#I am both very happy with this posing and also not ART IS TORTURE

[headbitchruby]

*cries on the dance floor as the disco ball spins and the funk boogies on around me* I'm so fucking rusty god help me

anyone Willow wip she's groovy in space bby

[despairofthefuture]

She may be looking for Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess, or Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder. They're both into dark occult stuff. They're also in the same class as Chiaki and Ryota. I think they're pretty close friends, so if you find one you'll probably find the other not far off.

"Princess!?" Hiro repeats, his eyes widening. "There's a princess at this school!?"

"As amazingly cool as that is-" Leon says, trying to bring them back on topic. "-this Gundham dude....Why would a...breeder know about occult bullshit?"

"The same reason a princess would?" Hiro mutters under his breath.

Chihiro furrows his brow in thought, the small boy looking very worried. "W-well, Mukuro did say it had nothing to do with his talent." He reminds them. "So perhaps it's a hobby of his?"

"Well, regardless, this is all we have to go on, and you guys havent been wrong yet!" Leon says determinedly, flashing the spirits a grin. "Since Mukuro specifically said 'he', we should check up on this Gundham weirdo first. So hurry the hell up, Hiro! Look up this Gundham guy!"

The clairvoyant nods and does as he was told, looking up a picture of Gundham Tanaka. When he finds one he stares at it in surprise. "This...this guy works with animals?" He asks, stunned.

Leon looks over his friend's shoulder and raises a brow. "Damn. Yeah, he looks more like an Ultimate Clairvoyant than you do! He obviously seems to be embracing the occult for a start!"

This earns the ghost a glare, but Hiro quickly shakes his head and returns his phone to his pocket. "Well, whatever. We know what he looks like, so let's go to his dorm."

As he begins making his way there, Chihiro frowns. "You know, the fact that Mukuro knows about this Gundham means she and Junko must have been studying him, or at the very least his class." He points out. "Which would make sense considering how much of her plan revolves around 77-B." His face saddens. "Poor guys. It's bad enough Junko put us, her classmates and friends through something like a killing game, but to basically torture a whole other class?"

"Its sick." Leon agrees, his eyes narrowed angrily. "She's sick."

Hiro simply nods in response, a frown on his face as he walks. Suddenly, he freezes in place. "Wait, what about Hajime?!" He asks. "I was supposed to meet up with him and-"

"That can wait a minute!" Leon interrupts him. "If we dont hurry and stop Mukuro, who the hell knows what could happen!"

Hiro nods in understanding, breaking out into a sprint towards the dorms, causing a brown haired boy in a Reserve Course uniform to look up and give him an annoyed look as he passed.

~~~

Hiro was thankfully able to find Gundham's room with relative ease. As he stands in front of the Ultimate Breeder's door, he hesitates.

"Dude, what's the hold up?" Leon asks impatiently.

Hiro frowns and begins picking at his skin. "Its just...the energy surrounding this room...its...really heavy and...dark..." He mutters.

Leon groans and rolls his eyes. "Oh for the love of-Hurry the hell up!" He snaps.

Hiro sighs and nods, reaching a hand up and knocking on the door.

A quiet exchange of voices could be heard along with some shuffling until the door is opened.

"Who dares disturb the Overlord of-"

The boy behind the door stops when he sees Hiro. The two lock eyes, and a wave of energy courses through the clairvoyant.

The extravagantly dressed man before Hiro stares at him for a moment more before he smirks. "Heh. I had thought the dark lady and myself were the only ones dabbling in the forbidden arts, but I can sense they run through your veins as well."

Hiro blinks in surprise at the guy's strange speech patterns. "Uh...i-if by 'forbidden arts' you mean fortune telling, then yeah!" Hiro finally responds, forcing a smile onto his face. "My names Yasuhiro Hagakure. I'm the Ultimate Clairvoyant!"

The other man lets out an impressed hum. "Clairvoncy, hm? Then have your visions sent you to my side for the aid of my dark powers?!" He suddenly poses in a strange way, and Hiro blinks in confusion.

"Uh...y-yeah. More or less. Youre... Gundham Tanaka, right?" He asks, scratching his head as he begins to regret coming here.

Gundham's smirk widens as he nods. "My reputation of course precedes me. Indeed, that is my name! GUNDHAM TANAKA!" The...eccentric fellow bellows out his name, cause Chihiro to flinch slightly.

Leon rolls his eyes. "Dear Lord this guy is gonna be annoying." He mutters.

Hiro gives a subtle nod in agreement before forcing the smile onto his face again. "Well, great! Do you, uh, mind if I come in, Gundham?'

Gundham shakes his head and steps to the side. "But of course not! A fellow user of the dark arts is always welcome in my abode!" He declares. "Although my Third Eye has failed me, for I did not forsee your visit." The breeder suddenly blushes, catching Hiro even more off guard as the man attempts to hide the flush by raising his scarf over his face. "I currently have...company over. The dark princess, Sonia Nevermind. But do not fear! I am training her to be my apprentice, so you need not hold your tongue with anything you must tell me!" He declares with finality as he turns with a flourish and walks into his room.

Hiro stands still for a moment longer, sharing an unsure look with Leon and Chihiro, before following the breeder into his room and closing the door behind him.

The dark atmosphere Hiro had felt from outside the door was tripled the moment he took a step inside, and he shivered. Gundham's room was dark, light blotting curtains hung at the windows that allowed the only light inside the room to be the many lit candles that were scattered around. There was a bookcase against one of the walls, and on it several heavy looking leather cased books.

"Well I guess we found the right guy." Leon mutters.

Hiro nods in agreement as he continues scanning the environment. His gaze stops at something that seemed out of place. A brightly colored hamster cage where four happy looking hamster were currently rested inside.

"Well, he is the Ultimate Breeder." Hiro thinks to himself. "I guess it would be more weird if there wasnt anything animal related here."

"Oh, Gundham! You have company!" A sweet, feminine voice speaks up, causing Yasuhiro to turn his head in its direction. He couldnt help but stare. There was a beautiful blonde girl, sat upon Gundham's bed.

"Indeed I do, dark mistress." Gundham confirms, coming to a stop in front of the hamster cage. He opens the lid and places some treats inside, the four critters skittering over to them and eating them hungrily. "He says his name is Yasuhiro." A grin spreads on his face as he turns from his four pets. "He is also a user of the arts."

The girl, who Hiro assumes to be Sonia Nevermind, gasps and clasps her hands together excitedly. "Really?!" She exclaims happily. "There is another one at the school?!"

"It indeed seems that way, Sonia." The breeder confirms, his gaze going to Hiro. "He says he is a clairvoyant, and that he received a vision that called him to me."

Sonia gasps and looks to Hiro as well. "Is that so? Then please! I insist you inform us of the details of your vision at once!"

For some reason Hiro felt extremely compelled to bow towards the upperclasswoman and the need to hurry with the explanation. He blinks and clears his throat, attempting to calm his nerves. "R-right. Well, it's a long...and, well, pretty unbelievable story if I'm being honest." He sighs before continuing. "But I swear to you, Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Earth or whatever deity you believe in its true.

It started when my classmate Junko Enoshima came to me, asking me to read her future...."

~~~

"...and then Mukuro mentioned someone else with knowledge of...occult stuff." Hiro finishes explaining, holding back the urge to explain his distaste for the occult. "And the spirits mentioned it could be one of you two." He looks between Sonia and Gundham, both of which look extremely surprised. "And since Mukuro said 'he' we went to your room first." He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. "So...yeah. We wanted to make sure Mukuro's ghost...future ghost...didnt come here and find something she could use."

Gundham stares at the clairvoyant for a while, seemingly at a loss for words. Finally he clears his throat. "Well...that certainly is...quite the ordeal." The breeder recovers quickly, a grin forming on his face as he poses. "However you are in luck! I am quite skilled in this department, and while I cannot see your apparitions-" He walks over to his bookshelf and shifts through the many books before letting out a soft 'ah ha!' and pulling out a rather large one. He flips through it before placing his finger on a page. He then begins muttering something, which causes Hiro to frown and shift uncomfortably.

Gundham's eyes close, and a soft wind suddenly blows through the room, despite there being no open window. When he opens his eyes, he meets Hiro's eyes. They then shift over to Leon and Chihiro, his grin turning to a smirk.

"Ah ha! Hello there, fiends!" He looks over to see the shimmering outlines of the unknown spirits. "And to you as well."

Hiro's eyes widen in surprise. "You...you can see them?!"

"Of course!" Gundham boasts, slamming the book shut with one hand. "Did you believe these tombs were for show?!"

Hiro holds his tongue.

"Now I can be of more help to you and your miss-" He stops, his gaze slowly moving over to his bookshelf. He narrows his eyes. "....I assume this is the fiendish ghoul you mentioned."

Hiro blinks before following his gaze. His eyes widen further. There, looking through the books, was Mukuro's ghost.

Gundham Tanaka can now hear you! He is open for questions!

A/N: I hope things arent getting too crazy lol. I promise everything has a purpose! Supernatural stuff is canon in Danganronpa, and its especially important in this AU, so please bare with me lmao

[iggy-of-fans]

Of Being a Ladybug 7

First   Master List   Previous 

The Cons of being Proactive

 Marinette walked into the fourth café for the day. This one was attached to the Wayne Enterprise building and had an exit into the building proper for employees. She saw many other teenagers within, paper coffee cups clutched for dear life with tablets and laptops out in front of them. She walked to the counter, “Good Morning. Is there a chance I could speak to the manager, please? I saw a help wanted sign on the front window and would like to leave my resume with him.”

“Oh, you seem familiar, have we met?” the barista asked kindly as she waved to a lady in her early 30’s.

“I’m afraid I just moved here from London.”

“Ah, allow me to handle this, Krista. I would be overlooking her resume before hiring her anyway” a gentleman behind her said. He was a handsome chocolate skinned man, with kind brown eyes and was dressed in an expensive looking suit. He smiled with his whole face, his eyes twinkling as though he was part of some inside joke. “Follow me, Miss….”

“Maria, sir. Maria Fu” Marinette held out her hand. His smile softened even more and shook her hand. He gestured with his other hand and led her to an unused table. Once seated, she offered her resume, only her schooling and “family bakery experience” able to be used, as she couldn’t offer up her past volunteer experience, nor could she offer references.

“Hm. Normally I would not allow you to work here without proper references, even from your teachers. However, I also happen to be close to the owner of the company, and know that he just yesterday took in a new ward…” he trailed off, looking at her over the top of the paper. Marinette smoothed her face.

“Why, may I ask, is the newest ward of a multi-billionaire trying to find work? Especially with the…special circumstances of night shifts” the man asked.

“I will be aging out of the system sooner or later. I want to make sure I am capable of at least making it through life on my own, before the inevitable happens” Marinette stated, though she was looking at her battle hardened and sewing scarred hands.

“Very well, you start this afternoon, at 3pm. I assume you will be done with school by then?”

“As far as I am aware, I will remain homeschooled. I am close to finishing my High School diploma either way, and there is no need for me to be placed into a classroom setting at this point. Thank you for your faith in me, Mr…”

“Fox. Lucius Fox. Krista will expect you at 3 PM for your orientation” he stood and held out his hand. She shook his hand, smiled and left. Step one of her plan, complete.

She walked a few blocks to the Gotham Library before taking out her Wayne phone and calling Alfred with another 15 minutes to spare. He arrived and they drove quietly back to the manor. Once there she changed into her training outfit before following Alfred to the cave entrance.

< ( >< ) >

Alfred’s POV

After Marinette left to catch a cab to town, siting going to the library, Alfred went to the cave to track her. Sipping his tea, he sat at the computer and frowned when Marinette actually did get off at the library. Hm. He became more suspicious though when after 3 hours of no movement, she called to pick her up. He frowned. He left to pick her up and frowned more when her tracker finally moved again. Where had she gone? What was she doing? Perhaps tracking the traffic cams? He was pulling into the city proper when a call from Lucius Fox came through.

“Mr. Fox. What can I do for you today?” Alfred asked, pulling over to the side, a block away from the library.

“Would you care to explain to me why the newest Wayne ward was just here, applying for a job as a barista?” Lucius asked, voice soft.

“Is that where she went? Hm. I told Master Bruce she was not like his other children. Thank you for letting me know, I will do my best to have her settle in better.”

“My only tip is to not have her attend school formally. She seems extremely tense about it” Lucius suggested, before hanging up. Hm.

< ( ^ ^ ) >

Bruce POV

Bruce awoke at 9 AM to a tray of breakfast and coffee at his side table. He ate light before heading to the cave to await his newest ward. He saw a tracker open on the screen and Alfred’s discarded tea cup. Seems like his new daughter went out for a while. Figuring he’d talk to Alfred after training, he turned off the screen and started stretching. Diana had filled him in that, while Maria was naturally flexible, she would need help to become more comfortable in the daily movements that may be required of her. He considered ballet. Mari---a, also took to martial arts in a defensive only way. Not good. He needed someone not scared to throw a punch so as to get himself out of the range of fire. Her weapons aim was impeccable though. She could shoot an arrow, a gun, wield a sword and a bo-staff. He nodded. Time to teach her aggression. When Alfred and Maria arrived, he stood and looked her over. Short cut black hair, simple black training leotard, wary blue eyes. She kept herself in a small pose, one arm held over the other, hanging loosely by her side, head slightly bowed to seem non-threatening. Not ideal for a Robin.

“Welcome to Gotham, and to my home, Maria. I hope that you had a restful first night?” he asked, turning away to gather some materials.

“Thank you.”

Not a talker. Quiet, shy. Diana mentioned she suffered inadequacy issues. What to do, what to do. Best to go for the kill, and then back track once he had a better sense of her personality.

“Diana mentioned that your training was progressing well, but that you had some issues with aggression and flexibility. The latter is something that can only be fixed in the long term, but the first… well, for someone who’s had so much fighting experience, I had hoped you wouldn’t be scared to throw a punch” Bruce said, handing her a fresh set of hand wraps for grappling.

Marinette said nothing, head down as she expertly wrapped her hands. He sighed.

“We’re going to work on your offensive fighting for the next few days. I can’t have a Robin that’s too scared to attack” Bruce tried again. ‘Come on… get riled up. Get angry.’

Her head snapped up. ‘Yes!’

“Is the current Robin renaming himself?” ‘She speaks!’

“No. He is relocating and leading the Teen Titans for the time being. A Miraculous has taken up residence with Death Stroke in Jump City. He will be there indefinitely” Bruce said simply.

“So would it not be confusing and also demystifying if you have two Robins? Besides, I doubt he would be happy to share the moniker with me” ‘Is she worried to offend…?

“Demystifying?” he asked instead. This is good. Progress!

“That Batman and Robin are eternal and immortal and do not age or change…?”

He snorted. Really? Well… he did want to be a symbol…

“And what do you suggest instead?”

She hesitated again. Damn. He was about to open his mouth and suggest they wait until after the training session, but she looked up, “Knave.”

Knave… because he was the Dark Knight? He smirked.

“Very well. We will need measurements and a colour scheme. It will need to be eye catching” that might be harder than anticipated. Red was heavily over done, and Green wasn’t flashy enough… purple was taken…

“Pink” she was looking at the display cases, “I like pink.”

Pink… well, he could safely say they’d never used pink before. He nodded, making a gesture to Alfred to make it happen.

“Well, let’s begin. Today you learn to punch.”

<(**)>

Marinette’s POV

Four hours of training later, an exhausted, sweaty and starving Marinette dragged her sore and bruised body back to her room for a bath. What kind of torture was this? Groaning, she dropped onto her bed post bath and glared at the ceiling. She had to get to her orientation. Dammit. She peeled herself off the bed and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a white blouse. She’d grab a pastry at the café.

---- 8 hours later ---

Nope. Nope, today did not happen, she decided. She stood by Krista’s side as she locked up the front door.

“Do you have a ride coming to get you?” Krista asked. Gotham was far from safe at night.

“Uhm…” Marinette didn’t really think about it. Her orientation was only supposed to last an hour and a half, but two of the evening staff had called in sick, and Marinette had been baptized by fire when she had been forced to the till. She hadn’t had time to call Alfred or Bruce, and had no idea if they would even be available right now, considering the time. Crap.

“I was going to cab…” she finally settle on.

“No need for that. I will take her” Bruce friggen Wayne said from behind them, standing next to an expensive looking car.

“Oh, Mr. Wayne. No need for that, I don’t mind sharing a cab with her!” Krista smiled.

A small frown formed. He sighed and smiled, hailing a cab. He leaned down to speak to the cab driver quickly before walking around and opening the door for them.

“A safe trip home, both of you” Bruce said, raising an eyebrow at Marinette and giving her a ‘look’. Crap.

The cab dropped Krista off, refusing payment as Bruce had payed already, before driving to the Manor. A car that followed far too closely came to a stop beside the cab. Bruce stepped out and grabbed the door handle for Marinette. Crap.

He nodded to the cabby before placing a hand on Marinette’s shoulder and marching her into the manor.

“That was an immensely stupid thing for you to do, Maria.”

Tag List

@sidd-hit-my-butt-ham @kuroko26 @northernbluetongue @chez-pezeater @luciferge @vixen-uchiha @bluerosette23 @mochinek0 @krunchy-tuna @treebrosha @geekydragonyt @vivilakitty @sassy-spocko @bluefiredemon-blog @mindfulmagics @thornangelic727 @xxmadamjinxx @thepeacetea @whomthefyck @lamestplaceintheworld @miraculous-ninja @mikantsume @unabashedbookworm @kandi-pie @2sunchild2 @redsparrow12 @shamefullove @cadencehood @yin-390 @tazanna-blythe @bb-basbusa @zazzlejazzle @fanfictionaddict13 @royalchaoticfangirl @god-is-dead-and-so-am-i @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @imanerddealwith @tinybrie @angelisalise @graduatedmelon @trickstermiraculous @ayuchan07 @thatrandomfandomsgirl @sweatyruinsstudentbored @chloe-bourgeois-is-big-gay @captainmac6 @rag1000 @cupcakesandkisses @crazylittlemunchkin @vivian077

[bettsfic]

hi betts! one of the things I appreciate about many of your stories is the way your characters are capable both of hurting the people they love and of loving people who hurt them. so often these days tumblr seems ready to paint those kinds of dynamics with a broad "abuse" brush and cancel/censor them rather than tell or appreciate an interesting story. do you have any advice for writing characters who hurt each other? how do you make it feel so truthful, and not at all preachy?

i’ve been sitting on this question for a long time because i want to give it the answer it deserves, but i don’t think i can do that without writing an entire book on the subject (which i intend to do someday, and if i do the phd it will very likely be my dissertation subject). it might be my favorite question i’ve ever received. 

i came up with a list of “ways people hurt each other (and why you might still love the people who hurt you)” that i may save for another post. i simultaneously want to write my personal story of abuse – the ways in which i’ve been hurt and have also hurt others – but i don’t think that’s an effective response either.

the simplest answer i can come up with is this:

the reality of abuse is terrifying. people are not always inclined to look frightening things in the face, especially if they’re really looking into a mirror. to render cruelty as it really is means you have to empathize with atrocity. to empathize with atrocity, you have to accept that with the right circumstances, you are just as capable of hurting others as anyone else. you might have different reasons, you might have different means, but as a writer, you are tasked with staring into your darkest self and loving the thing that resides there. 

cruelty is a matter of priority. if you make a list of mean things anyone has ever done to you, you will see a pattern emerge. each time, someone has prioritized something else over your comfort or happiness. very often, this pattern is self-serving. when someone cuts you off in traffic, they’re prioritizing their gain over etiquette and safety. when someone breaks into your house and steals all your stuff, they’re prioritizing their desire for your stuff over your ownership and sense of security. when someone you love cheats on you, they’re prioritizing their relationship with someone else over their relationship to you. when someone hits you, they’re prioritizing they’re desire for power and control over your safety and agency. 

humans are not naturally drawn to malice without personal benefit. despite what comic book movies will have you believe, the drive to cause pain for the sake of chaos is an extreme rarity. it’s easy to other and objectify that experience because it’s so difficult for most people to understand. what is harder to accept is that “normal” people are capable of horrible deeds, and that you might be capable of loving them. serial killers and mass murderers are driven by control, prejudice, toxic rhetoric, and a distortion of identity which makes them believe it is part of who they are to do these awful things. as a writer, you are allowed to – and should – empathize with and have compassion for your cruelest characters. just because you can understand them and sympathize with them doesn’t put you on the same level as them. you’re allowed to find compassion for sex offenders, pedophiles, rapists, murderers, bigots, or trump. you certainly don’t have to, but for some of us it’s much harder to hate people than it is to love them. maybe part of the work of our life is to navigate the difficult divide between compassion for the self and for the other. if i allow an abusive partner into my life, i am not practicing self-compassion, and so i have to prioritize my love for myself over their love for me. and that may hurt them, but that’s okay. hurting people and being hurt by them is an inevitable part of being human. the only thing we can control is the path of our compassion.

there is no such thing as good or bad people, only people who choose to prioritize certain things over others. you are never a bad person for wanting to explore those priorities in art, or to introspect on your own priorities. it’s okay to ask yourself what you’re willing to do to survive. could you kill someone? rape someone? torture someone? if the answer is “no” – how are you sure? and if you’re not sure, if there’s even a sliver of a potential for “yes,” how can you still love yourself? it’s okay to look on your past and admit to the ways you’ve hurt people, and forgive yourself. it’s okay to see the ways people have hurt you, and choose to forgive them, even if they haven’t apologized, even if they don’t “deserve” it. these are all difficult and fearful things to think about and accept in yourself, but it’s a worthy task, and art is an effective method of confronting the terrifying truths of life.

as a writer, i believe it is more important for a story to pose difficult questions than it is to answer them. you can use fiction as a way to make peace with the cruelty you find in yourself and others. you don’t have to have solutions. you don’t have to admit you know the answers to unanswerable questions. but you can write stories that present problems, and you can use narrative to navigate difficult terrain. next time you sit down to write something, consider: how might you love monsters? how can you better love yourself?

[luckyukhei]

Dethorned - Jung Jaehyun NCT

Word Count: 2,219

AU!: mafia

pairing: black female! reader x mafia member! Jung Yoonoh/ Jaehyun

Note: surprise! Here’s a random mafia au I’ve been working on for a bit! I’m back but not if that makes sense. I won’t be righting regularly as I am very busy but I hope you enjoy this.

It was very bold of Min Juwon, an old man with a lot of riches and a vast empire, to hold an important gala in his own home. Admittedly, the lovely architecture of the ball room is something to be shown off. High ceilings adorned with chandeliers. A warm and bright aura radiated from a room filled with South Korea’s biggest and oldest mafia heads.

Min Juwon was an arrogant and close minded old man with way to much money on his hands. He’s brutally cut out every ally other than his men that he ruled with an iron fist. He made it well known that if you were unlucky enough to spite him then hell would come to collect a debt. Rumor had it that a mafia in the states had the misfortunate of doing business with him and was quickly taught why you don’t play with spiders.

That’s what Min Juwon called himself, a spider. He sucked the life out of anything he could get his hands on. Including those he “loved”. The only thing bustling with life was the entrance to the ballroom of his old Victorian styled mansion.

Foot soldiers walked the front of premises in rounds and tabloids tried to get glimpses inside. Trying to get a peek of what has been the talk of the town.

To the media he was just one of Korea’s finest older rich men. Who held this gala to showcase his now most prized possessions. His new wife and step daughter.

Rumors of how their beauty can only be compared to Aphrodite. Rumors of which Yukhei would not shut up about in the cramped, disguised van that was currently holding three of the members of Neo City. There are seven of them. Four on this particular mission.

Doyoung was already inside posing as a waiter, setting up small cameras, and scoping out the area. Sicheng was watching the body cam that Doyoung was wearing and letting Doyoung know of camera adjustments to make while Yoonoh and Yukhei joked around.

Their current goal is to find and exploit cracks in the Min empire façade. That and acquire a hard drive, that in which one of the spies Neocity implemented, informed them that held various plans. Yukhei’s current goal is to meet and woe Min Juwoon’s Unnamed Step Daughter.

“What do you think she looks like?” Yukhei asked, a more of a rhetorical question. The flirty boy was daydreaming.

“Well- She’s beautiful according to Doyoung.” Sicheng relayed.

Before Sicheng could finish Yukhei fumbled to look at the rows of monitors,”Where is she?!”

Sicheng swats Yukhei as he tried to listen to what Doyoung was saying before speaking up,” Yukhei. Plan has changed. You have to dress as a waiter, Doyoung is going to need a diversion.”

Yukhei was quick to object,” But why me?! “

“Doyoung says it’s because you’re loud and annoying.” Sicheng told him nonchalantly but then continued, ”Apparently, there are guards that you could take out better than Yoonoh.”

Yukhei’s face dropped into a pout,”Alright.”

“Hey! Rude!” Yoonoh argued,”What am I going to do,”

Sicheng turned to Yoonoh,” Get a suit. You’ve some investigating to do.”

Yoonoh was never the one to seduce information out people. That was usually Yukhei’s job. So while changing Yoonoh asked Yukhei some questions.

“How do I get things out of her?” Yoonoh asked.

“Be charming. “ Yukhei grumbled.

“ How do I know which one is his step daughter?” Yoonoh followed with.

Yukhei turned his head to look at him,” People compare her to the Greek Goddess of Beauty! You’ll figure it out!”

After Yoonoh changed, he smoothed talked his way into the gala. The crowd split as if they subconsciously knew they were cruelly hiding a beauty from Yoonoh that he just had to see. When he saw the warmly toned brown skin and the big smile that sparkled more than the jewelry that lay on her neck, he froze.

“Who is that?” He whispered into the microphone on his cuff as he pretended to scratch his head.

“Who?” Sicheng asked, in between flicking to camera displays trying to get to Yoonoh’s body cam.

Doyoung’s voice rang in Yoonoh’s ear, ”That’s the leader’s daughter. The best thing to do is probably talk to her.”

The indulgence of such beauty was interrupted by a loud Yukhei.

“Woah!! She is... stunning. Yoonoh! We need to switch places right now! Come on! Do you see her?” Yukhei whined and begged but, he could do that for a thousand years.

“Yes... I do see her and there is no way I’m giving you the chance.” Yoonoh dropped his hand to approach her.

As he made his way to her, he took in every detail. Each dimple and divot. Each imperfection and perfection. Her rich brown skin sparkled from delicately placed gold highlights. Her necklace was a gold chain that had a ring of diamonds with a ruby in the center. It matched not only her red cocktail dress but, also a set of earrings and rings.

Her brown eyes flicked toward Yoonoh and their eyes locked. She looked away quickly. When she looked back Yoonoh flashed a smile which she returned. Her smile sparkles more than the chandelier above them.

Her beauty truly proved the rumors to be truth. But, the only people around her were those that kept a distance from her as if they just couldn’t approach her. Like all they could do is watch.

In away, she reminded him of Psyche. A beautiful girl, said to be better looking than Aphrodite, where she was used or feared for said beauty.

But whether or not he was Eros, her savior, was another question.

Yoonoh tried to hold his confidence and repeated the word “charming” in his head.

Yoonoh gave her a smile ,” Hello Ms...”

She looked him up and down with suspicion,”Y/N ... Min. And you are Mr.? “

Yoonoh had to come up with a name on the spot, “ Jung Jaehyun.” He bowed to her.

He watched as she bowed stiffly. As if she was uncomfortable with such a thing.

Yoonoh noticed how she wasn’t very accustomed to Korean culture. Her Korean was good but, he could tell she didn’t have much practice with Native Korean speakers. She stuttered through sentences.

“Do you speak English?” He asked softly.

Y/N nodded, questioning why’d he was asking.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Yoonoh asked in English, offering her his hand.

She looked around, then to a woman who looked like an aged version of Y/N. Not that she was wrinkled. Just matured and defined. She was also wearing a red dress except it was long and she was hooked to Min Juwon’s arm. Even Y/N’s mother was a beauty to behold. The rumors were true. But, the wrinkles that seemed to be from smiling all of the time were turned into a scorned and intimidating expression. Juwon’s fangs seem to be sunken into her already.

She looked to him and softened a bit then walk passed him, she spoke loud enough for Yoonoh to hear,” Meet me in the garden.”

Yoonoh watched her walk away, taking a chance look her over. A moment, which Doyoung was quick to ruin.

He held a tray of drinks and an annoyed expression,” I really hope your eyes are on the mission not her-“

Yoonoh squinted and grabbed a bubbling drink, “Why can’t they do both?”

Doyoung glared at Yoonoh and he put his free hand up while chugging the champagne.

Yoonoh put the glass down on the tray and followed Y/N. She was already out of sight and the garden was kind of hard to find. The place was huge. So many doors. Until he found an old sunroom which led to the garden. It was a lovely area that looked like it hadn’t been used in a while. That was it. Yoonoh finally stumbled upon the garden. Over grown rose bushes and vines claiming the statues as their own.

Y/N was placed on a concrete bench that vines coiled and clung to in a way that made them like as if they were almost reaching to touch a work of art that sat near them but was just out of reach. She was surrounded by rose bushes. Truly a scene from a renaissance painting.

Yoonoh took the moment in before Y/N turned to look at him. She tapped next to her signaling for him to sit.

“I’m glad you came... I thought you would bail.” Y/N told him and when he asked why she just shrugged.

The toss of her shoulders was stiff, she knew why. She just wasn’t didn’t trust him and he understood that.

“This is a pretty garden.” Yoonoh told her as he sat.

“It’s over grown and not very taken care of...” She mumbled out looking at the roses,”I’m jealous of them.”

“Who?” He leaned closer with furrow brows.

“The roses. They’ve been left alone to thrive... Metaphorically I’ve been cut and dethorned.” She wouldn’t face Yoonoh.

Yoonoh stayed silent, in slight confusion. Until he realized. People literally treated her as and object too gorgeous to be touched and loved if it wasn’t from a far. She was being used as a prized possession to be gawked at until she wilted a way.

“Beautiful words coming from such a tortured soul.” Yoonoh responded, “Why are you so unhappy?”

“Home... I miss home. I miss my native language and where a grew up. I had friends there... I may have ended up a pawn for my family’s safety but, I was happy,” Her fingers curled around the edge of her dress as she looked down. “Juwon... is a bad bad man. To smooth things over with him...my mothers family, who are very big and important in America, offered my mother and I. He sees us as nothing more than a watch and a matching chain.”

Yoonoh put a hand on her knee and urged her to continue.

“I’ve finally learned Korean enough to have a conversation but, it’s not like I’ve had many tonight. I’m just a shiny new toy.” Her voice broke slightly.

Yoonoh understood that this was the crack that Neocity needed to exploit but, he also knew that this girl had been just something to use and throw away. He wasn’t going to do the same.

He cupped her cheek,” Y/N, I have to tell you something... I’m from an up and coming... gang. We’ve come to take something from your father and leave. A hard dive.”

Y/N stood and furrowed her brows,” You what?!”

He brought his hands up to grab her own,” I want to help you. But first I need your help.”

He watched the gears turn in her head as she chewed her lip.

Yoonoh he gently rubbed circle into the backs of her hands,” I want to get your mom and you out.”

Y/N sat down and looked into his eyes searching for a lie, searching for another betrayal but she didn’t find it. She just nodded.

“Yukhei is about to start the diversion. Yoonoh you have 3 minutes.” Doyoung’s voice interrupted Yoonoh.

A loud alarm rang followed by the sound of a rushing steps from concerned guests and the barking of orders. They both stood in a panic.

“You have to go... don’t you, Jaehyun?” Y/N looked up at him.

Yoonoh nodded,” I have two minutes about until I’m caught. But, my partners got what they came for.”

Y/N grabbed her necklace,” You’re going to need this.” She pulled on it, causing the chain to snap. She grabbed his hand and placed the necklace into his hand then closed his fingers around it.

“Y/N... I’m coming back. I’ll come save you and your mother. I’ll be back.” Yoonoh looked down at her.

“Yoonoh, we’ve got a minute left!” Yukhei’s frantic voice rang in Yoonah’s ear.

Y/N kissed Yoonoh softly, cupping his cheeks as he held her waist. It was quick, unfortunately.

“I’ll be waiting...Jaehyun.” Y/N let go of him and gave him a small smile. It quelled worry that was in the pit of Yoonoh’s stomach.

“Yoonoh! Quit bullshitting!” Yukhei exclaimed breathlessly into Yoonoh’s ear piece.

“Bring the van to the West exit of the garden.” Yoonoh instructed. He started running but turned to look at Y/N one more time.

“Go! They’re coming!” Y/N shooed him away. She sat down gracefully as if she was already rehearsing her lie. As if she had it memorized.

Yoonoh jumped the fence and before he ran to the van he saw armed men swarm the garden obviously looking for him.

One last thing caught his eye. Y/N looking up at who seemed to be the head of the group. Her brown eyes looking up at the man in shock as she shook her head and moved her hands. Her lips forming inaudible words. Her lips lying for Yoonoh. Protecting him.

But, could he return the favor? Could he fulfill his promise? He wasn’t sure. As he rode in the back of the musty old van, all he could think about was her. He left the poor bird in her cage as she awaited to be set free. Free to fly.

He had a plan. He was going to set her free.

[jasmineon]

2019 Art Summary

Man, what a year 2019 was for my art. Looking back, I feel like I’ve improved my skills so much and I’m so proud of the progress that I’ve made, from figures and proper proportions, poses, lineart, and even ideas as a whole! Traditional art is sometimes a struggle, but the end result can be so rewarding (even if you do almost destroy the paper from erasing so much XD) Plus, I started designing some of my own OCs, which I’m so proud of :D

I’m gonna put it all under a Read More so it won’t be too long!

January: Finally started doing some full figure drawings but still struggled with proportions, shading and details

February: Still one of my drawings I’m most proud of, I somehow knocked this whole thing out in just over a day, and was when I really started trying to add more depth through lighting (I also finalized my JBM design and now adore drawing him :D)

March: Started getting better at faces, and I realized, hey, your characters can be doing something other than standing with their arms straight XD

April: More improvement! I started making real progress around this time (plus I did a bunch of DTIYS’s which really helped with pushing my limits

May: One of those previously mentioned DTIYS’s, @/dumbasticart’s to be exact!

June: My sweet sweet dapper son! Really started to focus more on shading around this time, plus adding some cool background details and started getting better at hands

July: Another one of my absolute favourites, and a collaboration with my bestest boop @aquilacalvitium​! They did the shading and I did the lineart, and it’s probably one of the first times I didn’t do a forward facing pose

August: Another one where I’m quite proud of the shading and the proportions, and I finally figured out how to draw Marvin’s face around his mask XD

September: Another DTIYS, this time by @/amesann-durham and just highlights a lot of my improvements in proportions, shading, and poses

October: I just had to include two for this month, since I’m so proud of both and I feel like they perfectly sum up my entire mental state both before and after JJJJ

November: A full-paged drawing, which is a rarity for me, but it’s the second part of a series (which I will finish, I promise) and full of some very pretty shading that I’m quite happy with

December: Finally, these three pretty boys! This is an idea that I sat on for about half a year or more, but I really wanted to wait for my skills to develop and I’m glad I did! Another one of those pieces that I’m most proud of, this took forever but was an absolute blast.

Honorable mentions (OCs):

I absolutely could not talk about my art this year without mentioning my OCs, Percutia, Lady Vengar, Peregrine, and Day! I did the first one in July and I am so unbelievably proud of all of these characters (especially Peregrine since she’s quickly stolen my heart and become my favourite, and I also discovered my love for drawing wings, for which the lineart is absolute torture XD). There are more of these coming soon and I can’t wait to show you guys the characters I’ve been dreaming up!

-----

If you made it to the end, thank you so much for taking the time to look through this! I hope you all enjoy my art, I have so much fun making it and it brings me so much joy to create something that I’m truly proud of, and that others like as well ❤💚

I can’t wait to keep drawing and see the progress that I’ll make in 2020!

@garlicgladiator​ since my OCs are in here :D

[breezy-cheezy]

Mmmmmkay I have to rant about Nier: Automata for a bit; I accidentally triggered the end of the game (playthrough 2, ending B) last night and stayed up till 2:00 trying to finish the stupid “not allowed to save” phase. But y’aLL IT’S SO GOOD??????? AND 3RD PLAYTHROUGH ISN’T ANOTHER RE-RUN OF THE SAME STORY WE GET MORE STORY AAAAAAAAA

(more under the cut because there is ALOT for those who care;;;;;)

- OK SO THE MUSIC IS AMAZING??? I love LOVE that the music dynamics build in instruments and intensity as you progress towards danger/plot, but also softens again for quieter moments and just...musical storytelling is so sooooo my jam I love it. Also that the music goes 8 bit when 9S hacks stuff, it’s actually kinda cute X’D

- ON THE SUBJECT of 9S being able to hack into enemies and you getting to play that as a little teeny ship shooting down viruses and barriers and whatnot. Genius???? That added SO MUCG to the story on the second playthrough as 9S. Particularly discovering the fact that all of humanity?? Is actually extinct?? ...even BEFORE the aliens/machines attacked earth?? WH A T?????? WHAT THE HECK ARE ANDROIDS FIGHTING FOR THEN????? *every time an android salutes and says “glory to mankind” now* GLORY MY FOOT THEY ALL DEAD MOVE ON--

-  I realize it probably has alot to do with the lore of previous nier games and I’ll probably have to trawl through Wiki pages soon here. Emil himself really broke my heart aaaaaah baby...his side quest is so sad. I also looked at arts and he was a really cute kid?? Before he was turned int the freaky moon skeleton thing...?? Oh my goodness......

-  The secret lunar tear flower room is gorgeous. I just sat there for awhile to soak it all in...the music is so nostalgic and I’ve never heard that song bfore how do y’all DO THAT--

- Emil’s shop is pretty cute. He just drives around the ruins and sells stuff if you shoot him and he’ll stop X’’’D It did ruin alot of serious moments tho. *Engels, talking about how he’d sinned for killing so many androids and choosing death--* “S-A-L-E SAAAALLLEEE~~!! EVERY SALE’S A WIIIINNNNNN~~~~!!!! LALALaaaaaa~~~...” Me: *facepalm* 

- ...I just realized the little tune he sings is a cheerful rendition of the music in the flower room. H E C K

- ANYWAY. Onto the actual game. I really really enjoyed playing as 9S for obvious reasons (bABY) but it really did add so soooo much to the pretty much surface level story when you first play as 2B. Which sums them up pretty well...2B, Battle unit 2, pushes on relentlessly, avoids thinking too hard about things and what she’s doing because oh dear, EMOTION might get in the way...9S, Scanner unit 9, on the other hand, cannot stop his curiosity. He asks questions, he sticks his nose in way further than he should to some dangerous stuff. I think he realized Machines were sentient and had feelings long before 2B, but was in denial for a good while. You learn so much more about what you’re fighting as 9S, because he scans. He observes, searches, discovers. Heck, some hacking caused him to experience empathy for the poor things, to his horror...

- Actually, there are alot of scenes where either 2B or 9S questions why a machine they’re killing is screaming for help, of crying for lost family, or loudly proclaiming loyalty to a king they’ll give their lives for...they stop for a moment, but the other quickly jumps in and reminds them that it’s just imitation. It’s not real, it’s fake, machines can’t feel, yadda yadda...it was odd to me they kept switching off on reminding, but...I think they both know, deep down, what they’re doing. But denial. Because if machines DO have feelings, if they are sentient...what does that mean for all they’ve killed...? Just...hoo BOY the moral dellimas in this game?? Scary good. The quests get that across alot.

- I don’t like the theme of hopelessness in most of the side quests?? I do see many of them as cautionary tales though. We watch many characters lose hope and the will to live after their thing/person they’re living FOR is gone. It makes me worry alot about 2B, who is a soldier through and through. 9S actually does have hopes and dreams for things outside of the war, which I love ;7; they definitely lean on each other alot emotionally on this respect though...I don’t know quite what to make of the themes of the game this far in yet;;;; 

- The love between 9S and 2B is of course my favorite thing. Familial, romantic, idk. I, being me, see it as more platonic, “You’re my rock in this storm” only friend/sister/brother vibe, but as more of a fan of platonic relationships, that is what I tend to do. But 9s following 2B around like a lost puppy and trying to do all he can to help and do his job but also getting bored with said job and trying to make the most of things, asking all the “why” questions, 2B acting irritated but also always keeps him close and makes sure he’s safe....going ballistic when someone hurts her boy ;;v;; I love...2 kids. Their operators and pods are such fun dynamics too~~ 

- As far as endings A and B...DANG. It hit worse because you get backstory on the giant ocean machine (that 9S just hit with a giant missle, which he also had to ride to keep it on the right path...DX NO SELF PRESERVATION) he just...wanted his mama......;;A;;

- Also it’s not fair. 9S is so injured by that missle attack, then I guess Adam finds him and is like “HM. *sticks the lil boy impaled on a wall* Perfect. *proceeds to emotionally and mentally torture said child*“ like YO ADAM THAT’S NOT HOW YOU DO THINGS. Then 2B proceeds to kick down walls for her boy and kills Adam and walks off carrying 9S bridal style into the sunset. Lovely. I have a comic idea for this part, lol.

- Oh I don’t like Adan very much, he is pretty tho?? There was alot of blood though...how do machines bleed?? How do the androids bleed?? What??? I question this alot. 

- HHHHHHH THE BECOME AS GODS CHAPTER SCARED ME I DON’T EVER WANNA DO THAT AGAIN DANG SUICIDAL ROBOTS SCARED ME SO BAD

- Fighting Eve was...annoying but still heartbreaking. He misses his brother so much....even though Adam is a butthead and couldn’t care less he left his little brother behind DX just everything about that fight was Tragic. Also Eve developing more self awareness and realizing “Eve” is a girl’s name and being a bit miffed LOL that’s what y’all get when your first book is the bible kiddos...I realize they’re technically like what? 2 weeks old still???

- The ENDING. From 9S’s perspective is especially scary....the corruption transforming him, 2B coming in to kill him to stop the pain, he BEGGED her to, just....hhhhhhh babies ;;A;; 2B’s soft broken crying over him as she’s forced to strangle her only friend to death just aaaaaAAAAAAAA I DIE ;;;;;;;;~;;;;;;;;;

- I was actually able to cry over it this time coz. It was 2 am. No parent awkwardly watching over my shoulder. Because the pose for this scene is...........super awkward..........like......really........their clothes are super torn up and uh. The first time I was just hoping my parents wouldn’t mistake it for a sex scene or something hhhhhghhhhh;;;;;; I really really REALLY wish the pose was different, the game does need to give the fanservice a rest, at LEAST for a scene this serious DX I’m able to ignore it but when someone else is watching I don’t wanna have to explain;;;;

- That IS a big gripe I have with the game. The fanservice. Just. Why. How is 2B’s outfit practical?? Self destruct mode???? REALLY???? Get this girl battle shorts or something please.....I guess if I looked at it more as a ballet outfit?? I might make some edits when I draw her because GEEZ.

- 9S gets some of this too. Self destruct mode, his shorts are blown off???? WHAT THE HECK???? Welp, never using that again. also why is he the only yorha boy android??????????? X’’’’D They never explain that!!

- BACK TO ENDING STUFF why were there random data hologram girls standing there, watching 2B strangle 9S?? Just...silently there...they weren’t there in the first playthrough?? I’ve seen them a couple times but they’re NEVER mentioned?? WHAT ARE THEY-- is it a glitch?? Wha--

- Teeny 9S being able to dump his consciousness into a giant machine robot guy and cradling 2B in his hand ;;~;; he’s fine y’all I’m so GLAD (I wanna draw something for this scene.... I wanna draw alot of things) 

- I love Pascal. He should adopt all the sad people to his happy peace village. He already started that...what a good egg. 

- The accessories option is lovely. I’ve been running around with 9S with a blue bow in his hair forever now ;7; replaced with the flower in his hair because BOYS AND FLOWERS I LOVE but I think I might give the flower to 2B because she’d look lovely with it and....I miss the blue bow X’D

 - Also the AMOUNT of things this could line up with a KH universe....as far as how androids work, hearts (black boxes), memories making you...you, being able to transfer “hearts” to new bodies when the old is destroyed, POWER OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP...there’s alot. I dunno what to do with this info...

Anyway, I have alOT of thoughts and feelings on this game, it’s like...a very cool book. I’ve had trouble putting down. These aren’t even all of them but idk who I can actually rant to so here it is for the Void

I’m so interested to see where it goes! 

[kierongillen]

Writer Notes: The Wicked + The Divine 33

Spoilers, obv.

I suspect this one may ramble. Or it may not. The odd thing is always when things which have been internally discussed forever end up not needing to be discussed in public. For Journey Into Mystery and Young Avengers, I always had the idea of the essay I'd end them with... but when I got there, I shrugged and did a couple of paragraphs which covered the basics.

(There was a grace note in both, in terms of highlighting a motif – Write Your Own Happy Ending and Be A Superhero. Save The World – but that's really minor detail compared to what I presumed I'd be writing.)

Well... I know it's going to be quite long, as I'm going to include the miniature essay on plot twists I lobbed up to respond to a question, just so I can include some WicDiv specific stuff.

So, WicDiv 33. The “Everything you knew is wrong” issue.

Jamie's Cover

Jamie coloured this himself.

There was a lot of discussion over this, in terms of how to resolve the equation that we'd set up. Where to go after the maximalist nature of Dio's 32? I won't mention the other options, as at least some of them may end up being used down the line. One suggestion I quite liked was doing the equivalent of the ABC Look Of Love album...

...which is this scene of posed romance on the cover, and when you flip the album, you see all the lighting and crew. In some ways, that's what this issue does.

But black makes sense on many levels as well. I suspect the idea of the specific bleakness will confound the expectations a little, but the statement of it is very there. We did say this was our Black Parade too.

Worth noting – first cover without a quote on the back. If we were sure the readers wouldn't have looked at the back cover before reading the book, we may have put Lucifer's “Am I the only one who didn't see that coming?” on there. But we couldn't be sure of that, so we didn't.

Russell's Cover

What Russell and Matt are doing over on Thor is state of the art superheroics. I've loved seeing what Russell's done across his time with Jason, and the idea of him doing a cover was just exciting. It's meant to be the full range of the medium, after all. I was surprised Russell went quite as maximalist as he did, but also pleased. I love this kind of operatic movie poster cover, and it screams Imperial Phase, including all the cast of the main arc. Dio's the hardest one to spot – that would be the black eyes over it.

IFC At this stage in the arc, working out what on earth to put in the synopsis is tricky. You have to throw your hands up to some degree.

The tweaks to the bios are the other thing – clearly we've got to set up the information required to comprehend the issue for those who may have forgotten it, without just saying what the thing is. For the very close readers, even the fact it's changed will be a tell. It was another reason we didn't do a preview for this issue, and even if we did, we wouldn't have released that page. Velocity in reading is key here.

With Woden we restate “She had some mysterious hold over him” rather than specifically talking about the Blakes. With Minerva we remind people that she was tortured on Ananke's machine, and then distract with a :(  emoticon.

Page 1

I believe the script for this page and the next is in the trade as “Making Of” material, which is fun. Chrissy tends to choose pages in terms of what's interesting, especially if we have something else to show. In this case, it's my drawing for the design of Woden's Secret Base.

My basic description for this was the Bat Cave, which is a man cave, if you squint. Having an enormous penny in it could have been a giggle. We had to have a few passes to get the lighting right on this – debating the colours on the bars of the cage was also tricky.

In terms of pulling out a detail, the suit of armour missing a head on the right would be a useful one. Balancing the “making sure it's visible” while not leaning too much into “LOOK AT THE HEADLESS SUIT” is Jamie's storytelling problem here.

The main dialogue problem was balancing the level of Cass' response here with her noise at the end of the last issue. Swearing to some degree is fine, but it has to be a specific kind of fffuuuucccckkk last issue. It couldn't be a swear that promised too much.

Page 2

And it's Pink Woden! But he's blue. Lighting, everyone.

Well... There was some debate on the colouring of Pink Woden, in various modes, and various reasons, not least the slight differences in colouring in his previous appearances.

(Issue 14 and issue 21-22, respectively.)

Have I said Pink Woden is my favourite fan name? We use it all the time internally, not least because Mimir is oddly hard to remember. Also, if we get used to saying “Mimir” we may end up saying accidentally in public.

Page 3

I had someone reach out to me wondering whether Cassandra choosing to gender someone by their voice and physical appearance was off. It's something I was thinking of at the time when writing it, and it's not exactly a line I'm happy with. But on balance, I felt it more likely that Cass would say that than Persephone would say anything.

Cass is imperfect in her language in lots of ways. I decided she's more likely to apologise about it down the line and kick herself, which I may end up working in, depending.

(You could also ask “why have anything there?” and that's only answerable in terms of the flow of information and ideas and conversation across the whole scene. Difficult Difficult Lemon Difficult.)

Lovely expression by Persephone in the background of the first panel – in fact, her conflicted expressions throughout. I especially love the reflection of the arriving Woden in the reflection of Mimir's mask in panel 6.

Page 4-5

The challenge here was always choosing where to put the page turns in this issue. What are the big beats. In my original draft the LITTLE WODEN BOY interstitial was actually on page 6, which would change the rhythm in lots of ways – not least in putting the Falling God sequence on a page turn. In the end, we gravitated to this. I'm much happier with it.

(Little Woden Boy works as a creepier punchline at the end as well.)

Anyway, hello! It's David Blake.

I... I maybe should save writing for the reveals all together. In fact, fuck it. Let's drop the ask essay here and we can then talk about the stuff I don't include in it. I'm asked whether you change something when someone guesses something, or how that feels?

****

Oh, god, no. Never change anything if someone’s guessed something. Nothing good lies in that direction.

Why?

Okay, let’s talk – with no specifics – Game of Thrones. If you go into the depths of fandom, Game of Thrones is – to some degree, in some areas – a solved problem. There’s a good selection of fan theories (some of which have come to fruition) which have so much meat on them it was clear they had to happen, or the book would break its structure and become unsatisfying.

These twists are available to anyone who wishes to google for them.

The vast majority of people don’t. So… why change the direction of the story? What’s the point of fucking over the enjoyment of the vast majority of people (i.e. making your story make less sense, as you’re abandoning the already existing thread) for playing gotcha on a tiny fraction of your audience?

(As a quick aside – compare and contrast theorising in a fanbase with actual events in the text that’s being adapted. Clearly, anyone who is watching GoT could have googled the synopsis of the book. Equally, anyone who’s read the books knows the big beats. Does the adaptation change the big beats? If surprise to everyone in your audience is all that mattered, you would. We don’t.)

It’s also worth noting that, while obviously some complain on the nature of the adaptation, most fans of a book generally complain that they wish it was more like the book. In other words, things that surprised them (i.e. differed from their knowledge of the text) were less satisfying. They wanted to see the big dramatic beats, even if they’re stripped of their surprise.

Surprise only matters the first time you read something. For me, any worthwhile piece of literature exists to be reread, and will open up more upon rereading. In other words, knowing the twist should add to the rereading of the book. If it doesn’t, and renders the story less than it was, it’s probably a bad twist – which is one reason why I don’t tend to call them “Plot twists” to myself. I call them reveals. The plot doesn’t contort. It’s merely revealing something in the nature of the world the reader was unaware of.

(As an aside, this means that someone who has guessed successful the direction of the plot is actually effectively skipping to their second read of the book earlier.)

There’s the other side of this as well – not just whether a plot beat has been guessed, but the almost inevitability of a plot beat being guessed. GoT fans have had twenty years to puzzle this out. In that period, a mass communication device emerged which allowed fans to talk to one another and share ideas. This machine would have torn apart any plot.

No one individual needs to guess anything. People can make one step in a chain, and then that step is exposed to thousands of minds. If even one of them can make the intuitive leap to the next step, then it continues. No one person needs to be clever enough to see the whole thing. The internet hivemind is Miss Marple, seeing through the most contorted of machinations.

(In passing, this is one reason why Alternate Reality Games are hard to do, because the mass hive mind will figure almost anything out, almost instantly. Equally in passing, the failure to understand this is another reason why Ready Player One is bad, but that’s irrelevant.)

In other words, the reason why twists are guessable is the same reason they are satisfying. A twist that isn’t foreshadowed sufficiently to give the possibility of being guessed by someone is not a satisfying twist, as it – by definition – came out of nowhere.

To make this specific to my own work. In the case of the biggest and most intricate of my current books, WicDiv, we sell about 18k in monthlies and sell 18k in trades (in the first month of release). That’s our hardcore devoted readership. How many people of them actually read the essays in the WicDiv tags? I’d say 500 at the absolute maximum, and likely a lot less. So for a maximum of 1.3% of our readership, we’d derail a still effective twist for everyone else? No, that would be a bad call.

Especially – and this is key – the people who have chosen to engage with a fandom are aware that they may figure something out. They are trying to figure something out. Why take that pleasure away from them?

In a real way, I think, in long-form narrative, pure plot twists which no one in the world guesses are dead in the Internet age, at least when dealing with any even vaguely popular work of art. You can do them in short-form narratives (like a single novel, a single movie and perhaps a streaming TV show they drop in one go) but for anything where you give a fanbase the chance to think, it’s just not going to happen. A creator should be glad their work is popular enough to have enough fans to figure it out.

Yes, I may have overthought this.

But that’s only half the question.

How do I actually feel when someone guesses something that’s going to happen? Well, this is long enough already. Let’s put the personal stuff beneath a cut…

*

I’d say you sigh “Oh, poop”and shrug.

And then you get over your ass, because you know all the above is true. Writers are often megalomaniacs who think they can control everyone’s response to their work. We don’t. We can’t control everything. We can barely control anything. We really have to let go. I’ve said WicDiv is a device to help me improve as a person, yes? It would include in this area. I have to learn to let it go, and internalise all of the above. If I can make most of my readership have the vague emotional response I’m looking for, I’m winning.

I’ve mostly succeeded at this. I’m certainly better than I was two years ago.

(I’ll probably write more about spoilers and twists and stuff down the line. I’d note that setting up twists that *are* easily guessable by the hardcore is part of the methodology. Having a nice big twist foreshadowed heavily is a good way to hide another twist behind it. “Hey – pay attention to this less subtle sleight of hand while I perform the actual sleight of hand over here.” In which case, there’s less of an Oh Poop response and more of a cackling evil mastermind response.)

The sigh can occasionally be accompanied with a “Hmm. I wouldn’t have posted that” or – more likely – “I wouldn’t have posted that THERE.”

To stress, what follows isn’t about my work per se, but culture generally, and is very much personal. This is stuff which good friends disagree with me on.

As a fan, I never tweet my own fan theories. I only tweet joke ones. Even my crack theories I don’t tweet, as they’re normally so bizarre that if they actually DO happen, I wouldn’t want to take the thrill away from people. Even in person in conversation I make sure we’re going into a deep fan hole before sharing them, aware that they may be true.

In a real way, the more likely I think something is true, the less likely I’ll say it. As this is my job, I tend to see basic structural ways stories are heading way in advance of most people. I’m a composer. I know how music works. You have a vague sense of what way they’ll go.

(One day I’ll write down my crack theory for the end of the previous Game of Thrones season. Maybe after next season, as it’s not impossible that they may end up doing it, though it’s increasingly unlikely.)

If I had a really good theory I’ve gathered evidence for? You can guarantee I’d put it beneath a cut. That’s the stuff which bemuses me. It’s a cousin of posting major spoilers about any piece of culture the day it comes out. The worst is one regular twitter trope – I’m always bemused when people do a “Calling it! XYZ will happen” tweet. Which strikes me a little like standing up in the cinema 20 minutes into a film and shouting out that you’ve guessed the ending. This ties back to the stuff I wrote above about twists being less effective in the modern age, except in a place where you can control the context and conversation. People may message in movies, but they rarely message everyone in the room.

(In passing, as it’s vaguely on topic – you may remember the research from a few years ago saying people who know a twist enjoy the story more than people who don’t know a twist. Even if this is true – and a single study should always get an eyebrow raise – it strikes me as a confusion over what “enjoy” means. All pleasure isn’t equivalent, and you can only have surprise on your first time through a work of art. That’s novelty. You can have that and then gain the “not surprise” experience second time through. If you spoil a work, it means the “novelty” experience is something you will never have. You may enjoy something more if you know the twist but you can always rewatch it to get that pleasure. If you’re spoiled, the individual specific pleasure of that first watch has been stolen.)

But that’s a conversation of social mores. Really, it doesn’t change anything in terms of how we act… and sometimes, I even grin when someone gets a twist in advance. The machine is working as intended. It’s actually kind of worrying if no one is thinking something is up in an area you’ve set up to be iffy. And… the alternative is worse – hell, there’s buried twists and details in Young Avengers that no one’s managed to figure out yet.

Twist ending: oh, no, I was a ghost all along.

****

I'm pretty sure the asker was asking about the Woden/Blake/Jon twist, and I'm primarily talking in terms of balancing the various needs of the group.

The problem with this twist was less making sure that people didn't get it, but making sure that everyone understood its import. If, hypothetically, I didn't want (barely) anyone to get it, we wouldn't have mentioned Jon after we introduced him in issue 6. Problem being, everyone needs to know Jon is a person who is Blake's kid when they hit this beat. My solution was to just reintroduce Jon hard, and resolve it, knowing that most people would just accept that. Then everyone knows who Jon is, so the father/son switch makes sense.

(In other words, far better some people suspect Woden is Blake rather than everyone going “Jon who?” Especially because the real horror of the Woden/Blake reveal is in its details.)

There's the other aspect to it as well – it's the sacrificial decoy aspect that I mentioned above. Even if guessed, it's a big enough twist to distract people. I reveal this at the start of the issue, so people will probably suspect that's enough big reveals for the issue. Yet no.

(See also: issue 11's dual deaths)

In reality, I was much more worried about the relatively small leap from realising Woden Is Blake And Jon Is Pink Woden to Mimir Is A Head.

But more on that later, I suspect.

Anyway! Storytelling!

There is something incredibly instantly disturbing about Blake without the helmet on, right?

Persephone's line was tweaked a bunch. I cut it as far as I could while still existing. It's a tiny moment of Rising Action, immediately squashed.

The switch to green as the cage goes to full power, plus Matt Wilson's wonderful pixel effects.

Love the Tron-eque light-bike trails seguing into flashback...

Page 6-7

The first date is just before Ragnarock 2013, where we first saw Jon on the stage in Laura's Flashback in issue 6.

This is a “Performance” by Jon, so is presented as such, in the same manner of Persephone's performance in issue 20. Jamie's integrated circuitry design is great, and allows us to go to a limited palette. 8 panel, 8-bit glory.

And Jon Blake.

You write and discover the characters. Jon has barely been in the book – he has a couple of lines of dialogue in issue 14, and that's it. I always knew why Ananke rejects him as unsuitable, but specifically how that would be articulated was something I thought I'd discover on the page. Writing a new character this far into the book is the sort of thing which keeps it interesting.

I was worried it would be hard, or shallow, as surely all the relevant little bits of me are already taken with the rest of the cast? Within a couple of sentences of typing, I knew I had completely forgotten one Gillen archetype.

I realised Jon was a heroic take on Lloyd/Mr Logos.

I laughed. Of course. Perfect.

The 11 days later says so much about how intricate the timeline is around here. It's the day before Baal and Sakhmet made their public debut.

The “She's a fucking weirdo/language” panel is a joy.

Yeah, Ananke really does like hanging around in people's gardens.

I specifically called for Ananke to be in an outfit from a previous God-creation sequence...

Page 8-9

...so Jamie could reuse the masks and only draw Jon transforming, and pull an extra page out of the budget.

The most embarrassing bit here is that I wrote this from my memory of Mimir's legends in the early drafts, and only remembered to actually check my notes at lettering. In fact, I'd got a couple of minor details of Mimir wrong.

(Or rather, didn't grasp the complexities of Mimir – it's very hard to get a take on Mimir, because the main myths we have of him are contradictory.)

Page 10-11

Man, I want to go to Mimir's club night.

In my original draft I wrote it as Jon cutting off Ananke's “Mimir” so that the god name wasn't revealed until the last page of this whole section. As in, it would stop people putting the book down, googling “Mimir”, realising “Heads” and then possibly seeing where we were going at the end of the issue.

I decided against it, in that's only going to be a tiny fraction of readers. If people want to break the flow of their reading to look up facts, I can't control that. Even then, I also knew it would be far from certain that just because they realised Mimir is a head, that they'd then realise others could be a head before the end of the comic.

And NOT including Mimir breaks the flow for everyone else, and is a bit cheap. Better than that.

That knife gets around.

Page 12

First panel: I never get bored of modern blur photoshop to show this kind of effect.

PoV shots are something I adore in comics. The six-panel grid gives it lots of space as well.

Honestly, that last panel with Mimir's own reflection is the creepiest thing in the world, and I love it.

Page 13

Yeah, I'm much happier with the interstitial here. Horrible.

(To state the obvious: Pinocchio reference.)

Page 14-15

I just imagine the tension in this room. Ugh.

I originally had a bunch more written for Woden here, but cut it. It was much better in the silent. He may say some of it down the line, but cutting it right to the basics – the particularly creepy basics – seemed key.

We went with a normal gun. Normal guns were at the start of the story, and have sort of disappeared. Once more we return.

Lots to unpick in all this dialogue, so won't give anything else. I'll say the whole exchange about the machine was as finely picked over to imply the meaning as much as anything else in the book – that's the thing about comics. The flowery fancy stuff? That's great and fun. But the real job is the compressing of precise exact detail, especially in a book which is nothing but precise detail.

I was chatting to Jamie about issue 34 earlier, and Jamie said how much he likes drawing Mimir's helmet. Looking at page 15 makes me see it – the second and fourth panels are just excellent in completely different ways.

Page 16-17-18

Jamie chose the steady angle, I believe, with a background drop, and Matt working the colours to show the emotions.

First panel is where the last of the fun drips out of Cassandra's expletives, and we're just left with something that's really just offensive and ugly. If there's any point where the issue reaches the black cover, it'd be this sequence.

I'm glad they've got here though.

Clearly, this is a Jamie masterclass. Pick it apart, learn. delight. Like – penultimate panel on page 16. The pause, the glance aside. Perfect. Look across page 17. There's a mixture of emotion and sheer dullness and boredom and fear, and how it all pushes and pulls again.

(“And I got it” is something else)

I believe I've said WicDiv contains a recapitulation of basically everything I've ever done as a creator. Mainly the Jamie and me stuff, but basically everything. I realised Laura's arc on Imperial Phase is me reprising what I did in Generation Hope – probably one of my least remembered things, which strikes me as fair – it only landed properly as we inched towards the end of the year. The plot was basically “Is Hope Good Or Bad?” when the answer was “Her Dad died a few days before the issue started. She's fucked up.” Only in mainstream death-happy superhero comics would that work as a twist. This was a bit like that – we distance the reader from Persephone and just show the actions and see what you make of it.

“Try to be kind. You have no idea what people are going through.”

That was the stuff I'd had planned from the start, but it only got more specific as I got nearer it and WicDiv became what it was. I've talked about having mixed feelings about WicDiv's success. Laura's arc is it writ large. I hate that the definitive work of my career is this. If my Dad was not dead I would not have written this book. There is a guilt and anger that is hard to articulate directly there, and is the material I was mining for this.

On a boring technical level, we did a lot of work with Cass explicitly saying facts to ensure that no one in the readership thinks Laura is confessing to killing her family. In an issue as twisty as this, I suspect some people would have.

(The second panel on page 17 is another one – tall enough to have a bunch of half ideas.)

And Laura, after making a breakthrough, immediately crumbles to another mistake.

The “Laura” line is a nod to the song, and one of the lines in the original WicDiv document sheet.

Page 19

I was going to tweak Cass' line – in some myths he's a giant – but that she's musing gives her a little freedom to dance around what we know.

You know, I suspect one reason why Mimir was never brought up as an option connected to Woden is that he's one of the very few Norse myths who've never appeared in a Marvel superhero comic. Or at least I don't think he has.

Normally we'd put something as big as the head remove on a page turn, but it's a physically small beat, so not something you will automatically recognise out the corner of your eye when you're reading.

I love Cass' thinking face in the penultimate panel. Thinkythinkythinky.

Two major beats happening on this page, of course – it appears Mimir is a head (or a robot head, perhaps?) and Mimir thinks the machine does nothing.

And then we hard-cut to what we do, but it's worth dwelling on this a little. When thinking of plot structure, I talk about a few ways to disguise twists. Earlier, I mentioned a Big Twist can make people suspect the twists are over. This is something I tend to think of as a revealed move. As in, you create a machine of logic with a missing part. You add the missing part as late as possible, and then immediately move to what has been concealed before the audience is able to process the new information.

Hence two beats and a hard-cut...

Page 20-21-22-23

Anyway – this clearly had to be a page turn. To state the obvious.

Steady angle shot here, to have the awfulness of it there. I suspect if I’d had space I'd have had the last panel on page 19 be a third of a page, so the two removed heads could mirror one another.

As a minor detail, Minerva's running feet in the second panel of 20 are really good.

Minerva's gesture on page 21.2 is a joy. I know that feeling, Mini.

I really wanted Inanna to be talking from off panel on page 21, but that definitely would give the game away. The problem with distinctive fonts...

And 22 is the reveal on the heads. Probably best not to say much more about this, as I suspect any of the design elements will intersect with what happens in issue 34, so I'll talk a bit about it then.

Tara and Inanna's expressions really are wonderful.

Luci's line came surprisingly late. The “Talking Heads” interstitial came early. The only reason I wasn't going to use it here was in case I wanted to use it later. I decided I didn't.

Okay... twists.

In reality, for me, it's a case of once you've decided that this is the plot, the only way to do it is dovetail towards an issue like this. Any of these individual beats provide too much connective tissue to the other ones, meaning all must be revealed or none.

(You could argue about Minerva, I suspect. Maybe.)

It's been strange writing a book like this – when so much is there early on. Seeing who got what and who didn't, and how people reinforced people has been interesting. That the core WicDiv tumblr community has never really suspected Minerva was off is in some way a surprise – though I've had people talk about that directly and personally. Blake/Jon and Minerva-is-Off-In-Some-Way were the two twists I would guard, but their primary importance was in how they led to the Heads.

When Ray Fawkes told me “There's a reason you're doing all the decapitations, right?” circa issue 2, I suspected that I'd overplayed the hand by having a literal talking head in issue 3... but it turned out fine.

“Played the hand” is interesting phrasing, and telling. Writing something as intricate as this is like doing a slow-motion card trick, in public, constantly. It is a form of constant stress. I have been paranoid of fucking it up in stupid ways, and it's impacted every single conversation I've ever had about WicDiv. Like just writing one name when I mean another or something. There was a hilarious panic when I added ‘Killer Queen’ to the playlist, just thinking of it as a quite funny Ananke song... and then realised there was only one character in the cast with a connection to the band Queen, and that was Minerva. Should I take it off the playlist? No, someone may notice that, and it's against my rules anyway. I quickly added a few other things to camouflage it.

As if anyone is watching that closely, y'know?

That's an extreme example, but an entirely characteristic one. I have lost sleep over it. Even a year ago, I wished I could just get to 33 and not worry about it. When 33 dropped, it was simultaneously excellent (the response was basically what we expected) and an anticlimax (The amount of emotional and intellectual effort you put into doing this is not worth it. It could never be worth it.) I've been telling friends that I'll never write a story that operates like this again. Partially that is because I wouldn't want to repeat myself, and partially because – as I said above – I think twists are less effective in long-form serialised work in 2017, but mainly as I don't think I want to do this to myself again. I'll find some other way to torture myself.

(Spangly New Thing certainly abandons the Scorpion's-Tale narrative model in favour of an intricate character clock of woe.)

Actually, talking playlists...  I have prepared something. There's a secondary WicDiv playlist which I've been using since July for songs which speak to the end of year three and the remainder of year four. I didn't want to add these songs to the main playlist in case a particularly determined WicDiv fan worked out issue 33 from them. This says a lot about the high levels of anxiety I've been running on for the last few years on this topic. It would be terrible to blow it in such a dumb way. Now, those reading in issues know secrets the trade readers don't. So it's going to be an interesting few months.

Here's the playlist. Keep it mum. I'll add it to the main list when the trade's out. Don't shoot me for the first track.

You may have seen us trying to prod people to reread WicDiv before 33. This was partially in response to a friend who read 33 before it came out who said – I paraphrase – “I wish I could tell people to reread the series now, because after they read 33, those issues are gone, forever.” She's right – it's a pure ‘everything changes’ issue, and you can't reread the comic earlier, because everything has transmuted beneath your fingers.

Which is by our design, but is still a grim thing to think about. We've destroyed all those issues on the shelves, and replaced them with a new story. On the bright side, we've given you 35 free comics. I suspect this returns to Jamie’s and my twitchiness over comic prices, and trying to make ours better value, every way we can. In this case, we want to make rereading valuable and exciting.

SIGH! This has been a journey, friends. I'm glad I no longer have to think about any of the above. There's huge stuff coming in the final year, but it's got entirely its own character and momentum. The cards we're playing with have fundamentally changed. There's so much stuff to come, but it builds from this.

Oh – I'm sort of regretting mentioning the thing about the third theme in the backmatter, as it's clearly the sort of thing that's going to drive a certain strata of reader to distraction – especially as if there's any number of other themes in the book. The one I was thinking intersects a little with pre-existing major themes, and speaks to the particular spin on them. We'll get to it eventually. Don't worry.

Anyway, to sum it all up, clearly with four talking heads, WicDiv is four times as good as Sandman. That is a FACT.

Christmas Special shortly, the trade collection in January, the 1923 Special in February and we're back with issue 34 in March, with the new arc.

Thanks for reading.

[thedeaditeslayer]

TDS Exclusive: Interview with Ash vs. Evil Dead actor Ray Santiago

Below is a transcribed interview done by phone with actor Ray Santiago. Other than playing Pablo in Ash vs. Evil Dead, Ray has an impressive array of films and TV appearances under his belt such as Suburban Gothic, Trash Fire, In Time, Girlfight, and Meet the Fockers.

Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar with the Kandarian Dagger in a still from Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3. (Courtesy of Starz)

Q: First off, what sparked your desire to become an actor and what was your first big break to make it in the industry?

A: As a kid I was really uncomfortable with myself and I always wanted to be other people. In the pursuit of trying to become an actor and playing other people and studying acting I discovered facets of myself and my personality which ultimately lead me into being more comfortable with who I am today. Along with that I knew that as a young kid that grew up in the South Bronx that I was put in this universe to be something special, to be something more. Also, as a kid I didn’t find that any of the people in television that looks like me and I didn’t think consciously I but subconsciously that TV is identity building. I wanted more people out there to see me as an example. I wanted to help that in the future.  That was sort of what I discovered in my journey. You have to be who you are and there’s power in that.

My first big break came when I was twelve. I was in a movie called Girlfight with Michelle Rodriguez. It went to Sundance and it won best picture and best director. After that I went to the High School for Performing Arts in New York City. When I was nineteen I played Ben Stiller’s illegitimate son in Meet the Fockers so that was probably the other big break. I then moved to L.A. and jumped from show to show and played different roles like different gang bangers and drug dealers in every interrogation room that existed in Los Angeles. Then I found my way onto Ash vs. Evil Dead.

Ray Santiago as Tiny Guzman (left) in Girlfight. (source)

Q: What learning experiences has working on Ash vs. Evil Dead taught you and how has it molded you as an actor over these three seasons on the show?

A: From Bruce I learned to hit my mark. I think that I was terrified of Bruce until the second episode just because I wanted to make him happy and not let him down. I was sort of all new to what we were doing on the show. He said to me that I was killing it but I need to hit my mark. I was like “Oh, I’m starting to get it now” and he was like “You’re doing all of this great stuff but you’re missing your mark by two inches so note the camera was not picking up on it.” So, I learned that. I think that I learned it in every sense of the word. Show up to your job and hit your mark. Show up prepared and show up ready to do it in one take because sometimes that’s all you might get.

I’ve learned to trust myself and to trust myself as an actor. I’ve learned that I’m better at stunts and co-ordination. I’ve learned to enjoy being alone. When you’re alone in Los Angeles trying to get a job then it’s not so great. When you’re alone in New Zealand and you’ve only had forty minutes or twenty minutes alone because people have been touching you all day because you’ve been having prosthetics all over your face since 4AM being alone can be a beautiful thing. I’ve learned to enjoy what both of those things have to offer. I’ve learned to enjoy the journey because really that’s the beautiful part. It’s not about the money, the accolades, the success or the fame. It’s about how much you work to get where you want to go to and how you enjoy it. It’s from everything in between from when you’re born and you die. You learn to enjoy it.

Ray Santiago as Pablo Simon Bolivar alongside Bruce Campbell as Ash in the episode The Killer of Killers from Ash vs. Evil Dead. (Courtesy of Starz)

Q: Throughout all three seasons of the show, you got to work with many different writers and directors. What is it like working with a diverse team and the diverse cast on each season?

A: TV and film are a collaborative art. We each put a piece of our soul in the pot and we make something together. You learn to appreciate what everyone has to bring to the table. Like I said, as a kid I was really inspired by television.  It was my escape and it was my way of seeing the dream. All of those details like from a costume designer put into a show or a writer put into the show or a producer who decided to produce something that other people didn’t want to produce, it all goes into the pot and it all makes a beautiful canvas look beautiful. You learn to enjoy and trust everyone’s color. Everyone brings something to the table and it’s worth looking at and understanding. I love working with Kiwis. I love working with icons like Lucy who are just so sophisticated and so elegant and not a diva at all. She’s so driven by family and her thirst for knowledge of different languages. You learn that there is more to life out there outside of what we do and it ain’t the be all end all.

Q: What kind of trouble does Pablo find himself in season 3?

A: In season three we get to see Pablo sort of finally fulfill his destiny as his own hero. He goes from being just a loyal sidekick to embracing his lineage of a family of brujos. He becomes his own hero and also maybe his worst enemy. There’s an undeniable relationship with the Necronomicon that he has. He’s been tortured by it. It lives within him. In this season we get to see him teeter between both sides of good and evil and try to hone in on the good and evil within himself. Can he use it for the greater of the team or can he use it against the team? We’ve got something very particular this season going on with Pablo. We’d like to call it something very especiale. We’re calling him Brujo Especiale.

Ray Santiago poses as Pablo Simon Bolivar in this promo photo for Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3. (Courtesy of Starz)

Q: If you existed in the Evil Dead world as yourself, what kind of person would you be?

A: I would have probably just have…..ran. That being said, Pablo does get in some pretty good fight scenes this season. He may also lock lips with a certain female character….or maybe even two!

TDS: Oh, that’s like scandalous! *laughs*

A: Oh yeah.

Q: So, did you feel like you were passing the torch to the new cast members and did you give them any advice for season 3?

A: I don’t know if I’m passing the torch but I was definitely sharing it and it was nice to I guess feel alleviated from having so much pressure put on us work wise and schedule wise. I will say this. Arielle has really brought everything that she got to the table. I was really impressed with her. She never complained. She really has a difficult feat of taking on the role of Ash’s daughter but she really does deliver. She’s really beautiful. She’s really humble. We love having her around.

From left to right: Ray Santiago, Arielle Carver-O’Neill, Bruce Campbell, and Dana DeLorenzo as their Ash vs. Evil Dead characters in season 3. (Courtesy of Starz)

Q: In the season 3 trailer Pablo mentions the final test to Ash. Is this really the mettle of man to end all or is there more to it?

A: It might be the end of what we know in this universe but of course in this franchise there could be multiple universes and we can do whatever we want. One thing is for sure. I promise you a jaw dropping finale where everybody will be shocked.  A lot of the cast members were really emotionally triggered and drained from shooting this. We didn’t even have to really act. It was so emotional to see what was happening and we were just all living through it truthfully. You never know what’s going to happen on this season. We may be passing torches onto a whole other level or maybe more people than you think may not survive. We’re all going to down with a good fight so you really all need to check it out and I really encourage the viewers to check it out because it’s one of the best seasons that we filmed so far.

TDS: Oh yes, the fans are all about that. I’m sure that you know about #BringBackBoomstick right?

A: Oh yeah, I know about #BringBackBoomstick and if it works then I’ll love you guys forever!

Q: Do you have any fun stories from behind the scenes for this season that you’d like to share with us?

A: I’m probably the one that runs around the most naked out of the group. I definitely like to flash Dana. I’m known for leaving weird body parts and prosthetics in people’s trailers. We just like to have a good time. We’re always dancing in the trailer.

One time we were shooting a scene where we were driving from one location to another in a car and I was covered in blood. I was ducking down in the back seat because I didn’t want anyone in the streets of New Zealand to see me but I peaked up to see where we were drenched in blood. There was a little Asian man in his car and I turned over to him and pulled down the window and was like “Help me!” and he just like drove off.

TDS: That story is very interesting because something very similar happened to Bruce Campbell during the shoot of The Evil Dead. There was a point where he was drenched in blood and he was on the back of a truck and people were horrified when they saw him! So that is very similar to something that has already happened in this franchise.

A: Yeah, it’s so surprising how people just look at you and react and then they go. Hey listen, I did say that if I was in the Evil Dead world and I wasn’t Pablo I would do the same thing!

Q: Thank you so much for taking your time to speak with us! Do you have anything that you would like to share with TDS followers?

A: Probably my social media handles? No, I’m kidding. *laughs* I think that I’ve pretty much shared it all. Pablo is a dreamer and he wants to be a hero and I think that you’ll get to see the full cycle of that this season. Also, just because I died once doesn’t mean that I won’t die again. If they want to see some more heroes being made or destroyed then they should tune in.

From left to right: Lindsay Farris, Dana DeLorenzo, Ray Santiago and Arielle Carver-O’Neill pose for a photo at the Hulu New York Comic Con After Party. (source)

Thank you greatly to Starz and Ray Santiago for the wonderful interview!

 Visit the Starz Ash vs. Evil Dead official website here.

 Visit Ray Santiago on IMDb I Twitter I Facebook I Instagram

[ttawoabw]

Wow, the last book haul I did was back in August of 2017!  I might have forgotten a few books or there may be repeats from old book hauls, but I honestly haven’t bought that many books in the past 7 months.  Wow.. 7 months without buying enough books to warrant a haul? I should receive an award. I am an affiliate for the Book Depository so in full disclosure, the links to purchase the books in this post may give me a small commission.

Rebekah

by Jill Eileen Smith

Book two in the Wives of the Patriarchs series.

Christian Historical Fiction

When her father dies and she is left in the care of her conniving brother Laban, Rebekah knows her life has changed forever. Her hope for the future is restored when she falls in love with her cousin Isaac, and their relationship starts strong. But marital bliss cannot last forever, and the birth of their twin sons marks the beginning of years of misunderstanding, disagreement, and betrayal. The rift between them grows wider and wider until it is surely too deep to be mended. And yet, with God all things are possible.

Book Depository: Paperback

Scarlet

by A.C Gaughen

Book one in the Scarlet trilogy.

Young Adult Historical Fantasy Romance Retelling

★★★★

I won this in a giveaway held on Twitter by Kelly from @divabooknerd.  I love this retelling of Robin Hood, I’ve read it over and over and I’m so happy to finally have a physical copy of it to read!

Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets – skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood’s band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet’s biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know…that she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.

The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in a put innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more – making this a fight worth dying for.

Book Depository: Paperback

Gemina

by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Book two in The Illuminae Files trilogy.

Young Adult Science Fiction

When Illuminae came out I thought I would read it straight away.  I did not.  I read Illuminae the week the last book in the trilogy came out.  And I loved it! So I went out and bought Gemina and Obsidio because I needed to continue to story.  Even though I was hoping to get all of them in hardcover from the Book Depository.

(THIS BLURB IS FROM ILLUMINAE SO THERE WON’T BE ANY SPOILERS)

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

BRIEFING NOTE: Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

Book Depository: Paperback

Book Depository: Hardcover

Obsidio

by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Book three in The Illuminae Files trilogy.

Young Adult Science Fiction

  Book Depository: Paperback

Book Depository: Hardcover

Barnes and Noble: Special Edition

Daughter of the Siren Queen

by Tricia Levenseller

Book two in the Daughter of the Pirate King duology.

Young Adult Fantasy Romance

It took me a LONG time to get around to reading Daughter of the Pirate King, I mean I loved the premise and I love pirates and I was so excited when it first came out.  But it wasn’t until the sequel was about to be released that I actually picked it up.  And devoured it.  I went and pre-ordered Daughter of the Siren Queen (unfortunately I was too late to receive the pre-order incentive gift, but I still got the PDF first chapter of Daughter of the Pirate King from Riden’s POV so that was exciting!) and I also ordered it on Kindle so I could read it as soon as it came out.

(THIS BLURB IS FROM DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING SO THERE WON’T BE ANY SPOILERS)

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

Book Depository: Hardcover

Rosemarked

by Livia Blackburne

Book one in the Rosemarked series (duology, trilogy?)

Young Adult Fantasy

★★★★

I was originally a bit hesitant about this one, the blurb just sounded so cliche and I was worried I wouldn’t ever get around to reading it if I bought it.  But then I just sort of caved (can’t remember why?) and bought it.  Then when it arrived I read it.  AND LOVED IT!  I didn’t write a review but in the cover reveal fro Umbertouched, the sequel, I expressed some of my thoughts – so you can check that out HERE.

A healer who cannot be healed . . .

When Zivah falls prey to the deadly rose plague, she knows it’s only a matter of time before she fully succumbs. Now she’s destined to live her last days in isolation, cut off from her people and unable to practice her art—until a threat to her village creates a need that only she can fill.

A soldier shattered by war . . .

Broken by torture at the hands of the Amparan Empire, Dineas thirsts for revenge against his captors. Now escaped and reunited with his tribe, he’ll do anything to free them from Amparan rule—even if it means undertaking a plan that risks not only his life but his very self.

Thrust together on a high-stakes mission to spy on the capital, the two couldn’t be more different: Zivah, deeply committed to her vow of healing, and Dineas, yearning for vengeance. But as they grow closer, they must find common ground to protect those they love. And amidst the constant fear of discovery, the two grapple with a mutual attraction that could break both of their carefully guarded hearts.

This smart, sweeping fantasy with a political edge and a slow-burning romance will capture fans of The Lumatere Chronicles and An Ember in the Ashes.

Book Depository: Hardcover

The Case for Jamie

by Brittany Cavallaro

Book three in the Charlotte Holmes quartet.

Young Adult Contemporary Mystery Retelling

I read A Study of Charlotte way back in 2016, and I loved it so much I wrote a review for it (you can read that HERE).  When The Last of August came out I also loved it.  And then I forgot all about this series.  It was by chance that I came across the third installment and discovered it would be a quartet.  I look forward to reading more about Jamie and Charlotte and seeing the character development that a year has had on them.

(THIS BLURB IS FROM A STUDY OF CHARLOTTE SO THERE WON’T BE ANY SPOILERS)

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

Book Depository: Hardcover

A Court of Thorns and Roses Coloring Book

by Sarah J. Maas and Charlie Bowater

Colouring book companion to the ACOTAR series.

Self explanatory.  It’s the colouring book for A Court of Thorns and Roses drawn by the greatest ACOTAR artist, Charlie Bowater.  I bought it in anticipation of A Court of Frost and Starlight.  I’m excited to start colouring it!

Book Depository: Colouring Book

Impressive Wingspan

by Jessica from JCroftDesigns on Etsy

A Court of Thorns and Roses series Sticker

★★★★★

I saw this sticker and could not resist!  I love it so much and the letter from Jessica was really sweet!  I have it on my laptop (my boss had questions….) and I love it so much I actually went ahead and ordered two more! It’s just  so cute, and funny and makes me swoon a little thinking of Rhysand.

Etsy: JCroftDesigns

  Second Hand Books

Trashed by Alison Gaylin

Trashed by Alison Gaylin

Trace by Lori Foster

Ranger’s Apprentice: The Burning Bridge by John Flannagan

Palace of Darkness by Tracy L. Higley

  What books have you bought lately?

Have you read any of these books?  What did you think?

  My Links:

Goodreads : Becca Winter

Instagram : bookie_becca

Twitter : @Becca_Bookworm

Facebook : The Troubles And Woes Of A Bookworm

Affiliate: Book Depository

Referral: OwlCrate

Referral: The Bookish Box

Referral: Romance Reveal

Referral: Cratejoy

Becca

xxx

(A Short but Long Overdue) Book Haul #16 Wow, the last book haul I did was back in August of 2017!  I might have forgotten a few books or there may be repeats from old book hauls, but I honestly haven't bought that many books in the past 7 months. 

[briteboy]

(circumstantial name by @earnoodle)

IT’S FINALLY TIME FOR THE POST YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR (or maybe just that one anon)

there’s a LOT in here, newer questions are generally first so if you asked something a while ago and you’re only interested in that, scroll towards the bottom. also doing wcifs separately (errr i’m gonna try my hardest to ok don’t crucify me)

this mass anons post includes topics ranging from Very Sweet Things Said To Me That I Don’t Deserve, nitpicking stranger things, crying over ramona, lou theories, Cillian Is A Fucking Creep theories (true), and completely unhelpful reshade advice

let’s f0cking do this

You're right, apart from carrying his stupid brain, Santi's head didn't do anything to any of us. I apologize for anon.

I'm pretty sure I said that already but I love Rooney and Santi's relationship so much I literally have no words for it

ME TOO LIKE IT’S JUST SO PURE TWO NOT-KIDS SCARED OF THE ADULT WORLD TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT WITH THEIR WEIRD BRAINS TOGETHER ;__; i love them

YO i didnt know u were a demigirl!! im a demiboy nb Buddies

hell fuckin yeah dude!! we are starting a demi club

Ok but like I really want werewolves. Like I know it sounds stupid but we have vampire and while yes I love my bat babes, I want a giant pupper friend. I have story written out and plans for a cabin to build. Now I’m waiting for EA to give me my big hairy babes.

DUDE i want more supernatural stuff too, mostly witches like I NEED MY WITCHES AGAIN!!! ts3 witches were so good. i didn’t like ts3 werewolves much but i feel like they’d be super cool in ts4, knowing how the vampires came out. i NEED it

hihi! i've been very quietly (??) following your blog for some time now and i just fawn over your characters way too much ?? anywho, i've been wanting to start my own little simblr story but ,, i'm not entirely sure where to even start? i have so many stories that i'd love to get out there, and i have the means.. butt, how did you go about starting out?? so sorry this is so long but i look up to you a whole ton!!! ty ily! :-)

i’m the (??) lmao that’s me always but ahdhghdfkshg thank you so much!!!!! i’m so glad you love them, it means the world to me ;-; and listen, that was me, i had no idea how i was going to do it because i’d only seen ts3 stories up to that point and i thought there was like a set Way to tell stories but i had no idea what i was doing so i was like y’know what...i’m just gonna do it how i feel comfortable doing it and i’m gonna figure it out as i go along. so honestly try to roughly plan out what your stor(ies) will entail and if you get stuck on planning and can’t figure it out, just jump right into it, try to make a few scenes or get the ball rolling somehow, even if it’s just random posts (i mean that’s all my blog was until i decided to commit to santi’s story.) it’s always gonna feel weird and awkward at first, but you’ll get comfortable the more you do it and it’ll figure itself out, trust me!

I read through most of your story posts the other day and now I’m rereading it again just to torture myself some more (and maybe catch up on some posts I may have missed). I honestly don’t think I’ve come across a sims story that’s so beautifully written & includes such evocative pictures as yours. I’m really at a loss for words, it’s all so stunning. & after a nearly two-month long creative block, it’s planted the smallest seed of inspiration in the back of my mind, so thank you for your art.

AHHHH AHSDHKGKDSJG WHAT!!!!! it’s always crazy hearing that 1) people actually care about my stuff, and 2) that it inspires them. like i really cannot believe that, stilL!! thank you so so much, i’m so happy you enjoyed it (as torturous as it was, lmao) it seriously warms my heart that you’re getting your groove back in the creative world, that means more to me than ANYTHING!! good luck with your art or whatever you decide to do with that inspiration!

 can i pls have your editing skill please and thank you

i owe most my editing at this point to reshade so honestly get reshade and u will probably become better than me

o added u on animal crossing and when you added me back i was so happy,, your little person is sooo adorable ((:

OMG!! thank you!! everyone’s person on there is adorable i cry i love them all so much i’m so mad tho it won’t let me add any more friends!!! it probably cuts off at like 100 friends or something STUPID

First of all, I love you. Secondly, I love your photos so much. I'm legit about to just ditch sims 3 for 4 now because of your amazing posts. 😖

LMFAO no but really THANK YOU I LOVE YOU!!! if you can manage playing both i admire u, i’ve invested too much time and effort into ts4 to ever fully go back to any other sims games tbh

The new patch made my game unplayable! I'm crying, I miss my doggos...

NOOOOO!!! hopefully by now you’ve found a fix, i’m prayin for u

long time listener, first time caller yoooo. i like everyone love your stories and your sim aesthetic so so so much and just tbh i was offended on your behalf about that ask from that person wanting to novelize your stories. like you were way too nice. this is your intellectual property and it's fucked up that someone would think it'd be okay to duplicate it as long as they used a different medium. this is prob a bad one to repost just wanted to you to know you're an awesome, singular voice

omfg lmao this is a radio show now *z100 voice* tellem why ya mad euhhh first of all i can’t believe someone even ASKED that, i’m in shock because like what this is so foreign to me. people want to write about MY characters WHAT! like that alone...takes a long time to process. and like i know i should say no but then i feel mean but they’re also my creations so like idk. it warms my heart that you feel so strongly and would stand up for me like that i’m cryin thank u for calling in i love u

I JUST FINISHED YOUR ENTIRE STORY AND I'M NOT OK WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PUTTING ME THROUGH THAT SHIT IT'S AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER AND I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE ABUSED MY (NON EXISTENT) INNOCENCE WOW

I’M SO SORRY U HAD TO GO THROUGH THAT ALSO I APOLOGIZE FOR STEALING YOUR INNOCENCE I NEVER MEANT FOR THIS TO HAPPEN OSDAFKJDSK BUT THANK YOU FOR READING I’M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT EVEN IF IT HURT YOU!!!

I've been up all night and it's now 11am. I'm completely binging on your stories bc I am in LOVE and need a Molly in my game asap. Do you think you'll ever upload her?

omG my freaking story inciting insomnia i’m so sorry for ur sleep schedule first of all, but at least that makes you identify with santi even more omg tho ;___; (how many times will i say ‘omg’ i wonder) i don’t think so because she is so dear to me and makes my heart ache, she is just so special, i dunno if i could ever release her into the wild like that lmao. i haven’t even shared her with my friends (not that i really ever had a reason to) but like yeah. maybe in the future that’ll change but right now, no, i’m sorry <3

To change the topic: Idk if you watch stranger things but I only managed to get to episode 3 of season 2 before I stopped watching lmao it was so bad and Billy (a certified Cunt) ruined the whole show for me

YEAH I DID! omg. i have a LOT of issues with this season (mostly in how badly they tried to retcon nancy and everyone else not caring about barb’s death, how bad the writing was in the realm of nancy and steve breaking up and then her and jonathan getting together...holy fuck it was so uncomfortable with that 40 yr old conspiracy theorist guy i couldn’t even enjoy my ship getting together lmao) also ur right, max and billy honestly did not offer anything to the story...like i loved max too but what was the point...billy acted like their presence and the reason they had to move was so dramatic when it was really nothing...unless they’re saving that for season 3 but like. the whole situation with billy was so anticlimactic. he was like a walmart version of henry from IT. like boohoo ur dad’s an asshole and then he beat up steve. good character arc. i liked max standing up for herself but really...that whole thing was so lackluster, i didn’t care about it at all. ALSO I HATED THAT THEY DIDN’T LET MAX AND ELEVEN BE FRIENDS!! i’m sure it’ll happen in season 3 but like c’mon...that would’ve made the max character feel a little more important to the story. anyway yeah fuck billy and i don’t get why everyone is lusting after him or his actor they’re both ugly! thanks for listening

I just got the sims 4 + city living and I’m so excited! I was really inspired by your stories and style in general... I was wondering what packs do you have and also what are your favourite sims 4 hairs? I’m having trouble finding ones and I love your style!

YAY I’M EXCITED FOR YOU!!! omg aww it warms my heart so much when people say i inspire them because i never anticipated that kind of response, thank you so much <3 hmmm i think i have all of them except glamour stuff and fitness stuff. and pretty much all the hairs i download are here or here. (or the subsequent ‘tf’, ‘cf’, ‘tm’ and ‘cm’ tags as well, according to age)

UHM a 19 year old and a 13 year old? Poor baby Lou... Also youre a brilliant writer i cant

😬😬😬  stay tuned ajasdhjhjsahd thank you so much!!!

My stan levels for you have increased so much? like thanks for being a good ally, clAps for femmesim!

lmao thank you, i don’t really deserve praise tho i’m just passing on the knowledge of those patient enough to teach me. just trying to do what i can with my privilege u know. ily

How do you have teeth showing in so many of your pictures of Lou and Molly, do you PS them in?

i’ve gotten this question before and it’s usually just the poses used! i do have some lipsticks that have teeth on them but i mostly use them for just rooney.

Honestly, a fight between Santi and that new guy (srry, forgot his name while typing this) would be so hot. Like, I hope Santi would win but like just watching Santi fight him for Lou would make me happy!! Also, I live for your stories💞

omG i’m about to call up vince mcmahon they both need to fight on smackdown it’s gonna happen. they’ll both be shirtless too ok and THANK YOU ILY

boi poc can be PREJUDICED against white people but there is no such thing as reverse racIIIIIIiiiiIIIIIiiiIIIIsm

Lemme just say that you must be feeling so stressed rn. I love you and your simblr!!! Your posts light up my day!! <3333

OMg kind of. this week has taken A Lot out of me and i really just want to chill at home and play my freaking GAME but obligations. u know. here’s hoping i get a day off this week. i’m mad i’m probably gonna miss gianni’s birthday too (it’s on tuesday) and i wanted to do something for it!! i’ll probably do it late like i did last year too lmao i’m so sorry baby g ANYWAY u didn’t ask to hear about any of this...thank you for this sweet message i love you <3

why,,,, are people... coming to your blog to discuss race you are a fucking simblr WHAT

the real question is why do people go to you like its your job to educate them lmao like theres so many resources out there

SHAWDY u aint wrong reverse racism is literally a joke i am so sorry you have to go through all of this keep stepping on white feelings we deserve it

I was wondering would u consider Asians to be POC?

yes

I just finished Strange the Dreamer and it was fucking amazing. I cried so much and I laughed and I sat in absolute amazement at the world Laini Taylor has created. 100/10 would recommend

ahhhh i really need to read it apparently!! i’m like 10% away from being done with a dance with dragons (and then i have to wait for the next book like a peasant HURRY UP KING GEORGE) anyway this one is definitely on my list!

omgomg!! I just met this girl in my class who has eyes just like ramona's!!! But like instead of being brown w/ a little bit of blue, they were blue w/ a little bit of brown!!! Dude I was so shook I rlly didn't think ppl had eyes like that!

OMG!!!! that’s amazing! and yes heterochromia is a real thing haha. i’ve only met one person with it and he had the same color combo as ramona too, only his was full heterochromia, not sectoral.

*me in the background screaming* nO yOU LEAVE HER ALoNE baD-DAD-MaN!

ME TF TOO

every time i read some of your stories i get an ache in my heart that doesn't go away until i either cry or sleep so interpret that as you like

OMG ;_____; ok me too tho my heart literally hurts thinking about my characters sometimes...mostly santi...i hate him (no i don’t :{ )

hey uhh idk if you've answered something like this before but do you have a spotify or something bc your music taste is GOLD

THANK YOU!! you were the first person to ask about this haha and hopefully you saw my answer to the other question about it! i just made one and it’s here!

hi hi ! i’m seeing all the drama on da blog and i really want to read the whole story but i can’t get to it on mobile so i was wondering if you could link the beginning and tell me what the best order to read it in is ( i’m so confused because i’ve seen sm people y’all about a parallel story so idk if i’m being dumb !! ) i hope this isn’t any inconvenience also your sims are so beautiful sjajsjajs

hey on mobile the link is just: http://femmesim.tumblr.com/tagged/story/chrono i would honestly just recommend that order haha, it makes things simpler and it encompasses ALL story posts, or posts that give context. there are parallels in my story, lou’s is kind of a parallel of santi’s, only different...well...you’ll see. but yeah sorry this is so late! and thank you!!!

TU HISTORIA ES TAAAAAN BUENA POR DIOOOOS (YOURE STORY IS SOOOOO GOOD OMG) <3 <3 *OO* *cries in spanish*

MUCHAS GRACIAS ENCANTADORA PERSONAAAA <333

lou is wendy right? i mean, a wendy complex is someone who is overly mothering to partners, and lou is already a mother and ik that doesn't really count as foreshadowing but it seems like it could be a link to me. it'd make sense too, considering guys that go after younger girls (ew) are usually immature ie peter pan complex. it'd make the most sense that those two go together then.

heheheheh that is a VERY good observation...that’s all i’m gonna say!!

This has nothing to do with what's happening in the story rn, but whatever. I was wondering if you were going to mention lou's struggles with being a single mom and the stigma surrounding single motherhood? As a single mother myself I'd really enjoy seeing you take on the issue. Personally, my biggest problem was overcoming the generalizations people put on you when you're a single mom. People always assumed that I that I was stupid and uneducated because I had my son when I was 17.

yes! that will definitely come up. i will focus a lot on her struggles as a single mom. so far i’ve mostly just peppered in some stuff about money troubles, and that will come up again, and the issues you mention will be pretty central to her character as well. i’m sorry you have to endure that, it’s not fair. people don’t even realize how strong and dedicated single mothers are.

when you say Peter Pan, do you mean the Disney stuff or the og creepy stuff?

i mean the general themes of the story and how that translates into a peter pan complex: boy who never grows up, feels like he fits in more with younger people (haha...yikes), read the message above because that anon described the other half of the equation better than i could

Wait, hold up. That dude is cute but I feel like he’s coming onto Lou way too strong. I have a bad feeling.. Lou is like 13 there and he is 19 I mean I’ve seen bigger gaps between people, but she is not legal yet.. Where are you going with this? 🤨😅

yyyyyyep that feeling is warranted! i am going a way i don’t think you guys expect me to go...i think you’ll be very confused at the end of this part lmao. that being said, i’m not putting any of this in for shock value or to romanticize inappropriate relationships like this. (i’m probably going to be repeating that a LOT for this story but please just keep that in mind)

Hey mom wanna hear a fun as hell story? I just got back from the ER bc I fell on my razor after showering, and practically cut my nipple in half. (I am in so much pain hELP)

OMFG NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR POOR NIPPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’M SO SORRY I HOPE IT FEELS BETTER PLEASE UPDATE ME ON THE NIPPLE STATUS

U gotta watch sense8!!! Apart from the v awkward sex scenes it's v good, has a lot of representation and shit Just watch that shit show, u won't regret it (And if you do I cut your throat oops)

i’ve heard it’s good! i remember when it first came out and everyone was like Wow The Representation so honestly anything with diversity has already got me hooked pls don’t murder me.

I'm calling it now. He's Fi's dad. and he's a FUCKING CREEP!! Bitch you are 19!! LOU IS 13!! BACK THE FUCK OFF YOU PERV!!

no spoilers or anything but honestly i’m with you @ cillian die

Are they gonna fucc, o no

right now? no. that would be Very Bad

bABY ITS COLD OUTSIDE

oh same

Hi ! Your lastest edit (graveyard girl) is truly amazing, how did you make that bokeh behind her ? 😱😍

thank you so much!!! it’s reshade (with matso DOF)!

You've probably got this question a lot of times but i can't find the answer for it. What reshade do you use?

i gotta add this to my faq, it’s one i created myself but i started out with this one (it totally doesn’t resemble that one anymore but i think it’s a good starting point)

how do you make good looking male sims? mine always look the same and kinda girly..

hmmm longer faces, prominent chins and jaws, smaller eyes, bigger noses...generally yeah

What do you mean 9 + alt?

you gotta turn bb.moveobjects on and then press alt + 9 when an object is selected to move it upward. so what i did with those poses i made was, i selected a teleporter and pressed alt + 9 until it was at a spot i liked on the roof. that’s why releasing those poses would be tricky, ‘cause every build is different so there’s no set way to place them, you just kinda have to play around with them

You mentioned GoT so naturally, I have to chime in and express my love for Jon. Honestly, he won me over ever since the first season? I'm at season 5 now and people have already warned me so now i'm silently weeping, waiting for something to happen to my precious bby help

JONNY BOY!!!!!!!!!!! i loved his emo ass since the beginning but his arc with qorin halfhand (was he in the show??) was probably the best arc in book 2 and then his book 3 arc was just...SO GOOD, SO MUCH happens to him and i just felt like i was watching my son go through it all...i love that boy so much ;-; i’m almost at the end of the last book and i’m scared for him because of the one spoiler i know lmao and you’re at that point too so GET READY we’ll go through it together ok

So there's this game I'm playing where someone talking about another character says 'maybe you can break him from his ouroboros of self-fladulation' (I know I probably butchered those spellings but I'm not a bright egg and autocorrect isn't helping rip) and tbh it made me think of Santi. (Also I'mma scream of you get this reference jsyk)

OMG THE FACT THAT YOU THOUGHT OF HIM ;-; and it’s okay u are the brightest egg in the bunch to me. I’M SORRY I DON’T GET THIS REFERENCE BECAUSE I’M NOT A VIDEO GAME PERSON BUT I’LL PRETEND I DO KNOW WHAT UR TALKING ABOUT anyway yes santi is currently in the process of breaking his self-flagellation and embracing the oneness of the ouroboros (as opposed to letting the cycle repeat itself until he’s worn down to nothing)

do you have any favorite pose creators?

answered

do you have any tips for taking good screenshots in game? like how to get the good angles and good quality? i play on ultra but i think when i zoom in and then use the arrows on my keyboard to move around, the pictures gets less clear and looks kinda blurry. how should i do this?

well if you’re already using ultra, there’s not much you can do lmao. sims 4 is just bad with textures in general. it also depends on the objects as well, some are better quality than others. if i zoom in far on a sim’s face, i generally know there will be some pixelation and i can clean that up in photoshop with topaz clean and the smudge tool. i am very reliant on photoshop sometimes lmao. it sounds like you already have the basics of taking good screenshots, it’s just sometimes you have to fight and work with sims 4′s less-than-hd quality.

burn it down by daughter reminds me of santi & i'm in pain

ouroboros!!! death! birth! death again! birth again rinse repeat! also santi breaking the cycle because third time's the charm

The tattoo is an Ouroboros. It originated in Egyptian iconography, and it symbolizes recreation. My boy's recreating himself, I'm so proud.

ouroboros, the dragon eating its own tail. it's a sign of eternal renewal

i saw the post of child molly and just started BAWLING i miss her what the fuck she's my fave character i'M CRYING

ME TOO BICH!! ME FUCKIN TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i just read all of A Serious Case Of The Novembers so far and theres still tears on my face. some of the best stuff ive read in a while, great job on everything

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! ALSO I’M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU CRY

every time you write about molly and her in heaven it makes my heart swell, like the characters were answering asks and someone asked her what heaven was like and even though it was so small short lil answer it still pulls at the heart strings, basically what im trying to say is that your writing is so good! <3

omg ;_______; me too, i feel like she has such a simple way with words and although her descriptions of heaven are brief, they are also complex and beautiful, and even just writing it chokes me up ;-; thank you so much tho i’m so glad you like it!!

Molly: out Molly tatto: also out

why did this remind me of this post:

How did you edit in the fire in the last post? Looks cool

i searched things like “bonfire” and pasted parts of it that i wanted on the pic to make it look more realistic, then put a layer mask on the pasted pic and erased the edges and stuff to make it blend in better. the sparks and stuff i added by pasting it onto a new layer and changing the blending mode to screen! 

idk if you have every watched grey anatomy but Lou's backstory is starting to remind me of Jo (Jo is a character from the show) like Jo was in a abusive relationship and she is married to the guy but she cant get divorced or he will come and find her. So like if Lou didn't tell Fiona's dad he was a dad and Lou was married to him and cant escape the marriage (cause abuse), plus it would explain Lou's kink with being choked ;) full circle *god-like heaven music with tiniest violin is playing now*

ooh no i don’t but that’s interesting and i’m excited you even made a connection like that! i will say that it’s not lou who likes to be choked (the very opposite actually lmao) but otherwise the situation does kinda fit. i’m the violin

I have a freakin bio pre ap test tomorrow on photosynthesis and i have no idea what it is im going to fail save me

I’M ANSWERING THIS VERY LATE BUT I HOPE YOUR TEST WENT WELL!!!!!! *spongebob voice* photosynthesis

last time I installed reshade I couldn't get it to open the controls or shaders or anything in game :///// any tips?? I love they way reshade looks too!!

hmmmmm well i know the control panel opens when you press shift + f2, and then you check the boxes of the effects you want on them. i haven’t heard of this problem so i dunno what other advice to give i’m sorry :{ if it’s your first time installing it, you might have to wait a little to get it to load up.

Da puppy is so cute!!!

That dog and Romona are so adorable, I might cry

Ramona's cheeks are so big im in love

NAJKSDJGKJSD THANK YOU i love her and her chubby cheeks ;-;

OMG TOTORO IS SO BEAUTIFUL I LOVE GHIBLI UGH FKSJFJANFB

SAME!!!!!!! if i could only watch ghibli movies for the rest of my life i’d be totally fine with that

THE DOGGIE HAS EYES JUST LIKE RAMONAS IM GONNA FUCKIGN CRY

ME FUCKGN TOO!!!!!!!!!! it was fate (aka me creating the wolf pup to look just like her shh i am fate)

Hope I'm not bothering you but i wondered if you knew how to make Tamo sims eyebags work on a toddler? Do I just click in s4s to work for toddler on the "age and gender flags" when looking in My CC or do I have to do something a little more than that please? Thank you.

for any skin detail or makeup, you have to go into s4s and open the package up, go to one of the tabs (honestly i don’t remember which one because i don’t have it open rn lmao) and you’ll see the different age groups and you check the box for toddler. and then save it of course. (there’s probably a better guide on how to do this somewhere lmao)

Hey :) Sorry to take up your time, I was wondering if you use win7, win8 or win10? I'm trying to decide on one and people seem to have very strong feelings about it. Also what web browser do you use? I've used Firefox, but I had some problems on CC websites. Thanks<3

i use windows 10 because it came with my laptop lmao i honestly don’t know much about windows systems at all!! and i use google chrome because it’s never failed me (even though windows keeps pressuring me to use the new internet explorer called “edge”)

i just finished all of novembers in a sitting and 1. i'm Sobbing, 2. your music taste is bomb

THANK YOU!!! my music taste is like one part indie shit, one part rap and hip-hop, twelve parts emo middle school bands

what is the size of the original unedited screenshot?

1920x1080

For reshade when your first install and select the reshade you want to use do you have to edit the settings? Cause last time I tried to (I didn’t know what most of the things meant lmao) but it kept saying error or something so I couldn’t play the game so I ended up taking out reshade

do you mean the preset you want to use? i mean no you can just play with that preset, you don’t have to change anything about it. i’m not sure what you mean but i followed this guide for setting it up

Will you ever share your preset?? Or maybe a preset made be you??

i’ve answered this before but the answer is Maybe

Hi!!!! How do you make the rays of light you have in your photos?? THANK U BBY <3333

that’s actually in my editing tutorial but here you go <3

is reshade only available on windows + do we need to pay for it

yes and no

Hello love! I was wondering (and maybe it's a dumb question, idk) but what life span setting do you use? I would assume you turned off aging for your story but maybe I'm wrong ;w; Thank you!!

i do actually have aging off ‘cause i’m a coward lmao even in the ts3 days when i wasn’t doing story stuff and literally just playing i had it off for the most part and just aged sims up when i wanted because i like to be in control of Everything (aries)

I really just wanted to say that I’m new I your tumblr but your stories are amazing and I love them so much!!! Keep doing what you’re doing💞👏🏼

hey thank you!!! you are so kind and i’m glad you’re enjoying everything!!

In your reshade settings where have you set it to save your SS's to and which key please? I can't find mine after setting it to desktop/screenshots :(

i just set mine to ts4′s screenshots folder because it’s what i was used to and it works for me haha. hmmmmmm did you copy the exact address or whatever it’s called of your folder’s location and then paste it into the reshade box? try doing that with another location and see if it works. if anything you can do what i did ‘cause it worked for me 

ok SO i came across this music video for this like spanish/english speaking indie band called The Marías and the song was déjate llevar and literally everything about the music video reminded me of rooney and gianni

OMMMGGG i love this so much, i cry @ music suggestions and this is so them ;-; i think i’ve heard of this band before actually!!

a little life is going to fucking ruin you,,, just a warning

great! i look forward to it

can a steal ur talent

have it i don’t need it

What app are you using to make them cool edit things??

i tagged it but it was doodle face

omg Strange the Dreamer is so freaking amazing! It’s literally one of my favorite books of all time; You’ll love it. The writing is absolutely delightful

you guys are really singin the praises for this book!! i have so many dang books to read i swear

[spnreactionblogging]

back to the future again

SPOILERS BELOW

tumblr wasn’t happy with the last verison of this post

I like this intro, I like that they grabbed presumably iron? maybe? from that graveyard fence. I want to think it’s iron to fend off ghosts but it sure is pointy and metal at least

I’m very soft for cas picking up jack’s body to get him somewhere safe, or at least what’s left of him

I’m also soft for cas calling to sam first

I like this new title card

in addition to the kevin & crowley vs jack & nick parallel scene in the bunker we also have jack lying on the floor with his eyes burnt out so that’s just... a lot of visual similarity here

I’m into this picking up in medias res or I guess not so much that as just exactly where we left off last time, mid-swing

the work they do with lighting is excellent

“he didn’t deserve this” says dean who then implores castiel to fix it, even though dean wanted to execute jack like “just another monster” until god told him to do it and then he didn’t feel like it anymore

sam notes the doors are indeed made of iron so there you go, sam and I are thinking along the same lines here

CAS: Well, I wouldn’t starve to death.

IN FUCKING DEED maybe stop taking castiel for granted for how much he could just ditch you guys at any point here ever that he ever chose to but DIDN’T

dean calling chuck “squirrelly” is entertaining on a “dean is the squirrel to sam’s moose” level and also a “chuck had an all-squirrel AU” level

it surprises no one that sam is immediately resourceful and trying to figure a way out, that castiel is steadfastly watching over jack’s body, and dean is literally “old man yells at cloud god”

I like seeing sam and dean digging again, it’s so reminiscent of season 1. arguably being in a mausoleum and fucking up its lowest layer counts as digging up a grave

oh jack’s up

oh it’s not jack

I like alexander doing the “belphegor” character though

In demonology, Belphegor is a demon, and one of the seven princes of Hell, who helps people make discoveries. He seduces people by suggesting to them ingenious inventions that will make them rich. Bishop and witch-hunter Peter Binsfeld believed that Belphegor tempts by means of laziness. Wikipedia

interesting

I do love the weekend at bernie’s thing going on here

definitely easier to have him put on sunglasses right away rather than keep up the prosthetics, lmao

okay so given the wikipedia definition there of this guy I don’t believe he’s some level one rando punching a clock, given that he’s a prince of hell, and I’m not even entirely convinced it’s not just chuck fucking with them?

oh we need some graveyard dirt and some angel blood, where’s the GIF when I need it, we literally have a GIF for this one

I’m still tabbed into wikipedia so THAT’S interesting too

The palindromic prime number 1000000000000066600000000000001 is known as Belphegor's Prime, due to the significance of containing the number 666, on both sides enclosed by thirteen zeroes and a one.

I’m glad castiel is skeptical of “bel”

I’m also thinking a salt mine would be a good defensive position against ghosts, now that we’re talking about giant salt circles

I feel bad for the two girls :(

vancouver is so good at being foggy

season 15 is just reenacting The Sorrow fight

also it’s like in S8 when Crowley starts killing off people they previously saved

the clown scene is genuinely tense and I like that the mom and kid don’t do anything stupid and are fairly competent at trying to get out

DOUGIE’S DOUGHNUTS

“crowley jr” ha

but also fuck dean for taking this so fucking lightly, i guess if you’re viewing everything from a lens of something approximating NPD it’s easy to expect cas to ignore the harm done to his loved ones when it’s inconvenient

evacuate the town because of the water supply brings to mind The Crazies but I don’t know that it’s a direct reference because it’s so broad but I liked the remake a lot

I like that Sam and Cas are off together

I do not like that Dean was left alone with “Bel”/Jack’s body

re: penis rock, there’s references to phallic imagery on the wiki page for belphegor as well

dean IS gorgeous he’s not wrong, everybody on this show is gorgeous

I can’t remember if there’s any previously established canon about this but shouldn’t “bel” be able to read some info about jack by way of possessing him, or is that only if he’s possessing a living body?

big bag of salt and a human heart. sounds like it’s time to check transplant wings

oh sam good luck with the clown, dude :(

I’m not used to seeing cas holding a shotgun

:(((( about the girls

I’m glad sam made it to help the mom and her daughter in time

2019 is also the year I stop pretending that I am casual about sastiel lmao I fucking love them I’m so glad cas saved him and I want him to heal his injury I’m so here for it!!!!!!

“move your exquisite ass, please” is more like it honestly, stop being so fucking rude, dean

and there it is, “bel” liked dean’s torture work in hell all those years ago, amazing. incredible. “it was art”

“flaying people for eternity, like you do, right?” lmaoooo

ohhhh and michael’s out of the cage, huh? are we sure “bel” isn’t michael

CAS: [heals sam] LADY: ...how!? CAS: I’m an angel. LADY: And the clown was...? SAM: A ghost. LADY: And you are? SAM: Just a guy.

oh cute tumblr ate my fucking post after all the work I spent on this second half so I’m gonna retype it I GUESS

sam’s plot-related wound makes me think of john egbert with his lord english tooth injury in the epilogues

I’m here for head-tilt samifer? or whatever’s going on there

I’m ultra here for castiel gently hovering his hand over sam’s bare shoulder

sad about the sheriff, I guess that’s convenient

I realize it would break the dramatic tension but can’t castiel just teleport everybody to safety? they already know he’s an angel. then again why don’t the ghosts just teleport to catch up with them?

this season’s gonna be “spot the easter egg” the whole time, I’m remembering that I liked the episode with the hotel pool ghost or whatever it was with the people drowning

CAS: [leaves the impala to get some space] DEAN: [gets out to approach him anyway] You okay? CAS: Yes, but-- DEAN: Good. [walks off] FUCK YOURSELF DEAN

I do appreciate sam’s take on the situation like that they’re finally able to live in their own world, and that the things they did and the people they saved, that all still did matter

I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING

i really liked the music in this episode

this was good, the bourbon I got was good, I’m genuinely stoked to see where this goes

can’t wait for:

Pose as a team, the world is real.

[chromemuffin]

Shoukoku no Altair Liveblog (Chapter 8)

As for this chapter’s art, just when you thought this series couldn’t get anymore detailed, it goes and does just that! I am consistently floored by the patterns Kato puts in these designs. The circles along the hem of Mahmut’s red outer clothes make for a simple design, but are made a little more complex by including three circles inscribed in each other. And that is just scraping the surface. I also love the poses haha. Anyway, let’s move on.

Chapter 8: The Thief in the Slum

I really liked the swirls of smoke in this panel, reminds me of the otherworldly atmosphere of series like xxxholic. And the hexagon pattern on the windows is a nice touch. But look at Mahmut go! He’s supposed to be on vacation, but he couldn’t hold back from jumping right into this thing last chapter.

Of course Mahmut is sitting far away from everyone else. I have no clue how this seating area is arranged though?? Looks like a couch...but it’s not...there is a rise in the floor that goes across the room, and it looks like the rugs were arranged to make a seating area out of it.

lol throwing shade at Mahmut there. Shara finally gets her smug moment instead of constantly being D:< or –.– 

Koko seems to have a nervous eating habit (she makes some adorable expressions too).

When I said I was going to catalogue his expressions, I meant it. Not sure what this one is, though...in the panel before he had a normal serious/concentrating expression, and this time it’s a little drawn, perhaps a small grimace of “I can’t possibly find this guy fascinating” when his goal is murder.

Very nice detailing on the comb here, instead of defaulting to a plain design. It certainly is...different from anything I’ve seen before.

Shara is quite the go-getter. Now you can see why she went ahead and accompanied Mahmut to go save Ibrahim. She certainly is quite tough in her own right.

Um, excuse me. Is. Is every person pictured here unique?? I mean, there are no repeats of patterns, except perhaps the two women in the middle to the right, they do have different expressions though. Notice that everyone is wearing something different, even though they are clearly from the same town. Some have scarves, others have patterns on their shirts/jackets. They also seem pretty excited for the show.

And of course there are those two ominous guys walking towards the front...

Good composition of this panel, as far as I can tell. The screentone for the sky gives it a nice depth.

And lol Mahmut you’re losing ground, maybe because your legs are so short. Mahmut is apparently only 5′4″ (forgot what that is in cm sorry).

Anyway, Iskander is on it. (though golden eagles don’t really fly around at night lol most birds are ‘blind as a bat’ at night)

Knew it wouldn’t be that easy. The uh black sludge water (?) looks very ominous.

Those are glorious wings. And you can see that nice teardrop shape on his forehead.

lol they are still calling him Mahmut Pasha.

o.O expression, maybe? He looks younger when he’s surprised.

Waaait, so the story ended up being true. xD

btw I like the official on the far left.

O-oh. That does not look like a happy thief.

And are you related to Zaganos. You both have that sort of medusa/my hair is going to eat my face if not for my hat or turban look.

lol she keeps giving him these looks and he just ignores it.

Mahmut really is all business, unless you drag him into having a good time (something I relate to). Plus, this is coming on the heels of his demotion, subconsciously he’s focusing on doing his best to grow to be worthy of his former title. He doesn’t actually know how to go about that, probably, but this is a good start. A pasha’s duty is to protect the nation, after all.

UH, way to look like the emissaries of darkness guys. They even made it a point of walking in a triangle formation! Who does that!

I was wondering why they had some pots and plates on the rooftop. Make for great weapons.

lol poor thing. Even her arms are noodly. Love how everyone else is all into it and she’s the only one with a semi-normal reaction: terrified.

This is why you should have kept your identity a secret, Mahmut.

This guy’s voice ought to be cool in the anime, I’d imagine.

Ok, I noticed that he hung the lamp on the wall and there’s a little hook there so it doesn’t look like it just disappeared or is floating.

Also, thanks to the anime I now can confirm this thing is a whistle! Sorta. It doesn’t require the user to blow into it, but it is meant to call Iskander to him.

Also, smug faced Mahmut is back. Slightly subdued though. Maybe wry?

This is also kinda interesting. He doesn’t strike me as the Robin Hood type. It’s a good thing he has that menacing face though, it makes it easier to tell that he’s being sarcastic, and I can even imagine how he’s speaking in my head.

Once again, very interesting life philosophy here. Doesn’t seem like he’s being sarcastic about this part...? I wonder if he had that ‘pride’ Mahmut is saying he must have thrown away by now. Did he actually have a sense of honor, or was it just an image that fit well with his thieving, and now that he’s lost face, he just gave it up? I’d bet on that last one, haha.

Very nice angle on the latticework there, but what are you–

OH MY GOD.

Dude, where do you keep getting all these eagles?? Once again, this is probably terrifying, especially at night when the shadows are long and dark, and you can’t see the birds clearly and they just all SWOOP IN AT YOUR FACE.

I always love the swirls and lines on Mahmut’s clothing, btw. The billowy shape of this type of clothing is different from what you normally see in manga.

*trying desperately not to curse*

WHAT THE HELL. I’m telling you, Mahmut is a bird whisperer. How much meat did you need to bribe these birds with to get them to all perch in this room to interrogate this guy.

The contrast of light and dark spots is very nice here, especially in a higher res image.

Once again, this guy’s life philosophy is interesting. Guess this is how it ties into the realization Mahmut came to in the last chapter.

That there are ways of life out there, in the country he was supposed to be protecting, that he knew nothing of. Because he never stopped to think how other people lived.

I think the word introspection suits Mahmut well. He seems to do a lot of it, in the quiet panels in which you get a glimpse of his eye or part of his face as he is thinking.

First of all: I forgot how bloody laws used to be in this part of the world’s history it’s been a while since I took history as a subject.

Second: The thief telling Mahmut to kill him there was probably to avoid a torturous death. The thief is honestly hard to pinpoint. I can’t tell if he’s being sincere about certain parts of the last few panels, or if they were part of an act, and if so for what purpose.

Then, this line of Mahmut’s is very interesting: “I, too, obey the rules of the world I live in.”

In a subtle way, this is the answer to the thief’s earlier statement explaining why he would go as far as kill over the uncovered treasure: “To us, our treasure is worth more than our lives. I don’t expect you people to get it.”

Typically, people in authority take the high road, and whether or not it is true, take themselves to be the moral good. They don’t understand the people who live at the bottom of society, and have no desire to.

That is why Mahmut’s statement is so intriguing. He is telling this man that he acknowledges his ‘world’ by comparing his own world and that of the thieves, something a person in authority wouldn’t normally do. He’s telling him that he does “get it”. But because he understands that the rules are different for different ways of life, he can’t accept the man’s request/command to kill him. Then Mahmut would be breaking the rules of his own ‘world’ (and, of course, his morals).

AND THEN, the narrative throws the bloody execution at you in technical terms, very little to misunderstand about the brutality of laws in the past.

It also throws this little gem at you:

Koko, who has generally acted like a normal person today would to these situations (like being terrified when armed men are attacking you!)...

...is actually saying “So mean” because the thief violated her expectations of who Fakir Hirsiz is in her imagination. Sliiight values dissonance there, yeah? On our part, of course. We don’t think the cutting off of limbs is an appropriate punishment for stealing (i hope), but the people in this world aren’t bothered.

OH, so it’s highly implied that the treasure’s location in the play was no coincidence. As they showed in chapter 7, the plays often took inspiration from current events, and the thieves and their treasure were just one of them.

Mahmut has a disapproving expression here, as she says. He figured it out at some point. Because the theatre troupe directly and probably deliberately benefitted from the misfortune of others, and caused the whole thing, including the murders by proxy.

But, to the very end, she claims it was all a “wonderful, fictional world”.

Very sneaky. And, perhaps, like with the punishments for theft and murder (well, the murder/execution thing is up for debate, but cutting off limbs for stealing I HOPE not), it is meant to leave you with a sort of hanging feeling. Everything is resolved as well as it could be, but...? That kind of feeling lol. Can’t explain it well.

ANYWAY, Mahmut is off! Feeding Iskander again :3 

He looks, well, a little sad. That isn’t a frown, but he also isn’t happy.

Ah, yes, some much needed light-heartedness.

lol his expressions. I happen to like his startled expressions, they are always amusing. And then he’s pissed in that third panel. xD

LOL he’s the subject of the next musical.

And that’s a wrap! I actually wrote quite a bit for this one.

It was a tiny arc, but jam-packed with the very start of Mahmut’s long journey to meet his goal of becoming worthy of the title of Pasha.

← back・onward →

[jaennsisters-blog]

The Eternity Effect: Prologue

So, uh... I have no offerings of art for Star Wars day (because haha drawing what’s that), but I wanted to do SOMETHING for today, so... here’s the unedited prologue of the fic I’m working on?

Involves Arcann and our favorite Killik Joiner interacting.  Uh... yeah.

The view from the Spire was meant to encompass all of Zakuul.  It was a feat that was, in reality, impossible, but it had shown the entirety of the city where Zakuul’s citizens resided.  With the expansion of the city to most of the planet, apart from the Endless Swamp, the view no longer served even that purpose.  That didn’t mean, however, that it wasn’t impressive.  

Desensitized to the view as he was, Arcann chose to conduct most other business outside the throne room.  He only received diplomatic envoys here because he knew that the Spire intimidated outsiders.  One particularly weak-minded ambassador came to mind, who had fainted from the sheer height alone.  The man’s replacement, who was not nearly as skilled of a negotiator, had ended up agreeing to a tribute that was double what his colleague could have likely arranged.

The throne room did have its uses, at times.

Today he sat on the Eternal Throne, one of the fingers on his artificial hand tapping the armrest impatiently.  Vaylin stood at his right, ostensibly serving as both the High Justice and an observer to the negotiations, one of her roles as his heir. If she noticed or was annoyed by his tapping, she didn’t show it.

The doors to the elevator finally opened, revealing a group of five: two Knights of Zakuul, followed by a man dressed in the garb of an Imperial Ambassador with eyes that held no trace of white or color.  Two more Knights followed him.  Officially, they were there to ensure the safety of the ambassador.  Unofficially, they presented another intimidation factor.

The view and the guards did not seem to perturb Ambassador Hyllus, who knelt once he reached the throne.  Arcann sat up straighter; the Killik Joiner had already passed his first test.

“His Majesty the Protector of Zakuul, Emperor Arcann, welcomes you,” Vaylin said, her tone sounding bored.  Arcann almost twitched in irritation, but suppressed the urge.

“Your majesty is too kind,” Hyllus replied.  

Arcann studied him for a moment, wondering if the silence would throw him off.  “Rise,” he said, once it became clear that Hyllus wasn’t going to react.

Ambassador Hyllus stood, clasping his hands behind his back in what Arcann recognized as a parade rest.  He wondered if the Joiner had picked up that habit as part of the Diplomatic Corps or if it was from his time in Imperial Intelligence.

“Say your piece,” Arcann ordered.  

At the very least, Hyllus didn’t beat around the bush. “We have come to discuss a potential alliance between the Ouroboro Nest and the Eternal Empire.  We are willing to pay a tribute in credits in exchange for being allowed to travel freely throughout the galaxy.  Though we do not rely on trade, as many other nations do, we do not wish to be a static presence in the galaxy.”

Arcann folded his hands together, leaning forward on his knees.  “Many other sovereign nations have come to us willing to pay a tribute in resources in addition to a monetary payment.  What makes you think I would accept an offer that offers anything less than that?”

Next to him, he sensed Vaylin bristling in anticipation; she had heard the veiled threat in his voice.

Arcann was also eager to hear Hyllus’ answer, but less because he wanted to see another diplomat frightened into compliance by Vaylin and more because there was a very specific reason that he had even allowed Hyllus to meet with him in person.  

Hyllus didn’t even blink.  “That would depend on what would serve as an acceptable substitute for said resources.”

This one was smarter than most – he knew exactly what he had to bargain with, and he was trying to find out how much he could get from Arcann in return.  Arcann smirked beneath his mask; it was so rare that he had the chance the play the political game with any kind of nuance.  Most diplomats were concerned only with their and their people’s survival, and little else.  Risk-taking was no longer an option in the greater galaxy.

“Credits in amounts equal to the value of the resources,” he began.  “Sectors and systems that could be of strategic value to Zakuul.  Innovative technologies or personnel that would be conscripted into Zakuul’s service – I have heard that newly-hatched Killiks are capable of nearly undetectable sabotage, is that correct?”

“It is certainly a possibility.”  Hyllus’ tone was still carefully neutral.

“And yet, though that would certainly be useful, there is another matter I feel I must discuss.”  Arcann stood up and began to pace in front of the throne, each step measured.  He passed right in front of Vaylin, meeting her eyes briefly, and saw impatience there.

He pivoted to face Hyllus once he was back in front of the throne.  “You see, I have heard some… disturbing reports of the aforementioned sabotage on some of the planets under Zakuul’s protection.  How am I to know that the parties responsible are not associates of yours?”

“We would, of course, happily turn over all dealings we have had with other nests over to you, and you may dispense justice as you see fit,” Hyllus said, though now he showed the first sign of distress by clenching his fists.  “We also hold information that you might find has some value, your majesty.”

Arcann grew tired of waiting.  “Depending on the value of the information, we would be willing to overlook any and all instances of such sabotage, so long as you can provide assurances that they won’t happen again.”

“We can provide those assurances,” Hyllus said. “As to the value of the information, we possess the current location of the Empire’s Wrath.  We believe that she is currently number one on Zakuul’s Most Wanted list, correct?”

If Arcann were able, he would have smiled.  He knew very well that Hyllus was lying about being able to force the other nests into compliance, but that didn’t matter now.

“That is indeed valuable information, Ambassador. Zakuul would be happy to accept your proposed alliance.”

Hyllus bowed his head.  “We are glad that you find our terms agreeable, your majesty.”

Arcann sat back down on the throne, gesturing to the side. Vaylin stepped forward, sounding only marginally less bored than she had at the start of negotiations.  

“If you would be so kind as to follow your escort to one of the conference rooms,” Vaylin said, “our diplomatic advisors will work with you on the details of the alliance.  His majesty thanks you for a fruitful negotiation.”

Vector bowed again, before making a very precise pivot (another gesture that made Arcann wonder about his exposure to military protocols) and following his guard out of the room.  Vaylin at least had enough presence of mind to wait for Hyllus to vacate the throne room before she started to pace in front of Arcann, tracing the same path that he had taken earlier.

“He was almost certainly hiding something,” she declared.  

“I’m not concerned with the ulterior motives of the Killiks,” Arcann replied.  “They are a nuisance at worst, and pose no serious threat.  Besides, it was worth it for the information that Ambassador Hyllus can provide.”

He tapped a few of the buttons on the armrest of the throne, bringing up a holoscreen that had been the subject of his ruminations for many weeks now.  In the upper-right hand corner of the screen was a picture of a Cathar woman with large eyes, and a pattern of white fur that was at odds with the dark fur that covered the rest of her face.  The darker fur thickened into hair on the top of her head; it was short and practical.

The holos from her last known sighting showed her hair being slightly longer than that of the picture.  Arcann theorized that she was less concerned with hair maintenance than she was with evading the Eternal Empire.

Vaylin had moved to stand at his side.  “Do you really believe that the Empire’s Wrath will be where the Killiks say she is?”

“I would believe them over most of our other sources of information,” Arcann answered.  “They wouldn’t have come to us with that as a bargaining chip if they were not absolutely certain.  Yes, they know where she is.  Soon, sister, we will have the answers that we are looking for.”

“Tell me I get to be the one to retrieve her.”

“I wouldn’t entrust that task to anyone else.”

Vaylin’s face split into a gleeful grin.  

“I’d prefer her mostly unharmed.”

The grin only dimmed slightly.  “Based on what we know about our father’s dear little pet, capture will be so humiliating that she’ll be torturing herself over it.  I won’t have to do much.”

Arcann agreed with that assessment.  Though the Empire’s Wrath had mostly existed as a rumor in the Sith Empire, Darth Vowrawn had been willing to give enough information about her temperament in exchange for lightening the burden of resources that the Sith Empire had to provide to Zakuul.  Honorable to a fault, possessing of a strict moral code, devoted to those she deemed honorable.  It was, in Arcann’s view, a recipe for pride – and pride was the downfall of so many men and women.

“As soon as we know, I expect you to be on your way,” he said.  “You’re dismissed.”

Vaylin bowed.  This time, there wasn’t any sarcasm in her body language – she was in a better mood than usual today.  “Until next time then, brother dear,” she sing-songed, before striding over to the elevator.  

Arcann turned his attention back to the profile on the Empire’s Wrath.  Yes, Anjanay Karrus would go a long way to achieving his goal of ridding the world of his father.  

He closed her profile and opened the profiles of two others that, while they weren’t all that high on Zakuul’s Most Wanted list, were also of interest to him.

The faces of a Mirialan female and a Sith Pureblood male were side-by-side.  Arcann was less optimistic about finding these two, as neither had been sighted for years and were believed by many to have left the galaxy entirely.  They, too, would have been valuable sources of information, especially the Sith.  Alas, nothing could be done about either one of them.

He closed their profiles and pulled up one last one. He was fairly certain that her profile picture was the only picture of her face in existence; all other records of her showed her wearing that abominable helmet of hers.

Darth Nox stared out at him from the picture, burnt orange eyes almost glowing compared to her sallow skin, which was marked by intricate scar patterns that might have been beautiful if it weren’t for what they represented.  Information on Darth Nox was plentiful; she was in the public eye as a Dark Council member. Information on the person behind the mask, however, was far more difficult to find.

It was something of a conundrum: he had this very woman encased in carbonite, but he could not find the answers he sought from her. Not when, even now, he could feel the oppressive presence of his father emanating from her.

Arcann was about to close Nox’s profile when the comm built into his mask beeped.  

“Yes?” he answered.  

“Your majesty!”  The voice belonged to the Overseer in charge of the carbonite chamber, and Arcann felt his blood turn to ice.  It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t his imagination; the Force was practically screaming a warning at him.  

“There has been a breach in security in the chamber that holds the Outlander!  It… it appears that someone infiltrated the facility and… freed her, your majesty. Your orders?”

Arcann’s heart started thudding in his chest, forcefully enough that it was almost as though it was hitting his throat. Instead of hearing ‘freed her’, he kept hearing ‘freed your father’, and he almost couldn’t control the blind panic that seized him at the thought.  He swallowed and focused his fear – focused on the hatred he felt for Valkorion, and on the anger that someone would have the audacity to waltz in and out with the Outlander, and slowly his fear subsided.

All that was left now was the hatred.  He could work with hatred.

“Pursue the Outlander,” he barked into the comm.  “I want her captured alive if possible, but killed if necessary.  Any accomplices or suspects in her rescue should be brought in for questioning. Clearly, we have a hole in our security.”

“At once, your majesty!”

Arcann waited, but there was nothing more forthcoming. He found himself to be frozen, gripping the armrests of the throne hard enough that his fingers actually dug into the metal.  It seemed too quiet to him, like he should have been surrounded by chaos instead of the unnatural stillness of the Spire’s throne room.

He stood and swept from the room, the Empire’s Wrath all but forgotten.

[tellytantra]

Kahin Pyar Na Hojaye "That Ridhima is pissing me off!!" "Why don't you ignore her and concentrate on work, Gauri ma'am." "Just because she is Anika jiji's sister-in-law, I am tolerating her." Gauri was twisting her dupatta. Bhavya ignored her colleague's constant rant that she was enduring since past an hour. Bhavya examined the last History answer copy, while putting the aggregate marks on the sheet. "Finally it's over." She tied all the papers in a bunch. Gauri was still fuming over Ridhima's attitude who seemed to have removed Gauri's name as the in-charge of Cultural Festival next month. It was a very celebrated event of 'Gurukul Institute of Arts & Science'. "Let's go. Isn't it time of your period?" Gauri didn't answer anything. "What will all the students think of me Bhavya ma'am? My image is already tarnished due to her." "Good Morning ladies!" They looked at the handsome epitome-Omkara Oberoi, the Assistant Professor, Department of Economics. "Morning sir." Bhavya answered while Gauri ignored him. 'Bitch's boyfriend.' "Hello Gauri ma'am!" He addressed Gauri getting no response from her. "Hi!" She snapped. While Bhavya covered up, "She is not feeling well actually." "Oh, you should rest then ma'am." Omkara's worried voice riled her up, while Ridhima who had just come also clenched her jaw. "Om, I think we should leave her alone for sometime. She needs time to cope up, isn't it Gauri?" Ridhima's voice was full of sarcasm. She couldn't take her boyfriend showing worry for someone else specially that Gauri. Gauri's sister Anika was getting married to Ridhima's brother Shivaay. Both Ridhima and her mother Pinky were against this marriage, but Shivaay was hell bent. That led to the constant bickering sessions between Ridhima and Gauri who were teaching in the same college. Suddenly an idea came to Gauri's mind, "Don't worry Omkara Sir, I'm fine." Seeing Ridhima so worked up, Gauri tried to have some fun. In the same sweet tone she continued, "Just a bit dehydrated. Do you have water?" "Haan, here it is!" Omkara frowned at the wierd behavior of Gauri. Taking the bottle from Omkara, Gauri touched his fingers deliberately, while Ridhima fumed. Omkara cleared his throat. He didn't want to be the centre of his possessive girlfriend's wrath. "Excuse me, it's my lecture time. See you." "Actually Om....Sir. I am also going towards classroom section. I hope you won't mind if I come with you. I am feeling a bit dizzy." Gauri held her head, acting to be sick. Bhavya looked preplexed at her friend. 'What have gotten into her head?' While a grinning Gauri and nervous Omkara moved out of the staff room leaving behind a mad Ridhima. That's how Gauri got the perfect plan to tease Ridhima. So she started to be with Omkara when Ridhima is around, as much as possible. Acting to be her virtual girlfriend! "Om sir", she knew that Ridhima was watching, "Will you taste these jalebis? I have prepared it with my own hands." The most pitiful creature in this cat-fight was Omkara. Since Gauri had started behaving so lovey-dovey, his love life had become hell. He was also affected by the unprecedented love from Gauri Sharma. But he knew that she was acting just before Ridhima. Now he couldn't behave harsh with the very beautiful woman, for the sake of his girlfriend. He had no choice. "No ma'am thank you. I am cutting calories now-a-days." "Oh common Om sir...you are already so fit and healthy. Whole college swoons over you." Gauri could see Ridhima hurrying towards them. She was chitchatting with those college boys who considered her as the hottest professor in the college. 'Wearing skimpy, clingy sarees and deep neck blouses to pollute young minds!!' Gauri immediately sat on the vacant chair beside Omkara when she sensed Ridhima behind her. "Take it na Om...", she put hands on his shoulder, "You won't be less handsome if you eat just one jalebi." Her voice was husky. "Gauri, it's enough!!" Ridhima was pissed off. "Oh, Ridhima!! I didn't see you." She blinked her eyes slowly. "Just shut up and stay away from Om! Don't you feel ashamed trying to woo a committed man?" "Oh no Ridhima! I will never do such thing!" She was faking worry. "I thought Om sir loves you. Did something happen between you two?" "No, no Gauri ma'am. Nothing like that. What are you saying Ridhima? Wooing and all...You know I love you." Omkara had known that Ridhima was not liking proximity between him and Gauri. But they had not yet talked about it openly. Ridhima stomped her leg and went away from there. When Om tried to follow her, Gauri again stopped him."Om sir, jalebi!" Omkara sighed. Now he was sure that he is being exploited between these two women. ._._._. Gauri was dressed in biege lehanga with backless blouse. Styling her hair open she had pinned the net dupatta to the side. It was her sister's marriage today and she was busy in wedding preparation. It had been three months since her game of 'Annoying the hell out of Ridhima'. A lot had happened in this period. It had started to trouble Ridhima and Omkara's relationship, while Omkara seemed to be affected the most. His behavior had also changed. He had stopped consoling Ridhima every time she got angry. "Professor Omkara and Professor Ridhima were having some trust issues. They were fighting in the Chemistry lab." Whole college was buzzing with the latest talks of the popular couple. "I think Professor Omkara likes Professor Gauri. He looks more happy with her. That Professor Ridhima always tries to dominate the Greek God." Another gossip was in the canteen!! Gauri was also not oblivious to it. "Gauri ma'am, in your childish strife, you are putting their relationship at stake. It's too much now. Please stop it." Bhavya had admonished her. "That should be the problem of Ridhima. Her behavior hasn't changed a bit, Bhavya ma'am! I am protecting Omkara sir from that witch!!" Gauri couldn't see any problem in harmless flirting with Omkara. He was a decent man, always in limits. Twice he had offered her to drop her home. 'Once it was raining and second time my scooter had broken.' Only once they had gone for a cofee. 'That because I had got cold and Omkara sir insisted on having something hot...beverage.' Except that everything was formal between them in the absence of Ridhima. Gauri inspected the dining arrangements lest Pinky aunty would start her drama. She was going towards mandap when she collided with something hard. She looked up only to see a very handsome Omkara. He had held her from falling down with his one hand on the bare back and one on her thin waist. She steadied up but Omkara didn't leave her, still in stance. 'She is looking so beautiful.' "Om...kara sir!!"her voice sobered him up and he removed his hands. "No need to add sir. Om is fine. We are not in college anyways." He said sheepishly. "Huh!! Haan. Hmm." She didn't know what to say. She seemed to be too much affected by his cologne or his crisp golden kurta or his perfect jawline. She couldn't think properly. "I am glad you could attend the marriage." Finally she found her voice to say something sane. Before they could talk further, Gauri and Omkara's mothers appeared there. "Gauri, did you check with Panditji?" "Haan Ma. He is in mandap." She introduced Omkara to her. While Omkara introduced them with his mother. "Thank you very much Jhanviji for coming." "Don't be formal Garimaji, after all we will be relatives!" While everyone looked confused on Jhanvi's comment, she clarified, "Don't you know, Ridhima and Om will be engaged soon." "Oh, I didn't know. Congratulation samdhanji !" Gauri's mother hugged Jhanvi while faces of both Gauri and Om became pale. Both of them excused themselves and vanished in opposite directions. ._._._. Gauri was arranging her cupboard. It had been a week since her sister's marriage. She heard her parents talking while having tea on a Sunday afternoon. "One of our responsiblities is over. Now we should concentrate on Gauri." Her mother was determined to marry off Gauri soon. "Why do you worry so much Garima! Let her enjoy some more days of freedom, to concentrate on her career!" "Shashi! She is already in such a good job. She can also enjoy life after marriage. If marriageable age will slip away, it will be difficult to find good proposals. She is already 27!" Gauri sighed. Since her mother heard about Bhavya's engagement, she had started pestering her. She had even planned to marry off both daughters simultaneously. "My friend Manorama's son is doctor. I have seen him in Anika's wedding. If you say I will talk to her. If both Gauri and him like each other then we'll...." Her mother's voice trailed off behind as Gauri came to balcony. The marriage talks were making her restless. ._._._. She posed for a photo with the newly wed Bhavya and Rudra in their reception party. She was looking breathtakingly beautiful in the blue anarkali. It had been two months to her sister's marriage. She saw Ridhima coming towards the stage with Omkara. The facade of Gauri-seducing-Omkara was not over yet. In fact it had become a routine now. Both of them didn't feel awkward about it. Ridhima was still the same- Torturing Om, and trying to keep him away from her. "You are looking drool worthy Om sir!" She chirped in as they stood beside the couple for the pictures. Om ignored her. Gauri had purposefully come to his side from the other corner. While Ridhima was holding him from other side. Gauri felt immense bliss seeing that frown on Ridhima's head. But when she tried to hold Om's hand, he didn't let her. 'It's not first time that I am holding his hand.' Gauri felt a pang. In these 5 months, Gauri had clinged to him, hugged him and there was even a peck on cheek by her. But both of them knew that it was not serious. When she sit for the dinner beside him, Omkara had changed his seat with one of their colleagues. Now it was disturbing for Gauri. 'He is ignoring me. Let him. He is not my boyfriend anyway.' She pretended to be not affected but she was feeling like crying. As usual Ridhima started showing off. "You know, Om has gifted me these diamond earrings. He is so romantic na. I feel so lucky with him. But some people are so unlucky that nobody even looks at them." She took jibe on Gauri, while talking to one of her friends. Gauri wanted to answer her back but her head had started aching badly. She decided to call it a night. "Gauri ma'am it's late. How will you go alone? You didn't bring your scooty, did you?" Bhavya asked her. "I'll tell someone to drop you. There must be some driver around." Rudra told her. "No jeejaji, it's ok. Everybody is busy. It's just 11, I'll get a rickshaw." She denied them, and come out of the reception venue. It was very dark ouside, with dark clouds ready to pour down heavily. Her parents were not in the city. While her scooter was showing tantrums so she had left it at home. Even after an hour she couldn't find any rickshaw. She saw Omkara and Ridhima coming out and sitting in the Omkara's car. 'Why is she standing alone?' Omkara looked at her "Ridhima, I think Gauri ma'am is looking for a ride. We should help her." "Om!! Did you forget what I have said to you. Girls like her lure rich men, as her sister had done. Don't come into their trap. Just ignore her from now-on or forget our relationship." Omkara contemplated whether to do what Ridhima said. But her last sentence made him ignore his heart. Omkara and Ridhima's fathers were childhood friends. Both had decided to change their friendship into kinship. His marriage with Ridhima was decided since their childhood. When they came to age, he didn't object his parents' decision. Ridhima was a beautiful girl, educated and from a well-to-do family. Although a bit obnoxious, he had accepted her as his to be life-partner. Or he had thought so.... Gauri saw the vehicles going past her. 'I don't need anyone's help.' She held her head high and started walking on the now empty road. The stormy winds had started and she couldn't find any rickshaw or taxi. She should have accepted Rudra's offer. Suddenly it started raining. She took shelter under a tree while her wet outfit was not any helpful. Taking her phone out she tried to call someone or Ajay but it had no network. She felt the lights of a vehicle on her. An all-men jeep had slowed down. A sense of phobia engulfed her while she could imagine all the things that could happen to an alone young girl in a rainy midnight. Before she could think of something else, a car stopped just ahead of jeep. She ran to the other side of car when she saw the person on driver-seat. As soon as she closed the door, the car moved away. "What were you thinking, standing there alone in this state?" He blasted on her, as soon as he came out of the numbing shock. He had panicked seeing her in that situation. After dropping Ridhima he had come back. 'Just to check if she has gone home safely.' But not finding her near the reception venue, he decided to go back home only to find her on that road. "I think....There was no rickshaw...My phone...", she was shivering badly. Her answer didn't help him to cool down. "Do you know what could have happened if I have not come there?" "Says the person who didn't even ask a needy person for lift!" She couldn't take his ironic comments any more. "Why do you think I come all the way back in the middle of a stormy night? To count the trees on highway?" Gauri had no proper words to retort back. The panic, tension and the cold temperature and his behavior in the reception had affected her. All through the way they didn't talk anything. After their outburst both of them were engrossed in their own thoughts. Their communication was never such streamy. Either it was just hi-hello or one or two light hearted things that had started since last 5 months. Anger, attitude, ego, sorrow were never part of it, until today. He stopped the car before her house. Without uttering any word, she tried to run away not wasting any second. "Gauri!!!" She ignored him. She reached the door, only to find that she had forgotten her handbag in the car. Sensing his presence behind her, she turned back only to slip in his arms. The warm proximity in the cold weather started affecting them. But before they could lose senses her phone rang. She snatched her phone from Om's hands. "Hello...yes I have reached Bhavya ma'am...had lost the network...I'll see you later." She cut the call while he was waiting there under the portico with her. "Thank you!!" She couldn't decide, why she was thanking him. "Gauri, I want to tell you that...we...you should..." He didn't acknowledge her gratitude. "Don't worry Omkara Oberoi. I got the message. I won't bother you ever." She sensed where he was hinting. "Listen Gauri, I never told you anything. But now I think things are serious. I am getting engaged to Ridhima next week. I don't know what it is between you two, but please don't bring me in." 'Your fake love is affecting me in real.' He wanted to say but couldn't. "I will not even see your face now onwards." She said annoyingly. "It's not like that. I just want you to behave maturely." Her anger rised hearing him. 'So I am childish. And that Ridhima??' "Good Bye." Was it her last goodbye. She turned her back towards him not wanting to talk about anything. Closing the door behind her she went directly to her bedroom. Changing in fresh clothes she plopped on the bed. Amid continuous trail of tears she went into deep slumber. Omkara was driving aimlessly in the stormy weather all night. As dawn neared he realized that he was angry at something which even he didn't know. 'Did I fall in her love?' ._._._. "I am getting engaged to Ridhima next week." The sentence was still annoying her mind next morning. She even dreamed of their marriage last night. Frying another batch of jalebis she put them in the syrup. 'Did I fall in his love?' "What is the matter, Gauri?" Her mother asked sensing something wrong with her daughter since they were back in the morning. "I am ready to get married to Ajay, Ma. Ask Manorama aunty if engagement can be held next week or before that." She had perplexed her mother who had accepted failure after nudging her for marriage a million times. ._._._. She was looking like a princess in Green lehanga. As per her wish the engagement was decided to be held next week but a day earlier than his. 'Because...Ajay of all the people in the world has to be the cousin of Omkara.' The treacherous week was very hard on both of them. They had ignored each other in the college but still missed each other. Gauri had got so much into the fake wooing game, that it was seeming realistic. The whole college had come to know that "Professor Omkara and Professor Gauri broke up." Ridhima seemed to be happy while Bhavya had asked, "Are you sure you didn't fall in love with him?" She had avoided the talk while Omkara had observed her the whole week. Not able to ward his eyes off her. Now when he saw her with that ring ready to slip in that Ajay's finger, he was feeling nauseous. Why did he have to come here? Why was he feeling so enraged? And the most strange thing was that he didn't know the answer. "Let's start the ceremony." Her mother's voice seemed to have stabbed her. Why was she feeling that this was wrong. She should not have to get engaged just because he was starting a new life. Ajay took her hand to slide the ring. "Stop it. This engagement can't happen." She looked up listening Omkara's voice. "Gauri, I know that you are doing this for our families, but don't punish us with this." She couldn't understand what he was saying. "What happened Om! What punishment?" Jhanvi asked. "Ask your daughter-in-law." He held Gauri's hand. "What?" Garima, Jhanvi, Manorama and Pinky screamed simultaneously. Gauri's mind was not working. 'Why is he lying? Did he go mad?' "Gauri, what is he saying. Are you married?" Garima was clueless. "Ma..." Before she could elaborate further, Omkara interrupted again. "Aunty, I mean Ma", Jhanvi widened her eyes when he addressed Garima as Ma, "let me talk to her. Come Gauri, let's sort this out. Our families need to know." Before anyone could tell anything he pulled her to one of the rooms. "Have you gone nuts or did you hit your head somewhere?" She was super-angry while he locked the door and pulled her to the wall. "What do you think? Only you can act?" He said coming close. "Don't be a Nandi Bail! What rubbish were you talking? Marriage, punishment...?" Before she could tell anything further, she was involved in a mind-numbing-heart-opening kiss. When they broke apart breathless she was frowning. "I love you!" Just three magical words from him and silence. "Is it also a lie? A revenge? An act?'' She asked with tears. In reply another aggressive kiss followed. Her blouse dori got opened while his shirt buttons were not in place. After 5 minutes, she was totally disheveled, so was he. Their actions speaking louder than words. "What do you think now?" He asked with their foreheads touching. "I will act with you in this. Just promise me that you will kiss me the same way, even if we get old." She said panting. "Even if you loss all your teeth and your flawless face hide in wrinkles, I will kiss you like this only." He was turned on. They heard knock on the door. She grinned while pulling him to herself, "Let's seal it with a kiss, SIR!" "As you wish MADAM!" The knocks had increased. Pinnkiswan

http://jodifiction.blogspot.com/2020/04/rikara-os-love-by-chance-ishqbaaz.html

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 5/8/19

DIVE!!, Vol. 2 | By Eto Mori and Ruzuru Akashiba | Yen Press – DIVE!! is not a bad series, but it really needs to slow down and breathe a bit. If we just had more time to get to know these characters, then Tomoki reconciling with his friends, or losing his girlfriend to his younger brother, or making peace with the sacrifices he’s got to make in order to get better at diving would probably mean something. But as it is, everything just moves on too briskly. Tomoki mopes for a couple of weeks across the span of a few pages, and then before you know it, it’s time for the meet that decides which three competitors get to attend a training camp in Beijing. Unfortunately, unlike most sports manga, this one is extremely short. It ends in the next volume, in fact, so we’re likely never going to feel anything for this story that might’ve been so much better. Too bad. – Michelle Smith

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 9 | By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – Golden Kamuy honestly requires a reread every time there’s a new volume, and I found myself getting lost at times. The funny part of the book involves Shiraishi’s backstory of escaping from prisons, which is truly ludicrous in the best Golden Kamuy way. More serious involves our heroes arriving at an Ainu village that may not be as Ainu as they’d like to pretend, and it has Asirpa being clever (and unfortunately getting captured) and Sugimoto getting angry, though not as angry as the caged bear that gets loose right near the end. Golden Kamuy tends to run on mood as much as plot, and so I continue to enjoy the series even as I wonder how long it’s going to stretch out its main plotline. – Sean Gaffney

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 5 | By Takuto Kashiki | Yen Press – While Hakumei may deny that she’s married to Mikochi as they’re both girls, the series remains quite content to treat them as a couple anyway, as we see Mikochi trying to endure fishing even though she doesn’t like it because Hakumei loves it, and the two of them going on a long trip to try to meet Hakumei’s old mentor. I also really liked the Halloween episode, with everyone trying to scare the kids and lots of fake vampire teeth. There’s never going to be much of a plot to this, so it helps that all the characters are so much fun to read about, even when they’re just doing normal everyday tasks—which is most of the time. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 6 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – Last time I mentioned that Takaya did not seem to be all that into Ayumi, despite their fake relationship, and in this volume we see why, and as a word of warming it might annoy some people. Stepsibling love is a thing in Japan, and to the manga’s credit, it seems unlikely to consummate that love. Plus Ayumi is awesome—I could read about her all day. In the meantime, we have our main couple… or are they a couple? There are still some mixed signals going on, but it looks like Kai and Riko are finally a couple, and can go on adorable dates with each other. This is the shoujiest of shoujo manga, but I’m loving it more with each ongoing volume, and am happy there’s a lot more to go. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 35 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The majority of this volume of Magi involves a lot of debating about the nature of fate vs. freedom of choice, and how we can allow humanity to choose when they might choose evil. It’s given art that’s filled with cool pew pew light show battles, but if you’re not interested in philosophy, this volume might bore you. The highlight is showing us the immediate aftermath of Alibaba getting killed a few books back, and how he managed to come back from that. The motion of “heaven” served up here may not appeal to everyone, but as the series speeds towards its climax, it’s still holding my interest. That said, I hope for a bit less debate club next time around. – Sean Gaffney

Nyankees, Vol. 2 | By Atsushi Okada | Yen Press – I didn’t want to give up on Nyankees so I came back for one more volume. And I do think it has improved. It’s true that the basic plot is still pretty boring: Ryuusei, the tough new tabby in town, is searching for a calico tom who used to be his closest buddy before suddenly turning on him. Intel leads to one tough calico boss, who turns out to be female. She’s so impressed with Ryuusei that she offers to bear him a litter, causing her subordinates to immediately begin grooming themselves in agitation, and it’s this sort of thing that has improved. Cat jokes. Another fun moment is when they have a fish scraps and catnip spree in the park that turns into a kitty dance party in the moonlight. I can forgive a lot if there’s sufficient whimsy, so I’ll be back for volume three. – Michelle Smith

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 5 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – As you might gather by the cover, there’s a lot of backstory for our chief “villain” here, showing us how he got to be so close to the King and why he’s so dead set against Sariphi. Meanwhile, a ceremony is in danger because the King is in his human form… and can’t change back! This could spell disaster, but luckily, we have the power of Sariphi’s shininess, which even begins to thaw Anubis by the end of this book, though he’s still determined to find some sort of fault with her eventually. If you’re looking for shoujo fantasy, this remains a highly underrated series. Plus His Majesty looks pretty glorious in all his naked beast form posing. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 5 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – This was another strong volume in this very funny series, and my joy these days comes from seeing the expression on Syalis’ face every time she tries something amazingly stupid, and the minion’s looks of horror. Here we see her escaping to the human world so that she can get another fancy sleeping pillow, and the chaos that follows then the main demons escort her. It’s becoming more and more apparent that the Princess has no desire whatsoever to return, if only as she can continue to torture everyone as much as she likes in the Demon Castle. This remains hilarious fun, though it’s best not to take any of it too seriously, or you may find Syalis appalling. – Sean Gaffney

Species Domain, Vol. 6 | By Shunsuke Noro | Seven Seas – I like Dowa better with the beard, but dwarf beards (and mustaches) make up a large part of this volume of the series, where we see how far Dowa will go to try to stay attractive in her not-quite-boyfriend’s eyes. Meanwhile, the current sort-of-student council is looking for replacements, and comes across our main cast. That said, the roles they’ll be filling are… not quite what you’d expect. I admit I was not thrilled with the new character Kuroki, who hits a few tropes that I’m not particularly fond of. But for the most part this is still fun and goofy, and a good recommendation of a monster people series that doesn’t rely on fanservice. – Sean Gaffney

Wandering Island, Vol. 2 | By Kenji Tsuruta | Dark Horse Comics – For a series with relatively little plot, Wandering Island still has plenty of mystery. It’s a very atmospheric work almost entirely carried by the strength of Tsuruta’s art. In fact, there’s barely any dialogue at all in the second volume. Mikura manages to relocate Electric Island and, after more or less getting herself stranded there, begins to explore the island and its less than welcoming community. It’s peculiar, but engaging, and Tsuruta’s illustrations are striking, conveying a marvelous sense of wonder and place. The volume concludes with a lengthy essay by Dark Horse editor Carl Gustav Horn describing the history of manga publishing practices in North America, comparing them to those of the Japanese manga industry—included mostly, it seems, to explain why it will probably be a while before the next installment of Wandering Island will be released in English. Whenever that is, I’ll definitely be picking it up. – Ash Brown

By: Ash Brown