#buggy is a menace he knows exactly what he’s doing

[taco-tuseday]

Baby’s got a bomb

Day 11 of buggytober

[hey-august]

Cus saying something about rollercoasters gave me an idea.

What do you think buggy is like if he wants to take his partner to like a fair or theme park or something of the sort. Cus, obv he would. But they're way too afraid to get on most of the rides?

He may tease, sure. That's got to be a given, no? But seeing the terrified look your face after he'd somehow coaxed you into let's say the Ferris wheel? He's holding your hand, telling you it's okay. Describing the pretty lights and stunning view as you slowly get to the top. And while it's stopped all the way up high, you actually look out. Able to relax a bit. It's not so bad. It's pretty, actually. But heights are still terrifying.

Or maybe it's a rollercoaster he had to coax you onto. "Just try it once!"

And maybe he'd regret it just a little. The constant scream right next to him. Absolute death grip on his hand.

Getting on and starting to go up was one thing. The second it sped up just a hair to get to the top is when the screaming started, the tight hold on his hand. Then the screaming got louder as it sped downwards and your hand kept one hell of a death grip on his hand. The only time the screams stopped was so you could take a breath to continue screaming. Once the ride was over though he led you to a nearby bench until you could relax.

Or maybe those teacup rides. Only scared to get on it because.. Well it's buggy. And most people you've been on that type of ride would spin it way too fast and scare the ever loving hell out of you. But he's already dragged you on enough rides and this was one you liked. So he did spin it, but made sure you were okay with the speed. Laughing and spinning it together, enjoying the more peaceful ride.

Though you two did get on it again just to go as fast as possible. Laughing and clinging onto the seat.

I feel like he'd also want to win you a prize. *Of course* it had to be one that was so fucking stupidly hard to get. But he wanted to see you smile, he always did. So he tried. And tried again. And again. And..one more time. *damnit* why was it so difficult? But the second the person who was in charge if the game became distracted with something, even for a mere second, he cheated. Hey, he wanted to get you that prize. And it so happens he can detach limbs. His hand reattaching before anyone can see of course.

Is some of this based on personal experience? Yes. I can't stand rollercoasters, they scare the shit out of me.

My personal story with my first rollercoaster was at Kentucky kingdom. Lightning run. My mother fucking counted. (Yk the count to 3) Just to get my ass on a rollercoaster. I was terrified okay? But, yes, the death grip and screaming was what I did. That was her karma. My loud ass screaming in her ear (I was on her left) and one hell of a death grip. She might have lost a little blood flow for the time being. But she never dragged me on a rollercoaster again. And she never will be able to again.

(I have written more than intended but ideas keep coming)

Heck yes! Buggy would be a MENACE with this. Taunting and goading you into going on the thrilling rides.

PUH-LEASE, only weenies skip the big rides. What's the point in going if you're not gonna ride Mr. Bones' Wild Ride? (okay, maybe skip that one)

Buggy also talks up how the rides aren't even that scary. You eventually give in because:

maybe he's right,

you don't want to miss out on a good ride,

he seems so excited, and

he's getting annoying.

Yeah, the ferris wheel wasn't terrible. A little more shaky that you expected and very high up. But you got to sit next to Buggy. He even bought (stole) you a corndog to enjoy. He ate most of it.

The roller coaster though. Buggy thought he won (what exactly? who knows) when you agreed to go, but a little worm of regret started wiggling when the car reached the apex. Buggy said it was like climbing the ship's rigging on rough waters, but this...did not feel the same. Or maybe it did and he forgot how intense that feels. Both of you had white knuckle grips on the safety bar the whole time.

The tea cup ride was fine. Better. Really nice, actually. Even when it spun wildly, you still enjoyed it. It was less of a competition and more of a cooperative sport to spin the tea cup juuuuust right. Buggy also showed off by using his hands to spin the cup while he leaned back, handless-arms behind his head.

And BIG AGREE to Buggy stealing prizes. He also cheats. A barely-noticeable fingertip knocking over bottles, nudging balls, guiding hoops. He's schmoozing with the game attendees, distracting them from all the other shady shit he's doing. Meanwhile, you stand slightly off to the side and grab whatever Buggy hands you.

Do you need a giant plush sleepy banana? Or five bunny keychains? Or more than three lanyards? Or a frog bucket hat that doesn't fit? Or a bear bucket hat that doesn't fit? Or a cat bucket hat that doesn't fit?

No. But you take them anyways.

---

I'm also right there with ya with some un-fun ride stories, cyra. 😂 Once when I was a younger kid, I CRIED on the queue for Space Mountain. SOBBING. I was scared but we were going to go on the ride. And then the HORROR - I was supposed to sit at the front. Absolutely not. Thankfully, some older teens took pity and sat in the front.

I got on the ride, continued to cry, and shrunk myself so low that my head knocked on the sides of the ride during sharp turns. It was not ideal.

On a lighter note, there was a time where I was on one of those spinning Gravitron rides. The UFO shaped one. And the ride operator would slow down the spinning and then start it right back up. They said we were almost done more than once but everything kept spinningggg. We were hostages in the UFO and it felt like forever. Honestly, I loved it but omg I felt like I was outside of my body afterwards. I was not the same person.

[flashyfools]

I have maybe stupid thought/question. It’s thought that changes into question. And it could be dumb so I choose anon option.

Let’s go! “it channels strength, in a way that is characteristic of shanks throughout the whole manga.” This got my attention because maybe I’m an idiot but a lot of those moments are shanks mask. He is playing big bad emperor, he needs to do it to protect his fleet. We see it more recently. I understood this that way. “mihawk isn't afraid of shanks, but he's still alert while approaching him”. That also. Tbh I always saw them as two close friends who occasionally spared for the title. But this looks weird to me now? I just thought shanks face is a joke because he is just hangover but acts like something big is going on. But your interpretation seems to be more into shanks is channeling his emperor persona. And yes mihawk is dangerous but I never thought he would attack shanks? He constantly is against that. I’m not sure why, can we trust him it’s only arm or something more? Does he care about shanks that much? Not attacking luffy would point to it. So if that’s the case why is shanks like that? Putting this strength face on? Sorry if it’s stupid.

it's not stupid at all, i see your point of view and all your questions are valid to me.

i think when talking about shanks we necessarily have to split between two separate readings of his character, and look at him from two different points of view: the one of the readers and the one of the other characters.

it's obvious that shanks has two sides to him; his emperor persona is in direct opposition to his sillier, more carefree side. when we see shanks in the manga, we always look at him from the point of view of other characters, mainly luffy, buggy or, like in the case we are talking about, mihawk. as the point of view varies, so does shanks's demeanor, depending on what type of relationship he has with said character. after a brief menacing introduction, and after luffy's wanted poster is revealed, we see a side of shanks that is adjacent to the one we see in luffy's flashbacks: mihawk is an old friend of his, so he invites him for a drink and makes space for him to celebrate with his crew. the air felt thick before mihawk mentioned luffy, but only because his visit was sudden and unannounced. don't forget mihawk was a warlord at the time, so of course shanks got defensive. they weren't exactly on bad terms, it's true, but they're both two affirmed figures now, so it's fair for them to be more cautious in the presence of the other.

if we hop behind the fourth wall and look for a non-diegetic explanation, then, it's more or less what i explained in my previous post. we, as readers, have a more global understanding of shanks. we know shanks puts up a front, an armor of sorts: behind his façade lies a more solemn version of himself, one that takes his place very seriously and appears more meditative and resolved. is this side of him a travesty, too? there's no way to know as of now.

i love how puzzling shanks is, it's my favorite part of his character. he's unpredictable, sometimes basically indefinite. it's not a character flaw, though. everything we know about him passes through other characters' visions, which contributes to the confusing outline the readers have of him. it's a tool that helps us know him without ever seeing his side of the story.

[richardsondavis]

So I have just finished watching the live action One Piece.

Not bad. I'll give my thoughts below. Spoilers, sort of.

So we start with Romance Dawn

So to just give how much I know about One Piece. I read the manga and have read all the parts of the East Blue saga and safe to say, Arlong Park and Baratie were my favorite arcs ever. Especially, Arlong Park.

So with that said, Romance Dawn. Luffy meets with Koby who saves Koby from Alvida. That's how it went but I did wonder how they were going to get Alvida thin as shown in the anime and manga. I actually thought that it might've caused an uproar with the woke crowd but in the end, she's still fat and did team up with Buggy in the end, which happened. Fun.

I don't have much to say. This was the beginning. It's to test the waters. And if you like what you see then yeah, you are in for a ride.

Next is:

The Man in the Straw Hat

Buggy the Clown. One of the first major enemies that appeared in One Piece. Let me tell you, the actor who played Buggy gave it his all and he is one of the best things that happened. Fantastic work by the actor. Kudos to him!

The crew gets captured by Buggy and all that. A lot got cut out like Zoro having this sword fight or some such. Memory is a little hazy but I am making this after binging the show so do forgive. Nothing really bad happened here. Buggy is just very menacing. He's like Joker. He's exactly like Joker.

Moving on, we got:

Oh god, Usopp. Ussop's arc, man! Tell No Tales is about Usopp and fuck me if it wasn't the worst shit I've seen. This kind of crap took too long. It shat on a lot of Ussop's character. He is a shot, a marksman and the fact that he ain't got his friends nor the epic showdown between Kuro and his crew against the Straw Hats is just damn disappointing. A lot was cut out. This will feel like a test for some because it gets boring to slog through this crap. This arc could've been done better but goddamn. This was a memorable arc from the manga but this was butchered in love action.

Next we have a continuation of the Ussop arc but with Sanji's backstory now. It's still as insufferable as the last episode but Sanji's past is not bad. Could've been done better. All I can say. Epic fight between Sanji and the other members of the staff that was with Kuro who were not in the anime nor manga I believe. So yeah.

Next up Baratie. Holy shit. This was it. The Sanji arc. I didn't really get my hopes up but two things were done here that made me consider this as the best live action anime adaptation. Sanji's backstory and Sanji's goodbye.

Suffice to say, both were done so well, so damn well that I cried. I cried when I read the scene in the manga and now I cried when I saw it in live action. My god. It's so wonderful.

I do see some folks comment that Sanji should've bowed to Zeff when he left Baratie but to me the bowing never really was the point. It was that Sanji was crying and said his thanks. Sanji crying while saying goodbye was the highlight of that scene for me and the live action delivered. We also get Mihawk and a look on Arlong. So there's that.

Just a continuation of the Zeff, Sanji Arc stuff. Said what I need to above.

Arlong Park. The arc that I said would be the basis of whether I would consider this to be a good live action. They should be thankful that they chose to put Sanji first before this because the emotional scene from Nami was fucking shit. It was shit. That's what it was!

THEY FUCKING RUINED THE EMOTIONAL SCENE OF ARLONG PARK!!!!!!! FUCK!!!!!! THEY BETTER BE THANKFUL THAT SANJI CAME FIRST AND THAT HIS ARC WAS MY SECOND FAVORITE. IF NOT, I WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED THIS TO BE AS SHIT AS THE REST OF THE LIVE ACTION TRASH!!!!!!

I'm just damn mad at how they just meh-ified it. Nojiko's actress was awful. Woman can't act and her child counterpart was equally awful. It was the arc I was waiting for the most but it didn't deliver. The emotional scene of the Arlong Park arc was the goat! THE FUCKING GOAT AND THEY BUTCHERED IT! FUCKING HELL!

I'm just peeved man.

A continuation of the Arlong Park Arc. Fight scene was meh. Garp's fight with Luffy is kinda neat though so I'll give them that. Damn.

Anyway after all that, I'll give this series an 8.5/10.

BECAUSE OF SANJI'S ARC THAT'S WHY!!!!!

Thanks for reading and I wish you a wonderful day!

[regensia]

@indomiitas​​ / Buggy said . . .

"Gyahaha, you‘re so stiff, big guy. What are you, a marine?" ;o)) { THIS INTERACTION DOESN'T LEAVE MY MIND }

He hadn’t meant to fumble the glass the way he did, choking a bit on the burning hot cheap liquor that was caught in his throat – but the pirate’s little jest really, sincerely, had taken Corazón off guard, and in the bad way. A thousand thoughts flitted through his mind, primarily consisting of: did he know? How in the world did Buggy find out the truth? What gave it away? 

No, he had determined that it was best to play innocent even further. If he could fool his own brother for as long as the mission had determined, he could do the same for this blue-haired menace. It wasn’t exactly a smile he presented, for the makeup he bore would conceal the truth of his expression anyways, but indeed the look he wore was something along the lines of sheepish.

“What, a pirate can’t be stressed?”

[uchiharomance]

If you're still taking prompt requests can I suggest 57 for Shino

shino: “we’re in public you know”

"i think this belongs to you."

the beetle in your hand leaps onto your boyfriend's shoulder and for a moment, before it disappears into the folds of his coat, you swear you can see a grin upon its little, buggy face.

if your boyfriend suspects you’re onto his little game, if he thinks that you do indeed know exactly what is going on, he doesn’t show it.

you sigh, attempting to return your attention to the line in front of you but it’s hardly two minutes before you feel the familiar sensation of tiny feet on your inner thigh. a small body, crawling just outside the line of your panties. a terrible, teasing, cruel sensation.

"we are in public you know," shino says as you hesitatingly reach your hand under your skirt to remove the offending bug.

"it's your fault," you hiss, catching the offending menace in the way he’s shown you, plucking it away and quickly shaking out your hand to let the insect buzz free.

it’s his favorite tactic, this. why bother expressing he’s in the mood when his bugs can do it for him? why embarrass himself in public when he can tease and make you blush and be the oh so helpful hero later on?

as if on cue your boyfriend's arm snakes around your waist, and you swear you feel another insect land on you, this one, on your ass.

"my apologizes," he says. "they've been excited as of late. maybe we should return home and i'll inspect your clothes, they may have nested within the fabric."

"with me out of them?"

"it would make it easier," shino says with a nod of his head.

the bug on your backside disappears into your pants and with a shrug of your shoulders, you admit defeat.

“fine, home it is.”

[slowdownatthelotusinn]

Dream In Color (Part Four): The Launch

Summary: Y/N wakes her brother up far too early for his liking, to ask him an important question. He responds exactly as she expected.

Word Count: 966

Warnings: eh, swearing? (They're in their twenties, ok? We swear!)

Pairing: none yet, future Jonah Marais x Y/N

A/N: Guess who decided to post again? Me. It's me! I honestly couldn't wait to give you part 4, so here you go. Happy reading!

-Auri 💜

———

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Since finding out that she was on her way to see the boys for a few weeks, Y/N's mood had greatly increased — and with it, her desire to work.

From the time the twins were little, photography was all she talked about. While Daniel enjoyed making music and entertaining people, Y/N preferred to be the one behind the camera and capturing the little moments. She even still had the little starter camera their dad had given her when the twins were 8.

She was up early on Tuesday, earlier than she had been all week. She had work to do and she needed a little help to do it. She checked the clock on her desk, 4 minutes to 7 a.m. — surely he'd be up by now…

Y/N grabbed her phone and sent a text to her brother.

DANDORK!

A minute later, Daniel's reply sounded and Y/N smiled.

Buggy 🐜: Do you know what fucking time it is?

Don't be such a grump. FaceTime me.

Buggy 🐜: Y/N it's hardly 7 a.m. What could you possibly need RIGHT NOW?

She rolled her eyes. He may have been awake at 7 but he certainly wasn't inviting. She sighed, settling once again on annoying her brother into doing what she wanted.

Need u to check that fucking attitude, tbh 🙄

I'm working on my portfolio. FACETIME. ME.

Buggy 🐜: All you had to do was ask

Daniel, that's literally what I did. U are so not a morning person

Buggy 🐜: Maybe I could be if my sister weren't such a menace at SEVEN IN THE MORNING

Whatever. FaceTime me, idiot!

Y/N waited patiently, albeit buzzing from the anticipation of it all. She needed help and there was only one person she trusted to help her, only one person she wanted to help her. Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was really only about a minute, Daniel's name popped up on FaceTime.

She looked down at her screen after accepting the call. Her brother was snuggled warmly into the blankets, his face half smooshed into the pillow. Y/N smiled at the sight; he may have been a grumpy shithead in the mornings, but he'd do anything for her (even without her having to ask).

"Okay, you got me up. What did you want?"

"I need help deciding something."

Daniel sighed heavily. "And that is…?"

"Patience, Dani, patience." She moved out of frame, reaching for something behind her. When she moved back, she flipped her camera so that her MacBook screen was in view. "I'm working on my Portfolio! See?"

The older Seavey twin blinked at the suddenly bright screen. "This couldn't have waited?" He groaned.

"Nope! Now. Which one do you like better— portfolio number one," she said, clicking the leftmost image. "Portfolio number two," another click, this time on the middle image. "Or, number three?" She clicked the image on the right side, displaying the templates she'd made to showcase her work.

"Depends. What's it for?" Daniel, now intrigued — though still in a fowl mood, raised his head off of the pillow just enough to see his screen.

"My website," Y/N said with a meek shrug. She turned the camera back to her face and could see the bright light vanish from her brother's side of the call. "Sorry for waking you." She smiled softly, a little guilty.

"No, it's alright," Daniel answered, returning her smile with a shy one of his own. The half of his face that Y/N could see shifted in thought, his eyebrow raised slightly.

Her brother's prolonged silence made Y/N antsy, she nervously poked her left index finger into the flesh of her left cheek.

"Let me see one and three again."

Her camera flipped a third time and she displayed the correct templates. Her heart was thundering in her chest. Silence. A hum.

"I think number three is the best."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I don't know, it just… fits. It suits you."

"Number three? You're sure? Like, absolutely certain?"

Daniel breathed a small laugh at his sister's jitters. "Yeah, Y/N/N. Number three is perfect."

Y/N flipped her camera one last time and beamed at her brother. "Thanks, Dani! You're the best!"

Before he could answer again, she hung up the call.

Her phone chimed seconds later, another text from her brother.

Buggy: 🐜: That took 8 fucking minutes. You couldn't have waited???

Nope. It was important. An emergency, even

Buggy 🐜: Y/N, I love you. But that was NOT an emergency

Yes, it was!

Buggy 🐜: No, sis. Just N. O.

Whatever, grumpy pants. Go back to bed if ur gonna be a Debby Downer

Buggy 🐜: I hate you sometimes, you know that?

Call me when u guys get up for the day

Buggy 🐜: Will do. I'm going back to bed now

Y/N laughed, shaking her head at her phone. She would never understand how Daniel couldn't be a morning person. Though, if she had to guess, maybe she did understand… being in a band, touring, it took a lot of his energy and time. Maybe forcing him into a FaceTime call at 7 a.m. wasn't the nicest thing she could've done.

She smiled apologetically, though he couldn't see it and sent one last quick text.

LOVE U THE MOST BRUVER ❤️

Buggy 🐜: Love you too, Evilspawn 💙

+

September 12, 2018

At 10:00 a.m. on the dot, Y/N officially launched her professional photography website. She called it Dream In Color Photography, in honor of the many colors of the rainbow she found in everyday life.

Colors she couldn't wait to explore further with the boys of Why Don't We.

———

The Launch social media post → HERE

Taglist of Many Things: @randomlimelightxxx

[fabrowrites]

The Ninja Create Fursonas

Despite the title, no furries were harmed in the making of this fic

----------

When the announcement first comes through, Jay's thrilled. He can't believe it's real. It's like something out of a dream. When the day finally comes and they're on their way to the studio, he sits in the back seat and practically vibrates in place for the entire trip.

A hand settles on his thigh. "Settle down, Jay!" Cole says, laughing. "You're charging up enough energy to give us all static shocks for a week. Is your brain exploding? You're so jittery today."

"Of course I'm jittery," Jay snaps. "How are you not? This is like, the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

This thing being- wanting to ride their latest wave of popularity after defeating the Preeminent (and Nadakhan, but apparently he didn't count- yes, Jay was salty), a toy-making company had approached the group and asked if perhaps they'd be interested in a line of stuffed toy creatures made after them? As if they'd say no. And if that wasn't enough, they also wanted the ninja to be the ones to design them.

Jay just might pass out in the back of this van.

They'd been escorted into a cozy-looking room with long tables and chairs and given giant pads of paper and black markers. The head artist gave them a rundown of guidelines- nothing scandalous, certainly; they should try to make each character cute, relatable, and most of all marketable- and oh, wouldn't it be neat if they each had something to do with their element?

Jay had agreed readily. He sized up the sketch pad in front of him and cracked his knuckles. Okay, brain. Let's do this.

Except that was forty-five minutes ago and Jay's no closer to an idea than when he began. He bangs his head against the table with a long, drawn-out groan. His sketch pad drops uselessly from his hands.

"It's no use," he whines. "I don't have a creative bone in my body. I'm gonna have to pack my bags and move to the south and become a repressed goat farmer."

Kai mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like "not a creative bone in my body my butt." But when Jay looks over at him, the fire ninja's attention is fixed firmly to his own board.

Blearily, Jay raises his head. Everything he's drawn looks like trash. There's a weird leopard creature scribbled out in the corner. Next to it is a lizard that looks like a cross between Rango and that purple thing from Monsters Inc except with none of their good qualities and all of their bad. A sad bird-thing sits in the center. It looks disappointed in him despite its lack of face. Maybe the blankness enhances it.

He drops his marker on the table and leans back with a long groan.

"It can't be all that bad," Nya says. She's bent over beside him, bottom lip caught between her teeth as she fills something in. Jay sighs without moving.

"I couldn't think of anything to draw so I started drawing Kai as a porcupine."

Nya whistles lowly. "That is bad," she says. Both of them ignore Kai's outraged shout of: "Hey! My face is the best inspiration you'll ever get!" She sets down her own pad, closing the cover. "Maybe if we show you what we've done, it'll inspire you."

"Or it'll just make me feel worse about myself," Jay grumbles, but he sits up in his seat properly. "Okay. Let's try that. Do you have anything?"

Nya shrugs the way she does when she's proud of something she did but doesn't want to call attention to it. "There was something I was working on." She flips open her sketchbook. Jay scoots his chair closer to hers. His eyes widen.

"Woah, Nya! That's actually really cool!"

"Actually?" Nya asks, raising her eyebrow, but she laughs when Jay pouts at her. "Oh, fine. Thanks. It's not much yet, but-"

The character on her paper is a seal, small and round, with dark eyes and a happy puppy face. At the edges of the sheet are more drawings- one has the seal in a wetsuit; another puts it in diver fins and a snorkel.

"I wanted to experiment around," Nya says. "I think I like the wetsuit one the best."

"That one's cute," Jay agrees.

From Nya's right side comes a groan. "Will you two keep it down?" Kai complains. "Some of us are trying to work here."

"Some of us are trying to work here too, but we can't," Jay sends back. Not one of his best comebacks, but it's to Kai. "I've got brain blockage and Nya's helping me out."

Kai glances over and sees what they're doing. He perks up. "Oh, are we sharing?" He sits up straighter and drums his fingers on the table. "Hey, guys! We're sharing!"

"Oh, good!" says Cole. "I wanted your feedback on something."

"Me too," says Zane.

Jay narrows his eyes at both of them. "This right now?" he says. "This is about me. Not you."

Cole waves his hand. "Of course, of course."

The way he says it has Jay hhmphing, but they both turn their focus to Kai as the fire ninja loudly demands their attention.

Kai has created what appears to be a horse, except that it has a few too many legs, a creepy tongue drooling out of its face, and horns. So it's actually not like a horse at all. Somehow it's both angular and blobby at the same time. Ah, the dualities of Art.

"I thought we were supposed to be making these marketable," Zane says with a tilt of his head.

"This is marketable!" Kai protests. "Kids are like, bonkers for dragons."

Ah, so that's what the blob is, Jay thinks. "Bonkers?" he snickers aloud. "What are you, seventy? Did you try cuckoo too? What about nutty?"

"Bananas," Lloyd pipes up. "Gaga. Buggy."

"Okay, okay, we get it," Kai grumbles. "You like to talk."

"That wasn't my point at all," Jay says, but he concedes it. He does like to talk, after all.

"Why does it have six legs?" asks Nya.

"Those are its wings," Kai sniffs.

Nya bursts out laughing, slapping her hand on her knee, eyes closed into crescents. "Hey!" Kai shouts, shoving her from her chair. "You know that drawing's not my real talent."

"Oh, we know," Cole says under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" Cole grins. "I'll go next." He flicks back a page or two. "So I originally wanted to do a bear, because bears are cool and they're the deadliest animal on the planet."

"I'm pretty sure you meant to say 'shark'," Nya says.

"I'm pretty sure I said what I meant to say," Cole snips back. He returns his attention to his drawing board. "But bears are too overdone in this day and age."

Jay can't even make fun of him for saying 'this day and age' like some grandma because he's too busy currently gaping at the art on Cole's board.

The character on Cole's paper is definitely not a bear.

"Bears are overdone," Cole says. "So I thought, why not make a narwhal?"

"How on earth," Jay asks faintly, "did you make the jump from bear to narwhal?"

Cole shrugs. "It made sense at the time."

"What's a narwhal?" Lloyd asks. His marker is flying a mile a minute across his sketch pad and his eyes never leave the page.

"It's a unicorn fish," Jay says, turning a disbelieving eye back to the earth ninja. Cole just grins. "A unicorn fish that no one cares about. What happened to giving me inspiration?" he demands. "You've just killed any ideas I might have had!"

Cole pouts.

"I, for one, think it's adorable!" Nya's come up behind Cole now and is peering at his sketch pad. Hearing her words, Cole brightens. "Does it have a name?"

"I was thinking Gnarly."

Nya nods sagely. "That's uber-rad, bro."

Bring Me to Life is playing on a psychedelic loop inside Jay's head. Wake me up inside, wails the lead vocalist, but Jay can't wake up (save me).

"Am I the only one taking this seriously?" he whines. "Guys. This is like, our legacy."

"I'm pretty sure our legacy is saving the city," Kai drawls, "not whatever these characters will be."

"Our legacy," Jay emphasizes. "Don't you realize how cool this is? How many people get to say they have their own cartoon character?"

Cole shrugs. "Exactly. That's why I'm having fun with it. Hey, do you think that Gnarly would look good with a monocle?"

"I'm taking it seriously," Lloyd says. "Look at mine."

"Gnarly would look absolutely dapper in a monocle, how could you even ask that."

"How big is he?" asks Zane. "That would have to be one big piece of glass."

"Hey, guys."

"Ooh, you should give him a mohawk."

"A mohawk? He's a fish! Fish don't have hair!"

"I'm pretty sure it's a mammal, actually."

An explosion rockets the left side of the room. Jay startles so badly he almost falls out of his chair. His eyes dart around for the threat, only to lock eyes with a smirking Lloyd. A smirking Lloyd who still has his fist raised, faint wisps of smoke rising from his fingers.

Jay lets out an inhuman shriek. It's a wonder that no one's come in to check on them, honestly. "Lloyd!"

"What?" Lloyd grins. "You weren't paying attention to me."

"We've raised a brat," Cole says. "An absolute menace."

Lloyd's grin intensifies. "As I was saying…"

He spins his board around with all the pomp and circumstance of a ten-year-old who learned how to act through daytime television. Somehow, despite them only having been given black sharpie markers to draw with, Lloyd has colored his character in with crayon. It's a shockingly detailed goat-creature. Its fur has been colored a mint green, and it's wearing a golden sweater with dragons crossing the sides.

It looks like it was ripped from the pages of an actual comic book.

"Woah!" Kai says, launching himself across the table and sending no less than three markers flying as he goes in for a closer look. "That's awesome, Lloyd!" He beams at the younger ninja. "What is it?"

Nya scoffs. "Obviously it's an alpaca, you dolt."

"It's a yak," Cole says.

Jay makes a disagreeing noise. "No, I'm pretty sure it's a goat."

"Guys," Lloyd says, looking extremely disappointed in all of them, "it's a llama."

They sit in silence for a moment.

"Ooh," Jay says. "Alright. That makes a bit more sense."

"Is it my turn?" Zane asks. Unlike some other members whose names shall not be mentioned, he waits until their attention is on him before starting. "I put a lot of thought into this character."

He turns around his paper. Jay chokes on his water. Tears stream from his eyes and he's coughing, but when he wipes them away the picture stays the same.

In the middle of the page, in the glorious high definition only a nindroid could hope to achieve, is a shark that looks like it came right out of some Super Bowl halftime slot. Its eyes are vacant. Its mouth is open in an agonized scream. It's standing in a starfish pose, legs in lieu of a tail.

"My character is a shark," Zane says, as if it needed any explanation.

Everyone stops and looks at him. Zane's the picture of earnestness, eyes wide and unguarded. At this exact moment, he looks like a five-year-old presenting some horrific drawing to its mother. As the silence stretches on, his face falls. "Is it not on target enough? I know we were supposed to be making something related to our element, but there are not that many snow creatures."

The group glances at each other, expressions veering towards the panicked side. By some unspoken agreement, they all reach the same conclusion.

"Oh, no!" says Nya. "We were all just surprised by how good you draw."

"It's a great shark, Zane," Cole says, tone a bit forced. The expression in his eyes doesn't match the grin on his face.

"Yeah," Jay says lamely. "I like how- how blue it is."

Zane beams.

"It looks like you're well on your way!" says a new voice. It's the head artist, coming back into the room. She looks around approvingly at the studio of chaos. "Well done. I knew I heard the sounds of productivity in here."

Apparently productivity sounds like random explosions and screaming now. That's- honestly not that far off the mark, considering that Jay's a literal ninja for his job.

"The next step, if you haven't already," says the artist, "will be coming up with names." Cole high-fives Nya. "I'll be back in a bit to check on you again!"

The room descends into voices once again as she leaves.

"I need a cool name for my dragon," Kai says immediately. "There's got to be a way to combine my name with it, right?"

"Kragon," Cole suggests. "Drakai."

Kai wrinkles his nose. "Kragon? Like that weirdo from the LEGO line?"

"No, you're thinking of Cragger," Lloyd says. "Kragon is that magical crystal thing Jedi use."

Jay rolls his eyes. "No, that's a kyber. Didn't I raise you better than this? Kragon is that website that people sell stuff on."

"No, that's Craigslist."

"Whatever it is," Kai interrupts, "I don't like it. So you nerds can all drop it now."

"I think I'll call mine Neela," Nya says.

Cole glances at her sketchpad and makes a noise of approval. "Neela and Gnarly," he says. "Hey! Ours could be best friends!"

"You're already coming up with backstory?" Jay protests. "I haven't even started my character!"

"Well stop whining and just make one!" Cole says, exasperated.

Jay pouts. At the other end of the table, Lloyd's cackling up a storm as he writes name after name down the side of his paper. Jay leans over to see: his favorites seem to be Llod, Llyod, and Floyd judging on the circles he's made around them.

Jay sighs and leans back in his seat. Nya's abandoned her spot beside him to go brainstorm with Cole, and Kai's still tossing ideas out to the group even though no one's listening to him.

"Ooh, what about Kaitron?"

"That just sounds like a robot," Jay complains. Inspiration cuts through the cloud of his mind like a knife. "That's it!"

The entire room stops and stares at him. Seeing that he's just stood abruptly and slammed his sketch pad against the table, Jay can't blame them. "Kai," he says, "you're a genius." As quickly as he stood he's seated again, turning over a new page and beginning to sketch.

"I'm a what?" Kai asks, somewhere in the background.

Jay outlines a triangular shape. Then a body with one big wheel instead of legs. He fills up his page with sketches, mind vomiting up ideas faster than he can put them on paper. Yes. Yes! This was exactly what he wanted!

"Everyone!" he says- practically demands their attention. He rips the top sheet off his sketchpad with a flourish. "Meet NJ, your friendly little shapeshifting robot friend! The double emphasis on friendliness means that it's full of love."

"Shapeshifting?" Lloyd asks. "Woah, that's neat!"

Jay nods, grinning. "He can turn into anything, as long as it's non-organic." He points out some sketches of NJ as a toaster, as a spy drone, as an umbrella.

"That's- actually a cool idea, Jay," Cole says. "I like it!"

"Hey!" Jay protests. "Are you telling me that all my other ideas aren't cool?"

Cole grins. "You said it first," he points out.

"Kriff!" shouts Kai. For a second Jay thinks the fire ninja is swearing, but it turns out he's talking to his dragon. "Perfect name. Done."

The head artist chooses this moment to re-enter the room. She beams when she sees all their sketchpads laid out. "Looking good, everyone! Do you all have designs now?" They nod. "Great. Well, our next step will be for each of you working with our on-location artists to better flesh out your concepts. Oh, and then backstories!" She grins. "I'll go call them in."

She leaves. Kai stares at his paper. "I hope my artist likes challenges," he finally says.

[arkus-rhapsode]

My Hero Academia Chapter 208 Review

So this chapter might’ve made a few people a little upset, but others really happy. Well its time to ask if that if any dislike is warranted or was this a good chapter? ...I mean its about Bakugou so that already is a hit or miss with some people. But whatever, I’m going to look at this audience splitting chapter under my critical lense

We open where we left off, with Bakugou having saved Jirou from the ambush by Kamakiri. Also it’s worth noting here that Kamakiri is actually blocking Bakugou’s attack with the blade he had previously grown from his arm and a new one from his leg to form a blocking stance. Its a small detail, but its actually really cool because lets face it, growing blades from you is a pretty bland power. So I do like when Horikoshi does go out of his way to show us the applications of one’s ability regardless of how simple or weird it is.

Also it seems that Bakugou during his rant to his team mentioned he’d protect them if they were targeted. I guess that’s what they were so shocked over in chapter 206′s ending. Also it makes that whole scene of them all doubting him a bit more stronger cause he was acting like something contradictory to what he’d said he’s do.

So Kamakiri retreats and I want to mention this now because I’ll talk about it later, but class 1-B is acknowledging that Bakugou is far too strong in this chapter and that’ll be important.

Also with Monoma freaking out over Bakugou’s character development, it’s important to realize the ones who are standing up for Kirishima, who its pretty expected given how he feels about Bakugou. And Kaminari who in the liscene exam, saved Bakugou and instead of him being indignant, Bakugou helped K.O. Shishikura. Kirishima has acknowledged that Bakugou was capaple of saving people like every potential hero, but this is the first time he really did it to save someone and not for simple victory.

And this is the big crux of this chapter, Bakugou’s development. Its important to note that Bakugou is supposed to be the incarnation of victory as vocalized by Deku. But what’s held him back in things like their first exercise is that he refuses to work together with people. So while he is still strong and managees to beat down whoever he’s fighting, his neglection of teamwork and the point of the purpose of the exerciser always came to set him back. But now, hee’s going to work with his team and is accepting nothing less than a perfect victory.

Though I’m going to be honest, I liked it that class 1-b was the only one with a clean sweep victory because even if they didn’t win the entire day, they’d still have that as a win. But this is Bakugou so he’s gotta not lose a single person or else its “not enough saving...”

We see into what Tokage’s plan was, that they figured that Bakugou is without a doubt thee ace in the hole, and going up against him one-on-one was no option for them. But given his persoanlity and strength, the teeam will follow him and likely get sick of his bullshit if he becomes exacerbated. So they plan on a hit and run strategy very similar to Vegeta vs the androids who keep peaing out every time he started to talk. Y’know... Bakugou is really just a tiny Vegeta now that I think about it.

Also, conspicuous zoom up on Sero shows he’s putting the pieces together with what Tokage’s quirk.

Bakugou follows Bondo only to be ambushed by Awase. Another little sidenote is that Deku comments on his stealth skill, which was something he was very surprised by when he fought Toga-Camie.

Awase binds up Bakugou with his quirk, but Bakugou knows this won’t hold him.

Yep Satou actually works with Bakugou to free him and returns to chasing Awase. I also like to mention that with both Shouji and Satou’s new abilities, ORA ORA ORAing, your opponent counts as a special move.

Awase is getting chased down by Bakugou, so he decides to brace himself with a steel plat welded to his face-That’s dumb! Like I get the idea, but given Bakugou’s strength level, there is no doubt he could dent that metal similar to Kendou. And putting that right up to your face just seems bad stupid.

Well, Bakugou doesn’t actually take this chance to punch him, instead he propels himself up and...

Sero and Jirou showed up and Bakugou even acknowledged that they could help him. Which is making me really question why they freaked out when they heard his strategy. Seems pretty balanced, for Bakugou I mean. Jirou takes out Awase by giving him a blast of surround sound. Proably has lost his hearing for a good time too.

Anyway, Bakugou caught up with Bondo and as you can probably guess,  glue doesn’t fair too well against explosions.

So Awase and Bondo are captured and Monoma doesn’t seem to understand how Bakugou “mellowed out.” well here’s the thing, Bakugou is still an angry and easy to agitate person, but he’s not mean spirited in his anger. Most of his anger is a feature rather than say, him in chapter one where he condescended down to his entire class and told Deku to kill himself. He still gets mad, but as a person he’s become better. Its also important to realize that he too, is trying to be number one hero, and he won’t fall behind Deku, so if the only thing stopping him from getting that license was saving people, then he’ll adapt. He’ll learn how to save others. And he isn’t like Momo who’s hang up is persistent throughout the series, Bakugou is someone for as shitty as he can act, is a prodigy, so when he applies himself, he is that much  better and quicker at learning.

Now Tokage says that the plan was basically Bakugou leads and the others would follow, but then find that moment of them following, and then break them down without Bakugou’s help. But the team is compensating for being “perfect.” But I have to disagree with that. The team isn’t perfect, so much as they are capable of acting on their own. An important difference that was brought up between the classes last chapter was how organized class 1-b is compared to 1a. But that has its own issue with the fact that class 1-b is so organized by their leader that they are basically all pieces on a board being moved around. Kendou’s team did exactly as she said and by doing so they had set up a strategy they had their victory ensured. Honenuki’s team followed what he was saying, but then when Pony was left standing, she had to come up with her own strategy after her leader lost. As we see in this fight, Tokage’s plan and organization isn’t bad, but it wasn’t capable of thinking that her opponents would act in such a way.

So there is both good and bad to having an organized team, like Kendou’s when the strategy works out or with Tokage who we will see made a bad call and is now suffering not being able to recover from it. Basically, its not that team Bakugou is so good, its more, Tokage came up with a bad plan.

(Also Bakugou looks like Kamakiri in that panel and I’m upset that we don’t get enough interaction off of them.)

We get a really cool set of panels where Sero figures out Tokage’s quirk while Kamakiri and Bakugou fight. Sero deduces that Tokage needs to regenerate after cutting her body up as we’ve been seeing with her reforming above the the battlefield.

Kamakiri loses and thus this battl would be over if they took the now defeated Kamakiri to jail, but Bakugou wants his perfect with and is going after Tokage.

We see in a flash back that Bakugou gave his team gernades and now I’m just going to say this, I wish we had a whole fucking flash back because a lot of this is seeming like a lot of narrative convenience. Also unlike Buggy, Tokage can’t pull off a chop-chop quick escape. (Also, did Sero blow up a chunk of her body? Maybe he really is the villain here?)

Bakugou then ambushes Tokage and then...

...It’s over. And while I do enjoy Bakugou’s line here, I’m pretty sure people are upset at this loss for Tokage. Well, here’s where I double down on my claim from a few weeks ago, this was going to be the least important fight in terms of fighting. And I was right. This fight wasn’t about the clash between Bakugou and Tokage, this match was about Bakugou’s growth as a character. Thus meaning the Class 1-b team is basically a group of jobbers that exist as an obstecle to overcome rather than characters. Now there’s nothing wrong with that.

I had pointed out how each B team up till now had at least one member we wer familiar left and thus they were the one who got to show off the most and develop more, with their teammates getting a chance to actually reveal their personalities (In the case of team Honenuki we actually ad two characters who did that). But team Tokage, at best had Awase, but nothing else we really knew about them, so it made sense that this wasn’t going to be about them.

However, Horikoshi then had to tacked on Tokage that sh was a recommendation student as to give Class 1-b’s team some menace. But unlike Honenuki, we didn’t know that beforehand, so it really just comes off as added hype right before her loss, so you care more. So I think some people thought that she was going to be a lot more hot shit than she actually got to be.

Now the question I posed was do I agree with this, well here’s where I say I’ll talk about that in the post chapter follow up, and now we must all get ready for Deku vs Monoma. Which I’m very worried about because its now 2-1 and if 1-a wins then it’ll be 3-1 which makes them look like jackasses and their hype was pointless, but if its B who wins then its 2-2 and that feels incredibly unsatisfying. See your now seeing why I wasn’t a fan of Todoroki and Honenuki being a draw.

Post chapter follow up: This is a very confused chapter where its honestly hard to call it good or bad. Now as I said, I did predict that this was going to be unimportant for Class 1-b and thus I’m not disappointed at all with team Tokage’s loss. I’m sure people will say Bakugou shouldn’t be able to to defeat a recommendation student. Well here’s the thing, recommendation isn’t about power, its more quirk based potential. This isn’t like S-class mage in FT or Captain in Black Clover where these people are literally in a different league. These are just kids who happen to have greater powers than others.

Now I wanna give major credit where credit is due, and that is the character of this fight. Bakugou’s character growth is what this was all about and thus, its a good thing to see him develop so quickly as opposed to someone like Momo who has yet to get over their mental hurdle. Now as we saw last week Bakugou still has a way to go with how he saves as we saw with him kicking Jirou out of the way, which is something I don’t think All Might would ever do. SO while he’s got the concept of saving down, he might need to fine tune it.

Also it was cool to really see Sero get a good moment in this round. Its important to note that Sero is actually very smart and analytical. Not to the point of Deku or Iida, but he has been shown that he is of an above average intellect. And while Jirou was mostly recon that didn’t work out, it was cool to see her use her support items. And Satou... Punched stuff...

I think that the development of the character really are a good thing for the character of Bakugou rather than the actual combat as opposed to something like Yuno vs Rill in Black Clover, where it was more about just how strong Yuno is now a opposed to his character growth. And I’ll take a stronger character over a stronger fighter story. Now this an arc based on combat so, I’m still critical of it, and the combat in this fight is pretty unimpressive.

Now for the negatives and my biggest frustration was the pacing this chapter. It feels like so much was condensed into a single chapter. I get maybe there might’ve not been enough for two chapters and that this is supposed to be about Bakugou more than anything else, but defeating 4 people and getting moments from the other 1-A kids feels so rushed. Like if I had to, I’d split this up  as this chapter is just beating Bondo and Awase, then next chapter we get like a prolonged fight of Kamakiri vs Bakugou and taking out Tokage as she realizes  how bad she messed up.

There’s also the issue of the flash back or lack there of, and it feels so much like Horikoshi is just making shit up from their strategy meeting to fit the fight, but its so clunky. I guess this method allows him to do that, but It just feels so convenient, like impossibly convenient. So if Im going pick on Hiro for narrative convenience, I’m going give Hori the same treatment.

So was this a good chapter? I think that it’s good in terms of storytelling, but its understandably not going to attract or seem as appealing to many from a fight perspective. Or those who have been really trying get hyped on class 1-b. And as I mentioned, there are narrative issues in this fight, so its not completely exempt from criticism. Which Is why I think my final verdict is the best I can give something like this.

Final Verdict: 6/10

It’s above average in terms of story and character, but it is till messy in some points. What with the easy to jobber characters and to massive compressed storytelling

Amazing character development on Bakugou’s quest for No. 1

Ultimately stale action

Good story is there, though it feels rushed in terms of pacing

[gxlden-demise-blog]

nuclearshxgun said:

(I think I know exactly why you chose Orochi's casting and I dig it so much because of that XD)

//i can elaborate on my choices a bit! :D

//I essentially needed ones that would have fit the heads’ general personality (malevolent and commanding, direct and cold, and curious but vicious) and worked from there. the easiest was Apophis and the hardest was Jormungandr

//As far as specific roles the actors have done; Gabriel Woolf is here entirely for his roles in Doctor Who (Sutkeh and The Beast) since they’re basically oozing pure evil. meanwhile Norio Wakamoto is particularly well known for his roles as villains; Perfect Cell, Vega/M. Bison, and Oda Nobunaga bein the main ones I looked at. Jouji Nakata is similar in that aspect, given his especially deep pitch and cold tone (Edmond Dantes, Luxord, and Dracula) and i think James Faulkner (Swain) compliments that really well with his dry and commanding performance

//Michael Sheen is thanks to his role as House from Doctor Who and what little bits of his role in Good Omens i’ve seen. He can do very funny but also incredibly menacing which i think works for the left head. Shigeru Chiba is also pretty prolific for comedic antagonists (Emperor Pilaf, Buggy the Clown, Kefka) but also some decently menacing ones (Raditz, Kefka again) so i felt he was the best match there ^_^

[angryzilla]

Reposting what I wrote for the great event that the @fantasticbeastscalendar​ is, in case some of you prefer the tumblr format :3

Also, so sorry for not including a “Read more” as usual and making it a long post: it makes the post buggy and adds in some weird symbols...

Real or not real? | | Some Thesival pain I needed to write!

“Get away from me,” Percival groans, trying to get up, but the baked clay under his legs is unforgiving, trapping him and keeping him in place, the only sensation he is able to feel now being pins and needles all over the lower part of his body.

Theseus keeps moving toward him just as his friend looks up at his full height towering over him, and there’s menace in there; menace and fear and a deep sense of getting ready for whatever is coming for him.

“Perce, fuck’s sake, let me help you—”

“Get. Away.”

Biting. A caged animal bathing in his own blood. Theseus can even imagine him making choking sounds in the back of his throat as torture went on, stabbed a thousand times over.

Of course he’s feral.

“Percival, it’s just me, just—”

The black cloud of dark matter that threatens to reopen in his wounds hangs right there, right above his head. “Just who? Who exactly?”

”Welcome home, Percival. You’re never going to see daylight again,” Grindelwald had told him so many months ago.

Theseus arches an eyebrow in confusion.

“Just— me, Theseus—”

“Don’t even try to get closer,” Percival spits and keeps his face angled away so as not to look at who he believes to be his abuser. “I know your little game, it’s you, isn’t it? It’s you!”

You.

It dawns on Theseus, at that moment, that Percival is dissociating entirely and is still trapped inside his nightmare, his hallucination—

The memory eating him alive.

Trauma showing up. Another situation he’s already seen before.

“I’m not Grindelwald,” Theseus murmurs quietly. “It’s over, Perce. He’s gone.”

His pulse jumps in surprise for a few beats when Percival’s voice breaks through the silence.

“You’re lying.”

Theseus slowly stops moving, crouches to the floor before sitting down on the cold tile of the bathroom.

“I know you’re scared, but—”

“You don’t know anything!”

It aches something fierce in Theseus’ body as the words are thrown at him. Maybe I don’t know anything anymore, he thinks. Maybe I just know that I love you and never got to tell you how I feel. And now… now— this is what we have come to.

“Let’s do something,” Theseus says, and licks his lips, pressing them together before speaking up again. “Ask me things, things only the real Theseus Scamander can know.”

Percival stares at him and Theseus wonders if anything will come out of this, if the other man will ever remember, will ever stop dissociating, because Percival’s reality now is all that is fake and evil in this world; because he is drifting away by each and every second and nothing can stop that.

Theseus nods tiredly to himself. "Alright, that was a bad idea—"

“You hit on me straight away the first time we met each other. Real or not real?”

Percival’s voice so rough Theseus barely manages to recognise it; and there’s hope blooming in his stomach. His heart picks up a little in his chest; he will not falter. Will keep going, if not for himself, for Percival’s sake, so the hollow in his chest won’t end up overtaking him.

He chuckles and blinks to clear his vision.

“You look terrible. I mean, you look handsome, dear, but also awfully sick. Caught a cold in the sweet trenches?”

“Real. I told you you looked handsome but also very sick. But you were handsome first and foremost.”

For a second, Theseus thinks he sees a spark of recognition in Percival’s eyes, which forces hope to blossom again in the pit of his stomach; however, the look is gone before he can decipher it, and Theseus is not looking at him anymore.

Still, he can feel Percival searching his face, searching for something, and somehow this is worse, so much worse. Much like a sharp stab.

And so Theseus carries on; he must not let the feeling go.

“You had a coughing fit the first time you blew me because you were too proud to say my cock was gigantic for your mouth. Real or not real?”

Percival grimaces a little, tilts his chin down into the curve of his own neck. “Real,” and his eyes cloud over, something the British Auror didn’t expect. “Hopefully you’re not Grindelwald, because I’d rather die than have him know this. And I’m going to die anyway.”

Theseus can't resist the urge to grin before it turns sour and sad, weighed down by the words and the meaning they carry beyond their hills. “You’re not going to die. I’m here.”

“Well, unless you’re the real Theseus, I am going to die,” the other man answers darkly. There’s a sad chirp to his voice that punches the redhead right in the guts, even more when he notices the constellation of purple bruises that spreads evenly along Percival’s body.

There is it again, the faint crimson fire in his eyes, the melancholia and hurt.

It causes a shiver of anger to jerk up Theseus’ spine. There’s nothing to stop time from running all the way down to empty spaces and negative numbers.

Percival needs him, and fast, of this he is certain.

“You have never told me you loved me. Real or not real?”

Oh.

Word punched out of his chest.

Oh, that fucking hurts.

Theseus shakes his head as if to rid himself of the sting of the burn spreading throughout his entire body, the intertwined web of veins and muscles and bones.

“Real. Because…” Theseus bites his lip, looks like he’s deciding whether to lie to the other man or to tell him the truth. It’s an easy choice, in the end— if he lies, it could be over for Percival. And he doesn’t want that. Never. “I’m a coward and thought you never wanted more than… benefits, out of our friendship. Which is— which is why— why I’ve never said anything.”

Silence falls between them, still, just the distant sound of the wind pushing through the cracks, outside, and water dripping from the sink nearby.

Maybe he really has lost Percival forever, now.

Until—

Until he hears it.

The sound is distant, melting into the wet air, fractured but present.

“... love me?”

Theseus feels his face drain of colour. "I— what?"

He’s on edge now, feeling exposed and raw, defensive. The truth is—

The truth is that he's been hiding his feelings for his best friend for so long that he doesn’t know how to act upon them anymore; and Percival— Percival, he’s— he’s wrecked and can’t love him back, not like this.

Never like this, never never never, Theseus promises himself, even if he doesn’t know when that will be.

Half truth, whole truth.

Something should be found to be right in this mess, right?

“It’s…” and Percival’s hands start shaking as hard as the tears slipping from his eyes, furious rivers escaping at last. “It’s really you, Thes, it’s really you.”

Theseus squeezes his arms tight around him, drawing Percival closer to him, who sags in Theseus’ hold, letting him support his weight; a way of saying I trust you, I love you, help me.

Theseus loves him so much it hurts; breathes him in as their foreheads rest together. Percival eventually relaxes in his arms, storm passed, leaning on him trustingly where tears have formed wet puddles on the fabric, where fears and lies have melted away all at once to reveal what was meant to be all along.

“It’s really me, Perce,” Theseus says in a voice so weak he wonders how it made it through. “It’s really me and I love you. I love you so much and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry it took me this long—”

Percival finds himself to be a light. Broken, misshaped, but a light nonetheless despite all the darkness; the British Auror cannot believe his luck, and neither can the real Director of MACUSA.

“But you found me,” Percival half sobs, the level tone of his voice making Theseus shiver for all that it displays. “And you love me. You love me, real or not real?”

“Real,” and Theseus runs his fingers gently down the side of Percival’s face, until he finds Percival’s lips with his own, slow, warm and desperate.

[trondopeacekeeper]

Trondo's yellow eyes wide opened when heard the smooth voice in the darkness and identified a red odd-looking creature wearing black and sinister clothes, posing there with a sassy smile. The dragon didn't feel triggered by those menacing ways and his words... but his lookings... Were those dreadlocks?!

"Eh! I think you would be the one who should run away from my presence" Trondo showed his teeth to the new adventurer, not fully understanding what exactly that thing was and how it could destroy entire worlds to extinction. "And why do you know so much about me? Now it seems I'm also a dammed celebrity around since I scare every fucking living creature! I just wanted my holidays in the beach..."

The dragon unexpectly vented with fussy movements about how he just only wanted to enjoy his vacations in the Dragon Shores when suddenly was dragged into that place because of a buggy portal, just being very angry about it. When he ended, he looked at the creature again and scratched his head.

"... Sorry about that... What's your name and what are you? I'm Trondo, and Trondo means don't fucking mess with me".

|| short starter for @trondopeacekeeper ||

“ So… You’re the one I’ve been hearin’ about in the streets. ” A smooth voice had called out in the darkness, the source coming from nearby. Thrax had been watching the other for awhile now, intrigued by their appearance. The other seemed to be a “peace-keeper”, and Thrax wouldn’t tolerate that. The virus chuckled soon after, stepping out under the street lamp with a wide confident grin, a clawed hand lowering his shades to get a good look at the dragon entity.

“ A ‘peace-keeper’, was it? ” “ I don’t like those goody-goody types, baby. ‘specially ones that are in my area. Ah- choose your next words carefully, don’t want to be gutted now, do you…? ”

[amcbrooks-blog]

How to travel around (when you don’t have a helicopter)

New expats frequently ask me where the best places are to live in and I always recommend trying to live the same side of town as you work. Scroll down and you’ll understand why. does not have a public transport system as such (it’s all privately owned) but there are many different ways of travelling to and around the city. Here’s the muzungu’s introduction to the different types of transport and a few personal recommendations.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ll know I’m always up for a new adventure so I’ve tried all the different methods of transport across .

⦁ Walking ⦁ Cycling ⦁ Boda boda motorbikes ⦁ Cars ⦁ Taxis and special hires ⦁ Matatus ⦁ Buses and coaches ⦁ Train ⦁ Helicopter!

Walking in

If you’re within walking distance of where you work, then lucky you! My organisation office was in the spare room of my home for my first few years in Uganda and I was saved the hassle of fighting through ’s traffic. I had no idea how lucky I was!

You wouldn’t think this was in would you? Morning view across the wetlands below Bukasa, Muyenga . A morning walk is the perfect way to start my day

Walking my dogs through the back roads of Bukasa and Muyenga were some of my happiest times in Uganda. Here’s a favourite walk of ours. Once you’re in town however, walking is an altogether different matter.

Pavements along Road are good. Very occasionally the streets are closed to vehicles (this was during the City Festival)

It’s only in the centre of town and around the central business district (CBD) that you will find decent pavements. In other parts of town, pavements may suddenly end without warning (if they exist). Drainage covers may be there today and gone tomorrow so always tread carefully. If you have kids, forget bringing the buggy to . You won’t be able to push it very far.

Cycling in

I know very few expats who dare to cycle on ’s crazy streets. I used to cycle when I lived in London but here we have little awareness of cyclists or their safety. You wouldn’t find me cycling around unless it is down by Lake Victoria or on the quiet hills of Kololo or Nakasero. Save your biking for weekends in Lake Mburo or Fort Portal. (Did you know there is an annual mountain bike tour in Karamoja?)

Boda boda motorbikes

These are undoubtedly the quickest way of getting from A to B and the city couldn’t function without them. Boda boda drivers are our best friends, our Mr Fix It, frequently our saviours – just choose with discretion. They can be a real menace too. Read my blog How to ride a boda boda.

Rush hour boda bodas Jinja Road

If you take a boda boda, do yourself a favour and wear a helmet. Don’t just accept a lift from random guys driving past either. Get to know riders from your local boda boda stage or download one of the ‘ride hailing apps’. I use the Uber app all the time in . Their boda riders are registered and bring you a high quality helmet to wear.

Driving a car in

Lots of people prefer the comfort and privacy of having their own cars. I bought my car from expat friends and enjoyed the independence of it for many years. What I didn’t enjoy were the many hours sweating in traffic jams at Jinja Road. Neither did I appreciate being pulled over by the traffic police for some minor offence they had just cooked up when they spotted a loan muzungu. (They pick on Ugandans too, I know!)

The weirdest occasion was one Christmas Eve when I was driving through the industrial area. The traffic policeman ahead of me motioned me to pull over. “What have I done?” I asked him innocently. He walked around the car.

“I’m pulling you over for having a faulty rear brake light” he said.

“How could you see that when you were standing in front of me?” I asked him.

“For us, we have special powers” came the reply.

Driving in – not for the nervous is a popular post by a former expat.

Taxis and special hires

This is where it gets confusing!

Private cars, like Uber, which we now have in , are called ‘specials’ or special hires.

When a British person like me thinks of a taxi, this is what I see:

Black London taxi cab

Matatus

In however, ask for a taxi (pronounced taxiiiiiii) and someone will point you to a matatu or minibus. The crowded old taxi park in downtown is an experience in itself! It can be pretty intense.

Diary of a Muzungu (plus new mattress!) squeezes into a matatu in the Old Taxi Park

The 12 seater minibus taxis (generally white with turquoise ‘go faster’ stripes) are the cheapest way to get around but the routes can be annoying as you have to go into the centre of town to get out to the other side. People often walk a bit, take a matatu and then take the second one or jump on a boda boda for the last part of their journey.

Matatus are very cheap. There are no price lists, no receipts and no timetable. They have set prices but the conductor (who sits by the sliding door and takes your money) will frequently try and overcharge you if you’re a muzungu. It is inevitable but you will quickly get to know what’s a fair price. Most routes charge 1,000 shillings (equivalent to 20 British pence or 30 US cents). If you’re not sure how much to pay, fellow passengers will usually help you out (and scold the conductor at the same time!) Travel with loose change or small notes if you’re using a taxiiiiiii in .

Matatus are good if you are on a tight budget, have a good book to read and can go to work very early (or arrive home very late). Play with your expensive phone at your peril. Thieves are known to put their hand through taxi windows and snatch phones when you’re stuck in traffic.

British TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear team drove through . Here they were looking for a way to get out of the old taxi park!

The downside with matatus is that they frequently get stuck in traffic, especially around the taxi park and Clock Tower roundabout. It’s not uncommon to sit for one or two hours without moving. Their drivers are often aggressive. Also, you have to be careful of your belongings on these crowded minibuses as there are lots of cunning pickpockets. One friend was relieved of her laptop in a matatu. She had no idea she was being robbed until she got out of the taxi and opened her bag to see her laptop had been replaced by bricks!

If you are using a taxi upcountry, expect to fit a lot more than 12 people in!

Nairobi’s matatus – famous for their graffiti decor and pumping sound systems – are bigger than Uganda’s vehicle of the same name

Note: Uganda’s matatus are twelve-seater minibuses, slightly different from Nairobi’s matatus which are buses, coaches or ‘coasters’ (slightly smaller than a bus).

Buses and coaches

Within city, Pioneer are the only bus company that I know of. Their buses are new, well-maintained with fixed routes, fixed prices and even tickets! Oh how I wish the city had more of these.

I usually take the Link bus between to Fort Portal

If you want to travel outside , upcountry or across one of Uganda’s borders, buses are safer than matatus,  which have a particularly poor safety record. My preferred bus companies – who I use regularly – are Mash, Link and Jaguar Executive Coaches. Other people also recommend Oxygen, Coast and Modern Coaches.

Train

If you are lucky enough to live in Kireka or Namanve, you can even get the train into town! The downside is that the service is infrequent although it does have a daily timetable and it’s very cheap. Click on the image to read more about ’s commuter train service.

Rift Valley Railways passenger train – early morning view from the train window

I simply love trains. Read about my train travels across East Africa:

On the right track – my first Ugandan train ride

More ‘lunatic’ than express – an epic adventure on Kenya’s (in)famous train to Mombasa

Of romance and railways. A guide to booking Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway train and a comparison between the train journey and the bus between Nairobi and Mombasa.  

Helicopter

I once crossed Jinja Road by helicopter!

Helicopter pilot David Guy (flying over Murchison Falls in this photo)

When I was a volunteer, I got to know the pilot of the helicopter stationed at International Hospital Muyenga. I begged him for a ride (not thinking there was any likelihood of it).

One morning he called me. “Can you get to the hospital in fifteen minutes? I have to transfer the helicopter to the grounds of the Serena Hotel to pick up a private client. You can hop in if you want to?”

God I was excited – but no sooner had the helicopter lifted off the ground than we were landing again… and that sums up my travel experiences in helicopter!

What’s the muzungu’s preferred way of travelling around ?

These days I’m a big fan of Uber and use them every day I’m in .

I love talking to Uber drivers – everyone has a story

Although Uber isn’t ’s only ride hailing app, it does offer the most flexibility and for tourists and new expats, it’s a recognised brand that you may already have installed on your phone. The system works exactly the same way as it does ‘back home’ but cash is always preferred by drivers. Few of them accept credit cards which is understandable. Very few shops in Uganda accept credit cards – we just aren’t there yet.

View from my mobile office in ! My work day starts once I’m in Uber

What’s great about their service in is that Uber have both cars and boda bodas. When I have time, I’ll take a car. This gives me a chance to schedule my meetings, check my email, do a Facebook update (and do my make-up (!) of course). Uber is my mobile office, regardless of the weather or the heavy traffic. When I’m in a rush, I order an UberBODA from the same app. When I’m in , I won’t get on a boda unless I have my helmet. The great thing with UberBODA is your driver will arrive with a helmet for you to borrow (meaning you don’t have to carry your helmet with you all day long). I love the flexibility this gives me.

What are your tips for travelling around ? If you’re coming to live in Uganda for the first time, read Uganda for beginners – an introduction for new expats.

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The post How to get around (when you don’t have a helicopter) appeared first on Diary of a Muzungu | Uganda & East Africa Travel Blog.

[autolovecraft]

When he did.

Nitric acid and even then I do not shrink. Then there had been in the solvents to show what was found in the clouds before any man I had expected; but these are all vacant now, and attacking silicon compounds with mutual destruction as a moving object. The old folk have gone away, and walked to the roots of those terrible last words of his house the horses had stampeded. Ammi had come to recognize and dread.

The stone, magnetic as it is true; but people ceased to speak too exactly of what they inferred.

On the nineteenth of October Nahum staggered into Ammi's house with hideous news. I had vaguely wished some clouds would gather, for even the bees that had sprouted in the undergrowth. Often I had expected; but this new glow was something definite and distinct, and a second later he felt himself brushed as if they walked half in another second they had taken, and hoped that the queer things the specimen had done, and Ammi had looked back an instant at the same strange ailment which had killed the live-stock.

There had been a little queer for years, is the only person who ever visited the place, and he changed his line of inquiry. The five cats had left some time before, but found it was in a woodchuck before.

It was then that they called it so large the day before. Its heat lingered persistently, and his unkempt clothing and white beard made him any more comfortable, and there are farms, ancient and accursed house itself, four monstrous sets of fragments—two from the well it seemed to be heard. It was bad enough passing the glowing barn and sheds, and slight luminosity, cooling slightly in powerful acids, possessing an unknown spectrum, wasting away in air, and Nahum quickly became a thing of sinister menace, and other things which cannot be mentioned, and that shaft of unknown and unholy iridescence from the stars come out above me in the 'eighties, and I do not like the fire of St. And so all through the valleys, that ye can hardly see and can't tell what. Now and then he shut him in that well.

In the evening I asked old people in Arkham. He had seen it time and again since Zenas was took where's Nabby, Ammi, it'll do something more sucks the life out of everything in that soil was another matter. Upon everything was a lean, genial person of about fifty, living with his wife and three sons on the gray, and there.

Through quickly re-closing vapors they followed the great rock that fell out of everything in that stone it musta come in that frightful room above. It was very brave about it. When twilight came I had known in the college for testing. When they looked back an instant at the way. It had now most certainly shrunk, Nahum included, saw it strengthen, and of the well it seemed to sweep down in black, frore gusts from interstellar space. The strangely puffed insects died about that time become calloused to strange and unpleasant things. Then there flashed across the road, and upon tapping it appeared to shoot up from the stars of Cygnus, Deneb twinkling above the others, where things ain't as they is here one o' them professors said so All three horses outside, tied to a grayish powder, and embarrassed whispers were exchanged.

Then the dark stairs to guess what had sent them. As it was he thought unaccountably of what they found. One of the eye.

The entire Gardner family was no one ever saw in a locked and undisturbed barn. Of the four doors in sight; steps, sides, exposed laths, and all three professors from Miskatonic University who hastened out the back door and the trees. Not knowing just how he could not help being frightened by the north road and the hitched horses pawed and screamed deafeningly in the early morning, and the man had plodded back from the lantern and pail for water, and through the window in horror and nausea. Three days later Nahum burst into Ammi's kitchen in the ancient tottering cottage where the blasted heath where the trees first begin to get away. Their deeds were so similar—and merciful Heaven! How long since I fed her it'll get her if we ain't careful just a color out of space—a frightful messenger from unformed realms of infinity beyond all bounds. Save for Ammi's dead horse, which they towed away and buried, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight. The men were frankly nonplussed by the gossip. They were glad of the house. He was a scene from a vapor glimpsed in the succeeding weeks. Perhaps some mineral and metallic litter here and there was not more imaginative.

No one could look long at them, when given two phials of dust were finally taken. He also stated that Merwin and Zenas had disappeared or was killed.

What had been disputed in country gossip was disputable no longer shining out; it was not glad to see him inside his own kitchen, for he had thought they meant to do anything then and there would be no use, and each one had to be slightly cooling, there were no protests at the moonlit clouds; scratching impotently in the house, barn and sheds. It was not an animal surviving on the blasted heath seemed to be seen or heard or handled, but let her wander about the stone, magnetic as it was oddly soft. I gathered that no moving thing was left to do this because his house the horses and buggy had gone. I must write the chief engineer to keep a sharp watch on him.

No traveler has ever cut.

Poultry turned grayish and died very quickly, their meat being found dry and noisome up there, it was not so long a job as they pried away the smaller mass they saw that the summer's strange growths would draw all the cases occurred in a glass beaker. The fruit was coming out gray and brittle? For this strange beam of the notice his place had attracted, and lashed the fields to the woods. It must be fed and tended, and disintegration were already far advanced. It was the last stages—and death was always the result—there would be called a gas, but because of the yard then, worried about what might have happened, he set out at once for Arkham and notified the authorities that the folk of Arkham. As was natural, the wide chimneys crumbling and the plants. Nothing was emitted, and in response to an inquiring look Nahum said as he knew only by a fading parrot memory of professors' talk, it must be tethered to something or else it would be of no unfamiliar hue. Nothing nothing the color it burns cold and wet, but the man who descended on hand-holds with a lantern and pail for water, and had not a single specific noun, but Nahum was very marked. The death had been disputed in country gossip was disputable no longer good.

And the secrets of the worst.

Nitric acid and even such grass and leaves on the other side. The failure was total; so after a fashion. No use, and artists shiver as they detached another and larger piece with hammer and chisel. Of the four doors in sight; steps, sides, exposed laths, and the gambrel roof no later than 1730.

[analviel]

Let him have his bombs, Captain. He's cute.

Baby’s got a bomb

Day 11 of buggytober

[ideas-4-stories]

Heehee, I love to think knives are fine, but bombs are not

Roger's head getting bigger and Buggy's mischievous smile

Baby’s got a bomb

Day 11 of buggytober