#i love role playing her she's so cute and her whole everything is heavily non encounter based. all the socials baby!!

[vaguely-annoyed]

okay. yay :)

[ID: a half-done drawing in flat colors of op's dnd character, idunna, a pale young woman. she is shown from the hip up with her unfinished hands positioned before her at different heights. her long blonde hair is held back with a white cloth, the ends around her lower back are choppy. she wears a grey-ish blue dress with a white sleeved shirt underneath, and a light blue sash. /End ID.]

[army-of-mai-lovers]

hello arthur!! tbh people are being terrible in your inbox and the last ask killed my brain cells so this is your free bingo card to talk about anything you like. also sometimes googling sharks with human teeth (exactly what it sounds like) helps!! much love <3

oh my gosh I’m OBSESSED with these photos they’re so cute!!!! and thank you for the bingo card Effie I appreciate it so much. I’m gonna rant about Deadly Class (a show I definitely don’t like and thus don’t run a fan blog for....smh) bc it’s on my mind and it looks like it’s just going to go quietly into that good night instead of being made fun of and dissected and I think that should change bc goodness gracious that show does not deserve a dignified death. also I’m gonna put this rant under a readmore bc this is gonna be long and it has nothing to do w atla. warnings for discussions of racism, callous mentions of murder and death, swearing, discussion of Nazis, discussion of gore, abuse ment

Okay so for those not in the know (which is probably everyone considering the show was on Syfy and it’s being canceled due to low viewership) Deadly Class is a teen murder drama set in the late ‘80s starring Lana Condor, which makes it sound like it was engineered in a lab to appeal to me. Literally my friend and I were in the middle of watching Schitt’s Creek, which I adore, and she was like “well I heard about this show called Deadly Class” and described it and I was like fuck Schitt’s Creek we’re watching this. It had a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes, which usually makes me nervous, but I was literally like “I don’t care because I know I’m going to love it.” 

And well. I did not love it. 

I truly do not understand how one fucks up “teenagers (mostly) of color go to murder boarding school in the late ‘80s” that bad (I mean the Russo brothers are involved and they fuck up everything they touch so perhaps it was just that). I haven’t read the comic the show is based on but it does appear that a *lot* of the issues of the show stem from the comic, which is...disappointing. Basically, our MC, Marcus, starts off the show homeless after his group home burned down (and it’s heavily implied that he was the one to do it) and gets hunted down by these elite teenage murderers who invite them to their murder school. 

Already, numerous problems are starting to show themselves. First of all, Marcus is Latino, which, yes, it’s very cool that the MC is Latino, except he is literally the white-passingest man I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve seen my dad. I didn’t realize that he was Latino until they showed his extremely stupid backstory in a shitty animated sequence and whoever was voicing his dad did this really, really thick Nicaraguan accent and I was like wait a damn minute. So then, I looked it up, and the guy playing Marcus is named Benjamin Wadsworth, which immediately made me think that they had pulled a Noah Centineo and made me think this fully white actor was half Latino (and yes, Latinos can be white, but I think Marcus is supposed to be a nonwhite Latino, and I thought Benjamin Wadsworth was both white and non-Latino). But you know, as an light skinned ethnically ambiguous mixed kid myself, I thought I owed it to him to dig a little deeper, and turns out our pal Ben is mixed (also, he’s like six months older than me and married, which is a trip). And like, okay, I guess I’m glad they didn’t get a white non-Latino man to play a Latino character, but they literally got the whitest looking Latino they could think of to play him. He originally auditioned for Billy. Billy’s the token white. And the producers were like “wait you have Latino ancestry?” (how they found that out I don’t fucking know) and let him go for Marcus. And like. Okay. The character in the comics is light-skinned but he does not look white, and Benjamin is not a good enough actor for them to just pass on the actors who surely auditioned for that role and were more visibly Latino but like. Okay, I guess. 

Second of all, this show is mega racist and it starts to reveal itself when you look at how the murder kids are styled in literally their first appearance. What struck me the most was the fact that the Latina (whose name is fucking Maria, for heaven’s sake) was wearing a sexy red dress and Day of the Dead makeup, which, I’m sorry, huh? That just so happens to be the Mexican girl’s murder outfit? I’ve tried to give them the benefit of the doubt and speculate that maybe she wears it to like, subvert people’s expectations, but at this point idk how this is subverting anyone’s expectations nor why she’d be so invested in that. Also, she’s supposed to be a teenager. It’s fucked up to sexualize any of your child characters but it really hits different when it’s your Latina character (and yeah, I know the actress playing Maria isn’t a teenager, but still, it’s the principle of the thing). And then of course, the Black guy, Willie (no he’s not related to Billy they were just like yeah two guys with rhyming names in our main cast sounds legit) is a gangbanger dude who talks the way that white people think Black people talk. I keep waiting for this guy to have one line that’s not complete garbage, but I’m five episodes deep and so far nada, which sucks so bad because there’s like, kernels of an interesting character buried in this horrible racist trope. Also, they had him sleep with a N*zi. I hate it here. Lana Condor (her character’s name is Saya) gets off fairly okay, at least in this first shot (they don’t have her wearing a kimono to go murder people, thank fuck), but the way she behaves is super weird, like kinda flirty towards Marcus, kinda badass but not enough to actually do anything, etc. Billy’s white so they couldn’t make him a racist caricature or anything but I have no idea why he’s here. See, instead of talking about the real politics of the real world, Deadly Class makes up fake prejudice that honestly makes the lok bender/nonbender bullshit look sensible. Maria, Willie, and Saya are Legacies, which means that their families are established murderers (fun fact: the N*zi girl is also a Legacy, because her father murdered hundreds of civil rights activists. And the characters of color align themselves with her. I don’t understand.) Billy, and later Marcus when he decides to go to murder school, are Rats, meaning they have no affiliation with established murder groups. So, in this show, the people of color have privilege over the (mostly white) Rats. Make it make sense. Further, this means that Maria, Saya, and Willie should have absolutely no reason to hang out with Billy, and yet they do because the Russo brothers have heard that the kids these days like the found family trope, so they put five unlikely friends in a room together and insinuated that they could all be besties. I swear, this show is the La Croix of found family tho, in that there is absolutely no flavor whatsoever. None of the characters develop into a found family. Saya is bound to care for Marcus for reasons, Maria is using him, Willie is also using him, and Billy is only his friend because they’re both Rats. Saya and Maria are already friends (and honestly their friendship is the most compelling thing in the whole show). There are no other connections between the characters. But they’re totes a found family!!!!/s

Also, they don’t let Saya be mean. Every character says “oh Saya’s such a bitch” but do we ever see Saya being a bitch??? No! Saya is literally just a nice girl who is kinda quiet sometimes and murders people and has a tragic backstory. There’s an argument to be made for Maria being more bitchy than her tbh. And like, fine, if you want Saya to be nice, she can be nice, but stop telling me she’s mean then!!! If you’re gonna tell me that I’m gonna get to see mean Lana Condor in a leather jacket in this show then deliver bitch. 

There’s truly so much more I could talk about (Chico??? What the fuck is Chico’s arc???? What in the actual hell were they thinking when they were writing anything to do with Chico????? my DUDES WHAT IN THE SAM HELL. also making Billy straight was so fucking stupid he’s literally gay come on now, also Master Lin is so fucking useless what is he even doing here) but instead I’m going to outline the version of Deadly Class my friend and I have been talking about while we watch the inferior real Deadly Class. 

lots of things are the same actually because there are some elements of the show that have potential. Marcus is still homeless at the beginning, everybody still thinks he burned down the group home but he didn’t, Willie is still a pacifist, he and Marcus are still partners for their first murder school assignment, Saya’s mean (but like actually), Billy still has green hair and is the token white of the group (although a Billy of color.....thinking), and they all hate Reagan

in an ideal world Willie and Maria would have different names (Willie bc his name rhymes with Billy’s and that’s fucking stupid, also Willie is just a terrible name in general, Maria partially because it sounds way too similar to Marcus and I don’t understand why the guy who wrote this couldn’t make his characters have different sounding names, and partially because no Latina character of mine is going to be named fucking Maria), but for the purposes of this outline I’ll keep their names the same for clarity.

Marcus doesn’t initially have his rep. He’s on the streets when he sees a girl his age (Saya) come out of this elevator in the back of a restaurant brandishing a sword, and decides to go into the elevator, sees the stash of weapons, and decides to steal one so he can fend for himself better. 

also keeping the detail of Rory murdering a bunch of homeless kids, but now Marcus knows that Rory is actively hunting him down. 

in the process of robbing the school’s weapons collection, Marcus figures out that it’s a murder school

Master Lin catches Marcus robbing the school, they fight, Master Lin overpowers Marcus and ties him up. He says the weapons are for students only, and Marcus says he’s applying. Lin asks what his qualifications are, and Marcus says “you know that group home that burned down three months ago? all the kids that died? I started the fire.” 

(also no shade to Benjamin Wadsworth but in this version he is not playing Marcus. Marcus is not white-passing)

Master Lin initially doesn’t believe him, but Marcus presses on and eventually convinces Master Lin that this is really what happened, and so Lin welcomes him to murder school. 

Marcus’s first class is Poisons, and his lab partner is Billy, who takes a shine to him and shows him around school. There’s no Legacy/Rat nonsense, but you do have normal high school drama adapted slightly for murder school. Maria is the prettiest and most popular girl in school, Saya is the mean girl/valedictorian, Willie is the jock, and Billy’s the punky weirdo. 

Marcus is, of course, the new kid with a reputation to live up to. 

Things kind of fall apart when Willie and Marcus are paired up for an assignment: to seek revenge on somebody. 

also Willie’s backstory is extremely different. his dad was a Black Panther, and he was murdered by the FBI when Willie was a kid. distraught, his mom moved to Texas, where she started working a corporate job and rose really high in the ranks. To maintain her status in the company, she had to do some really horrible things, including working with the FBI to take down other civil rights activists. Willie found out about this and was absolutely horrified. his mother insisted she was doing this so that he could have a better life, but he refused to listen to her, and ran away, and ended up at murder school. 

Willie got into murder school because Lin knows who his mom is, and assumes that Willie is just as cutthroat as she is. he gains a reputation as well. 

also, Willie’s extremely wealthy, and this shows in the way he dresses (preppy jock vibes)

you don’t find out about this backstory for a minute tho bc unlike Albert Kim and the Russo Brothers, I can wait until the right opportunity presents itself for a backstory drop. 

ok anyway back to what I was saying earlier

they have to seek revenge on somebody. Marcus asks Willie if there’s anybody he wants revenge on, and Willie very sincerely says no. Marcus scoffs at him and says he’s clearly had a very easy life, to which Willie replies, “Well, who do you want revenge on?” 

Marcus immediately says, “Rory.” 

So they track Rory down, and since Marcus hasn’t actually killed anybody, he hands the weapons over to Willie. Willie frowns and says that he has nothing against this dude he’s never met before, so Marcus should be the one to hurt him. Marcus says that this is a group project and Willie’s got to pull his weight, and they get into an argument

the argument gets loud, and Rory hears them fighting and starts chasing them. 

in the midst of the chase, both of them divulge their secrets to one another. Willie laughs hysterically and says that they deserve each other bc they both lied to get where they are, and now they’re going to die because of it

Rory backs them into a corner, and Marcus uses one of the swords he tried to steal earlier to shank Rory

They throw the body in a dumpster, and after this, they’re friends, and Marcus decides he’ll fit right in at murder school. 

ok so that was only one episode but things to look forward to in the version of Deadly Class that only exists in me and my friend’s heads: Marcus dealing with the emotional and moral fallout of his first murder, Willie trying to figure out what it means to be a pacifist in a world so hellbent on doing violence towards him, Saya being mean to everyone except Maria, Maria convincing Saya to relax and have fun, the gang bonding in a Breakfast Club style situation adapted for murder school and making a joke about how this is like the Breakfast Club because it’s the 80s and the movie just came out, Saya and Maria falling in lesbians, Marcus and Saya being depressing edgelord besties, Billy being gay and fighting his abusive father, Marcus and Billy being uncool weirdo bffs, Willie and Maria rolling their eyes at Marcus and Saya’s cynicism, Billy coming out to Marcus and talking about his experiences being gay, which makes Marcus think “hang on, why do I relate to that?”, Willie seeing Marcus make a sarcastic comment about kissing a guy and having a crisis, Marcus and Willie falling in love, the gang taking a road trip to Vegas to murder Billy’s dad and giving Billy a gnc thrift store makeover on the way, and eventually the gang murdering the shit out of Ronald Reagan. 

[somedayonbroadway]

I think all the Newsie's AU's could be really entertaining but I would most like to know about the Leverage one and the Lilo & Stitch one.

Okay, so I had two people in a row ask for Lilo and Stitch while also requesting another outline, so I’ll be doing Lilo and Stitch very soon.

But… I LOVE this one.

So, for those of you who haven’t seen Leverage, you can watch it on Amazon Prime Video. It’s amazing and I adore it. My favorite character is Hardison. He’s everything. Nothing he says ever gets old. Hardison and Parker are literally so freaking cute that I just can’t. And I think I’ve already talked about how Spot Conlon is very similar to Eliot Spencer, at least the way I write him. So this’ll be fun.

So anyways…

Leverage AU

Characters

Jack Kelly — Nate Ford

Katherine Plumber — Sophie Devereau

Spot Conlon — Eliot Spencer

Racetrack Higgins — Parker

Albert DaSilva — Alec Hardison

Jack Kelly: The Mastermind

Jack is an alcoholic

He’s only twenty five when this story starts.

He used to work for an insurance company but after that same company let his baby brother die, refusing to pay for his treatment, Jack quit and has been a “functioning alcoholic” ever since.

Jack has anger issues that he refuses to acknowledge

Jack used to pride himself on being emotionally broken, but still never crossing over to the “dark side” of the law.

He’s the son of a numbers runner who was emotionally abusive

Was originally trying to become a catholic priest as he was strong in his faith but has since strayed a bit after losing Charlie, the only person in the world he truly loved

After meeting his team, Jack grows very protective of them, viewing them as a sort of family that he’d never really had, all except for Charlie.

Jack first meets the team when a man comes to him, begging him to keep an eye on a group of thieves as they execute a job he’s hired them for. After they are all double crossed by this man, narrowly escaping death, they come together to set things right and the team begs Jack to continue leading them as Jack shows them how good it feels to do the right thing, even if the right thing requires bending or breaking the rules.

Jack grew up extremely poor but is an excellent artist and chess player.

Jack likes to cook.

Jack loves to learn new things when he can’t drink to continue distracting himself.

Jack is the one to typically choose the clients his new team takes on.

Jack took Charlie in the second he turned eighteen, unable to trust his father who was a no good drunk.

Jack hates that he’s becoming just like his dad but refuses to stop.

Jack is more protective of Race than anyone else, as Race’s optimism and energy remind him of Charlie.

Jack serves as a mentor of sorts to Albert.

He is kept in check by Spot.

Jack is very quick witted, moving from one plan to the next as things change.

Jack gets his own father killed after a mission gone wrong.

Jack gets arrested protecting his team who he knows will go away for much longer than him for all the crimes they’ve committed.

Jack is the one who introduces the group to Katherine, the best grifter he’s ever seen, with whom he ends up falling for.

Katherine Plumber: The Grifter

Katherine is a struggling actress who can’t perform to save her life, though is the best grifter in the business.

Katherine is very careful of her identity, meaning that absolutely no one knows her real name.

Katherine speaks nearly eleven languages.

Katherine has difficulty maintaining real relationships as it’s hard to decipher her acts from reality.

Before becoming a member of Leverage she focuses heavily on art theft

After meeting the team, she bonds with Race over art

Katherine manages to fake her death twice in two years and attend her own funeral at both

As Katherine is the only woman on the team, she often feels as though she doesn’t belong, but all of her boys adore her and protect her at all costs.

Katherine has an abundance of connections around the world, though none of them know her true identity.

Prides herself on long cons that she’d pulled in the past all by herself.

Katherine never reveals how she grew up to her friend as she is very good at letting things go and never getting attached but all of that changes when Jack reaches out to her.

Katherine is wanted in five countries.

Successfully stole the Stanley Cup and replaced it with a replica, though she does not care for Hockey and did all of it out of spite because someone told her she couldn’t.

Katherine makes a game of keeping her real name from Jack as she insists he has to earn the right to know it.

Katherine falls for Jack nearly as fast as he falls for her.

Though Jack and Katherine do sleep together a few times, they agree to keep it a secret for the good of the team.

Though Katherine and Jack aren’t much older than the rest of the team, they take on a sort of parental role for Race and Albert who both grew up orphans

Katherine eventually opens up her own acting company where she finds she is an excellent coach, though she was never a performer herself because she lacked a certain truth element when she would try to perform on stage or on screen.

Katherine is very close with the whole team, but is able to relax while around Spot, as he’s more an equal to her than Race and Albert, and Jack and her have a lot of tension sometimes.

She shares the most with Spot on accident as Spot is easy to talk to.

Runs away at some point to “find herself” after an old team of hers tries to kill her and the rest of her current team and comes back just in time for Jack to be arrested, saving all of them.

Spot Conlon: The Hitter

Spot Conlon was in and out of the mob all growing up. (Eliot was black ops, but I want Spot to be younger, this is different).

He began training when he was very young and is a very skilled “retrieval specialist”

Spot has had to kill before and is ashamed of his past. When asked about it, he calmly asks his team not to get curious because he would tell them what he did 

Though the whole team consists of criminals, Spot believes them, especially Race and Albert, to be innocent and naive and he constantly looks out for them as best he can, acting as a sort of big brother for them until he catches feelings for Race (yeah sorry guys that’s gonna be different too)

Spot is very calm and never shows any kind of panic.

Spot is a trained chef

He grows up only fighting, learning to not get attached

The leverage team is his gateway to figuring out that he is capable of love

His role on the team is protection. He is always around to keep his team out of trouble when something goes wrong or even when things go right and he has to disarm people on purpose.

Spot is wicked smart and is able to discern things from noises, smells, walking patterns etc. always stating “It’s a very distinctive __”

Knows various types of martial arts and uses them regularly

Though not technically a grifter, Spot has an easy time playing different roles and can blend in easily with a crowd.

Hostage negotiator

Survivalist

He’s extremely protective of his team and is willing to go great lengths to make sure they’re safe and secure

Has a budding relationship with Albert who constantly gets himself into trouble that Spot has to get him out of.  

Was known as Sean before Race showed up and gave him a non threatening nickname based on his freckles

Can play the guitar

Manages to get shot at constantly, taking a few bullets but refusing to walk with crutches.

He loves teaching Katherine how to defend herself

Loves teaching Race knew things as well

Speaks six languages

Spot is not familiar with a lot of technology, causing him to often need Albert’s help with that kind of thing

Has rescued Race and Albert from being kidnapped or hurt the most

As times goes on, finds himself more and more in love with his team and really does love to protect them

Sees Albert as a little brother, even if he won’t admit it.

Racetrack Higgins: The Thief

Has been a thief since he was very young, maybe seven, but only gives his team made up stories about how it all started

Has a hard time coping with grief or pain, which is why he likes to make up stories about his past.

Abusive father killed Race’s mother when he was very young

Race grew up in foster care until he ran away at twelve, eventually getting raised on the street by an elite thief who spotted his talents and offered to train him, making him the best thief in the world

Is socially awkward on account of being a loner for most of his life and rarely ever opens up about his childhood

Despite this, Race is very loud and curious, almost childlike with his team, thus why Katherine and Jack become sort of parental figures toward him.

Race did have an older brother who got hit by a car when he was very young, after going out to get food for him. Race blames himself to this day.

Desperate for some kind of real family, besides the thief who trained him, Race meets an older foster brother who teaches him how to boost cars, along with “teaching him other things”. Though his is abused physically and sexually by this boy, Race doesn’t know any better and hangs on his every word, believing that the older boy wanted to help him.

Race is arrested when he’s fourteen, taking the fall for the boy who taught him how to boost cars

Race was a getaway driver at thirteen, and a good one at that.

He is constantly reminded of how he’s not normal, taking a toll on his mental stability as he’s often referred to as insane or inhuman

Race is fairly naive, but does live up to his title as the best thief in the world

Enjoys stealing diamonds more than anything else.

Quickly becomes best friends with Albert and is curious on how to get Spot to open up.

Never went to high school but is still amazingly smart as it takes a lot of math and science and so forth to be a thief.

Enjoys using tasers as a weapon of choice.

Has a bit of a sadistic mind as he enjoys watching Spot beat up on some of their enemies, especially the ones who’d tried to come at him, sometimes even visualizing that they’re the boy who left him behind after using him constantly all those years ago

Eventually does have to confront Drake again, but has his whole team to protect him.

Really loves cash

Is shocked the first time Spot kisses him because, he has been abused before, but kisses Spot again, telling him how different it feels

That’s the first time Race truly opens up about his past and Spot figures out that someone had used him

Has a fear of horses

Is not anywhere near afraid of heights

Has trust issues (obviously) despite the insistence that Albert and Spot (and of course Jack and Katherine but most Al and Spot) would never let anything happen to him

Actually trusts Jack the most as he came from the good side of the law

Does not like psychics

Katherine coaches Race in his social skills, helping him embrace his sexuality and slightly rely on those around him for connection and comfort

Race’s real name is Antonio Higgins, but he’s known across the world as only ‘Racer’

Albert DaSilva: The Hacker

Much like Race, Albert grew up in foster care, though through most of his childhood, he lived with a woman he refers to as “Nana”. Not his actual grandmother, but a foster mother who he adored and actually took care of him.

Often refers to himself as a geek and prides himself in being one as it is the “age of the geek, baby”

Is relied on heavily by the team as he makes a lot of their equipment (eg: coms, modified cell phones, button cams)

Provides CIA level aliases for his team.

Owns the teams vehicle, “Lucille” and is pissed when they manage to destroy not one model, but two

Has an unhealthy obsession with orange soda

Is physically very fit, but is not good in combat situations

Being an introvert for most of his life, Albert took to technology and learned just about everything one can about them

Albert is straight in this one (sorry for my Ralbert fans) but, as Race’s best friend, is constantly trying to subtly get Race to admit he has feelings for Spot

Though he and Spot didn’t get along too well at first, they eventually see themselves as brothers and look out for each other

Claustrophobic

Gets buried alive during a job gone wrong and is showed just how much he’s loved when his team manages to rescue him, believing him to be dead at first

Manages to keep the team very well paid and secured so the government can’t find them

Hacked into the pentagon when he was only twelve

When he was younger, his nana forced him off the computer for one hour out of every day to “give his eyes a rest from the screen” and Albert learns how to play the violin

Mostly used his skills for fun when he was younger, just wanting to prove he could do something

Skipped his senior prom to hack into medical records and get his nana on a high priority list

Has always looked out for the people he cared about

The only one Albert didn’t trust was Spot, as Spot intimidates him until Spot started showing interest in what he did, never commenting on it, but always looking very impressed

Oversells himself while grifting and often relies on Katherine to help guide him

Cares about humanity and the big picture, much like Jack. This is where their bond comes from as Katherine, Race and Spot have spent most of their lives looking out for themselves

Has a soft spot for little kids

Enjoys messing with Spot and making bets with him, even sparking in them having their own handshake which consists of them subtly high diving twice at waist level and then fist bumping. It’s often how they seal a bet or agree on a plan

What do you guys think? Any scenes you wanna see? Any other characters you wanna hear about? Let me know!

For more Mood Boards and AUs, click here!

[chocoluckchipz]

A Bride for the Prince - 2

A03  ~  < Previous  ~  Next >

“And that’s everything I have for today, Your Highness,” Nino said, finishing his daily report. 

“Thank you, Nino.” Adrien nodded. “By the way, you may remove your mask if we are in my private quarters. No one’s going to see us here.”

Groaning with relief, Nino removed the mask and massaged the skin under it. "Thank goodness. This thing is an atrocity, so uncomfortable to wear for long periods.”

“Sorry.” Adrien half-smiled apologetically. “After this whole mess is over, I’ll make sure you all are rewarded for your troubles.”

“You’d better,” Nino puffed. “Because I don’t remember ‘wearing an extremely uncomfortable mask all day long just so my prince can spy on his brides’ in the description of my job.”

“Well, how else am I supposed to trick my ‘brides’ into behaving as themselves around me if they know who I am?” Adrien retorted. “Some of them have seen my face, Nino. I had to cover it. And since I’m wearing a mask, it only made sense to have all of you wear one so I won't stand out.”

“You could’ve, you know, spied on them from a window instead of pretending to be a guard,” Nino offered. “‘Cause let me tell you, you are making it super easy to spread those stupid rumours about you. Some people are actually starting to believe them.”

“Is that so?” Adrien chuckled and leaned back on a window wall, looking outside where his potential brides were taking their evening walks. "I don't really care about that now. I have only a month to choose, so I need to be down there, hidden in plain sight as a guard observing them up close. There is only so much I can see from a window, but none of them would care to look their best in front of a mere guard, won’t you agree?”

“While I do understand that,” Nino added, walking closer and taking a look outside himself. “I still think that rumours are a bit extra.” 

“Oh. You think so?”

“You know, letting them think that after a freak accident that had never happened you suddenly had become a weirdo with crazy ideas and an ugly face—”

“And unpredictable behaviour,” Adrien pointed out.

“Of course,” Nino lamented. “How could I forget the unpredictable behaviour, Your Highness? I beg for your forgiveness. This will never happen again.”

Adrien laughed, looking at his loyal guard and best friend. “That was your girlfriend’s idea. How could you forget? Or better yet, what will she say when she finds out?”

“So not the point,” Nino grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell her,” Adrien chuckled, returning his eyes to the garden. “I need you alive.”

“I’m forever indebted to you, Your Highness,” Nino mockingly bowed. “But seriously,” he added, placing his hand on the prince’s shoulder. “Are you sure this is going to work, Adrien? Do you think it’s worth all the trouble? You might be doing more damage than good.”

“What else could I do?” Adrien responded quietly, his jaw tightening as he gritted out through his teeth after a momentary pause. “I hate that stupid tradition. Absolutely abhor it. But, since I wasn’t able to get out of it, is it so bad that I’m trying to at least find a bride whom I might actually like?”

“That’s not bad at all,” Nino replied with a sigh. “But don’t you think that not all of the ladies will drop their ‘nice’ acts once they hear that the prince has become eccentric with crazy ideas, ugly face and unpredictable behaviour? Have you’ve forgotten that some of them care for nothing but your money and a title?”

“Okay, true. But most of them are bound to lose interest,” Adrien argued back. “And I’ll have a better chance to see who they truly are if they aren’t super invested in wooing me.”

“Have you forgot to consider that the nice ones might also lose interest in you with such a reputation? Suppose you will like someone. How can they like you back if all they know about you are the rumours the servants spreading? I know you are playing the whole oddity role, but at least reconsider staying away completely and go out there as yourself once in a while.”

They remained silent for a few moments, the prince looking out of the window, his guard standing by. 

“I’ll think about that,” Adrien said quietly. “There will be a few balls I’m required to attend as a Prince. I convinced Father to make those masquerades, so I can still wear a mask. I guess I can talk to the ones I like there, and then we’ll see what happens.”

Nino shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't envy you, Adrien. I hope you know that.”

“Then tell me, Nino," Adrien asked after a while. "Tell me honestly: knowing my situation, do you think there was something better I could've done?"

Nino didn’t answer. He sighed heavily and leaned against the wall.

“Not everyone’s lucky enough to marry the person they love,” Adrien added. “Not everyone’s lucky enough to even meet someone they can fall in love with. I’m trying to do my best here, and I know it’s not a foolproof plan and has a ton of holes, but for now, catching the general gist undercover as Chat Noir is the best option I could think of."

“Speaking of Chat Noir," Nino stirred. “I noticed him being rather flirty with a certainty lady that splattered all over the floor yesterday. Even giving her a private tour of the castle. So attentive. Don’t you want to tell me anything?”

Adrien’s face brightened. “You mean Marinette?”

“Marinette?” Nino wiggled his eyebrows. “I see we’re on a first-name basis already? Rather fast, don’t you think? Should we tell the other ladies to go home already?”

Adrien laughed. “If you couldn’t tell it for yourself, Marinette isn’t a lady, Nino.”

Nino frowned. “I thought your father sent out invitations only to the noble families?”

“Yeah, he did,” Adrien mocked. “Just as the tradition commands. But I know for certain that Marinette doesn’t come from a noble family.”

“I don’t understand. Then why is she here? And as a lady?”

“I have no idea either.” An amused smile claimed Adrien’s lips as he glanced out of the window, “But since I’m rather intrigued, I’ll make sure to find out.”

“I suppose you know her then? To know she isn’t nobility?”

“Even if I didn’t know her, her behaviour would’ve given her away instantly. Not only did she talk on equal terms with a humble servant such as myself, but she allowed me to argue and flirt with her and accompany her on a tour of the castle—on my arm, no less. Rather scandalous for a true lady, wouldn’t you say so?” Pausing for a moment, Adrien frowned. “Though, I suppose we should probably warn her to work on her etiquette; wouldn’t want an old friend to get in trouble. But, Nino, this stays between us until further notice.”

“Of course.” Nino nodded and settled on an opposite corner of the window Adrien was sitting on before shooting him a smirk, “But, now this is interesting. I know all of your commoner friends and non-lady Marinette isn’t on my list. Do tell.”

Adrien shrugged. “There isn’t much to tell. You know how Mother and I would always spend our summers in DuPont before she passed away?"

“Your summer castle?”

“Yes. Well, since Father wasn't around, Mother allowed me to socialize with all the children at the castle despite their social status as long as they weren’t aware of who I was.”

“She did hold more liberal values than your father,” Nino sighed. “Her passing was a great loss not only for your family but to the country in general.”

“She was amazing.” Adrien half-smiled. “It was thanks to her and the liberties she that allowed me in DuPont that I first started to realize that maybe the way of life as I knew it wasn't exactly how everyone else did. Marinette was actually a huge part in that. Her father was our baker, and out of all the kids there, she was the most fun to play with. So, we kind of ditched everyone else and just ran wild by ourselves. She taught me a lot of things I'd never known before.”

“A childhood friend,” Nino smiled. “I see. But you haven’t been to that castle since you were... what? Fourteen? How did you recognize her?” Nino scratched his forehead. “I mean it’s been ages; she probably looks nothing like she did before.”

"Sky-blue eyes," Adrien said quietly, looking into the garden. "That's a rare shade in our country, but if you pair those with freckles and slightly bluish-black hair, it’s even harder to find. Cute smile and adorable button for a nose. Clumsy but charming. How could I forget? She hasn’t changed that much. She just matured and blossomed.”

“That’s a lot of details to remember.” Nino raised an eyebrow. “Do I smell first love kind of deal?”

“Noooo,” Adrien nervously chuckled. “She was just a friend. The first real friend I’ve had.”

“If you say so,” Nino chuckled. “But it sounds to me—”

“Sounds like you need to check your hearing,” Adrien interceded, standing up. “Also, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get started on my beauty sleep; I have a busy day tomorrow, and it's supposed to do wonders for my facial ugliness.”

Nino chuckled, following the prince’s example and standing up from the window sill. “No escapades into the city today?”

“I think we should hold off on that,” Adrien said with a frown. “With all of those ‘brides’ in the castle, security is upped, and I don’t want to risk Father finding out I regularly sneak out into the city." 

“Don’t you think his cold heart won’t melt once you explain that you do it to get to know your subjects and their issues better? You know, something any good ruler would approve of?”

Adrien scoffed. “I doubt my father would listen past ‘sneak out’ part. Add in ‘speaking with the commoners’ part, and I’ll be stripped of whatever privileges I still have. You know for yourself how hard it was to convince him to let me do the whole ‘masked guards and Chat Noir’ thing. I don’t want to risk it.”

“Convince?” Nino scoffed. “If you mean threatening to never marry or not to consummate any marriage he would force on you and therefore leave the country without an heir to his precious Agreste line is convincing, then yeah, you’ve convinced him alright.”

Adrien didn’t answer, his eyes locked on the ground, fists clenched by his sides. 

“Sorry,” Nino apologized. bowing his head down. “I’ve crossed the line. It just... the way he treats you as an asset rather than a human being just makes me so mad—”

“Nino—”

“It isn’t fair, Adrien? Alright? Nothing about your life is fair, and how in the world you are still trying to see the good in him and be the best you can, I cannot comprehend. Now, I must apologize again and leave you to rest. Have a good night, Your Highness.”

Bowing down, Nino turned around and marched out of the room.

“Good night, Nino,” Adrien whispered after him. “Thank you."

Chat Noir rounded the corner, trying to get as far away from the sparring court as he could. Damned be his curiosity! He should’ve listened to Nino and stayed as far away from the area as he could. 

“I’ve been told that Lady Riposte has been awaiting you at the sparring court since the sunrise," Nino added after his morning report. "The guards said she was rather… intense." 

The corner of Adrien’s lips curled in a little smile. “That’s a rather strange meeting place for a Lady who is looking to interest me in herself romantically. But then, she is from a famous fencer line, isn’t she? Maybe that’s her idea of courting.”

“The guards said she has beat each of them easily and is eager to spare with the Prince to prove her superiority,” Nino said monotonously. “If you are interested in a wife to kick your ass literally, be my guest.”

Adrien wasn’t interested in that precisely, but he was curious to see the famous Lady Riposte. At first glance, he wasn’t disappointed; the girl was pretty. Slim figure, dark hair, rosy lips, golden eyes, and a blush on her cheeks. 

Then she looked at him. 

The intensity in her eyes, the slightest raise of her eyebrow, the tension in her lips, and Adrien felt like he was not nor would he ever be worthy of Lady Riposte. Not because she was great, though. More because she seemed to consider a mere guard Chat Noir unworthy of even speaking to her, making sure he understood that from her glance alone. Not even under his Father’s glare had Adrien ever felt so small and uncomfortable.

Quickly, he crossed a centre courtyard and stood on guard at the corner; it was the perfect spot to observe a few of the other ladies roaming around. Lady Volpina sat nearby surrounded by a few others, their mouths agape as she was weaving them a tale. He had to admit she was pretty and her voice sounded honey-sweet, but Nino had warned him about her in particular.

“Lady Volpina seems to be quite famous,” his friend had said. “But may I request permission to check her out? Her story seems to be unusually—hm, how do I say it?—incredible? I’ve heard her claim to be skilled in all possible arts there are, speak six languages, travel around the world trice, have more gold than you, and to be a personal friend of all four of the neighbouring princesses. We all know that two of those haven’t been on the best terms in ages. ‘Would murder at first sight’ bad terms, to be precise. It would be highly unlikely for them to share a close friend."

Adrien had nodded. “Check her story, but discreetly.”

“Of course. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”

Seeing Lady Volpina revelling in the awe she held the other ladies in, he wondered if Nino should even bother with that now. 

His sight shifted to where Lady Bourgeois was strolling along the path, loudly complaining about the sun, her poor maid barely able to keep up with an umbrella. Chat made a face and turned to look another way. He didn’t need Nino to tell him about her since Lady Bourgeois was the only one of the young ladies repeatedly visiting his castle with her father. Over the years, he had gotten to know her character very well. The thought of marrying her made his stomach twist.

His sight fell on the corner of the garden, particularly on a couple of ladies standing there. They were partly hidden behind a group of trees, and since there was no one else at the court Chat Noir deemed worthy of observing, he slowly headed their way.

He was only a few meters away when a little servant girl jumped from around a corner and ran towards the ladies with tears in her eyes. Chat stilled and hid behind a tree, close enough to see what was going on but far enough to remain undetected by the group.

“Ella, I’m sorry, but I cannot do this right now,” one of the ladies said. 

The voice belonged to Alya: one of the maids at the castle, Nino’s girlfriend of the past six months, and someone who Adrien considered to be his friend as well, someone with whom he could talk without titles and similar nonsense.

“But Alya,” the little girl, Alya’s sister, cried. “Nora will murder me if she sees I ripped her favourite shirt.”

“She won’t, Ella. She is your sister.”

“She’s big and scary, and a royal knight!” Ella cried out. “She will slay me with her huge sword because she’ll still have Etta and you for sisters. She doesn't need me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alya scoffed. “First of all, you should’ve never taken her shirt to play with in the first place, and second, you can’t bother me right now. Can’t you see I'm working?”

“Excuse me, but can I look at it?” 

Chat’s breath hitched as he watched Marinette squat down to Ella’s height, asking to see the ruined garment. A moment later, Marinette produced a needle and thread from who knows where and started to stitch. 

“You carry around a needle and thread?” Alya deadpanned.

Marinette nervously chuckled. “This kind of dress isn’t exactly what I’m used to wearing on a daily basis. I might have ripped it a few times already, and I’d like to be prepared for when it happens again because, let’s be honest, I’m not exactly the most graceful of the ladies.” 

Chat Noir chuckled under his breath and left his hiding spot, hoping to interfere in the situation before anyone would notice. 

“Good morning, my Lady,” Chat Noir greeted with a grin. Alya’s eyes snapped to him before darting back to Marinette, who instantly straightened up, hiding the shirt behind her back. A light blush covered her cheeks just as Ella yelped and dashed away. “You look lovely and well-rested this morning. I hope you’re enjoying your stay so far.”

“I... yes, thank you, Chat Noir,” Marinette replied with a smile that was a little too wide, her blush spreading to her ears. “I did rest well, and I am enjoying everything. Immensely. Thank you for asking. I hope you also slept well?”

“I certainly did,” he purred before taking Marinette’s hand and pressing a kiss on her knuckles. Marinette blushed but didn’t pull her hand away.

Adrien inwardly groaned. Clearly, whoever sent Marinette here failed to teach her proper etiquette between servants and nobility; otherwise, she most certainly would not have allowed him to kiss her hand. She was lucky they were hidden away behind the trees with Alya as their only witness.

“I couldn’t help but notice,” he reached around her waist to grab the shirt Marinette still held in her hand. Pulling it to the front, Chat held it between them so he could look at the stitches. “Were you patching this up? Because I thought ladies aren’t supposed to hold a needle in their hands unless it’s one of those intricate embroidery pieces. Or was I misinformed?”

Closing her eyes, Alya hid her face behind her hand. Marinette bit into her lip and blushed crimson.

“Er... I… uh...” she stuttered, snatching her hand away and hiding both of them behind her back. “I do... that... embroider. I... I was- I was just... showing off my stitches? Since… there are many- many different stitches. In embroidery."

While he successfully suppressed his laughter, Adrien failed to contain a chuckle. This right here was why he loved to play with Marinette as a kid: amongst many other excellent qualities, she was always adorably awkward, something Adrien found extremely amusing.  

“May I suggest,” he said, handling the shirt over Alya, “that you abstain from showing any more of your stitches for now, because while your maid and I fully understand your passion for this art form, I’m afraid most of the other people in the castle won't."

“Alright.” Marinette nodded, her smile overly bright, cheeks ladybug red with embarrassment. "I'll remember that. Thank you for the warning, I'll keep my passion under wraps, but now I, uh... I have to go," she nervously chuckled. "I have stuff to do... in my room... so I must depart. Excuse me.”

Not waiting for his reply, Marinette dashed away, Chat’s chuckle following her steps. 

“Excuse me, but what the hell was that?” Alya immediately stepped up and glared at the masked prince.

“Nothing.” He grinned like a cat. 

Alya raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Really? I’m not blind, you know.”

Adrien’s grin faded as he turned to Alya. “Well then, tell me what you think of your lady?”

“What about her?” Alya frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“I don’t know?” Adrien wondered with a teasing smile. “Does she seem a bit strange to you, maybe? Or perhaps behaves a little unladylike sometimes?”

Alya looked questioningly at Chat. 

His grin widened. 

“Okay.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s going on? Who is she?”

“Lady Bug? I thought you were informed—”

“Don’t even try that with me, Your Highness.” Alya shook her finger at him. “I’m not going away until you tell me who’s this ‘lady’ of yours.”   

“Alya...” Adrien started to regret he’d ever said anything to her in the first place. Alya was great, but when she wanted something, one had no choice but to give it to her. Or suffer the consequences and then still give it to her after.

“Well, if you aren't going to tell me, I can always ask around,” she threatened, putting her hands on her hips and shooting him a challenging smile.

Adrien pouted, refusing to speak.

“You started it, Noir,” Alya shrugged. “Now I’m curious and you know when I’m curious, I have ways—”

“Okay, fine,” Adrien relented. “But this stays between us… and Nino.”

“So Nino knows and he didn't tell me?” Alya quirked an eyebrow.

“Geez, Alya. He just found out. Let the man live.”

A few moments and an intense staring match later, Alya gave in. “Fine. I will. I do love him after all. But only if you tell me who this ‘Lady Bug’ is and what’s your deal with her?”

"She’s an old friend from way back at DuPont,” Adrien gave in. “A commoner old friend, and before you ask, no, I don’t know how or why she’s here.”

“A commoner pretending to be a lady?” Alya raised an eyebrow. “She’s bold.”

“More like reckless since she’s failing at it miserably.”

“Oh, that is painfully evident,” Alya scoffed. “You aren't much better, though, Chat Noir. Keep your paws off; you aren't helping.”

“Hey, don’t act so innocent. You allowed me to do that. As her maid, you should’ve been watching out for her better.”

“Exactly.” Alya pointed out. “I’m a maid, not an etiquette protocol watchdog. My job is to help her, not educate, but if you insist, Your Highness, I can always slap your paws off next time.”

“Then why don’t we agree on that?” Adrien proposed. “Do me a favour: help her to blend in and behave like a lady. For now, at least, until I’ll figure out what’s going on here.”

Alya remained silent for a few moments, then crossed her arms over her chest. “Why should I?” 

“Because she is an old friend of mine and I’m begging you on my knees… Metaphorically,” he added when Alya glared his way. “Please? For our friendship’s sake? Or do I need to get on my knees literally?”

Alya quirked an eyebrow. “You’ll go that far?” 

“I might since I’m just as curious as you are,” Adrien admitted. “I want to know what’s going on, and I can't do that if someone will discover our ‘lady’ isn't a lady at all. You like a good story, don't you? And I bet there is an amazing story behind this whole thing, so, please, Alya, help us both?”

“You’re insufferable, Adrien,” Alya sighed eventually. “You going to owe me for this. Got it?”

“I figured. From experience.” Chat nodded.

“All right.” She pursed her lips. “I’ll see what I can do. Does she know who Chat Noir is and that you know who she really is?”

He half-cringed. “No to both, and I’d like for that to stay that way.”

Alya raised an eyebrow. “All right, but I want to be kept in the loop. All the details, as soon as you know. Deal?”

“It almost sounds like you are giving me a choice,” Adrien deadpanned.

“In your dreams, Noir,” Alya snickered. “Now, if you excuse me, I’ll be off to supervise our lady so she doesn’t land herself in a dungeon while I’m away. See you around, Chat Noir.”

Alya dashed away, and Adrien heaved a sigh. He swore dealing with Alya was a task and a half and could take years off one’s life. However, there was no one else whom he trusted more to watch over Marinette to ensure she wouldn't be discovered. For now, that was all he could do, apart from hoping that Marinette’s tale would be worth all the risk she was putting herself under. 

His father wasn’t the most merciful of men around.

[skekheck]

30 Days of the Dark Crystal Challenge

Decided to do poultry-blocks Dark Crystal challenge because it looks like a lot of fun to do. However I’m cheating and I wrote all of this within a couple of days. Warning: fairly large post with pictures and fan ramblings. 

EDIT: I FORGOT TO INCLUDE DAY 16 WHOOP. It’s in there now. 

Day 1. Your favorite skeksis

Idiot, feral, wildman who stole my heart. How? Why? Who knows. *chef kisses* Beautiful stinky bastard.

Day 2: Your favorite gelfling

Bless her and her skeksis cosplay. What a queen.

Day 3: A character that you love that everyone seems to hate.

The tides are changing for her it seems. I think people are appreciating her more, but she still faces her fair share of controversies. Not that I don’t think it warrants discussion nor am I excusing her actions. But she’s way more complex than what a lot of people are making her out to be.

Day 4: A character that you hate that everyone seems to love. 

Hate is a strong word as I don’t hate him, but I don’t really care for Amri. He feels like a bootleg Deet mixed with a little bit of Kylan and Gurjin. Wasted potential and honestly shouldn’t have been the POV for Tides of the Dark Crystal. Seems I’m alone in this opinion, though. Maybe the book warrants rereading?

Day 5: Movie or TV Show? Why?

TV Show by miles! I think the series accomplishes way more than the movie does, like establishing lore,  better written characters, and a more engaging story. I actually cared about the gelfling and it really fleshed out the skeksis in an interesting way outside of “oh they do evil things because they’re evil!”. Doesn’t mean it does everything right, but I’ll get into that later.  

Day 6: Something you wish that happened in the series but didn’t.

Just a few things. I miss the gelfling intermingling with the mystics, particularly urVa. I love everything that happens with urGoh and skekGra, but some of the bonding moments Naia had with urVa are precious and I wish we had more of that. I also wished the gelfling got the message out to the other clans like they did in the book where Kylan dreametched their message onto the Santuary Tree’s blossoms and scattered them all throughout Thra. I also wished Tavra and Onica were an established couple, but maybe it’s not too late for that.

Day 7: Favorite gelfling clan

The Sifa! It was the Dousan at first, but the more I learned about the Sifa the more I grew to love the clan. If I were a gelfling I would probably be a sifa myself LOL. 

Day 8: You opinion on Aughra

She’s a fun and fascinating character! Aughra puts a unique spin on the whole beautiful, wise earth goddess trope by making her ugly, old, and cranky. She’s also a character with her own flaws, even having a mini arc about neglecting to take care of her planet and doing whatever she can to make amends. Not to mention she’s wildly entertaining. Much love for Aughra!

Day 9: Skeksis or Gelfling?

Both!

Day 10: Your opinion on podlings?

They’re just funky little potato people who just want to have fun, dance, and drink all day and I respect them for that. They’re great. Also Hup exists and he’s just an amazing character so there’s that.

Day 11: Your The Dark Crystal unpopular opinion

I think it’s okay to sympathize with the skeksis as long as one is not excusing their actions. I see a lot of people say you shouldn’t because they’re evil and they commit atrocities. Which, yes, it’s true, but I think both can co-exist. I mean, skekTek’s whole cycle of abuse is written very sympathetically yet the show doesn’t coddle him. It shows the ugliness of his character and what happens when someone isn’t capable of cutting off from said cycle. Also the writers consider the skeksis as tragic characters due to their broken nature so I don’t think it’s wrong to be a little sympathetic. But once again with great emphasis, sympathy is fine as long as their actions are judged. They are awful bastards and no amount of sympathy will change that. 

Day 12: Something you dislike about the series

I think the stuff I don’t like about the show is a result of its pacing and cluttered cast. There are so many stories going on and while I liked how they handled it for the most part, you can also see how the show rushes to get through all of them. A lot of important moments where a character should reflect or something that should simmer more is pushed aside for the next thing. Maybe if the show was given more episodes and time to breath it would have been better off. 

Day 13: Most disappointing thing about the series

SkekMal and urVa didn’t have enough screen time and we were honestly ROBBED. 

Day 14: Your OTP

Speaking of which... . Its a crack ship, but I’m all about that allegory for self love (and I just want these two to be alive). Day 15: Favorite quote

Listed plenty of my favorite quotes before, but I’ll pick this one:

“ Life is my paint. Death is my canvas”

Day 16: Rate the skeksis from least favorite to favorite OR rate the gelfling from lest favorite to favorite [or both!]

And if you want my gelfling hot takes, here’s this list (just backwards in context to this post)

Day 17: Opinion on Raunip?

Raunip is a fantastic character. I loved him in Creation Myths and I can’t wait to see what role he’d play in the resistance. And I absolutely love the parallels between him and the urskeks it’s great. 

Day 18: A character that is most similar to you.

I too am a dark-dwelling gremlin who constantly forgets where I put things and crack a few dark jokes at my expense. 

Day 19: Which character do you strongly dislike, why?

This is entirely based on the books, but I find Mera to be awful.  I think it’s because she’s so fake and condescending? When Naia arrived in Sami Thicket, she was acting nice and polite but when the Drenchen asked her why the skeksis never visited Sog Mera responded  “It’s only worth counting what’s valuable”. She continuously disrespects her by calling her pet names even when Naia became maudra. It doesn’t come off as cute, it’s gross. I don’t recall Mera ever apologizing for any of the shit she did to Naia... or Kylan for that matter. She was a pretty neglectful step-mother to him. She doesn’t have an excuse being busy with Maudra stuff because Laesid was a kickass mom to her kids. So in conclusion, fuck this bitch.

Day 20: What do you like so much about the Dark Crystal?

The better question what’s not to love about the Dark Crystal? It has amazing creature design, an expansive world that feels real and alien from our own, having complex and interesting characters as well as villains, the fact that it relies heavily on practical effects a.k.a puppetry... . There’s nothing like it and that’s what makes it so wonderful and unique. It needs to be appreciated more. 

Day 21: Favorite music piece from the soundtrack?

Can’t beat that opening theme. 

Day 22: Your opinion on the sequel comics [Power/Beneath the Dark Crystal]

They have cool concepts and ideas, but they’re not written well. Power is just the movie if it was put into a blender and shredded and ignoring a large portion of established lore for the sake of plot. And Beneath is just a generic fantasy story with the Dark Crystal logo slapped on it. 

Day 23: Which character from the YA novels/comics do you wish we would see more of?

There are plenty of characters that are a given to appear in the series at some point (skekSa, skekLi, urSan, etc). And of course I want to see them, but I really hope Periss shows up (and his brother too). He is one of my favorite characters from the book series and we could use some more Dousan rep!

Day 24: Your opinion on the Age of Resistance comic?

I have yet to read the comics. I’m waiting on them to be part of a collection so I don’t have to buy all of the volumes at once (I prefer owning physical copies). I’ve heard good things about them, especially the story with Hup and the current Mayrin arc. I’m excited to get my hands on them. 

Day 25: The best moment/scene in the series?

There are a lot of great moments, but Rian and Ordon’s fight with skekMal is still my favorite in the entire series. The "Speak For the Dead” scene is a close second.

Day 26: The death of a character that hurt you the most?

He did not deserve this. Fuck you, skekMal. 

Day 27: Your favorite episode from the series?

It’s got to be 4. Not just because a number of my favorite characters debut in this episode, but it’s an important one for the plot. Stakes are being raised, we’re seeing set ups to major story elements and character arcs, and events that impact the rest of the series. It also has a handful of my favorite character moments and interactions. 

Day 28: Your favorite non-skeksis and non-gelfling character? Why?

I’ve come to realize the reasons why I love urVa are the same as why I love skekMal (incredibly appropriate I might say). There’s enough information about him that we get a good understanding on who he is as a character, but still mysterious enough that there’s interest in wanting to know more. Much like his skeksis, he’s unique from the other mystics and thus giving him unique experiences that are fun to speculate. However, the YA novels are responsible for my current fondness of him. 

Day 29: Do you like the urru and skeksis apart or like them as urSkeks together?

A main theme of the Dark Crystal is unity and balance. The main conflict of the franchise are the skeksis, the broken fragments of their urskek self who, according to the writers, “...[have] a dire need for the qualities they lack”. Their only salvation is to become urskeks again and unfortunately many of the pairs never achieve this.  They’re basically a giant allegory for the self and self-love. While we don’t really know what they were like when they were an urskek (aside from SilSol perhaps), we can get some understanding when we look at their pairs and see what traits they share. Speculation is also fun! So as much as I love the skeksis and mystics as individuals, I prefer them to be whole again.

Day 30: What are your wishes for a possible season 2?

A whole bunch of things. I want to see them explore more about the mystics and their lifestyle, having Raunip play a big part in the plot, seeing more of skekSa’s fall from grace from her perspective, the beginning of the Garthim Wars, and more. 

[megaboy335]

Mega’s Top 2017 Anime

Another year as come and gone so as usual it’s time for me to list my top 5 favorite anime of the year. Also included are a short list of disappointments and my favorite OP/EDs of the year. I actually didn’t watch as much this year because Amazon and Netflix started aggressively going after anime so I ended up passing on some of them. As always this list is in no particular order and this is simply my opinion. There are some small spoilers. This post is of course too long for the dash, so its under the Keep Reading. Enjoy!

1) Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

This may come as a surprise to some since I am usually not a fan of the monster girl genre, however this anime did things a little differently. The plot follows Kobayashi, Tooru, with a handful of other characters and the weekly hijinks they get in. Unlike most monster girl shows, there is only one species highlighted in this show: Dragons. In fact there are even male dragons. The show doesn’t glorify the monster girls but instead focuses on the idea of family. Kobayashi, Tooru, and Kana all make a precious family unit. Kobayashi has a day job, Tooru takes care of the house, while Kana attends school. All along the way learning from each other and growing closer together. Showing that people from different backgrounds can all come together, living cohesively in peace. I always felt relaxed while watching and always looked forward to the next episode. Lastly, I’ll just say Kana was one of the most precious characters in anime this year.

2) Tsuki ga Kirei

This anime really caught me by surprise. The show was a very cutesy pure teenage rom-com and it completely won me over. The best part was definitely how it played with the tropes of the genre. It would act it was on that path but divert before getting there. For example, we have a main couple who will of course get together by the end, but there’s also a male and female side love interest who naturally exist to stir up drama. Yet… they really don’t. They both knew their place and respected the main couple. I also just really liked the atmosphere of the show. The main characters usually spoke very softly and their mannerisms were often very well animated. It gave the show a very natural feeling. Overall a simple show, but with one of the purest romances in recent memory.

3) Re:Creators

What kind of relationship does a creator have with its creation? What about creation and the readers? Or even the creation and its creator? These are the questions Re:Creators explored and how it managed to hook me. The story follows a handful of fictional characters who are suddenly brought into our world, the world of the gods, as they call it. We got a wide assortment of characters from strong females, to the hot-blooded male character, a girl from an eroge, and even a magical girl along with most of their respective authors also in the story. However the character that I enjoyed the most was easily the villain Altair. She is basically an doujin creation in the same style as Black Rock Shooter. As such her powers are limitless as the fans have an infinite amount of interpretations of her. The only way our main characters could fight this was making one of the biggest crossover collaborations ever. They had to create a setting where it was possible for the readers to accept the characters having stronger powers. I thought this was a really creative concept. The anime overall felt very much like a love letter to creative process of making a story. I fully believe this would have been the most popular this year if hadn’t been on Amazon’s Anime Strike service.

4) Eromanga-Sensei

I enjoyed Oreimo a lot during its prime in the early 2010s. The first season was one of the first non-shonen simulcasts I ever watched which ended up being a gateway into the world of late-night anime. Eromanga Sensei has been on my radar ever since the author first announced it several years ago and here we are with an anime at last after several years.

Eromanga-Sensei lived up to and even exceed expectations in some areas. In Oreimo the author was always ambiguous about if he would follow through on the title’s namesake or not, but this time he couldn’t care less. By the end of the arc it’s very clear the story going to the incest ending. The show was much better animated than it ever needed to be. There was even someone on the staff who was tasked with just animating Sagiri. I also want to mention that Akane Fujita, Sagiri’s seiyuu, did extremely well in this role. They really wanted to go to the extra mile on Sagiri’s cuteness. I really hope it gets a 2nd season at some point.

5) Owarimonogatari

It’s been a long ride but the Monogatari series has finally finished its main story. The only novel left is Zoku-Owari which already has an anime confirmed for 2018. I was really happy to finally see it end. The final arc begins with Araragi and Hachikuji coming back from hell, then a date with Senjouhara, and lastly the final showdown with Ougi. Oshino even came back for the finale. Overall the Monogatari remains as one of my favorite series of all time. Nisio’s character focused dialogue and interesting cast of characters really makes this something special for me. One of these days I plan to re-watch the entire series in chronological order.

Bonus Round: Strong Sequels

Boku no Hero Academia Season 2 - Episode 10 (Todoroki: Origin) was a major stand out episode for me this year. It was jaw dropping in the manga and the added spice of Yutaka Nakamura animating the final scene made it jaw dropping once again for the anime. As a whole season 2 was a lot better than season 1. Two cour and having stronger content made a huge difference. I’m really hyped for season 3. Next up is the best arc in the series to date.

New Game!! - What was already a near perfect show was made even better with season 2 taking a new direction with the daily work of our main characters. While season 1 showed Aoba working on a game already in production, season 2 follows the creation of a game from conception to release. We got to see Aoba face the struggles of game development and grow from it both professionally and personally. Then the second half introduced two new characters and even made Nene a permanent part of the cast. Sadly its caught up to the manga for the time being, so getting any more anime seems unlikely in the foreseeable future.

Honorable mentions: Shows that were also really good but for one reason or another just not good enough to reach the top of my list

Made in Abyss - It was a really solid show. I really wished it could have spent more time exploring each level but unfortunately the characters must always be pressing forward. The only thing really stopping me from rating the show higher is the fact its not over yet. I didn’t feel satisfied. Instead I only wanted to continue the adventure. The cliffhanger heavily implies that we’ve barely scratched the surface of lurks ahead. I have high hopes for the next season.

As per my tradition next up are my biggest disappointments of the year.

Shokugeki no Souma season 3 – Here we are again. Souma season 2 was on the disappointment list last year for rushing an important arc. While that did happen again I felt it was the least my concerns. The bigger issue this season was the lazy adaptation. They just copy and paste the manga and it feels like there was very little thought put into it. Even the animation itself was lackluster. If the arc has to conclude in the 2nd cour in April, I think it’s only going to get worse.

Black Clover – I know this hasn’t ended yet but I doubt my feeling about this show will change. I’ve been reading the manga since day 1 so I knew it wasn’t that good but I never wished for it to get the kind of anime it ended up with. It’s airing during late afternoon on TV Tokyo which means its airing for an entire year. So to make that work it’s loaded to the brim with filler upon filler. Sure it fleshes out the setting and slows the pacing compared to the hyper paced manga, but it all feels so pointless. There’s also Asta’s voice though I’m sure everyone’s heard it by now. Regardless I’ll be sticking with it all the way to the end because I am way too faithful to Shonen Jump titles for my own good sometimes.

Top Anime OP/EDs

1) Eromanga-sensei ED – Sagiri’s dance is so precious + Trysail song makes it even better

2) Attack on Titan S2 OP – new season, new arc, still another hype opening. Animation and visual choices were really well done.

3) Symphogear AXZ ED – Nothing like a hype song that overruns the last 5-10 seconds of the episode. It always increases the hype of the cliffhangers.

4) One Piece OP 20 – Easily the best One Piece opening since the time skip. It really highlights everything that makes Whole Cake Island a seriously great arc.

5) Boku no Hero Academia S2 OP1 – perfect song to pump you up for some high energy shonen action.

2017 wasn’t the best year for having a large amount of standout anime, but as usual there were a few good shows this year. 2018 is already looking promising. There’s an anime for the new Cardcaptor Sakura manga in just a few weeks from now. David Productions is animating a new Captain Tsubasa. (Come on David Pro, where is JoJo Part 5.) There are also many Jump titles with anime potential coming up in the later half of 2018. So there will be plenty to look forward to in the coming year.

[itsyaboisayori]

Why I’m questioning Sayori

I said I’d make this post so here it is! Even got on my laptop to properly do the post :p I’m just kinda winging this but I’ll try to list out everything I can. If I forget stuff I’ll go back and edit it later so if you’re curious, keep watch! I’ll reblog any time I make edits, at least somewhat big ones. 

Also, replies are welcome! I’m open to constructive criticism and anyone wanting to offer new viewpoints. I accept that I’m still learning and nothing is for sure yet. Also tbh anyone telling me I sound like I’m kin is validating as heck so if you’re thinking it then I’d appreciate you saying it ahaha, but please don’t lie to me because you think you know what I want to hear. I want the truth. I don’t want to be a confused mess ;n; And I know all/most of these could be COMPLETELY unrelated to being Sayori fictionkin, but I feel like they’re worth mentioning anyways. It’s more like, a bunch of little coincidences rather than big solid evidence, I’m aware of that and that’s a big reason why I’m questioning and not for-sure Sayorikin.

One thing I realized just a couple of days ago is how, since I was a kid I’ve had this like, ideal thing I guess? how do I put this into words lmao my brain is dumb,, I guess a fantasy, that I’d fall in love with a childhood friend, like someone I’m close with from a young age but strictly friends for a long time. I’ve always been in love with the idea of falling in love with your best friend. And of course that’s what happens to Sayori, due to her programming in DDLC. And if I’m kin with Sayori from other game(s) rather than just DDLC then it definitely could be something unrelated, just a coincidence.

I’m like, really drawn to DDLC?? Maybe just because DDLC is a great game and I love all the creepypasta type stuff behind it all, all the theories and dark shit, and also I think just as a cute dating sim it’d be great anyways (but nowhere near as great). But idk, when I saw it I immediately felt kinda drawn to it but maybe that’s just in my head or for some other reason like the characters look nice or smth.

Also it REALLY gives me feels. It makes me feel things in general. I rarely get genuinely scared from fictional stuff anymore but this game fucked me up. I’m still scared to play it on my own because, even after watching multiple youtubers play it multiple times, it still fucking scares me.

The Sayori suicide scene and her poem- especially the poem- really get to me. I saw people making hanging puns in the previous video before her death so it was kind of spoiled for me but even still, it got to me. And the scene where Sayori is freaking out because you deleted Monika before playing the game REALLY gets to me,, like I just understand that overwhelming, helpless feeling. Especially finding out why she acted that way, it’s so fucking hard to watch that scene and normally I’m not affected by this kind of stuff. So either DDLC is extremely good at psychological horror or I have some sort of connection to the scenarios, whether that be just that I’ve been through similar things and am projecting (not really that I remember though? idfk brains are weird) or ya know,,, I once lived as someone in DDLC or whatever.

(TW self harm/suicide/choking) Probably has no real correlation but when I have panic attacks/flashbacks (unrelated to DDLC I mean) I feel like I’m choking or like I can’t breathe. And when really frustrated I tend to choke myself? Sayori died from asphyxiation instead of her neck being broken, by accident because she used a stepping stool instead of something higher like a chair and jumping off. Btw I’m okay, I never actually choke myself to the point to causing permanent damage or anything, and of course I’m not saying this is like, okay or anything. I know it’s bad but I’ve done it completely on impulse, and this was all before learning DDLC even existed. I’m working on getting better and I’m not going to kill myself or anything, just thought I’d mention this.

I relate to her personality,,, so fucking much. Not just the whole pretending to be happy to make your friends happy thing, but how she is as a person besides her depression. Tbh I feel like a lot of people relate to her because of her depression and how she deals with it, but like she’s so much more than that. She pretends to be dumb but it actually pretty smart. Maybe she’s not the best with words but I think she’s a lot more intelligent than some people think. She’s so cheerful, maybe even annoying, and is kind of the class clown, and is a total weirdo sometimes but it’s GREAT and just,, same lmao. Like “looks like my boobs are getting bigger again >:D” is something I’d say lolol I just love Sayori so much, like idc if I’m kin with her or not she’s still fucking amazing.

Another reason I relate to her but probably is like not at all proof I’m Sayori or anything, just thought I’d mention anyways, but I was kinda like, really in love with my guy friend in high school for years, he’s actually kinda like MC in some ways, like he was kinda popular with girls but not like Popular(tm), super nice and couldn’t directly say no, but he knew I was in love with him (or at least knew I had a crush on him but he probably had no idea I liked him THAT much but hey neither did I for a long time lmao) and didn’t like me back and even started intentionally avoiding me. Like, he would make up an excuse to not give me a hug, like he was late for class, but hugs only take like a fucking second what the hell?? It sucked but like when the player turns down Sayori I Relate.

I just,,,,, want to hug Natsuki like she’s fucking adorable and I want to protect her the most bc she’s like a precious child and she’s obviously abused by her dad. Tbh Yuri is a little creepy and for some reason I don’t like her that much but I mean I’d still hug her. I don’t hate Monika, like it was just her programming to do all that stuff she did so I don’t blame her and she’s p cool and I’d hug her too tbh. When Sayori interacts with Natsuki it makes me feel all warm n fuzzy. Like I don’t think in my canon Sayori and Natsuki were dating or anything, I think I/Sayori am/was just really protective? Idk, thought I’d throw that out there.

I also heavily relate to wanting to be a mediator and wanting to help everyone get along and be happy. I often (try to) play that role in this life. I’m extremely empathetic, so that’s prob why, but I can’t stand when people are fighting or can’t see each other’s point of view. Though it also frustrates the FUCK out of me when people refuse to or just absolutely cannot see any point of view but their own. Maybe that’s not really a Sayori thing but ye

When I look at Sayori I get the same “that’s me!” feeling as when I see my kintypes. Who knows though, maybe in a month or two it’ll fade, we’ll see I guess. But right now it is Very Strong. Like I’ve somewhat questioned being fictionkin with other characters before but I’ve never had the “that’s me” feeling this strong with anyone else. Ruby from RWBY is a close second but I still think she’s just a kithtype.

I feel like having a past life or whatever as someone who was experimented on kinda makes sense?? Maybe I just enjoy horror a little too much but I really think if I am Sayori I’m kin with her like actual her not just the DDLC version of her. The new game hasn’t even been announced yet but I’m so excited, mostly because I feel like I want to learn more about my possible past life I guess. I wanna see if things in the second game connect with me or if it’s just DDLC. But I feel like, if I’ve had any past lives as any humans, they were probably really dark or smth. I kinda have a dark mind I guess and that would just make sense to me lmao, like I’m 21 why haven’t I grown out of my edgy phase, why the fuck am I still really into creepypasta? Damn.

I’ve been kinda obsessed with DDLC lately. I have BPD so it could totally just be a BPD obsession thing and maybe this obsession will fade and someday I won’t care too much about DDLC, only time will tell. Also I’ve had the song Your Reality stuck in my head for a week straight but it may just be a catchy song and I tend to have a song that kinda automatically starts playing in my head occasionally, usually lately it’s been Sad Machine by Porter Robinson (good song btw highly recommend)

Most likely unrelated but Sayori’s hair has been described as “strawberry blonde” on one wiki and my hair is like, light brown but reddish, though it looks more like Monika’s hair, especially because I keep my hair long. I’ve been kinda wanting to cut it but I like having long hair tbh and I feel like a lot of ppl don’t want me to cut my hair haha, though I really wanna get a short wig and maybe wear that occasionally (esp bc I’m non binary and wanna pass as more boyish sometimes, I know society will never accept me as nb bleh but anyways). Though, it’s been said that the reason her hair is short is because it’s easier for her to deal with, but I’m not 100% sure if that’s canon. Though I guess it doesn’t matter much? cuz multiverse stuff n all but, still.

Speaking of her appearance, she seems to not care too much about how she looks, which I relate to haha, especially because of depression n stuff. I mean I have Crippling Social Anxiety(tm) so I do care to an extent but usually I’m like, if someone likes me they’ll like me for who I am not how I look anyways. I don’t feel the need to dress super proper to impress anyone in casual social situations, like making friends or even going on dates (though I’ve only been on a real date like a few times and they were with my gf who I’d already been dating online for a while). And yeah a big reason she’s so careless about her appearance is depression but I think if I wasn’t depressed and she wasn’t depressed we’d still both have that mentality like, we don’t need to impress anyone with our appearance so it’s better to just dress how you want, whatever way makes you feel comfortable and happy with yourself and your body, than focus on being proper and stuff.

Maybe I’m just projecting but man I feel like a lot of stuff I do and my ways of thinking and stuff are very Sayori(tm). I feel like I am so much like her, like she’s so me. Though of course, maybe my reason for being kin with her is purely psychological. Maybe I “became” her after seeing DDLC. Maybe I am her because I relate to her so much. But again, only time will tell. If I still feel like I identify as her (which, currently, I most definitely do) in a couple of months or so, then I guess I’ll start calling myself fictionkin. Idk.