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tinamorwani · 2 years

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The Humiliation of Amber Heard Is Both Modern and Medieval

There was a moment in a Virginia courtroom this month when the actress Amber Heard paused mid-sniffle on the stand. She was testifying about abuse she says she suffered at the hands of her movie star ex-husband, Johnny Depp, when she wiped her nose with a tissue — then seemed to freeze as her face was illuminated by a flash, as if she were instinctively posing for a photo.

It was a split second that probably would have gone unnoticed under normal circumstances, except that nothing about this trial is normal, starting with the fact that it is being broadcast live online like a spectator sport. So whether this was a glitch in the livestream or an actual pose, or just a thing that looked to be something it wasn’t, it didn’t really matter, because the moment was isolated and freeze-framed and shared, which meant that it was internet-real.

“Had to make the fake crying seem more believable,” a commenter said on Instagram.

“So scripted,” another wrote.

“This woman should be in jail,” said another.

That seems to be the public consensus as it pertains to Ms. Heard, at least on social media — that everything she does is scripted, conniving, manipulative. Mr. Depp, meanwhile, seems to have so far successfully played the part of quirky, misunderstood romantic who is wrongfully accused.

While much of the circus surrounding the Depp-Heard trial feels entirely of this moment — a livestream that regularly draws half a million viewers, the rhetoric around “believing women,” the sheer power of Mr. Depp’s fans to shape the narrative —in many ways what we are witnessing is a story as old as time.

Whatever you think of Ms. Heard’s actions, or whether you choose to believe her, this is a good old-fashioned public pillorying — only memes have replaced the stones.

Legally speaking, the case between Ms. Heard, 36, and Mr. Depp, 58, that has been playing out in a courtroom for five weeks is a defamation case. In 2018, during the height of the #MeToo movement, Ms. Heard — then nearly two years divorced from Mr. Depp — wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in which she called herself a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” That article did not name Mr. Depp, but his lawyers say the implication was clear — and that their client lost lucrative acting roles, including in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. Mr. Depp is seeking $50 million in damages. Ms. Heard is countersuing him for double that amount, also claiming defamation, because his lawyer called her allegations a “hoax.”

To be clear: This is not a criminal trial. Nobody faces jail time. It’s not even technically a case about domestic abuse. Legal experts say it is a relatively straightforward case about the First Amendment — in which the burden is on Mr. Depp to convince a jury that Ms. Heard was lying when she called herself a victim and that he was not abusive.

And yet in the context-free vacuum of the internet, none of that matters. Because when it comes to public opinion, we might as well be marching Amber Heard through the town square.

She has reportedly faced death threats, as has the psychologist who testified on her behalf, who emerged from court to discover that her now-deleted WebMD page had been bombarded with negative reviews. On social media, where the hashtag #JusticeforJohnnyDepp has spread with the swiftness of a Russian bot campaign — and it appears ad dollars are being spent to promote anti-Amber propaganda — spectators recreate Ms. Heard’s bruises using stage makeup, to show how easy it is to do, and mockingly re-enact her testimony describing her abuse.

The reviling of Ms. Heard has created some strange bedfellows, bringing together men’s rights activists, Depp superfans and those who simply don’t believe Ms. Heard and claim she’s hurting “real” victims of abuse — some of them self-proclaimed feminists — in the cesspool of the internet misinformation machine. Together, they’ve disseminated conspiracy theories faster than anyone can fact-check them: that Ms. Heard was snorting cocaine on the stand (not true); that she was stealing lines from “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (also debunked); that she was “mimicking” Johnny Depp’s outfits (I mean … maybe, or maybe Mr. Depp was mimicking hers?); that she was borrowing from the plot of “Gone Girl” (also false).

“When is she going to boil the bunny?” a commenter in the trial’s livestream wanted to know, referencing the famous scene in “Fatal Attraction” in which a spurned lover kills her ex’s family pet.

The trope of the scorned woman who takes revenge goes back much further than “Fatal Attraction,” of course — Dido cursing the Trojans as she killed herself, Medea’s awful revenge on her unfaithful husband. And indeed, this trial could function as a case study in contrived stereotypes used to discredit women, even if you believe there is some truth behind Mr. Depp’s claims.

Ms. Heard has been portrayed as mentally unstable, hysterical, a gold digger, a temptress who brought home other paramours at all hours of the night, a freeloader who moved her friends into Mr. Depp’s many houses, an attention-seeker with an unquenchable need for drama and of course an untrustworthy liar — textbook undermining strategies, each with its own sexist implications.

And, some have asked, what about the timing of the whole thing? If Mr. Depp was so abusive to her, even before they were engaged, why didn’t she just leave? “I knew it was wrong and I knew that I had to leave him,” Ms. Heard testified in court, a response that rang familiar to anyone with even a baseline understanding of domestic abuse. “And that’s what broke my heart, because I didn’t want to leave him.”

Michele Dauber, a law professor at Stanford University who studies gender violence, said she has been “unnerved” by the display of schadenfreude over Ms. Heard’s debasement in this public forum. “There is a glee, a kind of delight, that is being taken in watching her be humiliated,” she told me.

There’s something almost pornographic about the voyeurism involved, with a kink for every predilection: fame, beauty, drugs, extreme wealth, a private island, five penthouse apartments, fecal matter left on a marital bed, bloody messages written on walls, even an appearance by the moment’s most controversial man, the billionaire Elon Musk, whom Ms. Heard dated briefly. As “Saturday Night Live” satirized it in a sketch last week, boy is it “fun” to watch.

And, honestly, why wouldn’t it be? Whether you believe Ms. Heard or not, watching a woman excoriated in public has been popular entertainment since the Middle Ages. Somehow, Ms. Heard seems to have become a stand-in for every evil, lying woman getting her comeuppance — alpha queen bees in high school, the girl who slept with your boyfriend or girlfriend, every manipulative ex. She is Eve, she is Medusa, she is Lady Macbeth. She evokes vamps and vampires, wicked stepmothers, witches. As one Twitter user put it, she is an example of “toxic femininity” and a reason to never date younger women. Pass the popcorn.

All of this, of course, is taking place against the backdrop of the very particular cultural moment we are living through, in which a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion on abortion invokes a 17th-century British jurist, Sir Matthew Hale, who presided over actual witch trials, and some of the most prominent #MeToo cases are in various states of disarray. This month, Mario Batali, one of several prominent restaurateurs accused of sexual misconduct — and the only one to face criminal charges — was found not guilty of groping a woman in a Boston bar. The comedian Bill Cosby is out of jail on a legal loophole. There are rumors that the conviction of the film producer who set off the whole #MeToo movement, Harvey Weinstein, could be overturned on appeal.

All around us, it seems, there are evocations of manipulative, lying women: Anna Delvey and Elizabeth Holmes, each with dramatized retellings of their scams; “The Girl From Plainville,” about the Massachusetts teenager who encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself after, as the prosecutor in her case described it, she “got her hooks in him”; even the unreliable, drunk “trainwreck” protagonists of shows like “The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window” and “The Flight Attendant.”

“We no longer have what Hester Prynne had, but we have a version of it,” said Gillian Silverman, a gender studies scholar and professor of English at the University of Colorado Denver, referencing the 1850 novel “The Scarlet Letter,” whose subject is shamed for her adultery. “And this thing of putting women on a sort of dais in order to mock them, and make them take it for quite a while, feels pretty age-old.”

One might have thought — or, at least, I might have thought — that we’d be in a more enlightened place by now. And yet despite the public reckonings of #MeToo and the recent reexaminations of pop culture figures — Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson, Janet Jackson and others — there is precious little introspection over the widespread hatred of Ms. Heard.

This trial seems to have exposed some of the rhetorical weaknesses of #MeToo. “Believe women” for example — a phrase that was meant to underscore how rare it is for a woman to lie about her own abuse — had somehow morphed into “believe all women,” which left no room for the outlier. That has apparently become, as the comedian Chris Rock put it this week, “Believe all women … except Amber Heard.”

The intent of that early slogan was, in part, to encourage the public to treat women who speak up with basic dignity and respect, however messy and imperfect they or their stories may be. Yet none of that seems to have trickled down here. Perhaps one lesson from this spectacle is not about belief at all — but decency.

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muffindaddystyles · 3 years

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prompt 1 with older brothers best friends!harry 👀

1. “Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy.”

8. “I said stop staring at me.”

23. “I have a name and it’s not sweetheart.”

Third wheeling could never be fun. Not when you’re basically not even a wheel but an invisible person on a vacation watching couples kiss and yada yada.

“For fuck's sake.” Y/N grumbles changing a side snatching the blanket that got stuck under her and sandwiches her face into a pillow when she hears the steel roof atop her creak furiously accompanied by high pitched obnoxious moans.

Y/N's brother brought her along to their Italy trip, his wife’s bestfriend and his own bestfriend tagged along too leaving only Y/N to grump about their wild sex rendezvous.

She’s sleepless, homesick and probably about to get a stomach bug for living in yacht for four days atleast!

What’s so fun about jiggling in your sleep? None perhaps and the waves crashing at night that threatens you to swallow you down to the pit of ocean --- my pal, nothing is entertaining about it. Atleast for Y/N. She’s more of a hill station going person with her pup Frankenstein that oogles out from his small globe like window, comfy in his lil bag that Y/N moves around on her shoulders everywhere.

When the fracas of whatever’s taking place up doesn’t comes to halt, Y/N had enough, she isn’t very versed in coping with such situations since her dorm-mate is very nice.

So, she’s throwing the lid away to pop her head through the square like space and spreads her elbows up the roof, “Aish.” She immediately covers her eyes upon the sight of his brother and his wife doing it.

Their expressions comically panicked as they embarrassingly scrambles to clutch the flimsy sheets over them.

“Who does it all naked under an open sky?” She squeaks out, feeling her pulse tick and she peeks out towards the darkness from the slight gap of her fingers which are barely helping her avoid the scene that’d haunt her for life.

“Them bunnies and monkeys, ‘n many of our kind, Sweetheart.” She rolls her eyes at the familiarity of deep slow rumble that’s a bit slurred, probably from the Tequila they took with them. The voice never fails to froth bubbles in Y/N's tummy and it always involuntarily makes her nails dig into her palms.

Harry and Tina’s bestfriend went out to roam around Italy, or they told so and Albeit Y/N very well knows their intentions were more to exploring the city she didn’t butt in.

“I’ve a name and it’s not, Sweetheart.” She dismisses him with a grumble and his smirk shines through the shadow aggravating Y/N to an extreme she slips down shutting the door (like lid) at the them.

Harry Styles. Y/N's brother’s bestfriend. He’s everything Y/N loathes about. Bright green eyes, silken features and that dopey pearlish smile that makes everyone fall in love with him in nano-seconds.

To Y/N. He is an incubus. A witch that allures people without even knowing.

He’s a narcissistic asshole and Y/N's bad boy dream, unfortunately.

She hates herself for having a puppy crush on him for years now.

That friggin, Asshole.

He’s with everyone but her. It seems as if he’s getting stung by bees upon the mere closeness between them. A lamb ready to bite her down his stomach if she steps a foot near him.

At the moment when she’s sitting with her knees pressed to her chest, swollen eyes and puffy lips from not getting sleep last night.

She’s really hating that Harry looks so hot from the swim he just took as he dries himself sitting opposite to her. The droplets twinkling on his tanned thick body, his trunks wrinkled and bunched up into his thighs baring the tiger tattoo on front, his hair wet and oh so fucking tug-able – Y/N feels like Rachel from friends thinking all of that.

“Stop staring,” She mutters out loud when he wouldn’t stop licking the saltiness from his pink bottom lip keeping his intense gaze on her.

“What did y'say?” He pretends that we too engulfed in something else.

“I said stop staring at me.” Y/N grits. It’s annoying because it’s making her belly feel funny and loopy.

“The hills behind y'are just s'admirable.” He elevates his shoulders a bit panicked from inside and Y/N forced herself to not to twitch her eye when his chest muscles flexes due to his action.

Bamboozled she takes a glance from her shoulder to where he diverted his sight once she caught him. Her nose scrunched up and chin butted in disgust at the scenery, “That’s literally a heap of dead fishes!”

“Better than starin’ into a dead soul.” His lips down turned into a careless grimace and Y/N gasps out loud pushing the strands of her hair sticking to all of her face because of the breeze gush, “Why would you say that!?”

“’Cos you’re so mauve, that’s why?” He just wants to take a piss out of her. Nobody’s around and he’s finally getting time to talk to her even if it just to sit cross legged on her nerves and sip tea.

He’s actually lying. He thinks she’s more than mauve. She’s all those colours that usually macarons have, all those hues that butterflies wings have and all those tinctures that one find in gems then keep them safe.

She’s the colour he misses in his life.

“And you’re so fucking blue!” She grumbles and that slithered a deep wicked smile on Harry’s lips, “Like this deep ocean yer afraid of?” Her eyes widens at that and she almost lunges on her knees.

How did he know? Ofcourse, he'd. He’s everywhere. In every damn picture of wherever they went for recreation.

“I’m not.” She scoffs, her tone inconvenient and hazy as she shrinks into herself.

“Then take a dip,” She wishes that she could wipe that beautiful stupid smirk off his gorgeous stupidly lame face.

“Kiss my ass.” She spat out throwing a cushion towards him that lands on his lap, “I’d love to.” He barks out a laugh that rings through the waves.

“You’re such a stinky asshole.” She hits him with another that dumps against his chest, “Ow!” He feigns hurt with ridiculous comical expressions and throws the cushion back towards her which she successfully dodges, but, it falls behind her into the water.

“Shit.” She complains ducking around the edge of the yacht and stretches her arm to the plausible extent to grab the floating cushion.

Though when the tips of her toes leaves the seat she was on and she’s bending too much for her own sake Harry’s standing upright, “Hey stop —-" But. It’s too late as with a high pitched squeaky shriek Y/N's rolling first and falling into the water leaving Harry frozen for a second.

Panic chokes her throat and she moves her limbs around everywhere splashing water vigorously. Mouth gasping for oxygen but all that comes is salty water filling her mouth and lungs too, maybe as she sinks deeper and deeper.

“Fuck, Y/N!!” He shouts out jumping to save her immediately knowing she doesn’t know how to swim and he’s wrapping his palm around her neck and pulling her from her waist to himself under the water as she watches him with frightened fading eyes.

He comes back to surface quickly and presses her to his chest. She too clings to him for dear life feeling herself drift into a state of unconsciousness and hard to breath while he grabs the deck and lifts her with himself to it.

He doesn’t risk a chance and lays her limp body down and clasps his hands together pushing them against where her heat beats feebly, winces when she spurts out water painfully.

“Baby...fuck.” He pats her soaked pale cheek anxiously when she still remains unresponsive to him, breathing wearily so he does what has to be done.

He grabbed her chin, squished her cheeks making her lips pucker out and wrapped his mouth around hers sucking the water out and spat it out once his mouth was full.

His eyes slip shuts and he slumps with relief when Y/N coughs out loudly into his chest and he brings her into him murmuring assurance into her wet hair.

“You’re okay darling,” His whisper wavers from the trembling of his lips and his fingers divots into her softest of skin when he hugs her tightly, “’M sorry ‘s me fault, Sweets.” He rubs the bridge of his nose to take the sniff of her scent to calm him down and she shakes her head unable to talk, hands bunched up against his tummy.

“You should rest, yeah?” His gaze soft with care and it’s baffling for Y/N that he ever had this side too. Before, she could be on her feet he slipped his strong arms under her and hoists her up and into him without any trouble.

If Y/N wouldn’t be feeling very droopy and breathless she sure would have fought with him, maybe blushed and hid her face into his neck but she’s already knocking out in his arms from the stingy feeling in her eyes that made her super duper sleepy.

Clouds. Y/N's merged into them and they cover every inch of Y/N, wait where am I? She feels real nice comforted around with such warm bedding and she sure knows it’s not hers. The blurry sight infront of her is enough to aware her and a perfectly calloused hand comes rubbing her shoulder when she tries to sit up.

“Not heaven, o'summat.” He chuckles airily. His smile small and a tad awkward, he’s changed into another pair of trunks that are yellow and his upper half now sadly is covered from a blue tee.

“How you feelin'?” Y/N let his question fly over her head and stutters out loudly, “Why you being s'nice to me now?” It etches a frown on his face but soon it vanishes into an expression that Y/N couldn’t pick point.

“You’ve always been such a meanie...” She murmurs glumly. White sheets tangling around her torso as she moves infront of him – their knees touching.

“I umm –-...like you, I guess?” He has never been this nervous and jumblish with words.

“You guess?” She asks and scared that he missed up he rushes out to hold her and to make her believe that his feelings are true.

“No, no! I’m sure. I like you very much.” That puts Y/N into silence where she stares the gleaming jewels onto his fingers and ponders over what he said.

Harry Styles. Her first kiss. Her very first candy love crush and her dream of bad boy actually likes her back.

She tries to ignore the party poppers going inside her body and the drums of happiness rolling around her heart.

“But ... Everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy,” She doesn’t meet his eyes smoothing out the crinkles of sheets and her palm halts immediately when Harry hooks his thumb under her chin and raises it gaze lovingly into her eyes with sincerity, “Just ‘cos I stole yer first kiss?”

He laughs out sweetly when she bobs her head vigorously, “C’mon we were just sixteen! I’d have made sure to tell y'to keep it safe fo’ your precious person if I knew back then.” His pupils gleaming with hope and a tinge of eagerness.

The next thing she said with a slight bubbly pout caught Harry off-guard and in awe that how to process what she said with so much liability and vulnerability.

“But you’re my precious person!!”

“Yeah, baby?” He grins with a dimple tutting in and grabs her small cold hands to pull her closer to him.

The sweet name shies Y/N away and Harry thinks she couldn’t be more endearing as he takes her soft looking puffy face in the warm embrace of his hands and bops their noses together.

“Then g’na make sure ‘m your last.” He murmurs feathering his lips to the corner of her mouth that flutters her eyelids like butterflies and she pants out for more with a sweet whine, “Shit. You’re still very candy like since I last kissed ye'.” He giggles stroking his thumb up her cheek and takes a lick of her jutted bottom lip.

“Harry....” She complains tugging his weary shirt, “Yes me baby?” He quips out with those fake surprised eyes he makes with raised brows and puppy gaze.

“Kiss me alre –—,” He's swallowing her words down with the tender smush of his lips against hers in a kiss that’s slow and comforting at first, hearing onto the noises that she creates from tasting him and it deepens into something ardent and red when Harry pulls her over his thighs and guides her arms around his neck.

Their foreheads comes touching. Their hearts in sync and beside eachother. Their tongues loving on eachother.

“Dunno if I could ever stop.” He whispers breaking the knot of spit that connects their mouths with the stroke of his thumb against her shinning lip and pecks that spot twice.

“Then don’t.” Y/N looses her brain cells and only butterflies to whoosh into her skull as she grabs his jaw never letting him go and kisses him harder and rougher this time.

She’s gonna be in oh so much love with this bad boy that’s such a softie for her and she knows that there’s no going back.

#IMMMMMM BACKKKK FINALLYYY #PLEASEEEEE FORGIVE ME MY READ MORE THINGY IS NOT WORKING #BAD BOIII HARRYYYY #harry styles smut #harry styles #harry styles blurb #harry styles prompts #cute harry #harry smut #harry styles fanfiction #fluff #harry angst #hsh #dom harry

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miraculouscontent · 3 years

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where do i even begin

The focus in this episode is all over the place and also on none of the right things.

Let’s just start with the obvious: they didn’t even bother showing Alya's reaction to Marinette being Ladybug. We got nothing. Marinette revealing her identity to Alya is supposed to be a big deal, but the episode brushes it under the rug and even seems to lowkey blame Marinette for not telling Alya sooner, to the point where it outright lies and has Alya claim that Marinette’s secret was responsible for all of Alya’s Lady Wifi appearances.

It’s not like I’m surprised anymore when the show blames Marinette for like--anything, but the fact that this season seems to brag about its continuity by being on a firm timeline and then keeps going against continuity is really irritating.

And speaking of continuity, the Adrien pictures are back on the wall with absolutely no reason given. Narratively speaking, the show put them there so Alya would see them and think of bringing up Adrien to get Marinette to take a break, but the show can’t just do that if it wants to imply that it has continuity. Worse still is that this is the episode featuring “Charm Bug” (does her form have a name? I just call it Charm Bug and continue to do so), meaning that “Gang of Secrets” (where there were no Adrien pictures) has to take place before this and “Furious Fu” (where there are also no Adrien pictures) has to take place after.

At this point, they might as well just confirm that “destiny” is a real force and the ladybug miraculous is messing with Marinette’s room and twisting her emotions to make the love square endgame because--yeah, that’s all it is at this point.

The other thing is that Alya shoos Marinette away from her guardian duties so Marinette can go comfort Kagami (let’s be honest, the best part of the episode was Alya being like, “but what about Adrien?” and Marinette was basically like, “what about Adrien?”), which sounds great, but then it all goes back to Adrien, because of course it does.

Not only that, but the episode mocks Marinette for worrying about Kagami. Not only does Alya doubt Marinette’s concern, but Kagami isn’t at all affected by the break-up and isn’t even touched by Marinette’s worry.

The thing is, I get where Marinette’s coming from, because this is the Kagami who told Ladybug in “Heart Hunter” that she (Kagami) and Adrien were perfect for each other to the point where Kagami prioritized her potentially getting together with Adrien over her friendship with Marinette. Also keep in mind that Marinette is Kagami’s only friend, and it makes total sense that Marinette would expect Kagami to be devastated by the break-up.

But because it’s Miraculous, the show makes Marinette look like an idiot for being concerned for Kagami, as if saying, “Silly Marinette! Kagami’s not like you! Kagami is a strong independent woman!! You’re just so over-emotional and you were ridiculous for being sad about your own break-up! You should be more like her!”

I also don’t like it because it presents Kagami as this character who really does feel nothing due to the show not letting her. She was angry at Adrien, obviously, but she was also immensely upset and it made sense when she put so much effort in trying to get him to return her affections.

Buuuut no. Kagami is just annoyed by Marinette’s efforts to try and get her back together with Adrien (it’s not that her anger isn’t warranted, but that’s all they let her feel instead of any genuine sadness over the break-up).

And of course, there’s no mention about Marinette literally trying to help get Kagami back together with Adrien and how selfless that is on Marinette’s part. Obviously I don’t agree with Marinette disregarding Kagami’s feelings (I do hate though how the episode refused to have Kagami explain why Adrien upset her, which would help Marinette understand because she seems to think there’s a misunderstanding/Kagami doubting herself), but the episode refuses to acknowledge Marinette’s good intentions because it’s Marinette and because she’s supporting Adrimi and not the love square, so they’ll make her look as bad as possible. This led to the fandom talking about Marinette and her oBsEsSiOn with Adrien instead of saying UM HI YEAH MARINETTE IS DOING A “HEART HUNTER” 2.0??

(The show also does this consistently, by the way.)

Another thing the show won’t acknowledge is that what Marinette does with Kagami is extremely similar to what Alya does with Marinette. Alya has ignored Marinette’s agency, physically pushed her towards Adrien, and locked her in a room with Adrien no matter how many times Marinette has told her no and that she doesn’t want that.

But because it’s Marinette and because what she’s shipping is Adrimi (i.e: a ship that interferes with the love square), the episode absolutely tears her apart for it. If Alya’s meddling was treated the same way - where she’d be constantly put in the wrong and punished for it - I wouldn’t say a word about this, but we know that’s not the case from “Reflekdoll” (where Reflekta targeted Marinette and Rose of all people) and “The Puppeteer 2″ (hey, remember when Alya did all of that and then it was the museum staff who did nothing wrong who got the worst of Puppeteer’s wrath?).

And this isn’t even taking into consideration that, once again, Marinette has learned something from someone else because they were never called out or punished or learned (originally being Adrien/Bustier where she “learned” to trust Chloe and see where that got her???), and then she’s the one who gets the heat for it.

Might I also add how insulting it is that the episode before this had Marinette saying that she “didn’t want to focus on love,” and then immediately afterwards, Alya is pushing for Adrienette and the episode itself won’t let anyone shut up about Adrien?

Like, this is the episode where Marinette does guardian stuff, gets an upgrade in Charm Bug, and yet the episode hyperfocuses on Aaaaaadrien. He doesn’t even do anything; he’s just a black hole that inhales all available attention and magically pulls all the characters towards his general location.

Then the episode keeps breaking its own continuity as an excuse to make things more about Adrien and also more about the love square, like saying that Marinette carries her disguises everywhere when it’s really just an excuse for Marinette to conveniently have the umbrella so that they can recreate the umbrella scene (by the way, the line from Marinette about “recreating Kagami’s moment where she fell in love with Adrien” is both incredibly forced and incredibly obvious because we’ve never even seen how Kagami fell for Adrien).

And when you already know how the show goes, it all becomes so predictable, which is a huge problem. By the time you hear Marinette say that she “didn’t want to focus on love” last episode, you already know what’s going happen. This episode reaffirms Marinette’s crush on Adrien, which is weird because it’s not as if there was ever any doubt in the first place? The show didn’t even try to convince its audience that Marinette was actually trying to move on, which gives the scene no impact when it happens. We already know that Marinette isn’t really in denial (she’s not stupid) and is very likely saying that she’s not in love with Adrien because admitting it hasn’t gotten her anywhere and she’s repeating something to herself is an attempt to make it true (which is a common coping mechanism for people with self-esteem issues/anxiety), so the scene is just for shipping fuel.

We’ve seen future episodes that show that Marinette hasn’t made any actual progress, hence being another piece of evidence towards my theory that the show does it on purpose to get the Adrienette fans to freak out when anything happens even if it’s reversed in the end. It’s particularly frustrating because it denies Marinette of agency yet again, with her saying something and the show then going lol okay but what if--

It’s gross, and made more so by Kagami watching Marinette and Adrien from a distance and saying that they’re “made for each other.” I’ve talked many times before about how the show is too lazy to have actual chemistry between the love square so they’ll just have characters say that they’re meant to beeeeee, so I won’t go into that, but really, actually think about what Kagami’s saying here.

This is the guy that, in her eyes, abandoned her repeatedly on dates and lied in order to get away from her. She stated outright that Adrien had disappointed her to the point where all of her feelings for Adrien seemed to have completely disappeared and she didn’t even want to be friends with him anymore (at least for now).

Yet, the show had Kagami not only say that line, but told Marinette directly that Adrien was perfect for her. This means either one of two things, neither being good:

- the show intentionally had Marinette do all this so that Kagami would feel embarrassed for Adrien and thus fix all of Adrimi’s relationship problems without Adrien having to do any work to earn her trust back (notice how Adrien in this episode is an “extra good boy” this time around, probably even more than they usually try - keyword: try - to portray him)

- Kagami’s opinion on Adrien hasn’t changed at all and she’s essentially saying that Marinette belongs with this guy who has hurt Kagami, betrayed her trust, and will probably do the same to Marinette

And obviously the show doesn’t think about any of that. It just wants to push for the love square. The only reason there was any focus on Kagami at all was to have a reason to get Marinette to go to Kagami, for Kagami to get angry at Marinette because - as we all know - Marinette “has to mess up and learn in every episode,” so there’d be a reason to go to where Adrien was, and so Kagami could become the next local shipper for the love square.

Marinette didn’t even get to figure out the magical charms by herself; Rena Rouge gave her the answer. It was like the show saw her doing guardian work and shoved her out the door because the only thing she’s good for is being part of the love square. Alya gets seconds of time shown with her looking over the grimoire to figure out the trick, which makes the whole thing underwhelming and rushed when Rena comes up and tells Ladybug that it’s essentially “just been about her” the whole time, meaning it’s just the show yet again being like “see, Marinette? If you’d just figured this out bEfORe...” (note that the episode never tells Marinette that she’s unnecessarily guilting/blaming herself)

But yeah, despite the episode not giving Adrien anything to do, characters talk about him constantly, Marinette somehow doesn’t get the spotlight she needs despite getting a power-up form, and the episode feels the need to constantly railroad Marinette exactly where it wanted to go, not for her, but for the love square, which has always been about not her. It’s already bad when the episode itself is bad, but when it has so much to throw in and delivers on absolutely none of it, it just makes it all the more painful.

#category: salt #episode: Mr. Pigeon 72 #other: ml spoilers #other: ask and answer

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heloflor · 3 years

Photo

So, given that I didn’t have much time to work on fics recently because school, I’ve decided to relieve some stress by making a random representation of how I imagine Cavendish and Dakota’s house in their time-period looks like. And since I have no plans to ever describe it in detail in a fic, here it is ! Though, given how bad I am with designs, showing the house is mostly an excuse to infodump on domestic headcanons.

Regarding the last names, I didn’t make a typo for Cav. I like to imagine the two getting married way before the events of the show, with Cav taking “Dakota” as a last name, mostly because he got several siblings in-law on the Dakota side who adopted him on the spot.

And about the representation of the house : yeah it looks like shit. Since I can’t draw, I’ve decided to do something rather quick using MSPaint but yeah, not the best thing in the world. Though, if I get back to playing the Sims 3 at some point and end up making a Dwampyverse savefile, I’ll most likely try to recreate that house and could share a few pics.

I also went with a rectangular house with one floor instead of some futuristic-looking thing, mostly because I have no imagination when it comes to design. Though, you could still use the excuse that they want something more “old-timey” given their job or that they don’t have all the money of the world so they chose a simple house for the small cost. But yeah, by the end of the day, the choice is mostly because I can’t design shit.

But still one thing in my defense : looking at episodes that take place in the future like “Missing Milo” or “First Impressions”, it seems that most buildings are square-y with the roof being the weirdly-shaped part, with B.O.T.T. being one of the few exceptions. And looking at “A Christmas Peril”, the buildings are definitely more wacky but it’s 20 years later so…

I could also mention that I’m a bit unsatisfied with how empty the living-room and the bedroom ended up being but I’m drawing a total blank when trying to come up with the kind of stuff Vinnie and Balth would have that are linked to their interests. Though, maybe the excuse of them not being often at the house works ? Idk. Let’s just say I have ideas for the “basic” stuff, aka what you find in basically every single middle-class house, but draw a complete blank for anything that’s decorative. Still posting a map of the house tho because I don’t really consider it a work in progress if I simply have no idea and may never do. I’m very bad at design so bear with me on that one ! It’s not only about the house, it’s also about the fluffy headcanons !

So here’s under the cut some random info about the look of the rooms and furniture + a bunch of headcanons regarding Vinnie and Balth’s lives in this house. For each part of the house, you first have the info about how it looks first and then the headcanons.

Those headcanons are made with the idea that Vinnie and Balth are married (duh) but also, for a few, that Vinnie has three siblings + a few in-laws that he has a good relationship with.

(very long post ahead)

General :

- They bought the house in 2162, 2 years after getting married.

- It’s in the suburbs, or at least what the future version of the suburbs would look like. In other words, the presence of a backyard is debatable.

- There could be a garage for their time vehicle, so that they don’t have to go to headquarters every single day. And if not an actual garage, there’s at least some space to put it. In both cases, it would be near the bedroom’s side of the house.

- While the walls outside would have that futuristic “metallic” look, the walls inside would be a bit warmer. At the very least, the inside isn’t “future metallic white”, especially with Vinnie having photophobia.

- The intensity of the lights in every room can be adjusted. That way, Vinnie can put the dimmest light and navigate the house without his glasses. This is mostly useful for showering and midnight snacks.

- When they went house-hunting, Balth was the one who insisted that they needed a place with those kinds of lights. This is also the same kind of lights that Vinnie had in his now-former apartment.

- You know how near the end of the episode “First Impressions” you have Balth going into Mr. Block’s office ? Well, the way the door opens in that moment is how the door opens for every room of the house, perhaps excluding the main entrance (I like the idea of their front door being an “old” one, aka the “normal” doors we have today).

- Every room would have a spot that can create “tactile panels”, like some holographic tablet that can be used to change the settings of the house, for example changing the lights or the internet or even lock the doors and blinds.

- In 2175, when they were forced to leave the future, Vinnie stole a device from B.O.T.T. that made him able to create some kind of forcefield around the house that only he and Balth can remove. So, even if they’re not there anymore, the house still is theirs and can’t be sold to anyone else. And before you ask why B.O.T.T. didn’t simply send agents to bring the duo back and force them to open the shield : the forcefield works with hand-scan detection and Vinnie convinced Balth to use their left hands, the hands with the wedding rings. So if time-agents come knocking, they could try convincing the agents to let them use the bathroom first and they could wash their hands and use the soap to remove the rings. That way, the scan wouldn’t work and the agents would have no way of knowing why.

Living room :

- There’s more furniture than showed here like souvenirs from previous missions or some random stuff that belongs to them. I just don’t have enough imagination. : /

- Likewise, the corridor has a few pictures or posters, like pictures that Vinnie didn’t have the space to put in his memory room but still wanted to display. Also, I want to say that Vinnie would display pictures of his family (sibling, in-laws and nephews) but I’ll see him more as having an album for family pictures, or a framed picture on his nightstand.

- There could definitely be a carpet or two. They would either be modern ones to fit the fact that they’re from the future or vintage stuff found in some of their missions. One of the carpets would be under the coffee table. Another would be in the big-ass space between the living-room and the kitchen, or in the corridor.

- The style is a mix between old and new stuff, with also a few things related to their interests. Like, for example, the couch could have an animal pattern or something (AND BY THAT I DON’T MEAN REAL ANIMAL FUR).

- Speaking of the couch, after looking up “futuristic couch” on the internet, they would absolutely have one of those gigantic couches that have like a bed attached to them due to how big they are. Btw I have no idea which company came up with this design and I couldn’t care less. It’s just that the design looks cool and would fit a futuristic house.

- The side table is a floating square, given how we see in “A Christmas Peril” that tables in the future don’t have feet anymore (that’s one way to protect your toes).

- The floor lamp is more futuristic. It’s like a white orb attached to a lamp foot.

- The TV is attached to the wall. The remote is some kind of holographic tablet, kind of like the house settings thingy.

- This is where Balth would spend most of his mornings and evenings when they stay home. He’d just be sitting with a cup of tea, most of the time also a book, with the sun illuminating the room, just feeling comfortable and peaceful. The side table/cube was bought specifically for Balth’s tea. He would also use the lamp while reading in the late evening, either for the peace of having little to no light and solely focusing on the book or as a way for Vinnie to be in the room with the lights at the lowest setting. And speaking of Vinnie, he would sometimes join his husband on the couch, lying down with his head resting on Balth’s legs (cue Vinnie falling asleep, leading to a frustrated Balth who needs to pee but doesn’t want to wake him up).

- Since there’s a mini-table for when Balth drinks tea, the table right in front of the couch is mostly used for Vinnie to rest his legs on.

- And speaking of fluffy headcanons : movie nights. From time to time, aka minimum once a month, probably more, the couple would be in their pajamas cuddling on the couch while watching a movie, with Dennis resting in Balth’s arms.

For the movie choices, Balth would choose science-fiction, especially if there are any Professor-Time-themed movies, but also historical fiction (for some reason I tend to see Balth as having a liking for history ? I think it’s because of the way he dresses + his small rant about pirates in “Game Night” ? Idk honestly. It’s mostly a random headcanon that’s here for some weird reason). As for Vinnie, it’s mostly animal documentaries (Balth falls asleep halfway through but Vinnie doesn’t notice until after it’s over) or animated/family movies (the future equivalent of D*sney, S*ny pitcures, P*xar etc. Which are movies Balth would enjoy as well). For some weird reason I’ll also see the two of them being into mystery movies (crime-solving movies basically).

And if they sometimes decide to watch other genres, I could see Balth having a liking for some romance movies, because for some reason I like the idea of Balth being sappy. Besides, the guy is passionate when it comes to proving himself at his jobs and takes them pretty seriously in order to reach his objective. And given how he can be insecure and sometimes feels like a ball of anxiety, who’s to say he isn’t passionate when it comes to love too ? And no, I don’t mean passionate as in “making out all the time”, I mean passionate as in taking relationships seriously and making it work while also wishing to make sure his partner knows that he’s loved, even if Balth isn’t really the best at expressing his affection all the time.

On a different note, to get back to other genres : Vinnie would probably like horror movies. Because if cuddling in front of a sappy movie is great, having your husband show his love and trust for you by clinging to your arm out of fear is even better, nevermind the fact that you’re as terrified as he is.

Kitchen :

- It’s one of those kitchens with two walls of cupboards/cabinets, both on the ground and elevated. One of the cabinets is used entirely for snacks. Because Vinnie.

- The wall separating the kitchen and the living room “has a hole in it”. It’s like you have a small wall with cupboards, a hole, and a wall connected to the ceiling with a few cabinets. Basically, you look up “kitchen cupboards” and imagine that the space in-between is a hole instead of the wall (why is it so hard to explain something so simple ?).

- This would be the most futuristic-looking room of their house. Looking up at references, they’re that Pinterest post showing a room with white cabinets with round corners and what seems to be slide doors. This is pretty much how I’ll see their kitchen, except bigger, with a different wall color and with one wall not being here (see above).

- The table is floating because of course it does. The chairs don’t tho. Also the chairs are as futuristic as the rest of the room. And looking up the internet again, the chairs are shaped like chairs.

- So I put a stove but tbh I’m not sure how much these two would cook, given how in the show they’re always seen eating out (granted they don’t have a kitchen in their ‘apartment’ in Milo’s time). And given how most things seem automatized in the future, let’s just assume that the house can do most of the cooking itself with like a robot (aka plot-convenience technology) but still needs the necessary furniture and ingredients for the recipes. Also, if there’s an issue with their cooking system, they’ll probably know a few recipes and can feed themselves (Vinnie’s oldest brother Enzie would definitely teach his younger siblings a few recipes, at least enough to survive on their own. And he would be more than happy to teach his brother in-law as well).

- I put 4 chairs at the table but honestly I could see them keep 2 at all times and put the others in the storage room, especially the times they get very busy with their job for a few weeks and don’t have the time for social life.

- At some point, Balth probably tried to convince Vinnie to have better food habits and tried to put his snacks on the higher shelves. Not only did it not work because chairs exist but also it led to Vinnie getting frustrated. So Balth dropped it. Though, he would still try to talk Vinnie into working out to stay rather healthy.

Memories room :

- Vinnie’s personal space. He basically saw the third biggest room of the house and went “mine now” and Balth had no issue letting him have it (hard to say no when Vinnie’s eyes shine like that).

- He already had a memory room in his old apartment.

- Basically, Vinnie brings back souvenirs from his missions, along with pictures he took, and put them on display. For more information, I made a post about it a while ago, so check it out if you want info on it.

And side note : I learned more about ADHD and autism later on and found out that the correct word for Vinnie’s passion for animals is a special interest, not a hyperfixation. The main difference between the two terms is how long your interest last. The reason I used “hyperfixation” in my post is because 1. I didn’t know that “special interest” was a term that existed and 2. people with ADHD kept talking about having hyperfixations and most people see Vinnie as having ADHD. So yeah, my bad for using the wrong term. And while I won’t change the current text from my post, especially with someone in the notes correcting me (I don’t want them to look like an idiot), I’ll definitely add a few words at the end of the post about it.

- This is where Vinnie spends most of his time when at home, trying to keep the room in the best condition.

- There’s a window in the room but Vinnie condemned it in case some of his souvenirs were sensitive to the sunlight.

- The room is made entirely of shelves, with like four-five rows on the same wall. The shelves are either integrated into the walls or they’re floating because future. In any cases, there’s nothing around the shelves, it’s just shelves with stuff on it.

- When you enter the room, one of the rows of shelves next to you has all the animal-related stuff he gathered before starting a relationship with Balth. The rest of the room can have a few animal-themed objects but the pictures tend to be more linked to him and Balth.

- Likewise, when you enter the room, on the shelf you’re immediately facing, there’s a miniature recreation of their wedding altar with their wedding picture in its center. The miniature is made out of the future equivalent of papier-mâché and the altar is themed around time-travel with objects from all kinds of time-periods and cultures. And for those who might ask regarding the picture : Vinnie has a black suit and carries the bouquet while Balth has a white suit. Both have a hat that’s basically Balth’s usual hat (with the Professor-Time goggles, because themed wedding) but colored like their respective suit.

Balthazar’s office :

- The room has quite a few libraries but this is mostly decorations. Basically, this room is more of an 1800th century study than anything, especially a rich/royal study. Yeah, for some reason I see Balth as having an office that’s just “rich 1800th century” aesthetic. I think it’s from the headcanon of him being a runaway prince 🤔.

- So yeah. The bookcases are vintage, the piano is your usual black piano, the armchairs are vintage and tbh Balth almost never uses them because he’d rather read in the living room, and the desk is vintage, though the stuff on the desk is futuristic. Balth is up to date with the technology he’s using to work, he just likes the older aesthetic for the rest.

- On his desk, despite literally living with the guy, Balth has a framed picture of Vinnie (again, I want the stubborn gay disaster to be sappy from time to time, with his love language being small touches and attention to details like for example being able to quickly see the kinds of foods Vinnie like the most so that when he’s in a bad mood, Balth can get him that specific food to make it better ; or learning Vinnie’s body language to know when he’s upset or bothered by something).

- Balth mostly spends his time here to make the reports on their missions or work some administration stuff when needed. When he isn’t at his desk, he’s there to play the piano.

And yes, I throw out the window that line from “Backwards to School Night” that indicates Vinnie doesn’t know about Balth playing piano but tbh I ignore or question quite a few things from this episode such as : the line indicating that Vinnie and Balth don’t live together in their time-period since Balth doesn’t know Vinnie’s weekend habits ; the line about how the ray thing age you down to 90% your current age and yet baby Vinnie seems younger than the parents despite his adult self seeming older; the fact that Melissa read a book 16 times in the span of 6 minutes ; the fact that it’s called a “age regressor ray” and not a “age regressor ray-inator” (seriously, I am the only one always expecting Vinnie to say “inator” and being disappointed when he doesn’t ?).

- The couple absolutely sing songs together with Balth playing the piano. Or at least Vinnie would sing a song in the middle of the living-room and have Balth be annoyed by it, only for Vinnie to hear Balth play the same song on the piano later and join him.

Bathroom :

- Not much to say here. It’s a bathroom. It’s futuristic-looking. The mirror is a cabinet. The tub is round. The bin comes in and out of the wall. The clothes drier also irons the clothes. The toilet is glued to the wall. The walls are dark gray or dark blue or at least a darker color so that Vinnie doesn’t have to dim the lights to the lowest level when he’s showering. There are also several little lights along with a main one so that Vinnie can light the small ones instead of getting a headache due to the brighter light. During lazy/slow days, Balth would take baths instead of showers (and Vinnie would want to join him to make out). Balth may or may not sing in the shower (Vinnie definitely does). That’s pretty much it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Guest/Storage room :

- Only used as a guest room when one or several members of the Dakota family are visiting the states and end up in the Tri-State-Area. So for 90% of the time, the room is used as storage.

- Bed’s not that big and very “squary”. Might or might not be floating.

- It’s mostly random junk that they don’t know where to put and don’t want to get rid of, like some stuff they got from their missions but that Vinnie doesn’t want in his room or some old things they want to give at a garage sale or that one Professor-Time body-pillow that Balth refuses to let go of while Vinnie just wants to trash the thing. The body-pillow being in the storage room in a junkpile was their compromise on the issue. Also, whenever someone might stay in the room, Balth makes sure there’s no way they will find the body-pillow (his sister in-law Bettie would never let him live it down).

- Not much to say here either aside from that.

Master bedroom (the room in which the proportions are way bigger than the rest of the house because I have no idea what I’m doing) :

- I described the room quickly in my fic “nightmares” but yeah basically the room has several posters and pictures related to their interests, along with a bookshelf full of animal encyclopedias, time-travel facts, history books, Professor-Time fantasy books etc. There are also albums, whether it be family pictures or album of the two of them.

- Like for the living-room, there can definitely be more than what I described/pictured here. I’m just really bad at imagining the kind of stuff people would have in their bedrooms related to their interests. And speaking of which : at some point, there was the aquarium that Vinnie mentions in “Time Out”.

- Unlike the other rooms in which the windows have roller blinds (apparently that’s the english word for it ?), this one has curtains on top of it because Balth likes to open the window in the morning but he doesn’t want Vinnie to hurt his eyes. So with curtains, he can open them enough to light the room but not enough for the light to reach Vinnie’s face.

- The bed is pretty classic for a futuristic bed but with round edges and these two idiots definitely go crazy with the sheets design (animals, food, Professor-Time, past time-periods, stuff like that). Also, the bed is “open”. By that I mean that, if you look at futuristic designs, there tends to be some roof thing above the bed and linked to it. They wouldn’t have that.

- The nightstands are floating cubes.

- “Dennis’ chair” is just some random old wooden chair where Dennis stays most of the time. Balth almost never takes him during his missions and Dennis is a comfort object that Balth mostly talks to when sitting on the bed, movie nights aside. So the bear stays in the bedroom.

- The bookshelf would also be made of wood.

- The wardrobe is futuristic, with doors that can open by themselves with sensory detection. Also, unlike what that poor “drawing” shows, the wardrobe is “taller” than it is “larger”.

- The armchair is an egg chair.

- They sleep

- They spoon

- Balth is the big spoon because 1. he’s taller and 2. he grew up sleeping while embracing a teddy bear and old habits die hard.

- When Balth goes to sleep or wakes up, he can’t help but play with Vinnie’s hair and give the small man a few kisses, feeling satisfaction in seeing his husband smile or try to pull away while laughing.

- Vinnie sleeps on the side closest to the window while Balth sleeps on the side nearest to Dennis.

- Balth’s nightstand has an alarm clock that’s basically just a holographic square with numbers on it, while Vinnie has an album or some random animal trinket. Vinnie’s alarm clock is not feeling Balth’s warmth against him. But if Vinnie has to use an actual alarm, the sound would either be some old-fashioned song or an animal noise (is this starting to get too much insistence on the “animal-loving” side of him ?)

- While Balth likes to read in the living-room, Vinnies likes it better to chill in the bedroom when reading. Also, during weekends and vacation days, Balth would sometimes read in bed before sleeping (yeah for some reason I really like the idea of Balth being a reader. I think it has to do with him being old or british ??? Weird brain is weird. And besides, if Balth reads, it would most likely be science fiction related to Professor Time). Vinnie uses this time as an excuse to cuddle.

- They have themed pajamas. Balth mostly has Professor-Time stuff (clocks, Heinz or Perry’s faces etc) while Vinnie has mostly animal-themed or food-themed pajamas.

- Vinnie sometimes sleeps naked in the summer. Balth is still trying to figure out how he feels about that.

- Random headcanon regarding Dennis : while he belongs to Balth who keeps him close when in doubt in order to vent or when he wants to get comfortable somewhere, I actually like to believe that, between the two, Vinnie is the one who talks the most to Dennis, mostly because Vinnie would just enter the bedroom and casually greet the bear, or he and Balth would have a dumb argument and Vinnie would playfully tell Dennis “Can you believe that guy ?” while pointing at Balth. Just, Vinnie being Vinnie and having random one-sided conversations with the bear.

And a little cute thing : while Vinnie really just talked to Dennis because why not, seeing the guy like the teddy bear so much would actually make Balth feel better about himself. I like to believe that grown-up men having plushies would still be seen as a ridiculous thing by most people (because toxic masculinity) and Balth got the habit of hiding Dennis when he was still trying to find the right guy for him. So seeing Vinnie have no issue whatsoever with the teddy bear and even liking him would definitely help Balth’s confidence, along with warming his heart.

- And since this post is all about headcanons : two things about phones and these two being sappy that have nothing to do with houses.

1. One day, Balth left his phone on a table and Vinnie decided to take a selfie with it because why not. After seeing that, Balth acted frustrated but ended up putting the pic as his phone background. Ever since, Balth’s phone background is a picture of Vinnie. The most recent one is from “We’re Going to the Zoo” with a picture of Vinnie holding squirrels in his arms while a third one is coming out of his pistachios-filled pants. The pic on the phone is a closeup, only showing Vinnie’s head and upper body. And for those who like angst, I’ll let you imagine how he must have felt having this as his phone background during the rogue arc.

2. Vinnie’s (numeric) phone password is 2703, aka march 27, the date of his wedding anniversary. The day is put first and the month second because Europe. Also, during busy weeks, this would be a good way for Vinnie to remember the anniversary.

(fun fact : I was trying to come up with scenarios for fics when I ended up thinking about Vinnie’s password and that number came to mind. So I just went “guess that’s their wedding date now”)

#Milo Murphy's Law #Vinnie Dakota #Balthazar Cavendish #Dakavendish #long post #VERY long post #headcanons #Flor talks #hey look I'm rambling again about random shit #I am SO. BAD. at design #but yeah #have a house #and random ideas #also have Balthazar Dakota #it sounds more and more normal when you think about it a lot #also Dennis Cavendish #or is it Dennis Cavendish-Dakota ?#now to edit the memory room post

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beingallelite · 5 years

Link

Hoffman Estates, Illinois — All Elite Wrestling returned to familiar ground in the suburbs of Chicago on Saturday, trying to recreate the magic that launched the brand's leading stars into the wrestling stratosphere at last year's All In.

Mission accomplished.

All Out was a five-hour extravaganza, mixing diverse wrestling styles to create a show unlike anything fans had ever seen from a mainstream promotion. From the old-school southern shenanigans of Cody Rhodes and Shawn Spears to the state-of-the-art stunt spectacular performed by the Young Bucks and Lucha Brothers, it was a wrestling show that had something remarkable for every fan in the building.

The energy was electric—and contagious. The live crowd couldn't get enough, and the building was full to bursting with fans who felt invested, not just in individual wrestlers or storylines, but in the entire enterprise.

Something special is brewing in the wrestling industry, and AEW is at the heart of it.

Last week, Off the Top Rope's Jonathan Snowden talked to one of the event's architects, All Elite Wrestling executive Brandi Rhodes, about the launch of a new wrestling promotion, her savvy use of social media and her role in building a women's division from the ground up.

This week, we continue that conversation with a discussion of one of the most multifaceted talent rosters in professional wrestling history.

Jonathan Snowden: I'm assuming you're often the only woman in the room when a lot of important decisions are being made. Is it kind of your duty to keep an eye out for the other women on the roster and help make sure they aren't pushed in directions creatively that a man might not realize could make them uncomfortable?

Brandi Rhodes: That's the goal. I haven't had any situations like that yet, but we're about to start weekly TV. So we'll see some of the ideas. But there have been for myself at times in wrestling, times when I had to say, 'Hey, wait a minute, I'm not really comfortable with that' or, 'That doesn't work for me.'

It's interesting to see how a lot of people don't see the other side of the coin. Since they haven't been there. Someone might suggest your character say something that they'd never say. It doesn't occur to them that there are people who think differently about something, from another perspective.

I think it probably will be helpful to have me there. I'm also someone who is always looking at things from different angles. There's always two answers. Cody and I run a lot of things by each other. We're able to help each other see things differently than we would singularly.

JS: What's an example of a time you remember when you were asked to do something you didn't feel right about doing? Is there a moment that stands out?

Rhodes: Ideas that made it seem like I wasn't particularly faithful to my husband. That's an area I don't like to go. It's just not for me.

And the fans, they know us. They know Cody and I, and they like our relationship. So, I would never want to kind of scoff in their faces and make it seem like it's something that it's not.

JS: You guys have a slogan, "AEW is for everyone." I know just how real that is, and I wanted to personally thank you for your commitment to sensory inclusion. We have two kids on the autism spectrum, and going to an event like yours can be kind of terrifying. But we came out to Double or Nothing, and the sensory room you put together with KultureCity made a huge difference. Why was this so important to you? Because I was told you championed the cause.

Rhodes: Thank you for sharing that with me. I love hearing from people who had wonderful experiences with the sensory room. It really makes me so happy.

KultureCity actually reached out to me. I didn't know anything about them or their mission, because it was really vague to me what they represented. I met with [CEO] Julian Maha, and he told me that when we said "AEW is for everyone," it might not be true. He said: 'You're missing a big part of the market. You're missing people with invisible illnesses.' I said, 'Wow." Because we 100 percent were, and we hadn't thought about it.

It's just one of those things people don't think about unless it personally affects them. It can easily slip your mind unless you're confronted with it. But I've been to countless wrestling shows over the last seven or eight years. I've been a part of many meet-and-greets where someone had a need like this and no one knew what to do. Personally, it was embarrassing when we didn't know how to help people and they would just have to leave.

So, when Julian brought this up, I was all for it. If I can keep those moments from happening for any family, I'm all for whatever it takes to make that happen. We are fully in with KultureCity and doing everything we can to get them to as many events as possible.

JS: Inclusion seems to be important generally to this company. From Nyla Rose to Sonny Kiss to the Chinese superstars from OWE, you've been finding talent where most mainstream wrestling companies don't even think to look for it. Are there barriers you're intentionally breaking down, or is it just a matter of being open to talented performers, whatever their background might be?

Rhodes: It's not something we set out to do. We never said, 'We need to check these boxes.' That's not a good way to find the best talent, in my opinion. As long as you keep in mind that what you're looking for is the best person, regardless of anything else, you're going to find the best of the best. And I think that's what we've got here.

In our case, we were very, very lucky. A lot of talent just kind of fell in our lap, which is wonderful when you don't have to search very hard for such talented people.

Our agenda was always to have an open mind about everything. When you have someone like Sonny Kiss, who is very much on the surface who he is, there is no way we're going to say, 'Maybe he should be different, do different moves or act a different way.' He is who he is, and who he is is perfect. He's very talented, and we absolutely love having Sonny as part of the roster.

JS: You guys have made great use of social media. Before I was familiar with the wrestling work of many of your young performers, I met them on your YouTube shows Being The Elite and The Road to All Out series. Both those shows are great at making you really care about the people who make up this company.

But is that possible with some of the foreign talents? I think Riho and [Hikaru] Shida had a really compelling match at All Out—how do you present them on a YouTube show the same way with the language and cultural barriers that might be there?

Rhodes: That's always a challenge, as many people have seen in wrestling over the years with characters when English isn't their first language. However, there have also been plenty of examples where it hasn't been a factor at all because they've been able to express themselves in other ways.

There are things we have in mind to let people know more about some of these wrestlers and how they came to be, what their background is and who they are in the ring. It's something you'll have to see as we roll it out, but there are definitely plans.

JS: AEW launches on TNT on Oct. 2, just a few weeks after WWE takes their NXT brand into the mainstream on the USA Network. Old-school wrestling fans have seen a version of this before, but for new fans, this may be the first time they've been asked to make a choice. So, with WWE just a click away, why should fans choose to take a leap of faith with AEW?

Rhodes: We've been at the cusp of something amazing in wrestling, something we're calling a revolution. This is the first time in almost 20 years that there has been another brand that is this strong and on prime time.

The fanbase has expressed that they've wanted this and needed this for so long. It's been proven with the sellouts we've been having at multiple arenas throughout the country that people really, really do want this alternative.

We vow to bring that alternative in many, many ways. We've talked about it across many mediums, and we'll stay true to our belief that bell-to-bell wrestling is the most important thing.

Our roster is so diverse, and I think our show will be different than anything people have seen. We just hope to continue this movement, and fans will come with us and tune in every week so we can keep doing what we're doing. That's what makes this possible: the fans. As long as the fans keep rallying behind us and stick with us, we're going to do really, really well.

Brandi Rhodes is the chief brand officer for All Elite Wrestling and a standout performer. You can follow her on Twitter and YouTube for further glimpses into a life well-lived.

Match of the Week

Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers (AEW All Out, Aug. 31): These teams have been squaring off for months, to the point where their combined excellence has become almost routine. A ladder match successfully upped the ante, ramping up the danger, level of difficulty and excitement in ways that would have been unimaginable just two decades ago when Edge, Christian and the Hardy Boyz set the standard for all to follow.

With all due respect to WWE's legends of the form, this match surpassed even their best efforts. It was consistently innovative, daring and almost too much for several people in my section at Sears Centre, who hid their faces in their hands and literally begged for someone to stop the match before someone died in the ring.

No one did, but only because the performers executed some of the most bonkers highspots imaginable and almost never missed a beat.

'Hard Times' Promo of the Week

Chris Jericho was on top of the world as he cruised Tallahassee, Florida, in a limousine on his way to a local LongHorn Steakhouse. Jericho was the new AEW world champion, and to the victor go the spoils.

Afterward, however, there was a bit of a problem: he couldn't find the belt. As the internet mocked him savagely, Jericho leaned into the storm and made the moment his own.

Here's a taste of his genius, delivered in a hot tub with a scarf on, because it's Chris Jericho and he can:

"Now, as I sit here in my palatial estate, in my beautiful mansion, getting ready to have a little bit of the bubbly, I'm just imagining what I would do to that son of a b---h if he was here right now.

"And as a result, I am launching a worldwide investigation, using the top private investigators in the world today, to find out who committed this crime. And trust me, as the AEW champion ... I promise to regain and restore and find—and reclaim!—the AEW championship and once again give you another reason to finally give me the 'thank you' that I deserve.

"You're welcome."

Update: He got it back!

#all elite wrestling #aew #all out #brandi rhodes #the young bucks #chris jericho #matt jackson #nick jackson #lucha brothers #pentagon jr #fenix #article #posted on: 9.5.19 #bleacher report

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elizaviento · 5 years

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Manipulation (part 13)

Note: Uhh. So yeah -- sorry it’s taken me 1 billion years to post this update. Lazy bitch syndrome is real and it hit me pretty hard. At any rate, I hope this makes up for it. :)

NSFW -- 2950 words

(FYI: This story is a sequel/companion piece to Assimilation, which can be found in the Rick Fic Masterpost link in my blog’s description along with additional chapters of Manipulation. Or, you can click the #manipulation tag in this post, within my blog, to access all additional chapters.)

*****

When I awoke just a few hours later – as if my mind could ever quiet down enough to grant me more than that – she remained fast asleep. At some point, she’d turned in my arms and was now lying flat on her back with her hair draped over her face. Several strands had fallen into her gaping mouth and were completely saturated with her saliva. Suppressing a laugh, I gently picked them from her mouth before dropping the moist stands on the pillow.

“Fuckin’ gross,” I grumbled before hauling my aching bones from the cot. Getting dressed was the usual task, along with fishing my flask from my lab coat breast pocket for my morning dose of pick-me-the-fuck-up.

I didn’t have any concrete plans for the day. Morty was at school and I briefly considered yanking him from Math class. All of my current projects were not interesting in the least at the moment. My mind was so preoccupied with the woman sleeping in my bed that even going on an adventure seemed terribly bland in comparison to the intense desire to portal back into my room – because walking would take way too much precious time – and fuck her brains out. But, considering how absolutely haggard she’d looked earlier that morning, I gathered up enough willpower to leave her be.

----------

Several hours later, I was shifting through the boxes on my metal shelves in the garage, tossing things to the side that I had been procrastinating throwing out, I caught movement from the corner of my eye.

She was casually strolling toward the open garage door with a sway in her hips that I hadn’t witnessed firsthand since before I’d left all those years ago and my eyes glued to her figure like flies on shit. The grin gracing her lips was playful and sexy as hell and I caught her wink as her styled hair bounced with each step, in time with her breasts. Hitching a breath, I prepared to quip a clever turn of phrase in an attempt to hear that delightful giggle of hers but before I could, her cell phone issued a shrill chirp from her small handbag, drawing her attention to the hand held device. Then, giving a quick and curt wave, she turned on those ridiculously high heeled shoes and pranced her way to the lime green hatchback parked on the street.

Wait a second, I thought as her car zipped through the residential streets. Where the fuck is she going? She looked absolutely stunning and there was no way she was going somewhere dressed like that… alone.

----------

I’d hopped in my ship and followed her by air as she weaved through the streets, making her way toward one of the many places that humans congregate in throngs. Then, she finally parked her car in the nearly full lot of a restaurant that probably housed its fair share of douche bags. Narrowing my eyes, I glared holes through the windshield of the ship as they remained trained on her form. She was obviously meeting someone and, even though I knew I shouldn’t give any shits, I actually gave many, many shits. And, as much as I wanted to immediately chase her down, I opted to sulk in silence for a half an hour or so before making my way inside.

I spotted her nearly instantly, tucked away in the corner of the restaurant with some goober looking mother fucker and I felt my blood pressure rise to a degree that was actually concerning. And, she was smiling – she was fucking laughing. What the actual fuck?

My mind was screaming at me to leave; just turn around and abandon this fiasco waiting to happen. But, let’s face it, when have I ever listened to logic where there was a full bar within spitting distance? So, I sat down and ordered the biggest, strongest, cheapest drink. And, she continued smiling – she continued laughing. I felt my fingers twitch as my hand seemed to move of its own volition; sliding across the slick top of the glass covered bar, toward my lab coat to fish though the inner pockets until it located the flat, rectangular device that I knew would be my ruin. Without restraint, my fingers flew over the touch screen –

Me: So how’s your boyfriend?

Me: He looks like a doofus.

Me: He can’t be THAT funny.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spied her distracted expression as her phone drew her attention away from the moron blabbing across the table from her. She did, however, sweep her eyes across the expanse of the restaurant, until I felt them settle on me.

Me: He thinks he’s getting his dick sucked.

Me: I bet his nuts smell like cottage cheese.

Me: Does he know you like ‘em swaggly?

Her: Jealous?

Again, THAT word – that fucking word – flashed like a beacon behind my eyes. I felt the actual emotions course and burned through my veins almost as keenly as the cheap whiskey and all I could do was scowl at the bottom of my glass, helpless and pitiful, as she carried on with her date.

After what felt like hours of straining to eavesdrop on their conversation, their check arrived and she snatched it from the edge of the table before the doofus she was sharing her time with could protest. At this point, my body went on autopilot. Rising from the bar stool, my legs felt like jelly as they moved of their own accord, toward the secluded table in the corner of the restaurant. Then, before she noticed my presence, I slide smoothly into the booth seat beside her and eyed her idiotic date warily.

“Heyyy, babe. Who – who’s your little friend?”

She gawked at the bug eyed moron across the table, her own eyes wide with shock. A swell of pride bloomed in my chest when I realized that I had successfully ruined whatever ‘romantic’ evening he may have had planned for my girl.

“Hi, I’m Trevor,” he said, extending a hand toward me from across the table.

“Rick Sanchez,” I replied, not taking ‘Trevor’s’ offered hand but, instead, pulling her closer next to me. She remained speechless until I placed a hand on her knee and began gliding it up her nicely shaped thigh.

“Trevor and I were just going over the architectural plans I drew for his house,” she offered, lifting a large portfolio from the booth on the opposite side of her, closest to the wall, and placing it on the table. She turned to look at me straight in the eye and resisted the obvious urge to flinch back when she saw that my face was mere inches from hers.

“So, are you two… um…” Trevor began.

“Fuckin’? Yeah, man. Oh yeah – all the way. She – uh – she’s wild, too. I-I-I mean, not like you’d know. Or – or anything. Nah – she’s wayyy too hot – too fine.”

From beside me, she issued a terse laugh that bordered on hysterical while her date began to gather his things to leave.

“Don’t forget the drawings,” she said, taking the large, folded prints from her portfolio. “Please, look them over again and get back to me with the changes, okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” he agreed, plucking the drawings from her delicate fingers. “I’ll email you.”

Just then, I felt a hot flush erupt though my body, originating from my chest, when the realization hit me square in the gut that I’d completely mistaken this entire situation. They really had been attending a business meeting and I’d just acted like a complete asshole; which was not a rare occurrence, to be sure. But, no fucking doubt, I’d screwed myself to the wall with the dumb ass shit I’d just pulled with her. Instead of folding my shitty hand, however, I kept with my time honored tradition of making sure I always get the last word – no matter what.

“Don’t l-let the door hit ya on the way out,” I called, giving Trevor a salute as he turned on his oddly high shinned loafers and hightailed it out of the restaurant. And, as soon as he was out of sight, she groaned and covered her face as my arm slowly retreated from her shoulder.

“Why?” she asked, her voice a high pitched whine but muffled behind her hands. Instead of replying, I ordered us both a scotch on the rocks as the waitress came by to pick up the check. When the drinks were delivered, she downed hers in one shot and then snatched mine to do the same.

Can you fucking blame her? my conscience chimed in as I pulled my flask for a swig and hunched over the table while attempting to play nonchalant. Then, she started giggling.

“What – w-what’s so fuckin’ funny?” I asked, sounding like a sourpuss even to my own ears. She giggled harder.

“You really think I’m fine?” she asked, shifting her upper body to fully face me in the booth.

“Shut up.”

“Seriously, though. What the hell was that?”

Again, I supplied no response. She knew that I knew I’d fucked up.

“By the way, Trevor is totally gay,” she cooed, breaking me from my pity party.

Something was happening. Glancing in her direction, I could see the blush rising in her cheeks. Then, in a not-so-subtle move, she pressed her tits against my arm when retrieving her card that the waitress had just dropped on the edge of the table and I literally had to force myself not to react.

She scooted closer to me in the booth and attempted to ‘casually’ drape one thigh over mine and grasped one of my hands from the table, planting it on her knee in a recreation of our secret grope session in the back of Beth’s car. Quirking a brow, I trailed my hand further up her thigh at a sensually slow place. She hitched a breath when I finally reached the hem of her lace panties, where I hooked a finger under the elastic and playfully snapped. She flirtatiously laughed in response, tilting her head to rest on my shoulder, but I refused to look at her – only slowly trailed my finger around the elastic on her thigh until I reached the apex of her legs.

Then, finally, I made eye contact as I nudged the thin fabric to the side and smoothly slid my middle and ring finger inside her. She was soaking wet.

“Oh fuuuck,” I whispered, closing my eyes. When I dragged my fingers out and slowly pushed them back in, she bit her bottom lip and dug her nails in the meaty flesh of my forearm to stifle a moan. She was still looking up into my face when I opened my eyes and pressed my lips her forehead, repeating the motion once more. “That feel good – y-you like that, beautiful?”

“Rick,” she breathed, as I withdrew my fingers to gently rub her clit. Her legs began to tremble so she circled the calf of the leg draped over mine around my calf and hooked her foot behind it, opening herself up wider. I pressed inside once again and she exhaled a shaky breath while staring up into my face. Just then, every dark desire I’d ever harbored for her bubbled to the surface and I simply didn’t have the willpower to refuse them any longer. Dropping a comically chaste kiss to her forehead, I performed a quick visual scan of our immediate area.

The restaurant had a dark ambiance by design to make each booth feel intimate. We were seated in a booth that was situated in the corner, set further apart from the remainder of the dining area. The side of the booth that we currently occupied was facing in such a way that we could not be seen head on. In the few seconds it took for me to perform a visual assessment, my hand and grown still between her legs. Apparently, that simply would not do – as evident by release of her vice grip from my forearm to my upper thigh, gliding upward until she fully cupped my already painfully hard cock through my slacks. I involuntarily jerked at the contact and returned my gaze to her face.

“I – I gotta taste you,” I declared, pitching my voice low so it could only be heard by her ears before completely extracting my soaking fingers from her cunt and exiting the booth. Obviously confused by my actions, she made to exit the booth herself and I stopped her with a curt, “Stay,” before taking a seat in the booth on the opposite end of the table, facing her. Then, propping my elbows on the table, I did one last visual scan of the room. Curious, she turned to see what I could be searching for and, while she was distracted, I slid from the booth seat to situate on my knees under the table before she or anyone else was the wiser. When I shuffled toward her and closed my hand around her right ankle, she squealed and jerked upward, attempted to yank her foot away in the process.

“Calm the fuck down!” I hissed, tightening my grip slightly in silent warning before gliding up her calf, my lips and tongue following close behind.

Glancing up her body in the semi-darkness, I caught her attempting to peak at me from under the cloth and smirked as my hands and mouth and tongue continued their teasing upward decent. When I reached her knee, I hooked my hand beneath it to hook her leg over my shoulder. Then, I shoved her opposite leg outward and wedged myself between her thighs to make room before hooking my fingers under the lace of her panties, yanking them to the side. Her body slightly trembled in a way that made my heart rate skyrocket drastically and, when my tongue finally made contact, I felt every muscle in her body tense and my ears were just able picked up her muffled gasps and moans.

I didn’t waste time with teasing. I lapped at her pussy, from top to bottom – truly tasting her – dragging the flat of my tongue up and down over and over. I probed her hole, pushing my tongue inside, fucking her with it until her legs instinctively tried to clamp around my head. I simply pushed the leg not over my shoulder outward once more and continued my mission, darting my tongue upward toward her clit where I circled and flicked the engorged bundle of nerves, making her body tremble and jerk in response.

Suddenly, I stopped and moved back slightly when the most scandalous idea occurred to me. Retrieving my cell phone, my fingers flew across the touch screen.

Me: Your pussy is so delicious baby.

Above me, she barked out a strangled laugh before shuffling around on the table top. Seconds later, my phone vibrated in response.

Her: Suck on my clit.

Feeling myself flush at her bold request – which seemed ironic considering I was the one eating her snatch under a restaurant table – I moved in closer still and wrapped my lips around her clit, just as she asked. No – demanded. No more than two minutes later, the familiar buzz interrupted me once more.

Her: I’m so close, Rick. Fuck me with your fingers, please!

And, I obliged – pressing my eager digits inside; curling and dragging and pressing. My mouth resumed the gently suckling of her clit, adding the sweeping motion of my tongue for good measure until she was full on shaking, unable to disguise it as her cunt clinched violently. I knew my good girl was so close for me.

Me: Cum on my face, my beautiful girl.

Right on cue, her body went entirely rigid; one hand slamming the top of the table while the knee resting over my shoulder jerked upward and slammed the bottom simultaneously as she came all over my face – just as I’d requested.

A moment later, I pulled back and gently lifted her leg from my shoulder. She nearly slid down the booth to the floor but I caught her calves and shoved her upward before reaching for my phone once more.

Me: Let me know when the coast is clear.

It was at least a few minutes before she stuck her hand under the table to wave me out. But, while I waited, I continued to sext her – making sure to keep her hot and bothered now that I knew she had a penchant for voyeurism.

Me: I’m not finished with you yet. I’m gonna fuck you stupid, sweetheart.

Me: It smells like your pussy under here.

Her: Bet me I won’t be banned from this restaurant for the rest of my life.

Me: Fuck that. Bet me this table won’t be reserved for months by every horny pervert within a 20 mile radius.

Me: We’ve done this dumb a favor.

When I finally reemerged on the other side of the booth, the spent expression she wore was so obvious that I couldn’t help the Cheshire grin that spread across my teeth as the rose colored blush tinted her chest, neck and cheeks. I had truly underestimated this girl, perhaps since the moment I’d met her.

Well, I was more than ready to make up for lost time.

To be continued…

#rick and morty #rick sanchez x reader #rick sanchez #fanfiction #sister smith series #manipulation

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takuchat · 4 years

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Final Fantasy VII Remake

Today we got a huge amount of Final Fantasy VII Remake Information as well as a ton of interviews and pictures. Below you can see a large compilation of the information.

There may be some redundancy in here as I gathered info from multiple sources.

Weapon abilities

Each weapon has its own unique weapon abilities that increase in proficiency the more they are used. When an ability’s proficiency level reaches the maximum, that ability is then learned by the wielder and can be used when wielding any weapon.

Here we see Cloud’s Buster Sword upgrade screen. The different options allow you to improve the wielder’s status or increase the number of Materia slots available.

Switching to Classic mode

Classic Mode can be activated by selecting “CLASSIC” from the difficulty menu. In Classic Mode, party members will act automatically, with the ATB gauge filling up as they do so. In this mode, the player only needs to select which abilities, magic, and items they will use their ATB charges for. This brings the feel of the gameplay closer to the menu-based battles from the original FFVII but with the amazing immersive graphics of the remake.

It is also possible to revert to direct control at any time during Classic Mode by pushing buttons on the controller.

Using characters’ unique abilities

The triangle button activates each character’s unique ability. Cloud’s unique ability is to switch between different fighting styles. He can switch between “Operator Mode” which has a good balance between attack and defense, and “Punisher Mode” [pictured] which is geared heavily towards offense. In Punisher Mode, Cloud’s movement speed is reduced, but his basic Square button attacks are upgraded to even mightier blows.

Assess Materia

Assess – Materia that allows you to use the Assess ability. When you use Assess on an enemy, you can see their resistances and weaknesses, making it easier to defeat them in battle.

Up close with Avalanche

We have some new screenshots of fan-favorite members of the anti-Shinra group Avalanche: Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge.

Biggs is calm, cool and collected, even in the most extreme circumstances. He’s tidy by nature, and loves nothing more than cleaning and taking a shower.

Jessie is in charge of procurement for Avalanche. She can get her hands on everything from explosives to fake IDs. She’s also a skilled engineer, and earns money for the group by fixing water filtration units and devices to sell on. She does have a weakness for handsome men though…

Wedge is an invaluable member of Avalanche, who uses his wits and charm for to gather information and defuse tense situations – including those within the team. He also has another very important role – he tastes new menu items in Seventh Heaven. Well, someone’s got to do it, right?

Meet the Turks

The Turks are a small, elite organization with Shinra. The shadowy group does everything the company needs it to – be it scouting out candidates for SOLDIER, protecting VIPs, or even assassination. Here’s a look at a couple of them.

Reno has flaming red hair and a cynical, aloof attitude. In battle, his agility and specialized weaponry and attacks make him a real threat.

Rude is instantly recognizable thanks to his shaved head, sunglasses and imposing stature. A man of few words, he relies on martial arts and his strength in battle, and completes missions as efficiently as possible.

Getting to the action

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE features a fast-paced real-time battle system that gives you lots of choice in how you approach combat.

Each character a unique ability – in Cloud’s case, he can switch between Operator and Punisher Mode.

Operator Mode offers a good balance between strength, defense and mobility.

A press of the triangle button puts Cloud in Punisher Mode. Movement speed is reduced, but his attacks become much more powerful.

Cloud also has access to powerful attacks, including Triple Slash, which hits all enemies nearby with three consecutive strikes…

…and the ranged attack Blade Burst:

For a detailed rundown of how FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE’s battle system works, check out our full article on the subject:

So how does FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE actually play?

See our Impressions of the game here!

Switching to Classic Mode

For those players who prefer overall strategy over moment to moment action, or want an experience closer to the turn-based gameplay of the original FINAL FANTASY VII, Classic Mode is for you!

In this mode, characters perform basic attacks automatically, and when the ATB gauge is full, you can select a special ability to use from the menu – similar to how the original game played.

Here, you can see the option for Classic Mode in the difficulty menu:

Iconic locations reimagined

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE faithfully recreates beloved areas from the original game. It also adds new areas that couldn’t fit into the original game.

Here we can see the iconic Church in the slums. Just a stone’s throw from Sector 5, it’s one of the only places in the slums where flowers can grow, making it a very special place for Aerith.

The next shot is of Aerith’s home. Nestled in the corner of Sector 5, it’s a beautiful house that contrasts with the slums surrounding it.

Let’s Assess some Materia

Cloud and company are able to use special abilities, including magic, summons and more.

It’s all thanks to materia – orbs of crystallized mako energy that, when equipped, imbue the wielder with incredible power.

Case in point, here we can see Aeirth using the spell Fire:

Of course, not all Materia is about offense. Take the Assess Materia, pictured below. It shows you an enemy’s specific strengths and weaknesses, helping you refine your strategy when you take it on. Knowledge is power after all!

Meet the new Chocobo and Moogle

Summons are a special, exceptionally powerful form of Materia. Equip one, and once the summon gauge is full, you can call a powerful ally into the fight.

In the past, we’ve showcased the firey Ifrit and cool-as-ice Shiva. Today we can reveal a new Summon that’s just as powerful, but a little… cuter: Chocobo and Moogle.

Moogle can Blast foes:

The dynamic duo can also use Stampede to trample the enemy with a herd of chocobos. It’s adorable… although probably not for those on the receiving end of it:

Side activities and minigames

These new screenshots highlight some of the additional things to do in FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE.

If you need a break from battling Shinra, you can play a game of darts in Seventh Heaven:

You can also enjoy fast-paced bike battles. In this shot, we can see Cloud and Jessie in a thrilling chase with Shinra operatives.

Time For the Interviews!

YOSHINORI KITASE – PRODUCER

In the several years following 2009, when I was running around all over the world promoting the FINAL FANTASY XIII series, I had opportunity to speak to many fans and journalists. The question that I always got as we got up to part ways was, “When are you making the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE?”

It was to the point where it almost felt like an alternative way to say goodbye, so eventually I started pre-emptively giving my response to the question before they’d even asked it. “If we were to create a remake of that now, it would be an enormous amount of data, and who knows how many years it would take. But, if the ‘right time’ comes along, we might just do it someday!” This is how I’d respond back then, who knows how many hundreds of times. To all the people I had a chance to meet with back then, the “right time” has finally arrived.

For the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, developers who worked on the original game have come onboard once again as core members, including myself as Producer, Tetsuya Nomura as Director, Motomu Toriyama as Co-Director, and Kazushige Nojima on Story & Scenario.

Additionally, we also have people like Co-Director Naoki Hamaguchi who are now part of the core development team, who was just a fan of FINAL FANTASY VII back then. And, to my delight, creators from younger generations all over the world have come forth upon hearing news of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE’s production. While ensuring that the spirit of the original game is kept intact, these members are adding to it the power of a new generation.

As a result, the game that is about to be born surpasses even my own expectations as the one who voiced the desire to take this endeavour on in the first place. In fact, the one who’s looking forward to playing this game the most right now might actually be me.

TETSUYA NOMURA – DIRECTOR & CONCEPT DESIGN

I started up the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project around the time of Compilation of FINAL FANTASY VII. We’d gone through Advent Children, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, and Dirge of Cerberus, and I was planning this by myself for about a year as the fifth and final entry in the compilation.

Since that initial plan and my first ideas, other projects took-shape and I became very busy as they moved forward, but I never stopped thinking about VII. As such, I feel like I’m looking forward to the release as much as anyone, as I’ve been carrying around these ideas for a long time.

Opportunities for discussing our true intentions are few, but with regard to the size of the game that many are asking about – there’s no reason at all to worry. Even in this Midgar portion alone, the density and volume are so great that I had to give directions to lighten them.

With regard to new characters, of whom I said during past interviews that there would be “none” – though they aren’t main characters, their numbers ended up growing considerably in the process of creating a rich depiction of Midgar. When you think of Midgar’s final boss, you probably think of the M.O.T.O.R., but in this game new bosses will appear and add to the excitement of the story even more.

We’ve already begun working on the next one as well, but I’m confident that playing through this title will expand your expectations just like the world that extends beyond Midgar.

Until next time.

KAZUSHIGE NOJIMA (STELLAVISTA LTD.) – STORY & SCENARIO

It must have been in the very beginning stages of developing FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE that I got to see the Remake version of Cloud for the first time. It wasn’t post-Advent Children Cloud, with kindness brimming from within. Rather, here was a young man with fiery features, looking straight at me through the screen with aggression in his eyes. I knew right t hen: “Oh, this is it.”

This time, it was this Cloud that I needed to depict. When Cloud came to Midgar and was hired by Avalanche, this was the sort of look that he would have had on his face. So I revisited the experiences that he’d had in his life so far, thinking of the effect that each individual event would have had on him. His attitude toward his childhood friend Tifa. How would he act toward Barret? What sort of distance would he keep while interacting with passers-by on the street? I picture the scene of Midgar in my mind and imagine Cloud moving through it. Write new lines of dialogue to add for him. This is how Cloud in the Remake Version came to be.

It was an exciting task to introduce a new current of wind to FINAL FANTASY VII, but at the same time, there was some fear. The original game used cartoon-like, stylised art, and the story was completed by players using their imagination to supplement portions that couldn’t be depicted as a result. Even if they were seeing the same scene, the information they took away from it and how they interpreted it differed depending on the viewer. Perhaps it’s what might be considered a narrative form of storytelling nowadays.

In FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, there will be much less room for player imagination. This fact will probably change the feel of the story considerably. People who know the original might not know quite how to take it. Such is the fear that I have. But I also have conviction. It should be possible to feel a much deeper connection to Cloud as you join alongside him. It would be amazing if you could feel that fiery flame together with him.

NAOKI HAMAGUCHI – CO-DIRECTOR (GAME DESIGN / PROGRAMMING)

When the original FINAL FANTASY VII was released, I was just another student who dreamed of being in the gaming industry. I of course played the game, but I also re-read the guidebook over and over again, my heart stolen by the engaging universe. I remember wishing strongly that I’d be able to create a game like it someday.

Twenty-two years later, that student who dreamed of FINAL FANTASY VII is now involved in developing the remake. I can’t help but feel like it’s fate.

In this title, I handled overseeing the development team overall, such as deciding development milestones, constructing a workflow using Unreal Engine, and taking responsibility for game design.

Here, I met staff members who were involved in the original game, who entered the industry with childhood dreams of FINAL FANTASY VII just like me, and those who were drawn by the allure of FINAL FANTASY VII and joined the dev team from overseas. It was a gathering of amazing creators with passion and ambition towards the game. All I have is gratitude for having the opportunity to meet this team.

With all this in mind, I’ve considered the following phrase important: “respect for the original.” FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE takes on the challenge of creating something that’s created specifically thanks to the technological power and entertainment quality that matches the current generation, while treating the captivating elements of the original game with respect.

For those who’ve played it: “new but familiar.” For those who haven’t played it: “experience the charm of FINAL FANTASY VII, which moved the hearts of many, now created with the most exciting modern technology available.” I hope you enjoy it!

MOTOMU TORIYAMA – CO-DIRECTOR (SCENARIO DESIGN)

For the original game, I joined the project as a planner who was just starting out on my career, and I worked on Sector 7 slums and Wall Market.

In producing FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, the thoughts and feelings I had when I was just starting out back then were revived, and at the same time, I took on the challenge of new methods of expression that I’m able to execute now that I have the experience.

The original version was a forerunner when it came to RPGs that used 3D CG, but the characters were made of polygons, the dialogue was in text only, and cameras weren’t able to be used for cutscenes.

In FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, we’re using the newest visuals, voice acting, and character facial expressions to redesign the FINAL FANTASY VII universe to be more realistic. By increasing the realism of the universe within the city of Midgar, which is made prosperous by mako energy, we of course also reimagined the characters who reside there, like Cloud and Tifa, more vividly as living and breathing human beings, depicting their daily lives and feelings in a more in-depth manner.

We took care to remake not only the main characters, but also characters like Johnny and the Shinra Middle Manager who I created back then. Please keep your eye out to see how they make their new appearances. Additionally, when remaking the Honey-Bee Inn at the Wall Market, we revived it is as a pantheon of entertainment, which couldn’t be realized back then. Here, the scene that many of you have been eager to see, where Cloud disguises himself. Please enjoy.”

SHINTARO TAKAI – GRAPHICS & VFX DIRECTOR

I created the effects for the original FINAL FANTASY VII. Back then, the scope of development was so exorbitantly massive that I just threw myself into the tasks for which I was responsible, without even fully understanding what sort of game we were creating.

Near the final stages of development, when I finally tried playing the test version, I remember being surprised by the graphics and the depth of the story, as well as how fully realized it was, and I remember enjoying the game as a player. It’s been 22 years after that, and I’m participating in the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project as a developer, and today, I’m able to experience the impact and fun similar to that of the previous title.

For the remake, I’ve mainly directed the effects section, while also crossing over into other sections for decisions and directions on overall graphics.

Among the many major games that are celebrated for their photorealistic graphics, FINAL FANTASY VII is a little different. Not only is it realistic, but I believe you’ll notice that it incorporates “playfulness” in the design and colours for an originality not found in other games. Effects are an area that is particularly conducive to expressing various elements of “playfulness.”

I hope you’ll enjoy various effects that are not only beautiful, but also convincingly portray realism and magic!! Various elements of game design and graphic design have been packed into every corner of the vast Midgar. I hope you enjoy it!!

TERUKI ENDO – BATTLE DIRECTOR

When I played the original version, I wasn’t on the game creation side of things, and I remember enjoying it as a player and feeling constant surprise at the evolution of games. The three-dimensionality of the stage and the dynamism of the battle scenes have left a strong impression on me. Back then, I never even imagined that I would someday be on the side of creating games, or that I would be able to be involved in that game.

Speaking to my own personal experience, I had mostly been creating action games thus far, so for this title, I took on the challenge of remaking a system that was not of an action game originally and incorporating action elements into it.

Production was completely different than that of a pure action game, and the need for new design philosophy often arose. Production involved constantly searching for the best balance between action and command elements, but I believe we’ve managed to do this in an exciting new way.

In order to create battles that are surprising and never boring, we worked hard to create a variety of strategic elements for each boss and enemy. Also, in constructing battle systems for each character, we wanted to respect the image of the original version while additionally introducing many new abilities. I hope you’re able to find your own style of battle by combining those abilities with Materia.

TAKAKO MIYAKE – ENVIRONMENT DIRECTOR

For FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, the graphics team worked to the theme of “how would Midgar look if it existed in real life?” As such, as the environments team, we examined those portions that were once left to the players’ imaginations, fell outside of the on-screen area, or were between scenes, and tried to supplement them in detail.

For all the fans out there, we worked our hardest in hopes that you’ll be able to relive an experience that also surpasses your memories.

For all of you who are playing for the first time, we worked our hardest with the sole hope that you’ll experience this amazing universe that has remained beloved by so many for 22 years, and to be able to convey its charm.

Additionally, in order to create a fitting backdrop for the drama unfolding around the main characters, and in order for it to be a stage where the various characters living in Midgar can be their vibrant selves, all of teams, including the environments section, came up with ideas and worked collaboratively. Midgar is a closed city. However, I would be very happy if by experiencing the drama unfolding around its residents and the main characters who go through it, you feel as though Midgar actually exists.

I am a FINAL FANTASY VII fan, so being able to take part in the Remake was something that made me happy but also nervous. It’s been an unforgettable development experience. I truly hope that everyone enjoys it.

IICHIRO YAMAGUCHI – LIGHTING DIRECTOR

FINAL FANTASY VII, for me, at the time when I was in school, was a very impactful game. It really pierced my heart as I was at such a sensitive age, with not only a rich story, but charming characters, world setting and music, not to mention that it was the first in the series to be in 3D polygon format. This was the piece that really brought out my interest in CG in general.

When I was able to join the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE team, I started by thinking back to how I felt when I first played it. Midgar, with its’ abundant mix of different elements and original characters like Cloud, became something unbreakable and the “standard” for me in FINAL FANTASY VII.

In the world of the game, just like in real life, if there is not some form of light then you won’t be able to see anything. So when putting up lights just anywhere, Midgar could lose its token Midgar-ness, and Cloud wouldn’t be Cloud anymore. I’ve taken as much care as possible to recreate the world that I had saved in my mind and attempted to remake it to a fresh and modern standard.

The positions of the few lights that illuminate the entirety of Midgar, the adjustments made to each and every voluminous cut-scene… it’s all a lot of work to do! However, alongside the rest of the wonderful lighting team we feel that we’ve brought something great to the table. We’ve left in the elements that will have you going “Ah, that’s what it was like!”, and yet you’ll still be able to enjoy the world of FINAL FANTASY VII in its new and fresh style!

MASAAKI KAZENO – CHARACTER MODELING DIRECTOR

I was amongst those who bought the original game on the day of its release and played it constantly, clearing it in under a week. Those that also have cleared it will understand this, but I also wasn’t quite satisfied with the locations, so I continued to play it after clearing in the same places as well.

And so, my memory of FINAL FANTASY VII was how I actually started studying CG, after being left with the strong motivation to want to create a FINAL FANTASY game when playing it and truly being moved by it.

So I just made my mind up and bought a PC to help me study – something that I had never even touched before. So for me, someone who had been so strongly influenced by the original, to be working on the characters of the remake, I want to do everything I can to make them in a way that shows both a charm and freshness whilst keeping that nostalgia.

So I want them to reflect in a fresh way that that also allows players of the original to remember the time that they played the original, as well as make them detailed and charming enough to give first-time players the understanding of just how charming they are.

I’ve ensured to arrange things like hairstyles and outfits to re-create the design from the original, so I encourage anyone to take time with their camera angles when playing to take a look. Also, there are several characters that stand out other than just the main characters that you’ll find. So please see for yourself as to what kind of appearance and characteristics they have! Other than that, we’ve got enemies in there perhaps too close to the original, and there are many surprises coming in the Remake for you to all look forward to! Keep your eyes out!

YOSHIYUKI SOMA – ANIMATION DIRECTOR

When FINAL FANTASY VII came out, I was actually more of a SEGA Saturn fan, so I didn’t play it straight away. However, when it was decided that I was to join SQUARE, I was put on the development of FINAL FANTASY VIII, and so I thought to myself “I’m screwed if I don’t know about FINAL FANTASY VII!”. That’s when I bought a PlayStation and played it so much.

Those memories feel like only yesterday. So I can’t say this too loudly, but I actually started it out of obligation rather than as a fan. However, I was absolutely enthralled by the world and lore as soon as I picked it up!

For the animations; each and every member of the team – from those responsible for battles, fields, simple events, cut scenes, mini-games, facial expressions, to swinging things in the background, actual behaviour settings – have all worked together to improve as one.

We’ve done our best to ensure that whatever you do, it feels like the characters are alive there with you. We really hope you enjoy the story of Midgar on a huge screen, with Cloud and his friends.

–Sources-

PSBlog

Square Enix

Squares Twitter

New Final Fantasy VII Remake Pictures, Summons And Interviews Final Fantasy VII Remake Today we got a huge amount of Final Fantasy VII Remake Information as well as a ton of interviews and pictures.

#action #aeris #aerith #Aerith Gainsborough #berret #cloud #Final Fantasy VII Remake #jrpg #square enix

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patricianandclerk · 5 years

Note

12, 17, 31, 35 for Drumknott?

Excessively detailed headcanon meme.

12. Favorite book genre?

As a child, Drumknott read like, pretty much everything - he did read a good deal of fiction and poetry, especially if they were written by nationals of Ankh-Morpork or about Ankh-Morpork. He’s a firm nationalist, and he really does love a lot of the overly romanticised accounts of the city and its developments over the years, although Drumknott’s politics are just *wince*. He also read a lot of non-fiction, especially atlases and encyclopaedias, various guides and dictionaries to some things - he loves animals, and read up a lot as a child about various animals, particularly birds. He genuinely and fervently enjoys biographies by accountants and clerks, librarians, histories of certain kinds of stationery or publishing methods, and so on.

He’s pretty much read all the classics of note, though, so nowadays he mostly reads newer non-fiction publications, especially anyone who publishes new stuff about like, newspapers, the trains, and other new technologies and ideas.

Non-fiction about stationery and trains are probably his favourite that he’d admit to, but really, any poetry about Ankh-Morpork has this stupid boy weak at the knees.

17. Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dress

When he was a little boy, Drumknott would have been in pretty typical dress, like, shorts, shirt, jumper. As soon as his father died - like, the same week - he started wearing trousers, and would not go back to wearing shorts. So, Drumknott would help out in the grocer’s and pretty much did their accounts, as well as doing budgets, setting up the paper orders, etc: as a young lad (I’m talking like, from 10) he started doing his own work for various people in his neighbourhood and helping do budgets and stuff for people who couldn’t afford to hire a real clerk or accountant from one of the Guilds to help out, especially during tax season, and he put pretty much all of his own money aside, separate from the money the grocer’s shop earned.

He spent this money on getting clothes for himself, so by the time he was 12/13, when he wasn’t in his school uniform, he’d just be in a two or three-piece. He’s not comfortable in clothes that can tear or show the underneath easily because he doesn’t like how people react to seeing the scars on him, and so he tends to just dress very neatly in his clothes.

He used to have his suits tailored in the relatively modern, straight lines that weren’t like, hugging tightly to the body, but were very neatly square. Since joining Lord Vetinari’s service, his suits are tailored a bit more loosely with slightly different lines on them, in such a way that he looks a good deal smaller - not just thinner, but like, actually smaller, more compact - than he really is. He is very particular about his clothes, and always has a small sewing kit to hand so he can fix little blemishes and imperfections ASAP.

31. Most prized possession?

So, when Drumknott joins Vetinari’s service, he carries a very old, silver pocket watch that was his father’s. He hated his father, still hates him a lot now, but his mother was very plaintive about having him wear it because she said proper young men ought have a pocket watch, so he wears it. He could never really justify buying himself another one, because he doesn’t need one - he’s got a very keen internal clock, and the only reason he wears a watch is just so people can see the chain.

A little over a year in Vetinari’s service, Vetinari bought him another watch. It was gold, not silver - Drumknott’s glasses have gold rims, and his tiepins and cufflinks are usually in gold or brass, too - and it was just smaller and more delicate in general, without being as battered and messed about as Jasper’s old watch had been.

Drumknott is very fond of the watch, and wears it every day.

35. What activities do they enjoy, but consider to be a waste of time?

He doesn’t feel it’s a waste of time, exactly, but he does find it harder to justify reading poetry and fiction than he does reading non-fiction stuff that could potentially be helpful at work. That aside, I don’t think he really goes in for any activities he truly considers to be a waste of time, just because he’s so particular about how he spends it and what he should be doing at any moment.

It isn’t a value/guilt thing in the same way that it is for Vetinari, where it’s “every moment I must be doing something valuable/useful or I’m a terrible person”, but just Drumknott’s tendency to like... inwardly schedule literally everything and be very aware of the time passing him by, so he tends to move quickly between tasks and stay on top of everything and do it efficiently, including taking time to relax and enjoy recreation.

#rufus drumknott #LOVE MY DUMB BOY #cakesandfail #t; answered asks #as defined by dictionary

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the-gedonelune-times · 6 years

Text

Do you believe?

Hello everyone! I apologize for such a long wait. I’m here to present the first of the prompt challenges. This was requested to be of the prompt “They just don’t believe like they used to...” starring the Goldstein brothers and it’ll be in Alfonse’s view!

Now while I understand that this is probably supposed to be more of the horror genre, I couldn’t help but make it a fluffy Halloweeny story with some brotherly love! I really hope you enjoy and I hope you stay for the other prompts too!

I’d also like to give an honorary mention to @brainsbrawnandcommonsense for helping me out with the monsters, I appreciate the help so much!

Halloween is tomorrow, which means there'll be a special event being held. probably a festival or parade followed up with a costume party I wonder if all the prefects will have to come together and help out? Would we all have to pitch in? Would there be a way to maybe pump the other students up for that day? Maybe they could make classes have to deal with magical sweets? Hmm...

The sound of knocking at the door, caused me to slightly jump in my seat, snapping me from my wandering thoughts. "Come in!"

"It's about time. I've been standing out here knocking for a couple of minutes, I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to resort to using magic"

The person at the door was Klaus?! What in the world was he doing here at the office?! Has something happened? "Wait, you've been knocking for a while? I never even heard a thing."

"Maybe you have as much cotton in your ears, as that Bunnyhead does."

Smiling softly, I gently pushed myself up off the seat and stood up; picking up the papers that were scattered quite messily on the top of the desk, trying to at least make my works pace a bit more professional and not so cluttered.

"Alfonse, you know, the times I've been here at the Academy this past week, you've seemed out of it. Have you been overworking yourself?"

"Is my brother worrying over me?"

"Whatever, look, I came to talk to you about something, so if you could hurry up, I'm on a timed schedule right now."

"Alright, alright." After placing the last bit of papers in the neat stack that now rested on the corner of the desk, I flashed another smile. "What is it you want to discuss?"

"It's about this year's Halloween festivities."

"Really? I was just thinking about that not too long ago."

"Is that why you were so out it?"

"Pretty much." Chucking softly, I reach up and scratch my cheek briefly before continuing. "So, what about the festivities?"

"It appears I'll be around for them this year, though, it's more like a duty of mine to be here."

"How so?"

"Are you really asking me this? It's common knowledge really. People are going to try and pull a lot of pranks, and it's my job to make sure they don't go too out of hand."

"So you won't be able to have any fun while here?"

"It's a sacrifice that has to be made. Anyways, I'll be off now. Good luck, Alfonse."

"Thank you, Klaus."

I called out to Klaus but he had already slipped out of the room and was most likely on his way back to the Ministry. Giving a soft sigh, I slowly found my way over to the sofa and took a seat. Just then a knock came at the door once more.

"Come in!"

"Thank you." The door opened with a soft creak and a familiar figure caused caused my face to light up.

"Elias! What are you doing here?"

"I came by to ask for a confirmation for something. As class representative and deputy prefect, it's my duty to know about events ahead of schedule so I can help organize and get things prepared. So do you know about what will be happening tomorrow, for sure?"

"I can't say I do. To be quite honest with you, I have yet to go and get a confirmation from the Headmaster himself, today."

"You haven't? Normally you're one of the first people to be on top of everything. Is everything alright?"

"Everything is alright, I guess my thoughts have taken over more than usual today."

"I suppose that's understandable. A big event is tomorrow and plus this will be the first time the Night Class will be a part of it. It'll be more hectic than usual, that's for sure."

"Yeah..."

But there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

"What do you mean?!"

"I can see it written all over your face, there's still something on your mind isn't there?"

"There's...one thing."

Suddenly, Elias began moving closer to where I was and took a seat right next to me on the sofa. "I still have a little bit of time left before I must go."

"Elias...." Closing my eyes, I gave a soft smile before I began to speak once more. "It's going to sound crazy, but earlier when I talked to Klaus, he seemed sad; well his eyes seemed to have a sadness within them."

"Klaus and you talked?"

"Yeah, not too long before you showed up. He came to tell me he'd be here for tomorrow night, but it would just be for Ministry duty."

"So he won't be able to partake in the festivities then."

"Yes. Which I understand, but I'd like to include him into it somehow, he might play it off, but I know he's a bit upset about it, I know how much fun we used to have during this time of the year."

"We usually made a lot of good memories back when we were younger. Maybe the reason why he's upset about it, is because for the longest time we weren't able to have as much fun, not while you were away..." Elias's voice trailed off slightly as he looked ahead at the blank wall. "But now that you've returned, this would be a chance for us to recreate those happy memories had when we were younger."

I felt a piercing feeling in my heart after hearing my brother speak. His words made my heart sink, causing me to look away, unable to make eye contact with Elias. I had never thought of it that way, maybe that was the real reason for Klaus being upset, and if that was the case, well then I knew I just couldn't sit around and do nothing about it! No. I'd find a way to include Klaus and Elias in this, as a family.

That's when it hit me, I knew exactly what I was going to do. "Elias, I'm glad you came to stop by, but I think I'm going to have to step out and go to the Headmaster's office for a moment and discuss something important."

"I see. It's honestly probably time for me to depart anyways. Please take care of yourself, Alfonse." As Elias walked out of the room, he flashed Alfonse a quick smile and put a hand on his shoulder before heading down the hall a little ways and disappearing around one of the corners.

It was my turn to turn to leave the room, however, right after I shut the door and began to to walk, a cheerful voice called out from ahead, and my eyes met with a very familiar figure, which made me grin.

"Caesar! I'm really glad you're here."

"Oh yeah? You miss me?" Caesar asked teasingly while folding his arms over his chest and making his way to my side.

"Now is not the time, I actually have to go and speak with the Headmaster briefly, but I have a bit of paperwork that needs to be delivered before the final bell for classes ring. Which isn't long now and I fear I won't be back in time, could you please deliver it?"

“Sure, no problem, but I have to ask, is everything going to be alright?"

"Yeah, everything will be fine, I'll explain later, but right now I need to go."

I quickly began walking, my prefect cloak began to flutter in the wind as I made my way to the Headmaster's room. If there was any chance, any chance at all that Klaus could, in some way be involved with the festivities, then I was going to jump on that chance.

I had made my way to the door, but just as I was about to knock, I heard multiple voices inside. Perhaps now was a bad time? I was about to turn on my heel and make my way back ti the office when one voice in particular spoke up.

"I sense a presence outside this door, sir."

"Open it up and take a look."

"Yes, sir."

The large door opened with a creak and a man in a white uniform, with a sharp face and red hair was standing in the doorway. On his uniform he wore a badge that was all too familiar to me; he was a member of the Ministry and he seemed to be a part of the Knight branch. Come to think of it, I had seen him once before with Klaus on a patrol.

"Who is it, Vincent?"

"It seems to be a Prefect for the Day Class I believe."

Not long after Vincent had said that, Rembrandt's face came into view and he wore a soft expression. "Alfonse, what a surprise. May I ask what you're doing here?"

"Sir, I'm sorry for the trouble, but at some point when you get the chance, may we discuss tomorrow's activities? I need to know about the festival in the town square and-"

"There will be no festival in town tomorrow."

"There won't?"

"No, here, please come in, you'll want to hear what I have to say."

Rembrandt made his way back to his desk and Vincent took a step to the side, allowing me to pass through, before he shut the door, revealing another man who was leaning up against the wall. He wore a strange uniform, but I knew that he was part of the Ministry, I had seen him around a few times. Seeing this two reminded me of what Klaus had previously mentioned to me back at the office, about how he was going to have work around the Academy all day tomorrow.

"I'm guessing that something has happened, if the festival has been cancelled."

"Yes. You are correct. I have just recently received news about rumor regarding the organization: Hawkeye, making a threat towards the festival tomorrow. Whether this is true or not...I don't know. But I know one thing for sure, I'm not putting the lives of my students at risk. So we will have to discuss about what to do later."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, the festival was cancelled? But that was the biggest part of the Halloween celebration, I couldn't believe all of this was happening and right as the festivities were supposed to happen the very next day!

"Alfonse, can I ask a favor from you?"

"Yes, anything."

"I understand that you were once with the Ministry in the past, so I feel I can trust you with this information. I expect you to keep this confidential between you and the prefects. I don't want the students to begin to panic when even we" Rembrandt gestured towards Vincent, Glenn and himself. "Don't even know what will happen. But I want to take every single precaution available."

"I understand sir, I won't let it slip out to the public."

"Thank you. Now you may be dismissed back to your duties, I'll have someone come by and bring you back here later for a discussion about what will happen tomorrow. For now I still have much to discuss with these two."

"Understood."

I quietly left without another word; the moment I shut the door, chatter ensued. I made my way back to the office and noticed Caesar had returned from his task and was now sitting in the chair, resting his legs on the desk while he read a book.

"Enjoying a little break?"

My voice must have gave him quite the shock, because the moment I spoke, he jumped slightly in his seat and almost dropped the book he had in his hands, on the floor.

"Jeez, Al, give me a heart attack why don't you?" Caesar spoke through a big grin on his face while he situated himself in the chair, swiveling back and forth a little. "So, how did your little meeting go?"

"It....wasn't what I expected, o say the least." Making my way over to the sofa I took a seat and rested on arm on the arm of the sofa while the other hung down on my side. "I actually have something to tell you about the meeting. But it has to stay between prefects only."

"Wait, the way you're talking, makes it sound like something bad has happened."

When I didn't reply right away, creaking in the chair could be heard as weight shifted around on it. Caesar had removed his feet from off the desk and sat the book on the edge on the desk.

"It's bad...isn't it?"

"Well..when I got tho his office, I heard a pair of voices already from the inside. I was about to turn around and go back, but I was caught. That's when he told me to step in his office and he explained to me the the festival tomorrow is cancelled."

"Wait what?! Isn't that the biggest part of the Halloween tradition here?! Why would it get cancelled and on such short notice?"

"Apparently there's been a rumor going around the Ministry, that the organization called Hawkeye, had a made a threat regarding the festival tomorrow. Because of this, every student has to be kept on academy grounds, no is allowed to leave."

"That's insane..." I watched as Caesar gave a heavy sigh and look down intently, before gazing back up in my direction. "So what are they going to do about the holiday tomorrow?"

"That's what I'm actually waiting on; the chance to further discuss the matter. I was dismissed back here so that he could continue the conversation he was having, with the other two members of the Ministry who were in the room."

I sank back farther in the sofa, my right arm that was once resting on the sof arm now slid down and fell to my side. I tilted my head back a little, my vision greeting the ceiling and I felt a sigh escape my lips. Boy, what a mess this was...

I was beginning to lose myself in my thoughts, to the point where I hadn't even noticed Caesar had gotten up from his seat and had moved over to where I was, taking a seat at my side.

"I know that look, you know?"

"What look?"

"You're staring up or at something and not making eye contact. You're lost in thought, you might even be thinking about much of a mess this has become."

How did he know?!

"But Al, this is just a minor setback, every mess can get cleaned up and something new can take its place."

"Caesar..."

"So c'mon, don't be so down. Alright?"

"You're right, Caesar, thank you for that." I tilted my head so I could see Caesar's face and gave him a smile. Yeah, things will work out, maybe this will open an a gate for us to try something new; something, that maybe even Klaus can partake in.

Suddenly, a knock at the door jostled me from my position and I sat upright. "Come in."

"Thank you."

The door opened and revealed the gray haired man known as Glenn, standing in the doorway.

"I've come to get you for your meeting with the Headmaster."

"Already?" raised an eyebrow and spoke up. "It hasn't been that long has it?"

"No, we had only needed a little more of his time, before we'd have to depart back to our duties. Now, Alfonse, if you'll please."

"Right." I got up from my seat and shot a glance at Caesar. who gave me a quick nod, before I left the room. Glenn led me only a little ways ahead before he excused himself, saying that he needed to catch up with his colleague, leaving me alone to my own thoughts as I proceeded to make my way over.

I wasn't sure how this would go, but I knew that standing out here, in front of the door, was going to get me nowhere. Knocking on the door a couple of times, a voice called from inside the room, allowing permission to enter.

"Pardon me," I called out as I opened the door and took a step inside; shutting the door behind me.

"Alfonse, about what we discussed earlier."

"Right, about tomorrow."

"Yes, we need to figure something out, for in place of the festival. Of course, it'll have to be held on academy grounds.I was thinking about something to do for the night, after the costume party hours. If you have any ideas, I'm open for discussion."

So, something that has to held at the academy and pretty late?

I found myself thinking deeply, trying to find a solution the the problem that was laid out before us. Suddenly, I remembered something; a memory from my childhood. Before I knew it, I was slipping out of reality and diving headfirst into my thoughts.

_____________

During Halloween our parents used to take us to a fall festival, at the festival there was always this one section of the festival for a haunted maze. Normally we all traveled together with our mother and father. But one year, we got adventurous, our parents were busy conversing with a few other noble families who happened to be attending at the time. We knew they'd be busy for a while, so we took the chance to make our escape and rush over to the maze.

Every door we opened, every corner we turned, there was always something waiting for us. Whether it be a scary ghost or a cute familiar dressed up to fit the holiday spirit. We shared a lot of laughs and we shared a lot of screams. But most importantly, we shared a moment together, it was even better when we received photos at the end. Each photo was taken by a camera that had been hidden in different places, capturing us with a smile or with a look of horror.

At the end of it all, we rushed back to where our parents were and finished our festival routine. The moment we got home we all rushed up to our rooms, each of us had taken one of the many photos and framed it on the wall. Even now, the photos still remain, one of them were framed above my own bed in my dorm here at the academy.

`______________

I knew what I wanted to do now, I wanted to recreate those feeling and allow others to experience the wonders that Halloween had to offer.

"Might I suggest a haunted house?"

"Haunted house?" The headmaster raised an eyebrow and gave me a quizzical stare as he spoke.

"Yes. We could use the academy as for it. We could make props come to life with a little bit of magic and even have some of students participate by dressing up as monsters. I think it could really give the other students here, the thrill that they've been looking for this Halloween."

"Hm..." Rembrandt closed his eyes and hummed softly, as if he was going deep in thought. Shortly after, however, he opened his eyes and a smile curled on his lips. "A haunted house sounds like a wonderful idea. However, you'll need to scout out a few people to help aid you in this."

"I actually already have that figured out. I just need to go talk to them about it."

"Oh? Well, then I believe this will be a success. I'll send out the information to all the faculty right away and let them know of the changes. You may return back to your duties or head back to the dorms early if you wish. Classes for the day are almost over."

"I understand and thank you."

I left the office without another word and made my way back to the prefect's office. Upon opening the door, I saw a rare sight before me. Not only was Caesar in there, but Klaus and Elias as well?! Maybe luck is starting to finally be on my side.

"Klaus? Elias? What are you two doing here?"

"I came by to see about any new information regarding tomorrow." Elias was the first to speak up between the two, soon followed up by Klaus.

"Yes, I'd like to know ahead of time, what the plans are."

"Well, there's been a change of plans. There's not going to be a festival this year."

"What?! What do you-"

Before Elias could finish his sentence, I held up my hand, signaling for him to stop, before I continued on. "There's just been a slight change in plans, don't worry it's nothing bad. We're just going to try something new out for a change this year."

"So what's the plan anyways?" This time, it was Caesar who had spoken up.

"Well, it's been decided that we'll be using the academy as a haunted house."

As I spoke, a smile had formed on my face, while looks of shock had appeared on Elias's and Klaus's faces.

"Just like when we were younger...." Elias whispered softly, as if remembering something from his past.

Meanwhile, Klaus said nothing and continued to fall silent. There it is again, that sad look in his eyes. I already knew what I wanted to ask the both of them, but deep down, I was nervous if they'd agree on it.

"Elias, Klaus, I want the both of you to be there with me when I host it. I want it to be like how it was back then when we were younger."

"Please tell me you haven't fallen prey to forgetfulness. Need I remind you once more? I have my duties to attend to, I can't just drop them for a little bit of fun."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elias slightly slump his shoulders. No....was Elias getting upset? Come on, think Alfonse, there has to be a way...

That's it! "Klaus, you'll still be able to perform your duties and partake in the activity. Don't you see? A majority of the other students; including the pranksters will be roaming the halls of the academy for the haunting. We'll need you to help make sure that you can keep them in check. We need y- no, I need you to please help me with this."

A lump got stuck in my throat after I spoke. I wasn't sure what his reply would be, and quite frankly, it worried me a little. After so long I was given a chance to make some more memories....memories that were lacked during my long absence. I had held my hand out, wondering if there would be an agreement. To my utmost surprise, I felt some take my hand and give a firm shake, it was Klaus!

"Klaus, so you agree?"

"Consider this as being one of those rare things that happen once every blue moon."

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his comment and a sigh of relief. I knew that with my brothers on my side, I could do this.

"Hey, don't count me out." Caesar spoke up while wearing his usual smile.

"I haven't, we're going to need you to be part of the attraction, probably on scaring duty."

"What?! Scaring duty?!"

"Well, when I say scaring duty, I also mean the cute part of that.?"

"Cute part?"

"Yes, you're going to be a little piggy dressed up as a little witch, how does that sound?!"

"Al, don't tease me!"

"I'm not! I'm being dead serious!"

The two of us continued to bicker back in forth for a little while before we suddenly heard the door being jerked open.

"Zeus! You can't just barge in like that!"

"Well, too late now!"

"King Kook, you're an idiot."

"Great, now the headache I had gotten rid of recently, is back again."

"Suddenly, I'm starting to have one too."

Both Elias and Klaus put a hand to their forehead and clutch at it, as if they were experiencing immense pain, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at their display.

"So why are you all here?" I looked at the trio that had now wandered into the office; Zeus, Hiro and Liz.

"Well, I got a magic note from the headmaster at the end of my lecture for the Day Class. But then he." Liz pointed directly at Zeus "Had come in at just the moment when the the note fell on top of the desk. I had to chase him to get it back."

"But he led us on a wild goose chase over here. Then he basically busted the door down like the idiot he is."

"Hey! You if you guys don't shut up I'll summon a dragon right here in the office!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" All of us shouted at Zeus simultaneously, causing him to take a small step back with widened eyes.

"So what's this about a change in plans?" Liz quietly walked over and stood in front of me, her face was clouded over with a little bit of worry.

"We're just going to try something new this year. I promise you, it'll be lots of fun, and you'll have your part to play in it."

"Reallly?!"

"Yes, you're all going to help me set the place up for the night, and I'll also need you all to help be a part of the acts themselves. So we'll need to get some costumes."

"Sure, we could head into town later and go looking!"

"Actually...I was thinking about using a magical tool for this job."

"Really? A magical tool will be able to get us help with the costumes? How about we go into town instead. I'd like to stop and get a bite of something since the Day Class cafeteria is so bland." Zeus smirked as he finished his statement, his eyes piercing at the rest of us, excluding Hiro.

"Hey, King Kook, maybe use that brain of yours and stop trying to pick a fight with everyone."

"Not much of a fight if they can't even put up one."

"Putting up a fight with you is like a never ending nightmare. Why waste our magic on something so tedious, when we can put it to better use."

"Listen here!"

"No, end of discussion." Elias glared at Zeus briefly before directing his attention back to me. "As you were saying, Alfonse?"

"Right...Now, about the magical tool, I've heard of a rare one that's located somewhere here in the Academy, it's a mirror that allows you to change into any costume you want, just by closing your eyes and thinking."

Liz gasped and her eyes sparkled "R-Really?! Oh that sounds so cool!"

"If we can locate that, we can put that to good use. So I want us all to split off into teams of two."

"Won't there be an odd number since Goldilocks over there is still here." Zeus hissed.

"Actually, I was just about about to head back to my duties." Just as Klaus walked past me to leave, he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck with the search." Then with that, he left without another word.

"Alright guys, let's get going."

When we had begun our search, there was still a bit of sun left in the sky, however...night was fast approaching and as we all gathered at our meeting point, no one had any clues for as to where the mirror could be. We all sat down and took a break and began on what to do next.

"You know...we'll all have to be getting back to our dorms soon."

"Except us..." Hiro let out a yawn as he spoke.

"You guys are still going to have classes?! Even after the conjoined lessons today?" Liz asked curiously.

"Zeus is still a prefect and has his duties and I'm his deputy. We may not have to go to classes, but we still have our own tasks."

Speaking of Zeus, he seemed awfully quiet. I glanced over at Zeus and noticed that he was dozing off, his arms were folded over his chest and his head kept dipping low as he nodded off.

"You guys can go and head back to your dorms. Especially you and Zeus, Hiro."

"What about you, Alfonse?" Elias looked at me with a look of worry starting to form on his face. "You can't be pushing yourself too hard. Not before something like this."

"He's right." Caesar gave a little flick on my forehead and grinned. "I'll keep searching with you."

"I will too." Liz chirped. "I can write a note to Amelia and tell her about the situation and inform the dorm mother when she does room checks.

"I'll help as well." Elias was the voice who spoke up this time.

"Thank you all." I looked at them and grinned. "Here's the plan, we'll go searching for one more hour than we'll call it a night."

"But what if you guys don't find it?"

"We'll figure something else out. This is just a minor obstacle."

As I looked at everyone around me, they all had a smile on their face and a look of determination in their eyes. We can do this, I know we can. Just then, I thought I heard something right around the corner, it was a strange noise and it seemed to be coming closer and closer until finally…

“Oh my, what are all of you doing here?”

A pink bat had popped up in our line of vision, that was Leslie’s familiar wasn’t it? What was her name again? Chica?

“Oh, hello there Chica!” Liz gave a warm smile at the bat as she fluttered about.

“Oh, hello. You still haven’t answered my question and you know it’s rude to keep a lady waiting.

“Oh, us? We’re trying to find a magical tool.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Well, Alfonse said it’s a mirror that’s supposed to change your look to whatever you want!”

Chica’s eyes shimmered brightly and she flapped her wings wildly. “Can it even change the appearance of a familiar? Can I look like a human so I may spend the day with Prince Sigurd?!”

“I’m sorry to say Chica, but this just changes clothes.”

Chica looked in my direction and her flapping became slower than before. “I see. Well, regardless I’ll still offer my assistance to you.”

“You will?”

“Yes. But I ask for something in return. My services will not be cheap. If I remember correctly you sir are good with potions, surely there is one that you know of that can allow me to take on human form?”

“There is, but its effects don’t last very long. Maybe about four hours and then you’d revert back to your normal form.”

“Four hours is plenty.” She began to happily flap her wings once more then she stopped completely and landed softly atop Liz’s head. “Now that I think about it, I remember going to this very cramped and musty smelling room, with dust at every corner. But I remember seeing something out of the corner of my eyes, I think that might be where your mirror is.”

“Really? Hm, but where would that room be?”

Elias placed his hand under his chin and closed his eyes as if he were searching back, trying to remember something. “The Archives.”

“Are you sure, Elias?” Liz looked over and asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been there multiple times. It’s a perfect place for quiet studying.”

“Call it what you want but perhaps we should go and confirm ourselves.” Chica spoke before flapping her wings once more took off in the air, hovering in front of us, as if she were trying to get us to get up and move.

We all obliged and got up; Elias took the lead and led us to the Archives, while Hiro and Zeus went their own way, back to their dorms. When we got there, a musty smell filled the air, followed up by quite a bit of dust that had been collected over quite some time.

“Now, Chica you said it was somewhere over in a corner?”

“That’s correct.” After saying that, she flew up higher, circling the air slightly, however, she stopped mid flight and dived down towards something in the right corner of the room.

We all moved closer to where she had went and as I inched closer, it was confirmed: This was the mirror that we had been searching for. A wave of relief washed over me and I felt myself lean against one of the desks.

“Now we can take this back to the prefect office and call it a night.”

“I agree.”

“Yeah…” Liz stretched her arms up a little as she began to yawn and follow Caesar out of the room.

“Ahem. I believe we had a deal?”

“We did.” I gave a chuckle. “I’ll whip you up the brew first thing in the morning, it’ll take a couple of hours for it to be made, so be patient, alright?”

“Yes, yes. Patience is quite the virtue to have, however, do not forget that I, do not like to be kept waiting for long.” With that, Chica fluttered out of the room and out to the hall, leaving only Elias and I alone in the Archives.

“It wasn’t a coincidence, was it?”

“Hm? What was that?”

“I said it wasn’t a coincidence.”

“What do you mean by that.”

“I mean...the festival got cancelled and then out of the blue he Headmaster decided on a haunted halls type of thing? I don’t think he came up with that idea. I think that was an idea you brought up...wasn’t it?”

“You got me.” I chuckled nervously while ruffling my own hair a little bit.

“You did this to...recreate memories, didn’t you?”

“Well, not only that, but you know...the students these days? They just don’t believe like they used to…”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means, they just don’t seem to understand or even experience the joys of all that Halloween gives. The scares, the laughs all of it. I think this will not only give us the chance to make some memories, but others as well.”

“So that’s your whole reasoning behind all of this?”

“Pretty much.”

Elias looked down to his feet briefly before lifting his head up and then placing his hand on top of my shoulder, flashing me a smile. “You put others before yourself...even if something seems difficult, you’ve pulled through. Just like with the family issue...despite it all you’ve put that behind you and have continued to move forward. So, Alfonse...I’m proud of you and I want you to know that I..look up to you. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

“Elias…”

“I should probably head back to the dorm, I never told Yukiya about my whereabouts and I don’t want him staying up late wondering where I am.”

“Alright, be careful, Elias.”

“Careful is my middle name.”

“Really? I thought it wa-”

“Alfonse!”

“Alright, alright! I won’t tease you.”

“Thank you…”

Elias muttered before making his exit, leaving me all alone in the Archives. I looked over at the antique looking mirror, the glass was shining like diamonds in the little bit of moonlight that poured in through the crack of uncovered window. It looked a bit big, but I was sure I could manage.

I carefully moved all the nearby objects that surrounded it and placed them elsewhere, before reaching out and grabbing the mirror. Despite its size, is honestly quite light, almost weightless. I made sure to carefully navigate my way through the Archives and make my way out of there, before heading to my dorm. When I opened the door, I noticed that Caesar was already there and was reading a book while setting on the edge of his bed. The moment I took a step in, he lifted his head up from his book and closed it.

_______________

“Wow, look at that. So that’s the magical tool?”

“It has to be, I can feel the magic resonating off of it.” As I spoke, I walked over and put it down gently on the floor, allowing it to lean against the wall.

“Maybe we should give it a try? You know, just to make sure it actually works.”

“Hm..” I peered into the mirror, my reflection was surrounded by shimmering particles of light. I reached my hand out and touched the glass; the moment the my hand made contact, it caused a ripple, which moved like water.

I closed my eyes and let my thoughts take over and took a deep breath, I felt something wrap around my body in a cold embrace. When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was in a mummy costume and...face paint? I turned to face Caesar.

“How do I look?”

“You look swell!”

I gave a chuckle and ran my hand through my hair. I couldn’t believe how lifelike the costume was, suddenly I felt a tug on my arm and heard a soft thud as something hit the floor. What was that? I turned my attention to the object that had fallen….it was a hand...well, more specifically my hand. It had been unraveled from its bandages and was now lying on the floor. My eyes widened and I didn’t know what to do. Should I panic?! I mean, this wasn’t supposed to happen was it?!

“Al, hey are you alri-” Caesar stopped mid sentence, his eyes widened and he looked at me with his mouth open.

“I think...this mirror actually turns you into the creature you want to be.”

“You...thought of a mummy and it turned you into it?” He walked over and bent down, picking up the fallen appendage and handing it to me. “I have to hand it to you, that mirror is pretty neat.”

Taking my fallen hand, I gently whacked Caesar with it. “I appreciate your puns, but now is not the time, I don’t even know if there’s a way to change back or not.”

“Maybe you could change back to your normal self, by doing what you originally did?”

“You mean thinking about being human again?”

“Yeah, I mean, what’s there to lose?”

I began to raise my hand up and Caesar quickly shielded himself with his hands. “Alright, alright! I promise, no more puns!”

Putting my hand back in its proper place, I wrapped it back up securely before turning to face the mirror once more. I really hope this works. Just like before, I placed my hand on the glass, and closed my eyes. I wish to be human. I wish to be human. Just like before, I felt something wrap around my body, but this time it wasn’t cold...it was warm, like the rays of sunshine in the summer. I opened my eyes and looked in the mirror, my skin had returned back to its normal color and I was no longer wrapped in bandages nor in a costume, I was back in my usual outfit and I couldn’t help but smile.

After all was said and done, I turned back to face Caesar and we engaged in more conversation as we both prepared ourselves for bed. As I lied down, I pulled the blankets over me and whispered goodnight to Caesar before letting myself fall into sleep’s embrace.

_______________

The day had gone by quickly and the evening was fast approaching. We all had gathered at our designated meeting point, standing in front of the mirror.

“So this will really transform us into the creatures we want?” Liz asked while walking up to the mirror, inspecting it.

“Yep, it happened last night to Al.”

“Wait, you used it already?” Elias was the one who spoke up this time.

“Caesar suggested that we gave it a quick test run. That’s how I found out.”

“That’s so cool! I want to try!”

Liz peered into the mirror happily and touched her reflection, the glass rippled under her touch. She closed her eyes and with her free hand on her heart, a bright light began to envelop her body. When the light faded Liz had a pair of beautiful fairy wings that shimmered and glowed. Each wing had a swirl of intricate designs just like her clothing. She had pointed ears and her hair was pulled back in a long braid which held a vast array of flowers nestled inside. Even her eyes changed; the color was still the same, but they looked more glassy, like that of a doll.

“Oh wow! This is amazing!” Liz shouted happily before taking off into the sky, however...she wasn’t accustomed to the wings and ultimately ended up falling to the ground.

“I want to go next!” Zeus shouted out while pushing Hiro and Caesar aside.

“Idiot! Do that again and you’ll be sliced in two!”

“Watch it!”

Zeus placed his hand on the glass, just as Liz had previously done, however...

“What the hell?!”

When the light for Zeus dissipated, a large puma sized creature stood in his place.

“Zeus? What did you choose exactly?”

“I thought about being a God! But then this happened!”

I heard snickering from Elias and Caesar in the background.

“Maybe it’s because he’s a Night Class student? Maybe it’s not used to their type of magic?” Liz hovered over and looked at the creature that Zeus had become.

“Could be. Hey, Hiro, why don’t you try it?”

“Do I have to?”

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

He let out a sigh and took his turn and before we knew it, everyone went down the line. As I glanced around, I couldn’t help but crack a smile, this would surely give the students a real scare! Suddenly I heard flapping from up above come down slowly, then in a puff of smoke Chica appeared in her human form, her long pink hair cascaded down her shoulders and she wore a smirk on her face.

“I can’t wait for Prince Sigurd to see me now.”

“I see, the potion worked like a charm.”

“Yes and just in time too. Sigurd should be here any moment from Queensblade. I heard from Leslie he would be travelling by broom.”

Chica began to fan herself and smile; that’s when something caught my eye, she had a glistening pair of fangs.

“Chica? You have fangs? Have you come into contact with the mirror at some point?”

“Oh? No. I’m a bat my dear, as such it’s only natural for me to have a pair of fangs.” She grinned but I had my doubts, but I was in no mood to question it, not while there was still so much to do.

“Is everyone ready for haunted halls?”

“Yeah!”

“Bring it on!”

“Sure.”

“Ready when you are!”

I took a deep breath and began walking, leading the group who was bunched up behind me. I glanced back at them and they were all smiling and talking with one another. Except for one...

“Klaus?”

“Remember, this is just for my job. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Sure...”

It was finally time, the moon was high in the sky and we were all scrambling to get into our positions. We only had one section of school closed off for the haunted halls, which meant we had to divide it into sections, whether that be a room or hallway. I had gotten into my position which happened to be near the very beginning of it. Wow....why am I so nervous? I took a deep breath and steeled myself before taking the part of a scary mummy.

As time went on, the sound of scrambling students and high pitched shrieks continued, there didn’t seem to be a break from it, although there was some laughter from time to time when Zeus tried picking a fight with some of the other students, and then with Hiro when he had to step out from his position and intervene.

Less and less students began to show up to go through the halls, I began to wonder if maybe they were becoming less interested, until I looked down at my pocket watch and realized the time. It’s already this late?! When the last couple of students entered, I decided they would be the final to come through. It was getting late and I could tell some of the others were tired. I noticed Elias leaning up against one of the windows, his arms were folded over his chest and his head drooped down low; only when he snored, did he wake himself up and try to get back to business.

_______________

We left after making sure the last few students had made their way out, then we made our own exit, gathering up in the courtyard. We were all ready to head back to the dorms, but we still had to take care of one more thing.

“Alright, now all we have to do now is go and revert back to our usual forms through the mir-”

Suddenly I looked at my arm, my flesh was fine, it wasn’t a sickly color nor was it missing bits. However, the costume still remained, I guess the actual monster effects wear off after a certain amount of time, but the costumes wouldn’t.

“You know what this calls for?” Liz beamed and reached into the sack that was tied around her waist. She brought out a small object that began to grow larger.

“What is that?”

“A special kind of camera I think.” She began to examine it. “I found it when I went back into the Archives earlier today. I say we take a picture to commemorate this special day!”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“I agree.”

“Make sure to get my good side!”

We all agreed to take a picture, a few group photos and a few separate ones as well. Liz was about to put the camera away when suddenly Elias stopped her, then he pointed at us and she turned to give us a warm smile.

“Sure! Just get into position!”

“Position?”

“Alfonse, Klaus, come on.” Elias motioned for us to come over and we both obliged.

“What’s this about?” Klaus asked.

“I wanted to get a picture of us together.”

“Just like back when we were younger..” I whispered through a smile.

“Exactly.”

The three of us got into position; we took a few serious photos and few goofy ones we even took a picture of us smiling and when I first saw the photo, I noticed even Klaus was smiling and that once sad look in his eyes from yesterday were gone; replaced by what seemed like happiness.

“So I’m assuming you both will want some of these copies?”

“Yes.” Elias and I replied almost simultaneously.

“I’d like one too. But I want the one of us all smiling.”

“Klaus?”

“I want to have this as a reminder. A reminder that my brother is back and that more memories like these, are waiting for us in the future.”

I felt a smile creep on my face, a day that was once filled with uncertainty, had turned into an amazing night filled with laughter, screams, and even family bonding. I wonder....what lies in the future for us? I might not know the question, but I knew that whatever it was, I couldn’t wait for it.

With that, I closed my eyes and looked to the sky. I wondered now, if others believed in the magic that Halloween could give. Do you believe in it? If you do, then keep that thought, that feeling, with you wherever you go.

#wizardess heart #liz hart #klaus goldstein #elias goldstein #alfonse goldstein #caesar raphael #zeus brundle #hiro tachibana #halloween prompt

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weirdunclegamer · 5 years

Text

Crono in Smash

Alright whatever I just wanna write this down somewhere. Like a lot of people I occasionally do the nerd convo thing of positing the question of who would you like to see in Smash Bros. But the thing is for me I don’t care about just listing any and every random character we can think of, it’s about trying to design the character as a fighter in the game while staying true to their original game, and being functional and reasonable in Smash. That means trying to design a character more or less the way the devs might. So here’s the one I just went over design ideas with a buddy;

Crono from Chrono Trigger.

One of my favoritest games EvAr, like many peeps, I actually threw out Crono as a character I felt would just end up too derivative. After all wouldn’t he just end up like an FE character? Kinda like a Robin clone, seeing as he has magic and blade? Well we wanted to find a way to do him justice and here’s what we came up with.

Crono (as designed by us) is a simple but actually gimmick heavy character combining two already existing gimmicks into a new idea. Those gimmicks would be the multi-fighter concept from Pokemon Trainer, and the two-at-once gimmick of the Ice Climbers. You always control Crono directly, with a set of normal attacks that are simple befitting a sword using character, with perhaps some lightning flare. The real gimmick is that Crono is always trailed by a second character, that he can also swap out, from three characters from the original game; Lucca, Marle, and Frog. This changes two of his special moves; the neutral, and the down specials. Unlike IC’s the second character does NOT aid with normal attacks, though the change to only two specials and not three means less diversity then PT, this is done to keep the character from only copying the two other fighters, and also to reflect the nature of the traditional JRPG team concept from the original game.

Up special; does not change with secondary character, a lightning infused uppercut, if input is added at the peak causes a burst of lightning (referencing Lightning 2 from the original game), but creates cool down that might prevent a ledge grab. Simple.

Forward special; does not change with secondary character, sends a low power but piercing wave along the ground (referencing Slash from original game), but if the wave hits (even on block) and a follow up input is added at the moment of contact, Crono warps to the opponent and does a much harder follow up strike (roughly referencing Confuse from original game).

Neutral special; changes with secondary character, a ranged spell cast by the second character. If character is Lucca a fireball is sent forward, then bursts after a set distance or upon hitting opponent. If character is Marle a large chunk of ice is created a set distance away and above from Marle’s position and then slams downwards, hard to hit with but high smash. If character is Frog a bubble appears a set distance behind opponent and moves towards them, if it connects it picks them up for a second then pops, does minor damage but can set up if reacted to fast enough. When neutral special is begun the second character stays planted to cast the spell, but Crono can move in that moment, afterwards the character will jump back to Crono’s side.

Down special; changes with secondary character, a double tech based on second character, strong but slow generally. If character is Lucca Crono is imbued with fire be her then spins but on his own axis but also around an area from the initiation point, large area of affect but easily avoided. If character is Marle Crono will stand in place to help charge spell, then become healed for a good amount of damage, obviously useful but completely vulnerable during and after casting. If character is Frog both Crono and Frog take a wind up stand then zip across the field in a straight line that can be done in the air, performing a powerful and wide cone shaped X strike at the end, the fastest dual tech, very powerful, but easy to spot the wind up and easily dodged, does do heavy shield damage however.

FINAL SMASH; we gotta make these flashy, and this is a good opportunity when representing a game with a large team of characters to get others in on the action (see Shulk or Mega Man’s FS’s), though in this case I knew it HAD to be a triple tech from the original game, but instead of doing one of the two triple techs that the four already used characters have, I felt it would be better, and more interesting, to have the other two characters, Robo and Ayla, appear to aid Crono. So this final smash is not cinematic, but instead real time as Crono, Robo, and Ayla perform their triple tech Twister! The twister is a completely vertical pillar hitbox tornado that’s screen position is based on Crono’s when the move is performed, it goes complete from the top and bottom of the screen and the width is roughly one third of the screen space, sucks enemies in dealing multiple hits before ending on a hard launch. As with many real time FS’s generally provoking its use while at a good distance will keep you out of harm. I liked this a lot cuz a vertical pillar hitbox style super isn’t already in the game, and it meant having a good reason to call in the two other teammates.

Stage; every character has to come with a stage and in Crono’s case it’d be a recreation of the millenial faire! Fight in the center of the square as fair goers cheer on the battle, but look out! The robot sparring partner Gato will sometimes jump in on the fun, socking fighters with the spring loaded boxing glove in his chest! As a bonus nod to the original game, if you choose this stage in battlefield form, instead of the fair you get the out-of-time warp area where Lavos was fought at the end of the game, with the background transitioning through the different eras of time!

Bonus; the villain turned party member Magus isn’t represented in the Crono character idea, but I felt it makes more sense to have him as an assist trophy instead! This would be both a cute nod to him being an optional party member in the original game, and a chance to have a new assist trophy that does some fun stuff, attacking with his scythe and casting powerful magic.

So there’s our idea for how Crono could be a fighter in Smash. If we come up with other complete ideas like this I’ll probably jot them down here too.

#smash bros #chrono trigger #crono

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hjertetssunnegalskap1 · 6 years

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Tuesday Fic Recs (17.07.18 - 06.08.18)

Halla! I have taken some weeks off from reccing fics, but here are some of the fics I fell in love with during the last three weeks (sorry if this gets a little long on your phones):

Theme: Pulchritude. by Heroine (Evoxine) (1/1)

Summary: In which Even's family runs a flower shop, Isak literally falls for Even, and Even witnesses Isak cry over a wrap that is too spicy for Isak's poor taste buds.

Along the way, they fall in love.

Comment: Ah, I love this story, it's really sweet! ❤️ I love Isak and Even here, and their friends too. It was just so lovely to see their relationship develop. This fic gives me all the good feelings.

Not the End by nofeartina (8/?)

Summary: Sometimes a connection is so powerful that it can bend the fabric of space and time.

Or the parallel universe AU where Isak and Even find each other over and over again.

My comment: This fic is really intriguing, and I love it. ❤️ It visits some dark places and it is painful at times, but it’s also beautiful, magic and gripping and I’m hooked. I loved the latest update, too!

you took me with a glance by everythingislove (narrylife) (1/1)

“I was just wondering if it hurt?”

“If what hurt?”

“When you fell from heaven?”

The boy sends him an entirely unamused expression. “Did you just call me Satan?”

Or: for a Hei Briskeby video, Even tries using cheesy pick-up lines on strangers. It goes better and worse than he expects.

Comment: This was a really sweet and funny meet-cute story! ❤️ I always love when Isak and Even are dorky and sweet like they are here.

a taste of you and me by skamz (1/3)

Isak finds himself frowning slightly, now. Improvising? Random ideas? Tweaking recipes?

He can't help but disagree with people who have this kind of approach to baking. Honestly, in what world is that the best thing about baking? It can't be, because it's just—

It's just risky, and you run the chance of ruining everything by doing things that way.

Baking involves following specific steps and not deviating from them, and doing so in order to end up with something right and good. In order to not risk ending up with something that's a mess and in order to know what to expect.

It just shouldn't be whatever this guy described it as.

Or: for Isak, baking is a science and for Even, it's more of an art, and they face each other in a baking competition.

Comment: This is such a lovely and sweet story! ❤️ I love how the boys approach learning differently in the kitchen, and how Even challenged Isak so that he tried something new. Now I can't wait to read the rest!

wait for me to come home by allyasavedtheday (6/10)

Summary: It really is a nice place.

And the dynamic between the three of them is one he could see himself settling into comfortably if given the chance.

Less than five minutes later they return from the kitchen with Eskild leading the charge. “It’s official!” he announces. “We want you to move in!”

“Really?” Even asks, feeling a wide smile stretch across his face. It almost feels too good to be true.

He’s finally doing it. He’s going out on his own and living his life on his own terms. And he just secured the first step.

An evak New Girl au.

Comment: Ah, this story is so sweet, it’s perfect. ❤️ I love how Isak and Even is written, and the other characters, too. And the sweet tension between Isak and Even is just so good. The boys are slowly figuring stuff out and they're just too cute, I love it so much!

Masters of their own domain by evakuality (6/6)

Summary: “Get out of my fucking way, Jonas,” Isak is saying as he pushes the box he’s holding into the back of his friend. Even stumbles to a halt behind him, alerted by Isak’s complaint to the sudden blockage in the stairwell above him. Jonas, for his part, flips Isak off behind his back, making Isak shift the box he’s holding with a groan, pressing it against the wall to steady it. That shift pulls the t-shirt Isak’s wearing hard against the planes of his back, which is right in front of Even’s eyes as he stands on a lower step, and that in turn makes Even’s mouth go dry.

Aka, a week in their life after they move into their new apartment.

Comment: I’ll say it again: Oh. My. God. ❤️ I’m so grateful for this amazing birthday gift of a fic. This is so sweet and it has it ALL! The boys are so sweet together, and Isak is so strong and they are just like I imagine them. I love that this is a fic where we get to see the boys together, as a couple. Actually, I didn’t realize how much I missed these boys before I started to read this fic.

Holy Fuck by arindwell

Summary: "Baby?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you please come over here and put your dick in my face?"

Isak looks up instantly at that, with this expression of shock and delight that Even loves, and which makes his heart clench in his chest.

Comment: This was such a cool birthday gift and such a surprise, so I’ll say it again: Oh my god!!! ❤️ This fic is such a firework of sweet, funny boys and hotness! The boys are so them, too. I love it. I really hope I get to read some more smoking hot scenes from this writer.

Two Night Stand by sundaymournin

Isak and Even met on Grindr and are forced to extend their one-night stand because of a snowstorm (based on the film).

Comment: I don't know the movie this fic is based on, but I really like this fic. ❤️ It was sweet, hot and funny. The ending was adorable, too. This fic had everything, really! :)

Uke 27 Even Bech Næsheim by Ane_Rikke_Jegass (orphan_account) (5/5)

Summary: Isak hadde bestemt seg for at disse airbnb-greiene var noe ordentlig herk. Og det var så godt når man hadde bestemt seg for noe. Da kunne man legge vekk den irriterende tvilen, og heller tilpasse seg det man hadde bestemt seg for. Beslutningsvegring? Heller beslutningsmani, si. Bestem deg og tilpass deg. Ferdig med saken.

Comment: Ah, denne var fin! ❤️ Jeg fikk et tips om denne, og det er jeg utrolig glad for. Det var så lett å kjenne igjen Isak og Even, og historien var riktig godt skrevet.

i ain't no hercules by grinsekaetzchen

Sometimes Isak thinks it would be easier if he could tell himself a story. A story of how the world came to an untimely end, of how it burned to the ground and how the few survivors stared on in horror, illuminated by the flames. A story of those survivors going on to save others in spite of everything. And later, when they were successful in repopulating the Earth, they would be called heroes. There would be celebrations in their honour. There would be people alive because of them.

The problem is: Isak may be one of the survivors, but he’s definitely not one of the heroes.

[Part 2 of the Post-Apocalypse AU "if you must live, darling one, just live"]

Part 3 of a universe created by ourselves

Comment: Damn. This is so good. Painful, but good. ❤️ I have somehow missed some of the earlier parts of this series too, so I read three of them in a row. And I'm just speechless. I love this so much.

(you'll always be my) thunder by kittpurrson (3/3)

They’re here for two weeks of pure bliss: rowing, racing, and scouting out the other clubs to see where they’re at before the next racing season begins. All Isak cares about are the lake and the wake--they’re the things that make the difference.

Then, of course, he meets Even. [A Sommersturm AU]

Comment: This is such a good fic, I just love it so much. ❤️ The setting is interesting, and I love how it's all set up. The characterisation is so right and I love the vibe of it all. Actually, I have thought about them several times on my holiday, when I have seen rowers or other things that reminded me of them. Now I kinda hope that we get to see more of them.

tie my heartstrings by Fxckxxp (1/1)

That boy wearing Even's old sweater is really, really cute.

Comment: This is such a sweet, sweet story. ❤️ So cute. It’s really well written, too. There’s not much more to say, really, it’s perfect. I love it and this must be just the right fic to read when it’s grey and raining and you need something to pick you up.

something in the language of trees by scarletbluebird (1/1)

Summary: Meet Isak Valtersen: Premed student by day, insomniac shit poet by night. Future doctor? Who the fuck knows.

He’s passing through the main square when he sees it, pinned up to the message board. Bright pink and flapping in the wind. At first he thinks he’s misread so he stops and back tracks, pressing the paper flat against the board. Nope, it still says the same thing:

looking for a friend for my 23 year old son. Pays 500kr/wk. serious inquiries only please.

“What the fuck?” He squints at it, suspiciously. Could it be some weird project the psych kids are doing?

He waffles for a moment but ultimately decides to take a picture of the flyer with his phone. Desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say. Plus, Eskild is gonna start selling his stuff online while Isak is away in class if he doesn’t start paying his portion of the rent on time. He tells himself he doesn’t actually have to call the number as he shuffles his way to class.

AU where Isak's job really was to be Even's friend

Comment: I got a tip about this fic and I’m really glad I read it! ❤️ I somehow missed it when it was posted, probably because I was sceptical about the part with the note. But this is really great, and so beautiful. I enjoyed it so much.

in retrospect, better by vesperthine (1/1)

Summary: This whole thing, this night, it’s like a montage; recreating important nights in infinity, calling those moments back like cutting out pieces of photographs. Picking the good parts, amplifying them through the lens of knowing it all turned out well.

Comment: Damn. This fic is so beautiful, lovely and real, and so hot, too. ❤️ I love the banter between the boys, saying a lot about them and their relationship without really saying it. It must be an artform in itself to do that.

nothing sure in this world by withoutwords (1/1)

“What’s this?” Sana asks, pointing at something over Even’s shoulder. “Cheese toast? On a wedding menu?”

“It’s a thing.”

“Right.”

Comment: This is a really lovely story, and so amusing, too. ❤️ I have this ridiculous thing that I kinda avoid proposals in fics, probably because I’m a cold hearted idiot or something, but I’m so glad I discovered this lovely, lovely fic. It was so worth it.

written in the stars by ourlovelybones (2/2)

Summary: Even sits down on the floor beside him, his fingers playing with his laminated VIP badge. “You’re overthinking the crowd thing. They weren’t dead, per se. You’re just a little tired.”

Isak is very tired, but it’s still not the right word to explain the heavy feeling in his bones and the empty weight in his heart. He should be over the moon right now. He should be dancing with Even to the venue’s after-show playlist and drinking beer to celebrate his best friend agreeing to finish out the rest of his U.S tour with him. It’s more than exhaustion he feels but Isak can’t quite describe exactly what it is - and certainly not to the person who took a whole two weeks off of work to come on this tour.

{the one where even follows isak around on tour but isak doesn't want to deal with his feelings}

Comment: Ah, this fic really gripped me. ❤️ Isak and Even are so real and their surroundings are so vividly described, that I get sucked right in. And the pining... The second part was so heartbreaking that I almost wanted to cry as well. Now I only wish there was more.

cut off my fingers to touch your smile by bbyfruit (3/8)

There’s a soulmark on his arm, unmistakable in its swirling colors, blues and reds and purples, and it’s exactly where he collided with the kid earlier.

“Oh, shit,” Even whispers, staring at it, mesmerized.

Mikael looks at him halfway amazed and halfway worried. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Yeah,” Even says grimly. “I guess I met him.”

Comment: Ah, I love this story. ❤️ I love Isak and Even and I really really love that you can have more than one soulmate in this verse. Now I’m desperate to figure out what happens next.

_____

I hope you find something you like! For better and more well-articulated fic recs, check out the great rec blogs @evakteket and @evaksbinder . Oh, and you can also check out all the interesting fics and lovely art that come from the Skam Reverse Bang this week.

Good reading!

#skam #fics #fic rec tuesday #I should have said a lot more about each fic #but this is three weeks of reading peeps #check them out #lots of good reads

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thiswasthebadplaceallalong-blog · 6 years

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Harry Potter and the Horrible World We Live In

What a horrible world we live in. What a terrible, evil, awful place- the space we occupy.

How did we get here? How did centuries of living lead to a world just as barbaric as the old one? How are we so hateful? How are we so vile? How can we continue this way? How can it get better? How can it get solved? We have had evil and hate throughout modern history. Always resolved. Evil loses. Good wins.

We circle back to the present and we are back at square one. Another war. Another fight. Another evil. Evil will always rise up. Star Wars knows this. Harry Potter knows this. The Star Wars original trilogy ended with evil being defeated. The new Star Wars trilogy begins in a world where a new evil has risen to take its place.

The Harry Potter novels and movies were about an evil that was eventually defeated. How did Harry’s life go on without any disturbances from the world? Another evil to take Voldemort’s place. The play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which many fans do not adopt as canon despite author JK Rowling saying that it is, does not really have an evil power replacing Voldemort. Instead it is an intimate story about Harry and his son who had the spotlight in the final book and movie’s epilogue scenes, Albus Severus (For a protagonist, he has quite the unfortunate name). Albus Severus lives in his father’s shadow. The story of Harry’s adventure to defeat Voldemort is probably something every single adult and child knows about - just like us Muggles do in the real world.

Everyone knows Harry’s story. How can you not? And children born today and in years to come will all know about Harry Potter, and one day it will be a distant classic that one just knows about but hasn’t necessarily experienced because of all the other popular media that has taken over since Harry Potter existed. In the same way, Albus Severus experiences his father’s story. He then goes on to literally experience events from his father’s story by using an extremely powerful Time Turner to go back to moments in Harry’s life and interfering, creating different and terrifying alternate timelines. Some are downright insane to even comprehend as coming from JK Rowling or even from her approval. Albus is actually on this journey with his father’s school bully’s son (what an unlikely and fan servicey pairing, bordering on a romantic slash fiction story you would only find on the internet). He is also on this journey with a girl who becomes their “Hermione.” Now we have a classic trio of Albus’ friends matching his father’s adventure companions and friends to this day, Ron and Hermione.

The twist comes when we learn that the girl, Delphi, is in fact Lord Voldemort’s daughter. The daughter he had with none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. This reveal is the deepest you can possibly go down the well of fan fiction. Voldemort’s daughter with Bellatrix Lestrange? What the actual fuck? How did JK Rowling think this was remotely okay? How cliché! How awfully thought out. So the entire time Deathly Hallows was unfolding, you’re telling me that Voldemort and Bellatrix were parents? That there was a baby at Malfoy Manor being looked after. If this is really true, we would have had a hint of it in the final book. Imagine if the trio had discovered a baby born of Voldemort and Bellatrix while at Malfoy Manor. What would they have done? Even if the plot played out the exact same way but they just knew there was a child, the world would know about the child after the battle ended.

The child would be living in complete public view of the world as the offspring of Voldemort. Just like Harry lived his life as the most famous wizard in the world for surviving Voldemort’s killing curse, Voldemort’s kid would probably make a very interesting 7 book series itself. How do you live in a world where you are the evillest being in the world’s child? I think that would be a better story to explore. Instead we get the child of Voldemort being the traitor who was trying to change the timeline to have their father live? I don’t even remember if that was the ultimate motivation and I’m too lazy to look it up. But I believe Delphi was just trying to recreate the legend of her father’s death to have him survive? That’s no First Order. Harry even gets to experience the night of his parents’ murder and has the choice to intervene and save them, thus altering every single damn thing in the Harry Potter universe. Nothing we would have seen before would have happened.

The night Voldemort killed Harry’s parents and Harry survived defined the wizarding world for the rest of time. A world where Harry and his parents survived and just went on would never have involved Harry stepping up to defeat Voldemort. Maybe this world would have Neville as the one taking Harry’s place which in itself would make such a great alternate universe story, which I bet has been done a million times already. But imagine this as written by JK Rowling?

This all leads me to believe that the entirety of the plot of Cursed Child takes place in Albus Severus’ imagination. He imagines what it would be like to go back in time and experience some of the most significant events in his father’s life and altering some of them to create such different possibilities. He imagines that this would be orchestrated by Voldemort’s child and it comes together all too neatly and everything goes back to normal. Albus just now has a new appreciation for his dad.

Albus and Harry realized their relationship is not working, Albus imagines an entire adventure to mirror and exist with his father’s real adventure. He comes to realize that his father really is an amazing hero, but at the end of the day is still his father and he loves him. What a beautiful story. It is much better if this is how you see the story play out instead of as a complete literal sequel. That way, I accept it as canon as an intimate study of the effects an epic story like Harry Potter’s has on the psychology of him and his children.

Back to my analogy of a new evil taking over. The Fantastic Beasts series takes place before the events of Harry Potter. In fact, it begins just before the actual birth of the Harry Potter villain and while all this is happening, an evil has risen to ultimate power in the current 20’s story. JK Rowling will take us up to 1945 when the current villain, Grindelwald was defeated. It’s interesting that out of all the possible plots JK Rowling could have chosen to write about as a follow up to Harry Potter, despite the millions of pleads for a Marauders series, she chooses to take the character that the movie studio wanted to make a film about and insert him into the ultimate good vs evil plot occurring during the time he was alive.

She manages to insert the most unlikely of heroes into the events of the backstory of Harry Potter that has to do with an evil power before Voldemort. I bet that if Warner Bros never wanted to make Fantastic Beasts into a movie (Originally as a documentary-style film about the creatures in the wizarding world, what a terrible unimaginative idea), JK Rowling would still have maybe one day written the story about the rise of Grindelwald, but it never would have included Newt Scamander and his companions. JK Rowling had to create a whole storyline for Newt and his companions as they get involved in the rise and defeat of Grindelwald. Now we are going to have relationship drama with Newt, Tina, Theseus, Leta Lestrange and even between Jacob and Queenie. All this soap opera-style stuff along the epic story of good vs evil. And this time everyone is an adult and not a child in school growing up throughout the films and books. That’s why Fantastic Beasts is really just for the die-hard fans who were kids and grew up with Harry Potter and are now adults.

Back to my first thoughts – the world is an evil place. It always will be. What will happen after we have defeated Donald Trump and his supporters? The Nazis, the racists, the white supremacists, the homophobes, all the evil ones. How will that fallout affect those that still are all those things? How will it affect those who are actually the good people in the world? If we don’t defeat them, the world will end. No doubt. Something will happen to bring on the apocalypse. Whatever it is. Society will break, and we will be done. We cannot continue on this path. We can’t keep letting all these atrocities keep happening. When will something be done? What is the damn tipping point? What is the fucking final straw? This? This week? With the bombs, the shootings, the EVIL. Will you finally wake up and do something? You. The person reading this. The random citizen of whatever country you are in the world. What will you do? Will you act? Will you do something about it? Vote? Protest? Argue? Fight? Make a difference? BE HEARD? When will this end? When we decide to finally fucking do something. When will we finally fucking do something? The armchair activism can only go so far. Something needs to be done.

If we lose, the world ends. If we win, we win for now until the next fight. But the next fight is not for us to worry about right now. What will we do to defeat the evil in the world? What will happen next? We are not far from finding out. So let’s do something.

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talktoten-a · 6 years

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a-modern-major-general:

#about the doctor#he loses himself all the time#he never really had a hold#he was only a couple of years old this face#sighs oh geez I hadn’t thought about this with regards to the Doctor - for me, a regeneration isn’t really death because hey at least you’re still alive albeit with a new face - a step up from human death, so I have a different perspective I guess - but he can’t see it like that and now I think I finally understand him when he said “I don’t want to go”.

so a time lord who’s ~900 is in about the same life stage as a 20-25ish year old human. This is a guy who ought to have sorted out who he is, in the number of years he’s had to do it in - someone who probably spent years working on that, building on it (when he was young, he was old and grumpy because he thought it made him cool - like teenagers and their emo phase, he still laughs about that), and then just as he was on the cusp of it - of him - of whoever he was, and then the Time War happened and trauma can throw anybody off. Trauma can throw people into turmoil and more to the point, probably all that time he had spent working up to himself, he had thought, I would never do something like that. Probably, the Doctor really, truly believed that he could 100% love something more than the universe, because he was and is an idealist. And it didn’t work. And suddenly he wasn’t that, and suddenly he had lost everything, and suddenly the war was over and he wasn’t a soldier either he couldn’t default to that (god, it makes him sick that he used to - that sometimes he still does). and he has no idea. and please note, he died about once every hundred years except that’s not how it worked but on average, he died once every hundred years (Nine was 900 years old), which is very human this time of century actually and then he started out again with a different personality and the same memories and knowledge of how he reacted to certain things in that particular circumstance, and that’s what he gets. He gets knowledge of who that person was, the one he just left behind, and he gets told, keep going. He can’t go back and change how he reacted - he doesn’t know how he would have thought of that person, there, in that instant, because he can’t go back and recreate it, it would be going backwards - he can’t backtrack to test out this new face, to see how it might work. who he might be. how he might have held Rose’s hand, then, or if she could have talked him down from that edge in the same way, or if he is the sort of man who still could make that sort of mistake, trusting the Gelth, or falling in love, or anything of the sort. He can’t even go back to find out if he’s the sort of man who would burn Gallifrey. He doesn’t know if that’s still in him. He doesn’t get that knowledge. All he knows is, this is who I used to be, and that’s his starting point. a looooooot of what the Doctor does is hit-and-miss (he tries new words - correctamundo! and allons-y and sweetheart, we see him try in New Earth, and he never uses it ever again). He finds out if he likes pears, or bananas. He finds out the way his handwriting slopes and how his teeth sort of line up a bit crooked on the back left side of his mouth, and he finds out how much he likes Rose Tyler and he finds out if he’s happy or not (and I am going to cry, because from step one, for Ten - from step one, and it does end but at least from the beginning, at least there - he finds out that he is). but all of these things are things that he needs to find out about himself because he’s starting from square one, a whole new life and personality and being, and the only real solid thing that has stayed throughout everything is that this universe is forever and he wants to see all of it, and that is why if you ask him what he is he will say, a space-time tourist. Because some core, solid part of him, something that nobody can change, something right at the heart, is the call to adventure. The call to the infinite sky. and the thing is, he never really learns who he is. This is why he’s so flexible, too, with his friends - I have written about it before, the Doctor is intimately affected by what his friends think and say and want and believe him to be. Look at The Doctor’s Daughter, look how Donna talks him down from it (I’m not a father!), look how she helps him through it and how he warms to the idea. Look how he has learnt there is always a choice despite the fact when he started out he said, no second chances, I’m that sort of a man - look at how he CHOOSES to be kind. Look at how he did the same with Donna in The Runaway Bride vs Partners In Crime (”They can’t help where they came from,”), look at the fact that everything he does and every time he grows it is because there’s someone human and whole and real there, beside him, who tells him, hey. this is where you’re going wrong. This is how you can be yourself, a little more. The Doctor inherently wants to do the right thing and be a good person but he is constantly self-absorbed in part because he literally has no idea who he is, and he neglects to think about how to do that sometimes and it’s not that he isn’t willing to extend his thinking that way, and be better. It’s because he just doesn’t think to. He blatantly, blindly, couldn’t find those spots where there is all that opportunity to be good, if he tried. When he doesn’t have a friend, the Doctor is reckless and stupid and he gets to be reckless with people’s deaths instead of reckless with their lives (see meta re. Time Lord Victorious), and it is in part because he can feel himself slipping. It is in part because he KNOWS that he’s not - that something’s wrong, that if any one of his friends saw him now in this exact moment they would know exactly what he was doing wrong and how to fix it, he KNOWS that he can’t - he’s just not - and whenever he tries to do something right people end up hurt, or killed, or almost dead, and he doesn’t know how to stop it. The stress makes it worse, to an extreme. And Time Lords aren’t meant to have emotions in the first place and the Doctor is very good at ignoring them and so he continues on like nothing’s wrong, and he does his usually cheery self, it works! It works. He can keep breathing, and it works. But not as well as it should be, and not as well as he thinks it ought to be, and he’s not doing everything he wants to be doing, and he’s not the man that he wants to be, and he doesn’t know how to be that person. He doesn’t know how to get there. How do you work out point A to point B when you don’t know what point A is? That’s partly why the Doctor is so fascinated by anything that might give him solid insight into himself - why there is such a wild appeal to knowing a ‘fact’ about the Doctor, this Doctor, an objective piece of knowledge about who he is. And whenever he tries to work his own way to point B it just seems to get further and further away. How is he headed in completely the wrong direction? How does that keep happening? Is that who he is - a man who isn’t actually point B at all? ‘I don’t want to go’ was a lot of things. It was the culmination of his recklessness - the ultimate, inevitable conclusion to an adrenaline junkie whose highs had to get higher, who lived on the edge for the thrill of almost falling off. He didn’t know he was doing that, I have to stress. He wasn’t doing it on purpose. He didn’t pull people to the edge with him because he thought it was fun. He did it because he’d only just started out, and he never died anyway, and he was cocky enough to forget that that didn’t mean he was immortal. But mostly, I think, I don’t want to go was just that: he wasn’t finished yet. The Doctor can talk about who he is and struggle to be better and fight for a glimpse of the man that he has become, over all these hundreds of years and after all of this trauma, but inherently and at his core he wasn’t finished yet. That’s something that would scare Ten in particular, I think - others, too, but Ten in particular. He was a space-time tourist, that was the ONE thing he knew about himself, and he wasn’t finished yet. There were still planets to explore and people to fall in love with and worlds that he was never going to see, not as him, not with those eyes. There were still ways he could have tried to be better, there were still people who would have helped him get there, there were still stars and solar systems and the rest of all of space and time. And he was never going to see any of it. That’s it, that’s what it was - that was his life, a few years of wandering and wondering, a few years of incomplete - and he doesn’t know what Hyloe icecream tastes like in this mouth or the way the triple suns probably burn this stupid pale skin to a crisp on Kilr 8, and more to the point he doesn’t know anything about any of the other - he doesn’t even know what he doesn’t know. He doesn’t even know what he’s missing, just that there is an entire universe of things and tastes and smells and places to be and things to see that he is never going to experience. This is it for him. He isn’t finished, and this is it for him. These few, brief years were jam-packed full of everything he could think of and then it was over, and he wasn’t finished yet, and he wasn’t anywhere close to finished, and he never would be. some new man would go sauntering away. And the Doctor wouldn’t know him, either. My least favourite thing - the worst thing - is that he died alone in the TARDIS, that he died staring at these walls that he already knew, that he died with nothing new or exciting anywhere close to him, that he died in the silence of his ship where it was safe, maybe, but that was all she could offer him. The last thing he saw was that stupid, bloody wall. It wasn’t anything spectacular. It wasn’t a supernova. It wasn’t when the Gelritians finally toppled the Jiero empire and erected their Solar Seventh. It wasn’t someone that he loved. The Doctor got a wall. The tenth Doctor, so in love with being alive, so inherently, before anything else, in love with the universe, died alone, facing a wall. And his last words were, fittingly - of course these were his last words - his last words were, I don’t want to go.

#david tennant #doctor who #10th doctor #tenth doctor #doctor who rp #headcanon #im just putting this in a new post so that I can keep it rather than hijacking that poor person's other post #sorry for the dash spam guys!

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 6 years

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I’ll Meet You At The Bottom (Part 3)

I am still bitter to say that my favorite joke didn’t come back to me. For that I’m actually pretty disappointed in this chapter, the first version that my computer ate was so much better. :/ I hope it’s still enjoyable for you guys anyways.

Sokka hadn’t seen her at the window since that night but the image of her was imprinted in his mind. Even so he crafted a quick sketch just to make sure that the image stayed vivid. His brush work still wasn’t up to par but he had a newfound determination to make it so. Not exactly masterful with backgrounds yet, he simply spread a layer of black over most of the background, leaving only enough white to expose the border—which he decided would serve as the window frame. He filled that white space with gold paint. It looked decent enough, but such was easy to say when one was only working with two colors and a simple pattern. Even so, something seemed missing, lackluster. He decided to add a little texture, hoping that it would add a little something. At the same time, he feared that it would be hard to add the second layer of paint if he did. With a brief moment of reluctance to precede, he began dabbing a cloth at the canvas. Every good artist would have to take a risk at some point, he figured that he might as well start early.

It would take an hour, at least, to dry. Sokka set the brush down and starched his arms. He was thankful for how well just that portion of the painting had taken his mind off of things. If he would have known, he may have taken to painting portraits earlier on.

“How’s your painting coming along?” Katara asked, she squinted at the gold framed black square. “What are you painting?”

The innocent inquiry took the man by surprise. “I…uhhh…” Sokka stammered. He hadn’t even thought to come up with a clever lie, but he certainly wasn’t going to let anyone know that he was painting Azula. “It…it’s an abstract piece.”

“You’re pretty flustered for just painting an ‘abstract piece’.” Toph put in.

“W-well look at it.” Sokka motioned frantically to the painting, the color in his cheeks only spreading more. “Does it even seem abstract? It’s stupid just like every other thing I’ve tried to paint.” He hadn’t quite meant to beat himself up like that, but it was much better than coming out with the truth.

“It’s not that bad.” Aang shrugged. “You just started it after all.”

Katara nodded, “It’ll probably look great after you add some more color and splotches and… artsy stuff.”

“Yeah. Artsy stuff.” Sokka agreed, instantly flooded with relief.

“I think you should add different shades.” Zuko suggested as he crossed the grass. “Maybe add some greys or something.”

Sokka rubbed the back of his head, “thanks for the suggestion but it might be a bit too late for that.” Truth be told he wasn’t sure if he was correct; the paint might still be wet enough for him to do so, but one artistic leap of fate was enough for one day. He looked back at his canvas, he was itching to fill it. Right then it was as empty as the real window frame.

.oOo.

Azula looked at the powder sitting atop her dresser. She’d seen Chan use it before, he said it was a real trip and was kind enough to slip her some. She told herself that she had only accepted it to feel the kick of adrenaline, knowing just how much trouble it could bring if she got busted. And when that didn’t work she convinced herself that she had accepted the mystery substance to prove to herself that she wouldn’t actually inhale it. But as it sat undisturbed it became increasingly difficult to resist. She did go through the trouble of sneaking out of her room and into the palace dinner party to retrieve it, after all. Not to mention she was already hooked, what was one more thing?

She had her fingers around the pouch containing it when there came a knock on the door. She hissed a quick, “fuck” and tossed it under the dresser. She made a point of loudly approaching the door, in hopes that the person on the other side would decide not to barge right in. She had her hand on the knob, poised to twist it, but decided against doing so. “Leave me.” She demanded, entirely uninterested in uncovering the identity of her visitor.

“Would you like me to leave your food at the door?”

Her lip curled back, the last thing she needed was for one of her servants to nose around and out her, “of course I would!” She spat. “Have I ever invited you in before?”

She heard the rustle of cloth and then a stiff and uncertain, “well…no.”

“Well then...” She rolled her eyes.

Azula could picture the man bowing. She heard a soft clatter and waited for the footfalls to grow distant before poking her head out and fetching a plate of dumplings that she wasn’t actually hungry for. She ate one or two regardless and went straight back to her initial conundrum. She felt under the dresser for the pouch, by the time it was in her hand, her fingers were tainted with dust.

She stared at it for some more time, admitting that she didn’t know how much she could inhale at one time without hurting herself. She looked at her arms and remembered that she didn’t care. With a final burst of hesitation, she opened the pouch—thanking and cursing Chan all in the same sniff.

.oOo.

Sokka carefully swept a finger over the bottom right of his painting. Upon inspection, his finger had come up clean. It hadn’t taken as much time as he thought for the painting to dry. He was both nervous and thrilled to continue. He took a seat, deciding that it would do him well to actually plan his next line of attack he could just do everything in one more layer or he could have third. He rubbed his chin, staring at the canvas as if it would tell him what it wanted him to do.

Picking up his brush, he had at last made his decision. He created a blend of color white and brown—more heavy on the brown. He stuck his lip out, that mixture wasn’t right. It was much too dark, he was painting Azula, not Katara. His second attempt was just as unfulfilling, this time it was to loaded with white. He was about to mix a third when he recalled the look of the princess while she stood at the window in broad daylight. No, he realized, he had created a quite accurate blend. It would have been too light a year or so back, but as things were, he had it just right. He put his brush to the canvas, hoping that his hand could recreate the image that clung so heavily in his mind.

Minutes bled into hours and he scarcely noticed the rumble of his stomach nor the call of his bladder. It wasn’t until Katara offered him a moon peach that he finally turned form his work. “That’s not bad at all.” She noted as she tossed the fruit at him. “You choose a very light tone for the skin. I would suggest adding some color.”

It took a degree of willpower to bite his tongue and not inform her that he was going for accuracy. He truly wanted to, but Sokka had no desire to answer the questions that would follow. So instead he replied, “I don’t want to waste all of my brown paint.”

Katara laughed. “I’m sure Zuko would be willing to buy you some more.”

“You’re probably right.” He agreed, “though I’m sort of hoping to be done with this layer tonight.”

“You can’t rush art, Sokka.” Aang gave his input.

“Hey, you guys want to see my painting?” Toph asked. “I call it, The Orange Hand. I made it with my own hand.”

Sokka almost didn’t’ want to tell her. But he did, “Toph, that hand is pink.”

“Oh.” Toph muttered. “I knew that.”

“I’m sure.” Sokka agreed sarcastically. He turned back to his own artwork. He supposed he could add a bit more brown in some places. It would give it a more life like quality. “Say Katara, from that window,” he took special care to point to the window next to Azula’s, “how do you think the light would fall on her face?”

“It depends on the time of day.” Katara replied.

“How about during sundown.” Sokka replied.

Katara moved closer to the painting. “Now don’t get mad if this is off, because I’m really just guessing.” She mumbled as she indicated to the places where she though he could add a little bit of darkness. “Hey, wait a minute! Didn’t you say that this was an abstract painting?”

Sokka was thankful for his turned back, he was flustered all over again. “I changed my mind. I couldn’t come up with anything good. Anyone can splatter paint on a canvas and call it art, you know?” Inwardly he scolded himself for being so careless, he was never good at secret keeping.

“Who are you painting?” Katara asked the question he dreaded.

“No one really, I mean I haven’t decided yet.” He hoped that he wasn’t stammering again. “I might try to make up my own character.”

“You should give her a cool tattoo! Like Sparky Boom Man’s!”

“Thanks for the suggestion, Toph. But I don’t think I’ve had enough practice for painting tattoos like that.” For a good while his friends watched him paint, it only made him a little squeamish. By the time they retreated back into the palace, he put his brush down and looked at what he had done so far.

It was awkward at first to only have a naked figure on the canvas, knowing exactly who it would morph into. But until it dried enough for him to add a layer of clothing, it would remain that way.

.oOo.

“Hey! Boy, where are you going?” Came a sharp demand.

Azula looked around but the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere and it wouldn’t stop echoing. She shrugged and continued her stroll. The hallways were buzzing with energy, that tossed flashes of blue and purple that ping-ponged from one end to the next. She could feel the energy vibrating her to her very core. She was reaching out to catch one of those energy orbs when a hand fell roughly on her shoulder.

“Are you listening to me, boy. We have a palace to guard.”

She turned to stare at the man grasping her shoulder. She might have come to deduce that it was Xanu, the head of the royal guard, had his face not distorted before her eyes. At first it was quite comical—he had the face of the avatar’s bison—and then it shifted into something more disturbing. For a moment his skin seemed to be sagging right off, and then he had his real face.

“You may be one of our new recruits, but there will still be punishment for slacking…”

The man very clearly had her pegged for someone else. Before that moment, she had snuck into her father’s old bedroom and borrowed one of his suits of armor. Or at least that’s what she though she’d done, as it were, she had actually acquired herself one of the guard uniforms. Of course, with the powder well and snorted, it didn’t take much to convince her that she was going to get fired for messing around on the job.

“I’m not slacking.”

Xanu pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered to himself. “I told them not to hire these boys. Half of em ain’t even hit puberty yet. How am I supposed to make sure they’re all on track?”

Azula elaborated. “I’m very job at my good, actually. I’m exploring because I have to make sure the palace knows me inside and out in case I need to evacuate without being saw.”

Xanu blinked. “Are you alright, boy?”

It also didn’t take any effort for him to have her convinced that the powder had transformed her into a pre-pubescent boy. Azula brought a hand to her breasts, unable to actually feel them beneath the armor she decided that she must not have any. It wasn’t until he grabbed her wrist that the panic set in, she didn’t want to talk to other people. She had to get back to her room before someone found out that she had put the powder to use.

The misfortunate head of guards wasn’t expecting to have a swift blow delivered to his privets, so when she delivered it he put up no fight. Seeing him crumple to the ground instilled a new fear in Azula. If she was a man now she would have to take extra care not to let that happen to her. Unfortunately for the princess, the energy orbs now seemed completely hellbent on giving her a dose of karma. She leapt up and down to doge the balls of light, occasionally having to fling herself up close and personal with the wall. Xanu watched the display with morbid fascination, deciding once and for all that he wouldn’t allow any boy or girl under fifteen join the palace guard.

The hall seemed much narrower to Azula who was creeping along it. She found tears in the walls where none used to be. From those crevices dripped a steady flow of glitter and mud, if she didn’t hurry she would find herself drowning within it. Her stomach churned, she had to find her way back to her room but all of the doors looked the same a perfect mirror of the one next to it. The image of each door seemed to reflect endlessly down a hallway that didn’t cease. She found herself dizzy, the hall now tilting at some odd, disorienting angle. She stumbled, as the carpet seemed to roll like waves beneath her. On all fours, she hustled to the first of the doors and pushed it open. It wasn’t her room, but it was a room, one that didn’t see many guests. So she would wait it out there. Alone in a dark room where the orbs of energy elongated into shadowy fingers that poked and prodded at her. Alone in the dark where a dozen voices seemed to holler incoherently at her.

She bunched herself up in the corner furthest from the door and clasped her hands over her ears. It was too loud, everything was too loud. But at least these voices didn’t scream her shames. In fact, they seemed to drown out the ones that did. Even so, the sheer volume had her letting herself flop to the floor on her side. The world continued to swirl and blur until she couldn’t make anything out. The colors were all wrong there was purple where there was supposed to be red and gold where there was supposed to be blue. She could see the shape of a hand rising between her ribs and on that hand was the shape of another smaller one. They threatened to burst out and split her skin. And when she looked at her arm she could have sworn that her own hand was gone. The furniture in the room swelled, seeming much larger than it ought to have been. The entirety of the room spun faster. She wanted it to stop. Oh, Agni, she needed it to end.

Not for the first time, Azula found herself isolated and horrified.

Just what had she put herself through this time?

Just what would she continue to put herself though?

#Sokkla #Azula #Sokka #Katara #Aang #Toph #Zuko #Avatar #Fanfiction

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