. What does it want? No, it wants to give something. What can it give? Anything I want? What do I want? Can it show me the cartoon episode I missed yesterday? Even better, can it give me good grades in math? Even more, can I see my mother again? Something clicked inside me. Oh, the sweet joy of promised dreams. The tranquil peace that this flame offers. Are these really my thoughts? Is this what I want? Will it make me happy? I am always happy. How much more joy can it give? A voice whispered inside my soul, “More than you can ever imagine”. My legs gave away. My body is no longer under my control. Floating through clouds of unfulfilled fantasies, I inched closer and closer towards the flame. I stumbled but did not stop. I was exhilarated. I raised my arms, clawing at empty air. Trying to grab the candle. It's mine! Give me it! I want it! I tried to run towards it, but couldn't.

Something yanked me back with a jerk. My eyes flew open. With the annoyance of someone who had just been woken up from the happiest dream of his life, I turned around furiously. “Let go!”, I screamed. But the grip didn't loosen. It was Jyoti. His eyes wide and distorted from fear, stared fixedly in front of us. I followed his gaze and froze in terror. A few feet in front of us, the figure has turned around. Its skeleton hands stretched in front, welcoming its brethren into its arms. Skin dripped from its bones like wet sheets of paper. Is that what I was reaching for? I stepped back in disgust. For the first time, I saw its face up close. Or rather I didn't see it. Where its eyes were supposed to be were two empty pits of abyss. The shriveled mummified remains of its face seem overjoyed to find some company at long last. It took a step towards us.

We took one step back. With each move of this Tom and Jerry chase its expressions seem to darken. The overjoyed face gradually turned into a face of absolute wrath. Its wrinkled skin now resembled a predator snarling at its prey. A low guttural growl erupted from its within. Barely suppressing the urge to run, we kept our eyes on the monstrosity in front of us, as we inched closer and closer towards the stairs. Then in a split second, it all happened. Making a sharp shriek, like a banshee’s wail it leaped at us. Gliding through the air held by invisible strings, it caught up to us. Not wasting a moment's breath we dashed for the stairs. I was the first to reach it. Rushing down the stairs frantically, I had no time to look back. Then, my foot caught on something. The world shifted from beneath my feet. I tumbled down without any control. I lost count of the number of bruises I got or the number of stairs I skipped. I think I broke my ankle somewhere in between, and then thud. The ground put a halt to my motion. The floor where I fell, is now tinted with my blood. My ears are ringing. The world deafened me with the cry of a hundred crickets. A thousand needles drilled at my skull like spikes on an iron maiden.

Panic-stricken, I looked up. Has it caught up to me? What I saw up the stairs will be forever etched into my eyes. Halfway down the stairs, I saw Jyoti. But he was not alone. Suspended in the air, pulling by his leg was the figure in white. Its face is now more frightening than ever. Distorted with joy. It was ecstatic. Jyoti was now upside-down, frantically grasping at the ballisters, his face contorted in a mask of pure agony and terror, tears streaming down his face, his mouth open wide but unable to speak a word. No, he did, deafened by the blow I never heard it. I can only imagine how loud and agonizing the screams that erupted from him must have been as he was dragged away, etching marks of blood and nails on the wood. I can never forget the look in his eyes for as long as I live. As I lay petrified, I knew this was the end. I will be next. I had accepted it. Fatigue had finally caught up to me. Fear is a good thing sometimes, I thought, it makes you forget about the pain. My leg twisted at an unnatural angle, blood dripped down my chin, and I knew I would never escape. The pain steadily snaked its way up my legs, twisting at my nerves. Do I attempt to crawl my way out? Clawing through the wood and then the tall gray grass, passing through the shadows into the light? Will that be enough? The outline lying beside me seemed to disapprove. Gazing outside the door, the gleam of the street lights blurred gradually. Darkness crept up the edge of my eyes. My heart is beating faster than ever. The pain is unbearable now. The world turned black. I think I heard some footsteps. Is it finally back for me?

A sudden jerk. I felt myself being lifted. Then a gentle rumble gradually faded into a rhythmic lullaby. I know this feeling. I have experienced this many times before, falling asleep on the desk and waking up in my bed. I opened my eyes. Tucked in a blanket, cradled in the arms of my rescuer, my heart loosened up. Above my head, stars twinkled innocently, unmoved by the events of us petty mortals. The moon peeked guiltily through a few wisps of clouds scattered here and there. I turned my head to look behind us. A few houses away, I could see the House. Its dark face now radiated with blue and red flashing lights. A crowd had gathered around the ambulance. My father's face looked stern. Was he angry? Was he glad? I couldn't tell. I didn't really care. I snuggled closer into his warm cotton shirt. It's finally over. A single tear slipped down my face. I felt him tightening his grip as I again dove deep into my well-earned sleep.

I never asked him what they found in the house. And my father never spoke a word. But I knew what they'd find. Every now and then, from far away, I could still see the sweet soft yellow glow on the window, calling at me tirelessly, whispering dreams of the unknown. Through the murky shadows, I could see two shapes. Two moths now gathered at the flame. One of whom I know.

Open to suggestions and improvements!!

[nellie-elizabeth]

What We Do in the Shadows: Go Flip Yourself (4x08)

I mean... absolutely hilarious in every way.

Cons:

This episode was relatively light on Guillermo, and I kind of missed having the Guide around, but honestly I don't have much I can really complain about! Oh, I guess even though Young Colin Robinson isn't my favorite part of the show, it was a little odd that he wasn't around for this, considering that it seems like the kind of boring show he'd be into as much as Lazlo. No acknowledgment that he also lives in the house was kind of odd!

Pros:

I just... I don't even really know how to articulate the cleverness of how this episode was framed and scripted and edited. It immediately sent me back in time to being a kid and watching shows on TLC, remember TLC? My favorite was Clean Sweep. Obviously now all this kind of thing is on HGTV which I don't really watch much of, but I still recognize the trappings of the genre. The editing, the logos, the way they'd show a misleading preview clip from the next scene after the commercial break, the intro song with the attempt at being bad-ass, played over clips of comically small renovations and stock footage of demolitions, the style of the interview, the moment of decision where we cut back to earlier moments of the characters considering their changes, the big "reveal" and how obviously disappointed they all were, the post-credits scene they all film for the purpose of getting like $1,200... I could go on and on. It all felt like a spot-on parody of something I wouldn't have even said I knew much about to begin with.

And then we get our plot twist, that Bran is actually Simon the Devious, who has created the entirety of this TV show, gotten Lazlo hooked on it, all to gain access to their home in Staten Island and steal back the cursed hat. I'll admit that the final scene where all this is revealed was a little less funny to me than all the parody stuff that came before, but I also think it's what will make the episode stick in my head later, and cement itself as a hilarious half hour. The sheer lunacy of the plan really shines through when you remember that the hat these two have been fighting over is in fact cursed and makes everything immeasurably worse for whoever has it. Simon immediately flies into a wall in bat-form once he has it. I feel like Simon's whole plan really speaks to the nature of vampirism in this world, the way you have infinite time to make some truly weird decisions and just run with them for as long as you need to. The gag where he lists all of his crew, the various vampires we've met in the past, really worked for me, as did Simon's continued disdain for Staten Island.

As far as our core cast, I love how even when the episode is focusing on this larger meta gag, we still get to see our favorites playing out their familiar roles. Guillermo is attempting to be devious and get something that he wants out of the bargain, once it's clear the vampires won't be saying no to the renovation, but in typical sad sack fashion he doesn't actually get the renovated room of his dreams. Nadja gets over-excited and acts impulsively, actually killing the co-star of the show before things get started, and has to use her hypnotist powers to clear things up for the crew and the viewers at home.

Marwa gets a prize for being the smartest: since she now likes whatever Nandor likes, she is really excited about Nandor's new wish for a "man cave," which Nandor definitely thinks is a place where he gets to hang out and get fucked by his guy friends, which is hilarious and perfect... anyway, she gets the "man cave" all set up and then locks herself alone in there, because since Nandor wants time alone in this room, so does Marwa. Honestly, that wish is the gift that keeps on giving. What you've basically got now is a setup where Marwa and Nandor have the exact same desires, but Marwa is just... much smarter than Nandor, and therefore is going to get her way more and more as time goes by. Genius! I love it!

As is always the case when I'm trying to write about this show, I really could go on and on in praise of its comedy, but describing jokes is never as funny as experiencing them yourself. So I'll just leave by saying my favorite gags were: Vampire Elvis, always a classic, and Lazlo's delivery of the words "New York Citayyyyy."

Can't wait to meet Guillermo's special friend next week!

9/10

[readnburied]

5 Fantasy Book Recommendations for You

We all need book recommendations from time to time because at times we run out of reading material or can’t decide what to read next. So this post contains five fantasy book recommendations for you guys. See, if your favorite pick is on here and if so, do you agree with my opinion? 

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

This book should be your go-to if you’re looking to read some high fantasy. This is a big book, no doubt about it, but the story inside really takes you on a ride. The author seamlessly weaves two different stories of two different characters coming from separate worlds and brings them together at the end, which really goes with the flow. You do not feel as if you’re jumping from one point to another, rather it’s a smooth sailing with a lot of emotions thrown in.

Yes, this book is not for everyone due to the sheer length of it, but once you read it, you’ll find it worth it. Plus who doesn’t love reading about dragons and magic? 

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

When a mere touch has a power to kill you, would you really hang out with that person? This is the case with our main character and because of this curse she’s forced to stay in isolation with no friends whatsoever. But when a handsome man shows interest in her, she can’t help but lower her guard, which is something I understand. We’re social creatures and nobody likes to live a life of isolation and rejection. 

However, all is not what it seems as Soraya is plunged into a sea of darkness and deception all the while trying to protect those she loves from herself. But at times you don’t realize that the one thing you’re trying to run from or the one thing you fear has the power to set you free. 

If you’re a fan of fairytales then this book is for you. The author expertly takes elements from a childhood fairytale and entwines it with pieces of fantasy in order to create this masterpiece. I really enjoyed reading this book last year and will highly recommend it. And though Soraya thought her abilities to be a curse, I thought she had the coolest power and would’ve loved to trade places with her. Yes, my life is that boring! 

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is the first book I read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I really enjoyed the fact that the author wrote about Mayan Gods in this book. On top of that, we go on a journey with the main character in order to help the God reclaim his throne.

I love books which take you on a journey to different countries. If I could, I would travel to every country in the world, but since I can’t do that yet, I enjoy visiting different places through books and this book really satisfied my craving for adventure and travel. 

If you’re looking to read about something other than Greek or Roman mythology, then give this book a try and hopefully you’ll enjoy it. 

Piranesi by Susanna Clark

This book is a strange one. I have to be honest, I didn’t particularly like this book when I first read it, however, upon further reflection I realized that this book is an interesting gem. Yes, it has a slow start and it might even confuse you, but as you read further along everything will start to make sense and it does get fairly interesting towards the end. 

The author has incorporated various elements that most writers don’t really consider putting in their works for one reason or the other, so even though this book appears to be a little dull initially, it has some unique elements which makes this book a must read. 

Yes, it’s not my most favorite but I’m adding it to this list because it might just be your cup of tea and this book is different from all the fantasy books I’ve read. 

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

First off, let me start by saying that I love witches and magic and everything related to them and this book had me falling face first in love with it. 

If you’re a fan of the TV series Charmed then you’ll love this book. The book follows three sisters who’ve been estranged due to reasons you’ll know about if you read the book, who try to navigate their lives all the while keeping in mind the conservative society which they belong to. 

Magic runs through their veins but the people around them want them dead which forces the sisters to work together in order to protect others like them as well as those they hold most dear to them. 

My, oh my, I absolutely loved this book. I don’t think there was anything which I didn’t enjoy. I was just sad that I didn’t read this book sooner because it’s amazing and I highly recommend everyone to give this book a try. There are so many things I love about this book, I can go on forever, but for this post, let’s keep it short and sweet by saying the writing style, the characterization, the plot, and those small snippets at the beginning of every chapter—my favorite—everything was spot on and I think this is a book I wouldn’t mind reading again. 

So there we have it, five fantasy book recommendations for you guys, I hope this gave you some idea on what to read next. Do let me know if you’ve read any of these and what are your thoughts on it, or even if you’re planning on reading any of these. And if you have any recommendations for me, feel free to comment down below as I’m always looking for new books to read. 

[bard-of-worlds]

Chapter 14

Marinette sighed as she closed the program on her computer and leaned back.  She wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but this, something was bothering her………. She didn’t know what it was but something was missing with what they knew about Lila.   Come on, what is it?  I mean okay Lila is working with both Gabriel and she seems to be on a conversational basis with Hawkmoth, we already ruled him out before, and according to Adrien the Collector got both Nathalie and his bodyguard, so who could he have given the Miraculous to if he was Hawkmoth?  There isn’t anyone that he trusts, and his bodyguard was apart of that party and Nathalie was with him when they both left the city………but what am I missing?  She thought as she looked at her blank screen as Adrien looked at her with worry.

 “Your Ladybug face is showing my lady,” Adrien said with a smirk and Marinette looked shocked and blushed as the two Kwami in the room chuckled.   “The fact that Lila is working with both my father AND Hawkmoth?”

 Marinette looked at him, seeing the way his eyes were troubled and she sighed.  “Oh, Kitty……”

 “I thought the same thing my lady……… and about Lila?  When Kagami was Akumatized the second time…….. I think Lila tried to make a deal with Onichan,” Adrien said with a bitter edge to his voice and Marinette looked at Adrien in shock.

 “Remind me again, wasn’t Onichan after Lila to kill her?” Plagg asked and Tikki nodded.  “Okay, she’s a psychopath or a sociopath.”

 “Yeah……. I don’t know what we should do,” Adrien admitted as everyone looked at him.  “But with everything we’ve got, maybe the most we should do is wait for now, I mean there’s Sabrina and her new partner, we might find out where Hawkmoth is hiding!”

 “But Adrien, if he’s in the area of your home……” Marinette said and Adrien nodded.  

 “Yeah, but we have to find him, we don’t have a choice……. And since we figured out why he might want our Miraculous…… I thought about my mom,” Adrien admitted and Plagg winced and looked down.

 “Kit……” Plagg said and landed on Adrien’s head as Adrien tried not to cry.

 “I mean, it makes sense right?  But that means that he knows what happened to mom and he never told me……” Adrien said and Marinette felt her heart break a bit.

 On the surface, this was another mark against Gabriel but the sheer odes against it…… but the more that she thought about it the more it made sense.  If Gabriel was Hawkmoth then how he always tried to keep Adrien locked in, out of the way of Akuma………. He was the head and owner of a company so he could ditch work and become Hawkmoth whenever……. But the Collector, that was the only mark against him.  And they didn’t know that powers couldn’t affect the wielder, and Mayrua had created a Senti-Monster on her own!

 As they all thought about it Plagg looked around the room and frowned.  He hated Gabriel for how emotionally abusive he was, but he didn’t know that he could admit that

 “So let’s table that and talk about the feelings between you two instead!  I mean when the Bug’s parents called you down for that game it was just getting good!” Plagg said causing Adrien and Marinette to blush as Tikki giggled.

 “Let’s leave them alone, me and Plagg will be on the rooftop balcony!” Tikki said as she shot forward and grabbed Plagg and pulled him up and through the door to the roof.  Adrien looked up at the roof and took a deep breath.

 As soon as breached the door, Tikki spun around and looked at Plagg with a scowl. ”Plagg, did you have to do that!?”  

 “What’s wrong Sugar-club? Wouldn’t you be happy that they’re finally letting each other know what they feel?” Plagg asked and Tikki only sighed.

 “Before yes I would, but something happened…….. Fluff happened,” Tiki said and looked down as Plagg’s eyes widened.

 Down below Adrien looked up at Marinette and smiled at her.  Marinette looked away and blushed, her mind going miles in seconds as she tried and failed to figure out how to bring up everything she needed to, so after a few seconds Adrien started.

 “So we have to talk about this, don’t we?” Adrien asked with a smirk as Marinette

 “We do,” Marinette said and sighed as she looked up at Adrien with a hard look. “And I have to tell you about something, something that happened before everything the other day…….. I need to tell you about Chat Blanc.”

 Adrien looked at Marinette and saw such despair and pain in her eyes that Adrien was caught up in this desire to grab her and hug her.

 “Chat Blanc?  Who was that, I never even heard of him……. Was Theo hit by Hawkmoth when I was away or something?” Adrien asked and Marinette shook her head and looked at Adrien with sorrow.

 “No, one did but everyone did.  It would have happened in the future, and the victim was you,” Marinette said and Adrien went still and looked at her shocked as she started to cry.

 “Me?” Adrien said faintly as he felt himself grow cold as he looked at Marinette as she cried.  He wanted to hug her and never let go,

 “The whole city was underwater, the ‘Tower was on its side and the Moon was broken.   I cleansed it and you said that our love was what destroyed everything,” Marinette sobbed out as Adrien looked at her in horror and pain as he shook his head, a hundred different things going through his mind.

 “Oh Bug,” Adrien whispered as he put his arms around her as she just cried and he held her, letting her just cry as he whispered to her.  “I’m here, I won’t become his victim, I promise.”

 “Our love, that’s what you said caused it,” Marinette bit out and for a moment Adrien went still as anger suddenly went through him before horror hit him as he made connections in his head, connections that he hoped wouldn’t prove to be true.  

 “I signed my name for that barred I gave you and transformed to deliver it, then Bunnix appeared and then, and then….,” Marinette said as she started to cry.

 As Marinette cried and leaned into Adrien she tried to think about everything was different now, how the rest of the team was helping each other and everyone was on board, what happened that caused Chat Blanc wouldn’t happen again, she would make sure of it.

 “Oh Mari, I’m sorry you had to hold this in on your own, I really am,” Adrien said and part of him was sure that he was right about his fear, but as he held Marinette he let deal with her feelings.

 A few moments later Marinette took a deep breath and moved away, a shaky smile on her face.  “Thanks Adrien.”

 “Anytime,” Adrien said as he looked at Marinette.  As he looked down at her he swallowed as he zeroed in on her lips and for a moment he remembered how she had kissed him when Dark Cupid had corrupted him and then when they had been hit by Oblivio.  He looked at Marinette as she looked back at her and smiled shakily at her as he noticed that she was blushing.  “Say, when everything with our court dates are over and everything works out okay, how about you and me watch a movie when I get my new place set up?  Just us and our kwami, a good movie or two, and some food?”

 Marinette looked at Adrien and blushed harder, looking away from him as her mind went strange places and she chuckled lightly and looked at him with a coy smile.

 “I’d like that Adrien,” Marinette said softly as she put her arms around his neck and smiled at him with a strange expression on her face as her suddenly felt heavy as she opened her mouth.  

 As Adrien started to feel strange and after a few seconds he acted on them, slowly he moved his head towards her as Marinette did the same as they both closed their eyes slowly before a call came from below.

 “KIDS GET OVER HERE!” Tom bellowed and Marinette and Adrien both blink and seeing how close they were they to each other, they jerked apart and laughed shakily as they realized just what they had almost done and they laughed as inside Adrien and Marinette were both fuming.  

 “Dad only does that if it’s important, we should check it out,” Marinette said as she rushed towards the ladder down as Plagg and Tikki came from above, shooting into their chosen's pockets.

 The teens ran into the living room and saw Tom and Sabine on the couch looking at the TV.  On it was a scene of one of the local hospitals as three ambiances were out front with doctors bringing people in.  “And repeating the top story, over twenty people within ages from 10 to twenty were found earlier today asleep, dead to the world. So far all the doctors have said is they are not in danger of dying and seem to have all their organs and no marks that could explain their state.  This reporter will update on this developing situation as it develops,” The reporter said as Tom turned off the TV and shook his head.

 “After everything, I wondered what could shock me.  If Hawkmoth hadn’t set off an attack earlier today I would have thought it was him again,” Sabine said and Marinette looked at Adrien who shook his head as she felt Tikki press against her and she nodded to him before turning to her mother.

 “It’s terrible, but why did you call us down?” Marinette asked and Sabine sighed and looked at them.

 “Nadia called, her station is sending out interns to ask around where they were found, and they were found within two streets of us so for the next few days we might have people coming and asking to talk to us, so I want you to only open the door if you know who is on the other side and Adrien, keep away from the windows or stay in Marinette’s room,” Sabine said and Adrien blushed and looked away as Marinette started to stammer and Tom chuckled, Adrien meanwhile looked into his mind, remembering a lot of Tabloid ‘reporters’ and what they would do for a story, if one of them found out he was here………….. he didn’t want to think about what some of his fanatics would do, much less what his father would do.

 “So you two up for a little four-part tournament of Mecha-Strike?” Tom asked and he was met with three grins.

 XXXXXXXXXX

  Kim sighed as he got out of the pool and toweled off as he walked towards his chair.  As he looked up at the skylight and saw the night sky and the moon shining down he tried to calm down, even after swimming lanes he couldn’t quiet his mind.  He was still very angry about what happened to Marinette, he might not be too bright but he knew all about law, and what happened was against all of the laws of both respect and dignity!  Before he could spiral like Marinette a towel hit his head.  He looked out from under it and saw his girlfriend Odine walk towards him, her peach skin was wet, her swimming leotard dripped as she walked over, her swimming hat in her hands, her short red hair free and her brilliant turquoise eyes above her freckles shined with worry.

“Hey, you were hitting the lanes hard tonight, what’s up?” Odine asked and Kim sighed and looked away.

 “A lot of things, I don’t know where to start,” Kim said as he looked at Odine.

 “Well start at the beginning, what happened?” Odine asked and Kim sighed and looked down.  Odine was his girlfriend but she was also a friend of Marinette and Nino, they had all gone to elementary together and they had been friends for a long time, only he, Nino and Mari had a longer friendship.

 “Marinette was expelled without a hearing!” Kim bit out and Odine just blinked a few times before she looked at Kim and she started to growl.  Kim swallowed; Odine’s grandfather had been a judge and she was very

 “What?!  What happened?” Odine demanded and Kim scowled and looked away.  

 “It was crazy, first a stolen test answer sheet was found in Marinette’s bag, then Lila supposedly was pushed down the stairs in the courtyard and then Lila led the way to Marinette’s locker and then the Owl expelled her on the stop!” Kim said bitterly and Odine sat down and looked at Kim with a scowl.

 “And you didn’t stop it?!” Odine demanded and Kim looked down.

 “I was shocked! And then before anything else could happen there was a Mass Akuma attack and I was one of the victims!” Kim defended and Odine gasped and looked at him with a scared look on her face and he smiled at her.  “But it stopped in mid-attack, weird really, and after that, I was kinda out of it for about twenty minutes.”

 “Oh, Kim that was terrible!”Odine said as her own nightmare flashed behind her eyes, when she flooded Paris and most people had been stuck in buildings, thankfully most buildings had been airtight because of her powers.

 “Yeah. I thought that the principal would at least give her a hearing her but when other class representatives tried to get it he threw them out, yelled at them and me and Max were barely able to get away without detention!  My little buddy said he was going to talk to Marinette about her rights, but then the Akuma and he’s gone silent!” Kim defended and Odine huffed and looked at him with a scowl on her face.

 “Who the heck does that scum think he is!?” Odine asked and Kim grinned darkly.  

 “Yeah well my buddy sent me a message the other day, she’s suing them for what they did and she will get a hearing,” Kim said and Odine grinned darkly and started to chuckle.

 “Good, very good,” Odine said evilly and Kim started to feel scared for a few moments before he realized that she wasn’t thinking about him.

 “Yeah…… say do you want to get something to eat tomorrow?  Just the two of us?” Kim asked and Odine looked at him shocked before she blushed and nodded, not noticing how close the two were to each other.

 “Hey you two!  The pool’s closed, go shower and change and I’ll lock up when you leave!  And no PDA HERE!” A voice startled the two of them and they both looked down and saw how close they were to each other and laughed as they moved towards the changing rooms, both blushing as they walked away.

 About ten minutes later they walked out the doors and the lifeguard locked the doors behind them and Kim smiled at Odine.

 “Would the lady like an escort home tonight?”  Kim asked as he offered her his arm.  Odine giggled and accepted it and off they went.  As they walked they made small talk, Odine smiling at Kim as they walked, when she was with him she knew she would be okay no matter what happened, that her dreams weren’t too far out of reach.

 “Hey, Odine are you okay?” Kim asked and Odine looked at him and she looked away, only for Kim to put his other arm on her shoulder.  “If there’s anything I can do to help, anything at all you just have to say it you know?”

 “I…… I just haven’t had a good week at school, Kagami’s been having the same troubles lately,” Odine admitted and Kim raised an eyebrow.

 Kagami in Kim’s mind was one of the most straightforward girls his age, coming in behind Odine, Marinette and Chloe.  If both she and Odine were having troubles then it was probably like Lila, someone not something.

 “What is it, or who?” Kim asked as they turned down a side alley that went to a small courtyard near the Tower.  Odine opened and closed her mouth, not knowing how to describe it but if Kim had seen through Lila.

 “The school has a new principal and student, there putting more…….” Odine trailed off as she looked ahead of them and gasped.

 “What…….. Ah, Shi-bal,” Kim breathed as they saw over twenty bodies on the grounds of the small space before them.  Odine ran towards a child’s body as Kim ran towards an older body lying face down and rolled it over and saw a woman whose chest was moving up and down. “She’s still breathing!”

 “Here too!” Odine called out, looking around for anything.  “I don’t have my phone, it’s getting repaired!”

 “Mine too, stay here I’ll get help!” Kim called out as he ran away, leaving Odine alone.  

 A few moments later a low moan came from an older woman in a beige blouse and dress.  Odine ran towards her and crouched down and looked at her, the woman looked elderly and had her white hair in a bun.  “Who’s there?”  

 “I’m Odine, my boyfriend is getting help, hold on!” Odine said and the woman grinned at her, looking at her with glowing eyes that shocked her.

 “Oh….. good.  I ssee you, you’ll do what needs to be done, protect her, get the others please,” The woman said as she pushed a small white square box with a red circle in the center of it into Odine’s hand.  “Don’t let anyone know you have her, promise me!”

 “I don’t understand….” Odine began holding the box when the woman lunched and grabbed her.

 “PROMISE ME!” The woman said fiercely and Odine nodded and the woman slunk back down and Odine examined her and saw that she was still alive.  

 Odine looked at the box and frowned before she put it into her purse as she heard a siren, looking up she saw Kim running back towards her with police and paramedics following along behind him.  Waving Kim and one paramedic came over to her and she looked relieved that help had come.  “This woman just woke for a few moments, she didn’t say anything but she was semi-coherent!”

 “Good work, I’ll take it from here!” The paramedic said as he started to look over the woman.

 As Odine stepped back a police officer came to her and smiled at her. “Good work, but we’ll need to make a statement about what you two found, I’m sorry but we need everything we can to help these people.”

 Odine nodded and Kim took her hand and squeezed it, both of them drawing strength from each other as they followed the policeman.  The box in Odine’s purse made it feel even heavier as she walked, not knowing that her destiny had been changed, that her life would change in the short term and become stranger but better.

 XXXXXXXX

  Max looked at his computer as he quickly hacked into the school database and frowned.  It had been too easy to do that, he would have to try and send a message to the school about how easy it was to get into it.  As soon as he was in he went through a few files here and there on school evens before sending Lila’s file to a cloud server set up in Russia.    

 As she floated, Kaalki looked at Max as he worked, Max finding her stare and looking away.  

 “Not so, honorable is it?”  Max asked bitterly and Kaalki looked back at Max and smiled at him, her eyes holding understanding and

 “By a certain point of view, it is,” Kaalki said bluntly as she floated there and looked at her chosen with a calm look.  “Many of my own have been spymasters or helping with steeling things that they needed too.  Honor is in the reasoning, not the doing as one of my first ones said.”

 Max smirked as he finished his work as Markov came back online and floated upwards he looked at Max who was turning on another computer next to him. “Finished with your shadow work Max?”

 “Yes, for now, let’s just get the file and then start looking into Lila,” Max said as he quickly navigated to the cloud website and download Lila’s file before opening it. As he looked over it he frowned as he saw the numerous health concerns that were listed for Lila with no doctor’s note to back them up.  

 “I don’t know procedures about this Max, but shouldn’t there be notes from her doctor scanned in?” Markov asked and Max nodded as he finally found the data he needed from the file and turned back to his hacking one, quickly finding the school in question he started to look for an online yearbook.

 “Yeah, they should,” Max muttered as he finally found a list of students and then looked at the number of graduates for each year before Lila came to Paris and frowned when he saw a few numbers off, more than he thought.  “Markov, I want to know who didn’t graduate from this school and what happened to them, I’ll hack into the records and find out where Lila was before she was here.”

 “Of course Max, give me a minute,” Markov said as he slotted into the computer and started to absorb the data as Max worked.

 “Done, three students beyond Lila left this school for other reasons.  One is a grade lower than Lila would have been, two are the same age and both left not long after Lila did,” Markov reported and Max nodded as he worked.

 “Good, find out what happened to them please,” Max said as he found the school and location where Lila had been before.  He frowned, the city wasn’t one of the big ones that he expected a diplomat to have been sent to, something was wrong……… he needed to find out just what had happened in this city to have sent any diplomatic staff there long enough for Lila to go to school?  Wait, this says she left this one after only four months?  I guess an appointment to overlook something for the embassy would explain why she and her mother were only there so long, but why, where did they go after that? Max thought as he looked at his screen and tried to figure out why Lila had moved when she did.  As he sat there and let his mind wander over all the possibilities for why that was done, he couldn’t find anything.  He knew that Lila said her mother was a diplomat, but with what they all knew he doubted it.  He tried to think of what kind of job her mother could have that let them travel so much, but still the longer he tried to the more he came up empty for an answer.

 “I found them Max………. it’s not good.   One of them is a girl named Arianna Bianchi; she’s currently in a monastery…….. I tracked down a medical report that she tried to take her own life,” Markov said mournfully and Max swallowed. “I found social media posts and she was cyber-bullied a lot, the sheer viciousness of some of these posts……. The other is a girl named Daniela Candreva, she left the school after testing out the grade and is currently studying to become a prosecutor, I think I can find her address to email her.   But Max…….. most of the posts are about what ‘she’ or ‘they’ did to Lila,” Markov said and Max almost told him to send a message off but stopped himself and shook his head.

 “Why would Lila……oh god!” Max said faintly and started to shake in fear as everything started to make sense to him.

 “Max, what is it?” Markov asked and Kaalki looked at him in concern.

 “That’s what she would have done with Marinette, because she discovered Lila was lying!  She made this class hate her and then she tormented the girl until she did that!” Max snarled and Kaalki looked sick.

 “Yes, it fits.   The way she was acting, she had to have had practice at this.   she goes to a new school…….” Max began and Markov took over.

 “And someone either finds out about Lila or she finds a target to get the rest of the class on her side, and then when things go too far she’s either already gone or moved schools. Smart, evil but smart,” Markov said bitterly and

 “Scum, I haven’t seen such monsters in centuries!  I thought that modern schools looked for that!  People like that actually like it!  Why else if she’s been doing that for how long?!” Kaalki snarled as Markov unhooked himself and floated upwards.  Max looked at his computer as he saw the data on it, he found another discrepancy and looked at Markov with a hard look.

 “Markov, I’m going to find her third school, do what you did again with the second, we hunt for any and all evidence about what happened while Lila was there,” Max said as Kaalki nodded as Markov connected to the computer again.

 “One thing bothers me, what about the younger child?” Kaalki asked and Max went still.  Markov beeped and made a ‘smily face’ with his visor.  

 “Good news, from what I found the child only moved away with his family because of a death in his family, nothing to do with Lila!” Markov said and Max released a sigh and Kaalki floated with a lightened look in her eyes.

 “Well, there’s that at least,” Max muttered as he looked back to his computer and sighed.

 Kaalki looked at Max and his creation as they worked and hid a chuckle as she smirked.  He might be a worthy Horse after all are very smart.   But they all saw the big picture, but we have to remember the little things and how they affect the big. She thought as she floated there and looked at Max as he and Markov hacked.  “Still what does she get out of this all?  No one is pure evil, three are reasons for everything that is the truth of the universe.  But what is Lila after?”

 “I don’t know…….. Markov new mission; I want you to look into the relationships of each student in Lila’s class before she joined up……. Wait see if there’s a class chat first,” Max said and Markov ‘nodded’ with his visor and Kaalki floated over to his shoulder.

 “There is, and three people are active tonight,” Markov said and Max nodded.

 “Then let's talk, time to hack into it,” Max said softly as he looked at his screen.

 “Done Max, I found a chat and I’ll need to relay and translate it but we’re in,” Markov said and Max nodded.

 As Max looked at the chat room, he kept his mind blank and he hoped that these people would help him.

 “We’ll be visible to them all in 3.2.1, message sent,” Markov said and Max nodded and started to type.

 Starhacker909 has joined the chat.

 Bloodhunter; Who the hell is Starhacker909, Rob did you invite somebody new

 StrikeBak; No, who are you and how’d you get in here?!

 Starhacker909; Wait, please! I’m sorry about this but I needed to talk to you about a person named Lila Rossi, she got a friend of mine expelled a few days ago!

 Stanford; That witch is still doing that again!?  

 Bloodhunter; Okay Starhacker909, we’ll talk if you tell us what city you’re in!

 Max breathed a sigh of relief and Markov blinked his eyes.

 “Max, my barriers were hit by ten viruses and whoever is behind it is trying to find out where we are but I fought them off and they stopped, I think we’re safe for now,” Markov said and Max nodded as he looked at the screen.

 “Markov, try and find out if Lila really did what we think she did at other schools, if she did we need to talk to a lot of people about her,” Max said grimly and Markov ‘nodded’ and Max started to text as Kaalki watched from behind him, a somber look on her face.

 XXXXXXX

 Odine looked at the small box as she sat in her room as the box set on her desk next to her bed as she looked at it.  After the police had questioned them she had been driving home, her father had been worried when the police had shown up but after being told that she had found the people on the news he had relaxed a little.   After she had gotten o her room she had locked the door and put the box on her desk as she looked at it, trying to understand why she hadn’t said anything about it, and why that woman had been so instant that Odine take it.   After a few moments she took a deep breath and opened it, a moment later a ball of light shot up into the air, forming into a tiny grey creature with a large head with blue eyes, a fin on its back, a small snot, short arms and it grinned at her.

 “Hi!  I’m Bottla, nice to meet you!” Bottla said and Odine swallowed a screamed as she looked at Bottla as it looked around with a frown.   “Wait……. Where’s Melisa?”

 “You mean the old woman, she’s at the hospital,” Odine said and the creature gasped!

 “Oh no, she found us!” Bottla said and looked around, a scared look on its…..her? face as Odine looked at the creature and tried to calm Bottla down.

 “Hey, calm down.  She was okay and breathing last I saw her,” Odine said and the little creature nodded and looked at her with a strange look on its face.

 “Sorry, I’m Bottla, the Dolphin Kwami of Discord and …….” Bottla began before Odine gasped.

 “A Kwami?!  Like Ladybug, Chat Noir and Hawkmoth?!” Odine interrupted Bottla who nodded before going still.

 “Ladybug….. Tikki’s chosen?! What happened to bring them out into the light of day?” Bottla asked and Odin looked at the Kwami in surprise.

 “You don’t know what’s been happening in Paris!?”

 “We keep moving, staying ahead of the Seven Deadly,” Bottla said and Odine looked at the kwami with a bad feeling going through her.

 “The who?” Odine asked and Bottla sighed and looked away.

 “The holders of seven of the 7 miraculous of Dark Emotions, they’ve been tracking me and mine for years, I’ve lost so many friends to them,” Bottla said and sniffed as Odine looked at the Kwami in concern before she remembered what Melisa had told them.

 “Was one of them responsible for what happened there?” Odine asked and Bottla nodded.  

 “The sin of Gluttony; the Vulture.   Those people who were hurt won’t wake up until the egg she forms is used up or destroyed.  And the sin of Lust; the Ant gave her eggs to her, we destroyed a Soldier before

 “Soldier?”  Odine asked and Bottla nodded.

 “A non-sentient monster created from the Ant’s Powers.  The created warriors obey the one who activates them, wielder or civilian,” Bottla said and Odine swallowed.

 “What are they after?” Odine asked and Bottla looked down and away.

 “Me, my power of Turmoil causes all abilities to be turned on whoever used them, Melisa got away by hitting the Soldier so it would go after Vulture instead of us,” Bottla said and looked at Odine with a hard look.   “If they take my Miraculous, then they can do whatever they want with no way to counter their powers.”

 “So these Miraculous have been passed down for how long, and most of the time they’ve been hunting you?” Odine asked and paled when Bottla shook her head.

 “No, it’s the same people……… They have a ritual that uses the energy that the Vulture gathers to empower them and extended their lives.  Anything they kill, they all gain the years, in the past  they left totems near where battles might happen to gather the years of killed soldiers, WW1 and 2 gave them centuries!” Bottla said with a haunted tone

 Odine looked at the kwami as she tried to figure out what to do.  The easy thing to do was get in touch with Alya, she ran the Ladyblog and if anyone could get a message to Ladybug then she could.  But then the woman trusted her with this, and why shouldn’t she do something to help out?  By the way the kwami was talking, if she was able to get even one of them away from the Seven then she might be able to stop them.   And her home was perfect, it was in a section of the city away from the center and the main roads, if…..when the other seven made it to the city she would be out of the way.  And she knew the sewers and catacombs well, she had played there as a child and knew them almost as well as she knew the streets.  And Bottla was a dolphin, her favorite animal.

 “If I used your Miraculous to transform, can I breathe underwater?” Odine asked and Bottla nodded and Odine took a deep breath.  “Then I have one question, what’s the name of the hero who uses it to transform?”

 XXXXXXX

  Alya blinked her eyes as she woke up and looked around, seeing Chloe’s room in the hotel and for a moment she was confused before she looked down and saw Trixx sleeping on her chest and then remembered everything.  She after they had all learned how much of a psycho Lila was she, Chloe and Sabrina had done a quick interview, she had transformed and had Sabrina record ‘Ladybug’ and ‘Apisera’ and talk to Chloe about how she had been retired and Chloe had agreed with them, only saying to listen to their ‘teacher’, a good trick they had to keep Kwami from being on the news and in the public eye.  

 As she looked around she saw Sabrina and Chloe leaning against each other with their kwami sleeping on their chosen, she smirked as she looked at them.  Who knew that the three of them loved to watch feel-good movies or that Chloe was such a romantic?  As the sun shined down Chloe and Sabrina both woke up, all the kwami did as well.  

 As Sabrina got up she looked around and saw Alya as Chloe turned the news on as she grabbed a PDA and looked over it, smiling as she listened to the morning news.

 “……… And in local news, if you can head over to the zoo tomorrow, the tickets will be half price and there’s a presentation on fire safety there as well.   And next on Moth Watch, the latest Akuma was defeated by three heroes, our protectors Chat Noir and Ladybug with the help of a new hero we haven’t been able to get in touch with, as usual, the victim has been hidden and the reason why they were influenced,” The reporter said as Chloe looked at the screen, scoffed and muted it, causing Alya to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

 “What, have you got a thing against the press?” Alya asked as Trixx landed on her right shoulder

 “Yeah. No offense Alya, but a lot of the reporters on the Hawkmoth case are worse than tabloids writers,” Sabrina said  

 “Daddy tells me that reporters are always trying to get dirt on people who were Akumatized, a reporter even had a piece about how a girl who was almost raped before she was Akumatized in the first month should have fought harder,” Chloe said bitterly and Alya gasped before she nodded.

 “Trash like that, you should give them nothing at all, they’re just a stain on journalistic integrity,” Alya growled and Sabrina looked at her with a strange look as Chloe grinned evilly. Alya looked up and saw the look Sabrina was giving her and Alya looked ashamed.  “And before you say anything about my interview with Lila, I never published it because I was still working on fixing it before I met Trixx here for the first time and after that well…..”

 “Yeah, nice to know that you’ve got a good head on your shoulder,” Chloe said Alya nodded.  “Thankfully daddy went down hard on all the editors, something about banning their people from any events he or mom held in the city,” Chloe said with a dangerous purr and Alya whistled as Sabrina giggled evilly as the Kwami looked at each other shrugged.  

 “Nice……” Alya said with a smirk and looked at the two girls as they looked at their bodies and Chloe felt her hair and shuddered.

 “So, I’ll get the first shower, then I’ll order breakfast while Sabrina showers and Alya can finish last and Sabrina can act like she’s drying off when the food gets here,” Chloe said as Alya looked at Chloe with a frown as she tried to figure out what Chloe meant.  “Me and Sabrina will get dressed in my walk-in closet, Alya, you will get dressed in the bathroom.  Order the usual for me Sabrina, and ask Alya what she wants, and don’t forget the honey mustard please”

 Alya opened her mouth closed it and nodded after she realized Chloe’s plan.  She grinned as Chloe walked away but frowned as she looked at Sabrina who grinned back at Alya as Barrk sighed as he ate a small part of a dog cookie.

 “One thing I don’t get it, why do you act like a servant to Chloe all the time?” Alya asked and Sabrina looked away and Alya felt a little bit dirty for a second.   “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to……”

 “It’s not a good story, but well……” Sabrina said and sighed and looked away.  “My grandfather on my dad’s side and Chloe’s were godbrothers growing up, they promised we would have a place with each other…….. and after I moved here with my dad four years ago…….. I just didn’t want to be around people for a while and I got to like acting.”

 “So it was an act? Everything?” Alya asked in complete shock and Sabrina grinned at Alya.

 “Yeah, I actually bought most of the ‘gifts’ Chloe gave me, it was all part of our plan really,”

 “But your Akuma?” Alya began and then winced.  “Sorry……. ‘Don’t talk about what caused it’, forgot for a moment there.”

 “No, it’s okay. A…….person I liked didn’t notice me when I left them a gift…….. when he hit me I was cursing how I acted and I think Chloe for her part of our plan…….. at least I think, you know how when you’re ackumatized you forget about a minute before and what he offers you?” Sabrina said as Barrk rubbed his head against Sabrina’s check,

 “Yeah.  But romance, that’s hard,” Alya said and Sabrina chuckled.

 “At least I’m not like Marinette and Adrien!” Sabrina said and Alya laughed a little as Trixx giggled while Bark nodded.

 “Bugs and Cats kit, they always orbit around each other.  The stories I could tell you about them all,” Trixx snickered as Bark nodded.

 “Yep, I remember sometime around 800 years ago, me and my chosen were tracking down this necromancer when we came across the Black Cat, we worked together for about a month tracking the varmint down and saving all we could and all he could talk about was this girl he knew, turned out she was the Ladybug of the time,” Barkk said and Sabine looked at her kwami, for a moment she had forgotten that Barrk and the other kwami were as older as their concepts, the sheer time they had been around staggering for a moment.  

 Sabrina looked at the TV screen and paled at what she saw.  “OH MY GOD!”

 “What?!  Oh,” Alya said as she and the Kwami turned and saw the screen, the reporter in the foreground as behind him was a shot of last night in front of the hospital.  

 “CHLOE GET OUT HERE!” Sabrina screamed and Chloe shot out of the bathroom a moment later clad in a yellow robe as Pollen flew behind her.

 “What is it……” Chloe trailed off as she saw what was on her TV as Sabrina raised the volume.

 “ at this time nothing has changed since last night, the victims are still unconscious but sources have reported no casualties at this time.  Police are still looking for what could have caused it with the Park by the ‘Tower still closed as the ECDC look it over.   With nothing new to go on, most authorities are waiting for any of them to wake up to hopefully explain what happened to them……. And now on to the weather,” The reporter said moments before Sabrina muted the screen again.

 As Chloe dripped onto her floor she looked at the screen in horror, horror that was mirrored on the faces of Alya and Sabrina.  

 Chloe however was feeling something else, she remembered an old meeting from when she was a lot younger when she was learning to read.  She couldn’t remember it but she heard something like this before, she couldn’t remember what it was exactly but it was there.

 “This is terrible; I wonder if it’s something to do with Hawkmoth?” Sabrina asked and Chloe hugged her as Alya looked at the screen with a hard look.

 “It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” Trixx asked and the humans looked at the kwami.  Pollen and Barrk were looking at the screen while Trixx floated upside down.

 “Trixx, are you okay?” Alya asked and Trixx just floated there for a few moments before snarling. “Trixx?!”

 “No, I…….this is something I’ve faced before, but I can’t remember when!”  Trixx snarled as old emotions came back, emotions the kwami couldn’t place.

 “I’ve never heard of something like this, but it was a long time ago,” Pollen admitted and Trixx just floated there as Alya looked on in concern.  

 “Why can’t you remember?” Alya asked softly and Trixx just kept floating and Alya shared a look with Chloe and Sabrina.

 “We lived a lot longer than you all, and sometimes when the old Guardians would take us out the box, sometimes the others would come back having forgotten things,” Pollen said darkly and Chloe held Pollen to her body as the Kwami relaxed against her.

 As the three girls exchanged worried looks, the way Chloe called Master Fu a ‘cult baby’ yesterday came back to them.  Chloe was only speaking in jest, but the evidence was something that they couldn’t deny. If the guardians were a cult like Chloe suggested, then they all might be in more danger than they thought they were, with the surprising fact that Hawkmoth might not be the only foe they would have to face.

 XXXXX

 Lila smiled as she looked at the Hotel before her, all she had to do was find anyone who worked here and say that she was a friend of Chloe’s and that she was blocking her calls.   Then all she had to do was say that she was worried because of the class chat, well that was enough for the old-timers to tell her how Chloe was feeling.   If she could find out anything about how she was feeling about the New Bee because of how much pride Chloe had, how she was worried she might do something, and if anyone heard her then that’s all the better for when she was Akumatized.

 As she walked into the lobby she looked around and smiled, there were enough people there that she could do her plan and not be obvious about it.   She saw a woman with tan skin in a white uniform talking to a man behind the desk and she walked towards it as a woman with purple hair and dark skin walked out of the elevator, but Lila ignored her once she saw the dark clothing the woman wore, writing her off as a goth once she saw colors of her hair and clothing.

 “Excuse me, but I haven’t been able to get in touch with my friend Chloe for a while, and since the new Bee hero was revealed on the news last night I was worried about her reaction,” Lila said as the two people by the counter looked up at her.

 “No Madame Chloe is currently in her room and I believe that she is fine and doesn’t want anyone to come up there now,” The man said as the goth walked closer and looked at Lila with a strange look on her face.

 “Is she okay, she’s my friend.  With the last text of we exchanged I’m so worried about her, it seemed like she was angry when she wrote them, and well with Hawkmoth….” Lila trailed off and noticed a few people looking at her from the mirror behind the counter and barely kept from smirking.

 As the man looked at the Italien, Marina looked at Lila and frowned, she remembered Alya talking about a girl who was a liar and how she messed up, if this was that girl who tricked her daughter then so help her then she would beat the girl herself.  

 “Miss Chloe was alright the last I saw her,” The woman said and Lila grinned, not seeing Penny looking at and frowning.  

 “Oh good, I mean the way the texts I saw, it was all I could do to try and talk to Chloe about it, I was so worried about her,” Lila said sweetly and Penny looked at Lila, she knew the girl looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen her.

 “I…..well she did look like she was crying last night,” The woman muttered and Lila grinned, something that she could use against Chloe to string along Hawkmoth was just what she needed.   She might not have turned Marinette into an Akuma yet, but the return of Queen Wasp might win her some points.  As she wondered if Chloe would get expelled before or after Lila got her Akumatized?

 Before Lila could say anything else Penny finally reached the desk and spoke up from behind her.

 “Hey, you got our mail from yesterday right, J’s been chomping at the bits to finalize the paperwork on a few things,” Penny called out and the woman behind the counter nodded and handed over a bundle of mail.  

 “Here you go ma’am. Will you and your friend be leaving us soon?” The woman asked and Penny shrugged.

 Lila looked at Penny, something about the woman was bothering her, she knew she had seen her before but she couldn’t remember where.  She looked at Penny as she shrugged.

 “Maybe not too soon.  There’s this girl who tried to start a rumor that Jagged made up a song about her when she was a pre-teen of all,” Penny said as Lila’s eyes shrank as she realized she was looking at Penny Rolling, the woman in the chief’s outfit gasped and shook her head.

 “That reminds me about this lying girl my daughter told me about, I can’t believe that there are such people out there, liars that just want to make themselves look good!” The chief said and Lila paled a little and took half a step backwards.

 Her lies and tales were all to get a good life for herself, but sometimes people just didn’t understand why she did what she did and those people always made trouble.   She fought back against them and set things up so her revenge would happen after she left, and was it her trouble that people never understood that she and they were legitimately fighting?

 As Lila slipped away as the woman chatted about their own experiences with liars, Penny suddenly went still and then turned and saw Lila’s back as she left the hotel, finally realizing exactly who that had been and cursing the lost chance to give that young lady a piece of her mind.

 “Is everything okay ma’am?” The woman behind the counter asked and Penny shook her head.

 “Yes, everything is fine for now, I just need to give someone a talking to,” Penny said darkly as she took the mail.

[foilfreak]

BEAUTY AND HER BEAST: Chapter 8

WARNING PLZ READ BEFORE CONTINUING: This fic is rated NSFW and contains graphic depictions of things some people may find disturbing or alarming, including, but not limited to: violence, gore, unhealthy family relationships, Oedipus complexes, gratuitous amount of pornographic literature, ableist language, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, etc. If you are someone who does not enjoy fiction with these elements in them, then I suggest you refrain from reading this, because this fic will have all that, and probably a lot more. So, this is your first and final warning to turn around and go somewhere else if stuff like this just isn't your vibe, because from this point forward, your emotional wellbeing is in your own hands, and I will not be accepting blame if you disregarded my warnings and ended up reading something you didn't like. Idk why I feel compelled to write one of these despite this being Resident Evil fanfic, but I figured I'd cover my ass just in case.

(AO3 Link Below:)

Several days had passed since Salvatore had sought out both his younger sisters, requesting items like jewelry or clothing they’d be willing to part with that Salvatore could gift to Nadine, as a sort of soft and informal introduction to ease the young woman’s mind and prove he meant her no harm.

The plan seems to be going rather well, as far as Salvatore can tell. Nadine found the gifts he’d laid out for her rather easily, and even correctly wondered if the person who lived here had left them for her purposefully. She seemed wary of the items for a time, though she seemed pretty wary of everything in the reservoir at the moment, but eventually she deemed them safe enough to accept, throwing the long white nightgown Salvatore had procured from Donna over her petit azure frame, and strapping the delicate golden locket Alcina had graciously donated around her neck.

Salvatore practically drooled when he first saw Nadine, slightly sheer satin nightgown flowing elegantly in the gentle afternoon breeze and golden chain glittering beautifully against her white speckled, ocean blue skin. She looked like a goddess, a true figure of pure ethereal power and beauty. Even the biting cold of winter wasn’t enough to touch the young woman, shielded and protected by her own glowing radiance.

Despite looking every bit like an other-worldly deity worthy of unending human devotion and worship, Nadine’s face held nothing but fear, anxiety, and loneliness as she aimlessly wandered the seemingly empty docks and windmills surrounding the reservior’s watery interior. An occasional dejected “hello?” still echoes out throughout the reservoir every few hours, growing less and less hopeful with each passing round of silence Salvatore spends hiding away from view.

The disfigured man’s heart twists and stabs in pain every time he cowers away from Nadine’s soft, anxious calls, desperately wanting to comfort the young woman in her moment of confusion and fear, but still so terrified of her inevitable reaction to his appearance that he finds himself unable to do anything but skitter shamefully to his room beneath the surface and try to drown her out with one of his old romance films.

How pitiful.

Salvatore spends much of his time lamenting and pitying himself over his soul crushing loneliness and his intense desire for a love of his own, and yet here he is, taking refuge in an old romance film while he hides himself away from the real woman he could be making his own romance film with, were he not a massive coward and a horrific freak of nature unworthy of anyone’s love and affection, of course. What a cruel irony it is, to have the one thing you want, more than anything else in the world, dangled just inches in front of your face, and yet knowing, before you’ve even tried, that it’ll never be yours.

Salvatore knows that no matter how much of a romance story this whole situation might seem like, Nadine will never be able to love him in the way the gorgeous women in the movies love their tall, dashing, dark-haired lover men. Not only was Salvatore the exact opposite of tall and dashing by literally everyone’s standards, but his patches of dry, greasy dark-hair did little to salvage the violent wreckage that was Salvatore’s whole appearance.

There was absolutely no way Nadine would ever be able to love someone as hideous as Salvatore, so perhaps the best thing to do would be to contact Miranda and inform her that, while he greatly enjoyed his gift, Salvatore didn’t feel he would be able to appreciate her in the way she deserved to be appreciated in all her beauty and wonder, and that perhaps it would be better for Mother Miranda to find better arrangements for her elsewhere.

“I-it’s for the b-best… i-i think… a-after all… Nadine… d-doesn’t want t-to live i-in a d-dingy place… l-like this for… for the r-rest of h-her… l-life… m-much less with… w-with someone l-like me… s-she’d hate th-that… im c-certain” Salvatore laments aloud, dipping his head downward as tears of painful realization and sorrowful acceptance pour down his face like waterfalls of lonely depression, already fully set on contacting Mother Miranda as soon as morning came.

“While it's very kind of you to keep my best interest in mind, I do think I am more than capable of making my own decisions regarding what’s the best place for me, thank you very much” a soft voice responded suddenly, causing Salvatore’s head to whip in the direction the sound was coming from in startled shock. “This place is a little rundown, sure, but the windmills still stand tall and the water is always just the right temperature, so I don’t think this would be the worst place to live, if I had to… so long as I wasn’t alone, at least.”

Even in the dimly lit area located at the end of the hallway, Nadine still looked so gorgeously stunning and elegant. It was incredible how she managed to sound so casual and yet look so ethereal.

In the brief moment before his panic set in, Salvatore couldn’t help but pause and marvel at the spot down the hall where the young woman stood, her gaze locked directly onto him and yet she showed no signs of having seen him. She even went as far as to begin moving about behind the large boards that blocked her from entering the room, clearly trying to get a better look at the room and, more importantly, the person she suspects is in it.

After a surprisingly large jump that launched Nadine all the way up to the ceiling, just narrowly avoiding hitting her head, Salvatore’s eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open in stupefied shock as the sight of Nadine, moving the way she was at the end of the hallway, brought to Salvatore’s mind a scene from one of his favorite romance films. In the particular scene Salvatore is thinking of, the actress’ character is an aspiring prima ballerina, and she’s having a brief moment of bonding with her fellow ballerina’s after a long, but successful performance. Dressed in a nightgown not too unlike the one Nadine is currently wearing, the ballerina is showing the others how to do other kinds of dance, like polka or Irish step dancing, but by the end of the scene the group of ballerinas are all merely jumping about the room excitedly, laughing and cheering while carelessly throwing themselves into the air, only to land gracefully back on their feet.

While not exactly the same obviously, the resemblance between Nadine and the absolutely stunning ballerina in the movie, in both silhouette and style of movement, was almost uncanny.

Stretched out as high as her short legs would allow, strong and gorgeously defined muscles flexed almost instinctually with every rapid twist, curl, bend, and jump of the young woman’s tiny body. Her lucious silhouette was only aided by the feminine aura of the long, sheer nightgown as it trailed after her with every movement. The delicate satin material caresses the sharp ridges of her muscular back and shoulders with the same tenderness and love as it does the weight of her breasts or the pillowy layer of protection atop her midsection. The lower half of the nightgown, cinched just below the breasts, twisted and jerked in whatever direction was necessary to keep up with the speed at which Nadine was fluttering and jumping about upon the tips of her toes. Her legs were hidden by the ferocious speed of her movements, but Salvatore did not need to see her legs to have some idea of what they were, or perhaps merely could be, capable of.

Whether or not Nadine was actually a ballerina herself, or if Salvatore’s delusions were merely that realistic now, the young woman appeared to move with nothing but effortless grace that hides the raw power and physical strength it takes to float as carelessly and as quickly as the young woman was, clearly growing more and more frustrated the longer her search failed to reveal what she was looking for.

Still paralyzed by the sudden presence of Nadine in his personal space, Salvatore could do nothing but hold his breath and hope that the light at the end of the hall didn’t reach far enough to reveal his presence in the room. The TV was still on, but the movie playing on it had finished running long ago, meaning the only thing being displayed now was a static filled screen that proved someone had been here at some point in time, but thankfully wasn’t a dead giveaway from the start.

“Helloooooooo… I heard someone talking on my way in, so I know that someone is down here. Please… just come out, ok… I won’t hurt you… honestly” the raven haired woman begs softly, her movements slowing a bit to allow more of her air to be used for speaking rather than jumping to look over beams over and over again.

Salvatore’s heart ached at Nadine’s desperate tone, knowing all too well what the mutant woman is going through right now, but trying his best to remain strong, since giving in means dooming this perfect young specimen to a life of bitter misery and unending terror, regardless of the best effort he’d try to put in. Whatever short term gain Nadine could get from being with him would only come back to bleed her dry once Salvatore was sufficiently attached, and therefore unable to allow her to leave once she inevitably decides that she’s had enough of pretending to love a disgusting freak of nature.

Salvatore had never been very good at accurately predicting the outcomes of situations, but he knew for certain that Nadine was in no way deserving of the hellish punishment that living in the reservoir with him would undoubtedly become, if it didn’t start out that way from the beginning, that is. Perhaps the young woman could convince herself to accept her situation and play into his affections as a means of survival for a short time, but based on what he’s heard of Nadine thus far, Salvatore doubts such a strongwilled and dangerous woman would allow herself to play wife and sex slave to anyone for very long. If she didn’t somehow successfully murder him in his sleep within the first 48 hours of her “slavery”, it would only be a matter of time before she finally ran out of patience and unleashed... whatever the hell it was she did back in the labs, upon him.

For a brief moment, Salvatore entertains the question of whether Nadine could potentially be strong enough to take him out with a single hit, as well as whether that thought should be something he finds arousing or not. His thoughts are quickly interrupted however, by the sound of shuffling and grunting, and upon turning his head toward the sudden racket, Salvatore is horrified to see Nadine, just small enough to fit her tiny body between the thin cracks of the boarded up wall, attempting to climb through the barrier, and enter the TV room.

Body shaking and voice beginning to tremble slightly, alongside his already labored breathing, Salvatore unsteadily backed his way further into the room, putting his hands out in front of him as if to try and stop Nadine from entering, though he makes no move to physically eject the invading woman himself, oddly enough.

“N-nooo… p-please… don’t come i-in...” Salvatore stutters helplessly, shrinking further in on himself in fear as the young woman effortlessly slips through the wooden boards like a slippery eel, quickly and easily landing on her feet before turning back to the mostly darkened room.

“H-Hello?” Nadine calls out again nervously, taking a tentative step forward, both hands extended outward beside her until her left hand made contact with the wall. Gaining some purchase on the vertical slabs of wood, Nadine slowly turns her head to look about the room, carefully inspecting everything from atop the surface of Salvatore’s messy desk, to the very dark corner in the back right of the room that Salvatore himself was currently shoved as far into as physically possible.

Nadine stuck her arm out in front of her and began slowly walking toward the opposite wall, eyes open, but unfocused, and right hand waving aimlessly in the air for a brief moment, as though trying to feel around for the other wall despite it clearly being right in front of her. The hooded man had no idea how she hadn’t seen him yet, he could practically feel how absolutely ridiculous he looked, his bony, weathered, turtle-esque body hunched as low to the ground as possible with his chin tucked between his knees and hands covering the rest of his face, leaving only the smallest bit of space through which he could observe Nadine’s inevitable reaction to him. And yet, despite the amount of time the young woman spent glancing over Salvatore, back and forth across the room, her bright golden eyes resembling that of a ravenous alligator in their intensity and ferociousness, no scream left her plush lips nor did fear and horror suddenly mar her supple face. In fact, not only had the mutant woman not seen him yet, but it was in that exact moment that the reason why Nadine couldn’t see Salvatore, obviously shoved into the corner, just to her bottom left, became immediately clear to him.

“Y-You’re blind...”

[electronicdelusionstarlight]

Ok, here's how I'd set up an actual BNHA Elder Scrolls crossover in case I ever get around to write it:

1) While he's, like, 4 years old in his living room watching TV, Izuku's Quirk activates. It will not get an actual official name but we can call it Planeswalker Spark ala MTG. Basically kid can tear a hole through reality and launch himself into a different plane of existence, which is what Izuku accidentally does here.

2) It's a slow process tho, which gives Inko plenty of time to rush in from where she was to tackle her son away from the sudden green glow brightly shining around him, a impulse decision based on her Instinct to protect him at all costs, which only ends up with both of them getting sent to Skyrim.

3) Izuku incidentally also happens to be a Shezzarine. His quirk is a mutation from her mom's side, whose Quirks usually affect space in some way, and is completely unrelated to this. Anyway, he and Inko are on the cart to Helgen now, usual shit, The plot of Modded Skyrim takes places, with Inko taking on the brunt of the adventure and trying to shelter Dragonborn Izuku from his destiny.

4) After many trials and tribulations, 2 DLCs, 4 guilds, 1 Dragon War, several adopted orphans as well as so many quest mods it's unreal, Lucien Flavius and several members of the College of Winterhold manages to reverse engineer Izuku's quirk, and gives him an enchanted ring to better control it. Kid can now safely use it without risking ending up somewhere completely different from his planned location. Izuku is now 14 years old. He also had to do terrible things no matter how much his mother tried to shelter him and take the brunt of the war crimes. This leads to PTSD obviously, but also to a now blue and orange morality system, chief among them his general disregard with killing or not killing someone.

5) Getting back to 10 years prior, Izuku's Quirk causes a ripple in the Tachion Field surrounding earth, which is felt on I-Island. David Shield spends the remaining 10 years monitoring and trying to better understand the phenomena, since it could be revolutionary in the till then hypothetical field of time and space travel. When Izuku activates his quirk back 10 years later, I-Island has by then built a teleportation device, hijacking Izuku's trip and sending him to I-Island.

6) Meanwhile on a familiar junkyard, Hatsume Mei's scrappy device built via salvaged parts, spit and lots of duct tape comes to life on her back, individuating a sudden tear in the now constantly decaying Tachion Field. It's happening in the middle of the ocean tho, so she can't really deal with it now.

7) Anyway, David Shield needs Izuku at hand for his Quirk, but Izuku and his mom came back to Japan trying to live a double life since by then most of their friends and family are in Tamriel. Except, both of them have been declared dead for years, and Hisashi, the bitch, ran away with the insurance money, so they don't have a life to return to. David Shield can't let them get back to Tamriel tho, again, he needs Izuku on planet for his new research, bit also realizes that if he actually wants to leave he can't really stop him, except Izuku, you know, still wants to become a hero, just like his mom is in Skyrim. So they reach a compromise, he will try to get into UA, and will take a new identity as Mikumo Akatani, usual excuses to have Izuku get into 1-A you know?

8) Izuku can't really make his Quirk public tho. So, after forging his and his mother identities as a foreign dignitary from the states and her son, and his Quirk is listed as "Cataclysm" (The last perk in the destruction skill tree for a Fire (and Earth) mage in the Ordinator Mod). He is after all a member of the college of Winterhold, trained under the Great and Powerful Destruction Magician Uncle J'Zargo the Magnificent himself, of course he knows plenty of spells. However, he can't really explain all of them as one Quirk, or better yet, he can, it would just get really complicated, so he just goes "My mom can move things with her mind, my... Father, ugh, can blow fire from his mouth, obviously my Quirk is being able to control flames with my mind, usually from my hands but some times also via vocalisation."

9) Which means Izuku has to really contain what shit he can do. It's a very superman like situation, since he needs to remain in control at all times and also not slip up and pull spells he couldn't explain as his "fire" quirk, least people start asking questions. Some people however notice.

10) Tsuyu and Todoroki start an unofficial conspiracy theorist fan club over it.

Tsuyu was there with him at the USJ, where in his sudden hyperfocused competence over the crisis situation made her realize A) This is not the first time this boy has almost died in his life and B) Back in the water at the USJ, she could swear she saw his hands shining as some strange light washed over him, and she could swear he could swim as fast as her back then, and for such long periods of time she could swear he could breath underwater. That makes it really suspicious.

Todoroki sees another kid with a powerful fire quirk but also the signs of a hard life and who seems to not like his father, and instantly goes "Oh... same hat." So his conspiracy is that Izuku is actually Endeavour Bastard Son he had after a premarital affair during a visit to the states 14 years prior, and he has a corkboard to prove it. He also realizes that he's trying to contain his power just like he is, which makes him believe he too must have done a pledge just like him.

11) Shinso beats Bakugou on the first match of the tournament. Doesn't really matter to the overall crossover I just wanted to point this out.

12) Anyway, this explodes during the Sports Festival. It's Todoroki Vs Midoriya, and 1) everyone is comparing the two due to similar Quirks, which Izuku finds really unfair to both of them, 2) Todoroki is being a stubborn ass with his quirk and 3) Izuku can't really talk now l, can't he? That would make him an hypocrite, and he might be a Mage, an Honorary member of the Explorer Guild, a Dragonborn and also a Bard College Student for some reason, but he's not a hypocrite, so he just up and SNAPS because hey, maybe Todoroki will actually unleash his full potential if someone else does it first too.

13) So, Izuku Midoriya, on national television, starts blasting. Armour Spells, Ice Spells, Lightning Spells, Mind Spells, Water, Wind, Air, Poison, turns himself invisible, summons a Dremora Champion, shouts with the power of the souls of the Dragons his mother slew, Todoroki actually has to start using his fire but is mostly out of sheer survival now ("There is always a bigger fish out there, and one day you deciding not to use your full power just because of a stupid pledge will get someone killed. Trust me, I know. You better start realizing that now Todoroki"), and is still a close match because Izukus spells all start from his hands or mouth after all, and Todoroki has now something to prove more than ever.

14) Without his robes on tho, Izuku Magicka is depleted in the end, ending up in a tie as the two collapse from exhaustion. Rather than an arm wrestling match this time, Izuku is disqualified due to the sudden mutation of his Quirk. He's fine with it and probably expected it, bit this still bums Todoroki out, as well as all of his classmates and friends.

15) After the Festival there are 4 leading theories on Izuku now:

A) All Might, discovering via Tsukuachi that Izuku's identity is fake, as well that he looks a bit like a missing case kid from 10 years ago, AND knowing that AFO is back due to the USJ... Believes Izuku is a mole, and is working, willingly or unwillingly, for AFO after he was implanted with all those Quirks. He is now incredibly suspicious of him, and it kind of shows. Nighteye is on the same page despite not having talked to the man in years, and is subtly trying to have Mirio scout out the kid to see if he's a threat. Mirio is too much of a Golden Retriever to even realize what has been asked of him tho, and just think Nighteye wants him to befriend another kid with a promising Quirk.

B) Todoroki now knows the truth. Izuku is Monoma's long lost twin brother. His Quirk allows him to copy the Quirks of those around him (Iron Skin and Stone Skin would be Tetsu Tetsu and Kirishima Quirks after all, Invisibility is Hakagure, Fire and Ice are either his or Bakugou's, Lightning is Kirishima, and Tsuyu mentioned how he could swim and breath underwater while near her, meaning he was using her Quirk). He has connected the dots.

C) AFO still remembers his brother's lover, the stories she came up with, the long periods of times she was gone, only to return with a haunted look in her eyes... The powers she hid from him, thinking he wouldn't notice, the way she fled right after his brother lay lifeless on the ground, almost disappearing into thin air with his broken body... The family his brother hid so well from him, as if they were in another world all together... They never told him, but he knew, he knew she had some sort of Quirk, one that had been then inherited by this new Mikumo Akatani, so similar to HIM yet so different, back from the other world in revenge for his ancestor.

He has to capture that kid. He's family after all, and his quirk belongs to him, it's his by right as his brother's keeper. And with it, he will be able to extend his reach to worlds beyond his own.

D) the official version, the one David Shield puts out, is that Izuku's Quirk evolved unexpectedly due to the new environment he was in, mentioning it as a precursor of Quirk Singularity.

E) The only one who actually got it is Hatsume. She can tell Izuku is the source of the Tachion Spikes and subsequent decays as he "returns home" in Skyrim when leaving school, so she perfectly understands that he's a powerful warlock from across dimension who had come here with the power of science and unholy magic to infiltrate society posing as a hero. Obviously, she's going to help him do it becoming his evil vizier and grand artificer of course. Worst case scenario, she can now market the shit out of him as a hero using her babies, best one, he succeeds and she gets to rule Australia out of their "Deal." I say "Deal" because Izuku isn't even sure he got half of what she was saying, but she seems nice and if Skyrim taught him anything is that you should treasure everyone willing to be your friend, so they hang out together, scheming and plotting without even realising it.

Tsuyu however pretty much got the gist of what Hatsume was saying (it was a crowded lunch break after all) and while she does know Izuku doesn't seem the type of the interdimensional conqueror, she still decides to call dibs on North America in exchange of becoming his Grand Admiral.

And Who knows, maybe he'll end up starting an actual line of Dragonborn Emperors there too.

Anyway that's the rough draft.

[mikkeneko]

10 favorite female characters from 10 different fandoms

Tagged by @drowningbydegrees  :) Like her, going with "first ten that came to mind" over any other, like, universal all-encompassing criteria.

I could swear I've done a list like this before, but when I checked to make sure I wasn’t repeating characters it looked like I’d done 10 favorite overall characters, not female specifically. Always nice to have a more specific search term!

1. Cordelia Naismith from the Vorkosigan series

Cordelia has been a favorite character from a favorite series for years, but having her return in Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen to show us how she’s grown and changed in the thirty-five years since we last had her as a POV character really deepened my appreciation for her. Cordelia mostly held the role of the Progressive Expat in the feudal, militaristic and overwhelmingly male-dominated society of Barrayar that she married into, and she spend her entire life fighting to bring more egalitarian and humanitarian perspectives to her adopted culture. Gentleman Jole showed us some of the changes Barrayar worked on her in return; she’s a lot harder, a lot more bloodthirsty, and a lot more tired  at the end of her career than the beginning, although she never lost hold of her core principles. Above all I really have to admire Gentleman Jole  for saying “You know what? Fuck it. Cordelia gets everything she wanted. She no longer has to put her dreams and wishes on hold to try to help her husband or son’s career along. She gets to retire to the planet she discovered and she gets six baby girls and a hot younger boyfriend and a seat on a scientific research committee. No more sacrifices. Cordelia gets everything she ever wanted.” and I for one think that’s extremely good.

2. Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings

Was just having the discussion with my fiance yesterday about how despite the fact that Tolkein is on record as saying he doesn’t know how to write female characters, he did a pretty great job with Eowyn, giving her a full multifaceted personhood with a lovely character arc of her own (which is not, despite first appearances, centered on being in love with a man) dealing with themes and issues that are still  relevant, and  doing so in a way that was specific to the female experience of the society she was written in. So either he underestimated his capacity to write female characters or he was smart enough to listen to the input of a female editor, either way, good job. It would be nice to have more  characters like Eowyn in LOTR, but no complaints about this one.

3. Vin from the Mistborn trilogy

Sanderson generally writes pretty good female characters, although they don’t always overshadow the male characters in the same books. Going to pick just one from Sanderson’s stuff it was either going to be Vin or Vivenna, and I came down on the side of Vin because she’s just pretty great. I think my favorite thing about Vin is that she became a legend in the world that came after Mistborn,  and that as much as she is admired for her achievements Marasi still points out, correctly, that not all  women should have  to be the Ascended Warrior, there are other valid ways of being a woman (and a hero.)

4. Gideon Nav from the Locked Tomb trilogy

There’s something extremely, extremely refreshing about how pure of a himbo Gideon Nav manages to be, and I adore her for it. Gideon Nav saw a giant skeleton juggernaut with swords for hands and her immediate reaction was “I want to fight that.” Icon.

5. Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle

There are a lot of really great female characters in Diana Wynne Jones so it’s hard to pick just one, but Sophie is one very dear to my heart. Suddenly finding oneself to be ninety years old and taking that as an excuse to fling off all the ridiculous social restrictions of your age and gender? Mood. Feeling like a failure despite your repeated and provable talents as an organizer and your newly discovered talents as a witch? Big  mood.

6. Kiri from Madness Season

I am always at a loss about what happened  in C.S. Friedman’s other books because she can  write female characters well! Kiri and Hesseth prove she can! She just... doesn’t. Anyway Kiri was the best part of The Madness Season,  being an unimaginably old alien from a race of energy-based shapeshifters who mostly regard the antics of the ‘embodied’ species with tolerant fondness. Her species and society rely very heavily on having symbiote partners of an embodied species and she spends most of the book slapping the protagonist character upside the head and yelling “You! I choose you! Get your head out of your ass, get your immortal shit together, because you’ve got to be my partner now!” And he does, and in the process saves the galaxy, it’s rad.

7. Agatha Heterodyne from Girl Genius

Agatha Heterodyne is an absolute Mary Sue of a character, a busty blonde knockout who one day discovers herself to be the secret genius heir of a continent-spanning mad science empire, and people come from all over to swear either loyalty or lifelong enmity with her. And you know what? She’s valid.

8. Miriam from Spinning Silver

Spinning Silver contains a very excellent trio of great female leads, but Miriam is IMHO the best for the sheer spite-fueled power of “fuck the world that’s done this to my family, fuck the Winter King who thinks he can ride in here and walk all over me, and especially fuck you demon-infested tsar who is at least partially culpable for BOTH of these things!” 

9. Parker from Leverage

I didn’t want to leave one of my favorite TV shows off here, but mostly I admire Parker for how much she learned and grew; she starts off the series with an extremely specific set of skills and very narrow set of priorities and over the seasons that follow, she grows to encompass more wants and obligations and dreams and she grows so much  in skills that by the end of the series she’s the Mastermind, and she deserves it.

10. Wen Qing from The Untamed

Wen Qing deserved better than she got, she was placed in an impossible situation and she did everything she could to protect her family, both immediate and extended, from callous warmongers who wanted to use her. She never lost her pride or her principles even when the world was busy grinding her into the dust, she tried so hard, she got chewed up and spit out by a cruel society and unlike the main character, she never was given a second chance. I cry for Wen Qing.

Tagging in turn @faux-fires, @ushauz, @fairandfatalasfair, @curiosity-killed, @cersee?

[starkeristheendgame]

If you are okay with it, I was wondering if you could do a body switch soulmate au. When you first make eye contact with your soulmate you switch bodies. You stay in each other's bodies for 24 hours. I feel like this could cause some shenanigans on both sides. Tony hasn't had to be taught anything in awhile and Peter doesn't know how to run a company.

I was a little apprehensive about this idea at first but honestly? I adore it. I am afraid, however, I took this away from the ‘humor’ pathway and plopped it straight down into ‘light angst’. Please accept my apologies for that - And I’d be happy to write something more lighthearted if this doesn’t hit the spot. Keeping your own emotions and mindset out of what you write is hard sometimes. 

Slight AU in that they meet differently to CW. 

TW: Light angst | Slight hurt 

He was going to lose his fucking mind. He could feel each one of his IQ points disintegrating as he stared at the board (an actual digital board, what fucking year were they in? 2015?) and tapped his pen restlessly on the desk. He hadn’t been to school since he was eighteen. The last time he’d been in a classroom was January, giving a motivational speech to Princeton graduates. 

He felt too small and too stifled and if this woman pronounced Epinephrine wrong one more time, he was going to launch his desk at her and snap that stupid board in half. 

Because he could do that, now. Displays of sheer power. Because Peter Parker had been bitten by a genetically modified spider and Tony was currently occupying Peter’s body. 

Soulmates were so, so overrated. 

“Hey, wonder kid. Tap that pen one more time” the girl to his left whispered, and Tony shot her a cool side-eye. MJ quirked a brow at him, equally unimpressed, and nodded to the board. Tony scowled but knew the effect was ruined by the soft, pretty baby-face he currently wore. Curse Peter and his lopsided brows and his huge eyes. Curse soulmates for existing. 

MJ was thus far the only one who’d noticed The Switch. It was only sheer coincidence that Peter and Tony both had brown eyes of a similar enough shade that the telling switch of eye colour between soulmates hadn’t given them away. MJ, however, was astoundingly attuned into her best friend, and it had only taken three minutes in her presence for her scowl at him and ask who the fuck was wearing her friend’s meatsuit. Tony had to begrudgingly admit that he could see why her and Peter were good friends. She’d looked unimpressed at his claim until he’d pulled out his (Peter’s) phone to show the frantic texts from that morning, and then she’d huffed, rolled her eyes, and dragged him to first period. 

He thought lunch would be a reprieve when it came, but instead he found himself staring with growing dismay at a tray of food that he’d refuse even if he was a prisoner, blanching in disgust when a sloppy excuse for a mac’n’cheese was dumped into one of the slots. “I’m going to die” he complained, ushered along by an unsympathetic MJ. “This is cruel. This is inhumane. Dogs don’t even get fed this”. 

“Yeah, well. You’re a billionaire, so. Put up or shut up. I have no sympathy for capitalist elitists”. And, wow, rude. But understandable. He sank down onto one of the bench seats and tried to stop his stomach from rolling at the way the meal wobbled when it was set down. He’d been poking at it for several moments, largely ignored by MJ, when a shadow fell over his table. He looked up and stared with disinterest at the sneering figure above him, before he sighed. 

“Which one are you, then? Neb? Flake?” 

“Flash” the form above him frowned, and Tony waved a dismissive hand. 

“Yeah, whatever. Class killed off half my IQ points and I’m not wasting the rest on you. Off you pop”. He turned back to his pitiful excuse of a meal, prodding the macaroni distrustfully with his fork. The boy besides him gaped, flustered, before turning on his heel and stomping off. When Tony glanced up, the girl was looking appraisingly over her book at him. 

“Maybe you should leave your balls behind. Peter could do with them” she noted, before dropping her gaze again. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“How much money does he actually have?” 

“Sir’s total net worth including assets, liabilities and investments are currently estimated at just short of a trillion, Mr. Parker. In terms of ‘real time currently’ Sir has £515,268,385,012 as of the current hour”. 

Peter was gonna pass out. He was wearing the body of a man with five-hundred billion in the bank. He’d known Tony Stark was rich, obscenely and un-necessarily so, but that was a whole other level. Vaguely unsteady, he sank down on the plush couch, feeling a little green. It had already been a few hours since waking, but he had yet to get used to the fact that he was, for all intents and purposes, Tony Stark. 

“Does that bother you?” The artificial voice asked after a moment, sounding impossibly curious. Peter hadn’t thought AI of this level possible, but here he was, talking to a voice that was more realistic than some of the living people he knew. 

“Its...A shock, I guess. I mean, it does bother me, I suppose. Nobody needs that much money. That much cold cash alone could eradicate homelessness in America. But...I don’t know. Its his money, he earns it. He saves the world and stuff. I don’t know how you could put a value on some of the things he’s done”. 

The AI was quiet for a moment, pensive. “Sir’s ‘profession’ is high cost also, Mr. Parker. The worth of the Mark IVII alone is £6,000,500,000”. Peter thought about it for a moment, then gave in, humming softly. He supposed in that sense, having that much money kind of didn’t matter, then, when a huge chunk of it was consumed by saving the world. He’d seen how often that suit got dinged up, and had no doubt repairs and replacing parts was costly. 

“Am I allowed to get something to eat?” He asked after a moment, stomach rumbling a little. He’d spent so much time this morning freaking out and being consoled by JARVIS that he’d missed breakfast and lunch had slipped him by. 

“Of course, Mr. Parker. Several components of the kitchen are automated, but I am capable of guiding through any recipes or devices you are unfamiliar with”. 

JARVIS had apparently activated something called ‘Romeo and Juliet Protocol’ when it had been revealed that Tony had been Switched, and a large majority of the Tower was closed off and protected. Peter couldn’t leave the penthouse and JARVIS had strict control of everything, even down to the doors. Peter was happy enough to just sit there and wait it out, though. As amazing as being here was, snooping was rude, especially when what he could find could potentially compromise the entire world. 

He chose to make a simple, small sandwich which involved nothing more than a single knife and plate, marvelling at the giant fridge and the ridiculous amount of food within. Apparently Mr. Stark had a chef that stopped by once every other day with prepared meals, and was on-call for whenever he required a fresh meal without having to cook it. The produce was organic and far different to the sad, wilting lettuce that could be found at the local Cheap Fresh. 

Technically, if it was plausible, when you Switched you were supposed to follow a specific protocol set up by the Government, but Mr. Stark had ultimately lost his entire mind at discovering his soulmate was fourteen and had immediately demanded Peter stay locked up like Rapunzel while he pretended to be him for the day to throw off suspicion. Peter couldn’t deny that had hurt a little, but he understood it. Soulmates or not it would be the scandal of the century - Tony would be called all sorts of things at best and investigated at worst, and the nature of their age difference meant a lifetime of interference and monitoring by the Government and protective services. He knew it was easier to pretend it hadn’t happened, to hide it from the world. Tony had suggested a private agreement, a ridiculous sum of money in exchange for Peter’s silence. 

He realised he’d been staring morosely at his plate when JARVIS prompted him softly, and he sighed, taking a bite. There was no physical remote for the TV but JARVIS helped him to access a cache of movies and he settled on Inception, his weakness for Tom Hardy and Leonardo DiCaprio soothing the ache of his new reality. 

“Am I allowed to ask what running a business is like?” He asked after a while, head balanced on his palm. 

“In what regard, Mr. Parker?” 

“Well, I don’t know. I mean, I’m fifteen. I don’t know how to run a company, let alone run a company and be a superhero. What kinda stuff does he do? Does he attend meetings? Does he fly around the world on company retreats like in the movies?” 

JARVIS sounded lightly amused when he replied. “Sir has delegated much of the daily company operation amongst several trusted employees, but he is still the namesake, owner and CEO of Stark Industries. He does attend frequent meetings, but most of Sir’s ‘flying around the world’ is done for leisure or Iron Man related activity”. 

“Sir spends most of his time in the lab, conducting important work for both his priorities. Sir also does a respectable amount of charity work, investment work and supportive work. I believe his latest venture is funding the entirety of MIT’s PhD graduate projects”. 

Wow. That was...That would be a lot of money. And being supported by someone like Tony Stark was bound to be something to boast about, something that would fluff up your resume a little. 

“Does he enjoy it?” Peter asked after a moment, fingertips raising absently to the arc reactor in his chest. It ached constantly, a low-level background pain that never quite faded out of touch, the odd sensation of a gaping maw in his chest something that had made him heave earlier that morning. Mr. Stark was tired, burnt out, but still going. It made Peter want to spend his twenty-four hours just sleeping, to try and soothe the man’s headache. 

“Sir finds great gratification in his duties” JARVIS replied quietly, though he did not specify which. Peter gave a hum and succumbed to the desire to nap, curled up on the corner of the couch with Inception fading quietly into the background. 

He ate again when he woke up, and blinked when he saw the time. Mr. Stark’s phone had been heavily locked down, but he could still access the message channel between this number and his own. The messages there were disheartening. 

Told your hot Aunt I’m staying at that Nate kids house tonight. I’ll be coming to the Tower, but you won’t see me. I’ll stay on the level below.

Sorry, kid. Seeing someone else wearing me like a Givenchy suit is just too head-spinning. 

JARVIS will keep you safe up there. We switch back at midnight, so try and get some sleep. You’ll wake up as yourself and I’ll get the plan in motion. 

“JARVIS, when was the last time Mr. Stark cried?” He asked timidly, and the AI was silent for a moment. 

“Four years ago, Mr. Parker”. 

“Oh,” he breathed out, vision blurring. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’m about to ruin that” and he let the teardrops fall.

[ncisladaily]

After 11 seasons on NCIS: LA, Renee Felice Smith said goodbye to the CBS procedural on Sunday's finale, which also marked co-star Barrett Foa's final episode.

All episode long, Smith's Nell grappled with the idea of permanently taking over Hetty's position as operations manager, a job she's unofficially held for much of the season. And when it came time to make a final decision about her future at NCIS, she chose to take a risk: Relocate to Tokyo with Foa's Eric and head up a new office there.

"The door will always remain open for Nell at NCIS, but right now, it's time for Nell to really explore her next adventure," Smith told ET of her goodbye. "Nell is a smart girl and she's chosen stability for a good long time because it was the smart choice. But now she's really questioning what she wants. And I commend her for being brave enough to even consider that line of questioning."

"It's truly difficult when you work with people you love who have become your family, who become so much more than your co-workers. A lot like me and our fabulous crew at NCIS Los Angeles," she said. "I do commend Nell for stepping into her power and really making a decision to serve herself rather than people-please and to serve others. It's quite commendable."

With NCIS: LA gearing up for season 13 this fall, Smith opened up about leaving the series after more than a decade as Nell, how she thinks her character will fare post-NCIS and her future career plans.

ET: Were you aware at the start of this season that this would be it for you? What were those conversations like that you had with the producers?

Renee Felice Smith: More than anything else, it's about telling the story and throughout this season, we got to watch Nell really grow in terms of her abilities as a leader. The focus is really character growth and Nell, a lot like myself, was ready for something else. I think that it's hopeful. It's a hopeful parting for Nell. That's how I think of it.

For most of the episode, Nell's grappling with whether to take Hetty's job permanently and whether she wants the office. How do you think she would have fared if she did decide, "Yeah, maybe I am ready to have the title and step into those footsteps officially"?

I don't think Nell was ready for that sort of responsibility. She understands the gravity of committing to a position of that status. I don't think she was ready for that to be the next 40 years of her work life. Like I mentioned earlier, Nell's a smart girl. She made the smart choice for a long time. She chose the stability at NCIS: LA and within NCIS because she genuinely enjoyed the work and even more than the work, I think she enjoyed the company of her fellow teammates.

But at the end of the day, you're right. She was deeply conflicted about her line of work and the impact that it had. When someone can stand in their power and say, "You know what? This isn't for me right now, I need to go off and for lack of a better term, find my own path." That's probably one of the bravest things anyone could do. It doesn't surprise me that Nell is taking the risk; she's a risk-taker. It's exciting. There's newness on the horizon, which is very exciting.

How do you think Nell and Eric fare in Tokyo? How do you think they do working alongside each other?

The sky's the limit for now, to be honest. She's sheer potential. There's nothing more exciting than when someone says, "I'm going to see what this thing can do." That's truly what she's saying. For now, she's saying, "Respectfully, thank you for the opportunity, but I'm going to have to pass. I have to see for myself if this is what I want to do with my life." She was so young when she started at NCIS: LA, much like myself, Renee. I was fresh out of drama school. So it's time to take the leap out of the nest, and I truly believe that the best is yet to come.

One of my favorite scenes was Hetty and Nell's lovely moment together. Can you talk me through filming that scene? That must've been a satisfying bow?

You are absolutely right. It was quite emotional to have Linda [Hunt] back on set for our final day of the season. That scene was our final day of the season and she was essentially sidelined by the pandemic. To see her in the flesh, let alone share a scene with her, it was just the ultimate. Linda is a master and whenever I'm in a scene with her, I am really the student. I'm just absorbing, I'm the little sponge, I'm watching her work and it's been the greatest gift and such an incredible opportunity to play opposite Linda Hunt, Oscar winner, for the past 10 years. It really is this bittersweet reunion between Nell and Hetty. Nell wants to stay and catch up with her mentor, who she has deeply missed, but she can't because she's made her decision.

It's really this "goodbye for now" theme. Linda and I share this mutual respect for each other, and we share this really, very special friendship. I hope that shows through. It's probably my favorite [scene] of my entire career, just because it's with Linda and she's a magical creature and I drink her in. Really any time I can spend with her is just a gift.

What is the likelihood of you popping in once in a while in the next season or beyond?

Never say never, right? It all truly depends on scheduling, but never say never. The door is always open for now. I think it'll remain open, but for now, it's time for her to go about her merry way and find her next great adventure.

What will you miss about the show and being part of this family?

I am more than grateful for my time spent at NCIS: LA. It's really been a practical film school for me. I learn through observational osmosis. I'm a student, and so, the lessons that I've learned, I will for sure tuck safe inside my Mary Poppins carpet bag of tricks and employ them in the next chapter on the next job. I will miss the people. I will miss the people greatly. I've made lifelong friendships here. I essentially spent kindergarten through 11th grade with these people. When you think of it like that, it's kind of wild to think about the breadth of time, but I just want to say I'm so thankful for our audience. I'm thankful for them praising Nell, for respecting her intelligence. I've always been cast as the funny friend, but with Nell, I got to play so much more. I got to play a human who doubts and feels, who has empathy and therefore is deeply conflicted about her line of work. Someone who is multifaceted and really can see multiple sides of the story. Sure she's smart and she's strong-willed, but Nell is also compassionate and understanding. That's what makes her a great leader. Her vulnerability is her strength. I'm so grateful to have been able to play a character who can express herself in that way and that it doesn't take away from her strength. That's so valuable for young people, for all people to know and to feel and to see. I'm just going to say, thank you.

What are you excited about next?

I am a storyteller. I'm a writer, I'm a director, of course an actor, but really what I'm interested in doing is telling stories. We have a few TV projects that are in development with CBS. And we also, I say we, my creative partner, my life partner, my other half, Chris Gabriel and I, we wrote our very first children's book, Hugo and the Impossible Thing, and it was released last month by Penguin Random House. We are so excited that it's finally out in the world. As an actor, you're often carrying out someone else's idea, but as a creative person, I'm really excited for the opportunity to bring my ideas into the world into our collective reality.

What's the book about?

We wrote Hugo and the Impossible Thing as a celebration really. Once our dog, Hugo, recovered from a life-threatening illness -- it was an inoperable tumor that almost everybody told us would be impossible to beat, but he did it. Through great determination and really some truly brilliant doctors, Hugo made it to the other side of his illness. We wanted to share Hugo's story, but we knew we also needed to create a metaphor in which to do so because we're not writing a children's book about a dog with a brain tumor. We created the metaphor of the impossible thing, and it's really this labyrinth that Hugo and the forest animals have to navigate and find their way through. We hope to inspire young thinkers to reframe the word impossible. It's about questioning and overcoming the seemingly impossible, because societally, there's a tendency to label potentially challenging moments or obstacles as impossible when in reality they're just extremely difficult.

[passionate-reply]

This time on Great Albums, I talk about an album that actually isn’t older than I am for a change! Enter the spooky, haunted forest of The Knife with me, and find out why it was Pitchfork’s Album of the Year in 2006! Full transcript after the break.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today, I’ll be tackling an album that’s more recent than anything I’ve done on Great Albums before, but it’s still old enough to start being considered a classic: The Knife’s Silent Shout, released in 2006, and hence seeing its fifteenth birthday in 2021. Silent Shout is a bit special to me, insofar as it was an album I loved as a teenager, back when it was still pretty new, and it was probably the first album I really fell in love with that wasn’t significantly older than I was. I was quite surprised when I eventually learned just how beloved Silent Shout is among music aficionados. This album has been lauded in critical circles, recommended as a “patrician” essential, and even considered one of the greatest electronic albums of all time! So, what’s the fuss about?

Before Silent Shout, The Knife were significantly closer to a conventional electronic pop duo. Their biggest claim to fame was the track “Heartbeats,” which scored some exposure after a cover of it was featured in a TV ad.

Music: “Heartbeats”

I like to think that “Heartbeats” contains the seeds of what’s great about Silent Shout, with its grinding synth backing and vocalist Karin Dreijer’s affecting wail. But its indie-pop brightness is something distinctively absent from their follow-up. Contrary to what might’ve been expected from an up-and-coming pop act, the sibling duo hunkered down in the studio and set about making something stranger and more exotic. On the technical front, they stripped the production down to its bare essentials, using just digital rhythms and two synthesisers to achieve everything we hear on the album. Stylistically, they took their sound into moody, atmospheric territory, imbuing it with this eerie, claustrophobic ambiance. It’s the musical equivalent of Frankenstein emerging from Mary Shelley’s mind, while the dreary “Year Without a Summer” had poisoned the world around her.

Music: “Silent Shout”

The title track here is also the opener, and introduces us to the frightful world of Silent Shout without mercy. This track is dominated by a powerful contrast of sound: low, thrumming bass, and these quick, but delicate and meandering synth arpeggios, carrying a distinctively Scandinavian flair. This bewitching synthesis of musical ideas makes sense in light of the diverse influences of the two siblings who made up The Knife: Instrumentalist Olaf Dreijer was strongly influenced by dance styles like house, trance, and progressive techno, as well as ambient electronic music, whereas vocalist Karin Dreijer was interested in guitar-based popular music, as well as the distinctive folk traditions of their native Sweden. Not unlike the Pet Shop Boys, they’ve got a wide gap between their influences, but that only serves to intensify the uniqueness of their work, which strikes listeners in a way the constituent musical parts of its heritage never could. Perhaps the most significant sonic feature of the album, though, is the extreme electronic distortions of Karin Dreijer’s voice.

Music: “One Hit”

If raw and everymannish vocals make music feel more in line with our everyday reality, the shocking and monstrous ones on *Silent Shout* render it a truly otherworldly work of art. While many people are quick to decry the “fakeness” of electronically mediated vocals--despite the fact that all art is, of course, artificial--I think Silent Shout proves, more boldly than anything else, just how uniquely powerful this musical tool can be in the right hands. Once you get past the sheer sonic force of the vocals, and their peculiar, skin-crawling timbres, you’ll find that most of the lyrical subject matter is actually painfully quotidian. “One Hit,” for instance, is told from the perspective of an all-too-normal “monster”: a domestic abuser, extracting and enforcing femininity and domestic servitude through the force of violence, dealing in “one hit, one kiss.” Sex, gender, and exploitation based upon them are among the album’s most central themes, and expressed harrowingly on tracks like “Na Na Na”:

Music: “Na Na Na”

Perhaps moreso than any other track on the album, “Na Na Na” is rendered borderline incomprehensible by vocal treatment--a trait magnified by its obviously meaningless title and chorus. But “Na Na Na” does have real lyrics, which tell the story of a life mediated by reproductive anatomy, defined by the rhythm of menstruation, coming from within, and the constant fear of sexual violence from without. It’s a tale of hidden anxiety, and experiences that go unseen and unspoken despite how common they are, making the haze of inscrutability laid over them all the more poignant. It’s clear that these issues are of high importance to Karin Dreijer, who has publicly described themself as “genderqueer,” despite both members of the band being remarkably sparing with all personal details. In another of the most striking vocal performances on the album, “We Share Our Mother’s Health,” Dreijer even gets to sing a duet with themself, and embody two distinct characters at once.

Music: “We Share Our Mother’s Health”

“We Share Our Mother’s Health” can be read in the light of gender and sex dynamics, as well, particularly if you’re willing to read its twin narrators as representations of masculinity and femininity. Personally, though, I think that’s a bit too easy, and really, a bit too cisnormative. I think the album is more interesting if we embrace the fundamental uncertainty of identity, and the transgressive queerness of it all. That said, I prefer to think of “We Share Our Mother’s Health” as a piece about capitalism--the endless toiling and scrounging for more material comfort and security, and the emptiness left behind when that proves to be no pathway towards true happiness. Besides, it’s not like sexism and the class struggle don’t feed off of each other in the end. This track’s sense of cacophony, with voices nearly battling to drown each other out, shows its more strident, aggressive, and downright angry side, which it delivers as powerfully as it does those moody atmospheres.

Silent Shout is the perfect title for this album, given its emphasis on voicing internal and private laments that go unheard--and voicing them with this terrifying sense of primal scream catharsis. While I initially wasn’t overly fond of the album art, it’s grown on me a bit now that I’ve seen it blown up to a larger size. This central disc shape is certainly evocative of a record or a CD, and its industrial-looking lattice structure, with a mottled, grimey-looking texture, helps conjure the impression of machine-age ennui.

I think a lot of the enduring appeal of Silent Shout is its sense of mystery. A lot of that mystery is deliberately crafted iconoclasm, and part of the art--while promoting the album, The Knife were photographed wearing sinister, elaborate beaked “plague doctor” masks, and their live performances from this period shrouded the band in darkness to obfuscate their appearances. They’ve refused to accept awards for their music or attend award ceremonies, including one memorable incident in which they sent costumed representatives of feminist organisation Guerrilla Girls in their stead. After Silent Shout, the duo created an opera based on Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species in 2009, and released one more studio album in 2013: Shaking the Habitual.

Music: “A Tooth For an Eye”

Shaking the Habitual received mixed reviews, and so far, has proven to be the siblings’ final work together, though they remain active as musicians independently, with Karin Dreijer recording under the moniker “Fever Ray.” Part of the great myth of Silent Shout is the fact that nothing else in their discography really quite approaches its specific sound, and sharp precision of conceptual focus. It’s like the album is tailor made to stand perfectly alone, outside of context, perhaps even outside of genre.

For many of us, this great legend of lightning-in-a-bottle genius is infinitely alluring. But I’ve never really bought into it too thoroughly myself. I obviously adore Silent Shout, and I think it’s a Great Album. But, unlike many people who have showered it with praise, often claiming that they don’t enjoy “electronic music” overall, I’ve always been interested in a lot of heavy, angry, creepy synthesiser-based music, and so I never thought too much of listening to this and liking it. People praise Silent Shout for being unlike anything else, but I think it sounds like a lot of post-industrial dark wave, like Attrition or Chris & Cosey, and its themes of feminist rage feel like a strong parallel to that of more recent stars of noise music such as Pharmakon and Lingua Ignota. But that’s not to devalue what Silent Shout does achieve! I think it *is* a unique album...in the way that a bat is a unique animal. Much as bats are not the only creatures who fly, but stand out for having developed that ability despite their mammalian heritage, Silent Shout doesn’t actually take direct inspiration from the earlier music it sounds the most like. It ended up there through the aforementioned eldritch alchemy, combining trance and folk and Kate Bush to get something new. That’s still something worth celebrating! Silent Shout needn’t be a perfect enigma to be a stirring masterpiece of an album.

My overall top track on Silent Shout, which I bet will be a popular choice, is “Forest Families.” It’s equal parts bleak and strangely anthemic, defined by both the unease of adapting to a plainer and harsher existence, outside the bounds of society, as well as the release that music itself provides to so many of us as we seek comfort. Since music is so important to me, I’m a real sucker for music about the importance of music, and it feels particularly well-placed on an album that’s a cathartic listen in so many ways. That about wraps this one up; thank you for watching!

Music: “Forest Families”

[tirorah]

Road to Berlin – The Strike Witches Magnum Opus?

Hello! It’s been a long time. I don’t plan on returning to Tumblr long-term—it simply stole away too much of my time and energy, and I had to do what was best for myself. However, I thought I’d pop in for a very special message.

You see, Strike Witches’ third season, Road to Berlin, has now reached its halfway point. And I need you to watch it.

“Strike Witches?!” I hear you say. “That weird show about girls with no pants that you’re obsessed with for some reason?”

Yes, exactly! Hold on, don’t run away yet! Sit with me for a spell and allow me to explain my boundless love for this silly, emotionally gripping show. Allow me to tell you why it might affect you in the same way, and why Road to Berlin may be the best offering yet.

Welcome to the 501st Joint Fighter Wing

If you’ve heard of this anime, you’ve undoubtedly heard of (or witnessed) its rather infamous claim to fame: a group of teenage soldiers fighting strange creatures in an Alternate Universe World War 2 Europe, flying around with guns and magic-fueled leg machines, and none of them are wearing any decent trousers.

That takes some getting used to, doesn’t it? I’m not going to deny that. But while Strike Witches’ rather peculiar design decisions are inescapable, there’s one thing you need to take into account: Season 1 aired all the way back in 2008. And over those thirteen years, it’s evolved into an experience unlike anything its roots would suggest.

Strike Witches has always been a strange beast. It has a large cast and divides its activities evenly between (light) war drama and slice-of-life shenanigans. And there’s fanservice, lots and lots of it! But the show’s emphasis on risqué camera work, and how that camera work is handled, highly depends on which entry you’re watching.

You see, Strike Witches is strangely ambitious. It could’ve easily taken its bizarre concept and pushed that to its limits, bringing in as much fanservice as possible and playing a simple story in the background as window dressing. But it was never satisfied with just that. Even early on in Season 1, the show deals with heavier themes like pressure, trauma and loss.

And then there are the characters, the undisputed stars of the show. Twelve strong and all with different backgrounds and personal quirks, they may at first seem like TV Tropes come to life. And certainly, sometimes they are. However, as the series progressed, things started to change. Even Season 2, arguably the lightest and silliest of all entries, featured material that built on character development and character growth earned in its predecessor.

With the movie and a trio of OVAs to round out the cast a bit more, the stage was set for Road to Berlin.

The Difficult Road Ahead

When this season was first announced back in 2018, two things stood out to me. First of all, the key visual and promotional video released along with the announcement were much more similar in style to the movies and the OVAs, featuring serious-looking characters and stormy clouds. Secondly, for the first time in Strike Witches history, an entry received a subtitle. Yes, the OVAs were named Operation Victory Arrow, but that was merely wordplay to spell out “OVA.” It wasn’t wholly serious.

Road to Berlin, however, is deadly serious.

Let’s start with an overall theme. The vaunted 501st Joint Fighter Wing has had some major victories, but much of the continent is still under occupation by the Neuroi. The Hive over Berlin is the Wing’s new target, but the journey there is fraught with obstacles. Plans are thwarted and delayed by Neuroi more powerful and far craftier than their 2008 counterparts.

And as the opening song tells us: “We all have flaws.” The Road to Berlin isn’t an entirely literal road; it’s also a metaphorical one. The push to Berlin is their hardest battle yet. Victory can only be achieved if the characters face and overcome their weaknesses. But they’re not alone.

Friendship Is Power

As the characters have long since been established, there’s greater room for growth not just in one character, but also in how that character interacts with others. Road to Berlin chose the best possible route and decided to emphasize character dynamics. Episodes don’t focus on a single character anymore; they focus on relationships, and those relationships are at their peak here.

There’s a newfound maturity to the writing in Road to Berlin, a gentle touch that allows the characters to breathe and be more than their foremost traits. You get a sense that the characters have grown from their experiences; they feel different, more well-rounded, but they still behave exactly as they should. This is difficult to get right, and while I’m sure there might be a few eyebrow-raising moments here and there, the overall result is a cast that continues to improve every week.

Chekhov’s Gun

Underpinning the character work is a highly intriguing execution. Road to Berlin delivers subtle setups and satisfying payoffs in every episode. The pacing is also seriously tight. No moment is left unused, every opportunity for additional development is taken. Even the script itself doesn’t like to waste time; it explains things here and there, but it rightly assumes you know who the characters are and what everything means, so it doesn’t bother with many unnecessary lines.

On top of all that, this season is reaching new heights in confidence and sheer audacity, and it uses that to deliver something truly special. There are interactions here that I never could’ve imagined, twists that genuinely caught me off-guard, moments where I had to sit back and digest what I’d just witnessed.

Not a single episode has been predictable thus far; I’ve had more surprises than I can count. In fact, before I started watching I made a bingo card on a whim, filling it with trends and running gags I’d spotted over the course of the series. Some of those bingo spaces have already been proven wrong, and others are in question. Road to Berlin has done such a spectacular job at simultaneously defying and exceeding my expectations that I honestly have no idea where this journey will take me.

The Fault in Our Stars

Okay, hold up, stop the hype train! I admit, I’m a massive sucker for Strike Witches. One could say this somewhat clouds my judgement. Shocking, I know. So, to make this enthusiastic recommendation fairer, let’s dig into something that I hope to see an improvement on.

There is some terrible imbalance in screen time going on here. I know I said earlier that the cast is great, and it is amazing, but some characters have definitely been favored over others. Yoshika is the main character, of course, so it’s not unreasonable for her to have a large role. Similarly, characters like Minna, Gertrud and Shirley have more experience and higher ranks than the others, which means they have an easier time fitting into scenes.

So, who’s gotten the short end of the stick?

Let’s start with Lynne. She hasn’t had as much of a presence as I’d hoped. The primary reason for this is Shizuka, who’s taken up the role of newbie to the squadron and is often paired with Yoshika because they’re working together. As each episode focuses on the relationships between a select few characters at a time, the others are often relegated to minor roles, and poor Lynne hasn’t had an episode to highlight her yet. I’m sure her moment will come eventually.

I don’t know if the same thing applies to Minna. She’s mostly stuck behind her desk again, it seems, and while she’s definitely had some scenes, her role as Wing Commander hasn’t allowed her as much wiggle room as some of the others. What I want to see from Minna is more time to be a nurturing mom to her girls. The thing is, I’m not sure how they’d accomplish a Minna-centric episode. I suppose they could pair her up with Mio, but even then, I’m uncertain where to take her. It seems redundant to have her be worried out of her mind over Mio again, and she seems to be keeping it together pretty well so far anyway.

In a trend so merciless it’s almost comical, Sanya and Eila seem forever doomed to the peanut gallery. They started out with few lines and have pretty much remained in the background since. Of course, a big factor to it all is their role as the night patrol, which naturally separates their activities from everyone else’s. It’s my current prediction that their relationship is next in line to be showcased. The quality of that episode will likely hinge on how their personalities are tuned, but there’s potential for something great.

And most shocking of all, Mio—She Who Has Practiced Plot Armor Ten Thousand Times—has had the most infinitesimal role of all. I’m of two minds on this. It appears that Road to Berlin has realized that having Mio fly into battle without a shield or Striker Unit is silly, and this is good. On the other hand, Mio is an iconic and beloved character. She deserves some screen time as long as she doesn’t overshadow the others. For now, she seems to be relegated to strategizing and logistics, although I have a hunch that a way to circumvent her newfound vulnerability has already been set up. Time will tell if this ends up being utilized.

Journey’s End

In closing, Road to Berlin highlights the best of what Strike Witches has to offer. It’s striding boldly forward, eager to dazzle us with its animation and audio, grinning as it challenges our preconceptions about where its characters can go and what they can do.

The path to this greatness can be tough. Watching Strike Witches means accepting a number of strange concepts, which can give quite a few viewers a rough start with the series. However, if you made it all the way here and haven’t given Strike Witches a try yet, I sincerely implore you to make the attempt. If you allow the characters to sweep you off your feet, then Road to Berlin could be the apex of a most satisfying viewing experience.

Especially if its second half is as impressive as the first. I, personally, have high hopes. There’s no sky this show can’t conquer.

[hellzyeahwebwielingessays]

Was Norman Osborn ‘flanderized’?

It has been said that over the years, particularly following his resurrection, that Norman Osborn became a caricature of himself. Does this accusation carry any weight?

First things first, let’s define what the terms ‘flanderized’ and ‘flanderization’ actually mean. The most comprehensive descriptor can be found on TV Tropes. To quote an excerpt from them:

The act of taking a single (often minor) action or trait of a character within a work and exaggerating it more and more over time until it completely consumes the character. Most always, the trait/action becomes completely outlandish and it becomes their defining characteristic.

When it comes to Norman Osborn the accusations hinge upon his evolution into a villain who:

Just wants to kill Spider-Man

Is behind everything bad in Spider-Man’s life

Makes Spider-Man the point of all of his schemes

The latter point is often accompanied by referencing Norman’s original goal of taking over New York’s gangs. The idea being that originally Norman wanted to take over the gangs and then was ‘flanderized’ into being obsessed with Spider-Man.

To an extent these accusations carry merit, but not really the way detractors might think.

I’ll begin by addressing the two most obvious counterpoints.

Firstly, the idea that Norman’s vendetta and schemes against Spider-Man are ‘outlandish’ is a hollow critique in context.

Almost everything in super hero comic books is outlandish, even accepting the pseudo-science of super powers. The majority of super villains could make more money legitimately than as criminals.

Common crooks would be unlikely to go to jail if any masked vigilante beat them up. The world at large would never resemble the real world on any level if even one super powered being existed as it’d redefine what it meant to be human. Not to mention the confirmation of life on other planets, other dimensions, parallel universes, alternate timelines and the existence of deities and the afterlife.

So Norman Osborn’s schemes (the most ambitious of which was the ‘Clone Saga’) are only outlandish if we take it on face value. In context, it’s merely a large-scale version of super villain standard practices. After all, perhaps the two greatest Doc Ock stories of all time respectively involved him having secretly built an underwater base out of a James Bond movie and attempting to nuke New York City.

As for Norman ‘just’ wanting to kill Spidey, I’ve already addressed that in an earlier article.

Moving, on let’s talk about Norman’s schemes. Did they all revolve around Spider-Man? Well, even dismissing his post-OMD stories or stint as an Avenger, this is simply not true.

Osborn actually retained  his gangland aspirations in the 1990s. In fact that was his primary concern in Europe between his ‘death’ and ‘resurrection’.

When he returned to America during the ‘Clone Saga’ it was revealed (through exposition provided by the Rose) that Osborn was still very much involved in acquiring power through the criminal underworld.

Spider-Man: Made Men #1 revolved around various gangland figures vying for power. Osborn was unsurprisingly among the figures depicted.

There was some follow up to this in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #95 when the Kingpin tried to assassinate Norman as a rival gangster.

So Peter was absolutely not at the root of all  of Norman’s schemes.

Nor was he behind the majority of the bad things in Spidey’s life. Between 1997-2007 alone Norman had nothing to do with:

The Chameleon learning Spider-Man’s identity

The resurrection of Doctor Octopus

Mary Jane’s death being faked by her stalker

Spidey’s duels with Morlun

The Venom symbiote seeking out new and more violent hosts, including Mac Gargan

The destruction of Peter and MJ’s apartment and of Aunt May’s home

Peter’s failing health and death in ‘The Other’ arc

Aunt May being shot courtesy of the Kingpin

So when we look at the facts, Norman just doesn’t fit the definition of flanderization listed above. He’s far from a caricature of his early appearances. This is actually fairly uncommon in general among Silver Age characters. The vast majority of all characters who were around back then have developed at least some layers of complexity since then; if anything that’d be the opposite of flanderization if anything.

This is unquestionably the case for Norman Osborn. Through stories and issues like Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #14, ‘Revenge of the Green Goblin’, Spider-Man: Legacy of Evil #1 and ‘A Death in the Family’ Norman Osborn’s personality and psychology has been immensely expanded upon from what it was between 1964-1973.

But I do not deny the idea that Norman has changed and become more focused upon Spider-Man himself. Initially his primary goal was the conquest of the criminal underworld, through which the death of Spidey was a means to an end. But from the 1996-2005 (and arguably since Superior Spider-Man v1 #4 in 2013) Norman’s primary concern seems to have been his feud with Peter.

However, these accusations against the character seem to treat this change as unnatural. As though lazy writing simply kept exaggerating one trait of Norman’s and consequently made that the crux of the character.

In reality though this change in priorities was entirely organic. Norman grew gradually more and more frustrated with Spidey’s interference until he decided to just find out who he was and destroy him. Upon learning one another’s identities that  was when Norman and Peter’s relationship fundamentally changed. It became less about gangland aspirations but far more personal. This didn’t occur due to lazy writing across time, it was an evolution during he same run that invented Norman. And it happened around 2 years following his debut.

From there Norman was integrated into Peter’s social circle and Harry was unwittingly caught in the center of their feud. After ASM #40 every time Norman remembered he was the Goblin he wasn’t going after Spidey to rule the gangs, he was pursuing a personal vendetta against him. ‘The Death of Gwen Stacy’ in particular displayed this as Norman sought revenge for Peter giving him amnesia and for the harm he felt he’d done to Harry.

So, Norman’s priorities had fundamentally pivoted within less than 10 years of his debut. And it wasn’t due to lazy writing that ‘drifted’ him in that direction. It was an entirely believable evolution of what had began as a practical consideration and then spiraled into a personal blood feud.

Detractors though might argue that Norman became a caricature upon his return in 1996.

Even if he was manipulative and at times nasty in the Silver Age, it wasn’t nearly to the same extent as his portrayal in the 90s and beyond.

This is perfectly true. And you know what, the same can be said of the impact he had upon Peter’s life. He became far more integral to shaping Peter’s life from the 1996 onwards than he’d ever been in the Silver Age.

On these counts perhaps it’d be accurate to argue Norman became flanderized.

At which point I must ask…why is that a bad thing?

Let me give you an example that’s a bit left field.

In the 2010 animated show ‘Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated’ the classic Hanna-Barbera meddling kids got a major update. The most starkly different character though was Fred Jones. In the original and majority of Scooby-Doo shows Fred had almost always been both the de facto leader and the guy who planned the traps.

He was also the single blandest character of the main five, even excusing the pretty simple personalities of the rest of the gang.* SDMI however outright flanderized him. He went from the guy who happened to be in charge of setting the traps to someone literally obsessed with traps.

And you know what? He became immeasurably more interesting as a result. Suddenly he had a role within the group as the eccentric, the strategist and his interest in mysteries had more specificity as he actively looked for chances to ensnare would be ghosts and ghouls.

Whilst it’s often not the case, SDMI’s take on Fred proves that flanderization is not inherently  a bad thing.

This is certainly true in Norman’s case. His vendetta with Spider-Man, status as puppeteer and framing as the ultimate evil within the Spider-Man universe has been used to great effect over the years.

As a puppeteer and manipulator he was given greater scope to attack Peter and his loved ones, thereby making him a far more dangerous villain that Spidey couldn’t just knock out with a punch.

His framing as an ultimate evil also helps render Peter’s heroism in starker contrast. Everything that makes Spider-Man a true hero and champion for good is spotlighted whenever he confronts the sheer sadism and malevolence of Norman. Personally, I feel Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 is the greatest example of this.

Call me crazy or old-fashioned but isn’t this an essential function of a villain in superhero fiction?**

And the emphasis upon the Parker/Osborn feud simply made their encounters more emotionally gripping. We all read Peter Parker’s adventures specifically for Peter’s character. We don’t want just any given person (spider powers or not) in the spotlight. We want to follow the ups and downs of his life, his relationships with his friends, family and colleagues, what job he’s working, where he lives, how he provides for himself and others, etc.

The Spider-Man story is in essence is the life of Peter Parker.

Having a villain who has a dramatic impact upon both halves of Peter’s life is more than creatively justifiable. It makes every encounter personal  and if we read Spidey because we’re personally invested  in his life then Norman’s vendetta renders him perennial relevant.

He is the villain who fundamentally tests the soul of our hero.

This isn’t to say that it wouldn’t be nice for Norman to be written with goals beyond Spider-Man. But my point is that making that his priority was never ever a problem in the first place.

In short, Norman Osborn was better  for his flanderization.

*Noticeably Fred’s character has had the most reinventions over the years when you look at wider Scooby media.

He’s been a cool douchebag in the live action films, something of a conspiracy theorist in ‘A Pup Named Scooby-Doo’, a cameraman in ‘Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island’, etc.

The lack of uniformity to his character is very likely an indicator of how simple and bland he originally was; and has largely remained since.

On a symbolic level one could even argue that Norman’s elevation to this personification of evil was appropriate for an older and adult Spider-Man. As we grow up the world in general grows darker and more sinister, presenting challenges that test our inner resolve.

A great example from modern literature would be Harry Potter. Harry ages from 11-17 across the seven novels, each of which dials up the amount of pain, cruelty and death Harry must confront.

[spnwatch]

Season 2: The Rankings

Whew. Oh boy.

They were still puttering about in season 1 to an extent. But now? Now they’ve really hit their stride. This season was a veritable chocolate box of delights and I ate my way through it. The overall myth arc was kind of nonsensical, but that emotional throughline? Christ. Spn buries SO MUCH emotional complexity into its leads, and they cashed in every cent in that two part finale. It packs one hell of a punch. And yeah, okay, I knew the broad strokes, the twists and turns. It’s hard not to be spoilered for a season of tv that aired over a decade ago. But reader! It mattered not!! I. Still. Wept. That’s when you know it’s the good kush.  1.) 2x12: NIGHTSHIFTER. This one just snagged the top spot by merit of its sheer ambition. Supernatural often feels like a very empty universe to me, just two guys and one car drifting from place to place. Which is fine, it makes for compelling TV, but they totally flipped the script here and this episode really dazzles precisely because of that contrast. It’s a huge, cinematic episode, a metropolitan setting full of uncontrollable elements, and it’s great to see Sam and Dean so profoundly vulnerable. The outside world is pressing up against the windows. They have sniper dots trained on them! They are, literally and figuratively, out of their depth! We’re not in Kansas any more, baby. God, I haven’t even mentioned the supporting characters. The entire mandroid rant deserves an Emmy. Victor Henrickson’s entrance! Heist movie antics! Agh!  10/10  

2.) 2x07: THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Again this episode was a cut above precisely because it showed us what the brothers look like from the outside: sketchy as all hell. It’s so good when reality ensures, because it’s great to be reminded they lead objectively insane lives! Through Linda Blair’s eyes we get to see just how unknowable, feral and amoral they appear to the eyes of polite society. Put under a microscope like this, they’re scary guys! They’re just not socialised like normal people. They don’t really care about being arrested, or about the felonies. Getting arrested is an irritant above everything else. They’re still working the case from the inside. They’re professionals; excellent liars, and totally in sync with each other. The handwritten notes they pass, like delinquent school kids! A delight! The thrill lies in watching Blair slowly unwrap their strange logic, and unravel the mystery of both the brothers and the ghost. Ugh, what a great perspective shift. I’m 100% here for it. 10/10 

 3.) 2x09: CROATOAN. Ugh, this setting. Small Town Gothic, complete with eerie mist, hostile locals and creepy Stepford vibes. Sam really shone in this episode. He’s so soothing and giant, and it made his suffering at the end all the more devastaing. The real reason this episode ranks so highly is their conversation in the surgery. It just killed me. Dean’s sheer, bone-deep exhaustion, his admission that he’s tired of the life. Sam’s despair, because he knows Dean won’t leave. The performances were so steller. I can’t even really think too deeply about it because it makes me too crazy. 10/10  

 4.) 2x21: ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE: PART ONE. I loved this finale so much more than the finale in Season 1, LOL. It might just be because I’m more invested now, who knows. The opening of this episode is a piece of art: Boston playing on the car stereo, the rain, the small cafe, the lighting. Gorgeous. I love when they have to interact with ordinary people! It adds so much: texture, humour, personality! It draws things out of Sam and Dean that we just don’t see when they have each other to bounce off of. It was so good to see Ava and Andy again. “I just woke up in freakin’ Frontierland!” The gang’s all here, folks! This episode would rank higher, but recieves minus points for the long boring speech the demon gives Sam, and killing off the first gay in the show 0.2 seconds after her introduction. Anyway. The ending of course unzipped me; Dean cradling Sam’s dead body, muttering “It’s okay, it’s not even that bad.” The elation of their reunion, so devastaingly cut short! Sam, twenty two years old, bleeding out in the mud. The sheer, hopelessness of it all. The horror. My notes for the end of the episode simply read: “Dean oh Christ. Oh my God. Oh no.” It’s just one of those scenes that stay with you long after the credits start rolling. 9/10   

5.) 2x20: WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE. I never thought I could be so profoundly upset by watching a man happily mowing a lawn. Dean’s trauma over the loss of his mother has undercut the whole show up until this point, and here it bursts to the fore. What really got me was the simplicity of it all. Just a sit-down dinner, an engagement. A beer on the porch. Fuck, he deserves it. He deserves everything. All the performances were great, they really served to show there’s a whole life in these AU characters. The fact it wasn’t all perfect was bizarrely more devastating. AU Sam’s weird straight hair and dorky jacket sealed the deal for me, as did his baffled terror in the warehouse. But even here, with no training and no idea what’s happening, he gets into the Impala! Because that’s his brother! Because I’m a huge baby I had to remove points because of how upsetting I found Sam’s quiet hostility towards Dean, HA. But that’s really just a testament to how well-realised their dynamic has become by the second season. 9/10  

 6.) 2x15: TALL TALES. Every single thing Sam does in any of Dean’s memories. Also alien slowdance set to “Lady in Red.” Also Bobby breaking them up like they’re petulant children. Gold, all of it gold. 9/10 

 7.)  2x11: PLAYTHINGS. So I’m a slut for a cool setting, obviously. Turns out, Supernatural did The Haunting of Bly Manor fifteen years ago. The swimming pool! The attic! Creepy dolls! The weird little playground! This episode has it all! I loved the saga between the ghost sister and the old lady, which would honestly make a killer movie in its own right. But I’m digressing. The main star of this episode was, of course, Dean’s profound and escalating sexual insecurities. “Well, you are kinda butch. People probably think you’re overcompensating.” FATALITY. I would’ve placed this one higher but the weird incestuous undertones kinda squicked me out... however, I did think we were meant to be creeped out by it, which is more than I can say for some other uh. Instances. It was, after all, beautifully paralelled at the end with the two sisters reuniting in death. “I can’t leave here, and you can’t leave me.” SHUDDER. Also, honestly, can Sam have one (1) breakdown on his own without Dean’s own emotional baggage taking over? Older siblings, smh. 9/10

8.) 2x22: ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE: PART TWO. This one ranks lower than part one purely because I thought the yellow-eyed demon’s overall plot was kinda nonsensical, and I cared not for John’s weird deux ex machina moment. Like do you expect me to feel sorry for that bitch? I don’t! Anyway, that being said, let’s move on to Dean’s eyes in the junkyard when Bobby asks him, “do you have that low an opinion of yourself?” They’re so flat. So dead, like a shark’s. He doesn’t need to say anything back, because it’s all over his face. That non-expression says it all. This is the culmination of the emotional arc that began with his savage beatdown of the Impala in episode 2x02. To call it survivor’s guilt wouldn’t even begin to cover what Dean goes through this episode. It’s all in Ackles’ performance; in the the way he yells, “What am I supposed to do now, Sammy?” The complete claustrophobia of it all. There’s nothing for it but to make the deal. Dean’s been moving inexorably towards this moment for the entire season. 9/10   

 9.) 2x13: HOUSES OF THE HOLY. What a kooky little episode! Magic fingers! Sam’s costcutter seance purchases! The scooby-doo placemat he uses as a makeshift altar! I love him, your honour. Obviously this episode has a lot of *~dramatic irony~* in it because of the later seasons, but it stands alone as a total banger. I was so gutted for Sam when the "angel” was revealed. So many good little Sam moments to be found in this episode. His soft, quiet little revelation that he prays every day. His awkward, earnest explanation to the horrified priest! Dean gets some great moments chasing down the would-be rapist down those dark, snow-covered streets. His speech to Sam where he explains his lack of belief is brief, but it’s a total gut punch. Rounding it off with Knockin on Heaven’s Door was just the cherry on top. 9/10 

 10.) 2x14: BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN. Ahaha I love the way Dean acts whenever Sam’s psychic powers come up. He treats him like a rebellious teen, it’s so funny. “What’s going on with you, Sam? Smokin’, drinkin’?” As if Sam’s behaviour was a) at all under his control or b) anything Dean wouldn’t HIMSELF do. Dean’s just like, this isn’t how I raised you! Truly hysterical. The whole sequence between Meg!Sam and Jo was fantastic and horrible. Sam’s huge physique is never threatening, but it really was in that moment. The interplay between them was totally spine-tingling. Meg’s impression Sam slowly crumbling away over the course of the episode was so compelling and I’m sure it will be a really fun rewatch now I know the *twist*. 9/10  

Favourite lines this season: 

The way Sam says “black cat’s bone” in 2x08

“You’re not gonna go kill somebody because a ghost told you to, are you insane?!” - Dean, 2x13

“Dean, this is a very serious investigation, we don’t have time for your blah blah blah blah.” - Sam (according to Dean), 2x15

“I’m fine, except for every single thing that’s happening.” - Ava, 2x21 

[meloncubedradpops]

Repo! The Corona Opera

For every rotation that Earth has completed around the sun since the dawn of humanity, humans have created art to cope with the realities surrounding our everyday life. We weave stories in songs, movies, plays, books, paintings, and so forth, that help digest the world around us and provide an entertaining escape from the cruelties we endure. Some stories take place in abstract universes or in the future, and we rely on what we know in our present reality to build upon these fantasy societies. My favorite movie, Repo! the Genetic Opera, certainly makes this list. We are currently experiencing perhaps the most surreal year of our collective lives, and with each passing day I argue that we find ourselves closer to the world crafted in Repo. I have seen this movie, at least 20 times. If you haven't watched Repo! the Genetic Opera or you haven't seen it in a while, I recommend giving it a view. The movie is unique in that it falls under three distinct genres: musical, horror, and sci-fi. And while the jury is out on whether our future society is going to go full on gothic aesthetic, I can say that the Repo! movie experience offers a glimpse into a dystopian fascist post-plague world wrapped in unapologetically hilarity with a heaping side of camp. It doesn't offer any spiritual cleansing that our souls collectively need, but it does show us what a new normal could look like if we really go off the rails.

As things stand, right now, so much of our daily lives and culture are impacted by the coronavirus. All of our institutions have been impacted, from school, to work, to family, to the way we interact with strangers, and especially our economy. We have all felt the effects in one way or another, and honestly? Most the impacts are of our own undoing, for better or for worse. I am going to write three pieces analyzing Repo! the Genetic Opera. First I will create the foundations that bridge our contemporary life and the world of Repo! Second I will explain how the Repo! universe operates under the definitions of fascism. And third I will weave together parts one and two into our contemporary world (particularly in the context of the United States) to highlight the dark path we heading towards. My viewpoints are of mine, and my own alone. Let's dive into part one.

Part I Repo! the Genetic Opera takes place in the year 2056. Humanity was on the brink of collapse as a result of a medical crisis that caused massive organ failure.

I never gave the premise much thought, at least not until recently. We aren't given much detail beyond the fact that entrepreneur Rottissimo "Rotti" Largo solved this crisis through his company GeneCo. GeneCo provides organ transplants that can be repaid through a payment plan. Witnessing the coronavirus unfold in real time and seeing its wrath, particularly on severe cases, honestly makes me wonder if the writers had some sort of "super plague" in mind when creating this universe. For the purpose of this analysis, I will assume that humanity suffered at least one infectious disease crisis. And just to reiterate covid-19 particularly, we really *don't* know what it's going to do to us long-term. Let the parallels begin. 

The world in Repo! the Genetic Opera, operates as normally as the citizens possibly can, which appears to be quite limited. I have noted how dated some the technologies look.

For a world 30 years in the future, it lacks cell phones and easy access to internet. When we enter Shilo's world (aka her bedroom!) she watched Blind Mag sing on a busted up tiny ass TV and the program itself looks like an ad on Home Shopping Network.

The Graverobber is shown reading headlines on a newspaper. The news reporters shown in the ribbon cutting ceremony during the 1st Italian Post-Plague Renaissance have old school cameras with flashbulbs.

The most contemporary technology appears to be a Wish.com version of an Apple watch, and even that looks like a leftover prop from Spy Kids.

Obviously the people who made this movie intentionally inserted these anachronisms, but why? This is a science fiction movie after all. I speculate that they reverted back because the impact from humanity's crisis resulted in an overall professional "brain drain" from the sheer volume of professionals that dropped dead. In fact every scene depicting medical procedures looks dimly lit and lacking in sanitation. We will see this as we struggle to contain the coronavirus, at least in America. Healthcare workers have already died from this thing, and I am sure many prospective college students will have second thoughts about a career in healthcare. I mean hell, look at no other than GeneCo itself. That company employs workers called "Genterns" who are most definitely not in full PPE. I don't doubt their medical expertise, but they appear to be disposable (please see: that time Luigi killed one for NO REASON in "Mark it Up").

On that note, it really was quite incredible how China built the pop-up hospital in Wuhan in under 4 days, but it was also not the most safe or structurally sound building by far (it collapsed, people were hurt!). Maybe at this point, the people in Repo! don't have much of a choice. I am sure there were likely legit hospitals, but the fact that the Renaissance had gross surgery tents is a bit unsettling.

This is a world that is completely built upon the social more of valuing your health above all else. There had to be a turning point in the GeneCo business model where they really played on up-selling organs for the benefit of "genetic perfection". "I needed a kidney transplant desperately. GeneCo showed this single mom sympathy. This makeover came for a small added fee. Now I look smashing on live TV!" Imagine signing the documents for your power of attorney while actively going into renal failure, when your doctor chimes in with an up-sell for breast implants. When all is said an done, your body is now not only functioning again, but you're hot! Even in a post-plague dystopia we are still holding value to having a nice rack. What's not to love about GeneCo? Obviously we know right away that GeneCo has a dirty side. Rotti Largo personally lobbied to make organ repossessions legal, and he does not hesitate to recollect his property. The concept itself is, of course, wild. In America, our healthcare system is incredibly broken and expensive.  You would wonder how it could get worse without us backpedaling many steps on the industrialization timeline. And in a lot of ways, I could see a company like GeneCo thrive here. We already hate the poor, and we have political think tanks that salivate over the idea of cutting social programs that keep people alive. Our president has wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act while many people are unemployed during a pandemic. In Repo! we hear about those who don't pay, but obviously there are plenty of people who do. Those who can will happily pay, either for vanity reasons or to stay alive.

And while society cites Rotti as being a "hero" for humanity, we see more and more evidence that the crisis is both not under control and life is cheap.

His son murders multiple people, in front of others, with seemingly no repercussions. In the scene where Shilo meets the Graverobber for the first time, adjacent to the graveyard and tombs owned by wealthy families who could afford grave markers, lies a poorly constructed wall hiding thousands of corpses piled on top of one another. We even get a glimpse of a truckload pouring more onto the pile. I would not be surprised if there is a disinformation campaign there keeping the public in the dark (although you'd think the smell would be unbearable at this point).

There are multiple indications that propaganda works in society (still), and no one is getting the full picture of how much of a raw deal the people in Repo! have. We see poster after poster about GeneCo, in the literal absence of other corporations. 

And a lot of them bear resemblance to 20th century Russian propaganda. It would be a real shame if the goals outlined The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia were actually realized. Imagine going to visit your mother's grave and hearing commercials for hardcore analgesics play through the cemetery. Also, there's a police presence too. Apparently the police are called Genecops and have authority to execute any assumed graverobbers on site.

Imagine the hellscape it would be to live in a world where your loved ones may have died from a terrible pandemic, and you face a non-zero chance of an over zealous cop murdering you thereafter, and because their qualified immunity bypasses the judicial system entirely...oh wait. Anyways let's circle back to the Graverobber character.

Graverobber's role in Repo! appears to be minor on the surface. Rotti's daughter, Amber Sweet, appears to almost despise her relationship with him. And that relationship involves him supplying Amber with what he describes as the "21st Century cure". This cure you ask? A super effective painkiller with the clinical use to accompany GeneCo surgeries. This drug is called Zydrate, and it has a street version that he acquires and sells, with clients including Amber Sweet.

Graverobber makes his living sucking the glowy blue brain corpse goo and injecting them into people on the streets. Yum!

Not everyone who needs an organ transplant can pay for it all upfront. Luckily for them, GeneCo provides payment plan options! The caveat to this is if you fail to make those payments, legally GeneCo can come and repossess your newly acquired organs. If you find yourself past due, you will soon see the last face before your doom, the Repo Man. He will harvest GeneCo's property, and it won't matter where you are or what you are doing. There is no anesthetic, and you will likely die! This was all made legal through Rotti's lobbying efforts.

Society, as it's set up today, allows for property repossessions. This can be as straightforward as a repossession of your vehicle to as heartbreaking as a foreclosure on your home. At the end of the day, the impacts of that are difficult and life changing. Currently millions of people in America are out of work, and the threat of losing everything is at stake for many. We could lose our homes, our vehicles, and our sense of purpose. And while many government bodies have created temporary moratoriums, they have not provided any substantial financial relief to keep the proverbial repo man at bay. What went wrong in this dystopia to normalize the concept of death due to nonpayment? Fascism! Ah yes, the dreaded f-word. In my next essay, I will outline the 14 characteristics of fascism and how it relates to the universe in Repo! After I will relate that to our modern world so that we can try and stop this from becoming our reality.

[entertainment]

Entertainment Spotlight: Tyler Barnhardt , 13 Reasons Why

If you’ve already binge watched Season 3 of 13 Reasons Why, which premiered on August 23rd, chances are that you’ll recognize Tyler Barnhardt. He’s a new series regular, playing Charlie St. George, one of the bullying jocks who has a change of heart about his friends and their choices. Before his breakout role on 13 Reasons Why, Tyler made guest appearances on The Passage, Scorpion, Underground, and Bull. We got the chance to ask him some questions about his first experience as a series regular on a television show. Check it out:

What five words would you use to explain Charlie St. George?

Impressionable, eager, lovable, sporty, justice

Anything memorable about the story of how you get your role in 13 Reasons Why?

This show and I go way back. I remember auditioning for the pilot, reading the script, and absolutely falling in love with the characters and project. From that point on, I did everything in my power to make every audition for this project. For the role of Charlie, the creators wanted to make sure whoever booked the role had some sort of football experience. I dragged one of my good friends and my tripod to the nearest park in Brooklyn and taped myself throwing the football as part of my callback. I think I put in more time editing my football video with transitions and music than I did in the actually audition.

If you could do a crossover with any other show, which one would you pick?

I’m a huge fan of cop and detective shows. I think in this moment it would have to be Mindhunter. I’m a huge fan of Jonathan Groff and I think it would be great if Charlie joined the police academy and started working with Holden Ford. New dream team? I think so.

Tell us your favorite on-set experience (on or off camera).

My favorite experience? There are too many experiences to name. Seriously, the whole season was a great experience. One that stands out to me though was early on in shooting. My best friend from college and roommate in New York City booked a small co star role on 13RW two days before I found out about Charlie. We were crossing our fingers hoping that it worked out and it did. We both flew to San Francisco and stayed in a hotel to work on the same show. It was surreal to go from working together in our colleges production of Cabaret to working together on set in California for a huge show. An experience that I will hold onto for the rest of my life.

What TV/ movie/ book character do you most identify with?

How about a musical? In high school I played the character Leaf Conneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. If you’ve never heard of it, look up the music it’s awesome. Basically, he’s this precious kid who somehow ended up in the regionals of his towns spelling bee by sheer luck and others misfortune. He is often times aloof and in his own world but always gracious of how far he’s come and doesn’t take things too seriously. I identify with all of that.

What did you learn and take away from your first time as a series regular on a television show?

I’ve learned that if you show up on time and ready to work things will typically go really well for you. I feel like my professors drilled that into my head in college but it absolutely transitioned into the real world. One of the first table reads I was like 20 minutes early and the first ones there. Brian Yorkey was the next one to enter a couple minutes after. He said good morning and then joked about where everyone else was. Right after that though he said “show up on time and you’ll go far in this business”. I say this because there are so many things that we can’t control in this business, so I try and take ownership on all the little things that I can control. Don’t be late.

What emoji do you use the most?

Ugh, I’m disappointed, I wish it was more exciting but I laugh cry at everything apparently. 

Did you do anything in particular to get into the mindset of Charlie St. George on 13 Reasons Why?

This show was actually different than any other show I have worked on. Throughout the shooting of season 3, the writers kept me in the dark about my character. I knew that my loyalty was being fought for between Zach and Monty on the football team but I didn’t know which way Charlie would ultimately sway. Brian Yorkey told me after shooting that it was intentional. They enjoyed keeping me in the dark. As an actor, I actually appreciated it. I threw all my trust in the directors and Brian and I love the way Charlie turned out. Season 4 I’ve got a much better idea of the kind of guy he is and that’s equally as exciting now approaching him from that side (I like that emoji a lot too).

Thanks, Tyler. Season 3 of 13 Reasons Why is now streaming on Netflix.

Photographer: Nolwen Cifuentes | Styling: Eric Owes | Groomer: Sonia Lee