#wow wonder why there are SO many cross clan relationships?????

[cluelessteam]

Charmed: Chris' Identity is Discovered {~Chapter 3~}

Summary: The Phoenix Clan is after Chris, and the sisters are trying to help. But there are many questions that they need answering. How long can Chris keep his identity a secret? [Before Chris-Crossed]

Characters: Charmed Ones, Bianca, Chris, Leo

Pairing: No Pairing

Warnings: Angst, Heartbreak

Word Count: 862

Masterlist

Chris was still wondering, who could be after him? Could it be Wyatt? Could Wyatt have sent an assassin after him. Well, he has done worse. Chris winced as he remembered the memories that have scarred him for life, literally.

“Hey Chris,” Piper Appeared by the playpen in the attic. Chris jumped slightly. Piper smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine. I was just a little distracted, I didn’t see you come up.” He admitted.

“Any progress?” She asked.

“Not really. I mean, I have made a few strong vanquishing potions, but what’s the point?”

“Chris, they are after you! Don’t say ‘what’s the point’!” She exclaimed, shocked at his words.

“I mean, even if we vanquish the Phoenix who is after me, they will just send more. We need to find out why they are after me. And it says in the book, someone hires them. Who? Who is after me? There is just a lot to figure out. And we don’t have a lot of time.”

“Wow, I guess I never thought of that.” Piper admits.

“Piper, I will just go to P3. I don’t want to endanger you or Wyatt.” 

“They aren’t here yet.” She reminded him.

“But they will be…” He added.

“Way to kill the mood.” She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. He smiled at her. She sat on her grandmother’s couch once she was certain her son was okay.

“Did Leo orb down at all while I was having my nap?” She asked.

“No. Sorry Piper.” 

“It’s fine.” She smiled, but the smile didn’t quite meet her eyes.

“You know what. You shouldn’t have to suffer through this. It’s Leo’s loss. Not yours. You have your sisters at your side, your safe son, a bitchy white lighter to help babysit whenever your amazing and successful job. Plus, all the magical powers you could ever ask for. Please, Pipe, don’t let Leo put you down. You deserve better. I mean, right now, he is probably in a room full of Elders wearing robes acting all serious. And, you know what, they say they are good people. But you guys, here on Earth, are the ones who are fighting and putting yourself in danger for the greater good. What do they do? Come down and heal us every once in a while.

And they say, THEY do the most. They aren’t worth it Piper. Please, don’t feel like that.” She looked stunned.

“Wow. That’s one hell of a speech you got there. How long have you been practicing that one?” She asked. He smiled.

“Well, in case you haven’t figured out by now, Elders aren’t exactly my favorite people.”

“Lucky for you, I have been observant. I have noticed that. Why? I mean,  I have a ton of reasons, as you know. But, I am curious as to why you don’t like them.” 

“You want the list?” He asked. She nodded.

“If you want to tell me.”

“I do. Well, when I was a teenager, my mother. Um…my mother was hurt so I called an Elder or a whitelighter down. And well, they were too late. And she died. AndI asked why they didn’t come sooner. And they said they didn’t think it was important. They never care about anyone else apart from themselves. And when I became a whitelighter they think they can dictate who I have a relationship with. And what I do with my time. And that isn’t right. They have too much power. I mean sure, they are the ‘good’ guys. But, they take witches for granted. They take everyone for granted. And as long as they are happy and safe, nothing else matters.” He looked down, not wanting Piper to see him like this. He said too much.

“I am sorry you had to go though that. Were you there when your mother died?” She asked. He nodded. Not wanting to say anything.

“I’m sorry. Was your mother a witch then?” Again, he nodded.

“Okay Chris, I have to ask. You seem to know a lot about us. Phoebe, Paige, Wyatt, and me. How? I mean, the other day you struggled to open the drawer in the sunroom, and you tapped it in the exact right place for it to open well. No one knows stuff like that if you don’t know the people. Do we know you? Are we going to know you? Do we know your family?” He moved his gaze up to meet hers finally.

“Piper, I know you are sick of me saying this. But, I can’t really tell you anything about myself. Future consequences. But I promise, you will know everything there is to know about me. And soon.” 

“Okay. Thank you for telling me that about yourself.” She said,

“It’s okay. I am going to go into the Underworld, to see if anyone knows who has hired the Phoenix to come after me.”

“Okay. Phoebe messaged me. She will be home in a few minutes. Go on, be safe.”

“I will.” He smiled warmly at his mother and orbed away to the Underworld to see if he could get any answers.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 04 (first part)

(Masterpost) (Episode 03) (Episode 04 second part)

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

Also warning: these posts just keep getting longer how are they getting even longer good lord I had to split this one. 

School’s in for the Summer!

All of these nice young actors show off the results of their movement training as they beautifully perform prostrate bowing in near-unison. (yes, there is a Chinese word for this action, but it’s used in English in a shitty orientalist way, so OP is going to call this prostrate bowing)

Note that the very last person to hit his knees, by a wide margin, is Head Snob Jin Zixuan.

Lan Qiren looks them over with pleased dickishness.

I am really wondering what actor Huang Ziteng looks like without a struggle beard and mouth blood and chronic fainting.

That's...a lot of crosses, my dude

(more after the cut!)

Lan Clan Rules

The Lan rule set is basically a checklist for shit Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang can get up to this summer.

The rules include several that Lan Wangji is actively breaking this very moment, including “Don’t wear any jangling objects like beads,” “don’t be suspicious,” “don’t pierce your ears” and “don’t be supercilious.”  

Wei Wuxian’s Summer Project

Extrovert Wei Wuxian gets started on the important work of making new friends. Waving to Lan Wangji in class doesn't get him anywhere (apparently), but he meets Nie Huaisang and forms one of the most important relationships of his two lives.

He doesn’t even know what they are being mutually squirrely about yet but they are instantly on the same wavelength.

I like you, yeah I like you, and I’m feeling so bohemian like you

When Wei Wuxian discovers that this classmate has smuggled an entire live birb into this boring-ass lecture he is completely delighted, and they are brothers in troublemaking from this point onward.

This is where we learn something important about Nie Huaisang. He wanted a rare canary, so he stalked it for three days, caught it, and caged it.  

This careful hunter is 15 or 16...I wonder how much more patient and determined he will be when he's 35 or 36?

The Salute Ceremony: The Unstabby Bit

The Jin Clan starts off the salute ceremony by presenting Lan Qiren with a fancy book bound with gold string.

Wei Wuxian is genuinely impressed, but Jiang Cheng calls it "meretricious" [op looks it up] which means "apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity." Wow, Jiang Cheng is so deliciously bitchy.

Then it’s Nie Huasang’s turn. Wei Wuxian is impressed when he hears his name, meaning he befriended him without giving a fuck about who he is, which is sweet.  I adore this friendship and think there are so many reasons NHS chose WWX to carry out his vengeance, none of which come from him being the dread Yiling Laozu.

The Salute Ceremony: The Thirsty Bit

To represent the Nie clan, I present this nice pot to Lan Qiran, and this rare and beautiful twink to Lan Xichen

Note: the trash talking jerks in the background are from the Jiang clan. Yanli does not remind them about their manners.

Quiet, reserved Lan Xichen greets Meng Yao with compliments and a hand massage and by doing this thing with his mouth.

No words are being produced at this point, he is just...parting his lips gently while he rakes his eyes over Meng Yao’s face.

Meng Yao doesn’t mind a bit

Flames on the Side of my Face

The Wen Clan guys have left Club Ruohan and are coming to summer school. Wen Chao is evil. It's subtle but you can tell by the way he casually sets people on fire.

Lan Clan Rules for Gate Keepers

do not draw your sword to stop someone from setting you on actual fire

do not use magic to stop someone from setting you on actual file

do not call for help when someone sets you on actual fire

Wens Qing and Ning believe in helping people, so once the smell of burning flesh starts to annoy them, Wen Qing puts out a solid 80% of the flames.

Note: We’re going to be spending a lot of time hating Wen Chao, so now might be a good time to have a look at (actor) He Ping out of costume.

Clearly, Wen Chao is just a beautiful troubled person with pretty moles who totally deserves a second chance.

The Salute Ceremony: The Stabby Bit

The Wens interrupt Jiang Cheng’s salute. Lan Xichen apologizes to them for not knowing they were going to show up like a bunch of interrupting assholes.

Lan Wangji wants to murder Weng Chao and looks at Xichen for permission but Xichen says no.

I never get to murder anybody not even that Su She asshole

So Wei Wuxian starts running the WWX fight book, which has to actually be pretty gratifying for the Lans, who are stuck being good hosts.  

He skips the windup in this situation of heightened danger, so he is formal, polite, and doesn't cross any boundaries. But Wen Chao came looking to fight so it escalates immediately, with Jiang Cheng also getting in Wen Chao’s face.

The Wen Clan decides to teach the Jiang Clan a lesson.  This is really the seed of the Lotus Pier massacre...it was always going to happen. The Wens draw swords and almost the entire Jiang Clan immediately draws as well.  

Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng both use the same sexy move, kicking their swords up off their benches into their hands.

Nie Huaisang hides behind Meng Yao, who immediately uses his whole body to shield him and shows a bit of his titanium spine. I LOVE Meng Yao’s strength here. 

Wen Qing protects her brother by putting her arm across his chest, which is not going to be helpful in any way if someone wants to stab him.  

To end this urgent and dangerous standoff Lan Xichen slooooowly brandishes his flute and plays a little toodleoo for 15 full seconds, eventually causing all the swords to fly up to the ceiling and then down into the floor.

{I know, flautists, I know. Never let facts get in the way of a joke!]

Everyone politely allows him to do this without actually taking any swipes at each other.  Then the swords all magically vanish along with the holes they made in the floor, which is convenient.

Now we get to see Lan Xichen angry, and oh my god, the tiny glimpse of that secret fire. 

Now Wen Qing finally steps up to defuse the situation. She cannot believe she has to work with her boss's horrible stupid son who insists on fucking up every project, god why did he ever get made a vice president I can't believe I have to work with this tool.

Meanwhile, Lan Xichen is going to rue the day he introduced Wei Wuxian to Flute Magic.

Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang 4-EV-R

After the ceremony Nie Huaisang, calling Wei Wuxian “Wei-Xiong” (brother Wei, a bit more formal than -ge) praises his bravery. Wei Wuxian says that he enjoys resisting evil, harking forward to his chivalric calling & future promise with Lan Wangji.

Jiang Cheng says, without irony, I think, and with only a little bitterness, that normal people can't compare to Wei Wuxian’s bravery. Wei Wuxian downplays his courage and says that he wants to teach Nie Huaisang to have fun.

Now - hopefully we've all seen Fatal Journey, right? I won't spoil it here. But if you've seen it you know that a person who gives Nie Huaisang permission to be his true self is going to be precious to him.

Lan Wangji shows up and Wei Wuxian calls out to him, calling him "Ji-Xiong." Lan Wangji totally blows him off but Wei Wuxian is undeterred.

Xichen and Qiren Talking.

Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren talk about this whole Wen situation while Qiren pours some tea that appears to just be hot water. Dude.

Qiren is afraid this murdering of cultivators is going to be something the two of them can't handle. You think? There are already about 16 dead cultivators in the mosh pit at Club Ruohan; at what point are you planning to handle it?

This Ship is Sailing

Meng Yao comes to say goodbye to Lan Xichen and to trade hearts with him. Also to have a lot of feelings that his giant eyes and adorable dimples cannot contain.

Lan Xichen: Don't bow to me. No need to thank me like this. We’re equals. As equals we could take turns kneeling to each other, if you catch my drift.

Lan Xichen: Why not stay for several days? Oh if you're Nie Mingjue's boy I guess I have to let you go. He's great. Really. SO great.  

Lan Xichen: Look, you’re with Nie Mingjue and I’m with Nie Mingjue and it only takes one stroke to turn a Vee into a triangle, is what I’m saying.

Grown-ass man Lan Xichen is so much less prudent than his teenage brother. Each of them has fallen hard for someone but the much younger Wangji tries to control it. Hopeless romantic Xichen goes right over the cliff, as well as deliberately knocking away many of the fences around Wangji’s heart so Wei Wuxian can make a home there. We love him for it, of course.

Episode 04, Part 2 is right here.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Ghosts’ Journey (End): The Biggest Assholes of Black Swan Bay

Because my Fanfic uses a blended version of the game and the original Black Swan Bay Lore, I had to reconfigure the relationships between the 3 Black Swan Bay surviving orphans as jolly rivals, friends and siblings. While their relationship is devoted and loving, growing up in an environment like that doesn’t create Polly-anna characters. I hope you agree and enjoy what I have created here.

The hardest thing about restraining emotions was controlling your breath.

Adrenaline shot liters of blood through your body at high rates and required you to breathe at high rates. If you didn’t, you could go dizzy or pass out.  Your heart quivered with her name and your vision went blurry. Renata… Renata!  The secret you learned was to yawn. A deep inhale, a big stretch and a slow exhale could effectively throw a wrench in the stress loop without blowing your cover. You blink rapidly to clear your eyes, finally let out a big, rude yawn and look completely bored, rubbing at them as though sleepy.

Renata was now Zero. She was likely in disguise to hide from Herzog.  It made sense for her to be after him too. She couldn't contact you but she was here now because your paths were always on the same trajectory.  It's just now that they happened to cross.

You were best friends in the past, but also rivals in combat. To those unaware of her abilities, you and Renata would be pretty evenly matched. But Renata had the skill of deep analysis. The longer you fought, the more she could analyze you and the more she analyzed you the less likely your chances of victory became. You would seem evenly matched and then she would just take you apart like you were an amateur.

She’d somehow survived the gunshot wound and the bombing. She’d somehow infiltrated Cassell and Hydra. Her Black Swan Bay training and behavior would have quickly made her disappear among the rank and file of Hydra. You felt it would have made it easy for you to get inside and fit with Hydra’s militaristic structure after all. That’s why when she talked about how deep she had made it into Hydra’s organization, you knew it had to be Renata.

 "In the opinion of Hydra, they are close to total victory. The remaining job is to get rid of the remnants of the Devil Clan, and the King General is, of course, the highest priority target for removal, with you being a close second.” Renata continues to speak to Chime with the cold robotic reality. “You once tried to kill the King General, but in the opinion of the Hydra family, it was just an internal fight. You are an evil spirit, you have long since violated the Clan rules, and the Hydra clan cannot tolerate someone like you." Zero stared into Chime’s eyes, "Your brother also believes that you have no need to exist in this world. He has seen the evil side of you with his own eyes."

"When you spell it all out like that, things do seem hopeless, don't they?" You turn to Renata as if she'd just lectured you like a schoolteacher. The sibling rivalry between two old friends warms up your heart and calms the panicked and fevered response of your sudden reunion. 

She thought she knew everything and she did know a lot. You were impressed yet again. Renata had spent all this time on the pulse of Hydra, but she didn’t understand Chisei the way Chime did. She shadowed Bondarev's puppet while you followed Herzog's puppet. And it was Herzog's puppet that was the key. You were third behind her, but that is an elite ranking that could shift and be challenged. 

You could not wait to hug her fiercely. But like most precious things in Black Swan, you would have to do so in secret. Her cold disheartening words to Chime reminded you of your rivalry and you wouldn’t be bested by throwing open your arms and sobbing like a naïve child.

“Although there is no proof, I will still do my best to convince my brother." Chime said slowly, "This is the only chance."

"You think we need his power?" Caesar asked.

"No, this is the only chance I have to reconcile with my brother." Chime said softly, "He was determined to be a friend of justice, so he couldn't accept his brother who was an evil spirit. For so many years, I never met with him again. Sometimes I hate him, but we are the only ones in the world who are truly family. Just because of my bloodline, he killed and abandoned me in a well? What in the world is more important than the fact that he is my brother and I am his brother? Justice? What is justice? I don't think there is any justice in this world. Those are just words that adults make up to fool children. But he believes that he can give up everything for the sake of justice. Is his kind of person just or ruthless?"

Everyone was silent, heavy with the sadness of his words. You couldn’t kill Chance even after he lost control. You only held out hope that he would snap back to normal. But Chisei killed him. Yes, you felt it was ruthless.  Not just. 

"But more than that, I was afraid to face him. I was afraid of the way he looked at me. That I made him feel dirty. I thought that I would never be my brother's friend, that I would only be his enemy. I have done more bad things than just the murder case in the village. I am the Dragon King of the Devil Clan, and I have the blood of many people on my hands. How can I go back to face him?

"But just today I suddenly figured out something. Why did I want to kill the King General so badly? It is not only because I hate him, but also because it's the only thing I can use to ask my brother for mercy. I wanted to cleanse my own mistakes with the blood of the King. Then maybe there could be a slight chance that I can become his fellow traveler again. But I failed. I can't do anything anymore nowadays. Ruri Kazama is still a useful person for my brother, Chime Gen is not. But even so, I still want to reconcile with my brother. I will tell him everything I know, and, as for my future, it is up to him to decide. If he decides to kill me, it will be the right end for me. I have killed so I will be killed, is there anything more fair in the world than that?"

You look up at him with uncertainty. He wasn’t thinking of throwing his life away was he? No. Chisei won’t kill him. Because… 

You suddenly understand where his train of thought was going. Chime was weaker but he was still very smart, able to weave his words to great effect, just like you.

 Chime bowed deeply: "Thank you for all your care these days. You did not treat me as a stranger. Except for you, only those girls who met me by chance would treat me as normal."

"Have you thought it over? If your brother really decides to execute you, Cassel Academy can't shelter you, Japan is your brother's territory." Caesar said to Chime with some concern.

"I have thought it over. It is true that the danger is great, but there are always people in this world with whom one has to reconcile no matter how much one hates them. Because without them, you will not even be able to talk about life."  Chime was silent, looking at Caesar, Chu Zihang, ‘Zero’, Lu Mingfei and Fingel. But there were no more questions. “And to that end, as a precaution, I would like to inform you that MC and I will wed tomorrow.”

Caesar’s eyebrows raise to his hairline. 

Lu Mingfei jumped up with his eyes wide at you. “What? You're marrying him? You hardly know each other!”

“That’s not the point.” ‘Zero’ grumbled, crossed her arms and looked away. She knew exactly what you were doing. Internally, you stick your tongue out at her.

Fingel was stunned and then he grinned. His arms shot up into the air. “YES!”

Caesar slowly mouthed the word ‘Wow’. “You were just waiting to throw that out there weren’t you, Chime? No wonder you're so confident.”

Chu Zihang nodded, though he seemed to be hesitant to completely endorse the plan. "At a celebration like that, it will be harder for him to reject you."

“Hey, don’t get us wrong. I love Chime. I don’t want to wait and I want things to go well. I’m sure you understand, Caesar.” You say, keeping your earnest character and trying not to cackle like a villain.

Lu Mingfei continued to sputter. “But… MC! Where are you getting married? You’re not planning on having a wedding in a … place like this?”

“Where else would I have it?” You blink at him.

“This place is.. Uh… well… it’s not very uh…”

“Pure?” You grin. “Well, Chime and I practically have the same father figure. So isn’t it kinda like marrying your step brother? Why would getting married in a women’s club be what you immediately point to as impure? If anything, it’s the cleanest part about this... in fact-”

Lu Mingfei clapped his hands over his ears. "I don’t want to hear any more!”

"MC,  be nice…" Caesar drawled. "So it's settled then?" Caesar tossed the car keys on the bar, "Tomorrow night right here, we negotiate with Gen Chisei at MC’s and Chime’s Wedding, which amounts to a negotiation between the Academy and Hydra."

"We can negotiate with the leader of the Hydra on behalf of the academy?" Chu Zihang frowned, "If we make any wrong decision, it will be counted against the academy."

"No, if we make any wrong decision, we can only bear the result ourselves." Caesar lit a cigar, took a deep puff and exhaled green smoke, "Everyone has to pay the price for what they do. If we believe in the wrong Gen brother, or if Chime’s judgement is wrong, the result has to be counted on us."

 "Zero said that the Hydra opened the Well of Bones, but until we find the sacred skeleton, it’s too early to confirm that the White King is really dead. That thing is different from any opponent we have encountered before. It lives by devouring souls. As long as humans still have greed for evolution, it can always find a way to resurrect." Chu Zihang said, "If the White King completely awakens, it is unknown whether Tokyo will survive. There are tens of millions of people in this city. Can we decide the course of history?"

Everyone was silent.

“A wedding that will decide the fate of the world? How dramatic!” You just smile at the thought of Herzog salivating over his grand entrance to such a momentous event and pull your hair back behind your ear. What a perfect trap for Herzog. 

"Let's think about it, if it was not us in this position, but the principal, what would he do?" Caesar suddenly said.

“'Hesitation will only leave more time for the opponent to prepare.'" Lu Mingfei said. "'Mistakes happen, but a hero who makes a mistake is still better than a fool who didn’t try.' I've heard him say this." 

Caesar took out a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet, poured it into glasses, and distributed a glass to each of you: "If Chime and MC can have the courage to meet Chisei Gen on the day of their wedding, then we should also have the courage to negotiate with the Hydra. I think we all are unanimous, right?"

"Since I'm the leader of this group, if we do something wrong, I'm the one most responsible." He drank the liquor in his cup in one go. 

Damn straight. If it weren’t for Caesar’s meddling and stopping you from running away, none of this would have happened! You take the whiskey and down it.

You would be counting on him to spring the trap for Herzog, but due to issues of ‘leaks’ you wouldn’t ask him what his plan was. He would take responsibility for that.

 Zero put down her glass: "You guys are sure you won't leave the nightclub now, right?"

“Yes, is there any question?" Caesar asked.

"Then call me an orthopedic surgeon, and I'll need a separate bedroom." Zero suddenly fell forward. The hand that had been gripping the edge of the bar was loosened. She had been relying on this hand to keep her balance, otherwise she wouldn't even be able to sit down.

Lu Mingfei swooped down to catch Zero. She was completely unconscious. The bandage covering her knee was soaked with blood.

"She's hurt badly! Damn it! We need to call the doctor!" Caesar untied the bandage and looked at it, frozen.

"There are metal fragments embedded in the bone!" Chu Zihang flicked on the light and did a brief examination.

It took everything in you not to run to her side. But Renata had made her statement clear. Reunions could happen later. She outranked you and you would obey out of both respect and the fact that she had carefully crafted this identity for who knows how long. You wouldn’t be a good friend of you ruined it.

 "She should have told us long ago that she has no sense of pain?" Caesar said.

No, Caesar, she was hurt this whole time, but once again, as a Black Swan Alum, she knew how to hide it. The nurses were cruel and merciless. If they were in the right mood, they would look for a child to beat to take it out on them and hear them cry. But because Renata and you learned to never cry, they would quickly grow bored of you. Eventually, they learned that it was useless to beat you and wouldn’t bother.

Renata adapted by just suffering without expression. You adapted by joking around with your tormentors until they laughed. Once they were laughing, their beatings would lose their ferocity and even stop completely. So Caesar could be forgiven for not sensing that Renata was close to passing out.

“Is she a friend of yours?” Chime was close to you. 

Your eyes were fixed on the scene before you and there was some tension in your hand as it held the glass. You loosened your grip and looked away. “No. I don’t know her.”

“She must be sent to the hospital!" Caesar said, "A wound like that has to be treated immediately, I'll drive."

"No, it's best not to move her and we shouldn’t leave the safehouse. Call an orthopedic surgeon like she asked.” You say loudly, commandingly. 

Everyone turned to you. Your voice and your demeanor suddenly resembled Zero’s! And even though you only met her for a few seconds, you were immediately deferring to her orders over Caesar’s!

Chu Zihang agreed, "In this case she has to lie flat immediately, the metal fragments are grinding her bones."

 "Why didn't you tell me earlier when the injury was so serious?" Lu Mingfei propped Zero up so she could lie flat on the sofa. 

You stare in shock.

Renata hated being touched by people she didn’t know! You were fine and Z was fine. Did Renata know Z’s brother? She had to. Even in her weakened state, if any of the others held her close like that, she’d knock them out!

"I had to make sure you wouldn't evacuate immediately. If you were going to leave, I'd still have to walk, and that wouldn't leave me time to see a doctor." Zero opened her eyes slightly. "I can't be useless. Useless people will be left behind."

You smile and duck your head as she recites Z’s little mantra. You had a lot to say to that girl. But now was not the time.

You get back to your room and it’s nearly 4 am. You can’t believe how much of a nightowl you were becoming. You wanted badly to talk to Z and give him a piece of your mind, but you hadn’t had time to look for the last bug in your room. Fingel was still recording everything you did in this space. So Z would not appear here. You put on Swan Lake again, sit down with a glass of vodka, and prop a cigar on the ashtray. You light it to smell the sweet tobacco smoke.

When Hydra researched you, they only found you were a ‘Siberian girl’ and did their best to make your room that of a Siberian girl. But Mingfei said that your world was composed of the people you know. And one of those people was Dr. Herzog. That’s why the smell of tobacco was relaxing. It was what relaxed you around Caesar… and the smell of it attracted you to Ruri Kazama and Chime.  You lift the glass if fine spirit. “Hm… A toast?”

Renata was here, you were here, Z was here. You’d imagined that they were all ghosts and you were just being emotional when you felt their presence. But they had all been here this whole time! Z had carefully hidden Renata from you and refused to give you much information. After all, you were still a low ranker. It was likely that Renata knew you were here too! Those jerks. You can almost see their smug, haughty, loving faces. You let out a soft little hiss and stand up again and pull two more chairs from the dining room table into the sitting room. Their ghosts sat down in the chairs.

“That’s better.”

With the ghostly figures of Z and Renata in your mind, in this secret place, everyone knew each other and deep down you feel the warmth of home for the first time. “As I was saying,” you raise your glass again. “Raise a toast!” You look at them all and shake your head. “To the glorious and bloody wedding! And… to the biggest assholes of Black Swan Bay!” You laugh and down shot after shot, not caring that Fingel was listening.

[rinneganwritings]

Never Far Away; Chapter Seven: Only The Lonely

Word count: 3,053 Summary: Tamako feels a little sad about her encounter with Itachi, but Tsunade tries to cheer her up by telling her that she's not sending her back to the village. Instead, the story of her parents is told and a new threat presents itself. Warning: Mentions of drinking, gambling and possible swearing.

Masterlist

Tamako isn’t sure how to feel as she trails behind Tsunade. While this used to be her ultimate goal, now it seems like an unattainable dream. Tamako always wanted to become a very skilled medical kunoichi, but now she felt like her dreams had been ripped at the seams. Her want to be with Itachi was so strong, it felt hopeless.

“Hey, kiddo, are you still with me?” Tsunade asks, looking back at the young woman.

“Hm? Of course, I’m here.” Tamako jogs a little further, matching Tsunade’s speed.

“Good, cause Shizune and those idiot ninjas we hired should keep your sister and Kakashi at bay for a little while. I need you to keep up so we don’t get caught again.”

Tamako thinks about what this truly means for herself. Did the hokage send Yumiko and Kakashi after her because she is a rogue ninja now or did Yumiko take it upon herself to do so?

“Don’t worry about telling me why you’re on the run. I’ve felt like running from that place so many times, that I just decided to leave and find a new place to call my home. It hasn’t been the best of times, but I do feel like I’ve been able to grow as a person.” Tsunade offers comforting words, but Tamako is silent.

They continue their journey towards a new village, not stopping in the next one that happens upon them. They know they need to continue past even the next two villages, and while it’s going to be a long journey, they also need to make sure Shizune catches up with them.

There was a certain anxiety that was wracking Tamako as they continued on. She didn’t know what to say to Tsunade, and she wasn’t sure if she should explain anything to her. It felt odd to her to have someone by her side who was willing to protect her, even though she felt like she didn’t deserve it.

“You know, your sister is only trying to protect you.” Tsunade says out of the blue. Tamako is a little surprised by this.

“She doesn’t know me anymore,” Tamako announces, and Tsunade can tell there’s some deep wounds there that haven’t healed.

“Is this about that Uchiha? Itachi?” Tsunade asks, and Tamako feels threatened by the fact that Tsunade knows what’s going on.

“How do you even know about that?” Tamako demands to know.

Tsunade laughs softly, “I’ve been in love before. I know what it can do to you. You just want to do what’s right for that person, you want them to have the world.”

Tamako huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. She hates that Tsunade is right, but she doesn’t really want to discuss what’s going on. As if Tsunade knows anything about really being in love, it doesn’t seem like she’s with whoever she is in love with.

“I lost Dan. He’s no longer with us, but sometimes, I can feel his presence.” Tears are brimming Tsunade’s eyes, and she shrugs it off so easily when Tamako looks at her.

“What was my mother really like?” Tamako asks, changing the subject. Tsunade smirks a little, knowing what she was trying to do.

“Ahh, Takani was really fun. She could drink just like the men, but she was also very sweet and caring. Kind of like you are, you know?” Tsunade begins explaining.

“I could never imagine my mother drinking. She was always so prim and proper at home when I was younger,” Tamako expresses. Tsunade laughs.

“Wow, she could almost drink me under the table. She had a foul mouth on her, and she fought very well. She was very skilled at ninjutsu, and most of the men in town feared her. She was like a wild one...Until, she fell in love with your father.” Tsunade continues, and now Tamako was listening intently.

“What happened when they fell in love? I’ve always wondered how they ended up together, but Yumiko barely spoke of that story. I wonder if she even knew it at all,” Tamako wonders out loud, and Tsunade smiles.

“Your mother was from a smaller village, but she came to Konoha all fresh faced and ready to fight anyone. She was tough as nails, and a lot of the men really loved her fierceness. She was already a jounin when she moved to Konoha, and her clan was known for being very strong. They didn’t have a kekkei genkai, but they were a force to be reckoned with.”

Takani Kokorotetsu and her clan moved to Konoha when Takani was eighteen. She was a jounin already, and most of the men who knew her wanted to get to know her better. Still, she didn’t care for them. She resented having to move from her little village to some better known village. She resented her parents, who wanted her to marry some rich guy. All she wanted to do was get drunk, gamble and get into fights.

Tsunade and Takani often got together and did just that. Tsunade was relieved to find someone who was just like her, and of course, the two formed a bond that would never be broken. They confided in each other, and when Takani met Nakachi for the first time, the person she gushed to was Tsunade.

Nakachi was from the Sh��rihibana clan, who found the Kokorotetsu clan to be just a little too proud and a little too overpowered for their own good. The two clans formed a rivalry that was unmatched, and in all the land, they knew that things were tense between those two clans. Nakachi, who was meant to be the heir of the clan, grew up happy and strong, becoming friends with almost anyone.

When he met Takani, he took to her like a moth to a flame. He was smitten with her fierce attitude, her unmatched foul mouth and her ability to drink like a sailor. She was everything he could hope for and more in a woman. When their parents found out about their budding relationship, they forbade it. It was out of the question that Nakachi should marry someone from the Kokorotetsu clan, who were basically loud nobodies.

Nevertheless, nothing can stop true love, and while they kept things secretive, Nakachi and Takani eloped. Tsunade and Jiraiya both attended the elopement as witnesses, and they never told anyone. Sadly, the news found its way to both clans, and with that, Nakachi and Takani were on their own from then on.

The love between those two never dissipated, and they enjoyed each other as much as they always had until the very day they died.

Tamako turned to Tsunade, tears in her eyes. She had never really known the true story about her parents falling in love. It was bittersweet to think that they had loved each other for that long.

“Yeah, you really do take after Takani. She was wild and she would have done just about anything to be with Nakachi. He was more reserved, but he loved that wild streak in your mother.” Tsunade says, and Tamako stops.

“She was like me, and how I am with Itachi…” she finally says after a moment of silence.

“You don’t have to hide anything from me, I’m not going to send you back to Konoha.” Tsunade assures.

“Thank you,”

They continue on their journey, only to be stopped by Shizune, who has finally caught up with them. Shizune is a little frustrated, and most definitely tired. She wishes she didn’t have to be the one to fall behind, but she knew it was important for her to distract Kakashi and Yumiko.

“How did it go?” Tsunade asks.

“Exactly how you wanted it to. Although, it would seem Yumiko is a bit more concerned about her retrieval mission than helping her sister.” Shizune explains, and Tamako can feel her stomach drop. “She was quite forceful and intimidating as well,” Shizune shivers at the thought of how Yumiko was talking to her. It wasn’t what she was expecting to happen, but Shizune did know that Yumiko was really strong.

“Hmm, Yumiko did always take after her father, but there’s no way she wouldn’t be concerned about Tamako. She’s probably bluffing.” Tsunade says, and Tamako feels a little relieved.

“Anyway, the fight didn’t go exactly as planned, but seeing as how Kakashi and Yumiko are both very skilled, I had my doubts about the band of shinobi we hired. Nevertheless, they distracted them for an appropriate amount of time.” Shizune continues.

“Let’s keep going. There’s a small, almost unheard of inn somewhere around here where we can stay for the night, I’ve been there before.” Tsunade explains.

The three women follow along the path, finding it to twist and turn from time to time. Behind some giant trees and some greenery that resembles a hedge maze sits a small inn. There seems to be almost no one around, and Tsunade motions for the two other women to follow her in.

Inside, the vibe is completely changed. There are loads of people walking around in the small lobby, and they all seem like the type that would kill you in the blink of an eye. Tamako feels a little uneasy staying here, but she wants to trust Tsunade’s judgement right now. Shizune grips onto Tsunade’s jacket, yet Tsunade pays no mind to the men in the room.

“One room for the three of us, please.” She says to the host.

Tsunade pays the man, and she retrieves the key from his hands. Tsunade leads them out into the small hallway as the men watch the women.

Inside the room, it’s a bit cramped. There’s a small bathroom, but it’s not very clean. There seems to be a layer of dust on almost everything. The bedroom hardly has any furniture, and the sheets on the bed seem like they’ve been there for centuries. Tsunade tuts in disgust about the room’s condition, and Shizune looks like she might actually vomit.

“Listen, it’s just for a night or two. We need everyone to get off our asses before we even continue on,” Tsunade explains, and Tamako sighs.

Tamako walks over to one of the beds and strips it of its sheets. On top of the mattress, she places her own bedroll. It’s not very ideal, but Tamako hates the idea of having to sleep in sheets that have probably never been washed. It’s no surprise the room is in this condition considering the kind of inn this is. It’s definitely a place that attracts a lot of lowlifes and they don’t seem to care about this kind of thing.

“C’mon, let’s get a drink! There’s a good selection of booze here,” Tsunade suggests, and Shizune rolls her eyes.

Tamako drops her stuff on the bed, hoping they won’t get robbed while they are away. She wants to go drinking, but also, she’s feeling very emotionally vulnerable at the same time. After hearing her parents' love story, she’s feeling sad and just wanting to stay in the room.

“You don’t need to come with me if you don’t want to, kiddo.” Tsunade says to Tamako.

“I think I’ll opt out for tonight…”

❣

Itachi is sitting with Kisame in the Akatsuki hideout. There hasn’t been too much activity lately, and he’s been waiting on some directives from Pain and Madara. Kisame has been making some odd remarks and jokes like usual, and Itachi finds it kind of peaceful to have Kisame as his partner. They aren’t the most compatible, but the fact that they are opposites makes this interesting.

There’s also the fact that Kisame is quite the skilled fighter, but also that Kisame seems to scare almost everyone they encounter. It mustn't be easy being the Tailless Beast, but Itachi can probably think up more than one or two advantages to looking like Kisame does. Besides, Itachi had noticed more than one woman fawning over the shark-man.

“You’ve been kind of distant lately, Itachi. Are you sure you don’t have other plans going on?” Kisame inquires, and Itachi just shrugs.

“It’s not of any importance to what we’re doing here. It’s actually quite personal, but I’d rather not let the two get involved with each other.” Itachi responds. Kisame is instantly curious about Itachi’s personal affairs.

“Oh, personal you say? Would you tell me?” Kisame pleads, and Itachi chuckles softly.

“Kisame, you never fail to make me laugh. It’s nothing really important right now, let’s just wait for our leader to give us more details on our next assignment.”

Kisame pouts and is ready to beg Itachi to tell him what’s been going on, but they are both interrupted by Pain and Madara walking into the hideout. It’s very rare for both of them to visit the hideout at all, much less at the same time. Itachi worries it might have something to do with Tamako leaving Konoha, and he hopes that neither of his leaders have caught wind of this. There’s no telling what could happen if Madara knows about this.

“Itachi, Kisame,” Pain announces their presence. Both men look at Pain attentively, but Madara is quick to steal the show.

“Itachi Uchiha, from Konoha. Have you heard of that young woman who has gone rogue from Konoha? Perhaps you know her...Tomoko, is it?” Madara asks in a silly tone.

“It’s Tamako.” Itachi corrects, and he instantly regrets answering that question.

“Oh, so you do know about her! Perfect! I figured you did, but I needed to make sure before I asked you about her.” Madara says.

“There’s not much to ask about. She’s another rogue ninja from Konoha, it happens.” Itachi explains. He’s not really willing to tell Madara about Tamako.

“Really? And here I was thinking that she might be something special. Well, if there’s not much to say about her, then I guess I’ll drop the subject.” Madara says, and Itachi feels a little relieved.

Pain continues to delegate tasks to both Kisame and Itachi, while Madara begins concocting some plans in his head. He knows something is special about that girl, and with his connections with the Uchihas, he’s heard of Tamako Shōrihibana. Madara knows all about that clan, and about their hated kekkei genkai.

Madara is beginning to realize how valuable someone with such a volatile kekkei genkai could be to the Akatsuki and their plans. Without another thought, he rushes off to find the perfect spy for this mission.

In another room of the hideout, Madara finds Zetsu. It would be so easy for Zetsu to sneak around unnoticed by Tamako or anyone involved with her at the moment. Zetsu looks over to Madara, and makes his way over.

“My faithful Zetsu, I’ve got a proposition for you. I’d like you to follow this Tamako Shōrihibana, and I need you to tell me more about her.”

“Oh yes, we will find out everything there is to know about her,” the white side replied.

“Is she of any use to us, Madara?” the black side inquired.

“The Shōrihibana clan has a very strong but volatile kekkei genkai. The Static Release…if used correctly, it could be very fatal to our enemies. I’d like to look into Tamako’s control over it.” Madara explains.

Zetsu blinks, taking in the information that Madara has given him. It seems like a fairly easy enough job, but Zetsu is smart. With a volatile kekkei genkai in the mix, it could end up badly. He’s going to have to be even more sneaky than most of the other espionage jobs he’s done in the past for Madara.

“Don’t worry about it!” The white side replies.

“She’s no trouble to us,” the black side says.

“I didn’t think this would be troublesome to you at all.”

Zetsu makes his way out of the hideout, trying to decipher where this young woman could be. It’s not going to take him long before he does find her, and no matter what happens, he’ll keep himself concealed before acting out. He’s never acted out on a rash decision before, and it’s not about to happen now.

❣

In the morning, Tsunade and Shizune begin packing up their belongings. Tamako rests on the bed for a while longer, feeling dizzy and dehydrated. Despite wanting to stay in the room last night, she was somehow coaxed into drinking with Tsunade. For a while, it was going well and Tamako was winning lots of money from the gambling she was doing.

Then, she got sick and Tsunade and Shizune had to bring her back to the room. The night was spent nursing Tamako back to health, and while it barely helped, it made Tamako realize that she wasn’t cut out to drink that heavily. There was a point where she felt good, but Tsunade was quick to outdrink her.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. Your mom was like this sometimes, and even yours truly can take it too far.” Tsunade reassures.

Tamako gets up from the bed, and she makes her way towards the shower. Even though it is filthy, she decides it’s better to clean up now than later on during the day when she might be sick or sweaty again. Besides, who knows when they’ll get to shower in an inn again?

After thirty minute, all three women are ready to check out. A few of the men in the lobby have grown a little softer to all three of them, considering the women were all so charming last night.

“We hope to see you soon,” the host tells the ladies.

Once they get to the fresh air of the forest, Tsunade stops them. There’s a tension in the air, but she’s not sure if it’s an impending battle or she’s just a little hungover herself. The leaves rustle in the wind as they all listen and wait.

“What’s going on?” Shizune asks, but Tsunade shushes her. It’s a few more minutes before Tsunade finally lets her guard down.

“It’s nothing. I did feel something just now, but it was nothing.”

The three women grab their belongings and start to make their way towards the little beaten down path that will lead them towards the next village. What they never saw was two eyes blinking at them from the foliage...

[martianarctic]

Midsommar Review

The way our world works these days, if somebody makes something, and then that thing makes money, they are strongly incentivized to try to do it again.

I am strongly biased against second projects. With a few exceptions, since the dawn of the internet, informational efficiency, and ease of consumption of media, these second projects are usually rushed, unworthy, too risky, too safe, typically fail to leverage the prior success in any useful way and just in general, are not usually good.

So, I went into Midsommar with low expectations, creating the conditions for one of my very favorite things: this obstacle being absolutely annihilated.

Everything that usually works against second projects worked in favor of Midsommar: The director truly showed up in terms of effort, pushing extremely hard to take a standard genre and build it into something he could relate to personally and in doing so creates a really unique and entirely original second project. He takes a premise that has been done- rural horror/exploitation- but builds it around an personal emotional event. The director & producers took bigger risks (ahhaha what do you even market this thing as? horror obviously, but as I will get into, it isn’t really a horror movie in the jump scary way- more of a texas chainsaw massacre type horror), but didn’t squander our attention or lean on prior success in any way. The director created a film with what I feel is an extremely clear and resonant emotional core, makes no compromises in presenting it, asks everything of the cast in being authentic on that presentation, and them responding to that call, lead by an incredible performance from English actor Florence Pugh. 

This was a central feature to Hereditary- this emotion- and its presentation by the cast- and it is again present in Midsommar and is the thing that keeps us on the edge of our seats. The opening scene of this film, roughly 20-30 minutes prior to opening credits- is going to go down I think as one of the best openings of the 2010s. Absolutely haunting, horrifying, and flawlessly executed in terms of filmmaking, it sets the emotional tone of the film with what you expect initially to be grief, partially because that was the central theme of Hereditary.

However, the protagonist Dani, moves on past her grief...pretty god damned well, if you ask me, but is marked by it... taking us to the true emotional core of the film, which is rejection. And I mean a specific kind of rejection- not when somebody refuses to go on a date with you. Not when you date somebody for a few dates and then that fails to turn into a relationship, but the one after that- rejection from the type of relationship many of us encountered as our first serious one, where we are brought together with our partner by the strong forces of young infatuation, and then are, perhaps 1-3 years after that, torn apart by the stronger force of reality and adulthood.

That is what the opening of the movie is- it’s reality. If you are with somebody long enough, eventually something very real is going to happen in their life, or your life. For me personally, in a prior relationship, it was my partner losing a parent. And you might be thinking, wow, that is a little too real- no wonder you connected with this film. And that is one of the things that you get from building yourself into your writing, as this director has in both of his features- is you get the opportunity to connect with people on a truly visceral level.

While rural people are chopping up city folk (blunt force trauma seems to be the murder method of choice amongst the Hagra) , the film keeps returning to some of the important touchstones of this emotion, which is also a process: isolation, panicked feelings of inadequacy, infidelity, new people, deep guilt, final acceptance, and then, moving on.

The film making is outstanding, if perhaps a bit too raw and unedited towards the second and third acts. The movie is beautiful, the score is even better than Hereditary, based strongly on romantic string style harmonics, think Ralph von Williams or Gustav Mahler. The beauty of the film as well as the comic relief provided by a great cast of university students and creepy swedish commune members forms a great counter-force to the ultimately very depressing emotional core of going through a breakup as somebody with extreme mental challenges. Dueling graduate anthropology students, people’s faces falling off, bear suits, funny drug trips (I counted 3 different entheogens used), keep you chuckling a little bit through the brutality.

These jokes not only provide needed comic relief, but also help underscore the indifference of modern life- something I’ll get back to at the very end.

Star Florence Pugh absolutely nails the depressed/anxious about-to-be-ex girlfriend, lovable, complicated, scary, establishing herself as my new favorite “Smart Scream Queen” in the tradition of Mary Elizabeth Winstead or Maika Monroe. The final act of the film is the final act of the breakup- the boyfriend is gone for good, and the new boyfriend is substantially worse- but one scene in particular, I have to talk about in greater detail, because it is one of the most powerful shots I’ve ever seen. The Hagra, the rural clan/cult in the film, have a habit of the group empathizing with an individual member with ... “vocalizations” and dance-like trance movements. If, say for example, a member of the clan were to jump off a cliff and not die instantly, instead writhing on the ground in pain,the community pantomimes writhing around in pain, showing that they, as a collective, feel their pain too.

^ Just kidding, this is not a still from the movie, actual Midsommar celebration.

What draws people into cults? What do people who join cults have in common? Pain. Isolation. Fear. Loneliness. Well, the worst cults manufacture their own misery and then provide the solution to that, which is being a member of the cult and sacrificing your life for it. The Hagra definitely do this to Dani, so they are far from being virtuous, despite what comes next.

After manufacturing a climax of personal shame and fear and isolation and inadequacy in Dani, they come together to heal her pain. As Dani collapses and cries in the throes of a severe anxiety attack, rather than stand with crossed arms or disgust or calling the police or the crazy wagon, as people normally do in such a position-

They join her. The young women of the cult get on their knees, cry, gasp, sob- and put her hands on her, and as this happens, she looks up and sees that she is not alone. In their quest to imitate her, they lift her up and bring her into the community.

Ultimately, this establishes the cult as Dani’s rebound boyfriend yes, but it also connects the concept of a rural murder cult, which is pretty standard horror fare, with the emotional core of the film (rejection), and also gives us a pretty good idea of why the rural murder cults exist in the first place, which is as a reaction to the cold impersonality and rejection of modern mainstream human existence. Human beings are not a product to be rejected. Human relationships are not something you acquire, use, and then throw away.

If nothing else, cults appreciate that fact. Everybody is important. Everybody’s pain and loneliness matters.

​

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

[kalira]

I'm interested in ALL of the wip titles, but especially these: Wrong Coffeeshop Patron, Arrangement, Get Off My Dick, and Uchiha Courting!

Woo they’re all interesting! >.> That’s good to hear, especially as I have been reminded how many I have holy cow.

Wrong Coffeeshop Patron (ATLA; Zukka)

This one was inspired completely accidentally by a Tumblr prompt I’d seen a handful of times before. This one:

my summer job is working at a coffee shopand this cutie comes in everyday so one day I finally write my number on theirdrink but then YOU grab the cup by accident and when you call me I don’t knowhow to turn you down so I end up going on a date with you but wow, actuallyyou’re hotter and more charming than my original crush so it worked outwell

…and, well. I don’t even like modern, no-powers/magic/bending AUs that much (to read, sometimes; to write, no) what is about ATLA that I have a handful that keep happening?

So Sokka is a barista and he’s spent all summer flirting with (and flailing at) Suki, and knows she will likely be leaving soon as she was only for sure here over the summer … so he writes his name on her cup. Only he was in a hurry and glanced over names and mistook Zuko for Suki. Zuko, having been admiring this barista at his favourite coffee shop for some time, was quite surprised and pleased and called him to take him up on the date. Sokka was very surprised to hear a smoky, silky, male voice, but had no idea how to say you weren’t who I meant so he wound up agreeing to the date without really thinking - or meaning to - and wondering how he was going to explain after he hung up.

Snippet:

The man in the dramatic, hooded coat waswalking this way, Sokka noticed, eyeing him sidelong, curious. He stopped, andSokka almost turned directly towards him.

“Er… Sokka?”

Holy shitit was silky-smoky-voice! Sokka’s eyes widened as he turned, just staring at the man for a moment. Also, fuck,his voice was even nicer in person, even if he did saunter around wrapped in aridiculously dramatic coat.

The man - Zuko - tipped his hood back andlet it fall, looking at Sokka almost sideways and…

He looked like he was waiting for something,and maybe a little nervous - and fuckthat was one hell of a scar; Sokkahad only sort of noticed it in the café, but he’d only sort of noticed the manat all - and Sokka was honestly just trying to think of something to say thatwasn’t holy shit you’re hot.

Zuko’s lips pressed together and he lookedaway, expression shifting.

“Fuck you’re really hot.” Sokka’s mouthsaid without his permission, and Zuko jumped, his eyes widening as they snappedback to Sokka’s face. “Fuck, I’msorry. Um. Hi.” he said, flushing and smacking himself in the face.

I’ll need to figure out how far I want to follow their relationship, of course, but at the moment I haven’t written their first date much past this!

Arrangement (ATLA; Sokka/Zuko/Mai)

This one I really didn’t anticipate writing either … nor did I anticipate writing this ship, honestly. Although in this it’s actually less an OT3 and more Zuko/Mai and Zuko/Sokka. Or will be. ;) Mai has plans.

Snippet:

“Why are you sorry?” Mai said, and when helooked up she was shaking her head. “I told you - I don’t mind sharing him withyou. It would make him happy. I think it would make you happy, too. Wouldn’t it? To have him? To be able to spend timewith him and,” she paused, lips quirking, “look after him?”

“But I- You-”Sokka shook his head, trying to process.

“I’ll always be his Fire Lady.” Mai said,raising her chin, and Sokka nodded hurriedly. “And I know he loves me.” she added,softening. “Sokka,” she rose from the bed and walked towards him, “loving youdoesn’t stop him from loving me. Doingsomething about loving you doesn’t damage his relationship with me. And beingmarried to me doesn’t mean he can’t love you. Do you understand?”

Zuko and Sokka have been pining for each other (possibly without noticing much) and Zuko has been feeling guilty (and horribly distracted because of it) and it’s driving Mai mad. She’s tried addressing the issue with him before, but it made the guilty reactions worse, so Mai asked Sokka to come visit instead.

There’s also some lack of clarity (yet) as to whether Mai has a thing with Ty Lee in the background in this one, or they’re still friends and nothing more.

Get Off My Dick (Castlevania; Alucard/Trevor)

I had half-forgotten about this one a month or so ago and when I saw the title backing up with the rest of my writing files I messaged Mad-Madam-M what the hell did I write titled Get Off My Dick what even and then oh of course it’s fucking Trevor who else? (She laughed. It’s okay, I was too. XD)

Snippet:

Trevor flung himself back comfortably onthe bed, ignoring the shirt now on the floor beside him. “Would it kill you to get off my dick?” he countered, closinghis eyes.

There was a pause and Trevor mentallyscored himself a point. Being crass at Alucard came naturally, and came withthe bonus of silencing him - out of bewilderment, disdain, or irritation, butstill worthy of a point.

“I don’t think you’d be very pleased if Idid that.” Alucard said in a low purr, very close, and Trevor’s eyes snappedopen. Alucard smirked, eyes trailing down Trevor’s body to where the towel sortof wrapped around his hips was all he wore. He straightened and moved awayagain. “But if you insist … I’m sure it would be no great hardship to me to do without.” He archeda brow at Trevor.

…god damn. Trevor erased his point and grudgingly marked Alucard twoinstead. Not that he ever planned to tell the bastard about the system or thepoints.

It’s quite a short WIP thus far and I need to work out what to do with it beyond the dialogue and small scene surrounding it that occurred to me and simply had to be written down.

Uchiha Courting (Naruto; MadaTobi … and IzuTou … and IDK yet)

This is one of the most recent additions to the WIP list actually! It’s … also going to be a series. The first story is actually titled Interest at the moment (and will be posted sometime soon maybe? especially if I can work on the next one soon as well) and was supposed to be a MadaTobi but wound up featuring solely Izuna and Touka … and Touka learning about what attracts an Uchiha as Izuna learns that not everyone is attracted the same way as his own Clan.

Interest is complete and nothing following is more than notes yet, but here’s a snippet from that:

Izuna cocked his head. “Well, Aniki ispretty powerful - he’s strong.” he began slowly, waiting for Touka, who was not stupid, to get it.

She just glared at him and made animpatient gesture and Izuna sighed, crossing his legs and settling on the porchnear her feet. But not too near, because he didn’t want her to get tooimpatient and be able to kick him without even getting up. “There aren’t manypeople who can be a threat to him - challenge him. I think your cousin might bethe only one he’s met since he grew up, really. It makes him kind of sulkysometimes.” Izuna admitted, thinking with amusement if also not withoutsympathy of some of Madara’s little fits on the topic.

Touka looked thoughtful, but nodded. Izunagestured illustratively - sulky fits, yes, but there you were, there weresimply no challenges for Madara.

Touka watched him for a few moments, thensighed. “So, as fascinating as this insight into your brother is … if you don’t want to answer myquestion that’s fine, it’s hardly any of my business - nor do I really care if your brother has a romanticinterest as more than a curiosity - but this tells me nothing.”

I admit, I’m quite looking forward to this one, even if I didn’t intend at all to land myself with another series (I was trying to write another short MadaTobi piece!) and writing the first part and roughing out notes was so much fun.

Thanks for asking - I hope they still sound interesting now! (Feel free to ask about more of the titles if you like. I am so procrastinating at the moment already. XD)

(Ask me about my WIPs!)

[aion-rsa]

Creating the Ultimate Power Rangers/Ninja Turtles Crossover

https://ift.tt/2PbnNNe

Writer Ryan Parrott outlines what inspired the new team-up between the two titans of kids TV and why you won't be seeing Venus.

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The Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have crossed over before but this time it’s going to be even bigger. The original team-up between the two titans of kids TV rocked the world in the 90’s but it was with the Power Rangers in Space team and the turtles of the Next Mutation live-action series. Still fun to be sure but it wasn’t the exact way a Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles crossover had played out in many kids minds.

Since the Power Rangers exploded onto the scene several years after the Turtles ruled the world, fans had often wondered what would happen if the original Mighty Morphin Rangers crossed over with the classic four Turtles. Well, now Boom Studios is making it happen. Out now in comic book form, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 is a fans dream come true. The Turtles and the Power Rangers fighting against each other (and they aren’t under a spell!) Tommy working with the Foot Clan? It’s a ton of fun and it’s being written by the current architect of Power Rangers comics, Ryan Parrott. 

We had to talk with Ryan about where the idea for this crossover came from, his way of writing the Turtles, and if this book fits in the continuity of either the Power Rangers or Turtles comic series. 

DEN OF GEEK: What are the restrictions that come with writing two teams from two different companies (Boom and IDW) and then also two different companies who are licensing them as well (Hasbro and Nickeldeon)?

RYAN PARROTT: Not as much as you'd think. I've been actually very amazed at how open and excited they were about everything that we pitched them. They are just as excited about this as you were, which is one of the fun things. It’s obviously happened before in the TV show. They were just sort of like, "let's do what we can do," and they were open to everything. I couldn't be more complimentary about the process.

Was it you that came up with the pitch originally? Was it Boom? Was it IDW? Who was the first one to really talk about doing this?

When I felt my time with Power Rangers was sort of coming to an end, I was calling my editor to try and pitch. I was like, "What can I do? What's not being done right now?" I was like, "Oh, a Power Rangers/Ninja Turtles crossover?" And so, I called, and before I even actually mentioned it to her (editor Dafna Pleban), she was like, "Hey, I'm sorry there's nothing for you right now. We're too busy with the crossover." And I was like, "What crossover?" And she's like, "Oh, we're doing a Power Ranger/Ninja Turtles crossover." I was like, "That's what I was calling to pitch you!"

read more: Power Rangers: A Guide To The Multiverse

It was that weird moment of ... Everybody already knew. So I was jazzed. It was already in process, but they hadn't chosen a writer yet and they were still in the early stages. So I just started begging profusely to be able to do it. Thank God they let me do it, because I would've lost my mind if I hadn't been a part of it.

What was in your initial ideas for what this team up would be?

Well, my approach is ... it sounds silly, but it was more thinking of it like, "Okay, when I was 10 years old and I was playing with my action figures, what are all the things I wanted to see? What were the ideas that I had?" Because I had every action figure for both these franchises. I put my parents in the poor house.

(Some of it) came from the visuals. It started off with, "Wouldn't this be cool if…” And then it was through that process, that I started realizing that it makes sense. There are so many crazy similarities between these two franchises. If I described it, I'd say it's a group of color-coded teenagers fighting minions and trying to stop an evil despot from taking over the world while being led by a wise and noble sage.

read more: Power Rangers Movie Inspired By Classic Series… And Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

I thought, "Wow, there's something... If that's how they're the same, how are they different?" That was the nice thing about having the crossover with (Power Rangers in) Space (having) already happened. Oh, they're already in the same universe. So maybe the Turtles know who the Power Rangers are, but the Power Rangers don't know what the Turtles are, because one of them is fighting out in the open and the other one is fighting and saving the world from shadows.

At that moment I realized, "Oh, that's the story that I want to do.” I want to see how these two people who are both doing the same things, but who have completely different lives because of who they are and what they're doing. Then the story evolved from there.

We’ve already seen from the Rangers and Turtles end up in a fight. With all team up books, do they always have to fight? Why can't they just be friends?

Well, I think it's sort of like if you've ever gone on a date with someone or you've ever met a person at a party, and you're like, "I don’t like that person." And then you get to know them better later on through a different situation, it's always like, "Oh wow, they're actually way cooler."

It makes the friendship or the relationship that much better when you have preconceived notions at the beginning And that's what's funny, don't we want to see who's the better fighter? Haven't we always had that thing of like, "Okay, so who would win in a fight, Leo or Jason? Who's funnier, Zack or Michelangelo?" And to me, that's half the fun, is I want to see that played out a little bit in real time before we all get to the fun kumbaya.

Does this story fall in any place in the timeline of the actual Power Rangers comic book? Or is it in its own nebulous team up world?

Well, doesn't fall in a particular slot in Mighty Morphin or Ninja Turtles, only because when you're doing a crossover, you can't rely on one fan base being as up to date on the other one as you'd like. But if you've been reading Mighty Morphin I can't expect that you also have been reading Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and vice versa.

read more: The Many Crossovers of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

If you're a hardcore Power Rangers fan but you're only a casual Ninja Turtles fan, or vice versa, I wanted you to be able to pick up the book and enjoy and not wonder who these new characters are, which is one of the reasons why Venus isn't in it. It's one of the reasons why Jennika’s not in it. It's one of the reasons why Matt isn't in it or Dayne isn't in it.

I don't want you to have to take this book and go, "I don't know who any of these characters are." So we tried to keep it as a love letter to the original two shows that I love. It's sort of a re-imagining of those two shows, if there had been a crossover episode between season one of Power Rangers and season one of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

You have the Ninja Turtles characterized in a different way from even, say, the 80’s show or any of the many iterations of them. Where did you draw your characterization of the Turtles? Was it from the recent comics or was it just your general memory of them?

We actually had a long conversation about that, because at one point we were like, "Are we going to do the Turtles from the comic book?" And I think the conversation was, "Let's do an updating, the same way that we updated the Power Ranger's in Go Go," where it was like, that was the character from the original series, but let's update them in a little bit more of a modern context. Let's update them with modern personalities a little bit. Let's do the same thing with them. Let's reimagine them the same way we would if we were doing that for the Ninja Turtles.

So in that way, it ended up becoming a little bit of my own version where I had to do a little bit of the show, a little bit of the movie, and then a little bit of the original Eastman/Laird comics which I wanted to make sure that I stayed true to that a little bit, too. It was a little bit of hodge podge with all of that. I will say, there were a lot of references to the TV show. There are direct lines and references to the movie because I am a huge fan of the first Ninja Turtle movie. I think it's fantastic and it still holds value. If you're like me and you grew up with that sort of thing, hopefully they stay true to the voices of all of those mediums put together.

In a way you're creating your own version of the Turtles, even though they're obviously an amalgamation of so much of what's come before. Is there anything that makes your Turtles stand out in comparison to any of the other versions?

They're just so incredibly well written. No, I didn't try and reimagine them in any way that I thought was extreme or subversive. I liked the characterization, I can hear their voices. Whenever I'm writing anything, I like to do an experiment where if you ask every character the same question, and if they answer it, they should all answer it different ways, because no one answers the same question. That's what I did with Ninja Turtles.

read more: The Weirdest Classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Episodes Ever

I just tried to make them as defined as possible, but there's nothing in there that I think that would make them like, "Oh, this is Ryan Parrott's Turtles." They're still the Turtles, hopefully the Turtles that you guys know and love. If you find that the voices are consistent with those characters, and even if you can't place exactly which medium they're in, then hopefully I did my job.

You talked about wanting to make this that anybody could come in to read it who's not a hardcore fan of either franchise. But was there ever any thought in your mind to say, "What if we just put Venus in there anyway, just because we can?"

I'm going to be honest, man, no. If you were to bring Venus into the story I wasn't entirely sure how timeline wise that worked. But it would've been a story about who Venus was. I feel like if you were going to do that story, you would have to almost do an origin story of that character, and then it becomes a story about Venus and not about the other turtles. So to me, leaving her out of it, I just thought made it so that I could play around with the Turtles that I grew up loving, as opposed to her sort of taking over the story.

 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 is out now from Boom Studios.

Keep up with all our Power Rangers Beast Morphers news and reviews here!

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

Shamus Kelley is a pop culture/television writer and official Power Rangers expert. Follow him on Twitter! He also co-hosts a Robotech podcast, which covers the original series and the new comics. Give it a listen! Read more articles by him here!

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Interview Shamus Kelley

Dec 4, 2019

Power Rangers

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Boom! Studios

from Books https://ift.tt/2rdhelb

[blessedyuki]

Noragami Chapter 74 Analysis

My first reaction when I finished the chapter was the same as everyone else’s: wow, I both love AND hate this chapter!

Chapter 74, titled “Gift”, is a love letter to Yukine. That’s pretty much all it is. And if I wasn’t suspicious before of the way Yukine has been portrayed lately (he’s pretty much going full-on dere), I certainly am now. 

Noragami flash mob is now a canon thing

Ah, how had I missed the comedy in this series. This is the kind of chapter you just want to see animated as an OVA. Only Yato would come up with the idea of organizing a flash mob (which wasn’t technically a flash mob, but Yukine’s friends “creeping up on him”). Actually, when Nora showed up at Kofuku’s I thought she would somehow kidnap Yukine, and the flash mob wouldn’t take place. But no, it actually happened. And it was hilarious, embarrassing, and super adorable.

It’s just so refreshing to see all these characters basically taking a day off, doing something silly, and just showing appreciation for each other. It was much needed after the trauma of the covenant. I’m also glad to see that Takemikazuchi and Kiun are slowly joining the gang, and I also love how Yato even thought of inviting “Bakki” and Shiigun. 

And yes, it’s sad that Kazuma and Bishamon weren’t able to be there. It just wasn’t possible. Even if Kazuma hadn’t disappeared, he still hasn’t repaired his relationship with Yukine. It’s also a shame that no one from the Ha clan could attend since Yukine also has many friends among Bishamon’s shinki (and seeing Nana dancing would have made my week). So it seems like we won’t be focusing on Bishamon and the others anytime soon. We might get a few pages to let us know what’s going on at Bishamon’s manor, but I doubt they’ll have much relevance for a while as everything seems to be heading towards the God’s Greatest Secret and Yukine’s state. I think it also works best if Kazuma continues to be MIA for a few chapters. I’m worried about him too, but not knowing where he is or what he’s doing for so long has much more impact than Adachitoka showing us what he’s up to in the meantime.

Aftermath of the Heaven arc

This chapter also addresses the casualties of the past arc, although we don’t get a lot of relevant information.

I liked how Tenjin said that many Gods “don’t look upon us favorably”. Who is “us”? The logical answer is that it’s everyone involved in the covenant game, but I think there’s more to it than that. There’s many other Gods that have started questioning Heaven’s righteousness, and this is bound to create some sort of division in the Heavens. An “us vs them” kind of situation. That’s why it’s so important that Yato keeps recruiting allies like Takemikazuchi and Arahabaki. Hiyori says that they’re back to square one, but I believe some things have changed.

It’s true that we didn’t gain any new information regarding God’s Greatest Secret, but it’s still nice to see everyone openly talk about something that had been so taboo up until this point. Hiding things from each other is what made Bishamon release Nana, which is what triggered the whole mess in the first place. Things are going to continue to get difficult, so they’re going to have to be as honest and transparent as possible. 

Yato was summoned, and as others pointed out, it was the Three Sacred Regalia and not Amaterasu that interrogated him. This is yet another hint that Amaterasu might not be the one who (completely) rules in Heaven. We’ll have to wait to see what they make out of what Yato told them. For now, Yato and Bishamon are safe from Heaven because they have to “maintain the guise of infallibility”. If they ignored the covenant’s outcome and went after Yato and Bishamon, they’d lose face and things would become even more tense than what they already are. 

Yukine/Nora?

Funnily enough, lately there had been a few posts floating around commenting on a possible friendship (and even romantic relationship) between Nora and Yukine as the endgame. This was probably born from a desire for the usual “enemies to lovers” trope, and the fact that Nora had always shown interest in Yukine, but especially from how “similar” they are becoming.

I have previously talked about how Yukine and Nora have been pretty much fighting on the same side this past arc, and Yato has commented on it a couple times too. Yukine was visibly shocked by those words, as there’s nothing he’d hate more than to become like her. Why? For one, Yukine has always been very possessive of Yato (a common trait for Hafuris), and he’s been jealous of Nora since day 1 (even when he didn’t care much for Yato). Having clear self-confidence issues, Yukine feared being abandoned and saw Hiiro as a threat to his position as Yato’s guidepost. It’s not just the fact that she’s (the ultimate) nora, but she’s also someone who won’t hesitate to kill. Yukine has always been reluctant to take people’s lives, but that might have changed after he almost killed  Bishamon in a desperate attempt to save Father/Yato. It’s not just the act itself that scares him, but the fact that he promised Yato he’d never let him kill again. Killing is what he did with Hiiro, and who he was with Hiiro was Yaboku. The promise not to kill is therefore the foundation of Yato and Yukine’s goal towards Yato becoming a God of Fortune. As Yato’s guidepost, Yukine aspires to be everything Hiiro was not. The thought that he might be the one to break that foundation probably terrifies him.

There’s a nice callback to Yukine’s breakdown in Hiyori’s school from the first arc, when Yato compared him to Manabu. For some reason, Yukine hates those that resemble him. Low self-confidence, and potential self-hatred? That seems like the perfect recipe for someone to be manipulated. And the fact that Yukine has always had a tendency to get carried away by his emotions is not news. The “crossed the line” part is also a reference to when Mayu warned him about Shinki always having the darkness by their side.

I actually don’t have much to say about the kiss. Sure, it shocked me when I saw it, but I cannot form any solid opinions on it yet as it’s hard to tell what Nora’s true intentions are here. It might seem like she’s only saying that she “loves” Yukine because he’s becoming more like her in his wish to protect Yato no matter what. Something like “you’re willing to kill for Yato, that means I love you too now”. Remember, Yukine technically followed Nora’s advice in Kamuhakari. Or it could be that she actually has romantic feelings for someone for the first time, and she just doesn’t know how to act on them. Regardless of what it is, I just wonder how this all will fit with Yukine’s name breaking as we haven’t seen any symptoms of that in the past two chapters.

A more relevant question would be... Is Father aware of this? It would not be the first time Nora acts on her own, but Father is currently using the flu excuse to heal from his injuries. Meaning, he shouldn’t be picking up fights with Yukine and, by extension, Yato at the moment.

On a final note... yay, omakes! As others have mentioned, the clarification on the familial relationships among Gods is very interesting. I really want to see more from all the Gods introduced in the past arc, especially Kagutsuchi and Yatagarasu. Hopefully they won’t get sidelined like the Gods of Fortune were, and we will see them all again when the Heaven plot kicks in. Also, Yato offering his hands as an ashtray... Woah, Adachitoka’s angst is now taking over the omakes too.

So 1 year has passed since the beginning of the series. I love it when fictional stories have a clear timeline, and Noragami is one of the few series that puts so much detail into the seasons, the characters’ ages, etc. Now the question is, will Yukine get a second birthday will the story go on for another canon year? It seems like everything has been set up for Yato and the others to fight Heaven’s corruption in the long run, but in the meantime, we should all pray for Yukine’s well-being.