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cross-d-a · 5 years ago

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Morai appeared in the Clone Wars season finale and I’ve realized that she symbolizes Anakin’s connection to Ahsoka

As we’re all reeling from the Clone Wars finale, I’m struck by the lingering image of a convor circling above Vader as he holds Ahsoka’s lightsaber. Since the convor is so strongly linked with Ahsoka I can only guess that it’s actually Morai and that this is where she begins to guide Ahsoka personally.

I’m sure we’ve all read meta about Morai’s symbolism as the Light Side of the Force, more specifically the Daughter from the Mortis Arc (especially since they share the same colour scheme). After Anakin helps the Daughter transfer her lifeforce to Ahsoka, the convorees begin to appear whenever Ahsoka is being tested. Filoni has even said:

"In some ways, I could say that it's a messenger, it's an observer. It is definitely something. And... I would rather have fans debate—but I would suggest... that whatever that thing is an avatar of has actually appeared in the animated Star Wars universe before. So decrypt from there."

This symbolism continues throughout Rebels where Ahsoka calls Morai by name, actually acquainted with the bird. Morai even leads Kanan to the Bendu when he was in need of guidance.

Ahsoka is intrinsically tied to the convor and through it, the Light Side of the Force. This lingering scene at the end of Victory and Death is absolutely so important, helping tie in the episode, and Vader as we see him, to the rest of the Star Wars universe.

Vader finds the 501st ship at last. We don’t know how long it’s been, how can we? All we know is that snow has covered the ruins and the carefully dug graves. We don’t even know if the troopers with him are clones or normal men. Silent and alone, Vader steps into the ruins. Eventually he stops and observes the wreckage, only to notice a glint in the snow. He bends his knee and reaches down. Almost gently, he brushes the snow away and discovers:

Ahsoka’s lightsaber.

He cradles it in his hand, brushing the snow away again with the other. Then, inexplicably, he flicks it on and we see Vader wielding a blue lightsaber for the very last time onscreen. Who knows why he turned it on. Maybe he couldn’t quite believe it was Ahsoka’s and that she’d lost it once more. Maybe he was testing to see if it still worked or if the colour was still that brilliant blue he tweaked it into.

Maybe it was one last goodbye.

But his gaze follows the point of her ‘sabre and when he reaches the end he sees Morai, soaring high above. He watches her for a long moment and this is when we see his eyes. Darth Vader’s eyes.

Anakin’s.

It doesn’t matter whether they’re blue or a sick-sulfur gold. All that matters is that we see them. We’ve never seen Vader’s eyes through his mask. In this one little moment, in Ahsoka’s lingering presence, we see Anakin Skywalker again.

It’s a clear parallel to Twilight of the Apprentice when Ahsoka destroys the side of his mask with her ‘sabre and Anakin leaks through.

Vader leaves and takes the ‘sabre with him.

It’s so, so obviously clear that he still loves Ahsoka in this moment. That Ahsoka still brings out the good in him. That this is, awfully, their final goodbye as they knew each other.

We always read about how Ahsoka and the convor are linked and how it’s really Ahsoka and the Light Side of the Force that’s linked. But I don’t think we’ve ever really seen anything about how Anakin is linked to the convor and Ahsoka.

The thing is, I think the convor also represents the link between Anakin and Ahsoka.

During the Mortis Arc, Ahsoka essentially dies. The Son kills her, inadvertently mortally wounding his own sister in the process. As the Father grieves, Anakin rushes over to Ahsoka and pleads with the Father.

“You must help her!” Anakin says.

But the Father only replies: “I cannot undo what is done. There is no hope.”

Despite dealing with his own trauma and insecurity and then, of course, eventually Falling to the Dark Side, Anakin has always been a hopeful person. We see this from the very first time we see him: a bright and cheerful slave who only wants to help others.

So of course Anakin pleads again: “Yes, there is. There’s always hope!”

Through his hope and conviction, Anakin convinces the Father to help, and so Anakin becomes the conduit through which the Daughter’s lifeforce is transferred to Ahsoka. As this happens, the main Star Wars theme rises.

This is so incredibly essential to the Star Wars universe, which has always, always been about hope.

Obi-Wan and Bail sequestered the twins away because of hope. The Rebellion rose and thrived and eventually won because of hope.

Luke saved his father because of hope.

Every single goddamn movie is about hope and the perseverance it takes to continue on, one step at a time, no matter how hard it gets.

The Star Wars movies have also always been about Anakin Skywalker. He’s the overarching shadow and the brilliant light in every single one, whether he’s actually in it or not. It’s called the Skywalker Saga for a reason. The only reason Star Wars exists is because of him. He is both villain and hero. He leaves behind a legacy that we can’t shake.

Luke saved his father, but only because Anakin had that little bit of light left in him. That little bit of lingering hope.

And we see it in the finale, in those few moments where Anakin holds Ahsoka’s lightsaber and she points him towards the Light, towards Morai. And we see him for who he is, who he was, and who he will become.

Anakin Skywalker has always been about hope, and because of that Ahsoka survives Mortis. Because of him, she survives everything that killed all the prequel Jedi. She survives the entire original trilogy.

Right after the Mortis Arc, Ahsoka gets kidnapped. It’s the first time she’s ever really been alone and forced to fight to survive. But she manages it, despite the other Padawans on the island giving up or succumbing to their fate. Again, out of everyone, Ahsoka survives. This is also the first time we see the convorees.

During this arc, Anakin is left alone, as well. Fearful and lost, he worries for Ahsoka, but Plo, the Master who found Ahsoka in the first place, guides him.

“What is Ahsoka’s strength?” Plo asks him.

“She is fearless,” Anakin replies.

“That can also be a weakness. Is she a worthy apprentice?”

“No one has her kind of determination.”

“Except you.”

“I’ll find her.”

“This may not be within your power.”

“Whatever you’re trying to say Master Plo, just say it!”

“I am suggesting that perhaps if you have trained her well, she’ll take care of herself and find a way back to you.”

This, again, is so, so important. “Except you,” Plo says. No one has Ahsoka’s determination except for Anakin. No one has her hope except for him. Ahsoka was already a wonderful, resilient person, but Anakin brought it out in her. He taught her, guided her, and now those lessons must guide her as she faces the world alone. This is only reiterated when Anakin and Ahsoka reunite.

“Ahsoka, I am so sorry,” Anakin tells her, clearly very upset.

“For what?”

“For letting you go, for letting you get taken. It was my fault.”

“No, Master, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I should’ve paid more attention. I should’ve tried harder. I…”

“You already did everything you could, everything you had to do. When I was out there, alone, all I had was your training and the lessons you taught me. And because of you, I did survive. And not only that, I was able to lead others to survive as well.”

This is, of course, a recurring theme throughout the Clone Wars and Rebels. Ahsoka perseveres and survives. She saves and guides people in kind. Ahsoka will always be Anakin’s Padawan, his legacy. She embodies all his best qualities, including, of course, his ever-lingering hope.

And that is one of the reasons why Ahsoka is so important: Anakin’s goodness lives on within her. Of course she is her own person, I wouldn’t love her as much as I do if she wasn’t, but being Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan shaped her into the woman we know today.

“You never would have made it as Obi-Wan’s Padawan,” Anakin told her in that very first movie so many years ago. “But you might make it as mine.”

That has never been more true.

If Ahsoka had been Obi-Wan’s Padawan, she’d be dead along with the rest of the Order. If she’d been Obi-Wan’s Padawan, yes she’d be skilled, and yes she would have learned to persevere throughout hardship— But there’s a certain passion for life and hope in Anakin that Obi-Wan simply doesn’t possess.

Ahsoka inherited that from him.

So now we circle back to the convor.

In various cultures owls represent death and wisdom. Filoni has even confirmed that in the Star Wars universe, it is the same. This isn't surprising when Anakin and Ahsoka are constantly facing off death and rising above it, becoming wiser because of it. And, horribly, I'm reminded that this finale is the death of them. They cannot be who they once were, and they cannot be to each other who they once were.

But owls can also represent luck and good fortune.

“Master Kenobi always said there’s no such thing as luck.”

“Good thing I taught you otherwise.”

All throughout her life, Anakin’s lessons and influence guide her, and after the Mortis Arc in moments of great struggle: a convor appears.

What I’m trying to say, I suppose, is that the convor not only symbolizes the Light Side of the Force. It also symbolizes Anakin Skywalker.

And maybe that’s because Anakin Skywalker does embody the Light Side of the Force. Despite everything he goes through and everything he does, Anakin Skywalker clutches onto that bit of hope and comes back to the Light. He brings Balance to the Force.

The convor lingers above Anakin at the end of the Clone Wars after Ahsoka has survived despite the odds. It appears again after their duel in Twilight of the Apprentice. Morai watches Anakin limp out of the Temple, and then returns to Ahsoka after guiding her back from the World Between Worlds.

After guiding her back to Anakin.

“I am suggesting that perhaps if you have trained her well, she’ll take care of herself and find a way back to you,” Plo told Anakin that first time Ahsoka was lost. And he’s right. Ahsoka does find her way back. Again and again and again.

She loves him. He’s her brother and he taught her everything he knew, and she survives because of it. Ahsoka won’t ever let that bit of Anakin go. She won’t ever lose sight of the good in him, or in anyone else.

“I won’t leave you,” she promises him. “Not this time.”

It’s more a promise of hope than anything else. A declaration of loyalty and determination and love. She still believes in him, and she wants, no needs him to know that.

So yes, we talk a lot about how the Daughter and Ahsoka are connected through the convor, but we never talk about how Anakin was that conduit in the first place. The Light and life flowed through him into Ahsoka and so she survived.

As she continues to.

And maybe the ending of the Clone Wars was unbearably heartbreaking. And maybe it’s still making me cry as I write this, but we know how this story ends, and we’re reminded when Anakin, not Vader, looks up into the sky, Ahsoka’s lightsaber in hand and watches Morai circle above.

Star Wars is about hope. It always has been. Despite everything they’ve gone through, there is hope for Anakin Skywalker. And there is hope for Ahsoka Tano, too.

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bookwyrminspiration · 3 years ago

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thoughts on the potential of each of sophie's abilities? how would you develop them if you had control of the story?

okay okay okay! so! this goes with the whole "telepathy but rewrite someone" post i made earlier, but because I've already talked about that i'll try to focus on her other abilities instead

teleporting: Sophie has the ability to be go anywhere in the world above ground, granted she's seen a picture of it. The entire fucking world. That's big! In canon it's purpose was mostly shock factor--woah, weird elf girl was based on a horse and has a brand new ability! And since then, it's just been used for getting from place to place. Which is fine! i just think it could be used for more

if i were in charge of the story, i'd take more of a perspective that she has access to the void, which she can use for teleporting and moving between different points in space, but that's not all it would be. i think with a level of practice and control, she could learn to open the void without needing to go through it, essentially creating portals instead. But! here's the catch! in canon, she always enters the void, and then creates the exit. my proposition: she could lock people in the void. Open a portal, shove them through, close it behind them and leave them there. or, close it when someone is halfway through, cutting their body in half

there's a lot of possibilities with this one!! you've probably seen some movies/stories with this kind of concept as well, so you can apply some of that. the things like redirecting a knife midair so it hits someone else, opening a portal so someone's punch hits them in the face, etc.

enhancing: this ability I could see being used alongside the telepathy rewrite, cultivating a close crew of people loyal to the death with powerful abilities and then taking them to the next level. But here's an idea I had: enhancing is all about the transfer of energy, right? she stores up energy and releases it through physical contact with her fingertips. but transfer can go both ways--what if she stole energy, draining people's reserves until they can't fight and redistributing it to her friends/acquired people. she could end a fight so quickly, just make contact and incapacitate someone.

if we went more in depth on just the enhancing part, the giving energy in canon, I'd want to see her use it on the Neverseen. That may sound counterprodutive, but here me out. What if she overloads them, gives them too much energy and makes their ability to strong to control, so they loose it. This would be a riskier one, with a lot of potential to hurt her and her friends, as them loosing control would affect everyone in the vicinity, but it could mess with the Neverseen's ability enough to provide distraction for an escape, sneaky plan, or something else. If that makes sense.

not necessarily to use with sophie, but I also think it could be interesting to have an enhancer who uses their ability to carelessly, all the time, that they need to take energy from people to survive. they keep overexxerting themselves and are starved for energy. if they're not careful, they could take too much, it could be addicting. like their own personal brand of heroine. im so sorry for the twilight reference

polyglot: this one is difficult, but let's see what I can come up with. The main aspect of this ability that she uses is the ability to speak with animals, and i'm fairly content with that. So, i'd just want to take it to the next level. There are animals everywhere. Animals can access places she can't and are innocent in appearance. Right now i'm just imagining Sophie building trusting bonds with a few birds who can fly around Neverseen/enemy places and overhear things, then relay that information back to her. Especially since elves aren't ass accustomed to the idea of bugs (the listening device) and things listening in.

not only that, but some animals can be fucking terrifying! imagine having them on her side! Actually, if you remember from the deleted scene from Nightfall, Sophie was starting to build up a relationship with the gorgodon--imagine if she actually had. That creature is incredibly strong and has been mistreated its entire life. Sophie coming along and giving it a home, communication, understanding, i could see it growing fiercely protective of her and her open mind. Her Polyglotism combined with her telepathy makes for a lot of potential because of her communication with animals and ability to understand them. it almost creates an entirely different ability, in a way

inflicting: right now her inflicting is very all or nothing, it's just this thing that explodes out of her, everything at once. i'd like to see her develop more control, the ability to determine exactly how much of each emotion she'll be imposing on someone else. The capacity to build upon itself and make it grow. In my mind this could be used to convince whoever she's inflicting on that the emotion in their own and that it's how they actually feel. It's not just this trainwreck thrown at them all at once, maybe it's just a subtle trickle of doubt, this little fear. that's reasonable. that could belong to them, but as it builds and builds and builds it becomes more and more incapacitating and the person may freak out because they think it's their own feelings and the inflicting could remain undetected for a while.

another thing: i think it would be a cool caveat if the inflictor also had to experience the emotion they were inflicting. not as strong as their target, but inflicting comes from memories of emotions and experiences, so I can only imagine it would grow stronger if the person was actually feeling the emotion as they inflicted.

this whole post is getting long so i'll stop here, but!! these are just some of my many thoughts on abilities and how I would like to portray/tweak them in the story. if you've read the wings au, you know i've added a few variations and messed around with the abilities a little there, so it was a lot of fun to do them for these too!

seriously it's so interesting to me I could keep talking about abilities forever

#this isn't necessarily how I would have sophie use each of them #just the potential i'd like them to have #i don't think she'd cut people in half with the void #but i think it would be cool if it was a possibility! or if she did it on accident!!#if i don't stop now i never will /hyp #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc abilities #long post #quil's queries #nonsie #anonymous

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poptod · 4 years ago

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I don’t know if you take requests for Benjamin but could you do a fic between him and a sorceress/sorcerer reader. Maybe they meet in the forest and he watches her/him (maybe it becomes a series)?

notes: ooo that's a good idea! i've never written for him before (or seen twilight) but ill try my best. notes extra: i just finished watching a compilation of rami in twilight and holy shit twilight is so fucking bad its hilarious anyway. didn’t stay all that true to the prompt (sorry) but I hope it’s sufficient nonetheless

That's not quite right.

For several weeks now, there's been something off about the scents in the forest. He's not the only one to have noticed the change, but he is the only one suspicious of it, which he assumes is part due to his connection with the earth. It doesn't bother him, their lack of concern – for some reason, he prefers searching on his own. Hours spent alone amongst the tall, dark trees lined with glittering snow, humming to himself, and tracking the changes in the air.

Today is especially quiet. Almost silent. While it's uncharacteristic for the world to fall silent, it's a common sight in this forest, where nothing quite lives anymore. The trees feel more like stone beneath his fingertips than like wood, and the snow at his feet freezes his skin far colder than it should.

As the strange scent grows stronger the feeling begins to linger in his own steps, tracing the only walkway through the snow in all the forest, marking him as the singular disturber of the peace. His heart pounds as the dread weighs heavier yet in his chest.

It comes to a point where the pressure is overwhelming, pulling down on his shoulders and legs, begging him to kneel in the presence of nothing more than a sun-lit clearing. Nothing grows in the dirt circle, but there has to be something about it; the snow doesn't cover the earth like it does in meters just steps away. He pauses just outside the edge. Here is where the scent is strongest – there is no doubt.

When he raises his hand to where the sunlight streams from above, he finds a hard surface to press his hand against. His brow quirks upward as he presses harder, gauging the invisible material, wondering as to its' origins. It's a sort of magic, though he can't tell the type. Maybe pagan.

Warmth flows through him when he chants reveal in a silent language. A simple command, and the protection spell around the circle is weak enough to fall at the utterance of his spell.

The mirage falls in just a second, dripping down from the sky like a cloak till what remains is a stone tower. Moss and vines creep their way up the cracks and fissures, somehow still a vibrant green in winter, and presumably kept that way by the warm sunshine falling on this particular spot. The scent, though – it's intoxicating. Not quite good, but not unpleasant either. More like a potion mix of lavender and mustard seed. It overpowers all his other senses, begging him to give in further to his curiosity.

Muttering and footsteps sound from behind him, and in a flash he's hidden behind a small cluster of trees, peeking through the bark to see the clearing and tower.

You appear from the dark, and the first thing he notices is the comically large hat on your head. It covers your face entirely in shade, and though most of your other clothes are just as comically too big for you, it's... cute. You look smaller than you already are, and for some reason Benjamin finds himself blushing. The walking stick in your hand rises high above your head, carrying a crystal atop it that reflects the sunlight in a red hue, casted like stained glass on the white snow.

You're mumbling to yourself as you slowly make your way to the tower's entrance. His eyes widen when he notices a trail following you – half-baked spells and enchantments that glitter like dust in the sun's rays, dissipating in the air before they can fall to the ground. It draws his eyes to the book in your hands that's the size of his head, with old tattered pages covered in notes.

There's a druid in the forest.

He decides it's best if he's the only one to know. The others can get far too protective of territory, misunderstanding the modern way of the world all too easily. It takes a little work to make sure they don't wander too close to your hidden tower, or catch onto your scent and rambling spells, and soon he finds himself with a full-time job of protecting you. Oh well – it's something to do, and in the evenings he can watch you beside the river almost fully frozen over with ice.

The scarf wrapped around your neck is a little too big, drooping onto the ground from your shoulders hunched over the ice. Benjamin's beginning curiosity surrounding you has by now grown into a fondness, strange as it may be. You aren't all that good at protection spells or defensive spells, but you can bend life to your will, moving the water and plants without the power of crystals or runes. The trees seem to whisper everywhere you go, leaves and pines breaking off the branches to simply follow you. He can hardly blame them – he's following you too, after all.

Your nose has turned a blushing pink from the cold, a hint that leads him to believe you're human. Blood and all. Maybe that's part of the reason he likes watching you. You're the only creature within fifty miles that still has warm blood, as all the creatures of the forest have long been driven away by the mere presence of Benjamin and his cult.

It's a few weeks in before he notices that you're humming each time you speak. As though put under a curse, each word you mumble goes to a tune, one that haunts his dreams the second he hears it. All that long term exposure to you must be doing something to his brain – something that convinces him he needs to protect you, something that tells him he shouldn't dare speak to you.

He knows that since you're a druid, you're aware of the existence of the supernatural, but that fact brings little comfort to him as his tongue traces his fangs, watching you with hooded, red eyes. Your magic is different from his own, though to the outside eye the two of you are far more similar than he'd deem correct. The definitions of your different magics are a little shaky, but after some thought he decides that yes, you are a druid. Not a witch, or a warlock, or a sorcerer – none of them quite fit the powers that you have. The way the earth bends to your step.

If Benjamin can't find you at the tower there's only one other place you are; the river. It's still half-frozen over, but as of recent you haven't been all that focused on the water. For the most part you're focusing on the earth, melting the snow beneath you in order to reach it.

You're humming again. Watching the ground with focused eyes, holding glowing fingertips above the fertile earth.

"Idir ann is idir as," you sing, and it must be the first time he's clearly heard your voice, as it circles his head like whiskey and sways the trees into a gentle dance.

Whatever language you're singing, it must be a sort of enchantment. Maybe an offering of good wealth to the lifeless forest. All the world seems to hum in harmony with you, creating your own orchestra that swells with every breath you take.

"As an sliogán, Amhrán na farraige..."

"Suaimhneach nó ciúin – Ag cuardú go damanta."

When did he start humming?

How does he know the tune?

Something is in the air. It's like that scent all over again – all he can think of, all he can feel is you and your magic, overpowering the thoughts of ancient trees and godless skies.

"Between the here, between the now," you sing softly, and he could swear he almost had a heartbeat again, just to lose it in your hypnotic song.

Now you're singing in English – a language he can obviously understand – and with his curiosity towards the meaning of the lyrics gone, he can concentrate on the spells falling from your hand. Tiny stars, tiny universes drift down from your fingertips, landing on the earth as a sprout of vibrant green begins to stretch upwards, a small, white bud on the end.

"Neither quiet nor calm... searching for love again."

It doesn't feel like something so heavenly could come from you. Actually, the way your voice echoes in the forest, the way it combines with your magic makes it feel as though it's coming down from the sky like rain, falling on waiting ears and eager eyes.

When did he start singing with you, under his breath?

How does he know the lyrics?

"Between the stones, between the storm Between belief, between the sea I am in tune..."

And then it stops. The swell dissipates and what you're left with is a white flower sprouted in the ground, the center a vibrant purple that fades into the soft petals.

It's the only color the frozen forest has.

He doesn't quite know what he's doing, when he emerges from his hiding spot long after you return to your home. The sun will rise soon and the others expect him back before then, but something pulls him, something forces him to stay as 'something' always does. It's probably your lingering magic – that's what he reasons as he steps closer to your flower, wide eyes observing every detail of the white and purple petals.

Kneeling in the snow, he raises his hand above the flower, shifting the wind to brush against the single leaf and allow the pollen to float into the air. Magic like yours falls from his hand – golden stars, drifting onto the ground where they stay like gemstones. It takes a moment before the earth willingly absorbs them, but the moment it does another flower sprouts and blooms much faster than yours did.

Two of them sit there now, one purple and the other blood red. You'll find it - he knows you will. You come here almost every day.

He walks back home with your song occupying all his thoughts, twisting and tweaking him even hours after. It echoes in his head, over and over and over again, until all he can think of is you.

Neither quiet nor calm

Searching for love again...

#benjamin x reader #twilight benjamin #rami malek #rami malek character

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1-800-roflmao · 4 years ago

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Wash Day Delight Pt. 1

Fandom: Undertale (Video Game)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Warnings Apply

Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale) & Reader

Characters: Papyrus (Undertale), Reader, Original Characters, Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), reader is poc, reader is mixed, Reader has curly hair, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Friendship, Wholesome, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, I’m Bad At Summaries, Not Beta Read

*Felt a need to write a fiction about a reader with thick, curly hair. And the Papyri in her life wanting to get their hands in it.

“Girl, you’ve got a lot a hair!” She could feel the corner of her mouth tweak up in amusement beneath her mask. It would not be the first or last time she heard those words. Yet they always brought her amusement, especially considering the move she was about to pull next.

“What if I told you this was only half of it?” she challenged the woman, eyes lighting up mischievously, while her client’s eyes widened only a fraction before narrowing in suspicion. Oh, she loved doing this. Not another word could be uttered before she laid the papers in her hands down neatly against the counter and was digging her fingers gently into her curls. She threw her client a sly wink as she lifted her curls up from her nape and turned her face to the side. An intricate undercut was now fully on display. She had gone with a diamond pattern this time. They laid like neat scales, stretching and repeating from her temple down to her ear, and back to her nape before looping back around. Some were painted with a gold mica for a little accent.

She couldn’t help the little giggle that escaped as she heard the woman’s dramatic gasp. “You weren’t kidding!” She could hear the smile in the older woman’s voice and it warmed her that her antics and hair could bring joy to some. “Oh, I wish I had hair like yours…” She wouldn’t be saying that if she knew how much work this hair was. Plus, her hair had to be finicky to boot. “I’d never cut it! Oh, the things I could do with it!” The novelty would wear off she was sure. A wig would probably be a more practical option. Letting her hair fall back into place, she gently finger combed it and pulled on the ends to help situate it. “Was it..” she lifted a brow at the pause, her fingers releasing a curl and watching as it bounced back into place, hiding it’s true length as it coiled back up. “... oh… hard? Yes, hard to choose to cut it?”

Oh, that was an easy question to answer. “Nope.” The answer was short, but not curt. Her voice warm and her eyes curving with mirth at the other’s disbelieving look. “I’ve had my hair much shorter than this at one point. Actually had it shaved all around for a good bit,” she admitted with a shrug. She was pretty sure her client was pouting under her mask and that made her smile more beneath hers. She finally took this moment to look over the other. She saw nothing wrong with the older woman’s beautifully white hair. It was obviously well taken care of and so long as you weren’t looking for flaws, you couldn’t tell that the senior’s hair was thinning. Effort had been put in, most likely with rollers, layers, and hairspray, to fluff and shape the thin, delicate strands into a soft coif. “Your hair is beautiful as well. I can only hope mine looks as good as yours when I’m your age.” The compliment was just as genuine as it was meant to comfort.

She watched as thin shoulders dropped and the crows feet at the edge of her client’s eyes eased. “You’re too kind,” the old woman tittered. Hands just as thin with joints a little swollen from arthritis lifted to bashfully touch her hair.

“A friend of mine says one can never be too kind, Mrs…” the young woman rebuked lightly while letting her voice drift off towards the end, fishing for a name.

“Mrs. Ida Thomas,” the elder filled in, smile reaching her eyes. Those eyes dipped down to look for a name tag, but found it missing. Her eyes darted back up, flustered, after hearing a little chuckle from the young woman across the counter. She was spared any more embarrassment as the other provided her name with a hand outstretched over the desk, palm open and fingers gently splayed. Her darker skin tone stood out against Mrs. Ida’s nearly translucent hue as they shook.

“Now, Mrs. Thomas, why don’t we get back to why you initially came in here?” she prompted, releasing the other’s hand and picking up the papers she had put down earlier. It was back to business after those words as she lead the consultation.

It would be nearly two hours later before she would finally be showing Mrs. Ida out politely. The two had gotten off topic again, but the tinkling of the little bell from above the front door of her office broke through their conversation. If that hadn’t done it, the cheerful and unmistakably loud call of her name in a familiar voice through the small space would have certainly done it. She smothered a chuckle as Mrs. Ida lightly jumped in her seat at the volume and suddenness. “That would be my friend, Papyrus,” she stated like it provided all the answers needed.

Mrs. Ida only nodded, currently turned in her seat with a curious gaze locked on the doorway. They could hear sure steps getting closer and closer as he marched his way to the inner sanctum. “He is quite… enthusiastic,” the older woman carefully chose her words and the younger held back a snort in response. Oh, she had no idea. She counted the seconds down in her head before finally the door to her private office was thrown open and the towering figure of the monster skeleton stepped inside with a flourish and yet another loud call of her nickname. She was sure if he was wearing his battle armor that the little cape on it would have been blowing in the nonexistent wind. How this monster managed to break physics always astounded her. Instead, he was dressed in blue training shorts and a loose pastel sweater over top his usual black tights that clung to his bones. On his feet were thankfully a pair of bright red trainers, rather than his fire engine red boots. Atleast they matched the just as bright red gloves.

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE TO FULFILL HIS DUTIES AS THE GREATEST FRIE-” his monologue broke off as he finally took in the additional, apparently unexpected occupant of the office. “OH!” he jolted, empty sockets widening comically before he gathered himself and cleared his nonexistent throat, “Oh.” His volume dipped to what could be considered an “inside voice” considerately. The poor old woman had at first been in awe at the tall skeleton monster, but that awe had been replaced with a strained expression at the booming voice bouncing and filling the small space. The young woman was sure the skeleton had noticed and being the sweetheart he is, he had lowered his voice for the old woman’s comfort.

Before the moment of silence could stretch into something awkward, she gently tapped a nail on her desktop and then pushed herself to stand with one palm pressed flat to the smooth wood. With her other hand, she waved to the skeleton monster, “Papi-rus,” she greeted, having to stop herself from saying his nickname at the moment. She pouted under her mask as she noticed the little quirk to his teeth that gave away he was very much aware of her slip. She powered on and nodded her head to her client, “I was just finishing with Ms. Ida here,” she informed, introducing the two at the same time.

Ms. Ida seemed at a loss for words as Papyrus bounced back with a gloved hand thrust forward enthusiastically for a handshake. “Consider Yourself Lucky To Have Met THE GREAT PAPYRUS This Day, Hu- MRS. IDA!” She held in an inelegant snort at her friend’s efforts to keep his volume under control. Bless him. And bless Mrs. Ida who seemed even more starstruck, but thankfully had recovered just enough to lift a hand and take his. The old woman was now blinking at their hands as the skeleton’s much larger one gently gripped hers and was soon joined his other, sandwiching hers. She still hadn’t said a word and it took the young woman finally releasing a giggle to knock her out her stupor.

“Oh, goodness me! I have been so rude,” Mrs. Ida gasped, eyes lifting to look up at the skeleton who had leaned down with a concerned tilt to his teeth and scrunch to his surprisingly malleable eye sockets. “And I’ve worried you, I apologize, sweetie,” she went to hide behind her free hand, but seemed to think better of it and instead patted his hands that were still gripped around one of her own.

“Nyeh Heh Heh! It Is Quite Alright.” Papyrus’s words, but mostly his genuine laughter as his features brightened up seemed to melt the tension from the elder. “Afterall, That Sort of Reaction Is Expected-” the younger watched her client blink as the skeleton monster struck a pose. He stood tall, head held high, and one hand pressed to his purposely puffed chest with fingers splayed dramatically. His expression couldn’t look more smug and proud… then again, this was Papyrus. He could find a way and considering she had met some of his cousins, she knew it was possible. “-When One Meets A Skeleton As Cool As I Am! Wink!”

She could see her client’s eyes crinkling as she was undoubtedly smiling under her mask up at the monster. If it wouldn’t ruin the moment, she’d have taken a picture of the wholesome moment for memories. Instead, she gently tapped at her phone’s screen and it illuminated, displaying the time. Eyes widening briefly, she glanced up at the clock on the wall as well before sparing a glance out the window. The sun was not visible, but the world wasn’t quite dark yet. It was the cool colors of twilight that dominated the world outside. “It’s later than I realized,” she commented, mostly to herself, but the other two occupants still heard her and broke from their idle chatter.

Mrs. Ida peeked out the window as well before looking at her own wrist watch with a chuckle. Papyrus nodded in affirmation with arms crossed, not bothering to look outside or look to any clock. No, his focus was acutely on the youngest human in the room. Though his sockets lacked any eyelights, she could feel his gaze on her as those sockets narrowed. Leave it to Papyrus to scold her without saying a word; though she’s sure he’s practically vibrating in his metaphorical boots to lecture her. The reason he did not expect any guests in her office was because she should have been closing up a good hour ago and been ready to go by the time he stepped through her door. He was always punctual and most times early.

Subconsciously, she twirled and pinched a curl at the nape of her neck as she looked away guiltily to the oh so interesting texture of the wood floors.

Mrs. Ida giggled at the silent exchange. Just what had she interrupted? Had they had a date planned? As amusing and precious as it was to watch the two, she would take pity on the girl. A smirk curved her lips under her mask as she decided to help the young agent out. She released a dramatic sigh before looking over and up to Papyrus. “Mind giving an old woman a hand? These joints of mine get stiff when I’ve idled too long,” she beckoned with an outstretched hand. It worked like a charm as the skeleton’s attention was immediately focused on the old woman. Once again, her hand was swamped in his gloved digits and with surprising care for someone so boisterous, he helped her stand.

“Stiff Joints Are Never Fun. I Would Know!” he joked, beaming as he earned yet another soft titter from the frail looking human before him. She looked so small and her hand, it felt… fragile. Like if he gripped too hard or moved too harshly, she would break. He offered his other hand for her to grip as well as she straightened up and steadied herself.

“I’m sure you do,” Mrs. Ida playfully replied. Her eyes moved back to the young woman who had finally left from behind her desk and now stood before the duo. “I’m sorry about taking up all your time like this,” she dipped her head to the young woman who quickly responded with raised palms and a shake of her head.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Mrs. Ida,” she assured. “It’s not your fault you make such good company,” she complimented, a teasing lilt to her voice as her eyes crinkled due to her hidden smile.

The old woman hushed the younger with feigned embarrassment. “Flatterer,” she accused lightly and didn’t bother to hide an unlady-like snort as her agent just wiggled her eyebrows in response.

Papyrus hummed as he listened to the exchange. He spared an anxious glance out the window and resisted tapping his toes in impatience. Not that he didn’t enjoy meeting new people--new potential friends--, he simply wished to spend time with his already established friend for their usual outing. “I Feel I Need To Remind You Two Of What Time it Is.” The statement did not have the intended affect as the two women simply laughed after a small lull to stare up at him. “NYEH!” His little burst seemed to only make their mirth worse, “THIS IS SERIOUS. WE HAVE PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS TO GET TO!” he was pouting and he knew it, but another glance at the clock and his sockets were narrowing as he leveled an accusing glare on his human friend. “CORRECTION! WE SHOULD ALREADY BE THERE!”

Mrs. Ida was thankful for the serotonin these two had blessed her with this evening as even the skeleton’s loss of volume control couldn’t bring her down at this point. “You two are just adorable!” she was practically cooing. After taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing, she felt the giggles dissipate. “Apologies, Papyrus, Dear, but it’s a southern thing.”

A beat of silence, then. “WHAT DOES A CARDINAL DIRECTION HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?” Yet another snort left the woman and she had to bring a hand up to hover in front of her masked mouth to suppress another bout of laughter.

Fighting her own battle against a bout of giggles, the young woman managed to speak up. “She’s referring to a geographical region, Papyrus,” she clarified, “It’s a running joke that southerners don’t know how to say goodbye since they take forever to part ways.” Both women watched the monster take in the information and sighing as he nodded firmly, indicating he understood. Not a moment later they were jumping as he straightened up, one hand on his hip, and the other pointing to his roof before swinging down. Once his hand stopped, the humans found themselves staring down his finger as the skeleton somehow managed to aim an even toothier grin at them.

“AS THE ONLY ONE HERE NOT A ‘SOUTHERNER,’ ALLOW ME TO BESTOW ON YOU HUMANS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAYS TO SAY GOODBYE!” Papyrus declared, his tone exuberant, but unable to completely mask the sassy, sly lilt from his friend. Mrs. Ida, though, was none the wiser and just found the whole idea of being taught how to say goodbye entertaining. She nodded, agreeing to play along. “PERFECT! STEP ONE! LOOK AT EACH OTHER.” The two human women humored him as they made eye contact. Mrs. Ida gave the young woman an admonishing look as she wiggled those brows again. Thankfully, their teacher did not notice, or maybe he was just ignoring their antics. “GOOD! NOW, STEP TWO. REPEAT AFTER ME: GOOD NIGHT!”

It was such an abrupt order that both women just blinked in disbelief. The younger recovered first with a meager shake of her head and a giggle, “Good night, Mrs. Ida!” With a little nod to her client, the old woman replied with a just as enthusiastic farewell.

Papyrus nodded in approval with only a small narrowing of his eye sockets at the two as they giggled. “FINAL STEP: PART WAYS!” he stated with a flourished wave of his hand to the doorway. A tap on his arm brought his attention back to his friend who was gesturing for him to bend down. He did so with minimal complaint, but only completely quit his grumping as she set a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his metaphorical ear.

Mrs. Ida had only glanced at the doorway and just barely gotten to take a step before she was jumping in place as a loud gasp filled the room. Before she could question what had happened, she felt as if she was floating for a moment as she was quite literally swept off her feet and into Papyrus’s arms. She couldn’t have been more thankful for the mask mandate as it hid most of her quickly reddening face. She hadn’t been held in years, much less lifted so effortlessly. She was too stunned and flustered to utter any sort of protest.

“Sorry about that, ma’am, but with it getting dark outside, it would ease my mind if you allowed Papyrus to escort you to your car?” The old woman simply blinked at her junior and then up at the lad who currently had her suspended. Escorting was one thing, but to be carried?

“AND I FELT IN MY INFINITE WISDOM, IT WOULD BE MOST EFFICIENT IF I CARRIED YOU,” the skeleton interjected, reminding her that he had been aiming to teach them “efficient goodbyes.” “YOU ALSO STATED EARLIER THAT YOUR JOINTS GET STIFF. THIS WAY YOU DON’T HAVE TO STRAIN!” he added, proud and eager, “NO WORRIES ABOUT ME. MY BONES AND JOINTS ARE IN TIP TOP SHAPE! AND YOU, HUMAN IDA, ARE NO CHALLENGE TO HOLD!”

The elder just nodded along. “You were right, I was pretty lucky to meet you today,” she recalled his introduction fondly. With a final wave goodbye and short parting words, Mrs. Ida found herself being swept out the room, through a short hall, small waiting area, and finally out the front door.

That tinkling of a bell signaling to the young woman currently straightening her office and filing away papers that her client was gone and she now had until Papyrus got back to finish up.

Papyrus eased his impatience by thinking of his current task as training. A very easy warm up. A very unexpected, unplanned warm up. The elderly human’s… Mrs. Ida’s weight in his arms was no challenge; and despite the buzz in limbs begging him to move faster, the memory of her frail hands and aching bones helped keep him grounded. He settled into a steady, swift pace. His long legs covering plenty of ground with each step.

At first, the two had been chatting idly and he had been quick to get her to point out where she had parked. It was alarming to learn she had not parked anywhere and he had been confused until she mentioned she had “caught” a cab. Her little giggle as she took the time to explain what she meant and that she had not literally CAUGHT a cab. He admits he is still figuring out humans’ rather creative use of words or language. She’d even taken the time to explain “euphemisms” to him as he brought her to the nearest bus stop after a quick google to check the schedule and location.

“EUPHEMISMS SEEM LIKE SOMETHING MY BROTHER WOULD ENJOY,” he had commented. Mentally, he added on that his brother would probably catch on to them easier as well. Sans, along a couple of his “cousins,” was a walking dictionary, considering his preference for crossword puzzles. Maybe his puns would improve in cleverness if he introduced him to the world of euphemisms. One could only hope. Thankfully, he had plenty of that. The conversation had continued, easy and casual, until finally the bus stop came into view and the bus just rolling up.

Papyrus picked up his pace just a bit and secured his grip on his passenger. Mrs. Ida managed to loose an arm to wave as both called to the driver to wait up. The bus remained idle thankfully and once they slowed to a stop before the door, it slid open to a rather plump man sitting in the driver’s seat who simply tipped his hat to them. “Lucky I saw you two in the rear view,” his words brought forth yet another little giggle for the old woman.

“Today is just my lucky day, it seems!” she boasted, tapping Papyrus’s shoulder as he eased her onto her own feet. The driver had gotten up and stood on the steps, hand held out to help his elder up the steps.

“Goodness, all of you are going to have me spoiled by time I get home,” she teased, taking the young man’s hand and letting him guide her up onto the step. She could feel Papyrus kept a steadying hand at her back. What a sweet gentle monster.

“Oh! Before I forget,” she chirped and turned to look over her shoulder at the skeleton. Said skeleton didn’t bother hiding his widening smile as she still had to look up at him despite her standing on the top step at this point. She had simply huffed and set a hand on her hip, “Go easy on her, big guy.” If he had eyebrows, one would have been raised at her warning tone. Before he could even part his teeth to ask her to elaborate, she was speaking again, “Unless that’s what you two are into.” If his tongue was summoned, he’d be choking on it. The driver was doing so for him as he could hear the portly human coughing and beating at his chest. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Papyrus,” she finished with a wink and her tone was so cheeky, even his dense skull knew what she was implying.

It wasn’t until the doors of the bus had closed that he could practically feel his skull burning with excess magic summoned to surface in his embarrassment. He buried his face in his hands, trying his best to muffle his flustered screech. It didn’t do much. As streets down, some poor soul was wondering if they had left their tea kettle on.

#mrs ida stole the show #she ships it #curly haired reader #thick hair #this part was mostly a warm up #meat/plot is next #papyrus #papyrus x y/n #papyrus x self insert #papyrus x reader #poc reader #skin color is only mentioned once #but feel the need to tag it despite it being vague #mrs ida is just pale #papyrus is a golden retriever #a sassy one though #fanfic #fanfiction #undertale

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evintide · 4 years ago

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i’ve spent enough time agonizing over these for the time being. there are, admittedly, a lot of things i’d like to spruce up or tweak later. but, for now, some visuals of my BOTW Midna. details and ramblings below!

PLEASE DO NOT REBLOG, REPOST OR USE MY ART !!

i’m going to put info about different things in separate parts for my own preference and for (hopefully!!) some coherence. though at the end of the day the fact that anyone is willing to indulge my hc’s has my hearty thanks!

BODY

overall Midna doesn't seem to have physically changed much from post TP, though as all Twili her body has become more frayed over time. Twili don’t necessarily age in the same way other humanoid races do, changing in what is called ‘fading’. i’ll touch more on this (yet again) in a Twili lore post, but essentially what it boils down to meaning is that her physical form gets blurry & looks ‘torn up’ around the edges.

her ears & limbs have lengthened and have retaken on some of the goblin like features she'd been cursed with a long, long time ago -- much to her chagrin. but she’s had years of coming to terms with these changes, so she’s made... a relative amount of peace with them. just don’t point out the ears. you might lose an eye if you make a fuss over them.

of course, the most notable difference is that her right arm is now completely comprised out of her magic. this limb is extremely new change to her, though she’s not totally unfamiliar in dealing with magic based appendages.

she is able to make this arm corporeal and immaterial should she wish, but should she lose consciousness or run out of enough power the arm will lose form and disappear. it does not cast a shadow, reflects no light and constantly has Twili magic particles diffusing off it. Midna typically has a cooler body temperature from being a Twili as well, but this arm has an even cooler temperature to it. not icy, but not exactly pleasant.

CLOTHING

basically the same as what she had before, though her cloak has since changed and been modified. i took heavy inspiration from this one image of her concept art:

it should be noted that the tendrils in my Midna’s design fade and trail off in a sort of ghostly manner, similar to Twili magic particle effects. the back of her hood has a faded eye symbol etched into the back of it, a bit like the on the back of the Fused Shadow helmet. she wears the same styled hip cloth but the belt with which is hangs from has changed. speaking of which...

ACCESSORIES

her headpiece has been switched out for something similar to that of the Sheikah eye with a triangular shape on top of it. she decided to make a change once she stepped down from her position as ruler of the Twilight Realm, and was gifted this headpiece to wear sometime after. the two serpents that which formerly adorned her head now wrap around her left ankle, and the creatures once inscribed upon the front of the Fused Shadow currently act as intertwining snakes on her belt. said belt also sports the symbol of the newest Sacred Beast of the Twili realm, a canine like creature with a triangle atop it’s brow, much like the one that adorns Midna’s head. she has two hair clasps to hold back her huge fountain of hair, and has small dangling adornments on the back of her hood.

she also has further headwear to match this new piece but i can’t for the life of me get the correct shape down right now. i’ll make an update later if i can ever figure it out. please use your imagination for a bit!

HAIR

last but not least, Midna’s luscious locks! there was a time when she had people to help her keep up with the sheer amount of hair she’s grown, but they have long passed and she has little desire to bother with fanciful hairstyles any more. it still remains as fiery as ever, but has taken on deeper shades of the sunset it echoes, the faintest hints of a purple like pink reflecting from it’s darker roots. the bottom of her ponytail is prehensile and ends in choppier bits than other parts of her hair. this seems to help with grasping while formed for such use, but some might say it echoes the thick scruff of an old beast she once knew. not that there’s anyone still around that would have such knowledge.

so! like i mentioned before i'll likely update some bits and pieces of her design in the future but that's the summary of it. at this point i think i have enough ideas on her to fully run a BOTW verse and will try to iron out the rest of it out soon. until then, if you got this far thanks for reading! ;w;/

#v » amongst the wilds #hc » behind the veil #you can definitely tell where my motivation started to end #LMAO _(:'3 #i wanted to make sure she kept her regal vibe but also be at least like #changed in some way since TP #i'm not sure i fully captured that but i'm p satisfied with the current result #wolf symbol seems kinda... lacking atm tho #i've chalked that up among the many 'worry about it later' things #but i wanted her to reflect some Sheikah vibes + have some call backs to her OG baes #zelda and link are always with her hee huu hyuu huuuuu :')

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thegeneralsnotebook · 4 years ago

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Adventures in Deckbuilding #185: Princess Luna, Dream Guide (Orange/White et al. Control) [Harmony]

Princess Luna, Dream Guide

Doing It My Way

Sideboard Convention:

Limestone, Popping Corn, Cleaning Up, Quantities on the Troublemakers

For this week’s deck, I was lucky to have a pre-arranged match with Hithroc to test things out on, so even I might not have been around Discord asking for a game, know that this week did at least see some action, and largely worked as intended, getting only one minor tweak after the fact. The fact that the deck broadly worked really isn’t all that surprising. Luna isn’t a Mane that I’ve worked with much in my time, so to make her something worthy I did some research in the TIA archive.

The core of this deck emerged from the Reanimator lists that saw play in the middle of 2019. But, after adding those key components like Orchard Blossom, Sweetie Belle and Smolder & Sandbar, I had to stop and wonder what was going to set this deck apart from the older ones. The trick turned out to be a matter of tricorns. The list I have on file includes Cadance, Twilight and Luna, but I decided to try Ember instead, and go for a slower, more control-oriented approach. Since I was playing control with Troublemakers and big Friends, the natural point acceleration was to farm just a little bit, and of course Pony of Shadows works great in a deck with some big stuff to find.

Farming goes well with Ember’s perhaps-forgotten trigger on not losing a faceoff, giving a couple of +1 Power counters out to our Friends. Sure, that’s nearly guaranteed to happen in any faceoff, since even we’re losing we can always just exhaust her. But if we’re winning then we’re doing even better. It’s worth pointing out that the list I was working off of did not include Staff, but with Ember in then the card makes so much sense that I couldn’t not include it.

I have honestly been somewhat surprised to not have seen any of Ember in competitive play. In the time that I got her out during my test match today, she did pretty well. I believe that I got eight counters off of her, and negated three or four faceoffs as well. Although, somewhat hilariously, one of them was my own, challenging an Epic then immediately cancelling for the two counters. It’s also worth pointing out, for those who miss it, that Ember is one of those cards with an Immediate-speed exhaust ability. Just because it only makes sense to exhaust her during a faceoff does not mean that you can’t exhaust her outside of one. Like all such cards it’s a neat trick to sometimes deny your opponent a planned faceoff. Just note that even so Ember will stay exhausted for two turns so it’s a high price to pay.

I also really enjoy the fact that this deck is perhaps overcompensating just a bit against the Trixie combo. Outside of the “normal” counters like Mimics, we also have very hard counters in Cadance and Ember. While admittedly I haven’t done any serious analysis of the matchup, it seems likely that reanimator in general could pose a nice challenge to that deck, given that we have a few Tricorns that hit it so hard.

I’m not sure if there’s a whole lot else to say here, given that the foundation of the deck was copied relatively wholesale. Golden Parachute of course makes a neat addition in the modern era, almost equally good played or discarded to fuel something else. And the Tempest Troublemaker has a number of uses, most naturally for just giving us more use out of our Mane’s rather devastating ability, but also against opposing Manes with difficult flips. While she’s been absent lately, Bubbly Mare is out there still. Harmony is plenty big enough for strategies to wait in the shadows and not to be teched against only to return and steal a tournament, after all.

This Luna has had quite the period of success in her time, and looks likely to remain relevant in Harmony, even if not played widely. As quite the unique Mane in her colour, that’s a good thing to be able to say. If only certain other Princesses could be so widely adopted across a format.

It’s starting to look like all of LL might go by before we get to look at Spell for That. After next week, with Deck #2 for Rainbow Dash, Flight Instructor, 4 of the LL Manes will have gotten their second deck before Twilight got her first!

#mlpccg #deckbuilding #adventure

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twilight-adamo · 5 years ago

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Author’s Notes: Brave New World, Chapter 1: The Parting of the Ways

In April 2018, the same day I posted the epilogue to As Dreams Are Made On, I wrote the first scene of Brave New World, and most of the second. And then I got stuck, for quite a long time. I lost myself in research, tried to build out my plans, tried to focus on other things for a time, particularly These Our Actors, which posed its own challenges - but I’ll cover that in my author’s notes on Rosalie’s installment. I had a difficult year for a number of reasons. For a time I wasn’t writing at all.

I see from the revision history that I only came back to Brave New World in February of this year, spent a couple days on it, and left it alone again until June. June was when I finally realized that there was one particular thing in my life that was destroying my mental health and my ability to create, and that I was carrying on with it out of a sense of obligation, but I’d help no one - least of all myself - if I wore myself down on it. So, reluctantly, I dropped the obligation that was dominating my mental landscape, I took a step back, and I allowed myself to breathe. I’m still not working at a hundred percent, but I am getting better. And over the last few days, I’ve been able to write again.

My original plan for this chapter had been to focus on the wedding of Charlie and Kate, and I threw myself into a ton of wedding research, wanting to get everything just right. I figured Carlisle would officiate, so I researched Anglican marriage services and drew heavily on what I found. I looked at venues and considered colors and organized the wedding party and stopped just short of actually planning an entire wedding. And I got through the ceremony, which felt shorter than it should be, and I was beginning to write what came after, and I was thinking about what I had planned for the reception (notably what probably would have been an even cheesier musical moment than the rendition of “The Best Is Yet To Come” from the epilogue of As Dreams Are Made On), and I realized...none of it was working from me. It was indulgent in a story which is already going to get indulgent in parts, but worse, it was dull. My protagonist didn’t have much to do aside from stand and watch and react.

I also wanted to have a family meeting scene where we got some sense of where everyone was going over the summer, what they were doing, and I had a choice between tacking it onto the end of an overstuffed and boring first chapter or onto the beginning of the second chapter, which I’d planned to set primarily in Jacksonville. So I finally looked at the ten or so pages of wedding stuff I’d already written, considered how much more I would need to get through and how little I would enjoy it, and decided it all had to go. The first chapter would focus entirely on the family meeting, a last goodbye to Forks before I started the grand road trip that would take up the first few chapters of the book. Once I’d figured that out, I finished the first chapter in a day or two. It’s still a little more talking than I’d like and a little less action, but I think it sets up the next chunk of story nicely, at least.

As for the stuff I didn’t cut: as I said, Bella’s nightmare was the very first thing I wrote. I’ve made some minor tweaks here and there, but it’s pretty close to what I originally wrote over a year ago. I wanted to show some of the psychological effect of Bella’s decision to start a fight with the Volturi, I wanted to show that Eleazar’s panicked reaction to whatever he saw had affected her, and I wanted to start things off with a sense of menace hanging over our heroes. The Cullens and their extended network of friends and family may not be in a state of outright war, but there is still danger lurking at the edges of their lives, and unresolved mysteries hiding just below the surface of things. I wanted to spin a vision of something that could yet be, and establish that “happily ever after” is still a long way away, down a dark and twisted road.

It was also just enormous fun to write.

And it was a nice segue into a domestic scene with Alice and Bella, a glimpse of their lives a few weeks on from our last visit with them. We already got such a glimpse in the epilogue of the last volume, but seeing as that chapter was focused largely on prom, I thought they deserved a little alone time.

I spent a great deal of time trying to work out the plan for the summer - where everyone would be going, what they would be doing. I actually nearly forgot to include Eleanor in those plans, up until the last minute. I’m sorry to say that, focused as Brave New World is on Bella’s perspective, we’re not going to see much of the others’ adventures in this text, but they’re certainly fodder for future installments of These Our Actors, and Bella will get updates here and there, particularly once everyone is reunited in Forks. Bella, Alice, Rosalie and Emmett will all have quite enough on their own plates, so hopefully none of you will be bored.

There will be much more of Renée - and Phil - in the next chapter, which will cover the gang’s time in Jacksonville. I confess I’ve never been to Jacksonville (I’ve really only visited Florida for the theme parks) so I’ve got a bit of research to do. “I’ve got a bit of research to do” is likely to be my recurring mantra on this story, as I’m trying to blow out the boundaries of this world, introduce vampires we never met in the Twilight novels from places that were never really touched on, and perhaps bring in stranger things besides. But that’s a way off. For now, I’m a little ways into Chapter 2 (and have even written a bit of Chapter 3), and having great fun writing Bella’s free-spirited mother. I hope you’ll love my take on her as much as I do.

And now, as a bonus, I present the raw text cut from Chapter 1 of Brave New World. I’ve held onto it for reference, in case I decide to draw on it for flashbacks or a future installment of These Our Actors, and it’s possible the details may change, but since I don’t have any plans for it now, I thought I’d share what I came up with before I changed directions. It’s under the cut. I’m afraid not all my formatting carried over into Tumblr’s interface, but you should get the gist.

(Picking up from the end of the scene with Bella and Alice in bed at the cottage.)

I’d been pretty scarce around Forks the last few weeks, since school let out - I’d completely missed late spring giving way to high summer. Officially, I had been busy helping my dad and his new bride with wedding preparations. In actuality, I’d spent most of that time dropping into comas, recovering from them, and moving on to the next. I’d had a limited window of opportunity to turn a few select vampires human, and no time to waste. Edward had been the first to volunteer - he’d told Angela the truth, and she’d eventually decided she wanted to be with him regardless, but he still wanted to lose his bloodlust for the time being, and needed a bit of a break from everyone else’s thoughts after the past few months. I had carefully packed his powers away for safekeeping, then taken his vampirism from him. At his request, we were leaving him human until he reached his long-delayed eighteenth birthday.

Rosalie, Eleanor and Emmett had decided to turn human, too, and I had requested that they stay that way until Carlisle had finished identifying effective birth control techniques for hybrids, or at least until the summer ended. Kate hadn’t become pregnant just yet - and I really didn’t want to consider just how miraculous that was - but I didn’t want to push our luck with another extremely sexual and potentially fertile couple. Or thruple, as the case seemed to be - they had become much more open in their mutual affections toward Eleanor since she and Jessamine had moved to Forks.

Jasper and his sister - now going by Mina to avoid confusion - had decided to stay vampires for the time being, as had Carlisle, Esme, Tanya and Irina, though I had made my tweaks to the new arrivals so they and the shifters would no longer find one another offensive, assuming the vampires all stuck to non-human blood. It was just as well. With a five day coma after each de-vamping exercise and a day for recovery, I’d been cutting things awfully close to the rehearsal and the wedding itself. And no matter what dad said, I still felt a little guilty about that, even if he and Kate had plenty of help from everyone else. Especially since I was in the wedding party, if not precisely in the role I’d expected. At least I wasn’t maid of honor or best man, so to speak - those particular honors had gone to Irina and to Harry Clearwater, respectively. But I was still expected to stand at the altar.

After a luxurious spell in bed, followed by a relaxed breakfast and a shower, Alice “helped” me dress in the tuxedo she’d made for me, complete with high-collared blouse, fitted waistcoat, and a navy blue bow tie and cummerbund, all of it tailored perfectly to my frame. In all honesty, it was a blatant excuse to get her hands all over me and take me in one last time before the ceremony, but I can’t say I minded. At last, she finished, tying my hair back with a navy ribbon and kissing me softly, leaving me to finish my makeup while she hurried to meet Kate, Irina and the other bridesmaids.

Once I’d finished preparing, there wasn’t much left to do but head for the Cullens’ house, where dad and the rest of his party would be waiting until the time came to head for the venue. A mixed crowd of humans, hybrids, werewolves and most importantly vampires meant we were taking no chances with an outdoor wedding, and we were probably one of the few wedding parties this summer hoping for rain, or at least overcast skies. Fortunately, we’d gotten the latter, at least long enough to get the vampires into the hall, and by the time the reception was over with, it would be well past sunset.

It didn’t take too long to walk to the main house from the love nest Alice and I had made of Pine Cottage, and I arrived to find the others gathered around a table in the den, in the middle of a game of poker. There were two other groomsmen after Harry and myself: Emmett, and dad’s Deputy Chief, Joe Miller. From the pile of chips in front of him and the enormous frat boy grin on his face, it looked like Emmett was taking the others for all they were worth.

“Hey Bella!” he called out, waving as I came in and gesturing at the empty seat beside my father. “Want us to deal you in?”

I chuckled, taking the seat but shaking my head. “Thanks, but Alice already warned me about you. Hey, dad. Please tell me you didn’t put your honeymoon fund on the line.”

I nudged him with my shoulder, and he slung his arm around me, giving me a brief hug. “Hi, kiddo. The honeymoon fund’s safe. Kate would kill me. You girls didn’t think to warn me?”

“Well, you know, I’ve been busy. Distracted. And I figured Emmett would be too much of a gentleman to take advantage of a man on his wedding day,” I added, shooting a mock glare at the ex-vampire in question.

“Your first mistake was assuming I’m any kind of gentleman,” Emmett returned, with a broad smirk. “Besides, I respect Charlie too much to just let him win.”

Dad gave him a deadpan look. “I’m touched. Really. You can respect me a little less, though.”

“Can’t do it, sir.” Emmett drew himself up, looking impossibly earnest, save for the twinkle in his eye. “Did I ever tell you you’re my hero? You’re everything I wish I could be.”

“He’s been like this for the last hour. I’m starting to think he’s just always on,” Deputy Chief Miller remarked, glancing my way. “How’s your summer been, Bella?”

“Trust me, this is just the tip of the iceberg with him,” I replied, gesturing at Emmett, who chuckled. “Oh, you know, good. Busy with wedding stuff, getting ready to leave town, all that. Alice and I are heading to Jacksonville with mom and Phil after the wedding, we’ll be back in August.”

“Your, uh, girlfriend’s going on vacation with you?” he said, his eyebrows rising.

“Don’t worry, Rose and me will be chaperoning,” Emmett interjected cheerfully.

Dad cleared his throat. “More importantly, Renée and her husband will be providing adult supervision. And separate guest rooms.”

I bit my lip to hide my smile. I still didn’t really have memories of my mom - or, rather, the mom I had here and now - and I’d only recently gotten to spend any time with her, since she and Phil had come to town for the wedding. It had all been e-mail and phone calls before that. But from my memory of the books, and based on my interactions with her so far, I would not really call Renée Dwyer a responsible adult, and Phil was friendly and level-headed but not really a parent to me. That suited me fine - I didn’t really feel like an actual teenager, even now, and I didn’t need active parenting - but it was apparently important to dad to keep up the convenient fiction.

What he wasn’t saying, of course, was that Jacksonville was only part of our trip. That just about everyone except Edward was leaving Forks for the summer, and that in fact he had no honeymoon fund to worry about, because Alice had arranged everything.

“Huh. Well, uh...have fun down in Florida. Is Jacksonville anywhere near the theme parks?” Miller asked, clearly ready to change the subject.

“It’s not - not any of the big ones, anyway - but Carlisle and Esme are going to join us down in Orlando for a few days before we head back,” I lied - another little fiction, this one mainly for my mom’s sake, but we were all keeping to a consistent narrative. “So we’ll be going to Disney World, anyway. The Cullens have never been, and they’ve been nice enough to invite me along.”

The deputy chief’s eyebrows shot up, and he glanced at Emmett, the lone Cullen in the room. “Seriously? What with this house and all, I sort of figured you’d be going every year.”

“Oh, we don’t travel much once we put down roots. It’s mainly just camping trips,” Emmett said. “Can’t wait to ride Space Mountain, though.”

“Gentlemen, I think we have a hand to finish?” Harry interjected at last, a little smirk on his face. “And then maybe we can find something to do that doesn’t give Emmett a chance to shake us down.”

“We have a pool table,” Emmett suggested innocently.

“We are not falling for that twice, kid,” dad said firmly. “Joe, I think it was your bet.”

“God help me,” Miller said, shaking his head as he pushed in his chips.

*****

After the game came to its merciful conclusion, we had just enough time for a movie before it was time to head for the venue. Neither dad nor Kate had been especially invested in the idea of a church wedding, so they’d picked out a lodge in the nearby woods, and asked Carlisle to officiate. I’d only seen the venue in photos. Seeing it in person, nestled among the towering pines, decorated in fairy lights and banners of blue and silver and lavender, the whole scene accompanied by the sounds of the wind in the trees and the river flowing nearby...I was simply awestruck by everything that lay before me.

“Well then. Guess this is our cue to go around back and get in position,” Harry said, clapping my dad on the shoulder. “You ready for this, Charlie?”

I looked over at dad. He, too, seemed briefly stunned and frozen. But when Harry spoke, he started to break into a grin. “Yeah,” he agreed quietly. “Yeah, I think I am.”

“You’ve got this, dad.” I turned to him and gave him a loose hug. “I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“I love you, too, Bells,” he said, hugging me back and kissing the top of my head. “Go on, then, I know you’re eager to see Alice.”

“God, you make it sound like we’re codependent,” I complained, lightly, pulling back. Not that he was entirely wrong: I could definitely feel a tingle of excitement running through me as I headed inside with Emmett and the deputy chief.

The rest of the wedding party was gathered in the lodge’s tiny lobby, preparing for their grand entrance to the great room. We didn’t have a ring bearer or a flower girl - Harry had the rings - but everyone else was prepared to play their role. I wasted no time making my way to Alice’s side, slipping my arm around her waist, while Emmett followed me at a more sedate pace, chuckling softly as he joined Rosalie.

“We were never that bad,” he remarked to Rose, looking at the two of us.

“Oh, you were worse,” she returned, smirking up at him. He made a scandalized noise in response.

“Is that how we’re going to play it, Rose? ‘Cause I seem to recall a particularly insatiable little -”

“How did the wedding prep go?” I asked Alice, tuning the two of them out as I turned to kiss her cheek. “You look gorgeous.”

“Mmm, I’d hope so, after all that. It was nice to be pampered. The makeup artist was a bit of a perfectionist, but Kate got the worst of it,” she replied, looking up at me through her lush, dark eyelashes, a smile curving her red lips. Her hair framed her face in messy waves, and of course she looked amazing in her bridesmaid’s dress - lavender, strapless, accented in silver, tailored to fit the individual figures of each woman in Kate’s wedding party. “It’s possible the poor woman suffered a static shock or two.”

“I told Kate to use her powers for good,” I joked, my eyes sweeping over the room. Eleanor and Deputy Chief Miller, who’d be escorting her up the aisle, had joined Emmett and Rose, and the deputy chief seemed a little lost and perhaps slightly scandalized by the increasingly shameless flirting among the trio. And Kate, as might be expected, was sandwiched between her maid of honor, Irina, and Tanya, who’d be giving Kate away in the place of their mother.

Kate, naturally, looked absolutely incredible. Her normally straight blonde hair had been curled and bound up in an elaborate updo, and dangling silver and sapphire earrings glittered at her earlobes. A brass pendant, formed in a sort of hammer shape and decorated with elaborate, curling lines, hung from a chain about her neck. Her wedding dress was also strapless, all white and silver, the bodice clinging tightly to her figure as it swept down to the full skirts that frothed about her legs, interrupted only by a lavender sash tied about her waist. She looked radiantly happy, her joy outshining her natural hybrid glow.

Alice and I made our way over to her, and I offered a slightly hesitant one-armed hug. “You look amazing, Kate. I just wanted to wish you and dad all the best, one more time, before we get started.”

“Thank you, Bella,” she replied, returning the hug, awkwardly at first, but we both relaxed into a genuine embrace after a moment. “I’m...well I’m glad you’ve accepted all this so easily. And that your mother has been so welcoming. I wasn’t sure…”

“Please, don’t worry about it,” I told her softly, though I could feel that slight, uneasy shift in the pit of my stomach, even now. I tried to quiet it: I’d seen how happy dad and Kate were, how good they were for each other. They were the same people they’d always been, or at least dad was, but happier. Still...the mating bond hadn’t given either of them much choice. I worried about that, as I still, sometimes, worried about Alice. As fast as I’d fallen for her, I’d still been able to do so on my own terms. That was something Alice never got to do, and a chance dad and Kate would never have.

I forced a smile nonetheless as I continued, practiced enough now to make it genuine - which it was, really, mostly, despite my doubts. “Both of us just want dad to be happy. And you make him so happy - I’ve seen it, and now mom’s seen it, and she’s already remarried. She loves my dad but...they didn’t work. You two do. You just...fit.”

Maybe Kate caught something in my body language or my tone, despite all my best efforts, because she looked at me with faintly troubled eyes. But just as she was opening her mouth to say something more, we all heard the music starting in the other room, and Irina clapped her hands.

“Positions, everyone! Bridesmaids and groomsmen, go,” she announced, loud and clear. There was no more time to chat.

Alice and I were last in the procession of groomsmen and bridesmaids, and she nudged me gently as we swept into the room, murmuring softly. “You all right? You just seem…”

“I’m fine,” I whispered, through my smile, as we walked down the aisle under Carlisle’s benevolent gaze, surrounded by our family, friends and loved ones, going to meet dad and Harry at the altar. “Just getting in my own head a little.”

“Mmmm. Stop it,” she said, squeezing my arm as our moment came to part. “We’ll talk later.”

I nodded, very slightly, and we took our positions on either side of the aisle, watching Irina walk up last of all. The music changed, shifting to a classic bridal march, and everyone’s eyes were on Kate as Tanya walked her slowly and gracefully up the aisle. She was smiling brightly enough to transform her face into something even more beautiful, and broadly enough that it seemed like her face might crack in two, and I knew without looking that dad’s gaze was locked on her, his smile just as bright. Love and passion just radiated off the two of them, a palpable force filling the room from wall to wall. The room fell to a reverent hush, and for a moment I would have sworn I could hear their two hearts beating as one.

At last, the moment was broken by Carlisle’s voice, deceptively soft and yet resonant enough to fill the room. “Cherished friends, we come together today to witness the joining of Charles Geoffrey Swan and Katrina Sashova in holy matrimony, to ask for God’s blessing upon their union, to share in their joy, and to celebrate their love. For of all the gifts bestowed upon us by our Creator, love is the most precious, the most fragile, and the most important. As it is written in First Corinthians, love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

“We are taught that marriage is a gift of love, for God is love. It is a gift of God in creation and a means of God’s grace, for through this holy mystery, two become as one. Marriage is given that each partner might help the other, living faithfully in need and in plenty, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy. It is given that with delight and with tenderness those so joined might know each other in love, and that through the joy of spiritual and of bodily union, they may strengthen the connection between their hearts and minds. Marriage is a grace visited not only upon those joined in matrimony but upon all their loved ones - not only upon any children that may arise from the union but also upon their beloved community.

“In marriage, those so joined belong to one another, and embark upon a new life within their community. It is not a gift to be taken lightly, carelessly, or selfishly, but reverently, responsibly, and after serious thought. This is the way of life that Charles and Katrina are now to begin. I have been privileged to know them, and privileged to witness their love for one another. I believe with all my heart that these two are meant to be one. And now I must ask: if anyone here knows of any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Silence followed. I wasn’t expecting anything else, but even so, it felt like the world had let out a breath it didn’t know it had been holding. Dad and Kate beamed at one another once again.

“Very well,” Carlisle said, breaking into a warm smile of his own. “Charles and Katrina, I now invite you to join hands and to deliver your vows in the presence of God and of all assembled here. May you speak honestly and without reservation, from the bottom of your hearts.”

Dad and Kate stepped forward, closer to one another, joining hands, and for a moment dad seemed at a loss for words, until his perfect hybrid memory kicked in and he found his place once more. He cleared his throat and chuckled nervously under his breath. “I, Charles Swan, take you, Katrina Sashova, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward: for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. I swear to love, cherish, and honor you each day, from now until my last day on this Earth, in God’s name and by God’s grace.”

“I, Katrina Sashova, take you, Charles Swan, to be my lawfully wedded husband,” Kate returned, her eyes shining just slightly, her face aglow with more than the usual hybrid radiance. “To have and to hold from this day forward: for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. I swear to love, cherish, and honor you each day, from now until my last day on this Earth, in God’s name and by God’s grace.”

“I believe the best man has the rings?” Carlisle said, taking them gently as Harry offered them, and cradling one in each hand. “God, by your blessing, let these rings to be to Charles and Katrina be a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, to remind them of the vow and the covenant which they have made this day in your holy presence. Amen.”

With that, he handed the rings off, and I could see dad’s fingers tremble just a little, almost imperceptibly, as he slipped Kate’s ring on her finger. “With this ring, I pledge myself to you, giving you all that I am, and sharing with you all that I have.”

Kate echoed his words softly, slipping his ring onto his finger in turn, and Carlisle joined their hands together, covering them loosely with his own.

“What God has seen fit to join, let no man put asunder,” he pronounced solemnly. “And by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Charlie, you may kiss your bride.”

They were moving before he was done talking, and somehow mustered enough restraint to move slow enough for the human eye to follow, though I heard more than a little laughter at their eagerness nonetheless. Charlie swept Kate readily into his arms, tilting her back just a little as they kissed fiercely, her bouquet dropping to the ground as her hands reached up to cup his cheek.

The room broke into wild applause, with a few hoots and whistles mixed in, and my eyes caught Alice’s as we clapped. For one wild, breathless moment, I wanted to throw caution to the wind, speed to her side and take her in my arms as well, hell, maybe even tell Carlisle to marry us here and there. But just a split second later, I felt a sort of coolness rushing through me, like a cold shower inside my mind, and my gaze swept into the audience, where Jasper raised one eyebrow at me expressively and inclined his head. I gave him a sheepish grin, then looked back at Alice, who winked and blew me a kiss before turning her attention back to the matter at hand. A triumphant march played as the wedding party swept back outside for photos and drinks and all the rest while the lodge staff moved everything around again for the reception.

*****

“I’ll be honest, that was way more God than I was expecting,” Callie remarked to me, once I’d been excused from modeling duty and we had a moment alone.

I shrugged. “Dad and Kate believe in a vague something. It was enough to have a vaguely religious ceremony. Besides, Carlisle’s dad was an Anglican pastor.”

Callie downed some of her sparkling cider, her eyes narrowing at me. “Is that a ‘lingering obsession with Twilight factoid’ or an ‘I spend all my time around the Cullens’ factoid?”

“Column A, column B,” I said, with another slight shrug. “I already knew about it, but I mean, we do talk. Anyway, Carlisle’s not nearly as hardcore as his father was, but he’s religious enough and in the know, so…”

“Vaguely religious ceremony. Right. Gotta say it was probably also the shortest wedding I’ve ever been to,” Callie replied, before looking sadly at her half-full glass. “And it’s the most sober wedding I’ve been to in a while. For us, anyway.”

“Yeah, being legally underage definitely has its downside. And please, you saw that kiss - I don’t think we could’ve gotten those two to wait much longer.”

Callie snorted. “True. Hell, you and Alice probably won’t even make it past ‘dearly beloved’.”

Mom chose that moment to come up just behind Callie, her eyebrows rising at the remark, and I immediately started laughing just a little too loudly. “Ha ha! Like we’re about to get married - which we’re not - because I’m seventeen! I am still just...seventeen. And in high school. And not even thinking about getting married. Yep. Good one, Cal, mom, you remember Callie.”

Callie stared at me and shook her head slightly before turning to face my mother. “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Dwyer. Did you enjoy the ceremony?”

“I did, thank you,” mom said, granting me a brief respite as she smiled warmly at Cal. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything over here.”

I shot Callie a pleading glance, and she looked in my direction just long enough to smirk at me before shaking her head. “No, not at all. I should probably go meet up with my parents. You two should catch up. See you later.”

“Of course. We’ll see you around,” mom agreed, and Callie gave a slight wave and moved off. I glared daggers at her retreating back, just for a moment, while mom watched her leave and shook her head. “I still have no idea how you get a nickname like ‘Callie’ out of a name like ‘Tara Chen’.”

“It just suits her,” I mumbled, sighing. “Long story.”

“If you say so. Now, let me look at you.” Mom turned back to me, putting her hands on my shoulders, taking me in. “I still can’t believe how big you’ve gotten, Bella. Or how...oh, what’s the word....dashing, maybe? How dashing you look in that suit.”

#twilight #twilight fanfiction #twilight fanfic #twilight au #the tempest trilogy #the tempestverse #bellice #brave new world

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clarascuro · 6 years ago

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Clara Reads City of Bones Part 3: Hogwarts Institute for Witchcraft and Shadowhunting

The Plot Thus Far

When last we left off, our lovable cardboard cutout protagonist, Clary Fray, had been attacked by a demon called a Ravener and taken to a place called “The Institute”. After three days of recovery, she has an uncomfortable (for us) conversation with Isabelle Lightwood, where we learn that Isabelle is hot and that we, the audience, should hate her for that, and also that Jace Wayland lives with the Lightwood family because his parents are dead. We are meant to feel bad about this. We are meant to feel sorry for Jace, which is a bit of a tall order, considering that Jace Wayland is the worst person to ever smirk and shrug his way through a YA book. If I were trapped in an elevator with him I wouldn’t even wait five minutes to be rescued, I’d pry those doors open and just drop. Death is cruel but quality time with Jace Wayland is crueler.

So Clary leaves the hospital wing and goes down a long hallway, lead by the sound of someone playing a piano. Last time I said that it was Alec (Isabelle’s brother) who played piano, and that it was his only character trait, but nope!! It’s actually my favorite boy Jace, that sack of human refuse! So I guess Alec has no personality, actually. Anyway, they have some “witty” “banter”, and then Alec takes her to the library to talk to the head of the Institute, Hodge Starkweather, and, yeah. I think it’s time to talk about the Harry Potter stuff.

The Harry Potter Stuff

You know how E.L. James made minor changes to her crappy Twilight fanfic and then published it as 50 Shades of Gray? Well, as near as anyone can figure out, this is basically the same thing that Cassandra Clare did with her Harry Potter fanfic The Draco Trilogy. Just change the names, tweak the backstories ever so slightly, slap on a crappy cover and publish that sucker! It’s technically not plagiarism anymore! This is how you end up with stuff like "The Institute”, a secret school to teach young magic kids to control their powers, or Hodge Starkweather, elderly magic professor, who, one could argue, is a crackpot old fool teaching our protagonists magic tricks. (Gosh, how does Clare come up with this stuff?)

This obviously isn’t proof of any kind, but when the villain of your story is named “Valentine” and he’s an evil magic user who has been dead for sixteen years (the age of our secretly magic protagonist) and the main characters are afraid to even say his name...yeah, it doesn’t exactly take a genius to figure out where all of this comes from.

Now all this is frustrating, but it’s also hilarious. I mean, the big bad of the story is called Valentine. VALENTINE. And I actually laughed out loud for several minuted when I first read the name “Hodge Starkweather” to myself. I still get a little chuckle typing this. Oh, and since the word “muggle” would have JK Rowling’s lawyers on her ass faster than light, the word Cassandra Clare uses for non-magic people is...”Mundie”. It’s short for “mundane”. Like...first of all this is objectively hilarious. Second, mundane just means “normal”. If the Shadowhunter society is magical, then aren’t they they mundane ones? I know humans don’t have magic, but we still figured how to like, fly and stuff. That has to count for something. If I saw a dog that taught himself how to read, I wouldn’t like, make fun of him for not also being able to talk. I’d be like “Shit! That’s a pretty impressive fucking dog!” like what the fuck?

Anyway, this is all just a roundabout way to say that obviously this used to be a HP fic that through some twist of fate landed a publishing deal. And you know, it’s not as brain-meltingly bad as 50SoG, so who cares? Cassandra Clare’s just having fun, so who cares if her writing gets published?

Well...

The Plagiarism

So, yeah, she plagiarized lot. Like a lot. The Draco Trilogy has lines of dialogue taken directly from shows like Red Dwarf, Black Adder, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett novels. Quoting shows apparently used to be pretty common in the early days of fanfiction, so there is context to consider here, but it gets worse. Cassandra Clare lifted almost a whole chapter, nearly word for word, from an out-of-print fantasy series called The Hidden Land, by Pamela Dean. On top of that, Clare was sued in 2016 by author Sherrilyn Kenyon, whose Darkhunter series predates Clares Shadowhunters series. (And for the record, Clare’s series was originally titled Darkhunters. Yikes.) You guys can read the full(ish) stories here and here.

I Guess I Have To Keep Talking About The Plot Now

Sigh. So after Hodge Starkweather (A+ naming there) tells them about Valentine, he explains that Shadowhunters are angel-human hybrids? Or something? They’re special, and they fight demons. Also faries, vampires, werewolves, all that stuff exists. We’re stuck with the Shadowhunters, however, because God has punished me for my hubris, and my work is never done. (Oh look, I just plagiarized Brian David Gibert. I’m a real author now, like Cassandra Clare!) The Shadowhunters were started thousands of years ago by a man named, I shit you not, Jonathan Shadowhunter. JONATHAN. FUCKING. SHADOWHUNTER. Why the fuck am I trying to come up with clever names for my characters? I should just name them all “Alex Clarasbook” and call it a fucking day. Fuck.

Anyway after a thrilling conversation with Alec-Who-Has-No-Personality, we find out that he does have a personality! His personality is that he hates humans. Oh, excuse me, “mundies.” Yep, that’s the best way to make a character relatable. Just make ‘em fucking racist. It’s okay though, it’s only magical racism so it evens out. Have I mentioned that this story has no poc?

(Oh also Clary’s mom was a Shadowhunter, but 1. I hate Clary and 2. literally a newborn baby could’ve figured that out, so)

Clary and Jace leave the Institute to go back to Clary’s house, and Clary slaps Jace, an act that brings me such joy that only the birth of my firstborn child will ever eclipse it, and even then, it will be it close tie. The moment is quickly over, however, as Clary immediately feels bad about it, because again, she is not a character. She’s a Walmart mannequin created for Jace to make out with. Then she sees two girls looking at Jace, and, in what can only be called the true essence of the book, “Clary turned instant traitor against her gender.” Just as a reminder, Clary sucks.

Anyway they get to her house, kill a giant, talk to a witch, yaddah yaddah yaddah. Basically nothing happens except the inevitable unraveling of my mental processes. I had to stop reading there because I have better things to do with my life besides destroying the few braincells I have left. I’ll post the next part soon, as soon as I can read more than five pages without wanting to fling the book off a seaside cliff into the frothing mist that obscures the swell and crash of the unforgiving waves. Until then, please enjoy some of my favorite bad lines.

Selected Passages (And Commentary)

“Jace chuckled. Clary could tell that he had come up behind her and was standing there with his hands in his pockets, grinning that infuriating grin of his.” (She knew all that without looking?)

“Attacked. Clary wondered if this was a euphemism for ‘murdered’.” (Clary you’re literally the dumbest person I’ve ever met.)

“Clary let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in.” (This may just be me being petty, but I hate this cliche so much.)

“‘You may be the only guy my age I’ve ever met who knows what bergamot is, much less that it’s in Earl Grey tea.” (Ah yes, that famous stereotype, that boys don’t know about tea. Oh, you like tea? Name three kinds. I hear sexist gatekeeping is a real problem in the tea community. I am not having a good time.)

“Dorothea chuckled. ‘It’s good to see a young woman eat her fill. In my day, girls were robust, strapping creatures, not twigs like they are nowadays.’ ‘Thanks,’ Clary said. She thought of Isabelle’s tiny waist and felt suddenly gigantic.” (Cassandra Clare’s super feminist, guys. You can tell because she’s always pitting her female characters against each other.)

Rating So Far

3/10-Bad. Jonathan Shadowhunter gets an entire 10/10. I’m going to have my name legally changed to Jonathan Shadowhunter.

#Clara Reads City of Bones #city of bones #shadowhunters #the mortal instruments #come at me i wanna fight

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brooke-the-poet · 6 years ago

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Pawn & Sword

This summer I had been asked by @chibimyumi to make a version of Pawn & Sword Reprise that was singable in English. Taking her translation, and working on it bit by bit over the past 7 months or so, I came up with this version, which conservatively keeps a lot of the original wording, which I felt was rich in imagery and poetic to begin with and added a lyrical touch to better fit the sounds in English.

For anyone interested, yes, I listened to this song on repeat for hours, weeks on end like a fiend to match the right sounds. It's become one of my auditory stims now. Haha

Japanese poetry and lyrics are for the majority narrative, sparing with images, just enough to give you a feel or sense of the image like smoke.

If I were to elaborate, without keeping strictly to lyrics and only focusing on concepts the imagery would have been far greater. More like page poetry. But not singable perhaps?

I have sung this several times now tweaking it and perhaps it will be tweaked more, now that I have time. But not a lot.

Here are the notes I kept while working on it. If you think these are a lot, imagine the work a translator goes through to figure out how the original should be. Please go lavish @chibimyumi with praise for her translation work and so forth. It's some of the most tiring work ever.

(I have professional linguist/ translator friends, I hear all about it)

If anyone is so inclined I would very much take pleasure in hearing karaoke or a cover of the song using these lyrics, just to test how well of a job I've done. please.

Pawn and Sword Reprise: Annotated transcription - Brooke Nilsson.

(1)Your (2) relentless (3) wishes

(4)surpass your (tiny) form (5) .

(6)Wishful eyes of despair. Greedy soul!

(7) I shall be

the One to grant

Your wish.

I will be your power

Your invincible pawn!

(8)Monochrome dissonance

Plays out on this stage

Until silenced.

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1. /Your/ the song needed to open on a similar hard sound to Gouyoku, it’s important that openings and endings sound the same in both languages otherwise it throws the whole song off.

2. relentless: this is synonymous and gives an almost identical image to ‘welling”, it has connotations with swiftness, hard, unending tasks and treatment and is also synonymous with revenge, using it tells you the nature of the wishes.

3. Wishes is the cannon word, it is more specific than desire (this has been used in other translations), which has deeper romantic/sexual connotations and is not specific. The 3 wishes reference.

4. This is a creepy joke going on in the original which is part of Sebastian’s intent, but in English, doesn’t fit the elegance of the rest of the song. I went with the implied image of the wishes being grander than the size of the wisher. Surpass has connotations of fast, upward movement, and mobility both physically and in a class sense. It sounds British. Tiny can be inserted to reinforce the original concept, but it might be cumbersome? try it out.

5. Form vs. Body: A note about Anglo-Saxon origin words vs. Latinate. Anglo-Saxon origin words are rougher and heavier in sound, they add weight to a word, but are notably harder to sing and less elegant. Latinate origin words have smoother flowing sounds and are easily sung. While these two words mean the same thing, the Latinate carries connotations of elegance, education, and sophistication (cold, snobby, sadist) which suits Sebastian. The quickest way to differentiate class and vocal tone in English is to use Latinate vs. Anglo-Saxon. (small vs. tiny: same as described)

6. This is a compounding of the original concept/image described in this line. I moved the mention of greed from the first line to here, as it works better as a form of address and reinforces the other concepts. The same goes for the next line.

7. These two words carry the weight of ownership over a task: /Shall/ indicates “determination, obligation, something owed”. It comes from Proto-Indo-European and is the origin of the word “shield, debt, guilt, blame, fault, it is also proper present tense. (formal British). /Will/ indicates wish/desire, to do something, be used, to choose. It is future tense. It comes from Latin word vel “wish”: to satisfy, be stuffed. will/wish synonymous. (These are all archaic and 19th century Sebastian hunger centric words, for that reason this entire song is one of the best Lord/vassal oath ballads I’ve read, in epic poetry.) The last line is unchanged as it is iconic.

8.I felt that there was importance to this already being in English, so I kept it. Monochrome (ancient Greek origin) doesn’t mean the contrast of black/white, it is the opposite, the sameness. It can be any colour but only one colour, of different shades. In photography it means greyscale. But the archaic form is more precise. This metaphor is used to describe moral ambiguity/hypocrisy. Everyone assumes they have higher/different motivations but in reality, the motives are all the same. (especially in the Madame Red arc) Dissonance is conflict, harshness of sounds. I interpreted this verse to mean the resolution of the conflict, everything suddenly becoming clear and audibly silent. The mention of the stage, it’s a nice sophisticated way of saying everything will be resolved in the next act.

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Ciel:

Sebastian Michaelis

Your name affixed

Sealed with our contract

The demon

fallen into my grasp. (9)

Sebastian:

Even if my body dies

your heart’s desire will be fulfilled

For I am your faithful servant.

Ciel:

I do not seek happiness

(10) Not for anyone's sake or my own

Until my revenge, until that day

I will move ever forward

Sebastian:

Maddening, noble form

exuding that alluring scent

You are my beautiful lord

If it is your wish…

Sebas: To anywhere – I shall guide you

Ciel: To anywhere – at my command

Sebas: Even in dreams, your shadow

Ciel: Swear to me –

Sebas: Secretly

Ciel: Your loyalty

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9.The English phrase for this concept is “fallen into my lap”. I took inspiration from Nayuta’s grasping upwardly into the air when he sings this, and felt the concept best understood as “fallen into my grasp” meaning to hold unexpected power over something, to gain power unexpectedly.

10. This line about Ciel’s motivation is often the least well understood. The idea that he is seeking revenge out of principle, duty, despite knowing that it won’t bring him or anyone else happiness. My take is that he is fulfilling a duty, satisfaction coming from the idea that no one thought he was capable of anything, yet here he is doing this task. It can be seen/felt as selfish proving yourself this way. This concept comes up a lot in disability discourse.

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Sebas:

(11)Bound by the threads of fate

Between dreams and reality

At the edge of reason

Wanders your soul

While the pages of your story still turn

I’ll continue to light your lamp

(12) Shielding your soul–

Even if your throne should fall

And your shimmering crown, rust away

And the dead pile towers high–

I shall heed

Until I hear your final call!

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11./The borders of black and white/ in this context I decided that the concept here referred to ‘mental twilight’ or reason/sanity.This gets referred to a lot in the series. The threads of fate concept I rearranged the lines to give them the alliteration of the original and better narrative order in English and make it singable. Ending lines on n/l or a vowel is a professional tip.

12.The concept of preservation being sung of here, /shielding/ is a synonym for preservation and ties back to the original concept of the vows */shall/ being made. The ripening of the soul I left to subtext as this concept is redundant to the rest.

#furukawa yuta #kuroshitsuji #sebastian michaelis #our ciel #ciel phantomhive #kuromyu #lycoris that blazes the earth 2015 #i will be your pawn & sword reprise #annotated #thank you for translating!

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miloscat · 2 years ago

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[Review] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)

A scuffed classic, slightly smoothed.

It’s Ocarina of Time. Much celebrated, often imitated... highly overrated?? Perhaps familiarity has bred contempt for this game that was a childhood constant for me. Its relative simplicity has made it a good candidate for randomisation; I have watched and enjoyed many shuffled runs under different parameters. It also has laid a solid foundation for the series to build off, whether it be the subversion of Majora’s Mask, the iterative depth of Twilight Princess, or just the additions of lore, creatures, and people that persist and enrich the later stories.

But as I age my critical eye has gazed at the underdeveloped stock characters, the barrenness of its early 3D world, the tedium of required backtracking and slow, repetitive tasks. These complaints really only revealed themselves in hindsight, as my fresh eyes were only enchanted by the possibility and scope of this world. I was hoping for a little of that sense of wonder by finally visiting this remake. But I think I’ve been too desensitised by watching speedruns; my own fault of course! I did take some interest from the graphical enhancements on this more powerful handheld: smoother models, higher quality textures, added details, not to mention the more stable framerate.

Compared to the more liberty-taking MM remake, this one is very straight. The only actual tweak to the game world is some slight retexturing in the infamous Water Temple, although you still have to go through all the boring motions to clear it. The control changes are perhaps the most significant: the addition of touchscreen buttons, letting you bind an extra item as well as a permanent ocarina button and live-consultable song list (plus the boots more conveniently use the item button system now). Reaching across to them is not as comfortable as the N64 controller’s C buttons, though. The second screen being used to display maps is also welcome.

Apart from that there’s a boss refight mode, the Master Quest maps as a bonus after completing the main game (maybe I’ll check those out in another ten years or so...!), and an overbearing if highly-ignorable extra hint system. The visual upgrades are a plus, although amusingly my friend Laura pointed out that both the original N64 game and this remake on the 3DS’s dinky screen are technically running at 240p! Overall it’s one of those remakes that makes me question “Did this need to exist? Could Grezzo have been better served creating original titles in this style?” For me my preference would be no and yes, respectively, but here we are. The original game holds up just fine, but this is a neat way to play it if you don’t mind hand cramps over long sessions, I guess.

#the legend of zelda #zelda #ocarina of time #the legend of zelda ocarina of time #grezzo #3ds #review

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abelzumi · 7 years ago

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November Contest Card Commentary

Right, anyway, here we go. Judging time. Alphabetical order under the cut. @follower-of-liliana is not included, as I’ve said what I need to say about Twilight Harvest.

@auartic-games - Hexseeker

(Runner-up!)

As for the card itself, it’s a brilliant card that is painfully narrow to design around and would require tricks and craziness beyond current MTG limits. That said, I adore it. I would love to see a complex set where curses are a primary focus. This card was a runner-up for a reason, and the elegance speaks for itself. Small nitpick: the hypen/quote should be its own line. Shift+enter gets you there on MSE.

@conorace - Final Zenith

If you had told me that one of the possible runners-up would be a five-color oriented card that is designed around planeswalkers and the sideboard, I would have said: “That’s highly unlikely. How did you get into my bedroom?” This head-scratcher is pretty much as well-designed as it could be for anything this complex. It was certainly a stretch of rules, and I appreciate the way that this card challenges MTG status quo. That said, might be too far into the future for now. Small nitpick: The tap symbol in the second ability should come before, and the cost should be “Remove ten charge counters from Final Zenith and sacrifice it:” Also, in my opinion, “Zenith” doesn’t sound exactly like a land name. I understand exactly where you’re coming from, but that doesn’t change the nature of the word.

@fatblunt69 - Risky Business

I’ll get the criticisms out of the way first. This card is woefully undercosted and should not in any circumstances be common. The second ability needs to come first, and the first ability should be a replacement effect as seen in cards like Blind Fury and Curse of Bloodletting. Now onto the good! This is a powerful card that is certainly red, a risky finisher, and feels reckless enough to be flavorful while being powerful enough to give thoughtful players a challenge. I would have changed either the name or the flavor text to reflect more of a world, considering the nature of enchantments, but for piracy and whatnot, I could see a swing with the art in a more humorous direction.

@guardgomabroa - Final Lap

(Runner-up!)

This is a card that should have been in Kaladesh. I can feel the rush of air, the heat of a dusty track, the roar of the crowd, the intensity of the rushing metal... Love it. Vehicles in general, however, are also something that feels narrow to design with. I would have made this card rare for that alone, but extra turn effects are so powerful that I know it needs to be mythic. Perhaps this card could have done better without the extra turn and instead given a bigger boost to vehicles as a finisher card - maybe extra combat instead. Regardless - perfect flavor and effective design.

@luckylooter - Bloodskull Tributary

Very fun design here. I can see the river turning from blue to brackish in the shadow of a gore-strewn battlefield. Still, I feel this card could have benefited from not being legendary and from not having Morbid attached to it. If it was still legendary, I would have liked to see a more powerful effect. As it is, this card could use some tweaking but is an effective and flavorful design. Not a whole lot to say except: thumbs up!

@myroo400 - Arixmethes, the Lost Polis

What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. In a good way! Alright, this is probably up there with Final Zenith in terms of “cards that I love and that are currently outside of Magic’s realm of possibility.” Impossible to be a cycle, impossible to judge balancing without playing, but fantastic and strange and intense. Because of text box issues, I might have liked to see this without the Island type and instead have it just able to tap for blue mana. I don’t know - this card is slightly too wacky for my to judge properly because it really is a challenge to form. Good job! I’m nervous!

@neroxmtg - Equinox Instrument

Mechanical nitpicks: “Sacrifice a colored permanent you control” needs to be part of the activation cost. “Permanents” needs to have an apostrophe before the “s.” Right, commentary time. Interesting design for sure, but I’m failing to see the importance of color as it relates to (a) name, (b) flavor, and (c) mechanics. Alara was the first plane that seemed to come to mind with this for me, although I can’t place this card as belonging there. I’m honestly not sure where it belongs, and that frustrates me. Zendikar/Eldrazi doesn’t seem to suit it. I like the idea, but the barriers and the mechanical jumble needs to be ironed out before this card is viable. I would like more flavor text to see the story behind this.

@night-mtg - Yarana, Stone Mistress

Planeswalker design is difficult, and I appreciate the planeswalkers that came into this contest. Yarana is an interesting character, and reading up on the card itself, I’m impressed with the thought that came into the design. That said, I’m honestly not a fan for a couple reasons. Firstly, the first and second abilities feel both overpowered and... God, I feel like an asshole, but I don’t feel inspired by them. Gorgon magic in MTG needs more flavor in the designs that you captured well in your story; I just don’t feel it translated well to the card. Additionally, the ultimate is too close for comfort to that of Liliana Vess. For future reference, I am a believer that planeswalkers need severe mechanical strictness and balance before they can truly be adjusted for flavor. I want Yarana to exist, but I want her to be more streamlined.

@obzedat-repost-council - Frantic Agonizer

Good shit right here. My only concern is that at six mana your opponent is already willing to sac three lands and chump in order to get this card out of the way. I love the design as a designer, and as a player, I would hate to open this up in limited because I already know my opponents aren’t going to feel threatened by it at all. In other words: underpowered. But HECK if I don’t still love this card, so don’t get me wrong there. Nitpicks: The keyword abilities should come before the ETB ability. Also, I would like flavor text here.

@ohdearaqueerdeer - The High Priest of Ashmouth

Commanders that go back to the command zone don’t “die” and don’t do death triggers, which is where, I assume, this idea is coming into place. “Leaves the battlefield” might have been better. Hm, okay, I’m... Here:

“When The High Priest of Ashmouth leaves the battlefield, you get an experience counter. Then reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal X Demon and/or Devil creature cards, where X is the number of experience counters you have. Put those cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.”

Maybe the “leaves the battlefield”/”dies” abilities don’t even work here at all. Hm. I like this card and I like what you’re doing. I just feel the tweaks could make this perfect. This card was super close to being a runner-up.

@oona-queenofthefae - Totality of War

I feel that this card is trying to do too much. The cost is attempting to be flavorful - which I personally appreciate but that I don’t think has a place in true card design. The abilities could have been on one line, and upon reading this card, I don’t feel like playing it or playing against it; I just feel resigned. The desire to make huge ‘epic’ cards is real and understandable. But I highly recommend starting much smaller.

@planeswalkerwithtardis - The Eternal Guardian

Why is this an artifact creature? Why plants? I’m resonating with the design, as it’s simple but effective and powerful. Still, there’s a degree of disconnect between the elements you’re trying to bring together that I don’t really have the answer to. I’ll say this much: Simplify. Focus. Don’t put everything on the card at once. Find a place of unique design and then work to make the legendary aspect and the card aspect come together.

@remember-the-eldrazi-titans - Baum, the Wise

No flying on a Sphinx? Hm. Well, the first ability is GREAT and honestly... I would have made this card a runner-up if it had had flying and flavor text instead of that second ability. It might have been explained in post, but I don’t see how it’s necessarily mechanically relevant and even then what the intended flavor is. The cost could have been 2UU as well.

@samwisethebold - Vernal Miasma

I’ll get the strong criticisms out of the way: “Miasma” is a dark, shadowy, sad thing. This card is explosive and happy. Total disconnect that needs severe revision. Secondly - for that first part, do they draw equal to the cards they discarded themselves, or the TOTAL cards discarded? This needs major mechanical clarification. Thirdly, there needs to be a shuffle clause after the search ability.

But now onto the GOOD. This is the kind of “epic” card that I can get behind. I just wish there was more of a connection between these effects, because library searching and wheel effects... I don’t see them coming together. I love what you’re doing with seasons and change, I get it. Still, this card needs lots of mechanical revision before being considered. Keep up the good work, captain. I want to see more cards from you.

@seajai24 - Lazras, Spirit Reaper

(Runner-up!) (Like, seriously, so close runner-up!)

This was a card I was disappointed to pass up because it’s just so good. Every aspect of this card is good. The first ability marks it as an aggressive defender that’s tied into the name. The second ability is powerful and judgmental. The third ability is icing on the fucking pile of icing that at one point could have been a cake. I don’t know what to say except that I’m hard for this card and I am just fucking so mad that it’s second place. God, I love this fucking card. ARGH.

@sphinxs-revelation - Terra Incognita

Mechanically, I get this card. Don’t get the red, but okay, I feel it. Flavorfully, I don’t understand it at all. Why are things being returned? What does that have to do with land, as implied in the name? Why is the land “incognito?” Who wrote the poem in the flavor text? What is the context for the flavor text?

This is a fine card, but it raises far too many questions. Streamline, revise, rebuild. You’re onto something good once you clear your path.

@stoneforge-misclick - Long May She Reign!

Sure, I feel the flavor. But this card is insanely underpowered. Three-colored mythics need more power - lots more power. I like where the mechanics are trying to go, but I encourage you to push more, especially if you want to keep the type and rarity. I would have been more favored towards this as a tweaked enchantment, something that can give rise to Marchesa’s power while retaining the essence of your capture.

@sultaiascendancy - Simic Hybridizer

(Runner-up!)

You know me too well. I’ve been trying to get this kind of card and to see it for years. The second ability should be “Create an X/X creature token of the chosen colors and types.” Also, I would have loved to see flavor here. What is this wizard doing? Is he a rogue chemist? A reject? Does he sell his creations to the highest bidder? Do his other scientists like him or dislike him? Push flavor a little more here.

@thelastmegalomancer - Archlos, the Hate Reaper

Oooookay, let’s check this out. Five colors makes that first ability really...really crazy. I honestly don’t know if it’s even balanced but holy shit it’s insane. But in a good way. Second ability needs “...all other creatures with the same name as that creature.” Last ability? Perfect. I want to love this card. I really do. I just don’t feel that it’s balanced, even though all the balances are there. I’m afraid of this card and it gives me special feelings in my loins.

But “Hate Reaper?” This card doesn’t feel hateful - it feels devious, mystical, beautiful, terrifying. But not hateful.

@themaskedhero - Wilhelm, the Lily King

Heh. What a chump. Also what an aggressive knight, holy cow. I like this card - also, first “when” should be “whenever,” FYI - and I think it’s decent. It doesn’t tickle me precisely, because it’s based off of real-world storybook stuff in a way that doesn’t quiiiiiite mesh with the MTG-niverse, but I like it. Not a whole lot to say except that I think you did a good job.

@tmstage - Elysium, the City of Heaven

What the heck did you do the the picture box? Was it to keep room for the flavor text? Hate to say it, but I get the flavor WITHOUT the text. This card is balanced and unique, and tribal players would love it. I think it’s pretty darn cool, but that it also would need the right environment that I’m not sure Magic has right now. It’s a card that’s asking people to build around it, but we just might not have the correct mortar. Interesting and cool!

@wapulatus - Cloud Skipper

Congrats for making a new mechanic for this contest, or, well, for introducing one regardless. I think Tide is a good mechanic mechanically, but the memory issues are... interesting. Would Wizards make a “Tide Card” that goes in the middle and shows where the tide is? I read your post a while back and it stuck with me, which was good. Honestly, this card could have been a runner-up in a common/uncommon contest, but it had a lot of competition. This card is inspiring me to make a “world shell” design contest now, and I feel you may have a strong section there. Great job, and I’d love to see more.

That’s all, folks! Thank you to all the entries and the participants.

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #contest #commentary #criticism #long post

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nycttophilic · 5 years ago

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KNY Verse—Kira

So Kira’s KNY verse is constantly changing, so I decided to just remake her verse page for this verse and add to it what I’ve got so far XDD

Beginning/Basics

Kira only became a demon slayer two years prior to the current timeline of the show.

There’s a few things that make it EXTREMELY tricky for her to be a demon slayer, and here’s a few things:

During the final selection, she seemed sick even before the exam even started. That was due to the Wisteria flowers at the “base”. How did she get through that? She wore a sight scarf around her mouth and nose that kept her from breathing in the pollen, and she was EXTREMELY careful not to so much as touch a single blossom. It was very difficult, but she made it.

Kira sleeps during the day. Partly she does this to regain her strength (like Nezuko), partly because she can’t go out in the sunlight, and partly to make her seem HUMAN. She just works nights. Simple as that.

She uses essential oils and lathers it onto her skin every night before she leaves to go to “work”. This is to prevent anyone from smelling her demon scent. It also makes her smell pleasant.

Why would Kira become a demon slayer and kill her own kind? Because she despises them for what they did to her and her family. She has a resolution similar to Tanjiro’s, but it’s more about herself and wanting to turn herself human as well as avenge her family.

How did she not become a crazy demon like the rest with one goal in mind: to eat? How can she still remember her humanity? Also kind of similar to Nezuko, but different. When she awoke as a demon, she felt the need to devour human flesh as any demon would. But when she actually looked at her surroundings, she saw a woman…holding her. As if to protect her from something. Confusion hit her and she tried to find an explanation before realizing what had happened: her family was attacked by demons. Her elder sister died trying to keep her safe by holding her… Remembering her past and her love for her family, she made it her goal in her demon life to avenge her family and become a human once more.

Tamayo:

When Kira first became a demon, she was very weak because she didn’t eat immediately after her transformation. She had barely managed to find shelter before the next day, and was near death as a result. But despite this, she didn’t eat anyone... And she was hiding right next to a city at that. It was that night that Tamayo found her and realized that Kira was different from other demons, just like her.

Kira spent a while working with Tamayo and Yushiro. As such, she’s learned quite a lot and developed a bond with them. They’re like her family now... Tamayo is like a mother figure to her, and Yushiro like a brother. Often times, when Kira tries to remember her actual mother, all she can picture is Tamayo.

The first thing Tamayo did was tweak Kira’s body so that she was similar to herself, as well as take away Muzan’s curse from Kira. It took a while for her to get used to it and be able to live off of mostly blood, a few years actually, but Tamayo couldn’t help her with anything until that curse was gone because she didn’t want Muzan to be able to read Kira’s thoughts and just kill her. Kira’s now rid of the curse and as a result can live off of just blood, but she’s not nearly as good at it as Tamayo and Yushiro. After a really bad fight, she’ll sleep for days on end to try to recover. Either that or run back to Tamayo for a large supply of blood to help her heal.

Tamayo tried to teach Kira blood demon art multiple times, but Kira’s just not strong enough yet. She’s a new demon and as such doesn’t have that power yet. However, she’s trying every day to figure out her power and/or how to activate it. Most likely, when she DOES activate it, it will be to save one of her friends (kind of like Nezuko did to save Tanjiro). Also....i haven’t figured out her demon blood art yet XDD

While she can’t use any spells, Kira has learned quite a bit about medical studies under Tamayo’s wing. She’s not at all a master, but she’s very good at treating wounds and knows the basics of different medicines to give for different ails. She often carries lots of medicine with her just in case she or someone else needs it.

Kira would have loved to stay with Tamayo and Yushiro and help with their studies as well as learn from them, but she just isn’t one who can just sit around and do nothing while the man who killed her parents is out there. So, she left in order to become a Demon Slayer. She knows how dangerous it is for someone like her to be among those who kill her kind for a living, but she just has to. Tamayo understood and made her promise to visit often, which she does. Most of the time, if she’s recovering from a rough battle or has a break from jobs, she’s at Tamayo’s place.

Being a Demon Slayer:

Kagaya knows about her, of course. He’s not just gonna let some demon into the Demon Slayer Corps, and he actually was aware of her even before her final selection. So why would he even let her in?

I haven’t read that far and I don’t know much about him at all, but he did mention Tamayo. And guess what? Kira’s kind of her mentee, and like her daughter figure (at least, that’s how I’m going to write her once i add her as a muse). Similar to how Urokodaki sent him a letter about Nezuko and Tanjiro, Tamayo notified Kagaya of Kira—without actually telling Kira of this. Kagaya allowed her to join as more of a curiosity, and also because he trusts Tamayo’s judgement.

This does not mean he went easy on Kira at all. She still had to go through the wisteria flower like any other human demon slayer, and she has to deal with all of the hardships a normal demon slayer must do even with her demon limitations. She is expected to complete all of her missions in a timely manner despite the fact that she can’t travel during the day. Still, she bears these limitations and keeps trying to prove herself worthy.

He tries to keep her on the down low and doesn’t tell any of the pillars about her, similar to how he was about Nezuko. I mean...look at how the pillars reacted to a demon slayer who protects a demon. They would lose their shit if they learned a demon worked with them. Sooo....best to be quiet XDD

Kira is a Tsuchinoto ranked demon slayer. She’s very quick with her missions and an excellent fighter, mostly due to her demon strength as well as enhanced regeneration. Buuuuut with her rank going higher, it’s more dangerous for her. That means more people take notice of her, and if word gets out that she’s a demon in the demon slayer corps...that’s it for her, surely.

Breathing:

So I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot, and I think I’ve come to a conclusion. I was either going to have her breathing technique be Breath of the Moon or create a whole new one called Twilight Breathing. But, since Kokushibo created breath of the moon, I doubt it would still be around and ESPECIALLY wouldn’t be the same for whoever uses it. Soooo, I went with Twilight Breathing.

Kira actually doesn’t remember that much about this breathing technique, and if you asked her about it she probably wouldn’t even know what it was. It’s a technique passed down from her family that’s based off of a mixture of Breath of the Sun and Breath of the moon (created by use of various scrolls and stories about said breathing styles). Kira’s older sister, Midna, was actually a demon slayer who used that technique and learned it from their mother. Midna taught Kira the breathing style from a young age, and it’s written in Kira’s core.

She can’t actually remember the forms, as most of her memory as a human is gone. However, sometimes if she’s in a very terrifying or stressful situation the memory of one technique kind of resurfaces itself for her, and she uses it on impulse. After remembering the memory that came with that breathing style, Kira can use it over and over again and enjoys using it—even when she’s just chilling at Tamayo’s place—because it reminds her of being human and of her older sister. However, most likely at the start of any threads she doesn’t know about it.

Her Nichirin Blades (she dual wields like Inosuke, and the one she carries in her right—dominate—hand belonged to Midna before she died—are orange due to her breathing technique. However, when she first got her (left hand) sword after becoming an actual demon slayer, she was surprised to see it turn orange like Midna’s already was. She had no idea what it meant, and was told that was the power of Twilight breathing. She had no clue what that even was.

Here are the forms...

First form: Casting Shadows

A move used solely to plunge the battle into darkness. With a single spin attack, all flames around the user go out and create darkness. Since Kira’s family is of people with enhanced feeling, they can sense the space around them and don’t need the light as much. Doesn’t work in daylight.

Second form: Twilight Slash

Similar to Breath of the Moon. With a single slash, small particles of twilight form from the blade and attack the user’s opponent. Disappear within seconds, but are still useful

Third form: Twilight Shards

A larger form of the previous form, where the user spins their body horizontal 360 degrees and creates twilight particles in the air around them. These last a bit longer than the second form’s and will follow the blade’s path, so if Kira swings her sword from left to right, they’ll attack from left to right. Continue to spin around and the particles will fly in all directions and attack everything in immediate vicinity. If she does this, she can’t control where the particles go, so it’s only good if she’s literally surrounded by enemies

Fourth Form: Twilight Wall

Creates a wall of twilight that’s nearly impenetrable. Can be used to block attacks or shelter the user if they’re injured

Fifth form: Shadow Step

The user, with elegant movements, can “walk on air”. It’s actually stepping on twilight particles, and only those with exceptional grace and elegance can use this one. Kira can (once she relearns it, of course)

Sixth form: Shadow Dash

Allows the user to teleport a few meters in front of them. They seem to disappear for a second and then reappear further in front of them. Is useful in dodging attacks, but also can be used to dash through walls.

Seventh form: Twilight Double

Makes a shadow copy of the user that can help them fight. Only VERY strong users can make more than one copies at a time, and it takes a lot out of you to make more than one. They disappear when hit by a blade, and it’s harder to make another after just using one.

Eighth form: Shadow Dance

The most elegant of Twilight Breathing, and often seen as just a normal dance without blades. It’s a series of attacks (like a combo) that builds up twilight particles around the user in order to prepare an incredibly strong attack that would supposedly kill the enemy. This is the process (adjusted slightly to fit Kira’s use of dual blades): slice to the left, lower slice to the right, 360 spin that stops in a squatting position, leaps into the air and backflips with a horizontal spin attack, turns into a diagonal spin and then a vertical spin, land on the tip-toes of the dominant foot, twirls around the enemy with 3 revolutions and with the blade(s) out, uses the sixth form to dash at the enemy, flips over the opponent and lands behind them, then finally lands a spin attack on the enemy. The twilight shards that form from this dance follow the user’s blade(s) when they finish the dance, so the particles slice all through the enemy and will dice it into small pieces (cutting off its head in the process). This form is the hardest and takes the longest to master, and they must have incredible balance and coordination. Otherwise they’ll get dizzy or stumble

More TBA!!!

#(WOW THIS IS SO LONG)#~єvєrчσnє thínkѕ thαt wє’rє pєrfєct; plєαѕє dσn‘t lєt thєm lσσk thrσugh thє curtíαnѕ~ [Kira Black]#~чσu‘rє α nαturαl; α вєαtíng hєαrt σf ѕtσnє~ /Character Study/#~α mσnѕtєr вσrn frσm duѕk tσ dαwn cαn‘t вє чσur ѕαvíσur~ |KNY! Verse|#fandom: Demon Slayer

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feralknights · 7 years ago

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Palablog: OB56+OB57

Hoo nelly, fellas. OB56 + OB57 were absolute doozies for me, and I mean that in the best way possible. I'm sorry I haven't responded to asks or been updating much lately, things just got busy and then I was running a lot of hardware upgrades so I missed a chunk of the OB56 patch cycle, and ... yeah.

I'll get the Skye gushing for OB56/OB57 out of the way now: These two patches have been significant quality of life improvements for me as a Skye main and all across the board. I think the art team knocked it out of the park with both the Samurai Ash skin (I didn't call it Ronin for a reason, will explain!) and Kunoichi Skye. We saw the entrance of the Skye Mastery skins, too. OB56 brought us the 1800->2000 HP boost as well as Retribution finally getting the nerfs it's needed since Lex was released, and OB57 gave us the reworks to Debilitate and Surprise Attack.

In a weird way, Skye having that extra 200 HP made something of a negative impact on me early on. I was so used to the audio cues for low HP at 1800 that I'd overplay my hand and spent the first day or two fumbling around getting my butt handed to me. I've gotten used to it over time; the tweaks to her damage dealing and range made my life a whole lot easier and has enabled me to (in some cases) actually work around people that actually buy Illuminate.

I still haven't tried Surprise Attack, but I'm actually somewhat curious to now. At first I thought, "just slapping more damage onto it will not fix the fact that it is an objectively terrible legendary," but I gave it more thought and gave Raynday's video on SA a watch. Now, he did amazing with it, but he also had a team comp and players on his side that allowed him to have some of that pressure aleviated from him. Similarly, our test sample for his praise was one match-- I want to give it more hands-on time, but this means I'm probably going to have to build a deck that balances some of Skye's mandatory cards with cooldown cards and find what works right for me.

Is it weird I'm actually kind of looking forward to trying Surprise Attack at all?

Admittedly, I'm going to miss the innate cauterize effect of Poison Bolts, but if you think about it, the reworks to Decrepify allow it to actually be even more punishing, even more dangerous than it ever was before. Decrepify is a card that rarely leaves my Debilitate decks with Skye, and now it's more than likely going to be a cornerstone for the Twilight Assassin.

With Strix's introduction, it did highlight issues that Skye still has with cards, but I can understand if the team wants to pump the brakes on further Skye adjustments for the time being: Healing Vapors is still essentially a useless card at 1-2, mediocre at best at 3, and just not worth the value at 4. Comperable cards on different champions grant way more value at almost any level, from Androxus' Abyss Walker healing a burst of 40/80/120/160 to Lex's Fortitude healing 25/50/75/100 damage across 1.5s, and then they have access to healing items such as Life Rip-- and Life Rip is essentially the only form of feasable long-term self-sustain that Skye has available to her.

I'm still trying really hard to Devil's Advocate myself on how to justify Slip Away still existing in the form it does. Ninja and Dissipate both serve the purpose for stealth speed boosts, and I personally feel Victory Rush is one of the best cards in the game. Again, personally, I'd rather it be "gain damage reduction while in stealth" at the same values it has right now. Of course, it was easier to justify conditional up-to 20% DR when Skye was at 1800 HP.

OB56 brought a lot of exciting changes in general: Ash was given an additional ult charge on Rally Here, arguably her weakest legendary. Admittedly, if I know a team is going to try to maintain point presence and stay with me, I will play the hell out of Rally Here; the damage boost makes ally Ruckus players or even a good Fernando or Ying turn into crazy point-dominating monsters. Buck's Bulk Up was given an extra boost-- and I'll be honest, I'm glad. I sometimes feel bad for the guy, because I rarely ever see him played anymore.

Cassie's Exaction was given a light bop on the nose in OB56 though the thing I hear complained about the most is that her dodge roll is almost always up as long as you can land one shot-- and that's honestly not too hard given how much faster her projectiles move these days. Jenos' HP reduction was warranted and welcome; I love the guy and I play him pretty hard as a support, but he was just too hard to kill. I barely felt the adjustments to Stellar Wind or Astral Mark, I run a CD reduction build on him and just keep churning heals.

Jenos does present an interesting situation that I hope gets looked at: Though negative status effects are cleared from her when she goes into her ice block, Astral Mark will persist. Essentially, if Evie is running the Reprieve Legendary card, she will get all of that healing as well as the healing from Jenos, and all of that healing will just keep going right when she comes flying out of it. In essence, this allows even a mediocre-at-best Evie to be an absolute immortal monster.

Retribution got nerfed hard in OB56, and I could not be happier. I'm actually a bit surprised, if only because I was hoping for some QOL tweaks, or one or two touches, I didn't expect such a drastic swat on the ability. OB57 brought some interesting changes to Lex, and slowly he's coming to the point where I feel like he could potentially be fun to play as as much as against.

The semi-auto was a good change, I feel, but after a few days I started to see the problems with Lex's new Magnums: The ammo count is too high, the accuracy drop from rapid firing is too low, and it does nothing to address the problem of Lex having In Pursuit, still arguably one of the most devastating abilities in the game.

"Feral, you're mad. You just hate Lex. 1050 damage over 1.5s is nothing!"

I mean yeah I do dislike Lex's kit, but you can't argue with the fact that as he is right now, Lex can pop In Pursuit for unerring auto-aim accuracy for 1.5s at long range while Combat Sliding in at a target I dare say farther and faster than even Cassie's roll, then hammering 10 shots out for long-range *and* burst potential that comes dangerously close to Point Blank Skye.

In essence, I just hope that In Pursuit's functionality is given a second glance now that he's got these devastating new Magnums. I also would like to see if it's possible to get the rapid fire inaccuracy increased a bit, because gosh. dang.

Lian is an interesting case; I make claim about how much I hate auto-aim on Lex but I mind it slightly less on Lian. I really wish I could better explain it, but something just feels "off" about her kit-- maybe it realy does have something to do with her being able to have two auto-aims? I'll have to ruminate on it more.

and the grover puns man wtf arrghghhggh

Skipping ahead a little, the Ying changes are great. Back as recently as 3 patches ago, I was on the train that Ying needed to have Lifelike boosted by 5-10% to help address her throughput, but Illusory Rift is absolutely great and the changes to her in-hand attack are almost terrifying to play against-- but in a good way, of course.

A'right, now that we've gotten this far: It's time for Strix.

I love Strix. Dude is insane. His rifle feels great, offers a lot of feedback when you're firing, and it feels responsive. His pistol does a lot to offer him some close-range gameplay, and I like that he's so polarizing (long or short range) compared to Kinessa (long or mid-range). Flare is incredibly powerful, and I would argue almost *too* powerful-- I don't mean that this needs to be slapped hard, but definitely monitored. They say "large radius" in his skill description, but from some light testing it looks like it's a near-100 unit radius. I run Flare XL 3 (increases the reveal range significantly) and Overburn 3 (increases flare duration by 3s), so I'm covering a pretty massive swath of a map for about 6 seconds-- that's basically Cassie's ult without the CC/speed boost with a pretty short downtime.

I thought I'd be a little more leery of toggle stealth, but it actually works great. I've compared Strix a lot to some Warframe friends as being like a MOBA version of Ivara, and when I say this, I mean it in the most complimentary fashion that I can possibly achieve. Ivara is one of my favorite Warframes as her gameplay pushes for a methodical, strategy-driven focus, stealthing at opportune times, and playing to enemy awareness.

As I said earlier in regards to Skye and her sustain cards, Strix has a card, Escape Plan. If you aren't familiar with it, if Strix is at 65% or lower health, Escape Plan will heal Strix for 100/200/300/400. As a burst heal sustain, this is great, and arguably as good as a maxed out Abyss Walker and close to the potential of other non-legendary sustain cards for Flanks. I really hope the team considers giving HV a rework to be closer to this; the current state of Healing Vapors makes it take too long for too little effect. But, again, balance, and changing too much in too short of time, etc., etc. -- I can still hope, though!

And in case you didn't know, there's another one on the horizon: PALADINS STRIKE! A 5v5 actual MOBA-style Paladins game for Android/iOS. The game has me excited, and I've signed up for the alpha. I have some concerns and criticisms about the decisions the team has made for the game, however, and I'll highlight that in my next post.

edit: Made a few tweaks for clarity, going through and highlighting/emphasizing certain words. Also forgot:

Why did I say "Samurai Ash" instead of "Ronin Ash?" Because ... really, there's nothing about this incarnation of Ash that makes her a ronin. She's wearing full armor and helmet, discussing honor very heavily, and carrying a flag that would signify she's actually serving a feudal lord/house, rather than being honorless. I was kind of bummed that the only Ash/Skye interaction we got was a one-way "poison bad!!" thing from Ash that is just basically the same thing as her default voice pack.

#paladins #paladins champions of the realm #ob56 #ob57 #balance #palablog

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