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mediaevalmusereads · 4 years ago

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The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics. By Olivia Waite. New York: Avon Impulse, 2019.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Genre: historical romance, wlw romance

Part of a Series? Yes, Feminine Pursuits #1

Summary: As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.

Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.

While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?

***Full review under the cut.***

Content Warnings: sexism, allusions to homophobia

Overview: I feel like I’m in the minority of not loving this book as much as I wanted to. Based on content alone, it should have been a perfect storm for me: a historical sapphic romance, a lady scientist, debates about the value of art and women’s contributions... but while the romance genre doesn’t have nearly enough wlw stories, representation alone wasn’t enough to sustain my interest in this novel. It had the threads of a good story - something along the lines of The Countess Conspiracy or The Suffragette Scandal - but in my opinion, too much of the focus was on needless interpersonal drama, which left the plot dragging for the bulk of the story. So though the representation is great, and there are a number of feminist themes that I think are valuable, I didn’t enjoy this book enough to give it more than 2 or 3 stars.

Writing: Waite’s prose is about what you’d expect from the romance genre. It’s simple and straightforward, getting to the point without leaving the reader wondering what’s going on. My main criticism would perhaps be that Waite sometimes does a little head-hopping in the middle of a chapter without a section break. One minute, we’ll be seeing things from Lucy’s POV, and the next, we’ll get something from Catherine, then back to Lucy. It was a little jarring, but not too distracting - I could still immerse myself in the story ok.

Plot: The Lady’s Guide follows Lucy Muchelney as she translates, expands, and publishes M. Oleron’s Mechanique celeste (an astronomy text) under the patronage of Lady Catherine St. Day, Countess of Moth. After being rebuffed by the male members of the Polite Science Society, Lucy endeavors to render her own translation in hopes of educating readers who are interested in astronomy, but may not have had access to the range of texts needed to understand Oleron’s work. Catherine, for her part, funds the printing of Lucy’s work, while also discovering her own value as an embroiderer.

On the surface, this plot had all the things I love: women in science, valuing women’s art, a social commentary on patriarchy. But despite the interesting threads, I didn’t feel as if Waite used them to the greatest advantage. Aside from a few scenes, there wasn’t a lot of external pressure from the Polite Society; any drama that arose from their sexism was easily dismissed or avoided with a trip to the country, and I felt as if sexism in this book was more of a nuisance than a threat. This isn’t to say I wanted the characters to be constantly suffering or be miserable from an onslaught of male meddling, but I would like to have seen more of a sustained plotline where the Polite Society attempts to thwart Lucy’s efforts, thereby creating more suspense and giving Lucy and Catherine some external challenges to face together.

I also think the subplots could have been strengthened so that they enhanced the main conflict. The plot involving Eliza, the maid with a talent for sketching, was a good parallel to Catherine’s arc, which involved finding and rewarding women’s talents in art, but Eliza wasn’t a compelling character on her own, nor did I think Catherine reflect enough on the paradox of how she encouraged Eliza but not herself. I also think more could have been done with Lucy’s brother, Stephen, so that his meddling in Lucy’s career paralleled the Polite Society’s - just in a more subtle way, thereby showing different forms of sexism. Granted, there is a little of that, but like the Polite Society, Stephen pops up at convenient times before disappearing a page or two later.

Characters: I hate to say it, but I didn’t feel as if I could connect to the characters. Lucy, one of our heroines, is a mathematician and astronomer who inspires Catherine to see herself as an artist... and that’s mostly it. I guess she’s also bold and headstrong, but honestly, she felt more like an archetype than a fully-fledged character.

Catherine, for her part, is meek on account of being mistreated by her husband, but has brilliant skills as an embroiderer and is generous with her financial support. I did like the depth that Catherine had with regards to her insecurity over whether or not she could call herself an artist, and I liked that she respected Lucy’s feelings and didn’t allow her desires to be too selfish. But I also felt like she had no ambition or desires of her own until maybe 75% of the way through the book, and she mainly existed to support Lucy.

Side characters were hit or miss. I liked the idea of Eliza, the maid who gets to put her drawing skills to use as an engraver, but she wasn’t a fully-fleshed out character and didn’t hold my interest on her own. Stephen, Lucy’s brother, had the potential to be interesting, as he is an artist and acts as a foil to Lucy in many ways, but he flits in and out of the story as needed. Even Lucy’s ex, Pricilla, seems only to exist to make petty drama; there was no pining, no angst, and I didn’t see why Lucy had once loved her. There wasn’t even any commentary on how both Pris and Catherine were blond women who were skilled at embroidery.

Polite Society members had the potential to be good antagonists, but because their appearances were so contained, I don’t think they were used to their full potential. They provided some nice commentary, but I would have liked to see them meddle more often in Lucy’s translation process.

Romance: This is personal preference: I don’t like it when the love interests get together too early in the story. It usually means the rest of the romance is going to revolve around petty drama, and I think that’s what I got here. Lucy and Catherine become a couple some 25% of the way through the book, and for the life of me, I couldn’t see why they wanted to be together other than they were interested in women and happened to be sharing a house. Over time, their reasons for loving one another became a little more clear: Lucy loves that Catherine believes in her and lets her forge her own path, whereas Catherine loves that Lucy values her skills and lifts her up, rather than dismissing her (as Catherine’s deceased husband did). While these are certainly nice, I wanted there to be a little more to their romance. Because they got together so quickly, there was very little pining, very little growth in their affections.

I also think all the angst and relationship drama that happened after they got together was a little tedious. Lucy spends some time pining for her ex, which causes Catherine to be jealous. Catherine also sees the relationship as being incompatible at one point because Lucy likes science and she likes art, so of course that means they’re on different paths that can’t be reconciled. Most of the barriers to the relationship could have been overcome by either talking it out or getting to know one another a little better, so rather than good tension (in the form of suspense), I felt like there was pointless tension. I would have much rather seen Waite dive into the very real concerns, such as the economic inequality between them or the lack of permanence that comes with not being able to marry - I think those are real, life-altering concerns that could have tied in well with the non-romance plot, but unfortunately, those concerns seemed to be resolved a little too neatly.

TL;DR: Despite having some much-needed wlw representation and a number of feminist themes, The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics does little to cultivate a compelling plot and relies on misunderstandings to drive the romantic tension.

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pkmnjesus · 5 years ago

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⏪ P J’s PokéAni Rewind 2019

Hello, yes I’m still alive for those wondering or care at all :] Just been taking an indefinite leave from all my social media accounts (though you can still see me on Discord: PokémonJesus#2495) since mid-November going through some personal self-discovery journey...nobody misses me anyways. I’ll address that maybe in a future post, but let’s not make this about me...because RIGHT NOW it is time for my 4th annual year-end (and favorite) Tumblr tradition! 2019 was a stressful year for me personally (as you can tell I’ve been on and off here), and I appreciate all of the friends I’ve made within this fandom who’ve stuck with me through it. It was also the year of the successful launch of my new PokéAni exclusive side-blog @pokeaniepisodes where I would do my weekly episode blogging/screen-caps/GIFs for the #pokeani tag. Within the span of 10 months, I would gain over 1,000 followers! Thank you to those who have followed me there as well. Obviously due to my current circumstances, that has been put on halt as well after Sun & Moon ended. Apologies, but I’ll be back in 2020 hopefully. As for PokéAni, it was bittersweet as we bid Alola farewell with the Sun & Moon series ending heading into the next generation series. If you’re curious to hear what I have to say about the new series, well here’s your post! The Pokémon anime has officially wrapped up for this year with Ash & Go in the Hoenn region earlier today, in where he WON another tournament showing Go how it’s done! But now, it is time to highlight some of the best episodes (this post will be following the original Japanese release dates, but will still be using the English/game dub names for a universal understanding by all) I personally found noteworthy from each month. Without further ado, let’s take a look back at what the Pokémon anime had to offer in 2019. 1, 2, 3. LET’S GO!

JANUARY - Hello Hapu

The Poni Island adventures begin! And also, the road to Ash’s final grand trial to complete. This mini-arc started a very fun series of character-centric episodes among the main cast and their Pokémon while they were in the island without Professor Kukui’s guidance. From Sophocles’s Charjabug evolving to a Vikavolt, and Lana’s Popplio evolving to Brionne (plus getting Primarium Z!). But the highlight out of all of this was the character arc of the soon-to-be Poni Island Kahuna, Hapu! She was a stubborn trainer who didn’t want to interact with anyone or battle Ash. She eventually opened up to him and his friends slowly after getting back her stolen radishes from Team Skull (the first appearance of Plumeria as well). She was a key figure on the class’ expedition throughout Poni for their respective research projects, while Tapu Fini and her late grandfather keep an eye on her progress. Eventually when she did became Kahuna, Ash finally had his rightful battle with her for a grand trial. She didn’t gain only a new set of confidence, but a new set of friends too.

FEBRUARY - Mama Mallow makes us cry

As the group continues doing their personal research projects in Poni Island, and after Kiawe clears his own trial with Tapu Fini, we get a feels trip to Mallow’s past. Thanks to Tapu Fini’s mysterious mist that allows people to see the departed, Mallow relives her childhood days with her mother. We not only get a teary backstory of what Mallow said to her ill mother before passing away, but also Lillie & Gladion’s attempt to see their “deceased” father, Mohn. Mallow seeking proper closure, finally reunites with her mother in the mist as they spend as much time catching up with one another ever since their improper argument at the hospital. We then discovered that Bounsweet was actually caught by her mom before gifting it to Mallow as her first Pokémon...who is now a fully evolved Tsareena. There were a lot of good moments like seeing the Stoutland that (as if this wasn’t enough of a feels trip) help raised Ash’s Torracat when it was still a Litten, and that Mohn is nowhere to be found in the mist meaning that he’s still alive! Stoutland’s final gift to Torracat was upgrading its Ember move to eventually learning to use Fire Blast. But the most important thing about this episode, is that it teaches us to be grateful to our parents (or those who raised us) even when it looks like they don’t seem to care, we misunderstand and overlook how much they truly care for us. Never take things for granted and live in the moment. In the end, Mallow’s mom gave her one final gift before going back to the afterlife, a Shaymin to care for. Thanks mom :’)

MARCH - Ya boi is never too late!

All we can just say when he was first announced was...finally...or about time! Team Skull boss Guzma’s long awaited appearance in the Pokémon anime happened when he and the rest of his gang visited the Pokémon School to confront Professor Kukui. After hearing about the official announcement that the first Alola League was going to happen, Guzma is determined to eliminate everything for what it stands for. Meanwhile, everyone in Alola wanted to get in on the action for an opportunity to become a champion, that includes Ash who stood up to Guzma for Kukui. After wiping the floor with Team Rocket, Guzma battles Ash taking interest with his utilization of the Z-Power Ring. Despite newly perfecting Corkscrew Crash, it had almost no damage on Guzma’s Golisopod. As the battle rages on, Golisopod’s Emergency Exit activates when Pikachu starts to get an upper hand. A stubborn Guzma not wanting to admit what really happened leaves and berates Ash as he sends a clear message on his vow to destroy the Alola League. Guzma and Kukui went face-to-face before Team Skull left, and it’s clear that his intentions were more personal. There’s always a reason behind of it all, and Guzma was seeking for vengeance.

APRIL - Mohn is missing

After discovering that their father may still be alive (as mentioned in my February highlight), Lillie and her family are searching for answers with the help of the Aether Foundation. Lusamine then confesses to her kids about an Ultra Wormhole incident that caused Mohn to disappear. As they continue to get more info, they stumble upon Mohn’s room and discovered two very important treasures. A Z-Ring which he used to wear, and a Magearna that doesn’t seem to be responsive. Lillie decides to wear and use her Z-Ring until her father is found, while also finding away to bring the Magearna he left back to life. With the blessing of Kahuna Hala and her friends’ support, she deicides to finally put her Icium-Z to good use by practicing the Subzero Slammer Z-move with Snowy now that she finally has a Z-Ring at hand. She fails at her first attempt, it won’t keep her down from practicing until she gets it right. The episode ends on a very touching note with Lillie reading an entry from her father’s old journal revealing that Mohn did in fact bought an inactive Magearna in hopes to restore it to give it to his one and only daughter as a gift <3

MAY - Lana’s lure of fate

In one of my personal favorite episodes (totally not because she’s my favorite and the best girl), I got shut up for even doubting that her Brionne would evolve this soon (don’t you just hate it when anime previews spoil?). Lana finally decides to make her dream a reality (referenced in previous episodes) to hook a Kyogre at sea! With the help of Ash, they were able to track down a Kyogre that suddenly appeared while the class were fishing. When they discovered that the Kyogre had been poisoned by Pokémon hunters, Lana decides to cure it with an antidote hooked to a special Misty lure she had been given while Ash deals with the troublemakers. Even after curing the poison, the hunters attempting to catch Kyogre made it rage even more. Lana tries to save it by trying to hook him out of the Hunter’s capturing device. She was successful in freeing it but ended up dragging her to the ocean rapidly as a storm develops from an angered Kyogre. And it was at that moment when Brionne wanted to save her trainer from getting dragged all over, evolving to Primarina was the only way to end this perfect storm. Primarina’s singing calmed down Kyogre, as Lana lifts up her rod graciously with Kyogre in the sky. Dream achieved, and a moment has been made with new sea friend. Now when Lana tells this story, it’s actually the truth and there will be no one laughing now! Later on another episode, Lana & Primarina would learn how to use and master the Oceanic Operatta Z-move, and it’s all thanks to the hook of this Kyogre. I’m sure Misty is proud as well :)

JUNE - Kid Kukui and Little Litten

There’s a Celebi in this episode...you know what that means. Back to the past! While Ash was training with his Pokémon for the Alola League, a Celebi stumbles upon them and transport Ash & Torracat to the same place where they were at, but only many years ago. They meet this little kid that had Litten with him and it was clearly obvious that his was younger Kukui and his (The Masked Royal’s) Incineroar who hasn’t evolved yet. However, Ash still had no idea he was in the past and treated little Kukui like any other kid he’d meet traveling. The two bond throughout the episode with their similar attitude when it comes to battling, and Ash gladly guided the little kid on executing Z-moves with their Pokémon. The two even worked together assisting a Totem Trevenant in sheltering all the nearby Pokémon as a rainstorm approaches. Thanks to the good heart of Ash helping out everyone, he receives his own Firium Z from the same Trevenant that gave Kukui his Firium Z. He eventually gets back to his timeline where it seemed to have an effect on the present day Kukui. If it wasn’t for that meeting, maybe the professor would’ve had his vision of forming an Alola Pokémon League if it wasn’t for that mysterious older boy he met with his Torracat. A Pokémon time paradox? Maybe...but what I loved about this story is that it repeats itself for the next episode but from the perspectives of Ash’s Pokémon that were left behind in hopes of finding their trainer. Really reminds me of that time Pokémon got separated from their trainers during S.S. Anne arc in the original series, only difference is that the perspectives of the trainers and Pokémon were happening at the same time. But you gotta love a pure whacky Pokémon adventure! Pretty much like a Pikachu short you see before movies.

JULY - Let the League begin!

The moment everyone has been waiting for...the Alola League has officially begun! With everyone prepared to unleash their Z-Power, it’s time for the qualifying round to start. Unlike previous Leagues, this starts off with a free-for-all Battle Royal with a total of 151 competitors but only 16 will advance to the next round. Most of the trainers in this League are recognizable characters if you have watched Sun & Moon in its entirety up to this point. From Mina to Kahili to Acerola to the entire Team Skull gang to Hiroki and even Pikala, every Alola character is here! While all the Island Kahunas serves as the officials for the event. It was fun way to kick-off a 4-month long League arc and they couldn’t have it done any other way. The top 16 has been decided and it gave us good match-ups to follow in the next couple of episodes such as, Mallow vs. Lana, a childhood friend clash which also tests Mallow’s courage in battling. Our favorite Team Rocket duo in disguise facing off against one another (can’t remember when was the last time we saw that). A sibling battle and a trial on how far Lillie has gone as a Pokémon trainer facing off against her strong big brother, Gladion. And of course, the friendly birby rematch between Ash and Hau. The line-up of matches is stacked! I could not remember how hyped I was for this long-awaited League arc. Some battles might’ve been short and quick, but every participant mattered! How can you not love the Sun & Moon series?

AUGUST - The Alola Final Four

And then, there were four. In the semi-finals bracket, we first have Gladion facing off against Kiawe who defeated Acerola and bested a friend in Sophocles. He’s pretty much the dark horse in this, but he’s been working hard all series with his battling to get to this point. As Lillie and Mimo (Hoshi) cheer on their big brothers, it was Gladion who got the upper hand and the two exchange in a very meaningful handshake of sportsmanship. Meanwhile on the other side of the semi-finals, Guzma, who blasted through Ilima and Lana, getting his rematch with Ash seeking for retribution after his soft defeat the last time they faced off. It was a clash of personalities as the Team Skull boss vows to get to Kukui by destroying someone who resembles him in Ash and get a big W for his fellow Team Skull outcasts. This battle was more than just advancing through the semi-finals but also the integrity of what the League will become if Guzma is successful in his ploy. Guzma was very aggressive during this match to the point of even scolding his Golisopod. But when you mad, you don’t focus well and that became Guzma’s downfall eventually resulting in his defeat against Ash who battled with his heart. Guzma had to learn the hard way, maybe softened his mindset a bit, but even after losing Plumeria and the rest of the grunts still want to be by his side improving their own skills in battle to be like their fearless leader. You never see a heartwarming ending for a “villainous” team in Pokémon before, but I think Team Skull had their own happy ending.

SEPTEMBER - The “Curse” is finally broken

Ash vs. Gladion. Here we go, the League finals to determine the inaugural champion of Alola. I mean I already made solo-post last September about how BIG this episode/moment was for our capped hero. Their rivalry has been amazing from the get-go. From their first meeting at the beach by Kukui’s place with a feisty Rockruff that wanted to battle, to the Manalo Stadium battling for a prestigious championship title with Ash’s Lycanroc fully controlled over its rage with dirt. It wasn’t a full battle, but 3-on-3 showdown served us one heck of battle! It may not be considered the best by many, but it was still an amazing and fun bout between two trainers who promised each other to meet in the finals of the big stage. The laugh they shared, the flashbacks that was shown to us (with the awesome Type: Wild! music playing in the background), and the storytelling of who wants it more makes you get to the edge of your seat, cheering for Ash to finally win a major Pokémon League. Ash’s newly evolved Melmetal showcased it’s new strength but still wasn’t able to beat Gladion’s Silvally. Then, when Zoroark and Pikachu knocked each other out, it was the 1v1 Lycanroc battle that really put this friendly and competitive rivalry full circle.

Ash has NEVER defeated Gladion...until this moment. He’s been training for this, and it finally paid off. The two Lycanroc’s took no prisoners and went back and forth with one another. In the final blow of that match, Gladion’s Lycanroc used Counter against Ash’s Lycanroc that was charging towards it, but then our big brained hero fights back with their own Counter attack. Never have I heard of Countering a Counter in the Pokémon universe, but using it in this one moment nobody expects, it was the HYPEST way to swerve fans from almost losing the match but ultimately gave an epic counterattack that would knock out Gladion’s Lycanroc. And for the first time since the Orange League, Ash is a Champion. Only this time it is a way bigger deal! Mostly because this is a game-based series which has more meaning when it comes to the Pokémon League.

Old fans, new fans, and casual viewers a like were buzzing within 24 hours after this episode released in Japan that caught mainstream media attention. People who have never seen a Pokémon anime episode in their life (or a subbed episode for that matter) past the original series, wanted to see how this episode went down to see a childhood hero achieve a major trophy. This is how big of a pop-culture icon Ash & Pikachu was among many generations of fans since the show’s launch internationally. This was truly THE PokéAni moment of 2019. Again, big congratulations to our Alola Champion, Ash Ketchum/Satoshi! Too bad Guzzlord had to ruin the closing ceremony afterparty...

OCTOBER - A fiery full final battle

So after becoming Alola Champion, sending three Guzzlords back to where they came from, reuniting with Poipole who evolved into a Naganadel, and The Masked Royal’s identity publicly revealed as Professor Kukui ALL IN THE SAME NIGHT! We finally get our exhibition match between Ash and The Masked Royal, who would like to go under his real identity. This is the final battle, and the promised reward the first Alola Champion gets. This is honestly also reward to the fans giving us one final hoorah for the Alola region with a full 6-on-6 Pokémon battle! I believe this is the only full battle we got to see in Alola and it was definitely worth the anticipation and surprise. Kukui had a lot of secret Pokémon up his sleeve that the viewers don’t know about (unless you get spoiled by freakin’ Oha Suta), and it is also the first and only official battle that Naganadel will be part of under Ash’s team. So the excitement levels of this fun 5-PART episode battle were off the roof! Kukui had amazing Pokémon that he kept a secret, but what I do want to focus in this spotlight is the showdown between Incineroar and Torracat. Just like with the Lycanroc duel, these two have similar stories with Torracat never being able to beat The Masked Royal/Kukui’s Incineroar. Ever since it was still a Litten, the desire to battle strong opponents still burns inside. As the two fiery cats clash in this epic battle, both sides have the same intensity when receiving and taking attacks.

As the battle worn out, both Kukui and Ash activated their Z-Rings together to use Inferno Overdrive against each other. After a gigantic explosion from the Z-move collision it was Torracat who was the last Pokémon standing finally beating its personal battle rival. After a victory screech, I was surprised as everyone seeing it fully evolve into Incineroar. Unfortunately, that evolution took a toll on the newly evolved Pokémon and is unable to continue further. Rest well big kitty, you beat who you wanted to beat and deserve a good rest.

As if that wasn’t epic enough, in the final phase of this full battle, Tapu Koko steps in and serves as Kukui’s last Pokémon and even granting both parties to be able to use Z-moves once again. Fast forward, Ash and Pikachu finally defeated their first opponent when they first set foot in the Alola region with the Z-Ring Tapo Koko gave them in the first place. It clearly now knows that Ash was a worthy holder of using Z-Power and a Champion that everyone can look up to. What a battle. What a series. Thank you Alola. Thank you Sun & Moon.

NOVEMBER - Pikachu Origins

Enter the next chapter. The new era of the Pokémon anime finally launched this in a very different way. The first episode basically serves as the prequel to the Pokémon anime series before Ash had set out on his quest to become a Pokémon Master. Long story short, we can Pikachu’s background story on how he came to be the loving mascot recognized everywhere on paper. I mean who would’ve thunk it? I just love the fact that we’re getting an origin story of how Ash’s Pikachu when it was still a wild Pichu. Although it wasn’t explained how Professor Oak ended up catching the little guy, Pikachu always had a good heart (you know despite rejecting Ash at first lol). The most adorable thing about this episode was the family bond Pichu temporarily shared with this little Kangaskhan family. The little guy was an outcast not really sure where to go or what to do except survive and find food. When that Kangaskhan picked him up as if it was one of its babies, and gained a new caring sibling in the process. It was a wholesome story of calling someone family even though there is no blood relation. Pichu was literally not their kind, but they still loved him as it was them!

Meanwhile, we get a little preview of our new characters from seeing their childhood and setting up the premise for them to cross paths with Ash in the future. The newest protagonist, Go, was a little know-it-all about Pokémon, and he sure bragged a lot of his knowledge on it during one of Professor Oak’s camp (in which Ash failed to wake up for). Along with his worrisome friend, Koharu, they spotted a Mew while going off course in Oak’s tour around their campsite. It would also be the saving grace of the lost baby Kangaskhan who accidentally fell off a cliff after attempting to play with the Mew. After seeing Mew’s psychic abilities, it was clear for Go that he needed to catch Mew one day. This is the initial goal that Go wanted to set out for when he’s old enough.

After the incident with his Kangaskhan sibling, Pichu had to re-think if he wants to continue being a part of a pack that he doesn’t even properly belong it in the first place. When the herd of Kangaskhan took shelter in cave during heavy rain, Pichu had to make a tough decision and leave his foster family behind while they were asleep because he knew that the mother Kangaskhan would not let go of someone who it sees as a child of her own. Pichu knew that was the only way, but despite his sad decision he was grateful for the happiness they provided for a lone wolf Pokémon that wandered in the wild looking belong somewhere. It was that same happiness that gave Pichu the strength to evolve to the Pikachu we all know today, and found a forever home with a certain tardy boy a couple of years later that they both formed an inseparable friendship.

DECEMBER - The Great Gigantamax in Galar

Of course, you can’t have a new series without showing off a new region?! As our “research fellows” Ash & Go continue their exploration in the Galar region learning more about the Dynamax phenomenon that causes Pokémon to grow bigger in size, they are about to be in for one gigantic dilemma. They had some trouble when they met a bunch of trickster Pokémon in those Nickit and a dirty Scorbunny trying to steal their food, but that wasn’t the last they saw of that Scorbunny. When they took the train to explore the Wild Area, Scorbunny secretly tagged along in hopes to be partners with Go after feeling a connection with the trainer during their first encounter. After MANY attempts of trying get Go’s attention, he finally notices Scorbunny after it kicks a rock to knock down fruit on top of a Snorlax they were observing (that hits Ash’s head first oof). Scorbunny attempts to get caught by Go, but he declined due to his vow for Mew to be his first catch. After the sad rejection, red lights then start to surround the Snorlax that ended up Dynamaxing it to Gigantamax Snorlax! This caused a big road blockage that affects a train line in that area. Ash, Pikachu, Go and Scorbunny decide to team up and move the Snorlax before the next train comes by to avoid a disaster from happening. Ash and Pikachu were able to cut down a big fruit from the Gigantamax Snorlax’s body and pass it on to Go and Scorbunny to make sure he jumps (just like earlier from Scorbunny’s accidental fruit pick) for that fruit in time for the train to pass by without anyone getting hurt. It was a tough task getting all the way up to the belly of beast, but thanks the Double Kick boost Scorbunny gave that big fruit, Snorlax not only moved in time for the next train to stop by, but return back to normal (big) size.

Unfortunately, Scorbunny was also swallowed in that big gulp, but it was a good thing that Snorlax didn’t munch it all the way. After the teamwork Go felt with Scorbunny during all that, he decides to modify his dream a bit and wants Scorbunny to now be his first Pokémon catch. Both are happy to be with one another, and we all know this was going to be the start of wonderful friendship. With this addition to the group, the main cast for the new anime series is now fully-set. Let the true adventures around the Pokémon world begin!

Some honorable mentions…

2019 for PokéAni marked an end of an era, but a start of a new one too! No doubt one of the most impactful years the show has had in the world since the XY&Z arc. Besides the historic Alola League, we also saw the continuation of Brock & Misty’s trip to Alola (not to mention Brock & Olivia’s adorkable interactions together), the class’ crash-course golf lessons with none other than Kahili! Ash catching a rare Meltan that appeared out of nowhere, The Sparkling Trio of Mallow, Lana & Lillie uniting as Alola DrinKyun (’Refreshing Trio: Alola Idols’ in the English dub), Ash challenging Ryuki’s Kantonian Gym, the high-speed Vikavolt race, Mallow’s vision in opening her Pokémon café, Matori’s unexpected visit to the Team Rocket base in Alola, and let’s not for get about the Ultra Guardians finishing up their final missions in capturing the remaining UBs: Pheromosa and Kartana. And honestly, after seeing all of Sun & Moon, can everyone just agree that Kukui is the BEST Pokémon professor?!

Of course, how can I not mention the final episode of Sun & Moon? In what was probably one of the most emotional farewell episodes in the anime’s history. If you don’t have bias from the original goodbye with Brock & Misty in Johto, this would probably be the best one. It was executed perfectly with Ash’s class figuring out what to do in the future with Ash himself not sure what to do moving forward. Naganadel had to return back to its homeworld, the Rockets had to say leave their Alola Pokémon with Bewear as she sends them off one final time, Nebby returns to see Ash one final time, and Lillie decides to search for her father away from Alola after brining Magearna to life. With everyone deciding what to do, Ash heads back home to explore the world (which transitions to the new series) leaving all his Alola Pokémon behind in Kukui’s lab, while Rotom Dex decides to work for the Aether Foundation. The boat scene with Lillie was a good touch on how her character evolved thanks to Ash’s help, and the departing airport scene with Kukui, Burnet, and Ash group hugging was touching. Even Ash teared up as he gets in the air leaving Alola as his friends and Pokémon he left behind wave goodbye. If that wasn’t a good send off for the Sun & Moon series, Mallow’s Shaymin finally achieved its Sky Forme (which have her mother’s eyes...could be a touching symbolism that she was always watching her ;_;) from a Gracidea flower before taking off, AND ON TOP OF THAT, the final shot of the series no less, we find out that Professor Burnet is pregnant. Never in the history of this anime has ever done that to a major character in the supporting cast. The Sun & Moon series continues to break ground as one of the best Pokémon series.

Other than that, we got the new series (which I still wish we had a proper sub-title for -_-) giving us a taste of what to expect in the new Generation VIII era. Our newly appointed research fellows, Ash & Go are at Professor Sakuragi’s Institute helping with his research along with Mimey and Koharu helping out with the household chores. Lugia brought these two together, and are now living under the same roof. And, can we talk about Mimey?! I’m so glad a classic character from this anime is being used as a permanent supporting character for this series. Not to mention that he battled alongside Ash in the Hoenn tournament and won! It’s also refreshing to see updated animation within Kanto where they’re home base is at, and I absolutely cannot wait for them to go back to other regions with this fresh new art style. With Go’s goal to catch every Pokémon there is for him to index, he’s bound to meet Mew again one day! He’s literally every Pokémon games’ protagonist and I’m glad we have a main character like him who actually focuses on catching them all. As for Ash, he’s still our Ash carving his own unique path on his continuing journey to become a Pokémon Master because it’s more than being the strongest trainer and more than just catching Pokémon. I’m going to take his word for it! I don’t know if you noticed, but Go kinda looks up to him a bit due to his experiences in battle. Just look how shy he was just wanting to be his friend. You just gotta love it when they make Ash this mentor-type friend especially now coming off a huge victory in the Alola League becoming a champion.

Overall, the Sun & Moon anime gave us a variety of different set of stories every week leading up to the anticipated Alola League. Everyone had a story to tell building up to the Alola League, and just look at the list of episodes we’ve had this year that went back and forth with characters that get a main focus other than Ash (or even Lillie). Most of these episodes I’m talking about are either development for a Pokémon in their team evolving, or a perfecting a Z-move with their respective Z-Crystals. This shows much the writers care about each main character gets enough screen-time before they’re ready to take on the League with Ash. If you are still thinking on whether or not to continue/finish watching the series if you haven’t yet, I would still recommend to please watch until the end! It’s a really fun ride to sit through it all in my humble opinion, unless you want to just bolt straight into the League episodes only caring about Ash’s story. You do you. As for the new series, it will definitely pick up the pace sooner or later with the initial episodes are setting up to lead into something bigger. If you aren’t hooked in yet, definitely be patient because I’m expecting a lot of good opportunities for them to pull off in this cross-region based format. Sure it isn’t based 100% on the latest games in the franchise Sword & Shield, but that’s what separates the anime and the games. The anime is doing its own thing with an original story, but I’m pretty sure they will mix-in some of the interesting storylines and feature important characters from Sword & Shield every time they revisit Galar because it’s the new region on the block. They should feature/market a lot of episodes from all the new content Galar has. So I would definitely still keep my eyes on the Pocket Monsters series 👀

And there you have it! This post as long as it already is, so I’ll stop here. If you’ve read everything I had to say (maybe a few typos here and there lol), then thank you for your time! Feel free share your own favorite PokéAni moment 2019 with a reblog or a reply if you choose to do so. Thanks so much for an amazing year, and it’s time for us to GO to 2020. More moments await for us, and maybe even some surprises we might see since Ash is returning to previous regions he already visited in the past. See everyone in 2020 for the first full year of the new ‘Pocket Monsters’ series. Let’s go (with Go heh) and have some fun! Yes, I think used the word ‘go’ here too many freakin’ times lol

Happy New Year to all my followers, and the rest of the Pokémon fandom!

If you haven’t seen these yet, and you are new to my blog, check out all the previous year-end PokéAni Rewinds I did in the past: 2016 | 2017 | 2018

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hollyand-writes · 4 years ago

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5 Questions (fic meme)

I was tagged all the way back in December 2019 by the lovely @kagetsukai – thanks so much! ❤️ Sorry that it’s taken me, um, 7 months to get around to doing this! I think at the time I was feeling a bit too low about my writing (and, frankly, fandom) back then to be able to answer any writing memes, but I’m back on my bullshit now so LET’S DO THIS! 💪🏾

I tag whoever wants to do this! 😃

Let’s talk about “A Chance Engagement”, my Regency AU Carver/Merrill multi-chaptered longfic!

1) What was the idea that started the story?

Two things: The first thing was this post that made me wonder what Carver would look like marching around in tight Regency breeches, and that got me thinking of all kinds of scenarios where he’d be marching around in them (also please have my bad Photoshop art. Thanks @fragilespark for enabling me, haha!).

The second thing was that not long after, @lucyrne was one of the randomly-selected prizewinners for the @carvermerrill blog giveaway when it reached 250 followers (random fun fact: it now has 366 followers; not bad for a rare-pairing!) and she gave me the following prompt:

...I think what I'd really love is a prompt that involves them dressing up for some reason. Like going to a ball and actually getting to enjoy it instead of thwarting assassinations or fighting dragons ...

After I asked her if a Regency AU would be OK with her, she replied:

I was thinking something canonverse, but if an AU inspired you go for it.

And, um, three years later, here we are. (I’m so sorry your blog giveaway prize has taken this long, Lucyrne!)

2) Did you make an outline? Did you stick to it?

Kind of? I mean, I’m following the plot of Pride & Prejudice (the novel version, and maybe sort of the 1995 BBC adaptation) for the most part, especially with the main pairing (Carver/Merrill) and one of the other side-pairings (the Wickham/Lydia equivalent), but there is another subplot going on with F!Hawke/Isabela (i.e. Marian Hawke) and their secret romance which is very loosely based on their Dragon Age 2 romance arc, although it won’t exactly follow that arc.

I tend to make a very loose and subject-to-change outline for my longfic after pantsing a few paragraphs/pages to get some thoughts down and some scenes out of my head, but then I start to string things together by coming up with some sort of plot to include the scenes in, and that’s what I’ve done here. I’ve got a list of bullet points of plot points I need to cover overall, and then I drill down deeper into each chapter and what they will cover every batch of several chapters. I haven’t always stuck to those more detailed chapter-by-chapter outlines, but I have stuck to the overall plot outline.

3) What’s the favourite part of your story?

A certain rejected proposal that happened in Chapter 41. I was laughing about that for at least a year before I was finally able to release the chapter – it was so hard sitting on that plot twist for so long!

4) Who is your favourite character and why?

Probably the Arishok. His sole purpose in the fic is to just turn up and ruin everything, LOL. I’ve also really enjoyed writing the De Launcets, as well – writing the bitchy sisters Babette and Fifi and their brother Emile with his shit chat-up lines has been great, they’re just my favourite disaster family and writing their meanness has been fun.

5) Did anything happen that surprised you as you were writing?

I was actually surprised that the de Launcet sisters ended up having as big a role as they did, and that there was so little of Emile. I was also surprised at just how long it would take me to get from one plot point to another, that getting from plot point A to plot point B in my rough outline would take several chapters and a bunch of exposition and worldbuilding in order to build and complete the path there.

I am also surprised that I’m still going. I thought this would be done in like 15 chapters and 20,000 words?!? AHAHAHAHAHA I WAS SO WRONG but I’m also surprised that I’ve got a fic past the 60,000-word mark and that I haven’t flagged and that I’m still interested in writing and finishing it, even if I am slow!

The other reason I’m surprised I’m still going is actually because trying to write in a Regency style of English is really, really, really hard for me, and I don’t always enjoy doing it, even though (paradoxically) I really enjoy writing this fic???? despite my feelings about the style I write it in??? I can’t really explain it. It kind of feels like I was meant to write this fic, somehow, and I think so far it’s the most “me” out of all multi-chaptered fics I’ve publicly released to AO3.

The BIGGEST surprise I got, however, was that this longfic would be as loved as it was/is, and that I’d have so many lovely, awesome, wonderful people reaching out to tell me how much they love my fic and look forward to each update ❤️ Back when I started, I only had like 3 readers, and out of those, only Lucyrne was a regular commenter of mine – I remembered being disappointed at first, but then I thought “eh, this is the story I want to write, and I love diving into this world and this AU so I’m going to finish it even if Lucyrne ends up being my only reader”. So I stopped worrying about my lack of audience and just... carried on writing it, just for the sheer fun of writing it.

I was genuinely not prepared at all for so many readers to discover my longfic somewhere around Chapters 9 to 15, and to come along for the ride with me. But I appreciate it and love you all. Thank you all so, so much. 😘❤️

#5 questions #five questions #tag meme #thanks for tagging me!#long post #also #tagging this as #carver x merrill #merrill x carver #hollyand writes #carrill #a chance engagement #for blacklisting purposes

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ziracona · 4 years ago

Note

I know you mentioned that Bill wasn't included in ILM because you didn't know much about his personality. Out of curiosity though, if you had included him in the fic, how would you have integrated his history of being in the middle of a zombie apocalypse that couldn't have happened for the other characters? Or like, what approach would you have gone with?

Oh this is kind of a tough one! I don’t know Bill well, because I haven’t played Left 4 Dead, but that actually wasn’t why he isn’t in the fic. I stopped including survivors after Jane Romero, because DbD updates so much that I hit a point it was either add more characters but know you won’t have time to develop them and give them the character arcs they deserve because you’re nearing the end, or stop adding people, and it’s always better to whole-ass less then half-ass more—especially with characters that are awesome and really deserve some due diligence. While Bill is actually one of the earliest survivors released for DbD (he was...siiixth or something? Like right after Ace? Or Nea?), that’s only for PC. On PS4 and Xbox, he wasn’t added until much later, and I play DbD on PS4. So, for me as a player, Bill wasn’t actually released until after Ash was. When I started writing, I was kind of vaguely aware he existed on PC? But I had 0 personal experience with him, and so I went with my own/console experience when it came to writing.

As for what I’d have done, that’s a dang good question, and I’m not entirely sure— I’d definitely have thought about it longer if I had included him, but I’ll give you what I think I would have done? Obviously, Bill’s not from the world the rest of the survivors are. While almost any of the stories can coexist with minimal changes (NOES 2010, Halloween, Stranger Things, even Ash are more or less fairly easily compatible), zombie apocalypse—couple things I know they’re bound to notice, ya know? Still, I stand by multiverse being both unnecessary and not the best decision for the story I want to tell, so what I think I’d have done is this: (under the cut bc it’s gonna be long af--get ready for some quantum theory lol)

Okay, so the Entity canonically can operate outside of natural time. Meaning it can take survivors from earlier or later, and isn’t on the same space-time fixed relationship the world is. Now, time travel is tricky. Or anything with a complex portrayal of time. But there are three basic setups for time travel potential that actually make sense. They are as follows:

Anything that will happen, has happened (or the Artemis Fowl timetheory). This one is pretty straightforward. Sure, you can travel through time, but the universe you live in right now where you are choosing to go back is the result of the past you caused. The change you’re causing is past-tense already, and the only real agency you have is in causing the circumstances leading up to where you already are. This still allows for some fancy manuvering (for example: want to save a friend’s life? No problem. You can��t remove the motivation to go back, so you in the past still have to believe they die, but so long as you didn’t like, hold their severed head—if it’s a situation like say, you saw them blow up, you can save that person—you just have to make sure your past self still sees them “die” in the explosion and thus chooses, as you did/are, to go back.) This is my personal least favorite theory of space-time, but it’s a solid one.

The second is the The Future is not Set (or the Back to the Future timetheory). This one says time is flexible. You can go back and kill your father before you’re born, and the future will change. How ripple effects happen are varried—for example in strict timeline variations of this theory such as those in Frequency or Back to the Future, if you cause yourself not to be born, time will catch up with you, and while the impact you left on the world remains, you, as you no longer are born, will vanish from existence as the time stream corrects itself. However, more lenient time streams such as the versions in Continuum or Futurama exist as well, where even if your effects on the world prevent you from being born, the version of you currently alive continues to exist as an anomaly. This is by far, in my opinion, the most enjoyable solid timetheory.

And last (unless you count Time Travel is Impossible as a solid theory which I guess technically you can??), theory three (or the Doctor Who timetheory). This theory portrays time as possible to change and allowing for alternatives to be taken, but not in all places and ways. It presents very hard limits on what can change, and offers a much more inflexible time continuum than theory 2, as well as much higher consequences for causing alterations. Rather than direct cause-effect consequences, like vanishing because you caused yourself not to be born, usually the result of tampering and causing a change of large size is that you will create time paradoxes, which the time stream itself desperately will try to destroy/fix, usually horribly and with massive and brutal force. Things like Life is Strange fall into this theory as well, with Dr. Who being on the lenient end of this spectrum and LIS the strict. It offers the technicality of a changeable future, but none of the true and almost wild freedom offered by variations of theory 2. Basically, any large scale or personal change you cause will rip holes in the universe, and either you will give in to fate and re-allow the loved one you saved to die, or you push on through and accept massive time-space damage and casualties for the choice. I’ve got mixed feelings on this one myself, as I’ve seen it handled super well and made a thing that can be fun, but it also is the theory that pisses me off the most when written poorly haha.

Anyway, massive time theory talk over, in Dead by Daylight, the Entity can traverse time canonically. In ILM, the survivors only talk briefly, after meeting Jane, about theories for how that works, but here is what I would say if ILM had included Bill. To preface, there are two timelines that each follow the same set of basic rules, but have a little freedom in how they effect each other (not so much in how they effect themselves): the Survivor’s world/reality timeline, and the Entity’s pocket dimension timeline. Neither timeline can contradict itself and create paradoxes within its own space. So. Bill is from the same universe as anyone else. At one point, the early 2000s followed the narrative of Left 4 Dead, and the Entity grabbed Bill where & when he “dies” in canon. Only, some time after grabbing Bill, the Entity took another person which (completely unintentionally on the Entity’s part) triggered a massive Buttery Effect on the world, and greatly altered reality, causing not only the Left 4 Dead apocalypse to no longer occur, but causing Bill himself to never be born. Bill however was already outside of the world and in the Entity’s pocket dimension at the time, and thus was not there to be “erased” and exists as an anomaly. While he is paradoxical in his own world, he does not at all contradict the Entity’s established timeline—he adheres to it. While the memory of survivors is effected and updated by changes made in reality by the Entity, because there is no version of “Bill” in the world anymore, he did not have his memories altered (there was no “Bill” for the timestream to update at all, as he is entirely an anomaly now, so it would have no reason to try). The world they exist in has a time continuum that operates off a variation somewhere between theory 3 and theory 2 (the future is not set, but also there are fix points—however, these almost exclusively exist in regard to one’s own past. The big rule is that personally making the act of altering your own past intentionally by nature also alters your motivations for acting in the first place, and thus negates the possibility of you doing so. While you can change other people’s pasts, or accidentally effect your own, you physically cannot change your own intentionally, because you’d create either a paradox or a time loop, and it would rip you apart).

Dwight is more or less correct when he hypothesizes that they might have all remembered a world with Jane Romero still in it until an hour ago. However, all of ILM itself is that version of time/reality (ie the “last” or “final” version, as it were/the version that came into being when Jane was taken). Her loss butterfly affect updated people, and so they remember her being missing. While the Entity could hypothetically someday accidentally do things that make it so survivors aren’t born in the external reality, it cannot do so intentionally or accidentally-on-purpose, because it is bound by the rules of its own personal history/timeline, and it can neither intentionally nor accidentally do a damn thing to prevent what has transpired inside itself from happening. Similarly, since the survivors are established as existing inside it, even if they were erased at birth, they would still exit it intact in November of 2019 with all their memories. The Entity thus has no real way to hurt them even in revenge, unless it is willing to risk taking them again from a later point in time. Most small decisions do not have buttery effects that are very large at all, and in general time attempts to smooth out with the least possible changes. What happened to Bill was a one in a billion fortunate/unfortunate chance thing, and was such an unlikely thing to happen in the first place, the chances of a thing like it happening again are astronomically small, and almost completely certainly would not to occur. In some ways it would be nice for him though, because he could escape back to a peaceful reality where many people he lost are still happy & living. While they don’t remember him, people would still have the echos of their past inside them (feelings of deja vu, memories in dreams, attachment and familiarity with people you never “met”) and he could reconnect with them if he wanted and live happily with old Left 4 Dead crew and his new survivor family. : )

#ask #anonymous #writing #In Living Memory #In Living Memory (fic)#dead by daylight #for the record I'd spend /way/ more time fleshing out a time-space theory before /actually/ writing it in a story #but this seemed like a pretty solid take for an 'along these lines' answer

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mythicamagic · 5 years ago

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It’s Just the Curse: Fruits Basket Oneshot

Summary: Hatori tends to an injured Tohru after the events of the True Form arc.

Hurt/comfort

2,000 words

AN: I don't wanna hear no - 'ahhh you must hate Kyoru!'

No. Shh. I ship Kyoru, I just needed to write this because I felt like the 2019 version of the true form arc gave Tohru far more injuries than in the 2001 or manga versions. I need some Hatori love. I do also ship Hatohru but you can choose to think of this as platonic, I left it ambiguous on purpose because this isn't really about romance, this is hurt/comfort, ya feel?

It's Just the Curse

When he receives a call from Shigure, he expects the usual idiotic musings from the novelist, leaning back in his desk chair to get comfortable and ignore them.

Instead, what comes through the line is: "It's Tohru, can you come quick?"

Hatori left the chair spinning, yanking on a jacket and grabbing his keys and case. Shigure rarely used that tone, and it wasn't the playful one from before when Tohru had gotten a fever. This wasn't a headache or a housecall. Something had happened.

Hatori slid into the driver's seat, gunning the engine and speeding out of Sohma estate. He never usually drove over the limit. Today he barely paid attention to the speedometer, all he knew was that the vehicle wasn't moving fast enough.

Finally pulling up at Shigure's house, he rushed out, snapping the sliding door open and fixing Shigure with a look.

"Where?" He demanded.

"Her room."

Nodding, Hatori paused, taking off his shoes and padding by the living room, noticing Kyo in cat form. He lay curled up on Kazuma's lap, who seemed to ignore everyone else, looking down at him with soft eyes. Dread caught in Hatori's throat, before he turned to Shigure. "Don't tell me she saw-"

"It had to be done, according to Kazuma. But everything worked out alright. Kyo got a little upset, is all."

Is all?

Hatori didn't hear anything more, hurrying up the stairs to Tohru's room. He didn't bother knocking, opening it and finding Yuki sat on the edge of her bed. Kagura lingered by the window, staring out of it with a morose expression.

Deep lilac eyes shifted, soon finding the girl.

She sat with her knees bent beneath her, long, damp hair trailing down her shoulders, clothes rumbled and dirtied. Blood caked up her arm, but worse was the marks on her shoulder and neck. Three deep looking rivets had cut through the clothing, breaking the skin. Tohru looked over at him, slightly shaking from the cold despite the towel she clung to around her arms.

"I-it's not as bad as it looks," she smiled gently. "Please don't look at me like that, Hatori."

How else was he supposed to look at her?

Glancing at Yuki, he shifted. "I'd like to examine her," he muttered.

Yuki looked at Tohru, mild guilt thinning his lips. Tohru just nodded with encouragement, and Yuki left without another word. Kagura padded over, appearing conflicted.

"Are you sure you don't want another girl here with you, Tohru?" She asked quietly.

"No, it's alright. I trust Hatori."

Kagura nodded, soon following Yuki. The door slid shut afterwards, leaving them in the gloom of her lonely room. Even the pink of her bedding and curtains didn't liven it up, appearing dulled to his eyes. Hatori took a few steps closer, turning on Tohru's bedside lamp. He then sat beside her on the bed, taking a breath. The priories of a Doctor came first, and he gestured to her t-shirt. "Tohru, I need to remove that to reach the wounds. Judging by your injury, I think it would be best to cut the material off, rather than trying to raise your arms."

She nodded, and he noticed dirt scuffing her cheek. His heart twisted at such a simple thing, before shaking himself and reaching into his bag. Taking out scissors, he gently seized the bottom of her ruined pink top, cutting a line up the middle and leaving it in two halves. Slowly, gingerly, long fingers eased the material down and off her arms.

This left Tohru in her bra and skirt, which he ignored, taking the towel and sliding it over her good shoulder to preserve some of her modesty. Tohru smiled at him, curling her fingers into it. Hatori wished he could find the same strength to smile back. He went about cleaning the wounds carefully, wiping down her arm and trying to remove the sheer amount of blood. But soon he stopped, realising something. Dark eyes shifted, catching hers.

"... I need to stitch these wounds. They're too deep to leave as they are."

Tohru's eyes dimmed a little, soon nodding once more. She didn't ask if it would hurt. He didn't ask if she was alright. Of course she wasn't. Instead, he sterilised a needle and thread, shifting until he bent close, their knees touching.

"You can lean into my shoulder, miss Honda, if you want." He uttered quietly. "Just be careful, I'd really rather avoid turning into a seahorse right now."

At that, she gave a small, wobbly giggle. Carefully, she set her forehead on the broad expanse of his left shoulder. He could feel the slight pressure of her cheek, the faint tingle of nervous breath fanning onto his neck. She was much quieter than usual.

"... It's alright," he soothed quietly, voice hushed. It didn't feel right to talk loudly in this atmosphere. The house felt so silent, as though holding its breath with her. Sliding the needle in, he began stitching, sewing the skin together. Tohru made a noise, crying out, until she muffled herself into his suit. Hatori continued working with sure, practised fingers, finishing one deep gash, before tying the sutra and having to start on the second. Her trembling didn't make matters easy, so Hatori took a moment to rest a hand on the crown of her head- not expecting her to flinch and make a whimpering noise.

"Tohru..." he slipped up, using her first name. "Your head. Were you hurt there as well?"

"Y-yes. I landed in some water quite hard, I think. It was shallow, so..."

A long exhale escaped the Doctor, hissing through blunt teeth. Hatori's head bowed. "... I'm sorry this happened to you. I never wanted-" he tripped over words, soon focusing. "Don't you understand now why I told you to leave the Sohmas? We only hurt others," he murmured lowly, like a confession. But she knew. And of course, she'd stayed, worrying all the time what she could do for them. Not what they could do for her. Now he was fixing her up, like their own personal patchwork doll to play with and ruin anew.

Gentle fingers smoothed over his cheek, and Hatori's eyes fluttered shut as she rested her palm over his bad one. "That's not true. I... was frightened. I won't lie. Kyo didn't look, speak or act like himself when he transformed. But... I knew it was him, and I had to bring him back here. If I didn't, he'd disappear... that's why..." she lifted her head slightly, and Hatori turned his cheek to look at her with his good eye. "I'd rather go through this now than lose him. I don't want to lose anyone else," she murmured, stroking dark hair away from his face. "So please don't blame yourself, Hatori. It's just...the curse, isn't it? I accepted it then. I accept it now."

When her touch drew back, Hatori trembled slightly. She was strong, miss Honda. Even with her body shaken and bleeding, she didn't waver. He couldn't understand it, only look at her as though trying to solve the riddle- the paradox she presented.

He carried on stitching, doing his damn best to make them clean, willing away any scars. He sighed once it was finished, treating it with antibacterial ointment and covering it with a bandage, leaning back.

"Thank you so much," Tohru smiled tiredly, tilting her head slightly and sending a tumble of brunette locks spilling forward.

She swallowed some painkillers soon after, and he rested an ice pack on the lump forming on her head. "Honestly, you might have to go the hospital anyway," he said quietly. "Do you have a headache? Eyesight problems?"

"Ah! No, no. Nothing like that. It just hurts a bit."

"Mn. Call me, if you feel any change."

Tohru paused. "Oh... are you... leaving already?" She asked haltingly. Her attitude abruptly shifted, taking the ice pack from him and pressing it to her head. "Aha! Of course you are, you're probably extremely busy! I'm so sorry. That was selfish of me! I didn't mean to say it like that-"

"Tohru," he lifted a finger to her lips, stopping the flow of worries. "I meant for you to call downstairs. I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."

Tohru jolted. "Rwure?" The words came out muffled behind his finger.

Hatori blushed slightly, shifting his hand away. At least she sounded more like herself again. "Mn, really. Knowing your disposition though, you wouldn't be honest and call down complaining about any aches, so I'll check on you again in a few hours."

It was Tohru's turn to blush, glancing away. "I-I'm plenty honest, I promise!"

His lips quirked at the edges, smoothing a warm palm over her forehead and resting it there. She stilled, looking at him with curious, earthy brown eyes, not moving an inch. Hatori leaned down, resting his lips against his knuckles. He let out a long, extinguished sigh, dusty lungs constricting. "Not enough. You're never honest enough about what you're feeling, miss Honda. If it's pain, you just cover it up. I swear... you're going to give me grey hair before my time."

Tohru blinked like a lost doe, soon relaxing and stroking his arm fondly. "But you're just the same, aren't you?" She said smally.

He swallowed. "...There's nothing I can do for you, is there? Nothing I could say to make you change your mind now and forget us."

"No, I'm alright as I am now. But..." she smiled. "You really are kind, to worry so much. You could make me forget by force, but you don't."

He didn't need to be reminded. The hypnosis would be so easy. She'd never be hurt again if he just threw away her wants and acted of his own accord-

But he stayed perfectly still. She deserved more than to have the choice ripped from her fingers.

Pulling back to look at her with treacle immediacy, his eyes softened. Tohru's lips bent into a painful, honest smile, a rare glimpse of her real self. Hatori felt humbled having seen it.

He shifted away slowly, helping her ease down beneath the covers. He then hesitated, before removing his jacket and laying it over her bedding.

"I'm warm enough," came her subdued voice.

He ignored this, padding to the door and opening it, letting the stronger light from the hallway flood a corner of her room. "Mn. Remember what I said... If anything hurts-"

"I'll call down and complain," she smiled, looking small beneath the mountains of covers, dwarfed by her large bed.

He nodded, voice turning quiet and reverent: "get some rest. Doctor's orders."

Tohru watched him go, the door sliding shut soundlessly between them. Hatori lingered in the hallway, shifting to lean heavily against the opposite wall. A pale hand racked through dark bangs, breath shuddering. Ugly, painful memories resurfaced.

Him, trying to stop the blood flow. Pressing urgent, shaking hands to his blazing eye. Kana looking so frightened, so lost. He'd wanted to comfort her, to wash his blood from her hands.

Hatori paused, glancing at the bloodied cuff of his shirt. Now some of Tohru's blood was on Sohma hands. It wasn't enough that they suffered inside their own circle, apparently. They needed to do the same to outsiders. And yet... she hadn't looked like Kana. She never did. Tohru's back had been straight, eyes steady. She bore the weight of the curse like the death of her mother, folding it away in her heart.

Hatori leaned his head back, craving a cigarette.

"We're all hopeless children when compared with you, miss Honda."

#Fruits Basket #hatori sohma #Tohru honda #Hatohru #fruits basket 2019 #furuba

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calliecat93 · 5 years ago

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Red vs Blue RTX 2019 Panel Masterpost

As many of you know, due to RT being unable to sign on a streaming partner, they couldn’t stream RTX. We weren’t sure if the RvB panel would be recorded or not, and so far no word on their end… but there is good news! Someone at the panel went and recorded it themselves, so we are able to see it! And as such, as I did last year, I can do a masterpost for it! Now they didn’t really reveal any major news, which is expected since the season just wrapped up a month ago. But some cool stuff did come up! So let's talk about it!

youtube

Panelists: Miles Luna (showrunner/writer/director for Chorus, co-writer for SIngularity, voice of Felix) Jason Weight (head writer for SIngularity) Josh Ornelas (co-director) Austin Clark (co-director) Greg Slagel (show producer) Matt Hullum (CEO of RT, executive producer, voice of Sarge, Doc/O’Malley, and Wyoming) Burnie Burns (series creator and the original showrunner/writer/director, CCO of RT, executive producer, voice of Church and Lopez)

“I’m Burnie Burns, and my character is dead.” Starting on a happy note clearly!

For questions this year, they had people submit them on Twitter with the hashtag #rtxrvb that Burnie will read off throughout the panel.

Jason found being handed the reigns of finishing the current arc super intense, but he was happy since after becoming attached to certain characters when acting as an assistant writer for S16, eh got to treat them how he wanted to treat them! He especially wanted to spoil Donut throughout this season. Miles felt the same way about Tucker when doing Chorus.

One moment that Jason beings up that stuck out to him is in S5, when the Reds see Kai nude… but Donut was more concerned about how the Blue Base had better lighting than they did. It felt like there was depth there that he wanted to look into.

There had been concerns from Miles and some of the others about if Donut could pull off being the lead… and clearly, the answer is that he absolutely can!

This was the first time that Josh and Austin were put into full-blown director positions for an entire season. Austin, in particular, went from an assistant machinimator to a main machinmator, to a machinima director within a few years (he began at S14). They both found it scary, especially with how much power they now had, but having the direction from Jason’s writing greatly helped.

Miles brings up how usually the writer and director for RvB are the same people, this being the first regular season where that wasn’t the case. As such, Jason had to wait like everyone else to see the final product, but he was very pleased with the results. He mentions the scene in Episode 9 with Wash and Carolina as an example of how much he loved the direction done with the episodes.

They talk about some of the things that you can and can’t do in machinima and how certain Halo titles have certain quirks that make filming more difficult than it at first looks. For example, in Halo 4 they always raised their guns when moving and they had to figure out how to work with that.

One thing that Jason wishes that the characters could do would be to sit or lay down, which is impossible to do within machinima. Burnie talks about how there were certain verbs that they couldn't use, like ‘sit’, and one thing that he wished that they could do was to point at things instead of having to say ‘look over in that direction’.

Question: what’s it like to take over RvB and pick up form different storylines. Burnie talks about how he likes that with the show, there are certain points where they tell a complete story. So if you want to top after Blood Gulch or Freelancer or whatever, there is a point where the story complete’s itself, and you can jump off. Though there is quite a bit of a back catalog for those who have to pick it up next…

Jason, unlike others, had to jump on during an in-progress story. As such, he didn’t make many new characters due to the size of the cast already and the need to wrap up Joe’s story.

Early on, Miles, Jason, and Joe worked on planning the season out and figuring out the time travel stuff. Due to a slightly slimmer done, they couldn’t go as hard with animation as last time, so there was a lot of discussion on what could and couldn’t be done. It is why they decided to go back through the older Halo iterations since going form say Halo 2 to 4 would make it more visually striking.

Miles recounts one point when planning where Jason and Joe were arguing over how they wanted a certain moment to go. Miles had to step in and remind them that it was a paradox, so they were both right and wrong so they needed to just pick something. In general, figuring out timelines and recounting where every character was and what they were doing was very difficult and stressful and while it was fun, no one wants to do it ever again.

They dubbed the paradox timeline where Wash was and wasn’t shot ‘Schrodinger’s Asshole’ They had to label the timeline in order to figure out where everyone kept going, and Greg, as the producer, had to keep track of it.

Jason tells the story behind Wash’s “Goddamnit!” moment. That episode was written by Miles, who was trying to figure out how Wash would get the info that he needed during the Freelancer shenanigans. Jason asked, “why doesn't he just go to a time period where he and Carolina are already friends and get it there?”. Cue Miles screaming the Wash way!

There was a lot of figuring things out. For example, Jason originally had Locus shooting/killing mooks during the S15 scene… until after it got to machinima, Josh pointed out that Locus didn’t kill anymore at that point. So they went with him shooting people in the kneecaps!

One of the scenes that Austin found difficult was in Episode 9 during the shootout in Halo 4. Austin had never done machinima in Halo 4, so that was a bit of a learning curve. Miles talks about the original S11 version of that scene and he had to constantly change the set for three weeks due to various things getting broken and destroyed during the fight. When writing for Episode 9, he just went ‘Josh, Austin please forgive me’

Miles talks about Greg’s role as a producer and how big of a relief it was to have him scheduling things and keeping them on track, especially during the more stressful days where he’d suggest doing some less intense scenes of characters just talking. There were a lot of times where Greg had to tell them that they couldn’t do a certain thing and they had to go and come up with something again, but it was ultimately necessary to have had happen.

There were a LOT of times where Jason wrote something that they really liked… and then had to tell him that they couldn't do it, especially due to the budget and the schedule. It was hard, but Jason was very happy with how things came out in the end. And there were times where they were able to make it work, like having black holes.

Another question from the audience was if Locus’ Sword Quest would mean that he’d get an alien baby. Miles, in his opinion, thought that Crunchbite was just super fucked up and a big fat liar. Burnie is all for Locus having a baby, however. Greg even brings up the alien pregnancy poster shown in the finale, so it can’t be that rare, right?

As far as if Locus would be a good parent, Miles says maybe and ‘he needs therapy’.

Regarding the changes done to Chrovos, Jason (like the rest of us) saw Kalirama and got excited about a female villain, so when that ultimately petered out he came up with Lady Chrovos. How he cast Lee Eddy is that he saw her at the Camp Camp panel the previous year and really wanted to give her a role somehow.

He described Chrovos in the notes as a ‘predatory Glenn Close crossed with Maria from The Sound of Music’. There were also many takes done of Lee’s voice since, due to her expositing a lot, they wanted to make her fun to listen to so that it wouldn’t be boring. The directors eventually brought Jason in to direct via Skype (Jaosn liked int he UK) in order to get the performance that they were looking for, and luckily Lee nailed it.

Jason tended to put a lot of British slang in his scrips, and they had to be cut because no one knew any of them meant.

There were a lot of questions about RvB’s future and where it’s going next. This leads to Burnie asking the panel about how they feel about Halo Infinite and having to switch to that. He talks about his experience with switching engines since it happened several times during his run, such as thinking that they went to Halo 2 too early due to doing it because it was newly released and wanting to go ahead and rush into it. They learned their lesson when switching to Halo 3.

When it came to learning to fit the story into a new engine, Burnie would load whatever iteration he was going to be working with, wonder through Blood Gulch, and look at stuff to figure out what was there and how they can and can't work with things within the limitations that they had.

As for Halo Infinite, Burnie’s looking forward to seeing what can do within it. Miles is super happy to see the classic armor return due to it being much more simplistic. Greg jokes about how they just did a time travel arc, and Halo just so happened to go back to the more retro look. Coincidence?!

Everyone, including the audience, agree that Halo 3 is the one they liked working in best.

Another audience question is what the crew thinks that Caboose’s Starter Pokemon would be.Miles says Miltank due to Caboose misunderstanding what the Pokemon would look like cause… well, ‘tank’. Burnie says Yoshi. Wrong series Burnie! Someone also says Mr. Mine cause then Caboose could play Charades all day.

On the topic of Pokemon, Burnie talks about video game movies like Detective Pikachu, and movies more inspired by video games like the Resident Evil series. RvB has been around during the era where it looked like a video game movie was going to be a blockbuster… and those failed. But now there seems to be some kind of footing forming for video game films that aren't quite like the game, but still works like RvB is for Halo.

Going back to S17, there was a point where they considered re-using old footage from previous seasons to make the workload easier, but aside from a few shots in montages, that didn’t work. Everything had to be re-shot, re-recorded, and they had to get back all the original voices that weren’t on the show anymore for a job they did years ago. A big reason why is because of how the quality has evolved much higher quality things look now, so putting together old Halo footage with new would have been very noticeable.

Speaking of things evolving, Miles talks about how he feels that all the characters, in some form, have changed a lot over the years. Characters like Caboose are nothing like they were in the beginning. They actually did talk for quite a while about if they should have past!Caboose sounds more like he did then or just stick with the current voice. They kept it the same since Sarge had a similar case where the voice sounded nothing like now (cue everyone staring at Matt) but they didn’t change it there, so they didn’t do it for Caboose.

On that though, when everyone turns to look at him, Matt (who had been quiet throughout at this point) reveals that he wanted to do a little game. He often gets asked about Sarge quotes, but he can never remember them. So he wrote down a whole bunch, and so whenever anyone talks to him/asks him something for the rest of the panel, he’ll respond with a random Sarge quote (in this case, he does the Angelina Jolie lines from the Internet vs Real Life PSA). It is absolutely glorious. If you watch the video for any reason, do it for this!

Back on the topic of character evolution though, Miles got obsessed with the idea of Freelancer essentially being like high school when writing the Wash episode and liked the idea of having a character confront who and where they were then and recognizing who you are now.

Speaking of Wash, Jason talks about his and Carolina’s relationship as well as about Wash’s disability. To him, he found it weird how a show about war very rarely had the cast get hurt and how they’re usually killed off instead ( Jason: “Or they’ll die temporarily and come back, like Donut” Miles: “And Church, and Lopez…” Burnie: Lopez had so many lines this season). So he likes this new avenue with Wash.

Burnie, after pointing out how he’s been doing Lopez for so long after it was just supposed to be a dumb joke and he STILL hasn’t learned any Spanish, brings up having to record early Church again, who was very shouty. At this point, Burnie cannot do that for very long before he gives out. I guess that might explain why he sounded somewhat off. Miles has similar problems with other roles, only being able to do David in Camp Camp for so long due to the energy levels and he can no longer use his early!Jaune voice due to his vocal cords no longer being able to hit that range.

The directors threw in some Easter Eggs during the black hole, such as Genkins golf ball form when he knocked one into a black hole in S6. Which… guess I’ll have to rewatch cause I didn’t notice any Easter Eggs at all, but apparently a lot of others did.

They announce some new merch coming up. This includes some new shirts for the Grif Collection line, some shirts like that one released on RT’s Anniversary), and a second wave for the RvB Rivals line.

They also aired the RvB17 Blooper Reel… but due to copyright, this was cut from the video. Apparently, there was some kind of montage of Caboose saying ‘hello’ though. Still, gotta wait for the DVD for that one.

The last few minutes are more audience questions. One is about asking if the machinima team will do anything with the PC version of the Master Chief Collection. Austin says that, if there’s mod support, there could be the possibility of mashing up some of the Halo games. Burnie also talks about Theater Mode and how much of a relief it was to have added to the console versions, so with it coming to all iterations, this is very beneficial to them.

They also talk about how whenever there’s a big Halo-related announcement, they get a lot of questions. Like if they’ll switch to PC after the recent announcement about the Master Chief Collection… while they were already in the middle of filming S17. Whether they will or not they don’t know since they need to look it over first and figure out all the quirks and limitations of the game mechanics first.

Burnie: Does Sarge know any Caboose lines?

Matt (as Sarge): Quiet Bluetard.”

Question about crossing over RvB with any other RT show. The popular answer is Camp Camp due to their comedic tones. Miles does change his answer to Day 5 just to see how they'd survive without sleep and jokes about how Grif would give in and be a goner within 30 seconds. Other shows thrown out are On the Spot and The Chip Show. Burnie brings up how there’s this in-universe show in Lazer Team and he’d like to see them appear on that.

There was a question about if there would ever be an RvB movie. Burnie asks the audience if they would be interested after this many years, and there is a LOOOOT of cheering. Burnie and Matt have very ominous looks throughout. No answer on if it would ever happen or not, but maybe one day.

“What was your favorite running gag in S17, and why was it shooting Donut?” Give the guy who asked that a medal.

So there was some kind of cut there, so moving on…

Miles talks about (I think) bringing back characters like O’Malley and Kai at the end of Chorus as a way to say goodbye to them. But after Joe and Jason came in, they decided to use those characters more. They especially grew to love Kai, Jason especially due to her filthy humor and absolutely owning it.

They talk about how Tucker and Kai seem similar due to their sexually charged humor… but they are quite different. Tucker’s is essentially a front that he uses to hide his insecurities and build himself up. Kai knows who she is, owns who she is, and you can either accept her or get the Hell out of her way.

Someone asks for them to recap RvB. Matt takes care of that with the following Sarge quote: “A priest, rabbi, and Grif walk into a bar… and then I kill ‘em!”. Best. Recap. EVER.

The final question is if they’d ever consider making RvB, or any other machinima series, outside of Halo. They talk about one they did long ago called Panics, which they didn’t continue due to split from the company, and since they have to license the video game footage to do machinima, they couldn’t do more.

As for RvB switching, that is unlikely to happen since it’s so ingrained into Halo now.

They have considered other machinima shows in the past. Miles would like to do one with Apex Legends… but since it has stuff like lip flaps and all, it wouldn’t work. Austin would like to do something with Call of Duty.

The panel ends with Miles asking the crew in the audience to stand up and everyone gives them applause.

#rvb #this took FOREVER #but I did it!

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ffamranxii · 5 years ago

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I draw a manga/write a light novel series based on that manga, which is essentially an amalgamation of my favorite series and giving some of my favorite characters, who I feel were shafted in their source material, a better ending. That series is called C’est la Vie 5, because it originally featured five fandoms that I LOVED enough to have created an original character for.

Now, like many people, I’ve created a fuckton of OCs for a fuckton of series. However, unlike, say, Dragonball Z and Pokemon (RIP to Son Mei and Cissy the Eevee breeder), I still use these characters. I am still active in these fandoms. Some of these characters are nearly as old as I am. Some have gone through so many iterations that they’re nearly unrecognizable from their original forms (looking at you, Haruhi, Suzuka, and Kinoko). But they have ALWAYS been there.

C5 the way it is now started as a fun little project in college to help me memorize my Japanese vocabularly. It was a series of one shot or 4koma doodles in the margins of my notebooks, featuring PGSM+Hina. Then the doodles got mutated. I replaced Makoto with an original character named Sun Hwa, who then was replaced with Ayumi Yamada from Honey and Clover. I added in Hagumi Hanamoto from H&C too. Ami was renamed Moeco, and her appearance changed. I ended up splitting Ami in two, because I loved her Dark Mercury arc so much, and ended up with Moeco and Akumi. I added Mio Kuroki but called her Arisa Kuroki, because my Usagi at the time was called Mio. I added Mikasa from Attack on Titan. Misa Amane (named Erika after her actress in the live action). And it spiraled from there. C5 went through a TON of iterations as well over the past ten years. There was a character called Haruhi, but she was from the Haruhi Suzumiya series.

Now it’s pretty ironed out. The cast is so big I’ve split the series into a set of volumes into one big volume, so it doesn’t become Naruto. Each volume has a set of plots, two of which are contained within that volume. It’s pretty easy and I like it.

HINA is a mishmash of three fandoms (two if you count PGSM and Sailor Moon as one fandom). I fell in love with Boys Over Flowers (the Korean version) after discovering the live action Sailor Moon, and had a complete fit the entire time that Jandi chose Junpyo. (WHY, Jandi. WHY. Jihoo was BETTER for you. BETTER!) I had a Korean friend in my Japanese class, and it was at this period that my Makoto doodle was replaced with Sun Hwa (another Korean) and that Hina Kusaka (who is exclusive to PGSM, and whose name I stole for my OC) became Hina Ku (after the actress who played Jandi, not Goo Junpyo). Hina and Sun Hwa had small side conversations in Korean that my friend taught me, while the group as a whole reinforced my Japanese lessons. C5 has plenty of Boys Over Flowers characters (a mix of the Korean, 2019 Chinese, and Japanese versions), but I never made an OC for the series. Hina filled both roles. In PGSM and Sailor Moon I kept her name as Kusaka, but in C5 it’s Ku, and she is a zainichi - Korean-descended. Hina also plays a different role depending on which series I’m using her in. In PGSM, I used her as Sailor Sun. Sailor Sun has been a character I’ve had since I was five years old. She’s changed style and looks considerably over the years, but she’s always been there. In every other iteration of Sailor Moon, I prefer the theory that Naru and Unazuki are Sailors Earth and Sun, and Hina is one of Usagi’s many friends. In the pre-C5 era, she, Usagi, and Erika were part of the 3 Bakas, for their bad grades.

AKIHO is my newest OC and holy shiiiiit I have cleaved to the Persona series hardcore. Rather than create a new OC for each entry in the series (though I may change my mind when Person 6 comes out), Akiho’s look, style, and role in the story changes (I reconcile this to be something akin to Clara Oswald in Doctor Who). In P5, which she was created for, she’s a Phantom Thief. The idea came to me when I learned there has never been a playable character of the Temperance arcana, Hifumi was supposed to be a PT, and the general consensus that Mishima and Shiho should have been PTs. Akiho has been through several iterations herself but her general look is based on Tae Takemi from @scruffyturtles ‘s Adult Confidant AU. Her personality seems very calm and serene, but she is a secret metal head and a huge fan of Eikichi Mishina’s band Gas Chamber. Her PT mask is based off a butterfly. Her role in C5 is a shrine maiden, where she gets along with Rei (Sailor Moon), is the sister of Akira Kurusu (who is a separate person from Ren Amamiya), and the daughter of a pair of mobsters.

KINOKO is my second oldest OC, having been around since I was twelve. Her original name was Cherry (like every other Tokyo Mew Mew OC) and her original animal is lost to the sands of time. Luckily, my favorite animal is a red data animal, so she can be fused with that now! Kinoko has been through so many iterations it isn’t funny. In the TMM world, her hair is an auburn, a dark brown with red undertones, mimicking how some mushrooms (where her name comes from) appear. (It’s a callback to her original name). Her Mew outfit has also changed considerably and I still haven’t settled on it completely. The Mew Mews are not a unit in C5. Zakuro is a model with Ann and dating Minto, Ringo (LOVE Ringo) is a middle schooler who hangs out at an arcade and is best friends with Bu-Ling, Ichigo is a waitress with Berii, Retasu works with Ryou. And Kinoko works at a karaoke bar, chasing troublemakers like Bu-Ling out. She also interacts with the new Au Lait boys.

SUZUKA is also an old OC, her name having originally been Meiling. She’s from Fushigi Yuugi, which I was obsessed with as a child. She’s nearly as old as Kinoko - I was introduced to the series at around the same time. Suzuka’s original role as Meiling was Miaka’s attendant and general Mary Sue, and she was one of my first attempts at exploring fanfiction (along with Kagami the cat demon and Teiten the Thunder Sister from Inuyashs, RIP), because I couldn’t decide which of the original Suzaku warriors I loved most. Everyone had such a wonderfully tragic, lovely backstory, and I needed to give them all blankets and hugs, and Miaka was just a dumbass, okay? (I think I settled on Tasuki. Love me some Tasuki.) Anyway. Suzuka eventually morphed into the Priestess of Kouryuu once I learned that Fushigi Yuugi was based on real Chinese legends, and one legend sometimes included Koryuu, the Yellow Dragon of the Center. (Fun fact: There’s a video game that explores this option, but in it, Kouryuu, is treated as a false god.) In my OC world, Kouryuu is the Great Unifier, only able to be summoned once the first four priestesses have summoned Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko, and Genbu, and it is he that will stop the war that threatens the four countries of the Book of the Universe of the Four Gods. In C5, Suzuka works at a bookstore owned by Hifumi Togo that specializes in rare books.

HARUHI is the last old OC, but she’s also new? Haruhi was, for the longest time, existant in a stage of limbo. Fruits Basket was introduced to me as a teenager, when I was about thirteen or fourteen, and I didn’t quiiiite embrace the message, behind it. I couldn’t get past the art style (I was very picky about what I visually consumed back then), I couldn’t get into the anime for the same reason, and I couldn’t quite get past the whole “it’s called Fruits Basket wtf and also they turn into animals? And it’s not a magical girl anime? What in the actual fuck?” But like many things I of course loved the characters, I adored my baby Kyo, and I of course made an OC specifically for him, because I back then did not ship Kyoru (sacriligious, I know). I don’t even remember what Haruhi’s original name was. I just decided that she was a Sohma and the rooster, because the curse of the original rooster was broken, and broke a long time ago, so it was entirely possible for Kyo to have a love interest who was a Sohma and the rooster who was around his age (in my teenage mind). That old Sohma OC, is of course, RIP. I can’t even. And recently, I discovered Fruits Basket Another, and I somewhat resurrected that OC in the form of Haruhi, but as the child of the OG cast. Sawa needs more friends, more protectors, and there’s no tsundere besides Hajime. It always bothered me that Kagura never got any canon love interest or story wrap up after she let go of Kyo, and then in Another she doesn’t have children. :( I love Kagura, so Haruhi is hers! I’m also sad that no one in Another dresses in kimonos when so many in Furuba did (Ritsu, Akito, Shigure, Kazuma, Kunimitsu), so Haruhi dresses in them when she isn’t in school.

KEIKO is special. Not only is she the newest, but she is also the only character exclusive to C5. While the other characters in C5 are based on characters from other fandoms and have their personalities and such shaped by the new series, Keiko is entirely unique. Her name is a combination of the two things that birthed the series: Sailor Moon and Persona 5. Keiko is for Keiko Kitagawa, the actress who played Sailor Mars in PGSM; and Makigami is for Kazuya Makigami, a major character in Persona 5 the Daybreakers. Kazuya is also Keiko’s brother in C5 and he is... not a great person lol. Neither is Keiko. Her appearance is based on how I wear my hair irl and the clothing of Jim Hawking from Outlaw Star, my favorite anime of all time. (I sadly never made an OC for that series. I tried but I am not good at space opera.)

None of the OCs ever cross paths in C5. It would create a temporal paradox and probably result in one of them fainting or dying lol. Since they’re all essentially the same person. Fun fact: I, Ffamran (known in-universe as Bideru the author) also occasionally make cameos, and I also cannot cross paths with the OCs. Luckily Tokyo, where C5 is set, is a very big place.

If you stuck with me through this very long post about OCs, thank you! I just really wanted to go off about them since I’ve been in a writing mood and I’m on volume 2 of C’est la Vie 5 now.

#original characters #bideru #c'est la vie 5 #c'est la vie 5 by bideru #ffamran shares personal projects #fandom stuff #fushigi yuugi #sailor moon #persona 5 #persona #tokyo mew mew #fruits basket #fruits basket another #furuba #furubana

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star-force-archive · 5 years ago

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A Sudden Message

Subaru had not expected to hear from her. No, he never expected this message to come to his Hunter, possibly ever.

[I want to talk. I want to apologize. Meet me at Vista Point.] - Aika H.

Subaru threw on a jacket and gave his parents a hug. He left the house, and began his trek. It was a cold evening, which he was sure would set the mood, but he was unsure of it really.

He walked up the steps to his old treading ground, where he would watch the stars for hours, but now serves as a reminder that he can be different from who he once was.

Climbing the last step, he finally sees his cousin.

The older relative of the Hikari side of his family turns around, looking at her two years younger cousin. Her eyes the same brown as their ancestor Netto, but a mix of brown hair and strands of a violet pink reminiscent of their ancestor Meiru. She’s grown from the last time Subaru had seen her, almost matching him in height.

Taking a deep breath, Subaru approached her, the cold air of the night showing his breath. He now stands feet apart from her. He opens his mouth to speak. “So... You wanted to say someth-”

“Sorry.”

Subaru was cut off, as his cousin took an expression he, in his entire life, had never seen her take before. An expression of sadness. She put her hands in her own coats pockets, before continuing.

“I’m sorry, for how I acted back then.” She spoke, her voice sounding softer than how it once was. Subaru takes note of these changes. He hasn’t seen Aika act like this ever. He was more used to stuff like...

“Move faster! You can do it wimp!” “I move faster than you idiot!” “You and Kazuma are just a pair of shocks!”

“You’re dad’s not here anymore because he stopped loving you.” “He’s dead, and it’s your fault.”

Aika continued onward, pulling her hands back out, letting them hover in front of her face for a bit. “I was... Terrible. I was just, horrible to you. I said those things, and... I wanted... No, I needed to apologize. Especially now that you’ve got him back...” She stopped, looking at Subaru.

“Okay. Apology accepted.” Subaru said bluntly, taking Aika by surprise.

“T-That’s it. No punch? No angry shouting. Nothing? Don’t I deserve those even a little?”

Subaru chuckled, taking his hand and putting it on his cousin’s shoulder. “No, you don’t. Aika, as I’m sure the news from a year ago could confirm, I’ve been through a lot these last couple years. From Andromeda, to now in my current events. And, I’ve had a lot of time to think about what you said the last time we saw each other. We’ve both gone through change, and it’s made us who we are now. Apology accepted, no negative effects.”

Aika looked at her cousin, and began to sob. She crashed herself into him, letting the hero of Earth give her a hug. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”

As Aika had finally calmed down, she and Subaru walked back to the boys house. “I’m happy that was settled so fast, though it feels way too anti-climactic.”

“What, did you want a song and dance?”

“No! Well... maybe. Hehe. Thanks again, for forgiving me.”

“No need to thank me, it’s just what felt right.”

“Well, I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

“Right... Wait... What?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m the new second in command at the Satellite Police.” She revealed, before walking off.

Subaru was left dumb founded, before finally speaking after the passage of several minutes.

“WHAT?!”

#Another Paradox [Arc 2019]#Make A Change [Arc 2020] {{ohohohoooo~}}#{{i think you all saw this coming}}#{{this is just a starting preface for now}}#{{have to finish the another plot first}}#{{and we're getting close}}

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shieldcodex · 5 years ago

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Codex Judicium (2017, 2018-current)

The third and final arc of the SHIELD Codex, because my brain wouldn’t leave me alone. Continues the story directly after An Ocean Deep and Cold, however this arc returns to the original arc’s method of building to a central antagonist and finale. These antagonists (The Children of Thanos, or his Generals, interchangeably) were foreshadowed at the end of the original Codex series, back when I had no idea they’d end up in the dang movies.

This arc is, plot-wise, a little self indulgent (OCs, flerkens, and a lot of worldbuilding headcanon I wanted to play with) and revisits a lot of previous Codex events to build up to its planned finish. These connections will be listed in the notes. This is also the arc where we say goodbye to AOS series canon. The Codex fully diverges after the Framework arc of the show, and, annoyingly on my part, the Codex talks about that arc only in past tense.

The Shadows of Asgard

Synopsis:

Trapped by memories of his past and haunting his own present, Loki, the shadow king of Asgard, finds himself hunted by something far more deadly than any ghost. Without allies or any friendly word to help him, he must figure out why he’s not the hunter’s sole target - and what any chance of surviving his stolen throne might have to do with his buried youth.

Notes: On the one hand, it’s a stand-alone story set previous to the Codex and can be read without ever touching another Codex fic. On the other, I’ve built it into Codex canon and made it part of the basis for the final arc. Although this fic is about a brief, almost romantic part of Loki’s life, the resolution of this fic establishes that relationship as distant, conflicted, and probably platonic from here. While a character introduced will become recurring, the Codex will never change its listing from genfic to OC/Loki.

The Sand Knows Its Purity

Synopsis:

As Kamar-Taj's chief librarian, Wong feels love and responsibility for every sacred book in the world. Leaving the rural Chinese province of his childhood on the way towards safety for his latest rediscovered ancient artifact, Wong thinks a little about the past, about being lost, and about how much it all meant to his future.

Notes: A purely Wong-centric vignette themed after Journey To the West. Wong becomes a moderately important supporting character to the arc (I love Benedict Wong, okay?) and this fic introduces a unique character who returns in Turn the Page.

Fresh Ground

Synopsis:

Where everyone knows your name is a fine thing if you're a middle-class drudge looking for a drink, Ted Danson, and a guy named Norm. But when you work in Stark Tower - or worse, are an Avenger - sometimes all you want is a coffeeshop that's going to treat you like a normal person.

Notes: Having never done a coffeeshop AU before, this is a coffeeshop short that accidentally ended up foreshadowing the next Halloween fic and thus became a Codex short.

The Ritual of Chud

Synopsis:

The harvest season always brings with it a sense of ritual to pave the way for the future. It's with this in mind that Doctor Strange and Loki left Wong with a single gentle, but unusual, request: Throw a small Halloween party. Invite a handful of magical guests. Spend the evening telling tales and growing closer together. But why?

Notes: 2018′s Halloween Codex is another story within a story collection with several supporting magical characters (Wanda, Wong, Aggie Harkness, and introducing Pandora Peters of Loki’s WAND division) telling sad or spooky holiday tales. The overall story introduces the first clue to this arc’s set of villains - Ebony Maw.

Offhand

Synopsis:

The season of greetings and merriment has come around - for Asgard, whose princes are still children easily bored by pageantry. But when Loki has to face a pack of bullies without his brother to back him up, he ends up beginning something that will change his life forever. Meanwhile, in the future, an adult Loki takes in some holiday cheer among his friends, and makes an admission he hadn't wanted to just yet.

Notes: The first winter holiday short fic since Bleak Midwinter, Offhand has a nice but standalone flashback to Loki’s troubles with the palace weapons trainer. There is some foreshadowing about what’s to come next.

Escape Velocity

Synopsis:

When news comes to Wakanda of a mysterious cache of vibranium destined to hit the international arms market, King T'Challa realizes his efforts to reach out to the world could complicate his role in trying to stop disaster. Instead, he sends an envoy to SHIELD to help pick up where his warriors left off - and asks a reluctant Agent Everett Ross to assist them on his behalf.

Notes: The synopsis is a swerve. Set up as a standard SHIELD op, it ends with space battles and poor Ross helping to pilot a starship. As of 2020, he’s not the first new character to return from this fic - Captain Tam is introduced, Kara is hinted at, and more suspicions about the Children of Thanos are set up. The Grandmaster is also revealed to have ties here, a plot built up from the original arc’s Darwin’s Dragon.

Cat Dads!

Synopsis:

Minding his own business one spring afternoon, Loki finds himself approached by Nick Fury, who brings with him a most curious situation in need of advice.

It turns out that Goose is carrying a whole, uh, kit and caboodle of trouble inside her.

Notes: Arguably the most popular Codex short whether you read the series or not, Nick Fury as a cat daddy was an irresistible setup. This fic introduces flerkens into the Codex, though, with both Loki and Nebula gaining flerkittens that will become part of later stories.

Turn the Page

Synopsis:

Torn from one nightmare and tossed into another, Loki isn't touched to discover he's Stephen Strange's first choice to run to when magical attacks strike the New York Sanctum. The goal of this assault? Reclaiming the Darkhold, held prisoner by Strange for the last few years.

Notes: The Darkhold has been the focus point of a sub-sub arc throughout the three series, from the very first Codex story, to Season of the Witch, and finally, at damn last, ending here. Aggie Harkness returns, and some old plot threads from The Janus Paradox get tied off in this one. The epilogue also builds on a hint from Escape Velocity and introduces us formally to another member of the Children of Thanos.

The Queen’s Gambit

Synopsis:

Long ago, Odin All-Father buried the secret of his first two children. Baldur, who tragically never left his crib, and Hela, who rose to power under a deadly shadow. Now an exile on the world that gave her its name, Hela hatefully waits for a freedom she suspects will never come - only to find that a visitor has somehow arrived after all.

Notes: 2019′s Halloween fic is themed after Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal and has Mistress Death swapping tales with Hela, herself a would-be incarnation of mortality. This fic builds on Odin’s tale as told at the end of Ocean Deep and Cold, and will return to importance in an upcoming fic.

The Family We Choose (ongoing 4/20)

Synopsis:

Loki has been contacted by Nebula, working on the fringes of the galaxy as an intelligence broker since the fall of Thanos, and he suspects that what news she has to share won't be anything pretty. But things begin to shift beyond his predictions before he catches up with her, as two human friends latch on for the ride.

Notes:

This is where previous plot threads are starting to pull together. Building on the events of The Shadows of Asgard, Darwin’s Dragon, Escape Velocity, Cat Dads, and the entire theme of Loki trying to rebuild his life as a whole person and not just a loner easily driven to madness, this fic is ongoing.

Upcoming:

All these listings are subject to future whims.

The One About Jotunheim - A civil war will threaten to tear apart the fragile peace Queen Farbauti has forged, while Loki, unmoored by the possible ramifications of that conflict, begins to work on another family alliance of his own. This is a tentative synopsis and may change.

1-2 possible shorts, including one with Captain Tam and Kara on Earth

The One About Kings - Odin prepares to pass on his crown at last, but as usual, there are intense conflicts.

The Children’s Crusade - the final showdown between Loki and the remaining Children of Thanos... and a few awful surprises.

The future light - one more postscript.

#shield codex #genfic #mcu fanfiction #loki fanfiction #agents of shield fanfiction #khamanv

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thesunlounge · 5 years ago

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Reviews 300: Private Agenda

Throughout 2019, Private Agenda have been crafting imagined landscapes…these dream renderings of paradise islands surrounded by boundless oceans, with sparkling blue waters crashing against white sand shores, coconut trees blowing in a warm seabreeze, and exotic flowers releasing strange perfumes that push the mind towards bliss. Having graced Lo Recordings’ Spaciousness compilation last year, the duo of Sean Phillips and Martin Aggrowe have united again with the label for an ambitious project of sonic fantasy, which started this summer with the Aura EP, a digitally released collection comprising four pitch-perfect pop numbers, a couple of which now rank among my very favorite Private Agenda tracks (which is saying something considerable). The EP sees the duo’s lyrical and production work hitting an apex, with their vocalizations touching on the sensual and the futuristic as gentle layers of sci-fi studio trickery caress every turn of phrase. And musically, we are treated to etheric synth-pop starscapes, krautrock hypno-glides, and neon new wave propulsions that exude an irresistible sense of melancholia...a brief yet masterful pop adventure and a high point for both Aggrowe and Phillips. But beyond this, the EP serves another purpose: as an opening chapter to an immersive story called Île de Rêve, which is a less a traditional album and more so a “series of transcendental reminiscences surrounding the cult of islands.”

Private Agenda are no strangers to balearic ambiance and touches of mystical seaside magic kiss most of their work, most specifically the (almost) beatless ethereality of their Primary Colours EP from 2017. But even given these tendencies towards new age textures and floating atmospherics, I am still blown away by Île de Rêve’s total dedication to surreal environments of cosmic aquatic wonder. The duo’s well-honed pop sensibilities are completely subsumed, with Phillips and Aggrowe instead using synthesizers, pianos, and the barest semblance of voice to transport the listener to the titular island of dreams. At times it feels like we are on land, pushing toes through warm sand as seabirds fly overhead, gazing over the horizon during a summer storm, or exploring the interior of the island…its gemstone caverns, crystalline streams, and flower fields exuding atmospheres of pastoral prog romance. Other times we are swimming in the waters off shore, joining in with the fluid movements of dolphins or exploring the mysteries of coral reef universes. In the album’s liner notes, Private Agenda talk about the peculiar paradox of growing up on an island…”a sense of isolation tempered by a strong sense of place.” And so it goes with the music: the introspective ambient sonics pull the spirit inward and invite reflection while simultaneously carrying the imagination towards a well-defined location…a tropical island in an ocean of dreams.

By August, I had spent several weeks with Aura and Île de Rêve and was preparing to write a piece on both when, much to my surprise, Private Agenda dropped The Space Between Swells, a digitally released remix EP featuring seaside sound masters Max Essa and Mark Barrott. Essa takes on the title track from Aura, and flips what is already a pop masterpiece into a stunning adventure of beachside dance ecstasy, one that proceeds across an extended vocal take and a heady dub disco fever dream. Then there’s Barrott, who elongates and transforms Île de Rêve’s “Sea Life” into a utopic slice of balearic beat…an early morning nature dance anthem built from deep dub atmospheres, underwater bass bubbles, liquid guitar textures, aqueous synthwaves, and angelic vocal repetitions (which is then backed by a dub and a narcotic accapella version that revels in the spirituality of silence). When I first learned Essa and Barrott were the remixers, I was as excited as I was unsurprised, for the two are natural choices to take on the narcotic pop and ambient vibrations of Private Agenda. But as ever with Aggrowe and Phillips, there is a deeper reason behind the choices, one that was recently revealed in an interview over at Vehlinggo, for you see, both Essa and Barrott have lived most of their lives on various islands (UK, Japan, Ibiza), giving them a unique perspective on Private Agenda’s overarching investigation of sacred ocean spaces.

Private Agenda - Aura (Lo Recordings, 2019) “Aura” starts with futuristic boogie rhythms, which set the stage for sweeping synthetic melodies, heavenly doo-wop choirs, and Chic-adelic funk guitars. As we drop into the verse, Phillips sings sensual lyricisms, with his fragile voice occasionally accompanied by soulful backing harmonies. During the chorus, gemstone synthesizers rise towards the sky and the singing erupts into some fantasy amalgam of MJ, Romanthony, and Jónsi as Phillips calls out: “and then when I wake up / I’ll hold you back,” with each “hold you back” refrain trailed by backing vocal ethereality. After a passage of percussive fireworks, with toms and snares splattering across the spectrum and tambourines jangling, we move into an instrumental variant of the chorus, wherein backing vocal cloudforms and tropical synthesis generate a balearic dreamscape before Phillips returns for one more round of vocal pop perfection. Then in “Grapple,” atmospheric swells phase between ocean and starlight while a hypno-rhythm soars through the cosmos. Looped voices pulsated and tubular bass sequences dance while pitch shifting leads descending upon the mix, sounding as if audial streaks of silver are mutating as they echo star-to-star. A clap introduces the verse, with octave basslines grooving and Phillips singing dystopic futurisms concerning nuclear fusion and chemical cocktails raining from the sky. And as the phrase “I tried to resit it / I can’t I can’t go on” trails into wordless ether, we hit an ultra-kosmkische glide, with echoing sequences and neon arpeggiations racing through galactic expanses. Another clap brings back the vocals, only during the second measure, a key change sweeps the soul towards realms of paradise perfection. And then comes a moment that never fails to bring tears…a passage so powerfully transcendent, with angel choir pulsations washing over the soul, layers of interstellar magic bringing LSD dream visions, and kosmische grooves working the body into space age synth-pop hypnosis.

“Kingfisher” sees dreampop guitars ringing out through pink and purple synth hazes as an airy trip-hop beatscape emerges. The vocals are so narcotizing and mysterious, with Phillips singing “everybody knows your name / blend into the background” in a way evoking the romantic spiritualisms of Air, all while spy movie guitars bring parallel evocations of Chris Isaak, Portishead, and Angelo Badalamenti. Elsewhere, arpeggiations swirl at hyperspeed while a baritone guitar decays through a noir nightscape, with the track’s title being whispered and percussion moving in and out of silence. There’s a brief moment that sees the mix reducing to a sea-foam fog as lonely guitars sit beneath birdsong field recordings, but the ambiance soon cuts away in favor of dramatic percussion passages, which then lead back to the narcotizing guitar pop magic, all liquid slides, desert hazes, ethereal arps, and soloing synth psychotropia intertwining while the stuttering percussion leads a softly anthemic body groove. Aura ends on “Lighthouse” and its themes of synthetic brass fluttering on clouds while seascape guitar chords disperse above kick drums, snares, whispering hi-hats, and growling funk bass riffs. The singing during the verse flits above sparse rhythms while six-string chords evoke shimmering harps and there’s a dirgey sort of chorus, with voices in each ear harmonizing and swooning together through paradise motions, creating atmospheres of soulful wonderment as backing vocals add touches of shadowy drama. Later, we break down into futuristic synth psychedelia, with electronic tracers circling wildly before progressing into alien madness…all while a breathy voices speaks “lighthouse” above chugging bass riffs and a kick drum heart pulse. Blasts of interstellar synthesis arc across the stereo field as the track erupts again into the all-encompassing chorus, with the heart swept higher and higher until an arresting minor key voice transition…an unexpected touch of prog drama leading to mutating voice coda.

Private Agenda - Île de Rêve (Lo Recordings, 2019) In “Bounty,” mermaid choirs hover beneath stabbing synths and swooning chord progressions are carried upon ethereal swells while aquatracers diffuse through the mix…these neon squiggles echoing through infinite oceans. Brass chords quiver before exploding with energy, which brings a touch of funk sensualism to the beauteous flow, and sequences constructed from glass move through dazzling patterns and rainbow colorations. And later, sea sirens sing radiant songs and layers of comforting hiss immerse the body as the spirit drifts towards Private Agenda’s island paradise. White light synthesis swells in from the void in “Sea Life,” bringing with it crystalline melodies that waver like a mirage. Downtempo drum pulsations are constructed from thudding kicks, electro-toms, and interspersed tambourines while funk-colored bass motions support yearning repetitions of “sea life”…the voice hauntingly beautiful and child-like, with etheric wavefronts swelling in support. There are soft transitions into ocean prog majesty, with basslines carrying the soul and synthesizers flowing outwards before reversing into mist. Then, as we return to the melodious vocal incantations, multiple layers flow in round while coral colored key strokes dance on sunbeams. “Wave Motion” follows with orgasmic pads surrounding the body…the vibe warm and womb-like. There are touches of 70s style mellotronic prog breaking through the dense layers of sea-fog while overhead, fragile piano melodies wander freely…the sound close mic’d and intimate, with squeaky hammers hitting dusty strings and bench creaks and soft breaths heard amidst the bucolic keystrokes. The ambient layers reduce to black smoke at some point before slowly filtering back into an oceanic haze and eventually, the pianos mutate through zany delay runs.

The epic length “Ultramarine” revels in dreamworld pads that vibrate with ecstatic energy. White noise percussion skips across an alien sea…these filtering snare rolls buried beneath layers of deep sea growth and sometimes morphing into whip cracks…while sparkling leads dance through an underwater wonderland. At some point, the wispy drum noises and dreamy melodies drop away, leaving atmospheric synths to waver like the reflections of sunlight off water, with evolving oscillations almost overtaking the mix before fading into nothingness. And as the rhythms return, they are joined by squelching synthfunk riffs and sub-sonic bass currents, with everything locking in for a beatless stretch of ambient house euphoria…like Larry Heard soundtracking a coral reef dreamworld. In “Monsoon,” thick polysynth riffs execute a paradise waltz while starshine echoes flow in counterpoint. This is the only other vocal track on the album and the lyrics are spellbinding, with Phillips working through soft variations of the phrase “in darkness / I sit and watch the rain fall” while his voice subtly mutates…as if a kiss of vocoder has been added to further enhance the futuristic dream aura. Psychosonic static textures crawl into the mix before sweeping it all away into a romantic filterscape, wherein crystalline leads ping like sonars, orgasmic synthesizers flow through warm distortions, and psychedelic wah-wah motions flutter above heartbeat kick taps. Once we rush back into the pounding polysynth riffs and echoing arp lines, the synth swells from the midsection remain, adding a strange yet comforting touch of alien orchestral magic. Towards the end, the vocals reprise their swoon-song spiritualisms as the mix begins fading away and eventually, a lone voice is left calling out over polychrome synthwave minimalism.

A golden-toned piano swims through the sky in “Solitude,” its lilting chords intermingling with gentle arpeggiations. Aggrowe’s playing is expressive…sometimes radiating primal power while at other times backing down into a whisper…and here and there, a screaming siren sweeps upwards with the piano for moments of stunning emotional power. Elsewhere, as the ivories settle back into a melancholic meditation, laser fire sequences weave neon patterns through the air and subsonic bass currents underly everything, their sounds evoking a contrabass bowing through layers of darkness. And during breathtaking climaxes, the dam bursts and waves ethereal atmosphere wash over the soul, melting the heart as the spirit ascends towards some star kingdom at the center of a deep sea universe. Next is “Melani,” with oscillations hypnotizing and hovering…as if time is standing still. Melodies sound sourced from a piano, but slowly morph and mutate into synthetic mesmerism…these golden hazes and lush romantic decay trails swelling in strength then dispersing. There are touches of kankyō-ongaku shining through, with my mind going to the work of Yoshimura and Hirose, as well as Hosono’s closed eyed synth journeys...the track seeing Aggrowe and Phillips similarly subsume melody in favor of spacious silence and atmospheric sound design. Cricket chirps diffuse in before fading away as the mix devolves into nothingness…a false ending that leads to a post-rock ceremonial for the sunrise. Later, black clouds of bass ambiance float the soul while ecclesiastical synthesizer leads rain down from the heavens and as the pianos resume their echoing ocean dances, we find ourselves in a world of modernistic new age wonderment...the vibe at once enchanting and deeply hallucinatory.

There’s a touch of Pachelbel’s “Canon” to the blissed out pads of “Dependency,” which are supported by soloing church organs…the two elements creating an instrumental hymn for the sky, though sometimes the synths distort into a garbled mess. The electronic textures are eventually swapped out for piano, with chord patterns falling like rain. Yearning space leads progressively modulate through alien tremolo weirdness and drunken arps careen across the mix, with wild filter formations moving in and out of time. It’s a world of contrast, with pianos growing ever more transcendent as the electronic elements are destroyed by ring modulation and outer-dimensional vibrato. After a climax awash in disorientation, we back down into the Pachelbel drift, with the church organs contorting into insectoid noise, synths filtering into warm wet brass, and flutey electronics transmuting into feedback. Closer “P.S.R.” begins with billowing waves of fuzzform synthesis creating a sunset panorama, with melodies reaching deep into the heart even as they are smothered in static and shadow. Aqueous stands of light escape from the murky atmospherics, their bright curlicues wrapping around the mind while slow filter movements stoke psychedelic hypnosis. Everything is in motion…though slowly, with progressions moving at the speed of universal evolution. Waves crash in against white sand beaches and are rendered in a soft-focus blur…like a paradise beach visited on a cloudy day. Delay-soaked pianos rain down from a grey sky and evoke the minimalist dreamscapes of Jordan de la Sierra, while subdued fusion textures swim in the background. And swells of church organ bass support it all, creating currents of soulful magic as the ivory incantations carry the mind away.

Private Agenda / Max Essa / Mark Barrott - The Space Between Swells (Lo Recordings, 2019) Max Essa’s extended vocal mix of “Aura” sets things to a muscular disco beat awash in conga and bongo tropicalisms, with voices echoing and blissful pads surrounding a romantic synthbass dub groove. Pianos trace out vague remembrances of the original track’s melodic themes, spaceguitars flow through deep sea phaser fx, and a synthetic brass section pulses on etherwaves over ultra-tight wah guitar accents…all until swirling electro-tracers bring in Private Agenda’s cinematic synthesizer themes. Basslines slip and slide through buttery distortions, even evoking fretless fusion sensuality, and there’s a tight shuffle on the hats that is oh-so-irrestible, with everything setting the stage for the vocals, which here swim through layers of tremolo atmospherics. The chorus is similar to the original, with Phillips erupting through soulful intensity while layers of backing vocal radiance cause the heart to swoon and sway. Elsewhere, we rush upwards on pulsating keyboards as the drums break down into a Latin funk stutter, with anthemic anticipation building as voices and synthesizers coalesce into sunset magic. Arps glisten before fading into air and dreamhouse pianos tease ecstatic riffs while Essa’s typically liquid guitar psychedelics flow ear-to-ear. And above it all, Phillips’ sexual hooks are repurposed into soulful dream textures. Essa and Private Agenda also present a dub mix of “Aura,” wherein hand drums sit beneath aquatic echos as the bass is given a boost of dub disco strength. In lieu of vocal leads, the balearic groovescapes are colored by saucer-eyed pads, piano explorations, and oceanic electronics that stretch towards the horizon and at times, coral-hued fusion leads soar through the mix…their dueling harmonies bringing airs of laser prog majesty. Near the end, angel hazes flutter thorough sea-foam and tripped out wah guitars converse with mermaid murmurs while up above, schools of fish reflect rainbow panoramas as they swim across the spectrum.

Mark Barrott’s take on “Sea Life” begins in the natural world, as crickets converse over deep earth oscillations. Hi-hats and hand drums build a groove amidst kosmische synthesis and Phillips’ “Sea Life” refrain is even more gaseous as it loops and echoes over itself. A subtle key change brings airs of hope before the kick drum hits and then, following a brief rhythmic breakdown, the beats rush back in alongside subsonic bubble pulses…these alien bass textures sitting somewhere between synthesis and percussion. The vocal refrain flows in and out of the mix according to Barrott’s mysterious dream logic and laser light oscillations smolder before rocketing towards the celestial sphere, while later, guitars morph through crystalline feedback glows and chiming echo hypnotics…like Floydian space rock intertwining with Roy Montgomery’s experimental ambiance. There’s a brief moment of rest near the middle where insect chirps move through the mix like a mirage while melodic bass sequences bop untethered, but soon the heady hi-hat patterns return us to tropical slow dance ecstasy, with the “sea life” hook wrapping the spirit in cooing sensuality. And eventually, the groove gives way to a beatless coda where organs transmuting into whale song amidst a haze of soundbath spirituality. In addition to the vocal mix, Barrott presents two further takes on “Sea Life,” the first of which strips the vocals away and thus allows the cosmic atmospherics to take over…creating an even more zoned out ritual for starlight nature dancing. And in a total flip, Barrott also includes an accapella mix, which gives full view into his vocal production sorcery. Pre-delays and reverberations cut in and out unexpectedly as Phillips’ hooks ping pong and smear into ether while elsewhere, humming pulses and looping voices morph into birdsong, psychosonic filter movements pull things in and out of focus, and unexpected temporal shifts lead to overlapping resonances and alien dissonances.

(images from my personal copy and Private Agenda’s Bandcamp)

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astreathewitch · 5 years ago

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The Virgin and the Dragon

In Episode 4 of the last season of Game of Thrones, Rhaegal, one of Daenerys’ two surviving dragons, is shot dead by three piercing bolts. The death blow is delivered by a bolt that punctures Rhaegal’s neck from side to side, and a splash of blood pours from the beast’s mouth as he falls tragically from the sky into the sea below. This beautiful and terrible scene struck me as strangely familiar, as if I had already seen it many times before. Something about the imagery of slain dragons is rooted in our collective mind, and awakes memories of ancient tales we thought we had forgotten. But this scene reminded me of something in particular.

Since I first saw it, as a kid, on the cover of some book, I was always hypnotized by Paolo Uccello’s painting of St. George and the Dragon. The magic of this image resides in the details: the circles decorating the Dragon’s wings like those of a moth; the blood dripping from the neck of the wounded beast; its glossy, sorrowful eye; the thin spear of the knight and the even thinner leash that binds the surprisingly peaceful lady to the dying monster. There is something enigmatic, if not just plain confusing, about it: what is the relationship between the lady and the dragon? Why does the dragon have to die? After all, the same questions could be asked about Daenerys and her children. We may find some answers by interpreting Paolo Uccello’s painting – and, possibly, GoT’s last season as well – as an alchemical key.

Dragons have a long iconographical history in hermeticism and alchemy. A few associations that easily come to mind are the Ouroboros, where the serpent or dragon is connected to the idea of eternity and cyclical time, and the alchemical salamander, a mysterious being that can withstand fire without ever burning. This multiple association is not surprising, since often in alchemical texts images and words have multiple meanings. It is the case of Mercury, which is frequently referred to as being double: it indicates the universal solvent, or poison, needed to begin the alchemical Opus, but, in many cases, it is also used as another name for philosophical Gold, the universal medicine or Elixir, which is the coronation of the alchemist’s work. This lexical ambiguity is, in itself, a caveat on the deadly danger of undertaking the alchemical Work; the same substance that could grant eternal life has the potential to manifest itself as devastatingly poisonous.

The same kind of ambiguity surrounds the image of the Dragon; it is both depicted as the ultimate natural power, containing in itself the four elements and being able to grant complete control over matter and time, and as a deadly monster that needs to be slain so that the Work may be completed. Dragon’s blood is mentioned in the Rosarium Philosophorum as the fluid that can dissolve all matter, and, in this regard, is also identified with the first, poisonous kind of Mercury:

“Note this that no silver can be made unless first they be all dissolved. Secondly, that no solution ought to be made but in the proper and appropriated blood, that is, in water of Mercury which is called Dragon’s Water.”

Rosarium Philosophorum

The same association returns later in the text, clearly indicating the necessity of the death of the Dragon so that the Work may be completed:

“[T]he Dragon is born in his blackness and is fed with his Mercury, and killeth himself and is drowned in it, and the water is somewhat whitened, and that is Elixir.”

Rosarium Philosophorum

In this respect, the Dragon represents some kind of primordial matter, imbued with properties of dissolution and disaggregation, that can be unleashed and made available to the alchemist through a ritual sacrifice. This dismemberment is mythologically recurring, as we have noted elsewhere, and it often coincides with the cosmological beginning of order, reason and civilization.

Dragons are, in our minds, associated with fairy tales of young damsels in distress, that are abducted by a monstrous creature and are kept segregated from society until a knight comes along and brings them back into the world of men. This is, on a surface level, the story behind the scene depicted in Paolo Uccello’s painting. But, in alchemical symbolism, the relationship between dragon and woman appears more complex and elusive. In alchemical texts, the virginal quality of Mercury is often mentioned, and the same substance that is referred to as dragon’s blood is also indicated as virgin’s milk. These two aspects of Mercury, that of the virgin and that of the dragon, seem to fade seamlessly into one another. Are the virgin and the dragon one and the same? Yes and no. It seems that womanhood is intended as a transformative power that can bind the primitive, chaotic potential of the dragon into a productive cycle of forces. In a cryptic passage from the Turba Philosophorum, woman and dragon are buried together, so that they may merge and produce the philosophical venom required to begin the Magnum Opus:

“I also make known to you that the dragon never dies, but the Philosophers have put to death the woman who slays her spouses. For the belly of that woman is full of weapons and venom. Let, therefore, a sepulchre be dug for the dragon, and let that woman be buried with him, who being strongly joined with that woman, the more he clasps her and is entwined with her, the more his body, by the creation of female weapons in the body of the woman, is cut up into parts. For perceiving him mixed with the limbs of a woman he becomes secure from death, and the whole is turned into blood.”

Turba Philosophorum

Of course, a deep, troubling connection between dragon-like creatures and holy virgins recurs in christian iconography. One of the most commonly reproduced images of the Madonna shows her radiating in the sky as she steps over a snake, echoing the Apocalyptic virgin and the seven-headed dragon from the Book of Revelation. While we could understand this symbology as a representation of the Holy Virgin triumphing over evil, some authors, namely Peter Grey in his Apocalyptic Witchcraft, have argued that the conflict between the Virgin and the Serpent consists in a false dualism, and that their mysterious alliance is the key to access the alchemical universal medicine. Similarly, Eliphas Levi underlines the role of the Virgin in directing the blind forces contained in the original serpent:

“She who is destined to crush the serpent’s head is intelligence, which ever rises above the stream of blind forces. The Kabalists call her the virgin of the sea, whose dripping feet the infernal dragon crawls forward to lick with his fiery tongues, and they fall asleep in delight.”

Eliphas Levi, The Doctrine of Transcendental Magic

But this alliance, while it can result in a productive polarization of forces, clearly constitutes a deadly danger to civilization if not accurately balanced, as the tension between pious, fertile womanhood and destructive, sterile monstrosity is always unstable. Quoting Nyx, “[t]he path of heterodoxy and disintegration into infinitely many individuated particles begins with woman, Binah. This paradoxically makes it not merely that the weak Eve was tempted by the evil Serpent, but rather that the origins of Evil lie in Eve. Or rather, in woman”. The awareness of this danger is intrinsic in alchemical symbolysm, where the productive nigredo or putrefaction of the ancient dragon, activated by the catalyzing power of womanhood, can set off the unstoppable disintegration of all matter into fire and blood.

Daenerys’ arc in Season 8 can then be intended as an alchemical experiment gone terribly wrong. The Dragon Queen’s destructive madness is a testimony to the dangers of the Great Work; her ultimate sacrifice is the only way to save the world from devastation, and to guarantee the reproduction of civilization so that the wheel can keep on turning. Just like in the ancient tales of damsels and dragons, in the end the monster is slain, subversive femininity is aborted and patriarchal order is restored. If we wish for a different ending to this story, then, we need to experiment with a different kind of alchemy.

“In everything In nature there are three from two: the beginning, the middle, and the end. First the needful water, then the oily tincture, and lastly, the faeces, or earth, which remains below. But the Dragon inhabits in all these, and his houses are the darkness and blackness that is in them.”

The Golden Tractate of Hermes Trismegistus

Originally posted at https://thenanim.home.blog/2019/05/22/the-virgin-and-the-dragon/

#alchemy #witchblr #witchcraft #rhaegal #daenerys targaryen #occult #symbolism

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sailor-cresselia · 5 years ago

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Zi-O 45: “THIS WENT FROM COOL TO HOLY SHIT REAL FAST.”

Last time: Swartz became Another Decade, and summoned a whole bunch of Dark Movie Riders, who proceeded to start kicking Sougo and Geiz’s butts.

Then G4 pulled out a missile launcher.

This time? Who knows, it’s Zi-O.

(Please enjoy my 10-page liveblog, with heavy Drive and Double fangirling, and my love of continuity nods.)

––––

So, yeah, G4 firing missiles at the boys! Fortunately, Woz has decided to skip the time freeze part of his recap, and says… basically what I just said, before grabbing Sougo and Geiz with his scarf and teleporting the three of them out of there.

Then we go into the Recap Vault, where he reminds us about Miharu showing up, and his intention to bring Geiz and Tsukuyomi back.

Woz comments that ‘it’s almost time for them to say goodbye.’

We go DIRECTLY into the credits from there, not even a minute into the episode.

––––

Oof. The episode proper starts with the four lads – Sougo, Geiz, Woz, and Heure (who I’d forgotten was Also There) walking along the river/drainage basin. Sougo comments that he can’t believe that Swartz’s – no, Another Decade’s – power is to bring in other Riders.

Geiz snaps, practically slamming Heure into the railing, saying that he’d tricked them – Hora was Another Drive, so Heure must have been lying the entire time.

Heure’s panicking as soon as Geiz turns on him – he didn’t know, he really didn’t – but Geiz, being Geiz, doesn’t listen. He tells Heure to get out of there before he really snaps and beats him up – so Heure all but runs off, plainly scared and confused.

Sougo calls Geiz out. Heure didn’t know, he’s changed since Swartz turned on him, after all, and they were starting to work together.

Geiz, being Geiz, says that people don’t change so easily, pointing out that Heure’s usual MO is manipulating people. He does have a point, but he slips up when he says that an enemy is always an enemy.

Sougo doesn’t look hurt by this. Just disappointed. What did Geiz come back here for, anyway?

To defeat Oma Zi-O before he could become Oma Zi-O.

Here’s where Sougo gets angry. Really, truly angry. If people never change, there’s no way they can make a better future.

Geiz points out, growing increasingly furious, that it’s Sougo who destroyed the future, that it’s his fault in the first place.

I don’t like the look on Sougo’s face right now. He says that’s the future him, that since it’s the future, they can still change it in the now. I’m… not sure I want to know what Sougo’s thinking of for ‘changing the future,’ because he looks frustratedly depressed.

Geiz questions what the hell Sougo could know, he has no idea what it’s like for people in that future.

Sougo gets quiet, saying that Geiz is right, he doesn’t know, and walks off.

Woz has watched both of these exchanges from the side, and sighs as he watches Sougo walk off.

Geiz just looks down.

––––

We come to Heure, hiding by an abandoned building, when Hora approaches. Startled, Heure yells for her to stay away. She’s an Another Rider, isn’t she?

Hora doesn’t seem to have any idea what he’s talking about.

Starting to freak out, Heure thinks. Maybe – maybe the Another Rider was just using her as a disguise, to throw him off balance. She tries to come over to him, presumably to calm him down, but he fully flips, saying that she still might be that Another Rider, and runs off, uncharacteristically clumsily.

Hora just looks confused, and maybe a little sad. It’s hard to say with her – she’s always kept her emotions pretty hidden, and does have a history of manipulating people, even more so than Heure. INCLUDING Heure, actually, given her actions during the second part of the Kikai arc.

––––

Sougo’s walking down those stairs we see so often, when a former classmate shows up, saying it’s been a long time. I think we’re supposed to know him, his name’s Owada, and he’s actually excited to see Sougo. He’s a pro gamer, and is participating in a tournament that will let him represent Japan…

Oh, hang on, is this the classmate from the Ex-Aid arc?

Yes, yes he is! Nice continuity nod, there!

Anyway, after briefly asking why Sougo’s so beat up – which Sougo brushes off, saying he’s fine – he asks Sougo to come watch him play, completely disregarding Sougo’s protests of it not being a good time for that.

––––

Heure’s running, finding himself at one of those abandoned factories, when Hora appears from inside one. She’s got some bad news. This is where he’s going to die. Pulling out the Another Drive watch, she transforms.

I appreciate the touch with the transformation including the wheel images from above and below coming to form the armor, and including Shinnosuke’s little post-transformation side-lean.

Running, Heure tries to use his time stop, but Another Drive’s faster, and beats him to the punch by activating Slowdown. She starts wailing on him, punches to the gut, backhanding him in the face, and then throwing him bodily towards a stack of barrels and crates, cancelling the slowdown just in time for him to impact at full speed.

Hora calls Heure’s name, running up to them. She sounds worried for him! Yay! But also there’s still an Another Drive, saying that ‘we finally meet… me.’

Hora tries to use her time powers – tries, clenching her fist and grimacing as she throws her hand out. Nothing happens.

She’s clearly been trying to do this for a while, too. There are numerous indents on her palm, where her nails have dug in over and over. Too many to just have been from this one time.

Another Drive zooms over, and hoists Hora by the neck, lifting her from the ground.

Hora asks – struggling – what they are.

The answer… they’re the Paradox Roidmude.

To which I, a Drive fan, have a general reaction of NOPE NO NUH-UH I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS!!

For those who didn’t watch Drive, or didn’t watch it’s movies, Paradox, or Roidmude 108, was the villain of “Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future”, Drive’s summer movie, who basically wanted to stop the world. Forever. A permanent Global Freeze, and he tried to do it by… what was it again? OH RIGHT. By coming back in time from 2035! SO, YAY! MORE TIME TRAVEL SHENANIGANS!

Listen, Surprise Future is a great movie, and I highly recommend it. Also, its ending theme, “re-ray”, is amazing.

Anyway, Drive!Paradox transforms back into Hora’s appearance, notably using the original Roidmude transformation effects, instead of the Another Rider ones. They have wonderful news. Hora’s going to disappear, and they’ll become the real one. Hora’s lost her powers, so it’s not like she needs to exist.

I really appreciate both of these nods, actually. The fact that a Roidmude is using a combination of their own native abilities and the Another Rider ones, and the acknowledgment that they copy people – right down to their character tics and habits. Medic kept her human’s ballet, Brain held onto that handkerchief for the majority of the season, just out of habit, and Paradox… this time around, they’ve picked up Hora’s old ‘catchphrase.’ Remember, when Hora made Another Riders, she did offer a choice, saying that she had bad news, but also good news.

So yeah, nice continuity nods they’ve got going there.

Oh, right, the show.

Anyway, Hora’s being lifted by her neck, struggling to breath. Paradox changes back to Another Drive – this time with the Another Rider effects – and starts laughing. Heure is terrified, and probably feels really bad about suspecting Hora now. Not that I can blame him on either front, but still.

A green-and-purple fist punches Another Drive away from Hora.

Kamen Rider Woz, in Ginga form.

––––

Over at 9-to-5, I realize that the logo isn’t just a pendulum clock, but the hands also looks a bit like a pair of glasses.

Geiz walks in to a darkened shop, Tsukuyomi sitting there, stoic. He comments that she’s back.

So, she has been gone since the end of the last arc, then? For the last month? Because we do get confirmation that it’s been a month – that giant gear-clock on the back wall also has a calendar function, which says it’s July 23. Thus, we know two things. First, there has been a time skip since the Another Den-O and Zi-O II arcs. Second, that the previous episode probably took place over the course of a few days, since July 23 is a Tuesday. Most episodes take place around Sunday or so, depending on if the show involves school or not, which does throw a bit of a wrench in that.

Anyway, I got distracted. Tsukuyomi tells Geiz that she met Miharu, and that if they stay here in 2019, they’ll never make the future that they wanted.

Geiz agrees. They shouldn’t have come here in the first place, all they did was run away from their own issues.

This scene has no background music at all, just the pair of them talking, and the ticking of clocks in the background, growing louder as the scene goes on, and ending with one decisive ‘tick’ as Geiz turns to the camera, lit from behind by the window, saying they should go back to their own era.

––––

Turns out Owada’s game tournament is Tekken. Again. Seriously, can they not get Namco to let them use at least one of the other properties, or is this the only one they want to get the rights for? Ah well, it’s more appropriate for this guy than it was for Tsutomu back in Hibiki arc, since Owada was from Ex-Aid’s arc, and Tekken played a role in the backstory there.

Unfortunately, he lost. Really badly.

Sougo tries to talk to him as they head out, but Owada’s not having it, telling Sougo to shut up and shoving him away before running.

Before running headlong into Swartz, that is. Who says something about making Owada’s own world.

He then proceeds to summon what look like tendrils of that ripple texture, which come out of the ground, latching onto Owada before surrounding him in an orb, which then shrinks down into a small ball. We can see an image of him gaming in it, before Sougo runs up, asking what Swartz did.

Swartz, being Swartz, doesn’t answer, simply saying that he has an interesting game for Sougo. The ball spins into a dimensional wall, which passes backward…

And leaves someone else in it’s wake.

Someone who seems upset at being brought here, saying that he’d thought he’d met a proper death, while implying that it’s not the first time this has happened.

Katsumi Daido. Kamen Rider Eternal.

He’s going to give Sougo a taste of hell.

To which I, a Double fan, have a general reaction of NOPE NO NUH-UH I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS!!

For those who didn’t watch Double, or didn’t watch it’s movies, Daidou was the villain of “Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate”, Double’s summer movie, who was basically The Worst and tried to turn everyone in the city of Fuuto into ‘Necro-overs.’ Basically, he died, and his mother brought him back to life as… technically not a zombie, but he’s basically undead, and can’t be re-killed by normal means. He came back a little crazy. (Also, no, I don’t mean undead in the Blade sense, I mean the resurrected dead person sense.)

Also, his actor, Mitsuru Matsuoka, did the ending song for that movie, “W”… which is not nearly as good as the five songs he did for Drive, its movies, and specials, including the earlier mentioned “re-ray.”

Fun times!

Eternal is a great suit, with the exception of that stupid trash-bag cape, which I hope he gets rid of at some point in this episode.

…Sougo why are you in BASE FORM?! This guy was summoned here by Swartz, and your track record against other Kamen Riders as base Zi-O is not good, to put it lightly.

Like, literally the only Rider he’s come out on top against as original flavor Zi-O is Geiz.

Ohh, but I do love that they used the old Gaia Memory sound effects, driver and all. And there’s the movie-and-special variant of the transformations! I mean, transformations in W are always a treat, but in bigger-budget productions, they have this effect where during the standby, the icon for the Gaia Memory in use stays visible, and circles of energy in the Memories respective color radiate outward from the driver. It’s always a treat to see. Also, kudos for how whenever Eternal lands a direct hit, there’s those blue flames coming from where he connects.

––––

At 9-to-5, still in the dark, Geiz takes Tsukuyomi’s arm, saying that they’re going home together. He’s rushing, as if he’s well aware that waiting will kill off his resolve. Again.

But Miharu shows up, telling them that together isn’t an option. They’re from different timelines, after all. They’re going to different places.

Geiz sounds dejected as he remembers that. They didn’t know that until a month ago, after all, so it stands to reason that he’d forget. He takes off.

When he’s gone, Tsukuyomi says that… yes, Miharu’s right, but could she have just a little more time? They’d only gotten hope once they met Sougo, so-

Miharu stops her. That hope is for Sougo and the others. Miharu’s not wrong – Tsukuyomi is from a different branch, while Geiz is from Sougo’s. But here’s the thing. All of Tsukuyomi’s memories? They’re all from that same timeline as Geiz. She doesn’t remember her original home at all; the person she is now is entirely from the timeline where Oma Zi-O took over. She only found any of this out a month ago. There’s no way she could be used to it.

Miharu, awkwardly, says that they should probably go get her powers back from Swartz, and that he’ll help her with that.

––––

Back to the Woz Versus Another Drive fight!

Wherein Another Drive activates Slowdown – again – but Woz cancels it out on his own. How? Ginga Finaly is based on space, and things are weightless there – the gravity intensifying effect of slowdown can’t do jack to him. Also, he cancels it out for the rest of the area.

Another Drive is only slightly impressed, and proceeds to knock him off his feet by doing a sliding kick right into his legs. You know. Because car.

As they get up, that slowed down version of the Tridoron horn plays, and I get sad all over again.

Oh, uh, at this point, I should probably say why I’m using ‘they’ to refer to Another Drive/Paradox. See, Roidmudes technically don’t have genders. They normally use the pronouns of whoever they’ve copied. Right now, for Paradox, that’s Hora. However, the last time we saw Paradox, they were copying Tomari Eiji, aka Shinnosuke’s future son. So… it’s a tricky subject for me, so I’m erring on the side of caution and going gender-neutral with regards to Paradox. (Last episode, I had caught spoilers that Another Drive was ‘Hora’, so I tried to stay neutral through the liveblog because A; the Another Rider never spoke, so any mention of gender would be a spoiler in and of itself, and B; I wasn’t supposed to know that ‘Hora’ was the one behind the Watch, so I didn’t want to spoil that.)

Okay, fight time. As Another Drive is getting up, we hear an announcement. TYPHOON

Enter Geiz, in a nice mini fight sequence where both he and Paradox are moving fast enough that they leave afterimages. I mean, it’s pretty poorly green-screened in, but it’s a nice idea. With riders like Kabuto and Faiz around, it’s not hard to forget that one of Drive’s gimmicks is his speed. He doesn’t get to show it off that much on his own, so the fact they’re utilizing it here, even as an Another Rider copy, is cool. So was having the three of them team up in HeiGen Forever.

Heure’s surprised that Geiz is helping them – he’d just threatened Heure’s life, at most a few hours ago.

Geiz’s reply? He’s not fond of being rescued, or maybe just not fond of owing.

You know. The same thing Heure said last episode when he came in for the save when Geiz and Sougo were fighting Another Drive.

Geiz switches into Fury, and starts fighting again.

––––

Switching back over to Sougo Versus Eternal!

OH LOOK ETERNAL STILL HAS HIS KNIFE.

Sougo’s more worried about that wall behind them, which still shows Owada gaming, as Swartz watches on, smirking. However, someone else is watching. Namely, one Kadoya Tsukasa.

“Oh, so that’s what you’re doing with my power?”

Swartz doesn’t lose his signature smugness. He’s already got Tsukasa’s power, so there’s no way that he can interfere.

Unfortunately for Swartz, Decade-the-season never actually established what powers are Decade’s and what powers are Tsukasa’s. See… Tsukasa’s power? Is the fact he exists.

After all, those walls? He’s not the only one who’s been able to use them. In fact, he didn’t use them back in his season! He traveled through them on accident a few times, and never without pain when he was an adult. His younger sister could open them, and so could Narutaki, but Tsukasa? Nope. Not until his post-season appearances, same as Daiki.

So these? They aren’t tied to his being Decade at all.

(Same as Takeru’s psychic force-powers – those are inherited. That runs in his family, which handily explains how he was able to use them in Zi-O, whether he was in the camp that forgot being a rider or remembered. It was super unclear, after all. Those were not the ‘I know, right’ comments of someone who had no idea what it was like being a ghost.)

Anyway, Tsukasa takes the wall that Swartz was controlling, and moves it over himself and the Zi-O Versus Eternal grappling match, taking Sougo away with him.

––––

Tsukasa and Sougo are in the tournament room, where Owada just won the game, against an opponent with his face nearly blanked out.

Wait, won? Sougo’s so confused – he lost the match, why is he saying he won? He tries to talk sense into his friend, but then-

Time reverses, like a frames of film being played backward just a little too fast, the screen glitching slightly, as though it can’t keep up.

Sougo finds himself back next to Tsukasa, where Owada just won the game.

Tsukasa’s figured out what’s going on. Swartz has made little pocket ‘Another Worlds’ to put people in, reliving moments of ‘lost possibilities’ over and over again. Why? To be able to summon Dark Riders, like the one Sougo was just fighting.

In the reuglar world, he was defeated by Double. But in this world, he must have won.

––––

As Tsukasa is saying that this version of Eternal defeated Double, we cut back to the main universe, where Eternal looks… a bit confused as to where Sougo went. If not confused, exactly, then at least frustrated. Curious, maybe. Miharu steps into frame, clutching a brightly colored pair of boxers.

(Eiji, I know you were well meaning, but I think he took your advice a little too much to heart.)

There’s a medal-flip sound effect as Miharu reminds himself that he promised to protect everyone’s tomorrows. He transforms into Aqua, and goes on the offense.

––––

In Owada’s World, Tsukasa says it’s time to go, because their goal isn’t here. Sougo wants to save Owada, but apparently he can’t. So long as this world, on an infinite one-minute loop, exists, there’s no way to get him out.

––––

Back at the warehouse, Paradox makes me almost choke on my damned Twizzler when they stick out an arm and a FREAKING ANOTHER TRIDORON SHOWS UP.

Oh MAN, this thing is all pipes and clawed front and OH MAN YOU JUST BROUGHT A CAR TO A PERSON FIGHT.

Also, we see why they’re in one of the wide-open warehouses, because that gives enough space for the Another Tridon (again, WTF) to do drifts and turns and knock Woz and Geiz every which way.

We cut from the fight to Heure and Hora, her picking herself back up… with a lot more ease than should be possible from someone who was almost choked to death. Especially since Heure didn’t have that happen, and can barely support himself enough to sit up. She asks if he’s okay, to which he replies that the whole thing was a little too close for comfort.

“Oh. I’ll make this easy, then.” She takes him by the shoulder-

A dimensional wall opens, dropping Sougo off. His eyes widen in shock.

At the top of the stairs from earlier, Swartz grins.

Hora is kneeling next to Heure…

With a blade of red energy, longer than her torso, coming from her hand.

It’s jabbed through Heure’s chest.

THIS WENT FROM COOL TO HOLY SHIT REAL FAST.

As Hora pulls back, Heure can’t understand why she did this.

With that usual detached manner, she puts it simply. It’s nothing personal. It’s that they can’t live and escape from Swartz. Pulling his little hair decoration off – with a chunk of hair, presumably, because I’m pretty sure it was just beads and feathers on a string of hair – she says that the one to survive will be her. She walks off, letting Heure fall to the ground, struggling to breath and clutching his chest.

His very blood-stained chest.

Sougo shouts his name, running over, and holds Heure in his arms.

A brief moment later, Heure stops moving.

As Sougo screams for Heure, Paradox starts laughing madly, shoving Geiz and Woz away, saying that this is what they expect from them, from a better them.

Sougo is enraged. What the hell is so funny, why the hell are they laughing?!

(Okay, he doesn’t actually swear, but I’m pretty sure he would if he could get away with it.)

He enters Grand as he runs, and starts beating Another Drive.

––––

Eternal and Aqua are at the docks now. Good location choice for a water-based rider – although, apparently Eternal’s god-awful cape is actually useful for something, because he uses it to block the majority of the force behind the water attacks.

The self-proclaimed Grim Reaper says it’s party time – because Daido came back super crazy, okay? He’s not all there in his usual canon, much less here. Actually, he’s worse normally.

Thing is? Miharu’s not actually here to fight him, and proceeds to shoot an attack at Swartz, gripping him in… a fist and series of belts made of water.

OUR GOOD FUTURE BOY IS A WATER BENDER! I’M SO PROUD!

Here comes Tsukuyomi, to take her powers back. Swartz actually seems to have been caught off guard! That’s not like him.

That’s not like him at all.

Oh, RIGHT, Miharu, you’re still technically stuck fighting Katsumi, so, here ya go, one undead murder-man coming at you. Eternal actually says that the ‘party is getting watered down’, that’s not even a translation thing, he says ‘party’ in English, and I distinctly hear ‘mizu’, so he’s actually saying this, I can’t believe they went with that joke.

I also can’t believe that he’s dumb enough to throw himself and aqua into the water. You know. Aqua. A WATER-POWERED KAMEN RIDER.

And Miharu has a good line for him, too, after zipping around and punching him as Eternal tries to dodge. “I’m from the future, you’re just a ghost of the past!”

The rebuttal? “In the end, even the future becomes the past.”

WOW, these are some good lines here!

He proceeds to create a water vortex, because the Eternal skillset is undefined and overpowered, and throws the both of them back on land.

Swartz throws off his water-shackles and Tsukuyomi’s draining by transforming into Another Decade, knocking her down.

She struggles to get up as he approaches, chuckling menacingly, and Miharu calls her name. (Well, her former name. Her name is Tsukuyomi, please use it!)

––––

In the warehouse, Geiz and Woz are standing at a distance from the Grand Zi-O Versus Another Drive brawl. They. Uh. Well, they probably just don’t want to get in the way, right? They were just getting their butts handed to them on a platter, and Sougo’s really pissed off right now. So, it’s probably better to stay out of the way, right? Right.

Sougo summons Drive out of 2014, by slamming his fist onto the figure on his thigh. They proceed to wail on Another Drive some more, and…

Geiz leaves, with what seems to be a sigh before he turns and walks out.

Finish Time! Grand Zi-O!

SO WOW.

The finisher this time?

Summons the Tridoron, which circles around everyone, smashing the Another Tridoron to bits, before the finisher properly activates. The belt may be saying “All Twenty! Time Break!” but this? This is the Full Throttle: Speed finisher!

THIS is both Drive and Zi-O ricocheting off of the circling Tridoron, faster than can be followed, slamming into Another Drive over and over, before they merge together (!) for Zi-O to perform a one-man Rider Kick.

Another Drive starts to give off blue arcs of electricity, and the blocky lights of a Roidmude exploding, before reverting to Hora’s appearance, and then to Paradox’s evolved form, before their body goes up in an explosion. Two Roidmude cores emerge from that explosion, before going up themselves. 108… and 108.

Paradox only gained an evolved form after the version from 2035 literally merged with the version from 2015.

So, of course there were technically two Paradoxes for Swartz to bring in.

––––

Still in the warehouse, it’s later. Much later – the sun is going down, as judged by the fading light through the dirty windows. It was bright before.

Sougo drops to his knees next to Heure’s body, barely saying his name, his voice trembling.

A distance away, Woz – still transformed – watches.

––––

At the docks – also approaching sunset. Wow, that sure came on fast, didn’t it? Seeing as they’re right where they left off with the four-person fight.

Swartz – as Another Decade – basically hurls Tsukuyomi to the ground, with her rolling into a… partition? Mini-wall? What do you call the barrier between a green-space and a sidewalk? IDK, the curb section. Aqua can’t get to her, because Eternal’s keeping him busy. You know. With his KNIFE.

Swartz advances on Tsukuyomi, hand raised, but he’s knocked aside by Geiz, now in Revive Typhoon again.

“So, you came after all. I thought you would. Let’s make a world just for you.”

Swartz. Swartz, no. Don’t flick your hand like that. Don’t summon those dimension tendrils. You let Geiz out of that bubble right now, old man.

Don’t you spin that thing into forming a wall. Cut that out.

Don’t pull a familiar laughing figure through.

With a beret and some god-awful neon sunglasses.

Put that Hat Woz back where he came from or so help me-

SO HELP ME!

––––

The closing screen is… Huh. The Drive watch is front and center, with Revive Typhoon in the right corner… and the Eternal Gaia Memory in the lower left.

––––

Preveiw time says…

We’re getting a Woz Versus Woz fight, and it ought to be a bit less one-sided, now that they’ve both got drivers.

Eternal’s losing the cape for his party time – except it’s for the worse, because that’s a whole lot of Gaia Memories up in there. If I had to guess, I’d say… 26? One for each letter of the alphabet. Enough to set off his full power Maximum Drive – the “Never Ending Hell” Maximum Drive.

Yeah. Dude’s got issues.

There’s a sound clip of Geiz… shouting that he wants to make a new future with someone. Doesn’t say who, of course, because that would be even more spoilery than a preview usually is. Could be Tsukuyomi, could be Sougo, could be both.

The last sound clip is Sougo, saying that ‘it’s the king who makes the world a better place, it’s that kind of power!’

It’s played over shots of him down on the ground, in the rain, with Swartz standing over him. Sougo looks badly beaten up… and furious.

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