#the flying fox tavern

[fearsmagazine]

Bloody Valentine’s Day Market!

If you are looking for that special Valentine’s Day gift for that special Goth or horror fan in your life make sure to hit up the Bloody Valentine’s Day Market this Sat., Feb 8th from 1 pm to 7 pm at The Flying Fox Tavern (www.flyingfoxtavern.com) 678 Woodward Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385. Get there early for the best selection and to beat the snow!

[kawaiichibiart]

Okay, WxS Swan Lake AU. Someone's gotta do it, might as well be me (because I was literally asking for it in a different post).

More under the cut O3O

For context:

Tsukasa - Odette

Rui - The Prince (if we go by the Barbie names, Prince Daniel, I can't remember his name in the animated Swan Lake movie, maybe it was Derek?).

Hinata - Fairy Queen

Harumichi - Rothbart

Emu, Nene, Kohane, Akito, Ena - Fairies

Emu: Squirrel ((I changed it because I wanted to reference her and Nene's costume from Nene's On the Stage of Dazzling Lights untrained card) Flying Squirrel)

Nene: Bird (Canary)

Kohane: Mouse (Small Field Mouse)

Akito: Fox (Red Fox)

Ena: Bird (Japanese Bush Warbler)

A quick FYI, I'm heavily basing this off the Barbie movie because that's the Swan Lake I know the best and is therefore my favorite version.

As I mentioned in the tags above (note I only shared the tags because the post was literally just me going "WxS Swan Lake" over and over), Hinata helped Toya escape from his father and the Enchanted Forest. Toya then gets taken in by the Tenmas, who run a bakery.

Harumichi is furious the Fairy Queen, Hinata, helped his son escape. He's been jealous of the younger fairy due to her being chosen to rule over the Enchanted Forest instead of him. Because of that and the fact she helped Toya get away, he's cursed the forest and it's inhabitants. The fairies who work closest to Queen Hinata are turned into animals. And everyone else are turned into plants or statues made of stone, such as Keisuke and Shousuke, the Fairy Queen's elder brothers who he keeps in his "palace" as trophies.

Hinata's magic isn't strong enough to fix everything, she can only turn his fairies back into humans once the sun sets. But once it rises, they turn back into animals.

And Harumichi is completely in the belief that one day Toya will return. And when he did, he'd curse him as well and turn him into an animal. Hopefully one small enough to keep in a cage or a jar that he can keep close.

But the first person to step into the forest wasn't his son, but a rather loud blond boy. Harumichi was going to dismiss him until he heard him say his son's name.

He referred to him as his brother, he spoke about him and the rest of his family. Harumichi didn't really care for that, only paying attention to the boy when he spoke about his son.

His son, who was doing peasants work. Baking. Cooking. The nearby kingdom's village was enamoured with him. A boy who had just, run into the village one day, seeking shelter. A boy who would stay inside for days on end, afraid someone would come after him. But after weeks went by, and no one showing up, he began to get out of his shell. And they saw the sweet young man for who he was. Someone who was sheltered by a cruel parent (him? The Harumichi Aoyagi? The true ruler of the Enchanted Forest? Cruel? Ha!) and was eager to learn things he wasn't allowed to learn. He left behind his fancy clothes for simpler ones. When he wasn't working at the bakery, apparently he worked as a waiter in a tavern with some lowly girl and even more lowly girlfriend.

The boy eventually left with Hinata's younger sister guiding him. Harumichi took this time to attack.

He turned into a vulture and flew after them, gaining on them before he surpassed them and blocked their path. He turned back into a human and demanded the boy bring him his son.

But the boy was stubborn and refused, saying he wouldn't bring Toya back to him. There was nothing he could do that would get him to change his mind. He then turned to Emu, who without needing to be asked, jumped from his shoulder and onto a tree nearby, clearly showing him a way around their roadblock.

And just as the boy is about to cut through the forest and go around Harumichi, Harumichi strikes him with his magic, ignoring the attempted attacks on him by the youngest Otori. If the boy is so adamant that there's nothing he could do to get him to change his mind, fine.

When he stops his spell, a swan lays where the boy once stood. He stands over him, telling him he'd reverse it if the boy just brought Toya back where he belonged. But still, the boy refused and before Harumichi could consider attacking him again, he flies off with Emu on his back.

Harumichi glared as he turns into a vulture and chases them again. They managed to dodge him and arrive back to where Hinata and the rest of the fairies were. Seeing what happened, Hinata gives the boy something that would protect him (part of me wants to go for the magic crystal tiara but part of me wants it to be the star jar necklace from Tsukasa's Wendy 3 star card).

And just in time as well because Harumichi arrives and demands one more time. His son in exchange for the boy's humanity being returned to him. And once again, the boy refuses. But this time, Harumichi's magic doesn't hurt him.

Harumichi glares at him before leaving, promising to return one day. And when he did, he better hope was still able to protect himself.

Some additional points that I'll incorporate later:

• Similarly to the Swan Lake animated movie, we see three times Rui meets with someone he'll potentially marry. The difference is rather it be the same person, it's three different people, with each one ending the same way: no marriages being arranged. I'm thinking of using NPCs as the princesses he'll be introduced to.

• The tavern Toya works at is Weekend Garage. He works alongside An and Kohane.

• The Tenma Bakery is run by Tsukasa, Saki, Toya and Minori. Tsukasa is the the one in charge and the one who runs the bakery overall. Saki works as a delivery girl for their village, but will sometimes head further into the Kamishiro Kingdom to deliver their baked goods. The only times she isn't allowed to is when her illness affects her (meaning she's stuck in bed, sometimes with their, hers, Toya's and Tsukasa's, older sister and her partner, a nurse named Mafuyu, and sometimes just with Mafuyu). Toya and Minori are the bakers and decorators. It used to just be Minori, but once he picked it up, Toya began to help.

• Minori isn't a Tenma in this story, she's just an employee. She's treated like family but ultimately is just a really close friend with them all.

• In this AU, Mafuyu has already escaped their mother's grasp. They learned healing and became a nurse. They're mostly known as the Tenma's nurse because it's well known that Saki is ill. And while they do work with others, most of the village doesn't need their healing as often. And while they're known as the Tenma's nurse, they're mostly just a stand in for Honami.

• Alongside Mafuyu, Honami is also a nurse. But she's still being trained where Mafuyu had finished. There wasn't much left to do, but she wanted to be a personal nurse for Saki. Knowing her friend would feel lonely on the days her illness bound her to her room. As soon as her training ends, she's going to move into the Tenma residence in order to care for Saki.

• While Saki's illness doesn't affect her everyday, when it's bad, it's bad. She be stuck in bed for as little as a day to as long as a few weeks. It hurts because she never knows when it'll affect her. If she's lucky, she'll be at the bakery, where Tsukasa might be. But the worst time for it to happen is while she's running deliveries (which has happened). Sometimes it feels like she's a burden and should just live in a hospital, rather than at home where she'll make everyone worry.

• That all being said, Saki has more good days than bad. Mafuyu being known as the Tenma's nurse has more to do with them being Kanade's partner. It was meant to be a joke, because of how often people saw them enter the Tenma Bakery, but it got carried away. So when they leave to go work at the palace and Honami becomes Saki's nurse, the joke comes to a stop.

• Harumichi cannot be bothered to learn Tsukasa's name. He refers to him as "the boy" or simply just "boy" the entire time.

• Hinata's magic is strong, however Harumichi is older and has a lot more experience. So in comparison, her magic is weak. Because of this, she can't do anything until Harumichi's spell is broken. It's heartbreaking for her because she lost her family. Her parents were trees, her brothers trophies in Harumichi's "palace" and her sister was turned into a squirrel. And even though Emu was still be her side, she couldn't break the spell off of her permanently. Just temporarily, like she was able to for the rest of her fairies. So when Tsukasa is cursed as well, she's only able to partially help him.

• The village has no idea Toya is from the Enchanted Forest. They really do assume he was running away from an abusive person, possibly even family. Because he knew so little about chores and the basics of living (such as cooking), it was very endearing to them when he began to come out of his shell and let his curiosity shine. And it was easy to tell when he wanted to try things, but didn't because of what he was likely taught. He's a noble, a maid can cook for him. He's a noble, he should read books written by scholars, not fairy tales and myths. But here? In their village? Damn it, they were going to teach him everything he wanted to learn. After all, they do say it takes a village.

• Toya, Saki and Minori definitely notice when Tsukasa's missing. They spread out to search for him, with Kanade and Mafuyu joining the search later on.

• Toya has a suspicion as to where he is, but if he is where he thinks he is, it isn't safe to go there. A fact he hates to admit, but they all agree to have it be their last resort. Hopefully he just forgot to tell them about a delivery that was far away that he chose to deliver himself.

• Harumichi definitely lures Rui in so he can kill Tsukasa. But once again, his plans are stopped because Rui can't bring himself to kill a bird that, to him, is absolutely breath taking.

• If Rui thought Tsukasa was beautiful as bird, he was even more stunning as a human. Rui had heard about falling in love at first sight from his parents and his friend, and personal guard, Mizuki. But he didn't think he'd ever experience it. But, standing here, with this strange boy...oh and the boy has friends!! How lovely.

[rogue-taxidermy-of-sarina-brewer]

Wolpertinger Wednesday ~

A lighthearted and whimsical commission from many moons ago. The infamous “wolpertinger” of Bavarian folklore, only this time with a Northern Minnesota twist. The internet fell in love with this piece back in 2009. Over the years it has appeared on a number of news and entertainment sites across the globe including locales as far away as Brazil, Japan, and Russia. Fifteen years later this charming little character is still popping up in Google searches and warming people’s hearts.

Wolpertingers are a long-standing tradition in German folklore, particularly in Bavaria. These fictional creatures are said to inhabit the deepest, darkest parts of the forest and stories about them have circulated for centuries. Akin to the flying Jackalope of the American Great West, wolpertingers are purportedly the hybrid offspring resulting from the ‘ungodly’ mating of a hare and a deer. Taxidermy mounts of wolpertingers are a big part of the tradition. Mounts served as mascots in German taverns as far back as the early 1800’s, and still do to this day. There is also a long tradition of these mounts being sold as souvenirs in Bavaria. Originally locals sold stuffed wolpertingers to gullible tourists, claiming the mounts were hunting trophies of real animals. These days they are a popular gift shoppe novelty in the region.

Historical illustrations and paintings of wolpertingers traditionally depict them as a hare/rabbit with antlers and wings, sometimes with bird talons replacing their paws. In addition to rabbits, fox were often used to create the taxidermied tavern mascots. Modern mass-produced taxidermy mounts of wolpertingers are usually made with the comparatively inexpensive pelts of muskrats and ground squirrels. I decided my version of a wolpertinger needed a humorous twist that would set it apart from traditional interpretations so I utilized a grey tree squirrel, a species not found in old-school wolpertinger mounts. The remaining animals I used to create my version are traditional components, in this case game bird wings, duck feet, roe deer antlers, and fox fangs.

See more of my work at www.Sarina-Brewer.com

[gamergalcmc]

almost done! more from my fnaf skyrim au "The fnaf scrolls"

Name: Foxy

Race: Khajiit/werewolf

class: Swashbuckler

weapon of choice: Dual wielding cutlasses

Glimmer Rock pack ring: moonstone and orange garnet with a white fox carving

special attributes: missing right hand had been replaced by a dwemer prosthetic hand made by Gregory who learned it from Freddy's friend "Cassie's dad." it becomes a "phantom" hand in beast form.

Grew up in Elsweyr as the son of a fisherman. one day, on a deep sea fishing trip, his dad's boat was attacked by pirates. His father was killed and he was taken hostage and locked in the cargo hold. feeling completely helpless, he pleaded to the gods, any gods who could hear him for help. after crying himself to sleep, he was visited in a dream by Hircine to offered him a chalice full of beast blood. Foxy gratefully took it and woke up as a werewolf and took his revenge on the pirates, taking little damage except for losing his right eye.

he then commandeered the ship and used the gold in the treasury to hire a crew of his own.

later, with his werewolf senses, would sniff out a stowaway in the cargo hold, Roxy. he was hesitant but after hearing her story and seeing her firey spirit that reminded him of himself, he took her in and would eventually make her his first mate. When she was ready, at her request, he granted her the bast blood through a ritual.

he was already missing his hand when he found Roxy and when asked about it, he said he lost it when trying to catch a Snow Whale. (a flying whale from deep in TES lore) due to Snow Whales being long extinct, no one really believes his story but he insists.

years later, on a regular supply run in Cyrodiil, Foxy's navigator betrayed Foxy. Foxy was caught off guard and captured and the rest of the crew joined in the mutany. Roxy managed to escape and met Freddy's group in the "Bloated Float" tavern and recruited them to help save Foxy.

afterwards, Foxy retired from sailing and he and Roxy joined Freddy's pack. After Freddy's pack meet "Cassie's dad" (a scholar from Hammerfell, studying the dwemer) , Cassie herself and Sun and Moon, he was offered a prosthetic hand made from dwemer machine parts.

[freakhouseresidents]

Only 1 week to go! Pre-order now: https://cjarcher.com/cjs-books/cleopatra-fox-mysteries/murder-at-the-crown-and-anchor/

A wealthy businessman with a reputation for taking risks rose from the slums to the height of success. But success comes at a price, especially when it’s achieved at the expense of others.

When a former guest of the hotel is found dead in a dockside tavern, the police rule it suicide. After all, some say his negligence caused one of his company’s ships to go down in a storm, along with all its cargo and several members of the crew. The guilt would be too much for many. But when evidence of murder is uncovered, Cleo feels compelled to bring the killer to justice.

With Harry Armitage on a separate case that involves many of the same suspects, their paths cross and sparks fly. And there are more suspects emerging every day. With a victim whose past was shrouded in mystery, who was a bully to some and a brilliant businessman to others, it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction.

As Cleo and Harry peel back the layers of lies, one fact is undeniable—a man’s past follows him to the grave, something Harry knows all too well.

[uniquejellyfishqueen]

Filming in LA. Filming in Van.

8/3 (11). 12/6 (18)

8/4 (12). 12/7 (19)

8/7 (13). 12/8 (20)

2013-1912‎ = 101

1912-1811‎ = 101

101 years from 2024= 1923

1923-1811‎ = 112

1923-1912‎ = 11

11/1/2012 TS performed at The 2012 Country Music Association Awards in Nashville. She performed “Begin Again”

*played 2 x on the eras tour 4/23/2023 in Houston and 5/12/2024 in Paris.

*11/12/2012 - 12/8/2024 is 12 years 1 month and 7 days

12/17…. 9 days post tour.

12/17/1835 13 acres of New York City's Financial District are destroyed during the second Great Fire of New York

12/17/1892 The First issue of Vogue, and American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine is published

12/17/1903 The Wright brothers make their first controlled powered, air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

12/17/1933 The first NFL Championship Game is played in Chicago at Wrigley Field between the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears who won 23-21

12/17/1957 The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida

12/17/1967 The Prime Minister of Australia, Harold Holt is presumed drowned after he disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria

12/17/1969 The United States Air Force closes Project Blue Book, their study of UFO's

12/17/1981 American Brigadier General James L. Dozier is kidnapped by the Red Brigades in Verona, Italy

12/17/1989 The Simpsons debut on Fox and during Season 3, Michael Jackson, Sting, and Aerosmith guest star

12/17/2009 The MV Danny F II sinks off the coast of Lebanon carrying 83 people, 10,224 sheep, and 17,932 cattle, 40 people were rescued, 11 found dead, and the other crew, passengers, and animals are presumed to have diet

1811

In 1811, the first Freemason lodge in Cleveland, Ohio was established and chartered as Concord Lodge No. 15 for several years it met in the "long rooms" of various taverns, including the one owned by Lorenzo Carter, himself a Mason.

Battle of Tippecanoe

American troops led by William Henry Harrison defeated the Native American chief Tecumseh in November. This battle took place almost a year before the War of 1812 was officially declared

The publication of Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility published anonymously.

The great comet of 1811

This comet was thought to have a coma that was over 1 million miles across, which was 50% larger than the Sun

The Richmond Theatre Fire

72 people died in the fire, including the Governor of Virginia and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia

The New Madrid earthquake

The earthquake in the Mississippi Valley reversed the course of the river for a time

The first steam powered ferry

The Juliana, invented by John Stevens, began operating between New York and Hoboken, New Jersey

The birth of Harriet Beecher Stowe

The writer and abolitionist who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin was born in Litchfield, Connecticut

The Regency Act 1811

The Prince of Wales became the Prince Regent and took over as head of state after the King was suspended from his duties

1912

In 1912, President William Howard Taft visited Liberty Lodge in Beverly, Massachusetts as a Freemason. Taft was one of only 14 presidents to be a Mason, serving as the 27th presi

4/15/1912 at 2:20 am the RMS Titanic sinks into the North Atlantic Ocean

New Mexico becomes a state: New Mexico joined the Union on January 6, 1912

First transcontinental flight: The first eastbound U.S. transcontinental flight landed in Jacksonville, Florida on February 8, 1912

Novarupta eruption: The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska began on June 6, 1912, and was the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century

Alaska becomes a U.S. territory: Alaska became a U.S. territory on May 11, 1912

Royal Flying Corps is established: The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, was established in the United Kingdom on May 13, 1912

Wilbur Wright dies: Pioneer aviator Wilbur Wright died of typhoid fever in Dayton, Ohio on May 30, 1912

Oreo cookie is produced: Nabisco produced the first Oreo cookie in 1912

Motorized movie cameras are invented: Motorized movie cameras were invented in 1912, replacing hand-cranked cameras

Life Savers candy is created: Clarence Crane created Life Savers candy in 1912

International Opium Convention is signed: The International Opium Convention was signed at The Hague, becoming the first international drug control treaty

1923 (3 years after the NFL was founded)

Rosewood Massacre: White vigilante mobs attacked the Black community of Rosewood, Florida on January 1

Teapot Dome scandal: Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall resigned after public outrage over the scandal.

Tutankhamun's tomb: English archaeologist Howard Carter opened the sealed tomb of the ancient Egyptian boy king

Beer Hall Putsch: Adolf Hitler led a failed coup in Munich, Germany, and was sentenced to five years in prison

Japanese earthquake: A massive earthquake killed more than 140,000 people in Japan

September 18–26 – Newspaper printers strike in New York City

On August 3, 1923, Calvin Coolidge is sworn in as the 30th president of the United States, hours after the death of President Warren G. Harding

The James M. Hays Masonic Lodge (No. 331) was chartered on June 13, 1923

A rare vintage booklet about the Grand Lodge of New York was published in January 1923

The Shriners, a branch of Freemasonry, held their annual convention in Washington, D.C. in 1923. The convention included parades on June 5 and June 6

First rotorcraft flight: Juan de la Cierva's Cierva C.4 autogyro made its first flight in Spain

World Series: The New York Yankees won their first World Series title, defeating the New York Giants 4 games to 2

The Walt Disney Company: Roy and Walt Disney founded The Walt Disney Company

Insulin: Insulin became widely available to treat diabetes

Hollywood Sign: The Hollywood Sign was erected in Los Angeles, California

Irish Civil War: The Irish Civil War took place from June 1922 to May 1923

Electric shaver: Jacob Schick invented the first electric shaver

Frozen food: Clarence Birdseye invented frozen food

Sound-on-film technology: Phonofilm, sound-on-film technology, was invented

2013

The Freemason movie

A 2013 crime movie about a banker's murder and his Masonic ties. The movie was filmed at the Salt Lake Masonic Temple in Utah and stars Sean Astin, Randy Wayne, and Alex McKenna. It is rated PG-13

A Winter 2013 issue of Freemasonry Today celebrated the bicentenary of Royal Arch Masonry at Canterbury Cathedral. The service honored the Masonic principles of unity, fellowship, and service to the community

Masonic Year 2013(150th Anniversary)

A book compiled by Neal Greenberg about the 150th anniversary of the Masonic Year.

TS on The Red Tour.

Supreme Court rulings
The Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional, which made federal benefits available to legally married gay couples.The court also ruled that supporters of California's same-sex marriage ban did not have the legal right to defend it in court. 

Supreme Court clears way for gay marriage

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage in June 2013


State legalization
Same-sex marriage became legal in Rhode Island and Minnesota on August 1, 2013. Other states that legalized same-sex marriage in 2013 include: 
Uruguay: On August 5, 2013, Uruguay became the 12th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. 
New Zealand: On August 19, 2013, New Zealand became the 15th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. 
New Mexico: In 2013, same-sex marriage licenses began to be issued in Doña Ana, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, San Miguel, and Valencia counties. 


Conversion therapy ban
In August 2013, New Jersey banned conversion therapy. 

President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage in the midst of his re-election bid. 


Boston Marathon bombing

Two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, killing three people and injuring more than 260 others.

Edward Snowden leaks classified information
Snowden became internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information. 

George Zimmerman trial: Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter

Boston Red Sox win the World Series: Defeated the St. Louis Cardinals four games to two

Prince George's birth: On July 22, 2013, Prince George Alexander Louis was born at St. Mary's Hospital in London. He is second in line to the throne after his father, Prince William

Queen's Diamond Jubilee: The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrated the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne. Events included a reception at Rideau Hall, an essay contest for youth, and a conference on the Canadian Crown

Prince William's RAF service ends: Prince William's service as an RAF helicopter pilot came to an end in 2013

2/3/2013

Super Bowl XLVII

Ravens 34 vs 49ers 31 (49ers were the bet by 4)

Beyonce and Destiny’s Child were the half time show

It was at the Mercedes Benz Superdome In NOLA







[rhonddaandallaneuro]

Well once again we come to the end of another journey, in this case a very cold journey. We have enjoyed Iceland immensely with its people and culture while on the other hand the weather and costs are extreme and at times not so good. This is without doubt the most expensive country we have ever visited. A pasta dish last night cost A$180.

That said it is a great place to visit and to see it all properly you would need another week. The history here is told over and over by the tour guides who are skilled story tellers who through their words you can see how”Lord of the Rings” is both myth and legend in its fruition.

This morning, on my walk, the wind was blowing a gale with even the birds cowering in the bushes around the ponds. Shops do not open until much later so getting a coffee is just not possible.

We are currently sitting in our room waiting for pick up. We have already done a walk down the main strip where gift shops, eateries and fashion shops abound. One last chance to purchase something and back to packing.

We fly today from here to Heathrow where we are staying at the “Little Foxes” tavern, about an hours drive away. Here we will start our next part of the holiday. Looking forward very much to the English countryside.

[aspenmissing]

𝙰 𝚃𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚁𝚎𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 (𝙿𝚝 𝟸)

Back at the tavern, the Captain is behind the bar organising some bottles with Elizabeth on the other side of the bar, cleaning it. She smiles and looks up at Meliodas.

"So, Sir Meliodas?" She asks. He hums in response and turns to face her. "How would you describe King? What kind of person is he?"

"Hmm, let's see now. I'd say he's kinda like the Eight Deadly Sins mascot." He replies, leaning back against the bar. "Our pet, I guess."

"Hey! You know perfectly well there are no pets allowed in here!" Hawk says, steam coming out of his nose. "Having an animal in a dining establishment is disgusting!" Meliodas and Elizabeth look at the pig with dumfound looks.

"Ever heard the word irony?" Meliodas asks, arms crossed. "Oh, about King." He continues, looking back at Elizabeth. "There was a time when Ban was totally into collecting plushies."

"Seriously?" Elizabeth says amused, her voice slightly shaking with a giggle. Hawk snorts.

"That's just adorable."

(Normal=Present)(Italics=Past)

King hugs a bunch of stuffed animals with tears down his face and loud cries coming out of his mouth.

"This is heart-breaking!" King says, tearfully. Ban, who seems to be slightly drunk, lays on a sofa full of plushies of all kinds.

"Give it a rest huh," Ban says, smirking.

"How could steal these wonderful things!" King asks as Ban takes another gulp of his ale. "Each one is an emotional piggy bank, bank full of their owner's memories, feelings and desires! You just, just...a nasty man who feels nothing!" King shouts, shaking.

"What they're packed full of are rice and stuffing," Ban says, picking up a stuffed animal with a tear in the back. "What did I tell you-"

"Don't you dare!" King cries out. Y/N appears from behind King and quickly makes her way over to the fox sin and grabs the plushie before Ban could tear it more and hands it to King, who hugs it tightly. She places her hand on his back and begins patting it, while he continues to cry.

"Y/N told me he sobbed all night long," Meliodas says.

"It's alright buddy. It's alright." She comforts, glaring at Ban.

"Then the next morning while Ban was passed out and snoring away..." Ban now sleeps and snores on the sofa with nothing but bottles of ale around him.

A little girl lays in her bed with tears in her eyes. Only for King to gently place a brown bear beside her and she immediately snuggles up to it with a smile. King then pulls his covers over the little girl with a smile. That next morning King flies through the village listening to all the children tell their parents about founding their missing plushies and he smiles.

Elizabeth smiles with her hands up to her face.

"Sir King seems like he might be a little strange," Elizabeth says with a smile. "But he seems like a man with a really warm heart. I admire that."

"But it also means Ban is an even bigger jerk than I already thought he was and Y/N is nicer than I thought she was," Hawk says. "I bet the three of them fought all the time."

"What would make you say that?" Meliodas asks. "King, Ban and Y/N were practically joint at the hips."

Ban walks through a village looking uncomfortable as King fly's behind him with his arms crossed and Y/N walks beside him in her wolf form with a growl, staring up at Ban while she follows him. The ban stops walking and points his finger up, his head turned to face them and begins talking.

"Though when I think about it that might have been to clean up Ban's messes," Meliodas says. "But when all said and done they did make an excellent team."

Back in the village, the two sins now kneel beside the young girl. Ban holding her up.

"Hey~ Hey," Ban says, using the back of his hand to gently push against the side of her head. "Come on." Y/N pokes her cheek.

"Wakey wakey." She says. The girl groans gently before slowly opening her eyes. "Phew. I thought we killed her somehow."

"So, are you alright?" Ban asks, looking down at the girl.

"Get your filthy hands off Ellen!" A loud voice shouts at them. Ban and Y/N turn their heads to face the voice and see a young boy holding a pitchfork. "Just what do you two think you're doing to my sister?"

"Look kid, your her brother and watching out for her, shouldn't you make sure she's getting enough food?" Y/N asks.

"Shut up!" The boy shouts. "Just go away and leave her alone!"

"Sheesh, I was just trying to help." She mutters.

"Now I'm gonna repeat what my friend her said," Ban says. "Are you making sure she's getting enough food, or should I take her away?" Y/N quickly glances at Ban, slightly shocked. The boy, with tears in his eyes, yells and runs forwards towards the two and stabs Ban in the chest with the pitchfork. The boy's face instantly turns to guilt as Ellen jumps up from Ban's arms and over to her brother.

"No brother! This man and woman were only trying to help me. What have you done!?" Y/N snorts, covering her mouth with her hand.

"You got stabbed by a little kid." She says, smirking. Ban looks at her unamused before taking out the pitchfork and dropping it on the ground with a clang. The boy bows his head, tears still in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. What can I do to atone for my sins sir, miss?" He asks, shaking.

"You wanna atone huh?" Y/N asks as she and Ban stand up. "What's there to make amends for kid?" The boy looks over at Ban.

"But I- uh!" The boy sees that Ban's wounds are gone. "Your wound!"

"There's something you should know," Ban says. "Real. Genuine sins. No amount of repenting erases them." Y/N catches a glint of something before she puts her hand out over ban's chest only for a spear to go through her hand and Ban's chest. She looks slightly shocked as she torn apart hand falls to her side. (Your entire hand is torn apart from the gap between your middle finger and pointer finger down to your palm- for those who watch Saw, it's the 10 Pints of Sacrifice trap!) Ban's eyes widen before the two come face to face with a young boy who seems to be floating yet laying on said spear as if he's lighter than a feather.

"Glad you finally realised that." The boy said, smirking. Ban coughs out blood and the two look at the boy in shock. "Hey, Ban. Y/N. How goes?" The two don't reply. "Awesome. It's so good to see you two after all these years. What's up? It's not like you two to be quiet." Ban and Y/N share a look before looking back at the boy.

"Hold on," Y/N says.

"Who are you?" Ban finishes.

"Wow, my feelings are hurt." The boy says, the smile still on his face. "Who am I? Have you two forgotten about me?"

"I don't remember you at all," Ban says before turning to Y/N. "Do you?"

"Nope." She says, shaking her head. She looks down at her hand and grabs it to keep the two halves of the hand together. Ban looks back at the boy.

"Sorry there bud." The boy lets out a sigh.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter too much. The important thing is..." The spear inside of Ban's chest begins to spin before pushing itself out of Ban, causing Blood to fly everywhere and leaving a massive circular hole in his chest. The spear floats up in the air "You are Ban the Fox Sin and Y/N the Wolf Sin. The Sins of Greed and Death." The boy lands on the bladed side, hand behind his back as he looks down at the two. "Or maybe you'd prefer it if I'd call you these names?" The children watch in fear as the hole in Ban's chest begins to close up. Y/N's hand however doesn't heal up. "Ban the Undead and The Reaper." Ban wipes his bloody mouth before they look up at the boy.

"You've got a smart mouth kid and I'm getting real sick of your tone. What the hell do you know about us anyway?" Ban asks. The boy sighs.

"I know your sins." He says. Y/N and Ban share a look before returning to the boy. "Even if you don't remember me you can still remember your sins, can't you? Do you know? Those terrible, awful crimes you committed."

"Quit talking," Y/N says, glaring up at the boy. He looks at her.

"Death follows you wherever you go. Even if you weren't the one to end their life. You felt pity for yourself and you locked yourself away from others to protect them from your so-called curse" The boy says.

A little boy lays bloodied in Y/N's arms as she cradles him close...It's Tyran. Tears ran down her cheeks.

"Yet, what did it cost?" The boy continues. Y/N's hand curls up tightly as she puts her head down.

Tyran grabs a hold of Y/N's hand, smiling up at her weakly before placing the wooden carving of the bear in her hand. "I love you... mama"

Y/N's shoulders shake as the small voice echoes in her head. Ban placed a hand on her shoulder before looking back up at the boy.

"Hey kid, leave her alone-" He's cut off by the boy scoffing.

"I haven't forgotten about you. To satisfy your selfish greed and gain eternal life, you murdered the holy woman at the fountain of youth." Ban growls and begins cracking his hands.

"Listen up brats, get out of here," Ban says. The siblings, who are hugging each other close, follow Ban's demands.

"Let's go, Ellen." The brother says as he and her runoff.

"I'm right, aren't I?" The boy says as he sits on his spear and they fly down to Ban and Y/N. He goes to pierce them only for the two to jump over him.

"I'll ask you one more time, who the hell are you!" Ban shouts, punching only for his fists to break through a wall. Ban flips, expecting to come back to face with the boy only for the dust to settle and him not be there.

"I'm happy you came out here to play with me." The boy moves his hand around. "Because you've just walked right into my trap." The boy holds out his hand, causing the spear to go straight for Ban, who leans out the way just in time. "Now you won't escape." The spear begins moving at a fast pace around Ban, who just dodges every hit. "Maybe you can still remember bumble bee" Y/N, in her wolf form, quickly jumps from behind King and grabs the spear in her mouth before throwing it away. She poofs back into her normal form, where her hand is being held together by her collar- showing her sin mark.

"Sorry. It's not ringing a bell either!" Y/N says, kicking at the boy only for it to go straight through him. Ban and Y/N land beside each other, facing the boy.

"I wish she could see this. And watch the man who took her life." The boy begins to fly into the sky. Y/N leans her head to Ban.

"I think he's just after you here" She mutters. He shrugs and the two continue to watch as the boy floats up to his spear.

"Pathetically begging for mercy in agony." The boy says. Ban doesn't look remotely affected by this.

"Now for the last time," Ban says, leaning his arm out, cracking his hand and smirking. He cracks his head up at the boy, who gasps. "Who the hell are you!"

[unnerd]

Places you should add to your little town/city in your fantasy world!!

Post offices. Wild, I know. But give me the unhinged kind. Pingeons and little postal dragons all over the place. You enter. The most disgusting smell fucking assaults your nostrils. You know what it is. Letter in hand, you go up to the counter. The postal worker is just a slightly bigger pigeon. You shed a tear.

PLAYGROUNDS!! Create the most dangerous kinds of playgrounds, the ones suburban moms would TRIP if they ever saw one. Monkey bars that are way too tall, swings that go full circle... The metal slide stays the same, it's already painful enough.

PARKS!! MAKE IT ALIVE!! Show people going on walks, reading beneath trees. C'mon most of them are already hundred years old (And are going to die after that CR 15 creature wrecks the town) anyways!! Show couples and picnics, show a family enjoying the sunday, give me someone picking flowers for their loved ones.

A bakery! Do you know how much these places are underrated? And do you know how much plot potential they have? Every good story starts with food poisoning or granny's recipe! Give me a place your players/readers are going to treat like home and, for once, it's not a tavern or a guild.

Government buildings! Give me a town hall that has a kilometric line in front of it. Give me a registry that is as old as this town. Give me police stations! Give me courtrooms! Make one of your players get arrested and now all of the party has to go through burocracy like a bunch of normal people!

(Who am I kidding? You don't need to make them get arrested. They are going to do that for you.)

Touristic attractions! Give me a full-on statue of the country's leader! Give me museums! Give me streets, ruins and whatnot that attract thousands of tourists everyday! Give me an annoying city guide that tries to get the party's attention everytime!

Magazine stands! Magazines don't exist? Newspaper stands! From the Queen's Journal to the most questionable new piece of Fox's Tailtracker, you have it all! Make your players doubt what's actually happening, sprinkle a little fake news... Or is it fake at all?

...Toy stores. OK HEAR ME OUT. Make magic toys; miniature skyships that actually fly, metal toy dragons that expel fire, little wands that make little light spells, wooden creatures that can move and make noises... Make children happy! And your players too because they will waste their money on these stuff.

Instrument store!! Make your bards happy with special instruments or just weird ones! Give me a battle in one of those that is just filled with funny noises and the worst battle soundtrack ever!!

Not exactly a place but... Cleaning carts!!! Show me people cleaning the streets, picking up the trash, cutting trees!! Make the town look clean!! Give me an old man that is really proud of his work!!!

(or ways to make your players feel even worse when the villain destroys the town later on :) )

[wuxiaphoenix]

Isekai Anime Dreams

Author's note: This may be a Bad Idea. But… when your usually non-visual brain hits you with visuals, what the heck. I'm open to other music suggestions but currently the "placeholder" music in my head for this is I Want My Tears Back, by Nightwish.

Open with: A passenger airplane flying through a thunderstorm.

Lightning flickers as the view closes in on the faces of passengers; many nationalities, tired business travelers, regular people. Focus on an older blond man with graying hair (Jason Finn) reading a history of Korea. In the background across the aisle is a redheaded teenager (Mary Hartman) with her parents.

Lightning flash! The airplane lurches right, as gigantic black talons punch through the hull. People scream as chaos breaks loose in the cabin; oxygen masks, falling luggage, people tossed across the cabin. Jason grabs a stewardess’ hand, holds a moment - then she’s torn away, as the rolling beverage cart takes him out from behind. Cut to the airplane angling through the sky, falling, something large and lost in darkness atop it; a hint of horns, a flash of teeth, the shadow of massive membraned wings.

Silhouette of bodies falling through dark water. As they sink, the background colors fade from dark to red, bloody water. Air bubbles up, as Jason struggles up through the water, hanging onto Mary, hand reaching desperately upward....

A dark-robed arm plunges into the water from above. A strong hand reaches down, and pulls.

The pair surface and clamber to a wrecked wooden hull... in the middle of a violent fight, men in hanbok and tiger-hunter’s garb clashing with shark-toothed pirates. Their rescuer (Lee Cheong) whirls away, his geom (Korean sword) blocking a pirate’s dao (Chinese saber), as a sky-haired mage (Chae) in midnight-blue hanfu slashes her jian (Chinese straight sword) to create a pentagram portal for their escape-

Cut to a clip of each character doing What They Do Best. Each is a day/night shot.

A bookseller in daylight, hair bound back in a simple topknot, climbing the streets with a pack of books. By night a midnight-robed mage with guan, star-sword glowing against a samdugumi, a distorted regenerating fox-monster. (Chae.)

A lady healer in the infirmary in traditional hanbok, by night a silk-shirted mermaid leaping from the waves, throwing needles against a six-faced corrupted monster that used to be a dolphin. (Jue Chin-Sun.)

A tall, charming rogue in common cotton clothes in a tavern brawl by day, by night a cool sniper facing a demon tiger with matchlock, ropes - and pit trap opening dramatically as the tiger charges. (Kwan Ha-Nuel.)

A sunset shot, jiangshi surrounding a tall scholar in robes with earrings of glittering gold and silken tassels, drawing his sword and taking off dark glasses as his eyes glow red. (Lee Cheong.)

Followed by a short sequence of Jason shooting. Daylight, Jason is out at a target range fitting his arrow onto the string with slightly shaking hands. The camera pulls away as the scene turns to sunset, showing him in full draw, pale-faced but calm - then the arrow released. Sky goes to night, with the focus on the arrowhead that bursts into blue flames in flight - the whole time-lapse happening in one arrow shot.

Fade to a dawn shot of the demon-callers looking down on the city of Hanyang (modern times Seoul); Lee Cheong turns to beckon Jason with bow and Mary (in hanbok with ghost-hawk) to join them.

Shadows rise, an obvious and multi-monstered demon horde... Dramatic pose, with Lee Cheong displaying qilin badge. Roll ep!

Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namhansanseong

The view from the fortress wall, of Seoul below? That's the picture in my head, of where the demon-hunters are looking....

Also note the qilin was not just the “eastern unicorn”, but in nations that had Confucian traditions it was used as a symbol by trustworthy soldiers and wise judges; the implication being that the bearer, like the qilin, would be harmless to the innocent, yet destroy evil.

[fearsmagazine]

Join us to Celebrate the Release of THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER Saturday, August 5th, 2023, at THE FLYING FOX TAVERN

Join us Saturday, August 5th, 2023, from 5:00 pm to Midnight at THE FLYING FOX TAVERN 678 Woodward Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385 to celebrate the release of the new Universal Pictures’ film, based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER.

In addition to great food and drinks (available for purchase), there will be an opportunity to secure some promotional items (while supplies last) and a chance to win tickets to an advance screen for the film taking place on Wednesday, August 9th , 2023, at a Manhattan theater location.

So come and join the staff of the Flying Fox Tavern & FEARSmag.com for a night to commemorate the strange events that befall the doomed crew as they attempt to survive the ocean voyage from Carpathia to London.

[fieryhonesty]

“Eyy, finally I decided to finish my little apology to our boys. Continuation of the “Friend”. This time it’s Diluc and Kaeya! (N-No I’m not lazy to make separate post for them... that’s not it...). Also my wrist is kinda weird lately so to give it a small practice but not overshoot it I wrote these~”

Words: 453 Genre: fluff, gn!reader

Diluc is a loner. He might tolerate or handle people around him. After all, it would be weird if he couldn't. Considering he is working at his tavern and there are many different patrons every day. And also probably meets with various people simply due to being the Winery owner. 

But whenever he is done with his socialization he will hide from the public. Let out a tired sigh and be himself for a while. Just being Diluc, a young gentleman with a soft spot for his companion. He adores and cherishes those moments. Silently spending a few minutes just with the hawk which sometimes seeks him in the middle of the day. 

At first you didn't understand why Diluc wears a thick coat and gloves. After seeing the bird land on his arm. All you could do is say 'ah' in realization. 

Once Diluc is done with bonding with his hawk he will let it fly away. Observe how it flies high to the sky. Then going to you and spend time together. You got used to it by now and you don't really mind. In fact you are happy for Diluc. As when you can't be there for him, to let his mind rest from his daily life. The bird will do.

Diluc admits it's not the same as embracing you and nuzzling into your neck. But it's sufficient enough until you are done with your things and return back to the Winery.

Sometimes when the hawk seeks Diluc in the middle of the day and you are present. Not only you are able to witness the love between the owner and his pet. But you are encouraged to pet the hawk. At first you were scared it will actually hurt you. But Diluc assured you nothing bad will happen. 

The hawk was avoiding you at first, balancing at Diluc's arm. It was shy to somebody else's touch. Just like its owner, huh?

At some point it lets you touch it's head. Gently pat it, to your surprise it nuzzled into your hand to give it more pats. You giggled and looked at Diluc who smiled. Why the whole time you were thinking the hawk is literally a smaller version of Diluc. Hesitant at first, shy and avoiding and then melting into your touch.

Maybe if you give it enough time it will sometimes seek you too. Better start carrying thick clothes. You wouldn't want to get hurt by its talons which is kind of unavoidable. Just think of it, talking to somebody and suddenly hearing the hawk. Extending your hand and it will land, require a bit of attention and then fly away. Surely your conversing buddy will be shocked!

>>Sauce<<

Once again I got inspired a bit. But I guess with Diluc it’s obvious what kind of pet he would have. Either his hawk or another turtle like when he was a kid (does this make Kaeya also had the turtle as his pet? or was the turtle before Kaeya was adopted? hmm) 👀 ngl I also had turtles when I was kid. They are so cute 💗

Words: 483 Genre: fluff, gn!reader

Unlike the other two (Diluc and Xiao) he doesn't really “own” a pet. Nor something seeks his presence. He says he is too busy with his work for the Knights and adoring you. But as you know him, he is probably hiding something.

However when you find out about his occasional feeding sessions of wild foxes at borders with Dragonspine. He has hardly any words for explanation. He is embarrassed as he promised to himself to not really lie to his partner. Unless it's some harmless prank or secret party. He loves you too much for it. 

Sure, he keeps many things for himself. To keep you safe. But he also shares a lot of minor secrets with you. Like how else would you know about secret meeting spots for Treasure Hoarders. Being able to break their illegal plans or know some gossip about certain local merchant who is avoiding taxes. All thanks to your Kaeya.

But now you have caught him in the middle of feeding. The foxes ran away even before you appeared from behind the bushes. He knew about your presence but he had no words to explain. This was the reason why he sometimes came home late. Always giving you an apologetic look. You thought he might be cheating on you. Well cheating with bunch of wild foxes.

You are not sure if it was a mistake or not following him here. As you were extremely curious why would he want to meet up with somebody outside of the city. Well in the end you find out your man is just a big liar and softie. You're gonna act as if you are upset, pressuring him to the corner and feel sorry. He could have told you he was feeding secretly wild animals and you would be fine. Instead of making you worried over nothing. 

At that moment Kaeya realizes his innocent lie actually wasn't so innocent. Next time he will have to think twice before saying or doing anything. But truth to be told he felt a little embarrassed for admitting his fox feeding. He knows he can't have one as a pet, otherwise he would take one home. Spoil it with love just like he does with you.

You can be sure he will try his best to make up for his mistake. Buying you your favorite snack or something else you'd like. Maybe later on if you insist he will share his secret how he became friends with the foxes. Feeding them together, observe from a healthy distance how the berries and meat are slowly disappearing into their tiny tummies. 

Admit it. You like foxes especially now when you can feed them with your beloved. But he better doesn't cause some misunderstanding like this ever again. Would be silly to get into a fight just because he can't admit his soft spot for wild animals.

>>Sauce<<

I swear finding a pic of Kaeya with some animal was an art itself. From the beginning I was thinking of either a wild wolf (sounds more like Razor being adopted by him but whatever) or a wild fox. I’m so happy somebody actually drew it! I love it~ but I also found so many pics which I’m not sure if search was trolling me. “Kaeya with pet” google search: did you mean Kaeya with cat ears? or Diluc? or both of them?! Now I’m craving for some cat boy Kae or Lulu but idk what to do with it, so yeah. 

Again, if anyone happens to know (or you are) the artist, tell them “I love you and your work”. If you are not ok with me having your art here, hit me up I will remove them 😔

[starofgold]

Riquet 2022 April’s Fools Card Story: The Little Ones Who Try Their Best

I was playing with soap bubbles together with Riquet and Mitile in front of Shylock’s tavern.

Riquet: Whoa! Master Akira’s soap bubbles are huge!

Mitile: They really are! You’re so good at this. It seems like you have blown soap bubbles before, doesn’t it?

At Mitile’s words, I looked at the soap bubbles. I had no memory of the time before I arrived in this world. Even so, I had the feelings that I had experienced the joy of making bubbles fly high in the air from the time before.

Akira: I guess so. I don’t remember anything, but playing like this feels familiar to me.

Riquet: That’s right! Mitile, shall we show Master Akira the technique we have been practicing?

Mitile: Good idea! Let’s try it!

Akira: The technique you two are practicing?

Riquet: Yes. Could you please create a soap bubble even bigger than the ones before for us?

Akira: Oh sure. Please wait a bit.

I created a big soap bubble while wondering about what Riquet and Mitile would do. As soon as I did that, they began to concentrate their youkai power on the bubble.

Mitile – Riquet: Mmmmm.

Under their power, the soap bubble became misty, its round shape transforming to the shape of a fox’ head.

Akira: Amazing! It transformed!

Riquet: Hehe, did we surprise you? We transformed the soap bubble using our power.

Mitile: It’s a popular game among young kitsunes recently. We can practice our power like that. My brother can create a lot of cute little youkai, while Mister Heathcliff at the medicine store can create living beings that look just like the real ones.

Akira: Wow, so it isn’t just a fun thing to do but has a deeper purpose as well. The fox you created back there looked like plushie. It was so cute!

Riquet: Ehehe, thank you. We still have much to learn though. We’re flattered by your compliment, but we wanted to make a life-like fox kit though.

Mitile: Both Riquet and I have practiced a lot, but we still haven’t managed it.

Mitile: That’s right! There’s something nice at my house.

Riquet – Akira: Something nice?

Mitile: Yes! I’ll go fetch it, so please wait here a bit.

[A while later]

Riquet: Mitile still hasn’t come back. His house isn’t that far away from here.

Akira: Yeah, I’m getting a bit worried as well. Shall we go looking for him?

[A while later]

Riquet: Master Akira! That’s….

Big youkai: Don’t make me ask you again. People who live in this town should know about the little kitsune that possesses divine power. Why don’t you tell me where he is?

Mitile: I- I’m not telling.

Akira: Mitile!

Mitile was facing a big youkai at a street corner. The youkai appeared to be very strong, being about twice as big as he was, and stared down at him menacingly. Mitile’s flattened ears shook lightly, however, he still stared back at the youkai with steel in his eyes.

Riquet: That youkai! What is he doing to Mitile?!

Akira: It seems like he wants your miraculous power, Riquet. You should return to the tavern.

Riquet: Please wait here.

Akira: Eh. Riquet!

Without hesitation, Riquet dashed forward. He inserted himself between the youkai and Mitile and spread his arms as if to protect his friend.

Riquet: I am the little kitsune with miraculous power. If you have any business with me then talk to me directly. Please leave Mitile alone!

Mitile: Riquet, don’t! Please run away!

The big youkai stared fixedly at Riquet, then reached out and grabbed his arm.

Big youkai: So you’re Master Riquet. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!

Akira – Riquet – Mitile: Eh?

Big youkai: Sorry, little kitsune. I didn’t mean to scare you.

The big youkai was a giant. Because of his rough looks and manner of talking, he scared off other youkais wherever he went.

The giant: Because everyone is afraid of me and avoided me, it’s hard to stay in any town for long. I’ve been living the life of a wanderer for a long time. It’s a lonely way to live though. When I heard about rumors about you, Master Riquet, I come here to ask if there is any place that will accept me.

However, the giant didn’t know how to contact Riquet. Thinking that a young kitsune living in the same town should know about him, the giant tried to talk to Mitile when he came across him.

Akira: So that’s how it is.

Mitile: I’m sorry. I thought you wanted to use Riquet’s power for something bad.

Riquet: I misunderstood you as well. Please forgive me. I will definitely try my best to help you. Since you are looking for a direction, please come to Shylock’s tavern. We can have a proper talk there.

The giant: Y- you’ll really help me? Thank you so much! Here, please take this. I’m sorry about earlier, and again, thank you.

Riquet: Whoa, this magatama has such an unusual color. It’s so shiny too. Pretty!

The giant: I got it during my travels. It’s said to be able to enhance the power of a youkai. A nice find, right.

After saying goodbye to the giant, who set out for a fresh start, we returned to the place where we had been playing with soap bubbles.

Mitile: I made you worry. I’m sorry.

Akira: It’s okay. We’re relieved that you’re safe and sound.

Riquet: Please don’t worry about that. Could you get what you came home for in the end?

Mitile: Yes!

Mitile took from his sleeve a tree branch. Countless pale pink blossoms were blooming on the branch.

Riquet: Oh, is this a branch from the Great Sakura Tree?

Mitile: Yes. It fell into my hand when I was taking care of the Great Sakura Tree near my house. I feel my power welling up when I hold this branch, so I think we can transform the soap bubble the way we want to do with it.

Riquet: I see. Then how about we try again while you hold the sakura branch and I the magatama the giant gave me? Perhaps we’ll be able to do better than before since we’ll have more power.

Mitile: Sure! Master Akira, could you please make a big bubble like the one before?

Akira: Leave it to me!

I carefully blew and managed a bubble even bigger than the one I had made. With the magatama and the sakura branch held tightly in their hands, Riquet and Mitile concentrated their power.

Mitile – Riquet: Mmmmm

Akira: (The bubble begins to sway. Looks like it’s about to transform soon).

Akira: Do your best, Riquet, Mitile!

Mitile – Riquet: Mmmm

The bubble transformed with a pop. An adorable little fox that was slightly crouching appeared.

Mitile – Riquet: Yay! We did it!

Akira: You’re amazing. What a cute little fox. It looks just like the real thing.

Mitile: Ehehe, I’m glad to hear that.

Riquet: This time we managed to create not just the face but the body too.

Mitile: Riquet, shall we call Mister Shylock here? Since we did a good job, I’d like to show him too.

Riquet: Yeah! He’ll surely be delighted.

Just as they were about to run inside the tavern, the wind rose and carried the little fox of soap bubble into the sky, which unfortunately popped and disappeared.

Mitile – Riquet: A-!

Mitile: No way! Just as we finally succeeded.

Riquet: Indeed. Even so, we could do it once, so we surely can do it again. Let’s try one more time!

Mitile: You’re right! I will do my best again. Well then, Master Akira…

Mitile – Riquet: Please create another big soap bubble for us!

I couldn’t help smiling wider at the enthusiasm on their expressions, and replied just as enthusiastically.

Akira: I’ll be glad to!

[trulyinspiringmovies]

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

“Sonic The Hedgehog 2″ loses the charm and connection from the first film and was hyper-focused on keeping the attention of little kids.

Sonic is left home alone when Tom and Maddie visit a wedding in Hawaii. While alone, Doctor Robotnik escapes the mushroom planet and teams up with an echidna named Knuckles. The two villains ambush Sonic at his home. Knuckles almost defeats Sonic, but Sonic is saved by a two-tailed fox named Miles “Tails” Prower. Now the two must stop Knuckles and Robotnik from finding the Master Emerald and gaining ultimate power.

I really enjoyed the first “Sonic The Hedgehog” movie. I was never really a fan of the games because I never grew up with them, but I was familiar with the franchise somewhat. The first movie garnered a tremendous amount of goodwill with people after the redesign and it definitely helped me enjoy the movie a lot more. On top of that, the movie itself was a lot of fun and had great moments. This movie focuses less on the jokes and character relationships and instead focuses on introducing as many game elements as possible and appealing to children. Now, I don’t really mind incorporating lots of details from the games into this movie. I like it when it’s done for comic book movies and it’s always nice to see something familiar realized in a new medium for people. My only problem is that the movie tries a bit too hard to bend over backward to incorporate these elements. They don’t feel like a natural inclusion and instead feel forced while hoping they’ll be given a pass via recognition. The more egregious crime of the two is they're trying to appeal to children. The first movie had flossing, which was cringe, but fine because it’s within Sonic’s character. It’s something you can see him doing if he existed in our world. In this movie, they bring back flossing, which is outdated by now, but it’s also done by Robotnik. There are also a lot of scenes, like a dance-off in a Siberian tavern, that are random for the sake of having children laugh out loud. These scenes would’ve been more tolerable if the characters were developed in meaningful ways. Instead, this movie separates Sonic and Tom for the majority of the movie. They don’t ever bond and the ending tries to force a theme of family when it wasn’t earned. Ben Schwartz as Sonic has only one mode throughout this whole movie and by the midpoint, it was grating to hear him. Idris Elba was someone I was actually looking forward to seeing as Knuckles ever since his announcement, but he’s super flat in this movie. I get that the character is supposed to have everything fly over his head, but he’s uncharacteristically dumb in this movie. It truly felt like Idris Elba just took this role for a paycheck or he’s not very experienced as a voice actor. Any scenes with Maddie’s sister, Rachel, were grating to watch. She is trying her damn hardest to be funny and it just never works. Certain plot points happen out of nowhere because the movie needs artificial conflict. For example, there’s a twist at the end of the wedding scene that just comes out of nowhere and complicated the story for no reason. Still, Jim Carrey is fun to watch as always. He’s funnier in the first film, but still funny in this one nonetheless. The post-credit scene got some of the audience members really excited and I can’t help but feel happy for them. I’m not a fan of the games, but I’m glad the actual fans got a movie that they enjoyed with exciting promises of more to come.

★★

Watched on April 7th, 2022

[the-writing-mill]

Fantasy au arranged marriage, pairing of choice involving Obi-Wan?

Is this... is this about the arranged marriage fantasy AU I abandoned for homework on the discord yesterday? Is that what’s going on here, anon? Are you on the discord server or does everyone just have this sort of thing on the brain recently?

In either case though I shan’t rehash that but do something else lol

Obi-Wan is born as the third royal prince in a mountainous, vaguely European country. The world is about at renaissance level technology, with a few bonuses due to the presence of magic (and magical creatures)

His majesty, King Qui-Gon Jinn, is a moral, stubborn ruler who is thought of fondly by the commoners but who is also quite unthinking at times, a bit neglectful and letting the nannies and governesses raise his children

His royal highness, crown prince Freemor is studious and quiet, and frequently works in the gardens. People are tentatively approving of him as crown prince, since he should be able to handle managing the kingdom’s graneries and other food resources well, but are worried about what will happen during foreign affairs, especially if they go to war.

His royal highness, second prince Xanatos, is... certainly aggressive and ambitious like is needed for foreign affairs, but there are too many rumors of underhandedness and selfishness for him to drum up support, especially by the public

Obi-Wan Kenobi, the third prince, grows up feeling the need to rise to his title. His brothers are already well-versed in their studies and have their own strengths physically. Further, Obi-Wan was told by a nanny when he was young that a true prince has a duty to help their citizens as much as they can and he’s never let that go

Obi-Wan, like all members of the royal family, also has the ability to use magic. And so he is sent off for a few years of his childhood to the academy run the druids/[insert magic pseudo-priest group here]. There he makes good friends with Quinlan Vos, a count’s son whose family is well known as sword mages

When Obi-Wan learns the basics of magic enough from the academy, he’s sent back to the royal family, where he proceeds to take a bre- proceeds to start studying even harder. (Obi-Wan has no chill)

Obi-Wan doesn’t take a break from studying combat, magic, politics, diplomacy, etc. (and becoming a pretty good dragon rider) until basically a few years later when Quinlan graduates from the academy’s full program and shows up to get Obi-Wan drunk. Obi-Wan’s servants quickly pull every favor they have in the palace to get Quinlan hired as Obi-Wan’s aide

Obi-Wan convinces Quinlan that he needs more experience in the real world, and that he needs to prove himself capable by his own abilities, not just the royal name. Quinlan agrees to help Obi get the experience so long as Quinlan comes along

Thus they begin their careers as errant knights

They gain a reputation for bad luck/chaos, and so eventually are only hired/requested when everyone’s sure some mission will go to hell anyways, in which case they’re very good at getting out of things in the best case scenario

During this time they also meet a certain disguised person from a certain royal family in a tavern and Obi-Wan of course flirts and tries to drink the man under the table

After a few years of this, with a few scattered months of being recalled home to the palace or sent to help protect a border from his father, Obi-Wan is called back to the palace again

It’s now that Obi-Wan finds out he has been promised to a neighboring kingdom’s crown prince to diffuse tensions, as there were two neighboring kingdoms seeming to be preparing to make a move. Obi-Wan getting married off to one prevents that kingdom from being able to attack and gets their support to help make the third kingdom back off

Obi-Wan is back for less than a week before he’s being sent off to his new life, which isn’t actually enough time to come to terms with his life getting completely uprooted and him apparently no longer being allowed to serve his kingdom how he planned to/was tying most of his identity to

Obi-Wan arrives at his new home the day before the wedding, and does not see his husband until part way through the wedding ceremony where they both take off their ceremonial veil/headpieces that covered their faces, revealing the man from the tavern

Crown prince Cody does not insist on having sex, although the are required to share a bed, and thus begins Obi-Wan’s somewhat awkward attempts to adjust to his new life

Obi-Wan attempts to be a perfect husband/married in royal, polite, keeping quiet, not causing trouble

He thinks that things are going well, and that he’ll be able to have a perfectly proper, tolerable life until he overhears his husband and a few of his brothers complaining about how distant and cold Obi-Wan apparently is, and how it seems like Obi-Wan’s birth kingdom didn’t really want the marriage

Obi-Wan runs away to the stable where his dragon is being kept, and stays with her for a while, cuddling up against he warm belly

He stays like that until he hears someone enter the stables and reflexively hides. Cody comes over to Obi-Wan’s dragon and takes care of her for a bit, checking her over and petting her and giving her a snack. Obi-Wan’s dragon clearly likes Cody (yes the dragon is Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, why do you ask?) and given the kind way Cody treats her, Obi-Wan can’t really blame her

Obi-Wan, after a night or two to settle himself down, decides to make a concerted effort to actually being a good husband by his new family’s standards

He invites Cody to tea, which is awkward until Obi-Wan switches the subject from personal matters to the latest political/governance problem. He shows up at the training arena more, until he runs into a few of the other princes and gets to spar with them a few times. He shows off a few magic tricks to the curious youngest prince Boba, when the boy finds him in the library

The princes seem to respond in kind, inviting Obi-Wan to things and being very friendly and affectionate, especially physically, which Obi-Wan’s not used to

The day Obi-Wan sasses something at Fives that leaves the man sputtering is Cody’s “oh no” moment, not that Obi-Wan realizes that the funny look Cody’s giving him is his husband trying to refrain from kissing him

Cody starts actually trying to court Obi-Wan after that, not that Obi-Wan does more but obliviously accept the attention, not even suspecting that Cody’s feeling more than a slight increase in respect and friendship for a few months

And then Obi-Wan gets word that King Qui-Gon Jinn has died

Obi-Wan is able to convince his new family to let him go back for the funeral with a well-guarded but small (and therefore fast) retinue, which includes Rex and Wolffe (? Probably? Another brother who is very competent and is not Cody, because crown prince)

The funeral is somber and formal and very much unlike Qui-Gon Jinn, and Freemor’s coronation is smooth and as simple as a royal coronation can be. Obi-Wan gives Freemor a thoughtful coronation gift and leaves. Rex and Wolffe have also come to understand what made Obi-Wan who he is much better and are very much planning on telling Cody and their brothers

A few months go by in which Obi-Wan finds himself falling for Cody more and more, and feeling guilty because he’s decided that Cody is only looking at him as a good friend now. Cody meanwhile is a bit frustrated by his new and improved seduction strategy both clearly working and not being enough to get Obi-Wan to make a move

Before Cody can act on a decision to just kiss Obi-Wan himself, Obi-Wan gets word that Freemor has died in an “accident”

This time, the kingdom is getting ready for harvest, so they can’t afford to let Obi-Wan go back. Obi-Wan sends a letter of condolences and sends an equally appropriate but far less thoughtful gift to Xanatos for his coronation

A year and a half later, after getting the kingdom through two winters very successfully, Obi-Wan finally confesses to Cody that he’s fallen in love with Cody, even though they had agreed to be political partners at the beginning. Cody (who had backed off on the seduction after Freemor’s death) responds enthusiastically

As they’re settling into their new relationship and dealing with much teasing, Quinlan Vos breaks into the palace (much to the chagrin of prince Fox, captain of the royal guard) and informs Obi-Wan that Xanatos has quickly proved to be a tyrant who can’t handle/care about running the country well enough to keep people from starving, putting most of the budget towards himself and the army

Obi-Wan… can’t exactly depose Xanatos. Even though he was third in line, he gave up those rights when he married the crown prince of another country. And the more distant relatives, while not as cruel as Xanatos, are in no way good candidates for the throne

The obvious solution, the Fetts decide, is to invade the country and take it over. Obi-Wan can’t really find a good argument since all the planning involves trying to keep civilians out of the line of fire

Usually, taking over a mountain region is very difficult, especially if you’re from a coastal trading kingdom. But they have Obi-Wan there to give them all the information they need

They spend the winter planning and begin to prepare, get everything ready after winter, and march in mid-spring

By the end of the summer, most of Xanatos’s army is defeated, or defected once they realized their royal prince/Ben the errant knight is trying to save the country with his new people

There’s some cool epic battle where Obi-Wan breaks the siege at the capital where Xanatos is holed up by flying him and Cody and a few others on dragons straight into the throne room/castle

Obi-Wan fights Xanatos as two sword mages, but Cody gets in the killing blow, despite being injured/knocked out earlier in the fight

Xanatos is given the proper funeral for a disgraced noble, and the people in the capital throw a party (technically it’s a belated coronation celebration for their new King Jango Fett)

Cody and Obi slip away from the festivities to watch from afar, and start talking about plans on how to actually rule the new territory and help it out after all the damage Xanatos did to it

The conversation ends with Obi-Wan expressing that he’s looking forward to going home (which is the first time Obi-Wan’s called the Fetts’ kingdom home) and Cody takes a moment to get over his shock before kissing Obi-Wan as the fireworks start going off overhead

Have I ever told y’all that I write really long outlines, btw?

(Also, side note: King Jango has a somewhat strained relationship with most of his sons. He raised them with very high expectations and little praise, and would not give them any responsibilities he didn’t think they were ready for. This led to, among other things, an almost co-dependent kind of closeness between the brothers. Jango, however, is more of a jerk than a bastard in this AU, so when his younger brother Alpha came back from abroad he was able to beat some sense into Jango, literally and figuratively. Boba is significantly younger than the rest of them and is being raised much more properly, but Jango is still in the process of mending his relationships with his other sons)

[coffee-or-murder]

This is Labon Reynard, my five foot tall idiot of a son! He is an urchin assassin turned inn keeper, and a shifter homebrew class (similar to the kitsune race in Fire Emblem but with fey heritage) that I really should try to hunt down again since I’ve lost his character sheet. His beast form is stuck between a big white fox and a white ferret, but his shift isn’t always the most stable and different aspects of his beast form sometimes pop out.

He is the unofficially adopted son to the co-owners of Steam and Steel, Avi and Embric. Labon currently runs a tavern/inn called The Lucky Lily with the phantom of his former mentor and previous owner of the Lily, Lif. He also cares for and maintains a spy network of street urchins, many of who he knew when he was on the streets himself. He has run with a gang, become a thief/assassin, and now deals in information.

Labon took one look at Durhil, fell ass over head for her, and has fumbled his way through trying to impress her ever since. Durhil working at the Steam and Steel has made this both easier and an actual nightmare. The Dads are awful and take far too much joy in teasing Labon for how soft Durhil makes him.

He has a pet pigeon named Basil, who has one leg and can’t fly straight. Labon also does fire dances on weekends or for festivals with his poi/meter hammer style for extra cash and maybe to impress Durhil is it working has she noticed???