#the costume is not accurate I am simply not drawing all that.

[edithdraws]

I hope he does something terrible

[lunaamatista]

Only putting this here so that I won’t forget.

Good Omens S2 places a deep emphasis on memory. To look where the furniture isn’t. To remember the mechanisms of gravity, but not its purpose. Not to remember Furfur before the Fall. To remember, however, the passwords to Heaven’s files or the crank used to start up the universe or the tall tales told to cherubs.

To have memories wiped out as a consequence of disobeying Heaven, and to have them kept away and restored as they were.

To gather memory in any way, shape, or form; whether that be through photography, drawings, books, or diaries.

How memories are colored by our limited perception. One angel would only know the blueprints of the universe and the next one would only know when it will end. One would know Extreme Sanctions as mythology and the next as reality. One would know a person as a writer and another as a criminal mastermind.

A biblical account of a true event could’ve omitted the help of a certain angel or demon. The fire of exploding rockets might not be present in the memories of someone who’s seeing an event through rose colored glasses. A diary is not a confessionary, and one could simply make themselves more infallible out of lack of perspective, cognitive dissonance, or shame.

The story was previously told by an omniscient God. Now, it’s mostly reminisced on by an angel whose greatest issue is lacking knowledge and perspective, despite ironically standing beside that whom initially led humans to it.

Memories, even left as they were, are never fully accurate, are never fully complete, are never fully comprehensive, are never fully unbiased.

I, too, see the small discrepancies in costuming, in staging, etc., and while I don’t quite enjoy the thought that these mental records of the past would be tampered with—I do believe if, and only if we believe these are purposeful, we could be dealing more with an issue of the unreliability of memory (and ensuing unreliable narration) than anything.

I care less about that than the following, though…

The Book of Life does feel like an unfired Chekhov’s gun. I know many people are reluctant to believe a certain initial theory (and if it wasn’t clear from this post, so am I), but I don’t think the idea should be dismissed entirely.

The concept itself had kind of been alluded to in the book:

And we’ve also got these quotes of Adam’s:

With the result being that, evidently, he does some rewriting himself, and the humans’ memories of that day are not quite exact.

See also the last conversation of Aziraphale’s and Crowley’s we see in the book, which could read as Death messing with their memories once they’ve gotten too close to figuring out something that ought to be ineffable:

Ultimately, we do know two mechanisms through which memory could not be a particularly reliable means of narration in Good Omens. And memory is such a strong theme this season, that they clearly want us to think of it.

One does not need to actually change events of the past for them to affect the present and thus, the future. They simply need to change how they are remembered.

Know what way there is for someone to never have existed without actually eliminating their existence?

Think of the power a name holds.

Without a name, anonymous deeds could belong to a single person or a hundred. There is no way to ever be certain.

We do not know the name of the gleeful angel who cranked up certain nebulae. Aziraphale doesn’t know, either. He says he remembers the angel Crowley was, but Crowley says that angel is not him.

For Crowley (or Crawley) to never have existed, all that’s necessary is for Aziraphale not to remember his fall. The perception of that being a wrong is at the core of so many grievances he has regarding Heaven, and his determination to right it.

One has to imagine ‘AN ANGEL’ happy, perhaps working on some other important things as they did before without their work ever overlapping. It’s not like that angel had initially cared that much for him at all.

[twohaikutransformerstoyreviews]

Legacy Core Class Bomb-burst (2022)

Inspiration. Inspiration strikes me like lightning struck the kite of Benjamin Franklin. In all honesty, I had no idea where to go from my first review. More Beast Wars seemed like the logical step forward. Sure. I'll do Beast Wars Megatron. That'll be a pleasing continuation of my review format. A classic for sure. But no. As firmly as the mind relays its strategies and draws its plans, if the heart will not obey, then it shall not be done. So here I sit, languishing, twiddling with Legacy core class Bomb-Burst. Suddenly I feel a sharp emotion. A nagging feeling. Something writhing and churning inside calling out to me. It tells me to speak. To write. To scream as loud as I can from rooftops. To voice my annoyance, my misgivings, against such a small thing. Such a furtive collection of heavily processed oils, organised, engineered into Legacy Bomb-Burst. Scream I shall. Or rather more accurately; whine.

Robot Mode.

We begin in Robot Mode, my dear audience member simply because it annoys me the least. In fact, I sort of find it cool. The colours are wonderful. The bubblegum blue and deep magenta really make this figure pop, detracting from the otherwise rather boring white and greys that make up most of the arms, legs and head. The head is quite cool indeed, sort of freakish, with the big floopy bat ears and small, pugish snout. His jaw is oddly well defined. Paired with the exceptionally wide torso, this gives him a rather muscular physique. It's impossible for me not to adore the head. The inside of the mouth is painted for Christ's sake. The attention to detail is amazing.

But don't you feel like there's something missing? I can't help but miss the chubbier, rounder aesthetic of the G1 figure. He looks daft with his lack of neck skinny forearms and Donnie-Darko meets Man-Bat countenance. In the designer's attempt to modernise this heftier He-Man adjacent maladroit half-wit (and to better merge him with his inner robot design) they seem to have stripped him of a large part of his personality. How do you make an uncanny half bat half mechanoid ultimately forgettable? His hairlessness in comparison to his G1 counterpart makes it seem as though he's some generic gym-bot who bought a decently impressive freaky bat mask from Smiffy's, only for an excuse to crash a costume-only halloween fraternity party. It feels like a token attempt to appear 1/8th of the freak he was in 1988. That was me just explaining my extended metaphor. I am only left to ask; who are you anymore, man? Don't respond. It was a rhetorical question.

Alt Mode.

This is where my previous comments about an overall lack of identity ring especially true. If you could not see before, then youd have to be instantaneously struck blind not to see it now. This alternate mode would be rather bemusingly bland, were it not for the fact that his arms do not tab into place. When the tiniest amount of movement is inflicted on his wobbly little arms, his desperately unconvincing attempt at a vtol shatters into pieces. Not literally. Well, yes literally, since his wings come off because of partsforming.

Overall.

What else is there to say, really? It's not very good. I'd advise you to keep it in robot mode, but then, wouldn't that make the whole "Transformer" thing redundant? Even as an actionmaster he is decidedly plain and unassuming.

If I am allowed to have a moment to rant (as if this whole thing wasn't just an overblown moan-athon -that's what I call a weekend at your mother's.) then I would diagnose his general blandness and lack of creativity a problem that largely plagues all of the legacy line. It's a toy-line that takes itself rather too seriously for my liking. This works fine enough when it comes to faithful recreations of characters we haven't seen toys of for decades. But because of the inane and rather pointless constraints of working in the pretender's inner robot design, the figure isn't a faithful recreation of either the shell, or the robot. The same fate befell our poor Skullgrin, forever relegated to the clearance aisle at Smyths Toys Superstore. To a lesser extent, this can be seen in the Prime, and Animated Universe's rather lackluster redesigns. Where is the flair?

(I do love the Junkions, though!!)

Rating:

1.5/5

Couldn't lead a parade.

Oh Bomb-burst wherefore

Art thou, sad schmuck of my soul

Could this wretch be thee?

on tepid tongue's tip

the tale of your turn from grace

tastes like salty Gruel

[earthfire-75]

You Send Me Flying

Chapter Two:

Author’s notes: co-written with @nature-and-music, beta’d by @lady-jane-revisited. Based on The Dirt movie as I still don’t have the book ☹️ not smut…yet.

Vince came back after a few minutes and found us still in the kitchen. “Hey, guys, listen, she wants to go home-“

“What? No way! We still have to practice!” Nikki spoke up.

“Jesus H. Christ. If I wasn’t fed up with her shit before, I am now. That woman fucks with my nerves and doesn’t bother with a courtesy reach-around. She can take a cab, for fuck’s sake, or call her daddy.”

Nikki points over at me. “I like her, she can stay. Your girlfriend on the other hand…”

Vince sighs. “I’ll see what I can do.” He leaves to go talk to her again and we can hear her yelling through the door. It takes longer, but Vince does eventually come back in. “Ok guys, she’s gone.”

Everyone gave a sigh of relief at that announcement. For the remainder of the day, the boys continued with playing more songs until the sun began to set. We were all feeling a little peckish and so we decided to call in a phone order for Chinese food. After the food arrived, we sat round the coffee table to eat, Nikki passing out notebooks and pens to Tommy, Vince and Mick.

“Ok, so here’s my theory,” Nikki begins, “if we wanna knock people on their asses, then we gotta give ‘em a show. The Punks, they’re doing the minimalistics, so let’s take it in the exact opposite direction. I’m…I’m talking like stadium shows in the clubs, man. Like costumes and lights-“

“And pyro! With flames and explosions and shit!” Tommy interrupts, turning his can of hairspray and lighter into a makeshift torch.

“Exactly, exactly! Look, it’s a fuckin’ war out there, and the only way we win is by showing these kids something they’ve never seen before.”

“So what do we call this thing?” Vince asks.

“Here…” Nikki picks up his notebook and starts flipping through the pages. “It’s all about being larger than life!” He finally holds up his notebook for us to see a pentagram with X Mass under it.

“X Mass?” Vince asks.

“Yeah…”

“On a scale of one to ten…I give it a one point nine.” Mick intones, making the other three laugh.

I shook my head in feigned anguish, “That’s harsh. Accurate, but harsh!”

Mick just shrugs.

“It’s a play on Christmas! You know, you can use all the Christ imagery and shit! It’ll piss people off and make people think, you know?”

Tommy makes a face and I could tell Mick still wasn’t convinced.

“It’s got shock value…”

Vince shook his head.

“Yeah, I’m shocked by how much it blows.”

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Mick has some wicked wit. Which, by the way, does nothing to cool down my attraction to him as we sat around the table.

Nikki tossed the notebook down, “Alright, assholes, you give it a shot. But make it big!”

Everyone picks up their notebooks and a pen or marker. Vince looks like he can’t come up with anything, and I find myself entranced by Mick’s look of concentration, but Tommy is quickly scribbling in his. When he’s done, he turns it around. I couldn’t believe what I saw. Tommy’s childish giggle was enough to confirm I wasn’t seeing things. Vince laughed and Nikki scoffed while Mick rolled his eyes.

“Still have the mind of a twelve year old, I see. As well as the body.”

“Ouch…and she says I’m the harsh one.”

“The Foreskins? Really? Tommy?”

“Yeah! Cause we’re gonna fuck the audience in the face every night, dude!”

“Yeah, but…but can you see that shit on the marquee above the Forum?!”

“Yeah, ok, you’re right. I’m out.”

Vince holds up his hands, indicating he’s not even gonna try. But Mick starts to write something down thoughtfully. The guys seem impressed when he turns the notebook in his hands. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this day.”

“Alright,” Nikki says, taking the notebook from Mick and adding to it, the dots over the O and changing crew to Crue with the dots over the U. Mick smiles with satisfaction. It’s the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen and damn if I wouldn’t fall head over heels if I stuck around. And yet…

“Hey, you were talking about costumes before. Does that include makeup?” I asked Nikki before I could stop myself.

“Yeah! Yeah! All that shit!” Nikki enthuses. “Why, you know someone who can do that?”

I just smile and point at myself.

“No shit?”

“Yeah,” Vince pipes up, “she’s getting her makeup artist license. She’s perfect for the job!”

I smile, “Well I do need a job, and based on what I’m hearing, I am getting a few ideas in mind as to how you could all dress. I mean, if you’re interested in what i have to say.” I grabbed the notebook and pen to create a quick sketch of possible outfits or makeup. The guys were interested, some even suggesting to add their own ideas as to what they could wear too. Talks of leather, tight pants, belts, and a bit of heavy make up were tossed around, “Nikki you said that you guys want to go all out? This is how you do it.”

Mick rested his chin on his palm as he looked over the drawings, “That’s pretty wicked actually.”

I felt my cheeks becoming warm after hearing his compliment, and who else but Tommy proceeded to tease me with a schoolboy-ish tone, “Oooooh!”

“Fuck off Tommy!” I shouted, hitting him with the notebook, although that hardly affected his immature outburst when he made a puckered up kissing face. “You’re such an asshole!” I stood up and headed towards the balcony to cool off. Once I was out there, I took out my lighter and pack of cigarettes. The stupid thing wouldn’t light up, it had to be low on butane. I chucked the lousy device into the street and rested my elbows onto the steel bars, letting out a frustrated huff.

The night was warm, typical of most any night in the City of Angels. The street lights were already glowing bright, except for one near the end of the street that’s blinking. The light’s trying its very best to burn bright this evening. The sound of approaching footsteps are of no concern to me, instead I kept my eyes on the concrete ground below me. A clicking noise caused me to turn around, there’s Mick with a lighter in hand, the flame burning bright. He brought it close to my cigarette and, after inhaling the harsh, familiar taste of tobacco in my mouth, I thanked him.

“You alright?” Mick wondered, standing by my side.

I simply shrugged my shoulders, “It’s whatever, Tommy’s always been like that for as long as I’ve known him. I don’t really care anymore.”

“You sure about that?” he asked nonchalantly.

I scowled at him and spat back, “Why do you care?” I took another drag and puffed out a cloud of smoke to him.

He raised an eyebrow and then headed back inside. A part of me was kicking myself for responding back at him like that, yet I was reminding myself that I had more important matters to focus on. Quite frankly, he shouldn’t have been one of them.

@nature-and-music @lady-jane-revisited @mickmarstookmyheart @gothicfuneralsblog @sophiazeppelinchick

[dashnite]

got a comment on my kuina fanart thst she's a bad character because she uses culture appropriation by wearing locks in her hair.

I'll state my opinion first. i am against the form of "cultural appropriation" that's used today. to me, culture must be shared. it is not a piece of costume for kuina to keep her skin tan and wear locks despite being japanese. she simply likes that aspect of Black culture, and incorporates it in her life.

it's the same as idk, if a gringo were to come to brazil, learned how to dance samba, got their head wrapped in a tererê (the hairstyle, not the drink), learned how to make a good brazilian churrasco, etc. It's not appropriation of my culture; they simply like some aspects of it and incorporate it in their lives.

That all to say this: I don't think Kuina is a problematic character. sure, she has her hair in locks, and sure, she's tan, but that's just how she is. i believe in culture sharing, and kuina doesn't wear those to make fun of BIPOC. she just... thinks it's pretty.

anyway, that's just my opinion. honest to god real tired of people coming on my manga-accurate fanart of kuina to whine about her "being black in the drawing" (she's not), "changing her race" (i didn't) and "cultural appropriation" (again she's not doing that).

that's all. peace out

[timextoxhajima]

Grounded: Level 8

Level 7 | Level 9

Member: Minho (Lee Know)

Genre: idol minho x idol trainee reader

Taglist: @jaehyvnsvalentine @licorice526 @lolwhatameme @felixn-recs @yunapixie @rindomo @sleeping-hero-of-procastination​​

A/N: This chapter includes fake character idol profiles so please don’t attack me that your face isn’t there. No, I am not glorifying the fact that only korean girls are pretty, but this is in fact the most culturally accurate account of a fake profile I can create given the context. 

WI5HES (위셔스) is a South Korean girl group under HYBE (previously known as BigHit Ent.). The group currently consists of Ju Rin, l/n, Ga Hyun, So Eun and Min Jung. WI5HES debuted on March 15, 2021 under HYBE. They are HYBE’s first girl group since 2014.

Stage Name: Ju Rin

Birthname: Wang Ju Rin

Position: Leader, Lead Vocalist, Sub-Rapper

Birthday: May 10, 2000

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Height: 167cm (5′5)

Weight: 48kg (106 lbs)

Blood Type: A+

Stage Name: l/n y/n

Birthname: y/n

Position: Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Sub-Vocalist

Birthday: June 15, 2000

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Height: 164cm (5′4)

Weight: 49kg (108 lbs)

Blood Type: O

Stage Name: Ga Hyun

Birthname: Choi Ga Hyun

Position: Lead Vocalist, Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer, Visual

Birthday: October 25, 2001

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Height: 170cm (5′6)

Weight: 51kg (112 lbs)

Blood Type: O

Stage Name: So Eun

Birthname: Kang So Eun

Position: Main Rapper, Lead Dancer, Sub-Vocalist, Center

Birthday: November 5, 2001

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Height: 172cm (5′6)

Weight: 50kg (110 lbs)

Blood Type: B

Stage name: Min Jung

Birthname: Gwang Min Jung

Position: Main Vocalist, Lead Rapper, maknae

Birthday: August 15, 2003

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Height: 163cm (5′3)

Weight: 46kg (101 lbs)

Blood Type: AB

“Five is better than three, annyeonghaseyo, WI5HES-ibnida!” The echo of your introduction rings through the dressing room, backstage of the MCountdown stage. It draws goosebumps from your arms and your back. Min Jung grits her teeth, attempting to contain her anxiety when she sees herself on stage through the recording for the first time.

So Eun’s sobbing into Ju Rin’s shoulder, and Ga Hyun has her phone out, randomly snapping photos of So Eun’s slightly smudged make-up. 

“Yah, haven’t you taken enough?” Ju Rin wraps the rim of Ga Hyun’s phone with her palm, covering the camera, unable to contain her grin. 

“Aw, come on!” Ga Hyun pouts, retracting her phone and wiping the lens with her sleeve. “It’s not everyday we get to debut.”

Knock Knock

“Who is it?” Ju Rin cranes her neck behind her, nodding for Min Jung to get the door. Already halfway down a bow, Min Jung opens the door to reveal a strange mixture of Hyunjin, I.N, Soobin, Yeonjun and Beomgyu. 

“Oh, annyeonghaseyo,” Min Jung’s reflexes are to greet Hyunjin and I.N first. 

“Annyeonghaseyo,” Hyunjin and I.N bow to the lot of you, and suddenly everybody’s bowing. “Congratulations on your debut!”

Ju Rin releases So Eun to receive the adorable box of cupcakes from Hyunjin and I.N. 

“Chan-hyung and the others send their regards. They couldn’t be here today for a separate schedule.”

“Oh, we’re not the ones you should be reporting this to,” Ga Hyun snickers, pulling away from what looks like a handshake routine with Beomgyu. Eyes turn to you, forcing the blush on your cheeks to be of natural effect and not the make-up. 

After the scandal with Yeonjun, things died down relatively quickly. More pictures of you training with the other members were released, diluting the idea that you and Yeonjun were dating. Furthermore, there was no other evidence of you and Yeonjun going out on secret dates that the company didn’t know about. 

But of course, WI5HES and TXT know about Minho’s confession, and needless to say, they had to be reeled back under control.

“My God, it’s like you want Lee Know hyung to pass out from jealousy,” Hyunjin’s eyes narrow with mischief, holding out his phone screen to you. 

“What? Why would he be jealous? There’s not a single person on that page that’s a threat to him,” Scrolling through the pictures absent-mindedly, you scorn at his baseless remark. 

“He’ll be jealous solely from the fact that you look good in your photos,” Jeongin sucks on the upper row of his teeth. 

“I know,” A shy smile appears on your lips. “We’ve had this conversation before.”

“Eugh,” Hyunjin shudders, shoulders reaching his ears as he groans in disgust. “Glad I wasn’t around for that conversation.”

“Anyway, thank you all for coming by our Debut Stage today, but we gotta head back to BigHit to handle some new scheduling,” Ju Rin’s waving her hands, telling the girls to pack up and for TXT to help. 

Walking past Sunmi, Chungha and other idols while you make your way out of the building felt so strange and alien, you almost couldn’t believe you were at the end of your first promotion. You were an idol now, and there was no going back. Everything you did, every move you made - would be under public scruntiny now, regardless of the reason, whether you liked it or not. 

“Thank you!” The bodyguard nods at you as he shuts the door. Sat in the middle with Ju Rin to your right, and the three younger in the back, you can smell the odd mixture of perfume and that strange scent of new costumes and clothes. BigHit - no, HYBE - had invested so much into your costumes though they looked nothing like the price they cost. 

Then again, half of you were wearing YSL pullovers and Dior jeans.

“You okay?” 

“Hmm?” Turning your head as it leans against the headrest, your eyes meet Ju Rin’s. “Yeah, you? I’m surprised you haven’t cried yet.”

Ju Rin laughs under her breath, glancing out the window as the car starts. “Oh, believe me, I’ve cried. I just don’t do it infront of you guys.”

“Aw,” The sides of your lips curl downwards. There’s a pinch in your heart you can’t take, only because Ju Rin has to keep up such a strong facade for you and for the rest of her members. She’s responsible, and time and time again she reminds you why she was chosen to be leader. “You know you can cry infront of us. You don’t have to act or put up a strong front.”

“I know, but I wouldn’t be able to see you guys crying tears of... happiness if my vision is blurred out by my own, right?”

You can’t contain the scoff that runs out your throat, eyes darting to look at the city outside, now coated with the drizzle that’s blurring the city sights. 

“Fucking full of shit,” You chuckle under your breath, unable to hide the smile that’s stretching across your face.

Ju Rin snickers and purses her lips, reaching her left hand out to you. Her hand is warm and soft (from all the moisturizer products she’s using - HYBE’s trying to get her some make-up CF already), but the smile on her face is more home than anything will ever be. 

Time to count the number of days before the world is made your home. Tours, meeting new people, inspiring others with your love for performance and dance, the same way you were inspired into chasing a dream that you didn’t even think you had a chance of achieving. Some might say it’s unfair, how the chance fell unto your feet all so easily, like it had been planned. It’s unfair that of all the crew members to be scouted, you were the only one. 

But that wasn’t your dream. At that point of time in your life, all you wanted was to fulfil your need to be perfect in dancing; to be by Minho’s side. So, in some way, fate had pulled you away from him instead. 

He didn’t tell anybody he auditioned for Cube. He didn’t tell anybody he’d auditioned for JYP before that either, only for JYP to call him back to be part of that cursed show.

And before you knew it, you had lost the one thing you didn’t want to lose: Minho. It was heartbreaking, watching him live his life of a dream that he’d been chasing without you knowing in the first place. You couldn’t decide if you were angry with him for leaving you out of his happiness or if you had simply convinced yourself he had forgotten about you. 

But you caught yourself tripping over your own feelings of hurt and love when you realise you started searching for some bit of Minho in someone else, and you were lucky it was Yeonjun. Yeonjun who had a pure heart and nothing but kindness. 

The things that could’ve happened had you searched for a part of Minho in someone else who might’ve taken you for granted. 

Minho made up for that heartbreak though, when Hyunjin had told him you were alone with Yeonjun, walking to some desolate part of the building but only spotted Yeonjun coming back alone. Minho, who at that point of time already known you a good three (or was it four?) years, knew you well enough to know that you were somewhere sobbing your eyes out. 

His scent when he had his arms around you was stuck in your nostrils for days and weeks because that was just how long he had spent being away from you. You didn’t even know how much you missed his scent until it was in your system again. 

The risk you both had chosen to take that fateful day when the scandal of you and Yeonjun was released was of astounding magnitude. 

Who the Hell confesses their love to another celebrity, so close to their own debut date?

“You,” Minho trills, almost crumpling the Uno cards on the table. The tears in the corners of your eyes are threatening to dribble over your lids, but then Changbin is sitting behind you on the sofa, trying his best to hide his laughter through his gritted teeth. “We’ll see if the two of you can still laugh after this.”

Minho picks up twelve cards with a disproportionate amount of strength, the cards nearly being folded under his fingers. 

“Yah- hyung!” Changbin yells and points at the cards, glaring at the elder.

“What? You complain about me damaging the cards as if you can’t afford a new deck yourself.”

“This is our fifth deck!” Changbin nearly screeches, and the exchange forces you to fall to your back at Changbin’s feet, your arm clutching your tummy from how much it hurt from your laughter. 

“Oh my God!” The words are struggling to leave your voice box, between silent giggles. “This- this is your- oh, my God- this is your fifth deck?” 

“We’ll need a sixth deck soon! Can you tell your man to be a little less aggressive?!” Changbin loses his patience and gets up, hands sweeping the cards off the table and plucking Minho’s set out from his hands. 

“Yah!”

“‘Yah’,” Changbin’s distorted imitation of Minho calls for the elder to surge to his feet, suddenly towering over Changbin who cowers on the couch behind you. “Ah- Ah- OkAy, take your stupid cards back-” 

“I’ll get you a new deck if I destroy this one, but first I gotta destroy you.”

The finger in your face goes unnoticed when you laugh again, stomach hurting from the aggressive giggling. 

“My God, she’s lost it!” Minho sings sarcastically, holding his hands to his head with the cards still in his palm. “No, quick, Earth to y/n, come back so I can win!”

“Eugh,” Changbin groans and squints his eyes. Minho never says these kind of things, so when he does, it’s weird, and unlike of him to do so, making it ultra-

“CriNGe!!!!!” Hyunjin yells at the top of his voice as he exits his room and heads for the kitchen. “Just get a room already!”

“HYUNJIN!” Chan’s voice booms from elsewhere in the apartment. 

[itsclydebitches]

Discredit Part Three! (Click on each pic for something resembling quality!) 

Part One---contains translations, podfic, and related works---Part Two

Tagging, credit, and transcript all below the cut 💜

First off, people who specifically asked to see more of this nonsense may God in all Her glory bless you accordingly: 

@internet-or-sleep, @just-some-girl-on-the-internet, @readytoocomply, @vocallsama, @fellowshipofthegay, @lucky-leafeon, @alph4centauri, @sumoranges, @diaphanedreams 

Aziraphale’s profile pic is courtesy of good old Neil, found here. All others are from Creative Commons. 

Sorry it took so long to produce more stupidity. YOU ALL ROCK  🎊🎊🎊 Here, have a messy transcript. 

Abdou G. 

Have you ever walked in on a conversation and, despite clearly missing the majority of it, feel like you could reconstruct it, word for word if necessary? That happened at Fell’s today. The ‘talk’ had obviously been going on for a while, but I can give you a perfect summary here: rude fuckboy thinks he gets to say who God is, Fell was having none of it.

Best response? Turn around, walk back to your apartment (pro-tip: this only works if you’re just a few blocks away), and change your shirt. I walked back in with my I MET GOD, SHE’S BLACK tee and had the pleasure of seeing Fell do a double-take.

“Yes, thank you, that’s what I’ve been trying to say!”

***

Doug E. 

Scout’s honor: I once saw that Crowley dude unhinge his jaw and eat a large pizza in one goddamn bite.

Update: you heathens read about this gay abomination with his dislocated jaw and what you decide to question is whether I was acTUALLY A SCOUT? 

***

Mary L. 

I came in with my four-year-old last week fully intending to keep him within sight at all times. Yes, I bought one of those kiddie leashes and no, I don’t regret a thing. You try holding down two jobs as a single mom to the bonefide antichrist. I love my boy, but the devil got to him, telling him things like, “Yes, Freddie, permanent marker would look just great on Mum’s only work jacket!”

I said as much to the owner because this mom needs to vent sometimes.  

I wish I could give this place a higher rating, but the ownership is frankly terrible. Inconsistent hours, no help when you’re trying to find a book, just basically all around bad customer service, BUT it still gets five stars because when I told the guy I was raising the antichrist?

“Oh yes. I did that myself not too long ago!”

We parents need to support one another. Otherwise the world is going to burn. So here’s a good review for you, Mr. Bookshop Guy. A part of me hopes you’re a better dad than you are a bookseller. The other part? The bigger part? It’s very aware that Ms. Pot here just met Mr. Kettle.

Now if you’ll excuse me, Freddie just got into the flour.

***

Alfred B.

I hereby nominate Mr. Fell as the British Steve Irwin. I’ve never seen anyone handle a red bellied black snake like that. I mean yeah, they’re a chill species overall, but there’s a difference between casually handling a snake and fucking chucking one onto the chair because it’s in your way. (Okay. Maybe Irwin was a little nicer.) 

Renee K. 

whos steve irwin?

Alfred B. 

...How old are you?

Renee K. 

15

Alfred B. 

You existed on this planet for two years with him and you dare to ask me this? Go boil your head and then use google. Good god.

***

Mark F. 

overheard the owner telling his boyfriend that last they met his brother tried to set him on fire? and succeeded?? actually now that I think about it, not sure which brother they were talking about---his brother or boyfriend’s brother--but WHOEVER has the brother needs to... i don’t even know. do something about that? ring the police or go to therapy or SOMETHING. i mean maybe they already have, i’m just an eavesdropping tourist, but the idea of someone setting that bow-tie cutie on fire—DID I MENTION THAT? PERSON ARSON. MURDER—makes my blood boil

***

Shiefa N. 

People aren’t joking about overhearing weird conversations here. I walked in on two men (owner and husband? owner and escort?) debating Seven Minutes in Heaven. You know, that stupid kissing game the better looking kids got to play in middle school. It got pretty heated at one point (pun not intended), arguing about whether seven minutes of making out was divine or damning behavior. I hung out long enough to catch the segue into a lust vs. love debate and then had to skedaddle. Nice couple. I support their weird flirting habits.

***

Chang Z. 

Is it legal to visit a store for things other then what it sells? I realize that makes me sound druggie or something but I swear I’m dealing with a much healthier addiction. (Ha. Maybe.) I cosplay (yeah, yeah, move along, trolls) and Mr. Fell has an absolute wealth of historical clothing. It’s astounding! I thought they were particularly detailed costumes at first, but no. I’m majoring in Textile and Apparel Studies. I know a naturally worn piece of fabric when I see it. Mr. Fell is always cracking jokes about how he wore this frock in the 19th century, this shirt in the 17th, oh don’t you just love my old vest? (He has... so many vests...) I indulge him because anyone who lets me borrow this stuff for free deserves all my attention and fake laughter.

Yeah. You read right. Artifacts borrowed for free. He’s even let me alter some of the stuff because I’m not exactly his size. Should this stuff be in a museum somewhere? Probably. Am I calling anyone to take my personal cosplay supply away? Noooope.

***

Leah M. 

Helping to spread the word here because I’m not sure how much foot traffic this place actually gets.

I pass Fell’s every morning on my way to work and yesterday there was a new sign in the window. This might not seem very interesting to most people on here, but you’ve got to understand that Fell’s never changes. None of it. I’ve lived in Soho since I was a boy and this place has always had the same placard with his insane times listed, same stripped paint on the door he’s never gotten around to fixing, same spiderweb in the corner I absolutely swear. My dad used to pop in there when he was in college and I swear he’s taken me through the stacks, points out books that haven’t moved in 30+ years. It’s nuts and more than a little bit impressive.

So you can imagine my shock when I passed by and saw not one, but four new papers in the front window. They’re drawings and I recommend going and taking a look for yourself. I don’t think I can accurately describe the utter chaos of crayons and glitter that’s displayed there, let alone what it’s trying to depict. A dystopia? The end of the world? If so the apocalypse features a surprising number of dogs.

There’s a fifth paper off to the side, written in Fell’s messy penmanship. It just says, “My god-children drew these!” and if that’s not the cutest things you’ve ever heard get out of my face.

***

Gabriel A. 

azirfell

alzaphral

azzzzzirafal

i’m a litttle drunk but azifjkaafha’s place is good he just needs a name easier to spell

***

Aziraphale 

Dear Gabriel A,

My partner Crowley told me about this site and the many lovely well-wishes you all have left us here. I have come to express my thanks and to offer a bit of advice. You are hardly the first person to struggle with my name, dear girl! I recommend the following three step process:

A - simple, yes? + zira - a nickname I’ve adopted over the years, easy enough to recall + phale - this is admittedly more difficult as our ending, “phale,” is neither spelled in a way nor presumed to be pronounced like the “fell” sound we end up with. In truth my name is more along the lines of Azz-ear-raf-AE-el, but change is inevitable and you needn’t hear about that transformation, nor the etymology involved in getting “fell” out of “phale.” I say this not because I don’t wish to teach you, but because my partner has reminded me--in a rather rude tone I should add--that this site has a word limit. Suffice to say you should simply memorize the “phale” portion and you shall be, as the expression goes, in tip top shape!

Best regards,

Aziraphale

P.S. Nothing personal, dear boy, but I fear I’m not terribly fond of your name either. I would highly recommend changing it if you’re ever of a mind to do so. Cheerio!

[thebiasrekkers]

Shadow’s Birthright | MYG

Chapter 06: Convergence

Plot: Riding in on thunder and lightning, two princes are born. But a crown cannot be shared. It can only be worn by one and one alone. The hands of man have separated the brothers, allowing one to live in wealth and comfort inside the palace while the other grows up among commoners. But Fate cannot be destroyed by the hands of man. A shared destiny reunites the brothers; one to become a king who descends into madness and the other will rise as a dragon whose journey has only just begun in order to claim a crown he does not desire to have.

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: series | historical!au | fantasy!au | angst | romance | drama | tragedy

Pairing: Min Yoongi (Lee Yoon) x Female OC (Kalina Shuri)

Warnings: Historical setting, caste system, magic/sorcery, graphic violence, disturbing graphic images, religious tones, angst, slow burn, smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 01 02 03 04 05

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 4,065

Tag List: @luxekook, @pinkpjmin, @btsaudge, @flowerwrites06, @stillcopingxx, @taevkimchi, @aroseforyoongi, @vivpurple7, @happilystrongthroughthedark, @sw33tnight, @nikkitane, @mini-coop25, @shrimpmsg, @ggukkieland​

AN: Sorry this took me so long. Life decided it wanted to kick me in the face repeatedly. But I did warn everyone this was going to take a little time with the updates. Please be patient with me. I promise you that it will be worth the wait. If you would like to be added to the tag list, feel free to drop me a line!

P.S. Please bear in mind that while the historical accuracy will be mostly correct, I am setting this in a time period in Joseon history where there was no such thing as a king who had a twin brother. Obviously that’s where the fiction/creative freedom is going to come in. Everything else will be period accurate, trust and believe.

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

“Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” - John F. Kennedy

Yoon greeted his parents with the Crown Princess at his side. They both bowed deeply as they heard the King and Queen laugh in delight. The Royal Consorts also received bows from the Crown Prince and Princess. Finally, they turned and were given bows from the princesses and princes of the Royal Court. The officials and guards, as well as the rest of the palace staff, were present for the opening ceremony to celebrate Crown Prince Yoon’s first international liaison. 

When they were finally dismissed, Yoon took his seat next to the Crown Princess, waiting for food and wine to be served. Various voices of praise and congratulations were given to Yoon, to which he simply nodded his head politely and smiled while returning his own charming forms of gratitude. He allowed the Crown Princess to serve him a cup of wine and he, in turn, also served her. Merriment and good cheer surrounded the palace.

It made Yoon sick to his stomach.

The conversation he had with his Father-In-Law still didn’t sit well with him. At his own behest, he politely reminded Minister Jang that he should keep his small-minded ambitions to himself. He didn’t need to drag the Crown Princess into his mess. Regardless of his own personal feelings, Yoon held a deep amount of respect for his Princess. Jang Chae-Ok had no ambitions or selfish desires for wanting to be Crown Princess. She was simply a childhood friend to Yoon who always remained faithfully at his side. 

The Crown Princess was not blind to his relationship with Kalina. But she also did not question it. It was from this show of her character alone that Yoon promised he would not take a Royal Consort when he became King. He owed her that much for her understanding.

“I wish that I could accompany you, Your Highness.” The Crown Princess’s voice was sad, matching her expression. 

He reached out to grasp her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “It will be a long journey. It is no place for a Crown Princess.” Yoon smiled. “I will be back before you realize I’m gone.”

She sighed. “I will miss you greatly.” She placed her hand over his. “Do be careful.”

“I will, Crown Princess.”

A loud gong resounded, drawing everyone’s attention. All conversation hushed as the head of the Artisan school approached. He bowed deeply while the others waited with anticipation for his announcement. 

“Members of the Royal Court! We are here to celebrate the Crown Prince’s upcoming journey. We wish him great fortune but before he traverses out in the world, we want to be able to ease his worries and give him memories to hold on to as he travels to Ming. Things that he will be able to keep close to his heart and treasure if he should ever become homesick.” 

Yoon smiled, despite his own internal dark thoughts. He loved his country. He loved his people. The skills they mastered in order to have these small moments to showcase their talents were clearly battles within their own houses. Some performers and artists had better skills than others, hence why they were allowed to appear at the forefront. Others were still in training to be able to climb up in the ranks along the way. 

He secretly admired the drive that pushed these individuals along. Everyone had dreams, goals, and ambitions. People’s reasons for doing anything were threads that bonded everyone together to achieve common goals. No matter how small or big, they were to be appreciated. Even if one could not voice these appreciations aloud. 

The Chief Artisan gave a wide gesture, spinning on his heels as the performers made their way into the grand courtyard. “We hope that our performers, both within the palace walls, and those who have managed to make their ways from the streets, will be able to soothe your soul.”

Everyone applauded as Senior Artisan stepped away, allowing for the in house performers to showcase everything they’ve practiced for days. Curiously, Yoon hummed to himself at the mention of street performers entering the palace. If they were skilled enough to gain the court’s attention, there was a good chance they would be given slots to enter the performance schools within the palace halls. It would be a golden opportunity to change their livelihoods for the better.

He was keen to see just what they were made of.

“I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”

Jimin clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth, silencing Taehyung’s whining. “Hyung-nim is filling in for Namjoon Hyung-nim.” His eyes narrowed. “Surely you don’t expect him to wear the dress, do you?”

Taehyung pouted. “No, but still!”

“Besides,” Hoseok cut in, patting Taehyung’s shoulders roughly, “we all memorized multiple parts in case something happens. We only had time for Hyung-nim to learn one. Stop being difficult.”

Yoongi smirked, shaking his head while readjusting the waistband to his costume. The large rosary that hung from his neck was heavy and the boots were a little bit cumbersome, but bearable. He would be able to switch his shoes out when it came time for the tightrope routine. Jungkook and Seokjin fawned over him, making sure he looked as proper as he could in performance gear. 

Namjoon appeared, holding out a red and black demon mask to him. “I gave it some new paint earlier so it should be dry now.”

Taking the mask from him, Yoongi cradled it in his hands. “Thank you, Namjoon-ah.” He scratched at the cloth headband. “What will you be doing during the performance?”

“I’ll be narrating and helping the musicians out. Percussion, mostly.” 

“I see.” Yoongi eyed the mask, taking note of the large white fangs protruding from the mouth carved into the wood. 

Because of the depth of the role, he wouldn’t be able to take his mask off during the entire performance. Beneficial for him, but he hated that Namjoon wouldn’t be getting any credit. Yoongi knew how hard they all must have been preparing for this particular performance. A small measure of guilt wormed its way into his heart, but Namjoon’s laugh brought him out of his thoughts. 

“Now I feel even more terrible, Hyung-nim.” Yoongi saw the concerned look on Namjoon’s face, even though he was smiling. “Seriously, you’re doing me a favor. I feel bad enough. If you keep looking like that, I’ll think I’m completely worthless.”

“I’m sorry, Namjoon-ah.” Clearing his throat, he nodded. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be feeling like this.”

“Thank the heavens you’re wearing a mask.” Taehyung pushed his headband up a little more. “Otherwise the audience is going to think you’re guilty of some crime.”

“It’s just nerves.” Jimin flashed Yoongi a reassuring smile. “Right, Hyung-nim?”

All he could do was give a small smile. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Hayan Geutop Troupe?” An unfamiliar voice pulled all of their attention. They saw someone dressed in official robes motioning toward them. “You’re up next.”

No one could hide their excitement. This was the first time any of them would be entering the palace. Each of them were given temporary passes to gain access. Once inside, they all made sure they were looking their best. The sound of joyful laughter and music rumbled through the courtyard, causing Yoongi’s heartbeat to elevate with excitement.

“Hyung-nim!” Jungkook gently nudged Yoongi’s back. “Your mask! Don’t forget to put it on!”

“Oh. Right.” Yoongi slid the large Demon mask over his head, making sure the cloth headwrap covered every part of his neck from view except the front. 

The sound of loud drums rang out through the courtyard. It was a little bit difficult to breathe with the mask on, but not impossible. If anything, Yoongi was more concerned with the mask falling off by accident. But Hoseok assured him that the bands were secured and redesigned to fit his head perfectly. It wouldn’t come off unless he pulled it off himself.

Admittedly, his nerves were a little frayed. Being around so many people at once, as well as so much noise, was teetering him toward sensory overload. But he continued to remind himself that he had a job to do. He just needed to get through the performance and then he could continue exploring the Crown City to his heart’s content. They were set to ride back out to the mountains at first light.

He hoped the shops would still be open before the lanterns were lit.

The large drum was hit, signaling for everyone to settle down. Yoongi took another breath, waiting for their group to be announced in front of the Royal Court. His vision was limited through the small holes in his mask - the rest of the world shadowed on either side of him. He could hear his own breath in his ears as he tried to peer out in front of him. But he wasn’t sure what he was even looking for. There was a strange pull at his heart; a feeling he couldn’t quite explain. 

Like someone was calling to him.

No. Like multiple people were calling to him.

“Members of the Royal Court! I present to you a troupe of young performers who hail from the outskirts of the Crown City!” The Chief Artisan looked in their direction as some of the students in the palace artisan school helped to set up their stage. “The White Tower Troupe!”

There was a round of polite applause from all the members of the royal court. The other troupe members were helping to set up the first scene for their skit. Yoongi waited patiently, even though he offered to help. Taehyung and Hoseok insisted that he stand back and focus on the performance. It wouldn’t take them long to get the set pieces ready. Once everything was put together, Namjoon walked gently forward and bowed deeply to the Royal family seated at the large banquet table.

“Please forgive our lack of eloquence, Your Majesties, as we attempt to regale you with a story. It is one I am sure you are all familiar with, but allow us to perform it for you just the same.” He flicked out the large fan in his hand, a picture of a blue sky and a green field painted on it. “We humbly present to you...the Tale of Green Pearl and the Demon!”

Yoon felt Chae-Ok grab his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He cast a sidelong glance in her direction, noting the soft pink flush that tinted her cheeks. He knew it wasn’t from the wine but more from her excitement. He smiled as she met his gaze.

“Oh, I love this story!” She looked back out toward the courtyard. “I’m interested to see how they will tell it.”

“As am I.”

The bass drum resounded through the large space just as the troupe finished setting up for the first scene. The narrator who spoke walked off to the sidelines and took a seat on a plush cushion that was provided for him. Silence draped over everyone present as the actors moved to their positions. 

“Many years ago, there was a humble man who lived a humble life. He had a humble trade and a humble wife. The wife bore him two children. A son named White Fang and a daughter named Green Pearl.”

Yoon watched as the narrator spoke about each character. One by one, they all appeared - their faces concealed with wooden masks painted in eloquent designs. Lingering off to the side was an actor clothed in black, red and gold garbs - a demon mask covering his face. Yoon felt his heart beating a little faster as he gazed at the person, unsure of why this strange sensation was lurching in his chest. 

The narrator slapped his stick against the small drum cradled in his lap. “As the seasons changed and the children grew older, the father became ill. The wife sent for what physicians they could afford and the old apothecary said that there was nothing he could do. The wife was distraught, unsure of what would become of her or her children should her husband leave this world for his journey to the afterlife.”

“Seobang-nim! You cannot leave us like this!” The wife sobbed beside the husband, cradling his hand between her palms. “What are we to do without you? How are we supposed to live?!”

“Don’t worry, Mother,” said White Fang as he placed his hand over his mother’s, “I will find a way to cure Father. I will travel across foreign lands until I can find the medicine that will save Father’s life!”

Again, the narrator struck the drum. “White Fang left to search for a cure for his ailing father, leaving his mother and sister behind.”

Yoon watched the person portraying Green Pearl moving toward the backdrop meant to pose as a wide open field. A lone tree stood off in the distance where she clasped her hands together and prayed. 

“Gods of Heaven, I beseech you! Please help my father. Please find a way to help him get better!” cried Green Pearl as she lowered her head, all but sobbing into her hands.

Heavy drums beat softly, signaling an ominous transition. Yoon watched as the actor portraying the demon slowly moved forward, until he was mere feet from the Royal Banquet table. The Demon whipped his head around to face the Royal family, causing everyone to lean back and gasp. 

All except Yoon.

Maybe it was the optical illusion of the mask, but he swore that the demon was looking directly at him. His heartbeat escalated, a soft thunder against his chest, and he waited for the demon to speak. There was a line here. Yoon remembered it. A line where the demon spoke to the audience of his wicked scheme.

But the demon said nothing. All he did was stare. Had the actor forgotten his lines?

“A demon heard Green Pearl’s cries, intrigued by her earnest wailings.”

The narrator cut through the silence. This seemed to wake the demon up, causing him to swiftly shuffle back a few steps as he threw his arm out in a dramatic flourish. 

“The sweet sound of sorrow nourishes my heart,” the Demon exclaimed, curling his shoulders forward. He pressed a hand against his face, fingers gliding over the white fangs on the mask. “It is the sound of easy prey. How I have longed to devour such a miserable soul!”

He heard the Crown Princess gasp as the Demon ran forward, leaping into the air and landing on the tightrope with amazing ease. Yoon quirked a brow, internally admiring the actor’s swiftness and balancing abilities. The Demon leaned forward, slinging his legs out until he was hanging upside down from the rope. 

Green Pearl took a sharp intake of breath, clutching at the front of her dress. “W-Who goes there?”

“A humble and curious Demon. But nevermind me, Sweet Child.” The Demon spoke in a cooing and sweet voice. “What seems to be ailing you? What causes you to mourn so?”

“My father is ill and there is no way to save him. My brother has left to travel in hopes of finding medicine to cure him.” Green Pearl turned away from the Demon, looking off in the distance. “I mourn for my family and what is to become of them should my father pass.”

The Demon laughed, swinging his body so that he was now sitting upright on the tightrope. He rested a hand on his knee and leaned forward, drawing Green Pearl’s attention once more. “This is a simple problem with a simple solution.”

“It is anything but simple!”

“Oh, but it is!” The Demon hopped onto the rope, bouncing up and down in a playful manner. “Because I know how to save your ailing father!”

Green Pearl stepped toward the tree, her hand reaching up toward the Demon but she was far out of his reach. “What do you know? Please, tell me how to save my father!”

The Demon bounced on the rope a few more times before dismounting, landing just a few feet away from her. He placed his hands behind his back and paced, not really bothering to stray too far from her but not coming too close. “There is a flower that grows in the western mountains. It is said that creating a potion from this flower can cure any illness.” He spun on his heels just as Green Pearl tried to approach him, causing her to halt in her steps. “But it is an arduous journey. Many have died trying to claim this flower.”

“Can you guide me to this mountain?” 

The Demon circled her, his steps slow and measured. “What will you give me if I decide to lend you my aid?”

“Whatever you wish to claim from me, Sir!” Green Pearl fell to her knees. “No boon is too great when it comes to saving the life of my father!”

The Demon knelt down before Green Pearl, lifting her face to meet his. “You will become my bride. That is the price you must pay if you wish to obtain my help.”

“If marrying a demon is the trade we are making, then I would marry you a thousand times.” 

The Demon pulled Green Pearl up onto her feet, a hearty laugh bursting from his chest. “Then come! Let us be off! The day grows shorter and the journey will be that much harder for you when the night comes.”

A gong and more heavy drums rang out as the Demon and Green Pearl exited the stage. Troupe members hurried to change the set backdrop to suit the next scene transition. 

“So Green Pearl and the Demon hurried toward the Western Mountains. The journey was, indeed, arduous. Many perils crossed their paths, but the Demon protected Green Pearl every step of the way. The harshest trek, however, was the path leading up toward the mountains. Wild animals impeded their path. Even the cold mountain winds attempted to blow the two off the krags so they would plummet to their deaths.”

With each scene change, a linen drape with a painted landscape was swapped. The serene music fit the pacing of each scene and the narrator’s strong voice pushed the actors to continue through the skit. Yoon knew this tale very well. Yet watching it unfold in this manner made the story seem brand new. He was particularly drawn to the Demon, unable to shake the tremors in his heart as the masked performer’s moves seemed fluid and natural.

“Finally, Green Pearl and the Demon reached the top of the mountain peaks. There was the mythical flower the Demon mentioned. It was a rich purple in pigment, the stem a soft green and nestled among a cluster of clovers. In the snow and cold temperature, there was no way that any vegetation should have flourished, let alone this single flower.”

Green Pearl reached for the flower, preparing to dig it up from the earth. Suddenly, she was stopped by the Demon’s harsh pull at her wrist. “W-What are you doing?!”

“Do not forget your promise to me, dear Child.” He pulled her flush against him. “You are to be my bride the moment your father is well. And not a minute later.”

“I haven’t forgotten our deal, Demon!” Green Pearl pushed away from him. “We must hurry back quickly!”

A soft bell tinkling sound issued from a row of wind chimes. The Demon laughed, grasping onto Green Pearl and jumping up toward the tightrope. Everyone watching sucked in their breaths as a stream of dark blue fabric followed after them. The Demon dragged Green Pearl behind him as the actors portrayed him using his powers to help them travel quickly. The two actors almost appeared to float across the thick line of rope.

“The Demon used his powers to transport Green Pearl and himself down the mountain. When they reached the foot of the mountain, they instantly moved through the fields. Within minutes, they were back in Green Pearl’s humble village. He safely brought her home and Green Pearl wasted no time preparing the flower into a medicinal tonic for her father.”

Green Pearl appeared next to her mother, holding out a wooden bowl. “This tonic will help Father. Please, we must hurry!”

The Wife started to feed the potion to the ailing Husband. In minutes, he started to rise up from his bed. He held his wife’s hands and she threw herself into his arms. 

“Husband! You are well!” she cried as her husband held her close. 

He laughed, stroking her back. “Yes, I am well, Pu-in. But tell me, what has helped me come back from the gates of the Underworld?”

“I traveled far to retrieve a flower that is said to cure any illness.” Green Pearl hugged her father’s neck.

“A flower?” He tilted his head to the side. “How did you come to learn of this flower?”

Green Pearl lowered her head. “A Demon told me. He guided me to the Western Mountains and I plucked the flower from the highest peak.”

Both the husband and wife looked at each other, clutching at their chests. The father reached out for his daughter’s hands. “You foolish girl! How could you make an agreement with a demon?!”

“Don’t you know that a deal with a demon only breeds disaster?!” The mother shook Green Pearl’s shoulders. “You have sold your soul to the Underworld!”

Green Pearl pulled herself away from her family. “I’m sorry!” She ran out of the house where the Demon was waiting for her. “We must hurry!”

The Demon grabbed her hand in his. “Let us leave this place!”

“Stop right there, you foul trickster!” The Father appeared, brandishing a wheat sickle. “Release my daughter, this instant!”

The Demon laughed. “The deal has been made, Human! You cannot break the contract!” 

The sound of a gong exploded over the courtyard, causing the Demon to gasp. When he looked down, there was a sword plunged through his stomach. As he turned, the assailant stepped forward to push the blade through his gut even further. The Demon reached out with a bloodied hand toward the one who attacked him. 

“B-Brother!”

White Fang ripped the sword from the Demon’s body, causing the Demon to fall to his knees. His head hung low and Green Pearl was instantly at the Demon’s side. He finally collapsed to the ground and Green Pearl clung to his shivering form. 

“What have you done?!” she screamed as the Demon continued to tremble in her arms. “Why did you strike him?!”

“It was a Demon, Green Pearl!” White Fang dropped the sword from his hand and the satchel from his back. “They only breed misfortune!”

“Y-You fool,” sputtered the Demon, “I would have given her a good life.” A trembling arm lifted as he pointed at White Fang. “Because of your actions, you have now condemned your sister to death.”

“What?!” White Fang dropped to his knees. The husband and wife hurried forward. “What lies do you speak, Demon?”

The Demon turned to look up at Green Pearl. “I will not be able to give you a life you deserve.” He touched the side of her face. “But I will be able to stay with you in the Afterlife. Always.”

“I am sorry for the cruel nature of man! Forgive me!” Green Pearl sobbed, burying her face in the Demon’s shoulder. “I will see you on the other side.”

And then the Demon’s hand fell limply to the ground. Seconds later, Green Pearl collapsed next to him.

Silence filled the courtyard. No one spoke. Hardly anyone took a moment to breathe, Yoon included. 

It was broken the minute that the King began to clap. The Queen soon followed until everyone at the Royal Banquet table rose from their seats and applauded. Yoon was still stunned, but he, too, clapped. The actors remained where they were - unmoving. However, the narrator stepped forward and bowed deeply to them. The tragic scene remained, but the story’s message still lingered in the air. 

Even a Demon was deserving of love and a person could see beyond the surface to one’s true heart.

But when promises were broken, a terrible fate would await. 

[candicewright]

Hola it is I, here to request the costume design thoughts. I love costuming and dress history and all that, so would love to know your thoughts!! 😊

Hello, my friend, you're once again going to get one of my super long rant posts because I have thoughts. This is also for @marshmallowmcgonagall who asked me about my thoughts on this too. Thank you both for indulging me💜

Disclaimer here: I am not a costumer nor a fashion historian and I barely have any idea of what I'm talking about here, so just bear with me.

So the first thing you want to know when watching a period drama is if the costumes are historically accurate. Note that there can never be 100% accuracy because that is just not how costumes work, there are a lot of things to keep in mind besides accuracy (mainly budget, artistic vision and practicality among other things).

The short answer to this question in Merlin's case is no, they are not accurate. The Arthurian Legend is meant to be set during the sixth century and most of these silhouettes are something that is more common in the latter part of the Middle Ages and even then they are not exact. Anglo-Saxon fashion in the 6th century was way less delicate, using fabrics such as linen or wool much more than the silks, chiffons, satins, and velvets we see in Merlin. The garments were way less structured, using a belt or girdle instead of corsets or stays, sometimes using veils or head coverings. The dresses would have been ankle-length and worn over an undergown. So, not at all like the ones we see in the show.

The thing with the Arthurian Legend though is that historical accuracy isn't a thing that exists in it. It's a story that mixes elements from multiple periods as well as with straight-up fantasy so you can literally throw any pretense of being historical out the window. Which leaves us with a mostly blank slate and a lot of room for artistic liberty.

Which brings us to the costumes in Merlin. It's obvious from watching the show that they did do some sort of research into medieval fashion, though they only took inspiration from it instead of straight-up reconstruction, which would have been pretty useless.

Let's take the example of a fan favorite: Gwen's red dress from Season 5.

This dress is gorgeous and it obviously seems to take inspiration from actual 15th century tunics. I know this because I watched a reconstruction of a 15th century gown and I immediately started drawing parallels to this particular look. I'm going to go ahead and venture that this has about 6-7 panels since the dress doesn't seem to have a waist seam (which an actual garment from the period might have had). The sleeves seem to be lined with some sort of silk or satin which I believe is something you could find in very upper class clothing like this. Also, the belt and general shape of the gown seem to look accurate as well. The neckline is, though very flattering, not at all historical and probably the embroidery isn't either but I don't really care because embroidery you know? The dress would have probably been worn over some sort of chemise and would have opened with buttons or a variant of them at the front instead of lacing at the back.

The lacing is also pretty inaccurate. Corsets or stays (which I believe didn't really exist at this point anyway) would have been laced with one single strip looping instead of the double strip crossing that we see in these. Do I really care? No, it looks very pretty and if we're already going so off, might as well make it look good.

You know what I'm also a sucker for besides embroidery and historical patterns? Undergarments and structure, which all of Gwen's dresses seem to have. I mean:

Very structured looking for just being a satin gown with nothing underneath. I will venture to say she has some built-in corset or something similar, though I may be completely wrong.

I may not be, however, because we sometimes get to see these structural garments:

And however inaccurate this is I. Love. It.

Another thing that I appreciate a lot is that they didn't seem to cut corners with the fabrics. Yes they used some synthetic ones but there are a lot of actual silks in there, as well as other pretty costly fabrics. And they used a lot of them which is probably why the costumes look so good in the first place.

Also, have I mentioned I love embroidery?

Those two dresses are probably my favorites because look at them! They are purple and pretty and shiny! My gay heart can't take it!

The male costumes in the show are way less impressive to be honest, though I really appreciate Arthur's pretty armor and sexy tunics. My favorite male wardrobe is probably Uther's, to my utter dismay. But to be honest, it's much better than that of any other character, which makes sense since he cares about conveying status more than any other character in the show. No, but for real, look at this:

So good! Very royal! I would have loved to see Arthur in something like this in the later seasons, especially next to Gwen looking as gorgeous as she does in all those fancy dresses. They are also probably wildly inaccurate but I couldn't find any male 6th century dress reconstructions so I don't really know for sure.

If I can make two complaints about the costumes in the show, they would be the following:

I would have pushed Merlin's costumes a lot more as the show progressed. I feel like with him being the protagonist we were left with very little in terms of his wardrobe which frankly, having such a gorgeous man like Colin Morgan, is an absolute sin.

I would have loved to see the fantasy aspect of the show being reflected way more in the costumes. Maybe accentuating the magical aspects of certain characters by going father away from historical fashion and more into complete fantasy territory. They did this a little bit, but not enough to be very noticeable and I think it would have kicked the entire thing up a notch.

If I'm being completely honest though, I love the costume design in this show and I would love to recreate so many of these dresses because they are simply gorgeous. When you have a source material that allows such artistic liberty, you might as well make the most of it and they certainly did.

I may have gotten a lot of this stuff wrong. Again I have no idea what I'm talking about, so please feel free to correct me or add onto whatever you want!

[calamity-bean]

Wanted a better look at the embellishment on Yvon’s jacket, so I took some caps! Some general observations:

The jacket is basically in the cut of a tunic, falling to about midthigh and with the left breast wrapping over the right so that the sides of the lower skirt-like part overlaps.

Symmetrical decorative patterns are found around the collar (meeting in a shallow vee over his upper back and gently tapering in front to form lapel shapes that terminate around the waist, covered by his belt) and also around the sleeve cuffs.

The prevailing motifs seen in these designs differ between collar and cuffs. The ones around the collar seem abstract: curving linear and geometric patterns. The cuffs, however, share the curving line style but are more representative, depicting floral/botanical elements.

I had initially wondered whether some of the round/raised bits might be beads rather than thread. I found some real close-up shots in which you can see the stitching, though, and it looks like the bits I thought might be beads are just loops or whorls of thread, so I think I can confirm that it’s all thread embroidery.

I’m putting the rest of this under a cut because it’s quite long, but: basically, I was interested in the style of decoration on his jacket, particularly the floral aspects, and attempted to do some historical research. I honestly was not as successful as I would’ve liked, and this post has actually been sitting in my drafts for almost two weeks now because I kind of got stuck. But on reflection, I still do want to share the screenshots as references, my observations, and at least the gist of what I looked into and what I found.

So! Under the cut: rambles about what interested me and what info I was looking for, links to the work of modern Ojibwe and Métis artists, and also a brief note on Yvon’s rifle strap, which I think is quite interesting as well!

Basically, when I was initially collecting the above images, my interest was particularly piqued by the floral decorations on the cuffs. The show identifies Yvon as Anishinaabe, and Zahn / Nat Geo have identified him specifically as Ojibwe, and I had a vague memory of reading at some point that Ojibwe art is particularly associated with floral designs. Floral designs not being solely unique to Ojibwe art among indigenous arts, and Ojibwe designs not being solely limited to floral ones, but a strong association nonetheless. I think most famously this takes the form of colorful, intricate embroidery with tiny glass beads:

(image source: Native American Artist-in-Residence: Jessica Gokey)

This is often done on black velvet or, as in the case of some of Gokey’s work that I saw, on black broadcloath, which I would say is probably about the same type of fabric Yvon’s jacket is made of — a plain, dense, sturdy wool. Although my understanding is that Ojibwe didn’t begin using colored glass beads of this sort until they acquired them via trade with Europeans in about the 19th century, beads made of other materials would, of course, still have been available in Yvon’s time, and I was still curious about whether the designs themselves on his jacket accurately reflect authentic patterns and motifs used by Ojibwe people. What was clothing and decoration like among Ojibwe and Anishinaabe people in the 17th century? What styles and materials were used? Are the elements in Yvon’s embroidery more generic, or are they recognizably specific in style to his culture, etc.?

And so I began with the Wiki-ing and the Google Scholaring and the skimming of articles. Unfortunately, a lot of the most promising-looking sources were only available as printed books (some of them quite expensive, too), so I didn’t have access to them, but from the articles I was able to browse, I did learn some relevant things. I found sources saying that before glass beadwork, Ojibwe decoration did use other types of beads and also used embroidery, which tracks with what we see on Yvon. I found a number of sources saying that floral motifs specifically were introduced to people of the Northeastern Woodlands in the 17th century via contact with Europeans, particularly nuns, who brought with them their floral embroidered fabrics and their floral folk arts.

However...

Although there were plenty of mentions of Ojibwe beadwork and floral designs, and a good number of more modern examples, I had difficulty finding in-depth information that discussed it specifically in the context of Barkskins’s time period (or prior to European contact, either). Sources focusing on the art in later time periods might still be relevant to what Ojibwe decorative arts were like in the 17th century, but I just don’t know enough to know. The example images I found were of beadwork from the 19th century or later, and even then, they were buried in a slew of Pinterest results that I really don’t consider reputable sources, because sure, they might be legit, but they might also be completely mislabeled. 

In general, I felt less than confident about what my searches turned up. This is a topic I know little about, have no personal or academic experience with (not being Ojibwe and not having formally studied anything relevant to this), and I’m wary of misinformation here because I know that indigenous people have spoken about seeing biased, simplified, and outright inaccurate info presented even by sources that should seem credible, like museums. Not to mention conflicting info. Remember I mentioned I read about floral designs being introduced (or at least popularized) by European art? And yet I also saw other sources rejecting this idea that Ojibwe floral motifs have their roots in colonizers’ art rather than simply in drawing their own inspiration from nature. In general, I just didn’t feel confident that I had the insight or education necessary to evaluate my sources or synthesize conflicting info, and my brief, superficial research didn’t seem reputable or interesting enough to shed any particular light on Yvon’s clothing. So I basically put this post aside.

(image source: Native American Artist-in-Residence: Sarah Agaton Howes)

But ultimately, I still want to highlight Yvon’s embroidery, even if only from an aesthetic, costume-detail perspective, and I also want to share some of the lovely videos showing the work of modern Ojibwe artists I came across while I was looking all of this up! Here’s another link to this video featuring the work of Jessica Gokey, which I inserted near the top, and here’s one in which Greg Bellanger discusses some of the history and process of his art. In this interview, Sarah Agaton Howes brings up the idea of Ojibwe floral designs as a historical means of teaching about medicines and preserving that cultural knowledge, especially in times when passing down such knowledge was suppressed. I thought that was very interesting and am kicking myself because I did actually look briefly at a thesis extract on Ojibwe botanical/medicinal knowledge, but now I can’t find it again. I also enjoyed this shorter video with Howes as well. And this video featuring the work of Delina White gives us some examples of these floral designs primarily as embroidered thread, like on Yvon’s clothing, rather than as beadwork:

(image source: Delina White)

The final video I’ll link is this one, which is about Métis floral beadwork rather than Ojibwe. I don’t know how similar/different the two styles are (nowadays or historically), but since Métis share roots with Ojibwe and Anishinaabe people, and since Métis culture developed out of the setting, cultural interactions, and approximate time period of Barkskins, I thought it still relevant enough to rec here. Not to mention that it’s just pretty and I wanna rec it. All of these videos offer a lot of interesting information and perspective on the craft itself as well as on the history and tradition.

Before I go… One little costume detail I do feel reasonably confident offering my own speculation on is that the decoration on Yvon’s rifle strap appears to be quillwork — porcupine quills dyed and shaped into designs. I could be wrong, but the texture, colors, and pattern look very similar to the examples I’ve seen, and it’s an art form that would certainly have been established, culturally relevant, and available to him in this time period. So that’s the tiny bit of original input I’ll contribute to this post!

In general, I think the whole Barkskins team — costume design very much included — has shown that they put a tremendous amount of research and thought into the design and construction of this show. I’m sure Yvon and his costume were no exception. And I love the overall look!

[spartanxhunterx]

Miraculous comeuppance

A short story based on @isitsusi 's miraculous idea. Honestly couldn't get this out my head and had to write it. But two things first, I haven't watched a lot of MLB and I've changed the prompt a little. (I added Chloe, cause that girl needs redemption)

--

In the three years, four months and two weeks of being the - somewhat proud - owner of a miraculous, Marinette had never expected it to come to this. She had never anticipated that she would be able to see the end of her journey, the end of the fight.

The defeat of hawkmoth.

Or at least she had that planned for later. She was at the park currently, under the shade of a tree, a notebook and many, many pictures before her. All of them the same, yet not, each a different angle taken of the agrest mansion. To her left sat her friend, boyfriend and superhero partner Chat Noir, untransformed as his civilian self Adrien.

Some few weeks ago he had come to her - as ladybug - with vital information, the identity of Hawkmoth. Gabriel Agrest.

When asked, he said he had seen him transform, not directly, he had been peeking into his father's office to see him and had just... Seen it.

The reveal that immediately followed was messy, sputtering, blushing and a whole week of avoiding each other until they got their act together. Then they were unstoppable, both in and out the mask.

They defeated akumas faster, more effectively. Out of the mask the two were a power duo, who's unwavering loyalty was known by many of their ex-friends.

Now, the two of were planning just how to take him down and reclaim both the stolen miraculous. Well, they were just making complete sure that they understood everything before making a move really, the planning was done.

 "Ugh, could you two stop being cute for like five minutes." The superhero duo looked up to the third member of their team, Chloe borgulous. "The last thing I need is getting a cavity cause of you two."

 Yes, Chloe borgulous was the one the two of them trusted the most, enough to earn back her miraculous. Even after the events of Miracle Queen, it was quite easy to hide her identity again, change the comb into a bracelet, change the hero's costume and give her a new name. Now no-one knew that she was the new bee flying around. She even got to keep the miraculous on her person permanently.

Pollen was good for her anyway.

 Chloe placed down a familiar box, filled with baked goods from the dupan-cheng bakery.

 "I should warn you though, we've got a..." She jabbed her thumb behind her towards a large and recognisable group. "Possible situation."

 " Ignore them chloe, they're not important. " Marinette partially turned her nose up when she saw their classmates across the way, having what looked to be a picnic. She could already make out Lila, no doubt in the middle of weaving another tall tail of how she had saved an animal, knew a celebrity or had just done something impossible.

"This is important," she tapped the notebook with one hand as she reached for the box with the other before it was slapped away. She couldn't help but give a glare at the blonde girl. Both knew it wasn't real anyway.

" They're not just for you Mari, the cheese bread is for Plagg, The honey glazed donut is for Pollen and the cookies are for Tikki. " Oh, yeah. She was even in on their identities. "The rest is for us."

Before either of the three could blink the three aforementioned Kwamis had zipped out of their chosens clothes pockets, grabbed their snacks and had snuck back into a little nook in their clothes that hid them from view of the public eye. They were none the wiser.

"Alright, so you two understand the plan right? Cause I don't want to leave anything to chance."

 Chloe hummed as she bit into her croissant, savoring the flavour before swallowing it down. "Wait for an Akuma, kick its ass without using our powers, go to Hawkdouch's house, kick his Ass, save the day."

 Plagg and Pollen both giggled while Adrien gave a quiet chuckle while Marinette groaned but had an amused smile on her face.

"Ok, so you remember the back up plan should we fail and our identities be revealed?"

" if we fail then Hawkmoth will have our miraculous, there is no back up plan for that. " Adrien slumped his arm around Mari's shoulder, giving her a tentative squeeze. "We do have a plan for after outing my... My father's identity."

" We also have a plan should we win and reveal our identities, so we're covered on all fronts. " Chloe moved one hand down to pet pollen on the head, reassuring herself that she still wasn't dreaming.

"Yeah well I jus- Chloe on your six." Quicker then anything the kwami's flew back into their Chosen's pockets , abandoning their food. Mari had packed up the pictures and notebook, not wanting to leave anything out in the open.

Chloe turned to see several of their classmates quickly heading their way, Alya up front with a crocodile tear crying Lila at the back of the group. Yes group, most of the class was also coming along with the two of them.

What lie had she said now?

The trio quickly stood, not wanting to be left sat on the floor while everyone would stand above them. They couldn't get a word out before Alya had rounded on to them.

"What is wrong with you!?"

She sighed, Adrien wrapped and arm around her waist as he leaned his chin on her shoulder and Chloe simple rolled her eyes at the tabloid writer.

"I think that question is best when directed at you, don't you think?" Marinette couldn't stop the snort that erupted from her mouth at Chloe's words and it only brought on a glare from her ex-friend.

"You think this is funny!? Is this some kind of joke to you!? Not only have you three been the worst people I could ever have the displeasure of knowing but I can't believe you three out attack Lila... Again!"

This time Chloe snorted before dragging her hand up to look at her nails lazily. "Please, as if I'd dare risk the chance of breaking my nails, even if it meant putting a scratch on her. She's simply not worth it." 

"Then explain the many bruises she has on her. " The 'Bruises' she had was nothing but a small smudge on the lower bottom of her right cheek. Honestly how stupid could they be?

Best not to get an answer.

If they were to attack Lila? There be a lot more then one mark smaller then that of a baby's fist.

"Alya, it's probably best you leave, the rest of you too. We were having a... Nice day before you bothered us." Mari rolled her eyes at her boyfriends passive behaviour but understood that it stemmed from not wanting to draw his father's gaze, especially now.

"No, I don't think we will. At least not until I put you three menaces straight. " The trio turned towards the new voice. 

a girl that they hadn't seen before or noticed among the group. A first glance they could tell she was slightly taller then Marinette, her hair a dark shade of blue that made Marinette's hair seem brighter in comparison, clearly it was dyed. Her facial features conformed similarly to her as well, slightly. As small glance while in a darker environment might have you mistake the two of them but only an idiot would do so outside of those conditions. Her hair was even tied up just like Marinette's too, although it looked really sloppy.

"And you are?" Chloe had already puffed out, an air of superiority emanating from her.

"I am Brigitte, a friend of Lila." Oh, great just what they needed, another sheep to follow the wolf. "I am also Ladybug."

Wait. What?

it took a moment before it registered but when it did the three of them just put laughing, Chloe had to hold her stomach while Marinette and Adrien had to hold each other up and stop themselves from falling over.

"Of course you are, and I'm still queen bee and adrien's father is actually competent." She sneered at the false bluentte before turning her nose up at her. She couldn't believe this girl, to claim to be someone she wasn't.

"Well I am, the only reason I am gracing you with that information is because I can't approach you three in my uniform, not unless I wanted to attract unnecessary attention." Brigitte turned her nose up at Chloe trying, and failing, to put the blonde girl in line.

"Alright then, why are you going around telling everyone your identity then? Surely it's not safe to share that information with a tabloid journalist."

Alya sputtered slightly. " I am a reporter, not some low grade tabloid writer. "

"Keep telling yourself that. You might just believe it."

The only thing that stopped Alya from lunging for Chloe was Ivan , who had grabbed her to hold her back. At the back Of the group Lila out on a who new set of false tears and began to shake her shoulders, as if she was truly heartbroken.

"All I've ever tried to do was be your friend, to all of you, and this is how you treat me? It's all I've ever wanted really and you three keep pushing me away." Of course the immediate action taken up by everyone else was to glare at the trio while rose and Sabrina comforted the sausage haired girl.

Adrien sometimes questions why he wanted them to be his friends, what has he seen in them before?

"Right," and now false-bug was talking again. "As my authority as ladybug I hereby ban the three of you from ever being near my friends again."

" Works for us. "

"I will also have to send you three down to the station, I do believe the three of you are working for Hawkmoth, given the number of Akuma that the three of you have caused."

That caused the three of them to straighten up, not because of the threat but because of the clear misuse of a non-existent power.

"Hey, Chloe has changed a lot in the past few months and me and Adrien have cause two maybe three Akumas over the past three years, if we're going on who had caused the most Akumas then you should arrest Lila. " Mari removed herself from her boyfriend before walking up to her not quite accurate doppelganger.

"Besides I'm not convinced you are ladybug, where's your Miraculous, I don't see them. "

"Like I'd actually wear them out in public, putting them at risk like that. besides why would I reveal them When I suspect that you work for Hawkmoth, would be pretty stupid on my part wouldn't it? "

"Sorry dudes, " Nino spoke, doing his best to help Ivan calm down Alya. "But she makes a point, it would be pretty dumb and reckless."

 " Just like plastering her face and confession onto a well known website in case Hawkmoth ever saw it... But I suppose I shouldn't have to worry right? " Alya blanched slightly before she sunk back at adriens words.

before anyone else could say anything a loud shout echoed across the yard, sending everyone's fight or flight instincts into overdrive.

"I AM MOTHER NATURE! AN I WILL COVER THIS CITY WITH THE SEEDS OF THE EARTH!"

Each member of the class had shrunk in on themselves , trying to look as small as possible, even their 'ladybug '. The real superhero trio stood up tall, shoulders squaring out as they looked for the akuma, many plants were growing rapidly on the other side of the park but everyone has already ran away.

"Go on ladybug, save us. "

"Come on, go kick their ass LB."

" Show Hawkmoth that he's nothing. "

Brigitte, for her part, actually began to back off from the group, clearly neither she nor Lila had expected a real akuma to show up, how would it look if the real ladybug showed up while she was stood there?

Fortunately for them the class was in for one big show.

While that was happening the trio was staring at each other, having a mental conversation that transcended anything anyone else could have understood, after a moment the tree of them nodded.

"Full theatrics?"

Marinette hummed at adriens question before nodding. "Fuck It, why not? "

"Tikki."

"Plagg."

"Pollen."

The class had turned to them quickly , those that had used miraculous before dropping their jaws.

"Spots on." "Claws Out. " "Buzz On."

Just for the sake of running it in their classmates faces each of them went through their old routine , showing off what they posed as they transformed before their very eyes.

Before anyone could say anything, the three were gone, already fighting the akuma as a well oiled machine.

They watched, stunned, as they managed to do it without the use of any of their powers. They watched as they left the scene all three bounding off in the same direction.

later that day the trio would drop a beaten and bloody Gabriel and his assistant, they have a short speech on that they had won, Hawkmoth was defeated, the threat was no more, Paris was safe. Th he people were safe to weap once more.

The next day Alya had tried to go to the bakery to speak to Marinette but she had been quickly chased out by her large father, later that day the bakery put out a sign stating they were closing down.

A week passed and they were gone, without a trace, no-one has seen them since the incident at the park. They were gone without a trace.

[themoonsbeloved]

Hey so as someone who isn't mena but still wants to try and draw scarabia characters/ocs, what fashion should I reference when designing outfits that are arabian inspired? I usually just reference the live action since I know the og movie was pretty racist but is there any fashion (and the name of the fashion) that is ok to based fantasy clothes off? I'm just asking cause I don't want to make a mistake making designs I'm sorry if I sound really ignorant right now qwq

If you’re talking about the live action Aladdin film I mean it’s still better-ish than the animation (from what I remember from the promotional pictures, I never watched it myself) but the costume designer was a white man ahdjdkdlslsl and POC could tell just by looking at the costumes they were not done by a brown person. But then again Aladdin is just a misappropriation of South Asian and MENA cultures sandwiched together because WHO NEEDS ACCURACY, WE ALL LOOK THE SAME AND COME FROM THE DESERT.

So I don’t claim to be an expert on MENA cultures cause I am SA, but this is what I typically do, even when looking up my own cultural clothing. Usually just starting off by familiarising yourself with the traditional garments and their terms, and sometimes anatomy, will help you. So like just by searching up “traditional middle eastern clothes” can give you pics, and usually the terms for the garments you find. Then you can research more about the garment and get extra information, usually which culture(s)/region its mostly associated with in MENA. What you’ll find in many countries is that there’s more or less a “universal” garment that everyone wears but has differences between each culture. I say this very loosely though because it’s not always the case. But most of the time we aren’t trying to be as culturally specific and accurate (unless that’s what you’re going for), and simply want inspiration with the intention of still being knowledgeable, respectful and mindful. 

If you’re looking for inspo for more fantasy styles then search up middle eastern high fashion, bridal clothes, etc. You can also try searching for MENA fantasy/fictonal movies and shows, aka movies and media that are not made by white ppl or ppl who are not MENA. People from the culture are going to do it best, so taking inspo from the very people who have the better understanding is a given. 

Of course I don’t expect anyone to become absolute experts on MENA cultures (I’m definitely not and am open to any advice/critique from MENA folk) and to know each and every type of traditional clothing across the regions, but if we can do in depth research about fae culture and elves and shit that don’t even exist, I’m sure we can do decent enough research about real people lol. 

[trashystar420]

Babysitter Chapter 6 Maribat

It had been a few days since Marinette discovered the ‘villain’ that is Damien Wayne, or is that ReALLY his name. After all he IS a villain.... according to Trixx, which could be considered a reliable source. Fifty-fifty.

She couldn’t focus at the discovery Trixx found. Aparently he was looking in her history. Not a good thing. Especially if as the current guardian of rather powerful magical jewelry, must remain a secret from anyone and everyone. Especially from supposed supervillains.

“Why me.” The designer moaned to herself. Resting her head on her sketch book. Tikki just gave her holder a pat.

“Tikki what am I going to do? A random person. A villain is now aware of the existence of kwamis and will be looking around for them. And he KNOWS that I know.”

“Don’t worry Marinette, if there is anyone who can figure this out. It’s you! After all you are ladybug.”

“Was Tikki. Was. It’s been years Perhaps I’m losing my touch.” She thought out loud.

“Your not thinking of.”

“You know what Tikki. I think Ladybug needs to come out from the shadows once more.” For the first time in a while. She felt a spark. A feeling. It was like as though she were reborn into a new person. Tikki didn’t say anything.

“Tikki spots on!”

...

...

...

“Alright, Robin Jr., Red Hood. Get in position. Red Robin, on your signal.” BlackBird (aka Damien yes I know I said Robin a few chappies ago but screw that!) ordered. The two younger birds also stayed in position. Red hood’s guns and Robin Jr.’s batons at the ready.

This was it. They finally found Mr. Freeze’s hideout. Red Robin was currently drawing the crazed ice fanatic into a trap. That trap being Dick and Jason. Damien stayed on the sidelines. He wanted his younger brothers to gain some experience on their own, and if something were to happen, he could intervene.

“Alright guys he’s right on my tail, so make this quick before I’m frozen over.” Red Robin warned. Jason cocked his guns at the door. Dick above the door. Ready to jump the villain.

The door burst open. Tim tumbling out there. Mr.Freeze came soon after, and that was when Jason shot with 100% accurate precision. At his freezing tank,resulting in the tank to explode, releasing all the ice.

“Gah!”

“RB Jr. NOW!!!”

And the baby bird managed to land a solid hit on his noggin, rendering him unconscious.

“I-I did it!!!” Dick cheered. Jason swept him off his feet and spun him around, also proud of his baby bro.

“We did it! I’m so proud of you.” Jason told.

Dick shook his head.

“You were the amazing one Red Hood. You managed to shoot at his tanks without breaking a sweat. Your a real marksman!!!”

“Dawwww ya really think so lil D- AHEAM!” Damien interrupted. Jason reluctantly put down little Dick.

“What’s it to you?” Red hood spat out. Robin Jr hid behind Hood.

“Don’t yell your real names out loud, you never know who or what can hear.” The experienced vigilante breathed out. Much like his father, was also pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Oh sorry BlackBird.” Dick apologized. Red hood still gave him a look, well sort of. His mask basically hides his face, but Blackbird could bet all his money that Jason was giving him a withering glare.

“Alright now lets give the ice freak over to the police and get our butts home huh? I want to get in a nice warm bath.” Tim than pushes both his younger brothers out, letting BlackBird handle the cleanup.

“Why is it always me.” The oldest bird asked to himself. He dials for the police not long after.

...

...

...

Ladybug jumped building to building with the same amount of grace she had back when Hawkmoth and Hawkmoth 2.0 reined their terror down on Paris. With a practiced swing, she threw her yo-yo on a protruded ledge, and utilizing the momentum from the yo-yo swung herself up and far. She kept repeating the process for a few more times. The all too familiar cool breeze. The adrenaline. Marinette felt like the wind.

When Marinette transformed, she was surprised to find her hair much shorter, which wasn’t a bad thing. Long hair could get in the way during a fight and she DID not like ponytails. Perhaps a bun, but it just wouldn’t look good with the costume, or that is was the Bluenette thought.

She landed on top of an apartment, and sat on the ledge, her feet dangling off the building, without a care in the world. The heroine let the breeze hit her face again as her big blue eyes stare into the Milky Way. She just simply let herself get lost in the feeling of tranquility. Breathe in breathe out. Repeated breathing techniques taught to her by the previous guardian, Master Fu. Now deceased due to natural causes.

Her bittersweet memories interrupted by the blaring sounds of a robbery.

“Who robs a bank in the middle of night?” She bitterly spoke to no one in particular. Without a second thought, she jumped to the crime scene to find two burly men in typical black ski masks and all black clothing. Too occupied in carrying the heavy-looking sac of money and precious gold, Ladybug coughed to alert the two theives.

“Ah shit here another one of them!!! This time a spotted freak!!!” Theif one bemoaned.

“Shit Carlie should we just the goods and scram?” Thief two asked. Thief one warily gazed at the mysterious heroine, before reluctantly tossing the bag to her.

“Keep it, we want no trouble.” He gave in, thief two did the same. Mari gave a look.

“I don’t want stolen goods, I came here to stop you two!” Ladybug clarifies. Thief two made an ‘oh’ sound, while thief one nodded.

“You two gentlemen are smart, so why go through with this?” She asked. The two were taken aback by the question, but before thief one answered, thief two spoke up.

“We are desperate ma’am. Our mama is terribly sick and we got no bills to pay for her medicine. The doc said if she don’t get it she gonna...” and then proceeded to bawl. Thief one patted his brother and also began to shed some tears.

“Dammit Dyl, I told you not to cry- hic- your -hic- gonna make me cry....” and now Ladybug is comforting two burly men crying their sorrows out. The spotted heroine asked how much the treatment costed.

“Over $100,000.” He answered. Ladybug winced. Remembering that she earned over $100,000 over the last two weeks due to online commissions and her babysitting gig.

“How about you two show me to your mama first, after we put all the money back.” The two nodded and did just that.

...

...

...

“Dylan!!! Charles!!! Why are you two dressed like that?!?” Mrs. Bension asked.

“We’re sorry mama. We needed the money to heal ya.” Charles answered. That earned the two a hard slap.

And a hug. More tears ensued. Ladybug awkwardly stayed on the sidelines at the display. And then Mama Bension looked at Ladybug.

“You’re not gonna report them to the police are ya?” She asked with baited breathe. Ladybug looked. And really looked at the family before her. They looked so close together, and so happy. It’s not like they wanted to rob a bank to get rich, all they wanted was enough to save their dying mother.

Taking an exasperated breathe, she looks over to mama Bension.

“No ma’am. This secret stays with the four of us. I understand that they were in a terrible position that would’ve made anyone desperate. Now tell me, what is it that you have?”

She had breast cancer.

Ladybug pulled out a roll of money. Around $200,000. It will be over $100,000. That much Marinette knew.

“This should cover the bill. And if you need more or anything else”, she proceeds to take out a little bug, like communicator. It was smaller than her nail.

“Press this small button here” and the bug thing released its wings, displaying a monitor.

“It will alert me. Now I must go. Take care and good luck. And please. Don’t resort to thievery again.” And she took off into the night. The Benisons looked at the amount of money she handed to them. The brothers cheered with tears of joy, while the mom looked over the strange device she left.

“What a strange woman. Kind, but strange.”

...

...

...

“Well today’s the day.” Marinette spoke, while looking at the calender. The day being her scheduled babysitting day. She informed Bruce ahead of time if she could take the two boys out with her, and he agreed a bit too eagerly.

“Alright we are first going to the Gotham museum first, and then we will take a nice walk in the dog park. And finally, the amusement park. Hey guys did I miss anything?”

“Picnic basket check.” Tikki informed.

“First aid kit check.” Longg answered.

“Phone at 100%.” Pollen shouted over the counter.

“Are you ready Marinette?” Kalkki asked playfully. She just rolled her eyes at the sassy kwami.

“Alright let’s go you guys.” And off the five went.

Done! That was chapter 6 ya’ll enjoy!!!!

[oh-phineas]

I’ll Be Looking at the Moon... | Phineas + Ferb (feat. Bob)

In which Phineas and Ferb reunite two very, very long-lost lovers

Date: 29th January

@ferbmanofactionfletcher

PHINEAS

It had taken a couple of months, but it was finally time. As soon as Phineas had seen the invite for the medieval-themed party, he knew this was the perfect event to bring Bob to, because not only was the whole town invited, but Bob's armor wouldn't stick out the way it might at other events. This also meant that this was Phineas and Ferb's only chance to help Bob find his lost love. For a long time.

So, like, no pressure, right?

Once they arrived at the party, Phineas motioned for Bob and Ferb to follow him to a quieter corner where they could regroup. "Alright, is everyone clear on the plan?" Phineas said, signing along as he spoke.

FERB

Leave it to the rich people of Swynlake to give them the most serendipitous set of circumstances. He had been both surprised and actually not at all that someone was throwing a party where the theme was almost too on the nose to a problem they needed solved.

He had been hoping they could have helped Bob out in the safety of their house, using the power of people's internet fingerprint to track down this person, but it looked like they were having to resort to doing it the old fashioned way. Which made sense, considering the person they were helping was old fashioned.

Ferb nodded his agreement and Bob shrugged, the armor clanking against itself. "I feel safer knowing that you will catch more attention with your attire than I will. What possessed you to dress as a fool?"

PHINEAS

“I dunno, I thought it’d be funny.” He shrugged as he signed the words. “Plus the suit-of-armor thing might be fun for you, but this is way more comfortable.” Phineas looked around for any sign of the man Bob had described. “Have you seen him yet? Anything that matches our research, Ferb?”

FERB

Having not caught Bob's word of judgement, he simply looked between the two and waited. He already felt out of place among the large crowd of people that had turned out for the party, the uncomfortable feeling of knowing that he was only going to cause problems for this mission. Ferb had half a mind to just ask if they wanted him to stay in this corner as a look out instead of following them around like a useless weight. But all he did was shake his head in answer to Phineas.

"What about over there?" Bob asked, distracted and moving without them back into the party.

PHIN

Oh no. Bob was on the move. Phineas could not let Bob out of his sight— what if he made a scene? This was not the place for a duel, and Phineas really didn’t want to call attention to the priceless artifact Bob was wearing.

“Bob! Wait! Stop!” Phineas called, running after him. “You’ve got to stick with me!”

FERB

Like string being pulled, Bob the lead, Phineas going after, Ferb followed the line with only a few seconds of hesitation as he tried to put together what had happened. Phineas' quick movement and body language communicated that he hadn't anticipated, he was just reacting. Which meant Bob had shot off on his own, which meant— probably nothing good.

"Then keep up, lads!" Bob turned to stop, managing to knock into a woman who gasped in surprise and turned around, eyes wide.

PHINEAS

“Sorry!” Phineas shouted to the woman Bob had knocked into. He grabbed onto Bob’s elbow, both to try and slow Bob down and to anchor himself to the knight so that Bob couldn’t run off again. “Did you see something? You’ve got to keep us in the loop, Bob!” 

FERB

"I beg your pardon," Bob said to the woman who took both apologies with a confused but appreciative nod before Phineas moved between the two. Ferb stepped to Bob's other side so that he couldn't escape that way either.

"I thought I had, but the room only continues to move." He turned from one boy to the other. "Are you sure coming here was a good plan?"

PHINEAS

Phineas was increasingly beginning to wonder that, too. They didn’t have much to go on— just Bob’s memories— and it was possible the person they were searching for wasn’t even here. Normally, Phineas would have suggested they divide and conquer, but he was not letting Bob out of his sight. Not after that stunt.

He did his best to sign along as Bob spoke so that Ferb could follow. “It’s the only one we’ve got,” he responded. “This is literally the only place you could go and kind of blend in. So that’s what we’re doing. Do you have a better idea?”

FERB

His brow furrowed as he tried to make out what Phineas was signing, not quite able to catch on to anything but the final sentence. He looked up to see who was being asked that, and was relieved to find Bob and Phineas looking at one another instead of him.

Bob bowed his head, as much as he could within the armor, giving a sigh. "Only to return to what I was doing before all of this. Maybe we should—"

"Wow!" Someone else's voice cut in. A man pointed a finger at the three of them as he approached. "That is an amazing costume! Did you buy it or make it yourself?"

PHINEAS

Bob looked offended. “This is no costume, it’s—“

“A highly accurate replica piece! Bob’s a really well-respected cosplayer, aren’t you, Bob?” Phineas cut in, clapping Bob on the back and then wincing in pain and shaking his hand. That armor was no joke.

FERB

Ferb could only watch the interaction, unable to help Phineas if he needed it. (He probably didn't.) This was why he always felt useless in situations like these where his phone wouldn't understand what conversation to pick up on and his lip reading skills were rubbish. Why had he even agreed to come along instead of insisting Phineas take someone more competent?

"So you just had that lying about?" The man's eyebrows rose as he nod, impressed before he turned his head. "Oi, Martin! Come look at this!"

More people in the near vicinity turned their attention then, too.

PHINEAS

Oh no. Bob was drawing attention from the crowd.

There was a possibility this could work in their favor. Maybe Bob’s lost love would see the crowd gathered around and come over to see what the big deal was. Or it could be a disaster, because someone could realize this was the Green Knight’s armor and try to fight him. Phineas was trying to avoid that.

Ferb would know what to do.

He left Bob’s side (oh well) and went over to Ferb. “People are gathering. What do you think? Should we get him out of here? Or do you think it’ll help him find his guy?” Phineas signed frantically.

FERB

The motion of the crowd turning toward the three of them did catch Ferb's attention, eyes flicking to meet the ones that were catching on the armor the encased Bob. Thinking the opposite to his step-brother, that Phineas would have the plan, he turned to see what he had up his sleeve— only to find it was being asked of him.

He swallowed. Okay, no time to freak out or freeze up, he ignored the churning in his stomach and heat on his skin under the scrutiny of strangers.

"Neither," he signed back. If they left it would end their chances of finding who they came here for and all of this would have been for nothing. If they allowed Bob to become a spectacle and someone turned this party into a fight they would have a bigger problem on their hands. "We need to get the attention off him. We need to— discredit the fit. Make them think it isn't all that great."

PHINEAS

At first, Phineas thought Ferb was going to suggest a distraction which he personally thought he would be pretty good at. But this was a better idea— the opposite of a distraction. They needed to get people to disperse.

Maybe if they could just get Bob to give up this whole Green Knight shtick...

“Bob, listen...” Phineas said through gritted teeth. “I need you to follow my lead.” He took a deep breath. “You know who has a better suit of armor? Uncle Waldo! I saw him somewhere, and he said that if anyone can guess which Knight of the Round Table he’s cosplaying, he’ll buy then a drink! RIGHT, Bob?”

It was the best Phineas could think of, anyway. Uncle Waldo was definitely not here tonight.

FERB

If anyone here was going to convince a crowd that there was something more interesting to look at than the Green Knight's Armor, it was going to be Phineas Flynn.

Ferb only nodded along, at Bob's side, though he had no idea what was being daid.

Bob, disgruntled, still caught on to his helper's meaning. He may not have used it in some time but he was no stranger to the art of subtlety. "Quite right, lad! In fact he was the one that helped me track down this costume! I am more of a uh— a...a what kind of cost-player would you describe me as, Mr. Flynn?"

PHINEAS

"An amateur. Trying his best, but you're really gonna wanna see Waldo's," Phineas said loudly. "I mean, this thing's basically made out of paint and tin foil. Lame."

He looked around. Already, two of the onlookers were starting to argue about whether it was more respectable to have a homemade or store-bought outfit. Okay. Phineas could work with this. Sow a little chaos. They just couldn't get involved and draw more attention to themselves.

"While you're all here-- we found a wallet on the ground! Belonging to a..." He looked at Bob. "What was his name again?"

FERB

As more onlookers turned away, getting back to their night as they were convinced that the display was nothing special, Ferb caught sight of the young woman from before (that Bob had accidentally hit in his excitement) continuing to watch with interest.

"What?" Bob turned to look at Phineas, searching his face for a moment, before catching on once more. "Oh! Oh, yes— erm, a chap by the name of Charles Ellis."

The woman's demeanor changed, her spine straightening as if in recognition. Ferb looked to Phineas, waving a hand to catch his attention. When he caught his gaze he nodded toward the woman.

PHINEAS

Phineas would have missed the woman if Ferb hadn’t alerted him. He was too busy planning his next announcement, thinking about what he could say to disperse the crowd. So when he caught Ferb’s eye, he was grateful that someone was paying attention.

“You said you know him? Charles Ellis?” Phineas confirmed, looking at her searchingly. “Is he here?”

Something shifted in Bob’s demeanor. Phineas waved him over.

FERB

The woman looked a bit stunned at being called out, the couple in front of her moving to the side to allow her to step forward to meet the three of them. With the mystery seemingly resolved and no longer in need of more help, the rest of the crowd that had still been paying attention went back to the party, leaving the four of them to their own.

"Uhm, maybe! I don't know. I'm Sloane Ellis and Charlie, or Charles, is my uncle! He's invited me as his plus one tonight. Though I have never known him to lose anything like a wallet." She smiled politely, nodding to Phineas. "May I see it?"

PHINEAS

"One second," Phineas said, then turned and summarized for Ferb in BSL: "It's Charles's niece. She's here with him. I guess we should tell her there isn't a wallet...? Should we tell her about the armor?"

As Phineas was signing, Bob stepped forward. "Where? Where is he? I've been looking for him for seventy years!"

Phineas winced, wishing Bob hadn't led with that particular detail. "He's... exaggerating."

FERB

Wallet? What—? Nope. It didn't matter, Ferb didn't need to know in order to answer the basic question that was being proposed here: did they tell her the truth or not? He went to answer but Bob stepped forward, blocking his view of Phineas.

Sloane leaned back, blinking wide. "Seventy years? What are you talking about?"

Ferb side stepped around them to stand beside Phineas. He held one hand out flat and brought the other one down on it, perpendicular, the sign for truth, and then pointed to the woman with an encouraging nod.

PHINEAS

Phineas hesitated. What if Sloane didn't believe them? It was kind of an unbelievable thing. But Swynlake was full of unbelievable things, wasn't it? And Ferb had lived here long enough to know what people would at least consider.

So Phineas exchanged a glance with Ferb and took a deep breath. "Okay, it's... kind of complicated. There's magic involved. So you can probably already tell where this is going. It might be simpler if we can explain with Charles here. Do you... know where he might have gone off to?"

But just as Phineas said it, Bob was already wandering off again. "Bob! Stop!"

FERB

Ferb knew it was a long shot to get anyone to believe but he was also of the belief that the truth was better than any lie they could have possibly come up with to get the woman to find her uncle for them.

Her face only grew more confused at the attempted explanation, hesitation making her mouth open on an answer she hadn't decided on yet to say aloud. But Bob was already making it for her.

A man, who was not quite frail but clearly no longer in his prime and dressed in a matching blue tunic to the dress the woman wore, was making his way through the crowd with two drinks in his hand. He nodded to Bob as he passed by, "That's quite an impressive get up you've got there!" only to continue on to Sloane, holding out on of the drink. "I crossed the room and feel like I took a lap around the town! Yeesh, I bet the people who live here get a work out just walking to their front door!"

He took a sip of his drink and then noticed the boys standing with his niece, and swallowed hastily. "I didn't realize you had found company! Hello, who's this lot then?"

PHINEAS

Phineas could handle this from here. If there was one thing he was good at, it was telling a story. He took a deep breath and started, gesturing for emphasis like he was giving a TED Talk. "So, basically, we were wandering around in the woods on Halloween and we were kind of running from a werewolf-- not important-- what is important is that we came across our new friend here, and he asked us if we wanted to--"

"...Charles?" Bob said softly. Phineas couldn't see his expression, but the tone was enough to make Phineas realize he could maybe stop talking right now. That there was something going on here that he might not be the right person to explain. Something powerful. "Charles, it's me."

He stepped back to let Bob have the floor.

FERB

Despite not being able to hear what anyone was saying, Ferb could tell that this man was who they had been looking for. He resembled the picture they had managed to find of Charles Ellis from the regiment number Bob had given. They had the same straight nose and slightly protruding ears, and the smile was almost identical— save for a few more laughter lines.

That smile faded quickly though at the sound of Bob's voice and he turned around again to face the man in the suit of armor he had over looked before.

Ferb watched, beside Phineas and the woman, as the two exchanged words. There was a lot of confusion in Mr. Ellis' face for a long time as Bob's mouth moved, on and on he went, arms moving stiffly in the armor. Every so often they space between them grew a touch smaller as one took a step closer.

Then Mr. Ellis' shoulders dropped and he reached across that space to touch Bob's metal clad chest.  When Bob gave a small nod, finally, that smile returned.

Ferb gently elbowed Phineas, flicking his head toward the two who seemed to be lost in the impossibility of the situation, and then toward the dance floor with a look that said, we should probably remind him of what he came here for.

PHINEAS

Phineas couldn't help it. He got caught up in the moment. As love stories went, this one was pretty epic.

He'd have to fill in Sloane eventually. Maybe once Bob and Charles got their dance. But Ferb was right, that was the important thing right now. Phineas gave Ferb an understanding nod, then quickly signed, Give me one second. Stay right here.

Phineas ran over to the stage where the band was playing just as the song was winding down and frantically asked the pianist if he could make one request. Just one. The band seemed reluctant, but Phineas promised he would make it up, that it was for an extremely urgent cause, and finally, finally, they agreed.

"Alright, I think I've got it," Phineas signed to Ferb, just as the band launched into the beginning chords of an instrumental (and somewhat medieval-sounding) cover of Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You."

"Bob? Charles?" Phineas prompted.

FERB

Phineas left Ferb and Sloane alone, and he was thankful that she was too taken with the situation to think to ask him anything. They watched as Bob pointed to Charles' hair only for his hand to be batted away, but the expressions on their faces were only filled with awe and fondness.

When Phineas returned he glanced toward the band to confirm, watching them take up their instruments. He followed, standing at Charles's side.

Awoken from their bubble, Bob peered down at Phineas for a moment and let the sound of the music remind him. He turned back to Charles and offered his hand. "I do owe you a dance, don't I?"

Charles looked at it, his hesitancy returning. He looked to Ferb, as if for aid, who only nodded. After only a moment Charles let out a large sigh and took hold of the gloved hand. "Better late than never."

As they walked together toward the dance floor, Ferb stepped up beside Phineas and smiled.

PHINEAS

They made an odd group: A jester, a green-haired boy, an extremely confused-looking woman, an old man in medieval garb, and the Green Knight. But Phineas didn't notice that. If anyone was staring, he didn't care. Something in his heart squeezed, and he was filled with warmth for these people he didn't know and might never see again.

Phineas wanted to believe in true love. He knew it didn't always work that way. People were complicated and life got in the way and sometimes the person you thought you loved turned out to be someone else, and sometimes it was something you made up in your head, or people's hearts just changed. Love went unrequited. Parents split up. People got hurt. But he watched something like this, and...

Maybe Phineas was projecting all of that. Didn't change the fact that he was getting a little misty-eyed.

Because he didn't know if wandering a forest for several decades looking for someone and then immediately recognizing them was true love, but hey, it sure was pretty epic.

He caught Ferb's eye. "I mean, hey, it's no Love Händel, but it's pretty good," he signed.

[song-fox]

Inspired by this post

AU where Thomas is a struggling not-so-popular YouTuber, recently out of school and looking for a better job and, since he’s apparently pretty good with kids according to his friends Joan and Talyn, decides to set up a small business babysitting.

It’s all fun and games and the occasional diaper change, until… (long post ahead) (I got a little carried away lol)

Thomas is, obviously, pretty good and experienced with kids. He’s been in the babysitting business for a couple of months now, and he wouldn’t call himself a professional, but he’s making his way through it

One day a woman asks him to babysit her kids

Naturally, Thomas agrees. It’s just a couple of kids, how bad could it be?

Then he realizes that the woman never specified how many kids

Alright, no biggie. Most people have maybe two kids, four at most

Then the woman shows up at his doorstep with six kids, all different ages

Oh god. Oh god. Six kids?! I can’t handle this. Fuuuuu-

“You sure you can take care of these guys by yourself?”

“Oh, of course! No worries!”

He’s in trouble

The oldest is Janus, at fourteen years old. He’s sarcastic, snarky, clever, and hates Thomas. “I don’t need a babysitter, I can take care of myself!”

Next is Logan, twelve. Reserved, cold, and smart. Prefers to be alone with his books.

Then come the twins at ten years old, Roman and Remus. Apparently they aren’t actually the woman’s kids, she’s their adopted them from an ex-friend who never gave them enough attention

As a result, these kids will do anything to get noticed. Anything. Set a couple trash cans on fire, scream from the top of the roof sometimes, whatever.

Then Patton, nine. Sweet, naïve and almost annoyingly empathetic, he keeps the twins in line with compliments and a ton of hugs. He’s probably Thomas’ favourite.

And lastly, baby Virgil. Surprisingly quiet for a baby, his personality is mostly just spite and a fear of loud noises

Thomas is astounded that this woman can even keep track of their names, let alone take care of them

The first day with them is horrific

Logan is arguing with the twins. Patton is desperately trying to get them to stop. Janus is holding Virgil and trying to get him to sleep. The house is absolute anarchy.

Things are seriously getting out of hand when Remus accidentally sets the microwave on fire

(Remus claims it was an accident, but Thomas could easily see the matches in his hand)

He picks up his phone and hastily dials Joan

“Hey, hey Joan? Joan?! Is Talyn there with you? Oh my god, I need you to come over, quick! Remus set the microwave on fire- one of the kids that I’m babysitting! The baby is crying, the older one is yelling at everyone, I think there’s a feral cat loose in the garden- jANUS WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?! PUT THAT DOWN! Oh god, the fire–”

“Huh. Have you tried making s'mores?”

“jOAN PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY–”

Eventually everything is under control. The fire is put out, the cat is back to its owner, Virgil has stopped crying and the twins are content to listen to Janus plan out exactly how he’s going to overthrow the government

Thomas is sure he should be more concerned about that, but as long as there’s no more fires

Joan and Talyn are there to support him too

It’s been a very long day, but eventually the kids go home to their mother

The trio flops onto the couch, absolutely exhausted

“Those kids were fun, but I never want to see them ever again.’

Surprise: it’s a weekly thing now

Haha… yeah

Their mom has a new job now, and with her shift requiring her to work for most of the day and their dad working every weekday, Thomas to look after the kids for five hours a week

Five

Hours

Thomas is sure he’s gonna die

The next time they meet goes just about as well as you’d think

There’s crude drawings on the wall, Logan has threatened to smack Janus with a book at least three times, and there’s a knife missing from the kitchen

Next week there’s a food fight

After that Patton shows up with a stray hedgehog

After that Virgil somehow manages to get stuck in the kitchen sink

After that Logan almost accidentally starts a pillow fight with Thomas’ couch cushions

Then suddenly, everything is chill

The twins are more energised than chaotic, Virgil is calm, the rest are content with simply chatting

Mostly they’re just bored and too tired to do anything

Thomas, Joan and Talyn get to talk more leisurely this time as the kids simply talk with one another

Well, until Patton pipes up

"I really like your eyebrows!” he whisper-shouts and points to Talyn, trying not to wake up Virgil

Talyn’s got bright scarlet and pink eyebrows to match their dyed red hair

They look at him for a second. “Oh- uh, thanks!”

“Can you do makeup?” Roman asks

Talyn shrugs. “Sure.”

“Can you do makeup on us?”

Talyn looks to Thomas. “Are we-?”

“Their mom said they can do just about anything as long as they don’t get hurt or break the law.”

The next two hours or so are full of just Talyn putting makeup on all the kids who want them. Full stage makeup for Roman, a moustache and purple eyeshadow for Remus, and a sheepish request for snake scales for Janus

“Hm, dunno what I can do for that one… oh! Thomas, do you have like, fishnets or something?”

“What? Why would I have those?”

Talyn raises a colourful eyebrow.

“…I’ll go get them.”

Half an hour later, Janus looks amazing

Patton can think of a million puns for his snake side

Virgil seems to find it cool

Logan is listing off snake facts for the whole half hour, pointing out mistakes in colouring or shape until Talyn has it perfect

The kids leave that week happier than last time and with bright faces of makeup

The weeks go on and on, and after a few months, Halloween comes up

Their mother is incredibly sorry that she has to work instead of being with her kids, but she has no choice and has to leave them with Thomas

She also leaves a giant bin bag full of costumes

“They like to go Trick-or-Treating,” she explains.

Thomas as actually kinda hyped this time

Outfits! Makeup! Candy! What’s there not to love?!

Apparently the kids share his enthusiasm

Janus asks Talyn if they can do his snake makeup again, to which they gladly agree. He’s going as a generic villain, with a black capelet and cane and everything

Remus is, to nobody’s surprise, Beetlejuice. He’s got temporary neon green hair dye and a cheap-looking striped tuxedo. Remus loves it

Roman is going as a prince. It looks crudely made and even a little tacky, but altogether the costume is pretty good

Logan is going as Dr. Frankenstein, and no he is not the monster, and no that isn’t accurate to the story, and nO GODDAMMNIT ROMAN I AM NOT GOING AS THE MONSTER

Patton is a werewolf, although he doesn’t really get the whole supernatural vibe of it

It’s okay though, his little floppy dog ears look very cute

Virgil is a pumpkin

That’s it

Nothing too special, just a pumpkin

He looks adorable though

The night starts off great, with all the kids chattering away and baby Virgil being the world’s cutest source of attention

The twins are loving all the compliments that come with their costumes

Logan is actually recognized as Dr. Frankenstein and isn’t able to shut up about it

Thomas doesn’t mind, though

After a couple months with the kids, it’s kind of endearing how chaotic they are

The night ends and the kids go back to Thomas’ place, waiting for their mom to come back

Thomas goes to get some DVDs to watch while they wait, and overhears their conversation

“I miss mom,” Patton sighs

“She’s at work. She’ll return soon,” Logan assures him.

“He doesn’t mean it like that.” Janus.

“Oh?”

“Our parents are never around anymore. Thomas has taken more care of us in a couple months than they have in years.”

“Because they’re always working to support us.”

“Well it wouldn’t kill them to stick around a little more,” Roman pipes up

“They’re not abandoning us.”

“I know that!” Roman snaps

Everyone knows the twins’ issues with negligence

There’s a pause, before Remus speaks. “She’s just never around. Dad, too. They don’t want us.”

“Remus, that’s not-”

“They don’t want us!”

There’s another silence as Virgil threatens to start crying again

Janus clears his throat. “We can take care of ourselves. We don’t need our parents any more than each other.”

Another silence.

“C'mon, let’s trade candy. I’ve got a KitKat bar–”

Thomas doesn’t listen to the rest of the conversation

He knows they have it hard

Their parents are always working, and they don’t always care enough to stick around for too long

So he’s determined to do the best he can with these kids

“Hey, guys! I’ve got Nightmare Before Christmas, yes Patton we can watch Elf afterwards if we’ve got time, and yes Roman you’re allowed to sing along. C'mon, let’s get on the couch-!”

[margridarnauds]

XCalibur: My Review

So, it’s been a couple of weeks since XCalibur came out and, while I’m trying to sort out my own thoughts about this, I decided to do what I do best: Force everyone to read an overly long, barely coherent post.

First off: Let’s get this off the ground. The fact that we got to see this at ALL was phenomenal. This is really, really fantastic, as a step for KMusicals getting a wider western audience, and it’s something that I DESPERATELY hope that they will continue to repeat in the future. I’d have supported it if it was anything, simply because that would give a clear message that there IS an audience for this.

However...

[warning for spoilers, brief discussions of rape]

Overall Impressions: Look....it’s WILDHORN. Wildhorn and me....we go way, way back. Like, to 12 Year Old Rachel listening to Jekyll and Hyde. And the Scarlet Pimpernel. And....quite a few musicals after that. I CAN’T hate it. It’s WILDHORN + ARTHURIANA. Two of my favorite things in the world. But, that being said....this might very well be my fault, but I did find myself a little disappointed, in the sense that, listening to the cast album, I was expecting a much, much better musical than what I really got. Which was a huge order to fill, given that I’ve always considered Artus: Excalibur to be one of Wildhorn’s more problematic musicals. But, in all fairness, they DID kind of promise me more, given that they retitled the musical and said that this was the “World Premiere”™. The set is fantastic, the music is stunning, but it just felt a little hollow to me.

Sets/Costuming: I LOVED the Dark Ages aesthetic to it. The costumes really were great, Morgana’s in particular stole the show, but Guinevere, Merlin, Arthur, and Lancelot gets some nice looks as well, and it all serves to give this idea of the Middle Ages (albeit HEAVILY preying on the old stereotype that it was The Dark Ages, with a very dark color palette generally being observable throughout). This also serves to make it visually very distinct from the Korean production of La Legende du Roi Arthur, given the two of them showed VERY close to one another. (2019 was just the year of the Arthurian musical.) As a Celticist....it isn’t REALLY historically accurate, it’s still fantasy, albeit more Guy Ritchie’s Arthur VS The Crystal Cave Trilogy in terms of how MUCH fantasy it utilizes. LRA (and Artus: Excalibur) took the approach of it being PURELY fantasy, there is....nothing. Historical. In there. One thing that irked me about Artus was that it, in particular, had a CHEAP feeling, like it had roughly as much thought put into it as a 80s comic book idea of Camelot that they were going to slap on the back of a cereal box or something. (LRA, to its credit, was GLORIOUSLY anachronistic, but it was high budget and sleek. I loved it for that.) XCalibur is TRYING for a more historical feel, and, for the most part, it does succeed. Whether the set is a forest, a deserted hall, or Camelot in its prime, they SELL the medievalism. It’s a bit of a pity there’s no WELSHNESS to it, but that is me being nitpicky about my field not being in there. For an Arthurian adaptation, I’m not really going to ask for anything more; it gives what it promises and it does it well. (Though I will say that, every once in a while, one of those costumes would flash in the stage lighting and I would question whether I’d seen that gold fabric at a Ren Faire etsy. BUT in all fairness, those costumes weren’t designed to be viewed in close up like that, and this is probably me being needlessly mean. OVERALL, the effect was good.)

Music: It’s a Frank Wildhorn musical, so of COURSE I’m going to like the music. This is DEFINITELY a stronger musical than Artus, with several new songs (including “The Tempest”, “Let the Sword Make the Man”, and “If he were standing here”, both of which are highlights to me) that really stand out. Since settling himself firmly in the Asian market, Wildhorn’s stuff has developed a polish that wasn’t really there in his Broadway stuff. It sounds much more modern, much more streamlined, with Death Note, the Man Who Laughs, Robespierre, and Mata Hari all having a distinct SOUND that I’ve started to call Wildhorn 2.0. There’s this distinct energy that runs through this production that wasn’t really there in Artus, and I found that it makes the cast album REALLY a treat to listen to. As with Artus, “Celtic” (which, in this case, of course, means “Riverdance”) musical motifs are present in the instrumentals, but I found it MUCH less heavy handed than before, and it’s evenly balanced out by more traditional tunes. I didn’t feel like it was AS overloaded as before, where I routinely found myself napping in between swelling instrumentals.

As with all of Wildhorn’s stuff, there are certain songs that sound very similar to other musicals of his, if you know what to look for. “Why am I here?” for example is nearly a carbon copy of “Who do you Trust?” from Tears of Heaven and “Wenn das Shicksal dich ereilt” from Rudolf, which themselves form part of a distinct genre of his songs that can be traced back to “The Riddle” from The Scarlet Pimpernel and “You and I” from Svengali. “The Mark of the Wolf”, a new song, sounds very similar at points to “How Many devils?” from The Civil War. Etc. etc. I don't really consider this a BAD part, at least in the case of the former, since the songs in that genre, to me, represent the best of Wildhorn’s music. And, after all, with over 30 years on stage....the man can only come up with new music for so long until he starts producing SOMETHING that sounds similar.

Overall verdict? Strong music. Not my FAVORITE of Wildhorn’s stuff,  but I’ve definitely spent a few hours listening to the cast album on its own merits, and definitely more energetic and polished than the German run to my ear.

Plot: So, a big draw for me was “Has the plot been fixed from the days of Artus: Excalibur?” and.....I have many mixed feelings. I DO feel like we got more of a solid musical, but I also feel like it had some really, really sour notes and, in some ways, the transition to a new musical feels only half-way done. Like, they HAD a new musical in mind, they went halfway through the process, and then they shrugged their shoulders, said “That’s good enough”, and left us with a Frankenstein’s Monster. (Oh, wait, wrong KMusical.)

One of the biggest casualties was Morgana. Morgan le Fay has been one of my favorite characters in anything, ever since I was 7 years old and developing one of my first crushes via The Magic Treehouse. Morgana is always the FIRST one I look to in an adaptation to see how they handle her, and her plotline in Artus always felt weak for me, ESPECIALLY her relationship with Merlin, which Wildhorn once described as something along the lines of a “bit of a romance” but that was painfully underdeveloped, especially on her end. We knew that he was weak for her, to his detriment, we knew that she wanted what he had, and that they do.....the do together, but there’s very little REAL development in there, and no sign, on my end, of that “little bit of romance” as opposed to just. Using one another. When I heard that that plotline had been revised, I was THRILLED. Now, I feel like it was a monkey’s paw situation.

(1) Morgana goes from more or less apathetic to Merlin’s situation to.......being totally obsessed with him, to the point where she says he’s the only man she ever loved? Like, she goes from someone HIGHLY motivated by what she believes is her rightful inheritance to being motivated by Merlin’s dick.

(2) The timeline. My God, the timeline. Making Morgana a child when she’s shipped off AND then doing the “Only man I ever loved” thing (and SEEMING to imply that Merlin did love her as well, but refused to say it) is.....it’s bad. No other way around it. They did NOT think that timeline through.

(3) I HATED Guinevere getting Morgana in the back with an arrow, but you know? That was yet another monkey’s paw situation, given that at least it wasn’t “Morgana falling for a very obvious ploy that she SHOULD have seen coming from a mile away if she wasn’t, as has been established, obsessed with Merlin’s dick.”

I will say that, reworking the plot so that Morgana’s obsessed with Merlin’s dick DID work out better in the sense that at least the Madonna/Whore complex with her and Guinevere isn’t really there: We no longer see Evil, Sexy Morgana VS Sweet Forest Maiden Guinevere, and Guinevere in this version of the musical is allowed to be much gutsier than her German counterpart. They did give her quite a bit of character as opposed to “Naive Girl who believes Arthur is The Best but finds out Wrong”. Now, that gutsiness flies out the window once she marries Arthur and is mainly confined to singing sad songs and stepping in between Arthur and Lancelot, but see above for Frankenstein’s Monster.

I will say that I did appreciate that this adaptation was willing to really give us a DEEPLY flawed Arthur; it’s something I’ve seen relatively little of post-White in terms of Arthurian adaptations, and it’s something I’ve missed. (Once Upon A Time’s Evil Arthur notwithstanding.) Arthur is really rarely allowed to BE a character in his own right, he has to be an Ideal™ or, if he’s a flawed character, flawed in an acceptable, palatable way; here, he’s an angry young man who’s shoved into a position that he’s not really qualified for and has to grow into it. He shoves people away, he shouts, he trusts Morgana too blindly, and he basically causes the Guinevere/Lancelot situation on his lonesome. It’s actually a little great to see.

BUT. But. Monkey’s paw. I LIKED seeing Arthur being a little bitch on occasion, but, for better or worse, he is our main character. And, outside of his bonding scenes with Guinevere and Lancelot early on, we really....don’t get to see that many scenes where he’s LIKABLE. There are a few moments (the scene where he tries to get Morgana to dance at his coronation is ADORABLE), but the first time we’re really introduced to him, he’s in a fight, he (understandably) snaps at Merlin, decides that, hey, being king might not be so bad, is fun for a little while, and then he spends a solid chunk of the second act being a dick because his father died. I don’t really know. I feel like this is going to be one of those things that I keep rolling over in my mind, as far as whether I REALLY like HIM as a main character, or whether I like those individual moments where he’s likable.

A part of me liked that we had, instead of the two siblings fighting during “Was Will Ich Hier”, we have Morgana and Arthur bonding. That sibling bond was, in my opinion, one of the more interesting possible dynamics in the show. But, unfortunately, the resulting conflict with Merlin felt very “been there, done that.” It’s more PLAUSIBLE than in cases where, say, the Enemy of the Week poses as a little girl and suddenly the main cast, who have known one another for twenty years, are suddenly slinging accusations against one another, but it STILL felt rather forced and predictable.

I was actually really grateful that we didn’t have the Morgana/Lot relationship in this particular production--Making Morgana an actual domestic abuse victim and then killing her off NEVER sat well with me, but as a result of that, now we have this situation where we have two more or less unconnected villains: Morgana and Wulfstan, and the plot only really needed one. Wulfstan, as a character, just....isn’t interesting. He’s a more or less generic “Barbarian Warlord” type who’s pissed Arthur killed his son and creeps on Morgana. I can’t REALLY say anything more there. Their plotlines intersect in the very beginning, when they capture Morgana and she guides them to Uther’s old castle, but other than that, there’s a general disconnect between them, and there’s no real PAYOFF to that. Instead, it just feels like it makes the plot needlessly busy.

One thing I’ve noticed, with both La Legende du Roi Arthur and XCalibur, is this pressure to fit as MUCH Arthurian in as possible, and as a result, the final musicals become rather crowded, so there’s no real time for DEVELOPMENT or substance.

“Okay, we have to have the pulling from the sword here!” “Right!” “Hm, Morgana le Fay is one of the most iconic antagonists, we probably need her there.” “Saxons?” “Sure!” “Everyone’s expecting Lancelot and Guinevere, we can’t not have them in there.”

I FEEL like XCalibur is LESS bogged down than LRA with regards to that factor, since the latter also threw in Maleagant as a secondary antagonist to Morgana and the Grail quest, but I still feel like XCalibur bit off more than it could really chew. Which is a pity, because there are Arthurian plot lines that have gotten comparatively little attention in recent days that you could include instead of going the “Paint By Numbers” route.

This also really shows in how it deals with certain plot lines, which are either dropped (Wulfstan V. Morgana), or come out of nowhere. This is REALLY obvious with Lancelot/Guinevere, which is a pity because I found myself, against my own will, rooting for them more than any other pairing in the show. Lancelot goes from a cocky lady’s man to...suddenly being smitten with Guinevere.....and then suddenly, after Guinevere is sad about Arthur being a dick, the two of them are fucking. Now, it would be NATURAL, as far as “Guinevere goes to Lancelot when she feels like Arthur’s being cold to her”, but we don’t SEE that. We literally cut from her in the forest, singing a sad song, and the next time we see them, they’re postcoital. It feels like it comes out of NOWHERE. My investment in them, as a couple, is more due to the strength of the two actors involved than the actual WRITING, which thinks that because the BEDROCK for something is there (”Oh, Guinevere beat Lancelot in combat! Oh, she feels neglected!”) that that means the house is there as well (”Oh, Guinevere beat Lancelot in common....so NOW he’s totally in love with her and is never going to flirt with another woman again. Oh, Guinevere is feeling abandoned by Arthur.......so we don’t NEED to see her going to Lancelot.”) They jump from Point A to point D and the audience is left with a sense of whiplash.

Some things, like Merlin’s actions re: Igraine and Uther, as well as Morgana, are just not explored to a depth that I would really find is satisfactory. “Oh, I did all these terrible things....because of Fate!” is something that we’re REALLY supposed to pull behind, but, given the pain to everyone involved, ESPECIALLY the women (Igraine, Morgana, and Guinevere ALL suffer from Destiny™), you have to REALLY wonder if there was literally anyone else who could have done it.

...so, really. BBC Merlin. BBC Merlin.

MOVING ON FROM MY SALT...as a medievalist, I was actually relatively happy that for ONCE in an Arthurian adaptation, the conflict between Christianity and paganism (WHICH HONESTLY WASN’T EVEN THAT MUCH OF A CONFLICT IN TERMS OF THE CELTIC WORLD, BUT MOVING ON) was presented as being pro-Christian. I’ve dealt with WAY too much media, in my time, that treats, say, 8th century Catholicism in Ireland the same as 16th century Catholicism in Spain, and NO. They were VERY distinct. I am saying this as a confirmed, happy atheist. They were distinct. I do not need or want The Mists of Avalon 10.0 on my screen, no thank you.

That being said...Monkey’s Paw. Monkey’s Paw. I was NOT happy to see the conflict presented as “Christianity taking over is Destined and Good, the Old Ways™ have had their time.” There’s this rather ugly fatalism that runs through it, along with the idea that followers of the pagan tradition HAD to die for Christianity to take its place. It’s...not my favorite thing in the world. Perhaps I’m simply unpleasable in this aspect, but there has GOT to be some medium between the two. Maybe this is my Medieval Irish Bias seeping through here, given that, with what I’m used to, the druids were mentioned in law books through the 8th century. I own this. (”But Rachel,” you might say, reasonably, “This isn’t 8th century Ireland”, to which I would of course say, “BUT IT SURE AS HELL ISN’T 6TH CENTURY WALES OR CORNWALL EITHER.”) Medieval people, historically, while they didn’t REALLY have religious tolerance as we know it, didn’t always see it in stark terms of “PAGANISM IN ONE CORNER, CHRISTIANITY IN ANOTHER”: They were, as a whole, FAIRLY good at integrating aspects of both in, even when they didn’t really mean to. The entire thing is just mangled horribly.

Anyway. Celtic Studies Salt Over.

Actors/Actresses: I’ll be honest, I was expecting, primarily, Morgana, Arthur, and Lancelot to pull the plot along, mainly because they get, together, most of the primary numbers, and because, in the German, Sabrina Weckerlin essentially carried the show on her back. As it was, Kim So Hyang’s Guinevere was the one who REALLY, in my opinion, ended up carrying the show. She had a wonderful voice, strong voice, and her Guinevere was able to make a full, smooth journey between a young, bold girl to the troubled wife of a troubled king to a woman wracked with regret. I’ve seen her in a lot of things, but I don’t think I really NOTICED her until now. She did some truly phenomenal work here, I was really glad, actually, that I got to see and appreciate her Guinevere. (Though, as a Min Kyung Ah fan....I would have LOVED to have seen her Guinevere.) She had great chemistry with both of her leads, lending credibility to both relationships, more than the script itself might really give.

Kai isn’t really an actor I ever really LOOK for in a musical, I wouldn’t say that I’m a MASSIVE fan, but that’s only because I don’t actively search for his stuff. Every time I’ve seen him in something, he’s been solid, and I did very much like him in the press calls. It does seem a little unfair that he got both the press calls AND the pro-shot, but c’est la vie. I did like his Arthur, he had a steady voice to back up the role, his acting was solid. Arthur, as a character, doesn’t REALLY stick out for me, but that isn’t HIS fault so much as the script’s, really, and my pre-built in bias towards Morgana. I didn’t find him to be REALLY likable in the role, very angry and sullen, but.....well. See above for my take on Arthur’s general likability here. I do think the man did the best with what he had, though I also feel like he’s more natural in Arthur’s dorkier, more relatable moments, especially with, say, Guinevere, Morgana, and Lancelot. (Though I’m not sure if that’s because I like Arthur as a CHARACTER more there or if I’m reacting to his ACTING in the role. This is one of those times where I’d have really liked to see Do Kyum or Junsu’s take on the role, since that would help me iron out what parts are the WRITING and what are the actor, but, lacking that, I’m going to err on the side of generosity.)  

Shin Young Sook....I WANTED to like her Morgana. I did. But, I’ll be blunt, even as far back as the press call, I was feeling Jang Eun Ah’s Morgana more, I was, definitely, feeling a little disappointed when the proshot cast list was announced. So, in some ways, the poor woman would have had to have done miracles to get me to REALLY warm up to her. And I didn’t really see miracles on the stage. Her voice remains reliable, she is a belter like few others on the Korean stage. I give her that. But her acting basically totally ruined the character for me. My issues with the role, as detailed in the “Plot” section, aside, I believe that the overall character COULD be salvaged, from an audience perspective, with a nuanced enough portrayal. But, when I saw this particular take on Morgana...I didn’t see MORGANA. I saw Shin Young Sook, Having Fun, instead of Morgana, as portrayed by Shin Young Sook. An actress having fun in a role can definitely be GREAT (Park Hye Na as Eva in Frankenstein is one role of hers I will cherish forever), but in this case, which required a lot of nuance to pull it off and make the villain sympathetic....it does clash when you can tell that she’s one step away from evilly cackling and releasing a final belt before running off the stage. There is a time to ham and there is a time to not, and this was one of the “not” roles. There came some point, perhaps during the song “Desire”, perhaps before it, that I actively started DREADING Morgana appearing on stage. I don’t KNOW that Jang Eun Ah would have done it better. She could have done it worse. But it is a tragedy of only having a single cast available that I will always wonder. I was disappointed here. I was really, really disappointed.

Kim Jun Hyun as Merlin was solid. It’s well known at this point that I have a soft spot for him, but for what it’s worth, on a comparative level, I feel like this role suited him much better than, say, Orléans in Marie Antoinette (where, personally, though still liking him, I found him a little too cold for my taste). He is appropriately distant and otherworldly, showing a human side and conflict as the musical continues. Is he enough to make me LIKE Merlin, as a character? Not really, given how many people suffer because of him and how little the narrative actually QUESTIONS it, but damned if he doesn’t try, and he does lend a subdued charisma to the character, to the point where I know that at least some people noticed him more than they did Arthur or Lancelot. I did think he had -40 chemistry with Shin Young Sook, but that could be because I was ALREADY attached to him and Jang Eun Ah’s chemistry in the press call, and that is not so much a failing on one actor’s side or the other’s (I want to emphasize this, because I do NOT have anything against Shin Young Sook SPECIFICALLY on this point), rather it’s something that can’t really be qualified. (And is entirely subjective, I’m sure that plenty of viewers saw NOTHING wrong.) For me, it did cause me to actively cringe at certain scenes, such as the “This is where your Arthur came from”......”seduction”.....scene.

“Lord....I actually have fewer problems saying no to this than you might think, nvmind.”

It COULD be that that’s the look of conflicting desire, but to me, personally, watching it, it rather looks like Merlin just realized that he forgot to turn the stove off at home. Which is a pity, because I was REALLY going in here expecting to like Merlin/Morgana more than the love triangle and instead found it to be very awkwardly handled. I haven’t ENTIRELY given up on it as a ship, in some abstract way that would involve another rewrite of the entire musical, but I can’t REALLY say that there’s. Anything I like about it either. And I think that if I was less stubbornly determined to find SOMETHING in it to like, I’m fairly certain I would be even more uncomfortable with it.

My final verdict: Watching this, despite some impressive visuals (though not QUITE to the same level as fellow Wildhorn musicals The Man Who Laughs, Dracula, and Mata Hari) and performances, I found myself continually wanting to go back to the cast album rather than actually WATCH the musical. Changes have been made since the German production, but I found that, while some of the changes definitely served to make a stronger musical, some of them actively weakened the show, and it's still a little too busy for its own good. I’m also not REALLY sure that the changes made really justified it being given the label World Premiere™, given the hype around it. If it was available for streaming again, would I do it? Yes, because it IS worth at least one watch and the industry NEEDS to do this more. If it was available to buy, even, for $20 or so, I would probably get it. But I’m not sure that, if it was for the~ $100 price that Toho musicals tend to sell for, I would seriously be able to say “Yes, get this”, and I’m not sure that, if an American/European tour of it was miraculously announced, I would REALLY bend over backwards to get tickets.

6/10

Tl;dr: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER?”