#they’re obsessed with each other and unconcerned about it and so am i

[porterprophet]

Honestly Laudna freaking out that Imogen pretty much vanished isn’t actually surprising.

Unlike Imogen (who had that week where Laudna was dead), the longest that Laudna’s been apart from Imogen was during the Solstice - part of which she spent not even knowing Imogen was alive and then being horrendously traumatised.

They haven’t left each other’s side since reuniting and suddenly Imogen disappeared without her notice. I am entirely unsurprised she freaked out a bit.

Are they a bit unhealthily attached to each other? Sure. But also they were like that before.

[linkspooky]

Kunikida + Oda: Death of a Good Man

While Kunikida and Oda have never met in canon they are characters with a lot in common. They both essentially play the same role, as the moral center of their respective groups (particularly acting as a conscience for Dazai). They both share the same strengths and weaknesses. However, one lives and one dies. MORE UNDER THE CUT. 

1. Relationship with Dazai

Dazai is a character who has trouble seeing himself as a person. That is, he doesn’t see himself as the same as everyone else. (His ability is titled No Longer Human, surprise, surprise). Oda says as much to Dazai, that traditional values like good or evil don’t really mean that much to him. 

“Whether you’re on the side that takes lives, or the side that saves them nothing beyond your own expectations will happen. Nothing in this world can fill the hole that is your loneliness. You will wander for eternity.” 

...

“Be on the side that saves people. If both sides are the same, then choose to be a good person.” - Osamu Dazai and the Dark Era

It’s not that Dazai is a sociopath, or even unfeeling, it’s just that he is so distanced from his own humanity, and from other people. He genuinely believes he can’t feel the same way as they do. Dazai even described the way he saw himself to Fyodor. 

Dazai tells Fyodor that he feels like he’s sperate from everyone else. It’s like he’s the player, and everybody else is pieces on the game board. But, even though he might come up with strategies and move the pieces, he’s not really the one changing things, or affecting other people’s lives because he’s not right there in the middle of things he’s far away. 

Dazai even flashes back to Oda and Gide’s final showdown when trying to explain this feeling to Fyodor. Oda his closest and only friend at the time, who he could not reach out to and save. Dazai believes he can’t touch other people, he can’t reach out and save them, because he sees himself as lacking in feelings or a heart. Which is why, Dazai relies on the people around him. Dazai attached himself to Oda when he was in the Mafia, and then again to Kunikida when he was detective agency to essentially act as his heart, his external conscience for him. That’s the relationship he shares with both of them. It’s why the first two light novels are essentially about Dazai, but narrated from the point of view of his partner at the time. Light novel one is about his partnership with Kunikida, and Light Novel 2 is about his friendship with Oda back in the dark age. The connection between them is that both Oda, and Kunikida are good, just men who have tried to understand Dazai in one way or another. 

The events of both light novels even mirror each other to an extent. Entrance exam is about Dazai joining the agency, Dark Era is about Dazai leaving the mafia. Entrance exam is about Kunikida failing to understand Dazai, but learning to trust him anyway. Dark Era is about Oda being the only one who fully understands Dazai, but then not listening to him at the end of the story. They both end with a symbolic death, Oda commits double suicide with Gide, whereas Kunikida pretends to shoot Dazai in order to follow his plan. 

Dazai’s a master strategist, but he’s not a leader of men, nor does he have any particular ideals he stands for. Dazai was given a position of leadership within the port mafia, and not only did he spend the entire time tormenting his closest subordinate but he didn’t care about the lives of his subordinates the way Chuuya does. 

Dazai sees Kunikida as someone having the ideals he does not have, therefore doing what he cannot, and being what he cannot be to others. This is a role Oda used to serve as his one and only friend. However, while they occupy the same spot as Dazai’s most trusted person their relationships with him are very different.

Kunikida is very combative with Dazai and always fighting against him. He personally expects Dazai to be better in all aspects. He scolds him for being lazy and neglecting his work. When Dazai messes with other people or manipulates them, it’s Kunikida who is the first to get frustrated with him. Kunikida also, tends to lack a fundamental understanding of Dazai. It’s a running joke that he’s always a step behind him (he’s the last person to find out Dazai was a mafia member when everyone else already knew). The literal first thing established about their relationship in the first chapter, is that they are constantly fighting with each other. They barely make it through a dinner with Atsushi. 

However, Kunikida also listens to Dazai when it’s important. It’s the other way around with Oda, Oda is someone who does fundamentally understand who Dazai really is deep down. However, at the same time Oda doesn’t really try to exert any influence over Dazai until the very end of his life. Their relationship was defined by being distant to one another, and not asking questions.

The reason why Ango and I were able to be by his side was that we understood the solitude that surrounded him, and we never stepped inside it no matter how close we stood. 

But in that moment, I kind of regretted not stepping in and invading that solitude.

Dazai Osamu and the Dark Era. 

 Him, Ango and Dazai could only keep meeting as the Buraiha at the Lupin bar if they pretended to not know anything about what each other did outside of the bar. They’re different in one main aspect, Kunikida fights Dazai, and Oda doesn’t start fighting until it’s almost far too late. 

2. Living and Dying for One’s Ideals

One more direct parallel between the two is that Kunikida and Oda are both characters who strive to live up to the ideal they find in a book. Literally. Kunikida obsessively writes out his ideals in his notebook where he has his whole future planned out.

What are ideals? There are innumerable answers to that question. One could say it’s merely a term, or an idea, or perhaps even the soruce of all meaning. But if you ask me, the answer is obvious. It’s the word written on the cover of my notebook.  My notebook has all the answers. It is my creed, my master, and a prophet that guides me. At times, it can either be a weapon ro a solution. Ideals. Everything I am is written in this notebook which I always carry with me. My entire future lies within it - Osamu Dazai’s Entrance Exam

Oda picked up a book and loved it so much he wanted to write the ending for himself.

After worrying about it for so long, I came to one conclusion.  “Then you write what happens next.” I decided to write about it myself. I would become a novelist, and write a story about why the man stopped killing. But to become a novelist, I needed to sincerely know what it meant to live. So, I stopped killing. -   Osamu Dazai and the Dark Era. 

Kunikida and Oda are both characters who find their will to live for the future within the pages of a book. Which makes sense as both characters struggle with lofty ideals and a harsh reality. Oda and Kunikida are characters written about the struggle to be a good man, in a world that is not good. To hold ideals, in a world that is not ideal. This once again ties back to what Dazai said to Fyodor, God isn’t perfect harmony, he’s illogical and absurd.

The world isn’t ideal and orderly. It’s extremely, extremely messy. Kunikida and Oda are both characters who strive to be better, and want the world to be better and because of that they fall into conflict. However, Oda lost his fight, and Kunikida is still fighting. Part of why Dazai got so attached to Kunikida is also because he saw Oda’s ideals within Kunikida, and knew that carrying those ideals could crush him so easily. 

“Justice is a weapon. It can be used to harm, but it cannot protect and save others.”  -Osamu Dazai’s Entrance Exams

The meanings of Dazai’s words are clear when you look at them in the context of what he learned after losing Oda. Oda decided to throw his life away to avenge the children after Gide. He achieved justice then. However, nobody was saved. The children were already dead. Oda himself wasn’t saved. Dazai lost his only friend. 

“Something?” I looked at Dazai. “There isn’t anything, Dazai. It’s all over. Everything. Whatever else happens now is meaningless - just like I’m about to do. AM I wrong?”  “Odasaku...” Dazai said softly. “Forgive me for the absurd wording but - don’t go. Find something to rely on. Expect good things to happen from here on out. There’s gotta be soemthing...”

[...]

Oda’s march against Gide isn’t just tragic, it’s a deliberate choice. It was a suiide. He’s given several oppurtunities to just walk away, or wait for something else to give him a reason to live and he doesn’t. His final actions hurt more than they helped. Yes, he did save Dazai in a way by throwing his life away, but Dazai also lost the person who could understand him. Oda could have lived. He could have done more if he had lived. Dazai even says so in dead apple, saving people is the more beautiful path, but you have to be alive to see that beauty. 

This is also why Kunikida and Oda have such a connection to Dazai. Underneath their struggles to be a good man they are both constantly dealing with suicidal feelings. 

Kunikida is far more fragile than he lets on. Part of the reason he attaches himself to ideals rather than people, is because caring about people hurts, and he is so afraid of failing the people in his life (the same way Oda eventually failed to protect the children) that he can’t admit the depth to which he cares about them.

Kunikida struggles to save everyone in front of him, but that’s also because Kunikida is internally someone who is very fragile. He can’t handle the loss, especially losing those he is close to. When Atsushi is hospitalized after his first fight with Akutagawa, he pretends to be unconcerned. When Atsushi wants to save Kyoka, Kunikida tries to persuade him to not save her. Oda and Kunikida are both avoidant characters, Oda avoided ever stepping inside of Dazai’s loneliness, and Kunikida avoids getting close to others because they fear the people they cannot save. Kunikida cares so much and so deeply, that he’s completely shattered when he fails someone. 

Every strategy by the detective agency’s enemies relies on crushing Kunikida because he’s the easiest target. When he fails like this he wants to give up. Kunikida and Oda have this dark underside to their actions where they’re fighting continually to be better, but when they fail, they long to throw their lives away and give up the struggle. 

Part of the reason they’re attracted to Dazai is deep down Kunikida and Oda both have the same suicidal feelings. Kunikida knows that his ideals will never live up to the reality. 

However, secretly he longs to fail so he won’t have to struggle against it anymore. 

“I let go of Dazai. I understand what he’s aying. Perhaps righteousness isn’t something you seek in others, but something you search for inside of yourself. Even then... Miss Sasaki is dead, and so is Rokuzo.  All I’ve found in my search for righteousness within myself is a sense of hopelessness.”

Osamu Dazai’s Entrance Exam

The question is can you continue to live? Even if you fail over and over again to do better. Even if the things you try to protect all die. Kunikida’s arc so far mirrors Oda’s. The things he told himself he would protect, he failed to. The promises he made, he breaks. He said he was never going to watch a child die in front of him, and then it happens. 

He said he was never going to fail to protect the agency again, but then the agency became the victims of the hunting dogs, and Kunikida had to go completely on the run. He said he was going to throw himself away in a big bang against the hunting dogs to show his ideals would never fail, and instead.

He even loses his ideals and his ability to write in the notebook. So, what is the difference between Kunikida and Oda that allows Kunikida to keep struggling where Oda did not. I think it’s not really a difference between them, so much as it’s a difference between Dazai. Dazai’s grown since then and realized his mistakes with Oda, and because of that doesn’t stay at a comfortable distance from Kunikida.

Dazai has grown enough between then and now he’s able to reach people who feel similiarly to him. He understood the suicidal feelings of both Kunikida, and Oda, but he didn’t reach out to Oda until it was too late. However, Dazai has grown to the point where he not only understands Kunikida’s struggle and sympathizes with him, but he’s also able to say the words he couldn’t say to Oda until it was too late. 

There’s no such thing as a point of no return. There is no point where everything is already over. Even if you fail to protect someone, even if you fail to protect everyone. 

"Anything I would never want to lose will be lost. It is given that everything that is worth wanting will be lost the moment I obtain it. There's nothing worth pursuing at the cost of prolonging life of suffering."

Dazai is still the same person that said this. Deep down that’s what Kunikida and Oda both fear, that after Oda failed the orphans, that after Kunikida could not save an innocent child in front of them, that no matter how hard they fought all of their attempts to protect someone would fail that way. At which point their fighting seemed to become meaningless.

Dazai knowing those feelings has moved past that lament. He still believes that the struggle may be meaningless, but he reassures them that they can keep fighting anyway. 

If there’s no great glorious ideal to live for, if nothing we do matters, than all that matters is what we do. The world isn’t good, the world will never be as good as we want it to be, yet Kunikida can still strive to be good in the face of that.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I thought about every episode of The Owl House Season 1 (Part 1/2)

Salutations random people on the internet who probably won't read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Hey, do you miss Gravity Falls?

...

Yeah, I know, dumb question. Which is why I have good news! Not only is there a new series that is just as good as Gravity Falls, but in some ways, it's even better. That new series would be none other than Disney Channel's latest hit: The Owl House.

The Owl House, slowly but surely, became my new obsession since Eda reacted to decapitation with an unconcerned, "I hate when that happens." I wrote fan-fiction, made fan-art, and even began to separately review new episodes. Unfortunately, I got in a little late in the reviewing game and only managed to analyze the last four episodes of season one. And like an idiot, I promised that I'll review the rest when they came out on Disney+. Seeing that all of the first season has finally come on a legal streaming service (which means WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!), it's time I finally saw through to that promise. However, I'm not going to over-analyze each episode because that would be insane. So instead, we're going to lightning round these suckers. Because it's my Tumblr, and I get to decide what I review and how the hell I review it...hooah.

Which means this is your last chance to avoid spoilers if you haven't seen The Owl House yet. Seriously, it's a great show, and you can catch up right now on Disney+. A week-long trial is more than enough time to watch the series, so DO IT! With that out of the way, let's get started with:

“A Lying Witch and a Warden”: This episode gets a lot of flack for having poor pacing and being too preachy with its message. And to that, I say...you're not wrong. Yeah, I wish I could be that person who can defend this episode against criticism like that, but these are understandable problems that just left this icky feeling in my tum-tum when watching. But that's only when looking at it as a regular old episode when in reality, people need to see it as a first episode. The first episode in any show needs to get viewers interested enough to continue watching by answering these five essential questions: What's the plot of the show? What's the tone? Who are the main characters? What's the world they live in? And what are the rules of the same world? "A Lying Witch and a Warden" does a great job of answering all of these questions. And if you stuck around until the season finale, then that means it did a great job of keeping you interested in sticking around as well. So seeing how it got its job done, albeit, with mixed results, I give this episode a B-.

“Witches Before Wizards”: Don't mind me. Just reveling in the fact that Luz escaped to a fantasy world to avoid Reality Check Camp, only to get a reality check anyway. Because that's what this episode is in a nutshell. Through the "quest" that Luz goes on, she learns two important lessons: One, don't trust strangers who offer you something nice and shiny (bonus points for Eda warning Luz to avoid men with sandals and then have Ategast wear sandals). And two, there is no such thing as having a predetermined destiny. I love the idea that Luz coming to the Isles was just a twist of fate, and everything that happens afterward is pure dumb luck. And that moment when Eda gave a speech about making your own path instead of waiting to become something special? That was the moment when I went from thinking this was going to be a fun show to thinking it's going to be a great show. So consider this episode a solid A in my book.

“I Was a Teenage Abomination”: How is it possible for an episode to get better and worse with time? Because here's the thing: This episode does a great job of showing how perfect Amity's development is. After one single season, it already feels jarring, seeing the way she acts in certain scenes. However, in that same respect, it's the same reason why this episode got worse. I didn't mind that Willow practically got away with cheating and vandalizing the school with her magic because she and Luz were basically trying to show up a two-dimensional bully. But knowing what we know in the future, it does seem unfair that Amity gets punished for their bad behavior and Willow got little consequences for it. Sure, Luz got banned and had to work at gaining Amity's trust, but what about Willow? Although, despite this complaint, I don't really hate this episode. It builds a believable connection between Luz and her friends, and the B-plot King and Eda show off their budding friendship. So while this episode is a C-, it's a somewhat enjoyable C-.

“The Intruder”: Is it weird for anyone else that King gets most of the blame in this episode? Yes, he took the potion, but Luz was the one who kept pushing him. This is why it never sat right with me seeing how everyone, including himself, blames King for this episode's incident. That being said, "The Intruder" is fantastic. Eda, as the Owl Beast, is legitimately threatening, and the way the episode treats Eda's curse like a chronic illness is actually kind of sweet. It teaches kids how this is something that just happens to people, and they're not any weaker because of it, as long as they take the right steps. Which is cool, and it's why this is another solid A episode for me. Sure King getting the blame bothers me, but it pales in comparison to everything else “The Intruder” does right.

“Covention”: If you want my personal opinion (obviously, seeing how you're reading this), "Covention" is the perfect episode to show a friend to get them into watching the The Owl House. Everything there is to love about the show is seen in just these twenty-two minutes. Eda being a chaotic good, Luz being a sweet and understanding character, some incredible/natural world-building, an actually decent B-plot, an epic fight scene, great comedy, and, my personal favorite, the building of Luz and Amity's relationship. In fact, this episode has the most quintessential moment between these two, that Dana Terrace herself took charge of making the animatic for it. A scene that is so perfect that you can do an analysis of these few minutes alone...which is what I did. Click here to read it! "Covention" gets an A+ in my book and might possibly be the best episode of the season. Maybe even the series!

“Hooty’s Moving Hassle”: There's not really a lot I can say about this episode. I don't hate it, but I'm not exactly in love with it. The interactions between Luz and her friends are adorable, and there are a few good jokes that kept me laughing. But the story is kind of bland, and I just find Eda's sudden obsession with Hexes Hold'em kind of odd. Especially since a card game is what nearly defeated the "undefeatable" Owl Lady. If it wasn't for the nice reveal of Willow's and Amity's friendship (which comes into play in a far better episode), I'd say that you could skip this one on future rewatches. Because this is a C grade episode that just doesn't grab me as well as others.

“Lost in Language”: Ah, yes. The episode that made dozens of fans jump aboard the Lumity ship...unless you're like me, and you've been shipping these two since the show's theme song (And I don't know why, either. It's just the second I saw Amity my first thought was, "Oh, honey. You're gonna fall in love with the main character, aren't you?" AND I WAS F**KING RIGHT!). But jokes about shipping aside, "Lost in Language" is a fantastic episode. It has a great lesson about how people are more complex than their first impressions (Or to not judge a book by its cover, if you wanna stay on theme). Edric and Emira seem like a chaotic duo who cause mischief all for good fun. But Luz, as well as the audience, learns that Ed and Em are kinda the worst (they get better in future episodes, but still). Then there's Amity, who hasn't had the best first impressions in the last few episodes. We got glimpses of a good person here and there, but for the most part, that's all they were. Glimpses. Then there's this episode, which gives us more than a small look, but some actual insight into who Amity really is. Better yet, who she wants to be. It's something that I appreciate about The Owl House in that it wastes no time in developing Amity's character. So much so that I can forgive this episode for shoehorning a "Two idiots and a baby" plotline that does nothing but add maybe two minutes of padding. So yeah, it's an A+ for sure.

“Once Upon a Swap”: "Ugh! It's the body swap episode! How cliche and-" SHUT UP! Shut your mouth, and listen: Something being cliche does not always make it bad. Only when the cliche fails to tell an entertaining story does it have the right to work as a complaint. "Once Upon a Swap" may have a cliche premise, but it's still an enjoyable story (or stories) with great laughs and even some ok lessons. I can understand if you hate the episode because its premise is something you've seen a dozen times to the point where your sick of it. My most hated story idea is the "Character A saves Character B, and Character B becomes a life slave." If you have seen this story once, you've seen it a thousand times, and it's the same case with a "body swap" episode. But guess what: The Owl House is a kids' show. Kids'. Show. You can complain all you want about predictability, but kids are the type of viewers who will be new to this experience, despite if it's one that is done to death. Which is why this is solid B of an episode if you ask me.

“Something Ventured, Someone Framed”: Can people please stop shipping Gus with Mattholomule? Because that slimy, greasy, weaselly little son of A BASTARD BITCH WEASEL DOES NOT DESERVE LOVE IN WAY POSSIBLE!

...

But enough about how Mattholomule is the worst character ever, because "Something Ventured, Someone Framed" is a B+ in my opinion. Sure it shows the worst side of Gus and lets Satan's little herpe win in the end, but there is still quality to be had. We get insight into who Gus is as a character, on top of Eda swallowing her pride and cleaning the school so Luz can get into Hexide. Also, Eda's permanent record was the first time this show brought me to tears due to laughing so hard. So while I have to take points off for the inclusion of Mattholomule (I don't make the rules. I just live by them), this is still an episode I wouldn't mind revisiting.

“Escape of the Palisman”: I subscribe to this theory that Luz will one day have Eda's staff as her own. And episodes like this that strengthen the bond between Luz and Owlbert help confirm that theory. Luz's dedication to trying to make things right could just be part of her kind nature, but I like to believe that this is Dana and the crew trying to set up this possible outcome. As for what I think about the episode itself...it's ok. Again, Luz's dedication is nice to see, and King's adventure with Owl Beast Eda is somehow insanely adorable, but there's not really much to say other than that. So it's another B episode for me.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that’s the end of part one! Part two has probably already been posted by the time you finish this, so you can go ahead and find that if you’re interested.

[astrologysvt]

Soonyoung’s Ideal Type - Natal Chart Reading

For ideal types, I’m not going to be doing specific placements of their ideal partner. Instead, I’m gonna be listing personality traits I think would mesh well with them, as well as focus on their needs and the kind of person who could meet them. what this reading cannot account for is the compromising the members would do on their end for their s/o. so just keep in mind this is only half of the whole picture!

lol whenever i start another soonyoung reading i brace myself cuz how tf am i gonna write 1.5k words ALL ON GEMINI 

but oh man do i find a way.

humor is the way to this guy’s heart. 

someone super funny & playful. 

gemini placements in general tend to get really fixated on people that intrigue them. 

someone with a lot of personality, and i think that aqua influence in him through the 11th house would make him very attracted to someone with very different life experiences from him while meeting him in the middle on likes/dislikes/perspectives. 

(lol i feel like i’ve said this before for literally every member... there’s so much aqua in this group). 

when he has a crush he’s the type to want to text/talk with them constantly, and will look for any excuse to start up a conversation/learn something new about them and spark a new discussion.

his gemini is very much fueled by the excitement of conversations that bounce back and forth, and where two people can freely ignite and fuel each other’s enthusiasm. 

when there is such a lively back and forth, it brings this sense of discovery that he really loves.

whether it’s in learning new things about himself by friction or learning new things about his s/o. 

it validates his need for a reactive audience, and makes it feel like his s/o is doing what they can to see him eye-to-eye which his gemini really appreciates.

and so because of that he’s gonna want someone super responsive who will play along with his jokes, not make him second guess himself when he’s being silly, and will always give him a really great reaction. 

he wants to be hyped up, and with that he also 100% wants to be his s/o’s #1 hype man as he loves relationships where there is a lot of pride in each other.

someone very generous with praise.

his leo rising WANTS TO BE BABIED SO HARD. 

so definitely someone who is willing to dote on him and generally be very thoughtful. 

oh man, he wants to both spoil and be spoiled.

may it be in affection, delicious food, thoughtful gifts, or words of appreciation. 

he is this super contradictory mix of doesn’t want to be told what to do/wants to be taken care of. 

and so i think a dynamic that could meet that is with someone who lets him do his thing, will stand by him/support him even if that just means being someone he can fall back on, and will offer him comfort when he needs it. he just wants to know his s/o will be there for him to lift him at his highs, and really really baby him at his lows.

with a leo rising, this puts all of his gemini placements in aqua’s house which makes him this super independent person who understands his unique place in the world.

he wants to do his own thing and not think twice about it and generally gets really frustrated when he feels he needs approval. 

then that leo in and of itself is incredibly fixed and understands well what he wants. 

then on top of that his gemini makes him super set in his ways about the conclusions he’s come to may it be on situations/stances/interests and so forth. 

but to contradict all of that, his leo rising makes him soooooo susceptible to praise and flattery which kind of frustrates his air placements.

he hates needing approval, but really feels at a loss of he needs to act without support. 

so as i said before, he wants to be hyped up and this just amplifies that.

his s/o should be ready and willing to support him and offer him validation, and preferably before he has to ask for it as this is something that really feeds that leo rising heart. 

his s/o should also just be super physically affectionate as this placement makes him a super cuddly dude!!

so something that i didn’t really get into in his chart first impressions are decans! 

when you’re looking at a chart with so many placements in one sign, to get a deeper/more nuanced analysis you can look at the decans.

his mars and moon are in 2nd decan, so this gives these planets a little tinge of libra influence. 

with the moon and mars, this is going to give his gemini placements an attitude that is a lot more focused on harmony ESPECIALLY considering the relevance these planets have to relationships.

he’s going to want to be with someone who can offer him a very balanced dynamic. 

someone who can meet his gemini’s reach for curiosity/passionate discussion as well as someone who is willing to compromise when necessary.

this is emphasized by his gemini placements that are pretty averse to people who are close-minded/set in their way/immovable by logic and debate. 

but then you throw in that libra and a sense of fairness is incredibly important to maintain in relationships or else he’ll get moody. 

this also makes him kind of flighty because he doesn’t like saying no. 

and so, in a very contradictory fashion, he may benefit from someone who is divisive enough in relationships to say it up front if something is wrong, what needs to get done, and to aid him to act when he needs to as he may find he’s more a people pleaser in closer relationships than he may like/be aware of. 

his sun and venus are in the 3rd decan (aquarius)

so this is interesting, mainly because all of his gemini is already in the 11th house so his aqua influence was incredibly strong to begin with. 

and so this brings strong sense of individuality, desire to set himself apart, as well as a strong emphasis on friends/community. 

he’s very averse to someone who wants to pin him down while also making him very attracted to someone whose very individual.

another way to really catch his intrigue is by being someone very progressive and forward thinking.

lol i also think about how he said on ofd castaway that his ideal type was someone who was a bad girl but nice to him. 

i think the concept of a bad girl would be appealing to him based off the fact the concept in and of itself is very unconventional. 

because of that, someone who is so unconcerned with being ordinary is, in and of itself, very attractive to him. 

i also think it’s important to say that i find aqua influences are going to be the ones who value friendship more than they do romance. 

he would be SO turned off by someone who felt they needed to restrict his interactions with his friends in any way shape or form -- may it be his s/o wanting him to cancel plans to hang out, his s/o wanting him their side at a party, or generally if his s/o saw the way he values friends as a threat to their relationship.

really, any kind of tug away from his friends (no matter how gentle/forceful) is going to deter him from someone. 

moving on from decans tho!

his mercury and moon are conjuct on either side of his mars. 

i think it’s interesting to have both of his moon and mars conjunct each other as this is a very dynamic, very reactive influence to have. 

this makes him that super boisterous, excitable, passionate hoshi we all know and love. 

this also makes him very straight forward in love. 

he’d honestly just think that someone who was as bold/straight-forward as he was, or someone who didn’t blink an eye at his antics would be incredibly attractive to him. 

it’d excite and encourage him. 

mercury also adds to this straight forward sense as he’s very straight to the point and expressive in language~ 

he really appreciates a very simple, predictable, candid communication style with his s/o. 

his sun is conjuct his venus which is super cute as i think this is one of the reasons hoshi is so cuddly. 

when you have the sun in conjuct to venus, you really attribute a lot of those super romantic and soft venusian vibes to him that give us Squishy Hoshi™️ 

he’s certainly a romantic, and would want someone who is very loving and affectionate. 

and kind of snowballing from his libra decan from before, this is what makes him much more accommodating than your run-of-the-mill gemini. 

he’s incredibly concerned with maintaining and seeing to his s/o’s happiness, and makes him want a simple and considerate relationship.

his mars is opposite pluto!!! this one is the WILD one. 

mars meeting pluto in hard aspect is an INCREDIBLY powerful placement. 

they’re both very intense planets -- mars ruling the more carnal aspects of ourselves and then pluto owning the more obsessive parts. 

there is a sense of extremes within him -- extremes in love, extremes in passion, extremes in bouts of anger. 

he’s very drawn to act, and having such a potent/provocative planet like pluto at the whims of the turbulent and fierce mars can give him a great sense of unrest when his gemini mars in challenged. 

so situations that may cause this placement to act out are when he’s being restricted.

gemini’s like the freedom of choice and exploration (may it be in life, career, and relationships) and so he’d really benefit being with someone who allows him to embrace this part of himself as this will avoid potential conflicts with is mars. 

with that, it is also really important that his s/o both give him space to be himself while also being willing to tell him how it is if he’s acting out-of-hand. 

his gemini’s energy is really easy to redirect, so once he’s been given a bit if perspective he gains control of the situation very quickly (see: the whole ofd japan money situation)

but that pluto influence makes his anger very all-consuming so he really struggles to reach that point without external help. 

this placement also makes him very attached/possessive in love. 

i think especially with that leo rising, that he’d want to be with someone who was okay with the idea of them being “his.” 

he wants freedom obviously, but he certainly wants to make it clear to everyone whose his s/o is and would really love it if his partner returned the sentiment as his leo likes the idea of being someone his s/o could be proud of. 

another significant thing to note in terms of relationships is his neptune and jupiter in the 6th house!! 

i think this is SUPER interesting. 

all of his energies are super intense, passionate, potentially impulsive and stubborn. 

but then you put these outer planet influence in the house of virgo that adds a strong emphasis on lifestyle, work, and domesticity. 

he wants to be with a very accountable, reliable, and generous person in daily life thanks to his jupiter in the 6th house.

then you throw in that neptune that makes him incredibly feeling/empathetic that makes him drawn to care for people without hesitation. 

both of these make him very generous/selfless in relationships, especially in terms of providing, supporting, and being generally thoughtful 

(though keep in mind that the 6th house doesn’t really come into play too much in relationships until they’re sharing a space/lifestyle). 

because of that he’d like to be with someone who 1) is equally generous and 2) is going to ensure people (themselves included) do not take advantage of this aspect! 

his openness in this regard makes him rather vulnerable to people with malintent and so someone with a discerning eye could be of benefit to him! 

another kind of interesting way of looking at it: depending on how aware his friends/family/the members are of this aspect in him -- it’s highly probable that someone who is more impulsive, self-focused, and rather insensitive to what they take vs what they give will simply not pass the “can i date soonyoung” test. 

and considering how his aqua influences make him value friendship more than romance, he’s more than likely going to listen to his friends over anything a potential suitor may have to say.  

he’s just really rather gullible in this regard and he MUST be protected. 

he is a very all-or-nothing guy on so many fronts. 

he doesn’t really know what it’s like to be stingy in love/affection. 

and so, if he’s with someone who is more reserved/practical/stoic, this brings a sense that he needs to now be self-conscious of how open he is in this regard which HE HATES. 

so it’s vital that he’s with someone very loving, very open, and just as heavy-handed in affection as he is while also being very aware, thoughtful, and considerate. 

maintaining good feelings in his relationships rely just as much on acknowledging actions as they are on giving. 

oh man, i was totally not able to touch on EVERY single aspect in his chart relating to romance and relationships so this convo can certainly be returned to. 

but the last thing i’ll touch on is his aqua descendent! 

so his rising is in leo which makes him this person who really craves recognition/validation in ways that are very self-indulgent/congratulatory (tho i wouldn’t particularly say “vain”) 

he’s certainly someone very focused on gaining approval, and where he’s gravitated to in life and love is someone who represents the exact opposite of that. 

someone who encourages him by example and validation to be himself, and removing that kind of “i need approval” blockade he may have in his personal life that causes him to second guess himself/prevents him from seeing the full picture of his importance/uniqueness. 

being with someone like that would allow him to be more focused on what he brings to the table, as opposed to simply using other’s reactions as a measurement of his worth.

he’s very much like this in his work, but this unapologetic confidence may not be extended towards relationships/romance.

generally just a sweet boy! 

he wants an exciting relationship where humor is boundless. 

i think he’d be INCREDIBLY delighted by someone who not just meets his wackiness, but attempts to one-up him. 

someone who is brave enough/trusts enough in him to stand with him when he’s putting himself out there, may it be in more serious circumstances or in defense of a really bad joke he’s made. 

and someone who is going to really teach/reinforce to him what he means when he says he values individuality. 

i think this is incredibly relevant to him due to the fact he considers himself an introvert -- there is still a strong part of him that second guesses himself when putting himself out there, that causes a kind of delay/volatility in how he expresses himself socially where he’s A LOT ALL AT ONCE and then fizzles out.

and so i think if someone is able to be that constructive/discerning eye for him while also being able to look at all the wild he is already and meet him half way is something that would 1) make him fall SO HARD but also 2) really make him feel secure enough in himself to the point he’d feel he has a choice in how extra he wants/doesn’t want to be. 

i especially think this is true considering how much more unapologetically weird he is around his members, as opposed to everyone else. 

he’d want to reach that level of comfort with his s/o. 

[jess-rewatches-prodigalson]

Episode 7: Q&A

Let’s just dive right into this. Spoilers are heading your way. 

1:00 - Malcolm why did you try to talk to the strange man in the dark?!?! It’s not safe you giant doofus. 

1:33 - Gil looks very annoyed and concerned here. This is a man who would ground Malcolm’s ass if he could. 

1:51 - See how Gil’s hands are on his hips? That’s exactly the position Malcolm was in when he was talking to Dani when he was high. Coincidence? I think not. Pretty sure Malcolm is subconsciously trying to imitate Gil whenever he can because Gil is Malcolm’s definition of a good man. 

2:24 - Another instance when Dani directly asks Malcolm if he’s okay. 

2:35 - Edrisa is one strange lady. She doesn’t even look mildly grossed out by the state of those bodies. 

3:53 - Check out JT’s face here. He looks somewhere halfway between annoyed with and concerned for Malcolm. Gil on the other hand is too busy trying to keep Malcolm from jumping off the deep end to be annoyed with him. 

4:25 - Does anyone else find it odd that mother and daughter are sitting so far apart on this bench? I mean, I know they’re fighting right now but still. 

5:00 - “I am far more worried now.” She should be. Ainsley is trying to out manipulate Martin. That’s concerning because a) Martin is a dangerous psychopath and b) Ainsley, to a certain degree, is exhibiting behaviour that probably reminds Jessica of Martin. 

7:00 - I’m starting to believe that Edrisa might be on the autism spectrum. She seems to have trouble reading the mood of a room. She often rambles. She is socially awkward. She talks with her hands a lot. She is very intelligent. She’s a functioning adult but many people with autism are functioning adults if they had proper support as children. Then again, it’s possible she grew up in a home with stereotypical Asian parents who forced her to study most of the day and severely limited her opportunities to socialize in a non-academic setting. 

7:11 - hahaha Gil’s face here. He’s like “Why do I like these two freaks? Why do they look borderline excited in the middle of this morbid situation?”

7:46 - I love the moment when Gil and Malcolm realize that they’re looking for a serial killer. Gil looks guilty. Like he’s blaming himself for not noticing that this murderer was loose sooner. Malcolm looks upset too but it looks like he’s more upset about the effect this is having on Gil than he is about the fact that there’s a serial killer on the loose. Both of my boys need a hug. 

8:23 - They are waaayyy too lovey-dovey inside of Ainsley’s serial killer father’s prison cell. Like did they forget that they’re inside of a psychiatric facility for murderers?!? 

9:00 - The fact that this interaction between Tevin and Ainsley is possible annoys me. I know it was necessary to forward the plot BUT why would two different secure doors be randomly wide open when a guard is moving a dangerous prisoner through the halls? I’m sure those doors are legally required to be heavy enough to close by themselves if no one props them open for safety reasons. (Just my small annoyance. Carry on.)

10:00 - hahaha I love JT. He clearly cares about Malcolm but he also doesn’t know what to say to a dude who is so manic and troubled.

10:22 - I love Dani going on a rant. It’s really sweet. It’s almost as if she knew that if she went on a rant Malcolm would be able to calm down and focus. Look at Malcolm’s reaction to her rant. He immediately calms down and tries to comfort Dani. He refocuses on the case. They are really good for each other’s mental health. They ground each other and I’m so grateful that they’re in each other’s lives.

11:05 - If Edrisa is technically part of the team - why doesn’t she just walk into the room? Why does she wave through the window to get Malcolm’s attention?

11:51 - We have reached a tipping point in Malcolm’s mental health. He just willingly admitted that he’s not okay. Someone sound the alarms. This will not end well. Our boy is going off the deep end....but at least he’s self aware? 

12:00 - The first part of this interview (before Malcolm shows up) is hard to watch. It hurts to watch Martin twist everything into a positive about himself. It hurts to watch Ainsley try to twist everything in the opposite direction. These characters are more similar than I’d like to admit. They’re both obsessed with their outward appearance to the world. They’re obsessed with their own success. They’re driven by ambition. Sure, Ainsley is capable of empathy, and I don’t think she’d ever kill anyone but she’s definitely narcissistic. More so than Malcolm, whose isn’t narcissistic so much as he is obsessed with finding out the truth. More so than Jessica, who really just wants to be less lonely since the world abandoned her twenty years ago. 

13:20 - This is a really interesting point that Martin brings up. He’s technically mentally ill. Does he deserve sympathy for it? I mean, he killed people. I have anxiety disorders and chronic depression. I have a bipolar uncle. A narcissistic grandmother diagnosed with manic depression with psychotic elements (actually, in a lot of ways my grandmother is like Martin Whitly). I understand mental illness. But the second that someone kills another person...that’s where my sympathy ends. At that point I don’t care if you’re mentally ill - you took someone else’s life for pleasure. You shouldn’t be getting fancy therapy and an all-expenses paid trip to a psychiatric hospital. You should be getting the electric chair. (Sorry if this is getting political - I’m generally against the death penalty but psychopathic serial killers and child abusers are the exception to my stance).

13:38 - The darkest of nights?!?! Martin you are making me so angry right now. You sleep like a baby. You have no conscience. That’s literally the definition of a psychopath. You have no dark nights. Your son on the other hand. UGH. 

14:10 - *sigh* look at this. He’s making everything about him. In doing so he’s actually belittling his daughter and her career choice. What kind of a loving father does that?

15:44 - This little moment when Ainsley tells Malcolm that she’s staying is concerning to me. She is so desperate to find her father’s affectionate side that she watches her brother interact with him. She genuinely believes that she is the least favourite child.

16:30 - In this scene Martin says he’s never been to the Bronx. But by the end of this episode we find out that Martin briefly worked at St. Edwards Hospital in the Bronx. Just more proof that Martin is a liar. I don’t know what else to tell you. 

17:10 - Look at that face. That is a man who doesn’t care about his son. That is a man who will say anything to keep Malcolm in the room. To play with Malcolm’s head. That is not a father. That is a monster. Look at how sad Malcolm looks by the end of this interaction. How upset. How scared. He is genuinely starting to believe that he might’ve helped his Dad hurt someone. 

18:56 - Ainsley’s excitement to walk back into that room is concerning. There is ambition and there is obsession. She is obsessed. It isn’t healthy. 

19:25 - “I’d like to discuss one more. Malcolm.” This scene absolutely shatters my heart. For multiple reasons. a) Ainsley just put her career before her brother. She is intentionally starting a conversation that she knows will upset her brother (in front of her brother) because she believes that it will get the results she needs. This is one of the reasons I believe Ainsley is the Whitly child most similar to Martin. AND b) look at Malcolm’s reactions. He is utterly heartbroken. He feels betrayed by his sister. Embarrassed that his father knows about his diagnoses. Embarrassed that this discussion about his mental health is being filmed for television. He looks so sad and defeated here. I just want to hug him. AND FINALLY c) Martin is incapable of even acknowledging that his action have had any sort of negative impact on Malcolm. 

20:15 - And there he is. The most honest form of Martin Whitly. Angry. Explosive. Violent. Things aren’t going his way and that’s unacceptable to him.

20:53 - Another moment that annoys me about this episode. How convenient is it that the alarm starts going off JUST as Martin finishes his little outburst? It’s just timed a little too coincidentally. I know I know. It’s necessary for the plot and the time constraint of the episode. 

21:24 - Look at that. Three people concerned about your shaky handed boy. My heart is full. 

22:18 - Ainsley and Malcolm laughing over their Mom’s phone calls is cute. BUT I feel like Malcolm should be a little more upset with Ainsley right now. I know they’re in a lockdown situation and he probably doesn’t want to fight with her in case that something bad happens to one of them but still. Siblings fight. She treated him poorly. He should be mad at her right now. Malcolm’s acting like nothing happened.

23:55 - Martin is the worst. He really refuses to answer his children’s relevant questions until the camera is rolling. Ugh. Mr. David is not getting paid enough to deal with this family.

25:40 - It’s absolutely disgusting that Martin is so unconcerned when both of this children are in danger, in his presence. Also can someone please explain to me why there was a crow bar in the camera equipment bag? Like for real? That’s not a thing I can see Claremont security approving to enter a serial killer’s cell.

27:00 - It’s not often that I believe that Malcolm is the most rational person in the room (excluding Mr. David of course) but Ainsley and Martin are positively crazy in this scene. Ainsley is desperate and scared but Martin is manipulating her. At least Malcolm has enough common sense to keep a knife away from a serial killer. 

28:34 - The flashback. Martin is holding Malcolm’s hands, guiding the knife. Did Malcolm fight his father before this moment? Was Malcolm drugged into submission? I really need to know more about this. Malcolm looks terrified in the flashback though - he definitely didn’t take the knife willingly.

29:00 - Look at Malcolm’s face. That is pure terror. That is internal conflict. He wants to help his sister. He would do anything for her because he’s her big brother and big brothers are protective. BUT he’s also terrified of giving his father a knife. AND he’s terrified of the flashback that he just had. Look at Malcolm’s face when Martin takes the scalpel. Holy crap. That boy is not sleeping tonight.

31:02 - Another instance where I really don’t support Ainsley. Video tapping the un-consented surgery (yes it was an emergency, I know) performed by a serial killer on her boyfriend. Like. Dude. No. So not appropriate. But she’s doing it a) to try and earn her father’s love and attention and b) she thinks the story will help her career. It’s all about her. And that scares me. 

32:45 - JT and Dani look concerned again. They’re like “What’s the dumbass going to do now?”

33:00 - I love this scene. Gil and Jessica. This conversation is sweet, and intimate in a way that only people with a shared concern can be. How many conversations do you think they’ve had over the years about Malcolm and Ainsley? They’re both worried about their kids. It’s precious and I love it. Also - another example of how Jessica’s heart is in the right place. She really does love her children. 

35:15 - New York Direct News?!? I thought Ainsley worked for American Direct News? Did Malcolm purposely use a different network name? 

35:55 - Is Malcolm giving that look to Ainsley or Martin? I can’t tell. 

37:40 - I feel you Jessica. I feel you girl. He’s playing with both of your children’s hearts now. You are justified in being livid.

38:18 - Concerned Papa Gil for the win! :) <3 

39:24 - I’m really glad that Malcolm is at least aware that his father is playing with he and Ainsley.

40:55 - I love how this episode ends. A rare, intimate moment between Malcolm and his mother. A softer side of Jessica we rarely see, comforting her upset son. Followed by a confused, terrified and equally vulnerable side of Jessica going to the basement.

Dang. This one got long. Sorry. Thanks for hanging out. I’ll post again soon. 

[pinehurst]

Unwrapping the Fourth Episode

It’s safe to say that the fourth episode absolutely destroyed the internet. Fugou Keiji was trending on Tumblr and Twitter in many countries with many others out of the loop asking, “Where exactly can I watch this anime?” This surge in popularity makes sense though as this episode had it all: the boys in casual clothes, hair down Daisuke, drunk Haru, and some quality bonding. Score one for the fangirls.

Disclaimer: This discusses the fourth episode as well as my thoughts on how the show may progress. My theories and beliefs are reminiscent of the only four episodes out at the moment so this may not be the most accurate thing out there.

Disclaimer #2: The way that I set up the entire review is more of a “live commentary” but I do offer my thoughts throughout so please bear with my rambling.

When the official Fugou Keiji team teased the fourth episode on their Twitter, I was speechless to say the least. Right off the bat, it was obvious that this episode would be much more lighthearted and relaxed than the previous episodes: Daisuke trying to survive day-to-day life without his life source? Let’s see this millionaire try to last in our shoes. This anime has a record of unveiling new information every episode, so I was interested to see how the story would progress. 

The episode opens up dramatically with Suzue running after Daisuke as he storms out of the mansion. In fact, he’s so irritated that he leaves without HEUSC or his money. Ok two things. First of all, Daisuke’s unforeseen emo side is showing. What could possibly make him want to leave that suddenly that he forgets the two things that practically define him? Secondly, Suzue addressed our beloved millionaire as “Daisuke-sama.” Wait, what? Being unfamiliar with Japanese culture, I decided to do a quick Google search as to when the honorific “-sama” is used. Wikipedia noted the following: 

Sama (様、さま) is a more respectful version for people of a higher rank than oneself or divine, toward one's guests or customers (such as a sports venue announcer addressing members of the audience), and sometimes toward people one greatly admires. 

At this point, it’s still unclear as to whether or not Daisuke and Suzue are siblings or spouses; however, it is now known that, whatever their relationship may be, Suzue holds Daisuke to a higher regard. Only three seconds have passed, no need to rush. The remainder of the episode must contain answers. 

After the opening comes to a close, Haru asks Daisuke for some help with a lost dog as he hopes to use his “magic” to trace the dog’s path. Immediately afterward though, Haru affirms that “it’s not like [he] absolutely needs [Daisuke’s] help.” It’s pretty clear from this one sentence that Haru doesn’t want to seem inferior to Daisuke. Even when asking for assistance, he doesn’t want to lower himself just to get Daisuke’s help. After all, he needs to assert that he’s got the better philosophy out of the two. 

This call does, however, represent the growth in their relationship that we ever so hoped for. The fact that Haru called Daisuke at all showcases two things. First of all, it reinforces that fact that Haru’s morals and humanistic mindset dictate his actions. He not only helped a child in his spare time (which I’m sure many people wouldn’t do) but also called his coworker (that rich boy with completely different morals) for help with assisting a troubled child. It also emphasizes something much more important for the upcoming epiosdes though: Haru is beginning to trust Daisuke more. Episode 3 already helped lay the foundation for their acquaintanceship (soon to be friendship), and this episode only works to add onto that footing. He knows that Daisuke has the resources to help others; in this sense, it may seem as though Haru is only exploiting Daisuke for the greater good, but that doesn’t lessen the fact that he feels comfortable enough to even think of Daisuke as an option.

Once again though, Daisuke and Haru’s views clash when dealing with this child. Haru is determined to help this poor child whereas Daisuke blatantly states that “looking for a dog isn’t a police officer’s job.” This entire situation did teach us a little bit more about Daisuke’s personality though. He’s easily swayed by a child’s tears as he reluctantly agreed to help once the child wept crocodile tears of grief. Even though he is generally unconcerned, anyone would feel guilty leaving a poor child alone. As Haru put it, “[he’s] a human being after all.” 

We also learn that Daisuke likes to do his work swiftly and quickly if the past episodes didn’t already emphasize that. He interrupted the child, who we learn is named Tsuyoshi Nomura, asking him where his house is located. The entire time it’s clear that Daisuke oh-so-dearly wants to finish up this business. He even convinced the child that the dog returned home, indifferent to whether or not that may be true. When Haru called him out, Daisuke smirked, “That has nothing to do with me.” Even if he feels guilty, that doesn’t mean he should waste his precious energy trying to help find a lost dog. He may even regard it as trivial. 

The episode cuts back to Suzue as we see another side to her that the previous episodes failed to display: her obsesssion with Daisuke. I know what some of you may be thinking, and yes at first I thought that “obsessed” was too strong of a word too. The exact definition of obsessed is to “preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent.” Nevermind, Suzue definitely fits this definition. She scattered messages all throughout town, watching Daisuke’s every move. My favorite message of all though was the one in front of the grocery store: “I am eagerly waiting for your return.” Emphasis on the eagerly. That gave me a good laugh; she is so devoted to Daisuke to the extent that she’d give up sleep just to ensure his wellbeing.

Suzue, however, did give us an insider’s look at Daisuke’s life. The fact that she was in utter dismay when she found out that Daisuke left his precious wallet behind goes to show that Daisuke depends on his money to indulge in his everyday activities. Even though we already knew that, Suzue’s reaction really put emphasis on the fact that this was going to be a new and maybe even tough experience for Daisuke to endure. He is pampered by his family, with Suzue worrying about trivial things such as the fact that maybe he “didn’t like the patterns on his shirt”or that she “upgraded his shoes from +5 centimeters to +7 centimeters.” The fact that that put a dent in their relationship made it all the better since it just goes to show that Daisuke is so conditioned to having everything done for him that a sudden shift in behavior wrecks havoc. 

It shifts back to Haru and Daisuke shopping, something that I never realized I needed until now. Daisuke’s spoiled side shows once more as he questions why Haru doesn’t just let others do the shopping for him. Running errands? Pathetic. Let someone else do them for you. 

Now this is where the million dollar question is answered: what exactly is Suzue to Daisuke? After being questioned by Haru, it’s finally revealed that Suzue is, in fact, Daisuke’s relative. This is where fifty questions popped into my mind, all of them being “Huh?” Suzue is clearly devoted to him on an incomprehensible level, but to be a relative? After much thought and a quick scroll through the Discord servers, someone mentioned a website that got my attention. One website, Nakasendoway, stated the following: 

“A main or stem family might have affiliated to it branch families. Each branch family at some time might itself, while maintaining its subordinate position to the main family, become the stem family to several branches. Thus, a well-established, well-organized, and rich family could become extremely large.” 

Aha! Now this is something I can get behind! This would explain her sincere devotion to Daisuke and why she referred to him as “-sama.” This doesn’t, however, really explain why Daisuke is holding her in the opening with such passion. Or maybe it does explain everything and I’m just not processing it correctly. I mean it is midnight at the time that I’m writing this and maybe I just need some sleep. Nevertheless I believe that there’s still more depth to Daisuke and Suzue’s relationship that hasn’t been explained yet. Maybe it’ll be explained in the future episodes in the midst of some event that reminds Daisuke of his backstory (that was briefly mentioned at the beginning of episode 1).

Anywho, back to the episode. Daisuke stays over Haru’s house, where he is shocked by the lack of grandeur. That apartment is where he lives? Not some grand mansion? Wild. Ah the adventures that occurred in that tiny apartment sure were grand though. We are once again reminded of Daisuke’s lavish life when he accidentally cuts himself. He immediately requests for a first-aid kit and when Haru makes the grand reveal that he doesn’t actually have one, Daisuke is forced to almost lower his standards. How is he going to heal himself? Why, he’s going to lick his cut! He is away from the comfort of his home so he must accommodate to his needs by doing going through the “harder,” more economical approach. He is finally starting to have a taste of the real world, outside the comfort of his own home.

After this scene is the moment we all have been waiting for: hair-down Daisuke with an oversized hoodie. All I can say is yes. Daisuke once again rediscovers his love for commoner’s food as he chowed on Haru’s recipes. This was wonderful bonding between the two as Haru tried to satisfy Daisuke’s wealthy plate and even taught him a few recipes. The two even watched a show together. Now this is where I believe foreshadowing will take its course.

The show that they’re watching follows a humanistic detective (with attire similar to Haru’s) arguing with his boss (whose attire is similar to Daisuke’s). The detective insists that they act on some case without affirmation from the higher-ups, but his superior refuses to budge. Later on, it’s revealed that this boss dies from a gunshot. Now I theorize that something similar will happen between Haru and Daisuke. Besides the similar attire between the two, the opening also shows Daisuke disappearing before a gun’s line of sight. Maybe this disappearance symbolizes that Daisuke may get shot or even suffer from severe injuries in the later episodes. Whatever it may be, I doubt any of the (relevant) characters will die since they play important roles and I just don’t see Fugou Keiji as the type of anime to do so (now this is obviously subjective but it’s just my opinion).

We are also let into Haru’s internal struggle: the difficulty of balancing their roles as heroes and civil servants. This practically relates to his philosophy as he would do anything to save anyone, carrying heroic acts of kindness and service. He is definitely the type to disobey orders in the name of justice, but in doing so he would be tarnishing his reputation as a civil servant. He wouldn’t be doing as his job wishes, and wouldn’t that be a crime in itself? Not doing what your superiors, who supposedly know better, and all. 

Haru and Daisuke part ways after the night together comes to a close. Haru’s off helping that child find his lost dog while Daisuke is out doing whatever he must. All hope is lost when Haru and the child just can’t seem to find the dog. But surprise! Acting as a beacon of hope, a light that came amidst darkness, Daisuke appears holding a dog leash with a dog attached to it! Oh how the tables have turned. Daisuke now decided to help find the dog. It became his obligation to find the dog now. Maybe Haru used his own magic and caused Daisuke to have a change in mindset over night. Maybe he finally came to realize that it’s worth the trouble to help others. Or maybe he had nothing better to do and decided to do his job without his display of wealth. No matter the reason, Daisuke still helped out. He still did what he didn’t want to do in the beginning of the episode. Ah how we love a change in mindset.

Daisuke finally returns home after two eventful days. The first thing he does when he returns? He recreates the “Kato family recipe” for Suzue, and he is very clearly satisfied with the result. After spending the night together, Haru served Daisuke natto for breakfast (love the recurring theme here) in the form of some sacred family meal. Daisuke replicated this recipe for his family WITH the natto. Oh how we love character development! He concluded by saying something along the lines of “It’s called the Devil’s Natto Recipe.” I found it kind of cute how he referred to Haru as a devil considering it was his recipe. It really shows that they still recognize their differences despite becoming closer over time. It’s safe to say operation friendship was a success as the episode comes to a close.

In my opinion, this episode’s sole purpose, besides showing us their lives away from work, was to help Daisuke get out of his little bubble as he was exposed to the real world. He no longer had Suzue’s welcoming warmth nor the unlimited wealth that his wallet provided. Rather, he was put in a situation where he had no money and was thrown into the “working class” for the first time ever. He would have had to scrap by if it weren’t for Haru. Heck, Haru paved the way for Daisuke’s character development as he taught him how to make inexpensive recipes and save money. 

However, this episode also raised the question: “Is Suzue going to merely be a comic relief character?” This episode really just utilized Suzue for the laughs as she’s presented as a character who’s overly worried about her dear relative. Personally I view this episode as a much more lighthearted one so of course Suzue would be much more exaggerated. At the same time, it introduced her devotion for Daisuke, unveiling an important plot point. This may make it less shocking if she does end up putting her life at risk for Daisuke’s sake. This certainly explains why she didn’t mind trying to swoon the smuggler in the second episode. Nevertheless I believe that she will be of utmost importance in the future, helping to turn the gears of story development through her gadgets. Her sincere devotion to Daisuke will most likely still serve as comic relief, but it won’t undermine her other characteristics.

As for how the series will progress, personally I believe that the future episodes will have more of an overarching plot and follow a more serious storyline, as we still need to see Daisuke and Haru confront the struggles fettering them down. It seems as though the anime wants to first develop a solid relationship between the two main protagonists before any sort of angst occurs.  

Edit: The Fugou Keiji team confirmed in a commentary article that things went downhill between Daisuke and Suzue because of the shoes. Love that!  

[hamliet]

MDZS’s Trios and the Quest for Balance

That moment you are researching for a meta you want to write because you noticed a trope present in multiple character dynamics in MDZS (and almost worked into your Xue Yang meta but then chose not to because the meta didn’t necessarily need it to make its point) and then realize TV Tropes identified it as well. 

Anyways. The trope I’m talking about is the so-called “Freudian trio.” A quick disclaimer: saying “Freudian” in a literary context is not akin to licensing or giving any credence to Freud’s misogynistic BS. I can’t stand Freud’s writings but his theories are based on commonly used symbols within stories, and recognizable as patterns in society, so even if you like me hate Freud, the literary theory named after him can still be relevant and fun to analyze with.

There are a lot of trios within MDZS, and many of them fit this trope. A Freudian trio is wherein each character fits the description of a superego, ego, or id, and the ways they interact with one another also reflect the theoretical interactions of the superego, ego, and id. This article is a pretty accurate description of them. 

The id is instinct. It’s all the desires we have, whether or not said desires are societally acceptable and/or realistic, and is not concerned with others but with satisfaction of these desires. The ego is the part of us that makes decisions (in Freudian theory, not reality) and as the article succinctly sums up:

operates according to the reality principle, working out realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands... like the id, the ego seeks pleasure (i.e., tension reduction) and avoids pain, but unlike the id, the ego is concerned with devising a realistic strategy to obtain pleasure. The ego has no concept of right or wrong; something is good simply if it achieves its end of satisfying without causing harm to itself or the id.

The superego is developed by society and is more or less controlled by morality. “The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids... It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection.”

So let’s turn to MDZS, because of the seven trios I want to talk about, five of them are almost perfectly structured with a Freudian dynamic.

*art taken from the audio drama because it’s gorgeous and the donghua*

The first one is the three main characters: Lan WangJi, Wei WuXian, and Jiang Cheng. Lan WangJi is rational and controlled by society’s morality (at least at first, but we’ll go there later) and is the superego; Wei WuXian is the ego, and Jiang Cheng is the id.

Despite being the least societally acceptable of the three, Wei WuXian seeks the wellbeing of Jiang Cheng above everyone else, and even though Jiang Cheng is certainly not a character completely unconcerned with others, his selfishness is absolutely a flaw of his. (An ‘id’ character in a trio is probably going to be less... easy to get along with.)

And then we have the Venerated Triad of the Three Zuns.

Nie MingJue is the superego, obsessed with morality (but in contrast to Lan WangJi, without empathy), Lan XiChen also cares a lot about morality but mediates between the superego and id characters. And the id character is of course Jin GuangYao, whom Nie MingJue repeatedly clashes with.

If Nie MingJue wants to do the right thing because it’s the right thing, Jin GuangYao wants to do whatever benefits him most, and Lan XiChen wants to do the right thing while also helping his brothers.

In the junior trio, we have Lan SiZhui as the superego--but he is even less rigid than Lan WangJi about morality (hooray theme of society slowly getting better).

Jin Ling is the id, and Lan JingYi is the ego--he’s very obsessed with the right thing and yells at “Mo XuanYu” and Jin Ling for perceived rudeness, etc., but also isn’t exactly proper himself.

Next, the Yi City Arc trio. There are actually two trios here and they form different roles. Xue Yang is the id (shocking no one, I’m sure) in both. In one version of this trio, Xiao XingChen is the ego, and Song Lan the superego, because Song Lan is the one driven most by right and wrong, who refuses to consider that Xue Yang might have changed when he confronts him again. Xiao XingChen falls between the two.

In another version of the trio, though, we’d have Xue Yang again as the id, A-Qing as the ego, and Xiao XingChen as the superego, because he’s the one concerned with right and wrong and moral instruction within this trio’s dynamic, and A-Qing is concerned with that and also with her own desires (which I spoke of in the Xue Yang meta).

And the Yi City Arc trios reveal something I think is interesting about all these Freudian trios in MDZS. There is (almost) always a fourth person who will have a profound impact on the trio’s dynamic, if not completely blow up the dynamic, and this fourth disruptive person also appears in two other trios that aren’t quite as Freudian.

For the main characters, it’s Wen Ning, who receives almost as much focus and development as do the main three, and who changes their dynamics throughout the story. Firstly by helping Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng, then by his revival causing friction between Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng, then by exposing the truth about the golden core.

For the Venerated Triad, it’s Nie HuaiSang, someone they all consider a little brother as well. He sees the dynamic the three of them do not, and will use it to expose Jin GuangYao’s crimes... and cause Lan XiChen to kill Jin GuangYao.

For Yi City, for the first trio of men, it’s A-Qing, who brings Song Lan back and then exposes the truth to Xiao XingChen--or part of the truth. For the second trio, it’s Song Lan, whose arrival changes the dynamic of the three living in relative peace.

For the Jiang siblings--a trio of Jiang YanLi, Wei WuXian, and Jiang Cheng--it’s Jin ZiXuan, whose love with Jiang YanLi causes friction with Wei WuXian, and of course, Jin ZiXuan’s death breaks apart Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian, and causes YanLi to sacrifice herself to save her brother.

For the Jin sons--a trio of Jin ZiXuan, Jin GuangYao, and Mo XuanYu, it’s their fourth sibling, Qin Su, whose tragedy does help expose the horrific way all four of Jin GuanShan’s children were treated.

(This trio is somewhat Freudian in that Jin ZiXuan is the most societally acceptable, Jin GuangYao tries to be but is also concerned with desires, and Mo XuanYu is literally cast out of society for being unable to control himself--but we never see the three of them interacting together hence why I am not quuuuite calling it a Freudian trio.)

There is not a fourth person for the three juniors, however, at least not who fits this pattern. Why?

Part of me would wonder if it again ties into the idea of slow progress in society. Most of these trios end in complete tragedy, in self-destruction really due to a lack of honest communication and empathy--which again is relevant to the fact that it’s Freudian and Freudian components require these parts to work together for a fully healthy self. If there isn’t a balance between the three, people can self-destruct (according to Freud).

Both Yi City Trios all wind up dead. Two of the Venerated Triad die and the third is brokenhearted and in seclusion, the Jiang siblings lose one and the other two were estranged, and none of Jin GuangShan’s children survive--but his grandchild, Jin Ling, does.

The main character trio also all survives, and as I wrote here, there is hope that the relationship between Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian will mend--and they obviously still love each other. Not to mention they are both involved in Jin Ling’s life, so they will be working on it, albeit slowly. And Jin Ling, like the other juniors, symbolizes hope. The three of them are all sneaking out on night hunts together, night hunts that go against societal nor,s and they all ship WangXian despite what society says. So perhaps a fourth character simply isn’t necessary for their dynamic, because it doesn’t need to be shaken up.

But why is there such a focus on Freudian symbolism in the dynamics within MDZS?

Well, the use of these common patterns helps reinforce several themes. Freedom for your own desires (notably sexual desires as well) and the consequences thereof, societal restrictions, and empathy are three of the main themes that the story effortlessly braids together. Many of the trios fail to regulate themselves and bring out the best in each other, and bring about destruction instead thanks to society and other factors. But as the main character and junior trios grow in empathy and restraint and maturity, they symbolize both society’s future (the junior trio) and even the ways in which current society can be healed (main character trio).

As for how society can heal... the main character trio did self-destruct and there was enmity between Lan WangJi and Jiang Cheng for what happened to Wei WuXian, but they get a second chance. And through this second chance we see the mending. Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian’s relationship exemplifies all of the above-mentioned themes. They’re yin and yang (their outfits are deliberately colored to leave us with this impression) and they both need to move in each other’s direction: Wei WuXian needs to regulate himself more, and Lan WangJi needs to let go of his internal fears and shame.

This theme of balance is most directly symbolized in Lan WangJi’s forehead ribbon. Wei WuXian, unknowingly, teases him about it, that it’s crooked (that his sense of self-regulation is crooked). It then really is crooked, and Wei WuXian’s attempt to help just rips it off, which enrages Lan WangJi because it’s unintentionally exposing exactly what Lan WangJi wants to keep secret: that he has feelings for Wei WuXian.

But the ribbon isn’t a symbol of regulation, but a symbol of love, which controls virtue. Lan WangJi using it to tie Wei WuXian up in one scene is symbolic of how their love enables Wei WuXian to grow in a more self-controlled direction, while also allowing Lan WangJi to give up some control and express his true feelings and who he truly is.

And it’s the juniors, those symbols of hope, who notice the ribbon. So again perhaps it circles back around to how the juniors and the main characters are learning to do better, and how society even if it is slow to progress does progress, and redemption and reconciliation is possible. Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian’s marriage is a light symbolizing this even to Jiang Cheng, and the ribbon is redeemed from something that caused friction to something that symbolizes their growth. Even though Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian do not reconcile fully by the end of the story, Jiang Cheng does defend him and rages at Su She for framing him for cursing Jin ZiXun, so there’s hope for healing and balance between the three, even if it is slow.

[itsclydebitches]

Preacher Summer Secret Santa Gift: A Three Flower Bouquet

Title: A Three Flower Bouquet 

Summary: Jesse's said before that their lives resemble the start of a bad joke: an ex-preacher, a rich wedding planner, and a foul-mouthed bum all walk into a flower shop...

Fandom: Preacher

Words: 4,574

Warnings: None (except maybe cursing, but if that bothered you you wouldn’t be watching this show lol) 

Pairings: Jesse/Cass/Tulip

Where to Read it: Below the cut or on AO3 (AO3 recommended for formatting)

A/N: Hello, @homelygrantaire!! I come bearing a gift! Just so you know I had a blast writing an OT3 flower shop AU, so I really hope you enjoy this little present. Happy Summer Secret Santa! 

A Three Flower Bouquet 

Week One

Jesse had once read in National Geographic that there were only six degrees of separation between him and every other person on Earth. A friend's colleague's niece's kindergarten buddy grew up to be the wife of the barista who once served the President a cappuccino, that sort of deal. He'd never put much stock in that kind of science-y nonsense, though it might go a long way towards explaining how the hell the three of them kept ending up in here together.

A former preacher, a bum, and a renowned wedding planner all walk into a flower shop...

"We're the beginning of a bad joke," Jesse muttered, hefting his watering can like a pistol. He aimed it at Tulip's head. "What can I do you two for?"

"I need BIG flowers," Cass said promptly at the same time that Tulip went, "The Montoya order." They turned to glare at one another. Jesse just shook his head.

And so the day began.

***

The first time Tulip walked into his shop she was all figurative fire and brimstone—except for the literal fire at the end of her cigarette. She'd commanded the small space with all the ferocity of an army general, laying out a series of rare and rather large orders that she'd need from him within the coming months. At no point did she give her name—which, Jesse would come to learn later, was because she assumed everyone should already knew it—and paid him no heed when Jesse insisted that this was too large a job for his small, out of the way establishment.

She needed tulips, dammit, and she needed them now.

Jesse had been wrist deep in soil at the time and he’d felt is oozing between his fingers, this woman already grating on his nerves, spine, and driving a steak straight through to the back of his skull. He had to take a deep breath and deliberately release his fists, lest he crush the fragile roots just a hairsbreadth below. Jesse turned with a smile.

"I've got some," he said, probably sounding less amiable and more like he was constipated. While passing a kidney stone. God he hated these richie-rich types. "I've also got a contact an hour out who can make up the rest, but it'll take a bit. Really, ma'am, you're better off hitting a larger store."

The look she'd turned on his was pure in its intensity. Jesse's shop was filled with a color and life that didn't belong in Annville's desert, but this woman didn't belong in his shop, not with that sharp tailored suit and three-inch heels. She'd torn the sunglasses from her face and for the first time Jesse got a look at searing black eyes.

"I'm Annville born and bred," she drawled. "I'm loyal."

Jesse couldn't help punctuating her words with a disbelieving laugh. "You're Annville?"

"Fuck yes I am, you got a problem with that?" And one hand curled into a waiting fist, actually rearing back in preparation.

Oh damn. She was Annville. Alright.

Jesse had raised his muddied hands in surrender and went behind the counter to clean up, getting the order forms ready as she prattled on about her work as a wedding planner, her name in the magazines, how the flowers had best be fresh despite the climate because the Livington's were not an easygoing couple.

Jesse weathered her prattling about wanting whites, or maybe pinks, no, wait, maybe something two-toned, and each time she changed her mind it was another scratch out with the pen. By the time he actually got to flip the order around for her to sign it Jesse had determined that small town pride and stunning good looks didn't make up for this kind of nonsense.

Except then she signed Tulip O'hare and suddenly Jesse's day was fantastic.

"You're a Tulip," he said slowly, "in need of tulips..." Jesse looked up with a stunning grin and Tulip, bless her, just rolled her eyes instead of decking him good.

"Yeah, like I've never heard that one before." She threw his pen back on the counter. "I'll be here next Thursday. You'd best have my flowers."

"You doubt me?"

"Oh good god yes."

He'd laughed because yeah, their 'good god' had doubted him too and Jesse had eventually decided that growing things was better than sticking a dead, white collar on his neck every morning. He'd shed his chain like some kind of dog, mangy and still a little bit feral. But now Jesse had bright colors, heady scents, and the picture of someone like Tulip O'hare just begging that he come through for her. Jesse let his eyes follow the sharp lines of her bodyand thought that he could get used to this kind of clientele.

"Thursday then," he agreed. "It's a date."

"It's definitely not."

Tulip had put her cigarette out in his potted iris and honestly? If it had been anyone else Jesse would have had them leaving his store in pieces.

But she was something entirely.

***

Cass was something else too. Holy shit.

Jesse rubbed at his forehead, unconcerned that he was smearing soil over his skin. What had begun as a headache had blossomed (ha) into a migraine of epic proportions, all due to the skinny little twerp half sitting on his counter. Cass had come in for the first time exactly 69 minutes after Tulip left—a fact Jesse only knew because he was that obsessed with when he could close shop—and if that number didn't encompass the man's entire being, Jesse didn't know what would.

He'd known Cass for a handful of seconds. It was one handful too much.

"Back up," Jesse said. He sighed. "You want a cactus?"

"Yep."

"But mine are too pretty?"

Jesse gestured to the small collection of cacti sitting over by the windowsill, most of them in teeny-tiny pots that people found cute and not too intimidating to take care of. They still weren't overly popular though. People could see dry, prickly brush on their way to work everyday, or outside their bedroom window, free for the taking. No, they came to Jesse for the lush and the colorful, things he either had to import or that he grew himself, so slow that sometimes it was hard to part with them. No one in Annville wanted to buy a freaking cactus.

Except this asshole.

"Look at 'em!" Cass said. His voice held enough indignation that Jesse did look again, half expecting the view to change. "They're stupidly pretty. All fuckin' green an'... an' small." Cass pushed his hands palm to palm to demonstrate their smallness, looking pretty angry about it.

Jesse just stared. "...thank you?"

"It won't do. How they hell am I supposed to give Laura somethin' like that? She'll think I actually like her." Cass shook his head despairingly. "The fuck am I supposed to do now?"

That day had felt like something straight out of the Twilight Zone. Jesse was a small town boy with a small town business and he'd gotten used to his routine over the years. That routine sure as hell didn't include a stranger than normal customer, let alone two back-to-back... and yet, let it never be said that Jesse Custer couldn't roll with the punches.

"One sec," he said.

Jesse's backroom was a mess of tools, soil, and vegetation. On his bench was a pot of very dead petunias, the poor things all shriveled and brown. It wasn't his fault the damn things were finicky in this weather and honestly Jesse wasn't bemoaning the loss of those pink flowers, not when they were that cheap to come by. The plan had been to take back the pot and move on. Now Jesse snagged the whole thing, a few dead leaves trailing behind him.

He set the pot down in front of Cass. "This Laura of yours... she the one down at the auto-shop?"

"Yeah! One in the same."

"That woman's a piece of work."

"You're telling me."

"So how about giving her this?"

It was surreal to be presenting that run-down plant like it was something actually worth selling, but sure enough Cass' eyes lit up at the prospect. In that moment Jesse saw the whole situation clearly, how a man like Cass might think that breaking things off with a shitty gift—rather than just some good, old fashioned honesty—might be the way to go. Decked out in a whole collection of ratty clothes, Cass looked like the kind of creative asshole you only ran into once in a blue moon. He wore at least three torn shirts that as a whole nearly succeeded in covering his chest. His jeans were colored over in marker, like a freaking middle schooler's, and that was definitely weed doodled down on his left knee. The only reason Jesse knew his name was because Cass had a "Hello! My name is ____" sticker plastered on his stomach and he could only guess where he'd picked that up. Maybe one of the church's monthly events. It would fit. Jesse was pretty sure the guy was homeless. He kinda smelled homeless.

"I had my heart set on a cactus," Cass sighed. "But I guess a dead thing is better than just a looks-dead thing. Here," he rummaged in his jeans and pulled out three super wrinkled dollars, jellybeans, and a nearly empty packet of Camels. "Does this cover the shit you weren't even planning to sell?"

Jesse raised an eyebrow as he slid the offering across the counter. He left the jellybeans. "How were you gonna pay me if you wanted the cactus?"

"Duh. Was gonna pay you with a kiss. Gotta move on sometime, don’t I?"

Cass winked, grabbed his dead plant, and sauntered out the door with what he probably thought was a seductive strut. Despite the absurdity, Jesse did find himself staring at Cass' ass.

"Aw hell," he said.

***

Week Five

In the two years since he'd chucked the collar, beat up a few old contacts, collected their funds, and started up his shop, Jesse hadn't seen anyone of particular interest come through the door. Emily often came in on the church's behalf, asking for whatever was fresh and cheap to put up front. Jesse honestly didn't know if she did that because they really didn't have the funds, or because she couldn't stand to look at him long enough to actually choose something herself. Probably both. She'd taking his defrocking worse than most.

Others mostly picked up flowers on their way to and from service. For their windowsills. Their gardens. Local weddings, funerals, stupid boys looking to make up with their girls (of which Cass was in the obvious minority). Jesse had resigned himself to a life of flower mediocrity until those two assholes had plowed through at sixty miles an hour.

It wouldn't have been so bad if they didn't keep showing up together.

"I thought you ran a clean establishment, Jesse."

Tulip said it with all the rancor he'd come to expect of her, looking none too subtly at Cass’ grimy attire. A month had passed since she'd grudgingly complimented the tulips he'd provided and in that time she'd no more warmed to Cass than she had to dressing down. Today was a blue, pleated skirt; bright yellow top; killer heels and jewelry fine enough that it could probably feed Jesse for the rest of his miserable life.

Tulip kept a healthy distance between her fine clothes and Cass' scruffy self.

"It's a flower shop," he said. "These things grow in dirt." Cass shook a nearby plant for emphasis. "Manure, luv. Or does your fancy little life not cover some literal day-to-day shit? If you do go is it on a porcelain throne?"

Jesse slowly and carefully leaned his head into his palm. It wouldn't do for Tulip to see him laughing.

He had to hand it to her though, she was a master of manipulation. Tulip kept scrolling through her iPhone, occasionally holding up some pic or another against one of Jesse's flowers, typing out some notes, took a pic of her own... it was only after three long, agonizing minutes had passed that she looked up and said blandly, "Sorry. Did you say something?"

"Jesus fuckin' christ."

"Better question." Jesse raised his hand like a schoolboy. "Are you two assholes actually going to buy something?"

"I like your orchids," Tulip said, for the first time actually taking her eyes off Cass. "But I think they're a little classy for the Taitts. They're humble folk, you know? They need something bright with those white table cloths, just nothing that's going to distract from Laura's dress—it's not a very nice dress, can't afford anything more eye-catching. I do worry about the bridesmaids upstaging her—so maybe those sunflowers. Yeah, over there..." She completely missed Cass 'yapping' with his hand behind her back.

"I've only got enough for five vases," Jesse warned.

"That's fine. Humble, like I said. They've only got enough people for five tables anyway."

As Tulip rummaged for her credit card Cass slipped to the floor (he'd been sitting on the table with the lilacs, a smudge of pale brown amongst all the purple) and sauntered up behind Tulip. Like a kid faced with a dog, too stupid to know he'd get bit, Cass curved his hands around her waist and leaned into Tulip's back. He pressed briefly there before peeking out over her shoulder.

Except miracle of fucking miracles, the pretty doggie didn't bite.

"Uh," Jesse said.

"You better be cleaner than you look," Tulip muttered, still shifting through her purse. Cass waved his arms in demonstration and wow. He was clean. Relatively, at least. Jesse was still trying to re-boot his brain when Tulip said, "Ah!"

"No, no." Cass pushed her wallet back down. "This is on me, luv."

Tulip scoffed. "You can pay for five bouquets?"

"Well, not in the traditional sense, but Jesse and I have got a tab going, don't we?"

They most certainly did not. Cass' 'tab,' established after his first dead-plant purchase, consisted of promises he never kept and a pair of lethal puppy-dog eyes he wielded with precision. Over the last few weeks Jesse had given the man not perfect, but still serviceable flowers in exchange for all sorts of stupid trinkets and words. He liked to think that he gave Cass lilies and irises because he felt bad for the freeloader. It probably had more to do with Cass' obscenely pouty lips.

He was pouting right now, clearly begging Jesse to help a guy out. His arm moved numbly and somehow (dammit) Jesse ended up signing over the month's largest order for free.

"Enjoy," he said automatically, still staring at Cass' hand wrapped just under Tulip's breast. There were 'thank you's and sly glances and when they finally left the shop, Jesse followed them like the scoundrel he was. An apron, muck boots, and pollen dusted t-shirt sort of ruined his look though.

Still, Jesse could move silent when he needed to and what he found in his spying were his two favorite customers hoofing it to Tulip's Fiat 124 Spider, a car so fucking immaculate that it had no place on Annville's dusty streets. It seemed a shame then for the two of them to immediately start defiling it, both literally and figuratively: Tulip hiking Cass up onto the hood of the car, straddling him as he kept them balanced, the kiss that sent flecks of spit down to sizzle on the paint job, Cass' muddied boots leaving streaks on the tire. It wasn't any voyeuristic guilt that finally turned Jesse away. Just the disappointment that neither of those figures were him.

Of course, all that changed when Cass came back twenty minutes later.

"Crush my sunflowers in your enthusiasm?" Jesse muttered, forgetting for a moment that good, respectable businessmen didn't follow their customers out of doors and watch them going at it like bunnies on a sheet of hot metal. He ducked his head over seed packets and thus missed Cass turning the little sign from 'open' to 'closed.'

In fact, Jesse determined not to notice Cass at all until he was making himself at home between his legs.

Cass dropped to his knees and looked up with a rakish grin. If there was a god in this world maybe he wasn't so disappointed in Jesse's career change after all.

"Told you I'd pay you back," Cass said. He pinched a mouthful of jeans between his teeth and tugged, running hands up under apron and shirt. "Just didn't say how, now did? Think this'll clear up my tab?"

The answer Jesse gave was tangled as a vine because by then Cass was pulling down the zipper, palming the wet spot on Jesse's jeans, breathing deep like he enjoyed the scent of both of them together. Jesse gave up on words entirely and when he looked up there was Tulip standing just outside the storefront, watching them with a cigarette between her lips. There was a sunflower in her hair. She caught Jesse's eye and winked.

"Fuck you both," Jesse muttered, tugging hard at Cass’ hair.

He pulled off only for a moment. “Pretty sure that’s the point, eh?”

***

Week 13

So. Those two showing up at the same time—probably not a coincidence after all.

"Do you even like each other?" Jesse asked one Saturday morning, re-potting a Peperomia. "Do you like me? I'm honestly curious."

"You're serviceable," Tulip said as Cass licked his finger and made a sizzling sound. Right. Jesse didn't know why he bothered. It wasn't like any of them were built for straight answers, the kind of lovey-dovey declarations you got in the movies and on TV. Besides, didn't actions speak louder than words and all that shit?

If they did, their actions told Jesse that they were both complete and utter assholes. Also that they had nowhere better to go.

"This place is awful on my allergies," Tulip moaned, pulling a Kleenex from her purse. "And I was supposed to Skype with a potential client an hour ago." She checked her phone and shrugged, too lazy to move from the tiny chair Jesse had dragged out from the back room. Tulip flapped her hand at her face in a sad attempt to start up a breeze. "And your air conditioning sucks."

"Non-existent," Jesse countered. "Its been busted for weeks. The hot house stuff likes it, but..." He trailed off, staring at Cass who'd scrounged up an ancient GameBoy. He leaned against Tulip's legs and periodically peeled her skirt off of his bare back. It was that kind of heat. "Hey. You could fix the damn thing. Earn your keep if you're gonna hang out here all day."

"No," Tulip said. She kept fanning her face, eyes closed.

"Maybe," Cass said. Which meant 'no.' Dammit.

"Excuse me?"

The three of them turned as an older woman snuck in through the door, opening it so slow and careful that the bell barely rung. Her nerves didn't seem to ease when she spotted Cass and Tulip. If anything, she looked like she wanted to sneak back out.

"Welcome to Flowerworks," Jesse said, hurrying up to the front. "Sorry. Ignore them. They're just friends of mine."

"Is that what we are?" Tulip murmured and Jess flipped her the bird behind his back. The client latched onto his arm as Jesse carefully guided her away from his two fools. Her hand was brittle and fluttered like a bird against his arm.

In fact, the entirety of her looked frail, too thin and breakable for a place like Annville. Hair that was white and thin as cotton candy waved about her shoulders, and her dress—powder blue with a sensible belt—hung on her awkwardly, too big despite the 'XS' tag Jesse could see peaking out from the collar. She looked like a good breeze or a decent curse would send her topping to the ground, and Jesse hurried her over to the remaining chair next to the chrysanthemums, lest she fall and break something here where awful things like suing might get involved. Jesse then took a healthy step back once she was settled. Old people gave him the creeps.

"It's good of you to come in, Mrs...?"

Her mouth worked silently. The woman looked up at Jesse and her expression told him that he'd said something unexpectedly shocking, crude even. Finally, she smiled, but it was a small, awful thing.

"Sawyer," she said. "But I suppose it's 'Ms.' now. My husband died last night."

Behind him, Jesse heard the strangled noise that Tulip made and Cass' tiny "...aw shit." Mrs. Sawyer didn't seem to hear. She reached out a bony hand and gripped the edge of Jesse's apron, the parody of a small child and her mum.

"Howard needs white lilies," she said urgently, gaining some energy. "Although, yes, he never expressed any interest in flowers. Said they were commercial gimmicks. What's the point in spending money on something that's just going to die?" Her voice broke hard on the last word. "But they're coming for him later and I can't leave his grave bare I just can't I—"

"We have lilies," Jesse interrupted gently. He gripped her hand." Plenty of white."

"I woke up next to him," Mrs. Sawyer said. "I've done that every morning,” and all at once she sobbed and put her head between her hands.

This wasn't the first time Jesse had dealt with a distraught customer, but usually they were more composed than this: just slight, hiccupping cries or silent tears that slipped down the cheeks. He was used to anniversaries and useless birthdays, not the immediate aftermath. He floundered, turning to Cass and Tulip, only to find that their support was already underway. Tulip left at a brisk walk to the café down the street, returning with tea and plenty of chocolates. Cass filled the silence with any sort of prattle that seemed to soothe her. As Jesse bundled his best lilies in a black bow, he heard him telling Mrs. Sawyer that he'd once been a preacher. When she looked up with a disgusting amount of hope Jesse couldn't meet her eye.

Mrs. Sawyer left with their awkward condolences. She didn't pay a cent.

"Fucking hell," Cass said. He leaned into Jesse's shoulder as Mrs. Sawyer shuffled out of view.

"Yeah," Tulip agreed.

"What a mess she is. Like a broken doll or somethin'. It's fucking awful." He lit a cigarette with shaking fingers and for once Jesse didn't yell at him for getting smoke around his flowers. Cass took a draw, passed it to him, and Jesse next passed it to Tulip. Cass blew the smoke up at the ceiling, nice and slow.

"Think that'll be us someday?" he asked.

"Can only hope so."

***

Week 27

Flower shops felt like they were always standing still. There was something about the slow growth of the plants, the heady scents that added a dream-like atmosphere, and the contrast to the outside world that made it all... removed. Despite flipping the 'open' sign to 'closed' each evening, Jesse had the distinct feeling that time never actually passed here. Maybe it was a quality that all stores possessed. Maybe it was just his.

Or maybe it had something to do with Tulip kissing him.

"Hey, hey, hey," she pulled back and pinched Jesse's side, merciless. "Don't fuck up the hair. I've got a video call at 2:00."

"Plenty of time to fix it," Jesse murmured, starting in on her neck instead.

"You obviously know nothing about hair care."

"I know some other things though..."

Tuesdays were always slow for some reason and Jesse felt no guilt in dragging Tulip to the back room, especially not after she'd been gone two weeks, supervising a wedding in Oklahoma. She's brought back a sweat-stained invitation and a piece of stale cake that Cass had still eaten with relish. He'd gone out to 'work' (hustling the locals at poker) while Tulip had remained.

She was something to behold now, stretched out across his table, her skirt hiked up and her shirt pulled down. Cass was quick blowjobs behind the counter and late night secrets he’d never admit to in the morning. Tulip was slow and worshipful. She gave you nothing but absolute focus. It was rare for any of them to end up in an actual bed.

Jesse slid off the end of the table so he could put his mouth to work below. Tulip's thighs were the color of his soil, stretch marks pale like veined leaves, she trembled as gently as a petal.

He stupidly wanted to tell her that she was prettier than any flower in this store. Jesse knew she'd kick him for it.

Panting, Tulip propped herself up on one elbow and grinned. She reached behind her, fumbled, and snapped off the plant nearest to her. It was a little spring of aster.

"Got you a flower," she whispered.

"You stole it from me."

"Do you care?"

He really, really didn't.

***

Week 52

Six degrees of separation. They couldn't brag about knowing the president or the pope, but fate had certainly brought three distinct people together. More importantly, it refused to let them go.

"We should go on a trip." Cass said it with all the enthusiastic optimism of a toddler. "Just fuckin' drive outta this joint for a while. You know, see the sights, take in the open road, go all the way to the sea." He raised his hand and squinted, the horizon just beyond his reach.

Jesse snorted. "And who's paying for this idiotic romp?"

"Don't need no cash. You just drive an' shit. Take whatever you're given."

"Just drive," Jesse said. "With that gas you can't pay for. On the food we can't buy—"

"Don't be a shit spoil-sport about it."

"I'm rich," Tulip offered. She looked up from her phone when the room was silent too long. "What? I am. So if we're going anywhere it's in something nicer than whatever beat-up trash you're picturing."

"A camper."

"Absolutely not."

"Where would we go?" Jesse asked, because suddenly it all seemed possible, in as much as the three of them ever planned for anything. Not just the trip either, but that they'd be around each other long enough for more trips. Vacations. Growing old. Life.

"Anywhere." Cass skipped around the room until he found the oxeye daisies. He plucked one and not for the first time Jesse marveled that he wasn't run out of business by these two.

"Who'd watch the store?"

Tulip shrugged. "Wait it out. Cancel orders for a while, sell what you have, give a few things to Emily. She can keep them in the church..." For once Tulip wasn't smirking or glowering his way. "It'll be here when we get back."

"Suppose it will," and just like that Cass knew he had won.

He slid back onto the counter, messing up papers and knocking the poor cash register nearly off the side. Cass twirled the daisy between his fingers before plucking off a petal.

"Hey!" but before Jesse got indignant, Cass spoke.

"He loves me, he loves me not. She loves me, she loves me not..."

Oh. Alright. So the three of them watched, confident in where they'd finally land.

[brood-mother]

hey, i'm super into your 'the sun sets on us' blurb/board on pinterest. can you say more about the story? it looks super interesting

of course, yeah! it’s still in its infancy so i don’t even have definite names for the main characters yet (umm let’s call the them middle sis jara, little bro elan, and big bro amal for purpose of this i guess?). i’ll put it behind a read more because i am going to go IN on this bc i don’t get to talk about it often and i am excited abt it. edit: i definitely got carried away but it felt good to air it out, thank you.

anyway, the basic premise is that in this universe, magic is an inherently destructive force. it is capable of doing fantastic, unbelievable things, but it requires a lot of energy, and typically consumes that energy in the form of life-force. magic users, if they regularly use magic, have a dramatically reduced life-span (even magic users who totally abstain from using magic can expect to live to 60 at the absolute most, a good 20 or so years less than a normal person). magic use blackens and scorches the flesh. magic users are constantly hungry, and run at unnaturally high temperatures because of the perpetual unnatural energy generation in their bodies. however, it is possible to draw that life-force from other people and even the environment around you, and as such in most places seek to eradicate magic with extreme prejudice.

the siblings live in one such country with their father; their mother, a magic user like jara, has already passed away naturally. they live in almost total isolation to protect jara from persecution (although relatives of magic users are also treated abysmally whether they show talents or not), but when war breaks out in the land, conscription is enforced, and every family must provide at least one able bodied adult to join the army. the father immediately volunteers, so as to stop anyone from sniffing around, but shortly thereafter the siblings are forced to flee their home without him or be swallowed up in the violence. 

at first they are comfortably anonymous in a tide of refugees, but eventually it becomes hard to hide. other magic users flushed out by the war are caught, persecuted. people are scared, angry; scapegoatism is rife, and an actual witch-hunt begins. with nowhere to hide and so little experience of the ‘real’ world, the siblings are forced to flee. they run aimlessly for a while until they realise the only place they could ever be safe is a secluded, insular, frozen land far to the north. most southerners only know of it through fearful hearsay and myths, but it is rumoured magic is seen as a boon, and magic users are like gods among mortal men. 

the journey there is treacherous; they must first make it to the northern coast of their own country, cross the sea, and then trek across a great barren wasteland to reach it. on the way, they encounter many obstacles, not least of all a dragon (dragons, while exceedingly rare and quite dangerous, are not devastating beasts in this world; they’re sort of on the same level as a polar bear, maybe, if polar bears could breath fire). while it should be easy enough for them to defeat with jara’s magic - she is naturally inclined to a particularly destructive type of magic known as entropy, which causes poison, decay, unconsciousness, etc -  if they work together, amal panics and freezes, allowing elan to be mauled badly enough that he nearly dies, and has to have his arm amputated, which widens the schism in their already strained relationship.

eventually they reach their destination. they spend several weeks on the outskirts, among common folk with no magic. the land is barren and inhospitable, and the eke a modest existence as farmers, labourers, hunters, etc. while not technically oppressed, non-magic users are almost seen as second-class citizens; they’re used for their superior physical strength and health/longevity and rarely raise above that station, and are often excluded from ‘magic-only’ spaces and the upper echelons of society. magic is essentially a ticket to the aristocracy, regardless of birth. jara uses this to her advantage, and tries to find a space for herself with elan and amal posing as her servants so that they are permitted where other non-magic users aren’t.

it doesn’t work, at least not initially. while she is a magic user, she is still a foreigner in a very deliberately insular country. she is generally looked down upon, mistrusted and scoffed at for being untrained and reluctant to use her magic. she eventually garners enough ire to be challenged but another young woman; they skirmish, and jara manages to defeat her, but only just. this catches the attention of a particularly wealthy and powerful man, for whom the other woman was an apprentice (rather than standard blood inheritance laws, magic-users have apprentices who compete for the right to inherit their wealth, rank, legacy, etc, and apprentices in return contractually bind themselves to their master’s service). he releases her, and instead offers his apprenticeship to jara.

jara accepts immediately. while it is obvious that the competition between apprentices is ruthless, even a failed apprentice is held in good esteem and can live comfortable lives. she sees it as an opportunity to secure a better life for her and her brothers. all is well at first: she finds the magic-users strange and intimidating, with their gold-dipped hands to hide their burnt flesh, elaborate head-dresses meant to represent their magical aura, and clothes of sheer wispy material to prove that they don’t feel the cold, but she enjoys learning and shows great natural talent. she is even surprised to find she actually gets along with her master’s other apprentice, yulia, and they become close friends very quickly.

for a while, things go very well for jara. her talents grow tenfold. she experiences a wealth of new things she’s never tried before. for the first time in her life, she is able to be unapologetically herself. for the first time in her life she is not made to feel like a burden, a liability, or a mistake. for the first time in her life, she is not hungry. she even sees many older magic-users, those living well beyond the expected age in her home country, which gives her hope and confidence.

meanwhile, without jara’s knowledge, things develop differently for the brothers. jara’s master takes a particular interest in amal. he considers amal to be a ‘perfect psychical specimen’, and appears to think very highly of him - for a non-magic user. he wants to train him to be his personal guard and assistant. amal is easily flattered, and eagerly agrees, and is naively unconcerned by the apparent need for secrecy. 

as both a non-magic user, and physically ‘deformed’, elan is largely neglected by everyone - including his own siblings, who are suddenly busy with their own training. he becomes (more) moody and withdrawn, his resentment of amal grown to toxic levels, and only finds solace in the unexpected companion ship of the master’s current bodyguard, tymo, a strange and quiet man with a creeping terminal illness. as they become closer and tentatively explore their feelings for each other, he confides in elan about his master’s horrid mistreatment of him, and the reason his morbid interest in amal: he is obsessed with the idea of “blessing” non-magic users with the gift of magic, but it can only work on those with magic already in their blood - like amal, and like tymo. he’s tried the experiment on dozens of ‘guards’ but their bodies cannot handle the strain, and the few that survive sicken and die as tymo is.

things take a turn for the worse for jara. her studies begin to tread in areas of magic that she doesn’t care to learn, namely how to siphon the life-force of things to lessen the tax of magic-use. at first it is only plants, fruits, even the earth itself. her natural inclination towards entropy means she is exceptionally proficient at it. then they move on to livestock, and finally, her master presents her with a human - a magicless member of the household staff. at first she refuses and the master tries to sooth and flatter her, insisting that even sweet yulia had completed the lesson, and yulia wasn’t nearly as accomplished as she was. jara still refused, and the master becomes enraged at that point - he needs her magic to conduct his experiments, and as his apprentice she all but belongs to him. he threatens to use elan and amal in the next lessons if she fails to comply and, terrified, she does.

she watches the damaged flesh on her hands smooth and heal. she feels stronger than she has in months, the weariness of her magic use washing away, and she realises this is what allows the mages to live as they do. their magnificent buildings, the forever-blooming gardens, even the ability to grow food in such an unforgiving landscape - it’s all beyond the reach of natural magic. they use the non-magic citizens like batteries.

jara realises in that exact moment that both she and her brothers are in grave danger, and the only way she can ensure their safety is to play along. she acts as though she finally realises the true extent and appeal of her power, and that she understands what her master desires of her. as soon as she is away from him, she begins to plan her escape. she turns to yulia, her closest and indeed only friend, for help. she knows the master has forced her to do such horrible things too, and jara wants her to escape with them. she also tells her brothers.

at first amal refuses to believe it until tymo himself explains what his fate was to be. they agree a time and a place to meet so that they might all flee together. however, when the night comes, yulia and tymo are waiting for the siblings but something is off: once they are within sight tymo cries out that it’s an ambush, and that yulia had betrayed them to gain favour with the master. the trio manage to escape, but only just, and tymo is left behind.

they make it to a safe place, but elan cannot forgive himself for leaving tymo behind. he goes back in the hopes that he can free him somehow, and is caught. however, rather than being killed or tortured for the whereabouts of jara and amal, the master offers him a deal. he will give him tymo. he will give him an amazing functional prosthetic arm. he will even use magic to extend tymo’s pitifully short life, like he had his own. 

elan accepts. he provides a location, and his granted his boon, and while the master and yulia go to collect his siblings he is told to wait in the castle with tymo. he doesn’t wait: the information he gave the master was false, and he manages to escape the guards and flee with tymo back to their true hiding place.

the master anticipated this. he put a tracking spell on tymo, and is lead right to their position. in the cold and freezing forest, they fight. it nearly kills her, sapping her strength until her entire body is tortured and scorched from the exertion, but in the end, jara comes through victorious by draining the very life from her master until he crumbles to dust, betraying herself and her morals, but saving her family. 

she then has to make one final agonising choice: does she stay and inherit her master’s vast estate where they can live in comfort in a rotten land, or go back on the run where they can never rest but will always be free? either way, she knows she must fight to protect every single day of her life.

[proven-paradox]

The Lesser Evil - Session 23

Continuing this attempt to build some momentum again...

<DM_Dox> ---

<DM_Dox> The last of the gnolls is slain, the area around the two tremendous trees falls silent.

<Shey> Shey moves to disarm the tripwire, lest anyone accidentally forget it's there.

<Akali> Akali makes her way out of the tree with a sigh.  "Well, we got their runner.  Did anyone throw that pebble thingy yet?"  Akali draws a wand out of her sash and steps over to Raido, cringing when she sees his wounds up close.  "Geeze... Well, heal yourself up, use as many charges as you need."

<DM_Dox> Shey finds the trap pretty easy to handle; it would have released a simple spiked log trap from above. It doesn't take much to remove the threat.

<Raido> Raido moves gingerly to take the proffered wand but hesitates. "I am not sure I should be the one to use this. Despite my gifts, items like these have never been my strong point."

<Raido> "On second thought," he takes the wand in hand, "I suppose I can't make the wounds any worse."

<Ravanya> "Is everyone else unharmed?" Ravanya takes a quick look around at her companions.

<Akali> "Mm, surprisingly I'm unscratched and I don't think anyone else got hit?  I suppose I took a hit to my ego, missing that first swing of mine, aha.  I'ma go see if the runner had anything interesting on him."  Akali steps around the trees rather than between them before making her waaay.

<Raido> Over the course of a couple minutes, Raido takes careful aim before jabbing the want into his wounds, healing them instantly. Despite the healing power of the magical item, each wound leaves behind  a faint scar to match a network of others.

<DM_Dox> The runner has 3 potions on him, and among all the group the adventurers can find 200 gold.

<Akali> Akali collects the potions and makes sure the runner's dead before returning to the group, "So, ah... I suppose its a safe bet that the camp is in the direction their runner was going."  Akali collects up her wand, cleaning it with a cantrip before stashing it away, giving Raido a bit of A Look.

<Neera> "Or another scouting party," Neera conjectures, cleaning the gnoll off their axe. "Either way, more to kill."

<Shey> "I can lead us to where they came from." Shey announces quietly, after inspecting the area.

<Akali> Akali casually collects gnoll ears, the bounty might still be on!  "Oh?"

<Neera> Neera slings their weapon casually back over their shoulder. "You've found a trail, then?"

<Shey> Shey nods. "Shouldn't be too hard to follow."

<Raido> Raido stretches his newly healed muscles. "Lead the way."

<Akali> Akali picks up all the loot ever and is ready to go!  

<Neera> The crusader glances back at the telepath. "Yes. I'll bring up the rear from here on out. The rest of you stay together."

<Akali> Akali takes the lead, but makes sure Shey is close so that she'll spot things before she runs into them!  Things like trees, Akali has trouble seeing them sometimes.

<DM_Dox> Shey is able to track the gnoll forward group's trail easily, and an hour later, they find it. The main gnoll base.

<DM_Dox> A section of the forest has been cleared near a set of three sharp-pointed, rocky hills, and a camp of hundreds of gnolls sits in the hills' shadows. The creatures stir about in the shade of these hills, preparing for their next fight.

<DM_Dox> The party hasn't emerged from the treeline yet. If the gnolls see them, they're doing a good job of hiding it.

<Shey> <Well, we found it. Let's throw the rock and wait for reinforcements.> Shey tells the others through the ring.

<Raido> <Are we certain this is the main camp?>

<Neera> <When you're ready,> Neera agrees. <We'll wait until the others have arrived before we move out ourselves, and we stay together. I want no heroics.>

<Akali> Akali blinks as if she can't believe her eye when she spots it.  <Yeah, we found it alright... Let's ah, get out of here.  Maybe even back to where we last fought the gnolls, gather the war party there and make our plans.>

<Raido> <Perhaps we should look for signs of this unit's leading figures.>

<Shey> She begins back-tracking, not wanting to throw the pebble so close to the clearing. Once she's a little further inside the trees, she shrugs at Raido. <Close enough. We can't fight hundreds of them on our own. If it's not the main camp, we're screwed either way.>

<Shey> She takes the magic pebble and gives it a toss against a nearby tree.

<DM_Dox> The stone shatters and the shards sparkle slightly.

<Neera> <Weapons ready, everyone.> Neera cautions, preparing their own hammer.

<Raido> Raido drops into a defensive posture, <What do you see?>

<Shey> Shey pulls out her bow. Persephone, who hears none of this, is inspecting the sparkles.

<Akali> Akali holds the blade of her naginata low to the ground, not wanting any unintentional sheens of her blade drawing attention.

<Ravanya> Ravanya draws her bow and stays at attention. The wolf at her side is not exactly at peace with so many gnolls close by.

<DM_Dox> An hour passes before the combined forces of the Reavers and the guards of Northwall arrive. Their vanguard finds the adventurers' positions quickly and gets a report from them.

<DM_Dox> The gnolls seem to have been relying on their forward positions, as they don't respond to the army's approach.

<DM_Dox> The next fifteen minutes are a flurry of preparing for battle. Calther and Terril want the adventurers to accompany the exorcist group in a second phase of the assault, expecting them to get a lot of attention and requesting the adventurers screen for them, give them cover from the main battle as they prepare to banish the devil.

<DM_Dox> Before long a plan is formed. Calther leads the brunt of the army in the initial charge. A few specialist units, including the adventurers and a set of Reavers lead by Terril, stay back with the exorcists. This second assault beelines for the devil as soon as it appears on the battlefield.

<DM_Dox> Soon the battle begins, the first wave charging toward the gnoll camp with a powerful warcry, Calther leading the charge. The gnolls are caught completely off guard and many fall before they can even pick up weapons. They have no chance to get into any kind of formation, and it soon breaks down to the organized Northwall forces fighting panicking pockets of individual gnolls.

<Akali> Akali starts collecting gnoll ears as soon as she can!  All of them, she'll be rich!

<DM_Dox> However, the Northwall forces on the west side of the camp start falling back in disarray. It's soon obvious why; the Bone Devil has taken the field, and the soldiers aren't ready for it. They fall back from its aura of fear and poisonous stinger.

<DM_Dox> Terril sees this and nods. "Second wave, prepare to charge!"

<Raido> Raido, amused by Akali's obsession with ears happily observes but does not join.

<Neera> Neera prepares to move out. <Remember what I said, all of you. We stay together.>

<Shey> <Sounds like a good plan. No heroics, we leave that for the Reavers.> Shey agrees.

<Neera> They summon their defensive shield, as well and enhance their force of personality with Eagle's Splendor as they await Terril's next order.

<Ravanya> Ravanya begins her inspirational song to summon up courage in those around her, upping her companions' determination.

<DM_Dox> Many others in the second wave, including the exorcits themselves, begin similar preparations.

<Shey> Shey casts a short spell on herself.

<Akali> Akali takes the time to... oh god, sleepy.  She totally casts a spell on each person and it really makes them feel healthier!  S-She then casts a spell to make her next attack strike truuuue and she totally summons a crackling arcane bulwark infront of herself.  

<Raido> Raido watches with great interest as everyone prepares for battle.

<DM_Dox> "It's time to do and die! Charge!!!" Terril lifts his shield before him and sprints forward. The rest of the second wave follow suit.

<DM_Dox> The second wave charges forward, heading straight for the devil. Before they arrive, a beam of light emerges from the gnolls' ranks, causing an explosion that knocks over two of the soldiers in Terrill's squad.

<DM_Dox> A troupe of gnolls is walking forward, flanking a small halfling woman, her hands aflame.

<DM_Dox> Terrill says, "My people, on that one! The rest of you, continue toward the devil!" They split off.

<DM_Dox> Another loud CRASH is heard and the ground seems to rumble. There's a echoing, deep voiced warcry as a figure grows to gigantic size among the gnolls.

<DM_Dox> This imposing orc man is covered in metal plates dyed blood red, plumes of decorative red-feathers emerging from the armor like flames from the head, arms, and legs of the gear. He wields a tremendous hammer with an elaborately carved head made of red stone. The man beneath has dark skin and yellow eyes that glow subtly, but his features are otherwise obscured by his armor. He is currently about twelve feet tall, and a barely visible disk of force orbits him.

<DM_Dox> https://www.dropbox.com/s/slnxvtrqsfwzegw/Crim.jpg?dl=0&preview=Crim.jpg

<DM_Dox> The leader of the exorcists--an older gnome man, clad in steel armor and wielding a halberd--indicates the giant with his weapon. "That's heading towards us. Your show, adventurers."

<DM_Dox> The giant sweeps his hammer around him in an impossibly wide arc, seeming unconcerned if he hits allies with the weapon. Soon there's a wide open field around him. His eyes lock on to Neera, and he approaches.

<Neera> "You heard him!" Neera roars back to the team, though their gaze doesn't leave the towering orc. "Let's take care of this."

<DM_Dox> "YOU!" The gigantic orc points to Neera even as arrows plink uselessly off his armor. "That armor. How did you acquire it!?" His eyes are angry behind that helm.

<Neera> The crusader glances down at their plate, the familiar sigil of a roaring lion emblazoned across the chest. "It belonged to a dead man!" they retort firmly. "What business is that of yours?"

<DM_Dox> "I... knew of that man." He grips the haft of his hammer defensively. "How did Kurth die, and who are you to take up his gear?"

<Akali> Akali snrrks.  Totally inappropriately.

<Neera> Neera glances back at their teammates, holding up a hand signaling them to halt any attack. "He... Fought with us, briefly. He fell against this very horde of gnolls, and passed these to me before his final breath. I am... Neera, of no clan. What do you call yourself, and how could one who claims to have known Kurth the Unbroken fight beside his enemies?"

<Neera> They run a hand through their hair. <I don't recognize him.> It's still Kurth's voice that communes telepathically with the others. <But if he has any honor as a Dal I may be able to sway him to our side.>

<DM_Dox> "Kurth has fallen? Ha... Father will be... conflicted." He pauses. "As for me, you may call me Crimson, and I you will learn my motives in time. For now, prove you deserve to wear that armor, Neera the clanless!" He brandishes his weapon and approaches.

<Neera> "Very well," Neera feels something turn over in their gut, but they ready their own maul all the same. "This fight is mine, understood?"

<DM_Dox> "You share his overconfidence then. Hah."

<Neera> "I carry his honor." They growl back.

<Raido> Raido, uncertain how he feels about the way the giant is grinning at his friend, takes aim with an open palm and looses a fiery burst of energy.

<DM_Dox> Crimson sees Raido's attack coming, dodging the worst of it before the beam is even fired. A shield shimmers around him cushioning the blow further. He is barely even singed.

<Neera> "No!" Neera's fist clench as the sanctity of their duel goes up in flames.

<Shey> Shey nocks an arrow. Screw Neera's duel. The arrow fires, aiming a tanglefoot arrow straight for the orc. A second arrow is lined up to follow.

<DM_Dox> The first arrow hit, coating Crimson in a distracting goo. He's so taken off guard that he fails to defend himself from the follow up completely, taking it directly in the chest.

<Shey> Persephone rears up, determined to spit into his eyes.

<DM_Dox> Determination is not enough. He simply turns his head, causing the venom to splash on his helm.

<Neera> Neera is clearly infuriated, but they rush in headlong nonetheless. First however, they cast a spell, granting a moment of clarity and foresight, before advancing without making an attack. "Hit me!"

<Akali> Akali grins in her usual way, casually turning her back to the enemy and looking to the others, "You know, I think when this is all over, I'm going back to Leyline and opening a bakery.  Spreading happiness through the baking of cookies is the only ambition I have anymore!  Now then, let's do this!"  Akali turns, casts lightning into her naginata, charges at Crimson and thrusts!  Then quickly leaps back the way she came, positioning herself behind Neera.

<DM_Dox> "A... bak--HRK!" Akali's blade strikes true, slicing and electrifying the warrior. Still he stands.

<Ravanya> With a few words sung out, Rav conjures up a shower of glitter to pour down on the huge orc. Shikari stays beside her, watching for any gnolls that may try to get close.

<DM_Dox> The glitter pours over the orc. He is now wearing SHINING red armor. But he seems unphased by the lights.

<DM_Dox> Crimson grins at Neera. "As you wish. But I am an efficient killer..." He taps a heel on the ground and suddenly blinks forward before sweeping his hammer around him, striking both Akali and Neera.

<DM_Dox> Both are able to duck below the blow.

<Raido> The image of a soldier from the camp cooking in his upturned helm gives Raido an idea and he takes his time aiming the next flaming burst at the giants steel.

<DM_Dox> Again the spell is predicted, mostly negated by a shimmering shield.

<Shey> Shey starts pulling out more arrows.

<DM_Dox> The first arrow hits home, but the remainder plink off his armor.

<Neera> Jaw clenched in a tight grimace, Neera throws the weight of a mountain behind their opening strike, addressing Crimson in Dal. "So am I."

<DM_Dox> The blow strikes hard, and the man stumbles slightly. He snorts and replies, "I've felt worse."

<Akali> Akali shifts back a bit, wildly sweeps her naginata in an arc which Crimson easily stops completely with his maul.  Akali growls and springs back, thinking for a moment to retreat even further before positioning herself in line with Persephone and Shikari to hold the line.

<Ravanya> Cursing under her breath, Ravanya takes aim to fire an arrow at Crimson.

<DM_Dox> Crimson is so busy fighting with Akali that he fails to protect himself from Rav's arrow.

<Akali> Akali smirks.  Just as planned!

<DM_Dox> He ignores the arrow wound, focusing on Neera. "Iron Guard... Then you'll have to go first." He prepares a tremendous overhead swing.

<Raido> Raido takes a contemplative step back from the approaching brute and again aims a bolt of energy at his foe.

<DM_Dox> Somehow this warrior has Raido completely predicted, still avoiding the worst of the strike.

<Shey> Shey pulls out two more arrows, aiming for Crimson.

<Shey> Persephone also rears back to try spitting venom once more.

<DM_Dox> One arrow plinks off Crimson's armor harmlessly, but the second finds a weakness. Meanwhile Persephone gets a lucky hit, the caustic liquid striking him in the chest and sizzling a bit. The venom has no obvious affect though.

<Neera> Neera, having evaded the massive hammer swing, moves in to capitalize on the opening, striking low and then high with a mighty arc of their maul.

<DM_Dox> The low strike hits home, drawing a pained grunt as they hit straight in his gut. He staggers out of the second swing's arc. He's looking winded.

<Akali> Akali casts a spell into her naginata, its blade oozing with ethereal blood before she brings it down and briefly charges before thrusting it at Crimson's center pass, once more springing away the moment her blade contacts, retreating straight back to where she was.

<DM_Dox> Her blade skims off his armor harmlessly.

<Ravanya> Now switching to her violin, Ravanya plays a quick, sharp note upon the magical instrument creating a violent sound wave traveling towards Crimson. Shey's ears probably don't appreciate the sound, either.

<DM_Dox> The piercing note literally pierces through Crimson's armor, drawing blood on his arm. He looks to the Bard in surprise.

<DM_Dox> His surprise vanishes quickly though. He exhales slowly and takes a moment to focus before focusing on Neera, unleashing a flurry of attacks that should not be possible with that huge hammer.

<DM_Dox> The focus is all he needed, the hammer smashing into Neera. Not at full force, but enough to hurt a LOT. With each hit, a burst of fire flashes from the hammer's head.

<Raido> Displeased with his impact in the current battle, Raido's eyes, wreathed in glowing energy, focus on Crimson's hammer.

<DM_Dox> As the warrior raises his hands for another strike on Neera, the warrior's eyes widen suddenly. Panicked, his swing goes wide, hammer head embedding deep into the ground. He gingerly tries to wrench it free, but he can't seem to bring his hands to really close on the shaft, as though it is super heated.

<DM_Dox> After a moment out of his hands, the hammer shrinks to a "normal" size. Still huge, but not enlarged like its wielder. Somehow, it's still thoroughly stuck.

<Shey> Shey takes advantage of this and sends another sticky arrow into their enemy, quickly followed by a normal one. Persephone tries to follow up, as well.

<DM_Dox> Persephone's attack is not effective, but Shey's arrows hit their mark, leaving him sticky and with two more puncture wounds.

<Neera> Neera rushes in quickly to pull the hammer free, apparently unperturbed by whatever was repelling its original wielder.

<DM_Dox> "No! That's mine!" The orc punches Neera, trying to repel them from the weapon.

<Neera> "Not anymore!" Neera declares. Crimson's maul glows with a pink aura of divinity as its new wielder smashes it into the former.

<DM_Dox> "But it's--how?" He is confused and angry.

<DM_Dox> The hammer hits home, producing a small whisp of flame as it hits. He reels backwards.

<DM_Dox> In everyone's heads, a deep voice, unfamiliar voice speaks. <Hey. Decent hit lady. Put a bit more OOMPH in the next one though.>

<Neera> Neera appears to be losing steam after that last burst, their triumphant smile quickly fading into a grimace. "What...?"

<DM_Dox> <Yeah. Swing harder. That guy's tough, y' gotta really plant yer feet and SWING, babe.>

<Akali> Akali hesitates briefly before casting two spells into her naginata, its blade sparking with arcane lightning.  She's still not taking any chances as she once more lunges with her naginata and hastily retreats.

<DM_Dox> Shey looks around and notices that the excorcist group... seems to be raising a victorious warcry. The bone devil is nowhere in sight.

<DM_Dox> Crimson bellows in pain as Akali lashes out at him, a field of energy seeming to absorb some of the electrical energy, but still. He stumbles, breathing heavily, rivulets of blood oozing from the breaches in his armor.

<Ravanya> Rav almost plays another harsh note on the violin in hopes of putting another hole in that armor. But she hesitates, looking at his state and then at Neera. Her hand stays steady, still ready to attack if need be.

<Akali> Akali smirks, "Is this how you pictured things going today?  Being beaten with your own maul, roped and glued to the ground, dying a death of a thousand cuts?"  She's taking a decidedly different route than Neera is about to.

<Neera> Neera wipes the beads of sweat from their forehead. <Wait. Let me talk to him. Be ready if this doesn't work.>

<DM_Dox> Crimson's gaze passes between Akali and Neera, not fearful, but certainly nervous. He adjusts his position, taking a low stance as he draws a longsword and grips it with both hands. Suddenly, he whirls around in a graceful twist, striking at Neera, Akali, and Persephone all at once.

<DM_Dox> But in his damaged state, he can't muster the strength to do much. His sword scrapes off Neera's armor, skitters off Akali's shield, while Persephone rears back to dodge it.

<Raido> Raido capitalizes on Crimson's loss of hammer and missed attacks and hammers home the loss with a telepathic blow to the man's confidence.

<DM_Dox> The man is visibly faltering.

<Neera> "It's over, Crimson!" Neera forces themselves to stand tall, despite their weakened state. "You fought well, now stand down and we can end this without further bloodshed."

<DM_Dox> Crimson opens his mouth to speak, but no words emerge. He's hesitating, calculating...

<DM_Dox> From a puff of smoke, the halfling mage the group saw before appears above Neera. She is bloodied and beaten as well, but not as badly as Crimson. She flies about 20 feet off the ground, facing Crim.

<DM_Dox> She speaks. "The gnolls are being routed. Their power is broken for at least a generation."

<DM_Dox> "Dnorgan is slain, and will be trapped in Hell for at least a century."

<DM_Dox> "Is this what you wanted? Are you satisfied?"

<DM_Dox> Breathing heavily, Crimson slowly nods and sheaths his sword. "Yes. It's... perfect."

<Akali> Akali glances to the mage, but remains ready to thrust her naginata any moment, her blade aimed straight for the orc's neck.  "Well.  What does that mean?"

<Neera> "Surrender," Neera urges again.

<Shey> Shey leads an arrow, bowstring taught, ready in case the halfling makes a move.

<DM_Dox> Crimson sighs. "It means... out work here is... done."

<DM_Dox> All around, the sound of gnolls being slaughtered can be heard, slowly dying down as the beastly humanoids either flee in all directions or are cut down.

<DM_Dox> The halfling rolls her eyes. "You always were a melodramatic fool, Crim." She sweeps down toward the warrior in red swiftly.

<Shey> Shey reacts to the words and movement, letting her arrow fly at the halfling.

<DM_Dox> The arrow hits home, getting her in the leg. If she were walking she'd probably be immobilized. But, magic. She grunts and hisses, "Fucking RUUUDE!"

<Neera> "No-- !" Neera's cry is cut off with confusion at the halfling's unexpected response.

<DM_Dox> Crimson steps in front of the halfling, blocking Shey's line of sight as she chants.

<Akali> Akali sighs, "What ever your stupid plot was, you're not getting away with it.  Those disgusting gnolls you recklessly trained have been quite an annoyance."  Akali briefly attempted to juke Crimson and get to the mage, but settles for just spinning and bringing her naginata swinging upward in a reckless slash at the orc's neck.  

<DM_Dox> "I already--" His retort is cut off as Akali's weapon slices through. He stands motionless for a moment.

<DM_Dox> Then he falls to his knees. His head lulls backwards, then rolls off behind him. His torso drops lifelessly.

<Neera> Neera instinctively lets out an anguished cry, making a beeline for the decapitated orc. "Why!?"

<Akali> Even Akali seems surprised by the effectiveness of her attack.  Briefly.  Then her eyes narrow on the mage.  "And what was your role?"

<DM_Dox> The halfling's chant ends abruptly. She stares at the orc's head, tears welling in her eyes.

<DM_Dox> She kneels down and picks up the severed head, still clad in its crimson plumed helm.

<Neera> Neera falls to their knees beside the beheaded corpse. They're visibly trembling.

<Shey> Shey nocks another arrow, and waits.

<DM_Dox> The halfling whispers something... And vanishes.

<DM_Dox> Crimson's head is gone as well.

<DM_Dox> The group looks about, and Shey is the only one who spots her... Straight above them, maybe 50 feet up.

<Shey> "She's over our heads!" Shey shouts, swinging her bow up.

<Akali> Akali smirks.  "Ah well.  So she ran away, at least we finished up that guy.  Don't mourn too hard, Neera, a gnoll that bastard trained killed your past se--" Akali looks up.

<Akali> Hearing Shey, Akali quickly taps her belt, a light green glow emanating from it before it starts to heal her self inflicted wounds.

<DM_Dox> Shey launches a quick arrow which hits home, but seems to be only a grazing blow. The halfing points a finger at Akali...

<DM_Dox> A bold of lightning streaks from her finger and CRASHES into Akali, the thunder momentarily deafening all present. The grass around Akali is set on fire.

<DM_Dox> "DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL!"

<Akali> Akali looks up just in time for the spell to reach her, a nervous grin still spread across her lips as the lightning crashes.  Totally ruins her hair.  And a lot of the rest of her.  "G-Geh.... L-Like... that could take me downnn!"  Akali wobbles.

<Shey> "F-fucking hell." Shey pulls an arrow all the same, even with the stammer of fright from such a sudden display of power.

<Neera> Neera barely reacts to any of this, shock, anger and mounting exhaustion causing them to crumple against the body beside them. "How did you know me...?"

<Raido> Raido pauses to enjoy the ferocity of the halfling's emotion. This could be a memory worthy of the collection...

<DM_Dox> The still unnamed halfling mage chants once more... And vanishes again. Apparently for good this time.

<DM_Dox> As the adventurers' hearing returns, they see a group approaching, including a badly limping Terril. Near him, Calther is sprinting toward the group, covered in blood. It's not clear whether it's his or someone else's.

<DM_Dox> The halfling escaped. The devil was sealed. And Crimson's namesake armor lies helmless on the bloody field.

<DM_Dox> ---