#really does appear in the weirdest places

[panaceatthedisco]

I was explaining LOTR to a friend of mine and while explaining Bilbo and Frodo what I meant to say was that they were well-off hobbits who went on an adventure...

Except the words that came out my mouth were that they had both pulled a Stede Bonnet

[astrogre]

Astro Observations 1

My first Astro observations post, I would like to confirm that my observations are the niche ways in which a placement may manifest, it is the way I’ve noticed it in others, the people around me, celebrities, myself and in my studies. It is not the doctrine wide broad way the placement occurs for everyone.

Venus in 10th house natives tend to be well known for the person they may date. They tend to date people that really match them physically and can have their relationships idolized by others. The sign it’s under can show what their partners may be known for. This is also a common placement for celebrities because the interest from others in your love life increases your public image, making you more desirable and of interest to everyone including agencies/record labels, they will see your influential potential and love that. Even if you guys don’t date anyone people may have someone in mind who they think matches you or others can just look at you and wonder what your “type” is. Your love life in itself is of interest to others.

Eg. Chris Brown, Johnny Depp, Jimin, Victoria Beckham, Kristen Stewart, Billie Eilish, Kanye West.

Another way Venus 10th housers may manifest is they may have crushes on renowned key figures from history like JFK, Alexander Hamilton, Stalin, Cleopatra, Marilyn Monroe, royal monarchy literally any people of historical significance. (Saturn influence is long lasting and for Venus to be here it can make natives romanticise powerful historical figures)

Pluto 3rd housers can dominate the conversations they have with others so much that they don’t let the other person have their own opinion.

Capricorn Chiron in 6th house makes people feel worthless and terrible if they haven’t been productive for a day, these people don’t like to be lazy, it makes them feel inferior. They put a lot of pressure on themselves to produce and their day routine may be their greatest pride.

10H stellium always have career plans, they like to advance their CV and career prowess for fun, always taking up opportunities. Especially if sun is here.

12H stellium always posting the weirdest stuff that others don’t understand but it has a unique vibe to it that just feels “right” at the same time, they may have this aesthetic that feels eery but overtime enjoyable and something to look forward to because of its uniqueness. I have a 12H stellium friend and they always post pictures of weird random abandoned places with crocs and dirty teddy bears laying in the middle of them. At first I thought it strange but overtime, I look forward to what monstrosity of visuals they will bring next. 12H really does bring out things never seen before. 🤔

Venus in 1H makes you look very feminine, you may style yourself in a feminine manner or have a naturally feminine appearance. Eg. Leo Venus in 1H May have very beautiful feminine looking long hair.

1H Libra Mars has a similar effect as Venus in the 1H however these natives have a hint touch of masculinity, are rather playboy, Casanova and can have a big ego. Think of Flynn rider from tangled. Very pretty boy.

People with 12H Capricorn placements may procrastinate or find difficulty in bringing the planets in there into reality and get frustrated at themselves for it. It’s similar to the planet being in retrograde E.g a 12H Capricorn moon not being able to fully show or act on the way they feel in their head. Look at the house of where Saturn is in your chart to find the topics and how you can bring the energy of your Capricorn 12H planets out.

0 degrees for any planet or asteroid means that you embody that planet/asteroid and its sign in its most pure authentic form. It can make you the epithet of that placement.

Lilith Square Asc makes someone not able to escape looking like a bad boy/girl it always comes out in their appearance without them intending to. They don’t want to present themselves in a way that looks scandalous but at the same time a part of them is and they can’t escape that. It’s like an energy. They’re dynamic and free, they like what they like and that shows in their face and appearance. They also can’t change things about themselves to please others even if they wanted to.

Jupiter 1H usually have big features, like a glossy kind of look to them. It may be big eyes, flushed face, supple puffy skin, wide nose or just have an abundant looking face. I’ve also noticed they tend to have a squared shape face with rounded edges. E.g Hailey Beiber, Abraham Lincoln, Gerard Butler, Aishwarya Rai, Niall Horan, Ashton kutcher, Whitney Houston, Cristiano Ronaldo

Also this is completely random and not astrologically backed up but whenever I think of Jupiter 1H I just think of clear gleaming skin. Perhaps it is backed up astrologically as Jupiter blesses and brings luck to the house it’s in and it being in the 1st rules a natives appearance. Anyways when I think of Jupiter 1st house I always imagine that they don’t need very much makeup they have this glow to them already that cannot be copied.

Virgo ASC style and dress themselves in a way that’s unique for them, for an example they may always have a signature accessory that they wear that only they understand why it’s so important to be worn. E.g. can be a headband, jewellery or hat. They may also be consistent in the way they look, they don’t tend to have “bad days”. In my personal opinion I find Virgo rising men the most attractive. But beauty is in the perspective of the beholder.

Speaking of which, my unpopular opinion is that I don’t believe that a sign or planet can make you more beautiful than another sign E.g like how people say Venus, libra and Taurus is an indicator of being beautiful -I just think that each sign personifies beauty in a different way. In my eyes I see Libra and Venus beauty to be feminine and attractive, but I find Pluto Scorpio beauty to be alluring and intense, magnetic, like Phantom of the opera, like an enchanting vampire that resides in the shadows. I also find Uranus Aquarius beauty to be far more entrancing, striking and even as if the native looks like their from a game fantasy novel or a manga protagonist. I don’t think we can just say “having Venus prominent makes someone more beautiful than others”, perhaps conventionally but not universally. Planets and signs of the first house can show us HOW the beauty is made manifest. It being of Venus, libra influence just kind of makes it feminine or conventionally attractive like butterflies or roses rather than intense or of large magnitude (unless making aspects to magnifying planets like Jupiter)

Aquarius moons can feel a lot of emotions but they’re very good at holding it in. People say that they don’t feel much because the nature of Aquarius being detached however I’ve also seen it occur in a way where the Aquarius moon native may pretend they’re not hurt or sad so that they can keep it pushing and force this happy facade so it hurts less but in reality their just burying the pain deeper. They are kind of avoidant but it makes you feel sorry for them because even if you try to comfort them they don’t even acknowledge the pain themselves so it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Jupiter in 6th house always have action packed days, they spend their days with joy and have a really good time. They usually have their dream day to day life. They’re your one friend that is always doing something interesting, fully booked and loves it.

Jupiter 8H are never strapped for cash, these natives can just be very lucky in getting money from others. Especially if in harmonious aspects with sun, Pluto and Venus. If aspects are negative native still doesn’t worry much but may find that people are a little more hesitant to giving or Jupiter 8H native doesn’t want to ask for it.

Mars 1H makes someone want to work harder on their body by going to the gym, may want to look more manly, aggressive.

Jupiter conjunct moon in 7th house makes you a very passionate lover, anyone who is in a relationship with you can always feel excited and you excel in relationships.

Mercury conjunct ascendant can make someone always think about their goals, plan their next move. They use their minds to get what they want from life and can talk about the principles they apply to themselves which can make them look rather intelligent to others. Can also make someone appear very youthful, not only in appearance but their mannerisms too. Like a dimply smile, blushing and shaking their head when complimented. An animated response.

Moon opposite asc, tends to make a person unable to think clearly when emotions are involved, especially when it’s related to topics in the house your moon is in, like you can look a little mentally unstable here 💀 because your emotions that you show can drastically change from 0-100. moon opp asc also can have a person go against what they want, their principles and approach to life, the opposition forces them to deny their feelings existence in order to act in the way they believe is best. You can even care more about your image than the themes of the moons house.

E.g 7H moon opposite ascendant can make someone care about their image in the relationship, display an image of nonchalance when in reality they’re very protective of their partner. The feelings from their partner and their relationship can be irresistible and make them at times abandon their vices and plans for themselves

[vintagegeekculture]

"The Ayla Descent Theory" of Mary Sues

"Children of the Earth," Luis Royo.

After the success of Jean M. Auel's stone age novel Clan of the Cave Bear, there was a very lengthy trend in the publishing world of stone age adventure novels aimed at women that lasted for a decade and only really fizzled out in the early 2000s. After all, "Ayla," the name of the main character of these books, was one of the top baby names of 1987.

The target audience for these books were weird midwestern aunts....you know, the Mists of Avalon and the Mercedes Lackey/Valdemar audience. Therefore, the Clan of the Cave Bear imitators also featured things of interest to the weird aunt audience: Scotland, redhaired women with sharp tongues, commanding wolves, Ireland, Feminism, riding herds of wild horses bareback in scenic locations, Wicca, matriarchial religions, swimming with dolphins....but above all else, American Indians (a culture this audience finds interesting, as anyone who has seen the home decor of a typical weird midwestern aunt can attest), with many novels set in Ice Age America, like Children of the Dawn, Reindeer Moon and the First Americans. Decades later, this audience would form the core fandom for Game of Thrones, and the character of Khaleesi Targaryen in particular.

These books almost assuredly still have a place of honor on the book shelf of the weirdest woman at your job.

Nearly all of these imitators have two of Clan of the Cave Bear's defining traits: 1) a supremely beautiful, usually blonde athletic and statuesque main character over 5'11" who does not realize that she is so beautiful and desirable, who is good at a variety of different skills and is friendly with animals like hawks, dolphins, or horses, and 2) a love triangle between this aforementioned blond but innocent Venus and two bodybuilder muscular he-men cave hunks, one of whom is a blonde guy with long rock star hair (it was the 80s), and the other being a buff black guy with dreadlocks (or otherwise ethnic in some way).

The heroine usually picks the blonde guy in the end, but the audience usually picks the ethnic guy.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, in the broader culture of fandom, it was fashionable to dump on "Mary Sues" (indulgent wish-fulfillment author personas in fanfiction) and the people who wrote them. Accusations of creating a Mary Sue approached a kind of hysteria. Even at the time, when everyone else was getting swept up in this, I thought that getting mad about aunties writing fanfiction showed a loss of perspective, and was a bit silly. Thankfully, we've benefitted from moral evolution: the consensus in fandom now is that writing aspirational characters is a harmless activity that tests a young writer's creative muscles, like the half-Vulcan pretty new ensign on the Enterprise that Kirk and Spock both fall in love with, or a new archer girl who Legolas falls in love with joining the Fellowship. This hate walked hand in hand with insecurities, in the exact same way that people worried about their appearance or concerned with their weight are often cruel to fat people, and there were frequent tests if this or that character in your writing was a Mary Sue.

There was a running joke in this 2000s culture of anti-self insertion called the "Ayla Descent Theory of Mary Sues." The joke was that Mary Sues came into existence because Ayla, the beautiful, athletic heroine of the Clan of the Cave Bear novels, was the ancestor of their entire lineage, as the first known Mary Sue to ever exist in the historical record, described as being a statuesque blonde who did everything right and was always at the center of love triangles, and who changed human history.

According to the running joke, Mary Sues everywhere were descended from Ayla from Clan of the Cave Bear, and she was the first to exist, and Ayla was the explanation of where all the Enterprise's new ensigns main characters fall in love with come from.

[justarandombrit]

Believe it or not, I did in fact go to see Spies Are Forever (you'd never know from looking at my blog), and, as usual, I wrote down some notes. My memory is shit so I'll probably update this with additions when I remember more, but for now, below the cut...

Act 1:

. They played Show Stoppin' Number and so many people were singing along

. It started midway through them playing The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals

. Joey: “Sorry to anyone who thought they were seeing Wizard Of Oz. Although, this show has many friends of Dorothy”

. Emily Proudlock has a beautiful voice. The microphone was struggling a little at the start, though lmao

. THEY GOT AN ACTUAL BANANA PEEL

. Oliver Ormson (Owen) called Curt “Mega” which in the show he doesn't do until he becomes the DMA (not a criticism, just interesting)

. Owen said the “A man needs his privacy”(?) line, so Owen and Barb have officially interacted now

. I love Brian's Informant. His French accent was so over the top

. Brian stared at Clark when he said “The Deadliest Man Alive” until Clark played the keyboard sting. And then whenever anyone else said it throughout the show, he played it.

. They left in a huge awkward silence when the DMA was waiting for Sergio and it was so funny

. Sergio sounded so awkward when he said “You guys can relate, right?”

. Joey fucking SCREAMED “PLEASE!” during Sergio's little Somebody's Gotta Do It reprise

. “The Deadliest Man Alive disarms Mega and escapes”

“He does?”

. Dean John Wilson walked back on stage after his exit, said “The Deadliest Man” and left again

. Okay, so Claire M. Hall is a perfect Cynthia

. You guys are gonna crucify me for this, but I actually liked her Eyes On The Prize I better than Lauren's…

. Joey was making the weirdest faces during Eyes On The Prize II

. Curt cocked his head at Hallucination!Owen and Owen shrugged and mouthed “I don't know” at him

. I LOVE EMILY OOI’S BARB!!!!!! She did a cute little dance during “It's actually a gun!”

. Obioma (Curt) pretending his beard had been shaved lmao

. No Richard Big appearance sadly

. Curt was even more oblivious about Tatiana hitting on him than in the actual show

. The Nazi ensemble stuck around throughout the whole scene and kept gasping when Curt called them villains

. THEY MADE NOT SO BAD… EVEN MORE NOT SO BAD

. “SAY WE GOT A BIT LOST, WITH THE WHOLE HOLO–” *looks at ensemble* “ehh…”

. “WE DID ALL WE COULD DO TO poopoo THE JEW”

. They didn't make the audience chant, which was… probably for the best

. Von Nazi yelled “I'm a big boy! A BIG BOY” at Mega then walked off without using his knees

. Curt groaned and hung his head when the DMA said “I'm gonna torture the living shite outta you”

. Actually gasped at the overlapping “Doesn't even matter if I killed my best friend” and “To show you the horror of staying alive”, even though I knew it was coming

. The homoeroticism 🤌🤌🤌🤌

Act 2:

. I WAS ON THE SAME ROW AS A.J. FUCKING HOLMES AND DIDN'T NOTICE UNTIL JOEY SHOUTED HIM OUT

. Joey shouted out loads of cosplayers still in character as Vanger Borschtit

. Everyone was so excited about Vanger Borschtit, and Joey made everyone cheer for an acceptable amount of time “for his reel”

. The new We Love the Prince lyrics really are so much better (also what did he do to the Pope?!?!?)

. Vanger Borschtit was DISTRAUGHT when the prince died

. Obioma stared so blankly into the audience at “Or whatever it is you boys do in the rumpus room”

. I think out of all of the new cast members, Evelyn Hoskins (Tatiana) sounded the most like the original actor (she was also so cool)

. Obioma actually sung the little “Very good place to start” Sound Of Music reference and Tatiana looked so annoyed

. Tatiana was SO into Doing This up until the kiss (which wasn't a real kiss lmao)

. MRS MEGAAAAAAAAAA

. The lights flashed rainbow after the line “So we're just… friends?”

. Curt looked straight at Barb when he said “Some of us may die”

. Curt paused before he drank the shot, and then started drinking a load and everyone stared at him, really concerned. It was a really neat piece of acting

. Von Nazi kept stressing how he had no idea how Feurgin was killed

. The Informant looked so concerned at the start of NSB reprise, then actually kinda got into it

. Jak Malone (Von Nazi) made his death SO DRAMATIC. He fell to the ground and went “Ow, my back! Ow, my front! Ow, my…self” and then got up and bowed

. Owen stood behind the DMA and they just spun around while Joey narrated

. Joey: “THE DEADLIEST MAN ALIVE FALLS DOWN THROUGH A HIDDEN TRAP DOOR IN THE STAGE–”

. ONE STEP AHEAD JSTSKTKEYYKDKFYFUHDYSWWGDJFKGKFDHSGSTSFJKGKGKGJDSYSYIFKF I'M NOT OKAY

Dean: *Crouch-walks away*

. Owen stared directly at Curt (and addressed him instead of Tatiana) when he said “Don't slip up” and loads of people “Ooh”ed

. Owen seemed actually on the verge of tears in Spies Are Forever (Reprise)

. He also fully yelled “You're a caveman!”

. They changed the line “Taking your advice” to “Moving on”, just like Curt (I think it was Curt? Edit: IT WAS JOEY) wanted in the livestream

. The speech before Spy Again (Reprise) was so good. Everyone came out on stage and it was all just incredible

. SPIES ARE FOREVER, IT'S A MUSICAAAAAAAAALLLLLL……. IT'S ABOUT SPIES!

[blueikeproductions]

So the other TFONE Prime cards came out, so what I’ll do is just cover the ones I don’t have much to say about here.

First up Solus Prime.

Solus has had the weirdest design philosophies. This design seems to be primarily based on the Prime Wars webseries look.

Which is the superior design vs her original look which has this weird HR Geiger Species vibe I’m not fond of.

Solus’ primary claim to fame is being the first female Transformer, and the only one among the Primes, making most of the famous weapons in the general lore, and pry most tragic: getting shot by The Fallen and dying. Her body serving as the basis for the Well of Allsparks, meaning she functionally given birth to all Transformers going forward. There’s a… lot to unpack there, not helped is shows like RiD15 and Cyberverse use her name as an exclamation/cuss in “Sweet Solus Prime!” Unlike the older lore, ONE Solus dies by Sentinel’s actions, absolving Megatronus of the matter, which honestly I kinda prefer. Whether Solus and Megs were romantically involved here is unknown. I think what I’m most surprised by is the movie resisted giving Elita Solus’ Cog, since I guarantee older stuff would’ve done that. Outside of both being girls tho’, Solus does fit Elita’s hard working personality more than Alchemist and Onyx.

Nexus Prime

Not gonna lie, I’m kinda disappointed about this one. His gimmick is he’s the first Combiner, which again contradicts Aligned’s claim Amalgamous is the first converting robot with the first Cog. The ONE design pushes it more into a G1 Blitzwing direction, with vestigial nods to the combiner idea in that he looks to combine from a jet and tank in particular, again mirroring Blitzwing.

Though it also could be a reference to Flywheels.

Nexus Prime’s original designs nevertheless make his Combiner gimmick expressed more clearly.

So it feels like a bit of a downgrade to me. His gun shield looks like it formed from a tank component to me, but that could be a stretch… Maybe he really IS a Duocon in this universe.

Liege Maximo

If there’s one thing Liege is known for, it’s not having a consistent design.

As we’ve gone from whatever this is supposed to be…

To Loki because the MCU was really popular back then.

The new design still uses Marvel Loki as the basis, but dials it back considerably, instead making him more of a generic knight. Notably the inclusion of a sword is interesting, as Aligned states his weapons are poisonous Legion Darts. Maximo’s initial concept painted HIM as the first Decepticon, of which Megatron and the others are descended from, an evil being created by Primus to counterbalance the first Prime via G2. Because Megatronus later inherited a lot of this, he instead was cast as more of a manipulative trickster, still evil, but not to the same extent as his G2 version was. Liege Maximo is also the Prime of false starts, as his G2 and IDW selves were set up as the next major villain but cancellation saw this unresolved. G2 Liege Maximo saw conclusion in what was unofficial fan fiction written by Furman, while IDW Liege Maximo was unceremoniously killed by Shockwave-Onyx in the main book. His only role that saw a proper conclusion was in RiD15, where he was the villain of the day in a chapter book causing problems for the Autobots because he was bored in the Prime Realm and wanted a cheap thrill. RiD is also the only place his Loki like characteristics were played around with. Because the Primes in ONE appear to all be benevolent, it’s not clear if Megatronus or Liege Maximo are still supposed to be the evil ones or not, but the more heroic looking Liege says no to me.

Amalgamous Prime

The mad lads finally made this horrifying thing work.

Pushing it into a four armed ED-209 direction is much better, and frankly going by his more “primitive” build, they can easily make future Shockwave toys into Amalgamamous. This guy’s claim to fame in the modern lore is being the first actual Transformer with the first Cog, which again is contradicted by Nexus and (possibly) Onyx also being able to Transform… Aligned lore says his Cog informed all future robots on Cybertron of the ability to Transform, but ONE streamlines it that ALL the Primes had Cogs and the ability to Transform, making Amalgamous somewhat redundant. Aligned also claims his direct descendants are “Shifters”, Transformers with omni transformation, rather than the standard robot to vehicle.

Aligned didn’t really do much with this concept because you can’t realistically make a toy of such a thing nor is it feasible to have them as reoccurring characters for both expenses and being OP, with TFP Makeshift and RID15 Pseudo being depicted as shadow creatures in their default mode. The Shifters haven’t returned post Aligned so I think it’s an abandoned concept. Future stuff I would assume would instead say Triple Changers and Six Changers are AP’s direct descendants since they’re much easier to work with in toy and fiction. His new Robot Mode makes me think he turns into a tank, but I’m also not sure if his head is his chest or not….

Vector Prime

Aside from his head and colors, the TFONE version is straight up the original Galaxy Force version.

Though his colors evoke one of Vector Prime’s influences, the Marvel G1 Last Autobot.

Vector Prime’s best known role is in Cybertron/Galaxy Force, where as the Primus appointed guardian of time, he joined the Autobots of the present day to find the Cyber Planet Keys to close the Black Hole that threatened the universe, as it was the end of time. Galaxy Force also showed Vector Prime can manipulate time, but it was a drain on his energy, and using it too much would kill him. Notably he used a brief display of this early on to save the kids and Mini-Cons from certain death, but I guess this version of Vector couldn’t do the same to defeat Sentinel & the Quints…

[holding-monsters-hands]

May i get a uhhh..a really sleepy reader with medic, Spy, heavy and maybe Demo? Like sometimes they just sit and stare at a wall and fall asleep in the weirdest positons ever (it would be funny if it looked like a ragdoll) but they are very very cuddly and love to be carried!

Sleepy reader! with Medic, Spy, Heavy, & Demo

Medic:

He thinks you’re just so silly, and he finds it rather endearing that you sleep like you just fell from a 70 ft story building. <3

He can read you like a book, and knows all the cues of when you’re about to fall asleep. So he’ll typically scoop you up in his arms, and carry you off to bed no matter where you two are, or the time-of-day.

Though he does get a little concerned with how sleepy you are ALL the time, and may run a few tests to check and see if this is a under-lying health issue. He tends to overthink when it comes to you, very unlike how he is with his own team-mates.

But if that’s just how you are, and it’s nothing to be concerned about.. he’ll fret over you a little less, and just focus on making sure his love is comfortable and well-rested. Snuggling will always be a must, as he considers that physical connection to be highly necessary to your sleep cycle. (Or so he claims.)

Spy:

He is SO fed up with your shit, I swear. 😭 [loving]

When he can see you’re about to nod off, he’ll quietly excuse the both of you- that’s if you’re in a place to do so, of course. Otherwise, he’ll try his best to gently prod you awake if need be.

He loves to snuggle, no matter how up-tight or nonchalant he may act about it. Having you in his arms brings him a sense of.. peace, like he can finally let loose a little. Like he doesn’t have to worry about appearances, when all he can do is admire how you cling onto him.

Some nights he just does not sleep with how much you move around, you’re a very chaotic sleeper. But regardless, he wouldn’t give away his nights with you for the world.

Heavy:

He’s pretty used to the weird shit you do, including your sleeping positions. So he won’t even bat an eye if you’re laying in a starfish position in the bed with a hand in his mouth and half your body off the mattress.

He loves to carry you around, no matter what size you are: you’ll never be too big or too small for heavy, he’ll hold you like you’re light as a feather either way.

But similar to medic, your constant state of exhaustion will worry him a bit.. so he’ll have medic look you over, and he’ll also probably turn to old home-remedies that his mother used to do for him and his sisters.

And don’t get him STARTED on cuddles, he loves them! however, he’s always as stiff as a board because he’s scared he’ll roll over and hurt you in some way or another, so he always prefers to have you sleep on top of him.

Demo:

He’s right there with you, you both are the absolute WORST at falling asleep together in weird places and positions, like he will be holding onto you like a limp-teddy bear and you’ll still look so comfortable.

Will never attempt to make you feel embarrassed over your sleepy state, he’s just as bad when he’s a tipsy.. and even then, with how much he works? that guy could fall sleep the second he sits down.

He absolutely adores cuddling you, and he is not afraid to show it. You guys probably have over a hundred different cuddling positions at this point, but his preferred position is to spoon you. With him as the big spoon, of course.

Though when you’re sleepy and he’s not, he’ll just rest you comfortably on his lap, gently stroking your back and instantly shushing anyone close by that he deems as ‘too loud’.

[dailycass-cain]

So on January 26th yesterday,  I looked into how the comics had Cass combat her disability in Dyslexia being not able to read and relate words vocally. 

What worked, what didn't, and which era handled the progression better.

At the very core of her very first appearance in Batman #567 by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, Barbara Gordon is trying to help Cassandra overcome her disability.  And it is her first words spoken that give her father David Cain pause.

Batgirl Vol. 1 #2 gives us the first look into how Cass really doesn't fully care about learning in either study instead focusing on her new vigilante life. That is until running into Robinson and learning WHY words and writing truly matter.

#5 has her run across a metahuman who has mental abilities and because of those rewires her brain to have the capacity to understand.

It's a cheap copout for sure.  But it gives Cass a voice in her mind along with the capacity to speak better.  Bad news? It screws up her abilities and how her mind was originally wired.

This leads into #6-9 basically being how Cass can get her ability to read body language and learn with the added bonus of her mind continuing to be the way it is.  Enter Lady Shiva who gives her this, but at a price aka the crux of what will lead into Batgirl #25.

Batgirl Vol. 1 #20 written by Chuck Dixon (art still by Scott). Where Cass comes to a drop man who's murdered before he can deliver a ransom. Her lack of being able to read leads her to seek out--

-- one Stephanie Brown aka Spoiler.  I think at this point the reason Cass went to Steph was that she was afraid Babs would lecture her on neglecting her reading lessons (which she would later on).

Tim Drake, she had just fully befriended (#18), but he was close to Babs. So Cass probably figured he accidentally let slip this and she'd be in trouble. Steph wouldn't she was on the outside from the Bat Family (at this time).

The issue does promise of Cass in attaining another reading teacher (which pays off in the most weirdest place, Convergence: Batgirl #1), but this plot point goes nowhere here. Cass/Steph's friendship would intensify for the next ten issues (#21, 26-28).

For the most part, we don't really get to see fully Cass try and fight her Dyslexia again until the Dylan Horrocks' run with #51 where we learn HOW Cass is expanding her word vocabulary via TV but neglecting on reading.

This bit reads its crux with the infamous #54 (i.e. the one that causes Cass/Babs to fracture away from one another).

In the issue, Cass has to deal with a killer robot that's taking out any place that has a copy of a book that has the codeword to shut it down. We learn during the fight, Cass has been neglecting her studies in reading.  Again with the infamous page:

Now Horrocks did this because he was ordered to write Babs off this title (Birds of Prey, the comic Babs was primarily in would be eventually moving away from Gotham). It was the first of that would make the writer leave the comic (and DC Comics altogether).

Regardless again the way the case rattled Cass enough to think about it all and work back into trying to read.

If there was instant positive of writer Andersen Gabrych when he began his run. He made sure this was a reoccurring plot point THROUGHOUT his run starting with #58.

By giving Cass her own diary it enables her better way to try and combat her disability. Along with in the very same issue, Cass trying to actively read a book for the first time on page.

The diary motif would be a hallmark of Gabrych's entire run with the book. So I'm not gonna post every entry. But I think that's why I really loved those first few issues because he covered ALL corners with the character. 

 You saw it all.

Never once did Gabrych use behind the issues trick. This was a struggle for Cass. I think it better helped resonate the character with readers by doing so. It also went down an angle that was different than Puckett and felt like the better next step from what was built on prior.

Course Cass would still have her bad habits of being an avid TV watcher. So the balance of her trying and struggling was a nice touch.

This came to an ironic fully circle with #67 with Babs returning (for one issue) in the comic and the pair hashing out their differences and mending. But it also reveals a further reason why Babs really wants Cass to learn to read. Again, this is probably the best reason.

She knows Cass wants to be Bruce's heir and be Batman. She knows the only way to fully be that is to get fully conquer her disability. And for the second time in her ongoing we get a look in how Cass's brain was wired from her learning from her father and the metahuman.

And we get the clearest answer how Cass's brain truly operates and why the usual methods in overcoming her disability in reading.

That's the final gift Gabrych gave us. 

A hope.

 A small faint hope that maybe Cass could learn with whatever writer would take on the character next. The only thing is even he couldn't anticipate what was to come...

Batgirl was canceled with #73 and well the next time we saw Cass and how this disability was handled came in Robin #148.

Alright, before I go into this portion. Newly minted Robin writer (this was his first issue) Adam Beechen came into comics had zero idea of the character of Cassandra Cain, other than what he was told and found.

The DC Editors on Robin did not help him or assist him. They gave him an edict... and he did that edict without question. The result....

Was this INFAMOUS page from Robin #149. Cassandra Cain the character who had the disability of Dyslexia somehow was able to learn another entire language.

That's not even going with the OTHER problem Robin OYL gave us with Cass (but that's an entirely ANOTHER issue). Regardless after the story arc, Beechen (and DC) realized just how badly he screwed up.

Course, the entirety on HOW Cass was suddenly able to learn an entire language with how her brain understood information. Yeah, this was a plot thread nobody truly wanted to answer when the retcons began dropping after Cass's "EVIL" phase to fix it.

In fact, it was Beechen himself who addressed the issue in Batgirl Vol. 2 #1 amongst the CHUNKS of well exposition and history that was the mess DC made of the character from 2006-2007.

So all those issues Babs mentioned in #67? Cass and Alfred fixed them and for the entire MISSING YEAR Cass made great strides to overcome her disability. THAT'S how she was able to understand the Navajo language.

Look I get what Beechen was doing and I also get we were NEVER gonna get the missing stories to showcase that. But to see an entire character's journey in overcoming her disability fixed overnight?

Even with Beechen giving us a classmate in Sal (who's last name we NEVER learn, and is forgettable male love interest #3 for Cass) who gives us the promise of something we never get from the Vol. 1 ongoing. Because DC was gonna DC.

That's basically it for the original run for Cass. That it was a nice harrowing journey that had its bumps but the character was making great strides to be better. Then well the road bumps began to occur and yeah...

I'll give it to Beechen that he tried at the very least to fix the holes he himself caused. But... in the format given it's just crushing how this was fully handled in the end.

Sadly we got nothing more as DC really did a meh job for about five years? We did get this little nugget in Convergence: Batgirl #1 though (somehow connecting that line from waaaaaay back in Batgirl Vol. 1 #20)...

Which is shocking of all places for Cass trying to overcome her disability, Convergence: Batgirl #1 was not the place one ever would think to find that, but we had that surprisingly.

So when Cass was "reintroduced" into the DCU with Batman & Robin Eternal. A reset was in order and writers were allowed back to square one in how to deal with Cass handling her Dyslexia disability.

I will say this for James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder on how they handle putting a metahuman with mental abilities they just slot that character in #11 by introducing the Sculptor who basically fills the same void the meta in Batgirl Vol. 1 #5 did.

Much like the original metahuman, once this link is established Sculptor nopes her way out of the story and is never heard from again.

Which kind of surprises me, because it's something I figured Tynion would maybe address during his Detective Comics run (that had Cass in it) given how much in #11 and 12 establish the character and her origins. 

But nope. Nothing further.

So yeah, after this we got James Tynion IV's Detective Comics run that had Cass in it starting from #934-981.

Not surprisingly, Tynion really handled the whole disability issue well than those in the past with the constraints he had. Even more so Juggling multiple characters in this book and going down a better avenue than his predecessors.

And that all begins with #953 with Clayface (Basil Karlo) trying to comfort Cass after learning her mom is Lady Shiva.

By doing this. Tynion lays the seeds on how he'll deal with the issue on Cass combating her disability while also cementing the hallmark of this run, Clayface's rehabilitation and friendship with Cass.

#958 we see Basil teaching Cass Shakespeare by playing audio and having her learn to read and increase her vocabulary via that.

It's probably the best thing Tynion did character-wise with Cass by briefly showing us this but fully giving us a more plausible method than prior on how to deal with her disability.

The fact that this hits throughout this arc (as Cass quotes Shakespeare at a good moment) and is carried over until the very end of his run when Cass meets Barbara in #981.

This version of Cass is actively trying to combat her Dyslexia more than her prior versions, and this Cass is actively doing a better job. Even though we don’t get much Babs teaching Cass (though they do work together in the next arc after this that sets up Batman & the Outsiders). But that run doesn’t dig into Cass’s progress instead going into other routes to touch on with the character. 

Unlike what was carried over from Batgirl Vol. 1 to 2 (and between that) Cass has a more concrete subplot here. Where we can SEE and are TOLD of her progress.

That leads us into the current Batgirls ongoing. In #1. where this is a little bit lampshaded. As Cass uses a reading bag to combat criminals to retain stuff she/Steph had that was stolen.

A further bit of subplot is continued throughout and in #4 with Cass now ACTIVELY being a bookworm and reading works of Edgar Allen Poe.

Like it astonishes me that this element of the character has remained actually consistent from point A to B. But it's a nice contrast of things that creators at DC worked on better here than prior.

And no issue highlights that fight of Cass actively wanting to combat her dyslexia then "Sounds" from DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1 by Mariko Tamaki and Marcus To.

It's why Tamaki just fully GETS the character of Cass not in every corner of the character.  Why many want the writer to handle the character again.

But Tamaki isn't the only one who did a good job in showcasing Cass fighting her disability and the one that does the best job is Shadow of the Batgirl graphic novel. Where writer Sarah Kuhn and artist Nicole Goux go both literally fighting her disability.

And her actively learning to read and increasing her vocabulary by hiding in the library was absolute perfection.

But it also is a nice avenue (and nod to the past) by focusing on a library since that's the location where Barbara Gordon teaches (and again a nice nod to that character's history too).

Quite literally...

That's another layer to why I adore that graphic novel. Just the layer of dimension to BOTH characters while it gives that nod to Babs, the story is clearly more Cass. 

 Again, Kuhn modernizes everything to perfection.

So there you have the history of Cass and her disability.  And my final gift on this day (which has now passed) to celebrate the character of Cassandra Cain.

[03l210]

Bllk Boys Hcs with a S/O that has (a lot of) beauty marks:

Not a request | Gn reader, no pronouns used but still wanted to specify

CHARACTERS: Bachira, Kaiser, and Shidou

GENRE: Fluff | WARNINGS: None (besides that these may suck, I was overthinking while writing so I'm sorry if it appears ooc)

Shoutout to @khuzena for helping me confirm my thoughts on who to do for this + gave me the idea for Kaiser

⊱ ──────── {.⋅🦋⋅.} ─────── ⊰

Bachira:

This is mostly him kissing you I'm so sorry but I needed this to be shared.

Oh sweet boy

He absolutely ADORES you and your beauty marks

He just thinks they add on to your already beautiful face, don't even try to fight him on that (he'll win)

When he's giving you kisses on your face, he gives them to you all over in no specific order but makes it his mission to make sure he kisses all your beauty marks

Like if he realizes he 'accidentally' missed one he will start his crazy kisses all over again before you can even protest (and you will, I just know some of them are disgustingly wet sometimes)

Will literally jump at you upon seeing you to start kissing you too

Did I mention he is 5'9?

...if you're short or not very strong physically have fun cause ...yeah

If you have any on your arms/hands too, don't think they are safe from his chaotic kisses. He will just use it as an excuse to kiss you even more and for longer so either be prepared for that or wear long sleeves to at least save yourself from that

If you have any on your neck and are ticklish, good luck my friend.

He will laugh while giving the ones on your neck kisses sometimes (does that tickle people? I will never know, I'm not ticklish so bear with me here)

CONSTANTLY complimenting you and your beauty marks but in the weirdest most Bachira ways (no I will not elaborate any further on this, anyways-)

If you're asleep (or even awake sometimes) he finds himself tracing his finger from one beauty mark to another almost like a connect the dots game with his usual smile on his face

Kaiser:

*taps my little imaginary microphone* ahem, HE SHOULD'VE HAD BEAUTY MA- *is forcibly removed from the stage*

this man.

Your beauty marks are probably what attracted him to you in the first place tbh

To catch his attention, you need to stand out to him first. If not while playing soccer then something from your appearance (could be hair, a tattoo, or in this case, your beauty marks) or even certain actions

LOVES staring at the ones on your face randomly or when he wants a reaction out of you

If he doesn't get as strong of a reaction out of you from his staring like he hoped, don't be surprised to feel a pair of lips on your face where one of your beauty marks are if you turned away from him and him saying/whispering one of his terms of endearment for you (in german!) before pulling away and looking at you again with his smug face (Do not be fooled by this, I really do dislike Kaiser)

Which reminds me, his more popular names for you are Schätzchen/Schatzi (both mean "Little Treasure", but I think Schätzchen can also mean something else, so I just put both), Spatzi (Little Sparrow), and sometimes Liebe (Love). No, it doesn't matter if you are taller than him, he will still include the "little" part of the name

I couldn't find any theater-related names that I liked for this, forgive me🙇🙇‍♀️

He really does love your beauty marks as much as he loves you, there is literally no doubting it and he won't even let you say anything bad about them, let alone anyone else (seriously, dude gets scarily serious when you do, I would be scared for the person that said something bad about your beauty marks)

He loves kissing them even more though, he does it teasingly sometimes, but you can tell when they are loving without the teasing in them just from how he is kissing them

Constantly praising your beauty and emphasizes how your beauty marks are included in that praise no matter what

This also turned more into kissing, I'm sorry but so far, Bachira and Kaiser just love to kiss them more than they probably should

Shidou:

This menace,,, I miss him in the manga, but at least he will be animated soon....eventually... (8bit please don't mess him up, I'm begging you plea-)

Let me get this out of the way, like the rest, loves to kiss them too, but obnoxiously.

Not wet kisses like Bachira or lovingly teasing like Kaiser, just obnoxious to the point of "If you do not stop, I will punch you" obnoxious, especially in front of others

only time he's not being obnoxious with them is when he's tired, that's the only exception you're getting for now

But no matter how annoying he is about them or in general there is no denying that he loves them and you

Like Kaiser, they probably are partially what would've attracted him to you, but I definitely see it more action wise that did it (how if you don't play soccer? idk, you probably told him or someone else off or got in a fight and your beauty marks were just a bonus)

LIVES to show you and your beauty marks off to people like Kaiser but worse

Like 10x worse

maybe even 100x worse

Bro will ask you stuff about them that make you want to question why you are even with him sometimes

"You got anymore hidden undernea-"

"Shut your mouth before I jump out of this window" (you guys are on the 5th floor of the building)

You know how I said Bachira likes tracing them with his finger? Shidou does too, but with a marker

If it's permanent or not, you'll find out when you try to wash it off /j

HONORABLE MENTION FOR THIS POST: Karasu (except if I write for him I am afraid I will spontaneously combust into flames)

⊱ ──────── {.⋅🦋⋅.} ─────── ⊰

I finished these hcs just before the match between Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal ended (I just forgot to post them T - T), congratulations to Real Madrid for winning their 5th Club World Cup!!

Isagi was supposed to be in this too but I decided to cut him out just cause of the pure length of this post but I hope you enjoyed this post!!

Likes, Comments, and re-shares are greatly appreciated, just no full reposts on other platforms outside of Tumblr.

[cherryfennec]

Bad End AU lore question, do the other know that Super Dimentio is both Luigi and Dimentio?

If they do, can they tell who's in control? And how do they feel about them/what's their dynamic? I'm guessing Bowser prefers Luigi just because of how annoying the clown is

I'm also really curious about the Shadow Queen, is it like Super Dimentio with the queen never letting Peach take control, or is Peach completely dormant since it's possession and not a fusion? (If i remember the game correctly)

And how does Luigi feel about it? Having to hang out with an enemy wearing his friend's face?

This is going to be a long one, so long I've put it under 'read more'. Alright, here goes!

1. For a while no, they don't know!

When they initially meet, Shadow Queen literally has no idea who this is, she does recognise the poncho though. The only thing that's clear to her then and there is that this person is connected to the thief, she just doesn't know exactly how yet. However Bowser does recognise the mustache and the hat, saying it's the brother of his old enemy who's named Luigi.

And that's how it kind of stays for a while. They know him as just Luigi.

Soon enough the weird behaviour rears it's head. He starts talking to seemingly himself, changing expressions and voice tone, contrasting the one before, on the spot during discussions, tolerating something and then suddenly acting malicious towards it. Fighting with himself even, you'd be just doing something and he appears for a split second slamming himself against the wall then vanishing.

Peach certainly figures out what's going on. From there forward she manages to overhear Dimentios name and also confirms that the thief still has the Chaos Heart. While Bowser is aware of the strange behaviour and everything he can't quite name why it happens. He explains it to himself as the brother simply going crazy after the disappearance of Mario.

2. There are two ways to tell who's in control at the moment. The first one is what helps the most often.

Body language. Observation is key, and luckily for others Luigis and Dimentios old habits die hard.

Dimentio is loud spoken and likes to make jabs at others. His tone is most often sly, which also shows on his face with a sharp grin and squinted eyes. His gestures are more elegant alongside the general way he moves. He still prefers floating to walking and uses magic for the smallest of inconveniences. If any of these traits are present it's most likely Dimentio that you're looking at!

Luigi's more soft spoken and doesn't speak in 'riddles'. He tends to have his eyes fully open and his expressions, like his smile, are generally less exaggerated. He's the type to walk and jump everywhere, not relying on magic because he 1.never needed it before and 2. still perfectly can't use it. He tends to hunch over and has a tendency to trip. If you're not being currently insulted and belittled in the weirdest way imaginable, congrats! You're talking to Luigi!

This isn't always very reliable buuuut sometimes this can happen:

The default tint of the eyes is white, its when they're acting in mutual agreement. The tint is more blueish if it's Luigi. However when it's more of Dimentio speaking there's a chance for this hue to alter to purple and yellow. As I mentioned this is a bit unreliable because it's already hard to notice in the first place since its such a slight difference and lighting can mess with how it appears.

3. Peach likes to exploit others for her gain, and she quickly learns that getting something from this one won't be easy. Trying to trick a trickster such as Dimentio seems like an impossible task, a raccoon and fox trying to fool eachother basically deal. That leaves Luigi but guess what, not that much better with him either. The 'brother of a fallen hero' is smarter than he looks, albeit a little more open minded to small suggestions. She overall has a slight preference towards Dimentio though, she finds him very fascinating. And that's exactly why he tries to ignore her when he can pfff

Bowser definitely prefers when Luigi acts like y'know, Luigi. Just like you said, he finds the other one annoying. Bowsers relationship with Luigi is overall weird, while he's very irritated by the clowns antics and wouldn't mind shutting him up for good, he can't help but feel some sort of sympathy. These two have a bit of history, whether it be direct or more because of Mario, and it just might be enough to make Bowser not absolutely despise him and have at least a smidge of patience and understanding.

4. As you mentioned yes it's possession, and not a fusion. Peach's mind, unlike Luigis, is dormant. Some of her behaviours can shine through but it's mostly remnants. If you're curious I'll just say it as a fun fact: if you managed to somehow rip out/get rid of the Shadow Queen from the body, Peach would come back like from a long nap. You can probably imagine how'd she react to everything that's happened while she was gone... yeah...

5. Not fun. Since only Luigi knew who Peach was before, all the attachment comes from him. She has gone from someone he could talk to about everyday life, meet up to play normal games while not risking his health and just have an overall great time with, to a person who he's sure would dissect him on a table if given an opportunity. He's not wrong.

He still calls her Princess despite her insisting on Queen. He does it as a memento of the past, while Dimentio calls her Princess just to make her even more upset.

[true-blue-sonic]

Espilver Week day 3: Food

There's nothing more delectable than a midnight dish of noodles Espio has created for his beloved; if Silver can stay awake long enough to eat it, that is.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

Espio is no stranger to getting woken up through people trying to sneak in through his window, strange as that may sound.

Well, it is mostly just one person. Silver, who can fly up to the window with no issue and can open it from the inside on top, knowing perfectly where the hatch is located. Espio’s long gotten used to the soft creaking of the metal and the rustling of the curtains as his beloved enters, the sounds resounding again as the window gets shut once more and a soft, warm body flopping against Espio’s seconds after.

So Espio feels like he cannot be blamed for shooting right up when a thunk! is what reaches his ears this time.

“What the-?” the chameleon whispers. That can’t be Silver, his psychic always enters with infinitely more grace-!

…But the dry “Ouch” that follows from outside is very unmistakeably his beloved, who comes all but tumbling right inside the moment the hatch gets unlocked.

With a gasp Espio shoots right up, covers torn off and feet thundering towards the other before he even realises. “Silver!”

“Hey, Espio,” gets purred at him from the ground. “What’s up?”

“What in the world are you doing?!” Grasping the other under his armpits Espio drags him upright… before wincing at how Silver’s whole body lolls to the side. A huge yawn follows, as does a twitching little nose nuzzling Espio over his cheek.

“Tryin’ to enter your room quietly.”

“Well, that failed. Tenshi, you look exhausted,” Espio decrees, scrutinising his beloved down to every quill. Silver’s eyes are half-lidded, purple bags clearly visible underneath them… Hmm. Not exactly what the chameleon would have expected to happen after a day spent with Sonic, as Silver had told him this morning before leaving, and Espio frowns as he draws his thumbs over the other’s muzzle. “What in the world have you and Sonic been up to?!”

“We had a brawl, I lost, Sonic told me to take it easy, I didn’t, we had another brawl, I won, then Eggman appeared, then we had to chase after him and his robots, then Tails got in trouble with the Tornado and I had to bail him out there, then Sonic and Eggman started bickering, then I came in with my powers and it was very epic, then we fought him some more before he got defeated, then it was already really late so we went to Tails’ place to patch up, then Sonic and I brawled again, which we both lost, and then I decided I wanted to go home,” gets very deftly summarised.

Eyebrow raising ever so incredulously at this tale the chameleon hums. “In the middle of the night?”

“If I had to spend one more second near Sonic, I’d have throttled him.”

“Ah,” Espio smiles.

“Not to be mean or anything.”

“No, I understand.” Lovingly Espio wraps his arms around his psychic, smiling at how Silver’s head lolls against his shoulder. “Tenshi, can you go to sleep like this?”

A content little purr reverberates against his chest. “Of course.”

That is no lie, Espio knows. He’s seen Silver zonk out in the weirdest places and the oddest circumstances; his beloved’s sleeping schedule seems to be to either not rest for three days straight or to decide to get some shut-eye whenever, wherever. But that does mean Silver occasionally wakes up even more groggy and disoriented than before his rest. And Espio knows what the culprits for that tend to be… “Are you fed and hydrated?” he brings up, and promptly Silver’s ears flop themselves against his scalp very innocently.

“No.”

“When’s the last time you had either?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Silver,” the chameleon scolds with a warm smile, hand running over the other’s stomach that he is certain is rumbling just a bit. That simply won’t do: after hours of running around madly and foiling ploys and trying not to throttle annoying speedsters, one simply must refresh body and mind. And thus Espio pushes himself to his feet, Silver snuggled in his arms.

“Are we going to the kitchen?” gets sleepily inquired, Espio nodding.

“Yes. What would you like to have?”

“What can you make me?”

“Anything you want,” the chameleon assures, Silver’s body warm against his. A quiet little chuckle follows at that, thought Espio presses his horn tenderly against the other’s forehead to warn him to be quiet as he pushes open the door to the upstairs hallway. Vector’s loud snores that always make the hallway rumble create the perfect backdrop to sneak unnoticed to the stairs and down to the living room. “Made it,” the chameleon adds, smiling at the sluggish sparks of cyan taking shape to help him shut the door there slowly and block out the house-shaking rumbles from upstairs. This night is for him and Silver; no interruptions from his colleagues are allowed.

Silver for his part yawns elaborately. “Can we make noodles?”

“I will make noodles. You are going to sit and rest.”

“Lame,” Espio’s beloved mutters like a toddler, a droopy, exhausted toddler who is seconds away from falling right asleep as the chameleon places him onto a chair. Carefully he rearranges Silver’s head to lay on his arms, scratching behind his ears and grinning at the more content purr that elicits. Silver will have to drink something first, Espio figures, and thus a glass of water is quickly grabbed and filled. “Thanks,” the other adds as Espio helps him take a few sips. “Can I really not help with anything?”

“It is unneeded, my love. Stay,” Espio orders warmly, turning away to the stove with a final caress over his beloved’s head. If he’s quick he can turn off the kettle without waking the whole house, and that will spare him time with heating up the dinky old stove, and then Silver will get his food more quickly. Like a true, focused, goal-oriented ninja Espio gets to work: some noodles are retrieved from their hiding spot in the box of dry crackers both Vector and Charmy hate, and in mere minutes they’re boiling away in the pan. With some soy sauce and a few withering vegetables Espio does his best to breathe some new life in, he’s got the perfect dish for his psychic to enjoy: a delectable smell wafts up from them, so tasty it makes even Espio's mouth water...!

“Tenshi,” Espio whispers as he rolls the last of the noodles onto a plate, “your food is ready.”

The quietest of snores is his response.

“Silver,” the chameleon chuckles, leaning over to his beloved half-sprawled out on the table. The other’s head is smushed against his arms, chest falling and rising so very slowly and what little Espio can see of his eyes shut tight…

Fast asleep, and most adorable.

Oh dear, Espio smiles with no small amount of amusement. Silver won’t be eating any noodles like this, that is certain. “It seems I was not quick enough. This is a disgrace,” he decrees with a chuckle; he’s been in worse disgraces in his life than not making his sweetheart a meal in time. Perhaps the odds were even slightly stacked against him, considering Silver has been asleep on his feet the moment he’d ambled through Espio’s window already. That just leaves him a delicious noodle dish for tomorrow, then. And plenty of cuddles to be given right now.

“Perhaps next time I’ll wait for you in the kitchen so you can enter through the back door like a normal person and not run into my window,” the chameleon adds as his beloved almost seems to huff back playfully in his sleep, the duo settling on the couch with Silver in Espio’s arms, and Espio makes sure to request some extra snuggles the next day when Silver devours his noodles in mere seconds.

But the best reward is the delight on Silver’s face and the fact he leaves half a plate for Espio to enjoy too, to nibble on with his beloved by his side.

@espilver-week ^-^

[thebridgeburnercomic]

(Edited to add a bit more* to the “fresh inspiration”section.) Since I have basically been confined to the couch/bed for a few months art stuff for Burner hasn’t really been a thing that’s been happening

BUT

the obsession and constant brainstorming for it never took a break, so instead of finished panels and pages I have 85% of a story laid out from start to finish and im thrilled about it because:

1) I don’t really consider myself a writer, and my entire life I have struggled to get stories laid out from start to finish, even just in a bare bones W plot or something. So to get to this point feels kinda surreal

2) some things I had planned for the story’s world have changed significantly for the better, which has created more tension and conflict and goddamn do I love fictional tension and conflict

3) certain characters are having their loose threads woven in so nicely that it feels like it was part of the plan the entire time. even old jokey tie-ins from 3-4 years ago now have significant roles in the plot that carry characters or stay with some of them til the end

4) I’ve gained a tremendous amount of fresh raw inspiration from my own life. My comic was always intended to explore variations and retellings of my own experiences and observations, but lately I got all sorts of inspiration from all kinds of stuff! medical neglect in many different forms, severe depression and the effects of isolation, the process of trying to seek diagnoses and/or treatment without being labeled a “drug seeker”, what one even does with oneself in the ER when stuck there for a long ass time, and how a person copes with unmanaged pain for a significant part of their life. * Ive also discovered various ways a person finds comfort, seen what happens when a second wind truly catches, tasting different flavors of hope, and how I seem to find it at the weirdest times. A person’s language changes, their perspective of the world changes, their ideas of the Self change, their concept of what it even means to socialize changes. Literally everything begins to warp and distort, even though most everything is kind of the same as it was before the symptoms first appeared.

All this is just to say that the story im writing/drawing is becoming thicker not because im adding more lore (which is usually how it goes for me), but because im taking threads that have been here since the start and weaving in the ends in such a way that everything just got plumper, fuller, more compassionate, more painful, more honest, more genuine.

tbh these are just lonely madman ramblings that I’m making from my bathroom as I try to decide if im gonna get up and take my pain meds or go back to bed, but im very excited for when im finally able to get to my desk and start making pages again. the flow of inspiration from all directions has been non-stop, from learning new techniques to seeing new places and seeing cool art occasionally, and it’s been excruciating not being able to (for lack of a better word rn) capitalize on this increased flow of creative energy and ideas

and dammit I miss working on this fuckin thang! I wanna put these boys in some situations! Lmao

Okay that’s all for now hank u for listening ok love u bye :)

[goliig68]

19 days fic rec pt.2

Making pt.2 cuz I couldn't add all of my favourite fics here( again, with no particular order )

Mark My Love by ria_green

( E | 12,525 | 9/? )

He Tian gently holds Mo Guanshan by the neck, thumb pressing into where a bond bite might one day appear.

Shivering, Mo Guanshan shoves him away. "Go do that with an omega, idiot."

Note: a funny omegaverse story. Don't let the omegaverse title put you off it's seriously very funny and cute. I love the interactions between guan shan and jian yi😂 he tian and zhen xi too! I swear they all have weirdest dynamics!

*

It will come back by mgsdays (regencyaus)

( E | 44,417 | 12/12 )

He Tian leaving on self-protection, after Jian Yi's disappearance, makes Mo scared enough to make a move. They stumble into something together just as He Tian leaves the country, and they have to figure things out long-distance while waiting for He Tian to come back.

--

Mo's known the gist of it since the dawn of his puberty. Water's wet, sky is blue, Mo's sexual desires are intertwined with his complicated feelings for He Tian. Big deal.

But the reality of it is- something else. This is something else entirely.

Did you miss me? – H

Barely noticed. - MGS

...did you? - MGS

Every minute of every day. - H

How the fuck does He Tian just say those things? Doesn't he feel embarrassed? Mo thinks he's feeling embarrassed for him, and he didn't even write it. He stares at the words until his phone light goes out, and then he turns it on again and stares some more.

Note: an amazing reunion au. I think author did a great job at handling tianshan's long-distance relationship and all of that mafia stuff. I think this fic has to be In everyone's "to read" list👌

*

nothing fucks with my baby by figglypudding

( E | 23,897 | 3/3 )

unexpectedly, and in the most unlikely of places, mo stumbles upon a reunion he'd long given up on.

but how can he heal when he's only just begun to acknowledge the hurt?

Note: another reunion au. But angstier and so much sadder😭 but it's happy ending, so all of that sadness was worth going through.

*

swimming in the blood by powerandpathos

( M | 29,455 | 1/1 )

Guan Shan’s nose wrinkles. ‘I sing like I mean it. I don’t sing it ‘cause I want everyone else to hear. That’s Jian Yi’s thing.’

’And what’s your thing?’

He Tian holds his gaze. Street lamps and car headlights are mirrored in the amber surface of Guan Shan’s eyes, and He Tian can see his own shadowed silhouette in his irises, a blocky shape of darkness with no detail. For some reason, that bothers him.

‘Still figurin’ that out,’ Guan Shan says.

Note: rock band au. Sex, drama and rock 'n roll. No drugs lol. This fic in in my top 10 favourite 19 days fics, And it is so underrated!! Go read it, it's truly wonderful!

*

nail House by powerandpathos

( M | 13,309 | 1/1 )

‘God,’ Guan Shan mutters. He pushes himself up onto his elbows. His thighs are still trembling, and he rolls his ankles. ‘You fuckin’ love control, don’t you?’

He Tian sits back on his haunches. ‘Have you seen my family?’

‘I don’t wanna talk about your family right now.’ Guan Shan huffs. ‘Bet you can’t fuckin’ stand that I have to drive you about, right?’

‘I got used to it. It’s a shame the car isn’t a manual. I’ve enjoyed seeing your hand around the gear stick.’

Note: Triad au/driver!Guan shan. One of my favourite aus! I really enjoyed reading it, so I read it 3 more time.

*

hook, line, and sinker by fayre

( Gen | 3,673 | 1/1 )

“So everything that happened,” Guan Shan says, trying and failing to keep a steady tone, “The shopping, the barbeque — everything was just because you didn’t want to go home alone? That's pretty damn convoluted if you ask me.”

He Tian huffs, amused. “Not exactly. I had nothing planned; no expectations. I just wanted to be with you.”

a post-chapter 292 drabble (the day after the BBQ/sleepover at the He family estate.)

Note: i loved all of the calm feelings I got from this fic. The descriptions of atmosphere and everything around them was so detailed that I literally could feel them too. It was very gentle and pure you know?

*

allergy season by fayre

( T | 6,506 | 1/1 )

“You know, they say that sneezing a lot means you’re on someone’s mind.”

“Yeah?” Guan Shan says a bit drily, sniffing hard. “Then what a fuckin’ shame.”

He Tian watches him. “For you?”

“For the bastard unfortunate enough to have gotten me on their mind,” Guan Shan answers, walking again. He hates how nasally and gross his voice sounds, and the back of his throat feels sore. “If someone’s thinkin’ of me this fuckin’ much, it can’t be good news for either of us. Trust me.”

“Ah,” He Tian says, and then nothing more.

a post-chapter 348 oneshot (the He Tian & dog chapter).

Note: man...i remember reading this fic hoping that one day, we get a love confession and kiss scene between he tian and guan shan (and now we fucking have it)

*

Knee high, stage fright (even if you're alright) by fayre

( Gen | 5,383 | 1/1 )

It’s no longer about what He Tian thinks; it’s about what he knows. And he knows Guan Shan — at least on a foundational level — and he knows how Guan Shan doesn’t just ask when he needs. He knows how Guan Shan doesn’t talk but doesn’t listen, either. He knows that Guan Shan doesn’t always think rationally but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think, and he knows how his body goes on autopilot before his thoughts cause him to malfunction and crash and burn.

He knows.

After all, it's the little things that add up. He Tian can only pray that they won't come crashing back down.

(or: no matter how hard he may try, guan shan can't hide all his problems. fluff ensues.)

Note: a soft and cute tianshan oneshot, with a little bit of angst but it's mostly fluff. I loved the ending, it melted my heart and brought smile to my lips🫠❤

*

singing in red by starlightstarshine

( T | 27,204 | 6/6 )

In which He Tian is the bassist for the most popular band in the world and Guan Shan is only doing modelling so that he could get enough money to pay for his next meal (based on that art by Old Xian).

Note: I love the fics where guan is head over heels for He tian haha😆

*

Tell Me On A Sunday by Llybian

( T | 1,501 | 1/1 )

He’d begun, with great difficulty, to accept all of this in his heart. But he still could do nothing. What was he supposed to do? Confess his feelings like a pathetic little schoolgirl? Not a chance.

But then again, what did he really suppose would happen if he told He Tian he “liked” him? Well, the world would end, for one. That was just a given. But beyond that, they’d probably just make out. There was really no chance of He Tian shooting him down or saying this was all just some long con.

Despite that. He just couldn’t.

Note: I think by summary everyone can get a brief foresight that what this fic is about. In my opinion, this fic is very real and in character.

*

Bites by Asfodel

( M | 24,263 | 7/? )

Turning to look at the black sky, he let his mind wander to a place he tried not to visit too often. To the last words Guan Shan heard He Tian say in that dim corridor.

« I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I love you, I’ll fix it, I’m sorry. »

Like a mantra.

or a rewrite of their reunion a few years after high school, basically disregarding the Christmas chapters. Side of ZhengYi, angsty but with a healthy dose of fluff, tags will be updated as the story goes.

Note: reunion au. It's such a beautiful but heartbreaking story. I love author's writing style, it captures feelings perfectly👌

*

A dog by Alien_Kitsune

( E | 50,000 | 10/10 )

Mo Guanshan and He Tian didn't meet in the school and each went his own way. Several years passed and Mo became a criminal. But on the verge of death destiny surprises him.

Two broken men who are still trying to find themselves in this world were always fated to find each other.

Note: mafia au. Thanks to @maruuzen for recommending me this fic!❤ I really loved the process of tianshan's relationship development. I'm sure that's how their relationship would go if they didn't meet at middle school, and/or he tian joined his family business, just like how it's stated in fic, fate brought them together. also it's angsty (of course) so be warned.

*

Dawn Rising by powerandpathos

( E | 78,968 | 13/? )

An Historical Fantasy AU—A poisoning; a death; a thief. A prince struggling to be a prince. A guard trying to stop one from getting killed. And everyone else on the sidelines. It has never been so hard to navigate the court of an empire when not everyone can survive.

Note: my favourite historical fantasy au, the plot, the drama, the characters it's just_ugh👌💞 unfortunately, this fic is probably abandoned, but don't let that stop you from reading it, even though it's unfinished, I think this fic is still amazing.

*

Cold On The Inside by incorrect19days

( E | 4,879 | 6/6 )

‘Look at me.’

He Tian instructed softly.

He took a deep shuddering breath and opened his eyes.

Note: a short and oh-so-beautiful story. It's a little bit sad but it's happy end, or hopeful ending better to say.

[destiny-in-the-universe]

RC9GN Role Swap AU

This is a very standard age/role swap AU but uh, with a twist because I'm extra like that! So, for starters we do have Randy and the First Ninja switching roles right from the get-go (as that's kind of what this idea is meant to be about-)

Also fair warning, this is an extremely long post-

But okay, let's start with the obvious- the characters that get swapped are literally just Randy -> First Ninja and Howard -> Plop Plop/Hinata. As for the rest of the canons, like Norrisville High students- I don't think they're necessarily being swapped but they might just be from a different time period hahah. McFist, Viceroy, and the Sorcerer (alongside the Sorceress) are still the main antagonists and villains because there's no way I'm coming up with entirely new enemies right now-

Now, onto Finja because he is the title lead!

His entire family, and they are a big family, are immigrants from Japan. They moved to Norrisville after a promotion at one the jobs Finja's parents work at- which leads to the move and Finja is not exactly happy to be there because he thinks Norrisville is a Speck of Odd(TM)

The closest equivalent I could find to the rest of his family still being something similar to ninjas is by, well, having his parents run a dojo- it's honestly massive tradition for their kids (and they literally have nine of them) to train at the dojo. Finja is one of the youngest in his family, so he's about to start being a freshman at Norrisville High. The weird timeline has them moving in early/mid May and classes start around September

Finja's not vibing with anything in the town, so he's kind of not really made friends with anyone- except for a boy in his block named Hinata who just decided to speak to him one day and didn't leave. Within a month or two of him arriving, Finja receives the mask and the Nomicon- making him the Ninja of Norrisville. He's not fully happy with this, but since he was thrust into the role- and it's now his responsibility, he decides to accept. Thankfully, his parents having the dojo helps him adjust with being the Ninja

Now Finja has... the shortest level of patience one has ever seen- he's a fast learner, at least, and always makes sure to do what's right but he's very short-tempered. He's also known for his disregard of following certain rules, purely out of the intent to prove his own worth. Unlike OG Randy however, he understands the lessons a little faster but still struggles at times because he's... literally fourteen but moving on-

Much like canon, McFist and Viceroy make their debut appearance on the first day Finja attends Norrisville High- and Finja has less patience dealing with a whole rampaging robot than Randy does, and that's even with the fact Randy loved being the Ninja

Shenanigans continue taking place as you would expect from the show, but at some point- we have the shift from McFist and Viceroy to the Sorcerer taking center stage and Finja is probably about to go fucking feral. I want to say that there's a parallel episode to 13th Century Ninja in this role swap AU where Finja goes back and officially meets Randy- because if I can't have mentor-mentee with canon, I will have it here!

So, then we have Randy and Howard-

Things branch off after this where Randy is quite literally, an ageless being that currently resides in the Nomicon (not that Finja's aware of this until much later-), and Howard, uh- is more gray area and I don't want to reveal too much but let's just say that Howard is permanently linked to the tengu! You'll find out what tha means later, but neither Randy nor Howard are normal- if it isn't because of the fact they're literally immortal and connected to the Nomicon, it's also since they are the weirdest flavor of queer one has ever seen

Similar to OG Finja, Randy was part of this smaller clan that would protect various towns, villages, and areas from monsters and the Sorcerer, but of course- all of it ended in tragedy. Left the sole survivor, Randy sobered out after a while but still did his part until eventually something went a little south and he was soul-bound to the nomicon he made

Leaving the rest vague because I am mean and, well, it'll all be revealed later. (today's literally become of a question of how many more au's will i be making until i get sick and tired of making them- the answer is all of them /lh)

but okay, so- the Sorcerer is much more of a threat because I will be as self indulgent with this AU as I can, and i just want this to be slightly more serious! Also, there might be more 'seasons' depending on the direction I want to take with the verse!

Though to keep going-

This role swap isn't strictly an age/role-swap! What this literally means is I might genuinely be imploring my own lore when it comes to Finja's entire family- and the fact I have to make them actual characters for this, so

I am personally of the belief that the Norisu clan are tied to back to the origins of the Ninja- (and if this purely about referencing how I do believe Randy's a descendant somehow, I have no idea what you're talking about-) but also, I sort of?? wanted to make something with the rest of Finja's siblings though I'm not entirely sure what that's going to be yet since it may contradict canon (however this is an AU and I will write this how I want to hahah)

Anyway,

Some More Infodumping + Headcanons

Finja has literally no interest in the Sorceress but due to how Sorcerer in Love works- something will likely happen anyway. The First Ninja just feels ace-coded, so he's not crushing on her; however due to plot reasons, he's kind of going to go through it anyway

Despite Hinata being the parallel to Howard, they're obviously different character-wise. Hinata worries constantly over Finja but he also acknowledges there was a reason he got chosen and, well, I have plans

Is Hinata also going to be linked to the tengu? Maybe- despite Howard being perma-bound to the tengu, this doesn't mean others can't also be linked. There's... lore for this but I have to be careful with what I say for now

I think I might do a parallel episode to Nomirandy-

We'll see what more I can come up with later to be honest! I don't have much else right now, and the constant brainrot has me wanting to write another thing soon-

[thorns-and-rosewings]

I think after some of the more recent episodes of TSAMS I am in need of updating some of the things in the Reaper King AU 💀. As I now have a few more ideas of what happens next. I guess this is the Part 8 of the AU then :)

I also now have a few VERY interesting ideas about some of the other characters in this AU and what is going on with them. Specifically Sun, Ruin and Eclipse.

Oh boy do I have some fun things here... But also some dark things.

TW: Same as before. Actually quite a bit of gore in this one... And some seriously disturbing imagery.

-Slight change to the lore of this AU, Ruin DID create Reaper Killcode... HOWEVER... this is not Ruin faking being cured, this is Ruin being cured and making a MASSIVELY BAD DECISION...

-He created Reaper KC to play the villain... So HE could defeat him and play the hero... He created Reaper with a weak spot. Essentially a hole in his chest that would have been how Ruin planned to defeat this new enemy.

-...his actions were driven by loneliness and his desire to to really become a part of the Celestial Family.

-Unfortunately the second Reaper Killcode took Stitchwraiths core and added it into the hole in his chest, it actually upgraded his body and made him into the insane threat he's become... As the core upgrades came as KC was literally it's 'Perfect Host'

-Moon discovered Ruins part in KCs revival and ran him out of the Pizzaplex in a fury.

-In spite of him having brought KC back, he was not responsible for Eclipse's revival... Or at least he's not aware of it if he is. He did kinda blackout on some alcohol and he apparently does weird things when he's drunk, soooo that's kinda up in the air at the moment.

...now to the present...

-Sun and Moon opt to go see what is up with a huge mountain range suddenly just appearing outside of the city. They stop by the ranger station and meet Harper... Who is surprised as hell at the sight of two more sentient robots. Still, she treats them politely. Tells them about the park... And the legends of how the forest is a hotbed for Cryptids. With the most feared being the 'Reaper King.'

-She also says yes, she is aware that something is weird and she's realizing she might not be in the same universe she was a few days ago...

-Honestly... Not the weirdest thing she's experienced with this job. And she wants them to be careful as this forest is notorious for its disappearances.

-She's dating and having 'Smoochy Time' with the alpha cryptid in this area. She's pretty familiar with weird... But Moon and Sun don't know that...

-Sun and Moon kinda brush the cryptid thing off and just opt to explore this place a little together. Neither are taking this very seriously as they walk deeper in.

-Things seem semi-normal... At least until they pass through one particular clearing and something catches Moons eye and he ventures off the trail to get a better look at this thing. It looks like a ghastly old tree... Only carved into it are frightening images, particularly of what looks like some strange demonic faces... Hanging from the trees are bones and the truck is slathered in blood.

-He and Sun are VERY unnerved...

-Even moreso when a herd of deer suddenly rush through the clearing... But one deer is being pursued closely by what looks like two wolves and there's something already on its back holding onto its neck... One of the creatures trips it up and the deer goes down. The animal making agonized screams as the creatures tear into it... Until finally it goes silent.

-The thing on the deers back stands it's about the height of a young boy, showing grey skin and semi-glowing eyes. And blood staining its mouth and dribbling down it's chin, while one of the pursuers stands... Showing it to look like a child version of the Wolfman, also just as bloody from the ordeal.

-They grin at each other then pet the actual wolf that was with them before looking back into the forest from where the deer heard had initially run from.

Vamp: Brothers! How was that?

Lycan: We brought it down! It's a good size! With seven points on its antlers!

-Moon and Sun are crouching down near the tree watching this scene in horror. As everything proceeds to get MUCH worse when from just beyond the treeline another figure approaches the boys and the wolf... A figure that both of the animatronics had hoped they would never see again...

...Bloodmoon...

-He approaches the group, a strange blue ball of fire floating near him as he walked, and the wolf immediately rushed up to him... Showing that it's head bore a sickening deformity, like it nearly had two heads but it never got far enough and was just a conjoined skull. But to the shock of the secret onlookers, Bloodmoon greets the animal with pets as it licks the maniacs face... That shock easily quadrupled as the Blood Twins looked to the dead deer and then brought both of his hands up and rubbed both of the boys heads.

Bloodmoon: Not a bad kill... You got this one without my help. Next time you will have to take it down without HunterKiller helping.

Vamp: Did we did ok?

Bloodmoon: You did great! It is dead after all! Very dead! (Bloodmoon puts an arm around each of the boys as they look down at the deer... And his disgusting tongue comes out and licks across his sharp teeth) And now my little brothers... We FEAST!

-Bloodmoon, the boys and the wolf immediately begin to tear into the deers carcass... The sounds... The wet sounds of the ripping and tearing of the deers flesh. The loud crunching as Bloodmoon bit into bones in order to get at the marrow... And then the boys eagerly requesting him to bite other bones, as they were unable to get marrow themselves due to their teeth and jaws not being as strong... And so much blood just splattering everywhere...

-Moon regains himself first, reaching down to get a grip on Suns shoulder... And pulling him up, but only just slightly. As not to alert the freaks just a short ways away from them.

-They need to leave... Now!

-Sun is just locked up in horror at what he just watched but he yielded to being pulled back by Moon... They both turned to creep back the way they came-

-Only to stare at the sight of a young girl made of blue flames, holding one of the deers antlers in her hand and a piece of twine. Clearly staring at the brothers in shock.

...But Sun sees something different...

...for a moment he can see the little girl as she was before she mutated into a Wisp...

-This sight triggered something in Sun, the part of his coding that sought to protect children... and before Moon could stop him, Sun grabbed the little girl up and just starts booking it as fast as possible. His intent only being to get this child away from danger...

-Wisp, understandably, starts screaming

-Its a blood chilling, eerie sound that seems to carry in all directions without losing any volume. Immediately getting Bloodmoon and the others to freeze. All of their faces thoroughly soaked in blood and gore. Bloodmoon looks around, only to spot Moon and Sun... With Sun holding his little sister and dragging her away.

Bloodmoon: WISP!!!! Let go of our baby sister!!!

-They abandon their meal and started to chase Sun and Moon. The boys, Lycan and Vamp starting to make calls, strange whooping calls into the woods as they are just... Tearing after Sun and Moon

-Wisp is struggling amidst Suns grip and crying, while Moon is just screaming at Sun to drop her. But then the little girl ignites! She badly burns Suns arms and hands. Escaping Suns grip and rushing back to Bloodmoon and the others... Actually she plowed into Bloody so hard he actually fell backwards... Buying some time for Moon to pull up Sun and start partially dragging him away.

-Sun regains himself enough to just be running alongside his brother... And he makes the fatal mistake...

Sun: I think we lost them!

-A MASSIVE Wendigo-esqe creature explodes from the nearby trees, running on all fours it lowers its head that is adorned with huge pronged antlers and rams into both Sun and Moon. Sending them cascading down a steep hill

-After hitting the ground, Moon groaned in pain but managed to get to his knees pretty quickly. Only to realize they were now outside one of the Ranger cabins near the entrance of this park... He got a brief flicker of hope for a moment, thinking they might be able to escape if they booked it from here.

-That tiny moment of hope was dashed when the Wendigo creature leapt off the hill and landed only a short ways away from them. It's skeletal head lowered and blazing eyes locked completely on the brothers...

-Out of nowhere, chains seemed to snake out from amidst the foliage and ensnared both of the Celestial animatronics. Pulling them backwards until they were slammed against a tree and further wrapped up in the chains.

-From off to the side an eerie floating spectre was revealed to be the source of the chains... A young girl, probably in her mid-teenage years became visible. Wearing a raggedy dress and a hooded shawl, the chains seemingly coming out from the shawl...

-And within a few seconds, the vampire and werewolf children... Along with Bloodmoon and the mutant wolf. The little girl made of blue fire, Wisp, was in the form of a tiny ball of flame and positioned on the top of Bloodmoons head...

Wendigo: So... What happened? It's not every day you guys let out calls for all of us to get involved in one of your hunts.

Bloodmoon: We'll tell you later, but for right now... (He turns his hateful gaze straight at the bound forms of Sun and Moon... Particularly Sun) We have an old score to settle...

(That's it for this part, I promise to get the next part up soon but this was already going on for too long at this point...)

[vibesoda]

a little bit of a goofy thing i wrote that will never see the light of day in which (iterum) feinberg meets soda

(warning for slight iterum spoilers, but not really)

Feinberg is used to monsters trailing after him if he makes too much noise traveling through an area, but the footsteps Feinberg has been hearing, while clumsy, are far too persistent to belong to a mindless creature like a zombie.

“Why are you following me?” He calls to the darkness.

The footsteps halt, but there’s no response.

Feinberg reaches for the trident strapped to his back. “Come out now and I won’t hurt you.”

“Okay, okay, drama queen,” a quiet, somewhat gravelly voice calls.

When Feinberg turns back to the woods behind him, a strange figure is standing in the clearing with their hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

Feinberg scrutinizes the man, his peculiar way of dress, the goatlike ears sprouting from the sides of his head, his lack of a right eye, leaving a dark socket in its place, his amusingly small stature, the list goes on.

Even among such outlandish features, the weirdest thing about the stranger before Feinberg is his nonchalance.

Feinberg is over a foot taller than the man Feinberg would assume to be a child if it weren’t for the scraggly stubble on his chin, but he doesn’t seem fazed at all by the height difference. He speaks casually even when threatened, as if he and Feinberg are old friends.

Feinberg has to admit, his curiosity is piqued. “Who the fuck are you?”

The strange man glances behind him before turning back to Feinberg, fidgeting with the cape draped around his narrow shoulders. “Oh, me? Um, well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you my name. It’s Soda. Nice to meet you.”

Feinberg steps backward, already planning an escape route in his head. “I’ve never heard that name before.”

“Well—Well, of course,” Soda stammers, grinning. “It’s unique to me. Nobody else in the whole Universe has this name. I would be concerned if you heard it before.” Soda chuckles awkwardly, his tired eyes sharpening as he watches Feinberg back away.

Feinberg shivers. There’s a peculiar energy about this stranger. Feinberg’s intuition tells him that this Soda is hiding something, but it doesn’t appear to be malicious. “What do you mean, nobody else has your name? How do you know?”

“Oh,” Soda laughs again, but this time it’s less relaxed. “Uh, call it a hunch, I guess. I’ve met a lot of people and none of them have been named Soda—which tracks, um, because my namesake, well, it’s not even from this world.”

The things Soda says make no sense, but he says them with such clarity and confidence, as if he knows them to be true.

Feinberg can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right with this guy.

Feinberg decides to stop delaying the inevitable. He draws his trident, pointing it at Soda. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Soda doesn’t appear to be armed, but with everything else Soda has up his sleeves, Feinberg wouldn’t be surprised if he was somehow hiding a weapon under that comically large cloak of his.

“Hey!” Soda retorts, nonplussed by the weapon in his face. “Way to respect your creator, Feinberg. Damn. After everything I’ve done for you.”

So the second shoe drops.

Feinberg’s stomach plummets. How does Soda know his name? What’s this nonsense about a creator?

Feinberg decides he needs to vanquish this threat before it gets to him. He draws his sword with his opposite hand and pivots to the side, aiming a lightning-fast slash at Soda’s neck.

Soda yelps, and to Feinberg’s utter bewilderment, blocks Feinberg’s blade with the side of his bare hand, bleating as if he’d been hit.

Feinberg lets go of his sword in surprise, expecting it to stay embedded in Soda's flesh, but instead it falls unceremoniously into the grass without a speck of blood on the blade.

The insanity of the situation reminds Feinberg of a similar experience in the distant past. He was so sure he’d wounded someone, yet his blade came away clean.

The appearance out of thin air, the eerie sensation Feinberg felt looking in his eyes, the comments about the Universe…

Could it be?

Feinberg staggers backward in shock, using his trident as a crutch. “What are you?”

[bookswithsyd]

The Return, Reunion, and Reassurance | Heaven Official’s Blessing Book

Like every other book in the series, book five of Heaven Official’s Blessing picks up right where book four left off. Running away from a crowd towards a mountain calling for ghosts to fight to the death is certainly a way to start off a book.

We start off with pretty low stakes, Xie Lian and a child-Hua Cheng start off with a much needed wardrobe change. Stumbling upon an out of place inn leads to a reunion between Xie Lian and Qi Rong and the awkward baby daddy reveal of the fetus spirit. With such a big blow in the side story, we don’t stay here for long. Jun Wu decides that Xie Lian is truly his favorite child and tells him to return to the Heavens and help run it while Jun Wu goes and handles Mount Tonglu all on his own something that has been called a suicide mission. Since that is not something that would make any sense, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng end up going to the mountain instead.

Since this is a trip for ghosts, Xie Lian has to be disgusted in not only appearance, but scent. When questions go around about who is what, what answer does a Heavenly Official say? I’m a puppet master. The fight that breaks out after the investigation leaves a lot of questions. Why is there another Heavenly Official’s scent? What is General Pei doing here? Why was a man split in half like that? Luckily, most of these get answered in the upcoming fight in the middle of the mountains.

General Pei showed up to help take out as many ghosts trying to make it to the kiln, and the suspicious man is the man of many names. First a sword, then a once friend- now enemy. Once Pei’s trusted friend, now he lives through the general’s broken sword and has murderous intent. This section has the most out of pocket character gathering that I have seen so far. With the introduction of one new character, we see the return of three old ones. General Kemo makes his return from the Sinner’s Pit to join in the brawl between Pei and Rong Guang. Thinking on his feet, Xie Lian calls out for Banyu and Little Pei to flee the area - only for them to show up a few pages later - WHY ARE THEY ACTUALLY THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE? This is by far the weirdest moment I have read so far.

The new group of travelers continue through the mountains. Threats of two strong enemies loom on both ends to the pathways. Come to find out one is our old friend Ling Wen. Turns out that strong ghost dressed in black was Ling Wen with the Brocade Immortal. They don’t stick around for a long time, but we do see the return of adult-Hua Cheng.

On a long journey up a dangerous mountain, what better way to traverse than inside a giant mountain spirit? This is where I think the most backstory is revealed. We get word that there is indeed a connection between Xie Lian and the fallen Kingdom of Wuyong, and the shocking part is it comes from Xie Lian’s former master. This is also where we see Qi Ying once more! The air-headed kid that helped in book 4 is back and stuck in the walls of the mountain spirit. We get the whole backstory of him along with Yin Yu, his former master, and the conflict that developed between them.

This section included a lot of connecting details, Yin Yu never seemed to really hate Qi Ying to the point of wanting to hurt him physically or emotionally. He does seem envious, he leaves the banquet because he was mistaken as Qi Ying, but he was never rude to Qi Ying himself. Yin Yu constantly stood up for Qi Ying’s unique behavior and even gave him a birthday present after failing to get the point across that he wants to distance himself. The only problem is Jian Yu. This is the person who hold hatred and resentment towards Qi Ying. He chose to disobey Yin Yu and switch the gift. He is the one to give Qi Ying the Brocade Immortal. He is the one to dismiss any fear over the powers of the gift. Yin Yu had good intentions when he approached Qi Ying, he just chose that moment to unleash years, decades of aggravation when his pride was hurt. This shows how poorly Yin Yu can handle stress, we see the downward spiral that happens until Jun Wu steps in.

The only break we get between craziness is seeing is Xie Lian sleeping on Hua Cheng’s shoulder and the others getting scolded for being too loud. There was definitely more of a focus on the story in this book compared to the past ones that split the plot progression with the relationship development. But, we do see Hua Cheng connect them with a red string of fate under the pretense of wanting to stay connected in the mountain spirit.

The city covered in ash was hard for me to visualize. This area was just super weird, between the talking rats (why why oh why do the rats gain the ability to talk after EATING THE DEAD PEOPLE) and stumbling upon Xuan Ji and Qi Rong, the only thing that could make it weirder would be if the Rain Master shows up and it’s revealed they are actually a woman…

I still do not understand why Xuan Ji and Qi Rong got together. I mean, yes, they both hold onto a lot of hatred and are making their way to the kiln, but why together? It was nice that a side character from book 1 was brought back and reconnected with the plot (her passionate obsession with Pei Ming) instead of introducing a brand new character to play the role of Qi Rong’s sidekick.

The Rain Master was probably the biggest twist for me. I seem to have a problem of imagining a lot of characters as older than they appear (thank you illustrations for showing me how wrong I am) and that is exactly what happened with the Rain Master. I pictured them as an older man who lives peacefully in the countryside. Instead, she is a queen who gave her life for her people… and now lives peacefully in the countryside. Her backstory was heartbreaking, the lack of emotions felt toward the Rain Master by her own family, and the narcissistic personality of her father makes me so happy that she can now live a nice life away from those evil people.

Wrapping up the story on a mountain-side shrine with Hua Cheng saying someone else is in the room with them was creepy. It left a haunting feeling when finishing this book and also the immediate urge to start on book 6. My last thoughts on this book is that if one more bad thing happens to connect Xie Lian with this place, he is going to have a full on mental break down.