#like that phrase is associated with keeping promises

[aranarumei]

hate how webtoon advertises things. apparently they’ve gotten here u are on there and I just saw a little tagline on it that was like. “softboy meets seriousboy” like. I read here u are years ago and I’m not particularly obsessed with it but man… what a reductive way of describing those characters. yuyang in particular being described as “soft” irks me in particular considering how people treat him in the world of here u are…

(also it’s like. the comic was originally in chinese but this translation has opted to use the korean names from presumably a korean localization / translation of the comic which really throws me off but. deep sigh)

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

By David de Bruijn

Many are shocked, wondering how this could happen in the Netherlands.

To me, their bafflement is what’s shocking.

I grew up in The Hague, where real and abundant antisemitism, from epithets in the street to physical threats to the community’s safety, was part of our daily life. As a young boy, I vividly recall how The Hague's football hooligans—viciously opposed to Ajax, Amsterdam’s “Jewish” team—walked the streets under a banner reading “We’re hunting for Jews.” (Indeed, for my entire life, football stadiums in my home country have been filled with lurid chants like “Hamas, Hamas, all the Jews on gas!” and “My dad was in the commandos, my mom was in the SS, we like to burn Jews, because Jews burn the best.”)  

In high school, second- or third-generation Moroccan kids would point and hiss “Psst, psst, that’s a Jew, that’s a Jew!” as they passed by on their bikes. 

But most impactful were the myriad security measures our community had to undertake. Seen from the front, The Hague synagogue is not recognizable, two thick green doors presenting a closed facade to the street. Behind these doors are glass doors that open only once additional permission is given. All the windows are made of bulletproof glass. A permanent police post guards the synagogue. In Amsterdam, the Jewish primary school has even more dystopian levels of protection, hidden behind several layers of metal spikes and fencing. From the outside, the view of the school is entirely closed off. (Even as I write this, I feel uncomfortably conscious of not revealing any sensitive security details.)

Self-protection was a constant—and to me, natural—part of Jewish life. Leading youngsters to a summer camp in northern Friesland meant bringing a dedicated security team and, when possible, keeping quiet the fact that it was Jewish children gathering here. 

Violent, antisemitic assaults have become increasingly regular occurrences. In May, a student at the University of Amsterdam, a young man, was assaulted by a protester in a keffiyeh, struck in the head with a wooden plank. In August, a statue of Anne Frank was defaced—for the second time—with anti-Israel graffiti. Today, walking around with a kippah in the Netherlands is an act that requires bravery.

As the situation worsened over the years—motivating some, including me, to move, others to adjust, and so many to worry—one of the most painful aspects was the way the Jewish community was gaslit. Dutch society repeatedly told its post-Holocaust Jewish remnant—and itself—that “never again” was not merely a concrete promise, but a core concept of modern Dutch morality. However, the dominant culture of the country’s immigrant communities has proven manifestly hostile to that worldview—and to Jews. 

For the North Africans living in Holland, the dominant Jewish story of the twentieth century is not Auschwitz, it is Israel, which in their distorted conception is an illegitimate, one-directional criminal enterprise directed at an innocent population. Nor—and this is crucial—is this merely an attitude about a conflict. They believe it is the crime of the twentieth century, conferring ultimate guilt on the Jewish people. “Palestine” is a phrase felt to carry the gravity of “Holocaust,” grotesquely inverting the perception of the Jewish experience.

For Holland’s Jewry, this reality has been palpable for decades. Yet nothing—no politician, no policy—has altered this reality. In the aftermath of every single violent attack—as will most likely be the case now—the political answer has been a room-temperature broth of subsidies, youth centers, dialogue forums, visits to Islamic pensioners clubs, and interfaith dialogue.

So it did not surprise me when international media outlets, like The Associated Press and The New York Times, covered this widespread attack as if it was the unfortunate, but perhaps expected, result of the Israeli fans’ conduct before and during the match, such as reportedly taunting Ajax fans with inappropriate slogans. Further, the AP wrote, the attack followed a Palestinian flag being “torn down from a building in Amsterdam on Wednesday,” and the rioters were angry because “authorities banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the stadium.” The Times originally pinned the attack on differences over sport and on taunts, as “violence tied to a match between Dutch and Israeli teams,” and reported that “the tensions in the hours leading up to the violence” was in part caused by “one man [being heard] saying in Hebrew, ‘The people of Israel live,’ while others shout[ed] anti-Palestinian chants using expletives.” (The Times has apparently stealth-edited its reporting numerous times since publication.)

In other words, if all you read were the initial reports, you might think that the Israelis started it, or at least had it coming.

What the reporters and media fail to understand is that this was an attack on Israeli football fans, but not one carried out by football hooligans. The Ajax team is itself Jewish friendly—fans of Amsterdam’s Ajax are affectionately (and sometimes not-so affectionately) referred to as “super Jews,” and Ajax is understood as the “Jewish team,” so it would make little sense that Ajax supporters would attack Jews or Israelis for their ethnicity—even if they are fans of an opposing team. 

No, this was straightforward: According to the accounts of witnesses and victims, it was an attack by immigrant, Muslim communities against Israelis and Jews.

[destinysbounty]

Three important facts that I promise are connected:

Although it seems that the ninja take turns cooking, Zane's food is apparently so good that they all eagerly await his turn. And his pies are apparently so good that just the smell of them brought a tear to Jay's eyes.

When someone passes away, grief makes menial tasks like cooking and cleaning very difficult. It's for this reason that a lot of bereavement support advice recommends giving gifts of pre-made food or service to those who are grieving. I can imagine the grief would be doubly worsened if you are grieving someone who typically did a lot of the cooking, or someone with whom you strongly associate such tasks.

In s4ep1 "The Invitation", Lloyd invites each of the ninja to dinner with him at Chen's Noodlehouse. However, he phrases it as "if you change your mind, you know where I'll be". Despite his vague wording, all of them unanimously know exactly where to go and when to be there. Furthermore, Cole even says "you're late" to Kai despite the fact that a meetup time was never discussed.

Anyway, my theory is that due to the grief of losing Zane making it difficult to cook, the ninja became regulars at Chen's Noodlehouse. They would go to the same location at roughly the same time almost every night, and that's how the ninja knew exactly where/when to meet up. Which means the place that helped them keep their heads above water post-s3, the place where they spent many nights grieving Zane's loss, is also the same place Lloyd chose to suggest adding a new teammate. And also the same place they found out Zane was alive.

This restaurant has become so strongly tied to their grief over Zane's loss, simply through the way it was there for his friends when he was not. Feeding them the food he himself was no longer present to cook for them. The statue in the garden represents the legacy of his heroism while the noodlehouse represents the legacy of the grief created by his absence, and in this essay I will -

[imbecominggayer]

Part 3 Writing Advice: Stop The Self-Hating Narrative Around Disability

I'm BACK! I was working on some other Tumblr posts but i've decided to fulfill my promise to talk about the common associations people seem to have between disability and self-hatred.

You remember my own slogan "Disabled Adults Are Adults", right?

Well, here is the slogan for the majority of writers who are bad at writing good disability representation "Disabled Adults Are Tragic :`(

This association comes into everything so we'll go from the small chunks of ableist LOOORE~ and then move onto the really big ticket items? Right!

Assistive Aids Are Traps Designed By The Illuminati!

What do these common literary phrases have in common?

Confined to a Wheelchair

Forced to Use a Cane

Cursed To Always Use [Assistive Aid]

The answer: they are exceedingly negatively charged which incorrectly imply that mobility aids such as wheelchairs are horrible fates to be falled upon! This implication that living with disability is such a curse tends to be most forced upon "understandable" villains and sympathetic "tragic" figures who are "unbearably cursed" with a horrid fate

Those phrases are horrible not just because they incorrect imply that devices such as wheelchairs and other mobility aids are curses when, in reality, the individuals who use these assistant aids desperately need them in order to exercise their full potential but also due to the fact that it's an able-bodied centric perspective!

People who actually use these devices don't see them as unbearable weights bringing them down but tools of freedom and autonomy. Obviously, independence is not necessary to lead a fulfilling life but it's a nice cherry on top!

This "able-bodied centric perspective" will come up again!

Curing Disability

At the end of the story i'll cute and sweet protagonist/main character will be forcibly mutilated into an able-bodied person either by machinery in a sci-fi setting or through the gods.

p.s that's just eugenics. eugenics is what the nazis did

Curing disability doesn't just mean a literal cure but also the overall narrative of "overcoming" disability tends to be here.

"Overcoming disability" is when an author implies that through a character's dedication they have "overcame" the limitations of their disability and are functionally no longer disabled.

Basically, if you have a disabled character whose jokes tend to center on "wow, I always forget you are disabled" or "I am the author and I keep forgetting this character has a disability", you have this trope.

The reason why this is shitty is because you, able-bodied author, have disabled readers. Disabled readers of various different types of disabilties who are reading your story.

Can you imagine if every single story of an able-bodied character involved them being forcibly turned disabled as a "reward" for their good behavior?

Can you imagine if every story involving a queer character involved that singular queer character being turned into a cishet individual?

"Disabled people still exist even when your character stops being disabled"

All you have done is tell disabled and non-disabled audience members that disabled people don't deserve to exist. That's bad.

Final: The Self-Hating Narrative

"Disabled Adults are Adults"

When I was inventing that phrase, I knew it needed to be universally applicable. The only reason I specificed "adults" and not "people" was due to the fact I was talking about infantilization in the first part and I didn't want someone to be like "well, obvi special needs kids are going to be treated delicately".

Anyway, the phrase needed to be universal because disabled adults are just people at the end of the day. They struggle with some not universal things like chronical illness or disability. They also struggle with the universal things like: can I support my family, am I ready, will the bank be closed by the time I wake up, can I be a good person?

They also succeed. Sometimes this success is in the form of gaining more mobility then before. Sometimes this success will seem minor to not disabled people or even to disabled people who have never struggled with that particular thing before.

They also succeed at things we succeed at. They create what has never been created before. They prove to themselves that they can be relied on. They laugh when they struggle.

Yes, they sometimes hate themselves. But even then, they continue on. They struggle with their symptoms day-to-day on top of succeeding in the daily struggles we all deal with. They deal with ableist remarks while also having fun.

Disability Is Normality

Many disabled adults and children are fighting for the right to see narratives in which their lives aren't plagued by melodramatic angst about being disabled.

Many disabled adults and children go about their daily lives with an overwhelming confidence about their disability and don't give a shit about what ableist remark you have to say.

And one of the most important things an author needs to be if they ever want to write true, inspiring, and universal works is to listen to voices of those they wish to represent.

If an author wants to represent disabled people living disabled lives in fantasy and reality, they need to listen to the perspectives of those who are actually living those lives. Sure, they may be lacking in terms of how to fly a dragon but humanity is humanity with or without the added uniqueness.

If an author just takes a ableist-covered crap-filled myths of what disability is like, expect backlash! Or maybe expect nothing, disabled adults have way too many concerns to be dealing with your sorry ass.

[perpetualexistence]

Team E-scope plays 'What If?', becomes unstoppable

During their morning jogs, Izzy starts making a habit of playing 'What if?' Neither Eva nor Noah take it seriously at first since they think she's just spouting off random questions. So she decides to turn it into a more involved 'What would you do?'

It starts off simple enough for Izzy.

She asks Eva "What would you do if I bit you?"

"I'd throw you into a tree."

"Cool!" says Izzy, as she immediately bites Eva. Eva commits to her promise. Noah's not quite sure what either of them expected.

It goes from things Izzy can quickly do to hypothetical scenarios. She refuses to leave the subject alone until at least one of them engages her. They also start going from 'what would you do' to 'what would we do'. It's more fun because it makes it more likely that Eva and/or Noah will start playing along. These hypothetical scenarios include:

What do we do if a zombie apocalypse hits?

What do we do if one of us might be an imposter?

What do we do if one of us is forced into villainy?

What do we do if one of us wants to go into villainy?

What do we do if we wake up with no idea where we are?

What do we do if we all turn into worms?

The next thing any of them know, they're coming up with actionable plans for these scenarios. Izzy comes up with out of the box plans, Noah comes up with clever plans, and Eva makes the plans simple so they're actually doable.

Zombie apocalypse? Izzy's the Scout, Noah's the Medic, Eva's the Heavy Hitter. Imposter? They each start developing two different code phrases to confirm who they are depending on who's asking. Villainy? Start a riot if it's forced, and start a different kind of riot if it's not. Transported? Go to high ground, kick ass as needed. Worms? Vibe.

They even start coming up with legitimate plans for how to take each other down if need be. Izzy and Eva have a plan for how to take down Noah. Noah and Izzy have a plan to take down Eva. Eva and Noah have a plan to take down Izzy. And each of them has a plan for how to take the other two out individually and together. They extend this courtesy to their other friends. Not out of maliciousness. Except for Justin and Alejandro, those ones have a good amount of maliciousness. It's mainly just because it's fun, and you never know if you might need it. Izzy even finds a safe house for some of their plans.

They develop so many plans that Eva's having a hard time keeping track of them. She's no Izzy or Noah who can just memorize things quickly. One thing that does help her concentrate is her music. So she starts associating plans with songs.

She won't admit to it at first because she's a bit self conscious about the intelligence gap. And that frustrates her. And that never goes well.

It's not until she accidentally hums a song under her breath during the creation of a plan that one of the others notices, and she confesses it while doing her calming exercises so she's not yelling at them for being know it alls treating her like an idiot.

Noah and Izzy just look at her because holy shit, that's a great idea, and they're rolling with this now. Having songs for each plan means that if they ever need to actually use them, they can say something like 'Track 34'. They'll immediately know what to do, and no one else will be able to catch on. If they need to be more subtle, then they can just hum the song or play it out loud.

They need to know how Eva's playlist works now, and they might end up suggesting some of their own songs for newer plans. They won't mess with her current playlist. It'd be a dick move to force her to unlearn her own associations when she came up with the idea in the first place.

Eva's definitely not tearing up for having supportive friends. Shut up. She's punching a tree now.

And that's how Team E-scope solidifies themselves as an unstoppable force of nature when provoked. Through the power of actually making plans, and unbreakable friendship.

[demoisverysexy]

So, the great Me Pendulum has swung back to feeling more favorable towards Mormonism- it's got some very good bones, I just dislike the organization- so I'll ask: What's your view of "your body is a temple"? It's often taken as a proscription against body modification but is there room for nuance in that?

Good question! Basically, yeah that is definitely how the institutional church likes to use the idea of the body as a temple: don't change your body, don't get tattoos, only women can get piercings and only one pair in your earlobes and thats it. I tend not to be a fan of the phrase for that reason, and tend to take a more expansive view that favors bodily modification.

Tangent incoming, though I promise this is relevant to your question:

One of Mormonism's doctrines that sets it apart from other Christianities is the idea that God has a physical body, and that we are literally made in the image of God (e.g. God has a physical human body). This stands in contrast to the neo-Platonic view of a God without forms or passions. The God of Mormonism is very physical.

This is, I think, a good theological development, and gives Mormonism room to play with ideas like materialism (such as Joseph Smith's canonized insistence that there is "no immaterial matter" and that intelligence is eternal), and even allows it to flirt with non-theism. However, it does also give rise to potentially anthropocentric views of Christianity (the universe was made for humans, who are the most special things ever). I tend to be skeptical of the idea that God is inherently human for that reason (and also why, despite my disagreements with it, I think that C.S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet could propose a new way of approaching the idea of what the image of God is).

Back to your question. Given this insistence by Mormons that the human form is sacred and close to the divine, I think it would be hard to get Mormons on board with body modification. But I do think there is hope. For one thing, if we consider the fact that Jesus, who Mormons assert was resurrected with a glorified, perfected physical body, kept the wounds in his hands, feet, and side, perhaps God does not share our ideas of what a perfect body looks like (I would be shocked if he did). I also think it shows us that God could, potentially, be able to chose how he wishes his body to appear (and also, incidentally, leaves room in Christian theology for disabled people). This is a bit of a basic argument, but it does leave the door open for more in-depth questions about the role of the body in Mormonism. Mormons are very pro-body, but I think we shouldn't assume that one body is pre-eminent above all others, given our supposed dedication to materialism.

I think my favorite work on this subject though comes from my favorite Mormon theologian, Adam S. Miller. He actually gave a whole talk at the Mormon Transhumanist Association (which is apparently a thing) on this very subject. Keep in mind this is attempting to imagine what a transhumanist mormonism would look given Mormonism's current stances on things, including things such as its insistence on eternal gender roles (though he does leave room for transgender people in his discussion in a very wink-wink nudge-nudge sort of way, albeit in a binary fashion). Basically, I endorse most of what he says here but I'm way more explicitly queer affirming and nonbinary with it. And way more furry and more skeptical about the idea that the human form is all that and a bag of chips.

Hope this answers your question! Lemme know if there's more I can explain here.

[postsforposting]

the god damned shaking camera in GO s2

No, literally.

These aren't the only time the camera shakes--specifically the camera, and not the environment, like when the characters stumble and lose their footing because the actual ground is shaking. The camera is also not terribly smooth in s1 either, but it's far less noticeable. In the last gif, that's the present day--so this happens in the present too, not just the past.

Every single one of these moments where the camera shakes happen at a crucial moral, character-point: a point that changes the characters' values, who they are.

What is actually shaking, though? The camera is essentially our view; in s1 our view was god's view. That makes the camera-view the sky, aka the heavens. The heavens are shaking.

Biblically, a "shaking of the heavens and earth" is a common phrase, and it's tied to the end times. Shaking of the earth is used to indicate god's presence and power--in GO we saw Satan's arrival shake the earth, and when angels and demons arrive they often cause a little quake. The shaking of the heavens refers to the destruction of the enemies of the righteous, of Jesus (keep in mind this is about real Christianity, not GO itself):

For Hebrews, the “shaking” of heaven and earth refers to the judgment of the enemies of God. This is what God promised at the enthronement of Jesus. God said to Him: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” (Heb. 1:13, ESV). Thus, Jesus has defeated the enemy (Heb. 2:14–16) and been enthroned (Heb. 1:5–14), but the enemies have not yet been destroyed (Heb. 10:11–14; 1 Cor. 15:23–25). But God will destroy these enemies in the future, when He will shake the heavens and the earth. The shaking of the heavens and the earth means, then, the destruction of the earthly powers that persecute God’s people and, more importantly, the destruction of the evil powers (Satan and his angels) who stand behind the earthly powers and control them. God has also announced that He will “shake” the heavens and the earth, which means that He will destroy enemy nations. Many modern translations of Hebrews 12:27 suggest that the shaking of the heavens and the earth means that they will be removed and forever gone. The Bible is clear, however, that God will create new heavens and a new earth (Isa. 65:17; Rev. 21:1–4), and we will be resurrected and have a new body (1 Thess. 4:13–17; Phil. 3:20) on this earth. Thus, the “shaking” implies the cleansing and renovation of creation, not its complete removal. What is here will be re-created, and it will be where the redeemed live. There are some things, however, that will not and cannot be shaken. They include the righteous. They will not be shaken because they trust in God. The Creator sustains them and guarantees their survival. Note that in Hebrews, permanence and stability are associated with Jesus. [...] In the final judgment, those who hold fast “in Jesus” will not be shaken (Ps. 46:5).

There are some things, however, that will not and cannot be shaken.

The characters in scenes where the camera shakes are not themselves shaken. Why not? They're not the enemies who are being destroyed.

What is, then? Who, or what, are the enemies?

Hate, distrust, bystanding, the morals of heaven, all that nasty stuff. You know, evil.

In the first gif, the angel who will be Crowley creates the stars with Aziraphale's help, shares info and concerns with him, and shields him from the fireballs. The scene gently bops around, but the true shaking is during the creation of the nebula and at the end as shown in the gif. Any angel could have happened by and could have participated up until the end, but Crowley shows us he doesn't really care for just anyone: he doesn't introduce himself. His act of shielding Aziraphale at the end, then, is meaningful and specific to Aziraphale, for specifically him, not just anyone.

During the Job flashback, there are several shakes, but it's most obvious during the ox rib temptation and feast. Crowley does not judge Aziraphale for indulging, and they both experience changes: Crowley learns he's not alone in doubting and being a black sheep, learning to trust outside himself and especially in a group that's done him harm, and that he enjoys someone else's joy; Aziraphale learns physical experience, that not everything he's been told about himself and his people is true or trustworthy--the first steps to doubt, and the first steps to trusting. What is reduced is distrust, indifference, and lack of care for people you are supposed to hate.

The demon attack on the bookshop forces Aziraphale to take drastic measures, specifically acts of war, to protect two humans. He permanently discorporates a lot of demons to protect both Gabriel and the humans. Gabriel has harmed him in the past, tried to kill him, and the humans have done nothing to help him, indeed they put themselves in this situation by refusing to leave when he told them to and who caused the problem by allowing the demons into the shop. Aziraphale is showing how far he will go to help others, even others he himself does not like, others whose predicament is both their own fault and who have put Aziraphale himself in danger. He believes it's not right to allow demons to have them: sinning, even against an angel, should not result in eternal punishment in hell, and he's willing to go to war over this. That's the final evil to be purged, of course that would shake the heavens, literally and figuratively.

What does all the Biblical stuff mean for the GO universe?

The afterlife system is an enemy of Jesus. God herself is an enemy of Jesus. Perhaps we don't hear god this season because she's being transformed, or utterly destroyed, by the second coming herself: it is written that all enemies will be destroyed, and what is written must come to pass. Will god herself be overwritten, like Gabriel was? Will god fall, like her own angels fell, and be remade? Will her identity too be lost, like Lucifer's was lost? Like Gabriel's was threatened?

Rebirth is a huge theme; it's what the second coming actually is, both for Jesus and for humanity. Jesus is reborn, and Jesus is god. Perhaps whatever happens to Jesus, also changes god herself. Perhaps the universe itself will be reborn too, with a new god, where the Fall never happened, where the horrors of the bible never happened, just like in s1 where Satan was never Adam's father. It would be a perfect symmetry, where god was never humanity's mother, and that would reach back to before the beginning to change when god originally planned it. It would change god herself, as it changed Satan himself, and rippled through all reality.

At the end of s1e6, we do hear god say: "Perhaps the recent exertions had had some fallout in the nature of reality, because while they were eating, for the first time ever, a nightingale actually did sing in Berkeley Square. Nobody heard it over the noise of the traffic, but it was there right enough."

How do you make a horrific god into a good god? You don't, unless you reboot it and utterly remake it. Perhaps that's why there is no god in s2, because the nature of reality has changed. Perhaps that's why there's weird time issues. Perhaps the nature of miracles changed, and what was previously impossible is now possible, or the opposite.

[opinated-user]

transcript of the clip LO posted: "some make the argument that star was meant to be this way because it's inspired by anime, but that's a statement that need qualifying. which anime? well, sailor moon obviously. but that sentiment is found on any of the other shows. anime is a pretty wide medium with many irons and many fires, but the phrase anime inspired always narrowed it in small niche and culturally embarassing side of it that even Japan doesn't like to be reminded of it" (source_not_found) "when someone says anime inspired they never say that they were inspired by hello kitty or hamtaro or that silly one where everyone is sharply dressed and ridiculously buffer" (an image of Jojo Adventures) "no, it's always this shit that no one in their right mind would be caught with."

the last part of the clip shows this:

let me debunk this clip piece by piece. 1. you literally just said that SVTFOE is inspired by Sailor Moon, the anime that really popularized and cemented the magical girl genre for the public. although it wasn't the first one, it's the one everyone immediately associate whenever "magical girl" it's mentioned. to say that SVTOFE is inspired by Sailor Moon it's already saying that it has magical girl elements and many conventions of that genre baked into it. that's what it means. even the less knowlegeable people in anime will know what Sailor Moon is and if you tell them "this is inspired by Sailor Moon", they would know what it means. the fact that you insist that needs more "qualifying" and go on this completely incoherent rant talks more about your own ignorance than anything. "this show about a magical princess that comes from another dimension to earth in order to fight bad guys was inspired by this other show about another princess from another world that comes to earth to fight bad guys" is not a confusing statement at all, so i'm confused as to what you thought was necessary to "qualify" here? LO, when people say that your video are becoming worse because you lack structure and keep pulling words that don't end up connecting to any central idea, this clip is an example of what people mean. this whole rant was entirely unnecesary and it didn't help your point come across. any editor would have told you to either remove it entirely or worded it a lot different. by your response i can see that you think you were doing something there. i promise that you didn't.

2. LO, Japan is not embarassed by anime. i actually don't know from where you took that one. otakus were seen as embarassing because they were our equivalent of the incel stereotype that doesn't interact with people and lives indoors all day, but even that's changing. anime by itself was always part of the cultural expression of the country. they treat Evangelion like here in the west we treat Mickey Mouse, they plaster the images of those characters everywhere in the most populated areas. similar to how you have the "baby sister" you decided to romance in baldur's gate all over your tumblr, while trying to insist you don't have incestuous attraction to your younger sibling. but at least they don't do it to flaunt their incestuous attraction. you keep projecting this image of Japan being embarassed and annoyed by the existence of anime without any evidence or even an attempt to explain how that makes any sense. the anime industry is huge, it's one of the cultural products that Japan more profits with because they can export it to the rest of the world and the rest of the world wants more of it. in what planet does it make sense that they would be "embarassed" by something like that? 3. do you want to know why nobody ever says that something was inspired by hello kitty or hamtaro, LO? that's because Hello Kitty doesn't have an actual story. it's an cutesy aesthetic around a bunch of cute characters that a company made in order to sell cute merchandize. there was to my knowledge only one show made with Hello Kitty, but i believe none of that had anything to do with the official canon of the character. if you think about it, Hello Kitty is kinda like Barbie. it's a recognizable icon completely by itself. there can be stories made with it, but Hello Kitty will never go through a character development moment and will never change. she will always be just a cute kitty, just like Barbie can be whatever is the most convenient for Mattell in any given moment. as to Hamtaron, it was just a slice of life anime about cute animals. it was cute, indeed. but it didn't do anything new that thousands of other people weren't doing after or before with their own spins on it. here, a list of anime/manga that were exactly the same as Hamtaro without being directly inspired by it because nobody really invented the "slice of life story through the perspective of a pet" genre. it took me one google search to find, there's more if you want to see. if you're so desperate for more content "like Hamtaro" it was always that easy to find. ... more so, again, what does this have to do with SVTFOE or literally any other show that isn't about cute animals being cute? about Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and nobody ever was inspired by it in the west... you have to be joking with that one.

here are videogames inspired by JJBA: https://www.thegamer.com/best-jojos-bizarre-adventure-video-game-references/#bayonetta

other manga and anime it inspired: https://www.cbr.com/jojo-bizarre-adventure-anime-manga-inspirations/

shows in the west that it inspired/have direct references to JJBA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHhNUVtozKY one of the shows mentioned is Monkey Kid, which her wife watches. do you know why you don't hear that something wasn't inspired by this, LO? because nothing of the shows you watch had anything that could be inspired by JJBA or you wouldn't even understand the reference in the first place. one of the other shows that also had references was Amphibia... which LO refused to see because *checks notes* it had a plot.

4. the two things i circled in red are not even anime. they're games. the one with two girls hugging and looking up with fear is Rape Lay, a infamous game about raping underaged girls and their mother until you get them pregnant and they either kill you or you force them to have babies. the other one is Doki Doki Majo Shipan, a game whose main objective is that you have to undress and touch the bodies of different characters in order to find a "witch mark". many of those characters are underaged, but a few are adults and you play as a highscholer so it's still not better.

i just want to ask the following. why did you bring two games, two infamous games about touching or raping underaged bodies for that matter, when talking about SVTFOE at all? just why? what was the thought process here? how does this make your point any more clearer? how it does examplify better that "anime inspired" is bad when you don't even show anime and is instead games? anyone should seriously question why you brought this games up at all when talking about a show that was made by Disney. a show about a underaged magical princess of another world. why did your mind ever went to those games when talking about this? you just exposed, with no warning mind you, a bunch of your audience to these games to discover by themselves. you did that. and that was bad and you should feel bad about it.

[razorblade180]

Thief’s Gambit

After a routine patrol of Vacou, Carmine sits on a rooftop, quietly on a rooftop. Normally she’d be ready to return home, but tonight she was given an anonymous request to wait at the Kingdom’s central location. Not one to ignore suspicious events, Carmine didn’t dare ignore the request. She’d get her answers soon enough. After all, there was someone already approaching behind her.

???: Such a goodie two shoes. It’s really impressive.

Carmine:What do you want, Mona?

Mona:Abrasive as ever. I thought you would’ve been a little surprised to learn I sent the request. After all, I really can’t stand you.

Carmine:Which is why I’m not surprised. *turns around* So what? Is this where you pull your daggers out and “settle the score?” I have to warn you I am incredibly tired and won’t hesitate to arrest-

Mona:Blah blah blah! Let me speak god damnit! You long winded types are so annoying. I’m here to ask you for a once in a lifetime favor. And before you say anything, no, it has nothing to do with a dumb relic sword.

Carmine:Wasn’t thinking about it until you said something. Not like I have access to it anyway. Cut to the chase already.

Mona:Later on tonight, I will be meeting with Aero and officially be resigning from his little gang. Do not tell him I’ve met with you. Soon I shall-

Carmine:No.

Mona:What? I haven’t even told you my favor in full yet!

Carmine:My opinion of you is rock bottom. Even so, you’re no idiot and do think of other’s feelings. It’s the leash Aero has on you that stops me from arresting you repeatedly and you know that. So…leaving the gang only means one thing. You’re planning on doing something completely out of line. You don’t want them associated and you don’t care about going to jail.

Mona:Heh, wow. There really is brain behind those annoying scarlet eyes. Too bad it only works for justice and is only half right. I don’t plan on rotting in a cell. If- When I pull this off, it’ll mean you’ll never see me again.

The air between them fell silent, Carmine’s curiosity piqued. Though she wasn’t sure that was good, given how Mona casually walked closer with her hands behind her head and stopped the the building’s ledge to look at the kingdom.

Mona:May favor is simple. I am going to do something horrible, and I need you to look the other way.

Carmine:I think you forgot how I spend my days making sure horrible things don’t happen. Plus I’d never make a promise with something that vague.

Mona:Ugh, I can see why you don’t have friends. Listen, I’m not telling you to not do your job. As a matter of fact, do all you can to save the innocent, but only that. Don’t come after me. Keep your pretty little eyes on the situation at hand and be the good little girl people think you are. Although we both know despite my “goodie little two shoes” remark, you’re more than willing to raise a little hell for the sake of humanity. It’s the only fun thing about you.

Carmine:You’re doing a really bad job of asking for favors.

Mona:Come now. Don’t pretend you don’t love the idea of never dealing with me again. You hate me as much as I hate you.

Carmine:I couldn’t care less about you honestly. You’re a broken person who’s no good for the people around her. Not that it’s your fault for being so…you. In fact if there’s anything we can agree on it’s how your mother should be put through hell and back.

Mona:Heh, fair enough. You saying we might’ve actually enjoyed each other’s company?

Carmine:Hell if know. As it stands, you’re like an ill dog in the Pound. Nobody can afford to take you in and nobody will be surprised when you suddenly aren’t around anymore.

Mona:Won’t stop a certain someone for being sad though. Perhaps I haven’t been phrasing this correctly. Don’t count this a favor to me. Consider it as doing Aero one. Like you said, nobody can afford to take me in and I personally never planned on turning my life around. Shouldn’t you be doing everything possible to cut me out of his life as quickly as possible?

Carmine:….

Mona:Look, I can’t promise you completely safety of civilians, but this kingdom has no shortage of heroes and huntsmen. All I can tell you is this, be near the slums at eight at night. Not s minute before, understand? I’m sure between you, your mother, father, and Aero’s parents, no innocent people will die. After all, I’m not trying to hurt innocent people.

Carmine:But you are trying to hurt someone?

Mona:Duh. It’s not like you don’t do the same to further your agenda. Let me fulfill mine and the rest is history.

Carmine:…I refuse to promise I will turn a blind eye. However, I won’t tell Aero. And maybe…I’ll drag my feet a little.

Mona:Hahaha! Works for me I guess. You really are stubborn, but not unreasonable. You have an annoying way of knowing the best course, even when it isn’t popular. I guess that’s the one thing I admire about you.

Mona took off the scarf that symbolized her affiliation to the gang. Honestly she was never the biggest fan of it considering it was inspired by the very girl who stood before her. It’s only fitting it should return to her.

Carmine stared with unblinking eyes at Mona’s gesture. Strange. The notorious bandit held a twinge of pain in her eyes. Maybe…no, Carmine didn’t allow herself to even fantasize about a different outcome between them. In the end, some things are simply beyond anyone’s control. Carmine took the thin, blue silk scarf into her custody; at the very least she could treat this request seriously no matter her final decision when it comes to pass. Carmine tore the scarf in half from the middle and wrapped a portion around Mona’s arm.

Mona:What are you doing?

Carmine:For better or for worse, you were once apart of something bigger. I see no reason for you to leave empty handed. I’ll find a use for the other half eventually.

Mona:Whatever you say. Welp, see ya never, probably. At least not in this scorching dump. Remember, this talk never happened. Oh, one final thing, a token of wisdom from your elder. You might want to consider working on your people skills.

Carmine:…..

And just like that, the notorious gem of the slums fell back into the city lights. Carmine couldn’t even see the woman anymore. She’d be lying if she said she felt unbothered. No good comes from a person as chaotic as Mona getting serious. All Carmine was certain of was despite her own gifts, this was the last time she’d see that messy blue hair in Vacou ever again.

[rea-grimm]

Ghosts of Crimson peak - 1

You got a letter inviting you to Crimson Peak. If you stay there overnight, you get the whole place. Everyone in the business knew it was one of the most sought-after and mysterious places in the world. A place full of evil spirits and one mysterious baronet who is mired in the sorrow of his past. But that changes when the past meets the present.

You were in your little apartment, which also acted as your studio. You had your own channel where you researched haunted places and confirmed or denied that they were haunted. You've encountered so many supernatural phenomena in your lifetime that you suspect you're almost like a magnet for them.

You were recording your last video, and you decided to cut a long moment short by reading comments from previous episodes, checking emails and letters. You never knew how many people would write to you about it.

Of course, it wasn't always good stuff. Some things were very nasty, where you started to question why you were doing it in the first place. But a lot of people stuck up for you and gave you the courage to keep filming.

Among the various letters, you found one that was very interesting at first glance. This letter was sealed with a wax seal that told you nothing. You photographed it before you opened the envelope. The letter was written in neat script. You haven't seen that in a long time.

After reading it, you realized it was an invitation to Crimson Peak. The man in question was inviting you there for a week on the promise that the house and all the land would be yours. You didn't know what to make of it. You'd heard a lot about Crimson Peak in your line of work, so you knew what it was. You just wondered why someone would offer it to you like that.

You scanned the letter and sent it to your friend to verify the validity or who sent it.

After your friend told you it was legit and you could claim it if necessary, you decided to give it a try. You couldn't find out who sent the letter, but it didn't matter. You wanted to take the opportunity to look into a house with so many stories.

You packed up your gear and equipment before you set out. You were flying across the sea, so you had plenty of time to study the necessary things. Including re-reading the story of Thomas Sharpe.

After several hours of flying and another seemingly endless taxi ride, you finally arrived at the gates of the Crimson Peak.

"It's now or never," you said to yourself before opening the gate and stepping inside. You said those words to yourself whenever you had to go to a particularly mysterious place or a place with the kind of reputation and atmosphere that existed here. In fact, you could already feel the strange atmosphere that was here.

You took the door handle. It wasn't moving. For the state the house was in, the door with the lock worked perfectly. You walked in, and the first thing you did was walk around the entire ground floor.

Of all the rooms, you chose the living room as your base. The corner of the living room to be exact, where you had a view to all sides and also to the other rooms.

You started filming everything from the moment you uttered your favourite cheering phrase and walked through the gate inside. Some places gave you goosebumps, and maybe for a few temperature jumps or a spooky atmosphere, the house had an almost ordinary feel to it.

But you weren't going to leave anything to chance. After setting up your little camp, you put a few cameras in a few places that seemed most associated with ghosts.

Once it got dark, you started searching the house again. All ghost hunters knew very well that the best footage was shot at night. You went through each room and nothing happened for a long time. 

It wasn't until you entered the next floor that you saw a faint flickering light resembling a mirage. It was the first paranormal phenomenon you'd experienced here and you decided to investigate further. You cautiously approached it as the luminous orb began to move. You automatically followed it. 

Completely oblivious to the other rooms, you followed it to the end of one hallway where a door was ajar. That warm light you had been watching was coming from the room.

As you approached the door, you felt a rather pleasant warmth. It wasn't a creepy chill. Rather the exact opposite. You carefully opened the door and peeked in. 

Inside, an old gas lamp was lit, casting light on the almost transparent figure of a man in period clothing. He was standing with his back to you, studying something on the plans that were spread out on the table. The man was pale, his hair was white, and his clothes were light too. 

You took a few steps in to get a good shot of it all as the figure disappeared, and with it the warmth and light of the room. Once again, darkness and coldness spread in.

You took one more shot of the table with the blueprints on the camera before you faded back into exploring the rest of the house. You'll stop here later in the day.

You walked through several corridors and, to your disappointment, a large number of rooms were locked. You slowly made your way to the next room when you felt anxious and the air around you grew colder. This was definitely not a nice ghost. 

You turned around to see if by any chance he was behind you, but there was nothing. You turned back and winced. You learned a long time ago not to scream. After all the incidents you've had while looking for the ghost, you don't scream anymore.

Sometimes it took you by surprise, but you knew there was something there. A few feet away from you, a black figure hovered with black clothes billowing around. You couldn't make out the figure's face at all. 

The ghost reached out its hands to you and began to approach. More and more ghosts began to appear around him, and like the first one, they headed towards you. You were getting tired of this. You took off running. You were already at the stairs when you noticed they were there too. The ghosts had blocked all your exits. 

You ran against the railing, grabbed it and jumped over it. You were hanging from there and it looked like they weren't following you. You saw them dissolve again. When the cold left you and you didn't feel anything bad or anxious, you climbed back up and decided to return to your base in the living room for tonight.

There you sat down on the sofa as the bad feeling washed over you again and the room grew colder. You stood up when you noticed that the piano started playing an old tune all by itself. You walked closer, but you didn't see any ghost. 

You took a few steps away when you felt like someone was breathing down your neck. You turned around, and standing right in front of you was a black skeleton wearing the same black clothing, and a giant knife slumbering in his hand. Instinctively, you took a few steps back. The ghost followed you, coming dangerously close. 

As you backed up you tripped over something and fell to the ground. The ghost was barely a few steps away from you, reaching out to strike. You feared it was the end of you when another ghost appeared in front of you. You thought it was the same one you saw in the room. There was a warmth emanating from him. 

The ghost with the knife paused, hanging his arm down and tilting his head to the side as if he didn't understand why he was in his way. The two ghosts stood there motionless for a moment before the black knife ghost dissipated. 

The friendlier ghost turned to you and held out his hand. This ghost was strange in many ways. Just the fact that it wasn't burnt black like all the others, it had clear features and even a face. You didn't accept his hand, as you knew you would reach into the void and scramble to your feet.

"Thanks for saving me," you said. The ghost gave you a sad smile and nodded his head. He then started walking towards the hallway. He stopped in the doorway and motioned with his hand for you to follow him. It was the first time something like this had happened to you, so you decided to obey and follow him. 

The ghost led you through several rooms until you reached one that was very hidden. It was a small room with a bed, a desk and a chair. A little refuge of sorts. You sat down on the bed and noticed that the ghost had moved to the door.

"Safe," he said before he disappeared. The first good ghost, you thought. You placed the camera next to you and pointed it at the door before lying down on the bed. So many ghosts and adventures were more than enough for one night. With that, you closed your eyes and fell asleep within moments.

Nothing else disturbed you during the night, and you slept peacefully until morning when the sunlight woke you up. You went back to the living room where you put your camera on while you got the loaded one and after a small breakfast you started to explore. 

The study you were most interested in was where you first saw the good ghost yesterday. There were many blueprints for machines there, including small models and toys. You took a picture of it and got the impression that these plans and drawings might be innovative for their time and the museum might be interested in them.

As the day swung into its second half, you decided to move your retreat to a safe room. You spent the rest of the day recording and editing video from the night before. There was a lot of great material on it.

1, 2, 3, 4

[ms-moonlight-inn]

✨✨Weekly Tag Wednesday ✨✨

Look at this shit, it's me answering one of these on the actual day it was assigned. Magic! 🪄🔮

Tagged by @blue-disco-lights, @burninface, @energievie, @jrooc, & @mybrainismelted & @guinguin1984

Name: Burned out & waiting for summer AKA Cyn

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (or you): That place that keeps promising the Northern lights, but it's always cloudy af here, so we never actually get to see them. last night was supposed to be a good light show... womp, womp... thunderstorms. 

Ok, so this week we are going to snoop into your google search. Type in each phrase and tell us what the first suggestion is that google gives you!

What is the best way to…. study. LOL! Ok, Google, thanks for the generic answers that only work for the few non-neurodivergent individuals in the room.

Where can I…. watch the Celtics game. Um, fuck no. Basketball sucks now, all the new rules have watered down the sport. Also, fuck the Celtics. I'm a die-hard Lakers fan.

How old is…. Joe Biden. There ya go. asked and answered.

How long does it take… to get to the moon. Just g'head and blame my son for this, and all astronomical questions, being permanently etched into our search history.

How many…  weeks in a year. It's moo, motherfucker, moo. Also, 52.

Who set the record for…. the highest jump (@blue-disco-lights, we're all getting this question?!) (it was Javier Sotomayor of Cuba btw)

When did…. WWII start.

 

What does it feel like to… get shot. (@blue-disco-lights Mickey must've hacked into my shit, as well.) Honestly, I'm sur[rised it didn't pop up with something crazier than this.

Can you… run it. And the sites associated with this search are IT/tech sites that tell you if you can run certain software on your machine.

When you… say nothing at all. And these two vids pop up side-by-side.

Same song, different versions. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why do… I owe taxes this year. LOL! I don't.

Is there a way… to unsend an email. The very first response is an AI generated summary of shit we already know: depends or your email provider & how long ago you sent it. Yeah, so shit, Sherlock.

How old do you have to be… to work. Not even dignifying that shit with a response.  

Where do the… Florida Panthers play. Again with stupid sports questions. i bame wifey for this. (Also, @blue-disco-lights nice Warriors reference! 😉)

What is the best time to… post on Instagram. I really couldn't care less.  

And to finish us off…. What comes up when you type in Shameless? Oh, nothing. Nothing at all...

***

I do believe everyone's been tagged on this. If you haven't please feel free to join & give a tag back.

[mirabilismayhem]

Lore Time!

So, in each of the posts I’ve made, I’ve had something like “20 of month 7” or something. That’s due to the calendar system I have here!

Each year starts on the Summer Sun Celebration, and has been such since Nightmare Moon’s defeat. Since they switched to that calendar for the new era, it’s only gotten to a 1005 AL (After Luna). Though, Celestia never liked that phrasing and people mostly forgot Luna, instead remembering Nightmare Moon, so it’s mostly AN or AE now (After Nightmare or After Evernight)

It’s been about five years and six months since Luna’s return depending on the post you’re looking at, hence the extra 5 on there. Due to this calendar, it’s currently winter despite “month 6” usually being associated with summer for the northern hemisphere.

Also! I never actually finished mlp. I only watched up to… a bit after Starlight and Twilight’s time travel stuff? So do keep that in mind. I know majority of the stuff that happens after, but since I was never invested in it I probably won’t make stuff like the school relevant. I’ll have to decide what I want to do with the changelings though…

Reminder, please ask about anyone you wanna know about! It gets my creative juices going and as such is more likely to get you guys content faster! If you wanna know what Fluttershy is up to? Ask! Rarity? Ask away! I can’t promise that every single character will be involved in the main plot, but especially further into the au I’ll be likely to have some sort of story for them.

[mrs-monaghan]

Something I've been pondering. Just wondering if any other JKK get this vibe. Jikook are fine. TK are fine. Even after the Taennie pics, TK are fine. You know who's not? Vmin. I keep thinking about when the Taennie pics dropped & we saw Tae for the first time in public after the pics dropped, he was wearing a shirt that said J I M on it and Jimin was hanging on him in in a way where if you focused on him, you couldn't help but notice the JIM on Tae's shirt. Also JM's first live after the Taennie pics, Tae was in his comments asking if he was okay & telling JM to facetime him and JM said no & then JM told us that day he got his moon phases cause of Tae & even said he didn't know if he should say it. Why not, afraid of ticking off Tae's new partner? JM didn't go to the Harry concert, not even to sit with Suga and RM, if he didn't wanna sit with TK & now we know Jennie was sitting just seats away from Tae.

Sweet Night being about falling in love with his best friend and Tae saying JM is his only best friend. I also keep thinking about Letter. Letters are associated to Vmin. Tae wrote JM a letter, then wrote a song about JM referencing the Letter he wrote him. And only like 2 months ago, Tae wore a shirt in one of his lives that had "I wrote a long love letter to you, because I found it hard to write a short one" & the lyric he wrote in 4 o'clock about JM is "I wrote a long, long letter to the moon" which references Tae's letter to JM in BV. JM also wore a shirt with the exact quote as Tae's shirt. So they've both worn that phrase on their shirts. Title of JM's secret song is called Letter & the lyrics match Blue & Grey, Promise and Friends. I'm probably overthinking, but Vmin be giving off sus vibes, esp Tae. There is only one duo who seems to be annoyed with each other since the Taennie scandal and it's not TK or Jikook. Jikook seem to be fine, TK seem to be fine, but Vmin acting divorced. And add Jimin's album seemingly pointing at a bitter break up. Sus, sus, sus all around. I'm starting to think there's a triangle alright, but not Vminkook more like Taenniemin. UGH, chapter 2 is really showing true colors all around. I think we're all wrong. TKK and JKK. There I said it, but I just hope I am wrong.

[downwiththeficness]

The Usurper-Chapter Twelve

Summary: Lilah McNamara stole things for a living. It was tedious work and often dangerous, which made it just exciting enough to keep her interested. After botching a routine job, Lilah finds herself standing amid monsters. Wholly unprepared for the horror of living under Amaru’s reign, Lilah decides to use her well honed skills to thwart the queen’s plans and prevent the end of the world.

Word Count: ~3,600

Disclaimer: I do not consent to this work being copied or posted to other sites of blogs.

Start at the Beginning Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Read on AO3 Masterlist

Lilah sat on the floor of the bathroom with her back against the tub. On her lap was the book that wouldn’t burn. It also wouldn’t tear or stain. Nothing she did managed to damage it in any way. Lilah didn’t even think the pages would crumple. Fucking. Magic. Book.

Arranged in a rainbow around her were several pages of meticulously categorized notes that she’d written by hand. From them, she went letter by letter, line by line, translating the book. It was a slow, arduous process. More than once, Lilah wondered why she was even attempting it. Inevitably, that thought would be followed by the mental sound of Amaru’s arm pushing into someone’s throat and that would be enough to keep going.

Leaning back, Lilah stretched her arms overhead and yawned. The muscles in her neck and back protested the movement with a dull ache. Hours of work had produced about three pages of translated text. It would go a hell of a lot faster if she was able to use the translation app on Javier’s laptop. Lilah wouldn’t risk it as a matter of safety, but the temptation was there. Lilah refused to give in. No one could know she had the book. That steadfast rule left her with little option but to search for phrases on the laptop in the morning, write them down, and try to connect as many words as she could in the evenings. All without drawing Javier’s suspicion. It was a tedious system that was producing slow, steady results.

Setting the book aside, Lilah flipped her notebook to the first set of translations and read over them. The words were familiar to her now—she’d read them so many times. The language lacked some of the prosaic nonsense in the writing Javier provided to her. Its straightforward tone was actually pretty helpful towards Lilah’s comprehension of the content.

She sorted the information into rough chapters for ease of use. The introduction placed the date of writing before Amaru, although she had no idea how long. In any case, the eternal night Brasa referenced hadn’t yet started. The Xibalbans lived together under several Lords that judged all things that came before them. The central city was a garden filled with dangers. Rivers of blood and scorpions cut through roads that were designed to confuse travelers. A single misstep could mean death.

Anyone who wanted to survive would have to be smart and cunning and very, very strong. Lilah didn’t think she would make it ten minutes before she was struck down by one thing or another. She didn’t think any one would make it ten minutes. All the more reason to keep Amaru from merging the dimensions.

Lilah flipped the page and came to the section she’d been working on that day. It covered a contract gone bad. One party failed to do as they promised. The writing made it clear how dishonorable this was and Lilah assumed there was a cultural shame associated with it. The person who couldn’t uphold their part of the bargain was drained of their blood and their fangs were removed. Then, they were carried out to a remote part of Xibalba and left to die. If they managed to survive and return to the community, they were absolved of their failure. Lilah had a good feeling that most of them never made it back.

She came to the end of her notes and closed the notebook. Lilah would have to wait until tomorrow to get into the more complicated types of contracts. It looked like the next section after that would contain the ritual for opening the doors between dimensions. She wasn’t sure she actually wanted to know what it said, but experience told her that the more she knew about it, the better off she would be down the line. After gathering up her materials and hiding them away, Lilah poured herself a glass of wine and sat on the bed.

“I should really get Javier to put a TV in here,” she muttered. Lilah had a high tolerance for boredom, but she was reaching her limits with sitting around and staring at the walls.

Halfway through the glass, a knock sounded, followed by Brasa breezing into the room. He was once again wearing leather and she could see his sunglasses peeking out from an inside pocket. He closed the door behind him and said, “I’m surprised to see you here.”

Lilah lifted a brow, “Where else would I be?”

He paused, then replied, “What I meant was I was surprised you would be sitting here, on the bed.” A breath, then, “Javier says you’ve been hiding in the bathroom.”

Her heart briefly palpitated before she got ahold of her body, “Forgive me for wanting a little privacy.”

She couldn’t help the dry tone or the touch of heat beneath it. Brasa didn’t seem to mind, “Of course. That’s understandable.”

Seeing an opening, Lilah hedged, “Its been a few weeks since you brought me down here. When we discussed it, you promised me that I could leave eventually.”

“I did.”

“Do you know how far off that might be?” Lilah hoped that the question came off as innocent and not the plea for some kind of light at the end of the tunnel that it was.

Something in the cant of his shoulders put her on edge, “The condition was that you would be able to protect yourself.”

He was right, but Lilah wasn’t going to concede the point, “Don’t you think that we should start working on that? Or, do you need to call in some kind of self-defense specialist?”

Brasa almost laughed, “That’s not what I meant.”

“Okay,” she replied and crossed her arms, “what did you mean? Tell me explicitly what I have to do.”

The silence that followed that question was heavier than she expected. Lilah wanted to keep talking, keep clarifying, even though she knew exactly what he meant. She didn’t know how else to force the issue.

“We’ve discussed the effects of my blood.”

Good start. Lilah nodded, “Uh huh.”

He moved to sit next to her on the bed, “It healed your wounds and...it also made you a little bit like me.”

She didn’t like the reminder, but around her teeth she enunciated, “I remember.”

“Its more than just healing wounds and living longer,” Brasa continued. “Its faster reflexes, better vision and instincts.”

Lilah was tiring quickly of this conversation and she was the one who started it, “So?”

He looked at her, “I don’t have any concerns about humans doing you harm.” He seemed to rethink it, “Alright, I’m concerned less with humans that you might associate with than I am the...ones I might associate with.”

“How is that my fault?”

“Its not,” he said, lifting a hand in defense, “but it is a reality that I have to consider.”

Lilah debated her options. She could spend an endless amount of time wasting away in the caves or she could muster up the courage to drink Brasa’s blood so that she could escape. That is, if she could get him to actually give it to her. Lilah didn’t think that it would necessarily be a pleasant experience, but she might be able to manage it. Of course, she had been half unconscious the last time. Who knew what the next attempt would be like? She could throw up all over Brasa after the first swallow. Did vomit come out of leather?

“Alright,” Lilah said, “how much do I have to drink?”

He looked at her as if she’d grown a second head, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Its not a science. And, with what you’ve already…”

Lilah frowned, “A couple mouthfuls throws off your estimation? Wouldn’t it kind of...I don’t know, cancel out because it was used to heal me?”

Brasa’s mouth opened around a sentence that got hung up on the backs of his teeth. Lilah stared at him, then gave a prompting roll of her hand to get him talking again. It didn’t work. He kept looking back at her with his mouth open and silent.

“Christ, Brasa,” Lilah groused, “Spit it out.”

“I think you’ll be angry.”

He was probably right. Lilah had been angry with him more often than not in the last few weeks. Whatever it was that he was going to say wasn’t going to change that fact very much. She might even get mad, preemptively, if he didn’t keep talking. Beside her, Brasa rubbed his hands over his thighs while he contemplated his thoughts.

“When I saw you for the first time,” he began. “I was...elated. Happier than I’ve been in a long time. Maybe, ever.” Brasa turned his eyes to her, “Right after that—right after—I had this sense of fear that gripped me completely. I’ve been afraid ever since. Its led me to do things I might not normally.”

“Such as?”

A breath, “Such as lying to you about who I was. Such as hiding you away in here. Such as…”

Lilah let him have his silence for a minute, “Such as…?”

Brasa wasn’t looking at her when he finished that sentence, “Such as lacing your wine with my blood.”

She looked at the glass in her hand. There wasn’t anything about it that made her think it had been tampered with. It was just a regular glass of wine. The words ‘nuh uh’ fell out of her mouth, so soft that they were barely above a whisper.

“It wasn’t right,” he said. “I don’t regret it, but I recognize that it wasn’t right.”

Lilah’s gaze rested in the middle distance while she tried to calculate how much wine she drank and the ratio he might have used. It couldn’t be very high if she hadn’t actually tasted it. Lilah was fairly confident she would know the metallic tang of blood in her drink. She very nearly took a sip to double check.

“You’ve been dosing me this whole time.” In her periphery, Lilah saw him nod. “It didn’t occur to you to ask me?”

Brasa sighed, “You have more than expressed your displeasure with being here. With me. I was confident you wouldn’t consider it.”

A sort of calm fell over Lilah’s shoulders. With it, an ice cold fury that gave her the ability to say, “Get the fuck out of this room. Now.”

Wordlessly, Brasa stood and walked to the door. Hand on the knob, he looked back at her. She must have been wearing her emotions all over her face because he nodded and left without trying to defend himself. She was glad for it. A thousand words filled with vitriol were pouring into her head. If she let them out, Lilah wasn’t exactly sure what would happen.

Lilah looked again at the wine in her hand and all the ice in her veins went white hot. She screamed and threw the glass against the wall. It shattered with a satisfying crack, red sliding down the walls to the floor. Lilah hoped it stained. Her hands clenched and she wished she had something else to throw. She wanted to break things. She wanted to crush them beneath her feet. She wanted to feel something fall apart in her hands.

Crossing the room, she went to the various bottles of liquor on the side table. Each of them went the way of the glass, until Lilah was left with the darkened bottle of half-finished wine. Her fingers wrapped around the neck and she held it to the light. The wine swirled around, taunting her with the knowledge that it was tainted. Her lip curled in disgust and a breath hissed through her teeth.

She went to the bathroom and stood before the toilet. Leaning down, Lilah flipped up the seat and tipped the bottle over until the wine flowed out into the bowl. When it was empty, she jabbed the handle to flush. Lilah watched it the whole way down. Good riddance. Then, she went back to the bedroom and flung the bottle against the wall.

It hit the rock with a dull thud and fell to roll among the shards of glass. Her curled lip curled even further. Stomping over, she grabbed the bottle and swung it hard. The glass broke apart this time, leaving Lilah holding the jagged neck in a clenched fist that was shaking from a fury that hadn’t abated.

Tossing the shard aside, Lilah looked for something else to break. There wasn’t much else in the room, certainly nothing that would be as satisfying as throwing bottles. Desperate to find another avenue of destruction, she rushed to the nightstand and dug around. It was mostly empty, save for her scuffed clutch that contained Antonio’s keys, a bundle of bills, and the lighter she’d stolen from the bar up front. Lilah plucked the little bit of plastic from the bag and turned it between her fingers. Slowly, a plan formed in her mind.

Before she knew it, Lilah was moving through the hall to the cavern. She peeked out from the door to find it unoccupied. Stepping inside, Lilah realized that the room had been through a serious renovation. A stone walkway replaced the bridge over the water. There were piles of paperwork scattered over the desk. New lighting gave the room a cool, blue ambiance. There was also a throne.

Huge. Ornate. Imposing. The throne sat in the half of the room closest to her, right in the middle of a wide circle of blue light. Lilah could picture a line of supplicants bowing to it, waiting for Amaru’s judgment. For her to stick her hand down their throats. Lilah approached it with her mouth turned down in contempt. She noted the craftsmanship in the carved wood and the luxury of the silk cushion. Lilah wondered why Amaru bothered with the fancy chair. It wasn’t as if she needed the culebras to respect her. Amaru already had their fear.

With a heavy breath that made her plan all the more clear, Lilah crossed the cavern, over the bridge, through the door, and into the waiting room. There were more renovations, here. The bar was fully stocked and a series of long couches lined the walls. More blue lighting dripped from the ceiling in dangling pendant lamps. Lilah could smell fresh paint. She took a moment to see if the workers had installed sprinklers, mouth spreading wide at their conspicuous absence.

The word ‘perfect’ slid out of her mouth in a soft murmur. Her movements were purposeful and confident. One by one, Lilah pulled the bottles with the highest proof from the wall and set them on the bar. When she was sure that she had enough, she went about pouring them out over the elaborately carved hunk of wood. She kept several apart for the second phase of her plan.

Assured that she had thoroughly soaked the bar, Lilah took the lighter and set the whole thing ablaze. It went up a little faster than she anticipated. Flames licked at her arms, singing the fine hairs. Lilah shook them away and stepped back to watch. Already, the wood was blackening and smoke rose to the rocky ceiling.

“Perfect,” she said, again.

Even without the sprinklers to give her away, Lilah knew that she had little time to finish her work. Arms full of bottles, she waddled out of the waiting room and back into the cavern where the throne was waiting for her. She sneered at the gaudy thing, hating everything it represented.

Lilah hated Amaru. She hated her violence. She hated that she couldn’t punch her in her stupid child face. Lilah hated that Brasa wouldn’t punch Amaru. Or disobey her. Or do anything that would upset her. Lilah hated that Brasa brought her here. She hated that he’d lied to her. She hated that she didn’t see the lie coming.

The cushion ignited first. Silk and stuffing burned high and hot, catching on the wooden arms. It smelled horrible, but Lilah kept close enough that she could feel the heat. She wanted to watch the throne burn in exquisite detail.

“What are you doing?”

Lilah startled with a loud scream. She surged away from the voice behind her, right into the fire. The reflexes Brasa was talking about must have kept her from going face first, but the hem of Lilah’s shirt ran right across the arm of the throne. The material lit up, orange and black spreading steadily upwards.

She guessed that some of the training from childhood kicked in because Lilah dropped to the floor and rolled over and over to put out the fire. She kept rolling until she rolled right off the ledge and into the water that cut through the center of the room. It was deeper than she thought, leaving Lilah kicking to get back to the surface.

An arm reached in and grabbed her. Lilah was suddenly airborne, landing on her side. Her hands wiped away the water in her eyes so that she could stare up at Brasa. He towered over her, haloed in blue light on one side and orange on the other. There was concern in his expression, but she could also read annoyance in the downward tilt of his mouth. Lilah tilted her chin up and met his eyes. Fucking say something, she thought. I dare you.

“What are you doing?” he repeated. Lilah could hear the exasperation in his voice.

She pulled her legs underneath her and stood, “Redecorating.”

He pulled his lips between his teeth released them slowly, “Do you have any idea what will happen when Amaru finds this?”

“I honestly don’t give a single fuck about Amaru.”

Brasa stepped forward, “Do you want to die? Is that it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I do.” She didn’t, but that wasn’t the point. Lilah was going to say whatever she needed to say to hurt him for lying to her. “You don’t care what I want, though. You only care what Amaru wants.”

“That’s not true.”

“It motherfucking is true,” she countered. Lilah slashed both hands in the air, “You know what? I don’t care. I really don’t. You keep on living your sad, pathetic little life under the heel of her boot. I’ll see myself out.” Brasa started to follow her and she hissed, “Alone.”

As she was walking away, Lilah heard Brasa mutter, You’re insane, at her back. It made another round of anger flare up. Lilah flew into the hall in a frenzy of movement. Breaths punched in and out of her lungs. Her heart was a heavy thud, thud, thud in her chest. Her arms pumped at her sides while her legs carried her past the door to the bedroom and deeper into the cave.

Lilah always thought of herself as someone who could thrive in fucked up situations. Breaking into a museum and taking a precious artifact? Totally cool. Taking money from unscrupulous people to acquire their ex-wife’s favorite poodle? No problem. But, this? All of this? It was too much for Lilah to handle. She needed space from it, from everything, to think.

When the light dimmed and Lilah could not longer see her hand in front of her face, she held the lighter up and flicked the flint. The spark wheel scratched at the flint, failing to produce even the smallest hint of fire. She tried again. Nothing.

“Fucking water,” she groused. “Who puts a creek in the middle of a cave?”

Lilah stood there in complete darkness, unable to see her way forward and unwilling to go back the way she came. She collapsed against the wall and dropped to sit on the ground. Knees drawn up against her chest, Lilah ruminated on the series of decisions that led her to that exact moment. Hair wet, make up smeared, angry and vengeful.

She dropped her face into her hands to cover the shameful tears that fell. Brasa was right. She was insane. Only an insane person would follow him into the caves, would spend weeks sitting on their hands and read books when they could be coming up with an escape plan. Only an insane person would set things on fire for the satisfaction of watching them burn. Only an insane person would tempt the wrath of a serial killer in a child’s body.

Lilah didn’t know how long she cried, but the tears did, eventually, run dry. She was left raw and exhausted. Her head fell back against the rocky wall behind her while she stared into nothing. For the first time in a long while, Lilah’s thoughts stilled. Her emotions stilled right along with them. There was no changing the choices she made. Certainly, there was no repairing the damage she’d done in the last hour no matter how justified.

What was she going to do? Lilah knew that there was little chance of getting out of this unscathed, but she hoped to have most of her body intact. She sat there for a long time, working through her options. Brasa was, unfortunately, her strongest ally. She didn’t think she could so much as look at him, let alone work with him. There was always Javier, but his loyalties were more than clear. Lilah knew that there had to be someone who could take Amaru down. Someone who had the audacity to step up to the blood queen and throw her back to the hell she came from. Maybe there was something in the book—some way to keep Amaru from rampaging across the human dimension.

Her head was beginning to hurt and she was starting to shiver in her damp clothes. Lilah put both hands on the wall behind her and walked them upwards until she was standing.

“Come on, feet,” she said. “It her or me. Time to figure out how to defeat a blood queen.”

[fierrochase-falafel]

Bare: A Pop Opera song saga- #2 You and I

The set-up to Jason and Peter's relationship is genius; the way Jason continuously addresses people with his straight-man act only to turn around and flirt with Peter in private is such a smooth switch, Peter finds it hard to fully believe.

Jason is very composed and smooth in this song- he deteriorates from easily being able to keep up his facade as the musical progresses. Peter is unable to really connect with him here BECAUSE of this straight-man facade, which frustrates him and makes him want to come out alongside Jason. The line "I think we're the best act this school has ever seen!" really shows Peter's desperation regarding having to stay closeted and Jason's facade but Jason makes a sex joke to avoid discussing it. Jason cuts Peter off with innuendos and light-hearted reassurances throughout the song (and a kiss at the end), in a way having the facade intervene in his personality in his relationship with Peter. It brings up the theme of how after acting for so long, the lines between truth and act can start to blur and leave you disoriented about who you are and how to go on. Jason ends up unable to deal with this dilemma (combined with his several other dilemmas that contribute to this dilemma).

Jason's internalised homophobia really plays through with his claims of not acting (since drama in general is a gay stereotype) and his subtle linking of general dodgy behaviour with his relationship- his opening lines calling Peter for a ride, lollipop or puppy- could POSSIBLY (this is relatively far-fetched) show this as well since gay people are often stereotyped by homophobes to be predators (it doesn't really make sense to me how this came to be, I credit genius lyrics with this part of the analysis by the way, but homophobia as a whole doesn't make sense, does it). Usually one would associate asking a "little boy" if he wants something like a lollipop with predatory behaviour, and Jason may have an underlying association of queerness with-- that. The implications suck, but this is mostly contextualising initial thoughts about the wording in this song.

The modulation in the chorus on "I'll be with you always" really stands out due to the sudden melody that goes down the scale in contrast to the previous verse in the chorus. This could be done for multiple reasons- it could be percieved as an add-on because it just comes in at a higher pitch like an extra romantic phrase to stop Peter from objecting; which leads to Peter objecting more, if that's how he percieved the line. Or it's Jason stressing his love for Peter and how sincerely his love (so basically him) will prevail forever. Or maybe the downwards melody from D to F# signifies how downhill that plan's going to go. I'm no music genius though, so of course take this with a bucket of salt.

The 2000 version has me on this one honestly, with the "besides I need you for French"/"yeah you do" exchange and the extended Jason segment talking about his future in a sense, it feels really natural and I really like how chill it is and then descends into frustration, and it's so clear to us why he's frustrated.

"What do you call this then, this clever song and dance?" "What are you taking about?" "US!" Like, guys-- this also links to Role of a Lifetime, when Peter talks about Jason dancing and hoping the music won't stop. It's all clever until the music stops and he has to make a decision (think the events of Promise).

Peter feels a bit more cynical in the 2000 version than any future version, like he is so having to hold back from swearing at Jason mid-conversation and that to me feels more natural than the 2004 and 2013 (LA) versions, even though I love those too. They're all brilliant! But Peter has a vibe of being a bit more openly bitter but in a way meant to seem light-hearted, and I enjoy seeing him get to feel that way. It feels like repression but just to a less extent than Jason, and it means something to me for that. That being said, I do prefer the change from. "I take your hand, leaving me breathless", to, "you take my hand, leaving me breathless", because it emphasises the effect Peter has on Jason specifically as opposed to the focus being mostly on Jason. It's Peter's action and Jason's feeling rather than Jason's action and Jason's feeling, which feels more like Jason's talking about their relationship rather than just Jason.

Anyways, appreciate the drums! I know it's a pop opera but the rock music is part of what truly elevates this musical for me.

[perpetualexistence]

Sea Monster AU: First Meetings

I'm still getting a heehoo giddy feeling with all the interest for this AU! I haven't even properly written things yet and you're all being very welcoming! I'm seeing likes from people I've been following in the TD fandom! I got my first reblog from someone else who understands the joys of big monsters and monster x human tropes! Aaa! It sparks joy in me.

I promise to use this joy exclusively to give Noah a Bad Time. He's one of my favorites, so he must suffer. That's the rules. (Don't worry, Alejandro will get to suffer too, we just haven't gotten that far yet.)

I'm going to start with how the two meet and their relationship up until Alejandro decides to reveal his true colors. So no real content warnings for this part except for manipulation and intimidation, especially regarding size. Given the premise, and the fact that Alejandro is Alejandro, this is going to be true of most of this AU.

Now let's see if I can properly use the Read More button to get into the juicy deets.

<- Start/Prev | Next ->

Noah lives in a small town on the coast of Lake Wawanawka. In days long past the town was a major shipping port. It was fighting with a rival city for dominance in the region. A massive storm set the town back, and now it only exists as a place to stay that's cheaper than the big city up the coast. The town government has been trying to revitalize the town by turning it into a tourist trap, but that's only resulted in tourists trashing the place at night while they spend most of their time and money in the big city. Still, money is money, so the townspeople have little choice but to put up with it.

Noah's recently been accepted to the one community college in town that's kind of helping to keep the town afloat. He plans to coast through an associate's degree with ridiculously easy classes. Then he's going to use his intelligence to get a scholarship to a private university and will never look back on this town. Only exception would be to come visit his family, though at this point only a few of his older sisters still live at home. Some have already left the nest just like he plans to.

Noah doesn't have many friends, so he tends to go off on his own. He's managed to find one spot on the beach that's inaccessible to most. It requires a tight squeeze through rocks. It's the one thing his wiry frame is good for. Tourists don't know about it so they can't ruin it. Townspeople who do know about it typically don't bother. He's taken measures to make it look as unappealing as possible. Can't have people taking away his best spot to get away from a rowdy house and read in peace.

That is, until a particularly bad storm hits. He returns to his reading cove, ready to complain as he has to either deal with or ignore the debris that's sure to be littering the place. It's while he's kicking away debris that his foot comes across something soft, small, and....tan? He moves the debris away to see something that would look like an eel if not for the top half being a human that looked around his age.

He reacts calmly when this thing groans and looks directly at him asking "¿Qué pasó?" He takes a second to breathe, and think rationally about what he's seeing in front of him.

He certainly doesn't scream like a bitch, fall on his ass, and attempt to crab walk away.

Once Noah actually calms down and accept the fact that this is not a psychotic break on his part, he and who he learns is Alejandro get to talking. Fortunately in English. Alejandro reveals that he swam too close to the surface and got swept in the storm. He doesn't know where he's ended up. He took a really nasty blow to the head too because he doesn't even quite remember where he came from. Alejandro would greatly appreciate if Noah could tell him where he is.

Noah's got some questions about all this. Ignoring the fact that merfolk apparently exist (a phrase he never thought he'd utter), Alejandro's an eel. Literally. Eels aren't native to Canada. So there's no possible way he could be from Lake Wawanakwa. Noah suspects he's an electric eel, which would place him somewhere in South America. When he points this out, he swears he sees a spark of electricity in Alejandro's tail. It confirms Noah's suspicions. It also confirms that Noah's not about to touch Alejandro with his bare hands. Alejandro commends him for being smart enough to help jog his memory. He remembers humans referring to the name 'Peru' in the waters he comes from.

He reveals that magic does exist in this world, as is evident by his very existence. There must have been magic in the storm that brought him here. Sadly, he doesn't know how he can use it to get himself back home. Not that it matters much, he can adapt to living here. Still, he begs for Noah not to tell anyone else that he's here. Noah has been so kind to him, but Alejandro isn't quite so sure how other humans will react to seeing him.

Noah's still quite suspicious about Alejandro. But the alternative is either A) a townsperson finds Alejandro, sees him as their ticket out of this town, and does who knows what to him for fame and money. Or B) a tourist finds Alejandro, and either does like the townsperson, or flips out and calls the cops, leading to who knows what kind of military experimentation assuming the cops don't just shoot him on sight.

So curse Noah's bleeding heart, he tells Alejandro that if he's going to stay in shallower waters, he'll be better off staying here. He warns him about the tourists and the townspeople. If he's going into deeper waters, then he's going to have to watch out for the fishermen, the cargo ships, and the ferries that go across the lake. Alejandro just grins and promises to repay Noah's hospitality in full one day.

And thus, Noah begins to meet Alejandro in secret. Mainly because he refuses to concede his favorite reading spot. Noah does some research on electric eels, and comes prepared with rubber gloves any time he wants to get close with Alejandro just in case. Alejandro isn't always there, but when he is he insists on interacting with Noah. He gets interested in the books he sees Noah reading and reveals that he doesn't know how to read. Noah can't just allow for that, so he teaches the Peruvian how to read English. He tries to teach him how to write too, but that's more difficult given the size difference and Alejandro constantly being wet. Noah will take to reading aloud to Alejandro, and when Alejandro learns how to read, he takes to slithering his way in between Noah and his book so he can read along, taking care not to touch Noah's skin.

Their relationship continues to grow as they talk about their respective lives. Noah tells him about humans, and Alejandro will tell him things about merfolk. When Alejandro goes to deeper waters, he comes back and describes the old shipwrecks he's found closer to the bottom of the lake with a certain wonder in his eyes. He'll even start to bring little treasures back from them, first for himself, but eventually for Noah as well. They get to make fun of tourists together and watch them from afar. Noah's dog Ark comes in at one point, and Ark loves Alejandro. Alejandro doesn't feel the same way about Ark and complains about the slobber. At a different point, a stray cat makes its way to the beach and Alejandro learns that he loves cats. And that cats don't feel the same way about him. To them he smells like a fish and looks like a snake, so they'll either try to claw at him or flee on sight. This saddens the Alejandro. He vows to one day successfully pet a cat.

Then, things take a turn seemingly out of the blue. Alejandro reveals that he has a surprise he wants to show Noah. It's a skill he'd lost for a while due to the nature of his arrival. He's been practicing it in private, but he thinks he's finally recovered it fully! He begs for Noah to indulge his theatrics by covering his eyes. It will be the last time he asks like this. He promises. Noah rolls his eyes, but begrudgingly agrees to do so.

Noah hears a lot of shifting. Of rocks. Of waves. He hears something scraping the ground around him. He feels the air around him grow charged. The hair all across his body is standing on its end. He can't help but remember those initial doubts he had about Alejandro.

"You may open them now." a familiar voice rumbles. The accent is as thick as ever. It's louder than a tiny body should be able to produce. It's coming from the wrong direction.

It had been so nice to be wrong. If he keeps his eyes closed, he can keep being wrong. Schrödinger's idyllic beach life. He's smart, and he has a friend with no strings attached. He's smart, and he knows patience is not one of Alejandro's virtues.

Noah opens his eyes to gaze at the massive beast staring down at him.

Were his teeth always so sharp? Alejandro spoke of hunting, which implied he needed teeth sharp enough to rip into flesh. Noah had never really paid attention until he was looking at a full set of teeth, each the size of his hand. They grinned in a facsimile of a warm and inviting smile he was accustomed to.

Noah forced his gaze further upward to check if Alejandro's smile met his eyes. He recognized those eyes. When Alejandro had first started bringing his treasures, he would talk about them nonstop. Noah had tried to grab one of them to get a closer look. Alejandro had immediately retreated to the water, holding onto his treasure as if his own life depended on it. He'd felt an odd sense of something he later recognized as jealousy. Which was strange because it was jealousy over an object. But it was an object that had commanded Alejandro's full attention, full protection, full possession.

What a fool he'd been to feel jealous of something he was now the target of.

"What do you think?" Alejandro asked like a dog that had just brought home a dead cat and was now begging for praise. He closed the distance between them by bending down and slithering back to meet closer to Noah's level.

Noah's throat closed. He felt his face betray him as his ears and cheeks began to flush red. This is fear and a confused and conflated mixture of adrenaline and oxytocin brought forward by an intense situation, nothing more.His feet remained loyal. He backpedaled, only to be stopped by a soft wall that hadn't been there a second ago. He pressed a hand against the wall while maintaining eye contact with Alejandro. That was what you did with wild animals wasn't it? Certain ones at least. He didn't if it would work with eels. An electric eel will wrap itself around its prey, ensuring that there are at least two points of contact for maximum effectiveness. Once established, it will send a shock to incapacitate its prey before consuming it. If he wheels through facts he picked up about eels to prepare himself for this situation, he doesn't have to acknowledge that the wall that dwarfed him from behind was a hand.

"Noah, por favor." Alejandro purred. "We're amigos. I haven't forgotten the times we've spent together. They've been delightful! And so very informative."

Noah had been too concerned about protecting Alejandro from humans. He taught him how to read. He warned him where the people frequented. He taught him how modern ships run on electricity. Alejandro shared that he wished he could have met the ships he'd visited before something else had sent them to the bottom of the lake. All of these red flags only served as the pins and needles holding Noah in place.

"And more importantly, I made a promise to you! A Burromuerto never breaks their promises. Not even to humans." Alejandro suddenly tilted his hand forward, forcing Noah to stumble backwards into a cupped palm. He pulled Noah closer until his face engulfed the entirety of Noah's vision. He let out a breathy sigh right onto Noah. "It truly is a shame that you're a human in my new hunting grounds. I could allow you to simply stay if you weren't. I have no doubt you would enjoy literally ripping apart los estúpidos turistos with me just as you enjoy verbally ripping them apart."

Noah felt an index finger ruffle the top of his hair. On instinct, he moved his hand up to smack it away. His eyes widened as he realized what he'd just done, but Alejandro only chuckled. "See what I mean?" he continued. "But, sadly for both of us, I can't let it be known that I let a human go without a fight. I have a reputation to uphold. However, I will reward your hospitality with something I will never offer to another human again. Porque eres tan precioso para mí."

Alejandro carefully placed a thumb under Noah's chin to keep his gaze focused on the former. His claw rested against Noah's right cheek. The sharp tip faced away from him, but that could change at a moment's notice. "You have the privilege of convincing me why you deserve to live."

And Noah knew he would have to choose his next words very carefully.