#the idea that the don isn't fully a person and never was or could be but still has this massive devastating influence on other people

[supercantaloupe]

there was this trend in 2010s musicals (especially those popular with/aimed at teens) to have a character be haunted by the ghost of another deceased character, wherein that ghost walks around and talks and interacts with the protagonist as if they were a normal person but they are (relatively) explicitly Not Real within the larger diegesis and cannot be perceived by other characters or interact directly with the world themselves. think connor in dear evan hansen, heather chandler in (the latter two thirds of) heathers, gabe in next to normal. (by a stretch of the imagination i think you could consider the squip in be more chill as fulfilling a similar role).

anyway not to 2017 broadway fandomize a 200 year old opera, but that with the don and leporello. like obviously an abuser like the don would have a lasting impact on an abuse victim like leporello psychologically and socially for a long time (perhaps ever). but now i'm imagining the don literally following leporello around for years, possibly for the rest of his life, haunting him. both fully aware the don's dead and not real and can't control anything anymore of course but still present in leporello's life and mind, walking about and talking but audible and visible to no one else, inseparable and inescapable

[k-liight]

some random Mojo Jojo headcanons because I've been brainrotting over him so much lately

he's very well-groomed and takes good care of his hygiene- probably uses the fanciest fucking shampoo to make his fur nice and soft, keeps his hands moisturized (the gloves prevent him from getting them dirty), hell maybe he even uses those face masks with the cucumbers over his eyes and everything LOL

at the same time though he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty if it means his work comes out better- sometimes if he's working on something in minute detail he'll take the gloves off so he gets things more precise

he'll never admit this but he enjoys dressing up and donning disguises whenever the situation calls for it. he's a fashionable monke

sometimes he has to be forced to have fun because he's usually so focused on his work that he feels he doesn't have enough time to let loose. he can be a bit of a stick-in-the-mud sometimes even if he denies it

at the same time though being evil kinda is his idea of fun which like... yes but also no. he gets so stressed out by constantly trying to keep up with the Puffs somebody help him-

on a related note, he's a good dancer but it's not exactly something he brags about often

and if he lets himself, he will kill it at karaoke

his passion is so strong that he never half-asses anything he does, he always puts his heart and soul into it even if he doesn't really want to do the thing LOL he always has to flex at every opportunity

he isn't aware of his tendency to repeat himself/paraphrase the same thing he just said- he is, however, fully aware of the fact that he overexplains everything and, as shown in Mo'Linguish, considers such speech more proper and eloquent than simple sentences where one could more easily be misunderstood or misheard

he actually is a good chef and skilled at the hibachi- he just doesn't make the kind of food that children typically enjoy (hence why the Puffs didn't care for the fish and shrimp he cooked for them LOL)

I like to think that, because he got to be the way he is due to the same Chemical X-plosion (haha) that created the Puffs, he can occasionally gain some of their same powers- most notably flight- but he can't control it as it only happens when he really loses his temper and flies into a fit of rage. this would explain how he suddenly appears able to fly and punch the shit outta a giant alien robot in Forced Kin lmao

however, he's already stronger than he looks even without any sudden effects of Chemical X; he can easily lift things that are more than even his own weight

personally I like to think he's more built than the cartoon lets on- he's not insanely ripped of course but like, I feel his legs would be a bit thicker than they're drawn to be (I know he's meant to have an exaggerated top-heavy design but shush) and if you squeezed his arm you'd feel some pretty solid muscles under all that fur. this monke is fit

this is something else he'll never admit but he loooooooves being complimented. tell him how good he is at his villainy and mans is just glowing

he enjoys classical music but he also likes oldies crooners (think Frank Sinatra or Harry Belafonte) and early rock n' roll from the 50s. he's not entirely sure why he enjoys the likes of Elvis Presley or Chuck Berry but he just does

he likes to take things apart just to see how they work. he's a naturally curious chimp, okay?

despite his villainous nature, Mojo Jojo is, if you can believe it, a gentleman at heart- if you get on his good side and treat him with basic respect he will repay you and then some

[bardofhype]

Sinners as D&D Classes & Subclasses!

we back at it again so last night @gregorsamsaautism and i ended up cooking up ideas for what classes the LCB Sinners would be in the D&D universe. not necessarily what they'd want to play as if they partook in the TTRPG- think of it as, essentially, what D&D identities would look like for them. i'll give a few explanations on each one as need be bc i know some of them are gonna need it but just bear with us on this NOTE: this doesn't dive into what races they'd be- that's its entirely own separate thing and this is long enough as is with that said. time to make these guys get more fantasy injected in their bones

Yi Sang- Circle of Stars Druid The man seems to be pretty associated with constellations, at least from a few bits and pieces I've seen here and there, so being able to harness their power in the way that a Circle of Stars druid would let him work at maximum efficiency. I could see him using the Dragon Starry Form often, and his Star Map most definitely takes the form of a scroll covered in numerous constellations. All this, and the fact that being a Druid probably gives him more of a natural resistance to the ills of nature, given the class's ability to control parts of it with magic. And given what we learned about him in Hell's Chicken... budding potatoes is going to be much more common a meal for him.

Faust - Hexblade Warlock

Her namesake literally makes a pact with a demon in her source material. She was going to be a warlock no matter what, but Hexblade feels like the one that most closely fits her. Dealing in hexes, curses, and starting out at level 1 already being proficient in medium armor, shields, and martial weapons- even if she does not fully utilize these, the knowledge still rests in her regardless, and that's not to say she will never utilize them. ... also Hex Nail EGO for Faust exists.

Don Quixote - Oath of Vengeance Paladin

Okay, hear me out here. I am of the opinion that a paladin's oath does not necessarily have to be one that's religious-coded, if that makes sense. Oaths can be made to anyone and anything- it doesn't fully matter to what at the end of the day, all that matters is how much power the oathmaker draws from it. Don Quixote swears upon justice and felling evildoers all across the city. We know not what exactly is fueling this sense of justice and heroism (or at least I don't, bc I haven't read her source material- but then again, given how much Project Moon's taking a lot of creative liberties in how they're adapting these stories, that may or may not matter. anyways, back to the matter at hand), but I feel like justice and vengeance can come hand-in-hand in some situations. Both deal with wanting to right a wrong in some way, whether it be more general or more personal. And a part of me feels like Don Quixote's enacting a vengeance she has against the inherent evil of the City by bringing what she feels is "justice" to those she can currently help. And stars know she believes in that enough to swear an oath upon it. And also I just think she deserves the Avenging Angel feature of the oath.

Ryoshu - Arcane Trickster Rogue

I don't think I need to really explain this one. She had to be able to sneak into the casino without anyone noticing she didn't have the Tingtang disguise on somehow, right? And everyone else about her feels like it screams "Arcane Trickster" to me. I dunno. Alternatively, Assassin Rogue.

Meursault - Battle Master Fighter

He's only in it for the Improved Combat Superiority features and nothing else. That's all he needs. He's going to wreck shop in the most average way possible. And y'know what, good for him.

Hong Lu - Lunar Sorcerer

You know he would.

Heathcliff - Battle Smith Artificer

Okay really hear me out here- Actually, no, there's not that big of an explanation for this one. For one thing, and I really must stress this, but Heathcliff isn't stupid dumb muscle, like I've seen a few people in the fandom interpret him as. He's pretty damn smart- being able to perfectly pick apart the circumstances of death for a fallen L Corp branch's few survivors & that stunt he pulled at the casino should be proof enough of that. Second, Artificers are best at making defenses and coming up with ways to magically attune their weapons to hit harder. And let me tell you, I am shocked at how many hits default LCB Sinner Heathcliff can take, and his Smackdown skill scares the shit out of me with how much Power it can stack, especially if paired with his Bodysack EGO. Third, Battle Smith comes with a little Steel Defender guy and I think Heathcliff deserves a little guy. Okay, maybe this was a big explanation.

Ishmael - multiclass of Oath of the Open Seas Paladin & Swashbuckler Rogue

That's right, Matt Mercer's official Homebrew's getting involved in this. Admittedly, part of this is because "oh hey there's two marine-themed classes here and Ishmael's Ishmael, this'll be funny". But there are genuine reasons for both of these. Oath of the Open Seas has a feature that allows you to push foes away by 10 feet, which can bludgeon them if they end up hitting a wall. Have you seen how many of Ishmael's attack animations involve pushing foes back with a bash-push of her shield? (Default LCB Sinner and LCCB Assistant Manager are both very guilty of this.) Not just that, but the lore and tenets of the Oath itself seem to just... fit Ishmael rather well. And Swashbuckler Rogue? Everything it can do feels like skills Ishmael could've learned while on the voyage. And combined with the Paladin's spellcasting and the Oath of the Open Sea in particular needing Charisma in some aspects, the two of them just go together like peas in a pod.

Rodion - College of Eloquence Bard

You know she would. Alternatively, College of Tragedy, perhaps once we get to learn more about her and she opens up some more.

Sinclair - Path of the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian

Shoutout to Grotto (aka gregorsamsaautism) in particular for the idea of Sinclair being a Barbarian. Imagine fighting a guy who's experiencing pure rage but he's also shaking and crying and screaming the whole time "Why Path of the Ancestral Guardian as subclass?" How else would he know Demian in this universe and have a strange and special gay relationship with him, with him being the unknowable deity granting him his power? (don't boo me i'm right /lh)

Outis - multiclass of Battle Master Fighter and Way of the Long Death Monk

She has old woman war criminal energies. You know she would. And unlike Meursault, she classed into Battle Master Fighter for all it's worth.

Gregor - Swarmkeeper Ranger

I don't need to explain this one. You know he would. (Probably not by choice, but still.) (also shoutout to Grotto in particular again for coming up with this. my old idea was circle of spores druid gregor but swarmkeeper gregor slapped ass)

Dante - Order Domain Cleric

Because this group needs at least one person in a dedicated healer role. And since they're the executive manager, why not try and act like it? Alternatively, Life Domain Cleric. Also, it would be very very funny if, before this whole amnesia business, they were an Order of the Ghostslayer Blood Hunter, until life kicked their ass and everyone else bullied them into a cleric.

[ducknotinarow]

[2k3 Mikey Yvonne] Well, she had already began to bicker with Raphael, and her time with Donatello was always wonderful, but Yvonne needed more than two mutants testimony to start getting anywhere with her mission. So, with a kind smile, clipboard and pen in hand, she approached the orange-banded total,

"Hello, Michalangelo isn't it?" She asks, tilting her head slightly, "Yvonne, pleasure to finally get to speak to you," Holding up her clipboard, she shows off what she's up to, "I was wondering if I could ask you some questions, you know, a little research into the life of a mutant."

And just the sweeten the deal, she aims for the ego,

"Especially one that, not only competed in the Battle Nexus, but is the champion of it as well," Don had warned about Mikey bragging about it, "That must've been an incredible moment, to know you had one"

Pen to paper, she gets ready to write down any information he may give her.

| Muse interaction

Mikey had his deck sat out in front of himself as his eyes were intensely staring down to the blank canvas he had before himself. Mikey hummed in thought a million ideas running through his mind on what he wanted to put on the deck. Hand lifted to let his cheek rest in against the palm of his hand as he just mentally visioned his ideas over the board. Stickers or paint maybe a combo of both even would be a good idea? Guess it all fell down on what exactly he wanted to go for on this board. It was always a nice fun personal touch to add, made it more feel like it was his when he put the effect into customizing his boards. Free hand moved to let a finger idly give a wheel on his board a good hard spin. Orange wheels matching the orange polish on his nails. Why he got so excited when he found them in the dump. Begging Donnie that second to lean him a screw driver so he could swap them out.

Guess that was why he liked to paint his nails as well? He never quite knew how to explain all of that stuff about himself. Mostly he assumed it was him just being curious when it came to the whole girl stuff?

April, being well the only girl they knew at the time. Often Mikey went about his questions through clear curious exploration. April never seemed to mind everything he asked about she sometimes gave a huff when he messed with her stuff to much but was nice enough to buy him nail polish so he could paint his nails. He was a bit too far from straying from orange though. Orange was his color after all so him putting it on his nails? Well his brothers wouldn't question that much right? Wouldn't find him too odd for that. He knows they think hes odd and sensitive already. One time April got him red polish and he really wanted to try it out but he got to nervous so he ended up begging and whining to Raph to let him paint his nails. Despite the harden exterior Raph flooded and let Mikey do it. He took it off before it had fully dry, bit of a waste. Mikey thought it looked nice and wondered if Leo and Don would let him do it to them if he ask nicely enough? None of them seemed to ask what was up with Mikey. Maybe they accept it? Like figured it out themself? That might be too much of a hope to hold though.

Wheel kept being spun over and over as Mikey was getting lost in his thoughts. Splinter always told him if he actually sat down he could focus for once. Focus meant thinking though and sure one can joke he isn't used to thinking but it more he wants to avoid these thoughts. They weren't bad just well Mikey isn't sure. Isn't sure how to go about whats be going on with him. Was it just cause he grew up with guys so girl stuff was something he was curious about? He didn't express a similar interest when Casey came around. Casey was like a guys guy after all. Motor cycles, sports and all that junk.

"Hello, Michalangelo isn't it?"

Mikey lifts his head up to the voice cutting through his thoughts just now, seeming to put his track of thought on pause. Just sort of staring at the butterfly mutant. As if he needed to remind himself how to function as he worked slowly out from his thoughts.

Yvonne, pleasure to finally get to speak to you,"

Mikey just offered a faint smile her way, "Von I know who ya are remember? Or been stuck in a lab all day made you forget your friends?" He jokes half heartily attention shifting over to the clip board she was holding up now.

"I was wondering if I could ask you some questions, you know, a little research into the life of a mutant."

Oh she was going all professional mode it seemed? Mikey didn't know too much about her outside some minor stuff she had told to Raph and the rest of them her story seemed to check out. Mikey didn't feel like she couldn't be trusted himself, Raph was always overly suspicious of pretty much anyone they met. Well almost but those were rare cases on his end. Mikey could just tell though she was good. Maybe hiding something but he doubt it was anything to worry about. The way her smile tugged at the corner of her red painted lips. How her eyes shone against thick black lashes and purple eye shadow. It be easy to assume Mikey was admiring her, but he was admiring the make up more than anything. Lipstick, mascara and eyeshadow. April used all that stuff too.

"Especially one that, not only competed in the Battle Nexus, but is the champion of it as well,"

That was a clear sign of how out of it he was today any mere chance to mention his win would send Mikey into a full epic swing of his ego trip over that win and title. Heck Mikey was even able to prove he was worth the title in a rematch fight. Mikey just smiled sitting up a bit taller at the mention of it alone.

"That must've been an incredible moment, to know you had one"

He noted how she set her pen to the paper on her clip board and wonder just how many questions were on it. In truth he didn't like to many questions aimed his way rather talk about anything that was him. More so now that he was questioning a lot about himself but well it was still a distraction right?

"Aww Von ya gonna make me blush. I don't like to brag but" yes he did. He tried wearing the trophy like a necklace "Don't gotta butter me up I love talking about myself. And course you picked the right turtle for this. After all not just anyone can call themselves battle nexus champion. Only two in the family. Guess ya can say I take after the old man the most outta us bunch." Mikey so humbly began to spin his tales.

"But ya know wouldn't be fair to only hear about me." Hey von was a women too after all. "Soo how about we make it a game? Question for a question 20 questions or whatever." Mikey wasn't sure how many she'd have anyway moving to scoot and make some space on the floor beside him as a way to welcome her to sit with him.

"So fire away I'm quite the specimen of mutant after all." Mikey happily claimed soon going to pat his knees as he quirked his beak a little.

"So how come you wear your make like that? Just it's different from.another friend of ours So I didn't know there was like other ways or other kinds of makeup even?" Well Mikey was two in himself already. "Like is that just a human thin or well human girl thing? Or do like human guys do that stuff too?" He sheepishly smiles her way. Figured it didn't hurt to get his own round of answers after all.

After all he didn't have mutants to ask on it just vague sense of what he was dealing with. And maybe if he could have answers to give he could tell his brothers too.

[leporellian]

Why I Chose Every Character That Went Into The Opera Playing Cards

so! if you are unaware, one of my Products(TM) that i sell are whole opera-themed card decks. they are probably one of my favorite projects that i've worked on (and you can get them on my etsy). i realized that i never did actually go into the way i chose opera characters for each playing card here, which is silly bc honestly figuring that one out was the most difficult part of the process. i decided instead of focusing on specific operas, i'd focus on the cartomancy meaning behind every playing card. i looked at each one, figured out who they reminded me of, and then went from there; ground rules being every character only got one card and no opera could have more than 3 card representations in the deck.

i should note that cartomancy meanings vary by source to source so mine might not be fully 'accurate' to everyone. i should also note that while i find it a fun idea, i don't actually have any supernatural beliefs regarding cartomancy (or everything else) and took it as a literary analysis thing more than anything.

without further ado: every card meaning and character on it.

also i spent like 2 hours on this post so. Ha ha

THE SPADES (regarding challenges and overcoming them)

MEPHISTOPHELES, THE ACE OF SPADES: The Ace of Spades, traditionally the first card in the deck, stands for 'death' and endings. It can also stand for all sorts of other bad things; spite, misfortune... but the Ace of Spades isn't necessarily a 'bad' card. It can mean endings of anything, deaths of anything both literal and metaphorical.

AZUCENA, THE TWO OF SPADES: The Two of Spades can stand for deceit, change (particularly regarding identities from what I can tell), and difficult decisions. It can also suggest uncertainty and a removal, as if this change in identity wasn't planned but rather forced by circumstance.

COUNT ALMAVIVA, THE THREE OF SPADES: Infidelity, particularly in marriages. Poor communications, opportunity running dry, troubled relationships; the Three of Spades has it all in one unfortunate package.

VIOLETTA, THE FOUR OF SPADES: The Four of Spades is traditionally associated with illness; sometimes even just the lingering worry of it. However, it carries the dual meaning of broken promises: Either you will be able to fulfill a promise, or someone you love will break one for you.

SIEGFRIED AND FAFNER, THE FIVE OF SPADES: The Five of Spades stands as something of a 'starter' problem, a challenge you will rise against for now. You might have greater challenges in the future ahead of you, but for now you will find success against this first difficulty. Hooray!.....?

TOSCA, THE SIX OF SPADES: Improvements, positive change, purpose, rebellious upswing. The Six of Spades is never the answer to a conflict, and there's often the implication that problems will go on. But in the moment there is this little bit of revolution, this little commitment to making life a bit better.

EUGENE ONEGIN AND LENSKY, THE SEVEN OF SPADES: The Seven of Spades stands for bad advice, and worse decisions, often ones made on impulsive whims. It may also refer to a difficult situation with no clear winners. Either way, it also stands for the grief and loss that will arise because of itself.

SPARAFUCILE AND MADDALENA, THE EIGHT OF SPADES: The Eight of Spades stands for deceit and danger, particularly coming from what was once a promising financial/personal opportunity. It can also refer to plans going awry, or crossroads at work forcing you to make an important decision. Caution is advised, in any case.

LEPORELLO, THE NINE OF SPADES: Bad luck, accidents, anxiety. The Nine of Spades is sometimes a card of indecision, and sometimes a card of helplessness in the face of danger. It can also mean that the threat of loss is looming over your life- the loss of somebody close to you.

DON GIOVANNI, THE TEN OF SPADES: The Ten of Spades is a warning. Bad news and evil- often implied to be something untamable and fundamentally irrational- is on its way, and the best you can do is duck out of its way before it gets to you. Something wicked this way comes...

L'ENFANT (from ravel's 'l'enfant et les sortileges'), THE JACK OF SPADES: The Jack of Spades is the sign of a troublesome youth, wild and unkempt, who will cause problems almost unwittingly. However, this card isn't necessarily a warning of evil like the Ten of Spades; the Jack of Spades is an annoyance but not actively really malicious.

THE COUNTESS (from tchaikovsky's 'the queen of spades'), THE... QUEEN OF SPADES: Besides the fun name coincidence, the Queen of Spades stands for a dark-haired woman, commonly interpreted as a widow. She will offer you advice but it's up to you how to utilize it or even if you should utilize it at all.

BARON SCARPIA, THE KING OF SPADES: The King of Spades stands for an accomplished older man, often a position of authority. He is smart and ambitious, and a force to be reckoned with; but he is selfish and it will be his selfishness and blind pursuit of his own desires that will do him in.

THE DIAMONDS (regarding money and financial matters)

ROSINA (barber of seville), THE ACE OF DIAMONDS: The Ace of Diamonds, most literally, stands for small gifts- a bracelet, or a ring, or (most commonly) a letter. However, more metaphorically, it stands for upgrades and new opportunity; new households, new relationships, and new social status.

DONNA ELVIRA, THE TWO OF DIAMONDS: The Two of Diamonds usually stands for disapproval of a relationship, whether personally or societally. Often these relationships are implied to be affairs- ones that could have disastrous consequences for all involved.

LUCIA ASHTON, THE THREE OF DIAMONDS: The Three of Diamonds is another warning card. In its broadest strokes it symbolizes trouble, but if you look closer it often stands for broken marriages and violence in the home between families. It is a card that is at once very still and very violent; the calm before a storm.

TOM RAKEWELL, THE FOUR OF DIAMONDS: The Four of Diamonds stands for unexpected money and inheritance, and a sudden coming into one's own. However, it can also stand for heeding the advice of those closest to you, whether positive... or negative.

PORGY AND BESS, THE FIVE OF DIAMONDS: Like the Six of Spades, the Five of Diamonds is seen as a smaller card in the grand scheme of things; problems will go on before and after it. But it stands for improvements, and solidarity; quiet new beginnings and newfound hope.

B.F. PINKERTON, THE SIX OF DIAMONDS: The Six of Diamonds stands for domestic trouble and infidelity, but unlike the Three of Spades it focuses particularly on problems in a second marriage or multiple conflicting promises that cannot all be fulfilled. There's an urge to take responsibility- but also a sense that the urge will be ignored.

RODOLFO AND MARCELLO, THE SEVEN OF DIAMONDS: (fun fact this was the last card i did in the whole deck.) The Seven of Diamonds stands for financial challenges, particularly when it comes to work. It can also indicate meeting someone new, although this interpretation is much rarer.

FAUST, THE EIGHT OF DIAMONDS: The Eight of Diamonds stands for things coming in time. You may not find financial opportunities or even romance now, but they will surprise you later in life; you just have to look for them and stop worrying about the alleged value of youth.

BILLY BUDD, THE NINE OF DIAMONDS: The Nine of Diamonds often stands for new business opportunity presenting themselves in the workplace; most commonly the opportunity to travel.

HANNA GLAWARI, THE TEN OF DIAMONDS: The Ten of Diamonds stands for financial prosperity to the point of excess, as well as good fortune with your relationships and the people you choose to surround yourself with. Success is here! Celebrate!

DESPINA, THE JACK OF DIAMONDS: The Jack of Diamonds represents a close friend with darker intentions. She may be the bearer of bad news, or she may just be a gossip. The Jack of Diamonds is unreliable and dishonest, and would absolutely sell you out in a heartbeat.

CARMEN, THE QUEEN OF DIAMONDS: The Queen of Diamonds stands for an outgoing, flirtatious woman, one who isn't afraid to take life by the horns. Be her friend and she will be a great asset, be her enemy and you will always be annoyed with her. However, either way: Try to sever her from her carefree life, and there will be consequences.

KING FILIPPO, THE KING OF DIAMONDS: Like the King of Spades, the King of Diamonds is an accomplished older authoritative figure. He is often one of great influence over the people around him, although he may not realize it. Further information on the card tends to be contradictory, but it seems this man is more easily influenced than he initially appears and might not be trustworthy.

THE CLUBS (regarding chance and the wheels of fortune)

ORFEO AND EURIDICE (gluck), THE ACE OF CLUBS: The Ace of Clubs stands for a story that otherwise would end in tragedy, but- through compassion, or luck, or even the hand of God- has ended happily. Sudden changes of plans with positive connotations, sudden good fortune; very rarely is a sudden thing a good outcome in cartomancy but just this once it is.

AGRIPPINA, THE TWO OF CLUBS: The Two of Clubs stands for gossip and manipulation, as well as challenges in life brought about by them. The gossip in this case is entirely planned in order to influence specific outcomes. Be careful of those around you, and be even more careful of their ulterior motives.

LOHENGRIN AND ELSA, THE THREE OF CLUBS: The Three of Clubs stands for marriage, particularly marriages of wealth and power. While some allege the card also stands for successful marriages, there is a distinct layer of melancholy to it- perhaps the powerful are, in some way, always alone.

NICK SHADOW, THE FOUR OF CLUBS: The Four of Clubs stands for deceit and betrayal from those around you. You may find a friend or mentor that you trust greatly, but they will turn on you and manipulate you- and it's because you blindly accepted them to begin with. Take caution and beware of those with promises too sweet.

MIMI, THE FIVE OF CLUBS: The Five of Clubs indicates new friend groups, new support networks, and new places. It may be an indication to reach out more and see the world around you, but in this way it can serve as a warning: Do the things you want to do before your time runs out.

GIANNI SCHICCI, THE SIX OF CLUBS: The Six of Clubs indicates success in finance and relationships, primarily finance, but not one you will achieve yourself. Someone else- someone who you might know, or who might be a stranger- will financially assist you and find ways to help you get your matters sorted.

DIDO, THE SEVEN OF CLUBS: The Seven of Clubs stands two things at once. The first accomplishment in business, and a high societal rank. However, the second is trouble in relationships, and a deep sense of loneliness or isolation stemming from the first. These two go hand in hand- and in trying to please one you may lose your grip on the other.

LADY MACBETH, THE EIGHT OF CLUBS: The Eight of Clubs symbolizes difficulty, both personally and professionally, relating particularly to decay. Opportunities that seem tempting right now will crumble and turn on you. Be careful, and keep your ambition in check.

ESCAMILLO, THE NINE OF CLUBS: The Nine of Clubs is flashy and immediately draws your attention. You will find new opportunities, particularly presenting themselves in the form of a new admirer or romantic partner. However, at the same time, it is a warning against stubbornness, and should strike a bit of fear into the hearts of the bullish.

MANON LESCAUT, THE TEN OF CLUBS: The Ten of Clubs stands for unexpected- and joyful- travel, although it may come at the expense of other things. It can also represent newfound opportunity and a sense of love for the world at large.

BRUNHILDE, THE JACK OF CLUBS: The Jack of Clubs represents a strong-willed, trustworthy friend who will go to bat for you regardless of circumstance. She may be dramatic and fiery, but this is to her benefit, and to yours- you may always count on her in the face of struggle.

FRICKA, THE QUEEN OF CLUBS: The Queen of Clubs represents a confident women, unafraid to speak her mind yet burdened by her own power, in an authoritative position. She may infuriate some, and impede the plans of others, but in the end she has her reasons for her behavior and does bring up some good points.

WOTAN, THE KING OF CLUBS: The King of Clubs represents a strong older man. He may be affectionate and well-meaning in some readings, and deeply corrupt and contemptuous in others- perhaps these may both be true. He may seek money or a particular resource from you, and he may have ulterior motives to get it. What you think of him, ultimately, is up to you.

THE HEARTS (regarding love and relationships)

OCTAVIAN AND SOPHIE, THE ACE OF HEARTS (yes rosenkav is my least favorite but i had to put it in there somewhere i guesss): The Ace Of Hearts represents newness, and naïveté, and wet-behind-the-ears. It stands for puppy love and young couples, as well as new opportunity and budding romance.

FIGARO AND SUSANNA, THE TWO OF HEARTS: The Two of Hearts represents balance, harmonious relationships, or even just evenly-matched partnerships of any kind. Both parties are respectful and share balanced power, and happiness in the future is guaranteed as a result. The card may also suggest a knack for romantic fortune.

DON JOSE, THE THREE OF HEARTS: The Three of Hearts stands for romantic jealousy and possessiveness of others. It suggests foolishness, and misplaced priorities; it is often associated with throwing one's life away in the pursuit of supposed love, and for believing you have more control over others than you really do. The Three of Hearts serves as a warning: Be cautious in your relationships.

LEONORE/FIDELIO, THE FOUR OF HEARTS: The Four of Hearts stands for change and revolution on the horizon, often in the pursuit of passion or love. It may also mean peace prevailing, and love conquering all; in any case the Four of Hearts may be intimidating but it is ultimately a boon and a sign of good things to come.

OTELLO, THE FIVE OF HEARTS: The Five Of Hearts stands for envy. Either you may be envious of others, or others with dark motives may be envious of you. Either way, it is best to be cautious, and not let the green-eyed monster get the best of you.

PAPAGENO AND PAPAGENA, THE SIX OF HEARTS: The six of hearts stands for many things- things that are, in some way, united. It stands for keeping hope in darker times, and finding love in unexpected places- or simply being surprised by the person you end up with. It may also suggest something childlike or a moment of harmony.

SANTUZZA, THE SEVEN OF HEARTS: The Seven of Hearts, similarly to the Four of Spades, represents broken promises, although without the promise of illness. It often particularly represents a partner or friend, or other close figure, who will let you down in a moment of crisis.

HANSEL AND GRETEL, THE EIGHT OF HEARTS: The Eight of Hearts stands for visitors and invitations; comings and going. You may be invited by someone, or someone may visit you; in either case, however, be wary of their intentions because both positive and negative invitations are prophesied by this card.

NEMORINO AND ADINA, THE NINE OF HEARTS: The Nine of Hearts is somewhat unique in that its meaning is nearly universal. Known as the Wish Card, it is said it makes the wildest dreams come true, often synonymous with a new job, or partner, or child, or house. Think on your hopes with this card and they may come true.

CENDRILLON, THE TEN OF HEARTS: The Ten of Hearts represents good fortune on its way to the needy, often in the form of a large gathering or public social event. This event can be a wedding, or convention, but most often it is said to be a large party. You may meet important people there.

CHERUBINO, THE JACK OF HEARTS: The Jack of Hearts represents a young ally, often associated with young love. They may admire you the way schoolboys admire young teachers, or they may simply be a childish youth. They are your friend, although they are young and innocent and may not be the most helpful.

ALICE FORD, THE QUEEN OF HEARTS: The Queen of Hearts represents a kind woman, who will help you in your journeys and plans. She is usually a maternal figure, although she is not usually your literal mother, and she will be more clever than she initially appears to be.

HANS SACHS, THE KING OF HEARTS: Like the maternal figure of the Queen of Hearts, the King of Hearts is a paternal figure. He is a kind if somewhat more distant man. He will dispense good advice, and will help you in your romantic pursuits; although he is just as often associated with literature and the fine arts.

RIGOLETTO, THE RED JOKER, and CANIO, THE BLACK JOKER: Jokers are unique in the they are far younger than the rest of the deck, having been invented during the American Civil War for specific trump card-related games. They are not traditionally included in cartomancy for this reason, although they may be used as something similar to the Fool in the Tarot Major Arcana. They are often discarded immediately, and not given much further thought; while both Joker cards were obvious character choices I wanted to also highlight the sense of being discarded and unwanted that is pivotal to the card.

Thats all of them. If you're still reading this I'm so sorry.

[matan4il]

Hello again! I hope everything goes great for you. I continue to regret my poor English and I hope that I am well understood. I have so many questions to comment on... that I don't even know where to start. Congratulations on the three metas that you have made!! They are wonderful! I'll start with Eddie's panic. In the end Eddie followed his heart... but do you think the panic attacks were just because of Ana or could it have to do with him starting to feel things for some boy (Buck)? Thank you!

+ Hello again! I don´t fit everything you wanted to say in the other post, sorry! Maybe it was just my imagination, but in the scene (chapter 2) very subtly, when Eddie and Buck are talking about Eddie's panic, I can see behind Eddie the blue bunks all the time and behind Buck the red fire trucks Can it mean something or am I fantasizing about Buddie? Regarding the scene of Eddieana's breakup, he has his arms crossed when she touches him. Sorry to ask a lot, but I would love to know your opinion!

Hi lovely, it's so wonderful to hear from you again! *HUGS* Thank you so much for the kind words, I'm so happy you like the meta posts! I'm doing better than I was, though there's still a lot on my plate, so I'm not really okay. I hope you are doing good? And your English is great, never worry about it!

So, here's the thing about Eddie's panic attack. He has it over thinking about a future with Ana, because on some level he knows he's with the wrong person. Why should she be that? On paper she's great. He does think she's pretty, they have a common cultural background, she's good with kids as a teacher, she's smart, Chris loves her...

But if you're already emotionally taken, even the most perfect person ever would be the wrong one. And I think Eddie is emotionally taken and has been for quite a while before he even met Ana. He meets her in 312, but by 303, we hear him telling Buck that there's no one in the world he'd trust with his son. And Christopher is Eddie's heart. Bobby's words in s4 even explicitly point that out. Eddie has given his heart to Buck before Ana even crossed his path. She never stood a chance. So in a sense, this has always been about Buck. It's sort of confirmed in 413 & 414, when right after Carla puts it into words, that Eddie isn't feeling for Ana what he should, Eddie is shot and the whole thing is framed as being tied to Buck, to his presence there, to Eddie reaching out to him, to him saving Eddie, to then Eddie in the hospital making sure that Buck knows how much he's wanted and chosen. It might require a little more nudging for Eddie to fully realize this, but I think in terms of emotions, he's already there, he's in love with Buck.

I had another look at the bunk talk scene and I see what you mean! I'm still not sure, but this is def going on the pro and con list... thank you for pointing it out!

Oh, the touching during that scene was clearly a metaphor for where Ana vs Eddie were in their relationship at that point. She's looking for a way in. I think she wasn't in love with Eddie, the main last thing she tells him isn't "you're great" or "I really liked you", it's "you're an amazing dad"... I think she had the same idea as Eddie regarding why they could be good together, she just wasn't ready to let go of that idea yet, unlike Eddie. So he closes up to her, because this is difficult for him. He's hurting her and he doesn't want to. His arms are crossed in front of him, which is a defensive posture. His walls are up and they have to be for him to do the thing that's right for both of them. And he has his back to the fridge, this is a battle position. On the battlefield, if you don't have other soldiers behind you, your back is exposed, you're vulnerable, so you need to take a position where something behind you blocks any surprise attack. Eddie, the ex-soldier, is in a full-on defensive position in more than one way. So her trying to dig in between his closed arms, a form of one last attempt to request that he rethink this, is very meaningful. It is uncomfortable to watch her try to touch him like that, it's meant to be. And it shows just how hard this really is on Eddie, how strong he had to be to keep his ground here. It only makes me even prouder of him that he did, that he didn't give in, didn't take the easier route of letting things go when he saw how much she didn't want the relationship to end.

Thank you for the asks, hon! I hope you have a great weekend! xoxox

[amindofstone]

Lost in the dream

{

Genre: Fantasy (Mermaid, inhuman abilities, prince, royal, dream world)

Pairing: Wonho/Lee Hoseok × Bella (reader?)

Warnings: None (Maybe a bit sad)

a/n: English is not my mother tongue. Therefore there might be some spelling or grammatical mistakes. I'm still trying to improve so have mercy.

!!! Please do not steal my idea or work. Credit me please if this is shared or published in any other platform. Picture used is not mine. Credits to the rightful owner. !!!

}

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

Just like every other time she was walking on the path that lead her from the garden to the massive entrance hall of the golden palace. The palace that it´s entire interior was designed with just two colours. Colours that gave a feeling of it´s owners glamour, beauty and charm. The colour white that usually stands out is overshadowed by the golden accents that lets anything shine and sparkle. Even the exterior of the palace was shining in a soft golden shade that leaves her speechless whenever she saw it.

Standing infront of the golden gates of the palace one would think that they are heavy and would need three men just to open up one door. Usually that would be the case but not for her. To her it was as light as a feather what made it possible to upen it with just a little soft push. 

With a heavy heart she entered the home of the highly seen family. The first time the brunette haired girl ever put a feet in the palace mesmerized her by its beauty to the point she forget why she was actually there.The girl forgot why she was there at the first place while walking through the halls of a place she never thought of seeing with her own eyes. No matter how many times she visits this place it always feels like the first time. 

She never dared to think of coming to the palace or being able to see it up close but see now. Her she was visiting it over and over again since months with no one knowing except for one person. The person the 19 years old girl always came back for and simply had to come back for. Someone she actually couldn't and shouldn't know but still does.

Everytime she was about to enter the royal ground without no one knowing the thought about all the laws she was breaking and the punishments it usually brings occupied her mind. But then she remembered that she's not breaking any laws. She didn't and never will.

"Love, is that you?", the soft voice of a man who was making his way towards her filled the quiet halls. His voice made her instantly stop walking and turn around just to see the face of the person she was longing for all day everyday. A little smile appeared on her light red lips what made his heart stop beating for a second.

"Love, you don't know how much I missed you.", with sad eyes and a trembling heart he approached her. Standing in front of her he carefully took her hands in his and intertwined them. With every move he made towards her his heartbeat increased to a point it hurt him. With every move he made towards Bella, her heart broke a bit more. With every second that passed while she was looking into his eyes, tears threatened to fall from her green eyes.

"I was waiting for you but you didn't came? I thought I will never see you again.", while saying those words he lead her hand to his lips just to put a light kiss on it´s back. "Where were you yesterday, Bella?". Bella, how beautiful it sounded whenever he said it. How could one fall in love with a person who just says ones name? 

"I... well I.. I don't know. I just had no energy and... and I was really tired.". She tried to avoid looking into his eyes while stuttering an answer and trying to stop the urge to cry. But she failed miserably like always. The first tears were falling and soft sobs could be heard. The sight of tears falling made a quiet No leave his lips. He took her face in his hands and made her look into his eyes. "Don't do that again. Please tell me when you don't feel well. I wanna be with you.".

"How do you wanna be with me?", while asking that more tears were falling down her cheeks. She wanted to take a step back but he wouldn't let go of her. In fact he pulled her closer and hugged her with trembling hands and tears filling his eyes. "Am I'm not with you now? Am I'm not holding you, love?". He went through her hair and put a light kiss on top of her head."Hoseok. You're not with me and I'm not with you. How do you expect us to keep going like this. I can't take this anymore. Hoseok I don´t want you to suffer just so -..". A kiss stopped her from talking. A light kiss but still one filled with so much love and passion that it resembled the kiss prince Philip gave the sleeping beauty to wake her up. 

No. This one was by far filled with more love. More passion and more longing. But not only that. She could feel how frustrated he was and how much pain he was going through.

Bellas hands were trembling while more tears were streaming down her face. She pushed him softly away from her what made him shake his head lightly and pull her even closer if that was even possible. She pulled away from him with a little smile on her lips and kissed his right cheek. Little sobs could be heard from him what made her realise that he was fully crying now.

"Can we please go to my chamber? I want to sleep next to you? May I take you there?" With pleading eyes and a sad smile he was looking into the eyes he fell in love with. "I would love to, your highness."

"Don't say that. I told you to not say that. I don't want to hear that. Please, I can't bear hearing that from you.", he hid his face in the crock of her neck and breathed in her scent that made him think of the ocean. She went through his hair to calm him down while apologising over and over again.

"You look tired.", she tried changing the topic. With a short nod he lead her to his chambers while holding her hand and not letting her go. After walking to another floor they entered his chambers what was located at the far end of the third floor. Just when they entered his room the door was closed and Bella in his arms. He carefully carried her to his bed and made sure he didn't hurt her.

Hoseok always treated her like that. He thought of her as a fragile doll. A doll out of fine china he had to take care of. Never did he let her do anything on her own when he was around. Everytime she asked him why he did so he always gave her the same answer.

“A queen shall be taken care of. She shall be treated like the most precious living being on the planet because it's her that keeps a kingdom going. All in all it's her that is making the king keep going and provides him with hope, love and strength. That's what you do for me and therefore I have to take care of you, my beloved siren.”

After he laid her down and put the covers over her he laid down next to her. While she was facing the ceiling he was lovingly looking at her profile. "Love, look at me please. Let me see those eyes of yours before I drift into sleep." Hearing those words made her lay on her side. One hand under her pillow the other on his face stroking it lightly. "You're already asleep Hoseok.", "I know but still. Please let your face be the last thing I see before I rest."

"Rest then. You'll have to attend a event tomorrow anyways."

He keeped quiet for a moment thinking about tomorrow and the fact that he has to deal with his family for a whole day without being able to escape. He sighed and shock his head to stop him from thinking about tomorrow. The moment he saw into the face of his love his face softened and a smile grew on his lips. She was asleep with a hand on his cheek. With a racing heart he placed a tender kiss on her lips. But when he pulled away she wasn't there anymore. By now he should be used to that but he isn't and never will. 

Will ever the day come where he can really have her sleep next to him? He's tired of just being able to see her in his dreams. Talk to her in his dreams. Hold her in his dreams. He sat up and tried to focus on his sleeping fugure again. He was able to keep himself in his dreamworld but had no energy to get her back. He tried to wake himself up so he could go to his brother to ask him for help but he failed. He couldn´t do anything. His body and mind was tired and worn out. He couldn´t manage to do anything. As if that wasn´t enough and torture enough he couldn´t breath properly anymore and started to cough. Due to overworking his body and taking it to it´s limits he started to cough a huge amount of blood what did not surprised him since he was used to it. The blood was a sigh that was supposed to make him stop and leave the dreamworld but doesn´t. he still keept trying to get her back with the amount of power he had left. But everything was useless at this point. His vision got blurry and he slowly lost power over his body. With every minute passing he was losing his consciousness more and more. He loses the power over his mind and body and slowly passes out. 

While Hoseok was having a battle with his mind and body a little part of him was happy because it told him that she was save and doing good. It told him that she was peacefully asleep and happy at the other side of the world. 

If only he knew. 

On the other side of the world Bella was wide awake in the middle of the night. Sitting in her bed while crying and trying to sooth her aching heart. If you need to cry do so, because holding your tears back won´t make it better. It will only worsen the situation and your emotinal state, said Lady Maria. 

Like every other night the director of the orphanage came into her room to lend her a shoulder she could cry on. Her painful crys and sobs always manage to wake the old lady up and make her to come over to the room of the young woman.

Oh darling. How could you fall in love with the ocean prince? Someone as majestic and powerful as him. Him Lee Hoseok. I'm really wondering how long he will be able to come and get you in his dreams. Doesn't he know that it will kill him if he doesn´t stop coming for her every single night?, Lady Maria did not wanted to sadden her more with her words so she keept them to herself while trying to calm her down or at least make her stop crying. But before she knew of could do anything the first rays of the sun where lighting put the room of the heartbroken young mermaid.

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 – “Friendship Hates Magic!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow, Rachel Vine

Written by: Rachel Vine

Storyboard by: Stephanie Gonzaga, Victoria Harris, Vaughn Tada, Brandon Warren

Directed by: Matthew Humphreys

No ponies here, headless or otherwise.

While we've seen a conclusion of at least one part of the Della plot, one other little thing from the season finale hasn't really been elaborated on outside of the occasional mention of Magica De Spell. Specifically: while we know whatever happened to Della Duck, and have a clue on whatever happened to Donald Duck, we never really found out whatever happened to Lena since she became Webby's shadow. Needless to say, it's a long story.

This is the episode where that plot continues. I will say this: Lena plots don't have good track records with me. I liked Jaw$, and The Shadow War was great, too, which was pretty much a foregone conclusion since it was the season finale. However, there's also Terror of the Terra-Firmians and The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck, two episodes I almost gave a Disgusted Donald to. Granted, neither are because of Lena in particular, but still. Which column will this episode fall in? We're about to find out.

Our episode begins with Webby going to the library, because she loves the smell of thinking in the morning. Gotta get that reference out of the way. Oh, and Lena is here now, as an invisible, unhearable shadow being. While nobody else can see or hear her, the audience sees her as this black and green version of herself. Lena says that she's fine with her current situation, though it's quite clear from the tone of her voice that it's more in comparison to any alternative.

Webby doesn't want to do that even if she could hear Lena, so she's continuing her impossible mission to find a book at the library that can teach her about the shadow realm. Yami Yugi is nowhere to be seen, but we do get Mrs. Quackfaster. I guess Scrooge isn't paying her enough so she has to double as the amount of libraries she works at to get that sweet retirement at Birdaydos. Er, Bird-baaaaaay-dos. She tells her that she can't offer the particular book she's looking for.

It's because this new character already checked it out. Webby is shocked, because this book is only in Ancient Syriac, but this "odd girl" happens to know a lot of ancient languages. She introduces herself as Violet Sabrewing, and, after bonding over knowing conversational Akkadian, she offers to stay at her place, possibly overnight. In other words, and eventually Webby's: a sleepover.

Webby, of course, accepts, but Lena does not.  It's almost as if she's read Disney Now's description of this episode, which refers to her as this "suspicious new friend". Then again, it may be because of the way Webby's last sleepovers ended. She wouldn't be the only one to remind her of this.

As Mrs. Beakley gives us the excuse for why we're not going to see Scrooge or the boys in this episode, they're busy in the office for Bin-ventory Day, Webby barges in and tells her grandmother she's having a friend come over for a sleepover. Mrs. Beakley is proud that her granddaughter wants to do another sleepover after the last two ended with money sharks and unicorn fights in the other bin. Gotta love those casual previous episode references that could still work as fantastic off-screen adventures to those who don't know.

Lena is excited that Mrs. Beakley could talk her out of this, and tries to jinx Webby again by saying "cancel the sleepover." Needless to say, that jinx doesn't work out like the library one, as Webby has a different idea.

Instead, Webby decides to have the most normal sleepover ever, as she tries to hide everything that is supernatural in the house, and try to just be normal. Mrs. Beakley attempts to say that the best way to make a good impression on her new friend is to be herself

Mrs. Beakley: ...barring from that summer undercover in Paraguay.

Webby brushing aside what is most likely the origin story for one of her parents, hey, we were all thinking it, she tells her Granny that she's not like her, because she needs friends. After Webby walks away, she tells her to name one person she doesn't get along with.

Enter Launchpad McQuack, inept pilot and ruiner of any plan to make this the first DuckTales episode with only female characters. To disprove Webby's accusation, she decides to invite him for a "sup", and spends a little more time than she wants explaining what she meant. Lena episodes sure seem to love the B-plots that, for the most part, never really seem to converge with the A-plot. This will be another one that fits with the "for the most part".

Going back to the other planned meeting, Webby is all done storing magic rocks in the attic, and her new friend has arrived for the normal slumber party for normal people. She tells Duckworth to get the door, and then realizes that ghost butlers don't help out at slumber parties. Surprisingly, that's not one of the Bailey School Kids books.

After slicing Duckworth's ghostly form in half, him not appreciating it in the slightest, she opens the door to Violet and her totally normal pie. As Webby shows her awkwardness with this whole situation, Lena is not amused, saying she isn't buying it. See, I didn't pull that out of nowhere, Lena hates this girl. I mean, maybe it's a bit convenient that this girl happens to have the same shadow realm-related interests as Webby.

Violet is then brought to Webby's room, and Violet looks around to see all the places that clearly used to have mysterious objects in them. She just says it looks clean, but I can imagine she did not miss that.

Meanwhile, Launchpad tries, and struggles, to drink pea soup from a straw. Mrs. Beakley tries her best to deal with this.

One section she was focused on was this section about Tulpas, an actual concept in the world of mysticism. This whole concept sort of reminded her of that one time all the shadows came alive and...

Webby: Who wants Baggle?!

Violet actually does want Baggle, but wants this obvious distraction some other time. Webby responds that it's just her way to get to know each other a bit more, and suggests asking some ice-breakers. Violet's first icebreaker:

Violet: What do you know about Magica De Spell and the Shadow War?

Lena, feeling completely vindicated, tries to tell Webby that she said the "M" word! I wouldn't say she forgot that nobody can hear her; she's like those people who yell at the characters while watching TV. Heh, nerds. Webby has a different "M" word in mind: makeovers! Violet is clearly not buying this at all, but goes along with the makeovers anyway.

Violet ends up leaving her backpack behind, fully opened, and Lena notices something that definitely shouldn't be in there if she was an ordinary girl who just happened to really like shadow people: Magica's amulet! She runs off to try to warn Webby, and...okay, maybe she still thinks she can hear her, even though she never once acknowledged her existence. She does end up at least finding Webby, except she's now a zombie, complete with one of her eyes falling out.

That fake-out turns out to be Violet and Webby's idea for a make-up session. Webby praises her best friend's make-up, saying that she looks just like the demon named Rakshasa. She's definitely a great friend, I don't know a lot of people who would take kindly to being told "you look like a demon!" Webby should know what Rakshasa looks like, because she met him in a previous adventure, and she has proof...that is definitely not in the attic. Oops.

Webby relents and lets her into the attic, as this cover was completely blown. She was obviously interested in these things, so she doesn't mind that Webby happened to have some magic rocks. They never really explain what those magic rocks are, and I'd like to think I am a little beyond the obvious joke there. She also notices some ectoplasmic energies from that friendship bracelet.

The scene switches from their point of view to Lena's in a neat way, where Lena still thinks she can alter anything here. Sadly for her, Lena is also intangible. Thankfully for her, Webby distracts her from that bracelet, and offers that game of Baggle again. Violet agrees on one condition: they need to use Demogorgan runes. I don't want to reveal that I'm just looking up every one of these words on Wikipedia, so I'll be quiet.

Meanwhile, Launchpad tries, and struggles, to color a coloring book, and then eventually tries to get Mrs. Beakley to get into Darkwing Duck. Mrs. Beakley tries her best to deal with this.

...okay, maybe I shouldn't just brush this off for this running gag, since this scene has quite a bit of lore to get into Jim Starling's eventual big role in The Duck Knight Returns...but maybe I'll wait for that one.

Back to this game of runes, it just so happens that book has the right chant to make those dice-like runes glow green. Lena tries what might be her 50th attempt to actually affect anything as a intangible shadow person. She's shocked to find that it actually worked this time!

She then tries to rearrange the runes to spell out a message. Unfortunately, since these people are nerds, they think it's the writing on the runes that have any meaning, and not how this layout is shaped like the words "don't trust her." Not getting anywhere with these mysterious messages about rat messages, Violet tries another shadow spirit summoning trick: humming this melody. It works...but only Lena can see these white spirits ominously creeping out from the dark. She has to think of something.

She tries to manipulate a white sheet in a form of a ghost. This actually works, because of ghost cliches that even Lena is aware of, but it doesn't solve the "they can't hear me" problem. Violet decides to use a weapon against the one evil spirit they can see, and it turns out this weapon happens to be Magica's amulet. One side effect is that this amulet allowed her to actually see and hear Lena for a second, which is enough to clue Webby in on what is really happening. However, that is only the second most of her worries.

The main side effect is that it finally gets Webby to realize that maybe this girl may not be what she seems. Just like Lena wanted her to, she starts to question their future friendship, and asks everything she knows.

It’s here that we finally get her backstory, or at least her claimed backstory. She was just an ordinary Muggle, having no interest in magic or anything else of the sort. Then, everything changed when the Shadow War happened, and. Oh, and she just stumbled across Magica's cane, which turned back into the amulet. That's pretty much it. We don't know if she's completely telling the truth...

...but Webby buys it completely, to the disappointment of Lena, and they start to do a seance. You see these shadow beings that look like the shadow of Magica De Spell. This, of course, gets Lena to attempt to grab them again.

I hate to spoil this, but I will say that this seance does lead to Lena being able to drag Webby and Violet into the shadow realm. No, not that one, thankfully. We get a big reunion, but this hug doesn't get to last long, as Webby and Violet finally get to see those white shadow ghosts.

That was spoiler enough, so I'll run through this: a big chase scene happens here, and it all leads to a good conclusion to this episode. Even the "tulpas" from the earlier scene comes up, as that turns out to be a little bit closer than one might guess from the opening of the scene. Here's a hint: they don't just stay in this Magica-like form.

In a sort of fake-out transition from that mayhem, we see what is the conclusion to the Launchpad trying to get Mrs. Beakley into Darkwing Duck plot. Turns out, they both got really excited over a cliffhanger ending. Unfortunately, in this universe, that was how Darkwing Duck ended, with a Woody's Roundup-esque cliffhanger. I usually don't talk about future episodes, but this will be given more detail in The Duck Knight Returns.

What were those shadow beings? Will Lena ever learn to trust Webby's new friend? Should Lena ever learn to trust Webby's new friend? Most importantly, while we got the reunion, will it last? At least some of those questions will be answered by watching the episode. It was a treat to see one of those answers in the end, something I thought I wouldn't see until the end of this season.

How does it stack up?

This episode didn't give me anything to dislike, and a lot to like. The biggest challenge this episode had was introducing this new character. I'll say this, without spoiling anything: while she doesn't have any Earth-shattering twists like Lena did, yet, she has potential.

I kind of skipped over the Launchpad bits, I can admit they're all pretty funny. Obviously, it wasn't going to be something as big as the A-plot, but just something minor and maybe even a little bit cute.

In the end, it's definitely in the Jaw$ column.

Next, I actually find a way to talk about The Powerpuff Girls...and not those ones!

← Raiders of the Doomsday Vault! 🦆 The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee! →

[evenstargws-attic]

Decisions

The guys have been struggling with a decision. We all know by now Damian one part of a twin, his sister is married to Straud. Recently they have been feeling what people like to call "empty nest syndrome" i guess, and apparently they did not hide is well enough, at least not for Christen (Damian's Twin). Then again, most twins seem to have a magic mood-radar for their other half, so maybe we should not be surprised. Anyway to get to the point, Christen has offered to donate her eggs so that Stefano and Damian may have a child that is, DNA-wise, a full mix of Damian and Stefano. In the next images they are discussing if it is not to weird to A) have a child at all at their age and B) should they go for IVF with a surrogate or is it better to adopt a little one...

Have fun reading!

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BTW most credits go to Herecirm and her awesome pose-packs... there is some other poses in this story too, by NA (sorry that's all I know of the maker) and some WW animations and the end. I have never before linked pose-packs simply because in the older screenshots I have no clue who's poses it are, but I'll try to do so from now on.

===================================

S: A child at out age, is that not weird? I mean I could care less what other think and say to me, but the child will it not be judged?

D: You think people will care that much? We've done a good job with Lucian and Arabella , didn't we? Doesn't that count for something?

S: I say we did an awesome job with them, better then most children i dare say!

D: How about Christen's offer then? Would you like to have a child genetically fully both of us?

S: I would love that, I think you're the most beautiful person on this earth, both inside and out, but ... isn't adopting a better idea, give a child that has nothing a chance for something more?

D: God you're such a good soul,...

S: A child ... hmpf ... no more sleeping naked, actually cooking food, piles of laundry,... homework galore...

S: Who the fuck invented these cords, i can never tie them, always losing one half in the waistband itself during the wash!

S: Also a new beginning for a little one, a chance to nurture another human being in this world *muses*

D: Maybe we should just call Lucian and Arabella and ask what they think we should do ? Remember them calling us in the middle of the day to ask that same question?

S: That would be ultimate payback! And so funny !

D: Can you imagine their faces when they stumble out of bed and have to answer us that question, ...

D: I bet Lucian would hear us out, look at his phone and hang up without answering, grumbling about "those old coots" to Tristan.

S: It would also mean no late night live snacks, can't have the child waking up while I have my fangs in someone neck...

S: But gawd I hate this cold goo, it's tasteless and I need so many bags to be sated!

D: Sacrifices need to be made Stef, can't have it all...

S: We shall have to sleep on the decision a few nights, at least finish this effing degree for that newfangled sh.. err stuff "computer Science"...

D: You know I think we can do anything we set our mind too, and if society has a problem with it you just growl a little at them and they'll shut up right quick I'm sure...

S: Yeah sure, hmm it seems you have other wants that needs fulfilling at the moment.

D: I do ?

S: Stuff it now , and let me love you properly !

S: Dee watch those claws, don;t shred the bedding like last time !

S: Kill the lights lover, ...

D: By all that's holy, I love you so much !

S: I love you too my DeeDee...

[darkshrimpemotions]

Honestly...I hope this is really it for Liz and Don. Their relationship was never a great idea. Not because Liz is a bad person or anything like that. I like her character and I hope she sticks around after this.

But the relationship with Don was always going to implode and cause a problem for the team, and for Liz professionally. Whether Don sees it or not, WE see that her skills and judgment are questioned more that once by other agents because of her relationship with Don.

Not only that, but she wanted a level of openness in their relationship he was just never going to be able to give. He couldn't have told her about Leah before she died. Literally could not have. And Liz taking issue with that says to me that she needs to be in a relationship with someone who isn't any kind of government agent. She has too many trust issues--either in general or just with Don specifically--to be able to date someone who sometimes has to keep secrets.

And that's something else I hated. It honestly felt like every time there was an issue she would remind Don of his prior reputation. She never fully trusted Don or their relationship, because she was still holding onto this image she had of him when he was younger.

And what kinda breaks my heart in all this is that he tried. He tried so hard. But there was too much history and baggage there, I think. They never stood a chance long-term.

[hirstories]

Abraca—switch! Or The Tale of Edward Elric vs. the Mischievous Body-Snatcher

Chapter 7

Convincing Winry to give the fake Edward a tune-up had been just as satisfying as it has been useful. Each of Don Paco’s screams sounded like music to Edward’s and Alphonse’s ears. Sometime during the tune-up, the brother’s heard Granny grumbling about how the trip to the West made a wuss out of her adopted grandson. The heavy drugs she later administered knocked the poor guy out cold. This was a blessing in disguise because it gave Edward, Alphonse, and Mei an opportunity to strategize.

Morning came in fast.

Like always, everyone—with the exception of the impostor, who was still recuperating from the gruesome automail tune-up—gathered around the table to have breakfast. The real Edward had the privilege of sitting with them despite Winry and Granny being against having a cat at the table.

Once everyone had been fed, Granny turned to Alphonse. “Boy, what's gotten into you?” She snapped.

Alphonse was quick to cast his gaze down. Edward sauntered across the table and sat next to his brother’s empty plate. He mewled. Alphonse raised his eyes at him and smiled. Edward smiled too because everything was playing out as they planned.

The night before, after depositing the impostor on the bed in the spare room, Edward, Alphonse, and Mei reunited in the backyard to discuss the best course of action to neutralize Don Paco. Thanks to the spell the man cast on both Alphonse and Mei, alchemy and physical combat had been rendered useless. But this setback wasn’t going to stop any of them. A promising idea emerged during their impromptu meeting. Alphonse suggested that language could be the key to bring Don Paco down. He hypothesized that the curse placed on him and Mei worked because both alchemy and physical attacks were tangible things. Language was intangible and it was a powerful tool when used correctly. They all agreed that unmasking Don Paco before Granny and Winry was the best choice. It was a risky move, but one they were willing to take.

“There's something you need to know about Ed,” Alphonse said.

Winry raised a questioning brow. “What about Ed?”

Alphonse's expression turned dark. “There's no easy way to say this...”

It had been Edward’s idea for Alphonse to rile up Winry before spilling the beans about Don Paco. Alphonse had always been great at manipulating, even more so after returning to his original body. His silver tongue and charming ways were downright scary, and they would certainly elicit a swift reaction out Winry—at least this was what they all were hoping for. It was wrong resorting to dirty tricks to get the job done, but Don Paco left them with few options. The curse he placed on both Alphonse and Mei severely crippled any effort to neutralize him. If cell memory was real, and if it indeed affected the body, then Don Paco was bound to fall prey to Winry’s wrath just like Edward always did when he angered her. Then...payback.

Right on cue, Winry’s shoulders squared and her jaw tensed. Edward perked his ears as he waited for Alphonse to execute with the most important part of their plan.

“Edward isn't—” Alphonse began but had to stop, his throat had suddenly constricted.

Edward worried, and by the looks of it, so did Mei.

Alphonse cleared his throat and tried again. “Sorry, Win,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “What I was trying to say is that Ed—” His throat cinched even tighter to the point of choking.

“Alphonse-sama?” Mei was the first to panic.

Alphonse mimicked his girlfriend’s expression. “I can't say it.” His words came out as a pained croak.

Mei’s eyes widened a fraction. “Let me try,” she said in a calm voice and offered a smile to Winry and Pinako, whose eyebrows pinched together in worry.

“Granny, Winry, what Alphonse-sama was trying to say is that Edward is—” All of a sudden, she started giggling. “Goodness!” Mei exclaimed. “I don't know what’s gotten into me.” She cleared her throat and tried again. “What I was trying to say is that Edward—” The giggling returned, more explosive than before.

A low growl rumbled in Edward’s chest; his tail puffed.

Pinako frowned. “I don't know what you two are thinking, but this”—she tapped the table with her open hand—”is not entertaining.”

Winry shook her head in agreement.

Mei looked at Alphonse for some reassurance. Alphonse, in turn, looked at Edward. A moment later, he raised his eyes to Pinako, and while petting his brother’s head, he said, “I'm sorry Granny. We're not trying to be disrespectful.”

Edward slid away from his brother then jumped off the table. He meowed until Alphonse looked down.

Winry’s eyebrows shot up. She glanced at her grandmother then at Mei. Her grandmother looked disinterested, but not Mei. The Xinguese princess was paying close attention to her boyfriend.

“Of course...” Alphonse mumbled. He returned his attention to everyone. “This cat is no ordinary cat,” he said. “This cat is—” His throat cinched again. This time, he shot Mei a frightened look, and she shot it back at him.

“Cat got your tongue, baby brother?”

Everyone turned in the direction the voice was coming from. The fake Edward stepped into view. He sauntered his way across the dining room, smirking as he walked past Edward, Alphonse, and Mei.

“Ed!” Winry jumped out of her chair to go to the impostor’s side. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I'm doing much better, thanks,” the impostor answered with a grin. The real Edward couldn't help but growl.

“You had me worried for a moment there,” Winry said, then chuckled nervously. “You've never screamed during a routine maintenance.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her right ear. “I thought I did something wrong.”

The impostor cupped a side of Winry’s face. “It's okay, my love. I forgive you.”

Winry’s eyebrows arched a fraction. She then offered him a tight smile. “Sure thing, Ed.” She gently pulled his hand away from her face.

The impostor broke into a forced cackle. He quickly turned his attention to everyone else sitting at the table. Focusing on Alphonse, he said, “What did I miss?”

“Not much,” Pinako intruded, her eyes narrowing at the fake Edward. “There's food left in the skillet, and the bread is sitting next to the toaster.”

He turned to Winry, and looked at her expectantly; Granny’s discontent showed in her deepening scowl.

The telephone rang before anyone had a chance to say something about Edward’s impertinence.

Winry was closest to the phone, so she took the call. Edward jumped back on the table and let Alphonse gather him in his arms. Mei stared at Don Paco, so did Pinako. Don Paco flashed a smile at them.

Winry hung up the phone. “That was Mr. Garfiel,” she said after she turned around. Locking eyes with her grandmother, she added, “He’s in desperate need of assistance.”

Don Paco's eyes narrowed. He clenched his jaw ever so slightly. Edward made sure to take a mental note of that.

Edward turned his attention back to Winry and saw indecision in her face—not a good sign. Mr. Garfiel asking for Winry was a godsend, the perfect opportunity to ruin whatever Don Paco had planned for her. Edward wiggled around in Alphonse's arms until he was facing him. He placed a paw on each of his brother’s shoulders. Alphonse chuckled nervously, his confusion was clearly showing in his face.

Don Paco wasn't as clever as claimed to be. Boasting about cell memory was something he really was going to regret. Edward took a deep breath, which he let out in a slow exhale. He closed his eyes and prepared himself to channel Domingo’s cell memories.

The feline’s instinct took over in an instant. Edward got closer to Alphonse and rubbed his head against his brother’s neck and jaw in a way he hadn't done before. The contact felt natural, so natural that he started purring out of his own volition. Alphonse tensed at first, but then he relaxed. His arms went around Edward and he hugged him tenderly. Mei smiled, so did Winry and Granny. Don Paco simply stared.

Now Edward understood why cats were crazy for Alphonse. He could feel the beauty of his brother’s soul radiating from such a simple gesture as a hug. Edward wanted to hold on to his brother a bit longer but he had things to do. He focused fully on his human side and pushed everything else to the back of his mind. Edward got closer to his brother so that he could whisper into his ear. “Al, you must convince Winry to travel to Rush Valley,” he said. He'd kept his voice low. Not even Mei, who was sitting next to Alphonse heard what he said to his brother.

“Okay, that's enough, Ed,” Alphonse said as he put Edward back on the table. He looked at Winry. “I think you should go, Win. It sounded like Mr. Garfiel really needs the help.”

Don Paco glared at Alphonse; Edward’s tail quivered with delight.

“Al, I haven't decided to go yet,” Winry replied, her tone uneasy.

Don Paco approached Winry and grabbed one of her hands. “Win, I think you should go.”

Edward bristled. That bastard was purposefully provoking his brother. He certainly provoked him.

Alphonse gathered him in his arms again. “Don't give him the pleasure of seeing you angry,” Alphonse whispered while he cuddled him. Edward looked up, his brother’s eyes showing intense determination. It was all he needed to calm down.

“I’m going with you,” Don Paco announced.

They all turned their heads to him.

“Um, I don't know—” Winry blurted without thinking. Her eyes widened and a chuckle bubbled out of her throat when she realized what she’d done.

The impostor looked at Winry’s eyes for a moment. “I'm sorry if I'm being too forward, my love.” He paused, then added, “I missed you.”

Winry looked everywhere but his face. When she finally did, she said, “You'll get bored, Ed. I'm going to be busy—you know how it is. I might not even have time to spend with you.” She stepped back.

“Nonsense!” Don Paco cried. He flashed Winry a smile as he stepped into her personal space. “I won't get bored, Win, I promise. After my trip to the West, well...” He glanced at Edward. “I'm a changed man,” he said after returning his attention to Winry.

Edward’s tail puffed again, the rest of his fur was also fluffing. Alphonse ran his hand over Edward’s back before wrapping his arm around him and pulling him closer to himself.

Winry held the impostor’s gaze for a moment. “Okay, Ed, you can tag along.”

A mischievous grin slid across the impostor’s face. “You won't regret it!”

“Win?” Alphonse interrupted. “You won't mind if we tag along? We were planning on heading to Dublith in a few days so Mei can meet Teacher, and since Rush Valley is on the way...”

“I think it's an excellent idea,” Pinako intruded.

Mei and Alphonse exchanged puzzled looks before turning their attention to Granny.

Winry gave her grandmother a questioning look. When she was about to say something, Pinako stated, “It's safer to travel in numbers.” Winry looked at Alphonse and Mei, then returned her attention back to her grandmother. “I guess so?”

“That settles it,” Pinako said, a smart smile crowned her thin lips. She dragged her chair back and stood up. Turning to Winry, she called, “Let's go, girl. We need to get your stuff ready for the trip.” Pinako then started for the kitchen. Winry offered a bashful smile to everyone before going after her grandmother.

Alphonse waited until there was silence before letting his brother back on the table.

“The hell we’re going to leave you alone with Winry!” Edward hissed at Don Paco.

“Yes, it looks that way,” Don Paco mused. He then walked to the table and planted his hands on it. He offered Edward that wicked grin he’d used before. “You better be on your best behavior, Flea Bag.” He shot a glance at Alphonse and Mei. A moment later, he returned his attention back to Edward. “You don't want me to hurt your dear girly, now do you?”

Edward bared his fangs. “I'll kill you first!”

Don Paco burst into a fit of laughter. “¡Ay, que muchacho éste!” he exclaimed as he wiped mirthful tears from the corner of his eyes. “You're full of surprises, cano.” He shook his head and laughed some more. “So how are you going accomplish this? By scratching my face—I mean your face—to death?” He laughed again. “You know, if you kill me, you'll lose the opportunity to return to your body, you dumbass.” Don Paco didn't wait for Edward’s comeback. Pushing away from the table, he said, “I'm going to head downstairs to help my girl out. I plan to leave for Rush Valley as soon as possible, so you better start packing.”

Don Paco turned on a heel and began walking away. He stopped by the entryway to the dining room. He spun around again and directed a glare at Edward. “I know you will find a way to tag along, but I must admit, I'm looking forward to not seeing your hairy mug for a little while.” He then directed his attention to Alphonse and Mei. “Now if you excuse me, there's a sexy young lady waiting for my help.”

“Dammit to hell!” Edward roared the moment they entered his and Alphonse’s old room at the Rockbell home. He jumped on his bed. “I knew, I knew I shouldn't have listened to that piece of shit—I'm such a fucking idiot!”

Alphonse sat on his bed across from Edward’s. “You know what, Brother? if someone would've told me that there was a way to restore my lost alchemy, I would've taken it. No questions asked,” he said, and offered his brother a sympathetic smile when their gazes met.

“Really?” Edward asked, his voice thick with emotion.

Alphonse nodded and smiled even wider. But his smile started fading so he looked away.

This was the guilt Don Paco spoke of... Edward felt his heart constrict. “I should've listened to the townspeople,” he said, his voice all but a whisper. “I might be stuck forever in this form...” He raised his head, and looked at Alphonse, then at Mei. “Now you two got dragged into this.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “And I still don't know why that man wants Winry so badly.” He fell silent. A moment later, a deep yowl broke from his throat.

Mei, who was sitting next to Alphonse, stood up. She walked the small stretch between beds and sat beside Edward. “We’ll find a way to get out of this mess, and we will keep Winry safe from harm,” she reassured.

Xiao Mei, who was also sitting on Alphonse’s bed, jumped out and darted across the floor to Edward’s side of the room. She jumped on his bed, and slowly approached Edward. She sniffed him, then sat beside him. Edward glared at the little panda; even she considered him a pitiable thing. He splayed on the bed and sighed.

Alphonse pressed his lips into a thin line. “Okay,” he said and fixed his eyes upon his girlfriend. “Let's revise what we know about the Cretan sorcerer.”

Mei offered him a smart smile; and he smiled back.

“Don Paco can jump from one body to another using ancient magick from his homeland,” Alphonse continued. “And there's the possibility that he used a Philosopher's Stone to accomplish this.”

Mei leaned over to pick Xiao Mei. The panda growled so Mei ran a hand over her head and back until she calmed down.

“He certainly didn’t need the red stone to put us in our place,” Mei joked and grinned sheepishly when Alphonse rolled his eyes at her.

“That fucking bastard used my body to transmute,” Edward contributed before letting his head plop down on the mattress.

Talking about Don Paco was getting nowhere fast. Eventually, both Alphonse and Mei fell silent, just like Edward had done. Then, after a few minutes of silence, Alphonse’s expression suddenly brightened, and his eyes widened.

“Of course!” he exclaimed. Quickly turning to Edward, he said, “Brother, Don Paco affixed your mind and soul to the body of his pet cat, and somehow he did the same for himself when he took over your body.”

Edward raised his eyes to Alphonse. “So what?”

Alphonse swatted away his snappish comment with a smile.

“Do you remember how I couldn’t transmute without a circle even though we both had seen Truth?” he said.

“I remember...” Edward’s face darkened. How could he forget? He alone was the one responsible for his brother’s suffering.

“And I couldn’t do this because my memories of the time inside Gate stayed in the Gate,” Alphonse continued.

“What are you getting at?” Edward snapped again.

Mei gasped. “You don’t mean?”

Al gave her a smart nod. “Memories are components of the mind. Once I acquired mine, I was able to transmute without a circle,” he explained. Alphonse turned to his brother. “Ed, what I’m trying to say is that you don’t need to have all original components: mind, body, and soul, in order to use alchemy.”

Edward considered his brother’s idea for a moment. Alphonse had a valid point—only if the ability to use alchemy inhabited solely in the body. “For all we know, alchemy might come from a person’s soul,” he countered.

“That’s the whole point,” Alphonse replied. “That’s probably the reason why Don Paco told you he could fix your alchemy.”

Edward’s eyes narrowed to slits and glowered at his brother. “Don Paco said that because he’s a lying sack of shit!”

“I don’t think he lied about this, Brother,” Alphonse mused.

“Really, Al?” Edward sneered, then snorted. “How can you even think—” He stopped. “Are we grasping at straws now?” he chuckled darkly.

Alphonse frowned.

Edward gathered himself up and sat on his hind legs. “So you actually believe that if I clap my itsy bitsy little paws”—he pressed the rosy pads in his forefeet—“and I place them on a solid surface”—he pressed them against the mattress—”I will be able to transmute?”

Blue sparks came out from underneath Edward just as he finished spewing out sarcastic comments. The three of them watched the azure spectacle in awe as if it’d been the first time they’ve seen an alchemic reaction.

“Go on! Finish it!” Alphonse cheered.

Edward agreed. He imagined constructing a wall using the metal springs, cloth and synthetic padding from his bed mattress. Mei and Xiao Mei had to stand up when the mattress began restructuring according to Edward’s design.

Edward bared his fangs, it was the closest thing to a smug grin that he could make. He looked at his brother, pride swelling his chest. “You know what that means, don't you?”

Alphonse peeled his eyes away from Edward’s alchemical creation. Turning his full attention at Edward, he said, “I do, Brother. It means that you’ll be footing the bill the night I take Mei to dinner at Jacqueline’s.”

Edward glared at his brother. “I didn't promise you anything, idiot,” he snapped, making Alphonse snicker. He exchanged glances with both Alphonse and Mei before adding, “I did promise something. I promised that old bastard that I was going to make him pay for what he did to me.”

“Don’t forget us!” Alphonse and Mei said almost at the same time.

Fierce determination ignited in Edward’s feline eyes. “Of course.”

Mei giggled. “That horrible man is going to get his tush handed to him on a platter, by a cat, no less.”