#[ it wasn't some “i'll honor and focus on the good we had” but a “i'll put you in the past just like you did to me” ]

[ignitefever]

hc + cocolia

send me hc + word for a headcanon ( still accepting! )

Serval's feelings about Cocolia are... confusing to her, even now.

It speaks a lot to how much Serval cared for Cocolia that she continued to be hurt by the woman's actions, so many years later. And if the order of the flashbacks near the end of Belobog's arc are any indication, then Cocolia ejecting Serval from her position happened before the lockdown of the Underworld, which went on for more than a decade.

More than a decade to stew in bitter feelings. To fall out of contact with someone who was once your closest friend, with absolutely NO explanation as to what you did wrong, or why she turned on you the way she did.

(Feels even worse when you KNOW you did nothing wrong.)

The bitterness she exhibits towards Cocolia is very much real, and only festered and grew without proper closure.

But even through that, Serval makes a number of remarks that indicate that there was once a hope of reconciliation, that Cocolia might go back to the person she was, and that they would be able to bury the hatchet.

This desire, of course, was juggled with the belief that she may not have even known the real Cocolia at all. And that belief only became more firmly cemented over the years.

What fondness she felt for the woman is overtaken by sadness and resentment, and is something Serval strives to leave in the past, ultimately unburdening herself and cutting her ties to Cocolia completely by smashing the guitar they shared.

While she acknowledges the person Cocolia once was, and the good memories they shared, the bridges have become too burnt to truly recover. And with Cocolia's sudden death robbing her the chance for proper closure, she'd only be left to stew in those feelings forever. Which is why she HAS to cut them out of her life, to truly move forward.

Put Cocolia in the past, like Cocolia had done to her.

Serval refuses to live in her shadow forever. And, it's as she tells Gepard and the Trailblazer...

Serval: From here on out, I'm over that woman.

[exhaslo]

Hi! I love your writing, especially what you wrote throughout Kinktober. I like to request something involving Miguel O’Hara.

So back on Day 30 of your Kinktober where you posted Villain!Miguel, it got me feeling things after reading the whole fic. Then a “What If” scenario came to mind: what if Spider!Fem!Reader was able to win the battle against Villain!Miguel and she would kidnap him this time to gather intel about Alchemax’s shady business practices (because she already knew the villainous Spider-Man is Miguel under the mask). While trying every way for Miguel to open up, but won’t budge unless he pleads a deal.

He’ll open up…if Spider!Fem!Reader has sex with him. Deal is sealed but the heroine warns the villain if he tries anything suspicious, he’ll receive more than pleasure.

- @club-danger-zone

Lissssssten, I read this at 3am when I woke up for work and been thinking about it ALLLLLLLL DAY!!!!!

Summary: Alternative Ending to Kinktober Day 30, Villain!Miguel x Hero!Reader

Original Click Here

Warning: MINORS DNI, Smut, corruption, dirty talk, p in v, restraints, rough sex, overstimulation, manipulation, wannabedom!reader

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Everything happened so fast that you were still trying to process what had happened. You were responding to a new threat at Alchemax when it started. A new, strong and dangerous villain had appeared, but to your concerned surprise, it was none other than your psycho coworker, Miguel O'Hara.

Miguel was the son of Alchemax's own CEO, Tyler Stone. The proud and cruel son who shared his father's ideals. You had been Miguel's coworker for years and knew how crazy he could be. Miguel was obsessed with studying the genetic makeup of some of the heroes from the Golden Hero Age. Particularly, Spiderman.

Miguel tested on people without a care. One of his experiments ended up accidently biting you, turning you into the hero Spider-Woman. It was hard, but you had to keep your secret from the madman. Miguel was like a mad scientist. What was worse, was that he finally tested on himself. That new threat you were responding too was none other than him.

"Just treat him like any other villain!" You told yourself.

Honestly, you were not prepared. Despite knowing how Miguel was, you couldn't help but fall for the bad boy troupe. Miguel was just so good looking. If he wasn't so crazy, you'd probably had asked him out. Hell, you always folded whenever he asked you to do something for him.

"Alright. Let's get this started," You finally said as you entered the room where Miguel was.

Miguel raised his head, giving that cold stare he usually had. His eyes were a beautiful red shade compared to normal. You wanted to ask him why he tested on himself. You wanted too, but taking down Alchemax was far more important.

"Tell me everything you know about Alchemax."

Miguel watched you with amusement. He had been trying to get you in his clutches since you first appeared. This was as close as he was going to get. Miguel wanted you as a test subject. Miguel let you beat him so he could get close to you. Licking his lips, Miguel observed you in person. That suit was tight against your skin. If only he could just touch you. If only he could study your blood.

"Miguel, focus." You demanded. Miguel returned his attention to you. That mask that covered the top half of your face, "If you cooperate, I might let you off easy."

"You already know my name," Miguel hummed lowly, leaning back in his seat. The restraints holding him back, "I'm honored."

"We can work this out," You sighed softly, seeing that he was being unreasonable, "I'm sure-"

"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine." Miguel said with a cruel smirk.

You had to be someone he knew. He could sense it. Furrowing his brows, Miguel noticed that his sense of smell had become stronger. This was getting interesting.

"D-Depends on the questions." You told him, biting your lower lip.

Miguel's eyes sparkled. There was one person who would bite their lip whenever they got nervous. Miguel inhaled deeply as he felt excitement run through his veins. It seemed like he was going to get his experiment after all.

"Oh, (Y/N), you've been keeping this secret from me this whole time? I gotta say, I'm a little hurt." Miguel's tone was cruel as he watched you flinch.

"N-Now we're getting off topic. Alchemax has been-"

"(Y/N)," Miguel changed his tone into a sweeter one, knowing how to manipulate you, "Why don't I answer all your questions if you just do me one little thing."

"T-That's not my name, b-but what is it?" You stuttered.

Miguel noticed your scent change into something sweet. His pupils dilated as he felt something in him grow hungry. Yes, this was a good reaction. Miguel was going to play his game.

"I'll tell you everything if you have sex with me." He told you, his words dripping like honey.

"Se-" Oh, you were folding.

Your heart nearly stopped as you tried to come up with a proper response. You had only imagined a moment like this. The amount of nights you masterbated to the thought. Slowly approaching Miguel, you knew that this was a horrible idea. What hero would give in to a villain? What hero would willingly have sex with an enemy?

"F-Fine! But if you try anything, I'll make sure that you'll receive more than just...pleasure," You huffed.

Honestly, you were nervous. What the hell could you do to him if he tried to make a move? Not wanting to think about that, you just played along. You were going to be the dominator in this moment. Miguel was tied up to the chair.

"Would you take your mask off for me?"

"Don't push it."

You fixed your hair, getting on your knees to undo his feet restraints. Despite Miguel being evil, you still wanted him to be comfortable for this. Once you loosen the restraints a little, you proceeded to undo his pants. Your fingers trembled as you stared at his large erection. He had already gotten hard just from asking you!

Miguel watched you in amusement. You smelled so scared, yet so sweet. You slowly stroked his dick as you undid a small, hidden zipper from your suit. Miguel's smirk widen,

"A zipper?" He questioned with a low groan. You pressed his tip, biting your lower lip,

"Y-You try going to the bathroom with this on! I had to make adjustments!" You huffed.

Once you thought you were ready, you sat against Miguel's lap and tried to slid onto his dick. You whimpered, unable to do so. Miguel leaned his head into your neck, inhaling your neck. You gasped lowly as he licked your cheek. You could feel fangs. Miguel never had fangs. You tried to move away, but Miguel nibbled against your suit,

"It's never going to fit unless you let me help, carino (sweetheart)" Miguel groaned lowly. You whimpered as you decided to rub your hips against his dick,

"I-I'm taking control."

"I don't think you can," Miguel's tone turned cruel once more as he grazed his fangs against your suit, "You smell so sweet. All for me."

"Don't flatter yourself," You gasped lowly as you started to get into the pleasure, "T-This is just...for information."

"Sure, (Y/N). My little (Y/N), the super hero. The perfect test subject right in the palm of my hand."

"S-Stop...c-calling me that," You begged.

Every time Miguel said you name, it sent shivers down your spine. Once more, you tried to slid his cock inside you. You whined and cried out as you managed to fit the tip inside your tight pussy. He was too big and you were not prepped enough, but you had to try. If you let him go, who knows what he would do.

"Treat this like another battle, (Y'N). You can handle it. If not, I might have to fight back."

You yelped as Miguel thrusted his hips up ever so slightly. Your walls tighten around his tip, begging him to wait. You were supposed to take control. You had to take care of this. You could only whimper and cry as you finally fit him fully inside you.

"What a perfect fit. Aren't you a good little test subject." Miguel whispered in your ear as you held onto him, "Now start moving. You owe me for keeping this secret, (Y/N)."

"M-Miguel...I...I said..." You whined as you started to bounce against his cock, "A-Ah~ Hah~ I-I'm in...mhm...c-charge."

Each time you bounced against his dick, you felt your body jolt in pleasure. Drool nearly rolled down your mouth as you started to ride him faster. His dick hitting your cervix with each thrust. Fireworks went off in your brain as you felt a hot, tight knot about to explode.

"That's right, (Y/N), you were made just for me." Miguel used his teeth to pull your mask down. Your fucked out expression turned him on more, "This chemistry we share must be explored more!"

"M-Miguel~!" You cried out, shaking as you reached your orgasm. Miguel licked his lips as he kept moving his hips, thrusting inside you,

"I'll tell you everything you want to know, (Y/N), you just have to keep up your end of the deal. You will, won't you? Or do heroes lie?" He said with a devilish smirk.

"Y-Yes! I-I will!"

You moaned softly as you felt Miguel cum inside you. Your vision blurred slightly before you calmed down from your high. Gasping, you immediately fixed you mask and scooted off of his lap. You fixed yourself up and gave him a slight shock from one of your web shooters. Miguel hissed in pain,

"I-I told you I would punish you if you tried something!" You cried out, huffing your cheeks out. Miguel just chuckled,

"I'm a Villain, did you really expect me to play fair?"

You whined softly, but to your surprise, Miguel did share some information with you. He only gave you a little bit and told you that if you wanted more, you had to keep meeting him. You were hesitant at first, but you kept telling yourself what was the harm?

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"You've gotten used to this, huh, (Y/N)? Can't do anything without this villain's dick inside you?" Miguel whispered harshly as he pounded your pussy from behind. You held onto the wall, moaning loudly from pleasure,

"T-This is j-just f-for information-" You tried to say. Miguel just roared in laughter as he held your hips higher, slapping himself into you,

"Sure. Just admit that you can't do anything with me. I'm the villain who corrupted you."

"N-No, t-this....this is f-for ah~ w-wait...s'much..." You cried out as Miguel started to pinch your clit, "M-Miguel...I-I said-"

"That I can do what I want as long as I help you arrest my father. I'm doing a good deed here,"

Miguel just watched you break under him. The amount of orgasms he had drawn out of you this past week alone was an accomplishment. The amount of times you kept coming back to him for more 'information' was just delicious. This was a game he wanted you to believe that you were winning.

Giving you another load of his cum, Miguel watched in amusement as your body twitched for more. He pushed his fingers inside you, wanting to keep the cum inside. Miguel wanted to experiment with you more. With a lick of his lips, he leaned towards your ear,

"You know, after I help you arrest my father, you're still going to need information to take down other big bads." You whined, trying to move away from him,

"I-I will be the judge of that. Who's to say I won't have you arrested?" You warned, moving away to fix your zipper. Miguel just laughed in response,

"You would never."

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Gosh, I can't wait to write the Villain!Miguel series!!!

[queerprayers]

hello! i had a quick question

so deuteronomy 18:14 mentions practicing magic and divination as not being allowed but, isnt prayer magical in itself? are we not practicing some form of divination when we celebrate our Lord (in our silly rituals and practices)? any thoughts on this?

thats all! have a blessed day!

Good question, beloved!

The differences between prayer and magic and worship and divination and ritual and practice are largely cultural and informed by our associations with a religion/culture/ethnicity. Ancient indigenous religions are often seen as primitive and naive for instance, more aligned with magic than "proper" religion, and newer religious practices are dismissed as "made-up." There's also inter-religious accusations that go on—think about how some Protestants describe Catholic rituals. And then there's people who are anti-religion in general, and see any spirituality as silly magical beliefs.

I would say we can make a distinction, however, between treating prayer as magic and treating prayer as worship and connection. If I believe saying this prayer ten times will heal my illness, this to me seems more of a magic spell than a prayer. Now anyone is welcome to believe in magic spells, but nonetheless I prefer prayer as a purposeful entering into God's presence, perhaps seeking specific blessings, but with no formula or assumption of a specific outcome.

If divination is gaining insight through religious practice, then definitely lots of Christians practice that. When people reduce practice to figuring out the future or interpreting signs or asking God for proof, I see a formulaic religion rather than a connecting one. I think we can definitely look at our practice and ask if we're treating it as a formula/spell. But my definitions of these words (and what I look for in religion) may differ from yours, and obviously a lot of this is cultural. I'm using "magic" to describe things I connect with less than "prayer," but this is arbitrary, and many people would consider my definition of prayer to be magical as well. 

All that said, I'm not sure any of this has much to do with Deuteronomy, so I'll also talk about the verse you brought up. Jewish law is always interesting to bring up in Christian circles, and we should acknowledge that we do not have the history of interpretation/relationship that Judaism has with it. We do have a relational history with it, but it's very different and doesn't align with the people who compiled these laws.  (Is this appropriation? Many would say yes, in the sense that Christianity inherently is. That's a whole nother conversation.) There are many Christian attitudes toward Jewish law—for me, it is a valuing of what I believe God gave to humans, with an acknowledgement that I am not the intended audience and am not called to follow it, but rather to honor it. The law's focus on justice and worship matters to me, albeit in a very different way than both its original audience and current Judaism.

Deuteronomy 18 bans occult practices by specifically referencing the nations/cultures around ancient Israel. It is comparing ancient Jewish practice to its contemporaries. Many biblical laws, in fact, exist as a way of differentiating Israel from other cultures, and many of the moral laws are in response to practices they would have seen around them. There's a huge focus on being set apart, on practicing a religion that doesn't look like anything else. That's not to say they're random—in fact, they're very specific.

I've said the difference between religion and magic is cultural, and Deuteronomy lays this out perfectly. From a modern lens, animal sacrifice to achieve forgiveness may seem primitive, like a magic spell. And yet, magic spells are prohibited. To them, it obviously wasn't sorcery—it was religious practice.

We do have specific practices that are condemned, like interpreting omens or consulting the dead, but there are plenty of those things (or at least things adjacent to those things) in the Bible. The implication is always don't do these things like those other people. You're an Israelite, not a Canaanite. You don't eat those things or dress that way or do those things in your temple because God wants you to commit yourself specifically to a new way of doing things. 

What does this mean to us, though? Canaanite paganism isn't practiced anymore, as far as I know. In our time and place, there's more of an awareness of respecting others' cultures and religions, even when we don't understand them. So what does it mean to honor a law that condemns magic in 2024?

Although you could investigate how you treat prayer/ritual, the relevant question to me in light of Deuteronomy isn't really "Is prayer inherently magical?" but "Am I being purposeful rather than conforming to those around me? Am I honoring the specific ways Christianity exists? Is my practice relevant to my beliefs, or could it be anyone's? Is it obvious through my rituals that I am a follower of Jesus?" I don't mean you have to advertise (Jesus actually specifically taught against that), but why are you Christian and not anything else? Is Jesus at the center of your practice? 

These ideas are very relevant to me in the US, surrounded by conservatism/evangelicalism—I don't want my faith to look like theirs. Maybe both our practices look like magic to an outsider, but I know how mine is different. (I'm not trying to put myself on a pedestal here—it's all a journey, and I won't pretend I know the "right way" to do things, but I strive towards a practice that causes less harm than theirs.)

To conclude: whatever your prayers/rituals are like, honor God through them. Don't fall into formulas or assumptions, but allow space for God to change you until you are fundamentally at odds with those who use God for evil. In a world of empire and capitalism and conservatism and violence, find a new way of doing things. Look more like God than the world; set apart your life. Paul tells us (Romans 13:8) that love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. I wouldn't worry about whether your prayer looks like magic, but about whether it looks like love.  

<3 Johanna

[brigidandair]

So, I saw Damsel today...

**Spoilers and complete plot for the movie Damsel will be all over this post, so don't read if you care about spoilers. Also, this is based on one watch only, so if some timeline details are very slightly wrong, that is why, though the important parts I'll be discussing are not contingent on these details.**

I'm not usually one to closely review a movie, but this one left me with a lot of thoughts that kind of sum up a lot of my feelings about big budget movies in the past decade, so here I go.

First off, I did like Damsel. I enjoyed watching it. It was gorgeous to look at, and Millie Bobby Brown did a fantastic job with the role and script she was given. However, I was left feeling like there was something very important about the whole experience missing, and it took me a few moments to really put my finger on it afterwards. The plot was fine, if a bit predictable, and I did appreciate the focus on Elodie as a protagonist. I loved that the dragon was given a plausable reason to want to devour/kill princesses, and that the dragon wasn't slain at the end, even though the opportunity was presented. And oh my goodness, the costuming department did a phenomenal job.

What I want to do here is give a rundown of the plot, and to then give my thoughts, so if you've seen the movie and don't care for a rehash you can skip to the next set of dashes.

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So, basic plot: The film opens on a scene of a king and his entourage of knights are entering a sinister cave, where there dwells a fearsome dragon. The king declares that they will defeat the dragon, and his knights charge, but are immediately melted by the dragon's fire, leaving only the king. The king drives his sword into the ground, and falls to his knees, and the scene cuts away before we see what happens next.

Centuries later, Princess Elodie and her little sister Floria live in a kingdom that is beset with hardship. They are low on money and food, and their people are facing a hard winter. So when the king is contacted by the royal family of the kingdom of Aurea--a kingdom they had never heard of, but that seems to be very wealthy--with the proposal that Elodie marry the Aurean prince, the family immediately travels to Aurea to finalize agreements. Amongst the traveling party are Elodie, Floria, their queen stepmother, and the king.

Upon arrival in Aurea, Elodie is introduced to prince Henry, while the kings meet alone. However, when the king emerges from the negotiation chamber, his wife immediately notices that he seems upset and deeply disturbed, though he assures her that everything is in good order, the deal has been made, and their kingdom will soon have more gold than he ever dreamed of as compensation for their daughter's marriage to the prince.

The stepmother queen, sensing something is wrong, goes to Elodie and tells her not to marry the prince, but she has resigned herself to helping her people, even if it means marriage to a man she does not know. That night, she steps out ont her balcony and sees another tower, with another young woman doing the same, before the young woman's maid calls her back inside.

The next day, Elodie is married to prince Henry, and is told of a ritual that is performed after weddings up on a nearby mountain, that honors the trials of their ancestors. They travel up to the mountain, where Elodie is told of the story we witnessed at the opening of the film. When the ancestors of the Aurean people arrived on their island, it was inhabited already by a dragon, who set upon them, raining destruction for the insult of invading its land. Though the king was unable to slay the beast, he was able to broker an agreement. His people would be left alone if he were willing to sacrifice his three daughters to the dragon. So now, whenever a new royal heir is married, they make the trip up to the dragon's mountain, over the chasm that leads to its lair, to commemorate the sacrifice of that original king.

The queen motions to Henry, who then slices his palm, and once Elodie has done the same, they mingle their blood, symbolizing that their people have now become of one blood and line. The prince tells Elodie that, at this point, he is to carry her back across the chasm, and that she should close her eyes. But halfway across, he whispers that he is sorry, and then he throws her over the edge, down into the depths of the dragon's caves.

Elodie survives relatively unharmed, her fall having been broken by many roots and branches along the drop, but there seems to be no way out. Very shortly thereafter, she has her first encounter with the dragon itself, who epresses delight at the thought of getting to kill her, and Elodie is forced to run from the dragon's fire. She hits a dead end, and there she finds the body of the young woman she had seen the night before, half burned, and realizes that they were always ment to be sacrifices to the dragon. The dragon continues to taunt her, breathing more fire down the passage where she is trapped, but she notices a narrow hole in the cave wall that she manages to wedge herself through it, barely escaping and sustaining a severe burn on one leg. She rips part of her dress off, wrapping it around her wound, and continues.

From here, we get a lengthy series of scenes of Elodie navigating her way through the trecherous cave system, hounded at every turn by the dragon. She finds an area inhabited by bioluminescent slugs, which she gathers in another part of the dress that she tears off, to use as a lanter, and finally reaches a small cave where a princess before her has written on the wall that this place is safe, and that the dragon cannot reach there. Written on the walls are the names of dozens of other princesses that, over the centuries, have reached this cave before inevitably being caught and killed by the dragon. Next to the names is a rough map of the cave system, showing Elodie a passage marked with a sun, which she assumes is the way out. She takes time to rest here, falling asleep, but when she wakes up she finds her burned leg covered in the bioluminescent slugs. She tears them away in disgust, but notices that anywhere a slug has been, her wound has been healed. Her determination renewed, she continues.

Elodie follows the directions of the map, making her way to the presumed exit, but finds that there is no way down the sheer rock face. As some riders go by she screames to them for help, but the dragon appears and nearly kills her, forcing her to retreat back into the caves. In short order, she ends up in the cave we saw in the opening sequence, and Elodie finds a three broken dragon eggs, with the desicated corpses of the baby dragons that once inhabited them still in the debris. The scene cuts back to that opening sequence, showing us that before encountering the dragon herself, the king and his knights murdered the dragonlings as they hatched.

Elodie realizes that it was the king who had originally attacked the dragon, killing her only children, not that the dragon had been a tyrant. The only reason she had demanded three daughters was in recompense for the wrong that had been done to her. The deal that had actually been struck was that the humans could only be allowed to survive if, every generation, they continued to pay the same price so as to never stop feeling the pain of losing their children. The kingdom, however, has figured out a loophole. By taking princesses from other countries, they could simply mingle blood, fooling the dragon into thinking that the princesses were actual descendents of their line instead of girls that they only knew long enough to technically become part of their family before being sacrificed.

However, at this point, Elodie's father, having been overwhelmed guilt for selling his daughter, arrives at the caves to save her. Before he finds Elodie, the dragon shows up, killing the king's men and mortally wounding the king himself. The dragon resumes her search, and Elodie is given the time to bid farewell to her father as he dies, and he is given the opportunity to ask her for forgiveness, and to tell her to use the rope that they had used to enter the cave to escape. He tells her that Floria and her stepmother have a ship and are waiting for her. So Elodie forgives her father, and follows his direction, barely escaping as the dragon persues.

When the dragon realizes that Elodie has escaped, she begins to raze the mountainside, creating an inferno that is visible from the Aurean castle. The queen of Aurea sees the destruction, and takes action, going to the ship where Floria and the stepmother are waiting. She has her men kidnap Floria, cutting her son's hand and throwing her into the chasm in Elodie's place. When Elodie finally meets up with her stepmother and learns of Floria's capture, she immediately resolves to retrieve her sister, and she follows the same footsteps that she had taken before, returning to the dragon's main chamber.

The dragon, still set on getting Elodie herself and able to smell that Floria is of the same family as Elodie, sets Floria up as bait for Elodie, but Elodie sets up a distraction, drawing the dragon away. She goes to Floria, who has been injured by her fall into the chasm, and before they can get away, the dragon returns. Elodie takes up the sword her father had dropped before, and manages to position herself directly by the dragon's eye, determined to tell the dragon of how they have both been lied to. The dragon, however, does not believe her, and tey have a battle, where Elodie uses her ingenuity to trick the dragon into severely injuring herself with her own fire. As the dragon lay wounded on the ground, Elodie shows her the cut on her hand, and tells her that the dragon has only been perpetuating the violence that had so hurt her before, killing innocent daughters instead of exacting the revenge she had sought. The dragon tells her to end it, then, but Elodie refuses, instead retrieving some of the bioluminescent slugs and placing them on the dragon's wounds to heal her.

The scene shifts to another wedding, where the third and final princess is marrying the prince, unknowingly destined to become the last sacrifice. As the ceremony nears its end, Elodie, still in the rags of her own wedding dress, walks in. She gives a speech to those present, and tells the last princess to take her family and go. The queen declares that they are not afraid of Elodie, and she says that it isn't her they should be afraid of, right before the dragon arrives, killing the royal family and razing the castle to the ground.

In the aftermath, Elodie's stepmother is given rule of their kingdom, which now has all of the resources that Aurea once owned, and Elodie sails off on a ship, with the dragon flying beside her.

The End.

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So, what was wrong with this film? Plot-wise, nothing that would ruin it for me. It was a good story, and, like I said before, lots of fun to watch. But I was left feeling extremely empty. See, at its heart, this story was about the love and loss of children. The dragon was the last of its kind, left alone because of the unthinking cruelty of a king who viewed her as a beast, and cared not at all about the lives of her young. The dragon, though not innocent for all the dozens of lives she took over the centuries, was acting out of pain and loneliness, wishing only that that pain and loneliness be shared by those that inflicted it upon her. She was the one wronged, and the royal line of Aurea callously shunted their punishment off on the innocent and desperate. They did not deserve their prosperity, so the storyline had to lead to the breaking of that cycle, but the problem is that the film focused more on the retribution and that Elodie herself was badass than it did on any emotion.

And that's the big big thing. This movie left me empty because it was empty. Elodie was awesome, and she ended cycle of death, but we didn't know anything else about her. We get told she is clever, so that we don't question how her plans always end up working. We are told that she is capable, so that we don't question how she always manages to pull through. We are told that the prince is somewhat reluctant, but only barely, so that he doesn't seem too cartoonishly evil. We're not given enough to know the extent of his guilt, or enough to really know how complicit he is, or if it's really that his mother (who honestly is kinda cartoonishly evil) forcing the issue. It seems like we're supposed to kind of like him and feel bad that he doesn't want to kill these women, but it feels like it's only halfway suggesting the idea instead of developing aything. Elodie's stepmother is kind, but we are barely shown any of that, instead glossing over any real emotional connection in favor of action. She basically exists to give very heavyhanded foreshadowing, to tell Elodie when Floria is taken, and so they can say that Elodie doesn't have to be bound to royal duty after the death of her father, because there's someone else who can do it. And we're just told that Floria and Elodie are close. Floria seemingly exists solely as a plot device to make Elodie choose to face the dragon after her escape.

The glow slugs are a deus ex, somehow capable of healing life-threatening wounds on both humans and dragons in seconds, which seems to be just so they can pretend for a second that Elodie could really get hurt, but then have her in good enough shape to escape before her family leaves or the next princess is sacrificed. And also so that she can prove how badass she is by mortally wounding the dragon and having it at her mercy, but still have it up in moments, ready to come toast the real bad guys.

And Elodie's character is, unfortunately, also stuck with this same shallowness. She's intended to subvert the "damsel in distress" trope, and she kinda does...except that there are numerous times she is saved by pure luck, and the plotline of her having to go save Floria is just straight up doing the trope, just with a princess saving the damsel instead of a prince. I didn't even catch the names of the queen or king of Aurea, the prince's name (which is as bland as he is) is only spoken a couple of times, and the stepmother, who is arguably one of the more major characters aside from Elodie and the dragon, gets about 3 minutes of screentime and doesn't have a name that I can recall. Neither does the dragon, for that matter, though at least we get to see her more than the stepmother.

This is a story stripped down to its bare bones, and it's only as much of a huge shame as it is because there was real potential. I can't help but imagine how much better it could have been if given even another 45 minutes to help us understand and connect to our characters. I would have loved a real conversation with the dragon, getting to really feel her pain and experience the true cathartic acceptance and regret for what was done to her and what she did in response, instead of cutting away to the last wedding. I would have loved to see the dragon show any dimension of character other than anger and cruelty. I would have loved to see the prince wrestle with himself, or try to push back at all, or see the true struggle that Elodie's father experienced before he reached the conclusion that he'd made a mistake and needed to go save his daughter. Why did the ancestor king of Aurea choose to kill the dragon in the first place? It's implied by the end that the dragon was attacked unprovoked, but we don't really know. Was the dragon actually a hostile force that made them want to kill her, or was she simply there and the king wanted to eliminate a potential threat? Did no other princess ever try to talk to the dragon, espcially when they had a safe cave they could shout from, and the dragon conveniently seems to know when to immediately murder someone or let them speak for the plot? Why would the dragon continue to harbor such strong feelings for so long, and think she was truly achieving justice and exacting revenge when the humans were obviously thriving so?

And what do they plan to do from here? We know Elodie wants to travel and see the world, because she (once again) told us so, but is she doing that? And what of the dragon? We're told that she is the last of her kind, but how do we know there aren't any more elsewhere in the world? Is every gleeful murder of an innocent girl at her whim just forgiven and forgotten because she wasn't killing who she thought she was, and now centuries of hatred and bias has evaporated entirely, making her a friend of humankind? The ending could have been made better in seconds, should we have been given any kind of closure for either Elodie or the dragon in any way at all. Perhaps they're going off together to explore the world, to find out for sure if the dragon is truly alone or if there are more of her kind out there. Perhaps the dragon really does know, definitively, that she's the last, and so has decided to accompany the princess that ended the tragic cycle that defined her for so long, to keep her safe as she lives life the way she always wanted. Maybe the dragon has vowed to atone for her cruelty towards humans by going with Elodie, assisting the different peoples they encounter in their travels. Hell, even if a single narrated line was given that told us "and so they went on many adventures, and lived their lives to their fullest" it would be unsatisfying, but not as unsatisfying as the actual ending.

It just...it could have easily been vastly improved in almost every emotional sense. Caring about our characters, their motivations, their struggles, and the emotional heart of grief and loss could have made this a deeply moving film, but the focus was instead placed on the princess saving herself. And I get the desire to do so, the desire to subvert that trope, but a story can't be a full, satisfying arc with just that. It's the same problem we keep seeing with big budget companies and their attempts to cash in on social issues. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad for any progress, even if it is largely a soulless cash grab, because any progress, however small it may be, is still heading towards an eventual shift in social consciousness, and thus permanent change. But this film wanted to get the brownie points for having a badass princess who doesn't need a prince to save her, and so they ONLY cared about that. It wanted to show off its budget and CGI, and "subvert" the trope, but it missed everything about why women might want a capable subversion of these longstanding, sexist tropes.

A capable woman isn't solely defined by the fact that she is capable. The point isn't to say "I can do anything a man can," but that's what this film makes it out to be. Elodie, and the entire story itself, is stripped of literally anything but what it needs to be to keep the plot moving. The story keeps saying it's about Elodie, and how she overcomes the obstacles in her way, but at the exact same time, it doesn't care about her at all. It cares about appearing to care about her story, and it's so frustrating to see all that potential wasted on such soullessness. It's like having every piece of a puzzle, but the filmmakers only bothered to put together the edge pieces, threw the rest in the garbage, and called that good enough. So instead of a beautiful, satisfying picture, we're left knowing that the rest of the pieces exist, but that they'll never be put in their rightful places, and that the beauty it could have communicated has been wasted.

So yeah, I liked this movie, at least in that I enjoyed the concept and the actual watching of it to a certain extent, but I wanted to love this movie. I hate how good it could have been, and that if it were given the love and care it needed, it could have been made into so much more.

At the end of everything, a story isn't just a spectacle. It's sharing and exploring our lives, ideas, and humanity through imagination and creativity. The beauty of fantasy is imagining what people would do when put into extraordinary situations, or at least imagining the extent of ourselves we wish we could be. A story like this one can be fun once in a while, but a truly good story, one that you remember and carry with you, usually remains because it resonates with you. And it just really sucks that Damsel denies its characters of their emotional cores, because when you eliminate the emotion of a story, the viewers are denied a connection to the humanity that makes that story worth telling.

[heartfullofleeches]

Hella weird but I want Devlin to chase me, like if it’s just an intense game of tag or I’m genuinely trying to run away idc I want that man full on sprinting after me while I’m running away from him. Sounds like a fun adrenaline rush idk

The ride is unusually quiet. Your partner with his rambunctious and unruly self had hyped up the outing up until this point, eerily quiet as his eyes focus on the road. How well that attention spared was beyond you as you were fairly certain he didn't have a driver's license mainly due to the fact he's been alive nearly as long as vehicle transportation itself, but its better not to sweat the small things. He keeps a hand on your leg the entire drive, mindlessly tracing patterns along your thigh muscles. That mischievous grin of his returns as the car breaks to a stop.

"We're here~"

The happy jingle in his voice can't mean anything good, but you pop your seatbelt and follow him outside out of the trust he longed for and you felt you could give. Devlin grabs a bag from the back and your hand as he steps off road and into the treelining. He kisses the top of your hand as he closes your fingers around a flashlight.

"I'm so exciting, babes. No matter what, just remember you'll be safe- as long as you stay close to me and don't pass the blue trees when we get there."

That's definitely comforting. "What are we doing out here?"

That impossible smile only grows. "You'll see."

Devlin leads you into the wood. There's not much on your walk besides trees and rocks, until you come across the stained walls ejected around the forest floor. Vegetation and the hands of time had done their damage, but you could make out what looks to be spray paint art. The tiny monuments gradually incress in size till you're facing down small cobble huts throughout the area. Devlin stops in what appears to be the heart of the field and spreads his arms.

"Ta-da! Cool ain't it?"

You look around, airsoft goggles abandoned by a tree stump. "Is this... a paintball field?"

"Yup. Built right over the cemetery in the town I grew up in. Had some quality fun when was open. Probably the reason it closed too. Yellow eyed devil is what they called me. So fucking lame."

"I'm glad you showed me a part of your past, but is sight seeing all we came to do?"

"Nope."

Devlin snatches your light and tosses it into the trees. He pulls off his coat and lays it over a wall.

You back away as he streches. "I'm confused.."

"I'm gonna hunt ya down, silly. Just a little bonding experience and a way to relieve all the stress I got from watching you mingle with others. Most importantly, it'll be good to see how fast you can run if you flake on me and I have to drag your cute ass back where you belong.

He's dead serious about this. Some warning would've been nice, but the only way out is if you play alone. "What are the roles?"

"You try to make it back to the car without me catching you. It's pretty much a straight line besides the baracades so whether that's an advantage is on you. I'll give you a ten second head start. If you win, I'll do whatever you say for the night. If I win.... well- you'll see soon enough.

It probably would've been best to calculate your chances of winning, but it was clear he was getting antsy. "Alright. I'll play along. You better not be a sore loser like you were when we played operation."

Devlin looks ready to burst from excitement. "Scouts honor. We start in five."

You face the starting point, counting off in your head. You hear Devlin pacing behind you as you get in position. On the final number, your feet sink into the soft earth as you take off. Your countdown continues as you sprint down the path, seconds ticking by until the chase begins. Glancing over your shoulder, you see that Devlin isn't even looking in the direction you're heading. As the second countdown finishes, he takes a knee - running off to your right.

You make up for the wasted time by kicking your flight into second gear. Wasn't the best idea to put all your energy in at the start, but he was up to something and you knew it. Just keep looking ahead and pushing forward. The trees off the path were two dense for him to make it through and somehow catch you. There was probably a trap somewhere or-

Devlin cleans tree leaves out of his hair as he steps onto the path. The fall hurt his ankle, but with a few rolls of his foot it's good as new. You stop dead in your tracks, flinging yourself behind the nearest wall before he can spot you. That bastard was in the trees - waiting for you. You knew he was fast, but that seemed impossible. You peak around the wall to see if he's noticed you.

"Anybody ever tell you how hot you are covered in sweat and afraid?"

Devlin leans over the wall, winking at you as you look up. Grabbing the closest thing to you, you throw a small rock in his general direction as you race off in the direction you came. He catches it and hops over the wall.

"Oh you play dirty, huh? Here I thought I would have to go easy on you."

Your chest burns as you make distance from him as fast as humanly possible. He's gone off road again when you check, but this time you catch a glimpse of him through the thicket of trees right before he bursts out again in front of you. You pedal backwards and into one of the area towers, crawling beneath the glass free window to make it to the otherside. Devlin is already there and covers your mouth before you can scream. He pins you to the wall and celebrates his victory with a kiss to your sweaty skin.

"Looks like I won. I think it's time for the real fun to begin."

Devlin picks you up and sits you on the window sill. You catch your breath as his hands paw your thighs, tongue rolling over your salty skin.

"Another... round."

His ears perk up in tune with his lecherous smirk. "Oh?"

"I... wasn't- ready. If you win, I'll give you... an entire week of doing whatever you want."

Devlin backs off you, the flames of adrenaline rekindled in his eyes and burning brighter than before. "Oh, Y/n. You have no idea what you've just submitted yourself too."

[markantonys]

okay quick 2x04 thoughts before i go off to make some gifs!

moiraine in cairhien was so fun!! loved getting a peek at her childhood and family

i gasped when it was revealed that moiraine (and presumably siuan) deliberately planted logain in cairhien to lure rand, even though i should've seen it coming! i should've known moiraine's always playing 4D chess!

WE STAN ANVAERE, absolute queen shit. she out-moiraine'd moiraine! also, as a younger sister who spent my whole childhood craving my older sister's approval, Felt

i'll admit i'm not jazzed about lan's storyline this episode. it was a little interesting and i liked getting a look at what alanna is like "outside of work", and she and maksim and ihvon continue to be top-tier secondary characters, but it felt like too much time and i wish some of this screentime had gone to mat or egwene instead. though i'm guessing we'll be getting much less of lan and more of others (especially egwene, for obvious reasons) next week!

but i AM intrigued by the direction they're going with lan's bond. everyone had speculated alanna's absorbing myrelle, but given that lan's getting on pretty well with them all and alanna seems to be leaving the decision in his hands and even suggests he could soon bond with nynaeve, i really do wonder if they might just have lan's bond go straight to nynaeve post-moiraine's-"death" and keep alanna & rand as the only non-consensual bonding in the show. it's a bit of a repetitive plot beat and i don't think anything would break if lan's version of it was skipped.

egwene referencing rand to elayne but without mentioning his name or any distinguishing info about him!!!!! this definitely gives me hope for a cute little scene of rand and elayne encountering each other in falme without realizing they have mutual friends.

i was SO confident that blonde warder trainee in the trailer was gawyn, but it turns out he was just a random background guy! i have been catfished! but maaaaaaybe it really was him but he just wasn't credited because he's not being officially introduced until a later episode? please???

LEANE'S OUTFIT!!! and ooooh great setup for the falme trip AND the coup next season (i'm sure some people will be more convinced by liandrin/elaida merger after this scene, but i truly don't think that'll happen bc a) it wouldn't work storywise for a number of reasons, b) if they were merging them they would've named the character elaida instead of liandrin)

i LOVED perrin's scenes with elyas!!! and this is coming from someone who was always bored to tears by perrin povs in the books! elyas delivering exposition like it was the most obvious thing in the world and perrin's an idiot for not knowing was a GREAT vibe haha and we have confirmation that perrin's visions aren't a visual representation of his smelling abilities, but rather sendings from the wolves! and we got hopper!!!!!

liandrin's convo with nynaeve was SO GOOD. i was going "awww this is so sweet, i love this" "oh wait, betrayal incoming, shit" djkjfg they did a great job of making it believable that nynaeve (and the audience) would trust liandrin's word about going to falme. also, the show's focus on the tragedy of aes sedai longevitiy is excellent, 10/10

elayne my beloved!!!!! "yes i'm following you obviously" i love her your honor!!!! and the earlier moment where she admits being curious about what it's like not to have your whole life mapped out, but then says she wouldn't trade places with egwene. baby! can't wait to get to her queen arc eventually!

FASCINATED by the reveal that min is working with liandrin because liandrin had promised to take her powers away from her. what an amazing story choice!!! it lends min some much-needed narrative meat, it makes SO much sense that she would find uncontrollable foresight to be a burden and a curse, and it sets up a potential arc of her learning more about/coming to terms with her powers. in the books she never has many thoughts on what it's like to have these powers, so i LOVE that the show is going to explore that more.

overall i'm quite surprised by the relative lack of mat in the season so far! i'd assumed they'd want a lot of time with him early since he was out of the final 2 eps of s1. but i'm sure he'll get a more focal episode later! on that note, i'm a bit worried because imdb doesn't have min in episode 5, and they do have mat, but it could just be because donal is a regular so gets billed for every episode even if he doesn't appear. because i'm not sure it'd make sense for mat to appear but not min next episode? but it's possible, and it's also possible that min will appear and imdb isn't accurate. still, i'm bracing myself for no mat storyline next week.

at least we got confirmation on the where & why of their trip: cairhien because ishamael wants to get mat and rand back together!! highly relatable of him, i must say

i don't even know what to say about the rand & lanfear stuff, it was SO good i'm shaking!!!!! but poor rand has probably been put off bondage forever now which is absolutely tragic djkfjgh

update to add: i can't believe moiraine walked in on rand mid-sex (with a forsaken) i hope they have the world's awkwardest conversation about it once they've stopped fleeing for their lives. there is a spectrum and This & mean girls "do you need anything? snacks? a condom?" are on opposite ends of it

[wisemins]

heyy🕺

so I checked your f/o list and I saw not only do u ship w stan but also ford!?🧐 incredibly based😌 since I have gravity falls brainrot this is my obligatory ask about your s/i if you have one👀 if not use this as gush pass🎫

side note: do u prefer being called miya or starshine? because I saw someone refer to you as miya once and that's what I've been doing but you and some others refer to you as starshine so uh I just wanted to check🧍🏽

second side note: are you okay with sharing stanley? I understand if not, I only have 1 tag for him so far (💗: stan��) if you want to block it. okay done for real🏃🏽‍♀️

@i-put-the-s4p-in-s4pphic

YYAYAYAAAA I've been waiting forever to be able to answer this but I've been so busy with work!!! OH BOYYY IM SO EXCITED TO ANSWERR

Gravity Falls is like one of my all time 'tisms, like I have seen it an unholy amount of times, I've never kept track of just how many times. I used to just have it on 24/7 as background noise around my house. I know this show like the back of my hand and I simply adore it!!! okay so-- I've also been shipping in it since I first got into it, but eventually I wasn't shipping in it anymore and just enjoyed it for what it was-- until I rewatched it in my adulthood.

Now, I used to only ship with Ford, but...well, my crusty old man taste had developed to fruition already in 2021 so Stanley was instantly looking FOOOOOINEEE as hell alongside Stanford. So then it was-- I was shipping with both of them. Separately, though. Definitely needed different canons for it to work, since Ford and I have a much different relationship than Stan and I, but I'm honestly still working on my lore with Ford now that things have changed and that I'm much older. There's just more potential with him in terms of intergalactic/dimensional stuff!

So in terms of Stan and me, we're mostly just very domestic and comfortable outside of the crazy canon lore! I started off working at the mystery shack, helping Stan with his crazy ideas for new creatures and attractions, I also helped out a lot with sales and tours! But eventually we both just clicked and I discovered that I in fact LOVEDDDD that old man. And as it turns out he felt the same too!! He was more hesitant, for obvious reasons. A considerable age gap, the fact that he's a lot more insecure than he lets on, people in general think he's disgusting and conniving and a scammer, but I like his style! I never judged him like that, I get where he's coming from, and we've both been through a lot in our lives so we tend to relate A LOT despite the generational difference. But we're mostly just a very doting couple who makes the dream happen, we hustle and we take care of the twins! And also try to keep them out of trouble, to the best of our abilities. Stan and I are only dating, but if I were to ever have the pleasure of marrying him-- well I'd be honored to be any sort of caretaker figure to them!

Now, me and Ford? Our relationship depends on *when* we met. Currently I have two timeline ideas, but for now I'll focus on one where he's also a crusty old man. We relate a lot as well, just on a different level! We're both giga nerds, love to write and draw, are nervous wrecks but simultaneously too oblivious for our own good. We do have our own version of a domestic life, one that just includes more weird happenings and nerd stuff! Lots of D&D&moreD, talking and theorizing, and a lot of dorky longing looks and late nights of working on stuff together. I'd like to think in this version of myself in Gravity Falls, I'd be more akin to the weirdness and was far more aware of it than I would be if I was with Stan, seeing as Stanley would most likely try to shield me from it than make me aware.

Also you can call me either or honestly!! Miya is my real name so it's more personable (I would be honored if you felt comfortable enough to call me as such!), and Starshine is just a cute nickname that my mans Wonka calls me along with some other mutuals! or if you want another *another* nickname, you can also go with Marnie!

Also I am super duper cool with sharing Stan!!! for so many years...i have felt alone in my Stan loving because he was the "gross" twin that only very few people actually liked 😭😭 So the solidarity and the sharing of joy in this crusty old man is ALWAYS welcome!!!

tysm for the ask once again Frankie!!!! MY BELOVED MUTUALLL <333

[peachymilkandcream]

My Prize|Part 3|Viking Levi x Evelyn

WARNINGS: implied noncon/dubcon, big age difference, kidnapping, slavery, violence, power imbalance, implied somnophilia, forced pregnancies, mind breaking, yandere behaviour, yandere themes, forced exhibitionism, sexual coercion, blackmail, etc.

================================================

Hange, one of Erwin's closest friends had made it her personal mission to comfort him in this tumultuous time. She knew that Erwin had his heart set on being with Evelyn. Since the moment she had started to blossom into a woman Erwin knew that no one else would do. He had to have her. This is what he had been setting up for so long, to see it all stolen away from him by a impudent brat wouldn't do. More than the personal loss it was a humiliation, he had been entirely tricked and let some outsider steal what was most precious to him right out from under his nose. Such an indignation would not stand.

"I don't see why you don't take the loss and focus on what you can do now." She had been saying this whole time, he was hardly listening.

"And that would be?"

"Find another. There are plenty of pretty girls, I'm sure you could find someone else who is even prettier than Evelyn."

"And abandon her to that brute?"

Hange sighs. "I don't like the idea of it either, but what choice do we have? We don't know who he is, where he is headed, nothing. He's most likely on the other side of the world. Our people have barely set foot outside of the deep forest, and from the looks of it he knew the sea better than any of us."

"I refuse to give up on her."

"Erwin. I'm not saying you have to, but you even said yourself that she's tainted now. Do you really want a woman defiled by such a man as your bride?"

Erwin sits back a moment, thinking. His reasons for wanting Evelyn of any girl was her beauty and pliability. Since the moment she started to have a mind of her own she was bent to one day become the perfect bride for a leader like Erwin, he had made sure of it when he saw her that first time how many years ago. He had instructed her parents to mold her into a wife for him, honored, they had done so without question. Evelyn was entirely devoted to him and prepared to serve him until she had been stolen away. But the truth was plain, she was defiled now. Any child they produced should he get her back might be the bloodline of that bastard.

He would rather die.

"I suppose I can try and find someone else. But that doesn't mean I'll give up on getting her back. Even if it's not as my bride, I won't let one of our own be tied to that fate."

================================================

All eyes were on Evelyn from dawn until dusk. Levi intended to watch her like a hawk until he was sure her spirit had been broken. He knew that deep down she would want nothing more than to return to her betrothed. Unbidden, thoughts of Erwin filling her womb with his children sent him into a barely contained rage. While Levi had been the only one to touch her, his flaming jealousy was still always just below a boiling point. Every man was a threat, he knew this, he knew how men thought. He knew how he thought. Men saw a beautiful woman and wanted to mark her as theirs, they were all the same, and he would be damned if that happened to him.

So far, she had been good. It seemed that the reality that no one cared for her or knew where she was had sunk in early. Evelyn was utterly helpless and at his mercy, it was her job to decide whether or not she would bend to him. Thankfully, she had chosen to bend. As no less than a barbarian Levi enjoyed violence, but he didn't enjoy seeing the aftermath on the delicate skin of his woman. It was a major turn off.

He wasn't so naïve to think that Erwin wasn't coming for him. If he had been insulted and wronged in such a way he would come for the man who did it as well. It was a matter of pride, of proving masculinity, such an insult wouldn't be taken lying down. So now his only goal was to impregnate Evelyn as soon as possible, a woman pregnant by your enemy is enough to give up the fight. The humiliation of raising another man's child would be too great, no sane person would dare risk it. That was Levi's mission now, to breed her quickly. She was healthy enough, he was sure she could birth him many sons to carry on his legacy, he hoped she would accept his seed sooner than later.

Evelyn on the other hand, did in fact long for her life in the forest instead of by the sea. She longed to be Erwin's bride, it was the one thing she had been preparing herself for since her first bleed. That was when her mother told her that she would be wed to the most wonderful and powerful man in their tribe, her duties would be to care for him and give him many children, a full and fulfilling life. How she wanted it.

But, Levi wasn't as bad as she thought. Evelyn was taught never to complain, so that was most likely part of it. In truth, she had expected him to breed her and then cut out a child from her womb, leaving her to die. He seemed like such a barbarian that she was sure that this would be her fate. However he surprised her, aside from aggressive love making, he was calm and borderline attentive. It seemed what he really wanted was a wife, someone to keep his house and make it a home. He was educated in the things of sea and the world, but it seemed not in love. A shame, her tribe's views on love would teach him how he should go about it, but was it his fault if he was misguided? She began to feel pity for him, so lonely on this cliff all alone, the village avoiding him at all costs. He needed someone.

And that was her. It felt good to be needed in a way, Erwin needed no one, she was just a added gem into his crown of achievements. If Erwin never came for her, she would be heartbroken, but would do her best to accept it. This man needed her, and until the day he no longer did, she would be there.

================================================

Erwin tried his best to focus on the girls working to please him. They had been taking turns riding him while those who weren't kissed and worshipped every inch of his body.

Some of these girls were betrothed or married, but it was considered an honor for the leader to bless a woman with his seed. They believed it also increased fertility. All lies that he had set up when he once infiltrated this leaderless village and crowned himself above them. It was nothing more than an excuse to defile as many women as he pleased, even if Evelyn hadn't been taken from him, he was considering instituting his right to multiple wives. Now it wasn't an appropriate time, so a lack of commitment arrangement suited him just fine.

However now he couldn't seem to entirely focus. His mind was still on Evelyn. The one who got away, it was driving him crazy. He could have any girl in the village and yet the one he wanted he couldn't have. While these girls were pleasing enough he wanted Evelyn as the final piece in his takeover.

Erwin suddenly held the girl on his lap down, thrusting into her until his seed oozed out of her, her husband would be happy that Erwin had blessed her with his cum, it would mean good luck and many children to come.

The other girls didn't hide their jealousy, continuing to service him in hopes that he would be in the mood to grant them the same honor.

"Great leader! Great leader!" A voice outside his tent called.

"A moment." Erwin turned his attention to the girls. "Return home, I'll send for you if I wish for more."

The tent empties, and once Erwin is decent he comes face to face with another from his tribe.

"What is it?"

"As requested great leader, we searched the betrayer's cabin."

"And?"

"It seems that the barbarian was keeping one of his crewmates alive under the floorboards."

Erwin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why would he do that?"

"Apparently he wronged the betrayer, and instead of killing him he planned on leaving him alive until he could return home and leave the crewmate to starve to death in the floorboards. Apparently he enjoyed torturing him."

"What does this mean for us?"

"He's willing to tell us all about the betrayer if we give him shelter."

Erwin can barely hide his smirk. "Very well, bring him in."

[felice-jaganshi]

Strawberry Scented Love

Radiodust Strawberry Pimp AU

Chapter 9 - The Horny One

(ADULTS ONLY!)

There was one more week before Alastor returned to his post, except this time, Angel disappeared with him. A note was left behind for everyone to take a paid vacation, and they'd be back with an explanation next Sunday. 

 

~Wednesday, three days into the elopement~

 

A beautiful suit and wedding dress lay on the floor of a home in Hell's bayous. Alastor's vacation home, the closest he could get to Louisiana in Hell.

 

Alastor pressed Angel into the mattress gently, “Mon amour… I must confess something to you before we begin.” Wedding rings now adorned both of their left hands.

Angel chuckled, putting a hand on the back of Alastor's neck, “If it's that ya don't have much experience in this field, don't worry. I know. I'm not expecting something that'll rearrange my whole world or anything crazy. Just as long as it's you, loving me the way you do, I'll enjoy it. Promise.”

Alastor's smile turned warm. “Thank you, Beloved… you are truly too good for me. But that wasn't what I was going to confess. I… was going to confess that my Shadow would like to join us, if you'll allow him? If that's something you would enjoy of course. I cannot guarantee I'll last long enough to actually satisfy you, but my Shadow being more of a construct than a person, can go for as long as you need.” Said Shadow appeared beside the bed with a nervous smile and its ears drooping, head tilted to the side, looking as cute as possible.

 

Angel blushed and grinned, shock quickly turning into excitement, “O-oh! Oh hell yeah baby, he's part of you, right? And I signed up for the whole package. Till double death do us part.” Alastor grinned and kissed Angel gently. Alastor kissed back, bleating as he did.

“Thank you, Beloved… this means more to me than you know.”

“Oh I think I have an idea…” Angel smirked and trailed a finger down Al's spine to his flickering tail.

“You're lucky it's your first time, so I'm gonna play nice and let you be in control. But next time, I'm gonna rock your world so hard you'll forget your own name.” He gently grabbed hold of the tail, and Alastor flinched, face going red.

“I- I'm certain there's quite a few things you could teach me about this sort of thing, my love.” 

“Yeah there is, but don't worry about that tonight. I already got myself ready for you earlier, so we can just focus on enjoying each other tonight without any issues or major hang ups.”

Alastor took a deep breath of relief at that, “So thoughtful my dear, thank you.”

Angel then reached for a bottle of lube he had hidden under the pillow earlier that day. “We'll still need to get you ready, mind if I do the honors?”

Alastor looked at the bottle nervously, before nodding his head. “Yes, please. I'm still not thrilled about how wet and sticky this whole process is going to be, though I know ‘wetness’ is a necessary component for it to be pleasant for both of us. I'll get over it with time, I'm sure.” He was determined to. Angel was worth it.

 

“Al, you know you don't gotta force yourself ta do this, right?” He put a hand on Alastor's cheek. “Smiles, if this ain't ya cuppa tea, we can talk about it. Find some other compromise that makes us both happy.”

He closed his eyes and leaned into the gentle affection, “I know, Beloved. But I want to at least try it before completely ruling it out as an impossibility. Call me stubborn if you must, but I need to know if I can make love with you the way you deserve.” He then turned his face to kiss Angel's palm, taking hold of the back of his hand as he kissed his wrist next, slowly working his way down to his shoulder, across his clavicle, and right over his heart, before nuzzling into the fluff there. “Hm, so soft… just how do you do it?”

“Believe it or not, tuna oil pills. They taste nasty, but they make my fur soft and shiny. So it's worth it.” Angel closed his eyes and pet the back of Al's head with his free hand, gently running his nails against his scalp. Al hummed before returning to kissing his way down Angel's body, stopping when he reached his panties and the noticeable bulge in them. 

 

“You must be uncomfortable being restrained so, Darling. Mind if I remove these for you?” He asked it so sweetly, Angel was torn between being turned on, and finding it cute.

“Go for it, stud. I've got nothing to hide from my husband.” He smiled.

Alastor then moved one hand down to the back of Angel's knee, “Then what about these stockings, Love? I admit they look absolutely stunning on you, but I couldn't help noticing your reluctance to take them off.”

“J-just think it looks sexier is all.” Angel blushed and looked away. He was lying, and Alastor wasn't having it.

“Angel. Mon petit ange.” His tone was slightly stern, turning Angel's chin to look at him, “You know there isn't a single thing about you I could ever hate, correct? That I will love every part of you, without reservation or hesitation if you will let me, yes?” He held Angel's gaze, determined to make him believe his words.

“I… I just don't like the way my feet look. They're weird and deformed. Ugly.” 

Alastor sighed and sat upright, “Angel, you see all my scars, yes? I find them repulsive, but you said a moment ago, when you were disrobing me, that you find them sexy. That they make me look powerful… I do not believe your feet could possibly be so ‘disfigured’ as to make me see you as anything less than the beautiful man I chose to marry.”

 

Angel covered his own face with his hands, “Fine… if you're that curious, go ahead. I won't stop ya.”

Alastor pressed a kiss to Angel's thigh, “thank you, darling.” He slowly pulled down one stocking, kissing the skin as he revealed it till he got to Angel's ankle. He then sat back as he removed the last of it and looked at his foot. Two little pink paw pads with black claws at the end. He reached a hand out and took one of the pads in his hand. Angel flinched, and peeked through his fingers at Alastor's face. He gently massaged the paw pad.

“Hm, they don't seem disfigured at all, dear. Who told you they were? These are simply what spider feet look like. There's nothing strange about it at all.” He sounded so calm, and decided to start giving Angel a genuine massage, even rubbing his ankle and calf with his other hand to further relax him. “So tense as well, and from all the dancing you do, that only makes sense. Goodness, I need to take better care of my little star. I'd hate for you to pull a muscle or get a cramp on stage.” He was clearly enjoying himself. But not in the fetish way Angel was used to… It was just that he genuinely found joy in caring for his beloved.

 

“Fuck, Al, that feels great and all, but you're getting distracted… Please, can we get back to you fucking me? Or I'm gonna die of blue balls before the night is over.”

Al grumbled, nose scrunching up, “I don't like that phrasing. It makes this sound… basic and filthy. When this is far more important than what you do for work.”

“ DID for work. I'm not fucking anyone but you now. You put the ring on my finger, now I'm your problem, exclusively.”

Alastor's expression relaxed at that, and he took off the other stocking. “I wouldn't want it any other way.” 

He kissed the ankle of that leg, and slowly worked his way back up to Angel's inner thigh, stopping right at the edge of the panties he still hadn't removed, making Angel whine in both pleasure and frustration. “Please, Al…” He was begging now, and it made Alastor feel like his blood was on fire.

He pulled down the panties, revealing Angel's long and narrow cock. It was smooth, and tapered. A similar shape to his own tentacles, actually. Which was rather a relief for Alastor. Since it didn't look like what he expected a dick to look like, he was less put off by the idea of touching it. He reached out, and took the dark pink appendage in hand, stroking it slowly. It felt nice in his hand actually, soft yet firm, smooth but not wet… yet. The tip was already starting to leak, and Angel was moaning softly.

“Mph, Al, that's so nice. You're doing great sweetheart.” The praise made his heart flutter, and he felt more confident. He was doing good? He was making his beloved feel good?  

He let curiosity get the better of him, and swiped a little of that wetness from the tip onto a finger, and brought it to his mouth, wanting to see what he tasted like…

Angel blushed at the sight, “Damn, that's hot, Smiles…”

Alastor scrunched his nose again, “Definitely not a flavor for me, however.”

Angel chuckled, “Yeah, it's not for everyone. That's okay.” He reached his lower arms out to rub Alastor's ears, “But I'm proud of you for trying new things. My brave deer~.” His tone was flirty.

Alastor kissed Angel's hip, “I'm only brave because you make me so.” He sat back on his knees again, and slowly lowered his own boxers away, letting Angel get a good view of what his partner was working with.

“Damn, Smiles… You got all that, just for little old me? My jaws aching just thinking about taking all that in. Next time for sure, you gotta let me suck you off.”

Alastor blushed as he tossed away his underwear, “Must you say such vulgar things?”

“Well, judging by the way your big guy just got harder, I'm gonna say you actually like that idea.” He then reached a hand out to Alastor's hip, making the shorter demon jump a little from the contact. “Shh, hey, it's okay… We're goin’ slow. I got you, I won't let you have a bad time, okay? Trust me.”

Alastor swallowed around the lump in his throat as he resumed his position over Angel, “Apologies for my skittish nature.. I trust you, and while I do enjoy your touch, I'm just not accustomed to anyone touching that area.”

“Hey, you don't gotta explain it to me, I get it. Can I touch you? I really want to, you look so pretty.” Alastor nodded, keeping his eyes focused on Angel's face, as the spider slowly moved his hand across Al's hip to the base of his cock. “That's it, there's my good boy. Just trust me, I got you.” Angel kept whispering soft praise as he slowly jerked him off. 

Alastor whined, and bucked his hips into Angel's hand, “H-hah, Ange, darling!”

Angel smiled at how soft Al's expression became as he started to let go and relax into Angel's touch. He sat up enough to kiss his neck, “You're doing good, big boss~. Now, I'm gonna lube you up okay? It's gonna be wet, but I promise it'll make this feel even better.”

 

Angel thought back to a previous incident months ago…

 ~~~~~~~

One of their performers, one that had been trying desperately to get Alastor's attention and be called ‘Darling’, had insisted they both watch his newest performance and tell him where he could improve. He was trying for a “comedy skit” style performance to make their audience laugh in between the bigger numbers. To “reset the mood”.

Well, due to a miscalculation in how much lube being dumped on him would be funny and how much would be just a mess… Some of it ended up splashing onto Alastor's face in the front row. The level of immediate panic the radio demon flew into was insane! It was like a cat getting dunked in a flea bath!

 

The performer was sworn to silence after that. Never to say a word of the incident, and Alastor refused to bear witness to any more of his comedy skits. 

The only explanation Angel got from him was that he couldn't stand things that were wet and sticky, and it got worse when the “wetness” didn't go away fast enough when he was done with it. It was also why he preferred showers over baths. He at least had a sense of control then.

 ~~~~~~~

Alastor pressed his forehead into Angel's chest fluff again, “I trust you.” He hid his face in the fluff, as Angel slicked up his member. Alastor gave a conflicted whine, both enjoying and hating the feeling. 

“Easy, easy… you're safe, you're fine… it's just me and my hand…” Angel soothed him through his discomfort, waiting for Alastor to adjust enough for the next part. “Just let me know when you're ready for more.

He shook his head, “L-let's just get to it. The longer you touch me, the closer I'm getting to my limit, Love.” He rose from the comfort of the fluff to look into Angel's eyes. Al looked so desperate already. 

“Alright, alright. Not a problem. Here we go, let's get you lined up then.” Angel moved a pillow under his own hips to raise himself up a bit, then helped Alastor get the right angle to start sliding in. “Don't worry about being gentle, babe, I can handle anything you throw at me.”

Alastor pressed inside with a groan, stopping halfway, “I- I want to be gentle with you… I want to love you, my darling. Not hurt you.” He then started rocking his hips, slowly working himself deeper into Angel. Angel closed his eyes and shivered, it had been a long time since anyone had fucked him like this. It was a whole different experience from the usual rough treatment, and good god how was he going to survive this bliss?!  

Alastor huffed hot breath against Angel's neck, arms shaking as he gently made love to Angel.

Angel ran his hands along Alastor's back, “God Al, you're so good to me. Please, just a bit more, a little faster~ I'm begging here! I need you!” His pleas were answered when Alastor picked up the pace, moving his hips more firmly against Angel's.

“L-like this? Mon cherie?” 

“Yeah, just like that baby, fuck.” He held Al tighter. “So good babe, don't stop.”

Unfortunately, it wasn't much longer until Alastor started to lose it, and came, filling Angel with his hot spend. Angel groaned in frustration, and Al held him tight, shaking and crying, “A-ange… I- I'm sorry I-”

 

Angel pet his head, “Hey, you did great sweetheart. Don't apologize. You lasted longer than I expected for your first time. God damn, you got me so close! I didn't even think about touching myself, you were doing so good. We just gotta work on your stamina.” He smiled and lifted Alastor's head to kiss him sweetly. “I love you, you did good, so don't cry.”

Alastor slipped out of him and groaned, laying beside Angel. “Shadow, it's your turn.” He covered his face with an arm as he tried to regain his composure. 

 

Angel blinked in confusion for a moment, having completely forgotten about the shadow! Suddenly his vision was full of a misty silhouette of his husband, with a green grin. “O-oh, h-hey there. What do you have in store for me?” He gave a sultry smile to try and hide his nerves. The shadows purred, befor kissing him passionately and running his hands over Angel's body.

The shadows touch was surprisingly warm, and if Angel shut his eyes, it felt just like Alastor. He wrapped his arms around Shadow, who had more give to his form than the real Alastor, but that didn't bother him.

He felt the shadows length press against his own, rocking them together, and pulled away from the kiss to breath. “F-fuck, Al! Please, just put it in! I need it!” Angel was desperate, that kiss was so intense. He looked at the real Al next to him, who was laying on his side smiling at Angel, “You're so beautiful when you're enjoying yourself, my darling.” 

“Why's his tongue so long?” Damn, he could- ha!” He lost his breath as the Shadow pressed inside him and resumed the pace Alastor had been giving him earlier. Angel lost his ability to speak, just focusing on the pleasure he was being given.

Alastor ran a hand through Angel's chest fluff, “Tell me darling, is there anything else you need?”

“Just, touch my dick and I'm so done.” 

“Hm, perhaps I can do one better.” The Shadow contorted out of Angel's arm, becoming more smoke than solid in the middle, before its mouth was sucking Angel off. The real Alastor leaned over Angel to give him something to hold onto as he nearly screamed in pleasure. Al kissed Angel's neck over and over. “Come for me love, let me see you unravel at my touch.” 

 

With a final shout, Angel came down the shadows throat, which was greedily swallowed up with a purr. He worked Angel through it and slowly worked him down from his high before pulling out. The Shadow kissed his cheek once before vanishing and leaving the two alone.

 

“How was that, mon amour?” Alastor asked.

“Amazing. Al, that was the best damn orgasm of my life!” 

That actually made Alastor look surprised, “Truly? You're not just saying that?”

“Al, I mean it. I'm not gonna lie to you about this.”

“I see, well good. I'm glad I was able to satisfy you, as a good husband should.” He blushed a bit, looking bashful with his smile.

“This is gonna be the best honeymoon anyone has ever had.” Angel giggled, and dragged Al in for another kiss.

[bluekat12345]

EarthSpark Pokemon Teams: The Terrans

All was made from Pokecharms Trainer Card Maker and photos from TFwiki

This was fun to make and took longer than I hoped, but I hope you like the results.

Since this is only the end of Season 1, their Pokémon, minus their Ace, is at their first stage. For the Pokémon that have multiple different evolutions, I'll explain what they would evolve into.

I know it might be a bit early to give them all full times, but I got impatient, and I think we got a pretty good idea of their personalities to make these good ideas.(Once more episodes come out, I might edit their teams)

I already explained why I chose their staters these pokemons, here. As for why I chose these teams, this is gonna be long, so be prepared.

For Twitch, I gave her Starly and Zubat because I thought these were good Flying-Types for her, I think Staraptor would be a good flying type for her and I wanted to give her a regional bird like Dot and Robbie, and I think Crobat's wings sort of reminded me of her's. I thought Scyther/Scizor worked for her as well, I hesitated since Bumblebee has one, but then I figured she could get one in honor of him since he is their mentor. Hawlucha is a Fighting/Flying-Type and I wanted her to have one Fighting-Type. As for Charcadet, I gave her one because I feel she and Megatron have a connection and Twitch is blossoming into a leader, so I figured she would have one, but her's would evolve into Armarouge to counter Megatron's Ceruledge.

For Thrash, I orginally had Tyrogue as his starter, but changed it to Cyclizar, but I still wanted him to have one, which I imagine would evolve into Hitmontop. I also gave him Toxel because I believe Amped Form Toxtricity would be great for him. I gave him Varoom because it sort of reminds me of him and Aipom because I think its energetic nature would match his pretty well, and Tauros to counter Mo's Skiddo and I also think it's just another Pokémon Thrash should have.

For Hashtag, along with Rotom, I feel like Helioptile and Magnemite go well with her Wi-Fi abilities, and I imagine her being into Electric-Types. Also, she shows interest in media and has copied her shows and done accents, so I figured Chatot and Ditto would go with that since Chatot mimics speak kind of like she does and Ditto can literally turn into other Pokémon, and I didn't really feel Zorua matched her enough. I also gave her Mime Jr. because I felt she would like this little Pokémon since it is cute and silly like some of the videos she watches.

For Jawbreaker, I wanted to focus on cuter Pokémon as well as Pokémon people don't really see as tough, since in the episode where he finally got his alt-mode, he felt like people thought he wasn't tough or fierce enough to fight. I originally had Eevee as his starter, but then decided to change it, but I still wanted him to have one to symbolize him wanting to choose the perfect alt-mode and exploring all possible choices. I gave him Igglybuff and Ridough because they are cute and sweet looking, and Mo even called him sweet. Magikarp is here because its considered useless but evolves into a powerful being, similar to Jawbreaker. Finally, he has a Maschiff because like Jawbreaker, this Pokémon wants to be taken seriously, but people think they're too cute to be fierce.

For Nightshade, they have Porygon and Klink because they seem like good choices for a young scientist like Nightshade, and they have an Abra because its evolution, Alakazam is an intelligent Pokémon I think Nightshade would want. They also have Blipbug because this Pokémon is intelligent and collects information, it evolves into a Psychic-Type, and I wanted them to have a Bug-Type to highlight their friendship with Tarantulas, but I didn't think any of the spider Pokémon worked with Nightshade, so they just have a Bug-Type.

[queen-susans-revenge]

Thank you to both @oenothera5 and @doodlingbreak, who asked me to list five things that make me happy or that I'd like others to know about me. This seems like a good day to practice gratitude so I'll focus on the happy things.

My cats, Luna and Stella, who are fuzzy and soft to touch. They have triangle ears and whiskery noses and beautiful blue eyes and toe beans on their feet, and if all that wasn't enough already, they also purr. Stella likes to wake me up in the middle of the night by sitting on my pillow and I never even mind it, because she purrs when she does it, so it's always like "oh! Thank you! I am honored by this mouthful of cat fur in the small hours of the morning."

My three boys. The oldest is 17 now which feels absolutely unreal. I was so afraid that puberty would change them and make them mean, but actually, they are still just as sweet as ever. They are my gift to the world. They are the best parts of me, and they'll go on when I am gone. I worry about my youngest, because he is autistic and only partially verbal, and it seems increasingly unlikely that he'll be able live independently. My major life project for whatever years remain to me (I'm being dramatic, I'm not even fifty yet) is to make sure he'll have a good life even after I'm gone.

My little house! It is small, two bedrooms and a little under 1350 square feet. But it's an arts and crafts bungalow with a lot of historic touches (built-ins, wood paneling, some of the original light fixtures) and it was just so intelligently put together that it's possible for five people to live here and not feel like we're constantly tripping over each other. The three boys share a room (bunk beds for the win), but in addition to the bedrooms there's separate living and dining rooms, a breakfast nook, and two small bonus spaces that Sam and I have claimed for offices. (My office was probably originally a sleeping porch, as it's off the main bedroom, separated by french doors. His might have been a cloakroom or sitting room, we're not sure. They're snug, but big enough for a desk and bookshelf apiece.) Rooms! I love rooms. Will never understand the fad for open floor plans. Rooms let you have doors that you can close. The kids often spread out; usually my eldest will set up his laptop on the dining table, while the middle boy works on his computer in the breakfast nook and the youngest sort of bounces around. There's a half-wild backyard too. I wrote about it here. Right now the camillas are blooming in the backyard and I can see them from my office window. They are so pretty.

My husband Sam, who I love and who loves me. I know that he loves me because he gets up first every morning and makes the coffee, and then brings me a cup of coffee and a kiss in bed. Every single morning. We recently celebrated our 18th anniversary. It is wonderful to love and be loved.

Friends! My friends are mostly online. In fact I am practically a shut-in: the last group I was in was a scouting group for the boys, but we wound that down just before the pandemic hit, and I feel no need to go out and join any more. I rarely leave the house except for daily walks. Even when the boys were smaller and I was doing a lot of school volunteering, I had "mom friends" but they did not feel deeply connected to me. How could they? They don't play D&D or read sci-fi or share any of the imaginative life that is so important to me. They were colleagues, and now we don't work together any more. Sam is a homebody too, so we don't really go out. My bff and I met in college a full thirty years ago, but we have lived on opposite coasts since I moved to California in 2000. We chat on Discord, just as I chat with the newer friends I've mostly met through gaming or social media. I have a very low social battery so I'm good with like, one fairly active Discord server and occasional one-on-one chats with friends. My main sorrow in life is that my SWTOR guild server has petered out to very little activity; I have a wholly unreasonable but deeply held grudge against Final Fantasy for poaching so many of them away.

Those are my five favorite things (not in order), but a big shoutout to books and games, which also sustain my everyday existence. Oh and food! I cook dinner for the fam most nights and I've become a really good cook. It's very gratifying when my boys tell me that they love my cooking.

I am supposed to tag other people for the meme, but I always feel awkward about that, because I'm half afraid it would be an imposition and half afraid to offend anyone I don't mention. So to anyone who sees this and would like to list your own happy-making things, I would be very interested to get a glimpse into your lives!

[fourseasonsfigs]

Wenzhou Set 1 (Handcrafted)

Following up yesterday's Dong Fang Yuechu, we have this little Wenzhou set by this same, extremely talented artist.

If you think I can't get enough of this artist's hand-crafted figs, you'd be right! I have more on their way to me even now, including, yes, Wenzhou set 2.

If you haven't read yesterday's post, or if you haven't read this previous post where I talked about Mid-Autumn, Snow Mountain Edition, then you should know I bought this fig set from a fan artist on Xianyu that designs and creates Word of Honor / Junzhe figures. This set are made-to-order figs, meaning that she has this style up in her store and will make it when ordered. She says that she needs a few days to create the fig, but I've noticed that everything I've ever bought from her has shipped immediately, in-stock or otherwise.

These figs arrived wrapped in plastic wrap and cushioned with a bit of polyfill. I did have the warehouse wrap these in air column bubble wrap, since I don't trust something this small and delicate to anything else. Since it's just polyclay, it seems to be pretty resistant to breaking, but crushing damage would absolutely destroy it.

Unlike yesterday's fig, I gave these a nice dusting with my untrustworthy but still useful feather duster, and then brushed the travel lint off with a clean makeup brush. I did pretty well, although I did notice during upload of the pics that a few pieces of grass from the green grass base made their way onto the figs. It's just so hard to see - these figs very small, and my close up vision is not as good as it used to be.

How small you say? Tiny. So small! I'd say a little over half the size of a normal fig, not counting the bases. Here to illustrate relative fig sizes is our Ghost Valley Master. Thank you for your service!

I fell in love with this set immediately. Their faces are so, so cute!

The level of detail is all the more impressive for being so small.

Oh their faces. Just too adorable!

Hmm the detail on these pics are not astounding. The light I took them in wasn't great. I'll take some close ups too so you can actually see all the wonderful detail.

I really like how she did all the hair detail and of course both of their hair ornaments. I particularly love whenever fig makers replicate this particular hair tie of A-Xu's. It's so great!

The little poses with the hands are just so cute. We can't see much of A-Xu's face here since his bangs cover it up, but we can see Lao Wen smiling away!

Why not smile? He's walking along with his favorite person in the jianghu! Who also looks very sweet and happy! I just love them.

Swapping sides so you can get a better view! Alright, let's finish up the two up and down sides so we can get to the details.

Hehe, not too much to see here, although I'll note they look just as cute from this angle.

There we go! Onto the details. I'm going to bring these figs downstairs and see if I can't get some better light somehow.

Well I'll tell you what, the better light did an exceptional job of showing me where I hadn't dusted all the lint off! My goodness. I went back and cleaned it up, but ignore any stray bits. Hopefully this gives you a good amount of detail of his beautiful waist ornament and the painted detail on his robes.

His hairpin is so beautiful I had to show you a picture of it. Just for something like this, can you imagine how long it took to make? To keep referring back to the costume to make sure it was perfect in every detail? Just incredible.

He's so beautiful I just wish my photographic (and dusting!) skills were up to the task. I see my camera decided to focus on his lovely costume instead of his expressive eyes, but hopefully this is at least a little bit better than the further away ones.

Yes, A-Xu, you're perfect, and you've never done anything wrong in your entire life. No I will not be taking any other opinions from the jianghu, thank you!

His hair tie is perfect. I really like how she modeled his hair here, it's lovely. You can see the details and beautiful lines of his robe here - even the sleeves are so artfully done.

Just so delightful. I'm so happy with these figs! I can promise you when the next set arrives, they too will jump to the head of the fig-posting line.

Material: PVC modeling clay

Fig Count: 357

Scene Count: 24

Rating: Just two zhiji out for a stroll on a beautiful day!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[foggyparadisecandy]

True Foggy Facts ahead - hold on. It's a real tear-jerker

People have doubted me my entire life. No lie.

Possibly because of my honestly awful parents (I forgive but really ... so much trauma), I have always been filled with self-doubt and self-loathing.

But ironically?

I also have had a deep desire to smash people's faces in when they underestimate me. lol

I like to keep busy to keep my mind from going to dark places. For what it's worth, I think this is common with people with Anxious Preoccupied attachment styles.

This overwhelming anxiety that drives you to lose yourself one way or another. Some will turn to alcohol and drugs (please don't abandon yourself in this way ... please) ... some will turn to hypnosis to blank out ... some will bury themselves in a hobby or work.

I can go from zero to fully obsessed with hobbies, work, and people in no time whatsoever (hi K! lol).

If I go in on something, I'm going all in.

When I was in middle school, I was already out of control. I was a C-level student mainly because I couldn't keep focused. I found school to be boring and a waste of time. I wanted to engage with other people. I didn't want to "learn." lol

I would routinely get report cards "Foggy is a disruption to the entire class. He should learn to focus on his work and not disrupting others." "Foggy should be held back to work on social skills." etc. etc. haha

What the fuck ever, dudes. I was looking for attention and love that I wasn't getting at home. My parents would just look at those comments and say "oh well, what ever in the world could *we* do to change this kid?" ha. ha.

I was pretty sure I was a loser.

I started high school as a C student my first half of the year until a teacher pulled me aside. I'll never forget it.

"Foggy, I'm curious about you."

"Really?" (lol - no one had ever been curious about me or what I was up to hahaha - I was taken off guard)

"I can tell you are extremely smart. You could be in Honor Society with a little work."

"What's Honor Society?" (she hooked me - no lie - and like a needy fish, I was going for it)

"It's for students with the best Grade Point Averages. I think you could get there with a little work."

"What's a Grade Point Average?" (I literally had no clue - she looked at me in disbelief)

"Your parents have never talked to you about your grades?"

"No ... I don't think they care." (true! they didn't give a crap about me - boy was that an awkward thing to admit out loud and the look on her face was slightly alarmed so ... yeah ... I was embarrassed to be seen like that)

"Oh. Well if you get an A, you get points, if you get a B, you get points. And if you get enough points, you can be in Honor Society and get a special award and recognition."

"Huh. That sounds interesting." (I love me some competitions)

"I'm available to talk more if you would like. I think you should apply yourself. I think you have a good chance."

"Ok. I'll think about it." (I lied - I had already decided that I was going all in on this)

Well, dear reader, I did apply myself. I went from a piss poor student to top of my class over the next four years.

All because a teacher - who I didn't even have as my teacher - she was just evaluating students and somehow stumbled across me! - stopped me and took a minute to give a shit.

The moral of this story is:

We never know what we are capable of doing when we put our minds to it. We never know our own blindspots even. Having a good network of new, fresh ideas and perspectives is key to having a fuller life.

Build your network with diverse voices,

Read more stuff - live outside your perspective,

Surround yourself with good influences who lift you up

The second moral is:

Be kind to others. You have no idea what the impact will be on their lives.

I had nothing as a kid. No stable love, no support, no care, no guidance, no safety, no stability, no anything of any value.

But that teacher took a few moments to patiently tell me "I see you. I see your potential." and it changed my world.

Is it any wonder I do the same with others?

I know how it can impact others to feel seen. To feel appreciated. To feel loved.

I see you <- it's all here if you want it (Please ... want it)

[psychewritesbs]

even though I do not mind the weekly or bi weekly chapter releases and enjoy them, I kind of wish I would wake up one day and the final chapter of jjk would be here lol

I mean this as like the time left with the series is fast forwarded. I don't like rushing in any context, but I feel like I want to know the ending before I fall out of love with the series. I've enjoyed what gege has given in the story so far, but there is plenty of choices I would say I do not agree with imo. He seems like he has a vision of how things need to go, but getting there seems to have some issues. I also kind of hate it when authors say they want to end the story especially when it feels like it will be rushed, and is JJK's case it's sometimes hard to enjoy the story after its been said bc I'm just wondering if we're spending too much time on one thing before we need to move to the next point, but I'll still try to see the story's good and the bad and enjoy what I can. I'm going to reread the culling game arc soon, but I feel like those first fights were about gaining allies, but I can say I wasn't expecting it to go like that if that was the intention. I don't mind kenjaku having secret plans bc it's obvious when it comes to them, but I feel as though that plan overshadowed the point of the cg?? I thought there would be more focus of to kill or not, etc and I see that the most for megumi and yuji (they had my fav colony battles), and I get it somewhat with yuta, but I dont see it too importantly with hakari or maki. I'm going to reread the arc regardless because I can always be confused or a bit slower in catching on so forgive me if my insight is lackluster. I liked the running themes during yuki vs kenjaku, but her "death" felt very unnecessary because she seemed really important in achieving a curse free world and idk about you but that seems like an important goal imo and yeah someone else could lead that charge but what was wrong with yuki doing that? I don't know, but I can only hope the remaining part of the story alongside its ending is something not only we can gain some satisfaction with, but the author too can look back and say, "hey it was pretty good at least"

Gege doesn't seem to drop the ball too much with Yuji or at least megumi too, and I'm not too worried since they're my characters of interest currently, but I want to reread this story and actually believe it when I say I thought all the cast was good and I believe the writing can be better or can get worse (idk) but time will tell it all. I'm a recurring anon, so I'm sorry if the apologies are constant and sound like emails at the end 😅

Dear Recurring Anon,

HOLA! Thanks for being my recurring anon and reaching out again!

Ok but listen... I’ve been sitting on your ask for a while thinking of what I wanted to say and how to say it. I’ve probably started 3 different drafts for my response. So thanks for your patience!

Truth of the matter is that when I read your words, what it comes down to is that, even though you don’t like the recent direction the manga has taken, Jujutsu Kaisen still holds an important place in your heart. 

So I think the most important question to keep in mind is that, in a story like JJK where the strongest sorcerers have the most overwhelming sense of self... where does your sense of self stand in all of this?

What do you want to take with you from JJK? 

The stuff you didn’t like because it didn’t live up to your expectations? 

Or the stuff you loved even though JJK was incredibly flawed?

Of course there’s more word vomit under the cut lol... you know how I roll.

I’ll start by asking you to forgive me if I’m wrong and you just really needed a container where your thoughts on the current state of JJK would be honored and acknowledged. The truth is that I totally get where you’re coming from. 

I do. 

I hear you.

It’s just that it’s in my perhaps annoying nature to be stupidly optimistic even when I am being a realist. There’s always a silver lining to everything if you are willing to make the effort to find it. 

So, yes, I agree, and I’m also going to challenge you to find a way to continue loving JJK if that’s what you want for yourself.

That said... lets get on with the bitching lol.

Problems with JJK, problems everywhere!

Your concern regarding the pacing in the story is something that I share with you. Most especially the concern that, moving forward, Gege is going to cut corners. I’d also say that at this point this “concern” is factually canon lol. 

I also agree so much with the sentiment of “is he taking too much time on this when he should be addressing this other plot point?” And I think nothing captures that dilemma quite like the Culling Game arc does--ESPECIALLY with the way he handled the chosoyuki ordeal.

Like we got pages upon pages of all of these characters and exposition and dialogue and like... wait, what was the point of the Culling Game again? 

Why has no one died yet?! 

Why is Yuta kissing a cockroach and why are Kashi-chan and Kin-chan trying to see who has the biggest ego (pun intended)? 

Like I swear for weeks I've been like “ok it’s going down!!!! yeah here comes the angst and the deaths aaaaaaand ok never mind then.... maybe next chapter? ok.... next chapter? ok next chapter for sure. no? next chapter?”

FOR WEEKS! It’s all recorded in my chapter liveblogs lol.

Truth is, to me, the Culling Game is a weird arc because I am still trying to understand its significance within the larger Jujutsu scheme of things.

Perhaps he bit more than he could chew with the Culling Game? And as a writer myself I find this kind of relatable. I’m actually seeing what is happening with JJK and taking note of how having too many themes and plot lines can ultimately be detrimental to a story if you can’t, or are unable to execute them all to a satisfying conclusion.

So to your point about re-reading the Culling Game arc... let’s hope that Gege manages to bring it all full circle. But as things stand right now, we’re in the middle of whatever Gege has in mind so it’s hard to see the forest for the trees.

What I’ll say is that I have enjoyed parts of it with reckless abandon...

Literal picture of me reading through the absolutely ridiculous battle between Kashi-chan and Kin-chan:

I also think that, at best, we have gotten in-depth character studies (because Gege is harping on the idea about the sense of self being at the core of power in JJK) and needed exposition. 

For example, even though Naoya coming back was soooooo cringe to me, I can still see the purpose it served in the narrative. Did I enjoy the journey? Not really. Same for Maki’s development.

The thing is that even if I agree with you on everything I just mentioned... I can’t unsee the story written between the lines even if the execution of the panels falls short, because I am always reading at a meta level.

I am passionate about story telling and how stories move humans, so to me, now that I’ve seen and acknowledge these flaws in the work, reading JJK is less about what’s on the panels, and more about the story he is trying to tell on a meta level through the panels.

My chosoyuki meta is a great example of me recognizing the story being told between the lines. And once I went down all of the rabbit holes I went down, even though I agree wholeheartedly that the execution fell short, the story told in the symbols was amazing to me. It honestly made me wish that Gege would have had the patience, time, energy, and space to birth that side story into the world the way it deserved to be told.

To me, I want Gege to be able to ground his vision onto the page, but if he is not able to, I’m still there for the “story” told between the lines because there’s so few mangaka whose imagination has captivated me.

In the end, as you say, it does feel like Gege is struggling to ground his vision into the page. And it kind of does suck because we, as an audience, have to work that much harder to understand the story he is trying to tell.

But the story being told is still there... so now it’s up to you to decide what you want to focus on: the flop, the bad execution, the failed attempt, JJK not living up to your expectations, or Gege, the flawed human behind the manga, trying and showing up.

What is good enough for you? That’s something for you to decide. 

I’m not saying to ignore the execution. 

I’m saying to remember that this is Gege’s first manga and that JJK is not what it started as--but not because it’s gotten worse, but rather because JJK is now more like Gege than it has ever been... because in a story like JJK where the strongest sorcerers have the strongest sense of self... yadda yadda yadda.

Trust the process: life is a journey, not a destination

I think your concern that you want to experience the ending makes a lot of sense and feels very relatable even at this point in my life. 

But the truth is... 

Foregoing the journey in favor of the destination is a recipe for perpetual dissatisfaction. Look at what happened to Denji after he finally got to touch boobs!

Ok yeah, there’s a lot more to it than that in this particular case but the concept still applies.

It also applies to JJK. Again, right now we can’t see the forest for the trees because Gege is executing a complex arc.

The timeline is confusing af, and I think it’s because he may be trying to pull a similar literary trick to what happened in Westworld’s season 1 and 2 where the timeline is scrambled out of order to purposely confuse and mislead the audience. 

Perhaps the timeline is out of order for another grand purpose. Perhaps he just thought it would be fun and wanted to try to execute a fun literary trick.

But we won’t know until he delivers--and delivering is a process, not a destination.

And you know what... if you still get to the end and realize that you didn’t like JJK and the latter part of the story ruined your love for JJK, well...

It’s personal

Dude like... I respect that people LOVE Chainsaw Man, and I also think Chainsaw Man is ridiculously overhyped. I’ve seen countless of videos with people hyping it as the all end be all of manga and that Fujimoto is a genius and...

I. 

just. 

don’t. 

get. 

it.

I am just not a fan of Fujimoto’s brand of navel-gazing existentialism. It feels so anti-climatic to me.

Does that mean that CSM objectively sucks and is bad?! No. It’s personal.

Similarly, I overhype the hell out of CLAMP manga, and I am also aware that people might read CLAMP manga and not like it. 

Even so, to me, the four women behind CLAMP are genius story-tellers.

Shameless Subaru and CLAMP plug because this is one of my favorite Tokyo Babylon panels.

It comes back to personal taste, right?

For me, I love JJK despite the flaws because I still love the story being told between the lines, I find Gege’s brand of ironic humor funny, and I like how the story has progressed. 

Say goodbye to mainstream, Gege’s work might become a cult classic moving forward

Now... I bring up Fujimoto and CLAMP to illustrate the idea that there are people who are going to be dedicated fans of a mangaka and their work, people who enjoy and appreciate their work but don’t necessarily love it,  people who are in it for the hype, and people who don’t like their work.

CLAMP’s Cardcaptor Sakura is mainstream hype. Tokyo Babylon and Clover are what you read when you’re a hardcore fan.

Fujimoto’s CSM is mainstream hype. Fire dude punch something something and Goodbye Eri is what you read when you’re a hardcore fan. 

Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop is mainstream hype. Zankyou no Terror and Carole and Tuesday are what you watch when you’re a hardcore fan.

Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen is mainstream hype. 

Gege followed the Battle Shonen recipe, added his own twists, and created an accidental mega hit. In fact, oddly enough, JJK has always been known as a story that defies expectations and uses tropes in new and unexpected ways.

So what happened? Why are people not liking Gege’s current execution?

To me, there’s something about how JJK is written that has changed, and it has nothing to do with Gege’s ability to write, and everything to do with his sense of self, who he has become in the process of writing JJK, and what he wants to express through his work.

In other words, JJK is more like Gege than it has ever been. Some people are going to like that, and some are not. 

Truth is that Gege is one of the VERY few mangaka who can write beautiful, multidimensional, engaging and extremely human characters who are true to their nature and aspirations.

He also writes on a very meta level and you don’t see that very often... like at all. 

All this to say that I think this is why you see such vastly different reactions in fandom right now. 

Some people still think he’s a fantastic writer and that he’s writing a unique work that has transcended generic Shonen tropes (like yours truly), and some people think that the way JJK is right now is generic Shonen. I don’t understand this last take but...

Who is right?

Who holds THE ultimate truth?

It doesn’t really matter because it’s personal.

All I know is that I am going to keep up with anything Gege publishes moving forward because I like the story he is telling through JJK.

Above all, I’m curious to see what other stories want to be born through him into this world.

Now, I HIGHLY recommend you listen to this 20 minute Ted talk by Elizabeth Gilbert to understand what I mean when I say that Gege is giving birth to stories. Her talk is a mind-opening take on what happens to your sense of self when you accidentally write a mega hit, and how that in turn affects your creative process.

I don’t know that this is how Gege sees his work as a mangaka, but I have to wonder about the possibility that Gege, someone who has very clearly studied the psychology of Carl Jung, sees JJK as an exercise in creative imagination, and/or as a story he’s been handed from the collective unconscious.

His job as a mangaka is to show up and write, to play, to express himself creatively.

That means that sometimes what he writes is going to be magnificent in the eyes of others, and sometimes it’s going to fall short of everybody’s expectations.

And that’s what it comes down to... 

Expectations

I see a lot of people complain about JJK failing to live up to their expectations without acknowledging that their expectations are simply that, expectations.

There’s nothing wrong with having expectations per se, and it is also important to realize when expectations are defining what we think is and isn’t good enough. 

And let’s not forget that you too probably don’t live up to other’s expectations. Does that mean that your effort too isn’t good enough? Gosh now I sound like Lacus.

Again... who holds the ultimate truth?

In the end, Gege is the one telling the Jujutsu Kaisen story. 

I also cannot emphasize enough that Gege is also a mangaka in the very early stages of his writing career. 

I don’t buy that his writing was better in the beginning of JJK. 

Quite the opposite, I see his writing AND art in the beginning of JJK as having followed a recipe: the three man team, found family, the strong mentor figure, etc... all the tropes are there executed in fresh and unexpected ways. 

But that was 5 years ago. Again... in a story like JJK where the strongest sorcerers have the strongest sense of self... what does that mean for Gege?

That said, Gege isn’t following the same recipe anymore, he’s coming up with his own recipe and he’s learning how to write his own recipe.

This is not to make excuses for him, it’s just something to think about because most people aren’t born naturally talented at anything that requires mastery, and writing is a craft that requires mastery through execution. 

As a quick side note, if you read Tokyo Babylon and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle by CLAMP, the 10+ year gap between both manga shows a marked improvement in the writing. AND EVEN THEN CLAMP MANAGED TO FUCK UP THE TSUBASA PLOT!

In other words, Gege has to fail to get better. 

Now add to that the pressure of a weekly publishing schedule that dampens the creative process with tight deadlines, and then on top of that having to draw the whole thing. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Gosh, if I had to guess, I would have to say Gege is ready for an extended vacation. 

But, as you say, I also just want for him to be satisfied with his story. 

As for us being satisfied with his story... well, it depends on what we choose to focus on.

Will you focus on how he failed at executing his vision?

Will you focus on the beautiful story he told between the lines?

Or will you focus on how how he managed to tell a beautiful story despite failing at the execution?

Can you hold the tension of opposites?

Ok SO SORRY this took me so long to get back to you my dear recurring anon. I just had so many thoughts because, like I said before, I agree with you, and I also wanted to challenge you to see things a little differently without being patronizing.

In the end, you want to continue to love JJK, right? 

So love JJK! 

Acknowledge its flaws and be at peace with them for the sake of that love. Nothing is perfect.

Anyways, I love that we can be in conversation about this and that you have come to me to share your thoughts on jjk. 

Merci beaucoup. 

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Honor in Crisis

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, NTT, Titans, JLI, Arrowfam, Flashfam, GL Corps, Infinity Inc

Summary: Every chapter will focus on one character specifically and then I'll update their statuses in order.

This is a no powers au/fix-it fic for Heroes in Crisis. I wanted to focus on the characters and their healing. I decided that'd be easier to put some of these characters in a fic like this and work on it more from a real-world perspective. I DO want to say that I do not believe healing is linear so don't plan on a clear-cut happy ending. I'd say (and idk for sure) we're gonna eventually get a bittersweet ending for certain characters but nothing tragic.

Chapters: 3/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Kole Weathers, Lilith Clay, Eddie Bloomberg, Michael Carter, Michelle Carter, Rani Carter, Grant Emerson, Roy Harper, Grant Wilson, Joseph Wilson, Thaddeus Thawne, Bart Allen, Helen Claiborne, President Thawne, Todd Rice, Alan Scott (DCU), Damon Matthews

Relationship(s): Damon Matthews/Todd Rice

Additional Tags: No Powers AU, Canon Divergent AU, Fix-It Fic, Angst, TW // Self-harm , TW // Suicide attempt , TW // Explosives mention

Chapter Three: Puzzled (Eddie's POV)

Eddie plopped down on a bean bag chair in his therapist's office. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Eddie got comfortable. "Morning, Mark," Eddie grinned.

"Good morning, Eddie," Mark greeted, "And how did you sleep?"

Eddie grabbed Mark's stress ball from the shelf and tossed it from hand to hand. "I didn't," Eddie answered. He chuckled lightheartedly.

Mark didn't smile back. Instead, he whispered, "Oh?"

Eddie was by no means a manipulative person. He just enjoyed having someone around to listen to him. As far as most therapists went, Mark was great. He was straight to the point, but he was funny too. It was easier to talk to Mark, but it usually took him a while to open up. Mark understood that. "I think I saw someone I used to know last night... I don't think he recognized me, though," Eddie revealed.

"Were you friends?" Mark asked.

Eddie looked up at the ceiling and shrugged. "Well, we only met once or twice in person, but he was my pen pal when we were kids," Eddie explained. Eddie didn't know why Jason was on his mind but decided to roll with it. It wasn't often that he could find something new to talk about in therapy.

Mark reached out, and Eddie tossed him the ball. "Eddie," Mark tutted, "Do you ever think about reaching out?"

Eddie's smile faded. "Funny, Mark," Eddie mumbled, "What would I say? Hey, long time no see. What have you been up to? Oh! I've been in the hospital for blowing myself up after my aunt died, and everyone thinks I did it on purpose, so I'm living in an inpatient psychiatric hospital." The question made Eddie uncharacteristically upset. He ran a hand through his hair and took a breath. "No, I'm sorry. Mark, I'm sorry about that."

"No, that's fine. If I had my choice of patients biting my head off during a session, I'm glad it was you... How did it feel in the moment?" Mark asked.

Eddie froze as he pondered over the question. "Uh... Yeah, it felt—. You know that definitely came from elsewhere. I wasn't snapping at you," Eddie explained.

"Who were you snapping at, Eddie?" Mark asked. Eddie smiled uncomfortably and shook his head. "Come on, Eddie. I promise I won't take it personally."

Eddie laughed and nodded before sucking his teeth. "I didn't cry. I still haven't cried... And I guess that's weird, but I shouldn't be punished for that," Eddie took a deep breath, "Right?"

"You feel like you're being punished?" Mark asked.

"I mean, isn't that what this is? Everyone wants me to cry or be visibly upset, but it's not gonna make anything better. Neither is reconnecting with people I haven't spoken to in years. It's not gonna change the fact that Aunt Marla's gone, and no one wants me around, and I burned nearly half of my body trying to blow myself up because I can't take it anymore!" Eddie yelled before covering his mouth.

Eddie didn't mean to say any of that. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to hold back his tears. They flooded to the surface, and he attempted to laugh them away. "I didn't—. I—. What do I have to live for?" Eddie asked.

"What do you have to die for, Eddie?" Mark asked. Eddie grew silent and stared up at the ceiling, tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried to pull himself together. "Better question... Do you think you'd still be alive had everyone believed the explosion was an accident?"

"No," Eddie answered weakly. He wiped his eyes with his palms. "I wouldn't be here. I don't wanna be here."

Mark leaned forward at his desk. "Eddie?" Mark whispered.

Eddie wasn't used to showing his rage like that. He tried to collect himself. "At least I look how I feel," Eddie half-joked, "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Eddie. You don't owe me an apology. You're entitled to your feelings," Mark reassured him. Eddie nodded as if he understood, but he wondered if his outburst would be too much. After two weeks of joking his way through sessions and pretending that he was fine, he wondered if that was the last straw for Mark. "Eddie, I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay," Eddie let out a breath, "Okay... Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure, what would you like to talk about, Eddie?" Mark asked. Eddie reached out, and Mark threw the ball back to him.

Eddie squeezed the ball in his hand and took another breath. "My roommate, Mike's, been working on this puzzle his sister brought him, and he's been letting me help... It's this cityscape, and there are these blue and green brownstones," Eddie described, "And Mike looks at me, and he says—. He says that he has to keep living until the picture's finished. He says that every time he gets a new puzzle as a joke."

"I suppose I could kill you tomorrow," Mark quoted from a movie. Eddie chuckled.

"Yeah. It's ridiculous... Right?" Eddie asked.

"Well, actually, I think it might be a way of coping. Living can be difficult when you feel there's nothing to look forward to," Mark explained.

"Circling back to what I have to live for?" Eddie asked. Mark nodded.

"Well, I'm sure there's something you've left unfinished," Mark replied.

"Yeah... Yeah, I guess so," Eddie replied.

Eddie gave Mark his stress ball, and he apologized a second time at the end of their session. He walked outside to the courtyard. Jason sat outside on a bench, his eyes closed and his face pointed upward towards the sun. Eddie wanted to say hello. He wanted to be seen just once, but he didn't want to be seen like that.

Eddie felt trapped in his loneliness and grief. At least he could admit it now. After twenty-two days in the burn unit and nine days on an involuntary hold, Eddie could accept that the explosion was purposeful. If that was growth, he'd take it. Had his roommate not run into him in the courtyard, would've pondered over it until it was time to go back inside. Michael ran into him and smiled as he announced, "I forgot it's movie night."

"Oh, nice. I'll save you a seat," Eddie replied, "Do you think it'll be a movie from this decade?"

Michael chuckled. "Aww, come on, movie night last week was not that bad," he replied.

Michael was old. Well, not old, but old enough for Eddie to think of him as an uncle. His first night there was strange and uncomfortable, but Michael was there. He lay in bed with his eyes closed, talking about nonsense until Eddie fell asleep. It was the first time he'd felt comfort since his aunt passed away.

[grex-statera]

Chapter 14: Making Amends - Summer, Year 1

Gunther: There she is!

Ellie stood stunned in the museum's doorway. Gunther gestured for her to come to the counter. He unfolded a letter on his desk.

Gunther: Missy, I'll be fully honest with ya: I didn't think you could do it in such a short span of time. Just almost around two weeks and we got the museum, well, lookin' like a museum! Eh... Granted you already had a lotta donations prior, but still.

Gunther handed her the letter. It was from the Office of the Regional Secretary of Artifacts saying that they were impressed with Pelican Town's collection. Ellie felt proud.

Ellie: This is amazing, Gunther! I'm glad the museum got recognized!

Gunther: Ohhhh, missy. You have no idea how high on cloud nine I'm floating right now. They're even honoring us with the 'Golden Shovel' award.

Gunther bellows a hearty laugh.

Gunther: Oh, but it's all thanks to you, though. And your knack for finding things.

Ellie: Thank YOU, Gunther. Honestly, I wouldn't even bother to double-check what those stones and old things were if you hadn't told me so. I believe you also had a significant part at that.

Gunther smiles brightly.

Gunther: Alright, well, there's still a lotta space in them display cases so we ain't finished yet. But here: a promise is a promise. And you deserve it all the same. Have fun with whatever quest you got goin' on and stay safe, alright?

Gunther gives her a huge key. It looked a bit ancient and rusty, but had a certain beauty to it.

Ellie: Thanks, Gunther. I'll take good care of it.

+++++

Ellie didn't have any experience with going into sewers but she fully expected it to STINK. She had prepared to wear a mask and brought a second one just in case.

She decided that it would be better for her to open the sewer gate from Cindersap rather than the one that's near the bridge to the beach.

Ellie: Alright. Let's get friendly with this shadow guy.

The sewers did stink, but you get used to it.

Ellie tried her best to just focus on completing the task.

It wasn't as labyrinthian as she expected. In fact, it was just a straight hallway with an opening to the right at the end. She followed the walkway silently, careful not to make sudden movements. She wasn't sure how this shadow guy would react when it sees her. She made sure not bring her usual sword but had a dagger on her back just in case.

Ellie turned the corner. It opened into a big platform with a weird-looking dog statue in one corner. There were still no signs of the shadow person so she continued forward.

At the far side of the plaform was a smaller section.

There in the middle stood the shadow person, unmoving.

Ellie couldn't quite place what expression it was on the shadow person's face, but so far, it wasn't attacking.

She started to speak, slowly and softly.

Ellie: Hello. I'm Elliot. You may be wary of me, but I mean no harm. I was sent here by Rasmodius, the wizard.

Ellie paused after her introduction, waiting for a response from the entity.

It cocked it's head to one side.

Shadow Person: A human visitor? This is most unusual... I'm Krobus, merchant of rare and exotic goods.

Krobus' voice was echo-y with hints of... Static? Ellie can't quite describe it, but the sound was something you'd maybe expect from an entity made from darkness.

Ellie: Uh. You're not going to attack me, are you?

Krobus: No. If you don't harm me as well.

Ellie sighed from relief. She was a bit on-edge the whole way down.

Ellie: Alright. So, um, the wizard sent me here to retrieve some kind of key. Are you familiar with it?

Krobus: Ah, yes, yes. The Dark Talisman. I have buried it within the Mutant Bug Dimension.

Oh, God. It's only early afternoon and it's already proving to be a long day.

Ellie: The what?

Krobus: Wizard told me that the talisman is very important and assigned me to safe guard it. So obviously, I will place it somewhere not easily accessible by anyone.

Ellie: Can't you just teleport it here?

Krobus: No, I do not have such powers.

Ellie sighed again.

Ellie: Alright, so I'm guessing this place is dangerous and that I need to prepare. Am I right?

Krobus: You are wise for your years.

Ellie stared at Krobus with an exasperated look.

Ellie: Alright then.

She started to leave when she remembered the wild horseradish in her bag.

Ellie: Oh, I almost forgot. This is for you. The wizard sends his regards.

Krobus seemed delighted by the gift.

Krobus: Thank you! I await your return, friend.

+++++

It was still a bit early to pass out in bed and all of her farm duties have been taken care of that morning, so it was back to the mines for Ellie again.

On her way, she saw Sebastian at his usual smoking spot by the lake.

Ellie: Hey, Seb!

Sebastian turned to look at her. He took a long hit at his cigarette and exhaled the smoke.

Seb: Hey.

Ellie: Ugh. You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?

Seb: Obviously. What else am I gonna do in my smoking spot? Go fish or something?

Ellie sighed.

Ellie: Is there a reason why you're being mean again? I thought we were cool now.

Sebastian took another hit on his cigarette.

Seb: ... I'm not being mean. Just want to be left alone.

Ellie looked at him, concern on her face.

Ellie: Alright. Well, chill out with the smokes.

Ellie turned to leave.

Seb: You, uh... Are you and Elliott a thing?

Ellie: What?

Sebastian flicked the ash off his cigarette.

Seb: Like, are you two... Dating or something?

Ellie: Oh. No. Why do you ask?

Seb: Um... Nothing... Sam was curious.

Ellie: Ah, I see. No, we're not dating. I don't really plan on dating anyone for that matter.

Sebastian looked at her, trying to hide the surprise in his face.

Seb: Oh? Why's that?

Ellie averted her gaze.

Ellie: I don't know. It's too much work, I guess.

Sebastian nodded.

Seb: Guess you had a lotta experience with relationships already.

Ellie: No, actually. I've never been in a relationship before.

Seb: ... Really?

Ellie: Yeah. Guess I'm just too lazy to find... Someone.

Sebastian nodded again, playing with the cigarette in his fingers.

Seb: That's... Kinda unfortunate.

Sebastian turned away from Ellie.

Seb: I think you'd be a good partner.

Ellie: Hah, really? You think so?

Seb: ... Sure.

Sebastian threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped on it.

Ellie, sighing: Seb...

Seb: Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I'll sweep that up later.

Ellie: Just make sure.

Seb: I promise.

Sebastian tried to shake the smell of smoke off of his hoodie.

Seb: You going to the mines again?

Ellie: Yeah. I'm very close to the bottom, I think.

Seb: Take good care of yourself down there, alright?

He approached Ellie and gave her a pat on the back.

Ellie: Hey, thanks for that. I should get going.

Seb: Yeah, goodluck.

As she walked into the mine entrance, Ellie took another look at Sebastian.

He was sweeping up his discarded cigarette as well as the fallen leaves that littered the ground.