#i like 'its the devil to ask my friend for advice now?' has this beast come and bothered him before. talked him out of other normal things

[itissadbutitsmy-artblog]

why does spaders shoulder angel talk like a 1930s comic book mobster

messy thang i dont want to open and edit anymore but i liked the colors you can have it. sorry for not giving him like a robe or something im corrupted by the angels from katamari but i gave him. you know. seraph (egg) horns.

[that1geek06]

Hey, could you make a Carlos DeVil x Male Reader (platonic)? The reader is Ben's father and Beast's husband (I'm going to completely ignore that Belle exists) and he kind of adopts Carlos, being a father figure and family that Carlos never had.

OMG YOU GUYS I feel so popular 😍 I love that I have the descendents fandom here rn, but this request, anon I don't even know who belle is, last I checked Ben has two amazing dads who take in Carlos and the story goes smth like this..

-FATHER FIGURE(S)-

Carlos DeVil x Bens Dad!Reader

Warnings: Nonee pure fluff (lmk if I'm wrong tho)

When Ben went to his fathers about letting VK'S into the isle, he never imagined that one of his dads would embrace it so much.

Y/N was the more calm and understanding one of the couple, so while Adam was worried and skeptical about letting them in. Y/N encouraged it, even convincing his husband to go with it.

While the beginning was rough, things slowly started to fall into place, and as Ben and Mals relationship bloomed, his dad Y/N was making one for himself.

When they first met properly it was an accident, Y/N was walking down the long halls of the palace to the library when a small talking dog suddenly ran into his legs.

"I am NOT taking a bath, I hate water, go back to being scared of me and leave me alone." The dog spoke, and Y/N chuckled. Picking up the same animal.

"Your not very good at running away if your just going to run into another person." He said, and the dog groaned at being captured. And after a spilt second, A head of white and black hair comes sprinting around the corner. Only to stop abruptly at the sight of one of the kings holding his pet.

Carlos bows his head, not really knowing what to do. "I-Im sorry your highness! I didn't mean to let him run loose in the castle, he slipped from my hands and-" Carlos was cut off by a laugh.

"You can look up, I'm not mad at all. I needed some entertainment to my boring day." Y/N smiles at the boy. "If I'm not mistaken, you are Carlos correct?"

His eyes widen at that, not expecting the king to address him so nicely. "Yeah, I am." Y/N smiles at that. "Well its nice to meet you, and your dog is..?"

Before Carlos can even answer the dog spoke for himself, "Its dude, and I am NOT taking a bath." Y/N laughs harder. "I'm afraid your wash is inevitable, but perhaps if Carlos is willing, it could be stalled?" He looks up at the teen.

"What do you mean?" Carlos asks.

"I was about to head down to the library, its my favourite place to relax. But it gets lonely as well. Would you care to join me?" Not expecting that answer, Carlos's eyes widened. He thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, it could be fun."

So the two walked to the library together, along with dude. Chatting about anything and everything.

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That was how it started, and they got closer. The attention of the adult that Carlos got was unlike anything he received. If wasn't the tight lipped smiles like the staff, or the manipulative love like his mother.

No.

Y/N cared. He had genuine interest in Carlos as a whole. He helped with school, teen drama, sports, advice, when he just needed to rant. Carlos could almost say he was like a dad to him.

But as their Visits became more frequent. His friends started to get curious. He doesn't know why but he didn't want to tell them of his relationship with one of the kings.

So any time they would ask, he would blush and mumble some random excuse. Making sure to bring dude with him and bolting out of the dorms.

But they were all to curious now, and one day was the final straw.

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Today sucked to put it lightly. Carlos spent all week studying for this test, and despite Y/N's advice he stayed up all night too, getting no sleep. And it was all just to fail.

And then during lunch he slipped and spilled mash potatoes and gravy all over himself.

But to top it all off, Chad was unrelenting in targeting him during practice. And it was to much.

On the brink of tears, Carlos storms into the dorm room to change.

The rest of the group was relaxing in the room waiting, looking at Jay to try and find answers to which he just shrugged.

When the over stimulated boy came back out of the bathroom the group immediately began to express their worries.

"What's wrong?" Evie asked.

"Did something happen?" Mal added.

"If you need to talk we are here you know?" Jay said, and the whole group nodded. But without a word Carlos ran out. And dude, knowing where he was going. Jumped out of bed to follow.

All of them being extremely worried for their friend. They followed as well.

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Y/N was going through some documents when his office doors were burst open. He opens his mouth to chastise the person when he looks up and sees the very distraught boy there. Panting with water eyes.

His eyebrows furrow with concern and he stands, immediately going to him. "Carlos? What's the matter?" Y/N asks, but instead of getting an answer, the teen hugs him tightly, and he cries.

The kings heart clenched at this. He embraces Carlos tightly while gently rubbing his back. "Shhh its alright, just breath."

Soon enough dude comes running in, immediately sitting at their feet, wanting to help comfort the boy as well.

What Y/N wasn't expecting was seeing his friends and even his son staring with wide eyes. But he shoots them a gently smile. One that promises an explanation later.

He makes eye contact with Ben, and as if they had a silent conversation. His son nods and softly closes the door to his office.

Turning his attention back to Carlos, he notices that the boy has calmed down. Unwrapping his arms to wipe his eyes.

"What's going on Carlos?" Y/N asks in a soft voice.

The teens sniffs, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. "Today really sucked and I-... I don't know if I'm cut out for this." He responds quietly.

Y/N smiled sadly. "Well, can I tell you a story?"

Confused, Carlos just nods. And the king took a deep breath before starting.

"You see, A long time ago, there was this boy. He grew up in a small town that had a very fixed mindset. But you see this boy didn't like to be stuck in that mindset. All the people viewed him as weird. His likes and dislikes were so uncommon that many would talk about him behind his back, or so they thought but he heard everything."

Closing his eyes he pauses, before continuing.

"It was like that for most of his life, until he finally found someone else who wasn't like the others, and while it took a lot of warming up. They eventually fell for each other. This other man cared about his interests and didn't reject them. He helped the boy grow and see more of what he liked. And the boy helped the other to become a better person. And just like any cheesy love story, they fell in love."

Y/N chuckles, but Carlos looks intrigued. "..but how is that supposed to help me?"

The adult looks eyes with him, voice as soft as it is serious. "Carlos, as long as you have people who love you for who you are, you can do anything you want. And I know for a fact you have a group right outside those doors that do."

The teen glances back at the doors, nodding softly. But he hesitates, looking back up at Y/N before sheepishly asking a question.

"what...what about you?"

The kings heart ached at the vulnerability in his voice, and he smiled comfortingly. "Oh I thought it was quite obvious that I care about you."

He watches at Carlos's shoulders visibly relax, before he springs forward into a hug. Y/N laughs as he returns it.

"All always be here for you, your an amazing kid, and I know you'll do good in Auradon."

Carlos felt his heart swell. And he just hugs the man tighter, showing rather than saying how much this meant to him.

How nice it felt to have someone comfort him, not have a caring father figure.

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AWWWW WE LOVE A FLUFFY ENDING, but anyways I know I died for a while but I swear I'm going to get back on top of things. YOU SHALL NO LONGER BE STARVED OF FICS. But I hope this made your day dream more of a reality anon!! Let me know if there's anything I can do to improve, grab a snack, and happy reading to you goobers 👽

[magmawrites]

What naruhina fics do you think are a must read? *-*

Oof I'm bad with asks but let me try. (If you look at my favorites list on my FF page you'll see more/most of them!) Some of these I probably haven't read in a long time but I feel like I really liked them!!

Komorebi by Dizzydodo (Ongoing)

Summary: Hinata had always known she would marry a stranger, but she woke up married to the wrong one: a nine-tailed fox that claims they are destined for each other. Hinata proposes a bargain: If he can convince her of it by the first day of Autumn, then she will take her place as his bride. If not, he must return her to her family and release her from her vows.

She didn't expect him to be so persuasive.

Beast Tamers by @mavda (ongoing)

Summary: Mythical beasts roamed the world, all-powerful and terrifying, and the beast tamers sealed them withing themselves. Revered, feared or hated, a beast tamer will never have a normal life, and now Naruto Uzumaki is facing the start of his adult life: choosing a wife. By his father's beseeching, Naruto is now seeking a wife from the Hyuuga clan, in hopes of extending his life somehow. Nobody expects him to be a real husband, to be a real father, but if Naruto is forced to start a family he will be damned if he disappoints.

My Name on Your Lips by @katarinahime (multi chap, complete)

Summary: Hinata calls Naruto a plethora of different names, some he enjoys more than others.

Sparks by Tenneyshoes (one shot series, complete)

Summary: Sparks are tiny glimpses of the Will of Fire. In Konoha, these sparks can be seen everywhere. Some burn brighter than others, but each is unique. In Konoha, Naruto and his precious people must keep those sparks burning as they move toward the future together and as individuals.

Jealousy by Generalissimo (one shot)

Summary: "Papa, did you ever like someone before Mama?" Before Sasuke could answer, Sakura slapped a hand on her knee and chuckled in good humor. "Oh, Sarada. Don't you know? Before I came along, your father was incapable of-" "Hinata Hyuga." The answer was instantaneous. The reactions even more so. One-shot. NH SS

The Good Left Undone by Stars.Are.Metaphors (multichap, complete)

Summary: 'To marry into the Otsutsuki family is to aid the Hyūga,' her father explained solemnly.

In Another Life by theGeneralissimo (multichap, complete, warning: not a happy ending)

Summary: In which Naruto listens to his mother's advice and marries a girl like her. And lives to regret it. Post-war AU.

Point of No Return by Rose1541 (Multichap, complete?)

Summary: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are a loathed and feared group of SS – rank criminals for their vigilantism and in secret; carry out dirty work for the Kages. Hinata recalls her past with Naruto as they slip further into the point of no return.

If tomorrow never comes by Stars.Are.Metaphors (Oneshot)

Summary: The world has been at war for two years and it seems as though Konoha may be the only village still standing tall. In the early afternoon of another precarious day, a girl with pale, lavender eyes is stolen.

Two Can Play by NaniMok (Oneshot)

Summary: AU Fluff - His red eyes were fixed on the couple sitting in the restaurant. One corner of his lips lifted into a smirk before he muttered, "Two can play at that game."

Figuring It Out by max.tmy (one shot)

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto is in love. And there are several people who figure it out before him.

Firestorm by MissWorded (Two shot)

Summary: Uzumaki Naruto had, just a few scant minutes ago, royally screwed up his life. NaruHina.

The Hokages Secret Closet by eternalshiva (one shot)

Summary: An escape route, turned secret closet with a hobby for history in the Hokage's office, tells the tale of the Hokages through its life-time.

Nightdreams by @dayseternal-blog (Multi chap, complete)

Summary: Friends with benefits - Naruto and Hinata find comfort in each other after the war.

White Lilies by @dayseternal-blog (multi chap, complete)

Summary: A Hanahaki AU -She knit a red scarf for him. She never gave it to him. Days turned into months, months turned into too late.Naruto starts dating. Hinata decides to move on.A sickness takes root in the heart.

When the Devil Picks Up a Stray by callmesenorita (Multi-chapter, Complete)

Summary: Hinata, an Omega, questions buried feelings when she decides to help a childhood friend who has adopted a new persona under the name Menma. Although their attraction s instant he is no longer the Naruto she once knew, and soon enough Hinata is thrust into a dangerous yakuza conspiracy.

Tsukuyomi Boyfriend by PepcornPress (one shot)

Summary: Takes place before 'The LAST' movie. Over a year has passed since the great Shinobi War, and people are finally starting to open up about their Infinite Tsukuyomi Illusions.

[srose-foxfire]

Damirae Week 2021 - Day 7 (part 1)

“Finding Our Happily Ever After: Part 1” Day 7: Soulmates

All Raven could recall was standing before Damian about to confess she wanted to stay with him and his family, if he allowed her. The moments that followed after were in a blur, she had felt a pull from the skies and before long she was rising in the dark grey skies at a rapid speed. Raven looked down to see she was being pulled away from her friends and Damian. Scared, the young maiden called out for him, she heard him call back and bark an order towards her captor. Raven could also faintly remember seeing Sombra, trying to attack her captor but was wounded. The next thing she remembers was trying to punch and free herself from her captor, but she was then struck on her head rather hard making her lose conscious throughout the flight.

Overtime Raven would briefly wake up catching glimpses of the surrounding lands, as they approach a mountain.

When her senses came back and she fully awoke, Raven found herself to be inside a dark cave. It was too dark for any mere mortal to be able to look through but the part of her that held demon blood allowed her to see in the darkness. Raven slowly turned her head, skimming the area, as she tried to stand, she notices a tug come from her wrists and ankles. Looking down on herself, Raven had been tied onto a wooden chair, her wrists and ankles were tied rather very tightly, she notice red bruised marks stain her wrists . Raven tried to wiggle from her chair, when from the darkest part of the room, she heard the grunts of an older man.

The cave was lit with floating wax candles holding a green flame on them, making the room glow in green. Raven managed to see two figures standing close together from the direction she had heard the man come from. One was tall and well built, a man with his face hidden behind a black and orange mask. Next to him was an old woman, though she had a devil look in her eyes as if she shouldn’t be easily trifled with. This woman was dress in grey rags, almost appearing to be her dress, her long grey-hair was in locks pointing in different directions. She wasn’t pleasant to the eyes and might as well frighten any child.

Raven exhaled carefully, “Who are you and what do you want with me?”

The man laughed lightly, he took a step toward Raven, “my… you really cut to the chase, my dear.” He then bowed towards her, “I am Slade Wilson, and I have a proposition for you.”

Before Raven had a chance to inquire, the old woman next to him, place her weary old boney hand on Slade’s arm, “my lord, I must advice not to deal with the likes of her. Contracts with them come at a price, perhaps-”

“Quite hag,” Slade hissed through clenched teeth, then glanced at Raven who had her brows lifted, he gave her a gentle laugh, “apologies my dear. Like I was saying I have a proposition, if you choose to accept it, and I will free you from those binds.”

Not allowing herself to falter, Raven held her head high and spoke with a stern voice. “Listen, I don’t have anything to my name, if you know who I am, I’ve been exiled from my father’s lands. I hold no value-”

“Oh, but you do my dear, you absolutely do and that is why you should be wise to choose this offer of mine.” Slade clapped his hands together, looking over to the older woman, who mumbled some incoherent words and a large wooden chair appeared right in front of Raven, Slade then sat down, she could feel he was studying her through his mask.  

“Which is?” she then asked him.

The masked man, sighed heavily, “you have been staying with a certain and very peculiar family,” She could feel her heart picked up speed as she listened, her chest rised with disdain, and her face was starting to flush with anger as Slade continued, “the youngest child of said family… well he was given a birthright he did not deserve, well to make it short I want to employ you to help me bring him to ruin-”

Enrage, Raven glared and spoke the truth in her heart, “You are wasting your time with me; I will never turn against Damian or his family! They have given me more than my own father ever could… besides Gotham has been with the Wayne’s for generations, its Damian throne to take-”

“Shut her up.” Slade commanded with a hiss, the old woman who stood behind him muttered some words in another language Raven didn’t understand and her lips were sealed, Slade then rose from his chair and walked around her.

“Apologies but I hate interruptions. Yes, the little brat is the heir to rule over Gotham, but he was also given another birthright one he very carelessly gave away to his cousin. The kingdom of Nanda Parbat, a land inhabited by the world’s most elites of assassins, it’s former ruler was Ra’s al Ghul, had chosen his grandson, the one you know as Damian Wayne to take over his kingdom!” Frustrated, Slade then kicked the large wooden chair, across the room with a powerful kick.

The noise frightened the harpy as it screeched and flapped it wings from a corner, hoping around the room. The old woman hissed at it to quiet down, with a flick of her fingers tips the chair was rebuild and place across from Raven. Slade grabbed it and sat down, he clasped his hands on his lap and studied her, noticing Raven had her brows knitted together.

“You must wonder why I hate him so much, correct? Well I was the ‘Demon Head’s’ right man, he almost treated like a son… he once told me I was going to marry his daughter Talia, but what does he do instead? Create a ridiculous alliance with the kingdom of Gotham, King Bruce takes Talia in marriage and she gives birth to the little brat. That boy has stolen what was rightfully mine and gave it away like nothing.”

Slade then stood up, remove his mask to reveal a dark skinned man, with short white hair and a left eye covered by a piece of black leather, placed his hands on either side of Raven’s chair leaning ever so closely to her face, “I needed to have my revenge. That boy took everything away from me, so I took away everything he came to love. I had a cursed place on him, his family, and soon everyone came to forget that the kingdom of Gotham ever existed. Its people became like wind, it was like they never existed. I found pleasure knowing he would never get to experience true happiness… that is until…you came along.”

Raven’s chest was heaving as she strained to breath steadily, she could feel her blood start to boil and her head throb with rage. “You somehow manage to worm yourself into the castle and lighten the darkness I so perfectly designed for them. I had to come up with something else, something that would really bring that boy to his knees, and that is making you my bride.”

Slade started to caress her cheek with his hand, she turned and tried to lean away from his vile touch. Her mouth was beginning to fill with saliva and just for a split-second Raven felt strange. She had a feeling like she could overpower whatever had been placed onto her lips, she locked gaze with Slade’s, glared at him from underneath her lashes and then spit at him.

The older man groined and wipes his face with the back of his palm, the old woman gave out a horrible angry cry as she screamed, “you filthy wench! How dare you break my enchantment?!” Raven’s chair was lifted and flung towards the ceiling of the cave, Raven cried at the impact as she was dragged to the floor and up again. Then she was floating just above the old woman, with a flick of her old wrist, Raven was thrown across the cave, causing the chair she was tied on, to break at the impact.

“Stop it!” Slade yelled as he lifted his servant by the throat, then releasing her harshly. He turned and pointed his finger towards Raven. “You! Do you think you could ever live happily alongside a beast like him? Don’t you want to live a normal-human life with someone like me? I can give you that and so much more.”

“No… you can’t.” Raven strained to speak as her whole body was aching, she lifted herself off the ground with great difficultly, “Damian may be trapped in a beast’s body but even he has shown more compassion and kindness from any demon I have ever met! He is no beast, you are!”

“Enough! I employed this witch long time ago to curse him, now for being a thorn on my side you will perish!”

The old woman cackled and her fingertips sparked with green magic, “oh, what great pleasure you give me my lord to slay a sorceress of Azarath.” Azarath?

“Don’t you dare, hurt her!”

That voice! Raven turned around to what was hopefully the cave’s only exit and to see him magnificently riding on Titus, like a white knight riding on his noble steed. Damian hopped off from Titus, as they both snarled and growled at Raven’s captors.

“Damian!” Raven cried happily.

Slade laughed, “Well now, isn’t this a sight! The beast man with his beast dog!” He then unsheathes a sword he had on his hip and pointed it towards Damian, “You want the girl, you will have to go through me!”

“You will pay for what you did to her and to my family!” Damian yelled. He leaped towards Slade, swinging his claws to land a hit.

The harpy who had been standing nearby flew up and dive to attack Damian but was interrupted as Titus manage to bite one of its winged arms. The harpy cried out and kicked Titus on his muzzle, then tried biting him in return. When she missed used her clawed feet to puncture his shoulder. Titus effortlessly evade each attack, then lodged its fangs onto one of the harpy’s foot and swung it in his mouth like a doll. He then let go, causing the harpy to be thrown across the cave, it shrieks and cried painfully flying away, abandoning it mistress.

Titus barked proudly and ran towards Raven as they watched Damian continue to battle Slade. “You cause me my pet!” Raven turned around and notice the witch was flying towards her, Raven through herself away from the attack and Titus tried to swing his paw at her. The witch shot a bolt of her green magic and Titus whimper as he was struck. Angry, Raven stood and ran towards the witch as she managed to tackle her to the ground. They rolled on top of each other, Raven had the upper hand given to her youth and her own will to survive this terrible ordeal. But the witch had magic and she started chanting some words making Raven float away from her and then launching her like she had done before with the chair. Raven rolled a few feet away, she glanced up as the witch floated slowly towards her.

“Your mother turned me into this! She took away my beauty because I used it to lure men to their dooms, now it is time for me to have my revenge!” She raised her hands up, green sparks going off as she chanted a spell. Raven lifted her hands to shield herself, when she heard a whoosh sliced through the air. Slowly Raven, opened her eyes and widen them when she saw that the witch had been impacted by Slade’s sword. It had entered through her back and the tip managed to pierce through the front of her chest. She slowly floated down to the ground, standing still. The witch then slowly turned around still with the sword embedded through her as she glanced towards Slade. “My lord? Why…?”

“Our deal is off; you are no longer any use for me.”

Damian quietly moved around Slade as he approached Raven, he used his body to shield her from their enemies. He slowly pushed her towards the path he and Titus had come from. The witch continues to walk towards Slade, then pointed her long pointy finger. “You traitor,you dare double-cross a witch, all of you will never see the light of day, I cursed thee all to be buried in this cave!” Her whole body illuminated and burst into green and black ashes, the cauldron started to boil and erupted around the entire room. Which cause the cave to rumble and some stalactites fell all around them.

“Let’s go!” Damian yelled as he grabbed Raven’s hand and together ran along the path to exit the cave. Titus ran up ahead, managing to evade pillars of rocks tumbling down, at some point Damian lifted Raven in his arms and carried her off most of the path. As they near the exit, some rocks came lose, falling right at the foot of the entrance to the cave. Damian stopped, placed Raven down and then jumped on top the nearest boulder, he turned and reached for her hands to help her climb. Titus effortlessly jumped and stood near an opening big enough for them to pass through. When Raven reached the top, she reached out her hand to grab Damian’s paw, for a second her looked at her and couldn’t help but smile towards her.

Then out of nowhere Damian screamed out a roar of pain, one hand clawing the air around him. Raven glanced to Damian’s side and saw Slade had reached them and had use a dagger to pierce Damian. The young curse prince had lost his footing and grip, causing Raven to hold onto him as tightly as she could and not let him fall. Slade used this opportunity to stab Damian again, but he too lost his footing and pulled Damian down with him.

“Damian!” Raven cried as she watches him tumbled down and roll a few feet away from where they had started to climb. She and Titus hopped down the to the floor and running to Damian’s side. She knelt down and gently picked up his head in her hands, trying to shield him from the small debris. Titus stood next to them, using his own large body as a shield for his master and the young girl. The only entrance they had was covered by more rocks, trapping them inside the cave.

“You lost, you lost it all!” Slade exclaimed happily as he tried to stand up straight, with shaky legs started walking towards them. “I was never going to let you live a happy life! You deserved this; oh, you so deserve this!” Slade chanted madly, all reason was gone, now before them was an old man filled with utter madness. Above them a large cracking sound was heard, gazing right above him a large stalactite broke from the roof and landed right where Slade had stood.

The cave continued to crumble around them. Damian was heavily panting, trying to minimize how much in pain he was in. “Save yourselves,” he whispered through painful breaths.

“I am not leaving you.” Raven answered him as she cradle his face. There has to be a way. Raven thought. She turned and turned her head all around her hoping to see something that could save them. But there was nothing, all was truly lost as Slade had said, was this truly what they were fated for from the start? Was the grand design of the universe this cold-hearted towards them in wanting to have a happy life? Wanting to hold on to what had brought her happiness for a short moment of her life, Raven felt that feeling again when she had broken the witch’s enchantment on her lips. It felt peaceful and warmth almost, just like when she had been visited by that strange woman cloaked in white. Without even knowing it herself Raven whispered;

“Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos.”

A dark purple circle suddenly appeared on the ground around them. As more cracks were heard from the cave’s ceiling, she saw some stalactites break, coming down rapidly targeting them. The circle then emitted dark looking shadows that looked like black tentacles wrapping around Raven and her friends. She closed her eyes waiting for their death but then opened them and looked at Damian. If she were to die, she wanted to see him one last time. Then they were  all engulfed by  shadows.

[littleredlie]

chaos - part two

chaos masterlist 

part one 2.1k+ words

it was three years ago when nyame first saw eren. he was in titan form. she and onyankopon, had volunteered to partake in a mission to paradis island after the warrior unit’s failed attempt to capture the founding titan. but by this time her brother had already recruited her to yelena’s anti-marleyan movement. she was hesitant at first; sure she believed that marley had to be put in their place but she didn’t trust yelena and she definitely did not trust zeke. she refused to even meet the holder of the beast titan.

but the yearn for peace is what really recruited her. nyame wanted to meet the supposed devils of paradis and she believed that no one deserved to be chained from their freedom. 

so when the peace of calm ocean water and the sailing of the travelling military ship is disrupted by the roaring sound of waves and the growls of some being that she could not see, she knew that they had made it to where they needed to be. the then seventeen-year-old loses her footing and almost falls down the length of the ship into the water, but onyankopon grabs her arm and her body remains suspended in air as he holds on to some platform.

the ship moves in the air and nyame feels a forceful breeze push against her while the rush of blood pulsates in her ears. when the titan puts down the ship, nyame’s body roughly hits the floor and a dull pain releases from the side she landed on. she helps her older brother up, her eyes only paying attention to him and any possible injuries before a woman’s voice rings out over the landscape.

“hello ladies and gentlemen of marley! welcome to the island of paradis!” nyame’s head snaps to a brunette soldier wearing a cloak and an eye patch, there’s a large smile on their face as they greet the marleyan soldiers.

the excitement the eldian exuded surprised nyame and for a second she thought that their behavior wasn’t necessarily fit for the situation. however, nyame’s thoughts are pulled towards the titan that was towering over the ship. an amazed gasp leaves her throat as she continued to gaze up to him and ignored the situation happening around them. 

pushing a curl from in front of her face, her eyes continue to graze up the toned body of the attack titan. raven hair curtained its face, but she could still see piercing eyes and sharp teeth. she’s seen titans before as it was marley’s greatest defense in wars, but none had ever been able to mesmerize her as much as the one that stood before her.

a gunshot is what brings nyame’s attention back. yelena is holding a pistol up and nyame’s eyes sink down to the floor at the bullet’s victim. a strangled choke unwittingly escapes, and kopo gives her a quick look. it isn’t for long though, as he quickly moves to constraints someone making their way towards the tall, blonde soldier. 

their motives are questioned by their fellow marleyan soldiers, but yelena makes an announcement to the yelling host. “hange. i’m honored to receive your invitation. now, how about that tea?”

nyame stays planted beside her older brother while the others kneel behind yelena. from the corner of her eye, nyame notices someone abruptly move, making his way towards yelena’s back. and without thinking, nyame runs towards the approaching body and with no ounce of hesitation in her, she raises her leg and kicks the soldier’s throat with her shin. with a swinging movement, she leads the blonde man down to the floor on his back, his breaths coming out rapidly and with struggle due to the force nyame hit him with. her body continues rotating until her leg makes it back to the ship floor with a loud thud and now she was facing her audience. she blows  directed at the new curl that obstructed her view and one of her hands comes up to lay on her hip. 

onyankopon looks at her with a look of pride, but yelena looks a little surprised, as nyame has never shown that sort of protectiveness towards her before. nyame shrugs and glances up to the person named hange, who also has a look of surprise embellishing their face.

yelena wrenches her head from the combative soldier towards the titan. “i’ve so wanted to meet you, eren...” she says and the name settles in the mind of nyame. 

eren.

it was a beautiful name and although nyame had only seen his titan form, she knew he was probably an interesting person. the concept of eldians having the power to shift into titans, astonished her and this was the closest she’d ever been to one. and she wasn’t scared. she couldn’t wait to see his human face.

nyame keeps quiet as she moves beside her brother. the resisting marleyan soldiers are taken somewhere under the guard of some of the paradis soldiers, but she alongside onyankopon and yelena are lead to a tent and offered tea.

she looks at the gloomy man that sat across from her. his face unphased by the conversation happening between yelena and hange. a gun and its bullets are displayed on the table, its nothing nyame hasn’t seen before and at that point all she cared about was the titan and the gear that she saw on their hips when they first were invited. the short man’s voice beckons her and she sees his mouth move barely as he replied to yelena.

“how about that. hmph.” 

“that means you’ve killed all the pure titans on the island...isn’t that right?” yelena inquires. the news surprises nyame. multiple countries, including her own, has had trouble battling with the titans. she wanted to learn how to do that. she needed to know.

“we are the anti-marleyan volunteers.” yelena announces and nyame holds her head up high, okay with having such a title bestowed upon her. “our goal... is to free the eldian people.”

hange and the man – who nyame learned was named levi – look between the three of the them, levi’s eyes training on nyame for just a second longer, her actions from on the ship still replaying in his mind. this gives her enough courage to question their techniques and motives.

“i’ve heard about your gear. the ones that can make you fly. is it possible that i have access to it?” the impassive look is still present on levi’s face and hange looks at nyame with a calculating look, before a cheek crushing smiles breaks out onto their face. nyame can feel a little tension rise off of her chest. 

“let us first plead your case to our military council and maybe we’ll exchange more information about technology.” nyame doesn’t reply with words, just a firm nod and her eyes are back to the empty teacup that sat on her table.

it takes some time, but the eldians of paradis are accepting the advice the volunteers have offered. yelena helps with luring multiple marley ships into a trap involving either the attack or colossal titan. onyankopon uses his knowledge to help with the development of a port. nyame hangs around him and listens of course, inputting some information her brother didn’t reiterate but this wasn’t her best skill. nyame is most helpful when it comes to the weapons. 

it was something that came naturally to her. dismantling them, cleaning them, putting them together, creating new ways for them to function better. using them. she was a phenomenal markswoman and that’s what got her the position to teach the scout regiment how to shoot using rifles newer the ones they already had. 

and that’s how she formally met eren. 

the volunteers were kept an appropriate distance away from eren yeager. nyame understood, the situation of it all was a mess in the world and she wasn’t gonna try to decipher it.

the two teenagers eyes meet briefly and although they had never spoken words to one another, it was like eren’s eyes saw right through nyame. like he knew all her intentions and fears, like a connection between them was bound to happen. at that moment she was grateful that her skin was darker than her peers, because if the heat that was invading her face could be displayed, she’d be red and embarrassed. 

she turns her attention away and instead focuses on sasha, who has picked the technique of marksmanship quicker than her fellow soldiers. she squats next to her, watching her movements as she aims at a target down the field. a wind blows around them causing for nyame’s hair to dance into her face. 

eren sees this and the movement of the wind weaving through nyame’s dark coils entrance him. it’s the first thing that has been able to do so in a while. her hair doesn’t move like everyone else’s, but instead in huge heaps that she caresses out of her face, a small grin accompanying the action every time. eren saw that she didn’t seem bothered by the repetitive action, she just looked pretty. a remark made by connie forces him back to the dismantling of the rifle.

“why don’t you tie your hair up?” sasha asks the markswoman, looking away from the rifle.

“my mother used to braid my hair down, i used to do it too. but there’s no need for the occasion, so i leave it.”

“i heard you wanted to use the odm gear.” sasha remarks, a look of curiosity on her face. “if that’s so, it would be best to either cut it or put it up. maybe go back to braiding it down.”

“maybe,” nyame shrugs, lifting the rifle back up and immediately sending out a shot that pierces the center of her target. when the rifle comes back down, sasha is holding out an extra hair tie, hinting that nyame take it. and she does. she gathers as much of her hair as she could and folds it into the tie’s embrace. 

when the titan shifter looks up again, he sees that he hair is pulled away opening her face to him more. he notices the beauty mark that sits at the corner of her eye. her eyes squint and a dimple appears on her cheek when she chuckles, a result of a compliment sasha gave her. eren didn’t understand how someone could capture his attention so easily. maybe because she was a new being on the island or maybe because he wanted to know the inner workings of her being.

eren is watched over by his friends and superiors so at first he doesn’t get a chance to interact with her. but when connie has trouble putting together the advanced rifle, nyame has to step in. 

swiftly, nyame pulls apart the weapon again and eren watches her move, slender and quick. and although evidence shows that she works with her hands, they look smooth to him. she explains what was missing from their work, but he barely catches what she is saying, hoping that someone will explain it to him again later because all he wants to do is hear he talk.

soon the rifle is put together again and she holds it out to eren, a smile on her face. the gesture surprises him since a lot of the outsiders have only been glancing at him with a look of fear. but in her eyes there was no trace. he could clearly see the amusement in her eyes as wrinkles formed around them. 

“eren, are you going to take it?” she asks and the name on her lips is overbearing. he wants to hear her say it again, over and over. in any other way that she could say it and he’d do anything to get her to. wordlessly, he reaches for the rifle in her hand and their fingertips brush, and they both momentarily steal a moment for the touch to linger. his fingers are warm and they compliment hers, sending a jolt to the pits of her stomach.

nyame is sure that he heard the deep breath that she sweeps into her lungs. her bottom lip folds between her teeth as a shy gesture and eren can’t stop himself from looking at the action. pink dusts his cheeks, so faint that jean would not have been able to tease him about it, but from where nyame was slouching in front of him, she could see it. and it is a sight for sore eyes.

and that’s only the beginning.

_______

 not gonna lie, i hate the ending of this part. but oh well. next chapter won’t really deal with the manga/anime. we’ll see nyema as her own person and see more of her interactions with other members of the scout regiment and the anti-marleyan volunteers. let me know what you think. like and reblog if you enjoyed it.

[sw124]

[Lamia-Birdy-Bitty Daily Life!22]

Hello my lamia lovers how you doing, good I hope… well everyone’s aware of Abby’s story and her predicament. Unfortunately there’s been another development, as Abby stated in her story..her family are jerks willing to keep a devastating secret to keep the peace and maintain a friendship with equally crappy people.

Recently she’s been staying with her cousin Casey and her husband Roy, she’s gotten two Lamias who have been making her life so much better but unfortunately something happened….well is about to happen.

Abby’s parents have discovered where she’s been hiding and are planning to come see her, whether its to bring her home, reconcile or what is a toss but I’m really worried for her. These people ‘BETRAYED’ her in the worst possible way! I don’t know how they found out but thank goodness Casey was given a heads up to this, the parents were gonna try and come down unannounced but someone [don’t know if it was Abby’s family or friend] called and informed them when they were going to come down.

The problem is the conflict…….

[Update 1]

Abby’s staying with me for the time being, Casey hid all her stuff in the attic to avoid her parents stealing it. [yes her parents planned to force Abby home by stealing her things.] Her babies are with me too and they’re getting along with my boys rather well, Matcha had a little trouble getting to know them but Dante and Chip are always there to give him comfort.

Padlock and Yan are fused to Abby’s side, Yan won’t leave her shoulders unless she’s in the bathroom [outside of bath/shower time] an will curl up around her chest and neck, if I didn’t know better I’d say he’s keeping track of her pulse. As for Padlock he’s always right behind her, ample space in case she turns around and such, I often see her sitting/laying in his coils for a nap or looking through her phone. I find it adorable.

She’s taken a spare room with her boys, she brought plenty of her clothes and personal documents just in case. I’ve entertained the idea of her moving in with me but only if my boys are alright with this…

[Update 2]

I’m posting from my car, I’m telling you this is the first time I’ve seen Chip so pissed off in my life. Matcha’s in the back, curled up with a can of whip cream, he’s hissing a little….

Sorry, I’ll tell the story now. We came to the local grocery store to get stuff for dinner, I brought Matcha with me to get him out of the house. [note I go when the store isn’t so pact, today it was sparse so a good thing.] We were getting stuff for the week. It was then we ran into Casey…and a older woman with her.

[take a wild guess who the woman is]

When I saw her I waved, said Hi but for some odd reason the older woman was giving me a death glare. Casey waved and growled something to the old lady, she turned away and walked off with her hand basket. I took that as a sign to ‘stay the hell away’ so we moved on with our shopping.

Matcha was actually having fun with the shopping trip���that is all they way up until we get to the dairy section. We were picking out eggs when I noticed Chip was glaring, he was looking behind me from the baby seat. [loves that spot.] I turn to see that very same old woman there…staring at me, great now I’m being stalked.

Without thinking I turn and give her the same look.

——

Me: Lady why are you following me?

Old Lady: I’m making sure your beasts don’t hurt any innocent children.

Me: Funny; considering your stalking me like some creeper, I bet you have pictures of little kids in that bag of yours ya pervert.

——

At this point old lady gets flustered and suuuuuper embarrassed, I almost laugh. Matcha pulls on my sleeve and motions me to keep moving and ignore the lady. We try to but she then storms up and blocks my way, ok so this is how it goes down.

She grabs my basket and then starts berating me for bringing dangerous animals into a grocery store…..she then grabs Chip, YES she GRABS CHIP and starts rips him out of my basket and haul him away to throw him outside. I freak but thankfully Chip teleported back into my arms, Matcha is holding us both by this point and Casey comes running up and grabbing the old woman by the arm and [I kid you not] slaps the woman across the cheek!

I made my escape then with the boys, Chip is hissing, Matcha’s shaken up….I grabbed like three cans of whip cream for him and jelly beans for Chip as we hurry to the register. We managed to get out of there and now we’re in my car. I can see Casey now walking out with the woman who…apparently is sobbing. I’m gonna call Abby and let her know what happened…

[mini update]

Ok its been an hour and Casey called me up to apologize for that, yes as you all can guess the old woman was Abby’s mother. Apparently she’s got this stigma against reptiles, Casey is just as pissed cause two times this woman tried to toss Zippy out the door. Roy an Zap are holed up in their room [as we all know how Cherries can react to bad stimuli] and won’t come out when that witch is around.

Casey’s trying everything to get rid of her, yes the husband is there and doesn’t mind the Lamias but is not doing enough to wrangle this devil woman in. So she’s told me the two of them aren’t leaving until Casey tells them where Abby is cause in their mind Abby needs to make amends to everyone and pretend everything is ok.

……I really wish I was making this up…..

I’m seriously contemplating bringing Roy and her Lamia over but….it seems like a bad idea, my place has way to many bitties at the moment but I may have a solution.

[mini update again]

My landlord is letting Roy stay in one of the vacant apartments until Abby’s parents leave, he’s bringing both Zip and Zap with him too. At least he’s not a prisoner in his own home.

[Update 3]

Ok things are getting really bad now, Abby’s mother has found out that Abby is staying with me…well ok technically doesn’t know she’s with ‘me’ but knows she’s staying in the apartment complex. She’s been stalking around outside like a hungry stray dog outside a fast food joint.

I saw her talking to the landlord who [bless his awesome heart] won’t tell her a damn thing about who lives in his apartments. He even threatened to call the police if he see’s her walking about. I warned Abby so she’s aware of this.

I’ve left the house a few times but she’s not recognized me since the store incident, so luckily I can leave when I please. Abby leaves too but when she’s disguised and accompanied by Padlock and Yan. Its awesome cause her mom doesn’t recognize her when she’s with her boys…but recently that bi-er that hag has been getting bolder. She’s starting to knock on doors asking of Abby is in one of them.

Guys I’m getting scared, this is getting really stupid and this woman is getting out of hand…bad enough she tried to hurt my Chip but I’m worried she’d hurt Abby’s boys too…

I could use some advice right now, got any?

[for information on Lamias please speak to @vex-bittys she’ll give you info on some lamia bitties for other breeds please see @selkiesbittybonanza ]

[ariainstars]

It’s Time for Rey to Grow Up

So, our all-time favourite Emperor is back, what a surprise. Or not? Why isn’t he “really gone”? What is his purpose?

Palpatine is known for his patience. He always waited until the fruit was ripe to pick. Is he after Ben Solo perhaps, now that Snoke is gone?

I don’t think so. Snoke impersonated Ben’s inner darkness, and he chose to destroy him.

Palpatine was more impressive and powerful than Snoke, more vicious, manipulating, more viscerally evil. Does anyone honestly think that he’s after our dreamy-eyed space prince? I don’t.

He’s after Rey.

Rey is extremely powerful and untrained. Ben always tried to keep her close: remember how he said “The longer she is free, the more dangerous she becomes.”

Dangerous for whom? For him? For the First Order? For herself? For the galaxy at large? He offered to be her teacher, to “show her the ways of the Force”. Luke, too, said that she needed a teacher, but he refused to apply to the task. He promised her three lessons and gave her only two.

Let’s consider these scenes.

Rey attacks a defenceless old guy. Ever the pacifist, Luke pulled the staff from her hands with the aid of the Force, lowering all his guard before her: at which she lights the sabre which used to be his and stands over him menacingly.

Rey hits Kylo over the face scarring and disfiguring him for life. She is defending herself and she’s angry because he killed the man who was a father figure for her, but how long did she know Han? Maybe a day. Contrarily to his son, who knew him all of his life and was coerced by the head of a criminal organization to prove his ultimate loyalty with an unpardonable crime.

Rey trains with the Skywalker legacy light sabre. She cuts a rock clean in half, which slides down to the cart of the hapless Caretakers. They don’t get hit by a hair’s breadth. Rey doesn’t even look down to them.

Kylo only is aggressive when he wears his mask. On meeting Rey, he does not hurt her but immobilizes her through the Force.

As their duel begins, he rotates his light sabre almost playfully. The gesture is everything but aggressive; he doesn’t look at all like someone who goes for the kill.

Snoke said that Kylo was “bested by a girl who never held a light sabre”.

Excuse me? He’s watching her in fascination. Why doesn’t he strike?! Kylo’s not losing. He’s letting her go on purpose. (Another parallel to “Beauty and the Beast”. Sorry about the trope. :-)

After the Crait battle, he could send the entire forces of the First Order after “that old piece of junk”. He’s the Supreme Leader now and he has a unique chance to destroy what little is left of the Resistance. But he just watches Rey leave, crying silently.

The Throne Room battle: Ben concentrates and meditates for a second to collect his strength.

Rey screams and attacks, aggressively.

As he meets Luke, Ben is aggressive, too, but his posture is ducked. He’s deeply conflicted although he’s meeting again with the man who pulled the rug from under his feet by first separating him from his family at young age, and then (if briefly) contemplating that to kill him would be the best solution.

In “The Rise of Skywalker” he only has a brief scene in the teaser trailer. His light sabre is ignited but instead of killing his opponent, he just shoves him to the ground.

Is that someone Palpatine would go after? I don’t think so.

What with believing (or suspecting for a long time) that Rey is Luke’s daughter, admiring her for being a kick-ass woman, and seeing a sweet cinnamon roll in her whose destiny it is to turn the villain’s heart, we are refusing to see the truth: Rey is much more aggressive and dangerous than Ben ever was.

Remember: Snoke was in Ben Solo’s mind ever since he was conceived, but he only submitted to him after his uncle’s betrayal. Aggressive? Violent? Murderous? Ben Solo rather seems someone who has endless patience. But even the most patient person snaps, if the pressure is too strong.

Rey herself said “I need someone to show me my place in all this.” Luke refused to show her that place. Ben offered her a place by his side, but she rejected him. Just try to imagine for a moment what would happen if Palpatine offered to be her master.

The Rule of Two still applies. Palpatine can’t act on his own: he needs someone by his side, and he always wanted the most powerful Force user there was. Rey doesn’t know him. Like everybody else, she believes him to be dead. And if they met, he would certainly not tell her “I’m the old Emperor”; Palpatine always had subtle means to tell half-truths in order to manipulate somebody to his own ends.

Rey comes from a desert planet, she’s an ex slave, she has no family, she’s a scavenger and mechanic. “Anakin” means “without a family” (no kin). Rey’s parallels with Luke are few: she’s much more like Anakin.

If we consider the balancing rule of the Force, “darkness rises and light to meet it”, this also goes for the contrary. Now that light has risen in Ben, dark must be rising in Rey at the same time. She just doesn’t know that yet. Rey believes she’s doing the right thing, the same trap Anakin, Luke and Ben fell into in their time. At least Ben questioned his choices; Rey never does.

The irony of the situation is that Ben is now, politically, in the role Palpatine used to be. But can anyone imagine him ruling the galaxy with an iron fist? The thought borders on ridiculous.  He killed Snoke because he had abused him and Rey, not because he wanted his power.

Rey has never really let go of the past, of her illusion of the Jedi’s glory, of her desire to find a father figure; her time on Ahch-To amply showed that. Ben, who knows her mind, told her so to her face. And Palpatine used to belong to the Jedi, even if he wasn’t one; he knows everything about their ways, and about the political past of the galaxy.

Obi-Wan told Luke about the Republic from his own point of view, drawing a picture that Luke and his friends desperately tried to restore. It was assuredly better than the Empire, but watching the prequels, we see a decadent, stagnant society on the brink of its downfall, with the Jedi willing to pursue war for years to maintain the old order (i.e., keeping their power), never accepting new impulses, and merely paying lip service to their duty to compassion.

Ben was right telling Rey that the past needs to die and that the galaxy needs a new order. Maybe not the way he was imagining, with the two of them ruling: but the galaxy certainly does not need to go back to what used to be. Luke and his friends already tried to restore the past, and failed. Why? Because the system didn’t work in the first place.

Yet Palpatine is not dead. In one way or another, the old devil came back. And I’m sure he knows whom he wants to get into his claws. Not the volatile, vulnerable, insecure last scion of the Skywalker family, but the uncompromising, judgemental Force user who was never warned about the dangers of her power.

That’s why I am quite certain that Rey will not have to save Ben in Episode IX; he will have to save her. Or at least, he must try.

Remember: this is his story. The Skywalker man always becomes protagonist only in the third instalment of a trilogy, finally deciding about his own fate. Episode IX is named “The Rise of Skywalker”, which assuredly does not hint at Rey: it would be stupid to make the grand revelation “oh, she’s a daughter of Luke’s after all” now, with all that was said and done to prove she’s not.

Ben needs to finally man up, to become the hero of his own story. If anyone can save the day, it’s him and not her. Out of love for her, perhaps; but I would find it infinitely better if he also acted out of love for others. (Yes, I’m a Reylo, but I have never believed that “true love” means the girl must inspire the man to be a better person for her sake. If anything, this dynamic must be reciprocated.)

Whom will Rey trust, ultimately? Whom will she choose?

The seemingly harmless, mild-mannered father figure who Palpatine can so credibly interpret, as he already proved during the time of the old Republic?

The assuredly not saintly, but immensely preferable Supreme Leader, who has repeatedly proven that he’s the only person who understands what Rey is going through, and has always done everything in his power to protect her?

Will Rey grow up at last, or will the lure of the “Jedi’s glorious past” and of the father figure (Palpatine) be stronger than the goodwill of a man who accepts her for what she is, no matter how often she attacked him verbally and physically, or left him alone when he would most have needed her (Ben)?

Ben Solo has learned his hardest lessons. Rey’s are still to come. She can’t be that good, strong and virtuous without difficulties or consequences; it was all too good to be true. The Dark Side lurks, and it’s already calling to her. She hasn’t done evil until now, but she also never was in the same situation as Ben - trapped, isolated, manipulated. She judged him, just like she judged Luke later on; she does not know what it means to be in their shoes. And I think it’s important for her to make that experience, because she needs to learn that she has no right to look down on someone.

We never learned why Rey’s parents gave her away when she was still small. According to Ben, who read it in her mind, they sold her for drinking money. Sure, some parents are horrible. Some fans suspect that she might have unknowingly killed them through the Force, and that this was why they never came back. Which would make a lot of sense; but I believe it would make more sense to assume that they noticed their daughter’s strange powers and were frightened by them, their fear made worse by the fact that there was no Jedi around whom they could have asked for advice.

Rey means well, but she is naïve and she knows too little about her own powers, and their temptation. Ben tried to protect and instruct her from the start, and he always was honest with her. Palpatine would know how to subtly make her believe that by using her powers unconditionally she would do the right thing: her eyes would gradually turn yellow, and she wouldn’t even notice. Palpatine would assuredly not tell her that he uses the Dark Side, and he would not appear to her in his demoniac true looks. Snoke’s evil was clearly to be seen, but Palpatine has amply shown that he knows how to come off as harmless and well-meaning while operating only in his own favour. And Ben would be the only person capable of pulling her out of his trap: because he’s as strong as she is, because he knows how her mind works, and mostly, because he used to be in a similar situation.

The moment Kylo Ren took off his mask, he showed us his true face: arrogant, but ultimately harmless. Almost all the crimes we saw him commit he carried out with the mask on his face, as if he didn’t really want to see what he was doing. The only crime he committed being forced to look was Han’s murder; it also was his last. He never killed again except in self-defence.

What’s behind Rey’s mask? Rey introduced herself saying, “I’m no one.” Are you indeed, Rey? Or have you simply not taken off your own mask yet?

Luke Skywalker himself, the last and strongest of all Jedi, said that your raw power frightened him.

I know that many people dislike the sequels, but for the most part, in my experience it’s because they don’t understand them. They haven’t realized or accepted that the whole saga is a work of art in itself, not a trilogy that was good and is now being copied over and over to make money out of it. Both prequels and sequels have their own arc, their own story to tell.

A lot of viewers, both fans and antis, see Rey as Luke 2.0 (although some pretend that she’s a Mary Sue) and Kylo as Vader 2.0 (albeit grumbling that he’s a whiny sissy).

But this last trilogy is about balance. Rey cannot be the heroine and Kylo / Ben cannot be the villain. They’re both equal parts good and evil. They are not like Luke and Vader and never were meant to be. They’re characters of their own, in their own place, with their own story. The culmination of the saga is still to come. And looking at the facts, beyond prejudices and expectations, it looks like it won’t be pretty. Maybe love will see it through, but there will be the devil to pay before that - literally.

This happy ever after, still hoping it will take place, will be bitterly fought and hard-earned.

[fairydust-stuff]

The Queen of the Feast of Feasts:  a Prudence Character Study

The Queen of the Feast of Feasts  a Prudence Character Study 

Prudence Blackwood is first introduced to us along with her fellow witch sisters Dorcus and Agatha confronting Sabrina in the woods and warning her a half breed like her is not welcomed at the Academy of unseeing arts, since Sabrina is half mortal. Then all three of them put a curse on her.  Later we learn all three sisters were adopted by Father Blackwood. They are known as the Weird Sisters and seem like their going to operate much like every other bully clique who hates the protagonist for being different. 

This gets subverted when Sabrina herself summons them to help get revenge for her friend Susie by messing with moral boys who hit her. They strike a bargain that Sabrina won’t join the Academy if they help her get revenge. Sabrina agrees to this but crosses her fingers behind her back (our heroine ladies and gentlemen). 

The three of them execute a plan that involves tricking the guys into hooking up with each other and blackmailing them. Then Prudence and her sisters scare them off and are also revealed to have done a spell to control the boys um anatomy. (Honestly the whole thing makes me uncomfortable especially when certain facts about the football players come to light later on, but that’s not what this essay is about) 

Prudence tells Sabrina “ You may be more suited to the academy then we first thought” showing she’s changed her mind. Prudence also reveals she knows Sabrina had no intention of keeping her promise but agreed to help anyway, because she enjoys tormenting moral boys. This reveals a lot about Prudence’s character she is crafty, cruel and bigoted but she can bend a bit when faced with what she sees as potential. 

We also learn that Prudence is very wise, since she points out that signing the book of the beast and making a contract with the devil is about giving up your freedom in exchange for power. Prudence  laughs in Sabrina’s face when the half witch suggests they shouldn’t have to give up anything for power and should have it all. This highlights her self awareness and hints that Prudence is far older than her appearance suggests. Which actress Tati Gabriella has confirmed stating that Prudence is really 75 years old.     

For the first season Prudence kind of fades into the background other than viciously hazing Sabrina with her sisters which links back to her cruelty.  Until episode seven titled the  Feast of Feasts. The Witches of the coven have a tradition where a witch is selected as a sacrifice to be killed and have her flesh consumed by the other members of the coven after they fast. Prudence is chosen and sees it as a great honor “ Prepare me a bath of buttermilk and bring me a plate of macaroons” she orders. 

Prudence goes about sweetening herself to be the best feast she possibly can. 

Sabrina who is chosen by the coven as her handmaiden tries to persuade her it's all nonsense as she baths her. “ You don’t really believe all that” Sabrina insists.  Prudence reveals she does, she wants to die to be honored by the Coven and to “reside in the Dark Lord's heart until the trumpets of the apocalypse sound” This shows us Prudence is a true believer who is truly devoted to the Church of Night. 

Sabrina bring Prudence to her school and she finds out Harvey is descended from witch Hunters then someone kills a familiar and Prudence thinking its Harvey has to be persuaded out of full retribution mode by Sabrina who informs her “ Harvey didn’t kill that  farmiar” to which Prudence gives the best line of the season  “ How is your faith in the mortal boy any different than my faith in the Dark Lord? Why is your faith more valid than mine?” this line once again highlights the fact that Prudence is an old soul who challenges Sabrina to actually think. 

Its revealed near the end of the episode Prudence is Blackwood’s biological daughter and was only chosen as feast queen so Blackwood’s wife could get her out of the way to protect the inheritance of her own children. This sets up Prudence’s character arch but for now it just spares her from being eaten though she still sits on the throne because she is Prudence and wants to feel special for one night. 

She has a slight role in the mines episode where she lets Sabrina kill and resurrect one of her sisters because both Agatha and Dorcus went behind her back and collapsed the mine to kill the Kinkle family. This suggests that Prudence does have a bit of a code despite her anti human stance, she feels there at least has to be justification for killing a mortal.  

In Season 2 Prudence  is openly acknowledged by Father Blackwood as his daughter. She’s also assigned as her baby brothers wet nurse and in chided in the first episode for letting him cry. However despite  her newfound responsibilities Prudence’s Father and her do not see eye to eye. When Prudence offers to run against Sabrina as head boy, Father Blackwood won’t allow it because he cannot conceive of a witch with a position of authority. Furthermore he will not allow Prudence to have his last name.  

This results in Prudence and the other weird sisters telepathically wireing the answers to Sabrina. While i’d rather have Prudence obtain the position for herself because Sabrina shouldn’t get everything she wants. It is at least the first act of defiance toward her Father from Prudence. 

During the play Prudence gives Sabrina advice “ lust is not a sin Sabrina” she informs her. Though the moment is more about Sabrina it does highlight Prudence’s views on sex which does make up her character. Prudence being raised within the Church of Night has always been very comfortable with her sexuality in Feasts of Feasts as queen she requested an orgy and teasingly invites Sabrina to join in. Prudence does not view lust as something to have hang ups about physical desire is something to be acted upon. Within the same episode she pursues Ambrose Sabrina’s cousin flirting with him. Her advances are returned and two of them enter a poly relationship. 

The valentines episode isn’t really a highlight except it reveals the fact Prudence and her sisters have the same dream and share a vision about how the Spellman’s will be the undoing of the Blackwood’s which Father Blackwood dismisses. I’m guessing this a macbeth reference but it does show that Father Blackwood dismisses Prudence’s concern for his safety. 

Later Prudence goes to Zelda blackmailing her into getting the anti pope to declare Prudence a Blackwood. Now whether or not Prudence wants the power that comes with the name or desires to be part of a family is unclear and i honestly think there’s evidence for both. On one hand Prudence does attempt to murder Father Blackwell later in the same episode and only relents when he declares her “ Prudence Blackwood” but on the other hand she does save her fathers life from Ambrose and when Father Black wood changes Prudence with protecting the acdemy and their family name while their off on his honey moon. 

Prudence takes this vow very seriously replying he can rely on her. 

The next episode we see Prudence honoring this promise she sets about breaking Ambrose who she see’s as a tradior to get him to confess to the murder of the anti pope, refuses to let Sabrina into the acedmy while calling her out for useing her and her sisters all year and saveing her life only for selfish reasons during the Feast of feasts. 

These acts reveals a repressed bitterness from Prudence and hint she sees both Sabrina and Ambrose of using her just to destroy her father which is why she’s so vindictive towards them. Much like trying to kill her Father, Prudences acts of violence seem to come from a place of great betrayal and a sense of her not being important to those she cares for.  Prudence is also high on the fact she appears to have finally gained the approval and affection of the only parent she’s ever known and intends to keep it that way. It's a response for some children who grow up in emotionally abusive household and Prudence has done so for at least 75 years. 

Then a life changing event happens to Prudence making her question evaluate her values. Witch hunters show up at the academy and despite the best efforts of her and her sisters fail to protect the other students. The Witch hunters due to their angel powers (just go with it) overpower the sisters and start killing other witch students as Prudence and her sisters watch in horror while awaiting their fiery pire. Then Sabrina the half breed swoops in last minute and demolishes the angel witch hunters (Gosh it is hard to say that with a straight face) and brings the dead students back to life after respecting herself displaying power beyond that of a regular witch and as aggravating as it is, it does further Prudence’s arch as she starts to question whether half witches and by extent morals are inferior.  

Prudence goes as far as to question Ambrose about Sabrina’s miracles. She also admits seeing Sabrina come back from the dead made her happy. When Ambrose admits he’s scared to die Prudence in a rare moment of tenderness resources Ambrose  there’s no need to be frightened since he’s an honorable man. “ Satan keep you” she tells him sincerely showing us Ambrose has been forgiven and that Prudence is finally being honest about the fact she likes Sabrina (For some reason). Here Prudence is clearly starting to question what she’s been taught.  

In the last two episodes of season two Prudence’s dynamic with her Father reaches its conclusion. When Father Blackwood decides to form his own denomination the Church of Judas. He creates a new set of rules and restrictions Prudence after looking them over states “ These new rules only apply to the witches and not the warlocks” Father Blackwood replies that “Witches should focus on more femmine magics of herbalism and fertility” Prudence asks if the rules also apply to her. Blackwood says as long as she gets the other witches to cooperate she’ll be exempt from the same rules. Offering Prudence special privileges along with the unspoken promise of his affections with a chaste kiss. 

While Prudence does take the bait she also helps Zelda convince Father Blackwood to spare a witch for trying to leave the Church of Judas persuading him i’ll only create a martyr and cause more rebellions in the future. This is usual  for Prudence who was previously fine with the torture and exacution of Ambrose showing a shift in her thinkng. Prudence watching her classmates killed in front of her while refusing to denounce their Dark Lord seems to  have caused her to develop more of an appreciation for the lives of the other coven members beyond those who she considered family. 

  Later  Prudence catches Zelda admitting she does not support the Church of Judas and the other witch warns Prudence her blood won’t protect her from Father Blackwood. Prudence not only dismisses this but retrieves her half baby sister and tells her Father about Zelda’s deception. Zelda takes Prudence hostage and demands that baby Letica be given back to her. Blackwood dismisses her claiming that since he has his full blooded daughter he doesn’t care if Zelda kills Prudence. Which supports Zelda’s claim that Prudences blood won’t protect her. After Zelda is locked up Prudence asks Blackwood “ Father, what are your plans for baby Letica?” as she now feels doubt about his intentions. Blackwood replies he intends to marry her daughter to her own brother Judas. 

Prudence is horrified and frees Zelda from her cell telling her to take her half sister and run. Zelda offers her the chance to join them but Prudence declares she can't leave her sisters or abandon the rest of the coven. Further conveying her found loyalty that of just the family unit.  

Prudence finds Agatha and Dorcus and convinces them to do a spell to end Father Blackwood. They are interrupted by Blackwood who demands Prudence attend him during an audience with the Dark lord. She silently observes as Blackwood expresses disgust at having to bow to Sabrina as queen of hell. Later he tells Prudence to pack. She inquires as to why they should run from the Dark Lord. Blackwood angrily snaps he “ Will never bow down to a spelman whore!”  When Prudence asks him what about the rest of the Coven. Blackwood reveals he poisoned them a communion. Prudence runs out ignoring Blackwoods warning she’ll never see the baby twins again. 

After a vow to kill Father Blackwood she runs to the church teleporting Dorcus and Agatha to the spellman house and telling the Spellman family “ Blackwood poisoned the entire coven!” Pudences sisters and some of the coven members are saved. The last shot of her shows Prudence beheading Father Blackwood which is not only a  literary representation of what she wants to do to him but also a symbolic rejection of him as a leader and Father. 

So what can we take from this? 

 Prudence’s core character trait is her Faith. It's shown that Prudence has faith in Blackwood despite how many times, he’s let her down, she has faith in her adopted sisters shown by how many times she relies on them, she even starts to have faith in Sabrina. 

My reading of Prudences arch is not one of rejecting Faith. Prudences questions are still rooted in religious doctrine even in her last scene with Blackwell “ why are you running from the Dark Lord?” to Prudence, there is no reason to run from the very figure she devoted her life to even if it means bowing to Sabrina this is the ultimate act of religious piety that makes sense for the girl who bathed in buttermilk to make herself a feast. For Prudence no sacrifice is too great.  

Prudence’s arch seems to one of learning to question the leaders of one’s Faith community and whether they have the best interests of those they claim to want to lead. 

The irony is Prudence is heavily implied to be taught the values of faith, family and community by Blackwood, values which he does not share. As show cased by how he uses both his family members and the coven witches and warlocks for his own personal gain and discarding them when it's convenient.  

It's not his rejection and endangerment of her that causes Prudence to move against him but the reveal of his plans of an incestus union between his own children. Even then there are hints she may of gone with him had he not poisoned the coven. Acting in the same vein as the witch hunters Prudence was told to protect the other students from. 

 It's worth noting Prudence is done with him after he proves a danger to the very coven he’s leading because she does value everything, Blackwood doesn’t and as a person of faith Prudence realizes everything about him is a shame.  So she rejects him. That is why Prudence with her morally ambiguous cunning, faith, self sacrifice, intelligence and value of family  is the true Queen of the Feast of  Feasts. 

[madamrogersstorytelling]

Aura

Chapter 1: The Part of You That Never Dies

I think this will be very different from the original plan (I mean, the one I was supposed to write in Finnish). I had written down something I wanted to include in this first chapter, but almost nothing is there. The main plot line is still the same, though. So I’m not completely lost. And I may have lied, some things from my notes are there, not just the way I had thought they would. Better this way, I think. Or we’ll see haha. 

But, let’s start! My very first series, yay! [gulp] I hope you at least somewhat enjoy this and tell me if you did. 

I can also make a tag list so feel free to tell me if you want to be tagged.

Summary and other information can be found here.

Words: 2056

“The devil asked me how I knew

my way around the halls of hell.

I told him I did not need a map

for the darkness I know so well.”

t.m.t

 She had lost count on the day 210. And now she saw the bright sky. It would always turn inky blue before she’d go back inside.

It couldn’t be much more than 210 days. She had made count to make sure she wouldn’t forget. To make sure her father wouldn’t be able to forget what he had done. 

“Of course he can,” she said to herself with an annoyed sigh. “He knows exactly what he has done and surely is proud of it. He’ll tell everyone how he banished the work of the Devil from their sacred family.”

Someone bursted into a loud laughter somewhere further, it made Aura jump. Her spiky-looking hair fell to the sides of her pale face when she leaned forward and closed her eyes. She pushed out a sigh between her lips, trying to calm herself with it. The first didn’t help, she tried twice more. 

“I’m sorry for them,” said a lenient female voice. “I’ve told them to shut up… Those skippers, they never learn.” The woman sounded a bit bitter now, and the second Aura let her gaze rise towards her from below her eyelashes, the woman was already looking at her. She was a short, ginger woman with a friendly face and funny wrinkles in the corners of her green eyes. She looked like someone who really should not work at a bar but maybe at a kindergarten. But she probably was a mother who needed money to raise the kids, so she had to take the first job she could have.

“It’s fine,” Aura shook her head, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

“No, it really isn’t,” the woman let her hand touch Aura’s gently, it was a reassuring gesture yet so short, almost nonexistent, that is was easy to ignore, but Aura saw it and felt it. And was amazed how calm it felt.

“Earl!” the woman shouted towards a table in the corner under a dusty lamp. “We have heard the story of how you shot that cougar thousand times already, nobody thinks it’s funny so let it be! Would you? Thank you!” she turned back to Aura and leaned towards her a bit so only she was able to hear her. “It was a raccoon, really.”

Aura let out a laugh. “Really?”

“Yeah, Earl has a habit of making things bigger than they really are. His raccoon became a cougar.”

“Maybe he, I don’t know… Really shot a cougar? At some point? He just mixes the stories so no one really knows the line where the other starts and another begins.” 

But the woman shook her head. “I don’t think so. He is embarrassed. He is friends with hunters who have shot God knows what creatures – they even talk about chupacabras – but Earl has only shot a raccoon and a few rabbits. And he comes to this bar to tell his stories that really are just stories. I wouldn’t mind it but I’m always here and have heard the story of a bloodthirsty cougar thousand times. Even if I didn’t know the truth, the story has lost its shine; the cougar sounds like a stuffed toy instead of a horrid beast. I feel sorry for the poor man,” the woman got up and banged the counter with her fingers. It sounded like a tune. “Enough about those idiots they like to call men… How about you, sweetheart? I heard you talking under your breath earlier.”

Aura went serious. “It’s nothing…”

“Didn’t sound like that. You were quite angry.”

Aura shook her head and refused to say a word.

“Listen, darling,” the woman looked straight into Aura’s eyes. But she wasn’t angry; she looked almost like she was worried instead. “Don’t think that sitting in bars will help you to deal with whatever is bothering you. I’ll give you a friendly advice: do whatever it takes to survive. Because everyone has a right to live a life they’ve chosen to live. There is no one in this world who can tell you otherwise.”

Aura looked at the green eyes and felt her serious look soften.

“I’ve made a mistake like that,” the woman went on, “and I wouldn’t want anyone else to end up like me. I’m not bitter; I have wonderful kids but… Sometimes you just think you have the wheel. When the truth is you don’t have a wheel at all, you have strings, and someone is pulling them for you.”

They were both silent for a moment after the woman’s last sentence. She looked like she was considering should she have said it at all. But when she saw what Aura looked like, saw her touched expression, she knew that it had had to be said. Some things demand to be said. When you have worked in a bar for years, you start to see that in people; the need for a push, the right words, the truth – no matter how ugly or biting it may be. People don’t come to bars only to seek for a fling, some people come for a truth.

Truths cannot always be beautiful. 

Life is not a ballad.

Aura knew that better than the woman could even guess. She cocked her head to right with a thinking frown and asked shyly: “What’s your name?”

“Gemma,” the woman answered with a warm smile. “I can see my words hit you. I’m glad of that.”

“Thank you for them, they… They were really helpful. I’ve had a hard year.”

“I see,” Gemma took a quick gaze at the opening door but returned it to Aura a second after. “Just remember that you can overcome anything. When you decide you can, you really can. Just one push is all it needs, and a dose of strong will.”

Aura nodded a few times with an almost sad smile on her lips.

A man appeared in front of the counter a few chairs away from Aura. He lifted his hand a bit in a greeting manner, looking at Aura for a few short seconds afterwards as if he was apologizing. Aura gave him a two seconds long smile, but nothing more. She didn’t even look at him properly.

“I’ll be right back,” Gemma told Aura and went to the man after getting a nod. Aura was able to hear how the man ordered a whiskey with a steady and only a bit hoarse voice, and how Gemma told him that it would come right away. The man didn’t even try to contact Aura, even though she was able to feel him looking. The urge to change glances with him was growing strong; Aura mainly wanted to just ask what the man was looking at. She wasn’t exactly a fan of men staring at her.

“Thanks,” she heard the man saying with the same voice. Now it had a smile in it, Aura could hear it. His chair made a sound, and Aura turned to look just before the man disappeared. He was a tall, dark-haired man dressed in a sweater, which looked somewhat deep purple and black pants. Not exactly the kind of guy who would have gotten into a fight with a girl because of staring at her.

She remained staring at the direction the man had walked but he had disappeared long before Aura was even sure what he looked like.

“I know that guy,” Gemma said as she came back in front of Aura. “He hadn’t seen you before, that’s why he was looking at you for so long.”

“Is he your friend? I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be rude. 

“He surely saw your discomfort in the way you’re sitting, yes. And no, he is not my friend, not really; just someone who comes here quite often. No need to be sorry.”

“I still kinda am,” Aura chuckled slightly and put her hands in her jacket’s pockets.

Her fingers hit something.

“You’re cute,” Gemma said. “Remind me of myself when I was about your age.”

Aura smiled to Gemma and pulled a paper from her pocket. It was rumpled and folded at least three or four times. An ordinary white paper but it suddenly meant everything to Aura. She lost Gemma, she lost track of her words – or was she even talking anymore? Aura felt her heart skipping a few beats and then it started to drum against her ribcage like it wanted to get out. She unfolded the paper slowly, almost in pain, felt Gemma’s eyes on her and looked slowly at her once.

 Dear Aura,

 You may not remember me, but I’m still there inside you. They tried to kill this part of you. But I didn’t give in. I’m too stubborn to die. You must know that by now. I’m the one they so eagerly want to get rid of.

Don’t let me go.

Whatever they said about you, is a bitter lie; a thick, black lie that poisoned everyone’s mind because they’re afraid. Fear makes you humane. But if you have to fear for your life, it suffocates you.

Do you remember the cold floor? It pierced through the skin of your toes and made them freeze, even during summer. It was worse against your hands, though. Everything they said was a lie. The world you lived in – it wasn’t a world at all. It was your world, sure, but it was only a small world inside the bigger one. The one you had always wanted to explore. The one your father despised. The one he was ready to destroy. The one he knew you were from. The reason why he held you in that small world of yours.

The more you repeat something to yourself, the more you believe it. I know you believe everything they say about you now. I’m not blaming you; I’m here to get you back.

I’m the one you were able to take with you. The one you had hidden from everyone.

Now, Aura, I need you to do something for me.

Don’t let anyone control you anymore.

Fight for what you think is right. Fight for yourself.

I know you can make it.

 Yours,

The part of you that never dies

 “What is it?” Gemma frowned but never tried to read the paper in Aura’s hands. When she saw silent tears in the corners of her eyes, Gemma raised her hand and placed it against Aura’s wrist. “You can do it, sweetheart.”

“It’s Aura,” she was still staring at the paper, the letter she had written. She didn’t know when anymore, there was no day anywhere, but she recognized her own handwriting. “My name, it’s Aura. And now I know what I have to do. What I can do.”

“Good, Aura. Good. Show the world you have the strength to overcome every obstacle. I have faith in you.”

“Thank you, Gemma. I will never forget you,” Aura touched the woman’s hand, intertwined her fingers with Gemma’s and looked into those green eyes for a moment. “Tell the man I’m sorry for being rude. Remember that you still have an opportunity to live a life you’ve always wanted. Never change. Don’t let the world take goodness away from you. And tell Earl that his cougar surely was feisty.”

Gemma gave her a warm laugh, but Aura could see tears glimmering in her eyes. Gemma nodded, bit her lower lip and could not stop looking at the young woman in front of her whose face wasn’t that pale anymore. Even her spiky-looking, brown hair had settled. And her hand was warm but a little shaky, so Gemma squeezed it.

“I will,” she whispered. “Don’t get lost. If you do, let your heart and mind guide you. They usually know the way.”

Aura nodded. She let go of Gemma’s hand after stroking it with her thumb.

“Until we meet again, Aura,” Gemma put her hand against the counter when Aura got up.

“And we will,” she answered with a strong tone, which told Gemma Aura really meant it.

When Aura opened the door of the bar, she looked over her shoulder to see Gemma still standing there behind the counter. She smiled and gave the younger woman a nod. Aura returned that nod and disappeared into the crowd outside.

Don’t let anyone control you anymore.

Fight for yourself.

[zolganif]

1. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Was born in New Fane. Now live in Niagara Falls. 2. WHERE DO YOU LIVE AND FOR HOW LONG? Look at the above answer. And I've been living here basically my whole life. 3. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE? Well, I like the falls area, park. 4. WHAT DID YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT THE TOWN YOU GREW UP IN? Eh. 5. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? I have a cat 6. WHAT WAS YOUR 1ST PET’S NAME? Fuzzball 7. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Autumn and winter 8. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? Lord of the Rings series, the Hobbit series, Marvel films (especially the Thor ones), Faces of Death series, House of 1000 Corpses, Devil's Rejects, Saw series, Friday the 13th series, Nightmare on Elm Street series, Freddy vs Jason, Hellraiser series, Almost Mercy, White Rabbit, Imaginaerium, Crimson Peak, Black Swan, Splice, Thale, Girl Interrupted...the list goes on forever. haha 9. FAVORITE MOVIE IN THE PAST 5 YEARS? Frozen 10. WHAT’S A MOVIE THAT YOU LAUGHED THE HARDEST DURING? Look Who's Back 11. WHAT’S A MOVIE YOU CRIED THE HARDEST DURING? Lord of the Rings series 12. WHAT’S THE BEST-ANIMATED MOVIE EVER CREATED? The Last Unicorn 13. FAVORITE TV SHOW? Raw, Smackdown, Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Xena 14. FAVORITE TV SHOW THAT IS CURRENTLY ON? American Horror Story, Once Upon a Time 15. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Apple Bees 16. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Mac & cheese, steak, chicken 17. LEAST FAVORITE FOOD? Peppers, chilli, tacos 18. WHAT TOPPINGS DO YOU GET ON YOUR PIZZA? Pepperoni, sometimes chicken which is rare, 19. FAVORITE BEVERAGE? Coke, lemonade, vitamin water 20. FAVORITE DESSERT? Cheesecake, ice cream 21. IS THERE A DESSERT YOU DON’T LIKE? Apple pie 22. CAKE OR PIE? Cake. 23. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Bubble gum, chocolate, raspberry, sherbet, cotton candy 24. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CONDIMENT? Ranch. 25. WHAT DO YOU GET FOR BRUNCH? It depends what I feel like eating. 26. IT’S 4 AM ON A SATURDAY NIGHT, WHAT DO YOU EAT? Oh god. haha. Probably a small sandwich if anything 27. WHAT ONE THING DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR FRIDGE AT ANY GIVEN TIME? Milk, butter 28. WEIRDEST THING YOU’VE EVER EATEN? Squid. 29. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAND? Nightwish, Within Temptation, Motley Crue, Evanescence, Delain, Amaranthe, Mayhem, the Murder of My Sweet, Unsun 30. FAVORITE SOLO ARTIST? Nicole Dollanganger, Lennon Murphy, Marion Raven 31. FAVORITE NONLIVING MUSICIAN? Dead from Mayhem :( 32. FAVORITE LYRICS? I have a lot of favorite lyrics 33. FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIME? So many of them. 34. FAVORITE ALBUM? Shout at the Devil, The Heroine Diaries, This is Gonna Hurt, Imaginaerium 35. WHAT’S THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO? Landfill by Daughter 36. IF YOU LIFE WERE A SONG WHAT WOULD THE TITLE BE? Eh 37. WHAT SONG WOULD YOU PROBABLY BE CAUGHT DANCING ALONE TO? I don't know haha 38. IF YOU COULD SING A DUET WITH SOMEBODY WHO WOULD IT BE? No idea 39. IF YOU COULD MASTER ONE INSTRUMENT WHAT WOULD IT BE? Piano. 40. WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO KARAOKE SONG? Nothing. 41. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING OR THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? The last book I read was 120 Days of Sodom. 42. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU PLAN ON READING? I Am Legend 43. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU READ BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE WAS READING IT? None. 44. WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU READ IN SCHOOL THAT POSITIVELY SHAPED YOU? I can't think of any. I know a few I enjoyed were Animal Farm, Go Ask Alice, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, and Speak 45. WHAT’S A BOOK IN SCHOOL THAT YOU HATED? I don't know 46. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK? I have many favorites 47. WHAT’S A BOOK YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN? Eh 48. DARK CHOCOLATE OR MILK CHOCOLATE? Dark. 49. UNDERWATER OR OUTER SPACE? Outer space. 50. DOGS OR CATS? Cats. 51. KITTENS OR PUPPIES? Kittens. 52. DOLPHINS OR KOALAS? Koalas 53. BIRD WATCHING OR WHALE WATCHING? Whale watching 54. WHAT IS YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL? Cat 55. TO BE OR NOT TO BE? Meh 56. IPHONE OR ANDROID? Android. 57. TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM? Twitter. I don't use Instagram. I have a Twitter account but I hardly ever use that ha 58. VINE OR SNAPCHAT? I guess Vine. When it was still around. 59. WHO SHOULD EVERYONE BE FOLLOWING RIGHT NOW? No one. 60. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE APP? WEBSITE? Reddit, Tumblr, ArchiveofOurOwn, Fanfiction.net, 61. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? Art, english, and history 62. WHAT WAS YOUR BEST SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? English. 63. WHAT WAS YOUR WORST SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? Math 64. WHAT SUBJECT WOULD YOU TEACH IN SCHOOL? Probably history 65. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU KNEW IN HIGH SCHOOL? A lot of things I know now. 66. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF AT 13? Don't give a fuck what anyone else thinks of you. 67. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5'2 68. WHO IS YOUR FASHION ICON? I don't have one. 69. WHAT’S YOU FAVORITE FASHION TREND? I don't follow trends. 70. WHAT ARE 3 THINGS YOU ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR BAG (BESIDES PHONE AND WALLET)? Keys, cigarettes, a book 71. WHAT IS A CURRENT TREND YOU HOPE DOESN’T EXIST IN 100 HUNDRED YEAR? I don't know. 72. WHAT’S YOUR MUST HAVE FASHION ACCESSORY? I don't know 73. HEELS OR FLATS? Flats 74. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? Diamonds. 75. BLOW-DRY OR AIR-DRY? Air-dry. 76. WHAT COLOR DRESS DID YOU WEAR TO PROM? It was black and white.  77. FAVORITE COCKTAIL? None really

78. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY ORDER AT STARBUCKS? Pumpkin spice latte 

79. COFFEE OR TEA? Coffee. 80. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE? With lots of sugar and cream 81. WHO IS A PERSON YOU WANT TO HAVE COFFEE WITH? Eh 82. WHAT HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU WANT TO HAVE COFFEE WITH? :/ 83. IF YOU COULD LIVE IN ANY HISTORICAL DECADE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHERE? Medieval times 84. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COUNTRY TO VISIT? Australia 85. WHAT’S THE LAST COUNTRY YOU VISITED? ^ 86. WHAT’S A COUNTRY YOU WISH TO VISIT? Norway 87. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STATE TO VISIT? Eh 88. WHAT’S THE LAST STATE YOU VISITED? Tennessee 89. WHAT’S A STATE YOU WISH TO VISIT? No idea really 90. WHAT’S THE BEST VACATION SPOT? Eh 91. WHERE DOES ONE GO ON A PERFECT ROAD TRIP? Anywhere I guess 92. FAVORITE CITY? New York 93. PILATES OR YOGA? Neither 94. JOGGING OR SWIMMING? Swimming. 95. FAVORITE WAY TO WORKOUT? Walking 96. LEAST FAVORITE WAY TO WORKOUT? Running. 97. BEST WAY TO DECOMPRESS? Eh 98. WHAT’S THE BEST FIRST DATE IDEA? I'm just gonna say movies 99. WHAT’S LOVE? It is different for everyone. 100. MAJOR TURN ON? Neck kisses. 101. MAJOR TURN OFF? Eh 102. WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING A GUY HAS DONE OR SAID TO TRY AND IMPRESS YOU? I don't know. 103. WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT SOMEONE WHEN YOU MEET THEM? Just how they look 104. DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? No. 105. BEST GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED? Um, my Shield figures :D 106. LAST GIFT YOU GAVE A FRIEND? I can't remember 107. BEST GIFT TO GET FOR SOMEONE? Depends on what the person likes 108. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST SURPRISE YOU’VE EVER HAD? I'm not sure. 109. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Purple 110. LEAST FAVORITE COLOR? Yellow. 111. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF FLOWER? Roses 112. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE COMEDIAN? Don't really have one 113. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ACTION STAR? Eh 114. BEST SUPERHERO CREATED? Thor 115. IF YOU HAD ONE SUPERPOWER WHAT WOULD IT BE? Flying 116. WHAT’S YOUR KRYPTONITE? Eh 117. BIGGEST PHOBIA? Spiders 118. FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE? The Little Mermaid, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast 119. FAVORITE DISNEY CHARACTER? Sebastian, Elsa 120. FAVORITE HOLIDAY? Christmas, Halloween 121. WHAT’S YOUR BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME? Eh 122. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PLOT-TWIST? I don't know haha 123. IF YOU COULD DO A FLASH-MOB WHERE WOULD IT BE? I have no idea what that is 124. WHAT’S THE COOLEST THING IN YOUR BEDROOM? Eh 125. IF YOU GOT A TATTOO WHERE WOULD IT BE? My back 126. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CURSE WORD? Fuck 127. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOARD GAME? Well, its definitely not Monopoly haha. That game takes forever, and my brother always cheats at it :P

[omegaling]

Fix You, A Rey/Phillip Altman Story

Chapter Two: This Town

Read it on AO3 here

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Strong language, mentions of drug use, off-screen past abuse

"Yesterday I thought I saw your shadow running round, It's funny how things never change in this old town."

Naill Horan, “This Town”

The next morning, Phillip sat in the Porsche after unceremoniously dumping Judd off at the ice rink.  He took off his sunglasses despite the hangover headache throbbing behind his eyes, trying to convince himself to stay put.  He didn’t know what would happen if he didn’t take his own advice; all he knew was that most likely lead to more problems with Tracy.  He was already on dangerously thin ice with her; it would only take one more straw before it all broke beneath him.  Or was that a straw on a horse’s back?  He couldn’t remember.  The damn hangover was muddling his thoughts, which was made even worse by his frustration from not only that morning’s fight with her, but from the rest of his family ganging up on him afterwards.  He had thought that introducing Tracy to them would help save their relationship, which had been unraveling for some weeks now.  Apparently he had been wrong; things were only getting worse.

Wrong.  Wrong again.  Like everything else.

Well, it wasn’t his fault that Chelsea came by to pay her respects.  Sure, he knew she was still in the area - he spent enough time flirting with her over Facebook and Snapchat to not know what she was up to - so her showing up to shiva wasn’t that big of a surprise.  Besides, it’s not like he made specific plans to hook up with her while he was here, so that had to count for something, right?  The same went for Kelly.  And Janelle.  Plus whoever else might show up between now and this hell known as shiva would come to an end.

But Rey.

He hadn’t expected Rey, not in a million years.

Phillip let his head fall back against the leather seat.  Seeing her not once, but twice in the same day after not seeing hide nor hair of her after seven years had been jarring to say the least.  After everything that happened at the end of high school he had pretty much resigned himself to the fact that he’d never see her again.  He had tried to apologize to her, right until the very end, but she had always been so damn stubborn that she wouldn’t even listen to him.  For months afterwards he had successfully convinced himself that he had done all he could, and if she didn’t want to make amends, then fine, that was all on her.  Then college had started - or, more accurately, two years of frat parties, smoking weed, and sleeping with so many girls that their faces and features all became one indistinguishable blur, with a smattering of classes here and there - and Rey gradually faded from his memory.

Except for the times she didn’t.  There were nights when he’d find himself lying awake while the girl whose name he already forgotten snored next to him, suddenly remembering the late summer evenings reclining on the hood of his car, making up ridiculously raunchy stories about the star constellations while fireflies danced in the long grass around them.  Snowball wars that would last for weeks before one of them finally called for a truce.  Sneaking out of the house at eleven o’clock on a school night to meet her in that parking lot of Reggie’s Diner on the edge of town because she couldn’t stand to be in Unkar Plutt’s house another minute longer.

Then he would be up for the rest of the night, thinking about her, wondering if she was okay.  Every so often he contemplated getting in contact with her again, but she seemed to avoid all forms of social media entirely.  When he dared to ask people from high school if they heard anything about her or if they happened to know where she was, everyone acted like they didn’t know who he was talking about.  It got to the point where he started to wonder if Rey had even been real at all.

Then suddenly she was back, out of the blue, and it was like an explosion had taken place in the middle of his life, leaving him dazed and disoriented.  He even felt like his ears were ringing.

Of course, that could just be the hangover.

Phillip’s thoughts were interrupted by a deep growl, like the purring of a monstrous cat, that reverberated up from the street, making the whole Porsche vibrate.  He cracked an eye open just in time to see a classic muscle car amble by to park on the opposite side of the street.  Its sleek, shining body was painted autumn orange with black racing stripes starting at the hood and ran down the length of the car.  Phillip didn’t harbor much love for classic cars - he preferred the modern look of Audis, BMWs and, of course, Porches - but even he couldn’t deny that the car was gorgeous.  Even though he was certain he’d never seen it before, there was something about it that tickled the back of his memory.  The closest thing he could think of was an old car someone from high school used to drive, though that one was a beat-up ugly thing with only the last traces of the original paint job clinging to it.  What did they used to call that car?  Oh yeah, The Beast.  Driven by… Poe, wasn’t it?  That’s right: Poe Dameron.  Good guy, though not someone Phillip would have hung out with on a regular basis.  Didn’t he go into the Air Force after graduation?  He was about the wonder what Dameron was up to now when the driver’s side door opened and its owner swung out.  Phillip laughed in spite of himself.  Speak of the fucking devil.

Phillip couldn’t decide how close Poe looked to how he remembered him from high school - Poe had graduated a year ahead of him, and he hadn’t seen him since before he left for the military - but all of the important features were still there: the thick dark hair, copper skin, square jawline, and the smooth confidence of someone who already had worked out his place in the world.  By all accounts he was one of those guys whom Phillip should have hated on principle, but one indisputable fact about Poe Dameron was that it was simply impossible for anyone to hate him.  It went against the laws of nature or something.

Welcoming the distraction, Phillip killed the engine and jumped out of the Porsche, the keys still jammed in the ignition.  He crossed the street in a few jogging steps, coming up on Poe before the other man knew he was there.

“Poe-fucking-Dameron!” Phillip said by way of the greeting.  Poe swung around, an instant of confusion clouding his expression before recognition broke through.

“Hol-y shit.  Phillip Altman!” Poe said, flashing him the grin that earned him the “Best Smile” yearbook honorarium his senior year.  “Jesus, I haven’t seen you in an age.  How have you been?  Do you still live in the area?”

Phillip shrugged a shoulder, trying to play it cool, as though they were still in high school and Poe was still the coolest kid on campus.  “It’s going.  I’m only in town because my dad just died.”

Poe’s face fell.  “Oh man, I’m sorry to hear that.  How are you holding up?”

Another shrug from Phillip, although this one was stiffer due to the sudden tightness in his chest.  “As best as I can, I guess.  He was sick for a while, so it’s not like it came as a shock or anything.  We have to sit shiva, though.  We’re only on day three and I already feel like I’m losing my mind.”

“That’s rough,” Poe sympathized, and just like that the conversation went stagnant.

“So,” Phillip said after an awkward pause.  “I see the Beast is still in commission.  I was sure you’d have it put out of its misery by now.”

Poe stumbled backwards in faux shock, pressing a hand over his heart.  “Get rid of the Beast?  I would never!  Sure she was a little rough around the edges, but she has yet to let me down.”

“It looks good now,” Phillip said appraisingly.

“Doesn’t she?” Poe asked as he ran a hand over the car’s roof.  “This is how I always hoped she’d look someday, but I never had the time or money to put into it.  A couple of friends fixed her up for me as a welcome home present when I got out of the Air Force a few years ago.”

Phillip saw a window of opportunity open, and he immediately jumped to take it.  “Do you still see anyone from high school around?”

Poe tipped his head back, thinking.  “Occasionally.  It seems like more and more people have been trickling back to the area, like they’re realizing the real world isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and are coming home to collect their bearings.  I’m sure a good number of them will end up staying for good, even though we all swore up and down that would never happen.  Didn’t think I’d ever end up back here myself, too much of a big world out there, you know?  But I ended coming back for someone, and I haven’t regretted it since.”

“I...uh... was out with my family last night, and I saw Rey Jakken.  Do you...know when she got back?”

There was an instant change in Poe’s whole demeanor.  His smile vanished into a hard line as his open expression took on newer, sharper angles.  It wasn’t a look of anger, so much, but it was a look Phillip was extremely familiar with; Wendy used to use it all the time, especially when she heard someone talking crap about her family.  It was a look that said “tread carefully, because the next words out of your mouth could lead to an ass-kicking.”

“Listen, Phil…” Poe said slowly, evenly.  “I don’t know what happened between you two in high school, and I’m sure you’re trying to mean well now, but I’m just going to say this once: leave her be.  She’s been through a lot and is only just getting back on her feet.  If she wants to reconnect with you, that’s her call.  Just leave it at that.  All right?”

Phillip scratched the back of his neck and averted his eye, his ears burning.  While Rey’s avoidance of him the other day made it clear that she didn’t want to have anything to do with him, it hurt just a little more hearing it come from someone else.

Poe’s expression softened again.  “I’m sorry, Phil.  I don’t mean to come off as an asshole, but she’s my boyfriend’s best friend, and so we’re just trying looking out for her.  And yes, you heard right, the rumors from high school about me being gay are actually true.”

“Oh… I didn’t mean…”

Poe shrugged again.  “I know you didn’t.  Hey, I need to get going.  It was good seeing you, though.  And sorry again about your dad.  I’m sure Finn will give his condolences as well.”

Poe disappeared into a store, and Phillip slunk back to his car.  Thoughts of Rey whirled in his mind as though they were caught in a tornado that was inside his head.  What did Poe mean by “she’d been through a lot?”  Had she been addicted to drugs?  Alcohol?  Had she been homeless after she ran away?  During high school she got busted a few times for shoplifting, but it was always for things she needed that Plutt wouldn’t provide for her, like tampons or new socks, but could she have spent time in jail for something more serious?  She looked good when he saw her yesterday, both in her sun dress and later in her street clothes, but he knew that didn’t mean jack.  Things like nice clothing, a fancy house or an expensive car were always the easiest ways to cover up just how fucked up someone really was.  Just look at his family.

Phillip scratched at his arm.  He felt like his skin was crawling from the inside.  He needed a release, and bad.  His first thought was to get a drink somewhere, but his tenderized stomach rolled at the thought.  He had a stash of weed he brought with him back at the house, but he didn’t want to risk smoking it with his mother, Paul and Tracy just waiting for another chance to eviscerate him for being an irresponsible degenerate during shiva.  His only other option was to get laid.  That was out of the question with Tracy - he knew that she would leave him blue balling for at least a week, and that was if she was especially forgiving - but Chelsea’s condo was only a few blocks from here… And she had outright said that he needed to do something fun to help him with all the grieving…

Then Rey’s face materialized at the forefront of his thoughts, her expression blank but her eyes a kaleidoscope of hurt and resentment, watching him from the end of a long, locker-lined hallway.

Phillip smacked his open palm of his hand against the steering wheel of his car, the sting helping clear his head a little bit.  Damn her.  Damn her for just waltzing back into his life like this.  Damn her for being so tragic and growing up to be so beautiful.  Damn her for being able to make him him acknowledge what an awful person he really was.

Knowing that there was no way he could get it up now even if he did make it to Chelsea’s, Phillip turned the key in the ignition, the Porsche’s engine a small, tinny sound compared to the deep-throated growl of The Beast.  He swung the car around in a sloppy u-turn, the front tire striking the opposite curb as he did so, and sped off back to the ice-rink, not giving a single flying fuck about the enraged brother he was sure to find there.

[thewadapan]

I made a full 13-episode animated web series with Plotagon.

Creator’s Commentary

I was just messing around and then this happened.

I stumbled upon Plotagon via Aris Martinian’s Worm Abridged series, itself a derivative work based on Wildbow’s epic web serial Worm. Impressed by the software’s results, I downloaded it on a whim. The editor soon draws you into its fast and intuitive user interface and before long I had a draft of what would become “I Hate You”.

Having seen Aris Martinian’s work on Worm Abridged and Satan’s Threads, I really wasn’t expecting to produce anything on that level of quality. Instead I saw it more as an outlet - and indeed, the themes of Are You Happy are representative of the kind of headspace I’ve been in. Most literally, a recent falling out inspired the rough outline of episode one.

I’ve gone on a bit of a kick lately in terms of using restrictive programs to tell stories. Plotagon’s plot editor is almost the antithesis of Marvel: Create Your Own (an online comic editor I used to create “Everything Is Red Now”) in that using it doesn’t feel like deliberate self-harm. Making stuff with Plotagon is actually a lot of fun.

The “movie script” aspect of the editor is inspired and you can hit play at any point to see what you’ve got so far. Sure, there are restrictions - you can only have two characters in a scene, you often have next to no control over camera angles, there aren’t really enough actions (and, to a lesser extent, expressions) to choose from, strange intonation can often ruin the delivery of lines, and most of the program’s assets must be purchased via microtransactions. It’s far from a perfect experience, and yet at the same time I can’t get mad at Plotagon. There’s an infectious, self-aware excitement to be found throughout the developers’ promotional videos, and you can’t help but share that excitement at times.

Plotagon includes its own video-sharing service, which seems to mostly be used by middle-schoolers as a strange kind of social network. I left that aspect of the program alone, choosing instead to render my videos directly to mp4 and thumbnails as animated GIFs (features which feels almost too convenient for this program, but I’m not complaining).

I also chose to ignore the “record your own dialogue” feature and the optional subtitles. A theme I was going for was that these characters struggle to communicate, and the stilted auto-generated dialogue played into that. However, that same awkward delivery ended up making a fair few jokes fall flat. In hindsight I probably should’ve just changed the jokes.

Plotagon gives you a few characters to start off - four teenagers and two adults in an even gender split, plus Santa. The two adults are Ms. Green, who I forgot to utilise, and Mr. Hernandez. The teenagers are Jessica, Samir, Lizzie, and Scott (the guy Mr. Hernandez picks a fight with in episode two). It also provides “Chris the custom character” as the only editable example.

I messed around in the character editor and created Katia and Philippe, and later made Detective Raymond and the devil (who I dubbed “Literally The Devil”) as the plot demanded. It’s only now that I realise I gave Philippe the same t-shirt and footwear as Chris - oh well. I’m also not really sure why I gave Katia red eyes like LTD.

I’d planned to give Raymond some kind of uniform, but everything good was locked. His strange outfit ended up informing his character.

Literally The Devil was male at first, basically by default. I soon decided to avoid the traditional slick-hair-and-a-suit look in favour of a fiery haircut and casual clothing. Their t-shirt, which reads “Speak up against bullying!” was chosen on sight. Trying to find a combination of lower-body clothing that worked with this t-shirt proved difficult, and the decision to make LTD female was cemented when I realised that the red skirt looked far better than the other options (although how this turned out at the bus stop was unfortunate). Lizzie clearly had problems with authority, and I liked the idea that she identified with the devil on some level. I guess LTD’s design is just a manifestation of that.

The decision to do thirteen episodes (the typical length of a “run” of TV) including a three-part finale was made at some point after episode seven, with the death of Mr. Hernandez death serving as a springboard for the rest of the story. Indeed, it isn’t until episode four that we get some kind of explicit continuity. The title of the finale, “The Agenda”, and its inconsistent numbering are a reference to the three-part Season 2 finale of Beast Wars: Transformers of all things.

Three episodes of the series end with the line “bye Felicia(s)”, and another three end with “well shit”. There’s a parallel where Lizzie expresses disappointment in an authority figure using the latter phrase in her first and last episodes - Jessica’s use of the phrase in episode six is less disappointed and more surprised.

“White-Hat Hacking” is, incidentally, my least favourite episode of the series. Most background music is available under the editor’s “music” category, but some falls under “sound” for some reason. Once a sound is played, it cannot be stopped manually - this means that the “pirate ditty” I wanted to use for Jessica needed to play for a set length of time and I needed to stall in order to get Raymond’s entrance right. This basically resulted in a bunch of low-effort jokes existing purely to support another low-effort joke - someone getting arrested for piracy.

Other episodes I rate poorly include episode three, “What Are We Learning Today?”, and episode nine, “Ever Get Tired Of Movies?”. Episode three is barely thirty seconds long and consists of maybe two jokes, and the “well shit” line doesn’t really work in the moment.

Episode nine, on the other hand, is the third-longest. With Jessica and Lizzie both under arrest I knew I was planning a breakout, so I grabbed two random characters I’d thrown together in the editor and sat them down on a sofa. I guess I find the idea of people watching a movie together occasionally weird, because it’s a kind of social interaction without social interaction (I suppose that’s why it’s such a popular choice for first dates), so I decided to use that as the basis of Katia’s insecurities. I’m not really happy with how her relationship with Philippe came across, and I think that’s mostly down to eccentricities in intonation and animation. The first draft of “Ever Get Tired of Movies?” was even less funny than the final draft, which says a lot. Still, it provides an interesting change of pace - the fact that Katia and Philippe’s flaws aren’t as blatant as those of the rest of the cast helps cement them as worthwhile additions in my opinion.

I’m probably happiest with how episode seven, “The Faculty Bathroom”, turned out. Jessica’s monologue in episode six opened the door for a single-character episode, and something about the idea of showing Mr. Hernandez on his forty-five minute smoke break appealed to me. Only one bathroom is available freely, one which clearly belongs in a house, but most people often perceive their teachers as living in their schools and I like the idea that, on some level, Mr. Hernandez lives in this bathroom.

We’ve all had teachers who are nice enough people but who are terrible at their jobs, and Mr. Hernandez falls squarely into that category. We don’t even know he’s a teacher until his second appearance, because in his first he’s too busy getting advice from a man dressed as Santa.

A friend of mine suggested that Santa should quote Genghis Khan in “What is the Meaning of Life?”, and this quote ended up informing his behaviour in the rest of the series. I knew from the start that this man wasn’t really Santa, and I like the juxtaposition between who he is and how he presents himself.

I didn’t set out to have a particular “protagonist” in this series, but Lizzie settled into that role and I ran with it as best as I could. The final episode, in my opinion, struck a good balance between humour and offbeat drama. I’d kept the weirdness firmly rooted in reality until that point, which makes LTD’s introduction all the more surprising. Incidentally, the sound effects used for the transitions to and from the green room were: “death beam”, “arrow hit”, “bone crack”, “fart”, “crash”, “soda can opening” and “swoosh”.

Several people commented on the abruptness of the ending, saying that it lacked closure. Does LTD actually exist? Does hell? I’d say no, but it doesn’t really matter either way. I see the finale as being about Lizzie recognising that her life isn’t going in a direction she likes and deciding to change that, and I guess that was enough for me.

I picked the title Are You Happy mostly on a whim - LTD asks Lizzie this question in the finale, and I think almost everyone in the show is unhappy about something or other. Bo Burnham has a song under the same title, but that wasn’t an intentional link. If I had to pick an overall theme for the series, I’d probably choose Precious Kid’s “Jaded”, not least because it includes the question “are you happy” in its lyrics.

Plotagon remains on my taskbar for now, unopened. People have asked if I plan to make any more. Probably not, but you never know.

[netmaddy-blog]

It's a Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi World!

New Post has been published on https://netmaddy.com/its-a-mahdi-mahdi-mahdi-mahdi-world/

It's a Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi World!

It’s not very often that I wax political. I’m wrong about so many OTHER aspects of human life, why expose myself to more ridicule, more personal attacks from my fellow Christian Americans? But something’s been stuck in my craw for a while now and I have to get this off my chest Blog Express.

Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “The Twelfth Imam” mentioned by TV’s talking heads lately. Well, I have! In October 2005, Iran’s President Mahmoud “Mammy” Ahmadinejad, made reference to this guy – The Twelfth Imam – when he addressed the United Nations. As he was wrapping up his speech, he asked Allah to quickly usher in “the Twelfth Imam.”

As one, the all-knowing pundits and world’s intellectual elite, mouths agape with wonder, replied, “huh?” Sometimes referred to as the “Hidden Imam” or “The Mahdi,” Mammy’s prayer caused many of those who consider themselves in-the-know to confess that they were clueless and sent them scrambling to Google.com, just as I did myself. Afterward, Mammy claimed that he was surrounded by some sort of halo of light as he spoke and that the leaders of the world were mesmerized by his speech.

Whatever.

SO, WHO WAS MAMMY TALKING ABOUT?

Many Shia Muslims, like Mammy, believe that this “Mahdi” person – meaning “the guided one,” used in reference specifically to one guided by God – fulfills a type of messianic role in Sunni Islam, though it has been used by Sunnis to refer to various reformers who have arisen periodically in history to revive Islam when it has grown weak. The concept is more popular among the Shi’ites who believe Mahdi to be the last in a line of saints descended from Ali, the founder of the Shia sect. They say he disappeared down a well in Iran, in A.D. 941. Yes, a well. Well…they say he went into a state of “occultation,” like the sun disappearing behind the clouds. One fine day, after a terrible period of apocalyptic wars upon the earth, they believe these clouds will part, and the Mahdi will be appear on the scene. They believe that, when he is released from his imprisonment in the well, the entire world will finally convert to Islam. That is, after all, the goal of Islam in a nutshell; conversion or death. Face it, many see this as the goal of Christianity as well. Let’s not throw stones for, over the centuries, we’ve been plenty guilty of advancing our perceived Christian cause through bloodshed, too. The TRUTH is, the goal of Christianity is NOT to score conversions. According to Jesus Christ, His “goal” – His Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) – was that we make DISCIPLES, teaching them His Doctrine. HUGE difference. But I digress…

We laugh at unfamiliar religious notions like those of Mammy but, friends, guys like him are incredibly motivated to see their religious beliefs fulfilled. Where they’re concerned, Islam is “to die for!” Not only does he believe it, but the tens of thousands of mullahs – teachers of Islam – throughout the Middle East and elsewhere believe it, too, and they’re preaching it and teaching it with great zeal. These people are on a mission from God, fighting a Holy War. They’re training their kids to hate the Jews and the Christians and world domination is their ultimate goal. They are taught to believe that, when they die in this jihad, they become martyrs and ascend to Paradise where 72 beautiful virgins await them. They BELIEVE this as fervently as any Christian believes in the resurrection of Christ. They will NEVER surrender. For every one we kill – especially those we consider collateral damage – two more will rise up in their places. At the start of this war, I said that, even if we did catch Sadaam Insane and Osama Been Hidin’ dining at the same table and served them each a live grenade sandwich, there are millions of like-minded fanatics lined up right behind them, ready to jump in line for the sake of the cause as well as the power and prestige that goes with it.

I’m as patriotic an American as they come, but we can dispel any notions that there will ever come a glorious moment of Al-Qaida surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri.

There will be no Appomattox Courthouse.

No Yorktown.

No ticker-tape parades as Johnny come marchin’ home once and for all.

Shall we cut our losses and bring our soldiers home? Not on your life! These people will follow them home like the snarling, growling, frothing German Shepherd that followed me home in the 8th grade! They believe they are on a mission from God.

Repeat: they believe they are on a mission from God.

AND THE WINNER IS…

Jeremiah 15:7 declares that “Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; Therefore the nations are going mad…” Imagine, a wicked, evil place referred to as “a golden cup” in the hand of the Lord. God was using Babylon just as He uses the devil, just as He’s using Islam today. You see, I believe that Islam is a thorn in the side of the Church. God’s trying to stir the Church to recognize that something else is trying to UNITE the world and it’s NOT Christianity. We are too divided by ideologies, doctrines and dogmas and it’s proving to a world that notices our division, our declining numbers, our publicized immorality – a world that’s looking for answers – and they’ve determined that our faith is NOT the answer.

Islam is here to wake us up! The bloodiest wars ever fought have been fought by Christians and Muslims. Today, there are Christian countries destroying other countries believing that we’re going to help them by bringing them democracy, something they don’t even desire. We act like democracy is the Divine Government of God. Democracy is NOT what they need. The people need their King, Jesus. THAT is what we who know that King should be bringing them.

A CNN World News Story article headline, April 14, 1997, read: “Fast-growing Islam winning converts in a Western world.” The body read, in part: “…The second-largest religion in the world after Christianity, Islam is also the fastest-growing religion. In the United States, for example, nearly 80 percent of the more than 1,200 mosques have been built in the past 12 years…”

Other notable comments regarding the rise of Islam include the following:

“Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people…” – Hillary Clinton, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3

Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. – ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com

“Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country.” NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989, p.4

“Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States…” NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1

“Moslems are the world’s fastest-growing group…” – USA TODAY, The Population Reference Bureau, Feb. 17, 1989, p.4A

“Muhummed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities.” – Encyclopedia Britannica

“There are more Muslims in North America then Jews Now.” – Dan Rather, CBSNEWS

WHAT’S A CHRISTIAN TO DO?

Whatever the Western Church is currently doing to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, frankly, it simply isn’t working. I say scrap the popular hunker-down-in-the-edifice mentality, scrap anything but the teachings of Christ, and adjust our sails to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit. We can learn from the example of our persecuted brethren in the underground Church in developing nations, the ONLY place on the planet where our faith is thriving, incidentally. Is it persecution that will cause the Imperialistic Western Church to seek relationship with God and abandon the powerless form of self-righteous godliness that we currently possess?

Recently, I began pondering a verse from the Book of the Revelation, Chapter 20, verse 4. In the Amplified Bible, it reads: “Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to act as judges and to pass sentence was entrusted. Also I saw the souls of those who had been slain with axes [beheaded] for their witnessing to Jesus and [for preaching and testifying] for the Word of God, and who had refused to pay homage to the beast or his statue and had not accepted his mark or permitted it to be stamped on their foreheads or on their hands…”

I recall the first time I read this verse, about age 19. I remember thinking, “Beheadings??! Who does THAT anymore? Surely there are some more effective and efficient methods for mass murdering one’s enemies….just look at Auschwitz!”

Now, as I push age 50, I’ve already heard far too many horrifying news reports about beheadings – more than I ever imagined possible – all at the hands of Islamic extremists. Is THIS what the Church has in store for her because we failed to preach Christ all these centuries while we had the chance? As we approach Christmas 2006, even the City of Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, has a Muslim majority whereas fifty years ago, Bethlehem was overwhelmingly Christian.

One day, something will grind “Christian” America’s billion wheels to a halt. Pride comes before destruction, after all.

WHAT’S A NATION TO DO?

So, what should America and her allies do? For starters, sadly, our armies must remain there or the fight WILL come to our pampered shores.

At the end of Word War 2, General Douglas MacArthur said that we should send a battleship filled with missionaries to Japan. He was right. We failed to heed his advice and Japan remains a virtually Christ-less nation today. Jesus was the answer and we failed. The relative few ministers who are there are aging rapidly with shrinking congregations.

With that in mind, nearly ten years ago, a dear friend of mine, a woman with many Muslim friends who refer to her as “sister,” gifted in ministry to children who once had a Christian television show in Canada, suggested to me that America should focus a major effort on evangelizing the children of the Muslim world. “What child can resist cookies and candy, puppet shows and coloring books,” she insisted. “Kids know when they’re being loved.”

I believed then she was right. When I saw on television a beautiful 5-year old Iraqi boy with big brown eyes, glaring into the camera and, with clenched teeth, spewing hatred and damnation upon Jews and Americans, I KNEW she was right.

Armed with the capability to produce nuclear weapons, Iran will soon possess the ability to carry out her threats against us. With his finger on the button, Mammy will be in position to launch his rockets, driven as much by hatred as his desire to usher in the return of the Mahdi. Of course, this Hidden Imam will remain hidden for he is not coming; he’s a figment of Islamic imaginations. Though he won’t be making his long-awaited appearance, American and Israeli forces WOULD retaliate immediately.

Talk about unleashing Hell.

We can’t leave Iraq. Neither can we defeat this enemy with “horses and chariots” (Ps 20:7). Sorry, but to all those who insist upon talking to these madmen, we can’t reason with Iraq nor with their neighbor, President Mammy of Iran.

But the Church CAN pray and we can evangelize the children like there’s no tomorrow.

At this rate, frankly, there may not be.

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD!

Thanks to my brother in Christ, Ed Dupas of Canada, who writes, after reading my rough draft on this article: “…I thought the name “Mahdi” had a familiar ring, but wasn’t sure until I did a little internet surfing. There was a 1966 movie called “Khartoum”, which starred Charleton Heston (a British General) and Sir Lawrence Oliver (as the Mahdi). Because of the pronunciation of ‘Mahdi’ that I have been hearing recently, I didn’t make the connection. Olivier pronounced it like “Maw-ch-tee” (as though one was collecting a gob of spit in his throat on the first syllable). It was a powerful movie, made so by the sheer screen presence of both Olivier and Heston.”

Thanks, Ed! I followed up on the movie and one critic wrote, “In the light of recent world events, this classic confrontation between Western Imperialism and Eastern Islamic fundamentalism makes “Khartoum” more topical than ever.”

Some of what the critic wrote included: “Heston essays one of his best roles as Charles “Chinese” Gordon, the patriot who thrives on challenge… Gordon becomes a national hero for his exploits in China and his ill-fated defense of Khartoum…Gordon is a Christian with the Bible constantly under his arm… A national hero who abolished slavery in China… An honest man revered by the British, as well as by the foreigners… A martyr-warrior who ever truly loves the Sudan and cannot, under ‘his’ God, leave it to the misery and the sickness of which he once cured it…A solitary non-conformist who craved and despised public adulation, a devout Christian that never allied himself to any church, a reluctant empire builder more often sympathetic to those he had to oppose….

“Lawrence Olivier is superb as the fanatical Arab leader, Muhammed Ahmed Al Mahdi, the Expected-One… His softly glowing black eyes never blink… His measured voice spreads holy terrors: “I have been instructed by the Lord Mohammed, Peace be upon Him, to worship in the Khartoum mosque. Therefore I must take Khartoum by the sword.” Two thumbs up!

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