#and the ability to intensely pack bond if given an opportunity

[elexuscal]

William Laurence really went from "i know dragons can fuck a ship up and that's about it" to "foremost human expert of dragon psychology, sociology, and war-time supply chain in Europe*" in under a decade and good for him

that's what happens when you don't have to unlearn incorrect methods first (*Except France)

[foggyxrayspecs]

May I ask for an elaboration on the primal hunts 👉👈

-grins- You bet! Check below the cut for all about the hunts. (This was fun. Thank you for the ask!) — Specs

The Hunt is an annual off-site retreat organized by and for the Widows.

The retreat focuses on combat abilities, tactical prowess, and mental agility at the individual level. It also includes strategic discussions and planning sessions at the organizational level to assess their current state, identify potential targets, and outline future missions. This is a crucial event for the Widows, allowing them to hone their skills, strengthen bonds, and strategize for the future.

Rough details of The Hunt:

Location — the clandestine gathering takes place in a remote and secure location (usually within a three-hour drive of the city), ensuring confidentiality and security. The venue varies from year to year to maintain secrecy. Timing — The Hunt lasts two to five days, given what's happening in the organization. Also, The Hunt is never at the same time every year. Accommodations — After intensive training sessions and missions, each assassin has a private room to rest and recharge. The rooms are well equipped and comfortable, with basic amenities to meet their needs. Additionally, there may be bungalows or cottages located outside the central apartments that leadership or couples claim. Schedule:

Keynote — The Hunt typically has a keynote speaker who will leave a lasting impression, reinforcing their purpose and strengthening the bonds. (Typically, this is Natasha, Yelena, or Melina.) Sessions — individual sessions include renowned experts and trainers in various fields, such as martial arts, intelligence gathering, and weapon specialists, to share their expertise and knowledge. In later years, there have been sessions dedicated to teaching sign language. (Everyone knows these are in part to help Cub, so they are well-attended.) There is an actual hunt — The culminating event is a true hunt in the last 36 hours of the retreat. There are a lot of shenanigans here; the goal is to be the last standing. The Closing Ceremony and outdoor picnic — This is a time for the Widows (or Hunters as some would like to be called) to reflect on their journey together, celebrate achievements, and leave with a renewed sense of purpose. Partners and pets are welcome for the closing ceremony and outdoor picnic on the last day.  Post-event — After The Hunt is over, anyone can use the course to stage their own primal hunts with their partners, pets, and lovers. (It's common knowledge that these get pretty kinky.) Internal planning — The Hunt has a rotating chair and a small planning committee. Lessons learned — They did try to go bi-annual, but on the year they skipped, the Widows were noticeably irritable with one another, and Sonja had to put down twice as many grievances than in previous years. Leadership decided to bring back The Hunt annually since it provides them with a unique opportunity to interact with one another, exchange knowledge, and build bonds that can prove invaluable in their line of work. Other retreats outside of The Hunt — Smaller units within the Widows may have a breakaway retreat focusing on the team's development. Also, when a widow marries or commits to a partner, her fellow Widows may throw the couple a smaller primal hunt in celebration. Nothing says from death do you part like an actual brush with death.  

A note: Yelena and Cub are usually very focused on organizing and competing over the five-day retreat, so Yelena lets Cub keep as many sets of underwear of hers as they can find. Given her pet’s tenacity, she packs at least a dozen bottom briefs.

[emsartwork]

BONDING/EVER REALMS MASTER POST

k. lets do this y’all

Terms: Bonder=non-human member of the bond. Bonded= human member of the bond. 

Starting off with the bonds and how they’re different from each other.

Every person born in the magix dimension has a potential complementary or companion bonder. I talk about how Companion Bonders are born in my MAGIC MASTERPOST. Companion bonds exist from birth, and are cemented when human and companion come within a yard of each other. Before the bond is cemented, only the companion species can actually sense and track down their person. Some choose to do this but most are content to exist as individuals without a bonded. After the bond is cemented the Bonded does have access to supplemental magic from their companion. This access can be deepened based on the level of closeness between bonder and bonded, as done in witchcraft and some masculine magic practices, but fairies often don’t take advantage of the opportunities a companion bond offers them. Companion bonders are sexless and usually genderless, but will often take on the pronouns of their bonded. 

Despite the common misconception, sprites and pixies are (closely related but)different species, not male/female sexes of the same species. The wings or tail are the basic physical differences. Pixies also have a rounder face, thinner/lighter limbs, and a longer torso to account for the wings taking up space on the back. Sprites have a stockier build over all, their torsos are shorter and widen at the base to account for their tails. Any companion bonder with a mix of these traits is considered a Hobkie, and usually their physical attributes are unique to them. Behaviorally, Pixies and Sprites are complete opposites, Pixies are aggressive, solitary, and prefer high places, Sprites are skittish, pack oriented, and prefer to live on the ground or below it. As with physical attributes, Hobkies will have a mix of these behavioral traits. 

Magic Animals bonds are not predetermined. This bond type is dependent on compatibility between personalities and is similar to friendship. The bond is prone to fluctuate and change as time passes, but generally does not terminate until death on one side or the other. Magic animals are given a boost of power through the bond, and the bonded will gain access to the magic animal’s wild magic core. This allows magic users to tolerate larger amounts of wild magic with out adverse side effects, and allows minor manipulation of wild magic. Magic animal bonds are necessary for Faunix, Fractix, but do not have to be used as a transformation trigger, they are also common among Druids and Shamans. 

the elemental companions are different, they are each native to one of the Ever Realms, and access the Magix dimension through an Elemental Gate. Each gate has a specific guardian. Humans are able to bond with the guardian of the gate closest to them geographically at birth (so for the ocean gates; each of the winx and their home planets, Roxy would be able to bond with phylla, and Mirta, who was born on Magix, with Nissa) This is a surface level bond, and neither party gains access to the other’s core magic. Instead, the Elemental companions are important for earning Harmonix, and kick-starting each elemental quest to gain access to the ever realms. A fairy has to bond with one elemental companion each to earn Harmonix, or use the creature of the rainbow mantle as a short cut. For Witches and Masculine style magic users, the elemental companions offer a similar task, and similar power if the task is completed, however these magic users don’t channel their power into wings and thus are not considered fairies(I’m still working on these concepts).

Now for the Elemental companions and the Ever Realms!

This is the theorized model of the universe, and is based on some ancient texts describing the ethereal fairies’ attempts at creating the world. First they tried to create a world with the only element that existed at that time, energy, this translated into the world of the eternal flame, and nothing could live there. Water was tried next, but also remained lifeless. The Immortal forest was created with the element of earth, and succeeded in creating plant life by also using water and fire(the sun lmao). The Endless Storm was created with the element of air that was created in the Immortal Forest. The Ethereals then created the Golden Kingdom (this has no relation to my original post with the golden kingdom tag oops) and decided they were comfortable there and done making worlds. However, the Great Dragon and the Shadow Phoenix decided to try one more time, and literally give their all into making a living world. This resulted in the Magix Dimension. All of the worlds have pillars running through them, connecting and stabilizing them.  

The djinn are said to have been born from the sparks of life that were put into the Eternal Flame. They are Guardians of the Fire Gates, usually located in Volcanoes or created temporarily in large fires. It is especially hard to befriend Djinns as they are difficult to find and dis-trustful of other. They do have sexes and reproduce sexually. They live off of heat and will die if in a cold environment for too long. They are almost always warm colors with a neutral white to brown skin tone.  

Selkies are one of the elemental companions that have made a home for themselves in Magix as well as their original Ever Realm. They are the guardians of the Ocean Gates, formed from shells from the infinite ocean. They are tenacious and determined but friendly to non-threatening individuals. The majority of observed Selkies are female, and its hard to even spot a male selkies as the species doesn’t have a lot of sexual dimorphism, but their reproduction is a closely guarded secret they refuse to even share with the Nymphs. They eat fish and mollusks, and occasionally shed the thick layer of skin on their torso and tail. Selkies are usually cool colors, but can adopt warmer colors over time in order to blend into their environment. 

Kodama are born from the trees in the Immortal Forest, and occasionally take on guardianship of a forest in Magix. They are the guardians of the Forest Gates, which form in especially large, old trees. They are sexless and genderless. Kodama rarely speak, and its considered an honor just to let another see their bare face. Kodama have limited shape shifting abilities, they cannot change their over all size or strength, but can grow wings for flight, a tail and claws for climbing, and ears to enhance their hearing. Kodama wear masks at all times. They are white, gray, pale green, or sometimes a light yellow/beige color, though their eyes are usually a dark green or brown. Their diet is unknown but they are thought to be capable of photosynthesis.

Sylphs have also made homes for themselves in the Magix Dimension, however they live on high, high mountain peaks and rarely come down so they aren’t a common sight like selkies are at shore lines. They are the guardians of the Storm Gates, these gates are actually mobile, following air currents on a planet, and forming in the center of intense storms. Sylphs are playful and mischievous, but can also be a bit skittish. They reproduce sexually through eggs. Male Sylphs have a chest floof and light fluffy feathers on their hips. Female Sylphs have a smooth chest and more feathers under their tails. Sylphs’ coloring can be white, blue, gray, orange, yellow, or brown. They usually have speckles or barred feathers in a darker accent color, and their chest and stomach are lighter then their backs. Syphs eat nuts, seeds, and insects, though they enjoy small prey animals when they can get them as well.

let me know if y’all have any questions!

[malepresentingleg]

is it 2013 again? cause i have a rant about teen wolf coming and i feel 16 y/o.

so due to dome heavy procrastination I've consumed a lot of teen wolf content, i skipped a bunch of episodes and a lot of scenes in the ones i haven't but i still have some Thoughts TM

it's good??? i had a Good Time watching, it was funny but intense and dark and i felt Feelings watching, some of the plotlines were meh (or maybe i just skipped them heh) but a lot were interesting and i loved the characters and their interaction

scott. my sweetheart. my baby. such a cutiepie, such a great protagonist 10/10 i love him and would die for him. he's so pure and cute and his little smile melts my heart. i love how he's fundamentally Human no matter how non human he is. he's a great character all around and i kinda wish they didn't do that shit to him at the end (imma get there) or treated him like he ISN'T the protagonist for such big parts of the shows

people KNOW. Stiles knows from day one, allison finds out soon, his mom finds out in season 2! the sheriff in 3, and they just become part of the gang and can help them with stuff bc they UNDERSTAND. shows like that get really tiring when the teens constantly lie to everyone around them and it was very refreshing. the running gag with the coach ruining things tho was funny and I'm ok with it.

Ok this is mellisa appreciation time. she's SUCH a great, complex and unusual mom-of-hero character. i absolutely love her and her attitude, i love how she's not simply being used as a tool to cause scott pain (just.. sometimes) and their relationship is parenting goals.

also isn't it fucking hilarious how she's a nurse but she just knows everything medical. she's also a surgeon and a mortician and a doctor. ik it's for plot reasons but it funny af.

in general women on the show.. had a lot of potential, i love them, but i hate how they were treated.

allison was all around great imo, her and scott's relationship was built very well and was two sided from the start (unlike... yeah), she has emotions, she's smart and brave, but also human and scared, she kicks ass and, again, exists outside of Scott's GF status (mostly). andddd they killed her. idk if the actress had to/wanted to leave or it was a pure writers decision bc they needed to keep just her father or something, but that would have been ok if not for all the other things

we have 3 main kickass ladies with powers- lydia, kira and malia. lydia spent close to FIVE whole seasons not knowing anything about her abilities/not knowing how to control them. cmon, it gets old. scott masters his powers after a season or two (and had control a lot sooner), parrish finds out what he is like half a season after it becomes relevant etc.

malia- do i need to explain? she was CONSTANTLY struggling controlling her abilities, no matter how badass she supposedly was. and kira oh boy, they did her dirty, didn't they?

kira was such a cute adorable character. i loved her and her little crush on scott and wanting to make friends and being freaked out about relationships, i love her discovering her past and heritage and learning to fight and gaining control and becoming a badass. but. what? they just undid all this? oh no the fox is taking over she has no control no agency of her own she needs to disappear for years now bye :( again, idk if the actress needed to leave but it was so unsatisfying and was insulting to the character. she wasn't even mentioned later a bunch like allison was, just they needed her mom for a plot tool and didn't even acknowledge it was her sword they were breaking. uhm rude?

LET WOMEN HAVE POWERS AND BE AWESOME WITH THEM. and not just minor/bad characters thanks.

i love the concept of a pack on the show and how you don't have to be a werewolf to be a part of it, how scott becomes a true alpha and how he cares about his friends. i kinda feel like in later seasons him being an alpha was more talk than show which like /: meh. like i said, he stopped BEING the main character, just talked about as if he was.

i love how friendship is valued, but i think it could be more.. i mean the scene in the motel, all season 3b, scott and lydia, all the girls with each other.. i love it. too many times tho it "wasn't enough" and only romantic love worked which SUCKS. in 6a i was so happy scott went in to try and remember stiles and the memories hit me right in the heart. then when it "wasn't enough" i was SO pissed and frustrated goddammit. i guess that leads me to the next point-

ships, should i talk about ships? i don't want hate in my asks but oh well it's been a few years maybe there's no fandom to care. I'll start with the end

malia and scott. what. the. fuck. when, out of fucking no where, they had like a lingering look or something i was just "nope. no thanks". and then every scene they had together i had to cover my eyes bc it felt so wrong and bad and awkward. jesus. no build up at ALL, they're like family, i just. ew. no. it felt way too much like "oh we gotta pair off the leftovers" or "the main character can't end up single" well guess what, he fucking can. it was. god. i can't even explain the disgust. when he needed to heal and all she had to do was kiss him ugh. it felt so fake and empty of meaning. i would 100% prefer for it to be stiles (I'll get there) or his mom who snapped him out of it.

melissa and chris, i could get aboard with that. def cute, def weird af since his dead daughter was dating her son but, well.

stiles and lydia is a ship i have conflicting feelings about. i absolutely hate the concept of "the nerd" is in love with the popular girl since freshman year and he's borderline being a creep ("oh but it's stiles! he's a dork and he's harmless" no.), completely obsessed with her and she ignores him but then they end up getting together.. i mean, it sends a bad msg to obsessed boys about how it's worth it in the end, and it makes the whole relationship feel unbalanced from the start, makes her reciprocation feel unatural. BUT, i have to admit the show did kinda make me warm up to this ship by the end, curse them. it was kinda cute. i wish there was more mutualness before it became such an important part in 6a tho.

just gonna put it out there: malia/kira and lydia/allison. i wish we saw more girl on girl interactions in general but the ones we had were very good, great dynamics.

i won't get too much into it but i.. i don't ship st*rek. i understand why they're the biggest ship (two white hot boys that interact with each other, i mean.), and i see the couple of fan service-y moments the show throws at us but just. they don't have my heart, i don't really care about them. not the characters, the characters i absolutely love! (tho this watch i skipped most of season 1 and 2 and 3a and i think that's where derek is the most asshole.. didn't he do really bad things? idr) idk if you want a bad character on the way to redemption with someone you should ship liam and theo who had way better shippy chemistry imo, even tho their ship probably wouldn't be healthy given their dynamic history, huh.

the ship that does owns my heart? scilies. I'm a softy when it comes to best friends to lovers, and their bond and relationship is just. so. pure. don't get me wrong, i love me a good platonic relationship, but there was just one to many homoerotic interactions between them for me not to ship it, hard. (not to be that person but my guess is that if Scott was white it would have been a way bigger ship, but who knows?) i love their love, i love they would do anything for each other, and i feel like there were a bunch of very missed opportunities for them in later seasons :(

so representation. this feels like a show that is trying to be Woke TM but it's not going so well. the main character is supposedly latino but it's never ever addressed. idc about "oh we want a world without prejudice" you can still fucking address it. i mean they went to Mexico a couple of times, stiles keeps saying "Mexican cousin" i mean. god. give us something. did i mention scott was told he'd make a great "nazi youth" ..

and you don't need to be a genius to see the most characters are very white or at least very white passing. and when you don't address their non whiteness they might as well be..

i already mentioned how poorly i feel kira was treated, but also mason, who is a wonderful character, gets no depth? we know nothing about him other than being gay and smart pretty much.

i also spoke about the women already but, they were really really great women characters, but not enough of them, not enough that lasted.

there's not much to talk about disability bc it just wasn't on the show. the only blind character was healed which. /: same with epilepsy and asthma..

i think the show is probably very proud (ha) with their LGBTQ+ rep bc they're like "oh let's make this insignificant couple gay bc hey nbg". examples are lydia's grandma, La Bete and marcel, i think nolan and jiang were exes and then nolan and gabe were a thing? idr if it was explicit. the couple of girls in the tent.. probably a couple more. it's nice, def better than all random couples being straight but that's not satisfying as rep.

Danny was great. i think he and ethan were.. cute? i think he was awesome, i loved danny so much and was very excited to learn he KNOWS at the end of season 3 and was waiting to see him join the pack. instead he fucking disappeared?! wtf. #WhereDidDannyGo

brett was cute rep, especially being bi but i feel like it could go into the insignificant pool which, again, is better than nothing.

mason and corey i just don't have strong feelings about. they were definitely cute and I'm glad they were together, i love mason A Lot. i think this relationship could be explored more, or at least the characters could be explored more to give this relationship more depth.

very interesting how there's no wlw canon couple, not even hinted. just fan servicey hot malia kira dance which /:

not to mention transgenderness. god can you imagine the interesting plotline of transitioning while being a werewolf 0:

i think the rep i was most happy about was ethan and Jackson. even tho i don't think there was build up or clues in the first couple of seasons, I'm happy for the actor who i know was struggling with coming out publicly, and it was very fun and refreshing for the ending. even if we got very few scenes with them the dynamic was 10/10

the biggest problem is obviously stiles. i just don't understand why, if they're so supposedly progressive, they went to that length to queerbait without following through. the whole gag of wanting to be attractive to danny and to gay guys, the whole "aww danny want to have sex with me that's so nice", the whole "do you like guys too?". it's a gag. his alleged bisexuality is the butt of a joke, and it pisses me the fuck off. they don't have to make it a big deal or have him get a bf for it to be official. it wasn't subtle subtext. it was a CHOICE. to put a spotlight on his sexuality but not deliver. -100/10 would not recommend.

also they could talk about his mental health more.

and about Scott's, please and thank you.

and everyone's.

i had some more feelings, like villains changing sides without getting a proper redemption and having no consequences, the wholesomeness of the sherriff and mellisa being each other's kids second parent eichen house (wtf??), and more, but i think i wrote enough for now.

tl;dr- good show with A Lot of problems, will always have a place in my heart bc I'm a nostalgic gal.

[duker42]

How about in the underground kid!Levi and reader always stuck together. But one day reader makes a mistake and Levi saves her but got pretty hurt in the process, resulting in a scar. Reader has always been guilty even tho Levi brushes it off. Years later in sc whenever she sees his scar in private, she makes sure to hug him and kiss the mark, saying how sorry she is. But Levi reminds her it was never a big deal and all. Just some angsty feels

💜Lasting Scars💜

Levi always looked out for her. It was them against the dark shadows of the Underground.

They had found each other early on. He had still been with Kenny, training under him. Y/N hadn’t really had a home, her mother having been killed and she had run from the brothel where she had been born. She had been staying in an abandoned house the day that she and Levi had run into each other.

They had slowly become friends, never living together until the time that Kenny had abandoned him. That day, Levi had show up and Y/N’s little hovel and told her to pack up her stuff, that she was coming to stay with him. From that day on, they had been inseparable.

~~~~~

“Come back here you little bitch!” Y/N fled from the man chasing her. She had messed up and gotten caught. Levi had told her to avoid stealing from these guys, but she had thought that she could get away.

“Shit!” Y/N cried as she felt her shirt get yanked back. A fist crashed into her face as she gasped out.

“I’m gonna teach you a lesson, you little cunt. You’re gonna regret stealing from me.” The threatening man grinned maliciously as he flicked up a blade he held in his hand.

Y/N dropped the coin purse she had snatched from his belt. She wished she listened to Levi, and now she was going to pay for her mistake. He had been watching their intended target when she had slipped away.

“Let her go, asshole.” Y/N couldn’t believe that she heard Levi. Her head turned to see him, his hand gripping a knife and his expression murderous.

“The fuck you gonna do, you little pipsqueak?” The man laughed as he threw Y/N down to the ground and squared up against the twelve year old boy.

~~~~~

“I am so sorry, Levi!” Y/N cried as she cleaned the wound. The gash in his side was deep, the knife having cut him pretty badly during his fight with the man.

Levi winced as he tried to ignore the pain. “It’s alright idiot. I’ll be fine.” He gritted out. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Y/N felt even more guilty that Levi was the one bleeding and he was worried about her. She really needed to listen to him.

“I’m fine. Hold the rag there, and I’ll get the stuff to stitch you up.” Y/N said as she moved his hand to his side.

She noticed his gaze was a bit more intense as his eyes followed her around the house. She didn’t understand what had happened back there. One moment it had been bad, Levi on the brink of losing. The man had whispered something into his ear and she watched as just a power seemed to come over him. Seconds later, the man was on the ground, dead. And Levi had been intent on getting her away from there as quickly as possible.

~~~~~

Y/N watched as he took off his shirt. She never missed an opportunity to see Levi without his shirt on. It had captured her attention since she had realized that she had feelings for the boy she had grown up with.

“What are you staring at?” Levi asked, his eyebrow arched in amusement. He knew exactly what she was staring at. He always took his shirt off, knowing that it would entice her.

She walked over and leaned down, her lips trailing the familiar scar on his side. It had shrunk over time, not as big as it was when he was twelve. Now only about three inches long, it was still a reminder to Y/N of her mistake.

Her arms went around his waist, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry, Levi.” She whispered against his chest.

She heard his sigh, feeling his chest lift and depress with the big breath of air. She felt his hand come up to pet her hair. “It’s not a big deal, idiot. Stop worrying about it.” He replied, his tone sharp but she knew that he didn’t mean it that way.

She didn’t answer, just hugged him a big harder. Savoring the smell that was uniquely him.

He pulled away and tapped her chin with his finger. “You’ve always been so damn sorry about that one time. I’ve never been mad at you.” He said, his tone a bit more gentle.

She knew that, he had always said that. She knew he meant it too, always making sure she never blamed herself too much before flicking her in the forehead.

She thought back to that day. Their relationship had changed starting then, becoming what it was now. She looked down at the ring she wore on her hand, a symbol of the bond that had been forged between them. He had tried to explain it to her, the surge of power, of protectiveness that was centered around her. He had killed that man because of what he had told Levi he was going to do to Y/N once he had killed the boy. It had sparked something in him, something that had given him extraordinary strength and the ability to know exactly what to do to kill him.

As Captain of the Survey Corps, Levi didn’t wear a wedding ring, but wore it around his neck under his cravat. The same ring that was now visible as he moved away to throw his shirt in the laundry and continue stripping down.

“Want to make it up to me?” He asked, grinning at her wickedly.

Y/N hummed in acknowledgement, he always asked her the same question after she had apologized. It was always exhausting how she made up for a scar from their childhood.

She laughed as Levi scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, stalking towards the bathroom. He was intent on her showering with him and her letting him have his wicked way with her.

They both might have lasting scars they carried from their years in the Underground and lives as Scouts, but that three inch scar was the one that had given them a future with each other.

Mobile MasterList

[astreetcarnamedwynn]

bnha rewatch: episode 9

In which I explore the dichotomy of evil presented in BNHA by analyzing the twin invasions of UA: first by the media and then (simultaneously and subsequently) by Shigaraki. I also consider how All Might is missing from both invasions and the lessons the next gen heroes like Midoriya, Bakugou, and Todoroki must learn from his irresponsible behavior in order to save the world.

“Yeah, Just Do Your Best, Iida!”

This is an odd transition episode that touches on a lot of different aspects of the show, primarily to introduce the final set of episodes of season one: the USJ attack. The most important aspect of this episode is the comparison & contrast of the media to Shigaraki, which further highlights how twisted and awful the BNHA society has become.

Prior to the episode’s start, All Might’s employment at UA became known beyond the school, and, as Midoriya states in this episode, “naturally the media swarmed the school in search of a story.” The word ‘swarm’ is only the tip of the characterization iceberg for the media in BNHA. They’re aggressive, overwhelming, entitled, and demanding. They believe that they’re owed information about All Might (“We’ve been here two days, but I don’t have a single comment on record yet”), and they’re not above demanding and threatening to get their desired information. One reporter states, “All you have to do is bring us All Might” and “If you won’t bring All Might out, I’ll get him myself.” HOW VILLAINOUS DOES THIS SOUND? When she can’t threaten her way to information, when UA’s defenses activate to keep an unauthorized person out, she lashes out at the school, claiming that they’re “keeping the public out” (implying that ‘the public’ have a right to invade an educational institution and to know private information about a citizen) and that UA “thinks it’s untouchable.”

AGAIN, HOW VILLANIOUS DOES THIS SOUND?

The media does more than sound like villains. They ACT like villains too. They illegally trespass onto UA’s campus. They know they’re not authorized, yet when they have the opportunity, they charge right in. Present Mic directly comments on their illegal, villainous actions to Aizawa: “They are trespassing. That means they’re kind of like villains. Can’t we just beat them up?” I find this utterly fascinating. The hero most associated with the razzle dazzle, showbiz aspect of heroism is NOT happy about the presence of cameras on campus, which potentially reinforces the idea that Mic is as performative a hero as All Might (meaning Present Mic is a role that Yamada Hizashi has adopted, rather than an accurate reflection of his true self). Aizawa shares Mic’s disdain for the media’s presence, yet he restrains from treating them as a hero would a villain. Rather than beat them up himself, he waits for the police to handle them.

These villainous actions result in similarly (though less intensely) villainous consequences. Like in a villain attack, utter chaos descends. The students panic. They’re afraid. They push and shove and try to trample each other as they run for the exit. The media is lucky that no student was hurt in the stampede for the exit. It’s their illegal trespassing and their detected presence that causes the alarms to activate, the students to then panic, and for them to stampede for the door.

To reinforce how awful “the media circus” is on the show, the actual villain is introduced at the same time as the media, doing the same things as the media, and causing similar (though more intense) consequences as the media. Like the media, Tomura Shigaraki has learned about All Might’s employment at UA, and like the media, he has come to investigate. With this, the show establishes the same outward-inward, spotlight-shadow, sham-sincere divide for the villains as they have for the heroes. For the heroes, All Might, Present Mic, the focus on flashy quirks and flashy captures capturing camera flashes and media attention represents the outward, spotlight, sham aspect to heroism (a hero’s career “depends on their ability to stay in the spotlight” and heroes now focus on “capturing flashy villains and showing off”). Beneath these, there’s Toshinori, Yamada, Aizawa, and the harsh, ugly, yet heartfelt truth of heroism (exemplified by Toshinori’s scar, by heroism being about service and helping others). Again, part of Midoriya’s schooling on the show and at UA is about this divide.

Prior to this episode, we’ve been given small hints at the same outward-spotlight, inward-shadow divide for the villains, too. Many of All Might’s fights are known by the media. They’re studied by fans like Midoriya and Bakugou. Not all of them though. Toshinori mentions how the fight that resulted in his scar (and thus his declining health) is one that no one knows about, that he did his best to keep quiet. The media falls into the outward-spotlight villains. Shigaraki, like All for One, the inward-shadow villains. In a twisted inverse of Aizawa’s debut, where he lurks at the back of the UA faculty room, watching on silently as the rest of the faculty discuss the entrance exam results, Shigaraki lurks at the back of the media pack, watching on silently as they demand information about All Might. He has come for the same purpose: to learn about All Might.

His actions are the same as well, though more intense. It will be revealed that HE is the one who orchestrated the break-in, who used the media’s flashy, attention-grabbing presence to conceal his own. This parallel is made more obvious with the USJ invasion at the end of the episode. As the media invaded UA and threatened the students’ safety, so do Shigaraki and company invade the USJ and threaten the students’ safety.

As the media invasion provided a test for the young heroes to step up and be heroic (a test that Kirishima and especially Iida pass with their calm responses), so too will the USJ invasion give a test for the young heroes. Like the media ‘swarming’ the school, a swarm of villains steps out of the portal behind Shigaraki. Like the media invasion, no adults will be around to help them (the two that are there, Aizawa and Thirteen, mirroring Aizawa and Mic doing their best elsewhere to stop the threat).

Missing from both invasions: All Might. This episode supports Aizawa’s (as well as the show’s) criticisms of All Might. In this episode, Aizawa calls All Might’s actions, which may be heroic as he’s saved people, but which have also resulted in him being unable to come to the USJ as he was supposed to, “the height of irresponsibility.” The criticism doesn’t lie with All Might’s DESIRE to help so much as HOW he’s helping. He’s trying to do it all by himself. There are even other heroes the first time he “helps” (including Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods), and yet All Might STILL swoops in to save the day. He’s taken the entire world onto his shoulders, he’s made himself THE symbol of peace, solitary, singular. This is “the height of irresponsibility,” especially since All Might KNOWS his power is fading. Yet he still acts like he can do what he has been able to do in the past. He doesn’t ask for help (hey, hey Bakugou parallel), which will come back to bite him, Aizawa, Thirteen, and class 1-A in the butt as he’s not there to help them against Shigaraki.

Side note → It hasn’t been introduced now, but the hero ranking system reinforces and worsens this focus on doing it all by yourself. The ranking focuses on solo heros and thus encourages competition amongst the heroes, rather than camraderie. The students in the entrance exam demonstrate their internalization of this as they are primarily focused on their own points. And of course, Endeavor will be shown as one of the most destructive consequences of the current hero system as his relentless desire to be number one not only destroys the lives of his entire family, but actively encourages villainy (*coughs*Dabi is a Todoroki*coughs*).

Learning that you shouldn’t resist help and that you can’t do it all by yourself will be key lessons for both Bakugou and Todorki, and all this serves as firm support for the abolishment of the hero ranking (at least as it is now) and the formation of hero duos and teams in the future, including the Wonder Duo of Bakugou and Midoriya. You see the development of the next gen heroes on the bus ride to the USJ in this episode. While there’s some unfortunate parroting of what they have learned from society (Kirishima lamenting the lack of a flashy quirk, Bakugou being angry Bakugou), these moments are swiftly countered and undercut by others. Midoriya comments on how Kirishima’s quirk will help him be an awesome hero, and to Midoriya’s complete and utter surprise, both Tsyu and Kaminari slam Bakugou for having a “flaming crap mixed with garbage” personality. So what if he has a flashy quirk, one that sets him (along with Todoroki) nearly on league with pros? He’s an asshole right now. The sincere quality of one’s character, the caring bonds that people make with one another, these are what matters and what the next gen will learn about and take to heart over the course of the show.

You’d think this would give them the upper hand against future villains, yet the next gen villains are learning this same lesson. Rather than All for One, there’s Shigaraki fighting with the League of Villains. And Shigaraki too will learn that who gets credit for villainy, who’s most in the spotlight, does not matter as much as the villainy itself (beginning with the Stain arc).

[aion-rsa]

Demon Slayer Season 1 Ending Explained: What’s Aboard the Mugen Train?

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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is one of the most popular anime series to come out in the past few years and the title’s recent addition to Netflix’s anime library has allowed a brand new audience to experience the thrilling action. 

Demon Slayer chronicles the journey of Tanjiro, a burgeoning Demon Slayer who sets out to bring down the powerful and deadly demon who is responsible for the death of his family and transforming her sister into a rabid creature. Tanjiro and his fellow Demon Slayers grow in considerable ways and learn incredible new abilities as they progress on their journey, which is far from over. Demon Slayer packs a lot into its 26-episode first season, but some serious revelations are made in the finale that will greatly impact what’s to come next for the demon slaying team.

What Are The Twelve Demon Moons Planning?

Demon Slayer’s finale offers a reprieve from action as Tanjiro and friends catch their breath and figure out their plan for the future. However, a chilling flashback shows Muzan Kibutsuji at his absolute most vicious. Frustrated with the unsuccessful efforts of Rui and the other Lower Twelve Demon Moons, Kibutsuji cleans shop and massacres the lot of them rather than deal with more frustration. 

The lone exception is Enmu, who shows proper fealty towards the Twelve Demon Moon leader. Muzan rewards Enmu with a healthy dose of his blood, which gives him a tremendous boost in power, and informs the demon that he’ll get even more if he takes out Tanjiro. In a very impressive manner, the finale manages to both eliminate a number of major villains, but also position Enmu as the new major threat. It’s a better strategy for what’s to come than for Tanjiro to stumble upon some completely new enemy.

Who Boards The Mugen Train?

Demon Slayer season 1 concludes with Tanjiro, Nezuko, Inosuke, and Zenitsu learning that an enormous train has become the site of numerous casualties and demon sightings. The Demon Slayer Corps sends Tanjiro to rid this locomotive of its evil. This is the kind of story that could have easily been a single episode in season one, so it’s exciting to learn that the Mugen Train is actually a much larger obstacle for the team. 

Read more

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Upcoming Anime 2021: New and Returning Series to Watch

By Daniel Kurland

The final moments of the season conjure a real feeling of a chapter coming to a close due to how the Mugen Train literally separates characters from the rest of the cast. Season one carries a mysterious energy of never knowing a Demon Slayer may unexpectedly jump in to help Tanjiro, but that possibility vanishes in something like a moving vehicle. Tanjiro’s team of Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Nezuko board the train, but so does the Flame Hashira, Rengoku, as well as Muzan’s recently upgraded Enmu of the Twelve Demon Moons. It’s a strong mix of characters in a confined space.

What Is Nezuko’s Demon Cure Status?

Much of Tanjiro’s mission in season one of Demon Slayer is that he’s desperate to keep his sister, Nezuko, safe from execution and return her to her non-demon state. Progress is extremely slow at first and Nezuko remains muzzled for the entirety of the season and tricks like hypnosis need to be resorted to in order to keep her docile. Nezuko’s temper becomes more in control as the season progresses and Tanjiro is able to demonstrate that she does still have some free will left inside of her, but she’s still a long way from being back to normal. It’s unclear if Nezuko will get cured or if she’ll just find a normalcy in her demon state, but Tanjiro has become more protective of her than ever and their bond will absolutely be important in what’s to come.

Will The Extended Cast Be Back?

Demon Slayer positions Inosuke and Zenitsu as important fighters that accompany Tanjiro on his mission, yet they’re both still coming into their own as warriors, much like Tanjiro himself. The trio work great as a team, but much of the season has Zenitsu and Inosuke trailing behind Tanjiro. The final episodes show that all three of them put serious work into their Total Concentration Breathing techniques. Tanjiro’s progress is the focus, but it’s obvious that Inosuke and Zenitsu have also made substantial improvement. The two haven’t been given an opportunity to show off their new skills yet, but it’s likely that the Mugen Train will mark their first big test of strength.

Demon Slayer is a series that continually moves forward, which means many of its big cast of characters can get left in the past. Tanjiro has made some important friends along the way like Kanao, Aoi, and the other members of the Butterfly Estate. As Tanjiro and company board the Mugen Train and beyond, it’s likely that these characters from specific regions may not be seen again and that new allies will be encountered. However, it looks like the Hashira will only have a more important role in what’s to come as the animosity between the Twelve Demon Moons and the Demon Slayer Corps festers. Rengoku joins Tanjiro’s team as they board the train, but it’s unlikely he’ll be the only other Demon Slayer who offers support in the future.

How Does The Movie Fit In?

This finale is somewhat muted in comparison to some of the series’ bigger episodes, but the ending immediately teases the continuation of the anime’s story in the movie, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train. It’s not unusual for popular anime to get supplementary movies, but they often feature extra stories that can exist on their own. 

Mugen Train, however, adapts Chapters 54 to 69 of the Demon Slayer manga and is fundamental viewing for any fan of the series. The anime decided to adapt this story arc in a flashy feature film, rather than devote a handful of episodes at the start of season two to this material. Mugen Train’s structure will hopefully allow Demon Slayer season two to cover even more ground and tell a focused story through its episodes.

Is Season 2 Happening?

Details have been slim on a second season of Demon Slayer, with instead most of the effort going towards the anime’s sequel film, Mugen Train. Demon Slayer’s movie progresses the story along, but it’s far from the conclusion of Tanjiro and Nezuko’s journey. With the level of popularity that’s surrounded Demon Slayer’s manga, anime, and feature film, it’s all but inevitable that a season two is on the way. 

Fortunately, new episodes could hit in 2021, perhaps by summer or early winter, but it may still be considerably longer until these installments make their way over to Netflix. Regardless, Demon Slayer’s story is only getting started and it looks like the most intense material is yet to come.

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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba season 1 is now streaming on Netflix

The post Demon Slayer Season 1 Ending Explained: What’s Aboard the Mugen Train? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[6four1-blog]

June 20th, 2017 (Kavousi, Crete, Greece)

This week’s hours have been arduously long and I’ve been desperately trying to get more sleep without missing out on too much. The culture shock has been a bit overwhelming and the surplus of experiences is inundating my mental dam and overtaking my writing speed’s capacity. We had to work six days last week, which comprised of nine hours of physical labor everyday, seven hours on site and two hours in the gym. This crazy schedule is pushing my body to its limits but I am slowly growing accustomed to it. My mornings have become as rigid as a science experiment protocol. I unconsciously begin to take out $5.20 every morning at the bakery for my pastries. For these past six days, only three out of five trench members were on site, and the low numbers have blessed me with some extra digging practice and has allowed me to bond with a fewer number of people on a deeper level. There were rumors about negative drama pervading some trenches, and I really didn’t want my trench to develop that kind of culture. Thus, I attempted to make jokes in the morning as an effort to wake others up and lift the mood, even though I was dead exhausted inside. Alex and I have begun giving each other gifts every once in a while. Since Azoria is located in the mountains, any sea stone found on site must have climb there with some form of ancient human assistance. Because there’s no useful analytical data that could be obtained from these sea stones, they are the perfect, and only, ancient objects that we are allowed to keep. I would find a few round pebbles in the sieve every day and I would give them to Alex as presents. He keeps them all in the side pocket of cargo pants, which I find very cute. As the excavation progresses, I intend to build him a large collection; by the end of the trip, I hope he can look back on them as a metaphor for a wonderful third year at Azoria.

Before this week and due to the rain days, our longest streak of site work was three days. This week jumped to a dramatic six days of full-fledged plowing in 27 degrees Celsius weather. It was the physical equivalent of transitioning from Compsci 101 to Compsci 201. The sun literally cooks us like human-sized pieces of Kobe steak and our metal skaliskiris became so hot that our callouses were no less tender than sunny-side up eggs on a frying pan. Today, I woke up unable to completely close my hands, and it’s a miracle that I am still typing right now. I have probably consumed more than two grams of ibuprofen this week alone, a portion that would have probably lasted me a whole month of Ultimate Frisbee at Duke. But at some point in the middle of this week, a mental shell cracked and I entered a new state of mind about excavating, finding myself no longer afraid of the heat, the blisters, and the dirt. I was wearing work gloves for the previous two weeks but I have almost completely given up on them at this point. The clay surfaces and cobble packing require a lot of feeling and touch with certain tools, and while being able to discern certain layers of earth from others sounds like a fictitious ability, understand where clay floors exist is indeed an acquired skill and grasping it has been oddly gratifying. Since it was just Lexi, Kate, and I digging for a while, we have also begun to develop an affinity for certain skaliskiris. Tucker had marked his with the blue twist tie, I had marked mine with a black one, and I helped Lexi mark hers with a green-yellow one. In the end, interestingly, not only have I become attached to my team and the B-trenches, but I have also become clingy to the tools I work with.

On that note, I would like to emphasize I love working with the people in my trench. I love the atmosphere that we’re building, one filled with support, compliments, and, most importantly, sarcastic jokes. Even though Lexi sat behind me on the plane ride from Athens to Heraklion, I, until this week, never really had a full on conversation and quality time with her. She turned out to be a religiously committed volleyball player, practicing almost every day back at Trent University. That was something I could relate to very sincerely because I have lived, and I still continue to live, that lifestyle at Duke. Part of my conscience picked up on that aspect of her character from prior short interactions. There was a determination, sense of self, and mental toughness that is forged almost exclusively through intense participation in and commitment to a physical activity. I am just beginning to know Kate and talk to her more. She seems wholly wonderful like a book just waiting to be read. Later on in the week, she was really sick for a few days, and it was unfortunate that she couldn’t join me and Lexi on site. One of her fellow Iowa State friends’ grandmother passed away, and, even when she was getting sick, Kate sacrificed her entire night’s time and sleep to make sure that Jasmine booked the right flights and would have a safe and worry-free trip home. Her effort impressed me and after witnessing her concern and care, I will definitely make a conscious effort to talk to her more and get to know her better. Overall, in conclusion, working in Alex’s trench is truly a pleasure and I hope we continue to grow and maintain a positive culture for the remaining four weeks.

In addition to bonding with the people in my trench, I am slowly getting to know Alex a lot better as well. After long days on site, we have begun working out in this small makeshift garage gym owned by a local Greek man named Tosos. One can easily tell that Alex is a studious and incredibly kind man just by his demeanor, which radiated from the very timbre of his voice and the form in which he carries himself. However, there is an implacable beast in the man that awakens when the weights start clanking and the music starts beating. His rest intervals are short and he loves to pack his exercises into supersets, which, painfully, tore through all the ATP reserves I had in less than half an hour. His choices of lifts are forcefully dynamic and the pace is unforgivingly quick. The Cretan sun cooks the building we workout in, making it a furnace by the time we arrived at around 5:30 p.m. The oven pushes your exhaustion and blood flow to its absolute limit and every rep gave a pump I that was as novel to me as this island was itself. For the rest of the summer, I am going to put my trust in Alex and I will strive to continue following his workout regime. Having been an athlete all my life, I believe one’s attitude in athletics often translates to his or her work habits in other aspects of life. Now I have no doubt how hard he works at UNC, and I am super glad to have met a principled and persevering man like him.

If you didn’t know before, the two things in the world that I am the most afraid of and the worst at are dancing and singing. If I had to dance and sing in front of a large crowd alone on stage to save my life, I think I would prefer death. This past Tuesday was one of those days when I felt adventurous and bold. So, when David came downstairs and asked me to attend a traditional Cretan dance lesson with him, I said yes and walked out the door with slight hesitation.

The classroom was this mistakenly abandoned building that we’d walk by every day after excavating. The space was overwhelmingly green, and, in a mercurial flashback, I knew that my brother, whose favorite color is green, would have loved it here. The building was a large space converted into a classroom around fifteen or twenty years ago. Two bookshelves and blackboards were haphazardly placed on either sides of the room and both lengths had windows like that of a Gothic church. The blackboards seemed long out of use and parts of the chalk have been stuck on the board for so long that it could have easily juxtaposed some graffiti on a tunnel wall in Durham, North Carolina. One of the bookcases contained beautiful ancient tomes that consisted of, if I recall correctly, almost 20 volumes. The books seemed to be much older than the classroom, as if they were heirlooms of an old family of Kavousi that contained all of this villages’ ancient histories and bloodlines. The other bookshelf was a dramatic contrast, filled top to bottom with children’s books. David and I could not read the Greek, but the images were hilariously entertaining, depicting people of different cultures from around the world. Its depiction of Chinese people was this old, wise, Confucius doppelgänger, which is not a bad image of my people at all. We were halfway through exploring that bookshelf when the dance lesson started. The mid-age man taught us a six step dance that rotated in a circle. I was so nervous trying to learn and coordinate the steps that I grappled the shoulder of the people next to me as if I was hanging on for dear life. Afterwards, the Greek workman beside me, Stellos, introduced himself and apparently remarked to his friend that I was gripping his shoulder really tightly. The trench master Irini, who was on my other side, politely asked me to hold her hand with less anxiety and force.

Eventually, I did loosen up and really began to enjoy myself. Until then, the two indirect non-vocal ways I felt connected to someone was reading their writing and listening to their music. For me, reading another’s writing was both seeing the world from their point of view, as well as seeing into their soul with my own eyes; I get an opportunity to understand how their minds function and exploit a lucky occasion to imagine their perception of the world. Listening to their music connects me with their emotions, and I think one would be surprised by how much we can learn about each other from sharing playlists and songs. In my first revolutionary dance lesson, I discovered another way through which we feel connected to our peers. The beat of the song drowned out all of our howling cultural, academic, physical, and personality differences and served as an united pounding heart for everyone in the circle. Each of our feet were individual muscle fibers of this powerful beating organ, working together in unison with the rhythm and moving in absolute homogeneity and flowing grace. No one was the hero of the stage, and that was what I loved about this traditional Cretan dance. It was done as a group and was meant to connect you with others, rather than for you to show off and isolate yourself. Afterwards, as we walked back to Tholos, I thanked David for inviting me to dance. It was a barrier that I desperately needed to break, and I finally did it here on Crete.

Being confined in a small village allowed me, David, and Weston to grow very close in a short period of time. On a Thursday after working in sizzling conditions that put the Tuscan sun to shame, David, Weston, a bunch of the girls, and I trekked down to the Tholos beach villas. We attempted to check out an herb farm that, very unfortunately, was closed. David and I had worked on site that day and had grabbed a few beers before heading to the beach. After eating almost nothing up at Azoria, the alcohol flowed straight into our systems and had us tipsy in less than ten minutes. We proceeded to drink more beer as we walked and, by the time we found a table down at the beach café, the conversation was flowing like the Yangtze and words were just spilling out of our mouths. I always seem to express myself quite emotionally and very thoroughly every time I am tipsy. Being the only noticeable Asian person in this area, it was a time for me to reflect on what it meant to be a minority in the society that I live in. In the United States and Canada, I have always managed to find myself a bubble of friends who are also Asian and have the same values and life outlooks as I do. Being stuck in these bubbles curtains the fact that I am part of a minority and that, outside of these wealthy and educated spheres, being a minority plays a huge role in one’s identity. Among the local Greeks, I had to disprove the stereotype that all Asian people practice Kung Fu, since the main exposure that these Europeans have had to Asian culture is its popular Kung Fu movies. My physique didn’t really help prove my point; apparently, before they got to know me, they were referencing me as the “Karate Kid” in Greek.

As for my fellow Americans, I tried my best to explain the Asian-American experience. It was difficult because, previously, I never had to pry my mind and think so deeply about my Asian identity in America. I found my inspiration and preferred choice of diction in a Humans of New York post about a young African-American man and his experiences growing up in the suburbs of Miami. For Asian-Americans, oppression and inequality are not necessarily our biggest problems, and neither is socioeconomic status. Personally, I think the most pressing matter is a lack of recognition entrenchment in the collective American identity. For Asian-Americans, there is a barrier that makes it difficult for us to become the leaders and politicians of important institutions and almost anything to do with the general public. As a result, we resort to pursuing careers that either earn us the most money or the most respect. Our immigrant identity is still so young and fragile that we attempt to compensate by obtaining immense amounts of wealth and chasing after the most prestigious occupations, as if we are almost trying to bribe and prove our way into the collective melting pot. Being here in Greece lifted those weighty, ominous clouds off my back. It was as if Atlas had been finally freed from his eternal damnation, finally able to unwind and look upon this world with awe and appreciation for its beauty once again.

In my three short weeks here on Crete, I realized that the locals were always absolutely delighted to learn about my Asian background. They seemed to have had their fair share of American tourists and finally got the chance to spend time with someone who looks completely different. Instead of telling the Asian-American narrative that I have been building for the past twelve years, the anecdotes I shared and the mannerisms I described were as uniquely Chinese as possible, filled with experiences and memories that I pushed away and suppressed so that I could assimilate into Vancouver and fit in at Duke. Maria and I talked for two hours one night, and she told me to never forget where I came from. That “Chinese people, like Greeks, have a long history and a strong sense of ταυτότητα (taftótita; a rough Greek translation for ‘identity’).” As I rode back to the Tholos hotel in Katis’ car that night, I realized I had found myself in a community with an unapologetic and unconditional appreciation for my visible cultural diversity. I couldn’t help but beam as we sped down the road in the clear night. I looked out of the window at the faint outline of the Cretan mountains and at the constellations in the distant universe, finding the Big Dipper and the North Star. These constellations have guided ancient and modern sailors, both Greek and Chinese, away from and back to their homes for thousands of years. Staring at the North Star that night in the car, I decided that, after Crete and Austria, it was time to pay China a visit.

[minnemat-blog]

States of Grace

These last few weeks have been full of ups and downs for me, and it’s given me an opportunity to think about what constitutes happiness.

The feelings that can give a sense of being happy vary in tone: intense joy and excitement, contentment, relief, energetic bursts. 

Just look at the gif at the top of this post. There’s always something about animals and the natural world that bring me a peace--this isn’t something strong and forceful, but a gentle energy. I could watch otters all day and never get tired of it; I think dog owners and cat lovers feel the same sense of calm when they are around their four-legged companions. Happiness is a warm beagle, as Charlie Brown knows!

Spending an evening in deep connection with a good friend—chatting, enjoying each other’s company, is also a source of happiness. It’s more involved, because we invest our attention, emotion, and thought into caring about the other person’s feelings, situation, and wellbeing. Exercising our empathic abilities takes effort, and we grow from it, creating deeper understanding and bonds with another person. It’s happiness like a warm mug of cocoa after a long walk in the snow—a glow that starts from the inside.

When we’re young, our sense of happiness can be spontaneous (and also our displeasure!) Think about the silly things that made you happy as a kid. A fresh pack of bubble gum, a dimestore yoyo, even just spinning around until you fell down dizzy.

This is the kind of happiness that is unplanned, but always welcome. Often we can be working very hard to achieve long-term happiness—focusing on jobs, finding things we don’t have, worrying about the things we used to have. If we let ourselves take a moment—this very moment—to feel spontaneous happiness, it can give us a little bit more energy to move forward with our long-term efforts. In other words, the space between the sentences, the punctuation, the breath, is as powerful as the letters and the poses.

So pause.

Breathe.

Experience the silly, the deep, the stillness.

Let yourself be.

Namaste.

[elysiumrp]

Marcus James Henstridge || Pro-Supernatural Human || Pro-Supernatural Portrayed by Jacob Artist

Biography/

Marcus Henstridge was brought up by two loving parents who never quite had enough to make ends meet. New York City was an expensive place to live, but with their jobs here, and Marcus's half-sister living in the city, it just didn't really make sense to move anywhere else. Marcus was still allowed to have a lot of the same experiences as other children, his parents just put a lot on credit cards. His mother also didn't want to leave because she didn't want to leave the magical community of New York City. She had grown up surrounded by the same, strong families and she truly was part of the magical community herself. It would have felt like leaving her family itself if she had had to say goodbye to so many people that she had known for so long. When the supernatural world was revealed, things changed. Marcus's parents were already on edge after the initial Council being murdered, and watching the second council be forced to disband didn't help anything. Whenever talks and news stories about supernaturals being killed and how bad supernaturals were started to become more and more present on the news, his parents decided that they had to take an extreme step to guarantee their safety. Granted, Marcus's father had always been human, but he still worried about his son and wife all the same, and he didn't understand the magnitude of what he was truly asking whenever he asked Marcus's mom to give away their magic permanently. No matter how much Marcus argued and fought, it didn't change anything, and just like that, his magic was gone against his will. It's been eight months without his magic now, and although his mom always said that he would grow used to it, every single day he just becomes more and more bitter. He's not himself without his magic, and a life that used to seem so vibrant, now seems nothing more than dull.

Important Points /

--Marcus and his half-sister might have lived in the same city for their entire lives, but honestly they have never really been that close. That being said, if there is one thing that they have ever bonded over, it was the mutual grief of losing their magic after their mom gave it all away. Emily felt the same loss that Marcus did, and just like Marcus, she didn't want to lose her magic. Although she has tried to put more energy into adjusting, Marcus can see that deep down she is still grief-stricken over the entire thing. Emily is trying to move on because she has given up on there being a way to fix any of it, but Marcus isn't as quick to let things go. He has always had the mindset that there is always a way to fix something if a person just tries hard enough, and therefore he's willing to do just about whatever it takes to get his magic back. He is a warlock through and through, and he has no interest in living out the rest of his days as a human. His mom and dad might have wanted to make his life safer, but as far as he's concerned, it wasn't their decision to make in the first place, and he's fully determined to get back the quality of life that he was fully satisfied with before it was ripped away.

--Marcus and his mom, and his sister for that matter, were always part of the magical community of New York, but unlike the Summers, the Heatons, or the Deanes (or the Treadwells or Millers for that matter), they were never one of the exclusive families that ever actually had any say in what happened or how things went down. Looking back now, Marcus supposes that it could be seen as a heavily flawed system, but at the time, that was just how things were. he didn't think to question it because it was just so normal. His mom seemed happy to be a part of the community without having to carry the weight of making any extremely difficult decisions, and frankly Marcus was just as content to be a part of the community without any of the actual stress. That being said, losing that community by losing his magic has hit him hard, especially since he no longer feels like he's a part of something that was so important to him for over twenty years. Now even whenever he sees friends from the magical community he doesn't even feel like he can look at them because of the shame that he feels inside.

--From the beginning, Marcus knew that he would be willing to do just about anything to get his magical abilities back, although he never actually imagined that he would get roped into a scheme like the one that he is currently taking part in. Marcus was approached by a hunter who told him that he could help him get his magic back as long as Marcus did something for him in return. Sure, it involved selling out another group of supernaturals, but for Marcus, the reward was all too sweet to be truly bothered by thinking about how many people he would have to hurt. Marcus is now fully determined to follow through on his end of the bargain to guarantee that he is able to get his magic back, and although he does admittedly feel a little bit dirty knowing that he is going to eventually betray so many people, at this moment in time he has muted those feelings to the best of his ability. Marcus can't allow himself to think about those that will be hurt in the crossfire. Instead, he just needs to keep his eye on the prize and remember what he will be able to get back if he is just successfully able to deliver on his end of the dead.

Connections /

EMILY VILLANOVA ; Emily is Marcus's half-sister and a person that he has been growing closer to as of late after the both of them had their magic stolen away. Emily is trying to move on as best as she can, while Marcus is trying to do whatever it takes to get back his magic and, he assumes, her magic as well. Marcus cares about his sister, he always has, but sometimes it's still hard to see her as an actual sibling just because they didn't really grow up together. Emily was only at his house every other weekend, and even then he usually found somewhere else to be because he just didn't like sharing the attention. Nowadays, he kind of regrets that, but hopes that he can make things better by bringing back such an important thing in their lives once and for all.

SAMUEL STOKES ; Samuel is one of the werewolves that Marcus will have to sell out to get his magic back, so he has done his best to avoid getting to know anything about the wolf personally. The real target that Jacob wanted was the Davidson Pack, and since the easiest place to get to the entire Davidson Pack was through Strange Brew, Strange Brew was what Marcus promised to give up. Of course, it's difficult because Marcus doesn't want to get to know anyone that works there, but, at the same time, he also has to get to know them well enough that they trust him. It's a delicate line to walk to say the least. Mostly he's been using his connection with Emily, since she works there after all, to try and make sure everyone knows him as Emily's brother before anything else happens.

REBECCA GRAY ; Rebecca is someone that he can't help but be jealous of. Not only does she have her magic, but she's damn good at what she does too, and he can't help but wonder if he has lost that opportunity in his own life forever. Marcus was never really into brewing, but God he would give just about anything to be able to do that now. He'd take any kind of witchcraft over none at all. He tries to avoid talking to Rebecca if possible, he tries to avoid a lot of the witches at work really (which unfortunately is just about everyone) because being around them just reminds him of everything that he is missing out on.

AVERY BELFAST ; Avery is the other cashier at Nature's Botanicals, and she is probably the one person there that he actually goes out of his way to talk to. She's a witch, so that's always a bit of a sensitive topic to think about, but besides that he enjoys her company. At times she can be a little too intense with the whole happiness thing, but with everything else going on, Marcus just tries to pretend that it's a nice change of pace. Avery loves her magic, that much he can tell, and although he's naturally jealous, he's at least glad that there is someone else that can truly appreciate the gift that she has been blessed with.

JACOB NEWTON ; Jacob Newton is the hunter that approached Marcus with the deal to get his magic with, and he's the one that Marcus has been reporting to ever since. Jacob seems fully determined to try to get a crown jewel kill while in New York, and it's not difficult to see that the Davidson Pack could easily be one of those prime targets. Marcus has tried to distnace himself from what he'll have to do, instead looking at it as a means to an end, and he's just trying to finish what he agreed to as quickly as possible. He doesn't want to draw it out because he's scared that he might chicken out, so instead he's trying to work as quickly as he can to try and gain the trust of the pack so he can, unfortunately, betray them all in the end.

LEWIS KAUFFMAN ; Lewis is a vampire that has come into the shop a few times, mostly to just browse it seems before buying a few random pieces that don't really have anything to do with each other. He doesn't remember the first few purchases, but now curiosity has gotten the best of him, and Marcus has started to try to make a mental note of what Lewis is purchasing. It's mostly something to just keep him busy, but he still is just acting like it's a puzzle to be solved. So far they've all just been random ingredients, but Marcus is just waiting for the one thing that suddenly helps him realize what they're all used for so that he can finally put his own little personal mystery together.

ERIC GUTIERREZ ; Eric knows that he is a werewolf, but he has never actually triggered his curse, and Marcus can't help but wonder how much longer that will last with the way that the world is going. New York City is dangerous for just about every single citizen nowadays, and although Eric tries his best to stay away from the violence, he is still working in a supernaturally ran establishment. It seems that it'll only be a matter of time until something ends up ultimately going down, and when that happens, Marcus has a feeling that he'll finally trigger the curse that he's kept under lock and key for almost thirty years.

MARCUS HENSTRIDGE IS CURRENTLY OPEN