#and she devises an evil scheme of her own to get them together with the help of everyone they know. ok it isn't that evil but

[scraftyisthebest]

Man the recent episodes of Horizons have been pretty interesting with the Explorers.

But I also kinda feel at this point that among the Explorers admins, it seems like Spinel and Chalce are the two who are going to be the real "villains" of the group and the true threats to be taken down? The two are very clearly in cahoots with each other, and they're working together and seem to be the "leaders" of every operation the Explorers take on and are the ones to devise the plans. Especially this current one that's been happening throughout the entire chapter, where it's clear that the two had been leading the scheme from the beginning.

Spinel seems to have open hostility towards Amethio and has been working with Chalce to sort of lock Amethio up with Liko in a cave (the latter separated from her friends and with him because of Chalce), while Chalce snuck Coral and Sidian into the academy as a mole and now the two are facing Roy and Dot in a battle that will happen next episode. I think Spinel and Chalce seem to have their own motives in the group and intend to throw out even their fellow admins for their goals. Considering we now know that Amethio is Gibeon's grandson, and Gibeon has chosen him as the heir, I feel like Spinel wants to overthrow Amethio specifically as the heir to the Explorers after Gibeon. Which also explains his total yes-man behavior in regards to Gibeon: he seems to want Gibeon's approval and win him over to become the new head of the Explorers himself, and wants to get rid of Amethio to eliminate the "threat" of him since Amethio has the favor due to his blood relation to Gibeon. Maybe Chalce is also in the same boat.

Because on the other hand, all three of Amethio, Sidian, and Coral seem fairly redeemable. Amethio's sole motivation is to win over his grandfather's approval to be accepted as head of the Explorers, while Coral and Sidian don't really seem to have any innately evil motives for anything and are little more than battle-thirsty blood knights who love battle and seem to actively enjoy getting in the kids' way and beating them up for the fun of it. Sidian is very nice and affable, while Coral isn't and is rather immature and hot-headed, but they don't really feel like they belong with the Explorers...they seem to be there because they want opportunities to battle people and show off how strong they are. The three have had very close interactions with the Explorers at a personal level even as civilians in Coral and Sidian's cases and don't really seem innately "evil". Coral and Sidian are still dragged around by Spinel and Chalce and obey orders when they feel like it but they also tend to act on their own and it's obvious almost every encounter they've had with Liko, Roy, and Dot is by their own will with them disobeying orders in just about every instance. Amethio meanwhile has gone practically completely rogue and is acting on his own.

But I think those three aren't really the villains. Amethio will probably end up siding with the RVT in some way, while Coral and Sidian are at best an annoying nuisance to the kids and will probably just have a weird frenemy relationship with them long term that's built around them battling each other because Coral and Sidian feel like it.

While I don't know what'll become of Gibeon it seems he may not be the sole "big bad", if that's even what he'll end up being at all. Hamber despite being the second-in-command seems like he could be redeemed in some way, and the way Diana talks about him suggests that's how she feels. Even if their current relationship is antagonistic, Diana still does consider Hamber to be her friend, and she feels that she can still do something about him and that he's a better man than he shows himself to be outwardly.

Meanwhile Spinel and Chalce are outwardly "villainous" in their actions and I feel if anyone is certain to be the "main villains" of the story in the end that the other characters have to take down, it'll be them. They're very clever and cunning, and they also clearly have their own plans that will likely involve undermining the Explorers and Gibeon himself. I feel like the others will likely have a better outcome and either will side with the RVT or end up in a place where they're still free and about, either on a new path in the case of Amethio and Hamber, or in the case of Coral and Sidian, vitriolic frenemies with the kids. But Spinel and Chalce will probably end up having to be defeated and ultimately punished in some way, they seem to be the true threats.

A lot of thoughts but yeah that seems to be something I'm inclined to believe. Spinel and Chalce being the real "big bads" at the end. Meanwhile Gibeon and Hamber almost scream "misunderstood good guy" and I feel at least Hamber and Amethio will end up on a better path and redeemed. Amethio is most certainly going to be an anti-hero in the end. And then the "troublemakers" Coral and Sidian are basically going to be the new Jessie and James, two misfits who have nowhere to go so they cling to Liko, Roy, and Dot.

[jackgoodfellow]

THE DOOFENQUESTION, PART 2/2: The Answer

WELCOME BACK TIME FOR SCIENCE

Step 4: Try again. Draw the Doof, take 2.

Okay this is coming together a little bit more now...

No. No, that too "shippable twink." Walk it back some.

Hmmmmmm....

Okay this time I think I accidentally drew college-age Doof. That's closer but still not quite right...

Step 5: actually get the design right for real this time i can do this i know i can

Okay, reference, shape, trace, convert, iterate....

Aaaaaaand

OMG! There he is! There's the guy! Look at that well-meaning disaster dad! Now THIS is a guy who prepares a buffet for his nemesis just to be nice! This man cares just a liiittle more about musical showmanship than his evil plans succeeding! This is a fellow who has a daughter he loves very much, and who made him promise not to embarrass her in front of her friends, but he genuinely doesn't understand why offering all her friends prank almond brittle cans is embarrassing. ("What?? It's a funny joke! See, they're all laughing, Vanessa! I'm just a-- I'm a cool dad!")

Now THAT'S our Doof!

Step 6: Use the Doof design but this time with the human platypus man

I swear on my mother the line for this in the show is "Thwart me, Perry the Platypus." And I just thought you should know that too. I think I can skip the tracing step now.

Yeah this seems about right. This man is like 2 feet taller than Agent P and also cuts his own hair and appears to be unaware of anything in his actions that might suggest homoeroticism. Good good good.

Step 7: freedom at last from this terrible burden produce a final product

So I found something a little gay and went from there

And... voila!!! Viola! Violin! Cello! Horn section! Entire orchestra!!! There they are!!!!!

At last,

The Answer:

So we have our answer! That's what Heinz would look like in a more grounded style, specifically mine!!!!

Which leads us to the follow-up question once more:

IS Heinz Doofenshmirtz hot and is it possible to draw him hot AND true to his character?

Well. The answer is... really up to you! It sounds like a cop-out but it isn't - because beauty is actually very personal and infinitely varied! Surprise!!!!!

Man, science is exhausting.

Like, is he attractive by conventional western beauty standards? No. Marvel would never cast him as a male lead. But also are those standards bullshit? Absolutely. Is this a man who might be insecure about his looks, considering his difficult past? Probably. But is he a hideous monster? Certainly not! Certainly he is cute and pathetic enough to meet the requirements for Tumblr sexyman. I like to think that one might see what Charlene might have seen in him... and what the noncanon human platypus man might see too. I mean, a couple teary-eyed closeup shots and homoerotic moments and this fucker would be on the shipping MAP. And from there, he could take over THE ENTIRE TRI-STATE AREA!!!!!

Oh? What's that?

What do *I* think?? Well, I am an unbiased scientist, and so I really can't say...

But I WILL say that if I were a secret agent working for an organizing without, say, a cool acronym, I might check out this guy's inators......... 👀👀👀👀👀👀

Strictly scientifically speaking, of course.

Most importantly, I believe I have given him a face that is both immediately recognizable as Heinz Doofenshmirtz, as well as a face that one could learn to love!

Funny, really. Seems like everyone with a good heart somewhere inside them has a face that can be loved. But not everyone has a human platypus boyfriend so it goes without saying who's really winning here.

In Conclusion:

I... I don't know what we have learned today? Maybe that the real beauty standards are in the homoerotic friends we make along the way? Or that this was a really fun style challenge?

Perhaps what we learned is that I apparently ship specifically human!Perry and this weird pharmacist dad I drew??

Or maybe the lesson here is that Disney should hire me for the inevitable gritty and/or live-action reboot of Phineas & Ferb in 15 years?

I don't know!

What I DO know is that Karina Drawfee once said that "we don't choose what advances our art." And never has this felt so, so true.

[^ Heres a variation of the same image with different color settings]

And that's all, folks! This took many MANY hours and all the pics have alt-text and fucking no one is going to see this! So if you have made it this far I am mailing you a soft sweet kiss on the forehead, which you may accept if you so wish. Thank you for taking this deeply weird journey with me.

Your brother in sin,

Jack

The Doofenquestion, a scientific experiment

because this is where I'm at in my life now I guess

Okay so the other week I finished watching Phineas & Ferb, and I did an art exercise redrawing screencaps with a human Perry the Platypus.

Which is already a lot to unpack on its own.

But then I got to looking at other people's fan art of human!Perry, and this of course led to me seeing a lot of human Perry facing off against Doofenshmirtz.

What struck me is this: anytime someone chose to interpret Perry as an adult human, they had drawn a sexy secret agent man. Simple enough. Makes sense. I did the same thing. But then, who's that cute little sexy anime protagonist 20-something twink in a labcoat next to him?? Certainly that can't be Dr. D!

No, no, I don't think so... I mean, it's nothing against those artists! If you want a sexy young twink Doof, you do that! I fully support it!

But it got me to thinking...

Is it possible to draw a sexy Heinz Doofenshmirtz and still have him recognizable as himself??

What would he look like in a more grounded style in the first place???

And am I foolish enough to try????

I had only the answer to one of those three questions. For I knew in my heart that I *am* foolish enough to try.

I have outlined my methods and my results below. I think you will find that my data is sound and my results even soundier.

Okay here's the deal:

The Question:

For the purpose of being thorough, the first question I must answer before anything else is "What would Doof look like in a more grounded style?"

From my findings there, I will seek to answer the Follow-Up Question: Is it possible to draw a hot and sexy Heinz Doofenshmirtz while remaining true to his intended character design?

The Disclaimer:

'Phineas & Ferb' is far from a perfect show and I'm actually not a huge fan of creators making characters canonically "ugly" or "repulsive", but that IS what they intended for Heinz in his design, and that interests me.

However, I'm less interested in declaring a certain type of person ugly and more interested in how a realistically-drawn Doof - or at least a Doof in my art style - might look. I am curious how that might compare with the versions of him that are drawn to align with modern "traditional" beauty standards (shippable-twink!Doof, if you will). I'm not here to call out other people's art so I won't post other people's art. And I am not here to make sweeping judgments on beauty standards. I am simply here to do something very pointless VERY thoroughly and hopefully in a way that is fun and not harmful.

The Method:

Step 1: devise a step-by-step process to convert the style of the show into my own style

Okay, to get the hang of this, I am starting from a completely non sexy lens to avoid bias in creating the conversion method. And also because the only other characters with features as exaggerated as Doof's are all children and we don't sexualize children here. I guess this kind of functions as a control group. Which is probably the correct use of that term. Trust me I am a scientist.

It goes like this:

Find reference pic

Extract basic shapes

Trace the pic

Begin working out more realistic anatomy placement and have a brief crisis about Phineas' weird fucking head

Iterate on that sketch to bring it closer to my style

Iterate again

And one more time to be extra sure

There they are! Not bad! And now I have an idea of how the most dynamic and exaggerated shapes of the show's art can be applied to my own style!

Step 2: test this process on other characters from the show

With a process now established, it is time to apply the same logic to a couple of the adult characters. And also to try and condense the process to fewer steps!

First let's try Ferb's dad Lawrence - for whom I have used the traditional "George Jetson" approach.

Hmmmm. Not exactly right. But close...

And of course Major Monogram! Doing this was like correcting the anatomy on a Picasso. Both will get you kicked out of the Louvre.

I'm not gonna lie this one turned out great. There are things I could correct with more iteration, but science is notoriously fast-paced, so it's time to confront our white whale!

Step 3: Draw the Doof.

The same process: Reference image, find the shapes, trace, convert style, iterate

Hm. This isn't quite right... I feel like this is Dr. D.'s horrible license photo or something. Still, it's a start.

And then we have--

Hey! How dare!!!! I have been cut off at the 10 image limit. CURSE YOU, WWW.TUMBLR.COM!!!!

Okay fine.

[To be continued.]

[itstimetotheorize]

Shadowmoths victory, Marinette and Adriens breaking point, the miraculous teams desperate efforts (warning, spoilers for season 4 finale)

Ever since the series began, Marinette had always been considered to be one person who would be the most difficult for hawkmoth to manipulate. And while Marinette has had some close calls such as in  “Zombizou”, “Chameleon” and “Ladybug”, Marinette had always  succeeded in avoiding being akumatized, be it through sheer will power alone or just plain luck such as when Nathalie lost her grip on all the akumatized civilians, including Marinette!. 

However, ever since  the episode “chat blanc” had revealed to us just what it would take to akumatize chat noir , many of us had  since begun to wonder what it would take to finally akumatize Marinette?

Marinettes akumatization had always been foreshadowed in previous seasons, especially season 3. Out of all the foreshadowing the show could have ever provided for a number of things, it was almost as if the show was always hinting towards some extreme event should Marinette ever fall prey to hawkmoths manipulation. An event so shocking it would even rival the time chat blanc had destroyed all of Paris. As to what this event would be and how it would come to fruition, well…that all depended on what would happen to hawkmoth and ladybug.

In terms of  hawkmoth, well, hawkmoth had always stated how despite his ongoing defeat, he knew  ladybugs winning streak could not last forever, sooner or later her luck would run out and when it did, she would make a mistake that would finally guaranty his victory. The only question was...how exactly was ladybug(aka Marinette) going to screw up? what would have happened to her that would cause her to lose the cautiousness which has helped her overcome every obstacle thrown her way?. When it comes to Marinette and her battles against hawkmoth, Marinette had always thought things through, she had always remained cautious, calm, collected and above all...she learned not to let her emotions get the better of her so long as hawkmoth was watching and waiting....then again... If Marinette were truly ever to be akumatized, something needed to happen within the show which would lead her to throw all logic she had out the window....but what?...perhaps Zag studios had already provided us with an answer.

Early in July 2021, Zag studios had revealed something NO ONE believed they would have ever considered making public at such an early stage within the release of season 4, what was it exactly? well....it was the title and synopsis for the season 4 finale! 

According to this news, the season 4 finale had been revealed to be titled, “Shadow moths last attack”!....this... was a big deal! because ever since “Timetagger” revealed to us that Gabriel Agreste would Not be the hawk moth of the future, many wondered when exactly  Gabriels time as the villain of the series would come to an end. Well, after years of waiting, it would appear as though shadow moths time WILL come to an end... in season 4!.

But aside from revealing shadowmoths possible last season, Zag had also coincidentally revealed in an interview one very important, but not all to surprising plot point of the series. Before his inevitable demise... shadowmoth will first obtain what he had worked so hard to take...ladybug and chat noirs miraculous! 

However, despite hawkmoths inevitable victory before his final defeat, its clear something of great importance needed to happen to Marinette in order to guarantee hawkmoth obtaining the miraculous of creation….but what? What needed to happen?

Looking back at all the times shadowmoth had attempted to steal ladybug and chat noirs miraculous, shadow moth had only ever akumatized every person he could get his hands on in order to obtain the help he needed to accomplish his goal.... and yet time and time again, every person he had come across would fail him, but why?...well, maybe it was always because they were never the right person for the job... maybe what hawkmoth always needed was someone who would be considered his greatest “masterpiece”...and as we have seen throughout the series, that someone...was always Marinette!

but even if hawkmoth realizes he must obtain someone like Marinette in order to accomplish his goal, how would he even go about finally akumatizing her?... well...isn't it obvious...shadowmoth never needed to wait for her to fall into emotional destress, because all he needed to do was use the one person who he knew could push anyone to far... or quite simply, cause a situation which would purposely  force large groups of people to be akumatized at the same time. Who is this person exactly? well... we all know the answer to that....its Lila Ross of course!!

Despite Lilas lack of participation within season 4, many understood she couldn't stay quiet forever, after all, Lila had always been presented as someone who was more than willing to take part in some sort of major evil event within the series, such as the season 1 finale, the season 2 finale and even the season 3 finale!!. And based on zag studios reveal of the season 4 finale description, it would appear as though Lila will once again have her part to play. Looking at the season 4 synopsis, its said:

“Having understood that her cautiousness is the reason why Ladybug is always triumphing, Shadow Moth prepares a diabolic plan which consists of creating a supervillain able to make his victims take all sorts of risks. When Marinette finds out that Adrien is leaving Paris for a few weeks with Lila, the new figure of the Agreste brand, she’s ready to do anything to prevent him from doing so; but to what point? Would she reveal her secret identity for the sake of love? And would Adrien take the risk of finally confronting his father?”

Now, despite Marinette having been displayed as someone who was willing to take risks for the wrong reasons in the past, Marinette has also been shown to improve in taking risks for the right reasons over the span of the series (such as entrusting Alya with her secret identity). However!...keep in mind we don't yet know for sure if Marinette will be the one akumatized within the season 4 finale until the studio reveals the official season 4 finale trailer. But if Marinette is truly planned to be akumatized, then its possible the studio may have already revealed to us what we had suspected all along. Just as in “ladybug”, Lila will once again be used by hawkmoth in order to attempt to akumatize the “bad influence” she claims to be following Adrien, the bad influence being of course, Marinette herself! However, considering Lilas agreement with Adrien to not hurt the people he cares about (after pulling a stunt on Marinette which caused her to get expelled) its clear Gabriel will have to devise a scheme which will place Lila in a situation where she will finally force Marinette to reach her breaking point and make her take every risk she can as she watches Lila being given the chance  to leave on a trip with Adrien! 

And considering the great lengths Marinette went through just to warn Adrien of Lila back in “Oni- chan”, who knows what kind of lengths Marinette will go through to stop Lila and Adrien from leaving together. Should this occur, its possible Marinette will begin to lose her sense of self and toss all logic she has out the window as she uses everything and I mean EVERYTHING she has at her disposal to accomplish her goal...this includes her powers as ladybug! 

It wouldn't be the first time Marinette had used her powers for selfish reasons. After all, the only reason the events of “chat blanc” occurred in the first place, was because Marinette decided to use her powers to enter Adriens room in order to leave her signed gift. This single act alone was what ultimately lead Adrien to discover that ladybug is Marinette. So then...  if Marinette were to once again use her powers for the sake of love, would her actions once again result in the one mistake she always knew would lead to disaster? would her misguided attempts.... reveal her identity to shadowmoth himself?!...maybe

If Marinettes desperate attempts really result in her identity being revealed to shadowmoth then would her frustration over Lila, piled on top of everything else she is dealing with as ladybug and guardian, finally seal her fate of being akumatized?!...perhaps....but even if Marinette were to finally be akumatized and even if hawkmoth were to finally obtain his chance to take the miraculous of creation, how would he then obtain the miraculous of destruction from Adrien?...well...lets just say Gabriel might have already had his suspicions from the very beginning, after all, aside from Marinettes akumatization being for shadowed within every season thus far, the only other major for shadowing which followed parallel to Marinette was Gabriels growing suspicion towards Adrien and the ring he had on his finger! However, even if Gabriel continues to grow suspicious towards Adrien, what could possibly happen between the two off them that will finally reveal to Gabriel his sons secrets?...unless...what if Gabriel reveals his secrets to Adrien first?...

Gabriel had always stated how much he wished he could have told Adrien about his mothers true condition and whereabouts. That despite all the cruel things he had done up to now, it was all for the sake of bringing his mother back. When Adrien had discovered hawkmoths identity and the true reason behind his actions back in “chat blanc”, we see how despite chat noirs loyalty to ladybug and despite him wanting to carry out his responsibility as a hero by stopping hawkmoth, Adrien still struggled with  the thought of being given the chance to be reunited with his own mother, even at the cost of ladybug and his miraculous! 

The frustration of his fathers true identity, the realization about his mother having never disappeared and hawkmoths words swaying him with the idea that he could have his mom back was what gave shadowmoth the chance he needed to finally take chat noirs mind and force him to be akumatized! However, keep in mind, all these events happened in a separate timeline which was later fixed through Bunnyx powers and ladybugs quick thinking to erase her name on her signed gift to Adrien. The events of “chat blanc” were sealed to never happen again so hawkmoth would never find out Adriens true identity as chat noir...but if hawkmoth were to truly obtain the miraculous of destruction then... wouldn't Adrien first give him the chance to take it all over again!?

Fans had always feared the return of chat blanc within the series, especially after seeing chat noirs growing frustration over ladybug throughout the span of season 4.

If Adrien were to discover all over again hawkmoths identity and his mother whereabouts near the end of season 4, would Adrien once again give shadowmoth the chance he needs to once again akumatize him?!...along with Marinette?! or would Adriens confusion and distress lead him to once again become vulnerable enough to make a mistake which would reveal to Gabriel what he had suspected all along... his own son.... has a miraculous! but not just any  miraculous, the miraculous of destruction he’s been fighting for!

However!, despite hawkmoth being fated to finally obtain both miraculous, there is still something even hawkmoth himself has yet to realize... something he never bothered to consider as he became blindsided with his thoughts of victory... his wish.... CAN be granted... but its comes with a PRICE!....Its just as Master Fu said, whoever wields the ladybug and cat miraculous will be given the chance to make a wish that can alter reality itself. However!, because the universe needs to maintain a balance when a wish is made, something of equal effect must happen in return. Despite Gabriels plan to use the miraculous to fix a past mistake and finally restore his wife to her former self, Gabriel might have never realized once his wish is granted, something bad will happen in return! as to what this disastrous result would be... well, your guess is as good as mine. If hawkmoth tried to just revive his wife then perhaps someone else might be forced to take her place. But if Gabriel were to go to the extreme and actually change a past event which lead his wife to be in the state she is in now, then this alone could prove to have major consequences. Its just as Bunnyx said, messing with time is dangerous, and if your not careful it could have dire consequences in the future.

 But regardless of what will happen, one thing is for certain, the end result of Gabriels wish.... will be catastrophic! and may quite possibly be to much for ladybug and chat noir to solve even if they do manage to get their miraculous back!

so, this does beg the question, should hawkmoth obtain the miraculous of destruction and creation after akumatizing Marinette and quite possibly even Adrien then later cause a catastrophic event upon seeing his wish be granted...what could possibly happen within the series to solve this mess?!... well, keep in mind, ladybug already planned ahead, after all, she and chat noir are no longer the only superheroes in Paris. Even if she and chat noir were to be defeated by hawkmoth, there is still one person hiding in the shadows, ready to take action and ready to gather all the heroes of the miraculous team in order to face this challenge. Who is this miraculous person waiting to take action should the day arrive? why...its Alya of course!

Ever since Alya had been entrusted by Marinette to act as a temporary replacement to ladybug( should anything ever happen to her) many understood it would only be a matter of time before Alya had to take charge and gather the rest of the miraculous team in order to fight the two people anyone would dread facing in battle, ladybug and chat noir!. But how would Alya even begin to figure out the proper way to handle this kind of situation even with the aid of the other miraculous heroes?, Alya only ever understood ladybugs side of things now that she knew her secret identity, but how could she possibly help chat noir when she doesn't even know who he is!....then again....she doesn't have to struggle with figuring out who chat noir is...because Luka already knows both ladybug and chat noirs identities!

We always theorized ladybug and chat noirs identities would one day be revealed to someone close to them, granted, since season 4 is still ongoing we don't yet know if Adrien will bring himself to reveal his own identity to Nino just as Marinette revealed her identity to Alya at the start of the season. But, ever since the events of “Wishmaker” revealed to Luka the identities of ladybug and chat noir, fans had wondered why Luka of all people would be set up to discover both of their identities without either of their consent?, well, after much debate, the answer may have been obvious all along... unlike the other miraculous heroes, he and one other miraculous holder carry with them a power  which will serve of great importance should Alya and the others be forced to face ladybug, chat noir and hawkmoth all at the same time. Considering the unimaginable challenge which is to be faced near the end of season 4, then its possible Luka was always one person who needed to know ladybug and chat noirs identities should he ever give the team a winning chance! 

If what we suspect is true and if  Alya and the others are meant to face their leaders in a fight, its obvious this fight alone... will be doomed to be plagued with errors and failures!, after all, this is ladybug and chat noir we are talking about, the miraculous team doesn't stand a chance against this dynamic duo to begin with, but if Alya and the other heroes ever plan to succeed then they must have someone who will proved them with a “second chance”, no matter how many things go wrong! Lukas power alone can provide the team with as many chances needed in order to change everything which could result in failure! and  with luka having already known ladybug and chat noirs identities, he will waste no time in finding a way to save their friends rather than remain in shock and confusion over the outcome which will occur in the finale. But if this were to be the teams solution in saving ladybug and chat noir, then what will they then do about the mess hawkmoth leaves once his wish is granted?

 If his wish were to truly cause a catastrophic event, would Marinettes miraculous ladybug be able to fix it even if they managed to defeat shadowmoth? we’ve seen ladybugs power repair some extraordinary things, but could it repair the effects of the two most powerful miraculous being used together? Should ladybug try to repair this incredible damage and fail, then what would she and the others do next once they’ve all failed?....unless....what if this was never their mess to help fix, because if everyone fails, then maybe it will soon be time for ladybug to call upon the one miraculous holder who had been labeled as “the miraculous of last chance”....what is this miraculous?...why...the rabbit miraculous of course!

Fans had always been anticipating the return of Bunnyx, or rather, they have always been waiting to see when young Alix would finally have her chance to use the rabbit miraculous. But considering the dangers of the rabbit miraculous, many knew it would not be used until the day it was absolutely necessary... well... if the team were to continue struggling in saving ladybug and chat noir, then perhaps Alix will soon rise up to help figure out a way to not only save ladybug and chat noir, but also help find a way to repair the incredible damage which will be caused by hawkmoths wish...but what will she do?... will she travel to the past to alter something which will fix the present?... if so, what would she even change without causing another catastrophe?... or will she travel to the future and seek the aid of someone who she knows could help her and the team solve this terrifying crises?...but even if she did, who could she possibly bring back to the present?...would it be someone she already knew and trusted just as much as her future self talked about trusting herself?....someone like...the ladybug and chat noir of the future!?...maybe...but I guess we will just have to wait and see, for now thats just a theory... a miraculous ladybug theory!

[gay-spaghetti]

Evil Celine | Who Killed Markiplier? AU

evil celine evil celine evil celine evil celine evil celine evi-!!! ----

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a LONNNNG time, way back when WKM came out in 2017. I remember being so sure that Celine was bad. When DAMIEN came out though, I realized she wasn’t heartless, just stoic and strong!

Buuuuuut~~ this gives me the perfect opportunity me to go crazy with an AU! So what if Celine was the dastardly villain in all of this?

Here’s a summary of the AU under the cut! I’m planning to do a MAP in the near future, so keep an eye out! :D

In this AU, Mark is still a famous and wealthy actor, but he is widely beloved and rather charitable. He occasionally gets a big head, and isn’t always very modest, but he’s by no means a wicked or selfish person. He cherishes his career as an actor, and loves bringing joy to his fans. Mark is also head-over-heels for his wife Celine, a mysterious, and seemingly-magical seer. They met through her twin brother Damien, Mark’s good friend and town mayor.

Celine prides herself in her supernatural work, but unlike her husband, she views power and wealth as what’s most important. Manipulative, greedy, narcissistic, power-hungry---all accurate ways to describe her. Being extremely intelligent, she dropped out of college, viewing it as a waste of time. When her, slightly-younger, brother Damien became mayor, he introduced her to his friend Mark, a well-known celebrity. With Mark’s gorgeous looks, wealth, status, and sweet, flirtatious attitude, the two of them hit it off instantly, and got married a few years later.

After a couple of short years into their marriage, Celine realizes she’s unhappy and rather annoyed, knowing that she doesn’t really love Mark. Originally, she was going to divorce him, but she realized she didn’t want to lose all the wealth she shared with Mark---which technically all belonged to him. So to solve this problem, she resorts to killing her husband to collect the insurance money.

Celine figured this would be easy enough, but something rather bizarre and unexpected happens. After killing him, Mark just comes back to life within a few hours! The next few weeks, Celine does everything she can to end his life. She stabs him, drowns him, chokes him, poisons him, shoots him, and much more, but nothing is successful. He just wont stay dead.

During these attempted murders, Mark is scared and extremely confused, having no idea that Celine is the one doing this. He doesn’t even realize that he’s actually dying and repeatedly coming back. He goes to his dear friend and butler, Ben, to vent his fears and frustrations, going to Celine for comfort too, but she just tells him that these are all simple nightmares. Of course, that doesn’t convince him. Cuts, bruises, gunshot wounds, occasionally choking up water, and other sorts of horrible things are not typically symptoms of bad dreams.

Finally, Mark somewhat realizes what’s happening here. At the very least, he recognizes that his beloved wife is the cause. Celine attempts to kill him yet again, but this time, he was expecting it. After a fight and a loud argument, Mark forces her to leave his home. She happily leaves, finally revealing how she truly feels about Mark. Not only that, but just a week or so later, she gets together with Mark’s friend Colonel William, who thinks Celine and Mark just divorced.

Stricken with agonizing grief, anger, horror, and anguish, Mark soon devises a plan to get back at his sickeningly evil wife. This plan....is the poker party plan.... but with a few differences. 

Being corrupted by heartbreak and the dark influences of the manor, Mark’s scheme is cold and twisted. Not wanting an actual officer or detective to be involved in this, he hires a good friend he met in college, a fellow drama student and actor named Abe, to pretend to be a detective. Their plan was to expose Celine's horrid actions to her brother, and all of Mark’s friends. Ultimately, Mark was going to make sure that Celine “died” in that house, so she could feel exactly what he went through.

Things... don’t exactly go the way they were intended though.

Celine, Damien, William, and the DA are all invited to the poker party, with Chef and Butler Ben attending as well (Obviously). The plan kicks off with DA finding Mark’s dead body. Most of the same things occur; tensions rise, accusations are made, weird happenings from the house, and more, but this time, Celine is there from the start, and Abe is in on it. Also, the scene in the wine cellar does not happen. 

When Celine starts getting rightfully accused, William throws a wrench into things by repeatedly standing up for her, to the point where he and Abe start shouting and pointing guns at each other.

After hours of intensity, high tensions, and strange evil from the house, Celine attempts to put a stop to this. She goes into that small room with her brother, finally being able to recognize the dark powers lying within the mansion. She figures out what Mark is trying to do, and she tries to end it with her dark magic. Damien is scared, confused, and beyond worried.

Meanwhile, Abe hurries to the room to prevent Celine from stopping Mark’s plan, but William blocks him, wholeheartedly believing that his love is innocent. A loud and angry argument ensues, which leaves both men dead. William, a soldier of war, shoots Abe in the chest. Abe, a simple actor with not as much experience with guns as the Colonel, shoots William in reaction to being shot, getting him right in the head. Of course, he dies instantly, and Abe dies just a few minutes after, completely horrified by his actions and the overall situation. The DA is just as, if not more, horrified, having just seen two people kill each other.

While that happens, Celine is performing her wicked magic, her goal being to end Mark for good. She realizes though that for this particular spell to work, she needs a sacrifice. So, being the cold-hearted person that she is, she kills Damien---someone who loved and trusted her. This backfires, and the manor’s evil is proven to be more powerful than Celine. She, along with her brother, turn into the entity called Dark (Dark’s appearance more resembles Celine in this AU). In a confrontation between Dark and Mark in a black, endless void, Mark uses Celine’s life energy to heal his broken body, although scars still cover his form. He shames and condemns Celine for what she’s done, expressing his sorrow for Damien, and the rest of his friends, as he only intended for Celine to suffer. With that, Mark escapes his mansion for good.

The dust settles.... and the manor is quiet. The groundskeeper, butler, and chef, are all long gone, and death overcomes the building. Panicked, confused, and traumatized, DA leaves the manor, but is surprised to find Mark outside! Seeing the pain the DA went through, Mark is shocked, and even feels guilty. He apologizes, and comforts and reassures them, offering his friendship. Still wildly baffled, and a little hesitant, DA accepts.

Back inside the manor, around 15 hours after Mark and the DA leave, Abe and William awaken from their death. They are BEYOND puzzled and definitely traumatized. Stricken with uncertainty and insanity, the two leave together. Dark leaves too, but she makes sure she is not seen. Her quest to successfully kill Mark is nowhere near over.

Over the decades, Mark continues his acting career, but also starts directing! DA is along for the ride, and the two of them, now close friends, get into all sorts of shenanigans and strange adventures.

Abe and Will do as well, but this time, as friends, not enemies. They both lean into their insanity in their own way. They both suffer through it, but Will eventually starts to embrace is, and Abe is stuck feeling traumatized and helpless. As shown above, they become performers together to find purpose. Will becomes a joyful clown, and Abe becomes an anxious and sorrowful mime.

This Dark is very similar to canon Dark, but is way more evil and harsh. She’ll occasionally stick around with William (now Wilford), but is more often than not trying to sabotage Mark and DA’s adventures and shows.

-----

@itsjustkyss @smiledog15578 @huffle-puff-ego

So that’s my AU!! I know that’s a LOT of information.... oof :3 I really hope y’all like it! Feel free to ask me questions about it, draw art, and even suggest ideas for it!

Again, I plan to host an animated MAP for this AU, so keep a lookout for that!

[janaikam]

My second to last commission for the @mlbforblm drive. This one was a pool request by @chatnoirinette for a djwifi date with marichat/ladrien. Because I’m marichat trash I decided to make this one with djwifi and marichat. I hope you all enjoy!

Thank you @marikittynoir for betareading!

Summary: Walking back home one night, Alya spots Marinette letting Chat Noir into her room. Alya and Nino accidentally uncover a bit more than expected when confronting their friend about the situation.

X

“Nino, I’m fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve walked back home alone.” Alya held her phone close to her ear as she glanced from side to side, watching for cars before crossing the sidewalk.

She was passing by her old college, Francois Dupont, which meant she had only a ten-minute walk left until she got home safe and sound.

Unfortunately, Nino wasn’t having any of that.

“Yeah, you do, but normally you’re walking in the daylight not the middle of the night!” Nino exclaimed on the other end. She could just imagine him pacing in his room, worrying about her. Nino was super sweet and she loved that he cared so much, but times, like this, it could be really annoying.

“I didn’t mean to stay so long at the library on purpose, but hey, at least I didn’t stay until dawn again! Plus this time I called you,” Alya pointed out.

The library Alya had just come from was this new 24 hour one that opened up. They had regular library hours, but if you wanted to stay behind and do your own research they let you pay for a membership. Alya had jumped on the opportunity as soon as she heard that they had a whole section on superheroes. There had been many times when she either stayed at the library all night or fallen asleep and Nora had to come pick her up because it got too late.

Tonight she really tried to leave at a decent time. She had even set an alarm, but that darn snooze button would be the death of her. She had been doing some research on past Ladybug miraculous users for the Ladyblog, and by her probably 10th time pressing snooze, she had noticed a bunch of college-aged students glaring at her. She had packed up everything really quickly and exited the building before checking the time on her phone. It had been 11:00 P.M.

“Do I have to start coming with you to make sure this stops happening?”

Alya rolled her eyes as she stopped at the crosswalk not too far from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. The bakery lights were off, but she could see Marinette’s bedroom light still on. Hmm. Maybe she could throw pebbles at her window like a little Romeo. But then Marinette would convince her to stay the night and she couldn’t afford to do that.

“No, dad. I’m fine. In fact, I’m about to pass by Marineee…” Alya trailed off, staring blankly at Marinette’s balcony.

Alya watched as Chat Noir landed on top of the balcony. He knocked twice before Marinette’s head poked out of the trapdoor and she kissed him on the cheek before moving so Chat could enter her room.

“Alya?! Are you there? What’s wrong?” Nino’s panicked voice interrupted Alya’s racing thoughts.

Alya gulped as the crosswalk light turned green, but she didn’t move an inch too scared that she might unravel what she just witnessed.

“Nino, I think Marinette is dating Chat Noir.”

                                                           XXX

No one could ever say Nino never supported Alya.

Alya wanted to be the power duo at Just Dance? He broke out his best dancing shoes and helped her climb to the top.

Alya wanted to chase akumas? Nino was there by her side, making sure she didn’t kill herself in the process.

Alya wanted to be a superhero? Nino was Rena Rouge’s number one fan and everyone knew it.

Alya wanted to help track down Hawkmoth? Well, Nino was more than happy to give the old fart a piece of his mind.

But when Alya suggested her best friend was dating the cat-themed superhero of Paris? Well, that was just a little too hard for him to believe.

Ignoring the fact that Marinette has a giant crush on his best friend, Chat Noir just wasn’t her type. Marinette never seemed to be interested in the boastful arrogant types. At least from what he remembered about her. But then again he could be wrong about her. Heck, he could even be wrong about Chat Noir. Yet none of that even began to explain why the two of them would be spending time with each other that they would start to even date.

It just made 0 sense.

“Nnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnooooooooooo,” Alya drawled. “I know what I saw. Marinette kissed Chat Noir and then proceeded to let him into her room!”

“Maybe it isn’t what you think it is?” Nino suggested hopefully.

“What am I supposed to think, Nino!? That my best friend is just sneaking a boy in a leather-looking magical catsuit into her room in the middle of the night for the heck of it?”

Nino shrugged. “They could just be friends who are hanging out? Chat Noir doesn’t always have to parade around as Paris’ superhero. He’s probably just a normal everyday person and Marinette decided to help him feel normal. I mean Marinette is super nice about those things.”

“But the kiss! The Kiss, Nino!”

“Uhh...maybe they’re friendly? I mean we’re French. We kiss in greeting.”

Alya gave Nino a deadpanned look.

“What else am I supposed to say? There are so many other logical explanations for why Marinette would kiss Chat Noir as he snuck into her bedroom.” Nino paused for a second. “Okay, that sounded really bad as I said it, but c’mon Alya. You really think Marinette would start dating Chat Noir?”

Alya tapped a pen on his cap. “That’s what I’m going to find out!”

Nino groaned, knowing Alya she’d devise some crazy scheme to get Marinette to confess that she was dating Chat Noir.

“Alya, please, don’t do anything stupid,” he begged.

“Stupid? Who me?” Alya blinked innocently as she walked towards the door. “Relax, I’ve got it all figured out.”

Alya winked at him as she exited the apartment.

Hopefully, Marinette has better luck than me convincing her.

                                                          XXX

“On your left!” Adrien shouted as he moved his cat-themed character across the Marshmallow Marsh.

Thanks to Adrien, Nino just narrowly avoided a sugar bomb. Maneuvering around the sticky mess left in its wake, Nino was able to catch up to Adrien’s character as they reached the end of the marsh and the end of the level.

Candy Chompers was one of Adrien and Nino’s favorite games ever since they discovered it two months ago. They had been enamored by the sugary sweet world and all the characters and adventures that came with it.

It was really a nice change from the games that guys their age played. Less violence and gore. More cute adorable animals wanting to save their world from being overrun by the evil Candy Lord.

As the next level loaded, Nino felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. He shifted his position on Adrien’s couch so he could reach the phone.

Nino groaned as he read the text from Alya. So Marinette failed at her job yesterday.

Adrien glanced at Nino. “Everything okay?”

“No.” Nino paused the game, running his hand through his hair. “Apparently, Marinette and Chat Noir are dating and it seems Alya is making us go on a double date Saturday.”

“Wait, Alya found out Marinette and Chat Noir are dating?” Adrien asked, almost fearful.

“Yeah, crazy right?” Nino set his controller on the arm of the couch. “I always thought you two would get together.”

“Heh, yeah, Marinette and I. Definitely won’t happen now. Cause she’s with Chat. Hehe.”

Nino raised his eyebrows. Adrien was acting weirder than usual. And that was saying a lot, considering he always had the lamest excuses when akumas happened. Nino never really questioned the excuses though. Whatever he was doing when they occurred was Adrien’s business.

“So you’re going on a double date with Chat Noir?”

Nino nodded.

“Awesome. Great. Amazing.”

Before Nino could ask about Adrien’s weird response, Adrien unpaused the game, forcing Nino to refocus on the level ahead.

Adrien’s behavior was weird, but maybe he just had more feelings for Marinette than Nino thought. Man, he really shouldn’t have mentioned the double date in front of Adrien. Poor dude.

                                                          XXX

“I still don’t see why you had to invite them over for a date,” Nino said, watching Alya pull out her famous chicken casserole from the oven. The smell of the dish alone was enough to get Nino’s mouth watering.

Placing the hot dish on the stove, Alya turned towards Nino. “I needed to see if this little kitty is good enough for our Mari.”

“Alya. He’s a superhero. You’ve had interviews with him. How can you say he’s not good enough for Nette?”

There was the sound of voices coming from Alya’s front door, so Nino moved to go open it. From what he could tell the two people outside of it were arguing.

“For all we know, Chat Noir could just be keeping up appearances. Knowing the entirety of Paris is watching, he could have just put on this fake personality, and underneath he’s just this ugly troll, trying to hurt our precious Marinette.”

Nino rolled his eyes at his girlfriend’s antics.

“Why are you dressed like that?” One of the voices in the hallway said. Kind sounded like Marinette if he really focused on the voice.

“I thought that this was appropriate.” Wow, that sounded a lot like Adrien. “Especially considering they think that—”

The voices stopped as soon as Nino opened the apartment door.

Huh, so it was Marinette’s voice he heard, but definitely not Adrien’s.

Marinette and Chat Noir looked like little kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Both of them looked extremely stiff as they stood next to each other right outside the apartment door.

“Oh, you’re here!” Nino jumped at Alya’s sudden appearance behind him. “Nino, don’t make them stay out there all night.”

“Yeah, c’mon in!” Nino moved aside to let the couple in.

“You came at a perfect time, I just took out the food. I’ll bring it out in just a second!” Alya said, walking back into the kitchen.

“Okay, Alya. We’ll be at the dining table,” Marinette responded, leading Chat over to the table in the dining room.

Nino wasn’t sure if it was just him, but Marinette seemed extremely tense like she was a mouse stuck in a field of mouse traps.

There was an awkward pause at the table once the three sat down. Neither of the couple in front of Nino seemed very eager to strike up a conversation. Probably just nerves.

Considering the circumstances, Nino figured that they never really expected to go on a double date ever, so now being on one was likely very weird.

“Uh, so, Chat, what do you like to do for fun?” Nino asked.

“Oh, you know. Everyday teenage boy things. Play video games, flex in the mirror, save princesses. Normal everyday activities. Hehe.”

“What games do you play?”

“I play a bit of Ultimate Mecha Strike III and Cand—OW!”

Nino watched confused as Chat Noir brought his foot up to his face and cradled it. Marinette didn’t seem at all concerned by her boyfriend’s antics. Instead, she was glancing back towards the kitchen where Alya was adding some finishing touches on her casserole.

“Oh, so you and Marinette must’ve bonded over your love for UMS3. She’s like the queen of that game. I still have yet to meet someone who could beat her at it.”

Chat Noir scoffed. “I’ve beat Little Miss Constipation Girl here at UMS3 multiple times.”

Of all the names to call Marinette, that had to be the weirdest one ever. He definitely had to ask about that later. As far as he knew , the only people who knew about the constipation incident were him, Alya, the girls, and Adrien. Well Nino only knew because Adrien had told him about his trip to London and Alya filled him in on some minor details after the fact.

Marinette either blushed in embarrassment at the nickname or at the fact that she wasn’t an unbeatable mastermind at UMS3. “You only won both times because you cheated by distracting me!”

“A true champion knows not to get distracted by the tiniest of things.” Chat had a smug smirk on his face as he watched Marinette turn as red as a tomato.

“Why you mangy little all-”

“Dinner is served!” Alya announced, interrupting Marinette.

Whatever the incident was surrounding UMS3, Nino was definitely never going to bring that up again for fear of his life or Chat’s life.

“So what were you guys talking about?” Alya asked, taking the seat beside Nino.

“Nothing much. Wow, babe this looks amazing. Let’s dig in!” Nino exclaimed, quickly grabbing a serving of the casserole.

Chat and Marinette followed suit while Alya gave Nino a look that read, ‘What the heck is going on?’. Instead of answering the exact question she was thinking, Nino turned towards his plate and started filling his mouth with food.

Alya shook her head at his antics, grabbing her own portion.

The next few minutes were spent in a comfortable silence as everyone dug into the food.

Alya really out did herself this time. Maybe Marinette should sneak around with superheroes more often if this is how Alya ends up cooking.

“You’re a hungry little cat aren’t you?” Alya asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Looking up, Nino saw Chat with his claw (paw?) on the spoon for the casserole dish.

“Sorry, I didn’t get to eat a whole lot today and this is really good food, Ms. Ladyblogger.”

Nino, along with Alya and Marinette, looked at Chat concerned. Of all people, Nino would’ve thought a superhero would eat enough to stay healthy. Superheroes like Chat and Ladybug were always out there running around stopping akumas. Not eating enough food? That was practically a death wish.

“Nino, could you go get the leftover coleslaw from our lunch earlier. I think Chat needs it more than Ella and Etta.”

Nino immediately complied, more than eager to help out the poor boy who consistently saved Paris.

“No, you don’t have to!” Chat started shaking his hands, trying to stop Nino.

“Dude, we have a model friend who doesn’t eat enough as it is and I always make him eat some of my leftovers. As far as I know you’re not a model, but you save Paris like everyday so a healthy diet is a must.” Nino pushed the bowl of coleslaw into Chat’s arms. “Here, take as much as you want.”

“Oh, um, thanks. I’m not really sure what to say.” Chat blushed.

“You don’t say anything. Just eat.” Marinette grabbed the coleslaw from Chat’s hands and filled his plate with a nice serving. Alya did similar and picked up the casserole dish, piling even more food onto his plate.

“Oh, okay then.” Chat picked up his fork and stared at his plate now full of food.

“I don’t see a lot of eating going on there.” Marinette had her hands on her hips, watching Chat to make sure he would eat. Chat clearly didn’t want to test Marinette on the topic of food, so he complied by eating the food in front of him.

“I think I finally get it. Marinette is dating Chat to make sure that he would be eating enough!” Alya shouted after a few minutes watching the two.

“Wait what you think I’m dating Chat!?” “That’s exactly the reason!”

Marinette and Chat blurted at the same time.

Nino furrowed his eyebrows at Marinette’s statement. That didn’t make a lot of sense considering they were currently on a double date.

“Wait, what do you mean you and Chat aren’t dating?” Apparently, Alya also picked up on Marinette’s statement.

“Um, well you see Chat is here, umm, filling in for Adrien because you mentioned how you saw me with my boyfriend and I’m dating Adrien hehe.” Marinette smiled unconvincingly.

“So you’re not dating Chat Noir?”

Marinette shook her head. “I’m not...did you think I was?”

“Uh, yeah! I saw him sneak into your room one night and you kissed him on the cheek!”

Marinette glanced at Chat. “Oh, uh, you saw that? Chat and I just hang out sometimes. Giving each other cheek kisses and all.”

Alya blinked while Nino grinned at the explanation. It was practically the same explanation he had given Alya when this whole thing started.

“Oh. Then that means you’re dating Adrien?”

Marinette nodded.

“And Chat filled in because Adrien couldn’t make it?”

Marinette nodded again.

“Uh, I have a question.” Nino felt the entire table’s eyes on him as he spoke. “Why did Chat volunteer if you and Adrien were keeping your relationship a secret? Why not just say Adrien couldn’t come instead of outing your secret to three people?”

“Adrien and I are bad at keeping secrets?” Marinette said more so as a question.

“Clearly.” Alya sighed. Nino could tell she was just as confused as he was.

There was just something about her story that didn’t add up. It was really bugging him, but he couldn’t place his finger on it.

Unless it was…

“Hey, Nette, did you ever tell Chat about the prescription incident?”

“No, why?”

That was it. That was what didn’t make sense. “Why did Chat call you ‘Little Miss Constipation Girl’ earlier?”

“Uhh…”

“There was another constipation incident!”

Alya gave the pair a look of disbelief. “As much as I could believe Marinette had some separate constipation incident. I feel like your actions suggest otherwise.”

“I mean it’s not like there’s anything ba—Oh my gosh, Chat’s Adrien.” The answer just hit Nino like a bullet train. How could he have been so blind. Adrien was the only dude who even knew about that stupid constipation incident. And then his actions lined up almost perfectly with how Chat acted. Even his reaction at the dinner invite. He was probably completely confused on who he was supposed to show up as.

“How could I have been so blind!” Alya exclaimed next to him.

“I guess we let the Chat out of the bag, huh?” Chat whispered to Marinette.

“No, you did!”

“Nah, it was a team effort.”

[nevermore-the-kitsune]

Top Ten Biggest Polt Twists in Animation (in my opinion).

Spoiler Warning

10. April is a mutant (TMNT 2012)

In this incarnation of TMNT, the turtles fight the evil Kraang. Their main target is April O'Neil. The reasons why have been kept vague until it is revealed that she herself is a mutant! Not any mutant but a combination of Kraang and human DNA.

9. The Philosopher Stone is made out of People (Fullmetal Alchemist series)

Brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric committed the ultimate taboo and attempted to bring back their deceased mother. However, in the process Ed lost his arm and leg while Alphonse lost his body and became a soul bound to a suit of armor. The brothers came to believe that only the philosopher stone, who is said to hold unlimited alcchemic potential, was the only way to get their bodies back to normal. That dream is shattered when they learn that the stone is made by killing thousands of people.

8. The Author was Stan's Twin Brother (Gravity Falls)

Gravity Falls is a town that holds many secrets. During their summer visiting their great uncle Stan, Dipper and Mabel discover a mysterious book that holds the secrets that lie beneath Gravity Falls. A major theme throughout this show is "who is the author" the mystery twins encounter many strang things in their quest to find out who they are. Only to have it revealed that Stan's brother was the author.

7. Chad is still in the KND (Codename Kids Nextdoor)

In the beginning of this series, Chad or #274, was the leader of the KND. Until his 13th birthday, when he betrayed them. Throughout the series Chad joins the KNDs nemesis, the teenagers, and takes a part in their plots to destroy the KND. However, when #1 is given a chance to take him out, Chad reveals that he never left the KND and was working as a spy.

6. Grandpa Max was a Plumber (Ben 10)

Ben 10 tells the story of ten year old Ben Tennyson who is on summer vacation with is grandfather and cousin, traveling the U.S in an old RV. On the first night Ben finds the Omnitrex, a device that allows him to transform into different aliens.

By the end of the first season Max reveals that he was a Plumber, an intergalactic police officer, and had know the whole time what the Omnitrex was and the Aliens Ben transformed into. While not a huge twist (the series would have some bigger ones as it continued) it was still a shock to learn that Max knew what was going on the whole time.

5. Rose betrayed the Huntsclan (American Dragon: Jake Long)

Dragon Jake Long fell in love with a member of The Huntsclan, Rose or Huntsgirl. However, she in turn fell in love with Jake not knowing that he was a dragon. Rose gets the chance to kill Jake, if she does she will become a full fledged member, but Jake shows her his human face. In turn she lets him go and runs away.

During the second season, the Huntsclan attemp to destroy every magical creature by using mythical skulls that grant anyone who brings them together a perfect wish (Think the dragonballs). In the last moment she strikes down her master and instead wishes for the destruction of the Huntsclan, knowing that that will include her.

4. Rose Quortz was Pink Diamond (Steven Universe)

Many believed that Rose Quortz, the leader of the resistance and mother of Steven, had shattered Pink Diamond, one of the heads of the Gems. However it is revealed in season 5 that she WAS pink diamond and had faked her own death to protect the Earth.

3. Nagisa's blood lust came from his mother (Assassination Classroom)

Class 3E is the bottom of society, but they have been given the chance of a lifetime. A being who can move at mock 20 says that he will destroy the Earth in one year, unless one of them can Assassinate him. He takes on the role of their homeroom teacher to better prepare them.

Out of all the students in 3E, Nagisa Shoita was the lest impressive. He was small, weak, and looked more feminine than his female classmates. Yet, Nagisa has the national talent of an assassin. He managed to get the drop on their gym teacher, a man who is skilled in many fighting styles, and took down an ex military officer (twice). He has surprised his classmates with his abilities, feom getting the drop on top assassins, including their homeroom teacher, to installing fear with just a glare.

However, this came at a price. His mother is abusive beyond reason. She forces Nagisa to grow his hair long, makes him wear dresses and other feminine clothing. On several occasions she has bashed his head into solid objects. She is unpredictable, forcing Nagisa to do what all children in that situation do, learn to control his emotions and read the thoughts of others. This woman created a viper.

2. Eric Cartman and Scott Tenerman are brothers (South Park)

Cartmans mom has always been loose. The identity of her son's father was likely going to stay a mystery. But during the second episode of season 2 we get our answer (kinda). The answer was given now we could move on.

In a later episode Cartman gets scammed and humiliated by Scott Tenerman, an older teenager. So, Cartman devises a scheme. In the end Scotts parents are dead and eaten in some chille.

Many seasons later its revealed that Scott's Father and Eric's are one and the same. Ms. Cartman amd the town had lied about his identity in order to protect his public image. Thus Cartman killed his own father.

1. Zak Saturday is Kur (The Secret Saturdays)

From the beginning I knew this would be number one.

The Secret Saturdays is about a family of scientists who study crypteds, or strange creatures with unique abilities. The most dangerous was Kur, a creature said to have the power to raise a crypted army and take over the world. Zak has the ability to manipulate crypteds leaving him and his family to believe that shoukd Kur be unleashed onto the world, Zaks power woukd be the only thing that coukd stop it.

At the end of season 1, the truth is revealed that Zak IS Kur.

The entire first season is dedicated to finding Kur and talking about how dangerous he is. Then it turns out that it's Zak, a 12 year old boy with a kind heart. I cannot describe how shocked I was, then having to wait years to find out the outcome (we moved around alot) killed me.

Remember that this is my opinion. What are some of your favorite plot twists in animation?

(Images are not mine, all credit goes to the artists)

[mobius-prime]

49. Sonic the Hedgehog #34

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To 'Bot or Not to 'Bot!

Writer: Angelo DeCesare Pencils: Brian Thomas Colors: Barry Grossman

Serious efforts have begun to try to reverse the roboticization process. Rotor's been testing out some things with Uncle Chuck and Muttski as his volunteers, with no success. Meanwhile, as is his wont, Robotnik's been working on his latest evil scheme - an army of near-indestructible combots that he plans to lead into battle against the Freedom Fighters at the Great Forest tomorrow in a surprise attack, while dressed in a new getup that actually makes him look more like a modern Eggman rather than the really gross and outdated Robotnik design we've been dealing with this entire time.

Luckily, Dulcy, making her second appearance of the comic (despite her being a major character in the SatAM show) has overheard this plan and rushes back to inform the Freedom Fighters. They cobble together a hasty plan in the dead of night to have Uncle Chuck, Muttski and of course Sonic sneak into Robotropolis and blow up all the combots before they can be set upon the forest. However, predictably, things go wrong soon into the mission.

Uncle Chuck and Muttski are zapped by Robotnik and have their minds re-enslaved, and come the next morning, none of them have returned from their mission, leaving the rest of the Freedom Fighters worried. It doesn't take them long to find out what happened.

Yes, Robotnik is not afraid to use his enemies as a meat shield! Really, are we surprised? Sally and the others realize this is a battle they can't win and start directing all the civilians of Knothole to the underground shelters that they apparently have just had this whole time, but Robotnik cuts them off with the assistance of Uncle Chuck, and things seem hopeless until…

The combots pull a 180 and march straight off a cliff, Sonic's suddenly free of his restraints, and Robotnik and Snively are barely able to get away before Sonic straight up blasts them with the cannon of the tank he was strapped to. Jesus, Sonic! At this point, Uncle Chuck and Muttski break character - turns out they were merely pretending this entire time to be re-enslaved, having been outfitted by Rotor with the neuro-overrider chips that he tried to use on Sally back when she volunteered to be roboticized in StH #29.

Sadly, though, this means saying goodbye to Uncle Chuck and Muttski once again, since now that Robotnik thinks they're back under his control, they'll make perfect spies. And so, they head back off to Robotropolis, leaving Sonic behind…

A Sense of History (Part One)

Writers: Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders Pencils: Ken Penders Colors: Barry Grossman

We were actually promised this story all the way back in the third issue of the Tails miniseries, as I mentioned back then. From Athair we learned a little bit about how the Floating Island became the Floating Island because of a comet that crashed down on its location. Well, now we're going to learn a little bit more about that.

As Knuckles gazes upon the dark silhouette of a mountain he calls Mount Fate, he decides to sit and think about his race's history rather than do literally anything to rescue his friends from their captivity. Apparently the echidnas that lived here in Echidnapolis were once the most technologically advanced race on the planet, which made them rather arrogant. However, as they charted space they detected the incoming comet, and rather than evacuate, a couple of married scientists devised a daring plan.

With the power of a dozen Chaos Emeralds they were able to raise their island into the sky, leaving the rest of the planet behind and isolating themselves even further. Look, those two poor Sonic clones are so sad to have to hammer in a vacancy sign on their abandoned real estate!

Well that's where Knuckles' nostalgic recounting of his race's own history ends for now, but we'll learn more soon in the next issue.

[herrikhan]

hey hi i need to do a giant meta on cha boy

first some clarification/context:

“Forever” is the land of “the Immortals” in the book and it’s basically like. heaven. where all the cool people who did awesome things go. saints, great scientists, righteous rules, etc., all those types of people end up in Forever as Immortals.

The Universe exists as like. an entity. in and of itself. it’s basically god in this whole knockoff christianity thing. it creates things and occasionally speaks to them, but the vast majority of the time it’s just the ocean all the fish live in so to speak; it will set people on paths and vaguely influence the tide of humanity to keep things ~in balance~ but it NEVER directly interferes if it can help it. however, it did directly interfere in herrikhan’s case, because he tried to declare himself the one true god and The Universe was like “yeah no you need to stop”

OKAY SO................. herrikhan was a star originally, like a literal star in the sky, but he really wanted to just go chill on earth i guess, and since he was one of The Universe’s most favorite and beloved... creations? beings? (which is a direct rip-off of the whole satan and god thing i know I KNOW bear with me it will get less blatantly christian as we go on) The Universe was like “sure thing lil dude, just bring another star with you for the buddy system, text us when you get there okay” and thus herrikhan and his pal sofya both went to earth. don’t ask me when this was because it was a VERY long time ago, like, pre-christianity a long time ago

if i may be so bold....... CHRISTIANITY was the one who ripped off HERRIKHAN........ and this is probably the only place i’m ever going to say that because i’m just here to have fun not to be That Atheist

herrikhan and sofya both had magic powers obviously and they both sought to build those powers but !!! and this is very important !!! herrikhan sought power through action while sofya sought power through knowledge. herrikhan became a conqueror and tyrant who used his magic to suppress people; sofya became an advisor and wise woman who used her magic to see all sides and outcomes of a situation and offer the best solution for all parties.

sofya in the book is kind of like an oracle: she can see all of time, and thus she can offer guidance or warnings, but she can’t see it clearly enough to change the future drastically. she knows what the basic outcome will be but not how that outcome will happen, and because of this, she can make mistakes/misjudgements. (this was the case with holly and herrikhan but i’ll talk about that later.)

herrikhan............. took over the world............. or at least a lot of it............ and he was a really shitty king but nobody could stop him because he’s the most powerful warlock in the universe at that point and nobody could even come close to rivaling him............ except for........... you guessed it............ sofya herself

so at that point sofya goes to The Universe like “hey so my best bro is a piece of shit now and i know he’s going to do something that absolutely warrants him being straight up destroyed from existence soon, but he’s still my best bro, and i can’t let any harm come to him, so maybe just imprison him forever in a really sucky place and only let him out when he’s proven that he can use his powers for good?” and The Universe was like “yeah okay” and then of course herrikhan tried to declare himself The Only Real God In The Whole Universe and The Universe was like bitch you fuckin thought

after that he gets stripped of many (not all) of his powers (it’s so much harder for The Universe to un-make something than it is to make something) and sent to odyl, which is basically hades/hell, it’s an underground prison that’s really hot because it’s close to the earth’s core and it’s just absolutely fucking miserable. it’s unclear in the book whether or not herrikhan was the first being to be sent to odyl, or just one of many, or if he was the only one? it says that he made himself the king and he has a gross little underling named beyschlag, but idk if that means that he like. killed everyone else or there was just nobody around to stop him or if there were others they just didn’t care. i personally like to think that he killed everyone else because it fits v nicely into my whole thing about him being Necessary Evil but i’m getting ahead of myself

pre-odyl herrikhan was very much like... a beautiful wizard. he could do amazing things. he was evil yeah but as much as he was feared and hated he was also loved and worshiped because he could show people wondrous things, he could perform god-like feats, he really was the personification of like, divinity as something that is simultaneously too beautiful and terrible for humans to comprehend. he wasn’t a gross boy yet. he ends up becoming a gross boy because that’s basically what odyl reduced him to and he just embraced it wholeheartedly

he can technically leave odyl and use magic outside of it, but it takes a tremendous amount of energy, and he must return each night to sleep in odyl

dark clouds and foul air signal his approach so he can’t take anyone by surprise anymore

he has a metal band literally screwed into his skull by The Universe so that he always has that band around his head and it’s basically his magical handcuffs; it dampens his powers and signals to everyone that he is a prisoner

he will be released if he can possess a heart of pure compassion, ie, if he learns to be good or is able to earn the love of someone who is good

now, The Immortals knew about herrikhan before he did all this and as he was doing it; some of them are able to see/go into the mortal world, and many of them had even met him at one point or another. so it’s like, Real Big Fuckin News when herrikhan gets sent to odyl. and his presence sticks around with The Immortals even after he’s in prison because

he can still visit them!!!!!! he can send curses their way, or send them dreams, or plagues, or whatever else he can possibly dream up to indirectly influence them. because of this he becomes a boogeyman figure among Immortals, and a lot of the magical creatures/fair folk/Immortals who didn’t start out as earthly beings tell their kids scary stories about him.

because of this he becomes known as the prince of nightmares and/or the prince of dreams

side note: at this point sofya has gone to Forever and lives there just chillin with all the other Immortals and she kind of becomes like... an athena-type figure, who protects mortals by giving them wisdom and guiding them onto the right path, as penance for not stopping herrikhan. she eventually becomes the advisor to the king of Forever, st. nicholas, aka santa claus, and later on, he and his wife make sofya the godmother of their daughter holly

now holly is very much. hm. like. a persephone type character. but also not? her whole deal is that she’s basically like, unconditional love personified. she was an immaculate birth given to nick and his wife by The Universe because some little kid was like “but santa what do YOU want for christmas” and nick was like fuck man i really want a kid but those pipes don’t work up here in Forever!!! and because of that there’s a whole big theme of holly being like, So Pure, So Loving, So Good

which is, of course, why herrikhan heard about holly’s birth and the first thing he did was devise a scheme to use her heart as his way out of odyl

he removes HIS OWN HEART and puts it in holly’s chest in order to freeze HER heart and keep it baby-pure forever, and by doing so he curses her to always be frozen (ie her default body temperature is super cold and she will overheat and die at normal human temperatures) and his logic is that the curse’s consequences will make her so sad and lonely and fed up that eventually she’ll just come to him like HERE TAKE MY STUPID HEART I DON’T WANT IT ANYMORE

he didn’t expect using his own heart to cause any side effects. well it fucking did because he later fell in love with her like a god damn idiot

this is the point where both holly and herrikhan’s fates are both sealed in complementary roles-- holly will be his ticket out of odyl, because they will fall in love, but at the same time, she won’t be with him if he’s still evil, so he has to at least try to be a good person for her to confess that she loves him and get him out

a bunch of stuff happens, holly grows up, she realizes that she’s the only person who was ever born into Immortality and resolves to do something about it by the time she’s an adult, and so on her 21st (i think in the book it’s 18 but that’s........... no) birthday she sneaks away to the mortal world and that’s where herrikhan goes after her to try and steal her heart

before holly leaves sofya says something cryptic to her about like. she’ll lose her heart there or something idk but sofya clearly interprets it as “herrikhan will find you and kill you” when in reality what ends up happening is “holly fulfills an age-old prophecy by getting a boyfriend”

ANYWAY

now’s the part where i can scream about herrikhan being Necessary Evil lmao

there’s a string going throughout the book where he sends holly dreams of odyl and like an enchanted telescope that lets her look into the mortal world and stuff and imo it’s meant to be like, ~oh he’s tempting her the way satan tempts people~............ but there’s also a scene where he just shows up in Forever and wreaks havoc for 10 seconds before disappearing (just to prove he can i guess??? idk) and it’s almost an exact description of the whole “the ground opened up and hades rose up and everyone was screaming and he stole persephone away” myth aspect so you can bet your sweet ass i’m keeping that and using it as evidence that They Should Have Gotten Together

like.... he’s evil. he doesn’t have a reason for being evil other than he just can. it’s not like he doesn’t know better, because he does. he just likes being evil and powerful and above everyone else. he never feels remorse for the things that he did, even after he meets holly. he doesn’t get saved or redeemed by holly loving him; he gets a new role among the powers that be, and that role just happens to be a true neutral one instead of a neutral evil one. it’s very much a reflection of the idea that hades didn’t just take persephone because he wanted her, but that there was a very specific plan by the gods for them to be together, and that both of them kind of Knew they were Meant For Each Other.

he regains his full powers, he loses the band around his forehead and it becomes his wedding ring instead, he isn’t really allowed in Forever but he makes his own home in the mortal world and probably remakes odyl to be a home as well. he goes from being the boogeyman to being a sort of instinctive fear-- he no longer haunts people’s dreams; he compels a woman to stay out of a dark alley, he compels a child not to play near a fast-moving stream. he becomes Necessary Evil in the sense that he’s still technically Evil but his deeds ultimately serve Good.

holly, in turn, earns her place as an Immortal by getting him out of odyl and changing his role. she becomes his wife and his keeper and it’s an equal dynamic between them, it’s a relationship built on mutual respect. they both know that the only reason he got out of odyl is because she said “i may love you but i will only be with you you if you do good” and he went and did good, and if at any point he stops doing good, she’ll leave him and The Universe will un-make him.

anyway this is so fucking long and i’m all in my feelings about a kids’ book discount bible story so i’m gonna stop here before i just start going in circles lmao

[thedeaditeslayer]

The Deadite Slayer Exclusive: Ash vs. Evil Dead. Season Three Review

WARNING: This review may contain suggestions and mild spoilers. We recommend not reading it if you want to go in completely blind. The review is mostly spoiler free and is meant to give a personal point of view of this year’s dish of Ash vs. Evil Dead. 

Season three is well on its way and the writers this season seem to definitely know the direction that our Ghostbeaters will be heading. Season three sees the return of Ruby but she’s not playing nice this time. Ash, Kelly and Pablo are expanding their team as well. Our two new additions are introduced to us as Brandy, Ash’s newfound daughter, and Dalton, a member of the Knights of Sumeria. The official poster’s tagline suggests that our heroes will be facing an ultimate test and after I got a good preview, I can most definitely agree that this season is going to end with a big bang.

Cougie, the school’s official mascot, gone deadite. (Courtesy of Starz)

There is a lot of positives in both the main story and the little details this year. The writers have decided to get creative with the deadite encounters this season. There’s not one episode without Ash and company having to dish out some deadite carnage whether they’re working together or separated on missions. The original trio will be splitting up this season as all three seem to face their own demons and deal with their own personal struggles. Ash has to deal with being a father, Kelly has to make a choice on who to trust, and Pablo continues to cope with his relationship with the Necronomicon. However, season three will find ourselves wondering how Pablo will evolve as he becomes a “Brujo Especiale” as a secondary focus alongside Ash’s attempts at fatherhood as primary.

As for the tone of season three, don’t expect it to be getting any more serious. We are very much getting the same tone as the last two with dirty humour and Ash just being Ash. While this is true, we found that Starz’s latest “Who’s Your Daddy” promos don’t represent the season well at all. They seem to suggest that Ash is going to be full on asshole but this couldn’t be any further from the truth. While Ash is still his bumbling self, he actually seems both frustrated and concerned with Brandy. We can deeply tell that Ash will fight for her and prove that he’s not the crazy Ashy Slashy that the town once chanted. His constant missteps and efforts are balanced which is consistent with his character but shows a bit of a different side at the same time.

Brandy checks on her newfound father in this promo photo for season three. (Courtesy of Starz).

One of the huge pluses this season is the beautifully crafted sets. We’re not going to be snubbed on the makeup and wardrobe department either. We are still treated to Brock’s house, as well as sets such as a sperm bank, the Elk Grove high school, the hardware store (and its dirty little secret) and Ruby’s new headquarters; the high school’s guidance counsellor’s house. The last of the bunch is my personal favorite as it’s a huge house that is similar to age, size, and vibe to Brock’s house and makes for a great set for a certain mischievous deadite showdown. Kelly, Pablo, and Brandy all have their own interesting styles that also helps keep the show fresh. Brandy’s attire stands out in particular for the variety which is in response to the events and situations that the finds herself in.

Our main theme of season three is the relationship between Brandy and Ash. Upon suffering a loss, Brandy is forced to live with Ash and then ultimately make the decision on whether to trust him or not. Ruby’s conniving schemes are devised to get Brandy on the wrong side and to turn her on Ash. Combining this with Ash’s attempts to gain her trust thrusts poor Brandy into the middle of deadite mayhem where she is found fighting for her life. While this plot line is commending for showing Ash’s softer side, the execution on Ruby’s part does leave me guessing why she’s deciding to be manipulative instead of simply taking action. This is rather a confusing choice. It could possibly be her way of toying with Ash or instead the writers’ way to drag out something that could have lasted only a couple of episodes to much longer than it should have. 

Lucy Lawless poses as Ruby in this promo photo for Ash vs. Evil Dead season three (Courtesy of Starz). 

If there’s another thing that Ash vs. Evil Dead also traditionally does, it’s have a rocking soundtrack and this season does it in strides. Music from the seventies and eighties are found throughout the episodes as well as ending themes. As before, the ending theme always plays out the last scene of each episode wonderfully. We are treated to music from artists such as Iggy Pop, Air Supply, a-ha, George McCrae and even a hilarious cover from Bruce Campbell and Lucy Lawless! When we are treated to the music being in episode, it always plays to the contrast of the scene. It doesn’t matter if a deadite is trying to chew its way through its victims because that car radio is blasting classic eighties soft rock ballads all the same. The music is a part of the show’s sense of humour as it always was and should be. On top of this, there are soundtrack themes by Joseph LoDuca from previous seasons that we may recall that also makes the show feel familiar.

While our cast is touring and currently promoting the show, not all of them present this season is joining in. We’re talking about the return of Brock (Lee Majors) whom we get to revisit for a solid two episodes. Fans dying to know what Brock wanted to tell Ash are going to get their fix this season. Brock left season two way too early so to get him back for a full two episodes is very welcome. It is practically the only time we see him get to talk to Ash as a father who finally understands him. For such a short return, Lee Majors still shines as the chemistry between him and Bruce Campbell is completely undeniable. 

We have the return of a previous character but Dalton on the other hand seems to be more of a throwaway character for a new addition. Not much is known about him and we never get to connect with him. It becomes apparent quick that he is there to create tension between Pablo and Kelly and to also introduce the Knights of Sumeria as a part of this season’s plot. Don’t expect to get too invested in him.

Lindsay Farris poses as Dalton in this still from Ash vs. Evil Dead season three. (Courtesy of Starz).

The one thing that I found myself questioning throughout all of season three is where is Linda B? Throughout the first half that I was treated to, there is no trace of her to be found. This in my opinion is season three’s largest flaw. The Ghostbeaters haven’t left Elk Grove and we finished season two with her by Ash’s side so why has she suddenly vamoosed? This seems to be a product of lazy writing as we’re not even given an explanation of what happened to her. Is she still friends and visits Ash? Did she simply move on and leave Elk Grove? There’s not much sense made out of this as this season treats it as if she didn’t even exist. At least Linda B. will now be the second love interest to not bite the dust (other than Sheila). I do acknowledge that the small love interest subplot has been thrown out this season in favour of a daughter/father one so it seems that the writers didn’t give a damn or Michelle Hurd simply couldn’t come back.

Bruce Campbell and Michelle Hurd pose in this still for Ash vs. Evil Dead season two. (source)

Don’t fret on the little complaints though. Season three is very entertaining and well worth your hard earned money. Seeing Ruby back as full on bitch along with the evolution of Pablo, Ash, Kelly, and Brandy has caught my attention and the deadite fight sequences are always a hoot. I cannot make it more apparent that despite its minor flaws, I’m going to be sure that I’m tuning in to Super Channel (here in Canada) on February 25th to support our favourite deadite slayer as he takes on his biggest challenges yet; a high school mascot, the local sperm bank attendant, a huge ass demon from hell, and that bratty teenage kid!

Ash vs Evil Dead premieres on Starz February 25th at 9pm ET/PT.

Thanks to Starz for the advance access to season three!

Check out our latest exclusive interviews with Arielle Carver-O’Neill here and Ray Santiago here.

[oohlook-thevoid]

My dream Batman trilogy coz The Batman trailer got me thinking.

Also putting everything under the cut because a) it’s probably gonna be kinda long and b) it’s overwhelmingly self-indulgent introduction of batkids with a side of plot

Movie 1

The world has progressed past the need for another origin movie so we're jumping in with an Under the Red Hood adaptation

As well as obviously including Bruce and Jason, Dick is there as Nightwing, Babs is Oracle and Tim is Robin

Usual Red Hood I'd on the scene taking over the criminal underground and gangs stuff

We're going with the Talia yeeted Jason into the pit storyline here and at some point Bruce visits Talia after the whole initial suspicions of Red Hood being Jason thing and as well as getting info there's definitely strong references to them last meeting 10yrs ago

And obviously Jason didn't die 10yrs ago, they parted ways and Talia tried to help as a means of bridging the gap between them again (which obviously didn't work)

Whilst Bruce is away current batkids deal with Jason 'I've been fucking replaced' drama as Red Hood goes after Robin

Bruce comes back afterwards we get into the final Batman-Joker-Red Hood showdown

Then idk something happens - I don't think Jason or Bruce should actually kill Joker in this but I do want that pasty bitch to die because I don't want to fucking deal with him in a later movie

So anyways idk something happens, the GCPD shows up post a (sort of) resolution being met between Bruce and Jason then Joker tries to pull some shit and idk man maybe like Commissioner Gordon just fucking shoots him because man is tired and it's what Joker deserves

Also speaking of Gordon I'm 99% sure I've consumed DC content with Jim knowing the batfam identities and I support that dynamic so that's also a thing here

Anyway end of the movie, Jason is back not actively trying to kill his family members, Joker is dead as he deserves

Then POST CREDIT SCENE! We're back with Talia and oh look a child. Yes, of course it's Damian and Talia has decided it's finally time for him to meet his father whoo!

Movie 2

Okay this is a little while later - only change is Damian is now Robin and Tim is Red Robin

So Joker is dead and Red Hood is no longer a crime lord controlling all the gangs as per the last movie - there's now a massive power vacuum in the criminal circles of Gotham and, as such, there's a big old power struggle going on

Anyway there are factions and someone is orchestrating a grab for power using various others

Within such others are Cluemaster/Arthur Brown and David Cain... Yes you know where this is going

A new cape is on scene going by the name Spoiler, she's leaving clues to plans and schemes which lead to Cluemaster's arrest and generally disrupt the main plan of whoever is orchestrating it in the background

That batfam catch up with Spoiler and end up working with her

Searching for more information of the grand plan (because who actually trusts Cluemaster with everything? Steph only has bits and pieces of the big stuff) they come across a girl. And yes it is Cass.

Anyway fight scene showing off how awesome Cass but it ends quick as she sees they’re defending themselves more than trying to hurt her

Congrats Bruce, it’s a girl!

So anyway detective stuff, detective stuff then WHAM there’s the big plan it’s coming to fruition and they’ve all gotta stop it. 

Obviously they go, there’s a cool fight with them all working together and they win.

I don’t actually know who’s orchestrating this all - part of me wants to say it’s Riddler because I love Eddie and, I mean, in the animated Hush adaptation we have seen his ability to manipulate others to carry out his own plan plus considering the War of Jokes and Riddles happened the idea of Eddie kinda taking Joker’s place as ‘top rogue’ after the pasty bitch goes to hell seems quite satisfying to me

Regardless, everything seems good, the batfam has won and grown and everything seems good

Then (possibly as a post-credit?) everything goes dark. There’s the sound of fighting but the audience sees nothing. Light returns. There’s a couple restrained Talons now visible. But there’s also someone not visible. Batman is gone.

Movie 3

We start with a montage - Gotham is once more in chaos, this time though its because of the lack of a Bat

The batkids are grieving, they're struggling to cope with both the chaos of Gotham criminals generally and the emergence of the Court of Owls

There's also more internal conflict with Time being adamant that Bruce is alive and the others being more realistic which leads to Tim bailing on them a la Red Robin (2009)

Anyway, Alfred sees his grandkids going through shit and is determined to not let them meet the same fate as his son so he starts the We Are Robin inititative - people who are fighting back against the crime and corruption of Gotham and, in turn, thereby helping assist the batfam so they can focus on the Court

This stuff is more expository than being the actual plot of the movie and is ran through fairly quickly, probably montage style, so we can catch up with the main whatever of the movie.

So, two individuals who joined We Are Robin go like above and beyond I suppose, gaining the batfam’s attention and becoming vigilantes themselves - these are Duke Thomas (of course) and Harper Row (because I want to include her)

Since Gotham always need a Batman but also they need to focus efforts of the Court of Owls, the kids devise a rota. They rotate between Dick as Batman w/ Damian as Robin (because duh), Jason as Batman w/ Steph as Robin (because I think that would be neat) and then Cass as Batman w/ Harper and Duke as her Robins (because a) I love her dynamice with each of them individually and b) she deserves to be Batman)

On days they aren’t Batman and Robin-ing they work, led by Oracle, to trace down the HQ of the Court of Owls - any field work being carried out in their usual aliases 

Meanwhile Tim, all on his lonesome because boy has issues, is also working against the Court and trying them (the diff being his motivation is more get Bruce, prove he’s alive whilst the others are more influenced by the stop evil owl bitches sentiment)

Anyway Tim finds the Court and good news: Bruce is alive, just captured but bad news: Tim is also captured because whilst he’s good he’s not beat a ton of Talons alone good and the idiot should have got backup

Shortly after this the others get a breakthrough and find the Court - they also discover that Tim has been caught by them. So them we cue final fight - they come up with a great plan and then they sneak in and take down the Court, Tim and Bruce and back 

The End. They all finally get a well-deserved holiday.

[anjibooks]

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare (The Dark Artifices Book #2) (Book Review)

"We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don't wish you didn't fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn't feel anything." In this series, Julian Blackthorn writes I-A-M-R-U-I-N-E-D. That pretty much sums up how you'll feel (and how I already feel) when you finish this book. It just completely destroys everything in your soul, but in a good way. And by good way I don't mean good things happened, I mean it's a good book and because of the good quality of the book, you fall in love with the characters and the story. And when things go wrong, it just hits you. If I would have to decide being hit by a truck and the end of this book, I'd say this book provided more pain to my soul. But I still wouldn't want to be hit by a truck anytime soon. "When people die, our dreams of what they could be die with them. Even if ours is the hand that ends that ends them." So as I've established, I am in emotional pain and suffering after finishing this book. AND THIS PAIN IS GOING TO LAST FOR TWO FUDGING YEARS BECAUSE THAT LAST BOOK ISN'T COMING OUT UNTIL 2019. Yeah. You heard me. 2019. We gotta wait two years for the next book. Anyone got a time machine? If so, please hit me up. I don't know how I'm going to be able to endure life through these next two years. Actually, yes I do. I'm gonna read other fantastic books, but still, I'm going to have an extremely large hole in my heart until I get my hands on and read Queen of Air and Darkness. "People often run even when they have nowhere to go. It is all about what you can bear in the place where you are." Anyway, for those of you living under a rock, Lord of Shadows is the second book in the Dark Artifices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare. For those of you who are living under a gargantuan rock, Cassandra Clare is the author of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, which consists of several series, yes that's write SERIES as in book SERIES, set in the same world, but in different time frames about different characters. The Shadowhunter Chronicles has a very special place in my heart. I've always loved reading, but it was City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book #1) that really brought me into the reading world and got me OBSESSED. So far, the Shadowhunter Chronicles has three series and two novella bindings. The three series are The Infernal Devices (Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess), which is set in 1878, The Mortal Instruments (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire), set in 2006, and The Dark Artifices (Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows, Queen of Air in Darkness), set in 2012. The two novella bindings are the Bane Chronicles and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. BUT GET INTO THIS SERIES, because there's more! If you get into it, there's so much material to fall in love with and it's all spectacular. There's the Last Hours series, that starts coming out next year that follows the next generation after the Infernal Devices, there's a new series on Magnus Bane and there's rumor of another series called the Wicked Powers, following the younger characters of The Dark Artifices. Basically, I'm in for the long haul, and you'd be smart to get in on the Shadowhunter Chronicles because they are GOLD. (I've done reviews on the Infernal Devices (I think), City of Heavenly Fire and Lady Midnight, if you're interest in getting into this series, check the reviews out.) Now on to actually talking about Lord of Shadows. As usual, this book flew over my already high expectations and just... It was absolutely spectacular. It was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. It had all the things we've come to expect from Cassie's books-- great action scenes, characters that it's impossible not to fall in love with, a riveting plot and last but not least, amazing humor. It's still early in the year, but I have to say that so far this book has won the title of my favorite book of the year. I'm having trouble imagining a book that could trump this one, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. I really don't now what I can say that will convince you to read this book if you're on the fence about it. It's fantastic. Please, just go read it. You'll love yourself for it later. Here's the synopsis: Would you trade your soul mate for your soul? A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love. Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides? Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own. When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear. "Break my heart. Break it into pieces. I give you permission." See, I didn't expect this book to shove its way to my favorite book of the year because there was a lot of competition for the title (mainly A Court of Wings and Ruin), but also because I wasn't all that invested in the main love story of the series-- which is between Emma Carsairs and Julian Blackthorn. Well, I'm still not that invested in their romance, I'm not against it, but I just don't particularly care for them together, either. They're no Jessa or Clace. But really, the romance is a small part of the larger and much more emotionally investing story. Why don't I love Julian and Emma? I love Emma, she's a great character. It's Julian I really don't like much. I love my dark, tormented characters, but Julian? It's not that he's too dark. Or too evil, because I love characters that are so much more evil than Julian. But Julian... It's like he's got tunnel vision, he only cares for his family and Emma. He'll do anything for them. That's not that bad, right? Hahaha well. He doesn't care what happens to anyone outside his family and Emma, as long as they're okay. Literally, he'll do ANYTHING for his family and ANYTHING against everyone else. I just... I really don't like that about him. He's also a pathological liar and ugh. No. Julian, not a big fan. You get to meet some new characters in this book, like Zara Dearborn (why isn't there a universal letter, or a key spot for a middle finger?), and you get to go deeper into the workings of the Shadow World and Faerie. And then you also get to know characters in or mentioned in previous books better, such as Kieran, Jaime and... Well I guess you'll just have to wait and see, right? Not the best part, but one of the best parts of this book is getting to see some well loved characters from the previous books, like Clary and Jace. (There are more, but you're going to have to read it to find out who.) I have to say, I was a whole lot more happy when the previous characters were in the story, because it's like seeing your best friend after a really long time. There's no other way to describe the feeling. Like I read the book because it was really good, but I'm also very emotionally invested in seeing what happens to the older characters, as well as the new ones. Haha, I was so excited about getting back into the book that from the very first line I was squealing in delight. And also, just so excited and happy at action scenes, humor scenes, awkward scenes and Jace scenes that I was literally squealing in delight and FANNING myself. Yeah. I'm weird, I'll be the first to admit that. 10/10 stars, but really, are you even surprised? There is nothing about this book that wasn't absolutely perfect. Even the ending, it was... horrifying and I would do anything to change it, it was still well written and good for the plot. But still, haha I was so bitter about the ending I refused to write 10/10 on my notebook when I'd finished because just... no. Now let's get into the book discussion, shall we? SPOILERS BELOW FOR LORD OF SHADOWS I love the Jace-Kit relationship, I feel like we have a lot more to see from that. And just. Aw. I love everything about Jace, but we already knew that, didn't we? My question is-- why don't we see any Clary-Kit scenes before Jace and Clary are leaving for Faerie? He's basically in the EXACT SAME situation as she was, except he knew about the Shadowworld and she didn't. She could've really helped him adjust. I wasn't exactly sure how I'd felt about Kit at first, but by the end of the book I loved him. I loved seeing him come to accept his Shadowhunter heritage and realize that he wanted to be a Shadowhunter, I loved seeing his relationship with Livvy (still crying) and Ty. Something that was simply not acceptable about this book was Clary saying she thinks she'll die soon. Yeah. I literally wrote in my notes "WHAT THE FUCKING CLARY WILL NOT FUCKING DIE. CASSIE YOU LIAR." Haha, yeah that hurt me emotionally. Though I'm not actually going to hate Cassie for killing Clary, if she does, which I doubt she will, because Clary is her character and I'm sure it would be good for the plot if Cassie did it. It was nice to flashback to Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy with Jon and Marisol, but then Jon was beheaded so... okay then. The part that said some like "Most of them had been scribbled in by some idiot named Will H." I absolutely died, especially since Will is Kit's (amazing) ancestor. I just loved all the references in the London Institute to the Infernal Devices characters and to the Last Hours characters (anyone want to tell me what's up with Lucie and Jessie? If you're confused *laughs* me too, but I'm a bit intrigued and super excited as well.) BUT HOW THE FUCK IS BRIDGET STILL ALIVE? TID TAKES PLACE IN 1878. SHE'S MORTAL. HOW IS SHE STILL ALIVE? Like, yeah that's definitely Bridget because she remembered the scones thing (Oh, Gideon, I'll never stop loving you), but HOW IS SHE STILL ALIVE?!! It's 2012!!!! (In the book). Also guys, the Warlock that helps them is named "Shade" everyone is freaking out about how that's Ragnor because the green skin... But guys, really? His name is Shade.  I feel like that has to be a reference to Mortmain's father, whose name was Shade. Then Magnus shows up and gets them out of there safely. I was so excited to see Magnus again, because it's Magnus and BECAUSE IT MEANS ALEC. My lovely Alec. Lol also Magnus of course is the one who pops in when Julian and Emma are in bed together. He's been very good at popping in at inopportune moments. I actually really started liking Kieran in this book. I'm going to plant my feet firmly when I say I SHIP Mark and Cristina, but really I really really started to like Kieran. When Emma mentioned that Cristina was on a ship to a three way with the boys, I think she voiced all of our thoughts. Also Mark thinks at one point he really has a thing for dark haired people. Lol, Mark. Me too, buddy, me too. Reading Ty's letter to Annabel was adorable. It was just so cute. I loved it. But now that we've brought the subject up, I guess it's time to rant. ANNABEL HOW FUCKING DARE YOU. YOU KILLED YOUR OWN KIN (okay, your own kin killed you, but let's ignore that for a moment). YOU KILLED YOU OWN KIN. YOU KILLED LIVVY HOW COULD YOU. THAT WAS NOT RIGHT. I WAS WILLING TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE. YOU SEEMED LIKE A FAIRLY DECENT CHARACTER WHO I FELT SYMPATHY FOR AND THEN YOU HAD TO GO AND RUIN EVERYTHING BY BEING A SPAZ AND A BITCH ANDKILLING ROBERT (IZZY WONT HAVE HER FATHER TO WALK HER DOWN THE ISLE) AND KILLING LIVVY. NO. NO. I LOVED LIVVY. I LOVE LIVVY. SHE CANNOT BE DEAD. THIS IS A MAGICAL WORLD. SOMEONE FUCKING BRING LIVVY BACK RIGHT NOW. (Actually, I feel like Julian might actually use the Black Volume to bring Livvy back, but still...) CASSANDRA I KNOW YOU HAVE A THING FOR KILLING A CHILD MIDWAY THROUGH THE SERIES AND MAX WAS BAD, BUT IT WAS OKAY. NOT LIVVY THOUGH. HOW THE HELL COULD LIVVY BE KILLED? EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE OKAY, WHICH IS WHY WE ALL KNEW IT WOULDN'T BE BECAUSE NO MIDDLE BOOK ENDS OKAY, BUT STILL. OMG HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN. I CAN'T EVEN. THIS BOOK JUST KILLED MY SOUL. HOW COULD WHYYYYY. Alright. If you couldn't tell, I'm real hurt and salty about Livvy dying, and Robert too. Annabel, you crazy bitch. And also, WHY COULDN'T THEY JUST FUCKING USE THE MORTAL SWORD ON ZARA DUCKING DEARBORN. Why? Now it's BROKEN so we can't actual know the real FUCKING TRUTH. Yeah. This subject makes me a little emotional. If you couldn't tell. Well, I'm getting a little tired of typing. If any other vital things pop into my head, I'll be sure to make another book discussion post. :) That was a fake smile. My soul has been shattered by that book ending. "'We are but dust and shadows," said Ty, not looking up from his book. "Some of use are very handsome dust," Jace added, as the door flew open and stuck her head in. "Come to the library," she announced. "The tentacle is starting to dissolve." "You drive me wild with your sexy talk," said Jace, pulling on his gear jacket.'" *squeals* Clace is everything good about life. __ "'We'll have to get our energy the old-fashioned way." Mark looked puzzled. "Drugs?'" __ "'The first time we watched Titanic, you cried." "I have seasonal allergies.'" ___ "'The Herondales have always been famous for their good looks," said Bridget, "but if you ask me, the Lightwoods are the more sexually charismatic of the bunch." Alec spit out his tea. Magnus seemed to be keeping a straight face, but with an effort.'" ___ "Really? You all have to sleep with Magnus Bane? How exciting for you." Thanks for reading! ​-Anj

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

The Princess and the Pirate, chapter 2

Rating: T

Pairing: Captain Duckling

Summary:  When the Black Fairy finds a way back from the Dark Realm where she’s been banished, Snow and Charming fear for their daughter, Emma’s life.  They turn to the infamous Captain Hook to take their daughter to safety before the Black Fairy is able to start the “final battle” she’d threatened just after Emma’s birth.

Missed the beginning: (1)

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The Dark Realm, a few months later

Fiona paced her throne room in agitation.  Thwarted again!  Would she never find a way to leave this cursed land?  

It had been months of trying, months of scheming, months of trying everything she could imagine to get back to the Enchanted Forest, retrieve her wand , and make every last person, fairy and dwarf pay for her banishment.  But it had all been for naught.  She was stuck in this gods-forsaken land alone, with no access to magic.

To be sure, the last few months had not been a total loss.  She’d discovered a mine full to the brim with black diamonds, containing the most powerful dark fairy dust known to her kind.  She’d spent long hours devising a simply brilliant plan to use the fairy dust on her enemies, cast a curse, and then kill the savior once and for all.  

But it was useless to her at the moment.  Without her magic, she’d be forced to endure back-breaking labor to retrieve and process the dust, and even then she had no way to use it.  She was well and truly stuck in this land.

She had but one option left. It was risky, one could never be sure how spectacularly it might backfire, but she was out of options.

She had to summon him.

Taking a deep breath, Fiona did what needed to be done.

“Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltskin,” she called in a loud, commanding voice.

Nothing happened.

“Rumplestiltskin!  I command you to appear!” Fiona screamed in frustration.  Would nothing ever go her way?

“No need to shout, Dearie, I heard you the first time,” the Dark One said with a giggle, “and I hardly think you’re in any position to ‘demand’ anything of me.”

Fiona spun on her heel until she found the sparkly golden imp himself, seated lazily on her throne, his fingers steepled below his chin.

“Dark One,” Fiona said, “I have summoned you to ask you to…”

“Yes, yes,” he said with a dismissive wave of the hand, “I know exactly what you want.  You want a way back to the Enchanted Forest and a way to kill the savior.”

“Exactly!” Fiona said, breathing a sigh of relief.  If anyone in the known realms was powerful enough to help her it was the Dark One.  “So you’ll help me?  You’ll get me back to the Enchanted Forest”

He giggled, that particular high pitch, slightly manic sound that set Fiona’s teeth on edge.  “Oh I’m afraid that’s quite impossible.”

“But you’re the Dark One! You have the most powerful magic in all the realms!”

“That I do, dearie,” he said with a smirk, “but when you marked Princess Emma as your adversary, you made her the savior.  You protected her from, well, you. Couldn’t break through the protection spell if I wanted to.  Sorry to disappoint, but you did this to yourself.”

Fiona stamped her foot and screamed every obscenity she knew.  “What use are you Dark One?  What use!”

The grin slid from Rumplestiltskin’s face, and he got menacingly to his feet.  For a moment, Fiona stepped back, sudden fear replacing the fury.  “Careful,” Rumple growled.  “Continue that line of thought and things will get very, very unpleasant for you.”

“I apologize,” Fiona said, eyes downcast, hands folded submissively, “my frustration got the better of me when you refused to help.”

“Who says I refuse?” Rumple said, with a flourish of his hand.

“But you just said…”

“I said that she’s protected,” Rumple said with another giggle, “but I didn’t say she was protected forever.  When a savior turns 28, she reaches her full savior potential.  It’s when the final battle can begin!  In short, upon Princess Emma’s 28th birthday, she will be ready to meet you in battle and the shield blocking your return will be removed.”

“So I can return to the Enchanted Forest on her birthday?” Fiona asked.

Rumple giggled again. Fiona was beginning to really, really hate that sound.  “Well, of course not.  You, dearie managed to piss off nearly everyone in the kingdom, and you’ve got far more than a Savior protection spell to deal with.”

Fiona frowned.  “Enough with the riddles Dark one!  How do I return to the Enchanted Forest?”

“You must use the magic of your wand to create the portal you need.”

“And how am I to do so?” Fiona asked, pacing restlessly.  “Blue stole my wand and the king and queen have it under lock and key.”

Rumple sighed dramatically. “Not a brain in that evil head of yours is there?  I can tell you precisely what you must do…for a price.”

“And that price is?” Fiona asked warily.

“Freedom and total immunity in the new world you create upon the smoking ruins of the Enchanted Forest after you defeat the Charmings and their precious daughter.”

Fiona extended her hand. “It would seem, Dark One, that we have an accord.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The Enchanted Forest, 27 ½ years later.

Princess Emma of Misthaven woke suddenly as she felt someone lean down and place a gentle kiss on her forehead.  Opening her eyes, she found herself gazing into the smiling face of her mother.

“Happy birthday, Sweetheart,” Snow White said, brushing a messy lock of blonde hair off of Emma’s forehead.  “Your father and I love you so very, very much.”

Emma smiled, sat up quickly and wrapped her mother in a hug.  “I love you too, mother.  You and papa.”

Snow White kissed her once more, and then rose regally to her feet.  “I’ll have the maids draw you a nice hot bath, and then you can join your father and me for breakfast.”

“Sounds wonderful, Mother.”

Emma watched her mother leave the room, and then she snuggled back into her soft bedding. There was no reason to get up before the maids prepared her bath, after all.

It had been a tradition for as long as Emma could remember for her mother to wake her on the morning of her birthday with a kiss at precisely 8:15 am, the minute she was born. She supposed she was growing rather old for the tradition, but her parents seemed to still view her as their baby rather than their 28-year-old adult daughter.  She expected the birth-minute kiss tradition would continue indefinitely.

At least until Emma finally did her civic duty and chose a man to marry so that she could produce heirs to the throne.

Emma groaned inwardly, not wishing to think about her duty as future queen.  Her parents had gently pushed her toward a few neighboring princes, a wealthy duke or two, but she’d found no one that didn’t bore her to tears. The thought of spending the rest of her life with, say, Lord Archibald Hopper, made her shudder.

Not that there was anything wrong with Lord Archibald Hopper, but the thought of marrying him, spending the rest of her life with him, producing heirs with him…it was not something she wanted to contemplate.

She didn’t want staid and dependable and proper.  She wanted adventure, excitement, a chance to see the world and truly make a difference within it.

Not that she had any real complaints about her life.  It had been picture perfect.  She’d grown up the pampered daughter of two parents who loved her with every fiber of their being.  And she loved them too, so very, very much.  

Her mother had always, always been there to bandage her childhood cuts and scrapes, to soothe her fevers, to listen to her problems.  And her father, well, her father was her best friend.

She knew how very, very blessed she was, and she wouldn’t trade a minute with her family and with the kingdom that loved her, but…her life could sometimes be boring.

She understood why her parents were so very protective.  She’d heard the story of the Black Fairy and her threats ever since she was tiny.  She was grateful that her parents and their knights had worked so tirelessly to protect her, but she wasn’t a delicate flower that needed protecting.  Her mother had taught her archery, her father had taught her swordsmanship, and her mother’s most trusted soldier, Graham, had taught her about tracking and hunting.

She could take care of herself, and more than anything she wanted a chance to try.

One day, she’d overheard her father discussing the increasing threat of pirates to their realm.   They sounded dangerous…and exciting, and, well free.  Sometimes Emma wished for a chance to meet a pirate, to join his crew, oh not forever, of course, and she had no desire to cause trouble for her own kingdom, but maybe for just a journey or two.  

“Your highness?” her maid, Grace, said softly, pulling Emma from her thoughts.  “Your bath is prepared.  Shall I choose a gown for the day?”

Emma sighed, and then arranged her features into a pleasant smile.  “That would be just fine, Grace.  Thank you.”

The maid curtsied.  “You’re welcome, your highness, and if I may, happy birthday.”

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Charming wrapped an arm around his wife, as together they looked over to the dais where Emma was receiving well wishes from her birthday guests.

“She’s happy, isn’t she, David?” Snow asked, a note of anxiety in her voice.  I know all of our safety precautions have been difficult for Emma, but she’s not unhappy here is she?”

Charming hugged Snow to him and turned to kiss her softly on the forehead.  “She is happy Snow.  She understands the measures we’ve taken.”

He didn’t know who he was trying to convince, his wife or himself.  Charming knew his little girl.  He could tell she was happy—for the most part.  Every now and then he saw a look in her eyes, a desire for something more. She had a brave and adventurous spirit, and the restrictions they’d placed on her, for her own good, had to have grated on her.  She was her parents’ daughter after all.

“I know she understands,” Snow said, worry still present in her voice, “but, David did we do the right thing?  The Black Fairy has been gone for 28 years, gone without a trace.  Maybe the measures Blue took really did contain her.  Have we clipped our little bird’s wings for nothing?”

Charming eyed his daughter as the dwarfs each stepped up to the dais and presented a gift in turn. She laughed, joking with each of them as she shook the packages, making guesses as to their contents.  After a moment he sighed and then wrapped Snow in his arms.

“We’ve done our best for her, Snow,” he said, “given her the best life we could.  Our daughter is kind and spirited and resilient.  She loves with everything in her, and she’s generous.  Clearly we haven’t made a total mess of parenting her.  Maybe we haven’t been perfect, but we can’t second guess the decisions we’ve made through the years.”

Snow nodded against his chest.  “You’re right, but maybe it’s time we let go a bit.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s twenty-eight years old, David,” Snow said, “and we haven’t heard so much as a rumor of a threat from the Black Fairy in all that time.  Maybe it’s time we open the cage and let our little dove stretch her wings.”

“Maybe so,” David agreed as Emma got to her feet and walked to the table where a spectacular 3-tiered birthday cake awaited her.

“Make a wish, Your Highness,” Grumpy said, striking a match and lighting the candle on top of the cake.

Emma looked around the assembly, smiling gently.  “I don’t need to.  I already have everything I need right here.”

But she didn’t.  Snow was right.  It was time to give their daughter a bit of freedom, time to let her chase her own adventures.  It was time to accept that the threat facing their kingdom was truly over.

Emma closed her eyes and blew out the candle and a tremendous cheer went up throughout all the assembly.

Suddenly the great hall door burst open and Graham came running through, face white as a sheet. Snow stepped forward.  “Graham!  What is it? What’s wrong?”

“It’s gone,” he said, breathing hard from exertion.

“What’s gone,” Charming asked, hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword at the panicked look on his guard’s face.  

“The Black Fairy’s wand. It’s been stolen!”

 Notes:

--Quick note on a few changes from canon.  The Black Fairy and Rumplestiltskin are not related.  Gideon will factor into this story as well in coming chapters, but he is also not related to the Black Fairy or Rumplestiltskin. Neal exists in this AU world, but he doesn’t play a factor in this story.  As in canon, he went through a portal when he was still a child, and thus Emma’s never met him.  (Which, of course, also means no Henry, which is kind of a bummer, but it is what it is.)

--Up next: We learn how the Black Fairy managed to steal her wand back.  In the Enchanted Forest, Emma comes face to face with the Black Fairy for the first time since she was a week old.  

[thereal-zakkisbatman]

Timeline (Power Rangers) pt 2

1990

Casey Rhodes and Lily Chilmanare born.

1991

Theo Martin is born.

Present Day

1993 (Mighty Morphin 1)

A duo of astronauts land on the moon and inadvertently free Rita Repulsa and her minions from the space dumpster, leaving them free to attack Earth.

Zordon and Alpha 5 recruit five extraordinary teenagers with attitude to be the first Power Rangers:

Jason Lee Scott becomes the first Red Ranger, with the power of the Tyrannosaurus.

Zack Taylor becomes the first Black Ranger, with the power of the Mastodon.

Billy Cranston becomes the first Blue Ranger, with the power of the Triceratops.

Trini Kwan becomes the first Yellow Ranger, with the power of the Sabertooth Tiger.

Kimberly Hart becomes the first Pink Ranger, with the power of the Pterodactyl.

The Rangers combine their Zords to form the Megazord for the first time to defeat an enlarged Goldar. (Day of the Dumpster)

An alternate version of the above event may also occur in a possible alternate reality. (Day of the Dumpster (pilot))

The Rangers defeat Bones when sent to another dimension. They destroy a giant sent by Rita after returning. Trini also overcomes her old fear of heights. (High Five)

Kimberly and Trini lead a drive to clean up the environment when Rita sends a Minotaur, the Rangers are able to destroy it with the Power Cannon. (Teamwork)

The Megazord destroys King Sphinx and forces Goldar to flee. Jason breaks a fitness record of 1010 weights. (A Pressing Engagement)

The Power Rangers defeat the Gnarly Gnome. (Different Drum)

When an under the weather Rita sends Pudgy Pig to wreak havoc at the Angel Grove food festival, the Rangers defeat him with spicy food. (Food Fight)

The Rangers save a mischievous little girl from Rita's new monster, the Chunky Chicken. (Big Sisters)

Billy and Kimberly's personalities are temporarily switched when they test out Billy's new mind reading machine which has been sabotaged by Squatt, the rangers also tackle the Genie along the way. (Switching Places)

Rita sends the evil Eye Guy to kidnap a young friend of Billy's who has been working on a new virtual reality machine for the school science fair. (I, Eye Guy)

Kimberly's plans to spend the afternoon with her uncle Steve in his small plane are disrupted by Rita who slips her uncle a sleeping potion forcing Kim to learn how to land a plane quickly. (Foul Play in the Sky)

Trini has a dream in which Rita makes her favorite doll, Mr. Ticklesneezer, evil. (For Whom The Bell Trolls)

The kids decide to throw Zack a surprise birthday party but their secrecy leaves Zack feeling forgotten. Rita also has a birthday surprise planned for Zack: the Knasty Knight, a giant spider monster which forces Zack to overcome his fear of spiders. (Happy Birthday, Zack)

Trini takes her cousin Sylvia for a fun day with her friends at the carnival. But the fun and frolicking soon turns to chaos, when we find out the fair is one of Rita's traps! Rita also creates the Pineoctopus. (No Clowning Around)

Kimberly and Billy are transformed into bullies by a magic potion slipped into their drinks. Zordon is forced to capture them and find a means to cure them. The restored Blue and Pink Rangers then help defeat the Terror Toad. (Power Ranger Punks)

Billy finds himself a new girlfriend who is mistaken for a Power Ranger and kidnapped along with the other Rangers and is held hostage in another dimension until Billy devises a means to free everyone. (Peace, Love and Woe)

Trini's uncle Howard is kidnapped by the Dark Warrior who threatens to kill him unless he reveals the secret of a new invisibility formula he has invented. (Dark Warrior)

Rita casts an evil spell on Tommy Oliver, forcing him to become her Evil Green Ranger. Tommy infiltrates and damages the Command Center cutting the Rangers off from Zordon. Scorpina joins Rita and helps Tommy and Goldar bring down the Megazord during a solar eclipse. The Rangers reestablish contact with Zordon who restores the Megazord. The Rangers free Tommy from the spell and he joins the team.

Tommy becomes the first Green Ranger, with the power of the Dragonzord.

The Dragonzord combines with the other Zords to form the Dragonzord Fighting Mode and the Mega Dragonzord. (Green With Evil)

Our heroes hit the court for some well-deserved recreation. Meanwhile, Squatt and Baboo create a monster all their own, Shellshock. (The Trouble With Shellshock)

The kids lead a drive to save a statue. But, the statue becomes a part of Rita's latest scheme. (Itsy Bitsy Spider)

Kimberly is working on a special project: designing a float for a parade. But, Rita doesn't take kindly to Kimberly's humor and decides to do something about it by sending putties to destroy the model, much to Kimberly's displeasure. Rita then sends down the Spit Flower to terrorize the town. (The Spit Flower)

The gang plans to attend a costume party. Even Bulk and Skull get into the spirit. But, when Rita's Frankenstein monster crashes the party, the Power Rangers must swing into action. (Life's A Masquerade)

Jason and Tommy are getting ready for the Teen Ninja Finals, only their teamwork isn't quite what it should be. Meanwhile, Rita is busy making an army of indestructible super putties to attack the earth. Zordon must send Jason and Tommy on a quest to get special weapons to defeat the putties. But, they encounter Titanus, the zord carrier and protector of the weapons. (Gung Ho!)

After the Power Rangers are defeated and resume their human forms, Rita transports them to the Island of Illusion where each of them is forced to face his or her self-doubts in order to escape from the island. (Island of Illusion)

It's showtime at Angel Grove High when Kimberly gets the lead in Rumpelstiltskin. But, Rita takes Kimberly's spinning wheel and turns it into the Wheel of Destruction, a magic wheel that can destroy anything it touches, including the Power Rangers. (Wheel Of Misfortune)

Jason and his cousin Jeremy find a secret map. Rita sends the unscrupulous Scorpina to get the map and find the Mirror of Destruction. (The Rockstar)

Kimberly wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and the day goes from bad to worse. Meanwhile, Rita sends the sinister Samurai Fan Man to trap Kimberly in another dimension. (Calamity Kimberly)

Tommy decides to try out for a television commercial. Meanwhile, the other Rangers head for the beach. But, their day of fun turns into terror when Scorpina crashes the party. (A Star is Born)

The Rangers gather to rehearse for a talent contest. Meanwhile, Squatt and Baboo send the ferocious Fang after our heroes while the putties keep Tommy tied up. (The Yolk's on You!)

Tommy loses his powers from the melting of a green candle created by Rita, but manages to transfer them to Jason before they are completely lost. (The Green Candle)

Zack prepares his young student for an up and coming martial arts tournament but Rita pulls Zack away when she releases the Hatchosaurus on the unsuspecting city. (Birds of a Feather)

The kids decide to put together a club to clean up Angel Grove. But, Rita plots a pollution scheme and sends the Polluticorn to do the job. (Clean-Up Club)

Rita sends a special type of Putty designed to impersonate the Rangers in both of their forms to Angel Grove. Once there the Putties get the Rangers in trouble at school. With the real Rangers in detention, their doubles are free to wreak havoc. (A Bad Reflection on You)

The city plans a special day to honor the Rangers but the celebration is short-lived as Rita sends the townspeople to another dimension and sends Cyclopsis to destroy the Rangers. (Doomsday)

Our heroes spearhead a drive to find homes for stray animals, including an old lady's pig named Norman. But, Norman is no ordinary pig. At Rita's command, he transforms into the infamous Pudgy Pig. (A Pig Surprise)

[theplattexperiment-blog]

Pray for the world. Reading: Esther 8-10 The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews 8 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate. 3 Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him. 5 “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?” 7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up. 8 Now write another decree in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.” 9 At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.[a] These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language. 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king. 11 The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children,[b] and to plunderthe property of their enemies. 12 The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The Triumph of the Jews 15 When Mordecai left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. 16 For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. 17 In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them. 9 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. 2 The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them,because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. 3 And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. 4 Mordecaiwas prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 11 The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day.12 The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.” 13 “If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled on poles.” 14 So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman. 15 The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 16 Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder.17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. 18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. 19 That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other. Purim Established 20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. 23 So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. 25 But when the plot came to the king’s attention,[c] he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles. 26 (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed.28 These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants. 29 So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom—words of goodwill and assurance— 31 to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation.32 Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records. The Greatness of Mordecai 10 King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. 2 And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia?3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.

[whitestationscribbler]

“The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” by Edgar Allan Poe (assignment was to rewrite a story from another author’s motivation)

There once lived a dark creature on the top of a crooked mountain soiled with the materialistic garbage of the brainwashing Whos. Alongside the dog, Max, who conflicted with his reputation of twisted and heartless, he resided in a carved out cave surrounded by sparkling snow that eternally opposed his mood. The only one left of his kind, he brooded over the paramount prejudice against him and how the vile creatures he lived near banished him for not conforming to their greedy culture. To the Whos, the creature, whom they called The Grinch, was an anomalous fellow filled with hate. Legends said that his heart was one that needed to grow thrice to be full sized, though some said perhaps his creator screwed his head around one too many, and even more said that possibly his shoes fit too tightly and made him into a creature of hate. In reality, The Grinch was lonely and bitter toward the race of people that stole his family and identity, but tossed him aside when he refused to adopt their ideals and morals. His physical differences catalyzed the fear regarding him; instead of being unnaturally small and having a tiny, rounded nose like them, he was covered in coarse green fur and towered over all the people, just like his mountain towered over their puny town.

His mountain. The mountain that was used as a dump, the burial grounds for his desecrated race, the only home he had truly known, overlooked the brightly evil civilization. Dazzling lights advertised sales and great deals, drawing in the Whos, forcing them to spend money to continue to be an appraised part of the community. Once December came, the lights doubled, tripled, quadrupled in luminosity and size. The season of spending and taking came with a feeling of dread for The Grinch.

To The Grinch, Christmastime was worst of all. The covetous Who children received exotic toys that made all types of noises and were a special kind of torture for The Grinch. He despised their joy and he loathed every last child, man, and woman. The sound of Christmas morning to him was equal to that of nails in a blender. Every year, his patience grew thinner and thinner, and it was only a matter of time before he snapped.

He was well into adulthood when the unsteady self-resistance he barely clung to finally broke and drove him into a rage. In a mad fury, he devised a plan to steal the happiness of those who stole his. His rough, green face twisted into a wicked expression as a perfectly devious idea bloomed in his maddened brain. "We'll steal the most important part of Christmas from them! The only thing that makes the wretched holiday as terrible as it is- the gifts!”

The dark idea warped and grew in his mind, ideas shooting out like bullets, thoughts grinding, possibilities drawing themselves out, until he formulated a foolproof plan that he thought would never fail him. He rummaged through the garbage piled on the cemetery of the rest of his people, feeling that he was finally avenging them, finally proving that his survival was not for naught, but to allow him to give the Whos what they deserved. The only thoughts they ever had were on what gifts to give or what gifts they wanted or how to spread fear across the town because giving and spending was not enough entertainment; they needed a sort of boogeyman, a demon to keep the children in line and to force the teens to work their hardest in school so they could get a good job making good money and continue the despicable cycle of consumerism. The Grinch's one goal was to destroy their despotic system in which malls and banks were the dictators. His plan was simple, at least to him, as he was always scheming and fuming and concocting different ways to ruin the Whos; by crumbling his mountain and creating an avalanche, by sneaking into the town in disguise and causing chaos by thieving or mocking or hiding, by interrupting a ceremony of glutton and lightning a conflagration that would fry up the corpulent bodies of the Whos. Maybe by stealing the children away, maybe teaching them the ways of his people like his parents had; explaining that things and money and prizes and appearances were not worth everything, creating a whole new generation of Whos. Alas, anger outweighed sympathy. The Grinch planned to steal their most beloved holiday. The materials were easily accessible and he was clever enough to do and build anything.

Sewing together a suit of red and white fluff was simple, but the sled proved difficult. The skeleton was constructed in moments, but he needed a way to make it fly, but he only had minimal knowledge about engineering. Three crashes and fails, and he succeeded in building a sled with space enough to cart away all the extravagances that the holiday relied on. He clothed himself in the red coat and hat and pants and stepped into boots, and shoved a red ball onto Max's nose. They were prepared to create chaos.

In the dark of the night, The Grinch took off. The giver, adorned in red just like The Grinch, was finishing his enabling job in the distance. The timing could not have been better for The Grinch's revenge. He slunk into the first home in the village and put in his bag all the gifts, all the lights, all the tinsel and baubles, the tree, and all the food from their fridge. The turkey would rot, the cans would be crushed, the eggnog would congeal, the cranberry sauce would harden. There was not even an ounce of regret in him as he dashed from home to home in his rickety flying machine and with his expanding bag of goods.

He encountered no roadblocks until he reached his last stop: the home of one Cindy Lou, a small Who child. As The Grinch crept along the floor, sweeping Christmas decorations into his bag, she tiptoed down the dark stairs. The Grinch barely had time to hide behind the big, pointy tree before she rounded the corner and gaped at him with wide eyes the size of the moon. "Mister Santa, what are you doing with our tree?" she questioned in her shrill voice.

The Grinch stayed silent for a moment before opening his hairy lips. "There's a light on this tree. It seems to not be lighting, so I will take it to my shop to fix it. Go back to sleep now, child."

Cindy Lou stood still, watching him, like she had laser vision that pierced through the tree and into The Grinch's heart. He grew woozy the longer her gaze persisted, and had to shut his spinning eyes. The small girl cracked a tiny smile, like she knew something he did not, and walked back up the stairs and into the dark abyss her room was presumably in. She halted to glance in his direction before disappearing, and The Grinch swore her eyes were burning red.

He pushed the madness boiling inside of him to the back of his head and continued robbing the house of the torture devices that hung on the walls. Once every inch of the house was empty, he left. Cindy Lou made him tremble with something akin to fear, and he wondered if possibly even the Who children were corrupted beyond repair.

Back on his sled, the bag spilled over the edges and pine needles stuck out of the fabric, poking his skin and getting stuck in his knotted pelt. Max sat at the front with him, whining whenever the sled rattled mid-flight, like it was seconds from giving out and crashing to the ground. His masterpiece held out; however, until it reached the precipice of his mountain home. He was going to dump the sack onto the tarnished cemetery of his family as one last step of revenge. Seconds before the bag was set to tip over, Cindy Lou's tiny head with eyes like embers emerged out of the mess. The Grinch wanted to let her fall, to let the town know his pain, but his conscience would not let him stoop to the level of the Whos. However, before he could begin moving of his own accord, something overpowered him. His mind grew foggy and a cry was ripped from his chest as a force threw him across the snowy peak and flung his arms around the falling bag.  Under normal circumstances, he never would have able to prevent the bag and child from falling to certain demise, but he was not himself. He had strength he had never known, and he lifted it with ease. Cindy Lou's face contorted into a sickening grin as she was moved from the edge and onto safer ground.

She slid off the lumpy sack and into the snow, The Grinch watching every move through hazy eyes. Once again, he felt himself being pulled by a strange force, and he got back into his sled and proceeded to return to the Who village. Cindy Lou followed him at a speed no grown man should be able to reach, much less a child. Before long, they landed in the middle of town, surrounded by a ring of Whos clutching hands. Cindy Lou almost finished the circle; there was enough room left for one being. The Grinch twitched as he tried to resist the supernatural force coaxing him toward the open spot, but ultimately, the force won. A ripple spun through the circle as he completed it, and his mind became blank of any thoughts. Every Who seemed overjoyed.

A song begun. The Grinch was surprised when he opened his mouth and sung along, not missing a single beat or faltering over a word. The haunting melody filled the air, encompassing him, and he felt as if his chest was too full and his heart was thudding too fast. Cindy Lou winked up at him. "It's returning to its normal size. Your poor heart. Now, you are one of us. One of us." She began to chant. The ring stopped singing to begin chanting with her.

Children emerged from the circle and marched slowly in synch to the sled and sack still lying in the epicenter. Their small hands expanded and their eyes became a bright red and suddenly, all the toys and trees and decorations and food were lifted out and floated to their designated homes. The Grinch felt sick.

He had not noticed the increase of speed and intensity the chanting underwent until the circle began moving. He stumbled along with the Whos to a building with a long table and hundreds of plates. Food blanketed the table. Every Who took a seat, and similarly to the circle, there was one remaining seat, right next to Cindy Lou. He sat beside her glowing body. She took his hand, and everything went black.

"One of them," The Grinch said into the darkness. "I am one of them."

-Mary Fite (10)