#not to worry about her

[chronicparagon]

“Hey, Adelheid? Are you awake?” Harmony asks as she walks into the stable. "I couldn't sleep and I wanted to check on you." She adds as one hand rubs the corner of her eye as the other holds a lantern. Though weary, the woman struggles to sleep with so much on her mind. Besides, she isn't comfortable leaving her friend alone. The shades freeze in place as they hear a voice but they have no time to melt into the dark before a lantern's light catches them. That is when Harmony notices that the mare is not alone.

"Whoa! Shades! SHADES!" The sight of the dark creatures jostle her from the remnants of sleep. "SHADES! WE GOT SHADES HERE!" She shouts before jumping into Adelheid's stall. Though she is not well-versed in dark magic, she knows what shades are.

Creatures created from shadows and blood of the sacrificed, a forbidden craft that only powerful and sinister sorcerers can achieve. They are sentient but only have one purpose: To do their master's dark bidding and from the looks of it: They came from Adelheid!

That can only mean one thing-

Someone knows what she actually is! Whoever made these thralls saw through Adelheid's cover and they want her without doing the dirty work themselves. Like hell she's going to let them take her away to whoever sent them here! Lithe fingers turn the knob of her lantern, intensifying its glow.

"Back! Back off!" Harmony snaps as she waves the lantern before the creatures. The shades hiss in pain from the light and withdraw from the dark corners of the stall. They lash out towards Harmony, their maws snapping, but their fangs fail to catch her due to the light burning their cursed flesh. Serpentine bodies meld together in their tiny sanctuary. Harmony draws her dagger from its sheath. It's not ideal, preferring her sword, but then again, she didn't think demonic creatures would be hunting her friend!

One shade snarls as they slither around, striking at Harmony from behind. She turns on her heel and swings her dagger. The blade dives into its head, earning a pained cry. She shoves the lantern against it and the creature releases a blood-curdling screech. Their arms swing and Harmony backs away before its claws can slash through her. Dark blood pours from the stab wound, blinding the shade. The drops fall onto the ground, leaving burns there as the smell of sulfur fills the air. The first shade writhes on the ground as the light burns its head to nothing but ashes. The long body lays there, motionless until it becomes liquid, leaving behind a horribly, black, oily substance. The other two shades leap after Harmony, determined to kill her and capture the unicorn. Their lives depended on it!

"Get away from her! Get away!" Harmony shouts as she swings the light at the surviving demons. Distant calls from other people grow as they hear Harmony's warning. Soon, footsteps close in on Adelheid's stall with torches and weapons in tow. Shades are no laughing matter, even if they are low-level creatures. They are weak compared to other dark creatures that lurk in this very world.

However, time is growing short as Harmony fends off the remaining intruders. The guards may not be able to come to her aid on time for the lantern's light slowly dims, granting them greater reach for her. It seems that shades are very weak to light. But is using magic worth the risk?

The white horse stood still, attentively listening to her new companion. She recognized that the experience was somewhat overwhelming; perhaps they should have chosen a smaller destination, such as a village or a secluded farm in the land, before arriving at this bustling metropolis filled with countless buildings and people. The sheer number of individuals was daunting for someone like her, and she realized she needed time to acclimate.

As she nodded slowly in response to her friend's encouragement, she felt grateful for the support. The city was indeed intimidating, far beyond her expectations. She contemplated that perhaps their next outing should be to a quieter location, away from the government hub, until she became accustomed to being around so many humans. For now, she decided to focus on enjoying her meal and the company of her friend.

When night fell and it was time to rest, she observed her friend departing for the tavern. Unlike her companion, she did not have the luxury of such accommodations; her place was in the stable. As she was led to her stall, she found it surprisingly comfortable, with golden straw and clean floors that resembled a cozy bedroom. She settled in, taking a few bites of hay, and noticed several other horses nearby. A warm blanket was securely fastened around her, providing comfort despite the mildness of the night. She felt a deep appreciation for her friend, who had thoughtfully gathered supplies for her, and she vowed to repay this kindness many times over.

She would prepare for the night in the stall, pacing until she found a comfortable position to lie down. With her head resting, wrapped in a purple blanket, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep. As the hours passed, she remained unaware of the dark figures that had infiltrated the stables, searching for something—or rather, someone. 

They had a specific purpose and were determined not to leave empty-handed. Their target was not just any horse; it had to be the white one, the one they believed their master desired, a creature whose worth exceeded her weight in gold.

Though she attempted to sleep, her ears twitched at the sound of hay crunching, indicating the presence of someone in the stables. Initially, she assumed it was a servant or a worker from the tavern conducting their nightly checks to ensure everything was in order. After all, the horses of the heroes and merchants were vital to their trade, and any harm that befell them would reflect poorly on the tavern. Dismissing the noise, she settled back into a slumber, her tail flicking occasionally as she sensed a presence nearby. 

When she opened her eyes, she found the dark figures surrounding her, watching intently.

Was this a dream or a nightmare? She could not tell, but one thing was certain: she would only communicate with her friend and no one else. To everyone else, she was merely a white horse, and she would not disclose her magical nature. Unable to speak, she remained silent, hoping to navigate the situation carefully and avoid revealing anything. Perhaps they were simply observing her or had mistakenly entered the wrong stall. For the moment, she lowered her head again and feigned sleep.

[lizzibennet]

chappell roan’s got this sudden very huge burst of attention and since then she has

shown up to jimmy fallon in full drag

shown up to her concerts in even zainier outfits than before

worn a nun costume to one concert and when people were uncomfortable she was like good. toodles!

very clearly stated she will retreat from the public eye if she feels threatened by her fame

put very firm boundaries in place, not caring how that might make her look in today’s ass backward society that thinks artists owe everyone everything

she really is trying the hardest to do this in her own terms, in this industry that pretty much allows no wiggle room when it comes to being as big as she’s gotten. it’s clear to me she doesn’t care about maintaining the level of notoriety she has now, she cares about connecting to the subset of people who her art has always been aimed at and that is it. and i find it so admirable! it must be really hard to get what every artists out there is trying to and not let yourself get influenced by it, but she is remaining steadfastly herself. it’s so refreshing and it makes me like her so much more

[paper-lilypie]

caught up to the manga…. space globalists arc beloved

[kagoutiss]

i’ll take care of everything

[chloesimaginationthings]

Vanny regrets living at the FNAF pizzaplex even more now..

[nataliescatorccio]

#colin 'i am your chaperone' bridgerton

[stromblessed]

Mizu, femininity, and fallen sparrows

In my last post about Mizu and Akemi, I feel like I came across as overly critical of Mizu given that Mizu is a woman who - in her own words - has to live as a man in order to go down the path of revenge.

If she is ever discovered to be female by the wrong person, she will not only be unable to complete her quest, but there's a good chance that she'll be arrested or killed.

So it makes complete sense for Mizu to distance herself as much as possible from any behavior that she feels like would make someone question her sex.

I felt so indignant toward Mizu on my first couple watchthroughs for this moment. Why couldn't Mizu bribe the woman and her child's way into the city too? If Mizu is presenting as a man, couldn't she claim to be the woman's escort?

However, this moment makes things pretty clear. Mizu knows all too well the plight of women in her society. She knows it so well that she cannot risk ever finding herself back in their position again. She helps in what little way she can - without drawing attention to herself.

Mizu is not a hero and she is not one to make of herself a martyr - she will not set herself on fire to keep others warm. There's room to argue that Mizu shouldn't prioritize her quest over people's lives, but given the collateral damage Mizu can live with in almost every episode of season 1, Mizu is simply not operating under that kind of morality at this point. ("You don't know what I've done to reach you," Mizu tells Fowler.)

And while I still feel like Mizu has an obvious and established blind spot when it comes to Akemi because of their differences in station, such that Mizu's judgment of Akemi and actions in episode 5 are the result of prejudice rather than the result of Mizu's caution, I also want to establish that Mizu is just as caged as Akemi is, despite her technically having more freedom while living as a man.

Mizu can hide her mixed race identity some of the time, and she can hide her sex almost all of the time, but being able to operate outside of her society's strict rules for women does not mean she cannot see their plight.

It does not mean she doesn't hurt for them.

Back to Mizu and collateral damage, remember that sparrow?

While Mizu is breaking into Boss Hamata's manse, she gets startled by a bird and kills it on reflex. She then cradles it in her hands - much more tenderly than we've seen Mizu treat almost anything up to this point in the season:

She then puts it in its nest, with its unhatched eggs. Almost like she's trying to make the death look natural. Or like an accident.

You see where I'm going with this.

When Mizu kills Kinuyo, Mizu lingers in the moment, holding the body tenderly:

And btw a lot of stuff about this show hit me hard, but this remains the biggest gut punch of them all for me, Mizu holding that poor girl's body close, GOD

When Mizu arranges the "scene of the crime," Kinuyo's body is delicate, birdlike. And Mizu is so shaken afterward that she gets sloppy. She's horrified at this kill to the point that she can't bring herself to take another innocent life - the boy who rats her out.

MIZU'S ONE MOMENT OF SOFTNESS AND MERCY, COMING ON THE HEELS OF HER NEEDING TO KILL A GIRL TO SPARE HER THE WORST FATE THAT THIS RIGID SOCIETY HAS TO OFFER WOMEN, AND TO SPARE A BROTHEL FULL OF INNOCENT WOMEN WHO ARE THE CASTOFFS OF SOCIETY, NEARLY RESULTS IN ALL OF THEIR DEATHS

No wonder Mizu is as stoic and cold as she is.

And no wonder Mizu has no patience for Akemi whatsoever right before the terrible reveal and the fight breaks out:

Speaking of Akemi - guess who else is compared to a bird!

The plumage is more colorful, a bit flashier. But a bird is a bird.

And, uh

Yeah.

I like to think that Mizu killing the sparrow is not only foreshadowing for what she must do to Kinuyo, but is also a representation of the choice she makes on Akemi's behalf. She decides to cage the bird because she believes the bird is "better off." Better off caged than... dead.

But because Mizu doesn't know Akemi or her situation, she of course doesn't realize that the bird is fated to die if it is caged and sent back home.

Mizu is clearly not happy, or pleased, or satisfied by allowing Akemi to be dragged back to her father:

But softness and mercy haven't gotten Mizu anywhere good, recently.

There is so much tragedy layered into Mizu's character, and it includes the things she has to witness and the choices she makes - or believes she has to make - involving women, when she herself can skirt around a lot of what her society throws at women. Although, I do believe that it comes at the cost of a part of Mizu's soul.

After all, I'm gonna be haunted for the rest of this show by Mizu's very first prayer in episode 1:

"LET" her die. Because as Ringo points out, she doesn't "know how" to die.

Kind of like another bird in this show:

[watchingwisteria]

listen there really was just something about how in the book, snow’s 3-page descent from hesitant lover boy to deluded mfer happens entirely in his mind. lucy gray gives him no indication whatsoever that she suspects him, that she’s going to leave or betray him. he’s just sitting quietly in the cabin waiting for her to return when that seed of calculated suspicion, which he has needed to survive the capitol, takes a hold of him and chokes the life out of any goodness left inside him. it really drives home your terror as a reader that “oh my god did he kill her? did she escape? what happened to her? why would he even think that?” in a way that when the movie had to adjust for visualization it lost some of that holy shit this guy has lost it emphasis.

[soldrawss]

*holds face tenderly*

[pinacoladamatata]

"I've seen the way you look at him... You're in it."

they shouldn't kiss. they shouldn't kiss at all. they're going to kiss a whole lot

[sentientstump]

screw you! (shapes your hylics)

[gongedtornado]

i was super lazy with this but i needed to get this idea out or i wouldve shrivelled

[pangur-and-grim]

it is kinda spooky to know that my pain isn't in my head, if that makes sense? like after my MRI my rheumatologist said "yeah, your hips and spine are being corroded by your immune system," so now when I wake up and have trouble walking it's like......hm......the corrosion.....

[spicymancer]

Monster Researcher Eclair reference sheet

[morganbritton132]

Steve is over at the Buckley house a lot and Robin’s mom spends a lot of time observing him. She notices his light sensitivity and how often his visits are interrupted by a headache or a migraine, and thinks to herself, “I know exactly how to help this boy.”

Now, Robin is forced to say a sentence that she never thought she’d have to utter which is, “Please stop getting high with my mom.”

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF movie Vanessa’s thoughts when meeting Abby..