#and his reincarnation is able to finally value his life and GETS that second chance to do that that he deserved

[dazais-guardian-angel]

Break 🤝 Ebisu - waiting for years to die and then realizing when the time comes that they want to live...

anon i don't know who you are or what prompted you to send this, but....... yes, I suppose? but also Ow why did you have to make me think of this

[alison-anonymous]

I Want to Write a Mikayuu Series

Okay.

So um.

If you're reading this, HELLO. All of you long time ONS fans probably don't know me, but I'm Alison and I'm a hardcore Mikayuu, Mitsunoa, Gureshin, etc shipper. I've been in the ONS fandom for almost a year and dear god. The amount of people telling me that Mikayuu is queerbait is just making me really sad 😅 I'm a writer, and I'm the type of person who honestly feels like the author of a series should have the ability to choose how a story ends without influence of their readers. I mean, if it's their story, then it should be their ending, right? However, I also do have some qualms when it comes to how this "love triangle" between Yu, Mika, and Shinoa is being portrayed. This is entirely my personal opinion, but I feel like Shinoa seems to be forcing herself to love Yu. I honestly don't think she cares for him in a romantic way, but more of a very deep-rooted admiration or even envy that she's trying to convince herself to be romantic love. And Yu has said multiple times that he values Mika's life above his own, that he doesn't know what he would do without him if he were to die again (I mean the fact that he suffered seeing his best friend and potential lover die a first time was definitely scarring enough, PLEASE STOP TORTURING OUR POOR BABIES). And it's basically confirmed by now that when Mika said I love you in the manga, it was in the romantic sense. Even though I wish, I hope, I dream, and I pray that Mikayuu will become canon, I honestly can't say for certain what I think will happen. I think it could sway any way, with Mikayuu becoming canon, Yu and Shinoa becoming canon, or it being one of those ambiguous endings where it's heavily implied but nothing actually happens. And in order to make myself feel better when stuff like this happens, I tend to rewrite the entire story with the ending that I would have liked to see ;)

You're probably wondering where the hell this stranger is going with this. Well, I want to write a book. A series, actually.

One that's inspired by Seraph of the End.

Now, if you're interested in hearing me out, then feel free to keep reading. But if not, continue on with your scrolling, no hard feelings. But if you do, and I really hope that you do, give me a chance to explain.

I want to write a series inspired by Seraph of the End called Bloodsucker (working title, obviously). And this series is going to be a reimagination of ONS with an ending that I would have loved to see in the anime and manga. I plan to have three main characters (please keep in mind that I'm going to have name changes): Yuichiro, Mikaela, and a brand new character, Epic.

Now, I would begin this series a bit before the anime and I'm assuming the manga begins. I'd start with introducing our main three characters as they meet in the orphanage (yes, Epic would be a part of this orphanage as well) and how Epic and Yu try to make moves to run away only to be stopped by Mika and Akane.

I plan to include a scene between Epic and Akane where Epic tries to run out in the middle of the night only to be stopped by Akane, and this is what caused Epic to develop a crush on her (Epic is a girl btw). Then I would begin the whole shit with the vampires and how they set the world on fire and shit, but instead of the apocolypse, I'd make it so that most of the adults died in the fire while the kids were taken alive (because young blood is better and whatnot). This includes our little Hyakuya family. The directors would have tried to trade the kids lives for their own, and due to their selfishness, the vamps killed them and took the kids anyway.

This would begin my first story arc: the prewar.

Epic, Akane, Mika, and Yu would all be living under the vampires at this point along with the rest of the kids in their orphanage. I plan to include lots of moments of bonding that heavily imply Epic loves Akane even though she doesn't know it yet and Mika loves Yu, but Yu is fucking oblivious. The four begin to plot their escape, but while Mika and Akane (yes Akane too) are making deals with the vampires to help out with their family, Epic is constantly finding herself getting dragged along to visit Queen Krul. The pink haired vamp has a soft spot for her for some reason and often tells her that Epic and her family are "special" or sum shit. And she's super confused and semi grossed out. But none of the vamps ever dare to hurt her so she thinks it's fine. Then one day they all plot their escape and it's much more planned out and lengthy and less rushed than it is in the anime. Things almost seem to work out until the vampires stop them

And Mika and Akane DIE.

I know. I'm horrid.

Epic is standing here in shock as she watches the love of her life die before her and Mika BEGS for Yu to take Epic and run while they can. So while in the series only Yu survives, he obeys Mika and both him and Epic survive this. They're found by Guren (a new character I haven't come up with yet lol) and Yu is super protective over Epic, not wanting anyone to take the only piece of his family he has left (he's a fucking mess without Mika let's just be honest) and Guren ends up taking them under his wing.

Now we hit the second arc. Still with me?

The War.

Hold onto your hats everyone because this is where shit is about to get complicated. So I do plan to have a bit of a time skip into the current spot where Yu and Epic are attending school with Guren as their father figure and they've become very close. So close that Yu refuses to work with anyone else but her. They end up getting onto Shinoa Squad (obviously going to be completely different in my version) and they get put onto the battlefield. But here's the catch. Well, two catches.

Yu and Epic do have demon weapons. I do plan to try to incorporate that into this. BUT the backstory is different. I plan to make it so that the vampires obviously see the humans as fies. Insignificant things that are more playthings than threats. And they didn't want to have to deal with killing all of them, so they sent demons in their place to handle it. But the humans were able to form deals or "contracts" with the demons and therefore turned the vampires' own secret weapon against them.

Now, catch no. 2

So, Epic, Mika, and Yu aren't seraphs in this. But they are something else. I'm going to try to explain this as simply as I can, but each of them (besides Mika since he doesn't have a demon) have 3 souls inside their body:

Soul 1 is their current soul, the one that identifies as Mika or Epic or Yu.

Soul 2 is their demon soul, like what Asuramaru is to Yu.

And soul 3 is their archangel soul (I might change that name later on).

So I'm just going to come right out and say it. In this series, Epic is the villain.

Yes.

You read that right.

Epic is the villain. But she doesn't know that she is. These Soul 3s were reincarnated into the current bodies of Mika, Epic, and Ari (and I know that's not exactly how it works but screw logic this is just a fucking concept) from their lives centuries ago.

These souls existed way before vampires existed and Epic (or Essie) was very close friends with Yu (or Aytigin). Aytigin was in love with Haru (Mika) but for one reason or another, they couldn't be together. Essie wanted to do something, willing to do anything to make the two of them happy. So she made a deal that brought the vampires into creation so that Haru and Aytigin could be happy. She was willing to sacrifice everything that they stood for so that the two of them could be in love together.

She had good intentions, but of course Haru and Aytigin were furious because now the vampires were turning against the humans and they all basically died. Until they were reborn respectively, but unknowingly.

Now picking back up in the present, Yu and Epic are fighting in one of the main battles and the two are very confused when the vampires make a very deliberate attempt not to hurt Epic. They're unsure as to why, but Guren tells them not to worry about it.

Suspicious bastard.

Anyway, it's revealed finally that MIKA IS ALIVE

BUT HE'S ALSO DEAD

Yes he is a vampire. And Yu falls in love all over again upon seeing him, and after a bunch of struggling, Epic gets kidnapped. At first she gets strangled by Lacus and then she gets kidnapped by Ferid who doesn't kill her surprisingly.

Oh and uh... Ferid is nice in this. He's still a fucking creep, but he's a lot nicer than he is in the series. I plan to make Queen Krul or whoever I turn her into be the villain.

Anyway, they take Epic back to the vampire palace or whatever and Queen Krul and Epic are reunited! And Krul is the one who reveals to Epic exactly who she, Mika, and Yu are and this is what sparks Epic's fall to insanity.

I mean, she's the killer. She's the one who brought them into this world. She's responsible for every death the vampires cause.

I would go crazy too.

So, she manages to escape (partially thanks to Mika) and the two join Yu and the others again and it's revealed a second time exactly what is going on. And while no one actually blames Epic on the Shinoa Squad, that doesn't stop people like Kureto and even herself from blaming.

And this causes her demon to go haywire.

She begins losing her marbles, almost killing her teammates and trying to kill herself, all while the three begin to experience dreams or visions of their Soul 3s.

While all this shit is going on, there's heavy romance between Mika and Yu because these two lovers just got reunited and FUCK did they have glow ups but yes -

Oh. And there is another spark for Epic, even though she doesn't think she's worthy of love.

Okay. I'm just gonna say it.

Lacus falls in love with Epic. Yes. You read that correctly too.

I plan to make the two of them get trapped together at some point and they have to work together to escape. It's during this time that Epic realizes he's not all that bad and has some form of self control and he realizes that she's the most interesting thing he's ever met in this disgusting and boring life and damn do her eyes look pretty-

But yes. She forms a permanent alliance with him that he jokes about as marriage and they meet on other occassions too, but lol yes.

Anyway, blah blah blah, more fall to insanity, the Soul 3s take over their bodies on multiple occasions and there's a lot of bonding and fighting and Epic and Mika somehow manage to get some of the vampires on the human side.

And in the end, Epic and Yu basically sacifice themselves to save the human race and kill Queen Krul. It's a very rough ending I haven't quite perfected yet, but Yu has a moment like he did with the King of Salt. But though he inflicted a lot of damage, it's not enough. So while the team is worried about him, Epic takes this opportunity to fix her and Essie's mistakes.

She allows both Essie and her demon to take control of her body and dies on the battlefield. Queen Krul is eliminated. Most of the vampires are gone. The humans won.

Horray.

Epic is dead.

Kinda. Yu and Mika take her back home and this is the preview to the last arc where everyone's in the hospital and Epic's in a coma. Mika and Yu barely ever leave her side and it's only when Lacus of all people comes to visit that she fucking wakes up.

Okay. Are you still with me? Now come with me to the final arc.

The Post-War.

No my friend. It doesn't end there. Because Mika and Lacus are still vamps and life still sucks and I drank too much coffee this morning.

No it's not over yet.

So flash forward a couple years and Kureto and Crew are working as the heads of this city. Stuff is being rebuilt, people are settling down in homes, Lacus and some of the other "good" vampires find jobs, and Mika, Yu, and Epic get a house together (in case I didn't mention before, Epic is pansexual. She loved Akane dearly and I plan to include scenes where she sees her in her mind and dreams like Mikayuu so she's never truly gone, but she falls for Lacus too when he's not being a sadistic asshole). Things are going strangely when

BAM. Epic and Yu come up with a cure for vampirism.

How, you may ask? I don't fucking know, I haven't read about it in the manga yet but before we come up with an idea for it, imma say they came up with it through a spell. They share their findings with Guren and soon all vampires are being cured, most notably Mika, Lacus, and even Rene.

BUT and there's always a but, Kureto passes a new law claiming all vampires to be property. That any vampire or previous vampire or even vampire supporter/owner that tries to disobey these new laws is to be killed immediately. Now Epic and Yu are in jeopardy because their ex-vampires are in danger (Epic and Lacus have been hanging out a lot more and he's proven himself to be a decent guy. Contrary to popular belief, I headcanon him as not really knowing what to do when he actually cares about someone since he's been a heartless vamp for so long. So when he turns to Mika and begrudgingly asks him for LOVE ADVICE of all fucking things, Mika is ready to die). So basically, Mika and Lacus end up getting locked up along with the other ex-vamps (including Ferid which was a pain in the ass) and did I forget to mention that there's a proposal?

Oh yeah, Yu proposes to Mika and the blond still has yet to give him an actual answer because poor baby is still having a hard time accepting that Yu can love a "monster" like him.

But anyways, now Epic and Yu are furious and SHINOA SQUAD IS BACK IN BUSINESS. With the help of Guren and Shinya and everyone, they form a sort of rebellion and blah blah blah they manage to get Mika and Lacus and everyone out and blah blah blah they all get separated and Lacus begins to get INSANELY protective of Epic and ends up confessing his feelings to her before he nearly dies and blah blah blah did I forget to mention that I'm making Mitsunnoa and Kimizuki x Yoichi canon and blah blah blah.

Epic kisses Lacus as an instinct. Lacus kisses her again. Mika accepts Yu's proposal then almost dies AGAIN. I kill off some characters for emotional tugs and after a ton of more fighting and revenge and psychological breakings later, Kureto is killed. And Guren (or someone else haven't decided yet) is the new head of their city.

Epic, Mika, and Yu finally let Akane and the kids go. There's a lot of Shinoa Squad bonding but this is a summary so I haven't included much besides the main three. Epic and Lacus becomes canon. Mika and Yu get married. Guren and Shinya get married. Shinoa gets pregnant.

And everyone gets the FUCKING HAPPY ENDING THAT THEY ALL FUCKING DESERVE BECAUSE FUCK

I do plan to be slightly ruthless like the creator and include a lot of heartbreaking scenes, but it's going to be much different than ONS but I still want it to hold on to some core relationships.

I just want them to be happy. And I just want to make other people happy because fuck I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY

So. Yeah.

That's Bloodsucker...

So my question to you is... if I wrote this shit.

If I sat down and typed about 30 books roughly inspired by Seraph of the End and Mikayuu and Mitsunnoa and shit...

Would anyone read it?

♡ a.a.

[geekgirles]

Till Death Do Us Part! AU

In this AU, Poppy and Branch were once lovers, centuries ago. But one unfortunate event separated them. While Branch's soul was trapped on the material world because of unfinished business, Poppy's travelled through time until it reincarnated. And now they must face the challenges that will come with being reunited after so long.

Before I dwell on the headcanons, I'd like to thank @foxlanaeshrek and @tipolover22 for hearing me rant about it. You rock, my darlings.

And, without further delay...

Back in the 17th-18th Century, Branch was an explorer at the service of his Royal Highness.

He, alongside his crew, sailed all over the world investigating new cultures, animals, and plants. 

In one of his travels, he met Poppy. A landlord's daughter.

It was love at first sight.

With her father's consent, they eloped; Poppy becoming his bride and co-captain of his ship.

They travelled together, happy as punch.

Their lives were perfect as long as they had each other and their freedom. 

But then, one of Branch's men betrayed him and sold him out to some pirates who were after him for jeopardising a previous scheme of theirs. 

The battle was brutal, but the pirates won.

They took Poppy to God knows where, all while Branch couldn't do anything but watch, devastated at the loss of his darling.

Then, it was his turn to pay. But as the captain's sword was about to end his life, he took an oath: he would find Poppy, no matter the price.

After dying, Branch became a ghost alongside his most loyal men (I'm thinking about dividing the Snack Pack into ghosts and reincarnated people).

Turns out, after killing the crew, the pirates left the ship to aimlessly navigate, until it was stranded in a cave in an island, forgotten by all but its inhabitants.

For centuries, Branch did everything in his power to find Poppy's soul, but to no avail. She must have ascended when she died.

Heartbroken, he gave up. Resigning himself to spend all eternity without the light of his life, he and his men stayed at the remains of their ship, a portrait of Poppy as the only reminder of the smile that once illuminated his entire existence.

Present day:

Poppy's soul finally reincarnated as the daughter of a small coast village's mayor. Even if Poppy grew up to be, by far, the happiest, sweetest, most optimistic girl ever, she couldn't help but feel like something, or someone, was missing. 

One day, some villagers find the remains of Branch's ship by chance and they soon tell the mayor, since it could be a great opportunity for historical research. Peppy decides bringing Poppy along, since she's always loved History.

At the sight of visitors, Branch and his crew decide to spook them; the last thing they need is some annoying mortals invading their eternal mourning. 

They start with little things, to see if they can avoid causing someone a cardiac arrest before getting rid of them. But, seeing none of it works, Branch orders his crew to go all out.

However, as they're about to give the natives the fright of their lives, Biggie spots Poppy. And he calls for Branch.

"C-C-Captain?"

"Yes, Biggie? What is it?"

*Pointing at Poppy* "It... It's her..."

When he turns to the direction Biggie's pointing at, Branch is convinced his heart would've stopped beating hadn't it been still and lifeless for centuries.

There she is... She's as beautiful as the day he lost her.

Those eyes are still the same endless oceans he used to dive in.

Her hair, although now dyed pink instead of the strawberry blond he loved so much, seems as silky as always.

And her smile... Oh, dear Lord... He had no idea he'd missed it so much!!

He's finally found her.

It goes without saying that after finding his beloved after so many years apart on, Branch and his crew are ecstatic.

Deciding they need to know how to get in touch with Poppy, they eavesdrop in the conversation Peppy's having with the historians in charge of the discovery.

Good news: as a History enthusiast, Poppy will probably go visit the ship often.

Bad news: it soon becomes apparent she remembers nothing about who she used to be, or she would remember the ship that was her home for years.

At this, Branch is torn.

On the one hand, his search is over. His Queen is finally within reach, they can be together once again.

On the other, she's living a different life now. She's alive! If he presents himself before her and tells her the crazy tale behind the two of them, he might traumatise her!

Because he still loves her with all his heart (or what remains of it) he decides to let her go. Maybe he'll be able to find peace like that.

What he wasn't counting on, however, is that Poppy would have these strange dreams where, although she's always left with very vague feelings about it, she always experiences the joy of being with the people you love most, before the nightmare begins; when she unconsciously reminisces the pain she felt the day she lost Branch.

In addition, for reasons beyond her understanding, she feels a certain pull towards the stranded ship ever since she first laid eyes on it. As if something was becoming her to go.

Following her instincts, she sneaks out at night to explore the ship.

The ghosts notice her, but being who she is, more importantly, a dear family member they'd been looking for everywhere for decades, they let her do whatever she wants.

And they also know for a fact their captain misses her terribly, too.

I mean, he's looked for her aimlessly while pining like a heartbroken teenager for 300-400 years, why deny it?

By this point, Branch is content just with getting the chance to look at her like he used to, so he also lets her do whatever she wants, anyway.

But then, Poppy makes it to his--their--his chambers; where she notices a portrait of a woman. Curious as she is, she uses the flashlight of her phone to light it up, and is left speechless by what she sees.

The portrait shows a young woman, a woman who looks exactly like her, except for the time period dress and her strawberry blonde hair, which Poppy now has dyed pink.

Then she notices a second portrait, much smaller than the woman's.

This one depicts a young man, very handsome. With intelligent, but caring, blue eyes, raven black hair, a strong jaw, and very well-built.

Without even realising it, the words leave her mouth:

"...Branch?"

At the mention of his name on her lips, Branch feels a new found hope emerging, and he makes his presence known.

Of course, Poppy freaks out.

When he and his men --Smidge, Biggie, and Chenille-- manage to calm her down, they explain things to her. How in her previous life she and Branch were together and sailed the seas for the sake of knowledge and adventure. How death did them part before they even exchanged their vows. How they've been looking for her for centuries...

It's... a lot to take in.

But it's also a chance to get some answers to the questions that had been haunting her throughout her life. She's determined to meet them again.

Branch's goal for the rest of the AU is to find a way to get Poppy back without making her give up her current life, while Poppy's is wrapping her head around the notion of being a reincartion of a woman who was cruelly murdered and separated from her loved ones, at the same time as she finds herself falling for the dead captain that seems to value her more than any jewel in the world.

Oh, and the rest of the Snack Pack, the part that reincarnated alongside Poppy--DJ Suki, Satin, Cooper, and Guy Diamond--, are soon involved and reunited with their long lost friends (and relatives), too.

Let me know what you think!! :D

[ffwriteradvisor]

Character skill sets

Obviously, you don’t really want a character that brings nothing to the table. On the other hand, a character who can do anything and everything so good that they can compete with deities dedicated to the subject of the day is often too much for the average reader to believe. There’s also a matter of how well the skills mesh together in practice, the amount of variety brought to the table, the difference between a developed skill and a mere talent, the nature of the skills - are they the sort of thing that anyone can develop or are they based on some inherent trait? - and how age and life experience plays into building a character’s ‘resume’.

It’s, as you can tell by the small laundry list I just rattled off, a tricky business.

Good news - there aren’t any hard and fast rules to giving characters skills. There are some guidelines and you’ll often find yourself playing by ear to see if your latest take strikes a sour note or not, but there are only a few ways to really do it wrong and, even then, there’s ways to salvage it.

But let’s focus on the points I listed already.

Let’s Play ‘Pick The Protagonist’ - (The Problem Of The Unique Protagonist Asset)

How many stories have you watched or read where the main character has a special, one-of-a-kind ability that makes them stand out above all the other characters in the story?

The answer is probably ‘a lot’. It can take the form of a one-in-a-million power, a sacred sword that only allows one hand to wield it, a legacy passed down over the ages... there’s a lot to work with here.

There’s nothing wrong with doing that with your protagonist. It’s probably one of the better reasons for dragging a random person into the plot - if you’re the only person who can stop the end of the world because the anti-Doomsday weapon decided that it lives in your hand now, there’s not a lot you can do about it. But there’s also something to be said for a protagonist that doesn’t have a grand destiny giving him a fair shot at victory just by merit of existing.

Plus, like. There’s also logistical issues to deal with. So let’s address those.

Depending on the story or fandom that you’re working on, a unique protagonist asset isn’t feasible. Sometimes because such things don’t exist in-universe (One Piece would be a good example of a series where literally the only thing you need to be a contender is a will to succeed and a boat, though I guess you could consider Conqueror’s Haki or a Devil Fruit ability ‘unique assets’...), but sometimes it’s just because the canon main character of the story you’re writing for already has that asset on lock.

There are ways around the second - you can kill off the original guy and take their place through reincarnation as said-guy, plot erasure of the guy (just flat-out make it so he doesn’t exist, it’ll be fine), or just being a convenient runner-up who happens to meet the bare minimum requirements to be the guy.

You can also shoehorn your OC into position to turn the Chosen Uno into the Chosen Duo, though this path of action doesn’t have the best reputation historically thanks to the influence of the Dread Mary-Sue on fandom culture (I’ll be posting an article about that eventually), or change the story to make room for a large range of potential Chosen - this one specifically can allow for an added plot aspect, because suddenly there’s competition to achieve the final goal and complete the quest for whatever.

And on that subject, let’s jump to our next point!

The Problem With Superman (and how to challenge the man who has everything) 

Now, there’s no shortage of characters who, quite simply, are written to be good at everything - sometimes not even just good, but the very best ever. No, I’m not talking specifically about the Dread Mary-Sue, though the archetype associated with that term does often come with such a description. This is a pitfall just about anyone can fall into, irrespective of age, gender, background, or the originality of the work in question, even if the most blatant forms of it seem pretty easy to avoid.

Most writers know better than to make one character good at everything, but you get exceptions fairly regularly. Batman writers, for one, have a tendency to assume that Batman knows everything there is to know and can defeat anyone on his own ‘given enough prep-time’. There’s also the fact that a fair few Superman stories often have to call on Kryptonians or Kryptonite to make the plot complicated enough that the solution of ‘just move really fast and take advantage of invulnerability to punch/move/freeze/melt the problem before bad thing happen’ doesn’t work.

Then you have the more subtle examples. Where a character isn’t good at ‘everything’... just everything relevant to the plot and what we see of the setting. A good way to pick out this is to look at a story and start removing characters. Remove the science guy, the spy, the sidekick... If you can shave the cast down to your Super-suspect without having to change any major or middling-size plot points, twists, and story beats or having to shift the difficulty level of the setting, you probably have a problem.

Obviously, this doesn’t work for every story, especially if they have a very small cast to begin with. There’s also the fact that most stories are built around emotional journey’s instead of ‘use x skill to get to y place at z time’. But a lack of difficulty or danger played completely straight is something of a warning sign if you’re working with a genre that requires that there be some manner of challenge in the story.

So, let’s take a look at some of the more specific issues with power distribution.

Equal Opportunity Asskicking vs. There Can Only One Chosen One In This Town (how common is power in the setting and how does that affect the plot)

Have you ever thought about how many series - video games in particular - have the protagonist solve all the problems they come across, even the ones that seem like the sort of thing any rando could handle? Especially when you have a big organization that could theoretically handle a few of these things without the protagonist being present for everything?

It’s often hand-waved as ‘they’re not strong enough to deal with it’, but why would that make sense? If the setting is so dangerous, why isn’t there more people operating at or above the protagonist’s power level without being a member of the primary cast herd? If there’s such a dangerous colony of animals on this island, why are these fragile citizens still living there? Why is this martial art that’s so powerful and useful so goddamn rare and special despite its utility? How did such a weak person climb so far up in an organization that seems to value the punchinating power of its employees above all else?

It doesn’t make sense.

This is a problem that plagues a lot of series with an emphasis on fighting. The average person becomes an alien creature as the protagonists and antagonists gain more and more power and take down bigger and bigger opponents. The ante keeps going up and the rest of the world stays down where it started, which... well. Doesn’t make sense.

Think about Dragon Ball for a moment. On the Earth of that series, how many people would you say represent any kind of physical threat to the protagonists or the antagonists at any point in the story? I’m not asking over the course of the story if Dragon Ball-era Goku could stand even half a chance against Cooler, but if you took a specific episode from like... oh, I don’t know, the Cell Saga, how many people on the planet at that time would stand a chance of surviving the events of said-episode if they were brought into the blast radius of the plot?

The number is probably in the low tens. And the fact that, even with a lifetime of training in setting, the best chance for a person in that setting to survive that specific scenario would be coming from ‘superior’ alien stock such as the Saiyans.

And Cell isn’t even the top of the danger totem pole in setting.

Going back to our previous example, One Piece is a fairly good example of how to handle this. There are many routes of power in the series - Devil Fruits, Haki, training, inherent species traits, and more are possible in terms of physical strength, but there is also value given to intelligence and the ability to strategize and create unconventional solutions. Even the ‘weakest’ member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Usopp, who has no Devil Fruit, species ability, mutations, or, alterations, and only one form of Haki (fairly recently awakened and not even one of the offensive utility variants), is able to keep up with the rest of the crew by having a variety of weapons and skills he has developed himself. There’s also the fact that people in the setting tend to be fairly well developed to the danger levels of their relative environments, either in terms of physical strength or having strategies to deal with the dangers around them.

It still suffers from the emphasis on combat before most else, which is common in Shonen, but it at least feels fairly balanced compared to some other series that have a similar approach to strength in setting.

Besides power distribution in a setting, there are other things to consider beyond combat applicable skills.

Combo Platters/The Five Basic Food Groups (the importance of variety and moderation)

There are different types of skills that you need to balance when making a character, both in terms of variety and rationing them out in a reasonable manner.

There are career skills (good for making money, but not overly relevant to day-to-day life), utility skills (cooking, cleaning, basic home repair, etc.), recreational skills (art, music, other specific skills that aren’t necessary for day-to-day activities but lack the immediate financial reliability of career skills), interpersonal skills, and combat skills (self-explanatory).

Obviously, different skills have different ‘weights’ in terms of plot impact. A fighting series probably won’t make much of a character’s house painting skills unless it has an impact on their combat skills (which is entirely possible depending on how the writer goes about it), but someone knowing how to use a sword at a high level means that they’ve got a lot of physical capability to quite literally cut through the competition.

If you need a combat skill for a character... well, I already dedicated a post to talking about that specific range of skills. You can also apply their non-combat related skills to their fights in a tertiary sense - a lack of primary offense can lead to unorthodox tactics to bridge the gap.

But other skills have their uses too. It can allow you to make use of your characters outside of a combat context, reveal things about their character that might not be immediately obvious from their appearance - not just their interests, but background as well, though I’ll cover that a little later in more detail -, and bring them into the orbit of other characters naturalistically. You can only have so many Crash Into Hellos before the charm wears off for the audience.

In giving your character skills, you need to balance those skills. Making a character a ‘master of combat’ who can use any weapon under the sun like a master doesn’t work without some kind of supernatural explanation - martial artists tend to specialize. I’m not saying that you can’t have a character with multiple weapons skills - there’s a lot of historical real-world precedence for that, actually, usually in the combination of ‘ranged/close range/mid-range’. But a lot of those multiple weapon sets tend to be in sets that cover the weaknesses of the other weapons - sword, bow, and spear cover different combat ranges and needs, and there are various martial arts that teach their students weapons handling in conjunction with unarmed skills.

A generic ‘swords skill’ is non-functional - there are many types of sword in the world, varied by their size, weight, shape, and intended use in combat. Some swords are intended more for stabbing, others for slashing, and while you have more than a few that can do both, there are some are simple not built to stand up to the stresses of the other style.

They Didn’t Cover This In Kindergarten! (why you need to tailor skill-sets to your character’s life experience and background)

Another thing that can affect the size, nature, and diversity of a character’s skill set is their age, life experience, and background.

You wouldn’t expect a character that comes from nobility to have any concept of how to street fight without some kind of explanation attached. The same rule applies in reverse - you wouldn’t expect a character living in the gutter to know the nuances of fine manners and etiquette of nobility without a good reason. Depending on the period, a person from the second background couldn’t even be expected to know how to read.

That’s not to say you can’t use those things, but you have to have some kind of structure to support those additions. Maybe your noble doesn’t have the spotless background most would expect from one of their station or, in another scenario, someone pulled a Prince and Pauper switch back in the day and then neglected to switch them back. Same with your gutter rat - maybe they’re a fallen noble, maybe someone made a go at pulling a Pygmalion with them before losing interest, or maybe they’re an autodidact (that is to say, self-taught).

The age of a character can also affect the width and breadth of their skill set pool. People don’t expect five year olds to know much about anything - their reading skills are just getting started, their language skills a bit rough around the edges, and their ability to prepare food is generally limited to toast and toast-adjacent goods like sandwiches.

On the other hand, an elderly character, while having plenty of time to collect lots of skills, may not be able to utilize all of them anymore or might have even forgotten enough of them to be counter productive.

My grandmother, over the course of her life, has worked at several jobs that had fuck all to do with each other. She was a carhop at a drive-in, worked at a grocery store, worked at a local medical factory, worked at a guitar factory assembling instruments long enough to have a hand in every part of the process along with possessing the know-how to design a thing to make winding strings (I might be miss-remembering her exact description of the thing) faster and safer (and then not getting paid or credited for it after the company started using it), and drove bus for several years. She also had all the skills of an at-home housewife, a professional upholsterer, unprofessional seamstress, knows how to treat and care for wood furniture, knows how to work with and maintain leather (not how to make it though), was a very good cook until her physical condition no longer allowed her to handle such tasks, was physically capable enough at one point in her life to help with construction on her own home, and was a good enough artist that she was given two separate opportunities to go to college for the subject back in the 50′s.

That’s a lot of stuff. Each career - including housewife, as there’s a lot of work involved in homemaking - might provide for three to five distinct skills, a few of which would be extremely specific to that particular career path.

On the other hand, a lot of these skills haven’t been used for decades, meaning that not only would she be extremely out of practice, her understanding in a certain field might be anywhere from thirty to sixty years out of date. There’s also the fact that her physical condition is very different from what it was back then, meaning that even the skills she remembers how to preform correctly might not be feasible thanks to her own body failing to cooperate.

The Humble Bundle (varied skill-sets that come from specific careers/backgrounds).

As I touched on in the previous section about how to select certain skills for a character based on life experience and backgrounds (admittedly based on variety + how time factors into it, but that’s the point of specific focus sections), we‘re going to take a closer look at ‘skill clusters’.

You don’t have to cluster all of the character’s skills - in fact, I suggest making sure that you don’t do that, unless the character is specifically a bit character who is there to perform a specific function rather than being a long-term fixture in your cast - but there are some that simply are more expedient to cluster and can sometimes boggle the mind if the character sometimes lack some of those vital skills.

Say you have a character who’s a trucker (or, if you’re working with fantasy/sci-fi, the local equivalent of). They’d probably know how to handle a few different kinds of vehicles (in a mundane context, they’d probably be qualified for both commercial driving licenses and the unregistered kind most people have, but possibly also know how to handle loading vehicles), know how to repair their vehicle if it is damaged (this can vary in skill - knowing how to jury-rig a solution to a small inconvenience is very different from resurrecting a dead engine), have a good understanding of navigation, access to a trade-specific tongue (radio jargon, for one, if we’re still sticking with the mundane modern AU), know how to handle long hours of relatively boring work... and that wouldn’t even be the sum total of their skills tied in some way to this particular profession.

Still, it doesn’t read as an unrealistic amount of things for a single person to know how to do, does it?

On the other hand, if I gave you a character who’s... I don’t know, a generic protagonist of no particular employment and said that their list of skills includes navigation, medical knowledge, being an expert chef, trained fighter, classical ballerina, multiple languages, and limited telepathic ability, it reads as a bit much, doesn’t it? Especially when it just comes up out of nowhere without warning or even an allowance for being less than good at those things.

Part of it is that it takes time to learn how to do things, as we covered in the previous section. Having a talent or instinctive understanding for a particular subject can help cut down on that, but that can only excuse a few things - someone who’s a natural born fighter usually can’t turn that natural instinct towards language acquisition or legal understanding. The other part is that everyone knows that most people aren’t good at everything they turn their hand to, so even with a lot of effort, we wouldn’t expect a single person to be good at everything.

That’s why a diversified cast is important, so the needs of the group can be met in a more believable way, though there are also work arounds that can be used to keep the cast smaller or the inability of the group to meet those needs can be used to raise tension in the story. Injuries become a lot more notable when there’s no healer in the group, after all.

Gifts, Loans, and Hard-Earned Pay (the difference between talent, training, and temporary trades)

Now, there are a couple things you could use to ‘explain’ why a character is good at things. Like most of the points I’ve made so far, this is expanding on a few things I mentioned off hand in earlier parts of this article, such as the importance of age and life experience.

Now we’re going to be explaining the mechanics of why a person might be good at certain things. There are a few different approaches to this.

In terms of purely mundane ways, you have talent and training to explain why a person would have a certain level of ability with specific skills. These can’t universally be applied across the board, of course - you’d prefer someone with medical knowledge over someone who says that they have a ‘talent’ for it and there are other fields that require a person have a certain amount of instinctive ability to flourish. Most would agree that it’s important to have both in any given field - for example, art requires both talent (the ability to visualize what you want) and training (to transfer that vision to reality).

When dealing with supernatural settings, there are other routes. Boons from supernatural beings, familial inheritance, memories from a past life, temporary grants of power from special artifacts, and so on.

This can allow for a skill to be acquired quickly while also pushing along the plot in various ways, but there are a number of drawbacks to this one as well - a character who has been granted a supernatural power might lack the practical experience in how to use that power well, the memories of a past life don’t confer the physical conditioning required to actually pull off some of those skills or the world has moved on since those days, rendering those skills out of date and possibly useless, the artifact has a mind of its own and opinions on how it can/will be used, etc.

There are drawbacks to the more mundane routes as well. Training takes time and effort, along with coming with the risk that the character has been trained wrong or in a way that isn’t helpful to their current situation - ex. a medic who’s extremely competent in a hospital setting but is now stuck in a place where they have none of the resources they’re used to, a self-trained martial artist who doesn’t know how to modulate their force well and has a lot of holes in their technique because they never had a trainer to point that sort of thing out.

Talent can lead to a person becoming complacent with the idea that they’re automatically going to be good at a thing forever despite evidence around them to the contrary and make them frustrated whenever they do run into something they don’t quickly understand or make progress with.

On the upside, you can also use these to build off of each other. Training can help refine both talent and control over new gifts, a well-chosen gift can make a well-trained character something breathtaking, and discovering a previously untapped talent can throw a character who’s previously had to struggle for everything in their life a well-deserved bone.

Now, hopefully this covers enough points thoroughly enough to be helpful to everyone. If not, please shoot me a comment and I’ll try to expand on any areas I might have missed.

[littlemisssquiggles]

How do you think Penny is going to react to Ruby having lied and kept secrets from them- and her?

Hiya Miki-chan. Happy 2020 to you, fam! Hmm, that’s a good question. As odd as this might sound, I think Penny would be the least angry of Ironwood’s associates once the truth is out.

While I can definitely see Penny being disappointed and a little heartbroken that Ruby chose to deceive her and the General, somehow I can also picture Penny deciding for herself to be understanding of Ruby. I can see this sort of hearkening back to V2 where Penny was forced to lie to Ruby regarding the truth of what she is, based on orders from the General. I can see Penny choosing to be sympathetic to Ruby and remaining trustworthy of her in spite of her recent deceitful actions since, in Penny’s head, Ruby is her friend.

To Penny, Ruby has always been her friend and a good person.

To Penny, Ruby was the first friend she ever made while in Vale and one of the first people other than her father to look and treat Penny as more than just a machine.

I can even see Penny vouching on Ruby’s behalf in a way—maybe even stepping out of line to speak up for Ruby. After all, in Penny’s eyes, Ruby is a good person and if she felt she needed to withhold the truth from the Atlesians then she probably had a good reason to do so and that is enough grounds for Penny to give Ruby a proper fair chance to explain herself and deserve the right to be heard.

Basically what I’m getting at here is that I’m expecting Penny to show Ruby the level of understanding and faith in her integrity that she and the others unfortunately denied Oz the mercy of last volume.

One of the main grievances with how the heroes handled their treatment of Oz was how he was immediately made out to be the bad guy in everyone’s eyes merely because he never told them the truth about Salem.

While I still believe everyone was justified in their anger of Oz from withholding such an important piece of info from them, I guess what irked me was that was all the heroes chose to focus on instead of seeing the grander picture.

What bothered me was all everyone focused on was Ozpin’s deceit while neglecting his entire past with Salem—the fact that he himself was once deceived. When Ozma was brought back, the God of Light neglected to inform him of what transpired between the Gods of Salem. While he did inform him of mankind’s firm decimation and that Salem wasn’t the woman he once knew her to be, I don’t exactly recall Light informing Ozma that Salem was the once who caused humanity’s destruction all because the Gods’ had cursed her with the same immortality that rendered her indestructible.

Not to mention that Salem herself never told Ozma the truth of what happened before he was resurrected. Ozma was lied to as well and I’m starting to wonder if Jinn’s story was a revelation for Ozpin as well. If neither the God of Light nor Salem told Ozma of their actions then…does this mean that Ozma and by extension the Wizards have been fighting for so many years not knowing the whole story?

Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that Ozma was the martyr in all of this. The Gods basically cursed him to rectify a mistake that he never created.To stop a person he once loved who didn’t hesitate to murder him and their children the instant he turned against her in favour of his duty to Gods.

Ozma didn’t create Salem. Salem made herself into the monster she is now by choosing to dive into the Grimm Pools of Darkness and this was after the Gods made her immortal and then left humanity with a problem that they empowered.

Ozma and the Wizards are just the poor, unfortunate souls who were forced to clean up all of this mess and take the fall for any failed attempts they endured just trying to fix this problem. And that’s just the real kicker, isn’t it? Ozmatried. After Salem killed him the first time, Ozma spend one or two lifetimes living in grief and depression of his failures (Ambroise and Emmanuel) before he was finally able to pull himself out of his the rut (Henkle) and by this time, he had also learnt the valuable less of living the men he was paired up with rather than taking over their lives completely.

I saw Henkle as a Renaissance period for Ozma since not only did his lifetime signified the one where Ozma learnt to coexist with his men in his lineage but it was also the lifetime where Ozma decided to get back into the fray to find away to stop Salem once and for all.

This paved the way for Norman’s trials and through him, Ozma discovered the Relics. However he was hit with another roadblock with truth of Salem’s invulnerability.  

This man and his descendants has been knocked down more times than any human or Faunus in Remnant could even fathom and yet here he was, years later, still trying. Even when the odds were obviously stacked against him and he knew they were, Ozma and the Wizards kept trying.

They never gave up on humanity. Even when time gave them reasons to give up and accept the inevitable, humanity kept reminding the Wizards to continue to believe of them in the form of a few kindred people who inspired them to not give up.

This is something I’ve wanted someone in the show to acknowledge about Ozma and essentially Ozpin since he’s the last culmination of him before Oscar. 

Why did he never give up? 

I mean RWBY were all there when Norman (the sixth reincarnation of Ozma) acquired the knowledge of him being unable to stop Salem. As I said, the Wizards knew that they couldn’t stop Salem yet…years later; there was Ozpin—the ninth reincarnation of Ozma—still doing what he could to help humanity.

Ozma never gave up. In spite of not having all the answers. In spite of knowing that there was no way to stop Salem at all, Ozma and his descendants never gave up. They pressed on and kept doing what they could.

I mean, Ozma could’ve easily done what Raven did or Lionheart. He could’ve given up on humanity and joined Salem or go into hiding.

Oh wait, HE DID!

During his life as Diggs, Ozma was once on Salem’s side but he turned against her because he believed in giving humanity a chance rather than destroying them like what Salem wanted to do.

Similar to Raven, my theory is that Ozma did give up. More than once actually, during his lives as Ambroise (the old man), Emmanuel (the drunkard) and finally Isaac (the Hermit). My theory is that Ozma probably gave up a third time after discovering the truth about Salem during his life as Norman. This then lead into him becoming the old hermit that lived alone in the woods during his life as Isaac.

However Ozma would soon find inspiration for a second time in the form of four young women whose unexpected encounter changed his life. My theory still remains that it was the original Four Maidens who renewed Ozma’s hope in humanity; hence the reason why he blessed them with his magic.

I’d also like stand by the belief that as Isaac, Ozma was inspired by the original Four Maidens to create the huntsmen—not just for the sake of forging the vaults to safeguard the Relics from Salem but to also train humanity’s bravest that embodied the same core values of wanting to help others as the Maidens once did.

I’d like to think the Ozma’s time with the Maidens inspired him to pass down his years of combat to provide humanity a fighting chance against the forces of evil by creating the huntsmen class—humanity’s protectors.

But bottom-line is, in spite of everything he and his lineage had been through,Ozma never gave up on doing what he could to help humanity from falling into chaos at the hands of Salem and her forces. This resolve was carried over into Zo’s lifetime even after he became Headmaster of Beacon.

My point is, as I’ll say again is that Ozma never gave up. He tried. All of the Wizards tried including Oz and that’s why it bothers me so much that all the good he’s done suddenly gets erased by everyone because of this one mistake that wasn’t even his fault.

It bothers me how one misstep overwrote all the times Oz has shown compassion to each and every person in his circle. It bothered me so much how no one; not one person showed Oz not even the smallest crumb of sympathy especially when I look back at the times when Oz offered a guiding voice to certain characters were in similar predicaments to him once upon a time.

It bothers me how Ruby turned her back on Oz after the times he offered her advice when she doubted her own leadership or his decision to make her leader.  It bothers me how Blake turned her back on Oz when she of all people should understand what he went through with Salem and how difficult it is dealing with someone with that type of personality when it was the same thing for her with Adam Taurus.

Bottom-line is, while Oz may have slipped up in his past, the other heroes aren’t exactly the innocent party. Not to mention that there are a couple of characters who I would still deem hypocritical for chastising Oz on withholding important information from the team while low-key committing the same action themselves. Isn’t that right, Yang?

Basically what I’m saying is that I can see Penny showing Ruby and the others the sympathy and understanding that they did not show Ozpin back in V6. I can picture Penny remaining resilient in her understand of Ruby and the others especially if Ruby is honest in her feelings about everything. Like if Ruby were to explain to Penny why she chose to keep the truth in the first place while also confessing to her that at the time she believed that she was doing the right thing but now she realized that she made a terrible mistake that she regrets; Penny would understand. At least, she would give Ruby a chance and not be so quick to turn her back on her just for making one mistake.

I can even see it as Ruby thinking that Penny would hate her after everything that happened only to be stunned that she was able to show her compassion still after what she had done.

Perhaps this way, through seeing Penny’s actions, that’s when Ruby would finally realize just how dirty she and the others did Oz. How none of them offered him an ounce of understanding or sympathy for what he went through and the difficulties he had to endure from the tough the decisions he once had to make.

I can this as another example of a way the PLOT can finally spark Ruby and the others acknowledging how wrongfully they hand handled everything with Oz. Who knows? Perhaps the truth being out and Penny (and even Pietro) still remaining in the hero’s court, coupled together with our headcanon of Oscar ending up hospitalized in a coma after being hurt by Tyrian, maybe that will be how things start to slowly get resolved?

It’s a possibility. But overall, that’s how I see Penny. I think she will be one of the few folks who will wish to remain in the heroes’ court once everything is out in the open. That’s my answer. What do you think?

And same question tossed back at you, how do you see thinks playing out for Penny?I know she’s going through her own qualms right now but I feel like Penny is going to end up doing what she always does—the thing that makes her unique—speaking from her heart and doing what she feels in right especially when others believe she should just say in line.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

[emberbent]

Book 1: Fire | Chapter 4: Family Reunion

As he did with all his students, Amrit saw Shinza as a hunk of raw marble, and as he chiseled away, he started to unearth the statue within. Her method of bending was methodical and controlled; she combined strict textbook technique with inventive application, often surprising Amrit. But as beautiful and clean as her lines were, and as sufficient as her self-defense abilities were, she still lacked the core essence of what it meant to be a firebender. After a while, her progress came to a plateau.

He kept her training at a dogged pace, and she was up to the challenge. He had to give her that much: she was persistent. But after seeming to hit a wall, they both needed a break. 

“You’re doing great,” Amrit encouraged, catching his breath at the end of the day’s session. They were both panting and covered with sweat. The smell of charred air surrounded them.

Shinza gulped down a cup of water. “But?”

Amrit sighed, taking his time with his own cup of water before finally getting down to it. “I worry. You’re doing well here, but I’m not confident that your bending won’t weaken once you leave. This heat, and being on the equator… it’s helping you, but it can also be a crutch.”

Gracefully, she bent and settled on the ground. “So how do I get stronger?”

“I think you know the answer to that,” Amrit replied, sitting across from her and looking her in the eye. “It’s been a struggle for you - I know it has. But your progress has plateaued because you still haven’t pinpointed your motivation. You need to be able to overpower your opponent with sheer force. Firebending by nature is an offensive art, and frankly, I don’t think you don’t have the resolve for it.”

He watched her. Being straightforward was something Shinza valued, but delivering such a blow to her ego wasn’t easy. Not with so much at stake, and with all of the pressure falling squarely on her shoulders.

“I know,” she replied quietly. Streaks of black soot marked her face, obscuring her freckles. Several strands of hair had come loose from her topknot and framed her face. She’d given this everything she had. “I’ve been trying. I really have.”

“I know you have,” Amrit assured her. “But I think you need a break. We’ve been training in the temple this whole time, but you’re not getting what you need here. Maybe you should do some wandering.”

“I thought it wasn’t safe for me to travel alone,” Shinza countered, thinking of Mai and Zhang and their incessant need to be glued to her side.

Amrit considered that. “I think it’ll be worth it. Besides, as far as I know, no one knows it’s you who’s the Avatar, and you’re skilled enough now that you could hold your own in a struggle.”

They were quiet for a while. Ever since the incident at the General’s Tea House, no one would let Shinza out of their sight - even Amrit, who was now realizing the value of showing his faith in her. The idea of being treated like the adult she was, to her, seemed wonderful. Then she said, “I think I know where I’m going to go.” 

Shinza boarded a ferry to Fire Fountain City the next morning. She had dressed in mainland Fire Nation clothes, which was something she’d never done before, but for the first time in her life, she looked and felt proud. Maybe she wasn’t up to Amrit’s standards yet, but she’d come so far in the months she’d been on the island. What made a knot in her stomach, though, was the worry that this trip would be a waste. What if she didn’t find what she needed here? What if she disappointed Amrit? Or worse: what if she disappointed herself?

She stepped off the ramp and headed toward the address she’d seen on envelopes her whole life: her aunt and uncle’s apartment. She’d never met them before, but from all the pictures they sent and from the stories her father had read aloud from their letters, she felt like she did. Shinza wasn’t sure how they’d take to a surprise visit, but she’d had no way of letting them know she was coming. As she passed through the town square, she came upon what gave the city its name: the fire fountain. After Fire Lord Ozai’s flame-mouthed statue had been hauled to the ground and removed, the citizens of the town, under Fire Lord Zuko’s orders, had replaced the statue with the fountain. It was meant to symbolize the Fire Nation’s turning away from its past, and it was a beautiful sight when lit at twilight. But now it was broad daylight, and it seemed so much smaller than she pictures she’d seen of it with crowds gathered around it and with its floating lanterns glowing. It was hard not to be disappointed, but she kept going until she reached the address. 

Shinza ascended the stoop and used the iron knocker to rap a couple times on the door, using the interim time to make sure not a hair was out of place. A couple seconds later, the door swung open, and a familiar face greeted her.

“Ohh!” her aunt Chiyo squealed, already holding her arms out. “Is that Little Shinza I see?”

“Hi, Aunt Chiyo,” Shinza responded, smiling through the vague discomfort of being ensnared in a monstrous hug and pulled into the apartment. The woman was much shorter than Shinza, and quite round, with a kind face and twinkling yellow eyes. She reached upward to cup Shinza’s cheeks and beamed into her niece’s face.

“Oh, what a joy!” she exclaimed. “I never thought we’d get the chance to meet you. What brings you to Fire Fountain City? Are your parents here? Oh, come in, come in! Please, make yourself comfortable. Everyone! Guess who’s here?”

Shinza found that the little apartment was full of people, all of whom she recognized, and all who had come to the living room to see her. Her uncle Akio, her cousin Kenzo, his wife Nhu, and their children, Lili and Khazan. All of them fussed over her, commenting on her physical similarity to her father, Chiyo’s brother. 

“You’re just in time for dinner,” Chiyo sounded. “Are you hungry? I made a nice roast duck for the family. Oh, how lucky you came by today, when everyone’s here!”

“Sounds wonderful,” Shinza said; Lili and Khazan, who seemed boundlessly fascinated by their cousin, pulled her into the kitchen and offered her a place to sit. Gradually, she acclimated and started to feel comfortable. “It’s so nice to see all of you. I’ve seen pictures, but it’s not the same.”

“So what brings you to town?” Akio inquired, pulling out a chair for himself. “Taking a little vacation?”

“Something like that,” Shinza replied. “I’ve been working hard, and I needed a little getaway. And I thought, you know, maybe it’d be nice to meet you all.”

“Well, it’s just wonderful to meet you,” Akio beamed. “Tell us, how are your parents? What do you do for work? What’s it like in Republic City?”

Everyone around her leaned in, eager to hear. Shinza couldn’t help but laugh. All the attention was strange, but the magnitude of love she felt in the room was something she’d never forget. “Mom and Dad are fine,” she said. “Mom’s still practicing medicine, and Dad’s been enjoying his retirement as much as he can, for how badly his leg hurts him. I, uh… I’m an artist, technically, but I do some side work as a musician. Sometimes I dance, too, and sometimes I give lessons. Republic City’s nice like that - there’s always a job to take.”

“Oh, that’s just wonderful,” gushed Chiyo. To Shinza’s relief, no one gave her a hard time for not having followed in her parents’ footsteps. Chiyo chirped, “Bird’s on! Everyone come eat. Shinza, honey, you serve yourself first.”

With full plates, they all tucked in. The kitchen was filled with lively chatter, the heavenly scent of a meal made with love, and laughter. Topics of conversation wove and changed; Shinza had managed to tune out, finding the cacophony of everyone talking to each other and over each other simultaneously a little overwhelming; so had Nhu, was sitting beside her. The woman, who appeared to be a little older than Shinza, gave her an amicable smile as they continued their meal.

“So, did you hear?” Kenzo piped up. “The new Avatar’s been located.”

“Oh? No, I hadn’t heard that,” Chiyo replied airily. “Well, I hope The Organization manages to find them and do away with them for good. I shudder to think...”

Nhu groaned. “Kenzo, what have I asked you about politics at the table?”

“Oh, honey, come on. It’s friendly conversation.”

Shinza said nothing, coolly picking out the mushrooms from her bowl and eating them first. 

“It’s not friendly, it’s incendiary,” Nhu muttered. 

Kenzo countered, “I’m tired of this. We all know the Avatar needs to be done away with. We can’t have that kind of abuse of power in our world.”

“Daddy,” Lili interjected, tugging at her father’s sleeve. “Is it true the Avatar murders babies so they can go into the Avatar state?”

Chiyo nearly choked on her roast duck.

Khazan said to his sister, “A boy in my class says his dad is in The Org, and that they’re gonna find the Avatar and murder them in the Avatar state so they’re never reincarnated.”

“Okay,” Akio boomed. “That’s enough. Nhu, sweetheart, you can’t censor people. Kenzo, don’t provoke her. Now -- Chiyo, what did you say about those sweet dumplings?”

“They’re in the fridge, dear,” Chiyo responded, happy not to engage in such a grim facet of the conversation.

“What do you think about all that, Shinza?” Kenzo said after a moment, with his father’s back turned to them in the kitchen as he searched for dessert. “What’s your stance on the Avatar?”

Shinza delicately slurped the last of her noodles, pretending to think on it. “Hadn’t really considered it,” she said casually. “There’s no such talk in Republic City. Everyone basically pretends the Avatar doesn’t exist.”

“I’ve heard different,” Chiyo piped up. “Akio’s second cousin lives in Republic City, and he says The Org has growing numbers. They’re coordinating a search effort.”

“Well,” Shinza shrugged. “I guess, whoever the Avatar is, they should prepare for the fight of their life.”

“Well said,” bellowed Akio, coming back to the table with a tray of sweet dumplings. Dessert was a much quieter affair. The children went to go play in the living room, Kenzo and Akio went to go smoke on the balcony, and Chiyo, Nhu, and Shinza cleaned the kitchen and enjoyed some quiet conversation. After the last dish was dry, Chiyo looked apologetically at Shinza. “I hope we didn’t scare you off,” she said sheepishly. “Things can get pretty lively here.”

“No bother,” lied Shinza. “It was really an honor to meet you all. I hope this won’t be the only time we get to see each other.”

Through the balcony screen, Shinza garnered little scraps of Akio’s conversation with his son. He admonished Kenzo for allowing his little boy to entertain the idea that the Avatar was a child murderer, and Kenzo argued that he’d heard rumors of it himself. Besides - after Unavaatu, what wasn’t the Avatar capable of?

“I should get going,” Shinza announced. “Aunt Chiyo, thank you so much for dinner. I’ll tell Mom and Dad you said hello.”

“Okay, sweet girl,” once more pulling in Shinza for a captive hug. “Go tell your uncle and cousins bye.”

Shinza had parted with all of her family except Nhu, who offered to walk her to the bus stop. Just being out of the cramped apartment was such a relief that the shrieking locusts of late summer didn’t bother her. Nhu was quiet and tall, like Shinza was, with dark brown hair and striking hazel eyes. Her parents had immigrated to the Fire Nation from the Foggy Swamp when she was tiny, she told Shinza. She didn’t have the luxury of visiting her relatives like Shinza did; when Nhu’s parents left their family’s neck of the swamp, they’d been so deeply disappointed that they decided they wouldn’t be welcomed back.

“That’s awful,” Shinza replied. She couldn’t imagine being cut off from her parents that way.

Nhu shrugged. “What do I care? I have my parents and Kenzo’s family, loud as they can be. And a new cousin I can talk to.”

Shinza gave a genuine smile. The two passed the fire fountain, which was being lit by two keepers, shooting little synchronized spears of fire into the lantern wicks. Emberflies wove their way in and out of the lanterns, scarcely discernible from the light of the lanterns. “I was hoping I’d get to see this before I left,” she murmured.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Nhu replied. “Almost makes you forget about all the ugliness in the world.”

“Almost,” Shinza snorted. They watched the fountain for a while and then made their way to the bus stop. Just as they approached, the Satobus that would take her back to the ferry pulled up, hissing and coughing black smoke into the street. “This is me.”

Nhu took one last look at Shinza, her intense hazel gaze finding Shinza’s warm red-brown eyes and instilling a knowing look. “Be careful,” she whispered. 

Shinza boarded the bus, taking a window seat and staring after Nhu as she hurried back down the street, eyes ever vigilant.

[brazil-also-loves-rwby]

To move on 1 - RWBY FANFIC

Hello everyone. This is my fanfic Para Seguir Em Frente. I translated it because I received many visits from countries with English language. MY ENGLISH IS BAD AND YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Please comment.

PS: This fanfic should be just an Oneshot, so it's slowly developing in my mind. Please be patient. Suggestions are always welcome. Originaly posted here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13256016/1/To-move-on

Oscar took a deep breath and dismounted from the horse that had brought him a good part of the way back home. It was strange to be back after so long. Everything seemed exactly the same and at the same time different. The fields, the barn, and even the house seemed smaller than he remembered. Maybe because he was so taller now. Maybe because he had seen that the world was so much bigger than this little piece of land. Nostalgia hit him hard in the chest, fueling his nervousness. Suddenly, he felt the same 14-year-old boy as he had been years ago, afraid of being scolded by his aunt for a slip.

'Fortunately I'm not a boy anymore.' Oscar said to himself mentally and for a fraction of a second he found himself waiting for an answer that would not come. His sweaty palms thwarted his claim, so Oscar wiped them on the sturdy fabric of his combat pants before knocking on the door. He could hear a painfully familiar female voice respond in the background and hurried footsteps approaching. Oscar had time just to draw one last breath of courage before the door opened in front of him.

His aunt stared straight into his chest, seeming to be expecting someone lower, so he saw all the emotions in her face as she looked up to find his face. Confusion. Recognition. Relief. Joy and finally, fury. His aura was active before her fists met his chest for the first time, out of pure instinct, but he did not do anything else to stop the blows from continuing to strike him.

- OSCAR PINE! HOW DO YOU DARE TO APPEAR HERE, LIKE NOTHING HAD EVER HAPPENED, AFTER YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK, RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME WITHOUT LEAVING NO MORE THAN ONE LITTLE NOTE, FOR YEARS ?! YEARS OSCAR ?!

She screamed and punched his chest, tears tearing at her words until finally consuming them in a continuous cry. Soon, the hands that had beaten him now clung to the fabric of his shirt as if he would disappear if she let him go. Oscar wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, feeling his own tears escape his eyes. He held her close to him for a long time, until the sobbing stopped. Slowly, breathing still half trembling, she moved away to look him in the eye.

- You're going to tell me everything that happened. - She tried to look angry, to no avail. She looked just tired and relieved that he was there.

- Yes ma'am. Oscar agreed with a smile.

They went in and Oscar made tea. They both remained silent, assimilating each other's presence, until they sat facing each other on the kitchen table, their full mugs in hand.

- Why did you run away without saying anything? She spoke first. His voice was low and controlled now, but Oscar felt the resentment and sadness in each word.

- I ... I was afraid that, if I told you, I would convince the two of us that I was going crazy. At worst I would rid you of the responsibility of raising an insane orphan.

-And why in the name of the gods would you be mad? - Oscar gulped, staring at his own reflection of the tea for a long moment.

- Because I was listening to the voice of a man in my head, insisting that he was a millenarian mage destined to reincarnate in the body of a person with a similar soul until the world was ready to receive the judgment of the gods. - He looked up to meet his aunt's shocked expression.

- Was about you that the gods were speaking on the 'Return Day'? About the young boy with two souls? - Oscar nodded and his aunt just stared at him for a long time, absorbing the absurdity of the situation. Taking a deep breath, she took a long sip of her tea and continued. - Tell me everything. When it started?

- Shortly after the fall of Beacon, when the last incarnation of Ozma, Ozpin, passed away. Ozma spent months convincing me that I was not going crazy. - Oscar took a sip of tea, trying to wash away the bitterness of the difficult memories that would follow. - Telling me we had little time and Salem, the witch who controlled the grimms, had already destroyed Beacon and Haven was their next target. I almost lost my mind, but ... He shared his memories with me. Things I could never know, but they were true. And, like I said, if I was right, I had no choice but to help save the world. If I were wrong ... You would be rid of the burden of dealing with a madman.

- But ... You left with nothing! Any money! For months I thought you starved, alone in the cold! - She sighed, calming down. - That, of course, until the first check came. - She frowned. - You disappear for months and suddenly I'm getting liens with no information other than 'Oscar' on the paychecks. If I had not known better, I would have thought you'd fallen for the mafia. - Oscar laughed lightly.

- I left without money because I could not force myself to steal from you. I was leaving you to take care of this entire farm alone. I had no idea if you could do it or not. So I just got all the food I could and left. - He sighed. - When I finally met Qrow and the other hunters, Qrow gave me access to Ozpin's bills and cards. I asked Ozpin if I could send some money home, so we scheduled a monthly deposit on your behalf.

- You went to a group of hunters?

- Well, with the exception of Qrow, none of them had graduate from the academy. But they were all capable and determined fighters. You see...

Oscar calmly explained the events that led to the fall of Beacon, his way to Haven, and then to Atlas. He sometimes paused stoped in the middle of the description of the battles, or before the revelations of Ozma, to calm his aunt. She listened to everything, bashful.

- There were many other battles. We had to ensure the safety of the relics and, with Raven's death, Ruby became the new Spring Maiden.

- Wait. - She asked, more than an hour later, as she rubbed her temples to ward off a headache. - You did not say that power passed to...

- The last person she was thinking of, if she was a young woman. Yes. Ruby was able to persuade Raven to trust her enough for this, in her last moments.

- But from what you said, the woman hated the that girl.

- I ... I do not think that was the case. There were family issues and strong ties involved.

- I see... So Ruby became the Spring Maiden, and...

- In short, among Salem's many attacks and schemes, we end up with the entire RWBY team as maidens. We put Cynder on a huge machine to transfer her powers to Blake, who was injured and could no longer fight. Magic was the only thing that gave her strength to survive. We thought we'd lost her that day...

The woman reached across the table and took one of the nephew's hands in a gesture of comfort. He smiled at her and continued.

- Later, we lost both Winter and Summer Maiden in the same incident. It was a surprise and devastating attack. - He squeezed her aunt's hand in return. - We never got a chance to make a plan if one of the ladies died. Apparently they decided to keep the girls in their final thoughts. The sudden magic they received that day saved our lives.

- For how many horrible experiences you went trought, Oscar? I listened on the radio, day after day, to the news of disasters and attacks, while you were out there living it all...

- I did not experience anything compared to Ozma, aunt. He lived years in bodies that were not his, fighting an impossible fight, watching people die in vain. I still vividly remember his feelings when Ruby finally defeated Salem in the 'Final War'. It's been a month, has not it? It took me a long time to get here, with the chaos that the world is now. It still seems like yesterday.

- How did she do that? Defeated the witch, I mean.

- With her silver eyes. - Oscar's voice became almost reverent, still amazed at her friend's courage. - We covered her guard, we cleared the way and she literally grabbed Salem by the face, forcing her to meet hes eyes, and fired the energy of the light against her. Everything that was grimm inside Salem was gone. All hatred and all madness, leaving only one woman who lived too long behind.

- So she learned the value of death?

- She had known it for a long time, but the poison of the grimms was too much for her mind. As much as she had her memories and intelligence, she only wanted destruction like any other grimm. Without it, she was able to think clearly and bear the burden of her thousands of sins. With that, the curse broke.

- And the gods?

- As I said, we have assembled an army with warriors, soldiers, and hunters from all kingdoms against Salem. As we used all the relics against it, it was a consensus that humanity was as united as possible at this time. So we risk our luck and call on the gods.

- I remember ... - The woman shuddered, remembering the moment. - I was hiding in the basement of the town hall, along with the others, when it happened. Suddenly we were all in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thousands of people, in front of the gods. It was terrifying to see those dragons above us.

- Yes. We were just below them. But luckily, we were considered worthy of a second chance. Salem was finally awarded with her final rest, just like Ozma.

- What happened to him, exactly? He ... Is not with you any more? - Oscar shook his head.

- No. The God of Light gave him the opportunity to live one last life in Remnant, but he refused. He said that, unlike many past lives, I was my own person and we never really merged together. So he... He just walked away of me. I felt him leave my mind and materialize in front of me. Can you imagine what it is like to live intertwined with someone for years and never have really looked into their eyes?

His aunt said nothing, letting him get lost in his memories.

- He left to the afterlife, like Salem. Even so, part of him never left me. I have his memories, the accumulated knowledge of lives and, well, some of his mannerisms as well. - He laughed awkwardly, gesturing at how he sat in the chair, straight, confident, and elegant. - The rest you and the rest of the world witnessed, the announcement of the return of the gods. - Aunt Pine nodded and continued, moistening her lips.

- The Dark Brother... - She murmured the god's title with fearful reverence. - He ... He said he gave us our gift once more. The magic.

- Yes. - Oscar held both hands forward and let little shiny balls dangle in his palms. - We all have magic now. You can do it, too. Some people, of course, will discover greater aptitude for different uses of magic in the future. And that's why I'm on my way to Vale.

- Valley? Why?

- The team RWBY has had some experience with magic, but I'm the only person who really has knowledge on the subject. So I will be teaching teachers, so this knowledge can be passed on to all realms. So... Maybe you... Would like to move in with me? I'm going to receive a generous salary. - I could say 'absurd' instead, Oscar thought mentally. - I can buy a beautiful house in the city or a cottage by the woods. Anywhere you feel most at ease...

Aunt May looked at her nephew for a long moment. He really had changed. He was tall and strong, hardened by many battles in such a young body. He spoke with confidence of a person with years of experience. But now, asking for her company so timidly, she saw clearly the 19-year-old nephew he still was. He was afraid she would reject him, after all. Her eyes filled with tears once more.

- Foolish boy. Of course I will go with you. I've already lost you once and I will not let you out of my sight again so soon.

She got up to hug him and he found her halfway around the table, receiving her with open arms.

The next morning, while Oscar was still asleep, she set up a modest altar for the gods. Lighting a candle for each of them, she clasped her hands and thanked them for their mercy, and prayed that her life would be long enough to see the faces of her grandchildren. She and Oscar never admitted to each other but, in their hearts, they were mother and son.

[yoshimickster]

RWBY VOL 6 Episode 3 “The Lost Fable”-THE ULTIMATE ORIGIN OF ULTIMATE DARKNESS-Recap

HEY EVERYBODY-how’s you’re day going? My computer blue-screened RIGHT BEFORE I could hit save so I’m gonna redo the WHOLE thing. Remember to save folks. EITHER WEITHER-let’s get to Mickster Recap!

The episode starts out with BACKSTORY TIME-where its revealed Salem was a princess locked away in a castle by her cruel father during the good old days, where the only thing keeping her busy is manipulating arcane magic.

2:07 Salem: *SIGH* What good is being able to shoot energy blasts if there’s no bad guy to blast them with?!

BUT LUCKILY-a HERO arrives on the scene-TO RESCUE THE FAIR DAMSEL-and his NAME-

-was OZ...ma. Ozma was his name...does he just happen to reincarnate into anyone with the syllable “oz” or “ma” in their name? THAT is a weird rule.

ALSO-look at confused as fuck Qrow here, he’s all “Uh...hi.” OH-he’s gonna drink himself into a coma after all of this is done.

BUT-not only does Ozma BRAVE the evil forces of the castle to reach Salem for ONLY pure motives(Jinn said so so its true)-HE ALSO-

2:49 LET’S SALEM IN ON THE BLASTING-like a TRUE gentleman!

The act of kindness of giving her her freedom, and Salem...just being Salem, cause the two to FALL in love!

3:13 ....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand kiss! KISS! KISS DAMMIT! Seriously, what IS IT with this show and its “No-kissing” policy, its WEIRD.

Either weither, Salem and Ozma go off on LOADS of adventures-UNTIL-

3:36-when Ozma got sick with a FATAL case of “Unnamed TV disease”. CURSE YOU UNNAMED TV DISEASE-you’ve taken FAR too many lives!

Salem in her grief decides to seek out the god of Light and Creation in the LAND of light(what is this Homestuck?)to bring him back to life-AND-

4:38 -it is DOWNRIGHT beautiful, obviously inspired by Japanese scenery and it just WORKS. SHAME this is where the doom of man kind came to begin.

The god of light than reveals himself to Salem, WHO REVEALS HIMSELF TO BE-

4:51 ANTLER JESUS-a WEIRD mix of Japanese deer spirits, and as I’ve said-JESUS-

-SEE?! Water-walking, full package.

Antler Jesus than gives Salem the same spiel we’ve heard about ressurecting the dead we’ve heard a million times, gotta respect the balance what-not, bla bla bla-GIVE HER BACK HER HUSBAND YOU MONSTER!

BUT-ol’ Mr.Light rose petals her away telling her to let it go, but ain’t NOTHIN’ gon’ stop her from getting her man back, so its time to make a DEAL with the devil in REMNANT HELL-

-which is also in its own way VERY beautiful, nice use of dark colors and purple, kinda looks like Cybertron when it was infected by Dark Energon!

Salem’s here to seek  out the God of Darkness, whom after seeing Antler Jesus’ striking albeit minimalist god form, I’M SURE-the god of Darkness’ form isn’t utterly creep-

6:20 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAND welcome to your nightmares for the next few months folks, Purple Satan is here and he is HERE FOR YOUR SOUL!

Salem then asks Mauvisto(Get it, like Mephisto but with Mauve?) to bring back Ozma, ALL while not bringing up that she asked Antlers first. The dark being agrees because he’s just SO happy someone is giving him praise for once, why does his BROTHER get all the praise JUST because he didn’t create a race of empathic eldritch beasts whose only purpose is to cause as much misery and destruction as possible? Un-GRATE-ful is what those humans are!

Purple Haze than brings back Ozma-WITH-

6:57 THE POWER OF PURPLE! PRAISE HIS GRAPELY EMINENCE! 

After Oz has a BRIEF freak-out over no longer being in the land of the dead-GUESS WHO SHOWS UP?!

*CRACKA BOOM*

7:12

Mauvisto: OKAY EVERYONE-party’s over, AJ’s gonna kill it with ANOTHER of his lectures.

AntlerJesus: Don’t you give me that tone.

Mauvisto: WHATEVER YOU’RE NOT EVEN MY DAD-GAH!

I joke, but that is BASICALLY how it went down.

AJ than rose-petals away Ozma to preserve order-

Oz:...S...Salem...I don’t feel so good.

Seriously y’all, I BETTER see some Thanos memes from this episode.

BUT-the elder brother forgets the younger brother still has the POWER OF PURPLE!

PRAISE TO THE PURPLE! Either way, Mauvisto is NOT happy about that which starts-

8:19 A DRAGON FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT-or does it?!

ACTUALLY no, AJ tells Mauvisto that Salem went to HIM first, and after he told her he wouldn’t resurrect her hubby, she tryed to manipulate him into going behind AJ’s back. Mauvey than apologizes to his best bro the BEST way possible...WITH A PURPLE DEATH BLAST!

8:48

The Purple giveth, and the purple taketh away.

Salem is NOT happy about this, and EVEN tries to THREATEN the god’s with her magic-BUT-AntlerJesus than gives her a chance to cool off by-

9:15 ...drowning her from a million miles in the air. MAN-the Super God Bros don’t fuck a-ROUND do they?

9:26 ACTUALLY no, by dunking her in the pool of light, the Gods curse her with immortality, unable to see her sweet Baboo Ozma EVER again, and will only die once she accepts the importance of life and death. 

Salem than does the most logical thing after being cursed by two immortal beings who think cursing someone with immortality is a COMPLETELY rational response to wasting like...WHAT five minutes of their time, AND RALLIES AN ARMY to take on the gods!

11:24 It should also be noted that this army...and all of humanity are just TWO WEEKS from retirement!

The army than BLASTS Mauvisto, with a beautiful display of firework-I MEAN-magic attacks-

11:56 I’m just gonna assume since it was the old days, people weren’t as creative with magic as they could be. BUT-because Mauvisto is a friggin’ GOD-

-he PURPLIZES all the magic into one handy dandy ball! What the hell CAN’T purple do?!

Either way, as an ancient omnipotent being, I’M SURE he’ll give them all a just and fair punishm-

12:12...OR just nuke everyone, whatever works for you Satanic Purple Beerus!

Salem of course due to her immortality is NOT ONLY the only one in her army to survive the blast, but ALSO the only HUMAN who survived the blast! GEEZE-Mauvisto, ain’t that a little harsh? I get it, you hate Salem, but what did all those side-characters who DIDN’T go against you do? BUT-enough about that-NAME ORIGIN TIME-

12:51 AntlerDragon: This planet, was a beautiful experiment, but it is merely a Remnant of what it once was. 

DAH-they said the name of the continent-HUZZAH!

Either way, both bros decide to leave the planet to create OTHER Avatar meets Soul Eater meets X-men meets Harry Potter worlds. AJ leaves in a BEAUTIFUL yellow mist-

13:08

While Mauvisto leaves in the most OVER THE TOP way he POSSIBLY could.

Mauvisto: SUCK IT SHORTY!

13:21 HUH-guess Atlas Arcadium Rex DIDN’T destroy the moon from Rwby. Sorry folks, your shared universe headcanon is DEAD! DEAD!

13:41 Salem than takes a GOOD long walk throughout ALL of the planet now named Remnant, until after an ETERNITY of walking decides she deserves a GOOD soak!

14:04 IN the God of Darkness’s POOL of darkness! MMM-look at those bubbles, bet they’re NICE and warm!

But seriously, after EONS of roaming the Earth alone, she figures that since the fountain of life gave her eternal life, the pools of Grimm with finally kill her, ending her suffering...but we WEREN’T all so lucky were we?

INSTEAD-the pool recreates her from a being of infinite life, to a being of infinite life who wants PURE destruction!

14:33 DAMN she looks scary, and that’s not even her FINAL form!

A THEN CUT TO-

14:43

OZMA-having himself a NICE nap in the eternal void of nothingness! Honestly if I died, brought back to life, killed, brought back to life, and then killed a SECOND time I’d want one hell of a nap as well.

BUT-for realsies, AntlerJesus pulls Ozma into a void between worlds to curse him for all eternity to fight his now corrupted wife-I MEAN-give him a chance to return to the land of the living! Yeah...THAT! Where APPARENTLY humans will come back again in time...presumably...NOT made by the god of creation? SO...is this a world where humans are made by gods...OR evolution? HUH-well if THAT ain’t a neat bit of science-fantasy!

15:56

Its ALSO here where we learn what happens when all four relics are brought together, that they’ll summon BOTH god brothers back to Remnant and judge humanity. If they’s chill, its ALL good, but if they AIN’T chill-BYE BYE REMNANT!

Either way, despite hearing his honey Salem won’t be the same anymore, OZMA accepts and REINCARNATES INTO-

17:40 THIS GUY...whose name iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis?

18:01

Oz?: GRIMM STAB!

QUIT DODGING THE QUESTION YOU-what’s your name?!

Rando: Thank you! Please, tell me your name, who are you?

SEE-he’s got the right ideal-TELL US DAMN YOU!

18:17 Oscar:...he didn’t know.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH that sucks. I’m not sure if it means he over-wrote his host’s memories or what, either way the reaction on Oz’s face says it all.

AFTER the Grimm attack, Unnamed Ozma reincarnation takes a page out of his lady’s book and GOES on a walk, where he sees the world has CHANGED completely!

With LACKLUSTER architecture-

-enSLAVEment of the new Faunus race and WORST of all-

18:33 -PEOPLE HAD TO USE DUST INSTEAD OF MAGIC!

Blake:...why wasn’t my people’s early enslavement not saved for last? Like it was only the SECOND worst thing?

Jinn: Look I just put it in order of what he saw okay, gimme a break!

Turns out, only Ozma2 and a MYSTERIOUS woman known only as “The Witch” could do magic, WHERE SHE IS FOUND-

18:41 In this GHETTO ass shack! COME ON SALEM-you’re immortal, you seriously tryna tell me you don’t got time to make a nicer house?!

Ozma2 than logically assumes the witch is Salem and goes to see what she has become, AND IT IS REVEALED-

Ozma2:(OH NO SHE’S HOT!)

19:27 AND it turns out that both of them recognize each other-CAUSE THAT’S THE POWER OF LOVE!

Salem and Ozma than tell each other all the CRAZY shenanigans that have been going down in their lives while hiding their SECRET backstories-WHILE THEY ALSO-

19:40 -FINALLY fix up that old shack! Fixed up the windows, got a deck table and chairs, re-varnished the wood, if THAT don’t help out property values I don’t know WHAT will!

Also during their convo Salem fearing Ozma would hate her, blamed the end of the world SOLELY on the gods...well...I mean TECHNICALLY it was, she raised only ONE small army against the gods, and instead of punishing JUST those humans they killed EVERYBAH-I feel she could be honest.

The days went by, Salem and Ozma enjoyed their happy lives, having logically an INFINITE amount of sex, until one day SALEM SAID(paraphrased)

20:18 

Salem: Okay hear me out, WHAT IF-we act like gods, and be the NEW AntlerJesus and Mauvisto?!

Ozma:...okay I am SO sure that won’t work but I am INSANELY attracted to you so LET’S DO IT!

21:07 SO it appears they live on as gods and nothing else crazy happe-

21:33...bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbby MAIDENS! THE FOUR MAIDENS WERE THE DAUGHTERS OF OZMA AND SALEM! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLY god damned shit-THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING-probably, for all we know Oz gave four COMPLETELY DIFFERENT young girls magical powers. But enough about that-

21:38 LOOK AT THEM! LOOK AT HOW LOVING THEY LOOK! CURSE YOU ANTLER JESUS AND MAUVISTO-the world is FUCKED because you refused to let my new OTP be HAPPY!

But sadly, all good things must come to an end, as during their plans Ozma has second thoughts on their quest to reshape the world given the destruction they cause, which PROMPTS Oz-

22:02 -to start, with the maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan in the mirror (OH YEAH) and he’s asking him to chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaange his ways(COME ON CHANGE)!

But for realsies, he then remembers the great quest the god of light gave him-BUT THEN-

22:21 DAW-baby’s first use of the dark arts!

HRNGH-LOOK AT HER! LOOK AT HOW PROUD SHE IS OF HER BABY GIRL! DAMMIT SALEM-you’re supposed to be the evil Sorceress Supreme, you have NO business looking adorable!

SO-I guess they go their magic powers from their parents, I wander what else they go-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHAT IF-Oz’s daughters didn’t just inherit their magic...BUT ALSO-Oz’s CURSE to forever reincarnate across the Earth like he did?! THAT’S WHY THEIR CONNECTED TO THE FOUR RELICS-probably, like I said there’s still the possibility of the story still be being true-HELL-maybe the maiden spell merged the four girls souls with those of his daughters?

AFTER the adorablenes, Ozma FINALLY decides to be an honest husband for once and tells Salem of the four relics and the judgement day that would occur if they were ever brought together, which Salem basically responds with-

22:51 Salem: You know what?! Let’s take the relics and make our OWN human race, with BLACKJACK! AND HOOKERS! And you know what? FORGET THE HUMAN RACE! KILL ALL HUMANS!

Yes, I am now headcanoning Salem as witch Bender from now all on-TRY AND STOP ME!

This logically upsets Oz, so he decides to calmly and rationally talk with his wife-

...OR take the kids and run without telling her only to get caught, because LORD KNOWS he couldn’t just get a marriage counselor to talk about their problems...seriously, this was ye olden times, the concept probably wasn’t invented yet.

22:34And sadly, it appears this is where everything ended between Ozma and Salem-

23:42 LITERALLY EVEN-everything between them in the castle has been destroyed! INCLUDING-

...don’t...don’t make me make a joke about this sub-conscious...tis too sad.

The battle/divorce ends with Salem winning RIGHT before saying this-

23:58 “...we finally...had freedom.”

AND...there’s TWO ways to look at that. That either A.) With the knowledge of the god’s relics, they could do the same thing the god’s did but without their rules or the metaphorical outlook B.) They were free BEFORE Oz told her about the relics...because than the god’s power wouldn’t keep controlling their lives. The latter I’m pretty sure she didn’t mean but to me...I think that’s true.

Salem than finally takes out Ozma2-

-with a Super SMASH bros meme no less! Don’t lie, you know who you are Gifmakers, AND YOU DISGUST ME! PERISH IN FLAMES!

After this, Oz takes the break up PRETTY badly-

24:10 -going on sad graveyard walks-

24:17 Drinking near paintings of empty liquor bottles.

24:21 ULTIMATELY getting out of his funk when he reincarnates as a nice swarthy individual and a bad ass new cane!

Even finally starts dating again and settles down with this nice lady, WAY TO GET BACK ON THAT HORSE BUDDY! BUT-just like in real life, the evidence of his ex STILL haunted his life-

24:37 In the form of monster raids no less! That’s break-up aftermath for ya.

Oz than realizes he has to bury the ex(literally) and goes out to find the FOUR RELICS-

25:00 ...in his next life as a hipster for some reason! Cleh, he’s an immortal soul-symbiote, he has time. 

He seeks out knowledge first and asks her where the other relics are, what could they do, and how could he kill Salem(in that order)? The first two answers we don’t know...but the THIRD one one we do-

Jinn: You can’t.

And the episode ends-

-with Oscarpin giving himself a good sit in despair.

So...yeah...HOLY SHIT-there’s a lot to take away here! For ONE-its interesting noting how tragic a villain Salem was, and how Oz spent so much time avoiding his fate because he just wanted to be with the woman he loved. FURTHERMORE-its neat how Salem is now like, Lord Garmadon in that destructive impulses BURN through her veins...but also like Lord Garmadon, she was still able to love. Sadly though...her worse impulses got the best of her, and now she has nothing to do but move forward and Thanos the planet, because there is NO going back to the good old days.

I’m Yoshimickster, and this was Micksterecap, and I hope your lives are filled with joy and happiness, and that you don’t become the toys of fate. Thank you, and have a pleasant night.

Paypal                                     Ko-fi.

[tinamaetales]

2017 K Drama Journey

It was that one night, while scrolling through my facebook feed that I came across this short clip from Doctors wherein Park Shin Hye is beating up the gangsters in the ER. I got curious so I decided to find a copy of it and try watching a K Drama. I thought, why not give it a try? It was during those times that I was recovering from my PUD and I just resigned from my job and I really want to watch a good tv series and K Dramas are really popular nowadays so I decided to give it a try and, I wasn’t disappointed. K Dramas, as cliché as it may sound, changed my life. Every show I’ve watched was a roller coaster ride of emotions. In addition, they taught me lessons I never expected in the first place.

I would just like to share with you a “summarized” version of my views about the kdramas I’ve watched in 2017 (cause ya know, I’ve already posted my individual reflections about them here)

Doctor Stranger

My rating: 7/10

Starring: Lee Jong Suk, Park Hae Jin, Kang So Ra and Jin Se Yeon

This is an interesting drama to watch because it doesn’t only focuses on the romance aspect but also divulge into the topic of politics and medicine. The best part? The competition between Park Hoon and Han Jae Joon for it served as an avenue for their growth both as doctors and as a person. However, I felt like the romance part in here is a bit forced; I’m sorry but the main couple has zero chemistry.

My fave quote: “…the doctor’s gown you wear? That’s sufficient enough for people to put their lives in your hands. Let’s not disappoint them”

My fave OSTs:

Like Tomorrow Won’t Come by G/O

A Good Day Like This by Jeon Hye Won

More of my reflection:

https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/158622149566/strangers

https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/159863753466/who-is-the-real-stranger

Goblin

 My rating: 10/10

Starring: Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook, Yoo In Na and Yook SuengJae

The best K drama ever. It’s perfect. That’s all. This K drama will make you value life more and will show you that death isn’t something we should be afraid of – it’s a part of our journey on Earth, an end to a life once lived and it will only be regrettable if you didn’t live your life right. Anyway, this is a story about a Goblin who lives for more than 900 years and is searching for the Goblin’s Bride that will pull out the sword from his chest to end his immortality is surely something that would catch your attention. Let’s also add that he has an amnesiac Grim Reaper for a best friend (lol) and a spoiled brat ‘nephew’ who is so in love with his credit card. What will make you get hooked in this drama? It’s how every character are related to each other both in beautiful and painful ways; yes, even that gorgeous chicken store owner has a very important role. The part that broke my heart in this drama is the realization that the key to ending the Goblin’s immortality has become his reason to stay alive. It’s ironic how someone who has the ability to end you is also the only reason for you to keep going. Ang sakit bes.  It was a perfect mix of romance, comedy and drama.

My fave quotes:

“Every life is touched by a deity at least once. Just when you’re drifting away from the world, if someone nudges you back in the right direction, that’d be when the deity chooses to visit you”

“If god really only gives one as many struggles as one can handle, he may have thought too highly of me”

“The ones left behind should live even harder. We might cry from time to time but we should smile a lot and cheer up. You are obligated to do that in return for the love you received”

“Every human dies at some point, that’s why life is even more beautiful………If today is my last day, this will be my final memory of the person I love so I’d better live hard and love”

“How could you tell me to remember only the happy memories but to forget you? That makes no sense because every moment I spent with you was a happy one even though each and every moment was also sad and difficult. So, did my dying to protect you become your happy ending?”

“I will come as the rainfall. I will come as the first snowfall. I will beg the divinity to do just that”

“Every moment I spent with you shined. Because the weather was good. Because the weather was bad. Because the weather was good enough”

My fave OSTs: (all of them actually, lol)

Beautiful by Crush

Stay With Me by Punch ft. Chanyeol (EXO)

I will go to you like the first snow by Ailee

Hush by Lassie Lindh

I miss you by Soyou

And I’m Here by Kim Kyung Hee

You are so beautiful by Eddy Kim

Heaven by Roy Kim

Round and Round by Heize

More of my reflection:

https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/160115970831/souls

https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/161922642721/i-dont-wanna-live-forever-goblin-post-part-2

https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/175471572666/hes-always-listening-goblin-post-part-3 

W

 My rating: 8.5/10

Starring: Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo

One of the most interesting plots in the K drama land; it is a story about the lead character of a famous comic book series who developed “free will” that scared his creator so much to the point that he wanted to kill off his main character. Kang Chul’s (the comic book’s main character) creator is afraid of how he seem to be directing his own story so his solution is to kill him however due to an amazing twist of fate, the creator’s daughter (which happens to be a doctor) gets sucked inside the comic book world every time that Kang Chul is in danger in order for her to save him. This k drama knows no chill by the way, it will keep you on the edge of your seat every episode. It’s intense and sometimes stressful to watch but you will love every moment of it anyway.

My fave quotes:

“But in last moment, he suddenly thought of one word: ‘Come-from-behind-victory’. Kang Chul decided to keep fighting until he found the true culprit – he wouldn’t be able to take back his own life. So he will find the culprit before he dies, no matter what.”

“The first purpose of the characters are to deliver the story. When the purpose is gone, the character disappears forever. On the contrary, when a character’s purpose becomes clear… then the character becomes one of the main characters by force”

 My fave OST:

Where are u by Jung Joon-young

Please say something, even though it is a lie by Park Bo Ram

More of my reflection: 

 https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/164668803281/hero

 https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/174726704651/kang-chuls-fight-is-my-fight-w-blog-post-part

Love in the moonlight

My rating: 9/10

Starring: Park Bo Gum, Kim Yoo Jung, Kwak Dong Yeon, Chae Soo Bin and Jinyoung (B1A4)

My first historical drama. It’s charming especially when you have Park Bo Gum as the Crown Prince and Kim Yoo Jung as the female lead, what more can you ask for? The romance side of this feels natural and would make you feel kilig everytime! You will love it to the moon and back. Moreover, the social issues it presented were still timely and relevant. It will make you realize that no matter how many years have passed and how different the government system has changed through the years, if those in position are motivated by their love of power instead of service to people then things would definitely won’t turn out well. This drama shows us that it is when the government listen to its people that it can be effective. The officials should not create higher gates and longer barriers between them and its people but instead open its doors and close the distance after all, without its people the government is nothing.

My fave quotes:

“I wish you would be a king with good eyes because if you’re too high up, you tend not to see people below you. I wish you have good ears – you must not listen only to those who yell before you… Please protect every single person for they’re all your people. Will you promise me to become a King like that?” 

“Rather than a sun that shines alone, he’s a ruler who shines brightly when among his people, like the moonlight—I believe the king is that kind of person.”

 “The highs and lows between me and my people, the distance between me and you—I hope that you will understand my wish to be one step closer.”

My fave OSTs:

Moonlight Drawn by Clouds by Gummy

Melting Heart by K. Will

My Person by Park Bo Gum

I think I’m done sleeping by Soyou ft. Yoo Seungwoo

More of my reflection:

 https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/165394639616/the-rebel-prince

Legend of the blue sea

 My rating: 7/10

One of the most hyped K drama of 2016 and even though it fell short on its promising story line, I still get to enjoy watching this. It’s interesting to watch a love story between a mermaid and a human especially when it also included the theme of reincarnation. This drama also shows us the value of second chances – it is an opportunity for us to change the course of our fate but it will be our choice…it’s up to us if we want to be better.

Starring: Lee Min Ho, Jun Ji Hyun, Shin Won Ho, Lee Hee Joon and Shin Hye Sun

My fave quotes:

“If someone is reborn, might it be because they have an unrealized dream? That dream could be an unfulfilled love, or it could even be unsatisfied greed.”

“The fact that everything is repeating isn’t a curse, but an opportunity—to change the ending.”

“But when I make friends with someone, that’s it for me. Whether you backstab or not, that’s your choice. I’ll think about what I’ll do if you do backstab me. Until then, you’re my friend.”

“Rather than being unable to love my daughter because I can’t remember her, it’s better to live remembering her, even if it’s painful.”

My fave OSTs:

Love Story by Lyn

A World that is You by Yoon Mirae

More of my reflection:

 https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/168356428401/when-history-repeats-itself

 Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

My rating: 8.5/10

If I could only describe this K Drama in one word, it would be charming. The plot is light yet relatable. Easy to watch yet filled with great life lessons too. It will actually remind us of our younger years – the silly crushes, the dreamers in us and the unforgettable friendships we gained. What I like the most about it is the simplicity of its plot yet it will touch your heart.

Starring: Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk

My fave quotes:

“No matter how high the mountain is, it will not be as grand as your dreams. This is nothing hard! We get back up no matter how harshly we’re trampled upon”

“I hope you will confront that matters (resentment towards your mother and your complicated emotions towards your uncle’s family) squarely. Those emotions such as gratitude, guilt or tiredness from pretending you don’t know the truth.. should burst out at least once. Only then you will be completely free from the trauma you are having” 

“Everyone has a youth. A time that’s more beautiful because it’s awkward and clumsy, a time that shines brilliantly. A time when you’re not afraid of anything because you have nothing to lose, and a time when you’re excited because you can have anything, everything. That’s now, age 24, my youth. Although I’m still uneasy and nervous, I’m perfect without needing anything else.”

My fave OSTs:

You and I by Kim Jong Wan

Dreaming by Han Hee

More of my reflection:

 https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/168888275251/swag

Cheese in the trap

My rating: 6/10

If you’re looking for a realistic yet harsh approach towards depicting our society in general, then this k drama is a must watch for you. It shows how the real world sucks. It has its charming side too though, especially the love triangle between Yoo Jung, Hong Seol and Baek In Ho and it will sometimes make you feel that both guys are deserving…actually erase that…all of them are deserving of love especially after all the struggles and challenges they’ve went through at such a young age. This drama started out strong but the ending felt a bit empty.  

Starring: Park Hae Jin, Kim Go Eun, Lee Sung Kyung, Seo Kang Joon and Nam Joo Hyuk

My fave quotes:

“Once you start working, you’ll realize you’re no longer the center of the universe, you realize there’re many people who are better & scarier than you and you need to accept that you cannot control everything.”

“People who play victim will always end up like that, losing what they have as they attempt to gain what isn’t theirs” 

“Why is it that people always want what belongs to other people? Then they delude themselves thinking other people’s things are theirs when in the end they lose what’s their own.”

“There are ups and downs in relationship but maintaining longevity is hard”

“No matter how rock bottom you are, you shouldn’t bring harm to people who care about you”

“Don’t put up walls and look down on people because among those people, there are some who sincerely wanted to be friends with you”

 My fave OSTs:

My Time with you by Vanilla Acoustic

Einfuhlung by Tearliner

Just a little by Sweden Laundry

Maybe I like you by Cosmos Hippie

More of my reflection:

 https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/168925207681/trapped

Descendants of the Sun

My rating: 9.5/10

One of the best k dramas ever! I swear! It tells a great story of love, service and sacrifice. It is a great combination of romance, action, thrill, and philosophy.  The best thing about this is how it executed the differing principles of the way doctors and soldiers save lives. It shows us how we can find ourselves through the service of others.  

Starring: Song Joong Ki, Song Hye Kyo, and Kim Ji Won

My fave quotes:

“Soldiers always live with a shroud on. When they die in a nameless land for the sake of their country, the place of their death become their grave and their uniform become their shroud. This should be every soldier’s mindset every time they put down their uniform. Therefore, be honorable at every moment – there’s no reason to fall short” 

“I’ve been given the privilege to be a doctor, I faithfully pledge my life to serve humanity. The health and life of my patient will always be my priority. I will faithfully carry out my duties regardless of the patient’s race, religion or nationality. I will not use my knowledge inhumanely even when I’m under threat. I hereby take this oath on my account and on behalf of my honour”

 My fave OSTs:

Everytime by Chen of EXO ft. Punch

Always by Yoon Mirae

You are my Everything by Gummy

More of my reflection:

 https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/169657649021/sacrifices

Hwarang

My rating: 7.5/10

I once described this drama as oppa overload because it was really filled with handsome oppa! Anyway, this is a great drama to show how the youth, despite them being young, can become the nation’s future. It is when we guide the young people rightly that we can secure a good future. It also shows us how much we needed to be united for our country’s sake because we can do so much better if we work with each other instead of against each other. This is a story of growth and brotherhood. A must watch, for sure.

Starring: Go Ara, Park Seo Joon, Park Hyung Sik, Choi Min Ho (SHINee), Do Ji Han, Kim Tae Hyung (BTS),  and Jo Yoon Woo

My fave quotes:

“It’s only those who possess a lot who fear. If you don’t have anything, you don’t fear anything.”

“Only when they (Hwarang) were able to think and live freely that they can dream of a future for Silla”

“Don’t be silenced by an order created by another. You are not a horse on a chess board. You are Hwarang who are freer than anyone else in this world. The fact that you are Hwarang, never forget that”

“Being young and weak is not a sin.”

My fave OSTs:

Even if I die by V and Jin from BTS

Our Tears by Park Seo Joon

I’ll be here by Park Hyung Sik

More of my reflection:

https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/170972988531/change-starts-with-us

Doctors

My rating: 8.5/10

Starring: Park Shin Hye, Kim Rae Won, Lee Sung Kyung and Yoon Kyun Sang

This K drama will always have a special place in my heart because of how much I love and can relate with its heroine. The focus of this is the life of a great neurosurgeon Dr. Yoo Hye Jung – her ups and downs and how she manage to come out of all the challenges thrown at her stronger than ever. Her life story is really inspirational.

My fave quotes:

“The cells that make up a human are always in a state of instability. To live is to be unstable. In the end, the essence of life is change.”

“Unresolved pasts will always come back to find you whether it’s love or resentment”

“People say that forgiveness is not for others but for yourself. They shouldn’t say such things. Forgiveness isn’t as light as it sounds.”

“When doctors become guardians, they too are merely impotent humans.”

“A genuine meeting can change a person. The person I am with right now could change my life. That’s why a person can be both hope and despair”

 “I had once dreamt of revenge — killing everyone and myself. But there is such a thing as karmic justice, and at the center of that is not me, but the world.”

My fave OSTs:

No Way by Park Yongin  and Kwon Soonil of Urban Zakapa

It’s Love by Jung Yup

Sunflower by Younha

That’s the way it is by Se O

More of my reflection:

 https://tinamaetales.tumblr.com/post/173628552981/what-doesnt-kill-you-makes-you-stronger

It was one heck of a roller coaster ride, right? I think it’s safe to say that my 2017 k drama journey was lit af! Now I’m looking forward for more!

 X,

TinaMae

[omni-spiritual]

● Disclaimer:

None of the ideas in this blog are fact, nor is it a matter of opinion. This is pure speculation about how I believe the spiritual side of the universe operates based on an educated guess from a hypothesis presented in other religions, as well as Humanity's current knowledge of scientific understanding. These are hypotheses that our current level of technology has no way of proving either way.

It is my belief that all religions are as equally right as they are wrong. There is no actual way of knowing if any of this is fact so it should not be treated as such and should be open to change. People should also keep an open mind to other religious beliefs.

● The Universe:

I believe there are an infinite number of universes out there, each sentient, each omnipotent to the things going on inside of it. Although they are likely aware of each other they are not aware of what happens in the others.

The universe we inhabit is a living organism, which we attempt to comprehend as "God". All the various galaxies are organs, and the planets and stars which make them up are cells. Sentient life and animals are essentially bacteria, tiny organisms that can be either helpful or detrimental to their host.

Each spec of life is connected to the universe itself. They are part of it and the matter of the universe makes up its various working parts. This is why there is a running belief between religions that "God is all things", as everything from atoms to people to galaxies make up its body. The Universe is a sentient, fully self-aware, combination of all life and energy. It has trillions of pocket dimensions which are a part of it, like growths on a body.

God is merely more aware of the organisms that make up its body then we are of our own.

I like to think of it as female, like a nurturing mother, but that has no basis in anything. Just a feeling. It is likely the universe does not have a "gender" as we understand it.

It is my belief, based on personal observations (such as seemingly impossible prayers being answered). That God is neither good nor evil, but has a merciful and compassionate outlook towards everything that lives inside her.

God does not create evil, nor are our troubles God's doing. Life, by its nature, is cruel and, well God tries to help us. God itself is a living organism with flaws and limits. Such as not being able to affect free will. Rather, God affects the universe by the laws of the universe and affecting the probable outcome (AKA "increasing the odds" or "luck.”) However games of chance aren't a high priority for prayers to be answered as there are far more important things for God to concern herself with. Doing something that disregards the laws of the universe is possible but is extremely hard, as it takes a lot of effort which causes neglect for others.

● The Cycle:

The galaxies expands out until gravity collapses in on itself and they slowly begin compressing back to the center of the universe. They tightly compact themselves in the black hole at the center of the universe until nothing else is left.

However the black hole will also consume all super fluids, which is a state of matter not effected by gravity, due to them being carried by planetary bodies and asteroids which pick them up on their way to the black hole. This will inevitably result in the black hole erupting and causing new galaxies to form out of the space dust. This cycle is an actual scientific theory called "The Big Bounce" which explains in greater detail how the big bang works.

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. The universe is made up purely of energy, even matter is nothing more than physical energy which has been converted through extreme means (AKA the first big bang). The universe has gone through an untold number of these cycles, where it has effectively died of old age before reincarnating itself.

● The Soul:

All creatures that can think have a soul, including Synthetic Lifeforms such as Artificial Intelligence. The Soul is nothing more than the electrical impulses that control the body. The brain (even a mechanical brain) imprints memories and personality traits onto it from the moment you start thinking. When you die that consciousness still exist and is recycled in the next lifeform that uses the energy. That lifeform will have the traits of you but the memories will remain dormant unless something synchronizes the thoughts of your new brain to your soul's memories. Your soul gains new information each time it is recycled. It changes and evolves but it is still you, and all your other lives, at its core.

Souls can be reincarnated as any race or creature that has a brain, organic or synthetic doesn't matter. Souls are continuously reincarnated, taking a "break" following death to look after the souls of their loved ones. When those people pass on the soul allows itself to be "judged" however they don't go to hell or heaven, rather they are reincarnated based on their Karma.

There is no such thing as hell. The physical plane is as close as you get to such an environment as it is a proving ground for Bacteria to test itself and eventually ascend into Enlightenment.

● Karma

While I believe "Karma" affects your next life, I also believe what you do in this life matters.

If you are punished in this life, either by law or a seeming "Random run of bad luck", then your karma evens out Provided you see the events for what they are and "repent" (As cliche as that sounds). If you repent, actually repent, then you can be forgiven for near anything. But this isn't a free bargain. Redemption comes at the cost of hard times, but at the end of it, you get your clean slate and second chance.

In essence, if bad stuff happens to you and you interpreted it as "Divine punishment", and learned from it. Then you will start experiencing good luck again. Then your next life will be getting a pretty nice setting.

You can't escape your bad Karma by killing yourself. However, you can take comfort in the knowledge that it won't last forever. Eventually, your Karma will restore itself and things will start going your way again.

Likewise, if you go unpunished in your past life, you are born with poor Karma, and will suffer through "Bad Luck" for apparently no reason. But that to, won't last forever.

While it is possible to restore your Karma by doing good... doing good things, specifically for the purpose of redeeming your Karma, doesn't affect it. Good deeds, done for bad or selfish reasons, doesn't help you, but nor do they condemn you. You must truly do good for goods sake for it to effect your Karma.

● Sins:

There is no such thing as sin. Karma is only determined by if you are a "good person" by your own values. However this is not as black and white as it seems. Acts you personally believe to be for "the Greater Good" or are "Morally Grey issues" that disturb your person still affect your Karma in a negative way. If you twist your beliefs to justify hurting others, that affects your Karma negatively as well. Your Karma also determines how much of a priority your prayers are.

● Deities:

It is highly likely each universe has billions of small pocket dimensions growing on it like moles. However too many pocket Dimensions is harmful to the universe. The dimensions can bump into each other and destroy each other, leaving wounds on the main body of the universe. This is where Deities come into play. Lower gods, called Deities, likely do exists. They are known by us as gods from ancient mythologies.

Deities are former bacteria which have reached "Enlightenment" and are able to interact with the physical world without the use of a physical body. They are beings of pure consciousness and immense power, which they are supposed to use for various task to help the universe function. Deities retain their consciousness even after the universe dies and are reborn through the Big Bounce Theory.

One of these task is to act as White Blood Cells, healing the wounds of the universe. They manage the various pocket dimensions of their universe, to insure they don't become harmful to the body of the universe. Another is to recycle energy for reincarnating individual souls. The final task is to create planets and stars. It is possible, if there is a consciousness behind shaping worlds, that it comes from these entities. Which act through science to clump together space dust, a process taking millions of years. Deities want as many habitable worlds as possible in order for more deities to emerge.

Deities do all this by influencing "luck" through scientific laws.

● Jesus:

Jesus is one of many demigods recorded throughout history, however he was the child of the universe itself and a mortal. Whereas other demigods were the offspring of deities who we know through mythology. The reason we do not see these individuals anymore is because the universe was either offended or the deities became too worried to trust us with their own children after we murdered Jesus. It is my belief that Jesus did not "sacrifice his life for our salvation", rather he tried to save us and humanity killed him for it. This is the reason we don't see Gods from Mythology anymore. Our world marked itself as a poor vacation spot after that.

● Luck

It wasn't too long ago that we didn't understand what made gravity work. We had the basic theories, and hypothesized what made it work, but we recognized gravity as a fundamental force hundreds of years before we even began to understand the quantum particles that generated it. Yet we could still predict it and manipulate it to our advantage, in sports and construction and various other areas.

It is my belief that Luck is a fundamental force, like gravity. We merely don't understand what makes it work yet. However, as with gravity before, we can predict it and manipulate Luck. Mostly people do this through rituals or items they believe to be lucky.

Wiccans, and those that practice true witchcraft, are not flashy magicians. No fire balls or animal transformations. I believe what these individuals actually do is bend luck through ritualistic prayers they call "spells". Much of this is guess work, and likely unnecessary, however they are able to tap into the force of luck and bend it to steer certain events in their favor.

Well not as efficient at it as Demigods, living creatures can learn to bend luck themselves or ask a spirit to do so for them (which is more effective but less reliable).

String Theory suggest the existence of other dimensions. If this is true then we could assume many of these dimensions have lifeforms of their own. It is possible that the "Spirits" and "Demons" Wiccans contact through other rituals are actually beings from other dimensions. Beings attempting to make contact from their end, as the wiccans are.

Honestly I'm not sure if this part of their practice is true but I will submit for the record that it is scientifically possible. In a hypothetical situation where beings from other dimensions have a deeper understanding of String Theory then ourselves, they could, theoretically, be able to contact us.

Personally I would prefer to stay the hell away from such beings. Many of them may be benevolent but, like any other person, they likely have their own agendas and would likely expect something in return for whatever favors individuals ask for. It doesn't help that any being with such an understanding of Science would view us as inferior. At best they would consider you a pet, at worse a play thing.

If you're going to summon things for help. It's best to stick to your own loved ones, who have passed and are waiting to be reincarnated. As beings of conciousness they can influence luck more easily, rather then interact with other aspects of the physical worlds.

Ask help from family, friends, even pets that have passed, but don't just ask them for things. Talk to them (or rather think at them) when you go to bed. Tell them about your day and they will likely feel more appreciated and help you where they can. Even help answer your prayers.

To alliterate, real magic can be explained through theoretical science. If proper research is put into it, it could be proven as true someday... unfortunately because of the stigma of "magic" it is unlikely any scientist would be willing to put the research into it.

The soul itself could be proven if more research was put into identifying the unique signature of brainwaves (and attempting to track it after death). Same can be said for magic... good luck finding an eccentric billionaire willing to fund the research.

[share-the-damn-bed-main]

Amour (AO3)

/äˈmo͝or/ - a secret or illicit love affair or lover.

A series of loosely related one-shots focusing on the budding romance between the goddess and her exemplar. (post Ch. 74)

Rating: T 

🌸  KazuBisha Week prize-fic for @sinemoras09  🌸

_ ❀ _

The memories Bishamon had from when she first reincarnated were hazy at best. From her first breath, she was faced with an endless whirlwind of information spanning from lectures on the nature of humanity to stories of her godly history.

But throughout the chaos, something her guide said early on stuck.

“If ever a time arises when you’re in an important meeting and you need to look like you’re engaged, narrow your eyes at the speaker every so often and nod slowly with consideration.”

Her advice surely came with the intention that the god still pays attention in said meetings, but Bishamon had been using the trick to disregard the ramblings of pointless presentations for centuries.

Today was no different.

Kuraha had called a budgetary meeting to discuss next quarter’s projections, improvement, and self-marketing ideas. It wasn’t exactly the war god’s forte, but seeing as it was her namesake being discussed, she was expected to attend.

Sitting at the head of the conference table, the goddess found her already low interest waning and mind wandering as the interim exemplar flashed yet another chart upon the screen. After giving the room a once over, Bishamon noticed her shinki looked equally enthralled. Kazuha was throwing bits of paper into a sleeping Yugiha’s hair, Kinuha and Aiha seemed to be engaged in a game of tic-tac-toe, and the other attendants’ faces were glazed over, undoubtedly counting the seconds until they could leave.

Then there was Kazuma, scribbling notes down furiously on his legal pad beside her, all bright eyed as he hung onto every point Kuraha made. In the past, she may have rolled her eyes at such behavior, but now she bit back a smile realizing she had missed this— the small moments of their everyday life.

The past year weighed heavy with tragedy and chaos for her and her family. From Kugaha’s betrayal to Yato’s liberation from his father, Bishamon faced the brink of death twice, charges of high treason once, and the senseless killing of many beloved shinki.

But nothing cut deeper than the loss of her hafuri.

“Gone? What do you mean, ‘gone’?” she asked frantically, voice still hoarse from being unconscious for so long.

“He has exiled himself for blighting you and has not been heard from since.”

She couldn’t tell who was speaking in her dazed state, but it didn’t matter.  All she was able to focus on was feeling of bile rising in her throat and the word ‘gone’ pounding repeatedly in her head.

She had never felt so alone.

Whether it was out of compassion for his wishes or guilt for going after the Sorcerer behind his back, Bishamon did not actively try to find Kazuma. She did, however, hold on to the hope that maybe one day he’d return of his own volition. But as months passed, that dream eroded to dust.

Life went on, and she was able to act like her old self again, but the weight of his absence was a constant presence. Sure, her heart would clench on patrol and when there was a slip up on some paper work or misfiling of a document. That was to be expected.

What haunted her was how isolated she felt, how much she missed his companionship and even his mild lecturing. How even though her entire family was there to comfort her and keep her company, she only wanted him.

So when he showed up with information about the Sorcerer in the middle of the Battle for Yukine, she swore he wouldn’t get away so easily.

“Please,” she begged once they were finally alone, her voice thick with emotion. “Please, come home.”

Kazuma dropped his head and let out a deep sigh.

“Veena, I can’t.”  

The pet name sent a shiver down her spine. Even in such a solemn tone, she ached to hear him call it again. That name forged her. Not as a god with multiple incarnations, but as an individual defined by her own merits.

It forged them as well. Creating an inseparable bond built on mutual trust, adoration, and respect.  

‘Veena’ was the greatest gift he had given her.  

“Of course you can.” She assured, slowly approaching him. “You left to get intel on the sorcerer, right?”

“I left because it was for the best.”

Bishamon paused, that glimmer of hope quickly turned into one of hurt and frustration.

“Do you know how worried I was about you? How terrified I was that your name could rip away from me at any moment?”

Kazuma didn’t say anything, his head still bowed low so she couldn’t see his face.

“I fear my continued guidance and involvement will only hurt or lead you astray and potentially tarnish Bishamon’s reputation.” His tone was neutral but his hands were clenched by his sides so tightly that they were trembling.

“That is utterly ridiculous.” She scoffed, voice rising slightly in exasperation. “You’re my blessed vessel, you have successfully guided me throughout centuries.”

And for the first time, his eyes met hers.

Her breath hitched as she saw how the pain and remorse plagued his face, how self-hatred and regret had been eating him alive non-stop since his departure.

“I’ve blighted you out of desperation, I’ve come to value your individuality above your godlihood,” He began listing his sins, voice shaking with every word. “I-I’ve let my affection for you grow so that it is less like the devotion one should have toward their master, and more like the admiration one has towards a—” he trailed off, tripping over the words. His eyes lowered in shame. “Towards a person they cherish above all else.”  

Bishamon’s heart broke at the sight of her hafuri’s anguish and misplaced guilt. She moved closer so she could take one of his fists and hold it in her hands; relieved when it relaxed in her palm almost instantly.

“If you cherish me so deeply,” She wondered quietly, letting her thumb trace over his name. “I fail to see the reasoning for your hesitation.”

When he didn’t respond, she continued.

“You are my blessing, my treasured companion and I cherish you deeply as well.” Bishamon squeezed his hand, pleading with him. “Y-your absence has struck me like a knife to my heart.” He flinched at her words. “I miss you dreadfully and I’m not sure I can bear to lose you again, so please,” her voice trembled as her carefully crafted façade began to crumble. “Please come back to me.”

By the time she finished, her voice was a mere whisper. She wasn’t able to gauge his response since her vision was blurred by tears that betrayed her resolve. But she could feel his entrapped hand return her grasp--shaky, yet firm.

The silence of the room was overwhelming. All she could hear was the erratic beating of her heart thumping in her ears and the creaking of an old pipe in a nearby wall. Opening her mouth, she went to plead her case again…

But Kazuma never gave her the chance.

His lips, soft and pliant, captured hers in a tender kiss full of remorse. Once rigid hands now caressed her face and pulled her closer as he crossed a boundary they never dared to before.

Bishamon was caught completely off guard, she couldn’t move—couldn’t breathe. Tears that rimmed her eyes fell freely as she blinked in shock.

Before she was able to respond, she felt him pull away.

“Don’t you see?” His forehead gently rested against her own. “I cherish you.”

“Like a lover.” She whispered, the word alone filling her with elation.  

And yet, Kazuma didn’t share in her joy. His lips were pressed tightly together, grimacing.

Taking in his somber expression, she realized the kiss wasn’t so much a confession, as it was a warning. Its intention to shock and disgust her enough that she would let him go.

But he failed to recognize her own desire, never realizing that she had wanted to grow closer-- to further their relationship-- for years.

Standing there in silence, foreheads still against one another, she chose to disregard his warning and counter with a confession of her own.

Some drive, instinct or possibly delirium, pushed her to hold the back of his head and tilt her chin up so her lips pressed against his once more. Swallowing his shocked gasp, she was relieved when he didn’t pull away. Instead, he kissed her back, pulling her close as his arms wrapped around her.

Bishamon relished the comfort of his embrace-- his hands gripping her and the brushing of his lips against her over and over again were intoxicating.

She finally felt at home.

“Any questions?” Kuraha asked, pulling the goddess out of her inner monologue and back to reality. The rest of the shinki noticeably perked up, eager to leave.

“Yes,” Kazuma quipped and Bishamon felt the room sigh in disappointment. “Can you explain your rationale for cutting the health and nutrition budget back three percent?”

He had no trouble seamlessly stepping into the exemplar role again. To the others, it was like he had never left.

But everything had changed.

The intimacy at their reunion was unavoidable and they both knew it wouldn’t be possible to ignore the confessional kisses and move on. So that night, before Kazuma even had the chance to reunite with the other shinki, the pair locked themselves in the goddess’ office for a serious discussion.

It started off skittish and shy, both of their faces adorning a fierce blush as they confessed secret desires kept hidden for centuries. But as they slowly began to realize that the feelings they thought were so unrequited were actually mutual, the walls between them crumbled and their bond strengthened.

“ What does any of this mean?” Bishamon wondered. “You say you love me as one would a wife-- and I reciprocate your sentiments-- but what happens now?”

The goddess understood she was toeing a line that once crossed, could not be undone. But instead of fear, she was filled with a nervous excitement.

“Well, there are many options,” Kazuma sat, wringing his hands on the table across from her. He was clearly hesitant, but there was a bit of hope in his tone she couldn’t ignore. “We could continue on as we have been, and not let potentially fleeting feelings affect our relationship, or--”

“--Or?” Bishamon cut him off, reaching across the table to rest her hand on his.

“Or,” Kazuma sighed, moving to take her hand in his own. “We can take things slow… and explore some of the more romantic aspects of our relationship.”

The choice was simple.

Over the past month, the two had spent nearly every moment of their free time together, growing closer and basking in their budding romance.

But no one knew.

They decided to keep their romantic relationship a secret-- at least until they were both completely comfortable. Kazuma felt that it would make facing harsh criticism easier and help her keep her status as one of the Lucky Seven, and Bishamon agreed. So chaste kisses and lingering touches were only shared behind closed doors or in empty corridors.

To say she was happy would be a gross understatement, the goddess was in total bliss. It wasn’t just the kissing and the cuddling, it was the conversation-- the inside jokes-- that left her breathless.  

Even though they had spent years together, she felt as though she was getting to know him for the first time.

Kazuma was over the moon as well. Not only could she feel his elation pulsing in her chest, she could see it in the way he looked at her, in his smile, in the way he sighed when he held her close.

The sound of drumming broke her train of thought. Kazuma’s fingers repeatedly tapped against the table-- a tick he had whenever he was engaged debate-- while Kuraha was explaining… well, something. Bishamon honestly had zoned out for so long she’d lost track of the discussion.

Their days had been jammed packed with various appointments over the past week and they hadn’t seen each other in days. She had missed him and longed for even the briefest contact.

It was almost mesmerizing the way the tendons moved under his name, making it roll like the tides. She wanted to reach out and touch it-- to hold his hand and halt his fidgeting.

But she restrained.

Sighing, the goddess began tapping her foot. Not only would the gesture be completely unprofessional, it would disclose their secret intimacy as well. If only there was a way to curb her craving.

And then it hit her.

Slipping off one of her heels, Bishamon slowly inched her foot closer to Kazuma’s, careful not to brush up against anyone else. When her toe found the sole of his shoe, she gently wrapped her leg around the back of his calf, stroking his ankle affectionately.

Instead of shaking her off like she expected, Kazuma merely threw her a subtle, yet strong, glare. In return, the goddess flashed him a brilliant smile, her foot grazing higher and higher.  

She knew she was technically breaking the rules, that they’d be found out if anyone happened to peek under the table, but she found the whole ordeal exhilarating.

Curious to see how far he would let her go, Bishamon moved her hand from her lap and rested it on his knee, caressing it with her thumb.  

His gasp was barely audible as he quickly removed her hand.

“Ah, yes-- Well, I think we’ve all had enough for today.” Kazuma addressed the group, trying not to appear flustered. “Let’s continue this conversation next week.”

Chairs scraped the floor as the shinki erupted in chatter before filing out of the room.

Once they were alone and the door closed, Kazuma quickly turned to her, eyes wide in disbelief.

“What were you thinking?” He asked, voice three octaves higher than usual. “Not only were your actions completely unprofessional, someone could have seen!”

He was blushing, embarrassment plaguing his face.

“Oh, you’re too paranoid.” she assured, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

“Veena, this is serious.” He protested, shaking her leg off of him. “If this is going to work, we cannot allow our personal relationship to bleed into the more professional aspects of our lives.”

He was annoyed, the mild huff at the end of his diatribe solidifying it.

“I know,” the goddess admitted quietly. “And I’m sorry. It’s just… we haven’t seen each other for few days... and I missed you.”

Kazuma’s features softened with empathy. He draped his arm around her shoulder before placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

“I missed you too.” he murmured quietly into her hair, the honesty in his voice making her heart swell.

They sat like that, in silence, enjoying the comfort and mere presence of one another until Kazuma shifted away.

“I still have to organize my notes before the conference call in an hour.” She could hear the regret in his voice.

Nodding, she gathered her notes-- mostly doodles-- and stood. She wasn’t angry, she understood why they had to leave, but she was disheartened. This could be the only chance she’d see him today.

As they made their way toward the door, Bishamon pulled on his hand, stopping him.

“After dinner, we can watch a movie in my room.”

He smiled softly at her suggestion, moving in closer to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’d like that.”

“And you could stay the night,” she laced her hands behind his neck. “If you want to.”

Bishamon held her breath waiting for his response-- this was another line they had yet to cross. Sure, the two had shared sleeping spaces in the past, but never as lovers when activities beyond sleep were possible.

Kazuma’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

Sensing his hesitation, she began to backpedal. “You don’t have to, it’s okay. We can just watch the movie--”

He moved swiftly, kissing her deeply and stopping her mid-sentence.

“I'd like to stay the night.” He assured, barely pulling away enough for her to see warmth in his eyes. “I only wanted to make sure it's what you want as well.”

“It is.” she smiled, biting her lip before leaning up to kiss him again.

Kazuma untangled himself from her apologetically, pulling away before getting too lost.

“I’m sorry, Veena.” He panted, “But I really need to prepare for the next meeting.”

She noticed with a small semblance of pride that his lips were swollen from their impromptu make out session.

“Fine.” She moved to leave, seizing the opportunity to tease him. “But you owe me later.”

The flustered look on his face was priceless.

_ ❀ _

[spiritsintertwined]

Spiritsintertwined’s list of Alternate Universes (AUs), version for mobile users

More info about Magic AU: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/AUmagic

More info about Faerie AU: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/AUfaerie

Dynamic Pokémon AU team page: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/pokemon

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Downfall AU 1: Reign of Darkness

TRIGGER WARNING: violence

[Used tags: downfall AU]

The darkness spread through him like a disease. In less than a month, it had taken overentirely. He never stood a chance, neither did his victims.

Unleashed at last.

Cries of fear and pain echoed throughout the streets. There was panic, death, complete chaos. The ones who survived squirmed on the ground, driven mad by Yami’s shadow magic. 

In a desperate attempt to stop Yami, Yugi tried to seal him inside the Millennium Puzzle again. The two faced each other in the mind room. Sadly, Yugi was far too late, his pleas falling on deaf ears. The darkness was too strong now. Yami was too strong now. With a swift movement, he locked the small teen inside the Puzzle, never to be freed again. This was his body now, his life. 

His influence spread across the land like a curtain of darkness. Chaos ensued as the people foolishly ran for their lives, then started to fight amongst themselves to survive when there was no place left to run.

…

From the chaos a new order would be born. The world started its new era, with Yami as their one and only king. Sitting on his throne, he no longer felt remorse, he felt satisfaction. The people would not dare to question his actions, as he knew better for them. They would embrace him, just as he had embraced the darkness.

But one question burned in the back of Yami’s mind. Just who had been responsible for his downfall his awakening?

In this barren, ruined world, there is still hope. Someday, the people will resist his cruel reign…

Or perhaps… he might be able to resist his own darkness again, with the right words at the right time…

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Downfall AU 2: Second Chance

TRIGGER WARNING: suicide, abuse, bullying, violence

[Used tags: downfall AU]

The darkness in his heart wouldn’t last forever. With Yugi’s lifeless body in his arms, Yami slowly came to his senses again. He buried his beloved partner in a place completely untained by his darkness: a flowerfield of red roses near the lake. The pharaoh planted a sunflower seed on the grave mound. Regretting all that he had done, the pain of living was simply too much to bear. Deciding he did not belong in this world, Yami took his own life with a swift stab in the heart. He perished next to Yugi’s grave.

Yet, fate gave them a second chance…

He would be reborn in a world that had reset itself…

But was it out of pity? Or out of vengeance?

A gift? Or a punishment?

Yami lived his new life unloved and unwanted. Abandoned by his biological parents, abused by his foster parents, bullied by his classmates, harmed by strangers, bumped into, stared at, spat on, attacked. He was despised by the living and haunted by the dead, cursed by an unknown force. His crimson eyes were the mark of the curse.

Yami didn’t understand why everyone was treating him like this, no one wanted to explain it to him. The moment any human came close to him, they turned hostile until they were at a distance again. As if the anger never happened at all. Yet, despite the unfair treatment, he never stopped trying to be on his best behaviour. He kept trying to do good deeds for others, hoping it would ease people’s angry hearts.

Until, finally, a friendly face appeared to him…

But was it a familiar face? Or someone new?

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Magic AU

[Used tags: magic AU, spirit AU]

DISCLAIMER: This story deviates from canon considerably, though the muses act fairly the same.

In this Alternate Universe, Yugi and Yami are capable of magic. Yugi and Yami are both able to cast Black and White Magic. However, Yami is better with Black Magic, while Yugi prefers White Magic. Yugi is the 9th/current reincarnation of the light spirit Hikari. With every reincarnation, the light spirit lost more of its memories. Despite the lost past, the light spirit held on to its basic values of kindness and forgiveness.

Yami is the dark spirit locked away in the Millennium Puzzle. After thousands of years, the spirit had reverted to a more primal state, barely clinging on to sanity. Soon after he was freed, he did not hesitate to cast magic on those who meant harm to him and his host Yugi. Over time, Yami’s mind slowly stabilizes.

Yugi and Yami sometimes have a phantom pain in their side. Yugi feels the pain on his left side, Yami on his right side.

Read more: Magic AU: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/AUmagic

Spellbook (work in progress): http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/spellbook

Extended backstory: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/lore

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Faerie AU

[Used tags: faerie AU, fairy AU, fairy!yami, fairy!yugi]

In a world hidden from human view, creatures from dreams, myths and legends live and thrive. Among them are faeries, mythological creatures of nature in this world.

Some humans believe in Faeries. As such, they attempt to lure Faerie to capture them. Some humans don’t care for Faeries at all. But others, do. Some are just interested in these tiny, playful creatures in general…and Faeries are quite curious creatures.

However, not all is as it seems, for either folk…

There are humans Faeries should avoid, and there are Faeries humans should stray from as well. A few humans will find out just how dangerous some Fae can be.

Secrets of their own kind will be revealed as these humans wander around and stumble into a world not of their own…

Yugi, the folklore investigator

A bored teenager fascinated by anything paranormal and folklore-related. He would even trespass in old, abandoned or even dangerously decrepit buildings and areas just to catch a glimpse of something supernatural. Now he has found a new subject, as well as information that may lead him to an actual sighting…

Yami, the Midnight Faerie

A type of fairy that only comes out at night. Yami is quite a mischievous creature, not hesitating to prank a hapless human being. However, he often does this to those with bad hearts. When meeting someone with a good heart, he might leave a gift.

Additional information: x

Faerie types, lore, spells and abilities: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/AUfaerie

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Merfolk AU

[Used tags: merfolk AU]

Yugi Mutou, the lonely college student

Yugi recently moved to a seaside town with his parents and grandfather. Over the years his family moved around a lot, throughout the country, causing Yugi to be forced to say goodbye to his newly made friends. Though this time, he might finally be able to stay much longer. He suffers from a water allergy, causing his skin to burn at the slightest contact with water, followed by a strange rash. Despite this water allergy, he wants to become a marine biologist. When disaster strikes, forcing him to be in the water for a prolonged time, he finds out his condition isn’t a water allergy at all…

Yami/Atem (name may vary), merman prince of Heracleion

Atem is the prince and future ruler of the underwater kingdom of Heracleion. His mertail is brightly colored, like most merfolk in the kingdom. His purple eyes, however, are only found in the royal family. His bitter father prohibits him from leaving the palace, but it doesn’t stop the prince from sneaking out to collect human “treasures”. Especially anything silver or shiny catches his interest. While he hates the palace life, he doesn’t really have the desire to live with landfolk either.

Admittedly, sometimes it gets tempting to visit the surface…

Merfolk tidbits:

Merfolk tears have magic properties. When shed underwater, they are distinguishable from ocean water until they dissolve after a minute. In that tiny timeframe the underwater tear can be used to cast a spell. When the tears dry up on land, they become gemlike and can be stored for later use. Yugi’s tears would appear like amethysts have soothing and mildly restorative effects, though the effect is amplied the more tears are used. Atem/Yami’s tears are like rubies and depend on his mood. Anger causes aggressive spells, sadness and fear cause protective spells. Atem, ironically, has strong connections to fire. With a dry tear he will be able to cast a fire bolt, while underwater he might be able to boil the water around his target

Atem is the prince’s official name. Naturally this proves to be troublesome whenever he escapes the palace to explore the waters. He takes on a different name, Yami, to hide this royal background.

In this AU, Yami/Atem retains his love for silver and other shiny things. This also serves as an evolutionary trait. Being able to spot shiny fish flitting in the waters would make the hunt easier. When the royal family and citizens relied less on hunting, their love for shiny objects served an aesthetic role instead.

Atem only sings on special occassions, or when a strong emotion strikes him. His deep voice allows for lovely duets, though his shyness holds him back from singing with others.

Background Lore: The culture of Heracleion citizens

Mer inhabitants still call the sunken Egyptian city Thonis instead of Heracleion. Despite the communal nature of Heracleion citizens, singing is only done during special occasions such as birthdays, coming of age rites, weddings, funerals, war songs and love songs. Singing on random occasions is frowned upon, and the wrong song for a special occasion is one of the worst taboos. Over the course of time the royal family strongly valued culture over nature. Ironically this makes them not much different from their terrestrial sibling species, even though they avoid humans and their ships like the plague.

This preference had an effect on their biology. They lost dorsal fins on the human torso, their fingers were no longer webbed, and their build became smaller and stockier. Their fish tails displayed more vibrant colors instead of just greys and blues, with more unusual colors and patterns being seen as desirable.

Because the city is situated 10 meter below sealevel (30ft),  the inhabitants of Heracleion are still more exposed to sunlight compared to deep dwelling variants of merfolk, which are more likely to dwell at an impressive ocean depth of about 3,688 meters (12,100 ft) on average or deeper. Their skin is still light as a result, but not pale. The shallow depth of Heracleion also results in a warmer temperature, allowing for less reliance on fatty fish and more on plant material and smaller animals like crabs and sardines. The inhabitants of Heracleion are still able to escape to deeper areas of the ocean to avoid detection by their human counterparts, but cannot survive past the average ocean depth.  

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Angels and Demons AU

[Used tags: angel au, demon au, demon!yami, angel!yugi]

In any versions where the muses aren’t mortal, Yami is a demon, Yugi is a(n) pervert angel. The setting can be in Paradise, Purgatory, general “Afterlife/Spiritual World” and/or mortal world. Heaven/Hell/Afterlife, at surface level, are layered over the mortal world.

Mission version

Demon Yami

Yami is a demon assigned to tempt mortals and rob them of their souls. But when he meets this particular person, he just can’t do it. Maybe it’s nice to spare one, have one to talk with…

Angel Yugi

Yugi is assigned to help lost spirits go to Paradise, while at the same time keep an eye out for demons. It’s a tiresome job, sometimes he wishes he could take a break…

Guardian version

Yami, the summoned demon

Yami is summoned by a mortal to do their bidding. The demon has to obey any order from the summoner. But was the summoner clever enough to avoid fulfilling their end of the bargain?

Yugi, the guardian angel

Yugi watches over a mortal. While he gets to talk to other angels, or even demons on his job, he never really managed to keep a friend. Maybe he could befriend the mortal? It was worth a try… right?

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Millennium Code AU

[Used tags: yami 086, yami 086.pmx, yami 086.exe, virtual au, robot au, digital au]

Variations of the AUs: Yugi needing glasses, having narcolepsy and/or being in a wheelchair. It’s possible for yAmI to meet other Yami Yugi muses. Any other Yami Yugi RPers can also write their own backstory/origin into the plot

yAmI 086’s emotions: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/post/141521235096/yamis-emotions-part-1-grey

Millennium Code AU Chapter 1: Program version

As a child, Yugi Mutou looked up to his teenage brother Yami. He was always interested in what his big brother did. That happiness wouldn’t last, however. On a particular night, Yami took Yugi to soccer practice. On their way there, a car collided into theirs, killing Yami instantly and leaving Yugi badly injured. Months later, Yugi was physically well enough to go home. Though mentally he would never be the same again.

The child was given his brother’s computer. The fascination he had for his brother’s work never left, in fact it had intensified after the accident. He picked up programming and 3D model making, managing to create a blank puppet model which he named after his brother. But there was only so much he could do with the 3D model…

The young Yugi eventually became skilled enough to repair computers, as well. One day, while trying to repair his grandfather’s old computer (working with computers certainly ran in the family), he discovers a complex code that no one was able to decipher yet. He moved the data to his own computer and attempted to decipher it.

After many years, in the present day, Yugi has become a skilled engineer, coder and hacker, staying indoors often to work on computers. Yugi finally manages to put the code together, gaining access to a mysterious program. Slowly but surely, the program seems to think and act on his own, even appearing to feel emotion. His AI almost seemed human. The program latches on to the old 3D model Yugi made, then names itself yAmI in computer languages, though it is written as “Yami”.

Millennium Code AU Chapter 1: Robot version

In this version, Yugi manages to upload the solved Millennium Code to a robot he built. This basically skips the step of yAmI being a program first, providing a different beginning. Later on the story ends up similar to the program version.

Millennium Code AU Chapter 2: Monster World MMO

It soon becomes clear this code is part of a much bigger project: A vast virtual world. The Millennium code is the key to completing the world, creating sentient, virtual lifeforms. After an attempt to copy the Millennium code in order to complete the project, the copied data ends up bug-ridden, turning rogue. It spreads like a virus. Robots, machines, devices, nothing is safe from the copy. Like a hivemind the copy constructs a machine capable of connecting the real world with the virtual world. Thankfully, not all of the copied data turned rogue…

(Work In Progress)

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Pokemon AU

Pokemon team: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/pokemon

[Used tags: pokemon, pokemon AU]

Disclaimer: The majority of these Pokémon do not have 3D models available for MMD and therefore may not appear in RP pictures. A picture might not appear in the RP at all or is substituted with a drawing or anime screenshot.

In this Alternate Universe, Yugi and Yami/Atem are Pokémon trainers. Naturally they don’t start with a full team, but gain new allies over time. This AU can take place in Domino City or the Pokémon universe.

Yugi gets his Pokémon faster because of his kind, approachable nature. Though it takes longer for them to get stronger. The small teen prefers to travel and befriend people and Pokémon, rather than become a Champion. While he doesn’t care much about battling, he will do so if absolutely necessary: having his Pokémon fight criminals and other kinds of wrongdoers.

Yami/Atem (name depends on the version) is very competitive, never refusing a trainer battle. Because of this, his Pokémon are considerably stronger. Due to his focus on training, his team has fewer numbers for a longer time.

Brothers version: In some RPs, Yami will be Atem’s nickname. Yugi and Atem are twin brothers and have their own set of Pokémon. Atem has his own identity and memories. Since he is his own person, he has his own starter (Yamask). Yugi’s starter Pokémon in this version is Espurr. Both brothers also receive an Eevee, Yugi’s Eevee evolves into Espeon and Atem’s into Umbreon.

Spirit version: Like in canon, Yami Yugi is a spirit without memories. Since he can’t have his own Pokémon in this state, he shares the team with Yugi. In this version, Yugi’s starter is a Deino. The Eevee Yugi receives evolves into Sylveon.

Shared active team (Spirit Version)

Zweilous (♂): Apollo [Jolly nature]

Yamask (♂): Ba [Lonely nature]

Sylveon (♀) : Hikari [Naive nature]

Luxray (♂): Luxor [Brave nature]

Absol (♀): Pan (Pandora) [Calm nature]

Giratina (-): Osiris  [Gentle nature]

Yugi’s own active team (Brothers Version)

Espurr (♂): Percy (Percival) [Naughty nature]

Espeon (♀) : Hikari [Gentle nature]

Venonat (♂): Kuriboh [Bold nature]

Noibat (♂): Echo [Naive nature]

Zweilous (♂): Apollo [Jolly nature]

Rayquaza (-): Gandora [Timid nature]

Atem/Yami’s own active team (Brothers Version)

Yamask (♂): Ba [Lonely nature]

Umbreon (♂): Shadow [Quiet nature]

Mismagius (♀): Morgana [Impish nature]

Luxray (♂): Luxor [Brave nature]

Tyrantrum (♂): Balt (Balthazar) [Jolly nature]

Giratina (-): Osiris [Gentle nature]

Other Pokemon (can be switched with active teams) (either version)

Braixen (♀): Helena [Sassy nature]

Dewott (♂): Miyagi [Brave nature]

Alakazam (♂): Aristo (Aristoteles) [Relaxed nature]

Serperior (♀): Maya [Modest nature]

Lucario (♂): Anubis [Serious nature]

Furfrou (♂): Athir [Adamant nature]

______________________________________________________________

More info about Magic AU: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/AUmagic

More info about Faerie AU: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/AUfaerie

Dynamic Pokémon AU team page: http://spiritsintertwined.tumblr.com/pokemon

______________________________________________________________

Model credits: x

Underwater background from: x

[commandershepardvasfuckit]

Chapter 2 for Galaxies Apart is up!

So chapter 2 is up! (link to AO3 here!)

(Chapter 1 is here on tumblr, and here on AO3)

In case you’ve missed my shameless self promotion, Galaxies Apart is my OC stuff (Ajaa the angara) and I’m pretty happy with how it’s turning out and the interest people are taking in it. Slow burn, friends to lovers, and of course awkward first times.

Julie hoped her second day would not be as eventful as her first one.

She planned on visiting the Repository of History to meet with the curator in order to get a better feel for angaran culture as a whole before she even tried to figure out all differences between people, surely in broad daylight there would not be any problems getting there.

The walk from her small apartment near the landing bay to the Repository was peaceful. There was a certain serenity about Aya, always a faint bubbling and splashing from the waterfuls, calls and songs from wild birds, and all the colors and smells from the flowers, Julie wondered if all the worlds with the Remnant vaults would be like this one day with all of them working now, terraforming the surfaces of the planets.

Ajaa was in the same spot as yesterday, kneeling down next to the planter to finish planting the sproutlings.

“Hey” smiled Julie, hoping Ajaa was not made about yesterday, “How are you feeling?”

Ajaa looked up to see who was disrupting his work, “Ahh, the human who used me as a speed bump yesterday, watching where you’re going today?”

“I’m really sorry about yesterday” Julie apologized again.

“It’s still alright, I kind of figured out you weren’t out to get me or anything” Ajaa smirked. He had a nice smile, it was good to see him not sort of grumpy or in pain.

“Hey, could I ask you a few questions?”

“Depends, is this going to get weird? Because there were a few salarians here a couple days ago and they got a little intrusive with me”.

Julie could not help but laugh, she had met several salarians, all nice for the most part but definitely a group of people who could occasionally get a bit over excited with questions.

“Yeah, most of our best scientists are salarians, always lots of questions. But don’t worry, nothing like that, just hoping maybe you could help me with some work”.

“And what kind of work is it?”

“I work with the Cultural Exchange on the Nexus, we want to try to bridge the gap between the Milky Way cultures and the angara, try to best understand the differences between us and avoid any faux pas so to speak, but that means really understand who the angara are and who better to talk to than an angara?” Julie smiled, trying to cover up how robotic her spiel came out.

“Well, as long as my genitals stay out of it this time I have no problem with it” he did not seem like he was joking.

“Purely cultural questions”.

“Very well”.

Julie paused, she did not have any questions planned. She had planned on visiting the Repository of History and doing her own research on the basics before even trying to interview any of the angara, but she could improvise.

“Where did you live before Aya?” she began, starting off with something simple.

“I was born on Havarl in a smaller daar, it was mostly just a research outpost”.

“And did you come from a large family?”

“Do adhi chase their tails?” he asked back.

“I don't actually know”.

“That is a yes. To both”.

“Do you visit your family often?”

Ajaa paused, seeming to recoil from the question. “Next question” he said without a hint of emotion.

She did not know where to go from there. Supposedly family was the most important thing to the angara according to what she had learned at the cultural exchange, and apparently not a good subject for Ajaa.

“Do you believe in reincarnation?” Julie asked cautiously, hoping that was not a sore subject too.

Ajaa took a deep breathe, “I’m not sure. I've definitely seen something from the past, I don't know if their memories”.

“You've had some kind of dream or vision?”

“Not recently, but when I was younger I saw things when I would visit the Repository. In the visions I was always walking around a great city floating in space. It was beautiful, there plants I had never seen before, technology that must have been from before the Scourge, I never saw people, but I heard them speaking a language I did not know”.

“How many of these visions did you have?”

“I'm not sure, five or six maybe”.

“And they just stopped one day?”

“I reached a part in the visions where something big happened, something changed and I was never able to see past it. I think I died then”. His tone was very matter of fact, more like he was making small talk and not sharing that he might have seen his death in a past life.

“You saw your death in a past life?”

“Maybe. I'm not sure what happened. In the last vision I had I entered a room, it looked like a medical facility. The other people were talking to me, I could hear their voices but I never saw them. They asked me something in the language I don't know and I responded, I don't know what I said but I felt sure of it and whatever was going on. I laid down on the table in the room and closed my eyes, then there was just a feeling of peace. I think I went there to die”.

Julie took a deep breath, unsure what to think of this man she barely knew telling her about this. “That's incredible, a little scary, but incredible” She answered, unsure what to make of the visions. “Have you spoken to anyone about the visions?”

“The old curator at the Repository. She told me not to worry about the visions, that it's not uncommon to see parts of a past life, something about the relics there being able to trigger memories.”

“And you think you saw your death?”

“I'm still not sure, but something about what happened felt final. It was a cold and sterile room, but there was a comfort to it, whatever was going on was because I wanted it to.”

“And you're sure it was a medical facility?”

Ajaa cocked his head to the side and took a moment to think. “I think so, I remember a table, and many monitors, and some sort of pod, but that's it.”

“Do you remember what was on the monitors or anything about the pod?”

“I think there were vitals on the monitor, but they weren't mine for sure, and there was another angara in the pod, at least I think. I don't know, I suppose it doesn't make a lot of sense”.

“That's alright. I think that's enough questions for now, I'm sorry if I brought up anything I shouldn't have”.

“It's alright. I haven't thought about the visions for a long time. Maybe one day I'll figure them out”. Ajaa smiled weakly, “I'm sure you have better things to do than just pick my brain”.

“It was interesting talking to you, maybe we can talk again tomorrow?”

“I think I'd like that. It's good to talk to someone that hasn't been caught up in this damn kett war. Let me give you my contact information, you can let me know tomorrow when you have the time to talk, maybe I can even show you around Aya”.

Ajaa pulled up the interface on his own communicator allowing Julie to copy down and translate his information with her omni tool.

Full name: Ajaa Na Rova. Age: 25. Born: Tersha daar, Havarl. Current Location: Aya. Occupation: agricultural scientist. Contact frequency: 6251.43

“I'll give you call tomorrow when I can”.

“I look forward to it”. He smiled again, he really did have a nice smile.

Julie headed towards the Repository, taking her time to stroll through the memorial gardens to read the plaques dedicated to all the angara who died fighting the kett.

Eighty years of war against an enemy that turned your own people into the enemy. Eighty years of families being torn apart and saying goodbye to people knowing it might be the last time you see them. Very few angara were alive who remembered what things were like before kett, and there was not anyone alive who was not affected by the kett.

It was a short, and luckily uneventful, walk to the Repository. Julie was more aware of people watching her after Sivus’s warning yesterday, more aware of people’s whispers, but at least no one tried anything.

The Repository itself was impressive, it was not a large building, but the amount of history crammed into such a small space was astounding. Julie was greeted by the curator when she got there, a young angara women named Avela who never seemed to stop moving.

“Welcome to the Repository” Avela called without looking up from the helmet she was examining as Julie entered the Repository.

“Hello” called Julie back, “the Nexus sent me. I'm supposed to talk with you to get a feel for angaran history before I start doing interviews”.

“Ahh, they told me to expect someone to come by, but not when or who. Anyways, I loaded up that console in the corner with some basics on angaran history, values, beliefs, and anything else culturally important. Go ahead and skim through that and we can discuss it when you're done”.

“Oh, okay. Thanks”. Julie had been hoping for a little more interaction than sit quietly in the corner and read.

“Is there something wrong?” asked Avela.

“Oh no! Just can't wait to actually discuss all of this with an actual angara” Julie smiled, reading everything then talking to Avela really was not a bad way of doing things.

“Haven't had a chance to talk to anyone yet then?”

“Well, I met a few people yesterday and I was able to chat with one of them for a bit today, and I'm meeting up with him tomorrow to ask him some questions actually”.

“Making friends already, that's good” Avela smiled, she seemed like a nice, albeit very busy, woman. “If you don't mind me asking, who were you talking with?”

“Ajaa Na Rova”.

Avela closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh boy. I wouldn't really consider him a good indicator of average angaran values”.

“What do you mean?”

“Don't get me wrong, Ajaa’s a good man, but losing your family so young and then being raised without family sort of skews your view on things. It's not a bad thing per se, but you're never going to hear him talking about the importance of family or anything”.

“Oh” Julie looked down at her feet, she felt a bit bad for asking Ajaa if he ever visited his family when they spoke earlier. “Do you know if there's anything else I shouldn't bring up around Ajaa?”

“The Resistance, the Roekaar, reincarnation, and don't bring up his injuries but if he mentions it first you're probably alright”.

“He doesn't like the Resistance?”

“He likes them now that Evfra is in charge, but before that is another story. The Roekaar is a sore spot in general, don't bring them up. And unless you’d like to spend way too much time on things that are probably not true I'd avoid bringing up reincarnation”.

“You mean the visions he's had?”

“Stars, did he tell you about them?”

“He mentioned them this morning, do you not believe in reincarnation?” Asked Julie. From what she knew just about all angara believed in at least some form of reincarnation.

“I believe in reincarnation, I've spoken to people who have visited here and the relics have sparked memories of the past, there's no doubt that people can see parts of a past life. But Ajaa?” Avela shook her head, “I have no doubt he truly believes he's seen a past life, but I think it's just a child’s imagination mixed with a lot of stress from what he was going through at the time”.

“So you don't believe him?”

“He was young when it happened, maybe 11 or 12 years old, just lost his family, was under a lot of stress from his injuries and the surgeries, and I'm sure he would have had some strong pain killers. Plus, what he saw doesn't line up with anything anyone else has ever seen”.

“So you think he made it up?”

“I think he saw something. But it was probably just a child’s imagination mixed with stress and pain medication”.

“Oh” muttered Julie.

“Look, I'm not trying to bad mouth him or anything, he's a good man, probably better than most, but he can be a bit of an outlier on most things”.

“No, I understand. I should read the stuff you set up for me”.

The rest of the day passed without anything else eventful. Julie learned more about angaran family structure and how differently angara on different planets developed. She learned how angaran law was centered around not necessarily the crime committed, but by how many people it affected and how much it affected them. She learned about how much of their history they lost when the Scourge hit 300 years ago.

“Did you have any questions on anything?” Avela asked as Julie began to pack up her things from where she was sitting at the console.

“I don't think so, the stuff you left me to read was pretty thorough, and it's getting late anyways and I wanted to explore Aya before it got dark”.

“Alright, if you ever have questions feel free to drop by” Avela smiled gently. She seemed like a nice enough woman, though Julie was not sure about she felt about the way Avela spoke about Ajaa though.

Julie made her way towards the central market, hoping it would still be open when she got there since she had not had the chance to visit yesterday after she had unpacked her things and checked in at the embassy. The walk was relatively short, and at least the market was on her way home.

Yesterday, or even this morning, she did not notice how tired everyone looked, Aya might be beautiful but the angara were still a people who had spent eighty years fighting a war. People passed by her covered in scars, or limping, or just looking like they lived through hell.

She had just reached the edge of the market when she heard a familiar voice.

“Hey! Human Julie!” Came Sivus's voice from across the square.

Julie smiled, she did not know much about Sivus, but he seemed like a decent person so far.

“Hey Sivus, doing some shopping?”

“Yeah, seeing if there's anything interesting to eat. You can only live on nutrient paste for so long until it gets to you” Sivus smirked, he seemed to like to smile a lot.

“No Ajaa or Paalka?”

“Nah, Paalka is still at the lab and Ajaa finished up early and went home, I think his legs were bothering him”.

“Because of yesterday?” Julie asked, feeling a bit guilty.

“Because he's Ajaa. He tries to hide it, but he's never doing as well as he pretends to be. Try not to feel too bad for him though, it's sort of a pet peeve for him”.

“I'll try to remember that”.

“I heard you bumped into Ajaa again today, well not actually bumped into him this time” same cheeky smirk on Sivus’s face.

“No, I've learned my lesson about looking for kneeling angara”.

“And you're meeting up tomorrow?”

“Ajaa told you?”

“Of course he did. That man has exactly three friends, if anything interesting happens in his life we know”.

“Yeah, he's answering some questions, sort of an interview. The Nexus stationed me on Aya to try to learn more about angara, learn how to better get along and bridge the gaps between us”.

“Huh, not a bad way to do it I suppose. But if you're going to interview more people though be careful who you chose, there are plenty of people here who aren't happy with the Milky Way presence here on Aya”.

“Do you really think anyone would try anything?”

“It's hard to say for sure, but better safe than sorry, there has been a few incidents”.

“What kind of incidents” Julie asked cautiously.

“Nothing too bad, throwing rotten fruit, petty theft, yelling, but still, I don't want my people to be a part of another war. I don't want the Roekaar and their sympathizers to start something with your Initiative. I'm not trying to scare you, but I do worry”.

“I figured. I don't want the Initiative and your people to fight either”.

Sivus smiled, much more genuinely than his usual smirk. “It's getting dark and if you're on your way home would you mind if I walked with you just in case?”

“I was going to check out the market first”.

“They're pretty much done for the day. Make Ajaa show you around the market tomorrow”.

“If you insist”.

“I do. Ajaa has wanted to learn more about you Milky Way people, you seem like a good person for him to learn from, I’d rather you not get scared off by fanatics”.

Sivus walked with Julie the entire walk back to her apartment, making small talk and pointing out a few of the interesting things about Aya. It was nice to walk with someone friendly and just absentmindedly chat about nothing at all. She had hit the ground running after coming out of cryo, immediately going to work with the Cultural Exchange before being shipped of to Aya, it was nice to just breathe.