#the projections she makes with her ring for her magical outfit? its cute. its so fucking cute holy shit <333< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[babygirlhaljordan]

WAAA!!!!!!! SHES GORGEOUS!!!!

thank u for drawing her!!! she’s everything i imagined (and more! didn’t expect the pink to suit her so well but…/pos)

since damian doesn’t really have his own green lantern, i decided to create one: tala >:3 more information can be found here about her but a very basic summary can be found here.

tldr version: tala is a 13-15 filo-american that uses her green lantern abilities to be a magical girl bc she’s a HUGE anime fan. with damian also being an anime fan… u can imagine the chaos that ensues

damian & tala hcs

hal jordan is her mentor, so you can imagine the amount of annoyance damian holds for her. much like her mentor, she’s impulsive and acts before she thinks. but she has a big heart and always aim to do the Right Thing. much like batman, damian often insults her but unlike her mentor… she never really catches it. if she does, she’s left unbothered

damian follows her tumblr + ao3 acc. he did it to figure out her secret identity but she all she does is post about anime & write precure fanfiction. he does NOT find anything useful except what she believes is the Correct Ships for sailor moon

they discuss anime together. while tala leans more to the magical show genre, she enjoys shoujo. and with a lot magical anime girls being apart of the shoujo genre they are able to bond >:3 she makes damian watch anime and unlike hal, he’s able to follow up with what’s going on. she gets so excited about that and declares him as her “best friend” (he refuses the title but can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy inside)

being the youngest in the family… they complain about older siblings. while tala only has one, that one is equal to damian’s 5… her sister makes fun of her interest in anime (despite watching it with her in the past. so, if anything, her sister is a hypocrite)

damian actually enjoys some of the fanfiction she wrote. he actually makes fanart for her works. and when they get older & tala needs a job… she becomes an author and damian (who wants an outlet for his superhero work bc that shit is stressful!) is an illustrator for her works

i imagine they’d meet thru being apart of a team together, all with heroes their own age and NOT friends with damian’s other family members bc i’m tired of him being friends with characters that were initially the other batfamily’s teams (kory for jason, raven for damian, etc)

it’s great for both of them because neither have worked with a team before outside of their own mentors (hal jordan or bruce wayne/dick grayson) with other members they’re challenged to work with new ppl (which u often deal with in life threatening emergencies) + learn from each other

[sweetestofchaos]

Blackthorn Ch 6 | M.YG

Pairing: Crown Prince Dragon!Yoongi x Crown Princess Impundulu!Keena  Genre: Soulmate AU | Arranged Marriage AU | Fantasy AU | Fluff  Word Count: 4.5K Warnings: Talks of Reincarnation | Use of Magic | Daechwita Yoongi’s Outfit Rating: PG16

Dream of Me - Namjoon discovers something about himself and Ceyeh enjoys her time in the palace.

a/n: Huge thanks to @theharrowing​ for offering to beta this on such short notice. Thank you @sailoryooons​ for making the banner. Credit to @colormepurplex2 for making the Namjoon edit. a/n 2: I apologize for the short update. I broke this up because a few major events will be taking place soon and I don’t want to rush it.

Taglist: @thickemadame

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

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Outside of the butterfly house, Namjoon stood with the royal carpenter and compared the blueprints to what was in front of him. A six foot wall made of stone enclosed the new and improved butterfly house within a large rectangular barrier that was split into five sections within. The outside would be guarded by the royal guard while inside Aga, Mingi, Minho, Chan and Jooheon would rotate stations. Thick oak doors with intricate artwork of phlox, lupine and a rock cress were carved into the wood. Mother of pearl and opal butterflies were made to be the knocker as well as detective accents embedded through the length of the walls.

The courtyard inside was large with its own koi pond and a wooden bridge to cross over to the main house that followed a stoned pathway. The main house was a large hanok with flooring that was able to be heated during the colder months. Latticework windows and support beams added a little flare to the building and Namjoon was impressed. The majority of the butterfly house was complete and it didn’t take long at all. The only thing left to do was add art and homely items.

The courtyard needed a garden and the servant quarters, kitchen and personal hot spring were being built. Namjoon thought it best that the Princess have her own bathing chambers so that she wouldn’t have to walk the distance or be carried by a gama just to bathe in the palace.

Namjoon nodded his head in delight; things were coming along nicely. He was sure that the butterfly house would be finished by the end of the week, at the latest a day past. Namjoon turned around with his back facing toward the butterfly house and pointed towards where old Monie used to be. He had envisioned another lily pond with a beautiful statue in the center surrounded by pretty flowers. A wooden splint was on his ring finger, the same finger that got a splinter, and it hurt a lot. Namjoon couldn’t bend his finger without a sharp pain shooting up his arm, so he had Doctor Hyungwon stabilize it.

“When can we start on the pond?” Namjoon glanced over at the carpenter as they looked at the empty space. A bird house would look really cute…maybe it could hang from the statue.

“My men wouldn’t need much time. It’s a simple enough project, would you like this finished before the rest of the house?”

Namjoon turned his head to look at the seventh garden that was nearly finished and he flexed his jaw. “It would be beneficial to have it finished at the same time as His Highness’ gift to the Princess.”

“As you wish, Namjoon. I will work on the drafts later and send them for your approval.”

Namjoon nodded his head and winced as his head started to throb, “I will take my leave for now. I have another matter to attend to.” Namjoon bowed his head to the carpenter and started his way back into the palace. He had one artist in mind to help complete his vision for the butterfly house and it would take his friend two weeks to reach the palace. Namjoon had sent a messenger bird to his dear friend and he had noticed that the bird had returned when he was discussing the pond.

Namjoon hurried his way to his chambers and grinned that deep dimpled smile once he saw the cornflower blue bird sitting at his window. Namjoon walked over to the bird and held out his bad arm. The bird jumped onto his outstretched wrist and Namjoon tickled underneath the bird’s beak.

“Thank you for coming home safe, Koya.” Namjoon carefully unlaced the small canister from Koya’s leg and released the bird. He sat on the edge of his desk and smacked the note out before he unrolled it. The uneven and slightly slanted handwriting on the note in Namjoon’s hand put a smile on his face. He knew the handwriting for he had seen it a million times. Namjoon looked down at the message and his stomach knotted in excitement.

His friend had accepted the commission and would start his journey to the palace tomorrow before sunrise. Namjoon quickly scribbled out a reply, he was far too excited to see his friend after so long and thought it would be nice to spend some time with him before he got sucked into his own creative mind. Rolling the message and slipping it into the carrier, Namjoon placed it back onto the bird’s leg and tickled under its beak.

“Have a rest and set out in a few hours.” Namjoon set the bird free and watched as it flew over to one of the many bird feeders within the palace walls.

Namjoon took a step away from the window and he felt himself stumble before his hand shot out and caught the edge of a table. He blinked his eyes quickly to clear his vision and placed a hand on his forehead. That sharp pain from before was back and it started to drum behind his eyes. Carefully, Namjoon made his way to his bed and stripped himself of his outer layers before he laid down. He had clearly overworked himself within the last few days and this was his body’s way of telling him to rest. As he closed his eyes, Namjoon muttered a soft prayer for himself before the pain pulled him under.

The next time Namjoon opened his eyes he was in a lush forest of green vines that wrapped together to create a shabby yet beautiful home. The ground was covered in moss and fallen yellow ginkgo and unknown leaves, and large trees with thick branches created a scattered overcast as diffused sunlight poured down from above. It was a beautiful sight and in the center stood a tall wooden figure with yellow-brown eyes and rich green oak leaves on its head for hair. Small twigs stuck up from the being’s head that resembled a crown, and where tiny chunks of wood were missing moss filled in the gaps.

Namjoon stood frozen before the being; he didn’t recall ever seeing it before yet the familiarity that flooded his heart was strong.

“Namjoon, son of Junghee. Next in line for the title of royal gardener…my dear boy. Look how much you’ve grown.” The being’s voice was strong and warm, it soothed what little fear clung to Namjoon’s mind. “Do you know who I am?”

Namjoon bit his lip, he did not know the being in front of him and he feared that would anger the creature.

Namjoon was sure that the being smiled, though it was hard to tell since it was wood. The being beckoned Namjoon forward with one long splintery arm and Namjoon found that he could not ignore the silent command. He stood in front of the being and craned his neck back as he stared upwards.

“You called me Monie.”

Namjoon’s eyes widened, “Monie? O-Old Monie…t-the mongolian oak from the seventh garden?”

“The very same -'' Monie smiled and squatted down in front of Namjoon so that he didn’t have to look up, “I am the eldest son of the guardian in the Irotra forest. Two millennia far into the past, when the Min Empire was but a dream, my home was being destroyed by greedy bandits who wanted to use our wood for their weapons and profit.”

Namjoon had heard this story from his father. Old Monie was a gift but Namjoon never knew who the gift was from.

“A young general of the army had passed through with a small group of armed soldiers and when he saw what those bandits were doing, he killed them all. My father at the time ordered me to keep the animals from the area while he went to deal with the humans. The general and his men prayed to the trees and at the time my father had heard their prayers. They prayed for the souls of the trees and asked for a cleansing rain to wash away the sin of those bandits.”

Namjoon felt his mouth drop. They prayed for the souls of the trees…he had thought that only his family and a select few knew of that. It was their belief that everything in the world had a soul and it was only right to pray for the soul when it passed on.

“My father at the time was impressed by the humanity that the general showed along with his men. As a show of gratitude, I was gifted to the general and it was my duty to oversee the gardens of the Min empire. One of the soldiers, a Kim of your lineage became my friend and that is how the Kims came to be royal gardeners.” Old Monie placed a hand on Namjoon’s shoulder as he spoke again.

“My name is Esrym and I am a hamadryad. I was unable to leave the Mongolian oak tree that my soul was placed in, that was the deal I made with my father. Through your blood, and your blood alone, I was able to escape death. However, it is your choice to allow me refuge in your body.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you allow it, our souls will fuse together and you will become the new guardian of the Min gardens as well as the forests of the Min Empire.”

Namjoon’s stomach lurched as goosebumps broke out on his skin and he took one step backwards at the offer. “I won’t be human anymore?”

Esrym shrugged his shoulders, “What is human to you, Namjoon?”

Namjoon opened his mouth and closed it. What was it to be human? What did it mean?

Esrym continued to speak in place of Namjoon’s silence. “Your looks will not change nor will your heart or mind. I will give you my strength and power to do more for those you love and hold dear.”

As Esrym’s words sunk into Namjoon’s mind, the faces of his parents and friends flashed before his eyes. A single set of large brown doe eyes struck his heart and Namjoon nodded his head. “I offer my body as refuge.”

Esrym grunted and held out his hand, “Give me your hand Namjoon.”

Namjoon lifted his right hand and Esrym motioned for the left, the hand with the finger splint. Namjoon rested his left hand in Esrym’s palm and he inhaled sharply when a small light glowed from the tiny hole in his finger. He remembered getting a splinter and now he understood that was Esrym entering his body. Namjoon’s finger started to warm and he felt Esrym’s power seep into his bloodstream, it was heavy and featherlight all at once. A blissful feeling that muddled the mind with a silky overcast. Namjoon felt his eyes flutter and his balance waver.

“Thank you for saving me, Namjoon, son of Junghee.”

Namjoon jumped up right with a gasp. He was in bed, covered in a cold sweat. He looked around his room as he breathed harshly and stared down at his hand. His finger was no longer in the splint, the wooden contraption was broken on the bed and Namjoon squinted at his hand. There were no markings, no heat…was it a fever dream? Namjoon slowed his breathing and wiped at the sweat on his brow with the back of his hand.

“What a crazy dream,” Namjoon muttered to himself and he turned his head to glance out the window. The sun was high in the sky, so it was a little past midday. He needed to get up and check on the gardens. Carefully, Namjoon slid from his bed and redressed himself into a fresh hanfu. The robes were a dark yellow with grey undertones, white mismatched sized clemati covered the robes and a yellow cream sash was wrapped around his waist. Namjoon wasted no time as he pulled on a pair of grey boots and pulled his hair into a messy ponytail at the back of his neck with a grey ribbon.

The dream was fresh in Namjoon’s mind as he stepped outside of the palace and started to walk through the gardens. The plants around him looked brighter, the colors so vivid and blinding that Namjoon had to step away. He hid away in the shade of a gazebo and sat with his head in his hands. He felt fine, his finger and head no longer hurt but something felt off…different.

“Nammmmmjoon. Nammmjoon!”

A tiny voice rang in his ear and Namjoon flinched at the sound. He picked his head up and looked around, there was no one around.

“Nammmjoon! Excuuuuse meeeee!”

Namjoon flinched again and when he turned his head towards the sound of his name he came face to face with a bumblebee. Namjoon blinked once, twice…no. No….Namjoon raised an eyebrow and glanced around.

“A-Are you talking to me?” Namjoon whispered as he leaned closer to the bumblebee.

The bumblebee buzzed around his head and landed on Namjoon’s upturned palm.

“Yesssss! Nammmmjoon!”

Namjoon stared at the bumblebee with wide eyes, this couldn’t be - the dream flashed in Namjoon’s mind and he bit his lower lip. His jaw tensed as he thought about what Esrym had told him, what he had agreed to in his dream.

“Yoooou, Nammmjoon are the neeeew proteeector!”

Namjoon raised his hand up to his face and he almost went crossed eyed as he stared at the bumblebee in his hand.

“What did you need, little one?” Namjoon whispered as he silently accepted that what took place in his mind with Esrym really had happened.

The tiny bumblebee fluttered its wings and crawled around in Namjoon’s hand, “Neeeeed? Nothiiiing! Jussssst cameeee to sayyyy heeeello!”

Namjoon grinned and bowed his head in thanks. “Should I expect others to say hello?”

“Theeeeey willlll nooow! Theeeey weeeere scareeeed of the neeeew proteeector.”

Namjoon looked out at the garden before him and he could feel every plant watching him. A weight in his chest shifted and he felt lighter.

“You may tell everyone that I look forward to meeting them again. Properly, this time.”

The bumblebee seemed to wiggle its butt in a tiny circle in Namjoon’s hand before it zoomed up into the air and dashed off to deliver the message. Namjoon shook his head with a laugh, his dimples dug into his cheeks and his eyes sparkled as he took in the new world around him. He was the guardian of this beautiful garden and every garden in the empire. Namjoon rose to his feet slowly and inhaled deeply. The air was fragrant with tiger lilies and he paused in his steps. Jungkook! He had to tell Jungkook the wonderful news.

In the palace, Ceyeh sat in front of the vanity motionless. Her silver eyes watched as Wheein and Hyejin worked on unbraiding her hair. They took careful steps to not ruffle any of the feathers on Ceyeh’s ears; they learned very fast that they were sensitive and put the bird spirit in a foul mood. Fatsani stood close by to make sure the two women were okay and had no questions as they chatted with each other. Today was wash day since Izaso wanted to make sure that the new handmaidens would be able to rebraid the Princess’s hair afterward. They had done very well on the dolls they were giving but Izaso was still skeptical.

Ceyeh’s cycle wasn’t as bad as everyone feared. The hamerkop spirit kept to herself and only grabbed someone's attention if the pain in her stomach was too much. She stayed by the window most of the time and listened to the birds that dropped by to sing of their travels. Other times, Ceyeh was found with the new handmaidens as she taught them basic sign language based on the Laibic alphabet.

“That was the last braid!” Wheein announced and Byulyi stepped up to lead the Princess into the washroom.

Ceyeh stripped herself and carefully stepped into the heated water. Her eyes closed as the warmth engulfed her sore body. The cramps were mild at best, but the constant squeeze made Ceyeh thankful that she was able to protect the Princess. Byulyi washed the Princess’ body twice before Yongsun entered the room with Fatsani beside her.

“Do not be afraid to work section by section. The Princess has a lot of hair.” Fatsani smiled as she handed Yongsun a wide toothed comb and a special elixir that helped to detangle the hair.

Together, Yongsun and Byulyi sectioned the Princess’s hair and started to detangle the sections. The Princess did have a lot of hair, it was thick and coily, unlike the pin straight hair both handmaidens had. Once they were finished washing the Princess’ hair, Fatsani double checked and she was impressed. She asked if Ceyeh had felt any pain and when the Princess shook her head, Fatsani motioned for them to move on.

They helped the Princess from the bath and patted her dry with the softest of towels. Fresh out of the heated water in her wash room, Ceyeh stood in silence as Byulyi rubbed oils and creams into her skin. A dark greyish violet silk robe was placed around her naked body and she was led back in front of the vanity where Wheein and Hyejin waited. Oils, combs, pins and fabric ties were laid out on top of the vanity and Ceyeh watched in the mirror as the two handmaidens thought of how best to style her hair.

“Take your time,” Izaso instructed as she watched from the side. “Why don’t you try the style we practiced while the Princess was bathing?”

Wheein and Hyejin nodded their heads and started to work on the Princess’ hair. They used two different magic stones to help dry the Princess’ hair. A cemetan stone (a pale green and white streaked stone the size of a lime) that pulled the excess water from the hair and an aeninic stone (a murky green stone carved into a comb), that helped minimize frizz. A zigzag part down the middle, two long fishtail braids on either side with golden string woven throughout and two smaller braids draped across the forehead like a crown finished the hairstyle and Izaso was pleased.

“Beautiful job ladies. Ceyeh, do you like it?” Izaso asked and Ceyeh nodded her head.

The hairstyle was simple enough and she appreciated that they didn’t try to force her hair to be pin straight more than it had to be. There were still a few waves from the slicked down coils and Ceyeh was grateful. She stood from the vanity and allowed Hyejin and Yongsun to dress her. The outfit was simple, a grey and magenta collarless dress with wide trumpet sleeves. Dark grey and pink cichlid fish lined the hemming of the dress and sleeves while golden thread ran in thin bold vertical stripes of the skirt.

Ceyeh slipped her feet into a pair of greyish magenta slippers and bowed her head in thanks. She grabbed the chalkboard off the bed and requested to be escorted to the cherry blossom garden where she knew the Empress was waiting to have their morning meal together. It had only been three days since the Empress had first come to visit Ceyeh. The Empress had requested that the bird spirit spend some time with her in the mornings before the Empress’s day became hectic.

Chimika walked over the main door and stepped out to inform Aga that the Princess was ready to start her day. Aga entered the room with a bow as he crossed his arms over his chest and Ceyeh rolled her eyes. She knew that the man before her had angered her host and it was not her place to forgive him. Ceyah allowed for Aga to lead her out of her chambers and she smiled politely to Chan and Jooheon as she left. Mingi and Minho were behind as she walked side by side with Aga.

“What are your plans for today, Ceyeh?” Aga glanced down at the Princess as he spoke and Ceyeh fanned her hand outward which made Aga laugh. “It is for your own safety that you stay in the room as much as possible.”

Ceyeh raised an eyebrow at Aga’s words and clicked her tongue.

“What would happen if you were taken? How would we-”

The sky above started to darken and Aga sighed.

“Yes, the weather…how did I forget?”

The blue skies came back and Ceyeh patted Aga’s arm as they walked. The gazebo in the cherry blossom garden came into view and Ceyeh spotted the top of the Empress’s head. She wore her hair up in elegant loops with golden dragon pins to hold it in place while large gold and diamond clips were scattered throughout. As Ceyeh approached the gazebo she saw more of the Empress’s face and today she wore bold blue and gold eye paint with a light pink lip tint. Her robes were black with a blue and gold lotus flower pattern. The sleeves of her dress were lined with golden leaves and she sat with her hands folded in her lap.

“Your Majesty,” Aga greeted with a low bow as he offered Ceyeh his arm to help her up the steps.

“Thank you Aga.” Empress Min nodded her head and turned her attention to Ceyeh. A large smile took over her face as the Princess sat beside her. “How are you feeling today, my old friend?” Empress Min placed her hand on top of Ceyeh’s making sure to leave one free so that she could write on her chalkboard.

Ceyeh smiled and knocked her shoulder into the Empress’ which made Empress Min laugh as her eyes crinkled.

“I believe your cycle is almost over correct?”

Ceyeh nodded her head and started to pick at the breakfast cookies that were in front of her.

“Should we spend some time in the library? There is a beautiful spot where the sun spills in and warms the soul. It makes for wonderful leisure.”

Ceyeh’s eyes shined bright, the silver started to shimmer and Empress Min nodded her head as she understood.

“Very well. Let us enjoy our meal and then we shall depart for the library.”

Seokjin laughed loudly as he used Hoseok’s shoulder to hold himself upright. Hoseok sighed but his lips quivered slightly as he tried not to laugh. The joke was in extremely poor taste but Seokjin’s laugh was contagious and Hoseok struggled not to laugh. Prince Yoongi stared at his friends from his seat behind one of the two desks in the royal advisor’s study and rolled his eyes. Leave it to Seokjin to make the Prince lose his place in his reading.

“Are you done?” Prince Yoongi questioned as he placed the papers in his hand on the desk and folded his hands together before he rested his chin on his fingers.

Hoseok pushed Seokjin off of him and cleared his throat, “Did you need something, Yoongi?”

Seokjin straightened up and wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes before he inhaled and coughed. “S-Sorry.” Seokjin pushed his hair from his face and the butterfly sleeves of his navy blue duster danced around him. “Did you want to head to the library now, Your Highness?” Seokjin offered and the Prince gave a single nod of his head.

Seokjin smoothed his hands down the length of his torso, the navy blue knot shank buttons of his frog closure duster were rough against his finger tips. He cleared his throat and spared a glance to Hoseok who just sighed and clicked his tongue. Hoseok was back to his everyday hanbok, now that the Prince was up and moving around the palace. A simple black robe with golden leaves stitched along the cuffs and collar with a deep plum changui on top, the same golden leaves stitched on the collar, down the center and hem. A wide black belt with matching gold leaves was tied around Hoseok’s waist and a plum colored jumeoni sat at his right hip.

Seokjin and Hoseok both wore similar hairstyles today, a ponytail with two sections of hair framed their faces. Seokjin wore a high ponytail with a silver donggot to hold it in place with a navy ribbon flowing freely while Hoseok wore a low half ponytail with a single gold bead on each section of hair that framed his face.  

Prince Yoongi rose from his seat and held his head high. His hair was piled onto top of his head, the golden sangtugwan covered with beautiful quartz stone while a golden dragon with emerald eyes was carved into the donggot. A black headband kept any flyaways out of the Prince’s face while his ears and neck were dressed in thick gold jewelry. As he walked around the desk, the Prince’s black robes caught the light and the golden four toed dragon in the center of his torso reflected against the wall. Dressed in a more simple hanbok, the Prince’s rank stood out with the gold dragon that sat on each of the shoulders of his jacket and the gold brocade fabric on the collar. Hoseok and Seokjin weren’t sure why the Prince had decided to dress that way but they knew better than to ask.

Hoseok chalked it up to Prince Yoongi wanting to put any negative rumors to rest. In his current dress he looked powerful and Hoseok knew that no one would say any different. The Prince clasped his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow as he stared at the closed door. Hoseok moved first to open the door and he stepped out of the room. Seokjin motioned for the Prince to exit and once he was out of the room, Seokjin followed behind.

The three men walked the halls and ignored everyone who bowed low at the sight of the Prince. Hoseok kept his eyes open for any sign of disrespect while Seokjin openly chatted with Prince Yoongi about a book he felt the Prince would enjoy. As they got closer to the library, Hoseok noticed a small increase of guards. He squinted his eyes in thought as he passed another guard that he usually would not see in this section of the palace. Hoseok’s eyes widened as he realized why. There guards belong to the Empress and if they were around then that meant -

“Your Highness!” Hoseok spun around on his heels and held out his hands. “T-The garden! Namjoon requested that you meet him. He had a question!” Hoseok kept his face neutral as he spoke and the Prince’s smile slowly dropped from his face.

“We can go later,” Prince Yoongi stated and Hoseok shook his head.

“It sounded pretty urgent to me, Your Highness. In my haste to forget Seokjin’s horrible joke-”

“Hey!” Seokjin stepped back and threw a hand over his heart.

“I forgot about Namjoon,” Hoseok prattled on quickly as he ignored Seokjin’s dramatics.

Prince Yoongi frowned and then pressed his lips into a tight line as he tried to figure out what Namjoon could possibly need so badly. He sighed and nodded his head, “Very well. Let’s not leave him waiting any longer.” The Prince turned on his heels and started to walk off.

Seokjin shot Hoseok a confused glance and Hoseok jerked his head towards the guards, “The library is closed,” he whispered to Seokjin and hurried to catch up to the Prince.

[tedturneriscrazy]

Another Saturday, another episode! Let's take a look at Keeping Up A-fear-ances!

(Good lord I'm starting to make myself sound like some sort of content creator)

Oh, okay, we're just starting at that level of intensity, huh?

Chest gem origins

Gwendolyn not being satisfied with managing the curse and determined to cure it? I'm sure this won't be a real world allegory in the slightest.

Oh, so Eda literally just stumbles upon the portal? I could call that contrived, but honestly it's not dissimilar to how Dipper found Journal 3. For that matter, the entirety of Lord of the Rings is predicated on an accidental discovery like this and nobody gave Tolkien shit about it.

Was the eye on the portal cracked in previous episodes? I don't remember.

Seems like Gwen is the "well-meaning but ultimately misguided" flavor of mom.

As an aside, I am now quite curious about how Eda's first trip to the human realm went. Maybe a future episode will cover it? At any rate, I smell a new favorite fic prompt.

The screaming alarms in the Demon Realm will never not be funny to me.

Also, that is a worrying number of hearts. Eda is straight up murdering these poor creatures.

For some reason the gold fang being removable never occurred to me as a possibility, and now I feel like a kid who's discovered that Santa isn't real.

Oh hey, the new outfit! I'm also impressed how close to symmetrical that tearing was.

I need to get a screencap of Luz sleeping on that stack of books because she is adorable.

Also, staying up all night researching? This season seems determined to completely eradicate the notion of Luz being dumb, and I am here for it.

I have a feeling the Hexside mug will be making its way to The Mystery Shack in the near future.

Lilith's first experience with transformation and she seems understandably horrified.

The curse acting stronger when stressed? That seems...important.

Ah, so the dismemberment is from the curse! A surprisingly useful side effect from what we've seen so far.

Can I just say that I appreciate how Eda's reaction to Lilith's first taste of transformation is immediate remedy, explanation, and reassurance? And doesn't make any snarky comments along the lines of "now you know what it's like?" Whatever happened in that week and a half must have been cathartic as hell.

"Always. Always curious." Luz is the TOH fandom.

(Also, Eda, you know she is, considering how much she went on about your "mysterious past" at the Covention)

"Magic bird tornado?!" Luz has a way with words that's just *chef's kiss*.

"Gwendolyn." Eda is already just fucking done.

"MOM?!?!" Jeez, Lilith, you're just now hearing all this?

I was charmed by how motherly Gwen was acting toward Eda, but then she kinda just...dismissed Lilith, and now I'm somehwat less charmed.

(Sweet flea as a term of endearment is kinda cute, though might have some unfortunate implications depending on how you want to interpret it)

"Who knows what they put in those nasty concoctions?" OH WE GOING FOR THE ANTI-VAXXERS NOW YESSSS

Luz and Lilith's reaction to that whole exchange is priceless.

Everyone's perspective here makes perfect sense for who they are and what they've been through.

Poor Lilith. Her cursing Eda is beginning to make more sense.

Ah, thus begins the collaboration.

"We'll be consulting someone very special." Why does that seem so...ominous?

Is there anyone who watched this episode for the first time whose bullshit detector didn't go off immediately when Gwen mentioned finding someone who promised a cure?

Heh, Palm Stings.

Nonbelievers will be blinded by the power of the tome? I'm sure they will be, Wartlop.

I must say, as something of a scientist myself (okay that's not true, I'm a QA tech for a food manufacturer, but I do have a chemistry degree), I am 100% here for the swings being taken at faith healing/"miracle" cures/anti-vaxxers in this episode

Oh, we Wile E. Coyote now, huh?

Also, interesting how much apple blood is being played up in this episode.

Lilith please you're projecting your mommy issues on a literal child

OH WE REALLY JUST WILE E. COYOTE HUH?

You're right, Luz, Gwen's bicep game is goals.

(Somewhat disappointed the scars are from questing and not beastkeeping, but eh)

Why do I get the feeling there's gonna be a future episode where everybody stages an intervention for Eda's apple blood problem?

"Those feathers mean we're driving the beast out" Gwen no

Hooty is holding the brain cell? Oh no...

If that ice cream came from the Night Market it would explain why Lilith sounds drunk.

(Side note: I can't be the only one getting flashbacks to Mermista's ice cream binge, right? Different context, but still)

"Abomi-berry" "Franken fruit" "Key slime pie" These are A+ flavor names.

Oh, there's the transformation...

I must say that whole segment kinda rubbed me the wrong way. The way King's opinion on his dad was changed seemed...I don't know how to describe it. I get that they needed a trigger for Lilith's transformation, but honestly if any part of the episode is contrived it's this.

"¡It really is that good!" So that's what an accent slip in written form looks like. (The upside down exclamation point is used in Spanish, in case anyone didn't know)

I keep half expecting Eda to say "Beep! Beep!" at this point.

Luz is finally asking questions. Took long enough.

Ah, the classic "moving the goal posts to extract more money from a desparate family member" technique.

Luz channeling Scorpion, we love to see it.

There is an exquisite irony in Eda's mom being scammed, I must say.

Ah, so that's where the elixirs went. Dammit, Gwen.

Luz is definitely thinking "Are you fucking kidding me right now?!"

Beast!Lilith is massive.

"Sweet flea?" Gwen just realized she done goofed.

"I can see you still need a little time." God Luz is so fucking smart.

The con revealed.

OH DAMN SCARY MAMA

(Also I am terrified of bees/wasps, so extra scary mama in my book)

The scam is revealed, goblins, getting back into the Wartlop disguise is kinda pointless.

She joined the Beast Keeping coven entirely to cure the curse? That's dedication. A shame you couldn't have spared some of that for Lilith.

Still, I do like badass scary mama Gwen. I'd be down to see more of that.

Owl Beast fight!

I am slayed by the fact that the portraits are now officially a recurring gag 😂

Aw, here's The Moment™️

"My turn to drive" Does this imply cars are a thing on the Boiling Isles after all?

Lilith crying almost immediately💔 She was holding onto a lot of pain.

Yes, King, she was trying to do her best. I mean, road to hell or whatever, but at least Gwen got there in the end.

WHAT?! YOU'RE BREAKING UP LULU AND HOOTCIFER?!?!?!?

Terrace, that's just cruel. (Worthless brownie points for whoever understands that reference)

No, seriously, you can't just give me my favorite inter-character relationship in the series after Lumity and just...take it away like that, come on! 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I know I should remark on how Lilith told Gwen about the circumstances of the curse, how Gwen rightfully accepted responsibility for the whole situation, and how Luz finds the big hair aspirational, but...NOOOO DON'T END THE ADVENTURES OF LULU AND HOOTCIFER WHYYYYYYYYY💔😭💔😭💔😭

"BUT I CAN'T HOLD A PEN!"

I will never emotionally recover from this.

Okay, I think I got that out of my system. Anyway...

Not the only human, huh? Cue the "Belos is a human" theorists going into maximum overdrive.

That said, a tantalizing lore dump.

We certainly do have a lot of garbage. Some of it even holds office. HEY-O!

Setting up the next episode, too. Continuity!

Camp's over, huh? That means it's been three months.

Way to misdirect with Camila, guys. That said, we have now seen Camila cry and I HATE it. (In the right way, I think)

WHAT THE FUCK

HOLY SHIT

CREEPY LUZ IS REAL WHAT

OWJEIWHQGIWWOPQ

(It's hard to keysmash on a phone, even with autocorrect off)

That wraps it up! The flaws in this episode seem more pronounced than any others in the season so far, but the good stuff was really good! Overall a solid episode! I know everybody's looking forward to library Lumity in the next one (so am I), but I'm personally eager to see what they do with Gus. His part is the A plot, after all.

Anyway, I'll be back at this next week! Still hard to believe this is a thing, but that's life, I guess.

[perksofhs]

‘So... the weather?’

This is a little AU piece that was requested! The prompt: Hey could you do a one shot where harry and famous reader are in a talk show and he has a crush on her. Maybe he accidentally hurts her while playing a game and he feels awful about it orrr maybe the host put a video where harry says that the reader is his crush and he gets nervous and embarrassed.

Promoting a movie was all but glamourous. It was a constant string of 14 hour days, 5am wake up calls and repetitive questions about working with this person or that person with very little time spent discussing the actual plot of the film. The savior of press tours was any interview where you werent alone, whether it was a joint interview with cast mates or a full couch talk show.

You’d been on the Late Late Show once in the past and you had to be honest, it was so much fun. Your first appearance included a 7 minute long musical medley involving fifteen quick changes and you very nearly faceplanting the floor.

By this point you were sitting in the dressing room, your hair being tugged one way or another by David your hairdresser, with your make up artist Cam working his magic on your noticabley exhausted face. “Who am I on with tonight Maggie?” you ask your manager, realising no one had actually told you. Maggie looked up from her laptop, a smirk on her lips. “James told me not to tell you so you’ll have to wait!” she said smugly. You rolled your eyes, “Of course he said that, that man has to stop trying to set me up”. James was a good friend, the two of you having met a number of times through industry parties award shows. He’d always try and find the mosyty eligible bachelor in the room and push you towards them just to shit you. Suffice to say none of them worked out.

Once your hair and makeup were done and you were dressed in a cute but entirely impractical and kind of uncortable outfit, a crew member came to get you and walk you down to the stage. “Ok so once we get to the stage, you’ll hear James announce your name, walk down the steps through the audience, wave or high five whatever you feel like. Then greet James and take a seat, then he’ll then announce the next guest”. You nodded along politely, already knowing the drill. “By chance, do you know who the other guest is?” you say shooting Maggie a smug look. “Yeah its Harry Styles” with that your heart skipped a beat, you’d always found him attractive and incredibly charming which is something you had stupidly mentioned to James once or twice. “That bastard” you say under your breath, you didnt have much time to think about it though because not even 30 seconds later you rounded a corner and there he was.

He was a gorgeous as ever, wearing what you could only assume with a gucci knitted jumper with a delicate lacy collared shirt beneath it, his signature pearls hanging perfectly around his neck, and a pair of cream flared pants. The outfit was quintessentially Harry. He was chatting to another random crew member who seemed to be giving him the same speech. You could hear James wrapping up whatever he was talking about, you were too distracted to follow it, you couldnt look away from the man 8 feet away from you. “You good?” Maggie says, pulls you from your bewildered state, Maggie’s words also caught the attention of Harry who finally looked in your direction.

Harry’s eyes landed on you and unbeknownst to you he was just as taken by the sight of you. Realising his gaze was lingering, Harry snapped himself out of it “Hey i’m Harry, nice to meet you” he said, taking a few steps towards you, his hand awkwardly out for a hand shake, something Harry was already kicking himself for doing. You took his ring clad hand in yours briefly “Hey I’m-” before you could finish you could hear James announce your name, you let out a laugh “that’s my queue”. It was probably a good thing that James has inadvertently introduced you, who knows whether you could have actually remebered your own name in that moment.

You descend the stairs, meeting James at the bottom with a friendly hug before taking your place on the couch. “Can you also put your hands together for the incredible Harry Styles!” James proclaims, the audience erupting once more, you watch Harry interact with the audience effortlessly as he makes his way down the stairs, having a bromance moment with James before he plops down next to you, sitting closer than you had expected him to. “So have you guys met before?” James says, knowing full well the answer is “No we haven’t, we met briefly backstage” Harry says. He couldnt stop thinking about how awkward he’d made the initial encounter but he couldnt help it.

Throughout the interview it was all too clear that sparks were flying bewteen the two of you. Harry had talked about his new music, you’d talked about your new film, an anecdote or two thrown in from the both of you. all was going smoothly until about 15 minutes in when James began to look very smug. “Now Harry, I know you two hadn’t met before but from what I hear you have quite the crush huh?” Harry’s cheek went bright red knowing exactly what was about to happen. You on the other hand had zero idea what was going on. “And how would you know that James?” Harry says trying to pretend he has no clue what James was referring to. “Funny you should ask my friend, this clip might just answer that for you!”

Your eyes darted to the nearest screen as the clip rolled, it was an interview from the press tour of the movie Harry had been in last year. The interviewer had asked the cast who they’d love to work with on future projects and to your surprise, Harry’s pick was you. The interviewer then asked why you were his choice, Harry’s response was “she’s just so talented, every time I watch her in something I’m just profoundly captivated. Her on screen presence is incredible.” One of his castmates laughed, playfully poking Harry in the shoulder adding "If it wasn’t already obvious he’s got quite the crush! He made us watch like 4 of her films during our set downtime” before the clip ended.

Harry dramtically buried his head in his hands out of sheer embarrassment as the audience let out a series of ‘oooohs’ and whistles and James burst out laughing. You let out an laugh as you awkwardly fiddled with your fingers, not entirely sure what you were menat to say or do in that moment. "Well then Harold, go on, ask her out. Nows your chance!” James goaded. Harry was utterly mortified but wasnt the least bit surprised. “So... the weather?” the audience laughed at Harry’s miserable attempt at changing the subject. “Alright alright i’l drop it but you can’t say I didnt try! Just remember this moment when you get married ok?” James said, throwing his hands up in defeat as he got in one last playful jab.

The rest of the interview went awkwardly by, although you were a little distracted. Did he really have a crush on you? How could he have a crush on you? You’re the one who had the crush on him, surely he didn’t feel the same?  James wrapped up the interview and once the cameras had cut both you and Harry made your way backstage.

“Well that was sufficiently awkward and I apologise for how uncomfortable I’m sure that made you. I’m honestly gonna fucking kill James for that” Harry said, you could only giggle in response. “He has no idea what’s coming the next time we catch up. In all fairness, despite how uncomfortable that whole ordeal was, it was lovely to meet you” the two of you smiled at each other. “It was lovely meeting you too Harry, no need to apologise, I bloody knew he was up to something. anyway, I have to head back to my dressing room, I’ll see you around” you say before starting to walk away. You only make it a few steps before Harry stops you “Hey wait! What are you doing this afternoon? This was my last interview for the day and I was gonna head from here to get some food. Wanna come along?” You pause for a moment to think about what the rest your day looked like before smiling back at him “Well, I had planned to go home and eat some left over chinese in front of a film... but I like your idea better. Swing by my dressing room on your way out?” Harry could conseal his happiness with your response, a giddy grin now plastered on his face “It’s a date, but we have to make a deal that neither of us tell James ok? You know how smug he’d be. Deal?” Harry said with a wink, reaching his hand out to seal the deal. You laughed as you shook his hand once more, this time a little less awkard than the first encounter. “My lips are sealed. Now you better not take too long, I’m starving!” you say as you walk away with a smirk and as they say, the rest was history.

Hey lovelies, I hope you enjoyed this one! And I hope the anon who requested it thinks I did an ok job! I havent done many request pieces. Also I know its not super long but I still think its pretty adorable.  Requests are open, just shoot me a message and I’ll see what I can do! xx

[mugionthewater]

Tsumugi Shirogane Deepdive: Prologue

I’m in a DR mood right now, and really enjoying revisiting Tsumugi in particular, so I thought I’d do a chapter-based retrospective focusing on all the cool Tsumugi material! A reread project especially rewarding for a character like Mugi, so I’m really excited.

In this series, I’m focusing a lot on all the foreshadowing, and also what we can extrapolate about Tsumugi’s true character along the way. I’ll be doing this chapter-by chapter, including the prologue as well as an installment for her Free Time Events.

Full spoilers for V3 under the cut.

The Pre-Prologue

We first see Tsumugi in the gym by the exisals to get their uniforms and their memories. Tsumugi herself has four lines of dialogue in this scene, nothing that particularly stands out, but there are a couple of things worth noting about how she (and everyone else) is dressed.

Kaede describes how she was kidnapped on her way to school, and it sure looks like that’s the case for almost everyone in the room. We’re used to seeing DR characters in flashy outfits that vaguely resemble school uniforms but actually reflect their individuality, so when the game first shows them in an ensemble lineup like this, it’s a lot more striking.

Not so much in this CG. While there are plenty of visual details that tell us about these characters (Saihara’s already hiding under a hat in his sprites; Iruma is revealing; Kiibo and Gonta are buttoned up and orderly, but Kaito’s shirt and jacket are undone to show a bold-colored undershirt), their uniforms look like they’re doing what uniforms are supposed to do: be bland and blend in.

What about Tsumugi? Tsumugi wears a basic uniform like everyone else, but this is where we get the game’s first indication that all is not what it seems with this girl. The clue is the blue. She is the only one in the lineup whose primary color isn’t a neutral tone. What’s more, it’s the same shade of blue Tsumugi is associated with throughout the game. Visually, part of her is already in character as Tsumugi Shirogane, SHSL Cosplayer.

Of course, there’s a much bigger item foreshadowing Tsumugi as the bad guy, which is that in advance of everyone getting their “memories”, the main emphasis is their new clothes delivered by the Monokubs.

There are a couple of reasons the clothes are significant. For starters, there’s a direct line to Tsumugi’s cosplay talent. For anyone inclined to suspect her before starting the game on account of her talent (and her general don’t-look-at-me-I’m-not-suspicious vibes), this is immediate theory fodder. This also primes the audience to look at the setting of V3 with a critical eye, between the contrast of the kids’ boring outfits and their flashy new ones and the Monokubs making explicit references to starting the “story“, there is an immediate suggestion of artifice that runs all the way down to their identities. Not for nothing is Kaede’s magical girl transformation visually similar to the memory light.

Another thing: pre-memory light, the person in the room whose outfit is the least uniform-y is Amami.

At the very least, it’s a look that’s noticeably more casual than what most of the cast is wearing. After Chapter 6, we know that Amami made it to the end of the 52nd Killing Game before he and Tsumugi were condemned to execution via participating in the next killing game- which he seems to be realizing in this scene- so it’s possible they’re coming right off the heels of the last killing game. It’s an ongoing mystery what his relationship with her was like up to this point? Does he know she’s the ringleader? Is “Tsumugi Shirogane“ anything like the person she was in the last killing game, assuming she was even there?

I’m not confident Tsumugi really switched to a new persona for the 53rd Killing Game, even though fake identities is kind of her whole deal. I’ll get more into why in this series, but I think a lot of the character we see in the game is the “real“ Tsumugi, to the extent that such a person even exists.

Introducing Tsumugi Shirogane: Professional Cosplayer, Sex God

If you go back and read the promotional blurbs for V3, Tsumugi’s mention her tendency to get so lost in thought that she’ll ignore everyone around her. This little trait isn’t super weird at first, until you realize later in the game that she doesn’t carry the shtick past the first chapter. It’s like she wrote the character blurbs herself, realized everybody has a wacky “thing“ that would come up immediately in the introductions, and came up with an act of low-grade wackiness so she’d fit in in the prologue.

This is great stuff, looking back. It gives an intro in brief to the many contradictions of Tsumugi Shirogane. On one hand, it’s overly phony and performative. But on the other hand, there’s a core of truth there about her character- she really is someone who stays in her thoughts without a care for anyone around her, albeit less in the cute way and more in the horrifying sociopath kind of way.

It also tells us something important about Tsumugi’s commitment to the Killing Game. She cares about maintaining the integrity of this world and its characters, but is pretty indifferent about maintaining a role for herself. She doesn’t give a shit about having a storyline or even much of a character. The pleasure of DR comes from what she can get as an observer/consumer. 

This is entirely consistent with what she tells Kaede and Saihara about herself and her feelings about cosplay in the actual introduction.

This is the ethos that makes me wonder how dishonest Tsumugi really is. She’s dishonest as hell, of course, but given that she later applies the entire DR LARP reality show experience as “cosplay“, what she says about her convictions largely rings true. She clearly cares about making her tribute an authentic one (lol), which extends to her being the primary creative director inside her fiction bubble.

It partly explains why she spends the next five chapters being little more than furniture. In her mind, her job as a producer precludes her from being a character in her own right, because doing anything to pull focus is tantamount to self-promotion, and, well, that’s an abuse of power that gets in the way of the story!

(sidebar: there are some fascinating things we could speculate about what she says about cosplay relates to her relationship with the rest of Team Danganronpa and the outside world, but this post is getting long, so I’ll save it for another day)

Like everything else about Tsumugi, it’s not until the end that you can fully contextualize how sinister she’s being here. What she passes off as a cute passion for cosplay is actually a bone-deep sense of consumer entitlement taken to a logical extreme. Tsumugi is a more vicious indictment of terrible nerds and a selfish fandom than anything Hifumi Yamada could embody. She loves DR so much, and feels so strongly that nobody should be participating in DR with any corrupt motives, that anything less than the real deal is unacceptable. To this end, she will happily transplant entirely new emotional realities on the others so that even the emotional torture of the Killing Game is authentic. In Tsumugi’s selfish nerd brain, this is the important part of the drama of Killing Games, and anyone who disagrees with her approach is a fake fan who doesn’t deserve any kind of creative control.

Anyways, there’s more to say about Tsumugi’s introduction, so moving on

Some pretty overt foreshadowing here. In the Japanese script, her reference is ep. 53 of Kiteretsu Daihyakka instead of Doraemon. I like the change for the dub, even though it’s pretty obvious. Someone who knows DR primarily through the dub is less likely to know about the franchise’s connection to Doraemon, anyway.

Tsumugi also points out the weird dragon statue in the hallway that will lead into a new part of the school down the line. It’s a neat little metatextual trick on the audience, because it’s the kind of thing that’s not suspicious at all on a first playthrough. She’s an NPC in a DR game, of course her dialogue is gonna point out plot devices that will be relevant shortly, but on a reread you know she’s being deliberate about it. This is far from the last time this kind of thing happens with Tsumugi.

Lastly, this charming observation from Kaede about why she’s maybe not so plain afterall.

Kaede puts it in the worst way possible, but it’s interesting that she, a person with a generally good read on people, decides immediately that there’s more to Mugi than meets the eye. Not only that, she relates it specifically to an audience spending a lot of time looking at her. If she were any less gross about it, Kaede making this kind of observation would land like a big clue.

This leaves us with the biggest question from the prologue: if Kaede wasn’t too busy being horny and gay, could she have put two and two together and thwarted the ringleader?

There is SO much more to say about Tsumugi, so I’m really excited to dig deep into other chapters!

[stanknotstark]

Astral Pt. 13 (Loki x Reader)

I’m introducing ANOTHER character :D Morgan is very interesting and her powers are like Kang’s I’m very curious as to who would win in a fight tbh i wish i could’ve written an action scene because she can mind control and OH the drama that I could have played with! You guys are lucky cuz i had something worse written >:D

You and Loki are eating breakfast together in silence. When you finish your plate Loki tells you to grab a book from his quarters, while he finishes, so he can help you research Asgard. Then meet him in the common area since no one is there right now. 

Loki likes to teach you and watch your curiosity flare as you read up on Asgard, its customs, how healers work, how royalty works, instead of telling you. It’s the least he can do since you’ll never actually see Asgard in person. He’s a fantastic storyteller but you know he has a weakness, that weakness being that when you truly concentrate on something sometimes you stick your tongue out a bit and narrow your eyes. Other times you look at the book with guileless fascination. Plus, Loki knows there’s more satisfaction from learning on your own. He’s always there to answer your questions and debate with you though.

You walk back into the common area after grabbing the book, Loki looks at you, then a cloud of dark green appears between you both. Before you can react accordingly feminine arms are yanking you into the cloud of magic and you’re in someone’s arms definitely not at the tower anymore. You can only imagine what Loki is thinking. The last thing he probably saw was the book fall when you dropped it. Now he’s probably thinking the worst is going to happen, that you’re going to die, and honestly you don’t know what’s going on. For all you know you might actually be about to die. 

You try to wave off the nausea and dizziness following the teleportation you endured and assess your surroundings but someone is roughly pulling you somewhere. Just as you get your wits back there is a tight rope constricting your hands behind your back and around your ankles. You’re shoved into a rocky wall, twisting, back first causing you to let out a breathless grunt and slide into a sitting position on the ground.

Looking up you see a beautiful woman. She stands tall, her chin out in confidence. Her pale, petite face is framed by pitch black hair, the long tendrils held in braids resting on her chest and trailing to her hips they’re so long. She wears a green and black corset that flows into thigh armor that is engraved. No not engraved, made of actual scales, you shiver at the thought of what could have scales that big, nothing from Earth that’s sure. To end her amazing outfit, her green with black lace boots are thigh highs. You can faintly smell leather and something sweet you’ve never smelled before. You’re pretty sure this woman could be a really good dominatrix if she wanted to.

“That was much easier than expected. If the Avengers are Earth’s best defenders I’m disappointed, to say the least.” The woman tells you looking at her nails in boredom. You pick out her British accent.

You realize you’re not in immediate danger and say, “While I don’t mind getting kidnapped by beautiful women I usually like to know their names first, maybe take me on a date before you bring me back to your place.”

The woman chuckles. “My name is Morgan Le Fay of Britain, the world’s strongest sorceress, Morgana. That is until you came along.”

You frown. “That’s a mouthful.” 

Morgana shakes her head with a small smile. “Cute.”

“Look I’m not that powerful, I think you have the wrong person, most of the magic I use I can’t use for long because it gives me migraines.” You say while shifting around to get more comfortable. 

You finally take in your surroundings. All you can assess is that you’re in a cave, no telling how far from New York City, home. You know Loki could track you down if you could astral project but you don’t trust Morgana enough to take your eyes off of her. Maybe Tony is tracking your cell phone which you feel sitting in your back pocket. 

“Such a shame you’ll never discover your true potential. I’m here to kill you, child, but I had to get a taste of what runs through your blood before I do.” Morgana says kneeling in front of you. 

Morgana brings a hand to your head and when she touches you she gasps and closes her eyes. You simply watch from under her hand as she shivers. When she pulls her hand away her eyes are bright with curiosity but far away in thought. 

“Why would your mother want to kill someone so powerful, I would think having you on her side would be more preferable.” Morgana says under her breath. You only hear her because she’s so close to you. 

“My mother sent you?” You say trying to stall now that you know her intentions. 

Morgana hums. 

“I know my mother doesn’t love me but I never thought she’d send a glorified assassin after me. I’m honored, honestly.” You say your fingers playing with the rope around your wrists seeing if you could escape somehow. “How does my mother know you anyways, she doesn’t have any powers why would she know a sorceress?” 

Morgana frowns at you, “I like your humor in the face of death.” She quips with a hint of annoyance at your nonchalance of the situation, “When a celestial tells me to do something I tend to not question it.” You look at Morgana like she’s crazy then you watch as realization dawns on her face. 

“My child...You truly do not know?” 

You stop fiddling with the rope and look at Morgana with a raised eyebrow. “Know what? And I’m not a child.”

“Your true birth mother, celestial Madonna.” Morgana says ignoring your plea to be respected.

At this you freeze and lose all the breath in your lungs. 

Thor was right, you’re adopted.

“It was prophesied that celestial Madonna would give birth to the most powerful being in the universe. Kang wanted to be father to such child and hunted her down. He impregnated her, held her captive until she birthed you. She fled when she had the chance but couldn’t take you with her.” Morgana explains while standing and pacing the cave’s floor. “Kang, who was being chased by the Avengers, planted you in an alternate universe and time. No one has known where you were until a few years ago when you used magic for the first time.” Morgana finishes, stopping and looking down at you.

She gives you a look of pity as you process everything. It all made sense now. Kang wants you to be his weapon of destruction. Why your parents have always hated you and treated you like shit. 

“My mother wants me dead and sent you to do her dirty work...Meaning she’s alive somewhere?” You ask trying to not panic with the influx of information.

“She’s here on Earth until she knows you’re dead. Said you’re more of a liability than anything. I’m being paid handsomely for your head.” Morgana says. She then brings a hand up and flicks it. Dark green magic flows and through the smokey magic you see a quin jet then see flashes of Loki, Steve, Natasha, Tony, and Thor talking, concerned and frightened looks on their faces but hear nothing. 

“Your friends are near.” Is all Morgana says like it’s an afterthought. She makes the magic disappear and looks at you with determination. “I have a proposition for you, child.”

You’re not really in the position to argue so you nod at her.

“Promise me you’ll hunt down Kang and right before you deliver the last strike on his miserable life you call on me and let me do it. While I love your mother dearly I have a penchant for revenge.”

“Fine.” You say. At this Morgana looks at you, sizing you up, but decides you’re harmless enough and makes the rope around your wrists and ankles disappear. When you stand she magics a gold ring with a square emerald on it and gives it to you. 

“When the time comes throw this on the ground and stomp on it with your foot then stand back, I shall appear where the ring is.”

You nod and slip the ring onto your right ring finger finding that it fits perfectly. 

“Do not use it for anything else, it is a one time use. If you use it for something trivial I will kill you without hesitation, our deal will be void.” Morgana says, she frowns and without asking places a hand on your head again. This time you feel her magic search your mind and gasp when she does something that makes you feel energetic and calm.

When Morgana pulls her hand away she explains, “Your powers were behind a barrier, I simply destroyed it. You should be able to wield magic without headaches now but you’re going to use your full power unless you learn how to tame it. Do not kill yourself or I’ll bring you back to life just to kill you again.”

You look at Morgana in disbelief and annoyance because she keeps threatening your life.

 She gives you a sympathetic look. “I’m truly sorry such a fate has fallen on you, child.” And then she’s gone and you’re left in a dark cave. 

You hadn’t even realized Morgana had used magic to light up the space you both inhabited until you’re left standing in pitch black. Without hesitation you light up both fists with fire and start to make your way out of the cave. You plan to contact Loki when you truly know where you are. However, when you reach the entrance you see the quin jet landing in an open field not that far from the cave’s entrance on the side of a mountain. The first person out of the ship is Loki and he is sprinting towards you, Thor not far behind with Steve and Nat pulling the flank. 

When Loki reaches you you open your mouth to tell him you’re ok but he pulls you into his chest hard and squeezes you till you’re breathless. Then he holds you at arms length and looks over your face first, then body.

“Are you hurt, did she use any magic on you?” He asks urgently.

“I’m fine, Loki, we just talked, she’s not a danger to us.” You say with a small smile that you’re sure doesn’t reach your eyes because Loki doesn’t lose the concerned look on his face. He doesn’t push it either though. Thor stays suspiciously silent when he reaches you both. He touches you as if to check that you’re real but drops his hand and claps Loki on the back more for calming him instead of camaraderie.

You look at Steve and Nat with a small wave and embarrassed grimace when Loki, Thor, and you reach them as you all walk towards the quin jet. After you’ve told them multiple times that you’re fine they all relax a bit but not by much. You mostly feel embarrassed you were taken so easily. You didn’t even put up a fight.

You’re sitting in the quin jet quiet other than to answer their questions without going into details because you’re still trying to unravel what you’ve been told. 

“Why did she take you?” Steve asks, standing in front of you, arms crossed, with Nat next to him while Loki sits at your side, holding your hand. You know he has questions because his fingers keep playing with the new ring on your hand and he gives you looks you can’t decipher. Thor is speaking with Tony in the cockpit so you’re free of their questions until later thankfully.

“She wants me to find Kang so she may kill him.” You say.

Thankfully Loki and Thor had told the group of superheroes who Kang was after the incident with the Growing Man. They told them what they knew of the man which honestly wasn’t much. 

At your words you feel Loki stop playing with the ring. He understands its purpose now. He must have used his magic to look over the ring and see if it was a danger to anyone but especially you, sensing it had magic dwelling in it.

“That doesn’t explain why she took you specifically. She could have told all of us. She didn’t have to kidnap you.” Natasha says knowing you enough to know you’re hiding valuable information. 

You frown and look at your feet. “I-”

You go quiet and everyone stays quiet too, you listen to the engine of the quin jet and Thor and Tony bickering in the background. You think about how Loki’s hand fits perfectly in yours and is soft but has rough patches of callouses from his use of daggers. You take a deep breath in through your nose, closing your eyes, and smell leather, sweat, and that smell the quin jet emits like a new car. 

When you open your eyes you look up at Steve and Natasha and ask, “How did you find me?” 

Natasha frowns at your very obvious deflection. Steve answers. “Tony tracked your cell phone but it’s thanks to Loki we found you so fast. He used his magic to track your magic or something.” Steve says uncrossing his arms and shrugging while glancing at Loki.

You look at Loki who raises a brow at you. “Our bond.” Is all he says at your inquisitive look. You nod in understanding. 

“Where are we, exactly?” You ask them.

“The border of New York and Pennsylvania.” Steve says. That explains why they were able to reach you so quick. If Morgana teleported you so close that means your stalling is the only reason you’re alive. She planned to make you a quick death.

When Nat opens her mouth to ask you another question you shake your head at her. “I’m exhausted can I take a nap before I tell you everything?” You ask, realizing you’ve got at least 45 minutes of free time since the jet isn’t going full speed.

Nat looks a little apologetic and Steve nods and says, “We’re happy you’re ok.” and then they both make their way to the opposite side of the quin jet. 

You and Loki settle into the quin jet’s seats as comfortably as you can. He stays suspiciously quiet about everything but brings an arm up and around your shoulders and lets you lay your head on his shoulder where it meets his neck. When you’re settled he keeps holding your hand but his free hand around your shoulder comes up to stroke your hair. It doesn’t take long to fall asleep. 

Pt. 12.1/Pt. 13/?

Tage list: @justfangirlthingies​ @emelieh99​ @high-functioning-lokipath​ @loveableasshole​ 

[mahou-furbies]

Magical Girl Raising Project Limited - character design ranking

Captain Grace

An alright pirate design with enough little details that keep it from being forgettable (I especially like the anchor buckle on her belt, and the earrings and hooks on her hair). The spikes on the coat are what stands out most to me; makes me think of a Mario enemy or something. However I’m not sure how much of a Magical Girl design it is. Like pirates and frills already go together, so the well tested formula (put a miniskirt and frills on it and it’s a magical girl look!) doesn’t really do much. Maybe it’d be better if she had some cutesy detail in there somewhere? Also is that an tail again or what, or some kind of blunt hook? What is it with these unnecessary tails in Magipro designs. 6/10. 

Funny Trick

I’ve always liked Funny Trick’s look, and it’s probably because of the pleasant colour palette, unique eyes and two-tone hair (I’m easy to please with two-tone hair). The nail polish and colourful glitter on her fur are also good little details. But apart from that I guess this is only barely strange enough to be any kind of “magical” look rather than just an anime stage magician, but at least that’s pretty close to magical girls already. Also is that a frigging tail again?? At least it goes well with the hair I guess... 8/10.

Kuru-Kuru Hime

It’s a cute design, but when I think of a ribbon magical girl I somehow expected more ribbons? Like this feels like an the higher end of an average magical girl amount of ribbons? Or maybe it’s totally over the top and my perspective is just skewed since I love ribbons and want them everywhere. Either way I like her outfit from neck down, but I’m not that into the headgear, the combo of the bonnet thingy and the weird crown just sitting on top if it looks strange to me. Nice hair tho even if it could use more ribbons. 6/10.

Weddin

I absolutely love Weddin’s design. The muted and light colour palette is very appealing to me, and the dark chains break up the mostly monochrome design so it doesn’t look dull and faded and also give the otherwise super frilly appearance quite a lot of edge. There’s repeating elements (braids in her hair and veil, the same kind of flowers everywhere, flower yellow also appearing in her eye makeup) so it doesn’t get too complicated, and all of them go well with the wedding theme too. The flame... is a bit of an odd touch and I’d rather associate it with a birthday party or Christmas than a Wedding but I guess you can have candles at weddings too, and I don’t find it too distracting.

I’m not a huge fan of the lingerie like look though, but at least visible garters go with the wedding theme and she’s so covered in veils and frills that it doesn’t look so bad. Also the back train looks kind of lazy. But overall still one of my favourite Magipro designs. 10/10.

Rain Pow

A tail again! However this time I actually like it, since she has that rainbow hoop behind her it looks good to stick something through it, and at least it somewhat resembles her twintails. 

As for the rest of the design, it has zero frills and ribbons and looks more like some kind of scifi spacesuit than a typical magical girl design, but somehow I still really like it. I think the weird heart hair is just enough to pull it into magical girl territory for me so my impressions are more on the “an unique take on an mg look” rather than “not mg enough” side. Then all the rings keep the look consistent (I absolutely love the rainbow halo) and the suit itself looks alright enough. I also find it interesting how muted the suit colours are for a rainbow magical girl and even the rainbow is pretty pastel, but I figure this is a better choice than all the expected seven colours in all their eye-strainy glory. 9/10.

Postarie

Please put on some pants, that is a shirt and not a dress.

Not too interested in this one, but I find it a commendable effort on making a design on the idea of “postal delivery girl”. Still lots of repeating elements so that’s a plus, especially the back epaulette is such an absurd idea but somehow it works and its wings and the wing hairstyle add the required fantasy touch. Bonus points for the cute birds. 7/10.

Tepsekemei

An inoffensive genie design but I struggle to really have emotions towards it. Butt flower is silly and I have no idea what the things hanging from it are, but at least they’re consistent with her head decoration. Don’t care for the shoulder spikes in an otherwise soft looking design. Huge earrings and multicoloured nails are a nice touch. 6/10.

7753

Also one of my favourite Magipro looks. It feels like the design philosophy here was “gakuran jacket and some frills, and then some hearts. And more hearts! More! Even more!” and I think it’s a great way to go with when designing a magical girl. Using just hearts everywhere makes the outfit cohesive, but since they’re all implemented in different ways it doesn’t get boring. I especially like the little hearts on her hands and under the eye, and the one in her pocket.

Two-tone hair in twintails is also one of the best design elements out there and the hairstyle is quite memorable (and also manages to incorporate the heart motif) and I’m always a fan of caps too. The green eyes and the little bit of green nail polish which you unfortunately can’t see here go well with the otherwise reddish look. Maybe the hair looks a bit too clunky (I only just realised it appears to be tied in a hoop behind her) but I won’t let it bother me. 10/10.

Mana

A solid witch design, I especially love the dimensional cape and hat. I also like the huge collar with the lace detail, but I’m not sure if it works with the hat brim. Not a big fan of the hair, I think it clutters the design. The snake leg accessory feels weird and a bit out of place but I do appreciate the asymmetry and also having something dark to break up the otherwise plain bottom part of the design.. 7/10.

Gekokujou Hana

I tend not to be a huge fan of kimono-based clothes, but this one is an exception I guess. The great colours must play a part in it, and the bottom part is fun. Then the dangly decorations add the correct amount of strangeness so it’s not just a bunny girl in a mini kimono Also, another tail, but this time it’s almost a requirement and I love how ridiculously huge it is (and also repeats elsewhere in her outfit). But really I can’t think of anything to dislike about this, must be the colours and the tail. 10/10.

Archfiend Pam

I believe this is the record on how little clothing you can wear in this franchise... At least she has the personality to pull that off. But that is not a top! At least it’s something new...? The wings fit the description in the story, but I don’t think these blank rectangles look very aesthetically pleasing. I like the tail best, the fur edge makes it a lot more interesting than just the usual demon tail. I don’t know, if the theme is a sexy demon girl this design definitely accomplishes it in a unique way, but also I don’t care for this fanservicey designs. Also not a fan of the hair. 4/10.

Pythie Frederica

Before drawing her for the chibi series I thought she had some kind of a helmet but upon closer inspection of course it’s a veil. But what are the horns? 

Upon closer inspection this one is also very fanservicey, in that her “dress” is actually see-through and the only thing covering the critical areas look like thin belt-thingies. At least she doesn’t look like she’s ten... But a major issue I have is the bottom part of her outfit, like how is it supposed to work? Is it one big piece of cloth, or multiple thin ones? What is the “fire” behind her? Is the dark part her hair, or the clothing, and is it supposed to be black or just shading? I do like the stars; otherwise the design gives a more mature “sexy” air, but the little stars everywhere adds a cute element. The colour palette is pleasing, but as much as I like multicoloured hair it doesn’t grant points this time, because the wiggly stray strands look very out of place here and the colour change makes them even more noticeable. 2/10.

Tot Pop

This one really isn’t my aesthetic, I very much prefer the cutesy style and there isn’t really anything ‘magical girl’ about this design. And it doesn’t really evoke the supposed image of ‘pop star’ to me either, like if you remove the guitar I’d think her theme was a prisoner or halloween. Though I don’t really know what a ‘pop star’ should look like anyway, like can’t they wear anything they want, I know Lady Gaga had a meat dress or something. But as of this design, I don’t think there’s anything specifically wrong with it, the colours are pleasing, the details are consistent and it’s not bland or boring either, but it just doesn’t do much for me because of the theme. I like the blood-stained hair and the spiky hair accessory, the long hanging part makes for a nice silhouette. Meanwhile the skulls on her shoulders feel somewhat tacked on, and in general I don’t care for piercings in anywhere else than ears. 5/10.

Pukin

And it’s a tail again. What is it with the stupid tacked on tails on every other design in this franchise? Sometimes it’s not so badly out of place, like if you have an youthful cutesy design, a fluffy animal tail can still add to the cute effect even if it’s otherwise out of place. But Pukin is supposed to be this dangerous and majestic authority figure and a cutesy tail very much doesn’t fit that image. And while we’re on the topic of animal features, the story describes that she has a feather decoration in her hair, but the way it’s drawn as a tiny feather jutting directly up in the middle of her head gives me more the impression of a character whose theme is a baby bird rather than a fantasy prince.

Now that we’ve dealt with the tail let’s get the biggest issue out of the way: I’m aware that there was a time in history when people used to wear these kind of giant ruffled collars but I really don’t care if there’s some kind of history based reasoning. It looks like your head is on a plate and it’s something I can’t ignore. I don’t feel even clowns can pull that off. There is no way getting around this.

When I first read Limited I thought Pukin’s appearance was an absolute mess and an instant 1/10, but upon closer inspection there is stuff I like about it too. She has a good colour palette, great shoes and gloves, and as a friend of multicoloured hair I welcome the yellow hair tips. The big heavy cape balances the small top and pants, and I really like the fur. Earrings go well with the pants too. The theme is a bit confused, or at least I don’t know of any fairy tales about pumpkin prince, but it’s not like I would complain about pineapple or cauliflower princess so that’s not really a problem. 3/10.

Sonia Bean

And we end Limited with yet another excellent design. I like how this manages to look kind of tattered and messy without actually being gross and dirty with the patchwork dress, dustball-like thingies, newspaper clippings and asymmetry. Even her hair looks disheveled. The headgear gives the design an old-fashioned vibe which suits her well since she’s so old. The light palette, soft design elements and ribbons give the look a cute feel, but at the same time she feels suspiciously pale, and the manic expression screams danger, like you can’t reason with this girl. She’s like a ghost of a Victorian era child who wants to play with you but you know you definitely should not follow her.

The design only works if I don’t think too much about it though, like dust is gross and newspaper paper is crinkly and not soft at all, but since we’re magical girls here I can ignore that and enjoy the image the clothing evokes. 10/10.

------------------

Limited average: 6,9.

[annashorton01]

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[moonlightreal]

Winx Club season 8/21

In which we all do some DDR.

21 Dance Contest on Melody

More Musa/Riven stuff, strap in guys!  I swear, this season turned me from not caring about that ship to hating it with a fiery passion.  Come on relationship, redeem yourself already so I can go back to standing peacefully outside all fandom drama sources like I want to!

Alfea!  Grizelda is teaching “magical self defense class”  in the courtyard.  I like how we’re seeing all the teachers—except Avalon, I wonder what happened to him!  They’re doing magic shield practice and Knut and Kiko are shooting cannonballs with a catapult to be shielded against. I wonder if shields against a physical object and shields against a magic zap are a different spell.  But grizelda says the cannonballs ‘simulate a magic attack’ so maybe not.

Stella’s shield is a gold star.

Musa is up next, she practiced a lot but her phone rings just at the wrong time. Riven wants to go out for ice cream!  Musa does not sound enthused, like at all.

So they’re back together?  I don’t really remember them getting back together.  My guess is here’s what happened: the second-half writers were told that part of the plot in the first half was that Musa and Riven would get back together, and then the first-half writers… flubbed it.  It happens to us all, you get to the end of the story and realize you didn’t manage to do one of the things you were planning to do.

Or else this ice cream date is Riven’s attempt to actually get back together.  

  Because she’s paying attention to her phone she nearly gets beaned with a cannonball, and then Knut launches Kiko from the catapult, and then the star box appears to save us from the slapstick.

...Is this a glitch?  The box floats there silently and the Tecna says something about the world of music.  I think the dubbers forgot to put in the sound file!

I like that the minor fairies also gather around to hear the star box.  I wonder if some of them are hoping in their hearts that this time the box will say it’s someone else’s destiny to find the prime star.  We never see the minor fairies being jealous, but they must be, the Winx get to do everything and they’re singers too!

Bloom asks to be excused and Grizelda says the fate of the magic universe is indeed more important than their lesson.

So Musa texts Riven that they have to go save the universe again.  Flora says Musa should give him one more chance, “it’s just ice cream.”  Flora, I love you but quit pressuring Musa! -_-

Musa: ‘I don’t need him telling me his feelings unless he can show me!”  Uh, I agree with the sentiment Musa, but that’s what he did with the hologram projector and all that showed was that he’s a bonehead. But Musa perks up because she’ll get to see her dad.

Bloom is concerned about the Trix getting there ahead of them, but Stella says there’s no way the Trix could be there already and we cut to…

The Trix were there already!  Aerial zappy battle for the star, which is on top of one of these really cool giant rock spires that have the tops carved into treble clefs.  Love the geography!  I want to imagine who carved these things, I wonder how people know when they move into a realm what kind of magic it will have.  The girls’ home realms each have a certain flavor, while Magix isn’t associated with any particular kind of magic. Imagine being an explorer visiting new realms to discover their magic...

In the fight the prime star gets dislodged and its little hamster ball goes sailing off towards the city.  Everybody follow it!

Musa says, ‘it’s flying toward the Melody disco!”  wait, is that whole thing a disco?  The scales of things are sometimes confusing, I thought it was a whole city but maybe it’s just one building.

Cut to… a disco! Or some kind of… do nightclubs really look like that?  Colored lights, big speakers, several levels of dance floors, big screens. Very cool.  The partygoers do not look particularly traditionally Asian, they’re all colors and wearing big pants and hats and sweaters.  I think this is like, Asian punk clothing?  K-pop style? I don’t follow K-pop and I don’t go to night clubs, but if they looked like this I might.  

And there’s Galatea!  The art style has actually made her look older than she was, she’s wearing the same dress as when we saw her in the sovereign council, that super skinny dress with the ruffles up front. I feel like the very classical-music Galatea should look more uncomfortable at this not-classical club, she doesn’t fit aesthetically, but she’s having a grand time announcing the annual Melody disco competition.

The Winx come in, Musa says this is Melody’s biggest party and Galatea organizes it every year.  it’s like her pet project, I love it!  Galatea holds up the prize for the “dancing queen”, a crown with a treble clef on it, and the prime star landed inside.

Ok, it flew from outside and landed perfectly in the crown and Galatea’s holding it up and doesn’t notice?  Come on. ...was what I wrote when watching in Italian, but in English it’s even worse because Galatea did see it and she just says, ‘this crown and a special extra that just fell from above.”  So Galatea doesn’t recognize an important magical item or wonder where it came from or why… groan.

So Musa goes, “Hey, Galatea, old friend, we need that star and then you can go back to enjoying your contest!” and Galatea gives it to her--

Not.  That is not what happens.

Flora does suggest they just ask for the star but Musa says it won’t be that easy, “Princess Galatea takes this event very seriously.”

The Trix are here too.  Icy tries some magic to “bring down the house!” and it doesn’t work and all the punk kids glare at her.  She looks quite worried for just being glared at by a bunch of punk kids!

Galatea says very prissily, “Remember, the disco is protected against magic attacks, so no cheating please.”  I dunno if it’s just me but I’m seeing Galatea as, she acts all prissy but she’s like a stealth nerd who pretends to be all formal but secretly just has a ball going off on nerd stuff.  Or in this case, disco.  Maybe that’s just me reading what I want to see into the character ‘cause it’s such a fun image of her.

Anyway, we’ll just have to win the contest to get the prime star!

Bloom seems pretty happy about this, and Aisha says the star case mentioned harmony so winning a music contest would make sense as a way to get the star.

Stella says, ‘everybody, hold still!” and gets everyone dressed up. Gradient-colored outfits with neon edging.  Bloom comes off worst, the designers couldn’t bring themselves to go with blue so she’s in mostly a muddy purple and her hairstyle is not good.  Flora’s is similarly blah, Musa has cute banding across her top and I like her very ninties hair.  Tec is cute in green and Stella in yellow. Aisha’s turquoise with purple neon looks the best, and she says this might be the best outfit Stella’s ever put together.

Are these dolls?  I hope so.  I not-so-secretly want Winx dolls with glow in the dark elements, because I want them to be Moondreamers.  Cosmix totally granted my Winx-moondreamers wish, except for the glow in the dark stuff part!

Musa’s ready to dance but the others tell her to go see her dad while she can.  The others mention Aisha is a talented dancer, yay for them remembering that.  So Musa goes to visit her dad.

The Trix notice Musa’s leaving and Darcy wants to go after her to make sure she doesn’t “know something we don’t.”  Smart, Darcy!  Icy grabs her sister and says they have to win the crown.  But Darcy says, ‘You don’t need me, you have our secret weapon.”  What weapon?

  Icy and Stormy get their dance clothes on and they look awesome!  Way better than the Winx.  Icy’s hairdo is a bit much but other than that they rock.

We cut to Red Fountain.  Sky and Brandon are sparring.  Riven is brooding about Musa avoiding him.  Sky says he should try talking to her, but Riven says every time they talk they end up arguing.  Brandon suggests they argue because they have strong feelings.  Sky says, “Talk to musa face to face, show her your feelings.’  which is what Riven’s been trying to… sigh.

Back on Melody Stella offers to help explain the dance contest rules.  Galatea recognizes her by name so the girls totally could call on their friendship with Galatea to get the star.  it’s also cool that one royal recognizes another.

This dance contest is like DDR Twister, anywhere on the floor can light up and also spots in the air.  I cannot wait until this is a real thing in AR. It’s coming, people.  It’s coming.  

Stella eventually flubs it, she gets catapulted off the stage and lands in Bloom’s arms.  Galatea explains if a dancer misses even one step she’ll be eliminated

Icy vs Flora dance! People recognize Icy, Galatea does… and nobody calls the police to report public enemies on the loose and in the same room with the princess!  People cheer for Icy like she’s a normal contestant. Maybe they don’t realize she’s THAT Icy..?

Bloom says, “Icy’s not bad!” in both Italian and English.  Flora grins cutely the whole time and is pretty adorable, but she loses and gets carried off the stage in a bubble which pops, dropping her in Aisha’s arms.

I used to love DDR. I was terrible at it, but it’s fun.

Darcy is following Musa to her house.  Musa meets her dad!  Hugs!  Musa’s house is cool, it’s Asian-ish with like, lines of music along the roof..

Inside, screens, sliding doors, Asian style tea set.  Musa remembers her childhood with her parents, it’s really sweet.  Baby Musa has two pigtails. There’s a huge double-harp, it has part an upright normal harp and part a bench with harp strings over it and Matlin and Ho-boe played it together.  I wonder if that’s a real thing, it’s like the sofa of harps.  Hoe-bo calls it the “Harmony harp” and says even the stars come to listen.  It can only be played by two people whose hearts are in harmony, so hoe-bo hasn’t been able to play it since Matlin died.

Darcy: ‘What a sweet moment.  I’d better ruin it right away.”

pffft!  Darcy, I love you, never change.

Tecna vs Stormy dance!   Stormy says it’s time for the Trix to unleash their secret weapon, but Tecna isn’t worried.  She says the dance contest is kind of like a video game.  And it is, but you need physical strength and speed too.   If I were writing this I’d have Tecna say, “Anything where you can ‘level up,’ I can win!’

Stormy turns out to be “better than Icy… a lot better.”   Tec gets farther than Flora did and ends up in a perfect tie with Stormy.  Galatea chirps, “Double perfect!” and tec says ‘achievement unlocked” again. They go to a higher level that’s like breakdancing where you have to spin around on your back and stuff.   Eventually Stormy wins.

Galatea should not be so chipper about public enemy numbers one and three winning her contest.  She knows who the Trix are, she’s calling them by name…

Stella runs right up to icy, “wait-wait-wait, STORMY was your secret weapon?”

Stormy: ‘Five time dance witch champion.”

Icy: ‘She’s kind of a rising star in the world of dark dance competitions.”

Bloom: “Dark dance competitions?”

Aisha: “It’s a thing.  Unfortunately.”

Ok that was great.  and Aisha’s delivery of that last line was spot on.

Musa is eating ice cream with her dad, it’s sweet.  He asks why ice cream and guesses it’s about Riven.  Musa says, “It’s not about Riven.  It’s never about Riven actually.”  Hmm.

Darcy is lurking outside, she says ‘Musa’s making this too easy.  I’ll finish it with a single shot.” O_o

thankfully riven turns up to save the day.  They fight but Darcy can do all her illusion stuff and she wins without too much trouble, and puts a mind control spell on Riven.  She sounds just delighted at her new plaything.  Now she can cause even more havok!

Musa hears a noise outside and thinks it’s the Trix, but it’s Riven.  She invites him in, and she sounds… not drama-y.  She just apologizes for canceling their date and says they can have ice cream now.  Darcy gloats.

Next time: more dancing!  Riven and Musa!  Stormy wins the contest!  Gee, that’s a spoiler.

[the-canary]

A Million Stars - B.B (3/8)

Summary: It’s a whisper in the night, a promise to disappear forever. Don’t trust the Goblin King – it’s just that some princesses never learn. (Labyrinth/Royalty AU!Reader/Bucky Barnes).

Prompt: “The kind of smile that would be cruel not to kiss.”   

A/N: This is for @sweetboybucky 1k writing challenge. i am so sorry if this gets confusing, i am trying to tell like 3 different stories at the same time, so that everything is crystal clear. if you have watched the movie, this are a little different here and there, so it isn’t to predictable but i hope you enjoy it as well.

Feedback is always appreciated. 

Part 1 | Part 2 

The Old Queen feels it in her bones during the middle of the night, that old fae blood calling out to her. She struggles to get up for a moment, her old age making things more difficult than they once were but just for tonight a whip of her wrist makes it easier for her. She walks around the large room for a moment before heading to the large window in the other side of the room. Old and rugged skin make no noise as she looks at the old family portrait hanging next to the window.

Brown hair and blue eyes were the trademarks of her family’s blood, though there is one man --the former king-- who was lucky to be born with golden blond hair -- something that the people of her country considered a blessing from the fae. All her family supposedly had a little fae blood in them, some more than others, as she remembers the story of an older sibling --so loved by the fae-- that they were taken away shortly before their their 2nd birthday.

The fae blood was also considered a curse. Her parents had tried for another son, over and over again only to receive three more girls -- she being the oldest and the closest to understanding the magic that ran in her blood. Her second sister had been born without any magic, but had died young. Her third sister had been born with too much fae in her -- she could see things no one else could and that drove her to be mad -- locked away forever until her own death.

Her parents died with her cousin as heir, but he and his beloved wife were even less lucky to produce an heir. Rebecca of House Barnes was never meant to be queen, but at the age of 40 -- alongside her husband she was made so, though she knew deep down with her own childbearing troubles that she would mostly likely be the last of her line.

Except that with the magic following within her, she knew she wasn’t exactly the last of her line.

“He’s at it again,” she whispers to herself in an amused sense, though she knows that deep down this means nothing but danger somewhere else in the world. Royalty usually went missing or died when he became involved -- the older sibling she never got to know, but heard tells of every couple of decades as her blood sang of ancient songs and languages she never knew.

The Goblin King was at it again, and Queen Rebecca --at the ripe age of 96-- wonders if she would live long enough to see the end of this adventure.

 Samuel knew he had a larger role to play in the greater scheme of things. Ever since he could remember, he was leading people and things to their demise within the Goblin King’s labyrinth -- it was certainly a way to pass the time, but also for the annoyance he felt towards the King -- he was actually a very scary man when he got angry. Sam would rather send people to their demise than face eternity as the King’s plaything or worse spend it in the Land of Eternal Stench.

Thus, he keeps watch of the little princess lost in the labyrinth, as she curses and frowns over another dead end -- ready to give up.

 “Horrid beast!”

It’s the only thing you yell out at the small creature that had bitten you, clearly hiding an awful personality behind its beautiful appearance, only have you throw it against the brick wall in anger. For someone like you, it should be second nature to see these hidden things, but the labyrinth was confusing -- dead ends and pathways were interchangeable as your markers were turned and ignored by the creatures that lurked within this bloody maze. You knew you had been walking around in circles for quite sometime, but you didn’t know how to get out, which was causing you to lash more than you usual.

But, it wasn’t fair. Nothing ever was for you.

In the past two hours, you have been close to crying and breaking down more than twice. You were just as close to crying out to the Goblin King and telling him to keep Marcus -- that you just wanted to go home, but a good princess didn’t do that. What would your father and the rest of the kingdom say to you coming home without the baby and future King, at that point it was better to stay in the labyrinth, as selfish as it was.

Thus, you keep walking until you see a shabby looking thing taking out the same creatures that had bitten you with some type of spray. And while you feel a little sorry for them, you can’t help but feel a little vindicated as well.

However, at the sight of another person-thing that could talk to you -- you can’t help the giddiness and hope that build up in your chest, as you walk over to the creature. When it turns to where you are walking from, you gasp at the sight of a small bear, as it immediately reminds you of Heimdall. However, this bear in dressed in a way that reminds you of a pirate -- what with a black vest and white shirt alongside some leather pants and boots are its complete outfit. You can’t see its ears due to the bandana covering his head, alongside shining trinkets around its body -- the most notable being a red falcon pendant in the center of its chest. If it wasn’t for the scowl on its face, it would be pretty cute.

“Excuse me,” you intrude softly, as large brown eyes look at you, “I was wondering if you could help me.”

“Doing what?” he gruffly answers, taking down more creatures as it laughs for a moment.

“Going to the castle,” you state as it stops, “I’m trying to get my brother back.”

The bear looks at you with a blank look on its face, as if trying to debate it for moment. Your heart speeds up for just a moment before it starts talking once more: “You got anything valuable in return for my services?”

You open your mouth ready to fight back at this indignation, only to have it cut you off.

“Come on, nothing in this life is free, kid,” he reminds you, as you frown at the all too familiar statement, “What do you have to pay me with?”

“ These, ” you huff out the statement in annoyance, while  holding out rings and string that had been in some bag at the side of your pants -- apparently, all the jewels and trinkets you had been wearing back  home had been placed safely there and you couldn't be more than grateful. Brown eyes shine in interest as he looks through said objects, grabbing some to call his own.

“I’ll show you out of the obstacle course and somewhere else closer to the castle,” the bear explains, looking up at you in annoyance, “But, that’s as far as I’m going with you.”

While you would have complained at his greedy behavior, all you did is accept it for now since it was better than walking around one more time and seeing those bugs again. You nod and the bear-man tells you to follow him through a passage just underneath the one you had been standing on.

“So, what’s your name, Teddy Bear?” you ask, as he looks up at you with a scold.

“Don’t call me that,” he can’t help but growl out, as you can’t help but begin to laugh, “And it’s Sam.”

 Blue eyes glance at the landscape projected in front of him towards the clock, as it is close to striking the third hour away. The baby in his laps coos and the nameless king can’t help but smile at the younger child’s delight over the glass ball, but also over the princess’ tenacity. Most people would have given up by now, or worst be lost to the maze forever in some way. He just wasn’t sure if it was her paranoia or that the deep magic in her veins that shield her from the magical.

The Goblin King was interested that there were still people like him back in the human realm, but he hadn’t expected to be so lucky to come across one of them when the princess had called out to him. However, now more than anything --at the sight of the sparks that came off from her-- he couldn’t help but want to test her limit.

It was a cruel thought, but the Goblin King had never been kind.

“In 10 more hours, you’ll be mine,” he coos at the baby, as the creatures around come out of the shadows and laugh alongside him.  Marcus giggles, nothing sparkles from the child, as he grabs the King’s hand. Blue eyes soften for just a moment before going back to look at the moving princess and the dirty bear-man.

Oh, but if only the Goblin King knew what he was in for himself -- then, maybe he would have never answered her call to begin with.

Part 4 

[moonraccoon-exe]

(1) And here I am back again. Wanted to write to you sooner, but life dropped a huge pile of work on me and my mom got sick and I helped there and my brother got injured at work – a little piece of his finger was half off, but doctors say he'll be okay and he's already back home – and it was just a lot. But I am back. I totally understand the situation with that part of your family you talked about. I have something similar in my family. Everyone nice in their own way but totally stuck on old

ASLDKJALKDGJADKLGJDALKGJALGKADJGLAJGADLKGJDAKLGDJALKGADJLGKADJGLAKJGLAKJGLADKGJADLGJALKGJDALKGJDALKDALKGHADGKDAGJADKLFJADLKGJADKLGJADLKGJALKDJALSKFJAFAFASFASDASFADKGAGHADLKGJADLKGJADGKLA

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*TACKLE-HUGS YOU*

MY SWEET PRECIOUS ADORABLE MUFFIN, YOU COOKIE MADE OF SWEETNESS AND WARMTH, BEAUTIFUL WONDERFUL HOOMAN, HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

*KEEPS PETTING AND SNUGGLING U, U ADORBS PRECIOUS LITTLE MUFFIN*

OMG PERIDOT, HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’M SO HAPPY SO JOYED SO FLATTERED TO GET TO READ YOU AGAIN OMG I’M SO HAPPY TO BE REPLYING TO YOU!!!!!!! HEWWO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( ´ ▽ ` )

Okay, I’m gonna add our good ol’ keep reading line here, buddy! :3

Don’t worry about not being able to reply sooner!! I did guess that you were either busy with something else, or that you needed time and you know both scenarios and any are alright. You’re not entitled to write to be with a strict schedule. I’ll be here to happily read you however long you need or want to take, aye, buddy?

ESpecially when it’s something as important as your mom and your brother!!! I’m sorry to hear that you had a sudden drop of a huge pile of work alksjdsakj that’s always startling and sort of stressing. And adding to that, your mommy getting sick and your brother having an accident. Gods above, it all suddenly piled up against you, dear Peridot!! I’m so sorry it all happened so suddenly and at once kalsjdlkgjda >

It’s also very important to acknowledge here all the hard work you gave, Peridot. Thank you for taking care of your mommy, and for worrying and helping about your brother, all while managing to get your work done. You’re quite an incredible, hard-working hooman, you know that? You managed everything. You’re absolutely incredible. I’m proud of you, buddy :3

I hope your mom is doing much better by now!! DO RECEIVE HALF OF MY MOST MAGICAL AND HAPPIEST RACCOONIE VIBES FOR HER WELL AND SOON RECOVERY!!!! The other half are, of course, for your brother!! ANOTHER HUGE LOAD OF MOST MAGICAL HAPPIEST RACCOONIE VIBES FOR WELL AND SOON RECOVERYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ*: ･ﾟ

Zomg, what happened to your brother sounds like AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! D: But the doctors know their stuff, so let’s trust them! It’s such a relief and so good to know that he’ll be okay. All happy vibes to your family, dear Peridot!! :D

Sadly, I think a lot of today’s families have that sort of side of the family too. Those that aren’t…necessarily evil or bad, like some other parts of the family, but still not quite the sort of people one would like to hang with? Yep. It sucks to know that you too have a part of the family that behaves like that. Being stuck in old traditions is…hnngnhg…such a stRUGGLE, SUCH A HORRIBLE STRUGGLE AKSDJFKLGDJADLKGJDAGL

Especially when they come up with questions like the things they ask you. Like having a boyfriend (if you’re a girl, because those kind of people INSTANTLY assume every girl is straight by default lmao) is a MUST, like you’ll die the next morning if you don’t get one. Like. Lmao. Why do I want a walking piece of meat with fragile masculinity. And not like all men are like that omg NO XD but it’s so rare to find a man that isn’t like…that. JEEZ.

AND HELL YEAH, THE SWITCH IS SO MUCH FUN AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! >3

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH PERIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >3

Jesus, Peridot, you’re going to absolutely ROCK that party!! You’ll steal the spotlight aklsjdlkaj ahaha! WHAT A GORGEOUS OUTFIT ZOMG AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU LOVE IT AND THAT’S WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT AAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!! You’ll definitely feel incredible with the lipstick if you feel like you want to wear it with this!! GO, PERIDOT! BE FAAAAAAABULOOOOOOOOOOOOUS!!!!!!!!! >3

HELL YEAH, I CALLED YOU A FIRE WITCH!!! That’s because I know you love magic, and you once told me you were more into fire, sO A FIRE WITCH YOU ARE!!! °3° LOOKIE YOU MAKING ALL THAT AMAZING INCREDIBLE FIRE MAGIC IN YOUR PALM ALKSDJFGDLKJDALKGDAJALJG LOOKING BADASS AND BEING EPIC AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, HELL YEAH FOR FIRE WITCHES AND FIRE WIZARDS AND FIRE YOU!!! /O/

GASPS

I’M HAPPY YOU LIKED MY BIRTHDAY MESSAGE AND THE CONFETTI AND THE CAKES!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS ABSOLUTELY HYPED TO KNOW IT HAD BEEN YOUR BIRTHDAY I WAS LIK EKLAJ SDKLDFJG LKAJ AL WOOOOOH!!!!!! I’M ABSOLUTELY HONORED, FLATTERED, AND INCREDIBLY JOYED TO BE YOUR FRIEND, TOO!!!!! *SQUEEZES U* ( ˙꒳​˙ )

I’M SO HYPED TOO TO KNOW THAT YOU AND YOUR BROTHER ARE GOING THROUGH AVATAR AGAIN AND THAT YOU’RE LOVING IT AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! >3

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it’s so cute and so good to know that Avatar is neutral ground to you two! Sibling relationships can be quite something, but I’ve always known from you that you have a good one with your brother. Still, that doesn’t mean you two agree on everything, which can be a little tense at times. But then something wonderful and beautiful like the art of animation and storytelling can bring you back together. It’s mesmerizing and mindblowing, isn’t it? How something that we’re so used to and consider “simple” like a TV cartoon is really art, and that it can have such a huge impact…wow… :3

And yes, Avatar is DEFINITELY the BEST show EVER!!!

HELL YEAH, I’M ALWAYS EXCITED WHEN ZUKO JOINS THE GAANG TOO!!!! And it always, ALWAYS, always always always without a fail makes me SO FRUSTRATED and upset and terribly sad when Zuko accidentally burns Toph. It’s GENIUS, way beyond GENIUS, but after watching Zuko struggle so much and be as courageous as to tell his dad to fuck off and choose his own path, after seeing all his suffering, we get to see how CLOSE he is to join the good guys and have a good life, aND BYE AN ACCIDENT- AKLSDJFDLGKAH JDALKFJ ALKGJAD GLKAJG DAKLG*FLIPS THE DESK* JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!!!!!!

And it’s her soles!! THE ONLY LITERAL THING SHE RELIES ON!!!! ASKJLDFGKADLGJALGJA GENIUS GODDAMN GENIUS BUT PAINFUL AND SAD AND FRUSTRATING.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AND THE RECONCILIATION SCENE WITH UNCLE IROH!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT SCENE ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS WITHOUT FAIL BREAKS MY HEART, TAKES MY SOUL AND TEARS IT OPEN AND APART AND TOSSES MY FEELINGS INTO A TORNADO OF FEELS AND I CRY TOO, IT’S JUST- SUCH A POWERFUL SCENE I CRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Uncle Iroh hits fragile heartstrings. Sure he can be the comedy relief, but he’s still got one of the saddest stories of the Avatar universe. We’re all ready to lose our parents one day, but we’re never mentally prepared to lose a son or daughter, and Iroh had to go through that? And then, when he projects all the love he couldn’t give to his son into Zuko, being mistreated by him, and when he’s finally starting to be loved, be BETRAYED and REJECTED by him?? WATCH ZUKO TAKE THE WRONG PATH AKLSDJ KLGDAJDALKGJADLKGJADLKGDJAGKLDAJGLKDAGJDALGK

AND WHAT GETS TO ME THE MOST, WHAT PIERCES THE DEEPEST IN MY HEARTSTRINGS IS HOW, EVEN DESPITE EVERYTHING AND HOW MUCH IROH HAS SUFFERED, WHEN ZUKO ASKS FORGIVENESS, HE’S STILL THE MOST SELFLESS CREATURE EVER, WHICH MAKES THE SCENE BEAUTIFUL BUT STILL SO HEARTBREAKING BECAUSE HOW DARE HE BE SO SELFLESS?!?!?!?!?!?!

You know with the whole, instantly hugging him and Zuko being like “I thought you’d be furious!” and Iroh is crying and tells him “I was never angry. I was sad, because I thought you’d lost the path.”

ASDKJLFAGDLDKFDGLHJGDLÑKFDAJGKDGADÑGAGJÑLFJADÑLKGHADÑLGJADFÑLKDAJGAÑDKLHDAJKLGJADÑLG

OH NO. I HURT MYSELF WRITING THAT I’M TEARING UP I’M MADE A DISASTER OF FEELS I’MGOING AKLJDFD GLAKHFJALKDGJDA

*CURLS UP AND CRIES FOR A GOOD WHILE BEFORE COMING BACK*

What I mean to say is AAAAAAAYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, BUDDY, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND YOU WITH THAT SCENE!!!!!! It’s so heartbreaking!! 

Definitely everyone should have an Iroh! People would be wiser, happier, and healthier. Iroh does good to the soul aahh :’)

HOH boy I’m definitely up to reading the LOTR books long and thick as they are!! The Song of Fire and Ice was my trial for that, if I could handle 5 books that size, I’m prepared now for Lord of the Rings!! But of course the Hobbit is going to be a MUST in the list, too! :D Even though I’m up to reading the original trilogy, do you still recommend reading the Hobbit first? It’s a prequel, after all, so maybe that could make the reading more rich? Or should I go with the original trilogy, THEN back to the prequel? HOH BOY I’m excited!! I’ve ALWAYS wanted to watch/read LOtR because it looks like it’s my absolute jam, it’s everthing I love!!!

I did hear/see somewhere that they’re making a movie about Mr. Tolkien!!! I’m absolutely HYPED about it, I can’t imagine how excited I’d be if I’d already read his books!!! Super curious to learn about the man with one of the biggest minds and brains for worldbuilding…IT GIVES ME CHILLS!! 

I once read, I think here on Tumblr, that the whole story of LotR started off as a bedtime story for one of his sons? And Mr. Tolkien was just coming up with random things and characters and plots, and this specific son was INCREDIBLY PICKY AND PETTY about the tiny details, like “but papa! You said the door was green the other day, and now you’re saying it’s red!” and Mr. Tolkien would stare at him, sigh, stand up, turn around and say something like ‘this picky brat’ and go make notes in his notebook to not forget those details XDSo that’s how one of Tolkien’s sons, by being UTTERLY PICKY, made one of the greatest masters of worldbuilding be so specific about his story LMAO AHAHAH

But I didn’t know that about him writing even in the trenches during battles!!!!!!!! :O WOOOOOOOOAAAAAAH, I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HE HAD BEEN TO WAR!?!?!? WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT ADDS SO MUCH TO THE CONCEPT I KNEW OF MR. TOLKIEN!!! :O

Woaaah….I can’t imagine it…it must have been sort of a beautiful if tragic view; soldiers eating or smoking or walking in the terribly gross trenches, shooting, yelling, and amidst them, a man sat writing in a notebook. The sparkle of peace among disaster and chaos. Art among war. BRRRRR. CHIIIIIIIILLLLLLS, THIS GIVES ME CHILLS AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

PERIDOT, I’M ABSOLUTELY, ENTIRELY THRILLED TO KNOW THAT YOU’RE ENJOYING THE FLAMEL BOOKS!!!!!! I wasn’t very sure if it’d be to your liking, becauase it’s been a good while of years since I read them, and it happened to me once that I read a book at like age 12, then re-read it at like age 16 because I remembered it was one of my ultimate faves, and I couldn’t make it past the first chapter without cringing and mentally vomiting LMAO HAHAHAH, so I was worried the books were just that good in my memory and not in reality. So I’m absolutely ecstatic to know you’re liking them!!!

SOPHIE AND JOSH ARE INNOCENT BABIES THAT I PROTECC!! You know, I think it WAS a good recommendation because of the twin thing. I can’t believe I TOTALLY forgot about that when I recommended it to you!!! We once talked about how awesome twins are, and how little there is of them in literature/etc, OF COURSE YOU’D LIKE THIS AS MUCH AS I DID SIMPLY FOR THE TWIN CONCEPT OH MY GOD HOW DID I FORGET KLAJSDLKAGDJDALKGJAD

HELL YEAH, your twin brother and you are as powerful too!!!! EPIC DUO, DYNAMIC PAIR, MAGICAL WIZARDS AYEEEEEEEEEEE

Nick and Perry are AWESOME too!!! I love their modern names, too. They’re very simple but that’s what makes it brilliant. It makes me wonder how many people from the past are wandering around today with modern names that can be so obvious, and yet we don’t catch…aaah!!! >3

PERRY TALKING WITH THAT POLITE GHOST GENTLEMAN ALKSJDFKLADGJADKLGAJGKLADGJ OMG I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT, I LOOOOOOOVE THAT BIT!!! I love the whole concept of Perenelle being able to see ghosts, and how she stumbled upon such a kind one. We normally think about ghosts are either scary or mentally unstable, so to read her conversation with such polite one was so comforting, especially in her situation. It felt like finding a friend in that unknown scary territory :’3

HELL YEAH, HEKATE LIVING INSIDE THE YGGDRASSIL, HOW BADASS IS THAT!??!?!!? AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, first time I read it I didn’t know much about the Yggdrassil but when I looked it up I was like YO. BRO. THAT’S DOPE. THAT’S. THAT’S LITERALLY THE TREE OF FUCKING LIFE AND SHE’S- BRO SHE LIVES THERE. LIKE. BRO. 

She was a bit scary to me at first, and while she’s not my fave or most comforting character, I still ADORED the concept. The whole waking up a child, growing up by midday, ending the day as an old lady. JESUS CHRIST, WHAT A CHARACTER, I’M IN LOVE WITH HOW THIS AUTHOR HANDLED THE WHOLE MYTHOLOGICAL PART AKLSDJLDKGJAGLJ

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Peridot, I’m so, so, so, soooooooooooooooooooo happy that you’re enjoying the book!!! There’s still so much to see, and more characters, and I’m so excited for you to get the chance to dip into the world of those books, they’re SO GOOD and I’m thrilled and so happy that your birthday gift is to your liking!!!!  >3

Aaah...and...thank you so much for being as comprehensive and understanding about your asks as you are. I still feel so embarrassed and upset about losing a lot of asks in such stupid way. Even though you understand and you’re not upset, I’m still so sorry for losing them, not much for losing them, but because it means I never really answered. Thank you for still writing to me despite the couple asks I didn’t, and now can’t answer... ;n;

*hugs you*

Peridot, you’re really such a gift. Sometimes, you being so understanding and kind is a little beyond me, and so precious.Thank you for understanding and for not being upset at me. I would be at least disappointed, but maybe that’s me being harsh against myself aksdjfgajfklhajfalkjfa

Thank you, really. I don’t know how to say it enough. Thank you for understanding and for being so, so kind, dear Peridot... :’)

I do have something saved, though, and of course it’ll be my delight to answer them!! They’re old, but we can look at them as a TIME MACHINE ask hahaha :D Read what you told me a long time ago, re-read what I had answered so far, and continue replying as if it was recent. Hngnhng...I’m...still sorta embarrassed, but definitely happy to get the chance to still reply to that. Thank you, my dear friend... :’3

DEAR PERIDOT

You precious wonderful beautiful gem. My precious muffin. *pet pet pet* It’s always comforting and beautiful to write to you, you know? You feel like a cozy living room with a nice fireplace while outside it’s cold. Talking to you is always a joy, and sort of cathartic in a way. Thank you for taking the time to write to me, thank you for being so kind and understanding as always, and thank you for sharing with me your thoughts and experiences. It’s my honor and delight to write to my friend Peridot. Thank you, wholeheartedly.

ANYWAYS, PERIDOT!

I hope that you’re having a MOST FANTASTIC weekend, and may your week start off FANTASTICALLY AND PHENOMENALLY!!!! 

Sending you lots of hugs, my friend!! Have a WONDERFUL sunday!!!!!!!!! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

[elanorjane]

Picture of Beauty (Ch 6/?)

Summary:  Fashion house Jefferson-Mills needs inspiration. Photographer Gold believes a librarian he photographed by accident has what it takes. Now it’s up to Gold to turn Belle into a model worthy of Paris Fashion Week. Based on the movie Funny Face. 

AO3

“She’s not answering,” Regina paced in the conference room. She glared at her phone in annoyance as it continued to ring. They stayed at the Grand Pigalle Hôtel because that’s where the up and coming designers tended to congregate. But because of their hotel’s tight quarters, they’d booked the Salon Jeu de Paume at the Le Meurice down the street. The room had a private location at the back of the hotel and an abundance of natural light. Along with the neutral tones of the walls, it was the perfect place for fittings and hair and makeup tests.

If only the model and photographer had shown up.

Regina put the phone on speaker so everyone in the room could share her misery. The endless ringing echoed through the room as she alternated between Gold and Belle’s phone numbers.

Jefferson reclined among a sea of dresses with his feet propped up on an expensive table. He looked like one of the frescoes that decorated the walls. “Did you try Gold’s room?”

Regina stopped mid-stride. “Why would she be in Gold’s room?”

“Maybe,” he drawled, “they have a good reason for not answering.” He wiggled his eyebrows just in case she hadn’t caught his full tone of innuendo.  

“Not on my dollar, they don’t.” They were basing an entire look book and Paris Fashion Week show around one, plebeian girl. Regina stared at the hair and makeup people milling about the room. Garment men yawning as they fiddled with measuring tape and thread. Men readying the cameras and lighting, pointing the lamps at no one. Grace was at least enjoying the use of the room. She was twirling and prancing around the room, pretending to be a princess at a ball.

Regina saw dollar signs.

“We’ll use someone else,” she declared.  

Jefferson sat up, “We will not.”

The door to the conference room opened and Gold slipped into the room.

“Where have you been?” Regina hissed, looking behind him.

The six hour time difference played havoc with his sleep. While he didn’t like to admit it, Gold was a creature of habit. He loathed these trips they took a few times a year. To him, Paris was yet another city seen through a photo lens and hotel room window. Despite the alarm, he’d woke late and struggled to shower, shave, and dress in his tiny room where nothing was where it normally lived. The hotel was too trendy and hip for his tastes and the wallpaper made him dizzy. He felt hungover in a way he only got on these cross-continental trips.

On top of that, his knee ached from all the walking and he was out one suit jacket. With his favorite camera in the pocket. Yes, he’d enjoyed the trip with Belle to the Eiffel Tower. She was good company. It was refreshing to be around someone whose cultural references didn’t begin with Coco Chanel and end with Coco Rocha. But it was a classic Jefferson scheme to heighten emotions. Honestly, he was relieved when he and Belle were handed two keys upon check-in instead of one. He wouldn’t have put it past Jefferson to cancel one of their rooms and force them to share.

Gold looked behind him, seeing no one.

“Where’s Belle?” Regina asked.

Gold scoured the room for a coffee urn. He only came up with champagne. Typical Paris Fashion Week. He rubbed his temples. “How would I know?” he asked distractedly.  

“You were with her all night,” she insisted.  

“No, I wasn’t,” he counted. He pointed at Jefferson, “You’re very cute, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Jefferson preened as if he’d meant it as a compliment.

“Didn’t she know what time to be here?” Regina persisted.

He growled, “Of course she…,” he broke off. Damn. He’d forgotten to tell her what time and where the test shoot was today. They were together all day and it had never come up. They'd talked about a number of topics but work had never come up.

“Something else on your mind?” Jefferson asked innocently.

Gold’s eyes narrowed. “Jet lag.”

Jefferson smiled. “Or amour,” he teased.

“Jefferson,” Gold rumbled, taking a step towards him. He was on too little sleep to be further aggravated.    

Jefferson’s feet plunked off the coffee table in case he had to make a break for it.

“Enough,” Regina cut in. “She wasn’t in her room when we left. We’ve left message after message at the hotel and she’s not answering her phone. Where would she be?”

Something was nagging at the back of his brain. But the time change and Regina’s badgering was making it impossible to retrieve. He squeezed his eyes shut.

“It was your idea to bring her here, Gold. I’m holding you responsible for her. This is a work trip. Not a free vacation for her to go gallivanting around Paris.”

His eyes snapped open. “I’ll have her here tomorrow morning at ten.”

***

Looking for her took him across the Seine and thrust him into the tourist traps of Paris. Non-Parisians came to the Left Bank looking for the romanticism promised to them in movies. Meanwhile, it had all the authenticity of Times Square. Thankfully, it only took him two cafes to find her.

There she was at Les Deux Magots. She sat primly in the red booth with a coffee tray and the remains of her breakfast in front of her. She was wearing a neon green sweater and black skirt with tights and heels. He had enough experience with high fashion to know it wasn’t an outfit she picked up in Storybrooke. She likely hadn’t picked it out at all. At least it was more weather appropriate than the tiny blue dress Jefferson had put her in last night. Again, the thought that she looked beautiful popped into his head. She looked fresh and bright and young. He was reminded all over again why he choose her for the Spring campaign. He knew Regina’s doubts were unfounded. People were going to fall in love with her.

He was so distracted he didn’t notice she was in deep conversation with the person at the table next to her. The man, roughly her age Gold couldn’t help but notice, loomed over her. As he approached he could hear the man’s thick French accent.

“The most sensible approach to true understanding and peace of mind.”

“Like sympathy?” she asked, leaning her chin on her hand. Whatever rubbish this buffoon was feeding her, she was foolishly eating it up.

His meaty fingers reached across her and traced the stem of her water glass. “It's based on empathy. Empathy is to project your imagination so that you actually feel what the other person is feeling.” The man’s spine straightened. “Like right now. I feel a hostile vibration.”          

“That would be me,” Gold stood in front of them.

“Mr. Gold,” Belle beamed up at him and he momentarily forgot to hate the man next to her. But the man refused to take the hint that Gold’s entrance was his cue to exit because he cleared his throat.

“Oh,” Belle jumped, “I’m sorry, this is...” She trailed off, blushing.

“Gaston,” the man supplied.

Gold ignored him. Something about this man brought out the punk kid from Glasgow in him. He thought he’d successfully left him behind in Scotland. Now he could feel it, flaring up inside of him. It screamed at him to flip over the table and reach for the knife he kept in the back of his waistband.  

“Gaston is teaching me about empathicalism,” Belle told him, oblivious to the storm raging inside of him. “Have you ever heard of it?”

Gaston was equally unaware of Gold’s animosity. “I have no doubt that in less than ten years, people everywhere will know that only empathicalism can bring peace. Peace through understanding is the only real…”

Tragically, wasn’t twenty years ago, and he no longer carried a blade. “Would you mind if I had my own conversation with the lady?” he interrupted instead. He turned to Belle. “Sleep well?” he asked tersely.

“Not a wink!” she chirped, not catching his tone. Hours after their trip to the Eiffel Tower, she still couldn’t drift off. So she’d given up and sat on her little balcony and watched the sun come up over the rooftops of Paris. When she got dressed, she’d found the majority of the clothes she’d packed missing. They’d been replaced with clothes she’d never seen before and they looked expensive. She thought somebody had mixed up her luggage until she found a note from Jefferson. It stated she’d get her clothes back on the return trip. She’d then followed her nose to a bakery around the corner from the hotel and had an éclair. From there she’d followed a tourist map all the way to the Left Bank.

She had to admit she was slightly disappointed. It had never occurred to her while reading her 19th century books that Paris was a modern city. Guitar shops and Japanese restaurants dotted the streets. The city didn’t hold on to its own nostalgia quite like she did. For some reason, sitting in Les Deux Magots failed to recapture the magic she’d felt at the Eiffel Tower last night. She was feeling a little down until the man next to her struck up a conversation. Well, a lecture, really, but she wasn’t complaining.  

“I thought maybe you had a dream and forgot,” Gold told her, disregarding Gaston watching them.  

Little crinkles appeared between her eyes. “Forgot what?”

“Your job. You were supposed to be at the modiste today.”  

She shook her head. “No one told me. As soon as the sun rose I started wandering around and I lost track of time.”

“Did you also lose the phone we gave you?” He didn’t even bother masking his anger.

Belle looked at her empty hands. “I’m not used to carrying a phone with me in Storybrooke. Everyone knows me there.”

Gaston rose, extending a business card to Belle. Gold clenched his fists to keep from slapping it out of his hand. “It seems I have interrupted a lover’s quarrel. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle. I invite you to my club to continue our conversation at any time.” He sent a warning look at Gold.  

“She’ll be busy. Working for me,” he broke in.    

Gaston stood to his full height. “Mademoiselle, whatever,” he looked Gold up and down, “arrangement you have with this gentleman. I can assist you.”

Gold took his words to mean he thought Belle was his kept woman. He didn’t hurry to correct him. If that’s what got him out of here faster, so be it.

“Thank you, Gaston. But I can take care of myself,” Belle’s voice wavered with anger but she controlled it, aware of the scene they were creating.

He nodded, “I will wait outside if you need me.” He brushed past Gold but hovered by the door.  

Belle stood, gathered up her things. “You didn’t have to be so rude!” she scolded him. “I can talk to whomever I want! Just because I work for you, doesn’t mean you own me.”  

Gold scoffed. “You’re angry I interrupted that rousing speech about a philosophy that doesn’t exist? I was doing you a favor!”

She glared at him. “This was a mistake. I never should have come here.”  

He sighed, “What did you think, Belle? You’d meet a man in Paris and live happily ever after?”

The hurt showed in her eyes. “So what if I did? So what if I wanted to talk to him? So what if I wanted to sleep with him?”

Gold flinched at that.  

She shook her head. “Who are you mad at?”

Himself. He was mad at himself. He was mad because she reminded him how old and closed off he’d become. Belle wore her emotions for the world to see. She was open and honest and too good for the likes of him.  

When he said nothing, she looked over his shoulder. “Gaston,” she called. “I rather feel like continuing our conversation right now.” She stalked over to him, making a show of taking his proffered arm and not looking back as they marched out the door.

[markgottliebliteraryagent]

Graphic Novel Creators Kenny Porter & Zach Wilcox

Kenny Porter is a professional writer living in West Michigan. He's most known for content development, writing comics, copy, blogs, and fiction. He graduated from Grand Valley State University with a BA in Writing. The writing program at GVSU allowed him to create his own curriculum, which he used to focus on fiction, writing for the web, genre studies, and manuscript development. He started his career in writing during high school and has since gone on to publish short stories, write articles for online magazines, and has won the first Top Cow Talent Hunt for Writing.

Zach Wilcox is a cartoonist based in Philadelphia. He holds an MFA in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design and a BS in Digital media from Drexel University. The goal of his work is to encourage young readers to get excited about art as a narrative tool and inspire future creators. When he isn't working on comics he enjoys time with his dog Finn and his three nephews.

Porter and Wilcox are the co-creators of the forthcoming graphic novel from Scholastic/Graphix, The Fearless Rider, in which a young girl and her pet ferret run away from home on their tricked-out bicycle on the first day of school to find her best friend who moved away and recapture her life before everything went wrong—pitched as a slice-of-life story with tone and setting of a Miyazaki film.

What do you enjoy about the comic book arts medium and what do you feel the graphic novel form of storytelling affords authors and creators?

KP: Comics have always been a part of my life and what I love most about them is that there are no limits to the kinds of visual stories you can tell. The great thing about original graphic novels is it allows you to break away from the single issue format of monthly comics to develop a pace that’s unique to the story. That’s something that Zach Wilcox and I are enjoying a lot with The Fearless Rider.

ZW: Graphic novels afford the reader a sense of control that you don’t get anywhere else. Being able to dwell on a panel or moment, or absorb a whole page at once, is such a unique and intimate experience. When you’re making something like that it’s sort of fun to imagine how the reader is going to interact with the work.

“I wanted to bring that same love of anime, manga, and live-action shows to Kara’s character.”

Have any anime/manga or comic book creators influenced The Fearless Rider, your forthcoming graphic novel? For instance, Hayao Miyazaki and Osamu Tezuka seem to come to mind.

KP: Miyazaki is definitely a huge influence on the tone of The Fearless Rider. I initially pitched it to Zach that way, as if it were a lost Miyazaki film about a girl who sets out to find her missing best friend. There’s also some influence of my love of Super Sentai and tokusatsu shows with the fake magical girl character Shinpi Rider that the main character adores. I grew up in a generation where Toonami was broadcasting these amazing shows from Japan that we had never heard of before, and I wanted to bring that same love of anime, manga, and live-action shows to Kara’s character.

ZW: Absolutely. I’m always finding new inspiration from other artists and people like Miyazaki really ignited my love for visual storytelling when I was young. The expressive nature of his work is something I’ll always be chasing.

“He lets the comic breathe and trusts the reader to immerse themselves in the story.”

The art of The Fearless Rider seems to be a mixture of manga influences, such as the gekiga or "dramatic" style of storytelling, often seen in the work of Tezuka. Your graphic novel also has many western influences, with inklings of ligne claire, the Belgium style of bold line comic illustration, often seen in Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin. How did you arrive at this style of art? Is it simply in vogue right now in comics, or has comic book illustration and storytelling been further globalized?

KP: From the start I wanted The Fearless Rider to have this kind of feel. I read a lot of manga and Franco-Belgian comics, so I’m always using those as an influence in terms of pacing and style. Also, Zach’s artwork completely fit the tone I was going for. I didn’t even consider anyone else for the project and called him right away with the idea.

ZW: The way Kenny addresses pacing and dialogue is something I really love. He lets the comic breathe and trusts the reader to immerse themselves in the story. I don’t know exactly how the style for the comic came about but I’m sure a lot of it has to do with his narrative structure and the world we’re building. Also, I love older comics like Tintin and Little Nemo!

Why a young girl's pet ferret as a character in The Fearless Rider...why not something more common, such as a cat or dog? Is there something more interesting or special there?

KP: I think it honestly has to do with my love of the movie The Beastmaster as a kid. He had a pair of ferrets named Kodo and Podo. I watched a lot of genre movies in elementary school and middle school, so I always thought that ferrets would make great adventure companions.

ZW: I always wanted a ferret when I was younger but that was a no-go from my parents, because apparently they have a bit of a smell. They are just so cute, who could care! I think it also fits Kara as she isn’t the type to have a basic pet. She’s unique in a lot of ways.

“...I’m still learning the ins and outs of the publishing world. It’s been a really exciting journey so far!”

How did you find your current literary agency and go on to get published with Graphix/Scholastic? What was the submissions process like?

KP: I found my current literary agency, Trident Media Group, after doing a Kickstarter for my original graphic novel Barnstormers!, which I created with artist Renny Castellani. I was contacted by you, Mark Gottlieb, during the Kickstarter and started developing a new project for the book market. From there, it was putting together the pitch with Zach and sending it out into the world. Graphix/Scholastic contacted us about the initial pitch and we fine-tuned the project from there.

ZW: I sort of let Kenny take the lead on this. The Fearless Rider will be my first published book, so I’m still learning the ins and outs of the publishing world. It’s been a really exciting journey so far!

Writing a graphic novel is so different from writing a miniseries or ongoing monthly title.

What do you feel the comic book publishing experience has been like with a larger independent book publisher like Scholastic, versus a direct-to-market comic book publisher such as IDW? Is the direct market holding comic books back?

KP: I’d say the pace is what’s mostly different. Writing a graphic novel is so different from writing a miniseries or ongoing monthly title. I enjoy both the traditional comic book publishing side and the larger independent book publishing side. Each has their own challenges and format that let me experiment with comic book storytelling.

ZW: I’m excited to work on a project I'm so passionate about for a long period of time. The struggle of smaller projects is tough because you spend so much time looking for work that you may not get as much done. I can’t wait to really sink my teeth into something more substantial.

“...I always let whoever I’m working with have their input in the storytelling process. It’s collaboration at every stage of the game.”

It is hard enough writing a story. Does also illustrating a story present its own set of challenges, or do you find that it is liberating in some way?

KP: Writing visually is a whole different skill set, so I always try to think like an artist (as best as I can) and I always let whoever I’m working with have their input in the storytelling process. It’s collaboration at every stage of the game. I’m just lucky to be working with someone as talented as Zach.

ZW: Kenny has been a blast to work with. He has a clear vision here and helping him to craft it is easier because of that. It’s always hard to bring a world to life but the back and forth of working with a writer takes a huge weight off my shoulders.

You get to be any comic book/manga/anime/video game character from whichever world of your choosing. Who do you choose to be and why?

KP: I would almost always choose to be a Green Lantern. Having that power ring and being able to fly through space and create insane constructs would just be too much fun. I recently wrote a Guy Gardner story for DC Comics and it was a dream come true to be able to play in that pocket of the DC Universe.

ZW: I’d say Link from The Legend of Zelda. The design of those game worlds are so immersive and surreal. Plus that outfit is tops!

“If you do great work and put yourself into your stories then people will resonate with that and will want to share them as well.”

Might you be able to share any advice with those still hoping to get their graphic novels published?

KP: I would say find a collaborator that you really gel with creatively, put your heart and soul into the book, and worry about making a great comic before worrying about publishing. If you do great work and put yourself into your stories then people will resonate with that and will want to share them as well.

ZW: Just create. As much as you can, as often as you can. Keep putting your creative energy out there and don’t be afraid to make connections. Rejection is a huge part of life so don’t let that stop you! Also, try to keep your stories small at first. Short sixteen page chunks are a great way to work and create a varied portfolio.

What can we expect next from the world of The Fearless Rider?

KP: I definitely have ideas for follow-ups and spin-off stories, even if they don’t directly connect with the main thread. The road is always wide open for more adventures.

ZW: I really want a one-shot of the Shinpi Rider character from the book. A fictional super sentai warrior with over the top action and drama! A guy can dream, can’t he?

[uncleyarn2-blog]

Our 2018 all-Chicago holiday gift guide

Sustenance

1/ Local coffee subscription: Back of the Yards, Dark Matter, or Metric Coffee

Coffee is the social lubricant that wakes you up, keeps you awake—or maybe puts you to sleep. You can drink it hot in winter to stay warm! But drink good, fresh coffee. Chicago is home to many fine craft coffee roasters, and may offer subscriptions for a steady supply. Metric Coffee offers espresso ($20) and blend ($20) subscriptions as well as a Roasters Choice Subscription ($22) and Single Origin Subscription ($24) each with two different eight-ounce bags in every weekly or monthly delivery. Dark Matter Coffee offers three, six, and twelve-month subscriptions to their monthly limited blends for $20 per month—with discounts for longer subscriptions. Back of the Yards Coffee Co.'s Coffee Club subscriptions page is currently under construction. Hopefully that will be available again soon. In the meantime, they do sell their espresso and 47th Street Blend medium-dark roast coffee in twelve-ounce bags ($15.99), with one dollar from every 47th Street Blend going to their Social Impact fund to benefit the neighborhood.—John Dunlevy Prices vary at backoftheyardscoffee.com, darkmattercoffee.com, and metriccoffee.com.

2/ Coffee maker Nº3 by Manual.is

Manual's newest coffee maker is four usages in one: pour over, French press, cold brew, and a pitcher. It can keep its liquids hot for about an hour in the double-wall insulated design. With this elegant, hand-blown borosilicate glass vessel, even a person who doesn't drink coffee regularly (me) will savor the ritual of making, and serving coffee. —Sue Kwong $140 at Manual Shop & Studio, 3251½ W. Bryn Mawr, 312-870-0799, manual.is.

3/ Mushroom tree ornaments by Facture Goods

The handcrafted mushroom Christmas ornaments come in earthy brown clay glazed in gray and flecked with 22-karat gold. They typically sell out in minutes when creator Aron Fischer puts a fresh batch in his online shop. But on November 24 you can find them at Martha Mae in Andersonville during Small Business Saturday. The mushrooms come in enoki, morel, shiitake, and straw varietals. Plus, while you're there, you can snag plenty more gifts for loved ones in Jean Cate's magical shop. —Maya Dukmasova $18 each or $60 for a set of four at facturegoods.com and on November 24 only at Martha Mae, 5407 N. Clark, 872-806-0988, marthamae.info.

4/ Malort soy candle

Everyone's favorite drink in candle form. —Vince Cerasani $30 at reuse-first.com.

5/ Tellicherry Black Whole Peppercorns from Reluctant Trading Experiment

Pretty amazing pepper from an outfit started by Scott Eirinberg, the entrepreneur who founded, and later sold, The Land of Nod. —Suggested by Kate Schmidt, written by Reader staff Starting at $6.50 at reluctanttrading.com.

Self Care

1/ Houseplant from Foyer

This little plant and stationary store opened in Andersonville a few months ago. It's run by a tremendously helpful and non-judgmental Alma Vescovi, who wants you to get past your fear of killing houseplants. The stock is refreshed weekly and she carries hard-to-find varietals like pilea, monstera, and satin pothos alongside all kinds of succulents and cacti. There are also vintage planters and pots as well as ones made by local artists. If things don't go well with your new plant friend, you can always bring it back for a check-up with Vescovi. She once helped me resuscitate a delicate plumosa fern. It's doing great. Plants are the gift that keeps on giving.—Maya Dukmasova Starting at $8 at 1480 W. Berwyn, 713-994-0302, foyer.shop.

2/ Sound wave art, Soundwaves by Mordecai

Kathleen Mordecai turns sound waves from parts of songs or special moments (for example Pat Hughes saying "Chicago Cubs win the World Series" or children's laughter, as pictured) into sculptures she handcrafts using reclaimed wood. Whether you're shopping for someone who lives in a tiny studio, or in a mansion with plenty of wall space to fill, there's likely an option that will fit; the current selection of sculptures in her online shop runs from 12 inches to 4 feet. Mordecai also takes custom orders, and for those who want to be able to hear the sound while enjoying the visuals, she offers an option for audio playback. —Jamie Ludwig Starting at $76 at etsy.com/soundwavesbyMordecai.

3/ Soap Distillery

The brand tagline for Soap Distillery may promise "Small batches. No hangovers," but no such claim can be made about whether these boozy body care miracles are addictive. Because they are, friends. A bottle of the Beer + Cigarettes hand and body wash disappeared so quickly from my bathroom that I'm not entirely convinced my partner wasn't drinking it. Perfect for the person on your list who always smells so damn good. —Karen Hawkins Prices vary at soapdistillery.com. Catch up with founder Danielle Martin at a holiday shopping event or click here for a list of retailers.

4/ King Spa & Sauna

King Spa & Sauna, the Korean spa in Niles, does not fulfil the glossy magazine ideal of the spa day. There are no fluffy white robes, no soothing music or nice-smelling oils and lotions. Instead, there's a series of saunas, each filled with a different substance that will relieve you of a different source of stress, each more baroque than the last: amethyst geodes, living crystals, 350-million-year-old salt rocks, a 23-karat gold pyramid. The admission fee gets a person access to all of them, plus the soaking pools, food court, and movie theater. (Massages and other spa treatments are extra.) The spa's open 24 hours, so guests can stay as long as they like. In Korea, entire families go to spas for an easy weekend getaway. Maybe they're onto something? —Aimee Levitt $40 admission at King Spa & Sauna, 809 Civic Center Drive, Niles, 847-972-2540, kingspa.com/chicago. Gift cards available.

5/ Mochimochi Land knitting kits

Forget sweaters and scarves, Mochimochi Land gives you the tools to show off your needle skills by knitting something truly unique: cute miniature characters like tiny burgers or tiny walruses or tiny robots and really any other tiny thing you can dream up. The kits go for $12-$15 and include yarn, stuffing, notions, and patterns—all you need are knitting needles, available separately on the website. Mochimochi Land creator Anna Hrachovec features her knitted friends in stop-motion animated videos and GIFs of everyday life in the mystical, yarn-covered land of her own creation. Hrachovec also used the style in her book, Adventures in Mochimochi Land, which follows the adventures of a talking doughnut and a lovelorn balloon, of course. The online shop offers patterns for larger, equally adorable knitting projects ranging from $5-$8 and, for the less crafty among us, pre-knit gnomes, hedgehogs, zombies, and unicorns for $25 each. —Brianna Wellen Prices vary at mochimochiland.com.

6/ Mano y Metal handmade accessories

These aren't your basic accessories. Mano y Metal offers handmade metal jewelry that spices up any look. Owner Desiree T. Guzman features hand stamped metal rings, cuff bracelets, earrings, necklaces, dog tags and more with empowering sayings engraved on them like "be badass" ("chingona" in Spanish) or "me vale madre" which translates to "I don't give a damn." The online shop even offers options available for customization and a Chicago collection. —Marissa De La Cerda $10 for keychains, $16 for rings, $20-$22 for double finger rings, $16-$28 for bracelets, $17-$58 for necklaces at manoymetal.com.

7/ The WasteShed Art Supplies

Help fuel your loved one's winter craft addiction and help rescue markers, knitting needles and paints from the landfill. Cultivating a more sustainable culture, The WasteShed accepts donations of art supplies and repurposes art, craft and school supplies. Pull together a gift basket for a DIY project from their low cost offerings, or grab a gift certificate for the creatives and teachers on your list. While you're there, drop off the crocheting you gave up on. The WasteShed is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) so your donations are tax deductible! See their web site for complete list of acceptable donations. — Jamie Ramsay Prices vary at 2842 W. Chicago, 773-666-5997, thewasteshed.com.

8/ Mermaid lessons at AquaMermaid

Who doesn't know someone who once dreamed of being a mermaid? (If your answer is "me," feel free to skip this item.) Fortunately, AquaMermaid exists for the sole purpose of helping people fulfill this glorious dream. Weekly lessons are available on Sunday afternoons at the UIC Sports and Fitness Center pool for both kids and adults; parties can also be arranged. You'll learn basic mermaid maneuvers, like how to glide gracefully underwater, flip your fins, and wave gracefully with your tail. And yes, tails are provided—though you'll have to wear your own bathing suit, or a seashell bra if you want to go full Ariel. Be warned: being a mermaid is a lot harder than it looks, but you'll get a great core workout. —Aimee Levitt Starting at $60 at UIC Sports and Fitness Center, 901 W. Roosevelt Road, 866-279-2767, aquamermaid.com.

Community Care

1/ Chicago Community Bond Fund donation

What better way to spread holiday cheer than to help someone in jail get home to their family? CCBF accepts donations large and small to pay bail for those awaiting trial in Cook County Jail. —Maya Dukmasova Visit chicagobond.org to see the criteria they use to select whose bail to pay.

2/ Women & Children First gift certificate

This post-#MeToo moment is a really good time to give all the sexist jerks in your life a gift certificate to one of the oldest and most significant women-owned bookstores in the US. Making people support women-owned businesses and select from an array of books including a higher-than-average spate by women and nonbinary folks is truly a gift that will benefit generations to come. —Anne Elizabeth Moore Prices vary at 5233 N. Clark, 773-769-9299, womenandchildrenfirst.com.

3/ My Block, My Hood, My City gear

Founded by Jamal Cole, MBMHMC is a connectivity-encouraging, mentoring nonprofit that focuses on providing underserved teenagers exposure to opportunities beyond their familiar neighborhoods. Through excursions in STEM, art, entrepreneurism, and community development, called the Explorers Program, as well as service projects like shoveling snow for seniors, MBMHMC fosters experiences to nurture and empower Chicago youth. Twenty percent of all apparel sales go toward the Explorers Program. On December 1 and 8, volunteer to help hang holiday lights from 51st to 87th Streets along historic Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Like their Facebook page or check https://www.formyblock.org/events/ for updates on projects, calls to action, and to learn about volunteering. —Jamie Ramsay from $50 for hoodies (available in English, Spanish and Mandarin), $25 for skullies, at formyblock.org.

4/ Haymarket Books Book Club

If there's a radical or revolutionary on your shopping list, or, at the very least, someone who cares about social and economic justice, odds are they already know about Haymarket Books, the Buena Park-based publisher of Angela Davis, Rebecca Solnit, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and Eve Ewing, among many, many others. Membership in Haymarket's book club provides regular monthly shipments of all the publisher's new titles, in either print or e-book format, plus discounts on everything on the backlist. Not only will you provide someone with the foundation of a great personal library, you'll also be supporting a local business. It's a win for everybody. —Aimee Levitt $20-$30/month at haymarketbooks.org.

5/ T-Shirt from the Silver Room

I discovered Silver Room when I first saw Eve Ewing wearing a "Make Chicago Great Again" Harold Washington T-shirt at Pitchfork last year. But the store has a lot more to offer, with shirts by local artists ranging from a profile of Colin Kaepernick made out of tiny red fists to one that looks like a hand-painted bodega advertisement for Hyde Park. The store is full of hand-crafted leather goods, jewelry, and home decor, many by black makers. —Maya Dukmasova $20-$30 at Silver Room, 1506 E. 53rd St., 773-947-0024, thesilverroom.com.

6/ Rebel Betty Arte prints and zines

Support a Latinx artist this holiday season by buying zines, prints, buttons and other artwork by Rebel Betty, an Afro-Latina artist, DJ, and educator. Her work focuses on raising awareness and creating discussions about gentrification and issues affecting black and brown communities. —Marissa De La Cerda $5-$35 for prints, $5-$15 for zines, $10-$15 for buttons and other items at rebelbettyarte.com.

Good Times

1/ Hollow Leg cocktail class

Contrary to popular belief, Hollow Leg is not a store where you can buy a leg lamp a la A Christmas Story, it's a company that offers mixology classes at various venues around the city. Founded by Devin Kidner, Hollow Leg aims to share the art and science behind crafting cocktails so that anyone who attends their events leaves with the knowledge, taste, and skill to finally make a decent drink—and since they offer plenty of non-alcoholic options, everyone can join in on the fun. You can purchase individual tickets or gift certificates to workshops such as Liquid Confidence: Mixology 101, or book them for a holiday shindig so you can give a whole bunch of your friends the gift that keeps on giving (and giving, and giving . . . depending on who you hang out with). Though most classes are hands-on, they also offer tastings, so you and your guests can just sit back, sip, and learn. The best part might be that they'll play "cocktail whisperer," and tailor the menu for their audience, so if, for example, you hate sugary sweet drinks, you won't have to waste your time—or your booze—mixing one. —Jamie Ludwig $60-$95 for gift certificates at hollowleg.com.

2/ Fat Tiger Workshop hat

Streetwear boutique Fat Tiger Workshop first set up in a small Congress Theater storefront four years ago. Founding designers Vic Lloyd, Desmond Owusu, Terrell Jones, and Joe "Freshgoods" Robinson quickly made the space a home for friends, aspiring artists, and established musicians. One day I wandered in to find Chuck Inglish and Sulaiman filming a music video behind the storefront; on another I bought a Save Money shirt during a pop-up helmed by Joey Purp. Fat Tiger has changed locations twice since then, and the owners still make sure its large West Town headquarters is an open-door community space, even as their individual profiles have risen. Robinson has become a streetwear celebrity since he made a one-off clothing line in homage to our previous president, "Thank U Obama" (Chance the Rapper wore one such hoodie while collecting his first Grammy), and he's since been enlisted to make clothes for the Chicago Bears, McDonald's, and the MCA. All four designers make gear for their individual brands, but they also have a run of Fat Tiger clothes. The simple, bold Fat Tiger hat is a great way to show love for all four of these independent, community-driven designers. —Leor Galil $30 for a signature hat at 836 N. Milwaukee, fattigerworkshop.com.

3/ Custom handmade guitar strap from Souldier

In 2004, Chicago musician Jen Tabor started making instrument straps for her friends, and soon began selling them at shows. Nearly 15 years later, her company Souldier, which specializes in hand-cut leather guitar, bass, and banjo straps, has helped support the instruments of artists such as Jeff Tweedy, Tom Petty, and Kim Gordon, and has practically come to have rock-star status of its own. You can find Souldier straps at a number of instrument shops and other retailers throughout the city, or purchase directly through their website, where there's more fun to be had by customizing a strap of your own. Choose between dozens of color and fabric patterns to match anyone's personality and/or artistic aesthetic. And though Souldier is most known for their instrument accessories, their product line also includes camera straps, headbands, wrist cuffs, dog collars, and more, so there are plenty of gift options for your non-musician human and canine friends. —Jamie Ludwig Prices vary at souldier.us.

4/ Fine Prints cassettes

Chicago's rock scene–if you can say there is one single community–is a lot broader than it often gets credited. Local label Fine Prints gets it. Founded by Robby Haynes (who helps run Hermosa studio Strange Magic Recording) and Ziyad Asrar (of Baby Blue, formerly of Whitney), Fine Prints has put out only a handful of cassette releases, but the small catalog shows how weird and wonderful Chicago rock can get. The label launched in August by releasing tapes from prog misfits Mayor Daley, art punks Wage, and synthpop hypnotists Desert Liminal; in October, Haynes and Asrar dropped the second EP by bedroom-pop wizard Adam Schubert, aka Ruins. The acts Fine Prints have worked with don't overlap stylistically, and that's partly why these four cassettes work well as a single package; they're great individual documents, and all together they unintentionally function as a reminder that there's a lot of great music happening in the city beyond the sounds on these tapes. —Leor Galil $7 per cassette at fineprints.bandcamp.com.

5/ Sharkula T-shirt

Can you really claim to be a Chicagoan if you've never met Sharkula? For the past couple decades, the oddball rapper who also answers to Thigahmahjigggee and Dirty Gilligan has roamed around the city's streets, selling his wares hand-to-hand: usually that means CD-Rs of his unpredictable raps housed in a photocopied sheet of paper littered with his drawings. He recently started making his own T-shirts, and his detailed, gritty graffiti style gives his pieces a lived-in quality. Sharkula designs each shirt by hand and no two are identical, which means this is the most unique gift you can give the Chicago hip-hop fan in your life. And, since buying a shirt requires that you call Sharkula, this also gives anyone who has never met him before the opportunity to finally meet a local legend. —Leor Galil Starting at $30 at 773-647-4995.

6/ Experimental Sound Studio tickets

Experimental Sound Studio, founded in 1986 and based in Edgewater since 2006, is one of the city's great incubators of avant-garde and experimental music. The nonprofit's facility houses a full-service recording studio, of course, as well as a small public gallery that hosts exhibitions, workshops, and other events. ESS also provides a home for the Creative Audio Archive, which it describes as "an invaluable collection of recordings, print, and visual ephemera related to avant-garde and exploratory sound and music"—including a trove of Sun Ra material dating back to the 1950s and thousands of improvised and underground shows captured between 1981 and 2006 by Chicago sound recordist Malachi Ritscher. The concert series that ESS presents in its cozy live room, including Option and Oscillations, feature internationally celebrated Chicagoans—drummer Hamid Drake, sound artist Olivia Block, visionary multi-instrumentalists Ben Lamar Gay and Douglas Ewart—as well as renowned out-of-towners such as trumpeter Greg Kelley, saxophonist Don Dietrich, and pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn. —Philip Montoro $40 for a pack of five tickets good for any concerts, which usually cost $10 apiece—and if you e-mail info@ess.org in advance to make a reservation, they'll even get you into one of the handful each year that sell out, 5925 N. Ravenswood, 773-998-1069, ess.org.

7/ Ninja Zombie DVD

In 1992, aspiring writer-director Mark Bessenger and a small crew filmed a low-budget Super-8 horror comedy in Chicago, the exurbs, and Wisconsin. No distributor wanted to touch his movie, Ninja Zombie, though I have a little trouble understanding why; the sight of a green, shirtless zombie adeptly fighting off a small army of ninjas would've sold me in 1992, but I was also seven at the time. Bessenger made a few VHS copies for friends, but the film otherwise disappeared. More than two decades later a copy wound up in the hands of cinema fanatic Zack Carlson, who helps run Bleeding Skull, a site and film distributor that documents obscure horror pictures. In 2014, Carlson brought the VHS to his Bleeding Skull collaborators (writer Annie Choi and site founder Joseph Ziemba, an Illinois native) who were so charmed by the goofy, light-footed picture they decided to find a way to release it. Last month, Bleeding Skull and Austin-based nonprofit the American Genre Film Archive co-released Ninja Zombie on DVD. I just hope with this wide release it may soon become a midnight staple. —Leor Galil $13.99 at americangenrefilm.com/releases/ninja-zombie.

About the artists

To accompany our gift guide, we commissioned two local artists to create the gift wrap featured on our two variant covers. To take full advantage of the festivities, pick up a paper copy of this week's Reader.

Justin Clemons from Chicago Lawn is also the Production Manager at Magnolia Printing. His gift wrap features hands spelling "C-H-I-C-A-G-O" in American Sign Language. The piece started as a hand study he painted at age 17 in the program After School Matters, and his instructor noted that it evoked the feeling of people being deaf to the youth of Chicago and their issues. Years later, Justin completed the painting in acrylics. It was featured in Black Creativity Juried Art Exhibition hosted at the Museum of Science+Industry Chicago 2014.

Laura Berger is an artist living in Chicago who paints, sculpts and also animates. Her beautifully minimalistic work often focuses on themes of nature, dreams, or travel. Sometimes, her images feature a host of culturally diverse naked bodies—as appear on one of our variant covers. She is interested in how people create meaning and a sense of belonging to a greater whole.

For more info on Justin's work: justinianart.com. For more info on Laura's work: lauraberger.com.   v

Source: https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicago-reader-2018-holiday-gift-guide/Content?oid=63481605

[tsw-story]

Chapter 76 - Attack of Titans

Before them was an elderly woman surrounded by a cute wood workshop of machines and tools and layers of fabrics. Her skin was tinted a sickly green beneath blond locks of hair, and where her eyes should have been, were a pink and blue button sewed to flesh. They somehow were still able to see, however, as she did her job as any craftsman would. Said job, being a seamstress, was easier for her, as hanging from her body were many loose strings that she controlled as any would do so with arms.

Kevin watched as she completed the last strand of her project. This time, his skin was only as white as his ginger nature allowed. It surprised himself that he wasn't terrified.

“So you were able to find what I asked about?” Eldrian had waited patiently for her to be finished. “I know it was an odd, tricky request.”

Marionette nodded. Her button eyes turned up to him as a smile grew slowly along the wrinkles around her lips. “Yes. We were lucky enough.”

Eldrian let out a breath of relief. “Thank goodness. I really owe you one this time. Really. After we deal with this, I'll come back and make it up to you somehow.”

The demon's workshop was holding four others at the time—Renatta, Daveon, Arlandria, and Deena. They waited patiently as well, having found seats in the corner, and Deena was nose-deep in a book that was resting on the end table. Something about demonic designer mugs.

“So what do you guys think?” Eldrian asked.

Renatta was gleeful. “This sounds fun!”

While Daveon shrugged with a slight smile, Deena spoke up as she lowered the book from her gaze. “I'll feel silly, but it's the best way. Let's just get things over with.”

What they spoke of would soon be revealed to perhaps more than it should, but they had made up their minds. There were some things any good-natured person had to do. There was something inside of them that had awoken, some later than others, that called to them. Somebody had to make a difference. And so, they departed shortly after.

Lucy, being the eldest daughter of the Demon World's ruler, had access to a number of perks, one of which being a portal room the team had used once before. She has the power to open a gateway to any place on Earth, for herself or others. The coordinates become set, and then a fissure of hellfire tears open along the surface. It always left with no evidence of ever being there.

That's exactly what happened. Nobody would know there ever was a fissure in Spokane, but there was, and what it brought was much more important.

***

The tree-covered woods outside the city was void of noise one minute, and but chattering the next. Aegis Arcanum had arrived. In front of them spanned the city with a chill in the air, though the chirping of birds reminded them spring was gradually approaching. That is, if they lived long enough to see it.

Eldrian gripped a slip of paper that flapped around in the breeze. It read the time and place, courtesy of Zayna. He placed it back into his pocket.

He was the first to act. Standing still, ethereal rings formed around his midsection, and they slid up and down his form to his head and toes, but as they went, the outfit he wore before was something else. They revealed his Dark Mage blue robes—face magically showed to show only a pair of glowing yellow eyes. It caused his voice to be distorted, and it reverberated.

One hand outwards brought his Staff of Lightning out of a ring in the air, from seemingly nowhere, to retrieve it from magic storage.

“My turn!” Renatta exclaimed, perhaps too excited by the concept.

As with Eldrian, rings moved out from her body as she changed wardrobe. A form-fit dark red outfit, like a ninja may wear, appeared around her, covering all but her eyes. Though it hide her hair, the back of the hood was tied by a black ribbon, causing her silhouette to have a ponytail regardless. Her voice was masked in a similar way.

Though she asked for something more akin to a belly dancer, but in her words, more deadly, the crew convinced her to be more subtle. She eventually conceded.

Deena did the same. Her legs were covered by stockings striped with black and red, which was beneath a frilly black skirt. Black boots comfortably covered her feet, and a coat of similar covers kept around her torso. Her hair was done up, so it appeared shot once her pointed black cap appeared. Then, her face shrouded in darkness, with only a pair of red eyes to be recognized.

Daveon's transformation was less decorative than the rest. It was a loose-fitting robe of green shades with a hood over his head, though unlike Eldrian's, a small pair of decorate antlers sprouted out from the sides. Brown boots and gloves rested around his extremities, and instead of his face being magically darkened, it was similar to Renatta, in that fabric covered most of it.

Arlandria touched her pendant, which temporarily caused her elven ears to shrink to resemble those of a human's. Then, her disguise came next. It was a white robe, like a priestess, trimmed with pale greens. It didn't cover her head. Instead, she wore a feminine mask with paintings of green leaves and branches—lips to match. As part, her hair turned completely white, like Deena's.

Kevin was last. Sadly, he was no wizard, and couldn't cast a spell to easily swap clothes back and forth. Instead was the item they sought from Marionette upon their visit. Eldrian had taken care of the meeting, and had thought of Kevin's problem. He wore a thick silver chain around his neck that ended with a pendant emblazoned with the helmet of a medieval knight. His hand gripped it, squeezed it, and then it happened.

Metal materialized around his body, including a helmet that covered much of his face. However, it was unlike the others. It was completely illusory, and therefore, a touch would pass straight thought it. The armour was simply there to act as a disguise, and just like all of the rest, it altered his voice slightly as well.

The spellbreaker was prepared in other ways as well. After a, “Summon Sword, Drodias!” and a, “Summon Shield, Hottah!” he was armed with a magic blade and heater shield. Tucked into his pocket was a pair of anti-magic cuffs they had recovered as well. This time, they were prepared for everything they could prepare for.

“This is it.” Eldrian stared off the hill over the city's skyline. He knew that somewhere, this new enemy was lurking, waiting to boldly strike in a way that was uncommon for demons, from what he knew.

“Do you trust Zayna this much?” Deena asked.

“I do. She put her life on the line telling us this information. I don't see why else she'd even seek us out if this wasn't true.”

“Could be a trap.”

“Well, then we'll damn ready to spring it. I'm finished with messing around. If demons want to attack a city, and hurt innocent people, then this is exactly what all of our magic practice has been leading up to.” He shot a glance to the druid. “Daveon. I'd like you to be our eyes in the sky. Let us know if you see anything, and act on your own wisdom. Whatever you think needs to be done.”

He nodded. With a hop in the air, Daveon shifted into a crow, and flew off into the sky in a heartbeat.

“I'll handle any wizards, so just let me know if any are involved. Could be warlocks helping,” Kevin stated. “But I'm about ready to cut down a demon too.”

“Anything you need from me?” asked Renatta.

Before he could answer, the sound of concrete being shattered reverberated up the hillside, as if a stick of dynamite had gone off now far from them. Ahead, a cloud of dust lifted from a tall building. It was difficult to tell, but a giant figure appeared to be stomping past as well.

“Move between the rooftops, Ren. Keep watch, let us know, and strike out at foes. Do what you do best, like when you tried to kill me, but less of that part.” Eldrian nodded.

She brought up a hand to salute. “Roger!” And off she went, leaping down through the city of an unnatural agility.

“Arly. Watch as, but especially Kev. He has fewer means to defend himself, besides his fancy equipment, and you're a master of warding. Just say safe, and not just because you're the only one that could aid is if we're injured. All of you follow me. Even if we're seen, we can't stand around and watch. Let's go!”

Eldrian, Deena, Kevin, and Arlandria found the source of the detonation. It was no bomb, but a giant creature that looked as if it was made of solid marble and nearly ten feet tall, and incredibly wide. One swing of its fist shattered a large chunk off the nearby structure, which was now blocking the street ahead.

“There!” came Renatta's voice from above. She was gesturing towards a second beast of stone just a couple blocks down. “Daveon said there is at least one more farther on!”

“Kev and I have this one.” Eldrian brought up his staff. It sparked. “Deena. Arly. Go help Ren with the one behind us. Quick! If I know Dav, he's saving people caught in the crossfire, and he might need our help.”

The noise of stones grinding together echoes out as the creature moved, though with a fluidity impossibly by a creature that was merely an animated statue. Demons could be anything, but this was something completely bizarre to Eldrian.

He brought two fingers out, as well as his staff, and both lit up with crackling electricity.

“I don't know how much my sword will help you, buddy,” shouted Kevin as he formed a wall between his friend and the demon. “But I'll be your shield!”

It thrust its massive fist towards them. Kevin choked the air from his lungs as he brought his shield to absorb the blow—both hands pushed against it. Pain shook up his body. But behind him came his friend lifting up into the sky in a pose that reminded him of the day he first learned about his friend's wizardry.

Eldrian thrust the staff forwards, and an explosive beam of electricity fired out from the tip and towards the upper chest of the beast. White currents coiled down its form and the stone cracked and burst under the shock of the spell. Lighting Lance!

However, it was quickly learned that this beast contained no innards. It had no blood, or anything that could be damaged through electrocution—only rock.

“Got anything bigger than that, buddy?” Kevin called out.

A cackle came from the Dark Mage's hood. “You know I do. Get back! I'm willing to bet this fellow will take awhile to reach me with something up here.”

Meanwhile, Deena turned the corner to another beast that looked exactly the same as the first, minus the chunk broken from its torso. It swung down the moment they saw it, but Arlandria rose up both hands to project a barrier that absorbed the blow, with some resistance.

A flaming chakram spun down from a rooftop to stick into its head. By itself, it yanked free, and flew back into Renatta's hand. Though it had no visible emotion, it turned annoyed the face her above it.

“What the hell are these things?” Deena muttered.

Arlandria stared up through the eyes of her mask. “Demons, but more than one exactly alike I thought was impossible amongst the chaos of the Demon World.”

“Something is up here. We need to figure out what before it's too late.”