#Lol...both girls have different thoughts on fairy tales

[geekynichelle]

Carlota: Oh my, this is just like Sleeping Beauty!!

Noemí: Yeah, yeah just like Beauty and the Seven Dwarves or something...

[sebbyisland]

This is a weird question but you have good vibes so do you know any good shoujos for beginners? If you dont then just delete this lol

OH this is the best question i have ever received! Thank you! I hope this can be a helpful resource for you or anyone else interested in getting into shojo!!!

I’m gonna define “Good Beginner Shojo” as stories with an interesting premise, strong narrative(? this is VERY subjective sorry?), and also lacks some of the more squicky/uncomfortable tropes: predatory romantic relationships, borderline sexual assault as flirting, or incest**. This list is split between short and long series. I’ll also try to keep the genres diverse! These are all stories I’ve personally read/watched and are popular enough that they’ve been officially translated in different languages.

Good Shojo for Beginners, Short Term Investment

Princess Tutu: A dark fairy-tale-esque anime about a young girl who studies ballet in the day and fights demons at night using ballet + emotional intelligence. The deeper plot is that the entire cast are treated like puppets by a grand and elusive storymaster, and they all must struggle to escape being doomed by the narrative. There’s a lot of references to Swan Lake, the girl keeps getting turned into a duck, many emotions are felt. Complete, one anime season.

From Me to You: shy young girl is a social outcast due to misunderstandings that blew out of proportion. She receives an olive branch from a boy in her class and this gives her the confidence to start making friends and support herself!! The aforementioned boy is also her love interest and is endearingly too flustered to make a move. high school drama ensues. Two anime seasons, manga complete ~120 chapters.

Magic Knight Rayearth: three girls get transported to a fantasy world and have to learn to work together in giant magic mecha suits order to rescue a trapped princess + save the world. They make friends along the way as they try to fight monsters. One anime season, manga complete ~30 chapters.

Kase-san: sapphic high school romance with a jock girl and gardener girl who plants flowers near her practice field… they are both kinda shy and build up confidence as their bond gets deeper. it’s just 100% fluff. anime OVA and complete manga, ~15 chapters, there's also a sequel-series though

Library Wars: what it says on the tin. militant librarians fight the government to stop book censorship. the story follows a soldier in training: a reckless young woman who dreams of meeting the "prince" who inspired her to take up arms to protect books. this is more of an action-comedy than a political drama, so don't expect too much from the plot, but it's fun to watch our failgirl get put into situations. one anime season, 73 chapter manga, live action movie. you'll be okay just watching the anime but obvi the manga expands more on the characters + world building.

Orange: high school girl receives letters from her future self that tell her that a boy from her friend group is planning on committing suicide. She works with her friends to prevent this from happening, but things are definitely more complicated than they seem. An emotional drama, discussion of mental health including depression and suicidal thoughts. It’s a really heartfelt series. One anime season, ~38 chapter manga. (originally published in a shoujo magazine, then switched to seinen probably for marketing reasons.*)

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk: Masculine studious girl feels distant from her classmates who idolize her as a “prince,” but then she catches the attention of the local sparkly bad boy “prince.” An innocent, fluffy high school romance about a prince and her prince. SO many sparkly anime eyes, if that's you're thing. It’s a simple plot, but I enjoy the execution a lot. Ongoing, currently ~27 chapters

Tokyo Mew Mew: Captain Planet but magical girl. group of teen girls get accidentally infused with the DNA of endangered animal species + magic and transform into a hero squad to fight aliens trying to destroy earth's resources! Their cover for their secret headquarters is a maid café, where they all work part time. Manga complete ~30 chapters, anime adaption complete + one season of anime reboot.

Good Shojo for Beginners, Long Term Investment

Yona of the Dawn: historic fantasy setting, coming of age for a naive young princess who grows into a capable leader by abandoning her sheltered life within palace walls for…plot reasons (major spoiler in 1st chapter LOL). there’s a slow but thorough exploration of the political issues in her kingdom, i would say the world-building is an unexpected strength of the story. She’s supported by her hot magical anime boy harem, but the story emphasizes found family dynamics over the romcom. there’s still a primary love interest established early on, it’s just VERY slow burn. one anime season, manga ongoing 300+ chapters

Kageki Shojo!!: Follow the adventures of an all-girls vocational school to train to become members of the historic Kouka all-girls musical theater troupe, where women play roles for all genders. The protagonist is a girl who grew up watching Kouka performances and never lost her sense of childlike wonder. Theater doesn’t come naturally for her, but she’s also very talented. Fun cast, lightly discusses social issues as they come up with sincerity and care. Very reminiscent of 80s shojo. One anime season, Ongoing manga 90+ chapters

My Love Mix-Up! what if there was an ACTUAL high school love triangle. boy likes girl who likes a different boy, but that boy is interested in the aforementioned boy. what if this was all a misunderstanding and actually boy and girl like the same boy. what if that was also a misunderstanding. have you ever been a dumbass high school student trying your best. protagonist is bi king. 120~ chapters, no anime, but a live action show.

Ouran High School Host Club: ah yes a classic romcom. girl gets a scholarship to an elite high school and accidentally falls into debt on her first day to the school host club (boys who professionally flirt with girls during lunch). To pay off her debt, she pretends to be a guy at school so she can work as a host. The comedy is a blend of making fun of shojo tropes and the disaster personalities that make up the supporting cast. it's funnier the more shojo you have read/watched before this one. one anime season, 200+ chapters, complete

BL Metamorphosis: elderly widow accidentally reads a BL manga and gets invested, she bonds with a high school girl who works at the bookstore about it. Very cute parallels between her late husband and the fictional love story. Depicts fandom culture without normalizing the creepy and invasive BL fan behavior. Reminds me a lot of spending time with my grandma, which makes me want to cry.~90 chapters.

Sailor Moon: I know i know everyone is going to tell you this but it's actually a classic for a reason. (Sapphic!!!) magical girls traveling across space and time? Fighting evil with the power of friendship and love? Cute character designs? It's a good time. Protagonist is a total brat (normal 14yr old!!!!) AND a good hero. I'm putting this last because I wanted the other stories to have a chance, but it's honestly so good like please. There technically an inappropriate age gap relationship but it's like the disney movie Tangled where you don't realize it until you literally look up their ages. 150+ chapters, complete.

**When I first read shojo, I was a very young child, basically the target audience, but there are things I read as a child that would make me feel a bit disgusted to read now. Knowing this, I want people who are new to shojo to make informed decisions. There are problematic tropes present in MANY well loved stories--and they are well-loved for a reason!!! These complexities are part of reading and enjoying fiction. I've excluded some of my all-time favorite stories from my childhood thanks to the criteria I set as good "beginner" shojo--but I also don't want to contribute to a world that divides stories as "problematic" and "unproblematic" as if such a binary exists. Ultimately, this list is just based on my PERSONAL taste, what I deem more comfortable to read than other stories, so I can't guarantee that you'll have the same experience. I can't even promise I would have the same experience re-reading some of these, since the stuff that made me comfortable/uncomfortable in the past has changed in the present. It's all very subjective. That's why I'm intentionally specific about the tropes I've excluded. Note that this doesn't mean the stories listed are not littered with their own flaws. I hope this disclaimer didn't seem too excessive, haha.

[joannerowling]

I’m a big fan but I will admit that, while I think it’s the most beautifully written of the 7, I thought as a teenager that the ethical core of Deathly Hallows was a bit skewed and haven’t changed my mind having re-read it as an adult. Harry using the torture curse and the narrative approving of his ‘gallantry’ is a real low point. I also have issues with how she handled Snape from a Christian perspective, given that he was the one character explicitly working to atone for his sins. But I mainly put those gripes down to the final book needing to revert to a fable of good vs evil to tie the whole thing up, which necessitated losing some of the nuance of HP’s politics that had been explored mid-series.

The early books were ‘mean spirited’ because they were children’s books set at a boarding school that deliberately evoked the Roald Dahl tradition of writing terrible adults that need to be viciously cut down to size lol. The humour is so distinctly British.

Agree to disagree, i think it's pretty funny that Harry snaps over something like McGonagall getting spat on. It's in the same vein as Hermione cursing Marietta to have "SNEAK" written on her forehead for me. Is it good? No (and i don't think the narrative *says it's good*), but is it satisfying and did Carrow have it coming? Hell yeah! Remember that the Carrows are explicitely said to be fond of Crucifying students and even forced some to use the curse on first years (11 years old kids) apparently for shit and giggles. I think giving Amycus a taste of his own medicine was fine.

You would have to elaborate on the Snape bit for me to comment.

I get what you mean with the third part, not sure that i would call it "the Roald Dahl tradition" - even though he excels at this, but is it not more like a feature of child lit in general? How many fairy tales start with a poor girl being treated like shit by her comically evil step-mother meanwhile her father is completely useless? And child lit, or rather books where children are the heroes in a world of Terrible Adults, is a particularly favoured genre of British writers since at least Dickens.

JKR's work for children does fall into this tradition (i would say the Ickabog even more so than HP), but i think her specificity comes in a) her willingness to target character types that are rarely deemed of interest for kids, such as politicians (Fudge, Scrimegour), state workers (Umbridge, Bagman), journalists (Rita), business owners (Vernon), etc., people who usually are more the targets of satirical newspapers, and b) the fact that her satire is intricate and barely caricatural, compared to say Dahl's. Fudge for instance is NOT a caricature in his behaviour and even appearance, he's a *realistic* British politician… in wizard clothes. Compare that to Dahl's Trunchbull. Or you know, compare two official illustrations of one of Dahl's and one of Rowling's characters:

(Jim Kay on the right, Quentin Blake on the left)

Both have exaggerated features but Dahl's is cartoonish and focused on proportions and attitude, whereas JKR's is allll about the details (the knot, the cats, the texture and colour of those clothes). That is not to say one is better than the other but only to point out the difference.

[epicmilly]

SHE'S SO CUTE! inspiration struck and she poofed into existence i love her sm <3 i think i'm naming her renna! stormlight sona kinda?? at least her features are based off of me :D (wish i had cool eyebrows) backstory + id under the cut!

renna is half thaylen and half herdazian! her dad is a traveling merchant and while he was traveling he met this girl in thaylenah. they fell deeply in love and wanted to get married, but her parents wouldn't let her marry some rando merchant, so they got married in secret and they had her!

him being a traveling merchant and all, he only got to see his wife for a few months, not able to meet his baby daughter until awhile later. he went on, continuing his trade route, and after a year he was finally was able to come back to thaylenah to meet renna, who was about seven months old at the time. he found his wife living with her closest friend, as when her parents learned she was pregnant and had eloped with him, they pretty much disowned her and kicked her out.

he lived with her and her friend till renna was about two, both the proud parents of the adorable kiddo, till his saved up money was about gone. he got all packed up and ready to continue his job as a traveling merchant, but claiming she had to stay in thaylenah his wife stayed, giving him their daughter to raise.

he raised her on the sea, traveling from place to place and only staying for a few months in each area. renna does know her mother from when they stay in thaylenah, but they aren't super close. they do both love each other though, and she can tell that her parents love each other as well.

now about renna! she's super fun and quirky, with an upbeat personality. she's sixteen and loooves reading and sailing, though she dreams to settle down one day and have a family of her own, but she wishes her kids to have parents always present in their lives. she secretly dreams to be a scholar as well, though her father doesn't make enough money for her to be able to go to a good school. in her free time she paints, gardens, or has her nose stuck in a new book of fairy tales. she's also super outgoing and loves making new friends! she has at least five in every place she's ever visited, and is always excited when they go somewhere new or somewhere she hasn't been in awhile so she can catch up with her friends and make more of them!

oh and she's also an edgedancer but i haven't thought much about how that relates to her story yet.

now onto her outfit inspo!! i used the stormlight rpg character creator to look through all the details on the different races before deciding that i'd be either thaylen or herdazian due to my physical features, and her physical features are literally me, while her outfit is a mixmash of thaylen and herdazian fashion. the details and the sleeves on her dress are based off of the thaylen fashion folio in words of radiance (i believe?) and the dress+corset are based on like those cute medieval western dresses that girls wear in taverns and stuff idk i just googled it lol. it's supposed to be ranch vibes because that's what the herdazians wear.

[sinnamonpork]

Dabihawks fairy tale fusion where they get transported into a series of random disney movies by a quirk. Instead of being the main couple in the story, they are the side characters who needs to get the main couple together in order to get out. Cue various shenanigans of our resident dumbasses trying to wingman for their lives.

Natshig in a rapunzel world where Dabi is mother gothel and Hawks is the captain of the royal guard lol.

"Oh fuck you let Shiggy get out of the tower."

"You said Natsuo was already on his way!"

"That didn't mean you should let them loose, you fucking dumbass!"

dabihawks during the lantern scene almost burning the boat they are on trying to spy on the two lovebirds and is the reason why the kiss didn't happen.

Next on the list is a fuyurumi aladdin au, with Dabi as jafar and Hawks as the genie. Dabi is very offended because how dare the quirk assume that he'd like to overthrow his father's country, the old bastard can have his crusty ass kingdom. Dabi doing the trials instead of Rumi - bc the girl was too busy thieving and simping for princess Fuyumi - and having a shouting match with genie!Hawks when he finally got to the lamp because why the fuck is this cave so complicated??? Do you want me to die??? Hawks looking at Dabi with a flat stare and saying "That's exactly the point of the traps, Dabi.". I just want them in the "A whole new world" sequence stalking the two on their own carpet and realizing that they aren't paying attention to fuyurumi anymore. They're having their own date up in the clouds, surrounded by sweet music.

The next fairy tale they went to is a Cinderella au todobaku, with Hawks as the fairy god mother and Dabi as the cat that chases the rats in the movie. The moment Hawks realizes who Dabi turned into, the hero laughs for so long that they almost missed the ball bc fairy god dumbass was too busy heckling Catbi. Dabi is very upset in that one because why is his baby brother in a shimmering blue gown while he's stuck as a furball in the very muscular and very warm arms of Hawks, getting carried around their whole time there. They didn't really need to intervene that much on that one except for stopping Bakugou from exploding Deku when he realizes the glass slipper can fit on the green haired boy. Shouto is very upset when he saw the two together and kissed Bakugou right there and then. (Izuku is terrified for his life in the background, the poor boy doesn't know what's happening.)

When they thought they were about to go home, imagine their surprise when they get transported into another world but with themselves as the main character. Cue The Little Mermaid au but with dabihawks. Haha imagine if Prince Eric was a completely different person, probably Chisaki, and Dabi turning back around when he saw the dude drowning. He doesn't care if he gets stuck in this world forever, he's not about to save the creep (hell would freeze over before he kisses the man.). So what if he was expecting to perform cpr on Hawks, no one would know how disappointed he is that he didn't get to save the hero. Pirate captain!Hawks seeing Dabi sulking on one of the stones and immediately recognizing him just from the eyes alone. They spend the rest of the day on the seas together and had a kiss by nightfall with Rumi and the crew singing "kiss the boy" in the background.

They wake up back in canonverse, now with new realizations and information on one another, yet not giving a fuck and continuing making out because they already had a taste of it once, the both of them can never let go of the other now.

[goingravager]

okay i am going feral over this. it's 2023 and no one was going to point out to me that the title doesn't translate to Revolutionary Girl Utena wtf

like. i legitimately never noticed. idk how obvious it is if you're a native Japanese speaker, or if it's actually acceptable grammar to put the adjective after the noun and this is just an alternate way to say Revolutionary Girl, but... growing up with so many "Magical Girl X" shows, "Revolutionary Girl Utena" sounded so normal to me that I never looked at the Japanese.

and like, the French subtitle that they throw in there is la fillette révolutionnaire, which does translate to Revolutionary Girl

but, thinking about it, if it really is that, shouldn't it be "Kakumei Shoujo", not "Shoujo Kakumei"...??

so the reason this has me feral: if it's true, it's yet one more bait-and-switch they threw in there, right up front, and it was in plain sight all this time. caution: heavy spoilers for the plot of the show follow.

so like. it's my opinion that the OP, both song and video, of Utena are an extremely clever bait-and-switch. in that they make one kind of sense going into episode 1, and they make a completely different kind of sense once you've finished the show.

like. when you first watched Utena, and you saw the intro, wasn't it basically exactly what you thought the show was going to be like? two girls having a meet cute, there's duelling, fairy tale elements, Utena is badass, and oh no she's going to have to struggle to hold onto Anthy metaphorically because of the Rose Bride thing, which could tear them apart at any time!

it's delicious, it's dramatic, and it's... not what the show ends up being.

but then you watch episode 39 and you realise. the intro is a complete description of the entirety of the show. two girls meet, they have some cute romantic moments early on, there are duels. Utena fights everyone. the castle collapses. they storm the heavens, Utena on her princely white horse of innocence and ignorance, Anthy on her dark horse of... being the dark horse of the plot, lol. Utena cannot be the one to save Anthy, she both metaphorically and physically cannot lift her out of her burdens, and Utena is left alone, curled up on the ground beneath the self-imposed weight of her defeat.

meanwhile, the song. the song!! going into the show cold, "rinbu revolution" seems like a pretty standard song for someone like Utena. but it's not Utena's song at all. it's Anthy's.

Even if I dream, even if I cry, even if I get hurt... ...reality keeps on coming recklessly. I wanna find out where I am, the value of being me. Gonna take who I've been up till now and find the strength to throw it all away. Strip down to nothing at all. Become like a rose petal blowing free! Even if the two of us are ever torn apart l swear that I will change the world.

who, in the plot, finally accepts the reality of her situation? who starts out lacking self-worth and struggles to eventually carve out, with her own hands, the place where she belongs? who heroically finds the strength to throw it all away, stripping herself of her prior role?

not Utena, who up until the very last clings to her "princely" ideals, into which she has placed all her worth and sense of self. in the last episode it's made clear that she hasn't changed the world one bit, nor brought revolution, as the world quite literally forgets her and goes on without her exactly as it was.

except for Anthy. Anthy remembers Utena, the only one who does, even though they are torn apart. she frees herself, changes her own reality by escaping the cycle of abuse to which she had become conditioned. Utena undoubtedly gave her strength and inspiration, but she could not lift Anthy out of her suffering, and believing she could (and had to) was her downfall.

let go of me, Anthy says, as their hands part, to an Utena who firmly believes that she can only make a difference by playing the hero. i'll go my way. the revolution is hers, not Utena's.

which is why, if the title is purposely misleading, it's so damn brilliant. we start out thinking, "of course! Utena is a revolutionary girl! She wears the boy's uniform* and duels, and she'll surely bring the revolution and save Anthy!" but what occurs is simply a "girl revolution", a Shoujo Kakumei, that is completed by Anthy herself.

*(no she doesn't, it's actually a unique uniform design. neither this nor that but a third thing.)

but maybe we can go deeper.

we know that Utena means calyx, while Anthy means flower. a calyx is the tough, protective outer layer of a flower bud, matching Utena's role in relation to Anthy. once a flower blooms fully, the calyx is no longer needed to protect it, and retracts or withers. i'm not a native Japanese speaker, but from what I have studied, it would seem that "Shoujo Kakumei Utena" could be read as "girl-revolution protector". not the one who brings the revolution, but the one who protects/shields the revolution-bringer, who nurtures Anthy while she is vulnerable. then Utena, the calyx, crumples, and Anthy blossoms in her own time.

and i think that's beautiful.

[artist-issues]

Hi! I read your take on the "Snow White being dead" theory and I agree 100%, so I immediately got curious about your opinion on another popular assumption about another popular Disney fairytale movie: The Little Mermaid. A lot of people have been saying that Eric never truly fell in love with Ariel and was solely and literally enchanted by the beauty of her voice as Ariel is, well, a mermaid and mermaids/sirens have always been known (at least in Western culture) for their singing voices that lured sailors to them (and their deaths, usually), so I do see why this seems very plausible for a lot of people. Personally, I don't really buy that theory, but it's a possibility given the history of mermaids/sirens and sailors in fiction. What do you think? It's really been on my mind for quite some time lol

No! Because 1) a siren’s voice is always used to bring a man to the siren. And Ariel’s all about going to Eric.

2) Eric does fall under a love spell in the movie, but it’s Ursula’s, so we know what that looks like, and his affections for Ariel are not that.

3) Eric almost kisses Ariel and is clearly attracted to her and falling in love with her childlike wonder when she does not have her voice.

4) Ursula’s contract stipulated that Eric and Ariel had to share a kiss if what ladies and gentlemen? True love. Which means it has to be genuine. And she clearly thought they had that without Ariel’s voice, or she wouldn’t have had her eels flip the boat over in a panic when they almost kissed.

5) Ariel’s voice is like Snow White’s beauty. Let me explain. Nobody talks about how pretty Ariel is in the movie (except for the scene where she walks in with the pink dress on.) But several scenes with different characters put an emphasis on how beautiful her voice is, even when compared with all her sisters. Just like how an emphasis is placed on Snow White’s physical beauty. But both kinds of beauty (physical, vocal) are using that age-old fairy tale technique of using “beauty” to symbolize something deeper: “virtue.”

Eric is committed to finding the source of Ariel’s voice because it is associated with the “mystery girl” he already believed existed, and now experienced saving his life. Remember, Ariel is not the only character with a dream in the movie. Eric dreams of “the right girl.” And there’s already hints that he believes in some kind of magical, supernatural fate associated with her that will draw them together. She’s almost a mythical creature in his mind already; someone who is out there against all odds, like unicorn waiting to be caught up to, and will be there for him when the time is right. She’s worth the wait, she’s worth the search, she’s worth everybody rolling their eyes at his romantic nonsense. That’s the sense you get from Eric before he ever encounters Ariel.

So of course the filmmakers are going to introduce her to him with a voice. Something he can’t see, something only he heard—so he can’t be like Prince Charming and use a physical trait, like whether or not she fits a shoe to identify her to others. He can’t identify her to others! It’s something only Eric could hear. That’s importantly thematically, because everybody thinks his dream is just all in his head anyway.

So then when he has a near-death experience, and there’s no explanation for how he could’ve survived, and he sees and hears basically a vision of a girl with a beautiful voice singing to him, of course he’s going to go, “I knew it, she’s real, she rescued me.” And then the filmmakers give you hint after hint that the people around him are denying it, that they’re giving him plenty of reasons to doubt what he thinks was the fulfillment of his dreams, but he doesn’t.

Why? Because he believes it’s more than just “a good girl came and rescued me.” He believes it’s supernatural—it’s fate that the one girl who’s right for him made an appearance when he almost died. I mean, if you were Eric, wouldn’t you be thinking, “of course I couldn’t die; I haven’t met Her yet.”

What I’m saying is, Eric represents Ariel’s dream: that not all humans are bad, and the surface world is worth loving. But Ariel also represents Eric’s dream: that there is a girl out there who is specifically right for him, and if he just waits and believes it, nothing can keep him away from her—and her voice is just a symbol of that.

With both Eric and Ariel, the characters learn to find out what their “dream” is really like, instead of just relying on their ideal. And of course, it turns out the thing they were dreaming of was there and real and even better than they imagined all along. Then other characters like Grimsby, Sebastian, and King Triton get to see that Eric and Ariel were right.

So, no. The filmmakers did not create a story where Eric was only in love with Ariel because of a siren spell in her voice. They took very obvious, intentional steps and scenes to avoid saying that. But I enjoyed answering this question because I get to explore their relationship more! So thanks!

[nic-42]

Bro I need to draw Kogoro and Ginzo interacting with Yuusaku and Toichi, it would be very fun!

want some headcanons? oh you want them

(It is a compilation of headcanons from different aus, therefore there is no coherence or they contradict each other, maybe in the future I will explain the aus as such, but each hc will give some context )

The first time Ginzo saw Toichi was when he saw him fall from the tree to his backyard, Toichi stood up as if nothing had happened and said "Hello! I'm your new neighbor, sorry for entering your property like that haha, Would you like to come to mine and have a drink?" [I like to think that's how they met lol]

Kogoro believed that Yuusaku was gay, and Yuusaku believed that Kogoro was a delinquent, prejudices due to their school days. [They are both gay and delinquent lol, magic au?]

Toichi almost killed him by 'accident' ["The lightning thing was an accident, the cocktail thing was different!" toxic love au ]

Toichi and Kaito are sons of bitches, they have killed people and hidden evidence at their convenience. Shinichi and Yuusaku know it and have done nothing about it [here Shinichi's moral code goes to shit, he is forced to kill, magic au?]

Ginzo and Kogoro agree that Yuusaku and Toichi teach questionable things to their children, but admit that they are useful. General hc.

Kogoro suspected that Yuusaku was suicidal because of the marks on his arms [he was not wrong, the entire Kudo family has had serious problems since they were children] but the marks were not from that. (my main au )

Yuusaku had a hard time growing his mustache. General hc

Toichi also likes Yoko-chan's music (only for him and Kogoro to bump into each other at a meet and greet and say "wtf?" )

Sometimes Kogoro wishes he could continue tucking Ran in, sometimes he does it with Conan. General hc i love it.

Ginzo and Kogoro learned about "The Tale of the Ice King and the Fire Jester" by Yuusaku and Toichi, and decided to use that idea to talk about their love relationship with their daughters. (Magic au?)

It was a bad idea, Aoko and Ran thought it was a joke or that they were even trying to make fun of the situation (his homosexuality ), don't use fairy tales with 17 year old girls.

Yukiko completely supports Kogoro (in this au Kogoro and Eri's relationship is more turbulent and Eri is a bitch in pursuit of the plot)

Ginzo never said a single swear word in front of Aoko, Kogoro tries to soften them so that Ran does not imitate them, Toichi taught Kaito to swear in French and English. yukiko put yuusaku in time out and we know why.

Ginzo and kogoro are cat persons

Kogoro has no intention of returning Conan to his parents.

Ginzo and Aoko think that Kaitou KID is gay, they are not wrong–

[konohamaru-sensei]

Fantasy AU ramblings

I've been more in my head about my Fairy Tail Fantasy Au lately and I thought I upload some of my initial thoughts here. Maybe I'll make a collection on AO3? Idk maybe that would make it too serious LOL

This AU would eventually have all the typical pairings (Jerza, Gruvia, NaLu etc), but I also have my OC Rhia included, plus @foolishk's OC Kaiya. But it was created for the juicy jerza dynamic specifically. So yeah, meow!

Anyway, two short stories I've written in this AU: Jellal and Erza before the winter war || Gray and Juvias first encounter.

Either way:

---

Long ago, a hundred years before our story, three nymphs were born shortly after each other. Nymphs are almost ageless beings, sprouting from the ice in the caves of the highest peaks of the icy-mountain range. Kept away from humans they fear them and keep to each other until they return to the a thousand years later. Rumour has it that a nymph can decide to give up her years, become like a human, rumour says some have done it, but that is just stories of 900 year old elders, the young decide.

Kaiya was born first, in the year 644, from a puddle of melted ice. She was quiet, observant and too curious about old tales for her own good. Rhia followed just a footstep later, the year is 697, formed in a little waterfall in one of the deeper caves. Blessed and plagued by temperament not unlike raging water. Not even a breath later Juvia was the last, in the year 698, finding her form in deep iced water where she is most comfortable. 

All three instinctively know their name, all three are sisters in some way and not sisters in another. A hundred years will pass before they first grasp the world outside of their caves.

#

In the year 770, when dragons and humans lived side by side still, a boy was born to the royal court of Magnolia. With a stern look in his eyes like the king and blue hair like the queen he was the image of his parents. He was lucky to be born a boy too, he would be the next in line for the kingdom. Proudly, his father named him after his own father, Jellal, and declared that he would raise his son to be a fine and just leader of the country. 

The happiness soon waned as little thin, red lines appeared on the baby's face on the right side. The pattern was unusual and the finest doctors in the land could not tell what had transpired. The king took his newborn to a witch, who was living amongst the shapeshifters in the forest. She followed the red lines with a slender, old finger. Cursed, she judged. The boy bore a curse of red that would be his destiny.

The king never again looked at his child as something to be proud of. He ordered the guards present to keep quiet about what had transpired in the forest. Soon the entire court knew that the prince was cursed. 

In that same year, 770, another boy was born not far from the city of Magnolia in the kingdom of Fiore. The old, aristocratic family of the Dreyars had long expected the next in line to lead the family estate. The marriage of his parents, arranged and loveless, had so far been unable to produce a child. Soon the boy, who had been named Laxus, learned of the violent tendencies of his father just as his mother had. Fearing for the child’s well being his grandfather stepped up instead and loved him more than both parents ever could.

Later the same year, 770, high up in the ice-mountains, where snow reigned and cold wind blew at all months of the year, a girl was born to the empress. The rules were different in the kingdom of ice than in the kingdoms walking in the sun, the child did not need to be a boy to be an empress. 

Her mother was happy to meet her, happy to be with her, after the months she had spent crying over the loss of her husband. Now, with her beautiful child in her arms, the empress cried too, because she could not contain the happiness she felt in other words. To reflect all the love of these first tears she named her child close to what was her own name, Ultear.

#

771, the year following, another child was born to the court of Magnolia, tucked away in a barn where usually dragon children were housed. A girl, her hair as red as the one of her mothers and her eyes as hazel as her fathers. Desperate for her mother’s attention, the girl found only cold when she was being held. Her mother had suffered greatly while she had been carrying the baby and had no love left for her child now. 

Her mother was busy, she was important at court, she had no time for the girl. She hastily named her Erza and discarded her to the royal caretaker to be looked after. She soon learned that she was not the only child at court that had been abandoned there by their busy parents.

On the edges of the kingdom, just across the border, where the wind could already rip cold and unrelenting on your clothes, a child was born in the same year, 771. His parents had been expecting the little boy like it was the last missing piece and the big puzzle that was their love. 

Still, his arrival sprouted a little disappointment in his father. Blessed with red hair and long locks, his father had picked out the name for the boy long before he was even born, thinking his son would surely look like him. The boy, however, had inherited the looks from his mother’s side and was only blessed with thin, white hair that looked nothing like the name his father had chosen. They awarded him with it anyway and named him Lyon.

#

A year later, in 772, in an especially ice winter in the north, not far from the castle of the empress, a boy was born. In comparison to the one that would one day in the future be his brother, the boy looked exactly like his father. Though his parents had been surprised by the announcement of his arrival, their happiness at his being with them was never ending. And though his mother made fun of his father’s naming choice, the boy was named Gray to match him. 

The same year, 772, but in quite the opposite conditions, a boy was born in the forests north of Magnolia, not far from where the shapeshifters lived. It was a hot, relentlessly oppressive summer then and his mother was on the verge of losing consciousness in the heat when he arrived safe and sound. With hair pink like his father, eyes curious like his mother and an immediate smile on his face nobody could deny that this child had something magnetic about him. The parents decided to let his older brother name him and, fatigued from the heat of that summer, he was given the name Natsu.

#

Spring of the year 773 carried the smell of that previous summer in Fiore, as if winter never had gotten a foothold on the continent at all. Into the sound of winds and the falling of cherry blossoms a rich trader and his wife welcomed a daughter into the world. They had come into money generation or so before by building connections between the iron-mountains and the kingdom and now the dynasty needed to be preserved. 

The little girl would have enough wealth to never need to ask for anything, and yet she still grew up wanting. Her father loved her mother and her mother loved her. She was named Lucy, like a song their parents had once loved.

#

In the year 783, when the fate of the other children was already in motion, the widowed queen of Magnolia bore another blue haired child. Since her husband had passed away she’d had several lovers and though she had not planned to have another child, the queen was pleased to welcome the little girl into the world. Behind her older brother, now next in line to the throne, the girl would have everything she ever wanted and face none of his pressure. Her brother named her Wendy, after an adventure book he had once read.

#

In the year 795 the trader's daughter leaves her family house to marry the young king on Magnolia’s throne. This is where this story begins.

[mahou-furbies]

Alright here's the results for the 2024 Precure Hopes and Predictions!

Q1: Hopes for the theme of the season?

Technology/games. Or more likely: science?

Military, video games

Technology / Gaming

Computers and/or bugs

Video games/Tech

the arts (both performing and visual)

Seriously hoping for creating things as a theme

Art theme! Or something winter-related (a precure team located in Hokkaido? That would be so cool!)

I would like a season based on a combination of gemstones and popular hobbies like arts, sports, and science. It can have a moral theme of "finding your inner sparkle, your one true talent."

I've always thought that season-based characters (spring, summer, etc.) were really fun, with lots of possibilities as far as power and design go! But it would be harder to have a sixth ranger, and we've just had a 4+1 season, so I'm not too hopeful… I guess I'd like a story around art (like, each of the girl represent a certain form of creativity?) We've had lots of cures who were artist of some kind, but their interests are rarely reflected by their cure powers!

someday i want a 4 seasons precure

Flowers

I hope for flowers theme or elementals but i think it will be idols or fashion

Insects would be fun! (ladybug lead, butterfly and honeybee Cures. Moth midseason!)

Carnival.

Cars and racing, fairy tales (specifically Peter Pan), music and dancing

We never had a proper fairy/fairy tale season, so that!

Fairy

unlikely but aliens would be fun

cats/felines + lolita fashion + fantasy

Pirates

Mythology

Gemstones

Sports

Q2: Predictions for Cure theme colours?

Standard pink/yellow/blue to follow the pattern Hugtto set

please please please don’t go back to pink/blue/yellow

Ideal - Pink/Yellow/Green/Blue or White; Realistic - Pink/Blue/Yellow/Purple

Pink, blue, yellow, purple

Pink, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Red

I want a blue and a pink at first, then green and yellow (maybe also purple) but I am sure it will be pink/blue/yellow again

Pink, Blue, Yellow, Purple maybe, No green lol

Pink, blue, yellow, purple, maybe green?

I'm kind of curious, since Toei got pretty original with the colour scheme this year… My guess is, either they'll go for something super conventional like Healin Good or Delipre, or they're going to keep their "unique color scheme" streak.

Similar to ALaMode it can be the standard trio (PBY), followed by a red and purple duo, and later joins a vibrant green.

pink, blue/teal, purple, black/white/grey would be super cool!

Pink, Orange, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple

Pink - Blue - Red - White (midseason)

Pink, Red, Purple

Pink, blue, green

Pink, red, white, and purple

White, orange, indigo, green, red, teal

dark pink/red, blue, and gold (later cures would be green, purple, and black/white/grey)

For gaming: the usual letter button colors (red green yellow blue) For science: uhh, def needs a Cure Combust thats red. I imagine her having a combo attack with a blue cure that makes blue fire.

Pink leader (current season was too revolutionary, time for Toei to get back to a safer structure), a yellow/orange, a blue one, a mixed weird color joining mid-season and hopefully a green cure

for aliens green orange pink

Green pleasssse (probably pink for the main Cure)

We've gotta get at least one green cure right?

Two colours for each Cure.

Q3: How many Cures do you expect there to be at the start?

Q4: Any other thoughts?

Hopefully there'll be more than one villain active at the same time, Hirogaru Sky was honestly kind of disappointing in that regard (it does not help that the first villain's debut came with a fart joke).

I'm fine with another pink, yellow and blue Cures, but please, at least try to make them different by using different shades of said colors. There are so many, don't settle for the most basic color palette.

If it doesn't happen, I could always make fancures instead.

I really want a cure who becomes an engineer of some kind in the epilogue. Specifically a girl becoming an engineer

I am sure it will not be what I want XD but precure prove me wrong this year!

I would love unique flower motifs for each cure. All of the possibilities!

Mythology would also be a fun theme, but the Tropical team had a phoenix and so did Cure Wing, so they would probably try to space that out.

The cures' designs would be based on wild cats and domestic cat breeds: maine coon, norwegian forest cats (e.g cure forrêt), serval, jaguar. There would be a cat goddess (who could possibly also be a precure)!

Male Cure, Twins as cures, a disabled cure, a chubby cure, and a cure of color (like Elena)

I think it'd be neat to have the main trio be required to transform together as a call-back to Black/White, Bloom/Egret, Melody/Rhythm, Miracle/Magical, and Macherie/Amour, plus to keep celebrating 20 years of Precure

they will go back to pink/blue/yellow

i want scifiesque magical girls i feel like theres been lots of fairytale themeing recently and i want something very different also the idea of the midseason cure being the pink one amuses me greatly

I want more boy cures

A male lead, preferably voiced by Yuki Kaji

Please, no babies, not another one…

Random list of elements that (I think) haven't been done that much in a precure season: 1) Have cures be siblings/give a significant role to a cure's sibling. 2) Have characters actually be in a romance! I know precure has a young demographic, so romance isn't exactly important, but it's a bit tiresome how many precure romances tend to be unresolved crushes that are dragged throughout the season! I don't care if it's girl/girl, girl/boy or boy/boy, it would just be nice to see characters confess to each other and have their relationship build from there throughout the story. 3) I know there have been debates on relationships between the cures and the villains, how redeemable the villains are, how much the cures should be concerned about them, etc., but I'd like Toei to play on that dynamic more. Maybe a villain questioning their allegiance, or even turning out to be a mole for the good guys! Or on the opposite side, a cure joining the bad guys willingly, whether misguidedly or to become a mole themselves! 4) Fun stuff with the mascots! The mascots are a family! A mascot is a family member of a cure (don't ask me how that works!) Secretely-a-villain mascot! Mascot who is reluctant in their role and a bit cranky! 5) Families and non-magical friends being a relevant part of the cures' life. To be fair, it has been done several times, but it's always nice to see. 6) Boarding school!

Thanks to everyone who took part, reading these was super fun. Let's see if anyone got it right! (though you only get half of a point if the pink-blue-yellow prediction turns out right lol)

[taintedevesayori]

⚰️ Diatober ⚰️

Day 23: Nightmares | Prompts by @fruit-of-infidelity | Masterlist

((So originally this was going to be something different but I changed the idea while I was listening to the opening to the anniversary no kuni no Alice game from the Alice in the country of hearts series. So enjoy this crack Sayo in Wonderland idea lol))

“Once upon a time, there was a girl named Sayo, who enjoyed spending her Sunday afternoons in the garden with her older sister, Lei,” Rena, the narrator of this story, began her tale. “They would take a tea set out and sit under the trees with their books, since they were both avid readers.”

But to Rena’s surprise, something unexpected happened. 

“Who the hell are you?” Sayo demanded. “Why are you narrating my life?” 

“Because I am the narrator. Every fairy tale needs one.”

“Fairy tale? How ridiculous! This is my life, not a fairy tale.”

“This is a fairy tale and I’m the narrator,” Rena huffed. “Now shut up and act like a non sentient character, Sayo.”

Sayo grumbled under her breath but looked back down at her book. Lei, who was sitting next to her, was unphased. It seemed she had heard nothing. Sayo was the only sentient character here.

Now, back to our tale. Sometimes Sayo became so relaxed on those precious Sunday afternoons that she would begin to doze off. Lei did not approve of such behavior, since it was inappropriate for a lady to be sleeping outside. But no matter how many times Lei lectured her, Sayo would still nap in the garden on occasion when her drowsiness overtook her.

On this particular day, she was beginning to feel a bit sleepy as she was reading. This book wasn’t of her own choosing. It was one her tutor wanted her to read, and it wasn’t particularly interesting. Still, she was trying her best to stay awake.

“Sayo, dear, we’re out of tea,” Lei said after she unsuccessfully tried to pour herself another cup. “I am going inside to get us some more. Please do not fall asleep while I am gone.”

“Yes, sister,” Sayo agreed. 

Lei got up, carefully picking up the tea set before heading inside. Sayo did want to listen to her sister, but as she began reading once more, another wave of drowsiness hit her. She sighed, placing the book down before curling up under the tree.

“It’ll be fine if I close my eyes for just a little bit…” Sayo muttered to herself. “I’ll rest until she gets back.”

Sayo was only out for a few minutes before she heard a noise. It sounded like someone or something getting closer to her. Unbeknownst to her, a white rabbit had gotten into her garden. His curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had snuck over to her to get a closer look.

“It’s…Alice…” he muttered. 

Sayo’s eyes shot open from the shock of hearing an unfamiliar voice. There was a man with black hair and a scarred face leaning over her. But that wasn’t the only thing shocking. This man had white rabbit ears sticking out of his head. 

“W-What the hell?!” She exclaimed. “Who are you? What are you doing in my garden?!”

“I’m…Azusa, the White Rabbit. And you are Alice…You must follow me…to Wonderland.”

“Wonderland…?” She muttered in confusion. “Wait, you’re mistaken. My name isn’t Alice. You have the wrong person.”

“No…you are definitely Alice. Now, follow me.”

Azusa grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. He was dragging her behind him as he went back the way he came before she could comprehend it. He only let go of her hand when he reached a burrow on the side of a hill. Sayo knew it certainly wasn’t there before.

She watched as he ducked down and disappeared into the darkness. She knew she should turn back and return to her garden…but she was curious. Why was there a hole here? Why did this man go in? And why was he so insistent she come with him even though they had never met? It would be fine to take a peek, right? She thought so, at least. 

And so, she ducked inside as well, tentatively taking a few steps forward. She could barely see anything. It didn’t seem like Azusa was waiting for her, either. She thought that maybe it would be better to turn back after all. But as she took one more step forward, the ground came out from underneath her. She let out a shriek as she fell. She tried reaching for anything that might stop her fall, but nothing was there. 

Fortunately, the fall was short, so she didn’t have any injuries. Azusa was waiting for her in the middle of a forest. She had no idea how a fall from a burrow could land her in a forest. 

“Are you hurt?” Azusa asked as she got to her feet. 

“No. But you could have warned me about the fall,” she huffed. 

“I’m sorry,” he said but looked a bit amused. “Welcome to Wonderland, Alice….We have been waiting for you…for a long time.”

“What are you talking about? And I told you, my name isn’t Alice.”

“If you want to know…find me later,” he smirked before disappearing into the forest.

“Wait!” 

She chased him, but soon realized that he was much faster than her. He was long gone and she had no idea what direction he had gone at this point. 

“How am I supposed to find him like this?” She grumbled.

Sayo continued to wander through the forest in hopes she would run into him, or anyone that might be able to tell her where she might find him. After a while, a chill ran up her spine. She had the feeling she was being watched. Eventually, she heard rustling in the bushes behind her. 

“Who’s there?” She demanded, flipping around to face them. 

“Well, well~” A red headed boy with a fedora said as he stepped out. “What is a cute girl doing in the forest all alone? It isn’t safe.”

“Yes…” a purple haired boy clutching a teddy bear stepped out with him. “It isn’t safe to wander alone.”

Sayo had come face to face with two of the triplets that inhabited the forest. The red head was Laito, otherwise known as Tweedle Dum, and purple was Kanato, otherwise known as Tweedle Dumbest. The other triplet, Ayato, Tweedle Dee, no longer lived with them. He had moved onto better things quite some time ago.

“Hold on,” Sayo said to Rena. “There’s only two twins in Alice in Wonderland.”

“How did you figure out this is Alice in Wonderland?” Rena sighed.

“How could I not at this point? Now, like I said, there aren’t triplets in the story.”

“Like I said,” Rena’s voice was strained. “This is a third, not widely known, triplet. Are you going to stop questioning everything I say?” 

“Maybe…”

“Let’s continue then,” Rena sighed. 

“I’ve never seen you before,” Laito continued. “And I’m well acquainted with the ladies in Wonderland~”

Sayo had to resist the urge to grimace. This man was definitely a pervert. 

“Yes…Where did you come from?” Kanato asked.

“I was dragged here by someone named Azusa,” she decided to explain to get the information she wanted. “He ran off, so I’m looking for him. Any idea where I might find him?”

“Azusa?” Laito was surprised, while Kanato only glared at the ground. “Nfu~ I see. You must be the Alice girl he’s been searching for. That means you’re special, right?”

“I told him my name isn’t Alice,” she sighed. “My name is Sayo.”

“He knows your name isn’t Alice,” Laito decided to explain. “Alice isn’t a name, it’s a role. But that’s all I’m willing to tell you~”

“If she’s special, we should keep her, right?” Kanato smirked. 

“I like that idea, Kanato,” Laito grinned. “You said your name was Sayo? Stay here with us. We’ll help you.”

She could tell they didn’t have good intentions and began slowly inching backwards.

“Yeah, no thanks. I’ll search for him on my own.”

“Wait-” Laito said, but she took off running. 

Luckily, they didn’t chase her for long, and she soon reached a break in the forest. She found herself somewhere strange instead. She was surrounded by mushrooms and flowers that were taller than her. 

“What kind of place is this…?” She muttered, glancing around in awe as she wandered deeper in. 

She soon saw a cloud of purple smoke billowing above the mushroom tops. She decided to walk towards it, in hopes of finding a new person. Hopefully whoever it was wasn’t as strange as the two Tweedles.

When she entered a clearing, she found a man with black hair and glasses sitting on a large, flat mushroom, smoking from a pipe. It was the pipe making all of the purple smoke. 

Reiji, the Caterpillar, was clearly surprised to see her. He didn’t get visitors very often and he had never seen her face before. 

“You…who are you?” He narrowed his eyes at her. 

He didn’t seem as weird as the Tweedles but he was more off putting.

“Um…my name is Sayo. I’m sorry for interrupting, but I’m looking for a man named Azusa. If you know him, do you know where I might find him?”

“You’re looking for the White Rabbit?” 

This was even more surprising to him. He didn’t know of anyone who sought out Azusa. But then he realized who this girl must be. 

“I see…” he smirked. “And why might you be looking for Azusa?”

“He brought me here but then ran off. I want to know why and how to get back home.”

“You want to go back home? Even though you don’t know who you are?”

“What…? What are you talking about?”

“Who are you?” Reiji repeated his question from earlier.

“Sayo. I said that already.”

“And you’re quite sure about that?” He smirked. 

“Of course. Why would you-?” She began to say but then realized what he was probably getting at. “If you are going to start calling me Alice too, it’s getting old!”

“Don’t lose your temper,” he was only amused. “How do you expect to get information if you do?”

“Do you know where Azusa is or not?” She huffed. 

“I would never keep track of that pathetic White Rabbit.”

“Then this conversation was pointless,” she grumbled, storming past him, deeper into the mushroom grove.

“Alice, huh…?” Reiji muttered, watching her go. “Interesting…”

Sayo soon found herself back in the forest, caught at a crossroads. There were two paths in front of her, and she had no idea which way to go. There were no clues on where Azusa might have gone, just endless forest that she could see down each path. She had no idea how she was supposed to choose. 

“If you’re the narrator, you know how this ends. So why don’t you help me choose?” Sayo grumbled at Rena.

“That’s not how this works,” Rena replied. “Now stop being sentient!”

Sayo rolled her eyes before focusing on the two paths once more. 

“Are ya just gonna keep starin’ at the same thing forever?” A voice suddenly spoke up. 

Sayo looked up in surprise to see a boy laying on one of the branches of the tree in front of her. He had white hair with cat ears sticking out of them and a white and black striped cat tail. She had run into Subaru, the mischievous Cheshire Cat. 

“Huh…” Rena muttered, studying the cat boy. “I’m not sure this role fits with his personality.”

“It absolutely does not,” Sayo agreed.

“Scratch that then,” Rena said.

Sayo had run into Subaru, the ill tempered Cheshire Cat. He was attempting to nap in the tree when he noticed Sayo, who had been standing in place for some time. It was a bit annoying to watch her struggle to figure out where to go, so he decided to speak up to get rid of her. 

“Um…sorry,” Sayo said. “I just don’t know where to go.”

“Where are you trying to go?”

“I’m looking for Azusa, the White Rabbit.”

“You’re looking for him?” Subaru couldn’t imagine why. “Go talk to the Hatter and the March Hare. If he isn’t with those freaks, they’ll probably know where he is.”

“Freaks?” She repeated, unsure if she wanted to speak with them. 

“Yeah, freaks. Pretty much everyone is a freak here. That pervert Laito and his psycho triplet Kanato, stuck up Reiji, lazy ass Shu, the king too. They all are. You can’t get away from it. That’s why I stay away from all of them.”

“I see…” she muttered. 

“Why the hell do you want to see Azusa?”

“He dragged me here and I want to know how to get home.”

Subaru’s brows furrowed. Did that mean what he thought it did? Now that he was looking at her properly, he realized he had never seen her. So that meant she was probably Alice. 

“Be careful,” he decided to warn her, which was normally out of character for him. “I mean it, they’re all freaks. And you don’t know why Azusa brought you here. Go down that path.”

He pointed to the left one. “That will take you to the Hatter’s place.”

“Thanks,” Sayo smiled. “Glad to finally meet someone helpful. What’s your name, by the way? I’m Sayo.”

“Subaru…” he muttered. “Get going. You want to get home, right?”

“Yeah. Thanks again!”

She waved as she headed down the left path. He laid back on his tree, but couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to go horribly wrong. Alice was in Wonderland. Nothing good would come from that.

At the end of the path, Sayo found what she was looking for. There was a house when the forest opened up. Beside it was a large yard inside a fence. A long table was inside, set up for a tea party. Sitting at the table next to each other was a blonde wearing a large, garish looking hat, and a tall brunette with long hair that was tied back and brown rabbit ears. At the very end of the table was another blonde with mouse ears. His head was lying on the table and he was clearly asleep. 

She had found the house of the Hatter. It probably isn’t hard to guess who is who, but the blonde with the hat was Kou, the Hatter. The brunette was Yuma, the March Hare. And the sleeping blonde was Shu, the Dormouse. He liked to nap anywhere, he just happened to be at the Hatter’s at this current moment. It certainly made no sense, though, considering he didn’t get along with Yuma. 

Kou and Yuma were being so loud that Sayo wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to them anymore. But before she could think of sneaking away, Kou locked eyes with her. 

“Ah! It’s Alice!” He exclaimed with a grin. 

“Huh?” Yuma followed his gaze. “Guess Azusa got her after all…”

“He’ll be so excited she found us,” Kou hopped up from his seat, rushing towards her. “Don’t be shy, Alice, come inside! We’re having a tea party. You should join us.”

Before she could say anything, he grabbed her hand, dragging her inside. He pushed her down into the seat across from Yuma. 

“Um…did I hear you mention Azusa’s name?” Sayo asked. 

“Yup! What about it?” Kou asked.

“Do you know where he is? I’ve been looking for him. He dragged me here but then ran off.”

“He’ll be so happy to know you’ve been looking for him,” Kou grinned. “I don’t know where he is now but he should be stopping by soon.”

“Why are you looking for him?” Yuma asked.

“Well, he told me to, for one. But I also want to know how to go home.”

The two exchanged amused looks.

“You want to go home?” Kou asked. 

“You already are home, Alice,” Yuma stated. “Alice is supposed to be in Wonderland.”

“I’m sick of people calling me Alice,” she glared. “I’m not Alice. My name is Sayo.”

“We know that. But you are Alice,” Kou was now even more amused. 

Before she could lash out at them, Kou continued speaking with a large grin. 

“I know! We should celebrate since you’re here! Let’s have a party! A regular tea party isn’t enough.”

“Hey!” Yuma yelled at Shu, throwing a teacup, which shattered against Shu’s head. “Wake up, lazy ass! We’re having a party for Alice and you’re helping!”

“Too much work…” Shu muttered. 

Sayo now understood exactly why Subaru called them freaks. She needed to get away before things got even more out of hand. If Azusa was supposed to show up, she could wait somewhere along the path for him. But before she could do anything, someone grabbed her hand. She turned, ready to slap whoever it was away, only to see who she had been looking for this whole time. 

“Alice,” Azusa smiled. “So you’ve been looking for me after all.”

“Yes,” she sighed in relief. “Now that I’ve found you, I want you to tell me how to get home.”

“Home?” He was confused. “Wonderland is your home.”

She was annoyed to hear him spouting the same nonsense as the rest of them. 

“No it isn’t, Azusa. My name isn’t Alice and Wonderland isn’t my home. My home is where we first met. I need to go back.”

“I won’t let you,” he frowned, tightening his grip on her hand. “You are Alice…You just don’t want to admit it.”

“See? What did we tell you?” Kou smirked at her. “You’re Alice. Azusa brought you here so you could be with us.”

“We need Alice,” Yuma said. “If we have Alice’s blood, Ruki will come back. He’s obsessed. He thinks the Queen of Hearts is Alice. He wants Alice’s blood, so he’s been trying to steal the Queen from the King of Hearts. But now we have the true Alice. Once we prove it to Ruki, he’ll come back home.”

“Blood…? What the hell are you talking about?!” Sayo demanded. 

“You didn’t know?” Kou chuckled. “I’m the Hatter, Yuma is the March Hare, and Azusa is the White Rabbit…but everyone in this world, apart from the Queen of Hearts, is a vampire.”

“Alice in Wonderland didn’t have vampires!” Sayo exclaimed to Rena.

“Stop questioning my story!” Rena snapped back. “It does now!”

Sayo couldn’t believe her ears. Vampires? Those only existed in fairy tales! She had to get away from them, and fast. She yanked her arm away from Azusa and ran like hell back into the forest. Considering how fast Azusa was, she expected to be caught, but nobody chased her. 

“You’ll come crawling back, Alice!” Kou called to her. “We’re the only ones you can trust in this world!”

“Like hell I can!” She snapped under her breath. 

After running for who knows how long, Sayo found herself lost in the forest once more. She decided to take a break, sitting down on a rock on the side of the path. As much as she didn’t want to, she began to get emotional. What was she going to do now? As far as she knew, Azusa was the only one who knew how she could get home and he didn’t want to tell her. It was the exact opposite. He wanted to use her. Plus, if they were all vampires, she was in danger, wasn’t she? Tears began to slip down her cheeks. She just wanted to go home. She wished she had never followed Azusa into that hole. 

“Why are you crying…?” Subaru grumbled.

“Subaru?!” She exclaimed in surprise, quickly looking around. 

She spotted him in a tree nearby. 

“I…found Azusa,” she explained. “He brought me here because he thinks I’m some special person named Alice. He and his friends want to use me and my blood…They want me to stay with them. He won’t tell me how to get home…”

“I knew something bad would happen…” he sighed. “So everyone really does think you’re Alice.”

“Did you think I was too?”

He didn’t answer, but that was an answer in itself. 

“I just want to go home…” she muttered, new tears threatening to spill. 

“Don’t cry…! I’ll show you how to get to the King’s castle. He can probably tell you how to get home.”

“R-Really…? But what if he thinks I’m Alice too? Won’t he refuse?”

“He has the Queen. He won’t care, even if he does think you’re Alice. If you need to argue with him, just say it will piss everyone off or something. Just be careful. Beheading is his favorite form of punishment.”

“B-Beheading…?” Her face paled.

“You’ll be fine. Just get in and out. Don’t do anything unnecessary. And stay away from the knight. Azusa and the other psychos probably wanted to use you to get him to give up on the Queen.”

“They said something about a person named Ruki, and that he thinks the Queen is Alice. Is that the knight?”

“Yeah, that’s him. You don’t want him thinking you’re Alice. He might do exactly what they want.”

“O-Okay…Let’s go then. Show me how to get to the castle.”

Subaru knocked on the tree he was in. A door suddenly swung open within its trunk, revealing the inside of the Castle of Heart’s garden. 

“Woah…that’s a pretty neat trick. Thank you, Subaru.”

“You better get home. Don’t let me see you again.”

“Okay,” she chuckled. “This is goodbye, then.”

She stepped through the tree and into the castle’s garden. She glanced around, trying to figure out which direction to go to reach the castle since there were multiple paths. As she was wandering in the direction of the castle, she locked eyes with an adorable blonde girl in an elegant pink dress. It was Yui, the Queen of Hearts, who was out on a walk through the garden.

“Oh…Who are you…?” Yui asked.

Sayo had the feeling this girl was probably royalty, so she had to be polite.

“My name is Sayo. I’m sorry for intruding. Are you the princess by chance? Or the Queen?”

She giggled at the thought of being the princess. “I am Yui, the Queen of Hearts. It’s nice to meet you, Sayo. What brings you to the castle garden today?”

“Well, it’s a bit of a strange situation,” she felt better explaining this to a queen than a king. “I was dragged here from my home by Azusa, the White Rabbit. He abandoned me in the forest. When I finally found him again, he refused to tell me how to get home and said he and his friends wanted my blood for something…I just want to get home. A cat boy named Subaru told me the King might know how I can get home.”

“I see…I’m very sorry that happened to you. My husband might know how you can return home. Let’s go see him. I’ll explain the situation to him.”

Yui gently took her hand, leading her to the castle. For the first time since she got here, Sayo actually felt a sense of calm wash over her. She could tell, Yui was a genuinely good person. 

Sayo followed Yui to the throne room, where her husband had been when she last saw him. And sure enough, he was still there. He had just finished sentencing a soldier to death by beheading for messing up the roses in a section of the garden. 

The King of Hearts was known by multiple names. Ayato, the King, or his former title, Tweedle Dee, the third triplet spoken of earlier that had moved on to better things. The triplets’ mother was the former Queen of Hearts, Cordelia. She was so ashamed of the triplets that she abandoned them in the woods when they were children. When Ayato learned of this, he decided to overthrow her. Ever since then, he had ruled as the King of Hearts.

"Are you serious...?" Sayo muttered, side eyeing Rena.

"Don't start," Rena sighed.

“Who the hell is this?” Ayato questioned when he spotted Sayo with Yui. 

Sayo stayed quiet as Yui explained the situation. 

“Heh,” Ayato smirked once she was finished. “If that White Rabbit brought her, that means she’s Alice. Why would I help you go home?”

“Because it would piss everyone else off,” Sayo stated. 

Ayato certainly didn’t expect that response from her. He couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Well, ya got a point. I don’t need you since I got Yui. If you go home, nobody can use the power of Alice’s blood against me.” 

“Did you say…Alice’s blood?”

Sayo turned to see a man with black hair standing in the doorway. He was wearing a uniform similar to the soldier’s from earlier and had a sword on his hip. She had a bad feeling that this was Ruki, the person who definitely should not find out that everyone thought she was Alice. 

“This girl…is Alice?” Ruki took a few steps towards her. 

“No, my name is Sayo.”

“You would love to get your hands on Alice’s blood, wouldn’t you?” Ayato chuckled. “Well that’s too bad. I’m sending her home. Azusa brought her here for nothing.”

“Azusa brought her here?” Ruki glanced at Ayato before his eyes landed on Sayo. “She’s not going anywhere.”

He drew his sword, pointing it at her. “Alice’s blood belongs to me. Don’t interfere, Ayato.”

“Tch,” Ayato glared. “Who do you think you’re talking to? Guards! Deal with Ruki!”

Multiple soldiers surrounded Ruki, but they all appeared hesitant to attack him. It was Ruki who trained them, after all. Even if they outnumbered him, they doubted they could defeat him. 

“S-Sayo, over here,” Yui called Sayo over.

She didn’t need to be told twice. Sayo rushed to Yui’s side. 

“Yui, take her and go,” Ayato ordered. “You know the locked door in the garden? It opens for outsiders. That will take her home.”

Ayato handed Sayo the key before pushing the two in the direction of the other exit to the throne room. Yui grabbed Sayo’s hand and the two ran from the room. They continued to run as fast as they could as Yui led the way back out to the garden. She knew how strong Ruki was. There was no way the soldiers would be able to hold him off for long. 

“The door is in the far corner of the garden,” Yui pointed in the right direction. “If Ruki catches up, I’ll try to talk to him. You keep running in that direction and use the key, okay?”

“A-Alright!”

It wasn’t long before they could hear someone coming after them and not much longer after that, they could see Ruki catching up. He certainly was fast…

“Go, Sayo! I’ll talk to him!” Yui let go of her hand. 

“O-Okay…Thank you, Yui!”

Sayo continued to run, glancing back once to see what was happening. Ruki really did stop to talk to Yui. It didn’t seem like the conversation was going very well, though. 

As she was nearing the corner of the garden, she could hear someone coming after her again. She could only assume Yui couldn’t talk Ruki out of coming after her. She had to be close, though. She couldn’t stop now. She couldn’t let everyone’s efforts be in vain.

When she turned the corner, she spotted the door. It was a simple, wooden door along the corner of the large garden wall. But the strange thing about it was the weird golden sheen along the whole thing.

As she was jamming the key into the lock, she saw Ruki turn the corner. He was clearly alarmed by the fact she was at the door and quickened his pace. Her heart was already beating a mile a minute but that made it feel like it jumped out of her chest and she quickly turned the key, unlocking the door. 

“Ruki!” She heard Azusa’s voice.

“Hurry! Grab her!” Kou yelled. 

She threw the door open as Ruki advanced on her. She could see her garden. The blanket the tea set had been on was still spread out underneath the tree. Her and Lei’s books were still on it. She was so close…!

She was halfway through the door when he managed to snag the back of her shirt. 

“No…!” She managed to grab onto a tree branch, stopping him from dragging her back.

“Jeez…I thought I was done helping you,” she heard Subaru sigh before he began yelling at Ruki, Azusa, Kou and Yuma. “You bastards are interrupting my nap! Get the hell out of here!”

He had appeared on the garden wall above the door.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with you, Cheshire Cat,” Ruki snapped, but was surprised by the sudden interruption. 

While he was distracted by Subaru, Sayo swung her foot back, kicking Ruki in the chest. The impact made him lose his grip on her shirt. She threw herself all the way in, allowing Subaru to slam the door shut. 

Sayo fell to her knees, letting out a sigh of relief. She really wished she could thank Subaru one last time. All he had done since they met was help her. She probably owed him her life. 

She climbed to her feet, stumbling over to where she had been sitting with Lei before this whole ordeal had happened. If she wasn’t exhausted before, she sure was now. 

“Sorry, sister…but I’m going to sleep…”

She laid down under the tree, passing out the moment her head hit the blanket. 

When Sayo woke up, she wasn’t under a tree. Lei wasn’t her sister and Rena wasn’t some weird person narrating a fairy tale. She had been sleeping in her own bed the whole time.

“What in the fresh hell…?” Sayo muttered as she stared up at the ceiling. 

She didn’t know what to say or do. That was such a strange experience, even for a dream. After a moment, her thoughts settled a bit. 

“God, I’m glad that was just a dream.”

Image made in picrew

[closet-is-tired]

I've mentioned this l Iike twice before i think? But I'm aggressively passionate about legacy day, it's the one eah special I'm super not normal about lol.

And ohhhhhh boy, do I have thoughts. So here are some!

The outfits from legacy day becoming the looks the characters are known for; so like, cinderella's blue dress, the pink/blue dress from sleeping beauty. Basically, the outfits are the ones that remain in the public conscious as being x character.

At the same time, they're homages to past generations; part of the reason these particular looks become so cemented as being representative of the characters is because they are repeated. Of course, every so often there is the one generation that decides to change things up. but mostly they remain very similar. So every year there's the rush to try and have a legacy day outfit that is somewhat "different" while remaining in traditional with past looks. this is because everyone trys to be the next generation that sets the standard for the "main look", they want to be memorable basically. (Spoilers: it usually doesn't work. All though, there end up being some absolutely horrendous outfits because of this...)

The last point creates some mild problems... like cinderella's dress originally being silver but progressively becoming more blue. Or the blue/pink dress conundrum with sleeping beauty. And of course, beauty's (the other one) dress originally being pink but being changed, and then later alternating between gold/yellow and blue (depending on the wear-er, yk?). Also, yes, I am basing these off the disney versions. What about it? (In my defense, the disney versions are some of the only points of reference when talking about fairy tale visuals that are semi-consistent.)

Legacy day being a big, bad,media circus; its basically the equivalent of a major award show in ever after. Every commoner who doesn't go to ever after high tunes into coverage of legacy day, it's a big moment for culture. Legacy day ends up dictating fashion trends, public opinion of the characters, and of course, gossip. The first two tie together because, in a similar way to reality TV dating shows, some big stars always come out of legacy day. (I think this goes without saying but, they become the it girls; and boys; for as long as they can maintain it)

All of this leading to, the concept of ever after high having like, a vault or museum; sorta in the way some colleges have museums? (i can only really think of examples that are for fashion or art schools lol) basically, the school keeping records of the outfits (and past years!) for future reference somehow. Whether it's physically storing some of the outfits from both legacy day and when the legacies are completed, and/or having pictures and written records. Tbh, I have no clue where the hell this idea came from. Considering the closest the show gets to this is the thronecoming museum(or whatever it's called), and that's a completely different concept.

All of this to say, legacy day should've been bigger.

[maya-matlin]

This is probably an idiotic question, but how much do you think Chad/Sophia and Milo/Alexis being in love in real life and that chemistry naturally translating onscreen has to do with why you ship brucas and literati: not a factor whatsoever, a small factor, a mid-sized factor, or a major factor?! I never thought it impacted why I shipped either of them but, honestly, on paper both ships are 'eh' to me and the writing has me cringing at points, but somehow when I actually WATCH them my heart is like 'yup, no matter what your brain says, we want these people together' and I really do think the actors' chemistry factors into that a lot more than I had realized. (The reverse is often true too---like my brain *wants* to ship brulian because they're a 'healthier' ship and Julian gave Brooke her fairy tale ending and all that but my heart is like 'eh, sorry, just not feeling it.') I swear there are a few Gilmore Girls scenes where I'm like 'that's not even Rory and Jess---you can tell by the tone and expression that it's Milo and Alexis lol' and same goes for Chad and Sophia when I rewatch parts of OTH. So I would say the actors' real life love coming through onscreen influences my shipping both those couples a lot, or at least more than I'd realized before. I'm so curious what your take is!

I would personally say that the chemistry has a massive impact. Not necessarily the real life relationships, though I'm sure for some that was part of the fun. Oftentimes, when fictional couples turn into real life couples, both the on screen and off screen dynamics are shipped simultaneously. I mean, it especially plays a large role in terms of Rory's relationship with Jess and their continued popularity. Their on screen relationship didn't last long at all. Milo choosing to leave at the end of season 3 and only appearing sparingly after that meant Rory and Jess never got a proper second chance or even a semblance of one beyond one kiss in season 6. Yet, their relationship is massively popular and touched so many fans. It's the definitive Rory romance even though she dated both Dean and Logan for longer. While Jess got a big push considering he was a real character with his own arc and story lines as opposed to Dean and Logan who primarily revolved around Rory with little things happening in their lives here and there (Dean's failed marriage, Logan's constant battle with Mitchum) that Rory would typically be there to observe, it's undeniable that what they shared on screen can't really be described as a successful romance. Both Rory and Jess had good intentions, but Jess also had a lot of problems that he needed to work through. He genuinely loved Rory, wanted to make her happy, and seemed committed to staying together after high school, but then his personal demons got in the way. So as a result, Jess let Rory down and failed to properly communicate the things that could have brought them closer as a couple. But, damn. The chemistry.

You see little moments like this on the show and also out of context in so many edits. You almost forget how badly things ended. Because how can you not love them?! And back to the chemistry. It never felt as natural with Rory's other boyfriends. I think it was more believable with Logan than Dean, but overall this looked effortless.

Also, Chad and Sophia. Good god. I don't know specifics about Milo and Alexis, but by all accounts Chad and Sophia's short-lived marriage ended in complete disaster to the point it's widely speculated that it played a role in how the endgames played out contrary to what everyone behind the scenes claims. Whatever Brooke and Lucas were intended to be in any given season (and I personally think that during season 2 at the least they might have been endgame), their chemistry far outshone the official Lucas/Peyton pairing. It was just so raw, you know?

These are all different phases. Through their initial relationship to the separating/divorcing era to firmly divorced, that chemistry never went away. Even when the underlying subtext isn't supposed to equal Brucas, the fact their love was once real off screen meant that it never 100% went away. Lucas could say a million lines about what Peyton means to him and how he's never been happier, but it never packed the same punch as the look on his face when he's around Brooke. And I'm not stupid. This is not pro-Chad and Sophia. The man got engaged to a high school senior. I'm not here to debate his real life thoughts and feelings for his ex-wife. I'm also aware acting exists. But if we're talking about real life relationships and on screen chemistry, it's relevant. For them at least, what went down in real life made the love story between Brooke and Lucas feel real.

As for Brooke and Julian/Sophia and Austin, it's interesting how it all kind of inverted. This is a good example of how other times, what's happening in real life doesn't make a difference in regards to on screen couples. On screen, Brooke and Julian were perfectly fine. I'd probably say they had the most heat in season 6 when Sophia and Austin were still figuring out whether they wanted to be together, but the Brooke/Julian relationship overall never had the same passion and effortless on screen affection. It never looked as put on as Lucas/Peyton scenes, but it was never exciting. So I definitely see what you're saying. On paper, Brooke and Julian was the right ending. It was evident how much Julian loved Brooke and that they'd formed an incredibly strong relationship throughout seasons 6-9. But because of the differences in chemistry, it doesn't feel quite as impactful. With Brooke and Lucas, it's like their love for one another is so overwhelming and impossible to turn off even when they want to. With Brooke and Julian, they love each other and it's really nice to have that comforting love after years of failed romances. But it's not necessarily the romance that jumps out.

See, this is very sweet. They're doing everything right. But it's just not the same.

[cursedvibes]

For character ask game, can I ask for Johan and Nina? Thx :D

Thanks for the Monster ask! I love talking about the twins :)

Johan

Sexuality Headcanon:

It's hard to say anything for certain with Johan's identity. How much is for show/acted and how much is his own genuine wants. It is very noticeable that when he goes to charm people (in a sexual way or otherwise) it's most often men, but it's difficult to say if that's because of personal preference or because they are just easier to manipulate. I would say there's a slight preference for men because going out of dates with Jan was absolutely not necessary, he could've gotten all the information he needed through regular persuasion or a casual chat. He also gives me strong ace vibes.

Gender Headcanon:

Also hard to put into words. I'd say either agender as in he really has none because he has made himself/become empty or bigender as in his own gender and the one of his sister. He does seem to prefer masculine or what is generally seen as boy's/men's clothes even when he was still living with his mother, but I don't know how much of that is his own will and how much is him just not wanting to stick out and fitting into society. I also wouldn't say he's solely wearing women's/girl's clothing because his mother raised him that way or because he wants to imitate his sister. Because the clothes he wears are different from Nina's. Hers are much more casual and unisex, while Johan deliberately goes into a more feminine direction. And in this case I don't think it's to fit in because he could do that perfectly well with Nina's clothing style as well.

A ship I have with said character:

Jan. Somehow I'm always gravitating towards murderer/sweet, naive and slightly delusional guy. I fully believe Jan could come around eventually to giving Johan another chance, seeing that Johan is able to be kind like how he helped his mother gain mental clarity. Johan just has to show that he will be murdering a little less in the future. But either way, I already like their interactions as is and I think the way Johan treats Jan is really interesting. He doesn't kill him, despite Jan knowing quite quite a bit about him and he even helps him before leaving Prague. There's definitely some potential.

A BROTP I have with said character:

Nina lol. I love these kinds of twisted, codependent twin relationships. And oh boy do they have trauma and drama between them. Honestly, the entire backstory about their mother's choice, Red Rose Mansion and their escape from Czechoslovakia alone is giving me so much food for thought. The fairy tales interwoven with it give it the extra surreal feeling, similar to how both of them see their childhood. The way both of their mentalities changed, the things both of them had to endure, the haunting imagery of Johan waiting alone in the empty apartment for Nina to return. It's just so incredibly good and the way you gradually find out about it is even better. Johan helped Nina by taking in her trauma (telling himself eventually it was his), but he also needed her to stay close and support him because he couldn't take it otherwise. Really one monster eating the other.

A NOTP I have with said character:

Johan/Tenma. I don't like Tenma and idk I just never saw any basis for it. Johan fixates on Tenma as well, but I don't see anything sexual or romantic in that.

A random headcanon:

I think he wears women's clothing or lives as Nina or under some other women's name even when it isn't necessarily benefitting his plan. He could do the same thing as a man, but he just decides to be a woman sometimes because why not (people tend to treat him nicer or overlook him easier too).

General Opinion over said character:

Love him, one of the best villains in anime and manga.

Nina

Sexuality Headcanon:

Either bi or a lesbian. She probably isn't quite sure about it yet either. I'd say she's more into girls because all her attempts at dating guys seemed a bit...strained. Like it didn't feel quite natural, even when Johan wasn't inserting himself into the situation.

Gender Headcanon:

She seems pretty happy as a cis girl. Although I wonder if things might be different if Johan and her roles were switched. She always had a strong sense of identity and internal strength though, so she would've probably processed such a situation very differently from Johan.

A ship I have with said character:

Lotte. She clearly has a huge crush on Nina and as far as love interest go, she seems like the best option. Relatively well adjusted while also adventurous and knows how to handle Nina when she's having a little existential crisis. Now Nina just has to be made more aware of Lotte's feelings for her...she can be a bit oblivious, but to be fair, she was hunting her murderous brother, so understandably a bit preoccupied.

A BROTP I have with said character:

Johan :)

A NOTP I have with said character:

Tenma again. Similar reason as with Johan. Sure they are nice to each other, but I really don't see anything else there.

A random headcanon:

I think her mother knew who she was giving away and she didn't do it because she doesn't love Nina but because she thought she would be more likely to handle Red Rose Mansion and Bonaparte as well as you possibly could. Like she wouldn't be as easily influenced by the picture book, not to the point of harming herself and others at least. You can see at times that Nina also has a murderous side to her, but she has it way better under control than Johan.

General Opinion over said character:

Like her. I used to not be that much of a fan, but she has really grown on me over the past years.

[cielsosinfel]

For once I'm cross-posting a Dreamwidth post here lol. I wrote way too much about the one and only book I finished so far this year, so tossing it into the reading log tag.

CW: non-descript discussions of sexual assault and antisemitism (both separate from one another)

The last book I finished was an anthology of fairy-tell reimaginings: Black Heart, Ivory Bones, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (Avon Books, 2000). This was actually a random used bookstore find- I was once again looking for anthologies with Tanith Lee short stories, and there happened to be three different ones edited by these two authors- this book; another book in the same series called Black Swan, White Raven, and an anthology of fantasy erotica titled Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers. I really lucked out in all of these having Tanith Lee in them, and some other authors I'm interested in. I haven't started the other two yet, though. (I also just a few days ago found ANOTHER book in this fairy tale series, Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears at the same bookstore... would have missed it if I hadn't asked the clerk to check their Tanith Lee stock lmao.)

So, about this anthology:

The Tanith Lee short story in Black Heart, Ivory Bones is the first story in the anthology, and a reimagining of Rapunzel- a prince, who is putting off returning from campaign, because he does not want to return to his father who is coping with grief by obsessively fixating on heroic tales and legends, meets a girl living at the foot of a ruined tower in the middle of the woods. I didn't like this very much at all, to be honest, though there's one passage from the king I like. But one thing that stood out to me is another example of a pattern I've noticed in Lee's books: women- usually women who have already been raped- being able to just tell if a man is a potential rapist or not; men asking women if they aren't worried he's a rapist, only for the woman to tell him they would know and he doesn't have the look of one.

It's a trend I've seen throughout multiple of her novels and short stories at this point. The idea that all women can tell, based on a man's appearance and the way he carries himself and speaks, whether he will rape her. Even her most aggressive or stoic heroes have some innate quality of their being or their appearance that tells women he's safe, as far as sexual assault goes. And there's a lot to unpack there, a lot of long-existing societal biases that it just kind of reaffirms (because certainly there is a very long history of people thinking rapists and other sexually violent individuals have a certain "look" to them.) But I was also thinking about what a power fantasy this is, in a way- to be able to look at a man and know at a glance that he is safe, trustworthy, that you can desire him and know him desiring you back is not a risk. Especially as a survivor of sexual assault! What a superpower that would be.

But yeah, so that's the Tanith Lee story, mostly unremarkable. A lot of this anthology didn't stand out to me, tbh. Neil Gaiman has a short poem in it that I thought was pretty awful lmao. There's a lesbian retelling of the Red Dancing Shoes fairy tale, "The Red Boots" by Leah Cutter, that I liked- the prose is snappy and I thought the author used it to get across the energy of country dancing very well! I liked that there's no Happily Ever After resolution either- despite all the possibilities the protagonist has at her fingertips, with this dance-loving woman who is like her and mutually into her, in a place so hostile and lonely for women like them, she still can't stop treating dance as a competition she has to win. And so she will never be free of her shoes, and she'll never be able to settle down into a life of shared peace, bliss and love.

The last story that stood out to me was "The Golem" by Severna Park. The book opens to a pogrom decimating a shtetl in historical Poland, and the main character, an older woman named Judith, watching her husband Motle, the rabbi of the village, be gunned down by Christians. The shtetl is massacred, and Judith escapes into the woods with two other older women, Nekomeh and Moireh. They're reeling from the trauma they just witnessed, the grief, and the danger of being caught and killed, so decide to band together to try to make it to Leva, another much larger Jewish village outside Cracow. Judith has a dream the first time she sleeps following the massacre, where her husband tells her to make a golem to keep herself safe. What she forms out of the mud is a golem that takes on the exact appearance of her and Motle's long-dead daughter, Reva.

This is a short story but it packs in so much- surviving great violence and loss and yet not being allowed any reprieve before you're go go going to avoid even more violence and loss; the bonds between women who face misogyny, patriarchyt and violence both from within and without their communities and culture; the grief of a wife and of a mother who needs to learn to embrace and let go; the need for violence in defense vs violence as revenge and whether it would really make you better, improve your situation. I thought this was a very good piece of writing.

I really liked the ending:

"With her thumb Judith drew a trembling diagonal next to the Met and added short vertical strokes at the top and at the bottom.

Aleph. Mem. Tav.

She took a step and stumbled where the bank went soft. She fell to her hands and knees where the golem had vanished, tried to get up and stopped.

Spring flowers burst from the fertile dirt between her fingers. They pressed themselves up in green buds from under her knees. They sprouted around her feet, blooming in the sunset, dense and fragrant, trembling in the evening breeze.

Judith made herself stand. If the very earth had risen for her against its will, perhaps there was a place in the shadow of Cracow's walls where an old woman could seed the ground with new things. Not revenge. Not fear. Maybe not even peace, but she could do something.

And this time, she could not find it in herself to be afraid."

So that's the only book I've finished since 2024 started, and even then I kind of skimmed short stories that I knew I wouldn't be into. I'm still working through Lee's Kill The Dead (more like still working through health problems that have made doing anything very difficult), and I also started Kristine Kathryn Rusch's Heart Reader a day ago- I'm already halfway through, it's a very fast read, and I have a lot of thoughts about it that I've kinda posted elsewhere lol.

I've also been speeding through Final Fantasy IV DS. I keep meaning to post about it here but then I forget, I'm just so exhausted. I haven't played it in a couple days actually. It's one of those games I never had the patience to play as a kid, the SNES version at least. If we ever had the DS version I don't remember it, but I remember thinking the SNES version was suuuuuper frustrating to play lol so I didn't bother... But I'm enjoying the DS version a lot! It's definitely very frustrating with the boss battles, that octomammoth fucked me up. I'm enjoying Cecil's character arc, and I'm eagerly awaiting Rydia, Rosa and Edward coming back to my party. I'm enjoying the homoeroticism of Cecil and Kain's friendship turning into a horrific violent antagonistic mess- Kain going from standing up for Cecil and risking angering the Baron to argue for Cecil's sake, to Kain fighting with Golbez to be the one to kill Cecil... Also the whole mind control thing with Golbez is super hot, though I wonder how much of it is totally mind control and how much of it is Kain willingly going along with Golbez because of Rosa, it feels kinda unclear in latter cutscenes. But yes, the characters are fun, the localization script is very fun, the art style is endearing, and the game play is fun once you get into the rhythm of it. (I am also hardcore following this guide to make things much easier on myself lmao.)

Maybe I'll try to put down my impressions when it is not 12am and I'm not running on extremely little sleep.

[ladymorghul]

Modern Au: Alicent and Rhaenyra were friends at school. Alicent was always at Rhaenyra's house as they both felt lonely after losing their mothers and Otto was always busy working so he wouldn't have to deal with grief. Viserys treated Alicent well because she was his daughter's best friend, but due to her daddy issues, Alicent mixed feelings.

Rhaenyra moved to college. Viserys was lonely. Alicent craved male validation. They ended up slepping together. Alicent soon became pregnant by accident and Viserys thought it would be right to marry this girl so she wouldn't turn into a "disgraced teenage single mother".

Alicent thought she was living a fairy tale, but over the years she saw that she had been groomed and ended up being a single mother anyway.

Her friendship with Rhaenyra ended because Rhaenyra never forgave her for having a relationship with her father (and secretly had a crush on her friend during her youth) and Alicent leaned on religion to support the life she has and judges Rhaenyra for having been married three times (Laenor, Harwin and Demon), having children from different fathers and somehow resents her for leaving for college.

Eventually Alicent asks for a divorce and the blacks think she's just a gold digger (they always thought so but now they don't try to hide it anymore).

forgive me for getting too carried away and for any grammatical errors english is my second language

interesting headcanon!

the show makes a point to show that alicent doesn't like going to viserys and is never shown to enjoy sex with him tho so that part is a bit meh

i know you're describing standard grooming reaction and daddy issues, but i always think about how she was just trying to make the best out of her uncomfortable and unfortunate situation rather than actively seeking it (the journey to viserys picking her as wife)

but yeah i guess a modern version of the story would be interesting, with the added bonus of it not ending in an actual war lol