#cuz you see in the first books he was pretty much like his grandson

[ctrl-lupin]

Yes, I would be very interested hearing your head canon (@tim-ribbert-56) (in response to this post)

I have decided for my personal entertainment that Clarisse de Cagliostro is related to Lupin III, and here's why.

-pulls out Arsène Lupin's Wikipedia page-

In the novel La Comtesse de Cagliostro, a young Arsène Lupin (at the time going by the name Raoul d'Andrésy) was courting Clarisse d'Etigues, a young lady of a well-to-do family, and trying to win her hand, despite her father's disapproval.

Throughout the course of the novel, Lupin meets and falls in love with Joséphine Balsamo, aka the Countess of Cagliostro, and abandons Clarisse in favour of her. To clarify, Joséphine is not actually countess of anything, she is (or claims to be) a descendant of Giuseppe Balsamo aka the Count of Cagliostro (who was also count of jack shit), a famous conman from the 18th century.

Shenanigans ensue, which I will not go into in details on, but oh my god I am insane about Raoul and Joséphine, I want to dissect them and study them under a microscope. It turns out Joséphine aka Cagliostro is evil as fuck, Raoul/Lupin realizes that and goes back to Clarisse (whom he had previously abandoned like an old sock, I fucking hate this guy), marries her, and a few years later has her kid.

Unfortunately Clarisse dies in childbirth, and Joséphine, who was still around and very very pissed at Lupin (and jealous as hell of Clarisse whom, may I mention, had never personally antagonized her in any way whatsoever, Joséphine is just fucking bonkers). Joséphine also kidnaps Lupin and Clarisse's son, Jean, and raises him as her own son. (I have not yet read the following novel The revenge of Cagliostro so I don't really know what Jean's deal is, I just know he's an antagonist).

The following is my headcanon, based on these events. In the universe of Lupin III, Joséphine Balsamo was actually countess of the small kingdom of Cagliostro (maybe Giuseppe was count, maybe he conned his way into becoming count, maybe he bought the land and built a fake kingdom with a fake history, who knows).

After the events of The revenge of Cagliostro, Jean settles down in the country of Cagliostro, gets married, has a child, and that child will later have a daughter of their own, who they name Clarisse, after their late grandmother. Clarisse de Cagliostro, of Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro fame, would thus be the great-grand-daughter of Arsène Lupin, making her Lupin III's cousin/niece/whatever you call this specific degree of separation.

I am choosing to make Clarisse de Cagliostro a great-granddaughter of Arsène Lupin, rather than a granddaughter, because Arsène Lupin was very young when the events I described unfolded: he is 20 years old when he meets Clarisse d'Etigues and the whole Cagliostro debacle happens, and 25 by the time Jean is born. I'm assuming he had Lupin II much later in his life. So Jean and Lupin II (half-brothers) would have a significant difference in age, and so Jean's hypothetical child (grandchild of Arsène Lupin, so of the same generation of Lupin III) would be much older than Lupin III. Clarisse de Cagliostro is younger than him, maybe around the same age if you stretch it, so she's have to be a great-grandchild.

Now I need to read The revenge of Cagliostro and study Arsène Lupin's wikipedia page in more detail to determine when exactly Lupin II was born and who his mother was. And also where Albert's family branched out, because the fact that he's called D'Andrésy should theoretically place him as a descendant of Arsène Lupin's mother but not of Arsène Lupin himself; but Jean was also going by that last name, so who fucking knows.

No I am not insane I promise, I am just a gigantic nerd.

[moonlitgleek]

I would love to hear your thoughts about Fire and Blood when you finish it! (Or not even when you finish it, just whenever, cuz you're amazing!) 💕

I have the best friends in the world! Love and hugs, lady.

I am halfway through and I intend to go back and reread each chapter once I finish since I keep blowing through pages because I want to know all the things, which is not very good for proper processing. But a few of the things that jumped at me so far:

(spoilers for Fire and Blood volume 1 under the cut)

1. Gyldayn seems more rambly and prone to ponder sexual scandals than Yandel. He spent waaaay too much time talking about that, and while sexuality is at the heart of some conflicts, the way he went on about the story of Coryanne Wylde and the sordid details of how she was “examined” really undermines his position as a historian and makes me overly iffy on him. Also, there are private conversations between Jaehaerys and Alysanne that I’d really like to know his source on.

2. Speaking of authors, what the actual fuck George? You’d think that in a book that goes so into detail about unconfirmed scandals he’d have the room to expand on someone like, idk, Argella Durrandon? He had the chance to make her story a bit better but he not only did he uphold her forceful loss of voice being the last we hear of her, he compounded the matter by also having Marla Sunderland’s tongue removed before she was packed off to the Silent Sisters. Literal stripping of women’s voices for defiance, by their own men no less, when it’s so unnecessary and so singular in its gendered use in the plot infuriates me. There is a lot of overlap between gender and silencing of voice in this (Argella, Marla, Ceryse Hightower, Rhaena Targaryen). UGH.

3. On the topic of women, Torrhen Stark’s daughter not only does not have a name, she is completely unmentioned in Jonos Arryn’s rebellion, nor by her nephew (?) Alaric with either Alysanne or Jaehaerys. Looks a bit peculiar since Alaric obviously brooded on the consequences of Targaryen decision for his family in the case of Jaehaerys and those he sent to the Wall, so is there any particular reason Torrhen’s daughter goes completely unmentioned even when the topic of marriage was raised and southern matches brought up, George?

4. Aegon, Visenya and Rhaenys are outright referred to as the three heads of the dragon. It’s no longer symbolic or understood but an explicit connection. That’s way too obvious for me to buy that Rhaegar’s Aegon and Rhaenys don’t point straight to a recreation of the Conquest Trio.

5. The war of escalating atrocities between Dorne and the Targaryens is terrible but I feel like there is a conscious effort to make the Targaryens seem better somewhat? The mention of them trying to negotiate at this point before actually utilizing dragonflame is weird because it is not consistent with anything in the Conquest. I don’t know what to do with that part.

6. The First Dornish War makes Daeron I’s folly in the conquest more obvious. Dornish terrain is as much an element to conquer as Dornish people and it costs a lot to manage it. Keeping conquered Dornish ground is bloody hard even with dragons. Daeron even leaves a Tyrell in charge just like Aegon.

7. Is it just me or does the Targaryen succession look weird in early days? Jaehaerys is referred to as the rightful heir by all rights then a few pages later it’s nope, Aerea is then suddenly we’re talking about Rhaena’s claim even though every reference to Targaryen succession before that points to a male-preference primogeniture. Alysanne takes issue with Jaehaerys treating Aemon as his heir over Daenerys even though Jaehaerys’ accession is tarnished based on that principle. There is a distinct vibe of seeing the son of Rhaenys the Queen Who Never Was as the expected heir of Aemon rather than Rhaenys herself (though this could partly because Princess Rhaenys and Lord Corlys wanted to put forward a potential male heir to offset Baelon being seen as the natural successor - since when was Baelon seen as the natural successor though? That apparently wasn’t only Jaehaerys’ sentiment so was that a popular view while Aemon lived or a reaction to Baelon avenging Aemon? Was Aemon aware and that’s why he made a comment to Rhaenys about liking a grandson, or was that regular era preference of male heirs?). Main takeaway though is that Jaehaerys passing over Rhaenys had nothing with extant competing claims but was about regarding Baelon as a natural successor for his gender, age and prowess. Jaehaerys pretty much didn’t even consider Rhaenys. Headdesk. You’re killing me, man.

8. I feel like the characters of Rhaena Targaryen and Alyssa Velaryon are being walked back. The point where apparently Septon Barth comments that Alyssa undoubtedly wanted to do the right thing but didn’t know what that was flies in the face of her previously established actions. I don’t like how she was taken down from an active and conscious political player, to a confused and almost secondary player next to Rogar (much preferred him when he was Robar, both the name and the person) till their final tiff, to  a womb and another casualty of childbirth with the emphasis being on her children. Rhaena may have called out the latter but the whole thing feels like a punishment for Alyssa for first opposing Jaehaerys and Alysanne then opposing Rogar. As for Rhaena, she swings between political sacrifice for the greater good to treating Jaehaerys and Alysanne with contempt for it. Resentment is perfectly normal and understandable but Rhaena surpasses that. She is purposely cast in an unfavorable light and her sexuality is strongly used to frame it.

9. There is a bit of exoneration after the fact to Jaehaerys sentencing most of Maegor’s Kingsguard to the Wall on contradicting arguments. I get his point about oathbreaking but punishing those who deserted Maegor because they didn’t uphold their vows to protect hum while also punishing those who didn’t desert him for defending and enabling a murderous usurper is extremely contradictory. That the two knights who deserted Maegor then deserted the Night’s Watch and a caused a conflict that claimed the life of Walton Stark neatly brushes this quandary off because it demonstrates that Jaehaerys was right.

10. I love how Septon Barth and Alysanne often work as a team in pushing Jaehaerys towards one policy or another. On more than one occasion, one of them makes the argument and the other comes with the definitive final strike. I love the women’s court and Alysanne’s Laws though I think there is a certain vagueness in the way Jaehaerys codified inheritance in the Widow’s Law. I’m still midway through Viserys I’s tenure though so I don’t know if this will be raised in any sort of legal argument for the Dance but it’s a non-issue so far.

11. I hate how Daella Targaryen was written. I hate how we keep adding names to the “death by childbirth” list. I hate how the child brides keep getting ignored. This is too conspicuous in the case of Daella and her daughter Aemma Arryn. Queen Alysanne held herself and especially Jaehaerys to blame for Daella’s death because she felt that, at 16-17, they wed her too early and that contributed to her death in childbed. But it’s treated like a non-issue that Aemma married Viserys at 11 and was bedded at 13.

12. I’m indescribably charmed by how Baelon the Brave got his epithet by booping a dragon on the nose. Also, the relationship between Aemon and Baelon, and Baelon and Alyssa. Too bad we can’t have nice things.

13. I already lost my shit over this in DMs with you but still, Aerea Targaryen! Aerea Targaryen! Oh my god. I was equally horrified and fascinated. A speculated trip to Valyria that resulted in the princess’ body being inhabited by “worms with faces” or “snakes with hands” made of fire and heat that cooked her body from the inside. This surpasses Valyria being a thin place or geophysically unstable. This means there is a Lovecraftian horror capable of using human bodies (and non-human bodies, Balerion was wounded as well but dragons are fire made flesh so that probably protected him) as vessels to… spread? Take over? Turn people into dragonic/fire abominations? Also, also, is that take over possible for anyone or is whatever is dormant in Targaryen DNA that tends to emerge with the use of magic in the form of babies with dragon-like qualities (though it appeared in non-magical cases) makes them more susceptible?

COMPARE TO THE OTHERS. A Lovecraftian horror made of ice and another made of fire. Blood magic probably behind the creation (calling?) of both. We still don’t know how the Others came to be and there has been legitimate rebuttals to the show’s version of their creations BUT I think what could be taken from the show is the suggestion that this is blood magic gone wrong.Both take over human bodies though differently (is this linked to living bodies being warm and dead ones growing cold? Is that why the fire-based monstrosity manifests in living creatures while the Others trades in dead bodies? The things beneath Aerea’s skin burst out either when they felt the cold of the ice bath the maesters put her in or when she suffered cardiac arrest and died. Either way it’s connected to cold)  The cosmic balance between ice and fire has deeper roots….. now I’m really curious as to the nature of the magic of the Wall that keeps ice and fire firmly separated.

14. We are slowly building a succession history for the Starks: Torrhen Stark -> son (?) Brandon -> son Walton -> brother Alaric -> grandson Edric -> Ellard of undetermined relation. That’s how as far as I got in the book but that’s too far from the Benjen Stark that starts the Stark family tree in TWOIAF. Cregan Stark was already Lord of Winterfell by 129 so that’s a period of 28 years between that and the Great Council that also fits the aforementioned Benjen and his son Rickon, Cregan’s father and grandfather.

15. I’m so not a fan of the art in this book. It ranges from blatantly inaccurate (Aemond and Luke during the Dance, SIGH), to exaggerated (Elinor Costayne is weird in that art with Maegor. Also, did she wait to react till she climbed the entire Iron Throne? And Jaehaerys was cool and measured in his response to Maegor’s supporters after landing in the Red Keep. WHY does he look like he is yelling in the art?) to weird (Which of the Black Brides is dressed like a septa and why? Why does Jaehaerys look like all of 8 at his coronation when he was actually 14?). Perhaps that’s a bit nitpicky but I’m not impressed tbh.

16. GRRM overdid it with Jaehaerys’ reign imo. There is writing conflict because peace and prosperity is dull to write, and there is cramming every possible conflict under the sun in the story. Was there anything missing? I count family drama, political intrigues, succession questions, plague, policy changes, financial crisis, winter, and mini-rebellions. He reigned for a long time so I get it but at one point it was one conflict after another that I’m having trouble reconciling what I read with previous descriptions of Jaehaerys’ reign.

17. There is a lot to talk about with Jaehaerys and Alysanne but I want to get the timeline straight and give it some more thought. But I will say that as delighted as I am with all the women in Alysanne’s story and with Jaehaerys and Alysanne’s relationship reflected in policy, it’s monumentally disappointing to read about his relationship with his daughters. There was an underlining gentleness in how he treated his mother Alyssa and Rhaena that was sorely missing with some of his daughters. I came out of this part feeling really off and unsettled. And sad. So very sad. WTF, Jaehaerys. Just WTF.

That’s my preliminary thoughts on the first half of the book. It’s mostly feelings with a side of unsubstantiated and unresearched spiraling. Politics, worldbuilding and themes tend to appear on later reads.

(Edit: part two is here)

[calliopesquill]

A Year in the Life: Chapter 5

Guess what! I decided to post before midnight tonight lol 

You all are seriously amazing, you know that? The responses I have been getting for these last chapters have been incredible and I can't thank you enough.

Special thanks to all of you who left me such wonderful comments. It really makes my day every time I get one and there are a few these last couple weeks that almost made me cry. So really, thank you. 

With that said, on to chapter 5!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 5: La Familia Rivera

         Nell needed to start setting alarms when she worked. She’d gotten so buried in her novel planning and concept sketches that it was three in the afternoon before she finally surfaced, and that only happened because her stomach had let out a growl loud enough to wake the dead. She pushed herself away from the table with a groan, letting out a muttered curse as she stretched, her back protesting at the hunched position she’d been in for the last three hours. It was definitely time for a break.

         She shuffled across the kitchen to her fridge, only to find it almost totally empty. Right… I was supposed to go grocery shopping this morning.

         She sighed, shutting the fridge again. Better to do that now, and maybe grab an early supper on the way. She was too hungry to cook. But first she should probably get dressed. Her style may be casual, but it definitely wasn’t “leave the house in pajamas” casual. Nell traded her pajamas for a pair of comfortable flower-printed shorts and a white tee shirt, twisting her hair up in a messy bun as she stepped into her pink ballet flats. After a quick double-check that both her keys and wallet were still in her purse, she was out the door.

         As she walked, she went over what she’d come up with for her new novel so far. It would be narrated by the guitar itself, a twist that she would not be revealing until near the end. She didn’t have much for her protagonist yet, but was toying with the idea of him stealing the guitar for himself at first, so the story could be something of a redemption arc for him as well. There would be no familial connection between the hero and the guitar’s original owner, however. She wanted to tell her own story, not just re-tell something that had already happened.

         She was contemplating the design of her main character when she was nearly knocked off her feet by a small, bony form. The dog continued on past her to dance around the feet of an old woman in a blue button-down dress.

         “ ¡Oye! ” The woman protested, shifting the grocery bags she carried to one arm so she could shoo the dog away. “ ¡Abajo! Abajo, perro tonto. ¡No saltar! ”

         The dog, completely ignoring her commands to get down, jumped at her again, knocking her bags from her hands in its attempts to smother her with affection. It only backed away when it saw her reaching for the sandal on her foot, electing instead to plop down next to her and begin chewing on its own leg.

         Muttering to herself, the woman began to pick up her spilled groceries, letting out a muttered oath when she saw the strap on one of the bags had snapped. She looked up when she saw a second set of hands gathering up the spilled fruit and reached for her sandal again, prepared to fight off any tonto stupid enough to try to steal from her. But instead of running off they pulled a folded-up cloth bag from inside their purse and began putting the spilled food inside to make it easier to carry.

         Nell stood, brushing off the road dust, and offered the woman a hand to help her up. “ ¿Estás bien? ” She asked, picking up the bag of groceries she’d helped pick up.

         “ Si, gracias ,” the woman answered, then shot a fond but vaguely frustrated look towards the dog that still sat at their feet. “No thanks to you, silly dog.”

         “Is he yours?”

         “He thinks he is,” the woman shrugged. “He comes to the house sometimes, looking for food. He is very fond of my grandson.” Now that she could actually get a good look at the person who had helped her, she recognized the young woman who often sat in the plaza. “You are one of Coro’s tenants, si? The artist.”

         “My name’s Nell,” she said with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you. Did you want some help getting these back home?”

         “Ah, I will be fine,” the woman said, waving her off. “As long as someone --” Here she shot another look at the dog, who gave her a harmless doggy smile. “--does not jump on me again.”

         “Aw, you won’t jump again, will you?” Nell asked the dog, giving him a scratch behind the ears. The dog gave a small huff, leaning into her hand as his skinny tail beat a tattoo against the ground. “Cuz you are a good boy.”

         The dog barked the affirmative.

         “You are a nice girl,” the woman decided. “My grandson, he says very good things about you.”

         “Your grandson?”

         “ Si. My Miguelito. He talks to you sometimes when you draw at the plaza.”

         “Oh, you’re Miguel’s abuelita !” Now it all made sense. “It’s a pleasure to meet you at last. And that must mean that this handsome boy here is Dante.”

         Elena snorted. ‘Handsome’ was not exactly the word that she would have chosen. What he was was dumb as a bag of rocks, but he was sweet-natured and very dedicated to her grandson, and the rest of the family by extension, so she’d developed a soft spot for the silly thing. “You are very good with dogs,”  she noted, seeing Dante roll over so Nell could scratch his belly.

         “I always wanted one growing up,” Nell confessed as she gave in to his desire for pets. “But my dad was allergic to the hair. Couldn’t handle cats either, so I never had a chance to have a pet growing up. And then after I moved out on my own I couldn’t really afford one so… “ She shrugged.

         “This one seems to like you,” Elena said with a small nod. “He is very foolish, but he knows good people. You will come for dinner.”

         “Thank you. I -- wait, what? Oh, no, you don’t have to. That’s very generous but --”

         But Elena overrode her protests. “Nonsense. You will come tonight and meet the family.”

         “I --- okay.” What else could she say? “Is there anything you’d like me to bring? I could make dessert.”

         “No, no. I have all that I need. You will come tonight for six and we will have a nice dinner.”

         “Ah… Okay. Thank you.”

         Despite protests, Nell insisted on escorting her home anyway, telling her to keep the cloth bag that the extra groceries had been carried in as Elena’s other one was broken. The moment the door had closed Nell dashed off down the street to the grocery store.

         She ended up making chocolate chip cookies, though she’d had to borrow a pair of baking trays and a serving platter from Tia Caro. She had been told not to bring anything but she had been strictly mother-trained not to arrive empty-handed when it came to dinner invitations. As the cookies cooled, Nell traded her shorts and tee-shirt for a casual emerald green maxi dress topped with a candy pink knit bolero sweater. Mindful that she was visiting a family of shoemakers, she paired her outfit with a pretty pair of black and gold strappy sandals. Her hair she tied back in a low, looped ponytail that would keep the curls out of her face, but would not give her a headache as the night went on.

         She walked carefully towards the Rivera home, praying that she wouldn’t trip and spill all of the cookies before she got there. It might have been early October but to Nell it still felt like mid-summer. The leaves would have just started to change color back home and the neighborhood kids would all be in a tizzy picking their Halloween costumes. She smiled fondly at the thought. Halloween had always been her favorite holiday, though more for the costumes and the candy than the spook-factor. Funny enough, Nell could not handle horror movies or haunted houses at all. Her friends had tricked her into watching A Haunting in Connecticut one night and she barely slept for a week.

         She’d be missing Halloween this year, but would be trading it out for her first experience with Dia de los Muertos. Already people had begun decorating, draping colorful cut-paper banners between the buildings. There were areas of Santa Cecilia where the little flags were always present, but there were always more come fall. It was a little early for people to be putting out the elaborate calaveras figures that were also used to decorate, but Nell did spot one or two between her place and the Rivera’s.

         Thankfully she made it to the house without incident and knocked on the front door at promptly five minutes to six.

         The woman who answered the door was just shorter than she was, dressed in a cheerful yellow blouse and a bright pink skirt. Her hair was dark and straight, tied back in a low, loose braid. She had a youthful face, with smile lines just appearing around her eyes  -- some of which, Nell guessed, could be attributed to the toddler at her hip.

         She smiled when she saw her. “Ah, you must be Nell. Mama told us you would be joining us for dinner. Please, come in.” She nudged the door open with her foot, stepping back so Nell could follow her into the courtyard.

         “ Gracias, Señora Rivera. ”

         “Please, call me Luisa,” the woman insisted, resettling her daughter on her hip as she closed the gate. “And this one here is my youngest, Soccoro. Miguel has told us so much about you. He says you are an artist.”

         Nell nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

         “Miguel really likes your books. He wanted to bring them home from the library so he could show his prima Rosa but they did not have them, so he has been showing her on the computer during their lunch hour. She really likes your heroine.”

         “I’m glad they’re enjoying it so far,” Nell smiled. “I had a lot of fun writing it.”

         “It shows. Ah, but you must be tired of carrying that tray. Come, I will show you to the kitchen. Mama should be just about done with dinner.”

         “She told me not to bring anything but I wanted to contribute somehow,” Nell admitted, following Luisa through the courtyard. “I’m better with desserts than actual meals, so I figured chocolate chip cookies would be a good option.”

         Luisa chuckled. “We will have to hide those from Miguel until after dinner. And this one too,” she added as little Soccoro reached for the tray.

         No sooner had she said that than Miguel burst from his room, still dressed in the white button-down shirt and navy pants of his school uniform. “Mama I’m done my -- hey! Nell! What are you doing here?”

         “ Ay! Manners mijo.  Your abuelita met your friend this afternoon and invited her over for dinner.”

         Miguel cocked his head curiously. “How did you meet abuelita?

         “A certain affectionate xolo decided that the best time to give her kisses was when she was carrying groceries,” Nell told him. “I just happened to be nearby and helped her pick them up.”

         He laughed. “Dante is still working on his timing. Are those cookies for us?”

         “After dinner, mijo ,” Luisa told him. “Your abuelita should be almost ready, so why don’t you get out of your school clothes and you can help set the table.”

         “Okay Mama.”

         Abuelita Elena was the undisputed head of the Rivera family. She was a life-long shoemaker but it was in the kitchen where she truly reigned supreme. Everything was timed to the minute on an internal clock born of practice and instinct. Nell, who could not put a perfectly-timed meal on the table if her life depended on it, wanted to applaud. Elena seemed to know everything that was going on in her kitchen at all times and even though her back was turned, she was instantly aware of other people entering her domain.

         “Ah, Luisa! You are just in time,” she said, not even turning around as she plated up a tray of ribs in a spicy-smelling sauce. “And you have brought Penelope with you. Good. I like it when people are on time.”

         “I’m obsessively prompt,” Nell smiled. “And please, call me Nell. I brought some dessert for later. Is there somewhere I can put it where little cookie-monsters won’t be able to help themselves before dinner?”

         Elena gave a short snort of laughter. “Anyone in my house knows there will be no desserts until after their dinner. For now you can put them on top of the fridge.”

         Not for the first time Nell was grateful for her height, as she barely had to stand on tiptoe to set the tray atop the fridge. As with many homes it was a local showcase of family achievements; well-graded assignments and art projects from the varying Rivera cousins covered the door, fixed with colorful magnets. As she turned away she could see Elena glancing at her sandals out of the corner of her eye.

         “Your shoes. They are pretty, but they were not made for you. They are too flat. You move like a dancer, but in those things you walk like a duck.”

         Nell let out a snort of laughter. “I was a dancer, from about the age of four. Quit after I finished university because I moved out and couldn’t pay for lessons anymore. Took three years as an adult to train myself out of that turn-out so I could walk with my feet parallel again.” She still caught herself standing in ballet-third when she wasn’t paying attention. “I have a hard time finding sandals a lot of the time because most of them come in four styles: cute but flat as cardboard so zero arch-support at all, cute but with massive heels and can only be worn for like an hour before you want to die, cute but eat your feet and leave raw patches and blisters, and comfortable but really ugly. There is no place for ugly shoes in my wardrobe.”

         Elena nodded in approval of the sentiment. There was no place in the world for ugly shoes at all in her opinion. Cheap shoes were an insult to her craft. No Rivera would be seen wearing cheap, poorly-constructed shoes, and if she had her way then no friend of the Riveras would either. “Come, you take that plate there and help me set the table and we will talk about shoes that you can wear for the rest of your life.”

         “I -- okay.” What else could she do? She didn’t want to come out and say that custom-made shoes were not a luxury that she could afford right now. Most of what she had had gone into this trip, and though her book sales and commissions were keeping her afloat, they didn’t leave much room for luxuries. She took the plate and followed Elena into the chaos that is the dining room.

         Seeing the number of people gathered, Nell stopped short and stared. When Elena invited her to dinner she didn’t think it would be with the whole family. It looked like half of Santa Cecilia had managed to fit itself around the table.

         “Come, come. Put that plate down right here. Si, right next to the tamales. Manny, Benny, stop teasing your prima Rosa and come sit down. Abel, you shuffle down and make room for our guest. Todos, esto es Penelope. Penelope, mi familia.”

         “Ah...hi everyone.” Nell set the plate down and gave a shy wave. “Please, call me Nell.” Should she start wearing a sign? She really felt like she should start wearing a sign. Something simple like ‘ Please do not call me Penelope until I am over the age of 65. Thank you.’

         A seat was left for her between Elena and a woman who introduced herself as Miguel’s Tia Gloria. She then introduced Nell to her twin boys, Benny and Manny, who were a couple of years into elementary school. They weren’t particularly interested in introductions, and were much more focused in which of them could stuff the most food in their mouth at one time.

         Miguel’s father Enrique, a tall man with a dark moustache, passed a platter of food to his wife before turning to Nell. “So, Miguel says you’re an artist.”

         The question was offered casually but Nell had the distinct impression that what she was being asked was actually something very different. “Yes, sir. I write graphic novels -- comic books -- but I take other commissions as well. I’m setting my next series in a place similar to Santa Cecilia so I’m living here for a few months as I work on it because I want to get an authentic feel for the culture and the lifestyle and the architecture. I spend a lot of time doing reference sketches in Mariachi Plaza. It’s got really great atmosphere and that’s something I really wanted to capture. Then that one over there --” She nodded at Miguel. “--got curious one day and decided he wanted to know who the weird turista was who kept writing everything down in a giant notebook.”

         “You should see her sketchbook. It’s really good,” Miguel told them. “She was drawing the bell tower yesterday and it was just with pencils and it was perfect! It looked like one of those old-timey pictures.”

         “We read your comic at lunch sometimes,” added Rosa, who sat a few seats down from her cousin. “We just got to the part where Polaris and Astra start working together.”

         “Have you gotten to the mirror incident yet?” Nell asked.

         Rosa shook her head. “Not yet.”

         “Let me know when you get there. That was one of my favourite chapters in the whole series.”

         The conversation flowed freely throughout dinner, catching up with the goings-on at school. Abel was taking some online CAD courses for the business, and there was some discussion between the other family members on designs and techniques that they were experimenting with. Miguel mentioned briefly how he’d started reading Dante’s Inferno , which had the entire family in stitches when Benny and Manny asked how the little doggy wrote a book. Nell also got a more in-depth history of the business itself.

         “I think it’s really admirable what Imelda did,” Nell said honestly. “Running a business is really difficult, and at the time, being a female entrepreneur would have been that much more challenging. Never mind being a single parent on top of that. So that she created such a successful business that has stayed in the family for so long is really incredible. Add the complication of foreign investment and multinational companies with giant factories, it must be challenging sometimes to stay competitive.”

         “ Si , it is sometimes,” Miguel’s father answered with a shrug. “Much of our business is local. Most people here, they would rather be able to see and feel the thing that they are buying, so that is a benefit to us.”

         “We did get that magazine placement a couple of years ago,” Gloria added. “That telenovela star. What was her name? She mentioned us in an interview and wore a pair of our boots for a photo shoot.”

         “There is always a market for quality custom work,” Elena nodded. “Work that lasts. That is a legacy worth protecting. Would you like some more tamales?”

         Nell leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “No, gracias. They are delicious but I am stuffed.”

         “No, no, there is plenty of room left. You are so skinny! Have another.”

         “You know, I think I’ve heard that from everyone at Tia Caro’s building,” Nell laughed as she accepted one more tamale. “I think she might have decided to adopt me. Ten bucks says she must be half-way through the paperwork by now.”

         Elena gave a nod of approval. “Caro is a good woman. She takes care of her familia. ” It didn’t matter if they were related by blood or simply lived in her building. All were considered family. And that, to Elena was the most important thing.

         How anyone at that table had any room for cookies after that meal, Nell had no idea. But somehow they did, and managed to empty the tray in record time.

         “Have you figured out the plot yet for your new comic?” Miguel asked as he and Rosa started clearing up the dishes.

         “Part of it,” Nell answered. “I was working on some of the background and lore this morning. The story is going to center around a cursed guitar.”

         Miguel paused, setting down the plates that he had been stacking, memories of her inquiries about is own guitar immediately springing to mind. “How did it get cursed?”

         She hesitated for a moment. As much as she really wanted to be able to use this idea for her books, she worried it might hit a little too close for Miguel. She would leave it for him to decide if he was comfortable with her continuing, or if he wanted her to write something different.  So she gave a cursory explanation of the concept of the tsukumogami and how the guitar had developed a spirit of its own. “And what the guitar wants is to finally see justice done for its murdered owner, and to be played again by someone who is worthy.”

         “Cool!” Rosa declared. “Who killed him?”

         “No spoilers,” Nell grinned at her. “But if you guys want I can show you some of the concept art I’ve got later.”

         Miguel hesitated, not entirely sure how he felt about the idea. On the one hand, it was a little weird knowing that part of his family’s history, even a small part, was going to be used in a book. But if there was anyone that he trusted to do it respectfully, it was Nell. He’d caught the look she gave him when she explained her idea and knew that she would not proceed with it without his go-ahead. And aside from that… a graphic novel series about a sentient guitar would be really, really cool.

         He flashed a crooked, one-dimpled smile and nodded. “Can’t wait!”

         When Miguel met with Nell that night, he knew that he was right to trust her. What she had planned did briefly allude to the history of Hector and Ernesto, but not in any way that would be recognizable to anyone but him.

         In her story, the guitar was a family heirloom. The father was a brilliant musician with a poet’s heart. He and his wife had two sons. The eldest son was bold and adventurous and loved music too, though more for the attention that his talent brought him than for the music itself. The younger brother was just like his father, who loved the music for its own sake. And when the father died, it was the younger son that he gave the guitar to. But the older brother was a jealous sort, always seeing himself as second place, even though he was the oldest. He was determined to be liked, and cultivated a fine and charming manner in order to endear himself to those around him, but he could never match the simple sincerity of his younger brother. They were both talented, but when they performed together it was easy to see whose heart was really in the music. They travelled together, performed together, and all that time the older brother’s jealousy festered within him. Until one night, after a particularly bad fight and a few too many drinks, he smothered his brother in his sleep.

         The death was mourned as a tragedy, a sudden failure of the heart in a time where forensic evidence and investigation barely existed. Nobody even considered the possibility of murder.

         The older brother inherited the guitar by default, and did become a fairly well renowned musician on his own. He would never admit that the guitar that had become his trademark never sang as beautifully for him as it did for his father and brother. He performed until his death in 1931, when an earthquake caused the roof of the theater he was rehearsing in to collapse on top of him, burying him alive.

         The guitar was salvaged from the wreckage without a scratch on it and was held in private collections until the mid-1990’s, when it was installed as part of a music history exhibit in a local museum. Stories say that sometimes, late at night, you can still hear the sad melody it plays, mourning its lost musico.

         “You gotta write that,” Miguel insisted after hearing what she’d planned. “What happens next? Is that it?”

         Nell laughed. “Nah, that’s more of the backstory that sets up the main plot. The main character is a paranormal investigator who heard the stories of the ghostly music, so he breaks into the museum at night. Next thing he knows he’s seeing ghosts everywhere, and the guitar quite literally seems to have a mind of its own and won’t leave him be.”

         Miguel snickered. This was going to be fun.

         “For real, though. You’re okay with me writing this? If you’re not comfortable with it, you’ve got to tell me. There’s no time-limit so I have all the time in the world to think up something else.”

         He shook his head. “No, I like it. It’s different. And I like the guitar being the narrator. That’s kinda cool.”

         Nell sighed with relief. “Okay. Okay. Cool. But like, if you ever change your mind, let me know.”

         “I will,” Miguel promised.

         They walked for a while longer, taking in the quiet, their path taking them past the painted gate of the Rivera house. Dante trotted companionably at their side. They’d discovered when they met up that night that the little xolo could indeed see them when they were projecting, and after spending several minutes jumping all over them, he designated himself their official companion for the evening.

         “So what did you and abuelita talk about when you were touring the shop?”

         “Ah, not much. Got a little more on the history of the business. Some of the process. Your abuelita is really determined to get me into a decent pair of shoes.” Nell chuckled.

         Miguel snickered. “Fifty pesos says you’re in a pair if Rivera shoes by Christmas.”

         “You’re on. And I’ll put my winnings towards buying my pretty new Rivera shoes after New Years.”          

         “Hey!” He laughed. “That’s cheating.”

         “You set the rules, not me.” She reminded him. For a moment she was silent, then she spoke again. “Your abuelita is really proud of you, you know. Your whole family is. You can see it in their faces when they hear you play. I’m glad I got to meet them tonight.”

         “They really like you,” Miguel told her. “And Tia Gloria really wants your cookie recipe. Benny and Manny would have eaten all of them if they could have.”

         Nell laughed. “I’m glad I passed inspection. They were definitely a little concerned about me at first, not that I blame them.”

         “What? Why?”

         “Because it’s one thing for their fourteen year old to have adult friends among the local musicians, but it’s a little different when he’s suddenly friends with a random tourist eleven years his senior.”

         She had a point. And it wasn’t like either of them could explain the particular circumstances behind them becoming friends to begin with, not without earning themselves a happy little trip to the hospital in the city for a psych evaluation.

         What Nell didn’t tell him was how worried his family had been for him over the past few months. They’d known he wasn’t sleeping well, but as he refused to tell them what was going on there was nothing they could do. He’d been doing so much better since summer ended. He no longer came to the breakfast table with tired eyes, dragging his feet -- or at least, no more than any other young teenager. A question had been left unspoken of whether he had told Nell about what had been bothering him, to which she’d had to claim complete ignorance.  

         “Side note: I don’t know how the hell you survived that music ban,” Nell confessed, shaking her head. “I’d have completely lost my mind.” Music had always in some way been on the periphery of her life. She couldn’t imagine being cut off from it.

         “I felt like I was some days,” he laughed. “And I was raised into it. Mama had to give it up when she married Papa and I don’t know how she did it.”

         “People will do a lot for love. If it meant being with your Dad, it was probably a sacrifice she was willing to make.”

         Miguel nodded. He’d almost made the same one before Hector and Mama Imelda had sent him back. To be able to return home and have a chance to save Hector, he’d have given up music without a moment’s regret. “Could you do it?”

         “Give up music for someone?” Nell asked. “Don’t know. There’s never been someone that mattered enough that I would consider it. If it was the right person, I think I could. But then if it was the right person, I wouldn’t have to.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And there ends chapter 5! We met the Riveras, Nell finally got her plot sorted out, and we got to see Dante!

Next chapter will be the start of Dia de los Muertos, so buckle up buttercups because it's going to be a wild ride.

[halloweentv]

Netflix and chills!

v.2017

Celebrate Halloween on Netflix! Below is a list of Halloween themed shows and movies available on Netflix streaming that you can play for Halloween! Enjoy!

Stranger Things

S1 After a game of D and D with his friends Will disappears. His friends try to find him but instead find a mysterious girl

S2

Takes place during Halloween and the boys dress as the ghostbusters. 

Supernatural S4 It’s the Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester” Investigating two mysterious deaths in a small town, Sam and Dean discover a witch is sacrificing people to summon a dangerous demon. 

Friends

S8 “The One with the Halloween Party” At Monica’s Halloween party, Phoebe becomes attracted to her two sister’s fiancé.

Frasier

S5 “Halloween” Niles hosts a Halloween party for the Library Association where the guests dress as literary characters.

S9 “Room full of heroes” Frasier has a Halloween party and asks his guests to dress as their heroes. 

American Horror Story

S1 “Halloween Part 1 & 2″ the ghosts can leave the house on halloween night. Tate runs into some ghosts from his past. S3 “Fearful Pranks Ensue” the witches raise the dead on Halloween S4 “Edward Mordrake Part 1 & 2″ the freaks don’t want to perform on halloween in fear of a ghost coming to visit.

Freaks and Geeks “Tricks and Treats” - Lindsay spends Halloween making mischief with her new friends while Sam goes trick or treating even though he’s in High School now.

Parenthood S2 “Orange Alert” The Bravermen’s gear up to celebrate their favorite holiday, Halloween! Max wants to go trick or treating for the first time, so his parents do their best to prepare him for the night, since he is on the spectrum.

Parks and Recreation S2 “Greg Pikitis” Leslie enlists the help of Dave and Andy in order to catch a local teen vandal. Meanwhile, Ann struggles to make her Halloween party fun and gets help from an unlikely source. S4 “Meet n Greet” Ben is mad when Andy and April decide to throw a Halloween party at their house without asking him. Tom emcees an event for Leslie’s campaign but manages to also promote his company. Meanwhile, Ron and Ann give Andy and April an unusual wedding present.

13 Reasons Why

“Tape 2 Side B” Its Halloween in the present and Clay strikes back at someone who wronged Hannah. In the past Hannah thinks someone is stalking her. 

Jem

S2 “Trick or Techrat” Jem and friends encounter spooky mishaps while preparing an old opera house for a Halloween concert

Fuller House

S2 “Curse of Tanner Manor” DJ attempts to throw the scariest Halloween party for Max. Stephanie works as a zombie at a haunted house.

Star Trek TOS

S2 “Catspaw” Kirk and the crew land on a planet with a spooky castle and witches.

Pac’s Scary Halloween

Sinister Dr. Pacenstein schemes to swap bodies with Pac during a Halloween party.

Pac Man and the Ghostly Adventures

S1 “A Berry Scary Night”  Count Pacula attempts to drain the last yellow orb in Pac World on Halloween night. 

S2 “The Shadow of the were-pac” Pac and his friends are confronted by spooky space ghost pirates. 

The Real Ghostbusters

S1 “When Halloween was forever” An ancient spirit shows up in New York to make Halloween last forever. And Frankenstein is groovin!

S2 “Halloween II ½” While everyone is trick or treating on Halloween Sam Hain escapes.

S4 “The Halloween Door” Crowley wants to end Halloween once and for all and does so even without the help of the ghost busters. 

Cult of Chucky

Chucky has some scores to settle with some old enemies.

Young Frankenstein

In this pitch perfect parody, the grandson of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein follows in his footsteps and creates a monster and puts on the ritz!

Tales of Halloween

Anthology series of shorts set on Halloween. Including trick or treating aliens and kidnappers in way over their heads.

Mr. Young

S3 “Mr. Candy” The gang are hungover from too much candy the previous night and struggle to put together the events from Halloween.

Cheers

S3 “Fairy tales can come true” Cliff meets the woman of his dreams at the bar on Halloween night but is afraid of meeting her when he’s not in costume. 

S10 “Bar Wars V: The Final Judgement” Sam’s latest trick may have killed Gary, but is it really Gary who is playing the trick on Sam?

Charmed S3 “All Halliwell’s Eve” The sister’s go to the 1600’s to save a witch and her baby

Family Guy S9 “Halloween on Spooner Street” Stewie’s candy is stolen by bullies

F is for Family

S1 F is for Halloween” Frank secretly torpedoes Sue’s shot at a real job and a bully leaves Bill afraid to don his costume.

How I met Your Mother S1 “Slutty Pumpkin” Ted holds out hope of seeing the Slutty Pumpkin, a girl he met at a Halloween before. S7 “The Slutty Pumpkin Returns” Ted finally meets the slutty pumpkin again.

Girl Meets World

S1 “Girl Meets World of Terror″ Augie hosts scary Halloween tales and meets a monster under his bed.

S2 “Girls Meets World of Terror 2″ Riley and Maya discover the ghost a flapper living in the bay window. 

S3 “Girl Meets World of Terror 3″ Augie does a scary time theater and shows what the world would be like if Riley and Maya never became friends. 

Power Rangers S1 “Trick or Treat” Kimberly goes on a Halloween game show…cuz those exist. S1 “Life’s a Masquerade” Isn’t set on Halloween but has a cool Frankenstein monster in it. and costumes. S2 “Zedd’s Monster Mash” Tommy faces some real Halloween monsters after he’s kidnapped by Goldar. 

Power Rangers Samurai “Party Monsters” and “Trickster Treat”

Power Rangers Megaforce “Raising Spirits” 

Power Rangers Dino Charge “The Ghostest with the Mostest” and in Dino Super Charge “Trick or Trial”

Dreamworks Spooky Stories “Scared Skrekless” Shrek and Co tell scary stories “Monsters vs Aliens Mutant pumpkins” Ginormica and co battle mutant pumpkins! Dreamworks Spooky Stories Vol. 2 “Monsters Vs Aliens: night of the Living Carrots” Picks up right after the previous special Also included another MVA short, Megamind, and Shrek.

From R.L. Stine: Monsterville A group of kids find out a haunted maze at the carnival is more realistic than they thought.

Mostly Ghostly 3

As Max tries to help his ghost pals Nicky and Tara find their parents, he stumbles on an enchanted crystal–and an evil new plot by Phears. 

Goosebumps

Good show for the season but the Halloween episodes in particular are S5 “The Haunted Mask” Carly Beth’s scary mask begins to change her. S5 “The Haunted Mask 2” A boy’s creepy Halloween mask won’t come off and begins to harm him. S2 “Attack of the Jack O'Lanterns” Jack O‘Lantern aliens terrorize some trick or treaters. 

Goosebumps Movie

A teen moves to a new town and falls for the girl next door but soon finds out her dad is R.L. Stine and his book characters become all too real. 

The Haunting Hour series

Another good show for the season. The halloween episode is S2 “Pumpkinhead” - a group of siblings fear the legend of a farmer who takes kids heads and turns them into pumpkins.

————- Glee S2 the class attempts to out on a performance of Rocky Horror for Halloween. 

New Girl S2 “Halloween” Jess gets hired as a zombie at a haunted house. S3 “Keaton” Jess hosts a Halloween party and a Michael Keaton batman costume helps cheer up Schmidt. Spooky Buddies The buddies encounter the Halloween Hound and evade an evil sorceror on Halloween night. . Louie S3 “Halloween/Ellie” Louie takes his daughters trick or treating and encounter some punks.

Malcolm in the Middle S2 “Halloween Approximately” -Malcolm and his brothers build the ultimate stealth weapon. S7 “Halloween” - Reese and Dewey evade an old man they egged while Loos tries to get out of work so she can trick or treat. 

My Babysitter’s a Vampire S2  "Halloweird" In a total “not rip off” of Buffy, a mask makes people turn into real-life versions of their costumes.

The Vampire Diaries S1 “Haunted” Matt takes Vicky to a haunted hous ebut the night takes a terrifying turn

That 70’s Show S2 “Halloween” The gang visit their old burnt down school while Kitty remincies about their first Halloween in the house. S3 “Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too young to Die” A Halloween episode filled with parodies of Alfred Hitchcock movies: “Rear Window”, “Vertigo”, “The Birds”, “North By Northwest” and “Psycho”.

CSI Miami “By the Book” A body is found that appears to have had the blood drained by a Vampire

Bones “Mummy in the Maze” A mummy found in a Halloween maze leads to an investigation. Bones has a Wonder-ful costume!

The Office S2 Halloween Downsizing leads corporate headquarters to order Michael to fire somebody by the end of October. Michael procrastinates until Halloween, when he still has not decided whom to fire. When he decides to fire Creed, Creed manages to convince Michael to fire Devon. S6 Koi Pond While on the way to a business meeting, Michael falls into a koi pond. The staff tease him so he holds an anti-bullying seminar. Pam and Andy go cold-calling to stir up some new business; they reluctantly use clients’ mistaking them as a couple to their advantage. S7 Costume Contest Michael freaks out when Darryl goes over his head by taking an idea to corporate. The employees partake in a Halloween costume contest in the office. Meanwhile, Pam tries to get the truth from Danny about their dating history. S8 Spooked Erin works to make a spooky, non-childish Halloween party, with help from Gabe. Dwight becomes friends with Robert’s son, and Pam and Jim debate the existence of ghosts. Meanwhile, Robert tries to figure out everyone’s deepest fears in order to culminate a ghost story.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia S6 “Who got Dee Pregnant” The gang think back to their Halloween party to figure out who got Dee pregnant.

Pretty Little Liars S2 “The First Secret” in a flashback some backstory to the mystery of A is revelaed. S3 “This is a Dark Ride” The girls get aboard the Rosewood ghost train S4 “Grave New World” A clue suggests that Ali may still be alive so they crash a cemetery party to find her.

[thefinalcinderella]

DIVE!! Book 1 Chapter 5-ENTER SHIBUKI

A chapter in celebration of Shibuki’s debut in the anime! This one had a particular line I had trouble with...

Hoping that Youichi’s speedo incident will make it into the anime cuz that’s funny

By the way, anyone interested in helping me edit my chapters? I would rather spend more time to translate further, so if anyone would like to help look over missing words and weird grammar, send me a message!

Full list of translations here.

Last time on DIVE!!: Tomoki goes on date(s). Also there’s foreshadowing.

“It’s low. The water’s shallow, and it has a weird chemical taste.”

Those were the thoughts that Okitsu Shibuki expressed nonchalantly immediately after he got out of the water, after he dived from a diving platform for the very first time.

They met on a very ordinary day, like so many others.

It was at the Tatsumi Swimming Center at dusk. The locker room was crowded with all age groups from elementary schooler to senior citizen. In the midst of this familiar, faded scene, Tomoki saw Shibuki for the first time.

Shibuki gave off a conspicuousness from the start. It wasn’t an exaggeration; his body really did give off a special color. That was why Tomoki had been unable to keep his eyes off of him for a long time, even though he didn’t know that he was Okitsu Shibuki.

How could he put that strong first impression into words?

He seemed to be a huge, tough, and strong man. But, his large build was somehow different from the college students there. He had tanned skin the color of cocoa. But, his skin was somehow different from the skins of Tomoki and the others, which were baked in the pool. Beneath his tense, thick eyebrows, he had pronounced eyes that were slightly sunken. He had a wild expression that suited him very much, but it was obviously different from the wild expressions of the TV stars that were artificially created with makeup.

In a nutshell, Shibuki had the words “real deal” stamped all over him from the very beginning.

It seemed that Tomoki wasn’t the only one who gotten wind of him as a real deal, as everyone in the locker room was watching Shibuki’s every single move as he seemed to be frustratingly undoing the buttons of his clothes, exposing his black skin gradually. The water polo players and the competitive swimmers prayed in their hearts that he was not one of them.

Shibuki, who seemed unaccustomed with so much attention paid to him, left the locker room quickly after he finished changing clothes. Tomoki’s feet followed him of their own accord.

He passed through without taking a shower, and was momentarily dazzled by the pool that shone from the light through the ceiling as he stepped out onto the poolside.

His nose was stuffed up with chemical smell in the air.

Shibuki stood still with his eyebrows knitted together, seemingly suspicious as he looked over the facility.

It was like a wild bear visiting a zoo for the first time. Although he was curious, this was in no way a pleasant scene, and the idea that he was going to be an inhabitant of this place was not funny. When his hostile eyes landed on the diving tower, Tomoki, who was watching from the side, noticed with a start that Shibuki’s cheek was twitching abnormally.

“Okitsu-kun!”

It was then that Kayoko’s ridiculously light voice came from the windows that backed the evening calm of Akebono Bay.

Tomoki whipped his body into that direction faster than Shibuki, like he was flicked.

Okitsu-kun?

“Come here, quickly. I want to introduce you to everyone.”

While Kayoko’s figure was disorienting after two weeks away, she had a huge smile like she was the owner of Tatsumi, and her right hand was raised high.

I see. Tomoki looked up at Shibuki again and was convinced right away.

Indeed, there was no doubt that this man is Okitsu Shibuki.

And if the things Youichi told him six days ago were true, this was the very first time that Okitsu Shibuki, phantom high school diver, had ever seen a diving pool.

“This is from a long time ago, but apparently at the beginning of the Showa period, there was a genius diver, a man named Okitsu Shiraha, who made quite the fuss.”

That was where Youichi began his story that day.

“Neither photos nor videos remained, but he was supposedly an incredibly strong diver. He had supposedly stepped into the limelight with by diving like no one’s ever seen before. His period of activity was short, so even to this day he is spoken of as a legendary diver. Tsugaru’s Okitsu Shibuki is the grandson of that genius. And, the person who had their eyes on that grandson was the president of Mizuki…Asaki Kayoko’s grandfather.”

He wanted to train Shibuki as a first-class diver. Youichi had said that that was why the former Mizuki president visited Aomori so many times while he was still alive. However, Shibuki kept turning him down stubbornly, and the former Mizuki president passed away unexpectedly.

“So, this time the granddaughter makes an appearance. She wanted to dispel her grandfather’s regrets, and wanted to drag Okitsu Shibuki into the MDC somehow, so she’s considerably engrossed in Okitsu.”

“Um, so…there’s a genius diver, and that genius had a grandson, and the president of Mizuki wanted to train him in the MDC, but he kept refusing and the president died. So now his granddaughter is going to take on the challenge, right?”

This was a confusing tangle of grandfathers and grandchildren.

“Basically, MDC was charmed by Okitsu Shibuki from the time of the grandfather to the grandchild’s generation.” Youichi summarized, and Tomoki finally got the point.

“That Okitsu Shibuki sounds pretty cool, doesn’t he?”

“There isn’t a lot of people who actually saw him dive. But apparently the deceased Mizuki president saw him dive, and supposedly praised him, saying that he’d surpass Shiraha some day.”

“Wow, he really is amazing, isn’t he!”

“Should you really be admiring him right now? Didn’t Asaki Kayoko say that he will be your rival?”

“That’s…that’s just a common bluff. If that Okitsu Shibuki is so amazing, then he should’ve been your rival, not mine.”

Youichi completely ignored Tomoki’s retort as he sipped his cold coffee.

“Well, first of all I’d like to see Okitsu Shibuki dive with my own eyes. I can’t come up with a counterplan if I don’t know his true level, since there’s absolutely no data on him anyways.”

“Eh, there’s no competition data for him left?”

“He has never been in a competition.”

“What?”

“Also, he never dived in a pool ever since he was born.”

Tomoki was at a loss for words. The confused jumble in his head eventually formed into one single question.

“Then, where did he dive?”

His simple question floated lightly in the noisy restaurant. Youichi was silent, with eyes like he’s standing on a platform, waiting for the wind to stop. Then he murmured it quietly.

“Do you know what’s Tsugaru?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not very bright. Tsugaru’s near the Sea of Japan. It’s a sea, known for rough waves and storms, like the one in the old Toei movies.” (1)

“What does that mean?”

“Okitsu Shibuki only ever dived into the sea. That’s the biggest reason why he keeps turning down the president’s invitations.”

Okitsu Shibuki only ever dived into the sea—

If this story that had amazed Tomoki was true, Asaki Kayoko had succeeded in dragging Shibuki, who only dived into the sea, into the pool.

Furthermore, she had managed to accomplish something in two weeks what her grandfather couldn’t do until his death.

“Today, Okitsu Shibuki-kun will be joining the MDC. He just came to Tokyo yesterday from Aomori, is arranged to attend Sakuragi High School from April. He will enroll at Sakuragi as a transfer student on a diving recommendation. In short, he’s that much of an outstanding talent.”

Before practice, when Kayoko had introduced Shibuki with an unprecedented cheerfulness, everyone gathered at the poolside, throwing the huge newcomer curious glances. This was rumored…and everyone was very interested about it.

Despite Coach Fujitani keeping it confidential, it was probably the easily-flattered Coach Ooshima who let it slip. The rumor that “An excellent diver is coming” had spread through the club before they knew it, circling around twice. And as expected, the second time it came around, various embellishments to the rumor were added. It was rife with a mixture of fact and fiction, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, ending up with things like, “He only dives into the sea”, “He only plays with fish”, “He wraps seaweed around his waist”, “He beats sharks with his bare hands”, “He blows a conch shell on the back of a dolphin”. Their image of Okitsu Shibuki resembled a general of the sea, a delinquent, or a mischievous kid.

Normally, as soon as your expectations are reached, the real appearance of things often leads to disappointment instead. If it’s really bad, it stirs up antipathy. Nevertheless, when Shibuki’s tough appearance was shown in front of everyone, there was no complaints of any kind there.

“Nice to meet you.”

That was Shibuki’s curt greeting. It was brusque without so much as a smile. He had a bad attitude, doing warm-up exercises without waiting for the coach’s instructions. In fact, the real deal wasn’t a step back from his previous reputation at all. This was truly Okitsu Shibuki, and everyone understood that.

“I knew he’d be pretty quiet.”

“He really is a man of the sea.”

“That’s because he only opens his heart to the fishes.”

During warm-up, the whispering of the club members never stopped. Among them, Reiji and Ryou were especially fixated on Shibuki’s every single move.

Tomoki, coming back to practice after three days of skipping it, was greeted with a “I was waiting for you” from Reiji, but the lingering discomfort had not disappeared yet, since Ryou was still not talking to him even now.

Thinking that he had no choice but to be patient, Tomoki poked Sachiya’s elbow.

“Hey Sacchin, you think it’s true that that guy only dived into the ocean until now?”

Sachiya nodded like anything sounded good, as he kept watching the synchro class in the sub-pool.

“That’s probably true. But I think the rumor that he was eaten by a whale is definitely fake.”

“Really?”

“After all, if he tickles the inside of its stomach, he could jump out when it sneezes…”

“So anyways, why does he want to go diving in the pool now?”

Why did Shibuki, who kept turning down late Mizuki president’s invitations, accept Kayoko’s?

Why did he want to leave the sea of Tsugaru?

Kayoko passed by Tomoki, who was doing the warm-up exercises apathetically while in deep thought, and stopped in front of Shibuki, who was beginning to do calisthenics by himself in a corner.

He looked up at her slim body with an irritated expression.

The sound of “one, two, one, two…” ceased as everyone noticed and fixed their attentions on them.

“Hey, everyone is watching you.” Kayoko said in a low voice. Clearly, she was aware of the surrounding eyes and ears. “This isn’t the sea. Everyone is watching you. They’re anticipating your diving. Hey, what are you feeling? Is the inside of your skin noisy?”

“Noisy?”

“Yes. It’s when the blood in your vessels begins to grow restless, as if it’s at high tide. Your body gets hot, you become filled with power, and now you feel like you can do anything. I know that’s happening to you. You shouldn’t hate it, since it attracts attention and makes you stand out, and it’ll shows how cool you are in front of everyone, and they’ll all love you…”

Shibuki stood up without waiting for her to finish her sentence.

“It’s more angry than noisy, when I’m near you.”

“So, what do you feel like doing?”

“Going back.”

“Where? To Tsugaru? What about our promise?”

Shibuki, who was about to head to the locker room, stopped.

“It’s not a promise. It’s a contract.”

He looked back at Kayoko with eyes filled with hate.

Kayoko lifted up her light brown arm, as if to scoop in that hatred. She extended her slender fingertip towards the towering diving platforms behind her.

“Please go up on the platform. If you want me to keep the contract, first, you should go dive from there.”

Behind Shibuki, who was standing still, another voice piped up at the moment.

“Go dive.”

As Shibuki turned around, Youichi was there, standing at the center of the Sakuragi High School Diving Club members, who were all present.

“We have come to welcome you, since you’re a transfer student on a diving recommendation starting at Sakuragi High. Though, whether or not we’ll actually welcome you depends on your diving.”

With a red towel over his shoulder and his body slightly turned away, Youichi looked like a matador facing off against a rampaging bull, as he stared intensely at Shibuki.

“Who the hell are you?” Shibuki aimed that simple question at him, a complacent and fearless smile spreading across his stern face.

“Fujitani Youichi. Though I look like I’m jinxing myself when I say this, but if there’s someone who doesn’t know me in the diving world, then they’re unqualified as a diver. (2) Oh, but it’s good because I don’t dive with jinxes.”

Towards those provocative words, Shibuki was silent for a moment, as if he was taken aback. But, he quickly gave a little laugh back at him and spoke.

“Sorry, guess I’m a fraud.”

“Oh, that’s right, you dived into the sea of Tsugaru.”

Seeing Shibuki’s expression come apart, Youichi repeated himself. “Get on the platform. I want to see your diving.”

He said what everyone was thinking. Everyone, including Tomoki, Reiji, Ryou, the Sakuragi Diving Club, and MDC’s elementary schoolers who haven’t dived a lot yet, was waiting impatiently to see Shibuki’s performance.

Shibuki slowly looked at everyone’s faces, as if to confirm their feelings, and then suddenly turned his heel.

He was heading for the diving tower.

Ten meters. When an inexperienced diver stood on the highest platform, they would feel terror at seeing the tiny pool beneath them. Even though they know it’s impossible, they’ll become obsessed with the wild thought that their body would crash outside of the twenty-five-square meter frame.

When Shibuki appeared on the ten-meter platform, Tomoki felt the pool was small in another sense. A two-meter wide platform was sturdy, but when Shibuki got on it, it looked like a flimsy springboard. Though the image of the sea might be haunting him, above the water he looked breathtakingly huge, brave, and at home. Shibuki was so suited to the water that he seemed unnatural on land.

But, no matter how splendidly he dived into the ocean, how much he could pass that onto an indoor stage was still unknown. As a diver, he had an abnormally big body, and though it helped serve the purpose of attracting audience’s attention to him, in actual performances its movements tended to be seen as dull, and even for rotational techniques, the rotations would be too small and cause them to not function well.

After he placed both feet at the tip of the platform, it took Shibuki a considerable amount of time to dive out. The coaches and members of the MDC, and the Sakuragi Diving Club, all looked up at him without moving the slightest muscle.

“He’s not used to it yet.” Kayoko murmured, as if defending him for not stepping forward readily. “That kid isn’t used to a flat platform, the feeling of concrete, a height of only ten meters, a roof that blocks the sky, and an audience.”

Now that she had said it, it was indeed the first time Shibuki has ever encountered all of those things.

“So far, he’s only ever dived from rough rocks. Steep cliffs and rocky precipices…none of them had heights measured by someone with a ruler. There, a wind is always blowing, the cries of birds echoed, and the sky is a true, lush blue…”

Just then, Kayoko’s voice broke off.

Suddenly, the shadow on the platform disappeared, and everyone who imagined the wind and birds and sky of Tsugaru in their heads looked up to see Shibuki already revolving in midair.

His body, kneaded by the raging waves of the distant north, was basked in the artificial light, drawing the silhouette of a gallant black bird.

That explosive power.

A strong takeoff.

A high jump.

What is that, Tomoki thought, amazed. He first jumped out facing the water, then rotated his body backwards; a reverse somersault. For this dive, there was the fear that even just one mistake could cause you to hit the back of your head against the platform. Had there ever been a diver who took off so boldly?

Even in the two and a half somersaults in pike position that started as soon as his form, which stretched to the top, sank, Shibuki’s performance stunned the people watching. It completely destroyed the accepted opinion that a large build was disadvantageous, as Shibuki’s large body doing stirring rotations were showed off. When a diver with a tall build made use their body type to the fullest extent, an ordinary two and a half somersaults could become breathtakingly powerful, on a huge scale. Shibuki’s performance was the very proof of that.

He finished with his entry.

It was as if a whale was raising its tail.

In diving competitions, a rip entry (no splash) was usually the ideal. The quieter the water surface is after a performance, the better. But, when Shibuki did his entry, everyone was startled from how loud it was. The crackling sound was like glaciers being kicked, and after that a splash, just like from a water fountain, came up. The silence was broken, and the water surface was disturbed, scattering white spray to the poolside.

An amazing aerial performance, and an unprecedented entry.

Everyone was at a loss for words about all that had happened.

It was like a storm ran through the indoor pool.

“Hey, if this was a real competition, how many points do you think the judge will give that performance?”

Kayoko spoke first to Shibuki from a distance, who was wiping his wet skin with a towel, (3) as if nothing went up from the pool.

“If it was me, I would have thrown the score card out and gone directly to the locker room, since many of the poolside judges were sprayed by water.”

Right after she finished speaking, she applauded loudly and let out a loud burst of laughter. The shrill sound broke the silence and relieved the tense atmosphere. It was not desperate laughter at all.

In other words, Kayoko was pleased with Shibuki’s diving.

“It’s too low. The water’s shallow, and it has a weird chemical taste.”

When hearing Shibuki slip that out after his thrilling performance, it wasn’t just Tomoki who felt defeated. Neither Youichi nor Reiji nor Ryou tried to hide their shock at the fact that their new rival was stronger than they had expected. As a result, everyone was terrible at practice that day, many basic mistakes were made, and there were many weird attempts at bluffing one’s strength, which became tiring as it continued on. It was the first time in a while that Tomoki saw Youichi mess up his form like that.

Speaking of something happening for the first time in a while, during the car ride home, which was as quiet as ever, Tomoki heard Ryou speak.

“So, there’s someone even better for the best, huh.”

It seemed like he was talking to himself. And yet, it could also be a sarcastic statement aimed at Tomoki. However, Tomoki didn’t take it that way, and deeply felt that in the world, it really is true that there’s someone even better for the best.

Youichi and Shibuki. As for which one of them was the better diver at the moment, Tomoki couldn’t say. If it was in terms of aesthetics, accuracy of performance and level of technique, then Youichi was the overwhelming winner. But, he didn’t have the power and personality that Shibuki had. If Youichi had a long, established career, then Shibuki had unlimited potential. Either way, he still couldn’t compare with them. When he thought that, Tomoki felt helpless and a strange sense of relief.

There was a light rain outside. The neon lights of the skyscrapers, blurred from the wetness, were beautifully distorted. These days, it was okay to go outside with half-dried hair since it wasn’t very cold out, and it seemed like that spring had come quickly during the time Tomoki was in the water. While dozing off from the old popular songs flowing from the car radio, Tomoki absentmindedly remembered that he was already a second-year student in middle school.

Self-training every morning. School. Practice after school. Self-training. School. Practice after school…he’s been repeating that since the start of the new semester, and though he was constantly checking his watch, the days where he couldn’t bring himself to turn over the calendar continued. Now that diving occupied most of his brain, he always had to sacrifice studying and sleeping time, and he was drowsy all-day long. Come to think of it, the lack of contact with Miu might have also been one of the sacrifices.

“Do you know why you’ve pissed me off?”

When Tomoki was on the verge of falling asleep, Ryou spoke again, his voice close to his ear.

“What do you think I got angry at you for?”

This time it wasn’t just a single sentence. Tomoki considered the meaning of Ryou’s words, and tilted his head ambiguously.

“It’s those, those puppy-like eyes. That innocence of yours makes me sick. You like diving, you have fun jumping out, and your competition results come second…or something like that. I hate that kind of unsportsman-like attitude.”

He didn’t turn his face towards Tomoki, and said it while staring at the raindrops dripping down the window.

What’s so funny? Tomoki thought as his mom Megumi, who was driving this time, suppressed a laugh.

“Un…sportsman-like?”

“You really don’t think that being a sportsman is refreshing, right? That’s a lie, a huge lie. All sportsmen are greedy, selfish, and they must always be number one. That’s why everyone sees each other as rivals and are jealous of each other. Everyone has lots of pent-up feelings.”

Tomoki gave a small nod.

The cherry blossoms, and the distorted tree.

“Like, Youichi-kun.” Ryou was on a roll now. “When he was in elementary school, he was in a competition even though he had a fever, and he lost for the first time in his life, and he was so angry that he cried and threw his speedo into the diving pool and went home. He didn’t know what to hit, and just took off his swim trunks in the heat of the moment. The current Youichi-kun wouldn’t think of doing that, but that was the first time that I liked him.”

“Yeah, I remember that. The speedo incident.”

“I was relieved to know that even Youichi-kun would act like that if he lost. But, you never acted like that. You don’t think of me as a rival, and you don’t care if you win or lose. I don’t want to lose to someone who’s only like that.” Ryou said angrily.

But then he added bitterly, “But, in TV and manga, it’s always the unselfish, stupid-faced ones like you who win in the end.”

Tomoki looked down, not sure how to respond to that. This wasn’t the first time he’d been accused of having no fighting spirit. Kayoko had also scolded him about it harshly. You don’t have any drive. The enthusiasm for winning at all costs!

“Rivalry, jealousy, fighting spirit, and other stuff like that.” After they dropped Ryou off at his house and it was just the two of them, Tomoki began complaining to Megumi. “Is it such a hard world out there that I can’t win without those things?”

“Well, I don’t know about that.” Megumi chuckled.

“If you win without those things, then you wanted to win without them, right?”

“That’s right. That’s the ideal.”

“But, is that sickening?” When Tomoki asked that, he saw in the rearview mirror that Megumi’s laughter wrinkles deepen.

“No, I think my son is the ideal.”

“Hmm.”

Tomoki suddenly let out an apathetic sigh. A boy being told by his mother that he’s the ideal son, among other things, is certainly seen as sickening from his perspective. He now understood Ryou’s feelings, at least a little.  

Translation Notes

1. So this is referring to the old opening sequences before movies produced by Toei, where there’s a turbulent sea. You can see it here

2. This line, if you couldn’t tell, was the one that gave me a lot of trouble. There’s also a pun here that I only caught later. So the line in Japanese was “こんなこと言うと人間性にケチがつきそうだけど、飛込み界でおれを知らないやつがいたらモグリだ.” モグリ can mean “diver” as well “unqualified” or fraud. Youichi meant the latter, but Shibuki took the former meaning with “おれ、モグリなんだ” I’m pretty sure this is a pun?? Update: according to the anime subs it doesn’t seem to be a pun

3. Not really a translation note but more like pointing out my confusion. After Shibuki gets out of the pool, it says that he wiped his skin with “セージ”???　No matter how hard I looked everything said that means “sage”??? Like the herb??? wtf (whole line: 濡れた肌をセージでぬぐう）

Next time on DIVE!!: More pressure is placed on everyone.

[captainswanfairytale]

6x21-22 The Final Battle

Well, there were a lot of throwbacks, and a lot of feels, and a surprise ending we all pretty much knew was coming right?

Previously on...is showing clips from the first season, and I'm already emotional.

Fiona made it so that everything wasn't real, all it did was land Emma in the nuthouse for believing in him.

Also Fiona is the mayor and Henry's "mother" in this reality, ohh shit.

"She took you from your wedding to theirs."

Hook waking up with Snowing and Baby Charming and Regina in the EF, in THEIR CASTLE. That just gave me some feels ngl, I always dreamed we'd have them all together there, but of course Emma and Henry are missing.

Fiona suggesting that Emma go back to Boston when she's released, if that day comes, if she burns the book to prove to Henry that she doesn't believe.

They were all able to see Fiona and Emma through the mirror back in the EF. AHHH OMG! THEY'RE SO WORRIED ABOUT HER!

AND ZELENA SHOWS UP! WITH THE MUNCHINS! AND THE MAD HATTERS HAT! WHAT OMG THEY BROUGHT THAT BACK YES THANK YOU!

They use the hat to go into the room with the doors to realms, and Oz is nothing but blackness, and the others are fading, the realms are being destoryed, that's the Black Fairy's plan. OHH SNAP!

All the refugees from the realms in the room. Regina mentions seeing someone from Arendelle, and then Jasmine and Aladdin are there. Hook thinks he knows where to find something to help but Regina wants to do things her way, so of course he sneaks off.

Henry breaking out Emma. OPERATION CUCKOO'S NEST. AHAHAHAHA OMG!

Killian was talking about the beanstalk! He wants to go up the beanstalk again..."Bloody hell, it's taller than I rememebered." Charming followed him and is trying to tell him not to risk making Emma a widow. And Killian tells him he's climbed it before, that it was his and Emma's first adventure. THAT THEY FOUGHT FOR THEIR LOVE AND HE'S NOT GONNA LET IT END THERE. Charming seeing how upset he was and is going with him up the beanstalk, YES I'M CRYING!

Henry trying to get her to remember by taking her to the rooftop, and she does a lil, but then he agrees to help her try and leave...hmmm.

Henry stealing the Storybook from Fiona, and she knows he knows this place is not real.

Fiona just magically pushed Henry down a flight of stairs. WHATTTTTTTTT. ARE YOU EVEN ALLOWED TO DO THAT TO A KID ON TV OMG. I mean I know he doesn't look that little anymore, but still!!!

Fiona faking being upset over Henry's accident to Rumple, haha okay.

Jack and the Beanstalk was always one of my fave fairytales, now we have Charming and Killian very tiny in a very oversized room. Killian saying he should be the one to swing up onto the table, and when Charming aggrees, he's suprised that he's trusting a pirate, Charming says no, his "Son..." and when Killian gives him the eyebrow, the adds, "in law." LOL OMG, AND YESSS, CRIESSSSSSSS, BEST BRO-SON-IN-LAW-OTP EVER. BUT KILLIAN GOT THE BEAN OMG! AND NOW THEY'RE RUNNING FROM A DRAGON!

Emma put the book into the incinorator, just as Charming and Killian are coming down the beanstalk, the darkness is overtaking the EF. As it's buring the book pages are turning and Emma sees the one of Killian, that got her attention, but it's still burning!!!

Charming catching Killian when he was falling, and then he falls anyway!!! And the beanstalk falls with Charming still it, and on top of Killian, who says to Snow..."Hello there, Mummy." Her face, OMG! "There was a wedding." Is Snow's explanation when Jasmine looks confused. David's not there and they need to look for him but Snow tells Killian to take the bean and get to Henry and Emma, YESSSSSSSSS.

EMMA'S BACK AT HER NEW YORK APARTMENT! Which apparently is still hers after 2 years away, lol. Always did love the the script writing on her door.

Emma already gets a call about a bail jumper. And Henry made her a storybook drawn on his own.

Killian taking the bean to Regina, who's upset that she left Snow behind..."She'll find David, she always does." HAHA YES!

Snow found Charming and he wasn't moving or breathing so of course she's gotta kiss him in that state, and of course he wakes up! While the play clips of their first waking up from the curse kiss, awe man these two.

"Snow we're gonna be fine, darkness never wins, it just fools you into thinking it does." AWE

Henry barging into Rumple's shop..."I'm not a customer, I'm your grandson." And Gold as being awake to the curse, again.

Henry asking Gold to help him save his family...OUR FAMILY. YESSSSSS.

Henry wanted Charmings sword, to go against the Dark Fairy himself, Regina was watching and Killian says he's a tough lad, but they need to get further from the curse so they can use the bean and get to Henry and Emma...So Evil Queen is holding them back, nice self sacrifice and atonement moment.

Baby Charming crying as the curse is circling around them all, (what did they do to make that baby cry omg), they are all huddling omg, shit shit shit.

Emma came back, cuz she wants to be the woman that Henry wrote about in his book, EMMA SAYING SHE BELIEVES MADE THE CURSE STOP JUST AS IT WAS GETTING TO THEM IN THE CENTER OF THE CASTLE! AND THEY KNOW THAT MEANS EMMA IS BACK AND BELIEVES! YESSSSS!

Fiona made Belle agoraphobic, SERIOUSLY! SHE DEFINITELY DESERVES BETTER!

Fiona tempting Gold with bringing back Baelfire from the dead, yeah they're trying to fit everything into these last 2 episodes, making sure they don't miss a throwback. Bet they won't mention Graham or Ruby.

Fiona has control of Gideon, and told him to kill Emma, WHOMP, Rumple actually killed Fiona though, damn. Now he's killed both his parents.

BUT NOW EVERYONE REMEMBERS, INCLUDING EMMA! Just in time for Gideon to show up all menacing like to challenge her.

Rumbelle is down in the caves looking for Gideons heart to stop him. She twists her ankle and Rumple has to leave her behind, wtf.

When did Emma stop to put her beanie on when they went outside? Lol. They meet up with everyone in the street, Emma hugs and kisses all over Killian's face.

Regina chooses now to reminisce about the past and how they hated eachother when she first got their and how Emma found a way to make it work, where they were both Henry's mother. And how her Evil Queen saved them all today, having hope that they'll find another way out of this final battle, one where Emma doesn't die.

Rumple is the devil on Gold's shoulder when he finds the heart and needs to make the right choice to save them all. Rumple tries to tell Gideon's heart not to kill Emma, but it didn't work.

"Nobody needs to save me, I'm the savior." Emma giving a big damn speech while being a big damn badass hero. And laying down her sword to die for them all, WHAT NOW!

GIDEON STABS HER AND SHE'S LITERALLY BURSTING OUT LIGHT! WTF!

Henry kneels down and tells Emma he loves her and kisses her on the forehead, so of course it's TLK and he's okay now.

Rumbelle is hugging and all of a sudden Baby!Gideon is back, with Belle's book. THEY GET A REDO! WHATTTTTTT!

Them all standing around the end of the book like...WHAT NOW. And of course Snow is the optimistic one like, we get our happiness, together.

All the realms being restored...Arendelle, Neverland, Wonderland, Agrabah, The Enchanted Forest.

Nice.

The Charmings. Rainboots by the door. They live on a farm. They have a dog.

Emma and Regina walking Henry to school. SUCH EMBARRASSING MOMS. LOL.

Snow teaching, with the bluebird again.

Emma and Killian in the bug, with his Deputy badge on, and them driving off with the siren going.

The Dwarfs fixing Regina's door, instead of "Mayor" it says "Queen.". And Evil Queen got an arrow with a note from Robin.

Rumbelle gets a beauty and the beast dance.

Everybody at Granny's celebrating, including Rumbelle.

Them all sitting at a long made table like THE LAST SUPPER!

And the little girl that was guarding the book in the forest is now on a train bring a new Once Upon a Time storybook to someone else's door...her fathers...a grown HENRY MILLS! Who doesn't remember having a daughter, who looks alot like Violet btw.

SHE SAYS HIS FAMILY NEEDS HIM! AWE MAN! HERE WE GO AGAIN!

[morporkian-cryptid]

^putting this long headcanon (and the rant in the tags) from my side-blog on my main as well

Yes, I would be very interested hearing your head canon (@tim-ribbert-56) (in response to this post)

I have decided for my personal entertainment that Clarisse de Cagliostro is related to Lupin III, and here's why.

-pulls out Arsène Lupin's Wikipedia page-

In the novel La Comtesse de Cagliostro, a young Arsène Lupin (at the time going by the name Raoul d'Andrésy) was courting Clarisse d'Etigues, a young lady of a well-to-do family, and trying to win her hand, despite her father's disapproval.

Throughout the course of the novel, Lupin meets and falls in love with Joséphine Balsamo, aka the Countess of Cagliostro, and abandons Clarisse in favour of her. To clarify, Joséphine is not actually countess of anything, she is (or claims to be) a descendant of Giuseppe Balsamo aka the Count of Cagliostro (who was also count of jack shit), a famous conman from the 18th century.

Shenanigans ensue, which I will not go into in details on, but oh my god I am insane about Raoul and Joséphine, I want to dissect them and study them under a microscope. It turns out Joséphine aka Cagliostro is evil as fuck, Raoul/Lupin realizes that and goes back to Clarisse (whom he had previously abandoned like an old sock, I fucking hate this guy), marries her, and a few years later has her kid.

Unfortunately Clarisse dies in childbirth, and Joséphine, who was still around and very very pissed at Lupin (and jealous as hell of Clarisse whom, may I mention, had never personally antagonized her in any way whatsoever, Joséphine is just fucking bonkers). Joséphine also kidnaps Lupin and Clarisse's son, Jean, and raises him as her own son. (I have not yet read the following novel The revenge of Cagliostro so I don't really know what Jean's deal is, I just know he's an antagonist).

The following is my headcanon, based on these events. In the universe of Lupin III, Joséphine Balsamo was actually countess of the small kingdom of Cagliostro (maybe Giuseppe was count, maybe he conned his way into becoming count, maybe he bought the land and built a fake kingdom with a fake history, who knows).

After the events of The revenge of Cagliostro, Jean settles down in the country of Cagliostro, gets married, has a child, and that child will later have a daughter of their own, who they name Clarisse, after their late grandmother. Clarisse de Cagliostro, of Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro fame, would thus be the great-grand-daughter of Arsène Lupin, making her Lupin III's cousin/niece/whatever you call this specific degree of separation.

I am choosing to make Clarisse de Cagliostro a great-granddaughter of Arsène Lupin, rather than a granddaughter, because Arsène Lupin was very young when the events I described unfolded: he is 20 years old when he meets Clarisse d'Etigues and the whole Cagliostro debacle happens, and 25 by the time Jean is born. I'm assuming he had Lupin II much later in his life. So Jean and Lupin II (half-brothers) would have a significant difference in age, and so Jean's hypothetical child (grandchild of Arsène Lupin, so of the same generation of Lupin III) would be much older than Lupin III. Clarisse de Cagliostro is younger than him, maybe around the same age if you stretch it, so she's have to be a great-grandchild.

Now I need to read The revenge of Cagliostro and study Arsène Lupin's wikipedia page in more detail to determine when exactly Lupin II was born and who his mother was. And also where Albert's family branched out, because the fact that he's called D'Andrésy should theoretically place him as a descendant of Arsène Lupin's mother but not of Arsène Lupin himself; but Jean was also going by that last name, so who fucking knows.

No I am not insane I promise, I am just a gigantic nerd.