#i thought about adding axel into the mix too but at the time‚ decided it was gonna be a bit much for a warm up doodle

[nomiyakazehaya]

some "warm-up" kh cheebs of my favorite kings

or rather, these were supposed to be just warm up doodles but ended up becoming something more 😩

just inks for now, but i definitely should come back to color these at a later date 🥲

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E7; Chapter Seven, The Lost Sister - [Pt. 3]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

In their search for answers, psychic visions draw Eleven and Y/n to a band of violent outcasts and an angry girl with a shadowy past.

||Reader's POV||

I stare at my reflection studiously. I now stood in a pair of baggy ripped jeans for someone at least a foot taller than me - though I dread to think what the clothes that didn't fit me looked like. I had to cuff them at the ankle as well as hike them around my wrist - thankfully Funshine had supplied a belt. He had also given me three shirts which had confused me at first, but I realize it was a good thing. Given how cold it was, it was wise to dress in layers. Funshine had given me a long white shirt, and an old and faded Rolling Stones tee shirt to go over it. As an added layer, a red flannel that hung over the tucked-in shirts.

I wasn't quite used to this style, but I have to say, I do kinda like it. Mom always bought our clothes, and while she did support us branching out and trying different things she always found a way around getting stuff like this. It didn't look half bad, and it was certainly warm.

Sighing, I look around the room. Besides the fire pit where my clothes are sitting nearby to dry, the room is lit by a giant sign for some sort of psychic.

Ironic.

I can hear bickering and mixed laughter downstairs, and I wander out to the balcony unsure of what I'm supposed to do now. I step back out of view, not wanting to get caught and I begin looking around. I see another stairway, and streaming through the top is a small pale gray of light. Hesitantly, I climb towards it, careful to keep my footing light.

I can hear cars passing outside as I approach the corner at the top of the stairs and I can feel a cool breeze. Cautiously, I turn the corner and I see a door labeled, ROOF ACCESS sitting ajar propped open by a brick. I catch a brief glimpse of Kali talking to El, and I realize if I can see her she could easily see me. Slowly, I readjust myself around the corner when I catch the words she speaks to El.

"What you can do is incredible. It makes you very special, Jane."

I stop, unable to make myself move and against my better judgment I stay to listen. I have to strain to hear El's soft-spoken words, but I hear them.

"Wait," she says. "Do you have a gift?"

"Different," she says. "I can make people see, or not see, whatever I choose."

I frown, my mind conjuring thousands of possibilities and weaving intricate webs that feed my anxiety.

"Is that why you made the man with the crazy hair dance?" El asks.

"Axel is not so fond of spiders, so..."

"You made him see spiders?"

There was a moment of silence, but soon enough I hear voices again.

"But it doesn't have to be scary," Kali says. "This butterfly, it isn't real. I've just convinced your mind it is. Think of it as a kind of magic."

Curiosity gets the best of me, and slowly I peek around the corner. I see Kali and El staring into up into the air, and El even swipes a hand above her head. It's a strange sight, but I know she is seeing something I am not. And that frightens me, what a dangerous power to have. Kali swipes at the air, her clenched fist retracts and her palm slowly opens revealing nothing.

I return my back against the wall when I hear El speak again.

"Are you real?"

"Yes, I'm real."

There is another silence, and it is broken moments later when I hear them break into giggles. I feel my heart clench and I sigh inwardly, ready to return to my room. But something stops me.

"Jane, you told me that your friend came here to help you, right?"

I freeze, my feet rooted in place.

"Yes."

She waits for a moment, then speaks slowly. Her voice has grown serious once more, and the tone she has when speaking about me to El rubs me the wrong way. It's like she's putting words in El's mouth.

"Something tells me there is more that story. That's an awful long way to come for a friend."

"She's like us. She has a gift."

"Really?" Kali says. "But I thought she grew up with those boys you spoke of? The ones that helped you."

"She did. But she came from the lab. She would have been called Nine."

This pause was the most damning and by far the most deafening. I could practically see the look on her face without having to turn the corner and I tried desperately to calm my heart. Again, I knew there was no logic behind this anxiety, but I did trust the feeling completely.

I didn't know what to do, or what to think and the pause must have been significant enough for El to speak up.

"What's wrong?" El asked.

I heard Kali sigh, and she proceeded to take several harsh breaths and she spoke very slowly to El.

"Was her mother [y/m/n]?"

"Yes," El said, a hint of surprise.

"Jane, do you realize just how much she has affected our lives?"

"No?"

"You say you don't remember our time together, no?" Kali asks slowly. "Well, things were a little different before the missing experiment."

"How?"

"You see, back in the rainbow room, we got to play. You say you saw this? We weren't as isolated or kept apart. But when she went missing, our lives got a whole lot harder."

"The room..." El said, her voice cracking.

"Yes, Jane, the room. I remember it too. These men that took us, took our lives, they grew very mad and very frightened when your friend escaped, and they took it out on us. The lab was never a good place, but at least we had our sanity, but they took that away too when she left."

"I remember when we went into lockdown, men stormed my room and ripped me from my toys. I was thrown in the room and I didn't come out for another day and a half. I was relocated every night, for four nights in a row. And I never saw you again, until now."

"What... are you saying?"

"Jane, let me put it this way. Does it not bother you that not only did your friend get a better life than us, but our lives were made worse because of it?"

"Well, yes. But it wasn't her fault. It was her mothers." El said confused.

I smiled.

"Maybe so, but think about it. Do you really think this friend of yours truly understands what we go through? What you go through, every day? She does not have the memories we do, she does not know the life we have lived, the bad times. She has grown up in a nice home, with a loving family. She does not understand our pain. So do you really think she could understand us?"

This time, El didn't say anything. Once again, I was wrong before. This silence was more deafening and far more damning. I felt the anger return, boiling up in my chest.

"And that is why I want you to stay. Don't you see? This could be your home, you said it yourself, we're sisters. I can teach you how to harness your anger, and strengthen your gift. We'll look after each other. We understand each other. Y/n will never understand you. But I do. Would you like that, Jane?"

Never in a million years would I expect El go side with her, but she did and I could feel my heart break into two.

"Home."

Hot anger rises to my cheeks, and I feel the heat radiating off my face. Hotly, I turn on my heel and trudge down the steps, not caring if I'm heard and I think of returning to the room but decide against it. Instead, I stomp downstairs and past the group drawing several curious glances. I ignore their comments and I rip the door open and run outside. I run and run and run, never ceasing until my lungs tire. I stop and look around, panting and I find myself in an abandoned train yard.

I try to calm my racing thoughts but they only grow stronger and faster, buzzing around my head like a swarm of hornets. I every needle of anger I felt in the past year pricking my nerves and push me to the edge, I feel every bruise anyone has ever inflicted upon me with every dagger thrown my way.

I collapse on my knees, wailing, finally allowing every feeling, every emotion I have had to repress come back with a vengeance. Head in my knees, my palms pound against the pavement and I feel a huge rush of adrenaline and relief. The wind carries my hair as I scream and I feel a gush of warm air. My hands find their way through my hair and my fingers claw at my scalp. I feel my jeans grow wet but I know it is only from my tears this time, and I take several deep breaths.

Sobs still wracked my body and it is a long while before I finally pull my head up from legs. My eyes are puffy, but I am still able to see the large cracks traveling along the pavement around me.

I look around myself in wonder, the once smooth pavement beneath me had cracked and split into several veins and tendrils spiking. I hadn't even noticed, the ground below me had shifted and quickly stumbled to my feet. Right where I had been sitting the pavement had caved in between the two breaking points where my palms had made the fracture. I looked on in amazement at what I accidentally have done.

Logically, I know I caused this.

I choke back a defeated laugh, but then I allow it to happen. For the first time, I feel truly myself. Kali was right, I don't belong here. But I don't want to belong here.

I have no reason to stay. I could help Will like I said I was doing in the first place. I could go home. And I will. There's no decision, no should I stay or should I go. El could stay if she wanted, but I'm going to go.

I'm going home.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

By the time I reach the warehouse, my anger has grown tepid. But my mind is still made up. I'm leaving, tomorrow, first thing. But that didn't mean I couldn't still try to talk to El. When I enter the warehouse, I'm relieved I don't have the same worries as last. The downstairs is empty now but I dismiss the thought, heading up the stairs.

"Ole McDonald had a farm! E-I-E-I-O!"

I turn when I hear the family tune echo from around the corner.

What in the actual hell?

Then I remember their nickname for El and I roll my eyes. Of course, they want her in and abuse her powers but they won't treat her with any respect. I hear a slam that stops the singing and once again I find myself overhearing Kali's words.

"She found me with only this."

"What's that mean?" I recognized the voice as the woman who stepped up to Axel, the woman in green.

"It means she can find people without moving. With nothing but an image."

"You telling me Shirley's a human radar detector or some shit?" Axel asked.

"Or some shit, yes."

"Come on, no way."

"We'll find out soon enough," Kali said. "I want to do one. Tomorrow."

My brows furrowed. What the hell where are they talking about? Whatever it was didn't sound good and they clearly wanted to use El for her powers. "Sister" my ass.

"You serious, Kal?" Axel asked, his voice rising.

"We're way too hot right now." The woman warned.

Another voice joined in, the crazy looking girl who mocked me.

"Paranoid." She said, in a sing-song voice.

"Realistic." The woman corrected. "You don't kill their men and expect them to look the other way."

My eyes widen.

So that's what they're doing. They're going around killing the bad men. Yeah, they're bad men, they're terrible people who've done terrible things but this is not the solution.

"If they find us, they will unleash hell." She finished.

"So we give in to fear?" Kali snapped back. "She's in pain. She needs this. We go out tomorrow."

I heard footsteps approach and I freeze, unable to move without being seen. Much to my relief Axel falls after Kali and the footsteps pause.

"Kali!"

"What?"

I take advantage of her diverted attention and I cross the hallway before she can see me.

"What about that pesky tag-along friend of hers, what about her?"

"I have no use for her. She's not to be trusted, I want her gone by morning."

The footsteps continued and quickly I slipped into the room I had been shown. It seems El was there too, she lay in the bed on one side, nuzzled up under a bright orange blanket. I slowly step inside and all the words I had prepared to say evaporated when I saw El. She looked so comfortable, and by now she was fast asleep. I was still very upset with her, but I knew if I woke her, and told her everything, things would only end on a bad note.

Maybe I could talk to her in the morning. Obviously, I have to wake up extra early anyway to leave before they could get rid of me. Sighing, I slipped off my shoes setting them the dim fire pit and trudged to the other side of the bed. I sat on the edge, sighing greatly as I put my head in my hands. I sit like this for a moment, collecting my thoughts before I discard a few of my layers. Slowly as not to wake El, I lay myself down on the opposite side, and nuzzle myself under the covers. I don't realize how tired I am until my head hits the pillow and right as my eyes flutter closed I am awakened.

"Y/n?"

My eyes open, and I see El looking at me from where she lays.

My stomach twists in knots knowing the moment can no longer be avoided. I'd have to tell her.

"Hi, El." I croak.

I can feel a lump forming in my throat, knowing what is about to unfold. Not wanting to dread it a moment longer, I take a deep breath and rip off the bandaid.

"El, are you staying here?"

She seems taken aback, her eyebrows furrow and she gives me a curious look. It quickly morphs into sadness and she nods

"Yes." She says. "How did you know?"

"I heard."

"Oh." Is all she says.

I take another deep breath, trying to keep my emotions intact.

"But are you sure you trust Kali? I mean, we hardly know her and I'm just not so sure about all this."

Her eyebrows twitch, and I can sense a flicker of anger.

"She's my sister." She says slowly, her voice begins to harden.

This causes my own brows to flicker, and I try to hide my offense.

"And I'm your best friend, I'm only trying to look out for you. I just think maybe you should think this through."

I think about the words that Kali said about me, not only to El but the words El didn't hear.

"Get rid of her."

"She cares about me. I'm her missing piece. She said so. And she is mine." El spits.

"What? El, please. Just hear me out-"

"It's Jane."

I don't attempt to stop myself from recoiling, I look at her in disbelief.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Jane. But seriously, hear me out, please! You didn't hear the things she was just planning. The things she just said to her friends out there, you don't understand-"

"No, Y/n." She shot, cutting me off. "You don't understand me."

I gape at her, unable to fathom the person she has morphed into in so little time. I laugh dryly, looking at her distastefully.

"I guess you're right, Jane. I don't understand you. Not anymore. I came here to tell you that I'm leaving by the way, on my own choice. Not because I overheard them say they're going to get rid of me, so I won't be here when you wake up so no worries there. I'll even say hi to Mike when I get home. Goodnight," I spit, rolling over on my side my back facing her.

My words don't ease the bubbling anger in my chest and before incantations stop myself I feel it boil over.

"Some friend you are," I huff under breath.

I don't hear another word from her, all I hear is several huffs and the rustling of the sheets. Once again my head is buzzing, but rather than dwell on the angering thoughts, this time I allow sleep to take me.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

I stir awake for what feels like the billionth time. And although I remember waking several times throughout the night, my stuff joints tell me I slept deeply. The details of last night come flooding back all too quickly and I sigh inwardly, my heart breaking all over again. Finally, I angle my wrist to glance at my watch, the time read six twenty-five. I might as well get moving. I remind myself of the words exchanged last night and that is enough to motivate me.

I slip out of bed, gracelessly but also noiseless and I'm quick to put on my shoes. Perks to sleeping in my new clothes, I didn't have to waste time getting dressed but I was awfully chilly. Thankfully my jacket managed to stay bone dry, and I am able to make sure all my actions are muted as to not draw attention. Thankfully, I hear limited signs of life throughout the warehouse apart from some occasional shuffling which I assume is from Mick, who always seems to be on the watch.

I plan my escape in my head when I realize, I needed money for the bus. My eyes flicker to El's sleeping form and down at her bag. With hushed steps, I reach the end of the bed and kneel down and carefully unzip it. My hand extends further into the bag, my eyes trained on El in case she wakes and I remind myself she planned on staying anyway. She'd have no use for bus money and sure enough, my fingers catch the dog eared corner of the paper.

My brows crease when I realize it's a lot thicker than I expected. I dig deeper, my other hand falling to prop open the stiff bag as I peer inside curiously and my fingers retract with something completely unexpected in my grip. Peculiarly enough, I find a manilla folder. I turn it over, and in an instant, I feel my mouth run dry when I see the three words etched out across the front in messing handwriting.

THE MISSING EXPERIMENT

It can't be. She wouldn't.

Numbly, I open the folder. Dozens of papers and news clippings spill out one by one and I look on in shock. Several species are annotated in pen, several notes have been taken by several different people and the feeling it leaves me with sickens me.

All my life I wondered where I came from, all my life I've been a giant question mark. So many loose threads, and unanswered questions and yet all these people had this information. By the looks of it, it's been passed down. And even El had it. My eyes find her once more but this time I look at her in disgust.

How could she keep this from me? This whole time, I'd been there to help her, and she said she was here to help me. Then why hide this?

My eyes fall back to the remaining sheets around me and I'm pulled in before I can stop. The first thing I note is an older looking file, it looks to be typed up and looks by far the oldest. It read,

Subject 009; UNTESTED

Date of Birth: TBD Sex: TBD Mother: Y/M/F/N Father: Unknown Attribute(s): increasing signs of abnormalities during pregnancy, affecting both mother and child such as drastic changes in temperature, signs of hypertension and hyperactivity. ADDITIONALLY, mother has recently begun showing signs of involuntary and unnatural physical resistance one can only describe as seismic bursts that we hypothesize is the fetus' defense mechanism.

My attention is ripped away when I hear scuffling from downstairs, and quickly I gather my thoughts. I force myself to shove this aside for a moment, and quickly I collect every stray piece of paper that had fallen within moments and return them to the folder. I thank anything and everything I can that my jacket has large inside pockets. Truthfully, the stitching ripped a few years back and expanded the length of the pocket, sure the folder would get a little bent but it would certainly do given I didn't have a bag.

I dig through El's bag once more and find the remaining money from last night's trip and I jump to my feet racing for the doorway. Out of habit, I turn to look at El one last time not knowing if I'll ever see her again. But once again, the anger quickly replaces my somber feelings and makes it easier to leave. Keeping an eye out on the other room, I slip over to the stairs.

Mick was in the other room across the hall taking watch just as I had suspected, so there was no one waiting downstairs when I flew down the steps. I race for the door and with one last glance, I'm out the door in record time.

Like I'd never been there. They surely wouldn't know the difference.

+++

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[nadziejastar]

It seems like Isa and Lea’s relationship will never be the same. They’ll never truly mend it bc we’re going to forced with Sea Salt Trio (Quadruplets I guess) moments instead. And that’s cute and all but Isa’s character got so badly shafted and treated like shit. And it leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

Saïx’s TRUE Purpose: The Power of Love

Xion: “…It was my choice…to go away now. Better that, than to do nothing…and let Xemnas have his way. I belong with Sora. And now, I am going back…to be with him. Roxas…I need you…to do me a favor. All those hearts that I’ve captured… Kingdom Hearts… Set them free.”

Roxas: “Kingdom Hearts… Free them?”

Xion: “It’s too late…for me to undo my mistakes. But you can’t let Xemnas…have Kingdom Hearts. You can’t. Good-bye, Roxas. See you again. I’m glad…I got to meet you. Oh…and of course, Axel, too. You’re both my best friends. Never forget. That’s the truth.”

I couldn’t agree more. I refuse to sugar-coat it: Isa got treated like SHIT. The conclusion to his story was so poorly-written, that it’s insulting to the players’ intelligence. And I totally agree that Lea and Isa’s relationship could never be the same. How could it? It was never acknowledged that Isa was a victim of Xehanort. He deserved the same level of empathy that Terra got from his friends after getting possessed. He deserved to get rescued with the power of waking and restored to his former self. In KH3, he got none of this. Instead, Lea was mad at him for “letting” himself get reduced to being Xehanort’s vessel. I’m not even looking forward to seeing their relationship in the future games because I don’t feel that the real Isa even came back.

I also agree that they are most likely going to push the Sea-Salt Trio FAR more than the relationship between Lea and Isa. It seems like they are going to push the angle of Skuld being Isa’s love interest, and Isa will be much more involved with her going forward than Lea or anyone else. He did say he “sacrificed everything” for her. I have no interest in that whatsoever. I view it not as a genuine pairing, but more of a desperate attempt to deflect from the original idea that Square-Enix and Disney were too cowardly to allow Nomura to follow through with: the idea of romantic love between two males. That is a terrifying idea to many people. But that’s exactly why it was so important.

Day 276: Behind the Truth

Saïx would laugh at people with no hearts calling one another friends, but that doesn’t make it not so.

From a writing standpoint, I don’t think it was appropriate that Roxas and Xion became the focal point Isa’s redemption arc. Those relationships and character arcs are entirely separate. Lea and Isa’s relationship with each other should have been the focus of his redemption. KH3 sent the message that only Lea’s friendship with Roxas and Xion was worth anything. I have noticed that many fans don’t even think Roxas and Xion should forgive Isa, and they disliked how friendly they were with him in the ending. That demonstrates just how badly KH3 failed with Isa’s character arc, and properly differentiating him from his Xehanort-possessed self, Saïx.

Day 352: What I Must Do

I love Roxas and Axel. I’m sure Saïx would scoff at that. Call it a trick of my artificial memories. But the time I spent on that clock tower was real.

I thought that Roxas and Xion’s friendship with Axel was not only very sweet, but very meaningful. 358/2 Days is a well-written story. KH3 is…not a well-written story. Xion sacrificed herself so that Xemnas would not win. She was more concerned with Roxas and Axel’s well-being than her own. Xion’s name means, “forget-me-not”. She may disappear, but she’ll never forget her friends, nor will she be ever forgotten by them. That is the power of the heart. The power of love. Roxas, Xion and Axel’s friendship sent a very beautiful message. Lea’s relationship with Isa was supposed to accomplish the same thing: send a very beautiful message about the power of love. Unfortunately, this important message got totally thrown by the wayside.

Larxene: “So, love has filled both their hearts with light.”

Naminé added data to Jiminy’s Journal in order to convey that the “pain” of those connected to Sora must be healed. Nomura said that Ansem’s research results would become the key to healing the “pain” of the characters in KH3. He said that data contained the details explaining the way to connect lost hearts. A press release for KH3 released in 2013 mentions something called the “Key to Return Hearts”. Here is what Nomura said about this key when asked about it in an interview:

There are two possible meanings of the “key.” One of which is the “hardware” key, which opens doors - this is what keys are in general, and the other is the “light” key, that opens something else. In this case, it is currently unknown as to which type of key Sora must find. This is the main storyline of Kingdom Hearts III - Sora must go on an adventure to find the “key” without knowing what or where it is.

The “key” being referred to was implied to be a key of light. The 7 Guardians of Light are important for more than their ability to wield a Keyblade. Their hearts have another power. The power of light. This light grants one the power to restore a lost heart. And the power of light…is love. That is the power of waking. Anna sacrificed herself for Elsa. That is the most powerful form of love that exists. Like the memories of Xion, it can never be lost or destroyed. It is the key to rebirth and new life.

Ansem the Wise: “Sora has a heart like that–uncorrupted, willing to see the good before the bad. When he sees the heart in something, it then becomes real. When a connection seems broken, he may have the power to mend it.”

Isa’s character deserved so much better. Instead of healing his pain, or doing anything with the concept of light or love, his redemption arc consisted of…procuring replicas, then quietly shuffling off into the background—even while Xemnas tried to kill his best friend right before his eyes. Again, it merely felt like deflection. Quick! Focus on Lea and Isa’s relationship with Skuld that never even existed until 5 seconds ago! How do we redeem Isa now? Just have him bring back Roxas and Xion! It doesn’t matter that Seekers of Darkness are not supposed to be capable of free will! Just do it!

Anything!! Anything to NOT focus on the love that exists between two male characters. Platonic love between friends and family is perfectly fine. Romantic love between a male and a female is perfectly fine. But romantic love between two males? That is NOT perfectly fine. I have no respect such artistic cowardice. I don’t know if this series is for me anymore, if the future is more oversimplified, big budget spectacles that are not allowed to take any risks with the story or characters.

“Kairi!” Axel shouted again as the girl struggled against Saïx’s hold. He readied his chakrams to hurl at Saïx when a powerful shock wave hit him.

“Traitors like you deserve to lose everything,” Saïx said.

Axel grunted and collapsed to his knees in pain from the direct hit. After only one strike, he felt his consciousness fading. His vision was going black. He couldn’t even tell whether he saw Saïx disappear with Kairi into the dark portal or whether that was only his own eyes closing.

Is this how I get turned into a Dusk…?

Saïx is not just completely cold to Axel emotionally. He tries to kill him when he turns on the Organization. This never happened in the original game, or even the Final Mix+ version. They decided to have Saïx try and kill Axel AFTER they came up with the idea of them being former best friends and (presumably) Isa partying with everyone in the ending.

“Don’t worry about that! Just go!” A Nobody glommed on to his arm, but Axel shook it off and hurled a chakram at it.

Right. Don’t worry about the why. I don’t even know the answer myself.

As he tried to catch his breath, more Nobodies set upon him. Pain surged like a fresh blow from the wound Saïx had dealt him.

Saïx was the one who gave Axel the fatal wound that would weaken him by the time he met Sora. Because Axel was already fatally wounded, he sacrificed the last bit of his life to atone for his actions.

Axel could remember fighting like this beside Roxas…

He wanted to fight that way again. He wished they had talked more, about lots of things. About nothing. He wanted to talk to his friend again.

But why do I feel this way if Nobodies have no hearts?

His time was running out, thanks to Saïx.

They made it abundantly clear that it was Saïx who was responsible for Axel’s demise.

“We don’t disappear… We’re only reborn,” Naminé murmured, perhaps to herself.

“I’m not like you and Roxas,” Axel said flatly. His hand holding the ice pop stick paused in midair.

“But—but you…” She looked down, clenching her fists.

“It’s because I don’t have a heart,” Axel went on. “I don’t want to disappear, but I’m not upset or sad about it.”

Axel truly did not believe he was going to have a “next life”. At the time of his death, he would have felt utterly alone and hopeless. Why would they have bothered making a character like Saïx his former best friend, unless they had something major to reveal about him later?

Luxord: “Perhaps he was ready for it. Perhaps he put his existence on the line and won what he’d been longing for.”

Saix: “That’s absurd. He won nothing, and IS nothing. He couldn’t stand the emptiness of being without a heart. And THAT led to his demise. He was foolish and weak.”

This is what Saïx says right after the the Organization learns of Axel’s death. Saïx genuinely wanted Axel dead. He was a traitor. Yet he looks to the floor with a troubled look, when Luxord says that Axel got what he was longing for. Saïx is seemingly confused about where his conflicted feelings are coming from. It seemed to me that he genuinely had no clue why he was so angry and sad about Axel. It truly made no sense to him. The way he acted reminded me of when Sora cried while saying goodbye to Hayner, Pence, and Olette at the train station. Sora couldn’t understand why he was so sad, because they weren’t really his feelings that he was experiencing.

Saïx: “Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves.”

This is what Saïx says right after Axel deserts the Organization to find Roxas. In fact, every new scene with Saïx in KH2FM+ involved his relationship with Axel.

Saïx: “There’s something I’ve meant to ask.”

Xemnas: “About Axel? The poor fool. How long will he keep chasing the illusion of friendship, when he himself lacks emotion? Trying so hard to retrieve what he has lost, when it may never have existed in the first place. He deserves nothing more than our pity.”

After Axel meets Sora in Hollow Bastion, Saïx asks about him. He actually seems concerned, which is uncharacteristic of him. Then Xemnas makes his cryptic comment about Axel STILL chasing the illusion of friendship. He truly pities Axel, and thinks he’s a fool.

“Vile traitor!” The great Claymore took shape at Saïx’s back. Axel didn’t waste a second grabbing his chakrams. But his body was reluctant somehow.

I don’t want to disappear… But still, it wouldn’t be so bad if I did. Not here.

Saïx fatally wounded Axel. He later feels sadness and grief over this, but doesn’t know why. Likewise, Axel knows Saïx wants him dead and doesn’t care about him any more. He wastes no time grabbing his chakrams to defend himself. But his body is reluctant somehow, and he doesn’t seem to know why, either. Despite how hopeless their situation is, they are continually drawn towards each other. There’s still a heart connection there. Lea and Isa’s relationship was supposed to be a VERY big deal in the future of the story. It really was not that hard to see.

Saïx: “You’re the one who went off and made other friends. Left me in the dust. I lost…all sense of purpose.”

It’s SO obvious what Saïx’s “purpose” was. His purpose was Axel! He just didn’t realize it. Isa’s heart was able to subconsciously influence how Saïx felt at certain times, particularly after Axel left the Organization. Isa still cared about Lea, and after he was gone, his heart lost its purpose. Saïx had no clue about any of this, though. He would just become enraged at Axel due to the inexplicable pain he was feeling because of him. Saïx wasn’t being too stubborn to admit his feelings. He genuinely didn’t understand them.

Xemnas: “Hearts full of rage, of hate…of sadness and bliss. Shining down upon us is the heart of all hearts—Kingdom Hearts. There in the sky hangs the promise of a new world. We will conquer hearts and make them our own. Hearts shall never again have power over us.”

Xemans hated how strong the heart was. He wanted to have full control over a person, and the heart was an obstacle to that. Yet he couldn’t turn someone into a vessel without a heart. It was why he conducted the mind control experiments in the first place. The Recusant’s Sigil is a symbol of his desire to conquer the heart and make it his own. When Xemnas is talking, the camera zooms in on the moon.

The moon hung in the sky outside the window, a great glowing heart. Sprawled in bed, Axel stared at it without really looking, idling the time away before he had to leave on a mission.

“We will conquer hearts and make them our own. Hearts shall never again have power over us.”

For the past few days, he had been mulling over what Xemnas could have meant by that speech. Hearts having power over them? What was that about? Whenever Axel was whiling away the hours by himself, that phrase kept bouncing around in his head. He didn’t know what was so compelling about it.

Axel had no idea what Xemnas was talking about underneath the moon that day, and it really bothered him. He was pondering this very issue when Saïx came in to interrogate him about Xion, much to his displeasure. Xemnas’ speech was very important.

No. VII SAÏX

Second in command who longs for the heart he does not have. Only the moon breaks his icy calm.

Saïx was always staring at the moon, longing for the heart he does not have. He has a Recusant’s Sigil scar on his face. It only makes sense that Isa was Subject X in the mind control experiments, and he was the sole subject whose heart didn’t collapse, turning him into a vessel. The survival of his heart would have been possible if he sacrificed himself out of love, just like his “Bunnymoon” weapon symbolized. The rocket to the moon was launched directly from a heart.

“Sora or Xion—it matters not. But we need one of them under our control. Bear that in mind.”

Saïx nodded, and a serene smile came to Xemnas’ face. If that smile meant anything it was beyond him.

Xemnas was completely confident that he won the battle over Isa’s heart.

“Don’t let us down now, kiddo. Shouldn’t be too much trouble without a heart,” Xigbar told Saïx.

Xigbar was totally confident about this as well.

In the Round Room, Saïx looked up at Xemnas high above.

“Are you sure we’re dealing with Xion and Roxas the right way?”

His tone was markedly different from usual, as if he spoke to an old friend rather than a superior.

Isa’s heart was captured and his body is now a vessel. Despite wanting to overthrow him, the novel describes Saïx’s demeanor with Xemnas as that of an old friend. Saïx’s heart is one with Xehanort’s, even if he doesn’t know it. On the other hand, Isa’s captured heart is full of rage, hate, and sadness. These feelings come out in his Berserk State under the light of the moon. But the last emotion that Xemnas mentioned was…bliss. And that seemed like foreshadowing.

Axel gazed out at the sunset, as red as ever. That color still looked the same to him now as it had when he was human. Some things didn’t change even when you became a Nobody.

Axel was always gazing into the sun, even before he became a Nobody.

The sun sank lower and lower as Axel watched, his mind wandering.

If he stared for too long, the image would burn itself into his eyes, visible even after his eyes were closed.

A phantom sun.

Someone had once told him why sunsets were red… Who was that?

In the novel, he was doing just that right before he gives Roxas and Xion his “hokey speech”.

“I just…want these days to last forever,” Roxas murmured, slow and pensive. “Hanging out after the job’s done, eating ice cream, watching the sunset…”

Axel peered at his profile as he did just that. The sunset’s glow touched Roxas’s face and Xion’s with warm red.

“Well, nothing lasts forever,” Axel mumbled, looking off to the side again. “Least of all for a bunch of Nobodies.”

At that, both of their expressions fell.

Seriously, you two? You’re always grinning or getting bummed out…just like real live people with hearts. Axel exhaled and gathered some words. “But, you know, hanging out every day isn’t the only thing that matters. We’ll still have one another, even if that changes.”

“Really?” Roxas perked up.

“Yeah. As long as we remember one another, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?”

He was clearly thinking about Isa beforehand.

Axel’s face was limned with the sunset’s glow, his red hair shining crimson.

“Bet you don’t know why the sun sets red.” He eyed Roxas mischievously. “You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.”

When Axel uses his famous line about why the sun sets red, it even zoomed in on the sun—just like it did with the moon earlier, when Xemnas was giving his speech about the ability to conquer the power of the heart. In 358/2 Days, the Moon Arcana of Luxord’s Tarot cards is “Dual Gear.” Axel’s weapon in that category is called “Dive Bomb”. The Sun Arcana of Luxord’s Tarot cards is “Hazard Gear.” Saïx’s weapon in that category is called “Light Year”.

Roxas: “So he wasn’t fighting to protect the rose. He was protecting the people in the castle. Protecting her. She’s what matters most to him. But…Xaldin said it was the rose.”

Xaldin: “Feh. Cloying nonsense.”

Roxas: “Xaldin… When did you get here?”

Xaldin: “That’s none of your concern. Hmph. Love, from a beast? How utterly ridiculous.”

Just look at the way Xaldin speaks about the power of love. He couldn’t even tell that the Beast valued Belle more than the rose.

Roxas: “Love? What’s that?”

Xaldin: “It’s an emotion. The one deluding those two as we speak.”

Roxas: “Oh…”

Xaldin: “They think the power of love will save them? That’s the stuff of poetry, not practicality.”

Roxas: “Love is a power?”

Xaldin: “None you or I will ever grasp. Nor will they, for long. The love between them will wither and die. Love never lasts.”

He says it’s not a power that he or Roxas will ever grasp. 

Xaldin:“Our work here is done. We have the Beast’s weakness.”

Roxas: “We do?”

Xaldin: “That which we treasure has power over us, Roxas. His heart is captive to it. And that makes it his weakness.”

Roxas: “Captive…? I don’t get it.”

Xaldin: “Nor should you. You have no heart to love with. Let’s not linger here.”

In KH2, Xaldin tried to use the Beast’s love for Belle as a weapon, to turn him into a Heartless and Nobody. He wants absolutely nothing to do with love. To him, it’s nothing but weakness that make the heart a captive. I’m sure that’s exactly how Xemnas and Xigbar viewed the feelings “X” had for Lea. Like Xaldin, they would have used Isa’s love as a weapon, to turn him into a captive.

“Do you know what love is?”

“…’Scuse me?”

“It’s something powerful, right? Where does it come from?” Roxas was completely in earnest.

Love… Huh.

“It is powerful, but it’s not a power we get to have.” Axel had very little confidence in his ability to explain it. But whenever Roxas or Xion had questions about the mysteries of the human heart, he did his best to answer.

Compare the way Axel speaks about love to the way Xaldin spoke of it. Axel really wants to experience love, but he thinks he never will. And this deeply saddens him.

“Nobodies can’t love?” Roxas asked.

“Nope. You need a heart for that.”

“Oh… Right.” Roxas fell quiet, pensive.

Axel kept talking. “Love is what happens when there’s something really special between people.”

“More special than friends? Like…if they’re best friends? Inseparable?”

“Well, you can care about your friends, but that’s not exactly it…” Axel paused, groping for words that might make sense to Roxas.

“So it’s a step above best friends?”

“No—it’s not about steps.”

Roxas looked bewildered. As he’d expected, he wasn’t doing a very good job explaining it.

Axel thinks he cannot experience love until Kingdom Hearts is completed. Of course, this is just the lie that Xemnas told them. He used Axel’s desire for love as a weapon, to gain his cooperation and turn him into a vessel. Axel already has the ability to love.

“Not that it matters. We’ll never know the difference.”

Roxas wouldn’t let it go. “Do you think we would, if we had hearts?”

“Once Kingdom Hearts is complete, I bet you’ll be able to figure it out.” The magic words again, Axel thought. It’ll all make sense when Kingdom Hearts is complete. But was that true? No one had ever seen it happen before. So who knew? Still, all they could do was believe in it.

Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts…

“Kingdom Hearts, huh…?” Roxas said under his breath, gazing out at the sunset.

Axel watched his wistful profile and sighed silently.

Like Xaldin, Axel tells Roxas that neither of them can grasp the power of love. But they do so for entirely different reasons. Xemans and Xaldin are trying to complete Kingdom Hearts to conquer the power of love. Roxas and Axel are trying to complete Kingdom Hearts to experience the power of love.

Xemnas: “Ah, ever the rogue pawn. Knocked from the board early in the game. Utterly useless and forgotten. Now it ends. I will purge that light in you…with darkness!”

During the final battle, Xemnas feels like he’s won yet again. He thinks that Lea is a loser who has been forgotten about. He is confident that Isa’s heart has been conquered. He is so confident that he attacks Lea right in front of Saïx, knowing that he won’t do anything.

His words of being superior are reminiscent of the speech he gave while he was standing under the heart-shaped moon. Yet unlike before, Lea is defiant this time. He says that Xemans was never his superior. I have no doubt that Axel’s Mystery Gear weapon with the Recusant’s Sigil, was a reference to his final battle with Xemnas.

Aqua: “It’s the power of true love that defeated you.”

Maleficent: “I will not be defeated by something as insignificant as love.”

Aqua: “You don’t even know the first thing about it. You’re too clouded bydarkness to see that there’s something greater.”

The message of Kingdom Hearts is that Aqua was right.

Terra: “No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love.”

The message of Kingdom Hearts is that Terra was right.

Yen Sid: “Just as long as you love him…then Ventus will be able to find you when he wakes. He can follow that love back to where he belongs–the realm of light.”

Love is so powerful, it can even lead Ventus back to the Realm of Light. That’s what the whole concept of the power of waking is.

Day 150: Too Precious to Lose

Axel and I talked for a while about the things we can’t bear to lose. Axel thinks that for Nobodies, it’s our pasts, because that’s all we have to remember the pain of losing something.

Lea’s Keyblade is called the “Flame Liberator”. The Phoenix rising from the ashes represents the alchemical process of transformation, rebirth, and liberation. It’s the red stage of Rubedo, where a person finally realizes their true nature, and they are liberated from ignorance and suffering. But Xemnas destroys Lea’s Keyblade, leaving him totally powerless. Xemnas is about to finish him off, right in front of Saïx. 

Sora: “But if I put aside the hurt, I’ll lose my only ties to people that I cared about. No. My mind’s made up. I want to carry this hurt with me. I can be free of it the day I remember, but until then, it’s what holds together the pieces I left behind…and I accept it.”

Lea’s Keyblade may be broken, but he doesn’t need it. There’s another Key to Return Hearts. The “light” key Nomura mentioned. The power of love. No matter how much pain it caused, neither Lea nor Isa’s hearts could forget about each other. This should have been the moment where Isa’s heart showed its true power. Love is NOT a weakness. Love is what prevented Isa’s heart from being destroyed in the first place, unlike every other test subject. And love makes his heart so powerful, it refuses to submit to Xemnas’ will. This is exactly what the true meaning of a recusant is.

In canon, the relationship between Saïx and Axel felt totally pointless. Being told at the last minute that Lea and Isa became apprentices to look for Skuld is nothing but sequel bait. There was no underlying message to that revelation. It had no thematic value whatsoever pertaining to the Xehanort Saga. There was no ultimate meaning to Isa becoming Xehanort’s vessel and then reviving his friendship with Lea again. Lea and Isa’s relationship had no narrative purpose. But…it was supposed to.

No. I XEMNAS

Organization XIII’s leader. Through power over nothing, he seeks power over everything.

The true purpose of Lea and Isa’s relationship was to prove all the villains wrong. No matter how much he would like to, Xehanort cannot conquer the power of the heart, which is love. Like his description says, he has power over NOTHING.

[kingdommad300]

The Two Keepers

Chapter Two- Roles

A week after the celebrations on Destiny Islands; Sora, Riku and Kairi took their gummi ship and began their journey to the Land of Departure. As they travelled through the wormhole they had created to get to the world, Sora sank into his seat slightly. “Why do you guys get to have all of the fun?” He whined.

Riku and Kairi could only smile as they continued their game of ‘goldfish’. “But Sora, you’re the captain.” Riku grinned at him, only to receive a glare from Sora in return.

“Yeah but I don’t want to fly all of the time.”

Kairi gave her boyfriend a reassuring smile as she quickly organised her cards. “Don’t worry, Sora. The loser of this game will be flying us back.” Her smile turned into a grin as she faced Riku. “Hand over your queens, Riku. I know you have three of them.”

Riku huffed in response as he handed his queens over to her. “I’m suddenly remembering why we stopped playing card games.”

Sora chuckled, the sight of his friends having simple fun just shows that after everything that happened to them, nothing has changed. He brought his attention back to flying the gummi to see that they were leaving the wormhole. “Time to get ready guys. We’re here.”

The sky was clean as day as there was not a cloud in sight as they entered the Land of Departure. Seeing a selection of gummi ships placed at the entrance, Sora lowly the gummi ship gently and landed next to the other ships. Looking out the window, they took in just how grand Land of Departure was. “No matter how many times we come here, this place still looks amazing.” Sora grinned with excitement, opening the door, letting all of the fresh breath into the gummi. “Take in that breeze!”

Riku shook his head with a grin as he stepped past Sora to step outside. “To think that Aqua changed this world to Castle Oblivion all those years ago.” He took the sight in before turning to face Sora and Kairi, to see that Sora had wrapped his arms around her as they took in the secrecy. “C’mon lovebirds! We’ll already running late.” He reminded them as he started to approach the huge white stairs.

Kairi giggled as she removed herself from Sora’s arm. “And who’s fault was that?” She looked back over to her boyfriend with a sly smirk before catching up to Riku.

Sora could only turn slightly red, knowing what Kairi was referring too. “Yours!” He proclaimed as he caught up to his best friends.

Within the grand hall in the castle itself; Sora, Kairi and Riku waited with Roxas, Lea and Xion as they waited for the Wayfinder Trio and King Mickey to make an appearance. They mainly took this time to catch up with Xion, who had been on a mission while the surprise party was happening. As the six of them discussed why they have been gathered to Land of Departure, Aqua and Mickey appeared in the great hall and stood in front of the three chairs. “Thank you for coming everyone.” Aqua greeted as they entered the room, bearing her old masters robes.

“Wait! I thought this was for all of the Masters? Where’s Terra and Ven?” Lea questioned as he leaned against the wall.

“Terra and Ven are watching over our students for us.” Mickey explained, standing beside Aqua.

“So, the worlds are still okay?” Xion asked, knowing that the thought was on everyone’s minds.

Aqua gave a soft smile as reassurance. “The worlds are in a good place.” Half the room seem to make a sound of relief.

“If the worlds are okay, what’s the meeting about?” Roxas asked, making everyone in the room begin to chat between them as they questioned the same thing.

“You are here to learn about carrying the task of a Master.”

Everyone in the room stopped as they noticed that Master Yen Sid appeared in one of the chairs that were behind Aqua and Mickey. At the sight of his appearance, Sora, Kairi, Xion and Riku bowed to the master, while Roxas and Lea took their time to do the same, receiving a glare from their black-haired friend.

Sora rose up and looked at Master Yen Sid in confusion. “I thought we were doing that?” He stated, “We’ve been making sure Destiny Island hasn’t had any Heartless.”

Riku turned to his best friend, “Doing the same thing you did before doesn’t mean you are doing the duties of a Master.” He pointed out.

Kairi turned her attention back to the three masters that stood in front of them. “So, what are the duties of a Keyblade Master?” She asked.

With a serious expression, Yen Sid addresses the group. “Today, we will tell you the importance of your role. And why it is now more important that you ready yourselves for your duties.” He looks at the two masters in front of him. “Aqua. Mickey. If you could.” He nodded his head as a signal for them to continue.

Aqua and Mickey bowed as a response. “Thank you, Master Yen Sid.” They said in unison  

Mickey turned back around and took a few steps forward as he spoke to the group. “So you know that Ven has been looking for ‘Daybreak Town.’” He asked them, seeing a few nodding their heads. “After doing some research, we believe that this might be linked to Master Xehanort and Master Eraqus old training grounds, ‘Scala ad Caelum’. I believe we have visited a version of this world when we stopped Xehanort.” He theorized.

“That cable looking town?” Roxas said with surprise.

“How bout we just call it ‘Cable Town’ instead of Scala whatever its called?” Lea suggested.

Kairi giggled as a response as she turned to look at Lea. “What’s the problem, Axel? Having trouble memorizing the name.” She tapped her forehand as she smirked at him, hearing Xion and Roxas chuckle as a response.

“No.” Lea defended. “I just thought that it would be easier for you guys to remember.” He decided to annoy his friends laughing at him.

“So what has Xehanort and Eraqus’ training grounds got to do with anything?” Riku asked, getting them back on point.

“Scala ad Caelum was a closed off world that only keybearers could get too. It seemed to have disappeared when the heartless first broke the barriers between the worlds.” Yen Sid explained. “Meaning that there is a high chance that when we find this world, we will be realising what was concealed on that world.”

“Both keyblade wielders and Heartless.” Aqua added.

“Isn’t more keybearers a good thing?” Roxas questioned, “More people to fight the good fight.”

Mickey shook his head. “If the world has been in the darkness the entire time, we will have a bit of a mix of who will fight for the light and who will fight to have it.”

“So, what is it that we have to do?” Xion said with concern.

Aqua stepped toward this time, looking at the grand hall as a whole as she spoke. “When my master and Xehanort had become masters. Their master had to choose who would become a guardian of a world and teach the future wielders while the other would travel the worlds to protect the light, help support with supplies for the training grounds and report on potential wielders. These roles of a Master are known as a ‘Keeper’ and a ‘Seeker’.” She explained.

“For Land of Departure, Eraqus was the ‘Keeper’ of the world while Xehanort was the ‘Seeker’…..that was before he did what he did.” Mickey added, sighing slightly when he mentioned what Xehanort had done.

“With the possible future of more keybearers appearing. We will be asking you to decide if you will preform the role of the ‘Keeper’ or the ‘Seeker’ and to create a training ground on a selective world.” Aqua tasked them, smiling as she spoke. “A good example is that I am the Keeper for the Land of Departure while Terra is my Seeker.”

“What about Ven?” Kairi asked. “Is he a Seeker too?”

“Normally he would be.” Aqua answered. “But he is working as Yen Sid’s Seeker while he continues his search for Daybreak Town with Chirithy.”

“So if you’re a Keeper, why can’t we be all Seekers for Land of Departure?” Lea pointed out.

“When I retired as a Keyblade Master, I took the role of the ‘Watcher’, allowing me to look for any dangers in the worlds.” Yen Sid explained. “If I see something abnormal appear, I would inform any Keepers of the news for that they can send their Seekers to deal with the issue. This was the case when Vanitas’ Unverse had started to appear in different worlds. If we have an emergency appear far away from where a training ground is based, the Seekers will arrive too late. Therefore, we will need a good balance of Keepers and Seekers spread across the world”

“We will be looking at a Keeper with one or two Seekers.” Mickey stated

“Now the decision is yours on where you want to set up your training ground, what role you want to be and who you want to set this up with.” Aqua clarified, making it clear what the others have to do.

“Sora.” Yen Sid called out. “You have been very quiet.”

Kairi took this chance to look over to her boyfriend for the first time during this gathering. She saw that his brow was low and seemed to be deep in thought, looking concerned. It was then that she realised that throughout all this time, Sora hasn’t asked any questions about what was going on or even joking around. Not since they started explaining the situation anyway.

She watched as Sora snapped out of his deep thought from Yen Sid talking to him directly. He scratched the back of his head bashfully as he looked at their master. “Sorry Master.” He bowed slightly. “It’s just a lot of information.”

“Don’t worry, Sora. If you get any questions, we’re happy to help.” Mickey assured him, receiving a grateful smile from Sora in return.

Yen Sid raised from the chair and stepped forward. “We are going to check on the students, see if Ventus and Terra are okay. Please use this chance to discuss what roles you would like to take.” He instructed the group before he, Mickey and Aqua left the room.

Lea was the first to speak up after Yen Sid and the others left the room. “Well this will be easy.” Lea grinned as he looked at Roxas and Xion. “We’ll set up at Twilight Town.”

“But who's going to be the Keeper?” Roxas asked him.

Lea beamed with confidence as he pointed at himself. “I will!”

Xion and Roxas burst in laughter as a response and fell on the floor as they held their sides.

While Lea defended himself from his now collapsed friends, Kairi looked back over to Sora, seeing his concern expression had returned to his face. She walked over to the spiky brunet and grabbed his hand, snapping Sora out of his thoughts again. “Are you okay?” She asked him.

Sora grinned with reassurance. “Yeah. I’m just still taking it all in.” He held onto her hand tightly, showing his appreciation to her.

“It’s a big job.” Sora and Kairi turned to Riku, who was walking towards the two of them. “It’s time to show how much we have grown, especially now that we are all masters. I guess we had to become responsible for others sooner or later.”

Kairi noticed Sora’s face flash with uncertainty as Riku was speaking. “Well, I’m sure that if the three of us are all working together. It won’t be a problem.” Kairi mentioned.

This seem to brighten Sora up as he started to sound excited. “Hey that’s right!” He grinned. “With the three of us, it will be a piece of cake.”

Riku chuckled nervously before looking at his friends sadly. “I’m sorry but I won’t be joining the two of you.” He told them.

Sora and Kairi looked at their best friend in disbelief. “What? Why?” They said at the same time.

“Well remember at the party, when I was talking to Mickey and Aqua?” He asked them. The two of them thought back and remembered the Riku, Mickey and Aqua by the campfire. “They explained everything to me at the party and asked if I could be Mickey’s Seeker.” He placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “Don’t worry. One of my requests was that I could visit you guys whenever so I can help if you guys need it.” He turned around, giving them a wave as he started to walk towards Lea, Roxas and Xion. “The two of you are gonna rock it.” He grinned as he walked away.

“The two of us….” Sora sighed before he looked back at Kairi. She could see his concerns show on his face again. Before she could see if he was okay, Sora pulled her to the side of the room, allowing them to sit against the wall. “I was really hoping for Riku to be our ‘Keeper.” He admitted.

Kairi looked at him with confusion. “Surely, one of us will be able to handle the job.” She pointed out.

“I know it’s just….” Sora held onto Kairi’s hand, still holding it from before. “If one of us is a Keeper and one of us is a Seeker then we’re going back to how it was before.” Sora sighed.

Kairi caught on what Sora was trying to say. “We would be separated again.” She spoke out loud before looking back at Sora with a slight panic. “What should we do? We’re Masters now. We have a responsibility and we can’t just give up….” Soon Kairi was starting to get lost in her rambles, trying to think of an idea.

“Hey! Hey! Hey.” Sora spoke softly as he pulled Kairi close to him when she started to ramble. “We will think of something.” He smiled warmly at her, trying to keep her calm. “I mean Terra and Aqua do it. They manage it. If they can do it then so can we!” He assured her.

Kairi knew that Sora was now keeping a strong face for her sake but she could see the worry in his eyes. “You were right though. If the two of us were Seekers then we could at least do missions together.” She pointed out. Even the sound of that seemed difficult.

They would be living on separate worlds. They had mostly been together for the last two years, had gotten more closer to each other every day. The only time they didn’t see each other is when they returned to their parents’ homes….    

Sora’s eyes widened, ignoring the blush that he felt on his cheeks as he looked back at Kairi, who was deep in thought while leaning on him. “Kairi! What if the both of us became Seekers?” He asked her, his voice filled with excitement.

“You mean on different worlds?” She questioned, not sure how that would solve the problem.

Sora shook his head. “I’m thinking two Keepers that would share the responsible of a Seeker.” He sat up slightly, making Kairi do the same. “If we are share the jobs, we can stay in the same world.” He smiled as he watched Kairi brighten up on the idea. “Just imagine. We could set up a school up together! Be the best Masters that we can be. Bring gifts back from any missions we have to do as Seekers.” He smiled at the thought of it all, the task not seeming so imitating as before.

Kairi smiled at the thought as well, only to come with a realisation. “But Keepers have to live on the grounds of their school.” She looked over to Sora, to notice the pink on his cheeks.

Sora chuckled warmly. “I could cook.” He became to suggest, making Kairi go slightly red. “We could have a huge area to train together, with the students too. And even if one of us has to go on a mission, we know that the other one will be home when we get back.”  

Kairi could feel her heart racing at what he was suggesting. “Sora. That’s a big step.” She breathed

“I know.”

“And very big, scary step!”

Sora chuckled nervously. “Yeah. It is.” He looked back at her, kindness and warmth in his eyes. “But it’s a step I am willing to take with you.” He held onto her hand again, interlacing his fingers between hers. “What do you say?” He asked her. “Do you want to---live with me?”

Kairi was lost for words, especially when he physically asked the question. She didn’t need to answer though as her face answered everything for him. She couldn’t stop grinning.  

Mickey and Aqua appeared back in the room. “I hope you guys had time to discuss. Did any of you have any questions?” Aqua asked the group.

Sora grinned as he stood up, helping Kairi up as well, keeping a hold of her hand for the entire time. Like giddy school kids, they ran over to Mickey and Aqua with excitement. “Your Majestic, Aqua. Do you think it will be possible for Kairi and I to share the role?” He asked them.

“We could both be Keepers and share the responsibility of the Seeker.” Kairi added, finding that her voice has returned. She saw Sora looking at her warmly as she responded.  

Mickey took a moment to think. “A Keeper will normally make all decisions in regards to the training ground, the range of worlds they cover, giving missions to their Seekers and training new students. Not to mention keeping them alive.” He explained before looking at the two of them. “Having two heads deciding might complicate things.”

“I couldn’t imagine doing that with Terra. I think we would just clash all of the time.” Aqua admitted. She looked at the two young adults and noticed the two of them looking dishearted, still holding each other’s’ hands and if they would lose each other. With a soft smile, she added. “But I don’t see any harm in trying it out.”

Sora and Kairi beamed with excitement “Really?”

Mickey looked up Aqua with concern. “Aqua. Are you sure?”

“I am.” She said firmly before looking back at the two young keyblade masters in front of them.  “Sora. Kairi. I have seen the connection that you two have for each other. I have never seen two wielders more in sync. Going down this route will be hard, it will test your limits with each other, your patience and how the two of you see yourselves.” She explained to the two of them. “Both of you are still young so I will only ask this once. Are the two of you ready for this commitment that this role will bring.” She said with a serious tone.

“Yes.”

“I am.”

Mickey smiled softly at this, seeing what this means to them. “This is the first time something like this has been done. If you guys have any trouble, please let us know.”

“Trouble? We won’t have trouble.” Sora said in confidence as he placed his hands behind his head.

“We’ll be fine.” Kairi grinned with the same excitement.  

“And I know exactly where we should set the school up!”

“Me too!”

“Destiny Island!”

“Radiant Garden!”

Sora and Kairi could only look at each other with surprise from their response. Maybe this won’t be as trouble free as they hoped.

 (1),(2)

[gogogogolev]

2019-2020 ISU Junior program requirements and season discussion

This post should really be coming after Junior Worlds but in continuity with last year’s post, it’s appearing on February 1. This is a long post, since it’s got some observations and belated realizations, so it’s going under the cut. This is really just a long blog post, so it also has no tags.

The junior short and free program requirements for singles skaters were laid out in the ISU’s Special Regulations and Technical Rules 2018 pp. 104-111 (the file name says 2016 but that’s an error). Of course, there are many more pages in that document with detailed information but for the purposes of our discussion here we really only need to focus on pages 105, 106, 109.

First up, the SP requirements (pp. 105-106).

I have watched Stephen for some time now but I am still slow to realize things, especially in the hasty posts made after competitions. I had wondered after 2018 Minto Summer Skate about the 3Lo in the FS, and why that had not been replaced by a higher BV 3F. It was likely in anticipation for the 2019-20 season. Stephen has gotten a lot of practice doing his 3Lo at the very end of a free skate this season. That should be quite helpful for the SPs next season.

In the 2016-2017, when Stephen skated as a junior in Canada, the required solo jump was a 3Lo. He also got a lot of practice landing it that season, and I think it helped him with being consistent with it in the following seasons. I went back to check his protocols from that season onwards. He’s had falls on the 3Lo at 2016 Summer Skate (SP) and 2017 Bavarian Open (FS). Apart from that it’s been a good jump for him, and he has even used the 3Lo to do Euler combos when earlier planned combos with 3Lz or 3F jumps in the FS did not work out. Even in the turbulent FS at JGP Canada he managed to land it.

When was the last time Stephen did a flying sit spin (FSSp)? That would be in the FS at 2017 Bavarian Open. He also did one in the FS at 2016 Coupe du Printemps. That event was also the last time Stephen did a change foot camel spin (CCSp), in the SP. In the 2015-16 season, when Stephen skated at the novice level in Canada, his SP featured a CCSp and his FS featured a FSSp. This was also the case in pre-novice, the season before. So he has at least two season’s worth of experience doing these spins.

The rest of the requirements are the same as the 2018-19 season.

It may be though that Stephen changes his SP layout for senior events. He may decide to change the solo 3Lz to a 4T. He skated a clean SP at Nationals but did not score 90+ points. If he puts in a 4T and skates cleanly then it would be harder to deny him a better score.

As for the FS requirements, they are also the same (p 109).

Just reading over last season’s FS discussion I realized everything unfolded as I had thought it would. So what about next season?

One thing I’ve come to realize late this season is that Stephen has been adding one quad per season to his programs with an almost predictable outcome. He has at least one event where he cleanly lands his new quad. The other attempts result in pops or falls. But by the next season he is more consistent with this new quad.

In 2016-17 he debuted his 4S. It was landed cleanly at 2017 Sectionals, and with a UR (and other unknown difficulties) at 2017 Bavarian Open. In the 2017-18 season he had upgraded it to a 4S3T - a combo he is using now as well. He also used it as a solo 4S but had some mixed results.

In 2017-18 he debuted his 4T. It was landed cleanly at 2018 Challenge. He is using it in his FS in the 2018-19 season and it’s been a good jump for him. He’s only popped it to a 3T at 2019 Sectionals. Actually the 4T has been his most reliable quad this season.

This season he debuted his 4Lz, though he had been attempting to debut it at 2018 Nationals. He’s landed it cleanly at 2018 JGP Bratislava. This season is not yet over so we don’t have a final conclusion about its success rate. However you can see the pattern unfolding now for three seasons.

So next season you should expect the three quads in the FS. The two triple Axels, one in combination with a 2T or 3T - depending on how his quad combination went. Expect the same FS jump content with maybe one exception.

That would be his next quad. Stephen hasn’t given an absolute answer about new quad plans, but in his Skate Canada interview after 2018-19 JGPF he did indicate that he may add another quad next season. In light of the fact that the solo jump for next season is the 3Lo I would have to guess that if he is adding a new quad next season it will be the 4F. He’s been practicing it for a while - Pirouette Magazine reported on him working on the 4F in harness back in the summer of 2016. We also have a video of him landing one. In general Stephen does not rush to add quads to his programs, and that is commendable.

Where would this quad go? His jump layout would have to change to accomodate it. The final 3Lo could be switched to a solo 3A, the 3A3T moved down one spot, and the 4F could take its place. So Stephen would start off with four quads, one in combination. When the men did eight jumping passes Stephen’s last jump used to be a 2A so this would be somewhat of a return to that. But this is all hypothetical.

Does Stephen even need all these quads? If you asked him he would definitely say yes. :) In juniors there are not many men doing harder quads beyond 4T or 4S. However, Stephen doesn’t just compete as a junior. He is a senior man within Canada, and the top senior men in Canada mostly all have 4T and/or 4S. Keegan Messing has a 4Lz as well. Some of these men are capable of landing harder quads, but haven’t yet added them into their programs. Stephen will be skating as a senior internationally soon enough. The time spent as a junior is preparation for the senior level, so it’s better for him to try out quads at this level when there aren’t things like Worlds or Olympics spots on the line. He just really needs to take care not to injure himself.

As for music - Stephen is due for a new SP, having held over his SP for a second season. That decision was wise because he was able to better skate his SP in his second season of using it. Though some skaters do use their SPs for three seasons it’s unlikely that Stephen will do that. This is because he will likely use his new SP in the 2020-21 season in which he may be debuting as a senior and will once again need to have clean SPs. It will have to be seen if he keeps his long time SP choreographer (Mary Angela Larmer) or tries a new choreographer.

The FS he will likely keep. Especially if he is adding in a new quad. A familiar FS when trying out new jumps is almost a necessity, and he’s done this before with his Magic Flute FS. Though a new FS would also be very welcome. We’re always down to see new programs from Stephen.

He may also get a new exhibition program. Before seeing it I thought his EX for this season may be a test run for a new SP, but ‘Stole the Show’ is too much of an exhibition program to be turned into an SP. Sam Chouinard quite likes Stephen and created a nice EX for him so I hope they can continue to work together.

The list of JGP events for next season is out: Communication No. 2205

I believe he will be sent to the first JGP, since he won gold at the first one this season. I also believe he will not be sent to either JGP #2 or #4. Latvia, Poland, and Croatia would be more suitable places to compete, though Stephen may wish to compete in Russia in which case he could do JGP #4. The final JGP would be a long wait for Stephen if he did the first and so I don’t believe he will be assigned there. Last season the initial Canadian JGP assignments came out in July so hopefully we will not have to wait long to find out where Stephen will compete.

Next season the 2020 Youth Olympic Games are also taking place in Lausanne, Switzerland. The spots for that event will be decided in part by the results of the 2019 Junior World Figure Skating Championships. It would be an excellent opportunity for Stephen to get some Olympics experience if he were chosen to go. However the 2020 YOG are conflicting with 2020 Nationals. It is currently not known if Skate Canada will opt out of sending athletes (as was the case in 2012). I expect to get clarification on this matter as the year progresses.

There is also one last thing to discuss, though it shouldn't be necessary for me to discuss this, honestly. That is the expected growth spurt. I am not sure why puberty has been made out to be a boogeyman for young skaters. It's a normal part of everyone's life. Yes, it affects athletes in major ways. But it's not like it is something that can be avoided nor is it something destructive. Like jet lag or flight delays it is just a part of life and skaters learn to deal with it. Coaches have discussed the resulting benefits: male skaters gain strength in their skating after they grow. So those quads become bigger and it's easier to do a powerful step sequence across the ice. Stephen should not be afraid to grow. I hope the adults in his life have helped him understand this and will be there to support him as he adjusts. We’ll be here cheering him on as usual. There is no fixed schedule for these things, but since mean spirited people like to hold puberty over young skaters’ heads I thought I should address that nonsense somewhere.

What should you expect from Stephen after 2019 Junior Worlds? Nothing. He may be invited to some ice shows if he’s willing to do them but otherwise don’t even expect him to be part of Cricket Club’s annual ice show. He will have to get new choreography so he will devote part of his time to that. He should begin his 2019-20 season at 2019 Minto Summer Skate. This year’s event is once again at Richcraft Sensplex in Ottawa, running July 25-28, 2019 (x). Though Stephen competes as a senior in Canada, for summer events he has to skate as a junior as part of Skate Canada’s JGP monitoring. The Fan Blog will keep you posted on whatever is happening. Just don’t be alarmed if Stephen falls off the radar for a few months - it happens annually.

Once again this post is just your fan blogger thinking (and speculating) out loud. Links to things have been included to cite sources or give you some reading material. Don’t have any crazy expectations based on this post. And be sure to cheer on Stephen at Junior Worlds. 👍

[thegreatpikminzx789]

Face Our Fears - Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold Fanfiction - Chapter 2

Wattpad|Ao3|Fanfiction.Net

Summary: Nightmares born from the void, tend to stay in the void. But upon further thinking, perhaps these nightmares might be a sign of her past fast approaching... While one man searches for a way to null these nightmares, one may see them as an opportunity to protect those whose bonds are close to them.

Previous Chapter|Next Chapter (Not available yet)

AN: Going a bit experimental with this chapter, as I decided to research some Gemstone properties. Of course the moment I wanted to show off some of the knowledge I have of it, I turn the later half of the draft into something else, but that’s how things sometimes go when you write stories. Just turns out a lot different than you expected it to be.

Lynus, Hamza (mentioned), and Axel belong to @theshatteredrose

Darkness. Nothingness... To many, the feeling is unsettling, yet familiar to all who are dead. A place not many visit in their dreams, yet something in the air tells the Forest Princess that this place is not like the past forms of nightmares that plagued her ever since the defeat of the deepest darkness.

"Whither am I?" She mumbled to herself, seeing nothing but black all around her. She tried extending a hand to feel for any walls.

But there were none.

Was it a never ending hall without a single wall to fill it in, regardless of its color? It was hard to determine. She was standing on what she assumed is the floor, so there has to be walls somewhere.

It was worrying her. This couldn't have been a dream, because then she would not be in this situation. Who knows if it's even considered a nightmare...

"Someone! Anyone, please heareth mine voice!" She screamed into the abyss-like world. The echoing of her voice didn't help ease her calm down one bit...

But nobody came.

Hibiki was loosing hope of finding out what was going on. This feeling was reminding her of a place she wished she hadn't come to... Something only she remembered being a child, someone kidnapping her from a land she does not vaguely remember, seeing the stormy clouds once gather around a particular region. It was starting to remind her of the castle she had desperately came to hate...

Silence. It was a sound most comfortable to the Princess, yet also the sound of fear itself. Anything at any moment could strike fear in her heart... The thought is just too much to bear, as the Forest Princess clutched her arms and closed her eyes, wanting this to be over with.

She was struggling to keep herself from crying. Ever since she was locked up in a castle, all she ever did was clean, and eat. If one tiny thing was wrong, or something wasn't done in time, she got punished for it with several strikes of a whip. There was no way this could be the castle...

It was her worst nightmare.

"...un... ki..." A mysterious voice spoke up after what felt like an eternity. The girl looked up and looked everywhere for the source of the voice that spoke.

"W-Who's thither?!" She exclaimed, demanding an answer from the voice. "R... Hi..." The voice responded, dodging the question she asked of it. Though it feels as if the voice wasn't speaking with malice...

"Run... He's coming..." The voice spoke louder than before, almost as if whatever it was afraid of was around the corner.

Faster than Hibiki could inquire the voice a question, an explosion knocks her to the side, quickly getting up to find the source of the attack.

She gasps upon seeing a Hexer, garbed in dark blue robes. The robes were moving around, as if they had a mind of an animal. Simply seeing the smirk on the Hexer's face brought fear in her heart.

"I can see... You didn't miss me..." The Hexer spoke up, letting himself be carried by the robes he wore as he approached Hibiki. "D-Don’t approach me any further, fiend!" She warned the approaching man, simply ignoring her words as his robes prepared to attack.

She dodges the attack from the robe, sprinting away from the Hexer. The Hexer lost his smirk, taking out a Grimoire and started launching some attacks from afar. Some of them miss, and some of them hit her, yet despite being knocked further away, she still had enough time to get up and continue running before the Hexer could grab her, despite the bruises she now bared...

"The land from which you came bears no truth to you, anymore. Best to forget about that place, and live in the abyss..." The mysterious Hexer spoke up, as Hibiki tried her best to ignore his words. Her heart told her to keep running, to not let herself be captured by the mysterious man.

The attacks became less frequent the further she was away from him, finally seeing a door at long last. She had to hide, even if it was only temporary. Hibiki opened the door and locked it behind her, resting her head against the brick wall, looking around as she took a few deep breaths.

It was... familiar. She recalled having used the bay of the castle to escape, as everyone else was rather unaware of her escape. She wasn't sure what was even happening anymore.

"Hibiki, come on!" A male's voice spoke to the Forest Girl, turning her head to the voice that spoke out to her. Her eyes shrunk in surprise, upon seeing who was speaking to her. A male Troubadour and a Dark Hunter... They couldn't be...

"Get on, Hibiki! Don’t let him catch you!" The Dark Hunter urged, extending a hand. Deciding not to risk staying there, Hibiki attempts to run to the Dark Hunter.

"Don't think so." A voice called out, causing an explosion right in front of Hibiki, causing some propulsion to cause the boat the two boys were on to move, causing the Dark Hunter to fall on his rear in surprise.

"No! Please, return to me!" She yelled, trying to reach out for the boat that was moving on its own.

"We’ll meet up in High Lagaard!" The Troubadour exclaimed, hoping his voice reached the Forest Princess. "Stay strong, Hibiki!" The Dark Hunter added, the distance between them getting further and further.

The boys were familiar to her. There was no mistaking it. But it felt like she wasn't getting anywhere just trying to reach out for them...

Her thinking was cut short by the robes of the Hexer she ran from wrapped itself around her neck, catching her off guard, as the Hexer approached to the side of her vision. Hibiki desperately struggled to break free from the robe's grasp on her. The robe lifted her off of the ground, causing her to struggle even more.

"You can’t stop what has begun, Forest Girl..." The hexer grinned, before he busts into a maniacal laughter, laughing at Hibiki's miserable attempt of breaking free. Every movement of her body was getting her nowhere closer to being free...

"...iki..." A voice called to her, while the Hexer still laughed at her efforts. Her struggles only continued from there, before feeling the robes tighten around her neck, gritting her eyes in pain.

"...biki! ...ke up!" The voice called out again, coming to her louder than before. The mix of the two voices before her was getting too confusing for her. "Aaaaaaagh!"

Hibiki opened her eyes as she jolted from her sleep, feeling a pair of hands wrap around her in an attempt to comfort her. "Hibiki, are you alright?!" Korey's voice reached her ears much more clearer, turning to see the worry in the Highlander's face.

Hibiki started feeling tears drop from her eyes, resting her head on his chest. "Another nightmare cameth to plague me from mine slumber..." She replied, trying to wipe the tears away from her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to have these streaks of nightmares, Hibiki..." Korey uttered, rubbing her shoulder in reassurance of his comfort. "If I may be bold to ask, will talking about it get it out of your system? You were adamant about not telling me the past four nightmares..." He queried, noting the past times she didn't want him to worry about her about speaking her nightmares.

"W-Well," Hibiki started, sitting upwards so he can hear her better. "I was told to run by someone, ere a Hexer hath appeared out of nowhere and started attacking me, forcing me to run for mine life. Then, I saw two men on a boat, calling to me to get on it..."

Korey gazed to the sheets, seeming to think about the events she told him thus far. "One of those folk wast a Dark Hunter, and the other was a Troubadour... those gents both wast urging me to get on, ere that foul Hexer intervened, and... And..." Hibiki continued, wiping a few more tears trying to emerge from her eyes.

"I was losing air due to the Hexer's robes. I hath felt like mine life wast ending ere my eyes..." Korey's arms continued to rub Hibiki's arm, reassuring her that it was all just a nightmare.

Though he wasn't sure how to respond, he needed to calm her down somehow. Without wasting any time, he began humming a song. The Forest Princess stared up at him in confusion, though recognizing the song she heard him hum.

"What art thou doing?" She inquired, stopping the Highlander in his tracks. "Doing something that helped my little sister when we were exploring Yggdrasil. If she wasn’t able to sleep, we would hum a song and it’d wear her down to the point of being tired." He explained, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

"I apologize if its awkward, it's just the only thing I could do to calm you down..." Korey sighed, before feeling Hibiki nudge against his chest. "No, please, keepeth going... that song thou art humming is reminding me of a song that Troubadour hath used to playeth..."

Korey let out a sigh of relief, as he proceeds to continue to hum the song from where he left off. The girl in his arms soon grew a smile, starting to hum along to him. Hibiki then started to recall the song being sung by the Troubadour she had seen in her nightmare.

She recalled hearing his voice for the first time as he started playing the violin in the castle she was in, beyond the walls of her confinement. He only got to hear his name once after he had introduce himself to her, despite the two of them not being able to meet in person. Almost every night on, he snuck down and sang her some songs he knew, doing so for a couple of months before things changed around the castle...

It was her only salvation... her light of hope to see the world outside her confinement. "Just because there are people with evil hearts, doesn't mean all of humanity is like that." Hibiki recalled the Troubadour's voice from long ago.

"There will be a time where you'll be cared for by people who legitimately care for you. People who will set you free from this wretched ensemble." The voice in her head replayed, seeming to bring her great comfort. Her eyes slowly started to close, feeling tuckered out from humming the all-too-familiar song.

Korey continues for a little longer, seeing the girl in his arms slowly smiling as she drifts back to sleep. He gently lays her down on the bed and pulls the sheet over her, rubbing his hand on her head for a few seconds as he stops humming the song, satisfied with his result.

"Never fails to work..." He hummed to himself, peaking at the window and seeing the sun come through the curtains. The Highlander gets up and closes the curtains so that Hibiki doesn't get blinded by the morning light, soon standing beside a table in the room, placing a finger on his chin as he was left to ponder what to do next.

"How many nightmares will Hibiki go through before it gets too much for her? If her past was really that rough, surely there must be some way for her to forget such a past..." Korey mumbled to himself, gazing back at the sleeping Forest Princess, who turns to face the wall in her sleep.

He can't just remain idly by any longer. If he was able to calm his sister through song, there must be a way to keep nightmares away from Hibiki... The thought of having too many nightmares occur one after another can potentially lead her into madness. Or hell, even worse...

"Perhaps a visit to the library will get me somewhere. Maybe get Simon and Lynus to help me out..." The brown haired Harbinger uttered to himself, grabbing his stuff with him and slowly closed the door behind him.

Thankfully, hardly anyone else was awake yet, allowing him to go through the lobby in peace. Exiting the inn, he asked a nearby explorer where the library would be. The explorer gave the Highlander some directions, as he thanks them before wishing them a good day.

The library he entered wasn't that huge as Simon proclaimed the Midgard Library was, but seeing books everywhere reminded him of a guild house with a huge library... He took his time strolling through the isles, skimming through titles and picking some books that held interesting titles that stood out to his eyes.

He soon found a book with a rather interesting title. "Healing Properties of Gemstones, huh?" Korey read, raising an eyebrow as he took the book off the shelf.

He had to think on that title for a while as he sat down at a nearby table. Other than to look pretty, do gemstones really have those types of properties? Was it even possible?

There was no point in arguing with himself about the potential answer. He wasn't going to get anywhere with that mindset. "I suppose I should make notes of what I found. Simon and Lynus are probably busy, so I hope I can ask them for advice when I get the opportunity."

With his goal set in stone, Korey takes out a few pieces of paper, and a bottle of ink, along with a feather, placing them beside the sheets of paper. He begins flipping through the books, taking his time to look at the information contained with each book, writing notes on things he finds interesting, or ones that will most likely help. Lapis, Hematite, basically anything he can find relating to nightmares.

He had to make sure to look back in previous books about the effects of the gemstones he written, but ended up with either vague answers, or other written details about their appearance and worth in Ental.

"Man, some of these are really good, but not all of them might be available in Lagaard, Yggdrasil, or Ginnungagap..." Korey grumbled, trying to recall if any of the stones he written could be available in the places he specified. "It's a good thing Lynus and the others are willing to help out if needed. Hibiki's safety is becoming a top priority on my list of things to do."

Korey closes the book he was on, wasting a few more minutes reading up on the gemstones and making sure he's written everything he needed to know before concluding his research in the library. He placed the notes he written in an easy to reach area of his bag, and placed each of the books he picked up back on the shelves he found them in, before leaving the library.

As he made his way back over to the inn, Korey came to a halt as he turned to see an orange-haired medic trying to tend to some unconscious explorers. A Dark Hunter and... a Troubadour. Where those the two people Hibiki spoke about earlier?

He had to make sure. Cause even if those two were the classes Hibiki mentioned, the names of the explorers were important to know. The Highlander approached Lynus, doing his best not to startle the Medic.

"Lynus, what’s going on here?" He asked, as the Medic quickly turned to face the Highlander kneeling beside the dark hunter. "I found these guys floating on the water near here when I was on my way back from the hospital. They seemed so wounded, so I’m trying to keep them stable for the moment."

The Highlander looked over the injuries that Lynus had healed, picking up a rather wet violin that likely belonged to the troubadour, checking to make sure it was still playable before placing it right beside the troubadour.

"I don't think any river from Yggdrasil might have carried them here. Especially not on the higher stratums." Korey mumbled to himself, getting up after glancing over the two boys.

"Oi, what are you bloody idiots doing?!" A voice called out, getting Lynus and Korey's attention to see a blue-haired Landsknecht wielding a sword approaching them. Korey turned to face him, not liking where this might be going.

"Hands off my prey, you snobby medic!" The landsknecht yelled, causing Lynus to flinch from the way he yelled at him. "Hey, jerkwad!" Korey called out, diverting the landsknecht's eyes towards the Highlander. "Nobody calls the Miracle Medic a snob and gets away with it!"

The landsknecht simply scoffed at Korey, clearly not seeing him that worthy enough of an opponent. "Pheh, and just who the hell are you supposed to be, some kind of Protector? You don’t even fit that role to a T!"

Oh can he fit a protector's role, alright. He just doesn't need a shield to do the protecting.

"I am Korey, part of the Highlander tribe! If you think you’re such talk, why don’t you just beat it before I strike you down?" Korey challenged, causing the landsknecht to growl in annoyance.

"Such arrogance from such a child. Hiyaaah!" The Landsknecht charges at Lynus, stopping short due to a quick stab of the Highlander's spear at his leg, causing him to come to a halt as Korey quickly steps in front of Lynus.

Just gotta keep this punk busy til Axel arrives...

"Outta my way, you punk!" The man growled, poised to strike with his sword at any moment.  Korey trades his spear for the Ragnarok sword, alongside a Grimoire Stone made by Fafnir.

"Taste Flame Sabre!" He yelled, slashing at the landsknecht and causing him to flinch back, due to the hot metal the sword had been enchanted with from the Grimoire Stone. That did a bit of damage on the landsknecht's armor.

"The hell is this nonsense? A spear and a sword simultaneously?! That’s downright cheap!" The landsknecht ranted.

"Says the man whose class allows him to switch between a Sword and an Axe to use different skills. At least I have the excuse of using a sword because of a Grimoire!" Korey argued, making his way towards the opposing landsknecht.

"Grimoire or no, that’s still considered cheating!" The blue-haired landsknecht yelled, as they clash swords once again. Their weapons kept clashing against the other as they fought for a while.

Lynus, meanwhile, tended to the wounds of the two boys before him. It was the least he had to do, for the moment. He was sure that things would be better for the situation they're in, as long as Korey didn't fall to the opposing landsknecht.

Korey grunts, wiping some blood off of his cheek, staring the landsknecht down as the blue-haired man gets up, using his sword as a crutch. "Ugh, why are you so damn stubborn?! Are you his boyfriend or something?!"

"No, that’d be me you’re referring to!"

A swift punch to the landsknecht's face was made, causing him to fall to the ground, as both Korey and Lynus easily recognize Axel's red hair. Axel picked up the landsknecht by the throat, raising him up from the ground. "I’m giving you to the count of ten to get the hell out of my sight."

He lets go of the landsknecht, as the blue-haired Landsknecht grabs his weapon and starts making his way away from the red haired landsknecht, before turning to them when he was a good distance away. "This isn’t over yet, you damn fools. We will find you, and we will make you pay for this!"

With that threat in mind, he rushes off, finally out of Axel's sight. He walked over to the two boys, scratching his head in confusion. "What the hell was that guy's problem?" He queried, wondering what got that landsknecht in a hussy fit.

The Highlander shrugged as he placed his weapon away. "He just seemed very angry that Lynus was tending to these guys here. Hell, now that I think about it, he didn’t even give me a name to go off of..." Korey explained.

"Regardless, the good news is that I'm safe, and not injured." Lynus chimed in, hearing Axel sigh a breath of relief. "I've managed to stop their wounds, but I'd still like to take these guys back to the hospital so they can recover a bit better without that landsknecht undoing all of my work." He continued, picking up the male troubadour's violin.

"There may be the possibility that landsknecht will come back here with more people with him if we stay out here too long. Korey, I'll take the dark hunter, you take the troubadour." Axel discussed, as the Highlander nods and picks up the boy he was expected to carry.

For some reason, he felt extremely light. Did the troubadour not get much to eat, or something? Axel picked up the dark hunter, holding tight to it in case the unconscious boy wakes up as they were on their way to the hospital.

Lynus grabbed his bag, then proceeded to guide Axel and Korey to the hospital. It took a couple of minutes, but they were lucky the lansknecht from earlier didn't come back during the time they picked up the bodies. The crowd of explorers should provide some cover as entered the clinic, placing the two boys on two separate beds before sitting out in the lobby of the clinic.

Having to wait was a pain, but it was understandable why they needed to do so. Waiting for Lynus to make sure they were properly breathing was the least he can do, and that may take some time due to whatever injuries the two boys he and Axel dragged in suffered from. He also needed to know the names of those boys to see if they were the people HIbiki mentioned in her nightmare.

Speaking of Hibiki, he took out the notes he had and started to read the information he had written about the gemstones he had written about earlier. Axel took a glance at the notes, the Highlander totally unaware of him. "Are those notes about gemstones?"

Korey blinked, his eyes gazing at Axel for a couple of seconds before nodding as he turned back to face the notes he written. "I recently visited the library in search of gemstones that can help quell nightmares, or at least minimize it. I came across a few names, though the books shared minor details of the gemstone’s property." He discussed, flipping the pages between some interesting gemstones he came across in his research.

"Having nightmares suck, as they can cause more worry than needed..." Axel groaned, not liking the sound of where this conversation might be going. "Especially for Hibiki. For her to have nightmares for almost for an entire week worries me to no end."

Korey sighed, feeling like he might have done this research for naught... A touch of Axel's hand reassured the Highlander that he and Lynus were there to help him out. "Maybe once Lynus is done, we’ll ask him about the gemstone you wish to find." Axel suggested, giving the Highlander a reassuring smile.

The Highlander's face grew a smirk. "Thanks, Axel." He thanked, feeling the red haired landsknecht pat his back in response.

"Heh, don’t mention it. The least I can do for you after I punched that damn Landsknecht in the face." Axel chuckled. He knew he was too good that his punches can simply end a fight on its own.

Though Korey might just miss Axel when he prepares to head to the next Yggdrasil...

.....................................................................

It had been almost two hours since Hibiki had gotten some sleep, yet here she is, standing outside the inn. She wore the handmade cloak Hamza made for her, which she held onto tightly to make sure the wind didn't blow it away. It had been some time since she felt this at peace ever since the deepest darkness, Ur-Devil, was slayed by the Gungnir Guild, with the co-operation of the Guardians.

Ever since, she has joined their ranks as a guild member, and has slowly, but surely, told them about her past, as Lynus recommended that to be her course of action. If she spoke too much about it at once, she would break down in tears. Though her mind was focused on the nightmare that plagued her this morning.

That Hexer was no ordinary Hexer. His pressense would make anyone shiver in fear. The robes of his weren't natural ether. Though that may have been due to the fact that it was a nightmare, it wouldn't have made sense it'd react that same way in reality.

She placed her hand where her heart is, as she thought back to the two boys within her dream. They were familiar, cause she at least saw one of them, and heard the voice of another, along with his name. Hibiki felt like she had a connection to them. If only she could protect them from whatever that nightmare was trying to tell her...

The brown skin of that Dark Hunter... The white hair of that Troubadour, his wonderful singing voice, and his name... They were the only key to being reunited with them, as they told to her in her nightmare.

"Nice day today, isn’t it? The weather’s just perfect for another day of exploring." Flavio's voice surprised her, sharply turning to face the Survivalist, placing his hands on the railing, before regaining her composure and faced back the way she originally faced.

"Forsooth tis, man." She responded, getting an eyebrow raised from Flavio. "I have no idea what that means, but I assume it’s something nice."

Hibiki could only sigh. The Highlander was more akin to hearing her kind's language, but clearly Flavio still had a bit of trouble understanding her. "Of course it’s something nice. Thou just needeth to hark harder to my words, man."

"Alright, alright, no need to get worked up about it." Flavio exclaimed, not wanting to try to provoke her early in the morning. The two stand around for a little bit, taking in the busy streets of High Lagaard, before Hibiki soon placed her hands on the railing.

"I pray that thither must be some way to rid myself of these terrible nightmares..." She sighed, resting her chin on her hand to continue seeing the people walk by her and Flavio. The survivalist turned and patted her back in assurance.

"I’m sure there must be something, Hibiki. You can bet that we’ll help you find it." He chirped, placing his hand back on the railing he previously had it rest on.

The hooded girl couldn't help but continue to think about the nightmare she had. It wasn't something she wanted to think back upon, but given the fact she had nearly an entire week with nothing but nightmares, she feels as if there might be a bigger meaning than having it merely be a coincidence of her past memories coming back to haunt her.

"Thither must be some meaning to these nightmares I hast." Hibiki began, feeling Flavio's eyes gaze at her. "Hm? How so?"

Hibiki raised her head to face the Survivalist. "The first nightmare hadst me in a castle of sorts, running from the guards thither. Then, the second wast of the accursed abuse I suffered through." She discussed, starting to feel rather confident in explaining her nightmares to Flavio.

"The third wast seeing two boys taking mine lodging in the abuse, getting slapped or whipped. Fourth time wast all filled with nothing but a mysterious voice speaking to me. Then, the fifth time, a Hexer and two boys from mine third nightmare wast trying to flee..." Hibiki continued, as Flavio nodded in understanding.

"I’m not sure whether this must be a valorous or lacking valor sign of things to come. What doth thee bethink?" Flavio placed a hand on his chin, trying to think of what the common signs were in her nightmares.

The only remotely similar matching portion is the two boys Hibiki mentions, but even then, if what she said about them trying to think is true, it just adds to the whole confusion factor. "I’m not sure what to think of it." Flavio sighed. "Hard to really tell the upcoming events from dreams."

"Dreams art most mysterious, aren’t they?" Hibiki sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she went back to observing the people nearby. "They sure are, Hibiki." Flavio responded, before hearing something bark at them, turning to see a blue wolf coming right at them.

"Whoa, that wolf’s coming in fast! Hit the deck!" Flavio yelped, jumping over the railing and landing on the other side.

"Hm?" Hibiki turned to the sound of approaching footsteps, seeing the blue wolf Flavio spoke of. It slowly comes to a halt, panting as it stares at Hibiki, tilting its head.

Was... a beast just randomly running up to Hibiki for no reason? She knelt down to see the collar it wore. "Thou name is Tyro, eh?" Hibiki inquired upon seeing the name tag.

Tyro barks before sniffing her arm a couple of times, before licking it, startling Hibiki for a moment. Flavio looks over and sighs, as a smile forms on his face from seeing the wolf lick Hibiki's arm.

"I guess this Tyro seems to like you, Hibiki." Flavio hummed, walking his way back up to the inn's front porch. Hibiki was rather confused at the event happening before her. "But I don’t recall owning a blue wolf-"

Tyro barked, interrupting Hibiki as it sat down, wagging its tail. Hibiki notices a envelope lodged between Tyro's fur and its collar, taking the envelope out from between the gap, opening it as she stood up. "Most peculiar..." She hummed, taking the paper out of the envelope.

"Or I guess it can be delivering something to you. Either works, I guess." Flavio shrugged, scratching the back of his head as leaned against the wall.

The paper held in her hand was a rather basic sketch of what Hibiki looked like. Was it from someone she knew? Nobody else knew about a Forest Folk in High Lagaard, so that wasn't possible...

She noticed something out of the corner of her eye... Writing. It was a lot tinier compared to the sketch, but she went through the effort to try and read it anyways.

"To whomever it may concern," Hibiki began to read the writing, as Flavio to her in curiosity, walking over to her and started to see if he can see the tiny writing that was printed on the paper. "Me and my brother are looking for this woman who is likely around High Lagaard. As of the delivery of this message, we have escaped from a castle near High Lagaard, and are awaiting news of seeing our sister. Hell, we might be able to see her if we're lucky."

Hibiki's eyes soon caught of the writer of the message, gasping in surprise. "It can’t be..." Flavio looked at her, a little lost on trying to read the tiny message. "If what this writing sayeth is true, then I might see those two after all!" Hibiki pondered, placing the paper in her pocket as she turned to Tyro and knelt to its height, placing a hand on its head.

"Does thou knoweth whither those gents might be in High Lagaard, Tyro? I asketh that thou must taketh me to those men!" Hibiki declared, removing her hand from the wolf's head as it begins to sniff around, catching on to their scent rather quick. Tyro barks, and begins to make its way towards its destination, as Hibiki soon follows the blue wolf.

Flavio gasps in surprise, rather astonished to see the Forest Folk blindly follow the wolf. "Where are you going? Hibiki!" Despite Flavio trying to call out to her, Hibiki ignored the survivalists' call to her, letting out a sigh as he scratched his head.

"Ugh... Well, so much for wanting to get to know her a bit better. I suppose it’s better to follow along, just to be sure she stays safe." Flavio mumbled to himself, thankful he brought his bow and arrows to be on the safe side. He soon begins to follow Hibiki and Tyro, unsure where they might be going in High Lagaard.

But he's sure they'll be fine. After all, if they happen to run into Korey, all the better... Maybe even running into the man who made the letter, if they're lucky enough.

[real-life-pine-tree]

Leo Will Never Know: Surviving a New World (10/?)

In an alternate timeline, Yugi indirectly prevented the events of Arc-V from ever happening. But how could this small change have an impact on a few selected people? A spin-off of the Arc-V Aftermath series. Based on the hilarious comic by @justanotherotakuandartist​​​​. Co-written with @violetganache42​​​​​.

Back in the Spirit World, night had fallen across the sandy terrain and the three suns were replaced with a single full moon that was like the on back on Earth. There hasn’t been a single Duel Monster ever since the Harpie Lady Sisters got destroyed, so it was safe to go outside for now. It still doesn‘t mean it was going to be a pleasant experience for everyone, unfortunately; even though a small campfire was lit on one of the school’s structures, the dread still lingered, as heard from a mix of whimpers and sobs.

An annoyed Chazz demanded, “There’s no crying at Duel Academy, so cool it, will ya?”

“We’re sorry, boss,” Ojama Yellow answered. “We’re just getting used to gravity is all.���

“And there are monsters out there,” Ojama Green added.

“That’s right. Real, big, scary, mean monsters,” Ojama Black agreed.

“Hello? You guys are monsters,” Chazz retorted.

Ojama Yellow laughed nervously a little because they were being somewhat hypocritical. “Oh, yeah. Good point, boss,” he said.

“Now let’s see if the three of you can still fly!” Chazz shouted, dealing a blow which sent all three Ojamas off of the building. They all fell onto the dunes, landing on a spot near where Syrus, Alexis, and Hassleberry were standing.

“This really stinks. What if it stays like this forever?” Syrus asked, sounding a bit worried. “Is this really how it’s all gonna end for us?”

“Don’t worry, private,” Hassleberry responded. “There’s probably a rescue team comin’ here right now.”

Alexis simply glanced up at the sky, lost in her thoughts; although she heard what they were talking about, she could tell it would be practically impossible for a standard rescue team to search for them.  In her mind, she wondered, But where’s here?

At that moment, Ray showed up with Hope Dragon Flower. "Are you guys hungry?" she asked.

"A little," Syrus complained "But Dorothy said we only have a week's worth of food and water."

"I think I can help with that," Ray said. "Hope Dragon Flower, care to show off your special trick?"

"Of course, mistress," Hope Dragon Flower replied.

A pink aura surrounded the floral dragon’s body, indicating she was activating her special ability. The flowers on her body reacted to the glowing as they drank the energy the aura possessed and their petals curled outwards and sprouted open far wide. When the glowing coat dissipated, its reminants stayed behind in the now fully-bloomed flowers, ranging from roses, hibiscuses, and tulips to violets, lilacs, and irises. It felt like there was an endless variety of the floral plants draping all over Hope Dragon Flower. Normally, this would only occur when utilizing one of her effects during duels, but Ray had just discovered not too long ago there was actually more to it than she initially thought.

She told Hassleberry, Alexis, and Syrus to take any flower they like, so the three walked up to the dragon and picked off three of them. Thanks to the ability’s energy coursing through her, the three flowers that were removed started to bud and bloom again; of course, that was only just the beginning. Ray signaled the three to go ahead and eat the plants they were holding, adding a reminder to pull the petals off to obtain the best flavor. Syrus was the first to try out how edible the flowers were, taking a petal from a red rose and putting it in his mouth; a few seconds in and he was left mesmerized at how delicious it was. Alexis and Hassleberry grew more curious and decided to consume a couple petals from their pink lily and marigold respectively. They also relished in the delicacies with each bite they took. Ray explained she discovered her Hope Dragon’s trick back at the infirmary and how all these flowers have an excellent amount of filling in them, which helped her regain some of her stamina because the lack of food was one of the contributors to her fatigue from earlier.

"So your dragon can supply us with food?" Hassleberry asked.

"She can," Ray confirmed. "Even if we run out of food at the academy, Hope Dragon Flower can produce edible flowers for everyone. I also spoke to Bastion earlier and he told me how he was able to use Water Dragon to stay hydrated. Now we can explore this world without running out of food and water."

"Your Hope Dragons sure are amazing," Syrus praised. "Is there anything they can't do?"

"Well other than function in the real world, nope," Ray jokingly replied.

Back inside, a Duel Disk blade popped out and the Graveyard compartment opened up, resulting in a red light to glow. Very shortly after that, a deck of Duel Monsters cards were placed in the Main Deck slot. It was revealed to be Jim, who was arming himself with his deck in case more threats occur and was accompanied by Jesse as they walked down the hallways.

“Hey, is Adrian okay?” Jesse asked.

“Yeah,” Jim answered. “Miss Fontaine patched him good as new. After a good night’s rest, he’ll be right as right.”

“Hope so,” Jesse said. “Hey, does that croc ever get heavy?”

Meanwhile, at the library, it was still darkened and closed for the time being, which was a perfect time to see how the demon arm has been doing… But wait a minute. Where was the arm? The canister is now completely empty albeit the orange bubbly liquid. This was not going to be good for Adrian, and speak of the devil, he arrived at the library and found the capsule armless, baffling him.

“Huh?” He ran to the table where he left the capsule to get a closer inspection. The arm’s not in there, he thought with a scowl on his face. Where could you have gone? Did someone come in here and take you while I was away? I got to get you back here. He turned around and began running in the opposite direction, initiating his search with one more thought in mind: We had a deal.

He dashed down the stairs where he came up from, headed to his right, and passed the bookcases before reaching the exit. While scurrying down the halls, he continued thinking, I have to find it ‘cause if I don’t, everything would have been for nothing. It owes me.

As for some of the other students, they were all hiding away in the classroom with white blankets covering their entire bodies and leaving their faces uncovered. They were clearly scared and some of their complaints consisting of but not limited to how long they will be stuck away from the island, not wanting to be in this dimension, how scary it is, and wanting to see their mother made it more evident. Among the huddled crowd was Blair and her newfound friend Marcel Bonaparte; there were a few hiccups here and there upon their first meeting at the start of the year, but there were signs showing it was smoothing out…at least for now.

Not too far away from them, the orange ghostly spirit of Viper’s deceased son Pierre skipped down the halls, ready to begin a plan of its own. “I’m sensing a dark soul that will serve me well,” it ominously said. “I feel I’m getting closer. You can’t hide from me. No one can.” The demonic spirit stopped skipping and looked up to sense the source of the dark energy this soul presents. It rose up from the ground and soared to a nearby classroom door.

“He’s here,” it presumed. “I’m sure of it.”

"Hey, um... Marcel?" Blair asked.

"Yes, Blair?" Marcel replied as he lifted up his blanket.

"Will you, uh..." Blair blushed. "Will you come take a walk with me?"

"Where?" Marcel wondered.

"Just...down the hall," Blair answered.

"Don't worry," Marcel reassured as he and Blair left the classroom. "I had to go to dez twilet as well. At least there won't be a line."

"You're so funny," Blair complimented with a small laugh. "Got any other jokes?"

"Sure," Marcel answered. "Knock, knock."

"Who's there?" a nearby voice responded.

Meanwhile, back in Nurse Fontaine's office, Jaden had a hard time sleeping. As Winged Kuriboh cuddled up to him, he sat up in his bed. "Axel?" he asked. "You awake over there?"

Axel glanced at Jaden. "Oh good, you're awake," the Slifer Red student noticed. "Couldn't sleep, huh? I just wanted to say, what you did back there in the lab was really cool. So I owe you one, pal."

"You're welcome, Jaden," Axel replied. "Now get some sleep."

Before Jaden could get a chance to lie back down, Winged Kuriboh woke up and flew out of the bed. He had this strange feeling that something amiss is going on.

“What’s up?” Jaden asked. “Is something wrong?”

All of a sudden, there were two overlapping screams echoing not far from the nurse’s office; one was a boy and the other was a girl. Axel shot up from the bed as the screams subsided and asked, “Did you hear that?”

Jaden nodded in response and added, “Let’s go!”

The duo climbed out of their beds, with Axel heading for the side and Jaden dashing to the bottom to get his shoes. He wanted to stay behind at the infirmary to make sure Ray, Bastion, and Adrian would be fine by tomorrow but with the alert of a new danger, he needed to make sure whoever screamed will be healed up for as long as it will take. Once his shoes were on, he aimed for the door that leads out into the hallway to follow Axel.

As the door slid open, Axel turned to his right to find the source of where the screams came from. “This way,” he instructed Jaden.

With them now out of Fonda’s office, they dashed down the halls to see if any of the students that led out the loud screams got hurt. Surprisingly, in what felt like no time at all, they both caught up with Jesse and Jim.

"Hold up!" Jaden called out.

"Jaden!" Jesse remarked, glad to see his friend. "So you guys heard it too?"

"What, are you kidding me?" Jaden asked in response. "I think the whole academy heard that!"

"We better move it," Axel instructed.

"Right," Jaden agreed.

When the group turned around the corner, they were in for a surprising sight. "It's Blair!" Jaden exclaimed. "What happened?" He picked her up. "Blair, wake up..."

Blair groaned as she opened her eyes. "Jaden.." she weakly said. "It took him... It took Marcel... I tried to stop it, but...it scratched me with this gross-looking hand..."

"What do you mean 'it'?" Jaden asked. "What was it, Blair?"

"Look at that," Axel said as he lifted Blair's arm. "It scratched her. I tell you, I've never seen a scratch like that."

"Blair, hang in there," Jaden advised. "Ms. Fontaine will know how to fix this right up."

"Take her, and we'll go look for Marcel," Jesse said. "Sound good?"

"Alright," Jim agreed.

After everyone else agreed, they all parted in opposite directions; Axel, Jesse, and Jim continued their search to see where Marcel could be while Jaden strayed further away from the trio to heading back to the nurse’s office. He ran as fast as he could as he carried an unconscious Blair in his arms and an anxious Winged Kuriboh floated by to see how severe the peculiar, demonic wound was. In the approximately same amount of time to find her, questions have already flooded Jaden’s mind. I wonder if what attacked Blair is the same thing that attacked Viper on the platform? But why Blair and Marcel? And what’s with that wound?

Jaden inspected the state she was recently stuck in, knowing this wasn’t a natural injury, but hopefully something can be done to make it better. “We’re almost there,” he assured. “Just try to hang on.”

Elsewhere, a forbidding atmosphere was slowly budding in the darkened interior of the library. There was no source of light except for two candleholders on their individual small shelf, carrying three candlesticks each with newly lit flames flickering within the dense shadows. Their combined luminosity unveiled an elevated portion of the floor containing a table with six chairs around it and a throne where Marcel was seen sitting on; however, he had a more eerie appearance as shown by his spikier hair, a grayish-brown cape, and a more menacing glare from his eyes as he stared down onto the floor.

“Who’s in here?” a familiar voice interrogated.

He didn’t glanced up to see a figure of a cloaked Duelist walking up to him, noticing the unnerving change in the library before stopping to see who was sitting in front of him. “Aren’t you that kid Marcel?” he asked.

“Not anymore,” “Marcel” answered as his upper eyelids lowered. He moved his left arm from underneath his cape and rested it on top of the armchair to show him it has been completely corrupted by the recognizable demonic arm in addition to a distorted voice that took over his French accent. “Surprise,” he simply added.

Adrian gasped at this bold move the demon took. “But… I thought we had a deal,” he said before pointing directly at its vessel. “You promised to share your power with me! But now it looks like you got yourself a new plan, so what gives?!”

“Nothing has changed, Adrian. You have my word,” “Marcel” remarked as he stood up, still retaining his dark, evil grin and stare, which made Adrian a bit uncomfortable. “I can still give you the power you desire.” He raised his demonic left arm and made a gesture with his hand that suggests they should reach an agreement. “All I require is that you follow my every command,” he continued, with his voice becoming distorted again.

Adrian didn’t have a response to this per se; everything he heard the demon say rendered him speechless. Everything about its possession over Marcel, from the creepy tweaks to his hair, face, and attire to the transitioning deformity of his voice, was rather unsettling. At the same time, it sounded like it was a entity of its word. All it did was find a temporary host to use until it was satisfied with the results of whatever it has in mind, then it can move on to helping him achieve his personal goals, but…will it all be worth it for him?

Meanwhile, the other students were in line for food. Aside from the academy-provided meals Dorothy was handing out, there was also edible flowers provided by Hope Dragon Flower.

"It's chow time, everybody!" Hassleberry announced.

"Okay guys, come and get it!" Syrus announced. He handed a tray containing bread and a bottle water to Chazz. "Enjoy."

"'Enjoy'?!" Chazz repeated. "This ain't food!"

"It's all we have," Syrus explained.

"Hey Chazz, can we have some?" Ojama Yellow asked.

Chazz groaned. "Ever since you guys became real, all you are is hungry! Go ask them!"

"Sorry, you three," Alexis said. "But we have to ration our food, so you'll have to ask Hope Dragon Flower."

Next to the table containing the rations of bread and bottled water was another line forming for the floral treats provided by Ray and Hope Dragon Flower. After giving them out to her friends as a snack last night, she figured the whole school could use some of the flowers, and once Bastion feels better and gets cleaned up, he’ll join up with her and provide more amble supplies of water from his Water Dragon. The Ojama trio have heard about Hope Dragon Flower’s ability and how it can be used for survival purposes, so them falling down to the ground was good timing on their part; at least they don’t have to eat Chazz’s loaf of bread.

“Come on! Hurry up!”

Chazz turned his head to see three impatient Ra Yellow students standing behind him. The yelling came from the one in the middle, who had shaved brown hair, small, circular glasses, and a voice that sounds strangely and exactly identical to the protagonist of an easily recognizable and iconic ‘90s shonen action anime.

“It’s our turn! We got to eat too!” he continued.

Chazz simply turned away from them, much to their disdain. “We’re starving,” the grayish-brunette student added.

“Now move it, buddy!” the spectacled student demaned.

"Be quiet!" Dorothy spoke up. "We're all here together, so we can't run out of supplies. I hope you understand, but we don't even have enough food for Pharaoh." She noticed the cat nuzzling up against her leg. "No matter how he tries to butter me up."

Meanwhile, in Nurse Fontaine's office, Blair was sleeping peacefully. Thanks to Hope Dragon Bird's feathers and large wings, she provided a proper cushion for the Slifer Red Student.

"I'm worried about Blair," Bastion said. "The school doesn't have the proper resources to treat her. We must get back to our world before her condition worsens. I'm sure a real hospital would be more than capable of helping her."

"You're right," Jaden agreed. "But at least Ray let her borrow Hope Dragon Bird."

Blair stirred in her sleep, causing Hope Dragon Bird to nuzzle her. "I am glad to provide assistance to this young human girl," the dragon spoke up. "Any friend of my mistress is a friend of mine. However, I do not provide the proper healing supplies she needs, so I all I can do is make sure she is properly rested."

"You mustn't worry," Bastion advised. "It's clear that Blair appreciates your help."

"But there's gotta be something we can do," Jaden said. "Right, Ms. Fontaine?"

"Unfortunately we've run out of the medicine we need," Ms. Fontaine reported. She gave Jaden a small list. "Now unless you know where to find a first aid kit with all these medications, Blair's condition will only worsen."

Jaden looked at the list. "That's a pretty long list," he commented.

"Did she say 'first aid kit'?" Bastion checked. "The submarine! I saw one stranded in the desert. It must have a first aid kit on board!"

"You think Crowler will let us go?" Jaden wondered.

"Probably not," Bastion pointed out. "We better ask Ray to accompany us. Surely Crowler will let us go if she's with us."

Sure enough, he was right. Because she was one of his favorite students, there was no way Crowler wouldn’t let them go off in the desert on their own; besides, since there was a year difference between Ray, Jaden, and their friends’ ages, she is more than capable of being their chaperone.

"I see..." Crowler said once Jaden finished explaining. "Well as long as Ms. Akaba is accompanying you, I don't see a problem." He looked over at Ray. "But are you sure about this? Two of your dragons are currently busy."

"It's alright," Ray replied. "I still have Hope Dragon Wind and Hope Dragon Moon. I can duel with just them."

"Very well," Crowler decided. "Just make sure everyone comes back in one piece."

“Don’t worry,” Axel reassured. “If I’m with them, nothing’s gonna happen.”

“You got that right, mate,” Jim concurred. “You see, Axel and I have both recently taken dueling in the desert, one-on-one." He looked over at Axel. "Now show 'em what else we've got."

Axel took out some notebooks. "Student notebooks?" Syrus asked.

"Correct," Axel confirmed. "But once we've reconfigure their hard drives, we can use the notebooks as if they were global positioning homing beacons. Which will help guide us back to Duel Academy."

"Just don't take too long," Crowler advised. "It's bad enough the vice chancellor is fretting over one of the student's disappearance. I don't want any more students vanishing."

"It's alright, Dr. Crowler," Ray replied. "I'm sure we'll all make it back in one piece."

Moments later, the students departed the Academy and split up into two groups to carry out their mission. Jaden, Jesse, Ray, Axel, and Jim were all geared up and near the sandy dunes whereas Hassleberry, Syrus, Chazz, and Alexis were closer to the Academy’s entrance.

“So here’s the game plan: we’ll look for the first-aid kid and you guys guard Duel Academy,” Jaden proposed.

“Sure,” Chazz acknowledged. “If trouble comes looking for us, me and my Ojamas will handle it. Right?”

The Ojama trio cowered behind their boss, grabbing a hold on either his shoulder or resting on top of his spiky, black hair and whimpering out of fear. Unlike what usually happens when they tend to get like this, Chazz raised both eyebrows and had a surprised expression as his reaction; he should’ve seen that coming.

“I’m going with you, Jaden,” Adrian declared as he walked towards the group setting out to find the submarine.

“Okay, but I thought that you were hurt,” Jaden recalled.

“I’m feeling much better,” Adrian informed. “Plus, after Ray saved me from that Harpie, it’s the least I can do to say thanks.”

“Cool. Sounds good,” Jaden replied before turning his head to see Jesse. “We should head out.”

“Yeah,” Jesse responded as he nodded in agreement. “Let’s go find us a submarine.”

“You got it,” Adrian stated.

“Chazz, good luck,” Jaden encouraged.

“Luck is for losers,” Chazz retorted.

“See ya,” Hassleberry and Syrus both said, which was followed with the former giving some quick advice. “Duel first. Ask questions later.”

With all said and done, Jaden, Jesse, Ray, Axel, Adrian, and Jim all set out back into the sandy terrains in search of the submarine Bastion saw; given the path he took when they found him reuniting with the Duel Academy alumni, it would hopefully give them some kind of clue as to where it would be. Wherever it is, the first aid kit was absolutely essential if they wanted to patch up Blair’s abnormal scratch wound and bring her fever down. There’s no telling what will happen to her if her condition worsens.

Shortly after they initiated their expedition, Adrian went back into his thoughts again, determined to make sure the others don’t find out about his true colors. This excursion is providing the perfect cover for me to find that sub and cover my tracks ‘cause if these guys find out about that card I’m after, my plans could be in serious jeopardy, he internally monologued while turning around to look back at the Academy. And I can keep him happy by watching Jaden’s every move.

On top of the school’s structures, the demon-possessed Marcel was standing behind one of the walls, peeking on Adrian as the six students trailed further and further away. Everything was going according to plan. “Watch them well, Adrian. You work for me, now,” he commanded in a low voice so that no one hears him. He moved the attached demon arm out of his cloak and angled it at around 90 degrees, causing it to mutate it appearance. Bone-like features ingrained within its composition surfaced on top and expanded outward to form a custom Duel Disk that looked nothing like the ones made by KaibaCorp or the ones at Duel Academy.

“Now to send Jaden a little welcoming present,” “Marcel” schemed with his mouth forming an evil smirk and his voice sounding distorted once again. He took out a card and placed it onto one of his Monster Zones, reading it with a briefly lit green light.

"What now?" Jesse asked after a bit of wandering around.

"Well Jess," Jaden replied. "Since our Duel Monsters are real, I thought we'd just fly to the sub."

"I can take it from here," Ray said as she took out two cards from her deck. "I don't want any of your monsters to get involved in accidental duels."

"You sure?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Ray insisted. "My Hope Dragons should be big enough to fly us over there." She activated her Duel Disk and put her cards on it. "Come on out, Hope Dragon Wind and Hope Dragon Moon!"

The sky increased in brightness for a short time, enveloping the three suns as trails of lunar energy soared from over the horizon and flowed to where Ray was standing. It may be daytime where they are right now, but somewhere within the Duel Monsters dimension, it is already night because the moon never leaves the atmosphere. At the same time, gusts of winter winds sailed across the land and blew from below her feet, forming large tornadic spirals around her that sent smalls chills up her spine. The combination of the lunar energy and the winter winds condensed into one glowing white sphere with a windy atmosphere, almost like Neptune, until it imploded on itself and bursted out cold air coated with stars and snowflakes. As the smoke cleared, Hope Dragons Wind and Moon hovered side by side in the spot where the sphere once was.

"You want us to use your dragons as transportation?" Adrian asked.

"Aw, don't worry about it," Hope Dragon Wind reassured as she and Hope Dragon Moon knelt down. "We can carry all of you with ease."

"But please slow down, sister," Hope Dragon Moon advised as Ray climbed onto her clawed hand. "You tend to be a speedy flyer."

"Geez, I know!" Hope Dragon Wind. "I know better than to fly my usual way with humans on my back!"

"Come on, you two," Ray said. "We can worry about that later. Time to find that sub!"

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Behind The Album: Chinese Democracy (The History)

There exists only one way to describe the more than 10 year odyssey that was the album, Chinese Democracy, surreal. To put it into the words of a famous Doors song, strange days. Work on the album began in 1997 after a new lineup of the band has been confirmed upon the departure of Duff McKagan. The roster would change substantially throughout the next 10 years sometimes depending on the mood of Axl Rose. Geffen Records had hoped to release the album in 1999, but it was delayed again and again causing the budget to balloon to $13 million when it was all said and done. They pulled any financial backing of the album in 2005. This album became the most expensive one ever produced in the history of rock music. Many people, fans and writers alike, never thought that it would ever see the light of day. Writer Chuck Klosterman even wrote a fake review of it for April Fools’ Day for Spin Magazine calling it the greatest album ever made. Let me now take a look at the surreal odyssey that would probably be really hard to think up, if it had not happened for real.

The inspiration for the album began in 1994 when Axl Rose became quite enamored with electronica and industrial rock with an eye towards the work of Nine Inch Nails at that time. By 1997, lead guitarist Slash had already left the group leading Rose to replace him with Robin Finck. He was the touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails. That same year Matt Sorum was fired for objecting to the inclusion of Rose’s friend Paul Tobias in the band. He was replaced by Nine Inch Nails drummer, Chris Vrena. Yet, his tenure with the band did not last long, so he was replaced by Josh Freese. Former replacements bassist Tommy Stinson would replace Duff McKagan by 1998. Several producers were approached to help with the album including Steve Lilywhite and Rick Rubin. At one point, they even considered asking Moby to sign on as producer. Surprisingly, he had nothing but good things to say about the possibility of working on the album. “They're writing with a lot of loops, and believe it or not, they're doing it better than anybody I've heard lately." By the middle of 1998, the producer Youth was brought in to work on the album. Previously, he had worked on projects with U2 and the Verve. He immediately felt very pessimistic about any recording sessions that could occur because of Rose’s state of mind. “He kind of pulled out ... He was quite isolated. There weren't very many people I think he could trust. It was very difficult to penetrate the walls he'd built up." Youth quickly left the project after growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of interaction from Axl. For his part, the singer was still reeling from his break up in the mid-1990’s with Stephanie Seymour. He would go on to talk about this in a later interview saying he had stopped writing any music for a couple of years due to it. Rose completely disappeared from anything to do with the album, but he told recording engineers to write down any ideas other band members had for songs. He would receive CDs and data files each week that eventually were combined to make almost 1000 discs.

The goal of the album was to create a Guns N’ Roses record with an electronica influence. Mainstream media had described it repeatedly as an industrial rock album, but Rose argued with that assessment saying that many different genres would make up the album. In 1998, the band began working at Rumbo Studios in the San Fernando Valley, which was the same place that parts of Appetite For Destruction were recorded. Geffen Records had offered to pay the band $1 million to finish the album by March 1, 1999. This was on top of the initial payment of $1 million. Of course, the band completely missed that deadline, but by the spring of 1999 they had recorded 30 songs. Brian May had been brought in to play on the song “Catcher in the Rye.” His part was eventually removed, but nobody from the band told him that until the record was released in 2008. The album had been originally titled 2000 Intentions, but Axl changed it to Chinese Democracy in 1999. He would say, “There's a lot of Chinese democracy movements, and it's something that there's a lot of talk about, and it's something that will be nice to see. It could also just be like an ironic statement. I don't know, I just like the sound of it." According to Rose, the band had recorded enough material for two albums by 1999. Singer Sebastian Bach who contributed on the album said that Rose told him the initial plan. They were going to release one album, then tour for a year or two, then release a second album. The hope was to eventually release a trilogy of albums. At the end of 1999, GNR released their first song in several years as part of The End of Days soundtrack entitled, “Oh My God.” Reviews of the song were quite mixed as it did very little to increase the enthusiasm for the new album. The song had been personally selected by Jimmy Iovine, the head of Geffen/Interscope, after listening to all the tracks. At the same time, several members of the band left to join other projects. Robin Finck rejoined Nine Inch Nails, while drummer Josh Freese joined A Perfect Circle. Current producer Sean Beavan, who worked on 35 tracks, also left the project. In 2000, Axel said in a Rolling Stone interview that one big reason for the delays was the fact that he needed to learn the ProTools technology.

In early 2000, manager Doug Goldstein said that the album was 99% finished, which meant most likely a summer release. Yet, Rose hired Roy Thomas Baker as a new producer at that time, who persuaded him to completely re-record the entire album. Around the same time, he also hired a new guitarist by the name of Buckethead, who always wore a white mask and a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head when playing live. Based on Buckethead’s recommendation, a drummer by the name of Brain was hired to re-record all the previous drum parts from Freese. The issue had been that Axl wanted people currently in the band to be heard on the record, but the problem was Freese had done a very good job on all of the tracks. They essentially asked Brain to literally copy the style of the previous guy rather than use what had been produced in the first place.

In March 2001, Geffen head Jimmy Iovine hired Tom Zataut as a kind of middle man to get the band moving on finishing the album. The irony being that Zataut had been fired two years previously by Geffen. Yet, they brought him in because he had guided GNR successfully through other albums. At first, Rose did not want Zataut’s inclusion on the project. He did begin to change his mind was as he helped to re-create the opening drum sound of Nirvana‘s Never Mind for Rose. He was then welcomed with open arms after the approval by Axl’s personal psychic, who judged his aura based on photographs. The next crisis was that Buckethead decided to quit the band after the apparent lack of progress on the album. Zataut was able to convince him to return by building him a chicken coop within the recording studio, metal wires and all. The building of it was always downplayed as nothing serious, but a bit of a joke for Buckethead’s very unique sense of humor. A problem sprang up when he began to bother Axl in the studio by playing hardcore pornography too loudly in his chicken coop. Zataut also discovered that the band was spending almost $75,000 a day renting equipment that was not being used because Rose never came into the studio half the time. “These fucking people are getting paid shitloads of money and they're sitting on their arse doing nothing because Axl's not coming to the studio and they can't get him on the phone." In 2001, the band had completed 48 songs for the album, while they still had probably 5 to 10 more in development. Before the end of 2001, Rose fired Zataut because he failed to get him a private screening of the movie Blackhawk Down because Ridley Scott had asked if he could use “Welcome to the Jungle” in the film.

The band played the occasional live show as well including a headlining slot at Rock in Rio in 2001. In August 2002, they debuted their first new live song in over a decade playing “Madagascar” at the MTV Video Music Awards. That same month, Rose gave two conflicting statements to MTV about the status of the album. In one, he said they were just wrapping it up, while the other statement said that he would not use the word soon about its release. His reason for the delay now was the fact that the record company was not doing anything to help him as he had taken on many more responsibilities than previously on any other record. In the middle of 2003, they started to re-record the album once again. Tommy Stinson talked about why the album took so long to create. “What really happened was the record company stood back and left Axl to his own devices. He had to basically produce himself, and that's not what he (wanted to do)... the record company really dropped the ball on this one ... everything changed when Geffen merged with Interscope. Axl was told that Jimmy Iovine would play more of a role (than he did).” A sound engineer also had a particular insightful comment about the delays mentioning that Rose was too much of a perfectionist trying to make the greatest album ever made. There are going to be lengthy delays in that kind of attempt. By 2004, Buckethead had officially quit the group, but they were supposedly doing the masters at the end of the year. Another issue emerged at that time when the record company withdrew all funding for the album. They removed it from its release schedule and any future promotional efforts were abandoned. Rose would be required to fund the remainder of the album. Two years would pass before any news of note came from the band until early 2006 when several songs leaked online. Later that year, another song leaked within a Harley Davidson ad causing even more controversy. Leaks continued to come out for the next two years until the album was eventually released in 2008. Yet, the album did finally have a supposed release date of November 21, 2006. In anticipation of this, Rose held 10 listening parties throughout New York City showcasing some of the new tracks. In December, he quickly did a U-turn announcing that he needed more time to work on the album. The release date was pushed back to 2007, and for the first time there was an official date. Of course, the band missed this date as well.

By this time, Buckethead had been replaced by another guitarist with another unique name, Bumblefoot. The final vocals were recorded in January 2007 for the album, with the hope that it could be mixed by the end of the year for a Christmas release date. In January 2008, rumors spread all over the Internet that the album had actually been handed to Geffen Records. Yet, once again arguments between Rose and the record company ensued as they could not agree on any marketing plan for the album. In September 2008, the album had its first track released “Shackler’s Revenge” made available for the game, Rock Band 2. The full album would be released in October 2008. The fight with Geffen continued after the album's release. Rose did not give a full interview about the album until February 2009. There was literally zero promotion of the album except for advertisements for Best Buy, who exclusively sold the album. For his part, Rose refused to answer any phone calls or emails from the record company asking him to do anything related to promotion. Billboard would later report that both sides completely dropped the ball on the most anticipated rock record of the entire decade. In China, the album was banned because of the negative connotation the title had towards their treatment of government. In another development, Dr. Pepper had pledged to give anyone in the country a free Dr Pepper, if the album was released in 2008. Upon his release, they decided to maintain that pledge, but their servers crashed when too many people went on their site for a free coupon. This would end up in court as well as Rose blamed a part of the lack of promotion of the new album on Dr. Pepper’s failure to successfully manage this free giveaway. The group now went on tour for almost 3 years to promote the new album. They also needed to make money as their former manager had sued them for almost $2 million. The lawsuit was settled in 2011 for an undisclosed amount. The question now becomes as to whether the album was any good.

[marjaystuff]

Elise Cooper Interviews Melissa Senate

In The Cowboy Comeback, Amanda Jenkins and Holt Dalton's met at camp ten years ago. He was a poor 18-year-old who was only working in the kitchen of the camp because he was ordered to work there by a judge. Holt wasn't necessarily a criminal, but he did some very dumb things in his past. Amanda wasn't extremely rich by any means, but she was from a comfortable background. When camp ended, they parted. Life took them into two different directions where Amanda was leery of love, and Holt was left with a son whose Mother wanted nothing to do with the child. When they meet up again at an animal refuge/shelter they reconnected, in part because of his son. Amanda agrees to tutor him to help improve his reading.  As time goes by Amanda and Holt realize that they might want to rekindle their relationship.

The other book released this summer is A Family For A Week. Axel Dawson, Daisy’s brother is hailed as a hero after he found the heroine, Sadie's toddler son, who wandered off in the mountains. Sadie’s family decided to have a reunion at the Dawson Family Dude Ranch. After hearing her sister is now engaged, Sadie shares the news with her great grandmother. Having misheard, she thinks it's Sadie who's now engaged to Axel, who's already made clear that he's not interested in any such commitment. Too bad Sadie's dream to find the right man for herself and her son isn't going to happen with Axel, in spite of her hopes. But having been forced together Axel might be having second thoughts.

Elise Cooper: Children seem to play a large role in each book?

Melissa Senate: I love to write romances that feature babies and children and how they affect the hero and/or heroine. I’m particularly drawn to exploring how children change the characters’ outlooks on themselves, on life, and on their relationships.

EC:  In The Cowboy Comeback Robbie stole the story?

MS: It takes a village to raise Robbie with all of Holt’s family and Amanda. I’m touched to hear that Robbie stole the story even though he probably shouldn’t have! I felt so close to that little boy and his issues and troubles and triumphs. And I loved the idea of showing that Holt, his father, would need to actually let people close to him in order for Robbie to have the support he needed. This includes his family, even the ones Holt didn’t particularly get along with, like his father. I loved exploring how Robbie’s character helped facilitate the changes in their relationship.

EC: Please describe Robbie?

MS: A chatterbox, energetic, felt the loss of his absentee-mother.

EC: He is not a good reader-how many remember not being in the high reading group?

MS: Robbie’s mother left when he was very young and he grew up aware that his mother wasn’t in his life. I think Holt tried to compensate for that best he could, trying to be everything to Robbie. I really loved writing his devotion to his son—letting Robbie be the whirlwind he is while giving him guidance and protecting him from his gruff grandfather and from the way Robbie felt at school with his reading level. I remember when my son was in kindergarten and first grade and wasn’t learning to read as quickly as some kids in his class; he was so aware of it—that letter on the spine that told everyone what level he was. One thing I love so much about writing fiction is that you can fix anything that bothers you, and I gave Robbie back his confidence.

EC: How would you describe Holt?

MS: A good father, stubborn, the past affects his decisions. Definitely stubborn, a devoted father, but a man who can’t let go of his past and is letting it define him too much. Part of that is helped along because his father serves to remind Holt of who he used to be. And when he runs into Amanda, the girl from ten years ago, he let believe he was a different guy altogether. He never let on he was someone in trouble with the law or assigned to their summer camp by court order. She also reminds him of that guy he was and he gets stuck. Coupled with Robbie’s issues, Holt feels like he’s not getting life right. But Amanda—and his son’s love—helps him see he absolutely is.

EC: How would you describe Amanda?

MS: A bookworm, shy, someone who wants a child. Amanda is guarded because of a past heartbreak and I love how her concern for Holt’s son is at the forefront of her trying to ignore her fear of getting her heart broken by Holt again. She really cares about Robbie—and Holt. I like that she’s independent and knows what she wants, but there’s a lonely aspect to her characterization, and I was very happy when she gave into her love for Holt.

EC:  How would you describe the relationship in each book?

MS: “I’m you and you’re me” comes right from my love of the novel Wuthering Heights, which I read for the first time at 12. To be honest, my love of that book is all because of Heathcliff’s and Cathy’s relationship UNTIL he runs away and turns horrid. He overhears her supposedly disparaging him and runs off, missing the part where she says: “I am Heathcliff.” For Holt and Amanda, as 20 year olds, that was how they felt about each other. I’m you and you’re me. But now, ten years later, heartbreak and life do a number on them—avoidance, running away—until they find themselves so they can then find their way back to each other.

EC:  The Cowboy’s Comeback theme is about learning who you are and what are your strengths/weaknesses?

MS: I’d say the book’s heart is about self-acceptance and redemption and how, sometimes, the hardest person to prove everything to is yourself.

EC: Favorite things in both books-how much are yours and are real?

MS: I love this question. I love what a close reader you are and that you pick up on these elements!

EC; Happy Heart Animal Sanctuary real or based on something-are you a dog or cat person?

MS: There are real animal sanctuaries, quite a few in Maine. I love the idea of them. I’m both a dog and a cat person—I have one of each. A shepherd mix named Flash and a black and white cat named Cleo. The cat likes the dog more than the dog likes the cat; he’s a little afraid of her and doesn’t seem to understand what she is.

EC: Here are the topics and you can provide a quick answer?

MS: Wild West Ghosts Legends: I love adding legends to my books

Turkey and Provolone sandwich with French fries: I do a love a turkey and cheese on baguette with a side of fries. I wish I had that right now.

Western movies: Love all things western.

Marvel and DC movies: If my son, from the age of 6, hadn’t begged me to take him to see all these superhero movies, I would have never known how much I love them.

Orange color: I do love the color orange.

Favorite season: My favorite season is really fall, even though it becomes winter, and winter in Maine is only fun in December for the first few beautiful snowfalls, then it becomes unbearable until mid-April.

The Love Game: I’m pretty sure these types of games with probing personal questions for couples exist but I’m not sure!

EC: Do you like writing about single moms?

MS: I really do. I’ve been a single mom since my son was 4, and he just turned 18, so it’s a world I know well! There’s just a lot to probe about both a single mom with a lot on her plate, emotionally, financially, etc., and a hero who doesn’t think he has what it takes to be a good dad. I like changing his mind. ☺

EC: How would you describe Axel, Mcgorgeous?

MS: Ha, did I refer to him as McGorgeous? I don’t remember that! But I used to be a big Grey’s Anatomy watcher, so I’m sure I did. I’d describe Axel as feeling like he’s between lives, not quite comfortable in his new role on the family ranch, rocked by how much this single mother and her toddler son, who thinks of him as a hero, are coming to mean to him. They completely crack open his heart and world.

EC: How would you describe Sadie?

MS: Independent, sweet, kind, knows what she wants of life, forthright. Definitely independent, a single mother protective of her little boy and of her heart. I love how close she is with her family, the generations of strong women rallying around her.

EC: What role does Sadie’s family play and how would you describe them?

MS: I loved creating her family and that pushy, noisy, well-intended busybody type aunt and grandmother and great-grandmother are ones I know well! They’re in your face but when you’re upset or hurt, they’re the best people in the world to have around you.

EC: What role does Daisy play in the story?

MS: I love Daisy Dawson; she was a big part of the first book in the “Dawson Family Guest Ranch series” (For The Twins’ Sake), then had her own book in “Wyoming Special Delivery Series,” and maybe because she’s the only sister of six siblings, I give her a big presence in each book. She’s the glue of the Dawson family, demanding get-togethers and family dinners.

EC: Can you give a shout out about your next book in each series?

MS: My next book is the fifth book in the “Dawson Family Ranch series,” The Long-Awaited Christmas Wish, featuring Rex Dawson. He’s a burned out US Marshal who finds an message-in-a-bottle in containing a foster child’s fifteen-year old Christmas wish, and he has to know if her wish—to be adopted by a family—ever came true. He finds struggling single mother Maisey Clark much closer than he ever expected—working right on his family ranch, the last place he expected to return to. The other series, “Montana Mavericks: What Happened To Beatrix? Series,” which this book, The Cowboy’s Comeback is part of, continues on every month with a new book by a different author through December.

THANK YOU!!

[theshatteredrose]

If you're still taking requests, fluff with the guardian guild participating in valentines/white day?

AN: Firstly, sorry that I’m incredibly late and secondly I know you meant for this to be romantic, but I had the strongest urge to write some family fluff. After all, Valentine’s Day is about love in all its forms, right? Knowing me, I’ll probably write a follow-up anyway :3 Hope you enjoy reading nonetheless!

Family and Chocolate

Lynus had been working at his desk, going over a few of his research notes when Binah entered his room in a hurried, but playful manner and stopped near his desk, her arms folded behind her back.

“You know…” she began. “It’s a thing called Valentine’s Day tomorrow.”

Lynus glanced over at the wall where a calendar rested. “Hm. You’re right,” he said as he pushed back his chair and took to his feet. He already knew what the pink-haired troubadour was going to imply next, so there was no point in asking. “I wonder if Matron will mind me borrowing the kitchen.”

Binah giggled happily as she followed him out of the room. “At least Lynus don’t need no prodding. Whatcha going to make?”

“The other day Axel made the comment that he hadn’t had chocolate for ages,” Lynus replied as they descended the stairs. “I don’t know if it was a subtle hint, but I’ll take it.”

“Chocolate is so cliché.”

“And you’re just loving it, aren’t you?”

“Yes~” Binah giggled once more before she scampered off in the opposite direction of the kitchen, no doubt off to prod and badger the others of their guild.

Lynus watched until she was out of sight before he ventured into the kitchen. It was no surprise to find Matron there, fussing about, cleaning and clearing the area. What was a little bit of a surprise, though, was the mountain of ingredients on the centre counter.

Ingredients to make chocolate. A lot of chocolate.

Obviously, Binah and Becky, and ultimately Matron, too, had been eagerly waiting for Valentine’s Day to come.

“You’ve been expecting me?” Lynus asked as he lightly folded his arms over his torso, giving Matron a playfully suspicious look.

“Hm?” Matron murmured as she turned around to face him before breaking out into a huge smile and laughed. “Oh-ho, Binah tells me that you know your way around a kitchen,” she said simply.

“Indeed I do,” Lynus said, willing his mind not to automatically remember that the last kitchen he had stepped foot in was out of need and necessity, the simple task of preparing eatable food tinged with fear. “I’m no chef, but I can make sustainable food. You don’t mind?”

“Not at all!” Matron beamed as she wiped her hands on her apron and unexpectedly made her way to leave the kitchen. “I’ll leave you to it. I have a few chores to do. Don’t be afraid to ask mama for help!”

“I promise I won’t burn the kitchen down!” Lynus assured as the caretaker left the kitchen, leaving him alone.

Turning his attention to the piles of ingredients, Lynus took a moment to muse about what he should make.

He had made chocolate before, believe it or not. It was for Binah and Rahas’ sake, really. It had been Binah’s birthday and she had been silently lamenting that she was still living in the terrible nightmare as Taksony’s prisoner. In effort to make her forget, even for a little while, Lynus had snuck into the kitchen to get them something to eat, secretly raiding the pantry in order to make something with a hint of chocolate (her favourite food) in order to cheer the young girl up.

She was so grateful that she had cried, which startled Lynus in return as he hadn’t intended to make her cry. She treasured the moment, though and since then, chocolate had always been a symbol of peace even in the darkest of times for them.

Lynus was pulled from his thoughts when he heard someone shuffle into the kitchen and he turned around, expecting it to be Matron checking up on him, but he was slightly surprised to find Magnus looking at him with wide blue eyes.

“Ah, Magnus? Is there something wrong?” Lynus automatically asked.

Magnus shuffled nervously on his feet as he skittishly glanced around. “A-ah, um, y-you’re making chocolates?”

Deciding that he must have learnt that from Binah, Lynus smiled and nodded his head. “That’s right. For Axel as it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow.”

Magnus’ fidgeting increased and he wrung his hands together nervously in front of him. “…C-can I also…?”

“Hm?” Lynus tilted his head to the side, not quite hearing what Magnus had said. He quickly caught on, though, and smiled kindly at him. “Ah, you want to make some for Shen?”

Magnus automatically reached up toward his scarf and pulled it up to cover the lower half of his face. But he bravely nodded his head nonetheless.  “Of course,” Lynus said as he reached out toward the blond and pulled him to his side so that they were standing right next to each other. “I’ll help.”

“T-thank you,” Magnus said as he lowered his hands from his face, a tiny smile of relief and gratitude on his lips.

Lynus simply smiled at the adorable blond before turning his attention to rationing out the ingredients. He couldn’t help but notice, though, that there were more than enough ingredients. They could easily cater to two or three more people. Who else was Binah hoping to throw into the kitchen with him?

As many as she could, probably.

“Hey, something smells good. Whatcha doing?”

Upon hearing Macerio’s voice, Lynus paused in what he was doing to look over at the kitchen’s door, immediately spying the brown-haired gunner. “Making chocolates for Valentine’s Day tomorrow.”

“E-eh?” Macerio unexpectedly, but adorably all the same, spluttered and flushed lightly. “That’s tomorrow?”

“That’s right.”

“O-oh…”

Choosing not to point out how red his cheeks were becoming, Lynus instead gave Macerio a look of understanding. “We have plenty of ingredients. Want to make some for Lirit?”

Macerio looked momentarily startled at the suggestion and it was almost as if he wanted to deny that in some way, yet his tongue appeared to be tied with embarrassment. “A-ah…”

“You can use the excuse of thanking him for staying with you when you had that fever that time,” Lynus added for good measure.

Macerio glanced down at the floor for a moment, his face still flushed, before he sighed and nodded. “Alright,” he said as he made his way to stand on Lynus’ other side.

Knowing that any form of teasing might cause the gunner to turn on his heel and flee, Lynus stayed silent as he shared the ingredients with Macerio, helping him and Magnus to plan what kind of chocolates they were going to make. He found himself reassuring Magnus that they’ll use the kitchen’s stove instead of forcing him to use his fire magic and smacking Macerio’s hand every now and again when the other tried to sample the materials to ‘see if they were as fresh as they looked’.

“What are you lot doing in here?”

Once again turning his attention to the door into the kitchen, Lynus had to admit that he was surprised to find Tobyn standing just inside the kitchen, his hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, his scarf and hat missing. Binah must have caught him while he was also working and harped on him enough to get him to at least step inside the kitchen. She mustn’t have told them what they were doing, though.

Ah, she probably knew that if she did, the survivalist would turn and flee in the opposite direction.

“Making chocolates for Valentine’s Day tomorrow,” Lynus explained to him before indicating to the empty space next to Macerio. “Do you want to join us?”

Tobyn, surprisingly, seemed to pale at the thought. Either he had forgotten about Valentine’s Day tomorrow or he was internally struggling with the idea of doing something romantic, still caught up in the concept that survivalists were meant to be loners. “Well…”

Hugging the mixing bowl against his chest, Macerio momentarily paused in his work to glance over at the survivalist. “What kind of chocolate does Jhon even like?” he unexpectedly asked.

“Dark chocolate,” Tobyn immediately replied, only to twitch, his eyes narrowing when Macerio smirked smugly at him.

Lynus laughed softly at the two before shaking his head slightly. “There are plenty of ingredients, so you’re free to join.”

“Oh, all right,” Tobyn said, giving in relatively quickly as he rolled up his sleeves and moved to the counter beside Macerio, nudging him with his elbow. “That gunner wouldn’t stop harping on me if I didn’t, would you?”

Macerio continued to grin. “Absolutely not.”

Lynus simply smiled once again as he handed Tobyn a portion of the ingredients.

Surrounded by three of his guildmates, he couldn’t help but muse about how nice it felt. How peaceful it was to be standing in a kitchen with his family, making chocolates together as they bantered and talked comfortably. The last kitchen he was in was dark and full of fear. This one…was light, filled with warmth and security.

He had…come such a long way.

“Move it! You’ve got to participate, too!”

“No I don’t!”

Startled from his thoughts by two familiar voices, Lynus found himself turning around to look over at the doorway once more. “Rahas?” he murmured when he gazes locked with that of the white-haired dark hunter.

“What?” Rahas asked as he looked away, ignoring the way Binah was fruitlessly tugging on his arm to pull him further into the kitchen.

Lynus glanced at the others in the kitchen, then at Binah, before finally turning his attention back to Rahas. The others were…thankfully unbothered by Rahas’ appearance and Binah was still trying to push him into spending more time with others rather than on his own. It appeared as if…the others of their guild didn’t know of the tension between them or was being mindful not to appear that way.

Whatever the reason, Lynus was grateful. They weren’t isolating Rahas from the guild, he was doing that himself. And he didn’t have to. Not because of Lynus.

“Why don’t you join us?” Lynus asked kindly. “This has turned into a family event, after all.”

Rahas looked surprised, his eyes flickering up to meet his before he looked away, defiantly. “Who am I supposed to make chocolates for?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest when Binah finally let go of his wrist to instead face him with her hands on her hips in an irritated manner.

“Whoever you want,” Lynus said in response.

“There’s always Simmons~” Binah said in a sing-song voice.

Lynus winced slightly, half expecting Rahas to shout something about not caring about ‘that blue-haired idiot’. Instead, he noticed as a grimace of guilt appear on Rahas’ face and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of concern wash over him. He wasn’t going to ask him about it now, though. Not in front of everyone.

“Actually, that would be a good idea,” Lynus said instead in regards to Binah’s suggestion. “I’m sure he’d appreciate some chocolates. It’ll be a surprise.”

“As far as I know,” Tobyn suddenly spoke up. “He had never received any chocolate before.”

Macerio snorted lightly. “He probably doesn’t even know what Valentine’s Day is.”

“True.”

“Don’t be rude, you two,” Lynus chided.

“T-that’s kinda sad,” Magnus murmured as he slowly stirred his ingredients together. “E-everyone should get chocolates.”

Rahas, however, still looked defiant. “Still not convinced in joining.”

“Oh, stop resisting and join them already!” Binah scolded as she stomped her foot down. “This is what family does. And you’re family, right?”

“Wha-?”

“Right,” Lynus said before Rahas had the chance to rebuke the statement in anyway. “This is exactly what a family does.”

Rahas roughly ran his hand through his hair, clearly out numbered. There was still the chance that he would turn on his heel and storm away, though. “Argh, fine,” he surprisingly said as he sulked closer. “I’ll make the idiot some chocolate. Only because you told me to.”

Lynus felt a rush of relief when Rahas made his way to the counter, standing on the other side of Tobyn, but with some distance between them.

“Yay!” Binah cheered before skipping from the room. “I’ll go keep the others away now.”

Still carrying his bowl of ingredients, Macerio pushed his way between Tobyn and Rahas, standing shoulder to shoulder with the dark hunter. “You could always put some chili in it.”

“Macerio,” Lynus warned as he gathered ingredients for Rahas.

Rahas held his chin as if considering it. “…Do we have any?”

Lynus sent the dark hunter a maternal warning look. “Rahas.”

Macerio sniggered while Rahas tried to suppress an amused smirk as he took his portion of the ingredients.

Rahas still appeared standoffish, but Lynus could see the tension in his shoulders had lessened. He was glad that Macerio regarded him the same as he usually did. And it was clear that Rahas didn’t want to isolate himself. Whether that was a conscious thought or a subconscious one, he wouldn’t have agreed to be standing in the kitchen with four of his guildmates if he wanted nothing to do with them.

Though it still pained Lynus to think that Rahas was avoiding him, he understood why completely. For better or worse, things had changed between them. Lynus knew it was somewhat selfish on his part to ask Rahas to continue seeing him as a brother when he had confessed to be in love with him. It wasn’t fair on Rahas having to watch and put up with his displays of affection with Axel. But, it was also unfair for Lynus to limit his interactions and moments of affection with Axel in order to please Rahas.

It was a no-win situation for everyone involved, really. All Lynus could do was hope that Rahas would come to understand and accept that Lynus would only ever see him as a brother. And that he would learn to love someone else, someone who would love him as he deserved in return.

Lynus was pulled from his musings when Tobyn reached across the counter to grab something, unintentionally leaning in close toward him. It didn’t bother Lynus in the slightest and he simply leaned back slightly to allow him room. But he found himself stilling when Tobyn spoke into his ear.

“Did something happen between you and Rahas?”

Lynus stiffened from surprise before he turned to regard the other man. “Oh? Well…can you tell?” he asked with a slightly guilty smile.

“There’s obvious tension there,” Tobyn replied quietly as he pulled back.

Lynus sighed as he glanced down at his hands, at the chocolates he had been preparing. “It’s…a long story,” he said before he cast a quick glance over in Rahas’ direction and a sense of determination appeared in his chest. “Could…could you distract Macerio for me? I want to try to speak to Rahas.”

Tobyn didn’t ask why or what, thankfully, he just nodded his head. “Sure,” he said before he straightened up and glanced over at the brown-haired gunner. “Hey, Macerio. Can’t help but notice both Lirit and Rahas have gained a few inches on you.”

“What?!” Macerio shrilled as he bristled wildly and spun around to face Tobyn. “Why did you bring that up? Are you trying to pick a fight with me? Huh?”

Tobyn snorted lightly. “Intimidation has never been your strong point.”

Macerio immediately made his way to stand right next to Tobyn, trying to get into his personal space. “Yeah, well, takes one to know one.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“I don’t know!”

Lynus smiled at the bickering pair as he quietly picked up his ingredients and made his way to the other side of the two, to stand next to Rahas. As he set his materials down, he felt Rahas stiffen slightly and turn his full attention to what he was making.

“Is everything all right, Rahas?” Lynus asked softly.

“Fine,” came Rahas’ terse response.

Lynus hesitated for a moment to glance over at the other occupants in the kitchen. Satisfied that they were distracted he turned back toward Rahas. “…Can I say something?”

“What?”

Lynus drew a deep breath before continuing. “I know there has been some tension between us lately and I understand why, I truly do. I just want you to know that I won’t abandon you. You will always be a brother to me and I hope that you’ll one day understand that you feel the same about me. I’m…also glad that you’ve been spending time with Simmons, but don’t forget that the Guardians are here for you, too. You can open up to any of us. When you’re ready.”

Rahas was silent for the longest time and Lynus felt slightly dejected at the lack of response. However, he wasn’t giving up. He would persevere for as long as needed. He was about to say something more when Rahas unexpectedly sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand as he leaned against the counter with the other.

“I know,” he said before he shook his head. “Lynus, listen, about Simmons.”

Lynus tilted his head to the side in concern. “Is there something wrong?”

Rahas sighed as he dropped his hand from his nose and stood up straight. “…No, don’t worry about it.”

Lynus wasn’t convinced. “…How about we talk about it later?”

Surprisingly, Rahas nodded his head. “Yeah, all right.”

Lynus hoped he meant that and wasn’t just saying it to get him off of his back.

“What’s prompting you to make chocolates for Lirit, anyway?” Tobyn suddenly questioned loudly, prompting Lynus to abruptly remember that he and Rahas weren’t alone in the kitchen.

“Ah, well, you know…” Macerio stuttered, blushing lightly.

Looking up from his work, Magnus smiled before he explained, “Lirit played his lute outside his window.”

Tobyn looked positively surprised. “What?”

“N-not because of that!” Macerio immediately insisted.

“Yeah, romantic as shit,” Rahas added in a mockingly disgruntled way. “Nauseating as well.”

“I-it wasn’t!”

Tobyn frowned in a sense of protectiveness. “When did that happen?”

“It doesn’t matter!”

“The other day when Macerio had a fever,” Lynus helpfully answered.

Tobyn nodded his head slightly before a twitch appeared under his eye. He liked to play off that he was constantly annoyed with Macerio, but it was fairly obvious that he had grown brotherly protective of him. “Lirit, huh. That troubadour has guts, I must admit.”

“Are you making fun of me?” Macerio all but whined.

“Of course not,” Lynus said as he placed a comforting hand on Macerio’s shoulder. “I thought it was very sweet of Lirit to do something like that for you. I can’t imagine Axel doing something like that, to be honest. Well, Axel himself is a little too honest, sometimes.”

Tobyn nodded his head, this time in agreement. “I can’t imagine Jhon doing it, either.”

“S-Shen wouldn’t,” Magnus added with a deep blush to his cheeks. “I-I don’t think I want him to.”

Macerio laughed for a moment. “Can’t even imagine it,” he said before he side-glanced over at Rahas. “Simmons probably would.”

Rahas immediately snapped his attention to the gunner and glared at him. “If you give him the idea I will make your life a living hell.”

Macerio sent him a mischievous grin. “I’m sure it would be worth it.”

“Ah!” Magnus suddenly squeaked.

“What’s wrong?” Lynus immediately asked as he turned to give the blond-haired alchemist his full attention.

Though his cheeks were beet-red, Magnus looked distinctly unwell. “I-I just realised that I-I’ll have to give Shen these chocolates…” he whispered with a sense of horror and fear in his voice.

For a short moment, Lynus could only stare at the blond before his expression softened and he made his way to stand next to Magnus to offer him some reassurance. “Well, that’s what’s traditionally accepted.”

Magnus tugged at his scarf and shook his head. “I don’t think I can…”

“Now, you’ll be fine,” Lynus said gently yet firmly as he placed a hand on Magnus’ arm and gave it a comforting squeeze. “Shen will readily accept anything you give him. In fact, I think the all the recipients of these chocolates will be happily surprised. You’ll see.”

[endlessarchite]

An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway)

Once established, overwintering hydrangeas is incredibly easy — just remember these few important tips, and you’ll have beautiful blooms in the spring!

As most of you guys already know, I’ve been working pretty hard on upgrading my back yard this year. One of the first things I did back in the spring was convert a small corner of the yard into a beautiful new hydrangea garden (one of my favorite flowers) with the help of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. Since their growing season is going to end soon, I thought I’d revisit this area one more time with some tips on how to protect them over the winter. This is one of those gardening habits that if you do it right, they will come back really strong in the spring and produce more blooms (which is definitely what I want!). The tip I want you to burn in your brains? Remember August 1st.

(Can you tell one of my friends just got married?? Ha!)

First, let’s go back and look at where I left off on this area during the summer: the Bloomstruck variety is what I chose to grow in the corner. I have the Endless Summer Original variety in other areas of the house and LOVE how their plants bloom and re-bloom from spring to summer, so it’s why I chose to partner with them this year and try out a different variety that’s supposed to come in a bit moodier (the color difference should be fun for bouquets!). During the summer, I checked in to see how things were growing, but you also probably picked up on the fact that I was planning on adding edging stones and gravel right in front of the tea olive tree in the center (aka, the site for my future reading bench once the tea olive grows in a little bigger!).

It’s been a super wet growing season here in Atlanta, so even though I cut off the drip hose some time ago, the hydrangea leaves have recently developed spots (signs of a fungal disease that can be brought on when things get too wet). I was hoping that they’d grow like crazy in their first season (as they often do), but bloom production is impacted by things like disease, overwatering, etc. so I’m giving them some extra care this fall to set them up for a strong recovery (the spots can be treated with a spray/fungicide, but since we’re so close to when they’ll go dormant for the winter, I’m going to just rake up the diseased leaves when they fall off over the winter and treat in the spring if it still needs it… which may not be necessary since taking off the diseased leaves will lessen the spread).

Tip: for more care tips, Endless Summer has a list of overwintering care tips and a text program to provide timely care reminders (Text ENDLESSSUMMER to 73095 — note that this is not for marketing purposes, it just provides care instructions throughout the season).

Despite this unfortunate development from all of the rain, that’s specifically what I love about these plants: they can take a beating but still come back happy the next season and will bloom despite what nature (and coughcough, a bumbling, negligent gardener) has to throw at them.

They are still blooming and forming buds and will start to show off their fall colors soon (they bloom really vibrant purpley-blue in the summer but toward the fall will take on more greenish/red coloring).

Just to give you a sneak peek of that, here’s what the Original variety has looked in my garden in years past (the Bloomstruck kind will come in a little darker/deeper in color):

FYI, I’m still getting beautiful bouquets out of these flowers, so I’ll have another post about that (specifically the process of how I get great quality phone pictures of my garden bouquets like this one).

And remember how I said to note August 1st as an important date? It’s because these varieties are cultivated to grow on both new and old growth the following year — so to get the most blooms the next season, I avoid cutting them after August 1st (de-leafing the diseased parts is one thing, but I don’t cut back the stems). As you can see in the pic below, they’re headed for a strong comeback. Honestly, the fact that avoiding the extra work of pruning my plants actually makes them better off is one of the reasons I like these as much as I do!

Ok, back to the rest of the garden area updates: with my new discovery for inexpensive gravel material, I switched gears about halfway through filling in the gravel area right in front of the garden. I started with marble chips that came bag by bag ($$$) in favor of a larger quantity of crushed granite that is much easier on the wallet ($15 for a half ton!). When the material is wet, the color difference is much more apparent, but when dry, there really isn’t a noticeable change at all (and in time as I fill in each season it will all mix enough to where there’s no difference):

Wet gravel:

Dry(er) gravel:

I purchased some edging stones I like a lot better than the red scalloped edging that is so abundant with my yard (I’ve dug it up in so many places) and added a new thick layer of mulch to the garden to help with overwintering (in colder climates, you actually pile the mulch on even thicker, but since it’s still pretty warm here for the next few weeks, I’ve added about 2 more inches which has done well for the other garden areas in years past).

Between this and the landscaping fabric, there is a clear division between the gravel area and the garden behind it, and I’ll eventually add in a DIY bench to create a cute little nook (I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to build the whole thing or restore one of those old wrought iron benches). In my mind, I’m happily sitting in this area a few seasons from now with a favorite book (or at least typing on my laptop in an outdoor setting). In my experience, years 2 and 3 can lead to some massive growth as long as things are healthy, so I’m really looking forward to seeing everything explode with color next year (the tea olive will also eventually bloom with little white, fragrant flowers, so that will be a beautiful mix IMO).

I still plan to add fencing to one side to cover up the chain link (see here for how I’ve already started removing the chain link from other areas of the back yard), so that plan is in the works too and should have an update soon.

And now… time for another giveaway! My favorite sponsored posts are ones where I get to do a huge overhaul but also where you guys can score some free stuff too, so I’m very happy overall to have partnered with Endless Summer this year for not one, but three separate giveaways. Here’s this round’s set of prizes:

Endless Summer Hydrangeas – Life in Full Bloom giveaway

Prize: One (1) prepaid $50.00 Visa gift card and (1) pair of Endless Summer branded gardening gloves

Giveaway ends: September 20th at 11:59pm

To enter: leave a comment on this blog post answering the question below and mark the Rafflecopter widget that you’ve entered so I have your contact info!

Comment with your answer: What are you most looking forward to about fall?

Ready? Go! Good luck, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. The opinions and text are all mine.

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An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway) published first on http://ift.tt/2qxZz2j

[darwinbigelow]

An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway)

Once established, overwintering hydrangeas is incredibly easy — just remember these few important tips, and you’ll have beautiful blooms in the spring!

As most of you guys already know, I’ve been working pretty hard on upgrading my back yard this year. One of the first things I did back in the spring was convert a small corner of the yard into a beautiful new hydrangea garden (one of my favorite flowers) with the help of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. Since their growing season is going to end soon, I thought I’d revisit this area one more time with some tips on how to protect them over the winter. This is one of those gardening habits that if you do it right, they will come back really strong in the spring and produce more blooms (which is definitely what I want!). The tip I want you to burn in your brains? Remember August 1st.

(Can you tell one of my friends just got married?? Ha!)

First, let’s go back and look at where I left off on this area during the summer: the Bloomstruck variety is what I chose to grow in the corner. I have the Endless Summer Original variety in other areas of the house and LOVE how their plants bloom and re-bloom from spring to summer, so it’s why I chose to partner with them this year and try out a different variety that’s supposed to come in a bit moodier (the color difference should be fun for bouquets!). During the summer, I checked in to see how things were growing, but you also probably picked up on the fact that I was planning on adding edging stones and gravel right in front of the tea olive tree in the center (aka, the site for my future reading bench once the tea olive grows in a little bigger!).

It’s been a super wet growing season here in Atlanta, so even though I cut off the drip hose some time ago, the hydrangea leaves have recently developed spots (signs of a fungal disease that can be brought on when things get too wet). I was hoping that they’d grow like crazy in their first season (as they often do), but bloom production is impacted by things like disease, overwatering, etc. so I’m giving them some extra care this fall to set them up for a strong recovery (the spots can be treated with a spray/fungicide, but since we’re so close to when they’ll go dormant for the winter, I’m going to just rake up the diseased leaves when they fall off over the winter and treat in the spring if it still needs it… which may not be necessary since taking off the diseased leaves will lessen the spread).

Tip: for more care tips, Endless Summer has a list of overwintering care tips and a text program to provide timely care reminders (Text ENDLESSSUMMER to 73095 — note that this is not for marketing purposes, it just provides care instructions throughout the season).

Despite this unfortunate development from all of the rain, that’s specifically what I love about these plants: they can take a beating but still come back happy the next season and will bloom despite what nature (and coughcough, a bumbling, negligent gardener) has to throw at them.

They are still blooming and forming buds and will start to show off their fall colors soon (they bloom really vibrant purpley-blue in the summer but toward the fall will take on more greenish/red coloring).

Just to give you a sneak peek of that, here’s what the Original variety has looked in my garden in years past (the Bloomstruck kind will come in a little darker/deeper in color):

FYI, I’m still getting beautiful bouquets out of these flowers, so I’ll have another post about that (specifically the process of how I get great quality phone pictures of my garden bouquets like this one).

And remember how I said to note August 1st as an important date? It’s because these varieties are cultivated to grow on both new and old growth the following year — so to get the most blooms the next season, I avoid cutting them after August 1st (de-leafing the diseased parts is one thing, but I don’t cut back the stems). As you can see in the pic below, they’re headed for a strong comeback. Honestly, the fact that avoiding the extra work of pruning my plants actually makes them better off is one of the reasons I like these as much as I do!

Ok, back to the rest of the garden area updates: with my new discovery for inexpensive gravel material, I switched gears about halfway through filling in the gravel area right in front of the garden. I started with marble chips that came bag by bag ($$$) in favor of a larger quantity of crushed granite that is much easier on the wallet ($15 for a half ton!). When the material is wet, the color difference is much more apparent, but when dry, there really isn’t a noticeable change at all (and in time as I fill in each season it will all mix enough to where there’s no difference):

Wet gravel:

Dry(er) gravel:

I purchased some edging stones I like a lot better than the red scalloped edging that is so abundant with my yard (I’ve dug it up in so many places) and added a new thick layer of mulch to the garden to help with overwintering (in colder climates, you actually pile the mulch on even thicker, but since it’s still pretty warm here for the next few weeks, I’ve added about 2 more inches which has done well for the other garden areas in years past).

Between this and the landscaping fabric, there is a clear division between the gravel area and the garden behind it, and I’ll eventually add in a DIY bench to create a cute little nook (I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to build the whole thing or restore one of those old wrought iron benches). In my mind, I’m happily sitting in this area a few seasons from now with a favorite book (or at least typing on my laptop in an outdoor setting). In my experience, years 2 and 3 can lead to some massive growth as long as things are healthy, so I’m really looking forward to seeing everything explode with color next year (the tea olive will also eventually bloom with little white, fragrant flowers, so that will be a beautiful mix IMO).

I still plan to add fencing to one side to cover up the chain link (see here for how I’ve already started removing the chain link from other areas of the back yard), so that plan is in the works too and should have an update soon.

And now… time for another giveaway! My favorite sponsored posts are ones where I get to do a huge overhaul but also where you guys can score some free stuff too, so I’m very happy overall to have partnered with Endless Summer this year for not one, but three separate giveaways. Here’s this round’s set of prizes:

Endless Summer Hydrangeas – Life in Full Bloom giveaway

Prize: One (1) prepaid $50.00 Visa gift card and (1) pair of Endless Summer branded gardening gloves

Giveaway ends: September 20th at 11:59pm

To enter: leave a comment on this blog post answering the question below and mark the Rafflecopter widget that you’ve entered so I have your contact info!

Comment with your answer: What are you most looking forward to about fall?

Ready? Go! Good luck, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. The opinions and text are all mine.

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from Home Improvement https://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/important-date-overwintering-hydrangeas-corner-garden-update-giveaway/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[thoughtfuldreambarbarian]

An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway)

Once established, overwintering hydrangeas is incredibly easy - just remember these few important tips, and you'll have beautiful blooms in the spring!

As most of you guys already know, I've been working pretty hard on upgrading my back yard this year. One of the first things I did back in the spring was convert a small corner of the yard into a beautiful new hydrangea garden (one of my favorite flowers) with the help of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. Since their growing season is going to end soon, I thought I'd revisit this area one more time with some tips on how to protect them over the winter. This is one of those gardening habits that if you do it right, they will come back really strong in the spring and produce more blooms (which is definitely what I want!). The tip I want you to burn in your brains? Remember August 1st.

(Can you tell one of my friends just got married?? Ha!)

First, let's go back and look at where I left off on this area during the summer: the Bloomstruck variety is what I chose to grow in the corner. I have the Endless Summer Original variety in other areas of the house and LOVE how their plants bloom and re-bloom from spring to summer, so it's why I chose to partner with them this year and try out a different variety that's supposed to come in a bit moodier (the color difference should be fun for bouquets!). During the summer, I checked in to see how things were growing, but you also probably picked up on the fact that I was planning on adding edging stones and gravel right in front of the tea olive tree in the center (aka, the site for my future reading bench once the tea olive grows in a little bigger!).

It's been a super wet growing season here in Atlanta, so even though I cut off the drip hose some time ago, the hydrangea leaves have recently developed spots (signs of a fungal disease that can be brought on when things get too wet). I was hoping that they'd grow like crazy in their first season (as they often do), but bloom production is impacted by things like disease, overwatering, etc. so I'm giving them some extra care this fall to set them up for a strong recovery (the spots can be treated with a spray/fungicide, but since we're so close to when they'll go dormant for the winter, I'm going to just rake up the diseased leaves when they fall off over the winter and treat in the spring if it still needs it which may not be necessary since taking off the diseased leaves will lessen the spread).

Tip: for more care tips, Endless Summer has a list of overwintering care tips and a text program to provide timely care reminders (Text ENDLESSSUMMER to 73095 - note that this is not for marketing purposes, it just provides care instructions throughout the season).

Despite this unfortunate development from all of the rain, that's specifically what I love about these plants: they can take a beating but still come back happy the next season and will bloom despite what nature (and coughcough, a bumbling, negligent gardener) has to throw at them.

They are still blooming and forming buds and will start to show off their fall colors soon (they bloom really vibrant purpley-blue in the summer but toward the fall will take on more greenish/red coloring).

Just to give you a sneak peek of that, here's what the Original variety has looked in my garden in years past(the Bloomstruck kind will come in a little darker/deeper in color):

FYI, I'm still getting beautiful bouquets out of these flowers, so I'll have another post about that (specifically the process of how I get great quality phone pictures of my garden bouquets like this one).

And remember how I said to note August 1st as an important date? It's because these varieties are cultivated to grow on both new and old growth the following year - so to get the most blooms the next season, I avoid cutting them after August 1st (de-leafing the diseased parts is one thing, but I don't cut back the stems). As you can see in the pic below, they're headed for a strong comeback. Honestly, the fact that avoiding the extra work of pruning my plants actually makes them better off is one of the reasons I like these as much as I do!

Ok, back to the rest of the garden area updates: with my new discovery for inexpensive gravel material, I switched gears about halfway through filling in the gravel area right in front of the garden. I started with marble chips that came bag by bag ($$$) in favor of a larger quantity of crushed granite that is much easier on the wallet ($15 for a half ton!). When the material is wet, the color difference is much more apparent, but when dry, there really isn't a noticeable change at all (and in time as I fill in each season it will all mix enough to where there's no difference):

Wet gravel:

Dry(er) gravel:

I purchased some edging stones I like a lot better than the red scalloped edging that is so abundant with my yard (I've dug it up in so many places) and added a new thick layer of mulch to the garden to help with overwintering (in colder climates, you actually pile the mulch on even thicker, but since it's still pretty warm here for the next few weeks, I've added about 2 more inches which has done well for the other garden areas in years past).

Between this and the landscaping fabric, there is a clear division between the gravel area and the garden behind it, and I'll eventually add in a DIY bench to create a cute little nook (I haven't yet decided if I'm going to build the whole thing or restore one of those old wrought iron benches). In my mind, I'm happily sitting in this area a few seasons from now with a favorite book (or at least typing on my laptop in an outdoor setting). In my experience, years 2 and 3 can lead to some massive growth as long as things are healthy, so I'm really looking forward to seeing everything explode with color next year (the tea olive will also eventually bloom with little white, fragrant flowers, so that will be a beautiful mix IMO).

I still plan to add fencing to one side to cover up the chain link (see herefor how I've already started removing the chain link from other areas of the back yard), so that plan is in the works too and should have an update soon.

And now time for another giveaway! My favorite sponsored posts are ones where I get to do a huge overhaul but also where you guys can score some free stuff too, so I'm very happy overall to have partnered with Endless Summer this year for not one, but three separate giveaways. Here's this round's set of prizes:

Endless Summer Hydrangeas Life in Full Bloom giveaway

Prize:One (1) prepaid $50.00 Visa gift card and(1) pair of Endless Summer branded gardening gloves

Giveaway ends: September 20th at 11:59pm

To enter: leave a comment on this blog post answering the question below and mark the Rafflecopter widget that you've entered so I have your contact info!

Comment with your answer: What are you most looking forward to about fall?

Ready? Go! Good luck, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. The opinions and text are all mine.

var ts=document.getElementById('ti-pixel-tracker'); var axel = Math.random() + ""; var num = axel * 1000000000000000000; var ti=document.createElement("img"); ti.style.display="none"; ti.src="https://tracking.tapinfluence.com/trk/EHBn4/yAmfT/p.png?p=1deZh" + String.fromCharCode(38) + "i=DYhnP" + String.fromCharCode(38) + "ord="+ num + String.fromCharCode(38) + "s=" + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer); ts.parentNode.replaceChild(ti,ts); JSON.stringify({"program_id":"c733316c-e891-11e6-92d8-22000a7d00a4","post_id":"67556754-1ee9-11e7-8d01-22000a7d00a4"});

The post An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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[nchomeimprovement]

An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway)

Once established, overwintering hydrangeas is incredibly easy — just remember these few important tips, and you’ll have beautiful blooms in the spring!

As most of you guys already know, I’ve been working pretty hard on upgrading my back yard this year. One of the first things I did back in the spring was convert a small corner of the yard into a beautiful new hydrangea garden (one of my favorite flowers) with the help of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. Since their growing season is going to end soon, I thought I’d revisit this area one more time with some tips on how to protect them over the winter. This is one of those gardening habits that if you do it right, they will come back really strong in the spring and produce more blooms (which is definitely what I want!). The tip I want you to burn in your brains? Remember August 1st.

(Can you tell one of my friends just got married?? Ha!)

First, let’s go back and look at where I left off on this area during the summer: the Bloomstruck variety is what I chose to grow in the corner. I have the Endless Summer Original variety in other areas of the house and LOVE how their plants bloom and re-bloom from spring to summer, so it’s why I chose to partner with them this year and try out a different variety that’s supposed to come in a bit moodier (the color difference should be fun for bouquets!). During the summer, I checked in to see how things were growing, but you also probably picked up on the fact that I was planning on adding edging stones and gravel right in front of the tea olive tree in the center (aka, the site for my future reading bench once the tea olive grows in a little bigger!).

It’s been a super wet growing season here in Atlanta, so even though I cut off the drip hose some time ago, the hydrangea leaves have recently developed spots (signs of a fungal disease that can be brought on when things get too wet). I was hoping that they’d grow like crazy in their first season (as they often do), but bloom production is impacted by things like disease, overwatering, etc. so I’m giving them some extra care this fall to set them up for a strong recovery (the spots can be treated with a spray/fungicide, but since we’re so close to when they’ll go dormant for the winter, I’m going to just rake up the diseased leaves when they fall off over the winter and treat in the spring if it still needs it… which may not be necessary since taking off the diseased leaves will lessen the spread).

Tip: for more care tips, Endless Summer has a list of overwintering care tips and a text program to provide timely care reminders (Text ENDLESSSUMMER to 73095 — note that this is not for marketing purposes, it just provides care instructions throughout the season).

Despite this unfortunate development from all of the rain, that’s specifically what I love about these plants: they can take a beating but still come back happy the next season and will bloom despite what nature (and coughcough, a bumbling, negligent gardener) has to throw at them.

They are still blooming and forming buds and will start to show off their fall colors soon (they bloom really vibrant purpley-blue in the summer but toward the fall will take on more greenish/red coloring).

Just to give you a sneak peek of that, here’s what the Original variety has looked in my garden in years past (the Bloomstruck kind will come in a little darker/deeper in color):

FYI, I’m still getting beautiful bouquets out of these flowers, so I’ll have another post about that (specifically the process of how I get great quality phone pictures of my garden bouquets like this one).

And remember how I said to note August 1st as an important date? It’s because these varieties are cultivated to grow on both new and old growth the following year — so to get the most blooms the next season, I avoid cutting them after August 1st (de-leafing the diseased parts is one thing, but I don’t cut back the stems). As you can see in the pic below, they’re headed for a strong comeback. Honestly, the fact that avoiding the extra work of pruning my plants actually makes them better off is one of the reasons I like these as much as I do!

Ok, back to the rest of the garden area updates: with my new discovery for inexpensive gravel material, I switched gears about halfway through filling in the gravel area right in front of the garden. I started with marble chips that came bag by bag ($$$) in favor of a larger quantity of crushed granite that is much easier on the wallet ($15 for a half ton!). When the material is wet, the color difference is much more apparent, but when dry, there really isn’t a noticeable change at all (and in time as I fill in each season it will all mix enough to where there’s no difference):

Wet gravel:

Dry(er) gravel:

I purchased some edging stones I like a lot better than the red scalloped edging that is so abundant with my yard (I’ve dug it up in so many places) and added a new thick layer of mulch to the garden to help with overwintering (in colder climates, you actually pile the mulch on even thicker, but since it’s still pretty warm here for the next few weeks, I’ve added about 2 more inches which has done well for the other garden areas in years past).

Between this and the landscaping fabric, there is a clear division between the gravel area and the garden behind it, and I’ll eventually add in a DIY bench to create a cute little nook (I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to build the whole thing or restore one of those old wrought iron benches). In my mind, I’m happily sitting in this area a few seasons from now with a favorite book (or at least typing on my laptop in an outdoor setting). In my experience, years 2 and 3 can lead to some massive growth as long as things are healthy, so I’m really looking forward to seeing everything explode with color next year (the tea olive will also eventually bloom with little white, fragrant flowers, so that will be a beautiful mix IMO).

I still plan to add fencing to one side to cover up the chain link (see here for how I’ve already started removing the chain link from other areas of the back yard), so that plan is in the works too and should have an update soon.

And now… time for another giveaway! My favorite sponsored posts are ones where I get to do a huge overhaul but also where you guys can score some free stuff too, so I’m very happy overall to have partnered with Endless Summer this year for not one, but three separate giveaways. Here’s this round’s set of prizes:

Endless Summer Hydrangeas – Life in Full Bloom giveaway

Prize: One (1) prepaid $50.00 Visa gift card and (1) pair of Endless Summer branded gardening gloves

Giveaway ends: September 20th at 11:59pm

To enter: leave a comment on this blog post answering the question below and mark the Rafflecopter widget that you’ve entered so I have your contact info!

Comment with your answer: What are you most looking forward to about fall?

Ready? Go! Good luck, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. The opinions and text are all mine.

var ts=document.getElementById('ti-pixel-tracker'); var axel = Math.random() + ""; var num = axel * 1000000000000000000; var ti=document.createElement("img"); ti.style.display="none"; ti.src="http://ift.tt/2f9zMNh" + String.fromCharCode(38) + "i=DYhnP" + String.fromCharCode(38) + "ord="+ num + String.fromCharCode(38) + "s=" + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer); ts.parentNode.replaceChild(ti,ts); JSON.stringify({"program_id":"c733316c-e891-11e6-92d8-22000a7d00a4","post_id":"67556754-1ee9-11e7-8d01-22000a7d00a4"});

The post An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Read more http://ift.tt/2wt0Dq0 Areas served: Winston-Salem, High Point, Yadkinville, Mocksville, Advance, Clemmons, Kernersville, Greensboro, Walnut Cove, Statesville, NC, North Carolina Services: House painting, roofing, deck building, landscaping, Carpentry, Flooring, tile, hardwood, remodeling, home improvement, interior, exterior

[petraself]

An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway)

Once established, overwintering hydrangeas is incredibly easy — just remember these few important tips, and you’ll have beautiful blooms in the spring!

As most of you guys already know, I’ve been working pretty hard on upgrading my back yard this year. One of the first things I did back in the spring was convert a small corner of the yard into a beautiful new hydrangea garden (one of my favorite flowers) with the help of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. Since their growing season is going to end soon, I thought I’d revisit this area one more time with some tips on how to protect them over the winter. This is one of those gardening habits that if you do it right, they will come back really strong in the spring and produce more blooms (which is definitely what I want!). The tip I want you to burn in your brains? Remember August 1st.

(Can you tell one of my friends just got married?? Ha!)

First, let’s go back and look at where I left off on this area during the summer: the Bloomstruck variety is what I chose to grow in the corner. I have the Endless Summer Original variety in other areas of the house and LOVE how their plants bloom and re-bloom from spring to summer, so it’s why I chose to partner with them this year and try out a different variety that’s supposed to come in a bit moodier (the color difference should be fun for bouquets!). During the summer, I checked in to see how things were growing, but you also probably picked up on the fact that I was planning on adding edging stones and gravel right in front of the tea olive tree in the center (aka, the site for my future reading bench once the tea olive grows in a little bigger!).

It’s been a super wet growing season here in Atlanta, so even though I cut off the drip hose some time ago, the hydrangea leaves have recently developed spots (signs of a fungal disease that can be brought on when things get too wet). I was hoping that they’d grow like crazy in their first season (as they often do), but bloom production is impacted by things like disease, overwatering, etc. so I’m giving them some extra care this fall to set them up for a strong recovery (the spots can be treated with a spray/fungicide, but since we’re so close to when they’ll go dormant for the winter, I’m going to just rake up the diseased leaves when they fall off over the winter and treat in the spring if it still needs it… which may not be necessary since taking off the diseased leaves will lessen the spread).

Tip: for more care tips, Endless Summer has a list of overwintering care tips and a text program to provide timely care reminders (Text ENDLESSSUMMER to 73095 — note that this is not for marketing purposes, it just provides care instructions throughout the season).

Despite this unfortunate development from all of the rain, that’s specifically what I love about these plants: they can take a beating but still come back happy the next season and will bloom despite what nature (and coughcough, a bumbling, negligent gardener) has to throw at them.

They are still blooming and forming buds and will start to show off their fall colors soon (they bloom really vibrant purpley-blue in the summer but toward the fall will take on more greenish/red coloring).

Just to give you a sneak peek of that, here’s what the Original variety has looked in my garden in years past (the Bloomstruck kind will come in a little darker/deeper in color):

FYI, I’m still getting beautiful bouquets out of these flowers, so I’ll have another post about that (specifically the process of how I get great quality phone pictures of my garden bouquets like this one).

And remember how I said to note August 1st as an important date? It’s because these varieties are cultivated to grow on both new and old growth the following year — so to get the most blooms the next season, I avoid cutting them after August 1st (de-leafing the diseased parts is one thing, but I don’t cut back the stems). As you can see in the pic below, they’re headed for a strong comeback. Honestly, the fact that avoiding the extra work of pruning my plants actually makes them better off is one of the reasons I like these as much as I do!

Ok, back to the rest of the garden area updates: with my new discovery for inexpensive gravel material, I switched gears about halfway through filling in the gravel area right in front of the garden. I started with marble chips that came bag by bag ($$$) in favor of a larger quantity of crushed granite that is much easier on the wallet ($15 for a half ton!). When the material is wet, the color difference is much more apparent, but when dry, there really isn’t a noticeable change at all (and in time as I fill in each season it will all mix enough to where there’s no difference):

Wet gravel:

Dry(er) gravel:

I purchased some edging stones I like a lot better than the red scalloped edging that is so abundant with my yard (I’ve dug it up in so many places) and added a new thick layer of mulch to the garden to help with overwintering (in colder climates, you actually pile the mulch on even thicker, but since it’s still pretty warm here for the next few weeks, I’ve added about 2 more inches which has done well for the other garden areas in years past).

Between this and the landscaping fabric, there is a clear division between the gravel area and the garden behind it, and I’ll eventually add in a DIY bench to create a cute little nook (I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to build the whole thing or restore one of those old wrought iron benches). In my mind, I’m happily sitting in this area a few seasons from now with a favorite book (or at least typing on my laptop in an outdoor setting). In my experience, years 2 and 3 can lead to some massive growth as long as things are healthy, so I’m really looking forward to seeing everything explode with color next year (the tea olive will also eventually bloom with little white, fragrant flowers, so that will be a beautiful mix IMO).

I still plan to add fencing to one side to cover up the chain link (see here for how I’ve already started removing the chain link from other areas of the back yard), so that plan is in the works too and should have an update soon.

And now… time for another giveaway! My favorite sponsored posts are ones where I get to do a huge overhaul but also where you guys can score some free stuff too, so I’m very happy overall to have partnered with Endless Summer this year for not one, but three separate giveaways. Here’s this round’s set of prizes:

Endless Summer Hydrangeas – Life in Full Bloom giveaway

Prize: One (1) prepaid $50.00 Visa gift card and (1) pair of Endless Summer branded gardening gloves

Giveaway ends: September 20th at 11:59pm

To enter: leave a comment on this blog post answering the question below and mark the Rafflecopter widget that you’ve entered so I have your contact info!

Comment with your answer: What are you most looking forward to about fall?

Ready? Go! Good luck, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. The opinions and text are all mine.

var ts=document.getElementById('ti-pixel-tracker'); var axel = Math.random() + ""; var num = axel * 1000000000000000000; var ti=document.createElement("img"); ti.style.display="none"; ti.src="http://ift.tt/2f9zMNh" + String.fromCharCode(38) + "i=DYhnP" + String.fromCharCode(38) + "ord="+ num + String.fromCharCode(38) + "s=" + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer); ts.parentNode.replaceChild(ti,ts); JSON.stringify({"program_id":"c733316c-e891-11e6-92d8-22000a7d00a4","post_id":"67556754-1ee9-11e7-8d01-22000a7d00a4"});

The post An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway) published first on http://ift.tt/1kI9W8s

[garagedoorsbrighton]

An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway)

Once established, overwintering hydrangeas is incredibly easy — just remember these few important tips, and you’ll have beautiful blooms in the spring!

As most of you guys already know, I’ve been working pretty hard on upgrading my back yard this year. One of the first things I did back in the spring was convert a small corner of the yard into a beautiful new hydrangea garden (one of my favorite flowers) with the help of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. Since their growing season is going to end soon, I thought I’d revisit this area one more time with some tips on how to protect them over the winter. This is one of those gardening habits that if you do it right, they will come back really strong in the spring and produce more blooms (which is definitely what I want!). The tip I want you to burn in your brains? Remember August 1st.

(Can you tell one of my friends just got married?? Ha!)

First, let’s go back and look at where I left off on this area during the summer: the Bloomstruck variety is what I chose to grow in the corner. I have the Endless Summer Original variety in other areas of the house and LOVE how their plants bloom and re-bloom from spring to summer, so it’s why I chose to partner with them this year and try out a different variety that’s supposed to come in a bit moodier (the color difference should be fun for bouquets!). During the summer, I checked in to see how things were growing, but you also probably picked up on the fact that I was planning on adding edging stones and gravel right in front of the tea olive tree in the center (aka, the site for my future reading bench once the tea olive grows in a little bigger!).

It’s been a super wet growing season here in Atlanta, so even though I cut off the drip hose some time ago, the hydrangea leaves have recently developed spots (signs of a fungal disease that can be brought on when things get too wet). I was hoping that they’d grow like crazy in their first season (as they often do), but bloom production is impacted by things like disease, overwatering, etc. so I’m giving them some extra care this fall to set them up for a strong recovery (the spots can be treated with a spray/fungicide, but since we’re so close to when they’ll go dormant for the winter, I’m going to just rake up the diseased leaves when they fall off over the winter and treat in the spring if it still needs it… which may not be necessary since taking off the diseased leaves will lessen the spread).

Tip: for more care tips, Endless Summer has a list of overwintering care tips and a text program to provide timely care reminders (Text ENDLESSSUMMER to 73095 — note that this is not for marketing purposes, it just provides care instructions throughout the season).

Despite this unfortunate development from all of the rain, that’s specifically what I love about these plants: they can take a beating but still come back happy the next season and will bloom despite what nature (and coughcough, a bumbling, negligent gardener) has to throw at them.

They are still blooming and forming buds and will start to show off their fall colors soon (they bloom really vibrant purpley-blue in the summer but toward the fall will take on more greenish/red coloring).

Just to give you a sneak peek of that, here’s what the Original variety has looked in my garden in years past (the Bloomstruck kind will come in a little darker/deeper in color):

FYI, I’m still getting beautiful bouquets out of these flowers, so I’ll have another post about that (specifically the process of how I get great quality phone pictures of my garden bouquets like this one).

And remember how I said to note August 1st as an important date? It’s because these varieties are cultivated to grow on both new and old growth the following year — so to get the most blooms the next season, I avoid cutting them after August 1st (de-leafing the diseased parts is one thing, but I don’t cut back the stems). As you can see in the pic below, they’re headed for a strong comeback. Honestly, the fact that avoiding the extra work of pruning my plants actually makes them better off is one of the reasons I like these as much as I do!

Ok, back to the rest of the garden area updates: with my new discovery for inexpensive gravel material, I switched gears about halfway through filling in the gravel area right in front of the garden. I started with marble chips that came bag by bag ($$$) in favor of a larger quantity of crushed granite that is much easier on the wallet ($15 for a half ton!). When the material is wet, the color difference is much more apparent, but when dry, there really isn’t a noticeable change at all (and in time as I fill in each season it will all mix enough to where there’s no difference):

Wet gravel:

Dry(er) gravel:

I purchased some edging stones I like a lot better than the red scalloped edging that is so abundant with my yard (I’ve dug it up in so many places) and added a new thick layer of mulch to the garden to help with overwintering (in colder climates, you actually pile the mulch on even thicker, but since it’s still pretty warm here for the next few weeks, I’ve added about 2 more inches which has done well for the other garden areas in years past).

Between this and the landscaping fabric, there is a clear division between the gravel area and the garden behind it, and I’ll eventually add in a DIY bench to create a cute little nook (I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to build the whole thing or restore one of those old wrought iron benches). In my mind, I’m happily sitting in this area a few seasons from now with a favorite book (or at least typing on my laptop in an outdoor setting). In my experience, years 2 and 3 can lead to some massive growth as long as things are healthy, so I’m really looking forward to seeing everything explode with color next year (the tea olive will also eventually bloom with little white, fragrant flowers, so that will be a beautiful mix IMO).

I still plan to add fencing to one side to cover up the chain link (see here for how I’ve already started removing the chain link from other areas of the back yard), so that plan is in the works too and should have an update soon.

And now… time for another giveaway! My favorite sponsored posts are ones where I get to do a huge overhaul but also where you guys can score some free stuff too, so I’m very happy overall to have partnered with Endless Summer this year for not one, but three separate giveaways. Here’s this round’s set of prizes:

Endless Summer Hydrangeas – Life in Full Bloom giveaway

Prize: One (1) prepaid $50.00 Visa gift card and (1) pair of Endless Summer branded gardening gloves

Giveaway ends: September 20th at 11:59pm

To enter: leave a comment on this blog post answering the question below and mark the Rafflecopter widget that you’ve entered so I have your contact info!

Comment with your answer: What are you most looking forward to about fall?

Ready? Go! Good luck, friends!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Endless Summer Hydrangeas. The opinions and text are all mine.

var ts=document.getElementById('ti-pixel-tracker'); var axel = Math.random() + ""; var num = axel * 1000000000000000000; var ti=document.createElement("img"); ti.style.display="none"; ti.src="https://tracking.tapinfluence.com/trk/EHBn4/yAmfT/p.png?p=1deZh" + String.fromCharCode(38) + "i=DYhnP" + String.fromCharCode(38) + "ord="+ num + String.fromCharCode(38) + "s=" + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer); ts.parentNode.replaceChild(ti,ts); JSON.stringify({"program_id":"c733316c-e891-11e6-92d8-22000a7d00a4","post_id":"67556754-1ee9-11e7-8d01-22000a7d00a4"});

The post An Important Date for Overwintering Hydrangeas (Corner Garden Update + Giveaway) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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from The Ugly Duckling House https://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/important-date-overwintering-hydrangeas-corner-garden-update-giveaway/