#when those events can be traced back to like three main sources all of which are preceded by 'industrial'

[spiritmoon23]

I think its funny that my environmental art class is doing its best to make me hate the very idea of caring for the environment

[thekillerssluts]

Will Butler explains how his Harvard degree developed into his second solo album

“Yeah, it’s terrifying,” Will Butler says, pondering how it feels to be releasing music away from the umbrella of Arcade Fire.

“It’s the classic thing about all writers,” he continues. “The creative process makes them wanna puke the whole time they’re writing something, then they read something back and it makes them feel worse, then a year later they read it and think ‘yeah, it’s okay’. It’s a glorious experience, but it really makes your stomach hurt.”

On the one hand Will Butler is well accustomed to this writing process, being a multi-instrumentalist in the Canadian indie-rock band fronted by brother Win - Arcade Fire. But on his own terms, it’s an entirely new process. Butler’s second solo album Generations arrives five years after his debut Policy, a collection that rattled with a ramshackle charm and what he describes now as a ‘consciously very unproduced’ sound. Arcade Fire wound down from their Everything Now tour in September 2018, leaving Butler with the last two years of playtime. Most musicians, particularly those accustomed to big album cycles, set aside their downtime for family or other musical projects. Somehow Butler’s managed to do both while also completing a masters degree in Public Policy at Harvard.

“I went to school for a variety of reasons but there was an artistic side to it too,” he says. “I have always tried to let music and lyrics emerge from the world that I’m in; you fertilise the soil and see what grows. It was a way to better understand where we are, how we got here and what's going on. You know, ‘where am I from? What's going to happen?’” Both of these questions explored in his degree are used as fuel for Generations.

It’s easy to imagine an album by somebody who’s just pursued a Public Policy MSt to form in reams of political commentary, probably set to an acoustic guitar. However, Butler instead engages character portraits soundtracked by a broad range of thrilling sonics. Opener “Outta Here” is shrouded by a monstrous bass that lurks beneath the depths of the instrumentation before bursting out midway through. “Got enough things on my plate without you talking about my salvation,” he screams.

While the cage-rattling “Bethlehem” is mania underpinned by a thrashing guitar and bubbling synths that help lift the track to boiling point.While there’s no current world leaders namechecked or any on-the-nose political commentary across the LP, the angst of its contents is instantly tangible, backed by the intellect of somebody who’s spent the past few years studying the ins and outs of government processes. A perfect combination, you could say.

This fuel was partly discovered through Butler reconnecting with the music that defined his teenage years: namely Bjork, The Clash and Eurythmics. While these influences certainly slip into frame across Generations, they were paired with something of an unlikely muse: “I got into this habit of listening to every single song on the Spotify Top 50 every six weeks,” Butler explains. “So many of them are horrible, terrifying and just awful but there’s something inspiring about how god damn avant garde the shittiest pop music is now. Just completely divorced from any sense of reality - it’s just layers upon layers upon layers - it’s amazing. It’s like Marcel Duchamp making a pop hit every single song.”

We turn from current music to current events. Navigating Covid-19 with his wife and three kids in their home of Brooklyn, a majority of 2020 has been caught up in family time for Butler. “The summer’s been easier because everybody’s outside, whereas in spring it was like ‘it’s family time because we have to lock our doors as there's a plague outside.’” While being surrounded by the trappings of lockdown since his second solo album Generations was completed in March, the album itself wriggles with the spirit of live instrumentation, which at this point seems like some sort of relic from a bygone era."I think eventually rediscovering this album back in the live setting would be amazing - we’re a really great live band, it’s a shame to not be in front of people."

The source of this energy can be traced back to the way the songs came together; they were forged and finessed at a series of shows in the early stages of the project. “It just raises the stakes. You can tell how good or how dumb a lyric is when you sing it in front of a hundred people,” he reflects. “It’s like ‘are you embarrassed because what you’re saying is true?’ or ‘is it just embarrassing?’ It’s a good refiner for that stuff. I think eventually rediscovering this album back in the live setting would be amazing - we’re a really great live band, it’s a shame to not be in front of people.”

Like his day job in Arcade Fire, Butler’s solo live group is something of a family affair - both his wife and sister-in-law feature in the band, alongside Broadway's West Side Story star, and the student of the legendary Fela Kuti drummer, Tony Allen. Together this eclectic mix of musicians conjures an infectious spirit through the raw combination of thundering synths and pedal-to-the-metal instrumentation; an apt concoction indeed for lyrics that are attempting to unhatch the bamboozling questions that surround our current times.

The timing for Butler’s decision to study Public Policy couldn’t have been more perfect, with his course starting in the Fall of 2016. “I was at Harvard for the election which was a really bizarre time to be in a government school, but it was great to be in a space for unpacking questions like ‘my god, how did we get here?!’” he reflects, with a note of mockery in the bright voice.

“I had a course taught by a professor named Leah Wright Rigueur. The class was essentially on race in America but with an eye towards policy. The class explored what was going to happen in terms of race under the next president. The second to last week was about Hilary Clinton and the last week was about Donald Trump. We read riot reports - Ferguson in 2015, Baltimore in 2016, the Detroit uprisings in the ‘60s and Chicago in 1919 - it's certainly helping me understand the last 5 years, you know. Just to be in that context was very lucky.”

As we’ve seen with statues being toppled, privileges being checked and lyrics of national anthems being interrogated in recent months, history is a complex, labyrinthine subject to navigate requiring both ruthless self-scrutiny and a commitment to the long-haul in order to correct things. The concept of Generations shoots from the same hip employing character portraits to engage in the broader picture.

The writing, at times, is beamed from a place of disconnect (“had enough of bad news / had enough of your generation”), from a place of conscious disengagement (“I’m not talking because I don’t feel like lying / if you stay silent you can walk on in silence”) and from a place of honest self-assessment (“I was born rich / three quarters protestant / connections at Harvard and a wonderful work ethic”).

“I’m rooted in history to a fault,” he says. “My great grandfather was the last son of a Mormon pioneer who’d gone West after being kicked out of America by mob violence. He wanted to be a musician which was crazy - he got 6 months in a conservatory in Chicago before his first child was born. He always felt like he could have been a genius, he could of been writing operas but he was teaching music in like tiny western towns and he had all these kids and he made them be a family band and they were driving around the American west before there were roads in the deserts - literally just driving through the desert! He would go to these small towns and get arrested for trying to skip bills and just live this wild existence.”

Butler’s grandma, meanwhile, was just a child at this point. She went on to become a jazz singer with her sisters and married the guitar player Alvino Rey. “The fact that me and my brother are musicians is no coincidence,” he smiles. “It’s not like I decided to be a musician, it’s down to decisions that were made at the end of the 19th century that have very clearly impacted where I am today. The musical side of it is very beautiful, it is super uncomplicated and a total joy to have a tradition of music in our family...but also in the American context - which is the only context I know - it's also these very thorny inheritances from the 19th century and beyond that influence why my life is like it is.

“For me it’s like, ‘I made my money because my grandpa was a small business owner’ or ‘my grandpa was a boat builder and got a pretty good contract in WW2 and was able to send his kids to college’. Both of which are so unpoetic and unromantic but it is an important thing to talk about, that's a personal political thing to talk about; there's horrifying and beautiful aspects there.”

The lament of “I’m gonna die in a hospital surrounded by strangers who keep saying they’re my kids” on “Not Gonna Die” could well be croaked by somebody on the tail end of a life lived on the American Dream. At times, Butler plays the characters off against each other, like on “Surrender,” which chronicles two flawed characters going back and forth played by Butler’s lead vocals and his female backing singers that undermine his memory; “I remember we were walking” is cut up with the shrug of “I dunno” and “maybe so”. “I found having the backing voices there gave me something to play with,” he explains. “Either something threatening to the main character or something affirming to the main character, just providing another point of view.”

Elsewhere, “I Don’t Know What I Don’t Know” explores the feeling of being unsuitably equipped to unravel the complexities that surrounds us day-to-day. “The basic emotion of that song is very much ‘I don’t know what I can do’ which is an emotion we all have,” he ponders. “There’s also the notion that follows that, like ‘maybe don’t even tell me what to do because it’s going to be too overwhelming to even do anything’.”

Some of these portraits materialised in the aftershows Butler began hosting while on Arcade Fire’s Everything Now tour which found him instigating conversations and talks by local councilman, politicians and activists on local issues. “On some of the good nights of the aftershow town halls, you’d feel that switch away from despair and into action,” he says smiling. “The step between despair and action is possible, that sentiment isn’t spelled out lyrically on the record but it’s definitely there spiritually.”

“I learned anew what a treasure it is to have people in a room. Getting humans in a room can be absurd. And we were having from 5,000 to 15,000 people in a room every night, most of them local. I’m very comfortable with art for art’s sake; I think art is super important and it’s great people can like music that's not political. It was sort of like ‘well we’re here and I know a lot of you are thinking about the world and you’re thinking about what a shit show everything is. You want to know what we can do and I also want to know what we can do!’ So I put on these after shows.”"The dream lineup would be to have a local activist and a local politician talking about a local issue because that’s the easiest way to make concrete change."

Butler would find a suitable location near the Arcade Fire gig through venue owners who were often connected to the local music and comedy scenes to host these events. “The dream lineup would be to have a local activist and a local politician talking about a local issue because that’s the easiest way to make concrete change. Arguably, the most important way is through the city council and state government. The New York state government is in Albany, New York. The shit that happens in Albany is all super important so I wanted to highlight that and equip people with some concrete levers to pull.

“In Tampa we had people who were organizing against felon disenfranchisement, like if you’ve been convicted of a felon you couldn’t vote in Florida, and something absurd like 22% of black men in Florida couldn’t vote and there were people organising to change that - this was in 2018 - and you could just see people being like ‘holy shit, I didn't even know this was happening!’

“These were not topics I’m an expert in - it’s like these are things that are happening. The thought was trying to engage, I’m sad to not be doing something similar this Fall, I mean what a time it would have been to go around America.”

Understandably the looming 2020 election is on Butler’s radar. “It doesn't feel good,” he sighs. “I’ve never had any ability to predict, like 2 weeks from now the world could be completely different from what it is today. There was always a one-in-a-billion chance of the apocalypse and now it's like a one-in-a-million chance which is a thousand times more likely but also unlikely. It’s going to be a real slog in the next couple of years on a policy side, like getting to a place where people don’t die for stupid reasons, I’m not even talking about the coronavirus necessarily just like policy in general. Who knows, it could be great but it seems like it's going to be a slog.”

There’s a moment on the closing track “Fine”, a stream-of-consciousness, Randy Newman-style saloon waltz, where Butler hits the nail on the head. “George [Washington], he turned to camera 3, he looked right at me and said...I know that freedom falters when it’s built with human hands”. It’s one of the many lyrical gems that surface throughout the record but one that chimes with an undeniable truth. It’s the same eloquence that breaks through as he touches on the broad ranging subjects in our conversation, always with a bright cadence despite the gloom that hangs over some of the topics.

The live show is without a doubt Arcade Fire’s bread and butter. While Butler questions how realistic the notion of getting people in packed rooms in the near future is, he reveals the group are making movements on LP6. “Arcade Fire is constantly thinking about things and demoing, it's hard to work across the internet but at some point we’ll get together. It probably won’t be much longer than our usual album cycle,” he says.

You only have to pick out one random Arcade Fire performance on YouTube to see Butler’s innate passion bursting out, whether it’s early performances that found him and Richard Reed Parry adorning motorbike helmets annihilating each other with drumsticks to the 1-2-3 beat of “Neighbourhood #2 (Laika)” or the roaring “woah-ohs” that ascend in the anthem of “Wake Up” every night on tour. It’s an energy that burns bright throughout our conversation and across Generations.

https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/arcade-fires-will-butler-new-solo-record-generations

[hunnybadgerv]

For your fandom ask: H, N, S, and Z?

From the Fandom Meme

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., tv shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.) Most of my fandom source texts are video games. Not sure why, but I don’t get quite as invested in films or TV shows the way I do with video games. And sometimes it happens with books, but only really rarely. I’m not sure why. I mean with books and shows, sometimes I’ve thought about writing things, but I usually don’t end up going through with it. I think because at that point I’m messing with only someone else’s characters and it is hard for me to get invested fully into work that is only the creation of another.

With video games, I get to participate in the world in a manner of speaking. There is an interactivity and engagement inherent to video games that creates a different focus and a buy-in that is not present in other sources, at least for me. I get to create a character and fit them into this world and watch them move through it--and sure they fall along a certain line according to the developers’ plans, but I do get to have a hand in it. It’s the reason I’m a sucker for RPG games.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice) I’ll be honest, I’m not really sure what I’d say for any of my fandoms. But I do kind of sit at the edge of my fandoms, all of them. I’m not in the middle of anything in any of them, and I’m perfectly content there because I’m moderate participant at best.

1. I’d really like to see the Saints Row fandom revive itself. It used to be quite a lively and welcoming location. It seems that most of those that remain are the gatekeepers.

2. I’d like to see more respect and inclusion for Faith Seed. There is a group of people in that fandom that like to treat her like she is not part of the family. Despite this tendency in some corners of the Far Cry 5 fandom, most of the people I’m surrounded by also hold that Faith is a valid member of the family who should be included in discussions and representations of the Seed siblings.

3. This question would be so very much easier if I was a more active participant in my fandoms. Overall, I wish more of us, in all my fandoms, were still active on tumblr. A lot of people migrated away. Perhaps if I were more active in other places, I would still be able to reach out to them. Though I know many of them are on Discord, it’s just not a medium that works for my mind. Plus, I’ve kind of been cut off from things so long that I still struggle with maintaining connections with people. It’s something I’m particularly bad at.

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go (prompts optional but encouraged) Okay, so this is more difficult than I anticipated.

I’m both fearing and excited about the Legendary version of Mass Effect releasing in May. I really am looking forward to the graphical update and the game play cleanup. Though I really don’t know that I want to see them adjust the Mako controls, I loved that sketchy thing and the fact that if you tried hard enough you could climb over anything. I loved the Mako in all it’s flaws and fabulousness.

I’m also kind of concerned about the possibility of them altering the story or the characters in some way.

There is a tendency nowadays for fan opinions to be able to alter plans, story, and characters in media. And I really don’t want them to change the franchise in order to meet some loud corner of the fandom. I loved the game as it was, flaws and all. I really fear that they might institute some odd change to suit some rabid corner of the internet that will unravel the fabric of something I’ve loved for so long.

Though in the same vein, I’d love to see some changes here and there. Perhaps the ability to romance Ashley as fShepard, or Kaidan in the ME 1 timeline as mShep. I don’t know. But then again. If I rally for those sorts of changes, then I open myself up to the other potential changes.

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged) Hmm. I really enjoy the templar’s lore in Dragon Age, but I wanted to see where else I might be able to take it. I thought, what if there was some magic in templars that allowed them to wield lyrium effectively. And I started doing some reading with old chivalric knights and ideas about knighthood and chivalry in histroy and literature and I wanted to bring that kind of sense into the templars lore, perhaps even a forgotten or overlooked bit of lore for them. And I started playing around with the idea of Templars containing or controlling their own magical ability that is only enhanced by the lyrium. And this kind of happened.

I put it under a cut because it is incredibly long.

Malcolm found his daughter sitting in the grass at the back fence. She had been crying and he was disturbed by the idea that his wife's concern may have been more warranted than he'd given it credit for. He sat next to her and leaned against the fence. "Tell me," he said trying to keep his voice even.

"I don't even know," she said weakly.

Malcolm slid his arm around her shoulders. "Did… did he?" He could barely say it let alone think it.

She shook her head. "No, Father," Aderyn said surprised that he could think that. "I really don't know how to explain it." She wasn't sure how to talk about this with her father. But he was the only person who might be able to help her. She explained some things, though not others. She left out the details about how Cullen had ended up shirtless. "I saw a glow, it was strange. There was no warmth either, which is why I can't figure out how I burned him. I can always feel the glow of fire," she said as she stared at the grass running the event through her head.

"It was a burn?"

"Well, not really. That's what it looked like. And Cullen said something," she said looking up at her father hopefully. "That there was nothing discernable."

"You should have brought him with you."

"What did I do to him?" she asked, clearly concerned. "And how can I control something when I don't know what it is?"

"Did he return to the Chantry?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know." He looked at her for a moment. "I was scared. No, appalled. I hid. I  …"

"I'm sorry I can't assuage your fears. I'll see him as soon as I can. See if there is anything I can do," Malcolm said, hoping to reassure her some. He stood and offered her his hand.

"Aderyn!" They both turned to see him running up the path. He hopped over the fence and stopped when he saw her father's face. "Malcolm, pardon me."

"No need." Malcolm ushered them both inside and quickly into his small study. If what his daughter said was true he had to be objective, at least until he found out what had happened. He could be an upset father after he knew what had happened. Aderyn started to leave, but Malcolm told her he would need her assistance.

"Show me," Malcolm said as his fingers moved across the spines of books on a shelf. When he turned and saw the mark he dropped the books he'd pulled off the shelf. He glanced at the templar then looked at his daughter for a long moment. He clinched his jaw and gathered the books he dropped. The mage set the books on the table and touched the distinctive mark in the center of the young man's chest. "Did it burn?"

Cullen shook his head. "I didn't feel anything." He looked over at the unnerved woman in the corner. "Aderyn saw a glow. I can't tell anything about it, it's like there's no trace of magic to it."

Within the hour Malcolm was more concerned about what had occurred than that his daughter had been in a position to leave such a mark on the young man. He could find nothing in his research. The three of them had sat there for several hours as Malcolm searched through his books with the help of his daughter. When her father left the room in search of a rare volume he kept in a chest in his bedroom, Aderyn handed Cullen his shirt back and he stood and slipped it on again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered standing behind her. She leaned back against his chest and he set his hand on her hip.

"You have nothing to apologize for," she replied replacing her father's books on the shelves.

"It doesn't matter." "How can you say that?" she asked glancing up at him over her shoulder. She shelved another volume. "You can't hide what I've done."

"Actually, I can. Quite easily I must add. I'm not one for running around shirtless."

Aderyn would beg to differ, she'd seen the sight several times, but she couldn't make light of the situation she was in. She was too scared for him, for herself, but most of all, for her family. She turned around and leaned against the bookcase. "How can you not be concerned?"

He set his hands on the bookcase on either side of her shoulders and gazed down into her eyes. "You are more than concerned enough for both of us." She glared at him a moment. "I'll tell you a secret." He leaned toward her. "I don't think it's the result of magic."

"What then?" Her look changed dramatically.

"I think it's something else. More potent than magic." He leaned toward her, but she ducked under his arm as the door opened.

"Smart boy." Malcolm closed the door behind himself, completely this time. "It's not something that can be performed by a mage." He looked at his daughter who seemed most surprised by the news; she sat down slowly. "As odd as this statement is. It's templar magic." Cullen laughed, but it was cut short by the look on Malcolm's face and a glance at the seal on the cover of the book. "It's a promise. Sealed by a touch."

Cullen looked at him curiously. Malcolm touched the book then looked back to the templar. "If this is correct, Aderyn give me your hand." She reached out to her father and he turned her right hand over to look at it. He nodded and loosed her hand. Aderyn touched her palm then looked up at Cullen, it was completely smooth. She showed the discovery to the templar. He ran his fingertips across her palm.

"I've never heard of anything like this," Cullen said marvelling at the complete lack of any texture on her palm.

"It is rare," Malcolm said. "I didn't think it could be the cause, truthfully I always thought it was little more than another part of templar legend, part of the myth." Both of them looked over at him carefully.  He sat down and closed the book. "An old friend claimed he was marked by his wife in such a way, ... on their wedding night," he added carefully. "It's determined by overwhelming trust and connection to another."

[polandspringz]

Can you tell us something about the villain turned side character and your protagonist:0

First, thank you for sending an ask! I've been wanting to share stuff from my original work for so long, but there's a lot of context since the story is so big so for context to these characters I'll give a very brief overview. (If someone wants a more detailed version I'll give it!)

It's a fantasy story set mainly in the kingdom/country of Ruyzex that was founded only within the last thirty years or so, and the stories those who witnessed it's liberation say that it was led by one man who lead the "war campaign" but negotiated without anyone having to fight a single battle. This man was supposedly blessed with magical abilities and many of the people who knew he view him as God, but one day he became a nomad and abandoned everyone, including his son, who always resented him. As such, people believe a fight between the son is to blame for their "God's" departure.

The story ACTUALLY follows three women who are "amnesiac heroes", who wake up with no memory beyond the horrible conditions they are found in as victims of trafficking, before they are rescued. Each of these women have magical powers like the God who left, and while they do not know how to use them, many people believe that they are their God returned or at least can be turned into him or replace him... or be brainwashed into replacing someone else who was lost.

My protagonist is a young woman named Dreil Ruyzex, who not knowing her own name took the name of her "home" (the town and country she was rescued in). She wakes up with her first memory being bloodshed, finding her kidnappers murdered beyond recognition around her and is terrified. She is rescued by a mysterious man who brings her to someone named Seio, who is the son of the governor of the southern most city, and lives in a house for people who were rescued and displaced and brought to Ruyzex through trafficking. While gaining her bearings there and becoming close with the other victims, Dreil awakens her powers due to several stressful events, and she is terrified, because she realizes that she had been the one to transform into a blind rage and eviscerate her captors, but she also has the power to heal people. Dreil doesn't particularly want to use her powers because she's scared of losing it and hurting everyone she loves, and Seio tells her to keep it a secret anyway, lest the people who come and visit the town discover her powers and suspect she is "like Ruy". However, Dreil ends up having to use them and learn how to use them when the city gets raided by people who kill two of the children she was living with and kidnap one of her new friends, Mierre. Seio and the other characters want to get Mierre back, and while they've traced the possible route she was taken, they also decide it's time to confront the Queen on this matter to crackdown on the traffickers who should have been outlawed back when the kingdom was established. Dreil forces them to bring her along, insisting she would be useful as a healer, and as they journey from the south to the northern point of the country, she has to battle bandits, cults, actual demons, and eventually soldiers from the castle as she learns the history of the land she has found herself in and joins resistance efforts to uncover the corruption within the mysterious capital.

Again, I'm being VERY VERY brief and vague because there's so much so apologies if it sounds cliche/not super interesting right now. Dreil as a protagonist starts off as an amnesiac but very quickly she does remember things, like her homeland, but the place she is from is actually such a mysterious region itself. Because of her appearance, she has similar features to the God who left, Ruy, which adds to the fanatic people in the city wanting to try and "shape" her into a new Ruy, or viewing her as a gift sent by him to them. One of the original ideas that shaped this story was when I was in middle school I was reading a lot of dystopian fiction (although this isn't a dystopian society really, although we are fighting the government at one point it's not how you think, they're not the "evil" in the story), and I thought about what if there was a story where the main girl didn't really want to go on the journey that she was being called to, since normally in dystopian works something big happens or is lost and the protagonist is all "I must instantly seek my revenge." This idea has been changed quite a bit in my work, but when Dreil lives peacefully in the city for a complete year before the raid happens, and during that time she helps rescue two children from traffickers in a neighboring town- waking up one day and sensing the gaze of someone staring at her from miles away. Although they're not much younger than her (Dreil is around 19-20, the "children" are actually teenagers) they help each other heal and develop a life together.

This goes into how characters changed and have been shaped across many years of working on this story actually. Many of my characters started off as villains or had more secretive goals and beyond Dreil originally were more gray than pure good. Seio is the deuteragonist and his goal is to rescue Mierre, but Dreil doesn't have a goal. The people she would rescue are dead, so what should she do? And now everyone she knows in the house she has lived in are leaving on a journey, and leaving her behind. In early versions of the story, the children did live and were captured, and Seio wanted Dreil to come along on the journey by telling her things like "maybe we can find them!" and not really tricking her but he was sort of working with the main enemy in needing her to come with him to the capital, therefore he tried to use the children as persuasion. In the more recent drafts of the story, Seio leaves Dreil behind, and due to him being distracted and angry at what has happened to his home he does not help much when Dreil is grieving. However, a conversation with someone else convinces Dreil to run after them and force them to take her along on the journey, citing she wants not necessarily revenge on those who took from her, but wants to help end the pain the traffickers have caused once and for all (and she doesn't want to be alone).

Now if I'm going to talk about my "villain turned side character" I have to get into the whole angels and demons thing I brushed over earlier, HAHA.

It does seem very "edgy middle school OC" to have angels and demons in a story, but I grew up reading a lot of Christian fantasy stories so this is where my writing stems from. Although I don't view my story as falling into this category, I've taken a lot of influence from them and the things I wish they did in those stories. For example, one of the things that always annoyed me was the Jesus-figure in those stories was always the obvious "King" who was a mysterious man who appeared like right before the big battle where you knew he was gonna die in the fight and then come back to life because he's the Jesus metaphor and that's it. He's never a main character or one with any real depth or character, so I wanted to change that. Hence, there's a WHOLE CAN OF WORMS surrounding what I can get into about my decisions when creating Ruy, but we're not here to talk about him right now, were here to talk about one of his friends, an angel named Orielle.

In original versions of the story, Dreil and Seio and her friends had to journey to the capital of the country and rescue their friend who had been taken and battle their way through several people at the ruins of the castle. Orielle was this figure who appeared every time there was a turn in their journey, taunting them, leaving them clues to get to the castle. He appeared in the fires of the raid, he appeared in the woods and challenged Dreil to a fight where she would have to use her murderous, uncontrollable power, he stood at the top of the castle before the final battle and revealed three "weapons" he had been making, several characters who were like Dreil in that they were blessed with powers but had been kidnapped and shaped into fighting for the wrong side. Orielle existed because I needed a villain and was still working things out. He was older originally, more middle aged and spoke in a booming deep voice and always looked down with his eyes narrowed as if passing judgement. But then as time went on I created more characters and the plot points filled themselves out (there was more than just the ending battle thought up) Orielle wasn't really needed anymore because a new villain had replaced him, but to be honest I still liked his name, so I just changed who he was.

Besides Ruy, who is the "God" figure in the story and his powers are for certain established to be from some higher power that he might well be (he's also an amnesiac hero as well, when you learn about him), and Dreil and the other two protagonists, whose powers are also from the same "good" source as Ruy (but for all intents and purposes we won't say it's "heavenly" or "celestial" in it's source), there are angels and demons. Angels are different than Ruy and Dreil, and Ruy and Dreil were people who when they were created their bodies always had power within them. They have one soul, and it is the one that is able to wield their power. Angels however are created more like vessels. There were certain people in the world who were made so their bodies could withstand the use of power beyond human means, so when on one fateful chaotic day (around 14 years before the start of the story, called "the Fall of Smokeflake") the souls or spirits of the angels descended and joined with the souls of their vessels, thus now these people had angelic power they could wield, and knowledge of the mission they must do, and knowledge of the past, present, and future. They do not have access to ALL of this information, as the souls are not fully one but they act as one when talking, although sometimes in the story there are points where a character must note that the "human" or the "angel" is speaking to them more and that might be unreliable. The angels know that if their vessels knew too much it would break them, especially if the future involves a massive battle where everyone is slaughtered at the end of the journey.

So, BACK TO ORIELLE. He has become an angel, really an archangel, and appears in the story mainly through the journals left behind by Ruy, which contain the history of Ruyzex and Dreil reads along her journey to understand her own power and the mysterious man that is like her. Orielle is Ruy's guidance, as he descends early in his true spiritual form to save his God from a landslide, but Ruy rejects him and sends him away because he doesn't understand what is going on. Orielle later becomes Ruy's only ally when Ruy is locked underground for three years and Orielle stays there, still not connected with his human vessel (because his vessel was not born yet), keeping Ruy alive and sane by putting him in a stasis-like sleep and giving him dreams and memories of the war that angels and demons fought, helping to clear up his confusion and his purpose in the human world, and who Ruy is going to meet. Years later, during the main story, Orielle is in the body of his vessel, a prince born to the kingdom to the north, Meltiux, who is campaigning for his right to the throne as it is a country of matriarchs, and for some reason the two princesses of Meltiux have been missing/no one remembers them...? Orielle is met at various points throughout the main story as he is visiting in Ruyzex and the Empire of Ker, Ruyzex's neighbor to the west, not only trying to build up his diplomatic relations and make himself "worthy" of the throne but also trying to meet up with the heroes and help them along the way. Of the seven angels, he is one of three who have actually met Ruy personally, which makes him very high ranking amongst the other angels hidden throughout the world, and because he was beside Ruy for every step of the journey and the war campaign, he is the leader in the absence of their real leader.

So, that's all I'll say for now! I apologize for the length, it was kind of impossible to explain my protagonist without going into the story somewhat. And I didn't want to just be like "she's nice, she's courageous" because I don't really view my characters in traits like that? I've just been so focused on their place in the plot that their characterization is so synonymous with the story for me that I can't really separate them, lol. Thank you for the ask! I'm willing to go into more detail in follow up posts about anything since there are WAY WAY more characters than even mentioned here.

[seyaryminamoto]

I feel like i'm gonna regret asking this but what is hiby

Oh. Ohohoho, oh. I recently answered this to someone else (not on this blog), I suppose there are so many newcomers in this fandom lately that HIBY has become slightly less known than it used to be.

HIBY stands for How I Became Yours, the most polemic and catastrophic fancomic in the history of the Avatar franchise. If you thought any of the official comics were problematic in any sense, woah boy, they’re goddamn flawless masterpieces compared to this thing.

Every possible angle of HIBY is problematic. Spot-on accusations of tracing were the main reason why Deviantart took down Jackie Diaz’s profile and comic from their platform. I heard Nickelodeon also got involved legally, not 100% sure on that front, but if true, they cracked down on her because she attempted to profit off this clunky mess of an inconsistent story by claiming it was somehow an official sequel to ATLA. To clarify, this last thing is something I was told, I can’t find actual sources to confirm it… so maybe I heard an exaggerated account of the tale of HIBY and it never went that far. Nevertheless, this comic didn’t need to escalate into a legal problem to be absolutely abhorrent.

In regards of art, HIBY somehow keeps discarding the asian-inspired setting seen throughout ATLA and instead favors showing the characters in European castles and outfits that don’t fit anywhere within ATLA’s world at all:

Katara is basically wearing a red version of Belle’s dress from Beauty and the Beast, if I’m not mistaken. The architecture of the place they’re at is so European it’s baffling (if I’m not mistaken, this is supposed to be Toph’s family’s house :’D). Also, it’s blatantly obvious that the background is a photograph, so she could’ve just as easily looked for photos of asian locations instead, but she picked european architecture because yes. Yet more blows against the possible artistic merits someone could offer this comic (if there’s any).

Now, though, the BIGGEST problem in HIBY is, of course, the story:

To recap: ATLA ends with Aang and Katara kissing at Ba Sing Se. Whatever problems someone may have with their relationship, or Mai and Zuko’s, or Sokka and Suki’s, it’s unquestionable that those three ships were canon by the end of the show.

Jackie Diaz’s SEQUEL COMIC doesn’t acknowledge this finale: somehow, Aang is in love with Toph but they’re not together despite there’s literally NOTHING in their way, since Aang and Katara weren’t together at all, according to Diaz. And Katara? Oh, she’s pining endlessly over Zuko, who somehow married Mai…

… Despite wanting Katara too.

… Despite he literally knocked up Katara back when the war was ending, which resulted in a miscarriage because of Mai’s wicked schemes~~!!

Can someone please explain to me in what world does it make sense for Zuko, FIRE LORD ZUKO, to be in a relationship with someone he doesn’t want, when the person he does want is RIGHT THERE, AVAILABLE, when there’s no real political consequences to ANYTHING that happens in this comic? You could say “oh no the Fire Nation people wouldn’t accept a Water Tribe woman…” … but then Zuko ends up with Katara anyways and the only problem is that Mai wants to kill them for that :’) so… no excuse works.

Basically there’s no real plot, the whole thing boils down to “I want these ships to happen and I need them to face hardships even if they don’t make sense”. The main hardship is that Mai doesn’t want her HUSBAND to carry out an affair with Katara. Zuko’s response to Mai’s obvious and reasonable complaint about their illicit relationship is to TURN VIOLENT WITH HER. And he’s the good guy :’)

Mai has a non-existent older brother Sho, who looks like a BLEACH character with Ozai’s hairstyle, and together they will try to kill Katara because, welp, someone has to give them trouble, I guess. In all fairness, the only character with a relatively logical flow of thought in this damn trainwreck is Mai. I mean, “my piece of shit husband married me for political clout, got his mistress pregnant, I didn’t want the kid to be a problem for me so I induced a miscarriage in Katara by poisoning her, probs just wanted Katara dead altogether but whatever, I only got the kid. Then Zuko threw me away despite I’m his legal wife and I’m really pissed about it so I want Katara dead” is the smartest writing in this entire comic. And no, that’s not a compliment, it’s still stupid as fuck but that’s how much more stupid everything else is. 

So, the happy couples are, like I said, Zuko and Katara, who get together despite Zuko is married to Mai, Aang and Toph, who somehow weren’t together despite there’s nothing in the way, AAAND… 

… Sokka and fake!Azula. Because I refuse to acknowledge that thing as the Princess we all love and adore.

Frankly, I consider it a miracle that HIBY didn’t destroy our ship completely when it was posted online, seeing as it was amongst the most talked-about fanmade content in Avatar’s fandom at the time. If people no longer associate Sokkla with HIBY immediately, we’ve definitely done a good job saving our poor ship’s face and showing it’s got a fuckton of potential compared to the shitfest that comic portrayed.

Why is Sokkla so problematic in HIBY? Because of fake!Azula, of course. Why is she fake!Azula? Because she’s got plot-convenient amnesia! Turns out that, for some reason, Azula forgot all the events from ATLA (let’s be real, so did Jackie Diaz so it’s not just her) and she shows up in this comic as a completely different character, so much that, upon hearing about the TERRIBLE THINGS SHE DID AND WAS, her reaction is…:

Fascinating, am I right? :’D She’s nice, sweet, shy and as good as brain-dead. And as she’s so sweet and cute now, somehow that becomes absolutely appealing for Sokka. And he falls for her, she falls for him, they bang dramatically, and so on and so forth…

Eventually Azula sacrifices herself in the final battle when Mai and her brother try to kill everyone and oh no! Sokka’s love interest dies again! Such a shocker, however, that Sokka goes to the Spirit World to save her, and unlike Iroh he succeeds… but what does Azula look like post-Spirit World shenanigans?

… Yeah, okay, fake!Azula calling anyone her “little angels” is just proof of how IC she is, if you had any doubts still.

But isn’t it FUNNY. Isn’t it HILARIOUS. That Azula not only undergoes an atom-deep brainwipe that turns her into a flat non-character, but that after dying she’s revived with WHITE HAIR, dressed in blue clothes and whatnot…?

My interpretation, and honestly, I don’t know if there’s any other possible interpretation… Jackie Diaz wanted Sokka to be with Yue :’) She fucking wrecked Azula’s character to turn her into a fake!Azula, who would eventually turn into fake!Yue after being resurrected because oh that’s just perfect to close off Sokka’s storyline, isn’t it? Only, he’s not with Yue nor with Azula because it’s neither of them. Just as it isn’t really Sokka either, or Katara, or Zuko or Aang or Toph.

Now, revisiting this trainwreck, there is a throwaway line where Ty Lee, in her (I think) only appearance in the story tells Katara that Suki and Sokka broke up. So um, Suki does exist, officially, in this comic, and she did date Sokka but it ended, and she’s back in Kyoshi Island with her team. 

Which elicits the question… why the fuck is she Mai’s maid?

I assure you, if you decide to delve deeper into this mess, you’ll absolutely find a lot more things to laugh about, to be outraged about, and to facepalm about while you wonder how on earth would someone, ANYONE, create something like this and not die of cringe looking at the finished product. It’s baffling to me.

At any rate, if you’d like to torture your own eyeballs reading this comic for yourself, there’s a Tumblr blog that gathered HIBY perfectly neatly for all curious eyes eager to torture themselves with this OOC fest. If you want more details than I care to remember about this catastrophic mess of a story, there’s always the TV Tropes page, which I think illustrates everything rather well. 

So… that’s HIBY. While I don’t think it should be sentenced to oblivion (we had best never forget the lowest lows the fandom has reached, else someone might be tempted to outdo them), this particular fanwork is quite the trainwreck in just about every regard. I really don’t think there’s anything worth salvaging in it. So, if you wanna read the whole thing (I’d be surprised if you would xD), knock yourself out in the blog link I posted up there. Otherwise, have a nice day if you still can after reading my answer to your ask :’D

[illusionlockarchive]

pazam: a mess, truly a mess

so i usually dont do these kind of posts, i guess you could say its a call out of some sort? but i never liked that word, i prefer rather to just compile sources on WHY people would believe that a certain person is not truly as nice and understanding as they seem. consider this more of a psa post, detailing on whats going on with pazam on the sfm community, why so many people are against them.

So, a while back, tumblr user jymble made a post on the main tag stating that pazam was transphobic. they linked back to this post, which contains screenshots of pazam in a group chat stating that they do not feel comfortable with the idea of trans people. now, this did happen 9 months ago, true. however, for the record, pazam is already an adult, 24 years old, so they should have some tact. and as further and more recent events will show, they actually havent changed that much at all, at least not as they claim.

the screenshots should be in the post, but here is a transcript

[Screenshot one]

Pazam:

What????? Why?????

I literally HAVE NOT been doing ANYTHING malicious to them

And if it did I apologized

Yes I do have discomfort about them but I keep it to myself

Why are you doing this????

[End screenshot one]

‘Them’ here refers to trans people in general. Notice the defensive and victimizing stance they almost immediately take upon being confronted about their feelings on trans people.

[Screenshot two]

elliott:

of COURSE you dont

sammaku:

Like specifically

Elliott hush

Pazam:

This whole concept of transness and changing your gender physically

I hate to say it again but it weirds me out and it makes me question my own gender which flings me into anxiety, depression, and obsession

sammaku:

Its fine to not understand but are you willing to learn about it

Pazam:

I don’t want to talk about this anymore

sammaku:

That depression anxiety and obsession just comes with gender issues

(the rest of the text is cut off)

[End Screenshot two]

notice once summaku asks them if they would at least be willing to learn about it, pazam immediately deflects it by saying they dont want to talk about it anymore.

[Screenshot three]

Pazam:

Seriously??? That’s all it takes????

Wow I’m a moron

I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused to you

@.aziraphale @.elliott @.sammaku

I just don’t get this stuff period

And I’ve gotten into trouble with this stuff before

I’ll probably never understand it for the rest of my life but I’ll try to be more tactful around y’all

Especially since you’re all young

And I’m like an adult

[End screenshot three]

While at first this would seem like they had finally learned their lesson and apologized, the things they add on after the @s become quickly worrying. Not only do they admit to ‘have gotten into trouble with this stuff before’, meaning they have probably shown their transphobia in other places and been called out, but they also stand firmly on the fact that they will never understand it or ‘get’ it.

And of course, as jymble points out, the implication that the people they were talking to were only acting like that because they were young.

A while after this post was made, Pazam had posted an apology, and went onto contact jymble asking for the post with the evidence of their transphobic to be taken down. The reason? They were afraid people would see it and think they were still transphobic and not give them a chance.

In this more recent post, you can see the conversation play out between Pazam and jymbles. Long story short, Pazam feels that it’s unfair that that post is still up after they apologized, and jymble of course said they would rather not take it down, people deserve to know what they did and take their own conclusions, even if that involves avoiding them. How does Pazam respond? By flat out deleting the apology post. I’d love to show the apology post to give you both sides of the story but I cannot anymore, because Pazam in a very bizarre move just deleted it because they got mad a trans blogger wouldn’t take down their post with proof.

Here’s the transcript of the screenshots:

[Begin Conversation]

rebloggidy (Pazam’s personal):

I’m by no means transphobia-free after learning what I’ve done but at least I know my actions and am making an effort to be a better person towards trans people.

rebloggidy:

Hi again. So I hate to be that person but would it be ok if you took down that post about the transphobia claims? I know it took me 9 months to apologize but if people only see your side of the story and not realize the post I saw they’ll take it out of context and still think I’m transphobic. Do you understand?

jymble:

... i already told you im not taking down the post.

[jymble sends a screenshot of her own message in a previous conversation, the screenshot reads as follows:

however, i dont think im taking the post down, nor am i entirely comfortable with you interacting with me either. people deserve to know how you acted with this stuff, until youre really and truly *better* with it instead of just trying, and i was a direct target of it]

jymble:

you oughright told me "im by no means transphobia-free", word for word sorry, but i told you before. im not taking the post down.

rebloggidy:

I remember that. But what I'm trying to say to you is that if people who read it out of context will immediately think I'm still transphobic without the other side of it (my comment)

And I don't want people to think that in the future

jymble:

if people make assumptions without looking at the entire situation, thats on them

i am not deleting the post and thats final. people have a right to know what youve done, and they have a right to be uncomfortable

rebloggidy:

I'm ready to take down my post because frankly, I'm sick and tired of having to justifiy something that I did 9 months ago, and that people grow and learn even not 100% during that time and I'm ready to move on.

I'm still into smile for me and feel free to make a blacklist of my name so anybody who rbs my work on your dash can have it hidden or something.

Take care.

[End conversation]

a lot to unpack here, but perhaps most notable is when jymble simply stands her ground and tells pazam she wont take down the post, pazam straight up decides, without being told to or anything, that they should take down their apology. later on, they made a post stating why they deleted the post, and saying they had ‘been forced to’.

I also would love to link it here, but as of now of writing this, like, not even an hour or so after I had seen that post, it got deleted. The only memory I have of it is a conversation I had with my boyfriend about Pazam, in which I copypasted a fragment from that post that read:

“ So for those wondering where the apology post went, I was forced to delete it. I wanted to archive it in some way so I could pull it up for reference, but there was no way I could. Also I didn’t really want to see it every time on my blog because quite honestly it’s upsetting to look at.”

There are some lies and twisting of truths here. Pazam wasn’t forced to delete it, they decided they should do it as a way to somehow get back at jymble. And the excuse that it was upsetting for them to look at is just inexcusable, what matters most, letting people know of what youve done and that youre sorry, or just never addressing the situation?

But, well, I’m just hoping you’ll take my word for it. As you see, Pazam has officially deleted ANY traces of acknowledging this situation on their blog.

This worries me. If Pazam is truly as concerned that they will be seen as transphobic as they claim, why are they deleting anything that could give them a chance of showing their own side of the story?

Now, that is the end, for now, of Pazam’s history with transphobia. However! It is not the end for some other very shady things.

Namely, Pazam has consistently whitewashed characters from Smile For Me, specially Kamal, and when called out on it, simply deletes the asks.

Want to know how I know this?

I sent them an ask myself. I had come across this picture of Boris and Kamal:

And I knew that this wasn’t right. I can understand using light colors and doing watercolor, but if they can make Boris’ hair brown and vivid enough, why not Kamal? He looks like another character completely, or like he’s deathly sick! 

So I sent them an anonymous ask, perhaps a bit exhasperated, true, and my wording could be better. It went something like: “i am begging you to draw kamal with darker skin”.

I waited, checked. But nothing came of it. They never answered it.

Pazam flat out ignored when they were told they had drawn a canonically brown man with skin way too light. Not even a lone text post saying ‘hey anon, i dont agree with you’ or ‘hey anon im sorry it wont happen again’. Nothing. No word, no opinion.

And with this situation going on with them evading responsibility, I can’t say I’m fully surprised.

And, yet another thing. People had expressed concern over the fact they had drawn their Flower Kid, who is 17, in very intimate and close positions with Dr. Habit. It included nuzzling faces, cuddling in bed together, wearing his coat...

And they did hear the claims this time. As of now, their Flower Kid is 24, according to them.

Except... They do not look 24. At. All.

this is a 12 year old. at best. short body, stubby legs, big head. those are all attributes of a very young character, usually children. like, legitimately, thats how childrens anatomy is in real life. the younger the person, the bigger their head is in proportion to their body.

We have already had an adult trying to justify drawing their flower kid who barely looked like an adult if at all in intimate situations with Habit. Let’s not let it slide by again.

And yes, I’m aware Pazam claims that those pictures were not supposed to be interpreted as romantic, ‘only platonic fluff’ and that they intend to keep it that way, but I have talked to my boyfriend who is a survivor and he said it very well could be a case of someone just trying to cover their tracks.

BUT, all that being said, maybe this one particular instance could be just us being wary. Still, it does not diminish all that they have done, specially ignoring the whitewashing claims.

What you are going to do with this information, I do not know. Maybe you don’t care and will keep reblogging their content. Maybe you’re disgusted by them. But I’m just here to give you the facts. Personally though, I’m not willing to give them much of a chance after the way they’ve behaved. They are 24 years old, three years older than me, and I think I could do a better job of handling a situation like this, frankly.

[polly-chan]

The story of Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania style videogame developed and published by Team Cherry. It introduces a very interesting lore, telling the story of a Knight without a past on a quest to save the abandoned insect kingdom of Hallownest.

In this meta I want to analyze the lore of the entire game, which is very interesting and addictive. Obviously this article is full of spoilers for those who have not yet played the game. Also this analysis is based a lot on what I found written in the Hollow Knight wiki, even if I had some personal reflection.

In the Kingdom of Hallownest there are many different important primordial higher beings, god-like bugs who have lived since the beginning of time, and others who are more recent but who are nevertheless divinized by the inhabitants of the Kingdom.  However, for a better analysis we must first introduce a summary of the Hallownest’s history in game.

The Hollow Knight (the one who gives the title to the videogame) is a Vessel chosen by the Pale King to seal away the Radiance and save Hallownest from the Infection. As wiki says, they were the child of the King and the Queen of Hallownest, birthed in the Abyss to be infused with the power of the Void. Because of that we consider them genderless and their birth condition was also supposed to leave them without a mind, will and voice. Thanks to this particular condition, void creatures are the only ones that can contain the Radiance, since the Radiance feed themselves with the light of dreams also distorting them as if they were physical entities.  However purity of the Hollow Knight was misjudged because they created an emotional bond with the Pale King who raised them.

“Regardless of their impurity, the Hollow Knight was trained and raised, eventually becoming  a fully grown Vessel. The Radiance was sealed within them, and they were chained within the Temple of the Black Egg where they were expected to contain the Infection for eternity. However, because of the aforementioned impurities, the Radiance could still exert influence. It ultimately resulted in the resurgence of the Infection and the Kingdom falling into ruin. Over time, the Hollow Knight disappeared from the fallen Kingdom’s memory. Only the Memorial in the middle of the City of Tears testifies of their sacrifice to save Hallownest. After some time, the Radiance’s power broke out of the Hollow Knight, cracking their shell and fully infecting them. This event was the catalyst that brought the Knight back to Hallownest. The Knight can free and fight the Hollow Knight after killing the three Dreamers who sealed the Black Egg’s entrance” .

The fate of the Hollow Knight is linked to the end of the game chosen by players, because there are different finals:

-          by killing the Hollow Knight the Knight takes their place in sealing the Radiance;

-          by entering their mind with the help of Hornet the Knight can chase away the Radiance;

-          by defeating Absolute Radiance at the peak of the Pantheon of Hallownest the Infection vanishes forever  and the Hollow Knight can then be seen walking out of the Black Egg’s temple, freed from the Infection.

Now let’s move on ti analyze the main divinities in the game’s lore.

The Radiance:

“The light. Forgotten. The plague, the infection, the madness that haunts the corpses of Hallownest… the light that screams out from the eyes if this dead Kingdom. What is the source? I suppose mere mortals like myself will never understand”.

The Radiance is a secret final boss and the Absolute Radiance is her final form. She’s one of the higher being god-like bugs above mentioned, opposed to the Void, her ancient enemy. She gave birth to the Moth tribe and because of that they revered her. Unlike the individualist society of Hallownest the Radiance offered unity to bugs at the cost of a mind incapable of thought.

“After the Pale King arrived in Hollownest and expanded the minds of his new subjects, the Moth Tribe turned their backs in the Radiance and worshipped him instead. In doing so, the Radiance was almost entirely forgotten, Yet traces of her memory remained, such as a statue on Hollownest’s Crown. Her memory started spreading throughout the Kingdom, by then in its golden age. Soon, all of Hallownest began to dream of her, appearing to them as a blazing light. These dreams could break the minds of bugs and eventually enslave their wills to hers. But the King and his subjects resisted her memory, which started to manifest as the Infection. The Pale King attempted to stop the Infection by sealing the Radiance within a Vessl. These creatures, infused with the Void to be without a mind and a will, were to be able to withstand the Radiance’s influence. The Hollow Knight was chosen, raised and grown for that purpose. The Radiance was sealed within them, and the Vessel chained within the Temple of the Black Egg. However, the Pale King failed to realise the Vessel’s impurities of mind. Because of this, the Radiance was still able to invade the dreams of bugs. She ultimately wiped out the Kingdom of its inhabitants, whose King had vanished, but left the rest of the land untouched.

Time passed, Hallownest turned into a myth while the Radiance remained sealed. Her influence finally started to break out of the Hollow Knight. She regnited the full power of the Infection, threatening again the land of Hallownest and prompting the Knight to return to Hallownest”.

I found the use of light as a villain very interesting. In fictions light usually wins over darkness as god wins over evil, but in the Kingdom of Hallownest she’s the real enemy, since, in real life, the bugs follow the light blindly. However I’d like to introduce a theory now.

We can consider the Kingdom of Hallownest as built on three levels:

-          the higher level is the outside world on the surface and from which the light comes through: this maybe recalls heaven, but as we said for the bugs is more comparable to hell. The vision of something which comes from a otherwordly dimension can drive everyone crazy;

-          the middle level is the realm, with its inhabitants;

-          the lower level is the Abyss: in fictions the Abyss usually recalls hell but that’s not totally true for Hollow Knight because of different reasons:

i)                    we can find the corpse of the Vessel used and thrown away by the Pale King, but it’s also the place that gave birth to our heroe, so it cannot be considered totally negative;

ii)                   the game tells us that the Kingdom of Hallownest is a tribute to all what bugs have been in life and this fills with a different meaning this place;

iii)                 we can find the Void into the Abyss and thanks to them we can defeat the Radiance forever.

So, in other words, in Hollow Knight’s lore the meaning of heaven and hell is reversed.

If we consider this theory true, we can finally appreciate why Radiance chooses to punish Moth tribe: another recurring theme in the narrative is the God who punishes men who turn their backs. Moth tribe chose the Pale King because he promised wellness, an earthly value, forever. This is clearly a sin and the tribe deserves to be punished.

The Void:

The Void is the substance of The Abyss, most of them is found in a sea at the bottom of the Abyss, but multiple beings exist who consist of Void themselves. The Void is “the power opposed”: it has the ability to oppose the light based Radiance and Pale King, who are both describes as light. When the Knight acquires the Void Heart and learns about their past the Void is unified under their will.

Since the Void completely leaks any kind of emotion and the hope It is capable of containing the Radiance, who feeds herself with dreams as if they were physical entities. Its nature of nothingness allows it to be filled with something  and that’s why having been raised by the King made the Hollow Knight feel love and become imperfect.  

The Pale King and his Queen:

“The old king of Hallownest… he must have been desperate to save his crumbling little world. The sacrifices he imposed on other… all for nothing”.

The Pale King is considered to be a higher being who used to be the monarch of Hallownest, mate of the White Lady and ruler of the White Palace. We find him dead on his throne in the White Palace. I am sure he died of despair for not being able to find the bathroom in that absurd place he called home and whoever has played that level will agree with me. I mean, the architect should be sued.

As wiki says, he’s an ancient Wyrm who wandered through mountains and across the wasteland until finally stopping by Kingdom’s Edge. Once there, the Wyrm shed the skin and transformed himself into the Pale King. He reduced his form in order to match the bugs of Hallownest.

Contrary to what is commonly said, I don’t’ think he is a higher being for real. I think he was a mortal bug like all the others, but remaining mostly closed in his Palace he was deified by his subjects. As a matter of fact, while the Radiance has never stopped giving her people the light she promised, the Pale King has not kept his promises and if he really was a divinity he would not have died. He symbolizes the earthly power and the aura of divine that hovers around monarchical figures, who do not mix themselves with their subjects, they often make promises that they cannot keep remaining enclosed in sumptuous palaces.

Moreover, the children whom the Pale King and the Queen gave birth to are just vessels, which are mortal remains and not divine spirit: it’s the difference between the mortal body of Jesus Christ (given to him by his mortal mother) and his immortal spirit (given to him by the divine father). In the same way, the Knight possesses the mortal remains of their parents but infused with the spirit of emptiness that characterized their divine nature.

Anyway, the Pale King gives to his people free will, while the Radiance claims intellectual slavery.

The Knight:

“An enigmatic wanderer who descends into Hallownest carrying only a broken nail to fend off foes” – official manual.

The Knight is the protagonist of the videogame. A discarded Vessel, child of the Pale King and the White Lady, born in the Abyss with Void inside their shell. Like the rest of their Vessel siblings is genderless. They embody emptiness: they are not created by anyone except by emptiness itself. They are a messianic figure who bring peace to the Kingdom.

Nightmare King Grimm:

“The expanse of dream in past was split,

One realm now must stay apart,

Darkest reaches, beatin red,

Terror of sleep. The Nightmare’s Heart”.

Nightmare King Grimm is the Dream form of Tropue Master Grimm: “Through dream I travel, at lantern’s call to consume the flames of a kingdom’s fall”. As wiki says, The Grimm Tropue is a mysterious travelling circus from the Nightmare realm to wherever the Nightmare Lantern has been lit by acolytes. They gather Nightmare Flames from ruined lands to fuel the sinister being enslaving the Troupe, the Nightmare’s Heart. The Nightmare is the dimension where the Nightmare’s Heart rests. The Nightmare’s Heart is the proper host of the Nightmare, as the Radiance is the host of the Dream. The Nightmare’s Heart is a higher being responsible for the Ritual of the Grimm Troupe, Grimmchild and Troupe Master Grimm are its spawn.

[olejkonopnygdynia263]

The Most Influential People in the susz CBD Gdynia Industry and Their Celebrity Dopplegangers

There are lots of tips on how to eat Cannabidiol. For human beings, intake is relatively basic. But precisely what is the best way to give Animals CBD oil products? We know pets even have an endocannabinoid technique. Just like their house owners, cats and canines can enjoy similar benefits to These experienced by human beings. From the several selections available, The easiest method to give Animals CBD Hemp oil is by Placing it of their foodstuff. That is a practical solution which will transport the CBD into your pet's procedure in a reasonably quickly timescale.™

Offering Pets CBD Hemp Oil

In terms of supplying our pets CBD Hemp oil, the selections are less compared to human products and solutions. Not surprisingly, vaping CBD is just not an option for animals. With that in your mind, a CBD oil tincture would be the main port of connect with. Some individuals have their Animals nicely-qualified to this kind of an extent they give them CBD through the sublingual method. Without a doubt, sublingual is a quick way of absorbing Cannabidiol. Nonetheless, in several instances, sublingual absorption isn't a realistic solution. Not merely that, If your saliva will come into direct contact with the dropper pipette dispenser, it may lead to contamination in the remaining oil while in the bottle.

Successful Way to present Animals CBD

So, the following ideal delivery method for pets has to be by means of the digestive method. This may signify including the CBD oil to your pet's food items. Prior to now, the taste was from time to time a difficulty with a few models of CBD extract. The good news is, you can find now a lot of Cannabidiol products that have a pleasant style. Indeed, even the palette of our 4-legged pals will approve. As well as food stuff, you could implement the CBD straight with a pet address. This is especially successful for all those pet snacks which can take in the oil.

Just take Treatment with CBD Dosage

You can provide Animals regular CBD oil goods. That said, there are numerous points to Keep in mind. Concentrate on dosage as some Animals are compact and will require a lesser power or dosage than humans. Also, ensure the Cannabidiol only has authorized limitations of psychoactive THC. The compact, trace quantities in comprehensive-spectrum CBD oil are Safe and sound assuming They're no bigger than 0.two% -0.3% THC (according to the place). This is vital because Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is toxic. Naturally, This suggests it could be unsafe to animals if consumed in substantial quantities.

Cannabidiol Just for Animals

Alternatively, There exists a expanding variety of CBD Hemp oil solutions that are created especially for animals. These merchandise include elements compatible with pets as opposed to humans. This may involve nutritional vitamins that animals would involve within their diet plan. Usually, these products are milder when compared to the typical human CBD potency. It can be for this reason, some pet homeowners choose to use ordinary human Cannabidiol as opposed to pet-helpful options. This can be down to personal preference. Whichever solution you select to choose, you need to now be totally knowledgeable on which product or service to purchase and The ultimate way to give pets CBD oil.

On this page, We're going to examine some health advantages of utilizing hemp oil.

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Hemp oil is composed of balanced fatty acids, protein, and carbohydrates. It is ideal to locate a trusted business to purchase hemp oil on the net in California, or wherever you reside. It is usually effective for pores and skin wellbeing owing to its nourishing vitamins and moisturizing features. Down below, I will share some well being advantages of hemp oil.

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Hemp seed oil is a tremendous pores and skin moisturizer as it can be easily absorbed via the skin and contributes considerably to your pores and skin's barrier purpose for preventing moisture reduction. This oil is a great skin foodstuff since it is rich in nutrients, crucial fatty acids, and antioxidants that make it great provider oil for therapeutic massage and healing cure. Just after applying it for a while, the skin's visual appearance can boost ominously.

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They are some overall health advantages of employing hemp seed oil. You will discover a trustworthy manufacturer of all-organic therapies to order hemp oil on the internet in California, or in other places.

The author is connected to the most effective manufacturers of all-purely natural treatments with the ailments of nowadays wherever persons can order hemp oil on-line in California. The corporation gives a wide range of products and solutions which includes CBD oils, hemp oils, CBD massage oils, CBD night sprays, CBD coconut oils, cannabidiol pain cream, cannabidiol roll-on for ache, and several Many others.

[recentanimenews]

REVIEW: The Eizouken Live-Action Movie Takes a Hands-Off Approach to the Source Material

  A note on safety: The following movie review undertook the strictest of safety procedures to watch the anime film in cinemas in Japan, including washing hands with disinfectant before and after, sitting in seats apart from others, going to a cinema outside of the busy metro area, and wearing a mask during the entire runtime of the movie. We strongly urge everyone to follow the recommended safety protocol in your country and always wear a mask when in public — not just for your sake, but everyone else’s as well.

  Let’s talk about faxes.

  I promise that it will make sense soon.

  To this day, faxes are huge in Japan. A lot of people, especially small business owners and freelancers, use them to send out invoices and the like, which must also be stamped with their personal seal known as a hanko. It’s an inescapable part of the giant, slow-to-change bureaucratic machine that permeates everyday life in Japan. Japan’s new administrative reform minister, Taro Kono, recently declared war on hanko and faxes, but it’ll be an uphill battle because Japan is basically the DMV if it became a country, with endless forms, applications, stamps, etc. It would actually be a pretty good topic for a satirical anime or something. But it’s not really the right topic for an Eizouken movie. Yet that’s what Tsutomu Hanabusa's live-action adaptation, which premiered on September 25, is ultimately all about.

  The original Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! manga and anime had a pretty straightforward story: a trio of high school friends start a club to make traditional, hand-drawn anime. There was, of course, much more to it under the surface — like a look at how an artist’s environment influences their work, the very specific details that make anime feel more real, the delicate balance between creativity and realistic time/resource management necessary in any kind of artistic production, etc. The original story admittedly also had its flashier moments, though most of them took place in the imaginations of the three main characters: Midori Asakusa, Sayaka Kanamori, and Tsubame Mizusaki. On the whole, Eizouken is a celebration of the artistic spirit and a goofy, energetic love-letter to an industry that rarely loves animators back with its long hours and creative compromises.

    The Eizouken live-action movie, on the other hand, has combat scenes, tactical police raids, elaborate battles, and, if I understood it correctly, a typhoon in a box. None of those are from the anime produced by the Eizouken club. They all happen within the movie’s “real” world and their goal is to push forward the idea that bureaucracy is bad.

  Let me explain. In the manga and anime, the Student Council at Asakusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki’s school was mostly an occasional roadblock they had to overcome to get some money for their club or to screen their finished anime. They did have a more prominently antagonistic role in the Culture Festival episode where they utilized their own security force, but to call them the villains would be really missing the point of the story. So anyway, the Student Council is 100 percent the villain of the Eizouken movie.

  In the live-action film, the Student Council runs the school with its own paramilitary force that they use to enforce the ideas of Total Bureaucracy. They intervene in afterschool activities, merging existing clubs according to their whims, even if it doesn’t make a lick of sense. They can only be fought with signed forms and the like. They hate Eizouken because they represent disorder and because their existence challenges their rule-obsessed … rule. All of this was definitely a small part of the manga and anime but here, it’s been dialed up to 11 and given center stage, all to create an easily-recognizable Big Bad for the Eizouken girls.

  Image via Amazon Prime

  All of that doesn’t make the movie bad. On its own, it’s a semi-enjoyable story about insane high-school girls so obsessed with their administrative duties that they organize an armed police raid on their friends while yelling: “Don’t let them make that anime!” It’s a bit funny. But it’s not Eizouken.

  An interesting thing about the live-action Eizouken movie is that it was supposed to premiere back in May (but got pushed back because of COVID-19) so it could follow the live-action series that aired before it. The series covers the events from the first chapter/episode up until the Student Council budget review, while the movie cuts down all that story into about 40-45 minutes and fills the rest of its runtime with new footage concluding with the screening of the Robot Club anime. This really hurts the movie because it was written with the assumption that the audiences have all seen the series, so a lot of crucial context is missing. Why do Asakusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki have a problem with the Student Council? Covered in the series. How did they get their dilapidated clubhouse? Covered in the series. Why is there a cheerleader rebellion happening on the school grounds? Covered in the series.

  If you’ve read the manga or seen the anime you won’t have trouble following it, although you probably will have trouble recognizing your favorite characters. Literally, the entire main cast is wrong. You remember how Mizusaki could flawlessly switch between her geek and model persona? Well, now she gets a bit flustered when people ask for her autograph. Also, there are no traces of the detailed-obsessed aspiring animator left in her (the film as a whole focuses very little on the actual act of making anime which is definitely ... a choice.) She’s not annoying or a bad influence. It’s not a terrible direction. It's just different. In the movie, Kanamori has exactly one scene where she can demonstrate her producer and money-and-resource-procuring skills and it happens off-screen. The rest of the time, she mainly yells at Asakusa and Mizusaki for not focusing. She did get a few more character-building scenes in the TV series but movies are meant to be as self-contained as possible so it would have been nice to see that here.

  Image via Amazon Prime

  Asakusa is probably the worst. In the manga and anime, she was an adventurer, a dreamer, a hard worker, a fully-rounded person. She had trouble with crowds or public speaking but she was brave in other areas, and she knew exactly what she wanted. The live-action Asakusa has a violent physical reaction when strangers talk to her. She also cries A LOT. She constantly has the look of a lost kitten about her, afraid of the world and what it might do to her. The animated/drawn Asakusa loved the world. She was fascinated and inspired by it to create anime. The live-action Asakusa does design to escape the real world because it scares her. Maybe this type of character could’ve worked in another series, but this just doesn't feel like Eizouken.

  A lot of the choices in the movie are weird like that. The recap of the TV series happens in the form of a parody of samurai movies like Rashomon. There’s another parody of a Japanese variety show after that. A few American movie spoofs are also thrown in later. That’s possibly a commentary on modern entertainment, which would make sense in a story titled Eizouken (lit. “motion picture studies”), but the point of the anime and manga is that these girls aren’t making or studying general “motion pictures.” They make anime. Hand-drawn anime. They hammer in the difference between regular cinema and anime a lot. It’s one of the themes of Eizouken. But not in the live-action film, because, apparently, when the screenwriter read the name Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, they took it as a suggestion to stay as far away from the source material as possible.

  Have you seen the live-action Eizouken movie or TV series? What did you think of them? Let us know in the comment section!

      Cezary writes words on the internet. You should follow him on Twitter.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[missnight0wl]

Let's discuss Jacob's age

I finally decided to collect all my thoughts on Jacob’s age in one post. There will be some arguments I covered before in different discussions, but also some new observations. I’ll also use my Jacob as a point of reference, as I find it easier to explain different possibilities that way. Hopefully, it’ll be also clearer to understand. So without further ado, let’s get it started.

Jacob Ellis was born in late 1966 and here's why:

My first crucial assumption when we consider Jacob’s age is that he was 17 years old at the point of his expulsion (or at least very close to that). Most importantly it’s about the Trace. If Jacob still got it on him, he’d be probably fairly easy to find. And speaking of that, notice that nobody seemed to be really alarmed about A CHILD missing. Everybody just talks about him going mad. In my opinion, it also suggests that our brother was already of age so nobody could do much – he’s an adult, he can do whatever he wants. Lastly, there were rumours about Jacob working for Voldemort AND being the most feared wizard in Knockturn Alley. I suppose both of them would be far less probable for people to believe in if Jacob was younger than 17.

I also put his birthdate after September 1st, meaning he would’ve been 17 in his 6th year already. It’s maybe not super important, but I’ll use it in later speculations, so I’m just letting you know.

In this place, let’s discuss his relationship with Madam Rosmerta. She’s actually one of a few people who knew Jacob and admits that she cares about bringing him back home. It seems like she was pretty close with our brother, with the whole hiding him from the Ministry and letting him stay at her inn. And it’s interesting what exactly she told us in that scene: “Anyone would have done the same if they knew your brother like I did”. Not Anyone would have done the same to protect a child, or anything like that. It makes me think that they had to have some time to bond. We know that Jacob was spending quite a lot of time at Three Broomsticks, but it surely wasn’t all the time. And Rosmerta had work to do in the meantime too (she’s usually quite busy when MC visits her). So I’d say at least two years could be needed to get more attached? Students at Hogwarts are allowed to visit Hogsmeade from the third year, meaning that Jacob would have to be expelled in his fifth year at least. In my case, they would have three years of knowing each other, so quite a solid period of time to develop a friendship.

Finally, there’s a matter of Jacob’s broken wand, and it’s a bit complex. Because a lot of people say that a wand is broken only if a student is expelled before their O.W.L.s, and this is what you can find on HP wiki. The thing is... they didn’t give any sources for that information, and I can’t find it on my own (on Pottermore etc.). It made me think that it’s their assumption based on cases of Hagrid and Newt. And while I agree that it does make sense, and it checks for those characters, there’s another problem. You see, apparently, it’s unclear if Newt was even expelled...

This is information you can find in notes on Newt’s page on wiki:

J. K. Rowling has stated on two occasions that Newt was expelled from Hogwarts (...). However, on a prop document  featured in the first Fantastic Beasts film and reproduced in The Case of Beasts: Explore the Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, it is stated that "the expulsion was never enforced" because Albus Dumbledore's intervention "result[ed] in his name being cleared." Miraphora Mina, one of the graphic artists who worked on the film, revealed in an interview that Rowling was consulted during the creation of the props to ensure the accuracy of text on them. (...) It is possible that J. K. Rowling's statements that Newt was expelled were a deliberate attempt at withholding information to prevent spoilers. 

So technically, we still don’t know what the rules are. On the other hand, Graves said in the movie: “You were thrown out of Hogwarts for endangering human life"... But even that aside, I’ve seen people speculating that maybe it’s rather about being of age, or whether or not the expulsion involved anyone actually dying. The second criterium would still work for Hagrid and Newt (assuming that the latter one was indeed expelled, ultimately).

Back to Jacob’s wand though. The first time we learn that it was broken is during our visit at Ollivander’s at the beginning of the game. The wandmaker told us: “Shame they snapped it in half when he was expelled”. Then, when we take Rowan with us to the Vault of Ice so they identify the wand by wood and core, and we ask Dumbledore about it, the Headmaster says:

What if this information leaked to the public, but was twisted, accidentally or on purpose? What if Rita Skeeter used it to make the situation look more serious? Even though this mad boy passed his O.W.L.s/was of age, his wand was broken because that’s how dangerous he is. We know that MC’s family name was “dragged through the mud”, so it probably wouldn’t be the only lie they wrote. And it’d explain why Ollivander didn’t question that - they said so in the newspaper, after all. It just makes more sense to me than 15-16 years old boy working for Voldemort and becoming super feared wizard while nobody is using the Trace to find him.

(I have a vague memory of information that it was the Aurors who found out the wand was broken, but I can’t find such scene for the life of mine, so I don’t take it into consideration for now.)

Now, to the speculation of WHEN our brother was expelled. Personally, I reckon that it happened months before MC started school, like in spring 1984. First of all, I want to “debunk” a theory that Jacob had to be expelled before Voldemort’s fall. The main reason: Angelica Cole. The way she talked about our brother in NHN SQ sounded to me like they knew each other pretty well.

But in 1981 Angelica was only a first year! Well, maybe she was in the second year if Jacob was expelled at the very beginning of the next term, but still. I don’t see him spending much time with a lot younger girl to help her when he was already very invested in the Cursed Vaults. Jacob had to be younger than that, making the difference between him and Angelica smaller, and putting his disappearance closer to the events of HPHM. With my assumed age, he’d be in his third year when Angelica started school – so the same as with MC and Bill. Seems way more plausible to me that he might’ve decided on helping her then. Even if he was already involved with the Vaults, it probably was just beginning. (Personal addition: I like to think that Jacob was drawn to helping younger students due to his “older brother’s instinct”.)

Another thing is how fresh Jacob’s case is in people’s memory. And here we have Rowan’s reaction, for example. When they hear our last name, they quickly remember the story. To me, it suggests that the whole thing was still a pretty hot topic, at least in newspapers. And while we know that Rita Skeeter likes to dig dirt, even if it’s some older one, I got the impression she prefers more relevant topics. She came to Hogwarts when it was already affected by the curses, and not when MC started school (even though it alone would be an opportunity to pull Jacob’s madness back to light).

We can also try to get some hints from our interaction with Alistair Fidgen. I mean, sure, he’s a lying prat, but let’s assume that he was telling the truth about Jacob’s actions – he just conveniently forgot to mention that our brother became a big deal in Knockturn Alley after that. In that case, even if Jacob disappeared right before MC starting school, there were over four years since their “last” meeting. Yet, he seems to remember it pretty well. If more years had passed, Alistair would have bigger problems with recalling it (or at least would pretend to). This one is a bit of a stretch, but I decided to list everything that comes to my mind.

Now, this point might be pretty big: Severus Snape. Was he Jacob’s teacher or not? I believe he was. Jacob wrote in his notebook:

… which to me strongly suggests that Snape was a teacher at this point, had authority over Jacob. Also, it was the time of the Vault of Fear. We don’t know exactly how much time Jacob was spending on each vault, however, I suppose it was either similarly one per year, or even longer. After all, we now have Jacob’s clues: we had the book to open the Vault of Fear, for example. We didn’t have to look for it. Back to Snape though. Considering what was said above, I guess we can bet that Snape was teaching Jacob for at least two years before his expulsion. With my assumed age, Jacob would start school in September after Snape’s graduation in June. Then, there were three years of Snape’s absence (when the classes with Dumbledore could’ve taken place – it explains why Jacob was practising Legilimency with the Headmaster, and not Severus). Snape came back as a teacher in Jacob’s fourth year.

Another stretch, but as I said, I’m taking everything: it’s about our Legilimency lessons. Do you remember that Snape saw three of our memories then? In the first one, he said: “Five or six years old”. Not very precise, if you ask me, so it might mean two things: either Snape is not very good at telling children’s age, or the memory wasn’t very clear so he couldn’t tell (or both). Either way, with the next memories he said nothing about age, only described us as “older” (very clever, Jam City, but I’m going to analyse you anyway!). I suppose it had to be some bigger jumps in the time if Snape could tell the difference for sure. Like two years perhaps? Which could mean that in the last memory, where MC is crying with their mum, they’re like 9-10 or older. It’s also interesting how quickly he guessed that “This must be the day your brother went missing…”. Probably because he knows how old MC was then. And maybe, just maybe, they looked pretty much like when they started school?

Or he was looking for particular memories from certain periods of time, but you know… I’m just speculating. Maybe it will inspire somebody else to do a better analysis of that scene.

Finally, there’s one thing I’ve noticed lately about Bill. When we found the letter mentioning Olivia Green, his first immediate reaction was “Never heard of her…”. As if he was expecting that he SHOULD hear of her if Jacob was interacting with her. It made me think that Bill and Jacob could have some years overlapping. Again, with my assumption, Jacob would be in the fifth year when Bill came to Hogwarts. It also kind of fits to why Bill didn’t hear about Olivia – because he was just a first year, maybe a second year when she “met her fate”. It’s possible that such a young student wouldn’t hear about a much older girl, especially if she didn’t even finish her education.

To sum up, I believe that Jacob was born in late 1966. Moreover, he was 17 years old and in his 6th year in the moment of expulsion. In my opinion, it fits the best every information we got so far. Also, here’s some small bonus: a visual representation. The notes about the Vaults are rather for orientation, as we don’t really have many clues for that.

[tsgbaltimoreandannapolismaryland]

3 Historic East Coast Wedding Venues to Consider for Your Big Day

BY SARAH DAWSON February 20, 2020

The Duke Mansion. Photography by Lauren Roseneau Photography.

Many factors come into play when choosing a wedding day, from location to size to style to sentimentality. And while some couples gravitate toward sleek, modern venues, others may be more drawn to a locale with a bit of history. For those who are considering making their wedding location their “something old,” we’ve rounded up three historic wedding venues on the East Coast that will serve as the ideal backdrop for the special occasion.

THE DUKE MANSION // CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

The Duke Mansion. Photography by Kristin Byrum Photography.

The background: The Duke Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is operated as a nonprofit with all proceeds being used to preserve and protect this community treasure. Built in 1915, North Carolina entrepreneur James B. “Buck” Duke purchased the home in 1919, later founding Duke Energy and Duke University. Upon his death in 1926, the home passed from family member to family member and eventually landed in the hands of some of the Charlotte community’s most prominent philanthropic families. The Mansion currently operates as a four diamond inn, meeting, and event space.

Fun historical facts: The Cannons, a wealthy textile family, lived in the house in the 1950s. Their daughter, a true southern belle, fell in love with a Yankee Catholic, and the strong Baptist family just couldn’t stand for the partnership, so they sent her away on a cruise hoping she’d fall in love with someone else. Indeed, she did fall in love with John Hershey, and when she later married him at her family home, she invited that ex-boyfriend to attend. To this day, her ex, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, is one of the most famous guests to have attended a wedding there.

What makes it an ideal wedding locale: The Duke Mansion is a sought-after venue not only for its history, but for the lovely indoor/outdoor aspect of the property. With four and a half acres of stunning gardens, and 27 garden rooms, it’s truly an urban oasis. When couples rent the property for the wedding, they gain possession of all 20 guest rooms on Friday and Saturday nights, and it truly feels as if you are hosting the wedding at your personal home. An on-site executive chef and culinary team that includes a horticulturist customize the hyper-local southern menu for guests, with an organic garden full of heirloom tomatoes, beans, kale, and cabbages adding to the offerings.

GLEN GORDON MANOR // HUNTLY, VIRGINIA

Glen Gordon Manor. Photography by Jumping Rocks.

The background: Glen Gordon Manor traces its hospitality roots back to the 1860s when it was a Wells Fargo stagecoach stop. The main house brims with nostalgic spaces, including a fire-lit entrance hall, baronial oak hunt room, stone wine cellar, and a charming country kitchen. Located just one hour from Washington, D.C., and major airports, the Manor feels a world away in its gorgeous hunt country setting.

Fun historical facts: Fans of The Crown will appreciate that the Manor has housed British Royalty. King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, infamously known for their scandalous romance, once visited when the historic estate served as a hunting retreat for the royal family. Their stay allowed their romance to blossom, and they became the namesake for the Manor’s luxurious suites. Earlier in its history, during the Civil War, Union troops marched right in front of the Manor, and guests can tour many historic Civil War sights in the area during their stay.

What makes it an ideal wedding locale: With breathtaking views of the Shenandoah mountains and surrounding valleys, this intimate yet spacious manor home is the perfect spot for a hunt country wedding. Prior to the big event, the wedding party can enjoy the on-site spa, and wedding couples have the run of the entire property for their wedding, with the ability to host guests for an intimate gathering fireside in the Hunt Room or outdoors for a larger, tented reception. The meal is sure to be memorable as well, as award-winning chef/owner Dayn Smith customizes the reception menu to the bride and groom’s specifications.

FOXFIRE // MONKTON, MARYLAND

Foxfire. Photograph courtesy of Foxfire.

The background: A luxurious private estate, Foxfire is situated in a historic area of Monkton, Maryland, known as My Lady’s Manor, which was established more than 300 years ago when Lord Baltimore gave the land to his wife as a gift. Foxfire itself was built in 1932, and has since been regarded as a renowned horse racing and breeding farm. With its close proximity to Washington D.C., and New York City, it’s also served as a retreat for tastemakers and high society over the years.

Fun historical facts: The original 1930 Vulcan stove was built to last—it still has pride of place in the kitchen, and works like a dream. In addition, the estate is home to a long line of renowned racehorses that were bred and raised on the grounds. 

What makes it an ideal wedding locale: Foxfire limits large events to four times a year, so if you’re seeking an exclusive venue, it fits the bill. Every detail on the grounds, as well as indoors, had been thoughtfully designed to enhance the guest’s experience and surround them in a luxurious yet approachable setting. The property impresses from get-go—ancient maples line the quarter-mile driveway, along which visitors will pass a duck pond, a quarry, barns, paddocks, and pastures with grazing horses as they make their way to the main house. During the winter, the quarries on the property can freeze and have long provided opportunities for outdoor ice skating. The pristine countryside and crisp exterior of the Manor House offers the perfect backdrop to endless design palettes, whether you wish to highlight the historic estate or focus your event concept on a different source of inspiration. Couples can also opt to rent the property for the entire weekend and host up to 21 guests onsite (events can accommodate up to 300 people), along with a full range of events beyond their wedding, including a welcome reception, rehearsal dinner, or a Sunday brunch.

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Echo pt2

@kthomas325

Warning: This is a little dark. There is blood, death, Strong Language and yeah ... please read with caution. **Still not sure what direction this is taking so I should add a warning for Author with no plot **

Masterlist

---

Echo part 2

The castle was always active at the start of a new day but it seemed to be particularly lively right now. Servants darted from chambers and rooms fetching and carrying as orders were barked at them from the 9 siblings and their Mother.

Today was the audience with the crown. Dignitaries, as well as members of the general populace, were gathering to seek out solutions to issues from the highest authority in the land. This was part of being a ruling power here but it did seem that the Queen and her offspring took matters a little too far in the direction of dramatic flair.

Main gates were temporarily closed allowing the castle to be set up for the expected crowds that were already milling around outside the castle walls in the streets below. Fresh flowers arrangements were placed on the white stone staircase that lead up the incline to the castle proper. Rooms around the lower level were also locked and sectioned off so that no one could venture further into the building without proper clearance. Light flooded the corridors providing a kind of natural carpet effect on the floor and the Throne room was pristine in all its grandeur.  

Twelve thrones set in a crescent moon shape were at the very top of the chamber. The white stone of the building gleamed thanks in large part to the massive lead lined windows that stood majestically behind the thrones. The light from the twin suns reflected through the multiple diamond shapes casting shimmering shards of incandescent light into the room. There was no doubt it was a room designed for ultimate effect and the Queen knew how to use that to her advantage.

After the hoard of visitors had settled into place and taken position in their queue, the large doors at the side of the Throne room opened and the siblings entered in pair formation. Each was elegantly dressed and shone like a priceless gemstone. In the shadow of one of the large supporting columns of the room a thin razor-sharp smile spread over one man’s lips as he watched the “performance”. It was the only word that could be used for this. The Queen viewed this land as her stage and everyone in it, including her offspring, as mere players on it.

Drones. The thought passed through his mind easily as he watched the royal formation move. Every hair on their head, every accessory, every piece of clothing had been chosen for them by the Queen. Their movements were trained, their words were not even their own as much as they would protest against it the truth was simple.

The eldest child entered with his mother on his arm. The Queen standing straight and tall her age masked easily by the glamour she held. Her flowing blonde hair cascaded down her back and her form-fitted dress moved like ocean waves as she glided towards her seat. The empty chair to either side of her stood as markers to a tale that had slipped into the history books. Beautifully crafted Pawns. I applaud you, dear Queen, you did well. As if she could hear his thoughts her eyes settled on his. Those piercing cold blue eyes that could cut like ice would freeze a lesser man, but not him. He simply stood and maintained his gaze the smile on his face almost mocking.

---

“You took on a case without clearing it with me first?”

The door to her chief coordinator's office barely closed before they rounded on her.

“I’ve told you many times already I cannot always clear these things with you two or three weeks in advance.��� She sat straight in the guest chair unflinching as the older man who was like a father to her in a lot of ways sighed and slumped his shoulders.

“That is not the point Kid and you know it. You have just moved and the case is out of your jurisdiction.” He pinched the bridge of his nose where his glasses usually sat. Probably thinking that this choice to wear his contacts today was maybe not the best plan given that headaches made the lenses uncomfortable.

“Most cases are out of my jurisdiction. It has never stopped you from letting me take them on before.” If it had been someone else, she would have been just as indignant as she protested the restriction on her work.

There was nothing except basic formalities that required her attention right now. All Ops had been grounded and placed on downtime which provided her with more than enough time to sit around twiddling her thumbs and being bored. Last time this happened she took on a case that saw her flying to Africa to check a water source for a rare bacterium that should not have been present in freshwater. That wasn’t just out of her jurisdiction it was out of the same god damn continent. She couldn’t understand why her boss was choosing now to be an obstruction on a case.

“Look pick a case any other case. Just not this one.” The sound of his begging pathetically was a far cry from the man she knew. She leaned back in her chair and levelled a defiant glare at him.

“Col you are being unbelievably stubborn and pushy on this which isn’t like you at all. I’m not going to do anything until you say what you are really wanting too and don’t go trying to candy coat it. I’m not a kid.” Her blue eyes that were normally clear had turned thunderous and dark. He knew from past experience that when things felt wrong and she wasn’t getting straight answers it could only ever end badly, for the other guy. He certainly did not wish to join the ranks of the fallen.

“Look. Your father and I go way back right?”

“Right” She nodded firmly. Colin had been one of the first other adult males in her life outside of family members to visit their house. He had helped with schooling and relocations so many times it was hard to think of a time when he wasn’t in her life.

“Wrong.”

“What?”

“Wrong. Look Kid the first time I met your dad it was about three decades ago and he looked like he had survived falling into a mincer at a slaughterhouse. I found him at the side of the road and you were wrapped up in his arms.” Col’s words were blunt and direct. There were no detectable traces of anything that could be considered a lie which made the bombshell he just dropped on her even harder to process.

“How is that even possible? All the years I’ve known you and what? You lied to me the whole time?”

“Only about how far back I’ve known your dad. He is a good man and dammit if I didn’t feel terrible for him.”

“Why?”

“That is something he would be able to tell you, not me. I told you he was injured. He looked like he had come from a renaissance or medieval fair or something, you both did. He was babbling about not letting them have you and how he didn’t have a wife anymore.” Col chose this time to get up and walk to the false shelf on his bookcase. Tapping it so it popped open revealing a bottle of scotch and some glasses. She had known he kept it there but she hardly ever saw him drinking at the office. He poured some amber coloured liquid into two glasses and handed her one as he went back to his own seat. It burned in her throat as she took a sip of it but she felt the muscles in her body begin to relax a little with the alcoholic lubrication.

“I don’t get what any of that has to do with the case.”

“Because for a couple of weeks during that time. We found things.” He looked over at her making sure she was still alright to continue. “Things like large animals, deer, bears all dead. All fresh and all drained of their blood. Some hikers too.” He downed his drink in one go as if the memory of the events was still with him. It wouldn’t be uncommon; you see it a lot in stressful or unusual cases where you have pushed your mind and body to get on with the job at hand you end up with like a remnant of the memories you suppress. Like an echo coming back to you time and time again, some echoes were worse than others.

Her mind went back to the case reports. Mountain rescue and rangers all reported finding campsites abandoned and later finding the inhabitants dead. The things Col was bringing up matched with what she had already found but they didn’t explain the connection to her and her father or why nothing had been said to her before.

“Why didn’t you say anything about this to me sooner?”

“Told ya. It wasn’t my story to tell. And that body thing was an old case that never came up again.” It was clear from his one that even with a feeling of guilt he was going to stay tight-lipped on this.

“What happened with it?” Asking this she followed Col’s lead and drained her glass. The sudden volume of the fluid travelling down her throat caused that familiar burn you got from strong alcohol to tingle in the back of her nose and she suppressed a cough.

“Shelved. Never caught the ones responsible or found out how they pulled it off. But it only went on for a few weeks and then stopped completely.” Col didn’t sound satisfied. She knew him he hated unfinished work, but back then he would have been a rookie. Nothing you can do if a higher-ups decides to shut down an investigation.

“Right.” She put the glass down on his desk with a hollow clink sound and got up to go. Her hand was on the office door when he called out from behind.

“What you gonna do?”

“You said so yourself. Not your story to tell. So, I’m going to go ask the guy whose story it is.”

One thing she learnt was butting heads with a stubborn person when you are also a stubborn person gets you nowhere and to be honest right now, she was in no mood to fight a wall. She wanted answers. The files she received from the Met were back in her office she would grab those. But most important task now was going to find the person whole tale it was to tell and getting him to talk.

---

The Queen elegantly draped herself in her private chambers near her vanity table. The room was a perfect image of what one might be tempted to call excess. Every surface was highly polished and inlaid with crushed crystals making it look rather like the centre of a geode. The audience with the crown was over and she sighed lightly before catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror and grinned.

It had all gone according to plan. The masses were happy and she had been praised for her beauty, kindness and intelligence so many times she was walking on cloud nine. If it was possible to survive on adoration she felt like she could be immortal right now. Naturally however even in this realm that was not something that could be done. Immortality was the stuff of fantasy. But prolonged life? sustained beauty? You could have all of that. It came at a cost if you were willing to pay, and she was just mad enough to do it.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of two figures. Both were dressed similarly in loose clothing bound over with strips of fabric to pull it tight to their forms. This was the typical uniform for scouts. Nothing more than required and everything designed for complete freedom of movement and cover.

“What did you find?” She didn’t bother with greetings. Observing the two visitors like a cat would a mouse.

“The rift is strong, and it holds. We can go back.” The taller one explained with a complete lack of emotion or detail. She was pleased to see this, emotions wasted time and made for weak soldiers.

“Good. Bring me what I desire.” She waved her hand and turned back to her reflection.

“One other thing My Queen.”

“What?” She moved her eyes in the mirror staring through it at the second scout who had spoken.

“The rift from what we can tell didn’t naturally tear.”

She felt her breath catch in her throat at this piece of information. Naturally forming rifts were rare and took generations to form and become stable. A non-natural rift would mean someone with the power to tear at the fabric of time had created it. Someone as powerful as she was, possibly even more powerful. Her blood ran hot as she picked up a clear crystal turning it over in her hand until it changed to citrine. The glittering yellow like a shard of trapped sunlight glowed from within and she tossed it towards the scouts who caught it nimbly.

“When you go back take this. I want to know what happens to it.”

“As you wish.”

The two scouts briskly left the Queen’s chamber. They had their orders and it never paid to keep her highness waiting. Once they were a safe distance away, a shadow in the corridor rippled a pale outline of a figure moved in the opposite direction. Long fingers pulled the edge of their cloak up higher, turning its hood over their head.

---

[fairsts-a]

07.   \   𝙵𝙰𝙼𝙴𝙳 𝙸𝚂 𝚃𝙷𝚈 𝙱𝙴𝙰𝚄𝚃𝚈 𝙼𝙰𝙹𝙴𝚂𝚃𝚈 !

𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴 : her majesty, regina isabella mills, queen of the silver realm . 𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 : the silver realm . 𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙴𝚅𝙰𝙽𝚃 𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿𝚂 : snow white, step - daughter .   /   king daniel, late husband .   /   cora mills, mother .   /   henry mills, father .

𝑶𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑼𝑷𝑶𝑵 𝑨 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬 in a castle just across the way, the king and queen of the silver realm lived peacefully. their kingdom prospered and there was little conflict. happily, the realms lived, until a nearby country started to fail financially. desperate to save their kingdom, a war was struck, and nearly all neighboring monarchies were dragged into the bloody feud. favors were exchanged, alliances were formed, and the war raged on for three years.

then, on a day when storms rolled in like a bad omen, among the bustle of the castle preparing for the queen’s birthday, the news came. king daniel was dead. with the loss of their strongest ally, the war was won and the victors took what they pleased. desperate to save her true love’s kingdom, regina remarried. her mother convinced her it was the only way to save their home. her second husband, the king of the white kingdom and a recently widowed man himself, had a young daughter, snow white. snow and her step - mother, though very different in background, became close. still, regina could never banish the empty feeling in her chest that lingered day by day.

months after her wedding day, a mysterious gift arrived, addressed to her majesty. upon first glance, the strange object seemed to be an ornate mirror, antiquated and dusty. there was no note attached, and thus no trace of who could have sent the package. and so, tentatively, the object is hung in the queen’s bedroom.

it was not long after that regina started experiencing strong emotions, thoughts flooding her mind that had existed only in her subconscious. voices echoing, exacerbating hurt and trauma that she had tried so hard to stuff away. anger, jealousy, regret, pain : they all bubble to the surface, eating away at her heart and at her mind. then, the mirror speaks to her. just whispers at first, but then so loudly she could no longer ignore it. they like her more. she’s fairer than you. she is loved. you are not. the kingdom will never love you. the only person who would ever love you is gone.

it was enough to drive anyone mad. insecurities consumed her, hatred growing like weeds in her heart. denser became her rage the longer she endured the king’s cruel treatment and disregard for the kingdom that was once her’s. envy pointed her attention to his dear snow white. dark thoughts clung to her mind like cheap window drapes as the mirror chipped away at the goodness in her heart. it wasn’t long before she decided: the king must die.

poison would be the culprit, slipped into his wine, taking him in his sleep. though she wanted nothing to do with his country, her own kingdom was her right. still, talks of a coronation for her step - daughter began, regina once again looked over and ignored. desperation caused her to seek out a dark wizard, pleading for his help with what little was left of her. he told her he could offer her a way out, could teach her the black magic her own mother had practiced in secret. with seemingly nothing left to lose, she went under his training, planning for the moment she could take back what was her’s.

in the time between, snow white was dressed in rags, hidden away from the rest of the kingdom ‘til she seemed more like a myth than a princess. she was distracted with chores and other petty activities as the queen stayed hidden away, waiting...until one day, a young prince found himself in their garden, smitten with the princess. watching from her room, regina knew she had little time left. she employed a huntsman to follow the girl into the meadow, to cut out her heart and return it to him.

though the huntsman bought the girl time, his stunt only angered the queen further, and she ran to her dungeon to brew a spell so volatile it would rid her of her problems once and for all. a beautiful red apple, shiny and bright, would be her weapon. an old hag, dressed in a dark cloak was her disguise. then, she headed past the seven hills, delivering snow white’s fate to the doorstep of the seven dwarves.

true love’s kiss would prevail this time, though. her curse would be broken and snow white would go on to marry the prince. it was happily ever after, or so they thought. the loss only provoked regina further, sending her searching for a way to exact revenge once and for all. a dark curse: one which would bring them to a world with no happy endings, void of magic and mystery. a land without magic, plagued with despair and tragedy. it was there that regina became the mayor of her small town: storybrooke. nestled right next to new york city, on the border. there, they are integrated with this world’s society, everyone but regina unaware of their pasts.

𝙼𝙸𝚂𝙲𝙴𝙻𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙴𝙾𝚄𝚂 𝙸𝙽𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽   \\   ...

important.    this is my main verse, and will be the one i default to.  one.    the magic mirror is the same mirror from the danish fairy tale, ‘ the snow queen. ’ it is described as a mirror that fails to reflect the good and beautiful aspects of people, instead magnifying their bad and ugly traits. the mirror has a hold on regina and is the main source of her madness and the cause of her unraveling. she is still responsible for her actions and in control, but her morals and values take a back seat to her impulses. two.    her second husband, snow white’s father, was abusive. he took power over her kingdom and gave her no autonomy or choice. even without the prompting of the mirror, she hated him and does not regret killing him, even after the mirror is rendered powerless. three.    regina does still send cora to wonderland. though regina marrying a king did curb her abuse for some time, she was still extremely verbally abusive to regina and was her entire childhood. cora still becomes the queen of hearts. four.    regina doesn’t kill her father, but he is dead before the dark curse is cast. five.    storybrooke, instead of being the secluded town in rural main, is instead a section of new york city integrated with the rest of the world. it is right on the outskirts and is its own town. this is where my fables influence comes in and storybrooke is very similar to the woodlands, except none of the characters know they are fairy tales and believe themselves to be a part of our world. six.    the mirror is rendered powerless after the curse is cast and before the curse is broken, regina shatters it, locking the pieces away in a chest deep in her vault. as long as it stays locked away, it’s power will not return. seven.    the characters in storybrooke, though still the same in name, are those from their respective disney movies and none of them follow once upon a time canon. storybrooke is still within the disney universe. eight. regina’s timeline after the dark curse is broken does not follow that of once upon a time’s. the wicked witch of the west is not her sister, she does not become romantically involved with robin hood. she does not actively become a hero, but instead takes the personal time she needs to heal and rebuild herself. she does help the heroes when she can, but doesn’t go out of her way for the greater good. nine.    regina is disabled after the events of the movie. though she survives being pushed off the cliff by the dwarves, she shatters her back. her magic is able to heal her, but she still experiences the effects of that injury through chronic pain. ten. snow white is much older than portrayed in the original fairy tale. she is around nineteen when regina employs the huntsman. she and regina are a decade apart almost exactly.

feel free to ask questions or poke me about something you would like to see explained in more detail.

[aquilamage]

guess! who! wrote! fic!

So this is a random snippet of a ‘scene’ I had floating around in my head and really liked, so wrote it out. It’s an au in a scenario where some events congruent to canon happened, but I haven’t thought out every little detail. Basically they’re all late teens and grew up in the same area.

will end up being posted on my actual fic sites when I give it another lookthrough and a title, but I’m pretty happy with this as is so:

“So, are you finally going to tell me what it is we’re doing on the side of the road in the middle of the woods, at dusk?”

           Kay’s hair whirled around her as she turned, the brightness of her grin barely visible as a flash of a reflection of the fading light. “We’re enacting a sacred tradition, and since we’re friends now, it only seemed fair to invite you along.”

           “And I am all for bonding, but could it not be a bit less…this?” Klavier spread his arms out to encompass the expanse of trees, the mud they were definitely already tracking around, the background of insect noises which had only just begun in full force.

           “I told you to wear sturdy shoes.” She shrugged, stomping one of her heavy boots on the edge of the asphalt in emphasis.

           He had, or at least an older pair of sneakers that he had decided we alright potentially being ruined when they had told him to be ready for an “excursion”. But that wasn’t really the point. The point was that whatever this was supposed to be, it seemed to him that it could at least have happened under slightly less suspicious circumstances. A small grin, and then, “you aren’t planning on hazing me, are you?”

           Kay gasped, a hand clutching the fabric of her shirt, although her eyes held the same warmth as before. “Of course not. Right?” Gaze shooting to a spot behind him, she winked.

           “Yeah. Hazing would suggest that our friendship is congru- contingent on you doing this. Which it isn’t.” Shoving his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, Sebastian kicked at some loose stones. “You can leave if you want. We just thought you might enjoy being a part of it.” Shaking his head to move his bangs out of his face, he added, “It’s getting into trouble, but we’re not breaking any rules or anything.”

           “Yeah,” Kay waved it off, verbally and physically as she flapped a hand through the air. “Nothing like where there’d be real consequences. Honestly, this has to be one of the least messy kinds of trouble I ever get into.” She flashed another grin before jumping from where she stood, bounding over the ditch that separated the road from the trees. Her landing was signaled by only the barest rustle of leaves, despite the mid-autumn carpet of dry ones everywhere. “Probably why my dads let me keep doing it even with the complaints.”

           “Now that hardly makes you sound reassuring, Fraulein.”

           She shrugged. “It’s only because we’re annoying people who are irritated by us merely existing. Trust me, they kind of deserve it.”

           “Very well.” Casting about for a safe spot to cross, he noticed that he was now the only one on that side. At the frown he made, the other two burst into laughter.

           “It’s not actually that far. Or so deep you can’t walk through it. Someone’s just a show-off.”

           Kay stuck her tongue out at him.

           When Sebastian did an exaggerated version of her pose, Klavier mentally shook his head and ignored them, at least for long enough to pick his way across the gap with the minimum amount of getting mud or grass on his pants as possible. At that point, he was greeted with the sight of his friends trading increasingly obnoxious faces. He looked between the two of them. Seeing this type of childishly familiar interaction still continued to confound him; he had known Sebastian, albeit not that well until recently, for several years, so he knew that Kay had only met him a little under a year ago. And even with that, he still had to occasionally remind himself that they weren’t actually fraternal siblings.

He stood there watching them for a bit. But quickly realizing that they weren’t responding to his mere presence, he stepped between them, breaking the line of sight. “So, where to now?” He gave one of his dazzling smiles.

           Kay was the first to recover. “This way.” She gave a sweep of the arm, bowing deeply.

           There followed a good ten minutes of tromping through the woods until Sebastian called them to a halt, switching off the flashlights they had brought. Ahead, the trees quickly thinned out into a clearing.

           Poking his head forward in the space between the other two, Klavier stared out into the darkness. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out a sizeable expanse of land that gave way to the back side of a massive house. Other than a few windows, the main source of illumination came from a light attached to the roof that was pointed mostly towards the far-left side. While it almost cast more shadows than anything else, it seemed to show that the main portion of the back yard was covered in a network of gardens and some combination of benches and or statues.

           “Is that a waterfall?” Klavier pointed at the edge of the pool of light, where a sizeable pond sat, the surface disturbed by a cascade of water coming from a hill to one shore.

           Kay snorted. “I know, right? You’re not even allowed to swim in there. It’s reserved for ‘spiritual cleansing’ and ‘meditation training’ and junk like that.” She made finger quotes as she spoke, rolling her eyes.

           “The head of household is super stuffy, if you’d believe it.”

           “Never would have guessed,” he drawled as he scanned the area for anything he might have missed. “And we are here for what, exactly?”

           At this, Kay brightened even more, were it possible. “We,” she placed her hands on her hips, legs firmly planted, “are on a mission.” Her voice dropped lower than it usually was. “A rescue mission. Within the walls of this manor lives the grandest princess in all the land, condemned to waste her life away, alone, by those who have cruelly imprisoned her. But!” Stepping sideways and dramatically throwing out an arm to point in the direction of the house, she gave a smirk. “No longer! For the Great Thief has come to steal this lovely maiden away, flying off without a trace into the dark sky of the evening!”

           “…We’re sneaking her girlfriend out of the house to visit for the weekend,” Sebastian supplied, barely concealing a grin at Klavier’s bemusement.

           Kay wilted. “Seb, no.” She crossed her arms, settling her weight more on her back leg as she regarded him. “The Great Thief has recruited a pair of bards to assist her on this most perilous mission, to share in the glory and sing in her accolades, and this is the thanks they give her? Such betrayal.” Clutching at her heart with both hands, she fell to her knees in a mock expression of agony.

           Now standing over her as she literally sprawled out on the ground, Klavier spared Kay a glance longer before he turned to Sebastian. He raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t enjoy this? It seems like fun enough.”

           He shrugged, staring off into the distance. “Oh, I do. I just don’t need a fantasy version to make it interesting” The biggest mischievous grin Klavier had seen bloomed on his face. “Even though her mother is completely fine with her being with us, it’s just because her aunt’s technically in charge when she’s gone and doesn’t like us. I mean, she almost never cares about what Maya does otherwise; she gets so upset about this specifically though, it’s great.”

           Klavier didn’t notice that he had been staring for a moment, until Kay, who had sprung back up, clapped him on the back and motioned for them to follow her. He was glad to have the guidance, since even in the light there was, they had to keep their gaze down to avoid stepping off the stone pathways and tripping over something or another. Finally, they stopped behind a larger bush situated just next to the house itself.

Kay pointed at a second-floor window just to the side of where they stood. “That’s our target. See the bench over there? We drag that over and you guys give me a boost from there. I climb in the window, retrieve the lady, and off we go. Ready?”

Despite its heavy appearance, the bench moved with relatively little fuss by the three of them, although they did have to take care not to scrape it against any of the stepping stones embedded in the grass. Once it was positioned below the window, Kay directed the boys to step up before climbing up in the middle.

“So,” she said, seemingly unfazed by being practically squashed between the two of them, “if you can just get me up high enough to reach that ledge thingy, I’ll fly up the rest of the way! Stay out of sight until I get back, and we’ll be out in no time.”

It took a bit of maneuvering and a last-second aversion of an accident, but finally Kay was pushing off of them. Regaining his balance after the sudden loss of weight on him, Klavier looked up to see that she was true to her word, climbing the bumpy surface with only slightly more apparent difficulty than most people would a ladder.

“A woman of many talents, ja?”

Sebastian shook his head, smiling. “Something like that. Here, help me move this back.” As they picked up the bench, he added, “She practices rock climbing a lot. And on other buildings. She climbed through my window in the middle of the night a lot after she found out I was having trouble sleeping. Mr. Edgeworth actually gave her a house key to try to get her to stop, but she still does it some of the time.”

As they returned to their initial spot by the side of the house, Klavier gave him a soft smile. “Good.” When he received a confused tilt of the head and an otherwise mostly blank expression, he added, “That she wants to help you. I-“ A hand went up to run through his hair. He suddenly wished he’d brought his sunglasses after all (which he hadn’t because it was dark out when they left and that would just be ridiculous, even for him).

“I feel bad about not being as much a friend as I should have been, in the past, and…” A sigh. “At least now you have other people too, ja?”

“I guess.” He raised his shoulders as he spoke, accompanied by a shake of the head that it seemed unclear whether he was aware of. “But there’s nothing for you to apologize for. I mean, I was, well…you know. I wouldn’t blame you guys if you never wanted anything to do with me.”

Klavier paused his instinctual motion to comfort halfway there. “May I?” he ventured. When he received a nod, he gently placed a hand over one of Sebastian’s. “Those were quite different circumstances. And nothing changes the fact that you deserve to have good people in your life.” In a lighter tone, he added, “Besides, would we be here doing this now if we didn’t want to be your friends?”

A sniffle. “I guess not, huh?” Sebastian ducked his head, but the tension in his body had lessened significantly.

Satisfied, he smiled to himself and opened his mouth to add something else, but was interrupted by a shriek.

---

           Kay pulled herself up the final few inches to be level with the window. A quick pattern of taps against the glass, and it slid open almost instantly. Climbing inside, she sat against the windowsill. “Well, I appreciate the assistance. But,” she struck a pose, staring down the standing girl in the middle of the room, “I do hope you realize you just let in a thief.”

           “You’re lost then. The exhibit area’s downstairs.”

           She flipped her scarf over her shoulder. “Oh, but I am here to steal something far more valuable than that. I am here for...your heart!”

           At this, Maya’s serious expression broke. “And that’s where you’re wrong again.” Arms crossed over her chest, she grinned. “You can’t steal what’s freely given.”

           Kay started. Stumbling forward as she tripped over her own legs, she finally made her way over the other, flushed and stuttering.

           Maya giggled. “You’re adorable,” she said, stepping up on her toes to press a kiss to Kay’s cheek.

           “Yeah, well, so are you,” she mumbled under her breath. Then, after a minute of looking around to compose herself, she added, much more audibly, “Where’s Pearly?”

           “Not coming this time. Said she had too much to work on, and Athena’s…” She trailed off as she struggled not to burst into laughter as Kay had immediately started to search for the girl, first by opening the wardrobe, and then by crawling under the bed.

           Kay dragged herself out, beaming as she stood back up and made her way over to her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around her, tilting her chin so that her head rested on top of Maya’s. A content sigh as she melted into the embrace.

           They both probably would have stayed there for hours, quiet revelry in each other’s warmth and the way they could rest against each other so comfortably, all that time spent figuring out the exact way to hold each other so they fitted together perfectly paying off more than they could have imagined. Kay had just reached a hand up to run fingers through Maya’s hair, though, when she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye.

           She let out a squeak, turning sharply to face what turned out to be the door, open enough of a crack to show the form of a woman frozen halfway inside.

           “Hi…sis…” Maya’s voice came out muffled. With a little effort, she extricated herself from her still-shocked girlfriend’s grasp enough so that her face wasn’t pressed into her. “What are you…”

           Mia lifted an arm to show what she had been carrying. “You left your jacket downstairs, and it would hardly be responsible of me to let you go out tonight without one.” Pushing the door shut with only the softest of clicks, she made her way over to the two of them. “I know you’re quite attached, but if I may borrow my sister for a moment.”

           Kay stared at her before realizing that she still had her arms firmly around Maya’s waist. “Right!” She released her and took a good couple of steps back, to give them space.

           Holding up the jacket, Mia nodded her head. As Maya lifted her arms, she went about the motions of sliding the jacket on over her pajamas, a warm smile appearing in her eyes. She tugged down on the edges before carefully zipping it up.

           “Sis, I’m plenty old enough to do this by myself,” she groaned, staring off at a spot on the wall.

           Giving the zipper a final tug, she chuckled. Putting a hand each on the sides of Maya’s face, she held her still long enough to kiss her forehead. “Exactly. You’re growing up so fast. It’s like yesterday you were a baby and now I’m here embarrassing you in front of your girlfriend.”

           Maya’s only response was to stick her tongue out and yank the hood of her jacket up over the top of her face.

           As if remembering her presence, she took that opportunity to levy a glance in Kay’s direction. “And I can be confident that she will take care of my baby sister, correct?”

Mia was only an inch or two taller than her sister, but her stare still made Kay feel as though she was the one having to look up to make eye contact. Her mouth seemed to have stopped working, so she settled for vigorously nodding instead.

“Good.” She fluffed up Maya’s hair with one hand. “I can handle Aunt Morgan as long as you’re back by-“

“MOTHER!”

“Aw shit,” Kay breathed, lunging for the bag that sat by the edge of the bed. “Time to go.” Sticking her head out the window, she cringed as she noticed a figure in white dashing away from the area under the window.

“Busted?” The whisper came from behind her as Maya attempted to get a view as well.

“Dahlia.”

She slapped her hands on the windowsill. “Ugh.” Wriggling her way so she was also partially out the window, she cupped her hands around her mouth. “Time to go, boys!” She tried to wave at the two as they appeared from behind a bush, but found that the spot was just a little to tight to let her actually move from how she was.

A sigh from inside the room. “You’re going to get stuck if you keep that up, and I’m not going to be able to delay them that long.” With a gentle but firm grip, Mia tugged the two of them out from the frame. “Go on,” she waved at Kay.

She gave a single nod. The bag was unceremoniously dropped out the window seconds before she began climbing out of it herself.

Mia gave her sister one last hug before making her way to the other side of the door. “Have fun, be good. Chair under the handle, I can stall easier that way.” A smile, and then she was gone.

Wasting no time in doing so, Maya dashed back to the window, under which the other three were standing. She managed to maneuver her way out and hanging off the ledge with only a little trouble, and at Kay’s signal, let herself drop down.

The landing wasn’t as comfortable as it could have been, finding herself in a tangle of limbs, mostly on Sebastian with Kay still half-hanging on to where she’d caught her legs, but nothing broken, nothing bruised. She grinned at the unfamiliar blonde half-crouched to one side of them. “Hi!”

           He simply frowned, looking over at something behind them. “Nice to meet you, Fraulein, but perhaps later? It seems we have some attention.”

There were in fact a lot of lights on in the house now, and shouts could be heard from inside.

           Kay took Maya’s hand and pulled her up, starting at a run as soon as she was on her feet. Both of them be laughing as they went, picking their way back through the maze of landscaping.

Behind them, Klavier hesitated as he scanned the grounds. The girls had retreated enough in the moments longer it had taken him to get to his feet that he couldn’t quite follow their movements, and there were so many winding paths of garden, even with the lights from inside he-

           His problem was easily solved as Sebastian skidded to a halt close enough to almost knock into him. “May I?” He held out his hand.

Klavier began to hesitantly raise his own to take it when there was a much louder exclamation. A woman appeared from the side of the house, holding up a flashlight and shouting Maya’s name, among other things that his mind wasn’t bothering to process right now, apparently.

At this point, Sebastian grabbed onto his arm and began absolutely booking it towards the trees. Practiced motions wound through the obstacles with ease even in the dark, accompanied by a pace that had them out on open grass in minutes.

It was hardly fair, Klavier thought, that even though he was barely shorter he was still being pulled along behind Sebastian a little, adrenaline being the main factor that had him keeping pace. Well, that and the little breathless laughs that he could occasionally hear over the rustle of leaves and the girls’ laughs and whoops ahead of them.

They skidded to a halt just inside the tree line. Klavier had just slid his arm out of Sebastian’s grip in time to dodge away from Kay barreling towards him.

She let out an “I’m gonna hug you ok,” so fast the words mushed together. A second’s pause right in front of him with her arms held out. When he nodded, she practically flung herself at him, the force of it lifting him off his feet. Kay went with it though, using the motion to spin Sebastian around. “That was awesome!”

“Yeah!” Maya’s volume was a little too high for comfort considering she was almost right next to Klavier, who was still trying to recover. She gave him as good a look-over as she could in the near-complete darkness. “You want burgers? I could go for a burger right now wow I am out of it right now. I’m Maya, by the way.” She held out a hand for a high-five.

“Klavier.”

Her flat hand managed to shift to a firm grip as she shook his hand when he moved to high-five her. “Nice.” Letting go, she circled behind the other two to retrieve her bag from where it had been dropped.

“Well then,” Kay, who had finally put Sebastian down, slung her arm over Klavier’s shoulder. “You have fun?”

He looked at her, grinning wildly and sweaty to the touch. Then over to Maya, dirt streaked across her face and hands (he faintly recalled seeing her stumble before). And Sebastian, looking ruffled but more importantly with another of those genuine smiles which Klavier was pretty sure he’d seen more of during this evening than ever before. They were debating about going out versus heading back to Kay’s, but exhaustion setting in kept him from really paying it much mind. He took a breath, his heartbeat only just settling down from something he could actively feel and the fall chill starting to register again.

“Ja,” He turned back to Kay, a mirror of her smile blooming on his own face. “I did.”

[ryewi]

When I’m With You I’m In Utopia [Chapter 8]

Summary:  9 years ago, the world split in two halves, Utopia and Dystopia. One of the laws allows citizens of both worlds to visit the other once in their lifetime, for a whole week, after which, they’re forced to return home. If by any chance, they don’t return, a death punishment is sentenced. Jeon Jungkook, a citizen of Dystopia seemed to be desperate enough to challenge that exact law.

Genre: Utopia!au, Dystopia!au, fluff, angst, drama, to be added~~

Words: 1,6k

Warning: confrontation if you squint? is that even a  w a r n i n g  idk people can be anxious of confrontation

< Previous | Part Eight | Next >

Faith’s morning routine was never the same, although she tried to maintain a lame kind of a timeline, something always came up. Obviously, this time not being any different, instead of heading towards the kitchen, Faith’s feet carried her to a spare bedroom. There, under baby blue covers, laid a motionless Jungkook. He was shirtless, protruding collarbones throwing a low shadow down on to his neck. Jungkook’s arm was tightly wrapped with what seemed a thousand layers of gauze.  

Faith would’ve closed the door and left the other to sleep, only if his head hadn’t turned towards her, lips pulling up into a slight smile. The underside of his eyes puffed up and if they didn’t already look like crescent moons, they did now. Shortly, Jungkook was magnificent. His dark locks were all over the place, a few of them even standing up tall as if fixed with hairspray.

“Morning”  

It took a moment for her to realize Jungkook was the source of such a deep and groggy voice. With revelation evident on her face, Faith only nodded along, still stunned by this ideal human laying before her. Jungkook didn’t seem to mind since, he too, found the creature he’s currently looking at perfect.

Her thighs were covered by an oversized t-shirt, feet protected with a pair of fluffy slippers, little blue bears drawn on them. Hair thrown in a messy bun, face features soft and sleepy, gaze intoxicating. Faith was gorgeous.

“I-I’m going to prepare breakfast in a moment, you c-can take the bathroom while I do so” She said, stumbling over her own words when Jungkook sat up, a piece of toned abdomen showing. Choosing to escape the soon-to-be-awkward scene, Faith turned around, swiftly jogging towards the kitchen.  

The boy took his dear time, stretching and yawning, picking up a new outfit from the bag and walking towards Faith’s bathroom. When he passed by a small room Faith was in, he made sure to greet the other, just so he could see her blush slightly.  

While preparing a few baked egg boats, simple and quick breakfast, Faith took the time to finally wake up properly and recall yesterday events. Everything happened fairly quick, so it was only natural that it bugged one's mind. She couldn't really believe any piece of memory that appeared in her head, especially the feeling of Jungkook's lips on hers.

The kiss.

It was obvious that sooner or later, purposely or not, the topic was going to be brought up. Faith didn't know if she should be dreading that moment, or bring it up as fast as possible. It will end up one of many ways and it wasn’t guaranteed that any of them was the path she wanted to take.

In the midst of thinking, Jungkook managed to sneak behind her back, hands softly wrapping around the tender waist of the other. Faith jerked for a quick second, touch still foreign on her body.  

"The breakfast is rea-ready, please take a seat" Motioning towards a small six-chaired table beside them, Faith untangled Jungkook's arms that were representing a strong cage around an intoxicated animal. The male only nodded, walking the distance in three long strides, his legs now covered by a tight pair of skinny light blue jeans. Apart from the jeans, he wore a white shirt with yellow rolled up sleeves.  

Faith only sighed in content as she carefully placed the food on a big plate. Serving that, with two glasses and a few types of drinks, she sat down and began munching, numerous flavors exploding in her mouth. Jungkook was yet to try the first bite, as he seemed busy enough staring at a person next to him with calm eyes. Faith of course felt uncomfortable, being the center of attention never appealed to her.

"We need to talk" Jungkook blurted out, seemingly out of nowhere, sending a wave of anxiety to crash onto the smaller. She lowered down the piece of food in her hands, eyes now trained onto the man whose face suddenly expressed no emotion.  

"I do believe so too, you have the pleasure of speaking up first" Faith tried to play it off cool, using formal and educated form of speech with no apparent reason. To her sudden change of demeanor, Jungkook burst into a fit of giggles, his female companion once again experiencing confusion.

"You're adorable, but that's not what we're going to talk about" He began, smile still playing around on his lips. That comment made Faith relax slightly, sitting back comfortably on her wooden chair.

"I just feel like we need to clear up what happened yesterday and I don't mean to make thing's awkward" Faith appreciated the fact that Jungkook isn't a beat-around-the-bush person, he is straightforward and truthful, which she was thankful for. Listening to each word carefully, Faith watched the way his lips moved swiftly, how the pair of eyebrows lifted to emphasize certain parts of speech.

"The kiss, well, that's on you to explain, but we're honest with each other and it's already obvious that it wasn't a platonic action" He laughed and watched how her cheeks abruptly turned pink. She was adorable. "But I also feel like it was a heat of a moment thing, that it still needs time".

"If we really are," Jungkook paused, stretching awkward silence to its limits, searching for a proper term to voice out his thoughts, "compatible, then we shouldn't rush it like this".  

Faith kind of disagreed with what the other was talking about, feelings towards him being the main reason why he's still alive and breathing. It was only fair if she had some use of her cause, but Jungkook's distant explanation and ideas created a low opacity line between them.

That kind of behavior was a quick slap to Faith's face. An immediate thought flying in and she gave it only a moment to think about. What if he's only using me to survive through this?

Jungkook wouldn't do that, she thought, Kook isn't like that. Then again, a man like him had a reason to do so, not because he is Jeon Jungkook, but because he is a Dystopian. Dystopians would risk their all and this being a one in ten million chances, of course one would play it off just to survive. It's extremely reasonable and Faith spaced out, nodding while the other continued talking, not paying attention to any of his words. He wouldn't, would he?

Jungkook seemed to go on and on; between the lines Faith caught on to sentences like "it might still be too fast", "we should figure it out properly" and "focusing on not being killed is what's the most important". Whenever there were any suggestions, she shrugged with her shoulders, not really caring anymore, as the same question repeated on and on. It suffocated her, wrapped strong hands around Faith's brain and prevented it from working properly.

Just like the will for listening disappeared, Faith's appetite ran away with it too. She picked up the small porcelain plate, throwing away a piece of her breakfast. Jungkook scrunched up his eyebrows, analyzing swift movements of the other. Puffs of air and sighs that came out of her mouth, were an evidence of discomfort and annoyance, yet she wasn't sure what was their cause.

Was she really rushing stuff? Was she too greedy, wanting everything at once? Jungkook's diplomatic arguments were strong, but it also could've been an illusion created by this ex law student. Although there were many doubts within her way of acting too, Faith still continued to push her own logic.

People should work on their feelings for each other, not 'give it time'. Giving time to a certain kind of emotions could lead to them disappearing. You don't like someone to eventually walk up to them and say "hey stop acknowledging my fondness towards you, that'll help me fall in love".  

"What are your thoughts on that, do you agree?" Jungkook asked, curious about Faith’s answer to another one of the questions she didn’t care enough to listen to. He was now leaning against the table, hands crossed over his wide chest. Eyes fixed onto the other, he anticipated something that would approve his way of thinking.

"Actually, no I don't" Faith replied, voice strong and authoritative, taking the man by surprise, "how about that?"

Jungkook was obviously dumbfounded, the fact that his ideal scenario wasn't approved slightly bothering him. It was somewhat intriguing to find out why she wasn't positive of it. Jungkook quickly distanced himself from his previous location, caging the other between a black counter and his strong body. Faces approximately four inches away from each other, he tried again.

"What do you suggest to do then, darling?"  

Those few words were able to make Faith's heart a squish the instant they were voiced out loud. Jungkook‘s lips looked so kissable once again, pink and slightly parted, something that looked like a trace of a smirk decorating them. Yet the weak poison overlining darling served as a ringtone that woke her up.

Putting a palm on Jungkook's chest, she pushed him back, right eyebrow raised in exasperation.  

"Just because you take your feelings for granted, doesn’t mean you’re allowed to do the same to mine, darling”

Turning around and walking away, Faith made a beeline towards her room, stopping just a step away from the entrance to look back at the older. Jungkook was currently wide eyed, lips still parted, but this time because of a completely new reason. It was obvious that he didn’t expect anything similar to what he got in return to a fairly cocky remark. But it was probably what he deserved.

"Think about that and then we will talk again Jungkook"

AN: ATTENTION! I’m going to the seaside between 1-4am on Saturday (so, way too early), which means I won’t be able to update a new chapter before I go. I don’t have my writings on my phone so Utopia will be put on hold until I come back home. I’ll try to write new scenarios while I’m there, but they won’t be connected to When I’m with you I’m in Utopia. Ain’t No Time pt.2 maybe ;)?

[bravcguardian]

FULL NAME: Kuroshi Akumu. MEANING BEHIND THE NAME: Kuroshi is actually an inflection which can be interpreted as koroshi (killing), kuroshii (painful) and/or kuruoshii (crazy) whereas Akumu means nightmare. DATE OF BIRTH: ZODIAC SIGN: CHINESE ZODIAC SIGN: GENDER: Female. PRONOUNS: They / them. SEXUALITY: Demisexual.

MAIN FANDOM: Danganronpa. CHARACTER STATUS: Alive.

SOURCE OF FACECLAIM: The apothecary diaries.

     A LOVELESS MARRIAGE, and a mistress living already with a dysfunctional family was a perfect mixture for disaster and misfortune.

     Due to the lack of parental affection or any kind of person looking up for them, Akumu took over the role of parental figure; showing a caring an affectionate side while also being strict and stern whenever the situation called for it. Of course, they absolutely hated both parents  ( the mistress did not even exist for them )  because no child should be forced to grow up and much less take care of their younger siblings    in fact, they should be acting like a child, throwing a tantrum or crying, wanting to be pampered or even having pointless fights with their siblings that would end with an apology at the end of the day. Instead, what were Akumu doing?  Playing adult while being a child otherwise they’d carry the weight of their siblings’ death due to neglectful parents.

     However, the family dynamic changed when the three siblings found that their mother had ended her life with the usage of sleeping pills, apparently drowning in sorrow due to her husband not looking at her but her much younger lover. The oldest of the Kuroshi siblings was indifferent to this event  ( it wasn’t even a tragedy for them )  and could only frown at the repercussions, how the police would investigate the house, how their life would become some sort of circus for the media... Frowning, all they did was using their index finger to get rid of their forehead wrinkles while pondering hard on what to do.

     The response came much faster than expected, what’s with Hotoke practically begging to keep their mother since  ‘mother can be always pretty and forever with us’. It was... sick, twisted and sickening yet Akumu couldn’t precisely blame the youngest. Not with their family, not with how they all became disgusting and starving little creatures in a hungry world    cue to them giving them permission to do as desired but TO KEEP IT A SECRET, TO NEVER BRING IT UP.

     But... that became a turning point with the weeping ghost of their mother broken soul haunting Akumu each day, at all times asking for revenge, asking for the impossible, crying out in regret. From that day onwards, Akumu suffered from splitting headaches that made them bang their head against the wall only to be stopped by their siblings, sleep-walking, suicide attempts    it was all futile, their mother’s death opened a door for spirits to enter Akumu’s life. If they had the slightest of sanity behind, all traces were lost as they became possessed on daily basis until they could snap back to their body.

     As years passed by, Akumu became perfectly capable of handling this ability that manifested although... They didn’t expect to be requested to join such a peculiar institution after raising to fame with her siblings due to each of their individual talents. Smiling and laughing in hysterics at their ultimate, they brought up the topic to join Hope Peak’s for a change of pace.

「 I. / Kuroshi Akumu 」

ULTIMATE SPIRIT MEDIUM.   Raising to fame by helping in unsolved cases, Akumu couldn’t care less about interviews or becoming ‘the monkey of the circus known as media’    they were simply pissed by the incompetence of the law and felt personally harrassed by lurking spirits who kept throwing information: about the investigations being staged, manipulated, contaminated, the location of the corpses and even descriptions of those who were involved which were used for the spoken portraits that artists used, and they were even corrected by the spirit medium if a detail was off.

                                                   Regardless of how their circumstances affected their life, joining such a funny if not ridiculous school was interesting. All individuals there were unique, and just like the Kuroshi family, misery loved them all.

「 II. / Kuroshi Akumu 」

To be added.

「 III. / Kuroshi Akumu 」

To be added.

「 IV. / Kuroshi Akumu 」

To be added.

「 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 &&. 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 / Kuroshi Akumu 」

「 Kuroshi Akumu / MUSINGS 」

「 Kuroshi Akumu / AESTHETIC 」

「 Kuroshi Akumu / LIKES 」