#from soon to be father to accidently becoming a god to foxes

[retoldflames]

Retold Flames: Succession War

Got the first piece of many for a retelling AU here (holding multiple AU ideas). For some AU world building, Animus Magic has rules such as one has to have the intent to use animus magic to create an enchantment, you must be touching an object to place an enchantment, an enchantment can only do one thing, creating an enchantment has costs (preventing that cost can prevent the creation of an enchantment) enchantments can be overridden unless they are made permanent, enchantments can form a personality, enchantments based in memory or animating an object can form sentience. Twin eggs also have their own thing going on for each tribe with one dragonet being a fire scale variant and the other being of a subtribe. (There is a more detailed version for both on Ao3.)

Burn: Before the Succession War, Burn would be a somewhat kind yet fierce dragon, caring for her collection of odd creatures (getting inspiration for her hobby of poetry from them as they wandered around the Palace and giving the place some life) with help from her brother Smolder and sister Blaze who she would be close to (also including their father Char who would help teach Burn and Smolder about caring for creatures before his untimely death); Being on trusting terms with her mother Oasis and not so with her sister Blister. (Burn was also generally favored in being the one to be accepted by the Eye of Onyx, used as a way to choose a new queen.)

With the death of Oasis at the hands of Scavengers, Burn would enact her revenge on them and lead a small force that would push out most of the Scavenger population out of the Kingdom of Sand. Following this, Burn would find Blister has fled and enacted war on her, being allied with Queen Coral and the Kingdom of Sea (Forming the Shoreside Alliance); Burn herself retaliating with an alliance with Queen Harp and the Kingdom of Ice as well as being joined by Queen Scarlet and the Sky Kingdom. The Alliance itself come to be known as the Burning Alliance. (Scarlet’s involvement would lead the war to spread into the Mud Kingdom and lead High Queen Moorhen and her sibs to ally with the Shoreside Alliance.)

During the early years of the War, Burn would be tempted by Scarlet into choosing to do some unsavory stuff and escalating to her becoming her more brutal self and killing queen Harp. Leading to the Ice Kingdom breaking off their alliance with Burn and allying with Blaze with Princess Glacier taking the throne and forming the Sand-Ice Alliance. (Burn would come to kill and stuff her collection of creatures that would eventually be joined by the remains of dragons with abnormal parts, having her tower constructed to hold said collection.)

During the later years of the War, Burn would acquire an ally in the Mud Kingdom and its monarchy after they were blamed for failing to stop the assassination of Commander Tempest and being cut off from the Shoreside Alliance. (The Mud Kingdom is ruled by a Sibtroop of Kings and Queens with the Bigwing acting as a High Monarch.) Burn herself would connect with Moorhen as older siblings, building into a somewhat close friendship as Moorhen and the rest of her sibs would help temper Burn’s more destructive tendencies over the years. (Burn’s tower would be left to collect dust in the wake of past memories.) 

Sometime after the brightest night 0f 5,005 A.S. and destroying the supposed Skywing egg for the prophecy, Burn would form the Talons of Power; A group tasked with bringing order to the Souther regions of the Kingdom of Sand that have become rampant with crime due to lack of enforcement due to forces being pulled to the war up north. While the Talons would be generally successful in their endeavors for a few years, they would eventually collapse due to internal conflict/sabotage (such as from crime Lord Vulture sending his daughter Cobra to infiltrate the Talons).

As the War nears its end, the Burning Alliance nears complete victory over the Shoreside Alliance, being held back by Scarlet who has continued to cause issues for the Burning Alliance throughout the War; Leading Burn and Moorhen to assist Princess Ruby in usurping her mother Scarlet so they may finish the fight against the Shoreside Alliance.

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Scarlet & Chameleon (& Cobra): When the Succession War began, Scarlet would join the Secret Alliance with Blister and Seawing Advisor Whirlpool then the Burning Alliance with Burn under the pretense of infiltrating; instead using it to prolong the war and its suffering for her own personal enjoyment, taking up a little pet project in shepherding Burn into becoming merciless and brutal. Taking an even greater enjoyment as the War becomes more miserable for others.

During the early years of the Succession War, Scarlet would catch/first meet Chameleon using his Nightwing Enchantment Shapeshifter, along with his enchantment creating scroll, to steal treasure from her. Finding his seeming skill to create transformation enchantments (as well as artistry), Scarlet would seek to use his skills for herself (along with not wanting to personally deal with the consequences of using animus magic). Having him create a Skywing enchantment named Soar and use it to become champion of the arena so she can keep him close without suspicion, getting her guard Osprey (former champion and present defense attorney) to train Soar who would eventually succeed in becoming champion of the arena (suffering through till the end).

With Chameleon an arena champion as Sora, Scarlet would use his skills to her personal benefit from creating small, unnoticeable enchantments dealing with inconveniences for herself to having him create immaculate art and jewelry for her; Even going on to use him for her personal enjoyment, using him as Soar to produce an heir to eventually replace her daughter Tourmaline (as she has done many times with her previous daughters and male arena champions). From this, Scarlet would have her twelfth daughter Pyrite, a bit of a clumsy dragonet that would be adored by her father; An adoration that would turn to grief as Tourmaline, taking after her mother, would kill her sister as a threat to taking the throne and in jealousy of being more loved. Such an act would enrage Scarlet with her plan being ruined, taking revenge by personally using Chameleons scroll to transform Tourmaline into being her thirteenth daughter Ruby and permanently replacing her memories of being Tourmaline with a willingness to follow her mother’s commands (a willingness that Ruby would eventually overcome).

As the Succession War rages on, Scarlet would enact a breeding program to increase a dwindling population, getting her arena champions Soar and Kestrel into the program as well; Eventually leading to Scarlet catching Kestrel fleeing with her Fire Scale and Featherwing (Twin Egg Subtribe) dragonets, getting her to kill one of her dragonets with the promise of letting her other dragonet live; Watching as Kestrel would give in and throw her Featherwing dragonet in a raging river (not seeing any chance of it surviving), leaving Scarlet to attempt to kill Kestrel who she had no plans of letting go; Something that wouldn't come to pass as they would attempt to flee with their Fire Scale dragonet, dropping the dragonet from their burning talons (of the third degree). With Scarlet now in possession of a Fire Scale dragonet, she would use them as another of her arena champions and ensure they make their fight brutal with Osprey training them (teaching a few other things behind Scarlet's back as well).

Not wanting Chameleon/Soar to learn of one of his dragonets surviving, Scarlet would send him to infiltrate the Talons of Power (for the Secret Alliance) as a Sandwing named Platyr (bringing a few other enchantments with him to use). While in the Talons, Platyr would meet Talon members Thorn, becoming somewhat friends, and Cobra who would attempt to allure Platyr (believing him to be an animus due to the new enchanted items he keeps getting and being tasked by her father Vulture in getting his supposed animus magic, something she would be woefully unprepared for due to her general lack of social skills from solely living as an assassin for Vulture. Leaving Cobra to reluctantly go to Thorn to figure out about Platyr and not giving away her true intentions, leading to a comedy of errors with Cobra unintentionally making it seem like she romantically likes Platyr to Thorn; Something that Cobra would roll with, seeing it as a way to get Platyr with help from Thorn who would help her actually be able to somewhat socialize with Platyr. Building into a forming relationship between Cobra and Platyr that would take a bit of an escalation with the two having a twin egg that would hatch into being their Bile Flame (Fire Scale Variant) daughter Rattlesnake taking after her grandfather and their Cactwing (Twin Egg Subtribe) son Sirocco taking after his mother. Eventually, Cobra would come to learn of Platyr's enchantment creating scroll, still bearing a loyalty to Vulture; Escalating into Platyr fleeing for his life, never to be seen again as Cobra would attempt to kill him to take his scroll (unknowingly leaving her with another egg).

With Chameleon returning to the Sky Kingdom, Scarlet would send him out again, this time as an Icewing named Cirrus sent to work with Mudwing Crocodile to infiltrate the Talons of Peace for the Burning Alliance. She would bring Chameleon/Soar back for a short period to enchant a captured Prince Hailstorm, a powerful and charismatic warrior in the Sand-Ice Alliance, to ensure is hidden and not rescued. Scarlet would convince Chameleon/Soar to use it as a way to bring his daughter back, using it as a way to strengthen his loyalty to her; Permanently enchanting Hailstorm to physically be Pyrite and enchanting their necklace to replace Hailstorm's memories with Pyrite's. Scarlet would have Pyrite go with Chameleon/Cirrus to infiltrate the Talons as it would be suspicious if a dead princess was walking around. Cirrus would go on to ingrain Pyrite to never take her necklace off as it is keeping her alive.

During the latter years of the war, Scarlet would assist Blister in a gambit to get Whirlpool to take the place of King Gill next to Queen Coral for political gain. Scarlet would be tasked in capturing Gill but be left with the unfortunate task of making Whirlpool into a dragon that can swoon Coral, working with Nightwing Morrowseer in both tasks. With Scarlet holding Gill captive, she would make him into her pet project; Quite literally in fact as she would deprive him of water to make him insane, using him as a beast of a champion for the arena and for her own personal enjoyment.

As Scarlet's hatching day draws near, Morrowseer would pay a short visit and grant her a chance at some 'gifts'. Giving her directions on where to get them, leaving her to round up a group of guards to do so.

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Blister: Before the Succession War, Blister would be conniving brat that would scheme against her mother Oasis, the rest of her family and other dragons of her home; Ranging from simple pranks to being nearly fatal (the latter more targeted towards her sisters in an attempt to take them out as competition to the throne). Occasionally, Blister would help her siblings in hanging out behind their paranoid mother’s back (not joining them herself), if only to get at Oasis who would seek to mold the siblings into being caricatures of theme selves (attempting to make them not a threat to the throne). This would culminate in Blister not getting Burn to help Oasis in stoping Scavengers from stealing her treasure, instead going to the treasury to steal the eye of Onyx for herself (being rejected by it once she got it).

With her mother’s death, Blister would be the one to start the Succession War against her sister Burn; burying the Eye of Onyx (being believed to have been stolen by scavengers) within her mother’s grave and fleeing. Forming the Shoreside Alliance by manipulating Queen Coral and allying with the Kingdom of Sea, the same being done with High Queen Moorhen and the Mud Kingdom. Blister would also form a Secret Alliance with Queen Scarlet as a way to cause issues in the Burning Alliance and Advisor Whirlpool as a way to gain more power and influence in the Kingdom of Sea (as well as to help gain more influence in manipulating Coral herself). The Secret Alliance would later be joined by Nightwing Advisor Morrowseer.

During the early years of the War, Blister would create the Talons of Peace as one of its founders alongside Commander Tempest. (Tempest would later be assassinated after coming close to uncovering the Secret Alliance, leading to the Mud Kingdom being blamed and being cut out of the Shoreside Alliance. The Talons of Peace would also be ostracized from the Kingdom of Sea) The Talons of Peace themselves would have goal of ensuring the war ends with Blister on the throne, being pushed by the Dragonet Prophecy created by Morrowseer. (The Talons themselves having two groups of dragonets being raised for the prophecy, one hidden with the Talons themselves and another hidden elsewhere.)

During the latter years of the war, Blister would enact a plan to get Whirlpool on the Kingdom of Sea throne. Having Morrowseer ensure King Gill is captured and make it look like the Sky Kingdom solely did it with Scarlet holding the King Prisoner. Blister herself would work to convince Queen Coral to move on from Gill and give at least a chance at dating Whirlpool, giving both Scarlet and Morrowseer the unfortunate task of getting him to be a dragon that can swoon Coral into marrying him. They would succeed in getting Whirlpool and Coral married (the two even having a clutch of eggs with one to eventually hatch Auklet). With Whirlpool successfully married to Coral, Blister would use them both to manipulate the Kingdom into preferring herself and favor her ruling over the Royal Family.

When it is found out that Coral daughter Anemone has animus magic, Blister would seek to use Anemone and their magic for herself; Using her influence over Coral to keep an eye on Anemone without her mother in sight. With Coral generally being quite controlling and heavily restricting what Anemone can do with Whirlpool a very awful tutor that would undermine her use in animus magic at the behest of Coral (going somewhat against the rest of the Secret Alliance now that he has what he desires), Blister would work to ensure that Anemone is skilled in using Animus Magic as well as healthy and happy enough to use said magic to help Blister (along with ensuring she is knowledgeable on how animus magic works as well). Put simply, Blister would eventually become somewhat of a decent parent (much better than Coral) to achieve her goal and unintentionally becoming close to Anemone, becoming an exception in her life.

As the war nears its end, Blister would make preparation for the dragonet prophecy by having Morrowseer acquire the Dragonets of Destiny for the Dragonet Prophecy while she and Scarlet would cover up any traces to the Talons of Peace by wiping them out. (Their plans having to be enacted early due to the Burning Alliance enclosing in on victory over the Shoreside Alliance.)

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Stonemover & Thorn: During the early years of the Succession war, Stonemover would be closely guarded and restricted from moving around the Nightwing Island before it became desolate from the volcano first erupting (wiping out the vegetation and a majority of the Nightwing Islands inhabitants).

As an animus of the Nightwing Island, Stonemover would be tasked with creating an enchanted portal tunnel that would connect from the Island to the Rainforest and to the northern region of the Kingdom of Sand (being used for operations of the Secret Alliance). This would send Stonemover on a journey (as animus magic works differently) that  would lead him to traverse through the Kingdom of Sea and Mud Kingdom to get to the Rainforest where he would create the enchantment for the second part of the portal tunnel, continue on his journey through Jade Mountain into the Southern areas of the Kingdom of Sand where he would meet the traveling Sandwing Thorn who would help Stonemover travel up north (the two growing close along their journey). With Stonemover completing the third and final enchantment for the portal tunnel, he would choose to stay with Thorn where they would return back south away from the war (unaware of the conflict ahead).

During their early years together, Stonemover and Thorn would settle into the Scorpion Den to hide away; The two eventually meeting the deserter trio of Six-Claws, Kindle and Dune with the five of them forming a trusting friendship. Eventually Stonemover and Thorn would eventually have an egg, a joyous time that would turn in the days leading up to their egg hatching as Dune would suddenly flee with said egg. Stonemover would take charge after Dune, enchanting a skulk of foxes (bound by memories) in desperation of finding him; Something that would never come to pass as Dune would succeed in escaping. Feeling shamed for his failure and what he has done with his animus magic, Stonemover would put himself into isolation within the caverns of Jade Mountain; Enchanting his scales to turn to stone for all the enchantments he has created, only being kept alive in his now immobilized form by the skulk he enchanted caring for him (being changed by the enchantment and becoming something more). 

With Dune, her egg and Stonemover gone, Thorn would go on a desperate search for the three (bearing a growing hatred towards Dune for stealing her egg); Eventually focusing her efforts of finding her lost egg/dragonet, finding help and comfort in her friends Six-Claws and Kindle.

Thorn would eventually joining the newly formed Talons of Power in hopes of having a better chance of finding her dragonet (finding a friend among the Talons in an enchantment using Sandwing named Platyr from the Sky Kingdom). In time, Thorn would form a small group within the Talons, eventually splitting off from the Talons and becoming known as the Outclaws (being joined by Six-Claws in leading and Kindle in healing). Thorn would go on to conquer and somewhat restore the Scorpion Den in the wake of the Talons collapse with her Outclaws, eventually becoming an aunt to Six-Claws and Kindle’s daughter Ostrich. (Thorn would also go on to take one of Platyr’s sons from Cobra a few years after his disappearance, raising them as part of the Outclaws.)

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Blaze: During the early years of her life, Blaze wouldn’t really be the brightest; Preferring to go out and acquire treasures and odd gems for her own collection like her Big Sis Burn. (Got herself in-trouble at times cause of it, be it from her own foolishness or Blister playing a trick on her.) Blaze wouldn’t really be close to Oasis as a dragonet, instead being closer to her Big Sister Burn who would help care for Blaze after their father’s passing.

With the death of Oasis and Blister enacting war on Burn, Blaze would side with her sister Burn and wanting to help eventually acting as a spokesdragon for her sister who would stick to leading the front lines. To effectively do this Blaze would come to learn about the common folk of the Kingdom of Sand and its politics (not having interest in them before) with help from Princess Glacier who Blaze would grow close to. The two would come together to comfort each other in their grief after fleeing from Burn killing Glacier’s mother, Queen Harp (Glacier taking her mantle as Queen of the Ice Kingdom). Glacier would bear grief for the death of her mother and Blaze would bear grief for the sister she loves becoming a monster.

In the following years, Blaze and Glacier would grow closer to one another, eventually becoming romantic partners as they form the Sand-Ice Alliance with Glacier being the one to mainly lead. (Their relationship wouldn’t be commonly known as Ice Kingdom Queen’s don’t officially take a partner.) Eventually they would have their first daughter Crystal (being both a pure Icewing along with Glacier and Blaze as their biological parents thanks to some old Icewing Animus Gift, same with Snowfall and Mink) and bring with it a joyous event celebrated in Where-Sand-meets-Ice (a Sandwing/Icewing dominant town formed during the War, south of the Great Ice Cliff); said event unfortunately turned sour as it would be ambushed by a group of dragons (formed by the Secret Alliance) lead by Queen Battlewinner in an attempt to kill Blaze and eliminate her from the war. The attack would be pushed back as the Battlewinner’s forces would retreat with her being incapacitated from Ice Breath, though it would not be without loss, nor without impact.

Following her near assassination and Glacier nearly dying to protect her with many other (some less fortunate), Blaze would find the drive to take more of a leading role in the Sand-Ice Alliance; Taking a more direct approach in the war and growing into a dragon the Eye of Onyx would deem worthy of being queen. (Going through a bit of combat training as well for self-defense, not really liking the training but going through it non the less.)

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Narwhal & Tundra: Hatched around the time of the Sand-Ice Alliance forming, not knowing his mother Harp before she was killed by Burn. Narwhal would be distant from his sister Glacier who would be occupied with ruling the Ice Kingdom and Maintaining the Sand-Ice Alliance. Instead, he would be cared for by his brother Permafrost, learning to live by the beliefs of the Circle Rankings (eventually going on to push those beliefs onto his children), even personally making sure they were kept in order whenever Glacier was occupied elsewhere. Eventually he would meet Tundra who would allure Narwhal and eventually marry him.

Among the Icewings, Tundra would be both one of the more traditional and most disliked; Seeking to take control of the throne so she can return the Ice Kingdom back to what it was before the Succession War. Marrying Narwhal so she can gain a daughter that she could control to usurp Glacier and take the throne, using said daughter to enact her will. Something that wouldn’t come as soon as she wanted with their first hatch being their eldest son Hvitur (an eventual prodigy that would quickly prove himself).

Things would change when they would have a twin egg, hatching their twin sons Icicle with Aurora Ice (Fire Scale variant) and Winter a Ternwing (Twin Egg Subtribe). With Icicle having Aurora Ice, Tundra would have them be raised as a princess to take the throne (Tundra taking to ignoring her eldest) with Winter being neglected and berated by her and Narwhal for being a Ternwing. Something that would take a turn with Hailstorm being captured while taking Winter on a trip to get a scavenger, both Tundra and Narwhal would blame Winter (returning with only a scavenger). 

With Hailstorm captured, Narwhal would leave for the front lines of the War with Icicle in hopes of getting him back. Leaving Winter with Tundra who would continue to berate him without end (even destroying one of the limbs of his scavenger as punishment, expecting it to die from its wounds). Only after Glacier would send Winter to act as a herald (messenger) for Blaze would Tundra stop her tormenting her son, choosing to focus on other things with him gone.

#wof #wof au #Retold Flames #wof burn #quite the bloody fall from grace you got there #wof scarlet #taking villainy to a whole other twisted level #wof chameleon #life can be quite the pain #wof blister #the unbreakable bonds of love and why they suck #wof stonemover #from soon to be father to accidently becoming a god to foxes #wof thorn #stacking up on family #wof blaze #pawn promote queen #wof narwhal #life of pride #wof tundra #ambition or death

[miraculouscontent]

Didn’t Need Burrow (May 30th-July 5th)

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Narrative basically ret-cons bad behavior of someone who isn't Marinette.

Oh yay! Alya V2!

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need Burrow to know that Mouse!Mylene will be called Multimouse.

I read somewhere that her name will be Polymouse but the source was broken.

Please be a mistake back when we saw the hero names and Mylene didn’t get her own name.

I’d also like to add a bonus that either Mylene gets named that without her consent (like someone calls her that), or Mylene names herself that without any knowledge of Multimouse!Marinette at all.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need burrow: Assuming Luka×Zoe actually happens, there will be no build up whatsoever. In one episode, they just happen to get trapped together somewhere, talk for like ten seconds and start dating immediately afterwards. Basically the same as Alya×Nino bc none of the ships in this show (other than Lukanette and Adrigami) had any sort of meaningful developement before happening

A relationship beyond the love square getting development??? That’s cute.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need burrow: Nino is gonna realize that Alya has the fox miraculous full time now and because of that he's gonna get pissy and so somehow Alya will be outta commission and Nino will be there so Marinette will give him a miraculous, Alya will probably say something encouraging about Nino, and then HE'LL get a full time miraculous to.

The only reason I don’t feel like this won’t happen is that it doesn’t direct anywhere near as much blame onto Marinette.

Anonymous asked:

Don't need burrow to know Chat will get angry at Ladybug and maybe Rena because Rena is now a permanent hero and he'll spend the day being a dick, but he'll be forced to work with Rena and realize things are good, but he'll only apologize to Rena.

Ladybug is just used to being chopped liver I assume.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Adrigami is restored, while Lukanette isn't.

Marinette will be too busy being forced by the narrative to continue caring about Adrien.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need burrow, Su Han will only reappear at the end of the season and then disappear again.

“Hi, Su-Ha--oh, there he goes.”

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Adrien decide to confess his secret identity as Chat Noir to Nathalie. She decide to don't tell him that his father is Hawkmoth (but also decide to don't tell Gabriel that his son is Chat Noir)

God, the Agreste drama intensifies. Kill me.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette actually REJECTS Adrien after the identity reveal after it hits her all at once that HE did all the awful, questionable things Chat Noir did. This allows the Love Square Drama to continue, with Marinette being slammed for DARING to be upset/have STANDARDS - everyone claims that she's set the bar too impossibly high and is responsible for her own romantic misery, while Adrien continues being coddled by other temporary love interests while waiting for her to wise up.

Uggggggh.

I’m just waiting for Ladybug to loudly reject Chat Noir and then she falls for him soon after and bonus if Chat rubs it in her face that she’s moved on or the narrative ignores Chat’s past actions as Ladybug is all like, “WOW HE’S SO RESPECTFUL NOW.”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Ladybug's continued rejections of Chat Noir are directly compared to Gabriel's shitty parenting -- both of them are denying Adrien things he wants, and these crimes against Sadrien are depicted as equally awful.  (If not weighted towards Ladybug being worse because sHe'S bReAkInG hIs WiDdLe HeArT~~~)

This one wins for making me the most upset.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t need burrow: Juleka will become the tiger hero in another Julerose-centric episode, but this time Rose is akumatized (into princess fragrance again, but this time with a sentimonster so it’s DiFfErEnT). It will chronologically take place after guilt trip, but Rose’s disability will not be acknowledged, even in passing.

I swear, if I have to see a repeat akuma ONE MORE TIME!!!

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t need burrow: The major conflict of the season will be Marinette repeating “mistakes” (this can be similar to not keeping chat 100% in the loop till he throws a fit or having a human to depend on emotionally about miraculous stuff) Bonus: The show doesn’t show the good that came out of her actions and only the bad (Not having a breakdown and etc)

Yup. Definitely Marinette’s fault that she needed to rely on someone so she didn’t have a breakdown. She should’ve buried her emotions and broke down every day instead.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: After the show runners give into another fan theory of new permanent heroes, they will quickly show why this was a mistake. Bonus if it’s the very next episode (because if Marinette did it then it has to be bad)

This already felt super likely and then you added “because if Marinette did it then it has to be bad” and now I’m just sad because it’s doubly right.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: Marinette, who dreams of being a fashion designer, designs something that’s just ugly. Bonus if it’s never addressed/characters just say it’s great so the show doesn’t look bad at designing clothes

Does Ladybug count? Still can’t believe Chat Noir gets the “complex” outfit with actual thought and Ladybug gets the onesie.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: It's revealed that Emilie intended to use the Miraculi they'd found to 'give Adrien the world'.  This is treated as a sympathetic motive because, as Word of God constantly insists, Adrien is perfect and deserves everything he desires, regardless of how anyone else feels about it.  Thus it doesn't matter what horrific things his parents did or intended; their goals are treated as righteous, with Ladybug being Wrong to oppose them.

They just want what’s best for their son!!

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: There will be a plot in which LADYBUG is accused of not caring about civilians, with Adrien/Chat Noir getting to lecture her as if HE has the moral high ground.  Or any ground to stand on.  His abysmal track record is completely ignored, retconned, or otherwise treated as inapplicable; we likely get a singular moment where he suddenly Gives A Shit about protecting one of his friends/classmates, which is treated as proof that he Always Cares About Such Matters.

Bonus if it’s Ladybug choosing not to defend/save someone who spited her/deserves it, which is “clearly worse” than Chat Noir threatening to let Paris drown in “Syren.” Ladybug is not allowed to be human and also not allowed to show people that there are consequences for their actions, proving that they/Chat can take advantage and mock her as much as they want with no repurcussions.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Sabrina and Chloe have another Friendship Breakup; when Sabrina seems poised to actually get away from her abusive 'BFF' for good, Adrien intervenes/whines at Marinette to help him fix it, because it's nOt FaAaAaIr for Chloe to be aLl AlOoOoOoNe...

Is it too late to make Adrien disappear and have it look like an accident.

Anonymous asked:

DNB: In a Shocking Twist, Cats are revealed to be cursed - the majority suffer some catastrophic fate as the Ring eventually causes their Destruction.  Only True Love can break it, making Ladybug's refusal to give in to Chat Noir's advances a literal matter of life-and-death and 'justifying' all of his behavior.  Bonus if it's retconned that *Adrien always knew this*, despite nothing in his behavior ever indicating he believed himself to be on borrowed time.  Because Angstrese.

Also bonus if this is also used as just another way to make him seem sympathetic. Double bonus if this information is brought up after Ladybug snaps at Chat Noir, and she’s told this information to make her feel guilty.

.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: If Adrien reveal someone his secret identity, it will be ... obviously Wayhem.

Nino: hello darkness--

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Goat!Marc, Rooster!Nathaniel and even Ox!Ivan will be buffed out because not even the boys in this show are allowed to keep their own body shapes when they become superheroes.

I’m positive Ivan especially will be beefed up. The civilian models are really awkward at times and clearly not prepared to be put in onesies (it’s hard to explain and maybe someone more experienced with propotions/anatomy will be able to say it better, but their limbs don’t have a lot of “shape” to them I guess?).

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t need burrow: Alya’s miraculous looks exactly the same in it’s “camouflage” mode solely so Lila can easily switch her necklace with Alya’s. (seriously why does it not change that bothers the hell out of me)

If that happens, I’d put money on Alya not getting called out on it. Good to know you put so much priority on “secrecy,” Alya.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t need burrow: A kwami swap will happen again somehow. Marinette will uncharacteristically scold Adrien way more harshly than normal AGAIN to make him feel bad about himself and this will further the (Adrien melodrama depression arc) of him feeling useless/ replaced. Bonus points if Alya picks up his slack.

Honestly, I was here for the scolding in “Reflekdoll” just because there weren’t consequences for her for once.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: There will be Sad Noir galore. Its all Ladybug’s fault, naturally.

Naturally.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Episode where Sabrina gets Dog Miraculous will be Chloe-centric (or Bourgeois sisters centric)

&

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: the episode where Sabrina gets the Dog Miraculous (which seems inevitable now, ugh) will heavily feature or even focus on Chloé, despite the fact that Chloé has already had a couple of episodes focusing largely on her this season. Sabrina’s introduction as a hero will have about as much focus as Kim’s or will be jammed into the last five minutes of the episode. Bonus points if they manage to deny her a proper transformation sequence like they did Kagami.

Roger: *exists and desperately needs development on his policy that caused Sabrina to become Chloe’s slave in the first place*

show: okay but--

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Under pressure, Marinette admits to Alya and/or Tikki that she doesn't mind the attention (aka constant harassment) Chat Noir gives her; parroting common claims by sexual harassers, she says it makes her feel *special* and *noticed*.  She may also insist that she still wishes he would focus on the AKUMA/their responsibilities more, but the obvious point of this scene is to 'justify' his behavior with evidence that 'she enjoys it'.

MARINETTE

PLEASE

YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: There will be a joke about Chat Noir *copping a feel* on Ladybug after an akuma sends them into an awkward position.  Ladybug's shock and discomfort is played for laughs; bonus if he quips about her suit not leaving much to the imagination.  Adrien is in a fantastic mood afterwards, considering that to be the 'best battle yet'.  (Alternatively, another heroine is victimized and Ladybug is visibly jealous/her annoyance at Chat is treated like jealousy.)

I’m not adding this to the spreadsheet just because a scene like that is too dicey for a kid’s show (though, believe me, if it were to happen, I’m putting that on it’s own damn card), but I will say that this would 100% happen if this were an anime/aimed towards an older audience.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien tricks Alya into thinking that Chat Noir already knows Ladybug's secret identity, thusly learning that she's Marinette.  This is passed off as all MARI's fault, naturally.  If Alya apologizes at all, it's in a backhanded, "But why didn't he know this already?" sort of fashion.

It’s Marinette’s fault for telling Alya her identity in the first place.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Post-Reveal, Marinette struggles to reconcile how her crush is also her abusive slacker 'partner'.  Adrien, by contrast, accepts her as Ladybug immediately... though his words make clear that he doesn't give a shit who SHE is, just that she's Ladybug.  Naturally, this is treated as Mari needing to learn how to accept Adrien for who he is, all while insisting that his many flaws and failings aren't issues at all.

i hate it, thanks

Anonymous asked:

DNB: The RLBS is EXPLICITLY punishment for Marinette: after a mutual reveal, Adrien declares that they can't get together as civilians until she accepts him as Chat Noir.  Mari is forced to awkwardly pursue Chat as Ladybug while he strings her along/humiliates her; meanwhile, Adrien trolls her with shallow gestures to fluster her/rile up their shipper classmates, who ride her ass for not 'sealing the deal' and making their relationship official.  Alya, aware of everything, is the WORST about it.

I presume that “RLBS” is “Reverse Love BS” which... yes.

Also, that whole “she needs to accept him as Chat Noir” infuriates me because that’s been a fandom thing forever.

.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: The only reason Sabrina got Dog Miraculous is because of a scene where Chloe literally "Kick the Dog".

&

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow to know that despite Sabrina almost certainly getting a miraculous and becoming a hero, the fact that she deserves better than being abused by Chloé and is a worthwhile individual in her own right will not be addressed. Because StATuS QuO!

I just had a horrible thought that they’ll do the episode like--

Chloe treats Sabrina terribly like usual, Sabrina ditches Chloe and Chloe is miserable + takes it out on everyone else for it, then Chloe gets akumatized over it and Sabrina gets the dog (for “loyalty”), which leads to Sabrina going back to Chloe so that Chloe will direct the abuse more solely towards Sabrina because “she takes it out on others otherwise”/she’s “used to it”/”it’s her responsibility and this is the right thing to do.” This will also be presented as the “right choice” and Chloe and Sabrina’s relationship will basically not change for the sake of leaving Chloe the way she is.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: Cat Noir is gonna throw a Syren-Sized fit if/when he finds out that Ladybug dares to have a support network through Alya (not a very GOOD support network, but one nonetheless).

Still waiting for the “lesson” where Ladybug is told she’s not allowed to have emotions/be vulnerable.

Oh wait, that’s the show.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need Burrow: Adrien/Chat Noir will angst and fish for sympathy points instead of apologizing for the 40th time in the series.

Every time.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: Luka is gonna say that Adrien and Marinette are made for each other. This is the last appearance that he will make in the show (with exception to background/shipping fuel between him and somebody else w̶h̶o̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶e̶i̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶Z̶o̶è̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶K̶a̶g̶a̶m̶i̶).

Considering the ““““parellel”“““ episodes of “Truth” and “Lies,” I’m just ready for the same thing that happened with Kagami in “Mr. Pigeon 72.”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Trixx plays pranks on Alya's family and is a little troll; he particularly loves teasing the twins, since any claims they might make about seeing a 'magical flying fox' will be passed  off as childish imaginings.  Alya blames Marinette for this more than she does Trixx.

Marineeeette, raise your “children” better!!

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Alya will wind up spilling Ladybug's secret identity to Nino because 'she needs to talk to SOMEONE about this!' (and Mari CLEARLY doesn't count for anything) and trusts her boyfriend.

I would also imagine Alya going on about Marinette’s secret to Nino without explicitly telling him.

Also, this will be an episode in this season because Alya couldn’t even keep it in for ONE SEASON (”Animan” all over again).

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Ladybug will be seriously injured during an akuma battle, with circumstances preventing them from winning the fight/repairing the damage with Miraculous Cure right away.  Adrien/Chat Noir attempts to exploit the situation to learn 'his lady's' secret identity.  The narrative REFUSES to call him out on this; it's entirely on Marinette to protect herself by hiding the truth despite her injuries.

Bonus because “Ladybug” seemed to imply that their almost invincible in their suits, though I imagine if they get hurt, it’ll be Chat Noir and used for angst (like in “Miraculer”).

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette will combine Miraculi more often to cut down on having to track down others all the time and put them in danger.  (And also because the merch guys want more stuff to base toys off of.)  She gets condemned for being a 'glory hound' and 'taught' that she needs to rely upon others more often, no matter what sort of risks that might entail (she'll get blamed for that anyway) or how they might let her down (again, always her fault).

Marinette: *tries not to burden others and instead does what the narrative has convinced her of; bearing the world’s weight alone until she breaks*

show: gOd, mArIneTtE--

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chat Noir's tendency to screw around, flirt, and not read or work with his allies at all gets Rena Rouge, Vesperia or one of the other heroes hurt.  Naturally, this is played for Sadrien above all else -- if Ladybug or anyone else DARES to show any anger towards him for it, it's depicted as completely unjustified and unfair.  Bonus if the injured party insists that it's okay.

They neeeed Chat Noir to lighten the mood! He’s worth the risk!

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: RLBS is kicked off by Marinette being utterly HUMILIATED by Adrien publicly rejecting her once he can't ignore her crush anymore, spurring her to give up on him 'for good'.  Adrien decides that he misses her chasing after him and starts pursuing her, with Alya and others encouraging her to accept his advances/telling her that she's crazy to reject him even after what he did.  Marinette's utter misery over the whole ordeal is treated as HILARIOUS.

It’s not like he mEaNt to embarrass you, Marinette!!!

Marinette didn’t meant to do a lot of things too but you don’t see the show giving her any slack.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien/Chat Noir starts treating Alya/Rena Rouge with exactly as much 'respect' as he gives Ladybug -- which is to say, nothing but lip service paired with stunts like refusing to help unless she spills Ladybug's secrets.  Alya naturally blames Marinette for this.

I’m torn on whether he’d “””respect her””” as much as Ladybug or give her even more respect, probably on the premise that “Ladybug chose her,” and that somehow proves that Chat Noir is a good guy in all this (while, again, disrespecting/not trusting Ladybug/making his own decisions at every corner).

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien/Chat Noir attempts to charm Alya/Rena Rouge into sharing Ladybug's secrets with him, possibly making Nino jealous in the process.

*sees “Rocketear” trailer*

oh no...

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: We get another 'Bad Future' episode centered on Sadrien; this time around, it features him losing the Ring, painting this popular plotline as a horrible idea because Adrien is Perfect and Never Does Anything Wrong, and should never be punished for his actions.  No matter how it happens, Marinette is blamed for it; bonus if somebody angrily tells her that SHE should have lost HER Miraculous instead.

Wouldn’t be surprised, but that would also mean making a new model of a cat hero.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: It's revealed that part of the reason Alix/Bunnix refuses to share any 'Spoilers' about how the future is 'meant to go' is because Marinette Suffers Incredibly in the process, and Alix knows that she'd try to find some other way... and assumes that she'd fail in the process.  This is treated as entirely valid and Marinette, if she learns that this is part why Bunnix won't tell her shit, has to accept that she's just doomed to be Fate's personal punching bag.  Sucks to be her!

It’s “meant to be.”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette/Ladybug is told outright that she's a horrible person for not respecting Chat Noir's feelings for her.  Bonus points if it's Alya, citing Mari's crush on Adrien as proof that she should know how it feels to constantly fail at getting your crush's attention.  (Alternately, Adrien venting to her about how *unfair* it is that Ladybug's so cruel to her partner, unaware of the dramatic irony.)  Triple-7 Jackpot of Shit if this contributes to the RLBS becoming a thing.

UGGGGGH.

And of course Chat Noir wouldn’t get the same treament and it’ll be like, “WELL ADRIEN DOESN’T kNoW sO--”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Instead of Lila, Chloe is revealed to be the next holder of the Butterfly Miraculous. This shows Chloe as "irredeemable" while successfully writing Lila out of the show.

Meanwhile, the writers’ script is frantically scribbled on with red marker.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Reveal that post about Lila being future Hawkmoth was Red Herring (or in this case orange herring)

Dumb herring.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need a burrow;

By the end of the series, Gabriel will have a redemption arc to feel sympathy for him :o

guys he’s so sad don’t you see--

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien's inability to choose between the 'love of his life' and the abusive shitbag excuse of a sire who'd just smacked him like a ping-pong ball foreshadows that he will ultimate choose Gabriel after learning that he's Hawk/Shadowmoth.  This will be entirely blamed on Marinette not being able to keep him by her side because 'she didn't love/cherish/appreciate him enough'!

After “Guiltrip” and the whole, “I don’t say this enough--” line, I’d buy it and now I’m sad.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: The RLBS is kicked off by Chat Noir switching sides and joining Hawk/Shadowmoth.  Ladybug is forced to appeal to Chat's 'love' for her, with Alya, Tikki, and various other 'friends'/allies blaming her for his defection.  Meanwhile, Sadrien starts pursuing Marinette as an outlet for his mangst, 'unintentionally' making her more miserably conflicted in the process.

She rejected him and therefore he’s in his right to switch sides. She never even gave him a chance!!!

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien is a Sentimonster/was created by other Miraculous magic by the Agrestes, who desired a 'perfect/model son'.  This is used to further the narrative that his entitlement is actually a Good Thing: Adrien was not MEANT to have any wants/needs/desires of his own, but mysteriously developed them anyway.  Thus Marinette NEEDS to cater to his every whim because it's sO mIrAcUlOuS that he HAS them in the first place.  Hooray...?

His very EXISTENCE is MIRACULOUS, Marinette!!!

Also, Astruc will act like this was amazingly foreshadowed in “Ladybug” where Ladybug comments on Sentibug’s perfection.and with Astruc always called Adrien perfect (either on his own or through other characters).

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Another Shocking Familial Connection is revealed: Felix is not Adrien's cousin, but Gabriel and Emilie's original son, whom they shunted off on her sister and replaced with the 'perfect' Adrien.  50-50 split on whether this is used to excuse all of Felix's shitty behavior or if he's demonized further -- 'See, THIS is why they replaced him!  ANYONE would choose the Perfect Adrien over someone like THAT!'

Why not both????

It’s like the Chloe-Zoe situation but male.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: After learning that Rena Rouge has become Ladybug's confidant, Chat Noir outright REFUSES to help at a critical moment, sneering about how 'you ladies CLEARLY don't need me'.  As with everything else, the blame for his latest stunt is laid neatly at Marinette's feet, because Adrien is never EVER responsible for his own actions.

They’ll probably blame Marinette because Ladybug “didn’t tell him right away.”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Circumstances force Adrien to be Mr. Bug again (since they already have the models).  Much is milked from how HAAAAAAAARRRRD his temporary responsibilities are on him, and he reiterates afterwards how happy he is that he doesn't have to deal with that all the time.  No actual sympathy for Ladybug's situation is displayed, though stans treat it as such; what we're actually SHOWN is that Adrien only cares about the burden when HE'S the one stuck carrying it.

As per usual, no one cares about Marinette’s problems until it directly affects THEM, and then they’ll go back to not caring.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: With all of the other abusive behavior Adrien has shown towards Ladybug, it's only a matter of time before we get a 'Why did you make me hit you?' moment.  No akuma influence; just him physically lashing out at her because he's an entitled little shit upset over not getting his way, followed by the inevitable bleating about how bad HE feels and how he'll 'never do it again'.  Naturally, this is presented as though Marinette 'deserved it' and must accept his apology.

Show, don’t do this to me, I swear--

I’d be surprised if this did happen, but more because it’s like wow the lack of self-awareness is even worse than I thought.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: We get a Very Special Episode about sexual harassment... which not only refuses to acknowledge Adrien's behavior as such, but asserts that he would NEVER touch 'his lady' in any kind of inappropriate fashion.  Bonus: he harasses her in that very same episode to 'prove' that his behavior isn't inappropriate.

So “Felix” but worse...

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: The reason why ML Writers made Zoe an actress is to justify why she managed to recognize that Lila is "Liar that lies" instantly after meeting her.

Waiting for the moment where Zoe talks to Marinette to address Marinette “acting like she’s not in love with Adrien.”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Lila steals the Fox Pendant from Alya/does something that affects her *personally*.  Alya then reads Marinette the riot act, demanding to know "Why didn't you WARN ME about her?!"  (None of the times that she DID count because Alya dismissed them as her 'just being jealous', which is, of course, entirely Mari's fault.)  Bonus if we allude back to her claiming that 'good reporters do their research' and how she expected MARI to provide her her with proof of her claims.

Marinette: *thousand yard stare*

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: When Lila is exposed, Marinette gets blamed for all the harm she caused with her various deceptions, since she tried to warn others and couldn't convince anyone of the truth.  Adrien 'taking the high road' is largely glossed over; if anyone finds out that HE knew too and never did anything to warn anyone, he's quickly forgiven for 'not knowing any better'.

See, Marinette, if you just hadn’t tRiEd--

And Adrien was just trying to “be nice to everyone equally” so he’s forgiven.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien/Chat Noir outright admits that he dislikes Rena/the other heroes being around since they make him feel unnecessary.  This is treated as a perfectly reasonable and valid complaint rather than a slacker piss-moaning about being shown up by others making actual EFFORT.

*flashbacks to “You’re not trying to replace me with a turtle, are you?” after Carapace shows up LITERALLY ONCE*

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: We get a retread of the NYC Special's Angstrian when he accidentally ('accidentally?') Cataclysms Rena/somebody else.  Bonus if the victim once again argues that THEIR experiences/trauma are FAR less important than his.  (Especially if it's Alya, Nino, Max... somebody who ALSO happens to be a character of color temporarily killed off to make the spoiled white rich brat feel sorry for himself.)

It’s an accident and also probably “Ladybug’s fault.”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien/Chat Noir skips an akuma attack/shows up late to find it was resolved without him, and mopes about how 'his lady doesn't need him anymore', requiring somebody else to massage his ego.  Bonus points if somebody (likely Ladybug) is demonized for getting annoyed at him for being late/a no-show, because HOW DARE they take defending Paris seriously?!

Well excuse us, Chat, next time we’ll just awkwardly stall for twenty minutes.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chat Noir will 'accidentally' Cataclysm one of the protective Charms so that its holder can be akumatized again.  Bonus if he does this to Alya/one of the other heroes.

Probably Chloe.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: The protective charms are ultimately rendered effectively pointless when Adrien switches sides and starts using his powers to destroy them.  Naturally, Marinette is held completely responsible for his actions, because God FORBID he ever be called to account for himself.  Not when his 'partner' is around to absorb all the blame.

You didn’t make him feel loVeD, Marinette.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien pulls a Chloe with his own attempt at engineered heroics, putting the lives of others on the line to 'prove his value'.  Ladybug is completely blamed for the stunt; bonus if someone accuses her of 'not learning anything' from what happened with Chloe.

Hate it. Hate it a lot.

We already got him trying to cause/hoping for akuma, so this isn’t too far off.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien gives Zoe better advice for dealing with her bullies.  His policy for handling Chloe and Lila remains the same as ever.  (In other words, only Marinette has to 'be the better person' and keep suffering at the hands of her abusers, since it maintains his preferred status quo.  But it's no skin off his nose if Zoe's situation changes/improves.)

I also imagine that Adrien would give this advice without Marinette onscreen, so Adrien won’t be called out on it.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: Alya will reveal Marinette’s identity to someone (possibly Nino) and the show will then punish Marinette for trusting Alya in the first place. Bonus point if the show then says she should have trusted Adrien/Chat Noir because he would never have betrayed her trust.

I’m just remembering the fandom’s complaints and wow I hate it.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Ladybug Miraculous basically change into Poor man's version of Green Lantern's Ring

*stares at the phone in “Optigami” that somehow picks up on the kwamis’ voices* hm

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: Marinette will look through the future and see one where she and Luka get together, except it’s portrayed as bad and abusive, more so if he knows her secret identity, and the only way for her to escape it is by getting with Chat Noir(and not...you know, anybody else. Or being single. Or MAKING THE RELATIONSHIP WORK!!!). Chat Noir sees it too, and gloat about in her face, since it proved that they were “meant for each other, m’lady!” Bonus points if someone calls Thomas Ass Truck out on this shit, and he either replies that it was the best thing to do, claims it doesn’t matter how Lukanette is treated/the love square ends up together because they’re “made for each other” anyway, or even tries to pass it off as “girl power”, because how could we let the female lead get with the respe—oops, I mean abusive guy over the one who treats her te—oops, I mean respectfully and like a “gentleman” would?! And then he’ll follow up by blocking them for daring to question the Ridiculous Relationship Rhombus and respect the “non-endgame” ship. Even wor—oops! I mean, better, if love square shippers use this opportunity to gloat about how “I always knew Adrien and Marinette(notice how they always place his name first?!) were perfect for each other, Luka wasn’t good enough for Marinette, take that, Lukanette shippers!” declaring it “anti-salt”.

bfgkdjfgdfg god

Also, the only problem with this idea is that it would mean making an adult model for Luka.

Bonus if another “disadvantage” to Marinette dating Luka is that Luka isn’t high class.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette will be told outright to 'Get over yourself' and stop bringing up valid complaints about Chat Noir's shitty behavior, as the series becomes increasingly overt with its subtext about how one of Marinette's Biggest Mistakes is having STANDARDS.

Ignoring that Luka exists, of course, and if it’s mentioned that Luka exists then cue, “OH BUT SHE DOESN’T AAAACTUALLY LOVE LUKA.”

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need Burrow: SentiWiFi (Lady WiFi Sentimonster)

SentiEveryone at this point...

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Nino is again robbed of screentime by Sentimonster based on him.

*sees “Sentibubbler” title and trailer*

Did--did you predict the future??

...I mean, we’ve been doing that the whole time, but damn.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Alya will continue shoving Marinette towards Adrien, then mockingly ask 'Didn't you want to give romance a break?' or something along those lines.  Showing that not only is she fully aware of Marinette's wishes and doesn't give a damn, but implicitly blaming Marinette for her inability to stick to them, despite how SHE is the one forcing the issue.

“We all know that you WANT HIM, Marinette! Stop denying yourself!!!”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: When Marinette gets a spot of hope regarding her relationship woes, Alya leaps in to take all the credit for the apparent success.  Once the light turns out to be an incoming Drama Train that blindsides Marinette and leaves her humiliated and heartbroken, Alya insists that it's entirely MARI's fault that things went off the rails.

Waiting for a line from Alya about how she’s doing everything right and Marinette must be really hopeless if Alya’s schemes aren’t working...

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Alya and Nino will get into a bit of Relationship Drama in order to further reinforce the series' double standards.  (Such as 'It's OK for boys to lie, but girls shouldn't have any secrets.'  Or 'Boys can hold grudges, but girls must forgive every trespass.'  Or 'Girls shouldn't told boys to impossible standards like expecting to be treated with basic human decency.')  Bonus points if Marinette gets blamed for it.

Yup.

Yup.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: The subtext about Marinette not deserving a GOOD love interest is further emphasized by Kagami and Luka getting together.  Kagami comments on how she can trust Luka not to lie to her; this is the closest she gets to explaining to Marinette WHY she broke things off with Adrien in the first place.  After all, it doesn't matter if Adrien lies to Marinette; they're 'meant for each other'.

I’m still not over Kagami saying that the guy who lied to her is “made for” her only friend????

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Zoe learns a valuable lesson about the importance of Being Herself with Luka's help, teasing the idea of the two of them getting together.

“Bonus” for Marinette saying that Zoe and Luka are made for each other.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chat Noir deliberately strings Vesperia along in a ploy to make Ladybug jealous.  Zoe is naturally heartbroken when she learns the truth.  Her pain is blamed entirely on Marinette, since Adrien can NEVER be held accountable for his own actions.

Ladybug, you should’ve seen this coming!!

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need burrow (kinda?), Astruc apparently is aware that his perfect Adrien is flawed as Chat Noir (he said so on twitter), and I fear that if anyone ever asks him why the two sides of Adrien so different, he'll reveal that the cat miraculous changes the holder's personality or some shit, which will cause "Anti Adrien Salt" to explode, screaming "the salter's claims aren't valid anymore, it's not Adrien's fault, it's the miraculous!!!1!!111!!!!¡¡!¡¡¡!!!"

I feel like he denied that back when he still had a Tumblr but gosh I’m just waiting for it to be confirmed because FANON THEORIES.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien gets a taste of what Marinette goes through constantly when he/Chat Noir suffers a bit of minor humiliation over his crush.  His pain and angst over this is played DEAD SERIOUS, treated as though he's suffering through the WORST THING EVER even though whatever happened pales in comparison to what Marinette has endured.  Anyone who dares so much as chuckle at what happened is villainized, since only a MONSTER would find his suffering funny.

I’m seething.

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need a Burrow: Return of Sentibug (for fanservice)

Bonus if they kill her off again. Something something “only one Ladybug” something.

neyla9 asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: So if Zoe gets sent to a new boarding school after being in Paris for a few months (there is a chance the writers will just completely ignore that this was established in Sole Crusher, in which case this probably won't happen), I predict that Zoe was brought in specifically to redeem Chloe, rubbing it in Marinette's face that she failed at redeeming Chloe, and force Marinette to give Chloe the bee miraculous back

Most likely. Apparently needed to bring someone else in to make Marinette feel worse.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien abandons/ditches his responsibilities as a hero because he's too busy sulking over his ego being bruised by some slight (real or imagined).  Marinette is naturally blamed for this.

Oh, of course!

Marinette probably had to be late for patrol so he was intentionally late for something, and then was like well you did it to me, so--

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chloe will get another tiresome 'Will she or won't she be redeemed?' arc, only to backstab/betray everyone again.  Astruc will preen and croon on social media about how gullible anyone that thinks she could ever be redeemable is.  Bonus points if Chloe's damning act that proves she's unsalvageable is something ADRIEN has done.

Meanwhile, Nino is back here absolutely collecting DUST!!!

I guess you gotta be a horrible person/make Marinette suffer to get screen time.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Chloe will discover Vesperia's secret identity and steal the Bee Miraculous, then spitefully out Zoe so that SHE can't be a heroine anymore.

Marinette is running out of teens at this point but finding new ones would mean more models.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Zoe is used to teach Marinette that she's too harsh on others for lying, and should accept that they can be dishonest sometimes.  (Especially Adrien.)  As a natural follow-up, Marinette is blamed/punished for falling for a friend's lies -- because CLEARLY it's not Alya/Adrien/anyone else's fault if she believes their bullshit!

No one’s perfect, Marinette! People are human!!

...Except you, of course.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Despite the incident with SentiNino, Shadow Moth will *successfully* obtain a miraculous by using the same trick.  Bonus points if it's Marinette/Ladybug who falls for it... though really, she'll be blamed regardless.

Double bonus if she doesn’t fall for it but it still goes through.

Anonymous asked:

DNB: The 'Shocking Twist' of Adrien/Chat Noir betraying Team Miraculous and joining his father will be presented as though it's entirely Marinette/Ladybug's fault, with Adrien acting as though he Had No Choice and angsting about being 'forced' to betray his lady and friends.  The series never acknowledges how self-serving his motives actually are, and any call-outs he gets are treated as Wrong and Awful and Blaming Poor Innocent Victim Adrien.

“hE’s jUsT tRyinG tO sAvE hIs mOm”

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: 'Borrowing' from many a Salt Fic, Marinette will thank her for 'proving who my *real* friends are'.  This entails giving Adrien, Alya and possibly others credit for always standing by her, believing in her, and various other things that they never actually did.

I’m presuming “her” means “everyone”/”the girl squad” and yup.

Better tell than show I guess.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Alya will be retconned into having 'never believed anything Lila said'.  Or at least, she will CLAIM that she never believed her.

I WILL BE SO UPSET

Also prepared for them to handwave it, like, “oh whatever, now I’m helping you since I know so it’s all good!”

Anonymous asked:

Don't Need Burrow: Similarities between Luka and Zoe were only red herring. Zoe will become Kagami's new love interest (and Kagami and Zoe's dynamic will be suspiciously similar do Fanon!Marigami)

But that would imply they care enough about LGBT rep.

Though they could always pull a Voltron and slip it in at the very end.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Marinette will suffer the toll/backlash from using multiple Miraculi ONLY for the sake of making that her Latest Mistake. Her past successes are only acknowledged as a way of painting her as arrogant for assuming she could continue doing so safely.

She’ll probably be yelled at and told not to “keep doing everything herself” even though that’s what the narrative keeps telling her to do.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow: Adrien discovers his father's secret identity and hides it... and this is painted as an act of incredible self-sacrifice rather than selfishness.  Rather than treating it as a betrayal of Ladybug/Team Miraculous, the series focuses on his angst and 'inner struggle', pretending there's something heroic about him refusing to expose Hawkmoth and potentially put an end to his terrorizing Paris.

:|

Deep breaths, Clarity.

Anonymous asked:

Didn't need burrow: Alya will get to keep her boyfriend despite her being involved with the miraculous box n stuff, unlike Marinette. Why, you ask? Easy, the bond between Luka and Mari just isn't sTrOnG eNoUgH for them to last through difficult times, like Alya and Nino do so easily.

Ignoring that Marinette and Luka only just got together and also that Marinette has it WAY different than Alya.

But no I guess. Adrien and Marinette are “made for each other” so gotta discredit Lukanette whenever. Marinette isn’t allowed to be happy, we know.

Anonymous asked:

Didn’t Need Burrow: The one time Marinette gets a break from akumas and her responsibilities all hell breaks loose and the lesson for that episode will be that Marinette and Marinette alone must carry the burden of being Ladybug and Guardian.

Marinette: *gets five minutes of sleep*

Paris: *catches on fire*

Anonymous asked:

Didn't Need Burrow (Can I do two at once?): "Crocoduel" will not acknowledge the Lukanette breakup at all, and the titular Akuma will just be Guitar Villain and Captain Hardrock again.

(You’re allowed two, absolutely!)

I’d like to add as well that, even if they do acknowledge the Lukanette breakup, Marinette will talk to Luka about it but then be like, “I’m not focusing on love right now and I’m too busy so I’m sorry for everything that happened,” even as everyone keeps pushing for the love square.

#category: salt #Didn't Need Burrow #other: ask and answer #((This was supposed to come out earlier but I've been SUPER nauseous lately.))

[geckosong]

Anime Recommendations

Here lies even more shows that are worth watching

Demon Slayer (2019)

A family is attacked by demons and only two members survive - Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, who is turning into a demon slowly. Tanjiro sets out to become a demon slayer to avenge his family and cure his sister.

My Rating: 8/10

Death Parade (2015)

After death, there is no heaven or hell, only a bar that stands between reincarnation and oblivion. There the attendant will, one after another, challenge pairs of the recently deceased to a random game in which their fate of either ascending into reincarnation or falling into the void will be wagered. Whether it's bowling, darts, air hockey, or anything in between, each person's true nature will be revealed in a ghastly parade of death and memories, dancing to the whims of the bar's master. Welcome to Quindecim, where Decim, arbiter of the afterlife, awaits! Death Parade expands upon the original one-shot intended to train young animators. It follows yet more people receiving judgment—until a strange, black-haired guest causes Decim to begin questioning his own rulings.

My Rating: 8/10

Noragami (2014)

In times of need, if you look in the right place, you just may see a strange telephone number scrawled in red. If you call this number, you will hear a young man introduce himself as the God Yato. Yato is a minor deity and a self-proclaimed "Delivery God," who dreams of having millions of worshippers. Without a single shrine dedicated to his name, however, his goals are far from being realized. He spends his days doing odd jobs for five yen apiece, until his weapon partner becomes fed up with her useless master and deserts him. Just as things seem to be looking grim for the god, his fortune changes when a middle school girl, Hiyori Iki, supposedly saves Yato from a car accident, taking the hit for him. Remarkably, she survives, but the event has caused her soul to become loose and hence able to leave her body. Hiyori demands that Yato return her to normal, but upon learning that he needs a new partner to do so, reluctantly agrees to help him find one. And with Hiyori's help, Yato's luck may finally be turning around.

My Rating: 9/10

Yona of the Dawn (2014-2015)

Princess Yona lives a life of luxury and ease, completely sheltered from the problems of the seemingly peaceful Kingdom of Kouka; however, the sudden murder of the king and betrayal of her beloved cousin Su-won places Yona's life in mortal peril. Forced to escape only with Son Hak, who is both her childhood friend and bodyguard, the naïve princess soon discovers that Kouka is not the idyllic place she envisioned it to be. Poverty, strife, and corruption run rampant, making reclaiming the throne nothing more than a wishful fantasy given the kingdom's current state. With only a mysterious legend to guide her, Yona must discover a way to restore Kouka to its former glory while being pursued relentlessly by the forces of the new King of Kouka.

My Rating: 8/10

Haikyu! (2014-Present)

Inspired after watching a volleyball ace nicknamed "Little Giant" in action, small-statured Shouyou Hinata revives the volleyball club at his middle school. The newly-formed team even makes it to a tournament; however, their first match turns out to be their last when they are brutally squashed by the "King of the Court," Tobio Kageyama. Hinata vows to surpass Kageyama, and so after graduating from middle school, he joins Karasuno High School's volleyball team—only to find that his sworn rival, Kageyama, is now his teammate. Thanks to his short height, Hinata struggles to find his role on the team, even with his superior jumping power. Surprisingly, Kageyama has his own problems that only Hinata can help with, and learning to work together appears to be the only way for the team to be successful.

My Rating: 9/10

The Devil is a Part-Timer (2013)

Striking fear into the hearts of mortals, the Demon Lord Satan begins to conquer the land of Ente Isla with his vast demon armies. However, while embarking on this brutal quest to take over the continent, his efforts are foiled by the hero Emilia, forcing Satan to make his swift retreat through a dimensional portal only to land in the human world. Along with his loyal general Alsiel, the demon finds himself stranded in modern-day Tokyo and vows to return and complete his subjugation of Ente Isla—that is, if they can find a way back! Powerless in a world without magic, Satan assumes the guise of a human named Sadao Maou and begins working at MgRonald's—a local fast-food restaurant—to make ends meet. He soon realizes that his goal of conquering Ente Isla is just not enough as he grows determined to climb the corporate ladder and become the ruler of Earth, one satisfied customer at a time!

My Rating: 9/10

The Promised Neverland (2019-Present)

Surrounded by a forest and a gated entrance, the Grace Field House is inhabited by orphans happily living together as one big family, looked after by their "Mama," Isabella. Although they are required to take tests daily, the children are free to spend their time as they see fit, usually playing outside, as long as they do not venture too far from the orphanage—a rule they are expected to follow no matter what. However, all good times must come to an end, as every few months, a child is adopted and sent to live with their new family... never to be heard from again. However, the three oldest siblings have their suspicions about what is actually happening at the orphanage, and they are about to discover the cruel fate that awaits the children living at Grace Field, including the twisted nature of their beloved Mama.

My Rating: 8/10

Toradora (2008-2009)

Ryuuji Takasu is a gentle high school student with a love for housework; but in contrast to his kind nature, he has an intimidating face that often gets him labeled as a delinquent. On the other hand is Taiga Aisaka, a small, doll-like student, who is anything but a cute and fragile girl. Equipped with a wooden katana and feisty personality, Taiga is known throughout the school as the "Palmtop Tiger." One day, an embarrassing mistake causes the two students to cross paths. Ryuuji discovers that Taiga actually has a sweet side: she has a crush on the popular vice president, Yuusaku Kitamura, who happens to be his best friend. But things only get crazier when Ryuuji reveals that he has a crush on Minori Kushieda—Taiga's best friend! Toradora! is a romantic comedy that follows this odd duo as they embark on a quest to help each other with their respective crushes, forming an unlikely alliance in the process.

My Rating: 9/10

Hypnosis Microphone: Division Rap Battle - Rhyme Anima (2020)

In a world overtaken by war and conflict, "Hypnosis Microphones"—devices through which a user channels lyrics that can affect the listener's brain and even cause physical damage—were introduced to the masses by the Party of Words. Revolutionizing warfare, Hypnosis Mics have transformed words and music into the sole weapons used by gangsters, terrorists, and the military, with physical weapons having been banned from use. As a result of swooping in during the chaos, the all-female Party of Words rules over the Japanese government. Women in Japan now live in Chuuouku, while men battle over surrounding territories outside the ward through rap battles. With intentions unknown, the Party of Words begins to gather the former members of the now-disbanded legendary rap crew The Dirty Dawg to fight not for territory or war, but for their respective crew's pride and honor in the greatest rap battle of all time. The first Division Rap Battle is about to commence, and practice isn't something these rappers are going to need.

My Rating: 6/10

Kamisama Kiss (2012)

High schooler Nanami Momozono has quite a few problems of late, beginning with her absentee father being in such extreme debt that they lose everything. Downtrodden and homeless, she runs into a man being harassed by a dog. After helping him, she explains her situation, and to her surprise, he offers her his home in gratitude. But when she discovers that said home is a rundown shrine, she tries to leave; however, she is caught by two shrine spirits and a fox familiar named Tomoe. They mistake her for the man Nanami rescued—the land god of the shrine, Mikage. Realizing that Mikage must have sent her there as a replacement god, Tomoe leaves abruptly, refusing to serve a human. Rather than going back to being homeless, Nanami immerses herself in her divine duties. But if she must keep things running smoothly, she will need the help of a certain hot-headed fox. In her fumbling attempt to seek out Tomoe, she lands in trouble and ends up sealing a contract with him. Now the two must traverse the path of godhood together as god and familiar; but it will not be easy, for new threats arise in the form of a youkai who wants to devour the girl, a snake that wants to marry her, and Nanami's own unexpected feelings for her new familiar.

My Rating: 7/10

My Roommate is a Cat (2019)

Subaru Mikazuki is a 23-year-old mystery novel author, major introvert, and an awkwardly shy person. He would much rather stay home to read a book than go outside and interact with others. Further exacerbating this life of solitude, his parents tragically died in an accident many years ago, leaving him alone in the world. One day, while giving offerings at his parents' grave, Subaru runs into a small black and white cat named Haru, which he ends up taking home with him. Subaru, however, has never taken care of anyone else in his life—can he even take care of a cat? Haru is grateful toward Subaru, as he gives her all the food she wants—a luxury for a cat who is used to a rough life on the streets. But she notices that Subaru can't even seem to take care of himself! Will she be okay with this dunce?

My Rating: 7/10

#anime #anime recommendation #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #death parade #noragami #yona of the dawn #akatsuki no yona #haikyuu!! #the devil is a part timer #hataraku maou-sama! #the promised neverland #toradora #kamisama hajimemashita #kamisama kiss #my roommate is a cat #hypmic #hypnosis microphone

[richincolor]

We've hit the jackpot this week with new releases. There are so many to choose from. Which ones are you looking forward to?

The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2) by Roshani Chokshi Wednesday Books

They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.

Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost ― one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumoured to grant its possessor the power of God.

Their hunt lures them far from Paris, and into icy heart of Russia where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all.

As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.

A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.  — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Smash It! by Francina Simone Inkyard Press

Olivia “Liv” James is done with letting her insecurities get the best of her. So she does what any self-respecting hot mess of a girl who wants to SMASH junior year does…

After Liv shows up to a Halloween party in khaki shorts–why, God, why?–she decides to set aside her wack AF ways. She makes a list–a F*ck-It list.

1. Be bold–do the thing that scares me. 2. Learn to take a compliment. 3. Stand out instead of back.

She kicks it off by trying out for the school musical, saying yes to a date and making new friends. Life is great when you stop punking yourself! However, with change comes a lot of missteps, and being bold means following her heart. So what happens when Liv’s heart is interested in three different guys–and two of them are her best friends? What is she supposed to do when she gets dumped by a guy she’s not even dating? How does one Smash It! after the humiliation of being friend-zoned?

In Liv’s own words, “F*ck it. What’s the worst that can happen?” A lot, apparently. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker Imprint

In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out–and going out for their first kill–and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.

Welcome to the evolution of the vampire–and a revolution on the page. Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida C rdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds Katherine Tegen Books

What if you could bring your best friend back to life–but only for a short time?

Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know that he died, and that he’s about to die . . . again. He doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save him. And that the reason they haven’t been friends for two years is because Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents.

But what if Jamal could have a second chance? A new technology allows Q to be reanimated for a few weeks before he dies . . . permanently. And Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin this miracle by telling Q about his impending death. So how can Jamal fix everything if he can’t tell Q the truth?

Early Departures weaves together loss, grief, friendship, and love to form a wholly unique homage to the bonds that bring people together for life–and beyond. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh Dutton Books for Young Readers

“Ada” means first daughter, means oldest girl, means pressure. “Ada” means you are expected to do a lot of things because the honor of this family rests on your back.

When Ada leaves home for her freshman year at a Historically Black College, it’s the first time she’s ever been so far from her family—and the first time that she’s been able to make her own choices and to seek her place in this new world. As she stumbles deeper into the world of dance and explores her sexuality, she also begins to wrestle with her past—her mother’s struggle with addiction, her Nigerian father’s attempts to make a home for her. Ultimately, Ada discovers she needs to brush off the destiny others have chosen for her and claim full ownership of her body and her future.

Every Body Looking is a luminous and inspiring novel in verse about bearing the weight of others’ expectations and finding the courage to shape a life of one’s own. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi Viking Books for Young Readers

Eighteen-year-old Amir Azadi always knew coming out to his Muslim family would be messy–he just didn’t think it would end in an airport interrogation room. But when faced with a failed relationship, bullies, and blackmail, running away to Rome is his only option. Right?

Soon, late nights with new friends and dates in the Sistine Chapel start to feel like second nature… until his old life comes knocking on his door. Now, Amir has to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth to a US Customs officer, or risk losing his hard-won freedom.

At turns uplifting and devastating, How It All Blew Up is Arvin Ahmadi’s most powerful novel yet, a celebration of how life’s most painful moments can live alongside the riotous, life-changing joys of discovering who you are. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

White Fox by Sara Faring Imprint

After their world-famous actor mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Manon and Thaïs left their remote Mediterranean island home–sent away by their pharma-tech tycoon father. Opposites in every way, the sisters drifted apart in their grief. Yet their mother’s unfinished story still haunts them both, and they can’t put to rest the possibility that she is still alive.

Lured home a decade later, Manon and Thaïs discover their mother’s legendary last work, long thought lost: White Fox, a screenplay filled with enigmatic metaphors. The clues in this dark fairytale draw them deep into the island’s surreal society, into the twisted secrets hidden by their glittering family, to reveal the truth about their mother–and themselves. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore Harperteen

There hasn’t been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla in all its history.

But that’s not the only reason Lita wants to enter the contest, or her ex-best friend Chicky wants to help her. The road to becoming Miss Meteor isn’t about being perfect; it’s about sharing who you are with the world–and loving the parts of yourself no one else understands.

So to pull off the unlikeliest underdog story in pageant history, Lita and Chicky are going to have to forget the past and imagine a future where girls like them are more than enough–they are everything. — Cover image and summary via Bookshop.org

When They Call You a Terrorist (Young Adult Edition): A Story of Black Lives Matter and the Power to Change the World by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha bendele Wednesday Books

A movement that started with a hashtag–#BlackLivesMatter–on Twitter spread across the nation and then across the world.

From one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement comes a poetic memoir and reflection on humanity. Necessary and timely, Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ story asks us to remember that protest in the interest of the most vulnerable comes from love. Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement have been called terrorists, a threat to America. But in truth, they are loving women whose life experiences have led them to seek justice for those victimized by the powerful.

In this meaningful, empowering account of survival, strength, and resilience, Cullors and asha bandele seek to change the culture that declares innocent black life expendable. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

#new releases #yalit

[ryuukia]

[Translation] Tsukihana Kagura Cast Presentation: Asahanada (QUELL)

This is probably the last unit I post in person, the rest (VazzRock and infinit0) will be drafted and scheduled for automatic posting while I’ll be suffering through the hell named ‘final exams’. So officially, I’ll be going in hiatus for somewhere between 2-4 weeks (the first two weeks will be for the actual exams, the third will be free, the 4th for make-up exams if any). 

After I’m done with tsukihana kagura, prepare to see SolidS CDs on your timelines. Anyway, many thanks to Ryota for helping me proof this.

Please don’t repost/retranslate/reuse my translations. Likes and reblogs are appreciated.

Nation: the affiliated country’s name Flower name: the name as a dancer Dance technique: the name of each person’s characteristic dance Dance props: the name of the tool used while dancing (there are cases when none are used)

Izumi Shu

“From a land that is as pure as water, the origin of Asahanada’s dance is an offering to the Dragon God.”

Nation: Asahanada ※chief

Flower name: Suika (Fire and Water)

Dance technique: Saikau (Spring Rain)

Dance props: Folding Fan / Inscription: [Kiryu] (Dragon’s Prayer)

This young man was born into a family whose members have been priests for generations. His country’s object of worship is a Dragon God whom they’ve been guarding in nature.

On the day he was born, the country was blessed with a sunshower, considered to be good omen, and subsequently a rainbow covered the sky. As everyone was convinced he was ‘the child of the Dragon God’, Shu was raised with great care.

During his journeys throughout the continent, which were part of his training as priest, he met Shiki from ‘Akane’, Takaaki from ‘Kikyo’, and Rei and Roa from ‘Mokuran’ and have been inseparable since then.

His dance is a prayer and a wish. Today, he sings and dances once more with wishes from different people enveloped in the music.

Horimiya Eichi

“Let’s pray and dance for our benign Dragon God! May this peace also continue from now on and forever!”

Nation: Asahanada 

Flower name: Mizuhara (Flowing Water)

Dance technique: Suiten Ippeki (Blue Horizon*)

Dance props: Fox Mask / Inscription: [Shinko] (Dragon Fox)

As his job required him to live in the residence of the priests, coincidentally Shu’s house too, it was discovered by accident that his dance and Shu’s dance have good affinity, and, thus, the two were designated to perform together for the Dragon God since then.

Due to his unconstrained dance’s peculiar qualities, he was allowed to select any noble weapon that appeased him. That’s how he became the master of the fox mask ‘Shinko’.

Since Issei and Ichiru’s appearance in his life, his days became even more lively and fun.

Interview with Izumi Shu (QUELL)

Q. Please tell us about the highlights of this stage play and your impressions or story behind your partnered dance.

We come from a religious nation. Eichi and I discuss what sort of expressions we should make so as to portray a solemn atmosphere without adding too much realism.

Eichi’s always expressive so seeing him make a blank expression and show intensity is something to look forward to. Of course, I know because I dance beside him. … Oh, it seems like I just raised the hurdle higher for him, huh? (laughs) 

Q. In Tsukihana, all 12 nations have their own specialties, but if you could come up with a new specialty for your own country, what would it be?

A super premium sake made out of nothing but rice. We’ll name it ‘Asahanada’.

Q. Lastly, leave a short message for the fans.

Although it doesn’t last for long, there’s a conversation scene in the play part featuring Ren from SOARA, Ayumu from ROCK DOWN and me. Quite the unusual combination if you ask me (laughs). These unusual combinations are one of its charm points. Please look forward to it.

Interview with Horimiya Eichi (QUELL)

Q. Please tell us about the highlights of this stage play and your impressions or story behind your partnered dance.

The choreography dedicated to the Dragon God is not that different from the choreography for the ‘Tsukihana Festival’, so check both of them out, you might find them interesting. While the Dragon God’s dance feels like dancing to the sky, through the ‘Tsukihana Festival’s dance it seems we’re giving praise to the flowers blooming on the ground. May this dance filled with prayers and wishes reach you!

Q. In Tsukihana, all 12 nations have their own specialties, but if you could come up with a new specialty for your own country, what would it be?

All sorts of onigiri

Asahanada is the country of rice!

Q. Lastly, leave a short message for the fans.

The drama part, the action, and then the dancing. There are so many things to do, half of my head feels like it’s about to burst (laughs), and I work in the practice room every day to the point my sweat is running on the skin. I’ll give it my all!

Kuga Issei

“Asahanada’s first flower shall dance now. ”

Nation: Asahanada

Flower name: Miboshi (Water Star*)

Dance technique: Suikou Setten (Moonglade)

Dance props: No props

He’s the oldest of the twins, with his mother being a musician and his father a ‘Flower Dancer’. The two of them have been aiming to become ‘Flower Dancers’ ever since they were little.

He is someone who intends to look for the meaning behind the natural phenomena that occur in Asahanada since it is a nation that is deeply religious and devoted to the Dragon God.

He and his younger brother, Ichiru, have aimed to become Flower Dancers and then they were given the opportunity to join Shu's group. Because of that, he thinks of rainy days as a wonderful blessing that lead to them meeting Shu and Eichi.

Soon after, he intruded on Shu and Eichi's ritual dance after being so fascinated, and was invited to come to Shu's estate.

Kuga Ichiru

“Asahanada’s second flower, ready to dance!”

Nation: Asahanada

Flower name: Mizuru (Water Current*)

Dance technique: Suiten Houfutsu (Dim Horizon*)

Dance props: No props

He’s a young boy whose dream is to become a ‘Flower Dance’ together with his older twin, Issei.

In order to become candidates and be part of Asahanada's ‘Flower Dancers’, he had to pass a highly specialized test first.

However, while praying to get a passing score, he and his brother were caught in a shower.

In this country, it represents a symbol of luck. As a consequence, they moved into Shu's residence for work, and ever since have been practicing there every day.

Issei’s dance is graceful and beautiful. His is vigorous and resolute. When the two of them dance, the view is nothing but breathtaking.

Interview with Kuga Issei (QUELL)

Q. Please tell us about the highlights of this stage play and your impressions or story behind your partnered dance.

When the two of us are dancing, we can see Shu and Eichi giving us these looong looks in the mirror and they’re close to bursting out laughing. Seriously, we’re not children anymore.

Instead, we want everyone to look back on our triumphs as we enjoy ourselves in rehearsals, too.

Q. In Tsukihana, all 12 nations have their own specialties, but if you could come up with a new specialty for your own country, what would it be?

Rice crackers, Japanese sake.

Q. Lastly, leave a short message for the fans.

‘Tsukihana Kagura’, the story of the twelve countries. Have you already listened to our theme song? I try to listen to one song every day before going to sleep. I guess I want everyone to hurry and meet the people in this story, too? We'll be in your care.

Interview with Kuga Ichiru (QUELL)

Q. Please tell us about the highlights of this stage play and your impressions or story behind your partnered dance.

The performance is getting closer! "I'll study!" I say, but I really do learn while watching the others dance! 

There are people who are good at doing turns, people who are good at using their props, and all that.

I've been talking with Issei about how much we've been learning, too. It's good that we get to see people who we rarely interact with dance on top of a joint stage. Shun from Procella and his dancing, for example! It was really pretty! I wanna see him dance more~

Q. In Tsukihana, all 12 nations have their own specialties, but if you could come up with a new specialty for your own country, what would it be?

A ramen dish with local flavours

Q. Lastly, leave a short message for the fans.

There are as many units as there are countries, but our nation is No.1! …… As you can tell, we’re training very hard! There’s just a little left until the performance! I’m looking forward to meeting everyone!

T/N: (this one really needs some explanations)

Eichi’s dance technique is titled “水天一碧 (Suiten Ippeki)”. Suiten means ‘water and sky’ and Ippeki is... hard to explain, you could call it ‘the farthest place your eyes can distinguish, and it’s blue all over’. Ryota and me tried to keep all these names short (max 3 words). So we shortened ‘ippeki’ to ‘blue horizon’, but keep in mind it’s a sea horizon because of the ‘suiten’ part.

Issei’s flower name is “水星 (Miboshi)”. While the kanji can also mean ‘Mercury’ (the planet), we decided to go for a literal translation (’Water Star’) because tsukipro decided, for some reason, to reference Issei’s name a bit (壱星/Issei, with 壱=one and 星=star) //you can see ‘star’ in both names

Same goes for Ichiru’s flower name, “水流 (Mizuru)”. The word does indeed mean ‘water current’, but they’re again hinting towards the kanji used in Ichiru’s name, 壱=one and 流=current

Ichiru’s dance technique is titled “水天彷彿 (Suiten Houfutsu)“. Suiten means ‘water and sky’ and Houfutsu is ‘shade’ or ‘dim’. We combined them and got ‘dim horizon’ (again, keep in mind this is a sea horizon)

I didn’t mark that in the post, but Issei’s dance technique also gave us a bit of a headache. “水光接天 (Suikou Setten)“. Suikou means ‘water and light’, meanwhile Setsu means ‘touch/contact’ and Ten is ‘sky/heaven’. According to dictionaries, the entire thing means ‘The reflection of the moonlight, which shines on a river surface and spreads until the sky’. [Here’s a picture]. Anyway, apparently English calls that verbosity ‘moonglade’. We learn new words with tsukipro.... and apparently Chinese too.

If you like my work and you want to support me, you can now buy me a coffee by clicking right [here]. I also started taking commissions, more details are right [here]. Thank you~

#tsukihana kagura #tsukipro #quell #english translation #pamphlet translation #agf 2019 #izumi shu #horimiya eichi #kuga issei #kuga ichiru #for the record quell got a pretty theme song in thkg #my favourites are 1. procella 2. quell 3. gravi

[shutupandshipit]

Magic in the Blood - Ch.3

Summary: “You used magic on me,” Neil said, mildly accusing. He opened his eyes, staring into the glowing honey gold of Andrew’s eyes.

“Don’t I always?”

Instead of answering, Neil asked, “Yes or no?” because his hands were aching to run along Andrew’s skin, up his toned thighs, to tug him down over him. …..

Or where everything is the same, but magic exists. The school year is over, there’s no more practices until mid-summer and for the first time, Neil can spend his time the way he wants. Without suppressants muddling his system and Andrew sober, they’ve got magical and logistical issues to work through.

And then there’s the new Foxes when they show which is a whole other magical nightmare of itself.

Pairing: Andreil

Rating: T

Previous <- Chapter 2

Chapter 4 -> Next

Chapter 3: Taconic State Park, New York Part 1

Neil:

“Where are we going?” Andrew asked, reaching for the radio and adjusting the volume so Neil wouldn't have to shout over the music.

Neil and Andrew hadn't made any plans before they'd left Fox Tower that afternoon, leaving Kevin, Nicky and Aaron to their empty rooms waiting to be picked up by Abby. The Upperclassmen had been smart enough to book it out of the dorms as soon as they had the chance, and they'd followed their leads. They left without saying anything to the others, simply throwing their belongings into the Maserati and leaving. They didn't need to be back for another two weeks when Aaron's trial started, and Andrew's protection was no longer needed with Riko dead.

Even now, hours later, Neil's phone was still vibrating insistently with Nicky's texts. 'Where did you guys go?' 'Where are you going?' 'You can't ignore me forever'. 'Whatever. Have fun, nerds <3'. 'Don't do anything I wouldn't do :P'.

Reaching into the door side pocket, he finally turned off his phone. He'd talk to Nicky later. Maybe.

“We're going camping,” Neil said simply, rummaging through the glove compartment for the map of the East Coast and brochure he'd picked up. He'd made the decision when they'd stopped just after the house in Columbia, talking to the woman at the register and then Matt about places in New York. He turned the brochure towards Andrew.

Andrew glanced at the picture and quickly away, changing lanes before looking back. “Where is that and why there?”

“New York. Matt's mom wanted to meet us, so this is going to be two birds with one stone.” He shoved the map and brochure back in the glove compartment. “Don't make that face. Matt all but begged me. This will be a road trip. The place is called Taconic State Park. It looks cool, and there's not going to be a lot of people there so we'll be able to let our magic do what it needs to. Also, it says there's a waterfall. Matt pretty much made it a requirement for us to go.”

“And when did you start listening to what Matt says?” Andrew asked, schooling his face from the mild look of disgust back to his usual blankness. “You don't know how to lay low, do you? This is exactly how you got caught last time.”

“I got caught because some murderous psychopath outed me,” Neil corrected, rolling his eyes.

Andrew cut him a sidelong look. “No, you got caught because you decided to mouth off to a murderous psychopath and make him look incompetent multiple times who then decided to out you.”

“I would never,” he said, mock seriously.

“I have video evidence.”

“Lies.”

Banter with Andrew was easy, the easiest part about being with Andrew if he were to be honest. Unlike when they were intimate and they're magics intertwined as if fighting, they tangled and settled between them in a comfortable jumble instead. When they bantered, they didn't need to worry about how their magic was interacting, if their magical union would become toxic or burn out in their emotions or knock out a cell tower.

“I wouldn't lie to you.” There was a lilt of mirth to Andrew's voice, but underneath, there was also the tang of seriousness.

Sobering, Neil smiled over at him and held out his hand. “I know that.”

Glancing over, Andrew took Neil's hand without comment, threading their fingers together as lightning sparked between their palms.

Neil was unreasonably happy as he tried to school his expression. “We're going to have to stop for water and food.”

“Oh, so you weren't planning on hunting and scavenging for food? What's the point of camping then? Do you have any of this planned out at all?”

“Some of it that I've figured out since the gas station.” Neil shrugged. “Mostly, I'm hoping for us to get lost and dies out in the woods. It'd make what's left of my father's syndicate happy.”

“They'll have to try harder than that if they think I'll let you die by accident.”

Andrew:

Before knowing where they were going anywhere in particular, the first stop the pair had made had been at the house in Columbia. Perhaps due to some feral instinct, Neil had spent the time collecting blankets and other useful items for life on the run, shoving them into the trunk without much thought.

Andrew left him to his hording, disappearing into the how to collect the few pre-made sachets he had and jars of honey and animal blood he had in his closet. He'd shoved them into a small bag he had, packing sweaters and shirts around the fragile glass. They'd met back down at the car, climbing in without discussion.

They stopped again nearly eight hours later at a twenty-four hour all sale store and bought a small tent, sleeping bags, chairs and enough non-perishables and water to last them several days. When they climbed back into the car, Neil behind the wheel, it was nearly midnight.

They'd been up for more than eighteen hours, and they sat in exhausted silence for several long moments. The want to finally get to where they were going and the need for sleep hung unspoken between them.

“I'm tired,” Neil finally admitted, “And even if we get there, I don't think the registration office will be open.”

Andrew hummed, but didn't say anything, his eyes itchy with fatigue. While the silent need to finish the drive sat heavy in his chest, he also knew there was no need to continue on. They were on summer break. There was no reason to rush anywhere.

Of course, there were spells they could cast to combat exhaustion and caffeine just a drive-thru away, but neither of them had the energy or ingredients for a spell, and caffeine did strange things to their magic when they were so tired. Caffeine made their magic unreliable and uncooperative, made it more like to explode at inopportune times.

“Hotel,” Andrew decided.

“Thank god,” Neil whispered.

They found a cheap motel ten minutes up the road, and fell into the queen sized bed as soon as the door was locked and bolted behind them. Neil toed off his shoes while face down in a pillow, groaning all the while, before curling into the smallest ball possible against Andrew's back. He pressed his forehead to the space between Andrew's shoulder blades and fell asleep. Within a moment, his breath had evened out and his magic filtered through the air.

Andrew lay there for longer, listening to Neil's breathing. Rain began to patter softly against the roof. His magic reacted to Neil's sleep accordingly, snaking out gently from his body to wrap protectively around Neil and cocooning them in a bubble of protection. The sachet in his pocket warmed, adding strength to the walls he so easily built.

He slipped into sleep with the warmth of his own magic and the sounds of Neil and his rain surrounding him.

…..

Andrew woke in the early morning to Neil rolling away from him and pushing into the bathroom. He turned onto his back to stare at the ceiling and listen to Neil puke his guts out. The shower roared to life before Andrew followed him into the bathroom.

“You can come in,” Neil said as the door opened, “I didn't mean to wake you up.”

Closing and locking the door behind him, Andrew pulled off his clothes one piece at a time. He hesitated with his briefs before slipping them off. Normally, he wouldn't get naked even with Neil, but it was early in the morning and he could feel the lag in Neil's magic. He was craving skin to skin contact, and he had to wonder if Nicky was behind that. It wouldn't be the first time he'd cast on Andrew, on accident and just to see if it would work if he did, but it would be the first time Andrew hadn't felt the spell hit.

“Magic in the area?” he asked even though he knew that wasn't the answer, stepping under the spray where Neil stood with his head bowed.

Neil's breath came quickly, and he swallowed harshly. His voice was thick as if he were trying not to vomit again as he said, “Someone tried to cast on me. Tasted like tracking. God, I feel nauseous.”

Andrew's protection magic had at least done its job, but he thought they'd managed this part of someone casting on Neil. His spells must have been fading. “Yes or no?” he asked, sliding his fingers together to prep his magic.

“I don't want you to take this. It feels... wrong. Different than usual.”

Andrew stood a hair's breadth away, waiting as Neil leaned forward with a hand on the wall and wretched. “They're probably using someone stronger or a different spell.”

Bile splattered against the tub floor. Neil nearly whined as he said, “They're trying again. Where did they get so much of my hair?”

“Probably Fox Tower. Or the court. They might be using your blood.”

He heaved again. “Fuck 'em.”

“Neil-”

“Yes. It's a yes.”

Andrew pressed his parted lips to the back of Neil's bowed neck, licking at the knob at the top of his spin and biting down. Acrid smoke filled his mouth as he inhaled Neil's tainted magic, and exhaled clean magic back into him. Without the help of his conduits and herbs, the process took longer than normal, hurt more, tasted worse. While he worked, he drew invisible sigils across Neil's back, pressing them into his skin with just the warmth of his palm before moving on.

When he finally pulled back, a bruise was forming on the back of Neil's neck in the arc of his teeth and the vaguest impressions of his sigils lightened Neil's skin. “This is temporary. I need to refresh your spells.” His mouth tasted like ash, and he spit at the floor several times.

Neil turned to face him, looking tired and rung out. His magic barely flickered in the air around him, grey and dull. “I can take care of myself. You don't-”

“I'm going to anyway,” Andrew cut in before he could finish his sentence. The last time he'd fully revoked his protective spells on Neil, he'd gotten kidnapped almost immediately by his father's people and come back looking like someone had used him as an ashtray. He wasn't about to let that happen again.

“I'd kiss you if I hadn't just puked.”

“Brush your teeth while I get my bag, and we'll talk about it.” Andrew shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist and heading to get his bag.

Neil followed more slowly after him, towels wrapped tightly around his waist and shoulders, to rummage through his bag. He stood at the sink, scrubbing roughly at his teeth and tongue.

Andrew watched him closely from the bathroom as he sat on the edge of the bath and set out his supplies. He pulled out the small mortar and pestle that Nicky had jokingly gifted him after learning who his deities were, but he used it more than he liked to admit. He used it quite often actually.

Small, but heavy, the set was carved from black stone intermixed with glaringly white fossils. The inside was stained rust brown from constant use, and he only considered it for a moment before tapping in dried mint, rosemary, sunflower and salt. Over the herbs, he poured a small splatter of the blood that had been enchanted to remain fresh before grinding it all together into a fine paste.

He'd been told over and over throughout the years that he practiced his magic wrong, but the first thing he'd learned once Higgins had found him was that his magic was highly subject to his own thoughts and whims. For him, it helped to include as object that was close to him and something that reminded him of the subject of his magic.

When Higgins still mattered -because he had at one point no matter how Andrew felt about him now- he'd taught Andrew that magic was personal, that there was no right or wrong way to do it. Where Exy was structure and rigid, witchcraft was loose and up for interpretation. Due to his lack of control though, Higgins had suggest a deity to follow, Apollo to be exact.

Andrew had scoffed. What use would he have had for a god that wasn't there to help anyway? What use did he have for magic that didn't work anyway? The only person he could rely on was himself, and he wasn't going to put his time and energy towards an absent god.

Only once he was in Juvie and had met Aaron with all his bruises and down turned eyes that he considered the possibility. Deities, whether that be God from a magicless religion or a God(dess) from a pagan religion, were supposed to focus the worshiper's magic and make it easier to manipulate into the needed shape. A deity wasn't a requirement for practicing, but Andrew had needed to focus if he was going to help his brother.

Andrew studied under Apollo for months before realizing he was in dire need of feminine energy in his craft.

Sekhmet found him sitting on the curb outside a convenience store in the form of a black cat with piecing golden eyes and an emerald collar. The cat had rubbed her head along his arm and back before taking a seat next to him. She's dropped a piece of paper in his lap, looking please. The paper had been from a textbook, an image of Sekhmet staring up at him.

Mistress of Dread.

Lady of Slaughter.

He'd looked over at the cat, scratching behind her ear. “Thanks.”

With a blink, she'd gotten up and disappeared over the hood of a car.

“Andrew?”

Blinking back to himself, Andrew scooted over and said, “Sit. Back to me.”

Neil sat as he was instructed, dropping the top towel and shivering as the cool air pressed against his skin. Overhead, there was the weak patter of rain beginning again, softer than earlier that night.

“Sit still,” Andrew warned before dipping his fingers into the blood mixture. He retraced the sigils he'd already written. Track blocker. Hex dispeller. Barrier. The blood glowed gently after her pressed each sigil into Neil's skin.

Neil trembled. “You're warm.”

“Good. Turn. Now the front.” Andrew placed a general protection sigil in each of Neil's four corners to ask the elements for their protection, and over his heart, he drew his oldest sigil. The first sigil he'd written that worked.

When he pressed his hand over the blood, electricity jumped between their skin. Neil gasped quietly. “What was that one?”

“Just something extra.” He was still mildly skeptical about the gods, but he'd silently talked to Apollo and Sekhmet while he'd been drawing. The burst of energy between their bodies told Andrew that someone had heard.

Andrew ran his fingers down the bridge of Neil's nose, smirking as he scrunched it up. When he prompted Neil, he dipped his clean fingers in the blood mixture to do the same to Andrew.

Standing, Andrew said simply, “Shower.”

Neil climbed into the shower, and Andrew followed behind him, leaving his tools to clean up later. He dragged Neil into a kiss as the water burst back to life.

Neil:

The shower lasted longer than either of them probably meant it to, turning from washing the blood from their skin to moans and gasps, hands in hair and lips on necks. The water ran cold before they clambered back out, Neil feeling like himself again and Andrew's magic jumping from his skin in energetic spurts compared to the person. It was nearly eight when they check out of their room.

“Off to the campsite then?” Neil asked, sliding into the driver's seat and turning over the engine in one easy motion. He grabbed the map from the glove compartment as Andrew smoked outside the car door, but instead of opening it, he licked his thumb and pressed it to the front where his fingerprint remained and glowed. “At least we won't get lost now.”

“You'll find a way,” Andrew hummed, stubbing out his cigarette and sliding into the passenger seat. “Do you still feel the spell?”

Neil shook his head, twisting around in his seat to back out of the spot. “No. All I can feel is this sigil.” Turning forward, he pressed his fingers over his heart.

He didn't see Andrew look over at him, but he smiled when he growled, “Stop making that face.”

“I'm not making a face.”

“You are, and I hate it.”

Neil pursed his lips. “You know, every time you say you hate something about me, it makes me think that you actually like it.”

“Bold faced lie.”

“You said you wouldn't lie to me.”

Andrew shrugged. “I wasn't the one who said it.”

Neil hummed along with the frequency of his own magic. “Do you want coffee before we leave town?”

“I want a chocolate croissant and java chip frappuccino,” Andrew said.

“You had those yesterday.”

“And?”

Neil started laughing.

#all for the game #the foxhole court #aftg #andrew minyard #neil josten #Andreil #my writing #magic user au #witch au #my idiots holding each other up

[moonlightkitkat]

May I Have this Dance?

Chapter 1: Eve

Prince Ali’s arrival in Paris had been a surprise to no one. The tabloids had been talking nonstop about it, as had Lila and Chloe.

Even before the Prince’s visit was made public, Chloe was bragging about how he was coming back to stay in her daddy’s hotel, and how he was so excited to see her again. As soon as that bit of knowledge had been revealed, Lila had snatched onto it, suddenly going on and on about how they’d been writing letters back and forth to each other.

“He even confessed to me and asked me to be his princess, only i had to turn him down of course. It isn't right for a Prince to date someone so far from nobility as I.” Lila had gossiped to their classmates. She even sniffled as she spoke, as if it had been a sacrifice to turn him down, and was quickly comforted by Mylene.

“I’m the one who recommended the school to him, and he was all too eager to agree! He told me he couldn't wait to see me again! I do hope that he isn't too hung up over me… I don't want to break his heart again..” Her shoulders slumped at this, and she let out a sorrowful sigh. “I only hope that we can have some time together, but I understand if he’s busy.”

Glancing over her shoulder at Lila in the back, she wasn't surprised at all to hear everyone listening to her tale of woe. What did surprise her however, was that Rose wasn’t among her. Both were seated at their own table, not listening to her at all.

“You’d think Rose would be more excited,” Alya whispered to her, making her jump and quickly turned around to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

“You remember how she was when he first visited right? Girl was head over heels for him! Think her crush on him went away?”

Humming in thought, she looked back at the blonde, giggling to Juleka about something they were watching on her phone. Shrugging, she turned to Alya, offering a small smile. “I dunno, maybe? Or maybe she’s more interested in her girlfriend?” She teased, making Alya blush and quickly drop the subject.

Chuckling, she leaned forward on the desk, wondering where Adrien was. It wasn’t like him to miss class, was he sick?

Class went by slowly, each second filled with thoughts of Adrien, slowly growing worse and worse. Did his father take him out of the school? Was he dying? Was he sick? Did his driver gets in a car accident and he couldn't make it to school from fright? Did he find a lonely hamster and insist on taking it home and taking care of it? Naming it Cedric and feeding it the stinky cheese she always smelled?

Yeah, it was probably that, she chuckled to herself, picking up her bag and heading home. In light of their new student’s arrival, the class had been assigned a paper on the Kingdom of Achu. To her delight, Rose and Juleka were more than eager to join her after school, Rose full of knowledge of the kingdom and eager to share.

“Do you think we could get some cookies?” Rose asked excitedly, bouncing on the way to the bakery.

“Sure! I’m sure Papa wouldn't mind us taking a plate up. Anything you want Juleka?”

Shaking her head, the taller girl offered her a shy smile, opening the door for them. “Do you… have any tea cookies?”

“Tea cookies?” Sabine popped her head out from behind the counter, her eyes sparkling. “We just made some! Go ask Tom for some, I’m sure he won't mind fixing your kids some!”

Juleka’s smile warmed at that, and she followed Rose and Marinette into the kitchen, where they were welcomed with a warm smile. He nearly bearhugged them before Marinette reminded him that he was covered in flour. Once they received their bowl of assorted cookies, they headed upstairs, getting settled to work on their assignments.

“What are you planning on writing about Rose?” She asked curiously before biting into a chocolate chip cookie.

Rose’s eyes lit up at the question, and she quickly swallowed her bite, her hands flailing as she waited. “I’m going to write about the Royal palace! Prince Ali told me all about these secret passages in there! He always sneaks through them when he wants to get away from meetings or from his tutors and guards. Apparently, they were made by the Crown Princess over two hundred years ago! She wanted a way to get around without anyone knowing, and had completely shut down the palace for several months! Nobody saw her for the entire time, she even cast out the servants during that time! She wanted it to be hers and hers alone,but the children in the castle were able to discover it since they had so much free time!”

Her face was red and she was completely out of breath, panting softly. “Sorry.. Was that too much?”

Both Marinette and Juleka shook their heads, their eyes wide and lit up with interest. “No no not at all! It was incredible! Do you think I could read it after you finish it?” Rose’s smile lit up with excitement, and she happily nodded.

“Of course! I’d love if you read it!” Looking over at Juleka, she smiled up at her from the ground, Juleka sitting on her Chaise. “What are you gonna write about Juleka?”

Blushing at the sudden attention, she looked down shyly at her paper. “Well, um.. I was thinking about wiring about..” She hesitated for a moment, and the two girls waited patiently for her. After a few seconds, she wrote something down and held it up for them to see. “The Myths of Achu.”

Rose gasped in excitement, sitting up and pulling her leg a little. “Which one? Which one are you gonna do?”

“Vulpecula.”

“Vulpecula?” Marinette asked curiously.

Nodding her head, Juleka looked down at Rose. “You want to tell it?”

As excited as she looked, she shook her head. “No it's okay, it’s your story.”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, a small smile forming on her face. Sitting up, she shifted so she was more comfortable.

“Well.. Once upon a time, there was a bird. It’s wings were covered in stars, it’s eyes silver as the moon. It flew across the sky, blocking out the sun and granting night to the humans on the earth below. During the day it rested in a cave in the mountains, resting from it’s nights journey. Every night for a thousand years it flew, it’s wings spread throughout the sky.

“One night, a fox suck into it’s cave as it slept, it’s paws stepping quietly as it approached the sleeping bird. It had watched the bird every night, captivated by it’s starlight wings. It wanted one of its feathers for itself, believing that it would be able to receive its powers. Several feathers were discarded on the cave’s floor, but it wanted a fresh one. Ignoring them, it crept forward, plucking a feather from its wings. It's a relief, it did not awaken, and it quickly left the cave. Unbeknownst to the fox, the farther it ran, the quicker its paws left the ground, running into the sky. The feather began to melt into its fur, turning it as dark as midnight, several stars filling its fur. Savoring it’s freedom, it ran higher and higher into the sky. Unlike the bird however, it didn't know how to fly back down.

“When the bird finally made its rounds across the sky, it was startled to see a new constellation. The fox didn't have the magic the bird did, and had become a constellation, trapped forever in the sky. It’s said that every constellation in the sky is born by someone who was greedy enough to steal the night bird’s feathers. Always forgiving, the Bird named every one. It named the fox Vulpecula, and now it watches from the sky for all eternity,”

“Wow Juleka, I didn't know you were so interested in myths!” Marinette said in awe after she finished her tale.

“Luka was obsessed with myths and fairy tales a few years ago, I loved to listen to them,” she explained, a fond smile on her lips.

“Really? I thought he was into music.”

Chuckling, she leaned back against the chaise, eating a tea cookie. “And you were into beading when we were in elementary.”

Oh god,shed been obsessed with beading. She’d braided her hair in so many braids, covering them in colorful beads. Making jewelry of beads, adding beads to her clothes, so many beads.. “Lets not remember that,” se muttered, blushing warmly.

Chuckling,Rose looked over at Marinette, who was sitting at her desk. “So what are you writing about Marinette?”

“Me? Well…”

Humming as she flipped through the tabs she’d saved on her computer, she clicked on a page, gesturing for the girls to come over and look. “I really liked the Era of fashion under Queen Elra's rule. She loved fashions, and wanted to make it affordable for every person so that no one would have to live in rags. She changed women's clothing there, making their clothes more practical. The skirts stopped around the ankles, and she helped design boots to protect their feet as they walked and worked. She really changed how the fashion industry worked, putting affordability and functionality first. She even helped her seamstresses in making her own gowns, since at the time it was believed a woman didn't have a place in politics. She didn't let that stop her from making a change though, and the Kingdom of Achu has been known for its well priced fashions.”

“If only France had learned from her too,” Juleka huffed, causing Rose to giggle.

“It sounds wonderful Marinette! Well, at least we all know what we're going to do!”

They spent the rest of the Lunch period working on their projects. Marinette considered saving the work to her tablet, but decided against it, saving it to her Laptop. “Hey Rose? Juleka?” She asked after thinking for a minute. Once she had both girl’s attention, she took a deep breath and asked “do you think we could keep this a secret? My project I mean?” After a moment of confused silence, she hastily added “I just.. After what happened with Lila last month.. I’m kind of scared of her learning about what my projects about and her trying to copy it or something…”

Guilt pricked at her, nervous that her friends wouldn't understand and think shes being over dramatic. When she finally met the eyes of the couple, she was met with understanding smiles.

“We get it Marinette, your secret’s safe with us,” Juleka promised.

“We won’t tell Lila, or anyone else in the class. It’ll be our secret!” Rose winked, skipping over to her and pulling her into a hug, which Marinette practically melted into.

“Thanks you two, I can't tell you how much that means to hear.” Letting go of her, Rose went back to Juleka, picking up her backpack and intertwining their fingers together.

“Well I’m glad we could help! Now let's hurry! I don't want to be late for Mme. Mendeleiev’s class!” With that, her and Juleka raced down her trapdoor, giggling as Marinette scrambled to grab her things and run after them.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #marinette #miraculous fanfic #adrien agreste #Rose #juleka

[mobius-prime]

152. Sonic the Hedgehog #86

Oh god. That cover, though. What the heck is with that terrifying sharp-toothed robot smile? How does a robot even do that? *shudder*

Heart of the Hedgehog (Part 1): Evil's Return

Writer: Danny Fingeroth Pencils: Sam Maxwell Colors: Frank Gagliardo

While Sonic and Tails are on their local reconnaissance, Sonic decides to make it more fun for Tails by continuing his intermittent training of the young fox in matters of speed. Tails does his best to keep up, but when a gust of wind knocks him off course Sonic has to rush over to catch him before he falls out of the air, which puts a damper on his ego.

Hmm, we certainly haven't heard any mention of Sonic's little roboticization accident from StH#39 in a long time. I wonder if its sudden inclusion here as a random example of hardship ties in, in any way, to the plot of this issue? Naaahhh, I'm sure it's a total coincidence! Tails heads out to find some firewood while Sonic gets the fire going, but minutes stretch into an hour, and still there's no sign of him.

Sonic, getting worried, goes against everything Smokey Bear taught him about campfire safety and just leaves the fire going while he rushes away to find his friend. He runs all over, calling Tails' name to no avail, until a very different voice finally responds to his calls - with a plasma blast.

Well now, other-robotic-version-of-Sonic, we haven't seen you in a long time - since aaaall the way back in the Knuckles Chaotix special, in fact! Sonic remembers his robotic double's apparent defeat at the mitts of Knuckles back then, but Metal Sonic arrogantly recounts how as a robot he was able to rebuild himself so he could come back for revenge. That's right, he was the saboteur of the Freedom Fighters' aircraft, and interestingly enough, he hasn't been sent by Eggman, who presumably doesn't even know he's here. Instead, he's purely in it for vengeance against his organic counterpart, having kidnapped Tails to get back at Sonic and planning to go after Knuckles as well once Sonic is dead. Sonic is enraged that Metal Sonic would dare to touch his friend, and tries to attack him while demanding to know where Tails is being kept, but Metal Sonic easily dodges every blow Sonic tries to land while landing some of his own with ease. He's both faster and stronger than Sonic, and basically just toys with him by doing things like wrapping him in a wire shot from his wrist and flinging him around to tire him out. Once Sonic is good and exhausted, Metal Sonic finally grows tired of the game, deciding to actually explain his plan while Sonic realizes just why he's so powerful.

In case you don't remember, Metal Sonic (back when he was still misnamed as Mecha Sonic) merged with the power gem during the Knuckles Chaotix special, and apparently it's helped him come back and become even stronger than before since then. Metal Sonic explains that he plans to give Sonic a fair chance to save Tails by letting him free, telling him that he's currently being kept at the top of the nearby Mt. Mobius, an active volcano which is due to erupt any minute now. Even more worryingly, Metal Sonic is able to make it there and back in an easy five minutes, with a now truly worried Sonic estimating it would take him closer to half an hour to get there on his own two feet. Still, he refuses to give up, racing off as soon as Metal Sonic lets him free to save his friend, with Metal Sonic ominously promising to make things harder on him as he tries to reach Tails in time. How will he make things harder, exactly?

…well, I guess it is indeed harder to save a captive friend when you're unconscious on the ground! Metal Sonic, leaving the woozy Sonic behind for now, flies back to the mouth of the volcano, where Tails, strapped by his wrists to the rock just above a lava pit, insists Sonic will come to save him even as Metal Sonic laughs at his unfaltering confidence…

Against the Haunted Past (Part 1)

Writer/Pencils: Frank Strom Colors: Frank Gagliardo

All right, who's ready for another installment in the life of everyone's favorite character, Monkey Khan? Just in case no one's picked up on it yet, every time Frank Strom gets to be in charge of plot we jump right back to The Many Adventures of Monkey Khan - I guess since he created the character he's quite attached to him, after all. We jump back to ten years ago (well, the text says ten years ago, but considering that we open with Julian Robotnik pleasantly discussing his scientific endeavors with a very much unimprisoned King Max, before he even got his hands on the original roboticizer, it has to be more like twelve). Julian, irritated after Snively accuses him of sucking up too much to the king, decided that he needs some live test subjects for his experiments on cybernetics. Worried about attracting obvious attention if he started kidnapping local citizens, he instead decided to go after a village on the other side of the world, at the very fringes of the kingdom.

Cut to the peaceful village of Leung West, which you might recognize as sharing half its name with Leung Kar from Sonic Super Special #8. This is where some canon details get extremely fuzzy, so I'll try to detangle the mess for you as best I can. The original village from the Super Special was called Lau Kar or Leung Kar interchangeably. Now we have Leung West, which was presided over by the village leader Lau Khan, both names of which seem to suggest a connection to said village. However, later in this same issue it's claimed that Monkey Khan's ancestral village is called Kar Leung, which is literally just Leung Kar with the two halves of the name swapped around. Despite the obvious connection between the two names, Ian Flynn later on apparently stated he considers the two villages to be separate, just having coincidentally similar names. I'm not sure how easily I buy this, considering the circumstances, but eh, whatever, if anything it just comes down to a minor inconsistency in canon that's easily overlooked. Moving on! Lau Khan was Ken Khan's father - yes, that's right, Monkey Khan's given name is actually Ken, and for whatever reason he and his father don't seem to follow the trend of family name first, given name last that the other inhabitants of Not-Asia all have. Lau Khan was disappointed to find Ken roughhousing with the other kids his age, and scolded him for acting like, you know, a normal kid (or teen? It's not made clear what his age is, but he's clearly not a little kid at least), because their village was completely pacifistic.

This is a brilliant time to do the I-told-you-so song, Ken! Julian quickly rounded up everyone in the village and began experimenting on them, with the end result being the death of literally all his test subjects except for Ken the only one whose body was strong enough to survive becoming a cyborg. Julian decided to test his new pet on a group of Overlanders nearby, and Ken easily wiped the floor with them singlehandedly. Julian was of course very pleased, but as he started talking about what he planned to test him out on next Ken turned and vehemently refused, saying he would never work for Julian after he killed all his friends and family, which kind of completely ignores the fact that he was literally just attacking a group of Overlanders on his order two seconds ago. Julian, disappointed, declared his project a failure, zapped Ken unconscious, and sealed him away in a capsule, which, as we know, was found years later by chance by Sally while on a mission of her own.

Oh, well, that's probably good! I know I definitely enjoy waking up strapped to a table in the base of my mortal enemy whom I previously believed to be dead. I find it a little odd that Eggman seems to "remember" Ken, considering he's not even the same entity that originally experimented on him, but it's entirely probably that Eggman does in fact know a version of him, as it's stated that the zone he originally came from was very similar in most respects to Mobius Prime, with the main difference being his eventual self-roboticization. What's perhaps more strange is that Ken recognizes Eggman, since he looks so different from Robotnik, but eh - big stupid mustache, robotic servants, and evil demeanor will give a villain away, I suppose.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 86 #writer: danny fingeroth #writer: frank strom #pencils: sam maxwell #pencils: frank strom #colors: frank gagliardo

[dillydedalus]

october reading

 books. i read ‘em.

the bird king, g. willow wilson ugh i’m disappointed with this - i expected it to be more about the fall of granada, rather than just taking that as a jumping-off point for a very slow story of how fatima (concubine to the last andalusian sultan) and her bff hassan (magical mapmaker) escape from lady inquisitor luz to a magical/legendary island. that’s more of an expectation mismatch, but i also found this just a bit boring and confused, didn’t like the characters or the emotional moments. 2.5/5

lanark: a life in four books, alasdair gray y’all... this is a weirdo pomo mess which gray himself describes as ‘a portrait of the artist as a frustrated young glaswegian’ (instant love), it’s about duncan thaw growing up in post-war glasgow (not a good place) and lanark, sans memories, finding himself in the city of unthank (probably The Bad Place), where the sun hardly ever shines and people grow dragonskin, but really it’s about art & cities & politics & scotland & hell. it’s completely nuts & has a chapter where the protagonist meets the author in the process of writing and there’s a chapter-long sidebar detailing all instances of plagiarism in the book (incl. the lack of influence from robert burns, more sinister than all plagiarism). it’s a bit flabby in places & could stand to be a 100-200 pages shorter, but damn. 4/5

the memory police, yoko ogawa (tr. from japanese by stephen snyder) very atmospheric, quietly disturbing magical realist(ish) book about an island on which sometimes certain things (birds, roses, ribbons, fruit) just disappear, with the inhabitants losing their memories and emotional connection to the thing. the disappearances seem to occur randomly and on their own, but the memory police makes sure that no disappeared items remain and that those who can still remember also... disappear. really liked the quiet slow dread building here, the mysterious workings of the disappearances, and the interplay between the main story and the novel the narrator is writing while worrying whether words too will soon disappear. 4/5

trick mirror: reflections on self-delusion, jia tolentino collection of nine essays about roughly, life & self-image & politics in the social media age (and its predecessor, the reality tv age), gender politics and uh scams and self-delusions. many of these essays felt vaguely like things i’d read before online (& i might have) & didn’t offer anything completely new but i liked the examinations of big wedding culture, and her take on the ‘difficult woman’ archetype of millenial feminism. tolentino in general is an engaging, sharp writer, and even when she’s writing about familiar topics, she often puts an interesting spin on things. 3.5/5

here in berlin, cristina garcía and the anglophone-berlin-books saga continues. a cuban-american woman with a mild personal crisis goes to berlin (as people w/ personal crises so often do) and there collects a variety of snapshot stories from berliners (by birth or choice or accident), mostly about world war 2 and the latin american diaspora in berlin. some of the snapshots are p interesting or bizarrely funny but mostly they retread the same ground (history, trauma, collective & personal responsibility, commemoration etc) without really saying anything new (except the connection garcía makes between the nazis and south american dictatorships). there’s also a pretty annoying attempt to create authenticity by peppering in german words and phrases which sometimes aren’t even appropriate or spelled correctly* (get a german proofreader you cowards i’ll do it for free... like wtf is ‘volkenbrot’). 2/5 *i ordered it used and got an ARC, so maybe some of these issues were fixed for the final version but lmao. volkenbrot. 

wilder girls, rory power this is annihilation as YA, set on an island called raxter where a mysterious illness called the tox has taken over, transforming the wilderness, the animals (deers grow canines y’all), and most of all the girls at raxter boarding school. the narrator’s eye has fused shut & something is growing under it, her friend has grown an extra spine, other girls have gills or claws. less fortunate girls (and most of the teachers) just die. there was a lot i liked about this, especially the tox and the ambivalent relationships the girls have to their changed bodies, but the last third just... eh. also, like, i like tumblr monster-girl poetics as much as the next person, but this is really overdoing it. 2.5/5

nach mitternacht (after midnight), irmgard keun KEUN HYPE TRAIN!!! this one’s super interesting because it’s the first novel keun wrote in exile, published 1937 and set at around the same time. the protagonist, sanne, is a naive and politically uneducated 19-year-old who is repeatedly & very dramatically confronted with the political reality she lives in, first when her aunt denounces her to the gestapo and later when her boyfriend franz is arrested. for most of the (very short) novel, sanne is observing and not quite understanding the increasing legal discrimination against jews, culture of paranoia and denouncement, and glorification of fascist ideology, which makes for a very disturbing reading experience, especially with the reader’s retrospective knowledge, but the climax is truly nightmarish & devastating. 4/5

children of god, mary doria russell the sequel to the sparrow, which i read & loved earlier this year. in this one, emilio sandoz, still in recovery from the trauma of his first trip to the planet rakhat, is forced to return there (bc the pope thinks it’s god’s will lol) and finds the planet changed after decades (space travel makes time weird) of revolution and civil war. i liked this but it’s not as good as the sparrow, the characters (except my man emilio) aren’t as interesting & well-developed and the dual timeline structure isn’t as well-executed but hey. there’s some closure for emilio & that made me hella emosh. 3.5/5

the wilful princess & the piebald prince, robin hobb a novella telling the true (?) story of charger farseer, the piebald prince, a historical figure that has great influence on the six duchies of fitz’s time, especially regarding the treatment of the witted (people who can magically bond with aninmals) and how fitz is framed & reviled as the ‘witted bastard’. this was cool & i enjoyed how it twists the story, but it’s not worth reading if you haven’t read the main series. 3/5

the inheritance, robin hobb/megan lindholm collection of short stories by hobb under her two pseudonyms - i mostly skipped the lindholm ones (sorry), but the three hobb ones were really really good. the first is about the first expeditions into the rain wilds (i love the cursed shores so much & wish there was a full trilogy about the first settlers there), the second is about bingtown & wizardwood, the third is about how sometimes you gotta kill your abusive ex & if you’re lucky, your cat will help you do it. it’s great & the cat is called marmelade. 4/5 for the hobb stories only

unholy land, lavie tidhar alternate history + multiple realities + high-concept pulp - lior tirosh, a pulp author (it’s meta) returns to his homeland, the jewish state palestina, established in east africa in the early 20th century, and there becomes involved in... rival plots to destroy/stabilise the borders between the worlds, not only between this alternate one and our real one, which tirosh seems to occasionally slip into, but all the million others, including one where the moon broke. love the concept, but this is so vague & confusing on so many points and the ending so abrupt that i was left kinda frustrated & unsatisfied (also bc we never find out much more about the world where the moon broke). 3.5/5

tigermilch (tiger milk), stefanie de velasco german ya book about two teen girls growing up in a poor neighbourhood in berlin. nini’s father is absent, her mother depressed, while jameelah’s father died in iraq and her mother is worried that they might be deported, and their bosnian friend amir’s sister is dating a serb. it’s some pretty harrowing stuff & it’s good to see Issues (TM) addressed in german ya in a way that doesn’t feel super didactic & preachy, but ultimately i’m really not the target audience here. 3/5

sea monsters, chloe aridjis

weirdo brainy dreamy novella about a girl in 80s mexico running away from mexico city to the beach because she’s looking for ukrainian circus dwarfs (???). i liked a lot about this (atmosphere, poetic & mythical allusions, a lot of the writing, the depictions of mexico city and the weird beach culture are both really cool) but a lot of the time this was so dreamy that i just kinda zoned out. 3/5

i am currently reading emma by jane austen bc i forgot about my monthly austen project until the last few days of the month lol & one of the hugo long list anthologies. the one with the cool fox on it.

#the books i read #long post

[axela-storm]

Werewolf Au : 12. So, you are not dreaming

*****************

"Now, that we are friends, can you tell me what is this place, and why am I here?" Melamory lifted Nairel in her arms. "You look very real, and you weigh a lot .."

"Hmm ... well, in some sense I'm very real, but not everyone can see me or come in here, and I can't leave this place without ... without you." Nairel was looking at Melamory's face.

"Why? Can you explain it to me?"

"Well, I'm not sure if I can explain it to you well, but I can tell you something about me.

And so, you can understand more things, but first ... put me down please ... "

"Oh..ha ha ha ..sorry" Melamory put the fox on the ground.

"Much better, thank you, now answer me a question, who do you think I am?" Nairel inclined his head.

"Hmm … a fox?"

"No, think again..."

"What do you expect me to tell you, I only see a chatty fox in front of me, but in a dream that may be normal, right?"

"Dream? Do you think you're dreaming?"

"Yes, real foxes can't talk." She shrugged.

"Your logic is not wrong, but if you are dreaming right now, why don't you wake up?"

"How will I do it? Nobody can wake up because they want to, this does not work like that.

You are confusing me, can you speak more clearly? "

"Okay" Nairel sighed, "But don’t be scared .."

"Scared, me? .. Now yes, I'm starting to get scared. Come on, talk ..." Melamory sat on a stone and crossed her arms in her chest, "Start explaining everything to me, Nairel."

Nairel jumped onto the stone too, so he was closer to her, thus it was more comfortable to talk.

"Well, this place used to be called Helheim a long time ago, but now many things have changed.

And now this is just a small place, hidden between worlds.

I have lived here for many years waiting, and not only me, all the creatures of this world live only for a one purpose, to become the disir, fylgjur or vordr.

In other words, be the protectors and followers of magical and powerful creatures. "

Melamory's eyes looked like two plates, so surprised she was.

"But, I don't understand ... I'm not a magical creature, much less am I powerful, I'm just an ordinary girl."

"It's not true, you're not ordinary, and you're not a human ..." Nairel put his nose over her elbow, "If you were an ordinary girl, I would not be here right now.” Then he raised his head and continued in a solemn voice.

“Melamory Redgrave, the daughter of Eruwaedhel the Queen of Freylea and Teolinael Kael'thas the prince of Alfheim ...

I swear my loyalty to you, and from now and forever, my life belongs to you, I will be your protector and your follower throughout your lifetime.

I, Nairel, solemnly swear, before the eyes of the ancient gods and of all the creatures of Helheim, to be the guardian of Melamory Redgrave, the legitimate princess of the kingdoms of Alfheim and the Freylea.

I submit myself willingly to the will of the princess, and remove all restrictions of my powers to fulfill my duty as the magical spirit and a guardian."

Nairel's voice, with each word sounded louder and louder, until it seemed like a thunder ... and then, in his forehead appeared a bright violet stone, which looked like a jewel.

"The pact has been confirmed ..."  A voice similar to a whisper was heard ...

On Melamory's left wrist appeared a symbol that looked like a flower.

"What is this? !! What's going on !?"

"Sorry, my daughter, I should have told you everything before this happened." The quiet voice of Melamory's mother sounded a bit sad.

"Mom? How? You ... you knew all this? And Dad?"

“Yes, we know everything ... I'm very sorry to have hidden it from you, who we are and who you are ..

We did not expect the Hemelvaart to be so soon, we just wanted you to live a normal life of a normal girl. "

"I can understand, but what am I going to do now? What about Nairel?"

"Oh, don't worry about him, Nairel is your guardian now, he will always be with you and nobody can see him, only you, us and the people whom you allow to see him."

"Mom, I don't fully understand what is going on, and it scares me a little, but I want to know more things about myself, about you and about dad." Melamory hugged her mother, she was crying.

"Don't cry, my sweet cake, it's not so bad, you just have to get used to it, you're not like the others, and that's all.

You can continue with your life, with the school and with your friends, as you did before." Liz was caressing her daughter's head.

"It's time to go back home, sweetie, come on ..."

"But, mom, what will happen to Nairel? He can come with us?" Melamory was looking at the silhouette of the fox, who was sitting on the stone looking calmly at them.

"Don't worry, I'll always be with you," and with those words he became a ball of mist.

He moved towards Melamory and disappeared into the flower on her wrist.

"I am already here, you can see it, I'll be with you always."

"Oh, we can talk, right?"

"Always, whenever you want .."

"Okay"..

Liz returned, but Melamory was still asleep, this time it was a normal dream though, she was exhausted and her body and mind needed a rest.

"Are you okay, Liz, how has she taken everything?"

"Surprisingly our daughter is a very strong creature with a very flexible mind, she didn't get too scared, I think she felt more curious than anything else."

"Yes, I also believe that, she was always very curious about the things around her, but talking about her guardian, how is he? Nairel?"

"Yes, Nairel, he made the oath to the ancient gods ... and they accepted it .."

"Interesting, it's the first time in ..Hmmm …. in a century? Or more ??”

"Yes, I think the elders are finally showing a bit of interest."

"Ha ha ha, Liz you are very observant, but why now? Why were they interested in this pact?"

"I'm not sure, but first I have to talk to Nairel, are you listening to me? Come here, we have to talk! "

A ball of mist came out of Melamory's wrist and became a white fox with green eyes and a violet jewel on his forehead.

Liz and Teo, both, observed a new magical member of the family, then Melamory's father asked:

"So, you decided to be my daughter's guardian?"

"Yes, your majesty, I am Nairel, humble servant of the princess, her guardian and assistant in any duty of hers."

"Liz, we have to talk to him. Seriously, that gets funny." Teo rolled his eyes.

"Let's get out of there, our girl needs to rest. Nairel, follow us."

They left Melamory's bedroom and went into the living room. Nairel sat next to the fireplace, Melamory's parents sat on the sofa.

"Ok, now we can talk," Teo started. "First of all, Nairel, you'll have to know, the times and things changed, so you'll have to adapt to be able to live in this world and not put our daughter in unnecessary danger. The most productive thing would be for you to talk with other members of this family. "

At that moment, in the room, appeared a black cat, very large with three tails and with light blue eyes, the jewel on his forehead was deep red, and a green snake with yellow eyes and the jewel of color dark blue.

"They are our guardians, just like you, Feradre and Shanael."

The cat stretched her body and looked at the fox:

"I am Feradre, you can call me Fera, welcome, newbie."

"I am Sh-shanael, welcome." the snake approached and stared at the Nairel sticking his tongue out.

Feradre or Fera was an example of a noisy and curious creature with an explosive temper, adoring her owner and just as she wanted, she protects the whole family.

Shanael is a calm and wise creature just like his owner.

"Well, now the whole family is here, Nairel, welcome to your new family, I hope that you will fulfill your mission and our daughter will be protected and safe with you.

But for now you have to learn many things, observe, study everything and if you don't understand something, ask Fera or Shanael, they will help you or explain you everything you may want to know. " Liz was caressing Fera, who was lying on her lap.

Shanael was curled up near the fireplace looking at Nairel, his body shining with the light of the fire. His eyes were closed, he seemed to be sleeping.

"Shanael, I leave this to you, talk to Nairel and explain everything he wants and everything that he has to know." Teo said turning his gaze to Shanael.

"Yes, don't worry, I'll explain everything, if Fera lets me ..."

"Don't start this, Shana, you're a boring worm, but I'll let you explain the rules of the game to the new one." Fera raised her head and looked at Shanael.

"Well, that's all for now, we'll let you talk, we're going to sleep, it's late, and tomorrow we have an important talk with our daughter, don't make a lot of noise."

Liz and Teo went to their bedroom, letting their magical creatures get to know each other better and talk to each other.

The three creatures were left alone, Fera was on the couch and Shanael was lying in the same place as before.

"Well, Shana, are we going to talk or are you going to sleep?" asked Fera.

Shanael opened one eye and answered: "Nairel didn't ask me anything yet, but if you want I can explain the basics."

Nairel was confused, he didn't know what to ask first. He looked first at Shanael and then at Fera.

"I don't  know what I should ask first, I know that my duty is to protect my mistress from all the dangers that may arise, such as dragons, evil magicians ..."

"Ha ha ha ha ..have you heard that .. dragons .. ha ha aha .. evil wizards .. ha ha .." Fera was laughing loudly almost falling off the couch.

Shanael raised his head:

"Fera, you’re going to fall, stupid cat ... Nairel, listen, you are in a world that is called Earth, here, basically, there are not many magical creatures, the humans that live here don't have magical power, there are no dragons here, and no evil magicians either. I have not seen them here in centuries, the danger here may be more mundane, such as accidents or some cruel and ruthless humans, but nonetheless there are other creatures with magical powers, such as werewolves that live near here. "

"Then we have to protect all of them ..." Nairel started.

"No, Teo and Liz, they have everything under control, and besides, that one of those is a friend of Melamory."

"Friend? How come? They're cruel beasts and can’t be friendly with other creatures !!"

"I don't deny it, they are, but there are exceptions, and this is one of them, it's a young wolf cub, and Melamory doesn't know that he's a werewolf, he keeps his wolf form with her, and for now he shows nothing of hostility or evilness towards her. I don't recommend you meddling by telling Melamory that he is a werewolf, leave this as it is, so do Melamory's parents and this young werewolf too. "

"I don't understand it at all, but I will keep in mind your words Shanael, but then if there is no magic in this world, from who or what do I have to protect Melamory?"

"Don't be in a hurry, you will learn it, little by little, for now just watch and talk to her, this will be enough for now." Fera was turning on her back, stretching her legs.

"Fera is right, don't rush, look, listen, learn, these three things will help you understand everything."

"Hmm ... I didn't expect any of this, but I swear I will do everything I can to learn and adapt to this world!" Nairel was convinced to become the best guardian for Melamory.

"I think it's all for now, if you don't have any more questions, I'll retire." Shanael stared at Nairel.

"Are you running away again, bored worm, don't you want to have fun? No fun in that stiff body of yours?"

"Fera, don't provoke me, you are a fat and round cat, you would have to repent ..."

"Hmm .. I'm not fat, I have a strong complexion, and you're a piece of cheap belt.”

Nairel was looking at how these two arguing, but he didn't feel anything dangerous in the skirmish, the snake was calm and completely ignored the jokes of the cat.

He said goodbye to them and returned to his mistress. He was looking at her while she was sleeping, then he curled up next to her and fell asleep.

"Hey you, what do you think about this rookie?" Feradre was looking at Shanael.

"I don't know, but he has potential, I hope he will not make as many mistakes as someone I know ..." replied Shanael with closed eyes.

"Wanna die?"

"No, and you?"

"Shut up .."

"Okay"

Meanwhile, Teo went to see Alister, he was worried about the boy. He already scolded Liz for being so irresponsible, it was not necessary to traumatize the boy so much with the wave of horror that Liz released without realizing.

Liz stayed at home next to Melamory, she was still worried about her daughter.

Teo knocked on the door of the cabin, where Alister and Hyun lived.

He had to apologize and see how the boy was.

*****************

One more … 🥰

#zen #zenny #zenwerewolf #werewolf zen #werewolf au #wolf zen #mystic messenger #mysme zen #mysme fanfic #mysme #mysmess

[aithne]

(Illume) Tomika's Letters, 7/28 - 8/6: Rivers of Fire

7/28/1583 Skyhome

Dear Lady Yukiko,

I am glad to hear that your Lord told you about your child in advance of my letter. Of course, the fact that he refuses to say who the father is is still distressing, but I am glad he's to blame for that distress and not I.

Most interesting discussion today. Reiko had gone out last night, hunting with Ito, and came back as we were breaking our fast and discussing what to do next. Her asepect was extraordinarily troubled, and she was still without Ito. I find it odd how used I've gotten to the male kitsune being her (tall, redheaded) shadow, so quickly.

She looked around, and said, "Um, I think we have...a problem."

It transpired that she and Ito had gone out hunting the night before as a sort of graduation exercise; she's been training him in control, so he doesn't automatically kill everyone he sleeps with. But when their prey had fallen asleep, and he'd thought Reiko had fallen asleep as well, something had taken him over. And he went straight to Akemi, one of the people on the other side; more worrisome, she was the mage who was in charge of making another crystal to control the Thrykreen.

He told them everything he knew--which was quite a bit. Including where you and Akechi are, I am afraid. (Not that this is surprising to you, as i know we sent a message as soon as we knew.)

Reiko didn't want us to kill him, of course; though she claimed no particular attachment, I could see her playing with that little white ball that she fiddles with when she's nervous. She'd left Ito on the ship and come back to Skyhome alone, probably to keep us from doing something foolish.

There were arguments for killing him, of course; Reiko, seeing him as a possible solution to her race's current nearly extinct state, argued for taking him to the Demonbane and seeing if he could do anything with the male kitsune. She said, "I don't want to kill him until i know what he's for," and I somewhat had to agree with that.

There followed a long philosophical discussion about the role of immortals in the world, and whether a male kitsune was a good idea at all. The general consensus was no, but the consensus also was that we should take Ito to someone who knew more about these things, that person being Lord Takumi, your father.

It was fascinating to watch the different personalities in the discussion. Hiroshi was arguing for keeping Ito with us; Panda, having an apparent fit of crankiness, didn't care if he lived or died, but said that because he's betrayed us, he can no longer be allowed to run with the retinue; Tadaki couldn't quite see why we didn't just kill him, considering that he's a demon. Reiko was asked why it was that kitsune should be allowed to live, and was unable to come up with an answer other than, "We have always been, and we will always be. That is why! Why allow hengeyokai to live? Why allow humans, for that matter?"

Panda just shook her head and said, "Hengeyokai don't eat people, though."

We kept arguing, and finally Panda, who was short-tempered and seemed fed up with the whole thing, said in response to the kitsune protesting that foxes don't normally kill the people they feed on, "Look. Reiko. You're a nice kitsune. We like you. And how many people have you killed?"

Reiko dropped her gaze. "Ah...many."

"And you're a nice one. As far as I know, most kitsune aren't nice, Reiko. Who's to say this one will be?"

The vixen muttered a response and turned away, her cheeks burning as if Panda's reminder of her past had been a slap.

We elected to keep Ito unconscious with sleep potions and head north. Funitsu needed to go that way anyway, and there may be much to learn from Lord Takumi.

By the way, happy news--Panda is indeed pregnant! We all suspected, what with the craving for picked ginger, but she confirmed it for us today.

North for a week or so, now, to Sapporo. I will convey your greetings to your father when I see him.

Warmest regards, Soshi Tomika

7/4/1583 Sapporo (sailing towards Okushiri-to)

Dear Yukiko,

Fine wind blowing quick the salt spray beckons the gull toward the fire island.

Alas, I am not very much of a poet, but thank you for the copy of Sei Shonagon's work. (Poetry is the one art in which I have never excelled; my father was most disappointed when he found I have little talent for it.) I have been remiss in writing, I know, but there has been very little happening for the last week; Panda has been cranky, the kitsune has been scarce, Funitsu appears to be oblivious to all of my attempts to flirt with him, Haku has been silent, and Tadaki has been restless. The only two who don't seem to be somewhat discontent are Gryphon and the librarian.

Who is, at this point, not much of an archivist. He'd knock stacks of scrolls right over without even thinking!

We pulled into to Sapporo's harbor this morning and requested to see Lord Takumi. He granted us audience. I saw a brush of a white kimono patterned with summer herons, moving quickly out of a doorway on the other side of your audience chamber--your mother, the Lady Takumi, perhaps? I regret to say that I did not see her other than that one flash.

My husband talked for a time with Lord Takumi, discerning that the most likely place for the Scorpion samurai to be is Okushiri-to, an island off the southwest corner of Hokkaido. He also said that Akemi, who is working on making another Thrykreen control crystal, is likely on that island, as it's where he went to make the original control crystal, four hundred years ago.

After that was settled, he asked if there was anything else, and Reiko stepped out from behind Gryphon and said, "I have something. A request."

He fixed her with his piercing glare and said, slowly, "I will listen to you for Lord Soshi's sake. Speak."

I do not know if anyone else noticed her hands shaking. She is indeed terrified of your father, and for good reason. I noticed, for the first time, the similarity in them. It is less anything physical than it is in their eyes. They have the same gaze, unnervingly direct. And they were dressed as mirror images of each other, seemingly on accident; his kimono gold with designs picked out in red thread, marvelously subtle, and her habitual scarlet silk, shot through with yellow and gold.

She explained the situation with Ito, and Panda brought the sleeping kitsune in and laid him on the floor. Lord Takumi said, "Yes, I had a hand in creating him. Why?"

"What is he for? We might kill him, but not before we know what he was made for."

He chuckled, a little. "He was a trap, kitsune. A trap laid for not you but others. Though he seems to have caught you, right enough." Lord Takumi, the man known as the Demonbane, shrugged. "It was a project I was working on with the old Emperor. There are tales of two kitsune who have ten thousand tails apiece; it's probably more like a hundred, but they are the oldest of the kitsune. They are the kitsune gods, more or less. A race never dies until its gods are also dead. He was to find them, bed them, and kill them in their sleep. Then, it would be only a matter of time until the rest of the race was extinguished."

"He has been somehow changed by the other side. I was hoping you could fix that."

"Perhaps. And then what? I cannot release him as he is back to you."

"Then what can you do?" The kitsune and her father were sparring, back and forth. I got the impression that neither was truly winning this match, quite yet.

"I could change his body to match his spirit. He would become a she. But again, I could not release him as he is back to you. I am, after all, sworn to eliminate kitsune."

Panda spoke up at this point. "Change Ito like you changed Reiko. Give him a conscience and the ability to feel guilt."

Reiko said, a bit plaintively, "Death would be kinder, I think. But, if you gave him the choice, if he decided of his own will that he would rather live crippled than die..."

"I can do that. Reiko's humanity was a side effect of my linking my own life force to hers, but I understand how it works now. Give him some humanity, make him into one like Reiko, and change him to a female. If that is your will, samurai. For you and for the Lord Soshi, I'll do this."

The kitsune was glaring at her father. I believe the two of them define the term "dysfunctional relationship".

Panda tilted her head. "Your life force is linked to Reiko's?"

He smiled. "I am very, very old, and I do not die. Did you wonder why? My own immortality is linked to hers. And if she dies, I die, as well. She has the power to end my life in her hands...yet I notice she has not done so yet. And for every year I live, more of her kind die at the hands of my Thrykreen."

(Yukiko, I am sorry, but your father seems to be a very cruel man sometimes. Brilliant in that cruelty, but still cruel. Though the kitsune is a demon, somehow his torment of her seems...excessive.)

He rose and walked over to Ito, looking down on him, frowning. "There is something different about him. We did not bind him like this."

Panda handed him her orb, through which one can see the true nature of things. He took it without comment and peered through it at the male kitsune, muttering to himself. He handed the orb back and said, "I'm going to have to take a day or two to unravel this. Someone has altered him, and I don't know why right now. Lord Soshi mentioned that you have an errand to run; by the time you return, I should have him changed."

We agreed, and then filed out, leaving Ito sleeping on the floor. I saw Reiko look back over her shoulder briefly, shudder, and then skip forward, catching up with Gryphon and putting her hand on his back.

Off to Okushiri-to this afternoon; we should be there tomorrow morning, it's that close.

With much affection, Tomika

8/5/1583 at sea, between Okushiri-to and Sapporo

Dear Yukiko,

Okushiri-to is a foul place, smelling of sulfur. We sent the ship Shrike away for the day, and sent Tadaki in to scout for us.

He came back, saying that there was a tunnel leading into the volcano itself. Down the tunnel was the missing samurai, and what seemed to be a Scorpion general, which meant that these were our group of people. Into the harbor we went, taking over the one ship in the harbor, and then went into the lava tunnels, the heat and the stink increasing as we headed further into the volcano.

On the way in, we passed some decomposing corpses that were lying near the entrance of the tunnel. Funitsu asked me to make one of them talk, and I raised one and made it dance for me. Tadaki, who was standing near me, muttered, "That would be less disturbing if you didn't look so cheerful about it."

The corpse had committed seppuku rather than follow what he considered a dishonorable command--to break a stone seal, behind which was all manner of terrible things. Another of the corpses had broken the seal and had been burned to death by lava flowing from behind it.

We crept down, and saw the general and the Scorpion samurai building a bridge over a river of lava, towards a stone wall that had a large hole broken in it. We estimated that they had another four hours before the bridge was done. We definitely wanted to get there before they did, because that general was controlled by a piece of the twilight spirit, and as such was likely up to no good.

With that in mind, the librarian, Haku, and Funitsu used their swords, the ones so sharp they cut holes in reality itself. We gave them a minute and then went through the doorway ourselves. We didn't know where we'd come out, but instead had to trust the three who were leading us.

The doorway opened into a crystal city, and before us there were two wu jen, both looking a little singed (Tadaki's new favorite spell is Fireball), and one was bleeding from the librarian's sword cut. One was holding an orb that looked much like Tadaki's--only this one was a full orb, rather than the half of one that the Sparrow has. Before more than a couple of minutes passed, they took down both Reiko and the librarian, and the one with the orb, who we found later was named Akemi, took over the Thrykreen we had with us, commanding them to kill us.

And the Thrykreen attacked us. One of the enemy wu jen--Kumiko--had gone down, but we suddenly had our hands full with the mantids. Jeron, the one who leads the rest, reached down and picked up Reiko, and--was feeding her a healing potion? Surely my eyes were mistaken. He is a mantid, why would he help the creature who his race was meant to kill?

The remaining wu jen collapsed, her throat cut--but by who? Tadaki had her orb, sudenly, and the Thrykreen stopped attacking us. The Sparrow looked pleased with himself, and we surmised that he had stopped time once again. And Reiko opened her eyes, looking very surprised indeed to find herself being held by Jeron. He set her down, and she thanked him.

It turns out that he is the only one not bound to the orb, but bound by honor to Tadaki himself. Evidently, under our noses, Reiko and Jeron have been striking up something that is tenatively like a friendship. Her curiosity is often enough to overwhelm her fear, or her common sense. Perhaps both.

Off the two wu jen, we took a number of vials, a cloak, a wand, and the aforementioned orb. My husband decided to "test" the cloak by putting it on the librarian. It didn't seem to do anything to him, at least at first.

Then we had to figure out what to do next. We explored the crystal city a bit while we talked. Funitsu said, "Hm. There seems to be something here--ah, the corridor is an illusion."

And as we each wrestled with the illusion in our minds, the real corridor shimmered into view.

It was lined with what looked to be statues.

There are a few things that touch a primal fear in us. Even without knowing exactly what they were, we knew that they were to be feared. Perhaps a racial memory of ancestors killed by these things. They were huge--eight or nine feet tall, seemingly made out of crystal, and almost as wide across as they were tall--and they lined the corridor looking like nothing so much as sleeping death.

They were Warresh. There were perhaps a thousand of them.

A set of carvings in one of the corridors told the tale. The Dark Son, the sprit who is currently possessing Arenro, was given the Warresh by the gods in the great long ago. He set them with the task of serving humankind. Unfortunately, they escaped control, and went mad, killing countless humans.

The Bright Son then created the Thrykreen, who were tasked with destroying the Warresh. The Thrykreen overwhelmed the Warresh by sheer numbers, slaughtering them by the thousands. In the end, the Dark Son took the thousand who were left and sealed them in here, for a future use.

From what we could tell, there were about a hundred missing. We do not know where they went, not yet.

One of the Warresh woke. The librarian seemed to be speaking to it, and it spoke back. The Thrykreen were keeping a very wary eye on it, but under Tadaki's control, they did not attack, though I could tell that they sincerely wanted to. The librarian seemed to have firm control on them, though they still made us all nervous.

And a plan was born to take back Funitsu's samurai without spilling a drop of blood.

Once more with the sword's door, we appeared on the bridge before General Katsuro. Funitsu was in the lead, and he was backed up by two of the hulking Warresh. He snapped out, "Katsuro, surrender the samurai to me."

The two men stared at each other. Katsuro was a tall, thin man, his face dripping with sweat from the heat. He looked at Funitsu and said, slowly, "Lord...Soshi? I did not hear your brother...."

"I am. And you are ordered to give over your command to me." Calm, implacable, in that moment I came closer to loving Funitsu than I have ever before. The potential for steel in him finally showed itself.

Reluctantly, the general assented, nodding. Then Funitsu said, "Let us drink, then, to victories won."

In his hand was two vials of the true source. He handed one to ghe general, and both drank.

Katsuro shuddered and staggered, almost falling as the spirit fled his body. He opened his eyes and said, "Lord...Funitsu? Where did you come from?"

My husband asked, "Do you remember anything of the last three months?"

"Not much. Flashes. Movement. I--" He shook his head, and straightened. "Lord, what are your orders?"

Funitsu thought. "We'll send you to Kyoto, and from there you can march south. We have a method of travel that is quick, but you may find it strange. You're needed to fortify Miyazaki; the Crab is readying its pincers. I'll tell you what I know, on the way."

We loaded up the three boats we now have--the Benevolent, Shrike, and the third, as yet unnamed, ship--with the samurai, and as I speak we are sailing towards Sapporo. Before we left, we finished the bridge, put back four of the six Warresh that the librarian had with him, and sealed up the crystal city once more, destroying the bridge behind us.

I am glad to be away from the stinking island. I certainly hope we never have reason to go there again.

Much affection, Tomika

8/6/1583 Sapporo

Dear Yukiko,

A few more details today; I am confident we will see you soon, so I am merely writing this down so I can be sure you have a full report. We returned to Sapporo in the middle of the day today, and went to see your father, Lord Takumi. Mostly, we wished to see if Ito had decided that living was worth being afflicted with conscience, regroup, and decide what to do next.

Again, we were ushered into the Phoenix receiving chamber by a pair of unsmiling samurai. The Phoenix Lord said, "Ah, I see you've returned. Victorious, I assume? Good. The kitsune elected to live--I'll have her fetched, now. It seems she was bound magically to someone named Akemi, who died yesterday. Your work, I imagine. That tie needed to still exist, so I bound her to Reiko."

The Lord's visage turned once again severe, and he looked down at Reiko. "I've bound her to you as a daughter. One of these days, kitsune, you may discover what that means."

The former Ito was brought in, walking unbound between a pair of guards. She looked nervous and perhaps the slightest bit awkward.

I am sure you will meet the new kitsune soon enough, Yukiko, but she is exceptionally lovely to look upon. Skin flawless as a white jade cup, hair the same depthless black as Reiko's, falling to the backs of her knees. She was smaller as a female than a male, still almost head taller than Reiko, eyebrows like willow leaves and graceful, long-fingered hands. The only thing that was the same about her was her eyes, the startling light green of spring leaves, looking warily at us.

Reiko went to her, clasping her hands, speaking to her in a low voice. They briefly rested their foreheads together--startling, the intimacy of that one movement--and then returned to the rest of us. Reiko looked up at her father, amber eyes unreadable. "Thank you."

"May you have joy of her," he said, and it sounded not like blessing but condemnation. "After all, I have had such joy of my own kitsune daughter."

At those words, he pushed up the sleeves of his kimono to show Reiko--and us--his arms. Scarred to the point where there was more scar than skin, his arms were a record of pain, written in his skin.

The kitsune lifted her chin, and unexpectedly, shoved up her own sleeves. On them were long cuts, perhaps eight or ten of them--some of them nearly healed, others still raw and scabbed. They were obviously self-inflicted.

Why did none of us know she was doing this to herself? I remember the shock in her eyes when Winter told her of Lord Takumi's habit of cutting himself whenever she killed someone. But it seems unthinkable that she would follow in his footsteps.

Silence had fallen over the chamber, and into the silence Reiko spoke. "I meant to tell you, father. I pay for my own sins." And she turned and walked out. The newly female Ito hesitated and then followed her out.

Awkward silence was left in her wake. She tends to do that. No manners at all, and little sense of propriety. Funitsu picked up the thread of conversation, and after smoothing the incident over, we took our leave.

Tonight, I believe we will see you as we transit the Scorpion samurai to where they will be more useful. I hope, anyway. We all miss you, Yukiko.

Today we have triumphed, but it seems to be a very thin thread indeed.

Warmest affection, Tomika

Quotes:

"And she's sort of cranky, too." "I'm not cranky! I'm NOT CRANKY AT ALL. WHY DO YOU THINK I'M CRANKY?" --Reiko and Panda

"I've been praying to the wrong ancestors. Fuck me!" "That's okay. I forgive you." --Panda and Reiko

"Graham...what are you doing with the cleaver?" "Nothing..." "Don't lie." --Bryan and Graham

"There's a fine line between hostility and worship, sometimes." --Funitsu

"So do you want my considered opinion?" "Sure, Mr. Barbarian." "I think they're trolls." "I never would have thought that." --Hiroshi and Funitsu

"It's not Funitsu's fault that a quarter of a mile is 440 yards!" --Derek

"We figured you were pregnant. All that pickled ginger." --Tadaki (as I recall. The reason this is funny is because Laura, who plays Panda, loves pickled ginger.)

#so queued #gaming recaps: illume #D&D recap

[leftear123-blog]

My Top Anime

Tis weeb time my dudes

Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Genres: Shounen, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Episode #: 148

Summary: Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss is determined to become the best Hunter possible in hopes of finding his father. However, Gon soon realizes the path to achieving his goals is far more challenging than he could have ever imagined. Along the way, Gon befriends the lively doctor-in-training Leorio, vengeful Kurapika, and rebellious ex-assassin Killua. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kamisama Kiss

Kamisama Hajimemashita

Genres: Shoujo, Romance, Comedy, Fantasy, Japanese Mythology

Episode #: 13

Summary: Nanami is a poor homeless high school girl until she accepts an offer to live at an old shrine - making her the new local god! After an awkward introduction, the handsome and hard-shelled fox spirit Tomoe reluctantly vows to protect her as her familiar. [Funimation]

Gintama

Genres: Shounen, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci Fi, Parody

Episode #: 201

Summary: The Amanto, aliens from outer space, have invaded Earth and taken over feudal Japan. As a result, a prohibition on swords has been established, and the samurai of Japan are treated with disregard as a consequence. However one man, Gintoki Sakata, still possesses the heart of the samurai, although from his love of sweets and work as a yorozuya, one might not expect it. Accompanying him in his jack-of-all-trades line of work are Shinpachi Shimura, a boy with glasses and a strong heart, Kagura with her umbrella and seemingly bottomless stomach, as well as Sadaharu, their oversized pet dog.

Yona of the Dawn

Akatsuki no Yona

Genres: Shoujo, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy, Historical

Episode #: 24

Summary: Princess Yona lives a life of luxury and ease, however, the sudden murder of the king and betrayal of her beloved cousin Su-won places Yona's life in mortal peril. Forced to escape only with Son Hak, who is both her childhood friend and bodyguard, the naïve princess soon discovers that Kouka is not the idyllic place she envisioned it to be. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Genres: Shounen, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Episode #: 64

Summary: Two brothers search for a Philosopher's Stone after an attempt to revive their deceased mother goes awry and leaves them in damaged physical forms. (IMDB)

Fairy Tail

Genres: Shounen, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic

Episode #: 175

Summary: Lucy is a young mage with the power to summon stellar spirits, but what she really wants to do is join a guild - and not just any guild. She has her eyes set on Fairy Tail, a notoriously reckless and outrageous group of magic users who are likely to be drunk or destroying buildings and towns in the process of completing a job! While in town one day Lucy meets a perpetually-seasick boy named Natsu who reveals to her that he's none other than the fire-eating mage Salamander of Fairy Tail! Lucy is finally able to join Fairy Tail and quickly begins to take on odd jobs with Natsu and his gang for fame and profit. (Anime Planet)

Noaragami

Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Japanese Mythology

Episode #: 12

Summary: Yato is a minor deity and a self-proclaimed "Delivery God," who dreams of having millions of worshippers. Without a single shrine dedicated to his name, however, his goals are far from being realized. Just as things seem to be looking grim for the god, his fortune changes when a middle school girl, Hiyori Iki, supposedly saves Yato from a car accident, taking the hit for him. Remarkably, she survives, but the event has caused her soul to become loose and hence able to leave her body. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Assassination Classroom

Genres: Action, Comedy, Sci Fi, School

Episode #: 22

Summary: When a mysterious creature chops the moon down to a permanent crescent, the students of class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Middle School find themselves confronted with an enormous task: assassinate the creature responsible for the disaster before Earth suffers a similar fate. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

#hunter x hunter #kamisama hajimemashita #akatsuki no yona #fullmetal alchemsit brotherhood #fairy tail #noragami #assassination classroom #anime recommendation #anime #anime gif #fav #top anime #gintama

[bee-kathony]

Four Years | Year One - February 15th, 2014

Claire and Jamie go on their first date

February 15th, 2014

It’s been forty four days since I last saw Jamie Fraser. But it’s been one hour since I last spoke to him.

Over the past few weeks I learned a lot about him. He owned his own company for starters. A successful business man, he had started a distillery company a few years ago with his Godfather, Murtagh. The whisky he made was actually quite good and I even had a bottle of it sitting in my cupboard. A fact he loved to bring up.

His parents had both died when he was young, at separate times but their absence made him ache sometimes, for family. And he had a sister, Jenny, who was married with a couple of kids.

Because of my busy schedule, we had been unable to meet since that day in the gym. I also hadn’t found time to get my head looked at. Jamie asked me at least every other day, pestering me and reminding me that I worked in a hospital and that it shouldn’t be that hard.

But it was hard. I would have to ask one of my colleagues for a head CT and I wasn’t prepared to do that yet. Besides… I hadn’t fallen since that day. There was nothing to worry about.

I found that Jamie knew more about me than anyone else. This was especially odd because we only talked over the phone or texted. The digital age.

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and I hadn’t expected anything. So when a vase of flowers showed up with my name on it, well… it said, “For my Sassenach, Happy Valentine’s Day,” I found myself doing an embarrassing little dance by the nurses station.

“That from Jamie?” Geillis asked as she came up from behind me.

“Ummm, it might be,” I quickly grabbed the card that came with the flowers and tucked it into my front jacket pocket.

“Ye spend all yer time talkin’ with the ginger fox but ye havena gone on a real date yet.”

Pushing my nose into the flowers, I felt faint. Not like I would pass out but just a bit light headed. The emotions, I told myself.

“We will. I think we found time to see each other. In two weeks.” Jamie had asked for my schedule ahead of time and made sure to block out the days that I was off. He didn’t tell me what he was planning but I hoped it would include a kiss somewhere in the day.

Ever since I saw his body, it was all I could think about. Most of the time I thought of his back and the story that went along with it. Jamie had told me bits and pieces; an accident of some sort, but he wanted to wait to tell me the rest in person.

+++++++

My hair had a mind of it’s own. I had tried to put it in a cute messy bun on top of my head but it looked more of a mess and less cute.

Jamie had just texted me that he was on his way to my house and my heart hadn’t slowed down ever since. Would he look different? Would he think I looked different? We had only Facetimed a couple of times, never finding time to do it properly. I couldn’t wait to see him again, I only hoped he felt the same.

“Have a good date tonight, Claire.” Geillis smiled, flicking through the TV channels as I walked past her, towards the front door.  

“I will!” I half sang as I opened the door to find Jamie standing on the porch. “Hello there.”

His smile was intoxicating, “Hello there, Sassenach.”

“Ye better kiss her properly, Jamie!” Geillis shouted from behind me and I laughed, my cheeks blushing and I pushed him out of the way to close the door.

“Don’t mind her.”

“I plan on kissin’ ye.” Jamie said and caught my hand, he leaned in close, “After the meal,” and pulled back, leading the way to his car.

Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.

The waiter took us to our table, a booth near the back of the restaurant with a stunning view of Edinburgh.

“Before we start, I have to ask ye one thing, Sassenach.” Jamie folded his hands on the table and gave me a quizzical look.

“Have ye checked out yer head like ye promised?”

I should’ve known he would ask about this. “No,” I shook my head and felt ashamed.

“I dinna want to make ye feel bad it’s only I worry —,” his hand slid across the table to reach for mine and I gave it to him. “What if somethin’ really is wrong. I couldna bear it.”

“I’m sorry, Jamie. I just haven’t found the time.” My apology was genuine and I knew he could tell.

“Och, just do it soon okay?” He smiled and released my hand, grabbing the menu instead.

++++++

“Yer tellin’ me that Claire Beauchamp has been in Scotland for five years and ye’ve never been to the Highlands? How is this?” Jamie gasped and mocked horror.

“I’m very busy! I told you I’m a Doctor. I’ve always wanted to go but there just never seemed a good enough reason to go and see it for myself.”

“I’m takin’ ye. That’s that. Ye canna keep livin’ here if ye dinna see the beauty of Scotland.”

“Sounds like a plan, Fraser.” I reached for my glass of wine.

“I know many things about ye, Sassenach.” Jamie said to me, pausing in between bites of his pasta carbonara, “But I dinna ken anythin’ about yer family. Where ye grew up? Siblings?”

I had been dreading these types of questions. I had managed to avoid answering any of them while we had been texting, simply ignoring the message and answering a different one. There was still pain surrounding memories of my family.

I set my glass down and folded my hands in my lap, “My father’s name was Henry, he was very kind,” I smiled, remembering my father, “very smart, actually he was a doctor like me. That’s part of the reason why I chose to become one.”

“That’s verra interesting, what was his practice?”

“He focused on the brain, neurology. Very talented.” I began to feel more relaxed, taking another sip of wine, I let it all spill out of me, things I had never said about my parents to anyone. At least not in a very long time.

“And yer mother? Was she as beautiful as ye?” He smiled and I felt the tip of his foot touch mine under the table.

I blushed, “Well, she was very beautiful. I don’t know if I would say she looked a lot like me but yes. Her name was Julia, the strongest woman I knew. When I was young, my father and her tried for another child but they were unable.”

I remember wanting a sibling so bad, someone to play with, a friend to have by your side always.

“I think my mother must have had about five miscarriages while I was growing up. But she never lost the faith. Never let it show how much it really got to her.”

“I notice ye keep sayin’, ‘was’ and not ‘are’ or ‘is’ — are they gone then?” He asked and my throat clenched. Inevitably we would have gotten here at some point.

“Yes.” I steadied my voice, years of practice. “About six years ago, they both died in a plane crash. I was in the middle of my residency in Oxford, that’s where I’m originally from, when I got the call from my Uncle Lamb.”

Jamie reached for my hand across the table, all food and drink abandoned.

“I’m so sorry Sassenach, I know what it feels like to have lost those most close to ye. I even ken what its like about the plane —“

“Are we all ready for the check?” The waiter interrupted Jamie. “Oh aye” Jamie looked flustered, I could see his train of thought vanishing behind those ocean blue eyes.

The waiter presented the check and Jamie grabbed it quickly before I could reach to take it.

“This is a date, Sassenach, you’ll no’ be payin’. I’m a gentlemen.” He bowed his head and handed the check back to the waiter.

“That you are,” I smiled. My palms were starting to get sweaty, now thinking about how Jamie said he would kiss me after the meal. God, I probably had horrible breath after that garlic pasta. Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, Beauchamp. Garlic pasta?!

“When will you take me to the Highlands?” I asked as Jamie wrapped his arm around my waist. He wasn’t taking us back to the car but was leading us to a park near the restaurant.

“Whenever ye’re free. Let’s wait a bit though, so it’s no’ so cold. Scotland doesna have too many warm days but I’d like to take ye there and not have ye freeze to death!”

Jamie pulled me close to his side, his hand slipped into the front pocket of my coat and settled on top of my hand. The park was lit with globes of light lining the path. He lead us to a bench and we sat down.

“Did you bring me here to kiss me, Jamie Fraser?” I looked up at him, my hand slid across his firm stomach and latched onto his side.

“How’d ye know?” He grinned and then brought one hand up to cup my chin.

“Because I think you plan everything. You’re very romantic.”

“I’m no’ romantic.” He blushed, leaning in.

Apparently he didn’t care that I had just eaten garlic pasta, he didn’t care that my hands were probably ice cold against his skin as I slid my hand just under his shirt.

Jamie closed the distance and kissed me. His mouth was warm and he tasted sweet. This was the second time that I had seen Jamie in person but my heart already belonged to him. I just hoped he felt the same, so soon.

#four years #jamie fraser #claire beauchamp #jamie and claire #four years fic #mclairefras #first date #february 15 2014 #next chapter broke my heart to write so good luck everyone

[deputysaint]

send me five times + pain !!

      @sanctemony  //  i can’t find the meme rn

 warnings: uh, violence, religious self-harm, uh, complicated and dark themes bc john seed  disclaimer: the last one was fox’s idea

   i.   the first time, it’s deacon’s fault, he’s the one to cause john pain, and he’s much too wrapped up in himself, in doing the right thing, to notice what he’s done. it’s not until after, long after his escape from john’s bunker, but not too soon after he knocks john’s plane out of the sky, that he realizes the damage he’s done, the hurt and deep rooted pain he’s caused, and he’s more than ashamed of this.   admittedly, there’s hurt on both sides. john hurts people, has hurt deacon, all in the name of saving them. but deacon, deacon’s only ever hurt john, only ever been a persistent pain, a destructive force that was slowly dismantling john’s work.    there was more to it than that, than the destruction of property, and deacon realizes that too late in the night, sometime after he moves them to the henbane.    deacon has separated john from the only stability he’s ever had, the only focus he’s ever had. he’s cut him off from family, from purpose, and from everything he thought he knew to be true. it didn’t matter if it was wrong, if what john was doing was immortal and illegal.    john had had a purpose, and deacon and taken it. and there’s no redemption from that.

   ii.   the second time, it’s john that hurts him, it’s john that digs in a little too deep with words and sharpness and claws at their very fragile balance. it starts out as their one-sided arguments always go, a few tired words, a few angry words, and next thing deacon knows, john is biting at him with words, eyes narrow and angry even as his voice oozes smug-calm.   he calls him a blasphemer, a sinner, both words he has heard before, but never found focused at him with such conviction. he brings up what he knows of deacon’s past, the burnt bible, the death of his mother, and then he makes a connection deacon’s only alluded to in the past, throws truth at him so hard, that deacon stumbles in the mud.   ‘ your father died because of your sin. ’   the reason is not true, not directly anyway but it still hits its mark, still has deacon misstepping and nearly falling into the river.  after he’d left at seventeen, his father had lived a few more years, five to be exact. but he lived those years alone, with his eldest child, alma, in school, and deacon off on adventures of his own. their family was broken because of deacon, because of his temper and his arrogance and misdirected pain.   deacon’s father had died of heartbreak.

   iii.   the third time is an accident.    an angel attacks them, one of the few things they both agree needs to be killed, and deacon isn’t prepared. john isn’t either, judging from the sudden shout of confusion as he’s taken down, tackled by a screaming man-made monster as it refuses to recognize anyone but it’s master.    the next few minutes are a blur for deacon, he remembers tackling the angel off his companion, rolling in the mud and grass and rocks as they grabble for control. deacon is stronger, but his grip is too gentle, his subconscious always reminding his body to be gentle, gentle even as the mindless follower rips at his skin with nails and teeth.   he remembers a gunshot ringing out in the struggle, a sudden weight on his chest, and then pain. and then the weight is gone, and john is there, swearing and pressing his hands on a deacon’s side, pressing hard against a wound that’s pouring red.   ‘ you were moving around too much. ’ is the explanation he gets later, ‘ i thought i had a clear shot and then you moved. ’   it’s not an apology, doesn’t even come close to one. in fact, it’s spoken in a tone that suggests deacon was at fault there, for moving around while john was trying to save his life.   the junior deputy still smiles forgiveness, ignores the pain radiating from his side as he slides a hand around the nape of john’s neck to pull him close. ‘ thank you. ’   they both pretend it’s enough.

   iv.   ‘ he’s never going to step foot in jail, you know that right. ’ grace’s voice is low, barely heard over the crackling of the campfire, but even still deacon feels like it’s screamed at him. his entire being halts, fingers freezing mid-cleaning of his shotgun. he stares at her, struck dumb and silent, and she huffs a sigh and shakes her head, as if to call him an idiot.   ‘ john, ’ she explains, nodding her head to the subject of her scorn, and deacon turns his head to look. john’s figure is just outside the ring of warmth of the fire, curled in the safety of his sleeping bag, for all intents and purposes looking asleep.   deacon knows he isn’t, he knows john won’t rest until grace has left their side. he puts up a good front of carelessness, but deacon knows he’s afraid of letting his guard down around her. and when he glances back at grace, he sees the same guard in her face, the same distasteful twist to her lips that john wears when he’s not putting up a smug front.   ‘ he’s not going to jail. ’ grace continues, as if sensing that she’s losing deacon’s attention, or perhaps that she’s never really had it at all. ‘ he and his sick family, they’ll get off somehow. lawyer shit, he knows how to break the laws, bend them, whatever. they’ll get off, and they’ll leave hope county and start all this shit up again someplace else, where no one will stand up to their bullshit like we have. ’   grace continues then, not-too-subtle hints about how they should get rid of him, them all, when they have the chance to, because there won’t be another time after this is all finished. but deacon’s gaze as already drifted back to john’s back, the corners of his mouth turned in a frown.   john leaving hope county.   why does that thought hurt?   ( he knows why, but he won’t admit it. )

   v.   john’s not even finished with the request when deacon is denying him, shaking his head and stepping out of john’s reach. he won’t, he won’t do it, he won’t purposely hurt someone, even he asks for it, even if it’s for religious reasons. he won’t do it. not even to john seed, not even if fucking god came down and demanded he did it to save both their souls.   he doesn’t vocalize all that, just shakes his head, tongue feeling too thick in his mouth suddenly, throat dry at the thought.   he won’t let john do it either, that much is obvious, when john snarls wordlessly at him and turns away to unbutton his shirt. deacon grabs him and pulls his hands away, squeezes his wrists before bumping foreheads with him.   don’t do this, he begs, wordlessly, thumbs rubbing circles against the insides of john’s wrists. don’t hurt yourself for being human.   john relents and deacon thinks he’s won.   he only realizes how wrong he is when he wakes in the middle of the night, wrists bound above his head, the sound of leather slapping skin and blood in the air. john does it anyway, because he’s stubborn, because he’s hurting and this is the only thing he knows.    penance, he calls it.   barbaric, is the harsh word deacon throws back, voice angry and hurt enough for the both of them.   when it’s done, john grins at him, all maddened eyes and white teeth, and then cuts him free. deacon does what deacon does best, he cleans up the mess that john’s left, both around him, and on himself. he dresses the wounds to the best of his capability and does not think about it, does not allow his mind to wander past anger at the act having been done at all.   ( the sight of old scars make him sick, and he does not let his mind wander on the age or frequency of them. )   it’s hard for him to stay mad, however, when john curls into his side that night, eyelids heavy with exhaustion, the corners of his lips turned upwards in a sick sort of self-satisfaction, one that deacon doesn’t care for in the least.   he hurts. he hurts for both of them, because somewhere along the way they’ve become inseparable, and he doesn’t think he can be just himself anymore.   ( he should be scared. he isn’t. ) 

#i'm mad #at myself #because i did this to myself #sanctemony #radio. ( askbox )

[duckscrabble]

SATURDAY STORY TIME #1

Every other Saturday, I’ll be showcasing a new piece of my writing! It’s a bi-weekly affair--be there or be square.

Today’s Saturday Story is entitled “The Mistress has Returned.” It’s a spooky story all about a man who made some very bad choices regarding the treatment of his wife. The nachzehrer, a Germanic vampire with some interesting folkloric attachments, is a major feature of the tale. What will become of poor Gerhardt after his wife’s untimely death? Nothing good, I can assure you...

WARNING: This one does have some mildly graphic descriptions of death, gore, and bits of body horror, so avoid if those are triggering for you!

               His wife’s body twisted eerily as it hung from the rafters of the great hall, her bare feet dangling off the ground as her eyes, bulging and swollen in death, stared wildly—accusatorily—at him. The servants had found her first. They now refused to enter the manor, much to his annoyance. Superstitious fools. He let out a snort, looking over his shoulder at the closed great doors before sighing and drawing the dagger he wore at his hip. They had left him to clean up the whole mess on his own.

               Stupid woman had been a nuisance from the day they had married. Now, she had left him one last mess to clean up. He grabbed a table and shoved it closer to her dangling corpse, wincing slightly when it rotated to glare at him with those glazed-over eyes that still burned green like witchfire. A knock sounded on the door when he moved to begin cutting the thick rope that held her aloft by the neck.

               “One moment,” he called, his eyes focused on the rope.

               The knock sounded again. The rope frayed.

               “Ugh,” he grunted, rolling his eyes as he hopped off the table and stalked over to yank open one of the double doors that closed him off from the rest of the town. A pair of guardsmen met his gaze, staring out at him dully from under their strange, swooping helmets.

               “We heard there was a death?” One of them asked, hand resting on the sword at his hip.

               “Yes,” the widower responded, folding his arms over his chest. “My wife has had… an accident.”

               “Foul play?”

               “No. Foolishness.”

               “She was due for trial. We had come to make our arrest.”

               “Well,” the widower drawled, regarding the pair of guards with a flat stare of irritation, “you’re a little late for that, aren’t you?”

               A dull, heavy thud sounded from behind him, and he grimaced. The guards glanced at one another, then moved almost as one to begin walking through the doors. He did not stop them; instead, he turned to stand aside, arms folded behind his back as he took a brief moment to look at the crumpled body of his wife, now in a heap on the floor after the frayed rope had finally snapped.

               She had brought it on herself. She was wild and willful, some middle-class upstart that her father wanted to marry up. He watched as the guards rolled her over, laid her out on the floor—her arm had been broken in the fall, hung at an awkward angle as they examined her. His gaze slid away, and he picked at the lint on his fine jacket. She had been beautiful, once. His dear, lovely Adelinde… She had golden hair that shone like the sun, skin the color of moon-kissed petals of the lily, and green eyes that blazed like emeralds. In death, she looked nothing like herself. Those sparkling green eyes bulged from fields of red, and her swollen face stuck out its putrid tongue like the masks the savages wore to frighten their enemies…

               “She took her own life, then?” One of the guards asked, and the widower flicked his gaze up for a brief moment before looking away once more.

               “I presume so, yes.”

               “One of the servants?”

               “Doubtful,” he replied at length. “They either avoided her or enjoyed her company. Besides… I doubt they would go through the trouble of… stringing her up like this.”

               One of the guards, the younger of the two, fixed the widower with a pointed stare.

               “Did she know that she had been accused of witchcraft? Took her own life to keep from going to trial and facing the proper judgment of God?”

               The widower grimaced, and he adjusted his jacket with a harsh jerk from both hands.

               “If she did, it was from no word of my own. I would never give warning to a witch.”

               The guards stared at him a moment, then looked down at the horrible, twisted features of his former wife’s corpse. Finally, as one, the two of them rose, each holding one end of the body between them.

               “Well. Either way, she faces God’s judgment now. All sinners must take their rightful places in hell.”

               The widower nodded mechanically, watched as they hauled his wife off toward the grounds on the outskirts of the town—unhallowed ground reserved for the burial of criminals, suicides, and witches. As he stood in the doorway, feeling a sick sense of satisfaction, he heard the soft murmurings of the servants rising up like the rustle of leaves falling in the woods.

               “Nachzehrer,” one old woman who worked the kitchens whispered, clutching tightly to her apron. An older man beside her nodded, head bobbling like a hungry duck’s.

               All at once, the widower was filled with fury. He stepped outside, slamming the door behind him, and glowered down at the hired help that clustered around like a flock of terrified hens after a fox had been discovered in the coop. All eyes were on him, blinking stupidly in the mid-morning sun.

               “Enough with your foolish superstitions,” he growled. “Everyone back to work.”

               There was no argument voiced, but he could see the resentment that echoed in the pairs of eyes that glanced at him before slowly sliding away. The whispers continued, regardless.

               Nachzehrer. Nachzehrer. Nachzehrer… the consuming dead.

                 He wore mourning clothes for only a week, then promptly shed them to begin making his advances toward other eligible women around the town. Some thought him improper, but most took pity upon him; poor handsome Gerhardt, trapped into marriage by a cunning witch’s charms, only to have her commit the ultimate act of sin before her judgment day! There was certainly no lack of pretty women to walk with, to dance with, to impress with his hunting talent and natural eloquence…

               Many of the ladies with whom he pitched woo had been rivals of his dear Adelinde before her death. Women she had jousted with her sharp tongue, who had often slinked away in defeat, licking the gaping, bleeding wounds left in their reputations. Women she vied with in the dance hall, each flaunting the newest season’s fashions and the quick, easy knowledge of the latest steps from across Europe. Women who mocked her low birth, only to promptly have every secret dalliance exposed to the horror and delight of the entire town.

He sighed wistfully as he listened to the vapid rambling of his newest pursuit—beautiful but frightfully boring, with a long family history of producing a large number of heirs. That had been another thorn in his side; his Adelinde had never given him a child, though he had tried tirelessly—to the point where his lovely wife had begun to hate his advances, had glowered at him even in the darkness after the candles had been blown out.

               In fits of boredom, he undertook a number of dalliances with tavern women, with peasants, with unfortunate servant girls who got in his way. Through it all, however, their faces became her face. He watched with horror as, at the height of his passion, the face that looked up at him, tears shimmering in dark eyes, swelled and twisted into the horrific mask that had been his wife’s face in death. Green eyes burned like witchfire into his soul, and those bloated lips sneered silent curses at him.

               He began to take ill, hiding himself in his rooms save for the occasional venture out into the town to keep up appearances and court the ladies at the balls. Every woman he saw seemed to be his Adelinde, her gaze still falling on his shoulders long after she was gone. The whispers of the servants hounded his every step: Nachzehrer. She will be back. The mistress will return, and God help us all.

                 The first disappearance came as a shock that rippled throughout the entire community. The boring-yet-beautiful woman he had courted in earnest, now his fiancée, had gone out on an afternoon walk, as per usual, and had never returned. No one that had walked with her remembered seeing her go, and no one in the town or the surrounding countryside had seen anyone of her description. There were suspicions of robbery and kidnapping bubbling up amongst the crowd, and it seemed to be the only subject anyone could speak of at the ball.

               “Poor Brunhilde,” one elderly dowager said, fanning herself quietly as she stared off at the dancers with a frown. “And you, Gerhardt. Losing your wife and so soon after to lose your fiancée. How dreadful.”

               The widower nodded, face pale as he clutched his drink with white knuckles.

               Nachzehrer.

               “Yes,” he murmured. “Thank you.”

               “I do hope they find her soon, and unharmed. Though the way she carries herself, I have no doubt her father will soon be getting a ransom note. The poor dear. Poor, sweet Brunhilde. She would have made you a lovely wife. Not like that wretch you married, before. No way to speak of the dead, I know, but that woman was a monster. Terrible creature.”

               He excused himself from the ball early that night.

                 Peasant girls vanished with little notice, though their families mourned in their own private way. He had arranged a secret rendezvous with the tavern owner’s girl, but she had never arrived. She did not come to the tavern the next day. Her father leveled the widower with an unpleasant stare the next several times he visited the tavern.

               These were only the start. One by one, each and every woman he had made contact with, save for the servant girls trapped in the manor with him, began to vanish off the face of the earth. There was no outcry, no mess left behind—they simply disappeared, as if the earth had opened up and swallowed them altogether. People stared at him, now, with the same heavy stare that his wife’s dangling corpse had leveled upon him when he had gone to cut her down from her final perch.

               A hunter returned one day after being out later than expected, following the tracks of a gigantic boar. People continued to disappear: hunters, supply wagons, travelers—all vanished without a trace on the outskirts of town. The citizens met and discussed their options, then decided that this boar and the herd it no doubt traveled with was the cause of all their woe. Gerhardt felt a brief reprieve from the oppression of their stares; no longer was he the primary suspect, no longer was he silently accused of murder by each and every pair of eyes that met him in the streets. And, sometimes, they accused him of far worse.

              They had no need to; he was tormented enough. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his wife’s eyes bulging from their hideous sockets, lips pulled back in a deathly grimace like a wild, horrible smile. Each time he saw her, it seemed, that smile grew wider and wider...

                The hunting party never returned. Vanished.

              He went home, resolved to lock himself in the manor. The old woman in the kitchens shook her head at him, and he felt a shiver run up and down his spine as he paused halfway up the stair.

              Nachzehrer, she said with her eyes alone as silence hung between them. The mistress is coming home. God save us all.

                The next day, he resolved to lay his paranoid concerns to rest. There was no such thing, he told himself, over and over in dizzying cycles of half-coherent thought; no such thing as the dead that rose again to consume the flesh of the living. He wandered to the outskirts of the town, hood drawn up high over his head as he wrapped his traveling cloak tightly around him. It was the dead of winter, now, and his breath escaped him in wisps of pale white smoke as he paused at the edge of the cemetery. The dead slept peacefully under their carved headstones. Further off, beyond the high wall, under brambles covered over with frost, was where the undesirables lay in their fitful slumber, howling for justice, for vengeance… for mercy.

              He took his first tentative steps around the wall, creeping closer to the pile of disturbed dirt that marked the recently deceased—but it had been weeks. The dirt should not look so fresh, so—he shook his head, clearing the thoughts away. The dead do not rise to eat the living. The dead do not rise... The dead do not… do not…

              There she was. His Adelinde, as beautiful as the day he had met her—but painfully pale, kissed by frost as she lay in the open hole in the earth with not even a casket for her bed. Gerhardt’s breath hitched in his throat, and he reached a shaking hand down to caress her frozen face—only to draw suddenly back when he realized that one of her eyes was open, staring at him, green emerald paled by death and brought to a blind, glassy sheen.

              It had been weeks, his mind repeated, like the sudden clanging of alarum bells. Weeks. She was still so beautiful, so—but she was not beautiful when she had died. Her face had twisted, bloated, turned beet-red with the blood that had drowned her brain and forced her tongue out of her sweet, bow-lipped mouth. Her hands held one another, left thumb tucked into her right hand as she stared up one-eyed, unseeing, at the sky, the trees, the world entire—everything but him. She was so… beautiful.

              As he gazed upon her, he found himself trembling with a sudden rage. Someone had disturbed his Adelinde in her final rest. Someone had jealously dug up her corpse, had—it was too horrible to think. He pulled himself away, groaning. Why had he accused his dear Adelinde, told the world stark falsehoods of her wickedness? She was a lamb of God, and nothing more. The most beautiful, the most beloved, innocent… no one could have her. No one could see her. Little by little, he began to push the dirt down into the hole with his bare hands, covering his dear, sweet Adelinde with the soft blanket of the earth as she stared blindly at him with that single pale eye. Before he covered her face, he could have sworn he saw her smile.

                He washed the dirt from his hands, but he could not scrub her image from his mind.

                The church bells rang in the dead of night, and Gerhardt pulled himself from his bed in quiet confusion. He lit a candle, squinting in the dim light as he saw other tiny flames burst to life in other windows all the way down the line of the main street of the town. The bells rang on—a slow, steady drone like a funerary dirge—and he pressed his face against the warped glass of his windows to try and get some idea of what was going on. Had someone died? Even so, they usually rang the bells in the day—never this late at night. Was there an emergency? He saw no one in the streets…

              Then there came a loud, panicked knocking at his bedroom door. Annoyed, confused, exhausted from persistent nightmares that had dogged him for weeks, he moved to answer his midnight caller. The old woman from the kitchens stood before him, wringing her gnarled old hands as her nearly toothless mouth gaped wide.

              “Nachzehrer,” she said, flinging her arms out to grab hold of her master’s satin nightshirt. “Nachzehrer. The mistress.”

              Furious, eyes burning in the dim candlelight, Gerhardt grabbed the old woman’s hands with fierce strength.

              “There is no such thing,” he bellowed. “Damn you and your superstitions! Adelinde is dead! She is dead, and no one will ever see her again! No one will gaze upon the roses of her cheeks, nor see the sun gleaming off the spun gold of her hair! She is dead and gone, and I have killed her, don’t you understand? It was because of me! Because of me, sweet Adelinde, light of my life is gone! And all is gone with her!”

              He flung the old woman away from him as she opened her mouth to speak again, and watched, horrified, as she stumbled back—and tumbled like a rolling boulder down the stairwell. Her eyes seemed to watch him as she fell, her gaze an unspoken accusation filled with sorrow and hurt and—and something else. She fell on the steps with a final, horrible crunch, and he could faintly see from the moonlight flooding in through the great windows of the main hall that there was blood pooling on the fine wooden floors from her mouth and nose.

              He shook his head as other servants opened their doors to see what had caused all the fuss, then quickly slammed his door when one of the servant girls screamed.

              “No, no, no, no,” he hissed, raking his hands through thick black hair as he dashed to the window, staring out as the bells rang on, heralding death. “No. I didn’t… mean…”

              “The old woman had it coming. Did she not?”

              That voice.

              He turned, slowly, and saw witch-green eyes staring at him from the darkest corner of the great bedroom he had once shared with his wife. A shadow stood there, strong and tall, fine of frame. He lifted the candle in trembling hands, saw the dirty red dress that his wife had loved so dearly.

              “We all… have it coming. Weep not, fair Gerhardt.”

              She stepped forward, and he saw her in the light—horribly pale, with the deep bruise that the rope had left behind forever imprinted on her delicate neck. His mouth moved, but no words came.

              “Death comes to everyone,” she continued, her form seeming to shimmer and distort in the flickering light of the candle. “And we all… deserve it.”

              He turned to look outside again. The streets were filled with corpses oozing blood, and the sky looked as if it burned red with hellfire. The candle fell from his hand, and its flames lazily licked at the heavy curtains, trying to grasp, to climb, to consume.

              Adelinde was growing, twisting—he heard the sickly crackling of her bones, the wet sound of flesh twisting and tearing, the faint click of hooves as she set her hands down on the floor before her. A giant boar stared him down with witch-green eyes, standing where his wife had stood. A long tongue flicked out, snake-like, tasting the air, and his heart raced as he reeled back. He did not notice the flames creeping up his nightclothes, did not hear the desperate pounding at his door.

              “Poor handsome Gerhardt. Your wife is such a boor,” the massive creature with too-long legs said, its emaciated frame drawing closer to him as he felt the first sharp pains of fire touching his flesh. He could not breathe. His chest tightened, seared with anguish, as his arms and legs went numb.

              “And the way she eats! My goodness…”

              The tusked jaws gaped open—and open, and open. Gerhardt stared into the mouth of hell until his eyes rolled back in his head, blood running from his nose. He breathed in acrid smoke as the room seemed to grow brighter. The mouth closed on his feet, and he could not scream. The teeth crunched through shin bones, through thigh bones—and he could not scream. His ribs cracked. That tongue wrapped around him, constricting, pulling—and soon there was nothing but hot, wet darkness.

              Finally, Gerhardt screamed.

              The noise resounded in the hollow echo-chamber of the creature’s gullet until, with sickening finality, the molars crushed his skull and silenced him forever.

                The door burst open, and the servants rushed in—only to find an empty room, half-ablaze, with no trace of their master left behind. The city streets ran red with blood, and babes cried, freshly-orphaned, from their beds. As they clung to one another, slowly slinking out of the manor when the building began to burn with renewed vigor, the newly-widowed old man looked at the younger ones around him and whispered a single word: Nachzehrer.

              They all nodded. They all knew.

              Everyone that had heard the horrible ringing of the bells was dead—save for them. The Mistress had returned, and the Mistress had spared them all. The Mistress was good.

              God save the Mistress.

                God save them all.

#duck's writing #horror #nachzehrer #short story #fiction #saturday storytime #original fiction

[amandajoyce118]

Jessica Jones Season 2 Easter Eggs And References

Instead of a six sentence Sunday this week, since it’s been over a week since the second season of Jessica Jones dropped on Netflix, I bring you lots of Easter eggs. They’re all broken down by episode so you can skip to the ones that interest you.

First and foremost, before we even get into the episodes, is this that someone pointed out on twitter. Just like in the first season where plenty of iconic imagery from the comics was used, even the promotional image Netflix uses this season is based on a comic book panel. And just like in season one, the episode titles are all actually voiced in the episodes.

S2E01 AKA Start At The Beginning

Metro General

Apparently, this is the only hospital in New York, and its staff, other than Claire Temple, is all pretty much useless since they didn’t notice a teenage girl suddenly appearing out of thin air 17 years ago.

Lizards Wearing Human Skins

This probably isn’t an outright Marvel reference since it’s used as a joke in sci-fi all the time, but when one of Jessica’s potential clients mentions this, it reminded me that Agents of SHIELD did confirm that one of Marvel’s reptilian races, the Gegku, exist in the MCU since Fitz was wearing their larva as a pin in season five. As for the “wearing human skin,” Agents of SHIELD also did that with the Chronocoms in season five, and we know that the Skrull (who are shapeshifters) are heading to the MCU in Captain Marvel next year. So, hey, maybe it’s a reference after all.

The Whizzer

A guy with a penchant for yellow and blue who happens to have super speed isn’t just an invention for the show. Though his name is revealed as Robert Coleman, he was Robert Frank in the comics, and really popular in the 1940s. He was a character some fans theorized would pop up on Agent Carter because of his ties to the time period, but he was adapted for a (brief) time on Jessica Jones instead. The character actually fell out of favor with audiences as Captain America gained popularity. His comic book origin was the result of Dr. Emil giving him a blood transfusion from a mongoose… which gets a reference on the show too, though in a surprising way.

Trish’s Patsy Costume

That costume, right down to the colors and the go-go boots, is something teenage Patsy would have worn in the comics. They’ve really done a nice job at the callbacks for this character.

The Killers

The movie playing on the rooftop is the 1946 movie The Killers, which was adapted from an Ernest Hemingway story. In it, a boxer was paid to throw a fight and thinks he’s going to be killed after the fact. Which is basically the backstory for Daredevil’s father.

Trish Keeping “the others’” Secret

Trish makes a point of saying that she didn’t reveal Jessica’s identity on her talk show, even if it’s easy to trace Trish to Jessica. But she also mentions that she didn’t reveal any of the others. That’s a reminder that the two of them have now met the main players from Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist in The Defenders in case anyone forgot that Trish’s superhero complex wasn’t just a result of her friendship with Jessica, but living in a world full of heroes and just being Trish.

Maynard Tiboldt

The hypnotist that Trish mentions is a comic book character called the Ringmaster, just like his father before him. He debuted in the sixties in the comics and used a mind controlling hat while he was in charge of the Circus of Crime. A version of a Ringmaster actually appeared in Iron Fist as well, so I feel like this is more a case of the writers wanting to reference another controlling male character than planning on doing anything with him.

Crap On Jessica Day Is Next Month

Okay, so I know this isn’t a reference since writers didn’t know exactly when the show would be released when they were writing, but I found this line by Trish funny only because Infinity War’s release date was officially moved up to April, which is the month after Jessica Jones drops, and when the world will, presumably, go to crap, for the heroes living in it.

S2E02 AKA Freak Accident

Josie’s Bar

Look, it’s not just Matt, Foggy, and Karen who like to take their shots at Josie’s anymore. It’s becoming a regular Netflix hangout. And one with a Game of Thrones pinball machine.

The Patsy Walker Posters

The illustrated images used are pulled straight from old comics.

Those Spider-Man References

The idea of a spidey sense and the whole “with great power” phrasing has become such a large part of pop culture, that it they might not be a purposeful shout out to Spider-Man, but they should be. “With great power comes great mental illness” from the Whizzer and Griffin’s “scoty-sense” being referenced reminds comic book readers that on the page, Jessica was actually a classmate of Peter Parker’s when she was a teenager - which is obviously a very different timeline than the MCU. Jessica even had a crush on him at one point, but literally no one even noticed her until her family’s tragic accident. She didn’t take it well.

Simpson’s Inhaler

It plays a role later in the show too, but it’s confirmation that Will Simpson is a character inspired by Nuke if the red and blue pills from last season weren’t enough. In the comics, the pills activate his adrenaline, strength, etc. This season, he’s upgraded to the inhaler for a quicker method of application.

S2E03 AKA Sole Survivor

Foggy Nelson

So, it’s not just Josie’s that Jessica Jones is borrowing from Daredevil. This is just your reminder that Foggy now works at the same law firm as Jeri Hogarth. Him reaching out to someone having a tough time is probably also serving as a reminder that he’s having a tough time of his own - he thinks his best friend is dead.

Leslie Hansen

Hansen might just be a fairly common last name in the MCU, but it could also be that this doctor is related to Maya Hansen, seen on the big screen in Iron Man 3. She was one of the scientists working on the Extremis serum, and over the course of the movie, she was killed. Fun fact: She was originally supposed to be the villain of the movie, but the script was changed because Marvel didn’t think a female villain would sell toys. I like to think that Jessica Jones, a show that had all female directors for its second season, and all female artists doing its posters for promotional work, picked the name Hansen on purpose to prove a point, but that might be reaching.

Captain America’s Action Figure

We’ve seen Avengers toys and things in the MCU properties before, but it’s a nice nod here that this action figure belongs to a kid that lost Cap’s shield, so he had to make him a new one… which is exactly what just happened to Cap himself since he’s getting a new shield in Infinity War. Also a fun nod? A magnet was used to attach a new shield to the toy. There was a time in the comics when Cap used a magnetic glove to make sure his shield returned to him.

S2E04 AKA God Help the Hobo

We Prefer Gifted

The MCU has typically thrown around the word “enhanced” when it comes to people who were experimented on and ended up with abilities. “Gifted” is used less often simply because of its association with X-Men and the divide between Marvel Studios and FOX. It’s an interesting choice to have Jessica use the term (she also used it in season one) now that FOX has its own Marvel superhero show in The Gifted, which is set in the X-Men world.

Are you bulletproof?

I think Vito asks Jessica this as a nod to Luke Cage, but it could be a coincidence. He’s the only hero we know who got press for being bulletproof in the MCU though.

Hedy Wolfe

When audiences get a glimpse at the magazine cover highlighting Trish out with Malcolm, there’s a smaller headline that reads “Hedy Wolfe clashes with gal pal.” Hedy was one of Patsy’s costars in the comics.

S2E05 AKA The Octopus

Malcolm’s Painting

Funnily enough, Malcolm had a painting of an octopus in his living room in earlier episodes. I don’t know if someone in the writers room just really likes the animals or what.

“I know how you people like to team up.”

It does seem to be true in the MCU that one super powered person leads to a group. We’ve got the Defenders, the Avengers, the Secret Warriors, SHIELD itself, and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

David Kawecki

Not a comic book character, but I think this name might be a nod to Annette Kawecki. She was a cover artist and letterer for Marvel in the 70s. The promotional team for the show released posters/book covers for every episode this season all designed by women, so I like to think this was a purposeful shout out. Especially since the character liked to draw. I feel like there could be more names that acted as shout outs to women in the industry as well, but I didn’t catch them all.

Don’t smile.

Okay, probably not an intentional Easter egg, but you have to admit that seeing a guy tease Jessica not to smile when he’s taking her picture actually made you smile instead of the sick feeling provided by Kilgrave’s command for her to smile.

S2E06 AKA Facetime

Purple and Yellow

I’m sure everyone knows that purple makes up the primary color in Jessica’s show. Each of the Netflix Marvel series has a signature color, so when Jessica and Oscar get busy and knock the paint over, of course it’s purple. The color isn’t just a nod to Killgrave’s Purple Man, but also the color that dominates her comic book covers. The working title for the series is also Violet. Funnier to me is that during the sex, they also manage to knock over the yellow paint, even when Jessica tries to move the paint cans out of the way. Yellow is Luke Cage’s signature color. But maybe that’s just a coincidence.

Karl Malus

The doctor that did all that experimenting is based on a comic book villain. He wasn’t one of Jessica Jones’ villains though, but Jessica Drew. Rumor has it Jessica Drew could be making appearances in Spider-Man movies soon, so that seems appropriate.

Jessica’s Painting

Oscar’s painting for Jessica might have a pretty distinctive style if you’re familiar with the comics. David Mack creates art in that same style (pretty sure he’s who painted everything that belongs to Oscar) and designed comic book covers and posters for Jessica Jones.

S2E07 AKA I Want Your Cray Cray

Jessica’s Mom

The big reveal here is that Jessica’s mom is alive. In the comics, Alisa Jones is the name of the woman who adopts Jessica, not the name of her birth mother, but the show’s using the name all the same.

Gentech

Genetic Technology seems to be the fun way to name many a research company in the comics. So many companies get called “insert name here” Gentech. In fact, Maya Hansen worked for a company called Prometheus Gentech. So, it’s nice that carries over into the MCU as well.

That Music Video

Everybody else got some serious Britney Spears vibes from Trish’s music video, right? Similar aesthetic, similar pop music, and similar career path (at the time).

Jessica Campbell Jones

In the comics, the family that adopts Jessica has the last name Jones. Her birthname is Jessica Campbell. Since the show had Jones as her name from birth, adding in Campbell as her middle name was a nice touch.

“I’m gonna live forever.”

Yes, I think this is more of a reference to FAME than anything else since Trish wants to be seen as extraordinary. But maybe it’s also a hint to Patsy Walker’s comic book destiny of dying and only to get super powers in Hell and come back as the hero Hellcat.

I’d also like to point out how sad it is that Jessica’s love for boots and leather jackets, plus the name of her business, is the result of the last serious relationship she had before the mess she got into with Luke Cage. The past was haunting her even before Killgrave.

Touch of Evil

The rooftop movie that we get a scene from here is the 1958 film Touch of Evil which is actually famous amongst film critics for its tracking shots. Who else is famous from long tracking shots? That would be the Marvel shows. Every Marvel Netflix show (and Agents of SHIELD) has employed single take fight scenes.

S2E08 AKA Ain’t We Got Fun

The Raft

Yes, you might recognize the name of this prison. It made an appearance in Captain America: Civil War. You might remember it as the place in the middle of the ocean housing the Avengers that aligned with Cap. It was also in the comics before that.

Don’t feed the trolls

I feel like every woman in the entertainment industry has probably been told this about interactions on social media, so this line was probably easy for a show run by women to add in.

Trish Has Claws

Yes, she totally scratched up a guy’s face, a nice nod to the fact that Hellcat wears gloves with claws in the comics.

S2E09 AKA Shark in the Bathtub, Monster in the Bed

Stan Lee

He doesn’t have his usually police officer poster cameo. Instead, he appears on a poster advertising a law firm outside of Port Authority. Maybe he’s really a model?

Forbush

That law firm Stan is advertising is Forbush and Associates. Forbush-Man was a Marvel character. He was created for Marvel’s comedy magazine called Snafu. (Forbush also happens to be the last name of the police captain that Lee usually cameos as.)

S2E10 AKA Pork Chop

A Plant Based Component

I saw someone mention that the plant based component in the inhaler that couldn’t be identified might be a nod to Black Panther’s heart shaped herb. I like the idea, but I don’t think that’s the case.

“There’s a hole in your soul.”

This line reminded me of the fact that Trish’s mother actually attempts to sell Trish’s soul in the comics in order to extend her own life. Things like that are actually fairly common in the comics with things like the Darkhold, Ghost Rider, and Mephisto dealing with actually demons and a dimension that Mephisto likes to pretend is Hell.

S2E11 AKA Three Lives And Counting

Feline Distemper Vaccine

Amongst the things that Dr. Malus uses on Trish during the procedure to give her powers is the Feline Distemper Vaccine. Feline. Like for a Hellcat. The writers were not messing around with the Hellcat foreshadowing this season.

Cell Block D

Alisa was held in the same part of the prison that housed the Punisher and Kingpin. It’s where all the most dangerous Netflix criminals go.

S2E12 AKA Pray For My Patsy

WJBP

The station depicting the news has also appeared in other Marvel Netflix shows, and if I remember correctly, Agents of SHIELD.

“You can’t stop selling your daughter even if it kills her.”

Again, not just a reference to the fact that Dorothy Walker in an opportunist, but also to the fact that she tries to sell her daughter’s own soul in the comics.

Turk

Hey, look, it’s New York’s only street level arms dealer. Really, he’s appeared in every Netflix show so far, typically getting beat up by a hero for selling a weapon to a bad guy. At least this time around, he didn’t get beat up.

Doctors Giving Powers In Back Alleys

There’s this idea that people want superheroes so badly that they don’t care how they get them, appealing to shady doctors in suspicious areas to get the job done. This bit of dialogue is actually reminiscent of an Alias comic book storyline (that’s Jessica’s original comic book) that saw gangs kidnapping people with mutant abilities and harvesting Mutant Growth Hormone from them. It was made into a drug that they dealt.

S2E13 AKA Playland

You just used up two of your nine lives… not to mention those reflexes

Yet another nod to Trish and her feline ways, prompting more speculation that she’ll finally become Hellcat when she appears in the Netflix shows again. The end of the episode shows she’s got some super reflexes now, a reflection of her character’s agility in the comics.

#jessica jones #jessica jones season 2 #jessica jones spoilers #jessica jones easter eggs #marvel comics #i wrote a thing