#then i think the earthquake anime bored me

[ducklooney]

"Ah s**t, here we go again."

I have absolutely no interest in who likes what and who thinks what, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but this is stupid to make a wiki blog called "Loathsome Characters Wiki" and put everyone you don't like here. What is your frustration?

All in all, yes there are plenty of characters in cartoons, comics, video games, anime, manga and other media where they are really bad and boring, but they wouldn't be characters if they didn't have their flaws. There are some bad and some good versions of the characters. Well, now the problem is that supposedly "bad" versions of those characters were put on that blog, even though there is nothing to hate about them. I mean why put Mugman from The Cuphead Show here: https://loathsomecharacters.miraheze.org/wiki/Blog:Mugman_(The_Cuphead_Show!)

But the worst problem is that I saw that the author of that Wiki blog listed Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck from Quack Pack and Donald Duck from Mickey Mouse Cartoons by Paul Rudish among the obnoxious characters. What makes them disgusting? I've watched both series, and I'm a Quack Pack fan myself, and I've never seen the characters being obnoxious anywhere. There may have been moments where they behaved badly, but a character should have his flaws and correct them, not be a Gary Stue or a Mary Sue. Donald Duck did treat Mickey badly in the first episode "No Service", and it's normal to be jealous of him in certain things, but in the end Donald lost to Mickey. Yes, there were bad moments with him, but he changed and what I liked is that Donald is a really good person in Mickey Mouse Cartoons and what's good is that he didn't remain the butt-monkey he was in Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse. And he cannot be flanderized at all in the first seasons, because flanderization usually happens in later seasons, not in the first seasons. So to say that Donald from MMC and WWOMM (Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse) is a loathsome character is wrong. Also, check out this episode where Donald isn't as nasty to Mickey as he seems to be and it's Mickey's own fault for putting Donald in danger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7O22GuSc58

Split Decision is called that episode.

As for Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck from Quack Pack, they put too much on the 1990s settings, but if they turned off the 1990s and only looked at their personalities, it would be really cool, that is, in my opinion, their good characterizations appeared in puberty. Maybe the only version where I see them growing up. It's true that in certain episodes they misbehaved with Donald and played bad tricks on him (episodes like "Can't Take a Yolk" and "Duck Quake"), but they got their karma back from Unca Donald when he got revenge on them via trolling or setting it to turbo level with the earthquake machine produced by Ludwig von Drake. Donald taught them a lesson in the end, although he also did stupid things that got his karma back (that's how bad luck works). And they're not assholes except Huey, he is. But to say that they don't respect their uncle is idiotic, because every time their uncle was in trouble, they decided to save him, just like Uncle Donald did them every time. And their dynamic relationship worked really well as a father-son relationship, and Donald was a really great parent to them. Otherwise worse situations between Donald and his nephews were in classic shorts and old comics. So they are spouting too much nonsense for that site, which probably didn't even watch the series properly. And Donald's nephews were not flanderized because every episode showed the good and bright points of those characters. Too bad there aren't more episodes or comics about them. And yes, there are worse versions of Donald's nephews than the Quack Pack, especially if you look at House of Mouse and Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas. Still for me the Quack Pack of Donald's nephews is the best version of them after the classic version from the OG Ducktales, Carl Barks, Dutch and Italian comics.

Not to mention how that author also put Daisy Duck from House of Mouse as an abomination, which is really unacceptable. I'm not against different opinions, but this is idiotic. So everyone I don't like is a disgusting character? Lol. All in all just put the reaction of Peter Griffin from Family Guy saying, "Oh my God! Who the hell cares!" and I don't care what certain people with problems have to say nor do I care what others say. So much so that we can close already this time around the unnecessary hatred towards Donald and Donald's nephews, which makes absolutely no sense. It's a good thing that the Quack Pack hate has lessened and that the series and fandom has become popular again unlike before. And yes I like Donald from Mickey Mouse Cartoons by Paul Rudish and Huey, Dewey and Louie from Quack Pack.

If you like this meme and agree with me, feel free to like and reblog this!

[stormbreaker101]

Music(ology) headcanons! Part 1

My headcanons fall under two main umbrellas: stuff that goes along with canon as is, and stuff that works specifically in the AU that I and a friend have been working on together for the past 9 months. I wanted to put the AU specific stuff in this post also but this post is long enough as is, so this post will just be based on the headcanons that I think are canon compliant.

I believe there is a subtle distinction between Music and Musicology.

Music is as primordial as Light and Shadow. If Light is the magic of order and existence as it currently is, and Shadow is the magic of chaos and change and entropy, the Music is the magic of creation, of making the new. Music is the harmonizing force that keeps Light and Shadow in balance.

(Quest: The End of Days, the quest at the very end of Empyrea in which the Wizard becomes the Divine Paradox)

Meanwhile Musicology is Music as mortals such as Maulwurf von Trap and the Old One are able to study and use, the way that all of the 7 main schools and the Astral schools are the subforms of Light magic most ordinary people can learn.

Because it does attempt to tap into such primal magic, Musicology is often unstable, which is why Maulwurf is so destruction-prone.

(Quest: Life is Like..., the now-retired Karamelle prequest that hints at Maulwurf)

(Quest: A Foundry Most Foul. Maulwurf used Musicology to defend himself from some Schismist soldiers... with extra consequences.)

However, with the right tools, even mortal Musicology can be INCREDIBLY powerful. The Old One was able to use his World Synthesizer to weave pieces of Spiral Worlds together, a smaller version of Bartleby singing the Song of Creation to weave all the worlds of the Spiral together into one cohesive universe after the First World split apart.

(Quest: Small World After All. The quest where the Arcanum debates what to do about Lemuria)

(Quest: Something Wicked That Way Goes, the quest where the Wizard goes to unformed Novus)

Note now music is lowercase here despite Nothing being capitalized. The music isn't divine Music, but rather Musicology, because Novus was made out of Dasein and the Old One's World Synthesizer in particular.

So, Musicology as the mortal form of Music. How does it manifest, aside from Maulwurf's arson and the World Synthesizer?

I think some spells are inherently Musicological despite falling under the canon schools. I think @astral-schools put this well in this post of theirs + response to my tags:

Spells that use the ideas of (lowercase) music in their theming. The techniques, how they manifest, their animations.

I wanted to list out every Musicological spell ingame but unfortunately the list of every spell in the game is like 70% beastmoon spells (exaggeration) so I never get far in my deep dive before getting bored of combing through the spells. Off the top of my head, the following spells are Musicological spells to me:

Imp (an imp playing a fiddle causes the damage. The spell animation has music notes fly at you)

Satyr (a satyr plays the pan pipes to heal you)

Earthquake (vibrations through the ground. music and physical vibration/frequencies go hand in hand to me. physics!)

Myth Imp (same as with regular imp)

Snake Charmer (the charmer uses their song to control the snake and make it deal damage)

Banshee (screams and noise as damage)

Sirens (sirens' songs are what lure sailors to their doom. Music notes fly at you in the animation as well)

Every Karamelle spell (Maulwurf says that the spell is made by the musicology syncopating with our inherent magic. Syncopation is a musical term that refers to when a melody intentionally dances around the rhythm of the piece.)

Every Lemuria spell (because Lemuria was made with Musicology)

Every Novus spell (because, like Lemuria, Novus was made with Musicology)

In a sense Music and Musicology is somewhat similar to how we see Shadow magic in-game. Pure Shadow magic is divine and unstable (which is why we suffer Backlash when using the pure Shadow spells from Khrysalis), but other spells are Shadow-enhanced, using Shadow magic alongside one of the other 7 schools to keep it more stable.

[morgansmornings]

Tell us about a myth/folktale/urban legend of your culture.

What religion/philosophy are you most drawn to?

Would you quit roleplaying forever for $5 million?

Vampires or Werewolves?

This Meme: Accepting @little-earthquakes-rp ~~*~~

Tell us about a myth/folktale/urban legend of your culture.

El Cucuy (pronounced koo-koo-ee), The Child Eater is a common one from where I live and grew up.

He is a contemporary of the BoogeyMan, however El Cucuy targets misbehaving children to steal away in the night.

He has various influences behind his origins. All I know is that my mother only had to bring him up once. That was enough.

What religion/philosophy are you most drawn to?

This may not come as a surprise to some, but a big one to others.

I am Wiccan/Pagan.

I find the concept of being respectful to nature and being kind to animals a boon. As without them what would we be. But it also brings me a certain peace that I did not find in other religions.

The one ‘Hard and Fast Rule’ that I find particularly intuitive is the following. “Do as Ye Will; Harm None.”

It can be taken Many ways. And to me I roll this in with the concept of paying it forward. The world is a dreary and unwelcoming place. We all take things for granted. We do not think twice about most daily things. But to know that it takes more energy and effort to make someone miserable, why would you seek that out as it hurts you and the others that you are around.

Please note that I was raised Roman Catholic and while I understand the faith, I have a hard time believing that God is a single parent. But that is just my personal belief. I have no hatred for Catholics or any real religion or philosophy. I am happy to agree to disagree on certain beliefs, but I am not condemning any of them. Because to me, it matters what kind of person you are.

Most people are good. But there are also those that use religion to be complete dickbags and hateful to others. But that can be said of any religion.

I also believe in ghosts, Demons, and a host of other supernatural creatures. I believe in an afterlife and reincarnation. I believe what we do in life will come back to us by a multiple of three.

Would you quit roleplaying forever for $5 million?

Absolutely not.

Look, I used to write a lot. Be it in composition notebooks, or in spiral notebooks. On Google Docs and Discord. And on the weekend before the pandemic I was part of various Tabletop Roleplaying games set in the Paizo’s Pathfinder 1st Edition. I have played in White Wolf’s World of Darkness (Dumbed down because I was a teenager) games. I just roleplay. That doesn’t mean it was good writing, but I had fun and I knew my muses. I still see writing and roleplaying as a means to escape life for a little while. To get a chance to live a different life. One where I do have control of what happens. To have control where I normally don’t. A place where what I say actually matters.

Vampires or Werewolves?

Werewolves.

Now let me tell you why. At least on a selfish and slightly shallow scale.

One, They are awesome. Two, I prefer cold environments. If I have a werewolf companion… Forever personal space heater. Three, the cuddle puddles. I personally like to cuddle with people. Sadly I don’t have many people who will just let me hold them like a stuffed animal or body pillow.

There are a variety of other deepers reasons that I will bore you with outside of an ask or I could be here for three hours.

[amostdelectablescribbler]

Saw this idea from this guy: @tea-and-mercury who reblogged this guy: @thesoftestofpetals

the WIP weather ask game. I may do this twice for both wips

Rain 💧: the most emotional scene you’ve ever written

idk, i have a few, but i think it’d be Becca’s mental breakdowns. I got pretty detailed in ‘em as she has my flavour of depression, ptsd, and anxiety. Snow ❄️: coldest/most stoic character

(Rah Rah) Rasputin (lover of the russian queen). He only gets angry in kne scene and j wrote it as a horror scene cos this man is 3 feet wide at the shoulder, 6’7”, 170kg of pure muscle in a giant juggernaut suit (cod:mw style)

sleet 🌨️: the most i’ve ever written in one sitting

2000 words in about a 3 hours

sun ☀️: favourite bit of my wip:

i gotta say it’s my scene in which Rasputin gets angry and the Wolf (secondsry antagonist) gets offed. Very violent, 3 chapters long

Fog 🌫️: hardest thing to write

convincing romantic dialogue

wind 💨: the easiest thing to write

fight scenes just come easy to me, ‘cause i do martial arts and watch martial arts shows (a la baki)

tornado 🌪️: my most impulsive character:

Claudia and by far. I’ll do a wip intro for this eventually using the prologue and some extra stuff, but she’s the fiery one

Wildfire 🔥: my most emotional character

is Becca, sadly. She doesn’t have much control over it tho.

clear skies 🌌: how long have you been writing? STHI has been in the works for about a year and a half now? But i’ve written for as long as i could type

cloudy ☁️: what inspired my current WIP

i got 2, so STHI was a mix of Rango, Cyberpunk 2077 and Mad Max Fury Road and Beast Among Men

Lightning ⚡️: have i ever added something spontaneously?

Yes. I got bored so i added a lil guy called the Flotsam

Drought 🌵: how do you deal with writers block?

(Dramatic inhalr) i write with a cocktail or i just don’t write

Flood 💦: how many wips do you have?

2, and like 8 on the shelf

Hurricane 🏝️: do you work 1 wip at a time or bounce between wips?

The latter, but i try to commit more time to one

Landslide⛰️: which wip has the most worldbuilding?

One is 31k words, the other is 2k words, but i think per density, thr long ons still wins

Earthquake 💥: which wip has the least worldbuilding?

The 2k one. Beast Among Men

Tsunami 🌊: where and when do you like to write?

Lte at night in my bed

Volcano 🌋: your biggest flaw as a writer?

I’m not a fair judge of that.

Rainbow 🌈: what makes your story unique/stand out?

One is a Cyberpunk Mad Maxy western, the ither is a martial arts anime about domestic terrorism with magic and no animation, just words.

Eclipse 🌒: what’s the most recurring theme in your writing/wip ?

Losing control of your emotions is scary for everyone involved. Don’t do it.

Fuck this is a long one. MUTUALS I SUMMON THEE LIKE Dark Souls SUMMONS: @forg-plushie @etherealatheling @perilous-prologue @squarebracket-trick @silverslipstream @stesierra @macabremoons @lyutenw

[sibylsleaves]

Defend in place/may day anon. hi!! Just finished my 6a rewatch yesterday and yeah its definitely a bit slow, but to me its slow in the same way 5a was slow (i binged 6a both times I watched it). I imagine if you watched it live it would have been pretty boring week to week though. To me the thing it really suffers from not having a big disaster though. I think it would have been nice if they found a way to combine the blimp and happiness convention disasters, and then still have the athena ep in ep 3 or 4. It would have been fun to see hen navigate a big disaster like her first day as captain (kinda like maddie in s2 with the earthquake!) and then bobby could have had a plot about being away from the team in a situation like that. And then the hen stress with being behind in med school might have been more emphasized in eps 4-6 and henren begins could have been pushed a bit later in 6a for balance. But would recommend rewatching it in whole! Mostly because genuinely im demanding justice for buck buckley’s s6 plot. Seemed like it was still going somewhere interesting at this point :/

i definitely see what you're saying and i agree!!! the lack of a big disaster to kick of the season was definitely one of the reasons 6a felt kinda slow/boring! They need more momentum going into a new season. The Athena episode is very good, but it's so removed from the rest of the characters/show that it didn't really work in the same way.

I'll say this again & again lol but I actually loved the premise of the sperm donor storyline, it felt like a really ripe area to tackle a bunch of Buck's issues at once. and then they just kinda....didn't??? anyway.

There are a couple other episodes I like besides Tomorrow and The Devil You Know (which is not an episode I am prone to rewatch just bc of the subject matter). I did enjoy the season opener it was very lighthearted and fun and Animal Instincts isn't bad, if a little unremarkable. It's not that the episodes are TERRIBLE they're just. not that good.

[22degreehalo]

Sooo once again recently I have been browsing various queer-centric merchandise on etsy and the like, and (as always) been disappointed at the quantity/quality of aspec-focused stuff. Which also ties in to an overall (IMO) egregious lack of aspec... memey stuff?? and general place in, like, actual community everyday conversation, outside of painfully repetitive and boring identity glossaries.

And. It's difficult. It really feels so difficult, sometimes. To talk about being aspec without

a) being sex-negative in really gross, harmful ways (that just as often harm other aspecs btw)

b) being like... super self-deprecating in a way that I feel also harms aspecs and reinforces the idea of us as losers and failures in a kind of 'are they laughing at us or with us' kind of way.

One way is to lean into the silly quirky 'food is better than sex' kind of thing, and also puns. The puns I like but a really shitty and awful part of myself deep down sometimes finds the food stuff actually kind of. cringey...? Which is stupid and I hate it but once again I feel myself being made fun of by allos and also it's just. kind of shallow and a one-note joke that has been overdone at this point (due to lack of other options) for me personally

The other big way I've seen is to lean into the whole confident rejection schtick. Big 'Nope' word art and the like. And that's fine but it often feels a bit too... misanthropic? for me. I like people!!!!! Or it's very female-focused and feeds too much into that whole ideals of 'women who let men touch them are Tainted' and/or 'women deserve better than men' which I. hate.

so I've been wondering a lot if what I'm wanting - memey/funny aspec-focused stuff that actually feels authentic and at least some tiny amount of original - is even possible?

So far my ideas are. a) make it casual/nonclinical by going so fucking dorky that it wraps around in the other direction. like idk a shirt that says 'Asexuality: the lack of sexual attraction to people of all genders. Hope that helps guys!!! Subscribe for more cool asexuality facts :)' I think if I saw that shirt I'd slightly suspect I was being made fun of but would vibe so hard I'd still like it unironically lmfao

Softening the rejection stuff also could be fun. Like 'I love every person in the world!! (as a friend <3)' or something. more eloquent lol

And just, in general non-sequiturs. It bugs me so inordinately when I see those kinds of posts or whatever that are like 'I'm tired, I'm gay, and I don't pay taxes' (theoretical example) and like, you could just as well have put 'ace' or 'aro' in there!!!!!! But nobody ever things to do that with us :( as always my plan is to make really cool things but only for ace and aro so we can get to be the ones with things for once hahaha but unfortunately I do not know how to make cool things. Anyway the whole idea here is to write things that make people on reddit go 'uhh, why did you feel the need to mention that you don't date, here...?'

And to cap this off I guess I should affirm that yeah, the self-deprecatory stuff CAN be done well... with a very very VERY precise hand. By which I mean that I was permanently psychologically online-ified by ace discourse and have the sensitivity of an earthquake detector to non-obvious slights against aspecs' importance or worth as human beings. But self-deprecating humour is just kind of our generation's style, so. There's some level of 'yeah I like anime and don't date B)' that is JUST the right balance of 'this is not at all what society says you should be proud of' and 'but fuck it society sucks lmfao I love freaks'.

IN CONCLUSION more aspecs should have my exact same sense of humour but actually good at art. or writing text posts. Or literally anything other than complaining on unpopular tumblrs. no actually we need them too so I can follow you and feel faintly not alone occasionally when our opinions happen to line up. Your honour I rest my case.

[ygulati32]

What does your "heart" look like? People would describe it as the butt symbol that the entire world uses. And it's red because love makes your heart race and love is passionate and passion is red. I think that's how it goes.

A medico would give you an anatomically accurate description with all the chambers and all the arteries.

I have a different picture in my mind. Your heart is the embodiment of what you've been through in life. It's like a planet - it has rivers, waterfalls, it has birds and butterflies. It also has fires and storms, it has earthquakes and volcanoes. There's days when it rains everywhere and there are days when animals die of thirst. It has valleys covered with grass and bottomless crevasses that haunt the denizens.

If I were to paint a picture of my heart I think It would be made of a malleable metal that can change shape easily, get super hard in cold and melt very easily in the warm days. Of course this metal supports life - there's vegetation thriving everywhere. There's cracks here and there, but the nature has taken over and you don't even notice them. There's a couple deep chasms that were formed when I had those earthquakes, but again nature took care of these defects and it's all butterflies and birds and flowers now, it's almost beautiful.

I guess the biggest feature of my "planet heart" would be this massive volcano on an island. I specifically put it on an island away from everything else so it won't damage things when it goes off. It mostly lies dormant but sometimes there's a little bit of that hot stuff that leaks out. It hasn't gone all Pompeii on me yet, let's see what the future holds.

The core of this planet holds the most beautiful and loveable people in my life. I told them to live down there, it's warm and safe (and impossible to escape), not on surface. I have given them all a piece of land on the surface for safekeeping. I trust them.

The weather there is usually pleasant and predictable. Rarely gets bad now but there were times when it was still young, there were thunderstorms and draughts and snowstorms. I think that's what made the soft land turn metal.

I've put in place direct to and fro connections from the planet to the Biological Realm of Analysis and Intellectual Nourishment (boring people call it "brain"). There was no such connection in the early days but I realised it's so much important to keep them connected - they compliment each other!

Sometimes I let outsiders visit my planet. Under strict supervision though, you don't want hooligans spoiling your hard work. I allow them to pick flowers, play with the animals, wash their hardships in the river. I even let them stay for as long as they want. I've found that the more people I have on there, the more fun it is. Obviously I make sure I kick out the bad ones - that's what the connection with the brain (I know, boring) is for.

What does your heart look like? Is it strong like a rock, or soft like a cloud? Is it covered in grass and birds and flowers, or is it an endless sea with dolphins and mermaids? Have you visited someone else's recently? Do you have a place to crash in case you lose yours? Do you visit your heart often, or have you stopped paying attention to it?

Jan 23rd ‘23

[smileygoth]

18. Weapon of Choice (WODtober 2023)

Part 18 of my WODtober story. Taking the daily prompts and trying to weave a vampire story from them! In this chapter, Onslow has some explaining to do if he wants to stay out of Harrogate's bad books.

Word Count: 1097 words.

CW:  None that I can think of!

Image found on Google.

Find the previous chapters here!

‘How did this happen?’

Harrogate slammed the report down onto his desk. Photos of collapsed buildings and cracked earth spewed out of the folder, scattering across the desk and the floor beyond. One landed on the toe of Onslow’s shoe. The Nosferatu kept his eyes down and made no attempt to kick it off. He knew when to interrupt Harrogate and when to let him rant. This was definitely a time to let him rant. 

‘That site was lit up like a Christmas tree and the guards were stationed right next to the only gate. There were security cameras all over the damn place. Yet someone managed to sneak in and blow up the entire place!’ He turned on Onslow, blue eyes flashing dangerously. ‘You’re my head of security, Onslow. Explain to me how this happened!’

Onlsow fought the urge to wince. Technically he was head of Harrogate’s security, not his entire business enterprise. However he could tell that correcting him in this mood would not be wise. Instead he took a deep breath and said: ‘The security cameras didn’t pick up anyone going in, coming out, or moving around the site, except for the guards going about their rounds. So either the person who set the charges got extremely lucky, or it was one of the guards.’

Harrogate frowned. ‘One of the guards, you say?’

‘Or they were dressed as one,’ Onslow added, ‘Though that would bring up more questions about how they got the uniform, so I think it’s less likely than it being one of the guards themselves.’

‘Bring them in for questioning,’ Harrgate ordered. ‘All of them. Tonight. It’s not like there’s anything left at the site for them to guard now, is it?’

‘I already have my people bringing them in,’ Onslow replied.

The tension in Harrogate’s body relaxed a little. ‘Good. What of the explosives used?’

Onslow frowned. ‘Well, the bomb squad are still searching the site, but my guy in the police says they haven’t found anything yet. Not a wire, not a scrap of C4, not a thing. So I started thinking about other ways it might have been done, and I sent a few photos off to a contact in the BGS-’

‘BGS?’

‘British Geological Surveys. Anyway, he says that the cracks in the earth might indicate an earth tremor of some kind. Only he said that judging by the cracks it would have had to have been pretty strong, and likely pretty widespread. But there’s been no reports of an earthquake in the surrounding areas.’

Harrogate was looking at him with a tired expression. ‘Are you trying to suggest that someone induced an earthquake - just on the build site - just to destroy my development?’

Onslow shrugged. ‘I know it’s farfetched,’ he replied. ‘And I’m still leaning on my police contact to let me know the second any trace of explosives are found. But … well, those Tremere can do some pretty crazy things with their blood magic. Maybe it’s not so farfetched, you know?’

‘So now you’re saying it was a Tremere?’

‘No no no,’ Onslow said quickly. Implicating the city’s Tremere would open a huge can of worms that he didn’t want to deal with - ever.  ‘Not necessarily. Just that maybe it’s in some Kindred’s realm of abilities to do something like this.’ He thought for a second. ‘Gangrel can do that melding into the earth thing. My lot can talk to animals. Your clan, if I’m not mistaken, can read minds. Hell, it might even be some of that new crazy blood magic these thin bloods are supposed to be doing. I just mean that given what our kind are capable of, inducing a mini earthquake might not be as impossible as it sounds.’

Harrogate’s gaze bore into him for a long, uncomfortable moment. ‘Did the guards say anything to the police?’ he asked eventually.

Onslow relaxed a little. ‘Uh, yeah … they reported seeing some white figure at the back of the site, a woman they think, but she vanished almost as soon as they got their torches on her. A couple of the more superstitious ones are saying it was a ghost and the site’s cursed.’ He gave a weak laugh. ‘Everyone alse has been … convinced … that it was a trick of the light and shadow and they didn’t see anything. But it’s an avenue I’m looking into. Just in case.’

‘A white woman?’ Harrogate repeated incredulously. ‘White as in, robes?’

‘No,’ Onslow said. ‘White as in … uh … naked.’

Harrogate’s voice dropped dangerously low. ‘So let me get this straight. What your multiple lines of investigation and contacts in the police and this geological thing have led you to conclude is that a naked ghost woman appeared on the site and just … shook my buildings down?’

‘Nothing’s confirmed yet,’ Onslow hurried to say. ‘I’m just giving you everything I’ve found out so far.’

With a sigh that sounded more like a snarl, Harrogate turned away, running his hands through his hair in frustration. ‘Is there anything else you have to tell me?’ he asked.

Onslow hesitated before replying. ‘There is one more thing. Unrelated, or at least we think so at the moment.’

Harrogate groaned and turned back. ‘What?’

‘There was … another break-in at the catacombs,’ Onslow said. When Harrogate’s expression turned deadly, he quickly added, ‘But this time we caught the intruder. Redhanded, as it were. He’s in custody downstairs. I thought you might like to talk to him yourself.’

Harrogate smiled, and Onslow had to fight the urge to take a step back. ‘Good work, Onslow,’ he said. ‘You’re absolutely right. I do want to talk to him. Something tells me - just a hunch, mind you - that in fact these two incidents are not unrelated. But one thing I’ve learned from you, my friend, is that I should always listen to my hunches. Who is he?’

Reluctantly, Onslow replied: ‘He’s … one of mine. A Nosferatu named Miro. Full name is Miroslav Sokolov.’

Harrogate looked impressed. ‘And yet still you brought him to me. Above your clan loyalty. I appreciate that, Onslow, I truly do.’

Onslow merely nodded. The idiot had been caught by eight armed guards and caught on camera. Onslow had thought about trying to cover it up, but word would likely have gotten back to Harrogate before he could, and then he’d be in the noose. No, he thought sadly as Harrogate gestured for him to lead the way, there was only so far clan loyalty could go, even for the Nosferatu.

[shallicomparetheetolagrenouille]

2022 in books

I have this song stuck in my head, now, and you should have it, too!

Language: Italian (translation)

Original title: The Secret Garden

LOOK AT HOW PRETTY IT IS!! LOOK!! I saw this edition last year and was very tempted to buy it, but I was boring good and only bought one of the other children’s classics in this format by Gribaudo (I bought Pinocchio, which is just as pretty, but only one! I clearly needed this book, as well!) and I’m glad I waited for the dicounts again this year and got this for myself.

The only reference I had for this story was the movie made in the 90′s and I have to say that some faces and voices, except when totally different in the book descriptions, were taken directly from there by my brain.

Things that struck me:

Mary’s parents did not love her at all, whereas from the movie I had the impression that, yes, they were distant and stiff and busy with their lives as British-dignitary-and-his-elegant-wife, but that they did think about her and only left her alone because what separates them is sudden and unavoidable (a fire? an earthquake, maybe?); what happens in the book, instead, is a long-expected epidemic and Mary ends up alone in the palace in India, with the servants and her parents all dead, because her mother and father were careless and did not move them all to a safer place: Mary then is left there by the surviving servants, who have fled, and is found by chance by a group of British soldiers who are looking for still-living people in the abandoned house, expecting only to find corpses

Dickon and Martha are redheads and speak with a Cornwall accent, which was rendered in Italian just with random grammar choices and unusual words instead of more commonplace ones, just to have Mary ask, “What does that mean?” Now I wonder if in the film they kept it (I only ever watched iit dubbed in Italian)

Mary’s mother and aunt were not twins! Mary’s mother was her uncle’s sister and his wife was unrelated to either - no twin little ivory/stone elephant statue, either! I mean, a cabinet with little animal carvings is found by Mary, but they are not linked in any way to her mother

The ending is mainly focused on Colin and his father, while Mary and Dickon are a bit forgotten - I like that in the movie, instead, they appear in the very last scenes, too

Thankfully there is no budding romance between Mary and Dickon - she is totally fascinated by him and even calls him “an angel”, but there is no crush, at least not the way I read it; unfortunately, I felt as though the author wanted me to imagine a future with Colin and Mary as a couple, instead, as the rightful lord and lady of the manor

There’s a chapter from the robin’s POV!!

The old cranky gardener is just as fun in the book as he is in the movie, my favorite!

Also, I had no idea this is the same author that wrote Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess! Though, in hindsight, that tracks.

I am very happy I finally read it!

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Ayaka, Sara, and Yae with a Yokai S/O (Part 2)

Sequel to Yokai S/O post!

Glad you liked it so ANOTHA ONE

Note: S/O is a Namazu, a giant catfish with wide eyes and loves mayhem and causes earthquakes

Ayaka never really knew any Youkai that actively stayed in their actual form until she met her future S/O.

And being honest, she did not expect to fall in love with a fish.

A chaotic one at that.

She always found their real form cute, in a stuffed animal kind of way. She had seen all sorts of fish, but never anything like a Namazu.

Especially as large.

They would swim up to the Kamisato Estate and just chill in their ponds despite being comically oversized, making conversation with her, Thoma, and Ayato.

Ayaka did wonder if they had a human form, but they seemed content to stay in their form. She would vent her frustrations to them sometimes, only to be relaxed seeing the signature catfish smile staring back at them.

Until one day...

Ayaka walked through the Kamisato Estate, sighing to herself as the sun set.

She sat near the pond in their courtyard hoping to talk to someone that wasn't a political official today.

By the time she opened her eyes from exhaustion that she realized nothing was in the waters.

S/O had always laid upon the waters, much too big for the shallow pond and stood still until she appeared.

Yet they were nowhere to be found.

She began to worry before she felt a presence come behind her.

Ayaka instinctively spun around, hand ready to grab her katana before seeing a face she didn't recognize.

(???) "WOAH! H-Hey now, don't turn me into sushi, Ayaka!"

(Ayaka) That voice...!

Upon closer inspection, the person's eyes were larger than a regular human, and they appeared to have whiskers.

That could only mean-

(Ayaka) "...S/O?"

(S/O) "Didn't mean to scare you! Well, actually yeah I did, but I didn't think you'd go for the kill!"

Ayaka said nothing, still staring at them. She wasn't expecting to be in a human form anytime soon, so she was completely engrossed by them.

(Ayaka) ahem "Apologies. I just thought you'd be in the pond like normal."

(S/O) "Well, here I am! I'm bored and you're coming with me to town!"

(Ayaka) "W-What?"

(S/O) "I've never had human food, and I know you're worked to the bone, so let's treat us to something nice!"

(Ayaka) "S/O..."

She smiled. Ayaka had no idea that they cared-

(S/O) "Also I have no mora."

...Nevermind.

Still though, the fact they even used a human form to be with her, it meant the world to Ayaka.

And she hoped to show them the world too.

Sara didn't like Namazu.

Their smug aura mocked her.

Something about their big eyes and shit-eating grin annoyed the hell out of her, even though they couldn't help that.

But they sure liked to mess with people. Especially the Namazu she had the (mis?)fortune to meet.

Their name was S/O, and the way she met them was the ground shaking as she was relaxing on her time off.

They had the gall to hop over to her, causing a mini-earthquake with each jump, to ask where the nearest mud river was.

(Sara) "...Why on earth is a Namazu like you just flopping across the ground to begin with?"

(S/O) "I was bored, miss Tengu, and I just wanted a change of scenery! Though, I think I took a wrong turn."

(Sara) "Do not call me that."

(S/O) "Well, what do I call you?"

(Sara) "I am General Kujou Sara of the Tenryou Commission, and-"

(S/O) "Glad to meet ya, Sara! I'm S/O!"

(Sara) "-..."

And ever since then, she had this Namazu follow her around because it'd be "interesting."

She first thought they were a spy, only showing up on her time off and during practice.

But throughout the course of a year as she got to know them, she grew to tolerate their presence.

In fact, they became a confidant for her, as they didn't judge her for being adopted, or being a general, or even following orders.

They just spoke to Sara, just for being Sara.

It was...honestly refreshing.

Though she'd never admit it to them, since they'd tease her endlessly about it.

One day when she went to practice her archery near a small lake where they usually were, she saw no oversized catfish there.

Instead, there was a man/woman sitting near the edge of the water, their feet in it and splashing around nonchalantly.

(Sara) "You there. What happened to the catfish that was here?"

(???) "Oh, you're here! Tadaaa!"

She was taken aback the moment she heard their voice.

Though it was also their appearance she was surprised by as well, seeing large eyes and whiskers on a human wasn't something she expected.

(Sara) "S/O? Is that you?"

(S/O) "Yup yup! Figured this time I can mix things up for ya! Plus I wanna use that bow you're using. It looks fun!"

(Sara) "This isn't a toy."

(S/O) "Either I get to use it, or I tell everyone that you have 6 statues of the Raiden Shogun."

(Sara) "You wouldn't DARE."

(S/O) snrrk! "HA! Yeah, I wouldn't. I just wanted to see that face!"

Letting out a disgruntled sigh, she shook her head.

(S/O) "Oooh, ooh! Since you're a tengu, maybe you can take me flying!"

(Sara) "If I couldn't carry you in your real form, what makes you think i can carry you as a human?"

(S/O) "...Iunno."

(Sara) "..."

(S/O) "But hey, now it's easier for you to talk to me!"

That she couldn't deny. It was a bit awkward for her to bend her neck down to speak.

Now she can look at them eye to eye.

And she didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse.

Yae sort of understood why S/O liked to stay in their real form. They were a fish after all, and fish like to be in water as far as she understood.

And after their first meeting, she had S/O transported to the top of the shrine and put into the pond.

She would frequent the railings to speak to S/O, looking down at them as their head popped up and amused her.

The faces of Namazu always made her smile since it reminded her of a child's toy.

Even moreso of every Namazu's personalities, the ones she had met anyway, which was quite a few back in the day.

She enjoyed their presence as they scared the Shrine Maidens and in turn, her terrorizing them.

Though she did admit it was quite a hassle to only speak to them near the pond.

(Yae) "S/O, have you ever considered coming on land?"

(S/O) "Of course I have! You won't let me in since I might get mud everywhere."

(Yae) "As a human, like myself I mean."

(S/O) "A human? Hm..."

Their head slightly dipped into the water as they pondered.

(Yae) "I would recommend walking around with them. They can be quite entertaining. Who knows, you might get some new ideas on some antics to get up to."

(S/O) "You know, you're right!"

S/O immediately leapt out of the water onto the grass before a puff of smoke appeared and up stood a human.

Thankfully, and surprisingly, with clothes on.

Though the wide eyes and whiskers got Yae to laugh.

They looked like they came out of a children's book.

(S/O) "Wow, been a while since I actually stood up!"

(Yae) "S/O, did you just have that this entire time?"

(S/O) "Yeeeaah? What's wrong with that?"

(Yae) "Why have you never brought this up? You could have made some days much more entertaining."

(S/O) "You never asked! I'm a fish, not a mind reader!"

S/O shrugged in response.

(S/O) "Better late than never, right?"

(Yae) "I suppose."

Now, she could get up to all sorts of-

(S/O) "Oh, do you think I can try some of that fried tofu you like? You always told me they were good."

(Yae) "Not a bad idea. One moment."

She walked back after grabbing her lunch and held one with a pair of chopsticks.

(S/O) "Sweet thanks!"

Before they could grab it, she yanked the chopsticks back and held a single finger up, wagging it.

(Yae) "Not yet. I wish to test something."

(S/O) "Is this about being able to use chopsticks?"

(Yae) "...You know how to use chopsticks?"

(S/O) "Nah, just one time I found them at the bottom of a lake and ate them, thinking they were some weird grass. Then they got stuck in me for a week before I coughed it out. Skewered a couple poor fish that way..."

Yae silently blinked, not entirely sure how to respond to that information. Was that technically a confession of a homicide?

(Yae) "Well, now I know something I didn't thirty seconds ago, I suppose. Anyways, catch."

(S/O) "Wait, catch?-"

She tossed the tofu in the air, making S/O panic and leap up to catch it with their mouth.

Yae couldn't hide her laughter, being reminded of feeding fish and watching them open their mouths when they come to the surface of water.

(S/O) "Oh, not cool, Yae!"

(Yae) "Now that you're up here with me, we're going to have all sorts of fun."

(S/O) "Yeah! Like taking me to the city!"

(Yae) "I am slightly disappointed I will not be able to use the giant fish tank to bring you in..."

(S/O) "Oh hah hah, very funny."

S/O watched two shrine maidens wheel up a giant glass tank filled with water, staring at them.

(S/O) "What the- WHEN DID YOU HAVE TIME TO MAKE THAT?!"

(Yae) "I suppose we could just wheel it down with you still in it..."

Yae put a finger to her chin as her brows furrowed.

This clearly wasn't a joke anymore.

(S/O) "Why is this something you're actually considering?!"

[yanderegrizzsworld]

Can I request Yandere Shadow the hedgehog with a reader that’s really loud and optimistic? They don’t even realize their talking super loud until someone points it out. (Hopefullyididthisright-)

Yandere Shadow the Hedgehog: Bloody Margarita (Romantic Scenario)

TW: implied murder, blood, Shadow snapping someone's arm, alchohol, loud music(?) & bruises

A.N: You don't have to worry! you did it right. But I do state in my rules, which is my pinned post, that if a request doesn't specify if you want a platonic/romantic yandere or if you want the post to be either a scenario or headcanons, then I'd assume that you'd want me to pick which one.

"And that's how you ended up damaging the microwave?" The music blared like horns arising from cars, loud enough to be heard outside but thankfully muffled. Amy cackled at your story as you rocked back & forth on the chopped log like an impatient child bored. The cool, gentle breeze hits your face as you scrunched your nose with a large smile, feeling the warmth of the makeshift fire infront of you, laughing alongside the pink hedgehog. Shadow stands near the door to the fete inside feeling the vibrations of the music through the wooden walls, a cup in hand & lightly imbibing the beverage within it all the while watching over you converse with Amy.

"Yeah!" you snicker rocking backwards to where you seem like you're about to fall but then lean back forward, playing with the ends of your clothes. "The only reason I forgot to take the fork out was because I was too busy thinking about what seasoning to put on it. I still remember the smell of it, never again" you resume your rocking as you spare Shadow a brief glance before halting & turning around, giving the ultimate life form your full vigilance, "Hey Shadow, what are you doing back there being all gloomy for? Come sit with us! I'm sure Amy won't mind" you repeatedly pat on the log as if persuading the black & red hedgehog. Shadow lowers his drink, glancing between the cackling fire & you.

"I'll join you later..." Shadow lifts the cup once more & hold it upside down while shaking it, not witnessing a single drop fall before discarding it to the grass below him. "Oh, that reminds me. I should probably check on Rouge to make sure she isn't stealing anything from anyone. You wouldn't mind joining me, right?" Amy goes to lift herself off the log, adjusting her dress up a bit to be more presentable. "It's no worries. Hey Shadow! Do you wanna come inside with both of us? You can stick with me if you want" Shadow's cheeks turn a light pink as he fastens his gaze y the cup at his feet. With a hum & a nod, you & Amy step towards the door while Amy takes a deep breath preparing herself for the booming music inside.

Just one step into the domicile & you could already feel the hellacious vibrations that make everything feel like an earthquake, everyone bumped & collided with each other without care as some drink like animals that haven't drank anything in years. Amy turns to your direction & points to the stairs, indicating that she'll be looking for the jewel thief upstairs. With a nod & a thumbs up, you snag Shadows hand & your way to the kitchen on your right. Shadow's eyes widen momentarily, hoisting his free hand to his face in an endeavor to conceal the heat rising to his cheeks as he willingly permits you to take him to the kitchen.

♡♡♡

Leaning against a smooth marble counter with arms crossed & closed eyes, Shadow harks to you babble as you get him & yourself some grog. "But then he started mocking the dog which then caused it to jump over the fence & I've never seen him run so fast in my life! And then he jumped on some random car and-" Each word tumbled out of your mouth with no space to indicate where one phrase starts & the other ends.

The ultimate life form's ears perk up as he spares a glance at the entrance of the kitchen with the noise of coming footsteps, at the foot of the entrance was a jackal treading where you were as it grabbed a cup & waited for you to step back. "Do you want some too?" You snag the cup from the jackal's hand before it could answer as you pour some grog into the cup & hand it back, "Here you go! I'm Y/N, by the way"

Eyes staring back at you as you still hold the drink up, a faint smile forms alongside a chuckle. Shadow eyes the both of you coughing a bit to catch your attention. "Oh right! the drinks, here Shadow I'm sorry!" you hand the cup in front of the hedgehog, the scent of the drink strongly hitting his nose as the gleaming light above gave the drink the look moonlight shinning in water. "It's no problem, we should head upstairs to check on Amy and Rouge, wouldn't you agree?" "Yes! we should. Oh, I can bring the new guy with us! The more the merrier!" you flap your hands around in excitement like someone getting what they wanted for Christmas. Shadow shifts forward a bit as he stares at the person your talking of as the jackal rubs the back of his neck with its striped hand.

"I don't have to join if you don't want me too, I don't want to make anything..." he subtly swings the cup as one of his fingers tap on the cup in a consistent pattern, "Awkward, between you two" he then finally raises the cup & takes a big gulp while he licks his lips as to not let a drop go to waste. "What? nonsense! You won't cause any awkwardness between me & Shadow, right Shadow?" "Of course... Now, come on" Shadow strides to your position & sezies your hand as he jerks you with him to make your exit with your jackal friend following behind.

Taking a sip of his cup & places it on a nearby table, Shadow trudges through the crowded room as others grunt & stare at the ultimate life form. "Is he... always like this?" you attempt to halt but Shadow tugs you forward as you three get closer to the stairs, "Sometimes but he would never do anything to hurt me, trust me on that!" Each step felt ponderous, holding onto the railing feeling like each tug on your hand will cause you to fall down. When you finally reach the second floor, you witness that your jackal friend still has their cup as they take quick sip, letting some of the alcohol trickle down their chin & using their forearm like a napkin.

The black & red hedgehog releases your hand, eyeing all the doors visible in the corridor. Each door colored beige with some having marks as like pets clawing at them while some doors were left open. "I can check the doors on the left if you want, can you give me a description of who you're looking for?" Shadow doesn't spare the jackal a glance as you new friend takes a step back tapping his cup with his middle finger, eyeing it. "We're looking for our friends Amy and Rouge. Amy is a pink hedgehog! She's wearing a lovely pink dress with white dots scattered around the dress and has a pretty butterfly clip in her hair!" You seize your speech pointing at your head indicating the butterfly clip, Shadow takes a step standing next to you crossing his arms, "Rouge is a bat. She's in a jumpsuit where the chest is the shape of a heart, it's pretty hard to miss her" Shadow glares at the jackal like a captain staring down at a cabin boy. The jackal quietly huffs as he shifts his body, intimidated by the hedgehog's stern demeanor.

"Y-Yes sir!" He avoids eye contact as you head in the jackal's direction, "I'll look with him, I want to get to know him more, that's okay, right?" You rock yourself by your feet as you lay your hand against the wall, feeling the thrashing vibrations. "I guess that's okay...Don't get into trouble" "I promise! Thanks" you briskly rush towards the ultimate life form & engulf him in a hug, squeezing as tightly as you could before letting go. you snatch the jackal's arm & begin running down the corridor with him trying to prevail with your stride, leaving Shadow with one hand covering his lower face while the other rammed against the wall, nearly causing the pictures aligned the wall to collapse to the ground.

♡♡♡

"And I kept adding more in, but then Tail's said that it'd be too much so i said that I'll be fine and I'm sure that by the end I nearly cut off the circulation in my arms. But he was grateful nonetheless!" You knock on a door, "Hello! Rouge? Amy? You in there?!" waiting for some response & when none is received, you cautiously open the door & scan for any signs of your pink hedgehog & bat friend. "Hm, that's something. And why did he need all of that?" the Jackal closes a door & leans against the wall watching as you close your door & glance at him.

"He said he needed it to be able to make a transit on his monitors to make sure no virus can corrupt the files on a code his been working on which he said would be similar to the ADFGVX cipher!" "The AD-what now?" Your friends looks at you puzzled as you open another door but lights hit your eyes causing you to squint them a bit. "Someone forgot to turn off the lights, hehe" You swing the door wide open hoping to see one of your friends waiting inside but are only met with peculiarly vacant room. There were boxes mounted on one another as cups could be found in one corner of the space with the scent of alcohol lingering in the air. "Guess someone was already here?"

Tilting your head slightly, you enter the space with swift steps. Once you reach the corner of the room, you pick up one of the cups that was surprisingly still full, eyeing it like a curious child. The jackal hurriedly enters the room, peeking over your shoulder at the cup in hand. "It's still full?" "Yeah, could mean someone just left, meaning they might return for the drink!" You bob you arms faintly, making some of the grog fall from the cup & seep on the floor with little drops of cool liquid trickling down your hand.

"Oi! Someone in there?!" You nearly drop the cup you didn't fasten your grip on it. Turning in the direction of the entry, a lanky jackal blocked the door leaning on the doorframe eyeing both of you for movement like a predator waiting for its prey. "H-Hey, it's just me! And I have a friend here and we were just looking for someone...that's all" your friend utters raising his arms, the other jackal raises a brow before walking into the room circling the both of you.

He observes the cup in your grip & halts in front of you. "You gonna drink that?" "I don't know, is this not your drink?...Were you here before? Did you have your friends here? Is this one of your friend's drink-" Each word exuded from you was spoken quicker almost like a ramble. "Wow, slow down before you forget to breath. You know what? I couple of my buds are on their way here right now, wanna hang out with us for a while?" The mention of more company nearly has you bouncing as you beam at the tall jackal. "I don't see why not"

♡♡♡

The cluster of cups grew in the corner as you babble with a yellow fox. Whenever a new cup full of grog was being handed, you'd snatch some cups without delay & hand one to the your new companion. "I grabbed it and tried to run off but one of the employees saw me and started chasing me!" You motion your hands up & down like a baby bird trying to fly for the first time. "But then I dropped the shirt and the employee stopped chasing me and left, taking the shirt with them"

The fox giggles at you story, eyeing her cup before she guzzled it with some of the liquid seeping down her lips as your jackal friend hums while sipping his drink. She lifts her hand & cleans off the alcohol leaning a bit closer to you, "That's quite the silly story, isn't it?" you're hand patted the carpeted floor below you, it being a bit more velvetlike than you thought. "Yeah, and they sure are a hell of a chatterbox" The lanky jackal was perched infront of both of you with his head on his palm, tossing his cup across the room near another group drinking away. "Hey now, let them be..." your jackal friend avoids making eye contact with the taller jackal ahead of him. "Yeah, besides, I relish how chatty they are" She leans against you with her cup in front of you, practically persuading you to take a sip. She giggles at the jackal's irked look as her bracelets & earrings bounced with every slight motion.

The door swings open revealing a silver bird carrying a tray with more mugs. "I got us something real special" He marched around like a butler handing out the cups, he halts to the four of you. "Some Margarita's anyone?" kneeling down a bit, he pushes the tray lightly in front of you guys as the fox snags two of the cherry drinks, handing one over to you with a cheeky smile. "C'mon take it, I know you want to~" Her giggling in your direction provokes you to giggle as well as you delicately take the margarita from her hands as she grabs another one for your jackal friend.

"Thanks! This look really good, I've actually never had a margarita before so I'm excited!" You bring the mug mere inches from your face, taking in the scent of a sweet, juicy plum as you take a big gulp. You can taste a mixture of Tequila & lime juice, with a little hint of saltiness hit the back of your throat. While you pull the cup away from you, your fox friend collides her palm with your upper back, making you yelp from the sudden pain & momentarily cough as your grip of the cup fastens. "Well? Did you enjoy it?" She laughs taking long sips of her drink, letting some of it seep down her jaw.

"Oh, um...yeah it was pretty good" you rotate your shoulders a bit as if you had an itch that you couldn't reach. "Well look at that, for once you aren't yapping. That's a relief" The lanky jackal tilts his head up eyeing the ceiling as he swill his own grog.

♡♡♡

You jackal friend scoots away from his bony counterpart as the other jackal crushes his cup in his grasp with ire on his face. "But I grabbed his arm and told him that I didn't want him to end up arrested. Thankfully he listened and left them be" The doors swings open violently, nearly crashing into the wall as a black hedgehog with crimson red stripes stands at the entrance, it scans the room as all eyes were on it. Murmurs barely audible by the music outside the room as the hedgehog's gaze meets a certain group.

"Y/N?" It takes a step into the room, treading to your group seemingly scanning each one. "Shadow! I'm glad to see you again. I have to introduce you to my new buddies! She's particularly very funny" You flap your arms around excitedly while pointing at your new fox friend. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shadow. They were just talking about you before you barged in" She lifts herself up from the carpeted floor & raises her hand to shake his, Shadow looks at her hand for a second before taking hold of it. "Pleasure to...meet you too" "Did you find Rouge or Amy yet? I'm sorry I forgot, I got absorbed chatting and- Oh! that reminds me of that one time I was hanging out with Amy and-" "SHUT IT"

Hand clashing against the wall as the tall jackal stomped to you as his nose scrunched up in rage. "You've been doing nothing but being loud! Do you know how obnoxious you sound?! I bet not, since no one ever seemed to have told you. Or maybe they have but you've been too busy being too loud to notice!"

A hand collides with you cheek harshly before you could process what he told you. As you crash to the floor, Shadow rushes towards the lanky jackal & seizes his arm as he shudder with wrath. Your jackal friend kneels to your side, hands moving around not knowing what to do all the while the fox witnesses Shadow's infuriated expressions towards the taller jackal, frozen in place like a deer in headlights.

The jackal seeks to get away from the ultimate life form but Shadow's grip on his arm fastens. "You hit them..." Shadow kicks the jackal with his knee on the jackal's stomach, making the him drop to the floor with a loud thud. Shadow's grasp on his arm never losing its intense hold, his free hand resting on top of the jackal's upper arm. "How dare you!"

SNAP!

Roaring screeches emit from the jackal as he throws his head back in anguish & the fox as she scurries away backwards, not caring about bumping into others at the moment. warm blood damps Shadow's hands still not letting grip loosen while more shrieks of horror fill the space. Others drop their cups & make a break to the door while others cower in the corners fearing they're next.

"Shadow...!" You hold onto your jackal friend as he shakes in fear of what he just witnessed. Shadow turns his head to the two of you & he finally releases the others broken arm as the jackal turns to his side & winces in agony feeling his blood seep through his fingers.

Shadow, in an instant, is by your side checking you for any injuries. If the urge to murder the jackal hasn't crossed his mind then, then it did now staring at the bright red mark with a purple blemish forming on the spot as tears threaten to fall down your cheeks. Shadow remains static eyeing the mark that jackal made. "He'll pay..." Shadow abruptly stands up once more, fingers twitching from the growing ire within him. "I'll make him pay...!"

Shadow dashes to the jackal & vigorously grasps his bloodstained arm disregarding his wails of agony as he drags the jackal out the room. Even when the outside music blares through the walls, silence is all that's heard within everyone. Your jackal friend attempts to get you up on your feet with a weak sympathetic smile. "I-I'm sure it'll be okay. C'mon, let's go to the kitchen & get you an ice pack, yeah?" he softly leads you out the room holding you arm as if you'd collapse to the ground. "Yeah, that'd be nice. Thank you"

As you both step in the kitchen, your jackal friend looks at Shadow as he notices the black hedgehog's eyes were full of ire & seeing as he was taking the jackal outside from everyone's view, he had an sense of what the jackals fate would be.

[alohastyles-x]

Faith In You - One

Faith In You | Sequel to Loyal To Me

Summary: How long can a grudge truly last? Your return to earth leaves you emotionally confused as you reconnect with your fellow Eternals. As the Emergence comes, you discover who you truly are, what your true purpose is in the universe. Can you handle it? | Druig x fem!eternals! reader

Notes: omg the long awaited first chapter!! Please let me know what you think, I really appreciate your feedback! Also, not sure I'm a fan of this mood board, so let me know your opinion on that as well!

Warnings: Innacuracies to the movie scenes ; I try to be as active as possible but I didn't have time to rewatch these scenes, im so sorry | other then that, no warnings :)

ok on with the story now :) word count: 2.8k 

Druig Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Marvel Masterlist | Wattpad |

The voice of Sersi guided you across the countryside to a bustling city. It was full of people, mulling about one way or another. Automobiles and busses passed through the streets, honking occasionally. You felt lost, small in a large, mostly unfamiliar world. There were parts you recognized, from long ago before this city grew to what it was today, but you couldn't remember just quite where you were. 

Focusing, you listened for her voice again, but all you heard was silence. Cursing under your breath, you opened your eyes. In front of you, on a giant animated billboard, was an advertisement for a recently discovered artifact. You instantly recognized it as one of Sprites daggers- it was on display at the Natural History Museum. There was a slight tingle along your spine, indicating that's where you needed to go. You mentally thanked Heimdall, knowing he sent you both Sersi's voice and the feeling just now. 

"Excuse me," you stopped a nearby woman who seemed friendly enough. "Could you tell me how to get to the Natural History Museum?" 

She pointed to a giant stone building across the way, giving you a smile. You thanked her, and headed towards the building. 

Just as you crossed the street, suddenly the earth began to violently shake, knocking you off your feet. You looked down to your hands, making sure you hadn't accidentally set off an earthquake, but there was no evidence of that. 

Looking around, you made sure no one was watching as you brought your hand down to the concrete below you. There was a orange glow that surrounded your hands for a split second as you steadied the earth, stopping the earth quake before it got too serious. 

There was a surge of energy under your hands, splitting the cement you were kneeling on. You took a step back, confused as to where the energy came from. It wasn't a natural energy, but a cosmic one, leaving a golden, ancient pattern in its wake. You stood, glancing around for anything- or anyone- that seemed out of place, but there was nothing. The pattern disappeared, leaving just an empty crack along the side walk. 

Attempting to brush it off as just pure exhaustion, you headed towards the history museum. The entrance was grand, with a staircase leading up to the top floors. An information desk sat to your right, with a bored looking person sitting behind it. 

"Hi! I was wondering if you knew where I could find Sersi?" You asked as you walked up. It took a minute for the attendant to process who or what you were talking about before they finally answered. 

"I'm sorry, Sersi already left for the day," the attendant responded. Of course, just your luck. 

"I don't suppose you know where I could find her do you?" You asked, hopefully. When they shook their head no, you thanked them anyway and turned to leave. 

How the hell were you going to find her now? 

You had decided to take a trip around the city, which you had finally figured out was London, England. You had visited the city centuries ago, way before it was this bustling. It was unrecognizable now. There were some familiar places, like the pub you were currently sitting in. The sun had set, and you were starving. You had recognized the building instantly, as you and Druig had came here when it first opened along the river as a stop for the port merchants and seamen. 

Druig. The memories began to plague your mind as you sat, staring grievously out the window at the river. You wondered where he was, what he was doing- how he was doing. He didn't know you were alive, hell you didn't even know if he was alive. Druig was the one Eternal Heimdall had not been able to locate, and you knew exactly why. He had guarded himself off from anyone being able to invade his mind. 

Just then, a woman passed by the window, her black wavy hair bouncing slightly as she walked by, pulling you out of your thoughts. She was accompanied by a man who didn't look familiar at all, as well as a small, spunky, ginger who you immediately recognized: Sprite. At a second glance, the first woman glowed with familiarity. 

You slapped down far too much money for the sandwich and beer- that definitely did not equate to Asgardian ale-, before getting up and bounding out the door. 

"Sersi! Sprite!" You yelled, struggling to get your coat on as the crisp fall air harshly hit your skin. They had already turned the corner, and you weren't sure if they had heard you. 

The two immediately turned around, recognizing your voice. Peering into the darkness, they were confused. Worried even. Could it really been you? And if so... how? They shared a timid look, before focusing back on the shadows where your voice had just drifted from. 

As you moved from the shadows into the light casted down from the street light above the corner, Sersi gasped, her heart stopping in her chest as she took you in. 

"Y/n?" Sersi asked aloud, before looking to Sprite to confirm she was seeing the same thing. 

You looked different, the Asgardian world really suited you. Your hair had a golden shimmer to it, your body now buff from all the weight training Thor had put you through. The clothes you wore reflected royalty in Asgard, minus the bronze jewelry you typically wore that stayed behind. The white dress you currently wore against your tanned skin and golden-toned hair radiated under the soft light. You were truly beautiful, and while they recognized you instantly, they marveled at how different you looked. 

"It's me," you reassured her. A split second later you felt her arms wrapped tightly around your neck, squeezing hard as she gave you a hug. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks, wetting your hair, but you didn't care. 

Sprite was unsure what to think as she hung back next to the unknown man with dark hair and dark eyes. She was always on the side of caution when it came to you. While you had your moments of bonding, the two never got closer then a friendly smile here and there. But regardless, your return shocked her, left her with a confusing mess of emotions to work through. So she hung back, careful not to get too close to the light to let the emotions display on her face. 

"Who is that?" The man whispered to Sprite. 

"A very old friend who had died once." 

He gave her a quizzical look, but decided not to question her further. This wasn't the first time he left her with information that made no sense to him. 

Sersi pulled back from you, gripping your shoulders tightly, scared to let you go. 

"What the hell happened?" 

"Arishem sent me to another realm to train. That's all I really remember." You answered. It wasn't the full truth, you purposely left out the bit about failing your mission. Now didn't feel like the time to try and decipher that part. 

Sersi nodded, but you knew she was still confused. Centuries had past without any communication from you, which made you look like a total asshole for sure. You made a mental note to explain later. 

"I didn't know if I should have reached out, after what happened. I'm sorry," you whispered. That part wasn't a lie. You had the means to reach out, to come visit when you wanted. But you didn't. Could anyone really blame you after what happened? The wall you put up around the Eternals was what you thought was for the best. 

"Don't apologize. You're here now. That's what matters. Wait, why are you here... is everything okay?" It had just dawned on her, something must be wrong if you were finally back here, after all these centuries. 

"I was-" you were cut off suddenly by a loud growl coming from the river below. Sersi's eyes widened as she recognized the sound. Her knuckles, still gripping on your shoulder, turned a stark white as her grip tightened. 

"What was that?" The man asked, following behind Sprite closely as she made her way to the barrier to overlook the river below. 

"It can't be..." Sersi whispered. 

"I thought we got them all?" Sprite asked. 

"We did... Y/N, do you know anything about this?" 

"I don't, I'm sorry." You responded, as you joined them over looking the river. 

Suddenly, a Deviant sprung from the river, landing on the rocky shore below, shaking the excess water off its body. It turned its head towards your group, before bounding up the retaining wall. 

"Shit!" Sprite yelled, as she ran to the center of the road. 

"What the hell is that!" The man yelled, running back, but still placing himself between the monster and where you and Sersi stood. 

"Dane, go! Stop the people from coming down here. We got this," Sersi responded. 

"What? Are you kidding-" but he was cut off by a loud roll of thunder that followed a bright light that struck the deviant through the chest. When he realized you were the one in control of the bolt, he nodded and ran to stop innocent humans from getting tangled in this mess. 

Sprite held her arms out by her side, casting an illusion of you all, attempting to confuse the deviant. It was working. The deviant moved among the many replicas of you, Sprite and Sersi, as you attempted to evade the creature to gain a vantage point against it. 

But the Deviant stood tall, reaching its arm out. It quickly adapted to Sprites illusions, making them disappear. Sprite cursed aloud again, as the Deviant began to run towards you. 

As you prepared to strike the ground, the Deviant was struck with bright celestial energy beams, slamming it into a vacant shop. You looked up, as Sersi ran to the shop to make sure it was down. Sirens rang out in the distance as cops were made aware of the disturbance. 

Ikaris appeared from the sky, landing delicately in the street infant of you. He looked the same, as if no time had passed at all. When he glanced your way, his eyes looked taken aback for a split second, but was quickly replaced with a placid one. 

"y/n," He said in a tone as if he was expecting you here, yet still questioning your existence. 

"It's me," you said, eyeing him just as suspiciously. 

"It's good to see you." He didn't even further question how you were here, or why. You took mental note of this, finding it rather odd he had no questions about your return. 

"Ikaris!" Sprite yelled, running to him. She threw herself at him, hugging him tight. He hugged her back, ruffling her hair. 

"Guys, I think we should go somewhere safer to have a reunion. The cops are coming," Dane said as he ran back up the road to where you stood, gesturing to the sound of the sirens. 

"He's right," Sersi agreed, stepping away from the shadows of the shop. She paused momentarily as she looked at Ikaris, surprised to see him. But she stayed quiet. 

Something clearly happened that you were unaware of, but now was not the time to figure it out. 

"We can go back to my place for now," Sersi offered. The group nodded before hurriedly following her around the back of the building. 

Back at Sersi's apartment, an uncomfortable silence fell among everyone. There was a tension between Ikaris and you that you couldn't quite understand. On the walk to Sersi's flat, you noticed him glancing at you every few seconds, a worried look displayed on his face. At one point, you were certain you even saw sweat starting to grow on his brow. 

You watched him closely, making mental notes of the changes in his demeanor around you. He was also timid around the new guy, Dane, although you figured that had more to do with how close Sersi was with him then anything else. 

Sersi's flat was small but quaint, filled with a bunch of decor throughout the centuries that she had obtained. You recognized a small Aagardian golden coin and chuckled at the irony. Most of the other objets she had collected past your death in Tenochtitlan, you didn't recognize. Bronze, gold, and silver coins sat in a jar intermixed. You didn't recognize where they were from, but they struck your attention as they glittered in the soft glow of the light above them. 

"So," Sersi's voice drew your attention away from the jar and towards the center of the living room where she sat on the couch. Everyone gathered around her as she continued. "We need to find the others. See if they know why this Deviant attacked, or if we need to band together again." 

Your heart sunk at the idea of finding the others... two people specifically.

"We should go to Ajak first," Ikaris said. "If anyone is going to have any information, it's going to be her." Sprite nodded her head in agreement. Ajak. You didn't realize how much you missed her until this very moment. You couldn't wait for her warm and kind eyes to find yours, immediately dismissing any anxious thought you had about reuniting with the others. 

"I know where her farm is," Ikaris continued. There was a change in his voice, but it seemed only you noticed it. It was a twinge of sadness. You continued to eye him suspiciously while Sersi agreed and said she was going to see Dane out real fast. 

Your mind began to wander back to Druig while you waited. Your first thought was if he was okay, but it was fleeting as a much more antagonizing thought fluttered in your mind. Had he found someone else... or multiple someone else's? You couldn't blame him... it had been so long and he had thought you were gone forever. But the thought still plagued your mind, making you feel sick to your stomach. 

"Alright," Sersi said, pulling you, once again, out of your thoughts. "Lets go." 

The plains of South Dakota whistled in the night as the three of you walked up the long dirt drive way. At the end stood a dark farm house with the door wide open. You looked to Ikaris, who wore a tight expression on his face. Sersi looked concerned, as there was no sign anyone was home. 

"Ajak!" Sprite called out as she stepped over the threshold of the doorway. Straight ahead stood the back door, which was also wide open. 

"I'll check the barn, you guys check inside," Sersi directed, making her way to the back door. You took the kitchen and wash room area in the back, where you got a direct view of Sersi walking towards the barn. Suddenly, she stopped, kneeling down. 

You watched silently for a few minutes, before a golden orb raised up from the grassy field, and seemingly disappeared in Sersi. 

"Hey," you called out to the others, motioning them to follow you out the door. 

Sersi was just coming out of a trance like state, leaning over a grey, lifeless body. Ajak. You took in a sharp breath at the sight. Unresolved feelings began to bubble up as you took in the scene in front of you. Flashes of your last memories on earth began to play, Druig's scream that's haunted your nightmares ever since ringing in your ears. 

Tears sprung into your eyes, not just from the memories flooding your mind, but over Ajak as well. While her loyalty was more so with the other Eternals instead of you, she was still a maternal figure to you. There were many times she spent teaching you the customs of humans, their language, and how to make certain dishes. She taught you patience, both intentionally with her lessons, and accidentally, with her deep rooted allegiance with her fellow eternals who roamed with her before you joined. 

Ikaris looked out to the lake that sat just a few feet away, a guilty look displayed across his face. You noticed it, just like you noticed every other consistent dubious move he has made since joining up with you guys. Finally deciding you had had enough of his suspicious behavior, you balled your fists up, ready to fight if need be. 

Before you confront him, Sprite spoke up, drawing your attention away from Ikaris. 

"So... what do we do now?" She asked. Her voice betrayed her stone face, sounding as broken as you knew her heart would be. Everyone looked to Sersi, who sat up straight, staring down at Ajak with an unreadable expression. 

"We find the others." It came out assertive, and tough, the complete opposite of who Sersi was. Something had changed inside of her, darkening her features slightly as she looked to you all. You had a feeling it had something to do with the golden orb, and wondered if Sersi was taking up Ajaks' role as leader. 

A/N: I apologize for how long this took to get out, but I hope you enjoyed! The next part will be out next Saturday !

| ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ, ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ, ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛʟʏ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ |

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[adastra121]

So Shipwrecked. Finally finished it. It was a book, I guess.

I didn’t like it. It was not the worst Choices book? I don’t think it was interesting or memorable enough to make most readers feel any way about it, but I was disappointed.

Some things I questioned, science side of Tumblr please explain if you can:

Can you predict that a volcano is going to erupt in a year? I took one earth sciences course and my professor said it’s very difficult to accurately predict things like eruptions and earthquakes ahead of time.

Can lava burn you if it’s close enough without making physical contact? Can it swallow a person? And how fast does it move?

And some stuff I didn’t like:

The relationship between MC and Manu is very… hm. Is there supposed to be chemistry there? It just feels like the narrative is trying so very hard to tell you they are attracted to each other and I’m here like, “Okay. If you say so.” And they focus so heavily on the sexual attraction which is fine, I guess, it’s not my thing, but to each their own, but then the characters profess their love for each other? What? Where was the romantic chemistry? Why do they even like each other? All I saw throughout the story were the characters wanting to consummate every surface of Moku before the lava gets to it. Basically, I don’t really buy the relationship between MC and Manu and that’s a problem when we’re talking about a single LI book.

The writing in general felt very simplistic and boring? Like, how do we show the reader MC and Manu like each other? Lots of sexually charged moments and maybe an “I love you” and “I can’t lose you” thrown in there somewhere. How do we show the reader Dr. Hale is bad? What’s the worst crime we can think of? Oh, I’ve got it. She poaches animals! She kicks puppies for fun! Look at the scene where she separates a baby boar from its father! What a monster! (That didn’t even work, I couldn’t help reading that and thinking, “Did PETA suddenly join the Choices writing team?”) The bad guys are irredeemable monsters and they all deserve death. And that’s what happened. Everything just felt so generic.

I know the book portrays all the characters as Pacific Islanders except MC but it still felt kind of weird that they chose to portray the villains as Pacific Islanders, especially Dr. Hale, because she just sounds so much like oppressive colonial powers on indigenous communities. Her whole disregard for others’ opinions because they don’t have a PhD, destroying the environment and saying it’s fine because it won’t have a lasting impact on anyone who matters? Those are problems indigenous communities are still facing today, voices being dismissed because they don’t come from the colonial institution of traditional academia or didn’t learn all the scientific and technical concepts, lands being seen as empty of life or communities (that matter) and therefore being free to do whatever to the environment. It’s different than stories in alternate realities or fantasy worlds portraying POC villains (and even that requires deep thought and nuance), because it’s way too close to issues that are still happening now. Something about that rubs me the wrong way.

It’s such a mediocre, forgettable book, but I still can’t help but feel disappointed for some reason. Maybe because there’s just some stuff that they could have done differently, though these are mostly things that I would have personally liked. I wish they focused more on the romantic and emotional connection between Manu and MC instead of jumping straight away into “And they wanted to jump their bones.” I like that MC is a botany nerd with a general disregard for personal safety. MC is the type of person who would put themselves in physical danger to study a plant, get excited over a rare flora while dangling off a cliff, and ramble for an hour about different plant species. I would love more MCs like that.

And I think it could have been a cute and funny dynamic between MC and Manu without the sexual aspect; a romance between the gruff, hardened, grounded type with the nerdy, curious, slightly unhinged gremlin? I would eat that shit up. I mean there was an endearing part where MC was like, “Can’t this boat go any faster?” “Not unless you can miraculously create a wind or current— ” MC: “Oh, lol thanks for reminding me I’m a scientist! I’m gonna make an explosion.” Manu: “What.” MC, already fetching explosion-causing chemicals that they have in their botanist inventory for some reason: “I’m gonna make an explosion to make the boat go faster.” Manu, recounting every past day with MC and already uncorking a bottle of rum: “Y’know what. Fine. This might as well happen.”

The highlight of the book for me was the second episode where MC was like, “Hey look! I can see your ship from here!” And then lightning strikes it and wrecks it and it shifts to Manu going, “MY BOAT!” That was hilarious. I don’t know if it was meant to be that comedic, but god. That was golden.

Anyway, I’m definitely not the targeted audience for this book, so I probably shouldn’t feel too disappointed but those are my thoughts. Yeah. Shipwrecked was a book. :/

[mrslittletall]

Now that I finished my Ghibli watch (so many movies), let's give a mini review of how I liked each one:

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind -> Amazing! Loved it. World building and characters were stellar. Just the 80ies sounds were a bit jarring. But all the time I watched at the movie and was going "Caelid?! Malenia?!"

Yeah, someone at FromSoft got inspired by this movie.

Castle in the Sky -> I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I liked the magical elements, the robots and the pirates. Also how the children decided in the end to give up on Laputa because there is already life up there. Beautiful.

Grave of the Fireflies -> Netflix didn't have it! So I have to watch it elsewhere! I want to, I heard the film fucks you up.

My Neighbour Totoro -> Cute and wholesome! Also realistic toddler character with Mei ^^ I loved it and I want to touch the cat bus.

Kiki's Delivery Service -> I would have loved to have 30 minutes more for the movie. It felt like it was over too soon. The moment Kiki was in the town, it felt like it was over again. I wish we could have spent more time with her.

Only Yesterday -> It was fine, but I felt myself more attached to Taeko's childhood flashbacks instead of her adult life.

Porco Rosso -> Felt a bit like it was going nowhere. Would have loved to see the romance between Porco and the opera lady explored more.

Ocean Waves -> Oh god, don't let me go on a Rikako rant. I HATE HER! Yeah, the movie was boring and the ending downright frustrating. I need to watch the scene of Taku bitchslapping Rikako to feel inner peace.

Pom Poko -> I watched this one ages ago on free TV, but remember enough. It was enjoyable, but without knowlegde of the japanese tanuki myth this movie must come over as WEIRD.

Whisper of the Heart -> Ocean Waves wanted to be this, but failed. I loved this one. Especially the scene where Country Roads was sung. A good coming of age story for a girl who doesn't know where she stands in life yet.

Princess Mononoke -> Classic. Watched it ages ago. Can't rewatch and it is a bummer. Why do there have to be TWO blood vomiting scenes in this movie which scare me? A LOT?! Maybe I rewatch and just look elsewhere during the scenes where San accompanies the hurt boar…

My Neighbours the Yamadas -> Didn't watch. Feels like it was based on a Showa era manga. Showa era humour is just cringe to me.

Spirited Away -> First Ghibli movie ever. Saw in the cinema. Rewatched a few times. A classic. Deserved the Oscar. Noface is best.

The Cat Returns -> A bit short. But a cute adventure with cats. Reuses the baron of Whispers of the Heart. I liketo think that was the book that the protag of this movie actually published ^^

Howl's Moving Castle -> Howl is a drama queen and we love him for it. Loved this movie. Fantastic. Loved Howl's monster form and that Sophie is a monsterfucker.

Just was annoyed by dub voice for young Sophie. Sounded horrible.

Tales from Earthsee -> Someone tried to condense a huge fantasy novel into a two hour movie. Didn't work. The characters barely could shine.

Hilarious accidental trans character in the dub. The villain wizard was clearly male, was called he/him and called lord, but had a female dub voice. I couldn't help but headcanon him as trans masc thanks to it.

Ponyo ->Cuuuute. Ponyo and Sosuke are so cute. Ponyo's fish face weirded me out though.

Arietty -> Probably one of the best borrower adaptations out there. Just disliked the ending. I really wanted them to move into the dollhouse.

From Up on Poppy Hill -> Boring. Barely remember the movie.Main character was flaaat.

The Wind Rises -> Strange. Half of the movie felt like a dream. Excellent animation on the earthquake though.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya -> EXCELLENT! Animation and style is BEAUTIFUL! I love the music, I loved the retelling of the fairy tail. This movie is nothing short but art.

When Marnie was there -> This movie is a tearjerker. A BIG one, but I have an issue with it. It had very sapphic feelings and then they reveal that Marnie was Anna's grandmother all along?! Dude, then why the queerbait?!

Earwig and the Witch -> Didn't watch. Didn't want to watch movie which was 3D animated. I wanted to watch all the 2D animated ones. If you think I should give the movie a chance, I will watch it.

[kuroosweakness]

dad!kuroo | sumi and her questions | masterlist

“daddy...?” sumi bops her dad on the head with polly the panda. kuroo deeply inhales and wonders if she intended for it to hurt as much as it did. he can never underestimate her strength. 

“yes?” he murmurs through his pillow. 

“do you get tired of me?” she quietly asks while fiddling with her panda’s paws. 

kuroo winces at the unexpected, somewhat hurtful question. who’s giving her these ideas? “well,” he begins. kuroo turns around to face her. “i don’t get tired of you, but it is quite tiring taking care of a little human sometimes,” he admits. 

“oh” 

kuroo brushes his finger against sumi’s cheek as he continues. “but you make it all worth it~” 

sumi changes her seating position into criss-cross and scooches closer to her dad. “i heard mrs. chen say that parenting (?) is tiring” 

“she’s definitely not wrong,” kuroo laughs. “but for the record, i wouldn’t change you for anything. it’s a type of tiring where....” he pauses and thinks for a moment. 

“you know when you go to the park and get really tired afterwards?” 

sumi eagerly nods. 

“well, even though you get tired after going to the park, you still wanna go again, because it’s worth it. that’s how it feels like, punkin” 

~~~

“daddy...?” 

looks like there’s no pleasant head bop from polly the panda this time. “yes?” kuroo mutters into his pillow again.

“what if-what if you die,” sumi wails. kuroo deeply inhales and heavily exhales. now what brought this on? 

sumi looks at her through glassy eyes. why isn’t he saying anything? why isn’t he reassuring her that he won’t? 

“i’m not gonna die anytime soon, baby. don’t worry so much, it does you no good.” 

“are you sure?” sumi asks, unconfident with her dad’s answer. but it does feel nice knowing he’ll stay with her for a long, long time. 

“i’m 99.9% sure,” he replies and gives her thigh a reassuring squeeze, or at least, it’s what he intends it to be. “i’m gonna watch you graduate elementary school, then middle school, then high school, then college if you wanna go-” 

“but what if you die,” she wails again at all the possibilities in her head. she’s heard about car crashes, plane crashes, earthquakes!....what if her dad disappears just like the way a main character’s dad does? 

“aw look at you all worried,” he teases while pulling her closer to him. he has rarely thought about the possibility of losing her; it’s not something he can think about without his throat tightening. there shouldn’t even be a possibility. “i’ll always stay here and continue making you fried rice” 

“...okay” sumi slowly nods.

“oh you’ll get sick of me after like...3rd grade,” kuroo tells her with a smile. “kids will grow independent and call their parents old and boring”  

“i don’t think so...” 

“i can guarantee it,” kuroo replies. “you’ll make more friends, find new hobbies, focus more on school....” 

sumi frowns and hugs her dad’s arm tighter. “i already have friends,” she quietly says. 

he doesn’t have the heart to tell her that her stuffed animals don’t exactly count. 

“if you die,” sumi whispers. 

oh no, here we go again. 

“i won’t have anymore breathing friends...” 

“but-” 

the realization sinks in and sumi looks at her dad with tearful eyes again. “who will i talk to?” 

kuroo bites his lips and holds in his own sudden tears. “like i said, you’ll always have me. and i’m sure you’ll make more friends. people just don’t see how brilliant you are-” 

sumi scoffs. 

“-what? can i not say the truth now? what about keiko? do you guys talk more?” 

“no...” sumi looks down at her feet. “...we change seats again.” 

kuroo heavily sighs. “either way, i’ll always be here anytime you wanna talk” 

sumi sniffles and goes back to hugging his arm. “...okay” 

~~~

“...daddy?” 

“hi baby” 

sumi grabs daphne the dolphin and smark the shark, and holds them tightly against her chest. “are you sure you’re not gonna die?” 

it’s is way too late to be having this conversation again. but sometimes, comforting words from the right person is all someone needs to hear. 

“i’m very, very sure,” he replies. “and i’m very, very sure you’re gonna stay here with me.”

“will you always love me?” 

“of course” 

“even if i get tiring?” 

who is fueling her overthinking? if he finds out that someone is influences her doubts, he’s gonna have to have a good talk with them. 

“1. you’re never going to be too tiring for me to take care of and 2. yes, i’ll always love you” 

“do you love me more than grandpa?” 

“...wellll, okay, yes, yes i do.” 

“okay,” she smiles her satisfied smile and squeezes daphne and smark close. 

[writing-prompts-for-friends]

Questions to Help World Build

I’ve realized I have a big problem with my writing. I am awful at world-building. Like, I just start writing without thinking about the world. And since I write fantasy. Well. That’s pretty no bueno and leads to all kinds of problems down the road. So I did some brainstorming with my friends and we created a list of over 100 questions to help think about our stories’ worlds and make them more concrete. Thanks to everyone who chimed in and gave me a hand! 

A traditional Japanese clock, wadokei, that counted hours from 9 to 4, starting from sunrise, and then starting once again from sunset. (1-3 were not used for religious purposes.) They’re super interesting and confusing. You should definitely check them out.

Temporal

Is your story set in the past, present, or future?

Specifically, what year(s), month(s), day(s)?

Are days 24 hours? Or does time pass differently in this world?

How many months are there in a year? Is it a seven day weekday? Does the concept of weekends exist?

Have most existing societies developed a timekeeping device?

Is there a way to communicate across long distances?

The concept of time zones is still relatively new to our world. Prior to the late nineteenth century, timekeeping was a purely local phenomenon. Each town would set their clocks to noon when the sun reached its zenith each day. Do standardized time zones exist across the world?

Geographical

From a planet perspective, is it Earth? If it is not Earth, or an alternative version of Earth, what is it like? Is gravity the same? Does it have a moon or multiple moons? Can you see other planets? Is it closer or further from the sun? If so, what impact does that have on the climate and passage of time?

What town, state, region, country, continent, planet does this story take place in? What are its bordering/nearest neighbors? Draw a world map if you want.

What kind of land is it? Landlocked? Mountainous? Along the sea? Desert? Tundra? Tropical forest? Plains? Agricultural? Industrial?

What kind of plants and animals are common to the area? Are there any that do not exist in the real world?

What are the most common crops and livestock in various regions? What geographic features influence certain regions ability to grow/raise their crops and livestock (positively and negatively)? Are the regions diets strongly influenced by what they are able to grow themselves, or do other circumstances (like strong international trade) allow them to have more varied selections? How does religion influence what is considered ‘normal’ to eat?

What, if any, natural disasters are common to the region? Earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, monsoons, blizzards?

How many seasons does it have? Are any longer than others?

What is the typical weather like for those seasons?

Does the region have any unusual geographical features that set it apart? Perhaps there is some weird thing like Devil’s Tower just chilling out. Or hot springs because of volcanic activity?

Is it easy to travel from place to place within the area? Is it difficult to travel because of terrain/technology issues, or because travel is strictly regulated?

Main Locations: Cities

Many stories take place within one city. In Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, a character remarks, “So, if a city has a personality, maybe it also has a soul. Maybe it dreams.” What personality does this city have? What soul does it have? What does it dream of when it slumbers? If your story takes place within a settlement, town, or city, give these questions some thought.

Exactly where is it located within the lands you conjured up in the above Geography questions? Does it have a bay? A river? Does it butt up against mountains? Draw a map of the city.

How big is the city? Is it compact, or sprawling?

How old is the city?

What is the history of the city? How did it come to be? What tumults and triumphs has it seen?

What is the population? Is it currently increasing, decreasing, or remaining the same?

Does the town have any claim to fame? Any tourist attractions? What are they? What’s the story behind them?

If it’s a big enough city, how many and what kind of districts does it have? Residential, Commercial, Industrial, etc. Where are they?

Are there any areas that are deemed unsafe? If so, where are they and why are they unsafe?

Is there public transportation? What kind, bus, tram, train, subway, monorail? Is it good?

How do people get around this city if not by public transportation?

Are the roads narrow or wide? Crisscrossing in a methodical grid or higgledy-piggledy?

What are the buildings like? What materials are they made of? If they’re wooden, are they new wood, old wood? If they’re painted, what colors? If they’re stone, what stone? If they’re brick, is it new red brick or blackened, crumbling brick? If they’re glass and metal, are they sparkling with new hope or dull and jaded?

Are there many skyscrapers? Or are most buildings 1-3 stories tall? What does the skyline look like?

Are there many parks?

How is the city powered? Coal? Hydroelectric? Wind? Nuclear? Has it always been so?

What is the city’s main source of revenue? Agriculture? Tourism? Manufacturing? Mining? Something else? A combination? Dive deeper into this. If it’s agriculture, what do they grow? Tourism–what is famous? etc. This will help to determine what a lot of people do for a living.

What are the demographics? Ethnicity, age distribution, distribution of upper, middle, and lower class, etc.

How many schools are there? Universities? Are any of them good? Do they specialize in anything? Do schools even exist? Perhaps there are clans that teach their children everything they need, for example, or education isn’t viewed as important.

Are there any particular landmarks within the city that standout?

How many and what kind of restaurants are there?

Are there supermarkets, open air markets, or both?

Where do young people go to spend time? What about adults?

Do people there bustle or do they amble?

What are the nights like? Does the city grow quiet, or does it grow rowdy?

What does the city smell like?

If you had to give your town a color, one that represented its personality, what color would it be?

Main Locations: Houses (or buildings, but mainly houses)

There are many stories that have a house or headquarters or hospital or some sort of building as their main setting. These questions will mostly be geared towards helping you figure out a house, but you can apply these to other buildings too probably.

Exactly where is the house located within the city or outside the city? How does your character usually get there? Draw a map. 

What year was the house built?

Was this house built by the current family or their ancestors? Who else lived in the house before the current dwellers? What were they like? Did they leave their mark on the house somehow?

What style is the house? Bungalow? Cabin? A shed? A cave? (makes the following questions mostly useless if so lol)

How many stories is it?

What is it made of? Wood? Brick? What color is it?

Does it have a lot of windows?

Are the curtains usually open or drawn? Are thee curtains at all?

What does the front door look like? 

Is there a porch?

You enter the front door. Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you use the side door because the front door is for show or something. Anyways. You enter the house. What room do you step foot into?

Draw out the floor plans for each floor. How many rooms are there? Where are they? How big are they? How are they connected? What color are they? What style of decor?

Is there a basement? Is it used or is it just a home for spiders and darkness and unwanted things? How about an attic? Crawlspace?

How many bathrooms? 

Are there any rooms that only certain people are allowed to enter? If so, why? 

What is the flooring? Carpet? Wood? Tile? Linoleum? 

What does the house smell like?

Government/Military/Economy

In other words, “the boring stuff,” if you ask me. But this is a very important aspect of any world. 

What sort of government is in place? Democracy, oligarchy, etc? Is it a just or corrupt government?

How are goods exchanged? Bartering? Money? Coins and bills? Credit cards? A specific kind of sea shell? Lol

What are the police like? Strict? Lax? Is there a curfew?

Do taxes exist? If so, do the people feel as though they are heavily or unduly taxed?

Where is the intersection between theology and law? Is it common to have religious leaders in positions of power? Are laws based around religious ideology, or is there an effort to keep them separate?

Is there an organised structure devoted to halting criminal acts? Are they corrupt? Who runs the organisation? How does their reputation change based on demographic? What is the history of the organisation, and how does that history influence how it operates today?

Regarding potentially criminal acts, what is the elgality of prostitution, sex work, ect.?

What about drugs and other illicit substances? Alcohol, illicit drugs, recreational use. Legality, festivity, age limits, etc.

Underbelly. How prevalent is crime, what sort of crime (scaled from pickpocketing to human trafficking) is there? Are there areas that have bad reputations because of it?

Regarding war, are there currently conflicts in the world? Are they international or civil wars? How common is it to have an active war? What is the history of war? What does current warfare look like (Is it dudes in metal suits swinging swords? Have longbows been invented? Gunpowder? Tanks? Missiles?) Is military service mandatory or voluntary? How is the military seen? Is there a sense of patriotism for the military, or does the common man fear it?

Is there stigma around certain genders entering the military? Are come genders regarded as better recruits than others? Is it illegal for some genders to enter the military? Does a person's sexuality affect their ability to serve?

How has religion influenced war? Have there been holy wars in the past? Do any religious institutions hold their own military forces?

Cultural/Historical

I’ve put these together because events in history lead to cultural change. You can apply these questions not only to the world/country, but also the city or even the neighborhood, workplace, or school that your story takes place in.

What is the history of the region? Who was it settled by? Was another group of people displaced? After that, did any new cultures come in? Did they get along?

Were there ever any wars or serious conflicts in the region? What was the cause and what was the outcome of the war if there was one?

In our world, the internet, social media, and film/tv are massive cultural drivers. They determine the latest fashions, jokes, topics, and expressions. What are the big cultural drivers in your world? Books? Plays? Radio? Oral tradition?

Is it a collectivistic or individualistic society?

What languages are spoken by your characters? Is multilingualism common?

What sorts of cultures can be seen? Do any clash? Do any mesh?

What sort of foods are most common?

What superstitions do people hold? Is there a version of “knock on wood” or throwing salt over your shoulder after a funeral? What are the roots of these superstitions?

Are there religions? If so, what are they? Do any conflict with each other? Are zealots or extremists an issue?

Does slavery or indentured servitude exist?

Are there any class or caste systems? If so, what are they, and what does an average day look like for a member of each class/caste?

How does a person's appearance change from country to country? Do certain countries have very distinct fashions? If so, are the fashions influenced by religion, surrounding countries, the cultural majority or international trade partners?

How does a person's clothing relate to their social standing? Is it very easy to assume someone's roll by appearance alone? Are there punishments for dressing above or below your social standing?

Does the society place a great deal of importance on a person's presentation, or is the society more lenient on such things?

Is there an emphasis on conformity to a dress code, or is individuality encouraged? How strictly is clothing regulated by gender binary? Is it commonplace to see a man and a woman walking down the street in the same cut of clothes? Is there a social stigma when a person does not conform to the most common form of dress for their gender?

How are sexual rights viewed? Does the LGBTQ community have the same rights as people outside the community? How are sex acts between people of the same sex viewed? Is it legal? Taboo? Are there cultures that encourage those relationships in some circumstances (like how the romans were down with guys with guys in the military)?

Are there any groups of people that are victims of prejudice? If so, who are they, who holds these views against them, and what views specifically are they?

In regards to gender, do certain societies hold differing beliefs? Is there a commonly accepted number of gender identities or does it change regionally? Is the most common gender spectrum a binary, or do certain racial and cultural differences allow for a wider range to be seen as the baseline?

Are children raised by their biological parents or are children considered to be in the care of the wider community? Is it common/acceptable for extended family to raise children, such as parents needing to study, work, or serve time in the military? Is adoption a common thing in society? Is there a stigma around adoption/being adopted? Do cultural or religious views impact how adoption is seen by the wider community? What is adoption like for a single perspective parent? When adopting, is interracial adoption accepted/common, or is it seen in a negative light? Are some societies more open to adopting children outside of their own race?

How is sex and virginity viewed? Does religion influence it? What is the age of consent? What is appropriate on a first, second, third date? Is sex something that is talked about openly, or something taboo? Are you supposed to wait until marriage? Do couples stay monogamous while dating? Do some regions place higher importance on virginity than others? Do some place higher importance on one gender’s virginity than others?

How is marriage viewed? Are arranged marriages a big thing, or are people free to choose? Is monogamy common? How is a marriage symbolized? A wedding ring, or something different?

How is divorce viewed? What is the divorce rate? Can people remarry?

Magic and the Supernatural

If magic or spooky stuff doesn’t exist in your story, disregard this section.

Does magic exist? If so, who can use it? What are the limitations to their magic? What things are they capable of using their magic to do? What things are they incapable of doing?

Are there laws against what kind of magic can/cannot be used? What sort of laws? Who enforces them? What are the punishments for breaking said laws if they exist?

How does the existence of magic affect religion? Are there religious institutions that infuse magic into their worship? Are there religious sects that see magic as immoral and in direct opposition to their faith? Have there been conflicts in recent or ancient history between religion and the supernatural? Do some sects employ people to hunt and/or enforce law over the supernatural?

Assuming that magic does exist, is it taught? Are there different schools of magic? Is there a system of ranking for magic users based on their skill level?

Do non-magic users look towards magic users with respect or fear?

What role does magic play in this world? Has technology not advanced because magic solves many problems? Or has technology advanced and the use of some magics has become unnecessary?

Are there any mythological creatures/monsters, such as vampires, demons, skinwalkers, dragons, or other creatures of your own creation? Are they common? Do people believe in their existence? Do people worship them? Where can they be found? Do they interact with humans? Do humans fear them or try to put up with them as they do nature?

Do the dead continue to exist in some form, such as ghosts or zombies or the like? Can the dead be summoned or brought back to life?

Are there human/supernatural hybrids? Perhaps a half-demon half-human, for example? How are these people viewed by their peoples, and by society as a whole?

How has the supernatural influenced war? Do armies tend to have a mix of regular and supernatural soldiers/weapons? Have there been wars between the supernatural/magical and those without? How does magic influence a person standing in a mixed army? Is it more likely for a magical being to be promoted than a non-magical being? Conversely, are supernatural being forced into service and seen as pawns?

The End!

Please feel free to reblog and share, and add on any questions you think should be added!