#also august has been both miserable and magical in several different ways as have the last few months

[yellowlaboratory]

bestie how are you doing lately ? Do you have any idea of when you are going to update never cut out for prom queen? (yes I do have hope 😂😂😂

please don't lose hope no matter how long I take between updates 😭 that fic WILL be finished, I promise. I don't think I'll get it done before s4 but hopefully it won't be long after ??? Idk.

and I'm doing..... good? LOL. I'm moving this week and work is a bitch and a half and life is crazy and things just keep happening but we're trucking along!!!!! how are you doing bestie???/

also..... the next chapter of prom fic is out!!!

[mhdiaries]

Frights, Camera, Action! – Hauntlywood Clawdia Wolf Diary

August 25th

Today I was walking through the streets of Londoom I just wanted to howl and do a little dance because I’m so excited to be here. I didn’t, of course, do the dancing part, since I’m the one with the “clumsy gene” in our family and I didn’t want to fall through an open monster hole cover. It has never bothered me that I’m not as athletic as the rest of the pack, because I think it was pretty apparent even when I was a cub that I was better at writing stories about my brothers’ and sisters’ athletic exploits than participating in them. It’s not that I didn’t try, but my mind and body may have been in concert but they were not playing the same tune. I remember the last organized soccer game I played: the coach put me in the goal partly because I was tall for my age and partly because he thought that perhaps the prospect of a ball being rocketed toward me might keep my attention. It worked for a bit, until the ball stayed at the other end of the pitch for a while, and a butterfly landed on the net. All of a sudden I became a ferocious were-spider who decided to give the butterfly a reprieve. So I climbed up in the net to shoo it away when I heard my dad yell, “Clawdia, turn around!” A ghoul was on a breakaway, and the only thing between her and me was open pitch and the ball. I tried to turn, and my spikes caught in the net, so I just closed my eyes and leaped toward the front of the goal. Somehow the ball ended up in my claws, and I kept the ghoul from scoring. It was my one and only athletic achievement, so I retired with my legacy in check and got a good story out of it, which, I’m sure, will end up in one of my screamplays some day. 

September 8th

I was sitting in the lecture hall today not really paying attention like I should have been, partly because I was working on a not-for-that-class writing assignment and partly, okay, mostly, because symbolism in ghost-modern, neo-realist goblin cinema is only slightly less painful than rolling in flea-infested wolf’s bane. Honestly, I have no idea what a goblin miner wearing a red hat and pushing an empty ore cart says about the state of modern goblin-kobold relations. I’m sure it is profound and important, but well... it doesn’t matter. What did matter, howere, was that the professor asked a question that he wanted all of us to answer, and I didn’t hear the question. I could have asked him to repeat the question, of course, but then I would have had to acknowledge that I had not been paying attention, and since this particular professor hates that, I knew I was going to have to wing it on the answer. Which made me nervous, which made me look for something to chew on, which meant I wasn’t listening to the other answers, which meant I didn’t have a clue when he got to me. So when he said, “Ms. Wolf?” I said I didn’t think I could add anything to the discussion that had not been more profoundly stated in the answers my classmates had already given. This caused the rest of the class to burst out laughing, to which the professor said, “While I appreciate your humility, your answer leaves us no closer to knowing how many siblings you have.” I was mortalfied, but even more so when he said, “Please do try and pay better attention going forward.” Unlive and learn, Clawdia, unlive and learn. 

September 15th

I’ve been using my iCoffin tablet to do some of my writing lately, and I really like it. I mean, I like the tablet. It’s great for doing video chats, and there are some really cool Londoom based apps that have helped me find my way around the city better. As for the writing part, I still prefer my chewed pen and leghoul pad. It may be old-fashioned, but there’s something about a blank sheet of paper that’s less intimidating than a blank scream with a blinking cursor.

October 1st

The only thing that’s coming down faster than the temperature in Londoom right now is the rain. I’m not sure what the real temp is, but you know it’s cold when a werewolf has to put on her fuzzy wool socks... brrr... fortunately, dad did a good job preparing me for this climate by never allowing to turn the thermostat up past the “I can see my breath” mark during the winter. We would say, “Dad, the house is freezing!” to which he would always reply, “You can either have heat or you can eat.” Followed quickly by, “We’re werewolves, for ghoul’s sake, put on a sweater if you’re cold.” Then we’d all look at mom, who would just shrug her soldiers. It was one of the only things she couldn’t change his mind about. So we’d all just sit snuggled together on the couch watching bad TV, complaining about Howleen’s sharp, unclipped paw nails and making promises about what we’d do when we all moved out and got our own places. I distinctly remember saying that I would turn up the heat so high that it would make Gloom Beach seem like a Yeti cave. So the first time it got cold here, I did just that, and it was every bit as amazing as I imagined it would be, until I got my first heating bill. Let’s just say that grocery shopping for the next few weeks gave me a completely different perspective on dad’s old saying. I’m pretty confident that saltines and marmite will never darken the shelves of my cupboard again after having that formerly tasty combination as my only breakfast and lunch option for a fortnight. I’m really missing being able to snuggle up on the couch with my pack of siblings, and I wouldn’t even complain about Howleen’s uncut paw nails... well, maybe not a lot.  

October 6th

I had a great video chat with the fam tonight, and they could not stop talking about Draculaura being chosen as queen of the vampires. They were in complete shock, and I have to admit it was quite a surprise to me as well. The vampires haven’t had a queen since the last chosen one, a young vampire ghoul named Elissabat, disappeared some 400 years ago. What is really curious about this, as if Draculaura being chosen as the new queen right out of the boo wasn’t curious enough, is that Clawdeen told me Draculaura’s choice was confirmed by the Vampire’s Heart. I have actually been doing quite a bit of research on the heart, which is really just a massive jewel with magical properties, for a screamplay I wanted to write about the mystery of the missing queen. There are many scholars that believe the jewel disappeared at the same time the ghoul who would be queen did; so either the scholars are incorrect, or there is more here than meets the eye. I didn’t want to be the one to rain on the funeral though, until I had a little more proof, especially with Clawdeen being so excited about attending the coronation. I did notice that Clawd wasn’t in the room with everyone else, and I’m wondering how he is dealing with this news. 

October 7th

Clawdeen has sent me at least 30 texts and emails since last night detailing the fashions she’s thinking about taking to the coronation. I can see her now running around the room with absolutely every piece of clothing she owns spread out so she can mix and match fashions. She’s probably also been through Draculaura’s closet several times as well. I love her so much and I wish I could be there to make her laugh when she starts getting too serious. She’s so beautiful, though, that whatever she chooses will probably steal the show. I finally got an IM from Clawd asking if we could talk. This wasn’t unusual, since Clawd prefers one-on-one conversation to fighting for face time in a group. When he popped up on the screen he looked terrible, almost like he’d been crying, although it might have just been bad lighting. As usual, Clawd didn’t want to talk about himself and instead wanted to know every little thing I was doing. I finally had to say, “Stop howling around the moon and talk to me, little brother.” So he did. He told me that he didn’t trust the Lord Stoker character that showed up with the Vampire’s Heart claiming it led him to Draculaura. What’s more, neither did Draculaura. They both thought Draculaura would be miserable being queen, but that she would feel honor and duty bound to take the throne. Even so he was trying to be as supportive as possible and went on for a few more minutes about things that were worrying him. When he stopped I said, “You really love her, don’t you?” He looked down for a moment and swallowed hard, “She’s my best friend, sis, and I’m about to lose her forever.” Now it was my turn to swallow hard, and then he made an excuse about having to leave for practice and said a hasty goodbye. I’m going to do some more digging into this, because something doesn’t pass the smell test here, and a Wolf’s nose is always right. 

[dreamdaddydutch]

Van der Linde Gang - Time Travel Karaoke Headcanons

I was listening to the radio in work the other day and this idea popped into my mind. I haven’t done Karaoke in years but when I lived in Manchester I LOVED IT (Apart from at Christmas when Maria Carey – All I want for Christmas (is you) would play like 5 times in a row... Anyway, below are some thoughts on how the Van der Linde gang would react to the idea of Karaoke along with some song suggestions for what they’d sing. (I might make a part 2) 

When you first suggest going to Karaoke, the gang are mostly confused, but some of the younger members are truly excited.

Sean especially, if there’s alcohol and a party to be had, he’s there!

Micah thinks it’s one of the most ridiculous things he’s ever heard – but you bet your ass he’ll be there – all he really wants is to be included in things. But just don’t expect him to sing.

Bill also thinks it’s stupid – at least that’s what he says out loud, secretly he’s thinking about the songs he’s heard on the radio and deciding which one he wants to sing.

Javier thinks it’s kinda sweet and will be nice for the gang to do something together that doesn’t involve a ‘plan’ for once. Also he’s secretly a little excited, after-all he’s a great singer and will take his time deciding what he’s gonna sing.

Dutch suggests a duet with Molly as a way to make amends, Molly is instantly touched by this and spends the day excited that Dutch finally wants to be seen together as a couple again.

Kieran is gonna use this as an opportunity to show a special someone how he feels about them.

Strauss surprises everyone by looking forward to the event

The gang all get dressed up, overly so… It’s only when they get there that they realise it’s actually quite a casual affair and the men feel a little silly in their suites. You just find that you don’t have the heart to tell them when they’re getting ready. But promise after the event to take them shopping for next time – because of course they’ll be a next time.

Arthur kinda rolls his eyes at the suggestion, but is won-over by the charm of the evening.

When the gang first arrive at the bar they are a little over-overwhelmed by how busy it is along with all the bright and flashing lights. It’s so new to them, like a completely different world and a little over-whelming.

You and Hosea have the foresight to book several large booths in advance so that the gang can at least sit together.

As soon as the gang start drinking, Abigail is in ‘mom’ mode, making sure they have water on the table and ordering plates of nibbles. 

The gang soak up the atmosphere for at least an hour before any of them decide to give it a go. 

In the mean time, Lenny, Tilly, Mary-Beth, Sean, Karen, Swanson (to everyone’s surprise) and John enjoy a dance. 

The first to perform is Sean - He enthusiastically grabs the mic like a real front man in a band, he choses to sing ‘Drunken Lullabies’ by Flogging Molly, much to the delight and support of most of the gang who are clapping along and up on the tables.

Tilly, Karen and Mary-Beth agree to perform together – I’m thinking The Puppini Sisters style, maybe ‘Side by side’ (if you don’t know who they are, check them out, they’re INCREDIBLE)

Susan sings ‘My Heart Will Go On’ by Celine Dion, which the gang can’t help but feel is directed at Dutch.

Charles, who has been sat happily watching the others and tapping his fingers in time with the music on the table, gets up and sings ‘Mad World’ by Tears For Fears (probably the Gary Jules version) 

Arthur, Javier and Uncle end up singing a Mumford and Sons song - probably ‘Little Lion Man’ 

Javier would take his guitar up and sing, ‘Common People’ - By Pulp. 

Lenny will sing something peaceful like, ‘Nature Boy’ by Nat King Cole. 

Kieran, Sean, Tilly and Mary-Beth discover glow-sticks and immediately have to have as many as they can get their hands on. 

Arthur and Lenny discover snakebites (cider and beer) and this is pretty much the end of them for the night and reminds them of ‘that time’ in Valentine. 

Stauss sings, ‘Money’ - The Flying Lizards version. 

Bill walks on stage nonchalantly and sings ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ by The Clash. He drinks a lot whilst he’s singing. 

Abigail sings ‘Glitter in the Air’ by Pink and dedicates it to John.

John sings ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ by Johnny Cash - he puts real emotion into every word too. 

Swanson is embarrassed to get up on the stage at first, but Karen and Abigail reassure him and hold his hand as he walks up, he sings, ‘Losing my Religion’ by REM. 

You KNOW that Arthur, Charles, John and Javier are going to sing a rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen once drunk enough.

Pearson thinks it’s hilarious to sing a Christmas song in August, he picks, ‘It Feels Like Christmas,’ from The Muppets Christmas Carol.

Arthur, once he’s knocked back enough whiskey, walks solemnly onto the stage and sings, ‘Hurt’ by Nine Inch Nails. He sings it beautifully, it brings tears to more than a few peoples eyes. 

Despite their planned duet, Molly gets up to sing, ‘Stay’ by Shakespeare’s Sister. Dutch is transfixed, unable to look anywhere else but at her and decides, resolutely that he will stay. 

Dutch & Hosea have to sing a duet, they have their arms around one another as they sing, ‘O Children’ by Nick Cave. 

Sean and Kieran leap onto the stage, interrupting the end of whoever was singing before to blare out, ‘Kickstart My Heart,’ by Motley Crue. Kieran really comes out of his shell and has one of the best nights of his life.  

Dutch and Molly sing passionately, both staring into one another’s eyes as they sing,‘Up Where We Belong,’ by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.

Hosea will anxiously walk onto the stage but once he starts to sing he gets well and truly into it, beautifully singing, ‘What a wonderful world’ by Louis Armstrong. 

Trelawny is in his element of course! He’s likely to sing something modern like ‘Shut up and Dance with me,’ by Walk The Moon - he dances a lot and cannot resist doing a magic trick at the end. 

Uncle drunkenly stumbles onto stage to sing, ‘Girls just wanna have fun’ by Cyndi Lauper much to the delight of the ladies in the gang who join him on stage dancing. 

Virtually the whole gang would end up in a conga going round the club towards the end of the night, Micah, Strauss, Susan and Dutch are likely to sit this one out.

Afterwards they would so be up for a kebab! It’s gonna be 50/50 for who loves garlic mayo and who hates it. Arthur loves cheesy chips. Javier loves chips, cheese and gravy. Karen is all about anything in batter. 

On the way home they’re gonna burst into a rendition of ‘Can you hear the people sing?’ from Les Miserables.

[6ix-dragons]

Fairy Tail Fan Impressions (FTFI): Chapter 539

(Be aware; there are spoilers for the most recent FT chapters, found below!)

Me: Aaaand here comes ‘The Black Dragon’, making his glorrrious return!

“LOOK AT ALL THAT DESTRUCTION HE MADE!”

Me: He’s tearing up a new one, on his enemies!

“WENDY, NOOOO!”

Me: Now, it looks like he’ll have his wishes actually happen! 

“WHO’S GOING TO STOP HIM, NOW?!”

Me: Umm...Natsu, and the power of friendship?”

“...You serious??”

Me: Well, I mean... (shrugs) that’s a possibility. A crappy one, but...anyway!”

Ohhh, boy! Chapter 539 of the manga, here we are! 

Ladies and gentlemen...just when you were disappointed by what has happened in last few chapters (for both legit and dubious reasons), just when you thought there wouldn’t be a final fight between Acnologia and the Seven Dragon Slayers—and, just when you felt that everything was going to fall flat...this chapter happened! 

First, let’s start at the beginning of it all. It picks up from where the previous chapter left, with the whole mystery of what that crack in the sky was. We see the surviving members of Blue Pegasus, along with Wendy, Erza, and Jellal—who happens to be resting atop of Erza’s lap...which is nice to see, for Jerza fans (like me xD)! 

Anyway, that’s not what I’m here to focus on. We then see the cracks in the sky becoming much wider, and larger, looking as if it was actually falling apart. On that note, somebody should get Chicken Little on this! Joking aside, everybody that I mentioned above, gets quite concerned by this. Jenny Realight, especially, since she knows what’s really going on. 

...And, lo, and behold, here he comes! I was actually right, in my last FTFI post, about what was going on with the crack in the sky, and Acnologia being the one to return from it. Bursting through the sky, as if it were drywall, the villainous dragon-slayer makes his return, in complete dragon form! It turns out that he has managed to escape the Ravines of Time, by consuming it, as it is considered to be a magic source. Hmm...there’s something about this detail, that I don’t like—and I’ll explain it, near the end of this post.

Moving on! So, Acnologia goes raving mad, ranting about how he wants to become the destroyer of all dragons...and dragon-slayers...and...something like that. I mean, it’s a very notable difference about how he appears in the more recent chapters, compared to his earlier appearances. It does kind of make sense, ‘though, since he’s corrupted by the powers he’s gained, from the past. Yet, I think all of what he says, just sounds like the typical stuff that an obviously-evil character would say.  

Speaking of which, Acnologia uses his powers in this chapter! In his dragon form, he unleashes quite an attacking spell, in ‘Eternal Flare’, dishing out hundreds of beams from the air. His attacks scatter in multiple directions, hitting everything in his wake! There’s explosions, buildings being levelled, and all sorts of chaos out there! I mean...damn, dude! Surely, there must have been some casualties resulting from those blasts! 

...But, no. It turns out that nobody on the ground was caught in one of those beam attacks. Just...that they all missed the ones that were intended, over there. Maybe Acnologia’s just a honoured graduate of the Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy. Who knows??

Nevertheless, we then see the next thing that truly shocks everybody—including some of the readers. Acnologia, by some sort of means, has managed to get ahold of Wendy, making her vanish somehow. Erza springs into action, and starts to do something, to save her guild-mate...and then, we get nothing more than that. However, it’s already clear what Acnologia was trying to do, when he took ahold of Wendy like that. In those panels, he states that he wants to absorb all their souls—not just killing all of the dragon-slayers that remain...but to absorb the magic they have, in order to become more powerful (than he already is). 

Then, we see what really happens, with the intentions of his machinations already stated explicitly. We see that the other dragon-slayers have vanished from where they were, including Gajeel and Erik (a.k.a. Cobra, a.k.a. Snake Boy). Before I go on, I just want to point how devastating it would be, for Levy, to have her beloved disappear again. I mean, it’s already enough that Gajeel had to be seemingly done away with, when the battle between him and Bloodman happened. Why make Levy miserable again, with this? I feel quite bad for her, too...

Oh, and then, we get treated to the scene, where Gray, Happy, and Lucy were. All of them are still devastated, over Natsu’s sudden disappearance. Gray and Happy continue to wonder where he went. Lucy crying out the name of the dragon-slayer she cared about, ‘though...again, that still kinda got me there. :(

Speaking of Natsu, however...yes, folks: he’s finally back! (Hooray!)

But, despite his return, Natsu ends up in a whole new different world. He looks around, and wonders aloud, where in the flying heck he is. Then, we get to see Acnologia appear before him, as he claims that this is his world. Ohhh yes, the chapter ends on this note, which implies that we may be able to see the Seven Dragon Slayers take on Acnologia, once and for all! 

And, now, all of this leads to the Question of the Chapter: how do you think Acnologia will be defeated? 

As I’ve mentioned it somewhere above, this ‘Black Dragon’ is just much powerful than he is, already. For all we know, he’s gained much of those powers by slaying many dragons, during the war that he fought in, about 400 years ago. And now he has managed to gain even more power, through consuming the magic particles, while being stuck in the Ravines of Time! I didn’t like how all this happened, in this chapter, with the simple reason being of him beyond the traditional sense of ‘overpowered’. I mean, how will Mashima properly address this sort of thing that’s been plaguing this series, for quite some time? 

We’ve seen several characters, most of them being antagonists, who have been hyped a lot, due to how powerful their abilities are. And, in some cases, we’ve seen them be defeated easily, despite how powerful they were. Case in point, Zeref and August, if we’re going by the most recent chapters. It just doesn’t make any sense to have Acnologia gain much more power at this point, because he’s already more than powerful enough to take on just about anybody! 

As for how he’ll be defeated...I suspect that the dragon-slayers will use whatever magic they have against him, only to leave a considerable dent—but not enough to defeat him. And then, I think Natsu will be the one, to close things out. At the very worst, we’ll probably see the fight get resolved with something that will be considered underwhelming, or disappointing. I’m holding a glass half-full kind of view, that the fight gets resolved, in a way that would satisfy a large number of fans/readers. 

Alright, so what do I think of this chapter, overall? Not bad, I would say. There’s definitely some intense moments in this chapter, and it builds up the tension and suspense, from what we saw in the previous chapter. Oh, and I’m hoping that Anna and Ichiya are alright—somewhere, somehow. What I didn’t like about this chapter, was simply how Acnologia managed to gain more power. What I also didn’t like, however, was the timing/pacing of this chapter. 

I’ve seen a couple of posts from other blogs, who have pointed out that some of the panels are happening at odd times, whenever two events are occurring simultaneously. A glaring example of this, would be the timing between Natsu’s sudden disappearance, and Acnologia summoning all of the dragon slayers to his realm. This wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened, as something like this was also happening, in the Tartarus arc, somewhere. To me, it really wasn’t all that noticeable, at first, but after coming across those posts... it’s starting to change what I think about this chapter. 

Okay, so that is it for this one; I want to thank those for reading this, from the top! Click on the like button, if you like this post; click on the ‘Follow’ button, if you like this blog; reblog this post, to all your friends...and, well, now there’s only seven chapters remaining. But, what I want to know from all of you in this fandom, and it’s this: are you in? Because, I have a feeling that we’re going to witness, what may be a veeerrry interesting finish to the story, here! 

[mhdiaries]

Diary of Clawdia Wolf

I’ll make you a villain if you read my diary.

August 25th

Today I was walking through the streets of Londoom I just wanted to howl and do a little dance because I’m so excited to be here. I didn’t, of course, do the dancing part, since I’m the one with the “clumsy gene” in our family and I didn’t want to fall through an open monster hole cover. It has never bothered me that I’m not as athletic as the rest of the pack, because I think it was pretty apparent even when I was a cub that I was better at writing stories about my brothers’ and sisters’ athletic exploits than participating in them. It’s not that I didn’t try, but my mind and body may have been in concert but they were not playing the same tune. I remember the last organized soccer game I played: the coach put me in the goal partly because I was tall for my age and partly because he thought that perhaps the prospect of a ball being rocketed toward me might keep my attention. It worked for a bit, until the ball stayed at the other end of the pitch for a while, and a butterfly landed on the net. All of a sudden I became a ferocious were-spider who decided to give the butterfly a reprieve. So I climbed up in the net to shoo it away when I heard my dad yell, “Clawdia, turn around!” A ghoul was on a breakaway, and the only thing between her and me was open pitch and the ball. I tried to turn, and my spikes caught in the net, so I just closed my eyes and leaped toward the front of the goal. Somehow the ball ended up in my claws, and I kept the ghoul from scoring. It was my one and only athletic achievement, so I retired with my legacy in check and got a good story out of it, which, I’m sure, will end up in one of my screamplays some day.

September 8th

I was sitting in the lecture hall today not really paying attention like I should have been, partly because I was working on a not-for-that-class writing assignment and partly, okay, mostly, because symbolism in ghost-modern, neo-realist goblin cinema is only slightly less painful than rolling in flea-infested wolf’s bane. Honestly, I have no idea what a goblin miner wearing a red hat and pushing an empty ore cart says about the state of modern goblin-kobold relations. I’m sure it is profound and important, but well... it doesn’t matter. What did matter, howere, was that the professor asked a question that he wanted all of us to answer, and I didn’t hear the question. I could have asked him to repeat the question, of course, but then I would have had to acknowledge that I had not been paying attention, and since this particular professor hates that, I knew I was going to have to wing it on the answer. Which made me nervous, which made me look for something to chew on, which meant I wasn’t listening to the other answers, which meant I didn’t have a clue when he got to me. So when he said, “Ms. Wolf?” I said I didn’t think I could add anything to the discussion that had not been more profoundly stated in the answers my classmates had already given. This caused the rest of the class to burst out laughing, to which the professor said, “While I appreciate your humility, your answer leaves us no closer to knowing how many siblings you have.” I was mortalfied, but even more so when he said, “Please do try and pay better attention going forward.” Unlive and learn, Clawdia, unlive and learn.

September 15th

I’ve been using my iCoffin tablet to do some of my writing lately, and I really like it. I mean, I like the tablet. It’s great for doing video chats, and there are some really cool Londoom based apps that have helped me find my way around the city better. As for the writing part, I still prefer my chewed pen and leghoul pad. It may be old-fashioned, but there’s something about a blank sheet of paper that’s less intimidating than a blank scream with a blinking cursor.

October 1st

The only thing that’s coming down faster than the temperature in Londoom right now is the rain. I’m not sure what the real temp is, but you know it’s cold when a werewolf has to put on her fuzzy wool socks... brrr... fortunately, dad did a good job preparing me for this climate by never allowing to turn the thermostat up past the “I can see my breath” mark during the winter. We would say, “Dad, the house is freezing!” to which he would always reply, “You can either have heat or you can eat.” Followed quickly by, “We’re werewolves, for ghoul’s sake, put on a sweater if you’re cold.” Then we’d all look at mom, who would just shrug her soldiers. It was one of the only things she couldn’t change his mind about. So we’d all just sit snuggled together on the couch watching bad TV, complaining about Howleen’s sharp, unclipped paw nails and making promises about what we’d do when we all moved out and got our own places. I distinctly remember saying that I would turn up the heat so high that it would make Gloom Beach seem like a Yeti cave. So the first time it got cold here, I did just that, and it was every bit as amazing as I imagined it would be, until I got my first heating bill. Let’s just say that grocery shopping for the next few weeks gave me a completely different perspective on dad’s old saying. I’m pretty confident that saltines and marmite will never darken the shelves of my cupboard again after having that formerly tasty combination as my only breakfast and lunch option for a fortnight. I’m really missing being able to snuggle up on the couch with my pack of siblings, and I wouldn’t even complain about Howleen’s uncut paw nails... well, maybe not a lot.  

October 6th

I had a great video chat with the fam tonight, and they could not stop talking about Draculaura being chosen as queen of the vampires. They were in complete shock, and I have to admit it was quite a surprise to me as well. The vampires haven’t had a queen since the last chosen one, a young vampire ghoul named Elissabat, disappeared some 400 years ago. What is really curious about this, as if Draculaura being chosen as the new queen right out of the boo wasn’t curious enough, is that Clawdeen told me Draculaura’s choice was confirmed by the Vampire’s Heart. I have actually been doing quite a bit of research on the heart, which is really just a massive jewel with magical properties, for a screamplay I wanted to write about the mystery of the missing queen. There are many scholars that believe the jewel disappeared at the same time the ghoul who would be queen did; so either the scholars are incorrect, or there is more here than meets the eye. I didn’t want to be the one to rain on the funeral though, until I had a little more proof, especially with Clawdeen being so excited about attending the coronation. I did notice that Clawd wasn’t in the room with everyone else, and I’m wondering how he is dealing with this news.

October 7th

Clawdeen has sent me at least 30 texts and emails since last night detailing the fashions she’s thinking about taking to the coronation. I can see her now running around the room with absolutely every piece of clothing she owns spread out so she can mix and match fashions. She’s probably also been through Draculaura’s closet several times as well. I love her so much and I wish I could be there to make her laugh when she starts getting too serious. She’s so beautiful, though, that whatever she chooses will probably steal the show. I finally got an IM from Clawd asking if we could talk. This wasn’t unusual, since Clawd prefers one-on-one conversation to fighting for face time in a group. When he popped up on the screen he looked terrible, almost like he’d been crying, although it might have just been bad lighting. As usual, Clawd didn’t want to talk about himself and instead wanted to know every little thing I was doing. I finally had to say, “Stop howling around the moon and talk to me, little brother.” So he did. He told me that he didn’t trust the Lord Stoker character that showed up with the Vampire’s Heart claiming it led him to Draculaura. What’s more, neither did Draculaura. They both thought Draculaura would be miserable being queen, but that she would feel honor and duty bound to take the throne. Even so he was trying to be as supportive as possible and went on for a few more minutes about things that were worrying him. When he stopped I said, “You really love her, don’t you?” He looked down for a moment and swallowed hard, “She’s my best friend, sis, and I’m about to lose her forever.” Now it was my turn to swallow hard, and then he made an excuse about having to leave for practice and said a hasty goodbye. I’m going to do some more digging into this, because something doesn’t pass the smell test here, and a Wolf’s nose is always right.