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trashjuicesmidrewrite · 5 days ago

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Episode 8 •_• (MID Rewrite)

IN CASE YOU WEREN’T COMFY READING LAST EPISODE (skip if you’ve already read): basically Ava woke up in a black void with doors of varying shades of greys. She goes through one of them and sees a dream version of one of Pierce’s childhood memories. After this, Ava and the guys continue to explore the palace until Pierce confronts Ava about it. He reveals to her that he’s trans and would rather Ava not talk about it to anyone. She agrees and then the gang dicks around for a bit before Ava and Pierce fall asleep. Now in a dream world, Ava and Pierce go through different childhood memories of Pierce’s (that sentence feels repetitive. I’ll probably fix it later) When doing this Asch and the gang go try to find Lady Grandma but get stuck running from Mrs. Oats’ rage. We then go over to Ava and Pierce and he’s, like, gone crazy. Ava comforts him and they try to find a way out of the void. Meanwhile in reality everything is goin to shit because the gang angered a bunch of soul cats that just so happened to be the reincarnated souls of Daemons the Chikarian royal family has made love with. They fight them off and eventually get their asses kicked being swept off like a wave. Pierce saves Rhys by throwing him across the hallway and him and Lady Grandma retreat temporarily before Rhys calls her a shit grandma (I’m paraphrasing the line is a bit better in the ep I swear) and goes off to save Asch and the rest and now we here!!!

My brain feels like writing this 24/7 so if you’re at all worried about the fact these are kinda being pumped out DONT. If I ever feel myself burning out I’ll chill for like a day or three and then get back to it, it’s like a stamina bar. Also I’m running out of faces to use for these. Ik there’s like an infinite amount of them but I can be slow at times so don’t judge. I think I’m just gonna experiment or swallow my pride and head to Google or ask a friend. Also also I am ASS at naming episodes bro I was struggling so much to come up with one for this I can imagine a person looking at the title for the episode and thinking “damn…this shit might be ass and filled with spelling mistakes a fetus couldn’t make. a toddler could come up with these.” And then ignore the rewrite like give me a chance 😭 btw there’s some Japanese dialogue in this and all translations should be in the bottom! The Japanese is from my own knowledge so if any of them are wrong that’s on me. Pls enjoy!

Episode 8: Meowing Fury Furry Frenzy

Rhys ran through the hall leading towards the sea of souls. He formed his staff and stuck it down through the floor, only barely cracking its surface.

“C’mon Rhys…remember…” he begged himself while biting his finger for blood to break.

Once a bead shown, he carefully put it on top of the crystal of his staff. He felt a small amount of dread throughout his body trying to remember the words of this incantation.

He was trying to pull off a ritual. It isn’t magic only because it doesn’t take away from the main source. Only your own body. The only thing a Daemon would have to do is remember what to do and what to say. The only problem being Rhys was having a tough time with the words.

He was never interested in rituals. He liked being prepared for the worst, but that was what learning how to fight with his staff was for. He never thought a wave of soul cats would threaten to suffocate his prince and a newly found friend.

“神さまはわたしのよびかけをきく” he heard a voice recite.

He quickly turned to see it was Lady Grandma. “Go on, you have to say it. It’s your blood.” She said getting as close to Rhys as she can. If she can get into the vicinity, she won’t get affected by the ritual.

He recited what Lady Grandma said still struggling to remember the rest. The cats were getting closer which caused his brain to churn. He never liked tense situations, but for some reason he always worked best in them.

“もう一度、あなたの助けが必要です。起きている間中、そうしているように。” He said, finally remembering more of the ritual. “キジャン、どうか私に時間の力を貸してください。”

As soon as Rhys uttered the last word, the wave of cats halted suddenly, right when it was about to hit him and Lady Grandma. The souls loomed over them, keeping their expressions of hate and despair.

“How much blood did you use?” Asked Lady Grandma while breaking through the middle of the wave.

“Only a drop, that’s about an hour, right?” Said Rhys following Lady Grandma.

The purple cat was focused on creating a path before saying “You’re part Umnotho, yeah? Their blood is considered more valuable to the gods, so you gave us a good two hours to find everybody and get the hell outta here.”

They picked up their pace and started tearing through to make a path a bit more carelessly. Trying to find five people in a sea of multi-colored cats was definitely going to prove difficult. Lazing around and talking like they didn’t only have two hours to find everyone would be certain death.

“At this rate we’re not going to find anyone. Would it be too risky to split up Lady Grandma?” Rhys questioned already splitting into his own path.

“Alright, but you’ll be doing some extra work if I find someone. I ain’t cutting through bigger holes than I have to.” Lady Grandma immediately started lessening her work and dug holes that were about her size.

Just like that Rhys was left on his own, but he didn’t mind. The faster he and Lady Grandma could find everyone, the more time they have to get out.

His sight and hearing were obviously not going to be of any help, so he thought that scent would be his best bet. As weird as it was, everyone had a specific smell to them. Rhys wasn’t one to want to notice this, but Asch had taught him to take advantage of anything he could.

Speaking of Asch, he wanted to look for him first. He always smelled of grilled meat, most likely because it was his favorite type of food. Although he hasn’t had the chance to eat it much, it’s like the smell had burned on to him.

Rhys dug up to see if he would have a better chance in the surface. He also was starting to hate the tight space digging had forced him into.

The higher he went, the more he started to smell a minty scent. This had to be Leif. He was a tad disappointed, but it was still someone he cared about. He started tearing through to where the scent was stronger, getting more and more hopeful.

There was a particularly thick layer of cats blocking his path. Even when he tried to dig around it, it just happened to be the exact same issue. Rhys cut through the layer and saw Leif with some serious injuries writhing on the ground.

The cats must’ve really messed him up. A lot of his wounds were deep, and the cat hair would most certainly infect them if not treated.

Rhys quickly went to kneel beside Leif. Just as he expected, the assassin was completely frozen in time. He had to be really careful with transporting him to Ava’s living room. Once Leif leaves the room, he’ll be back to normal, but will feel a bit of whiplash.

Rhys gently picked up Leif and put him over his shoulder. He didn’t have anytime to be casually walking, so he did have a bit of pep in his step. He was sure that Leif would be fine still.

Right as he made it to the makeshift fork in the tunnels him and Lady Grandma had made, Rhys heard her call out his name.

“Rhys! I found Pierce! He’s with Ava, help me drag ‘em both!” She shouted.

“Just a minute! I found Leif, I need to take him to safety!” Rhys shouted back speedwalking away.

“Just hurry up will ya!? These cats are freakin’ me out…”

As Rhys got closer to the area he had the ritual, he could hear subtle gasps and sobs coming from Leif. He wanted to run now more than ever, but that’d put Leif in more pain.

When Rhys walked past where his staff was still stuck in the ground, Leif started screaming clearly not in his right mind. Slobber started to run down his mouth and getting on to Rhys. The advisor slightly recoiled at this until Leif said a slightly coherent sentence through his yelling.

“Dumbass! IDIOT! Run! Run me to…OW!” Slurred Leif punching Rhys in the back to get him to move.

Rhys picked up his pace running as fast as he could to the passage that led them back to Ava’s living room. He practically crashed through it and laid Leif on the table.

“Shit man…fucking grass beds are softer than this.” Said the assassin groggily.

Rhys ignored Leif’s comment and scanned his injuries. There were two scratches that looked like they’d leave scars on his legs, but the rest looked fine. He had no idea how to treat any of it, as he always had relied on someone like Noi to take care of wounds.

With a clearer head, he thought it’d be a better idea to find Noi next, assuming he wasn’t badly hurt.

Rhys rushed back into the palace and into the sea of cats. He sprinted through the already dug hole he and Lady Grandma made, and started tearing through her path.

“Lady Grandma! I’m on the way!” He announced squinting his eyes at the blood that came from the tearing.

He was met with silence and strangely enough, purring. Confusion and the slightest bit of fear swam through his psyche.

“Lady Grandma? Did you-“ Rhys was cut off by a bewildering sight.

Lady Grandma wasn’t acting like herself. She was laying in the corner of the bit of space she made for Pierce and Ava, but she was acting like an actual cat. Her proportions were more normalized, and she seemed to be fast alseep.

Rhys surveyed what happened to Pierce and Ava before checking on Lady Grandma. They seemed to be alright with only a few cuts and scratches. Pierce seemed to have been in the process of bringing Ava to the surface. This made him feel a bit stupid for using the ritual, but if he didn’t, Leif most likely would’ve been dead.

He walked over to Lady Grandma and crouched beside her. “Uhm…Lady Grandma?” He said while poking the top of her head.

The cat slowly woke up and stretched with a loud meow. It looked up at Rhys with its round boba eyes.

It wearily crawled toward him and jumped on top of his head. Rhys cringed and wriggled around to try to get the cat off.

“L-Lady Grandma! Would you snap out of this?” He pleaded, but to no avail. Rhys was already losing his patience, and the fact that he was on a time limit didn’t make it any better.

Rhys sighed, swatted the cat away, and went to put Ava over his shoulder. He cursed to himself when he realized he had to drag Pierce all the way to the living room. There was no way he could do it by himself.

He started to dearly miss using magic, but he couldn’t betray the mission. He laid Ava back down on the ground and focused on his attention and strength on dragging Pierce.

He grabbed the larger Daemon by the feet and pulled with all his might. Sounds of frustration and struggle escaped him, but he paid no mind to how humiliating they may have been.

Right up until a pair of nimble hands grabbed his shoulders. The smell of blood invaded his nose, yet he could still catch an undertone of…mint.

“Leif! Why in the gods’ name are you here!? Do you know how dangerous it is to continue walking around like you don’t have the injuries you do?! How did you even-“

“Can you shut the hell up and let me help you?!” Yelled Leif, cutting off Rhys.

The taller reluctantly stopped chastising Leif and let him continue to pull. Eventually they started to make some progress, dragging Pierce very slowly throughout the cat tunnel.

When they were around the artificial entrance, Leif piped up. “Y’know, hearing you struggle like that was kinda funny.”

“You’re smaller than me! Don’t even act like you wouldn’t make more pathetic sounds.” Rhys grumbled.

They both continued to pull until Rhys thought of something. He interrupted them both by intentionally clearing his throat.

“How did you even get in here? The ritual shouldn’t allow anyone but Lady Grandma and I to use Kijan’s help.” Said Rhys, not pulling anymore to make Leif no to.

“Oh that was a ritual? My foot got stuck in it, so I panicked and kicked the staff over with my other.” Said Leif while smiling.

Rhys stayed silent for a long moment making the space between him and Leif awkward. The green Daemon opened his mouth to say something until Rhys smacked him upside the head.

“Ow! The hell was that for?!” He said sounded hurt.

“Were you dropped on the head when you were a child?! The time this ritual works gets cut in half when you cancel it!” Rhys smacked Leif again.

“Dammit! Would you stop hitting me?! How much time we got left!?” Yelled Leif trying to hit Rhys back.

“I’d say about 50 minutes. It’s not nearly enough time given how Lady Grandma looks virtually useless at the moment…if we sprint we might be able to make it.” Said Rhys while grabbing Pierce’s legs again.

Leif grabbed Rhys’ shoulder with a lot more force than earlier. One side of him told him it was to get a better grip, but the other side knew it was to get Rhys back for hitting him.

The pair made a lot more progress with the added stress of less time. When they made it to the stairs, they continued to drag Pierce down while they both said a quick sorry each time Pierce’s head banged against the steps.

When they went through the passage, Rhys and Leif both sighed heavily in relief.

“Gods that took forever…can we just leave him in here?” Wheezed Leif grabbing his lower back.

Rhys heaved before standing straight up. “Definitely. Let’s hurry, we need to find the others and get Ava out of there.”

Leif nodded and both him and Rhys ran back into the secret palace. Sprinting towards the wave of cats, the two Daemons noticed the slight movement of it.

“Oh shit. I fucked up so bad…” mumbled Leif while holding his head.

“There’s no point in sulking. We need to hurry, we should still have time.” Pointed out Rhys

They trudged on through the tunnel that was made eerie because of the cats slow descent towards them.

Leif got ahead of Rhys to get back to where they found Ava. Now that the souls were moving, it was harder to dig through and make a set path. Rhys eventually lost sight of Leif.

He wanted to call out to the assassin, but he didn’t know what would happen if he disturbed the wave with sound. At this point, he couldn’t even smell anything but cat hair. His sense of smell was never that good, but it feels even worse here.

Rhys could feel his throat closing up, but chalked it up to his panic settling in. Despite this, he felt okay. He wasn’t shaken up at all, so the sudden reaction was odd.

Unless he was allergic to cats. This would be bad, and morbidly funny, so he quickly threw away that thought for his own sanity.

As the cats started to close in, Rhys could feel his eyes starting to water. He wanted to call out to Leif, but the pain in his throat started to become unbearable.

The sensation of all the cats weighing him down, and the fur prickling at his skin, coupled with his supposed allergy made him want to turn himself off and try again later.

Obviously, he couldn’t just give up because his mind and body wanted him to. He had to power through it, as he’s done many times before.

Rhys pushed through the descending felines and dug up. If he could get to the surface, his newfound allergy could get less intense.

He couldn’t tell if it was his watering eyes or his lost sense of smell, but he started to lose his sense of direction. This was the worst situation he could be in, but he couldn’t just let the cats slowly devour him. He continued to dig the direction he was going and eventually made it to the top.

The way the soul cats moved was a lot like gentle waves in an ocean. Of course some of them tried to scratch at Rhys, but they were slow enough he could just push them away.

The dark purple Daemon was very disoriented. He started to blame Leif for this, but for whatever reason he couldn’t bring himself to.

The only good thing to his overstimulation was that he could sense every little thing around him. It made him even more distressed, but that was a sacrifice he was willing to make to be able to sense those around him more easily.

Rhys could feel the flow of the cats shift behind him.

“Leif? Is dat you…?” He said through sniffling “sorry I’m speaking improperly…I think I may be allergic to deez things.”

The flow change of the cats transferred to the front of him. Through Rhys’ blurred vision, he could see a pair of orange horns in front of him.

The horns rose up revealing it to be Noi. At least Rhys assumed it was him, he couldn’t really be sure.

“Rhys! Gosh, am I glad to see you! Have you seen Pierce anywhere?” Said Noi practically glowing.

“Guh…we d’already got him back to Ava’s ‘oom…” slurred Rhys.

“…You dal-eady god him bach to Ava’s ooze..?” Said Noi trying his best to understand Rhys.

Rhys shook his head and grabbed Noi’s face to put it closer to his. “I’m ‘orry Noi…” he sniffed “This algae is really bad. I’m seeing worst now…what’d you say?”

Noi started to tear up. “I have no idea what you’re saying!”

The two went back and forth trying to understand each other. Rhys’ ears felt as if they were getting more clogged, making it hard to hear Noi.

This would’ve went on until there was no time left if Rhys’ throat didn’t close up enough for the pain to be too much. He coughed and hacked, making his throat feel worse.

Even through his panicked tears, Noi could tell something was wrong. “H-Hey! Rhys? Are you okay?” He fretted.

The taller Daemon started sinking turning Noi into a frightened mess. He tried lifting him up, but was actively struggling.

“Ugh…Rhys, gimme a little help here.” Noi heaved. “I know your whole body is shutting down, but can you at least kick your legs”

Rhys didn’t respond, but he did start to take the brunt effort, carrying Noi on his back and kicking.

“Alright! You’re the mount and I’m the rider!” Announced Noi while grabbing Rhys’ hair.

The ginger pulled at the advisor’s hair to steer him in the right direction. It was literal hell for Rhys, yet every other sense he had was completely useless. The burning feeling on his scalp was the only proof that he wasn’t going through some type of sick dream.

Asch looked up at his impending doom. His head felt as if his brain was scratching away at his skull, begging to be let out and spread all over the floor.

Despite him accepting his death, it hadn’t come. He sat up and looked closer at the cats seeing that they were moving very slowly. He couldn’t figure out why this was, and his head still hurt like hell.

he laid back down in hopes the pain would lighten. Asch desperately wanted to close his eyes and sleep the pain away, but he had no idea if the cats would return to their regular speed and maul him.

Now that he was laying down though, he couldn’t bring himself to sit back up.

“C’mon Asch…this is embarrassing. Even a child could strike you down…” whispered a voice.

Asch shot straight back up feeling tension all over his body. He looked all around, but there was nothing near him the voice could’ve came from.

“What? Scared of a little sparing? Do you even want to be king?” Said another voice.

Asch’s body was in a cold sweat, and his head was reeling. Those voices were a lot like his father and Hitoma. He knew they weren’t here, or were they? His brain was beyond messed up.

“Asch! Strike me! Strike me now and prove yourself to me!” Shouted the booming voice.

The prince started to breathe heavily, and pushed away some of the cats in a panic. He looked around for the source of the voices, but there was none.

Asch figured it was his headache making him hallucinate. He didn’t remember taking such a devastating blow from the cats, but when he felt the top of his head, his hand was stained with blood.

He could hear scurrying coming from the right of him. His vision was blurry, but he could see a purple blob.

“Rhys? That you? My gods I’m glad to see you…” said Asch reaching out towards the shape.

The figure sighed, “I ain’t ya lil boy toy…we’re not even the same shade of purple! You colorblind?”

Asch was hit with a wave of shock before squinting his eyes to see who the figure really was. It was Lady Grandma, and a spate of embarrassment hit him

“B-Boy toy?!” He grabbed his head from the pain of yelling before saying, “what happened? Why is everything so slow?”

“Rhys did a ritual to slow time, but it seems someone might’ve interfered with it.” Lady Grandma went to paw at Asch’s arm. “We need to get outta here quick. He said how much time we had left, but uh…didn’t really comprehend.”

Asch rolled over on his stomach and followed Lady Grandma into the hole she dug. The old woman sliced bigger tunnels so Asch could have more space to crawl.

They both went at a steady pace to make sure they didn’t bump into each other. Lady Grandma constantly looked behind to make sure Asch was still behind her or dropped dead.

She felt a tinge of sadness at the fact she couldn’t remember much about him. He’s her grandson for crying out loud, she should at least remember the day he was born. She just couldn’t though.

She couldn’t remember his first day in the academy, his first spar, his first banquet, none of it. Bits and pieces, sure, but none of them was something that could tell her she was proud of Asch.

Lady Grandma also wanted to know why she just blanked out when tending to Ava and Pierce. The general looked a lot like someone she used to know, but couldn’t remember who.

She shook her head to rid of these thoughts and continued to dig. She could unpack this another time. Right now, she needed to get Asch out of here.

She picked up her speed and started mowing down the slow cats. Asch did his best to keep up. With his injuries, he was severely slowed down.

“Ma! Slow down a bit…” panted Asch, now going slower than when he started trying to catch up.

Lady Grandma seemed to have ignored Asch’s pleas, focusing on making a path.

Eventually Asch gave up because of the immense pain that took over his body. His breathing slowed, and his vision became hazy.

He blinked away tears as his body began to shut itself down. He couldn’t fight off these cats in his state.

“I should’ve known you weren’t ready. It’s not like you ever are.” Said a voice that sounded a lot like his father.

Asch could feel the cats slowly closing in on him. He tried to move, but his body didn’t seem to have the energy. Even though it’d make his head scream, he had to call out to someone.

“Hey! Ma! Wait for me, I can’t keep up!” He shouted while feeling a sharp pain in his head.

He waited while using up his little energy to move away cats that were a little too close to him. The prince was going to call out again until he felt a pair of hands grab both of his horns.

His body kickstarted itself in every place that he didn’t need at the moment. Whoever grabbed his horns was fiddling around, seemingly trying to get a better grip. This didn’t make the situation any better for Asch, as he squirmed around to remind his body this wasn’t the time.

The hands finally got a good grip and pulled. The tension and heat from his horns made Asch’s head want to tear itself apart.

After a while in the crowd of cats, the hands finally got Asch to the other side. The prince blinked and squinted his eyes to get a glimpse of who had the smart idea to pull him by such a sensitive place out of every other body part.

When his eyes settled, he noticed a distinct lack of horns on the figure. It was Ava, which in hindsight, should’ve been the first person he suspected.

“Queen Ava…what the hell?” He said lethargically not having the energy to be mad.

Ava looked scared out of her mind looking at Asch. “Oh damn! Was that from me pulling your horns? Oh my god, I fucked up I’m really sorry!” She panicked.

Asch flinched at Ava’s yelling. “If you’re talking about the head thing, that was from the cats. If you’re talking about everything else, Daemon horns are pretty sensitive…I’d be mad as hell if I wasn’t about to pass out.”

“…and that doesn’t mean I touched the equivalent to a penis, yeah?” She wished.

“What do you think?!” Shouted Asch, who immediately recoiled in pain from raising his voice.

Ava groaned in disgust while rubbing her hands on Asch’s chest. The prince couldn’t be more confused, but let it happen because he honestly didn’t care.

“Ugh…do you know what’s happening? I remember Pierce telling me, but I didn’t comprehend a thing.” Said Ava, scratching the back of her head.

“You people can’t remember…anything…” mumbled Asch, seemingly falling asleep.

Ava started shaking and hitting Asch. “Woah! Don’t go to sleep dude! I have no idea if you’ll wake up with a head scar like that.” She stammered.

Asch groaned in pain and looked away from Ava. He looked as if he was struggling to stay awake, but Ava thought that was better than him dying.

Ava grabbed Asch by his underarms and started slowly dragging him, making sure to keep his head elevated. She needed to find one of the guys to help her, or maybe that cat thing they keep calling Lady Grandma.

Moving away some cats in her way, Ava could hear a muffled voice. She hoped it wasn’t another one of the guys, if it was, she’d just have to pick her favorite and leave with them.

She moved towards the voice while making sure that none of the cats swiped at Asch. She came across a dense layer of cats. There wasn’t even a pocket of space or anything, just cats.

The voice was strongest in this area, so she kept digging in hopes she’d find the source of it. She started to hear a grunting noise followed by the cats shaking a ton. Whoever this is was trying to break down the wall of cats with a lot of force.

They were trying to break down the wall of cats.

With Ava behind it.

She scrambled to get on the other side of Asch and pull him by the legs, disregarding how his head might scratch the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?” Asch asked tiredly, still choosing to not look at Ava.

“Saving your head from getting crushed!” She growled while getting increasingly more anxious about the person knocking down the cats.

With a yell, Leif burst through the cats, inches away from squashing Asch’s head. He looked straight at Ava with surprise.

“Leif? Hey do-“ Ava started, but Leif cut her off by grabbing her and speeding through the cats. Ava quickly grabbed Asch by the legs and dragged him along.

Asch’s head dragged across the floor. “AH FUCK!” He yelled, “SLOW…down…” he trailed off as his body finally passed out.

Ava shouted at Leif to slow down so she could check on Asch, but he kept his grip on her.

She knew it wasn’t the time for this, but she couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach with how careful Leif was when grabbing her. She needed to get her mind off this quick.

She tightened her grip on Asch’s legs so she wouldn’t let go. Gradually, she got her hands to grip on higher parts of the prince’s body while Leif was still running with her. She got to the point where Asch’s body was sideways as she held on to dear life to his head, keeping it elevated.

Ava was sure his head would pop right off if she kept this up, but this was the only way he wouldn’t get any more injuries there.

Leif made a quick stop and let go of Ava. He then started to slam into a wall of cats repeatedly with his body.

Ava took this opportunity to check up on Asch, and she had to admit, he looked very much dead. Her heart dropped down to her stomach until she put her head to his chest. She could hear his heart beating which immediately made her let go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Queen Ava? What’re you doing?” Questioned Leif. Ava swiftly sat back up and tried to do a nonchalant pose that in fact made her look more conniving than what she intended.

“I was…checking his heart beat! He looked kinda dead and I panicked and-“

“And so…to fix that you…smell him?”

Ava didn’t think she could be more panicked on the inside than what she already was. This was worse than accidentally convincing a bunch of alien(?) guys to marry her because she’s the queen of earth. Leif was gonna think she’s weird.

Without a doubt, the worst feeling in existence. Someone you think is attractive calls you a weirdo? You’re gone. Finished. There’s no coming back from it.

“Wh-What?! No! No. I was scared and I was holding my breath! I swear I’m not weird!” Stuttered Ava while flailing her arms.

“I wasn’t gonna say you’re weird, it’s just a crazy way to check a pulse. Literally just take your fingers and put them on his neck.” Leif explained, making Ava feel kinda dumb.

Leif sighed, “Could you just help me break this down?” He asked while continuing to slam into the wall.

Ava was more embarrassed than she had ever been in her life, and she had no idea how to help. She swatted away a few cats that were slowly, but surely, swiping at him. That was all she thought she could do though, as she didn’t really think she’d make a difference in busting through to cats.

Leif suddenly stopped trying to break the wall and looked at Ava like she provoked him. “What? I can’t do anything to break this down.” Said Ava.

“But you could…I don’t know…dig around? See if it’s just another pocket? Be helpful?” Huffed Leif.

Ava scoffed, but still did as she was told. “Asshole…” she muttered.

“Oh, that’s it!” Shouted Leif as he pounced on Ava.

The ravenette quickly kicked the Daemon in spots she knew would stun him. Specifically between his legs.

Leif yelled in pain, and got off of Ava. She quickly turned the tables by kicking him in his chest. Leif got knocked back, but as Ava was about to kick him again, he gave her a taste of her own medicine by kicking her in the crotch.

“Gah! Fuck! My lil’ boat man…oh no…” she keeled over flat on her back.

Leif took a few breaths. “Damn, you fight dirty. I haven’t had to stoop to that level in a while.” He said while getting closer to Ava.

“Y’know…a queen like you deserves someone who can match your en-“ Ava bit Leif’s hand before he could finish his sentence.

The assassin yelped, but went to throw Ava over his shoulder. She got all the wind knocked out of her, looking up at Leif as he attempted to pin her down. She wasn’t gonna go down so easily though.

She right hooked Leif and spun around to kick him in his neck. He got knocked back, but seemed to have tanked those hits. He held his neck while attempting to pounce Ava.

She haphazardly dodged, seemingly becoming a bit agitated. “Dude this is gettin’ annoying!” She exasperated, attempting to kick at Leif.

“Heh, you keep fighting though. Clearly you don’t wanna lose.” Jeered Leif while grabbing Ava’s leg and pulling her towards him.

Ava tried to punch Leif, but he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them down above her head. “Damn it! I could’ve won that…” she grumbled.

Looking up at Leif, Ava noticed something different in his eyes. She couldn’t quite pin it down though.

“Where’d you learn to fight like that?” He asked, his voice in a way softer tone Ava had ever heard him speak.

Ava stuttered a bit before answering Leif. “I- uhm…I used to be in a MMA team back in high school, but…I got kicked off after I did some stuff that was like out of the rule book n’ stuff…” she blushed hard out of embarrassment.

Leif cocked his head to the side. “I…uh…was never good at the grappling part…I always forget to.” Stammered Ava, refusing to look at the Daemon.

Leif laughed to himself. “I’ve got no idea what that is, but I’ve never had a play fight in a while.” He said. “…and I’ve never had a play fight with such a fine woman like you.”

Ava finally set her eyes on Leif, seeing eyes filled with admiration. The assassin made his face impossibly close to the ravenette’s. His minty scent overpowering all of her senses.

“Could I steal a kiss from you, Queen Ava?” He said simply, yet there was a low growl in his voice that made Ava’s heart leap.

“Y-Yeah..! My lips are chapped though so uhm…” Ava trailed off as Leif let go of his grip on her wrists and moved his hand to move her hair out of her face.

“I don’t really care about that.” He hummed as he got closer.

Ava could feel Leif’s breath over her lips. She shuddered as he got ever so closer.

“GERONIMO!” Yelled a voice that sounded a lot like a certain short Daemon, followed by a crash and the slow rise of sound coming from the cats.

Both Ava and Leif looked to see who it was, and it was none other than Noi and Rhys. The ginger was on top of the advisor looking a bit dazed. Rhys on the other hand looked completely knocked out, his face flat on the floor.

“That kinda hurt…” said Noi before shaking his head. “Queen Ava! Leif! I’m so glad to-…what are you guys doing..?”

Ava immediately pushed Leif off of her and sat up. “Nothin’! Just normal stuff.” She said, actually sounding believable for a change.

Noi clearly knew something was up, but he didn’t pry. “Sure…oh! We need to find Asch and Lady Grandma! Have you seen them?” He asked, trying to change the topic

Leif cleared his throat. “I’m pretty sure Rhys is on top of him.” He said.

Noi looked down in shock to see Asch’s arms flailing around under Rhys as if he was a squashed bug. He quickly got off of Rhys and pulled him from Asch.

Asch took a deep breath while continuing to flail like he’s still being crushed. “Holy shit! I’m up! What’d I miss?! Are we out?! Is Ma okay? Am I okay?…” he went on, but the rest of the group started to tune him out once they realized he was just rambling.

“Noi, how much time we got left.” Said Leif, his tone more serious.

“Rhys was gonna tell me, but he’s allergic to cats and I couldn’t hear him because he was mumbling! So before I comprehended he said something of substance I kinda already crashed in here…” Noi answered while wringing his hands.

Asch started groaning with his hands on his head when Leif was about to respond. He started babbling about something but no one could understand him.

“None of you’s listens! None of ya! Just like him! I hate you all…I hate him so much!” Asch started crying uncontrollably as the group awkwardly tried to calm him down.

Noi started to have tears well up in his eyes. “Three of our smartest people are either not here or dumb now! We’re gonna die!” He joined Asch in the crazy wailing.

The crying coupled with the piercing screeches the cats started to emit got unbearable. Ava was starting to have enough.

“Could you all SHUT UP!?” She screamed. Noi stopped his tears and covered Asch’s mouth to stop his.

“We don’t know where that Lady Catma or whatever person is, and we don’t know how much time we have left.” She started to dig through some cats above her. “I remember Asch yelling something about her when I found him, so she left him. I say we get the hell out of here and pray she makes it out.”

Everyone that was conscious and sane seemed to agree with her, they started to dig up with Ava. Leif grabbed Asch, and Noi grabbed Rhys.

“Where’s Ma? I don’t know where she is…she’s okay?” Jabbered Asch while he was being carried by Leif.

The blanchette ignored him, focusing on digging up and being able to carry the prince. He silently cussed himself out for choosing to get the talkative one. Then again, Rhys would’ve been a huge hassle to carry since he was only a few inches shorter than Pierce.

Asch said something else, but Leif chose to tune him out. He was doing a good job of this right up until Asch punched him in the mouth.

Leif was inches away from completely dropping the prince. “What the hell dude?!” He fumed while grabbing Asch’s hand.

“You’re ignorin’ me! I’m your prince! You should respect me you troglodyte!” He whined.

“The fuck is a troglodyte?!” Yelled Leif, trying to get in a good position to carry Asch and climb up.

Asch kept rambling as Leif continued to tunnel up. He could hear Ava and Noi shouting his name, so he needed to get to the surface quick.

He started to call out to them so they could pull him up. His prayers were answered as Noi grabbed his hand and pulled him out.

“The cats are getting kinda unstable.” Said Noi while struggling to keep his balance. “I don’t think we’ve got much time.”

Leif nodded in response and transferred Asch’s body to over his shoulder. “W-Wait!” Shrieked Noi, startling the assassin.

“Rhys is kinda heavy, and I’ve already been carrying him for a long time so…” Noi pointed at the unconscious advisor to signal to Leif he needed help.

The taller Daemon groaned in annoyance, but still went to help. He grabbed Rhys by the feet as Noi grabbed him by the under arms. Slowly carrying him to the end of the wave.

They were speed walking, but with how the cats started to move faster and faster, they were severely slowed down.

“Hey! You guys are almost there! Are any of you strong enough to throw Asch over here?” Shouted Ava only a bit farther away from them.

“Oh yeah! Lemme just summon the strength of our dear general Pierce!” Said Leif sarcastically.

“That’s a good idea Leif! How would we do that though?” Piped up Noi.

Leif glanced at Noi disappointedly before turning his attention back to Ava. “These cats are getting fast too! It’s hard enough to balance, let alone get a good enough stance to throw someone!” He shouted

Ava looked a bit conflicted. At this rate, there was no way they’d make it in time. The panic was starting to kick in, and she started breathing heavier.

“Can’t you like, wake Rhys up?!” She worried.

“Like I said, he’s allergic to cats! He’ll just wake up delirious!” Hurriedly noted Noi.

Ava started to panic even more. She could leave them, but she cared about them now. It was terrible, risking her own life just to make sure these guys were safe.

She started to feel something pawing at her feet. Instinctively, Ava started kicking at it, but the paw showed its claws and scratched at her.

The ravenette made a yelping noise as the paw emerged to reveal Lady Grandma. “Before I do what I’m gonna do, tell them it was earth magic okay?”

Ava nodded and watched as the cat turned towards the Daemons and held out her hands. She mimicked her and pretended like she was doing the spell.

The purple fuzz ball clenched her paws and a magical aura started to revolve around herself, Ava, and the four Daemons. She swiftly flung her arms to the end of the hallway, and everyone was thrown.

All of them tumbled on top of each other with grunts. Behind them, they could hear the souls regaining their speed.

“What in the gods’ names are y’all doing?!” Chastised Lady Grandma. “Run like your lives depend on it! ‘Cause they do!”

Lady Grandma sped away, and the rest of the group followed suit. Asch was still out of his mind, but Leif guided him through the commotion. Noi was grabbing Rhys by his foot, and was dragging him painfully across the floor.

The wave of cats finally regained its speed, trailing behind the six. They turned the corner, and the wave almost zoomed into the other hallway. Some of the cats turned quick enough to chase the group.

“What’re we gonna do when we get to the entrance?!” Yelled Leif. “They’re obviously just gonna crash through it!”

“They can’t get on earth! I’ll explain it later, for now just run!” Shouted Lady Grandma, speeding up just a bit to get to the passage.

When Lady Grandma finally went through, Ava and the Daemons practically crashed into the room. They heard a huge thump, and then muffled cries that eventually got farther away.

“MY ROOM! I’ve never been so glad to see it!” Sang Ava while kissing the floor.

Ava was actually very energetic, which signaled to the conscious Daemons she was going down in three, two, one.

“Yup! I’m passing out!” She declared as she fell flat on her face.

Leif picked her up bridal style and laid her on her bed before turning to Noi. “So…what’re we gonna do about Asch?” He asked.

The ginger looked over to the prince. Asch seemed to have been poking Rhys with Ava’s lamp.

“He’s reeeeaaaallll sleepy, Hehehe” he mumbled while messing with Rhys’ face with the lamp shade.

Noi went to kneel beside Asch. He studied his face and some of his scars looking specifically at the one in the back of his head.

“I think it’s a mix of head trauma, blood loss, not enough oxygen, and spending too much energy.” He deduced.

Noi smiled a bit, “Luckily, he didn’t lose enough to need a transfusion. Water and rest should do him good, and also wrapping up his scars.” He explained.

Leif looked at Noi a certain way, but the ginger couldn’t really discern what he was thinking. “Hm…well Pierce is in the other room most likely passed out, so if you-“ Leif couldn’t even finish his sentence before Noi dashed towards the living room.

A rather high pitched “oh no!” could be heard before some shuffling. The assassin got curious and looked into the room.

He saw Noi trying to shove Pierce onto the couch while holding an ice pack. The general was doing a good job of pushing off the medic, but he was persistent.

“C’mon Pierce, Lay down! A head bump like that could be something serious! The last thing you need to do is look at something bright!” Lectured Noi, temporarily succeeding at pinning the taller down.

Pierce pushed the ginger away. “I’m not a child Noi, I’m fine with just sitting around!” He said sternly.

Leif took a look at Pierce’s supposed head injury. He had to admit, it was the biggest head bump he’s ever seen. He felt kinda bad, but not enough to out right say it was his fault. If he asks he’ll say he fell down the stairs, there’s no way he’ll remember.

Pierce surrendered, not really having the energy to fight back anymore. Noi handed him the ice pack and told him to hold it to the knot. He then got some blankets from Ava’s closet and laid them on top of Pierce.

“Please make sure to not look at the human entertainment thing,” cautioned Noi. “I’d turn it off, but I don’t know how to.”

Leif didn’t know what it was with small, frail looking people being kinda strong. He started to feel a disgusting warm feeling in his chest. He chalked it up to his body finally starting to feel tired.

Noi looked over at Leif with slight stress in his eyes, making the assassin’s chest tighter. “You okay Leif? You look kinda dazed.” He worried.

“U-Uhm mhm, I’m good man. Just tired…I uh, should be good enough to help you with Asch.” Leif stammered.

Noi beamed while clasping his hands together. “That’s great! You had me panicking for a second there! Honestly wouldn’t know what to do if you needed to be taken care of too…” he scratched the back of his head.

Leif coughed away a potential voice crack. “Yeah man…let’s just get it over with.”

Asch opened his eyes to complete darkness. It was almost eerie, but he could hear the snores of multiple people.

He sat up and squinted his eyes to get them used to the darkness. His head felt like it had a heartbeat, and he realized that one of his eyes were covered.

He figured that Noi must’ve taken care of his wounds from the fight. Everything still ached though, it was honestly more annoying than anything.

He looked to his right to see Rhys and Lady Grandma next to him. The old cat-woman was relaxing on top of a knocked out advisor, with her hands behind her head and legs crossed.

She opened her eyes and waved at him. “Nice to see ya alive.” She said while chuckling to herself.

Asch felt a tinge of anger and grabbed her by the scruff. Lady Grandma struggled and cursed at him, as he quietly took them both to the bathroom.

The cat finally freed herself from Asch’s grasp and climbed onto the counter. “What was that for?! Picking cats up like that hurts them y’know!”

Asch shushed Lady Grandma, being silent for only a few moments. “…Why did you leave me back there?” He whispered, his voice cracked slightly.

The feline was silent for a bit before sitting criss-cross. She took a deep breath, and decided not to look at Asch at all.

“I was just trying to save ya kid. It’s not like you called out to me anyways. I-“

“I did call out to you.” He interrupted. “And never in your life have you ever called me kid. What do you usually call me?”

Lady Grandma could tell Asch was furious, and messing up this question would make him livid. She had to think what suit him best. She didn’t remember being good at nicknames anyways.

“Uh…キッド…?” She guessed.

Asch looked as if he was gonna bite her head off. He kept starting and stopping his sentences before accidentally letting out a sob.

He held his head in his hands. “Your little 溶水…you used to call me that…I know I hated that nickname when we were back home, but I’d literally do anything for you to call me that again and mean it.”

Asch looked at Lady Grandma with tears in his eyes. He waited for her to say something, but was met with disappointment when she didn’t say a thing.

He started to walk out of the bathroom until Lady Grandma ran to paw at the back of his leg.

He clenched his fists. “If you can’t remember anything, then don’t even bother talking to me. I just…I just can’t bear it.” Said Asch, refusing to look at the cat.

“Listen Asch, I may not be able to remember much, but I want to. You’re making it way harder than it has to be.” Scolded Lady Grandma.

Asch turned, intentionally almost kicking away the purple feline. “Clearly you forgot what this fucking tells me!” He yelled. He quickly covered his mouth and put his ear to the door.

Once he hadn’t heard anything, he looked back over to Lady Grandma. She was shocked Asch would even think to curse in front of her. She was going to give him hell about it to change the topic, but Asch stopped her.

“…It tells me every single moment you were with me was hell. That whenever I cried in your arms you were begging for it to be over…when we spent time together when I was little you despised every single second of it. You hate me, so I hate you.”

Asch walked out of the bathroom, leaving Lady Grandma alone with her thoughts. Her head hurt like crazy, and she squirmed around to make it stop.

She started blanking out because of the pain. It couldn’t be healthy for this to happen two times in one day. If only she hadn’t started caring, she’d never be in this mess.

She wouldn’t be stuck having to relive everything she didn’t have to. She wouldn’t be stuck having to look at someone who looked exactly like her husband.

That damn general. because of him, she had to use magic. If she hadn’t been cat-ified then, she would’ve had time to help save everyone. None of this was her fault. None of it.

Eventually, her body started to succumb to its instincts, reverting her back to a thoughtless kitten. Another memory regained, and more damage dealt.

OKIE DOKIE. Before I say anything else I just wanna give a quick translation for all the Japanese. If any of it is wrong that’s completely my bad since I used my own knowledge in Japanese 😭

神さまはわたしのよびかけをきく(Kamisami wa watashi no yobikake o kiku) should translate to gods hear my call (I’m not very confident with this truly. If any of these are wrong it’s most likely this.)

もう一度、あなたの助けが必要です。起きている間中、そうしているように (Mōichido, anata no tasuke ga hitsuyōdesu. Okite iru manaka, sōshite iru yō ni) should translate to Once again, I require your help. As I do in every waking moment.

キジャン、どうか私に時間の力を貸してください (Kijan, dō ka watashi ni jikan no chikara o kashite kudasai.) should translate to Kijan, please lend me your power of time to continue to serve you. (Kijan is the name of the time god btw. What’s that? This isn’t that great of world building and it feels like I’m just cramming it in? That’s okay bc that line of text right there is what I imagine you’re saying bc I usually think my world building is ass)

キッド (kiddo) should translate to kid

溶水 (Yōmizu) is actually just half of lava and all of water. So its literal translation is Lavawater or if you wanna be funny Lawater. Funny story, it was originally going to be obsidian, but straight up it wouldn’t have worked because having a nickname that long would be a lil dumb, (it’s 黒曜石 or Kokuyōseki btw) so I went with this. 溶水 fits better anyways since literally that’s how a lot of nicknames are made, which is combining two things that can describe a person in a cute way, so it worked out. I know that’s not how MOST nicknames are but that’s how it is for me personally

AGAIN if any of the Japanese is wrong that’s completely on me since I was the one who wrote it. I’m still learning the language, so if you’re at all knowledgeable on it I’d appreciate any criticism!

#aphmau my inner demons #leif my inner demons #my inner demons #noi my inner demons #rhys my inner demons #asch my inner demons #mid rewrite #my inner demons aphmau #my inner demons ava #my inner demons pierce #rewrite

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nyctoheart · 1 year ago

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So I don't really know what to make of all this, and it very well could amount to absolutely nothing, but I think it's fun exploring anyway.

So I thought about Nebu's post that compares the pipes in the gothic Scala ad Caelum to the pipes going into the lifeboat (although their conclusion is not really what this post is about). This is a long post basically comparing the machinery in Hollow Bastion and Daybreak Town to gothic Scala ad Caelum.

I'm first reminded of how Hollow Bastion was overtaken by pipes around the time (I assume) that all its drama went down with Xehanort, Kairi, and the start of the Organization. The pipes in HB seem to grow so fast that they pierced through the building. And while later referenced (KH2’s HB castle has cranes cleaning up the pipes), its never really explained. We assume these pipes originate from the keyhole all the Heartless come from, it certainly looks that way. But pipes don’t appear in any other world that Heartless took over that we know of. I'll admit that the pipes in the lifeboat's room seem different to me personally though because they seem built there, given that there's no rubble and instead deliberate accents in the wall to make room for the pipes.

I also think about Daybreak Town’s tower. The idea that entire tower was a machine of some sort has really been growing on me. There are gears everywhere, even the Master's room, and there’s two different diagrams of the tower that also gives me the vibe that its a machine, maybe because it reminds me of the lifeboat's diagram. IF the entire tower is a machine, part of me wonders if its connected to/responsible for the recording of Daybreak Town, and that maybe Luxu and Ava clashing activated the "stop button". If the gears are not involved with that, then I feel like the only other possibility would be that its related to the lifeboat.

My main point for all this I wonder if gothic Scala ad Caelum will have its own sense of machinery, teased by the steampunk keyblades. IF it does, then I wonder if it too will have its own lifeboat.

I personally have always theorized that there’s a lifeboat at this Scala ad Caelum anyway because I don’t see how else the MoM could time travel to modern times without it. And if Brain couldn’t time travel with the last pod in the data world (some assume time travel would work just as well with a data pod, but we just don’t know. The pods Ephemer and Skuld used were originally from the real world), Brain would have had to use a whole other lifeboat too— at least it seems to me for now.

So I don't really know what my point is other than that its interesting that both worlds we know for sure have a lifeboat are also worlds that have very dense systems of machinery.

#analysis #kh analysis #lifeboat #gothic scala #ok I need to do the dishes to take this as it is bye

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leoramage · 1 year ago

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Tagged by @charlosgoggles, I was pretty busy and kind of late when I saw the post! I immediately sat down once I had my free time to do this. Thank you for the tag my co-F1 astrology bestie in this app!

name: Leora Mage is actually an anagram of my real name! i am currently using it as a penname and stage name!

sign: my big three is leo-gemini-pisces!

time: its apparently 6:47 p.m. when i started writing this down. 9 p.m. when i finished (i had duties to attend to.)

favourite band/artist: i am the music bestie that listens to anything. you can't pin me down and tell me to list my favorite artists/band! ಠಿ⁠_⁠ಠ anyways here's the following:

solo artists: taylor swift, lana del rey, rihanna, doja cat, britney spears, ariana grande, olivia rodrigo, beyoncé, jennifer lopez, madonna, lady gaga, ava max, camila cabello, qveen herby

bands/groups: in this moment, ghost, the great discord, the neighborhood, the chainsmokers, little mix, blackpink, 2ne1, exo, bigbang, coldplay

bonus: i listen to classical music too (tchaikovsky, mozart, beethoven, etc.)

last movie: burlesque (as in christina aguilera) and house of gucci! i watched it for like a whole bus trip.

last show: house of the dragon! i love rewatching because of sir harwin strong & aemond targaryen!

also drive to survive as well, i was finding the episode fernando was in because i told my mom a local artist here in my country has physical similarities to fernando hahahaha

when I created this blog: i created this blog last year's ummer - solely for my practice, learn knowledge from other practitioners about my craft. i happen to love astrology too so it kind of stuck with me and my theme! i am continuously learning and mastering my craft but at the same time explore more.

other blogs: i have another tumblr blog but i forgotten what was the username but i do believe that i made that blog for roleplaying and posting my photo manipulation for a fandom i used to be in.

do I get asks: not until belle and becca sent me a game! i passed them on to my favorite writers and some to my moot blogs. i was supposed to send one to @charlosgoggles but they do not have their ask on lmfao

followers: 20 blogs are following me. most of them are my moots for sure or bots. idk, i did not check who is following me. i do not check who is following me to be fair (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)

average hours of sleep: 5-6 hours but sometimes longer. i work harder than i sleep.

instruments: guitar, ukelele, piano keyboard, violin. i only have a guitar and keyboard with me and i haven't touched them for ages. i learned how to play the other instruments because of my acquaintances who are passionate about music or simply band members.

what I am wearing: black maxi dress that i made myself!

dream job: i do believe i can be who i wanted to be if i put effort in it. so basically i do not have a dream job.

dream trip: world tour (my work requires a lot of that and isolation from the world. so it's quite a tough journey considering the rough waves of the ocean but anything for the bag of moneh)

favorite song atm: uh i do not have a favorite song at the moment. but i listen to subliminals a lot because they just calm my mind (my brain is so active that i need to decelerate it from thinking about the most obnoxious things) but let me check my most played in spotify... okay it says:

dance the night - dua lipa

tagging: @folkloresthings , @lorarri , @love-belle / @love-bellee , @goldsainz and @opheliaas-stuff because you guys are the sweet ones i had been interacting with for the past few days. i love them sm ฅ[⁠ᓀ⁠˵⁠▾⁠˵⁠ᓂ⁠]ฅ

(p.s. feel free to do in your own comfort 𔘓 much love guys 🤍🩷💕)

#games ! 🎮#moots ! 🥂

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fundielicious-simblr · 1 year ago

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Harvestfest 🌲🍁🥧

(3rd Person POV)

Harvestfest is here again, with hordes of people descending on Newcrest (and like 5 in Brindelton bay) for a weekend of extreme family time. This post will be on the 'non heir' families that spawned from gen 2, so basically everyone from Danielle down to Harley. Thanks to my new and improved character pages, you should be able to figure out who they are and what their stories are that have led them to this point. I'll be posting them in reverse order so we'll start at the bottom and work our way to the top, so the 'heir + heir-ish' families (Allan, Branden, and Claire's) will have their own posts.

●🌲🍁🥧 ●

[L-R: James Lee (16), Cara (46), and Fletcher (47) Collins; Harley (44) and Gabriel (46) Barnard; Archie (11)(Front), Grayson (44) , Keira (42), and Matthew Collins (16)]

These are the Collins and Barnard Families. They had initially planned to travel to a cabin in the woods for a scenic harvestfest weekend, but conflicting work schedules meant that they put that plan on the backburner. They gathered at Fletcher and Cara's house for their grand meal, before heading to church for the evening service.

[F] Life has found a steady rhythm for Fletcher, Cara, and James Lee, Fletcher continues to work for the Newcrest Police Department, Cara continues her work as a Head of Fundraising and Marketing for the Newcrest Conservative Party. Their son James Lee goes to a top ranking private christian high school in the district, and is enjoying spending his time at after school activities and volunteering at various church ministries.

[G] Grayson continues his work as a doctor at Newcrest General Hospital, looking after patients as well as travelling round to speak and/or attend different conferences. He also speaks at various events, usually for various pro-life organisations and at political events. His wife Keira currently works part time at Newcrest General as a nurse whilst she finishes homeschooling their youngest son Archie, who goes to a co-op. When Archie goes to high school then Keira shall resume working full time at the hospital. Matthew attends the same high school as his cousin James Lee, and the two are thick as thieves, with James Lee feeling like a brother more than a cousin.

[H] Harley and her husband Gabriel continue to live and work in San Myshuno, Gabriel continues teaching at San Myshuno Culinary Academy and Harley still works as Editor in Chief for Myshuno Madness Magazine. The couple vacation regularly to see their family as well as to visit different parts of the country and the world. They enjoy spending time with their many siblings, nieces, and nephews at various times of the year.

L-R: Ava Grace (17), Ruby Rae (19), Rory (19), Elaine (50), Taylor (51), Amelia (14), and Kyra (26) & Tyler (28) Shearer

Life continues on for the Godwin household, Amelia is now a teenager and is working her way through high school at her homeschool co-op. Ava Grace is almost done with highschool and is exploring her options for further education, she also plays on the volleyball team of the christian school that Kyra teaches at. Ruby Rae is a year into nursing school, she commutes to university so that she can save money. She hasn't decided what kind of nurse she wants to be yet, but she's firm in her desire to help people, her aunt Kiera has been helpful in the process of applying and attending nursing school. Rory is also in university

Kyra and her husband Tyler are enjoying married life, they both live and work close to both their families so they both often enough. They're working towards buying a house before expanding their family, right now they're just enjoying being married which they're very thankful for.

L-R: Sebastian (55), Danielle (53), Gabriella (16), Emma (20) & James (21)

The Hunt households are thankful for time together, with James and Emma in Henley-on-Bagley as missionaries they don't get to be together as often. Gabriella is in high school, homeschooled by Danielle, and has not begun thinking about what she wants to do next. She often helps out at her dad's vet clinic, so she considering veterinary nursing as one of her options but she's in no rush. James and Emma moved on Henley-on-Bagley to be missionaries to help grow a church there and they are enjoying their time. They spend their days sharing the Gospel to those who live in town and in the wider area, as well as assisting at church services when needed. They've not had children yet, but are open to any that the Lord will send them. Danielle continues to homeschool Gabriella, and when she's not homeschooling her then she's working on baked goods to sell at various farmers markets or working at the bakery. Sebastian continues to run his veterinary clinic, and he's recently partnered with a veterinary school and will now be training those who make it to their clinical rotations.

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nicoleanell · 1 year ago

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DEAR FESTIVIDDER,

Welcome and thank you in advance!! As I say every year (or every-other-year when I partcipate) these are just some thoughts, but feel free to focus on different characters/storylines/etc. I'm excited to see anything you're inspired to make from the sources below!

I also tagged all the fandoms so you can see how often I reblog stuff about them, consider it a vidding vision board. :D

If you're checking out any of these sources for the first time, content warning for some blood/gore in Renfield (played for comedy) and blood, jumpscares, animal death in Midnight Mass.

Film (Safety)

Renfield (2023) - Listen. Cinema peaked when Robert Montague Renfield decorated his little apartment in bright '70s colors and kitty cat bedsheets to Lizzo, and then peaked a second time when Ben Schwartz snorted a centipede. This movie is bloody camp nonsense but somehow also an earnest abuse recovery/revenge fantasy, and it gave me Emotions and a crush on Nicholas Hoult. His giant sad eyes and self-empowerment arc mean the world to me.

Television

Abbott Elementary - Wholesome sitcom in the vein of Parks & Rec following teachers in a Philadelphia elementary school (as a child of two public school teachers it hits close to my heart). I'd kinda like to see an Ava vid, she's so entertainingly terrible but then has great moments of growth as well. Or one centered on Janine, Janine/Gregory, or just any kind of fun ensemble thing!

The Afterparty - Murder mystery comedy with the twist that each episode, a character gives their version of events in the style of different genre parodies. Honestly I'd be fine with just a season 1 vid because I liked it more than season 2. (With the exception of S2 giving me the Sapphic Wes Anderson Movie of my dreams.) S1 had just about a perfect ensemble (Yasper being a highlight) and great execution of the Rashomon-style premise.

The Bear - Drama/dramedy set in the chaotic back-of-house world of a Chicago restaurant. I love how real the environment, relationships, and characters of this show feel. I adore Ayo Edebiri so I'd especially like a vid centered on Sydney, her ambitions and anxiety and passion, but again anything that inspires you about the show would make me happy! I love everyone in this dysfunctional restaurant fam. I don't really ship Syd with Carmy so I'd prefer not an explicitly romancey vid.

Midnight Mass - There's a venn diagram between Catholic Trauma and Vampires that Mike Flanagan seemed to crack like nobody else ever has lol. After Hill House (which I got an incredible vid for a couple years ago) this is my favorite of his horror-drama miniseries, I really love the mood and themes it explores about faith/religion a source of both comfort and harm. Pretty much a "do whatever you want with this source" request!

Web Series/Internet Content

Dimension 20 - There's a lot of source here and even I haven't made it through all the older intrepid heroes campaigns yet (not to mention all the side quests). I've basically seen everything from A Court of Fey and Flowers onward. Favorites include Neverafter, A Crown of Candy, and I'm really enjoying the current Burrow's End series. But honestly if there's any season or mini-season or general vibe YOU especially love and would like to focus on, feel free to do so! And if you want to incorporate stuff like art, minis, fan sources, or just rely on the player dynamics, go for it. I love basically everybody but special shout-out to Lou Wilson.

Amaury Guichon (the chocolate guy) (Youtube/Tiktok/he also had a Netflix show) - Guichon is a French-Swiss pastry chef known for making elaborate, edible chocolate sculptures, and posting usually wordless montage videos of his process. I'm just kinda curious what a Chocolate Guy vid would look like! Watching his videos and the work that goes into each piece is so fascinating, and he has a really charming and pleasant vibe. Love the technical skill, the commitment to the bit, and the fact they often look like they taste good on top of it!

#festivids #chef amaury #dimension 20 #midnight mass #the bear #the afterparty #renfield #abbott elementary

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enterprisewired · 2 months ago

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Joan Ava Gillman: Redefining Education for the Next Generation of Visionaries

Teaching has long been revered as one of the noblest professions, shaping the minds of the next generation and steering the course of human progress. The impact of an educator’s influence on a child can be profound, with the potential to either ignite a passion for learning or stifle it. In today’s complex and evolving world, the necessity for educational systems that truly unlock students’ potential and contribute meaningfully to society has never been more crucial.

However, achieving this is not solely about the abundance of teachers, but about their ability to genuinely inspire and guide. Amidst the vast landscape of education, Joan Ava Gillman stands out as a beacon of hope. At The Browning School, Joan is dedicated to transforming today’s boys into the visionary leaders of tomorrow, demonstrating that exceptional educators like her are instrumental in crafting a brighter future for all.

A Journey Rooted in Passion

Joan Ava Gillman’s journey, spanning decades, showcases an unwavering commitment to fostering intellectual curiosity and instilling a passion for environmental consciousness among her students. With a career that began in the South Bronx, Joan’s early teaching methods reflected simplicity, using basic tools like chalkboards. Yet, it is her adaptability and forward-thinking approach that has allowed her to integrate modern technology into her classroom seamlessly, transforming her teaching style over the years.

Her dedication to teaching is not limited to academic instruction; Joan believes in the holistic development of students, nurturing not just their intellect but also their sense of social and environmental responsibility. The classroom, for her, is a sanctuary of curiosity, exploration, and growth. Joan’s belief that education should evolve with time has led her to adopt innovative methods, such as incorporating AI as a research aid and using digital tools like Chromebooks. Yet, she holds firmly to the idea that technology is a supplement, not a replacement, for the essence of learning.

Shaping boys the world needs, every step of the way!

The Browning School, established in 1888, is a distinguished institution dedicated to providing an exceptional, well-rounded education tailored to the intellectual and personal growth of boys from kindergarten through grade 12. Located in the heart of Manhattan, The Browning School offers a rigorous academic curriculum combined with a robust focus on character development, fostering qualities such as integrity, responsibility, and resilience.

The school’s approach is designed to cultivate not only academic excellence but also emotional intelligence, social awareness, and leadership skills, creating a balanced environment where boys can thrive. The Browning experience extends beyond the classroom, offering a wide array of extracurricular activities, athletics, and arts programs that allow students to explore their passions and talents. The faculty’s dedication to personalized instruction ensures that each student’s unique strengths and potential are nurtured, fostering an atmosphere of trust, curiosity, and mutual respect.VisionTo cultivate a diverse and inclusive community where boys become confident, compassionate, and ethical leaders.

What sets The Browning School apart from other institutions is its deep understanding of how boys learn best. By focusing on a boy-centered pedagogy, the school tailors its methods to meet the developmental needs and learning styles of boys, encouraging active engagement, hands-on learning, and collaborative problem-solving. Small class sizes ensure individual attention and foster close-knit relationships among students and faculty, promoting a supportive community where every student feels valued.

Unlike many other schools, Browning is committed to producing not just academically proficient graduates but well-rounded individuals who are prepared to lead meaningful lives. Its emphasis on character education, a rich tradition of scholarship, and the integration of ethics into the academic framework distinguishes Browning as an ideal place for boys to grow intellectually and personally.MissionTo provide an educational experience that fosters intellectual curiosity, emotional intelligence, and social responsibility.To prepare boys for lifelong learning, leadership, and meaningful contribution to society.

Embracing Technology in Education

As the landscape of education continues to change, Joan Ava Gillman has remained at the forefront of embracing technological advancements in her teaching. From her initial days of using simple blackboards, she has transitioned to incorporating smartboards and Chromebooks into her classroom. This seamless integration of technology reflects her adaptability and her belief that students must be prepared for a world that is increasingly reliant on digital tools. However, Joan is quick to emphasize the importance of responsibility when using technology in education. At her school, strict rules govern the use of technology to ensure that students remain focused and are not distracted by the very tools meant to enhance their learning.

In Joan’s perspective, technology is not the driving force behind learning but rather a tool that can complement the learning experience. While some educators may view artificial intelligence (AI) with skepticism, Joan sees it as an opportunity to aid students in their research and projects. However, she is clear that AI should never replace the critical thinking and creativity that education fosters. Her approach strikes a balance between leveraging modern tools and maintaining the traditional essence of intellectual exploration, teaching students to use technology wisely without losing sight of the fundamental purpose of education.

Global Awareness through National Geographic Certification

Joan Ava Gillman’s teaching philosophy extends beyond technology; it encompasses a broader vision of fostering global awareness and environmental consciousness. Earning her National Geographic certification has been a transformative experience in her career, allowing her to introduce her students to the importance of environmental stewardship. Joan’s certification has empowered her to create lesson plans that go beyond textbooks, introducing real-world challenges such as oil spills and environmental degradation. These projects not only educate but also instill a deep sense of responsibility in her students, showing them that they have a role to play in the global ecosystem.

Her certification journey with National Geographic gave Joan the tools to merge education with action. She believes that students should not just learn about the world but also actively contribute to making it better. Through hands-on projects, such as participating in oil spill cleanup simulations, Joan has been able to teach her students the importance of taking care of the environment. These experiences have had a lasting impact on her students, many of whom have gone on to pursue careers in environmental science and advocacy. Joan’s ability to create globally relevant curriculums that inspire students to become conscientious global citizens is one of the hallmarks of her teaching legacy.

Pursuit of Teaching Excellence

Throughout her career, Joan Ava Gillman has received numerous accolades for her contributions to education. Being named Teacher of the Year in 2017 was a defining moment in her career, validating the dedication and passion she has poured into her work. However, Joan views awards not as a measure of personal achievement but as a reflection of her commitment to continuous growth and learning. Her involvement in programs like the Globe Weather Field Test and her participation in professional development opportunities at institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History and Cornell Ornithology Lab have shaped her into a more innovative and informed educator. Moreover, Joan attended three NASA Teacher Workshops in Greenbelt, Maryland through the years.

These accolades have not only bolstered her reputation but have also provided her with invaluable opportunities to engage in professional growth. Joan’s drive to constantly improve her teaching methods stems from her belief that educators must be lifelong learners. She understands that the world of education is ever-evolving, and to truly empower students, teachers must stay ahead of the curve. Joan’s active participation in these professional development programs has allowed her to bring cutting-edge ideas and techniques back to her classroom, enriching her students’ learning experiences and further solidifying her role as a leader in education.

Instilling Environmental Responsibility

Responsibility towards the environment is not merely a duty but a profound commitment to the future of humanity, as each generation inherits the earth and must shape its legacy with wisdom and care. One of Joan’s most significant contributions to The Browning School has been her relentless focus on environmental education.

As one of the heads of the school’s green team, Joan Ava Gillman has worked tirelessly to instill a sense of environmental responsibility in her students. She understands that the future of the planet lies in the hands of the next generation, and it is her mission to ensure that her students are equipped with the knowledge and tools to make a difference. Joan’s green team initiatives range from recycling projects to broader environmental awareness campaigns, all aimed at empowering students to take action in their communities.

Her dedication to environmental education goes beyond the classroom. Joan actively encourages her students to participate in community-based environmental projects, such as clean-up efforts and conservation activities. Through these experiences, students not only learn about the importance of environmental preservation but also gain practical skills in leadership and collaboration. Joan’s commitment to fostering environmental consciousness has not only helped her students understand the critical challenges facing the planet but has also inspired many of them to take up roles as environmental advocates in their future careers.

“Leadership is not just about being in charge; it’s about empowering others to reach their full potential and succeed together.”Joan Ava Gillman

The Philosophy of Teaching for Change

At the heart of Joan Ava Gillman’s teaching philosophy is a deep belief in education as a vehicle for change. She does not see her role as merely imparting knowledge; instead, she views teaching as an opportunity to inspire students to make meaningful contributions to the world. Joan’s belief in the power of education to transform lives is evident in the stories of her students who, after being exposed to global challenges, have taken steps to address them. One such story involves a 6th-grade student who initiated a fundraiser to combat global water scarcity after learning about the issue in Joan’s class.

Joan’s approach to teaching is firmly rooted in the belief that education should not be confined to the classroom. She sees her role as a guide, helping students navigate the complexities of the world while encouraging them to think critically and act compassionately. Her lessons often transcend academic subjects, delving into broader discussions about social responsibility, ethics, and global citizenship. Joan’s ability to weave these philosophical threads into her teaching has had a profound impact on her students, many of whom have carried these lessons into their personal and professional lives.

A Lasting Legacy at The Browning School

As Joan Ava Gillman reflects on her extensive career, her legacy at The Browning School is one of inspiration and change. She hopes to be remembered not just as a teacher but as someone who empowers her students to believe in their ability to make a difference. Joan’s involvement in the school’s green team and her efforts to raise awareness about environmental issues have left a lasting mark on the school community. Her influence extends beyond the students she has taught, as her work has inspired colleagues to adopt more environmentally conscious practices in their teaching as well.

“Success in any field requires resilience, adaptability, and a deep commitment to continuous learning.”Joan Ava Gillman

Joan’s legacy is not confined to her environmental efforts; it encompasses her entire approach to teaching. She has consistently pushed the boundaries of traditional education, integrating technology, global awareness, and hands-on learning into her curriculum. Her students leave her classroom not only with a deeper understanding of science but also with a sense of purpose and responsibility. Joan’s impact on the education sector is undeniable, and her contributions will continue to shape future generations of students and educators alike.

#Joan Ava Gillman

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jiangwanyinscatmom · 2 years ago

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Honestly it baffles me to see people trying to make Hua Cheng's love for Xie Lian completely unexistent. Come on, dude fought 33 gods and burned down their temples, lit up 3 THOUSAND LANTERNS FOR XIE LIAN. Died like, 3 times for him, waited 800 years for him, you can't even TRY to argue that Hua Cheng isn't a simp and doesn't love Xie Lian. Now, say that Xie Lian is boring... Anon dearie, you either didn't read the fucking books or your reading comprehension is absolutely flawed. Sure you don't have to love the main character (tho why even like the story if you don't like the protagonist or smt), but at least you gotta respect others and stop trying to push an agenda only you are seeing. Besides, Xie Lian is awesome and I don't know how you can say he isn't. Anyways, Sorry abt the rant Ava, I'm just getting absolutely fed up with this anon and I'm about to throw hands, Calamity style - 🐉🦋

By all means I encourage it!

As you said, you don't have to have a deep attachment for it by any means, but at least understand the basics of the plot that are textual information as comprehension. I spoke of something similar just earlier with @ladypfenix, she said something that is very apt in regards to the fandom (at least the western side of it):

"And probably because they want to treat her (MXTX's) works like marvel fandom where people get shoved together on a whim and a decent author can create more chemistry than the movies do and it just doesn’t work that way."

And this has a lot of truth to it, mainstream western media is given almost nameless slates for fans to project on to garner further revenue, the fans are what are made to fuel and funnel that interest themselves and when others of course join, they are met with something honestly lackluster and you are left there going "this is what was so hyped?". It's an interesting phenomenon that is pretty unique to the western sphere of fandoms. They are made to fill holes that very few creators want to bother with and don't care about character inconsistencies when they're are 20 others also writing a plot. Ironically with many not even actually meeting each other to really discuss the scripting.

This is also why the usual love of "crossovers" doesn't quiet feel so easy to do with MXTX's works, there are rules of her being worlds, that are not interchangeable, nor are the characters interchangeable to fit anything and everyone. They are on such different spheres of experience and personality, I dare say most would not interact with each other of their own choosing. When characters are that deeply explored by the author, there really isn't anything to make "better" or fix without it being a horribly shallow mediocre rendition that loses the charm of the original.

Really one major theme that can be shared by the love interests of her works is their devotion to who they love with their all. And as I have said before, it is not about if that love is deserved, because they don't want to feel as a burden or troublesome to that beloved. It is meant to be a very unselfish romantic love despite all the traumas they may have faced, it is not because of who they loved and they will never see it as such.

Hua Cheng wanted others to stop placing unbelievable expectations on Xie Lian, since saving a nobody at the time that nobody else cared about, was able to save that life. Lan Wangji wanted others to realize that Wei Wuxian was always good and placed the burden of protection of others on his shoulders despite the harm it ultimately did to Wei Wuxian, it wasn't about being right, but being human and caring. Luo Binghe wanted someone to see him at his most awkward and real, to be able to be seen as vulnerable without being tossed away for showing that side of himself and being looked on with the usual disgust if he did fall.

It's an endearing theme for them to be able to finally find someone to have that with and be virginal because you simply are waiting for someone to share that with. Thinking of love as something precious as well as sex isn't something to scoff at, given how much of media tells is the opposite while also degrading those that are casual.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #tgcf #heaven official's blessing #svsss #scum villain

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mollrat101 · 3 years ago

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Another piece of Deborah’s new show I would’ve like to have seen explored is the effect of Deborah finally telling the truth about how she’s been victimized.

Cause the thing is, unfortunately, victims (especially women) are treated terribly in our society. I’m surprised that the writers didn’t show anyone disbelieving her, especially as people would use the fact that she hadn’t said anything in decades as “proof” she’s unreliable. If the Depp vs. Heard trial has taught us anything it’s that women are still by default disbelieved when they accuse powerful, successful men of abuse.

I can imagine people coming forward who knew Frank and saying that Deborah is a liar after all they knew him, and he was “such a nice guy”. Part of how abusive men can get away with it is presenting a cordial front and then only showing their true self to their victims. Even Ava, says she was surprised because Frank seemed like such a good husband on Who’s Making Dinner. Frank was a very good actor. All of the things he did to her paint a monstrous picture, and many would be inclined to disbelieve her.

In 1.01, they show us that even a fucking news program presented Deborah setting Frank’s house on fire as the truth. This narrative is baked in so heavily into the public’s mind that I can only imagine Deb would receive some sort of backlash for refuting it.

Choosing to tell the truth isn’t just a big emotional risk on Deborah’s part, the way I saw it, it carried real social risk. That’s why she didn’t say anything. Deborah said people didn’t believe her back then, but would people be more likely to believe her now? Maybe, maybe not. But also, the risk of shifting the narrative when Deborah has tried so hard for decades not to declare herself a victim might seem jarring to her fans who are used to seeing her as strong, fierce, and almost untouchable. Axel was clearly turned off by this vulnerability, but he’s the only real example we get. Marcus warned Ava in 1.08 that Deb’s new show would be considered off-brand and yet we get basically no reference to it again.

In my opinion, the writers didn’t give themselves enough room to explore Deborah’s new show to the full extent it deserved. They wanted her to succeed by the end of the season, but the problem is that season 1 built up the show as being so monumental for it contained many moving pieces within it that the journey of it in season 2 feels like a letdown. They were so focused on the destination that they didn’t allow the journey to be messy and complicated which is what we’re here for.

Deborah’s new show isn’t just about her growth as an artist but is also about her finally telling the truth of what she’s experienced and, in our world, telling the truth comes at a price.

#hacks hbo #hbo hacks #hacks #hacks thoughts #deborah vance #i'm not saying there wouldn't be people who believed her #but we get no sense of how people are reacting to these new revelations #things people thought were true for decades deb is saying are false #some would latch onto it #some would call her a liar #i wanted to see the reactions

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notinwonderlandx · 3 years ago

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Here’s my two cents about this season mainly in terms of plot, overall themes, and structure:

I’ll preface by saying I really appreciate the cast and everyone behind the scenes who fought to try to make this story live up to its potential

One of the biggest things is there should’ve been more clips of Isi alone. One of the magical things about skam is how much you came to understand the main from their quiet moments alone esp in their rooms. What are they looking at on their phone? What’s their body language saying about their state? That’s what makes you feel like you’re in their head. If you wanna make a point that Isi struggles to be alone then make it. Show/verbalize her being uneasy when alone. I think this is one of the biggest reasons we didn’t feel like we were in Isi’s perspective. We hardly ever knew what he was feeling or why he did what he did which further disconnects us from the events of the story.

Also, LONGER EPISODES!

The main conflicts probably should’ve been:

• Isi & Constantin’s toxic friendship & fallout

• Isi & Ava addressing the bullying (this really could’ve been a driving force for character growth)

• Gender identity

And then sure if they wanted a love interest,

• Isi & Sascha’s relationship (& fight which should include Sascha finding out about the bullying so everything is in the open)

(I like Sascha but who the love interest could’ve been could fill a whole other post I’m not gonna get into that rn [EDIT: I meant this more about casting diversity given skam’s track record but druck has been the best with this so while I think it’s worth mentioning, it’s not a hill I’m dying on])

There were so many potential things to cover surrounding these conflicts:

• How it would change the Instas friend group (let’s learn the group’s friendship origins and dynamic). Also while freeing, leaving a toxic relationship still involves a lot of emotions that we didn’t really see from Isi after.

• Isi making it up to the people they’ve hurt and navigating how to have healthier friendships and be a better person & friend (a talk with Isi’s loving supporting family would’ve been great and realistic here!)

• Actually develop and heal the relationship between Isi and Sascha so it feels earned (like why this?)

• Isi understanding/articulating their gender identity and exploring that in relation to friends and family (like Umut).

And then they could have that classic skam final week of happiness and “the storm is over, I understand myself and the world better now” energy that felt satisfying and deserved.

Some of these just didn’t happen (understanding the Instas), some popped up and went away (bullying; Isi not knowing about gender dysphoria) or got sidelined by wild irrelevant events esp in the first half. So you didn’t really get to feel the build up of weight from ALL the ongoing conflicts on Isi’s shoulders at once which is supposed to break = hell week. The hell has to happen to present the motivation for Isi to grow as a character and for us to sympathize with them. Keeping the plot more cohesive, focusing on all the potential drama of these few conflicts, would give adequate time for growth and to contemplate and resolve each issue with its due respect. This would’ve given a more reasonable amount of time for growth, forgiveness, and acceptance.

I’d like to add there was also a perfect opportunity, when Isi and Sascha were still just friends, for Sascha (who is already involved in the group from my understanding?) to be the gateway to Isi actually going to or even just seeing in on queer youth group meetings earlier on in the season to talk/learn about gender identity. While the subtly we got is also be nice in its own way, considering that skam is about openly discussing and learning about the topics it covers (and that non-binary identities are rarely discussed in media), it feels like a missed opportunity. Why bring up that there’s a whole queer youth group right there if we basically never see it? Especially if you show Isi having questions that would’ve been answered there. Could’ve at least have Isi have a googling session or something.

It was nice to have Lou be an example of confidence and like breaking gender expression norms but otherwise she mostly felt like an agent of chaos that was unnecessary and distracting considering Isi already had poor behaviour to make up for and Consti & Isi’s friendship was already poor enough to trigger a fallout without some “final straw.” The exploration of gender expression could’ve happened at the queer youth group or even with other friends experimenting. If they had to have it, I wish they had let Isi & Lou’s relationship unquestionably be about admiration because the “Love interest? Sike!” felt cheap. Unless they wanted to make a point that Isi feels like she has to like girls to fit in (which they didn’t). The suggestion that Isi only likes guys bc they’re feminine was also never brought back up. An “I like who I like it has nothing to do with my gender expression” point could’ve helped defy that stereotype.

Also on that point, (could probably be it’s own post but) since they added a love interest, while it’s nice that it was a non-issue, with skam being a medium to discuss and offer wisdom about the worries teens face, even just a short conversation about navigating romantic relationships as a non-binary/gender non-conforming person would’ve been a fitting addition (& really affirming to see, coming from a gnc person myself). There’s a real fear that people won’t want you or accept you as a potential romantic partner. While it’s clear Sascha does fully accept and like Isi exactly as they are, a youth group convo or clear verbalization of that in a romantic context would have been lovely (maybe that’s just me projecting 😅)

There was SO much to explore. There was no need to bring up new plots (esp to just drop them after). They took focus and time away from what should’ve been the main conflicts (and other existing characters!) that worked on their own and forced rushed unsatisfying resolutions to them. Yeah, real life is messy but this is a story. It’s supposed to have a specific narrative and message. We get a crumb here and there but never real in-depth meaningful exploration of the themes. While there’s some really great moments esp in these last episodes, the topics feel only half developed. So we’re left with a season where both everything and nothing happened.

#sorry for the essay #I have a lot of thoughts #idk if this is finished but I guess I'll post it #this is only some of what I have to say and summed up but ya #can you tell I wish I went into film?#druck #isi inci #druck season 7

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growingingreenwood · 3 years ago

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Ava and eowyn’s friendship is very important to me, the only thing holding me together tbh. Do you have any specific headcanons about how they met and became friends?

I’m not sure how many of you are aware of this aspect of my personal headcanons, but I believe that Legolas and Eowyn would have become really good friends basically from the moment what was left of the Fellowship got to Rohan. One of the main reasons I think this would happen is because Legolas is from a Kingdom that allows any member of the realm (regardless of gender) to join their military as long as they prove their skill. So when Eowyn figured out that Legolas was EQUALLY confused about her not being able to serve, even though she was more than capable of doing so, it was the literal definition of refreshing.

When Eowyn pressed him for even the slightest details about why he agreed with her so wholeheartedly, the first two people Legolas brought up were Avaleina and Eloissa. Without revealing him as the Prince of Greenwood the Great, Legolas told her about how Eloissa had served tirelessly as the Prince’s Second In Command and nearly all patrols since he had been put in charge of his own patrols.

Next he told her about Avaleina, who had against all odds and expectations had climbed both political and military ladders with such raw determination that she was the only other member of the Greenwood Kingdom who could travel as a dignitary with equal power to the King aside from the Prince himself.

Legolas told her about how both Elleths parted crowds like a boulder cut through a river without even a thought or a glance. He told her about how each of them commanded the battlefield and their people with such precision and accuracy that even the darkest powers of the world had begun to fear their names.

With every word that he spoke, Eowyn became more and more eager to know and see every inch of this wonderful world.

On Legolas’s behalf, he had like one single interaction with Eowyn and was like: “Oh yeah, this human… this human I like. This is the one.” And Aragorn just sort of pats her on the shoulder and is like, “If any of us survive this war, you’re going to have one HELL of an adventure in store for you.”

And Eowyns like, “What how do you know that?”

And Aragorn says, “Just trust me on this one. No mortal can be chosen by an elf and hope to live a normal life. Just wait. You’ll see.”

Then the second interaction between Legolas and Eowyn he was like: “Yo Aragorn, wait until this war is over and I introduce her to Avaleina.”

When it comes to the two of them actually meeting….

I think that it would have happened when Thranduil came to Gondor for Arwen and Aragorn large wedding celebration, since Avaleina would have traveled as part of the Kings Escort. Because if they had not let her do so, she would have traveled the distance by herself and showed up anyways.

I think that Eowyn would have been drawn to Avaleina even before they were formally introduced after just one glimpse of her walking into the courtyard where Aragorn waited. She never would have seen a women at the head of ‘war party’ before, especially not one that was clearly there due to rank and ability rather than born or married power.

I think that Ava would seek Eowyn out (probably with Aragorns help) and walked up to her and was like, “I heard that you snuck onto a battlefield in disguise as a man because the wouldn’t let you fight and ended up being the one who kill the Witch King.”

And Eowyn's like “.....y-yes,” while trying not to stare at any of Avalein’s obvious scars even though it seems everywhere she looks there's another one even worse than the last.

And Ava’s like, “That's so great, I think that’s the coolest thing any mortal has done next to Beorn intercepting the Silmaril after it had been stolen from Doriath.”

After the two of them are introduced to one another formally, Eowyns like "HEY WAIT A SECOND-"

Then the most BEAUTIFUL of friendships is born.

Since Legolas spends so much time with Gimli exploring Middle Earth and just generally making the most of Gimli’s ‘limited’ mortal life, I think that Ava and Eowyn would spend a ridiculous amount of time together since both of them would live in Ilithien after Legolas and Faramir officially settled it. (Their time together definitely including their own fair bit of exploring as the pleased, occiasly joining Gimli and Legolas and their adventures or purposeful planning to meet up with them part way through.)

I think that they would each teach eachother one major thing through their friendship:

Eowyn taught Avaleina the power of letting go of past situations and their associated emotions that you really truly could not have done any different or better no matter how much you wish you could have.

Avaleina taught Eowyn that you can be both powerful and feminie, that the two things can co-exist within the same person without contradicting one another.

Similarly to how Legolas refuses to leave Middle Earth until Aragorn has passed to the halls, Avaleina won’t leave until long after Eowyn has joined her ancestors beneath the grass and flower covered tombs.

#tolkien #greenwood #haleighs greenwood #answered asks #haleigh speaks #tolkien oc #tolkien OC Ava #lotr eowyn #eowyn headcanon

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popurikat · 4 years ago

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Newtmas essay when?

Finally getting to this, thanks for waiting, I needed to go over a few bookmarks. (Warning, this post contains spoilers from the MAZE RUNNER book and FEVER CODE book, so if you haven’t read either or yet and want the jist of my analysis; just know that in general the fandom interpreting Newt as gay before it was revealed on a twitter post was not just a random headcanon and that Thomas in general is portrayed to have very strong unconditional love for Newt throughout the series; and it shows. To the point that even the director for the movie has stated that Newt and Thomas have a strong bond and portrays that in the movies. I will also preface that I am NOT adding personal opinion anywhere here, these are just backings from quotes and how they are thus meant to be taken/read as. My words are taken as a reader who is currently reading Scorch Trials has yet to fully read Death Cure or Crank Palace.) Anways, without further ado at 3AM today, I’ll try my best to explain how even though Dashner tries his best to make Thomas have other, female love interests; he creates a not so subtle gay subtext for Tommy boy here when in the context of interacting with Newt throughout the lore. Apologies beforehand for any grammar mistakes along the way.

To commence, I am going to start with FEVER CODE, as its supposed to act as the story’s preface to the actual events that play out later. Newt and Thomas upon meeting each other describe their presence as “familiar” and or as a “long lost friend” and they genuinely hit it off from the start to the point that Newt is okay with having Thomas see him cry over the fact that he and his sister are separated since he is doomed to be WCKD’s control analysis as he’s the only one lacking immunity from the flare itself. Once Newt is done being emotionally vulnerable we get our first instance of his personal nickname for Thomas: “That’s the way things are Tommy,’ he said his voice not quite steady. ‘The world outside’s gone to hell. Why should we expect any different here? [...] He said it as if they’d been friends for years” (ch. 14). An interesting note here is that Thomas doesn’t bother to correct him or stifle the moment by feeling that all this information was too much, he genuinely wanted to hear Newt out and is fine with seeing this side of him; if not slightly taken aback by how natural it is that they can converse about such aspects of their lives. In fact, Newt makes such an impact on Thomas that Thomas ends up that same night dreaming of him: “Throughout his shortened night, he dreamed of Newt and Sonya. Of Newt and Lizzy“(Ch. 14). The thing with Thomas though is that the idea of comfort and connection is very foreign to him as he’s been basically isolated all his life with only the adults like Ava to talk to and the one exception being Teresa as his only kid companion. So Thomas didn’t even think he could make others like him for being himself unless they were vital to the overall production of WCKD. Seeing this portion right before the end of chapter 14: “Alby, Minho, Newt, Teresa. Thomas had friends.” shows that Thomas really had to deep dive to see how he deals with personal connections and why he was excited about the notion of friendship. He could’ve been happy with just Teresa, but only fully cemented her bond to him as “friend” when his circle grew and these kids he got to hang with taught him he can be himself, a concept he didn’t realize was possible when all his life was dictated on what he was supposed to learn or do. It becomes especially clear just how controlled his life is with the aspect of sentiment when later on Teresa’s mental communication evokes physcial pain and fear in Thomas. I’ll get back to that later as its more of a small tid bit of Thomas’ view on his forced love interest, Teresa. And yes, I say forced because multiple sentences with Thomas have him even wish he could cease all communication with her. Moving on, let’s talk about mimicking for a second. As humans, we mimic as a behavioral response to become closer to the person we care about. It’s the reason why yawning or laughter is contagious and or why we copy the posture of the person we converse with face to face. Thomas is seen to do this the most with Newt’s quirks. I’ll give the example in chapter 15: “Newt has been promising them that he was saving something special, and he did that annoying zipped-lipped sign every time [...] the little light in his eyes showed he enjoyed every second of their torture” versus Thomas: “Thomas did Newt’s zipped-lipped gesture, and that got him a sharp poke in the ribs”. So, we know enough that Thomas’ mannerisms are developing as a sign that he wants to be closer to Newt and to continue this sense of playfulness they both enjoy from the other. This is the start of their budding bond and a clear indication that they hold each other at greater fondness than the rest through this unconscious copying. Through this copying, they also pick up on emotional cues the other lets up on. Newt is especially good at noticing small things like when Thomas is anxious or overthinking: “He was just shocked that with all their exploring, the others hadn’t already discovered it on their own. And there were supposed to be TWO mazes. How had Newt and his friends not stumbled upon either one of them? ‘Tommy?’ Thomas realized Newt was staring straight at him, eyebrows raised. ‘Sorry,’ he said embarrassed, ‘wandered off for a second there what did you say?’ Newt shook his head in admonishment. ‘Try to keep up, Tommy Are you ready to see the grat outdoors?” (ch. 15). Also in chapter 23: “Tommy?’ It was Newt, breaking him out of his thoughts. ‘I can see your wheels spinnin’ up there.’ He tapped the side of his head”. This furthers Newts perceptiveness on his friend and Thomas’ ability to pick out when he is being looked after. And they bounce off each other really well in that aspect. To the point that Newt can crack a joke he knows will land right on Thomas’ sense of humor: “Newt waggled his fingers in front of Thomas’ face [...] A laugh exploded out of Thomas’ mouth that sent a spray everywhere. ‘Sorry’ he said, wiping his lips on his sleeve” (ch.15). It’s enjoyable to know that at least at a surface level, they have fun together and can cheer the other up if needed or know when to ground the other to reality. It is also through these instances that as a reader I pick up that Thomas’ nervous ticks perhaps allude to an anxiety disorder he has; of which Newt is aware of and never puts Thomas down on for exhibiting. He in fact understands it and deals with it accordingly as he himself has a similar circumstance. SO, what does all this paying attention lead to? Thomas’ devotion to protect Newt. Yeah, thats right I said devotion. Thomas’ actions are influenced by his developed instinct to protect Newt at all costs. Here is the biggest example that comes to mind: “What in the world happened to Newt? -- Less then two hours later, Thomas had spliced together a series of camera clips [...] Thomas turned off the feed. He couldn’t take it anymore...Newt, Newt, Newt, Thomas thought, feeling as if the very air around him were turning black.”(ch.52). Essentially, Thomas seeing Newt plummet to his near death by falling from the maze wall as a result of Newt’s ongoing depressive state, this is the moment that makes Thomas realize WICKD isn’t as good as they seem and that he is going into the maze to save Newt. Its admirable how much self sacrifice Thomas does for someone he cares so much about, to the point that their name is like a mantra. Thats a sensible area of passion and fighting spirit for someone who is “just a friend”. Oh and, the feeling of fondness is mutual mind you if I haven’t been clear. After experiencing the horrors of cranks for the first time, realizing Newt was not immune, and watching Newt until they entered the pits it has been months since they last interacted; this is their first reunion: “What’s up Tommy?’ Newt exclaimed, his face filled with genuine happiness at the pleasant surprise that’s been sprung on him. Thomas couldn’t remember exactly how long it’d been since he’d seen Newt. ‘You look bloody fantastic for three in the morning” (ch. 23). I need to preface this that Newt DOES NOT mean that sarcastically and that out of all the people in the room (Minho, Chuck and Teresa are there in this scene), Thomas only reacts this way specifically toward seeing Newt is okay and back. The characters are also not afraid of being physically close. “Well, look who the bloody copper dragged in,’ Newt said, pulling Thomas into a big hug” (ch.31), “They shook hands, and then the two of them set off...” (ch. 31), and my favorite: “Thomas jumped at the sound, then stumbled. Newt tripped over him, and then they were both laughing, legs and arms tangled in a pile on the ground”(ch.32). I don’t think this far in the novel, Thomas has been AS (emphasis on as) comfortable with touch with anyone else other than Newt. And thats a big step forward on the aspect of trust in a relationship, being able to be comfortable with the presence of another person enough to be as intimate with them as shown here. And all this, is just fever code itself. Mind you this is not the MEAT of the novels as it came out later. But even without it, lets look at Thomas in Maze now, I’ll try to keep this segment a lot more brief. Here’s Thomas looking respectively at boys his age: “A tall kid with blond hair and a square jaw...a thick, heavy muscled Asian kid folded his arms as he studied Thomas, his tight shirtsleeves rolled up to show off his biceps [...] Newt was taller than Alby too, but looked to be a year or so younger, His hair was blond and cut long, cascading over his T-shirt. Veins stuck out of his muscled arms”(ch. 2). Thomas’ initial reaction to being surrounded by boys is to deeply analyze their rugged good looks and heavily emphasize their best physical traits. When reading this the first time, my mind immediately thought this boy at the very least is supposed to be portrayed as bi, especially when later down the line Teresa gets a similar descriptor: “...despite her paleness, she was really pretty...silky hair, flawless skin, perfect lips, long legs.” So right off the bat, we know that be it boy or girl, Thomas emphasizes how attractive someone looks in his eyes when he truly does have a sense of attraction to them. Case closed. Within the same chapter we get Thomas also immediately clinging onto Newt for a sense of grounding, it is now ingrained in him at this point that the boy is his lifeline, a person to rely on. “Thomas looked over at Newt, hoping for help.” And help he does, Newt in this chapter helps ease his worries, explain a general idea of what the glade is and even pats him on the shoulder a bit to ease tension. And Thomas doesn’t bat an eye in the same way he’s weary of literally everyone else. In fact, he’s eager to stay put with him as shown with; “If Newt went up there, then I wanna talk to him.” And if none of that seals the deal, we got early bird Newt being so touch starved he flattens himself next to Thomas to wake him up at the crack of Dawn in chapter 6: “Someone shook Thomas awake. His eyes snapped open to see a too-close face staring down at him, everything around them still shadowed by the darkness of early morning...’Shh, Greenie. Don’t wanna be waking up Chuckie, now, do we?’ It was Newt --the guy who seemed second in command; the air reeked of his morning breath. Though Thomas was surprised, any alarm melted away immediately”. This whole scene follows firstly by Thomas once again impressed by how strong Newt is and then Newt giving him a rundown of what everyone else was too afraid to show Thomas, the grievers. And you know, this scene could’ve ended well and everything as totally platonic, but then we have “Newt turned to look at him dead in the eye. The first traces of dawn had crept up on them, and Thomas could see EVERY DETAIL OF NEWT’S FACE, HIS SKIN TIGHT, HIS BROW CREASED.” Now, look me in the eye and tell me there is a hetero explanation on looking at your best bro like they are the sun reincarnated themselves. But let’s not hog all the homosexual undertones with Thomas here. Wanna know what Newt’s initial reaction to having a girl in the glade was? “It’s a girl,’ he said [...] Newt shushed them again. ‘That’s not bloody half of it,’ he said, then pointed down into the box. ‘I think she’s dead” (ch.8). It’s actually a stark contrast to the other gladers eagerly wanting to know her age, how pretty she looked, and calling dibs to date her; Newt isn’t interested in any of that, he’s more perplexed on her status and not even bothering to remark on her looks, he was the only one not to and even remarks a few other instances that girls are more Thomas’ domain. For instance, he makes a joke in fever code when Thomas remarks that the girls in the institution were going to tackle him down, Newt proceeds to point out sarcastically something along the lines of “wait, isn’t that YOUR dream though?” So Newt is pretty out spoken of his disinterest in girls, and his full admiration and attention on Thomas. Oh, and yes, Newt immediately switches over to “Tommy” the moment Thomas mentions he hates being called greenie, and once again it just becomes a thing between only the two of them. Newt is also the one to be straight forward about the whole Runners business. He warns Thomas about the dangers and doesn’t necessarily turn him down on his desire to be one, he in fact encouraged him to just wait until the right moment. “No one said you couldn’t, but give it a rest for now”(ch. 15). So once again, Newt is the voice of confidence and reason for Thomas to prosper. In turn, this time around Thomas is the one to catch when something is bothering Newt. For instance, “Newt chewed his fingernails, something he hadn’t seen the older boy do before...he was genuinely concerned -- Newt was one of the few people in the Glade he actually liked ”(ch.16). Interesting how we went from fever code “friend” to “like”. And also, when Newt explains his concern about the runners not coming back yet, Thomas pieces together how scared Newt is of the Maze without being told and goes to stand next to him as a physical presence to ground Newt as they wait near the entrance. In fact, this piece is trivial to understand why Thomas does what he does next. When everyone else had given up on the Runners still outside with 2 minutes left til closing, and Newt was escorted away from the entrance, Thomas waited. And when Thomas saw them, he yells to Newt, realizes he’s too far to do anything, and makes a decision himself. He KNEW how much Newt cared about his fellow Gladers, they were like family or “kin” as its said in the book, so what does he do? “Don’t do it Tommy! Don’t you bloody do it!’ ... Thomas knew he had no choice. He moved. Forward. He squeezed past the connecting rods at the last second and stepped into the maze”(ch.16). Yes, Thomas does this because of his empathy for the Gladers, but the chain reaction of Newt’s concern is what sets his decision in stone. And yet again, Thomas enters the maze for Newt. And that’s pretty much the constant for the rest of Maze Runner the book, Newt just sticking up for Thomas and Thomas in turn just being happy that: “He was at least relieved that Newt was there” (ch.17). And thats basically their entire dynamic. Newt just going: “If you really did help design the maze Tommy, it’s not your fault. You‘re a kid -- you can’t help what they forced you to do” to ease the survivor’s trauma Thomas has, as well as saying “I actually believe you. You just don’t have an ounce of lying in those eyes of yours. And I can’t bloody believe I’m about to say this...but I’m going back in there to convince those shanks we should go through the griever hole, just like you said”(ch.51); and I think thats the most romantic thing to hear from him. Just right out being all for supporting Thomas no matter what happens as long as he stays alive and continues to fight, he doesn’t care about what happened before. And Thomas eats that up because it fuels him even more to seek out a means to escape for the people (Newt) that deserve a life outside of running from monsters forever. So essentially, I’ll state again, it’s always been Newt the catalyst for Thomas to run head first into the Maze and seek freedom. And with all this I can clear that these two are shown to if not be romantically involved, at least have unconditional love for the other that transcends the author’s original intention. And with that in mind, here’s the thing with Teresa as a love interest. I can list here quotes of every time she mind speaks to Thomas and how that affects him, but then this would be too long. And this is a newtmas post gosh darn it. Teresa is gleeful to humiliate, control, hurt, and force Thomas to believe they’re in love. In multiple instances we get her barging into his mind unwarranted making him understand that she has full access to his inner most thoughts. Theres nothing romantic about that, and I think its why Thomas ends up being so perceptive to the smallest of gestures that allow him to think on his own and feel like his own person. Something I’ve seen Brenda do later in scorch, and something I’ve seen Newt do since the very beginning is that they allow Thomas to come to his own conclusions in order to create his own opinions on the matters at hand. Thomas’ love language revolves around words of affirmation. He likes it when people confirm his thoughts are valid and that remind him that WICKD can’t hurt him anymore now that he has the power to be his own person. This is where Newt comes in very handy. He allows Thomas to grow in ways his female love interests have yet to show, sorry Brenda but I’ve heard you were trying to unite all immunes together to the safe haven by the end and in a sense still only using Thomas to get by; I still think she was the better call than teresa of course and I have no remorse for Teresa getting smushed by a boulder. But essentially my point here is that, how do you fail to make your initial love interests clash so badly where one has no real care about the others well being so long as everything goes according to WCKD by using a form of gaslighting and manipulation? AND THOMAS HAS STATED HIS DISCOMFORT ON THIS MULTIPLE TIMES, but the narrative always erases these instances from his mind in place of pity for Teresa’s well being (as you can tell, Teresa through this becomes my least favorite character, I can rant about her some othe time though with proper backing). The narrative in turn treats it all like a joke. I understand there are scenes where Thomas is worried about her and looks out to make sure shes ok, but even then he doesn’t know how to react with mental images of her kissing his cheek or when she screams the next minute that she doesn’t know who he is or how hes speaking into her mind. And thats because they can’t properly communicate their emotions to the other, not even in fever code could Thomas give a forward answer if he loved Teresa or not, she just assumed. Come to think of it, Thomas really doesn’t show much affection to Teresa of his own accord. So then, how DOES Thomas show his affection? Thomas provides acts of service as his love language, if he cares about you enough he will risk his life for you. Why? Because Thomas values putting the people he loves foremost knowing full well they are what help him have purpose and succeed in continuing on. In a way, Newt and Thomas’ dynamic works in this instance because they balance the other out and because they have seen each other at their worst and at their best. In a way, that's why knowing the ending of the books makes it harder to accept that Thomas would just easily take the shot...when all his life clung to Newt’s survival. But that’s a story for another time where I compare the movies (of which let me make that clear, yes I prefer) over the books. For now just know that the book may have done this by accident, maybe not, but at the end of the day theres solid proof that Thomas and Newt care about each other in a way that is separately portrayed from their connection to the other glade members, and have this consistency of soft moments running through the entirety of the series. In conclusion; newtmas. Newtmas. NEWTMAS, etc.

#Newtmas #long post #Skquill #ask #The ending gets a bit ranty with Teresa I must admit #but for the most part its just me recalling the best newtmas moments from the novels I've currently read #Please add on more newtmas proof to the thread

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