#those wolves; they took all they could ( ANTAGONISTS )

[rowanthestrange]

Devil’s Spawn (There Are Two Wolves Inside You)

I think this The Empire Of Death theory ties together I think everything we need to, with no messy exposition needed. That’s not to say I think this is literally it or anything happens exactly like this, take everything as a ‘or maybe something along those lines’. Some bits I feel are likely, others as less but could make sense. But it works with the themes, Ruby’s continued unfortunate relationships with loops and paradoxes, while creating a narrative that would still be watchably cohesive.

So. We engage with our original Ruby being Of Death idea. Which to at least some extent I think is certainly undeniable: ~66.6 metres, probably the one who wore a death-coded black hooded cloak (cus she has all the characteristics of The Woman aka Ruby including the pointing), the Sutekh’d TARDIS presumably took Fifteen to London where she was at, being devil’s spawn/the antichrist is a good way for people to abandon you forever in a cursed timeline, she persisted past her own death in 73 Yards as if it’s for other people, born Christmas eve, she was left at a Church which is intrinsically funny, and Ruby, blood, blehhhr.

And when the Goblins go to eat baby Ruby, what do they chant as Carol Of The Bells plays? “Oh, now we feast! Oh, eat the beast! Oh, now we feast! Oh, eat the beast! Oh, now we feast! Oh, eat the beast! Oh, now we feast! Oh, eat the beast!”

I’m doing the risky move of hitting you with the crux of it and then working back: Ruby being a kind of offspring/granddaughter of Death. A god of abandonment.

We know there’s something up with Ruby, it seems unlikely she has two bio-parents and the underlying story of every episode in the season means the meta suggests she was created. And probably by herself, as everyone has created their own antagonist force so far.

Ruby hasn’t awakened yet — Chrysalis theory — she is currently a human. However we have actually already seen a glimpse of her Awakened god form in The Woman.

If we go by 73 Yards, the god within her is already bound. But was then released when Ruby broke the fairy ring. (This being why The Woman seems unreconcilable with Old Ruby in terms of knowledge and motivations while still ostensibly being the same entity). And a deliberate paradox was what she did to seal herself again.

The question has never really been if it’s Ruby under the hood, we go on about paradoxes all that first episode and it looks like her. The obvious assumption is that she somehow abandoned herself as a baby. We only know the Doctor cried at who he saw, but that memory was sealed away and he no longer knows.

But if this is the case what does it have to do with Sutekh and the Doctor? As god of Death why not just kill the Doctor, why go to effort here with all of this? The Dance. The Drama. The Emotion. Because Sutekh is a petty bitch like all of them have been so far. It will be his undoing.

Does Sutekh know what Ruby is? But for that matter - why the hell does he know who Susan is? Originally he didn’t know a thing about the Doctor - he was nothing, he didn’t even know Gallifrey by name, he was as an ant to him. But maybe the Toymaker rabbited to his mother/father/other about his favourite show he was watching with his legions of kids, possibly was told to provide information, certainly it creates some very useful knowledge restrictions, but one way or another Sutekh found out everything he needed to know to create a true revenge story. To make the Doctor suffer as much as possible before killing the universe. So does Sutekh know what Ruby is??? It could go either way. Can he interpret 73 Yards or not?

In either case, the offspring of gods clearly are capable of having their own nature and will. Certainly the Maestro feels less under daddy’s control than Harriet Arbinger does under Sutekh (though she does cry - remnant of the person she was as a caterpillar being souped? Or because she has always known what The End will mean for her as much as everyone else? Currently unknowable).

But you could guide things.

This is potentially what Mrs Flood is, the guide. Anything from a secret hero that Sutekh has no knowledge of, to a servant of Death, making sure Ruby is in the right place at the right time, pushing her towards the Doctor. Mrs Flood, as in the biblical one, that wiped out all life but the chosen in a ship. The ship that will recreate the living from its contents is vital to the story of the Flood after all, and as we’ve seen she has been keeping a close eye on the TARDIS. ‘Mrs’ - She’s married. She knows what a TARDIS is. She knows where the cameras are. She points Ruby towards the TARDIS. She knows who The One Who Waits Is. Has suddenly evil vibes like she’s in league with Sutekh. She’s kind of a cow. She causes problems on purpose. She’s always hiding. She isn’t making your tea. Says Rose and Ruby look beautiful. She is there to wave to the Doctor, refer to his box of tricks, when the Doctor first says in Church what he later will mirror in Legend, that maybe he’s the bad luck, maybe visiting people in the TARDIS he brings Death. She has a very pretty blue door. … I think Mrs Flood is the TARDIS. Some manifestation thereof. The ‘Mrs’ in particular makes me think it must be her, not a harbinger ‘daughter’.

(Blink and you’ll miss it she carries a notebook hidden in the blankets in the first episode. Writing things down to remember? Time is memory and memory is time. But we’ll come back to that later.)

Also the Doctor started thinking he’s the bad luck, he doesn’t want to go back and see people he loves because he believes when he travels in the TARDIS somewhere he brings death. He has become superstitious. The salt. His superstition became real. That is how, when, and why Sutekh attached. Because the Doctor believed the TARDIS brings Death. So it did.

I imagine Sutekh has his harbinger bring the TARDIS to the Doctor. Allowing Sutekh to manifest (perhaps looking more traditionally) in front of the Doctor rather than by talking by a proxy.

Now. Sue. What is she? Her name is Sue, short for Susan (I’ll be exclusively using the shortening for obvious reasons). S Triad, anagram for TARDIS. Was going to change the world using implied TARDIS tech. (Notable that while her face was there, Sue didn’t seem to exist in the same way in 73 Yards - neither changing the world with the TARDIS tech she was allegedly on the cusp of releasing, nor ends the world either, and Sutekh seemed to disappear along with the Doctor, the TARDIS now quiet). She has a red ring. She was chrysalis’d as a human. Her face has seemingly appeared everywhere during their travels and when a literal sleeper agent, she claims to have dreamed those events. She does not simply dream across space, she dreams across time, dreams things that haven’t even happened yet. She was taken over by Sutekh at the exact same moment the TARDIS was.

When we see writing on a screen, the Doctor informed Ruby in episode one, that’s not actually what it looks like. It’s the TARDIS translating and making you see it that way. Perhaps Sue’s face being everywhere, was the TARDIS translation circuit - not actually Sue but translating their real faces into hers, Sutekh luring them in.

I believe she was created by the TARDIS. That she is essentially the TARDIS and Sutekh’s ‘daughter’. The other gods have created people. Clearly Harriet Arbinger managed to be created even before Sutekh manifested. The gods send harbingers who warn us of their coming. I don’t think any of us would deny that the TARDIS is a god. We were told to watch the Bad Wolf finale, and with Jackal-formed Sutekh on top of the TARDIS, I think we are quite literally looking at:

There Are Two Wolves Inside You.

I think the bulk of the story is going to be Sutekh Killing the Universe. What that looks like. Him laughing that the Doctor thought this was his relation when in fact she is Sutekh’s. And us finding out not just what Sue is or her godbeing powers, but perhaps more importantly, what we are going to do with her. Perhaps because killing a god is not so easy, especially if they are linked to Death itself. We have already seen someone transcend their own death. But she was chrysalis’d once maybe you do it again. Perhaps the Doctor has to put her in her new home himself, we give her a fresh start like Boom Town. Leave the new her to be found and raised better.

(Alternatively: this is what happens if we don’t fix past mistakes. If you catch my drift. If not yet, come back and catch it later.)

Of course really the story is about Ruby. The Doctor sent Ruby not to him and Sutekh but to a broken time window that he believes the sheer force of her trauma both old and fresh will rip open the weakness in reality fully and she will be able to step through to 2004.

Lots of options here: If she notices her baby self will she be able to stop running forward? Picking it up? Interfering? And if she does is the woman still there? If Ruby is in 2004 does she just come back? Or in an option I don’t know if I like but we do have prior precedence for, does she make an ultimately dead timeline by taking that as time to plan and meet up with the Doctor having lived all the way back up to then? She aged as well as a time lord in the many years we saw in 73 Yards, and perhaps any interference she did in 2004, means once again she is living a dead timeline that will be unravelled back to an earlier point at paradox completion.

But I said Ruby was a god of abandonment, leaving, loss, banishment. Where does that chrysalis-theory fit in?

Now possibly simple and Sutekh just does the bird-burning if he is aware, wanting to show how he has influence over this new Sarah muhahaha.

Maybe when they deal with Sue.

While I’m not big on it, if Ruby in 2004 did something as insane as take herself, dead timeline Ghost!Ruby being ultimately forced to have to go back and abandon herself…would probably do it.

But maybe you don’t even need all that, and it’s just as simple as if she picks herself up at all. Perhaps because her ‘abandoning herself’ means ego-wise too.

Or maybe Ruby’s awakening is simplest of all - the same as the thing the Doctor did to attach Sutekh to the TARDIS. A superstition. A belief about herself. She believes there is something wrong with her and that it’s her being a child of the devil. And so she is.

The caterpillar learns that it’s a butterfly. She Awakens.

Perhaps given the triad theme, and the playing with of religious themes, possible we’re looking at three Rubys in play there. To cram down an episode’s worth of to-ing and fro-ing and cutting down as if they were one set of Church events: On a surprisingly dead street for Christmas Eve, our about to be ghost!Ruby rushes over to her “mother” 66.6 metres away from Baby!Ruby, god!Ruby tells our Ruby what the baby is so she will abandon it. She 73 Yards points at Ghost!Ruby. She abandons the baby and also impossibly awakens. And god!Ruby is a paradox. Perhaps they seal each other away now, or just long enough for one last act.

Whatever happens, as with 73 Yards, a time-loop paradox will seal The Woman away in the end. And god!Ruby herself will vanish once the conditions of her birth can no longer be met.

Sutekh has still killed the universe.

At his point, god of life or not, perhaps the Doctor too.

Now we have possibly already seen the effect the Doctor’s disappearance had on Sutekh’s existence. But alternatively, Sutekh is not a good mother/father/other, and for a god that drives everyone away…what good would Death be either?

Either way, like everyone else, Sutekh wove the rope he hanged himself with using his own hands.

We were promised a Susan Twist At The End. It hasn’t happened yet of course, not even halfway through the story but now? Now the devil has come with the Apocalypse and everything is dead and gone.

Now it’s The End.

Susan Foreman and the TARDIS have always been heavily linked: Susan appears in the show before the TARDIS. She claims to have named her that (possibly as in translated to English, and the TARDIS has translated it to us that way ever since), but also the TARDIS quite literally possesses her in The Edge Of Destruction, no different to Sutekh with Harriet, and because the TARDIS is in danger, makes Susan go on a murderous scissor rampage inside her. (If you haven’t seen TEoD ((oh same acronym as The Empire Of Death. huh. thank god we weren’t told to keep a special eye out for wordplay)) it is short - 2 parts iirc, iconic, has more of the TARDIS than we’ve seen in New Who, and as episode three informed much of the depth we’ve the TARDIS ever since, it is incredible). And yet Susan has been linked to red, like our ‘Red god’ Sutekh - her original name suggested to be Arkytior, meaning Rose, in a comic from 1994, the reason why when Russell brought the show back, he named the first new companion that. But there is no need to argue between links to the TARDIS or Death - to speak of one to speak of the other since Time and Death are always linked as symbiotic opposites for us.

Perhaps we can guess the unknown planet where Sue ended up.

Harbingers foretell the arrival of the gods. Our Bad Wolf god materialises.

As our ark that survived the flood, the TARDIS recreates the dead universe from her memories - the start of Tales From the TARDIS, that shared line coming back to haunt us. Big Bang Three, recreating the universe and perhaps the Doctor himself from memory, Amy Pond would be so proud. The Doctor manifests in the Memory-TARDIS as she seeks to rebuild. And the TARDIS will begin by pulling in the original one, the one who waited, the child he abandoned and never went back for. And at the end of her long life, the Doctor is finally reunited with his granddaughter Susan. We get a scene between Fifteen and old Susan, the full version we will see later in Tales From The TARDIS, and the episode we watch there will be The Dalek Invasion Of Earth and we’ll cry, we’ll all cry. Give Susan the chance to be angry. Tell him that it hurt, for all it might have been — for all it was — for the best, it hurt forever. But say she lived in spite of that pain. Found happiness in her life. And at the end of this incredible life she lived, even now with the perfect opportunity to do it, she insists she wouldn’t change one line.

And then perhaps, just perhaps, Susan starts to change. Perhaps it does not look quite the same as regenerating as we’ve come to know it. More ethereal. A god never awakened. But there is no death here now.

The meta still makes the most sense if the Doctor has fundamentally caused all of this for Ruby, by abandoning a child and never returning, his fault. And if Ruby is the same person, who was born at the end of Susan’s long life in a mirror to living past her own death in 73 Yards, then perhaps here lies a new paradox - we have a Susan who got to talk to the Doctor again and tell him he hurt her…and thus healed. Who never passes on that abandonment. Therapy out of order. And this is why Carol Of The Bells, and the scene in The Devil’s Chord, that now she is free from that pain her soul inherited, it now has room for its true purpose, to Sing.

The Doctor cradles the baby that lies in the lingering warmth of his granddaughter, is his granddaughter. And for a moment imagines the universe where he keeps her. All the adventures they’ll have. A universe where he does right by her this time.

A universe where a woman grows bitter and alone, dozens and dozens of children never knowing the warmth of her care. Where there is no Ruby Sunday playing with her band painting the town red, and the universe is dimmer for it.

And so he wraps that baby up warm and tight, snug as a bug. Finds himself by the Church In Ruby Road. And yet again, does the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, even if it’s for the best, and abandons a child. He abandons Ruby. He walks away. He cries. And it snows.

[vampires-bitrs]

I too believe that some of Rejet's games take place in the same universe! The events of Black Wolves Saga took place several centuries ago, when the Sakamaki were children, and everything that happens in Dance With Devils, Carnelian Blood and Diabolik Lovers is happening at about the same time. And yes, I'm sure Karl is the big bad in all of this histories 💀.

OMGGGG YESS! The cat people in Black Wolves Saga are never mentioned in any of the diaboys routes unlike races like the Vampires (obviously), Wolves, Vibora, and Alder. It was a little suspicious why there were so few races mentioned in Diabolik Lovers.

It's easy to assume that those four just stood the test of time, and that might be true. However, there was such a wide variety of races in the beginning of Black Wolves Saga, but most of them were either dead or dying, like the bunny boy, Zara Skeens. He's the last of his kind, and the only reason he isn't dead is that he was taken in by Foina's dad, Edgar Galland.

The same goes for the cat boys, Mejojo, Auger, and Julian. I would say the same for their parents as well, but most of them met an unfortunate fate, by the start of the story and now their whole race is slowly dying just like the humans the wolves were killing at the time. Yes you read that right there were humans living in the demon world more specifically Weblin a place for both humans and demi-humans, (creatures who have the power to shift between both human and animal forms.) before Arles made it his life misson to eradicate them.

I'm also assuming their lifespan is not nearly as long as vampires. But it wasn't just the rabbit race human race or the cat race that were dying some wolves were also catching a disease that was wiping out their race aswell (seriously, what's up with Rejet and having diseases decimate entire races?).

The disease was called Zodiva, a.k.a. "Mad Wolf Disease." Some known characters afflicted with this disease were Arles and Rath. However, it's puzzling why we don't see this disease affecting modern-day Diabolik Lovers wolves. My theory is that Karl released this disease to quell the rebellious wolf population; as the wiki states, "For many years, humans, cats, and wolves shared political power, but one day, the wolves revolted, plunging the country into chaos." and "Arles reportedly led a revolt against the monarchy 10 years before the story's beginning and was thus driven out along with the other wolves."

Karl has a history of afflicting people with diseases to defeat them (cough, cough, the founders).

While we're on the topic of founders, we can imply that the person who created Endzeit was Carnelian Brecht from the series Carnelian Blood @vampirerosemary explains it way better then I ever could so I would recommend you read these 3 post!

IT’S ALWAYS KARLHEINZ

🦇Carnelian Blood & Diabolik Lovers🦇

🦇DIABOLIK LOVERS IN THE SAME UNIVERSE AS CARNELIAN BLOOD?🦇

Regarding Carnelian Blood in Dance with Devils, it's 100% canon that vampires exist, and they are the main antagonists in the game, alongside the church. Both settings take place in Japan and involve magical beings, but it's a little confusing why vampires are mentioned in Dance with Devils while devils aren't mentioned in Diabolik Lovers. Kanato and Laito make references to Incubus (Kanato literally had the spirit of an Incubus possess Teddy and hold Yui down), and Urie is an Incubus. So, it's possible that devils are a small or lesser-known race in Diabolik Lovers.

It's also interesting that Nesta is canonically the father of Lindo, and the fact that Nesta and Karlheinz share a striking resemblance, from their hair to their clothing style, it's noteworthy to mention Karlheinz's affinity for cosplaying different people, like Reinhart, and having kids who all look different from each other suggests that he might have assumed various identities and appearances throughout history. This idea is even supported by the fact that Kanato mentioned that their father could change his appearance, becoming a man or a woman at any time, and even they don't know what he truly looks like.

You can argue that Lindo gets his hair colour and eye from his mom

But keep in mind, Karl has a track record of making red-haired kids.

Fun facts it is sorta kinda canon that lindo and ayato met. Just look at this cute little screenshot ( 〃▽〃) Source: @itsaboutyourstruly

In my own personal headcanon, vampires age every 50 years. So if what the wiki says is true, that Karl is about 2000 years old, that means he's in his 40s.

In conclusion, Karlheinz is having the world's worst mid-life crisis, and he's making it everyone's problem. 💀

[adarkrainbow]

01. Wich are your favorite fairy tales (both french and non-french) and why?

02. Who are your favorite fairy tale heros and heroines (royal and non royal) and why?

03. Who are are your favorite fairy tale villains and antagonists and why?

05. Who are your favorite fairy tale couples/romances and why?

Ooof... Tough questions.

Do I have favorite fairytales? I... don't know. You see, I wasn't a big fairy tale fan as a kid. I was a big Greek mythology fan as a kid. My passion for fairytales came later. Mind you I had fairy tale books and Disney movies, but I only took interest to this world later.

I am not a guy who tends to have "favorites"... Especially with something as vast as fairytales X) I just love the world in general - though I do have least favorite tales. Usually when a tale doesn't feel "fairy tale" enough I don't like it. For example in Perrault's tales, I know I dislike the "Riquet" tale because it has a lot of weird, unexplained, bizarre stuff in there and it somehow feels quite flat - I recently learned it was first written by Catherine Bernard ad Perrault's version was an answer to it, and from my brief look the "original" Riquet by Bernard seems to be much more satisfying and pleasant in terms of fairy tales than Perrault's.

I never was big on romance to be honest... I'm homoromantic asexual so... yeah fiary tale romance was never a big thing for me X) I'm into fairy tales for the magic, the villains, the fairies. Not for the love stories :p Similarly I never really paid attention to fairy tale heroes for a very long time due to being exposed to fairy tales with flat main characters (or adaptations with flat protagonists, like Disney). It is only recently that more in-depth looks made me like fairy tale protagonists - I would say currently my fave is le Chat Botté, Puss in Boots (hence my icon). Everybody loves one of those cunning trickster heroes, and the little detail of him being obsessed with his boots even though they're not practical just makes him so much more relatable X)

Favorite villains? EVERYONE! I was the type of kid that, when playing game with friends, always played the ogre, the sorcerer or the demon X) But yeah I love all the fairy tale villains: the witches, the ogres, the wolves, the evil fairies... I do have to admit maybe dragons in fairy tales never much attracted me because I enjoy much more mythological and legendary dragons than fairy tale ones (they have more personality), and very down-to-earth, realistic villains for a long time did not interest me (like Cinderella's step-family). Again it is only recently that I could appreciate the "wicked stepmother" archetype thanks to the various beautiful or fascinating interpretations which "sublimate" the character.

[shesboundtolose]

Lou Wolfe’s Pertinent People Cheat Sheet

It’s sort of dawned on me that this might be a good way to go as far as quickly explaining connections here and across my other blogs ( NOTE: these are just my muses/NPCs. Lou has many connections to other people’s muses, who will not be included here. )

BLOOD RELATIONS:

STANLEY WOLFE - Father ( largely an awful force in her life )

IDA (SNYDER) WOLFE - Mother ( deceased in almost every verse )

DANIEL WOLFE - Uncle ( Lou has never met him in almost every verse )

LEIF SNYDER - Uncle ( worked at the juvenile detention center Lou was sent to; helped make life rough for her as a way to get back at her father )

OLIVIA “OLLIE” IDA WOLFE / SULLIVAN - Daughter ( verse dependent; very similar to her mother, though she doesn’t like to admit it. Would fight God for her family. )

THEODORE “TEDDY” MAXWELL JOHNSON ( CONLON ) - Son ( verse dependent; reminds Lou so much of her mother at times that it’s difficult to be in his presence. )

FAMILY (NOT BY BLOOD):

GERTRUDE “GERTIE” JOHNSON - Close family friend ( worked with Ida’s mother, was like a second grandmother to her. Took Lou in when she left Greenville and helped her establish herself in Brooklyn. The closest thing to family Lou has. )

LEONA (BRENNAN) CONLON - Family friend / Shaun’s mother ( tried desperately to be there for Lou as much as possible. Loves her like a daughter. )

LOVERS:

SHAUN PATRICK CONLON - Best friend / that first love / first serious boyfriend ( assumed deceased in most verses; father of Teddy in others )

EDWARD “EDDIE” JAMES ARMSTRONG - Best friend / Guy she should be with / patron saint of patience & broken hearts ( Lou left him back in Greenville to spare him; she spared no one. Moves back to Queens with her brother and eventually, accidentally, reunites with Lou. )

FRANCIS “FRANKIE” JOSEPH SULLIVAN - Douche bag / Big mistake / Punishment ( most verses – in a few, he is the father of her daughter Ollie )

CHARLEMAGNE CLAUDIUS CHRISTOPHER “CHRIS” MACKINNON - Trust fund brat / ‘friend’ of Jacob Stack ( strictly business )

FRIENDS:

Lou has, in general, some sort of friendly acquaintance with pretty much all of my other muses in a smattering of verses.

ANTAGONISTS:

JACOB MICHAEL STACK - Employer / Man who enjoys her misery ( verse dependent )

CHARLES “CHARLIES” PHILIP ARMSTRONG - Asshole / cop who’s loyal to Stanley / Protective older brother ( can’t stand Lou for many reasons; also has the wrong idea about her. )

PEARL LEE “BULLET” SULLIVAN - Cousin to Frankie ( verse dependent; her jealousy blinds her and she winds up hating Lou fairly irrationally. Lou is somewhat apathetic in return. Distrusts her anytime they’re around one another. )

DOMINIC “DOM” BRENNAN CONLON - Protective older brother / suspicious bastard ( never trusted the kid of a cop, and thought Lou was too much trouble for her worth. )

BRADLEY “BRAD” LINCOLN - Friend of Frankie’s / just likes to poke the tiger ( verse dependent;  he really just tries to ruffle Lou’s feathers upon Frankie’s request. )

[aurabird]

For All It’s Worth

Legend tells of a great war between two stags and their champions. Scott is the reincarnation of Aeor's champion, Alinar; but the reincarnation of Exor's champion, Connel, remains unknown to him.

He doesn't think he'll ever get the chance when crystalline corruption consumes the Empires he has come to know for centuries and leave only him and two others the sole survivors of the land.

That is when strangers come from worlds beyond his own, one such individual offering to use demigod-like powers to save them all.

But with this plan comes consequence, and with that consequence comes prophecy.

Inspired by @phoenixfyrebird​‘s crossover AU where 3rd Life is after Empires and is where Scott finally meets Exor’s champion

Ao3 Link

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For as long as Scott could remember, the twelve Empires had existed together; their rulers granted longevity of life and immortality from everything but old age due to ancient magic left behind by Gods when they banished a horrible corruption from the land centuries ago.

All elves knew the story, but Scott had only recently learned of the underlying prophecy that came with it. The reincarnations of Connel and Alinar would fight for their respective Gods in a battle for the fate of the world; and that failure to stop the evil of the former would lead to an eternal winter.

Scott knew that he was the reincarnation of Alinar but he had no idea who Connel was reborn as. He had suspicions of course; Fwhip's affinity for the crystalized redstone that corrupted whatever land was around it and Sausage's constant practicing of blood magic being the most likely in his mind, but so far they really didn't seem to give off 'reincarnation of a great evil' vibes, despite their chaotic and unhinged behavior.

Eras of war and peace came and went for them and, just when all twelve empires had found harmony, destruction arrived at their doorstep in a familiar form.

It was all an accident, but it claimed its cultivator first. Count Fwhip of the Grimlands had become infected and twisted by the very magic he studied until his own sister had to cut him down to save him from madness. Her kingdom fell shortly after along with that of the Undergrove and the Lost Empire.

Mezalea and the Ocean Empire were next to fall, the latter ruler sacrificing herself to save her husband. The Cod Empire where the heartbroken king settled was not spared, nor was the neighboring Mythland, whose ruler perished trying to help the Cod and Mezalian Kings. Pixandria's ruler went shortly thereafter, followed by those of Smallhold and House Blossom.

Rivendell was the only kingdom left unaffected, protected by the magic of Aeor. Twelve rulers had been reduced to a mere three in just a few months time, and even now the crystalline corruption had begun to creep closer, bypassing the protection of the elven kingdom.

 Joel didn't want to die, for it was his wife's last wish that he survive.

Jimmy knew he had to live in order to keep the memories of the fallen alive

And Scott knew that as Aeor's champion, he could not surrender until the prophecy came to be

 They would have to flee, leave everything they knew behind with nothing but what they could carry. Even then, though, the corruption would never slow, it would catch up to them eventually, it would consume everything in its path until nothing was left.

Still, they took their chances.

Several days they traveled, several days the corruption just followed them. Sometimes they'd get a few days of reprieve, others they barely had time to rest. While Scott himself could fly with his natural wings, Joel and Jimmy's elytras had long broken by this point and with no time to rest and repair them, they would be forced to walk from this point on.

It was a battle they knew they'd never win and the trio was well aware that they were on borrowed time, why bother running anymore?

But, that is when two purple rifts tore open nearby them, pulsating and hissing with magic unlike they'd ever seen. From these portals came people, eleven to be exact. Ten from one, and a single person from the other. They'd been told the stories and fables of worlds beyond their own, and these strangers couldn't have been from anywhere else with the entrances they made.

As it turned out, these strangers were the sole survivors of worlds that had faced destruction of their own. The first group, from a world they called Hermitcraft, had once housed twenty-six individuals; of them, only ten remained. When asked about the cause of their home's destruction, three of them had guilt flash across their faces.

Vengeful beings called Watchers had destroyed the world, punishment for the guilty trio's insolence. The avian in the red jumper was a Watcher himself once, but fled from them with the only two survivors of his original home, Evo. He used most of the power he had to open a portal and escape with the group behind him now.

As for the other, the man in a sleeveless and torn suit, he came from a world known as Legacy. He had not been there very long before Withers and the decay they brought with them consumed and torn it apart.

That was when the three former-kings shared their tale, lamenting that these individuals had only left behind two destroyed worlds in favor of what would soon be another. There was no escaping the crystalline corruption that inched closer and closer by the hour, it would consume them all in time.

However, there was a small ray of hope. The avian from Hermircraft explained that he had enough power left from his time as a Watcher to teleport them all far away from the corrupted lands and put up a barrier that would protect them should the corruption ever reach that far. It wasn't the most ideal scenario, but it was all they had. In agreement, the fourteen found themselves in an area protected within a 700 x 700 radius. Plenty of room to thrive, plenty of room to live...

...then they realized a fatal flaw.

The magic that brought them back upon death, Respawn Magic, as the world-jumpers had called it, was limited within such boundaries. The avian, Grian, deducted that there was only enough in the area to bring them all back twice. Three lives to live, they had to make them count.

It didn't take long for the universe to alert them to the next flaw. With the dwindling respawn magic came consequence; a slow decent into madness would come with each death. Those on their second life would grow paranoid, flighty, and hostile. Those on their last life became  chaotic, aggressive, and bloodthirsty.

Collectively, they decided to call this curse by a fitting name:

3rd Life

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Scott and Jimmy had grown close in the journey prior to the current living accommodations the fourteen of them were faced with, and the two of them took up residence in a flower forest with Joel not too far off. Joel had been invited to live with them, but the former king could not bear to live with the now-lovers, heart still broken by the loss of his wife. Instead, he befriended wolves, living alone with his canine companions.

Hermitcrafts survivors scattered; Cleo, Bdubs, Impulse, and Tango in a castle, Scar and Grian now bound by debt settled in the desert, BigB lived on his own, and lastly Martyn, Ren, Etho and the one Legate survivor, Skizz, ran an enchanting business in the taiga.

Despite the lingering threats of limited respawn magic and the curse of death slowly leading to madness, things went relatively fine...until Scar fell into a ravine, costing him his first life.

After that, he became antagonistic and manipulative, getting whatever he wanted through fear from everyone he swindled...

...until he didn't. Ren didn't surrender to Scar's tyranny and remained defiant; something that cost the hybrid his first life, and the second ones of both Skizz and Jimmy. It also caused Ren to do something drastic, something that struck Scott with fear and realization.

Scott was present when Ren asked to be sacrificed by Martyn, as it was the only way to make him strong enough to bring about the Red Winter. At first, the elf had thought nothing of the words, but when Ren lifted his head and Scott saw the veins of corruption webbing across the hybrid's face, once-blue eyes now glowing red as blood and full of a lust for destruction and chaos, the pieces fell into place.

Despite everything Scott had not forgotten the prophecy he'd learned so long ago, and until that moment, he didn't expect to ever meet Exor's champion before dying to a fraying world. But before him stood the reincarnation of Connel, the harbinger of eternal winter.

That night, he confided the info and the prophecy to Jimmy and Joel, both of them in disbelief. They didn't get to talk about it much, however, before Ren and his Hand showed up and demanded tribute and sacrifice through threat and force.

Jimmy burned their banner in defiance and Scott's gaze met that of Ren, allowing him to see the realization that flashed in the Red King's eyes. He too, had made the connection; why else would he proceed to have Skizz to shoot Jimmy down in the desert when there were plenty of other targets? He wanted a reaction from Scott, he wanted to send a message.

Lives were taken, blood was spilled. Joel and Scott had been the hunters of Ren and Martyn at first, but now they were the hunted, pinned down in the crater of what had once been the desert. If the elf had any doubts about the hybrid's true identity before, they were gone now. Ren openly admitted to being Connel before lunching forwards with the intent to kill.

Scott heard the sound of a body being skewered onto metal, but upon opening his eyes he realized that it wasn't his body impaled on Ren's sword...it was Joel's.

"Run..." was the dying order given to him, and with a heavy heart Scott followed the command, making his way to the Crastle where he took refuge within the building's walls. That night, he told the tale, of the corruption and the eternal winter; of his destiny to stop Ren...no, Connel. He asked them to fight by his side in a final battle. They all agreed, they had vengeance in their hearts as well.

The battle of Dogwarts was brutal, crimson dying the water and staining the grass as it pooled from fallen bodies. Now, Scott faced Ren alone, the two of them the only survivors of their respective armies.

Like prophecy foretold they clashed, the reincarnations of Alinar and Connel fought with unyielding vigor, staining snow with blood as their weapons tore through flesh and arrows pierced through skin.

But only one of them would win, with a final cry full of anguish about those he'd lost, Scott drove his sword through Ren's heart. Exor's champion was dead, he had won.

The victory felt hollow to him; he was surrounded by bodies and had already buried countless more, he was the only one left in a fraying world and Scott could already see the crystalline corruption that'd taken everything from him already at the edges of the magical barrier. He was out of time...and there was still one life left to go.

After burring the bodies of the newly-fallen, ally and enemy alike, Scott made his way to the highest peak near Dogwarts...and let himself fall. His instinct told him to catch himself and fly, but he didn't listen, only welcomed the air blowing past his face.

A sickening crack...agonizing pain as bones shattered...and then blissful darkness.

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

Darkness...

Darkness...

Darkness...

Light...?

Scott's eyelids flickered open, light and color filling them as he looked at the sky from between the thick canopy of the jungle...

Wait, jungle?

He jolted up as the gears began to turn. He knew this place, but the last time he'd seen it, it was corrupted by red crystals and the colors of everything were far more vibrant compared to the muted shades they were now.

"There you are! I was wondering when you were going to show up!"

Scott's blood went cold at the voice...the last time he'd heard it was...

The elf dared to turn around, his heart skipping a beat at who he saw before him.

Dressed in his Codfather attire, stood Jimmy with a goofy grin on his face. Behind him, the rest of those that had ruled empires lost to corruption so, so long ago. "J-Jimmy? Guys? Where are...?"

Jimmy extended a hand and spoke "This is it, this is the end."

"Is it...home?"

"It's home, Scott. It's home."

[butterflydm]

the great hunt (chap 28-chap 35)

1. Rand gets his name from the wolves! Shadowkiller. 🥰🥰 That’s my boy!

2. Urien! The Aiel are entering the plotline officially now! 🥰🥰🥰

3. We get some info about He Who Comes With the Dawn ( 🥰 ) and Rhuidean ( 🥰 🥰 ) here as well. Lots of good info. And Verin found out that there have been Aiel channelers ALL ALONG, they just don’t send people to the White Tower. Lots of good good things for a relatively short chapter.

4. Ah, Captain Egeanin. I’m definitely curious about how they will handle rolling out more information about the Seanchan. They gave a teaser of it at the end of S1, but when we see more of them, will it come from the perspective of one of our current protagonists or will it be a more outside framing?

5. Ugh, the Seanchan. They are well written imo but I just- yeah. Very curious about how the show will handle showing their culture.

6. Ah, page 447, we have the reunion between the three boys. Poor Rand. He has a rough time of it right before, with the Horn & dagger both slipping out of his possession. (also, my newly-minted cauthon brain notes, Mat is grinning when he sees Rand again. he has Complicated Feelings about Rand, I tell you) My cauthon feels aside, Mat really does do so little in this book (apart from That One Thing at the end lol). He’s basically just veeeeery slowly dying and occasionally having Opinions about Rand.

7. Aaah, Rand taking instinctive command of the combined group even though Ingtar is there again now and only realizing it a few orders in. He’s gotten used to leadership. That’s my boy!!!

8. I just really love Rand, you guys.

9. Rand is still sure at this point that Moiraine, Siuan, and Verin are trying to use him as a false Dragon (or trying to convince himself lol). I don’t think this is a subplot that the show will pick up the thread on, because of the different path Rand took to finding out he could channel and that he is the Dragon.

10. Haha, pretty sure Selene was using those letters she gave him as a focus point for either tracking him or ‘making’ him remember her and now he’s burnt them. lol

11. Hmm, I wonder how influenced Perrin is by the fact that the wolves like Rand so much and are impressed by him. Because they communicate with feelings and images as much as words. And before the whole ‘Shadowkiller’ thing started up, he was... less antagonistic than Mat, but still didn’t have a great reaction, and it seems to bother him quite a bit less now that he knows Rand is Shadowkiller.

12. I feel like I may have read that Barthanes was cast, so hopefully we will get this Cairhien plotline, with the party infiltration, etc. Fingers crossed, etc. I mean, I’m not sure exactly what would be happening if we don’t get all this, but you never know and whatnot.

13. Mat sarcastically saying “Shall I carry your banner, My Lord?” to Rand here.

14. Fain notes when he arrives in Falme that everything seems calm on the surface but he can sense the tension and fear that lies underneath the appearance of calm. And that fear and tension is just How Life Is under the Seanchan! Even the Blood know that the Listeners could be anywhere, ready to turn them in if they step out of line! So you had better believe with all your heart that you want the empress to live forever, because even a single moment of doubt could be The Moment that leads to a Listener calling you out on it and you losing everything that you’ve built up and worked for. You can never turn the high-key Belief in everything off, because no one is safe to trust!

15. I wonder if Stedding Tsofu will be in the show. Since trying to use The Ways there doesn’t work anyway, it might be easier just to skip it and have Rand use the Portal Stone (if this ends up being the same as the books, I mean. Who knows!).

16. This is the first time Rand meets other Aiel. And they’re Far Dareis Mai. 🥰

17.  Ah, and this is the book where Rand thinks back about how Egwene had picked him out when they were young and then basically dictated which girls were allowed to hang around him, without his input ever actually being sought in the matter. So I didn’t remember it quite the way it is in the books, because Egwene did let her female friends (nameless here and I’m trying to remember if Egwene ever thinks about missing any specific friends from back home -- I suppose the only place it might come up in the future would be a certain part in the third book, so I’ll look out for it there) dance with Rand and it was just the ones who weren’t her friends who were Forbidden. Since I legit cannot remember ANY female friends of Egwene’s from Emond’s Field, that’s probably why I remembered it the way that I did. Again, definitely a departure from how it was originally depicted in EotW. I’m going to see if the story changes again in book three or if they stick with this version.

But, um, for me personally, that is a big yikes, and a ‘no, thank you’. No wonder I was fine with Rand and Egwene not being “for each other”, as Min put it in book one. This is not a type of love story that appeals to me.

18. “Do you remember your father ever doing anything your mother didn’t really want him to do?” Rand asks Mat rhetorically and that’s definitely not something he could say to Mat in the show version of this scene, if it happens! Pretty sure Mat’s father does a lot of stuff that his mother really doesn’t want him to do, in the show version.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Please Fix the Story pt 3 - Zombie Apocalypse

The story continues. At least one more part in the zombie world before moving on to the next one. 

Part 1 / Part 2 Linked here. (If I get to 5 pts or so I’ll make a master post)

Enjoy!

_____________________________

“Why’d they let YOU in?”

An angry shout stopped us in our tracks as we reached the center of the camp.

I paused, smiling. Ah, the nostalgic smell of unnecessary internal strife. NOW it feels like a proper post apocalyptic story.  I raised a hand in greeting. “Hey there, kind and pleasant person, I’m Blaire!”

“Don’t pretend like we’re friends! You shouldn’t be here!”  The angry young man stepped closer, allowing me to get a better look at his face. His copper colored hair framed sharp, angular features, his brown eyes practically burning with rage as he tried his best to stare a hole through me. 

He seems familiar. 

Searching my character’s memories, I was finally able to place him.  Jason, the hero’s best friend, who had gone to high school with my character. Before I could celebrate placing his identity, however,  I felt a surge of deep terror flood through me. My heart beat wildly in my chest, a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. I frowned, pushing back the feeling that weren’t my own, but those from my character.

It’s rare for emotions from the character to be this strong, even in the last world I was able to easily put away any feelings of the character I’ve taken over. Why is she so scared? I don’t see anything in her memories that would warrant her being frightened of Jason. And why is he so antagonistic towards me?

As I stood there, trying to comb through what information my character knew about him, he had continued to rant. “Eric, what were you thinking accepting people like her?!”

Eric sent Hannah away with a smile, before turning towards his friend with a tired expression. “They have extra supplies and skills, both of which we’re in desperate need of.”

“We don’t need HER!”

As they argued, Liam walked up to me, pulling an apple from his bag. “Want a snack?”

“Sure, these idiots might take a while, I’d hate to get hypoglycemic while they argue.” Before I could say anything further, he pulled out a knife and silently started cutting the peel off.

“What are you doing?”

“Peeling the apple for you.”

“Why?”

“…” He paused, looking honestly confused. “I’m not sure, but I feel like this would make you happy.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head in amazement. “I love apples, but I can’t stand the peel. How did you know?”

“Really?” He grinned, continuing to peel. “My support husband instincts must be kicking in.”

“You’re very… optimistic.”

“Thanks!”

I sighed. “Don’t get attached, Liam. It won’t end well.” I thought of the heart wrenching pain I had felt when pressing “No”  in the last world. That was just after 4 weeks. If I have to stay here years…

“It’s okay. I already count myself fortunate being your lackey.” His smile was bright, but his attention to the apple never wavered. “As long as you live well. I think I could die happy.”

I shuddered. The habit was just too strong. A character casually mentioning dying in a story…such a red flag. “Try not to die. Happy or otherwise.”

“Yes ma’am.” He saluted, his silly expression making me feel less tense. 

“Blaire! I’m talking to you!” Jason had finished arguing with Eric while Liam and I chatted and was obviously still furious.

I felt the same edge of fear from the character at the sight of him again, and pushed it back down with irritation.

“That must be so exhausting to be so angry all the time.”  I muttered quietly as I watched him approach.

Liam nodded. “No kidding. I think I’ll need a nap just from watching him perform.”

Jason stopped just a few feet away, sneering. “I don’t know what lies you sold Eric earlier, but don’t’ forget, I know the real you! You’re a rich brat without any skills! You’re deadweight to any group, just a worthless bit….ARGH!” He flew backwards as a mostly-peeled apple struck him in the mouth, splitting his lip.

“Oops. Sorry did that hit you?” Liam watched him coldly, not sounding sorry at all. “My hands get slippery when I hear pure stupid.”

“Is that why people around you tend to get hit with flying projectiles often?

“It’s a curse…” He paused, then looked mortified. “THAT WAS MY LAST APPLE!”

“It’s okay.”

“WHY DIDN’T I USE A STONE?” He groaned into his hands. “That idiot wasn’t worth losing your snack! Now you’re going to go hungry!”

“I’m fine…” I tried to comfort him, but he had already pulled out a walkie-talkie and was growling instructions in some sort of code.

Jason, on the other hand, was now pointing in shock at Liam. “You! You’re William the destroyer!”

“…” I glanced over at the man who was still panicking over his lack of snack options to offer me.

“What’s the leader of the Blood Wolves doing here?” Jason was now looking nervous, clambering to his feet and keeping a good distance from us both

Liam ignored him, continuing to talk on his walkie talkie. Shaking my head, I stepped in between him. “He’s with me. Do you really want to argue now about whether or not we should be here?”

“But… but…”

“Jason!” Eric had returned, a grim look on his face. “I told you to leave them alone. We’ll go out hunting for supplies tomorrow, they can prove their worth then.”

Jason’s expression showed his clear unwillingness, but he slowly nodded. “Sure.” Glancing towards me, he sneered. “Then I guess tomorrow we’ll see just how useless you are.”

“Did I step on your dog or something? Seriously, try to reign in the hostility there, buddy.”  With that, I turned and walked towards the empty tent Eric had pointed out earlier. 

Despite my casual tone and outer appearance, my hands were clenched at my sides, the fingernails digging into my palms to keep my hands from shaking. My back was soaked with sweat, an uncontrollable reaction from the character I had become.

What is going on? It had been a long timesince I had been unable to fully control my character’s emotions like this. I swallowed uncomfortably. The sensation  was unpleasant, a sense of incongruity between body and soul that I couldn’t quite overcome. It reminded me too much of the first mission I had undergone, the worst time of my life that I could still remember.

Waking up without memories, with no idea of who I was or why I was there, thrust into a romantic drama where my mission was to fulfill the role of a foolish, calculating villainous side character. Overwhelmed by intense love for the male lead and mind-numbing hatred for his heroine, I lost myself in despair. Later, I would learn to maintain my sense of identity. Even if I didn’t know who I was, I at least knew who I wasn’t.

And I wasn’t this character. A spoiled, angry young woman who thought the world revolved around her.

So why can’t I remember clearly? Not just Jason, even the events surrounding my character’s kidnapping and death were vague.

Something’s wrong with this world.

Sitting down with a sigh, I pulled out my phone.

“Let’s see how helpful this new ‘character description’ function is.” I typed in Jason’s name. After a moment to process, the phone’s screen filled with text.

Jason, the hero’s best friend and this world’s hopeless secondary male lead. In the story, he is shown to be in love with Hannah, but hides his feelings for fear of hurting his friends. He often supports her from behind, helping the hero rescue her during her frequent misadventures and kidnappings. Despite his devoted acts, Hannah remains blissfully unaware of his feelings, and treats him as a friend.

Nothing to explain why my character is scared of him. I grinned maliciously as I re-read the part about his unrequited love. “No wonder he’s so high strung. If he were nicer I might even feel sorry for him.”

Unable to control my curiosity, I typed in a second name.

“William.”

Character unknown.

“Hmm. Let’s try ‘Liam.’”

Character unknown.

“Blood Wolves.”

The most notorious and highly skilled gang in this story’s world, they often sell their services as mercenaries, and are considered a major power in the post-apocalyptic society.

I stared at the screen, even more confused. Such an important group, but the leader isn’t mentioned? Who is Liam?

But no matter how much I searched, there were no answers.

_____________________________

Shortly later, Liam called me out.  The smell of freshly cooked food hastened my steps, and I sat at a table across from Hannah, ignoring her wide-eyed look of fear at my approach.

“The others are checking the perimeter. Here, I made you dinner!” Liam placed a bowl in front of both of us with a proud grin. It was filled with a stew, with vegetables and chicken. Hannah stared at the food suspiciously, although I didn’t see anything wrong with the food. Carefully, I lifted a spoonful up to my mouth, my eyes widening with shock.

“It’s delicious!”  I took another few bites before pausing. “Where did you get the ingredients?”

Liam sat down next to me, peeling an apple with an affectionate grin. “My friends happened to have gathered some extra supplies and brought them over.”

“… You sent the Blood Wolves on a snack run?”

“What were they supposed to do? Let you go hungry?” He raised an eyebrow.  “They wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I don’t know how you manage to sound so supportive and yet so… ominous at the same time.”

“It’s one of my many talents, I’m so glad you noticed!”

Hannah watched our exchange back and forth, before looking down at the food once more. She seemed very hungry, but she still hadn’t made any moves towards eating.

“You should try it, it tastes really good!” As I coaxed the girl sitting across from me, I saw Liam beaming with pride.

“…” She stared silently at us both for a long few moments before nodding and taking a bite, her hands shaking and almost spilling the stew from her spoon. As she swallowed the food however, her eyes filled with tears.

Why do all the heroine’s I meet cry so easily? Maybe the problem is with me? Do I just not cry enough?

“It tastes so good!” She ate quickly, blinking to keep back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

Oh… so… happy tears? That’s refreshing. I patted her on the shoulder gently. “Not had a lot of hot meals lately, huh?”

Hannah nodded at my sympathetic words. “Yeah, Eric and James are too busy with security and supply runs. And I…” Her words trailed off.

Why hello there, mission opportunity!I rejoiced inwardly but kept a gentle look on my face.  “You what?”

“I’m weak… I can’t fight. I can’t even cook.” She looked up at me her eyes still wet with unshed tears. “I wish I could be scary like you…”

… Scary?

Liam laughed at my dumbfounded expression, quickly silencing himself as I turned to glare at him. Looking back over at Hannah, I tried to smile comfortingly, the expression stiffening as a look of terror flashed across her face.

“You want to be a well-rounded useful person? I can help you.” Not like I have a choice.

“Really?” Hannah clasped her hands together in front of her. She still looked frightened, but excitement was clearly pushing back her fear. “I really want to be helpful!”

“Really. Just come watch me tomorrow during the outing. I’ll show you what I can do. From there, we’ll come up with a plan.”

She now was smiling brightly, giving off the impression of a small, adorable animal that should be protected. “I promise I’ll work hard, Boss!”

She trusts me so quickly… no wonder she kept getting kidnapped. 

“Wait... Did you just call me Boss…?”

“One day, I pray I can be just as terrifying as you!” Hannah cheered excitedly. 

“…”

I feel like her motivation has gone in a weird direction.

As I struggled on how to answer her, Liam nodded solemnly. “It’s good to have goals, but you shouldn’t aim too high.” He handed me the freshly peeled apple, and continued. “No one’s as terrifying as your Boss. But with hard work and effort, one day, you can reach ‘lackey status’ like me!”

“Really?”

“Yeah!” The two high-fived as I watched on silently, feeling tired.

“… I’m going to bed.”

_____________________________

The next morning, we all headed out, running into a group of zombies, almost immediately.  We halted a good distance away to discuss a plan.

“Will it be okay?” Hannah’s face looked extremely nervous as she looked at the zombies in the distance.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!” Jason smiled at Hannah, his eyes full of tender emotion.  “I promise, as long as I have breath in my body, no zombie will get near you.”

I still felt a small thread of fear running through me as I looked at him, but fortunately, it was much easier to control now. I rolled my eyes at his words. Didn’t the character summary say hehides his feelings? How is this subtle at all?

Eric stared at his friend silently for a moment, and then patted Hannah’s head with a sigh. “Make sure to stay away from the fight.” Loading up a handgun, he glanced over at me. “Are you coming?”

“Ha, bet you’re gonna run and hide, huh?” Jason glared at me, his face looking extremely punchable, forcing me to hold back.  

I sighed, admiring my self –restraint. “I’ll take the ten on the right.”

“There’s only fifteen!”

“Yeah, so we’ll split it by skill.” I turned back and grinned. “Ten for me, four for Eric and one for you.”

Pulling out my sword, I headed over, ignoring his stuttered complaints.

GRRRR.

The closest of the zombies was reaching out towards my head, several fingers missing from its hands, its half rotten jaw open, ready to bite.

I lopped it head off, knocking the body away from me.

IT SMELLS SO BAD!!! I had only been able to wash in cold water from a basin. I still desperately missed hot showers.

“Go Boss!”

“Yeah! Kill the zombies! You’re the best!”

Shouts from behind me caught my attention. After killing several more zombies I glanced over, giving out a loud sigh at the sight.

Liam and Hannah cheered off to the side, jumping up and down with excitement.

“Zombies don’t stand a chance against her!”

“Yeah! They’re toast!”

… I’m just going to ignore them for now.

In the corner of my eye I saw Jason struggling to defeat his first zombie, waving a metal bat but missing several passes. He backed up, putting some distance between him and his foe, and turned to stare longingly at Hannah for a few moments, before looking over to glare at me as he realized who she was cheering for. I smiled and winked, watching with interest as his face turned even redder with rage.

Feeling an undeniable urge to taunt, I called out to him as I continued to decapitate zombies.

“Don’t lose focus, little Jason! Or do you need me to help you with your one zombie too?”

“SHUT UP!”

“Try not to bully him, please.” Eric called out as he calmly dodged attacks, occasional shots ringing out. Each was a perfect headshot, as expected of the hero of an action novel. “Jason is sensitive to criticism.”

I nodded, kicking a zombie head into the air and batting it away with my sword, watching it sail away with interest. “Sorry, I’ll try harder to support his emotional well being.”

“Thanks!”

Having finished off our respective zombies, Eric and I high fived before heading back towards the rest of the group.

“Guys… I’m still fighting here!” Jason’s helpless cries caused me to pause.

I glanced at Eric “Will he be okay?”

“Yeah, he’s just milking it so Hannah will pay more attention to him.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Eric shrugged. “Not really, but he doesn’t step over the line and extra hands are necessary, so I just ignore it.”

Is this a… reasonable male lead? Could it be possible?

“Okay, then.” I raised a hand, not turning around. “Good luck Jason, we believe in you!”

Eric grinned and called out behind him. “See you back in camp, buddy!”

“Boss!” Hannah ran up with a grin. “That was amazing!”

Liam stepped closer, handing me a thermos with hot tea. “I told you she was awesome! She saved my life, you know.”

I ignored him, turning my attention to Hannah. Time to make some progress on this mission. “Did what you see today inspire you?”

“Yeah!”

“Do you want to be helpful?”

“Yeah!”

Getting excited, I pumped a fist into the air. “You want to be strong and fight along side me?!”

“…” Hannah stared at me in shock. “What? No. Fight zombies? It’s scary… and kind of gross.”

I looked at her silently. “I… thought you were inspired?”

“Yeah! But not like that.” She nodded firmly. “I realized I was too eager when I wanted to be as terrifying as you…”

“HEY!”

“So I’ve decided.” She grinned. “I’m going to be a professional lackey, just like Liam!”

“…”

“…”

Eric and I sighed in unison.

Liam smiled, patting Hannah on the shoulder. “Now don’t look down on us weak and vulnerable support spouses!”

“You’re not even weak…and we’re not married...”

“We may depend on our stronger counterparts to protect our lives, but we can keep everything running smoothly so you don’t have to worry about anything else.” He looked at me expectantly. “How is your tea?”

Giving up on arguing, I sipped it, and paused, shocked. “It’s… amazing. How did you even make hot tea out here?”

“It’s a trade secret.” Hannah and Liam gave each other a thumbs up, as Hannah handed Liam a thermos, which he drank from silently.

We headed back to camp.

“I feel like we’re forgetting something.” I muttered as I sipped my tea.

“GUYS? WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!! I’m STILL FIGHTING!” Jason’s angry shriek pierced the air, but no one turned around.

“I know what it is!” Liam grinned, cleaning one of my hands with a warm towel before handing me a freshly peeled apple. “Here, snack!”

“HANNAH? ERIC? ANYONE?”

I nodded, taking a bite. “That must have been it.”

_____________________________

A few days passed.

I tried again to convince Hannah to train to fight, thinking that combat skills would be the fastest way to  change her status as kidnappable dead weight.  After much convincing, she agreed to start training with me.

Unfortunately, the results were not what I had hoped for.

“OWW!” Hannah laid on the ground, staring up at me sadly. “I’m dying.”

“All I did was have you hold my sword. We haven’t even started fighting yet.”

“It hurts.”

“How did you even hurt yourself?” I stared at the small cut on her leg in consternation. “You only had the sword for fifteen seconds?”

Needless to say, the sword was confiscated. Strengthening exercises were meant with similar outcomes.

“How’s it going?” Liam brought me a bowl of hot soup, as I stared in disbelief at the figure attempting to do a pushup in front of me.

I pulled out my phone, glancing at the mission screen. The first completion bar for Hannah’s mission had been stuck at 10% since we started. “Not good. This is still her first push up.”

“Well, everyone takes a different amount of time…”

“We’ve been out here four hours.”

“Oh… how’s the soup?”

I sighed, taking time to try it. “It’s amazing. I’m still convinced you might be magic to be able to cook like this in the apocalypse.”

“This is just the beginning of my skills!”

I drank the soup quietly, staring at Liam while thinking.

“What is it?” He grinned. “You think I’m handsome and finally want to upgrade me from lackey to support spouse?”

“Who are you?”

My question was whispered, but he still heard it, a look of helplessness spreading across his face. This wasn’t the first time I had asked him this.

“I’ve told you everything, Blaire. I swear I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“You’ve told me everything you’ve remembered.” I corrected him quietly, turning away. Focusing my attention back on Hannah, I couldn’t help but feel discouraged. “This isn’t going to work.”

“You said you’re trying to make her a well-rounded, useful person, right?” Liam finally spoke up, his expression thoughtful. “You might be pushing her in the wrong direction. There are many different ways to help out, fighting is just one of them.”

“Yeah… but that’s what I’m good at.” I rubbed my head. “If I have to teach her other skills, I might not be able to.”

I had memories from multiple story worlds, but most of them required me to act as a brain dead villain, not staying long. Only a few provided practical skills such as the assassin guild story.  A sense of frustration filled me.  

“I can teach her cooking, supply management, and basic book-keeping.”  Liam watched me, seemingly worried. “And you can teach her your special skill.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Negotiation.” He grinned. “It’s amazing to watch you reduce that idiot Jason to an apoplectic fit every time you argue.”

I thought it over, a small return smile forming on my face. “I guess I have developed some good interpersonal skills. I once helped my brother overcome an obsession with behavior modification training.”

“You have a brother?” He asked, his eyes widening.

“In a different life.” I felt a pang of loneliness for the time I had spent in the previous world. I wondered if Adam was doing well. Looking back at Liam, I reached over and patted him on the head.

“I’m glad you’re here.” That I got to see you again. Even if you look different. Even if you don’t remember me.

Liam froze with shock at my touch for a few moments, before his face lit up with delight. “I’m glad I’m here too!”

I looked back down at Hannah, who still hadn’t completed her first push up. “Let’s go with your plan.”

Scratching the plan to make the heroine a one woman army, it was time to make her into an overpowered support character.

[niallloverontheloose]

“Sterek and Steter fans dislike Scott McCall because he is the most important character of Teen Wolf”

https://princeescaluswords.tumblr.com/post/646995619305619456/the-whole-thing-with-the-boy-who-runs-with#notes

@russianspacegeckosexparty: The whole thing with “the boy who runs with wolves” fandom fixates on is that… at it’s root? I don’t disagree! You absolutely can/should talk about the fact a regular human works with + fights alongside supernatural creatures and is a part of the Pack (and its first member after Scott). But instead of actually delving into that, they always use it to show Stiles’s superiority to them (mostly Scott). Countless fic where Stiles is basically a one man army with all their skillsets rolled into one person, which…. goes against the whole “pack dynamic”. They contradict themselves by simultaneously wanting him far away from the pack after showing them up with his Spark powers and they don’t “deserve” him… but also they want him the most important member (when packs don’t have rankings of importance + multiple people can be good at something + that’s OK cuz being in the McCall Pack isn’t about filling a niche, it’s about being friends and allies)

Claude @princeescaluswords Frollo:

This is one of the things that drives me crazy about how parts of the Teen Wolf fandom and especially the Sterek and Steter fandoms react to the show. They simply cannot recognize that even though the show is about Scott, the production never made Stiles unimportant.

Stiles is intrinsic to every single season. He makes significant contributions to the plot throughout the season and is tactically important in every single climax. The writers literally created things for him to do that were completely unnecessary to a plot’s resolution in order to remind the audience that while this is Scott’s story, a big part of that story is his friendship with Stiles.

In Season 1, he is the one who turned the tide of the final battle by throwing the first Molotov cocktail (Steter shippers hate that). In Season 2, he delivers Lydia to the warehouse so she could help Jackson. In Season 3A, he saves the people trapped in the root cellar with a timely arrival, etc. Stiles has a significant role in every season even when he was possessed, kidnapped to another dimension, or in Washington D.C.

And yet, he doesn’t have the most important role, and to them, that is something that cannot be borne.

Now, take any month of writing in the Teen Wolf fandom on AO3. Look at the top story by kudos and/or hits. Hell, look at the top twenty stories by kudos and/or hits. If Scott is in that story – which isn’t a given – I will bet you that in ninety-five percent of those stories Scott is either a background character or an antagonist. In the other five percent, he’s the villain.

But isn’t that the nature of transformative works? There are certain tropes that people like to apply and choosing love over friendship seems to be very big. Except there’s something you might notice. All of this is dependent on reducing or condemning the role of Scott in Stiles’s life. Even if he’s a good friend, he gets diminished to the role of emotional support animal.

It really isn’t about Stiles yearning for love and affection. It is, frankly, transformation with the specific goal of righting the show’s wrong of making a hero of color the central character.

It’s the same reason that the BAMF Stiles stories almost never have Stiles placed into positions where he has to make significant choices, because it’s not about the nature of power, it’s about Stiles being more important than Scott. You know how I know this? Because Stiles almost never uses his power for any other reasons but his own comfort. The purpose of power is Stiles’s triumph and nothing else.

It’s the same among the “Ensemble, Ensemble, Ensemble!” crowd. These people go full meta, but their goal is the same. They can’t stand that a hero of color is the central focus, so they argue, quite simply, that he isn’t. Except that there’s not a single plotline on Teen Wolf that doesn’t involve or concern or require Scott in some way. Even Derek and Peter’s field trip to Mexico is ultimately about Derek anointing Scott as the Protector of Beacon Hills. Even Kate framing Derek in Season 6 is about her coming for Scott and Derek coming to protect him.

And there are plenty of plotlines that don’t include other characters. You don’t need to look any farther than the incandescent rage of parts of the fandom that Stiles wasn’t involved in Scott’s Master Plan against Gerard. How dare Scott not tell Stiles? How dare Scott not run it past Stiles? Because it’s not Stiles’s story and it’s not an ensemble. It’s Scott’s story, and Stiles isn’t involved in that part of Scott’s story. It’s the same reason that Deucalion’s disinterest in Stiles frustrates them to no end.

So they, in the dull, baffled rage common to most racists when confronted with the idea that not all stories have to focus on a white character, move to alleviate that stress by creating an alternative world where the white character IS the most important person, regardless of whether that makes any sense or not. (Not just in Teen Wolf. I’m seeing the same thing where Bucky Barnes has become the absolute focus of the fandom surrounding The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to the point where you look at their works and go Sam Who? Or the Julie and the Phantoms fandom where you’d have to search to find out who the hell Julie is.) And well, as for the hero of color who had the nerve to be more important and the focus of the story? Well, they have to demonstrate how just unworthy he is to even be considered a main character.

And so, The Boy Who Runs with Wolves is wasted, because they want more than anything else to turn it into The Boy Who Runs the Wolves. And that’s not what Teen Wolf is about.

//

Except that Teen Wolf is an ensemble show. Even Tyler Posey has no problem acknowledging it. So why do Scott Stans?

Teen Wolf Season 3B – aka the highest rated and most critically acclaimed Teen Wolf season ever – is entirely focused on Stiles Stilinski and on Void Stiles with star & breakout star of the show Dylan O’Brien as its front and center. Stiles is the main and central character in Season 3B. Scott’s just the oblivious sidekick ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Of course the Scott McCall defense squad could argue that Scott is important because he has a season that revolved around him, too: Teen Wolf Season 6 was supposed to be Tyler Posey’s time to shine, and it’s the season in which Posey felt like “the leader and star of my own show again”. Jeff Davis and the show writers/producers took full advantage of Dylan O’Brien, Tyler Hoechlin, Stiles and Derek’s absence and made Season 6A/B all about Scott McCall. The results? Fans stopped watching and Teen Wolf got cancelled due to shitty ratings.

Also: the only ones who hate the fact that Stiles wasn’t involved in Scott’s dumb Master Plan and that Scott plotted/conspired with Gerard behind everyone’s back to violate Derek are Scott Stans themselves; and that’s only because they can’t even try to blame Stiles for Scott’s own abusive actions and behavior in Season 2

[tinumiel]

Time for the tea aka I just finished Rule of Wolves

Spoiler alert...I...was kind of really disappointed by it :/

NEEDLESS TO SAY THERE’S SPOILERS OVER SPOILERS FOR KING OF SCARS AND RULE OF WOLVES BELOW THE READ MORE...Also a long ass essay no one asked for, I just needed to vent.

General Impression.

I was kind of disappointed, because the duology was sold as a Nikolai Lantsov duology, and while I definitely felt that was delivered in King of Scars, I feel like in Rule of Wolves he just sort of became a secondary character to the stories of others like Nina and Zoya (which don’t get me wrong, I love that they gain protagonism, but then why sell the whole thing as Nikolai centered?). That said, I loved Nina’s entire storyline and really enjoyed the Shu Han plot (which I think sets up quite nicely for a new, independent storyline).

Things I DID NOT like.

First I’ll speak of things that I didn’t like but more because of personal preferences. That is, things I didn’t like, but I can see why other did enjoy.

Zoyalai. I guess this has a lot to do with the fact that I am a Nikolina shipper first and a human being second and it’s hard for me to let go of a ship once I’ve invested myself in it. I wanted to like Zoyalai, and I did for the majority of King of Scars, but in Rule of Wolves, it suddenly started to feel kind of forced to me. I think they have a lot of things in common, but differ in very fundamental aspects that on the long run simply wouldn’t make them work. But more than that, I felt like their entire lovestory in Rule of Wolves was basically some kind of Nikolina AU in which everything that a very large chunk of the fandom wanted to see with Nikolai x Alina, was given to Zoya x Nikolai. It almsot felt as if Leigh Bardugo said “Oh well, the fans really wanted to see this, but since I gave the character they wanted to see in it a different ending, I’ll just give it to them but with a different character” and Zoya was just the one available for the plot. They did have some cute moments and I definitely do enjoy their relationship, but more as confidents and friends than lover interests.

Zoya’s storyline. I feel like Zoya was done dirty in Rule of Wolves, which is kind of ironic considering she ends the story with pretty much everything she dreamed of and more. But i felt like in King of Scars, Zoya went through a very interesting journey. She was always this character than sticks almost stubbornly into a certain way things should be, she doesn’t like stepping out of her comfort zone because she likes to feel in control. And in King of Scars she went through a journey in which she gradually learned to step outside the box. But I felt like for the most of Rule of Wolves, she simply reverted back, completely ignoring her changes in the previous book, until the very last minute in which she has this sudden epiphany moment about letting go, which seemed unnecessary to me since she had already experienced it in King of Scars. Secondly, on a similar note with the whole Zoyalai being a Nikolina AU with a different character, I felt like in Rule of Wolves Zoya was simply shoved into the alternate role many of us hoped to see Alina in. Not just as Nikolai’s partner, but as a person. Think of it, she gained this power no one else possesses, she becomes pretty much one of a kind, she becomes a queen that represent reunification. It’s basically as if she became a version of what Alina could have been, but with a different personality. A soldier queen? Alina was a soldier. A grisha queen? Alina was grisha. A suli queen? Alina was not half suli, but she is half shu, which are pretty much equally discriminated against. And finally, there’s this part in which I think it’s Nikolai refers to her as “Soldier. Summoner. Saint”. Sounds familiar? Because it’s the exact same words written on every cover of the Shadow and Bone trilogy, referring to Alina. It makes me very upset that they gave Zoya this discarded storyline for Alina instead of building up her own storyline (Not to mention: it did Alina equally dirty because she lost all of those conditions because Mal couldn’t handle being in the shadow of someone extraordinary, but that’s another story). 

Not for things I didn’t like, but for much more rational reasons.

The Darkling. When I finished reading King of Scars, I thought bringing him back was a pretty good plotwist. But it was also a tricky choice, because it coul fall into the “He was such a appealing villain tor readers in the first trilogy, I’ll bring him back to have the same success” trap. And that’s exactly what happen. I feel like if a villain (or any character really) is going to be brought back, then they have to fill in a different role from the one they originally occupied. The Darkling is basically the same. Even his conditions aren’t fundamentally that different once he gets his powers back. All the Darkling really needs are his powers, his tongue and a group of people desperate enough for someone to follow. And he had all of those things in Rule of Wolves, so it was simply repetitive. It was like the Darkling, but in rags.Plus it didn’t feel so much as a storyline, but more like a constant reminder of “LOOK HOW EVIL HE IS HE NEVER CARED FOR ANYONE. THAT QUOTE YOU PEOPLE LOVE SO MUCH ABOUT CHANGING THE WORLD IS ACTUALLY MEANINGLESS LOOK HOW MUCH HE SUCKS”. Like, I don’t need to be reminded he’s a bad guy, I am fully capable of knowing this and still liking his character. He’s a fictional character, I don’t need to be reminded of it. I’m capable of rational thought. Not to mention his ending felt like a huge nothing. “And he impaled himself to a tree”. It just felt like more of an excuse to set up for a Six of Crows #3 book. It’s just disrespectful to the fascinating character from Shadow and Bone. It basically took away everything that made him such a good character.

David dying.Fine, not much rational reasons here. It’s just doing my baby dirty. Why, oh why is Mal still alive, boring, toxic Mal who spent most of his time putting his love interest down; while David, sweet David who compromised and made an effort to do things that would make his wife happy even though it was hard for him, dies? It’s just cruel. 

All in all, I felt like the Ravka storyline pretty much fell apart in Rule of Wolves. I almsot felt tempted to skip it if it wasn’t because I didn’t want to miss any Nikolai quotes. I felt like Leigh Bardugo doesn’t really know what to do with the characters, and it became pretty obvious to me during the titanium heist with the special guest starring of the Crows. In like two chapters, I felt like Kaz, Jesper and Wylan were more smoothly written than any of the Ravkans. Which was really sad for me, considering how Nikolai is my favorite character in the entire verse, and Zoya was such an amazing character in the original series (and in KOS too).

What I DID LIKE.

Nina’s storlyine. Just, all of it. It was exciting, and dynamic, and you could perceive Nina’s character arc while still never straying into ooc territory. The way her griedf was treated, her loyalties, her desire to fight, her desire for revenge but also her desire to honor Matthias’s memory. All of it was so flawlessly written. I thought I’d be bored with her stuck in the Ice Court, but it was the storyline I actually enjoyed the most. The Fjerdan intrigues and political battles, and Nina in the midst of it. trying to do what was best for her country and the people she loved.  I love what was done to her character.

On the same note, I love Nina and Hanne. This, unlike my problem with Zoyalai, is a case in which, while I adored an original ship, I actually ended up enjoying the new one. Matthias and Nina were perfect for each other. But I loved how Hanne came to offer a new love. (I’m not sure if I should refer Hanny as she or he, so I’ll just use they until I get a better notion of what pronouns the character identifies with). It genuinely felt  like they were not a replacement for Matthias, or an upgrade. They were a love interest on their own, with their own story, not a “what if” version of another love story. Plus, Hanne is just objectively great.

The Shu-Han storyline. I didn’t even know I needed it, but it was so fascinating to read about the Shu. I find there is a lot to unpack and I really hope in the future, Leigh Bardugo will write a new series  following those characters. I loved Mayu and Ehri and grandmother Leyti. Plus, Mahki would make a great antagonist. And it would suppose a new colorfun addition to the countries we already know well, like Ravka and Fjerda, plus the city of Ketterdam.

The Crows. I know it was probably pure fan service, but I love just how well written they are, how you can really tell that Leight Bardugo has the complete hang and understanding of the characters. Plus, it’s always nice to see how my babies are doing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All in all, I felt that the book had some highlights, but some decisions just pretty much ruined it for me. I hope the good parts are picked up and carried on in different sagas, and the rest...well, I guess I’ll keep on pretending the Ravka story finished when Alina and Nikolai were watching the stars fall and from then on, imagine they got marries, became an awesome power couple, and were the godparents of all of Genya and David’s beautiful, clever children. While Zoya looked upon all of them like “These are a pack of idiots but they are my pack of idiots and I am so proud”.

If you read this rant until the end, you’re awesome. If you liked Rule of Wolves, damn you are so lucky and I am glad you enjoyed it like I wish I had. But at least we can all join together under one common thought: Jarl Braum is a little bitch.

[shesmyplusone]

overall i really loved the show lmao obviously by my posts. here’s a bit more just to get my thoughts organized:

-loved loved loved when alina didn’t use david’s mirrors because if kaz had seen them he would have called it a trick. like i was annoyed until his conversation with inej and it makes sense they changed it

-every genya and david scene had me crying lol poor genya she’s so composed around literally everyone else but the moment this awkward little ducast shows up she can’t remember how to speak

-also she totally took alina by the library for a glance of him<3

-all i could think about when there were scenes in the darkling’s rooms/his little map room was how that’s going to be zoya’s rooms in kos/where all the planning conversations take place in kos/row and it made me a bit hysterical tbh

-the darklina was like. managable. like i didn’t like it, but i knew it would end at some point and just had to push through all those kisses lmao poor alina

-i am still offended for count kirigan’s sake that the darkling STOLE his name. like the man was effectively ridiculous in kos/row but. he didn’t deserve THAT.

-mal was perfect. no complaints from me, a noted mal stan since i read s&b in 2016<3

-every single man who the crows had to go meet/interact with that we didn’t know...i thought was going to be strumhond. like i knew leigh said no nikolai but it was like my heart wouldn’t accept it.

-i was SO angry after the third episode because of that little line about how nina had ‘no loyalty’ and i was just. SO MAD because her being a soldier was like the whole POINT of her character. but then she was just spying and i felt much better.

-i am still a little upset zoya was interacting with her/the one sent after her. but if the choice was between her going after nina and her getting to be on the fold/fixing her relationship with alina. i mean....one is more important than the other in the now, and not everyone is thinking about rule of wolves like me. so sorry zoya’s open door, you’ll have to wait</3

-freddy carter is hot. he was a good kaz. sadly he did not get to hit the darkling with his cane. But! he did escape the cut so points to kaz i love you buddy

-’we need a demo man’ JESPERRRRRR you wound me. yes, you DO need a demo man. just not yet<3

-i read some spoilers than said jesper was like ‘sterotypically written because he came onto everyone’ and he literally only flirted with that one stablehand. like....bi people are allow to flirt/sleep w one dude. like it’s fine. it’s not sterotypically anything except a bit sterotypically jesper to get distracted on a job lmao

-inej struggling with killing was SOO good. all her religious stuff was good. man she was wonderful thank you amita!!!! also i like she was worried about zoya. not enough people were worried about zoya!!!

-obvious racist zoya was bad. like, obviously. it’s awful she was racist to alina. she shouldn’t have done it. she’s canonically at this point at the story antagonistic to her. she has to make alina feel like she doesn’t belong so the darkling CAN. to build up that bond before baghara destroys it. And with the constant racism alina was getting from other directions it would have felt a bit...underwhelming if zoya had just told alina she smells. like. also zoya’s canonically suli so she was hitting alina where it hurts. obviously it’s a change from the books and i get why people don’t like it but don’t act like zoya’s not going to hit someone with every weapon she has when she feel threatened. especially a zoya at that point in her arc.

-interesting that mal DIDN’T sleep with her this time. i think that helps his character a lot, to be honest, but it’s not like he and alina were together at that point so it’s not really a hit against him in the books. it’s interesting because it (and what happened on the fold) means zoya’s arc with alina is going to change when (if, really) we get season 2. because she’s not going to be in a love triangle with a guy who isn’t interested, and alina literally has no reason to distrust her when she already knows she’s against the darkling. like....that’s her entire S&S arc gone (yes. i did re-read only her bits like two weeks ago lmao). so.....i’m thinking (god, please renew this show) that she’s going to get nikolai stuff instead, do the love triangle from that angle. like nikolai’s still going to be like ‘we should get married for political reasons’ to alina but his heart won’t be into it because he’s going to get a big fat crush on miss nazyalensky. 

-obviously by my rants i don’t like the darkling. but i think he was well done. it’s good for the audience to see him as a dude who once did have noble intentions- he wanted to keep the grisha safe! but. obviously he wants to be ~the savior~ of the grisha now and thinks only he can do it. also i refuse to call him anything but the darkling, sorry show. props to mal for saying it to his face. also loved their fight on the fold, really going to echo in the finale battle on the fold if there’s a third season 

-jessie was a great alina. i always really liked her but sometimes found her first person perspective exhausting. i loved when she was talking about what she wants :to go across the sea and travel, etc. the dacha in balacirev made me laugh thinking about kos. i personally love her ending in the book and i figure by the time her story’s done in the show she’ll be tired of traveling and that little farm mal wanted will feel much more ideal.

-loved all the political framing during the fete because zoya was literally in the middle of it. all the plotting by the west ravkans was reminding me of kos/row and putting her in the middle of it was great. also her continuingly being alone really stood out to me, especially when she walked through the crowd. similarly when the crows had each other and malina had each other in the finale. she’s missing her prince and man.....i hope we get to see them in season two (please netflix,.....i really want a season two!!!!!)

okay it’s one in the morning. maybe i’ll have more thoughts tomorrow<3

[a-pirate-my-hearties]

Brotherhood of the Wolf (a review? Furious posting? Who knows? I know that film is 19 years old but anyway, #spoilers ahead). Buckle up for a long post!

Yesterday I watched “Brotherhood of the Wolf” for the first (and probably last) time. It definitely looked like my type of thing - period drama, XVIII century, horror elements, I knew some of the cast are good actors, so I decided to give it a try.

According to Wikipedia:

“Brotherhood of the Wolf (French: Le Pacte des loups) is a 2001 French period action horror film[3][4] directed by Christophe Gans, co-written by Gans and Stéphane Cabel, and starring Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Émilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. The story takes place in 18th-century France, where the Chevalier de Fronsac and Mani of the Iroquois tribe are sent to investigate the mysterious slaughter of hundreds by an unknown creature in the province of Gévaudan. The plot is loosely based on a real-life series of killings that took place in France in the 18th century and the famous legend of the beast of Gévaudan; parts of the film were shot at Château de Roquetaillade. The film has several extended swashbuckling fight scenes, with martial arts performances by the cast mixed in, making it unusual for a historical drama. The special effects for the creature are a combination of computer generated imagery, as well as puppetry and animatronics designed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.”

So while the martial arts (of which I’m a big fan, everyone who knows me well knows that) and animatronics seemed atypical for such a film, I decided to watch anyway. And it was good fun while it lasted (2 and a half hour is waaay too long, by the way, at least for my taste), but then I was finished, which left me sleep deprived (now I know it wasn’t that worth it), and so it begins.

There’s too much of everything stuffed into that film. Swashbuckling fight scenes, period drama, horror, Gothic themed scenes (and a lot of them, which made my little creepy heart happy), martial arts, Native American rituals and beliefs, an animatronic beast (??? I mean, at least they could have made it CGI, for crying out loud), a dangerous religious sect, and way too much unnecessary violence towards innocent wolves (I know they weren’t innocent in the eyes of those who killed them, but the film makers could at least decide not to show it explicitly). So much going.

And I’m fuming, because it could have been so easily a wonderful Gothic horror kind of film! With better writing and less fiddling about the plot it could have been something like “Jane Eyre” or "Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", or “Crimson Peak”, but no. Nooo. They had to make it sell, hence a lot of special effects and unnecessary (in my eyes) fight scenes.

So what did we have that could have made “Brotherhood of the Wolf” a great, believable Gothic horror piece of cinema?

the protagonist (Grégoire de Fronsac) and his loyal, mysterious friend (Mani), that is much more interesting than the protagonist really (and is a Native American from the Iroquois tribe, who possesses magic powers? He’s got that powerful connection with nature and spirits. Idk how that’s supposed to fit into the Gothic, but eh, Mani was an awesome character and I’m not going to let him out of this)

the feisty heroine (Marianne de Morangias)

the disabled/disfigured antagonist with tragic past ( Jean-François de Morangias, THANK YOU VINCENT CASSEL)

the mysterious, badass courtesan (bowing down to Monica Belucci for this one)

the horror story AND the space for the horror that’s unravelling (the beast killing people in the province of Gévaudan, the province itself + the castle)

the (almost tragic) love story (de Fronsac + Marianne)

the duality of good and evil (kinda) in one character (Jean-François being all cute and easy on the eyes and more-less civil before he reveals his disfigurations to Marianne and oh boy. I’d love to say Jekyll&Hyde, but it wasn’t a thing until 1886, so let’s say a two-face kind of situation, because doppelgänger would be a stretch here.)

incest/incestous attraction -  (I know, it’s fucking horrible, but it was quite common in XIX century literature  - vide writings of François-René de Chateaubriand (for example René , 1805), and, unfortunately, in life, so you can look up Byron and his sister, and it was used in “Crimson Peak” as well

a lot of sexy banter and intellectual talk in general (one should never underestimate the tension it creates!)

Draw Me Like One Of Your French Girls™ 

So yeah, this sums up more less what could have been...

Now what went wrong.

Grégoire de Fronsac is boring. Just plain boring, at least in my eyes. I appreciate that he went straight up berserk to avenge Mani though. That was Good Shit.

Marianne de Morangias. Feisty and stubborn, yes. Intelligent, without a doubt. Sensitive, still a bit naive and putting on a shield because she’s growing up in an unfavourable environment. But I have a feeling that she wasn’t exactly written well enough and she’s ends up being at least a bit of an annoying, privileged, poutty child. So there’s that, maybe I’m nitpicking.

Jean-François de Morangias. Simply a wasted character, because Vincent Cassel’s acting was GORGEOUS. He could have been a great antagonist/villain if given a chance, and it was ruined by too much protagonist, running around aimlessly, swashbuckling and kicking through the scenes. Him being the commander of the beast wasn’t explained well enough (because the beast had a commander). And they ended up giving Jean-François the weirdest weapon in the final fight with de Fronsac, which ruined his image entirely and just. Didn’t stick, just what the fuck was that? What the fuck was that nunchaku-sword made of bones????

That beast. It was just laughable. I’m sorry, I was sympathizing the fuck with it, it was a tortured animal put into heavy armour and trained to kill, but just. Wtf was that armour?? Who made that thing and decided it was good to put that into the film???

Too much martial arts, again. What was that for?

I feel like, besides Mani, most of the Native American/POC were depicted in a racist manner, like they weren’t even talking, just fighting, drinking, partying, not talking AT ALL most of the time but growling at each other or others, laughing like maniacs, acting agressive, like animals, even the sexual behaviours shown on the screen were vulgar. I don’t know if it was supposed to show POC through the lens of the white people of that time, but it was awful anyway.

Scenes pointlessly fading one into the other. Probably made to look artistic. Didn’t make sense most of the time.

The plot was full of holes. Just wear a bullet-proof vest next time.

If I can sum this up in any way... Watch it for the beautiful pictures, music, costumes, Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci and Mark Dacascos. And don’t  expect too much from the plot.

[caincifer]

I've been thinking about BNA a lot lately, more specifically about how much it fuck everything up near the end. Let me explain the issues I have with the show. This post would naturally include spoilers of the show's last couple of episodes.

First of all, when you're making a show that deals with the topics of racism and oppression, deciding that the oppressed race should be a race of super human who are incredibly aggressive just for comedy sake maybe isn't the best idea.

Let's take a look on Zootopia for a second. In the movie who saw how the population where manipulated by the villain into discriminating and fearing the predators. But the thing is that this shouldn't be possible is there wasn't already some kind for distrust of the predators from the herbivores citizen. The truth is that the herbivores had already a sentiment of fear for predators that they inherited from their ancestors. THIS is how racism in the real world often works; kids are being told by their stupid parents that "this race of people is dangerous" or that "this kind of people are all criminals, murderers and rapist and you should call the police of you see one of them near the house." Of course, we have to consider that the predators in Zootopia have all claws or fangs or both, which make them look a bit threatening. But just because they have those doesn't mean they're just going to start using them to attack the other animals, just like how you won't expect a sane person to pick up a knife and start stabbing people at random on the streets. Meanwhile, Beastmen in BNA can AND WILL become violent for whatever stupid reason. After all, being aggressive and violent is something that is celebrated in their culture.

What I'm trying to say is that Zootopia does deals with the topic of racism right. The writers created a society that deals with social and racial issues in a realistic that people can relate and take SERIOUSLY. BNA doesn't do that. In the second episode of the show there is an scene where two big idiots got into a fight because they didn't want to wait in line and everyone but Michiru is like "fuck yeah, a fight! I'm so glad to see these two guys inconveniencing us all!" Honestly, what I take from that is that the Beastmen are kinda stupid. Like I wouldn't surprise if it was a common occurrence, back when the Beastmen lived with the human, that a Beastman had to be restrained by several police officers because the Beastman started beating people up in a Burger's because he didn't want to wait in line. In other words, the moment the show threw that joke, it lost the possibility to be a meaningful story that people who were discriminated in real-life could relate to.

And that wasn't even the dumbest thing the show did! No, the dumbest the show did was when the show revealed that Alan, the rich privileged rich douchebag from a powerful family, was actuy a pure-blood Beastman all along. What is a pure-blood Beastman, you ask? I don't know! the show literally introduced that concept in the last episode.

Now, let's think about this for a second. Imagine that one day Trump, or Logan Paul, or whatever rich white celebrity you hate suddenly took off a mask and say "Aha! I was a black guy all along!" Doesn't that sound like the stupidest thing in the world? It is the stupidest thing in the world and the people at Trigger did it only so the show could have a big cool-looking fight between two giant wolves in the last episode. A fight that ultimately had not weight due to it being sustained by a bunch half-baked ideas and plot twists that were dropped minutes earlier. No, Trigger. I don't care about the fight between the pure-blood Beastman Alan and mixed-blood Beastman Shirou. You literally introduced the concept of pure-blood and mixed-blood Beastmen five minutes ago. I really wish that Boris was the main villain. Like, instead of him being a pedophile who helped Alan for some reason that barely explained he was a tragic antagonist who suffered so much because of the way human traits him that he manipulated the church and Nazuna in order take revenge on human. It's a really generic idea for a main villain, and yet it's way better that the shitty plot twist that the show gave us.

Anyway, I really needed to take this out of my chest. If I have to be honest, I have very mixed feelings about the show, I'm mostly disappointed by the direction the story during its second half. In the end BNA reminded a lot of Darling in the Franxx. Both started off as very promising shows but ended up shooting themselves in the foot really badly. Ok, maybe not as bad as Darling in the Franxx, but I certainly think BNA could have done things a lot better. And it's a shame because I really like the characters, the setting, the art-style and the music. It just that the writing was so flawed.

Finally, I have to say that this is just my personal opinion about the show. I'm sure there are a lot of people who were discriminated and oppressed all their life and probably related to the struggle of the Beastmen. In that case, I'm very glad about them.

[heartwoodventures]

It’s Probably Pirates

The letter arrived on Heartwood’s doorstep and almost immediately set off a flurry of speculation among the tight-knit group. It appeared that one of their own was in the gaol. 

Hi! Wow, it’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I hope everything’s been running smoothly. How’s the garden doing? Has it been sunny?

<What follows is several lines of text that’s been scribbled out to the point of resembling a black blob. Following many smudges and water damage, it continues...>

So, to get to the point. I’m writing from Aleport’s jail. Weird, huh? Pretty wild. And unjust! I probably should’ve written that first but jailers only gave me this pen, so I can’t erase and I’m running out of space. Oh, anyway, I was just visiting La Noscea to check on my farm, one thing leads to another, and I get tossed into jail! I’ve told them countless times they have the wrong person, but they won’t listen. They’ve got me mixed up with some pirate and think I’m feigning ignorance. Maybe you guys could tell them otherwise? I don’t know how much more...questioning...I can take.

-Aiswyda

Certain that this was all a misunderstanding, Heartwood hurriedly sent a small team out to Aleport to set things straight and secure the Seawolf’s release. While the port itself was a drunkard-filled hub of commerce, it was also home to one of the Maelstrom’s jails. Built of stone stained white from salt, the gaol was tucked away in one of the settlement’s darker corners guarded by Yellow Jackets posted at the entrance. 

Near the jail’s door was a wooden bulletin board, covered in layers of leaflets old and new. This was where the party agreed to meet. It was cold. The wind was salty. The Yellow Jackets didn’t even bother looking up as the team gathered. 

For his part, Nazyl had been on his way to inform N’yami of the newest development regarding other business. Of course, Heartwood seemed to get up to strange things while he was gone. So now he was...apparently breaking an ally out of jail. He really couldn't get on the Maelstrom's bad side, else it would adversely affect the aforementioned business. Nevertheless, he joined with the rest on the way, grumbling.

Crific meandered through the gate, a scowl on his face as he cast his gaze across those gathered. He'd come as soon as he'd heard the news. Fifteen minutes late, with coffee he’d gotten to go.

To the point as ever, Rolanda arrived and merely looked around at the dreary scene before her, before taking matters into her own hands. "You there! Guard! We're looking for Aiswyda, is she inside?"

The guard’s eyes were glued to his paperback. He wet a finger and turned the page. “What d’ya want.”

Rolanda walked up to the guard. "Our comrade has written us from jail, claiming that she was wrongly imprisoned. We are here to help set matters straight, and to help our friend, who is surely innocent."

Khora joined the Au Ra in her take-charge approach.  "Roegadyn. Named Aiswyda?  Probably wearing a straw hat."

Haila glanced up from the tome she had been reading as others began to gather, all thankfully familiar faces. As she tucked on the tome by her side, the viera took a deep breath before speaking up. "I'd ask despite having tried to look into matters myself, but no one has an inkling of what happened with Miss Wyda right?"

Crific glanced at Haila, shaking his head. "Just her letter." He shifted his gaze to the Rolanda and the guard.

"I'm unsure of what's going on." G’lewra replied, humming in thought for a moment. After hearing what happened she had decided to join the investigation. Right before leaving, however, she had a very long conversation with her daughter about how her loud mouth would've had her end up in jail as well. She just phrased it....in a more motherly way.

"Hard ta b'lieve she'd be considahd a pirate, she's rathah pleasant companeh." Nazyl added. But then again, so were Claws for a time, "Might we...know why she's bein' accused of bein' a pirate?"

The guard now looked up from his paperback, the cover of which featured a petite au ra, swooning in the arms of a very beefy roegadyn. 

“Tch...persistent buggers. Aye, I know that straw hat wearing pirate.” he snorted at Rolanda and Khora. “Set matters straight? Oh, just let me get out me keys and unlock her cell, an’ we can all part ways smellin’ of biscuits and gravy!” The guard rolled his eyes.

Unimpressed, Khora arched a brow at the guard's sarcasm.  "And for what is she even being imprisoned?  A pirate you say?  And how did you come to such a conclusion?"

Haila frowned at the remark, her research into Aiswyda's case had turned up no results at all... But if such an accusation was true, well, she was both hesitant and reluctant to connect the dots in that case.

For the moment, Crific remained silent. There were enough voices, though his scowl was growing deeper by the minute.

After some grumbling, the guard hobbled to the bulletin board, and directed the party there. “Just comb through those papers. She’s part of a pirate crew. Red Argos. Bleedin’ ‘ells, it’s me break. Can’t get a wink of rest ‘round here.”

Crific brushed forward to peer at the bulletin board, though he left enough room for others to search as well. "Red Argos," he repeated, muttering to himself. He found several papers detailing a mysterious cult of zombie worshippers. Interesting, but useful? Nope.

"Red Argos huh..." Nazyl added. There were so many names it was difficult to keep track of every crew in the sea. Given the height of the board, he'd need someone else to read it, and he wasn't about to start being antagonistic now.

Rolanda walked over to join Crific at the board. "What have we here..."

She found several advertisements for the Arcanist’s guild in Limsa Lominsa. A picture of what appears to be a carbuncle being ridden into battle! Neat!

There were so many papers. Bounties. Advertisements. It may take some digging to find what they were looking for.

Crific exhaled, and started digging deeper. Could be the charges against Aiswyda and her purported crew were old. "When were these bounties placed?" He directed the question to the guard, though he didn't look up.

The guard waved a hand in the air. “Eugh. Maybe like, two weeks old.”

Crific glanced at the dates on the current flyers, and started flipping through, looking for dates a sennight earlier and found something. Labeled ‘page 2’, a paper that detailed Red Argos’s exploits. They’re known to attack ships that are part of the Eorzean alliance. Not just that, but...generally speaking, there were no survivors. The ships might be seen again later, but the goods? The sailors? Gone. Outside of that, the pirates were known to even target local settlements for coin, supplies, and people. Kidnapping.

Crific tugs a flyer down, frowning as he noted the page number. "Have the second page of something, here. Concerns the crew, at least. Nasty business." He runs his finger down a list, "Attacking alliance ships, leaving no survivors--or at least none aboard. Local settlements, too--pillaging, kidnapping.""

Khora found something that looked promising. A bundle of marks, all detailing the last known actions of a group of pirates known as ‘Red Argos.’ Page 1 described the physical appearance of the gang. All Sea Wolves, donning a red ribbon earring. Approach with caution! They are well equipped, and attack on sight. Unfortunately, the other pages are scattered elsewhere.

The Seeker rubbed his chin, squinting as he read over leaflets and pamphlets sprawled across the bulletin board.  "Hrrmm..."  Thoughtful hum echoing in the back of his throat as his eyes wandered across the page.  "I mean Sea Wolf yes but...  Does she even wear a red ribbon earring?  Gods I cannot recall..."

Unable to peruse the board, Nazyl approached the cells instead, glancing through them. The system of 'law' they used certainly could use improvement, but it was better than nothing. Had he been born anywhere else, he likely wouldn't have considered living in Vylbrand. He glanced back at the guard, still hesitant to say anything.

Rolanda, meanwhile, found page 3 of Red Argos’s report. It was a list of scattered observations. Unlike bandits, or other pirate groups, these pirates seemingly strike at random. No discernable pattern in their attacks, or the locations at which they strike. There’s even been alleged sightings of the pirates in Coerthas! Rumors, or facts? It’s unclear. She shared the information with the rest of the group. 

"Perhaps we could look for clues in Coerthas, if we find nothing else useful here. There are certainly more pages to this report that may hold some useful information.” she suggested. 

"Pirates...in Coerthas?" Nazyl raised a brow, "Uh, that's...an odd place fer seafarin' bandits ta be. Water's all but frozen there."

With so many flyers torn from the bounty board, the last page of the Red Argos reports could be seen by all. It contained sketches of known members. One perfectly resembles Aiswyda, albeit in a different outfit. There were notes under each sketch which indicate that each was likely to be a leader of some sort. However, the captain of the crew had yet to be determined.

Crific did a doubletake as he noticed the board. 

"Now that is troublesome..." Haila muttered upon seeing the sketch resembling Aiswyda. 

G'lewra pressed a finger to her chin for a moment as she thought it over. "I believe since our company is under the orders of the Adder's I do believe we would need Captain Alarone to come collect our fellow member." Her ears flicked. "But if these pirates are stationed in Coerthas then we'll also have to worry about the Ishgardian Knights collecting her as well."

"The uncertainty of who may have to collect her could give us time to look deeper into this case. Because as it stands right now, a striking resemblance won't help us getting her out soon." Haila said. 

Crific frowned slightly. "We'd need to provide the actual pirate to prove Wyda's innocence, if I had to make a wager."

The guard snorted and wiped his nose roughly with the corner of his arm. “Hah! Let ‘er out. Yer jokin’, right?” He gave them all a smug smile. “Maelstrom’s got plans to hold on to this one, ‘til the rest of the bloody crew can be brought in.”

Nazyl nodded to Crific, then turned to the guard, "....There's othahs that ain't been caught yet?"

The guard nodded. “No dice. Damned pirates be actin’ weird, poppin’ up in all sorts of places. Unpredictable. An’ we can’t be spreadin’ our forces so thin. So this lass here be our best clue to findin’ the rest.” He shook his head slowly. “Now if we could just get a clue out of that bleedin’ straw hat. Some idea of where the scoundrels might strike next.”

Khora arched a brow.  Silver eyes settled on the guard for but a moment before shifting to the rest of his party.  "Did someone say..."  Excitement grew in his expression, a smile running wide as suddenly Khora drew his sword and raised it to the air.  "PIRATE HUNT?!"

Haila startled briefly, unsure of whether it had been Khora’s excitement at such a thing, or the fact that the miqo'te had just waved a sword in front of the guards like that. She sighed rather audibly, shaking her head in disapproval as she kept silent, praying that the small outburst didn't bring trouble in and of itself.

G'lewra reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small bag that was filled with biscuits. "Here darling, have a biscuit." She said while holding the bag out to Khora, hopefully to calm Khora down and to make sure the guard doesn't think the group was filled with idiots.

Khora's excitement settled as his attention was drawn to G'lewra, with ears falling flat over his head.  "What is...?"  The Seeker peered at Lewra as he sheathed his blade back into its scabbard.

She then strolled forward to speak with the guard, a calm smile curving her features to show she wasn't about to rip him a new one. "My dear, if possible, our company is under the order of the Twin Adders and we have a captain that keeps an eye on us. If it would be alright with your captain might it be alright for us to take this prisoner to help us hunt the rest down? That way your forces aren't spread so thin and our company can have one less worry when we do our trade."

Nazyl bit his lip. He felt it wouldn't be so easy, the Grand Companies rarely work together so well...the Frontlines were invented for settling disputes after all.

The guard pursed his lips. “Huh. Twin Adders?” He looked across the area, suspicious but interested. “I’ll bring this up, but no promises. The ‘igher ups are interested in ‘er, and me hands are tied. I don’t have that authority.”

“If you want though, I could let ye in to visit ‘er. Maybe you can get something outta ‘er now.” The guard shut his book. “It’s almost time for me shift to begin anyway.”

Crific glanced at G’lewra. She was far too optimistic towards the Grand Company's leniency--but at least they could visit. "We'd be much obliged." He nodded at the guard’s offer.

The Seeker’s eyes lit up as the guard offered them to let the group speak to Aiswyda. "If you don't mind, dear, we would appreciate it." Looking over to Khora, the head medic simply smiled at him. "Snacks, I've learned to keep some on me to keep the members going in tough situations."

"Oh I am far from a 'tough situation' there friend."  Khora’s ears rose once more to flicker over his head while a wide grin spread across his lips.  "I'm actually getting excited about this pirate hu-  Wait..."  The Seeker froze up, tension clear in his body as his eyes went wide.  "C-Coerthas...?"

Bloody. Frozen. Coerthas. 

The guard nodded, and got up with a big stretch. “Alright. Stay close now.”

He led the party down a narrow hallway, cells to the left and right of them. It was a cramped walkway that required everyone to walk in single file, and shoulders brush as oncoming jailers went on their patrols.

Some jail cells were occupied, others were not. Thick, iron bars separate the criminals and the law. A few rowdy individuals rushed up to the gates of their cells and reached out towards the party, calloused hands grasping for freedom. Such behavior was quickly halted by the jailers, but that didn’t stop the imprisoned from clapping back with insults and jibes.

After several turns and going through locked doors, the guard stopped. To the left, an empty cell. To the right, Aiswyda sat on a stool, facing away. She was looking out the small, reinforced window that lets in a thin trickle of light.

The guard rapped on the iron bars, and the Sea Wolf quickly turned. On seeing familiar faces, she lit up, and stumbled up to meet them. Her long hair, though matted, was still tied in a messy braid. She donned a cloth bandage around her eye. Bruises and small cuts could be spotted on her body.

"Evenin' sunshine. Prison rags hardleh suit ye." Nazyl greeted. 

Crific seemed unmoved by the state of the prison, bringing up the rear of the party as the guard led them through the winding passages. His scowl grew at the state of her, but he didn’t seem surprised.

“Nazyl! Everyone!” Aiswyda looked excited and relieved. “Aha, yeah. Jail isn’t exactly the place for expressing one’s creativity in fashion though.....”

"Oh dear.....who did this to you, sweetpea?" G'lewra had to stop herself from moving in to try and heal Aiswyda but with the current situation at hand she had to stay put.

“The...guards.” Aiswyda briefly glanced at the Yellow Jacket that was currently monitoring the prisoner visit. “I think.”

"Yer good fer toughin' it out though. We're here ta try n' set things right." Nazyl replied. 

Aiswyda was nearly in tears. She couldn’t seem to express herself at the moment, and so she simply gave Nazyl a hearty thumbs up. When she finally collected herself, she managed to reply, “It’s been rough. Not exactly thriving, but living.”

Crific glanced at G'lewra, biting back on a sigh as Aiswyda answered. He'd thought as much. "Expect it to get worse afore it gets better. There's more pirates in the crew they've mistaken you for a part of, and they want them, one way or another." He tried to keep his tone neutral, but there's a gruff displeasure in his voice.

“Ah yeah. Red Argos, I think?” Aiswyda visibly deflated at Crific’s statement. “ I swear, I don’t know the first thing about them. You all know I’ve spent most of my time with Heartwood, in the Shroud.”

"Oh Wyda.." Haila’s voice trailed off with worry over the roegadyn's state. "Do you think you can hold on just a little longer while we figure this whole mess out?"

Aiswyda was grateful for Haila’s concern. “I think so. But I won’t lie, it’s pretty...wild. In here.”

"Good news is, there seems ta be othahs out there that ain't been caught yet. I reckon if we can find 'em first, we could squeeze info outta 'em regardin' this othah woman who jsut so happens ta look like ye." Nazyl paused for a moment, blinking, "Ye don't happen ta have siblin's, do ye?"

“I don’t.....think so?” Aiswyda crossed her arms, a little sheepish. "You think I have an evil twin?"

"Not rulin' out the possibiliteh. The similaritehs between ye two -are- rathah uncanneh."

Crific raked a hand back through his hair, his stoic expression fracturing slightly as he turned away, silent for a long moment, though he had ears on the conversation.

“That’s what she said too......” Aiswyda scratched her head in thought. “Oh! I mean. There’s been someone who’s been visiting my jail cell often. She’s always asking me stuff like that.”

Nazyl canted his head some, "Someone...? Who? From that response, it sounds like she's seekin' the same as us..."

"Maelstrom officer, if I had to guess." Crific muttered.

"More than likely given how serious the Argos’s crimes are." Haila agreed. 

“Yeah, the Maelstrom and I have had a lot of. Talks.” She pauses. “But also, someone else. A lalafell who goes by the name of Momori. I think she works for someone who had something stolen by the pirates.”

Crific glanced back at Aiswyda. "Do you know where this Momori can be found? She may have more information on the pirates that we'd be able to put to use."

"Aye, she could make it easiah fer us ta hunt down the rest in hidin'." Nazyl added. 

“I don’t know where she is, for obvious reasons.” She motioned to the cell around her. “But given that she’s visited me several times, maybe she’s still in town? She’s a red haired lalafell, about yay tall.” Aiswyda crouched down and placed her hand on the ground, then raised it up somewhat. “Like Nazyl.”

Crific grunted at the description. It wasn't much, but it was probably enough, if she was staying in Aleport.

"Plains, or Dunes? Small detail, but it helps." Nazyl asked. 

“She’s visited about four times. Mostly to ask me about the pirates, or to update me on her own investigation status. She doesn’t...” Aiswyda abruptly stopped. Pursed her lips together, words failing her. “She doesn’t think it’s a coincidence, that I happen to look like one of the pirates. A hunch. I think it’s all baloney, but hey. Anything’s  possible I guess. She’s quite tan. Which, em, I don’t think is specific to either? OH. Her eyes are glassy. Dunesfolk! ....right?”

"That'd be Dunesfolk aye. Alright, that'll make it easeh ta track her." the lalafell nodded. 

The Yellow Jacket piped up. “Dunesfolk? Oh, aye. Right. That ones got ‘eavin pockets...Ye might find ‘er in the alehouses. Seen ‘er there many times.” He shook his head. “Haven’t ever seen a lalafell down so much drink. God forbid.”

"This lalafell sounds like a good lead. Should we head to the tavern and see what we can see?" Rolanda asked, looking to the rest of the group.

"Sounds like the best option for now while we try to figure everything out." Haila agreed. 

Aiswyda nodded. “Good luck. And thanks for visiting!” She tried to sound her usual, bright self, but it sounded a little hollow. The guard, sensing the party’s intent, pushed the group along towards the exit, as Aiswyda watched for as long as she could.

Crific lingered behind, turning to Aiswyda with an unreadable expression; he held up a finger to the guard ushering the others out and motioned that he'd follow in a moment. "Eat whatever they give you, regardless of what it is, you'll need your strength to heal. Keep all your wounds clear as you can, and out of the damp." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "We'll figure this out before long." He turned, then, without giving her a chance to reply, and hurried after the others.

The Aleport tavern was bustling with activity! Seamen, merchants, adventurers, farmers...they all came here to share a table. To play a hand of cards while guzzling ale. As such, it was incredibly loud inside the tavern. Orders were hollered above the noise, above the brawl that had broken out in the corner. All and all, a good time.

Nazyl wrinkled his nose at the smell of a Limsan bar--generally unpleasant, and the sheer amount of alcohol didn't help. He grimaced, scanning the area--a lively lot, but it wasn't hard to spot one out of place.

At one of the tables, a red haired lalafell was playing a game of poker with several others. Her hair was neatly tucked in a bun, and her attire reflected someone of a scholarly nature. She was out of place, surrounded by salty sailors and the like.

They were betting at the moment. The lalafell wordlessly slid in a hefty amount of gil, and as they went around, a few others dropped out. Three, including the lalafell, stay in. Cards were exposed. Sweat beads on a sailor’s forehead. The lalafell is unblinking. It was almost like she was wearing a mask.

The final turn came around, and it was down to two. But the pressure gets to the final player, who folds. The lalafell takes the pot without ever revealing her hand.

Rolanda motioned to the lalafell playing cards. "This looks like the one, eh?"

Nazyl wasted no time and approached the table.

The lalafell already had her eyes on Nazyl. She hopped off her stool and simply stared at the other lalafell. “Hello. What do you want.”

Khora leaned close to G'lewra, nearly hovering over her shoulder as he whispered.  "Think we'll get to see a Lalafell fight?"

"I would hope not, my dear, as I'm the only medic currently here and I'm not too sure these two would give up too easily." She whispered back.

Nazyl had to do a double take. He swore for a moment he was looking at a former employer, but smaller. The surprise was quickly wiped from his face, "Nazyl. I hear ye've been down ta the jails questionin' a good friend of ourse recentleh."

Crific hovered in the back, his shoulders sagging slightly. He seemed more distracted after leaving the gaol, somehow, though his expression was as hard to read as ever.

Momori stared at the group, expressionless. Stoic. There’s a long pause, and then finally. “Nazyl. You all must be from her company. She told me about all of you.” She raised a brow. “Are you here to speak business?"

Khora's hands rose to rest atop his head.  "As much I would like to say leisure...  Business it is."

"Straight ta the point, aye. We also think she was wrongfulleh imprisoned, n' will do what we need ta get her out, lawfulleh mind." Nazyl nodded, "I got the idea of huntin' down the crew o' Red Argos n' seein' if we could squeeze info outta them."

Momori tilted her head. “Our goal is one and the same then. To bring those pirates to justice.”

Nazyl nodded again, "So it is. Thought ye might be able ta help in that regard, ye seem ta have been on this case longah."

“Oh and I’m Momori. Nice to meet you all, the weather is great, have you tried the ale.” she said dryly. “Now that we have that out of the way, yes. I have been to visit your friend. While I don’t think she did it, I also don’t think she’s giving us the full picture. Nothing is quite as it seems.”

Momori snapped open a small, worn journal. “Pirates spotted in Coerthas. Targeting very, very particular ships. An interest in trafficking bodies. I dare say, we may have something fun on our hands.”

Crific grunted quietly at mention of 'fun'. Their definitions probably varied.

"What...ships? There's no large bodehs of water that way lest ye head towards Dravania. Unless..." Nazyl tapped his chin, "Airships?"

Momori drew her lips back slightly. “Before I can tell you more, I’d like to propose a deal. You want your friend freed and I want my client’s treasure recovered. We’re both chasing after the same pirates. Shall we work together?”

"That was the idea. What deal were ye proposin'?"

“I have some ideas of where Red Argos might strike next. What their goal is. But I’m just one lalafell.” She looked to the company. “That’s where you guys come in. To wherever the pirates strike, you can go and capture them. Collect their bounties if you care to. I’m only interested in the stolen artifact.”

Khora's ears flattened over his head with his posture slouching greatly.  "Gods...  Coerthas of all places?  I thought pirates preferred warm and sunny weather, not the freezing cold and snow..."

“I can also tell you a bit about what to expect. These aren’t your ordinary pirates, that’s for sure. Most would pawn off stolen goods as soon as a buyer is found, but these? They’re hanging on to what they get. It’s dangerous.”

Nazyl narrowed his eyes, "They sound like the type ta carreh tainted shite thinkin' they can control it. As if I alreadeh didn't have enough on me plate with Focalor..." He sighed, "Should mention I make me livin' as a Void huntah, so this ain't news ta me. I'm still baffled as ta why they set up shop in Coerthas of all places, but whatevah. It'll be their folleh when they're stripped n' freezin'."

“Of course they can’t control it. They’re pirates, not scholars.” She sighed, taking off her glasses and polishing each lens with her sleeve. “Anyway, we have a deal. Still compiling my research, but I’ll send word as soon as I’m certain where the pirates will strike next. Let’s stay in touch.”

The lalafell seemed very pleased by this outcome, and she gave each member a hearty handshake and a small bow. “I look forward to working with you all.”

"Mm. Ye'll probableh need ta contact one o' them, not me. I've got...business out in the sea." Nazyl replied. 

Crific shook hands reluctantly, looking not at all thrilled by the prospect of mysterious pirates and worse -- artifacts -- but he'd do his part.

It seemed there was nothing else to do except wait for Momori’s investigation to bear fruit.

[thebeautyofdisorder]

The Undone & The Divine (BBC Dracula) - Chapter 8

A/N: Okay, sorry it’s been like two weeks since I posted the last chapter. I am such a mess. This is a bit shorter, more of a set up than anything, but informative? I have so many ideas for this, that it took me a minute to figure out in sequence what’s going to happen when.

Pairing: Dracula & Agatha/Zoe, off and on Dracula/OFC

Rating: M, for blood, language, and mercenaries with guns.

Chapters 1-2 Here - Chapter 3 Here - Chapter 4 Here - Chapter 5 Here - Chapter 6 Here - Chapter 7 Here

Can be found on AO3 - Right HERE - or enjoy below the cut

Chapter 8

By all accounts he appears as a human man, at varying states of age depending upon how regularly and well he is fed, lingering even at his most satiated at around 45-50 years – presumably the age of his death. His hair is thick and inky black, kept shorter and slicked back when in public view; his nose aquiline and aristocratic; his eyes appear black at a distance but in close quarters and lighting seem to have a dark mossy-brown hue; admirable bone structure, and a mouth that is at times both harsh and jovial depending upon what impression he wishes to put across at the time. His accent is tainted by those of his victims, but always holds a slight thickness and gravel, reminiscent of his native tongue. His teeth, even when not in the state of blood frenzy, still seem longer and sharper than normal, particularly the canines. His fingernails also are long and honed to a point, and seem to be of inhuman durability and sharpness. He is excessively tall and somewhat broad, though of a generally slim build regardless of his bestial strength. No physical deformities upon the rest of his body when in his humanoid state, though his eyes can seem to gleam in the darkness like those of other nocturnal beasts.

When in the presence of human blood, those eyes dilate and become ringed in crimson, and all blunt edges of his teeth sharpen to slight but lethal points. Animalistic tendencies manifest – hissing, snarling, growling, the hunched stance of a predator, etc. Interestingly, he also seems to bare all the normative signs of the common morphine addict – tension, restless movements, irritability, the inability to control his emotions and behavior. He possesses speed the likes of which the human eye can barely detect, but only in small bursts in the midst of attack, by my witness. He was able to manifest a continual fog, as stated earlier in my narrative, and could very well be at fault for the storm swirling in the seas now, as I write. He can deform himself to fit into any small space, one could assume, though I have only seen him do this by defiling the physical forms of other living beings – notably a wolf at the convent, and the late Jonathan Harker, who was also undead at the time. Whether that’s relevant to this ability, I don’t particularly know. He can call wolves and bats to his service, and possibly flies – whether this works with all creatures and he’s merely chosen these for theatrical purposes, or if he’s limited to creatures of darkness and decay, I have yet to discover.

The ‘kiss of the vampire’ is a strong opiate, meaning most victims are often unaware of his bite or the danger they are in until it is too late. He can create and control the dream state in which they enter, often choosing scenarios of an erotic nature. Whether this is for his own amusement or because of the effect it has on the blood, I can only deduce. This method seems to be equally employed through both sexes though I have yet to see any direct indications of intercourse, willing or unwilling. If he possesses a sex drive at all, it is seemingly outranked by his desire to feed.  

He is highly intelligent and possesses a biting wit, which in another context might even be endearing, and his charm is carefully honed to attract potential victims. Though his mental weaknesses are notable, including his arrogance, lack of self-awareness, and dependence on his victims to take in and retain key skills and information. As opposed to learning the language of a new land through study, he merely drains one of its countrymen and absorbs their inherent knowledge. This leads to a flurry of unpredictable behavior and reckless death, and also speaks of his impatience and lack of discipline, which has undoubtedly lessened with age. He was, in life, an excellent ruler and even better general with a skill for strategy currently wasted on petty mind games. If he could ever reach a point of managing his appetite for blood and destruction, he could be an invaluable resource - a first-hand witness to the last four hundred years of European history.

I’m sure you will, dear brother, quickly dismiss this as folly, but however much you would like to categorize him as yet another mindless demon from the pit, I assure you he is anything but. He may fear the cross, but don’t think there is a heavenly power that instilled that fear. It reeks of an entirely human weakness. You would do well to remember that, should you run across him or any of his kind in the future. While his existence seems to have been very luck of the draw, it’s nowhere near as anomalous as Dracula himself would like us to believe. Others could have survived and done what he has done. In fact, I could almost guarantee it.

Zoe read through Agatha’s words again, this particular afterward for maybe the twentieth time since she’d found it. Not for any particular information, more over just marveling at the clarity, simplicity, and dare-she-say fondness with which it was written, in comparison to the information she’d been brought up with. Shockingly, the nun was able to more realistically sum up the vampire than any other Van Helsing before or after her (granted, she had the firsthand experience), and with so much less fire and brimstone, religious nonsense. It was half of why she’d spent so long away from ‘the family business’ as it were, until she’d had to take over the institute. Science had always been the only god she would acknowledge.

Whatever logic Agatha had administered from across the pond however, while well used, had been entirely riddled with her elder brother’s showmanship and particularly Catholic brand of fending off the forces of darkness. Agatha may have seen him as the devil incarnate, but that didn’t stop her from acknowledging his humanity – and in that, Zoe couldn’t help but agree. Dracula was very much still a man, no matter how immortal or powerful, and he still had all of man’s other weaknesses, sans physical vulnerabilities. Minor detail.

She supposed it had made it easier for both the zealot and the scientist to see their subject of animosity as no better than a rabid dog that needed to be analyzed and destroyed. But that had never been the case at all. A self-serving lesson to learn, she had to admit, but an important one. So long as he had retained some of his humanity, there was certainly hope for her.

It was the only thing keeping her sane through the mock trial this experiment had turned into. Every turn she was being questioned and analyzed harder than she had since grad school, and yet still regarded as the antagonistic and dangerous party. It was a contradiction that made her genuinely question the mental capacity of her colleagues.

Yes, let's aggravate the person we're terrified of. Honestly.

Their latest critique, however she loathed to admit it, was actually sound. They needed a control. A 'direct contact' feed to compare to her bottled one, and they all knew there was only one vampire to compare to. Clearly they didn't actually expect him to participate, they only wanted to de-legitimize her process.

But it would make an impact, wouldn't it?

-----

It was just before sunset, traces of red just beginning to seep onto the surface of the sun, and for the first time in a great while, Count Dracula was unenthused. He was beginning to be rather fond of daylight, even if it came with certain disadvantages, as he was beginning to discover. Perhaps vampires were better off as creatures of the night after all.

Most if not all of his preternatural abilities were greatly weakened by the sun, though why he wasn't sure. It made him feel languid and slow, which was perfectly fine for an afternoon on the beach, but highly inconvenient when he got hungry and none of his more willing resources were available. Physical conditioning or a lesser reality of the lore he'd always accepted, who was to say?

Who indeed.

He had given Zoe plenty of space to run her little experiments without interference, aside from keeping an 'eye' out to ensure she wasn't in any immediate danger. But there was only so long that would last, and despite having ample opportunity to create more brides...he felt like he needed more answers before that inevitability occurred.

Agatha had been right, annoyingly, as usual. Lab rats were not something he needed, especially ones who could question him on topics even he didn't fully understand anymore.

If the Van Helsing women were good for anything, aside from healthy competition, it was certainly bluntness and clarity. Being the only thing close to another vampire of any mental capacity to be in his proximity for over 300 years certainly didn't hurt.

Zoe Van Helsing was someone he needed, a concept he could scarcely understand and wasn't entirely fond of, but if he wasn't mistaken, she needed him as well - and hated it even more.

----

"Dr. Helsing, is this really necessary?"

Zoe found herself staring at the younger but far more egotistical doctor through the glass that separated them with an expression not unlike one would give a particularly frustrating insect who refused to die as fast as she wished it would.

"Is what necessary?"

The man, Dr. Connors, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, punctuating his next words with unnecessary flare.

"Well, our sponsor doesn't understand the necessity of this trial, when it cannot possibly prove anything. All of our intel on the 'vampiric condition' states simply that they require blood to sustain life, but also that it's nearly impossible to kill them. Surely your continued …  existence without blood doesn't fully prove or disprove anything. And without anything to compare it to…"

"For now," she interrupted stubbornly, attempting to ignore his tendency to discuss her as though she were a theoretical construct.

"Even so," he continued blandly, "There are surely better uses of our time, in the face of an increasing number of...undead. Preventative measures, protection for the innocent. Unless you can get some sort of control data…"

Their 'sponsor' had sent this idiot to report back on how his precious money was being spent,  and it had become an increasingly infuriating thorn in her side. Or stake in her heart, she was sure he hoped. Zoe had just begun to second guess her tendencies toward homicide, when she felt the tell-tale hairs begin to rise on the back of her neck.

"Oh fuck me," she cursed aloud, completely indifferent to the confused looks of those observing her. They wouldn't be confused for long.

"Careful what you wish for Doctor."

Everyone but Zoe took a startled glance around. She turned around, eyes directly finding the dark ones on the outside of the glass, quirking a stern brow despite the relative chaos of everyone else receding into the corners in panic.

Count Dracula merely flashed her a shit-eating grin in response, relishing her disapproval in equal measure to the human fear beginning to fill the room. Pungent and yet satisfying, she noted, rather unhappily.

"Oh Zoe how the tables have turned," he couldn't resist prodding at her through the encasement, ignoring the guns pointed at his back in favor of taunting her, hands in his pockets. The picture of malicious nonchalance.

She wasn't trapped, as he had been. They'd learned their lesson in that regard at least, but it was a barrier she'd permitted for her own sanity. Watching everyone walk on eggshells around her was grating, and it ruined her focus. Plus, it helped with the sensory overload until she got more accustomed to it.

"And yet you're still the one at gunpoint," Zoe shot back with a hint of a blithe smile.

He turned and directed his overly fond smile towards the tattooed gentleman with the over-sized assault weapon, greeting him like an old friend. The man that Zoe had never seen with a single facial expression looked so dumbstruck that she had to fight down a laugh. This was apparently the last straw for their visiting dictator.

"Count Dracula," came more of a squeak than a shout from the bespectacled doctor's mouth, with such a forced amount of distaste that Zoe was now certain he had lost his mind entirely. "You will not be permitted to attack anyone here."

Shooting Zoe an incredulous look, mostly as she could read translating to ‘Is he serious?’, the vampire watched her answering eye roll very obviously telling him ‘He's an idiot, but reports to the money’.

Dracula finally looked away from their silent exchange, and took out a small pocket flask, not unlike the one he'd left her before, and shook it in the other man's general direction as he passed by him with total indifference.

"Not to worry, I brought my own," he stated, opening it and taking a long swig. It cleared a direct pathway for him easily, bee-lining for Dr. Bloxham who sat at the control panel. She naturally flinched on his approach, despite trying to hide it. He noticed and flashed her a charming smile, to his credit only showing the slightest hint of fang.

"Terribly sorry about the finger," the Count apologized humbly, almost convincingly sincere as he draped a long arm over the back of her chair. "...But would you mind letting me in?"

Bloxham looked somewhat confused. "You want to go in there?" Her eyes shot up to the ceiling. The sun had not completely set. He gave her an encouraging smile with a faint trace of pity.

"I would love to go in there."

Zoe merely rolled her eyes and tapped on the table with relative impatience, as he paced through the parted seas of scientists and interns alike to join her in the completely ineffective glass prison.

"You evil little thing, you didn't tell them," he accused with quiet glee as he approached her from the opposite side of the table.

"If their superstitions help them feel safe, then all the better for me," she excused in a murmur, hoping he hadn't just given the game away completely.

His grin was one of near pride, as he bent his tall form forward to rest his hands on the table. "I can go slit his throat if you want me to. Heaven knows you won't."

She sighed, not trusting herself to answer. "Why are you here?" she asked instead.

"You needed me, didn't you?"

------

Okay, so this could go really amusingly or very terribly - we’ll see what I come up with, eh? Shouldn’t be as long of a wait this time, fingers crossed.

Tag List: @break-free-killer-queen @mephdcosplay @charlesdances @punk-courtesan  @crowley-needs-a-hug @hoefordarkness @bellamortislife @malkaviangirl @imagineandimagine @chelsfic @dracula-s-bride @my-fanfic-library @hyacinth-meadow @mymagicsuitcase @littlemessyjessi @desperatefrenchwriter @ss9slb @crazytxgradstudent @claesbang @mr-kisskiss-bangbang @gettingcrazyforlife @carydorse @dreamerkim @gatissed @alhoyin @girlonfireice @festering-queen @jangleprojet  @guardianbelle @vampiregirl1797

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[mcheang]

Pre-Chat Blanc dates - School

Ok. I know I already wrote a summary of what I think their dates could have included but I fear we may never get episodes of our fav couple actually dating once they get together. Like, seeing them on an actual date, not a picture of it. So I’ve decided to start a series Pre-Chat Blanc dates. Hope you enjoy!

It was only the second day of school. Not of the school year, but since Adrien and Marinette started going out.

Marinette still couldn’t believe this was her reality, that Adrien asked her to be his girlfriend, or that she actually got up early for the second time in a row!

Yesterday, Marinette had woken up early to meet with Adrien before class started.

Ok, Adrien woke Marinette up. He called beforehand to make sure she was actually awake.

Marinette is not an early bird, so maybe she could be excused for sounding grumpy on the phone. Still, Adrien cheered her up when he laughed and said, “I’ll wait for you before I enter class. I want to introduce my new girlfriend to everyone once I step inside.”

Cue ladybugs in her stomach.

To say they made an entrance was something. Marinette had rushed over as soon as she could and had just stood there in front of Adrien nervously, worried that somehow he had changed his mind. But Adrien’s face had lit up at the sight of her. He had stepped forward and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

Marinette made a face. “The only good mornings are late mornings.” (She lost her babbling curse over the weekend exchanging phone calls)

Adrien laughed again, his voice musical and golden. He shrugged, “I’ve woken up before dawn for shoots, so I guess I can emphsazize.”

Taking her hand, Adrien asked softly, “Are you ready to face the wolves?”

Ugh. Chloe and Lila. Marinette knew she had to put up with them for Adrien’s sake but now they would be worse than ever.

She exhaled. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Squeezing her hand, Adrien led the way to class, casually slinging his arm around her shoulders as they neared the door.

The moment they stepped through, Marinette’s female friends immediately started applauding and cheering. (They had spent a long time investing in this relationship. It was about time it paid off. Also...Alya may have taken a picture of Chloe’s expression. *evil laughter* priceless!)

Alix: Finally!

The guys had stopped doing whatever they had been doing to look at the new couple and let the information sink in. And when it did, they all grinned.

Nino: Congrats Bro! Good job Dudette!

Kim: Hey, you guys could even double date with me and Undine.

Nino: Best bros first, dude!

Mylene: Ivan and I would love to double date with you two. (Ivan just looks at Mylene lovingly.)

Lila had been frozen, her mouth open in horrified disbelief. But when the congratulations had come pouring out, she reassembled her expression and put in her piece. Smiling all saccharine, she cooed, “I knew you two would make such a perfect couple. Really newsworthy, you know?”

Adrien tightened his hold on Marinette rather defensively. He ignored Marinette’s confused glance as he glared at Lila. The girl who had hurt Kagami, who had tried to sabotage his Lady (now Girlfriend). Adrien wasn’t taking any chances with Lila.

“Actually Lila,” he made his voice sound neutral (it would not look good to sound antagonistic in front of class), “we plan on keeping our relationship low-key. But I’m sure you can keep a secret, can’t you? After all, you’re Ladybug’s best friend.”

Lila’s eyes widened at the threat. If word got out about their relationship, Adrien would blame Lila and would expose her for the fraud she is. She kept her now rather stiff smile on her face and simpered, “Of course, Adrien, I understand completely.”

Lila seethed internally. She may not be able to target Marinette using Adrien’s fan club but she had another advantage neither of them were aware about. Gabriel Agreste. (Yeah, she didn’t plan on Gabriel telling her to solve the problem since that was why he agreed to trust her word)

“It’s ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” Chloe finally burst out, her face as red as a strawberry. “Adrikins with...with Dupain-Cheng! I have never heard of anything more absurd. Adrien, you must know she only likes you for your connection to fashion, right?”

Marinette moved to defend herself but Adrien got there first. He wasn’t going to let Chloe badmouth Marinette. Even if she wasn’t his Girlfriend, he wouldn’t let Chloe hurt any of his friends.

“That’s enough, Chloe!” Chloe looked stunned. “Marinette is my girlfriend and if you were my Friend, you’d be happy for me.”

Chloe didn’t want to be happy for them. She wanted to be Adrien’s Girlfriend, but she also didn’t want to lose one of her only few friends. She looked at Sabrina (who had smiled at the sight of the new couple), pleading silently to let it go.

“Fine!” huffed Chloe. “I’ll keep quiet. You’ll see I’m right in the end, Adrikins.”

That was the day before, this was today.

Marinette rushed to school, knowing every second with Adrien was to be cherished. Even if they were dating now, his schedule was still fully booked. They had to use whatever spare time they could find. And if that meant waking up early, so be it.

Marinette spotted Adrien first. Her face brightened and she started running in earnest.

Adrien heard the sound of footfalls and turned, his face lighting up once he saw Marinette. Opening his arms, Adrien caught Marinette readily as she leaped into them.

Once in each other’s embrace, the thought entered their minds. This is home.

Distantly they could hear Chloe sulk and walk away but they were too absorbed in the moment to care.

“Up early again, Princess?” Adrien murmured.

“What can I say, Sleeping Beauty had a Prince to wake her up,” Marinette replied.

Adrien laughed softly and pulled back so he could look into Marinette’s bright morning blue eyes (yeah, maybe he should keep that analogy to himself) then he kissed her softly.

Marinette’s lips were soft and tasted of sugar and vanilla, or was it chocolate? Adrien was too far gone to care and only indulged himself further.

It was Marinette who finally ended the kiss. Cheeks flaming, she saw they had witnesses (some with raised eyebrows). “So much for keeping low-key.”

Adrien shrugged. “Gossip means my life is never completely private, but we should be safe until we make it official in a really public way.”

Marinette took Adrien’s hand and started pulling up the stairs. “It’s ok. I can handle it. But let’s get to class. (Where there are less witnesses.) if I actually end up late because of you, I’ll never hear the end of it from Alya.”

“Speaking of best friends,” Adrien commented, relishing the feeling of Marinette’s hand around his own. “We should probably try one of those double dates soon. Not as our first date, of course, but soon.”

Marinette blushed prettily, cheeks rosy red. “That sounds really nice. How about a movie for our first date? Our first trip to the movie was memorable but not one I really care to remember.”

Right. The screaming fans. Gorizilla. Her pajamas! Marinette refused to count that as her first date, just like how she shut down Alya that her first date was with Evillustrator.

Adrien gave her a warm look. “I agree. We could do better. There’s the new romance movie already out now. We could go see that.”

Marinette turned her head back to wink at him. “Then it’s a date. Text me your schedule?” Ok, so she already had his schedule but he didn’t need to know that.

Adrien’s hands were already on his phone. “Done!”

They crossed the threshold into class, and settled into their seats. Well, Marinette settled into hers, but Alya was sitting in Adrien’s chair. She winked at the model. “Just before class starts, ok?”

Adrien was ecstatic. Thanking Alya, he rushed to her abandoned seat and faced Marinette, who was scanning his schedule on her phone speculatively.

“Hmm...I think the best day would be this Wednesday, so tomorrow really. You only have Chinese class after school for that. If we’re lucky, you won’t have any surprise shoots. Once the movie’s over, we can head out for dinner. Where do you suggest we eat?”

Adrien knew he had a diet to follow but he didn’t care. He burnt a lot of calories as Chat Noir, so fried and greasy food shouldn’t be a problem. But he didn’t want to overshoot yet.

“I hear from Nino that you found this really good restaurant that sells the best Fish and Chips.”

Marinette looked surprised. “Will that be ok for you. I mean-”

“It’s fine. Trust me.”

“Always,” Marinette sighed, before realising what she had just said and flushing again. Adrien smirked, his girlfriend really was very cute when she was flustered.

“So, tell me,” Marinette babbled, eager to change the subject, “what did you think about...”

“Adrien, Alya, please switch back your seats. Class is starting now.” Phew, saved by Ms Bustier.

Adrien winked at his girlfriend and gave her a parting kiss before he left. Marinette’s female friends all cooed at the sight. And even when he returned to his seat, Adrien looked back at Marinette to give her a longing glance before Ms Bustier called him to attention again.

Alya smirked triumphantly at Marinette’s red but pleased face. At last, Adrienette was a go! Truthfully it was a pleasant surprise to see how taken Adrien was with Marinette. Sure, her girl could be counted to stare longingly after Adrien and prioritize him before anything else. But Adrien’s attention seemed suddenly intense. Sure he could be counted on to give Marinette soft looks and return her longing glances. But now, when he looks at Marinette, it is as if she were the sun and he were a blind man. Like Marinette had suddenly become his whole world. That, and that Adrien always seemed to want to engage in skin contact. I bet he didn’t notice that he kept his hand on Marinette’s for their whole discussion.

Alya’s grin grew wider. She honestly was excited about a double date, too, but she could wait until Adrienette had their first date.

The next day, Marinette arrived with a box full of pink macaroons for her friends to thank them for all their help, but especially to Rose for encouraging her, hence the Color. Marinette saved Passionfruit for Adrien, who looked at it as if it were the holy grail (wow...boy must have realized how much he liked Marinette, but dang that is some deep love. Still, Marinette was no better, so they really were made for each other.) the other flavours were rose, cotton candy, raspberry, strawberry and watermelon.

So while Marinette’s friends enjoyed their dessert, Adrien actually put his head on Marinette’s lap as they excitedly talked about their upcoming first date. Something about wearing their lucky charms?

[tev-the-random]

Why I Love... Lord Shen

Warning: it might sound a bit comedic, but that’s how I generally sound when I’m excitedly exposing my discoveries.

Warning 2: I took about 99.9% of the images directly from the film, most of them are for illustrating whatever I’m affirming, I DO NOT OWN THEM AT ALL!

Warning 3: this is long. Reeeally long.

 Kung Fu Panda 2 has a special place in my heart: one of my favorite movies, possibly my favorite animated movie ever! Everything in this movie is downright amazing: the animation, the score, the relationship between the characters, the development they had from the previous movie, all the fight scenes, the way they treat certain subjects of family and identity, the new characters... And, of course, the villain.

Let me tell you, Lord Shen is quite the antagonist. The peacock was quick to steal my heart and become one of my favorite characters. That struck me as odd: what makes him so fascinating? I was determined to find out, so I started analyzing! And oh boy: this is one complex character. Much more than I initially thought! 

 I re-watched Kung Fu Panda 2 three times in a roll: first casually, second with production commentary, and third with my own analytical look. I might have a problem.

 Here you have my notes from that adventure:

First of, he’s Gary Oldman. Gary Oldman is an impeccable actor and the voice he gave Shen was simply perfect, so yeah.

“He isn’t obviously physically strong, but he’s very cunning, very smart...”. Let’s give it to him: he’s got to be really intelligent. He created his own massively destructive weapon from scratch, he orchestrated this whole plan by himself, he’s (almost) always one step ahead of everybody... And he couldn’t possibly have all those wolves and gorillas working for him for years if he at least didn’t know how to convince people.

He’s a leader. He’s a boss. He’s an emperor. He knows what needs to be done and he expects it to be done.

But hey, even like that, he still believes in hard work and doing things on his own - say what you want, but making strategies actually takes a lot of work. We can also say that he acknowledges there are certain things in life only he can do for himself.

He has this “peacock thing” where he’s “sort of proud, entitled (...) in spades!”, like a person who would say ‘Don’t you know who I am?!’ upon meeting someone. He has this sense of importance. He thinks his goals and himself are so important, Heck, he literally likes to tower over the city!

(couldn’t find many GIFs, but oh well. The camera backs away from him to show the full perspective of this freaking peacock on the top of the tower, towering over the city)

 “He doesn’t have to hide”: He’s a big, theatrical, dramatic show-off. He just comes back to Gongmen from his exile and takes “his own tower” thinking ‘Ok, I’ll make my entrance right through the front door at a moment when all the masters can see me and know for sure that sh*t’s going down, but I’ll be completely calm and collected as I do so.’ Even when he’s supposedly won, as he’s crossing the city with his boats full of weapons, he clearly enjoys making quite the scene.

(Look who’s talking!)

So much of a show off, his cannons are actually designed as this fire-breathing demon, so people would know to fear him and the kind of power he had. It’s intimidating in a ‘LOOK AT MY CANNONS!’ kind of way.

He’s a perfectionist. No other words needed.

He’s also tremendously arrogant. Because he created this “unstoppable weapon” and has all weaponry at his command, he thinks he’s outdone everyone else. He thinks that his plans are fail-proof; he underestimates everyone.

Despite that, he’s not completely stupid to assume he can do everything on his own. He knows he needs help to succeed sometimes, even though he will take all the credit; that’s why he has his little army.

His arrogance also shows when he tries to get the Soothsayer to tell him his fortune, and yet, he still insists that she’s wrong - even when she’s clearly oh so right! Although, this also shows his fear of the prophecy and how he won’t admit his own mistakes (more on that later).

Speaking of the Soothsayer, he does seem to be rather fond of her. Even if he tries to insult her and breaks her fortune-telling-magic-smoke-bow every now and then, he did keep her around mostly for company and for being petty proving her wrong. He didn’t harm her or lock her up like he did with the masters; he put up with her mannerisms even if they were annoying; he reflects at least a little on her words, which he doesn’t with anyone else; and he even “sets her free” when he’s about to begin his crazy conquering scheme, giving her time to settle somewhere safe. I mean, as far as things go with this peacock, this is really sweet.

Still about the Soothsayer, she said something quite interesting at one point: she said Shen wanted more than just ruling Gongmen City... What did she mean? What more? Did he want to conquer more territory? To innovate the city? Was he doing this (whatever she meant he was doing, specifically) for his own ambitions or only to impress his parents? Maybe both? I honestly can’t answer these specific questions...

Another little important something the Soothsayer said: she could never have foretold that Shen would do something like that, to massacre an entire people... Seeing how this was a very unpredictable move on his part, I find it safe to say he wasn’t like that when he was young; he wasn’t this completely violent, ruthless peafowl we see now...

We can say that Shen is a rather curious peacock: he tried to find something different about the fireworks; him finding about how dangerous they could be might as well have been some sort of breakthrough for him, some new, fascinating theory to be explored... Besides, he did want to have the Soothsayer tell him his new fortune, now that he “proved the old one wrong”.

The guy thought he had everything right. Finding out there was still a panda alive was like... getting punched in the face... really hard.

He’s terrified of his own destiny, really.

Shen’s expectations about Po before meeting him are terrifying, specially as he thinks - with reason - that this panda is here only for his neck.

Needless to say, he was kind of disappointed with the result of the meeting. And relieved. But really disappointed, he was ready for a fight!

For most of the time, he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy, but he has his fun.

 (Gotta love how he just cracks laughing and swiftly gets back his composure. Gary Oldman, ladies and gentlemen)

Much like any other villain in this franchise, he is quick to underestimate Po due to his silliness. This does give our panda some advantage.

Some adjectives the production crew gave to him: “very twisted, demented guy”, “intense”, “intimidating”, “really cruel” and “so mean!”. He doesn’t hesitate to hurt people physically or emotionally. So, even if he regrets his actions a little bit - again, more on that later -, that doesn’t keep him from being amused around others’ pain. He’ll use whatever means he can to achieve his goals.

I’ll say it: the years of exile made him quite the sadistic b*tch. In a way, he just wants to see it all burn, like ‘blood, heck yeah!’.Yeah, he’s a goddarn maniac for the most part.

What makes him more remarkable as an antagonist than Tai Lung or Kai - don’t get me wrong, I love  them both! But I’m setting a perspective, just bare with me here - is that he makes this personal in a much deeper way. Neither Tai Lung nor Kai had anything against the protagonist personally; they had something against the Dragon Warrior, which so happened to be Po. But Shen? Oh no, he didn’t give a crap about this Dragon Warrior thing, he wanted Po.

Not only that, but Po wanted him. Our sweet big panda had no personal correlation with the other two antagonists: he was out to stop them mainly because it was right - and to protect his friends, of course. But when it came to Shen, he had something Po desperately needed to know, he directly and indirectly affected Po’s life. Shen makes this a personal mission for the protagonist and for himself.

Once he’s finally managed to emotionally throw Po off - which makes it all so much more amusing for him - he gets “more out of control” and he’s “growing in his instability and sense of power”, which makes him mad and excited at the same time. He starts to sound like me when I find a really good plot idea for a story, but then a PANDA COMES AND RUINS EVERYTHING, so he notices he has no more time to fancily fool around and they need to ‘GET TO WORK NOW!’

At this point in life, he clearly mocks his parents’ memory. ‘F*ck the tapestry, f*ck the throne, f*ck the tower, f*ck their eternal peace after death.’

He is a walking contradiction: he’s nostalgic, yet he mocks the past; He wants to tend to the future, yet he’s stuck in the past...

(You know how he says scars don’t heal? I believe he looks at his “scars” a lot...)

He desperately wants to prove himself. To himself. And to his parents. And to his opponents. And to the Soothsayer. Ok, he wants to prove himself so bad, he actually needs all of China to know what he can do.

This all means a lot to him. Even if he plays some of it as a dark joke, it really means to him almost as much as it means to Po - albeit with different meanings.

He did his whole genocidal thing at the beginning solely to stop the prophecy from happening. This, however, had many intertwined objectives to fulfill:

It would guarantee he could keep doing his firework research - what other fascinating things could he discover? Apart from “fireworks can kill”, that is.

It would quite literally save his life - for all he knew, “defeated by a warrior of black and white” could mean anything from getting his gunpowder taken away from him to actually getting murdered. I’d say he took it as the latter.

It would, at least in his mind, make his parents proud - I can see him getting back from the panda village with something similar to ‘Mother! Father! I cheated destiny! I cheated death! I led my men to success, I shall be a great leader, one that can’t be stopped!’. Yes, he was proud of what he did back then.

This does not change the fact that it was ruthless and brutal and horrible, but is his perspective, he was on a mission. In his mind, he wasn’t wrong. His parents didn’t want to listen to him, they were being unfair! He truly believes he’s been wronged, and now the world owns him something.

This led him to believe - probably along with other past conflicts - that his parents absolutely hated him, their only child, and that he was banished as to be gotten rid of. It hurt.

 He won’t admit it, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore. I mean, he wants to prove a point, but he has no idea where to go next. He lost himself in his pursue for power and vengeance, when actually...

... He’s hurt. He’s felt betrayed for a long time and he bases himself on that to justify further mistakes on his part. Thanks to the Soothsayer, we get to see that he knows he’s made mistakes, he knows the path he’s following is not the only - and probably not the right - way for him to go, he knows  he can change his course right here, right now. But he won’t do so...

The moment he learned that his parents actually loved him and that he actually misunderstood their actions, it throws him off balance. This is him realizing - and still not admitting - he’s hurt, he hurt people who cared about him and that it was his own actions that brought him to that. Right at this moment, with the Soothsayer extending her hand, he’s faced with a choice.

He had a choice. He chose this path. He’s so far gone into his own hurt, revenge and fear, he won’t ever admit he’s the one who’s been wrong this entire time. He takes a path he knows is wrong because he can’t admit his own fault, he has to blame someone else.

He doesn’t want to be redeemed, he wants to be justified.

After he’s consciously made that choice, he sort of comes to terms with it. That’s his goal and he’s going to see it to the end, he’s not going to stop.

He learns from his enemies, so most of the time he knows what to expect from them. When he learns from Po, he gets confident and doesn’t even try to put that much of a fight; he knows Po is basically fighting himself - although, Shen will try to give him a hand at it whenever possible.

(With the wings behind his back, what a beast...)

Hey, he knows what he did, and he won’t hesitate to use it against Po, as, once again, he learned from their previous encounter.

(’Oh, does my tail disturb you? Cool, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind every time we meet.’)

He projects. When he claims to Po that “Your parents didn’t love you”, he’s actually talking about himself and his own pain in regards of his own parents. He wants to hurt Po by saying that, yes, but that’s one of the first times he’s actually been able to “put voice to what he’s been feeling” until now.

Once he thinks he’s finally won, he gets waaaay too excited. And waaaaaaay too confident. He rubs his victory in everybody’s faces! Now, he sure is peacocky, eeeeey!

That seems to be a constant characteristic of him: he gets too confident when he’s winning and absolutely desperate when he’s losing.

Either all people are with him or against him, and whoever is against him shall perish, even if they were previously on the same team - the only exception to this, maybe, being the Soothsayer.

(He freaking killed his own second in command just because the guy refused to fire at their own men!)

He takes what he can - again, he’ll do whatever it takes to reach his goals: ‘Can’t fire? Send the armies! My armies are losing? I’ll fire on my own! They’re destroying our cannons? Well, do what, KEEP FIRING! Everything went down in literal flames? I’ll fight until the end!’

If he sets his mind to something - be it revenge, killing Po or conquering all China - he won’t give up until he’s either victorious or dead (he went for the latter).

“See, that’s the thing, Shen. Scars heal.”

“No they don’t. Wounds heal.”

I believe what Shen really means here is that some problems are too harmful for people to let go of them. He thought his problems were a scar that could never be healed, so he had cope with the pain by himself with revenge, but he could never find peace. He thought the problems he caused Po were a scar that couldn’t be healed, too; he thought that Po, too, would seek revenge to deal with his pain, that Po, too, would never find peace. But he did. And Shen found himself amazed... and afraid; more afraid than he was of  Po’s vengeance.

A little something before I say my final notes: let’s quickly analyse Shen’s fighting style, because the animators deserve attention for their wonderful job - also, it connects to the next note, so...

He uses his opponents moves against them;

He uses height as an advantage;

PROJECTILES!

Use them weird bird knees for some curious yet efficient movements;

He uses his sword - which is actually a weird looking yanyuedao/guan dao - a lot;

He uses his claws a lot, too;

Block-attack movements;

He uses his tail as both distraction and a defense in quite the clever way;

It’s like a dance: agile, swift, smooth, precise with a lot of twists.

He fights more for self-defense than anything. He has cannons and an army, why bother taking offence on his own?

The exception to this is during his last battle with Po, where he attacks on close combat: here, Shen lost his mind completely. He starts attacking recklessly, he loses precision, he uses every last bit of strength he has in him. He’s just... He’s really mad.

(I’d have to put the whole fight here to illustrate exactly that, but unfortunately, there’s not such GIF... Oh well, I’ll trust you know what I mean)

One final note to this analysis, about Shen’s last moments:

I’ve seen lots of people discussing what his final scene meant, when he closes his eyes and quietly accepts his death - he even turns to face the falling cannon in the last second - and most of them seem to think that that’s Shen finally finding his inner peace. But I don’t think that’s quite it. Taking everything I described here, it doesn’t seem to align too well...

What I think happened - and of course, I could be totally wrong - is that this is when Shen finally takes the blame for himself. Here, to his face, is the final undeniable proof that his actions can have negative consequences for him. He’s been facing those consequences for years, but only now can’t blame someone else. He cut all the strings that held the cannon. It wasn’t Po, it wasn’t the Five, it wasn’t his men, it wasn’t his parents, it was him.

It’s all over: his men are dead, all his cannons just exploded, he can’t win anymore, even if he kills Po. He caused his own defeat already, why keep fighting? So now, as the last thing he does in his life, he’s facing consequences forward in the most honorable way he can in those few seconds; either that be a way of saying sorry and finally admitting he was wrong or a way to set his own destiny, not defeated by a panda, but by himself. It’s a bit of both, I think.

So, why do I love Lord Shen? Between his mannerisms and evilness, he’s a very complex, deep character with an underestimated mind and, like any person, his own issues to be afraid of. Yes, he screwed up really bad, but I think he just made the wrong choices...

(Besides, he’s Gary Oldman, come on!)