#i'm terrified of my own creation.

[thefourfan]

the horrorz.

Live EM reaction

[mymarifae]

sunday was such a good character...

i don't want to call him a villain i feel like that oversimplifies everything he did. he was all compassion and love, just born from a deep-set pessimism. he wanted to make the world a better place but just didn't believe it to be kind enough for any other path

the philosophy tackled here was interesting... he's not wrong. the astral express crew + firefly weren't wrong either. how do you, in good conscience, set people free when you know they'll just march into an early grave or lose themselves in otherwise miserable situations? like. the problem with the baby bird. what are you supposed to do in that case? when you have the power to preserve and nurture at the cost of certain autonomy (but under your preservation and nurturing would the bird even know what it was missing?), or do you relinquish all that to let it go just to Die? truly. honestly. which of these options is the inhumane one?

...idk.

i don't have an answer here either.

you could always argue that sunday was wrong because the lives of Humans require more nuance but, ? do they? why does one life have more value than the other? sunday's perspective was literally that all lives have the same value, and that's why he was willing to do what he did. because he believed All should be comfortable and happy. safe. preserved.

idk it was just really interesting. it's a good thinkpiece. there's no right or wrong answer. it's just something you have to chew on while you examine your own perspective of the world

[heavysighing-dreamyeyes]

If you want to could you please do a fic with Jason's Girlfriend (rather Arkham Night or when he is still early Red Hood) gets hit with Scarecrow's fear toxin and Jason is trying to help her through it or give her an antidote. But she is terrified of him and think he is attacking or trying to kill her. Maybe it's because while she does love him and he loves her she started working with him because she is helping Batman get Jason to hopefully see his family again and Jason does know so she is scared of his reaction. Sorry if that's confusing or a lot.

Thank you for reading whether you do the request or not

-🍓

Guilty Hearts

Hi 🍓! I know this took a while to get out but I hope you see it. I think we might be psychically linked because this came into my ask box while I was editing my other fear toxin fic. Enjoy! ~1k words

The Arkham Knight is going to destroy whoever caused you to get like this. He stands, ridged and protective, between you and the milita medics who are shifting uneasily behind him. You're curled into the corner of the room, knees to your chest and arms wrapped around yourself. He never breaks his gaze as you rock yourself, silent tears spilling down your cheeks.

Seventy-two minutes. That's how long you've been like this. Trapped in the nightmares of your mind's own creation, hallucinations caused by a dosage of Scarecrow's fear toxin. 

He doesn't know how you got like this, what happened, he didn't bother to ask when he was finally informed. The Arkham Knight just stormed his way to you. 

The medics managed to tell him that you've screamed your voice raw but still fought anyone who got close enough to try and stick you with the antidote. 'That's his partner,' he thinks. Always the fighter.

He scowls behind his helmet when he notices the self-inflicted scratch marks over your arms, a common reaction to the toxin. "Everybody out." He snaps, snatching a needle filled with the antidote from one the medics. They file out quickly, sensing his mood. They should be running. Everyone knows what you are to him. He's made it more than clear and the fact that you're suffering? The fact it took over an hour for him to be told? He'll make sure someone pays for that later.

But that is later, and this is now. You're what's most important. He tugs off his helmet once the last medic leaves the room and takes a step towards you.

You let out a raw, strangled cry with what's left of your voice. He doesn't know what you're seeing, what you think he is, but it makes his heart clench to see you so scared. He knows he can be frightening now, so different from what he used to be. But he'd never hurt you, never, not on purpose. 

The Arkham Knight crouches down to your level, and says your name softly, carefully, trying not to startle you. "I'm here to help, I promise, baby. I need you to trust me. I'm going to make it better." He soothes, creeping closer to you inch by inch. He makes sure to stay low, to make himself look smaller.

It doesn't seem to help, fresh tears fall faster from your eyes and you whimper. He repeats your name over and over, trying to draw you away from whatever fear is tormenting you. "Just hold on a little longer. It's going to be okay. I'm going to make it okay."

He shifts closer to you, reaches out one hand to try and touch you, and you bolt, scrambling to get as far away from him as possible. 

He catches you around the waist, needle clattering to the floor as he wrestles you to the ground. It's harder than it should be, he's trying to be gentle, trying not to harm you, but you're kicking and crying and clawing like you'll die if you don't fight. The Arkham Knight wonders what you see, what twisted image is taking over your mind as you fight him.

You see him. The Arkham Knight– Jason. You know there's something wrong with you, something bad, but between the pounding of your heart and the way the shadows seem to writhe, you can't remember what it is. 

You tried to get away from him– it. He's angry at you, you know he is. You can hear it in the robitical breathing, the way fire dances in place of the glowing whites of his eyes. 

You're scared. You don't know how he knows. You don't know how he found out or what he thinks, but he's going to hurt you. That's what the choir of hissing voices whispers into your ear. 

He knows you've helped Batman– Bruce. You didn't want to betray him. You weren't trying to hinder his revenge plan in any way. Bruce didn't even know it was you who told him. You just– all you did was tell him to have extra fear toxin antidotes ready. You just couldn't stand the thought of someone losing the people they loved, not when you knew exactly how it felt.

The Arkham Knight freezes when you start to beg. He's never heard you so scared, so shaken. You sound like he did. Back in that cell.

You thought a part of him might understand that. Your adrenaline spikes when he reaches for something just out of your field of vision. He's going to hurt you. He's going to make you pay for your disloyalty. You let out a sob and start to beg, broken pleas of his name leave your lips, it's the only sound you can make anymore.

"Please, Jason," You rasp out, "m'sorry. So sorry." He shushes you as you start to paw at his chest plate in a last ditch attempt to get away. Always so strong, you are. 

Jason takes your wrists in one hand and sticks the needle into your skin with the other, releasing the antidote into your bloodstream. 

"There you go, there you go, doll. Good job." He mumbles into your hair, pulling you up so you can settle in his lap, his arms securely around your body. Your breathing is shaky, uneven, and your hands move to curl into the straps of his armor. You're not trying to get away from him anymore, proof the antidote is taking hold. 

He keeps cooing mindless reassurances as you cry quietly into his shoulder, his hand running soothing lines up and down your back. He presses his lips to the top of your head and holds you a little tighter to him.

When you're more yourself, Jason will tell you you have nothing to be sorry for. He knows. Of course, he knows what you told Bruce. He knows everything about you. If spilling a few secrets to his plan eases your guilty conscience and keeps you by his side, so be it.

Scarecrow's just a means to an end anyway. All that matters is that you stay. That you keep following him down his path in hell, and if you turn to look back a few times, well, he'll just hold your hand all the more tighter and keep dragging you along with him.

[aventurineswife]

🤔 do u have a thought about shrau with amphoreus ?

If I'm not wrong, they just believe in titan as their god right? What about shrau amphoreus with reader as a creator?

Like just Imagine it, when they knew about reader as a creator or aeon reader and how they will react

OKAY OKAY, I MAY NOT BE GOOD AT THIS BUT HEAR ME OUT!

If Amphoreus is a world that reveres Titans as gods, then suddenly discovering the Reader (aka you) as a Creator/Aeon would shake their entire belief system to its core. The Chrysos Heirs, warriors devoted to slaying corrupted Titans and recovering their Coreflames, would have to face the terrifying realization that the entity they’ve been unknowingly serving might be above the very gods they worship.

The Chrysos Heirs—Mydei, Phainon, Castorice—are devoted to prophecy and divine will. If they discovered that the true weaver of fate, the one who oversees their struggles and triumphs, is actually you, their entire worldview would fracture.

Mydei, the Undying Warrior, might react with reverence, but also conflict.

"The Coreflame trials, the prophecy, the Titans... were they mere threads in your tapestry? Have I only been playing my part in a story you have already written?"

He would feel both honored and trapped—knowing that his fate was not his own but also that his suffering had purpose.

Phainon, the Deliverer, might be the first to fully embrace you.

"If you are the one who spins the threads of destiny, then everything we have done… it has been for you, hasn’t it?"

He’d see it as a blessing, a sign that their struggles were leading toward something far greater. He might fully devote himself to you, no longer just as a warrior, but as a disciple.

Castorice, the Daughter of the River Styx, would have an eerie calm about it.

"Death and fate have always danced hand in hand. If you are the one who weaves, then I have been treading upon your strings all my life."

She might not even be surprised—only resigned, knowing that she had always been walking the path you had set.

The people of Amphoreus, especially those who still worship Titans as gods, would be terrified. If they learn that their world is merely a fragment of your design, it could split the faction into two:

Those who believe the Titans are still divine, and you are merely another force in the cosmos.

Those who believe you are the true god—the one above all, the being who even Titans obey.

Some might fall into despair, realizing that their gods are no more than pieces of a larger game board, and that your will can rewrite their fate at any moment. Others might become fanatical, believing that serving you is the only true path.

The Coreflames, remnants of the Titans’ divine power, might now take on an entirely new meaning—if the Titans were once creations under your will, then does that mean their power also stems from you?

If Mydei and Phainon failed the Coreflame Trial, was it because you willed it?

Phainon, who vanished after the trial, might see it as a test from you—a call to prove himself.

Mydei, bound by honor and sacrifice, might struggle with whether his suffering was truly his own choice… or merely an inevitable step in the story you wrote.

The most horrifying realization for them? That every battle, every struggle, every death was something you already knew would happen.

If Mydei has died a thousand times, then you—the Aeon of Fate—must have allowed it each time.

"You… knew? Every strike, every wound, every death I suffered—you saw them all?"

The idea that they were never free, that their victories and failures were written into existence, could be devastating.

Some would see you as salvation rather than as a distant, cosmic force. They’d offer the Coreflames to you as divine tribute, seeing them not as remnants of fallen Titans, but as pieces of a world you once shaped.

The most devout warriors might seek to serve you personally, casting aside their oaths to the Titans and the prophecy.

Mydei, should he fully accept your will, might become your sword of fate, carrying out your judgment across Amphoreus.

Phainon, ever the perfectionist, might strive to prove himself worthy in your eyes, seeking to become your chosen deliverer.

Castorice, attuned to the whispers of death, might become your priestess, ensuring that those who fall in battle meet their end as fate intended.

Once the truth of your existence reaches Amphoreus, the world would never be the same. The Titans' worshippers, the Chrysos Heirs, the Coreflame Trials—everything would shift under the weight of the realization that you have always been watching.

Some will fight for you.

Some will fear you.

Some will desperately seek your favor.

But no matter how they react, one truth remains: they were never beyond your reach.

[ask-codeearasure]

So... About that shitty Cross take that one person made....

If you've been following certain creators, even this account, I'm sure you've spotted a specific idiot going around complaining about Cross being Trans-Coded and using Republican talking points to say that it's "forced" or "doesn't make sense" and whatever other bullshit that shouldn't even be looked at let alone acknowledged. HOWEVER, instead, we are gonna sit down and talk about how the Trans Experience is so versatile and why Cross (and similar characters) being Trans-Coded is actually extremely important.

Gender nonconformity is fucking terrifying to Republicans, this is why it's been one of this generation's favorite punching bags.

If you look at the women who are tied to the Republican Party, you see a lot of hyperfemininity, so much so it's easy to tell that Barbie is considering suing them for stealing all her plastic.

Jokes aside, gender affirming care is gender affirming care and they are using the same gender affirming care that trans people have been using for years. This isn't only about nail products and cosmetic surgery, but also breast reduction or implant surgeries.

Gender affirming care however, is demonized by the right because they don't get it nor do they acknowledge that there is a range to it.

I once read a story about how one person had realized they were trans because a friend of theirs pointed out that when they had the option of choosing the gender of their playable characters in gaming, they always went with the gender they were not assigned at a birth. Example being an AFAB person constantly choosing male characters.

Though I have not finished watching Underverse this is applicable of XFrisk and XChara shoving the name "Cross" onto... Cross. They are pointing out he is not Sans despite being assigned that name since creation. Their true intentions here had cruelty in mind, but Cross made the name his own.

He is in denial about it which is applicable to how a LOT of trans people are in denial about it sometimes. Hell I remember a Right Wing talking head on Twitter who had tried to transition, detransistioned due to pressure from their family and then stayed at their assigned gender because of it and falling for the Republican propaganda.

Denial isn't just a river. It never has been.

Some people are in denial about their gender identities and sexual orientation and with the coming presidency we are going to see a rampant uptick in that statistic. With that coming, characters like Cross are needed far more.

Cross's story, as far as I've seen, is rough and follows a lot of self-acceptance and self-advocating storylines. Even when it comes to the biggest things that anyone from the LGBTQIA+ has to face, one of these struggles being the fear of rejection and/or being rejected by one's peers.

From what I've seen when it comes to spoilers is that Cross does end up being rejected by those he was close to before meeting Ink, and thus has to come full circle and accept himself by saying "I am Cross". He has to deny the name he went by in the past. He has to because if he doesn't, he'd be giving in to living in denial of who he truly is and thus be living a life of suffering for no reason than to keep others comfortable, setting himself on fire to keep people who couldn't give a damn about him warm.

A lot of Trans people have to show their rejection of their past or even the acceptance of that past to come to terms with themselves. Each person is different when it comes down to finding who they are and accepting that. It depends on the individual.

Some treat their past and their deadname as though they're a completely different person or someone who died so they could live. Think of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Others treat it like their past self was the caterpillar where their new and true self is the butterfly.

Is it perfect?

No.

Is Jakei a perfect writer?

No. Neither are a lot of my favorite writers and franchises (I'm looking at you Riot Games and your shitty centrist takes on the worst of human history's sins).

But some of the things that imperfect writers make are beautiful and Cross is one of them. He is one of the few characters that speaks for the writer when it comes to saying "I see you, I see your pain. I see your suffering. You are not alone. You deserve to live your life the way you want to. You are valid."

But there are a few questions that the more clueless of people are going to ask.

Why bring Politics into this? And why do Republicans like the media made by progressives?

The answers are FASCINATING.

I bring Politics into this because Republicans, specifically Cishet white people, have made everything political since the beginning of time. Everything they don't like, everything different from them, everything they don't understand, and everything that directly rebels against their patriarchal idea of "paradise" is now considered "Political".

I remember a Republican had argued the dumbest thing once, and I was so dumbfounded I had to take a step back because holy shit.

Their argument was that black people enslaved each other which made their enslavement by white people their own fault.

Now if your jaw is on the floor, you already know where the problem is. If you don't get where the problem, is let me ask you something.

If that is the case, who was the one who made it all about skin color?

I'll tell you.

It was the white people (who were Democrats before the massive party switch, which makes them modern day Republicans).

Who were the ones who made having jobs all about gender? It was the Cishet white men (99% of whom are Republicans).

Who constantly demonized the LGBTQIA+ community during the Stonewall Riots? Mostly Cishet White Republicans.

Who are demonizing Trans people right the fuck now? Republicans and Pick-Me Gay people who vote for Republicans and side with Republicans thinking that the Republicans will finally accept them when they know Republicans won't fucking do it.

Being LGBTQIA+, making non-white characters, making a character a woman, it makes that character "Political", and "Political" characters are always the ones put on the spot for accusations of "forced diversity" and "perversion" where anyone with a working sense of conscience will understand this is a talking point butthurt Republicans or those warped by Republicans pulled out of their assholes looking for a problem where there isn't one.

All art, be it animation, digital art, traditional art, singing, writing, is political. They've always been political.

Do you want to know why Republicans are always bitching about coffee orders? It's because the Enlightenment era thus leading to the Romantic Era of literature was started because of coffee shops it was where all the best writers hung out. The moment they met each other and started talking to each other, the Enlightenment and Romantic Eras started taking off in full force.

It is because of the Enlightenment and Romantic Era writers we don't have Child Labor anymore. A lot of their writing brought talks of nature and the horrors of Child Labor into question. You can't talk about the history of Child Labor without talking about William Blake's Chimney Sweeper and Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Cry of the Children. You fucking can't. Without Blake and Browning we'd still have children in mines and on rooftops risking their lives to clean your fucking chimney.

And here is where we get to the why. Why Republicans LOVE progressive media.

Here is a little secret.

All shows and media made by Republicans are shit because it is all Propaganda.

I know. Shocker.

Look around.

Mr. Birchum, New Norm, Leo and Layla, it's all propaganda. It's all the same Republican talking points that they never shut up about and even then they don't know what they're talking about.

Ask a Republican what "intersex" means. Do it, I dare you.

They won't fucking know but they'll tell you that it's Satanic and shouldn't be allowed near children.

They'd never guess that it's a spectrum of natural gender nonconformity and mixed sexual/hormonal characteristics such as having PCOS or being AMAB and still having a functioning uterus. They don't care that their delusions about there only being "male" and "female" for reproductive sex options has led to medical malpractice, social abuse, murder, and erasure of intersex individuals, and the ones that do know about intersexuality diagnose it as a "Differential Sexual Development Disorder" as if just being born intersex makes someone's existence inherently wrong with an inherent need for surgical and hormonal "correcting".

Republicans like progressive media because it knows how to say something and still be well written. This is why Republicans LOVE Star Trek, Star Wars, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, and Arcane.

It's all progressive media but it all knows how to build a world and say something. Good writers are progressive and know how to write.

Don't get me wrong there is a LOT of fucking garbage that tries to be progressive but that is a small outlier that Republicans LOVE to bring out and bash on to say that we're the ones who ruin media. They make false equivalences to try to make you stop thinking. They need stop-thinking clichés and talking points because it's all they have. But they are so fucking terrified of anything different from what is in their stupid bubble that saying "Oh yeah the champion Taliya is trans" will send them screaming and crying.

Yeah, Riot Games danced around the fact that one of their characters is Trans because they knew she'd scare off the entirety of the Republican player base. They had to hide it and use her magical girl skin to gently hint at it with "Yeah when I'm in this outfit I feel more like myself!" and the entire multi hour long Star Guardian album animation having the Trans Flag being the main pallet on everything.

I honestly wonder how many Republicans ran off when they saw THAT CaitVi scene in Arcane.

Republicans just hate anything that isn't Cis, isn't Hetero, isn't a man, and isn't white. This is why it's not uncommon to find that cishet white men are always found at Klan rallies or the modern Klan rallies which are called "Trump Rallies" these days.

This is why a lot of exhausted Democrats, Liberals, and BIPOC, Feminists, and LGBTQIA+ people have been laughing their asses off at the Pick-Mes who are getting fucked over now that they realize that surprise surprise, Project 2025 was the plan! We fucking told you so, dipshit!

This is what you asked for dumbass! We tried to warn you. You didn't listen. LESSON FUCKIN LEARNT!

Republicans like progressive shit because we make good media.

Republicans HATE anything that isn't CISHET and WHITE.

Now, am I saying all this to claim the person who made that anti-trans Cross post is a Republican, an abuser, or anything else that contributed to this systematic nonsense? Absolutely fucking not. That's an extreme statement to make and they're most likely just a very mislead kid who may or may not have been influenced by a couple of these problems, and them acting out the way they did is perhaps a reflection of how important it is to acknowledge these things even if our community is just fandom and the point is to have fun, to have a distraction from all the bad powers at play.

Either way, their actions pissed me off. Hope they learn.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Get the fuck out.

-- Ouija

[astrofhobia]

I tried to help you.

We were never brothers. Pretending our relationship worked was what ended it. You never cared about me, I was aware of that to a certain extent. I pretended to care about you even if you knew better.

You got angry because of that, no, you didn't get angry because I pretended to care about you, you got angry because I wasn't honest with you, because I didn't tell you absolutely everything that was going on in my head.

Maybe things would have been different if they had treated you well, you were alone, trapped in someone else's mind, you felt pain but never showed it.

You were always very proud, Eclipse.

I tried to please you many times, staying extremely still in those analyzes that you did to me all the time. Until now I don't know why you made them. Was something wrong with me? Were you afraid Moon would take control? I guess you'll keep that secret until you actually die.

I was looking for a way to feed your ego and please you because it made me sad that you were alone without anyone congratulating your achievements. You always made me feel sorry for you. You can deceive yourself but you cannot deceive others. You were an artist deceiving others but you never knew how to continue with your lies and people came out of the threads you built around them. You tricked Moon and he tricked you, you tried to bully Sun and he bullied you. You killed me and I killed you.

Don't blame yourself. No one was really nice to you, no wonder you were so cold and empathetic towards me. Until Earth arrived.

She really changed your perception of people, right? You know, I love her, she's my sister. Nothing will make me hate her.

But I'm jealous of her.

She managed to get you out of your bubble without trying, it only took a few soft words for you to stop considering her a threat. You stopped seeing her as a hunting animal, you saw her as a friend.

I tried that many times. But the only thing I received was slaps and insults. You changed with others, but you never did with me.

That's my problem.

I tried to pretend that I didn't care about you. I regretted many times yelling at you, hitting you or disappointing you. I erased those feelings over and over again but they always came back.

I felt like you deserved a hug, a "I'm sorry" many times but I was never able to say it.

I was terrified that you would leave me. All those tests, I was so worried that you would leave me alone like they had left me... But my obsession with the star led me astray.

Maybe if I had been nice to you things would have been different. I mocked you when you betrayed me. But that really hurt me, my own creation stabbed me in the back.

I would have done it too if my creator abused me like that...

I'm not the Eclipse who treated you like that but I don't know how to talk to you without my larynx shutting down. I want to treat you better but our relationship is at the bottom of the sea and I don't know how to start a conversation without sinking further.

At the moment Earth appeared I was so hated by everyone, I was scared when she appeared, she didn't attack me, she didn't ignore me, she tried to be on good terms with me because she didn't know me. He knew what he had done, what he had done to you. But she still approached. She said I could have a second chance if I wanted.

I guess that's when I understood that I could improve.

I moved because I had done so much damage here that trying to walk near daycare or your family became extremely anxious and I hated that feeling.

When I got here I expected everyone to hate me. But apparently, this place is so different and the same at the same time. I feel at home but very far from there.

I try to start something new here, I want to get away from the problems but those problems are still there.

That's my problem.

But I still want to help you.

[mysteryanimator]

Breaking down "Even the Iron Still Fears the Rot" (almost) shot by shot!

The fan-animatic can be viewed here!

HEADS UP: This is a fan-made content. I am a fan. I just love Castlevania/animation a lot and I love storyboarding nuances and making people cry over character dynamics. Also apologises for any grammatical/spelling mistakes!

I wasn't planning to do another breakdown of my own work, simply due to imposter syndrome but I genuinely put so much love and care into this animatic! I want to talk about it! Also, people have been really open to hearing about my inspiration and notes, and why I take the directions I do for my work, even if it's fan-made, so here we go!

(Also the reciprocation of my animatics has been so kind and uplifting, and I'm really glad that there's a lot of love for them as much as I love doing them! I learn and grow with every single board I make, it's been really fun! I hope I get to shine this much passion in the future in actual work!)

Since this is also an adaptation of a fan one-shot by Aquila, (which you can read here!) I knew I wanted to evoke what they had written and interject some of my own nuances/personal readings to their story to elevate what they had! In turn, kind of created this monster (positive) of a fan creation haha. There are some changes/rearranging the placement of aspects of the one-shot to strengthen the existing tension going on!

With this out the way, let's begin!

(heads up, for any shots I completely skip over, it is because I'm reaching image limits here)

I wanted to evoke that strong halo light you see in a lot of media. Often than not, this visual is used to depict the character as a divine force of nature and/or when a character is bobbing in and out of death. It can also be a very very terrifying image, as, for example, s02e8, Mizrak is literally all dark with a brightly lit background. It is scary- BUT people will say hot because it's Mizrak but hey, look, all I can say is I fully understand haha. It all depends on your intentionality and what follows before and after to give context to your scene!

Mizrak is dead. Well, undead now. Olrox is the so-called angel giving him life and love and this halo of light gets repeated a few times!

By the end, not only do their literal positions switch, but their roles shift too so I hoped to convey that visually by also giving Mizrak that halo glow for the second last shot. At the start, Olrox consumes Mizrak’s love, and then it ends with Mizrak consuming Olrox’s love. Guh I love blood themes in vamprisim.

This shot honestly took me a bit to do, since I was going a lot cleaner than usual, the expression for Mizrak was super important for me to get right. I wanted him to look like he was about to die- yet still have an unwavering amount of life in him. (Also I hadn't warmed up drawing in this cleaned-up style so it definitely was me messing around). It was important for me for this to feel like a POV shot to contrast the first scene so we can get inside the mind of Olrox!

This too is where I only have sound effects since I can't have voice so I limit my SFX to the only most vital things to elevate things I personally find better elevate the scene with audio. It only happens TWICE. The heartbeat. His wrist is shown and from context clues from not only S01 of Nocturne with Tera's turning, but a whole bunch of other vampire media- the wrist is a place where the dead accept their new life of immortality!

Also, the pulse effect was definitely inspired by the transformation of Sekmet! I'm not sure personally if this went to a further stage I'd want to keep this since I'd personally want something more unique for vampire turning, more specifically for Olrox, HOWEVER, I think it still does a good job conveying the supernatural pull for the time being!

Wow who saw this coming HAHA

Immediately when I saw the line where Olrox said he went to straddle him immediately, my mind went to go and try to parallel this scene again! I don't have much to say about this shot rather than the feet are purposefully cut out for animation convenience's sake HAHA.

Jumpscare for sudden Olrox character layout (even though he's really off model and sketchy here HAHA)

I was again, wanting to depict Olrox BATHED in light and since this animatic is purely in greyscale (with accents of colour), I could really push for dramatic lighting when it called for it! This is also why some of the scenes just do not have backgrounds at all. I wanted to make some of the scenes as "heavenly" as possible and for Mizrak to be embraced by the light because Olrox is giving him a new a life.

If this were to ever be animated (I won't be since it would take too much of my time, but it's still a good thing to note when boarding anything... maybe I'll do cleaned screenshots since those are a breeze, or animate ONE scene from this animatic... we'll see what I have time for. I unfortunately don't have proper time to try and figure out the layout of s02e8 bgs and paint them. I did consider quickly doing a 3d mock-up but no haha), the light in the background can probably be lit with candles since it was already pre-established in s02e8! Also, the windows can reflect light into the room so there's that too since Mizrak was backlit in that episode too!

Fun fact, this entire scene was the first thing I ever thought up and why I started even making it. I thought about how cool of a visual it would be to have Mizrak's eye in the reflection.

I wanted to imbue the fact that Mizrak does not fear Olrox holding a blade, hell, he's not even looking at the blade. He's looking at Olrox. What is described as a relic from a terrifying past, Mizrak is not scared. Mizrak is not scared of Olrox.

This is where the heartbeat occurs AGAIN. This is mostly to signal to the audience what Olrox actually has planned. He's not feeding Mizrak from his wrist but from his actual chest, especially with how gently Olrox runs his hands over it.

I debated a lot on where the initial cut should go. The heart, for sentimentality, under the breast in the same way Christ had been pierced, etc etc- however I landed on just dead set in the middle so it could form a cross that would grow bigger and bigger as the animatic went on. (Fun fact, the blob of blood turns into a little heart as he squeezes his chest)

I wanted to put some weight to the repressed catholic guilt, so I thought a cool visual way to showcase that Mizrak has only known how to love is via worshipping God which has consumed his entire being and self. God has given him faith, a companion in the hardest of times when the world has abandoned him.

Now, once again, his world has abandoned him. The Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God is gone. In the face of death and fearing the devil will be waiting. Olrox has given him love, and he will be a companion in the hardest of times. He will not abandon Mizrak.

This aspect of the cross in the animatic gets expanded upon as time goes on. Both literally as the cross literally turns into a pool of blood more closely to the symbol Mizrak bares, but also it slowly expands upon Mizrak feeding off Olrox's love! I'll add some more of my personal notes when we get there!

Also by far one of my favourite scenes I've drawn. It's still rough but it decidedly made me go a lot cleaner with the rest of the storyboard!

This is supposed to be suddenly jarring because it cuts midway through Olrox in a midshot to a close-up of a hand! We need to see him actively halt Olrox for just a moment, but also to show that even when it's sudden- its not hostile, it's gentle.

This shot does a couple of things!

It showcases how gently Mizrak is reaching out to Olrox

It helps to continually establish Mizrak submission to vampirism. He is constantly placed on the bottom from the composition, or we as an audience, are always looking down at Mizrak! Seeing parts of Olrox here really cements this fact as Olrox towers over him to the point we don't even see him fully!

It helps to lead into the Fallen Angel reference!

This shot makes me sob because it is so gentle. Despite being placed constantly much higher in the composition in the animatic, therefore making him the most powerful in this dynamic- in no way Olrox is intentionally made out to be an intimidating figure. He is comfort. He is a companion. He will not abandon Mizrak. The act of turning Mizrak might be read as selfish. It may be read as cheating the natural cycle of life, it may be everything wrong and doomed as your mind makes it to be, however, it is done out of love. Morals, whether good or bad, no longer matters because Olrox is in love. Love has such a strong chokehold on this series, so I'm shoving as much love into these characters as I can. Both literally make these characters so sickly desiring love that it will be their doom and saving grace, but also me as an artist deeply putting love and thought into this board because care a lot about how to convey these complex emotions! Sure it is quite easy to churn out boards without care, but without putting care into your boards, your characters and stories lack life (in my personal opinion).

Immediately, this animatic shook me and told me to put in a reference to The Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabnel!

Also, how does one portray the soul? EYES. Eyes are the window to the soul. Mizrak’s eyes are also considerably the most important/crucial part of his design. His eyes in both seasons ‘glow in the dark’ due to the highlights in his eyes. Mizrak is considerably really emotive too and that was important to me to emphasize. I wanted to capture his essence, his soul if you will, into this shot.

This is also why this shot is done really prettily if you will.

The reflection of Olrox's eye in Mizrak's is important here! Olrox is here to act to comfort Mizrak. Even when Olrox is not on the screen with us, he is majorly present here. He will not abandon Mizrak. Also, since it is coupled with this line, people can choose to infer what they wish with Olrox! It can symbolize Olrox does have a soul, it can symbolize how Olrox and Mizrak are now intertwined together, it can symbolize Mizrak reciprocating Olrox's love. The list can go on! I give that room for open interpretation (same as the rest of the animatic, the only reason I'm going through, breaking down almost shot by shot is that I deeply care about this sort of thing, and I know other people do too!)

This shot, is deceptively simple but it's here to actually initiate a bunch of scenes I wanted to happen after this!

Firstly, I needed a very nonchalant but easy way for Olrox to let go of Mizrak's hand without needing to overcomplicate. I needed something that gave it just enough importance for the hand kiss BUT not too much where it is the sole focus on the shot.

Secondly, I needed a way for Olrox to lean down to Mizrak and initiate him being way closer to him.

Thirdly, it acts to parallel another shot that happens with Mizrak where instead of going diagonally down, he goes diagonally up!

This is one of the points where I visually slightly deviate from the one-shot! I really REALLY wanted to emphasize Olrox's dialogue here so I chopped up and elongated the scene to make it that much more intense and tender. Which is why we get the next two close up shots!

Look it was very VERY important to me to have Olrox cup Mizrak's face and intentionally cut off his eyes. The important part I wanted to focus on solely was his hand and Mizrak looking up because genuinely, Mizrak's eyes are 'distracting' and it would remove the focus on the gesture! Also I am saving Mizrak's eyes for the next shot haha

After this shot too, you may notice the blood from his neck disappears for the rest of the animatic. This is because, after this, it began to take too much of a visual focus away from the blood on Olrox's chest since it is bright red against greys in the shot. We can chalk it up to Olrox wiping the blood off when he goes to cup him.

"The most beautiful soul a vampire can posses."

It was so important to me that we get a BEAUTIFUL shot of Mizrak. I needed the audience to see his entireeee face close up, unobscured by anything. Olrox is holding a beautiful soul in his hands. He's holding Mizrak. Actually makes me sob.

This shot by the way has been repeated 3 times with slight variations by this point. Yes, this is a very pretty shot so how could I not help but repeat it? HOWEVER, I was trying to make a reference to how Mizrak has said Olrox's name only 3 times in the show with a variation of what was said around it. After that, Olrox calls him my love, basically unlocking a new stage in their relationship.

So here, three times when he looks at Olrox, he's mentally calling out his name. After this, Olrox brings him to a new stage in the relationship.

Also in Catholicism, a lot of things are in 3s. One of the major ones is that three times, Christ fell over carrying the cross. On the third hour of that day, he died and on the third day, he was resurrected from the dead. The three sacraments that welcome someone into the Kingdom of God are Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation as they all build off one another! I could go on both those are the main points AND I feel you might get the gist now!

It was very important to me that when Olrox makes this promise, we HAVE to see his full face. This is why it's a close-up.

It lets for no shadow of a doubt that Olrox means what he says here. He's looking AT Mizrak. He's telling the truth to him.

This is a parallel to a much earlier shot of Olrox! He moves closer to Mizrak by going from top right to bottom left, while Mizrak moves closer to Olrox by going from bottom left to top right! You also both see them exit the screen too!

In this shot, we bring back that halo vibe but also this is a reference to S01E04 and S02E08! The curtain! It is BOTH their first-ever shots to establish a new scene, so I wanted to go “Hey this is establishing a new scene- a new life for Mizrak and Olrox.”

The camera is super purposefully cut just below the eyes. You can see them open then closed, but we will never ever get to see the look he had in his eyes, the single decision in his brain that let him indulge. That’s only for Olrox, and only Olrox will know.

From here on out, A LOT of the shots of Mizrak get segmented/have his face hidden for that reason too (except for one shot, also done intentionally).

When Mizrak actually closes his lips around the blood- it’s on the growling sound in the song. Mizrak has turned into the animal that he’s been calling vampires. In this new life, he is now given the choice to be freed from the man-made shackles of shame and guilt. To be untamed and unrestricted. A wild animal so to speak!

Honestly, I spent a lot of my time here (besides the pretty Olrox frames) because I was super particular about how I wanted to portray Mizrak giving into sucking the blood. The way he accepts vampirism is vital because it sets the tone and mood for how the rest of the board feel since his face gets hidden and you now have to infer from when you saw his face last.

If you have seen my analyses or my work before, you will know how much I enjoy having a frame within a frame. I loveeee my boxes! They're in the box! TOGETHER! THE CENTER TOO! There are no real divisions with the exception of Olrox's head which is important because it's not Mizrak we're focused on at this point in time, it's Olrox~

This is because the one-shot, even in third person, is mostly through Olrox's perspective!

Also, the camera is moving around in this shot, and the following subsequent shots! It hopefully gives off the "hand-held" feel, which often is associated with feeling as if you're right there in the moment with them.

Why pillows?

This is me shaking you to say how the blood-drinking is an allusion for sex if that wasn't already obvious enough. So showing pillows coupled with Olrox groaning really goes "Yes they are technically doing it."

Originally this shot (and the previous shot) was supposed to be way more pulled out, but I was saving it for the very last shot of the animatic so I went to pillows with the tinest hint of their body in the frame to make it seem super scandalous. Like what on earth could they be doing for me to cut them mostly out of the frame? Also also, the pillow was supposed to have an embroidery of a painting from 1790s or earlier BUT, for the life of me, I could not decide what I wanted and I did not want to keep reusing the same references I have had in past work. I didn't want to fuss about it for too long since its more of an easter egg rather than adding to the story. The main point is pillow = fucking HAHA.

Side tangent, you can get away with SO MUCH by having blood drinking be an allusion to sex. Like obviously when you have an age rating you must abide by, you must be creative with how you go about mature topics (my age rating is YouTube hahaha)! Not only is blood drinking in vampirism just inherently queer-coded, but the intimacy of it can convey so much more if it was just a regular ol' sex scene! I actually deeply enjoy conveying nsfw topics into art because you can discuss character dynamics at a much more vulnerable, raw state that literally bares them to just their essence and their current desires/needs. However I am getting off-topic, let's get back to it!

This shot was actually heavily inspired by the statue Adoration by Stephen Sinding!

While there are a lot of differences now simply because Mizrak is at Olrox's chest, I still hope that the vibe of that statue is still imbued. It also gives the sense of not only Olrox adoring Mizrak in this very moment, but Mizrak is too despite not seeing his face. Again quite intentional because it's only for Olrox to see.

Also, a lot of people have been telling me how Olrox is breastfeeding him, and in technicality, they're not wrong, he's feeding blood, from his chest. It is the funniest thing ever LOL

This shot was important to really focus in on his throat and how, much like in the one-shot, Mizrak is literally not taking breaths and is just continually consuming Olrox.

Wet sounds fill the room as his throat bobs with each steady gulp...He doesn’t stop, doesn’t take a moment to gasp for breath.

I also just wanted to make this scene feel very slow in order to contrast with a much more passion-filled desire that consumes Mizrak in this animatic! Also hopefully the descent of blood and the descent of the camera helps to strengthen the idea of Mizrak descending into vampirism!

It felt really cheesy to have this close-up shot of his eye HOWEVER at the time, I thought this was by far the clearest way to convey the immediate switch from gentle devotion to devouring devotion and how suddenly rapid it is. In my brain, the stylization for his eyes open would be textured and pulse in the same way Olrox's wrist did, which is why it's just outlined. I'm once again not 100% set on the pulse look and it probably needs some iterations if I ever came back to it again.

Also, the green hearts in his eyes only come through when he's actively consuming blood from his chest! The heart motif comes back later when Mizrak ends up throwing up the blood!

Here's the cross again, except it is growing bigger. This was very important to me that you see how "gentle" the blood-sucking is at first. A gentle devotion despite the "terrifying" shadow of Mizrak. Also, super an excuse to have kiss marks in my animatic, I love painting them in my art because it can say a lot with placement and how aggressively smudged they are!

Also, I thought it would be SO FUN to have Mizrak's turned self literally have his eyes overlay where Olrox's eyes are. It conveys how Mizrak and Olrox are now switching roles in this animatic! For the first half of this animatic, Olrox has been placed pretty high up in the shot composition, or where the camera looks up to put him in a high place of power! It makes him appear way more etheral and otherworldly, while Mizrak was placed lower in the composition, always looking up at him! Which I'm hoping invokes religious imagery of a God and his worshipper/follower!

When Mizrak's transformation is set, the dynamic switches up. For the rest of the animatic, Mizrak is now placed at a more supernatural/otherwordly position, while Olrox is just there passively, letting Mizrak BE in this position. He does not fight it, he embraces it, embraces how Mizrak reciprocates his love, his desire, and all his messy complications, much like how earlier in the animatic, Mizrak embraces vampirism.

Also if you slow it down enough you can see how I accidentally left my perspective grids in it HAHA, but it goes by fast enough it doesn't really matter! (I guess it's also kind of indicative of my natural style when it comes to digital painting too, I genuinely like having my sketch still peek through into the final painting!)

Wow even more shots to cement the new role switch AND how much much of the passionate need to consume is controlling his urges! Free to consume at his leisure, he is no longer bound by human nature (for now)!

This shot and his leg shot help to really strip Mizrak of his humanity. Faces in a shot really help to connect people to the characters because we see the emote, we see them breathe, we see them live. Especially for a character like Mizrak? He's super expressive face-wise and I'm purposefully not showing you the defining features of Mizrak. Here I am basically going "Mizrak is no longer human."

This is why in horror/thrillers with antagonist characters, we don't see their faces much and are saved for only key moments (usually, again your intentionality matters). It doesn't allow us to connect with the character on a much more human level. Think of Count Orlok from Nosferatu (2024). Purposefully a lot of his character is shrouded in darkness, focusing on his hands and other aspects, never his face, and even then it is really hard to make out because so much of him is obscured. It makes him that much of an imposing intimidating character! Otherworldly and something that we cannot fully understand.

This is a flipped version of Mizrak's close-up eye shot much earlier when he asked if his soul would remain. Again to hark on how Mizrak and Olrox are switching roles in this animatic! Olrox is looking at Mizrak's soul as we speak.

Despite us not seeing Mizrak's face, we as an audience noticing how unhuman Mizrak has suddenly become, Olrox looks quite gently at him and that was important to convey!

Woo! Lot's of horizontal lines here! While the camera is moving towards the left, Mizrak is moving right!

Originally this shot was going to have Mizrak's teeth sinking into Olrox like a very cool Olrox throwing his head back and Mizrak's fang reveal HOWEVER, I want to leave the "carnage" and bloodshed of the feeding out of the frame and only have it show up in very specific moments so I can have those moments actually have their proper impacts. I did not want to show any part of the front of his face at all since it would dampen the effect later on, so I opted for this instead. The legs give a sense of "something is happening but we don't know what, but it's to a point where Mizrak's entire body is moving oh jeez." Won't lie, this looks very sexual and I'm purposefully toying with that line again because blood drinking is an allusion to sex.

Also, I'm continuing the concept of having aspects of Mizrak's face only for Olrox's eyes. What does he look like when he's actively consuming him with such passion? Idk, Olrox you tell me.

This is everything I was building up for when I introduced the small crosses! The physical manifestation of how Mizrak reciprocates.

My thought process here was that Mizrak only knows how to love by fully devoting himself because that's all he's done for God. So he applies it here. He is reciprocating love, but it is FULL ON. It is intense. It is all-consuming.

The face once again is obscured for all the reasons I have mentioned before, but also it REALLY helps to really hard cut to Mizrak choking on the blood after because before it seemed like he was doing just fine. He is literally looking DOWN at Olrox, he takes up A LOT of the screen with just his back and head. He literally gets pulled into full focus while Olrox is blurred in the background. He appears like he is in control of the situation, however it could not be further from the truth.

Also, I was mostly inspired by the insane amount of bible verses talking about blood, so I'll drop some of those here!

John 6:53-56 ESV

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

Ezekiel 16:6 ESV 

“And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’

Matthew 26:28 ESV

"For this is my [Christ's] blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

Absolute contrast to most of the other shots, not only because I decided to add way more character acting here, but it's because we actually see his FULL face. It's intentional because Mizrak realizes himself now so we need to see him have this reaction. I wanted to show that he is still a person. He still has a soul. He may not be human, but he does have a mind that can think and a heart that can love. He still retains human qualities.

He's choking on all the blood (a physical manifestation of love) and his body is rejecting it. He's not used to consuming this amount of love and he's not used to being self-indulgent. It's deeply overwhelming.

I wanted to say I LOVED drawing blood it is SO FUN, planning the camera movement, and how Mizrak coughs at specific moments was sooo fun. I wanted this to be MESSY AND INTENSE. I wanted the audience to feel the weight of Mizrak's sudden distraught. I wanted to throw him around and to really hark on this line from the one-shot.

What has he done? What has been done to him? What has he become?

It helps to deeply contrast with how still and gentle the next scene is!

Yes, that is right, Olrox's pupils are DILATED :)

Coupled with the fact that the blood splatters are hearts! They're outlined in cyan! Olrox has a massive heart-shaped blood splatter on his cheek while Mizrak has a few heart-shaped splatters BUT there are gaps in his bloodied mouth that create heart shapes as if Mizrak spewed out those hearts!

Firstly this is because Mizrak literally eats at his chest where the heart is. Secondly, I'm again pushing for Mizrak to consume and throw up his love due to how overwhelming it is. Not only is Olrox's love for him literally beyond his imagination, but Mizrak is trying to love back in with that same amount of passion and utter devotion. A lot is happening for this new-born vampire that is pushing and pulling at him. His emotional state is so overwhelming that it is manifested in physical form.

The green reflections are shown to visually communicate Olrox anchoring Mizrak back, as, throughout the animatic, it is one of the things that ease or calm him down. I could not portray it through voice BUT I can portray it via visual (guys walk with me here, imagine the insane combo of audio and visual, it would be so tasty). The sole reason why I did not have hearts in his eyes here is simply because I reserved the heart motif for when he's actively drinking out of Olrox's chest (so he's literally consuming his love) or when he's spitting out the blood!

Also, the reason why I cut to his eyes rather than pan to them is purely because I wanted the violence of his mouth to be suddenly jarring to the gentleness in his eyes. I didn't want the slow reveal, I wanted the "OMG the blood- aw Mizrak...."

"Lulled into a sense of hazy compliance by Olrox’s voice, the former monk carefully lowers himself and continues though not for long."

This final shot was soooo important to me to include. The “musty inn room” was mentioned much earlier during Mizrak’s transformation but there was a poeticism by having what is considerably the blossoming moment of their complicated relationship be the final shot. With the lyrics also ending with "Take me back to Eden" how could I not? Clearly, both the rooms between s01e4 and s02e8 are parallel to each other. The only difference is that s02e8 has the room be both red AND GREEN, while s01e4 is just earthy/green. Olrox has taken them both back to their earthly paradise. This is their Garden of Eden.

Woo ok and we're done! Also yes I do thumbnails for these, it's half the reason why I'm fast (this entire animatic, cleaned and everything, was done in 3 days good lord. Is that fast? I can't tell) I make the barest of bones chicken scratch of sketches to get a feel of pace/vibe, then I do my roughs/cleans and add/take away shots necessary for the story that needs to be told. I normally would not let this see the light of day because these are AWFUL BUT, this post is also half a documentation of my personal process so I'm going to close my eyes and share this HAHA

If you got this far, thank you for reading me geek out about this! I find a lot of joy in the visual storytelling medium. As much as I do enjoy animating, (wow could you guys tell in the name?) I have a deep love and passion for storyboarding personally and I get sit back, and enjoy crafting the entire picture! I still have a long way to go but I'm having fun and I'm pursuing my passions of storytelling!

I desperately want to make more animatics, dealing with different tones, pace etc, but I genuinely have to go prioritize other things for now that will help me build these skills hahaha. I say this but who knows, seeing my current track record haha, look I can do both. I follow wherever my creativity takes me. I may have missed a few things but I have to wrap this up now!

Thank you again! The final takeaway, go watch Castlevania again and go be inspired by animation <33333

[technically-a-kiwi]

🌌TRUEST OF TRUE ULTIMATE VERSION OF Mc FUCKIN' HAD IT OF TRUEST COSMIC AU🌌

Or Cosmic AU for short

That's right ! The final version's here ✨✨✨, it doesn't mean I'll stop posting about the AU, but I'll stop writting stuff and stories and shit, well, maybe not stories but DEFINETLY world building, it's a multiversal otherworldly fourth wall breaking self aware AU so whatever. Anyways, LET'S GOOOOOO !!!!

And now, for the moment you've been waiting for !

THE LOOOOOOORE 💯💯💯💯💯

Peppino and The Noise killed eachother and are now gods

The end ✨

Characters :

Cosmic Peppino, The Chef

Cosmic Noise, The Host

Cosmic Pepperman, self absorbed drawing

The ticket stand, a face in the void

Noisette, the little star traveler

Where are the other characters you may ask ?

THEY'RE IN THE REALM OF I-DON'T-CARENESS OKAY ?!!! They're not gone, I just litterlay don't care enough to mention them anymore okay ?! If you want to do stuff with them go ahead, but I won't, I'm DONE 👹👹👹

Now, small note, the cosmic realm holds many kinds of entity, with titles as diversed as its people. Just know that C Pep and C Noise specifically are cosmic entities and the ONLY cosmic entities of the realm, and are thus not bound by laws of physics, reality, panels, chronologie, are self award, fourth wall breakers and most importantly absolutely omnipotente.

Yeah it's ridiculously overpowered and weird for silly pizza game characters, but who cares ?! This is my AU boi !

No need to develop on Peppino much, I've already made plenty of posts about him, he's quite developed as it is. An italian creation god...thing, that bakes things into existence, C Pep is either stressed out or tired or furious, and flames up like a bonfire when emotional.

Although I gotta mention, I kind of changed his perspective on mortal beings. He does have basic respect for people, he sees them a little spects sure, but he wouldn't actively undermine them. He doesn't get upset much when something happens to populations, maybe a little "oh, that's a bummer" during tragedies, but not anything much, it's not a lovey dovey amount of care like for his kids. he just sees them as... tiny insect strangers of some sort, I hope it's clear enough.

Okay, I kind of want to develop some stuff, I don't know where else I could put this in the post anyway

C Pep is quite distant with people, he can engage in conversations sure, but he doesn't let much of anybody in, you know ? (Well, most people don't let strangers in, most saine people that is, everyone in the realm is insane anyway)

But with people he's familiar with, he's quite peachy

He considers Maurice like a little brother, he loves just hanging around, messing harmlessly with him a little, or just be here for him. C Pep enjoys his company since here Maurice is more cold than a jerk, plus they can hear from eachother when it comes to the struggles of raising a child on your own (yup there is a Maurice Jr.)

Since Peppino's a chef, he's been taking Maurice under his wing and teaches him some nice recipes.

He's a slow learner but he's progressing.

As for the constellations, he tries his best as a single father. He's a little awkward, especially when he needs to react calmly (calm and Peppino are two opposite thing on the chart) but he really tries his best to show the constellations he's here for them. Pep can relate with them on some things. He really loves them cares about them deeply. The constellations care about him just as much. It's an okay family.

Also, it's kind of awkward and I feel REALLY weird to write that, but on my earlier posts I said that he makes lots of mistakes as a parent, and to illustrate that I made him yell at Cassiopea, and suggested that it happened more than once. Now, the original plan was to show that he's terrifying when enragged and that his kids are worried about his outbursts, but instead I might of suggested that C Pep is kind of an... abuser? Okay, to set things strait, it's not the case, not at all, he loves his kids and would rip the very fabric of reality to protect them and make them happy, even if he's about to lash out at them his future self would come and stop him before he could causes any harm. It's very messed up considering that C Pep is basically an overpowered god and having defenseless beings at the mercy of his outbursts and yelling just sound sick and not at ALL what I was going for. It could have been interesting if I tried a story talking about the viscious cycle of abuse and how it caries on to the victime, since Peppino is canonically a victime of household abuse with his brother verbaly harassing him, but at this point it straines a little too far from what the AU is about. maybe I'll write something about it someday, but the chances are thin.

Okay I think that's all for Cosmic Peppino

Let's develop on Cosmic Noise !

Okay, so, Cosmic Noise here is a (not so) little chaos god, he just loves to mess around, most of his actions are for the sake of his own entertainment. He's either a very, very dumb irritating little gremlin or an absolute evil mastermind, depends on his mood. His "special ability", or should I say "quirk" is that he can summon text panels you see in earlier TV shows to make the crowd react.

I didn't draw this but sometimes he can be a helping hand in stories, giving hints to the hero's journey, but he'd NEVER physically intervene in a story to help, that's just... not like him... besides if he helps it's generaly because he wants to move the plote along, not because he's nice.

You can just feel that he wants to annoy you just by the way he's moving, interacting with people, he just floats aroud you, takes all the available space, constrains you, he just wants to put you out of your confort zone, see how much he can play until he crosses the line

And sometimes he can go pretty far to see how much you can handle before you crack

As for NNS, C Noise's TV show, it's quite a strange enviroment, the studio takes a good chunk of the cosmic realm (also fun fact, C Noise's cape is a window and a portal to NNS's studio !) it doesn't have a clear schedule. The number one rule is to be as entertaining as possible. Oh, and literaly nothing makes sense and is absurde, just like The Noise

That's the only thing I drew, but there's so much more stuff he does in the show, like news broadcasting, here's a little moodboard to give you an idea

there's stuff like extreme parcours, a hide and seek game where the contestant must find him in a random area (most of the time hostile areas), dilema games where he films people having to solve a tough dilema etc... Just as long as it's exaggerated and absurde it's good.

Also, (not a) fun fact ! C Noise can see through his cameras as if they where his eyes, and his cameras are everywhere filming 24/7. He knows all the things you keep to yourself, all the awkward and dark things you did, he saw that, and can compilate all those moments into a film if he wants, so be careful with what names you call him, he might try to prove you he's far worst than just annoying.

And now, for the cosmic duo.

Cosmic Peppino and Cosmic Noise are... quite an unique duo, per say ?

Since an image speaks a thousand words, I'll just let my doodles show how their dynamic works

Part 2 | Part 3

[omghallucinations]

Bang Chan Chart Analysis: in the weeds edition

chart patterns, degrees, fixed stars, aspects, final dispositors, basically all kind of deeper cuts.

ah, bang chan: a double libra gemini rising whose other planets are acting up so much i barely even touched on venus and mercury somehow

like he's clearly an air sign in every respect--he loooOOOves to talk, he's curious and interested in a lot of different things, he's never met a secret he doesn't want to immediately tell five hundred thousand people on live... but damn some of those other planets (saturn, mars, jupiter, uranus) are loud.

right away i noticed his chart is a bucket chart--every planet is in one half of the circle, except for one planet who becomes the "handle": his aries saturn. saturn is hammering all the other planets on the head so to speak.

saturn: you'll have to come through me motherfuckers

saturn is screaming it's ME i'm the BIG BOSS and as the handle, a lot of things in chan's life are gonna be based on or deal with--for better or worse--saturn stuff (maturation, fear, control, authority, judgment). chan's saturn automatically rockets to the top of his Big Boss list (it will not stay here tho, we've got some other bosses coming).

saturn is in its fall in aries--it doesn't speak the language there. any planet in its fall is usually marked down in influence but i also think it makes the planet more important? chan has to struggle with it. a saturn at home in capricorn (barring other chart factors) is very natural. 8/9 members of girls generation have saturn in capricorn and wow does that make sense. saturn in capricorn prizes Work and is self-conscious/guilty of its feelings (feelings are not productive), it's alllways anxious it hasn't done enough, it is very scared of disappointing people, it's deeply conscious of societal conditioning.

aries is a weird sign for saturn to be in. saturn has a lot of fear, and aries has a lot of fearlessness. aries is a baby and saturn is all about maturation. aries is about acting without thinking, saturn is about making a list and checking it 5 times then deciding not to do it just in case.

and then. this is fun. saturn goes on the big boss list again because it is unaspected--this doesn't mean there aren't aspects, it means there are no major aspects to other planets. when a planet is unaspected, everyone around you can sure as fuck see the hell out of it, but you can't really. it's center stage but not in the play.

bang chan: i am the cutest, fuzziest lil libra guy :) i just care about my work which is normal :) and i express that care in a very reasonable and chill way :) i just want things to be good! :) everyone around him, shaking in fear from his scathing judgment and innate leadership aura: uh-huh

an unaspected planet is usually a generational thing--chan really popped up like hey girl :) i'm here to really personify our family problems of work, judgement, fear and maturation and just like. make 'em huge and unavoidable. haha. :)

chan's gonna show real extremes of behavior around his saturn, which

in aries seems like it's dealing with issues of creation, self-determination, doing it on my own, that kind of stuff (so he'll deny himself or assert himself too much in turns)

in the 11th house backs that up--the 11th is the aquarius house, so saturn is in aries (a "me" sign) in a "we" (in a sort of detached intellectual sense) house

11th/aquarius usually wants to set u free :) but in a kind of back-handed passy aggy harry styles way, like "i love you so i'll set you free, because i am such an open-minded person, unlike other people (who are tethered to humanity which is both embarrassing and scary to me yuck), also setting you free is less terrifying to me than being perceived :) go with god :) bye :)"

it's in the sun decan, so there's a flavor of "look at me look at me" and identity formation (am i what i produce?)

saturn's most exact aspect is sesquisquare mars which acts a lot like a square, my favorite aspect! squares get such a bad rap but i think they're so much better for your life in the long run bc they force you to deal with things. his mars is in sagittarius, so we have a double fire sign situation: explosive, passionate, loves attention and creation. mars, who also gets a bad rap, is our survival planet. it's like, how are you gonna survive this. how are you gonna get what you want and defend yourself and win (if you care about winning) (chan cares about winning).

sagittarius mars is gonna go forward kind of joyfully but also in a "fuck you lmao" way. it's courageous bc it doesn't really think anything could go actually wrong. it's gonna Leave if it's bored (and it's already bored). it's gonna wide-angle zoom on the situation and be like "lol embarrassing... for you" and feel 100% sure it's right All The Time. sesquisquare saturn tries to control this force, adds a bunch of fear and repression and Issues (and often in later life, wisdom), so -> chan's gonna really be afraid of his own anger, of losing control of his temper -> ironically he will be unable to stop bouncing between these two extremes to various degrees. u can't control what u can't accept my dude. -> he's also afraid of not being in power, of not winning -> the me/we extreme will also come into play--especially with his sun and moon in libra (that's their whole Thing) sagittarius says "i'm right for objective, philosophical reasons" and aries says "i'm right because i just am bro i don't have to explain myself to you" mars in the 6th house--that drive to assert himself is gonna really go hard at work and in his daily life. this is a #gymbro placement for sure. his daily routine is Let's Fuckin Go At 150% -> his 11th house (where saturn is), loves the idea of people, community, his ideals, is detached from humanity and it comes into conflict with -> his 6th house, which is very much of the world, very critical, very let's get actual shit done and be of service to people sidebar, mars is exactly conjunct the asteroid quaoar-- creation, making new rules and structures, diverging from how things Have Always Been Done, please hold this thought for his uranus, coming up soon

libra moon at 29 degrees: heard u were desperately trying to maintain equilibrium for emotional security reasons lol

another planet i'm eyeing is his libra moon which is in the anaretic degree, 29. he's very good at this energy but it's gonna test him. with his libra moon he needs contact and dialogue with people to feel secure but it can't get too deep because that's gonna freak him out. he is super comfortable being vulnerable and emotional on the internet because the internet is not real. i mean it's real, but it doesn't feel real. it's the equivalent of over-intellecualising your feelings so you don't actually feel anything (which an air moon always enjoys, as a hobby). just like it's way easier and less scary to be in love with an idea of a person, rather than the actual person! the actual person can really fuck up ur moodboard!

chan needs things to be pretty, equal, even-keeled. libra is such a funny sign because often it gets flattened to this like "cutey pie flirt" stereotype which i would say is almost exclusively libra venus. libra is a cardinal sign--an acting, initiating sign--and can be a lot more controlling than it likes to pretend imo. it's also in his sixth house--he's gonna feel safe when he can be of service to others, when he can get things done, when he can edit shit, basically.

he's also a new moon baby, which gives a moon a fun, aries-y, baby-tries-(food)-for-the-first-time vibe. removes a lot of those libra inhibitions and adds a lot of need to feel special.

chan is so good at making sure he feels safe by trying to keep everything cute and not too deep and staying on the surface or removed from the situation through constant activity and like, pruning everything, trying to perfect everything (therefore not having to actually deal with anything). howmstever, this system is gonna repeatedly implode throughout his life. soz bud. his emotional foundation's gonna get pummeled on and off which sucks because he has an almost manic need

for emotional safety through strategic diplomacy and avoiding confrontation

for emotional safety through constant work and "perfecting" everything

for people to like him everyone needs to like him or he will die

(not the real him, that makes him nervous, the projection of him that he painstakingly curates, that is safer)

it's not especially fun to deal with.

bright side, wisdom in later life!

mercury, ruler of chan's ascendant: pretty much exactly what you'd expect?

as a gemini rising, chan's ruler is his mercury in libra in the 5th but ironically i don't feel like she's as major of a player as some of these other planets. you can see the communication and curiosity focus of his life, and in the 5th house of self-expression, creation. mercury is sextile mars and pluto, a talent for making his voice heard and powerful, trine uranus in the 9th he's confident about and believes in his unique voice/perspective.

like mercury is there and she's important, but she's not like. causing big waves? it's like his life direction, again, important, but i'm more intrigued by...

mars conjunct pluto opposite his ascendant: oh boy!

this is his one big opposition and it's on the gemini-sagittarius axis (my fave, she's just fun and curious, she's not super dramatic or that difficult although she doesn't exactly make it easy to make... decisions... or get anything done?). however if we were worried about getting shit done, mars and pluto are here to scream. mars conjunct pluto is exactly as dramatic as sagittarius-gemini is not.

this is an exact conjunction and it's wild. anything pluto touches blows up in a way. it makes it intense and secretive and adds the planet to its portfolio of unconscious past life soul security demands.

lmao i just realized that red lights is fully this conjunction lmao oh no. i don't know if i can talk about this conjunction normally. it's very... ... nsfw.

sometimes pluto conjunct mars forces mars into the background and makes the person afraid to assert themselves, but i don't think that's exactly the vibe here, although it's similar. it looks to me like chan has a lot of rage and anger in him that, with his libra placements, he probably has a very difficult time acknowledging or facing. he'll easily internalize it and turn it inward and be a real asshole to himself, and also his temper will flare up randomly and he'll go for the kill shot when he meant to communicate like a normal person. he has a lot of strong desires, he also wants power, but he's gonna hide it and run from the reality there. he does have almost inhuman will, courage and drive tho, he can truly endure anything.

(idk i think he should be a little worried about his physical body, so many of his coping mechanisms depend on exercise/endurance and with pluto--transformation, security--in the sixth house i worry his health might force transformation? ur body can't carry all of ur unspoken shit my bud?)

gemini rising wants to seem very fun, very friendly, very cute, but with mars and pluto on his descendant chan is almost hiding or ignoring a huge part of himself--all those darker impulses which aren't going anywhere. my guy loves a taboo and (redacted redacted redacted redacted REDACTEDDDD). whatever, it's good for creativity and in sagittarius he has a good sense of humor about it.

jupiter: uno reverso???

damn chan really got #blessed here, a lot of that chart was really screaming Issues, Internalized Rage, Fear, Depression, etc, but jupiter really bounced up to be like "never mind haha. i mean yeah, true, but also whatever"

first of all jupiter is in its home house, the 9th--chan's on a Journey, he's eat pray loving, he's Listening and Learning--and it's in aquarius, so that belief system and personal philosophy is gonna be very open-minded, very science fiction, very predicting trends, very ahead of society.

jupiter conjunct his MC: this is what pulls jupiter up to the big boss list. anything conjunct your MC is at the top of your chart--people see it. people notice it about you. and goddamn are people just gonna give him stuff. and they always have. no wonder jyp was like This Is My Special Boy, like that is jupiter conjunct MC to a t.

(the public perception of chan is also gonna be a lot... cuter and more exuberant and fun than the actual man. not that he's not those things. just that the jupiter of his personality is really what people are noticing about him from the outside: his personal vision, his expansive side, all that. they are not looking at that prominent saturn as much, even if saturn is a bigger player)

jupiter trine the sun: another one where people are just gonna like you. for one thing they'll notice chan's good intentions and generosity--altho they will also notice his tendency to moralise and be a liiiiittle condescending--but his tendency towards bouncy optimism (at least outwardly) makes people want to follow him aquarius jupiter trine libra sun: two "we" signs in a big way, except aquarius is "we" like "humanity" and libra is "we" like "you and me", but they unite in a tendency to conflate the personal identity with the group identity--with jupiter and the sun at play it's like chan is able to bring people on board with his identity and personal vision (but he often presents an idealised version of himself who does not have needs, somehow) 9th house trine 5th house: basically a repeat of jupiter-sun, since the 5th house is the leo house--chan has a talent for using his personal philosophy/vision in creative works

our final big boss of the night, perhaps the ultimate big boss: aquarius uranus

chan's aquarius uranus is really talking to everybody. it has by far the most aspects of any planet. uranus has its hand in his ascendant and every planet except jupiter and neptune. with modern rulers aquarius is at home in uranus, and i'm coming around a little bit on modern rulership even if i think it tends to be less prominent than traditional. still:

aquarius uranus: original thought, technological progress, your box is dumb i'm not going in there uranus in the 9th house: he's gonna have an offbeat belief system--no chance he buys into korea's societal norms, or anyone's societal norms for that matter. he's not a conformist. trine his gemini ascendant: whooooo boy he is really not a conformist. when he's not in a Mood he's not judgmental at all, even when he's in a mood he has a real benevolent Ah, Humanity Should All Be Free to Pursue Happiness vibe. gemini couldn't give a shit about morals, and uranus and aquarius think morals are bourgeois. he has a talent for his own difference--some uranus people (like most of ateez, my weirdo darlings) have chips on their shoulders about being different, but chan with his easy trine is just happy to be himself. i mean a trine uranus isn't gonna change the world (unlike harder aspects like squares, who would be more driven to do so) but he is gonna set a good example just through his identity.

this is a fun side of chan! i like this!

square moon: mmmm ok about that chip on his shoulder. although it's not really about being different--it's more about he both wants to be stable and emotionally secure and also free and independent and he's soooooooo fucking stubborn (but he doesn't see it that way because he's Right, not stubborn). he's prone to feeling really itchy and stuck and then making big changes out of nowhere. also he's very intuitive but overly sensitive and when he's hurt he's gonna shut down completely and not tell the person what they did wrong. didn't he give someone the silent treatment? jisung? yeah that's uranus square moon energy. he has a lot of fear around his emotions and only lets himself feel in short sharp bursts. he feels hurt and he cuts out the person immediately without warning to protect himself--even if it's completely illogical he will dupe himself into believing it is very logical and correct, actually libra moon square aquarius uranus: yeah this looks like a "keep the peace even if it is unhealthy" v. "radical change out of nowhere the tower ass" argument, he'll bounce between the two extremes again. heyyy gemini rising i didn't even see u there!!

man. really haven't gotten into everything including his sun in libra (in its fall), his nodes (classic idol 5th-11th axis, soooo many of them have this), etc, but i've been working on this for so long!! aughhH!!

ok drumroll please, let's gather up his chart big players!! normally i would rank these, but i keep changing my mind.

aquarius uranus

aquarius jupiter

sagittarius mars-pluto conjunction

aries saturn

libra mercury (2nd to lastish)

libra moon (definitely last on this list)

tentatively i'm gonna put uranus-jupiter tied at 1, then mars-pluto then saturn then mercury. ugh i don't know though. they're all big players! chan in general has one of those spread-out charts--when you look at the ruler of each planet, he has what's called a "committee" tree

where there isn't one or two final bosses, and the planets are all connected in one tree rather than being separate. you can see how chan's 3 top planets are sag mars, aquarius jupiter and aries saturn--they all work together and are super interconnected. he's not as single-minded as someone with a singular dispositor (ateez hongjoong has a singular final dispositor tree with his pisces jupiter) but also not as split or conflicted as someone who has split trees (ateez seonghwa has a planet in rulership tree with separate parts).

anyway this has been really interesting! for someone with what seems at first glance to be a very unified chart (air moon, air sun, air rising) he has some interesting conflicting energies--altho i'm sure he sees himself as just an air person. i'm sure he is lowkey aware of that mars and pluto conjunction but i'd bet he really pretends he does not see it (except for in REDACTED REDACTED EXTREMELY REDACTED situations), and he truly cannot see his saturn at all (altho everyone else can!).

[self-awared]

The Anemo Archon

Genshin SAGAU Imposter Au!

Part 1 <— You are here! Part 2

Trigger warnings: Violence, not proof-read, not well written

Everything hurt.

Your whole body was on fire from running, from being stabbed, from tripping... If there was something that could hurt you, it did.

—

You had no idea why people stared at you with hatred as you entered the city of freedom. You were the Creator, after all.

It wasn't until you were jumped by the Knights of Favonius that you realized what was happening. They screamed at you, calling you an imposter that dared to steal their Creator's face.

You barely escaped with your life.

—

"The wind? What about it?" You spoke curiously as you held a small wind spirit in your hand. Istaroth had named it Barbatos. It had the ability to talk, and had a mind of its own. It had also become quite close to you as you made and molded Teyvat.

"Whenever you're hurt, follow the wind! I'll help you!" The spirit's glee brought a smile to your face.

"Will you, now? Who says I need protecting?" You responded, teasing the small and adorable creature.

"Me! I do! And the wind!" Barbatos's childish nature was nothing new to you. It was always refreshing to hear their giggles and watch them fly around you as you took a break from exploring your creation.

"Very well. The great Barbatos shall be my protector until the end of time!"

—

The memory brought a small smile to your face as you rested in the den of a cave, a squirrel huddled in your lap, a bird perched on your shoulder, and a snake around your neck like a scarf.

You had felt the wind comforting you as you ran from your attackers. The wind blowed past your face and almost pushed you forward, as if trying to get you to run faster before an arrow struck your shoulder.

You had managed to get away from your attackers, deciding to take the advice of an old friend and follow the wind. It led you to a deep cave, one that would provide you with shelter. The animals brought you food. Squirrels brought acorns, rabbits brought leaves and carrots, birds brought worms, snakes brought dead animals... The worms did creep you out though.

You ran a finger over the squirrel's fur, finding comfort in the feeling of something so soft after going through something so harsh. The peace was interrupted by a soft whisper in your ear, making you jump and scaring the animals.

"Seems like you do need the wind's protection after all!"

You were flooded with relief upon hearing the familiar voice of Barbatos, before panicking at the thought that he might believe that you were an imposter.

"Barbatos... You... Do you believe it's me?" Your hands were shaking just as bad as your breathing. It terrified you at the thought of having to flee from a beloved friend—

"Of course not, Your Grace! The wind never lies! And it's certainly not lying about the fact that your attempts at bandaging are quite poor." Barbatos teased as he sat next to you.

"May I?" Barbatos reached out to you, a hand hovering over the makeshift bandage over your shoulder.

You nodded ever so slightly, internally sighing at his normal playful nature.

As Barbatos tended to your numerous wounds—mainly the one on your shoulder—you couldn't help but notice that he looked different from what you remembered.

"Did you get a change of style?" Curiosity plagued your voice.

"I took the form of a friend." Barbatos's smile became rather dim as he spoke softly.

"Oh... I see." You paused. "What happened while I was away...?" You were reluctant in asking, as if afraid of the answer.

"Well, Your Grace... Someone claimed to be you. They fit the description told in the tales, and even the one I remember you looking like. Everyone believed them, and I'm no longer as strong as I used to be." He spoke softly, in a quiet tone, weary of any passersby, even though you were in the depths of a cave.

"So, I played along. I'm trying my best to find out how to get rid of them, I swear on my life, Your Grace." His smile was comforting as he finished tending to your injuries.

"And what should I do?"

[justpoliteconversations]

To Obtain [Yandere!Four x Isekai!Reader]

Teamwork is the purpose of the pack. But a hive is a thing of purpose.

Second part of the yandere series. This one is quite a bit spicier than my usual fair, so be warned. Also, it's longer because it has four (five) yanderes packed in there.

(Going to edit later. I'm too tired now to do it.)

Masterlist

Set-up: Comfort [Yandere!Chain + Isekai!Reader]

Sky Route

Four Route

TW: Choosing not to disclose. Read at your own discretion.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise. Linked Universe is the fan creation of jojo56830.

---

After that night (that wretched, nightmarish night), things had gone from uncomfortably tense to downright confusing very quickly. Especially where Four was concerned (or rather, where the damned Colors were concerned).

Red, for one, had become relentless in his pursuit of your company (a shy touch on the back of your hand. fingers brushing against yours. big, doughy eyes of glittering firelight pinning you from across the camp with their intensity). Going so far as to risk conflict (terrifying, bloody conflict. so vicious Green and Time had had to step in and physically separate them) between Blue and Twilight as he'd whined and pleaded for your attention. Leaning into your space, red-pink eyes watery, ears pinned back against his skull. Pressing his red splotched face and (deceptively strong) hands into any part of you he could reach (that Twilight allowed him to reach. tense as the wolf bastard was for reasons lost on you).

Blue would be following close behind Red (as always), the air around him sparking with purpose as he put himself squarely in Twilight's territory (too close to Wild. and most certainly too close to you). Steely blue eyes scanning, assessing, before narrowing in on Twilight and staying there unwaveringly (actively provoking. so unlike his usual reactionary aggression). The twist of his thin lips firm and brimming with determination. For what, you weren't sure, but it set you on edge regardless, as though every one of your instincts were telling you to run (run, run, run, run, run-).

Vio was as distant as he always was (planning or unbothered you couldn't be sure), but you swore you could sometimes feel his sharp, calculated glance upon you (so sharp it felt like a scalpel grazing along vulnerable nerves. slowly peeling back your prickled skin with blood-chilling precision. distinctively Four. wholly Vio. entirely unwelcome). Whether you were sitting next to the fire, entertaining Wind or helping Wild tame his tangle of bed head, they always seemed to find you (even when you couldn't see. especially when you couldn't see).

Green was an enigma in his entirely. Rarely did he seem to play you much mind, and yet he seemed to be in your space more and more these days (even moreso than Red, and that's a truly anxiety inducing thought). Seated next to you at dinner time (how did he manage to get past Twilight? Wild? how did it become just the two of you, with and yet separate from the group?), walking close to you when the group traveled (how'd he get passed Hyrule? clingy and overbearing as he was?). And yet he never actively engaged you besides a slight smile or a brief glance in your direction (confusing. ringing wrong, wrong, wrong in the back of your mind).

Only Four seemed to have remained relatively unchanged. Still as polite and courteous with you as he's always been. Occasionally he got a little bossy (especially where equipment maintenance was concerned), but it was nothing unusual for the small smith and Wild got it even worse than you. So, you weren't overly concerned with him. Four was fine. He was lovely, in fact (a breath of fresh fucking air compared to the clusterfuck that was everyone else's crazy asses). It was just those damned Colors of his.

You'd like nothing more than to tell Four about how strange they've been acting, but in the end you didn't. There was no point honestly. For all they (Four and the Colors) seemed to share a common body, Four wasn't there when things got strange. There wasn't anything he could do when he didn't even exist at the same time they did. So why would you put that stress on the one guy who seemed to have his shit together? When he couldn't even do anything about it?

Because surely he wouldn't have allowed these types of behaviors to continue as they had if he had control of them. Not Blue's aggression. Not Vio's cruel disregard. Not Red's smothering. Not even Green's awkward insertion into your life. They just weren't him. They weren't Four.

(Or maybe you just didn't want to think about it. didn't want to contemplate what it meant if Four knew and did nothing at all.)

And loath as you were to admit it (no matter how much it hurt your pride. or put your teeth on edge. or tensed the muscles in your throat and jaw), Twilight wouldn't let anyone (let alone a bunch of psychopathic Four copies) do anything unsavory to you. As much as you wanted to hate him, Twilight really was your shield against the craziness that was the rest of the chain (except for Sky. damned Sky who had killed people and whimpered like a damned victim when he didn't get his way).

So. You kept quiet. You endured Red's whimpering and Blue's aggression and even Green's passive presence creeping into nearly every part of your life. You endured and let Twilight run them off when they got handsy or too overwhelming to bare. You endured and breathed a quiet sigh of relief when you opened your eyes and saw the patchwork of colors on Four's vest. You endured and just ignored it.

And then. It happened. On a night like any other night (it should have been like any other night).

(How could this have happened? why was this allowed to happen. please. please don't let this happen. Twilight. Twilight, please.)

Blue had gotten into your (into Twilight's) space. Quiet and tense and far too intense to be anything but a provoking gesture. Nearly trapping you between himself and Red (where was Wild? he should have been behind you), so close you could feel the heat of his hip and waist as it brushed up against you (Wild was with Green. he was showing him something shiny. some kind of mineral. wrong, wrong, wrong. Green never paid attention to Wild. not like Red did. Green didn't put himself out there like that. not without a reason).

You had immediately locked eyes with Twilight, silently pleading with him to make them back off. Because Red was so, so much already. You couldn't deal with Blue too. And something was wrong. Something felt different about them tonight (why was Red gripping your hand like that? his eyes weren't even on you. they were on Blue, the red of them so intense they glowed like wildfire).

And Twilight had answered. Because he always did. No matter what, he always came to your defense when things got tense.

Blue had squared up with him, eyes glinting steely blue beneath the determined set of his brows (something was different), nearly black with their intensity. Green was making his way over even as Twilight stood to full height to face Blue. Perhaps to talk him down. Maybe to physically drag Blue away as Green had done in the past (something was different. where was Wild? he wasn't where he was supposed to be).

(Where did Green send Wild off to, something whispered quietly in your mind. your heart racing. your gut screaming for you to run, run, run-)

Red was standing suddenly (no. it can't be. this isn't happening). And just like that, Twilight paused, staring down two Colors where once there was only one.

And then Green stepped right up behind Blue, a calm smile on his lips. And drew his sword.

"Sorry, Twilight." Green said smoothly, sounding so damned genuinely apologetic as he continued (as the sound of two other swords being drawn echoed through the tense, still, quiet clearing). "But Four's tired of waiting. And honestly, so are we. You understand how this works."

Twilight's lips pulled back into a grimace and suddenly you understood. Because how could you have not seen it when it had been right there all along (staring you right in the face. red, hearth warm eyes drowning in their obsession. sharp blue tracking you with quiet intensity). How could you have not thought of this outcome (how could you have missed Twilight's unease. he was rarely tense around the others. not even when Hyrule or Legend or Wind or even fucking Wars got close. how did you not notice how determined he'd been to keep the Colors at a distance?).

How could you have not noticed how outnumbered Twilight was all this time? Just watching as a larger, more well coordinated pack closed in from all sides, eyeing him at their leisure, taking his measure (finding his weaknesses). He'd been on the defensive from the beginning (like a cornered animal. like a lone wolf).

And they'd found those weaknesses. Patient. Cunning. Perfectly in sync. With the ability to come from all angles at once. A pack primed for the killing blow.

Wild was gone (Green had done that. he'd gotten Twilight alone). Time was keeping his distance, merely watching with quiet exasperation (Vio at his side. knowing lavender-blue gaze set on Time's face with unsettling ease, the slightest slip of a smile at the corner of his lips. smug).

(Checkmate. This was his checkmate, wasn't it? His victory. And you never even noticed the plays being made right. in. front. of. you.)

One nod from Time and Twilight sighed, running a rough hand through his dark hair, letting the tension in his shoulders lessen.

And then he moved away, casting an apologetic, reassuring smile your way. Sorry that you had been taken from his care, but not concerned enough to truly fight for you. Not when Time was allowing this to happen. Not when he was backed up against the wall (not when he wasn't actually losing anything but another body to tuck in when Wild finally settled enough to sleep).

And just like that you belonged to Four. And the Colors. And no one was even concerned by this (no one cared. no one saw anything wrong with this. they thought this was acceptable behavior. that this was okay when it wasn't. it really, really wasn't).

Twilight was gone (off to track down Wild), and everyone else went back to doing their nightly routines. And you were suddenly alone between Blue and Red, standing in the middle of it all feeling numb and chilled to your very bones.

In that moment, you were more alone than you'd ever been before (had you ever actually not been alone all this time? when no one else seemed to understand just how frightened you were? when they all just assumed you were going to be taken care of no matter who had you and therefore everything was okay).

So dazed were you by the turn of events, you didn't even notice the flicker of blue in your vision before the air was stolen from your lungs. A hand (calloused, shaking with excitement and forceful) balled into your shirt, pulling you down with overwhelming strength. Another gripping into your hair as warm, dry lips pressed harshly (savagely) against yours with ravenous hunger.

You froze at the contact, body tensing and mind going blank in panic as the hand gripping into your hair twisted. Forcibly turning your head for a better angle as something wet brushed against your lips softly (surprisingly gentle for the roughness of everything else).

You hadn't even the time to put your hands up and fight back before the man kissing you was ripped away, the hand still tangled in your hair tugging harshly before it (finally. mercifully) let go.

Freed, you gasped in fresh, life-giving (mind clearing) air. Your lips tingling and warm while the back of your head ached from the sudden punishing pulling it'd had to endure. Gentle, supporting hands were on you then, reeling you in close to lean against a warm, unmoving body.

"The fuck Green!" Blue hissed, lips and cheeks flushed red but his eyes brimming with livid rage. "Why'd you do that?"

Green leveled him with a neutral smile, holding your shaking form a bit closer as he said, firmly. "They're scared, Blue. You're moving too fast."

Blue huffed up, looking murderous and ready to fight. Until Red put a hand on his arm and said earnestly. "You're really scary sometimes, you know! You should be more gentle with them the first time!"

That made Blue pause, and after he finally looked at you (at you. not towards you or for you. but actually at you) and realized that you were shaking and gasping against Green's side, he averted his gaze. Face flushed and expression twisted into quiet anger (at himself. for getting ahead of himself. and for forgetting that for all they knew you, you didn't yet know them).

"Whatever." He mumbled, turning away. "I'm setting up the beds." Then he snapped. "They're sleeping closest to me! Come on, Red!"

Red hesitated, but one hard glare from Blue got him moving. "Coming!" Then he smiled at you, warm and sweet and brimming with excitement. "Don't be scared, kay? We're going to protect you now!" And then he ran to Blue, and they began setting up their sleeping area (five places, not four. and the thought made you shiver).

The hand supporting you rubbed tenderly against your side. "It'll be okay." Green told you reassuringly, his thumb pressing circles into your skin as he side hugged you gently. "They just need time to calm down."

(No. it won't be okay. this is wrong. this is so wrong.)

Later that night, with Blue sleeping at your feet and Red spooned in from behind (still awake. his heart thundering against your back in excitement. legs intertwined with yours and his hands tucked into the dips of your hips like vices), giggling and shaking like a damned small dog with pent-up energy. You lay awake, quiet and hoping Red would just go to sleep soon so you didn't have to hear his whispered 'love you's and 'so perfect's and 'I can't wait. I'm so excited's.

You watched the campfire burning in the distance to distract yourself from the circles his thumbs were rubbing into your hips. Far away. Away from Twilight or Wild (who was still awake and pissy after he'd found out what happened) and anyone else who might (might) have helped you if Red decided to continue where Blue left off (the thought made you want to curl up and disappear).

You closed your eyes and held back a sob as you remembered Vio's words (upset that such things would have ever had to be said to you. upset that they comforted you regardless).

After Green had left to go soothe things over with Twilight (and Wild), Vio had sat down beside you (as you both watched Red and Blue fight over sleeping arrangements) and begun talking. And God, how you wish he hadn't (you were thankful he did).

"They won't do more than touch you. Just hit them if they go too far. Despite his temperament, Blue will not strike you." He'd said coolly, not even taking his eyes off his brothers as they devolved into a brawl right over the spread of bedrolls. Red doing surprising well in pinning Blue down by the back of his tunic.

You wanted to yell at him that they shouldn't be touching you at all. That you didn't want to have to deal with this. You didn't though, because you knew (with heartbreaking, blood-chilling certainty) that it wouldn't change a damned thing. You didn't have a voice before, and you most certainly didn't now. Especially not with four others there to overpower your pitiful whispers and pleading screams (outnumbered and cornered, you wanted to giggle. though not the happy kind. not the sane kind).

His hand was on yours, fingers curling gently around your fist (what need have he to use force against trapped prey? why assert dominance when you were already completely under his power). "Four will be here tomorrow. When you wake, he will allow you to set boundaries." His cool, lavender-blue eyes flickered to yours. "Within reason."

You couldn't meet his eyes any longer as you asked, submissive and withdrawn. "How do you know?"

Vio blinked, face blank and eyes dispassionate as he asked. "Are you afraid of who you become when you dream?" You didn't get to answer when he continued, his hand (softer than Blue's, thinner than Green's, cooler than Red's) tightening on yours. "We know because it's what we want. Four is us, and we are Four. There is no one without the others."

Ice ran down the length of your spine. Your heart quivered. All the pieces falling into place right before your eyes.

"Speak to Four when he awakens. We will hear you with every part of us then." He said simply. And then he continued, more quietly. "Do not be afraid. He will protect you, from even himself if he must. As he always has."

Then he leaned in, his lips nearly brushing against your ear as he whispered. "He is our conscience, after all."

And suddenly. You understood. It all made sense now. The feeling of wrongness. The unease. The fear.

Four was their soul. Their shared center. Their conscience. And the longer they stayed separated, the further they strayed from his guiding inner voice.

They really were a group of psychos. Truly. And now, they owned you. And they could do anything they wanted to you. And the only thing keeping them from ripping you apart was the imprint of Four's will.

Red giggled again, one hand slipping up just the slightest bit until his fingers brushed the delicate skin of your waist. He quietly gasped at the feeling, shaking with repressed desire. Pressing his face into your neck, his mouth opening slightly before it snapped back closed with a muted click.

You closed your eyes and prayed for morning to come sooner. For Four to look up from polishing his tools and give you a small, tired smile. The sunlight shinning off his beautifully gold-spun hair like a rolling field of wheat. His eyes warm and sweet with fondness.

'Good morning.' He'll say, and you'll reply in kind. Relieved and grateful and safe (and you won't think about what Green said. you won't think about the implications. you just won't think about any of it).

You'll wake up tomorrow and Four will be there. Steady and reliable and helpful. Calm and collected and kind. Sweet and respectful and understanding. You'll tell him everything this time. You'll be completely honest (no you won't), and he'll make it right.

Because Four is reasonable. Because he'll protect you from even himself. Because he's a good person (because he won).

(And if you keep saying it enough. Maybe one day you'll actually fucking believe that load of bullshit. Except, you really, really won't. Not now, not ever.)

Because he loves you.

---

Back to the shadows.

[dfmm]

I'm just randomly thinking about No Straight Roads and its 7 deadly sins style bosses again and how their motivations were all extremely sympathetic but corrupted by fame

DJ Subatomic Supernova, Pride, who acted like he was smarter and better than anyone else and is then revealed to be terrified of being forgotten and that's why he tried to broadcast his music to the whole universe

Sayu, Sloth, a bunch of children who became too famous too fast and had to hide behind their creation

DK West, Envy, who let himself be ruled by his envy over his brother's successes

Yinu and her mother, Greed, trying to fulfill the dream they shared with Yinu's late father and in the process losing sight of what that dream meant for them in the first place (I cried during their post fight cutscene)

Neon J, Gluttony, the toymaker who tried to spread joy to make up for the things he saw in war, until his vision became mass produced and soulless

Eve, Lust, who was desperately trying to connect with someone, anyone who might understand her and the way she was seeing things, and who felt abandoned and betrayed by the one she opened herself to the most but can't stop herself from trying to get him back (this is the one I keep thinking about, it's stuck in my head forever)

Tatiana, Wrath, who can't let go of the anger she felt over her own failure as a musician and who lashes out at everyone who reminds her of it, to the point of becoming an oppressor as she rises in power

The way that every single NSR member can provoke this immediate reaction of "we need to beat you up now" but by the end of it I can't hate a single one of them, the characters in this game are absolutely fantastic

[sindar-princeling]

3.3k word long RoP review because I'm cranky

I have already been sharing my more detailed notes from each episode here, but with this post I wanted to gather all my feelings and frustrations into something more coherent.

PLOTLINES AND PACING

It's been said before, but show has WAY too many plotlines - or rather, it has an amount of plotlines it can't manage. 12 plotlines (the broad plotline of the rings, Celebrimbor and Annatar, Sauron and Galadriel, Adar and orcs, the Stranger's identity, Nori and Poppy and their own struggles, the dwarves plus their rings plus the balrog, the dark wizard, Elrond and Durin, Numenor (which I'd say has two distinct plotlines, too), Isildur's plotline, and Theo's teased plotline with the Southlanders) doesn't have to be too many, but you have to be able to juggle them. Once again, I want to mention Lost, which started with a terrifying amount of 14 MAIN characters (and give or take five million side characters) - and while people grew to have different opinions about the show as it went on, you cannot deny seasons 1 and 2 are incredibly strong and remain some absolutely iconic pieces television. The creators took those legions of characters and RAN with them, and it was incredible.

If you only have 8 episodes to work with, you need fewer plotlines; if you want more plotlines, you need more episodes. From a purely mathematical perspective, even if you divided your time equally, with 8 roughly hour-long episodes and 12 plotlines you'd get 40-45 minutes per plotline. Then, you're left with a question: can I write a satisfying arc for 40 minutes of screen time? Can I write five, ten, TWELVE of those?

(It would have been easier, of course, if the RoP plotlines interacted with one another, but they rarely do. Usually, when you give 5 minutes of your limited time to one subplot, no other subplot gets to take part in it.)

Except, RoP doesn't divide its time equally. Nori was on the screen for what felt like 15 minutes, and in reality couldn't have been much more, because this subplot was completely sidelined; the same can be said for Gandalf, Isildur, Theo, and Arondir. To make a story something engaging, something moving, you need to either give it time to grow, or be an extremely skilled writer who can rewire someone's brain with ten lines of dialogue. And RoP fails at both.

The strongest points of this season were moments when it was focused on two, three plotlines at once, not more. That's when you could see it at least had potential to be engaging; that's when it all felt less chaotic, and like you could finally immerse yourself in the story.

Celebrimbor and Annatar

They were definitely one of the most interesting subplots this season, and the focus on it let Charles Edward shine. His performance easily the best in season 2.

It was a solid 7/10 plot. I still felt that it left a lot to be desired - I wanted Sauron's deceptions, Celebrimbor's realisation, the creation of the rings, and the whole dynamic between the two of them to pack more of a punch - but it managed to be a thread connecting a few plotlines together, something this show desperately needed.

What felt most ridiculous was the torturing scene, with Sauron shooting at Celebrimbor from a bow from a few steps away. It made me want to laugh during a moment when the last thing you want your viewers to do is laugh.

Galadriel and Sauron

I cover them more in the 'Characters' section. In terms of pacing, the conflict between them was somewhere in the background the whole time until their confrontation came, and it was, you know. Perfectly inoffensive, and just- correct.

All I'm going to say here is that the fight scene from episode 8 was written in a very generic way, and made me cringe quite a lot. The choreography felt off - it was kind of slow, and the use of the crown of morgoth made me roll my eyes a few times. It felt like it was meant to be just a showy addition to a fight, making it more "intimate" because they needed to stand closer for Sauron to be able to use it. "You want to heal Middle-Earth? Heal yourself." throws herself off a cliff where he can then easily retrieve the rings when she's unconscious remains one of the top three worst moments of both season two AND season one.

On a personal level, I fucking hate the romantic undertones they keep giving them on so many levels I don't even know where to begin.

Dwarves

Making the balrog be one of the final scenes in their subplot in season one, only to make everyone wait for it until the finale again, was, of course, nothing more than a cheap tactic to keep people engaged. All in all, though, the Dwarves' subplot was one of the top ones in terms of the amount of things I liked. I appreciate that they leaned away from the antisemitic stereotype of them being inherently greedy. The stone listeners/singers are still one of the most original and fitting pieces of lore this show came up with, and their love for the stone and the mountains shines through in a moving way. It still annoys me that the race they gave Scottish accents to is more crass and swears more than the English Elves, though. It's so, SO annoying.

I'm kinda indifferent to Durin III. His subplot was pretty standard, but the final change of heart was terribly abrupt, and the last shot with him was so action movie-y you'd think it came from Fast and Furious 15.

Adar and the orcs

Adar's subplot continues to carry some of the most original and thought-provoking ideas of the show, as well as challenge some of Tolkien's writing in regard to the orcs. It's executed in a kind of messy way, but I appreciate that it's here. I wonder where it will go now that Adar is dead, because I'd love to see more morally complex orcs, who are in many ways victims of Sauron to the same degree as other races.

Nori+Gandalf, Numenor and Isildur

Nori, Poppy and Gandalf got kinda laughably little time, and so, the subplot achieved very little. Gandalf's search for who he is was already annoying to me, but then he and Nori got separated and the subplot got split into two. In Gandalf's subplot, we got Bombadil (more on that later), in Nori's, we got a new hobbit race. The show wants the two to be a non-insignificant part of its emotional core, but devotes no time for it. Make it make sense.

Numenor was… strange. It's a political drama, but all that happened in this season was more or less: Miriel is going to be queen- jk, Pharazon is going to be k- just kidding again, it's gonna be Miri- SIKE AGAIN. It was repetitive, and the manipulations and plots were frustrating instead of intriguing. (And again - that's because there was no time given to this subplot.)

Isildur has got to be the most useless subplot I've seen in a hot second. Net zero events. Net zero emotional involvement. He meets a girl, they kiss after two days even though she's taken, he can't take her back home to Numenor. He talks to Theo once. The end. Waste of everyone's time.

The Dark Wizard

It just made me sad, because for a while there I was hoping we'd see Rhun in a different way than before, but no, it's still a Land Of Shady People. :/

CHARACTERS

Sauron

Sauron felt bizarrely underutilised considering we're in a show called "Sauron: The Things Sauron Helped Make". He's the Deceiver! His plots and manipulations should have reached the levels of Elias from TMA or S2 Ben from Lost - when they succeed, you feel so sorry for the protagonists, but it's so immensely satisfying. You are in awe of the scale of the plans they pulled off, or how often they manage to make protagonists believe them.

(Remember when you see Vader at the end of Rogue One and his entrance is just chilling? THAT'S doing an iconic villain justice. We should have got moments when Sauron is utterly terrifying, but they never really came.)

His infatuation slash interest in Galadriel adds nothing to the show apart from some truly juvenile levels of drama between them, and some terrible, generic dialogue. They would have been one of each other's strongest focuses, anyway - they're one of each other's greatest enemies. The specific kind of romantic tension they got only takes away from their personalities.

Sauron is also one of the best examples of RoP creators flattening meaningful themes and events from Tolkien's works. Mordor is not a land killed slowly and painfully by Sauron's presence, where the evil literally chokes you and drains your will to live - it was just "activated" one day! The Nazgul are not horribly twisted souls of men who have no will of their own because they gave in to the rings - they just got rings that are more evil because they have Sauron's blood in them! Sauron is not an ambiguous figure with many names and forms, many of which are terrifying husks - he's a literal pile of black goo for a while. (??????)

(No, seriously. ??????????)

Charlie Vickers managed to make him kind of okay, I'd say? But the wasted potential never stops being painfully apparent.

Galadriel

Oh, my beloved Galadriel. Oh, what did they do to you.

The complex, mighty Galadriel, who is ambitious, proud and desires power, who wants to rule a land of her own, who finally decides not to be a Queen, but a Lady of Lorien, precisely because she knows what her greatest weakness is. Who is not tempted or touched by Sauron, and no-one would ever suggest she is - her hunger for power is entirely her own.

I know Tolkien had a thousand different versions of Galadriel, but one thing she was not, was absent from her own story. RoP Galadriel's story revolves around Sauron and the rings, and her greatest ambitions were taken from her and put into Sauron's mouth in season one in one of the most infuriating writing decisions I've been unlucky to witness (also sexist as fuck). The show does not allow her to be respected, or powerful, or wise - she is at fault for Sauron's return, and treated like an idiot for it. The romantic undertones of the subplot make it even worse, turning her into a young woman with a crush who now needs to prove to people around her she can still think straight.

I hate what they did to Galadriel, and the caricature they turned her into.

I'm also not a fan of Morfydd Clark's portrayal, I don't think she fits this character, but the script choices are what pisses me off the most anyway.

There is also a lot to say about the fact she looks like one of the youngest elves, when she should be either much older (than for example Gil-galad or Elrond) or roughly the same age (as Celebrimbor). The way she's presented in RoP, Galadriel is young and hot-headed, and constantly told off by older men. NOT the feminist breakthrough in Middle-Earth that Amazon wants to pretend it is.

ALSO making Elrond kiss her… Why does she have to be put in those unserious situations that feel like fan fiction in the worst possible way,

Celebrimbor

The best character this season, mostly because of his portrayal - Charles Edwards didn't stand out to me in season one, but I truly liked him a lot in season two. The script, once more, doesn't pack too much of a punch, and leads him through some non-sensical events ("the perfection of three, thrice perfected" why does this make sense to him?), but his emotional moments hit because of the quality of his acting. Without him, this season would have been truly barely tolerable.

Gandalf and Tom Bombadil

Putting these two together because they both flabbergasted me in a pretty similar way.

I don't think the kind of plots they chose for these characters are right for them. An initiation plot for Gandalf who's already in Middle-Earth is not a choice I like - I'd love to see him learning from Nienna in Valinor much more. Still, I can see trying to portray his beginnings in ME. But amnesia? Having to find a staff because… what exactly? Having to be told everything about himself? Those are such generic choices for such an iconic character!

Show me Gandalf getting to know the land he's supposed to guard. Show me Gandalf meeting the Ents, the Elves, wandering, weaving the web of connections and friends ans allies that he always has, show his skills in bringing people together, like he does for all of LOTR.

Choices regarding Bombadil were bad, in my opinion. I've already said it, but for the sake of making it a separate post without 30984098 links - I think making Bombadil a mentor figure was strange. I don't think it works (again, talk about Nienna!). Bombadil is random help when you need it, almost like a narrative equivalent of- maybe not exactly a deus ex machina, but a small-scale divine intervention nonetheless. He appears when you need him and disappears right after, and you can continue your journey, but he won't join you. He's not a guide or a mentor.

Making him a mentor took away from how original a character he is - but the worst offender in that regard is still the fact that they gave him Gandalf's line from the books (the one about many living people deserving death, and many dead deserving to live). Once again, they were just hammering iconic quotes into the mouths of different characters and it's. First of all lazy (even if you change two words), second of all, very annoyingly on the nose, third of all, there are so many ways to subtly show characters' influence on one another, and straight up copying quotes is not creative, it's not original, it doesn't tell you anything about the character who adopted that quote other than they can repeat stuff. Did they have any feelings about it? Do they agree completely or do they add their own spin on it as they go through life? You'll never know! The only influence you are shown is: character A heard something from character B, then later said it word for word to character C. It makes character A little more than a sieve for a glass of water - they don't have thoughts or feelings, they don't transform the things they hear, they don't filter things through themself. What falls out is exactly what came in. RoP did it with Sauron and Galadriel in season one, and now with Gandalf and Bombadil. WHAT'S the point. Also I'm not sure this quote even fits Bombadil that well. He's a force of life and joy, but he has no problem with commanding things to obey him, like Old Man Willow. He's 100% a benevolent character, but probably not someone who would say "who are you to rule over powerful forces", at least in my opinion, because few rules actually touch him, if that makes sense.

HOWEVER. I did like hearing him sing all the time.

Others

Putting all other characters here, because I don't have as many thoughts about them. I love Miriel and Elendil, they have a great dynamic and along with Pharazon are the strongest parts of the Numenor subplot. Kemen and Earien annoy me so much. Nori and Poppy have painfully little personality. Durin and Disa, when they get good moments, are GOOD, but the script doesn't always let them shine. Gil-galad was good in episodes 7 and 8, forgettable in the rest. Elrond is kind of all over the place - they gave him a few interesting things to do, like brutally killing an orc to show just how ruthless Elves can be - but those things don't fit him, they should have been given to someone else. Adar saddens me because he got the mcu villain treatment where he makes good points, but then does unrelated inexcusable things so that you don't root for him too much.

Also, Celeborn continues to be "dead", and I fear to ask how they will handle his "reveal".

LORE

Oh boy, okay.

All I will say is that to each their own, but some of the lore choices simply piss me off. Why is mithril important to the Elves' survival? Why is everything about Sauron Like That? Why was Mordor created in a day? Why is the order of everything completely backwards?

The constant references to LOTR are a mixed bag. Some of them I liked ("pity will not defeat Sauron" when we know it will, the appearance of an Entwife), some of them were too on-the-nose for me to enjoy - the direct quotes, Old Man Ironwood, every time someone said "the lord of the rings", Sauron being present for the Doors of Durin being made.

I feel like the best thing this show could have done lore-wise, that would have taken care of so many issues, would have been putting most of their focus on making the world feel clearly like the world that will later diminish into the world we know from LOTR. Why make some unnecesary, non-sensical lore when this would connect your show to Tolkien so clearly? Worldbuilding is Tolkien's thing, and his world is one of the most recognisable out there. When the setting feels like Middle-Earth, everything that happens in it automatically feels more Tolkien-like.

You don't need to pay THAT much attention to worldbuilding with every author, but you absolutely do with him.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

I don't have opinions on all technical aspects, because I always tend to focus on plots, characters and themes and am not very good or familiar with the technical side of filmmaking, so these are just some of my assorted thoughts.

I still enjoy the music in RoP; it may not be one of the most memorable soundtracks I've ever heard, but you can hear the references to Howard Shore's score (something that I learned was fully intentional), especially in the instruments used, and the "sound palettes" certain places and characters get in the process. I have no musical vocabulary so I can go on vibes only, but especially the orcs' themes feel close to Howard Shore's. It's a nice but still subtle way of connecting these two worlds.

I don't fully agree with people saying this show looks good. The costumes are still very simple, often just one layer of clothing with an added belt and some jewellery. Some characters don't change their costumes even once? I don't think Disa ever wore a different dress; at the very least, she spends most of the time in the same one as she did in season one. I'd say the costume designers weren't given enough time to work on them, because you can often see vision, but it always feels unfinished. Most of the time, armour looks better than everyday clothes, so you can't help but wonder if the everyday clothes were done in a rush.

Make-up on elven women is so modern-looking it breaks whatever immersion the show manages to build. I hate it so, so much (whoever decided Mirdania would look like that I am looking RIGHT at you and judging).

Annatar's wig was simply Not Good.

OVERALL

I feel that this show is both infuriatingly bad, and boringly mediocre; both slow, and fast and superficial. There's too few and too many things happening at once. It says so much, but it doesn't have anything actually meaningful to say, any connecting thought or feeling or motto. Emotionally, it feels empty.

It's hard to imagine future seasons being good enough to redeem the first two. And honestly, it just makes me sad.

[sidsinning]

the movie aint better ya goofs (don't read if you don't wanna hear my slander lol,,,)

"Movie!Gabriel is better than show!Gabriel because he actually cares for his son and gets redeemed"

istg this fandom's obsession with redemption needs to END

Morally better character ≠ better writing

Can I just get a piece of media that tells kids "hey, ur abusive parent was an asshole, and even if they had humanity you do not need to reconcile and forgive them in the end" bc I feel like that's what show!Gabriel leans towards which is great

Gabriel barely talks to Adrien in the movie and suddenly when he sees him under CN's mask his entire reign of terror, his determination to see his dead wife again ends in a tearful hug lmao come on now

("but the ending where Adrien suddenly loves his dad again???"- Astruc has been pretty blunt on Twitter that this perfect society you see in S5's ending is built off of a lie, so Adrien is def not gonna just keep that view)

"Adrien actually stands up to his dad in the movie!"

Movie!Adrien is legit a normal human boy, not a sentimonster who is literally physically incapable of fighting back against whoever has his amok

He DOES fight back (even in S1 as CN!), but people like to remember the show only up to S3. Guess what, he learns to fight back and stand up for himself through his growing bonds and relationships with those around him through character development ✨✨✨

Also, he is an abused kid??? In the show?? How can you knock him down a peg for not fighting back,,, 😭 Adrien's lesson isn't that he needs to learn how to fight back, it's that Nathalie shoulda called cps sooner!!! In the movie they are much more of an estranged father-son pair than anything abusive. So obviously the back talk is much easier too. Movie!Adrien gets to go out alone and with friends unless his dad has specifically planted an enemy where he is. Show!Adrien has been beaten, mind controlled, forced to hurt Marinette, isolated and locked up, etc.- he has been TERRIFIED of his dad multiple times.

"Marinette isn't an obsessive stalker in this!"

SIGH.

Man I am so sick of this complaint- the show has never rewarded Marinette for her obsessive behavior. BC IT IS A CHARACTER FLAW. One they use for cringe comedic purposes, but a flaw nonetheless. Every time she has done anything that hurts others in pursuit of Adrien she is punished by the writers. And bc the show has an episodic monster-of-the-week format, this plot is recycled a lot (which is its own complaint). And guess what? SHE STOPS BEING OBSESSIVE. YEAH. SHE STOPS DOING THAT SHIT- so what do you want now??? She grew out of it after it costs her the miraculous so why tf are yalls still hurling this at her like its a L,,,,

This Marinette is just a watered down boring version of show!Marinette. She's just a girl who gets insecure at times but grows confident bc she's Ladybug. Ok. So is our Marinette but MORE. Our Marinette is super smart, creative, resourceful, an overthinker, extremely kind and selfless to others, gets jealous and reckless when her emotions get the better of her, etc. She is fully formed even after watching just 3 episodes of S1.

Like the fact that they didn't even bother to include the oh so important hook of the show- her lucky charm power- shows they didn't care about doing this story justice- its so transparently lazy writing 💀 (miraculous of creation where??? CN gets cataclysm for destruction but what is movie!LB bringing to the yin yang table,,,)

Legitimately all the comparisons I'm hearing from people saying the movie is better are from those who just aren't caught up with the show where Marinette is no longer toxically obsessive with Adrien, where the plot/lore is insane but 10000000x better and more creative than what the movie gave us, the love square was much better developed EVEN FROM JUST THE ORIGINS EPISODES, etc. Istg these people stopped at S3 where the show was at its worst (if I were to pinpoint it)

Everything is so watered down or changed for the worse

Adrienette bonding was 1 conversation and 2 seconds about his mom in a voiceless montage. Marinette didn't fall for him bc of his kindness after a misunderstanding, it was bc he looked handsome in the library's light lol. He called her weird and didn't think twice about putting on his earphones to listen to more alpha podcasts. You really do wonder why she likes this dude over her partner CN bc they have no connection at all.

Movie!Adrien was an asshole don't you dare do show!Adrien dirty by comparing him to this ellen degeneres alien lookin mf

When movie!Adrien is crying after Mari reveals herself as LB, unlike the show, here you're like "yeah no you only like her now bc she's LB lol"

Anyways feel free to enjoy what you enjoy but uuuuuhhhh this movie getting a 3/10 for me would not rewatch

Oh wait the good things

-Visuals

-Some Ladynoir scenes were cute, like them playfully fighting with the accidental wall pin

-I liked Ladybug moving away from CN's kiss- nice hint of angst

-Chloe's coffee stain scene

-Luka cameos were cute

songs were bad or mid

ya das it

I guess feel free to talk to me in my inbox about your own thoughts if you wish (respectfully plz)

[vampireharpy]

Heyo! Name's Tas/Harpy. I'm a butch comic artist from Canada. Any pronouns are fine! This space is mostly for my fun art. Otherwise I make comics and run a little indie shop with my fiance, @g0d-play --who I also collaborate with often, most of these stories are both of our creations. (Some the art is collaborative too!)

Here's a bunch of the worlds/stories/collections I mostly have here with my OCs for easy browsing.

MOBY DYKES (FROM HELL'S HEART)

Moby Dick yuri. (Okay, not really). Lucy's a former captain, Bonnie is a terrifying werewhale. Jiminy is also there. I like answering asks for these guys, and they have their own sideblog at @mobydykes. Will maybe become a comic one day? [Tag for it is here]

THE FAREWELL TOUR

Space lizards and space bees... Jax is a washed up rockstar trying to run from his shitty contracts, Raddley is the bounty hunter who captures him--but what if they fell in love??? Will maybe become a graphic novel one day? [Tag for it is here]

MAD SCIENTISTS

Dr. Lovejoy and Dr. Kline--both specialize in different practices, but both are definitely not ethical. Things get spicy with them usually. Will probably become little smutty one-off comics. [Tag for it is here]

AUGUSTINE

A webcomic that's CURRENTLY UPDATING!! The pitch is "mad max meets greek mythology". Sometimes I'll post extra art of the characters. [Tag for it is here]

TABLETOP

My tabletop characters and art! I mostly dabble in Starfinder and Pathfinder. I also am currently GMing my own Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game. [Tag for it is here]

FURRY STUFF

I have a furry blog here: @jasperrex , where I post my more explicitly furry things (and also reblog furry art).

Finally, here's other places to find me at or check out:

PERSONAL SITE | W&W | ONLINE SHOP | PATREON

Thanks for poppin' by!

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Always her doll

Yesss!!! I hope you like it!!! Thank you for your request, and for your beautiful words!!! They lift my spirits!!! Sorry for the language mistakes!!! :))))

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Warnings: G!P Donna, smut, Minors DNI, jealousy, Donna being Donna

Word count: 5,750

Summary: Maybe you you were too popular

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours!!! I love you all!!! :))

“Mmm, I think they're ready,” you murmured, sighing and turning off the oven.

The old kitchen gave off a sweet, almost intoxicating aroma. Carefully, you took out that tray of freshly made muffins and ran a hand over your forehead, satisfied with the result.

“Perfect…” you whispered shaking your hands, scared when you noticed a presence behind you, gently grabbing your waist and pulling your body back. “Oh…” you jumped.

“Hi, tesoro…” the lady in black asked with a tender whisper in your ear, kissing your cheek, without letting your body go. “Did I scare you?”

“Donna,” you said smiling, closing your eyes to feel better her caresses, her displays of love that were not lacking in your daily life. “How long have you been hidden in the kitchen?”

“Hidden? You’re not thinking I was here to scare you,” she murmured amused, swaying your body.

“That's true, that's more like Angie,” you said with a tender smile, turning around to capture her lips with yours. “I thought you were busy with the dolls.”

“Mm,” she murmured, nodding, kissing you quickly and moving away from you, looking at the muffins with curiosity. “I couldn't concentrate with this delicious smell,” she commented amused.

“Oh, my bad,” you joked, pointing at yourself while wiping the excess flour from your hands. “Relax, I'm done.”

“What a pity…” she purred, with a tender smile, playing with your hand. “Muffins?”

“No, honey, they're not just muffins,” you said amused, pointing at your creations. “They're (Y/N)'s special ultra-delicious muffins”

“Mm, but they're still muffins,” Donna said, blinking mockingly. “Did you make them for me?”

“Well, you will have the honor of trying them,” you commented, with a mischievous smile. “But I warn you that they can give you a deliciousness attack,” you whispered, pretending a serious tone.

The lady in black laughed, shaking her head and studying those muffins, tilting her head.

It was just another day in your perfect life.

Being born in that sinister village was something like a life sentence, always surrounded by shadows, snow, grey skies… The fact that you had been blessed with a kind, fun and outgoing personality didn’t change your destiny, unless you yourself did something about it.

Not wanting to succumb to the shadows that surrounded that place, you decided to make your own path, to flee from the darkness, to avoid wasting your life in a loveless marriage, or serving day and night in the old castle.

No, a life of an ordinary villager was not for you, and you knew it.

After starting to lose hope, thinking that perhaps the Black Gods had already written your life and you could do nothing to remedy it, something that would change your life forever happened: you met her.

Donna Beneviento was one of the four pillars that held Mother Miranda's dominion. Mother Miranda, the priestess of the Gods and undisputed ruler of that snowy place.

You had heard so many things about that Lady Beneviento that having her near you made your body tremble.

But people like to talk, to invent terrible stories about the unknown, about the terrifying doll maker.

To be completely honest, some of those rumors were not wrong. The gifts of the Black Gods had granted that sick woman the ability to make you suffer the worst fear of your life, to turn anyone stupid enough to enter their grounds into a case of tears and unbearable terrors, if they survived…

Loneliness, darkness, complexes… All of this surrounded the young Lord. The claws of the dark demons had sunk deep into her skin. You always tried to live away from rumors, but even that didn't help when, on one of your endless walks, you crossed the threshold that separated light from darkness.

The woman in black had surely prepared to kill you, so her loneliness would be her companion once again. That was the only moment in your life when you were afraid, but it didn't last long.

Sick? Yes, disturbed? Oh, of course, sweet and kind? Sure. Little by little you discovered that  words were absurd if you compared them to reality.

An extroverted girl like you didn't seem like the companion she was looking for, nor did she seem like the great love you dreamed of every night, but your grandmother had a saying: wishes always come true, but not in the way you expect.

She was right, you fell in love with that lady in black, with that soft voice, broken by lack of use, with her hands, with her body, and, finally, with her beauty.

A wounded, deformed beauty, but a beauty, the most beautiful you had ever seen in your young life. Not even an insignificant scar, nor the worries she had about the gift of the Gods to her body, were enough of a reason to abandon her, to not feel the love that filled your soul when you were with her.

There were problems, yes, your social and almost popular character clashed with her desires for tranquility, for solitude. Of course, there was nothing that could break that love, nothing, not even that different behavior.

“Mm,” Donna murmured, savoring one of those freshly made delicacies, as always when you cooked, with a frown, studying each ingredient. “You put cinnamon on it.”

“You don't miss a thing, do you?” you joked, giving her a nudge, which made her laugh shyly, sweetly... You loved her with all your soul. “Eat as many as you want, but leave at least 5 or 6.”

Donna nodded with a tender look, checking every detail of that sweet.

“(Y/N),” she said, as if she had just realized something important. “You said they're not for me...”

You rolled your eyes, taking a breath, preparing for a tense conversation, as always when you wanted to leave the old estate.

“No, they're for Luiza and my friends,” you said quietly, clearing your throat. She looked at you with her eyebrow raised, her expression serious.

“You're going to leave again,” she murmured, shaking her head with a sad sigh. “(Y/N), you spent the whole afternoon out yesterday.”

“Well, I'm really in demand,” you joked, closing your eyes, instantly regretting your choice of words. “Um, forget I said that.”

“In demand? What do you mean? D-don’t, don't make me nervous,” she said, with a worried look, her brow furrowed, studying each of your possible micro expressions.

“I don't want to make you nervous, Donna, I mean... Well, you know I have a lot of friends,” you said, thinking better of your words.

“Too many,” she commented, in a small voice, looking away from you.

You, wanting to avoid a jealous attack, smiled tenderly, approaching Donna and cupping her face in your hands, kissing her to calm her nerves.

“Don't be mad, my love... I promise I'll be back soon,” you whispered tenderly, hanging on to her waist, without your lips completely leaving hers.

“You always say the same and then, then I spend the whole night waiting for you,” she said, nervous, moving away from your kisses, with a dark look. You snorted, guiding her face so she wouldn't stop looking at your bright eyes.

“I'm just going to have tea at Luiza's house, I'll be back before you know it,” you said calmer, playing with her hands, with your best good girl face. “Why don't you dedicate yourself to your dolls?”

“I've been in the workshop all day, I wanted to be with you,” she protested, with a tone that couldn't help but be a bit childish. “In-inoltre, you know perfectly well that when you're not her I can't be calm.”

“Well... Hey, I can call Luiza and tell her I'm not going, what do you think?” you offered, not wanting to argue with her, knowing that, in part, if we forget about the absurd jealousy, she was right.

You had many friends, in the village you weren't just any girl, everyone knew you. If they asked you, you could swear that it was the only part that Lady Beneviento didn't like about you.

The lady in black sighed, kissing your hand and walking away from you while shaking her head.

“I-I can't do that, I can't stop you from doing whatever you want... You, you told me it wasn't right,” she stammered, with her gaze down, biting her tongue so as not to tell you to do it, to cancel that tea.

“I say a lot of things,” you sighed, rubbing her back while she focused absurdly on the counter. A strange idea popped into your head. “Hey, why don't you come with me?”

“Cosa?” she asked confused, with a disoriented face. “Me? With you?”

“Yes, you, with me,” you repeated amused, being the one who grabbed her waist from behind, nodding profusely. “Why not? To get some fresh air from time to time is good for you.”

“I don't mind getting some fresh air, but, but...” Donna said, grabbing your hands so you would let her body go, turning slowly. “No, what do you want me to do with all those villagers?”

“Oh, sorry, Your Majesty,” you mocked, something that the lady growled annoyed at. “Hey, come on, it might be a good idea, right? I've talked so much about you to my friends that I'm sure they're dying to meet you.”

“Yes, literally,” Donna pointed out, shaking her head again. “They already know me, (Y/N).”

“Well, not as much as I do,” you insisted, hanging on to her shoulders again, kissing her lips in a mischievous way. “Come with me, Donna, you'll have a good time… Besides… Are you going to turn down the opportunity to know what I do when I'm not at home?”

“Mm,” she murmured, frowning, her gaze on yours, but at the same time, far away from it, thoughtful. “I hadn't seen it that way,”

“Don't forget that I always manage to convince you, always,” you whispered in her ear in a mischievous way, making her whole body tremble.

“I have that weakness for you...” she sighed, while you approached the kitchen door, winking at her.

“Put on your veil, darling, we're going for a walk,” you joked, leaning on the door frame and leaving the kitchen with a playful gesture.

The walk through the forest was always relaxing. The winter breeze seemed warm with her hand in yours, with that slow walk, with that desire to enjoy your company to the fullest. Unfortunately, you were not alone...

“Where are we going?” Angie, Donna's inseparable doll, asked. One doll that many times, made you want to throw her into the fireplace.

“Again?” you said annoyed, rolling your eyes.

“Where, where!?” the puppet shrieked again, forcing you to press your lips tightly.

“To Luiza's house, it's the fifth time I've told you,” you growled, being comforted by the soft caresses of the lady in black, who looked at you through her veil. “Donna, was it really necessary?”

“I'm not going anywhere without her,” the lady whispered in a dark voice. You had no choice but to snort in defeat, enduring the doll's mocking words.

“Ha! Suck that, you stupid village girl!” the doll mocked, clinging to her owner. You darkened your gaze, but looked away sulkily.

“Angie, basta,” Donna said, calming the doll's excitement, one that was inevitable every time she left the estate.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Angie shouted again, making you regret your offer. “Shall we play movies?”

“No,” Donna and you said at the same time.

“Come on, I'll start... Do you know what movie I think of when I see you two?”

“Oh, not again...” you lamented, especially knowing that her film culture had increased thanks to the Duke's forbidden tapes.

“Scema e più Scema,” the puppet hissed, making you dig into the snow, fists clenched.

“I've been living with Donna for over a year. Do you think I don't know what you said?” you asked angrily, but knowing that messing with you was her biggest hobby and that, after all, you could consider her something like a friend.

“Mm, you're Dumber,” Angie said.

“Don't listen to her, tesoro,” Donna whispered, pulling you to move, finally leaving the property.

“(Y/N),” an old woman, who recognized you as you headed to your destination, said. You stopped with a smile, separating yourself from your girlfriend and approaching her. “Gods, how nice to see you…”

“Mrs. Ivanovic, you look well,” you said in a friendly manner, shaking the old woman's hands. She looked over your shoulder at the lady in black, lowering her head in respect.

“My dear, if I'm here it's thanks to you… I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't helped me with the cracks in my house,” the woman said, taking your hands in a grateful manner. “Tell me, girl, does she take good care of you?”

“Donna?” you asked, giving away the old woman's question, one that caught the attention of the lady in black. “Oh, of course she does.”

“Every day I pray for you, I pray for her to take pity on your soul,” the old woman whispered, with terrified eyes that discreetly looked at the Lord.

“Don't pray that much, Mrs. Ivanovic, you know you have a privileged place next to the Black Gods,” you joked, saying goodbye to the old woman, who almost ran past the lady.

“Who was it?” Angie asked, indiscreetly.

“Oh, well, a woman I helped a while ago, her house was almost in ruins,” you explained, taking the hand of the brunette again, who seemed to have her gaze fixed on that poor old woman. “Donna? Come on.”

The Lady grunted, and, after greeting a few villagers who came to talk to you, you arrived at your destination. Donna didn't say anything, she seemed nervous.

“My dear, what a joy to see…” Luiza said as she opened the door, turning pale when she saw who was accompanying you. “Lady Beneviento…”

“I'm accompanied today,” you said amused, running a hand over the shoulders of the brunette, who shifted uncomfortably. “I hope it's not a problem.”

“No, of course, of course it’s not,” the woman said, nervously, stepping aside. “It's an honor, my lady.”

Donna nodded kindly, entering the house with you, holding her faithful doll in her arms.

“The Black Gods bless me with your presence, my lady,” Luiza said, walking while playing with her hands, leading you to the living room, where your friends were already waiting.

“Hey, guys!” you said with a smile, greeting your friends effusively, leaving your girlfriend behind, who sighed, surely overwhelmed by so many people.

Everyone turned around with a smile that faded when they saw your companion, staying with their eyes wide open, totally petrified.

“What's wrong with you? Did the Lycan get your tongue?” you joked, approaching your best friend, Elena, patting her back affectionately.

“(Y/N)… Hey, hello,” the young Lupu said, as did the others, staring at Lady Beneviento.

“What are those faces about?” you asked, leaving the muffins on the table, frowning in amusement. “Calm down, she doesn't bite.”

“Speak just for Donna, silly,” Angie said, startling those present, who lowered their heads in terror.

“Oh, come on, relax, pretend she's not here,” you said, gesturing with your hand. “She's here to accompany me, not to judge you for your sins.”

“Please sit, my lady,” Luiza said, indicating a place for Donna to sit, without letting your friends' eyes leave her.

The lady nodded again, sitting down with a stoic pose.

“Would you like a cup of tea, my lady?” the woman offered, to which Donna nodded slowly, staring at your friends, as if she were analyzing their soul.

“Well…” you said, sitting down too, trying to break the tension of the moment. “I see your arm is better than ever, Viktor,” you said, pointing at your friend, who seemed to relax at last, now avoiding eye contact with Donna.

“Oh, yes, much, much better,” the boy said with a smile, taking one of your muffins. “Oh, really, (Y/N), you should sell these things…”

“That's what the baker is for,” you joked, always keeping an eye on the brunette, who remained motionless while Luiza served her tea, trembling.

“I've already lost two teeth because of his bread,” he joked, shaking his head. “Your hands are really divine…”

The lady in black abruptly turned her head towards you, but you ignored her, looking at your friend.

“Can't you stop flattering me for a second?” you said amused, with a blush visible on your cheeks. “Hey, Elena, how's your father feeling?”

“Oh, mu, much better,” the girl said, with a calmer smile. “If it weren't for you, he'd still be sick.”

“Don't thank me, thank Donna's fabulous plant encyclopedia,” you said, grabbing the lady's hand, which seemed to be shaking. “Right, honey?”

They all looked at each other, visibly uncomfortable.

The lady didn't answer, so you shook your head, ignoring her passivity.

“We missed you on bonfire day,” another of your friends said, changing the direction of the conversation, feeling less and less afraid.

“Yes, I told you…” said another of them, laughing amused, receiving a slap from Luiza before he took another one of your muffins.

“Let's pray,” the woman said, clasping her hands and bowing her head towards Donna, feigning fearful respect.

“Oh, come on Luiza, it's not necessary,” you said, indicating to the woman to sit next to you, something she did without taking her eyes off your girlfriend. “Come on, eat, they're freshly made. Do you want one muffin, darling?” you asked Donna, who gently shook her head, her whole body tense.

“You should have come,” your friend Ivan said, amused, when the atmosphere relaxed, almost forgetting that the fearsome Lord was present, something easy, since the lady in black looked more like a piece of furniture than a person.

“No, thanks, I don't want to get lost like last year,” you said, taking a sip of tea.

“You got lost by yourself,” Elena joked, with a calm smile. “I think you were sure you had seen the same tree twice.”

“Well, it was a very similar one,” you said. “Luckily you managed to find me.”

“Find you? I doubt you even knew where you were, (Y/N),” she said, arching her eyebrows and shaking her head.

“That’s true!” Viktor said, laughing mockingly. “We had to carry you… Home.”

You laughed embarrassed. You could sense from her awkward movements that Donna was not amused at all. After all, she was the one who took care of you that night.

“Poker, losers!” Angie shouted, who, unlike her owner, seemed to be at ease in company, taking the savings from three of your friends, who protested with a grunt.

“It seems that Angie is having a good time,” you whispered to the brunette, who looked distractedly at the doll while you calmed her with a soft caress under the table.

“Last year was very funny,” Elena commented, attracting your attention again. “Do you remember the bets?”

You were left breathless for a moment, praying that neither of you would talk about it.

“Yes, of course I remember, (Y/N) lost and had to spend ten minutes locked in the closet with Katia,” one of your friends commented, so you closed your eyes.

As expected, the brunette didn't like that comment, and she folded her teaspoon over itself, dropping it on the table and drawing everyone's attention.

“Oh, wow, do you want another teaspoon?” you asked cautiously, looking at that shattered cutlery. She shook her head. You couldn't see it, but you knew her eye was burning under the black veil.

Without saying anything to you, she reached out her hand for the doll, which moved towards her, floating in the air as she stood up abruptly from the chair.

“I'm going home,” she whispered so only you could hear her. She seemed terribly upset, and it was no surprise.

“Oh, yeah, okay... Um, we're leaving,” you said with an apologetic look. Elena looked at you and waved her hand.

“Are you coming on Friday?” she asked.

You nodded as Donna walked towards the exit, looking at you to follow her.

“Yes, I'll try,” you said in a friendly tone, hugging your friend goodbye, something that made a furious growl sound through the hallway. Donna was already gone.

“I'm, I'm leaving,” you said timidly, leaving the house hastily, trying to catch up the brunette. “Hey, Donna, wait!”

The lady stopped without looking at you, letting you take her arm, almost dragging you through the snow.

“Hey, hey, are you having a crisis?” you asked, noticing her labored breathing. She stopped and looked at you through the fabric.

“No,” she answered dryly, walking back towards the old mansion.

“Oh, okay... Um... Donna, don't go that fast...”

With a hurried step, without saying a word, the waterfall loomed over you again. The lady in black let you go and opened the doors with a furious gasp, pushing the veil away from her face, showing you her irrational anger.

“We had a good time, didn't we?” you said shyly, closing the doors again, with a good girl look.

“E che cazzo, (Y/N)?” she hissed leaving Angie on the floor, breathing heavily.

“What? I, I don't know what you mean…” you stammered, scratching the back of your neck. “What's wrong, honey?”

“What's wrong? How dare you to ask me what's wrong?” the lady said shaking her head, blinking in disbelief.

You rolled your eyes and sighed impatiently, kicking the floor.

“I ask you because I don't know, what’s wrong with you?” you said with your emergency tone, a calm and patient one.

“Why did you want me to go with you? To rub in my face how much everyone loves you?” Donna asked again, with a dark, dangerous look.

“Excuse me?” you said, arching your eyebrows. “Donna... It's not about that.”

“No? And what is it about? Do you know what it's been like for me to endure that kind of strange adoration that everyone has for you?” she asked, furious, pointing at you with her finger.

“Calm down,” you whispered, making a gesture of relaxation with your hands. “You're losing control, honey, come on, breathe...”

“Vaffanculo!” Donna shrieked furiously, moving her hands in an exaggerated way, dragging out her words. “I'm not losing control, you're driving me crazy, (Y/N).”

“How rude,” you joked with a mischievous smile, approaching the lady to caress her face. “Don't be mad, my love... That people love me shouldn't make you feel bad.”

“Oh, of course, of course,” she said, with a nervous laugh, moving away from your reassuring caresses. “I'm very happy to see that everyone loves you, to see that they have fun locking themselves in a closet with you, that they only have nice words for you...”

“If I remember correctly, you like me that way,” you counterattacked, with a haughty tone, not letting yourself be provoked. You were already a black belt in arguments with Donna, in handling the problems of her wounded mind.

“What way?” the doll maker asked, shaking her head, blinking erratically.

“Kind and affectionate,” you said, raising your head. “According to you, that's what made you fall in love with me.”

“Yes, and I'm starting to think I'm not the only one who feels that way,” Donna hissed, without relaxing her hardened features. “Tell me, (Y/N), how many times have you cheated on me with that stupida?”

“Who?” you asked open-mouthed, surprised by that baseless accusation. “Oh, no, you can't be serious…”

“I'm completely serious,” she whispered threateningly, grabbing your arm too tightly, so you protested with a hiss of pain.

“Donna, you, you’re hurting me…” you said, fighting against her grip, against the nails that dug into your skin.

“You’re the one who’s hurting me, (Y/N)… Do you like hugging that stronza? Let's see if you like it the same way when I get rid of her.”

“Okay, that's enough, Donna,” you said, making an effort to free yourself from her grip and give her a slow slap on the cheek.

“Now you hit me… I see everything clearly,” Donna hissed, putting a hand on her bruised cheek. You rolled your eyes, starting to lose patience. “You've never loved me.”

“I hit you so you'll stop saying stupid things. I hugged Elena because she's my friend, friends hug each other, did you know that?” you said with a haughty tone, trying unsuccessfully to reason with her deranged mind.

“So how many friends do you have, (Y/N)?” she asked, not giving in. “Do you hug all of them?”

“Many, I have many friends, Donna,” you hissed, trying to be threatening, something that wouldn't be possible. “But you know what? I'm not surprised you don't know. You haven't had a friend in your entire life…”

Donna recoiled from your words, unable to respond to that terrible truth, one you didn't want to use, one you instantly regretted.

“Donna, honey… I, I didn't mean…” you said in a softer tone, moving closer to take her hand, a hand she pulled away with a snort.

“You said it, (Y/N),” she whispered with a broken voice, looking away from you. “if you said it, it's because you mean it.”

“No, well, I… Let's see, it's true that I…” you stammered, grabbing the brunette by the shoulders, fighting her attempts to get away from you. “My love… Hey, I love you, you know? I love you so much and…”

“You love them too,” Donna whispered, stopping resisting your hold, her eye wet with tears.

“It's not the same,” you explained, relaxing your breathing, controlling hers with gentle movements.

“You don't understand, do you?” she said, starting to sob, shaking her head, totally out of her mind. “You don't understand what it's like to always see you surrounded by people, to see how they smile at you and... Hug you and...”

“I guess I can't help it,” you said with a tender smile, playing with her hands that allowed your soft caresses. “You've fallen in love with a very popular girl…”

“A very beautiful girl,” Donna sighed, closing her eye to calm her demons.

“Well, that's what they say,” you joked wrongly again. Donna didn't seem angry. She simply brought a hand to your cheek.

“It hurts me, tesoro, it hurts me to think that someone could... Could take you away from me... Y-you're right, I, I've always been alone and... I don't... I don't know what...” she said with a broken voice, passing her hand over your face, touching, feeling all your beauty.

“Shh…” you whispered, moving a little closer, swaying your body, closing your eyes and rubbing your forehead against hers. “Shut up, my love… My precious Donna… You have nothing to fear…”

“You know that no matter how many times you tell me… I will always be afraid of losing you,” the lady whispered, placing your hair, letting her body move with yours.

“Well, but I can do something to make you believe me,” you said with a tender smile, running a finger along her lips. “There is something I don't do with anyone else…”

Slowly, you approached her lips, kissing them softly, savoring the salty taste of her desperation, of her irrational fear. She deepened the kiss, as if that romantic and simple act had been enough to calm her. You knew it wasn't like that, but at least, it seemed to have an effect.

“See? I only do this with you…” you murmured with a tender voice, biting your lips. “I'm yours, darling, only yours…”

“Only mine…” Donna whispered, blinking in confusion, as if she was thinking about something. “You're right, you're mine…”

Her voice became dangerous. Her hands gripped your face tightly, dragging you into a much messier, deeper, more impatient kiss. Her hands began to get out of control, traveling down your body, clawing at your legs under your dress. The gasps were not long in coming.

“You're mine!” the lady shouted with a furious growl, pushing you roughly against one of the tables in the hall.

You gasped in surprise, but not annoyed, letting the lady hug you from behind, kiss your neck wildly, your breasts were an easy prey for her hands.

“Donna,” you sighed with a smile, letting the heat replace the jealousy, letting the brunette's surprisingly wild attitude continue.

Donna was always affectionate, maybe too much. She was always gentle, always holding you like you were something fragile, kissing you softly, making love to you slowly, romantically. That possessive attitude was totally different, but you didn't know you liked it that much.

“You're not going to abandon me... You're mine...” she whispered nervously, pulling up your dress as your body was covered in kisses, as your back lowered to give her better access to her desires. “And I'm going to prove it to you.”

“Mm, okay,” you said amused, silenced by a hand on your mouth, as your underwear was stripped from your body with a furious tug, letting it slide down your ankles.

“Don't... Talk...” Donna hissed, pressing her hand against your mouth, with a dark, but exciting tone. “Only do it if you're going to say you're mine, I just want to hear you say that, is it clear?”

You nodded, arching your eyebrows at that abruptness, when her fingers went down your wetness, when they ran through your folds, deforming them for what was to come.

“Now you're going to... stay still,” the lady in black whispered, playing with her dress, releasing her throbbing erection and passing it through your wet entrance, causing a moan and a tremor of your hips, which desperately sought more contact.

“Mm, Donna...” you moaned, repressing the pleasure that simple touch caused in your body, the sensation of her hard shaft moving freely through your folds.

Definitely the wild Donna was climbing positions.

“Hey! Tell me,” you protested when she entered you roughly, stretching your body hastily, forcing your walls to accommodate the intruder. “Donna, you know you're big... It-it hurts...”

“Shut up!” she squealed, moving slowly, making her way into your wetness, giving you a strong tug on your hair. “If you love me, you'll have to hold on. I don't want to waste time.”

“Oh, okay,” you said amused, moaning in pleasure at all those sensations, at how exciting it was to see her out of her mind while she was inside of you. “Mm… Honey…”

“Do any of your friends do this to you? Huh?” she said nervously, starting to move when the wetness of your entrance allowed her, sliding effortlessly, with your walls praising, squeezing her erection intensely.

“Not at all,” you joked, following her frenetic rhythm with your hips, getting a spank for your boldness.

“I said, shut up… Just nod, doll,” Donna hissed, scratching the skin of your hips, moving your body to her will, making that table move dangerously.

You obeyed, hiding your face, euphoric with pleasure, moaning discreetly as she took you intensely, quickly, but making you feel the greatest pleasure possible.

“Doll… I like it,” you said among moans, leaning so she could move better, so it would be easier for her to manipulate your hips, to dig her nails into your skin.

“Do you like it? Good…” she said, moaning too, slowing down the rhythm of her thrusts, taking you slower, enjoying the journey her body made inside yours. “Because that's what you are… La mia bambola…”

“Mm, yes… Yours…” you repeated, losing control of your movements, moaning scandalously, hitting the table because of your inability to hold her while she moved inside of you, while she deformed your wet walls.

“Mine, only mine... If, if someone lays a hand on you I will...” she said, fighting against her own pleasure, against the warm, wet embrace of your body in hers, stimulating it with your own movements.

“No one will lay a hand on me… I’m yours, your doll… Only yours… Do whatever you want with me, my love,” you moaned, fighting the impulses that alerted you of your imminent release, one that her rough and wild attitude caused to advance.

“That's it… Good doll…” she whispered, hardening her thrusts, controlling the trembling of your body with a firm hand on your back, moving gracefully as she moaned, while completely dominating you. “Mine…”

“Donna, I'm, I'm close…” you said nervously, with your legs shaking when the lady in black slowed down, torturing you, knowing that you weren't lying.

“Is my little doll close? You're such a good doll…” she said amused, grabbing your neck, leaning it back so she could capture your lips. “Ask me, doll. Ask me to let you venire…”

“Mm, please…” you whispered, leaning forward again along her evil laughter, surely due to the clumsy movements of your hips, which were desperately trying to regain that overwhelming sensation.

“Louder…” Donna hissed, moving painfully slowly, grabbing your hair again.

You, totally sunk in pleasure, were unable to say a word, earning a strong tug followed by a loud spank.

“Louder, doll!” the lady shrieked.

“Please, Donna! I'm a good doll! Let me cum!” you said with your voice broken by pleasure.

“That's the way I like it,” she said, satisfied, fulfilling your wishes, resuming her thrusts, holding your hips, not letting you even think about moving away.

Your orgasm came soon, forcing your body to tense, to arch, held by her arms, overstimulated by the continuous movements of her hips, which seemed not to want to stop.

“Cazzo…” the lady moaned, holding you tighter as she released herself inside of you, unable to resist the involuntary movements of your walls. Her heat filled you in a terribly pleasurable way, like a wet caress, claiming you, letting her seed mix with your arousal with a furious growl.

Then there was a moment of silence, only interrupted by your disordered breathing as your bodies relaxed.

“Donna…” you sighed moving away so she could get out of you, pulling down your dress and turning around. “It was…”

“I'm sorry,” she said, her forehead sweaty, lowering her hands to your waist. “I, I went too far…”

“What? No, I…” you said amused, shifting uncomfortably due to the dampness of your legs, turning her face to look at you. “It, it was great, my love, different…”

“So… do you like being my doll?” Donna asked, with a cautious tone, frowning.

You nodded, giving her a quick kiss on the lips, hugging her affectionately.

“I'm yours, Donna. I'll always be yours…”