#fern is hands down one of my favorite characters in the entire series

[kitsunecrows]

objects in mirror are closer than they appear 🌿

[frodo-with-glasses]

Thoughts, for the word ask!

I’ve been staring at this ask in my inbox for at least a week.

Every time I saw it, I would draw a blank. Not because there wasn’t anything to talk about, no; because there was too much. We spend so much time in these characters’ heads—getting to know their opinions and personalities and hopes and fears and morals and beliefs—that there’s a near insurmountable amount of “thoughts” I could discuss, and a possibly infinite amount of things I could say about them, and I just don’t have that kind of time.

This ask has made me draw a blank for at least a week.

Until today.

There’s a scene in Lord of the Rings that consists entirely of the uninterrupted thoughts of a single person. There’s a scene that is nothing but someone’s inner monologue, and yet somehow it manages to be one of the most beautiful things in this story. It’s one of my top five favorite scenes of all time—probably top three, actually—and it drove me so absolutely feral when I read it that I wrote a whole four-part essay series about it.

If you’ve been here for a while, you know what I’m talking about. If you know even a little bit about me, you can probably guess.

…Frodo after a few mouthfuls of lembas settled deep into the brown fern and went to sleep. Sam looked at him. The early daylight was only just creeping down into the shadows under the trees, but he saw his master’s face very clearly, and his hands, too, lying at rest on the ground beside him.

He was reminded suddenly of Frodo as he had lain, asleep in the house of Elrond, after his deadly wound. Then as he had kept watch Sam had noticed that at times a light seemed to be shining faintly within; but now the light was even clearer and stronger.

Frodo’s face was peaceful, the marks of fear and care had left it; but it looked old, old and beautiful, as if the chiselling of the shaping years was now revealed in many fine lines that had before been hidden, though the identity of the face was not changed. Not that Sam Gamgee put it that way to himself. He shook his head, as if finding words useless, and murmured:

‘I love him. He’s like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no.’

Whether or no.

There’s not a single more beautiful thought in this entire story.

WORD ASK GAME!

[shiroganeryo]

ah, if you're still doin the character thing, how about Lenalee? (I didn't see anybody asking about her, but if sb did, sorry! maybe Johnny then?)

I’m sorry for the delay on replying to this one! This is probably the last ask thingy I’ll be doing for the Character Questions, as they take me some time to type and I’ve been busy 💓 But thank you all very much for the interest in these, I really love writing for stuff like this! I’ll be covering both Lenalee and Johnny in this one - so, a two character reply again! I was hoping someone would give me Lena so the OT4 was complete, but I also really love Johnny... 😭 

Lenalee

My otp for them: With Lavi! I had never paid much attention to the two of them as a couple, but after I reread the series last year, they have grown on me. Lavi has been Lenalee’s emotional support many times and it’s clear he cares about her. People would consider that the time he snapped at her for grieving over “losing Allen” was bad, but I quite don’t think he meant harm; rather, I think he kinda acted on impulse because he wanted her to feel better. He marvelously made up for that during the following arcs (”I didn’t come here to stop you; this is your decision to make. Just let me come along.” - 150th Night). Those interactions made me like them a lot as a pairing. My brotp for them: Miranda! She played a big part in Miranda’s life, and I’m sure they got really close thanks to that. Imagining them doing all the girly things together without a care in the world makes me so happy 🥺 It’s like getting to see the happy girl Lenalee could have been, if she weren’t another victim of the war. I also used to ship them because I have no self-control apparently, so. XD Any other ships: Have you all ever considered her and Emilia? 💦 Both share guts and very strong legs, it seems. I can picture them bonding easily over shared interests and it makes me weak. I also love Lenalee and Kanda’s relationship, so they also get the cake here. As for Allen, they make a beautiful pairing, but only when it comes to appearance to me; imo they would need to work many things out, personally speaking, to work in a healthy way for both. Their best friend: Miranda, Jeryy and Kanda! Miranda, for the reasons stated above; Jeryy, because he was her “motherly figure” when she was growing up and needed a feminine, understanding input from someone she could feel comfortable around. And Kanda, due to their relationship as “childhood friends”, in a way. Lenalee loves everyone close to her, but I see these three being the ones she’s the closest to. My favorite nickname for them: “Lena”, given by Kanda. It just sounds so cute and delicate; it suits her. My favorite AU headcanon of them: People often say they would like to see Lenalee abandon the Order and join Allen’s side. I say the opposite; she should stay. She could be a big helping hand on throwing a rebellion of sorts that could benefit him from the inside. That way she wouldn’t need to abandon the people she loves for Allen’s sake, but would still be on his side, on her own way. My favorite outfit they wear: Lenalee has the cutest chinese themed outfits! The ones I love the most are the one she used during the Zombie arc, and this one I saw her wearing on Gray Log. She looks so darn cute, too precious for this world. *gross sobbing* Defining color: When I think of her, I think of several shades of green, namely Fern (#4F7942) and Pine (#01796F). I also think of deep red (#D30000), because of the ribbons she uses on her hair and the shapes of her Crystal Type Innocence. Would I date them: Lenalee is a strong, amazing girl! However, I wouldn’t date her. She can also be headstrong, and so am I hahah At times, I find myself thinking we’re similar in the way we’re insistent (at the risk of being unreasonable) about some things and I quite don’t see that working out at all 😅 First impression: Bland. Nice character, but her design didn’t interest or stand out at all to me. Dark Boots are an awesome Innocence though! Current impression: I really like her. Not one of my favorite characters, and I have a lot of criticism when it comes to Lenalee, but I love her design and the development she got so far. I started taking her more seriously after the fight against Eshi; it was one heck of an awesome fight! The way she put everything on the line on that suicidal move was impressive; so badass. Hogwarts House: As much as I would love to assign her to Gryffindor for her commendable courage, Lenalee’s home is in Hufflepuff! Before anything else, she cares deeply for the people she loves, and will sacrifice herself for them without thinking twice. Loyalty and kindness are her most prominent trait, but that doesn’t make her a pushover in the slightest. Which Pokemon starter they’d be: Torchic! According to the Pokédex entries, Torchic feels warm to the touch and this makes it very huggable. I have this type of impression about her, warm and welcoming. It also develops a fighting type upon evolving, and Blaziken are well known for their strong legs and jumping capacity!

Johnny

My otp for them: With Cache! I’m very weak for couples where the woman looks (and is) stronger than the guy, and we’ve seen her carrying Johnny to the medical wing before - an occurence that, according to her, happens a lot. He seems to have a crush on her, seeing his reaction (fidgety, blushing) when he was saying goodbye to his science friends. According to Vol. 27′s Discussion Room, the scrunchy he’s using to tie his hair used to be hers, and I love how Allen went “hmm, I see...” when he told them she had given it to him hahah (it’s alright, Allen; I ship it too 👌) My brotp for them: Allen, hands down. Differently from what people say, Johnny has always supported and cherished Allen, what he’s doing for him now isn’t out of the blue. It was actually what Johnny told him that started to change his perception on things and realize that his heart longed to be with the ones he loves despite the hardships (”As Johnny Gill and your friend, I’m going to help you!”, - 215th Night). He loves him, and I can tell how important he is for Allen too; he was able to come back from Nea’s inner world thanks to Johnny’s calling that reminded him of his ties with everyone in “Home”. This part has some of my favorite scenes from the entire series; Johnny didn’t even bat an eye, he simply jumped for Allen. I called it Allen would avoid their fall, but Johnny patting his head in happiness and relief and then hugging him, to which Allen returned, as relieved and happy for having come back... It was so sweet and hopeful. It brings good tears to my eyes!  Any other ships: I don’t have any~ Their best friend: I think Johnny is friends with pretty much all of his buddies from the Science Division, but I notice him being closer to Reever. I would like to mention Suman as well; despite him being deceased, Johnny still seems to hold a fond memory of him. And then comes Allen who’s clearly someone important to him, and it doesn’t seem to be one-sided, judging by the time they (used to) spend together having fun. My favorite nickname for them: I don’t have one! But Johnny deserves cute nicknames, let’s give him some, Hoshino-sensei? 👀 My favorite AU headcanon of them: I don’t have one because Johnny is already perfect as a character and for the plot as he already is imho. All I wish is for him to survive until the ending. Hang in there, Johnny! Allen needs you, but for all you’ve been doing, you deserve to make it out alive and earn your own happiness! My favorite outfit they wear: Out of all the characters, I feel like Johnny is the one that has the most “stripped-down” style, quite modern looking. But I love his current outfit the most! He looks great in vests and the long coat definitely reminds me of the lab coats he used to wear while in the Order. I also like a lot more how his hairdo is atm, it looked a little painful to have tied for too long in the previous style (similar to pigtails). His new frame glasses are also pretty! Gives him a more serious look. Defining color: Curiously enough, I think of an array of varied colors when I think of Johnny? I can’t seem to be able to pick one. There is black, yellow like Mustard (#FEDC56), brown like Cherrywood (#CB6F36) and blue like Maya (#73C2FB), to name some. Would I date them: But of course! Johnny is the sweetest guy I’ve ever seen. He gives off all the geek vibes, but not on the annoying way; he looks like the type of person that would talk lots about things that make him happy, excitedly, while you’d look at him go, feeling blessed with all the bright energy vibes emanating from him. He’s also shown to be extremely supportive, and honestly, everyone deserves someone like him 🥺 First impression: Regular geek scientist guy? Current impression: *incoherent sobbing* I love him so much! Why does Johnny not have more appreciation?! Why do people think he’s annoying??? Anyone who loves Allen gotta admit this guy is the MVP. He’s the trope you’d expect for a smartsy science guy, and at the same time, he’s not only that. I’ve babbled enough on that in the reply under this question. Hogwarts House: I’m in a tie between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but I think I would give him Gryffindor. People would be quick to place him in Ravenclaw for his smarts and his love for learning, but this guy is extremely courageous. Despite being seen as “weak” and fragile, he was the one to stand up for Allen in multiple occasions throughout the series. He’s also the one who confronted the Earl to ask him what he wanted with the 14th (196th Night), while no one had really questioned or directly talked to him. He left the Order to go after Allen, knowing he was awakening as a Noah (which is already dangerous on its own) and would be in constant situations of peril because of Akuma and other Noah. Johnny, the “regular guy”, did all that, having no care as to what could happen to him. So, Gryffindor for his extreme courage, but maybe Hufflepuff for his honest loyalty and goodness. Which Pokemon starter they’d be: Grookey! The way Grookey and its evolutions handle wood makes me think they’re skilled Pokémon that can craft things and know how to use them as instruments, just like Johnny does with his scientific creations. The tied “hair” also reminds me of him!

[trashyswitch]

Marvin’s Favorite Spell

Marvin has a favorite spell he's been testing for a while. When Marvin wakes up in a playful mood, he decides to try it out on his friends for the first time!

This fanfiction was loosely based on @franklyshipping​‘s series: ‘Marvin the Mischievous’. I added my own twist to it and everything. The only similar thing is the fact that Marvin is the main character, being all mischievous and stuff.

Marvin is a magician. We all know this. But did you know, he also has a spell book? Marvin's spell book was filled with many spells. Levitation spells, transformation spells, love spells, and millions more! But, there's one specific spell that Marvin keeps bookmarked with the words 'BEST SPELL' on the top of the bookmark.

That spell, is an Invisibility spell.

The invisibility spell is pretty self explanatory: Make yourself invisible. When mixed together, the powder can be initiated by sprinkling it onto yourself. It can be used for hiding things and sneaking around, but it's mostly a fun spell that you can use to mess with your friends. You can make them think the house is haunted, have them believe they have powers, or maybe just make them think they're having bad luck today. All of those possibilities can be achieved through the invisibility spell.

Marvin has been trying this spell out for a while now, in the comfort of his room. No one has seen him turn invisible yet. He's memorized the powder mix, and tested it out just on his own. This way, he's practiced his ability to sneak around quietly and used the powder whenever he pleases. That way, he can use it on his friends without posing any threats or harm. That's the last thing Marvin would want to do to his friends.

This morning though, Marvin woke up in a really playful mood. He almost immediately felt it since the moment he woke up. He wanted to play with someone. Mess with someone. Tickle someone...

Hmm...Tickling isn't a bad idea. Tickling while invisible seems like a genius plan! Marvin, you're a genius! For once in your life, you're a genius!

Marvin pulled out his spell book, and opened it to the bookmarked page: Page 138-139.

'Invisibility Powder

Mix together the following: -1 Fern Leaf -1 tbsp of Dried poppy seeds

Add: -1 tsp Slippery elm powder -1 tsp Myrrh -1 tsp Marjoram -3 small fresh Dillweed branches

Add 9 drops of almond cooking extract with enough spring water to make everything barely moist, and mix in well. Place in a ceramic bowl, spreading as thinly as possible, and dry the mixture over low heat, stirring it occasionally, until it seems lightly browned. Pour back into mortar, and grind again. When finely powdered, store in a clear glass container. It will keep its power for years. Sprinkle, just a little bit, on yourself, objects, or in a place to be made invisible.' Marvin read.

Marvin followed the instructions, placing everything in like he practiced. Then, Marvin placed it into a small bottle. Before putting it away, he sprinkled some onto himself. Then, he put a cork stopper onto the bottle top, and put the bottle in his pocket. Very soon, he could feel the powder taking effect. The moment he couldn't see his reflection in the mirror, he was ready.

Marvin walked out of his room, making sure no one was walking by. He walked out of his room quietly, and began to walk. He walked around the entire house, keeping in mind where everyone was. Thankfully for Marvin, no two people were in 1 room at the same time. This made it easier for Marvin to consider who would be watching his attacks. After memorizing where everyone was, he went to the first victim's location: the kitchen. It was Jackie.

Jackie appeared to be eating a protein bar while leaning on the island. Marvin decided to wait a couple seconds for Jackie to finish his protein bar. Once Jackie finished his protein bar, he threw away the wrapper, and jogged up to his workout room. Quickly slipping through the door as to not raise suspicion, Marvin got into the workout room. He's seen the workout room before, and has watched Jackie workout. He usually started with weights.

Marvin watched as Jackie loaded up the bar with weights, before laying onto the bench set. Grabbing the barbell, he lifted it off the barbell rest, and started lifting, lowering and counting. Marvin walked around the mats that were on the floor, and snuck up behind the barbell rest. After placing the barbell back onto the rest, Marvin decided to attack. He scratched a single finger, into the back of Jackie's neck.

Jackie let out a surprisingly high pitched squeal! Marvin had to retreat his hand to stop himself from laughing. "What the-" Jackie muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. After brushing off the tickly feeling, Jackie decided to pick up the barbell, and do a few more lifts. In the middle of his lifts, Jackie felt a tickly feeling right on his abs.

"AAah! Whohoho's thehehere?!" Jackie asked through his giggles, as he placed the barbell back onto the rest before he lost energy. Marvin retreated his hand, and tried to think of another spot to tickle. Looking down, he noticed that the back of his knees were exposed, thanks to the space between the bench cushions. Marvin smirked as he quietly snuck up to the spot, and laid on his back underneath the bench. Marvin let Jackie do another round of curls, before poking and prodding the bottom of his knees with both his index fingers.

"Hehehehey! Shohohow yohohoursehelf!" Jackie ordered. Marvin removed his fingers. "I demand you to show yourself immedi-" Jackie yelled, before being interrupted by the returning ticklish feeling under his knees. "AAhahahAHAHA! Whohoho ahahare yohohohou?!" Jackie asked through his giggles and spouts of laughter. Jackie tried to sound intimidating, but the ticklish laughter was a lot more controlling than Jackie could've predicted. And unfortunately for him, laughing while making demands didn't intimidate even the most cowardly of villains. Marvin smiled, and decided to try something out. He crawled up to Jackie's shoes, grabbed onto his ankle, and brought his other hand up to his pocket. Marvin grabbed his bottle of powder, and sprinkled some powder onto the shoe. Very soon, the powder took effect and made the foot on the inside appear. He lifted his hand, poking and prodding the now-visibly socked foot.

"Whahahat the hehehehell?! Hohohow are yohohohou dohohohoing thihihis?!" Jackie asked through his light laughter. Jackie was so confused. What was even going on right now?! For Jackie, his foot still felt like the shoe hadn't left his foot at all. So, Jackie thought the criminal was tickling his feet through his shoes. How was this person tickling him through his shoes?! So much for trying to cover his feet up.

Marvin soon found where his toes were, and dug his pinky toe under his toes.

"AAAAHAHAHA! NAHAHAT THEHEHEHERE! PLEHEHEHEASE NAHAHAT THEHEHERE!" Jackie begged. Wow...Jackie was already begging?! His toes must tickle a lot, to be begging THIS soon. Marvin smiled and moved his fingers to the inner arch of his foot.

"IHIHI CAHAHAHAN'T BREHEHEHEATH!" Jackie yelled. Marvin smirked before removing both hands. He grabbed the powder once again, sprinkled some on, and watched as the shoe became visible once again. Standing up, Marvin eyed up his slightly tired victim. After a couple more seconds of breathing, Jackie got up, walked into an open space in his workout room, and got himself into a defensive stance.

"I demand you show yourself to me immediately!" Jackie demanded. Marvin rolled his eyes, and shook his head with an eyebrow slightly raised. "If you refuse to follow my orders, then I'll have no choice but to arrest you." Jackie warned in as serious of a tone as he could muster.

Marvin just about snorted at that remark. He sounded so confident, talking to a 'criminal' he couldn't even lay eyes on! How much damage does he think he's gonna cause? How do you attack something that doesn't even have a visual to aim at?

Marvin decided to mess around with him. He ran around, dodging every attack Jackie attempted. Every time Jackie attempted an attack, he would wind up hitting nothing and stumble. That was when Marvin would attack.

Jackie threw a punch and lost his balance for a moment. Marvin ganged up from the side and wiggled his fingers on his exposed side. "EEEEK! Knohohock ihihit ohohohoff!" Jackie said.

Next, Jackie attempted a few punches in one direction. Marvin pretended to silently yawn, before walking up behind him and shoving his hands into Jackie's armpits.

"NAHAHAHAHA! COHOHOHOME OHOHOHON!" Jackie bursted out. His arms came crashing down, as he let out fits of laughter. Pretty soon, Jackie lifted his arms and ran away from the tickly fingers.

To try and land something, Jackie tried a roundhouse kick. This ended up backfiring however, as when his foot came up, Marvin just caught the leg in midair, and wiggled his fingers under his knees again.

"STAHAHAHAP THAHAHAHAT! LEHEHET MEHEHE GOOHOHOHO!" Jackie begged. It was starting to occur to Jackie, just how impossible this fight was gonna be. What was he supposed to do?!

Marvin let go of his leg and walked around him. Jackie decided to wait for the criminal to attack first. So, he waited. Marvin could sense what Jackie was planning. So, he circled the man, poking every ticklish spot he could find. He went for the sides, abs, stomach, neck, back, underarms, knees, and even a couple to the neck. Jackie reacted with either a squeal, a giggle or a yelp each time.

Finally, to end it all off: Marvin went behind him, and drilled his fingers into his hips. Jackie's reaction was priceless! He let out a super loud squeal and absolutely howled with laughter. It didn't take long for Jackie's knees to buckle and hit the ground. His hips were a death spot for him, and no one actually knew this except for Schneeplestein. Or so he thought...

"SHNEHEHEHEHEEP! IHIHIS THAHAHAHAT YOHOHOHOU?!" Jackie asked through his hysterical laughter. Marvin frowned at this, and dug his fingers harder into his hips.

"OHOHOHOHOHO GAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jackie screamed! He couldn't even properly speak anymore, he was laughing so much! Finally, Marvin finished up. He removed his fingers and walked away. Jackie's whole body collapsed onto a mat, utterly exhausted from the ticklish treatment he was just put through. Was it Dr. Schneeplestein?! If so, how was he invisible? Hopefully, he would get some answers soon...

Marvin's next target, was Chase Brody. Chase was playing video games in the gaming room. Yes, the Egos had a gaming room. The house came with an extra bedroom, which they converted into a gaming room. And in that gaming room, Chase was sitting in front of the big computer screen, playing Burnout Paradise on his Xbox. Marvin slightly opened the door, and checked to make sure he wasn't spotted. Once he was all clear, he opened it a bit more, and squeezed his body through the small opened wedge of the door before closing it.

"LOOK OUT EVERYONE! YA BOY AVERAGE, COMING THROUGH!" Chase shouted, just about giving Marvin a mini heart attack. Marvin jumped about 3 feet in the air, and almost yelled in surprise. That was close...

After calming himself down, Marvin tried to think of how to get his attention. Perhaps turning off the TV might be a good start? Marvin looked around, and found the remote halfway across the room for some reason. So, he grabbed it and turned the TV off.

"What the- COME OOOONN! I WAS SOOOOO CLOOOOSE!" Chase whined. while Chase was complaining, Marvin quickly removed the batteries, put them in his pocket, placed the remote back down and stepped aside. "Where's the remote again?" Chase asked himself. Chase looked around, and soon found the remote on the couch. He picked it up and clicked the power button.

It didn't turn on. Chase clicked it again. Nothing...Confused, he watched the remote as he clicked the power button...none of the buttons were lighting up...strange...

'did the batteries die?' Chase thought. He turned it around, and started to remove the lid from the battery compartment. Suddenly, Chase felt a poke against his stomach. Chase jumped backwards as his voice went wobbly for a moment. Okay...that was weird. He lifted up the battery lid, and noticed something: There were no batteries.

Chase placed the remote down, pulled out his phone and started texting a group text of the roommates in his house. Once the text went out, he placed the phone down. As he was bending down to pick up the remote, he felt a sudden push. Chase winded up losing his balance, and sitting on the ground.

"Alright, who's messing with me- Hehehehahaha! Hehehehey! Whohoho's tihihihihickling mehehehe?!" Chase said, bursting into a fit of giggles. Marvin smiled as he tickled his stomach. It's a good thing he's invisible right now.

"Hellohohohoho?! Who's-" Chase asked, before being interrupted by his own squeal. Marvin had started squeezing and lightly clawing at the sides of his tummy. "WAHAHAHA! NOHOHO! ANYWHEHEHEHERE BUT THEHEHEHERE!" Chase yelled, bursting into more laughter. It seems Chase was ticklish on his tummy. But what about his belly button?

Marvin dipped his finger into his belly button, and swirled it around. "EEEEEEK! NAHAHAT MY BEHEHELLY BUHUTTON! EEEEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" Chase begged, turning his body onto his stomach. Marvin frowned. His barrel roll had caused Marvin to lose a couple tickle spots. But, not all hope was lost. While he was there, Marvin decided to try his back muscles around the spine. He used his index finger and his thumb to push against the muscles beside his spine. He would give his muscles a little wiggle, before lifting and pushing his fingers against the spine an inch lower each time. At first, there was less reaction and more questions.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this? Heck, what are you even trying to do? Give me a back massage?"

But the lower down the spine that Marvin got, the more laughter started to show up.

"Wahait! Nahat any lohohower! Plehehease doOHOHOHO- OHOHOHOHO MY GAHAHAHAD! HAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAVE- HAHAHAVE MEHEHEHEHERCYYY!" Chase shouted. His eyes had widened to the size of saucers, before shutting tightly as his fists pounded the floor almost aggressively.

Marvin decided to let him go...for now...He removed his hands and decided to instead, very lightly scratch the back of his neck. This seemed to allow Chase a chance to breath, but still caused some giggles to leave his mouth. "Hahahahahaha! Hahaha...heheheheh..." Chase giggles. The man seemed to be calming down, and surprisingly...Chase was starting to relax.

Chase still had no idea what was going on. He didn't understand how he was being tickled without anybody actually there. But because it involved tickling, he didn't really mind it. Though the laughter was forced, it still made him feel happy. Marvin removed his fingers completely and stood up. He was glad that he could make someone genuinely happy through doing this, but he still had a mission to attend to. So, he grabbed the batteries from his pocket and placed them on a corner table near the door. With the batteries in sight, Marvin left the room.

Marvin walked around, heading for the next target: Henrik's office. Now, Henrik was an interesting one. He had an in-home doctor's office in a small room, that had a door connecting his office to his bedroom. He liked working on medical based things, so Marvin would have to be careful he doesn't damage or ruin something of Henrik's in the process. Marvin already knew where Henrik's worst spots were, but wanted to start off easy. So, he snuck up behind him, waited for him to place something down, and fluttered his fingers on the back of his neck.

"WaAAAh!" Henrik yelped, covering his mouth with the back of his hand, embarrassed by the sound he just made. Despite what just happened, Henrik gave the back of his neck a little scratch, and went on with his day. However, he only managed to do this for 5 seconds because suddenly, Marvin drilled his fingers into the sides of Henrik's stomach. This caused a squeal and a giggle to leave his mouth, before he turned around and put his hands up in front of him in self defense. Though it was an attempt, this proved to be pointless, as Marvin snuck up behind him once again and drummed his fingers on Henrik's ribs.

"AAaahahahahehehe!" Henrik laughed and squirmed, falling to his knees as he protected his ribs with his arms. He didn't really understand what was going on, but he wondered if the thing could be grabbed. So, he attempted it. When Marvin would tickle Henrik, Henrik would let himself laugh and try to reach for the spot. It took quite a few tries, but Henrik manged to get something in the middle of his laughing. "AHahahahaha! Gahahatcha!" Henrik cheered through his giggles.

Marvin's eyes widened. How did he know?! Did he know who it was?! Marvin stayed quiet as Henrik felt the thing he was holding. He felt the palm, the wrist, the individual fingers and even the nails.

"...A human...An invisible human." Henrik muttered to himself. Before Henrik could discover anything else, Marvin grabbed his arm with his free hand, and pushed him. He watched as Henrik protested and pulled at his arm, but walked backwards, following him. After a bit more pushing, Marvin felt Henrik's back hit the wall behind him.

"Vhat on earth are you trying to do?!" Henrik yelled. Marvin let his arm go and skittered his fingers on Henrik's ribs again. "Vahahahahait! Ehehexplahahain yohohoursehehelf!" Henrik ordered through his laughter, letting go of Marvin's hand as he succumbed to the ticklish trap. Marvin added his now free hand into the mix, wiggling both hands' digits on Henrik's ribs. Henrik's laughter heightened and grew louder, and his knees started to give way.

Slowly, Henrik was falling and Marvin was bending down, following him down the wall. As Henrik finally hit the ground, Marvin moved his hands to the front, digging into the front of his ribs and into the core muscles. As Marvin expected, Henrik threw back his head and stretched out his legs. "NOHOHOHOHOHO! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Henrik reacted. He squirmed around, trying to get the mysterious hands away from his ticklish body, but to no avail. Marvin decided to take it up a notch, by switching his hand tactics to clawing and quick vibrating.

The reaction from Henrik was absolutely hilarious! "SCHEHEHEHEHEIßE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHALT! BIHIHIHIHIHIHITTE!" Henrik yelled through his hysterical laughter. Henrik was starting to revert to his native language! That rarely ever happened!

Marvin realized that this was a sign to stop very soon. The doctor kicked, he squirmed, he shook his head, and he swatted at the clawing hands. But nothing could stop the mysterious hands from tickling him. Marvin decided to try out two more spots before he stopped. Marvin moved his hands up to Henrik's armpits first.

"AAAAAAAAAAHH! NEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEIN!" Henrik shouted! His arms had clamped down, trapping his hands under his arms. Maaayybe he should've tried the neck first...

Marvin stopped his fingers, and patiently waited for Henrik to let his hands go. When he did, Marvin shot his right arm up and lightly wiggled his fingers on Henrik's neck.

"Ohohohokay...okahahahay...Zhat's behehetter...Zhahahank yohohou..." Henrik said through his much more calm giggles. Marvin to completely stop, and give the poor man a break. He was afraid he might've gone overboard.

Marvin stood back up, and stared at the exhausted Henrik, who was deeply breathing on the floor. Feeling slightly bad, Marvin went over to the sink, got a glass of water and handed it to him. Henrik smiled, sat back up and took the drink.

"Zhank you...you didn't have to do zhat..." Henrik said, placing the paper cup beside him. Marvin smiled to himself, before leaving the room.

Next, was Jameson Jackson, or JJ/Jamie for short. Henrik looked around, but couldn't find JJ in his room. Strange...he was there earlier...Perhaps he moved?

He walked around for a while longer, soon finding JJ in the living room. He appeared to be working on a jigsaw puzzle of a street with old cars, and a farmer riding a horse. So far, JJ had the cars on the street filled and was starting to put together the hotel building, with the black car parked in between the buildings. Noticing a piece that fit a certain space, Marvin waited for JJ to look away. When he looked away, Marvin grabbed the puzzle piece, and fit it in quickly, before retreating and looking again. JJ looked back at the puzzle, and placed a piece...

'Wait a second..Wasn't that previously an empty space?' JJ thought to himself. Thinking he was losing his mind, JJ ignored it, and started looking around for another piece. While JJ was collecting a few more pieces, Marvin had grabbed a couple pieces and fit them in the right spot. JJ placed a piece in, and noticed it was...already filled? What? JJ looked at his own piece, looked around, and realized where it was actually supposed to go. Placing it in, he tried to wrack his brain to find out when he put that piece in. But...he couldn't recall putting it in at all!

While JJ was thinking, Marvin grabbed a pile of puzzle pieces, and started dragging them together to form a letter.

JJ reached for a pile of pieces, but felt nothing. Looking up, he noticed that the small puzzle pile he made earlier, was missing! Thinking they fell on the floor, he looked under the table...

No puzzle pieces. Looking back up, something caught his eye! A collection of puzzle pieces spelling something out:

'Hi' it said.

JJ's eyes widened, as he leaned away slightly. Is someone messing with him? If so, who?

JJ decided to try something. He pulled a pen out of his jacket, and made a notebook appear in his hand. He used the notebook to write a message.

'Hello.' JJ wrote. He placed the pen and paper on the other side of the table, and worked on the puzzle while he was waiting. After a couple more pieces were placed, JJ looked up to the notebook.

Nothing.

Perhaps he really was losing it. JJ looked back down at his puzzle, and looked around for the pieces of the Hotel sign in his puzzle.

Suddenly, a sound filled his ear...just for a moment. JJ looked up, to see the pen on top of the paper, rather than beside.

...Perhaps, he wasn't losing it? JJ looked at the notebook, and widened his eyes at the strokes of ink below his.

'Cool puzzle!'

JJ looked around him. To the right: no one. to the left: no one. behind him: no one. all around him: an empty room.

JJ narrowed his eyes. He grabbed the pen, wrote something down before placing it down in front of him.

JJ waited. He needed to know. Is there a ghost he wasn't aware of? Who else knew about this ghost? Why was there a ghost in here? What was its na-

JJ's thoughts stopped there, when suddenly...the pen started rising up! JJ jumped back in total shock! GHOST!

Despite what JJ was thinking, Marvin was picking up the pen, and writing down something before dropping the pen and letting it click against the paper. JJ looked at the notebook, and hesitantly picked up the paper with his shaky hand. He grabbed the notebook, watched the pen slide off the notebook and onto the table, and read the paper:

'Look behind you...' it read.

JJ bit his lip, nervous about what to see. He slowly turned around, clenching the notebook with his shaky hand. He opened his squeezed eyes, and looked...

A glove? Scratch that...two gloves were floating in front of him.

One of the gloves waved to him...JJ, not knowing what else to do, waved back.

Eager to get this show on the road, Marvin, with his gloves on, started wiggling his fingers. JJ raised an eyebrow, confused as to what 'wiggling fingers' meant.

The gloves flew towards him, and started examining JJ. One glove grabbed his hat and lifted it off his head, while the other glove felt his hair and ruffled it. JJ, slightly annoyed, grabbed his hat and plopped it back onto his head.

Marvin's gloved hand, now free of the hat, placed its finger on JJ's neck, and scratched the side of his neck. JJ let out a squeal and curled his neck instinctively. With the other gloved hand, Marvin scratched the other side of his neck. JJ scrunched his shoulders, a toothy grin showing up on his face as he tipped his head back. Marvin's fingers continued scratching, until one of the fingers got under the jawline. JJ let out another squeal, as his own hands came up to swat at the gloved hands. The gloved hands didn't budge however, as the other gloved hand only went for the other side of the jawline. JJ threw his head back as his giggles grew a little louder. Marvin smiled to himself. it's working!

Next, the gloved hands went up to JJ's ears. JJ squealed loudly, as his head curled to the side to stop the gloves from tickling his ear. When the other gloved hand went for the other ear, all hell broke loose. JJ bursted out laughing, before falling onto his back. Marvin's gloves followed him, dancing his fingers on JJ's tummy and sides. JJ's smile was toothy and wide, and his squirming was increasing rather quickly. Marvin kept his hands on JJ's tummy, making sure to squish and squeeze his toned belly as well. JJ was laughing and giggling, shaking his head, and signing frantically.

'Stop! Stop, too ticklish!' Marvin could understand through JJ's frantic signs. Marvin smiled at the adorable man below him, as he kept one hand on his belly and used the other hand to go back to scratching his ear. JJ's laughter turned to cackles, as he threw his head back and lost his hat.

Suddenly, the gloved hands started spidering his sides, and walked up, up and up across his ribs, and into his armpits! JJ's arms came crashing down as his body swayed frantically back and forth.

Marvin was absolutely enjoying this! So far, JJ has been the most fun to tickle! Marvin knew JJ was ticklish from watching other people tickle him, but he didn't know how ticklish he really was! That is, until now. At this moment, Marvin had JJ stuck being tickled for a while, and he wanted to appreciate it for as long as he possibly could.

So far, it seemed like JJ's most ticklish spots were his tummy and his armpits. Marvin just about died at the cuteness! He placed his gloved hands back onto his ticklish neck, and wiggled his fingers excitedly.

In the midst of Marvin's little attack, his eyes came across the useful item from earlier: the pen. Feeling a wide and mischievous smirk form on his lips, Marvin grabbed the pen, clicked the ballpoint tip open, and started to draw on his neck with the pen! JJ let out an ear-piercing squeal! Marvin could easily tell JJ was enjoying this, and could happily announce that JJ was having the most ticklish time of his life! He continued drawing on his neck, creating little drawings on JJ's neck. JJ was kicking his legs, trying not to squirm too much.

Soon, Marvin decided to give JJ a break. He removed his hands, clicked the pen and placed it aside. JJ stayed laying on the ground, curled in a ball and rubbing his ticklish spots free of the leftover tingly feeling. While JJ was laying there, Marvin wrote a note into the notebook and placed it down. JJ eventually got up, grabbed the notebook and read the words written:

'Thanks for the little tickle session! P.S. You have an adorable smile!'

JJ could feel his cheeks heating up as he tried to hide his growing grin from whoever could be watching. Was he still there? He couldn't see the gloves anymore. So...perhaps he left?

And indeed, he did! Marvin had left JJ a couple minutes ago, and went to find Shawn: his last victim. Now, Marvin was a little nervous about this one. He wanted to leave Shawn till the very end for a specific reason, that he refused to admit. He wanted to think outside the box for Shawn's.

Marvin suspected he was in his room, painting, toy making, something of that sort. Marvin walked up to the open door and looked in: Turns out, he was right!

Shawn was holding a mixing tray, playing with different colors on a blank canvas.

'Man, that painting looked good!' the magician thought. Marvin looked around the room, and settled his eyes on Shawn's desk. On the desk were many cup holders: One for pencils and pens, one for scissors, sharpeners and erasers, one for glue sticks, and lastly: one for paintbrushes. There was a big variety of brushes: From tiny tipped brushes, to large wall paintbrushes. Marvin's lips formed into a mischievous smirk as an evil, ingenious idea came to his head.

Marvin snuck into the room. He walked past the display of toys and the reading chair, and towards the desk. He picked up the container of paintbrushes, and grabbed a small one and a big one from the cup. Just as he was placing the cup back, Shawn had turned around, and noticed that the brush container was moving by itself! Shawn dropped his paint-filled brush and gasped. This got Marvin's attention. Shoot...this wasn't part of the plan...

Marvin decided to quickly improvise. He put 3 of the brushes onto the desk, and carried the second biggest one with him. As he walked up to Shawn suspense-fully, he pointed the brush end at the painter, shaking it back and forth. Shawn jumped out of his chair, and made a run for it. he ran around his room a couple times, before running out the door. Marvin followed him as they entered the hallway.

A wild chase had begun. Shawn took twists and turns to try and slow the paintbrush down, but found that the paintbrush was getting closer and closer no matter what he did. As he tried to look for a place to hide, he realized there was a chair in front of him. Jumping up, he landed on the seat, and took a step onto the table! He took a couple steps on the table, before suddenly: His running came to a screeching halt! He tried to run. His legs were going, his arms were swaying back and forth, but his body wasn't moving! Before he could find out what was going on, his whole body was pulled backwards into an invisible grip!

Shawn yelled, but his mouth was silenced by...what felt like a hand? He tried to fight it, but struggled to keep it up. His fighting slowly turned to squirming as something started tickling him in the mysterious grip. Shawn muffled grunts turned to muffled laughter as his ribs were poked and clawed at. God...he probably looked really weird, laughing and squirming as he floated in the air. Thankfully no one was around to witness this.

As Shawn's muffled laughter continued, he watched as the mysterious creature carried him back to his room, and placed him onto his bed. Shawn attempted to escape again, but was stopped by a body...a body he couldn't see. The only thing he could see, was the hand imprints in his bed. Shawn started to feel around. Originally, he was trying to find an opening. But soon...that thought left his mind as a new thought replaced it: 'Who is this?'. Shawn felt everything he could reach: the arms, the head, the face, the hands, the shoulders, even the chest. It soon dawned on him that this was a human...and telling by the mask he could feel on the person's face, not just any human...

"...Wwwaaaaaaiiit...M-Marvin?" Shawn asked. Marvin's jaw dropped. HOW DID HE-...

Marvin started laughing nervously. "How did you know?" Marvin asked, using his voice for the first time.

"HEEEEYY! It IS you!" Shawn yelled excitedly.

"Yup...it's me..." Marvin said, embarrassed that Shawn found out who he was.

"Why, in the world, are you invisible?!" Shawn asked. Marvin pulled the bottle of invisible powder out of his pocket. Shawn rolled his eyes and let his head fall onto the bed with a smile on his lips. "Invisible powder? Really?" Shawn asked. Marvin pulled the cork off of the bottle, and sprinkled a bit onto his head. Suddenly, his body started appearing, bit by bit.

"...Surprise?" Marvin said awkwardly, before falling into a fit of laughter.

"You were the one controlling the brush?!" Shawn asked, laughing himself.

"Yes!" Marvin replied.

"You were the one who picked me up, and tickled me?!" Shawn asked with a smile on his face.

Marvin looked away, his face heating up and a cheeky grin growing onto his face. "...Maaaaaayybe..." Marvin replied.

Shawn narrowed his eyes and smirked in a mischievous, but curious manner. Suddenly, two hands gripped him. "Come here, ya little shit!" Shawn yelled, before spinning them both around. Now, Shawn was on the top, and Marvin was below him. "You know, you could've told me about your little crush." Shawn declared, grabbing his hands and holding them above his head. As Shawn thought about where to tickle first, he looked up to Marvin. "So tell me: Do you have a crush on me?" Shawn asked, before licking his lips eagerly. Marvin just about died upon watching that. Suddenly, a hand had found his side. Marvin looked down, and saw that it was Shawn's hand...uh oh..."I think someone needs some help confessing..." Shawn teased, clawing at Marvin's side. Marvin bursted into laughter as his body started squirming.

"Hahahahaha! Shaahahahawn! Thahahahat tihihihickles!" Marvin whined through his laughter.

Shawn gasped dramatically. "What?! This TiCkLeS? Perhaps I'd better fix that for you! What do you say, Marvy?" Shawn asked in a teasy voice. Marvin's laughter grew louder, as embarrassment over the nickname took a hold of him.

"DOHOhohon't cahahahall mehehe thahahahat!" Marvin yelled out of embarrassment.

"Hmm...I'll take that as a yes." Shawn decided, before giving Marvin a break. He walked over to his desk, and eyed up the single paintbrush laying on the desk. He knew Marvin was planning to use them on him. So...what would happen if Shawn reverse carded him, and used the paintbrushes on Marvin? Shawn smirked, grabbing the paintbrush from the desk and placing them into his pocket before walking back. Shawn grabbed the tiny brush out of his pocket and lifted up his shirt. Then, he dipped the paintbrush end into Marvin's belly button.

"aaAAAH! NAHAHAHAT THE BEHEHEHELLY BUHUHUTTON! HAHAHAHAHA!" Marvin yelled, bursting into laughter as he tried to squirm away from the paintbrush. Unfortunately, Shawn's brush would only follow the belly to wherever it squirmed to.

"There! That's a lot better." Shawn declared, swirling the paintbrush in Marvin's belly button.

"HAHAHAHAHA! SHAHAHAHAHAWN! PLEEEHEHEHEHEHEASE!" Marvin pleaded. Shawn smirked at the sound. Was Marvin already begging? It certainly didn't take that long.

Shawn gave Marvin another break. He pulled the invisible powder bottle out of Marvin's pocket, pulled off the cork and sprinkled a bit onto his head.

"Wa-wait! Yohou dohohon't know how tohoho use ihihit!" Marvin argued, still giggly from being tickled a moment ago.

"Nah, I get it...See? Not so easy to see now, huh?" Shawn replied, showing Marvin his now invisible hands, holding the bottle and cork in his hands. Shawn placed the cork back into the bottle, gave it to Marvin, and started walking around the room.

"Uuuuhuhuh...Shaaahahawn?" Marvin warned, nervous giggles leaving his throat. Suddenly, a pair of hands had trapped Marvin into a tight hug from behind. From there, Marvin started laughing as fingers started attacking his ribs, tummy and sides. "NAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IHIHI CAAHAHAHAHAHAN'T TAHAHAHAKE IHIHIT!" Marvin shouted, as best he could through his uncontrollable laughter.

"Aww! Come on, really? You can't take a bit of tickling?" Shawn asked.

"IHIHIHIT'S TOHOHOHOHOO MUHUHUHUHUCH!" Marvin yelled back, squirming and attempting to swat at Shawn's hands.

"Oooooh! Okay! So, you like lighter tickles then?" Shawn asked playfully.

Marvin didn't even wait a second to answer. YEHEHEHEHES!" Marvin yelled frantically. Shawn nodded, before stopping his fingers. He didn't let him go, though. He remained holding onto him, and calmly felt the man's deep breaths. He leaned his chin onto Marvin's shoulder as he processed the feeling, slowly closing his eyes to stay focused.

Shawn and Marvin remained like this for a while. Marvin had placed his hands on top of Shawn's, and leaned his head against Shawn's as well. They were both comfortable in each other's arms...

That was, until Shawn blew a raspberry into Marvin's neck.

"HEHEHEHehehehey! I thohohought wehehe were hahahaving ahaha mohohohoment?!" Marvin asked.

"We are! I'm just adding some laughter into the moment!" Shawn replied, before giving Marvin another raspberry into his neck. Marvin bursted out laughing again. When the laughter slowly died down, Shawn would blow another raspberry.

"Shahahahahahawn! Ihihit- AAAHAHAHaha! Ihihit tihihihickles!" Marvin whined, his laughter growing as he was given another raspberry in between his sentence.

"Really? It tickles? Here! Let me fix that!" Shawn decided, before blowing multiple raspberries up and down Marvin's neck.

"NAAAHAHAHahahaha! AHAHahahaha! Yohohohou're soohohoho MEHEHEHEHEAN!" Marvin yelled.

"Mean?! You think I'm mean?! I'm offended, Marvin!" Shawn reacted. Shawn continued to raspberry his neck, but also resumed the clawing on Marvin's tummy and sides again. Marvin threw his head back and bursted out into even more laughter! The more he laughed, the more his laughter turned to cackles! Soon, Marvin's cackles took over his body as he squirmed frantically to get out of Shawn's grip.

"AHA! I've gotcha!" Someone said. Suddenly, a pair of hands had scooped up Shawn, and dragged him backwards a few steps. Marvin got out of Shawn's loosened grip, and took off running to the wall on the other side of the room, before turning himself around.

"HEY! LET ME- EEEEK! HEHEHEHEY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Shawn squealed, before falling into a fit of laughter. Marvin's eyes widened as he gazed at the person. It was Henrik! Oh gosh...He was trying to get revenge on the invisible person!

"Oooh! Does zhe invisible human have ticklish ribs, by any chance?" Henrik teased, before drilling his fingers into the bottom ribs and wiggling them. Shawn's laughter grew louder and higher as he kicked and pushed against the arms that trapped him.

"YEHEHEHEHESS! THEHEHEHEY'RE TOHOHOHOHOO TIHIHIHICKLIHIHISH!" Shawn yelled through his laughter. Henrik rolled his eyes and decided to raise his arms a little higher. He started digging his fingers into the middle ribs, making sure to dig into the sides of the ribs as well as the front.

"GAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! DON"T GO HIGHER! DOHOHOHON'T GOHOHO HIGHEHEHER!" Shawn begged.

"Oh, I'm going higher. Your laughter gets louder zhat vay!" Henrik replied, before dragging his fingers a little higher and digging into the ribs. Shawn's protests continued leaving his mouth, but soon, his squirming had started to die down. Marvin was SO thankful to not be in that situation.

"Now: Let's see who zhis invisible tickler is..." Henrik said, before pulling a bottle of invisible powder out of his pocket. Wait a second...

"Where did you get that?" Marvin asked slightly frantic.

"From your room. Either zhis is a ghost, or zhis is a fellow friend of ours." Henrik theorized, before sprinkling some invisible powder onto the invisible person's shaking head. The powder starting taking effect, as Shawn's body started reappearing in Henrik's arms. "Shawn?!" Henrik reacted, his jaw dropping at the shocking news.

"Yahahaha...whahahat dohoho yohou wahahahahant?" Shawn asked, confused as to what was going on.

"I vant to know why you vere tickling people in zhe house?" Henrik explained.

"Whahahat ahare yohohou tahahahalking abohohohout?" Shawn asked.

Henrik narrowed his eyes, as bits of frustration started to spark inside of him. Henrik decided to dig his hands into Shawn's armpits. "Now's not a good time to start denying. Spit zhe truth out!" Henrik ordered, still tickling him.

Shawn squeezed his armpits shut as he squirmed back and forth. "I AHAHAHAM TEHEHEHELLING THEHEHE TRUHUHUHUHUTH!" Shawn shouted.

"Oh, I doubt that!" Henrik replied, continuing his ticklish revenge on the 'invisible tickler'.

"Actually...he's not lying. Shawn wasn't the one who tickled everyone..." Marvin explained.

"Vait...really? Zhen, vhy vas Shawn invisible?" Henrik asked.

Shawn breathed in as much as he could, but also attempted to speak. "Because *huff* I...was *huff* getting...revenge...*huff* on Marvin. *huff* " Shawn said through puffs of air.

Henrik narrowed his eyes, and looked at Marvin. Marvin was scratching the back of his head, with a wobbly smile on his face. "Yyyyyup...Iiiit was meee..." Marvin confessed awkwardly. Henrik's revenge focused switched, dropping Shawn and running up to Marvin to cover him in vengeful tickles.

"Wait! Hold on- Henrik! We can talk about this, can't we?" Marvin attempted.

"Oh yes, ve CAN talk! Let's talk TICKLES!" Henrik said, before trapping Marvin in his arms and squeezing at his tummy.

"WAAHAHAHAHAHA! HEHEHENRIHIHIHIK!" Marvin yelled, bursting out into hysterical laughter. Henrik's fingers proceeded to dance all over Marvin's tummy, and he soon dipped his index finger into Marvin's sunken belly button.

Marvin exploded with laughter! "PLEHEHEHEHEASE! MEHEHERCY! MEHEHEHEHERCYY!" Marvin pleaded.

Henrik let his lips form into a smirk, before bringing his lips to Marvin's ear. "No amounts of mercy vill be given to you for a vhile. So yust do me a favor: Laugh it aaaaaalll out." Henrik whispered into his ear, before launching the ultimate tickle attack on the magician.

And indeed, Marvin laughed. And laughed, and cackled...and snorted, and let out all his other laughs as well! It was about time that Marvin gets that ultimate wrecking they've all been waiting for. In the end, Henrik took pity on him, and let him go. Then, all was well when Henrik gave him a glass of water.

[jadeender]

The Price of Separation

Just a quick disclaimer before I get into the chapter, a general disclaimer. The way that I portray certain elements, like the dark world, Callous, and certain character backstory elements; do not necessarily align with their counterparts in darksverse. I'm taking creative liberties with many aspects of this series, this is not meant to disrespect Draco and her work, this is merely my take on the subject matter.

With that out of the way enjoy everyone's favorite angsty boy, Acidic.

____________________________________________________________

Splitting. Tearing. The moment he had been cleaved apart from Legend it had been like he was brought into existence once again. Every sound too powerful, every feeling too much. Quickly he sank into the shadows running from the light, a light he had pathetically clung to for weeks as he had attempted to hide from his own fate, from his own soul.

Acidic had slipped away using his own lights shadow as a portal as he traveled instinctively to the dark world. As he crossed into the monochromatic world he felt the darkness leaching into his very being trying to purify him of whatever light had taken hold during his time merged with Legend, or Legend being merged with him. Even now the specifics were blurry.

Before he had always known about his lights life, as all darks did, and he had even watched parts of it play out, including their fated battle. As he was pitted against Legend, a test of the champion, one to prove him worthy of a title or a prize.

Acidic’s head rose slowly, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there. He had returned right in the heart of the forest, the black trees with their shriveled leaves cast shadows from the pale sun, the black sky vast and endless. His hand sunk into the ferns on the ground their silky silver leaves passed back and forth as Acidic tried to make a plan.

He had nowhere to go, no allies, and no haven. He could always travel back to the light world but there was nothing there for him. Not for a crimson eyed dark, only fear and rejection. An image of sunken, rotted cities flashed before his eyes as Acidic shook his head.

Suddenly he sensed another presence, another dark, no two. Two like him were approaching, it could be Eternal and his mutt, or any of the other true darks. And that wasn’t a fight he wanted right now, he doubted he would even be able to put up a half decent fight, he felt wrong his passion for fighting was gone. 

“There are more than just us out here, I told you that.” A voice drifted forward as Acidic snuck around a tree hiding from the direction of the other darks, sinking into the shadows would do nothing to protect him, they would be able to easily see him.

“The main and most common inhabitants are Shadows.” The voice stopped for a second as his companion presumably gave some sort of indication. “Yes I know, it's your own fault for picking the name.”

Shadow as a name? Only one other dark had that name, Acidic peaked out from behind his tree and saw Curse and Shadow coming through the forest. Immediately he noticed how both of their eyes were a dull crimson.

Against his instincts Acidic stood up and stepped out from behind the tree catching Curse mid explanation.

“Shadows are essentially mocks of their light world counterparts, they live normal lifespans, reproduce, and die. But they aren’t cognizant or capable like us, they can do little more than live and die. There’s a reason there aren’t any kingdoms in the dark world, at least not anymo..” Curse stopped as he looked at Acidic.

“Acidic?” Shadow question, Acidic took in the boy’s new outfit, it looked good on him, even Acidic whos tunic was threadbare and had been ripped many times could tell.

“Hello Shadow.” Acidic own voice rasped, it was the first time in months he’d heard it. Even the voice in his head sounded like Legend.

“I don’t go by that anymore.” The young dark replied defensively. He was different, something more than just a wardrobe change. “It’s Maverick now. Where did you go?”

“Here.” Acidic said, the sensation of talking was like a grater upon his neck.

“I see.” Curse commented. “What do you plant to do then? Will you sit here, or you could come with us.”

Acidic considered the offer, it would put him back in the company of others, an advantage if Eternal attacked them again. Another darker part of himself whispered in response, you don’t need others, these erembors should be serving you. 

“I have my own way to go.” He replied frankly, nose wrinkling slightly.

“Suit yourself.” Curse shrugged his shoulders and walked forward ushering Maverick to follow him.

“Acidic.” Maverick turned back to Acidic before they left. “If you need help, come find us. Or the lights, I know they’ll help you, no matter what happened in the past.”

Curse continued walking without looking back, but as long as Acidic had known the dark Curse held his cards close to the vest, it was his nature. 

Once the two were out of sight Acidic once again sunk down to the ground. His thoughts battled, some part of him (the lighter ones) said to return to the lights to legend. The other part counseled him to seize this opportunity, no matter what happened in that room after he left, the darks were bound to be in disarray.

He could get away, back to the islands he hidden out on before Eternal had come for him. He could return to his territory and reclaim his lands while the others were gone. But for the moment the dark sat against a dark tree staring soullessly into the sky.

It truly felt as though his soul had gone, of course he’d barely had once since the day he had become a true dark. The day he had slaughtered an entire city with a single poisoned touch. Thinking back on the memory no longer filled him with joy as it had in the early days, only disgust for himself, that he could be such a monster.

“I don't want to do this anymore, I can’t do this anymore.” Just ran through his head on a loop. He didn’t want to deal with struggles pulling between his mind, the voice of whatever Legend had left behind. He wanted to be a dark, or to be an erembor again, he wanted to voice to be gone.

No, no that wasn’t it at all. He wanted to go back, he wanted to be whole again. He wanted to die again.

[beyond-the-yellowbrickroad]

Movies Watched in 2019 - Filmes assistidos em 2019 (part two / segunda parte)

111. About a Boy (2002) Directed by Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

I liked it a lot! The Kid is amazing and just imagine my face when I found out he was Nicholas Hoult…

112. Hotel Mumbai (2018) Directed by Anthony Maras

It’s a very heavy movie to watch, even more because is based in a real life history… the amazing cast helps to make it even more realistic.

113. Toy Story 4 (2019) Directed by Josh Cooley

I’m angry and very disappointed. It may sound childish of me because “people change” and “leave our lives” but was that really necessary? I think NOT!

114. Widows (2018) Directed by Steve McQueen

I didn’t like it that much but it was probably my fault… I was expecting something more like Ocean’s 8, but it’s completely different from that. Anyway, the cast is great.

115. Final Destination (2000) Directed by James Wong

116. The Final Destination (2009) Directed by David R. Ellis

117. Final Destination 5 (2011) Directed by Steven Quale

So I re-watched all of the “Final Destination” Series at once, and I had the most fun!

I had already seen de second and the third one when I was little (I was about 6 or 7, grown ups were crazy in the early 2000′s) but I had never seen the others and, for my surprise, I loved almost all of them! (I really don’t like the fourth one and I rather pretend it doesn’t exist)

The second one is still my favorite, but the others are as crazy and fun! I LOVED IT!

AND THE ENDING OF THE FIFTH MOVIE, OMG, I WAS NOT READY!!!

118. Liar Liar (1997) Directed by Tom Shadyac

Jim Carrey making funny faces for no reason for 86 minutes straight

119. John Wick (2014) Directed by Chad Stahelski

120. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) Directed by Chad Stahelski

121. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) Directed by Chad Stahelski

So I also watched all the “John Wick” movies all at once and all I can say is: it’s really great to see treined assassings kill people to revenge their dogs and to see Keanu Reeves being amazing, sexy AND kicking other people’s asses.

122. The Perfection (2018) Directed by Richard Shepard

I saw this weeks ago and I still am absolutely shocked with everything that happened in this movie

123. Us (2019) Directed by Jordan Peele

Literally, a masterpiece of horror and comedy. The cast it’s incredible!

124. The Lion King (2019) Directed by Jon Favreau

Nice, but… it’s the same as the original, but more… dull. Impossible not to have fun though, because it’s the same movie as the original.

125. Long Shot (2019) Directed by Jonathan Levine

Now I really want to go to a club with Charlize!!

126. The Angel (2018) ‘El Ángel’ Directed by Luis Ortega

Beautiful photography, and the cast is really great! The music is also incredible.

127. Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) Directed by Michael Showalter

It’s a nice reminder that everyone has it’s own time for doing things… sometimes you star things eary and sometimes, other things happen in life before others, and that OK! I loved it!

128. The Lake House (2006) Directed by Alejandro Agresti

It’s romantic, well done and super interesting! Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock looked so good together! I really loved this sci-fi love story.

129. Pride & Prejudice (2005) Directed by Joe Wright

Honestly, everything is absolutely pefect in this movie… like when Mr. Darcy always look’s like he’s about to throw up everytime Lizzie is around, how Mr. Bingley is an absolutely sunshine, how Jane it’s his perfect match, how Lizzie is perfecly sassy and smart… I, obviously, and I can not stress this enough: THE HAND FLEX!!! (and when Mr. Darcy cofesses his eternal love to Lizzie in the rain and them they fight and them they almost kiss… AMAZING CINEMA!)

I loved the movie and I can’t wait to finally find time to read the book too…

130. Creep (2014) Directed by Patrick Brice

131.  Creep 2 (2017) Directed by Patrick Brice

Both weird movies, but the first one is more amazing because you spend more than a half of it not knowing what it’s happening.

132. Vox Lux (2018) Directed by Brady Corbet

Natalie Portman is amazing and this movie is also weird.

133. Austenland (2013) Directed by Jerusha Hess

A thriling saga to my Pride and Prejudice / Jane Austen obcession…

So, the fake Mr. Darcy (Mr. Noble) looks like young Tom Hiddleston so now I have a huge crush on him.

Also, I think it’s a very fun movie and I had a good time.  

134. Good Sam (2019) Directed by Kate Miles Melville

Fun, I guess… honestly, the romance was unecessary.

135. Almost Famous (2000) Directed by Cameron Crowe

The bus scene when they all are down and then suddenly starts singing to “Tiny Dancer”… The most beautiful thing I saw in my life.

136. The Losers (2010) Directed by Sylvain White

It’s a very fun movie!

But I have an observation: It just don’t sound truthful that people would make fun of a hot, nerdy, super uncle, not being that good with girls Chris Evans… really, he is absolutely hot and cute in this movie, it just not make sense!

137. Sing (2016) Directed by Garth Jennings

I watched this because of Taron Egerton singing ��I’m Still Standing”, but I loved it for so much more!!!

138. Candy Jar (2018) Directed by Ben Shelton

Fun for spending the time.

139. The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019) Directed by Gideon Raff

Nice movie and great cast!

(also, I know thi isn’t the point but Chris Evans is beautiful in this movie to)

140. The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) Directed by Robin Swicord

I loved this so much, but I also feel kind of sad because I don’t have friends to make a Jane Austen book club with me and also I will never get married with nerdy and cute Hugh Dancy.

141. The Hustle (2019) Directed by Chris Addison

Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson deserved better!

142. The Sun Is Also a Star (2019) Directed by Ry Russo-Young

I don’t want to be mean but, this was horrible!

143. Descendants 3 (2019) Directed by Kenny Ortega

This movie was already going to be very emotional because is the last one of the trilogy, but the recent evens with the super talented actor Cameron Boyce, it was twice as emotional... I cryed a lot.

Also, the movie is increadible in every way: the songs, the dancing, the characters, the cast... I loved it!

144. Brightburn (2019) Directed by David Yarovesky

Well, that was a disaster...

145. Parasite (2019) ‘기생충’ Directed by Bong Joon Ho

Okay, so this movie... there’s so much to talk about this movie...but I don’t want to spoil it... BUT,  everything is absolutely PERFECT! OMG! I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH!

146. Otherhood (2019) Directed by Cindy Chupack

Great cast, fun to watch!

147. The Craft (1996) Directed by Andrew Fleming

ICONIC!

148. Wild Child (2008) Directed by Nick Moore

EMMA ROBERTS: I’m sorry for every time that I sayd that you were not a great actress. You are, and this movie is a masterpiece.

149. Mandy (2018) Directed by Panos Cosmatos

That was a crazy ride and I LOVED IT! Nick Cage it’s amazing in this and I really love this scrypt.

150. Falling Inn Love (2019) Directed by Roger Kumble

This couple is so beautiful and I really wish they could date me as well.

151. Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) Directed by Marc Lawrence

I did not like the movie that much but the cast is nice, so is not that bad to wach.

152. Bacurau (2019) Directed by Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho

This was, honestly, the best thing I saw the entire year. It made so happy and proud of my own culture, and was so increadible to watch, with a great cast and characters that are truly amazing... and as if all of this wasn’t enough, the movie (as a coincidence) talks direcly with Brazil’s currently politic scene. 

When the movie was over, I felt like crying of happines... I so proud o f brazilian cinema and how it gets better and bigger each year!!  

PURE PERFECTION. 

153. Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019) Directed by Scott Aukerman

There was scenes that I really found funny and there were times that I was just confused... but I liked it.

154. Last Holiday (2006) Directed by Wayne Wang

QUEEN LATIFAH I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE BE MY FRIEND!!

Honestly, this movie is everything a romcom should be... PERFECT! 

155. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) Directed by Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston

I’m absolutely angry with the fact that Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in the same movie and they even looked at each other! CRAZY THING RIGHT?

156. Rumor Has It… (2005) Directed by Rob Reiner

Just imagine a world were Jenifer Aniston and Mark Ruffalo are a couple... 

The movie was SO WEIRD!!! (but good) 

157. It Chapter Two (2019) Directed by Andy Muschietti

The first one still is my favorite, BUT this is so great... I’m not even going to begin to write about the cast, ‘cause everyone knows it’s absolutely PERFECT, but really, BILL HADER GUYS! JUST, AMAZING.

Anyway, I did not got even a little scared, but who cares, it’s a great movie.

Also, the scene were Bill Skarsgård  show up without the Pennywise makeup... his acting was SO GREAT!

 158. Midsommar (2019) Directed by Ari Aster

Today I saw someone describe this movie as “a bunch of white people killing other people and dancing in circles” and honestly, this is the perfect description for this.

159. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019) Directed by Beyoncé Knowles

i CAN’T BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE FEELINGS I FELT SEEING THIS! This woman is beautiful, super talented and a genius! 

YOU JUST MIGHT BE A BEYONCÉ IN THE MAKING!! 

160. Frozen (2010) Directed by Adam Green

HORRIBLE! OH MY GOD! I FELT SO BAD WATCHING THIS, IT WAS TERRIFYING! OMG!

161. Hush (2016) Directed by Mike Flanagan

I NEVER FELT SO UNCONFORTABLE IN MY LIFE! Truly a good idea for a scary movie and a very well executed one to! Loved it!

162. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) Directed by Vince Gilligan

The perfect ending for one of the best suporting characters on a TV Series.

163. Little Monsters (2019) Directed by Abe Forsythe

Lupita Nyong'o deserves way more recognition from the Movies Industry because she is so great and even with a fucking OSCAR on her shelf, she barely has any leading characters on her career and is SO UNFAIR!

This movies is funny, scary, the cast is great and there’s Shake it Off by Taylor Swift was sang by a bunch of kids and Lupita dressed on a beautiful yellow dress all dirty of zombie blood, sooo... you should go and watch it!

164. The Blair Witch Project (1999) Directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez

The movie it’s okay until it gets on it’s last 15 to 10 minutes... then so much starts to happen and you just want to stop seeing it, but can’t because you want to know the ending of it, and it’s so scary and crazy... Really I totally get why lots of people are crazy about this one... SO SCARY!

Also, look out for the website they made for the three filmakers that “disapeared” ( AKA were killed by the Blair Witch), it’s so good and there’s a lot of more information that makes the movie even more scary.

165. Yesterday (2019) Directed by Danny Boyle

It could be SO GOOD! But it was SO BAD! Lili was this movie, the guy that played Richie in Skins was in this movie and I still did not like it... The sountrack was made by BEATLES SONGS and I still did not like it... SAD.

166. The Witches (1990) Directed by Nicolas Roeg

NOT A KIDS MOVIE! Really, it’s so scary! OMG!

167. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Directed by Edgar Wright

It’s a very diferent zombie movie, but I really liked it! 

168. Maid in Manhattan (2002) Directed by Wayne Wang

IT WAS JUST LIKE CAMP ROCK!!

Very cheesy, not the best romcom I ever watched, but also not the worse... If you want a good JLopez movie, go see Monster In Law!

169. Monster House (2006) Directed by Gil Kenan

ALSO NOT A KIDS MOVIE! This was actually very little apropriate to kids and so fucking sacry, OMG, how this was made up to be a kids movie? 

170. mother! (2017) Directed by Darren Aronofsky

I will never get over this movie, I feel marked for the rest of my life, thanks very much Aronofsky! (no, really, THANKS!)

171. The Meddler (2015) Directed by Lorene Scafaria

Honestly, the “I was visiting my daughter, she just shot a pilot!” joke was THE BEST THING I EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE! Also, “I have to go home, my hands are loud!”.

172. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) Directed by Stephen Chiodo

I don’t even know what to write about this one... It was weird and not scary at all, but was kind of... diffent? I mean, you don’t get literally scared but you feel unconfotable, like, a lot! Go check it out and you will hopefully understand what kind of feeling I’m trying to describe, it’s just... weird.

173. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) Directed by André Ovredal

WHAT ON EARTH PEOPLE KEEP MAKING THOSE SUPER SCARY MOVIES ANT SAYING THEY ARE FOR KINDS? This was so scary Jesus, and It was great. But not for kids.

If you read the books I don’t know how you going to feel about it, but in my experience from movie adapttions from books, you probably going to feel like shit. But I did’t read the books and loved it, so, you might to :)

174. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) Directed by Joe Berlinger

Not ever close to be as great as the first one, it’s crazier, more things happen and you still feel crazy with the characters, but, it’s not as great. But it would be a great stanalone, if the first one did not existed. 

175. Vacation (2015) Directed by John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein

This is a comedic MASTERPIECE and I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! 

I love comedy movies, but I always expect to much of them... but this served me EVERYTHING that a good comedy should have to make me laugh until my breath runs out. LOVED IT!

176. Walk the Line (2005) Directed by James Mangold

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are absolutely babes and so increadibly talented! 

The movie is a bit slow (maybe only if you not a particularly big Cash fan), but is great! 

177. Love Happens (2009) Directed by Brandon Camp

Jennifer Aniston is amazing and goergeous as always but I didn’t conect with the characters so... it didn’t work to much for me, but it’s not bad eigther.

178. John Tucker Must Die (2006) Directed by Betty Thomas

Talking about perfect comedies, this is ONE OF THEM! FOR SURE! 

179. You’ve Got Mail (1998) Directed by Nora Ephron

I’ve got three things to say:

One: TOM HANKS

Two: I could never date someone that led me to bankruptcy, I could however punch this person multiple times.

Three: MEG RYAN!!!

180. The Prince & Me (2004) Directed by Martha Coolidge

Okay, so I was not expecting anything big from this movie and I only watched it because of Julia Stiles, BUT OMG I’m so thakfull that I gave it a chance, because it’s an amazingly done cliché and the Prince it’s totally hot!

 181. Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) Directed by James Bobin

I WAS SO SURPRISED THAT IT WAS SO GOOD! I really wasn’t expecting that! SO GOOD! 

182. Me Before You (2016) Directed by Thea Sharrock 

méh.

But Emilia, I want to be your best friend!

183. Late Night (2019) Directed by Nisha Ganatra

To Queens that almost coused my death because of how much a I laughed in this... it’s ligh, fun and dramtic and real... AMAZING!

184. Let It Snow (2019) Directed by Luke Snellin 

Kiernan Shipka and  Mitchell Hope singing The Whole of the Moon awakend my bissexuality.

Shameik Moore and Isabela Merced to!

185. When Harry Met Sally… (1989) Directed by Rob Reiner

MEG RYAN!!! 

So... this is the movie that every fanfic is based on? I really loved it!

186. Bringing Down the House (2003) Directed by Adam Shankman

Queen Latifah always brings a smile to my face... she’s perfect!

187. Joker (2019) Directed by Todd Phillips

Huum... Joaquin Phoenix it’s a very great actor, OMG! 

188. Penelope (2006) Directed by Mark Palansky 

It was very hard for me to watch this movie and not get distracted by James MacAvoy’s perfect face and body and not so perfect hair in this one, but does anybody really care? It’s beautiful James McAvoy! 

Also, the movie is so great! I didn’t knew about the plot and I was so surprised! It’s very, very good! 

I love the final scene when Penelope just let’s the children run wild while she swings with her hot boyfriend...

“Take of your mask!” ~proceds to kiss Christina Ricci very dramaticly~

189. Mad Money (2008) Directed by Callie Khouri

Everything about this movie was PERFECT

190. Baywatch (2017) Directed by Seth Gordon

Great opening scene, the rest was kind of a mess.

191. Noelle (2019) Directed by Marc Lawrence

CUTE! CUTE! CUTE! 

But I will complain about the lack of Bill Hader content.

192. Every Day (2018) Directed by Michael Sucsy

Another surprise this year, a very good one! 

It’s cute and dramatic, also, this actress kissed every teeneger and young adult in Hollywood!

193. Over Her Dead Body (2008) Directed by Jeff Lowell

A good and weird movie! Gave a few laughs. 

Paul Rudd is in it, so, totally worth it!

194. The Skeleton Twins (2014) Directed by Craig Johnson

A dramatic, surprising and “few good” comedy! 

I really wish I could hang out on Halloween with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig...

195. Eat Pray Love (2010) Directed by Ryan Murphy

I didn’t quite understood her journey but I quite liked it. 

Veeeery long movie.

196. Death at a Funeral (2007) Directed by Frank Oz

197. Death at a Funeral (2010) Directed by Neil LaBute

I know I should have loved the original version more but the american version... I don’t know what it is (probably the many actors that I absolutely LOVE), but I coul not stop laughing! 

James Marsden was an absolute STAR! 

198. The Other Woman (2014) Directed by Nick Cassavetes

I wish I could personally thank Cameron Diaz for every great movie I watched because of her.

Thank you, Mrs. Diaz! 

That last scene was peak COMEDY!!!

199. The Back-Up Plan 2010 Directed by Alan Poul

JLo! PERFECT!

Honestly, I was thinking this movie was going to be very problematic, but it wasn’t that much... it was actually pretty cute! The birth scene was sacry and funny at the same time!! 

200. Muriel's Wedding 1994 Directed by P.J. Hogan

Don’t judge me, I didn’t liked it, it fact, It made me feel pretty shitty, so I just wnat to forget that it existis. 

[ahsporn]

Cody Fern Interview for Out Nagazine

Out: What is it like to play the Antichrist?

Cody: It’s been the greatest privilege of my acting career so far. Between this and Versace, if for some reason the apocalypse came tonight, I’d be pretty happy with what I’ve done.

Out: How much did you know going into the season?

Cody: I didn’t know anything, I didn’t even know the theme, we found out when everybody else found out. We did know obviously that there had been an apocalypse, but I found out that I was playing Michael Langdon two days before we started filming. My first scene was the interrogation with Venable. All that Ryan had told me was that I’d be wearing a long, blonde wig and that I would have an affinity for capes. I went into the piece thinking I was the protagonist.

Out: Do you think that in a way, Michael is the protagonist of Apocalypse?

Cody: I think he is, but that’s from my perspective. I understand that the witches are the protagonists, particularly Cordelia. It’s in many ways a continuation of the Coven story, but running parallel is the story of how I see Michael, which is this very betrayed, broken, lost young man who finds his way into the apocalypse because of circumstance, not because of destiny.

Out: There’s a conversation of nature vs. nurture: we know from Murder House that there was evil in Michael from birth, he wouldn’t have been murdering his babysitters if there wasn't, but it’s become clear in the latter half of the season that he’s lost and is being manipulated by people with their own agendas.

Cody: We see him at 15 when he’s grown 10 years overnight, and the way that I always played Michael was that the murders are an impulse that he can’t control and he doesn’t understand. His consciousness is that of a 6-year-old boy when he’s a teenager, but he’s struggling to come to terms with his body and his desires, but he’s not fully formed. When you follow that, to me Michael’s story is a parable. There’s two ways of looking at the story of the devil: the way that people have interpreted the bible, and this polar opposite that Lucifer so loved god that he refused to bow down before men. Here we have god’s favorite angel in this kingdom of heaven, who was then made to bow down before god’s next making, and ultimately that leads to him being cast out of Heaven, and it wasn’t like Lucifer was wrong. Man then goes about destroying the earth. That’s what we’re doing right now, we’re destroying planet Earth, and it seems that there’s no remorse for it. I really leaned into that with Michael, this young boy who was cast from the kingdom of Heaven, who was cast out of the normal rigors of society, out of what people find acceptable, and then is used and abused and abandoned and broken, and what happens when you have no love in your life, where does that energy go?

Out: One of the ways I’ve been reading this season is a commentary about the state of gender politics. The warlocks essentially bring about Armageddon by attempting to topple the matriarchal power the witches have over the coven. Michael in a way is this avatar for misogyny and male entitlement. Was that intentional?

Cody: I absolutely believe that was intentional. The thing about Ryan Murphy is he’s able to weave these incredible social commentaries into this fascinating world he’s created. Certainly in this season we are looking at bringing down the patriarchy, about what happens when a matriarchal society is enforced and the hubris of men begins to take flight. It’s not dissimilar to what’s happening in society today or what has been happening for hundreds of years. Ryan certainly weaves that into his writing. The gender battle is being fought and Michael is the avatar for it but is certainly not a part of of it. He is manipulated into this gender battle but he himself is not misogynistic, but there’s certainly something to be said for the fact that he needs a very strong mother figure in his life and has mommy issues. His mother tries to kill him in the Murder House, Constance commits suicide, Cordelia takes away Mead and he has this robot who he has to program into loving him. I think he has an enormous respect for Cordelia. He needs strong women in his life, and if he just took Cordelia’s hand when she offered it, if he just overcame his insatiable thirst for revenge, he could’ve gone another way.

Out: One of the standout episodes of the season was “Return to Murder House,” what was it like to find out that not only was Jessica Lange returning but that you’d get to act opposite her?

Cody: My ovaries exploded. I can’t begin to describe to you how overwhelmed I was. The first scene I shot with Jessica was the scene where Michael finds her dead body after she’s committed suicide, and I was so excited and nervous and afraid of that scene that I spent the whole day shaking like a life. When we got to it I was so excited and overwhelmed, it was very hard for me to drop into the chaos around what I needed to go into. Sarah, who is just the most exceptional human being in the world not to mention the hardest working and the most talented, took my hand and said, “Don’t be afraid of this, you’ve got to really go there,” and then jokingly, “Imagine that at the end of this if you didn’t get it that Jessica would think you’re a bad actor.” It was terrifying! I was certainly able to move past a wall, that’s what was blocking me, I was so afraid of judgement, that wasn’t coming from Jessica of course, it was coming from myself and my own process. Working with Jessica will go down as one of my life’s greatest achievements.

Out: What was it like to not only act alongside Sarah Paulson but to be directed by her in “Return to Murder House?”

Cody: One of the greatest joys. As an actor, to step into the director’s chair, you have a certain upper hand because you understand how actors work and how to communicate with actors. Sarah very much comes from a place of absolute respect for the emotional process of the artist. First and foremost she’s looking out for you as an artist, which elicits such extraordinary performances because you have so much trust in her, so you’re willing to give her anything and everything. She’s got such a deft hand as a director, watching it was gobsmacking, and was working under the most extreme pressures imaginable. Not only was she playing Billie Dean and Cordelia in another episode in the same time as this was filming, she had to film 72 scenes. In contrast, the episode before had 32, so she was filming almost double what any other director on the series was filming, while playing two other characters in two other episodes with under one week of preparation, it was truly a feat.

Out: She certainly wears a lot of hats...speaking of which, you had a very special hat yourself. Let’s talk about that wig.

Cody: I loved that wig. If I could wear that wig on a daily basis I would. Wearing that wig was everything.

Out: How long does it take to get into the Rubber Man suit?

Cody: It takes about 20 minutes and a lot of lube, and once you’re in it you’re in it, you can’t take it off. So I was in that suit for 16 hours. I think I held the record for being in the suit the longest.

Out: Can you settle this debate: was Michael the Rubber Man suit who has sex with Gallant?

Cody: No, not physically anyway. The Rubber Man is also a demon, so when someone is wearing the suit, they become the Rubber Man, but when nobody is wearing the suit, Rubber Man — through the power of Murder House — becomes a demon, and that demon is in many aspects controlled by Langdon. Langdon uses every means at his disposal to warp and manipulate and draw out the innermost desires in a human being, he draws out their shadow self and he’s able to play with that shadow and create scenarios that tempt a person into giving into the evil inside of them. Because the Rubber Man is there and then Gallant realizes he’s killed Evie. There’s some mind games going on there in how Michael reveals Gallant’s innermost desire, which is deeply Oedipal, because we [we wonder], is he fucking his grandmother? Because the realization is that the Rubber Man is Evie and he’s just slaughtered her in his bed. There’s so many layers of darkness there. That’s certainly how I thought about it.

Out: I’m sure you can’t reveal anything about the finale tonight, but can you tease a bit about how Michael’s journey ends?

Cody: There’s something deeply beautiful and tragic about the way that the story ends for Michael. It was genuinely one of the hardest scenes that I shot in the series. The end of the series, knowing that this was going to be the last time I — I’m getting sad about it now — I loved Michael so much, the past nine days since we finished filming it have been very hard. I loved Michael so much and I wanted so much for him, I just wanted love for him. The way the series ends for Michael is very moving.

Out: Are you open to returning for another season of AHS?

Cody: Oh my god, in a heartbeat. The experience is beyond comparison. Moving forward there will hopefully be great triumphs in my career, hopefully I’ll get to play characters that are as complex and layered as Michael, but this will forever have been the most formative experience of my acting career and of my development as an artist. To work with these extraordinary women at such an early point in my career, to work with Sarah Paulson and Frances Conroy — fuck me, Frances Conroy is one of the most talented, hard working, fierce actresses. To work with Kathy Bates and Joan Collins, the list goes on and on. To be in the same room as Billy Porter, who is an American treasure. The entire experience was so exceptional and magic. I know I’ll never have that back, that moment, it’s gone. I would come back in a heartbeat.

[tedlyanderson]

Annotations for Adventure Time: Beginning of the End issue 3!

Did you enjoy my annotations for issue one and issue two of this miniseries? If so, good news! (If not, shove off!) I have annotations for the third issue, right here waiting for your lovely eyes! Obviously, as with the previous posts, this will have great big massive spoilers for the issue, so take that into consideration. Please enjoy, my pals!

Pages 2&3: Okay, there’s a lot to unpack on these pages, haha. First and foremost is a reference to something other than Adventure Time for once: Jake’s monologue on these pages is a loose reference to one of the very best issues of classic Fantastic Four, number 51, “This Man ... This Monster!” In that issue, among other events, Reed Richards travels through the Negative Zone and muses to himself about the nature of reality:

There are cameos on these pages from a bunch of the “cosmic” things of the AT universe, including the Catalyst Comet, the Lich, a copy of the Enchiridion,  Glob Grob Gob Grod, the Finn Sword, and Prismo (in a rare 3-dimensional appearance). There’s also a herd of Time Lards with clocks on their bellies.

Also in this image, note the most minor and in-jokey reference in this entire series: the satellite on the middle-left with the word “FELIS” on it. In the episode “Fionna and Cake and Fionna,” someone asks Ice King where he gets the ideas for his Fionna and Cake stories, and he replies that they’re “beamed into [his] melon every night.” Later that episode, we see him sleeping as a pink laser zaps into his head, carrying images of Fionna and Cake. I chose to interpret this as a reference to one of my favorite authors, Philip K. Dick, who believed that he was receiving knowledge in the form of an information-rich pink laser beam from a satellite called VALIS. So this satellite, FELIS (get it? like cats?), is the source of the Fionna and Cake stories—in my version of the universe, anyway.

Page 4, panel 4: Chronologius Rex declares that he is the lord of Time, not meatloaf. Meatloaf has been established multiple times as Finn’s favorite food.

Page 5: And here we come to the crux of this issue: Finn’s possible futures. Issue 1 of this series was about Finn’s past, issue 2 was about his present, so naturally issue 3 is all about his futures. Obviously none of these should be taken as “canon;” I just came up with three possible paths Finn might take based on what we’ve seen him do throughout the series. I’ll explain my thinking after the third sequence.

All three of the futures are color-coded—the Candy Knight future is pink, obviously.

Page 6: I love Mari’s designs for Queen Bubblegum—the high ‘80s shoulders are great! My suggestion for Old Peppermint Butler was that he be smoother and shinier, as if he’s a candy that’s been sucked on for too long.

In panel 2, the “Dinner Kingdom” is kind of a half-reference to the Breakfast Kingdom in present Ooo.

And in panel 5, note old Finn’s Jake medallion.

Page 7, panel 4: I am not sorry for the “bunch” of banana soldiers joke.

Page 8, panel 1: Beards are indeed a factor in many of Finn’s futures: pretty much every time we’ve seen an older or artificially-aged Finn, he’s got a beard of some sort. I continue the trend in this issue.

Page 8, panel 5: This is a futuristic version of Founders’ Island, the main human settlement outside of Ooo, fixed up and fully repaired. The implication is that Finn not only returned to the human islands, he also helped fix the place up.

The color scheme for the Teacher Finn future is blue, connecting with the water and sky surrounding them.

Page 9, panel 2: I love Teacher Finn’s design so, so much, you guys. I described him as a lovable old professor, someone with his mother’s compassion and his father’s roguish charm, and Mari knocked it out of the park. Note his Jake hat.

Page 9, panel 3: “Homies help homies: always!” is the Adventure Time philosophy in a nutshell.

Page 9, panel 5: Note that Finn is still using his old, trusty sword Scarlett in this future. She’s even more nicked and battle-scarred, but I’m sure she’s still good in a fight.

Page 10, panel 2: Dodging eggs while fighting was part of Finn’s training from Rattleballs in his eponymous episode.

Page 10, panel 2: When it came to Finn’s human wife, I told Mari to make her look a little bit like a human version of Flame Princess. I figured Finn if has a type, it’s her!

Page 11: The third and final possible future is the Space Captain Finn future, which is green-themed for no particular reason. This future is based on the idea that Finn and his Candy Kingdom pals team up with the remaining humans to build a spaceship to take them away from Earth, which is about as likely as anything else in Adventure Time, haha.

Everything in this sequence is of course heavily inspired by Star Trek: the Next Generation, a show that I love and grew up watching. The Minerva A.I. is the ship’s computer, obviously, warning of “excessive sparks detected on bridge.” Jake is Finn’s right-hand-man, just like Riker was to Picard (and Finn even calls him “numero uno,” like Picard’s “number one”). Lady Rainicorn is the equivalent of counselor Troi, Fern is a bit like Data, and Jake’s skateboarding granddaughter Bronwyn is the hotshot kid pilot, like Wesley. Princess Bubblegum is the engineering chief—she always struck me as preferring the role of scientist rather than royalty, frankly—assisted by Frieda and BMO. Flame Princess, upgraded to Plasma Princess, powers the ship as a whole. And Finn himself sports a beard similar to Commander Riker’s—which is appropriate, as a future version of Finn was voiced by Riker’s actor, Jonathan Frakes!

When coming up with these futures, I thought about what the Finn we knew might be most drawn to doing, and boiled it down to three major options: fighting and defending (the Candy Knight future), teaching and training (the Teacher Finn future), or exploring and leading (Space Captain Finn). For what it’s worth, I don’t really have a preference, or any opinions on which future is most likely—one of the strengths of Adventure Time has always been finding ways to surprise its audience with something that makes total sense in retrospect. If Finn does have a “canonical” future, it’s probably something I would never have thought of, but which makes perfect sense.

Page 11, panel 4: Princess Bubblegum yet again mentions “zanoits,” which are maybe some kind of mysterious particle? It’s a funny word and deserves to be used more often.

Page 12, panel 1: I mentioned in my annotations for the previous issue that I felt bad making Susan revert to her simpler speech patterns, since by this point in the series she’s perfectly capable of using big words. I tried to make it up to her by making her the ship’s communications officer, who would use big words all the time.

Additionally, the “Tuffbone sector” is a reference to Meredith Gran’s Adventure Time miniseries, Marceline: Gone Adrift. In that series, Marceline explores space and meets other races, including the Tuffbones, dog-like alien critters.

Page 12, panel 2: Note that Shelby (the worm who lives in Jake’s viola) is wearing a bandolier similar to Worf’s. I was particularly proud of that idea, haha.

Page 12, panel 4: Jake’s exclamation of “Outrageous!” is a reference to another role by his voice actor, John DiMaggio: it’s the catchphrase of Aquaman, from the Batman: the Brave and the Bold series.

Page 16, panel 3: A “dead world” is another bit of unexplored Adventure Time lore: they’re apparently where people go when they die, but they’re not quite the afterlife as we think of it? Or it is, but there’s a lot of them, like at least fifty? Unclear.

Page 16, panel 4: I had to work in the title of the show somehow.

Page 17, panel 3: I wanted to make sure I referenced my favorite song from the show, “Everything Stays” by Rebecca Sugar, and this seemed like the perfect time to bring it up, as Jake discusses the inevitability of change.

Page 17, panel 4: When I described this panel in the script, I specifically mentioned the series Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of the weirder depictions of the end of the world you can find. I love the image of the enormous stone blocks sinking into an endless sea.

Page 18, panel 5: Chronologius’s epithet for Jake, “starchild,” references Jake’s actual origin as a half-alien creature. I checked the dates, and apparently I finished the script for this issue just a couple weeks after the episode “Jake the Starchild” aired, in which Jake’s parentage was fully revealed.

Pages 20-21: Finn’s final “confrontation” with Chronologius might feel a bit underwhelming—essentially, all he does is convince Chronologius to give them an opportunity to escape. There’s no big battle, no war of wits; it’s already been established that Chronologius is basically invulnerable, so it’s not like Finn could beat him in a fight. It’s not terribly exciting, but that’s kind of the point: over the course of this issue, Chronologius becomes more sympathetic to Finn and his plight, particularly after seeing all the good he did (and might have done) in the world. So it’s less about beating up some big bad dude, and more about convincing someone to act like a pal. In a way, Finn beats Chronologius by making him into a friend.

Would it have been better if the ending was more exciting, action-packed, crazy-style? Maybe! Looking back on it, I feel like I could have given Mari more chances to do cool art stuff—the first half of this issue has some pretty far-out sequences and nifty new things to draw, but the second half is basically three characters talking against a mostly boring background. Thematically I feel like it’s better to have Finn succeed by befriending the villain, rather than just punching his lights out, but it definitely doesn’t have the same visual impact. Overall, I’m still proud of it, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be improved.

That’s it for issue three! Join me next time for—issue four?!? Yes! This three-part miniseries is in fact a four-part miniseries, ending with Finn and Jake’s adventures through time! Look forward to it, my chums!

[because-i-say-so]

AHS Apocalypse Finale Thoughts, Reactions, and Unpopular Opinions (I Think)

So last night was the finale. Overall, I was kind of disappointed with the season in general. A lot of it has to do with the way the storyline played out. Now, let me explain. We were introduced to a bunch of new characters in the first episode, and I was down for it all; a whole new cast of characters, all in the same vein as this anthology series has been. That being said, yes, I was aware that this would be a crossover season, and we’d be seeing other characters from both Murder House and Coven... but let’s be honest, this season was really Coven 2.0. The entire plot was centered around the witches stopping the Antichrist. I wasn’t disappointed with that, on the contrary, I was actually excited because I loved Coven and seeing these characters again was wonderful. What I wasn’t too keen on was that we spent 7 episodes in a flashback. I get it, we needed the flashback to see what happened to get us to the Apocalypse, but did we really need to spend 7 episodes on it? Honestly some of those episodes were just filler and didn’t really push the plot along. While the finale didn’t feel that rushed, I didn’t feel like there was too much thought put into it, kind of like they built the whole season around the finale. Just my feelings. All in all, the whole season was basically fan service, so that I am grateful for.

So on to my episode reaction. Just because I didn’t like the season as a whole, didn’t mean that I was going into the finale without a shit ton of feelings. Absolutely not. I had a lot of feelings going into this episode, that I had my bottle of wine at the ready to help cope with it all.

Myrtle Snow was so, so great in this episode. That woman is not afraid to spill the tea, and has zero regrets doing so. Also, did she plant the idea of purple being a royal color in Ms. Venable’s head? She dressed in purple secretly in the Outpost. She did favor herself as important, because she was the “leader” of the Outpost, but I guess she technically was only “middle management” after all.

I wonder why we weren’t treated to Mutt and Jeff’s deaths.

I love Coco. She really has a kind heart, and damn, I just felt so bad for her when she was going to be placed under the identity spell. She was just so sad knowing that her family was going to die, and then she was just like “fuck no I don’t want to be like Madison.” (Does anyone remember when she was on that show Popular? I was getting Mary Cherry vibes when she was identity spell!Coco.)

So did anyone notice that the remaining witches were hiding out in the Louisiana swamps where they placed the identity spells on Coco and Mallory... and then magically the two are in LA with Madison at the wheel, driving them to Gallant’s salon? I’m sitting here trying to figure this one out... because unless Madison took a fast as hell jet back to the swamps and in the same clothes... Two different states, man.

Also wondering how the hell Cordelia, Myrtle, and Madison survived the nuclear fallout. Protection spell maybe? Louisiana mud was kind of a weak explanation.

MARIE. FUCKING. LEVEAU.

I cheered. Such a nice surprise. Too bad she didn’t survive Michael. Just got back from hell, and now she’s going back. Totally not fair. Actually, she’s still there, torturing Madame LaLaurie, as it turns out... since you know, Cordelia didn’t need to get her out of hell in the end.

Let me talk about Cordelia for a second. We all knew she had to die for Mallory to become the Supreme. I was so sad, and yet I saw it coming a mile away. She, hands down, had the BEST line of the episode. 

Cordelia, you are selfless and full of heart. You ARE the FUCKING Supreme.

And now, on to Michael The-Punk-Ass-Antichrist Langdon. I’m sorry, but even though I love this character, he really was a punk in this episode. Cordelia was right when she said he was coward.

He was so sure of himself. When Cordelia offed herself, it was beautiful. I’m guessing he was upset because he couldn’t erase her soul from existence like he did Queenie and Zoe, since he didn’t directly kill her himself? Anyway, this moment was wonderful. Finally, something put legitimate fear into Michael.

Time travel is a tricky, tricky thing. I wish we could have seen what exactly made Constance go savage on Michael in the re-do of the past. Did Mallory do/say something before this to make her rethink her previous decision? I feel like there was some sort of exchange between them for her to just go and kick Michael out of the house like that. Her rant had me SHOOK. (Bravo Jessica Lange, you are still the Queen of AHS.)

Listen, you can’t have a 7-episode character development arc for Michael and have me not catch feelings for this boy. Every chance he got to have a loving family, someone to care for him, any loving contact... it got ripped away from him in the worst way possible. I was on the sympathy train for him, even though he was the Antichrist. Yes, the Antichrist is inherently evil, and I’ve said that before, but the way his story unfolded, it really did feel like he was being controlled by outside forces driving him to end up the way he did. I think that Michael, not the Antichrist, was just a little boy that wanted to be loved and accepted but was denied that at every turn. There wasn’t any other way it could go, either.

So yeah, I felt bad for him. Remember, he’s technically only a 9/10-year-old kid in a grown man’s body an the Outpost. How else do you expect a 9/10-year-old kid to act when that much power is put in front of them?

Then, in a wholly anti-climactic way, Michael was run over by Mallory. Repeatedly. (Why she didn’t just run over his head, I don’t know. Maybe she wanted him to feel pain. Whatever.) And that was it. I was hoping for a showdown, not this emotional sting:

I think that in the end, Michael was the little 5/6-year-old boy Constance wanted to raise. He didn’t understand why this was happening to him, and it’s kind of heartbreaking. When he asked to be taken to the house, though, Constance knew that couldn’t happen... that was the evil talking. She just couldn’t take the chance that the evil could still exist.

Constance, you did good.

And just like that, the Michael we all came to know and love through the entire season was snapped out of existence. Fuck.

((Side note: Cody Fern did a phenomenal job with Michael this season. I could gush like crazy about his acting chops, but I’ll leave it at that. Michael Langdon has cemented himself as one of my favorite characters of all time. I would love to see Cody in another season of AHS playing a completely different character. That is all.))

Oh, and Tim and Emily were always destined to meet, and their “perfect” DNA produces another Antichrist. I guess it’s just inevitable. I wish the end of the episode was just panning out on the shot of the new Antichrist and his parents, with the dead babysitter. It would have felt more full-circle. The appearance of Anton LeVay and his cardinals was just... overkill.

Other thoughts: Tate and Violet didn’t get their “happy ending.” (Thank God because I didn’t agree with that forgiveness mess at all. Fight me.) But neither did Moira. (That’s a little upsetting, because it was very beautiful, and she deserved it.) Hey the warlocks still exist, but we’re just going to pretend that all the ones we were introduced to aren’t important anymore. Myrtle was never brought back, and while that’s good, her one-liners never existed this season either. Constance is alive! Queenie lives and never goes to the Hotel Cortez! Misty gets brought back and we even got to see Nan again! (Thanks, Mallory.) And poor Madison’s character development never happened because she’s still stuck in retail hell.

The last episode left me... in a mood, and with a half-empty bottle of wine.