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pauldron-pieces · 4 years ago

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Perdita 'Aurelezra' Gentle's Backstory: From Elsewhere

Fandom: Dungeons And Dragons (5E)

Pairing: N/A, Perdita-Centric

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: This is a hypothetical narrative scenario featuring original characters in a world created by my Dungeon Master. As usual, this is non-canon and I own nothing aside from intellectual properties specifically attached to Perdita Gentle. This installment is mechanically unsound in a multitude of ways and ignores certain important lore facets.

Applicable trigger warnings are listed inside. Enjoy!

Taglist: @sporadic-fics and @cookiethewriter!

Inspired By: The Little Mermaid Score: Bedtime and sleepmakeswaves: One Day You Will Teach Me To Let Go Of My Fears

[Perdita Gentle is a Warforged celestial warlock utilizing the Pact Of The Bastion homebrew, and her appearance can be found here!]

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains multiple triggering scenes including vivid depictions of violence and brief mentions of character death. Stay safe!]

It came from elsewhere...

Amidst the hail of shooting stars peppering the landscape from the tail of the near-passing comet, something else arrived.

It was frail, fragile, spindly fingers clawing for purchase on the walls of the crater it emerged from. It did not make it much further than that, and it was discovered the following morning by two children surveying the damage in their family's garden.

Between the two of them, they propped it up, marveling at the chipped red gilding that coated its limbs. It stirred and they fled in a panic, running back towards the large house and calling for their parents.

×+×

Brand stared down at the crumpled mess of Warforged on his front terrace, an eyebrow raised. His two young children danced around his legs, alternating between pulling him forward and tugging him back. "This is the cause of all the fuss? This?" He asked incredulously.

"It moved by itself!"

"Aye, just as you move by yourself." The former captain commented dryly, ruffling his daughter's hair and utterly destroying the complex tangle of braids her mother had labored over. "You two lubbers have seen Warforged before, or have you forgotten?"

"Testin doesn't look like that!" His son protested. "Testin has a face!"

"You know how your hair is different from mine, pup? And how your sister's nose is less prodigious than this beak I sport? Warforged have such varied traits as well."

The head on the thing looked like an old Thanatonaut relic, just a smooth dome. It also bore archaic equipment for off-Flow navigation on the inside of its arms. Brand heaved out a sigh, smoothing a finger over his brown mustache in a meditative manner.

"Well, we can't just leave 'em out here. Ceere, have your mother ring Testin. And you, Kamer, are going to help me settle this poor rattler into one of our chairs out here." Brand rolled his eyes at how pale his son went, while Ceere stuck her tongue out at him. "Oi, chit, stop taunting your brother. Now shoo, and make sure your mother knows to tell Testin that it's important!"

×+×

Brand Gentle had made his fortune in his younger years as the eventual captain on a deep-space excavation platform. He had seen many odd things in his day, unearthed strange and unusual artifacts from times long gone by. Thanatonaut helms that predated mankind's fumbling into Flow travel, monoliths to terrible and forgotten powers; the refuse of man's advance into the stars.

Yet he had never seen anything quite like this. A Warforged birthed of a meteor, trimmed in battered red and gold like the veils of the Vespertine Order.

The former captain sat on his patio across from the mysterious Warforged, finally leaning forward in his chair after he collected his thoughts. "What is your name?" He asked quietly.

The thing ticked and whirred, and a hoarse voice answered, "I have no designation." A female voice.

Brand sighed heavily. He should have known it wouldn't be so straightforward. Beside him, Testin Awe cleared his throat. "Think back. Can you remember what happened before you woke in the Gentle's prize rose garden?" The hulking Warforged's tone was dry, blue eyes darting to Brand when he touched upon the sensitive subject. Brand was exceedingly protective of his roses.

More ticking. "Darkness." An odd shimmy of mechanics long unused as she tipped her head to the side. "I fell."

"I bet you did." Testin replied, then muttered under his breath, "Captain, she's battier than the Bakhroma Green."

Brand waved him off, giving the faceless Warforged across from him a tight smile. She cocked her head to the side again, and he got the unsettling feeling that he was being studied.

"I hurt your flowers. How can I fix them?" She queried.

Brand blinked. Testin, despite lacking an actual throat, seemed quite intent on clearing it today.

×+×

Calling her Perdita seemed to be a given. She was lost, constantly, wandering the grounds of the Gentle estate at all hours of the night and day. She had no physical needs, as was the custom of her race, so Brand saw no harm in her roving. She certainly didn't seem malicious, just curious in a blunt way.

Libertia, Brand's wife, took an odd shine to the spacey automaton. The former captain often found the woman chatting to her, trying to help her expand her ability for speech. Perdita was minimalist in her words, though she did eventually begin to speak more as the years passed.

Testin thought Perdita was a bit touched. "Still a little battle-rattle in that one." He had remarked privately to Brand, his craggy face oddly sympathetic for a Warforged. "Hard to shake sometimes."

Brand knew better than most folk that Warforged were more than adequate matches for their fleshy counterparts, and he took everything his old first mate told him as gospel. Testin was in agreement with Brand that the red and gold Warforged was decidedly not a threat.

"She just likes the flowers?" Testin asked suddenly one evening as he and Brand sat on the terrace. Brand nodded lazily, the smoke from his cheroot cigar twirling and arching through the air. "I don't get it, but...well, I guess you did have a penchant for gathering up the misfits." The gray-green Warforged allowed, his sidelong grin making Brand chuckle. "She's happy here, y'know. She mentioned it to me earlier. She thinks she's helping when you let her trim the bushes." His laughter was a rusty noise.

"She loves talking with Lib. Er, with may not be the right term. My wife could talk the legs off a table." Brand smiled fondly and Testin rolled those glowing blue eyes.

"Have you heard from Kamer at all?" The large Warforged changed the subject, frowning when the former captain sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not sure I should have sent him away for his schooling. What with the Empire gaining ground steadily, I'm uncertain how long the boarding schools will be safe."

"Hey, Kamer's smart. You know that. That kid won't get himself tangled up in anything. Besides, what the hell would the Empire want with a kid who's sole aspiration is to be an architect?" Testin tilted his head. "Now, Ceere-"

"Don't remind me, she's apprenticed to the Facturers now. Hopefully, by the grace of the gods, she'll put her tinkering tendencies to good use and stop destroying my beautiful skiffs." Brand groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"I mean, she's got great potential. Engine ripped itself apart in three different places."

"I'm well aware, you mechanical menace. It was my favorite Screamer class!"

×+×

Libertia was the one to suggest that Perdita consider taking up the habit of the Vespertine Order.

"You seem at peace whenever you come with me to chapel, Perdie." She commented one afternoon over tea. Brand raised an eyebrow at his wife, then glanced at the featureless automaton across the way. "Have you ever thought about joining the convent?" Libertia queried.

Perdita hummed thoughtfully. "I like the chapel. It's quiet. Makes me feel like I can stop moving." She offered a shrug. "I know I'm not...quiet." She was a much older model than Testin and her body tended to rattle or squeak at odd intervals.

"You don't feel like you can be still here?" Brand asked curiously.

"I am restless." The Warforged admitted quietly. "Some things help. The garden. The chapel."

Brand grunted, settling back in his chair and lapsing into thought. The Vespertine sisters were a formidable bunch, for all that they resided on this backwater planetoid. They seemed to have their proverbial fingers in a multitude of pies. He wasn't sure if he trusted them with his Perdie.

His mustache quirked up in a wry grin, realizing that he was thinking of the Warforged like she was one of his own children. "Do what you think is best, Perdie. Perhaps the quiet will help you sort yourself out. Gods know we tithe enough to the church, maybe in exchange for our continued generosity they'll accept someone a little less fleshy than their usual ranks."

He got the faintest impression that Perdita was beaming at him, her whole body haloed with a strange golden light. But Brand blinked and the light was gone. He shook his head at himself, vowing not to spike his afternoon tea so strongly next time.

×+×

When the Empire came to the planet years later, they struck without warning.

Evening prayer had just finished, the last fleeting rays of sunlight peering through the simple leaded glass windows of the chapel. Perdita sat docile in the pew, her head bowed beneath her veil.

"It makes me glad to know that you've found some sort of peace and purpose." Brand commented, the now-elderly man ambling up alongside her. "Never put much faith in this church business, myself. Give me the Flow and a nimble craft and I'm a content man."

"Captain." She inclined her head. She had heard his sentiment many times before.

"I'm surprised you haven't gone out to chart the world, my dear. Your cartographer's gear will get rusty!" The former captain teased, settling down into the pew and patting her arm. "Surely, the Vespertine sisters ought to be spread?"

"It is dangerous." Perdita sighed. "I am trying. The Ferrarium Empire-"

"Bah, belay that codswallop here." Brand groused. "Bunch of nobles in stuffed shirts with too many guns and not enough good sense. Stole my good boy away and turned him into a simpering buffoon." He bowed his head, touching his thumb to his left cheek and then his sternum. "Thank the gods his mother passed on before he made that terrible choice."

An odd whistling caught his attention, and Brand cocked his head. His hearing had been shot for years, maybe he was imagining the sound-

The windows abruptly exploded inwards as an impact rocked the ground. Sisters scurried this way and that in panic, their veils fluttering like butterfly wings as they ushered the last few stragglers out of the structure. Brand, his ears still ringing from the first bombardment, felt a second one strike outside. Perdita was stiff, unmoving in the pew, so he seized her hand and made haste for the doorway.

"Perdie, we cannot linger in this place!" He tried to snap her out of it, her deceptively-heavy form slowing their flight. "It's the Empire, Perdie, we have to--" Through the haze of dust rising, the former captain caught sight of a massive dreadnought's keel flying low overhead. Rage burned at his soul; why would they come here of all places? This was a planet of agriculture, not manufacturing!

Perdita tilted her head, and Brand knew that she must have noticed the ship. "What is that?" She asked, her voice ticking up slightly in query.

"That is something that should not have turned its eye upon us!" Brand snapped. "Why the devil would they-" There was shouting up ahead, and scattered pistol fire. "Martyr's malfeasance," the elderly man swore, "I ought to have known."

The Inquisitors had arrived, bearing overpowered arms and causing chaos as was their want. Brand managed to slip around the edge of the advancing line, searching the crowds for Testin's large form. His old first mate was nowhere to be seen and Brand's heart sank.

An Inquisitor loomed up out of the smoke in front of them, halting the former captain in his tracks. "Identify yourself, civilian." The armored man droned.

"Or what? You've already blown the chapel and convent to pieces!" Brand spat. "What could the Ferrarium Empire possibly want from a sleepy little colony planet?"

The Inquisitor's baton met the side of the elderly man's head with a dull thud, felling him with ease.

×+×

Brand started awake, hacking and wheezing as he inhaled ash. He sat up, ignoring the throbbing of his head. Where is-

"Perdita!" He yelled, struggling to his feet and cupping his hands around his mouth. "Perdie, where are you?"

The cobblestones underfoot had been broken and scattered by the mortaring, making the footing uncertain. The former captain stumbled forward over the rubble, continuing to call for the Warforged.

A shimmer of red and gold flickered through the hellish smoke up ahead, and he fancied it might be her habit. His suspicions proved correct as her frail form solidified out of the clouds of billowing dust and ash.

"Perdita!" Brand exclaimed gladly.

She turned slowly at the sound of his voice, that damned veil still flapping fitfully in the turbulent air. Beneath the gauzy shroud where her domed head was, the former captain saw something blaze to life. Eyes, hundreds of them, glowing through the fabric. Brand stopped in his tracks, uncertain of what he was seeing. That blow to the head must have rattled him, now he was hallucinating!

Her hand pressed to her chest over the long habit. "I am the bastion." Perdita said calmly, as though they weren't being bombarded by low-flying aircraft. "I am Vespertine, I am Alizarin, I am reborn. My name is Aurelezra, and I fell to defend."

A shell plummeted from the sky and with a single motion, she obliterated it. One moment it was there, the next, she simply pointed at it and a shimmering golden manifestation that resembled an enormous rose blossom appeared directly in its path. The shell struck it, the impact sending foiled shrapnel flitting listlessly to the ground.

Brand was wholly bewildered. The only other time he had witnessed such power was when-

The thousands of eyes swiveled to stare at him, blinking rapidly. Brand swallowed hard. "What did those blasted nuns do to you, Perdie?" He asked, his voice so low he wasn't sure if she would hear it over the pandemonium.

Perdita tipped her head to the side, those eyes writhing and teeming nauseatingly over one another, flickering through the habit in a way that made Brand exceedingly glad she was wearing it. "I am the bastion." She repeated. She sounded hideously serene. "I am Alizarin."

Rifle reports barked through the air and Perdita turned towards the noise, setting off over the debris with sure steps. "Wait, Perdie!" Brand protested, fumbling after her as best as he could. "Perdie, are you mad? These are Inquisitors, you can't just..." He trailed off as he watched her simply walk through the line of gunfire. "Or perhaps you can." He muttered.

A strange golden haze shone around her body and every time a bullet struck the haze, a malevolent eye roiled to the surface to fix the attacker with a blazing stare. More shells rained down and each one was foiled or thrown off-target by shimmering, sunset-hued roses, blossoming riotously to life in midair like some grand fireworks display at a midsummer fair.

"Captain!" That was Testin's voice, thank gods. The elderly man turned this way and that, breathing a sigh of relief when he finally spotted the towering mass that was Testin.

"Testin my boy, you're a sight for sore eyes!" Brand said with a wry grin, taking in the small cluster of nuns that were teeming anxiously in the shadow of the massive automaton. Among them was the Mother Superior, her black veil a stark contrast to the usual red. "You've got some explaining to do, woman! What the hell have you done to my Perdie?" Brand thundered, itching to shake her until her teeth rattled.

"Sister Perdita has spent many, many hours reading the scriptures and studying our texts, Captain Gentle." The woman replied, almost infuriatingly calm. "She was brought to this planet for a specific reason."

"What are you on about? Look at her! It's like she's possessed!" The elderly man shouted.

"She has become more, Captain. A vessel for something that we mere mortals have only glimpsed. Alizarin, the Red Saint."

"There's a thousand blasted eyes all over her and she's sending out starbursts of roses that intercept cannon fire!" Brand roared. "I'll only ask once more, what have you done to her?"

"She willingly accepted this power, Captain. I suggest you calm yourself. I know you do not believe or trust in the power of the Red Saint, but Sister Perdita does." The matron retorted haughtily. "And when Libertia was alive-"

"Keep my wife's name out of your mouth." Brand snarled, his hand instinctively twitching down towards his hip for the piece he had carried in his younger years.

"Easy now, Cap." Testin intoned, raising a hand. "Easy."

"You planned this from the start." Brand accused the woman, a sick sense of realization blossoming in his gut. "You put the idea in Libertia's head, didn't you? Why Perdie?"

"Warforged make excellent vessels." The Mother Superior said simply.

Testin rumbled in threat overhead, one large hand settling heavily on the woman's shoulder. "I suggest you choose your next words very carefully." The Warforged paladin's tone was one of extreme irritation. "Unless you'd like to find out how bad of a vessel I can be."

"She has become a warlock of exceptional power." The woman hurriedly continued. "The Red Saint is pleased with our offering, and he will-"

"The Red Saint, aye? Unwilling martyr himself." Brand scoffed. "You've gone and turned my girl into a nightmare for the glory of that flayed demagogue."

"A nightmare that can go toe-to-toe with Inquisitor gunsmithing." The Mother Superior shot back smugly. "You knew as well as I did that it was only a matter of time before the Ferrarium Empire turned their gaze to the Fringes. Their grasping for resources is ceaseless."

"As interesting as your bickering is, we're wasting time." Testin growled, gesturing vaguely forwards. "She's gaining on their dreadnought. We following her?"

×+×

Everything was so loud.

"It is time, Aurelezra." His voice was like smoke, like whispers. He drew her attention upwards to the ship, He guided her hands as she wove the spell and He found her the suitable target. "They will not take this planet. They will never take again."

Perdita nodded shakily, power dripping and sparking from her fingers. "Never again."

"You have done well, Aurelezra. You easily outstrip the mortals." He praised as she raised her hands. "I shall do such wonders through you."

×+×

Without warning, a bolt of red light shot from Perdita's hands and arced up at the command ship. Testin swore loudly, the Warforged's face twisting into an approximation of a grimace. "Oh, that's not good." He said hoarsely, leaving the cluster of nuns behind as he moved forward.

"What, what's happened?" Brand asked frantically, trying to keep up.

"That was something that uh, I wouldn't have used. A little too spicy for me." The Warforged grunted, readying the hand cannon integrated in his left forearm. His heavy, elephantine feet easily crushed the rubble beneath him, clearing the way for the former captain. "If everyone on that ship isn't dead after that spell hits..."

"What?" Brand gasped.

Testin shook his head mournfully, not finishing that trail of thought. "We need to figure out where the ship will go down. Figure out whether we can break it apart ahead of time or whether your Perdie has a few more Red Saint tricks up that veil." Testin's sigh was heavy. "I'm sorry, Captain."

The command ship began rapidly losing altitude, listing slightly to the right. Perdita pursued it doggedly and Brand watched her raise her hands again. "Perdie!" He shouted, heartened when she paused. "Stop, Perdie!"

"Stay put!" Testin yelled, then said, "Cap, either get onboard or get left behind, we don't have time for your old bones."

Brand growled something uncharitable about his former first mate, then swung up onto the pro-offered arm.

Testin sprinted forward, easily catching up to the waifish Perdita and grabbing her around the waist with one massive hand. "I'd like to shake the marbles clean out of your chest right now, but we don't have time for me to be pissed off at you." Testin snarled at her, still at his full sprint. "You got anything else in that arsenal of yours, or are you gonna' let that ship crush someone's farm?"

"I can do it."

"What, exactly?"

Perdita pointed upwards at the ship and simply said, "shatter." A massive golden rose exploded into being on the keel, blowing a hole in the hull the size of the town square. Splinters and beams rained down, Testin barely managing to dodge a few of the larger chunks.

"Martyr's malfeasance, you're a menace!" The larger Warforged said in disbelief, the cannon in his left arm whirring to life as the ship sank within his range. "I mean, keep it up, but saint's blood you are an absolute terror." His cannon glowed, shoulder tight when he fired and sent the projectile rocketing upwards to erupt in a radiant blast. "Not fancy, but any port in a storm." He huffed, trying to chamber another round without releasing Perdita.

"There's so much." Perdita was shaking in Testin's grip. Molten gold trailed from her fingertips and every eye that shone through the veil was wide open.

Brand clambered across Testin's shoulders, the elderly man reaching out so he could grab one of her hands. "Listen to me, Perdie." He said loudly, trying to make sure she could hear him over the rapidly-approaching creak of timbers and warning system alarms. "You've got some kind of hellfiring power now, right?"

Perdita nodded slowly. "He's so loud." She breathed, and Brand knew with crushing certainty that she wasn't talking about himself or Testin.

"Aye, I'm sure he is. But if he wants to have you as his vessel, he needs to understand that you're the captain." Brand reasoned fiercely. "You bite back at that freeloader and you tell him you're the damned captain, you hear me girl?!"

×+×

I'm the captain.

Perdita clung to the thought, staggering through the red haze of her subconscious.

I'm the captain.

Alizarin nodded in acquiescence. "That you are, Aurelezra. For now. For this moment. What will you do?" He chuckled. "You are unfamiliar with such power. You have already overdrawn yourself. What will you do, Defender?"

It doesn't matter whether I'm tired. I'm the captain. Me. Not you, she thought stubbornly.

×+×

Perdita clawed her way up Testin's arm to his shoulder, the larger Warforged rumbling in confusion. "What the hell are you doing now?"

"I'm the captain." Perdita said sharply. Blast after golden blast was flung by her hand, the ship groaning under the assault. Timbers cracked and creaked like the ship was caught in a ferocious gale. "I'm the captain!" She yelled, "I'm the captain!"

The dreadnought rent itself apart at the scuppers with one final impact, briefly looking like the massive ribcage of some eldritch horror. The engines tore free of their mooring, the shriek of metal heralding doom for the trio as they plummeted downwards. Testin tried to backpedal, but he had built up such a head of steam and the engines were so enormous-

Brand fumbled to catch Perdita's hand once again, closing his eyes as he heard Testin grit out what he assumed was his final swear.

Looks like I'll be home soon, Lib.

"A Bastion for my faithful." That was not Perdita's voice. It was barely a whisper, smooth as silk and light as a favorable breeze. "Blessed are you, Brand Gentle, for you have seen my power once before. Blessed are you, Brand Gentle, for you have survived my power once before. Blessed shall you be, Brand Gentle, though you do not believe."

A golden dome sheathed the triumvirate of individuals, millions of eyes scattered across it opening and closing at random. Brand gripped Perdita's hand as tightly as he dared, uncertain if he was the only one seeing this...wonder.

"Fear not, Brand Gentle. She will not be harmed."

The dome vanished and Testin fairly seethed with curses, the gray-green Warforged reeling back a step from the flaming wreckage of the engine that surrounded them. A neat circle had been sheared out from the dome, the edges still molten and smoking.

"That's it. Whatever's gotten into you, I'm tearing it out of you!" the paladin announced, grappling Perdita around the waist again. "Send that cosmic bastard back to the Deep Reef where it belongs, I-" He paused when she went limp in his hold, lowering his glowing right hand after a moment. "Uh...Perdie?" He asked warily, shaking her until she rattled. "Perdie?"

"I'm the captain." She responded, her voice reedy with exhaustion. Perdita reached out to Brand, and he carefully laced his fingers through her own. "I-I'm the...captain..."

"Aye child," Brand murmured, "that you are."

×+×

The whole colony banded together to scuttle the dreadnought's bones. The Vespertine sisters made themselves marvellously useful when it came to putting the dead to rest.

Most of the ship's crew had been slaughtered by whatever Perdita had done with that spell, and the few left alive had perished on impact.

Testin had grunted in satisfaction as he surveyed the red veiled sisters scurrying to and fro in the wreckage. "I think your Perdie just fired the galaxy's largest warning shot."

"Aye." Brand had agreed wearily. "Now all that's left to see is whether the Empire will take notice."

"Their dreadnoughts aren't usually...destroyed, Captain. Once word gets back to them, all hell's going to break loose." The Warforged predicted grimly, his arms folded over his chest. "You'd better make sure she clears atmosphere before they come back around."

"I don't think I could make her stay!" The former captain chuckled. "She's always been on the move, Testin. High time she did something with all that energy."

×+×

"The Gotengo has been moored for years, Captain. You think it can still hold up?" Testin mused, poring over the old schematics.

Brand sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "It's the finest craft I have at my disposal, dusty or not. And she'll need something nimble if she's planning on trekking out there through the blockades." He meandered to the window of his study, staring down at his rose garden without actually seeing it. "I've already gotten in touch with Squire Deering, and he claims he's found a slew of candidates for her crew."

Testin snorted in disbelief. "And you trust that penny-pinching miser? Guy probably trawled through three different wharfside taverns and asked for able-bodied seamen."

"Deering may be a...bit tight fisted, but he's a good man. I have great faith that when Perdita arrives, she'll be shown nothing but courtesy." Brand assured the gray-green Warforged, stroking his mustache.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I distinctly remember that waistcoat-wearing ponce saddling you with a ship that had a rotted out mainmast." Testin deadpanned. "What did he blame it on? Moths?"

Brand coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat. "Regardless, he will treat her right. Warforged or not, she's the captain."

"A new Captain Gentle." Testin shook his head ruefully. "Never thought I'd see the day. Bodes pretty shit for the Empire, if you ask me."

"All I hope is that she and that blooded saint first mate of hers give them hell."

#perdita gentle #captain perdita gentle #dungeons and dragons 5e #dnd writing #dnd 5e character #dnd warforged #dnd warlock #celestial warlock #dnd npc #dnd backstory #warlock backstory #dnd character #dungeons and dragons #she's been retired but I love her #my lil captain #pact of the bastion #warlock pact

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thebladeblaster · 4 years ago

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Digimon Tamer ZERO

(Vanguard x Digimon crossover. I am still having a hard time writing so I thought I would post this that has been in my notes for like months. I didn’t really know how interested people would be in this fic idea so here’s a concept chapter like the one I made for Bonds Beyond Dimensions.)

Concept Chapter The Digimon Phenomenon part 1

A few days after the Link Joker incident...

Inside of Card Capital a familiar light purple haired girl sat behind the counter reading a book. She wore a white dress shirt and a red apron. A little black and white cat slept soundly on the counter. There wasn’t quite as many customers in as usual. The girl lifted up her book revealing her blue eyes as she heard someone walk over. It was a blond teen with grey eyes and a white and red hoodie.

“Slow day huh?”, the blond teen questioned putting his elbows on the counter and leaning in.

The girl sighed in response.

“Well, business has gotten a bit slower lately because of the release of that new digital pet line, Digimon. Many kids have been playing those rather than playing card games.”, the girl replied before sighing again.

“While, that is a bit sad I have a feeling that’s not the thing really bothering you.”, the blond surmised which caused the girl to sigh again.

“Well, I guess there’s no point in trying to hide it from you’ll just keep asking until I tell you, Miwa.”, the girl replied sighing again.

“That’s what friends are for so what’s really wrong, Misaki?”, Miwa asked.

Misaki’s gaze seemed to linger over to the door as she started speaking.

“It’s Aichi.”, Misaki answered.

“I thought so he has seemed a bit distant lately...”, Miwa trailed off.

“I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of everything that happened with Link Joker. He was fine at first but well three days ago he started acting a bit weird. He seems to be a bit spacey, he’s been avoiding cardfights and...even us.”, Misaki elaborated.

“Maybe he just needs some space. To be fair this isn’t the first time he’s been a bit moody.”, Miwa assured.

“The last times he was like this were after he found out about Kai joining Link Joker and...before...”, Misaki trailed off looking down with a bit of a nervous sweat.

The two suddenly turned there heads to the door as it slid open and gasped in surprise.

A man with green hair and grey eyes wearing glasses walked backwards in holding a cardboard box that seemed packed to the point it was close to bursting.

“Look who I found!”, the man said.

Saying that they almost expected Kai to walk in after him. However instead they saw there was another person helping the green haired man with the box. It was a blue haired teen with blue eyes. He was wearing a white jacket with a black trim and a light purple under. He also wore blue jeans and black shoes.

“Aichi?”, Misaki questioned genuinely shocked to see him.

Aichi looked over towards Misaki and Miwa.

“Oh h-hey.”, he greeted a bit awkwardly.

“That box looks pretty heavy. Have you been working out a bit?”, Miwa questioned.

“Not really Shin’s is carrying most of it.”, Aichi replied.

“I think you might be selling yourself short here.”, Shin replied as they noticed the way the box was tipped.

Shin who was walking backwards and holding it in the front had the box tilted downwards. While Aichi in the back had the box tilted upwards.

“I didn’t notice it felt so light I thought you were carrying most of the weight.”, Aichi replied with a bashful chuckle sweat dropping.

The two set the box down on the table as Shin sighed tiredly.

“Thank god I ran into you I don’t think I could have carried it alone.”, Shin thanked.

“Aichi um...”, Misaki trailed off as Aichi returned his attention to her flinching a bit.

“I uh...”, Aichi trailed off as the two shared a bit of a awkward silence.

Aichi sweated nervously as he turned his gaze over to the box.

“So, what is in the box anyway?”, Aichi asked changing the subject.

Miwa sweat dropped looking at Aichi a bit worriedly.

“Something must have happened.”, Miwa thought.

The three looked down at the box as Shin opened the it revealing a bunch of differently colored square objects with a little screen.

“You know...I think I’ve seen these things around before...Aren’t they called Digimon? Emi told me it was getting rather popular at her school.”, Aichi said.

“Yep! I was thinking since this new Digimon thing has been getting so popular this would be the perfect time to capitalize on it. Though it’s a bit different from our usual products Digimon is a game not to mention I heard they may make a card game soon.”, Shin said as he held up one pointing to the device.

“You see these are Digimon V Pets. This model is called ZERO. Digimon is short for digital monsters. Their a bit similar to tomagatchi in the way you raise a digital pet and that pet is your partner Digimon. With these you can evolve them and battle with your friends. It can even allow you to battle online.”, Shin explained.

“Oh cool, they sell Digimon here now!”, A kid said as a few walked up.

“See we have more customers already.”, Shin said as he looked towards Misaki.

“Oh...uh...”, Misaki trailed off as she looked towards Aichi then the group of kids before going to work.

Aichi, Shin, and Miwa looked on as Misaki served the kids. Aichi was bit caught off guard as Shin placed something in his hand.

“What?”, Aichi questioned looking down as he it was a blue V-pet.

“I was thinking it might be nice to give you a little digital pet of your own. Think of it as thanks for helping me out.”, Shin explained.

“You don’t need to do that. Besides I don’t even know how to work this thing.”, Aichi replied sweat dropping.

“Then, I’ll show you!”, Shin offered.

Miwa smiled as Shin showed Aichi how to work the device.

“He can tell too can’t he?”, Miwa thought.

“So, this is the Digimon, Choromon?”, Aichi questioned.

“Yeah, right now it’s at its baby stage. After that there’s in training, rookie, champion, ultimate, and mega. There’s countless Digimon who start out as a Choromon it could become almost anything depending on how you raise it. You could say it holds infinite potential.”, Shin explained.

Aichi looked at the little unassuming little pixel blob Digimon.

Shin pulled out a folded peace of paper which revealed what looked like over 100 branching possibles.

“T-this is a bit much...”, Aichi said as he and Miwa sweat dropped looking at the paper.

“Well, it can be made a lot easier if you know which Digimon your looking to obtain. The final forms are on the right side of the page. On this ultimate guide I gave it even has a profile on the Digimon to make the choice easier.”, Shin explained as he placed it on the table for him to look over.

Aichi sat down at the table as he started to read over some of the descriptions before he stopped on one.

“You seem interested in that one. Well, it is a knight after all like your Gold Paladins.”, Shin said.

“Yeah. I think I’ll go for this one.”, Aichi replied as he pointed at it.

He read over the steps required to achieve the Digimon a few times before just taking a picture with his phone.

“That definitely will make it a lot easier than remembering all that stuff.”, Miwa said.

Then Aichi’s phone rang.

“Oh it’s Emi...wait I forgot I’m supposed to help her with her homework today! Uh thanks Shin! Bye guys! See you later!”, Aichi said with a bit of urgency as he remembered how mad Emi was the last time he forgot to help her.

“See ya bud! You should stop by more so Misaki doesn’t look so mopey.”, Miwa said as he waved goodbye.

Aichi waved goodbye as he rushed out of the store.

“Mopey huh?”, Misaki said as Miwa jumped turning to her looking at him menacingly.

Later...

“I’m here.”, Aichi said as he walked into Emi’s room.

Inside the room sat a girl with orange hair and blue eyes. She wore a pink shirt and a skirt.

“Aichi you forgot.”, Emi said pouting.

“I’m sorry I ran into Shin and he needed my help. It just kinda slipped my mind.”, Aichi apologized.

“Oh, the shop manager. Wait...did you talk to Misaki?”, Emi asked.

Aichi raised his eyebrow at the question as he sat down next to his sister.

“No. Why?”, Aichi questioned.

“Ah...it’s nothing anyway...”, Emi trailed off as she noticed Aichi’s V pet.

“Oh, Shin gave this to me for helping him out.”, Aichi explained as he pulled out the V pet.

“So, does that mean Card Capital are going to sell Digimon now too?”, Emi asked.

“Yeah, Shin had a whole box of these. The moment we brought it out a bunch of kids already lined up to buy them.”, Aichi replied.

“Maybe, I’ll go buy one when I get my allowance.”, Emi replied.

Later...

After finishing up helping out his sister Aichi went to his room and sat down in his chair. He placed the V pet over on the desk before pulling out a deck box. He took out the cards and laid them out looking over each one of them carefully. He narrowed his eyes as they landed on one card in particular into a bit of glare. The card art depicted a white cybernetic dragon with red glowing lines. The dragon had a black visor and menacing jagged red glowing eyes. It had gold spikes on its back. It’s name was Star-Vader, Imaginary Plane Dragon.

Aichi put down the card and had a relived sigh. Aichi put the cards back into the deck box.

“Good thing there isn’t any more of these. If I avoid cardfighting I will have some time to think of some way to get rid of it. I don’t know how though since simply beating it isn’t enough.”, Aichi thought.

“That’s the point. You can’t get rid of Link Joker. We will return and destroy this world.”, a distorted voice said.

“I’ll find a way!”, Aichi thought as he then turned his attention over to the V pet it seemed his Digimon was had pooped a bit.

“That’s what they all said before we took everything they held dear.”, the distorted voice replied.

Aichi grabbed the device and cleaned up after the Digimon.

“Well, at least this Digimon will be a good distraction until I can think of a plan.”, Aichi thought.

“Oh, ho so you want to ignore me? You know if you ignore your problems for too long you never know they may consume you. Oh wait...that’s already happening. I wonder how long you intend to avoid your friends. You know those fools will eventually get fed up and try to find out what’s going on with you whether you like it or not. Who knows if you’ll even still be yourself by then...”, the distorted voice said.

Aichi said nothing but the voice could tell it was frustrating him. It it had a form it would have a shit eating grin.

“Well, you can play the silent game all you want. I can’t wait to see when you inevitably explode.”, the distorted voice said.

“Okay...So, the Digimon is alright now I should at least wait till it’s grown up a bit more before leaving primary village. Especially since all the encounters seem completely random though the chances are low for all I know I could run into a mega. Apparently, the best way to level them is through battling other people’s Digimon or wild Digimon.”, Aichi thought as he continued to take care of the baby Digimon and ignoring the voice.

Two weeks later...

Four teens were walking around to the city as they talked.

“Ah! No!!! Sukamon again!”, a teen with spiky black hair and brown eyes cried holding a purple V pet.

“That’s what happens when you keep forgetting to clean up after your Digimon.”, a teen with brown hair and brown eyes said.

They both had blue blazers and pants.

“Maybe this is a sign Izaki maybe me and Sukamon are connected by destiny!”, the black haired teen replied.

“Morikawa, so your saying your destined partner is a poop monster?”, Izaki questioned.

“I’m saying maybe it’s actually the strongest and that’s why it has chosen me! Maybe this is the Digimon that will allow me to defeat The Blaster!”, Morikawa replied.

“The Blaster?”, Miwa questioned wearing a blue blazer like the others but with a red hoodie underneath.

“Have you not heard of him Miwa? Some people say very soon he’ll be the number 1 tamer. They suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started beating a lot of upper tier tamers. Their partner is Knightmon last time I heard, but for all we know it could have became a mega by now.”, Izaki explained.

Miwa’s eyes widened as he heard the name of The Blaster’s partner.

“Is something wrong?”, Izaki questioned.

“It’s nothing.”, Miwa said with coy smile.

“Ah! Do you know who The Blaster is Miwa?”, Izaki questioned.

“Maybe.”, Miwa replied coyly.

“Is it you?!”, Morikawa asked gazing at the blond fiercely.

“No no see.”, Miwa said as he revealed a yellow V pet and showed them his partner.

“Woah, you have a ultimate Miwa?! It looks pretty cool.”, Izaki gasped.

“This is Groundramon and yeah he’s pretty cool.”, Miwa replied.

“What!? How did you get one of those?!”, Morikawa questioned.

“I read the guide you should try it sometime.”, Miwa replied.

“There’s a guide!?”, Morikawa gasped.

Miwa and Izaki sweat dropped.

“You didn’t know that?”, Izaki asked.

“No!”, Morikawa replied with comedic tears.

“What about your partner Izaki?”, Miwa asked.

“Oh, mines Tyrannomon.”, Izaki answered as he held up a green V pet.

“What about you Kai? Are you gonna get a Digimon?”, Miwa asked the fourth member of their group who had been silent up till now.

Kai had spiky brown hair and green eyes. He also wore a blue blazer like the others.

“Hmph...I’m not interested in a pet.”, Kai replied looking away.

“Well, you know Kai there’s something I didn’t mention Aichi has a Digimon.”, Miwa replied with a smile.

Kai then turned his attention to Miwa at the mention of the blue haired teen.

“Oh, really I didn’t think he’d be that interested.”, Izaki said.

#cardfight vanguard #digimon #aichi sendou #misaki tokura #miwa taishi #shin nitta #kai toshiki #morikawa katsumi #yuta izaki #emi sendou #groundramon #Tyrannomon #imaginary plane dragon #link joker #my crappy writing

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hoshigomi · 6 years ago

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God of Stars//Éclair Brillant review, Hoshigumi, 2019

I may not have a real summer vacation from work, but my schedule allowed me to take a break this weekend to go down to Takarazuka to catch some of the first/second week of Hoshigumi’s God of Stars and Éclair Brillant!

(I WILL be seeing this show more in Tokyo and I will probably/maybe be able to refine these thoughts by the time it ends there, but let’s start off with first impressions, shall we? ♡)

First thing’s first, I love Hoshigumi. That’s not a secret. It’s not that I think they can Do No Wrong it’s just that I love them even when they Do Wrong. Thankfully, this is a case where I truly BELIEVE they did no wrong. Both the show and the revue were well suited to Hoshigumi and their cast of characters, and well suited to Kurenai Yuzuru and Kisaki Airi, the retiring top stars, as well.

God of Stars

Ooh BOY. Whatever you expected when you saw this poster, multiply that by about a thousand and you’ll maybe be a little closer to right. The English language website has released this plot blurb - feel free to read for some context, if you want!

Tl; dr- It’s kind of about the dangers of gentrification, it’s kind of about two idol groups vying to rise to the top, it’s kind of about loving someone despite their flaws, it’s kind of about being loved as you are, and it’s kind of about Iron Chef. It’s zany and it’s FUN and the music (some of which is by famed anime and other-things composer Hyadain) is catchy and memorable. (I have seriously had the main theme and one of the big group numbers stuck in my head all week.) I would call this the most anime play I have ever seen, and I’ve seen anime plays. I would also compare it to Om Shanti Om, if you’ve seen that. There are STACKS AND STACKS of references to new media, actual people, mythology, popular culture, and the actresses themselves (half of their characters are plays on their names, if they’re not playing someone real, like Chow Yun-fat, literally the lead actor from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.)

If you’re generally a fan of comedies, slapstick, BIG group numbers, anime plays, or things that don’t take themselves too seriously, you’ll love it. It’s just pure fun. It’s light. It’s loving. It’s energetic. It’s happy. It’s Hoshigumi. There are a few very touching scenes between characters - one in particular between Hong (Kurenai Yuzuru) and Lee (Rei Makoto), made someone within earshot of me cry every time I saw it. For me personally, this show REALLY shone in the group scenes- I never knew quite where to look (not because the main action wasn’t engaging, just because WHEREVER you looked in the group scenes, someone was making a specific, motivated, and usually HILARIOUS character choice), and I sincerely wish I could have a star angle of every actress in every big scene. So, let’s talk about some of these actresses!

Kurenai Yuzuru plays Hong Xing -Xing, the chef. He’s an asshole. He has a heart of gold underneath it all, but spends the majority of the play having that bit of him excavated. Again, if you’ve seen Om Shanti Om, think act II Om. I loved it. Beni does shine at this kind of thing, playing loveable assholes. The music ROCKED for her, the over the top RIDICULOUSNESS of this show is where she shines the brightest. She worked with everyone around her to create great moments for some little characters and lent her comedic timing to the whole troupe, it seemed like. I missed the depth that her role in Elbe allowed her to show, and the stillness and emotional intent she’s so heartachingly beautiful at was missing here, but that’s the show’s fault, not hers. I loved this as a taidan role. I’ll miss Beni. I can’t wait to see how her and Hong have grown by Tokyo.

Kisaki Airi as Eileen Chow particularly kicked ass (figuratively and literally, with slipper kung-fu.) She DEFINITELY wasn’t shafted here (hooray!!) with two solos in her wheelhouse and honestly, I feel, a stronger character than Beni even got. She was spunky and sassy and she looked so damn GOOD in all her costumes. Nothing but respect for MY anime heroine, Eileen Chow.

Hanagata Hikaru from Senka played Eric Yang of the Golden Star Group, a straight man to everyone else’s completely whack roles, unfortunately a little unremarkable (she’s so comedically GIFTED, but this role was strictly there to advance the plot.) Rei Makoto, the-soon-to-be-top star, was sweet as Lee Long Long Dragon, Hong’s rival. He’s the classic trope of complete nerd-turned- absolute hottie, when he meets his idol (and literal idol) Christina Chang (Maisora Hitomi, next top musumeyaku). Some of the most universally appreciated humor in this show came from Lee being absolutely FLUSTERED by Christina- and it was really NICE to see these two play together as a couple. They have some SWEET SWEET moments, particularly with their scene together at the end of the play. The seeds of good chemistry are there, and they have the potential to sound really great together. I really hope they don’t sacrifice humor and personality in the long run for pure skill, but I’m optimistic. ♡)

Yumeki Anru as Kitty, Hong’s Kind Of Girlfriend (and later Chow Yun Fat’s arm candy) was a COMPLETELY INCREDIBLE, SEXY, Sailor Moon Villain-esque nuisance- also may or may not have been directly lifted from Crazy Rich Asians.

The boy band, Paradise Prince, made up of Kiwami Shin, Amato Kanon, Amahana Ema, Amaki Homare, leader Seo Yuria, and long suffering (but LOVING and mature and full of her own life and opinions and things to Get Done- my only complaint is I wish they let her sing more) manager Arisa Hitomi were a COMPLETE delight. If I could give them the small group ensemble award for just the sheer bullshit they were CONSTANTLY giving us, God I would. If you didn’t know where to look in God of Stars and you defaulted to them, you’d NEVER be disappointed. From choreographing small routines on the side of the stage to taking selfies and making Tik Toks, they were 100% on all the time. (Also, sounded vocally great and looked great dancing, technical skill wise. I would honestly buy this group as a boy band. Let me know when they release their first single. I’ll buy 10.) (Distinguished performance award goes to Amato Kanon, who is Ken 3 but has the raw power of six upperclassman otokoyaku combined, and is going to be absolutely UNSTOPPABLE in a few years once she learns how to refine ALL THAT.) Kozakura Honoka, Sakuraba Mai, Mizuno Yuri, Seira Hitomi, and leader Maisora Hitomi, make up the girl group, Eclipse, who are used more for transitions and set dressing (albiet FUN set dressing), than plot devices of their own. (Sorry girls, the boys win this idol group battle.)

Kisaragi Ren (Ren), Mao Yuuki (Mao), Miki Chigusa (Lao Hu), Kizaki Reo (Leo) (see what I’m saying about character names....?), and Shizuki Otone (Michelle) are the working class, good people from Eileen’s life who have stakes in the food hawker stalls, and GOD, they, along with the boy band and the underclassmen ensemble characters, really bring the story to life. Every one of them makes a specific character and sticks to it with care and love and humor and stakes and it’s clear and it’s big and it is, in my opinion, so Hoshigumi. (Also, the roles weren’t huge, but these were still nice for Mao Yuuki and Kisaragi Ren’s last roles in Takarazuka. They were usually together and always funny and got to be in PLENTY of the show, which is all we can ask for.)

Tenju Mitsuki and Otoha Minori both got to flex their acting chops as Eileen’s parents. Even if I am a little sad that the two of them are now officially playing parents, they ARE old enough that that shouldn’t really be surprising. Tenju Mitsuki especially got to be funny, and Otoha Minori got to be loving and maternal, and I feel that both really milked their roles for all they could. Also, for PARENT ROLES, they were hardly shafted, so I’ll count my blessings now.

Natori Rei, Mari Yuzumi, Hiroka Yuu, and Sazanami Reira as Demon Bull King, Princess Iron Fan, and The Bodhisattva Candraprabha and Suryaprabha respectively (y’all PLEASE look these characters up I am BEGGING you) were Beni’s family (see the show before you decide whether I’m speaking figuratively or literally) and while the show could have happened without that side plot and only a few tweaks, were a really lovely and worldly addition to the cast. It was FUN to see the Gods and People Of Legends giving context to the story and the other characters, and even more fun to see normal people interacting with them at the end of the play.

As the newswoman and MC Vimmy, Shirotae Natsu was LITERALLY playing her character from Om Shanti Om, and was just as delightful now as she was then (and one of the times I saw the show, worked INCREDIBLY seamlessly and quickly with Beni to fix a mic issue that could have made a whole scene fruitless.) Iroha Reo was Shirotae Natsu’s assistant MC, and Shidou Ryuu was the producer, both in small but still lovingly crafted roles. Haruto Yuuho’s incredible voice was completely wasted as the silent role of cameraman, but she looked cute as hell in a beanie and glasses. Murasaki Rira as Madam Yang was an absolute joy in the back (or front) of every Golden Star Group scene, playing a little batty and a little flirty and a little spacey and a lot wild and fun. Yuunagi Ryou as Chow Yun Fat, actual Real Life Actor (and for the purposes of this play, the deciding judge of the cooking competition,) was a lot of fun if you love looking at the complete storylines people can come up with in the back of scenes, and your kind of character if you’re into the whole bad boy but also kung fu actor guy thing. Toudou Jun (Sheik Jahuli), Asamizu Ryou (Monsieur Lobchamp), and Minato Rihi (Michiba Juusaburou, NOT to be confused with Actual Iron Chef Michiba Rokusaburou) were the other chefs featured by the Golden Star Group, and MAN, they were all funny. Toudou Jun had a particularly fleshed out take on her character, more naan jokes than I can count, and a surprising amount of heart in the group scenes with Eileen and co. Ooki Makoto as the priest had one of the best lines in the show, correcting Hong’s reading of a sign, and Otosaki Itsuki, while onstage very little, got a KILLER solo as the dragon boat singer at the start of the Singapore scene mid-show.

If you get a chance, I really recommend you see this show in person. It is a lovingly crafted, well performed, slapstick ride in an Iron Chef meets Cutthroat Kitchen vehicle. It ends with rainbow gyoza and a RAP battle, y’all. The LIFE of it is so shockingly full force in the theatre, as is the volume and the humor and the love that I think endears Hoshigumi to its fans. God of Stars is worth a watch- and even if it ends up not for you, at least you’ll be able to see you saw Naan used as a weapon in a stage fight. ♡

Éclair Brillant,

(which I learned TODAY is not called ‘Éclair Brilliant’). Is, well, Brilliant. While I wouldn't call this the best Benigumi revue in my eyes, (it's no Killer Rouge, and I am PARTICULAR to Estrellas as fair as Hoshigumi Energy goes), the fact is, everyone has different taste, and besides that, Éclair Brillant is BEYOND good. Here's a quick number by number breakdown (as it goes in my memory.) The opening is CLASSY and CLASSIC. It actually is NOT AT ALL unlike the opening to Bouquet De Takarazuka, but it's silver, not beige. The choreography and music both have moments that DEFINITELY struck me with deja vu. Something interesting is that this revue DOES NOT have a title screen/sign/marquee. I am not SURE why that is. In its place, the music starts (a low hum, very space-y), and the theatre slowly fades to complete darkness, before Kurenai Yuzuru (Beni) is illuminated from the back, the light shining through her gauzy, spacey, alien costume in a VERY cool way that made the audience all ooh and ahh, then the lights come up on her face and we begin. The theme is SWEET. Beni sounds INCREDIBLE in this part of her vocal range. Then, enter the rest of the troupe, Rei Makoto (Coto) gets her solo, Seo Yuria (Seo) and Hanagata Hikaru get time on the bridge, Kisaki Airi (Airi) gets her solo. It's all structurally sound, predictable, and good. This opening is the only place in the revue with a kyakusekiori (actresses in the aisles.)

The opening ends, and Beni is left on the bridge for a solo number. It's playful and uptempo and and not stylistically unlike Leaning on a Lamppost from Me and My Girl, only a little more introspective and slower. She sits on the stairs to the audience for part of it and really focuses on just singing and acting and being present and it's lovely.

From there, the curtain rises on a very pastoral, calm, almost blank stage, save for a tree, a couple outdoor tables, some underclassmen playing couples and waiters and waitresses, and Maisora Hitomi with a hat. You can tell this is going to be a dance scene immediately, and it is. (Side note: The underclassmen in this scene ROCK. They have a lot of moments of complete stillness and freezes into very fluid natural movement, and they all maintain their storylines and relations throughout. It's nice to see.) Anyway, Maisora is minding her own business and then a sudden gust of WIND blows through the beautiful scene, her hat is whisked away offstage, she briefly chases after it and then ah, gives up. She goes back to her table presumably to like continue having a normal day and mourn the loss of her hat but surprise, there is the personification of the wind itself (Coto) sitting on her table like a little wind nymph. They dance. It's beautiful. I'd say more but that's all there is to say- they dance and it IS beautiful. I think right now dance is looking like it's going to be their strength because boy, they move REAL WELL together. They're both pretty top tier dancers, and it's cool to see them move so naturally together despite having just met. Maisora also VOCALLY sounds better in this number than she did in God of Stars, in my opinion- it's a pretty, lilting slow tune that she definitely sounds good on. The dance ends with an attempted kiss and some falling feathers, and suddenly, all the people from the scene come running back on, breaking the fantasy (with the hat! They found the hat!), and Maisora ultimately runs back off with them after a pensive glance out, as if wondering if the Wind Spirit who visited her Will Ever Return. Then Coto sings some more. It’s predictably beautiful.

Cumbanchero (the start of the chuuzume, despite being only three songs into the revue) is one of my very favorite numbers in the revue, probably because I have a big ol’ Takarazuka Crush on one of the dancers, but also because it’s just really high energy and it’s danced so WELL. It starts ABRUPTLY and features Kurenai Yuzuru, Mao Yuuki, Shidou Ryuu, Kizaki Reo, Sazanami Reira, Hiroka Yuu, Yuunagi Ryou, Minato Rihi, and Amato Kanon. Man, they can all DANCE. If Coto’s Hoshigumi features these actresses in dance numbers, they’re gonna look GOOD. It’s a nice reprieve from the so far calm and pretty revue and starts to take things over to the sexier/bolder/more sensual Latin-inspired side, where a lot of the rest of the revue sits, musically. (Though like, Takarazuka “Latin” is what it is and we all know that.) Airi gets a turn in the spotlight next, singing a song I WISH I knew the title of, with either a long curly blonde wig or a short brown bob depending on the show while Ooki Makoto and Kisaragi Ren (hell yeah) get fawned over/pawed at/pushed around by musumeyaku. It’s sensual. Also sensual (but leaning much more towards playful and flirty) is The Next Number In The Chuuzume, sung by Amahana Ema, Kiwami Shin, and Arisa Hitomi. Arisa Hitomi SPECIFICALLY sounds mature and sexy and GOOD and everything a musumeyaku learns to be when you give her a chance to grow up. Some of the kids do coupley samba around them. They’re VERY cute. The stage goes dark and Beni, Airi, and Coto appear- they dance around each other and with each other in every combination possible while Mikkii sings on the stairs- and God, I could talk for ages about how much I love when they let Mikkii sing for duet/trio dances. She brings out all the emotion in the songs and gives the dancers so much space to play in. The END OF THE CHUUZUME is set to The Gift (by Eydie Gorme). It’s too short. The music rocks. It’s all samba stepping and teasing grinning and I loooooved it. Otherwise though, it was a very standard chuuzume. (One of my ONLY complaints about this revue is that I DO wish they took the chance to do something a little more BeniAiri. Anyone can do a Nice Chuuzume. These two have such play and humor in them, and I would have loved to see something more like Championne from Estrellas as their last chuuzume. It was still VERY solid and very good, but lacking in personalization.)

After the chuuzume, Seo comes on surrounded by eight musumeyaku (Seira Hitomi, Mizuno Yuri, Nijou Hana, Kuresaki Rino, Miyako Yuuna, Sumika Amane, Ruri Hanaka, and Ayane Miran. You didn’t expect Seo Yuria to sing Mas Que Nada with the dirtiest bass line I have ever heard, but here she is, singing it (well!). Seo sings across the bridge and it feels filthy somehow and I have NO idea what to do with it. Everyone in this number is trying to ooze sex appeal out of every pore in their body. Some of them ARE succeeding. This number makes me more uncomfortable than excited, but I think your mileage may vary here.

Ravel’s Bolero is the best number in Éclair Brilliant, and may be one of the best numbers in any revue ever. It’s very long, but I don’t think it’s long ENOUGH. There is NO singing. There is no sound from the actresses save for stepping and clapping and the occasional stomp.

These are two pictures from the number but they don’t even BEGIN to do it justice. I am PRAYING the DVD captures it, but the real magic in this number is how groups of dancers use the stage, how they line up SHARPLY and PERFECTLY in place, how they move on and off the stage with incredible fluidity but INTENSE movements, how groups move in sync or against each other, the lighting being low and shadowy- this number was perfect. I am a HUGE sucker for loud flashy funny in your face- and this sharp, understated, stripped down dance number could have brought me to tears. This was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in any Takarazuka show, and deserves a spot in ANY Best Of list that’s ever compiled from here on out.

It’s hard to top Bolero, so for a tonal shift, next we have our Taidan Number/Rockette. And honestly? It’s well timed. The taidan medley is Hanagata Hikaru (not retiring), Shirotae Natsu and Yumeki Anru (ALSO not retiring), and our incredible, wonderful, brilliant taidansha, Kisaragi Ren and Mao Yuuki, singing Frank Sinatra’s That’s Life. It’s full of heart and earnesty and smiles and it’s honest and fun and these people on this stage love each other, and they love what they do, and it’s so EASY to see. Renta dances and sings with the same 200% she always gives, and Mao Yuuki takes in everything and everyone around her every time I see her do this number. It’s gonna be BRUTAL on the last day. The four upperclassmen join the rockettes for the first part of their dance (which is CUTE), and then run off to let the girls do their thing.

The rockettes end and a new set of feathers takes the stage- Beni, Airi, Maisora Hitomi, Kiwami Shin, Arisa Hitomi, and Amahana Ema in a slinky, sequined leotard bird of paradise number (Beni has some notes in this song that give me CHILLS in the best way)- and they’re eventually shoo’d off by Coto, Amato Kanon, Aomi Sario, Sakishiro Kei, and Kisa Kaoru, in MORE exciting bird-of-paradise costumes, and a more upbeat and aggressive and slinkier dance. (It was COOL to see Kisa Kaoru and Sakishiro Kei included in here- I don’t feel like I’ve really seen them do anything to date, and they’re both solid! Aomi Sario is familiar and Amato Kanon is climbing the ladder quick.)

The next number is nothing short of beautiful. It’s a Beni dance solo (again, no singing at all- the ending of Éclair is a little sparse on vocals), until she is joined by most of the Hoshigumi musumeyaku, all in flowy pink petals, with an electric shamisen. It was VERY falling-sakura-esque. It was STUNNING. They fall and they scatter and they twirl and Beni is in the midst of it all, and by the end of the song...

-the petals have all fallen and we are in place for one of my favorite kuroenbi ever. In fact, the whole rest of this revue is beautiful. This kuroenbi is more electric shamisen, a lot of high kicks, a lot of sharp and bold movement and interesting lines and groups of younger actresses and groups of older actresses taking turns centerstage and (a beautifully funny moment between Beni, Renta, and Mao Yuuki that IS a tonal shift for a brief few seconds, but doesn’t interrupt the flow of the dance at all, and is just so ... heartwarming to see. It’s lovely to see the taidansha honored in a way that’s so purely them.)

All the otokoyaku save for seven (Rei Makoto, Hanagata Hikaru, Mao Yuuki, Seo Yuria, Shidou Ryuu, Amahana Ema, and Kiwami Shin) exit the stage, and Airi enters. Coto sings a beautiful song to Airi as Airi gets to dance with all her otokoyaku in turn, it’s also playful and flirty and loving and Mao lifts her and spins her SO well- the dance only ends at its climax when Beni runs onstage from behind Airi and catches her- Airi has found her real partner and the duet dance begins in earnest with just the two of them. It is, as you’d want for the two of them, very sweet, very loving, very kind, and very much just two people who love each other and have gotten to know each other so well.

It suits them, and their smiles and the amount of HUGGING in this dance is exactly what they deserve. It’s a good taidan duet dance. It’s a good Beni/Airi taidan duet dance.

Overall, I think Éclair was very good. It honored a lot of what has made Beni and Airi’s Hoshigumi what it was, in the little moments, but didn’t drown itself in kitsch. That said, I might have liked to see a LITTLE more of their personalities in the revue- I can almost say it felt like Éclair was ushering in Coto’s new era of Hoshigumi a little early and a little rushed. This would have been a BRILLIANT mid-top-run revue for this pair, because GOD did it show that they’re capable of more than the humor and energy that they’re too often pinholed into by Takarazuka fans in general. That is without a doubt their wheelhouse, but both Kurenai Yuzuru and Kisaki Airi are a LOT more than funny. It was incredible to see so much of that in a revue, because while we’ve seen it in plays, they haven’t really had a revue that feels this classic (to me), to date. It was a good revue to pair with God of Stars, though, because the full three hours gave you little bites (haha) of the incredible range that both these actresses have.

I loved God of Stars and Éclair Brillant. I loved them as a pair. I love Kurenai Yuzuru and Kisaki Airi as a pair. I love Hoshigumi for everything they are and everything every actress brings to the table, and I can not wait to see how this show and the actresses have grown by the time it reaches Tokyo. ♡

星組最高！

#takarazuka #hoshigumi #god of stars #Éclair Brillant #man if there's something like egregiously wrong with this please let me know gyudfh and i would LOVE to fix it honestly #i scanned it...but........god knows what could have slipped through the cracks here

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atlanticcanada · 4 years ago

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Legendary Canadian actor Christopher Plummer dies at 91

Christopher Plummer, the dashing award-winning actor who played Captain von Trapp in the film "The Sound of Music" and at 82 became the oldest Academy Award acting winner in history, has died. He was 91.

Plummer died Friday morning at his home in Connecticut with his wife, Elaine Taylor, by his side, said Lou Pitt, his longtime friend and manager.

Over more than 50 years in the industry, Plummer enjoyed varied roles ranging from the film "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," to the voice of the villain in 2009's "Up" and as a canny lawyer in Broadway's "Inherit the Wind." In 2019 he starred as murdered mystery novelist in Rian Johnson's whodunnit "Knives Out" and in the TV suspense drama series "Departure."

But it was opposite Julie Andrews as von Trapp in 1965 that made him a star. He played an Austrian captain who must flee the country with his folk-singing family to escape service in the Nazi navy, a role he lamented was "humourless and one-dimensional." Plummer spent the rest of his life referring to the film as "The Sound of Mucus" or "S&M."

"We tried so hard to put humour into it," he told The Associated Press in 2007. "It was almost impossible. It was just agony to try to make that guy not a cardboard figure."

A GIF of the captain ripping a Nazi flag became a popular meme in recent years, and gave Plummer a new does of fame.

The role catapulted Plummer to stardom, but he never took to leading men parts, despite his silver hair, good looks and ever-so-slight English accent. He preferred character parts, considering them more meaty. His memoir in 2012 was titled "In Spite of Myself."

Plummer had a remarkable film renaissance late in life, which began with his acclaimed performance as Mike Wallace in Michael Mann's 1999 film "The Insider," continued in films such as 2001's "A Beautiful Mind" and 2009's "The Last Station," in which he played a deteriorating Tolstoy and was nominated for an Oscar.

"He was a mighty force both as Man and Actor," Helen Mirren, his co-star in "The Last Station," said in a statement Friday. "He was fearless, energetic, courageous, knowledgeable, professional and a monument to what an actor can be."

In 2012, Plummer won a supporting actor Oscar for his role in "Beginners" as Hal Fields, a museum director who becomes openly gay after his wife of 44 years dies. His loving, final relationship becomes an inspiration for his son, who struggles with his father's death and how to find intimacy in a new relationship.

"Too many people in the world are unhappy with their lot. And then they retire and they become vegetables. I think retirement in any profession is death, so I'm determined to keep crackin'," he told AP in 2011.

Plummer in 2017 replaced Kevin Spacey as J. Paul Getty in "All the Money in the World" just six weeks before the film was set to hit theatres. That choice that was officially validated in the best possible way for the film -- a supporting Oscar nomination for Plummer, his third. "I was just hopeful that at my age, my memory would serve me," he said at the time. "I had to learn my lines very quickly."

Director Ridley Scott said he had "a wonderful experience" with Plummer on the film. "What a guy. What a talent. What a life," Scott said in a statement.

There were fallow periods in his career -- a "Pink Panther" movie here, a "Dracula 2000? there and even a "Star Trek" -- as a Klingon, no less. But Plummer had other reasons than the scripts in mind.

"For a long time, I accepted parts that took me to attractive places in the world. Rather than shooting in the Bronx, I would rather go to the south of France, crazed creature than I am," he told AP in 2007. "And so I sacrificed a lot of my career for nicer hotels and more attractive beaches."

The Canadian-born actor performed most of the major Shakespeare roles, including Hamlet, Iago, Othello, Prospero, Henry V and a staggering "King Lear" at Lincoln Center in 2004. He was frequent star at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada.

"I've become simpler and simpler with playing Shakespeare," he said in 2007. "I'm not as extravagant as I used to be. I don't listen to my voice so much anymore. All the pitfalls of playing the classics -- you can fall in love with yourself."

He won two Tony Awards. The first was in 1974 for best actor in a musical for playing the title role in "Cyrano" and his second in 1997 for his portrayal of John Barrymore in "Barrymore." He also won two Emmys.

Plummer was born Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer in Toronto. His maternal great-grandfather was former Canadian Prime Minister Sir John Abbott. His parents divorced shortly after his birth and he was raised by his mother and aunts.

Plummer began his career on stage and in radio in Canada in the 1940s and made his Broadway debut in 1954 in "The Starcross Story." While still a relative unknown, he was cast as Hamlet in a 1963 performance co-starring Robert Shaw and Michael Caine. It was taped by the BBC at Elsinore Castle in Denmark, where the play is set, and released in 1964. It won an Emmy.

Plummer married Tony-winning actress Tammy Grimes in 1956, and fathered his only child, actress Amanda Plummer, in 1957. Like both her parents, she also won a Tony, in 1982 for "Agnes of God." (Grimes won two Tonys, for "Private Lives" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown.")

Plummer and Grimes divorced in 1960. A five-year marriage to Patricia Lewis ended in 1967. Plummer married his third wife, dancer Taylor, in 1970, and credited her with helping him overcome a drinking problem.

He was given Canada's highest civilian honour when he was invested as Companion of the Order of Canada by Queen Elizabeth II in 1968, and was inducted into the American Theatre's Hall of Fame in 1986.

AP Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle in New York and AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/39OlYBg

#new brunswick #prince edward island #nova scotia #news #politics #canada #CTVAtlantic

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falloutstasis · 4 years ago

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i know i haven’t put out pictures of ripley kaiba but heres some hcs about my yugioh gx au and some of the characters mentioned in it. for now this is all i have to write, but i’ll get to other characters too, like jaden, alexis, bastion, seto, mokuba, etc. its under read more cause it’s long!!

in general hc about this au

this entire au is a big mix of yugioh gx, the og yugioh, and DSOD (which its based on the manga). so im picking them apart to make this au.

seto is 25 in this au and mokuba is 19. they are a bit older in this au.

in this au, seto is a little more involved. every year he’ll check up on Duel Academy, as well as South, West, East, and North Academy. mokuba would tag along too, just so he can see her sister.

considering how well he’s doing as president of KC, he was also the brains behind the academy's so he made preparations to make these schools for duelists when he was 21. three months after seto turned 23, duel academy was already built, then North, South, East, and West Academy in that order later that year.

this au will be using cards that are never seen before in gx like synchro, xyz, pendulum, and link monsters just so things are written more easier to me and to make an excuse for ripley having a rokket deck cause wow i love that deck so much (i have the IRL cards as well haha).

mokuba does duel in this au and he uses a thunder dragon deck shown in duel links (this is from the DSOD world and i think OG world has him a blue eyes deck I think??? not sure).

this au sets two years after DSOD! (ripley was 14, mokuba was 16, and seto was 23 then)

jaden does have yubel after they fuse together with super polymerization in this au.

season 4 of yugioh never happened in this au because the entire thing is just poorly written. they done mai dirty in the season. (but they’ve done everyone dirty in the season tbh).

not sure if i want to do this but i am thinking about bringing the vrains characters into this for a yugioh crossover of sorts, just cause 1) i really like vrains, 2) i kinda wonder what happens when someone has the same deck as the other duelist with ripley vs revolver (cause they both have the same deck) 3) in og yugioh they mention in two filler arcs about virtal reality, so the LINK VRAINS is basically another virtual reality or more so cyberspace than anything else that you can have an avatar for each person that goes to LINK VRAINS. so in this au, i might consider bringing LINK VRAINS as a cyberspace just for crossover purposes.

in this au, professor viper is alive because jaden saved him from falling off the platform they were in. after everyone returned to duel academy, viper is arrested for endangering the students and professors.

ripley kaiba

ripley is agender and her pronouns are she/her/they/them. she keeps this a secret and the only ones who know are seto, mokuba, chazz, bastion, alexis, shepard, crowler, and jim.

in contrast to her brother, seto, she’s laid back and quiet. most of the time lets her dueling do the talking for her when risen to the challenge. she’s rather hesitant to make friends because she did have her friendship betrayed before and people have made assumptions about her being stuck up as her older brother, leaving her isolated during school. but she did have a few friends and has made two best friends during school. bastion misawa and alexis rhodes. this is why bastion and alexis know each other when they arrive to duel academy. for some reason, she had no problems with making friends with jaden, because he knew bastion and alexis. no walls were up that are needed for their friendship

prior to this au, two years ago, ripley has won several local duel monsters tournaments in domino city, including a KC Grand Championship win. in said tournament, because she won the tournament her prize (other than winning a trophy) was facing yami yugi for the title of King of Games, but she lost to him. however, since she won the tournament itself, she is still awarded the trophy for winning the KC Grand Championship. for this tournament, she used a deck used that was based around dragons. but the rokket deck wasn’t built until a year after the KC Grand Championship.

when she arrives at duel academy, she starts off in the Ra Yellow dorm. this would last until her third semester, where she ranked up to an Obelisk Blue.

she can see duel monster’s spirits, even her own duel monster spirit, Kaibaman. she had the card when she was a kid and he usually comes up when having a chat with her or needing some advice.

ripley has a rokket deck when she joins duel academy, just to follow the theme of having a dragon deck like her brothers. she does have other decks including a magnet warrior deck, an aroma deck, vendread, and three fan made decks called the ‘Star’ deck, Geo Dragon Deck, and Phantom Dragon Deck. The Star deck is a deck that’s based around Space, the solar system, ands constellation. Cards of said deck may or may not be based off of other characters of cartoons, anime, video games, etc, for a spacey twist. Geo Dragon deck is based on rock minerals and based on the periodic table as the entire deck is a rock type monsters as dragons. Phantom Dragons are based on various ghosts and demons in various mythology.

in the first school semester of Duel Academy, Ripley is 16 years old, 17 years old in the second semester, and 18 years old in the third semester. However, after Season 3 when everyone was back from the Other Dimension. She transfers schools and goes to South Academy a month later (when Season 4 starts i think???). the whole ordeal left her stressed, extremely nervous, and had a series of panic attacks whenever she’s remembered the incident.

something to think about if i add it: i’ve been playing around with an idea where she has an old device or ancient artifact that she found when she was little and there’s a soul that’s been trapped in there for centuries. not necessary a past incarnation, but like a ghost companion that follows ripley around. kinda like how astral is with yuma. there she’ll have like two companions. this and kaibaman. maybe like a barian ghost??? or an entirely different entity??? im in the process of fleshing this out tho.

ripley, zane, syrus, alexis, bastion, and chazz all went to the same school together before they went to duel academy. that’s why they all more or less know each other.

jim crocodile cook

since the anime or manga doesn’t mention his age, i’m gonna hc him as 16 in his first semester of South Academy, 17 years old in the second semester, and 18 in the third semester. however, the manga does say his birthday is March 14 so that’s his birthday in this au.

in the English dub, he’s Australian so i’m keeping that in this au.

after the other dimension incident, he goes straight back to south academy, along side the other overseas champions to go to their respective school on the same boat.

he was a little bit quiet and reserved than usual, even around shirley. even so shirley still kept him company just as before. that duel with the supreme king left him with nightmares sometimes and he would wake up so suddenly in the middle of the night.

since jim’s eye of orichalcum when it was used to bring jaden back to his old self, he has an eye patch to cover up his eye.

when he gets out to get some fresh air, sometimes he’ll catch ripley out at night too. so the two would just talk about their day and whatever was on their mind. in south academy there is a small beach area and they duel there sometimes to take their mind off of the stress they previously had.

he has parents, its just that in this au his parents have neglected him when he was younger. before he would go home to his foster parents, he had the eye injury and the eye of orichalcum over his said injury. his foster parents had no idea what to do with shirley, who had been following him since he saved her and were very concerned every time she would go near him. they trust Shirley enough for her to be with Jim when he went to enroll to South Academy with her.

his foster parents adore jim and they are both geologists and paleontologists in their own right.

#my yugioh gx au #that whole hc with jims foster parents trusting shirley #i just #i just went with that even though it doesn't entirely make sense haha #also i'll get to other characters and some other in general hcs for this au #for now its this #basically this au is 'what if seto and mokuba have a little sister'#also this is a god damn mess im sorry #i'll try and get a time table for this au when i figure stuff out haha #my yugioh gx au hc

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mama-m1na · 5 years ago

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Apocalypse: Chapter 7

~~~VII~~~

Without any other option, Cloud agreed and followed the older woman back into the village as the people threw him strange looks.

"Don't mind them," the woman chirped as she led him down the road to a decent sized house in the middle of the village, "Everyone is just tense with the time of year."

"I can tell," the blond muttered as he watched the wary gazes of the armed men that were patrolling the area.

"I must thank you again for saving Mariana and returning her," the woman spoke as he was led into the house, "She can normally take good care of herself, but as soon as she heard that Iliya had gone missing she just ran off on her own."

The male said nothing as he was led to a dining table by the woman who gave him a large smile as she said, "We may not be the richest family, but I do hope you'll be comfortable with your stay."

"Please wait here while I prepare a quick meal, okay?" she continued before disappearing into what he assumed to be the kitchen.

A few moments of silence passed before the front door opened to reveal two people arguing with each other; the first being the girl with short black hair and the other being the male that took her into the village.

"I'm not some child that needs to be coddled, Edward!" she spat at the taller male as she walked into the house, "What happened, happened. It's done and over with!"

"Do you have any sense of self preservation, Mariana? You literally could have been taken by a drider of all things!" the male retorted as he closed the door.

"You've known me for how long and you still ask that question?" she snickered and attempted to go upstairs only to be halted by the male holding onto her wrist.

"Mariana, this is serious!" the male exclaimed as he forced the female to face him, "You're always pulling stunts like this that put you in serious danger, you know that isn't healthy for you, right?"

The ravenette let out a sigh before glaring up at the male, yellow irises becoming more prominent as her pupils narrowed into vertical slits.

"All of you seem to be forgetting one important detail about me, Ed," she hissed, forked tongue flicking out of her mouth for a moment, "I. Am. A. Chimera... I'm an abomination living amongst the natural beings of this world."

"I am a hodgepodge of multiple dangerous beings," she continued, "I am literally built to be able to handle things you humans cannot, so I don't need you telling me what's healthy or not!"

"Just because you can handle it, doesn't mean it's good for you, Mariana," the male sighed, but the girl was done listening.

Without even throwing a final glance over her shoulder, the female dashed up the stairs before the sound of a door slamming shut echoed throughout the house.

Edward only let out a frustrated sigh, scratching the back of his neck before slumping into one of the seats at the table.

"Welcome home, Edward," the woman sighed with a sad smile as she brought out some plates of food.

"I don't understand why she can't accept the fact people are concerned about her," the brunet huffed before sending a nod of acknowledgement to Cloud who was just sitting in silence throughout the entire scene.

"She's been that way for the past thirty years, Edward," the woman sighed as she placed a plate down in front of each male, "You know where she came from."

The woman then dismissed herself to go get the ravenette, leaving the two males by themselves in the dining room.

Edward looked over at the blond, green irises catching onto how confused the male looked before letting out sigh.

"Mariana came from the capital to this village thirty years ago, ten years before I was born," the brunet explained lazily as he picked at his meal, "She was an escaped experiment of those damned alchemists, messing with life like it doesn't matter in the slightest."

"What exactly is a chimera?" the blond questioned as he observed the tired expression on the man's face across from him.

"Exactly what Mariana said," Edward sighed in response, "A single creature made with separate parts of others."

It was silent from then on as the woman descended the stars on her own before she sat at the table to begin eating as well.

As the night droned on in this strange place, Cloud just couldn't bring himself to fall asleep, so he got up and walked out of the guest room to find a familiar figure sitting on the plush couch in the small living room of the wooden house.

"Well, if it isn't my savior in the flesh?" Mariana asked with a smile on her face as her form was illuminated only by the silver moonlight drifting in from the window to her right.

"Did you have chimeras back in your world, Cloud?" the ravenette asked, causing the male's eyes to widen as she just relaxed further into the maroon colored cushions.

"How did you know?" he asked as her glowing irises settled on his form with pure interest, a small smirk on her face as her tongue flicked once more to smell the air in his direction.

"Mama told me," the female spoke as she looked out the window at the full moon, "but you didn't answer my question yet."

"I don't know," the male answered honestly as he stepped closer to the female who sat with her entire body on the couch, much like another ravenette that he had recently come to know, "I've never seen one."

"I see," the female nodded, still keeping her eyes locked on the moon, "then do me a favor and if you ever meet a chimera... a created one anyway, whether by science or magic... If you meet one, just kill it."

"What?" the male asked in confusion as the ravenette looked up to him with a somber smile.

"Dragon bones and blood, the stomach of a crocodile, the hair of a kelpie, the eyes of a naga, the brain of a human, and the heart of a fairy," she said, looking down at her hands, "Those are the parts that the alchemists put together in order to create my being."

"None of them match and for me as well as the others who were created alongside me, living just felt... wrong," the ravenette explained with a frown, "It still feels wrong."

"The life of a chimera is nothing but pain, Cloud," she continued, clenching her fists in frustration, "Death is the ultimate mercy for beings like us, knowing that we only exist as a horrible concoction of creatures that probably deserved more respect in their deaths than they were given."

"Alright, but I can't promise that I'll stumble across anything," the male sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's fine," the female replied with a closed eye smile, "Your words are enough for me to trust."

When the male woke up, he was back in his temporary bed, light coming through the blinds he forgot to close as well as the sight of a pigeon just staring him down from the railing just under it.

Shaking off the vision of the bird, the male changed out of his sleeping clothes and made his way into the living room to see the ravenette, still laying on the couch but playing on her phone.

"Morning, Cloud," she yawned as she sat up, still wearing the clothes from the previous night, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," the male replied as the female stretched herself out, satisfied sigh leaving her lips as she did.

"So it's like eleven and I'm pretty hungry, but I'm too lazy to cook right now," she started as she checked the time on her phone, "I was thinking of going to this pho place near the old base, do you want to come with me?"

"I guess," the male shrugged as the female shot him a bright smile.

"I'll change real quick and we can go!" the female chirped before disappearing into her room for a few minutes.

By the time she exited her room, the ravenette was wearing her usual dress and corset with her hair left down.

"You ready to go?" the female asked as she laced up her black combat boots.

"Yeah," the male replied as the ravenette picked up one of the key cards to the penthouse they were borrowing.

As they entered the elevator, both Sierra and Kerstin were still asleep in their rooms with no indication that the two had even left.

The pair had decided to just take Cloud's motorcycle to the restaurant since it would be more convenient; and like she usually did when riding with Cloud, Rhamina gave him directions from her spot behind him.

When they had arrived at the small plaza where the place was located, the ravenette let out a sigh as she got off the bike.

"You know, I used to come here a lot with my dad when I was younger," the female spoke once they were seated and had ordered, "We would come here every morning for breakfast. It was good times, but the fool had to go and ruin it with his inflated temper."

A scowl appeared on her face as an image of her father flashed in her mind before she let out a sigh, stretching out on the back of her wooden chair.

"Not that it matters anymore," the teen continued with a shrug as she focused on the male as in front of her.

"So what's up, Cloud?" the ravenette asked as she leaned forward to prop her chin up on the arm that was rested on the table, "You seem kind of spacey right now and that's kind of my job."

The male looked into the girl's enchanting brown eyes before letting out a sigh and thinking back to the dream he had.

"Are there any chimeras in this world?" he asked, surprising the eighteen-year-old who had just expected him to brush off the question like he usually did.

"Well, I haven't encountered any myself, but I don't doubt that they exist in this world," she replied after taking a few moments to think.

"I mean, considering how the magic caused the local flora and fauna to mutate, I wouldn't be surprised if any creatures were fused together to form a chimera," she continued before staring right back into his bright blue orbs, "Why do you ask?"

"Just some dream I had last night," he replied nonchalantly, causing the female's eyes to light up as she leaned forward over the table.

"Would you care to elaborate?" Rhamina chirped excitedly with a bright smile and her hair lightly behind her.

"All I did was save this girl from a humanoid spider monster," Cloud replied simply, earning a sneer from the girl, "It wasn't that hard."

"Was it a fucking drider?" she asked with the look of disgust still plastered across her face as the male nodded.

The eighteen-year-old let out a long groan just as their food arrived, quickly apologizing to the waitress before looking back at Cloud.

"I'm guessing they exist here too, judging based on your reaction," he spoke as the female gave a nod of distaste.

"Well, when the generator in the Abyss went, driders became such a huge problem for the people," the ravenette explained as she added bean sprouts and mind to her soup, "They had already existed before, but their population in the area just shot up."

"The first thing we did when Apocalypse gained full control of the Abyss and Clean Side was take care of the den they had built and- mmm!" the teen cut herself off as a frustrated/disgusted sound left her, accompanied by a shiver that shot up her spine at the memory.

"I hated it so much!" the ravenette squealed as the male started to notice her cheeks turn to a bright red color, "It was like walking onto the set of some fucked up hentai thing that I never wanted to see!"

The teen let out another exasperated squeal into her hands before letting out a sigh and finishing, "All of the people in there were too far gone to even notice we were there trying to help them, so I gave the orders to burn the whole place down."

"With that story out of the way," she hissed as she looked back up to her slightly shocked companion, "Promise me that you'll be careful around monsters in the springtime, that's when they get more... feisty.."

"I will," the blond agreed before the pair began their meal in relative silence as more people came into the establishment.

As time went on, the girl began to start conversations about lighter topics and soon enough, her phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked with a smirk, already knowing who had called her without looking at the caller ID, "How can I help you?"

"Where the fuck are you and Cloud?" Kerstin asked as Rhamina could hear the sound of oil popping in the background.

"We just went out for some brunch," the ravenette replied innocently as she checked her nails, "I was too lazy to cook, so this was the best option."

"And you didn't even wake us up, you fucking bitch?!" the darkette screeched, causing the older female to smirk, not that it could be seen.

"Early bird gets the worm, dear," the ravenette teased with a snicker until she heard Sierra speak up in the background.

"She didn't wake us up because she just wanted to go out on a date with Cloud," came the muffled voice of the brown haired female.

"I- uh, no! That is not what is happening!" Rhamina sputtered as she could hear the laughter of both females on the other line.

"Sure, Mina," Kerstin replied and though she couldn't see it, the ravenette could feel the younger female rolling her eyes.

"That's not what's happening!" she hissed, cheeks heating up as she could feel Cloud's questioning gaze on her, "You know I wouldn't have the balls even if I wanted to!"

"Yeah, yeah, have fun on your date, you goose," the seventeen-year-old spoke dismissively before hanging up, leaving the ravenette to stare at her phone in disbelief.

"Was that Kerstin?" the male asked, having heard the voice, but not the conversation.

"Yeah, it was," the ravenette sighed before looking up to the male with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Cloud, would you be willing to take me to a few more places in the Asian district after this?" she asked, "I'm feeling kind of petty right now."

"What are you going to do?" Cloud asked with a raised brown, earning an innocent chuckled from the female.

"I'm going to buy all of her favorite snacks and eat them right in front of her without sharing any of it!" the ravenette chirped while swinging her legs underneath the table.

The male nodded, earning a small cheer from the female while the corner of his lips twitched upwards.

The first store the pair went to was a large Japanese market where the female immediately began picking up some snacks and sweets that looked foreign to the male.

"You can try some later!" the female chirped as she got in line to pay for them before dragging him to the store next door.

At the second Japanese store, she grabbed a small backpack to make carrying her haul easier when on the motorcycle, some more snacks she wasn't able to get in the market before she came across a large, plush fox.

Cloud only watched with a smirk as her pupils dilated while she attempted to hold back a squeal, ultimately failing, upon seeing it.

"It's so cute!" she beamed quietly as she reached out to pick it up, "And it's so fucking soft, oh my god!"

The blond was about to make a comment, but kept it as a low rumbling sound burst from the female in front of him as she nuzzled into the fluff.

It wasn't a growl, he had heard the teen growl before and this was definitely not it.

She was obviously content and not in any danger, so she would have no reason to growl... so... what was this?

Something clicked in the male's head as he remembered the eighteen-year-old in her execution form with her fox tails flicking behind her.

"Are you... purring?" he asked quietly, causing the sound to immediately stop as the female's eyes snapped open to look at him with pure horror.

"No," the ravenette replied quickly, her voice going up in pitch as she returned the plush toy to the shelf, "I was not!"

She turned to face away from the male who raised a brow at her obviously embarrassed form while she bit her lip.

"It's not like I can control that shit," Rhamina muttered as she kept her gaze on the ground while she maneuvered her way to the stationary aisle, "It's a side effect of the bell; if I get really happy or content, then I purr; If I get really mad or frustrated, I growl."

"Good to know," Cloud replied with a smirk before the girl tensed and turned around to face him with a frantic look on her face.

"You cannot tell the siblings!" she spoke, unintentionally letting some of her accent slip through, "They will absolutely exploit that shit!"

Once the ravenette pair for her things, she began placing them into the backpack as the male asked, "Is that all you needed?"

"I have one more place if you don't mind," the female requested as she slipped the backpack onto her shoulders, "It's right across the street."

"Alright then," the male responded before following the female across the very wide street to the Asian owned bakery.

The ravenette was very excited as she looked at the various breads and pastries offered, seeming to be very drawn to the tarts.

Once she reached the counter to pay, Rhamina also ordered a taro flavored slush with boba, so the pair took a seat while she drank it.

The female's personality very much reminding him of an excited child throughout their whole trip, reminding him of the younger version he had seen of the current teenager... Just a little less ominous in her words.

"Do you want a sip?" she asked, holding the mostly light purple colored drink in front of his face with a large smile.

The male just looked over at his companion in confusion as she looked up at him expectantly, in all her life she was just used to sharing things with her friends when she was in the mood and they almost always accepted it... Not that she would let them decline her offerings.

A few moments passed with the female smiling up at him innocently before the blond took the plastic cup from her and took a sip using her straw.

"It's good right?" the female chirped as the male handed back the drink after tasting the slightly sweet and hard to describe drink.

"Yeah," was all the male said before going back to sipping on her cold drink without a care in the moment.

When she finished, the teen pulled out her phone and said, "Well I think that that was fun, but we should probably head back now, it's like four now."

The way back to the male's motorcycle was set in a content silence; not because they didn't know what to say, but because nothing needed to be said.

Rhamina originally wanted Cloud to come with her to get food just because she didn't want to be alone and he was the only one awake; but as they spent the day together, she couldn't help but notice how comfortable he had become around her.

She honestly did not expect him to reply when she asked what he had on his mind, nor did she expect him to accept her offer with the drink.

In fact, she thought the offer might have been crossing some kind of line with him because she didn't know him as well as the rest of Apocalypse, but by the time she had realized what she had said, it was already out of her mouth and in the air.

Offering people some of her drink or food, had just became an automatic thing for her with all the people she had to make sure were actually eating, instead of starving themselves because of something stupid.

But... He did both of those things and it filled the teenager's heart with pure joy.

As much as she would hate to admit it, Rhamina loved gaining the trust of others and building relationships with people, and when she could make that person open up or smile, it just completely inflated her mood.

The entire ride back to the hotel, Cloud could feel that the female was much more relaxed than their previous rides, lazily resting her forehead on his back as he drove.

It was nice to know that the eighteen-year-old was beginning to trust him more, especially on the vehicle, but he couldn't figure out why he was so pleased with it.

Brought back to reality by a series of soft vibrations on his back, the male was pleasantly surprised to hear the teen humming a song he couldn't recognize.

He then surprised both of them by asking, "What was it like being a fan dancer?"

He didn't know why the question had tumbled from his lips, but it was too late because the female had lifted her head and hummed in acknowledgement.

"Well, I was an apprentice for eight years, studying under a professional from when i was two up until I was ten," she explained, reminiscing on her childhood, "it was very interesting to learn a style of dance that joined many Asian cultures together, having originally been a form of martial arts."

"I'm guessing that's why you're so good at fighting with your fans then," Cloud concluded, not taking his eyes off the road in front of them.

"Yes, I never stopped practicing even after the world started burning," she chuckled with a soft smile as she remembered her old teacher.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I'm still using the same set of fans my mother gave to me when I was young," the ravenette realized as she thought back to the weapons she used to cut down enemies, "They were imported all the way from Japan and I remember her complaining about how expensive they were, but in my opinion they were worth every penny."

"They've lasted through all of my rehearsals and performances, been reliable in every battle I've fought, and serve as the last gifts I have from my mother," the teen continued with a sigh.

Once the pair made it back to the hotel, Rhamina wore a smirk as they entered the elevator, gripping tighter on the bag of goodies she would only share with Cloud if her ended up liking any of it.

"Welcome back, you two," Kerstin greeted with a smirk as Cloud and Rhamina entered the penthouse, "how was your date?"

As Cloud stood in shock, the smirk stayed on Rhamina's face while she replied, "It wasn't a date, but guess who went to a few Japanese markets for snacks and isn't going to share them with either of you?"

"What?!" Sierra asked as she looked over the back of the couch to see Rhamina pull a stick of pocky out of her backpack and munched on it, all while wearing a smug grin.

"Mina, you're kidding right?" Kerstin asked as she saw just how full the new backpack was, only to receive a dark chuckle from the older female as she stepped further into the space.

"No," she replied, "You wanted to keep teasing, so I'll keep eating!"

Once the sun had gone down and the group had eaten their dinner, the three girls had decided to start having a horror movie marathon while the male was in the shower.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he went back to the living room to see all the lights off as the three were watching a movie called Tusk.

"Jesus, what the fuck?!" Sierra screeched from her spot on the floor with Kerstin while Rhamina sat with her bag of treats on the couch behind the two younger females.

"I told you this movie was fucked up, didn't I?" the ravenette retorted as she looked away from the screen while a questionable scene popped up.

"I didn't think you'd mean fucked up like this!" Kerstin exclaimed in disgust as Cloud made his way over to sit next to Rhamina on the longest couch, directly in front of the television.

Once the extremely disturbing movie was over, Kerstin chose the next movie which took place in Thailand.

The story just basically followed the story of a white, American couple getting cursed because they didn't listen to the warnings of the locals.

"This is why you listen to the fucking Asians," Rhamina muttered with her head in Cloud's lap, once again, from her shifting positions sometime during the movie.

"If you don't think it's a good idea to go there, then don't go there!" Sierra exclaimed in frustration as one of the protagonists proceeded to run into a dark alleyway by herself.

"Natural selection needs to pick off these fuckers, I swear to god," Kerstin groaned, internally cringing at every decision made by the leading couple.

As the movie came to a close it was Sierra's turn to pick a movie; but as she was, Cloud looked down to his lap to see the ravenette beginning to doze off with half-lidded eyes.

With a sigh, the male slowly lifted his left hand to rest on her head as her eyes fluttered shut with a content sigh.

After a few moments, the blond began stroking her hair much like one would do for their pet, causing a loud purr to erupt from the female.

Kerstin and Sierra, who were paying attention to the screen, suddenly turned around with wide eyes to see the female nuzzling back into his hand.

The male could feel his face start to heat up as the teen's eyes slowly panned up to look at him, causing him to immediately pause his actions.

"Was she just purring?" the darkette asked as Rhamina lazily rolled over to look up at Cloud without a word as she moved to grasp his wrist and place his hand back on her head.

Sierra and Kerstin immediately began to snicker as the ravenette rolled back to get comfortable and begin purring again.

'If Sam was here, then she wouldn't be able to shut up about this,' the darkette thought as the third movie began to play.

At this point, no one was really paying attention to the movie as the ravenette had already fallen asleep and the others were beginning to doze off as well.

The last thing Cloud remembered before closing his eyes was the soft chime of a familiar bell.

This time the male was placed in an empty grass field that seemed to go on forever, until he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"I see that you've gone and thrown my warning completely to the wind," Mandallyth spoke, obviously upset, "What should I do for you to actually listen to me?"

The mysterious being was seated in the shade of a large cherry blossom tree and without the sheer silks of the canopy bed in the way, Cloud could see the form was indeed a woman.

She wore a tight fitting outfit of what he assumed to be black leather with some areas colored purple on her top that drew a lot of attention to her chest while keeping most of her skin covered.

The female also had a belt around her hips that was made of a pure white fabric and silver metal which provided a great contrast to the rest of her color palette.

Even if the woman's eyes were still obscured by shadows, the male could still see the frown on her face as her arms were crossed over her chest.

"You still proceed to get more and more attached to that fucking brat," she hissed, long black locks floating in the breeze.

"And what exactly does it matter?" the male retorted as he locked down at the woman, "Why should I even trust you? You said you would help me get back home if I helped you, but you haven't even said anything about it."

"First of all, I could have just let you keep falling, but fate decided against it," the woman hissed as she stood up to be a few inches taller than the male due to the heeled boots she wore.

"And I can't even begin to explain how to get you home until you learn more about that wretch and her bell," she continued, hair floating behind her, "You just can't get attached and fall for her annoyingly high level of charisma."

The woman took a calming breath before stepping back and resting her head on the tree as the soft pink petals of the flowers seemed to flutter around her.

"I suppose there is one advantage for you," she sighed while placing a hand on the tree while Cloud just watched, frustration growing as more questions formed in his head.

"The more she trusts you, the more that bell will reveal to you," Mandallyth explained, "You've already seen a piece of that brat's past and even one of her previous incarnations."

Cloud could have guessed with how similar the two looked, other than Mariana's serpentine eyes, but it was still a shock to hear.

"Why do you look so surprised, Cloud?" the woman mused with a smirk as she stepped forward, "You didn't think death was the end, did you?"

"No," she answered, bringing a hand to rest on his cheek, "Death is not the end; but instead, a new beginning where one can go on living with the lessons from their past lives, even if they never remember them."

"Existence is just one long cycle and I have existed to see it all," she continued, her hand providing a familiar warmth.

"What does this have to do with me helping you?" the male asked with a glare as the woman lowered her hand.

"I just had a bad feeling is all," she shrugged, "Fate is not necessarily set in stone, it has multiple possibilities, but some things just can't be avoided and some still try to alter it for their own benefit."

When morning came around, Cloud's face twitched slightly as a small beam of sunlight hit his eyes and he tried to move only to be met with a groan.

As he opened his eyes, the twenty-one-year-old noticed that his companion had managed to worm most of her torso into his lap while the rest of her was curled up against him.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," Sierra said from her spot on the second couch, momentarily starling Cloud, "She can get pretty grumpy if someone wakes her up from her sleep."

"So, what should I do then?" the blond asked, his voice still in that deep state from having just woken up as he looked down at the eighteen-year-old.

"Wait for her to leave on her own," the brunette shrugged as she browsed through her phone, "Like you would do with a cat."

The male let out a small sigh of distaste, never really having my good experience with felines, but the teen did supply quite a bit of warmth, so he said nothing more.

About five minutes passed before the ravenette shifted and her eyes fluttered open to give the blond a tired smile.

"Morning, Cloud," she spoke in a soft voice that was actually higher pitched than her normal speaking tone, before pulling herself off the male.

As she stood up multiple, loud, pops and cracks sounded from her joints, earning a pout from Sierra and a mild look of concern from Cloud.

"Aw, Mina," the brunette spoke in a pitying tone as the older female stretched out her back, resulting in a satisfied sigh.

"This is fine, my body is just very broken," she chuckled while heading to the fridge to see what leftovers she could eat, "Nothing new here."

"That might not have happened if you just took better care of yourself in fights," the blond chided, earning a shrug from the ravenette.

"Probably true, but that shit ain't saving me from the terrible luck, accident prone, baby Mina had," she chuckled in response as she placed some things in the toaster oven, "Ah yes, the multiple times I would go into the forest to play with my friend only to come back with scraped everywhere."

"Probably why I'm so oblivious about a lot of my injuries," the ravenette shrugged, earning a chuckle from Sierra.

"Yeah, you'd probably lose a limb or some shit and wouldn't notice till you pass out from blood loss," the brunette joked.

"No, the process of passing out from blood loss is such a bitch!" Rhamina whined, "I just felt like I needed to throw up and I was so confused and it wasn't a good time."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me about that," the female replied as she remembered one of Apocalypse's first major missions.

"Fucking. I saw Satan and he threw me back, saying, 'I don't want this bitch'!" Rhamina explained with a smile.

About then minutes later, Kerstin was awake and everyone was eating breakfast; Cloud and Rhamina eating some food the teen had gotten from the bakery, while Sierra and Kerstin ate whatever they found.

"You really not letting any of us have any of what you got?" the darkette questioned as the two oldest in the group ate some curry buns from the bakery.

"Nope!" the eighteen-year-old chirped with a very large smile on her face, "and if you even think about touching it, I will yeet you out the window."

"You realize that I can just use execution and fly right?" Kerstin retorted with a snort.

"Doesn't change the fact that I will fucking yeet you out a fucking window," Rhamina replied without even batting an eye.

At around noon, one of the employees knocked on the door with a white box for Rhamina sent from Hana.

In it was a very expensive looking purple top and skirt with an attached note saying that the eighteen-year-old would need to wear it to this second mission.

"Why do I feel like this is going to be another 'Distract and Attack' mission?" she asked while narrowing her eyes at the matching heels.

"Well it is in North City, so at least one of us needs to look like they belong there," Sierra reasoned as Kerstin viewed the price tag of the outfit, immediately going pale at the sight of the many zeroes.

"Hey, Mina," the darkette spoke after stabilizing herself, placing a hand on her shoulder, "At least it's a casino, so you can enjoy yourself."

"I'm playing each and everyone of those motherfuckers for everything that they own."

~~~Fin. Chapter 7~~~

Masterlist

#Apocalypse #Chapter 7 #Final Fanstasy #Final Fantasy VII #FFVII #FFVII Remake #Cloud Strife #Cloud Strife x OC

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fattymattybrewing · 5 years ago

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For so many, Fall is a favorite time of year. With images of snuggling up to a cozy fire with a hot pumpkin spice apple cider after a day at the corn maze, raking Fall leaves, or spooky trail hike. Autumn is cozy and wonderful! Gifts may not be the first thing that come to mind however, there’s lots to get excited about and the gifts below do not even include candy! This roundup of the 15 best spooky themed Halloween gifts are for home decoration or to surprise your Halloween-loving buddy.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Solo Stove Light

Warm up on the front porch or on a backpacking trip with the “ultralight” Solo Stove Lite is the perfect Fall gift for the lover of the great outdoors in your life. Solo Stove offers free shipping plus free returns (store returns only after 30 days) excluding Hawaii and Alaska in the United States. The Solo Stove Lite, like its name, is actually light and perfect for two people to cozy up while on a hike or picnic in the chilly Autumn air.

SoloStove.com

Lizzo Inspired Halloween Sweater

Get cozy with this handmade “100 percent That Witch” sweater from Etsy.com seller ImPressedClothing. Available in four stylish colors and five adult sizes from small to XXL. This item is made of a “50/50 cotton poly blend, is super soft and cozy” and ships in 3-5 days from California, USA.

Etsy.com

Moosh-Moosh Spooky Halloween Plush Collection

Available in 9 different spooky characters, Moosh-Moosh plushies are super cuddly friends that are not only cute but at $14.99 each are a bargain! Shop the Moosh-Moosh website for these Spooky plushies or check out the other cuddly friends like Ash The Dragon Sequin Faced or Drac The Dragon from the Series 1 collection of Moosh-Moosh Plushies.

Fortune the cat from the Moosh-Moosh Spooky Series • $14.99

Vincent the pumpkin from the Moosh-Moosh Spooky Series

Nile the mummy from the Moosh-Moosh Spooky Series

Moosh-Moosh.com

Touch Control Moon Lamp

This 3D printed moon lamp with stand is rechargeable and available in four sizes (from 3.5 to 7 inches). To change colors, tap the metal spot on the bottom of this lamp or a long touch will adjust the brightness. The design of this moon lamp was created from real topography of the Earth’s moon. This lamp will fully charge in two hours and each charge lasts around 8 hours. Includes a wooden base, plus a low price and free 2-day shipping for Amazon Prime users.

Amazon.com

Glow In The Dark Putty

This 3-pack of spooky putties from Salus Brands, makers of The Original Super Cool brand slimes and putties ships with three tins of glow-in-the-dark fun. Similar to the old school Silly Putty, this putty will bounce, stretch and form into shapes. Includes two LED lights to recharge the putty’s glow effect and ships with putties named Mystery, Shooting Star and Are 51.

Amazon.com

Halloween Coloring Book for Adults

This Halloween Coloring Book paperback coloring book features more than 50 coloring pages for adults including witches, haunted houses, and other spooky creatures of the night. Relax and get creative while filling in these beautifully scary illustrations by MantraCraft. It’s the perfect Halloween gift.

Amazon.com

Halloween Mad Libs

Learn “How to Survive a Zombie Attack” with this Undead Mad Libs book for the paranormal monster loving wordsmith. This 48 page fill-in paperback has 21 stories by Leonard Stern a the late Roger Price.

Amazon.com

Star Wars Pumpkin Decorating Kit

For the Star Wars fans who love Halloween. This three piece set transforms a pumpkin into the famed BB-8 droid from Star Wars. Tired of carving and scooping out pumpkin guts? This no mess alternative inserts with push ins to create a one-of-a-kind spacey jack-o-lantern. Available from Target.com or in-store purchase.

Target.com

DIY Synth Kit

Create scary ambient sounds with this Synth Kit from UK manufacturer, Tech Will Save Us. This DIY kit ships with all the parts needed to play and experiment with electronic sounds, a perfect addition to a spooky trail or haunted front porch. Free shipping in the UK and USA and costs $34.99.

TechWillSaveUs.com

Suitable Halloween Costume for Kids

Suitables are original, comfortable Halloween costumes made by a small company in California. Suitables costumes are available in 10 different designs including Space Shuttle, two rocket style costumes, Cinderella Coach, Airplane, Fire Truck, two styles of train costumes and more. One size fits most 2 to 7 year-olds and each Suitables costume is $39.99 and made with environmentally friendly materials.

Suitables.com

Sugar Skull Earrings

Celebrate Day of the Dead, which begins on Halloween day, with these beautiful, festive fishhook earrings. Also available in purple and black, both for $4.25 from Kohls.com.

Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Earrings from Kohls.com • $4.25

Purple and Black Day of the Dead Sugar Skull Earrings from Kohls.com • $4.25

Kohls.com

Walter White Porkpie Hat

Made of 100% cotton, this comfortable deep crown Porkpie style hat will have you quoting, “Say my name.” Or “I am not in Danger. I am the Danger.” Available in two sizes with free delivery for Amazon Prime users.

Amazon.com

Skull Cocktail Glass

Grab this handmade Skull Rocks Glass on Etsy.com for a cool $14 per glass. Made in Denver, Colorado using screen printing and serving up 11 ounces, this Halloween themed rocks glass is hand-wash only. Check out the many other amazing designs from this Etsy.com seller too.

Etsy.com

Haunted House Table Runner

This 14×74 inch jute table runner is perfect for Halloween entertaining and is a great addition to any home’s spooky decor. Features a one-piece design and low price with fast shipping for Amazon Prime users.

Amazon.com

Pumpkin Spice Soap

Halloween is in the air this season and this tempting pumpkin spice soap available from Amazon comes with free shipping for Amazon Prime members. This soap is large and is made with essential and plant oils, is vegan and just $8.

Amazon.com

View all these items on our Spooky Halloween Gift ideas Wish List on Amazon.com. 15 Best Spooky Gifts for 2019 Halloween For so many, Fall is a favorite time of year. With images of snuggling up to a cozy fire with a hot pumpkin spice apple cider after a day at the corn maze, raking Fall leaves, or spooky trail hike.

#MooshMooshPlushies #Amazon Prime Halloween gifts #Breaking Bad Walter White hat #halloween 2019 #halloween gifts for adults #kids halloween gifts #Kohls.com #spooky gifts

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arcanestarseeker · 8 years ago

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Lair review for @clanofstarsandsigns ! under the cut, as usual :)

I always start with the first dragon in your lair, and wow!!!! lovely!!! its always a bonus when they fit my aesthetic or are a gen one and she’s both! :0 She’s such a lovely double! I’m not usually a big fan of smoke, but I think it works super well on her, and I love the flecks of blue in her cryface :0 Her accent is so perfect for her- is it a custom? I love the moon like.... wow she’s so ethereal and celestial looking! This is just a little thing, too, but i love the moon pixels in her bio! They look custom made for her, I think? And they’re super nice lookin~ Her art is just lovely, too! Her bio may be simple, but its nice and gives me a nice idea of her personality. She’s great!

Wow dang I didn’t pay too much attention to the rest of your front page because I always click on the first dragon first, but its just full of lovely doubles, huh? like dang, thats what I call an impressive gen 1 lair :0 Next one to catch my eye was Deka, who I imagine much have cost a very pretty penny. Update- a very expensive scatter project. DOUBLE UPDATE SHES A FOUR DIGIT BE STILL MY HEART. That’s... a lot of unfortunate scatters. But it was all worth it for that lovely double pearl, huh? Like wow, that’s a scatter to die for. The accent is LOVELY on her, and it gives her a lot of character, even though she doesn’t have a full bio. I also really love the military look on her with the black aviator stuff and the wing cuff- the obsidian and the pearl have such a nice contrast, and it really makes her pop! :0 I’m super curious about her story, and how she got those scars :0

Next! The handsome lil coatl on your profile page! He’s so spacey and pretty and perfect! The bright yellows and the lovely matching stars of the accent make him look so spacey, but in a really bright and pretty and fun loving way! His lil kitty is so cute, and he actually realy makes the wrap apparel work? The accent is so perfect for him- is it a custom? or just another amazing match? ahh splash shimmer is so pretty, too. And I love the art in his bio, it looks so soft! hes such a soft boy... I read his bio, is flare a fae, im guessing? I’m gona go looking for them next >:0

I called it, shes a fae xp And a very fancy one, too! She’s rocking the updated long horns and a ton of very expensive layed silks to create that perfect effect. Her accent is so lovely and lighty- and the trick you did with layering the birdskull and the eye scar works really well- makes her look so happy! and gives the image of light eyes on this glowing gal and her sun eating familiar :0 Oh, and she’s the clan matriarch! Very nice~ Her lore is simple, but its nice. I really like the poem (song lyrics?) in her bio, and the implication thats shes more than she lets on? very interesting!!

Lastly, Daisy caught my eye!! The yellow and pink make her look like peony mage set was made just for her! I love the pink silks and the kitter, and shes such a lovely double! I really love the contrast of the glim with her yelllow primary, and her accent is so nice- even though she doesn’t have any lore, it gives her the idea of being a shade touched witch or something similar- very interesting :0

Thank you so much for getting a lair review from me!! I hope you like it! :D

#flight rising #fr #lair review #lair reviews

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lumierebros · 8 years ago

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Movie Buff Questions

1. Favorite action film?

Imogen: Die Hard, Terminator 2

Shakya: The Dark Knight, Terminator, Alien, Ip Man +any Tarantino

2. What movie(s) could you watch over and over and not get tired of?

I: Grease, Inception, Gone Girl, Superbad, Hot Fuzz

S: There Will Be Blood, Deathproof, Grease, Django Unchained, Birdman, Whiplash, plus again, any tarantino let’s put it at that)

3. Any old school favorites (pre-70s)?

I: Rear Window, North By Northwest, Breakfast at Tiffany’s

S: On the Waterfront, Citizen Kane, Rebel Without A Cause, Psycho, A Streetcar Named Desire, Casablanca, Singin In The Rain, Dr Strangelove, 2001, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Apartment, The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 12 Angry Men, Ben Hur are allllllllll amazing

4. Top 5 directors?

I: David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, Denis Villeneuve

S: Paul Thomas Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, Coen Brothers, Damien Chazelle/Alejandro G. Iñárritu

5. Favorite dead actor/actress?

I: Grace Kelly, Heath Ledger, Audrey Hepburn, Anton Yelchin

S: Heath Ledger had a lotttt of potential and Brando was great too

6. Favorite movie from the 90’s?

I: Clueless, Fight Club, Seven, Saving Private Ryan, American Beauty

S: Goodfellas, American Beauty, The Big Lebowski, Boogie Nights, The Usual Suspects, Good Will Hunting, Reservoir Dogs, Fargo, Dances With Wolves, Scream, Sister Act, Trainspotting. American History X, Forrest Gump, Casino, Leon, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park I could go on and on

7. Ever been/are you such a hardcore fan of an actor actress you watched/will watch any movie they were/will be in?

I: James McAvoy

S: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Leonardo DiCaprio

8. What movie are you looking forward to coming out the most?

I: Star Wars the Last Jedi, Blade Runner 2049

S: Alien: Covenant, Dunkirk

9. Pixar or Dreamworks?

I: Pixar

S: Pixar, but Dreamworks for Sinbad, Prince of Egypt and Spirit

10. Favorite animated movie?

I: Fantastic Mr Fox

S: Spirit, Fantasia, Ferngully

11. Favorite musical?

I: La La Land, Grease, The Lion King

S: Singin’ In The Rain, Grease, Moulin Rouge, La La Land, Oliver!, The Sound of Music, (does High School Musical count )

12. Are you against book-to-movie adaptations?

I: Nope

S: Noooo

13. Your guilty pleasure movie(s)?

I: The Narnia movies, X-Men Apocalypse, The Proposal

S: Burn After Reading, Snatch, In Bruges + Independence Day, Ace Ventura hahahaha

14. Robin Williams or Eddie Murphy?

I: Robin Williams

S: Robin Williams easily

15. Favorite chick flick?

I: Clueless, Ever After

S: When Harry Met Sally (is that a chick flick or)

16. Ever watched a movie just because you heard the effects were awesome?

I: Star Trek (ending up loving it), Avatar

S: Avatar, Gravity, District 9

17. Favorite indie film?

I: Memento, Lost in Translation, Drive

S: Reservoir Dogs, Drive, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, American History X

18. Favorite movie heroin?

I: Sarah Connor, Princess Leia, Liz Bennet, Lisbeth Salander

S: Ellen Ripley

19. Favorite movie action hero?

I: John McClane, Indiana Jones

S: Jason Bourne, The Terminator (arnie)

20. Ever read a book so you could understand the movie?

I: Gone Girl, The Life of Pi

S: A Clockwork Orange: Watched the movie to understand the book, but never got past the first 20 pages or past the rape scene in the film

21. Favorite kids movie?

I: How To Train Your Dragon, The Parent Trap

S: Space Jammmmmmmmmm

22. Favorite Disney movie?

I: The Beauty and the Beast

S: Snow White (childhood fav)

23. Favorite movie soundtrack?

I: Anything by Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore (LOTR)

S: Anything by Hans Zimmer, Justin Hurwitz and Howard Shore. PLUS Proven Lands - Jonny Greenwood, Dirty Walk and Doors and Distance - Antonio Sanchez, Revenant theme- Ryuichi Sakamoto, Nightcall- Kavinsky, The Child Pt. 1 & 2- Jed Kurzel, any classical pieces in Kubrick films.

24. Movie that makes you cry every time?

I: Atonement, Schindler’s List

S: Schindler’s List, Titanic hehe

25. VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray?

I: I watch my stuff online srry

S: VHS was amazing, we had a massive collection when I was younger. Nowadays I would say Blu-ray purely because of quality. Quality of sound is more important to me though (BOSE!!!).

26. Best experience going to the movies

I: Seeing Star Wars The Force Awakens in Gold Class

S: When my boyfriend randomly picked me up at 10pm to go see Arrival as a surprise because I’d mentioned I wanted to see it once.

27. Top 5 actors?

I: Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Ethan Hawke, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day Lewis, Ewan McGregor plus all the ones Shakya mentions that I don’t mention-- I LOVE EVERYONE

S: Daniel Day Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kevin Spacey, Robert DeNiro, Jack Nicholson, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Ed Norton, Benicio Del Toro, Christoph Waltz, Javier Bardem

28. Top 5 actresses?

I: Amy Adams, Lupita Nyong’o, Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, Felicity Jones, Natalie Portman, Kate Winslet, Brie Larson

S: Natalie Portman, Frances McDormand, Emma Stone, Ellen Page, Julianne Moore, Amy Adams, Michelle Williams, Kirsten Dunst

29. Movie you completely regret seeing?

I: X- Men The Last Stand

S: 2012, The Accountant, Pacific Rim, Nymphomaniac P1 & 2

30. Movie you wish was never made?

I: X-Men The Last Stand HAHAHA

S: Eragon

31. Movie your parent showed you?

I: The Wizard of Oz, Grease

S: Legit everything, we still have Movie Night every Friday (and we’re not allowed rewatches)

32. Last movie you watched?

I: The English Patient

S: The Apartment

33. An overrated movie?

I: Batman (1989), also agree about The Notebook

S: The Notebook, Super 8, 500 Days of Summer, Brokeback Mountain, Zoolander, Rain Man

34. An underrated movie?

I: Before Sunrise, In Bruges, The Nice Guys

S: Nocturnal Animals, Drive, Snatch, Blood Diamond, Dogma, Biutiful, Tree of Life

35. Favorite comedy movie?

I: Hot Fuzz, Superbad, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Blazing Saddles

S: Burn After Reading, Tropic Thunder, Annie Hall, The Big Lebowski, Wayne’s World, Snatch, Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, Borat

36. Movie quote you live by?

I: “I’m so much happier now that I’m dead. Technically, missing.” You know, bc fuck Nick Dunne.

S: There’s not any quote I LIVE by but I do love this scene:

‘Michelangelo? You know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations. Him and the pope. Sexual orientation. The whole works, right? I bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling. Seeing that. If I ask you about women, you'll probably give me a syllabus of your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid. I ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right? "Once more into the breach, dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap and watch him gasp his last breath lookin' to you for help. If I asked you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet, but you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes. Feelin' like God put an angel on Earth just for you, who could rescue you from the depths of hell.’

37. Movie quote that will always make you laugh?

I: “Where the white women at?”

S: ‘I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast!’ ‘You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?’ -long pause- ‘No!’

‘Shut the fuck up fat man this ain’t none of your goddamn business’

‘I have uh..uh.. lactose reflux’ ‘You’re lactose intolerant or you have acid reflux? They’re different things’

‘A shootout is a fucking shootout!!....Like a Western’

‘You think that’s a Schwiiiiiin’

‘I eat the Canadian? I don’t know what you’re talking about’

‘I don’t read the script, the script reads me’ ‘What the hell does that even mean??’

‘oh nothing Tommy, it’s….tip-top, it’s just i’m not sure about the colour’

All the other quotes I find funny are completely random movie quotes that my family has just turned into a joke and that we can easily incorporate into conversation e.g. ‘whadaya gonna do ranger rick, shoot me?’ ‘I could do that’, ‘you sir, too sir’, ‘I don’t want Nenat’, ‘I drive’, ‘you want uhhh money or something’, ‘yeah i like dags’, ‘there is no spoon’ ETC you get the point

38. Film(s) you’ve watched on a date?

I: Any action/superhero movie that has come out recently.

S: The Conjuring 2, La La Land, Arrival, Sausage Party, The Accountant (bf loves accounting but it was shit), Fantastic Beasts, Captain America: Civil War, Shine (anniversary reshow with Geoffrey Rush doing a q&a after teehee), Nocturnal Animals, Suicide Squad, Moonlight, Sully, War Dogs, Jason Bourne, heaps more that I can’t remember

39. Favorite cult film?

I: Pulp Fiction, Fight Club

S: The Big Lebowski, Taxi Driver, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction

40. Directors you’d like to see work together?

I: David Fincher and Denis Villeneuve could be interesting

S: Coen brothers and Guy Ritchie would be fkn awesome OR Coens and Tarantino would be screenplay heaven

41. Actors you’d like to see work together?

I: Felicity Jones and Oscar Isaac (can you imagine the chemistry)

S: Miles Teller and Emma Watson ;---)

42. Films you wanted to watch, but never got around to watching?

I: American History X, 28 Days Later

S: Amadeus, The Deer Hunter

43. Favorite teen movie?

I: Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, Fast Times at Ridgemont High

S: Juno, Grease, The Breakfast Club, Rebel Without A Cause

44. Top 5 favorite films?

I: American Psycho, Her, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Seven, Inception, There Will Be Blood, Inglourious Basterds, LOTR, No Country For Old Men ARGH SO MANY

S: There Will Be Blood (no. 1 fav), Good Will Hunting, No Country For Old Men, Raging Bull, Fargo, The Dark Knight, Goodfellas, LOTR, American Psycho, Deathproof, Tree of Life, The Usual Suspects, So many so many.

45. Favorite superhero film?

I: Logan, X-Men Days of Future Past, The Dark Knight

S: The Dark Knight, The Incredibles

46. Favorite cop film?

I: 21 Jump Street, Hot Fuzz, The Departed

S: Reservoir Dogs, Fargo, Seven, Mystic River, The Departed, Silence Of The Lambs

47. Favorite road trip film?

I: Fear and Loathing Las Vegas

S: Borat HHAHAHAH

48. A disappointing film from your favorite actor?

I: Pick any rom-com of Matthew McConaughey’s

S: Jack Nicholson in The Bucket List and Anger Management. So fucking bad. Good actor, shit movies.

49. A disappointing film from your favorite director?

I: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

S: The Lovely Bones, Only God Forgives

50. The first movie you ever remember watching in theaters?

I: I don’t remember any, but the first film I saw was A Bug’s Life

S: I genuinely have no idea

51. A movie that was better than the book?

I: The Shining (lmao bc Stephen King hates the movie)

S: Yeah The Shining and There Will Be Blood (based on Oil! which was beautifully written but nothing beats PTA’s adaption)

52. Vin Diesel or Bruce Willis?

I: Vin Diesel is so cute but I like Bruce better

S: it’s not a motorcycle baby it’s a chopper

53. A movie that not many have heard of that you’ve seen?

I: Hunt For the Wilderpeople

S: Vampire’s Kiss, Children of Men, Ip Man (VERY good foreign film), Dr Strangelove, Inherent Vice, Shame, Biutiful, Macbeth, Cool Hand Luke, Room In Rome, To Sir With Love

54. A movie that changed the way you view the world?

I: To Kill a Mockingbird

S: American History X

55. Favorite sci-fi movie?

I: Star Wars, Star Trek, Interstellar, Arrival, Gattaca

S: Alien, Predator, The Thing, Interstellar, Arrival, Terminator, 2001, Matrix, The Fifth Element, E.T

56. Movie you completely nerd-out over every time it’s mentioned?

I: X-Men, Star Wars, LOTR

S: LOTR obviously

57. Movie that you’ve seen all the behind-the-scenes action for?

I: Inception

S: LOTR again, hours on end of it omf

58. Movie where your favorite actor was the only good part?

I: Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor in the Star Wars prequels

S: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Basketball Diaries

59. Movie from an actor you hate that was better than you expected?

I: Kristen Stewart (Adventureland), but I don’t hate her at all, I was just surprised at her performance.

S: Mo’Nique in Precious, never hated her, she’s brilliant, it was the first performance I’ve seen of hers and it made me despise her character so much. SO GOOD but so awful.

60. Most visually stunning movie you’ve seen?

I: The Revenant

S: Tree of Life, 2001, The Revenant, Apocalypse Now, The Master, Interstellar, LOTR, Jurassic Park

61. A movie your parents introduced you to?

I: The Wizard of Oz, Life is Beautiful, Grease

S: Hahahaha basically every movie no joke, but my dad showed me lots of Chaplin

62. Favorite genre?

I: Thriller/crime/mystery/suspense

S: Drama, gangster movies, thrillers/horror/psychological thriller/horror you get the jist

63. Least favorite genre?

I: Romantic comedies

S: Romcoms or superhero movies (not including tdk)

64. Comedy movie that you didn’t find funny?

I: Sausage Party

S: How to be single, Anchorman, Sausage Party

65. Horror movie that didn’t scare you?

I: The Conjuring, Paranormal Activity

S: Insidious just so bad, The Exorcist, The Shining, Rosemary’s Baby, Let The Right One In (Swedish version NOT American Let Me In). None are terrifying, just extremely unsettling and disturbing

66. Favorite remake of an old movie?

I: The Departed, True Grit

S: True Grit, The Thing, Scarface, The Departed

67. A movie that started a passion for you?

I: Her. The first “good” movie I watched that got me into film culture.

S: Well I was brought up with hundreds of great movies from my childhood which made me love film as a child, but standout ones from my childhood I can remember especially well are LOTR, Spirit, Fantasia, all very music based films too

68. A movie that sparked an interesting conversation?

I: Interstellar (about time, paradoxes, and space)

S: Donnie Darko, No Country For Old Men, Psycho, The Usual Suspects, 2001, Whiplash -- all have brilliant final scenes, Split: my bro and I spent an hour talking about what makes a good movie and why it was so bad

69. The main movie you remember from your childhood?

I: Grease… slightly inappropriate for a kid but most of the adult stuff went over my head anyway

S: Lord Of The Rings of course, first full length film I was shown and Neverending Story is another one I remember well.

70. The first movie you saw on it’s opening night?

I: Star Wars The Force Awakens

S: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows P1 and P2, La La Land

71. A move that made you ache for love.

I: Before Sunrise

S: Blue Valentine

72. Favourite foreign film/s?

S: Let The Right One In, Life Is Beautiful, Cinema Paradiso, Ip Man, City of God, Pan’s Labyrinth, REC, Biutiful

73. Favourite horror film/s?

S: The Shining, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, Carrie, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw, Psycho, REC.

#q #lumierebros #questions #sorry for long post

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wildflowerfiction77 · 6 years ago

Text

Burning Bridges 1

Burning Bridges

By Daniel Vera

8/23/2019 8:41pm

A Story

A story of revelation. A story of Heaven and Hell. A story of love and fate. A story of truth and fame. A story of lies and pain. A story of real and fake. A story of lose and gain. A story of friends and music. A story of betrayal and death. A story of the entire world and one mind. A story of Hollywood and a story of forgotten people. A story of rolled dice. A story of lost love or never real. A story of family decimated. A story of a hidden treasure at the bottom of the sea. A story of pyramids. A story of ancient myth. A story of future visions. A story of spirits and man. A story of warring armies. A story of blank checks with no pen. A story of a burning buildings in New York. A story of gangs and government. A story of black holes in Hollywood. A story of hidden cameras and naked actors. A story of Atlantis. A story of superheroes. A story of vampires and zombies. A story of Bruce Lee and Nazi America. A story of dead poets. A story of songs sung by Mozart and Taylor Swift. A story of the Military, CIA and MK Ultra. A story of cartoons and rap music. A story from a galaxy far far away. A story of approaching comets. A story of 33. A story of black and white. A story of Red Skins. A story of nuclear war. A story of blue water in the sky. A story of James Bond and Gilbert Grape. A story of TV commercials. A story of fat kids. A story of ninjas and samurai. A story of rebellion and anarchy. A story of dragons and phoenix. A never ending story. White tigers and black turtles. Buffalo women and tobacco. Hummingbirds and Butterflies. Flowers and Hearts. Stars and Sky. Earth and Moon. Dreams and walking...

Dreams

I awoke in my pajamas. It was a normal day like any other day. I had 15 days to make $500 to pay the rent. I had an ex girlfriend that butt dialed me while she was partying. I listened for around ten minutes to see if I could hear if she was with a guy or having sex. I couldn’t tell and so I hung up the phone. I hated her because my heart felt pain every time I though of her with someone else and I knew she didn’t deserve it. I guess it might have been the times that there was a genuine love that was being created, like the countless hours of laying in bed and staring at each others eyes while sharing kisses and caressing fingertips. Or the unexpected gifts to encourage me to become a stronger man. The late night fights where I sat at the locked bedroom door pleading to be let in, while she wept in bed because she got jealous of another woman she thought I was staring at when we went shopping. Or the years of waking up next to her as the sunlight broke through the curtains and staring at her sleeping with a golden light shinning on her brown skin. red lips and black messy hair. Or the times my arm fell asleep underneath her head as we cuddled for as long as possible until we had to readjust to find a diagonal leg and arm pattern, still crossing touch. Then I thought about all the times she destroyed my heart and continued my day.

I began walking on the air to meet with God. We had scheduled a few meetings. The great creator always knew I would be late. I guess God knew me pretty well and adjusted time itself to add the twenty minutes for me to catch the 9:14 cloud. On this day we talked about the meaning of struggle. I had been having this reoccurring dream about being crushed by wave after wave in the ocean, and not being able to catch my breath. God reassured me that the waves were meant to strengthen me and that I wouldn’t drown. Although it was somewhat comforting to hear, I rebutted that the dream felt real and it was causing me stress. I had felt that the waves were unneeded and they were keeping me from being able to recover from previous ailments that I was still healing from. God just smiled and looked at me with grace. When I left the office I was thinking of some toast and jam, since I had forgotten to eat before I left. I did thank the Great Spirit that gives life and did say some prayers before scheduling a meeting a few months later and commenting on the beautiful flowers to the secretary. It was a good meeting.

I then proceeded to fighting monsters and saving damsels. I thought I was doing pretty good. It was almost like living in a movie, where you get to be Conan. But I didn’t realize it was all the parts where he was being held captive, being tricked or stuck in a room full of mirrors. So I turned the channel to see if I could find out another version of the same story that was a little more modern. That's when the television went static and I started howling with the old mystics from the Dark Crystal. I had fallen asleep to that movie, and somehow I was joining in the call to gather the ones that were left to make the journey. I thought it was just a happenstance, until the small town started to share a video that someone had recorded, until it became the new thing. They made a dance, a soft drink, a Netflix show, chicken and pizza commercials, the next 5 years of billion dollars movies, including Star Wars, was about it. They even started bombing countries and making new religions. It was crazy. There wasn’t a TV or movie screen that it wasn’t on every five minutes for years. I even saw it on Facebook.

Then they the military started burning the forest to sell lemonade and electric cars that still used oil and nuclear power. This is when I knew something was going on. Then a bunch of ex presidents started appearing in Kanye West videos and Quentin Tarantino movies with “kiss me, I am Jewish” stickers on their foreheads. This is when I knew things were getting out of control of even the CIA. The girl scouts started selling machine guns to the homeless. The TV news people were smoking joints, eating hot dogs and advertising “Shamoo”. The comedians began making signs to love one another and became civil rights politicians and activists. They didn’t say any good jokes though. I’m not sure why, but the politicians began making everyone laugh. It was a circus that was only topped by Silicon Valley taking Ubers to Outer Space. They said they were going to mars, but they took too much LSD and ended up going too far, and circled back to China, not knowing it was a parallel universe and they were lost. Meanwhile on earth, the Patriots won another Superbowl which made ten in a row. Everyone dressed in Captain America costumes during a white rappers reunion, singing country songs with the Spice Girls paying tribute to all the musicians that were killed in the last seven years. It was a really long half time show. Its still going on. Kapernick has Snoop Dogg braiding his hair while they start a venture capital business with Donald Trump and Kevin Spacey for a Martha Stuart line of hemp products at Walmart. The hemp is really Monsanto bio engineered, but they figure they’re burning down the Amazon in Brazil, no one will notice.

So I turned off the TV and ate some waffles. My ex girlfriend left some blueberries in the freezer, so I used those with some peanut butter and jam and butter. As I started eating the five stack, I saw something moving out my window. I saw Miley Cyrus twerking on the front lawn. I looked at the waffles and thought maybe there was something weird in the ingredients. Then George Bush, the CIA guy, was dancing with her and I knew the waffles had some weird shit going on, so I threw them in the garbage. Fucken ruined my breakfast. Every five minutes I looked out the front window to see if they had left, and sure enough, they were still there, except they would change faces. Next was the Rock and Scarlette Johanson, then Bill Gates and the Queen of England, then the White Stripes. I thought it might have been the blueberries. She said she ordered them from Ashton Kusheten, and that dush liked to play jokes on people, and started doing Bruce Willies wife, so I figured that was it. They must have been laced with something. I took a nap till they wore off.

The next day I was able to make it to the car without anything super weird happening. Someone did steal my Bruce Lee movies and my kids toys from the car. I must have left the window open. I knocked door to door around the neighborhood to ask if anyone had seen anything weird, other than Miley Cyris. It dawned on me that I never spoke to any of my neighbors for the five years I had lived in the house. The first house was a bunch of cats sitting around a living room. They were doing yoga and smoking huka, so everything they said sounded like cats fighting underwater. I didn’t get any answers. The next house was three little pigs and a wolf. They were watching the news and eating cereal. They said they had just moved in and didn’t see anything. It was peculiar that they had a giant poster of me in their kitchen. I figured they must be fans. They smelled like weed. Every house had some fairytale vibe to it, or a Disney cartoon. Squirrels, Vikings, Revenge of the Nerds, even a Steven King house. The last one was a Dukes of Hazard reunion. They were cooking burgers on the bar b que, and they were nice enough to have the girl in Daisy Dukes make me a quarter pounder with cheese. We started seeing each other. I called her when I got horny and she would come over. I still didn’t find my stolen stuff. I figured Karma would make the rounds.

When I drove away, I started seeing smoke. I wasn’t sure where it was coming from. It didn’t seem to be originating from the car, so I started looking around. Planes were flying past me and leaving these��trails of smoke, but that wasn’t it. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw burning bridges across the whole country. That's when I knew who stole my Bruce Lee movies.

Meat and Cattle

In a long dark cavern, I saw a few faces staring in front of sunlight, casting shadows like dancing puppets. They had orders to submerge me into submission, by who, I wasn’t sure. During that time, there was a lot of turmoil happening in the world and in the small town in which I was living. It seemed that the local white power groups were stock pilling machine guns and ammunition. They would have weekly fight club gatherings in the mountains and practice military drills to kill “niggers, Jews and spics”, and now the Chinese and Russians. I guess they were Irish and Scottish, but probably a mixed breed of good ol’ boys.

I’m not sure how “the gays” became part of the picture, but they arrived in droves. They all gathered at Duff Tavern, a place in the Simpsons cartoon. It was absolutely insane. Along with the Trans community, there were hipsters, hopsters, fibsters, and mobsters. Not to mention, some pretty hot women in the form of pixies and catholic nuns. On the jukebox was Rage Against the Machine, because sometimes I would hack the airwaves, just to annoy the patrons. The Clamsters would stand watch outside while the Bob Dylan look a likes would secretly grow weed and sell it to Colorado, Texas and New York. They had a good set up going. They would smuggle pounds of grass in their beards. When asked why their beard was green by the police or FBI, all they would have to say is it was an Irish thing. It seemed to work.

But after a few years, the government went in and started replacing some of the farms with robots. The robots would answer to the Matrix and all was well for a while. I noticed this because I lived in the small town and would often have art shows and play music with the other monkeys. Sometimes on the news they would televise a social order black ops operation. In the war of the weeds, all the multi-armed gangs would hide in the mountains behind trees and rocks. They would shoot at each other just to make sure no one was stealing their crops. The cops didn’t mind, since they would get a part of the profit, and sometimes the whole thing, depending on orders from the FBI, and ultimately the CIA and Homeland Security.

They would cut up a cow and leave it hanging upside down to attract the wolves. They caught a lot of wolves that way and turned them into guard dogs. The cats had to be more careful since they were house cats, and not the Lions they wanted to be. Some of them thought they were Tigers, but that was just something on TV. It was a long summer. Everyone was waiting for 2012 and aliens. They would give palm readings and read the cards on your forehead to make sure you were a monkey. God forbid you might be Godzilla. That would mean you were Japanese and those nips tried to bomb Pearl Harbor in a movie made by Steven Spielberg in the 80’s.

The new threat in Los Angels was the threat of the Mexicans and particularly, the Zapatistas. So the U. S. planted a tariff on marijuana distribution. Although they needed the plant to help with cancer and injured vets brains, they had to make sure they could use that extra money for more robots. They started pumping all that money into Silicon Valley and I Phones. They needed to make sure Facebook would convince people that everyday is business as usual. No one can have a new thought, it would counter balance the already shaky control system that sat upon fake money. So to go with the fake money, they created fake news, fake wars, fake presidents, fake jobs, fake laws, fake food, fake causes, fake movies, fake soap operas, fake drugs, fake toilets, fake videos, fake people on the internet, fake names to go with those people, fake gang wars, fake drug busts, fake homeless people, fake housing crisis, fake TMZ news, fake Kanye, fake cake, fake husbands and wives, fake kids, fake Wall Street, and fake music. Along with those fakory items, they made fake laws and juried trials. I saw a documentary on Netflix. It could have been fake.

The Cafe

I would go to the cafe daily. It was like a meditation. Sometimes I would play music there, sometimes I would draw. I always noticed the same faces. Once in a while, a gorgeous red head or brunette would come sit at my table and flirt with me over a mocha. At this time I was through with blonds, kinda like Arnolds’ “Total Recall” movie. It was a good five years. I never had so many Red Sparrows fly to my window at once. I was a greedy kid at the ice cream shop, so I tried all the flavors. This town was a small concentrated town, so I didn’t know they were connected to all the gangs in the world. I didn’t know that they have been hunting savages for generations, and they had marked me as soon as I grew some pubic hairs. They already had submitted my parents and were working on the rest of the Wu Tang Clan. So when I found out, I tried to warn everyone, but it was too late, they had already turned or were captured. The Cladavors had used Aliens to possess each other and play role playing games to kill the time.

They did pay well, from all that weed and coke money. They gave my ex boat rides and free soda. They even gave all of the Clan free weed fields and free cars and houses. But really, they had to do a lot of favors in return, like video tape me having sex with gorgeous women and then they would make fake porn and put it on the fake dark web. The pink clampers liked to watch those between football games and CSI. They made a lot of money from those as well. Meanwhile, I was figuring out what kind of mocha I wanted. I wrote a lot of letters during that time and finished a lot of paintings. I learned how to sing, and practiced on my mating skills. Every time I would walk outside, I saw five clams and three turtle doves. My stomach hurt a few times, but the Doctor reassured me that I was fine and had nothing to worry about. So I kept eating ice cream, since it was free. I got good at it, I could have won a contest or the Olympics.

But then my arch rival appeared in the form of my ex. She got even better looking and I got fat from all the ice cream. I was still practiced up, but she had some Kriptonite on me. I didn’t realize she had been zombified as well. I wasn’t sure if it was the same quirks or new ninja moves she was using on me. One thing that was sure, was that she always won. It frustrated me to the point of no return. She kept coming back to me for more ice cream, but I refused to share. I threw it in the freezer along with my heart. When she stopped calling, I pulled my heart out, but it stayed cold for too long, and I had thought it died. I put it in a vase and watered it every now and again. Mostly just wrote poems about it.

Eventually I stopped going to the cafe, since that was the place that I had met her. I started making instant coffee, then started brewing my own from a used coffee machine that had a timer and automatic alarm clock built in. Every time I would drink a special brew, I would remember the mocha’s we shared. I would see pictures of her on Facebook once in awhile drinking mocha's with Asheton Klamster. That really pissed me off. Then she got the role as Wonder Woman. It was like, “what the fuck?” Fuckn Taylor Swift and Kanye, Miley and Mickey, Goons and Goblins, Jews and Gentiles, Obama and Trump, Star Wars and Dumpsters, Guns and Weed. All I needed now was my family to turn on me and the Government to MK Ultra me. I saw Bluebirds in the midst of Project Damn Daniel. It was astounding. It was almost like they had watched the Dark Crystal too.

They got me on the run, and then I saw Kapernick with an Afro. I had thought he was Middle Eastern. Then all of a sudden, blond people started showing up. They were dancing naked everywhere I went. I would go to the grocery store, and there they were. I would go to the bank, and there they were. I would go to the book store, and there they were. At first I thought they were some kind of religious group, then I concluded that they were a rock band in a video game. I had saw it advertised on a commercial a few years prior. It was a game from MK Tupac. I had read it in a New World Order book from the early 1900’s. Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud co-wrote it. That’s when my brother called me to ask me how I was doing.

The only answer I had was “How the fuck do you think I’m doing?” Then my first ex called to tell me she’s having another baby and if I wanted to co-sign for a new car. I was like, “Bitch, I haven’t seen you since the 1800’s, how the fuck does your ghetto ass want a co-signer after you stole my sperm in 97 and then stole my life in 99?” Needless to say, I co-signed. I thought it was for the kid, but I think she got her nails did.

The Science

It was a virtual video game and everyone wanted to play. It was one of those soldier games where everyone is a shooter. I had thought I had seen my brother in a bunker with a gunshot wound to his side. He was bleeding. He was drinking with his Clamster buddies, and they had asked if I wanted to play some football that weekend. Since we were in a video game, I figured sure, why not. While drinking a Natty Ice and smoking a cigarette, he asked how to defeat all the white men. I looked at him, and wondered why he was drinking and smoking while bleeding on the rented floor. I figured he had marital problems, he was in a slump and the locals must have been fucking with him. I contemplated the question, and from the years of slavery and genocide, I didn’t really see a scenario that they would recede control of the area, America or stop their plans for world domination. So I told him I don’t know. It was a confounding question since his wife and his kids and his friends were white.

So his buddies were usually missing some teeth from some Oroville days. I had known them for some time, so when playing football, I didn’t think much of it. It did piss me off that they didn’t throw me the ball and kept me on defense. I still disrupted most of the plays. They just liked to throw interceptions. They asked me if I wanted to be a bad guy in one of their movie projects that they were conjuring up. Since I knew these guys had almost zero talent for movie making, I kindly agreed, if they did all the work. They proposed some Star Trek and I proposed some Twilight Zone. They proposed a Batman spin where the bad guys would be sitting at the table. I figured I was Batman, so I’m not sure that would work out for me, unless I beat their face in at the end of the card game. I guess my brother played the Joker.

So I drove away, and then the game turned into Mad Max, Fury Road. I guess Northern California wanted to keep the water, and Southern California didn’t like the country people and they wanted the water. Everyone started throwing fire bombs at each other, it got crazy. So the South paid off some ”official” people with the Damn money, and they shared the water with the weed growers and Mothers Milk. All the gangs lived happily ever after, including the military and Hollywood, which we all know, are the most important gangs in California. They eventually brought Donald Trump to rake and threw fake Rambo in military prison for trying to start a rebellion, which was actually a sting to begin with. It was a complicated video game on story mode. Most people just like to play on vs. Mode.

I only rented the game, so I didn’t really play it, everyone I knew loved it and bought it. I guess the marijuana dispensaries were selling it along with cookies. I would rather spend my time watching Netflix and watch some Daredevil or Breaking Bad. Those were some epic shows. I used to just watch the Documentaries, but ever since I bought a subscription, I like the dramas. It always begs the question, does art reflect real life, or does real life reflect art. Sometimes I think to myself, when I notice the panic attack people have in the world around me, how could everyone not notice how much we believe other people to be better than us. How much we fear other people to be better than us. How groups of people feel threatened by others greatness, and that they don’t take the time to nurture their own greatness. In a hysteria to feel loved and be seen in a crowded world, we try and find the flaws of the others around us to lift ourselves up. Flowers fighting for sunlight. Animals fighting for food and water. Instead we are water and lightning. We are the light.

It makes me reminisce on the struggle of the waves crashing. I find the breath I need in the moments between the struggle. If I panic, I miss those moments while fighting against the ocean. If I don’t panic, I am able to breath steadily and find the least resistance without drowning. And if I live to tell the story, what else would a story need but you to tell it. How many stories have saved your life? How many stories gave you strength to carry on? How many stories have let you share in the tragedies and triumphs of another? Stories that made you laugh and cry, ones that you have learned from and ones that didn’t make sense till years later. To play the video game in story mode or just in versus? I personally like to write my own story.

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thebladeblaster · 4 years ago

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Digimon Tamer ZERO (ver.2) Chapter 1 The Digimon Phenomenon (part 1)

(The differences are more noticeable towards the end)