#please be nice to me when reading this its my first original work constructive criticism welcome

[petitfanboy]

Comprehensive and in-depth analysis of Asuka and Shinji relationship in 3.0+1.0, implications for the ending and why many youtube Eva analysis videos titles I believe are wrong. (Spoilers ahead)

Preface

It seems it was yesterday when I wrote an extended essay regarding the essential and critical relationship of Asuka and Shinji in Evangelion for the last time. However, seven years have passed. 

My idea here is to write, in general lines, about the relationship of Asuka and Shinji in the last movie and the ending and its implications in a more detailed way. I will use different analyses I have read so far besides mine, and you will find the links to all of them in the text. 

I have tried to maintain an analysis that followed the narrative plot and what I believe is closer to what the director wants to express. However, as Anno himself has said multiple times, his work may inspire different feelings in different people, so I understand where the differences might come from and, in no way, this is intended as a confrontation to other opinions and theories. 

Please, let me start with an introduction.

Introduction

While a lot has changed for me in these years, my view of A/S relationship in the whole Eva universe, including their dynamics, meaning, and canonical aspects have not changed. 

Long story short, A/S represent core aspects of the message Evangelion wants to transmit: The Hedgehog's dilemma, the fear of connecting and rejection while having a strong desire to be loved and understood, and finally, the pursuit of happiness. Asuka and Shinji are opposites on their outside and equals on their inside. A perfect match for exploring those issues.

RoE makes clear their similarities

Asuka and Shinji similarities

Evangelion arrives at a fulfilling conclusion at the end, showing us how it is possible to overcome the abovementioned problems. To depict that, it always involves resolving the different issues Asuka and Shinji have between them, becoming closer, opening to one another and, probably and eventually, staying together.

Evangelion portrays that resolution using scenes showing the exact moment of the change in A/S dynamics, the moment when both pursued real connection starts. What happens after that change is unknown, but the intention is clear: once they begin to make an effort, they have the chance to be happy together.

Before the release of 3.0+1.0, different spoilers and youtube video’s titles ruined my life, as I suppose that happened to some of you. It had such a significant impact on me that it is hard to define with words. Not because I was an angry asushin fanboy as some might classify me, but because, had it been confirmed, it would have meant that the message that Evangelion has been constructing since its first airing was shattered to pieces. I could not accept it.

At that specific moment, the Eva Extra Ex manga came and saved me.

Eva Extra Ex Manga Translated

I cannot highlight enough how important this manga was and still, it is. For me, it represented a call from Anno himself, saying: Do not worry, Evangelion is going to keep being Evangelion. I still recall the endless discussions on the internet when 3.0 came out about the effect of the time-skip, in what lousy state the relationship between Shinji and Asuka was (or if it was even inexistent!) and how Evangelion was going to transmit another message in the end. For me, there were always precise moments in 3.0 that pointed against those conclusions. But with Eva Extra, everything changed. It tied aspects of 2.0 and 3.0 very nicely and allowed us to discover more regarding Asuka's feelings and motivations.

With the first interaction in the manga between Asuka and Mari, we see that Asuka still has (deep) feelings for Shinji.  As the story progresses, we see how Asuka reacts to Mari's teasing and how unconvinced Mari is of all the bravado that she displays. A/S relationship, alongside their communication and hedgehog's dilemma related problems, still existed in the present timeline of the events of 3.0 and 3.0+1.0.

God's in his heaven all right with the world.

Chapter 1: The houses of healing

Instead of speaking of every Shinji/Asuka interaction scene, I will try to make this analysis lighter by talking about how it progresses across the film and focusing only on key scenes.

The film's first part explains how Shinji achieves healing after understanding how people around him are friendly, which is a big difference from EoE. In EoE, it was impossible. Shinji was left hurt and without any option to heal. He ultimately achieved healing through his experiences in instrumentality, leading to the ending and the hope/love message we all know in One More Final: I need you.

This process, this healing, happens in a precise location. That is the reason for the chapter's title. I took the liberty of naming this first chapter as the eighth chapter of Tolkien's book The Return of the King. But, what place is it?

Initially, Shinji is taken to Toji's house. While that place suits Rei, who will understand the basic meaning of life and being human, Shinji makes no progress there. Interestingly, Kensuke sees how Shinji is not making any progress and suggests he should go with him to his house. Why? It is driven by his new parental role, reminiscent of Kaji. He thinks why Shinji is in such a state and understand his needs at that moment. Besides, with or without knowing it, he reunites Shinji and Asuka under the same roof and the same parental figure.

I cannot say that he willingly wanted to reunite Shinji with Asuka, although I am sure he thought it was a direct consequence of carrying Shinji with him, so he was happy with that idea. As we know from 2.0 and the original series, their friends are the ones who notice Asuka and Shinji bond, so it would not be strange that Kensuke wanted to reunite both of them.

With or without Kensuke's will, bringing Shinji to Kensuke's house mirrors Misato's apartment, but with a male figure as the leader (i.e. A Kaji instead of Misato). It is a comeback to better times. Kensuke takes the parental figure for both Shinji and Asuka, as Misato did when Asuka moved in 2.0 for both children. This time, Asuka is the one who is already living there (previously it was Shinji), and Shinji is the one who arrives later.  In 3.0+1.0 Misato cannot fulfil her maternal role anymore, as explained later in the film (and redeemed at the end).

Let me linger on this parallel. In 2.0, when Asuka arrives at Misato's house and introduces Asuka to Shinji, we have the romantic comedy scene of the shower a few minutes later. The scene makes us understand that they feel some attraction to each other, albeit in a very early stage (and introduces PenPen to Asuka). Time forward, this first interaction is repeated in Kensuke's house. When Shinji arrives, he finds Asuka naked after having a shower. This time, no reaction is seen from either part explicitly. Neither Shinji nor Asuka blushed or overreacted, but Asuka clearly states her disappointment, which shows us her desire that Shinji reacted, that Shinji expressed attraction towards her. A significant line that adds up to all the previous evidence about Asuka's persistent feelings for Shinji. What about Shinji? There is a minor detail. When he sees Asuka naked, he stares at her with a glare that is just a mix of emotions. Although it is difficult to tell what he is thinking, Asuka is directly opposite him, and he can see both the DSS choker and her body. However, he only notices the choker when she wraps herself with a towel. Draw your conclusions.

From that point onwards, we get a few scenes representing the problem Asuka and Shinji have communicating and how alike they are. When Shinji throws up for the first time, Asuka explains to Kensuke why Shinji behaves like that and shuts himself off. However, she is doing the same, playing with her console. Asuka's video game is Shinji's SDAT.  Asuka hates the behaviour of Shinji because she sees her flaws in him.

Despite all the façade, she tries to communicate and help Shinji repeatedly in the coming scenes, checking on him on several occasions. Whenever she does that, the movie clearly shows us that she has abandoned her Shinji-like behaviour, showing us the console turned off.

Asuka and her videogame

The climax of their conflict is the force-feeding scene. But before analysing that scene, let me tell you a few more details.

I believe that the mirroring of Misato's apartment is portrayed through other details. For example, the name KenKen might have been chosen in honour of the missing companion from Misato's apartment: PenPen.

Furthermore, while some people might find odd the tendency of Asuka to be naked, this is driven by her disgust with her own body, which is shown in the Eva Extra manga. Finally, to enforce the idea that the relationship between Kensuke and Asuka is different from the one that she and Shinji have, it is essential to notice how Kensuke calls them. He calls them by their surnames, Shikiname and Ikari, placing distance between them.

Let's return to the force-feeding scene. In that scene, Asuka wants to help him, which is why she feeds him, and at the same time, she explains her frustration regarding the lack of reaction and understanding on his part. The conflict between them is portrayed similarly to the Eva 03 incident in 2.0

Visual comparison 1

Visual comparison 2

She is trying to understand him, and she tells him rather precisely why she thinks he is in such a state. She only wants him to reciprocate that understanding, and she wants him to think and explain why she punched him after seeing each other after 14 years. I must highlight the punch's importance. It summarises their communication problems, their conflict. Eva clarifies it in 3.0 using the same parallelisms as other communication problems, like Gendo and Shinji.

However, we know how she feels. The Eva extra manga gives us that insight. She has feelings for Shinji but hates his inaction due to his internal struggles. The hedgehog's spikes have been replaced by a punch. If they can talk about the punch, they will start communicating.

From an external view, Shinji reacts to being force-fed in a way that probably is not what Asuka wanted. Shinji leaves the house, followed secretly by Asuka, in another display of how Asuka feels internally.  It is another parallelism with Misato's apartment, again with a reversal of roles between Shinji and Asuka.

Parallelism

However, we will learn in future events that Shinji started to think about what Asuka told him at that moment, so he listened to her.From this point onwards, Shinji will deal with his thoughts and come to an understanding with himself. It is not achieved alone, but with the help of Rei and, although not directly, Asuka. She is the one who directs Rei to the place where Shinji is and continues checking on him to see that everything is going fine. She is there.

Asuka cares

When Shinji grows up and maturates, we have the first bidirectional communication attempt between Asuka and Shinji. While she asks Shinji if he feels better, he responds with only sounds. Yet, this is the first time they have tried to talk about their respective problems and emotions calmly. We will see this pattern repeat itself several times in the movie: Shinji grows a bit, and then Asuka opens herself another bit. It is very interesting to see Asuka's glare. Asuka is drawn with that glare whenever she is looking at Shinji in a positive/concerning him way. We will return to that later. Besides, she speaks to him without looking at her console.

All this healing process ends in a sentence that is easily overlooked. The night Kensuke is discussing with Asuka the plans to return to the Wunder, Shinji comes home and says, "I am home". It is the reflection of Shinji's complete healing. Thanks to his growth, he has found a new place where he belongs once more. It let us understand why he will consider that this place is important for Asuka too. Both have suffered the same parental love deprivation, lacking a place where they truly belong. Finding a place that they can call home is part of their way to happiness and usually happens before both connect.

The film also let us see how Shinji heals, comparing it with the healing of one of the village's dogs

Now, Shinji is ready to go with Asuka to the Wunder and start a transformative journey for himself and those around him. But first, let me post a few more details, some of which I had not noticed until doing some research on the internet:

Visual comparisons that highlight the similar role of Kensuke as Kaji (Parental role)

2. Asuka's scarf to hide her DSS choker.

3. The possible futon share between Asuka and Shinji, showing how she cares about him.

Chapter 2: A trip in the Wunder

The most relevant scene for their relationship in the Wunder is Asuka's confession. However, there are a couple of interesting interactions before that. The first one is the display of Asuka's jealousy of Sakura when she sees her interaction with Shinji, saying, "Are you his wife?"

The second one happens when Asuka meets Mari. While loaded with fanservice, this interaction is not trivial. Mari's teasing is an essential element in the Rebuild series, even more knowing how important the character of Mari will become at the end. She seems to be aware of Asuka's real feelings, and we know from the Eva extra manga that she tries to push Shinji and Asuka together, which I will come back to later. Asuka replies to Mari's teasing that Shinji "does not need a lover, he needs a mother". This sentence is a double edge sword. First, it shows Asuka's interest in Shinji as a romantic partner, given her deception, and actually, Asuka is saying this sentence while she is playing the videogame, so probably she is hiding her feelings, shutting herself oof the world as Shinji used to do. Second, it shows the problems they face: Communication and maturity. Maturity, because Asuka feels that Shinji has not changed as she has had, and communication, because as we will soon know, Asuka also wants that figure in her life. However, it is not true that Shinji has not grown up. It is just that they have not tried to communicate again, and thus, she does not know about Shinji's recent developments

Everything will change when Asuka faces the reality of possible death. Before the "final battle", she decides to reach out for Shinji. After Mari introduces herself to Shinji in an awkward way that will be important in the ending, Asuka repeats her question. In reality, she asks if he has thought about her, how she feels and everything she has gone through. To Asuka's surprise, Shinji answers the question, blaming his inaction. Taking this as a partial sign of maturity and growth, Asuka starts opening herself, although not wholly, a sign that Shinji's answer might not have been entirely correct. Besides, her body language is similar to the previous lift scenes in Evangelion, where we know she hid her real emotions.

She will equal what to tell Shinji to Shinji's growth. Therefore, she explains to him how she liked him 14 years ago, but not how she feels now. Furthermore, she leaves before Shinji can reply to her statement, leaving Shinji staring back at her through the glass. So, it is Mari again who makes us understand that this has been a sign of communication that goes in the right direction. She congratulates Shinji and stimulates him to continue like this. Again, Mari is trying to solve Asuka and Shinji's problems. Mari says goodbye in Chinese to Shinji (perhaps, a way to tell us that the spell of goodbye works, as they meet again later) and goes to do the same with Asuka, asking her if she feels better. Mari is trying to make Asuka see that opening herself to Shinji will bring happiness to her too.

Nevertheless, we must not forget that the short confession happened because Asuka thought this might have been the end. In a sense, it almost was.

Chapter 3: I need you

This chapter starts after Shinji and Gendo have resolved their issues. As I explained before, the need of resolving their parental matters will be critical to both Shinji and Asuka. The same happened in EoE. Asuka gets to know her mother in her battle against the mass-produced Eva, and Shinji learns about his father's plans and mother during instrumentality. After those experiences and their other interactions through instrumentality, they arrive at the I need you scene where they open to each other.

Gendo gets off the train, and the control of instrumentality is handed over to Kaworu. While Gendo was willing to sacrifice everything for his sake, the growth of Shinji reaches its maximum at this point. Shinji decides to take the reversal role of his father. Even if he is heartbroken or it is a hard and not a pleasant experience, he wants to help Asuka and those who were nice to him. This is the transformative journey that Shinji accomplishes in RoE that marks a completely different path from NGE+EoE.

I worded the sentence highlighting Asuka because those are the literal words of Shinji, naming Asuka as an individual and using the Japanese word "minna" for the rest, which could be the rest of his friends or even the rest of humanity. Shinji has learnt that he must give without seeking anything in return. He must stop thinking about himself only. He is going to help their friends without any positive repercussions on himself. As he later will explain, he plans to rewrite the world with the new spear given by Misato to get rid of the Evas and what they represent, stopping the cycle of suffering that comes with them, and let their friends live a happy life.

Symbolism of the spear

Interestingly, he does not explain this to Asuka and only mentions it to Rei, with some hesitation, which is what prompts him to tell her that Mari would come for him eventually. That behaviour is because for getting rid of the Eva and rewriting the world, he needs to impale himself with the spear inside Eva 01. While we do not know for sure the effects on Shinji, the way it is portrayed resembles a willing sacrifice, a person opening himself to that terrible outcome for a better benefit for their friends. Besides, we must not forget that the sync rate of Shinji with his Eva was infinite at that time, so probably the expected outcome would be the death of the pilot and he knew about that.

This situation is what gives us an essential context for understanding Shinji's actions. As Asuka earlier, he also thought that he might not return. But let’s see what happens with Asuka and Shinji.

The first to be saved is Asuka. As some sort of guardian for Asuka (and Shinji, and even Asuka/Shinji relationship), Mari reminds Shinji before he leaves her entry plug in the anti-universe that he has to find her. And he does.

There are many iconic and meaningful landscapes in Evangelion. Still, none of them has the symbolism, meaning, emotional associations and beauty as the beach where Shinji and Asuka laid at the EoE has. Although it is not the same beach and there are different details, the scene's meaning is clear. It was the scenario of One More Final: I need you. Thus, the location evokes that meaning, where Shinji and Asuka connected and expressed their emotions and feelings in EoE. To increase and highlight that intention, the first shot we have of the landscape is a full white moon, a remnant from the N3I. The moon has always been a poetic figure for love, and it brightens the sand creating the white beach. It is the perfect scenario to share an intimate moment.

Then, a saved, Eva curse-free Asuka awakes. The first sentence references the fact that the curse of Eva is lifted, and she can sleep. As some people detail, the plugsuit is a combination of different ones. This phenomenon will repeatedly happen in the anti-universe. Long story short, as I do not want to enter the terrain of the time loops and different universes, I believe that the idea behind that symbolism is that Evangelion is a multiverse. The anti-universe might somehow connect them, and we can see them. However, the characters remain the same from the universe where they come from. Only those annotated in the book of life remember those other universes or RoE time-loops (which seem to affect only the RoE universe and seem not to be confirmed in the other universes), and probably, as Shinji is in charge of the flow of events, the bleeding in his memories is what drives those changes.

The fact that Asuka wears a plugsuit that is a combination of previous ones, does not mean that she is Soryu or several Asukas at the same time. She is Shikinami, and it is the first time that she is on that beach. Her background and memories are from the RoE timeline, as she does not express, as Shinji will do later, any perception of that phenomenon. The same goes for their location. While they are on a similar beach, it is not the same where Soryu and Shinji found themselves in EoE. It is probably the bleeding of details between universes that wraps the metanarrative message that gives importance to the scenery (that beach is where they connected and accepted each other both in EoE and in this movie, and the place will always symbolise that)

Even those aware of other timelines (Kaworu and Shinji at that point) can only remember that they met before or have a déjà vu feeling. They do not have a complete insight into what happened. I think that this bleeding of details gives an important message: All the universes of Evangelion exist. Soryu and Shinji's story from NGE and EOE has happened, albeit in another universe, part of a larger multiverse. In a sense, it is saying that NGE+EoE is as canon as RoE, something essential to maintain coherency. The difference is that they happen in different physical planes of space and time.

Let's return to the fact that a grown Asuka is on the beach. The camera plays, repeating the same shots as in EoE, linking both scenes thematically again. Moreover, the visual links expands to other couples in Eva.

Here, Shinji sits next to Asuka, with his arms around his legs and a completely different gaze, making clear Shinji is happy to see her. The events follow this path:

Asuka sees Shinji next to her and calls him "Baka Shinji" in a not mean way. A way that shows us that despite calling him "Baka Shinji" time and time again, that did not mean that she truly hated him.

Shinji verbalises his happiness to see her again and says thanks to her for letting him know her feelings previously.

Shinji reciprocates the same feelings, using the past tense. Why? Well, at least this time is more straightforward than explaining why he choked her.  Shinji has several reasons for this: First, it directly answers what Asuka told him earlier. And second, he wants to save and return her to the Eva free world, and thus, knowing that he might not return, hides his current feelings.

Asuka is surprised that her feelings are reciprocated. She blushes and turns to her left, hiding her real feelings at that moment to Shinji. In the next shot, we see a happy, blushed Asuka smiling.

The reaction of Asuka and all the previous evidence from the movie and the manga make it evident that she still has feelings for him. With his body language, Shinji is also transmitting to us that he is hiding his true feelings. Besides, a past tense confession for Shinji makes no sense at all. Shinji has been sleeping those 14 years. For him, those moments where "he liked" Asuka are only a few weeks or months ago from this moment on the beach.  We will get the last evidence that Shinji still has feelings for Asuka, thanks to Kaworu. He, who is aware of all the timelines and universes, asks Shinji if he will feel lonely letting Asuka go. Shinji, with the same body language and a sad face, says no. We must link Shinji's behaviour to the fact I explained earlier. Shinji wanted to sacrifice himself for the happiness of Asuka and everybody.

This links with another idea. The scene is fast-paced. Once Shinji confesses his feelings, he says goodbye to Asuka and the Kensuke sentence. While this might be a reminiscence of Asuka's behaviour in the Wunder, allowing him to avoid any reply, that would have made things more difficult. However, his words are carefully chosen. We know from Rei's experiences in the village that "goodbye, is a spell of magic to see each other again. Despite his plans, Shinji's wish is to see her again

The meaning of goodbye

Then we have the Kensuke sentence. I wanted to talk about this in a simple way. Asuka needed the same parental role as Shinji, and through her experiences in instrumentality, she finds that she has that part of herself fulfilled by Kensuke. However, things get complicated if we start to notice some details. The fact that Kensuke calls Asuka "Asuka" instead of Shikinami and that the doll with Kensuke inside of it appears in the Rei scene has raised concerns that the Kensuke who appears in Asuka's instrumentality scenes is in fact Shinji, helping Asuka to find her place in a future world without him. In more detail:

All Asuka's scenes in instrumentality revolve around Shinji, nothing from Kensuke. It seems that Shinji wants to revert that and makes her conscious that she can find a place to belong and the parental role she needs, especially taking into consideration that he was about to die.

Instrumentality scenes comparison

She verbalises that she has no place to belong yet (despite living with Kensuke for some time), so Shinji wants to clarify that point for her.

It answers why Kensuke calls her Asuka and not Shikinami and why the doll appears again in Rei's scenes on the stage. Furthermore, it connects Asuka's memories with the beach scene, as it is after Kensuke says, "Asuka is Asuka" that she wakes up next to Shinji.

The original source of the theory for me was this video

In the end, from Asuka's instrumentality to the end of the beach scene, Shinji wants her to understand that she has a place to belong alongside the parental figure that she needs and that she is also loved by him, although he is going to let her go for her benefit. A true act of selflessness given his feelings. That is heart-warming and an actual act of love on his part.

Then, something happens amid the fast-paced scenes. The camera shows Asuka with an open mouth, sleeping(?) and Mari next to her. Wait. When did Mari come in? Why? I am not sure of the answers to these questions. It shows that Mari is more than we thought and has more knowledge about the anti-universe and what is happening. We do not know if this scene happens just after Shinji’s words or something has happened in the middle, as Asuka's expression seems not to match the last we see from her. Is there a deleted scene in the middle? Mari says her goodbye to Asuka. Mari has been a bridge between Shinji and Asuka and a close friend to her. In some sense, and continuing the parallelisms between Shinji and Asuka, she has been her Kaworu

Interestingly, Mari only appears to say bye to Asuka and not Rei or Kaworu. At the same time, Shinji only says sayonara to Asuka, the only character that does not have a handshake and a shutter closed. While there is no definitive answer to this fact, I believe it is crucial regarding the ending, as it will establish a continuity between the goodbyes and future gatherings, all directed by Mari, and that is why she appears probably (and she might be the one ejecting Asuka’s entry plug)

After Mari's take care, Asuka wakes up in the entry plug and is ejected by Unit 13. It is important to note that Asuka leaves without any kind of voluntary movement. She awakes in different locations and is the Eva 13 who ejects her. We do not know Asuka’s opinion about this at any time, or how she feels about being saved leaving Shinji behind.

Chapter 4: The sacrifice is stopped

After Kaworu and Rei's scenes, which I am not going to talk about, Shinji decides to carry out the Neon Genesis. We get to the moment where he is ready to sacrifice himself, in some sort of redemption of humanity's sins for creating the Evas and all the suffering that accompanied them. But then, Yui appears.

She stops the spear, protecting Shinji, and takes him out of the Eva 01. Yui’s wish is that he can live in that Neon Genesis world where the Evangelions do not exist, where people, and Shinji, can be happy. This moment changes everything. The plot twist will allow Shinji and Evangelion to have a happy and hopeful ending, thanks to Yui's (+/- Mari) plan.

The sacrifice of Shinji's parents for the sake of their child redeems them from the emotional deprivation Shinji has endured all his life. Shinji, mimicking the last instrumentality scene in EoE, returns to the anti-universe, now alone.

Chapter 5: Mari to the rescue

Shinji waits patiently on a blue water beach. Slowly, he starts to fade away in the anti-universe, as there are no others to relate with. This concept was explored both in EoE and at the end of the TV series. Then, Mari comes with her Evangelion to rescue him and take him back to the real world, now the Eva-free world, as promised to Misato. This is very important, as it highlights that Shinji is not going to a parallel universe. He is returning to the same world where his friends are (Asuka for sure, Kaworu will meet him again too, and Rei, honestly, it is not so obvious where she decides to go in her scenes, but probably too)

Mari's last Evangelion is important too. Contrary to Kaworu and Rei, I believe it is how Mari and Shinji returned to the ordinary world (probably with its entry plug, like Asuka). We might never know that. Then, the next scene is the opposite scene from Asuka in the entry plug, but with Shinji. Now we see an adult Shinji in a train station.

There are different questions to answer to understand what is happening in the ending. However, I think that the film's conclusion is the same regardless of the answer to those questions.The questions are:

Is the train scene set in the AU or in the real world?

Are Mari and Shinji the people we see coming out from the station?

Did Asuka arrive at Kensuke’s house or is she present there if that is the real world?

I tried to sum up the different theories in simple pictures.

 My personal opinion just after watching the movie was that the first scenario was the most likely. However, after seeing different analyses, I am not 100% convinced and I cannot give my support to other theoriesyet. 

The sources for the other theories are these

And the fact that the pilots might be illusions come from here 

As you can see, regardless of the answer to the questions from above, they always end up meeting again. While this is not explicitly shown in the movie, I strongly believe it is the reason why Mari appears at the end scene. Mari is the beacon light that will guide him in this new world, and there is a lot of visual comparisons that prove this fact, comparing Mari to Misato, and knowing the role of Mari in Gendo and Yui’s life. Furthermore, a lot of people consider that the fact that Asuka is alone in the platform is a sign that she is there to be reunited with Shinji, as she has no partner and seems to be playing with something like her old videogame. All of this is enough evidence to stop thinking about this ending as “Shinji choosing Mari to live a happier life” or “to let go the past”.

Comparison

The role of Mari in Yui/Gendo life. A hint in her possible role with Asuka/Shinji

Mari and Shinji, Mari and Gendo, the same fate.

I am sure that Mari will reunite Asuka and Shinji. She has been a bridge between them since 3.0, and the Eva Extra manga gives more insight into that respect. Besides, she did the same with Yui and Gendo, and there are a lot of comparisons between Yui/Gendo and Asuka/Shinji in a visual way throughout the series.You will find Asuka glancing at Shinji with the same face and eyes expression as Yui did. 

We have talked about this before. 

While it would be interesting to know exactly how Shinji arrives there, the narrative conclusion that they will meet again, independently of what has happened to the world, will not change. This resonates with the title of the movie "thrice upon a time", as evidenced here. 

There have been multiple Evangelion universes, both with and without Evas (EoE ends with a world without Evas, as the manga does) and in all of them, all of them, Asuka and Shinji meet again. And this is really important, as now they can communicate and have the chance of growing together and be happy.

Conclusion

Asuka and Shinji are two sides of the same coin, with different defence strategies in the context of the hedgehog's dilemma. Despite their mutual attraction, they are incapable of communicating and reaching each other. In EoE, it took almost the end of the world and humanity to understand that it is thanks to not living with the fear of pain and rejection that we can understand and accept others, ultimately overcoming the hedgehog's dilemma. This is expressed by the caress of Asuka to Shinji in EoE. This loving gesture shows us that the characters start understanding each other and have the chance to be happy together. EoE ending is a message of love and hope.

A/S relationship will represent this conflict wherever they are portrayed, in a cycle of desire/attraction, which leads to conflict and a resolution with understanding and love once they learn to accept each other and start communicating. In EoE is quite visual and displays both of them together at the very end. The manga is less explicit and more hinted at, but the scene at the train depicts how they connect in that new world where they will understand each other.

Thrice upon a time is not an exception to this rule. The last scene of EoE and the manga that involves Asuka and Shinji is the moment they connect, communicate, and change the way they treat each other. In 3.0+1.0 their final scene together is the beach scene, where they confess their mutual feelings in what is a never seen before sincerity and openness between them. Then, a world without Eva is created (in EoE this is exemplified by the crucified Eva and in the manga is more similar to the movie) and we know that Mari will guide Shinji to a safe return to that Eva free world and a gathering with Asuka and his friends. Despite not appearing on screen, all the narrative of the movie, and the whole of Evangelion, makes us understand that they will understand each other more and more and will be more honest towards their feelings, giving them the chance of being happy. As a consequence of that, the leitmotif of Evangelion is repeated once more.

The message of 3.0+1.0 is not about letting go of the past because you have grown up or let it go to move forward. The message is that it is thanks to going through those good and bad experiences that life gifts us, accepting the chance of suffering pain, that we can mature and learn. This learning will make us understand ourselves and those who surround us more, making us love ourselves and others, having, ultimately, the chance of being happy, loved and finding a place to belong to.

And it is in the middle of this struggle, that the love story of Asuka and Shinji shines, reminding us that humans can connect and be happy. 

If they can overcome their problems, so will us.

Everybody finds love in the end.

One More Conclusion: Where is Anno's wife?

What a ride! I think I have written about almost all of Shinji and Asuka's interactions, perhaps leaving just a few ones at the beginning of the movie, and without the mention of Anno as Shinji or his wife as Mari in all the essay! While extremely popular, the theory that Mari represents his wife has many flaws and I still do not understand where it is based. From the character being designed without the supervision of Hideaki Anno to the direct denial from his wife, including that the theory does not match the narrative plot. While self-insertions and story developments related to personal experiences are not rare in storytelling, we cannot explain everything in Evangelion by metanalysis. While Anno's struggles with depression have shaped NGE+EoE, the development and growth of the characters in their own arcs are what matter when analysing them. Shinji might be inspired by his awful experience at that time, but as we said earlier, Asuke is shaped like Shinji, albeit with different behaviour. Therefore, we should accept that both of them are depictions of Anno and not only the masculine figure.

In the end, it is Shinji who rejects instrumentality, returns to the real world and is caressed by Asuka in EoE. The characters do that, not Anno. The same happens in this last scene. While the location of the train station and city is totally related to the director, what is going to happen to the characters in the context of the plot is an important thing to consider when analysing them.

From NGE+EoE to this last movie Shinji grows and understands the path to be happy always.  This is not exclusive of the RoE saga because Anno has overcome his problems. Therefore, conclusions such as "now Anno is happier, so he wants Shinji to be happy" are not supported. What changed in RoE is that the growth of Shinji happens prior to the last impact and instrumentality, instead of growing after those experiences. This allows the portrayal of a lighter version of Shinji in those dramatic moments, resembling more a traditional hero who saves his friends, instead of letting them down and then coming to an understanding all together (because everyone shares a slice of the guilt cake) in instrumentality.

I believe that it would be more fruitful if we took into consideration his wife's work in the way that this tweet states, rather than engage ourselves in discussions about meta self-insertions.

I hope my words have helped those who felt like me after the release of the movie.

Thank you very much for all your time reading this.

[shiroscorner]

Okay! I Finished The Tower of Nero all the way back in October, but I got lazy and I recently re-read the whole ToA books again. I’m really glad I did because there where things I would have missed on first reading.

Before I give my final thoughts on the Book series as a whole I will be giving my  thoughts on events, Themes, and other miscellaneous things that happened in the books.

In the first chapter of the Hidden Oracle, Apollo talks about hanging over the Abyss of Chaos in Tartarus Which was a nice piece of Foreshadowing for the ending of ToA.

Rachael sassing Apollo over the other oracles like a bitter girlfriend is great.

I like how the books shows that Nico has been improving (Has friends, isn’t living with dead people, smiles, and participating in group activities), but that he still has a long way to go with his mental health. Rick works really hard at showing that a significant other isn’t going to fix all your problems and that its going to take a long time for Nico to get to a really good place mentally. Mental health is an uphill battle your whole life for people who suffer from mental health conditions no matter how much your life improves.

This series is the most inclusive LGBTQ+ children’s series ever written (Regardless of medium). Its makes me happy to see such a inclusive and well round LGBTQ+ characters. Including the main character which is huge for a children’s series.

Frank going out on his own terms to avenge Jason makes me cry every time even knowing that Frank survives on a second reading. 

I like to imagine that all the Jason hate is a vocal minority because of how many people were sad by Jason’s death (It couldn’t possibly be that they all suddenly love Jason now that he’s dead or anything like that).

Jason and Piper’s relationship. I’m really glad that though they broke up the still are friends and care about each other. They went on multiple quests together post break up. Most books, shows, and movies show that people can’t be friends after a break-up and it bothers me because people absolutely can be. Its nice to see that.

Apollo is thirsty for literally everyone. I wanna re-read these books an catalog a full list of people Apollo thirsts for and has dated.

I don’t think I have ever mentioned it on here before, but I work a job that allows you to where headphones and ear buds so I listen to the audio books while at work. The narrator for the ToA books is Robbie Daymond. His performance is so amazing. Probably because he is a professional actor. If you haven’t listened to the audio books I highly recommend it.

Lavinia is my QUEEN! MORE LAVINA PLEASE!

Jason is amazing and selfless and we stan him here!

I like that Calypso and Leo still have a lot of working to do to make the relationship work. Most authors would be like “He saved her from a 4,000 year imprisonment so now everything is perfect” All relationships need work regardless of the history.

Crest was okay, but I wish we had known him a little longer before he died.

I love Emmie, Jo, and Georgie.

Apollo forgetting how to God because of how long he’s been mortal is so funny.

Am I sad that my fan theory didn’t happen? Yeah, but it still ended in a really good way. I still think Apollo will take over duty of Camp Director once Mr. D’s punishment is over. It will be a really good full circle moment for him because it will not only bring him down to earth, but also Apollo was the one who made Camp Half Blood / was the original Camp Director. I actually have a lot of fan theories about what everyone will be doing when they get older and in the future.

Okay so my final thought on The Trials of Apollo.

The Trials of Apollo is one the the most well planned and written series in the Riordanverse. While Apollo’s literal trails were about reclaiming the five oracles the actual point of the trails were about Apollo taking accountability for the awful things he’s done. While each books is about a specific Oracle they are also about a particular part of his life that he ruined with his self destructive behavior.

The Hidden Oracle was about Apollo taking responsibility for the death’s of his two greatest loves Daphne and Hyacinthus.

The Dark Prophecy was about how Apollo has failed and ignored his children.

The Burning Maze is about Apollo’s treatment of demigod heroes and the part he played in sending them to their deaths

The Tyrants Tomb is about Apollo coming to terms with and taking accountability for the absolute worst things he ever did and discovering how he can move forward from them.

The Tower of Nero is About Apollo bringing all the lessons he’s learned together.

As the books go on Apollo slowly becomes less self centered and more humble. His inner monologues are were the change is most noticeable. At the beginning of the series in the Hidden Oracle Apollo’s inner monologue is so obnoxious its almost intolerable. However, slowly over the course of the books he becomes less obnoxious and more down to earth. His thoughts over time shift toward the people he loves and cares about instead of himself.

Meg and Apollo’s Abuse stories were so profound and honest about how Abuse happens. How Nero and Zeus trained Meg and Apollo to see them as the good guys when they were actually being abused, how the victim blaming worked, and how they came to the conclusion that they were abused. All of it so realistic and honest. Books like these may help real people see how they are being abused and to seek help.

These books were so great and I am excited for the stand alone books (WE KNOW YOU WRITING A NICO BOOK UNCLE RICK DON’T TRY TO HIDE IT) and the Celtic series he teased during The Tower of Nero.

Interested in hearing what you guys have to say. Tell me! Please be nice and respectful to everyone who comments!

(Note I am dyslexic like many other demigods and any constructive criticism about grammar and spelling mistakes are welcomed)

[kyoupann]

Please do more of the writing head canons. It’s really interesting to see other people’s ideas on the topic, so if you can be bothered, I would highly appreciate more, thanks bye <3

Y’all don’t know how happy I am to talk about these headcanons, they are my babies and I love them so much :’) thanks for asking g <3

Handwriting Headcanons

Same dynamic as before, try to guess whose handwriting it is before reading and tell me how many you got right! <3

You can find the first post here (no need to check it tho)

Quick disclaimer: halfway through making my initial notes, I remembered I had one (1) single lesson of graphology in my applied linguistics class, but that was a year ago and some information might be off. I just thought it was neat to include.

Another quick disclaimer: I don’t know much about Hylian, but I like to think it has a similar stroke system to Japanese, so the pressure and accuracy of your strokes play a major role in your handwriting (among other things, ofc.) so there are some parts where I focus more on that

(First Row, from left to right)

Sky

Our first boy is mother hen! Believe it or not, he has the prettiest handwriting out of all of them! Sky: probably has nice, even elegant handwriting because Sun forced him to practice when they were little. In the end, that paid off because his handwriting is the prettiest one. There’s no pressure, but he is confident in what he writes that his lines aren’t thin. Mistakes? what is that? this boy has impeccable grammar and spelling. No mechanic errors to be found in his letters! I’d like to think that many of Hyrule’s classic/staple poems were originally written by the firt king aka sky child. Like, imagine, after a retiring from being a Person of Power (as the first ruler), Sky finds comfort in the arts: revisits his old woodcarvings and starts writing poetry about the world he still doesn’t fully understand. wowie. tldr: sky writes poetry and you can pry it from my cold dead hands.

This is what one of his letters would look like: 

Next one is the one and only, our Hero of Time

2. Time

I’ll die on the “Time didn’t know how to read and write” hill. His handwriting is simple, not pretty but not messy. It has some grammar and spelling mistakes here and there. Can become unreadable if writing in a hurry, he sorts of forgets spaces between words are a thing/letters have different sizes and lowercase letters end up the same size as capital letters. I’m not saying he sometimes forgets to write articles: he just doesn’t want to. Honestly, he just has this dad-neat handwriting. He is a gentle dad and writes like a dad, if he puts too much pressure onto the paper, his handwriting become too sharp/angle-ish and ends up looking ugly. And as much as he would like to not care about it, in the end he does (:

Malon taught him how to write and it was quite the experience. At first he didn’t want to because he was ‘too old’ to learn and it was torture at first, but now look at him devouring his cowboy novels. 

A chunk of his handwriting: 

*sniff* such a dad quote.

3. my mansss, your  4x1 deal at Target: Four

Look, my boy is patient! He could do some nice and fancy lettering if he wanted to. He was taught that handwriting and spelling said a whole lot about him as a person, you know, like a first impression kinda thing; so he always proof reads more than twice before sending ­a letter. Super rare grammar mistakes.

The faster he writes, the more slant his writing becomes. Under stress/ when not sure how to write things down, run-on sentences are everywhere and his handwriting is inconsistent in general (I don’t headcanon each part of him having completely different handwriting because handwriting becomes muscle memory over time. It’s just slightly different variations of the same, like idk  Vio’s handwriting is neater than Green’s and Red writes hearts instead of any dot/circle and no, I do not take constructive criticism on that, jk i do.) Adding on to each of the colours’ handwriting, I’d think Red and Green write with words slanted to the right( inclined), Vio is a mix of the opposite, so reclined and straight, and my mans blue a true neutral writes straight (kinda like Time’s).

The logic behind this is that inclined writing supposedly means honesty and need for giving (and getting) affection; reclined means, as you can probably imagine,  defensiveness and repression of true feelings, but also shows great concentration; straight handwriting means self-control, observation and reflection as well as distrust and indifference. But as complete being (tm), Four just writes as in the image example which is not too straight and not too inclined, and I believe that’s a good middle for him

HOWEVER, if I’m feeling in the mood for crack, I totally accept this boy to have the ugliest, chicken scratches-looking handwriting! :’D It’s just funny to think that someone like him, who has to be precise and careful in his work, can't write neatly to save his life. 

One of his letters would look like this: 

Also I just LOVE how his hero titles look in this font ksksks

and that’s

(Middle row, from left to right)

4.- Mister Bunny Boy - Legend

His uncle taught him how to write. I’d call his handwriting pretty and neat at a first glance, but he presses too hard on the paper, most of the time staining the back or the following page. Sometimes will retrace some words if he doesn’t like how it looks (which only makes it messier). According to my notes, a thick or strong handwriting represents determination/commitment.

As I also headcanon him to know many languages, mechanical errors are more present than grammar ones; that is, weird capitalisation of words. Punctuation is somewhere in between; uses too many commas when he should just cut the sentence. he mixes punctuation from two languages or more in writing when too distracted (or too focused, because, well, pressure.); when he writes for himself, he has almost no problem following said language’s punctuation rules. Also, this is just polyglot culture, and I’m projecting a bit, but when he forgets a word in the language he’s writing, he just replaces it with its equivalent in another language because we don’t care about fluency, but rather functionality. in this household (more on that in my language hc, ksksks).

An example of his writing:

so powerful

4.-  Mr. Wolfman, howl me a song - Twilight

I don’t have much for him because 1) I don’t think he writes a lot and 2) he is a hands-on/visual learner, I’ll die by that. He only learnt how to write because Ulli insisted it was important and he was not about to disrespect his momma; he IS That Guy, but doesn’t really write enough to have neat handwriting.

Many people seem to overlook the fact that his house is filled with books and write him as completely illiterate (which if not explored properly, ends up feeling a bit disrespectful and full of prejudice, but go off I guess; and that’s on my core Headcanons for Twi); however, he sticks to simple sentences. Knowing how to read and understanding a text is different from knowing how to write them. Like, when we would see a semicolon and understand its position in the text, but didn’t understand the nature of it. Is this clear? idk i’m sorry. So yeah, boy reads a lot, writes very little.

As for his Actual Handwriting, as opposed to Legend, his handwriting is thiccc but not because he presses into the paper; he is just that messy, he has no sense of ink-flow-control, he does what he can with what he has. To the untrained eye, his handwriting illegible letters like v, n, u are very similar; when he makes notes for himself he does it in the form of doodles or small ‘icons’. But! He reads a lot, so he rarely makes spelling mistakes (: he is your go-to guy when you don’t know how to write a word.

An example of his writing:

He keeps a journal, sue me.

3. My first born- Warrior

Okay, first off... I accept this is completely biased. I saw the idea and said “That’s True”. If you haven’t, please read Effective Communication; or The Lack of Thereof by htruona, a fic where the boys reflect on the language barriers between them. It’s incredibly funny and probably what made me start making these silly notes. So, if you’ve read that fic, you know where I’m going.

My man, Warrior, can’t fucking write. I mean, he physically can, but it’s very bad. Here’s the reason for it, tho, and it’s not his fault: Technically, he knew how to write alright but he joined the military and whatever note he had to write had to be concise or in the worst case coded. He mixes capital and lowercase letters. If we consider that he joined the military at around 15, his handwriting and grammar had yet to continue developing. Just think about how after summer break, your handwriting was always slightly worse than before because you didn’t write for an entire month. Now think what 2 years can do to that. Hmm, not cool, dude. He makes quick notes, when writing he’s all gotta go fast. he is the lighting mcqueen of writing; good for emergency messages, not ideal for love letters. His punctuation also suffered a lot, he only know full stops and commas and hardly uses them. A sentence for him is either one word or fifty without a single comma, no inbetween.

His hero title and an example of his writing.

(Bottom row, or what I like to call “fuck cursive” row)

7.- Magic man - Hyrule

I’m basic and I do agree with the popular headcanon of he not knowing how to write because well, y’all know his Hyrule. He only knows how to write his name because that’s important, same with numbers. I don’t see why would he write/read except checking the roadsigns. (he can even use this as an excuse for getting lost frequently; he thought it said something different.) But I do think that because his habitual reading consists of roadsigns, his ‘punctuation’ is weird af and places full stops/points/periods at the same level of his words and his commas/question/exclamation marks below them. Yk, creative license. Sadly, I don’t have much about my magic hands man so here’s what his writing would look like if he actually wrote a paragraph:

Man, I love Hyrule.

8.- Man, I don’t understand this boy -  Wild

Cursive? ain’t nobody have the time for that. He woke up and had to save the world in his underwear while not knowing how to read nor write.  He learnt during his journey and was taught by multiple people from different regions, that explains his inconsistent spelling of things and names for them. So Wild knows language variations for many items and uses them interchangeably (even if they aren’t exactly the same). Another headcanon related to writing/language skills that I’ve been thinking about is that if the shrine was able to cause amnesia, I’m sure there were other areas in the brain affected which leads us to language disorders such as agraphia and aphasia. But that’s a story for another day ksksksk

An example of his writing (after relearning)

9.- The best of sons - Wind

I don’t have much for him and that makes me sad. Look, he’s a kid, doing kid things like stabbing dudes on the head. This boy was taught cursive by his grandma, but could never do it and no one needs it anyway. His handwriting is good enough for his pirate life, Tetra is the one to handle Official stuff, he just gotta sign. Spelling and grammar mistakes abound. He is still relatively young and can correct his handwriting if he desires. But same as Wild, with how many times he’s been thrown out and hit his head, I’m starting to consider some language disorder for him as well.

An example of his writing:

aaand that’s it.

Thanks, y’all for showing interest in this silly thing uwu it was fun to finally talk about this. If you ever want to discuss ideas/headcanons(especially if they are related to language and culture), I’m your person (: I’m always happy to hear new headcanons. Feel free to add anything to this post either in a reply or in a reblog, I’d love to hear from y’all <3<3

[behindheremeraldeyes]

title: Empty Nest

summary: It’s been a peaceful week for the Titans, as nothing bad has happened in Jump City. And although she knew she should be enjoying that while she could, Raven just couldn’t rest until her little Robin returned to his nest.

a/n: okay... This is my very first DamiRae fic and I’m really really excited-slash-nervous about this! To be honest, it was very hard to work with their own particularities and I guess that was why I had such a great time writing this fic! It’s a fluff, not very complicated (but definitely longer than I had originally planned), and I do hope you guys can enjoy it! Constructive criticism is VERY MUCH appreciated, please! It’s a new experience for me, English is not my main language and I would love it if you could tell me your honest opinion (especially since I’m not really familiar with the comics yet). Have fun!

Also, I would like to thank @ravenfan1242 for being so sweet and for always making my dash so beautiful! Thank you so so much for making me feel so welcomed!

Pairing: Damian x Raven

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The clock was striking 3:07 am, but her amethyst eyes were still wide open as she flipped yet another page of her newest, mystery book. The tower was quiet, as most of its inhabitants were asleep, and from her large window, she could see the dim lights of Jump city flickering across the distant shore. For an entire week, there had been no reports on villainous acts, and apparently, that night would be no different.

Life seemed to be oddly peaceful, and for she knew better than to believe that would last forever, Raven was determined to enjoy every second of that temporary peace. It had been ages since she had last stayed up late reading, hence, the empath figured that would be the perfect opportunity to share such a delightful night with a hard-covered book.

Yes, that was definitely the reason why she was awake at such late hours of the dawn. Or at least that was the lie she had been telling herself for the past 6 hours.

Though it wasn’t really unusual for her to get lost in the pages of a good novel, Raven was just too stubborn to buy her own excuse. She knew the book was but a mere consequence of her insomnia— the sole whiteness of what has become of her nights whenever her little bird was summoned by the bat.

Yes, as embarrassing as it could be, Damian Wayne was the reason why she was up at such late hours. Though she knew better than to doubt her boyfriend’s impeccable combat skills, it was inevitable for her not to lose sleep whenever he had to go to Gotham in order to aid his father in yet another dangerous mission. Even with Bruce and Dick constantly patrolling the streets, she has never liked that cursed city, and knowing he was there fighting against A-class criminals such as the Joker and Bane was more than enough to leave her worried.

Her heart was beating incredibly loud in her chest, the air in her lungs felt heavier and even if she had technically read over 50 pages of her book, her eyes were constantly glancing towards her phone, waiting for the only notification that could make her feel less like a ticking bomb. Raven needed to know he was safe, and that would only happen when he had time to answer the message she had strategically sent him a couple of hours after he left for his mission. She would always choose her words carefully, making sure he wouldn’t notice her real intentions, and eventually, he would end up saying he was on his way back home to the Wayne mansion or anything that would imply it.

Most of the times, Raven would just ask him to send a pic from something she knew he could only find in the mansion, such as Titus, Alfred or even a picture of himself after a warm shower. Even if she could just ask him directly about his whereabouts, the empath didn’t want him to know she was actually worried about his safety, or else his ego would certainly explode.

He is a Wayne, after all.

That night, though, instead of a not-so-random pic, she had asked him to bring her a pack of chocolate chip cookies she has only ever found in Gotham. It’s a special recipe from an old man that lives a couple of blocks away from the police department, and even if he has once shared his secrets with Raven, that delicate taste of cinnamon is still a mystery to the empath. Those cookies are probably the only good thing about that forsaken city, and if they could help her keep track on him, then they were really the best cookies she could’ve ever asked for.

An annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she could now feel her stomach growling inside her belly. If just that stupid anxiety wasn’t already enough, now Raven was also growing hungry at the thought of her cookies. At that moment, she also realized her reading wasn’t taking her anywhere, therefore she chose to shut the book and let it rest over her chest. She closed her heavy eyes for a moment, then, taking a deep breath before picking up her phone from her nightstand. It had been hardly 16 minutes since she had last checked it, and she could feel anger running through her veins.

How much longer was he gonna take with those bandits? Had Batman never heard of curfew?

Apparently, not even all of those years of meditating seemed to have prepared her for dating a Robin. She was growing impatient with every passing minute, and as she held her phone in her hands, a new, desperate idea crossed her mind.

Raven was going to call him.

Even if she rarely ever used that phone for such purposes, and even if she knew he might be busy, the purple-haired girl had made up her mind. She was going to risk inflating his ego so she could check on him, and if by Azarath she discovered he had ignored her message and was already fast asleep back home, chances were that she was going to teleport to Gotham just to scold him— even if theoretically she knew he didn’t really deserve to be scolded.

Yes, that was exactly what she was going to do. She was going to call him, and he would better have her damn cooki—

Her cellphone buzzed. A new message was displayed on the screen, and as soon as she saw his name there, her amethyst eyes widened. Quickly, the girl sat up on her bed, the book sliding from her body, and it took her less than a second to unlock her phone so she could read the words her boyfriend had sent her.

‘Long night. I’ll ask Alfred to get it for you tomorrow. On my way home now.’

Her eyes read that message at least three times so she could make sure she didn’t misunderstand his words. Once they entered her head, though, it was as if a wave of relief rushed through her system. Her heart settled, a soft smile took over her lips and it was as if she could breath normally again.

He was going home. Finally.

At last, Damian was out of the dirty streets of Gotham and on his way to the safety of the Wayne mansion. She didn’t need to worry anymore— at least not for the rest of that night— and now, she could finally allow herself to fall asleep.

But not before a warm mug of tea.

A satisfied sigh escaped her lungs and in one, swift move; Raven was standing on her feet, stretching her arms above her head. Her short, purple hair framed her small face, slowly brushing her cheeks as she walked out of her room and towards the kitchen. For everyone was already asleep, she made sure not to make any unnecessary noise as she boiled the water in the electric kettle. She opened the cabinet to get her black mug, and soon, poured the water with the tea-bag already waiting inside.

The relaxing scent of chamomile invaded her nostrils, and maybe it was because she was still trapped in that rare, blissful moment of pure peace; but that lazy smile refused to leave her lips, as she carefully made her way back to her room with her tea in hands. At last, the empath was ready to sit back, relax and even read a couple more pages while the tea lasted. Perhaps, she could even go back and try to understand what she had supposedly read in the past couple of hours so she wouldn’t waste a good book.

Yes, that seemed like a nice idea, indeed. She nodded to herself, accepting her newest decision, and expertly, she used her elbow to activate the sensor so the automatic door could slide open. Her semi-dark room quickly came into view, a soft breeze blowing her locks away, and once her amethyst eyes landed on her bed, her heart skipped a beat.

Lips parted, eyes widened and knees slightly shaken. Though the sight of that green mask on his face was far from unpleasant, Raven would be lying if she said his presence didn’t startle her.

Damian has that effect on her. Always had and always will, she knows.

“You really have to stop sleeping with your window unlocked, Rae.”

His voice filled her ears and unconsciously, her chest grew warmer at how casual that short version of her name escaped his lips. Her eyes were set on him, watching as he took off his heavy boots. His eyes weren’t looking at her, but if they were, the raven haired boy would’ve noticed the way her shoulders tensed at his presence and the way her hands had turned slightly paler around the mug. The ceramic was still hot, but at that moment, she didn’t seem to care about that, no.

Unexpectedly, her boyfriend was back. And though that was far from an emergency, nothing else seemed to matter anymore.

“Damian...” His name rolled out of her tongue almost as a whisper. What was he doing there? Why didn’t he return to the mansion where he could get some proper rest after the night patrol? Did something happen?

Slowly, the empath realized her thoughts were leading her to think about bad scenarios that could explain the whole thing, and even if she was trying not to overthink, she knew better than to believe that was even an option at such hours.

Her eyes were now clinically scanning him, and physically, he seemed to be okay. There were no signs of major bleeding and all of his limbs were where they were meant to be. Could it be that something had happened to Bruce, then? Did they have a fight and that was why he didn’t go back home? Maybe Alfred—

The sound of her room’s automatic door closing suddenly brought her back to earth, and she could finally get a hold on her thoughts. She swallowed dry, releasing a sigh she didn’t know she was holding, as she took a couple of slow steps towards him. He had finally freed his feet from those boots, and judging by the way his lips curled up, it was easy to deduce that freedom felt nice after hours of kicking bad guys.

“You—” She spoke, his face now lifting so their eyes could meet behind his mask. Perhaps she really could just ask him why he was back so soon. “What are you—“

“Even if I doubt bad guys would even consider using your window to invade the tower, I’m pretty sure Kori wouldn’t like to wake up in the middle of the night with the intruder alarm.”

“What?” She asked, confusedly, as she had clearly not payed any attention to what he had been talking about before. “The window? No, that’s not important. I—“

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m probably the only one who uses it to enter your room anyway.” He chuckled, a smirk now playing on his lips. His elbows were now resting on his knees as he moved his neck to relieve some of the tension. “And besides, we can always blame Gar for the—”

“Damian!” She started, her voice an octave louder, cutting his train of thought. Once he noticed how serious her face looked, his smirk suddenly disappeared. He was definitely listening now. “What are you doing here?”

His eyes squinted under his mask, a wrinkle forming on the bridge of his nose, and Raven realized he looked genuinely confused at her question. For a couple of seconds, the room grew silent around them, and slowly, she felt her patience dying inside of her. The clock was about to strike 4a.m and she just didn’t feel like playing games anymore.

“... I live here, remember? The Robin of the team... The future leader of the titans. Are you okay, Rae?”

“No, that was not— Tch.” She scoffed, using a hand to massage her temples. That was really not her night. “I know you live here. I just meant to ask why you’re here and not in Gotham. You usually spend the night there after patrolling with Bruce. Did something happen?”

“Oh, that.” He started, his voice now holding a calmer tone. His lips were now slightly curled up, and judging by the way he stood up and tilted his head to the right, she could tell he was trying to read her as if she was an open book. Even if he refused to admit so, Damian was very much like his father, and that certainly included Bruce’s impeccably annoying, detective skills. “Nothing happened. I told you I was coming home.”

“I-I know you did, but...” She asked, taking another step closer and pointing an accusing finger at him. Her brows were knitted, as she was clearly not in the mood for jokes. “You better not be hiding anything from me, Damian.”

A smirk crossed his lips at the sight of his girlfriend all fired up, and if anything, he didn’t back off a single inch from her. Even if she could still not see his green eyes, she knew they would be holding that sly gleam that is so characteristic of him. “Don’t worry, okay? Nothing bad happened, I swear. The patrol was quite boring tonight so I just decided to get the jet and come back a bit earlier.”

“Really? Simple as that?”

“Yes, simple as that. I give you my word.” He lifted his right hand as to illustrate his seriousness, and at that moment, after analyzing his body language, Raven thought she could believe him this time. His voice sounded calm and she couldn’t feel any turbulence in his emotions, so, perhaps, she could accept the simple answer this time. Unconsciously, then, her expression softened, and she decided she could just be happy to have him back and they could finally get some sleep together.

Simple as that, she thought.

But maybe, Raven had made up her mind too soon.

“Why are you so surprised, though?”

“What?” Her eyes widened, a confused expression taking over her face.

“Well, you seem quite surprised that I actually chose to come back. Is there any particular reason for such reaction, Raven?”

Shit.

Though she had first believed to be the one in charge of their little argument, only now Raven could see how he had so smoothly turned the tables. At his words, she could feel her throat growing dry and she knew he was coming too close to the truth she was trying to hide.

She hated whenever he did that. Whenever he started to press her into voicing something they both already knew — because he knew, she was sure of that. He knew she was overthinking and that she was worrying over nothing. He knew she was trying to understand his reasons so she could accept her own answers.

He knew she was hiding something stupid. And he wanted to know what.

“Tch, don’t be ridiculous, Damian.” She tried to dismiss him, which was clearly to no avail. Raven crossed her arms across her chest, looking away from him, but she could still feel his eyes on her, as if they were stripping her from her own facade. “I’m glad you’re here. Just curious on why you didn’t use the door like the rest of us.”

“Well, it is 4am, Rae. Kory and the others are still asleep and I didn’t want to wake them up.”

“Oh, but waking me up was fine, then?”

“But you weren’t really asleep, were you?” He grinned. “Judging by how wide your eyes are and by the fact that you’re drinking tea instead of water; I don’t think it’s just a coincidence that you’re still up.”

The teasing tone of his voice made her want to punch him in the face at that moment. She had fallen right into his trap, and she knew she didn’t have much time to come up with a plausible answer if she didn’t want him to grow even more suspicious than he already was.

Raven had to say something. Anything would be better than to give him that chance to tease her into admitting the truth that she was, indeed, awake and waiting for him to get home safely. Even if that wasn’t really an interrogatory, she knew her boyfriend was using his elevated IQ to get the answers he wanted so he could use that against her in the near future. She couldn’t give him the taste of victory, no.

He would be insufferable if she did.

“I lost track of time while reading a book, that’s all. Most days you would find me asleep by now.”

“A book, sure...” He started, clearly not buying her excuse. “Are you sure you weren’t awake because you were worried about me?”

“You wish.” She said, turning to face him once again, as their eyes stubbornly battled for dominance.

Neither of them gave any signs of backing down anytime soon, and even if that could be slightly frustrating, both Damian and Raven enjoyed that little game of push and pull. It was exciting, the thrill of their little competition, as it showed just how intense their love could be. They flirted with very narrow limits and took advantage of slight changes on each other’s body language; and if anything, that only showed how deeply they cared for one another.

How deeply they loved.

“If you say so...” He started, the words slowly leaving his lips. He was smiling softly now, his tall body towering over hers as he took her left hand in his gloved ones. “Either way, I’m glad you’re up. It’s like you’re welcoming me home and it feels really nice. Thank you, Raven”

At his pure words, Raven couldn’t help but feel her knees shaking under her weight. Her heart skipped a beat and her chest got so warm that something inside her melted.

That little bastard.

Now he had really done it.

Even if the empath knew better than to simply believe those words held no deeper meaning, she knew he had carefully chosen them just to mess with her feelings. After giving up on teasing her with his standard strategy, Damian chose to use his secret weapon that would only work against her. It wasn’t meant to cause her pain or anything of the sort, but it sure was a powerful enough to take her down.

Damian was being soft, to the point where she couldn’t really resist. He was being sincere and true to his feelings, and perhaps, that was the main reason why she couldn’t find it in herself to even fight back. She knew about his past and his deepest struggles regarding his future. She knew about all the things he had to go through in order to be where he is now, and it’s impossible for her not to feel touched whenever he voices his true emotions.

For years, he had to walk his own, merciless path alone, not knowing for sure he had a place to call home. The expectations he had upon himself were too heavy for him to carry alone, yet, he never stumbled or complained about them. He has always been so hard on himself, never accepting anything but perfection— he was raised as the perfect child, after all.

He was never accepted. Never loved or even welcomed for most of his life.

But now—well...

Now his life was so much different than before. He has a father, a brother, friends and a place where he can be himself and make as many mistakes as he wants.

He has a place to call home and a person waiting solely for him. And the best part in all that is that he knows.

He truly knows.

As realizations stroke her, the empath released an exasperated sigh. It was really late—not that she was even planning on sleeping anymore— and there was no way she could beat him anymore. Her heart was moved by his low move, and the only thing left for her was to silently admit defeat and properly welcome him home.

Her mug of tea— now colder than Dr. Freeze’s ice beams—was soon enveloped by her magic as it floated around the room until she placed it on her nightstand. She freed her hand, then, and slowly, she reached for his face, her fingertips touching the edges of his mask. He didn’t flinch, she noticed. He never really does whenever she touches him. His silence was the only permission she needed, and soon, Raven removed his mask, finally being able to look deep into his emerald eyes.

They stared at each other for a little too long, examining every change and every flicker hidden behind those orbs. Her amethyst eyes were looking at him softly, and she watched as all that bold malice disappeared from his lips. Damian was offering her a delicate smile, and before she knew it, her lips were also curling up. A soft blush tinged her cheeks, and at that moment, she could sense their emotions mixing together.

They were the same. Perfectly connected by one feeling called love.

“I’m glad you’re home, Damian.” She spoke, simply. “It made me happy, too.”

“TT” He scoffed, bitting his lower lip in order to suppress a smile. “And you still wonder why I chose to come back.”

A chuckle escaped her lips, and before she could even answer his statement, Raven felt his hand on her lower back, carefully pulling her closer to his body. It was a soft and slow move, but soon, she found herself on the tips of her toes and their lips were pressed firmly against each other. In one hand, she was still holding his mask, and with the other, the empath reached for his cheek, caressing his skin and holding their faces together in a chaste and puerile kiss.

It wasn’t needy, sloppy or rushed; for they knew there was no need for that. They had all the time in the world to enjoy their shared kisses, and thankfully, they knew exactly how to enjoy that time.

“You know...” He started, pulling back just a few inches from her lips, his hand now resting on her hip. “I could get used to this. Maybe I should start giving you a new book every time I have to go to Gotham.”

“Though I would love the new books, I also need to sleep. I can’t keep doing this every time you have to go to Gotham or else I won’t be able to keep up with morning practice, and we both know Kory is going to get really pissed.”

“Yeah, you’re right...” He nodded, a new smirk taking over his lips. “I really need to hurry and become the leader of this team.”

“Keep dreaming, Wonder Boy.” She chuckled, playfully patting his cheek before walking away and towards her desk, where she carefully placed his mask. After that, she reached for a big drawer near her dresser, picking a white towel and tossing it at him. “Now go clean yourself already, Damian. A true leader can’t smell like Gotham.”

“Heh, well, we did go check the sewers tonight.”

“Ugh, gross.”

“Perks of being a super-hero.” He nodded, folding the tower in his hands. “Do you wanna take off your pajamas and join me?”

“It’s 4am, Damian. The only people showering now are the ones who really need it.”

“You have a fair point.” He stated, detaching his cape from his shoulders and unbuckling his upper armor.

“Of course I do.” She said, watching as he turned his back to her and walked towards the bathroom. He turned on the lights and placed the towel on the cabinet, as he was now focusing on removing his gauntlets. Though it seemed to be a simple uniform, removing the accessories was a real pain in the ass. “Do you need help with the zippers?”

“Nah, don’t worry. I got this. Get to bed and I’ll meet you there soon.”

“Okay.” She nodded, pulling the sheets so she could get under them. She looked at him one more time, his shirt now removed and exposing his defined muscles and battle scars. Damian has grown into a handsome man, for sure, both inside and out. Looking at him like that, in such a casual condition such as taking a shower in her bathroom made her heart flutter with joy, and though she could now feel the lack of sleep taking its toll on her, Raven couldn’t wait until he was finally sleeping safely by her side.

They both deserved a good night of sleep. And even if they would have just a couple of hours to enjoy it, it would still be enough. It had to be.

“Damian...” She spoke, making him turn to face her one more time before closing the bathroom door so the steam wouldn’t invade the room.

“What?” He asked, curiosity spread across his face.

“Don’t take too long... I’m waiting for you.”

Slowly, a genuine smile took over his lips and he nodded before closing the door behind him. She turned off the lights, then, and soon, her head was resting on her pillow and her eyelids closed over her eyes. Raven took a deep and relieved breath, then, and slowly, felt her muscles relaxing against the mattress.

Now that he was back, she could finally rest.

Now that he was back, she could finally sleep.

As her ears captured the sound of water running down, a genuine smile took over her lips, and if anything, she knew it would be there by the time she woke up again.

fin.

[mightbewriting]

hi friend! whats your favorite story that you wrote (fic or original)? do you have a favorite scene or chapter you wrote, that you always go back to read again to just be proud of yourself? what do you like the most about your favorite work? (if you are wondering, yes I felt that was necessary because you are the only one always complaining about your writing, when I love everything you do, so please dont be so self critical amanda, we adore you🥺)

well hello there, astonishingly kind anon. you are far too kind and, yes, i am far too self critical. so i purposefully saved this ask to tackle today. i was traveling this weekend and now that i'm settled back home and ready to sit down and write lots and lots and lots of words, i thought engaging in some positivity would be a good way to begin my week!

so lets do this!

my favorite story? i have a really soft spot for a sci fi novel i wrote a few years ago. is it my best work? definitely not. my best idea? maybe. and it was the first thing i ever pulled all the way together and tried querying, though halfheartedly, and i have visions of maybe rewriting it one day and giving it a real shot. for fic its probably well said, hermione atm. im really proud of how that weirdo little story came together from what was nearly a crack fic concept into something that weirdly worked. plus it was a fun tense and pov to work with, and i felt like the story construction itself worked out nicely.

do i have a scene/chapter i go back and reread? very, very rarely. i dont normally love rereading my own work because my craft obsessive brain will not stop trying to rephrase things. so i can truthfully say ive only reread any of my own writing for fun TWICE. the first time was a reread of picked and planted month and months and months after posting it and i was delighted to find that i enjoyed myself! and the other is with the epilogue of sight and seeing. to this day that chapter remains one of my best conclusions to a story AND the memory of the 'AHA!' i had while writing it is very indulgent to revisit. when i want to remember that writing can be magic i'll reread that chapter.

what do i like most about my favorite work? i feel like i mostly covered this with the first question, but i'll elaborate that any finished work is in the running as a favorite lol. i love finishing a story, having a finished product, a thing that i made. so that's really what i like most about any of them: seeing how all the little pieces, how all the words become sentences become scenes become chapters become a story. that's a really cool feeling, looking at the finished product and knowing everything that makes it complete.

thank you so much anon for giving me this outstanding excuse to put myself in a gentle mindset when i tackle my writing today! its very easy for me to be hard on myself, so i shall endeavor to be kinder today! <3

[grimmseye]

Expectations

Read on Ao3: here!

Fandom: She-ra and the Princesses of Power

Pairings: Entrapta/Hordak

Characters: Entrapta, Hordak, others mentioned

Tags/Warnings: Post-Finale, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Hordak

Prompt from @spiderlondon: "Entrapta starting to feel so much pressure from everyone in her kingdom that she breaks down crying. I could see hordak snarling at her subject and/or hug her to his chest until she calms down some"

Politics had never been Entrapta’s thing. Way back when, her parents programmed a pair of AIs to mimic their own decision making process, and the small nation of Dryl was left to it after their demise. Princess Entrapta had never learned their laws, or the law-making process, or the judiciary system, or really anything that princesses were allegedly supposed to do. There were the bots and there was probably a council of living people to account for those they represented, and Entrapta had never been informed if there was a problem with that. 

Apparently, sometime after joining with the Horde, the AIs had been dismantled. A part of her grieved them, the last pieces of her biological parents. The ones she’d constructed were destroyed in a lab accident years ago, at an age where she’d realized she didn’t need robots to read her stories or carry her to bed and tuck her in at night. At a certain point, their doting had become counterproductive to her projects, and just being able to pace herself as she pleased was best.

That was unrelated to the situation at hand. Extraneous data, things that didn’t need to be considered for this particular conundrum. The problem was that at the end of the almost-end of the world, Princess Entrapta was meant to become the Queen of Dryl. 

Her return from Beast Island came sooner than she appreciated, frankly. She and Hordak had been doing important work in determining what could be salvaged and what needed to be completely and mercilessly destroyed. They had fun, competing to design the most effective form of annihilation, factoring in environmental impact and showmanship. When the others came to visit, they’d take them up to the best viewpoint to watch as a pile of First Ones’ tech was dissolved in flashing, multicolored flames and spiraling rockets that burst in the sky.

And then the message from Dryl arrived.

Hordak was granted temporary leave from his duties, as Entrapta required her lab partner’s presence, no matter how much people grumbled about his tyranny. And besides, he’d never actually seen her original lab. She was sure he’d appreciate the complexity of the Crypto Castle, though perhaps not the inability to navigate it. The Fright Zone, by contrast, had an efficient layout despite its daunting appearance. 

Their ship, reconstructed from salvaged materials and her understanding of Darla, shot over the restored lands of Etheria. Biology wasn’t really her field of interest, but she just may have to take a step into it as she gawked at the creatures below. So many new beasties had woken up with the restoration of magic. The First Ones’ designs especially made her eyes shine, as they were a fascinating splice between the biological and mechanical, which provided all kinds of resources to study with regards to neural integration that could revolutionize prosthetics — 

“ — and it’s really a shame that all of Horde Prime’s data got trashed in the final battle but between you and Kadroh I’m sure I can figure out how you integrated ports into your central nervous system.” As she spoke, Entrapta poked Hordak in the back, in the space between those ports. The skin surrounding them was sensitive, according to him.

Hordak’s brow scrunched. He just tended to do that, whenever Kadroh came up. The whole Wrong Hordak thing hadn’t exactly been well received, but she propped herself up on her pigtails to smooth out the crease with her thumb. “Can I? Study you?” she asked, giving him an enormous grin.

Hordak stared at her, his expression flat but his silence telling. From him, the lack of a no meant that — “I suppose that would be fine. Though I would have thought with as much poking around as you do, you would have already figured that out.” 

“Not at all!” She gushed. “I’ve only collected sufficient data on how they integrate with your armor, but I haven’t even scratched the surface of what it does with your body. Once I figure that out I could make further improvements to your exoskeleton to boost its sensitivity — I really am going to have to start picking up biology at this rate, hmmm.” She drew her feet up, hair forming a cushion under her legs. 

Hordak gave a huff, but she knew he would say something if it actually upset him. 

As the first peaks of Dryl’s mountains came into view, their conversation quieted. Most of the nation was formed from spread-out mining operations, the towns reliant on their dig sites. She vaguely remembered issuing money out wherever a dig produced something new and interesting to study, skimming the details to skip right to the good part before authorizing the transfer. Her bots took care of the rest. 

Her bots had taken care of most things, before she joined the Horde. It had been a rougher transition than she liked to let on, moving into those sprawling halls. 

Entrapta felt Hordak come up beside her at the window, peering down as well. His presence helped soothe her nerves. The Fright Zone had been a home to her, but it only really became that once they started working together. “Tell me about this place,” he said. 

Entrapta faltered. “It’s — well Dryl is one of the smallest kingdoms in Etheria, but we built it right on top of a First Ones’ hot zone! Most of it is ore mining — iron and adamantine and such, but on occasion we’d pull up First Ones’ tech, like that chip that infected Adora’s sword!” 

A smile crossed his face. “That’s why you were so familiar with First Ones’ technology,” he observed. 

“Yep!” She plastered on a smile of her own without real enthusiasm.

The silence stretched out, longer than she thought it was supposed to. Or maybe he was just thinking. It was nothing, probably. She was just getting into a tizzy over nothing. 

Hordak cleared his throat. “What was… growing up here like? I know that the Horde did not take interest in your kingdom until you… fell into our grasp. A critical error on my part, though perhaps one made for the best.” 

Entrapta could recognize his attempt to compliment her and apologize all at once. Hordak was weird like that, but at least he didn’t act other than how he felt. People would say they weren’t upset when they were, and seemed to expect her to figure out the truth. It was nice, having someone who meant what they said, even if she had to dig a bit to find its meaning. 

“Entrapta?”

“Huh?” She blinked, tearing her gaze from the window. 

Hordak was frowning at her. “You didn’t answer the question.” 

“Uhhhh.” As he opened his mouth to repeat himself, she burst out, “Oh right! Yeah, it was great!” And she got to launch into all the intricacies she’d installed in the Crypto Castle, uncertain why he was frowning through it. As the castle itself came into view she squealed her excitement, tugging on Hordak’s arm and pointing, shouting, “There it is, see!” 

She watched him from the corner of her vision, how his frown lingered on her before he slowly turned his gaze to the window. 

The ship banked down, landing rougher than she would like, but all things had their quirks. They were in one piece and that meant flight was a success. She hopped down the ramp, taking in a lungful of the air, the scent of metal and dust tasting of home. 

They’d landed upon the cliffs above her old castle, and Hordak strolled to the edge to look down upon it. “This is an impressive fortress,” he commented, smiling. “Sturdy walls, even from above its navigational system is unintuitive. Excellent design. Where is the way down?”

“Right here!” Entrapta scooped him up with her hair pulling him over the edge of the cliff. He shouted as she cackled, her hair catching in rungs she’d bolted into the cliff, too far apart for any humanoid arm span but perfect for the length of her pigtails. She pushed off the rock to land on the bridge that connected her tower, only to drop again and corkscrew down its support and onto a rooftop. 

She spun Hordak into her arms, dancing him around as she laughed. “That was fun! I haven’t ever brought another person with me!” 

His ears were waggling in the way they did when he was dizzy — recalibrating the bit of the inner ear that handled balance, she was sure. “Warn me, next time,” he snapped. Even when he got short with her, he didn’t shout and roar like he used to. Softening, Hordak looked aside and added, “But yes. It was. Fun.” 

She cackled and took his hand. “Let me show you around!” Her hair grabbed a hatch in the roof to pull it open and swing them inside, another lock grabbing her pad to pull up a map of the labyrinth. There was so much he had to see. 

Her old lab was in a sorry state. Entrapta had almost completely cleaned it out when she was moving into the Fright Zone, and now she had to frown at the disconcerting sight of an uncluttered workbench. 

“This is way more disappointing than I thought,” she stated, hands on her hips. Her voice rose into a loud groan, lamenting, “I wanted to show you my cool lab!” 

When she sighed and looked at him, she found his eyebrows raised. Entrapta gave a bashful laugh. “When I heard your lab was called your sanctum, I thought it was classy.” She rubs the toe of her boot on the ground, smiling up at him with a blush. Truth be told, she’d gotten a little bit of a crush on him the same day she’d entered his lab. He called it a sanctum and hoarded tech and knowledge of the likes she’d never dreamed of, it was impossible not to get the butterflies. 

It makes him smile, a hand lifting. “I am certain that —” 

A sharp blip! Interrupts him. The smile vanishes, turning to glower at her pad. Entrapta taps the notification, pulling up a video of a balding man in a spiffy-looking suit. 

“Your highness!” The man exclaimed. She saw his eyes flit, how he gave a start when he noticed Hordak at her side. “And — and — o-oh my.” 

Hordak growled until Entrapta pushed him away with her hair. “Hello!” She chirped. “Who are you?”

“I — you don’t —?” He frowned, then shook his head. “Nevermind. I am councilman Wren!” 

“Uh-huh.”

“I… am the head of the Council of Dryl?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I and the other council members are meant to have a meeting with you, today.”

“Uh-huh.” 

“... Could you tell us how to get inside?”

Entrapta gasped. “Oh!” She clapped her hands, squeaking in delight when one of the dusty bots animated. “Go show them inside. Bring them here! No! Bring them to the dining room! Do we have a dining room?” The bot nodded. “Bring them to the dining room! And then bring tiny snacks! From the ship!” 

“Your Highness —” 

She closed the video feed.

For a long moment, Entrapta stared at the black screen. Then she realized she was being stared at, and looked up to see Hordak’s red eyes fixed on her. 

Feeling self-conscious, she hunched her shoulders up. “What?”

Hordak blinked. “Nothing,” he claimed. Then, pausing, corrected, “It is strange to hear them address you in that way.” When Entrapta only cocked her head, he said, “Your Highness. At times I forget…” 

“That I’m a princess?” Her mood plummeted. “I’m not, really. It’s just a title.” 

She hugged herself with one arm, holding onto her own bicep as she shuffled out of the room, the pad guiding them to the dining room she apparently had. Behind her, Hordak stammered through several false starts, never getting more than a word out. 

Entrapta didn’t recognize any of these people. Not their faces, not their names. They all bowed and offered a hand, and only stared at her when she gave them a lock of hair. Bow had kissed it, she remembered, with a pang of first intense fondness and then disappointment. She wished her friends were here. Not because Hordak wasn’t enough, but because the others made it better. 

They sat around a rectangular dining table, as the bots brought out the tiny cupcakes and fizzy drinks she’d stored in the ship. Not a single member of the council touched their food, and even though she had no qualms with popping the sweets into her mouth and lounging in her seat, she couldn’t shake the distinct sensation that she was doing something wrong. 

They’d been droning on about something for way too long. She’d broken out her tool kit to start fixing up the bot’s blinky eye, mask snapped over her face and hair bristling with tools. These old things were charmingly dated compared to what she’d been working with. Not obsolete, she only scrapped things when they could no longer go on, just adorably simple in their design. Hordak had introduced her to a world of new ideas, one that was only expanding with each day — 

“Princess Entrapta!” 

The sudden snap made her jerk upwards, yelping as she rapped her knuckles against the metal eye socket. 

She looked up, searching for the speaker but only finding Hordak glaring across the table. “Lower. Your. Voice,” He growled, and Entrapta found Councilman Spanner shrinking in his chair. In a steadier tone, Hordak looked to her, asking, “Princess Entrapta, what are your thoughts regarding the deconstruction of Horde Prime’s spire in Dryl?”

The title gave her pause. He never used her title that way. A derogatory princess at times — though these days it was teasing — but the sound Princess Entrapta was alien in his voice. She kind of liked it. And she really liked him. 

She curled a lock of hair around his ankle, squeezing it in thanks. “The spire, right!” She chirped. “We are absolutely gonna salvage everything we can. First Ones’ tech is advanced but what Prime was using exceeds even their sophisticated designs. The code they were working with was practically a living creature, it was constantly adapting itself, building and breaking its defenses to an almost unpredictable degree, but as you know true randomness cannot be achieved by —” 

“Anyway,” Councilwoman — Bradawl? — Bradawl cut her off, leaving Entrapta to deflate. “Who are you placing in charge of this project? Who are they hiring? How will they be paid? What precautions should they be taking?” 

“Uh — uhm,” Entrapta raised a hand, but another voice piped up. 

“In addition to that,” Councilwoman Pliyer stood up, hands planted on the table, “What of the towns that were destroyed in Prime’s attack? The refugees in the cities? All of our most critical mines were commandeered in the attack and may be too dangerous to allow citizens to return to work, how do you intend to restore them to functionality?”

“I’m — hold on —” 

“We cannot hold on, Your Highness.” It was Councilman Wren again, voice nervous as he wrung his hands. “I understand you are not suited to this job but the unfortunate fact remains that you are the only heir to the throne of Dryl and without the programs the former king and queen left behind, their responsibilities fall to you.” 

A cold chill poured under her skin. Entrapta hugged herself, hands rubbing up and down her own arms. 

“Your Highness,” Bradawl said, “If I may be frank?” She stared at Entrapta, waiting until she got a nod. “You have not made the best decisions for Dryl in the past —” Her eyes spanned to Hordak, “ — and your citizens lack faith in you. I believe that you must focus on rebuilding your image, while we make sure the cogs are turning smoothly.” She let the words settle.

Entrapta didn’t know what she’d expected to get out of this. She slumped into her seat, staring at her knees. Her nails bit into her skin, dragging scratches up and down her biceps. 

“With all due respect, Princess, I would recommend that you cede these decision-making promises to us — your council — and that you fulfill your duty as the figurehead of Dryl.” Bradawl was smiling, now, voice smooth as silk. “After all, it is hardly as though you were their ruler in the past. There is no need for us to throw Dryl into further turmoil —” 

“That is enough!” 

Hordak was on his feet, slamming his hands down on the table. The council silenced, all eyes on him. Even Entrapta stared. His image was blurred by tears she was barely holding back, but she could see him shaking, the snarl of his teeth, ears pinned back in fury. “Shut your pathetic mouths at once,” he spat. “If I hear another word from you I just may elect to put your tongues to better use as slop for the worms! You. Will. Not disrespect Princess Entrapta in this way. Now be silent, and remove yourselves from her castle at once.” 

There was quiet. Then, Spanner squeaked, “But what of Dryl —” 

Hordak roared and smashed his hand into the table. His claws tore through its cloth and into the wood, splintering around his fingers. The man went pale as the others scrambled to their feet, making a hasty exit without so much as a bot to guide them. 

“Send your requests by message. I see no need for Her Highness to endure the sickness of hearing your voice.” Looming over Spanner, Hordak sent him one scampering for the door. He remained poised over the table — over her — breathing hard and growling with every breath. 

Entrapta burst into tears. 

It welled up too quickly for her to stop, the tears pouring down her face and sobs hitching in her throat. Hordak was there in an instant, snarling violence replaced with a gentle yet faltering voice. “En… Entrapta.” 

Embarrassment flushed her skin, and she reached up to pull her mask over her face. Delicate fingers stopped her, before Hordak spoke again, sounding more certain: “May I hold you?” 

She had to consider it before nodding. Touch was good today. He lifted her into his arms and sank into the chair, holding her in his lap. His claws combed through her hair, awkward at first but gaining a smoother rhythm. 

“Do you…” He trailed off. “Want soup?” 

It caught her so off guard that Entrapta started snort-laughing through her tears. His face went red, ears leveling, his face caught in such goofy embarrassment that she could only laugh harder. 

“You said it makes you feel better!” He growled, defensive. Even the fingers in her hair felt petulant. 

Entrapta sniffed, then pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It does, thank you,” she smiled. It crumpled in an instant, the good feelings draining away. “I’m just — they’re right, though.” 

“How are they right?” Hordak glowered at the door they’d run through. “Nothing they said indicated they possessed the brain cells required for critical thought.”

“I’m really not meant for this,” she said. Entrapta arranged herself more comfortably, sitting sideways across his lap, her temple leaned into his shoulder. “I didn’t learn how to be a princess. I’m just going to mess everything up if I try. And I don’t —!” She sat upright, stopped, and slumped against him again. Quieter, she finished, “I don’t even want to do this. I don’t know why I’m all in a tizzy about it.” 

“They were disrespectful,” Hordak insisted. “If ruling is not a position you want, we can figure it out together. Perhaps with… the other princesses.” It came out begrudgingly, and she had to smile. She knew he still felt strange around them. Hordak sighed, then nuzzled into her hair. “We will figure it out. But anyone who attempts to undermine you will be crushed. … In a nonlethal manner.” 

The disappointment in his voice made her break into giggles. She slid her arms around his shoulders, content to just be held for a little while longer. They would figure it out together in time. That was what lab partners were for. 

[todomitoukei]

(Here is what he wrote) PSA: in general, if there's a change made in either the weekly or volume release of manga I work on, I can't talk about that publicly. When mistakes slip through, rest assured that I'm upset too, and frantically (but silently) scrambling behind the scenes to fix it. Some fans accuse me of having a bias/agenda that shows up in the work because of personal dislike for a character. That's absurd. (1/?)

A (lowly, freelance) translator does not have the power to push an "agenda" in books that sell millions, nor would he try if he wants to keep working. When I work, my energy is devoted to analyzing the text and recreating it in English on a tight turnaround. I don't make my favs sound better than they are, or my least-favs sound worse. Scheming up ways to insert opinions (?) is something I don't have the time or energy for. 

Also, every chapter and volume is checked over by multiple in-house editors (Japanese speakers, native or otherwise). Any sneaky agenda would get caught immediately. They simply wouldn't let it through, and if it were a recurring problem, I would get in trouble. Why risk that? At the same time, those editors tend to edit the raw script I give them! Imagine that! They reword, rephrase, adjust nuance. That's their job. I don't see the final release until you do, and sometimes I'm pleased/shocked

When I notice, I can send an email requesting a fix for eventual reprints, but that's all I can do. So it's largely out of my hands once I submit the raw script, meaning: 1) there are multiple competent firewalls/safety nets (aka: other professionals) between me and the final release2) what I write is sometimes not what you read!3) I can't publicly comment on some choices

So please understand how frustrating it is when bad faith randos on twitter accuse me of bias/agenda/whatever, and I literally cannot explain a thing. Especially when it crosses the line to slander and abuse, as it often does. There is no grand conspiracy, and I'm not the enemy.

Thanks for sharing! It’s interesting to read that there seem to be multiple people checking his translations, though clearly, that doesn’t improve anything. I personally can only ever do comparisons with the weekly digital release of the official translation and wasn’t really aware that there is such a huge difference between the weekly and the volume release.

It obviously makes sense that they want to ensure that the volume release is as good as possible and it’s nice that we get the official translation in such a short time frame, but I also feel like it would be better if they took more time for the official translation to be released in general than to release two completely different versions.

Translations are an accessibility tool. They are supposed to enable people who don’t speak the source language to also enjoy the product. So if someone who doesn’t speak any Japanese reads the weekly release and then, later on, buys the volume only to find out how much the two differ, how are they supposed to know which one is accurate - especially when those two versions make characters seem like completely different people.

It’s disheartening because it does a disservice to the story and its characters. I don’t completely disagree with the people that have suggested this to be the reason why there is such a divide in opinions on certain characters between the Japanese and the western fandom. It’s not the only reason, but I have seen and mentioned multiple panels where the translation was a lot colder than the original text.

That being said, I find it weird that Caleb seems to be passing the blame on the people checking his translations and claiming that he doesn’t have a bias or the ability to include his bias.

Again, I only have access to the weekly release, which according to him is the less edited version. There is a very clear bias there, and I’m not the first or only person that has pointed out examples of this, so I would be very interested in seeing him explain how there isn’t a bias in the weekly releases or how that is not his fault at all.

It’s 100% wrong of people to just harras him and be aggressive (I just had a quick glance, but some of the things people said were just outright disgusting) instead of voicing constructive criticism because it doesn’t lead to anything other than him making his twitter private and getting defensive, but I also wished that he would take a little responsibility or, at the very least, pass the criticism to those he claims are responsible for the translation biases. Because regardless of who is responsible, there definitely is a bias in the translation.

The problem is that we, as fans, should always support the official release because that shows people that we want more and obviously the people working on these projects deserve to get paid. But there is also this shaming going on from people working in the western manga/anime industry towards fans who don’t pay for the products, despite it being obvious that people will be less likely to see reason in paying for/supporting something incorrectly when a free and more accurate version exists. So instead of professionals complaining about fans not paying for the official releases, they should ensure to make the money they charge worth it by selling a product that is faithful to its original version.

[iinfortunii]

rules: code of conduct.

BEGIN.

Before we start, I would like you to have certain things in mind when approaching me ooc. I am very shy and quite awkward, which results in me not being much of a talker; however, I will always try my best to be friendly to whoever wants to approach. I dislike pet names so please do not use them with me unless we are very close. There will be times when I'm just exhausted, so my wording could sound rude/aggressive, to which I apologize in advance -I never mean to hurt people’s feelings. I also reserve the right to interact with WHOEVER I want, and pestering me about it will only get you blocked.

Updates will be made as required.

I. BASIC.

A. This blog is: Selective / Independent / Canon Divergent / NSFW / Mutuals only / Singleship / Mostly iconless / Multiverse / AU, Crossover, OC, and Multimuse friendly / Vaguely affiliated with the OP RP fandom.

B. I am a very slow rper for many reasons —school, family, my ever-fluctuating mood —and I would appreciate it if you refrained from pestering me for replies. In return I offer as much patience as necessary. Think of this blog as low activity please.

C. English is not my mother language so I apologize in advance for any mistakes made.

D. I track the tag #iinfortunii, although mentioning me works just as fine.

E. Constructive criticism is always welcome but anon hate will be immediately deleted. I have no problems if you disagree with my portrayal, but it doesn't give you the right to harass me.

F. Mun and muse are both over 18, so there are chances that heavy content will be present; however I won't be writing smut. I can roleplay anything before or after the act if requested, but the moment things get far too explicit, I'll do a fade-to-black. I ask of you to not lie about your age or else you’ll be blocked indefinitely.

G. This is a heavily headcanon-based blog, and changes are likely to be made as more information is revealed about him, though I reserve the right to adjust the new information according to my interpretation of Deuce or simply ignore it, which is why I’m canon divergent.

H. If you'd like to turn an ask into a thread, you can turn it into a new post, or reblog from me, as I won't be using the Tumblr asks anymore due to the problems that come with formatting and such.

I. Ask box is open for everyone ic or ooc, but you aren't allowed to turn it into a thread and nor I will reply to it if we’re not mutuals. Please don't push me, because I won't hesitate to block.

J. No godmoding —only a minor is allowed if it moves a thread forward —or metagaming, please. Don't kill Deuce either, unless plotted beforehand, and most importantly, don't hold your muse back.

K. Discord is available for mutuals upon request.

L. Just because I write something it does not mean I condone it. Please have this in mind and again, do not pester me about it. Any and all nsfw matters will be tagged accordingly. There will be triggering topics present, and you can know more about this on the section below.

M. DO NOT involve me in drama or call-out posts. I’m heavily against both things. On this note, you’ll never see me rebloging a call-out post. This culture is so damaging and toxic, and I firmly believe no one should play the role of the judge for the good of the community just because you had issues with someone or don’t agree with the things they roleplay. Talk things privately, be mature about it, hard-block the person and move on. I am also very aware that a lot of people have done things that can’t be excused, but I like to believe that people can change for the better. If you try to drag me into it, I'll hard block any and all people involved indefinitely.

II. TRIGGERS.

A. They will be tagged as trigger tw, trigger / and trigger cw.

B. I do my best to stay up to date with my mutuals triggers. Your comfort is way more important to me than you might think, so never be hesitant to approach me via IM, (anonymous) ask or stop following me.

C. Triggers that are likely to appear, although some more than others: violence || blood || death || drugs || abuse || knives || body image || medical equipment || suggestive content || etc

D. I have no triggers, so you are free to go wild with your content. I only ask you remember to tag your nsfw (both written and visual), please.

III. INTERACTIONS.

A. Deuce won't like everyone. He might/will make wrong assumptions about your character. He will insult and bite back. He won't always be nice to those he likes. He does many things that serve his interests. You, as the mun, have no reason to take it personal, because I'm won't follow someone I don't like; if you DO take it personal however, and decide to rouse drama, then I'll be hard-blocking you. Goes for me as well —I have no reason to get angry for any of the things noted above.

B. My bonds page displays the relationships that have been built over time, not necessarily through interaction alone but over plotting as well. Refer to it for more information.

C. Interactions with OCs related to canon characters will only take place as long as said OCs have a detailed about page. Personally, I'm not interested in the idea of an OC being blood-related to my portrayal, so I apologize in advance.

D. Formatting isn’t a big thing across my blogs, save for the small text. Please don’t mix either sup/sub with small text when writing with me, as I have eyesight problems. Don’t use colored text either.

E. Non-romantic pre-established relationships are allowed! Just make sure to talk it out with me first, yeah?

01. Spade / Whitebeard pirates (canon and original characters alike that i am MUTUALS with) will have a pre-established relationship as long as the other mun is comfortable with such idea, though that relationship will be limited to merely crewmates, unless discussed otherwise.

F. You don’t need to match my writing length as long as I’m given enough to work with. If something about my reply bothers or doesn’t work with you, let me know and I’ll re-work it.

G. I really enjoy plotting scenarios or talking out about the relationships my muse could have with other muses, so hit me up if you’ve got any ideas! I’ll try to do the same!

H. Mun does not equal muse, so don’t go assuming I’m a jerk simply because Deuce is an asshole from time to time. I’m set on the idea that I’ll give people the same treatment they give me —which is always nice and kind. Kudos to everyone for this ♡

I. I don’t use a threadtracker because I rely on my memory (terrible mistake, I know), but I try to draft people’s replies as soon as I see them. If by any reason it seems like I lost it, then please let me know / send me a link with it and I’ll be deeply grateful.

J. I don’t do nor reply to greetings starters for matters of my own comfort, so I ask of you to never expect a starter or a reply from them.

IV. SHIPPING.

A. Singleship, with the spot taken by daadzi, which means Deuce is no longer open for romantic relationships.

01. Under no circumstances, I will accept more romantic relationships once the spot is taken. That being said, I won’t discourage your muse from falling for / hitting on him, although I ask you to understand he will never respond with the same interest or will never react gently if he’s pushed too far.

02. If my shipping partner is comfortable enough, I'll interact with duplicates with the condition that the relationship is strictly platonic.

B. Constant interaction, mutual interest, and chemistry are a must for the sake of better communication (both ic and ooc, preferably).

C. Please do not approach me if you wish our characters to have either a: one night stand or friends with benefits type of relationships. It won’t work out due to the nature of Deuce’s personality, and for that I apologize.

E. My ship has its own tag so you're free to block it if you don't want to see it on your dashboard. In addition, I'll also tag those posts with only the ship name for this very purpose.

F. Please do not force ships on me.

V. CELEBRATIONS.

A. First off, I am absolutely terrible at keeping up with dates, and to be frank, I am not the biggest fan of celebrating, which is why I think it’s necessary to say I won’t be partaking in any holidays, not even Deuce’s birthday (not that he has one, to begin with). Obviously I will still reply to any gifts received, and will send out things in return —you know, common courtesy.

B. I won't be sending out birthday gifts every year, and I might write drabbles for people once in a blue moon; it doesn’t mean they will be done for the specific date though, so please be patient.

VI. REASONS TO NOT FOLLOW BACK / UNFOLLOW.

A. Too much drama / call-outs / vague posts / sexual content.

B. Content makes me uncomfortable.

C. You are a personal blog without a visible rp sideblog. Please make sure it's easy to find.

D. You do not have a proper tag system.

E. Your blog doesn’t have a rules and about pages.

F. You lack the manners to deal with people respectfully.

G. I have no interest / lost interest.

H. I'm constantly / only used as a meme archive.

I. Other reasons may apply. I will soft block so we can both cease following each other and avoid any potential awkward situations. I won’t make a fuss if you decide to unfollow so I expect the same courtesy.

VII. ABOUT BEATRICE.

She is not a real person. Her concept as Deuce’s (toxic) pseudolover is my creation and was somewhat inspired from the real life Beatrice Portinari. Do have in mind that Deuce doesn’t talk about her so your muse can’t simply approach him and ask about her unless they can go through his memories / read his mind / any capability alike or he speaks about her, though it won't take a genius to figure out that she's a product of his imagination.

You can read about her by clicking here -link to be added.

She serves as a lie to shield himself from the internalized homophobia he deals with up until meeting Ace.

NOTE: As stated previously, Mun =/= muse, but I too have been dealing with compulsory heterosexuality for far too long, so I'd like to apologize in advance for projecting a bit of that into my portrayal. I'll work so that this part makes sense with what we've been given from Ace's novel.

VIII. MISCELLANEOUS.

A. I will never force people to follow me, so if by any reason you have to unfollow/block me, please go ahead. Your comfort matters and have every right to do what you must to ensure your wellbeing. With that said, I will not tolerate and will immediately hard block if you try to police my content.

B. I do not follow back immediately, and it can take me from a few hours to several days to follow back. Do not take it personally if I choose not to.

C. If I follow it’s because I am interested in interacting. I only ask you to be patient because it might take me a while to gather the courage to send something to your inbox or talk to you.

D. I have. ZERO knowledge about medicine. Don’t expect me to go full force and try to be 100% accurate, because I won’t.

E. I practice reblog karma (send a meme to someone if I’m rebloging it from them). If you see something you’d like to reblog but have no intention in sending something yourself, then please reblog from the source.

IX. FINISH.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! As you might have noticed, there’s no password to send. Make sure to check the psa tag for any updates, or don’t hesitate to send an ask if there’s anything unclear! I do my best so as not to post too much OOC posts, but sometimes it just happens. If it's nothing important, then I'll erase it whenever I have the chance/remember.

Keanu Reeves vc: You’re all breathtaking!

[zeravmeta]

fuck it. soma cruz fgo servant profile bc i make my own content

Servant: / Servant Class: Soma Cruz / Alter Ego

Origin: / Region: Castlevania Series / Japan, 2035

Alignment: Lawful Neutral(?) “Yeah, not sure how I classify as Lawful given my past life, but whatever.”

Aliases: The Dark Lord, Dracula, Soma Cruz

Parameters: STR (B) / END (A+) / AGL (B+) / MP (EX) / LUK (A) / NP (???) 

Class Skills: Authority of Beasts (Fake), Core of Chaos (A), One Who Severs Fate (A)

Character Info: “In order for God to be perfectly Good, there must always exist an embodiment of Chaos, a Dark Lord to emerge from the evil of humanity’s hearts.”

For one thousand years, the Belmont bloodline had opposed the terrible night that Count Dracula would bring with his powers. After generations of suffering, the Belmont’s latest mantle bearer, Julius Belmont, along with their generational allies, the Belnades clan and a nameless soldier, had managed to permanently defeat Dracula with the help of the Hakuba Clan’s shrine magics. Severing his connection to his power and sealing Castlevania, the embodiment of his power, within a solar eclipse, Dracula had finally faced his demise in 1999, prophesied by Nostradamus one millennium ago. Thus, the strongest Dark Lord had fallen, his throne empty and awaiting a new master.

In 2035, Soma Cruz had visited the Hakuba Shrine to meet with his childhood friend Mina, unaware of the birthright he would claim.

Skills:

Chaos Ring A: An extremely powerful construct that channels the very essence of Chaos. It can only be found by the one who can traverse and control the Chaos Realm, the Dark Lords personal right. Wearing it grants the unlimited magical power of the Chaos Realm, but actual output depends on the user. If the Demon King’s Ring is the symbol of Dracula and his reign, then the Chaos Ring could be considered the symbol of Soma and his new beginning.

Thematic narratives aside, it’s a very convenient tool for Soma.

“It’s weird, but it feels like…it was made for me. Almost like a welcome gift.”

[5->3 Turns] [Charge NP (20%->30%), Increase NP Gain (10%->25%) (3 Turns), Gain a Delayed buff 1 turn after skill use (Unremovable): [Charge NP (20->30%)]

Armament Master D: Soma is extremely proficient at using any and all forms of weaponry. Due to Dracula’s vast reach, Soma has a vast number of different modern and mythical weapons and gear at his disposal, notable weapons including Excalibur (sealed in the stone), Hrunting, Caladbolg, Mjolnir, and even a Positron Rifle, to name a few. However, one weapon unique to Soma is the Claimh Solais, an Irish sword of light mentioned in many legends and defining the archetype of “Sword of Light.” It provides a great boost to parameters and is surprisingly light weight despite its size. Another unique weapon he wields is the Valmanway, the “Blessed Wind” that is always ‘cutting’ even when still.

(The rank is D because despite his proficiency, Soma has never had any formal training.)

“I mean, it’s just a sword, right? How complex is it? You can just swing it and things die. Though…considering I have ol’ Drac’s memories…sorta, maybe I’m just remembering it?”

[8->6 Turns] [Increase Atk (10%->20%) (3 Turns), Gain Critical Stars (5->15), Increase Critical Star Absorption (3000%) (3 Turns), Increase Critical Damage (10%->20%) (3 Turns), Apply Special Attack against Sky, Star and Beast attribute enemies (20%->40%) (3 Turns)]

Power of Dominance (EX): Soma’s inheritance from Dracula, or more fittingly, the Chaos Entity opposite to God. The Power of Dominance is a unique ability that grants a complete mastery over the abilities of any and all souls Soma can acquire from the enemies he defeats. All the monsters that Dracula unleashed in his crusade against humanity are the countless souls under his domain, even that of Death itself, and their powers rightly belong to him.

Soma can differentiate between the types of Soul Arts he uses, and this reflects accordingly in his Noble Phantasm.

“I never wanted this power, but I guess I’m stuck with it. I’ll always carry the target on my back, but at least I can look awesome as hell while doing it, I suppose.”

[5->3 Turns] [Decrease Enemy Charge by 1 (20%->50%), Select own NP Command Card’s type between Quick, Arts or Buster for 3 Turns. Effect of NP changes depending on which Command Card Type is selected. This skill is immune to debuff effects (such as Skill Seal)]

Noble Phantasm:

Advent of Sorrow – He Who Severed His Fate Against Chaos and God / Anti-Divine, Anti-Self / Rank (???)

A manifestation of Soma’s power truly made his own, separate from the title of Dark Lord and Dracula. Having defeated the Chaos Entity, he managed to sever its connection to his soul, and be saved from his Fate. Even so, he carries the Power of Dominance with him always, and the countless souls and followers of Chaos always wait and offer themselves unto Soma to lead and command them. In his own imperfect way, neither holy nor demonic.

After all, he’s only human.

(Note: If used by the true Count Dracula, this would be considered an Anti-Humanity NP)

[Type: Buster] – [Deals massive damage to a single enemy (1200%->2400%), Chance to Decrease Charge by 1 (80%->100%). Overcharge: Increases own Buster Card Effectiveness (20%) (1 Turn) and NP Damage (1 Turn) (20%) (Activates First)]

[Type: Arts] – [Deals heavy damage to all enemies (400%->800%), Chance to decrease Atk (15%->25%) and Critical Chance (20%->30%). Overcharge: Inflict Curse (5 Turns).]

[Type: Quick] – [Apply Debuff Immune (1 Time), and Restore HP each turn for self (3 Turns) (1000->1500), and Increase NP Gauge each turn for self (3 Turns) (5%). Overcharge: Apply Def Up for all allies (3 Turns) (25%->50%).]

Bond Lines: 

Bond 1: “Heh, thanks for having me! I’m still not too sure about how all this stuff works here, but if you need a monster taken down, I’m your guy.”

Bond 2: “So the rest of those dudes call you ‘Master’? Kind of awkward, but I guess they’re magical familiars at the end of the day. What? So am I? Sorry but, vampiric powers aside, I’m just a normal guy. I was even in University before I got dragged here. I’ll just call you [name] for now.”

Bond 3: “Do you like curry? Arikado said I shouldn’t be using these monster souls for dumb stuff, but they don’t mind. They always talk to me and really want to help me out wherever I am. Except Death, that guy sucks. He’s always breaking into my home and trying to convince me to become the next Dark Lord and to ‘accept my throne’ and stuff.”

Bond 4: “…It scares me, sometimes. Knowing not only what I am, but what I’m very capable of.”

Bond 5: “Y’know…you could always come back with me to my world, if you want to escape. I’ll take you to meet Mina, and Hammer and Yoko and Julius and Arikado and…Hm. Sorry. I know you can’t abandon this world, it’s where you grew up. There’s…a lot of people here who love you. You should always remember that and hold it close. It saved my life when I thought I couldn’t go on, and I know it will also save yours.”

Voice Lines:

(1): “I’m glad this place is a lot simpler than the castle. That place had so many hidden rooms and puzzles that I felt like I was going insane…No, as a matter of fact, DON’T tell me about all the secret workshops here.”

(2): “Hm? What’s up? I’m just relaxing here. Sorry if I’m taking up space. It’s nice to just take a moment.”

(3): “No, no, don’t worry. Even if I could, I’m not the type of guy to just go around stealing souls. I only do that to monsters, and even then, they become complacent once they return to me. I could show you some of the fun ones, like the Skeleton Gardener, if you’d like.”

Likes: “What I like? Curry! Oh, and Mina. She’s been with me for my whole life. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Dislikes: “This is gonna sound cliché, but garlic. It just tastes bad.”

Event: “Whoa, a party! Let’s go, I’m super bored cooped up in here.”

About The Holy Grail: “Wish granting? No thanks, I’ve read a ton of comics and things always go wrong. What? Of course, it’s a valuable source!”

Summon Quote: “Yo! My name is Soma Cruz. I’m just a regular high school student. Um…Where am I, exactly?”

Happy Birthday: “Happy Birthday, [name]! I’m so gonna throw you the coolest party ever! I’ll even invite Mina…If, uh, if that’s cool with you?”

(King Hassan): “D-Death!? Why are you…Oh. Uh, sorry about that. You reminded me of...someone. I’m sure you’re a cool guy underneath all that armor.”

(Vlad/Vlad III (EXTRA)): “Huh. So, in this world, the legend of Dracula is just that? A legend? Well, that’s a huge relief. I’m not exactly the kingly type.”

(Gilgamesh/Gilgamesh (Caster)): “Hey [name], could you give me a hand? This gold idiot keeps saying I stole his weapons, but they’re mine! …Hey! Stay back with those portal things! Someone, help!!!”

(Scathach): “Jeez, I bet Arikado will get along with that slave driver. Seriously, Arikado’s method of teaching me my powers amounted to locking me in a room with monsters and a pocketknife. Huh? She’s stomping over here!? [name], help me!”

(Marie Antionette): “I don’t know why, but…Looking at you makes me sad. I’m sorry.”

(Sessyoin Kiara): “Master, this lady is coming onto me WAY too hard. She keeps telling me to ‘embrace what I am’ and junk. I already get enough of that crap from cultists back home.”

(Sakata Kintoki/Astolfo/Romulus/Romulus-Quirinus/Ashwatthama): “Hey, you’re a pretty cool dude, huh? Finally, someone with some style!”

(Amakusa Shirou): “Ugh, you remind me of Fortner. And stop using rosaries around me, I’m not Satan, you jerk!”

(Mephistopheles): “Please, leave me alone. I’m not evil, nor will I ever be the Dark Lord. Just because I have those powers doesn’t mean I’m defined by them. Also, the alarm clock you gave me exploded, so I don’t think you’re all that trustworthy anyways.”

(Beni Enma): “Aww, you’re so cute...Wait, from the Underworld? A yokai? Guess you’re one of mine, then. If you want, I can loan you some Skeleton Waiters for your chain.”

(Any Avenger-Class Servant): “Hey, you guys are kinda like me! Everyone says you’re evil, but you’re actually really nice!”

(Arcueid Brunestud): “Master, that girl is shooting me some pretty weird looks....Huh? Reincarnating vampire? Oh, I guess I’d look pretty weird in that case. That’s not her fault, though. Maybe I’ll go say hi.”

QQABB Deck:

Buster Card: 2 Hit / -Soma raises Excalibur (still in the stone) and smashes it into the enemy-

Quick Card: 5 Hit / -Soma holds Valmanway in front of him, turns around, and multiple slashes envelop the enemy-

Art Card: 3 Hit / -Soma does two horizontal strikes, then a third overhead strike with Claimh Solais-

Extra Card: 6 Hit / -Soma punches twice, does a spin-attack with Claimh Solais, then jumps back and fires his Positron Rifle-

Level Up: “Whew…I feel so powerful.”

Ascension 1: “Whoo! Good job, [name].” 

Ascension 2: “This…This is just like then…[name], maybe don’t do this anymore.”

Ascension 3: “Please…stop. I don’t know if I can pull myself back this time…”

Ascension 4: “I see. Well…as long as you’re by my side, I’ll never succumb. So please…don’t die.”

Battle Start ½: “Just how many monsters out there!? In any case, let’s do this thing!” / “I’ll carry the mantle and defeat this terrible night!”

Skill ½: “Bullet, set…Enchanted, set…Guardian, set…” / “How about some of this!”

Attack Selection ½/3: “Hmm.” / “Seriously!?” / “Nice.”

Attack ½/3: “Hraagh!” / “Take this!” / “You’re going down!”

Extra Attack: “Let’s see you handle THIS!”

Noble Phantasm Selection ½: “Are…Are you sure?” / “I’ll trust you on this.”

Noble Phantasm: “I will never be the Dark Lord…You, God, and The World will just have to deal with it!”

Noble Phantasm Damage: “I won’t…Submit...!”

Regular Damage: “Gah!”

Defeated ½: “Mina….” / “Julius…our promise…”

Battle Finish ½: “That was a close one…” / “Anyone need some healing? I have some spare spoiled milk…Oh wait, none of you have a Ghoul soul, huh?”

[penguiduck]

The Relationship Between Online Readers & Writers: How to Write the Best Feedback

Introduction | Part 1: What is this Relationship? | Part 2: Creating Motivation and Appreciation for Readers | Part 3: A Day in the Life of… | Part 4: Creating Motivation and Appreciation for Writers: Perspectives | Part 5: Creating Motivation and Appreciation for Writers: Implementation | Part 6: How to Write the Best Feedback  | Part 7: Where Does This Leave Us?

Since I've put so much emphasis on providing feedback, I believe it's only fair if I offer some instruction as well.

1. Thank your writers. They put a lot of work into producing this content for you — it is only gracious to thank them for their efforts. If someone gave you a piece of art or a homemade gift, the correct response is gratitude. Why is writing any different?

2. Be personal. It goes without saying, but writers are not robots who can crank out writing nonstop. They are providing you content that is creative and comes from the heart — the writing process is a subjective, tedious one. I think it is only gracious to reflect that same warmth and care in your feedback. Speak human to human. There is someone with very real feelings and thoughts on the other side of the screen.

What are some ways to be personal?

a) Pay attention to writers’ notes. There may be certain events going on in their lives. Maybe they’re struggling with the illness of a family member or celebrating a positive experience. They obviously only include information they wish to share. If a friend came up to you and said “It’s my birthday!” would you ignore them? Probably not; it doesn’t seem polite. Or if a friend said “I’m feeling a little bummed out. My dog passed away,” the socially correct response is to offer your condolences.

b) If you happen to realize that the writer is reaching a milestone — 100 chapters, one-year anniversary on AO3, etc. — celebrate it! Congratulate them!

c) Bring up past conversations. While your feedback is speaking to the writing, you are allowed to bring up past interactions that can enrich your comments. Maybe the writer mentioned something about a plot twist a while back. Adding a “I remember you mentioning this!” can really make writers feel special because that means you were paying attention.

3. Be specific and relevant.

I mentioned this in the previous chapter, but I think it’s worth mentioning again: I have a fuel tank for my inspiration when it comes to writing. I can run on a near-empty tank, but it’s difficult for me to do, and I struggle with creating content. It’s far easier for me to write and put out quality work when my inspiration tank is full. Every piece of feedback I receive fills it with a certain amount of inspiration.

Quality feedback refills my inspiration tank far more quickly than vague and general comments do. What are ways in which you can be specific and relevant to increase the quality of your comments?

a) You’re obviously reading this particular piece of writing for a reason. What makes you choose this story over others? What makes it special or unique? Is it the writer’s personal style? Their knack for detail and imagery? Do their sentences flow beautifully? Is their characterization spot-on? Tell them why you choose to spend your precious time reading their writing!

b) What about the characters? Does your writer have a strong grasp on keeping these characters true to their original interpretations? Are they exploring facets of their characters that you’ve never seen done before in other fanfiction? Is there a particular character that gives you the warm fuzzies, especially because of the way they are written? Is there someone you really don’t like? Why?

c) Be relevant. Leaving a comment like “PIES. I LOVE PIES” when there is a brief mention of a pie in the story doesn’t tell writers very much, unless you explain why this particular item is of note to you. Otherwise, this is not unlike going to your friend’s choir recital. Maybe she sings something from “The Lion King,” and your response is, “I like warthogs.” It’s a pretty strange comment that doesn’t speak to her performance. Let’s be a bit more cognizant of how your thoughts can come across relevantly.

Did you like the way they incorporated pies into the piece? Did you find it coincidental that they added pies because you just made one? Instead, you could say something like “I found it really interesting that you had [character name] go with pies because I was just grocery shopping and decided to buy a pie, even though I don’t really have a sweet tooth. It’s pretty impressive, though, for [character name] because pie dough can be really tough to make! I’m impressed he figured it out!”

d) How are you feeling about the progression of the story? The plot? The small details that writers add to make it more interesting? Do you have any thoughts about what might happen next? Would you be particularly excited about a certain event taking place? Perhaps you have a strong opinion on a character’s actions or choices?

e) How does this writer’s work affect you emotionally? Has there ever been a time when you were feeling upset or overwhelmed? Maybe you picked up a story from this writer, and you felt better. For me, knowing that my work can help give someone an escape or a place of respite from the real world is absolutely astonishing. Communicate this with your favorite writers. Trust me — they will be glad to know that they have helped you.

4. Be thoughtful and kind. This should be obvious, but sometimes it’s not.

While I think writers should be open and receptive to constructive criticism, I also think readers should be sensitive and mindful when giving it. If you are interested in offering criticism, it’s generally good practice to ask if the writer is receptive to it first. I welcome thoughtful criticism, but others may not. Criticism, no matter how fair or unfair, can be absolutely devastating to writers who are not ready for it. Harsh criticism can even break someone’s spirit.

Writers are artists who wish to share their craft with the world for you to enjoy. In doing so, voluntarily or not, they offer their work up to critics — but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily wanting to have their writing picked apart, concept by concept, word by word.

Here are some considerations if you wish to provide constructive criticism:

a) What is your intention? Would providing critical feedback be constructive and useful to the writer? Remember that criticism is meant to help writers become better writers —otherwise, it wouldn’t be constructive. Instead, your comment would be considered malicious, spiteful, or just plain spam. I think it’s vital that you assess this before providing criticism.

b) Is your criticism reasonable?

If you notice some characterization or detail about something canon-specific that is not correct in chapter 1 and the writer is on the 47th chapter, are you expecting them to go back and edit all 47 chapters? This is not a reasonable expectation, and mentioning something like this, correct as you may be, is not helpful and could potentially be very discouraging.

c) Is your criticism well-founded? I understand this is highly subjective, but I’ve received some harsh and nonconstructive criticisms before that don’t have any basis. Either, the commenter completely misinterpreted my meaning without giving me a benefit of the doubt that my intentions were good or they don’t realize I actually addressed their point in future chapters or they were just incorrect in their research. Please make sure that before you submit your constructive criticism, your logic is sound to the best of your ability and that you’ve considered the writer’s point-of-view.

d) Say something nice, please. I don’t think it’s good etiquette to have your first interaction be negative. Providing constructive criticism implies that you care enough about the content and writer to help them improve — if not, hit the back button and move on with your day. If so, then that means there must be something redeeming about the writing that makes you wish to be a part of its success. Show that. Otherwise, your constructive criticism may not come off as constructive at all — instead, it could be interpreted as unkind, and if you really do have best intentions at heart, then being kind is a minimum requirement for interactions.

Talk about what you like about a writer’s work first and even explain why you’re providing criticism. Start with something like: “Hi! I absolutely love that you’re writing for this fandom. I think you write [character name] very well, better than most interpretations I’ve come across! If I may, I’d like to discuss your most recent portrayal of [character name]. I see where you were coming from, but I think he may have been a little too forward because [insert reasons]. What was your thought process behind this? Other that particular scene, I’ve been very pleased with your portrayal! ”

Really, take a page out of Thumper’s book: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.

Below, you will find a hodge-podge of questions that may help you construct your feedback:

Who is your favorite character? Why?

What do you like about this author's writing style?

What makes this piece different than others?

Has any part of this piece/chapter made you smile? What was it?

Give your honest opinion on an character, whether you like or dislike him/her.

How do you like the main character? Why?

What do you think is going to happen next? What makes you think that?

Is there a character you just want to suffocate in hugs?

Do any of the characters remind you of someone else?

What is it about this piece that has had you following it for so long?

If there is a cliffhanger, what makes you so anxious to see what happens next?

How do you think this story will end?

How will this piece ending make you feel? Will you be sad that it's over?

Is there a character you pity?

How do you feel about the villain(s)?

If this story were real and you really were the main character, who would be your best friend?

For WWYFFs, who is your favorite bachelor? Why? Can you even choose one?

Has this author ever written a part in this piece that made you uncomfortable? Why?

What's your overall opinion on the main character's behavior?

Did a part in this piece/chapter make you crack up? What was it?

Do silly thoughts ever enter your head while reading this piece?

Tell the writer how much you love them for writing this.

If the writer has any RL issues or concerns, respond to them (condolences, best wishes, etc.).

Did the antagonist ever do something where you just wanted to punch him/her in the face?

Has this story ever been an escape for you?

Do you ever think of this story out in the real world?

Why do you think this is one of your favorite pieces?

Is there something you don't like and would like to change? Be sure this is constructive.

How did this chapter/piece make you feel?

Make a prediction about anything — a character, perhaps?

Do you like how the characters are developing?

Is there a line in this story that made you laugh out loud?

What emotions did you have while reading this? Did you feel angry, frustrated, awkward or sad?

Has there ever been a point in this story when you're on the brink of tears?

Do you feel that this author's specific writing style has contributed to your enjoyment of the piece?

Thank the author for taking the time to update in a very busy period in her life.

Do you have an idea that you wish to share?

Is there anything that confuses you and you wish for clarification?

Is there something in this story that you can't wait to be resolved?

Analyze a character and try to explain why s/he does what s/he does.

Do you for see any problems with this story?

Tell the author how much you appreciate them.

REVIEW/COMMENT TEMPLATES

Finally, I’d like to leave you all with some templates you can use. Of course, it’d be most personal and heartfelt for you to construct your own comments and reviews, but I understand not everyone feels comfortable doing so, and utilizing these templates to help get your thoughts across is certainly better than leaving no feedback at all! Edit whatever you’d like, use pieces, combine templates — it’s in your hands!

LOVE AND GRATITUDE

“Hi! I’m so thrilled to have found this story. I’ve been looking for a good [fandom] fic with a [character names] pairing for a long time now, and to see one of his quality just made my day! Your writing is [superb/detailed/professional/etc.], and your characterization [is honest/is spot-on/makes me weep with joy/etc.]. I am going to be following this with a very close eye. Thank you so much for gracing the world with your beautiful writing!”

“Admittedly, I didn’t think I’d be getting back into [fandom], but I saw your fic and began reading it on a whim. I am now intrigued and looking forward to what happens next. I absolutely love how you portray [character name]. [He/she/they] are exactly how I imagined [him/her/them] to be in this situation that you’ve crafted, and I look forward to more. Can’t wait for the next update!”

“This is brilliant. I’ve never seen another story like this, and I thank you for sharing your talents with us and the [fandom] fandom. You make me gush every time you have scenes like this, and [character name] just makes my heart thud!”

“Ugh, that cliffhanger! D: I can’t believe you just cut it off like that — now I’m going to have to wait impatiently for the next update. I hope [character name] survives. It sounds like a terrible situation to be in, but you wrote it so [beautifully/hauntingly/well/etc.]! Will be eagerly awaiting the next chapter!”

“OH MY HEART. You always create the most [lovable/intimate/disgustingly cute/etc.] moments, and I just want to puke rainbows and sunshine. I LITERALLY SQUEED. In fact, I squeed so loud, my [mother/boyfriend/partner/sister/etc.] asked me what was wrong!”

“Your writing style leaves me [breathless/wanting more/etc.]. <3 The way you string words together is just pure poetry, and it is a [joy/treat/etc.] to read. We need more people like you writing

“I don’t usually read original content online, but this piece caught my eye, and you did not disappoint. The world and plot you’ve created is [creative/heartrending/exciting/etc.], and your characters are [memorable/endearing/so much fun/etc.]! I find myself entranced with [character name]. I feel like I can really relate to [his/her/their] plight. Looking forward to the next update and seeing what [character names] are going to do!”

“This story feel so professionally written to me. You could absolutely take this and publish it. Your writing is [beautiful/flawless/a joy to read/etc.], and I so admire your ability to consistently give us content. Please keep writing and sharing with us! I cannot get enough of [story title], and I look forward to every update.”

“I’m super curious about [character/plot/feature/etc.]! I feel like this is a concept that has been done before, but I’ve never seen it executed as effectively as you have! I am looking forward to reading more about [insert characters] and how they’ll react to [events].

“I cannot tell you how much this story means to me. I know this is just a piece of writing (albeit quality!) posted online, but you have helped me get through some really rough days and events in my life. The way you weave this story and its characters makes me feel like it’s all alive. Sometimes when I’m feeling particularly sad, I just come back to this fic and read a few chapters. Your writing is beautiful and real and optimistic, and it just makes me feel like I can rely on it as a place to retreat to when I need it. Thank you so much for taking your time to write. Your work is truly a treat and blessing.”

“[copy and paste quote from story]

This was my favorite line from the story. I found it so [funny/wholesome/particular/etc.]. You have such a good grasp on [character name/writing dialogue/development/etc.] Looking forward to more!

CHEERS AND CONDOLENCES

“I’m so sorry to hear that you’re having a rough time because of [reasons]. I hope you know that I’m here to support you, and if you need to take a step back from writing for a little while, I completely understand. I always enjoy your work, and for the quality and joy you’re giving us, I think you should take your time and write only when you’re ready to enjoy the process. Please take care! <3 You are in my thoughts!”

“Congratulations on [xyz]! That is such a big milestone, and I’m so happy for you! It’s amazing that despite all of your RL achievements, you’re still willing and able to dedicate the time to write for us. <3 Sending love and support! Keep it up!”

SOME FRIENDLY ADVICE

“Hi! I absolutely love that you’re writing for this [fandom]. I think you write [character name] very well, better than most interpretations I’ve come across! If I may, I’d like to discuss your most recent portrayal of [character name]. I see where you were coming from, but I think [he/she/they] may have been a little too [forward/angry/quiet/etc.] because [insert reasons]. What was your thought process behind this? Other that particular scene, I’ve been very pleased with your portrayal! ”

“First, I am so glad I found this fic. I am impressed by your writing capabilities and think you’re doing a wonderful job! I don’t know if you’re looking for any feedback on [xyz], but I have [experience/knowledge] on [xyz], so I thought I’d shed a bit of light. The only thing I noticed was [reasons] — in reality, [insert explanation]. I can give you a few sources [insert link(s)], if you’re interested in reading more. I am also happy to answer any questions for you! Please let me know how I can help! Like I said, though, aside from that just teeny detail, your writing really is superb. I love your [creativity/portrayal/writing style, etc.]! Can’t wait to read more!”

If you found that this guide or these templates were helpful to you, please share the wealth with other readers and writers!

Also posted on AO3.

[sokkathebluewolf]

A review Why you do that? Making Sokka mention 28 in his vows now everyone think he slept around after the best time of his life? They both dont deserve this June slaves Hina Tylee now this Please don't make more girls fall for him involve with him feels like the whole fic turned around this Haru deserves better Tylee is flirting around

Don't get me wrong This is your fic and you can do anything you feel fit I'm merely giving an opinion ''cause Gladiator has things which you handled the best There is a Reason for this success I just hope this plus 1 girl thing in Sokkla relationship Stops But I always respect you with your great work(:

You do realize how utterly laughable it is to tell me “DON’T MAKE MORE GIRLS FALL FOR HIM IT FEELS LIKE THE WHOLE FIC IS TURNING AROUND” and then say “you can do anything you feel fit, I respect your work (:”, right?

This is not respect. This is not “constructive criticism”. This is not an opinion so important and valuable that it warrants being repeated about a million times across A YEAR. Most people? They give out their opinions, negative or positive, ONE TIME, and leave it be, because what matters to them is CONVEYING how they feel, not forcing a writer to constantly explain themselves or write whatever they would be comfortable with. Actually? Most people who have given me negative opinions so far have been like that, except one guy who was outright flaming my story because he wanted to wank to it, and he couldn’t believe he had to read 97 chapters to finally reach the smut. That I’m comparing you to this reader and reviewer is PROBABLY a bad sign, don’t you think?

Sokka didn’t MENTION 28: Sokka acknowledged his past mistakes because he’s a grown man who knows to feel remorse when he hurts people he loves. That he brings up having hurt her, to this day, isn’t in the purpose of going “HEY HEY AZULA REMEMBER WHEN I BROKE YOUR HEART LOL”, it’s in the purpose of saying: “I’ve learned from my mistakes and, as it has been for YEARS, I will devote myself to NEVER hurting you again”. That, anon, is a PERFECTLY VALID SENTIMENT for a wedding vow, and one that requires far more character growth and complexity than “Lol I’m so happy we were both virgins because that is the only kind of pure love that has ever been valid in the universe, anything else doesn’t count”.

Hell, you’ve literally made me go right back to the chapter to look at what he says, exactly: “I messed things up between us over my damn stupidity”, he... is literally beating himself up about this. To this day. He’s not talking about it proudly. And yet you’re here complaining as though he were?

SPOILER: More people will have feelings for Sokka in future chapters. In fact, I want to make it even MORE people than I’d originally planned after receiving all these asks. I’d rather derail my story into something you can’t stomach reading than cater to you. Azula will outright JOKE about being “jealous” in a future chapter, and Sokka will know it’s a joke! :D And I’m NOT lying about this to mess with you, it IS going to happen and your persistent asks absolutely WON’T make me alter my content. And why is it going to happen, you’ll ask? Why, because nice, charming, charismatic guys like Sokka attract people whether they want to or not. It’s what they DO about attracting others what matters to me! :’) And that Sokka rejects other people who attempt to be with him should be, I think, a much more important message about loyalty to someone you love than “I ONLY EVER ATTRACTED ONE PERSON IN MY LIFE AND MARRIED THEM”. Because I know that’s virtually the only thing you appear willing to accept, going by the first ask.

And holy crap, Ty Lee is... flirting around? Flirting around... with Haru. The guy she’s in a committed relationship with, whom she’s going to marry. The whole situation is meant to be insanely ironic considering Ty Lee is with the guy she SHOULD be with but it looks like it’s something else? (Hell, nobody even KNOWS it was Ty Lee, Mei Xun didn’t stick around long enough to discover the woman’s identity, so her reputation’s actually safe?) But you’re just so emotionally compromised by anything regarding Sokka being with anyone else, even if it’s 1. not true because he’s MILES away, with Azula 2. a joke 3. a plot device for a FUTURE EVENT, that you just can’t grasp this irony at all?

Ty Lee, by design in this story, has ALWAYS been pretty damn liberal about flirting and relationships. Despite we’ve mainly just heard such relationships mentioned on the side, rather than witnessing them directly, she is objectively the cast member who’s had the most relationships, whether serious or casual or just occasional, with other people. And even then, she’s getting married. Even when she’s had so many people in her past, she’s settling down with Haru for good. And Haru? Haru is THRILLED. Because he loves her. Because she loves him. Because HER past does NOT have a single thing to do with THEIR future. And yet you seriously read these chapters, where Ty Lee is having a lot of fun with her fiancé, and your brain just translated this as “OMG TY LEE IS A SLUT HARU DESERVES BETTER!”? Seriously?

I feel like I’m getting asks from a childish version of Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy. Everything that isn’t straightforward needs to be explained point by point, apparently, and even then, you don’t get it. I literally went to literature school and was told to write intelligent fiction so readers would feel compelled to unravel its complexities themselves... apparently that was a big fat lie? :’) Your persistence actually has convinced me that it is.

Oh and, for future reference (because I KNOW you’ll come back, that’s all you ever do): not because you throw compliments at me later to “cushion” your complaint does it mean you’re respecting me and my story. You can’t slap someone in the face and then go “Oh your cheeks are so plump that I bet it doesn’t hurt”. You can’t just disregard my request that you keep these sorts of questions to my PERSONAL blog rather than the fic’s blog, and pretend you respect me. You can’t come to me time after time with the same complaints and attitude, watch how I’ve basically gone from initially responding with discomfort (because, in my personal blog, there are MANY asks that predate yours, where I’d already explained my reasoning to someone else who apparently didn’t get it, which means the subject wears me out, A LOT), then seeing that I started ignoring your asks, then seeing I closed the inbox so I could regain some sense of normalcy in my life that you refused to let me reclaim, and then seeing that I’m answering with outright hostility, and pretend that it’s ME who has a problem. 

If someone I respected responded in any similar manner to ANYTHING I said to them, I’d basically feel like shit and never talk to them again because I don’t want to be a burden or a problem for someone whom I value in any way. You, apparently, would rather be a problem, and to no avail, because all you’re achieving so far is convincing me to continue writing things that will make you riot until you stop reading my story. If you CAN’T stop reading regardless of the horrifying, amoral, dreadful decisions I’ve made? Congratulations: you still don’t have the right to tell me what to do with my story. And until you GENUINELY understand that, your compliments don’t mean anything to me. I have readers I value who have conveyed complaints, MANY TIMES, in an actual respectful manner. Readers who are even bothered by the same thing you are. And yet I’m even FRIENDS with them. Imagine that :’) It’s almost like the problem isn’t having whatever opinion you do... but rather, the intent of IMPOSING your opinion constantly and persistently until you’ve driven me to lash out as bluntly and cruelly as I may! To the point I’m outright saying I’m going to rewrite my story into becoming EVERYTHING you don’t want it to be so you leave me alone!

And if you’re not the one who’s been here for a year, and this is not really an echo chamber (despite all of these messages have the same complaints, wording, tone, format, style, punctuation and grammar mistakes), yet you SAW that other people have been doing this for a long time, and thought it was PERFECTLY FINE to join the party? You’re no less of an asshole than the rest of them. No matter if it’s your first time voicing your “opinion”. Because it’s NOT about what you’re saying: it’s about HOW you’re saying it. It’s about trying to guilt trip me into writing whatever you want and claiming the story is going off the rails because something makes you personally uncomfortable. This is NOT objective criticism. This is SUBJECTIVE, ENTIRELY. This isn’t a real problem in storytelling, it’s a personal problem for you because it clashes with your moral values. And NO ONE is forcing you to continue consuming content that goes against your moral values, you’re choosing to do that yourself.

If you’re to live by any of the words you said in these two asks, make it “This is your fic and you can do anything you feel fit”. Because that’s literally what I’m going to do. It’s what I’ve done over EVERY complaint in poor faith I’ve gotten, ranging from “quit writing so much happiness it’s boring” to “where’s the sex you prude”. And it’s what I intend to continue doing. What kind of criticism do I value? “This particular scene features a factually contradictory line with a previous event”, such as Zuko claiming he never went to Sokka’s house when he in fact did, and I plain and simple FORGOT about it. What more kinds of criticism do I value? “You need to work out the Gladiator League’s system better because it’s not a solid business venture”, and this one was right? And yet it was too late to fix it, despite it’s 100% spot-on and I should’ve worked it out way better than I did. Another? “Sokka may have gotten over the fact that Azula captured him and tossed him in a slave market too easily”, because? It’s a perfectly valid sentiment? I disagree because Sokka is canonically shown to get over grudges relatively quickly, and yet I CAN see why it seems too fast for some people. What else do I value? Maybe suggestions on wording problems! I’ve made a lot of stupid wording mistakes, in virtue of being a non-native speaker. I’ve done my best to amend those, but it’s a work in progress even now.

Point and case being: in literature, and thus, in fanfiction? Constructive criticism isn’t “WRITE WHAT I WANT TO READ BECAUSE I WANT TO BE PERFECTLY COMFORTABLE WITH ALL I CONSUME”. Constructive criticism is given by people who KNOW storytelling. So I’d only consider it constructive criticism if it’s given by people who can read those chapters and see that the ENTIRE purpose of that conflict is to trigger growth and development as both Sokka and Azula realize their own mistakes and shortcomings with each other. So, someone who’s giving actual constructive criticism wouldn’t come to my inbox a million times with the same complaint... someone who’s giving constructive criticism would come to my inbox, ONE TIME, and say “Hey, maybe this alternative to conveying Azula is instinctively jealous over her canonical insecurities about being a monster and earning people’s love and loyalties COULD have been preferable, despite I know you can’t change that anymore as it’s fundamental for your story”, or “Hey, I thought of another way for Sokka to convey that he realized their interest in each other could result in something TERRIBLE if they ever acted on their feelings, a way for him to not act on that specific impulse to flirt with Suki to push away Azula, but to act on ANOTHER, believable, IC Sokka-compliant impulse that might still convey exactly what you needed to”. But again, even if it were complaints like THESE? I can’t change anything anymore. It’s TOO LATE. If I think it’s too late to fix Zuko saying “lol I never went to Sokka’s house” when it’s not true? It’s WAY TOO LATE to rewrite chapters that are over SEVEN years old, and I don’t even want to do it to begin with. But I WOULD concede these criticisms. I would accept them. I wouldn’t consider them offensive to me, or my work, or disrespectful in any way.

Constructive criticism is NOT about forcing an author to agree with you, or to do whatever you ask them to. Constructive criticism is about helping an author convey what they were conveying in a better, smoother way. If you CAN’T understand what the author was conveying? You don’t qualify for offering constructive criticism. If you need explanations as to why the author did anything they did? You’re, again, not qualified to offer constructive criticism. Your criticism, in any such cases, is NOT constructive, no matter what you’re telling yourself. This is a VERY important distinction, and one you can’t pretend isn’t valid just by throwing a bunch of compliments at me after telling me I’m ruining my story.

Until the day you DO understand the difference between constructive criticism, and subjective complaints? Your opinions will not be considered valuable enough to affect my story in a positive way. And the more disrespectful you show yourself, by continuing to disregard my DIRECT request for you to stop coming back with these complaints, as well as the direct request to stop sending these questions to this blog? The less your opinions will count for me. I don’t bend over backwards for anyone. And I’m definitely not going to do it for you.

[toomanyfamdom]

Many Shades of Green

I have to say some thank yous before I post this.

Thank you to @jane-fucking-seymour , @ichlugebulletsandcornnuts , @millie1536 and @bessie-bass-on-the-bass for being inspirations to me. Without them I wouldn’t have thought of starting to write. They never got mad if I sent them random messages and goodness knows what time for them and have kindly corrected me when necessary. So thank you.

But the person I owe the most to is @the-quiet-winds . I’ve talked most closely with them and they are an incredible writer and the first person to encourage me to basically get myself together and write something for goodness sake. They’ve been incredibly kind, never minding the annoying messages I send them and giving me her permission to write my own interpretations of her stories some co-written with @ichlugebulletsandcornnuts . So for this, I thank you.

This is my first publicized work and I’m open to constructive criticism. This is based on the personal head cannon I mentioned about Anne Boleyn so I decided I would just write about it instead. Please be patient with me. This may seem a little unrealistic but bear with please.

Also, does anyone want a tag list?

Tw: none that I can think of

Word count: 1318

***

All was calm in the queens household.

Which was weird, especially because the ladies-in-waiting were over for the evening for their monthly get together.

It wasn’t the only time the ladies were in the house, they only lived two doors down the road but it was the only scheduled, constant gathering.

They were all gathered in the living room, watching a movie, eating - or in some cases throwing - popcorn when one of the phones began to ring. Catherine, being the closest got to it first.

“Hello?” she answered, face brightening as the other person spoke, “Sasha! Give me one second, I’ll put you on speaker.” Sasha was their manager so if she phoned the house, it was something for everyone.

“Hello?” Sasha’s voice came through the speaker.

“Hiya love, you have all of us here,” Jane told the woman.

“Great, makes my life easier,” they all laughed, “I have some very exciting news for you all.”

“Don’t leave us hanging babes, tell us,” Anna laughed.

“You’ve been invited for a European tour.”

Silence. Then all hell broke loose.

“Are we really going on tour?”

“It would be so nice to go back home.”

“That I agree with, Bess.”

“I’d love to back to France.”

“Same but with Spain.”

“I’d love to go where you grew up Catherine.”

“How cool, we get to travel and still perform. Awesome!”

“Agreed, Kat.”

“That’s a lot of new rigs to learn.”

“You’ll be fine Joey.”

“Where are we going, Sasha?” Jane was the only person with something sensible to say.

“You’ll be starting in Portugal and working your way through Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and ending in Sweden.”

“That’s so many places,” Kat was in awe.

“So many different languages,” Cathy noted.

“We’ll have to see about getting interpreters,” Sasha added.

“Well you have Anna, Catherine, Anne, Maggie and I who can speak German, Spanish and French respectively,” Cathy said, “And Bessie-”

“I can speak Italian,” the bassist confirmed.

“Right,” she nodded, “so it’s just Portuguese, Dutch and Swedish we’ll need help with.”

“I’ll look into interpreters but no promises,” Sasha’s voice was uncertain.

“I’ll learn them.”

Every head turned to the queen who had just spoken.

“Are you sure, Anne? That’s a lot of work,” Maria questioned her friend.

“Well I’m already learning other languages and from what I’ve heard Portugese and Spanish are kind of similar and German, Dutch and Swedish come from the same family of languages so I wouldn’t mind. If it gives us some piece of mind,” Anne scratched her neck and giggle slightly, “I’ve been looking for some new languages to learn anyway so this just made my search so much easier.”

Only if you’re sure sister,“ Maggie looked concerned.

"I’m sure,” the woman in question affirmed, pulling her sister into her arms, “I promise if it gets too much, I’ll stop. Is that okay with everyone?”

Various affirmations were made and Sasha said, “Thank you Anne, that’s one less thing to worry about. Just letting you know, your opening date is in six months. Bye.”

“Thank you Sasha, bye,” Catherine hung up the phone, “well then, let’s get back to our movie, shall we?

***

Four months later and the ladies-in-waiting were over again. Maria, Joan, Jane and Catherine were all in the kitchen making the dinner together, Anna, Kat and Bessie were playing an intense game of Mario Kart and Anne, Maggie and Cathy were in Anne’s room.

"This is incredible,” said Cathy from where she was sitting on the floor by Anne’s desk with the queens many notebooks sat surrounding her, all in different colours and languages ranging from English to German to Swedish, “How many languages did you say?”

“Nine,” Anne said, looking up from where she was lying upside down off the edge of her bed reading some Greek poetry, dangerously close to kicking Maggie in the face from where she was drawing in a random sketch book she found, “and I’m working on a tenth, although it’s a little harder, see that dark blue one behind you? I’m not fluent, that would be impossible in four months but I’ll be able to help in most situations.”

“That’s amazing,” Cathy smiled at her, “now, come help me put these away.”

Anne closed her book and set it gently on the floor putting her hands down and kicking herself off the bed and over onto her feet. She took the books from a laughing Cathy and went round the other side of the divider she had put in her room and came back around to the girls, flopping at Cathy and Maggie’s feet, back to her original position.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself one of these days,” Maggie didn’t even look up from her drawing.

“I know,” Anne winked at Cathy to have the pair laugh at her despairingly.

“You’ll have to teach me some of those languages when we get time,” Cathy said, “Its so nice to see this other side of you and I’m so happy you feel comfortable enough to show me this side.”

Anne sat up, “You two are my nearest and dearest, how could I not be comfortable around you?”

The trio smilled at each other and all of their phones buzzed.

“Did you two get this as well?” asked Maggie.

“From Sasha,” Cathy had already read the message and was looking at it with wide eyes.

“Is it bad or?” Anne’s phone was out of reach.

“The tour’s been cancelled,” Maggie told her.

Anne bolted up straight. “What?! What do you mean?” she asked increadiusly.

“Exactly what she said.”

“What on…” Anne trailed off then jumped off the bed and running downstairs, “Familly meeting in the kitchen!”

Anna jumped when she heard Anne’s shout. The German looked over at her two companions.

“If Anne’s calling a family meeting,” started Kat.

“Something is definitely wrong,” Bessie finished.

“Better not keep the hurricane waiting,” the three went to the kitchen, meeting Maggie and Cathy in the hall and were met with a pacing Anne Boleyn.

“Perfect, we’re all here now,” Anne said, “Have a seat.” She gestured towards the table.

“Anne, what’s wrong?” Jane asked as softly as she could.

“Nothing’s wrong per say, just changes, I don’t like sudden changes so yeah,” Anne muttered to her self. She stopped took a deep breath then said, “Check your phones.”

They all did - except for Maggie and Cathy who tried to calm Anne down a bit. “I have a message from Sasha,” said Kit a bit confused, “why is she messaging me?”

“I have one too,” said Maria

“I think we all do,” Jane said in a grim voice, reading the message.

“Is it bad?” Joan looked over to her former mistress, scared to read it.

Anne took a deep breath, “The tour’s been cancelled.”

“What?!” Katherine almost jumped out of her seat, “But why? All the prep was going so well and we were getting venues just fine.”

“Says here that our sponsor backed out,” Anna said, “If that’s true, there’s no way the tour could be funded babes.”

“You did all that learning for nothing,” Catherine realised the root of Anne’s distress.

Anne visibly deflated, leaning against the counter top, head in her hand. “Its not even that. Well, it is that a little but,” she sighed, “You may not know or remember this from our past lives but I thoroughly enjoy learning. Languages especially, they’re challenging. But I also love learning with a reason. I probably would’ve learnt the languages anyways but the tour gave me a reason. It gave me constancy. And that’s been torn from underneath my feet.”

Suddenly there was a Kitty sized person embracing Anne. “I think its really cool how much you’ve managed to learn Annie. Nine foreign languages? That’s incredible!”

“Well, now I have an excuse to keep learning yeah? Look on the bright side!” Anne returned her cousin’s hug, “Thanks sister.”

[shijiujun]

Director Gia Lee’s Latest Instagram Post (she deleted her account this morning)

Hey guys! So what happened after last night’s post-ep 18 live broadcast was that - because it’s an instastory live, a lot of commentators and users used the comments section as a platform to voice how unhappy they were with:

1. The 10-min episode last night

2. That there was no bed scene in ep 17

Giving all of you some context - yesterday the whole cast was there, including Stanley, Diane, our four boys, the director and the special guests were the two men playing CWH and TGD, and usually they use this time to answer more fun questions etc., but this week especially it’s taken a toll on them because they were trying to answer questions related to the plot and more importantly their own experiences and thoughts about filming the show and ytd since the two older actors were there they wanted to explore more about how they both felt about the show and how Chris/Jake/Andy/Kenny or even Diane felt about working with these two seniors

They had to take a break in between these questions to actually answer the two burning questions as stated above and as you guys have seen in my previous asks and posts - Chris was really apologetic about using the wrong words and misleading everyone (even though I don’t think he had any reason to apologise) + Jake was really super quiet during the broadcast + Stanley asked/implored for fans to not direct hate and criticisms at the instastory live, facebook or the comments section towards any of the cast or crew members and even offered himself up to take the bad comments + the director sounded a bit regretful - But anyway I thought that was the end of it until she put up a post on instagram LAST NIGHT, WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN DELETED

BUT I FINALLY FOUND A SCREENSHOT ON WEIBO SO I WILL TRANSLATE IT FOR U GUYS:

1. when Choco first found me to film Trapped, they made this show the intention to create it as a policeman + mob boss story, and not just simply a BL drama

2. the structure of the script was already formed before i took on the job, and it was also already written, so on my side and choco’s they already planned to adjust the entire story and script according to this structure, so when people ask me why is it that the side couple doesn’t have more scenes, i don’t know how to answer. if you ask me why shao fei and li zhen don’t have scenes together, i don’t know how to answer either. if you ask me why hong ye and ah de have so many scenes, that’s because trapped was never meant to be just a BL drama, so i can’t answer that either... some problems is due to the restrictions and format of the show, and other problems are due to the script’s structure, it’s not something that i can decide on my own, so it’s not something i can answer either

3. for all publicity, i’ve never been a part of it so i wouldn’t know who said what or wrote what on which platform, so if you see or hear something due to publicity or marketing, and then when you see the drama and episodes it’s different, i can’t explain this either, just like when all of you asked me why there wasn’t a bed scene (in ep 17), i also only knew that you guys were expecting a bed scene then when someone else mentioned in, but the script originally never had this scene so i can’t explain this

4. a lot of things and problems, it’s what the production team, choco and i have to take responsibility for - if you guys think we didn’t film this well, then we’ll take on the responsibility for that, if you guys liked the drama, we are very thankful, but actually a lot of it requires no explanation, but this time it seems like everything went out of control, so i decided to explain myself

5. when we first decided to do the post-ep live broadcasts, it was only a personal thought, and i hoped through it the new actors could have a deeper sharing session and some ‘face-time’ with everyone, so it’s was a private, sharing and chatting session, it was never meant to be official publicity

6. i’ve never thought that i was good at directing, if you guys say that i’m bad at that i can accept it, but i do not wish to see people use emotionally-charged words and even personally attack/bully us

7. if you can’t accept our show, then i’m really sorry, maybe we filmed a show that didn’t meet your expectations, and maybe we actually were going in another direction with the show, maybe we originally had other side characters, maybe the fluttering you feel is not enough (paraphrasing, lmk if you guys have another interpretation), but this is how the show was already structured, and i can only say sorry that this show didn’t meet your expectations

8. lastly, i’m sorry everyone is unhappy 

So that’s what she wrote, and then she deleted her FB and instagram account. From what i’ve been seeing on weibo all morning, the chinese fans I’ve read are mostly really unfriendly - they’ve said things like ‘wow, she really has a weak heart huh’ and ‘basically she’s just putting all the blame on us crazy fans when it’s her show that’s shite’

And a fan even DMed Chris and the conversation goes like this:

Fan: Hey Chris, just wanted to let u know that you didn’t have to apologise, it’s all the director’s fault, and I’m sorry you had to be a scapegoat for this in ytd’s broadcast

Chris: Hey, this is not the director’s fault, I’ve already explained that it was me who described the scenes wrongly and misled the audience, I really hope you understand

Fan: (goes on about how it’s the director’s fault and not his)

Chris: I made it very clear last night that it’s not the director’s fault, and I really seek your understanding on this.

Like this is a total shitshow - I’ve not seen many supportive comments about the director and I feel so bad for her? And then the poor cast and everyone else also has to field these comments?!!!

Edit: Not to say you have to agree with what the director wrote - totally valid to disagree with what she’s said on certain issues! But the hate she’s getting is not right D:

like honestly, as much as we have problems with the show and its plot and everything, we also more or less understand that it’s a combination of factors - and even then as much as you hate the show or the way it’s been structured, please don’t send hate to the cast or crew members! i mean i hate line tv quite a bit but, constructive feedback is one thing - harsh hurtful comments is another!!! they’ve worked really hard on the show and they’re still coming up with scenes that we really like, even though yes the suspension of disbelief is tested every single ep, and yes there are plenty of loopholes, but i feel really bad for chris and the director - gia lee - who has to deal with the comments

if you guys are able to send nice comments over to her somehow on the official fb page or anything, and also to support chris/jake/andy/kenny - please do!

[comicteaparty]

May 25th-May 31st, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from May 25th, 2020 to May 31st, 2020.  The chat focused on Meet and Greet by 91burrow.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Meet and Greet by 91burrow~! (https://tapas.io/series/Meet-and-Greet)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until May 31st, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

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

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

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

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

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

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

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

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

sierrabravo (Hans Vogel is Dead)

First of all, this art is gorgeous! The monochrome green palette is really working for me, and it's taking my breath away. This comic has such a distinctive style and visual appeal that is very well done.

carcarchu

This comic has a lovely whimsical surrealness and the foliage all looks so lush. the shade of green chosen was really nice, it feels really calming and relaxing to read. I really love how the world building expands a little more with each subsequent chapter it makes me look forward to reading each new chapter. I think my favourite illustration is from chapter 23, those red roses juxtaposed against the green make for a really gorgeous image, though it's really hard to decide because each panel from this comic looks like it belongs in an art gallery

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

This is such a cute comic!!! My favorite character in the comic is Mister Bear. He's just such a big, lumbering doofus :p https://tapas.io/episode/776319 https://tapas.io/episode/1731912

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Ooh, yes, this is lovely.

Single favorite image: the splash panel in #35 where the thunder angel (?) appears. The lighting is so dramatic and effective, and the contrast with the usual cute soft environment makes it stand out really well.

RebelVampire

In terms of both the beginning and overall content, I just like how whimsical the story is. There's always a bit of magic mixed with a bit of a happy ending. And it's just one of those comic's that's a genuine feel good experience and is one of the rare comic's that is kind of for everyone in its own way since its so light-hearted - can work for any situation that needs such comforts. My favorite moment in the comic was probably when they helped the snake prince. Since it was the rare strip where I was like "whoa whoa wait kids this is dangerous." But then it turns out okay and the snake prince was adorable all along. My favorite character is probably Lyn. I like just kind of how brave and forward Lyn is. A good role model. As for characters interacting, rather than a specific character, I like in general seeing the kids interacting with the various human(?) magic users. Mostly just cause I like seeing kind of that adult wisdom contrasted with that kid cute kindness. Makes you want to be a kid again. For the art, I really just in general like the linework. It's got that nice blend of being polished but also sketchy since not all the lines complete. I think that's what really helps add to the whimsy. As for a theme the comic explores, I kind of just like the general theme of being kind to others and that scary things don't need to be scary - you can fight them with kindness. Last for this first question batch, I think the comic's main strength is just, again, the whimsy. There actually aren't a lot of comic's where I really think they nail whimsy, so it's hard to put yourself in the character's shoes when they're wowed by something. I didn't have an issue with this comic, and I really felt like I was seeing child wonderment through their eyes.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Very sweet story, simple and has a wholesome vibe to the themes overall. I enjoy reading each new character they are introduced to, in each chapter. I like the encounter with the nature spirit and the kids had to make 7 expressions to pass. I think the strength of the stories lies in the fantasy world build up with the nature, the character designs giving a sort of British fairytale approach to the story? Fun little story, I enjoy it(edited)

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. In what ways do you feel the comic captures the fairy tale vibe given many of the stories are inspired by fairy tales? In what ways does this comic modernize those tales for a new audience, and why is this important?

10. What aspect of the strange world John and Lyn live in is your favorite? What aspect are you hoping to learn more about? Also, in what ways do you think the world captures the feeling of “whimsy?”

11. What do you think the comic shows us in terms of the themes of communication? What moment showcases this the best for you, and how do you think this comic is unique in how it tackles them?

12. How do the protagonists being children affect how you perceive the story? Do you think you’d think differently of the comic if the characters were adults? Lastly, what about having children as the main characters enhances the stories of the comic?

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

RebelVampire

Most fairy tales were originally created to deliver some sort of moral about living a "virtuous" life. And while what constitutes a virtuous life has evolved since most fairy tales were created (and differs by their opinion), that is still generally their function. As such, modernizing such tales really kind of helps guide a new generation into what we hope would be a better life. As for what the comic does to capture the fairy tale vibe, besides the atmosphere, for me is just kind of...the non-logic. Fairy tales don't always have strict rules in their worlds, and there's always random things happening, loop holes, etc. And that's kind of feel I got from the comic - anything can happen, and that's a good thing since that's what helps make it whimsical. I've gone on and on about whimsy. My favorite aspect of the world though is just kind of how many different kinds of creatures and people are all living in the same place. I do wish I had a better sense of geography sometimes, but that doesn't really matter since there's just so much creativity and variety. In terms of the themes of communication, I think the comic honestly just shows us its important and that without communication, life sucks. Additionally, I think the comic also shows us that we need to be kind in our communication. I can't really point to a particular moment out since I kind of think its really the whole comic that embodies the theme and each episode in it showcases that in its own way.

For me I think the fact this is children helped add kind of both to the whimsy and suspense of disbelief. When it's adult characters you expect adults to kind of be...well more logical. And to call bs when something doesn't make sense. But because the protags are children in this case, since they don't question anything, I don't question anything, since kids are a bit dreamy. And this makes it easier to get into the setting and just accept everything at face value and enjoy what's being presented.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

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

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

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

RebelVampire

I most looking forward to just exploring more of the comic's world since I think the comic is largely about that experience. This is a wonderful comic, and honestly one I'd recommend to see in a library since it'd be perfect for kids.

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Meet and Greet this week! Please also give a special thank you to 91burrow for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Meet and Greet, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://tapas.io/series/Meet-and-Greet

91burrow’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/91burrow

91burrow’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A057788

91burrow’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/91burrow

[i-can-get-extra-with-my-ships]

A Slice Of My Love. Chapter 8. The One Where I Get Sent Downstairs And Em Gives You One Of The Stupidest Things She's Come Up With.

Hello, my children! If you saw the teaser then you know where this is going. I think writing about Virgil losing his sanity is making me lose mine. Anywho, it’s serious talk time.

Parings: Vilonso/Deathbread. (Oh god that felt weird to write. I’m normally the person who looks at people’s ocs, not the person who makes ocs.)

Tw: Heathers and Be More Chill references, cursing, a slight NSFW mention (if you’ve listened to the song More Than Survive you know what I’m getting at), bomb mention, the death/murder of the fourth wall, and Virgil being insane. (The norm for this book)

Ok here’s a new thing: I’m going to link the four songs that are mentioned/sang/used: 

I Am Damaged (from Heathers tw: explosions, suicide, and suicide mention): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlVxhg-HVCk 

Candy Store (from Heathers): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQOoTX1Nxx8

More Than Survive (from Be More Chill): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuOrwWdJFEs

Voices In My Head (from Be More Chill): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvpaivDBwQs

(Both Be More Chill songs the original cast recording because I listened to like 6 lines of More Than Survive from the Broadway one and hated it. (Will Connolly is SOOO much better for Jeremy) Look at this!! I’ve only been into this show for two days (on the day of publishing this chapter) and I have incredibly strong opinions already!!! And Heathers is the world premiere cast recording because you can hate me later, I hate the West End version of Heathers. They used the HIGH SCHOOL replacement for Blue!! I can tangent more about how much I hate the West End version of Heathers and the Broadway version of BMC later if you so wish.)

Virgil’s POV

----

“Virgil, could you please go downstairs?” Patton asked me.

Well, good luck to princey. I think we just got Ramen murdered. Oops, I did it again. I played with your- Why are you like this? Why are either of you like this?

I let go of Roman’s hand and begrudgingly went downstairs. I want to know what they were saying. Actually, I think I can find out. 

Em, what are they talking about?

(Now is not the time for you to find out.)

You’re writing this chapter before you write what they’re saying, aren’t you?

(Umm… Maybe!! But I have notes!!!)

Ahh yes, the very “scientific notes” you have that are written in cursive, with the all caps too because you're just extra like that.

“FaLsEhOoD!!!!!!!!!”

I jumped at Logan’s screech. Jesus!! What was that for?

(Dunno, it was funny.)

You know what will be funny? Seeing how you work that into the next chapter.

(Virgil, Virgil, Virgil, I already know how I’m gonna add that to the story. I’m decently smart when I feel like it.)

I can just hear the angry readers. Like I said in chapter 2, there is no fourth wall for this cautionary tale. For my chapters at least. OH!! That’s a funny idea.

(To the tune of I am Damaged)

It is damaged. 

Far to damaged. 

The readers think it’s not beyond repair.

I’ll stick around here.

I won’t make things better.

Cause Em’s beat us fair and square.

Step away from the wall now.

Little further.

I know what this thing will do.

Hope you miss it.

Please don’t kiss it.

I don’t need to know that you worship it.

It won’t trade its life for yours.

(Virgil what are you doing?)

And once it disappears,

(I’m in love with the reference but I’m confused.)

There’ll be a mess down here.

(Why do you have a bomb?)

Say bye to the wall.

Say bye to the wall.

Say bye to the wall.

Say bye to the wall.

(*Snaps fingers* There’s no more wall.)

What the? Why did you take my bomb?

(This is why Roman is JD.)

It would’ve been fine.

(You were planning to throw a bomb at the fourth wall. How would that have ended well?)

Magic!

(Ok. Yeah. We’re done. I’m gonna go now. I’ll still be the present force giving you existence. But I’m done with you. Too much lack of basic intelligence here.)

Well, at least I can have a bomb again.

(Oh yeah! And no more bombs.)

Whatever. 

I was too busy talking with Em to notice Alonso on the counter again. It startled me. But now I had the perfect opportunity to talk to him without getting interrupted.

“How long have you been sitting there?”

He’d been staring at me since I came downstairs I think. He got off the counter and walked over to me. “Ehh. Not too long.”

You know what? He’s like really sketchy. We’re gonna question him to the ends of this Earth.

“How did you get here?”

“I just appeared.”

That’s a constructive answer. “No like the first time. I could’ve sworn that it was only me and Pat in the kitchen.”

“Yeah I kinda just appeared then too. Also, sweety stop slouching and your bangs!! Who the hell gave you permission to walk around with your hair like that?”

That’s who he reminded me of. The critic character from Thomas’ last video. I told Roman that the character was too similar to Remy, as the fans have dubbed the sleep character from Thomas’ shorts. Did he listen? No.

The fans didn’t care though. The love the critic. If I’m not mistaken this one discord server has dubbed him “Critic Anton Dice”. (Shout out to all my wonderful friends in the The Kinds Of Minds You’d Only Find In Hell discord server! Y’all are amazing!!!)

Still something else though. I can’t quite place my finger on it and it’s pissing me off.

That something else is why you think he’s hot. Not true. It is true. Remy pisses us off, the critic guy is an ass. It’s that something else. Both of you need to shut up or I’m yeeting myself out a goddamn window!!

That shut them both up.

“Yeah, I don’t give a fuck about my hair or posture. And not gonna lie, your ‘appearing’ is kinda creepy.”

He rolled his eyes at me and fixed my bangs. “Ugh! Fine if you won’t fix them yourself I’ll do it.”

He fussed over my hair for quite some time. Once he finished, he finally brought up the ‘just appearing thing’.

“Don’t you just appear?”

I took mild offense to that. See? We don’t think he’s hot. He’s just an ass. The something else is hot. Can you both just stop? The option to yeet me out a window is still on the table. Just saying.

Anyways. I took mild offense to that. “See that’s the thing.” You have no clue how badly I wanted to say ‘with you plastics’. Not the time tho. “I appear in a not creepy way. You just pop up on the counter and don’t make a sound. It’s kinda terrifying.”

He scoffed at me. “Does it look like I care?” I rolled my eyes. “Anyways, do you guys have any coffee?” He asked.

There we go there is the Remy. You’re not wrong. Ya know, it’s kinda nice to have the voices in your head get along for once. SHUT UP!! BESIDES, HE’S STARING!!! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GET HIM COFFEE!!! GODDAMN!!! CALM THE FUCK DOWN!!! BOTH OF YOU!!!

I played of the incredibly pissed voices in my head like they were nothing and answered Alonso’s question. “Uhh, yeah we have coffee, but it’s like noon now.”

“Do I look like I care? This bitch needs his Starbucks.”

“We have coffee, not Starbucks.”

“Whatever, I just need caffeine.”

Huh. This guy really is Remy, isn’t he? Yeah, he is. I need coffee too so it’s a win-win.

I walked to the kitchen and started making coffee. While the coffee machine was doing coffee machine things, I was sitting on the counter. Alonso had started looking through the cabinets.

I cocked my head to the side messing up my recently “fixed” bangs.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for sugar. You got any?”

“Yeah. It’s in that cabinet.” I pointed out the one that should have the sugar. I have no clue if it does. He went to the cabinet that I had told him that the sugar should be in and started combing through it.

I stared at the coffee machine, waiting for it to finish. I had subconsciously started to drum my hands on the counter-top. “C-c-c-come on!! C-c-c-come on!! Go! Go! C-c-c-come on!! C-c-c-come on!! Go! Go!”

Ok. You have no right to judge me. I fricken love Be More Chill. I continued with the song. Slowly getting louder. “I’m waiting for my porno to load. My brain is gonna fricken explode.”

The coffee finished. I grabbed two mugs, still singing. Like I said, I fricken love Be More Chill. I’m not gonna sit there and only sing 4 lines of More Than Survive. Also, the next part of the song fits. 

“And now, of course, it’s time to hit the road.” I poured some coffee into the mugs “Which means I’ll be uncomfortable all day, but that really isn’t such a change. If I'm not feeling weird or super strange, my life would be in utter disarray. 'Cause freaking out is my okay.” 

If Jeremy Heere isn’t me than I have no clue what is. “Good morning time to start the day.”

“But it’s noon.”

I jumped at the voice. I may or may not have forgotten that Alsonso was still there. I attempted to recover from the very obvious fact that I’d forgotten about his existence.

“It’s called Be More Chill. Have you ever heard of it?”

He had found the sugar and it was sitting on the table. I brought over the two coffee mugs.

He scoffed. “Of course I’ve heard of Be More Chill!! What rock do you assume I’m living under??”

Extra bitch. You’re not wrong though.

Me, being the idiot I am, actually, I’m not an idiot. This rather creepy man is. You don’t just interrupt someone jamming out to a Be More Chill song like that. 

“So why did you interrupt me?”

He gave me this look of judgment. But judgment and something I couldn’t read. 

What is it with you and not being able to read things today? First the something else and now this?

Yet another way I relate to Jeremy Heere. I could feel myself zoning out again.

“And there are voices in my head. So many voices in my head. And they can yell and hurt like hell, but I know that I'll be fine. I still have voices in my head. Yeah, there are voices in my head. Of the voices in my head, the loudest one is mine!” I had started singing again. “Loudest one is mine! Loudest one is mine!”

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Roman walking downstairs and screaming “C-C-C-COME ON!! C-C-C-COME ON!! LET’S GO!!!”

One thing that y’all need to know about being best fucken friends with Roman: He will randomly start screeching lyrics from random musical theater/Disney songs at random times.

In that moment, I was singing Voices In My Head. This added the idea/impulse (you never know with Roman) to his brain to either join in at some random part or jump in once I had stopped, even if that meant restarting the song. We don’t care.

Yes, we. 

Roman doesn’t give a fuck. 

I don’t have any fucks to give.

Anywho, I joined him. “C-C-C-COME ON!! C-C-C-COME ON!! LET’S GO!!!”

I heard Logan groan behind him. “OH MY GOD!! BOTH OF YOU NEED TO SHUT UP!!!!”

I locked eyes with Roman to make sure that we were in sync for the plan that was forming in our heads.

I stood up. Roman steamed “SHUT UP HEATHER!!!!” I very over dramatically fell on the floor. Roman then began to sing the Candy Store riff. I quickly stood up and sang “TIME FOR YOU TO PROVE YOU’RE NOT A LAME ASS ANYMORE!!!” 

We both came in for the end. “AND STEP INTO MY CANDY STORE!!! IT’S MY CANDY STORE, IT’S MY CANDY!!!! IT’S MY CANDY STORE, IT’S MY CANDY!!!! IT’S MY CANDY STORE, IT’S MY CANDY SOOOORE!!!!!!”

We looked at Patton and Lo-, well, he had gone upstairs again. So we looked at Pat. He looked like he was about to flip his lid. 

I mean, Pat had never been one for Heathers, or BMC, because of the death, murder, sex, cursing, drinking, and drugs/smoking in the shows. It’s sad though!!! All of the good shows are the ones that aren’t 100% kid-friendly!!

I looked back at Roman. We began to laugh hysterically.

I realized that Alonso wasn’t there anymore. Like anywhere. 

But I didn’t care. 

Right now wasn’t about Alonso. 

Right now was about me being a theater geek with my best friend.

----

Y’all can judge me later for all of the BMC and Heathers references!!! Heathers is Virgil’s favorite and then BMC. Fight me.

I would say that this chapter is the longest, but it’s only because of my theater tangent (which is a half a page long on google docs) in the first A/N. (The chapter is 5 pages on Google Docs)

Oof. Umm. I don’t like this chapter very much. Well, not as much as the others. I like it more than other chapters, but I still don’t like it. But not enough dislike to rewrite it.

Also, I failed my own goal. I WANTED to make this chapter post 666 on @i-can-get-extra-with-my-ships, but it’s post 695. *Sad author/theater geek/prinxietea trash goblin noises* 

But I guess that this is my birthday present to myself? I’m posting this on chapter on September 22. My birthday is September 23. Ehh. Good enough.

----

Ok, so before this gets really confusing:

This is the main voice inside Virgil’s head.

This is the other voice in Virgil’s head.

This is the two voices together.

(This is me, the author, Em, talking to Virgil, adding a random A/N in the middle of the chapter, or just establishing something like a stage direction almost. Ex. (To the tune of I Am Damaged) in this chapter. The difference between this one and the one above it is the parentheses.)

----

The now almost 13-year-old “author” (that isn't really an author),

                            Em

(P.s with the sign-off and this part, the chapter is now just barely over 5 pages long on google docs. I need to cool it with the A/Ns. No one cares/reads the A/N. Why do I tell you guys this random crap?)

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Taglist (I need to be informed if you’d like to get added, preferably through DMs or the inbox so I can make sure you get added): @winterswishing-reblogs @just-some-gt-trash @thetomorrowshow @iixclementine @an-existing-leah @elatedgiff

[mmflibrary]

Janey’s Adventures and Fights

I’m too old for this shit. You would think I would be better at comforting people after 800 years, but no. Crying people make me uncomfortable. They always have. Even during the plague years when everyone cried because everybody was dead or dying, I still hated it.

           But here I am. Sitting on the ground in front of some frat house consoling a drunk Lucy because no one complimented her winged eyeliner. Ugh.

“I worked so hard on it” blubbered Lucy as fat tears rolled out of her eyes and onto my t-shirt.

“I know you did baby, some people just can’t appreciate art.” I told Lucy as I combed my fingers through her soft hair. And Lucy was art. She was gorgeous and put in a lot of effort to look that way. She spent hours doing her makeup every morning and went to the gym every Monday Wednesday and Friday after her classes. She was kind as well. If she was alive during the Salem witch trails she would be hung for being to beautiful and for bewitching all the men in a different way.

People during the Salem witch trials were idiots. They never actually caught any witches. At least I’m pretty sure they didn’t. I chose not to stick around and find out.

“I love you Janey. You are my favorite” Lucy slurred into my shoulder and then passed out. I froze. No one had told me they loved me in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This whole mess started 4 months ago.

I was starting a new life at a college in Ithaca, New York. I usually get 4 to 8 years out of one location before people get nosey and try to learn about my life. I chose Ithaca because I thought the name sounded cool. I enrolled in Ithaca College with fake paper work. I had perfected forgery spells in the early 1800’s in order to travel across borders easier. Even though my papers were impeccable, and I never did enough magic to draw attention to myself, I still caught someone’s eye.

 In my 800 years I have learned that other people’s curiosity is very dangerous. Once someone decides to get to know me, they realize my life doesn’t add up in a neat little package like everyone else’s. So when someone starts following me, I get antsy. I don’t get attached to place or people anymore because there is no point when everything changes so quickly and people don’t last very long. When someone starts to get attached to me I push them in another direction or extract myself from the situation all together. I knew this creepy kid was following me but I figured he was just a weirdo whose memory I would have to wipe at some point.

But you know what? I was tired of moving around. I worked hard on my essay to get into Ithaca College and I had already moved my stuff into my dorm so I didn’t want to leave again. Why should I let some creep ruin my hard work and the possibility that I could live in one place for eight years?

           The kid, who was about 6’ 5”, followed me around campus and to my dorm for a week straight. I kept getting glances of him out of the corner of my eye. He was tan, pretty muscular, looked like he played some sort of sport and was the “drank protein shakes because they tasted good” type. His stupidly large shadow was beginning to annoy me. He clearly wanted something and it was hard for me to do my magic with someone watching so closely all the time.

So on a Thursday afternoon in September I decided to resolve the situation. I slipped into the English department building where there was only one exit and entrance. Once inside, I went into the ladies restroom where I knew he couldn’t see me, and threw on a disguise spell and walked out. Tall kid was waiting at the end of the hall. I walked by him and he didn’t even blink at me, which I found weird for two reasons. One this disguise was a particularly hot girl who should have at least gotten a glance from this boy and two it’s weird when people don’t blink. Just the air passing over his face from me walking by should have made him blink. But he didn’t.

           Tall Kid stayed in the building waiting for me to emerge from the bathroom for over an hour. I sat in my disguise sipping coffee at the on campus Starbucks across from the English building, and waited for him to figure out that I wasn’t still in the bathroom. When he finally did come out he was sprinting and his face was beet red. An older woman was yelling curses at him as he rushed from the building.

“You pervert!” the enraged woman yelled after him as he tore through campus to escape. I burst out laughing and got up to follow Tall Kid. I took my coffee with me. I pulled my penny board out of my backpack (it fit thanks to a rather handy expansion spell I picked up in Greece during the height of the Ottoman empire). I calmly boarded after Tall Kid from a respectable distance until he reached a house off campus.

The house looked too nice for a college student to afford. But maybe he came from rich parents. It was painted a pristine white with white pillars along the front of the house. Blue shutters outlined the evenly spaced windows on the first and second floor. The front door was a bloody red color and had a large light hanging over the front porch. I think it was in the colonial style or something. I knew watching all those home make over shows would come in handy. The front yard was immaculate as well. The grass was uniformly cut and the hedges that acted as a natural fence along the sides of the yard we all the same height. Not one leaf was out of place.

Once again I was confused. Leaves were falling from trees in the yards adjacent to Tall Kid’s house but not a single stray leaf landed in his yard. It was late September practically October. His grass should be wilting and the bushes should not be this green. Winter was coming fast and early this year. I could feel it in the air. After 800 years I have become very good ar gaging the seasons. Abnormalities in nature always sparked my curiosity and now Tall Kid had my interest. That was a precarious position to be in.

I have never been one for thinking ahead. So now that I was curious I had to find out the answers. “Well no time like the present” I muttered to myself. I put my penny board back in backpack, waved my hand over my body, and transformed back into my normal body right in front of his house. I learned early in my life that if people spot things that seem strange they generally just rationalize it. Blame it on the lighting or their eyes. If they try to tell people they saw something magical, no one will believe them. So when a lady across the street looked over at me mid transformation, I simply smiled and waved. She squinted, then waved back and walked away rubbing her eyes.

I walked through Tall Kid’s too green grass, instead of using the perfect brick walkway, and knocked on his front door.

Tall Kid did not answer the door. A short gorgeous blonde girl did.

“Hello” she said leaning against the doorframe. “Can I help you?”

In my experience, that question was usually said with sarcasm but she seemed to mean it earnestly. God she was beautiful. She was about 5’ even and her hair was in soft long ringlets, which reached just below her shoulders. Her makeup was movie star perfect and accented her cheekbones and bright green eyes. Her lipstick was the same color as her skirt. She was wearing a maroon skirt and black lace leggings with a cream-colored button up top and a sparking gold chain necklace with a small gold cat hanging on it. Her outfit looked like she had just jumped off a runway in Milan during fashion week.

“Damn you’re pretty.” I blurted at her.

She giggled and looked down blushing. “Aw thanks! You think that now but you should see me without all this makeup on. That’s an image no one wants to see!” She smiled and dimples appeared on her cheeks. I smiled back at her, but didn’t believe her for one minute. Her eyes were green and beautiful and I wanted to see her in very light with or without makeup any time she would let me. But that wasn’t what I came here for.

           “Anyway were you looking for someone or something?” she asked as she looked back up at me. God her dimples were distracting.

“Uhhh Yes. Yes I was looking for a kid. Does a tall kid; about 6’ 5” live here? He’s got brown hair and the classic douche hair cut. You know, long on top but shaved on the sides?” She blinked at me for a second then burst out laughing. Once her boisterous laughter had subsided she turned her back to me and yelled into the house.

“Theo!” she yelled. “Theo I told you that hair cut made you look like a dick! Come to the door! Someone with sense is here to talk to you!” She turned back to face me.

“He’ll be down in a minute. He is usually getting ready to go to the gym at this time. I’m Lucy by the way. Lucy Danvers” She stuck out her hand. Even her nail polish was expertly done in a French manicure.

“I’m Janey. Nice to meet you.” I said as I wrapped my hand around hers. At that moment I saw Tall Kid, whose name was apparently Theo, walking toward the front door looking down at his phone. When he looked up he froze.

“You! What ? how ? did you? What are you doing here? Did you follow me? Did you know I was following you? What is going on? Lucy do you know this girl?” Theo sputtered as he rushed to the door grabbing Lucy by her wrist and pulling Lucy away from me. Theo was wearing one of those pointless tank tops that expose your rib cage and your waste instead of just having regular armholes. He looked like a “bro” as the kids referred to it these days.

“I do not know her Theo. Wait. You were following her? What are you doing following strangers Theo? What’s wrong with you?” Lucy asked as she tried to pull away from Theo’s grip on her wrist. Her face started to get red with anger. She was so pale and little.  

“Lucy I think she might be a mage, an unregistered mage.” He tried to whisper but I was still standing close enough to hear. Lucy looked back at me with a quizzical expression from behind Theo.

“No way. She couldn’t be this old and not be registered. She would be oozing magic out of her ears without training at the Registry.” Lucy tried to lean closer to me as if to try and gage me better but Theo held her back still keeping a grip on her wrist. I decided right then that I did not like Theo. He was glaring at Lucy like he was upset she would argue with him.

“What the fuck is a Mage?” I asked to take Theo’s attention away from Lucy and back onto me. He shouldn’t look at her like that.

Theo pivoted toward me and then looked me from head to toe. He pushed Lucy further behind him and then glared at me.  “I think you are a Mage. Someone who can perform magical acts. Every Mage is required to be registered and trained by the Registry in order to receive their Refinement Device. But I know you aren’t registered because I tried to look you up when I saw you doing such blatant magic in our History of the English Language class last Wednesday. That is a clear violation of Registry Mandate 632 and you should be held accountable.”

I tried to remember what I did last Wednesday but came up blank. My memory has always been shitty. It’s why I was even taking History of the English Language, so that I could try and jog some of my memories about my time in England. So far it was just boring. I barely remembered who the professor was and I sure as shit did not remember Theo in that class nor did I remember performing any magic. I stared back at Theo trying to look as innocent as possible.

“Refresh my memory, if you would, cause I am sure this is all just a big misunderstanding. What exactly is Registry Mandate 632?” I had used my sweetest voice and kindest fake smile in hopes he would calm down and lessen the glare he was giving me. It didn’t work. Theo huffed dramatically and leaned over me as if trying to intimidate me with his height (I am 5’ 4” so he had a foot on me).

“Registry Mandate 632 states that no Mage shall perform any magic within the vicinity of any non-magical person. If a Mage is caught performing magic in the vicinity of any non-magical person the Mage will surrender their Refinement Device as reprimand for a length of time to be decided upon by the Mages of the High Court pending a trial.” Damn it sounded like he knew these mandate things by heart. I must have accidentally offended their magical culture here in Ithaca. Weird though because I hadn’t seen any large-scale magical organization since the rise of the Spanish as they explored the world in the 15th and 16th Centuries.

“And what exactly did I do last Wednesday?” I asked Theo as I widened my eyes attempting to be as nonthreatening as possible. I don’t think my innocent act worked because Theo stepped closer to me and put his finger in my face.

“You didn’t spill your coffee.” He said it like he had caught me red handed. His finger was still in my face. I was still trying the innocent look but I was starting to doubt my ability to convince Theo to leave me alone while only using conventional means. He seemed like a dog with a bone that didn’t know how to drop it. I decided the innocent act wasn’t going to get me out of this. So I dropped the act and gave him my best cold stare. Napoleon Bonaparte once told me that look was colder than Russia in winter.

“Boy. If you don’t move your finger in the next five seconds I’m gonna stick it up your ass.” Theo startled and dropped his finger. I guess he wasn’t used to people threatening him. “Good. Now last time I checked it was considered polite not to spill coffee in the middle of a crowded lecture hall. So explain to me what makes it okay, in your tiny brain, to just go around accusing people of being magic and following them for a week straight?” Theo opened his mouth to respond but I was mad now so I just talked right over him. “Also, if I was someone who was trying to keep magic a secret, like you seem to be trying to do, don’t you think it would be smart to have proof before you start disclosing information about some Magical Registry to anyone who walks up to your front door? I would think said Magical Registry would not be to pleased with someone who is failing so spectacularly to keep its secrets.” Theo went pale and stepped back.

Lucy’s jaw was hanging open and she still looked cute. Theo seemed frozen so I stepped around him and entered the house.

If this guy was trying to learn about me then I was going to learn all about him too.