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redheadedteatotalfanfic · 2 years

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Mini Me's -- pt 2 "Beat the Clock"

The outside world was quiet and still, the sounds seemingly swallowed by the fresh blanket of snow that had fallen overnight. The sky was streaked with pinks and golds, heralding the sunrise of a new morning. But this wasn't just any morning, this was the most sacred morning in all kid-dom. Christmas. The morning when three hundred and sixty-four days of behavior were hopefully rewarded with new treats and prized possessions.

Soon homes everywhere would be filled with excited shrieks and squeals as those who had earned a visit from Santa discovered the delights that had been left for them beneath the tree. But there was no laughter in one particular house. No ear-splitting screams of excitement woke this set of parents as it had in the years before. Instead, they sat on the sofa, quietly sipping from mugs of coffee, and shared a bemused smile. Santa had visited their house and had left a haul worthy of two very well-behaved children, but those same two children had apparently decided that the man in red no longer had to play beat the clock. "Should we make them get up, or wait and see how long it takes for them to get up on their own?" Kevin asked. Gina checked the time on her phone. "It's seven now, let's give them another half hour and then we will," she replied. "Remember how we said we couldn't wait for this? To not be woken by screaming and yelling at the crack of dawn? I take it back," Kevin said. “This is weird.”

Gina chuckled but agreed with him. After so many years of being jolted awake by the deafening screams and yells of delight, it was a little odd to be sitting on the sofa and surrounded by silence. This time last year the living room was a chaotic mess of boxes and wrapping paper. The thought of that going away somehow managed to tug at her heartstrings more than it should, and she felt herself begin to tear up. Her babies were growing up.

She didn’t get the chance to dwell on it long as several minutes later a doorknob began rattling, indicating that at least one of them was awake. They both put down their coffee mugs and then quickly padded upstairs to watch. Kevin had activated the video option on his phone and began to record just as Indie opened her door, shrieking in delight as three dozen red and green balloons tumbled in on her. As she worked on getting the plastic sheeting that had held them against the door loose, Bodhi opened his door to find himself behind a barricade of red and green paper streamers that had been taped to his door. He punched through them and joined his sister in the hallway, where they were met by another challenge. A red yarn “laser” maze stood between them and the staircase to the tree below.

Kevin had started this tradition four years ago, with the intention of slowing the twins down. Each year they made things slightly more complicated, basing the challenges on the twins’ skill level. The maze was new, and both parents chuckled at seeing the twins’ personalities come through as they tackled it. Bodhi began to pick his way though without hesitation, but Indie studied both the maze and her brother’s attempt to get through it, before she started herself. Once both twins had made it though the maze, they greeted their parents with hugs before all four went down to the tree.

Before they seemingly destroyed the living room while exploring this year’s haul, both twins headed into the kitchen to take care of their only daily morning chore. The family had two dogs, a pair of pitbulls named Nox and Blu, and it was the twin’s responsibility to take care of them. They alternated the care, so that both were involved with all aspects of pet ownership. Today Bodhi bundled into a hoodie and slipped on a pair of slides before grabbing the pet waste bags and taking both out into the backyard. Meanwhile, Indie emptied and rinsed out their water bowl before refilling it with fresh water, and then filled their food bowls with their breakfast. The idea was to keep both dogs occupied with food while the twins opened their gifts.

While the twins were occupied with their pets, Gina took the opportunity to set the camera up on its tripod and then tuck it into the corner so that it could continuously film the entire morning, and she wouldn’t have to keep making the twins stop to take photos. She would take two stills once they had opened everything, giving them the chance to show off this year’s hoard, before carting it all upstairs. At the same time, Kevin retrieved a large open box that Gina had wrapped from the garage. It would be used as a sort of garbage bin, so there wouldn’t be any ugly looking trash bags in the pictures or video.

As he had always done, Santa had left the twins presents in two separate piles, making it easier for them to discover their own gifts, without worrying about touching their sibling’s stuff and making them mad. Gina and Kevin returned to the sofa, to wait for the twins. While Bodhi was still outside, Indie prepped the dogs evening meal. They heard the sliding glass door open as Bodhi came back in with the dogs, and there was the clatter of toenails on tile as both canines made their way to the kitchen and breakfast, as they did every morning. After getting undressed and washing his hands, both Bodhi and Indie came back into the living room, and Christmas got underway.

There were excited shouts and squeals as discoveries were made, both twins quickly settling on the floor to dive into the cornucopia of delights. They both got new art books and markers, along with guided journals and books by favorite authors. For Bodhi there were also new Lego sets, and a new Nerf gun, along with three new video games. His big gift for the year was an at home version of a Skee Ball game, his favorite arcade game. Indie got the American Girl doll she’d begged for the entire year, who happened to be dressed in matching pajamas. There was also the trunk that had duplicates of several of the eleven-year old’s own outfits, along with a suitcase, and she let out a squeal that nearly ruptured eardrums when she found that Santa had included tiny versions of the training gear that Indie wore. Genesis, as she’d previously been christened, instantly moved from her spot in Indie’s pile to the eleven-year-old’s lap. Aside from that she got an Instax camera and a Kalimba with a songbook.

With the gifts from Santa screamed over and shown off, the twins moved onto their wrapped presents. Each year Kevin took them to pick out a roll of wrapping paper that would be used to indicate which gifts they got from mom and dad. Originally this had been a way to keep them out from under the tree, but it had morphed into the twins knowing these gifts didn’t have to be shown off to anyone but each other. Before the twins could begin to unwrap them, the dogs finished breakfast, and ambled into the living room to join the family. While Blu settled in a spot where he was out of the way but could keep an eye on his boy, Nox threaded his way through the mess and laid down, contently becoming a backrest for Indie.

Bodhi took a moment to drag the wrapped box over, and as he and Indie began to unwrap presents, they tossed the torn strips of paper and tissue into the box. They started with their one expected gift, and the only thing they knew would be sort of identical. Each year for Christmas, Kevin created a custom design that included their names and favorite colors, and had the artwork put onto hoodies. The twins typically wore them their first day back to school. When Indie opened her’s, she looked down into her lap, and then expectantly at her dad, making both parents laugh. “She’s got one too,” Kevin assured her.

Indie went back to her gifts. Both uncovered new clothes, and neither complained. Gina had fallen in love with the ‘Something to Wear’ adage when the twins were toddlers, and they had been raised to expect Christmas gifts to fit it. Santa usually brought things they wanted and things to read, and then mom and dad took care of the stuff to wear and the stuff they needed. Included this year as the something they needed were new helmets, Indie’s for her bike, and Bodhi’s for his skateboard. Their thank you’s were unprompted, though this was one of two times during the year that they typically weren’t scolded for forgetting.

When they moved onto their stockings Kevin and Gina began watching Indie intently. Santa had seemed a bit one sided this year, with Bodhi appearing to get a bigger haul. She had no idea that mom and dad had decided to give her the other thing she always wanted from Santa but couldn’t quite figure out he’d do it. The twins pulled out new toothbrushes, and various other hygiene items, including the more grown-up body wash Bodhi wanted to try. When Indie got to the bottom of her stocking she found a small square box, that when opened revealed a pair of gold heart earrings. She looked up at them in surprise. “I’m getting my ears pierced!?!” She shrieked loudly.

Both dogs whined and Bodhi clapped his hands over his ears at the shrill noise. Both parents laughed. “We’re going tomorrow to get them done, so the redness will be gone by the time you start school,” Gina said.

Indie carefully put Genesis aside before pushing herself to her feet and all but jumping on her parents to hug them. “Thank you!” she said eagerly, kissing both on the cheek.

“You’re welcome,” Kevin said in response.

When Indie returned to her pile Gina smothered a grin at Bodhi’s eye roll. “Okay, finish cleaning up the paper so we can get your pictures done and then you can take your stuff upstairs before breakfast,” she said.

“Can you fix my hair like Gen’s so we match in the picture?” Indie asked as she helped Brodie finish cleaning up the mess they’d made.

“Yes, I’ll fix your hair so you match,” Gina replied with a smile.

Indie ran upstairs to get her brush and the necessary hair ties. Meanwhile Gina moved to the camera and paused the recording, getting the settings adjusted to take photos. Kevin helped Bodhi set up his stuff, and the eleven-year-old quickly wiggled into his hoodie. “You’re taking two right?” He asked.

“I’m taking one for the family, and one funny one, yes,” she answered.

“Tell me which one,” Bodhi said.

“Let’s do the family one first,” Gina said.

For the family one Bodhi simply sat Indian style in front of his gifts. He smiled and waited for Gina to tell him he could move. She quickly snapped the shot, checking to make sure it came out okay. “Okay, funny one,” she said.

Bodhi got to his feet and grabbed his nerf gun, cheekily posing as though he was guarding the rest of his stash. “Perfect,” Kevin said as Gina took the shot.

Indie returned, and carefully put Genesis aside long enough for Gina to twist the two front sections of her hair into braids so that she matched her doll. “Do you want her to wear her hoodie too?” Kevin asked as he set up her gifts.

“Please,” Indie replied, tugging on her hoodie and freeing her hair. Bodhi picked up the trunk and quickly found the tiny hoodie, helping his sister put it on the doll without messing up her hair.

For her family picture Indie also sat down Indian style, with Genesis in her lap. “I don’t know what to do for my funny one,” she said when Kevin gave her the thumbs up to move. Bodhi quickly whispered in her ear, and she giggled and nodded.

“This oughta be good,” Kevin said.

Indie passed Genesis to Bodhi, who quickly began manipulating the dolls limbs. Indie flopped over onto her back, twisting her head to look like it was at a funny angle. Bodhi placed the doll on Indie’s chest, and Indie bugged her face out, giving the impression that the toy had come to life and was choking her. Kevin instantly cracked up laughing. “That’s awful,” Gina said with a grin. “I love it.”

She took the shot and then Indie straightened up. “Okay, you two get everything upstairs while daddy and I work on breakfast,” Gina said, turning to give Indie a pointed look. “Including Genesis.”

The girl looked slightly crestfallen but nodded.

“Put out your outfits and pick out a toy and a book to take with us. We’re leaving as soon as we eat and change clothes,” Kevin said. They were headed west to spend the holidays with both families. He stopped Indie who was headed upstairs with her first load. “Make sure you pack Gen’s suitcase too.”

A smile returned to the eleven-year-old’s face and she quickly darted upstairs. When she got to the landing she paused and turned to look at them. “Thank you, for everything,” she said, her sentiment quickly and earnestly echoed by her brother.

Kevin followed Gina into the kitchen, and they shared a smile that another Christmas had gone down well, and they had two very grateful happy children.

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wizardessheart-sideb · 3 years

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Image ID: A chapter image done in the style of Wizardess Heart. A large, off-white imagine with a guy on it. He’s wearing a dark gray uniform. There’s a lavender bar over him that reads “Tsukasa Kuze.” The rest of the text reads “Main Story” and “Chapter 4: Studying Cut Short” /End ID]

Chapter summary: Tsukasa and mine's daily study session gets derailed a bit when he feels sick after practicing defense magic.

The bell rang and I slumped forward onto my desk, groaning. It’s only been three days, but I’m so tired. I’m ready to take a nap. Or die. Either one. Even though I’ve been studying and practicing so hard, I can’t ever catch up to everyone else.

“Are you okay?” Tsukasa’s voice sounded concerned.

“No,” I answered honestly. Tsukasa leaned over and rubbed my back. Even through my clothes, I could feel the heat from his hand. It felt more nice than reassuring.

“Is this about our grades?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I replied. “And I’m tired.” Even after our study sessions, I spent hours in my room studying and practicing. If I was being honest, I probably wasn’t getting enough sleep on top of still trying to get used to this new nocturnal schedule.

“Do you want to cancel our study session for today?”

“… No.” It was a tempting offer, but I couldn’t slack off. Not when his grades depended on me.

“I don’t mind canceling,” Tsukasa said.

“No. I need to practice.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t exactly the whole truth. I didn’t want him to know I was worried about his grades. He was probably worried about them enough without me putting more pressure on him. Tsukasa sighed.

“… If you’re sure.” He sounded hesitant. Reluctant. But he just stood up, gathering his things.

Have I upset him?

Quickly, I shoved my stuff into my bag and I caught up with Tsukasa. There seemed to be two streams of people: one going back to the dorms and the other heading towards what I assumed was the Night Cafe. Not that I’d been there yet, what with Dorian cooking our meals and even packing our lunches. I wonder when he gets any sleep with how busy he is… And speak of the devil…

As Tsukasa and I approached the library, Dorian came into view, sitting on the ground in front of the door, face in his hand.

“Uh, Dorian? Are you okay?” I asked.

“Hey,” Dorian responded. He got to his feet, still looking disgruntled. “I’m doing a favor for Nox and Rex. I can’t let anyone into the library.”

“What? How come?” Tsukasa asked.

“The hell if I know,” Dorian said with a shrug. “They just asked me to keep people out while they investigated something in there. Whatever it was, they looked pretty freaked out about it.”

“That’s kind of concerning,” I said.

“I’m sure it’s nothing that bad,” Dorian said. That… no. Just no. Was he just trying to play it down so he wouldn’t scare us? Nox and Rex seemed like really tough guys. If something scared them, it would probably scare anybody. But regardless of what happened, this meant no studying in the library today. Tsukasa and I said our goodbyes to Dorian before turning back the way we came.

“Uh… do you still want to study? We could go study at the dorms,” Tsukasa suggested.

“I think we have no choice.” We made our way to the dorms and up to the third floor where Tsukasa’s suite was.

There’s something interesting about seeing dorm rooms. There’s a special brand of uniformity to them. They have the same bed, same desks, same dressers, same lights, same flooring. But each person makes the room their own. Decorations are put up, layouts changed, personalities seep into the room. And Tsukasa’s is no different. There are photographs of him and an older guy who must be his older brother all over his wall. A pile of snacks rests on his desk and his bed is messily made.

“Sorry my room’s messy,” Tsukasa said as he started moving stuff from off of the beds to underneath them. “You can sit wherever you like.”

“No, it’s fine! This isn’t messy at all.” I sat down on the bed across from his. Tsukasa leaned against his bed after pushing away some spare blankets. “Um, I guess I should go over earth shields since yesterday was garbage.”

“All right, let’s do it,” Tsukasa nodded. I whipped out my wand and steeled myself. The faster I got this, the more I could hone this until it was perfect.

“O earth, protect us from harm! Suctum terra!” The image of a stone slab strong in my mind, I channeled my magic through my wand. A solid dirt slab appeared in front of me. Tsukasa smiled widely.

“Hey, that looks way better!” he said. His compliment made my cheeks burn.

“Thank you! Can you attack it and see if it’ll stay?”

“Yeah, of course. 水! (Mizu)!” Tsukasa drew a symbol in the air and a deluge of water came forth, slamming into my shield. I had to channel more magic into it, trying to keep it in place and together. My muscles tensed from all my concentration. Suddenly, the water stopped and Tsukasa exhaled, shoulders slumping forward.

“I think it’s good,” he said breathlessly. Yay! I did it!

“Now I just need to keep this up…” Easier said than done. Not to mention, Tsukasa’s magic was improving too. I was about to compliment him when it happened. Tsukasa flopped back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his chest rapidly rising and dropping.

“Tsukasa?! Are you okay?” I hurried over to his bed. He nodded very slightly, eyes closed.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just a little winded and dizzy,” he told me.

“Dizzy?” I get being winded from magic, but dizzy?

“It’s nothing serious,” he tried to wave my concern away. “It’s just a part of my condition.”

“‘Condition?’” I repeated. What condition?

“I just need to lay down for a moment,” he said.

“That doesn’t sound like it’s not serious.” Now that I thought about it, on the day I moved in, wasn’t Tsukasa in the infirmary? Nox said something about Tsukasa scaring them. Has this happened before? As Tsukasa got on his bed, I sat at his feet. “Is there anything I can do for you?” I asked him.

“If you could hand me a pencil and my Magic Notes, I’d really appreciate it,” he said.

“Uh, sure.” Even though I had no idea why he’d want those, I got up and rifled through his bag for them. His things weren’t well-organized, but somehow I was able to find them.

“Thank you.” He sat up a little and started writing furiously. I tried to sneak a peek at what he was writing, but since it was in Hinomotan, I couldn’t understand it.

“What are you writing?” I inquired, trying not to sound too serious or nosy.

“I’m writing to my brother,” he explained. “I have to tell him whenever this sort of thing happens.”

“That’s kind of weird. Oh!” Dang it! I need to stop blurting out things! But he didn’t look offended. At least, I didn’t think he did. He frowned, sad, but at least he didn’t look angry. He just looked resigned.

“It’s not…” He sighed, putting his pencil down.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it in a weird way. I was just surprised,” I said, trying not to dig myself into a deeper hole than I was already in. The last thing I wanted was a fight with Tsukasa. Not just because we were Buddies, but because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“No, I understand,” Tsukasa said. “I know it’s weird, but Azusa’s insistent on it.” Again, he sighed. He picked his pencil back up and continued writing. “It’s invasive, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

With a flourish, he finished the note and sent it off. The sorrowful look on his face tugged on my heartstrings. It’s really not a good situation to be, isn’t it?

“Tsukasa… You don’t have to tell me, but what’s going on?” I reached out for his hand absentmindedly. It took me a moment to realize what I’d down, but before I could take my hand back, Tsukasa grabbed it. He gave it a gentle squeeze before letting go. His eyes avoided mine.

“… You’d find out eventually… And I guess this affects you since we’re Buddies…” he muttered. He took a deep breath. “I’ve always been sickly. Ever since I was a child, I always had problems with my immune system. I get sick really easily and I don’t think I’m ever truly healthy. I’ve almost died a few times, but I’ve managed to pull through. I had a really bad bout of cholera when I was fourteen and after that, Azusa insisted we move to Gedonelune because the medication I’m taking is readily available here and it’s hard to get in Hinomoto.”

Tsukasa’s arms folded in front of his chest.

“Azusa’s always been so busy working to support us that it’s always been our system that if I wasn’t feeling well, I tell him immediately so he can keep up to date with how I’m feeling. I was fine with it when we were younger, but now that we’re adults, it just feels invasive. I know he’s just doing it because he cares about me, but he raised me and he knows I’m always sick. I don’t see why he has to know everything.”

“Is your medication not helping?” I asked.

“Ugh, I don’t know. It really helped me the first few years I took it. I got sick only once or twice a year. But in the last year or so, I’ve been getting sick more often and I honestly don’t know if it’s actually doing anything. But Azusa keeps insisting I need to take it…”

His shoulders slumped and my heart sunk. I couldn’t begin to imagine how much stress Tsukasa was under. Not only did he have to deal with being sick, but he had to deal with his brother being overbearing. In that moment, a single thought occurred to me: If I got good enough at magic, maybe I could help him. Was healing humans and animals really all that different?

Once again, my hand reached for Tsukasa’s. But this time, I didn’t wait for him to grab it.

“If you need anything, I’m here for you,” I told him. His hand was so warm as it squeezed mine back. A small smile was on his lips.

“Thank you. That really means a lot to me.” A moment passed and yet again, I realized what we were doing.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I swear my head isn’t on right today,” I stammered. I pulled my hand out of his. Thankfully, he just laughed; he didn’t seem angry.

“I don’t mind holding your hand,” he said. For some reason, that made my stomach feel all fluttery. I needed to become an official student now. Not just for myself, but to try and help Tsukasa. To help him relax and repay the kindness he’s shown.

Tsukasa and I decided to cut our study session short and after doing some homework together, I returned to my dorm. Like usual, the door to the suite was open. As I approached, I could hear talking in the kitchen. I poked my head in and saw Aika and Dorian. Aika sat at the table, flipping through a book while Dorian stood at the stove.

“… Okay, add the paprika and let it simmer for fifteen minutes,” she instructed him.

“Got it,” he nodded.

“What’re you making?” I asked, coming into the kitchen and taking a seat across from Aika. The two smiled.

“There you are! I was wondering where you were, what with the library being closed,” Aika said.

“Yeah, did you guys get your study session done?” Dorian asked.

“Aw, you were studying with your Buddy~?” Aika teased me. Hm. I don’t know if I like that lilt.

“Well, yeah, of course I studied with Tsukasa.” Why was I feeling so defensive?

“You two are so cute together,” Aika commented. “Cute together?!

“What?!” I squeaked. My face was burning and I wanted to disappear into thin air. Why are they being so weird?!

“Pft… Don’t get your underwear in a twist,” Dorian laughed. “Aika just thinks you two are a cute couple.”

“We’re not a couple though?!” I corrected him.

“Yet,” Aika said with a wink.

“You guys are spending a lot of time together,” Dorian pointed out, the edges of his lips curled into a grin.

“Because we’re Buddies. We have to work together. Our fates depend on each other.” I told them. But they kept smiling and it was clear my words didn’t mean a thing to them.

“Come on, isn’t there something romantic about being with someone that your fate is tied to? Right, babe?” Dorian looked to Aika, who was staring off into space. She perked up, looking around the room like a Meerkat looking for predators.

“… Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, totally,” she said. Dorian pouted at her.

“At least pretend to pay attention when I’m bullying someone,” he said. This was only going to get worse, wasn’t it? They really weren’t going to listen to the truth that Tsukasa and I were just friends.

“Y-You guys are too much!” I cried. I quickly fled from the room, Dorian’s laughter chasing after me.

“Dinner in an hour,” he called after me. I slammed my door shut, leaning against the back and sliding to the ground. My face felt hotter than lava. Why are they like that?! Is making people embarrassed their hobby?!

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. It was obvious I was flustered. But why? I didn’t see Tsukasa romantically, so why did their teasing feel like a personal attack on top of just being embarrassing in general?

#tsukasa kuze #tsukasa kuze: kind spirit #shall we date wizardess heart+#wizardess heart fan route

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timetrickster · 5 years

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Aloha Oe X Edith Nox Crossover: THE FINAL EPISODE. Episode 13: The Final Battle Part 2

Here it is, the finale. So a couple of words, I loved doing this crossover. I loved having the pleasure of working with @cometworks who created this fantastical WIP called Edith Nox. She gave me the creative freedom of doing this and loved every second of each episode. I’m glad I got to do this and I’m open to doing crossovers bc it’s fun.

TAG: @thelysstener @coloursintheblur

FADE IN:

INT. TEMPLE OF FATES. NIGHT.

Previously…

The Final Battle for this world had begun. NEYDOLYA & her Malevolents and her army of Shadow Cats had charged the town of Abricot. As well as the release of the new Black Beast, SIMARGL. The heroes of this world and a hero of another have banded together to stop this threat. Now… back to the show!

The Sisters reunite… not in the way you hope but in horror of each other’s sight. CLEMENTINE stood in front of MISTRAL aka VIOLET her sister in a monster form. MISTRAL looks at JUSTIN whose face was hidden in the shadows and shame.

MISTRAL

You… you brought her into this!

JUSTIN

I did.

She stands as she gets more aggressive toward JUSTIN.

MISTRAL

WHY?! (She screams)

JUSTIN

Because she is the only other person that you love. Your own sister.

He never raised his voice, that was the most heartbreaking thing. Looking at someone you loved in shame and silent anger and disappointment. MISTRAL sensed that feeling from the eyes of the alien boy she tried to frighten. MISTRAL backs off slowly from her aggression and looks to CLEMENTINE. Both sisters felt the tug of heartstrings while JUSTIN only could look with that feeling of gloom with no tears.

CLEMENTINE

Please. You have to stop Vi. This isn’t you.

MISTRAL hides behind her hands, hiding the tears of sadness from everyone. CLEMENTINE slowly walks toward her and simply hugged her. MISTRAL couldn’t help but cry, and repeatedly saying the word “Sorry”. She turns to EDITH, the girl she loves and crawls to her. Holding her face as the tears run down her face.

MISTRAL

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I love you too Edith. Please forgive me.

She was unconscious but in her arms, she would easily wake up and she does so.

EDITH

Of course, I forgive you. I will always love you.

MISTRAL kisses EDITH and well… you know this moment. True Love’s Kiss. As lips locked, their hearts glowed as a wave of wind was sent out. The snowy MISTRAL melts away and returns the human VIOLET back to her normal self. They release from their kiss and press against each other’s forehead.

EDITH (cont’d)

Don’t you ever sacrifice yourself for me again. (She laughs)

Despite the tears in her eyes, VIOLET laughs too.

VIOLET

I promise I won’t.

EDITH

I know that’s a lie because you love me.

VIOLET

Yeah, I do. (She smiles and laughs and kisses Edith’s face)

JUSTIN & CLEMENTINE stand on the sidelines watching the two reconcile and being all lovey-dovey. CLEMENTINE stands next to JUSTIN and smiles.

CLEMENTINE

Thank you.

JUSTIN

Pleasure is all mine. (He slightly smiles) I couldn’t stand not seeing those two happy.

CLEMENTINE kisses JUSTIN on the cheek, which made him blush a little.

CLEMENTINE

You’re an angel.

His slight smile becomes a full smile.

JUSTIN

Thank you.

CLEMENTINE

Let’s go kick some ass!

JUSTIN

Hell yeah!

The four heroes return to the Castle Grounds and see the battle still going on. UMI still fought the crystal version of her daughter. ADE fights valiantly against the ever elusive VODNIK. The Royal Army still stood against the Shadow Cat Army. The Princess Sisters rush in to save their father.

Giving a punch of fire and ice to VODNIK knocking him down. They both turn to ADE who becomes shocked that both his lost girls have returned.

ADE

Clem? Violet?

With no words needed, he hugs both daughters in joy as they returned. VODNIK rises from his gut punch from the two Princesses. His hammer in hand, he wields it one more. ADE summons his fire fists, VIOLET makes an ice sword, and CLEMENTINE summons a sword forged from fire, a sword blessed by the Fates. The family of royals charge at the frogman together.

EDITH rushes in with her sword and swings it for the first time ever. Breaking SOLITAIRE’S right arm falling off. EDITH activates the light shield and pushes her backward. She throws the sword at SOLITAIRE which stabs into her crystal torso. Cracks began to grow and grow until specific pieces begin to fall off. EDITH turns to her mother and she has tears of joy.

UMI

My baby Sprout can fight! (She hugs her tightly)

SOLITAIRE’S upper body drags herself toward EDITH & UMI. She raises her arm with a sharp crystal shard from her broken body. She is about to slash but JUSTIN fires his laser pistol which finally destroys her. They both turned him as he holds his pistol pointing up.

JUSTIN

You’re welcome.

The howl of the new Black Beast is heard once more. The fight stops when heard and the SIMARGL lands at the Castle entrance destroying the gate. As well as any soldiers lying around. NEYDOLYA appears before them angry as ever.

NEYDOLYA

You humans… all you ever do is fight and cause war. When I destroy your gods, this world we’ll be recreated the way I want it! (She turns to Simargl) KILL THEM!

SIMARGL reaches his enormous wings of night and leaps into the air. He hovers over the Castle, ready to fire breath of frosty winds. EDITH & CLEMENTINE with their Swords of Fates in hand they point JUSTIN realizing they won’t survive this and pulls out the tattoo.

JUSTIN

Edith, please forgive me.

Before he could do anything, SIMARGL unleashes his frost breath onto the Castle. Leaving endless trails of shards on the ground. Soldiers ran for their lives as well as our heroes and their allies. To escape something that was inescapable. JUSTIN & EDITH end up together behind a wall. Noticing the tattoo she finally says something.

EDITH

You made a deal, didn’t you?

JUSTIN

I did…

EDITH

Why?! Why would you ever make a deal with them?!

JUSTIN

For you… I’ve made deals with Gods before and sometimes there is always a chance! And the only thing that this deal gave me gives us the best chance to beat Neydolya or the Black Beast.

EDITH grabs onto JUSTIN’S right hand.

EDITH

You’re not doing this alone.

JUSTIN squeezes both his hand and EDITH’S as the tattoo begins to glow. Their eyes too glow ever so brightly. Their consciousness is sent into the Realm Of The Fates. But there were no Fates just the galaxy and the two of them in simple silence

JUSTIN

What do we do?!

EDITH

We make something! Because that’s who the Fates are! They create! Let’s create something that could fight the Beast!

JUSTIN

That’s perfect!

EDITH

What if doesn’t work?! You really think this could work?!

JUSTIN

I’m with the greatest person I know in this universe. I know it will.

EDITH smiles.

CUT TO:

EXT. CASTLE GROUNDS. NIGHT

EDITH & JUSTIN awaken in the real world and the tattoo glows, the two hold hands and use the power of Fates. Suddenly a being is formed from the given power. The glows from the tattoo jumps out of the tattoo and forms a new being.

EDITH

I hope he’s as I imagined.

The being is finally formed and it turns out to be, EDITH’S imaginary friend, BERRY.

BERRY

Edith?! (He looks at his hands and feels his surroundings) I’m real?!

EDITH rushes toward her former imaginary friend and hugs him.

EDITH

You’re real now!

He accepts the hug gladly and smiles.

BERRY

I’m glad that you brought me to life.

EDITH

I am too.

The three of them steps out of the wall cover and EDITH yells at the new Black Beast.

EDITH

STOP! (She puts both hands up) You don’t have to do this!

SIMARGL was confused by that statement at first but his Mistress yells at him.

NEYDOLYA

Do not listen to this child!

SIMARGL blasts another breath of frost, specifically aimed at EDITH. BERRY steps in and turns his arm into a wooden shield. His wooden shield was simply frozen from the attack. He shakes it off and becomes

UMI steps into the conversation.

UMI

Sprout?!

She turns her head as well as BERRY.

EDITH

What?

UMI

You brought Berry, the Chipper Dryad? The imaginary friend you played with as a child?!

EDITH

I never told you this… but he’s not just any dryad. (She turns to Berry) He’s King of the Dryads!

He nods and turns into his true dryad form but he grows into the giant Dryad King he truly is. The same size as SIMARGL. It shocks everyone around as the dryad grew humongous in size.

JUSTIN

Enoch! Why don’t you help out?!

ENOCH

My pleasure, Captain!

The Eternity activities and flies next to BERRY. This battle needed a Giant Monster Battle. BERRY rushes at SIMARGL which he reacts to flying into the air. ENOCH follows trying to fire what she could without hitting BERRY. This was the last straw, NEYDOLYA finally had enough of all the obstacles humanity put in her way.

She uses her powers to control every being within this universe. The only ones unaffected were EDITH, CLEMENTINE, & JUSTIN having shared the power of Fates. EDITH & CLEMENTINE with their Sword of Fates and their statuses as Savior. JUSTIN with his deal with the Fates. NEYDOLYA makes her way to the Temple Of Fates.

CLEMENTINE

Go! Stop her!

The two heroes follow her, rushing after her. NEYDOLYA charges up a ball of energy and attempts to destroy the statues of the Fates. JUSTIN freezes time which stops her for the moment. EDITH rushes in and calls out to the Fates. NEYDOLYA suddenly shifts within the time freeze and she slowly moves throughout.

The three beings are thrown into the Realm Of The Fates. The galaxy was red bloody rage as the Fates were angered by her presence. NEYDOLYA fires magic blasts at JUSTIN knocking him out and she turns to her sister in her new forms.

NEYDOLYA

Hello sister!

She charges her magic blast and the Fates did too as well. EDITH steps in and stops before they fired their magic blasts.

EDITH

Stop! All of you stop!

NEYDOLYA

GET OUT OF THE WAY CHILD!

CAT

Edith listen to us! Don’t interfere!

EDITH

No! Please listen to me!

NEYDOLYA pushes her out of the way and all Fates begin their fight. As their soar throughout the galaxy of the realm. Firing at one another. Their battle was so devastating that the world they created began to rupture and quake from all fighting. In that very moment, all EDITH could do was watch as her Gods and their former sister fight.

She cries and is on her knees seeing and feeling the anger of the four gods. As well as the cries of her loved ones. With her two friends knocked out. She can only whimper and talk to herself.

EDITH (cont’d)

What do I do? (She cries and repeats)

CAT, OWL, & FOX become one all of a sudden, they reform DOLYA. As the lost sister returns to her true self. NEYDOLYA couldn’t help but smile with glee. The anger of the galaxy around them started to ooze this infectious black veins. Before you know it, DOLYA chokes her sister against a pillar of the gazebo. EDITH stares in horror as her magic reveals that DOLYA had grown remnants of the Black Beast. As she sees the face of CAT in their Black Beast form. Then OWL in theirs and FOX as well. It appears as masks on her face, CAT in front of DOLYA’S face, OWL on the right side of her head and FOX on the left side.

EDITH

What do I do?! (She whimpers and mutters the words in tears)

MONTAGE:

Whilst this goes on…

The Giant Battle between SIMARGL V. BERRY & ENOCH fights on. Despite the stature and status as King Of The Dryads. BERRY tries to hold his own and most of his wooden body is ripped by chunks. The winged beat being the opposite culprit for his wounds. The Eternity was in bad shape as well. Dents some created scars on the ship’s exterior.

Neither side could go on as the battle between the giants was endless.

VIOLET, CLEMENTINE, & ADE, daughters, and father fight valiantly as Shadow Cat Soldiers. Swords were swung and flaming fists were thrown.

NOEMI, ARGENTO, & PERIWINKLE flies through the skies, swooping in and taking out the Shadow Cat Soldiers. ARGENTO fires necro blasts at the soldiers who leap for her. PERIWINKLE creates blasts of wind strong enough to make people fly. NOEMI despite having the bow and arrow, he uses the scythe he acquired from INGRAM, swinging and slashing.

Back to the Realm Of The Fates…

She realizes what she has to do. She looks towards JUSTIN and crawls to him quickly. He opens his right arm sleeve and still sees the tattoo on his arm. She places her hand and the tattoo appears on her arm. The deal will only be complete if NEYDOLYA is destroyed.

Taking on the tattoo, her face was full of grim but squeezes her hand. It glows and she closes her eyes.

EDITH (cont’d)

Give me the power of a God. (She murmured)

The tattoo grows brightly and it creates veins that excruciate pain. She falls to the ground, accepting this as her Fate… what began was the process. Her human skin magically disappeared and left diamond skin in its wake. She was similar to SOLITAIRE but she was human at her core. She rose up from the ground seeing her diamond skin from head to toe.

She rises to her feet and holds out her hands. She breathes in then out and tries to calm things down. Her magic sends out a wave of this colorful deep purple. Her hands transformed into amethyst the color of deep purples surges from her hands and veins into like cracks. Leaving some of her body a clear crystal diamond.

EDITH (cont’d)

You need to stop! Please! (Her voice echoed)

Her new God-like status had the power to change the galaxy around them. From crimson red of rage and blood to deep purple and sparks of white painted on by her very hands. The aura of her serenity had calmed the enraged God from their fighting.

EDITH (cont’d)

You need to stop fighting! All of you! If you do, you will destroy the world! Listen to me!

NEYDOLA & DOLYA do so following her commands. They all return to the gazebo as they gaze upon a new goddess in their presence. She brings her arms to the side with her hands still showing the aura of calmness. The aura’s color changes to a light blue… as blue as an earthly sky, it had surrounded the Gods. The amethyst hands became aquamarine, sky blue filled her hands as well as pure white cracks in her crystalline skin.

EDITH (cont’d)

We are going to talk this out! Because that’s how I’ll save you! No fighting… no violence.

Both Goddess held an intimidating face but tears were in their eyes.

NEYDOLYA

She abandoned me.

DOLYA with CAT, OWL, & FOX’S faces reacts to that statement, as they were confused and the color of the galaxy changes. NEYDOLYA looks at CAT, OWL, & FOX full stare into their very beings.

NEYDOLYA (cont’d)

Sister… In the beginning, it was just you and me. We were family I loved you and I knew you loved me. Then we created this world… this beautiful world filled with humans. But when they acted out and when our differences got in the way… I was angry and upset. I thought revenge and destroying you would make me happy… but it… I was wrong. I just wanted my sister back…

DOLYA along with CAT, OWL, & FOX generate sadness as tears fall. The galaxies around them become the saddest blue you’ll ever see and feel. The two reconcile as a hug between both gods create a new surrounding. As the gazebo now resided in a garden atop a tree. Spring had sprung like no other. The galaxy skies stayed above and birds had nestled near the branches.

The two Gods look at EDITH in such gratitude as DOLYA raises her hand and pulls out the god-like essence out of her. The aura was shaped like a diamond.

DOLYA

Thank you, Edith.

EDITH simply nods and gives that slight smile. DOLYA reverts back to CAT, OWL, & FOX with CAT holding EDITH’S god essence in her shadowy hands.

CAT

Thank you again, Edith. Knowing you, I know you wouldn’t want this kind of responsibility. (She refers to the Diamond god essence)

She sends the diamond god essence to be locked away in a flower. Its petals were like any quartz you’d ever seen. Dark purple with cracks of green within it. It looked like a star…

EDITH

That’s my favorite flower, Comet…

CAT

In honor of you my dear. The Savior of her world.

OWL

You a hero you not want be. But hero to many and to us is what you’ll always be.

FOX

As much as I don’t like you… You did something I couldn’t possibly fathom. I’d simply congratulate you on this achievement… Congratulations, Edith.

EDITH smiled at FOX but despite their relationship. This was the first time he ever used her name. EDITH looks at JUSTIN a still unconscious.

EDITH

What deal did Justin make?

CAT

We give him the power to destroy Neydolya if he sacrifices the memories of him in this universe.

EDITH

Why would he do that?! Everyone just wants to play the sacrifice card for me! Please… don’t take it away, I don’t want to forget him.

CAT

The power given to him has creation itself within that tattoo. It allowed him unlimited use to destroy Neydolya. As well as share it with others for the same purpose. The deal is incomplete and with it broken, we must sacrifice the memories of him.

FOX

But one thing’s for sure.

OWL

Acts of kindness have there rewards.

EDITH closes her eyes from the erasure of memories. CAT snaps her shadowy hand and the tattoo having been returned to JUSTIN’S arm disappeared. She opens them after a few minutes have passed. They were still standing in front of her, smiling.

EDITH

Did you? (He looks at Justin still unconscious and smiles) You didn’t?

CAT

We did.

EDITH

Thank you.

CAT

Only you and the others will remember him. The memories will remain forever.

CAT nods, along with the other gods.

CAT (cont’d)

Sister, will you help us fix this world?

NEYDOLYA

It will be my pleasure.

The four gods rise to the sky and see a light hologram of their creation. The place their hands giving this healing light over the world. Meanwhile, in the real world, the Shadow Cat soldiers disappear into dust. Leaving the soldiers, ADE, VIOLET, NOEMI, ARGENTO, PERIWINKLE, & ARGENTO to cheer for winning the battle.

EDITH sits with JUSTIN as he slowly wakes up from the knockout.

SIMARGL reduces away as it was about to do a devastating strike on BERRY & ENOCH.

CUT TO:

INT. REALM OF THE FATES.

JUSTIN

What happened?

EDITH

Saved the world.

JUSTIN

(He smiles) Sounds good. Ow… this hurts. (He lies on his back)

EDITH laughs and leans on him which makes him groan in pain.

EDITH

Sorry.

JUSTIN

It’s okay. (He laughs off the pain)

CUT TO:

INT. CASTLE COURTYARD

A celebration was thrown in honor of the leading heroes of this fantastical story. EDITH, VIOLET & NOEMI awarded medals. As ARGENTO, PERIWINKLE, BERRY are in the crowd applauding. While JUSTIN & CLEMENTINE watch from the Eternity with glee.

CUT TO:

INT. EDITH’S HOME. AFTERNOON

A Few Days Later…

Like all stories, it was time to end. The Time Walker had dropped in the lives of these new and magical people. Having had the honor of meeting a savior of another universe. Well… his second time anyways. The heroes throw a private celebration for him.

EDITH, NOEMI, VIOLET, CLEMENTINE, ARGENTO, PERIWINKLE, ENOCH, & BERRY. Were all in attendance. They ate and sand and had fun. And Each got to say their last few words before leaving.

BERRY

The only time I ever met you was in Edith’s mind palace. Now, here I am. (He smiles)

JUSTIN

You protect her buddy. Promise me that.

BERRY

You got it.

PERIWINKLE

You were the best alien friend that any little girl could ask for. You’re fun and wild and I like you very very much.

ARGENTO

I also haven’t gotten to know you well but you’re a good man.

JUSTIN

You two, please take care of Noemi.

PERIWINKLE & ARGENTO

We will. (They smile and hug him)

NOEMI

You taught me to be more confident in myself and well… because of you. I have her and I’m stronger now and I can hold my own. Thank you. (He hugs him)

JUSTIN

Continue to grow Noemi promise me that. And take care of these two.

NOEMI simply nods.

VIOLET

Justin. You are the most complicated alien boy I ever met. But you have a good heart and the spirit of a hero and warrior. You came into our lives and here I am. With the most beautiful girl in my life and with an open heart. Thank you.

She hugs him and a slight sound of tears are heard.

JUSTIN

I’ll miss you.

It was now EDITH’S turn… and well saying goodbye to a friend is hard enough. Especially a friend from another universe and is an alien.

EDITH

Justin. You are amazing. Period… uh, because that’s what you are and that’s what you do. You travel and walk into people’s lives and bring amazement and adventure. I’m so glad that we were given that chance for you to do that with ours.

EDITH was balling and couldn’t go on. She just ran to him and immediately cried on his shoulder. JUSTIN pats her on the back and he sways her as if she were a baby.

JUSTIN

I will very much miss you, Edith. Hero of this wonderful universe.

He let’s go before stepping onto the cargo bay door with ENOCH & CLEMENTINE.

JUSTIN (cont’d)

I’m very bad with these speeches but uh… I’m gonna miss you all. Seeing you do magic and live your magical lives. Simply that. I will miss you all.

VIOLET has one last goodbye with sister, as tears were filled one last time.

VIOLET

I’m gonna miss you so much.

CLEMENTINE

Just remember, I’m never gone. I’ll always be with you and I will always love you.

JUSTIN nods and walks into The Eternity with ENOCH & CLEMENTINE.

Despite entering the Eternity flies away opening the portal to his home universe.

CUT TO:

INT. JUSTIN’S PRIVATE QUARTERS.

JUSTIN with a bag in hand puts it on the table. He opens it and pulls out the object from the bag. The reveal of the object was a plant, EDITH’S favorite plant, The Comet. Not just any Comet, the stamen of the flower was shaped like a diamond. One would even say it has this “Divine essence” to it. JUSTIN smiles then frowns a bit.

JUSTIN

I’m gonna miss you guys.

ENOCH (V.O)

Captain, we’ve arrived.

CUT TO:

EXT. EDITH’S GARDEN. AFTERNOON.

EDITH & BERRY are walking in her garden and talking.

BERRY

I still can’t believe I’m real now!

EDITH

I know! It’s gonna be amazing that you’re gonna be living with us. I hope you love the garden and take it as your home.

BERRY

I’ll love it! And I’ll always love you!

BERRY hugs her and she returns the hug as well.

EDITH

Oh! Since you’re going to be the guardian of my home. You will also house my legendary weapon.

She had unsheathed the Sword Of Fates and hands it to BERRY.

BERRY

I swear as your once imaginary friend. I will guard you, your friends and anyone you love with all my heart. As well as your sword.

EDITH

Thank you, Berry.

A final hug seals the promise. He walks over to where the Sword Of Fates was placed. He transforms into his dryad form and turns into the tree concealing the sword within. EDITH smiles then she walks back to her home, VIOLET is waiting for her on the couch.

VIOLET

Hey. You okay?

EDITH

Just a little sad. Justin’s back home and now we're back to our normal lives.

VIOLET

We live in a world full of magic, how is any of this normal? (She laughs)

EDITH

Like you said, he brought this amazement in our lives.

MONTAGE:

NOEMI is polishing the scythe he grabbed from INGRAM. As an heirloom as a reminder. He had books opened to pages of INGRAM reading about the distant relative. ARGENTO kisses him on the cheek before leaving to find more books on Necromancy. PERIWINKLE tugs on her big brother’s coat, to which he kneels and kisses her on the cheek.

She returns a kiss on his cheek and leaves for school. He smiles as his little sister left and goes back to reading.

CLEMENTINE was returned to the moment she was taken. They have a little chat before JUSTIN had to erase her memories of the event.

CLEMENTINE

Thank you.

JUSTIN

You’re welcome. For what exactly?

CLEMENTINE

For showing me that the future is… happy for Violet without me.

JUSTIN

I’m glad that you’re happy. But you know what I have to do.

CLEMENTINE

I know. To secure the future.

JUSTIN nods his head. He reaches into his long coat pocket and pulls out a device. It was this flashlight-like device was a clear glass light. CLEMENTINE waits for JUSTIN to erase her memories but he hesitates.

CLEMENTINE

You can’t do it, can you?

JUSTIN

I can’t. Knowing your future, I just… I can’t, I can’t do that to you.

She places her hand on his face, caresses it for a bit. Then puts it on the device’s trigger.

CLEMENTINE

It will be okay. I’ll be fine.

JUSTIN nods and then pulls the trigger, flashing a light into CLEMENTINE’S eyes. Her memories now erased, her eyes were closed from the flash and then opened. JUSTIN was already in the ship flying off before she could see him leave.

CAT, OWL, FOX, & NEYDOLYA are watching from their realm as the Gods they are. They smile over their created world and enjoy their family company. The Three Fates return to DOLYA for a bit.

DOLYA

I wonder what mother would think of us.

NEYDOLYA

She may be an Elder God, but I know she loves us.

They had a manifestation of a statue of her within the garden. She was a beautiful woman, as her statue held the flower, a Comet. The pedestal spoke her name, “COMET” it was the same as the flower. DOLYA reverts back to CAT, OWL, & FOX and does their job. NEYDOLYA smiles and watches over her sister do their jobs of watching over the world they created.

END OF MONTAGE

CUT TO:

INT. EDITH’S LIVING ROOM. AFTERNOON

VIOLET

He is an amazing person.

EDITH

He really is.

VIOLET

You think he’ll ever visit us again?

EDITH

I’d like to think so and if he does, I’ll be all too happy.

VIOLET

What do we do now, sweetie?

EDITH Let’s rest. After all that adventure, we never rested properly. Let’s just sleep.

VIOLET

YES! Please! Let’s sleep!

EDITH & VIOLET kiss and then cuddle up on the couch to sleep from all the adventure within the two months. She closes her eyes and smiles in VIOLET’S arm.

Meanwhile, JUSTIN is in his private quarters resting up. While ENOCH had taken over flying the ship home to his version of Earth.

The two heroes of their universes finally earned a good night's rest.

FADE TO BLACK

END OF EPISODE 13

END OF THE CROSSOVER

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unlikely-allies · 5 years

Photo

4.5/5

After fleeing following Link’s “I love you” proclamation, Ridley finds herself in a Dark Caster version of the Mortal card game Bullshit. Instead of betting money, Casters up the stakes by gambling TFPs, or talents, favors, and powers. Ridley breezes through the early rounds, cheating by using her Siren abilities. During the last hand she is caught by the game’s host Lennox Gates. Now, Ridley owes the House, aka Nox Gates, two markers. Nox asks that Ridley find him a drummer to fulfill the first marker, given that the drummer of his club’s band bet his talents in the game and lost to Ridley early on. Luckily, Ridley just happens to have a drummer on hand.

Three months later, Ethan and his friends are getting ready to part ways. Ethan and Lena are off to school in Massachusetts, John and Liv are headed to Oxford so Liv can finish her Keeper training, and Link has his sights set on making it big in New York. Ridley patches things up with Link just in time to join him on his trip to the Big Apple. Without giving Link the whole story, Ridley introduces him to the band that works for Nox, and they hit it off immediately. Floyd, the band’s bass player is like the girl version of Link and also happens to be an Illusionist. Necro, the band’s keyboard player, is Nox’s personal Necromancer and the closest thing Ridley finds to a friend in the City. The band is rounded out by Sampson, the lead singer and a Darkborn, a new breed of supernatural that came to be after the New Order was established.

The band and the truth behind Ridley’s debt to Nox cause a rift in Rid and Link’s relationship; a rift that Nox uses to his own gain. In truth, Nox and Ridley share a bond that has been years in the making, but really falling for Ridley was not part of Nox’s plan. It also makes delivering Link and Ridley to the sick and twisted Silas Ravenwood that much more difficult.

This book was written for those like me who were team Linkley (Rink?) from the very beginning of the original Beautiful Creatures series. Link brings out Ridley’s gooey center and is the only one to really see the good in her. The highest points that the two of them share are in this book. Link is Ridley’s humanity and that is clear after reading Dangerous Creatures, which is told from her point of view. Ridley was my favorite character in the original series, and that is still true. I was disappointed when it seemed like all of Rildey’s character development was thrown away when she got her powers back after being mortal, but Dangerous Creatures shows that this is not the case.

The new characters that are introduced in Dangerous Creatures are all interesting and well developed. Lennox “Nox” Gates first comes off as the arrogant rich guy, but it soon becomes clear this is just a way for him to hide the effects of his rough childhood and his inner turmoil. Nox is neither bad nor good, he’s the perfect shade of gray in a world split into Light and Dark. Link’s band members are close knit, whether they admit it or not, and have each other’s backs like a small, dysfunctional Dark Caster family. Necro is probably the most interesting of the band mates, mostly because of her abilities, but also because of her willingness to give Ridley a chance.

I really enjoyed Dangerous Creatures, and the cliffhanger ending really tugged on the old heartstrings. I recommend Dangerous Creatures to those who enjoyed the Beautiful Creatures series, especially to the other Linkley fans out there. I also recommend Dangerous Creatures to fans of the urban fantasy genre.

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jcmorrigan · 5 years

Note

So I'm guessing from your teaser of TBTC, you've seen Wakfu Season 3. Thoughts?

Terrible. Absolutely terrible.

If you enjoyed Wakfu S3 and you don’t want to see me just TEAR INTO IT, turn away now! Because this is a RANT INCOMING!

So first and foremost, the big problem is Oropo. They overshot when trying to conceptualize the new biggest threat that could hit the World of Twelve. A guy trying to slay and replace the gods because they left him behind? Good! Solid concept! But he’s also a dark clone of the hero who was accidentally created during the climax of the last arc but we never knew it? Ummm…that’s a bit of a stretch. Also, he’s been around since the beginning of time and influencing history for millennia AAAAAND IT JUST GOT STUPID.

Really, they would’ve been fine if Oropo were just some dude who we’d never met before who was mad at the gods. That’s sympathetic. This whole Eliotrope thing (IT’S THE SAME NAME AS ELIATROPE BUT WITH ONE VOWEL SWITCHED?) is too complicated and just too unbelievable. Also, yeah, let’s not foreshadow this at all and pack all the exposition about why Eliotropes exist into a five-minute flashback.

Not to mention that his messing with history means that most of the threats we’ve dealt with up until now are his fault. We will never not live in a timeline where Nox became Nox BECAUSE OROPO ARRANGED THAT. Which cheapens Nox’s original motivation of “a formerly good man who caused his own destruction, but then, due to the combination of that and an accident, was motivated to change time to undo his mistakes.”

Same case with Ogrest. The OVAs set up a nice background for him about being sad because Otomaï abandoned him, and that was simple enough to understand and tugged at heartstrings. The extended lore of course has the incident about Dathura leaving him, which is again an understandable motivation. And all of this is Ogrest’s own story. It’s his own agency. This is a thing that happens to people. His father abandoned him, his lover betrayed him, and he became so sad, he flooded the world because he can’t control his tears. Oh, but what’s this now? Turns out Dathura didn’t leave him. Oropo just stole her away. Meaning Ogrest’s tragedy is now just a big pile of “Oropo did it again!” and honestly, at this point, we’re just trying to tack the mythos’ biggest tragedies onto the résumé of a subpar villain to make him seem scarier.

Not to mention this is my personal preference, but the whole subplot about Oropo pretending to love Echo when he wanted Amalia all along was really not to my taste. You had the chance to do one of two of my favorite villain tropes: 1) Oropo/Echo as partners in crime who are evil but also in true love, or 2) Oropo as Amalia’s creepy stalker for a whole season, adding the yandere dimension to his villainy and upping his threat level on a personal standard. They did NEITHER.

Also, the fact that Oropo tried to taunt Yugo with visions of Nox and Qilby telling him off for leaving them to terrible fates is 50% wrong. Would Qilby guilt Yugo over stranding him in the White Dimension, and would Yugo feel that guilt? ABSOLUTELY YES. But Nox? Nox left the battlefield to die quietly. He realized the weight of his sins. Nox would NOT guilt Yugo. And Yugo knows he did right by Nox. Oropo doesn’t understand Nox at all, despite being the guy WHO CREATED HIM.

Now, on to some complaints with the new gods in the tower.

We didn’t see the reasons for a lot of them actually WANTING to overthrow the gods. This is supposed to be a group that felt like life left them behind and so wants to take charge of it. The Osamodas girl who wanted to take care of her animals? YES. GOOD. GREAT. THAT’S WHAT THE REST OF THEM SHOULD’VE BEEN LIKE. But we never saw the motivations for most of them. We can assume Ush was just in it for a power grab, Dark Vlad was literally brainwashed, and…why did Black Bump, Toxine, the Sacrier, and Arpagone even want in on this plan? I love action shows that have good battle sequences, but I feel like in a LOT of these cases, the battles against the various new gods usurped us actually getting to KNOW them and SYMPATHIZE with their reasoning for doing this scheme.

I was afraid from day one that they were going to make extended canon stuff that wasn’t easily accessible part of the main series and expect us to just know about it, and Dark Vlad proved me right on that front. I KNOW Dark Vlad was explained in all the comics and spinoffs. But I still don’t have a clear idea of what he is because he wasn’t explained anywhere I saw.

Why even have a Sacrier if we weren’t going to meet her at all?

Black Bump is just a horrid waste of a character. Because we needed a villain with a panty fetish. Oh, wait, no, I guess it’s not a fetish. He just collects panties for completely non-sexual reasons. …WHAT?

Arpagone had ten million years of buildup and ten seconds of payoff. What EXACTLY was the resolution between her and Ruel? (Also, why is Ruel being depicted as a bad guy for avoiding a relationship that would’ve ruined his and Arpagone’s life financially and wound both of them up homeless? I know love is more important than money, but I’ve seen stuff in the real world, and I know you have to be able to balance your standard of living with your relationships. I have a good friend who got into a relationship for love and ended up financially TRASHED and stressed out for three years.)

Then there’s…Amalia and Yugo’s relationship. Hoo boy. So I always thought it would end up with Yugo confessing his love to Amalia and her turning him down because he doesn’t age and is therefore too young for her. But…it’s the other way around? Why is 20-year-old Amalia still interested in eternally-14-year-old Yugo? I love Amalia and I REALLY don’t like the implications surrounding this. I’m just calling it a writing fumble and going on believing that Amalia isn’t a creep. But then it comes out that the real reason Yugo doesn’t want to be in a relationship is because he still thinks Amalia is self-absorbed, which…yes, is her fatal flaw, but isn’t something he ever picked on before that exact moment. She overhears this because of course she does…AND THEY NEVER GET THE CHANCE TO DISCUSS THAT PROBLEM. Which is frustrating as all get-out. I don’t know if they’re saving it for the next season or if they just intend to drop the issue. But, like, why have a communication problem between them if they were never going to solve it? Why leave that thread dangling?

Finally, NO. REMINGTON. SMISSE. We went to all the trouble of canonizing that he survived EVERY near-death experience he suffered in S2 and beyond and then that he is able to travel dimensions without explanation in the OVAs. And…he’s just…gone now? He doesn’t show up? THE AUDIENCE LOVES HIM. HE GOT HIS OWN SPINOFF COMIC BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH PEOPLE LOVE HIM. WHY WOULDN’T YOU. The last time we saw him was with Ush, and they brought USH back and that would have been the PERFECT way to bring Rémy in. But I dunno, maybe they killed him off permanently in his spinoff comic and they just expect us to know that because they refuse to recap the extended canon’s important points in the actual show.

Anyway, S3 basically tried to pack too much into 13 episodes and failed to flesh out any of the concepts it brought up…many of which were garbage to begin with. I’m not sure whether or not I’m on board for S4. I am MORBIDLY curious to see what Ingloriam looks like and meet the gods of the twelve races. But we will NEVER NOT LIVE IN A TIMELINE WHERE OROPO CREATED NOX.

#wakfu critical #wakfu spoilers

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galpalaven · 6 years

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Nox and Julian are both not really ppl that use the nickname “baby” at all until they’re alone and one of them doesn’t feel good, and then it’s “aw baby I’ve got you” everywhere,,, that’s also the pet name they drop when they’re trying to be manipulative fjdkfjdkd because both of them pretty much melt at the sound of it. It’s very special, which is strange because these are two people who use “darling” “sweetheart” “my dear” “my love” and other things of That Nature fREQUENTLY and “baby” is the one that tugs their heartstrings the most,, incredible

#dont mind me im just #trying to figure out if i wanna sleep yet or not

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tcookies · 5 years

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my thoughts/reactions while reading Kingdom of Ash

Nooo it’s Aedion x Lysandra all the way

Darrow is such an asshole

Ayyyy it’s Nox!! Ya boi is back!

Damn, everyone is hungry for sex

babies already?!

Rowan please rest

That’s right Elide you give him that cold shoulder mhm

Ugh, darn that was sweet of Lorcan to shred his shirt for her blood

Oh snap that messenger almost revealed Lysandra’s true form omg I seriously thought everyone was going to find out that she’s just been pretending to be Aelin

I need more Ilias but please protect him!

Aelin no queen don’t give up

FENRYYYSSSSS! NOOOO DON’T, FENRYYYYYYYS!!

Oh thank god Fenrys you almost broke my broken heart

wait nooooo Fenrys nonononono please no oh damn it I really thought...

OH WAIT YESS.. YESSSSS. HELL FUCKING YES DO IT AELIN SAY THE MAGIC WORD. COME ON FENRYS LET’S GO BOIII YEEEEEE YOU GONNA LIVE OR SO HELP ME ahahaha HE LIVES PRAISE BE TO MALA AND AELIN

Wait I still don’t get it: whom did Dorian want to shift into? what did the golden hair mean?

Aw damn Manon & the 13 getting their hands dirty for the fallen :(

KALTAIN?! did not expect you :’(

the Little Folk are so cute but at the same time I envision them as those creatures from the horror film Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

Aww Fenrys hugging Aelin tugs at my heartstrings!

LOOOL ofc Aelin you would so raid treasure from the dead but it does make sense yeah

Everyone giving Lorcan the cold shoulder is pretty amusing

I’m on Chapter 39 already?! I feel pretty lost without a Table of Contents

Awww I am absolutely living for the blink communication between Aelin and Fenrys!

I need a longer Rowaelin sex scene please

Ok but the battle at Anielle reminds me of the Battle of Helm's Deep from LOTR, especially when Princess Hasar and her army arrive to flank Morath

NOO AEDION! LYSANDRA! COME ON!

A witch tower?! Holy shit omg I hope no character I know just died in that group of 4k soldiers that are now dust in the wind

Aelin is reuniting with Chaol, Nesryn, Yrene, and Falkan!! Omg oh my fuck nuts it is HAPPENING.

Ok seriously the battle at Anielle's Keep really reminds me of the Battle at Helm's Deep

Manon yaaaas Queen light 🔥 it 🔥 up 🔥

Aedion please hang on gods he's taking the worse of it this whole story

I agree with Lysandra he cannot just apologize and all is forgiven just like that bc seriously it took her to be nearly killed for him to apologize? But at the same time poor Aedion

Fuck you Darrow you worthless pos

Omg is Aelin going to stop the dam with her water powers?! Oh ok that's cool too

Chaol's father is such an ass

Yrene/healers are basically a metaphor for killing the enemy with kindness

ROLFE FUCKING FINALLY DUDE WHERE YOU BEEN BUT AAAYYY YOU CAME THROUGH THANK GODS

I legit started tearing up when Manon and the witches began lighting the hearth fires calling all other witches scattered to heed the call of their Witch Queen and go to war

Major LOTR vibes when everyone started responding to Terrasen's call for aid but ffs Aedion why didn't you call for aid earlier?

Everyone is getting smutty sexy time but Rowaelin :(

Please I need to see more of Ilias, Ansel, Rolfe, Nox and Falkan pleeaassee it's been years

Everyone's going to Terrasen now ahhhhh

Dorian no oh damn it Dorian yes but be careful

WTF Erawan was seeking Maeve and now she just waltzes right to him and now they're conniving together?! Surprised, but also not surprised. Erawan probably doesn't know she's the runaway wife of his brother... they would make such a power couple though

Aw fucking hell Dorian

Dorian wtf you are out of your mind blegh I can't imagine you with Maeve

Dorian agh jfc are you serious. You had one job. One job....

Ohhh I see. I judged you too soon Dorian, nice work!

Awww YEAH BABY. I am literally tearing up. Just when Aedion and co. Thought it was over, Manon swoops in with her army! I can just imagine the entire scene :')

PETRAH IS THE MVP

What no no no oh no I am crying ... the 13 are the true MVP oh God damn it

Bruh I am choking up at the 13's sacrifice and everyone paying their respects I am so close to crying

Bruh I'm listening to the Haunting of Hil House OST while reading the scene where Dorian and Aelin are using the Wyrdkeys and wtf is happening

Oh wtf?! Dorian's father of all people to appear?!

UWWAAH HOLY SHIT THAT PLOT TWIST I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT DORIAN'S FATHER AND NOOO AELIN

BROOO AELIN JUST PASSED BY FEYRE AND RHYSAND'S WORLD SHE MADE A CAMEO IN THEIR UNIVERSE

Aw man she lost most of her power but guess that's the price to pay :'(

I ALWAYS IMAGINED AELIN RIDING THE LORD OF THE NORTH INTO BATTLE (I was listening to The Hobbit Battle of the 5 Armies OST) AND IT HAPPENED

NOOO GAVRIEL! Man I knew he'd do this for his son 😭

Where is Nox amongst all of this?

Come on Aelin come on you can do this!

Yes Rowan and the Cadre have arrived and--oh crap FENRYS NO NOT AGAIN--ROWAN--MY HANDSOME FAE WARRIORS NOOO

"Dorian" well who would have guessed that was his father's name

Did NOT expect Fenrys to be the one to deal the first blow almost thought it was the killing blow

YRENE IS THE TRUE MVP

"Lord Lorcan Lochan" try saying that 5x fast

I'm done and I feel empty... I feel like the book could have been a bit longer because some moments did feel rushed. I'm still wondering what the hell happened to Nox because he just ghosted halfway through the book and never made another reappearance

There wasn't as many difficult losses as I feared for and that's good but I still cry over the 13 and Gavriel and & Murtaugh

#koa spoiler #kingdom of ashes spoiler #book review #koa reading progress

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