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dorki-c · 4 years ago

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My Guardian Demon: Chapter 1 Part 4: Unrealistic doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Relationship: Izuku Midoriya X (Reader)

Rating 16+

TW: Swearing

PROMPT QUESTION FOR THIS STORY ARC: Are all demon’s ‘bad’?

[Masterlist] [<-- Previous | Next -->]

“—The spike of thief demons has---” Nope.

Click.

“—The increase of contractor---” Nope.

Click.

“—Demon therapeutic practice cases are decreasing the amount of—” Oh hell no!

Click.

Turning off the television within the apartment, Izuku watched as (y/n) dramatically slid down the couch in boredom. Glancing to the three open windows paired with an additional two fans blowing cool air into the warm apartment, Izuku doesn’t make much of a reaction at how his demon is feeling.

I mean who can blame them? It's quite warm- regardless of what the weather forecast has been reporting- nobody could’ve thought that a heatwave would’ve come early into the year.

“Jeez, why do those annoying contractor demons have to exist…” Muttered (y/n) as they opted to float towards the window to look at the colourless sky (in comparison to Izuku’s developed vision).

Although the day had started in a very boring manner, once he had arrived home from his morning training with All Might (coupled with a thirty-minute long complaining session from his demon that he should “take better care of himself, instead of pushing himself!”), the green-haired boy decided to lounge on the couch after folding his and his mother’s clothes that were finished drying outside.

Even when the doorbell rang with excitement washing over Izuku. He knew that whatever had erupted in the wake of a new beginning, that the green-haired boy will most certainly be a part of it.

(However, let’s put this monologue to rest. The elephant in the room is here.)

For all that’s said and done, armed with a sharp box cutter- Izuku makes his move of revealing the loot- and don’t let me forget that it’s All Might merch.

“Jeez Izuku, you need to get this obsession under control.” Murmured (y/n), as they swished into his peripherals once more. Taking careful observation of how Izuku ignored his demon’s comment, he delicately takes each box out with precise care and stability to the point that it leaves the demon awestruck at his tentativeness.

“I mean, sure it's not bad to have something you like—” (y/n) paused in order to dig up a more suitable word choice, “—but, there are some things where you need to save up for.”

Even amidst the one-sided conversation, which was cut short by (y/n) staring at the bronze age All Might, Izuku had also paid close observation of how his demon interacted with him.

He still remembers that one training session where even though he was dead tired of pulling both a fridge and his mentor, the slight encouragement from you had pushed him far enough to get up and try again!

(That goes without saying, All Might had asked Izuku to stay a bit longer to discuss the taboo subject of demons.)

“Young Midoriya, are you aware of auras?”

Seeing as talking a demon into existence is outrageously disrespectful, Izuku was shocked at the revelation of hearing All Might (out of anybody else) talk so openly about it!

Squeaking a meek “yes” in hopes that All Might doesn’t continue this conversation (but he still does), the adult turned to face his successor to utter a phrase the child will never forget.

“Then why is your demon’s aura pulsating so dangerously?”

That definitely left Izuku flabbergasted.

And now looking back at it, why is his demon so protective of him?

(He’ll never know, I guess?)

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“Izuku, you know I can’t see normal colours.” Lamented the red demon as they lean on his shoulder to kill time and be comfortable.

Just as the green-haired boy inspected the bronze age All Might figure and ready to put it on one of his many shelves, he paused before asking (y/n) “Why do you like this figure?”

“That’s a vague question.”

Izuku deadpanned at his demon’s answer.

(Really (y/n)? Really?)

“Okay! Okay! I’ll answer your silly question!” If anything, you’re the one with the silly questions.

“I like the design, I guess!” Shrugging their shoulders, taking a pause to look at the rest of the figures, the demon settled on picking that one as their favourite.

(By 'that' one, it's the bronze age figure.)

“Plus… it doesn’t look as flashy as the others.”

“What’s wrong with looking flashy!”

“A lot of things.”

That argument did not end for a long time. I can tell you that!

--------------------------

“Wait-- what time is it?” Another yawn escaped Izuku’s mouth before he covered it with a hand of his.

The dusky night setting where only one lamp was emitting a soft after hour glow smudged onto a page of multiple scribbles and notes, the pencil of his noted the new interests of (y/n) in delicate detail with few errors in his vocabulary.

Taking an eye off the notebook, leaning back in his chair before swerving around to see the digital clock, vermillion numbers glowered at him to reveal it was ‘8:43’ pm.

“It’s around 8:40 pm, (Y/n). Why do you need to know?” The demon’s slumped form sprung up in alarm, emitting more hazy fog to flood out them. That was strange…Izuku has never seen (y/n) so anxious about the time.

“The show is gonna start soon!!” Cried (y/n), which lead to his demon gripping him on his free arm and tugging as hard as they can to exit his room.

Even if demons have a unique sense of individuality, I wonder why people perceive them as being bad?

Isn’t it naïve to consider a ‘figment’ of our minds to be labelled something as vague as ‘bad’?

Even if said figment can easily destroy you from the inside out like miasma or possess the demon’s host in hopes of protecting them from outside danger.

Is possessing somebody out of protecting them, cruel or righteous? Is it wrong or right?

(Izuku doesn’t have the ethical mindset to process his thoughts, so he lets (y/n) force him down on the couch and watch his demon’s newest fascination of American Horror Story.)

-------------------------

As always, Izuku seemed to leave the curtains cracked a little open to allow his demon to gaze upon the glittery fabric of a darkened atmosphere.

The crater embellished in the fabric was held stationary to grant permission for the creature to gaze upon it for one of the few nights in the month, as trees locked their gazes at the rock and the illuminations of manmade stars stilled in the moment of time.

And for a moment, (y/n) wondered upon these manmade stars if they could be human.

(Or something close to being human! Though…as cheerful as it sounds; the only way they could be a human is becoming a thief demon.)

But only for a moment they wondered about it.

(And may a divine deity forbid them from thinking about it.)

There’s no room in this house of memories to bring greedy thoughts of freedom into it. However, there is room to ensure that the demon’s companion is safe.

(At least he’s safe now…)

(The demon does worry a lot, but at this point, its quite natural for them to worry about everything when growing up with Izuku.)

Glancing back at the dozing green-haired teenager, the demon sighed.

They couldn’t help releasing a sigh—not because they were relieved— but of the new dangers that may come alongside a quirk and having people to trust for once.

Letting their weightless form ghost towards the edge of Izuku’s bed, with protective intent as clear as the moon in the sky, (y/n) had made note of his serenity etched into the expression of glued tight eyelids with transparent drool beginning its slug trail down his chin and onto the flashy hero pillow.

(If you want to go into detail, it’s an All Might pillow.)

Speaking of heroes, why does Izuku really want to become one? (Y/n) has never seen a moral point to a hero’s duty—other than acquiring fame and money--, so why bother spending three years of your life contributing to a corrupt cause where it eats up your lifespan like a toddler munching on diabetes ridden lollipops.

Sure, (y/n) doesn’t like hero society.

(It’s practically fucked up, what else can they say?)

“Izuku, why do you want to become a hero?” But they don’t hate Izuku’s dream…

(I think…)

“Is it for fame?” They all have unrealistic dreams.

(The demon was speaking out into the void. That’s no surprise, it’s always been like that.)

“Is it for glory?” But that’s what dreams are. They are unrealistic.

(Is the demon right or wrong?)

“Is it for something else?” The demon had an unrealistic dream, so why can’t Izuku have an unrealistic dream?

(Unless both of their dreams weren’t unrealistic.)

Taglist:

CREDITS:

@glitterfreezed @izukubabe @sweater-weather-seven @nyanyabisjjj @quietlegends @dragonsdreamoffire @candybabey @sixofsparrows

All content and art used within this story belongs to their respective owners. PLAGARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!

Art credits: Dorki-C and @glitterfreezed

[MASTERLIST OF “My Guardian Demon”] [MAIN MASTERLIST]

#Izuku Midoriya #Izuku midoriya bnha #Izuku Midoriya mha #Izuku Midoriya X Demon! Reader #Izuku midoriya x y/n #Izuku midoriya x reader #Izuku Midoriya x you #MGD x mha au #MGD au #mha x reader #bnha x reader #Demon! Reader #Dorki's Oneshots

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mst3kproject · 4 years ago

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The Ape

In the vein of movies that should not be confused with eerily similar previous entries, The Ape is distinct from The Ape Man... but not by much. Both feature a slumming horror superstar, glandular secretions, and a stupid gorilla suit. All these things also showed up in early seasons of MST3K, of course, and The Ape Man also has a surprise bonus. Apparently, the guy in the gorilla costume is none other than Crash Corrigan, of Undersea Kingdom!

Long ago, Dr. Adrien lost his daughter to polio, and ever since he's been obsessed with finding a cure. That sounds pretty noble, but unfortunately, Adrien is a mad doctor, so the cure he comes up with requires killing healthy people to drain them of their cerebralspinal fluid! In order not to arouse suspicion, he kills and skins a gorilla that escaped from a circus, and wears its hide when he murders people... you know, as one does. To nobody's surprise but his, he ends up getting shot, but hey, at least he cured beautiful young Frances' paralysis!

This is a weird, dumb movie but one thing I can say in its favour is that everybody seems to have given it a good try. This material was far beneath Boris Karloff but he takes it seriously and actually gets a couple of decent moments, as does Maris Wrixton (who was also in The Face of Marble) as Frances. Nobody else is even close to Karloff's level, being just bland 40's actors who talk too fast, but none of the main cast are phoning it in, either.

Conversely, the worst thing in the movie is its truly horrendous gorilla suit. The puppet face shows the actor's eyes and can curl its lip, which is cool, though the features don't look very gorilla-ish. The rest of the suit, however, is terrible. It's way too shaggy and in order to give it a gorilla-like silhouette, they stuck a big hunchback on it. This might have worked if Corrigan had tried to walk on all fours like gorillas actually do, but instead he waddles along upright like a toddler with a full diaper, which ruins it. The people who made the movie also appear to think gorillas are nocturnal which, for the record, they are not.

Gorillas were kind of a big thing in movies of the 40's and 50's. The species had been scientifically described a century earlier, but hadn't really been studied until the 1920s and most people had never seen one outside of King Kong. Films of the period were not kind to the gorilla. One of the first gorilla movies was 1930's Ingagi, which purported to be a documentary about gorillas kidnapping women as sex slaves. That kind of set the tone, and subsequent movies depicted gorillas as creatures prone to violence and rape. Examples from this blog alone are numerous: The Ape Man (1940), Panther Girl of the Kongo (1955), and Bride of the Gorilla (1951) for starters... Robot Monster (1953) might also count.

The Ape has a slightly more nuanced approach to gorilla behaviour. Yes, its gorilla does maul people to death... but the first victim is its trainer, who has been shown mistreating it. Another circus employee even tries to tell him that he'll catch more flies with honey. When the ape batters its way into Dr. Adrien's house, it does so in order to get at the trainer's coat, which Adrien left draped over a chair when the dying man was brought to him for treatment. We see far more fear of the escaped ape than we do of the animal itself, and it does not commit near as many murders as Adrien does while dressed in its skin!

So that's halfway progressive for the 1940s. We can also look at the treatment of Frances, the wheelchair-user partially paralyzed by polio. She is clearly meant to be an object of the audience's pity, and Adrien is obsessed with making her able to walk again – as he could not do for his own daughter. To some extent the movie infantilizes her, as she is clearly dependent on her mother, unable to have much of a social life, and her boyfriend Danny professes his willingness to 'take care of her'. When she regains movement in her legs at the end of the movie, she and her mother immediately burn her wheelchair. Apparently she's not allowed to build up her stamina slowly... if she walks ten minutes from home and then can't continue, she's just gotta sit there until she recovers or somebody finds her.

On the other hand, Frances' family aren't trying to force Adrien's possible cure on her, but let her choose it for herself. Her mother doesn't mind looking after her, and Danny is happy to accommodate her by, for example, hiring a cart so she can accompany him to the circus. Danny in particular is very suspicious of the fact that the injections Adrien gives to Frances are causing her pain, and takes the doctor to task for it, telling him he would rather have her disabled and happy than walking but in pain. “I'd rather carry her around all my life!” he says. Her loved ones are willing to try for the cure, but it doesn't seem like anyone will be miserable if it fails. Frances herself wistfully admires the acrobats at the circus, but shows no anger or bitterness that she cannot be like them.

Frances is even allowed some initiative, as she hurries down the road in her wheelchair calling to Dr. Adrien and trying to warn him that the gorilla is in the area. This, ironically, is what leads to Adrien getting shot, as it attracts the attention of the posse hunting the animal. But as Adrien lies dying, he gets to see Frances standing for the first time in ten years, so I guess we're meant to think this was all worth it.

But was it? Several people died in order to provide the spinal fluid that helped Frances heal. The movie shows them as terrified of Dr. Adrien and/or the gorilla, but other than that it is oddly uninterested in their fates. None of the deaths are presented as tragedies, with families left in mourning... the only family we hear about for the gorilla trainer is a father who is already dead, and another one of the victims was an asshole who told his wife if she didn't like him cheating on her she could always drown herself(!??). So... are we supposed to think they don't matter? That their deaths are acceptable because they helped Frances – who was not dying or even deteriorating, and was satisfied with her life as it was – to a cure?

It is notable that we do not see what happens when Frances finds out that people had to die for her to be able to walk. She would have to reassess her opinion of Dr. Adrien, whom until now she has thought of as a loving father figure. She would have to figure out what this means for her future and perhaps need reassurance that she is not culpable. Her unconcerned happiness at the end suggests that nobody bothered to tell her, and that she has not yet made the connection herself. This is really quite unfortunate, because it deprives Frances of her only real chance to be a character rather than a plot point – which is ultimately all she is here.

Nobody else is shown dealing with the aftermath, either. The town has long mistrusted Dr. Adrien because of rumours that he was experimenting on his patients, and a recent spate of missing dogs is shown to be his fault. An early scene shows a group of boys bothering the doctor by throwing rocks at his house (which made me wonder if toilet paper hadn't been invented yet. According to Wikipedia, it dates to 1857, so there's your Fun Fact for the day). Seeing their worst fears realized really ought to have some effect on the people. Even if nobody bothers to tell Frances how her miraculous cure was effected, others will surely figure it out and have to weigh up what he achieved versus the crimes he committed to get there.

Yeah, I know: this is a movie about a guy killing people while wearing a dead gorilla. I'm thinking too hard.

Finally, I want to note some interesting possible connections between The Ape and a number of other movies I've seen. Both The Ape and The Ape Man appear to have been inspired by the 1932 movie Murders in the Rue Morgue, which also features a gorilla and injections of bodily fluids in the name of mad science, and did not feature very much resemblance to Edgar Allen Poe's story of the same name. I don't know if these films directly inspired each other, and it's been ages since I saw Rue Morgue... but the combination of plot elements here seems weirdly specific to be something different people came up with independently. I should watch all three again and see if I notice any more similarities between them.

There are also interesting likenesses between The Ape and another Boris Karloff movie, 1945's The Grave Robber. The latter is the story of a doctor who needs fresh corpses as part of his research, which culminates in surgery to allow a paralyzed girl to walk again. The doctor in this film is more a victim than a villain, himself, as he finds that the man he's been paying to rob graves for him is actually murdering the homeless, and he can't expose this criminal without jeopardizing his work and incriminating himself. It's been a long time since I saw this movie, either (as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've had some shit going on and I haven't had a lot of time for movies, bad or otherwise), so I can't actually say if it's better than The Ape, but it's definitely less silly.

Anyway, the moral of this story is vaccinate your fucking kids or a gorilla will kill you.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #the ape #40s #guys in gorilla suits #tw: rape #allow me to recommend a better movie #we're running out of plots

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ayuuria · 4 years ago

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Inuyasha & Yashahime Translation: Shounen Sunday Super December Edition

Takahashi Rumiko-Sensei’s Question Corner Rumic Question

From the many questions we received from readers via the web, we chose 20 questions for Takahashi Rumiko-sensei to answer!!

Q: The names of the characters in “Inuyasha” are not only original but fit them so well that you can’t think of any other name; peerlessly cool good taste! How did you come up with their names?

Once you name a character, you cannot change it so that’s what I worry about the most. Even if I give them a temporary name for when they make their debut, if it doesn’t stick I will think all the way up to the last minute. While all I can say is “That was the name that fit that character” … a name that is easy to call, draw, and remember. A name that fits the story. For example, in flower language, Kikyou means “Unchanging love” or how Kagome is like a children’s song and cute. I feel like Sesshomaru originally had a different name, but I forgot. On the other hand, I remember the outfit design solidified when I decided on the name.

Q: There are a lot of demons that appear in “Inuyasha” but who was the hardest and easiest to draw?

Magatsuhi was the hardest to draw. He didn’t have a solid form afterall. Also I drew them as I pleased so I don’t remember really struggling.

Q: Is Buyo a male or a female?

When serialization first started, I thought they were a male at first but as I continued to draw, I started to think “This cat might be an old lady”. They might be a female. Well Buyo is Buyo so I think it’s fine if everyone decides for themselves whether Buyo is a male or a female.

Q: I want to know how Sesshomaru and Jaken first met. Was Jaken an old man from the time they first met?

I remember their meeting being drawn in an original episode in the “Inuyasha” anime. I can’t remember which episode number though. According to that, Jaken was a demon leader who lost to Sesshomaru in battle and thus decided to follow him, I think that was the scenario. And I think he was an old man as well.

Q: If Kikyo had lived on, would she and Kagome have been good friends

As long as Inuyasha is around, I think it would be really hard for them to be friends like nothing happened… I imagine they would have this strange tension between them as they accepted the other while feeling uneasy. I don’t think Inuyasha could mentally handle that either.

Q: I like small creatures that appear in the Rumic World like Kilala and Shippou so could you tell us what you focus on when drawing these small creatures?

I make sure that they’re fundamentally cute in appearance. Also because of how small they are, they ride on a main character’s shoulder. Anyhow, I make sure they can share the spotlight.

Q: I think Tessaiga is a good sword that is considerate of the main character such as when it gives Inuyasha a warning so as not to hurt him but Inuyasha treats it so recklessly in comparison. (Though he acts like that fully trusting Tessaiga) If Tessaiga could talk, what do you think it would say to Inuyasha? I have loved “Inuyasha” since I was in elementary school and I’ve viewed the manga and anime but looking back, I feel Tessaiga was gallant in responding to Inuyasha’s recklessness… I was curious about this so I decided to ask.

Tessaiga is a sword forged from his (Inuyasha) father’s fang so while being Inuyasha’s “friend”, I would guess that it might be an existence of higher status. If it could talk, it would probably say “Hurry up and catch up to me”

Q: Thank for the Anime Support Project. “What a time to be alive to be able to send a question to Takahashi Rumiko-sensei” Is what I think (laughs). I’ve loved “Inuyasha” since I was a child and it’s my life’s “bible”. I admired Kagome and lived thinking that I want to be a kind, strong woman like her. Now here is my question: There was a scene where Sesshomaru said “I don’t eat human food” but for a demon that doesn’t attack humans, what does he eat to sustain his life? I mean Inuyasha and Shippou ate with Kagome and the others so do demons and humans eat the same thing? Was Sesshomaru by chance bluffing with that line? Lastly, I look forward to the serialization of “Hanyou no Yashahime” and “MAO”! Thank you for all the wonderful works.

Thank you for your support. Sesshomaru’s meals, I can’t imagine it after all. There’s a possibility he absorbs mists of “essence” or “energy” of the demons he’s defeated. Also fruits are another possibility.

Q: Within “Inuyasha”, is there a story that was most fun for you to draw? Also I would love for sensei to tell us your best (favorite) episode!

I have a lot of favorite episodes so it’s hard to decide. Black haired Inuyasha on the Night of the New Moon was refreshing and fun, and the stories of Inuyasha going to the Modern Era and loosening up as he took a break from fighting had me in many laughing fits. Also drawing the story for the Band of Seven made me excited. And, while fun may not be the right word, I put a lot of effort into Kagura’s death and Kikyou’s last moments with the idea that I wanted to give them a proper send off. The process of Kagome and Inuyasha and Miroku and Sango’s relationship gradually changing was also fun. Ultimately if I had to pick one, it’s probably the final episode. I finished drawing it feeling “I finally made it” and it was satisfying.

Q: I love the Band of Seven in “Inuyasha”! Did Bankotsu, who is the strongest member of the Band of Seven, scout the others? Bankotsu and Jakotsu seem close so are they the first members? I’ve always wondered this. I look forward to appealing enemies appearing in Yashahime.

I think all the other members of the Band of Seven most likely had enough strength to make it on their own. For all those people to come together would require a very strong leader at its core which is basically what Bankotsu was. Also, being together made jobs easier or they felt there may have been a merit. I feel like Bankotsu and Jakotsu being the founding members does indeed fit really nicely.

Q: I really like Monk Miroku and Sango in “Inuyasha” and I continue to support them even now. My question is in the end, how many children did these two, who said “Would you be willing to bear 10, 20 children?” when they purposed, have? If you have back stories and such for the children, I would love to hear them.

I only remember the twins and the newborn baby boy that appeared in the last chapter of “Inuyasha” making an appearance in Yashahime. In my mind, I didn’t think of anything beyond that but they are still a young married couple so I think there’s unlimited possibilities. I am happy that you like these two even now. Thank you very much.

Q: I have a question regarding the different use for “Scent” and “Odor”. The expressions for when Sesshomaru smelled something, for Rin it was constantly “scent” and for everything else it was “odor”. When they first met too, the expression was “A human’s scent”. Just as Inuyasha called Kagome’s smell a “scent”, is it because it is a “smell” that they like?

I had an image of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru differentiating between friend or foe with “smell”. Of course “scent” is friend while “odor” is enemy. In addition, keeping in mind of the image that comes to readers minds when they see these words, I fundamentally had “scent” used for female characters. I wanted readers to get a sense of purity and cuteness from it.

Q: If there’s an episode or scene in “Inuyasha” that ended up turning out differently than what was originally thought up prior to serialization, could you please tell us?

First, I only started the story with the idea of half-demon Inuyasha, getting back stabbed by Kikyou and getting sealed away, and having a sword that was his father’s memento. Everything else, I created while thinking on the week of. Thus, Naraku came after, as well as I thought of Shippou, Miroku, and Sango when they debuted. I had thought of Sesshomaru possibly dying after protecting a human but it seemed like such a waste and I became unable to kill him. The direction of the story was decided when the antagonist, Naraku, was born. I’m an adlib (improv) type person so I won’t be surprised by what I draw if I decide things too far ahead. It’s fun to imagine every week “What will they do, what will happen”.

Q: “Inuyasha” is my bible on life! When talk of Yashahime happened, what was your first thought?

In my mind “Inuyasha” was complete so when they spoke to me about this, I thought “You’re going to do this?”. However Sumizawa-san, who handled the scenario for the “Inuyasha” anime, is a person who, in addition to being adept and talented, does not make mistakes so I felt that I could leave it to him.

Q: In the final chapter of the original work, Sesshomaru was gifting Rin a kimono but how did he go about obtaining it? I’m really curious as to if Sesshomaru delivered something Jaken prepared or if he went and bought it himself?

I thought about this over and over after I received this question. I think after all, he would order Jaken to go buy it and to continue buying until he bought a kimono that fit his image. On top of that, he probably doesn’t tell him (Jaken) a precise image to begin with.

Q: In “Hanyou no Yashahime” we saw Grandma Kaede. Seeing her surprised me… she hasn’t changed from the time of “Inuyasha”! Is Grandma Kaede by chance a demon?

She’s a human. However she still has the role of advising the young folks and having them listen to stories from the past so maybe she doesn’t age because it’s something worth doing.

Q: In “Hanyou no Yashahime”, Inuyasha and Kagome’s child, Moroha, appears. Inuyasha is a half demon, Kagome is a human, and Moroha is cross between a human and a half-demon. Do the three of them age differently in the Feudal Era?

In the span of the story, they seem to age the same. I’m sure the results will gradually begin to show after a few decades.

Q: In “Hanyou no Yashahime” Moroha wears a red ribbon; is this ribbon something with Inuyasha’s ears in mind? Also why is it that Inuyasha, who is a half-demon, has dog ears but Towa and Setsuna, who are also half-demons, do not? I can under Moroha since she’s a quarter (demon)… is there a basis for the dog ears? Please tell us!

Just as you guessed, Moroha’s ribbon was a projection of Inuyasha’s image. In regards to the dogs ears for Towa and Setsuna, Sesshomaru takes a human form and reversely, Inuyasha was something like half beast. The half demons that appear in Inuyasha have all sorts of appearances so understand that it depends on the individual.

Q: Ever since I watched the anime, “Inuyasha”, when I was 5 years old, it has been my absolute favorite work. When I was young, whenever I looked at the sacred tree at the shrine, I always imagined “Was Inuyasha sealed to this tree?...” It’s been 12 years since the original work was concluded. 10 years since the anime “Final Act”. I’m so excited for “Hanyou no Yashahime” beginning this fall! What was the most important thing when you designed the half-demon princess, Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha?

Scenario writer Sumizawa-san asked of me the following images: Towa as a “White Sesshomaru” and Setsuna as a “Black Sesshomaru”. While they’re twins, they grew up in two completely different eras so I designed them as two separate individuals. In addition, while Towa wears a boy’s uniform, I thought it would be good if she had a feminine streak to her. Moroha strongly resembles Inuyasha and Kagome. She’s a cheerful character so I didn’t have any second thoughts when I drew her into what she is now.

Q: Is there anything in “Hanyou no Yashahime” that you would like readers to pay attention to?

Sunrise’s beautiful pictures and animations as well as the story is also entertaining. The previous generation will periodically make an appearance and I think Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha are each charming. I think it’s a work that both first time people and people who watched “Inuyasha” can enjoy. Also Wada Kaoru-san continues from “Inuyasha” as being in charge of music. I’m excited for this as well.

We received a comment, autograph, and illustration for all the readers from Takahashi Rumiko-sensei!

#Hanyou no Yashahime #Yashahime #yashahime: princess half-demon #translation #Inuyasha

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theveryworstthing · 5 years ago

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More Spooky.

Mixing the spooky prompts of 'gay vampires' and 'all dressed up for a spooky soriee' again.

This is Salt. She's pretty good a putting people back together, is full of leeches, has a dark sense of humor, and is very short. She's also as gay as a hermaphroditic leech person who mostly uses she/her for convenience but has no strong feelings about gender can be.

She grew up around pit fighters and eventually became a medic when her own career didn't work out (her eyes were always wonky but then she had to grow a few back after That Fight and yeesh). When the pits got shut down one of the older medics decided to put an actual practice together and hit the road, taking Salt and a few other favorites with. Eventually they got pretty successful and opened a lot of non-human friendly hospitals. She's currently attending a 'children of the night' themed benefit sponsored by Cashmere's company as a representative since her boss couldn't make it.

Here's a bunch of lore about the kind of vampire she is because of course I wrote some:

Hirudo Vampires

What are they: A race of Mermaids. Mermaids that are essentially a sack full of leeches, but yeah. Mermaids.

How they’re made: They’re born like any other mermaid. Weird humanoid monotreme lays an egg and after a bit you get a Child. Infants look like regular baby mermaids with kind of sluggy tails and can be confused with nudibranch juveniles if they’re gifted with brighter colors. They’re initially fed milk and invertebrates like worms and slugs by their parents but quickly move on to blood once their cravings start and they begin releasing leeches.

Turning: They can’t turn people. They can turn leeches but they rarely do because usually more than enough leeches naturally sprout from their innards and outside leeches that aren’t from another hirudo are a quick fix that will eventually be rejected by their bodies and need to be replaced.

Feeding: Their favorite method is anchoring their tails to something in a body of water, releasing their leeches, and just floating there until they return. When the leeches come back they swim into the hirudo’s body and plug themselves back into the digestive tract where they empty themselves over time. When the last leech runs out it’s time to go hunting again.

When not feeding they fill the inner cavity of their body with water for the leeches. Chemicals in this inner cavity thicken the water into a loose slime and when feeding all that Leech Slime gets released so that they take on more of a flesh suit aesthetic. A view of this feeding form is rare however, as hirudo hide while feeding and only have to feed this way once every few months if most of their leeches are successful hunters. If they’re not so successful or they can’t send them out for whatever reason they supplement their diet with invertebrates, soft organ meats, and ingesting small quantities of iron whenever they can. Mostly by nibbling on rusted objects or sucking on found bits of metal like jawbreakers.

Besides blind hunting they’ll also enthusiastically feed on willing subjects. Hirudo are renowned healers and their bites can ease certain ailments just like regular leeches. They can can greatly increase their healing powers through training and even imbue their leeches with specific healing spells by lightly carving said spells into their flesh. If you come across an aquatic apothecary or river-side hospital outside of human territories, they’re likely to be owned or staffed by hirudo. When healing others, singular leeches are selected and expelled for each patient. Dedicated healers tend to be larger than regular hirudo since their constant food source helps them produce more leeches.

Powers: Calming aura (to be fair the leeches have this power, not the hirudo), two or three times the strength of an average human (that’s normal for any mermaid though, they’re pretty much all pure muscle), durability (very hard to kill if they can get water and a blood source), and accelerated healing. They can direct their leeches to specific targets and use them as kind of detachable limbs, even speaking through them if they need to. Mostly they just point them in a general direction and see what they can get. The leeches have their own simple brains and can figure it out.

Fun Facts:

Bites don’t hurt and rarely become infected unless you’re just rolling around in garbage all day. You don’t bleed more or less than you would after a regular leech bite and if the creature doesn’t see the leech they probably won’t know they’ve been fed on until after it’s gone.

They can hang out on land just fine due to being their own personal swimming pools but they still dry out after a day or so and need to return to the water. While on land they develop a thin layer of mucus on their skin that isn’t sticky or wet but you can feel it creepily shift under your hands if you grab them too roughly and it gives them a shimmery glow. This layer flakes off if they become dehydrated and some harvest it as well as any spare Leech Slime for use in beauty products and skin ointments.

They can ‘walk’ on land but it’s draining after a bit and they all use canes and/or wheelchairs to get around.

Just like regular leeches, hirudo are hermaphrodites. What we think of as feminine or masculine appearances are just the product of different family genetics interacting with environmental stimuli and are the same as tribe markings to them. Come from a southern river system where your egg was kept in warm water? Guess you’ll grow up to look more femme and you get cool orange stripes. This situation isn’t unheard of in mermaids but land creatures can be taken aback. It’s whatever. Biology does what it wants.

Many name their leeches and get real mad if one is killed. Partially because anyone would be mad if you murdered one of their organs, but also because they like those little buddies. Luckily, they’re pretty hard to kill if they’re in water and they can get back to the main body.

Most physical fighting is done with leeches. All hirudo have at least one leech that’s bigger, tougher, and honestly creepier than the others just for combat situations. They vary a little from person to person but a consistent trait is that they have just. Too many teeth. Too many teeth that are sometimes not in the right places and sometimes look too human. Just a lot of Wrong Teeth on a big fat blood slug. If this ‘attack leech’ dies or doesn’t return to the body in a certain period of time then they start growing a new one immediately and oh boy is the new one always worse that the last one. There are hirudo out there housing some real abominations.

Combat Leech is their secondary defense mechanism. The first is expelling slime at predators and slipping out of their grip by furiously stretching and wriggling.

The leeches aren’t like wild leeches. They don’t digest the blood they take or make more leeches. They’re also strangely warm, like little hot water bottles. It’s hard to even call them leeches since they’re really detachable organs that act like leeches but like. What else can they be called? Idk, but there’s strong evidence that wild leeches find them creepy and will avoid them.

They’re very amused at the human perception of boobs because to them bigger titty is like a sign that says “I have fat to spare because I eat very well and that means I could probably rip you to shreds”.

They can produce children with other humanoids in theory but it’s a toss of the coin for the egg’s viability and it’s suspected that this is how vampire genes get thrown into non-mer family lines so like. Not a great idea if you don’t want to chance giving birth to some draculas!!!

They can fit through any space their head can fit into. They kind of navigate the world with octopus/cat vibes. Their arms are even more tentacle-y that classically arm shaped.

Eight to ten eyes with position and number differing by tribe.

On average they’re about 5-5.5ft long but powerful hirudo with lots of leeches can get 8ft+.

They’re actually known as some of the prettiest mermaids by humans.

Humans are some of their favorite prey.

Most biologist feel like this isn’t an evolutionary accident.

Immortality?: Hirudo can live for around three hundred years in perfect conditions but they’re not immortal, they grow old and die like anything else. Immortality in not out of reach for those able to push a few morals aside however, and can be accomplished two ways:

1. Feed exclusively on other hirudo. This is an asshole move for obvious reasons and can be done by consuming their leeches or going old school vampire and drinking right from the source. Can be killed if they’re dehydrated through aggressive salting or imprisoning on land for months.

2. Necromancy is just very advanced healing magic really. Carve enough arcane magic into your tummy buddies and you got yourself a real Leech Lich situation brewing. These hirudo can only be killed by thoroughly destroying all of their leeches.

#vampire #hirudo #salt #mermaid #body horror #small guide #that outfit went though a lot of alterations but i love the final so much

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eventidedaydreamer · 4 years ago

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What is everybody's strengths and weaknesses in your Bendy Au?

:) oh >:) okay

Joey Drew:

Strengths

he knows a lot of things,

Intelligence

he can be very charming and can win people over easily,

he’s the kind of person that you immediately like when you meet him,

he knows how to leave a good impression.

If you actually get to know him he can be very bubbly and excitable.

Weaknesses

he can’t read people,

he’s brain smart but he isn’t emotionally smart,

he doesn’t get it when someone shows emotions in a way he isn’t familiar with.

He lashes out when he’s reminded of unpleasant things.

He knows how to turn everyone into ink creatures through sacrifice but he doesn’t stop to think if he should.

His coping mechanisms are not very healthy

Jealousy, clingy, its hard for him to consider that people can have more than one friend

Henry Stein:

Strengths

He’s very tough (have you seen how much he falls?? and he’s OLD)

Probably broke some bones when he was a kid so now he has stronger bones.

He can handle a LOT of pain,

he’s cool under stress and pressure,

he’s a hard worker and a very talented artist.

He has a good memory

Weaknesses

He has trouble expressing himself

He’s a people pleaser and has a hard time saying no (something he’s worked on and is better about after he met his wife),

He underreacts to things and overthinks a lot (overthinking is another thing he got better with after he met Linda)

Wally Franks:

Strengths

One of the FRIENDLIEST people you will ever meet,

and hes really really funny

He somehow knows everyone’s name even if he only met them once three years ago,

It’s like he’s living life at a different speed because it seems like he spent the whole day with you but he also had time to see ten other people the same day??

He seems innocent and as if his perfect bubble of the world would pop if you mentioned something upsetting but the reality is he’ll listen to anything you need to get out and then give really good advice followed up with his usual humor.

He trusts that there is good in everyone and gives people second chances

Weaknesses

He does really stupid things a lot

He’ll connect pipes wrong, resulting in later damage and messes

He’s always getting himself hurt, jumping too many stairs at once, making someone really angry and running for his life (Sammy’s the main one that’ll actually chase him down)

It’s like he has no sense of self-preservation

(HOW IS HE NOT DEAD?!)

He is really trusting and some people take advantage of that

He opens himself up to everyone and forgives a little too easily

Sammy Lawrence:

Strengths

He knows how to stick up for himself and others

Hardworking

He is damn good at his job and won’t let you forget it

Sarcastic

Honest

Mature

He can hear the music as he’s writing it, feel it in his head when he sees sheet music

Very independent

If he considers you a friend, he will go to extremes to get back at anyone that hurts you (Just ask Jack, he’s been friends with him the longest!)

It is unknown how many instruments Sammy can play, the band make guesses all the time and Jack is asked on a weekly basis but refuses to comment

its an ongoing discussion

Determination, he’s the only one that will actually chase Wally til he catches him

Weaknesses

He’s angry almost constantly

The glass is half empty

Doesn’t hold back snide remarks (but if the remark is about music in some way you better listen there’s advice hidden somewhere)

Yelling, but it’s mostly just a very loud “WALLY FRANKS!” followed by running footsteps and Wally’s giddy laughter

I N S O M N I A C

constantly has bags under his eyes

A Perfectionist, Only the best can come from the office of Sammy Lawrence even if he forgets to eat while doing so

yeah thats another thing, he forgets about things like eating, sleeping, ya know, human things

He’s intimidating, the string of constant negativity doesn’t make many friends

Workaholic

He’s become dependent on the few friends he has to break him out of his work until its done mode and remind him to eat and sleep (Jack, Wally, Norman and Susie a little.)

because :) it would be a shame :) if one of them :) went missing :) huh?

Susie Campbell:

Strengths

Hopeful and optimistic

Friendly

She has a really pretty face, shes really pretty in general

she gets a lot of attention because of it

shes tougher than she looks and uses it to her advantage

she is really clever

Flirty and a romantic

an exciting storyteller, she can make a trip to the refrigerator sound interesting

Weaknesses

Possessive

she wants to hear all the gossip until its about her

is really jealous of the smallest things

she may seem like a little innocent flower but she’s the thorniest rose in the garden and you are growing a little too close to her

Alice Angel means everything to her, its the best way to distract her from anything else :)

the second best way is to mention her star-shaped birthmark/freckle

Norman Polk:

Strengths

Observant

He’s very good at guessing things correctly

He seems to know something about everything and everyone

A really great listener

He also just has good hearing in general, easily eavesdrops

Physically strong, he can lift anyone with ease

Wise and careful

he has some pretty sound advice in him if you ask for any

has a very good control on his temper and is calm and cool even in heated arguments or dangerous situations

a good people reader

is very understanding

Weaknesses

He’s scary, just how he likes it

People get the wrong ideas about him (He’s just sitting there! Is he watching me?)

to be fair, he might be

He doesn’t attempt to get to know people unless he sees a reason to

gets into other peoples business

He’s always lookin’ for trouble

too curious for his own good

doesn’t talk about his feelings

Jack Fain:

Strengths

He’s so good at rhyming that he does it subconsciously on a regular basis

Creative

Empathetic

He’s not afraid to show emotion

Forgiving

Generosity

Gentle and soft

Humble

Patient

Selfless

Weaknesses

He can be really emotional a lot of the time

He spaces out a lot

he can seem like a crybaby

Doesn’t take credit for things he should

Lies about how he really feels to make other people comfortable, he doesn’t want to be a bother

puts himself down to make other people look better

Really shy

doesn’t stick up for himself

too passive

worries a lot

Johnny:

Strengths

He really loves his job

He’s a romantic at heart

very sweet and considerate

Loyal and devoted

Sees the best in people

Weaknesses

He falls in love way too easily

ignores flaws even when they’re concerning

can easily become an emotional mess

fears being rejected more than anything else (bro just love him he’s too sweet)

Shawn Flynn:

Strengths

He’ll tell someone off when they’ve done something wrong

believes in karma and justice

likes sewing while he’s talking/doing something else

really good at multitasking

Luck of the Irish

like he misses getting injured by mere inches

this makes him the perfect Go and Do Something Stupid companion with Wally

He’s really proud of his heritage and his work

Weaknesses

Shouts a lot

He can be too prideful and overconfident

isn’t into mercy or forgiveness

can and will turn anything into a rivalry if its the last thing he does!!

the downside to being his friend is that its dangerous to hug him because he puts needles through his clothes so he can find them later

he says its built in protection

and Wally says ow

Thomas Connor:

Strengths

He’s been good with anything technical since he was little and only got better at it with age

Honorable

Hardworking

Mature

Weaknesses

He believes in a one strike and you’re out ideal, leaving him to not trust some genuinely nice people (but he also doesn’t trust some questionable people so he sees it as justifiable)

Reserved, doesn’t attempt to get to know anyone

he can work too hard

Pessimistic

Allison Pendle:

Strengths

Boy can she give an inspirational speech

She’s very generous

Brave

Levelheaded

She’s a lot stronger than she looks

you should hear her belt out a song

Weaknesses

prefers to fix other peoples problems rather than deal with her own

she’s really competitive

she gets herself hurt a lot

can be a little too fierce

Grant Cohen:

Strengths

Math, he’s good at math

he was like yeah i can do numbers I’ll be an accountant! (bro im sorry u got Joey as a boss)

He’s a good singer (which seems random unless you know)

Weaknesses

A N X I E T Y

really cannot talk to anyone

his words get all jumbled up

if he had the internet he’d constantly be searching things like, how to explain to your boss that his decisions are putting the company in dept? how do you stand up to your boss?

has bad panic attacks

Bertrum Piedmont:

Strengths

He’s super confidant

Not afraid to get his hands dirty

Even though he almost always is dressed up nice

He makes sure he looks presentable

He acts like a dad to people he likes

Cultured

Very determined

He can and will do anything out of spite and you can’t stop him because that will only give him more reason to

Weaknesses

Really prideful, gets offended over little things

is pretty arrogant as well

it’s really hard for him to change his mind after he’s made a decision

refuses to lose, even if it’s really obvious that he has

he can be condescending

doesn’t like or participate in humor, he’s always deadly serious

He can be over dramatic a lot

Lacie Benton:

Strengths

nothing seems to surprise her

calm and chill

a really good listener, the kind that you know can keep a secret

doesn’t take herself too seriously or anyone, (Bertrum finds her company to be one of his favorites after he figures that out)

shE WEARS WHATEVER SHE WANTS BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOUR OPINION SHE JUST LIKES WEARING PANTS

Weaknesses

stays quiet about important things, she ain’t no snitch, who cares if she witnessed someone stealing something

Super apathetic about life

kinda isolated (Norman says hi)

Lazy but only because she can do it really fast and well so you can wait for her

Linda Stein:

Strengths

It’s a good thing she’s so confidant else Henry would have just looked at this pretty lady and never introduced himself

shes like really good at gardening, talk about a green thumb!

Affectionate

knows when to be gentle and when someone needs tough love

and shes good at distributing both

shes so brave

Eager and excited easily

super patient

Understanding

Weaknesses

she can come off as too forward and a little too fast

can get a little frazzled

Forgetful (Henry helps with that)

she doesn’t want to invade anyone’s boundaries but doesn’t ask what they are so its a tug of war within her

Sorry this took so long, I wanted to really think about it and do it justice! :D

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karkat62 · 4 years ago

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TONIGHT’S COMMENTS WILL BE ON CATS DON’T DANCE (1997). THIS FILM WAS SPECIFICALLY (AND REPEATEDLY, IN THE MOST ANNOYING WAY POSSIBLE) REQUESTED BY @hauteurhaunted. THIS ONE’S FOR YOU, SUCKER.

CATS DON’T DANCE IS A MUSICAL FILM ABOUT A CAT NAMED DANNY WHOSE BIG DREAM IS TO BE AN ACTOR IN HOLLYWOOD, SPECIFICALLY STARRING IN AN UNSPECIFIED “BIG PICTURE”. WITH HIS GOAL IN MIND, DANNY SETS OUT TO THE PLACE WHERE MOVIES ARE MADE AND GOES ABOUT IT IN THE MOST BASIC WAY THAT HE CAN: THROUGH A TALENT AGENT SPECIALIZING IN ANIMAL ACTORS. THERE HE MEETS A VARIETY OF FELLOW ANIMALS, ALTHOUGH MOST ARE UNIMPORTANT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ANOTHER CAT NAMED SAWYER. DANNY’S DREAMS ARE SOON JUSTLY SHOT OUT OF THE SKY BY AN UNWIELDY GOD HURLING A LIGHTNING BOLT (AKA JUST A FAMOUS CHILD ACTOR WHO IS ALSO A COMPLETE BRAT). NOW FACED WITH REALITY, DANNY BOUNCES BETWEEN HIS NORMAL HOPEFUL OPTIMISM AND GIVING UP. SOME MINDLESS STUFF HAPPENS IN THE MIDDLE. THE WHOLE FILM CULMINATES IN THE GROUP OF ANIMALS SHOWING THE ANTAGONIST, DARLA, WHAT’S WHAT. THE END.

I’D LIKE TO BEGIN BY BRIEFLY COVERING WHY FILMS TAKE ON THE GENRES AND STYLINGS THAT THEY DO IN ORDER TO PORTRAY THEIR STORY. WHEN BASED ON TRUE STORIES, MUSICALS TEND TO OPERATE IN A UNIQUE REALM BETWEEN REALITY AND FICTION, GIVEN THAT IN DAY-TO-DAY LIFE, PEOPLE DON’T JUST GO AROUND BREAKING OUT INTO SONG, EVEN IF THAT WOULD BE THE EASIEST WAY TO END MY FORSAKEN LIFE. WHEN RESTING COMPLETELY IN FICTION, MUSICAL NUMBERS ARE TYPICALLY USED TO FEATURE WILD AND ASININE PLOT ELEMENTS, OVER THE TOP EFFECTS, AND A BLATANT ATTEMPT TO GET ON THE HUMAN TOP 40 CHART. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT MAKES A MUSICAL GOOD OR BAD IS TYPICALLY WHAT THE CREATIVE TEAM IS USING THE MUSIC FOR. IS IT BEING UTILIZED IN A WAY THAT PUSHES THE STORY FORWARD? DOES IT TELL US MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS? IS IT JUST THROWN IN THERE BECAUSE IT’S BEEN FIVE MINUTES SINCE SOMEONE LAST CARRIED A NOTE AND WE DON’T WANT THE AUDIENCE TO FALL ASLEEP? TYPICALLY, THE MOST WIDELY REGARDED MEDIA OF THIS GENRE USES MUSIC TO REVEAL ASPECTS OF CHARACTER AND PORTRAY ACTIONS IN A FLUID, YET REVEALING, MANNER. THE MUSIC ISN’T THROWN IN HAPHAZARDLY JUST TO HAVE A NOTE OR TWO, IT’S USED BECAUSE IT’S THE BEST MEDIUM TO TELL THE STORY. AS MANY IN THE BROADWAY INDUSTRY SAY, “YOU SING WHEN YOU CAN NO LONGER SPEAK.”

SO. WHERE DOES THIS FILM FALL INTO THAT MIX? WELL. WHY DON’T WE PUT IT LIKE THIS: THE FILM IS 75 MINUTES LONG, WHICH ISN’T PARTICULARLY LONG EVEN FOR AN ANIMATED FILM, AND IT FEATURES 8 SONGS, EACH ONE STRETCHING FOR 2-4 MINUTES. EVERY SONG IS HEARD BY ALL CHARACTERS, AND ONLY ONE REVEALS ANYTHING THAT A CHARACTER MIGHT OTHERWISE NOT SAY ALOUD. SO! WITH THAT IN MIND. IT’S A SHITTY FUCKING EXAMPLE OF THE MUSICAL GENRE. “BUT KARKAT! CAN’T A MUSICAL FILM JUST BE FUN??? DOES IT ALL HAVE TO MEAN SOMETHING?????” OF COURSE IT CAN BE FUN, DIPSHIT. THE ISSUE ISN’T THAT IT’S NOT FUN, THE ISSUE IS THAT IT TRIES TO BE A MOVIE THAT IS *MORE* THAN FUN. IT TRIES TO MAKE COMMENTARY, BUT DOESN’T FULLY COMMIT ITSELF BECAUSE THE COMMENTARY IT’S SPEAKING ON ISN’T A FUN TOPIC, SO INSTEAD IT FALLS FACE-FIRST INTO MEDIOCRITY, RIGHT BETWEEN “GOOD AT MAKING COMMENTARY” AND “GOOD AT BEING FUN” BECAUSE IN 75 MINUTES, YOU CERTAINLY CAN’T BE BOTH.

TO EXPAND A LITTLE MORE ON THE IDEA OF MUSICAL NUMBERS TELLING US SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHARACTER THAT THEY’RE INCAPABLE OF SPEAKING, I’D LIKE TO QUICKLY TAKE A LOOK AT THE BROADWAY SHOW BANDSTAND. THIS IS A GREAT SHOW TO COMPARE TO CATS DON’T DANCE, BECAUSE THE FOUNDATION OF STORYTELLING IS THE SAME: IN CATS DON’T DANCE, THE CHARACTERS ARE WANNABE ACTORS AND SINGERS, SO OF COURSE THEY’RE SHOWCASING THEIR TALENTS AND NOT JUST SPEWING THEIR GELATINOUS SONG CHUNKS INTO THE VOID OF THE PANSPACE WHERE NO ONE CAN HEAR THEM. IN BANDSTAND, THE CHARACTERS ARE (YOU GUESSED IT!) IN A BAND, USING THE SAME EXCUSE FOR MANY OF THE MUSICAL NUMBERS TO BE HEARD BY ALL. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO IS THAT BANDSTAND STILL TAKES THE CHARACTERS ASIDE TO GIVE THEM CHARACTER-DRIVEN NUMBERS THAT ALLOW US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM. MEANWHILE, *EVERY* MUSICAL PIECE IN CATS DON’T DANCE IS SOME IN-UNIVERSE VOYEUR’S WET DREAM, BECAUSE THEY JUST TO SOAK UP EVERY JUICY WORD OF IT. IN BANDSTAND, WE GET TO LEARN OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS’ EMOTIONAL PLIGHT, WHAT DRIVES THEM TO MAKE THEIR CHOICES, AND HOW EXACTLY THEIR EXPERIENCES IN THE WAR HAVE CHANGED THEM. WE GET DEPTH AND BACKSTORY, ALTHOUGH I WILL ADMIT THAT THIS IS EASIER TO ACHIEVE GIVEN THAT IT HAS A LONGER RUNTIME THAN CATS DON’T DANCE. STILL! WHY DON’T WE GO AHEAD AND COMPARE A SONG FROM EACH. THE FIRST SONG OF BANDSTAND, TITLED “JUST LIKE IT WAS BEFORE”, TAKES US THROUGH THE EXPERIENCES OF ONE DONNY (HEY! ALMOST SAME NAME) NOVITSKI IN SOME.... HUMAN WAR. WHATEVER. ANYWAY. WITHIN THE FIRST MINUTE AND A HALF OF THE SONG, WE’RE GIVEN HIS TRAUMATIC BACKSTORY BEFORE MOVING INTO CURRENT TIMES, GOING FROM A SLOW-MOVING WEIGHTY SONG TO SOMETHING UPBEAT AND HOPEFUL AS HE RETURNS TO SOCIETY. THE CHARACTERS IN THIS SONG AREN’T *ACTUALLY* SINGING TO EACH OTHER, BUT INSTEAD FLOWING BETWEEN SCENES AND CARRYING OVER THEIR THOUGHTS AND EXPECTATIONS AS THEY GO. WE’RE TAKEN THROUGH MORE LITERAL EVENTS AS WELL, INCLUDING HIM TRYING TO GET A JOB. ETC ETC. MEANWHILE, THE FIRST MAJOR SONG OF CATS DON’T DANCE, “DANNY’S ARRIVAL SONG” TELLS US ONCE AGAIN THAT DANNY WANTS TO BE AN ACTOR AND THAT HE WORSHIPS THE CONCEPT OF HOLLYWOOD, SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN EXPRESSED THROUGH SPEAKING MOMENTS EARLIER IN THE FILM. IT HAS A LYRICAL STRUCTURE OF A GENERIC POP SONG, REITERATING REPEATEDLY THAT HE REALLY LIKES HOLLYWOOD. WOW. HOLLYWOOD. OH LOOK, MORE HOLLYWOOD. THREE FUCKING MINUTES OF “WOW HOLLYWOOD IS COOL”. GREAT. THANKS. I HAD NO IDEA! ANYWAY, IT’S BAD. ALSO THE MUSIC SUCKS.

THE ONE SONG THAT *ALMOST* REDEEMED IT FOR ME WAS “TELL ME LIES” WHICH IS SUNG BY SAWYER, THE FEMALE CAT THAT DANNY MEETS WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVES IN HOLLYWOOD. NOW THIS ONE HAS SOME POTENTIAL! IN IT, SHE EXPRESSES MORE OR LESS HOW SHE’S GOING TO MISS DANNY ONCE HE’S KICKED OUT OF THE CITY, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED BY HER CHARACTER BEFORE BUT NOT TOUCHED ON FULLY UNTIL NOW. GREAT! FINALLY SOME FUCKING DEVELOPMENT. UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S RUINED AT THE LAST SECOND BY A SIDE CHARACTER COMING IN AND GOING “WOW THAT WAS A COOL SONG. HAHA. YOU LIKE A BOY.” WHICH IS PUMPBREAKING FOR ME BECAUSE I WAS ON THE TRACK TO ENJOYING SOMETHING ABOUT THE MUSIC ASPECT OF THIS FILM. OH WELL! ALSO, I’D LIKE TO MENTION THAT I WAS VERY DISTRACTED BY THEIR CHOICE TO INCLUDE A REFERENCE TO THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), IF ONLY BECAUSE IT’S A UNIQUE PIECE OF MEDIA THAT, IF YOU’RE UNAWARE, HAS BEEN STUCK IN COPYRIGHT LIMBO SINCE THE FILM’S RELEASE. IT’S AN INTERESTING TOPIC TO LOOK INTO IF YOU’RE EVER BORED.

AS FAR AS THE REST OF THE STORYTELLING: IT’S FINE, I GUESS. IT’S VERY FAST-PACED, WHICH IS TO BE EXPECTED OF SUCH A SHORT FILM, BUT IT FEELS LIKE I’VE BEEN THROWN DOWN A RIVER AND TOLD THAT I BETTER LEARN HOW TO SWIM ASAP. THE ANIMATION IS LIVELY AND INTERESTING, ALTHOUGH I WILL NEVER BE COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH ANIMATION THAT DOESN’T SPEAK ON THE UNIQUE CHARACTERS. IT’S PRETTY MUCH GOT THE SAME STYLE OF MOVEMENT FOR EVERY LIVING CREATURE IN THE FILM, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DANNY, WHO ALMOST HAS HIS OWN THING GOING ON. ALMOST. MY FAVORITE CHARACTER WAS SAWYER, UNTIL THE CREATORS DECIDED TO LIE TO THEIR AUDIENCE AND TELL EVERYONE THAT LOVE IS REAL, WHICH IT MOST CERTAINLY IS NOT. THEN SHE WENT SOFT AND THAT ASPECT OF MY ENJOYMENT WAS DOWN THE TUBES, TOO.

ANYWAY. I’M GOING TO END THIS HERE, EVEN THOUGH THERE’S REALLY A LOT MORE TO SAY. OVERALL RATING WAS A 5/10.

AS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER FILM THAT YOU’D LIKE ME TO CHECK OUT AND TALK ABOUT, YOU CAN FIND ME IN MY INBOX OR AT [email protected]. SEE YA.

#FILM ESSAYS #IF YOU DECIDE TO TAKE A LOOK AT BANDSTAND #WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING I'D NECESSARILY RECOMMEND #DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND LOOK UP THE WARNINGS ABOUT IT FIRST.#IT'S A HEAVY PIECE OF MEDIA.#long post /

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cullxtheherd · 3 years ago

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oh my god I haven't thought about BtVS in so long fdjsaio tell me some of your Angel/Angelus headcanons (insert eyes emoji here)

jhbjghljkghkfgl; oh my GOD i honestly never stopped loving AtS or BtVS!! bgut i did stop watching originally when Doyle perished cause?? sorry but he is babey and though i do understand why the actor was let go from his role, it's still super upsetting. i hate the episode Hero and also love it to pieces- just watched it yesterday and screamed ALLEN FRANCIS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO for just. so long. tbh i was thinking about adopting him as a muse but tbh with you Angel and older 90s/early 00s muses don't get much attention anyways so i haven't yet skdjksds maybe after Harry from Resident Alien later tonight gets added I'll think about it again ksjdksjd. ANYWAYS THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU ASKED FOR KSJDSkfsd ON WITH IT!! just be aware there is no way i can include all the headcanons here so i'll just hlglhkglkhlgk about the ones i can think of asap

𝓐𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵

in the show (both buffy & angel) they are constantly telling us through dialogue, scene setting, etc that the reason Angel and (later) Spike hate killing and feeding suddenly is because "killing humans = bad ☹ grr, arrgh." i think it runs deeper than this. i think they are not solely repulsed because it is the morally wrong thing to do. i think they are disgusted in?? an almost obsessive way because of how badly they'd still like to do it despite knowing better and having control over themselves. certain episodes the way Angel and Spike's portrayals go: yes definitely they are giving us that and barely highlighting it. but i really. i don't remember either show ever coming out and saying it outright.

personally i think that the Buffy/Angel romance seems waaaayyy super crazy rushed in the show and i'm not really sure if they/joss even meant it like that! it just really be seeming that way af!!! logically the whole affair lasts about/just shy of three years if we are doing the maths and technically?? it really took 1.5 years before they even did the ol squelchy welch. which lmaooa jksdhkdjsfd can you imagine?? any young adults in a consenting relationship actually waiting that long?? yeah ekjnbswedsdxfks anyways. i just? idk. loved AtS and BtVS very much but his departure seemed super rushed and so did their romance bye sjhdbfs

speaking of?? while i am very much a buffy/angel ship supporter as an adult i do find it so freaking weird he?? was made by Darla in 1898 and theennnn spent 171 motha fuckin years parading around as Angelus- didn't even know about Buffy Summers until he was already 269 (nice) and when acathala SHAT his ass back out he was already 371, she was a juNIOr in higHSCHOOOLPLK ANNNDDD i have a hEAdache i gotta goooOO

no but really i. skhjfjhgf as an adult i am weirded out but?? idk it's one of my childhood ships i gotta pry it from my OWN cold dead hands i guess smh

personally i think Angel keeps trinkets from the people he's saved over the years. and i don't mean at random Investigations via his detective agency or, later, Wolfram & Hart. i mean?? the cases we see like?? the episode 'are you now or have you ever been' that takes us back to the 1950s and the Hyperion Hotel in it's heyday. angel aided a woman named Judy Kovacs- albeit rather reluctantly to try and escape and THEN a literal MOB beat and lynched his ass and thennNNNN, in present time, he fights against the same life-sucking chaos-causing Thesulac demon with his friends/colleagues. after all of this he finds Judy somehow still in her room (214) surviving just a few doors down from his (217) so many years ago just?? waiting. and while canonically the show has Angel in room 312? I disagree. i think he would have taken up residence in 214 or 217...... 214 cause i'm feeling sappy. check his bathroom cabinets i bet you it's got at least a few of her accoutrements living inside.

i think?? despite?? darla not being able to take his soul via the big squelchy that he and Angelus really did care about her- heck!! in the early?? 1900s he DID try to return to her and adapt to her violent way of life he just couldn't do it

while i am?? verryyy willing to write buffy/angel ship stuff i really do think after the events in I Will Remember You it would take a literal set of miracles to get him to even attempt being with Buffy again. i think that while he will always love her no matter what that he has learned that?? things that are or seem too?? good or pure for a creature like him genuinely are. though he is/was the Powers That Be-s-es-es?? ES favorite ensouled boy-toy i really, genuinely do think that a happy ending is just NOT in the cards for our boyo

if buffy wasn't evidence enough of that fact?? cordy. Skip really came and took her just like that. then the whatevers that WHOEVER shat her back out to really just give birth to jasmine and connor and i rrepwsrenbjhdfbskdjnsf worst. season. EVER. i refuse i fucking REFUSE TO EGHV ADBAKJSDFALKFNKSADJF???!?!?!?! i hate it so much. i hate it. so. m u c h. connor and cordy should have never EVER been a thing and i will erase it from history if i have to give birth to myself to do it

𝔸𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕝𝕦𝕤

hoo babey. while angel is?? reserved and doesn't?? really mention any kind of explorative or wild side with any regularity in the show this wild child leather-pants-wearing abomination gives NO shits. he is very, VERY pansexual and you can fight my spirit on top of my grave about it.

regarding the last thing i said: there was definitely a polyamorous relationship happening between Angelus, Darla, Spike and Drusilla in my book. there are certain... jealous scenarios- heck!! just LOOK at episodes with Spike where he's being pouty about not getting the proper attention he deserves. if you think this is just about Dru i am begging you to reconsider

also?!?!?!?! PENN?! Penn was so obsessively and grossly in love with Angelus his sire I can not EVEN BEGIN TO FIUBNFDAKJSDFN

i think?? there are times in Angel's day-to-day where he not only misses but craves the presence of Angelus and visa versa. Angelus obviously seems a bit more openly repulsed by his softer side cause like?? each half is SO strongly suited to one extreme and?? as much as Angel and Angelus would both loathe my next statement: two halves do make a whole.

i think that while?? Angel may be cursed with a soul, that's not all. Angelus doesn't have regular control any longer, for sure, but i really do think it is oftentimes a daily battle to tune him out. why?? the orb of thesulah is only used to summon and store a human soul until it is re/tethered to a body. the ritual that the "Gypsies" and Willow performed didn't?? do anything with the actual demon. it didn't send it back to whatever Hell dimension it came from it just?? gave angel a soul- it gave what was left of Liam (O'Connor if you follow fan-lore) control over himself and the demon inhabiting his body. though the show never depicts or portrays this i am willing to bet real money that somewhere, deep down Angelus is on the inside rattling his mirror against the bars screaming: IM HENRY THE EIGTH I AM I AM!!! over and over an over and ov-

angel, however, when not in control seems to go into some semi-mostly dormant state as evidenced by the fact that he was entirely gone during their time in Acathala and relied on solely the demon half to get him through, but?? i'm 56% sure he is there sniveling in the ether when Angelus is driving he's just?? clearly not as strong mentally.

while?? Angel is a very respectable creature who cares about and loves his friends/found family i really do think that Angelus loves NO ONE. i think he cares about a few entities but i do not think he is capable of love proper as we think of it- both shows continuously remind us that number one in Angelus's world is, in fact, Angelus which means...

i doubt he really cares about pleasing his partner/s where that is likely Angel's main objective and lskjdnfjd i really have to go before this gets super raunchy

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herpronuonsarefemslash · 3 years ago

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Do Not Tap the Glass - TEASER

Enjoy an ABO Supergirl / Jurassic Park (barely) crossover where Alex is a scientist for the Luthor Institute studying a mysterious "creature" that was found in the arctic ice, her wife Maggie definitely thinks pregnant Alex is sexy Alex, they go to a sex club together, and Lex throws Lena in with the beast...that maybe isn't a beast at all. Chapters 1-5 are public and Chapter 6 is Patreon exclusive.

Chapter 1 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qpiYG0XLyuUU79_P2YTwG6IYR6GISse3/view?usp=sharing Chapter 2 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EJlb75hUbGXdNAkkwPzW691XFS9AXx-d/view?usp=sharing Chapter 3 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jE-f6E4McfFWKUXCX-ZhJWAg0XvHn1el/view?usp=sharing Chapter 4 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HEcDBzNaB6qmZ2JkzInx46INWOyawfdC/view?usp=sharing Chapter 5 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SQaoF7H2aG1kVyhA35zFfQ5ZfK86lU3Z/view?usp=sharing Chapter 6 - https://www.patreon.com/posts/54672610 Alex has a ritual when she starts a new job: ride the bike in for confidence. Sadly, the list of 'required tools' she was asked to bring would never have fit in a bike. It would never have fit in Maggie's beloved 'princess plug' either, that silver Subaru with a bedazzled back hatch and two surfboards eternally attached to the rack.

Hence, renting a small U-Haul that drives like a dead whale. Maybe the Luthor Institute isn't really hiring her for her mind, maybe they just want her and her mom's research and devices. Lex Luthor has a scary rep in the academic community. He's probably just going to have someone shoot her as soon as she's buzzed in the gate.

Still. It's an interesting job because the not-interesting jobs don't come with 200-page non-disclosure agreements she signed, being watched by lawyers so clenched a punch-press and a vat of KY couldn't help them. It's a lot of money. It's enough money to put aside a million for their daughter by the time she graduates college. Once she finishes developing a spine, organs, and nervous system, that is. Alex was too busy puking to nickname the fetus, so Maggie stepped in.

Regrettably. Cervix-Kicker is just not something Alex can tease her slowly-swelling belly with, at least in public. Maggie's turn, next time. She's pretty sure there will be a next time. Alex suspects that pregnancy sex makes the case for the pregnancy itself, in Maggie's view.

Her phone lights up and a bonobo's shrieking voice comes out. Eliza recorded it during the early days of her fieldwork. Alex taps answer.

"Hey, Mom."

"Morning, sweetie. How's the new job?"

=====

Nia rolls her eyes with such exaggeration it makes her fairy-dusted eyeshadow sparkle a bit in the sun.

"Come on, new girl," Nia teases. "I'll show you around."

"She will. She's basically in charge of the pep squad here," Frank teases. "When I started, I gained five pounds from all of the bonding lunches Nia organized."

"Did you complain?" Nia demands.

"I did not. And I do not regret a moment of it, kid. Someone will come unload the truck, doc. Thanks for bringing all your gear."

Frank tips his ball cap at Alex and goes back to the main group by the door.

"My mom's designs too." Alex mumbles. One accidental touch and she's blubbering out self-deprecation to near-strangers.

"Right," Nia chuckles. "The infamous Doctors Danvers. So is your kid going to be a world-renowned psych researcher does the third generation end up a bunch of losers who like, found the next Google?"

"Um, not sure. I have to meet them first."

"Shut the front door!" Nia exclaims. Her smile just went up about fifty thousand watts. "I was just joking but you're actually preggers."

"How ca-"

Alex glances at Nia's nametag. In the lower right is an omega symbol with an F beside it. Curiously, it even has the sub-status there even though that's unnecessary in the case of female omegas given the extremely low variation rate. Alex has never heard of subtypes being used outside of therapy or a doctor's office. Using them at work is legal--probably--but it's also downright bizarre. As an omega, Nia can not only smell the tiny changes in Alex's scent indicating she's pregnant, she can probably tell Alex what soap Maggie uses, along with her age, ethnicity, and most recent rut.

"They categorize us by status?" Alex asks. "How 1890s."

Nia sighs.

"Well, it's actually not so bad. There was a dude in maintenance who I thought was taking notes on my heat cycle. I mentioned something and the next thing I know there was this absolute unit of a woman from HR sort of shadowing me. Eating lunch, printing stuff to the copier we use, so on. Being obvious about it to, making sure he knew she had her eye on him. So they do use the information for the right reasons."

Any competent HR department could handle all that. Nia must realize that too.

"The creature. The creature can sense human genera and reacts to them."

Nia makes finger guns.

"Bingo. Got a nose like a bloodhound, that one. Even with the enclosure being vacuum-sealed and using completely different air, the creature catches it somehow."

=====

She nods towards the ruined hard drive, which has been ground and punctured and shaved to produce the bearings.

"I'm afraid I never made a backup."

"Fuck," Lex snarls.

She got Lex to curse in front of his men. Victory enough for one lifetime.

"Take her."

She lets the goons cuff her.

"Oh, and I injected myself with an agent that reacts violently with truth serum drugs. Violently and fatally."

"Which ones?" Lex demands.

"All of them. And I put an implant in my teeth with 2 grams of high explosive. So electrocuting me is out. We'll have to make a deal the old-fashioned way, brother."

Lex's pained bellowing is so sweet. ===== Lena's gurney is tilted back vertical and she's wheeled down a long hallway. A pair of armored doors buzz open.

It's a goddamned zoo enclosure. Gorilla enclosure, from the look of it. It reeks of alpha. Almost human. Almost sweet, even. A scent she wouldn't mind nuzzling into at night if she didn't know it was a beast's. Lex himself unclips her and tilts the gurney forwards, spilling her onto wood chips.

"Quite the specimen, I hear. She's used up three omegas so far," he sighs. "Maybe you'll fare better. Maybe you'll live long enough to get a pup in you. When you are ready to talk, press the red button."

Classic good old boy alpha thinking. Like many a single omega, Lena has guiltily indulged in rut non-con fantasies. So that's not quite the threat he thinks it is. Loss of control over the body and second-guessing whether it was consent or just surrender to the heat is Female Omega 101. She could maybe power through that. Close her eyes. Remember boarding school. Andrea and her flashing blue eyes and her exquisitely shaped cock -- ladylike, somehow -- long enough to slam the breath from Lena's lungs and her long hands closed over Lena's neck. Her affected machismo. Taking Lena like she was a mafia boss and Lena was some worthless whore from the back streets. Fulfilling that and any other roleplay Lena wanted.

This is a goddamned gorilla though. That's beyond the realm of kink.

She's in a puddle of light but the rest of the enclosure is dark. Too dark to see anything past her ankles.

That's when she hears it. Huffing. Panting. Too loud and to big a noise to be human lungs. Squelching. Grunting. Moaning.

A face spills out of the dark into the light. Matted blonde curls. Blue eyes glazed over with orgasm, drugs, or maybe in shock. The grunting increases in pace.

"So good, so good..." the blonde mumbles, throwing her head back and forth.

"Hi, Lena."

"Eve Tessmacher? Fuck. I thought you got fired."

=====

"Hey, Nia?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you go to my desk..." Alex begins before shame clamps her jaw shut. She's going to have to say it. Say it to a friend who is her employee and she wonders if the fancy toilet can be reprogrammed to drown her.

"Go to your desk and?" Nia prompts.

"Target bag. Sweatshirt and pants," she huffs.

"Copy that."

Alex catches her breath, then spanks the toilet paper roll over and over. She starts cleaning up. Nia's a good kid. In both the psychological and physical sense had painful days herself--phantom ruts colliding with her desired heat cycle--and she and Alex worked out a system. With it, Alex could sneak her pot chocolate from the cooler in Nia's car, sign it in on her behalf at security, hit the vending machine, and meet her in the breakroom like it's nothing.

Their friendship started out the way a thousand five-minute friendships do in bars. Nia asked for an opinion and Alex assured her she looked cute and that her blind date would love it. The guy turned out to be a moron but the resulting debrief cemented their dynamic.

She's not sure how someone can go from acquaintance to best friend, to kid sister in less than a month. She only knows Nia did.

=====

The member lot is small and the gold member lot is smaller still. Perhaps thirty stalls and mostly full.

Maybe when you spend this much on VIP access to a sex club, it makes sense to spend every weeknight there. Eliza didn't volunteer a number for the membership she bought Alex and Maggie but both she and Alex assumed that down payment on a house would be Eliza and Jeremiah's contribution. She probably went with this out of fond memories of her own years studying at UC National City. If she and Jeremiah ever shared an omega playmate, it would've been somewhere like here. Somewhere deniable.

"Look, babe," Julia whispers, pointing at the engravings in the concrete of the marked stall that Maggie is gradually working their Prius into, sliding it between a Range Rover and a Suburban.

"AD and MS, sponsored by EG?" Alex mumbles.

"Founder sponsored," Julia adds, pointing out something in smaller print and filling the right half of Maggie's vision with creamy cleavage and her lungs with candy-sweet scent of a willing omega.

"I fucking knew it," Maggie chuckles. "Your mom was one of the people that started this place."

"No!" Alex squawks. "Absolutely fucking no!"

"You park," Julia chuckles. "I'll distract her from herself."

#abo #sanvers #my fics #supergirl

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missjosie27 · 4 years ago

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Year 3 Part 3- Access Denied

Hey, guys! Really short chapter but the future ones will be much longer. Already at work for Year 4! Nothing much to say except I hope you enjoy! Bigger things are yet to come!

‘Work’ proved to be an understatement during the month of September.

With the addition of two electives, school work suddenly became much more difficult to manage. Of the ones David took, Care of Magical Creatures turned out to be quite wild. He didn’t really have much interest in animals but having Charlie in the class certainly helped him get along (though he remained hopeful about possibly seeing a dragon). The class was run by a rather eccentric man by the name of Silvanus Kettleburn, who had been at Hogwarts since the 1940s. That longevity was evidenced by the sheer number of injuries he had sustained during his time spent with creatures which included but was not limited too- a fake prosthetic leg, an eyepatch over his left eye, and a metal claw for a hand. Though Professor Kettleburn preached safety and caution, he himself did not always live up to such standards, as he constantly was being healed by Madam Pomfrey. Case and point was the first day when he received severe burns from fire salamanders.

“This is nothing,” Charlie told him afterwards. “Legend has it that he was ten times more energetic than this back in the day. The previous Headmaster Armando Dippet placed him on probation sixty two times!”

Such a comforting thought.

There was no immediate risk of injury in Ancient Runes though David could tell right away that the class would not be easy. Professor Octavius was an extremely competent man at his subject but deciphering and learning ancient languages, codes, and other magical artifacts was not for the faint of heart. Bill Weasley told him that it was useful for curse breaking and one of the main reasons he took it was the focus on Ancient Egypt. He would hold off making a judgement just yet. Either way, it meant more homework for all of them.

Adding on to this was his own personal popularity. As he was reminded by Rowan, any secret at Hogwarts didn’t remain one for long. As returning students recovered from the shock of the previous year, rumors spread quicker than wildfire about his involvement in the cursed ice vault. Far from being seen as mad or miniature version of his brother, most regarded him as a hero who saved the school. The Slytherins weren’t too keen on congratulating him but aside from Merula and her squad he didn’t face much trouble from them either. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but David couldn’t deny it felt good.

Combining all of these factors, and the possibility of learning more about his brother at Hogsmeade, he was becoming increasingly distracted which would later come back to bite him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two weeks before Hogsmeade, Professor McGonagall made an appearance in the Gryffindor common room to collect all the permission slips.

“All third years please line up with your written signatures from your parents. The first Hogsmeade weekend will be October 14th on Saturday,” she announced.

David, Charlie, Rowan wasted no time in dashing upstairs with Ben in tow. Even Jae seemed eager to stamp his ticket to the all wizarding village.

“Is Hogsmeade really all it’s cracked up to be?” Ben asked. “My parents couldn’t understand the appeal, but they allowed me to go anyway.”

“Trust me, mate. You’re going to have your mind blown by how amazing Hogsmeade is,” David told him enthusiastically. He’d personally never been but his parents and brother had regaled him many times about it…before the dark times.

“Bill’s gone loads of times,” Charlie added. “Says the experience never gets old. Even as you get older.”

“Especially since it will allow me to meet with contacts a lot more,” Jae said, giving a shifty grin. No one bothered to ask him what that meant. Sometimes with Jae it was better not to know.

By the time they reached Professor McGonagall, the girls had already turned theirs in (Olivia Miller was already giggling about a new brand of nail polish). However, when David approached his head of house she frowned.

“Mr. Grant please step to one side.”

He obeyed but did not like the way she looked at him when she said. Any time Minerva McGonagall used that tone it meant nothing positive.

“I’m sorry, Grant but I cannot allow you to visit Hogsmeade.”

David picked at his ear and strained in order to ensure he heard her correctly.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me, Mr. Grant.”

He began sputtering like an old worn out automobile.

“But-but��why?”

“Unfortunately, I am under specific instructions to forbid you to leave school grounds even with a permission slip.”

Instant indignation crept into his bones as he tried to resist giving a trademark sardonic remark.

“My parents, of all people, signed this slip. Now all of a sudden for no apparent reason I’m not allowed to go? How the hell is that fair?”

For a second he feared going too far with McGonagall, but thankfully she did not take away points.

“You seem to forget why you are at Hogwarts in the first place. Given your disregard for school rules, endangerment of others, and lack of self control, I have plenty of reason to prevent you from going to Hogsmeade.”

“I promised I’d meet Hagrid and meet Madam Rosmerta at the Three Broomsticks,” David continued to complain. “Professor, she knows more about my brother.”

He thought a family appeal might soften her heart, but he thought wrong as the Transfiguration master held firm and her posture was as uptight as ever.

“You are demonstrating my point. Like your brother you are too focused on trivial matters as opposed to your grades and schoolwork. Do not think I haven’t noticed the slip in your marks.”

“Oh, come on, I always get top marks in your class.”

“It is not my class that the concern stems from,” Professor McGonagall huffed, and David swore he saw the steam coming out of her nostrils. “Professor Flitwick has informed me that your charm work has suffered considerably since last year. If you want to earn Hogsmeade privileges, you will need to earn them Mr. Grant. And nothing you say will change my mind until I see evidence of that fact.”

David wanted to scream, shout, stomp his foot, do anything to show he wasn’t going to take this lying down. That he was not being held to the same standard as everyone else. How many poor marks had Jae received in his time at Hogwarts. He knew that either his parents or Dumbledore was behind this. Yet, there was little choice but to take her words in stride.

“Yes, Professor.”

“Good.”

As she walked away, no one looked him in eye (Charlie began whistling), not even the older students. David began muttering under his breath before a familiar voice began chastising him.

“Grant, don’t blame McGonagall. I know she’s tough, but she also has a point.”

He saw it was Angelica Cole and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Oh boy what a shocker. The person who enforces the rules supports the person who also enforces the rules. What a coincidence.”

“I’m well versed to your quips by now,” his prefect told him. He was almost as tall as her by now yet her stern gaze did not waver. “And you need to approach this differently.”

“Don’t pretend you’re any more objective than she was,” he shot back. “I know I lose as many house points as I gain but can you not point out my every flaw for once?”

“I’m not telling you this because I want to kick you while you’re down, Grant. Do as she says: study hard, improve in charms and she will treat you fairly. You know this as well as I do.”

There was something odd about the way she was speaking to him. In the previous two years, she would have been either condescending or lecturing. But ever since the incident with Ammon Lucian and helping Blishwick defend his sister’s honor her attitude towards him had noticeably changed.

“Why are you saying this?”

“Because I’m trying to help you. You’re more than just Jacob Grant’s little brother and you’ve shown that time and again. Now it’s time for you to show you’re also more than wisecracks and causing trouble.”

If he didn’t know better David could have sworn he saw an uptick in Angelica’s mouth as she walked away. Almost as though she were humoring him in her own unique way. He almost didn’t notice Rowan come up behind him.

“I’m sorry that happened, Dave,” he said. “In front of everyone no less.”

“It’s alright,” he said shrugging.

“For the record I don’t agree with Professor McGonagall banning you from going to Hogsmeade. But there is a bright side to this.”

“Which is?”

“You still have a couple weeks to raise your grades in order to come with the rest of us. And I’m not going without you.”

David gave a reluctant grin. He also knew that Rowan despite his misgivings was also ensuring he met with Madam Rosmerta in order to learn more about Jacob. He was also being a good friend.

“Well then, guess we better hit the books.”

“I’ve studied in nearly one hundred places all across Hogwarts and I can safely conclude that the library is the most efficient place to improve one’s marks in a subject in two weeks’ time.”

Thinking back to what Angelica told him, David gave an affirming nod. He wasn’t going to let a minor inconvenience like a bad charms grade stop him from going to Hogsmeade.

“Then that’s where we’re going next. Let’s go.”

#year 3 #hphm #hphm fanfiction #fanfiction #hogwarts mystery #david grant #rowan khanna #charlie weasley #jae kim #ben copper #angelica cole #gryffindor #minerva mcgonagall

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tigerkirby215 · 5 years ago

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5e Sett the Boss build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Riot Games)

Moshi moshi, bossu?

Sett is the latest “Opee Opee” on the Rift (mostly because Rito won’t fucking nerf his damage yet like Jesus Christ how is a reduction to his armor by 3 going to stop him?) but after the complete OMGWTFBBQ that was Aphelios a simple champion was a nice change of pace. With a Q that punches people, a W that punches people, an E that punches people, and an R that pile-drives people it’s nice to have a new, fun, easy difficulty champion to vary the top lane a little.

Helps that he’s a furry anime boy who’s voiced by DIO.

youtube

GOALS

ORA ORA ORA ORA - We need to punch hard and punch... not as fast as Star Platinum, but still fast enough.

He’s immortal! Unkillable! Unmatched! - Sett can survive in a fight with high durability and Grit for days.

RODA ROLLA-DA - Sett’s only ability that isn’t a punch is his ultimate, which lets him grab someone and throw them around.

RACE

Sett is a half-Vastaya and Shifter is perfect for a half-beast who wants to get their wild side on. You get 60 feet of Darkvision and your Shifting feature which gives you temporary health equal to your level and your constitution modifier and an additional effect tied to your subrace. While most of the subraces could work Beasthide is perfect for a pit-fighting boss: you get proficiency with Athletics and an increase to both your Constitution (+2) and Strength (+1). In addition you gain an extra d6 hitpoints when you shift, and your AC increases by 1 during that time.

ON OTHER SHIFTERS:

Longtooth gives you a bite attack to use with your bonus action while shifted. The bite is useful to get more damage output but sadly isn’t in character.

Swiftstride lets you float like a butterfly, but Sett is much more the “sting like a bee” type.

Wildhunt makes it impossible for your enemies to get a cheap-shot in while you’re shifted, but we don’t need the stats and virtually every other Shifter is more useful to us.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CONSTITUTION - To be the boss you’ve gotta be able to take a punch. Remember that it's not about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

14; DEXTERITY - To survive in the fight pits you’ve gotta float like a butterfly. Also our race will bump our Strength to a 14 and I don’t like odd numbers. Wait then why is our Constitution going to be a 17...?

13; STRENGTH - Sett certainly stings a lot harder than a bee, packing a whopping left hook that can send a blind monk flying.

12; CHARISMA - You don’t get to call yourself “the boss” without having people like you... just be sure not to sell any drugs.

10; WISDOM - Sett’s mama taught him some wise words but he’s still a hot head at times.

8; INTELLIGENCE - You’ve been hit by as many Facebreakers as you’ve received; I doubt you even know how many anymore.

BACKGROUND

While you keep away from the Noxian gladiatorial pits the underground fight ring makes you a Gladiator in your own right. You get proficiency with Acrobatics and Performance to let you style as you slam dunk your foes. You also gain proficiency with a Disguise Kit and a musical instrument of your choice, both of which aren’t too in-character but are still great to have.

But most importantly you get the By Popular Demand feature. This lets you find the local fight ring and get in a brawl for the entertainment of the people. You get paid with food and a place to stay, and the people will treat you like a proper celebrity!

But most importantly you get a costume in your starting equipment, meaning that you can dress fancy with pressed pants and a fur coat on your bare chest.

(YOU WERE EXPECTING OFFICIAL ARTWORK BUT IT WAS ME; SETT! Artwork by @victorli_ran on Twitter.)

LEVEL 1 - FIGHTER 1

Starting out as a Fighter you get proficiency in two skills from their list: take Intimidation and Survival to be the lion in the pit of wolves. You also get Second Wind for some pit grit to restore hit points equal to a d10 plus your level in Fighter once per rest.

But most importantly we get a Fighting Style, and we’re starting with Fighter so that we can get our punching on. Unarmed Fighting lets you use your fists to fight and do a d6 of damage. If both fists are free you can increase that damage to a d8 - grab a chair or something similar to use as a shield but you do your real damage with your left hook. Additionally if you grapple someone you do a d4 damage to them, and can do an extra d4 whenever you hit them while they’re grappled. Pin them to the ground and beat the stuffing out of them until the ref rings the bell. Then beat them some more!

LEVEL 2 - BARBARIAN 1

Quickly jumping to Barbarian for Unarmored Defense equal to your Dexterity plus your Constitution. Currently your unarmored AC is 1 less than you would have if you had chain mail but you can’t wear Heavy Armor if you want to Rage. While raging you have advantage on Strength checks and saving throws (including grapples.) You can also do extra damage with strength weapons (such as your fists) and have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Your rage lasts for 1 minute but ends early if you spend a turn where you don’t hit someone or get hit, or if you’re knocked down. You can rage twice before needing to long rest.

LEVEL 3 - FIGHTER 2

Going back to Fighter you get Action Surge, letting you take one additional action on your turn before needing to rest. Sneak a good right hook in after hitting them with the left.

LEVEL 4 - FIGHTER 3

3rd level Fighters can choose their martial archetype and Champions are masters of the ring. They get Improved Critical which lets them crit on a 19 or a 20, effectively doubling your crit chance. Who says you can’t build an Infinity Edge?

Why Champion? - The main reason for the Champion subclass for the level 18 subclass feature. Champion is a perfectly viable subclass but it’s not exactly an interesting one. Battle Master is a lot more exciting and if you’re not going to reach level 20 I’d honestly recommend it over Champion. After posting this build I’ll make an errata for this build with Battle Master over Champion.

LEVEL 5 - FIGHTER 4

Grabbing the 4th level in Fighter for an Ability Score Improvement, or rather a Feat. Since Shifter is from Eberron I expect you to have access to the Aberrant Dragonmark feat.

You increase your Constitution by 1 to make it a nice, even 18. You also learn one cantrip and one level 1 spell from the Sorcerer spell list. Your spellcasting modifier for these spells is Constitution (not Charisma!) and you can cast the leveled spell once before taking a short or long rest. Your cantrip doesn’t really matter (if you want to be efficient I’d recommend taking a ranged attacking cantrip) but for the spell take False Life for more Pit Grit. You gain 1d4 + 4 temporary hit points for 1 hour which go away when the hour is up or if they get hit out of you.

In addition when you cast False Life you can roll one of your hit die - I’d recommend rolling your Barbarian die for higher potential rolls. If you roll an even number you gain temporary hit points equal to the number rolled, and I’d argue that this health stacks with False Life. If you roll an odd number a random creature within 30 feet other than you takes force damage equal to the number rolled, but if no other creatures are in range you take the damage instead. Your rage can sometimes be dangerous but if you keep your cool you can grit down and take more hits.

On Greater Aberrant Powers: Getting this feat early is always useful but if your DM is using this rule it’s extremely helpful. After level 10 you have a 10% chance to get an Epic Boon, which can give you the upper hand in a fight that no one else can. When it happens your hitpoint maximum is reduced by a roll on your hit die plus your constitution, so I’d recommend rolling your Fighter hit die so you lose less health. You also lose that hit die permanently, and it can’t be restored through any means. The trade of a hit die for an Epic Boon is more than worth it though, so get excited if some greater powers manifest!

LEVEL 6 - BARBARIAN 2

Grabbing a second level in Barbarian for Reckless Attack. When you punch you can choose to give yourself Advantage on all attacks on the turn but all enemies will have Advantage when attacking you. With Improved Critical you have about a 20% chance to crit if you have Advantage, so you can knock your opponent out before they hit you.

Speaking of Advantage, Danger Sense gives you Advantage to Dexterity saving throws against effects you can see. You’re not magic but if you see a punch headed your way you know to duck.

(Artwork by @victorli_ran on Twitter.)

LEVEL 7 - FIGHTER 5

Guess what boys it’s a straight track through Champion Fighter now. Level 5 Champions get an Extra Attack, so you can hit them with a left hook and a right punch.

LEVEL 8 - FIGHTER 6

6th level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement and we’ll cap off our Constitution for maximum pit grit.

LEVEL 9 - FIGHTER 7

7th level Champions get Remarkable Athlete, letting them add half their proficiency bonus to any Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check they don’t have proficiency with. You already have proficiency with STR and CON saves as well as Acrobatics, but this will let you add half your proficiency to Stealth and Slight of Hand checks.

LEVEL 10 - FIGHTER 8

8th level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement and it’s time to increase our Strength for harder punches.

LEVEL 11 - FIGHTER 9

9th level Fighters get Indomitable, letting them reroll a saving throw once before taking a long rest. If you fail a Strength or Constitution check this should be enough to save it, and if you need it for a Dexterity check you effectively get three total rolls for the save.

LEVEL 12 - FIGHTER 10

10th level Champions get an Additional Fighting Style but unfortunately most of these rely on us using weapons and armor. Since you’re using your fists your best option would be a way to grab your opponents: the Superior Technique fighting style from the Class Feature Variants UA gives you a d6 Superiority Dice to use on a Battle Master Maneuver which comes back on a short or long rest.

You also learn one Battle Master Maneuver and Restraining Strike from the same Class Features UA will let you grab someone for the Ultimate Show Stopper! After hitting a creature with a weapon attack you can use your bonus action to attempt to grapple them. You roll your Superiority Dice and add the number rolled to the grapple check, further increasing the chance that you make the grab. "GOIN' FOR A RIDE!"

(Artwork by @victorli_ran on Twitter.)

LEVEL 13 - FIGHTER 11

11th level Fighters get a third Extra Attack, so you can sneak another left after your right. Or alternatively you can Action Surge for 6 attacks in a turn!

LEVEL 14 - FIGHTER 12

12th level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement and we’ll continue increasing Strength to punch harder, better, faster, and stronger.

LEVEL 15 - FIGHTER 13

13th level Fighters get another use of Indomitable. Man that’s a hard word to spell... that’s all I’ve got.

LEVEL 16 - FIGHTER 14

14th level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement, so max out your Strength for maximum punching action.

LEVEL 17 - FIGHTER 15

15th level Champions crit on an 18, 19, or 20 thanks to Superior Critical. If you give yourself Advantage with Reckless Attack you have a little less than a 30% chance to crit, and over the span of 3 attacks you have a 37.7% chance of not at least getting one crit if they all have Advantage. With that many attacks you’ve gotta hit something vital!

LEVEL 18 - FIGHTER 16

16th level Fighters get the last Ability Score Improvement of this build and now that we have maxed out Strength it’s time to improve our grapples. The Grappler feat gives you Advantage on attack rolls against a target that you are grappling and also allows you to use your action to pin your grapple target, restraining them until the grapple ends. Unfortunately you can’t pick them up and drop them on the enemy ADC but you can certainly drop them to the ground and wail on them.

NOTE ABOUT GRAPPLES: Grappling is in-flavor for Sett but isn’t very practical in 5e. If you want something more useful the Tough feat will give you an additional 36 health at this level, and a total of 40 extra health once you reach level 20.

LEVEL 19 - FIGHTER 17

At level 17 Fighters get another use of Action Surge and a third use of Indomitable. This means more attacks and less chance to fail when being attacked which overall means more time as the boss of the ring.

LEVEL 20 - FIGHTER 18

18th level Champions finally get some Pit Grit thanks to Survivor. At the start of every turn you regenerate health equal to 5 plus your Constitution modifier, which is +5 so you regenerate 10 health per turn total. This health regen only works if you’re below half health but not if you’re at 0; regardless you have the endurance to tough-out a fight no matter the odds.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

DORA RA RA RA RA - You can throw many hard-hitting punches: 3 per turn and up to 6 if you use Action Surge. Not only that but with Superior Critical and Reckless Attack there is a very high likelihood that you’ll crit with your attacks for double damage.

I CAN beat the shit out of you - Even if you’re unarmed you can still fight, requiring nothing but your two fists and your raw muscle. This means that even if your allies are stripped bare you can still defend them on your own.

Diamond is Unbreakable - You are insanely tanky. A maxed out Constitution with Fighter levels leads to easily over 200 health, and you can reduce incoming weapon damage with Rage and keep yourself in the fight with both Shifting and False Life giving you Temporary Hitpoints.

CONS

10 Meter Range - Unless you took a ranged damage cantrip with your Dragonmark you have no options to fight outside of melee range. It’s fair enough since Sett is a melee fighter, but like most Juggernauts the way to counter him is to just keep away from him. Considering that you have a 30 foot movement speed that’s incredibly easy to do.

Magician’s Red - All your damage is physical bludgeoning with your fists, so unless your DM gives you some magic knuckledusters you won’t be bypassing magic resistance anytime soon. What’s more is that our saving throws for everything other than Strength and Constitution are awful and while Danger Sense can help with DEX saves Indomitable can only help so much when you have at best a +1 or at worst a -1 to a saving throw.

MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA - A lot of the options taken in this build are done entirely for flavor. Even if Rages are nice so are 4 attacks, and the Unarmored Defense is more of a cosmetic feature since plate mail would get the job done just as well. Probably the biggest issue is that Grappling as a whole in 5e is USELESS USELESS USELESS USELESS, meaning that our secondary Fighting style and pick up of the Grappler feat end up going to waste. But with that being said I know most campaigns don’t go to level 20 anyways and at earlier levels this build is more than serviceable; it’s only at later levels that the weird choices start to come into play.

But that only matters if you’re fighting a war and you’re fighting in the pits. The rules are different in the pits: no weapons, fox-men only - it’s the final destination. You’re the boss of the ring and you can strike down all who oppose you. But if you hear someone playing the piano as some blond Japanese-Italian kid approaches you; run.

(Meme made by u/smakuliak on Reddit)

#DnD 5e #dnd build #dnd guide #dnd #League of Legends #dnd fighter #jojo's bizzare adventure #jojo reference

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goingoverthegardenwall · 5 years ago

Text

Chapter 3: Schooltown Follies

Since there have been stories, there have been stories that anthropomorphize animals. Folks have imagined creatures behaving as humans in every corner of the world, in myths and fables and fairy tales from ancient cultures to today. So by the turn of the 20th century, when a mycologist known for painting incredibly detailed images of fungus decided to instead write and illustrate stories about animals in contemporary clothes, it wasn’t exactly a new idea. But perhaps that makes it more impressive: despite the multitude of animal books for children that have been published in the last hundred and fifty years, the work of Beatrix Potter still stands out.

She’s not alone, of course: no good conversation about humanized animals in Western kid lit can last long without mentioning Richard Scarry or Margaret Wise Brown or Arnold Lobel. And Peter Rabbit’s extended family is quite British, which puts it at odds with the nostalgic Americana of Over the Garden Wall: it’s not for nothing that our assortment of animals in Schooltown Follies includes a raccoon and an opossum. But the timeless quality of Potter’s work is still felt in this episode in two ways. First, while the show has a cartoony lens, the school animals are far more anatomically accurate than Beatrice or the frogs of Lullaby in Frogland, evoking Potter’s signature field guide style. And second, there’s a mischief to Potter’s animals that makes them feel more like real children than the cute but bland residents of Scarry’s Busytown, and mischief is the name of the game when Greg comes to schooltown.

Schooltown Follies is full of clever tricks, but perhaps its most clever is introducing animals with human qualities (they wear clothes, play instruments, and walk on their hind legs) but not giving them voices. It’s generally great comedy fuel, showing the inherent ridiculousness of a school for sorta normal animals, but it more importantly allows the episode a silent movie feel, with plenty of physical humor enhanced by characters without dialogue. That style completes the episode’s subversion of Beatrix Potter’s oeuvre: she wrote stories about naughty animals learning that they should behave, but in this vaudeville version, the only way to save the day is by misbehaving.

“Then I’ll do what I need to do, I guess.”

Despite being one of our three main characters, Greg trades a full character arc for a comic relief role. At the beginning of Over the Garden Wall he’s a chatty kid who never gives up and loves fun, and at the end he’s a chatty kid who never gives up and loves fun. This doesn’t mean he’s fully static, as he matures enough to accept some responsibility to others instead of seeking entertainment for himself: he abandons a potential happy ending to try to save Wirt with the Beast, and returns his stolen Rock Facts Rock in the last shot of the series. But even this obligation to help out is present early on: Schooltown Follies is the first of his two focus episodes, and the foundation of his eventual heroism is established right here.

And frankly? I think it’s okay if he’s not that dynamic. Greg doesn’t change as much as Wirt or Beatrice because he doesn’t have nearly as much to overcome, and he still contributes to the show without forcing the crew to juggle three distinct arcs. Our older kids are on a shorter timer to grow up, and have clearer negative traits (Wirt’s got no confidence, Beatrice is a jerk), and while we can accuse Greg of lacking social cues, he’s so young that it’s not indicative of a larger problem. He’s just acting his age, albeit in a heightened way for entertainment, and to lose that innocence this early in his life would make this show a serious downer.

“Heightened” is the general mood of Schooltown Follies, where Greg’s less realistic behavior fits much better than The Old Grist Mill’s bottom-of-the-barrel aside. This is an episode where Two Old Cat, an old-timey bat-and-ball game that evokes a similar old-school era as our old school, involves searching for actual old cats, somehow finding them immediately, then realizing one is too old to play and must instead be taken care of by a raccoon in a newsboy cap and overalls.

While there’s plenty of humor to go around in Over the Garden Wall, this is the only fully silly episode. Our other lighthearted outings come with dark twists: Songs of the Dark Lantern introduces the Beast, Lullaby in Frogland reveals Adelaide, and Babes in the Wood turns out to be the most somber episode of the series with context. Here we almost get a parody of such a twist, with characters repeatedly mentioning a wild gorilla on the loose apropos of nothing, then revealing that the gorilla is Miss Langtree’s paramour trapped in a suit. It’s a ridiculous setup to a ridiculous punchline, aided by casting Thomas Lennon for a few lines of dialogue (his read for “I. Was. The gorilla” was worth every penny), so there’s never any sense of danger. Jimmy Brown and Enoch are equally harmless in the end, but I doubt any little kids watching are gonna get nightmares about the ape suit.

This mood is enhanced with song, but among the many musical moments in the series—Mad Love is the only episode without singing in some form—Schooltown Follies stands out by not letting any of the numbers finish. We begin and end the episode in song, but Greg doesn’t have the last lines for Adelaide Parade figured out, Langtree’s Lament faces numerous interruptions before being cut short by the bell (they actually did a full version though!), and Potatoes and Molasses gets stopped first by Mr. Langtree, then by the end credits. Even Miss Langtree’s piano rendition of last episode’s Patient is the Night halts when Greg mashes the keys. It’s the perfect atmosphere for an episode about a kid who loves fun, but is easily distracted and hasn’t developed good planning skills.

Which isn’t to say that Greg is dumb, but that he’s prone to winging it in a way that sets him apart from Wirt. While Wirt rambles his thoughts aloud, Greg takes action without telling anyone why, making his decisions appear random in a medium that often explains motives concretely to young viewers. Wandering in his own direction has become a running gag by now, and while he sets off to make the world a better place, he instead plays outside with animal truants. He’s jolted back to his quest by the bland food and dull atmosphere of lunch hour, and his irrepressible energy lightens everybody’s day without much effort. When Mr. Langtree steps in as an antagonist, Greg decides once again to do something about it, this time saying explicitly that he has no plan, but everything works out again. We get an excellent joke from his decision to rob Langtree right after he becomes sympathetic, but as usual, Greg has bigger ideas behind the humor that he just hasn’t articulated.

While Greg is busy delightfully saving the day, Wirt and Beatrice ease into a sniping side story that establishes their relationship for the next few episodes. They got off on the wrong foot in The Old Grist Mill and twisted that ankle in Hard Times at the Huskin’ Bee, so by now Beatrice doesn’t even try to hide her disdain and Wirt gets fed up with it. This is the perfect type of subplot, one that develops our characters and fits into the theme of the episode—Wirt’s rebellious obedience bounces off Greg’s rebellious call to disobey—but doesn’t distract from the main story.

Beatrice is helpful in opening up Wirt’s snotty side in a way that allows us to cheer for him. Until now his biggest conversation partner has been Greg, and it’s tough to side with Wirt when he’s mean to Greg, but Beatrice is an equal in terms of sparring, and her rudeness is a more understandable motive for Wirt to be obstinate than Greg’s playfulness. Our last episode had him aimlessly suggest staying in Pottsfield, and he’s similarly bound to this new location, but his different attitude changes the entire story. After two episodes of dithering, it’s nice that they let Elijah Wood play a character who’s funny on purpose for a spell, reveling in annoying Beatrice.

And even though he doesn’t know what to do, we actually get our first heroic moment from Wirt here. Greg saved the day in Grist Mill, and the situation resolves without much issue in Hard Times, but Jimmy is saved from the gorilla costume because of Wirt. True, he only interferes after being commanded to by Mr. Langtree, and he clearly has no idea what to do, and he trips over his shoelaces rather than contribute in an intentional way, but it sets the stage for his rescue of Beatrice in our next episode. Deep down, when he’s not overthinking it, the kid is capable of bravery when it’s asked of him. And it’s wonderful that for all his differences from Greg, both share an impulsive approach to heroism when they decide to help others. It’s almost like they’re related.

Beyond getting a few good digs in at Wirt, Beatrice extends her meanness to Miss Langtree, which makes her pestering of the boys feel less personal: it’s not that she hates them, she’s irritable with everyone. But we also get the first hint of her warming to our heroes, letting Greg have his fun at the concert and telling Wirt to finally tie his shoes with just a tiny speckle of fondness. While she gets a bigger friendship moment in Mad Love, when she’s essentially forced to get to know Wirt better, it’s neat to see Beatrice gradually come around instead of flipping a switch after a major story event.

We’re about to get our next big Plot Episode, introducing the Beast and adding new doubts about the Woodsman, so a silly episode is just what we need. It’s our third in a row where something sinister turns out to be okay: obviously the gorilla is an example of this, but Mr. Langtree is similarly an intimidating presence who ends up being a regular man. Even the creepy squirrels from the opening shots of the Unknown’s dangers in The Old Grist Mill return as comic relief. We’re fully primed to look for goodness where we see wickedness. Just in time for us to learn to fear merry opera echoing from the woods.

Rock Factsheet

Greg’s spiel on hot dogs might not summon the Rock Fact Rock, but it certainly evokes the stone’s spirit.

Where have we come, and where shall we end?

Adelaide Parade and Potatoes and Molasses will both get dark reprises, and the former also gets the rare jolly reprise as well. But we unfortunately don’t get a harrowing future scene featuring Langtree’s Lament.

Two Old Cat is part of a list of bat-and-ball games mentioned by a rambling background teen in The Unknown.

#schooltown follies #over the garden wall #otgw #steven universally #beatrix potter

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upstartpoodle · 5 years ago

Note

Evens for the WIP meme ask? Thank you! ❤️

Hi, thanks for the ask! Since the number of WIPs I have are well into double figures, I’ll probably just choose a bunch of random ones for these out of the ones I’ve got on my computer.

2. Post a line from your WIP without context.

Once they had returned home, he had wanted nothing more than to head up to his room and hide, but his uncle’s iron grip on his upper arm pulling him into the drawing room had thwarted that wish. He hadn’t dared fight against the man. Uncle Cary had made it quite clear upon his arrival back from school that he expected to be obeyed in all matters, and George knew his future was far too uncertain to risk provoking his only remaining family member with displays of defiance.

4. Describe the setting of your WIP.

Hmm, I think I’ll go for my JS&MN AU for this one, an extract of which I have posted here. So this is basically an AU set in the universe of the novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell--for anyone who might be unfamiliar with it, it’s a book (and a pretty decent TV adaptation) set in a regency England where magic was once frequently practised but has declined after the Raven King, a medieval magician who conquered the north of England with a fairy army, left his kingdom behind to return to Faerie. The fic is set in Poldark’s s1 timeline, so about fifteen/twenty years before the events of JS&MN canon, featuring Dwight, Ross and Francis as magicians, George as a fairy nobleman from a neighbouring Faerie kingdom, and Elizabeth as a magician’s wife whom George ends up taking an interest in.

6. Search for the word “dream” in your WIP. If you find it, paste the line and explain the context.

I haven’t been able to find it in any of the extracts I have on my computer, but I’m sure it’s probably there somewhere in one of my notebooks. Unfortunately the majority of those are in a box over three hundred miles away so I can’t really check through them ha.

8. What is your biggest challenge?

Actually getting anything finished. Honestly, it depends on the individual fic but for a long time it’s been writer’s block. My undergrad dissertation took a lot out of me and I wasn’t really in the mood for writing for a long time afterwards. S5 airing gave me a bit of a kick up the arse writing-wise though, so I’d say my biggest challenge at the moment is trying to figure out where everything goes in my super long post s5 AU where George gets shot by Hanson. At the moment I’ve just got loads and loads of random bits with only a vague idea of what order they go in and how they join up to each other, and it’s getting to be so long I just keep putting off planning it out properly. Also finishing that last chapter of The Cornish Way damn I can’t even remember when I last updated that I feel so guilty about it ha.

10. How would you describe your WIP’s narrative style?

Well, as I’ve already mentioned I have a whooole bunch of WIPs, but I always write in 3rd person (1st person grates on me, both reading and writing, for some reason--I don’t know why). I’ve got several multi-chap fics in the works, some short, some long. Most of my shorter multi-chap fics tend to alternate between Elizabeth’s POV and George’s, but my long post s5 AU will feature the majority of the characters’ POVs at some point, depending on when they’re needed, though since the fic is George-centric, his perspective is the main one. When it comes to my one-shots, they’re usually either from George or Elizabeth’s perspectives, sometimes both if it’s a particularly long one. I tend to lean towards using Elizabeth’s POV for one-shots for some reason, but there’s a fair few from George’s as well, and a couple of angsty ones told entirely from Valentine’s perspective.

12. Which character do you have the least in common with?

Since my post s5 AU includes Merceron, Hanson and Dr Penrose, I’m glad to say that I haven’t the slightest thing in common with any of those three. But if we’re talking about a main character, I’d say probably Ross. The only thing I have in common with him is a tendency to get fed up at parties ha.

14. Have you chosen birthdays for any of your characters? If so, when are they?

Not really--tbh, I’m not sure how many of them, if any, were given birthdays by WG. I tend to headcanon George’s birthday as being in October, but that’s about it.

16. What would your characters be for Hallowe’en?

Well, I’ve got a couple of WIPs set in the modern era which this could work for, but since one of them is a modern witchcraft AU (in which Elizabeth, Caroline, Demelza, Morwenna and Verity live together in Truro as a secret coven of witches, Francis is a melancholy ghost who haunts the building and they’ve never been able to exorcise, and George, their landlord’s nephew, is their baffled neighbour who only puts up with their weird shenanigans because he has a soft spot for Elizabeth), I guess that’s appropriately Hallowe’en-y ha. For that AU, I reckon Elizabeth would probably dress up as something kind of classy, like as an Ancient Greek lady or a medieval queen, something like that. Caroline would dress up as a witch, I reckon, for the sake of irony (Horace, of course, would have a complementary costume :P). Verity, I think, would make a cute angel, and one of those wood nymph/woodland fairy costumes would probably suit Demelza. Morwenna might dress up as a Hogwarts student or something like that, and Francis insists that since he is an actual, literal ghost, there’s no need for him to dress up. George, on the other hand, absolutely does not do Hallowe’en, but they still manage to drag him down from the flat upstairs, put a pair of little Devil horns on him and make him watch scary films with them. Which he hates every minute of. Absolutely. Totally.

18. What’s easier, dialogue or description?

It depends, but I generally find description easier than dialogue. When I have dialogue-heavy scenes to write, I generally write them out in my notebooks basically in script form so I can figure out where the scene is going and once that’s out of the way, I find it much easier to add all the description in around it rather than having to constantly stop to figure out what the characters are meant to be saying to each other.

20. Post a brief excerpt.

So there’s a whole load to choose from, but I’ve decided to go with this one, which is from a ghost Elizabeth AU I’ve been working on ever since the end of s4 and have been really struggling to get on with because there’s so much bloody angst in it ha :--

The days leading up to Christmas dragged slowly on, and with each long hour that passed, George found himself regretting his decision to allow their initial plans for the festivities to go ahead with ever increasing certainty. The Blameys were neither unkind nor insensitive—quite the opposite in fact; their presence seemed to restore some faint but much needed cheer to Geoffrey Charles, and the company of another boy near his own age had restored Valentine to a fraction of his usual liveliness—but he, who had never been a friend to Verity, and was not well acquainted with her husband or stepchildren, felt the constant pressure of their scrutiny, alongside the horrible awareness of his own inadequacy as their host, whenever he found himself in their company. Verity, in particular, had taken to sending him at frequent intervals, whenever she saw him decline a meal, or else stumbled across him staring up at Elizabeth’s portrait hanging above the mantelpiece in the drawing room, what he had come to refer to in his mind as Looks. Verity had always been a kind and well-meaning soul, but there was a distinct pitying quality to those Looks which he had come to both resent and despise. He could have far more easily borne it if she had scorned his conduct. Her pity, however, wounded what little care he could summon for his pride in the wake of Elizabeth’s loss—he had no need to be reminded of the wretched creature he was fast becoming every time he met her gaze.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, the morning of Christmas Eve came. It had snowed once again during the night, and upon seeing the unblemished blanket of white through the window upon waking, Valentine and young master Andrew had rushed outside, accompanied by the Blameys Senior and Junior and Geoffrey Charles, in order to enjoy it. As the young Esther, whom it had not taken George long to discover was somewhat reticent in nature, had elected to break her fast in her room, that, unfortunately, left he and Verity alone together at the dining table, save for little Ursula, who was playing quietly and contentedly with her own feet in her cradle beside his chair. At barely a few weeks old, however, she was not quite an accomplished enough conversationalist to distract Verity from engaging with him. With a barely audible sigh, George reached for a slice of toast despite his lack of appetite in a vague hope of fending off another Look which he was sure was on the verge of rearing its unwelcome head above the horizon.

“I am glad to see that the boys have regained a little of their usual cheer,” she spoke up suddenly, causing George to pause halfway towards taking a bite out of his unwanted toast; a glance her way confirmed that, despite his best efforts, he was being treated to what could only be described as a Look. “It is a terrible thing to lose one’s parent, no matter one’s age, and certainly not a burden one should face so early in life.”

WIP Ask Game

#asks #ask meme #fic ask meme #harry-leroy #fic #poldark fic #mine #my fic

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mst3kproject · 5 years ago

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Blood of Dracula’s Castle

This is another film by Al Adamson of Carnival Magic, starring John Carradine of The Unearthly and the weirdly rectangular Alexander D’Arcy of Horrors of Spider Island. If that weren’t enough, the first thing you see when you start the movie is an opening sequence of badly-shot driving set to an incongruously cheerful theme song, looking like something that should have credits over it, but doesn’t. Because obviously the perfect way to begin your movie is by giving everybody flashbacks to Manos: the Hands of Fate. Oh, boy.

Glen Cannon has just inherited a castle, so he takes his girlfriend Liz out to see the place and to meet the longtime tenants, Mr. and Mrs. Townsend. Unfortunately for Glen, Liz, and a number of short-skirted passers-by, the Townsends are actually vampires! They live in the castle with a menagerie of servants that include George the butler, Johnny the homicidal maniac (not the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, just a guy named Johnny who happens to be a homicidal maniac), and a hunchback named Mango. Not keen on the idea of moving, the undead try to persuade the young couple to either extend their lease or sell them the property outright. And if that fails, well, George does need victims to sacrifice to the moon god…

(Pictured above, three hundred percent more captive women than in Hercules and the Captive Women.)

You’d think a movie called Blood of Dracula’s Castle would be set in some ancient and spooky part of eastern Europe, wouldn’t you? And you’d be wrong, because the castle in this story is in the middle of the Arizona desert. Why is there a castle in the Arizona desert? The movie never explains, but I’m guessing the backstory is similar to that of Shea Castle in California, where much of the movie was shot – some rich asshole just decided he wanted to live in a castle. What I really want to know is why this specific castle has vampires in it. Deserts just don’t seem like good vampire habitat, you know?

Blood of Dracula’s Castle is particularly ridiculous about this, because like Attack of the The Eye Creatures or Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules, it features sun-hating baddies in a movie that is clearly shot in the daytime with a dark filter! And like those other movies, the sunshine is so intense that the filters do just about nothing. Also, why is there a beach nearby? Arizona is not exactly famous for those.

The Townsends are some seriously weaksauce vampires. A lot of movies have vampires with superhuman strength, telepathy, or the power of flight. These two are afraid of being shot, and can’t even escape from being tied up with silk sashes. I would say it undermines their threat, but they never seemed that threatening to begin with. Alexander D’Arcy and Paula Raymond play the characters very low-key and matter-of-fact, and their servants come across as far more dangerous than the masters. I suppose this is why the vampires turn to dust in an anticlimax, while the real movie-ending battle is with Mango the hunchback. He takes a bullet to the gut, an axe to the back, is set on fire, and finally topples over a cliff before he goes down! Even George the aged butler puts up a pretty good fight with a morningstar before breaking his neck in a fall down the stairs.

Johnny, meanwhile, is a very confusing inclusion. He’s been in a mental institution for murdering some unspecified number of people, and he blames his killing spree on the full moon. The movie harps on this at some length, with Johnny himself, the Townsends, and George all referring to it, so by the time the climax approaches we’re pretty sure we’re gonna get a werewolf scene. When George sets out to sacrifice a captive woman to the moon god, I was eagerly hoping this would take the form of wolfman Johnny showing up to tear her apart. But Johnny is present to watch, remains fully human throughout, and does nothing, while George simply sets the woman on fire! Why spend all that time setting it up? Is the point supposed to be that Johnny uses lycanthropy as an excuse for his killings when the truth is he’s just a murderer? If so, the movie misses by a mile.

Glen and Liz are technically the main characters, but they’re very much the type who are only present so this movie will have somebody to happen to. The writers, director, and even the actors are far more interested in their assortment of baddies. Neither of the couple has anything that might be considered a character trait. They are introduced in a montage of Glen taking pictures of Liz at Sea World, which establishes nothing but the fact that she’s hot and he’s recently asked her to marry him. There’s also a really weird bit where they make out under the watchful eyes of a voyeuristic walrus, which sure is a sentence I just wrote.

There are a couple of moments when it looks like Glen’s profession of photography might just be plot relevant. He tries to take a picture of Johnny, but Johnny doesn’t want him to, which could have been a precursor to one of them recognizing the escaped murderer. It goes nowhere. I also wondered if the film might make use of the idea that vampires don’t show up any better in photographs than they do in mirrors, but the idea is completely ignored.

About the only thing in Blood of Dracula’s Castle that works is one joke. Glen and Liz are snooping around the castle basement, where they discover the Townsends sleeping in their coffins. Liz starts to freak out, and Glen tries to reassure her by telling her that there’s a perfectly logical explanation. She demands to know what that is… and rather than offer some ‘rational’ bullshit Glen just straight up says, “they’re vampires, obviously!” The sheer surprise of seeing a trope subverted like that in this stupid movie made me laugh out loud.

Is there anything halfway interesting in this movie? Meh, not really. The closest it comes is when it suggests the Townsends’ distaste for ‘traditional’ vampirism. They don’t go around biting necks and leaving bodies behind – instead they drain blood from a vein and sip it out of genteel wine glasses. Killing Glen and Liz is not Plan A, it is what they’re forced to turn to when all else fails. Lady Townsend even contemplates the idea that someday somebody might invent synthetic blood, allowing vampires to become law-abiding citizens!

This could have been neat, but it fails to go anywhere because the Townsends seem entirely cheerful and blasé about the crimes they do commit. They have no problem keeping young women chained up in their dungeon, draining them of blood and then turning them over to Mango to be raped and murdered. They show no reluctance to sacrifice victims to the moon god. In fact, their performance has almost a Stepford Wives sort of feel, in which they are polite and pleasant about literally everything. Even in private, when they worry about possibly having to kill their guests, they sound cheerful. The fake smile plastered across D’Arcy’s face is downright terrifying, though not for the reasons it ought to be. He looks like being in this movie is causing him physical pain.

Another thread seems to be some commentary, probably unintentional, about the nature of relationships. Glen and Liz argue quite a bit, and I think most of it’s intended to be in fun but Gene O’Shane and Barbara Bishop are not good actors and it sometimes comes across quite bitter. Their disagreements contrast with the behaviour of the Townsends, who are perfectly in harmony in everything they do. Perhaps this is because the Townsends have simply known each other longer, having been married for some three centuries while Glen and Liz have only been together a year or so. The impression one gets, however, is an Addams Family sort of vibe, in which embracing the darkness within seems to lead to better relationships.

Now that I think of it… with the charming, well-dressed, and loving couple, and their cadaverous butler, there is definitely an Addams Family thing going on here. The comics had been around since 1938 and the TV series started in 1964, so it was out there for other creators to draw on.

In comparison to the other Al Adamson movies I’ve seen, Blood of Dracula’s Castle actually strikes me as more similar to Carnival Magic than to Psycho-A-Go-Go. The latter film was very upfront about its dark themes, while the former buries them under a cheerful carnival front. Blood of Dracula’s Castle also looks rather harmless on the surface, as the Addams Family comparison makes clear: the Townsends are very cheerful and friendly vampires, their castle more whimsical than foreboding. They and their strange servants could be characters in a comedy, were the movie not so explicit about their murders.

Blood of Dracula’s Castle is pretty dull. You won’t be missing anything if you skip it. If you do want to watch it, I’d better warn you: the opening sequence is set to an upbeat song called Last Train Out, and once it’s in your brain, it’s not going anywhere for a while.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #blood of dracula's castle #poor john carradine #tw: rape #60s

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crystalninjaphoenix · 5 years ago

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Gray Out

Switch AU

Another entry in the thrilling saga of the AU I never meant to make. An important one, too! Because so far all the boys have separate bits and pieces of the story, but they need to put them together. Also there’s some stuff with Jackie’s family in the beginning because we haven’t seen too much of them but I think they’re neat. ^-^ Enjoy!

More of this AU found here

Weekday mornings were always a bit of a rush for Jackie. But at least it was the same routine most days. Wake up, get ready, make breakfast for Michelle, help her get ready, drive her to school, come back home to make sure he had everything for work, and then drive to work. Some days his shift started later, some days Michelle had to be early for a field trip, but the routine varied very little. In all honesty, Jackie kind of liked it that way. Which might be why he ignored the first phone call, rationing it away as probably being a spam number. But by the third call, it was obvious it wasn’t just spam.

After making sure Michelle was munching happily on her toast for breakfast, Jackie finally picked up the phone to check the ID, and was immediately overwhelmed by an emotion that was combination annoyance, exasperation, and a little worry. “You ever notice how you’re the one who always calls people?” He commented upon answering the phone. “Why don’t people ever call you?”

“What?” Schneep was clearly not expecting that answer. “Never mind. Jackie, we need to talk.”

Jackie glanced over toward the dining room table where Michelle was sitting. “Well, make this quick, I have to take Michelle to school.”

“No, I mean in person. And I mean we all need to talk.”

Jackie blinked. “Who’s ‘we all’?”

“You, me, Anti, and JJ and Marvin,” Schneep clarified. “It’s very important. Can you meet up with us soon?”

“I—I just told you I need to take my daughter to school. And then after that I work until two today.”

“We can do it in the evening.”

“Henrik,” Jackie sighed. “You work this evening, remember? You said you traded your shift yesterday for one today.”

“Fuck, I forgot.”

“You forgot...about your job.”

“To be fair, last night was eventful,” Schneep said defensively.

“Did. Did you go to sleep at all last night?” Jackie thought he already knew the answer, so he continued anyway. “Dude. Take a nap or something before you work. Even if you don’t fall asleep and instead just lie there, it’ll do you good.”

“Ah, whatever, whatever,” Schneep said dismissively. “So we have to meet tomorrow. Do you work then, too?”

“Yeah, until two again.”

On the other side of the line, Schneep’s voice became momentarily muffled like he was covering the receiver with his hand and talking to someone else. Jackie waited patiently, tapping his fingers against the dining room table with a satisfying clacking pattern.

“Daaaad!” Michelle called, even though she was just on the other side of the table. “I finished.”

Jackie glanced over. “You have to eat the crusts, Michelle.”

“Awwwww!” Michelle set her head on the table and groaned. “Ren lets me skip the crusts.”

“Well, you can skip then when I’m not here, then.” Jackie smiled a bit. “But I hear bread crusts make your hair curly.”

Michelle’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“It’s what I hear.”

Michelle looked down at the bread crusts on her plate and began shoving them in her mouth.

“Hey slow down, you might choke!” Jackie warned.

“What?” Schneep’s voice on the phone returned.

“No, I’m talking to Michelle, Schneep, not you,” Jackie said.

“Ah, I see. Anyway, we are now planning to meet at my apartment tomorrow at four. Would that work?”

“Well, that depends. What’s this even about?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” Schneep laughed nervously. “It...remember the window incident a while ago?”

“How could I forget?” Jackie shivered internally. He still couldn’t quite believed that happened.

“Yes, well. It is about that. The creature that did that...it...all the rest of us have seen it too. And we need to talk about it.”

Jackie went suddenly cold, as if a bucket of ice water had been dunked over his head. “Okay,” he said quietly. “I’ll see you then.” And then he hung up. He stared blankly at the phone for a bit longer.

“Dad?” Michelle asked. “Are you okay? You lost all your color.”

Jackie shook his head. He smiled at his daughter. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you finished?”

“Mm-hmm.” Michelle played with the ends of her hair. “Is it curly now?”

“Well, it doesn’t work instantly, but I think it is a little wavier. Now come on.” Jackie walked over to stand next to her while she hopped off the chair. “Let’s finish up and get you to school.”

———————

Jackie couldn’t concentrate the rest of the day. His work at the hospital slipped up enough for his coworkers to notice something was wrong, but he denied anything, just saying he was tired. If any of them noticed he was avoiding the second floor, they didn’t say anything. He’d never told them he nearly got pulled out a window. Because honestly, if one of them told him that a strange creature nearly killed him and that they couldn’t even really remember what the creature looked like, he would probably recommend they see a therapist.

He got off work at two like usual, then just as usual he drove over to the school to pick up Michelle at two-thirty. Upon coming home, he immediately excused himself to his room, where he lied down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

A few minutes later, the door to the bedroom burst open. “Jackie if I wanted to stab someone in the stomach area how quickly would they have to be rescued?!”

Jackie burst out laughing; he couldn’t help it. A question like that would be suspect, if it wasn’t coming from Rama, who was a crime fiction writer and also Jackie’s spouse. “Hi to you too. I’m home.”

“Yep, I heard you and Michelle come in.” Rama walked over and sat down on the mattress next to Jackie. Their black shoulder-length hair was tucked under their red beanie, and Jackie noticed they were wearing one of their favorite shirts: it had a picture of Shakespeare with sunglasses on with the caption ‘It’s hard to be the Bard.’ “Soooo?” They poked his arm. “Stomach stab wound?”

“Well I mean, it depends on where it happened and how deep it was. There are, like, organs in your torso.”

“Oh I didn’t think of that. Uhhh...it’s like, this-ish area I guess?” Rama made a circle with their fingers around a spot a little bit left of their belly button. “And pretty deep, I dunno, a switchblade went all the way in there.”

“Uh, okay, there aren’t any organs that are too dangerous to hit there. But if it’s a switchblade going all the way in...” Jackie scrunched his eyes closed as he thought. “That’s probably still going to puncture something, not to mention the blood loss. Maybe between one to three hours?” If Jackie was being honest, he was partially drawing on experience of having to patch up Schneep’s wounds after a fight, which happened way too often.

“Alright, that’s enough time,” Rama nodded.

“Are you going to stab Alice again?” Jackie asked, referencing the main character of Rama’s short stories.

“No, I’m stabbing her brother.”

“Noooooo!” Jackie whined. “You put him in danger too much, give him a break!”

Rama grinned. “Neverrr!” Their grin faded when Jackie only smiled lightly, and proceeded to drop the subject. “Hey. You okay, Jackieboy?” they asked.

“...I don’t know,” Jackie admitted. “I feel a bit...I don’t know.”

Rama stood up, walked over to the dresser, picked something up, then returned to their spot on the bed, handing the item to Jackie. It was a black-and-red fidget cube. Jackie took it and began idly pressing the buttons. “You have any idea what could be causing that?” Rama asked.

He did have an idea. Because he kept thinking about the window incident, and every thought tied to it was accompanied by a worm of anxiety in his stomach. “...yeah,” he said, and didn’t elaborate.

“Hmm.” Rama pursed their lips. “Well, you don’t have to talk about it. Anything I can do to help?”

Jackie shrugged awkwardly, still lying down. He traced the patterns in the ceiling with his eyes.

“How about we watch a movie? I’m gonna get my laptop, we’re gonna power it up, and find something that can distract you.”

“...yeah, that sounds good.”

The rest of the night was spent curled up on the bed watching Disney animated movies on Netflix. Michelle joined at one point, squeezing in between her two parents. And Jackie started to feel better, surrounded by his family. When night fell, it wasn’t too hard to fall asleep.

———————

And then the next morning dawned and it started again as he had to go through another shift at the hospital where he had to suffer through repeated instances of anxious thoughts assaulting him. What even was that creature? What did it want with him and the others? Was it going to kill them? Why were so many details about it fuzzy? Did it somehow affect your mind? That prospect caused Jackie to shudder every time he imagined it.

When four o’clock finally rolled around, Jackie had managed to calm down again. They were lacking in information, but if they all pooled their knowledge, they had to come up with something. They had to. Didn’t they?

Jackie texted Schneep when he was outside the front door of the apartment building. About a minute later, Schneep opened the door. “Jackie!” He brightened. “Come in, come in, you are the last to arrive, we were waiting for you.”

“Well, thanks for waiting, then,” Jackie smiled. He followed Schneep down the hall and up a single flight of stairs to the second floor. He’d been here many times before, to the point where he didn’t even have to look at the apartment numbers to know which one was Schneep’s.

The layout of the apartment was familiar as well. It was a simple studio apartment, with an attached bathroom and a single wall separating the sleeping area from the rest of the apartment. A corner of the floor was taken up with a kitchenette, while the rest was a combination living/working/dining area. There was a section for the dining table and chairs. There was a section taken up with a couch, two chairs, a coffee table, and a TV. And there was a desk with a computer shoved against a wall, next to a bunch of shelves overflowing with various stuff. Other than the shelves, everything in the apartment was very neat and clean, modern-style furniture in shades of blue. There were also a couple potted plants that Jackie knew from experience not to touch unless he wanted Schneep to freak out on him.

Currently, the other three of the group were scattered about the apartment. Anti was sprawled on the couch, eyes closed and probably half-asleep. JJ was looking about the kitchen section, opening cabinets, though he looked embarrassed about it when Schneep and Jackie appeared. Marvin was sitting in the desk chair, playing with the computer but honestly looking like he had no idea what he was doing.

“Alright, everyone is here!” Schneep said. He was trying to sound enthusiastic, but it fell flat. “Now we can start.”

“Well, where do we start?” Jackie asked, sitting down in the nearest chair, not relaxing.

JJ approached the living area, choosing to sit in the other chair. “Well, I guess we should put all our cards on the table. We don’t know much about whatever this...person is, but I bet that if we shared all our encounters, we’re bound to figure something out.”

Anti opened his eyes. “Well, then I think you and Marvin should go first. You saw him first, right?”

“You did?” Jackie asked, surprised. “When was this?”

“Oh. Well, you remember that night I texted you because Marvin was acting strange and wandered off?” JJ looked over at Marvin, who remained silent, over by the desk.

“Yeah?”

JJ kept looking at Marvin, raising an eyebrow. But when Marvin didn’t say anything, he sighed and stopped. “Well, most of what I told you was true. Marvin did disappear, and I did find him in an entirely different part of town. And everything that you said might be dissociation, that happened too, but—”

“I’m still not quite sure what happen’d,” Marvin said suddenly. “I t’ink at some point I...I’m not sure, but...I remember seeing a man dressed in gray, whose eyes were bleedin’.” He looked down, as if worried they might not believe him.

Jackie cleared his throat. “I know who—or what—you’re talking about. I saw it, not too long after you.”

As the minutes passed, the pieces were puzzled together. Marvin and JJ’s unplanned walk that night, Jackie’s encounter at the window, and Anti’s recent stint of nightmares and sleepwalking.

“I’ve been running into this...person,” Schneep said. At some point, he’d moved to sit on the couch, forcibly pushing Anti’s legs out of the way. “Not very often, perhaps once a week, but it has occurred enough. He has tried to kill me.”

“What? Does he, like, stab you or something?” Anti asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, no.” Schneep shook his head. “It is...really whatever is available. The first time I saw him, we were in a construction site, I almost got impaled on that steel rebar. Then again, we were on a high building, and he tricked me into stepping off. I was lucky no bones were broken.”

Jackie furrowed his brow. “Wait, was that the night you broke into my house looking like you’d been hit by a car?”

“Ah...no?” Schneep said unconvincingly.

“How do you just step off a building?” Anti mumble-asked.

“Well, I did not know the edge of the building was so close!” Schneep snapped. He folded his arms. “It was like a hallucination, an illusion. It looked like I was in the middle of the roof, but I was on the edge, and I did not know.”

“So, this thing can create illusions, hypnotize people, and give them nightmares that make them try to kill themselves,” JJ summarized. “And he doesn’t seem to get hurt, if he can fall out a second story window and walk away.”

“It’s like a brain demon,” Jackie said, playing with his hoodie strings.

“Yeah, it messes with your mind,” Anti agreed. “But here’s the thing I’m wondering: can I stab it?”

“Anti!” Jackie gasped. “Is this the time?” Meanwhile, Schneep sighed.

“No, really, this is relevant. Because how the fuck are we supposed to get rid of it?” Anti scowled. “If it falls out a window and skips off afterward, how do we kill it?”

“Maybe we don’t need to,” JJ said. “Maybe we can ward it off, somehow.”

“What, with like garlic or something?”

“Maybe, we don’t know,” JJ shrugged. “I’ve never heard of a creature like this, but there has to be some sort of records of something like it. If not, I could probably set up some sort of protection spells.”

Anti blinked. “Oh yeah, I forgot you could do that.”

“It’s fine, to be fair you did only find out yesterday,” JJ smiled.

“But can you even set up protection from this thing?” Jackie said, looking down at his lap and pulling his fingers. “What if it just slips through your defenses? If it can make illusions, what if it can make you think you set something up, but you didn’t?”

“Well, there has to be a way to double-check,” Schneep said casually.

“And besides, wouldn’t we, like, see him nearby whenever he showed up to trick us?” Anti asked. “So we could like, stab on sight. Arm ourselves, you can all borrow my knives.”

Marvin, who’d been mostly silent this whole conversation, suddenly spoke up. “T’is might sound strange, but bear with me for a moment.” He waited until he was sure the others were paying attention before continuing. “T’is...t’ing t’at’s been following us...what color is his hair?”

Anti rolled his eyes. “What does this have to do with—”

“Answer. The question.” The others had never seen Marvin so serious.

Jackie responded first. “Well, okay, it’s...” He blinked. “It’s...” He frowned, scrunching his eyes closed as he tried to picture the gray man in his mind. “...I...don’t remember.” He could clearly see the man in his mind, yet somehow...that detail was not part of the image. Jackie opened his eyes. “Volt? What about you?”

Schneep crossed his arms, brows furrowing. Gradually, his look of concentration turned to one of discomfort. “I-I do not know. I do not know, how is that possible?”

“Alrigh’,” Marvin stood up, walking from the desk to the living area with the others. “How about how tall he is? Does anyone r’member how tall he is?”

“He’s...” Jackie trailed off. Anti stood up straight, making gestures with his hand like he was measuring someone’s height. Jameson shook his head, baffled. Schneep made an odd choking sound and covered his mouth, eyes wide.

“No, we don’,” Marvin said. “None of us know anyt’ing about what he looks like. Oh, sure, we got the monstrous swathes of it, but we cannae r’member the details. Now, Jackie.” Marvin turned to look at him. “How did t’is man get into your hospital, looking as odd as he does, and have no one even mention it?”

“That...I don’t know,” Jackie said slowly.

“Exactly!” Marvin threw his hand in the air.

“Wait, Marvin, are you saying that this...sort of illusion-casting this person can do,” JJ asked, “could possibly mean he can...make it seem like he’s not there at all? Like, maybe like the Silence from Doctor Who?”

Marvin frowned. “I don’ know what t’at is.”

“Oh. Right. That’s on me, remind me to show you that some time.” JJ laughed nervously. “Anyway, the Silence are...well, they’re sort of supernatural creatures that make it so that, while you’re looking directly at them, you know they’re there and what they are. But when you look away, you forget all about them.”

“Ah. T’en yes, t’ats what I’m tryin’ t’say. He migh’ be able to do somet’ing to t’at effect.”

Schneep visibly paled. “Well, what would we do in that situation? If that was true, then...mein Gott, then he could be anywhere. And we would not even know.”

“But...that doesn’t mean it would be anywhere, right?” Anti’s eyes darted back and forth between the others’ faces.

Everyone was silent.

And then they heard the laughing.

Everyone who’d been sitting down shot to their feet. Anti reached into his jacket and pulled out a handgun. Schneep leapt into a defensive stance, hands half-raised in front of him. Jameson’s eyes changed color to a brighter blue than usual.

“Lock the doors and close the blinds, we’re going for a ride!”

“What the fuck?!” Jackie was the first to see him, and practically tripped over himself in an effort to put the chair between himself and the gray man—who was just casually sitting on top of the dining table, one leg folded over the other, as if it was the most natural place in the world for him to be.

Schneep stepped forward. “How did you get into my apartment?” he demanded.

“You mean you didn’t notice?” The man pressed a hand to his chest as if he was offended. The attempt at expression was ruined by the grin on his face. “I was right behind you the entire time, Zaps.”

“Jesus,” Marvin muttered, inching closer to the rest of the group.

“Yeah, okay, that’s nice to hear,” Anti growled. “But you know what? I don’t care. You are going to get out of here or there’s going to suddenly be a new hole in your head.”

“Oh, I’m afraid I beat you to the punch there.” Even though the smile never wavered, the man’s tone suddenly became a lot colder. “So your threats are poor excuses for threats, just like how you’re a poor excuse of a person. Works out perfectly, you know?”

Anti took a step back. For a moment, true hurt flashed across his face.

“You have no right to say such things!” Jameson suddenly shouted. “Not when you are just as poor. You’re not even human, why do you have such authority to speak on others? And why should we listen to a distorter of minds?”

The man sat up straight. “A distorter of minds? I love it, I’m going to use that from now on.”

“Good try, Jems, but don’t encourage him,” Marvin hissed.

“Aw, I’m hurt, Marvin!” The man—Distorter—seemed to smile wider at the way Marvin jumped when he said his name. “I wouldn’t expect such dismissive words from you!”

“Wh—” Marvin visibly flinched, stepping back. “What do you...?”

“Oh well. Guess nothing lasts forever. Unless you make it.” Distorter stood up. He raised one blackened hand and snapped his fingers, tilting his head to the side. “Smile for me.”

Something clattered to the floor. Everyone sharply turned to look over at Marvin—Marvin, who had dropped his cane. He’d suddenly gone limp, posture slacking and a blank expression on his face. His eyes were empty.

“That’s better.”

“Marvin?” Jameson was by his side before he even knew it, shaking him gently, trying to get a response. To no avail. “Marvin, wh...what...?”

“What...what did you do?!” Jackie was emboldened by the sight of his friend in distress, forgetting all previous fears about Distorter’s unnatural powers. He rushed to Marvin’s side as well, immediately jumping into assessment mode.

“He’s fine,” Distorter dismissed. “If anything, this is better. You don’t have to worry about anything if you can’t feel anything.”

“Okay, that is it.” Schneep’s expression was more than stormy—it was outright thunderous. He quickly closed the distance between him and Distorter and grabbed the gray man by the shirt. “I am getting you out of here if you will not leave yourself.”

Distorter seemed untroubled by being grabbed, though maybe that was just his unchanging smile. “Oh, come on.” He wrapped a hand around Schneep’s wrist, nails digging into skin. “The fun part’s just about to start.”

Everyone tensed. Jameson and Jackie were momentarily distracted by the statement, looking away from Marvin for just a moment. Anti did the opposite: he happened to glance toward Marvin at the exact time the other two looked away. And because of that, he saw when Marvin stiffened, a flash of something—something not exactly friendly—entering his eyes. “Watch out!” Anti cried, suddenly lunging across the room.

The following sequence of events happened very quickly. Marvin bent over, grabbing his cane from where it had fallen to the floor. At the same time, Schneep shrieked and stumbled back, the sleeve of his shirt now shredded as long slices leaked blood through the fabric. Distorter laughed, the nails of his hand dripping red. Immediately after, Marvin stood up and swung his cane until the topper connected solidly with the side of Jameson’s head, who cried out and staggered backwards, falling against the nearest chair. Marvin wound up for another swing at Jackie, but Anti arrived just in time, grabbing the cane and attempting to wrench it out of Marvin’s hands.

Marvin’s head whipped toward Anti. His eyes were unusually wide, and thin streams of blood began to drip from them. He hissed, and instead of trying to pull the cane back toward him, pushed with a surprising amount of force. Anti was shocked enough at the movement to lose his footing, and next thing he knew his head hit the ground and he was lying on the floor. Marvin pressed his advantage—quite literally. He knelt on the floor and began pushing the cane down on Anti’s throat, the length immediately cutting off air supply. Anti made a choked sort of gasp, and tried to push the cane away, but Marvin showed no sign of letting up.

“No!” Jackie sprung into action, grabbing Marvin around the torso and trying to pull him away. Marvin resisted, continuing to press down, but Jackie wasn’t about to give up, and was slowly winning.

Jameson climbed to his feet, pressing a hand to his head where the topper had hit it. There was a bit of warm liquid soaking his hair, but this wasn’t the time to focus on that. He was about to help Jackie, when he heard a cry of pain. He spun around to see Schneep on the floor in the dining area, scrambling backwards and clutching his bleeding arm. He looked unhurt apart from that arm injury, but his head was turning wildly on a swivel, seeming to latch onto things that weren’t there at all. Distorter approached him slowly, his grin wider than ever.

“Oh no you don’t,” Jameson muttered to himself. He cupped his hand and let the magic flow down his arm, until he was holding a handful of swimming blue light. He tossed the light, and it scattered into droplets. The drops arced across the room until they hit Distorter, each drop making a surprisingly solid impact that made him reel back, until he was finally knocked over. Jameson ran to Schneep as soon as Distorter was out of the way, murmuring vague reassurances as he patted him down for further sign of injuries.

Schneep shook his head like he was clearing it of ghosts. “What..?” He blinked several times, looking around.

Distorter stood up in one single motion, flicking away remaining drops of blue magic. “And here I thought you might be alright, magic man.”

Jameson threw an arm in front of Schneep, shielding him. “To you? No, I’m afraid not while you’re trying to kill my friends.”

“Who said I was going to kill all of them?” Distorter spread his arms. “What would that do for me, hmm?”

Jameson’s hand curled into a fist, streams of magic responding to the motion. “Then what do you want?”

For a moment, Distorter’s smile shrank. “I just want companionship. Friends. Well, and to get rid of anyone who’s going to stop me from getting that. Which, unfortunately, includes some of your—”

Bang!

Distorter staggered back, looking down at the sudden red staining his shirt, the vivid crimson standing out against the gray. Jameson blinked, then looked over to were the other three had been scuffling in the living area. Jackie had his arms wrapped tight around Marvin, who was squirming and struggling to get free. Anti was half-standing, half-kneeling, his hand extended and pointing his handgun directly at Distorter. “There’s more where that came from,” he said.

Distorter stared at him. And then he began laughing again. “Weren’t you paying attention earlier?! I told you that wouldn’t do anything! Or did you not bother to check?” His head turned to the side, farther than it should’ve been able to, with a crack. Everyone in the room was able to see that which none of them had, somehow, never noticed before. A neat hole in the side of Distorter’s head, going all the way through and dripping thick red blood.

Everyone stared; they couldn’t help it. It was like a car wreck. Some things you just couldn’t tear your eyes from, no matter how gruesome it was. “...how?” Jackie finally whispered.

“You can’t kill what’s already dead.” Distorter chuckled. “But I’ll give you points for trying.This has been fun, hasn’t it? Hasn’t this been fun? I can’t wait until next time.”

None of them could say what happened next. All they knew was that one moment Distorter was there, the next their heads were filled with fuzz, and he was gone.

Anti was the first to recover. “What...was that?” He scrambled to his feet. “Where did he go?!”

“That...really happened, yes?” Schneep asked.

“Yes, it did,” JJ said, nodding. “I’m not sure where he—”

A scream. Marvin pushed Jackie away, practically falling over himself in trying to get away. He ended up crawling over to the nearest chair and pressing his back to it, wiping at the trails of blood on his face and breathing quickly.

“Marvin!” JJ grabbed Schneep by the hand and pulled him to his feet before running over to where Marvin was and kneeling next to him. “Are you okay?”

“No! What? No, what? T'at wasn’—no!” Marvin was pulling at his hair with one hand, while using the other to grab for his cane. He was shaking his head.

“Hey, I know it’s a lot, but it’s going to be okay,” JJ said in a gentle voice. “Do you need anything right now? Anything I can get you?”

A strange sort of half-whimper half-yell escaped Marvin’s throat. He was holding the cane close to his body, running his fingers along the designs in the topper. “I-I dunna—I dunnae. I-I dun...t’at didn’ feel...good.”

Jackie had appeared at one point, leaning over JJ’s shoulder. He pursed his lips. “Hang on a second, let me try...” He reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a small black cube with various attachments in red. He handed it to Marvin. “Here, just look at the for a bit, okay?”

Marvin seemed doubtful, but he took it anyway. Within only a few moments he was engrossed in the various parts of the cube. He seemed to especially like the switches and the rolling ball. JJ looked at Jackie and gave him a smile, which Jackie returned before standing up to go look at Schneep’s injured arm.

———————

It took a few minutes, but eventually they all settled down. They were all back in the living area, with Jackie and Schneep on the couch, Anti in one of the chairs and Marvin in the other, JJ standing nearby Marvin’s chair. Jackie had found Schneep’s first aid kit in one of the kitchen cabinets, and managed to bandage up the cuts on Schneep’s arm.

“I’m going to say it: I’m super paranoid that he’s just...somewhere.” Anti looked around the apartment.

“I think he left,” JJ said. “Otherwise why would he make that comment about ‘next time’?”

Anti nodded. “Good point. Still...maybe he’s always there. Always watching.”

“Please don’,” Marvin muttered. JJ and Jackie glared at Anti.

Schneep cleared his throat. “Marvin...are you ready to talk about...what that was back there?”

“I-I don’ know what it was,” Marvin said simply. “It was just...t'ere was not’ing. Just a daze. But also, t’ere was...I-I don’ know. An...urge...to do certain t’ings. An I know it was coming from him.”

“Mind control?” Jackie asked. He looked at JJ. “Is that possible?”

“Um...” JJ folded his arms. “I know that there are spells out there that can do that. And strange creatures that can influence your thoughts. But I’ve never even heard of something like...him.”

“Um, Marvin?” Anti asked tentatively. “Is it okay to ask how you know that...thing?”

Marvin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’ know how I know him. I just know he’s familiar. I don’ r’member much, and I know less. I don’t even know how I got to now—to here!”

Schneep blinked. “I’m sorry, did you say—”

“Not!...now,” Marvin interrupted, opening his eyes. “I’ll explain it to you t’ree anot’er time, righ’ now it’s...too many t’ings.”

Jackie nodded. He looked around the room quickly. Everyone was tense, uneasy, and/or upset. “Well!” He clapped his hands. “I think that’s too many things for all of us today. We need to do something to calm down.”

They all looked at him in surprise. But none of them disagreed. Or, well, Anti did, but he just liked to disagree. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Don’t you need to get home soon?”

“Rama and Michelle could do with some time together,” Jackie shrugged. “Why? Are you worried about Will?”

“I mean, I paid the sitter for the whole afternoon because I didn’t know how long this would take, so I guess I could technically stay a bit longer?”

“Good. So we’re going to do that.” Jackie stood up and walked over to the TV. He began rummaging through the cabinet under it. “Trust me, sometimes you just need a distraction. And I think we all need one right now. I don’t know what kind of movies people like, so you’re going to have to tell me so we can pick something everyone likes.”

It’s surprising how quickly a mood can change.

It’s surprising, sometimes, how easy it is to bounce back to reality after being in a grayed-out zone for a while.

Maybe all it really takes are five friends laughing and shouting so loud that you can’t really hear to movie, until someone makes popcorn and someone else takes out the spare blankets, and eventually everything seems right again.

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