#they put my mains in the same essence and event i’m so happy

[starsymmetry]

nature of good and evil

[lorenfangor]

I heard that #40 was super homophobic :/ so I skipped it. But now your fic is making me want to give it a try. How problematic is it? Are the characters worth it?

Okay.

Okay.

Let’s talk about #40.

The plot of The Other (a Marco POV) is that Marco sees an Andalite on a video tape sent in to some Unsolved Mysteries-esque TV show, and he assumes it’s Ax and hauls ass to save him from being captured. Ax, being Ax, has videotaped the show, and they pull it up and Tobias uses his hawk eyes to figure out that it’s not Ax, it’s another Andalite - one without a tailblade. Ax is appalled at the presence of this vecol (an Andalite word for a disabled person) and we find out that he and others of his species have deep ingrained prejudices against at least some kinds of disabled people.

Despite this, Marco and Ax go looking for the Andalite in question because he’s been spotted by national TV, and they meet a second one, named Gafinilan-Estrif-Valad. The vecol is Mertil-Iscar-Elmand, a former fighter pilot with a reputation and Gafinilan’s coded-gay life partner. The two of them have been on Earth since book 1; they crashed their fighters on the planet and have been trapped there thanks to the GalaxyTree going down. Gafinilan has adopted a human cover, a physics professor, and they’ve been living in secret ever since.

Thanks to that tape, Mertil has been captured by Visser Three, and he’s not morph-capable so he can’t escape. Gafinilan wants to trade the leader of the “Andalite Bandits” to the Yeerks to get his boyfriend back; he can’t fight to free Mertil because he’s terminally ill with a genetic disorder that will eventually kill him, and (it’s implied that) the Yeerks aren’t interested in disabled hosts, even disabled Andalite ones. Despite Ax’s ableism, the Animorphs agree to work with Gafinilan and free Mertil, and they’re successful. Marco ends the book talking about how there are all kinds of prejudices you’ll have to face and boxes that people will put you in, and you can’t necessarily escape them even if they’re reductive and inaccurate, but you can still live your life with pride.

So now that I’ve explained the plot, I’m gonna come out the gate saying that I love this book. I love it wholeheartedly, I love Marco’s narration, I love Ax having to deal with Andalite society’s ableism, I love these characters, and as a disabled lesbian I don’t find these disabled gays to be inherently Bad Rep.

that’s of course just my opinion and it doesn’t overshadow other issues that people might have? but at the same time, I don’t like the seemingly-common narrative that this book is all bad all the time, and I want to offer up a different read.To that end, I’m going to go point by point through some of the criticisms and common complaints that I’ve seen across the fandom over the years.

“Mertil and Gafinilan were put on a bus after one appearance because they were gay!”

this is one I’m going to have to disagree with hardcore. I talked about this yesterday, but in Animorphs there are a lot of characters or ideas that only get introduced once or twice and then get written off or dropped - in order off the top of my head, #11 (the Amazon trip), #16 (Fenestre and his cannibalism), #17 (the oatmeal), #18 (the hint of Yeerks doing genetic experiments in the hospital basement), #24/#39/#42 (the Helmacrons’ ability to detect morphing tech), #25 (the Venber), #28 (experiments with limiting brain function through drugs), #34 (the Hork-Bajir homeworld being retaken, the Ixcila procedure), #36 (the Nartec), #41 (Jake’s Bad Future Dream), and #44 (the Aboriginal people Cassie meets in Australia) all feature things that either seem to exist just for the sake of having a particular trope explored Animorphs-style or to feature an idea for One Single Book.

This is a series that’s episodic and has a very limited overall story arc because of how children’s literature in the 90s was structured - these books are closer to The Saddle Club, Sweet Valley High, Animal Ark, or The Baby-Sitters’ Club than they are to Harry Potter or A Series of Unfortunate Events. Mertil and Gafinilan don’t get to be in more than one book because they’re not established in the main cast or the supporting cast, I don’t think that it’s solely got anything to do with their being gay.

“Gafinilan has AIDS, this is a book about AIDS, and that’s homophobic!”

Okay, this is… hard. First, yes, Gafinilan does have a terminal illness. Yes, Gafinilan is gay. No, Soola’s Disease is not AIDS.

I have two responses to this, and I’ll attack them in order of their occurrence in my thought. First, there’s coded AIDS diseases all over genre fiction, especially genre fiction from that era, because the AIDS epidemic made a massive impact on public life and fundamentally changed both how the public perceived illness and queerness and how queer people themselves experienced it. I was too young to live through it, but my dad’s college roommate was out, and my dad himself has a lot of friends who he just ceases to talk about if the conversation gets past 1986 or so - this was devastating and it got examined in art for more reasons than “gay people all have AIDS”, and I dislike the implication that the only reason it could ever appear was as a tired stereotype or a message that Being Queer Means Death. Gafinilan is kind, fond of flowers, and fond of children - he’s multifaceted, and he’s got a terminal illness. Those kinds of people really exist, and they aren’t Bad Rep.

Second off, Soola’s Disease? Really isn’t AIDS. It’s a congenital genetic illness that develops over time, cannot be transmitted, and does not carry a serious stigma the way AIDS did. Gafinilan also has access to a cure - he could become a nothlit and no longer be afflicted by it, even if it’s considered somewhat dishonorable to go nothlit to escape that way. That’s not AIDS, and in fact at no point in my read and rereads did I assume that his having a terminal illness was supposed to be a commentary on homosexuality until I found out that other people were assuming it.

“Mertil losing his tail means he’s lost his masculinity, and that’s bad because he’s gay! That’s homophobic!”

so this is another one I’ve gotta hardcore disagree with, because while Mertil is one of two Very Obviously Queer Characters, he’s not the only character who loses something fundamental about himself, or even loses access to sexual and/or romantic capability in ways he was familiar with.

Tobias and Arbron both get ripped out of their ordinary normal lives by going nothlit in bad situations, and while they both wind up finding fulfillment and freedom despite that, it’s still traumatic, even more for Arbron I’d say than for Tobias. And on a psychological level, none of the main cast is left unmarked or free of trauma or free of deep change thanks to the bad things that have happened to them - they’re no less fundamentally altered than Mertil, even if it’s mental rather than physical. And yes, tail loss is equated with castration or emasculation, but that doesn’t automatically mean Mertil suffering it is tied to his homosexuality and therefore the takeaway we’re intended to have is “Being gay is tragic and makes you less of a man”. This is a series where bad shit happens to everyone, and enduring losses that take away things central to one’s self-conception or identity or body is just part of the story.

Also, frankly? Plenty of IRL disabled people have to grapple with a loss of sexual function, and again, they’re not Bad Rep just because they’re messy.

“Andalite society is confusingly written in this book, and the disability aspects are clearly just a coverup for the gay stuff!”

Andalite society is canonically sexist, a bit exceptionalist and prejudiced in their own favor, and pretty contradictory and often challenged internally on its own norms. In essence, it’s a pretty ordinary society, and they’re really realistic as sci-fi races go. It makes sense from that perspective that Andalites would tolerate scarring or a lost stalk eye or a lost skull eye, but not tolerate serious injuries that significantly impact your perceived quality of life. Ableism is like that - it’s not one-size-fits-all. I look at Ax’s reactions and I see a lot of my own family and friends’ behaviors - this vibes with my understanding of prejudice, you know?

“Mertil and Gafinilan have a tragic ending, which means the story is saying that being gay dooms you to tragedy!”

Mertil and Gafinilan have the best possible ending that they could ask for? They are victims of the war, they are suffering because of the war, they get the same cocktail of trauma and damage that every other soldier gets. But unlike Jake and Tobias and Marco, unlike Elfangor, unlike Aximili? Their ending comes in peace, in their own home. Gafinilan isn’t dying alone, he’s got the love of his life with him. Mertil isn’t going to be as isolated anymore, he’s got Marco for a friend. Animorphs is a tragedy, it’s not a happy story, it’s not something that guarantees a beautiful sunshine-and-roses ending for everyone, and I love tragedy, and so I will fight for this story. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it deserved better. But it’s not less meaningful just because it’s sad. Nobody is entitled to anything in this book, and it’s just as true for these two as it is for anyone else.

“It’s not cool that the only canonically gay characters in this series don’t get to be happy and trauma-free and unblemished Good Rep!”

This is one I can kind of understand, and I’ll give some ground to it, because it is sucky. The only thing I’ll say is that I stand by my argument that nothing that happens to Mertil and Gafinilan is unusual compared to what happens to the rest of the cast, and that their ending is way happier than Rachel and Tobias’s, or Jake and Cassie’s. But it’s a legitimate point of frustration, and the one argument I’ll say I agree has validity.

(Though, I also want to point out that I think there are plenty of equally queercoded characters in the story who aren’t Mertil and Gafinilan - Tobias, Rachel, Cassie, and Marco all get at least one or two moments that signal to me that they’re potentially LGBT+, not to mention Mr. Tidwell and Illim in #29 and their long-term domestic partnership. There’s no reason to assume that the only queer people here are those two aliens when Marco’s descriptions of Jake exist.)

“Marco uses slurs and reduces Gafinilan’s whole identity to his illness!”

Technically, yes, this is true, except putting it that way strips the whole passage of its context. Marco is discussing the boxes society puts you into, the ones you don’t have a choice about facing or escaping. He’s talking about negative stereotypes and reductive generalizations, he’s referring to them as bad things that you get inflicted upon you by an outside world or by friends who don’t know the whole story or the real you. The slurs he uses are real slurs that get thrown at people still, and they’re not okay, and the point is that they’re not okay but assholes are going to call you by them anyway. He ends by saying “you just have to learn to live with it”, and since this is coming from a fifteen-year-old Latino kid who we know is picked on by bullies for all sorts of reasons and who faces racism and homophobia? He knows what he’s talking about. He’s bitter about what’s been said and done, he’s not stating it like it’s a good thing.

Yes, absolutely, this speech is a product of its time, but it’s a product of its time that speaks of defiance and says “We aren’t what we’re said to be,” and in the year this was published? That’s a good message.

tl;dr The Other is good, actually, and Mertil and Gafinilan are incredible characters who deserve all the love they could possibly get.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 22 part one

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff) (Previous Post)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Not Quite Like Old Times

We ended the previous episode in daylight, with Lan Wangji putting Wei Wuxian and swordpoint and declaring his undying love lecturing him about his lack of sword skills.

We start this episode in full night, with the two of them sitting on a roof together. Presumably they spent the missing scenes getting dinner in the mess hall, doing some laundry, and definitely not making out. Fic writers, do your thing.

Finally, FINALLY, Lan Wangji has chilled out enough to actually sit and listen to Wei Wuxian, instead of yelling at and/or physically attacking him. The Zoloft is really helping!

Wei Wuxian is indulging in romantic recollections of their first rooftop encounter. Lan Wangji, who has loved him since he first laid eyes on him and who wrote a whole song with an entire music video about their love, featuring that very same rooftop encounter, shuts him down so completely he might as well have whipped out Bichen again.

First he corrects his description of events by pointing out they were fighting, not talking, back then. Then when Wei Wuxian continues in his charming, smiley reminiscing vein, Lan Wangji says "things change, how could they stay the same" with a deep, sad, weariness.

He seems like an old man in this moment, and I feel for him, really, I do. But he's not the one who's carrying the actual essence of death around inside him. Wei Wuxian is being much more generous in this interaction than Lan Wangji is.

Wei Wuxian thanks him for not narkng to Jiang Yanli about the whole talisman/forced suicide/ghost hummer/ghost flaying thing he did back in Yiling. Like there is any way Lan Wangji would ever tell Jiang Yanli, of all people, something like that about Wei Wuxian.  He's lying to his own brother to cover for Wei Wuxian, and Wei Wuxian totally doesn't get it.

(more after the cut)

Unfortunately, there's no reason Wei Wuxian SHOULD get it, at this point; Lan Wangji has not communicated anything but disapproval to him since his return, and Wei Wuxian, despite their (apparently temporary) mental linkup in the Turtle cave, is not a mind reader.

Lan Wangji is so hurt here, and Wei Wuxian appears to ignore that, continuing to smile and laugh; he’s still sunny, still happy. Seriously, they are so tonally out of step with each other in this conversation, it's excruciating.

Lan Wangji: I’m feeling good about my tear-holding-back ability Wei Wuxian: do I look more fuckable sitting up? Or leaning back?  

But every one of these smiles is an absolute lie. This is Wei Wuxian appeasing an authority figure; baffling with bullshit and skating by on charm. This is not a young man confiding in his soulmate.

Even when the conversation shifts, and they talk seriously about what is going on with him, Wei Wuxian is barely confiding anything. He briefly acknowledges that he was in the Burial Mounds for three months, and shudders at the memory, but Lan Wangji doesn't respond to that other than to look away from his face.

This is almost the last thing Wei Wuxian will ever say to anyone about that experience.  He only alludes to it again when Jiang Cheng visits the settlement and talks smack about their corpse turnips. Lan Wangji says he wants to know why Wei Wuxian’s cultivation changed, but he really doesn’t; he just wants to convince him to change it back.

Wei Wuxian explains about using Lan clan techniques to protect his temperament, as well as the flute and talismans, to control the resentful energy. This is a good reminder that Wei Wuxian was never a bad student. He was an outstanding cultivator within the Jiang Clan, and he learned a hell of a lot during his time in Gusu, despite getting expelled for fighting.

His original golden core was stronger than Jiang Cheng's, even though he apparently started cultivating later. Yes, he fell asleep during meditation that one time in Episode 43, but that's not because he's bad at meditating, it's because he was tired from getting railed all night by his boyfriend stabbed in the gut by his nephew.

Lan Wangji eventually manages to ask him a question like an interested fellow human being sharing knowledge, instead of like an authoritarian dick calling him to account.  

Side note: I still am flopping around trying to find good-sounding English terms for Chinese philosophical concepts. I kind of like "ghost path" vs "sword path" for the two styles of cultivation - I don't know where I saw that, apologies to the translator. I like "necromancy" for the part where the dead are reanimated and controlled, because we definitely have that in English. But there are many layers of nuance in these conversations that English is not equipped to render in a natural-sounding way.

Lan Wangji tells him, again, that it's dangerous, but this time he does it in a gentler and more poetic way, saying it's like taking grain from a burning fire, and says he's in danger of becoming the novel version of Wei Wuxian a demonic cultivator.  Wei Wuxian, also gently and seriously, says he knows.

Then he immediately goes back to his lightest tone and promises, with his three-fingers gesture, that he will not fall into demonic cultivation. This gesture is basically the Wei Wuxian "I am totally fucking lying" salute.

He is totally fucking lying, and he MUST know it. He's baking the Yin tiger amulet every day during his meditation, getting ready to use it against Wen Ruohan, getting ready to take over his army of the dead.

He has the audacity to ask Lan Wangji, "do you believe me?" and Lan Wangji, also totally fucking lying, nods.  Their relationship is just as broken right now as it was before their courtyard sparring session.

You can tell it's broken, because after they've reached this apparent place of peace, Wei Wuxian just hops down off the roof and LEAVES Lan Wangji sitting by himself. When has Wei Wuxian ever been like "gotta go!" with Lan Wangji? The last time they were here, he spent the night sleeping on the roof tiles just so he could be near him.

As he leaves, Lan Wanji stands up and says "let me help you." Wei Wuxian is not a fan of that idea, at all, if his expression is any guide.

He agrees, though, and leaves smiling, apparently for real, but maybe just practicing for all the fake smiles in his future.

Hooray for War

In the morning, Nie Mingjue makes an angry speech to the 2 dozen cultivators who apparently make up the army. Extras are expensive, y'all.

The senior cultivators are standing to the right or left of him, with the Lan brothers bracketing the Yunmeng sibs. Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng are both staking their claim to Wei Wuxian, while Lan Xichen is standing in the spot closest to Nie Mingjue; Nie Huaisang is on the opposite side with the Jins.

All of the random cultivators yell a war chant in response to Nie Mingjue's speech, while the senior cultivators are like, we don't have to do that yelling stuff, thank goodness.

Nie Mingjue's war outfit includes metal (ish) epaulets on his shoulders and a totally not-kinky belt featuring multiple rings with nothing attached to them (yet) and an angry demon face right above his junk.

Nie Mingjue says we're going to storm into Nightless city and I'm going to chop off Wen Ruohan's head! By which he means, I'm going to get captured and get my ass beat, and then my murder-babie ex-boyfriend who had this belt specially made for me is going to stab Wen Ruohan in the back while he's distracted. They do say no plan survives contact with the enemy.

Side note: Baxia makes a loud metallic "shnk" noise when NMJ takes it off his back during this speech, even though Baxia does not have a scabbard. You do you, Baxia.

All the senior cultivators file out down the center while everyone else parts to let them pass. Then everybody does the Electric Slide.

Jiang Cheng tells Wei Wuxian they should go ahead of the main force to get some killing in early, but Wei Wuxian just pulls a face and looks down, staying with Lan Wangji. 

Jiang Cheng is disappointed, and no doubt takes this as a sign of WWX choosing LWJ over him. But actually, WWX can't fight side-by-side with Jiang Cheng without showing his weakness.

LWJ and WWX exchange one of their unspoken "let's go" eye touches and get ready to ride out together with the main force. 

Lan Wangji is still super, super sad. Wei Wuxian is still fake. But something is starting to knit together between them, and once they can hit a battlefield together, it will get a lot stronger.

On A Horse With No Name

Everyone rides out on horses, which will presumably get eaten somewhere along the way, because they appear to travel on foot after this. While Wei Wuxian practices his horseback-flute-twirling, Lan Wangji asks why Wei Wuxian didn't go with the forward force to fight.

Wei Wuxian says that he has a case of the don'wannas, and Lan Wangji snarkily points out that he used to like fighting. Wei Wuxian reacts, just as he did at the end of their sword fight, with embarrassment, and doesn't answer.

Lan Wangji, sweetie. You are really not helping. 

At this point, despite their ongoing fighting, Wangxian are clearly together again. Lan Wangji isn't riding with his brother; he's RIGHT next to Wei Wuxian, and will stay close to him through the rest of the campaign.

Nie Huaisang hollers "Wei-Xiong" from the top of the battlements and tells him to take care. Wei-Xiong lifts his flute in acknowledgement while Nie Huaisang looks worried. He doesn't tell Nie Mingjue or Lan Wangji to take care, just Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian is his particular friend, more than Lan Wangji is, but he may also be concerned because he can tell that Wei Wuxian isn't well.

Nie Huaisang hasn't yet developed the deep cynicism that he calls upon in his quest to avenge his brother, but he has always been a voracious collector of information, and he is keenly observant.

Side note: what the fuck is going on with this sculpture? Kudos to the artist. This has beautiful forms, and is weird and disturbing. The main head is wearing a horned skull on its forehead, small ungulates that I hesitate to call “deer” chilling on its horns, and...snakes? biting its ears? 

Boring Wen Interlude

Wen Ruohan is waving his hands around. Sigh. This is one of the more boring villain performances ever, and it's not the actor’s fault. They could have given him a sidekick to yell at or something, so we could get more than just hand waving. I’ve given up screen capping any of this; there are more interesting things to look at. 

Battle Moves

Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng and their forces have an extended fight scene with a bunch of puppet dudes and stuntmen in harnesses. 

It's pretty fun to watch. (Fanvid with more over here)

The gist of the fighting scenes is that Wen Ruohan is getting stronger, and Klingons are hard to beat.

Battle Planning

Finally we see a sidekick with Wen Ruohan, although he's blurry so it's hard to tell that he is totally Meng Yao.

The Sunshotters have set up a Battle Camp Playset. It's got chunks of gates and walls that don't connect to anything, like a Duplo set. It's just randomly open for most of the back area so that anyone can walk in. 

They've got a cage of hilarious definitely-not-zombies set up, and the rest of the wounded cultivators are lying on the ground. 

The main battle trio go chill in Nie Mingjue's incredibly fancy tent. They talk it over and say it's impossible to kill unkillable enemies, "even when we have millions of troops." And by “millions” they mean “dozens.”  

Nie Mingjue decides the way to handle it is to kill the leader and everyone else will collapse, because he has watched vampire movies and the last season of Game of Thrones and that's how it works. Watching the last season of Game of Thrones is why he is so angry all the time  He says he's going to sneak into Nightless City and assassinate Wen Ruohan.

Okay, first of all, Nie Mingjue can sneak? I don't believe it.  Second of all, if that was possible, why didn't he do it as soon as Wen Ruohan attacked his clan?

Nie Mingjue wants to take the biggest risk because he's the commander in chief, which is not how commanding is supposed to work, but okay.

He says if he dies, Zewu Jun will take over. Jiang Cheng starts to protest but Zewu Jun appears as if conjured, and shows them a map that will...dear GOD his hands are beautiful.

It's a helpful map, painted in multiple colors with careful writing on it, so if anyone were to show it to Nie Huaisang he would probably go "oh cool Meng Yao painted that" because anyone who could paint that well probably spent a fair amount of time at it on a regular basis. But, Nie Huaisang isn't here so, nope.

It’s always nice to see Jiang Cheng smile.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Waniji examine some of the puppets to see what's up. It's transmitted by touch, and Lan Wangji says that curing one dude takes three months of spiritual power. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Writing Prompt: Missing scene! How did they get from the fight in the courtyard to the talk on the roof? 

Soundtrack: 1. Shine on You Crazy Diamond, by Pink Floyd 2. Electric Boogie, by Marcia Griffiths

[darling-i-read-it]

Piano Lessons

Hannibal Lecter x reader

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: insinuations to smut 

Author’s Note: Hi love! I caught the smut short because I’m shit at writing it but I thought this would be pretty cute regardless so I hope that’s okay! I just loved the basic fluff idea a lot :)

Requested: by anon, Hey love! Really love your Hannibal fics 🥺💕 Can I request one on where Hannibal teaches the reader how to play the piano with some fluffy smut 🥺💕

Summary: the request

Genre: fluff 

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director 

(not my gif)

Hannibal was the lover of beautiful things. He loved things that made him smile. The idea that music was in the very essence, nearly always beautiful made  him continuously happy. His cooking was beautiful, his home was beautiful, you his lover was beautiful. He surrounded himself with many things he thought were stunning, inside or out. It was the same way with Will Graham who was gorgeous both inside and out in the way that his mind was stunning.

One of his favorite things was music. He learned things about different pieces of music along with different kinds of instruments. He loved the idea of them, the things that seemed so simple that they could not possibly produce music that would move people like they so often did.

You and Hannibal frequented the symphony when you got the chance. You loved the music as well though you didn’t know nearly as much as he did. You enjoyed the way that it made you feel and that, in of itself, was more than enough to go. You and Hannibal walked out of the symphony together that afternoon. It had been a compilation of Beethoven's works that you particularly liked.

You held Hannibal's hand as you walked out of the building into the chilly city. People and cars rushed past you in the night air and you stayed close together as you walked back to his car. You were both in a dreamy like state which you always seemed to be in after a good listen. 

“I liked that one a lot,” you whispered. He squeezed your hand.

“More than the John Williams?” You laughed lightly.

“Perhaps not. I’m sorry that one just had Jaws and Star Wars and I love those films. But this one reminded me of Clockwork Orange.” He nodded. 

“An artistically beautiful controversial film. Seems like something to think of when listening to Beehtoven,” he said fondly.  You rolled your eyes.

“It’s the main soundtrack of the movie Hannibal. Don’t pretend you were engulfed in every second of Kubrick's genus.”

“I preferred the book.”

“Yes well so did I but I am not about to discredit Malcolm Mcdowell acting crazy. In any event, this show was good. Wonderful even. I especially enjoyed the classic piano pieces,” you told him absentmindedly. It was starting to rain outside and Hannibal walked closer to you so that you were both warm. 

“They were quite powerful. They are also a dream to play.”

“You can play them?” 

“Some of them.” You looked up at him as you reached the car.

“Can you teach me?” you asked. He gave you a smile

“If you’d like.”

It was a few days later when you both had some prolonged free time. Hannibal had a piano in his home and he quite enjoyed playing it. He wanted to teach you. Perhaps one day he would come home to you playing the more complex pieces but for now he would simply stay with Ode To Joy, staying in the vein of your Clockwork love.

You sat beside him, your head on his shoulder as he played the whole piece for you, the more difficult parts that you would likely not be getting to anytime soon.  You watched his fingers as they moved quickly and were amazed at the speed, the presion, the carefulness. You smiled as he finished it up and then looked over at you as you took your hand off of his shoulder.

“Shall we try?”

“You can play it again,” you joked, nervous now that you had heard his expertise in the area.

“Come, simply put your hands here.” He put your hand up on the keys and spread them enough to hit the few keys at the beginning. He started to play the notes, very slow, with your fingers and then gestures for you to play them back to him.

“Come on Hannibal I can’t play it yet.”

“Try.” 

You started to try and you got a few notes right until you completely lost the way and started to play random keys, laughing at your inability to play even a few notes. 

“You’ll learn to read the music over time and then it’ll be over for all those professionals,” he promised, playing the notes with your hand again. He did it even slower and the tension was rising in your chest as you felt his hand on yours and his body flush with yours. You looked up as he finished the notes with your hands and your eyes met. He was the one who started to lean forward and you met him in the middle, your lips connecting easily.  You brought your hand up to his cheek and he put both of his hands on your cheeks.

Regardless to say, the piano lesson was shelved for another time.

[mn0tes]

TATTLE GAMES🐮

⚠️May contain SPOILERS of The Promised Neverland (TPN) ⚠️

“Let’s run away together”

What is the “Identity V” mobile game?

Identity V is a survival horror multiplayer game designed for children 12 +. The story revolves around a detective who is solving a mystery behind a sinister game held within an abandoned manor. The game setup revolves around matches between 4 survivors and 1 hunter or 8 survivors and 2 hunters (depending on the mode). Basically to win, the hunter must kill 3 or 6 survivors or at least 3 or 6 survivors must escape before the game ends. The player can level up his/her characters by playing and winning matches. The rewards earned from the games can be used to upgrade the skill of the characters, receive items, obtain costumes, and many more.

Why I advice TPN fans to play this game and participate in the event?

If you are an avid TPN fan, I advice you to start playing this game before the “The Promised Neverland” crossover event takes place sometime in February or early Spring of 2021 but the exact date is yet to be announced. I just estimated those dates based on the deadline of the pre-registration. In my opinion, to fully enjoy this event, you’ve got to be familiar with the controls, mechanics, and intensity of the game before the awaited event so that it wouldn’t surprise you. 😉 Let me tell you, the game is intense especially for gamers who aren’t used to this genre. It’s an adrenaline pumping game that involves a lot of running around, hide and seek, and prompt decision making that will get new users addicted to it. All I can say is, a good battle strategy comes in handy in these games. Sounds familiar? Yeah! Just like in TPN, your practically playing tag with your enemy. Your strategy as a killer or a survivor matters a lot if you want to win and reap the rewards of your victory. For me, this game reminds me a lot of the Goldy Pond Battle Arc but unlike in the Manga, the number of players (hunters and survivors) are greater in TPN. Emma and the other survivor’s task is different compared to the game because they have to stay alive within the alloted killing time instead of just deciphering machines and activating exits to escape the game area. In Emma‘s case though, they are literally trapped and living in Goldy Pond, the bloody arena! They can’t escape! I’m excited to see how this plays out in the event because NetEase Inc. might alter the basic mechanics of the game to follow the main story of TPN so it’s something to look forward to. Another thing to look forward to are the costumes, items, and other rewards that are based on the TPN characters that you all love and cherish!!! 🥳 HOW COOL IS THAT! 🤩 Fans may get a chance to earn Grace Field costumes or maybe an Emma sleeve. 😭 I’m looking forward on seeing an Emma-looking survivor doll running away from a Leuvis-looking hunter doll or maybe a Norman-looking survivor doll rescuing an Emma-looking survivor doll. 😍 Heck, I think it’s the other way around but it’s still soooo CUTE. 🥲

How do I take part in this event?

It’s easy, just bind your game ID number in the pre-registration page. It’s totally free too!

How do I obtain a game ID number?

The game ID can be obtained if your already an Identity V player. The game ID number is shown underneath your user name in the settings menu. If your not a player, you need to download the mobile game first and start the game. Don’t worry, your not going to be thrown in the killing arena right off the bat.

What is the Manor IQ Test?

The Manor IQ Test is a teaser game for fans to enjoy while waiting for the crossover event. It’s a super hard, time pressured IQ Test that enables fans to experience the difficulty level of the test the premium cattle kids have to take every morning. I advice switching on the sound effects because it adds up to the creepy factor and the pressure of getting a perfect score. 😰

How to get a perfect score in the Manor IQ Test to avoid getting shipped out?

If your a fan of the series, you know the importance of getting a perfect score in every test. Perfect score = another day to live (in their case, it’s 3 months to live until the time when they turn 12 and their hard earn scores are deemed useless). 🤬

I feel you Ray 😣 so, I’m sharing the answer key to you guys. 🤫 Following this will ensure you to earn a “perfect scorer” title. 😬

Several Survivors stand in a line. If the Explorer is 15th in line counting from both left and right, how many Survivors are in the line? Answer: 29

Emily is older than Martha, and both of their ages contain the number "2". The sum of the two numbers in Martha's age is less than 4, Martha is two years younger than Emma, and the sum of these three ladies' ages is 74. How old are Emily, Martha, and Emma? Answer: 32, 20, and 22

What number completes the pattern? Answer: 16

There is a box in front of you that contains an abundance of perfume, syringes, and flashlights. You can only get one item from the box each time you open it. How many times do you need to open the box to guarantee two of the same item? Answer: 4

What number completes this pattern? Answer: 3

Figure 1 (front view) and Figure 2 (top-down view) are two views of a structure built with cubes of the same size. At least how many cubes are used to build this structure? Answer: 17

Mike the Acrobat has 6 juggling balls- 2 black, 2 white, 2 red. The Mind's Eye takes 4 random juggling balls out of his room each time and always puts one back before taking another. After four entries/exits, what are the chances of her getting 2 black juggling balls, 1 white juggling ball, and 1 red juggling ball? Answer: 4/27

Which figure completes the pattern? (circle, triangle, and square ver.) Answer: (the first option) square, triangle, and circle.

Fold Cowboy's lasso twice and cut it from the middle. How many sections are there? Answer: 5

Survivors A, B, and C have different professions; one is a lawyer, one is a magician, and one is a painter. The Hunters made guesses about who does what: Hell Ember: A is the painter, and B is the lawyer. Bloody Queen: A is the lawyer, and C is the painter. The Ripper: A is the magician, and B is the painter. It turns out that each of them was right about one of the survivors. Therefore, what is the correct profession for each Survivor? Answer: A. Magician, B. Lawyer, C. Painter

Which figure completes the pattern? (boxes and lines ver.) Answer: (the last option) square with a horizontal line in the middle

Each icon below represents a number. What is the sum of the three icons? Answer: 8

How many sides are there when a tetrahedron is attached to an equilateral square pyramid with the sides that share the same area? Answer: 5

Based on the information below, what is YY? Answer: 0

What figure completes the pattern? Answer: (the third option) The triangle with four triangles in the center

After getting your score, make sure to scroll down to unlock the special chapter.

Enjoy and Be creeped out!

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Because the reality is you’ve been shipped out!

Yes! That’s the hard truth the TPN characters faced. The scores didn’t matter! At the end of the day, their still meat, a merchandise that must be consumed. The demons and caretakers gave them false hope that there is a way out, a chance to have a future but holding on to that illusion and fake happiness will lead the kids to their doom. It’s such a cruel world! I hope that they will be able to capture that sad reality of deception in the upcoming event and I know they will. The other dilemma that’s been perfectly portrayed in this game is “Work together vs Betray your comrades to ensure your safety”. Have you ever wondered why it’s not required for all 4 survivors to escape the game? Well, it’s just practical and realistic that way, right? But it also mean that the three players can offer up their last teammate as sacrifice to distract the hunter while they escape. (Just like what Ray thought during the Jail break Arc, he was willing to be the bait to distract Mama while the others escape.)

I’m looking forward in seeing you in the game as my teammate or AS MY VICTIM!!! Don’t worry, I’m still learning the game so I’m usually a dumb hunter or an airhead teammate. 😓 (Sorry but I’m working on it!)

If you noticed my username “MN0tes” in the game, be kind enough and let me know maybe we can even create a group or something. 😎

[lapetiteshippeuse]

The D. Gray-Man Rare Pair Week : Alternative Universe Extravaganza (Creature Feature)

Keyword chosen : Demons Format chosen : headcanon The Rare Pair chosen : Allen Walker and Road Kamelot

Hello everyone !

I am very happy to have chosen to take on the challenge of “DGM Rare Pair Week” ! This is my first time participating in a "DGM Week" and I am very excited !

For today, I have chosen to prove, in a headcanon, how Road and Allen could be a couple that could enters in the canon of events.

Two small things to specify first :

First of all, remember that as you have seen, the program requires a change of universe. However, I choose to keep the universe and the Hoshino canon. After all, the theme and keyword of the day seem to match, and @letspleasuretogether​ told me that everything would be ok ^^ So let's keep going!

Then, know that I am doing this out of pure fan service because I love this ship, but behind it I have found that making this ship canon is HARDER than you think. It was very hard to find romantic coherence. So much that, yes, I confess that there are some arguments in this post that I don't fully believe. I doubt it even enough. But again, I'm doing this in pure fangirl.

Here's how it's going : being a college student, I couldn't help but follow the classic plan to produce a plausible and cohesive and brilliant argument to illustrate an idea : introduction / development / conclusion. (note though that I won't be doing an introduction at all : I would introduce the characters there, and I'd rather not waste time with that, because I can imagine that any DGM fan here is pretty much familiar with the characters in this game, Allen Walker and Road Kamelot. Let's just say you're reading the introduction to this post right now!) I'll pick a timeline-style plan here, which will be built according to the sequence of events over time in the manga.

As a consequence, I prefer to warn you : this is gonna be a very long post ! I hope you have time right now ! If it’s not the case, you can come back later. 

One last thing : please, be kind. I’m so tired right now, I gave very much time to write all of this, once again this is gonna be VERY long. So please, no insults, because you’re not a Roallen shipper. Thank you very much for that.

And precisely speaking of that, here is the main idea that I will illustrate ! Now let's start the development :

The Roallen ship is a combination of kindness and humanity, which distorts and intoxicates the relationship between the two characters.

Road Kamelot, antagonist.

Allen Walker, protagonist.

The two met as enemies. It is this enemy context that we will attribute to our first part.

And at first, we will see this humanity side of the ship, orchestrated by Road. Road’s humanity, which we will illustrate with one of her lines: " (I am) Just a human being », in the city backwards. This sums up the essence of this ship in one sentence. 

The first thing that will surprise the reader / viewer is Road's hugging Allen. 

First the shape, or what may already be visible. It's true that it's still disturbing : this is the first time that I have personally seen an antagonist hugs a protagonist, so close. Seriously, where did it come from? The introductions aren't even made yet, as Road tightens her arms around Allen. Then, the bottom, what does it say? "Do you feel this heat?" She will tell Allen about the softness, warmth and security that a hug can provide. She goes on to say that it is an emotional sensation that only a human being can experience. Her name is Road Kamelot, and she is a human being, and she is capable of tender gestures. This is her personal way of introducing herself. No, she doesn't seem to mean at first glance that she is sadistic, cruel, sociopath and psychopath at the same time. Her name is Road, she's a human, and she loves hugs.

Note also that when the fight ends in the city backwards, Road leaves without killing Allen and Lenalee.

Allen and Road's face-to-face (rather, back-to-back) makes it likely that there is only a yard between them and Road chooses not to end it just yet. (A little candle lightning in the heart, and then it's flaky !). But she's going to declare to Allen "I'll be back to play with you Allen," openly proclaiming that she would like to see him again (so no doubt about that). To hurt him again of course, but THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING OF THIS SHIP’S STORY ;) Still, Road didn’t kill Allen, when the opportunity was too good. And this scene, where she chooses to miss this opportunity, there are quite a few that look alike like that! (But I'll come back to that...)

And Allen in all of this?

Well, because of his personality, Allen brings the theme of kindness to this ship and believe me, kindness is not without consequence.

Road : Are you intended to kill me ?

Allen : I must defeat you.

Road : It’s useless, you cannot kill me.

Remember that saving tormented souls is Allen's reason for living. He has it on his conscience if he can't save everyone (akumas for the left hand, humans for the right hand).

At the end of the city's fight backwards, you would think Allen would win the fight against Road by destroying the three akumas and without her being able to recover Miranda's innocence, or kill her, or kill the exorcists (by the way, I wonder what the character really wants).

You would think the fight ends on a score of Allen 1 - 0 Road.

It is not so.

In truth, it's an equality, ball in the middle (1 - 1).

Let me explain : in a bad, as in a good intention, Road scored a point, at the time of their last dialogue, while Allen points his innocence right at her, before she leaves by her door. She tells Allen not to shoot, and then explains why.

First, the bad intention : she reminds him that his hand being a weapon, that is to say implicitly that Allen, himself, is a weapon. Allen then remembers that earlier, when meeting them, Road confessed that a weapon was designed for the sole purpose of "humans killing other humans." This is pure provocation, to put Allen a little more beside himself : she calls him a murderer, when Allen is quite the opposite. On the other hand, also remembering innocence has no effect on Road, so right now is not the time to point his innocence at her. All she does is manipulate him. It is a double-edged sword. One point for Road.

Now, let's note the good intention our little sadist wants to send to the protagonist : if she tells him not to shoot, it's for a good reason. "You really have a heart of gold Allen," she will tell him. It seems like a warning, a limit for telling Allen he's going too far : by pointing his gun at her, he is pointing his gun at a human (as she introduced herself to him). But if Allen kills her, that makes him a murderer ; or whatever he isn't, and whatever he swore he wouldn't become. It might sound strange, but Road seems to warn Allen not to fall into the dark side. Not to be so cruel (she realizes that this is not his style, since he has "a heart of gold"). And that makes him reflect on his duty as an exorcist : an exorcist is not an assassin. She appeals to his kindness again. In this way, Road makes Allen feel a lot of things contrary to each other : she makes him doubt of himself but also allows him to question himself better.

Road must stay alive at the end of this scene : Hoshino therefore went out of her way to show the relationship between the two characters, why he shouldn't kill her, and that's what the characters are talking about, in this face-to-face.

Personally, as an anecdote, I find this scene much tastier in the French version (in the anime) : while Road is gone, you can hear Allen say "Shit". But in the French version, it says "Je t’attends, Road." that we can translate in “I’m waiting for you, Road” WHICH SHOWS THAT THE DYNAMISM OF THIS RELATIONSHIP IS ONLY BEGINNING !!! The duality is posited ; the staging and the atmosphere are at their peak during this confrontation, regarding the nature of this relationship between these two characters, brought to meet again.

Later in the manga, Road and Allen will meet again : first in the Ark, where Road is shown an attraction to Allen.

Then they will meet again in the neighborhoods of the American branch during the Alma Karma arc. This is where their relationship will evolve, this time in an ally context, which concerns them mutually.

Now getting back to Road’s humanity, I would first like to answer a quick question that many fans have : As Sheryl Kamelot asked Bookman, what was the nature of her relationship with the Fourteenth?

Many assume that these two characters shared a romantic relationship. This is a legitimate assumption. After all, Sheryl knowing that Allen Walker is the fourteenth and having noticed that her daughter seems attracted to her host, and knowing that he learns that the latter is partly the cause of her disappearance, Road having tried to protect him before he asks Bookman this question, it doesn't seem indecent to think that Road may have been in love with the Fourteenth. However (and this is only my personal opinion), I do not agree with this : firstly because, for a manga where the plot seems to become more and more complex, that would be a bit too much "easy". All of the sudden, that's what the mangaka wants us to believe, and what she's trying to tell us is "it's more complicated than that". Secondly, because I consider, as a reader, that Hoshino seeks above all to demonstrate that Neah and Allen are completely opposite characters in terms of personality :

Neah wants the destruction of humanity, he is a murderer ; Allen, meanwhile, wants the world to be saved, at any cost

Neah wants to become the new Millenium Earl ; Allen wants to destroy it.

Neah would kill innocent people to achieve these ends ; Allen cannot kill humans, even Noahs, his kindness and compassion are great

Neah is sadistic, devious and manipulative ; does not look like Allen

Finally, Neah seems to be just downright cold ; Allen is a warm person

Road did know Nea, well enough to know him enough to know that Nea and Allen are clearly not the same person. If a D. Gray-Man character gets it right, it's Road.

Besides, I think that knowing that Neah has taken possession of Allen, seems to upset Road more than anything else.

When she reads the paper certifying it (paper by the way that looks like an official paper, "formalizing" that Allen is therefore doomed to disappear), she becomes melancholy, following this news. As if she would have preferred, like Cross, that it had fallen on someone other than him. (That being so, a moderately valid argument, since looking at the paper, she mentions the fact that Nea tried to kill the Earl, and it would not be indecent to think that this would be what bothers her more than anything else ; but again, I don't think this reflects any love towards the Fourteenth - I think Nea was a beautiful person who unfortunately went wrong, kind of like Anakin Skywalker).

Likewise, a reply from Sheryl : "Road ? Is there a hint of tenderness in you voice when you say “Allen” ?" only fuels the potential attraction Road feels for Allen, as Road goes to ask the Earl: "...". She seems to be showing more and more concern for him.

Finally, it can also be remembered that in The Ark, Road told Allen that she would not hesitate to kill him if she touches a single hair in his family. Yet, in the rest of the story, it seems obvious that she cares about him just AS MUCH AS her family. Road wants to protect her family at all costs, because she has already lost her first thirty five years ago ; but Road, she also wants to protect Allen.

He and Road will first approach in another world ; memories of Kanda and Alma. Personally, I really like this scenario, because it gives an isolating feel to two characters who come together for the first time, before they get even closer in the real world. In the memories of Kanda, a world where no one can see them, she crosses the enemy line and joins him in the memories of the Japanese: while he almost gets swallowed up by the memory of Kanda, Road saves him the life, hugs him once again and reminds him of who he is so that he remains aware that they are in the past. She is particularly worried about him. But again, the opportunity is too good for Road to do away with the fourteenth : she could let Allen be swallowed up by Kanda's memory so that there is no fourteenth at all. But she leaves Allen alive. Again, it's probably to see Nea again, but again, I honestly don't think Road is in love with the Fourteenth. She looks at Allen, she knows that he's the one she's talking to, knows Nea well enough to know he's not Allen (she repeats "Allen" a lot of times in this scene, by the way).

Especially since I specify that she runs her hand through her hair, as a sign of affection, and that in general (and this is why I say IN GENERAL, not everyone does), it seems to be a love reflex, or very affectionate, more than just plain friendly.

Also, a certain ambiguous moment in the dynamics of the two characters is present, when Allen asks Road if the revival of Alma Karma is part of the Central Administration plan. The two are particularly close to each other (seriously, as a reader I thought they would kiss), and Road will give Allen a friendly look. The latter seems intimidated, as he probably didn't think she was capable of having any such feelings.

Additionally, Road is going to help Allen understand the Exorcists' Second Project, which is a key moment and element in this story arc, and therefore proves to be a very good ally to Allen. At this point, she doesn't seem mean and sadistic at all ; she will even help the hero on his way. And rather than showing that Alma's awakening is the work of Noahs, she especially wants to let him know that it is also the work of the Central Administration, to qualify what we are talking about here way of saying that the Noahs are not the only wicked). 

Finally, to highlight once again the French translation of the manga, when Alma Karma comes out of nowhere and surprises Allen and Road when they are connected to Allen's memory, sound effects written in Japanese are inscribed. But only a French translation exists (yes I looked for it. No I'm not obsessed) : "Ils se rapprochent à vitesse grand V !”, which can be translated as “They are getting closer at high speed !" I have the feeling that this is almost the mangaka talking to us, if I'm not mistaken ^^. Or maybe it's a simple "instant ship" moment rather than consistency and a love canon.

Later still, Allen and Road are going to get closer in the real world, and there are only more and more emotions (therefore, drama) : first, when they meet again when Allen is imprisoned by the Central Administration in return of mission is attacked by Apocryphos, when Road enters in scene, the first thing she chooses to do, it is to take him in her arms, ONCE AGAIN. And that's not all : once again, she will produce an emotional, warm embrace and reassure Allen. In this rush, she doesn't seem to be paying attention to what Tyki, or her family, may think (he himself suspects something about not bringing Sheryl). And once again, the opportunity is too good to finish with Allen : she can let Nea continuing to metamorphose into him to finish it off faster with the fourteenth, but she does not. Because killing the fourteenth, is go back killing Allen. Choice that Road doesn’t want to see that happen, if it comes to.

And shortly thereafter, not only do we climb in emotion, but also in action, which produces more and more drama : Road will sacrifice herself and take a punch in Allen's place, to the point that it makes her disappear (that is, she must genuinely have tender affection for Allen). (Has Lenalee ever done this for Allen ???) Finally, before disappearing, her last words : Road is crying, for the first time she is very moved, and very vulnerable. She is therefore very capable of humanity.

This is where I'm going from the start of this second part : to me, it's clear, Road is in love with Allen. There is no evil or unhealthy manipulation technique, no cruelty, not even slight flirtation. There is even tenderness and emotion. Road doesn't want to lose Allen ; for me, she refuses the reincarnation of Nea in him, she chooses to protect him at any cost, even if she disappears, and does not care of what her family might think about it (Sheryl, Tyki). From there, it's not flirting anymore, but the birth of her loving feelings towards him.

To wrap up this development, we're going to revisit Allen's goodness, and this time focus on this evolved relationship and his “alliance” to Road, and most importantly, the fact that he can't kill her, he'll even tolerate her presence.

First, in the Ark, Allen chooses not to kill either her or Tyki, but rather exorcises them if he has to go through it (of course, what he doesn't know is is that we have to go through murder to exorcise them from Noah who are in them). This is what happens with Tyki Mikk, even if it fails. When Lavi Bookman comes to himself, he almost goes to the point of committing suicide by burning himself, but he chooses to take Road with him to death (though that also fails). Lavi stabs her, he knows he can go this far with an enemy ; but it’s a choice Allen couldn’t make (even Lavi is also going to suspect something, comically, after Road has been charred and disintegrated).

In addition, he also curiously tolerates her presence in the memories of Alma and Kanda.

She is even helpful to him, lends a hand to him, he's alive and that's because of her, she's even kind, and affectionate, even if Allen doesn't understand everything. She is even tactile, and he does not push it away.

There's a lot of tactile between Road and Allen from there, more than you would think.

It is mostly an intention that comes from her to him, unreciprocated at that moment, but he instinctively does not reject her. Between two enemies, when the status of friend / ally is not even formalized yet, but a rapprochement and a tactile effect is more present, I almost have the impression that it fits in the canon, in my opinion (let's not forget that this is just a headcanon).

The same with the Apocryphos bow: in his cell, and this time in that embrace, (and once again!) Allen lets himself go into Road's arms. There is even a comfort ... and a curious affection ... it's curious that anyway! You might even think he finds a rather tender emotion, like her. Later in his desertion, what I found personally disturbed (while it seemed rather like an insignificant detail, to me) was that Allen wears Road like a princess (like LaviLena !!!!). Of course, it seems consistent in terms of comfort : it would be easier to wear Road. But still…It figures that out this is apparently those insignificant details who are “weird”, you know...

What is most ambiguous in all of this is the following in his desertion : Allen is going to be worried about Road's unconsciousness.

He ends up asking Tyki why she doesn't wake up. Even Tyki seems to be less worried than Allen. Moreover, the Noah seems to trust her enough to take care of her on his own with the awareness that he must cover their escape with Timcanpy.

Again, Allen refuses, claiming that they are Noahs and therefore his enemies. But after a little morale lesson, Tyki disappears. In the end, Allen neither accepts nor refuses to enter Road. They are both ; she is unconscious.

Allen knows she is vulnerable ; and his gaze on her is also uncertain : which I find brilliant is that his left eye seems to offer a suspicious look, towards her. 

And his right eye, a compassion look, because of her vulnerability.

Again, this is troubling.

And then we can remember Road's tirade in the city backwards : it could be cumbersome in his flight, but Allen cannot kill Road, because he knows she is above all human, even though he still struggles to realize it.

But not for long : when Road says her last words, she looks Allen in the eye, crying and talks to him. She says something to him which is directly addressed to him.

Most importantly, Allen is shocked : he never saw her cry, and he didn't believe her capable of that. Friendly looks, tears, of course Road is human like him (To use the Road quote sums it up). All this, before she disappeared : Allen sees that she was even more vulnerable than he thought.

And Allen shakes his fist : upset? Because he couldn't save her? Hard to say. Deep down, I think he knows she's not really dead. But here we have a failed act : the truth is that Road and Allen would have spent a long time together, Road accompanying her on her escape, but that doesn't happen since she disappears; a rapprochement, which ultimately does not happen.

So, what can we therefore conclude from this ship?

That in terms of reciprocity, we remember : that after a while, our two enemies employ the refusal to kill each other.

Then, that one is worried when the other is in danger.

Finally, that they are able to save each other, or come to the aid of each other, mutually.

This is already, I think, a great development. So I know what you're going to tell me : there is nothing romantic here, it's probably just a budding friendship. And you would be right to think so! Nothing tells us that there is a romantic future for the two characters (that would even strike me as quite inconsistent, given the current circumstances of the story). But, if you are a shipper at heart like me, you will have noticed this thing : this atmosphere, this staging, this atmosphere that the mangaka has chosen to adopt, which makes the reader work to imagine some love story (you know what I mean?) In the memories of Alma and Kanda, I find it rather blatant. It's that “stuff”, that something that reminds me of this potential romantic arc. But again, you would be correct in thinking that basically not ; I still think so myself (because Lenalee is around ; and sorry, but I don't ship AllenLena at all, no offense). But they have already shared their first kiss !!! You couldn't take it away from me !! (although it was not agreed)

And precisely, could we imagine the circumstances of their next meeting? Honestly, it was an exercise that I must have had a hard time doing. Especially since given the turn the manga is taking, I can't see how… But what I can assume is that, even if it could happen in a very long time, I don't see the fact that Hoshino decides not to do them again interact. As much as their relationship follows "progress."

By the way, don't you like this parallel that Road and Allen bear the opposite Christian scars of the cross-shaped stigmata of God and the satanic cross in opposition to their clan? ;)

Thank you for having reading !!

[fencesandfrogs]

cloudtail’s daughter au

so i decided to do a full write-up of this au instead of doing a second post to cover books 4-6 and then everything will be self-contained.

the essence of this au is pretty simple: dovewing does not, imo, fulfill the prophecy by being the granddaughter of firestar’s nephew, because that’s at least 3 “kin” away from him. so while i think she’d actually have to be princess’ daughter to fit, i’ll let her be firestar’s grandniece and call that “close enough” because it’s better.

anyway, there’s no real reason for this to change anything, but i think given who cloudtail and brightheart are, and how close dovewing and ivypool are to whitewing, it would probably change quite a few things.

[4k words. 15 minute read. proper section headers.]

this is a big summary so i’m sure i’ll forget things, i’ve already had to add in the events caused by the dovewing/tigerheart romance/conflict that carries through the first three books, and that cloudtail being an atheist has a major effect on ivypaw. i know i wrote a detailed summary of the first arc, where i didn’t forget any of that, but nothing exists for the second arc. anyway this au is tagged cloudtail’s daughter and apparently i have a lot to say about it so i’m sure if you click on the tag you can find info about it. assuming this isn’t the first thing i post. which it might be.

section one: things that don’t happen

so i don’t want this to be a po3 rewrite, which means i’m going to take a moment to explicitly discuss what doesn’t change.

first, po3 stays pretty much exactly the same. i want jayfeather to be a warrior too. i also want him to be dovewing’s brother. but the au where brightheart gives birth to dovekit, anxiety child, and jaykit, blind, and feels like a failure despite the fact that its not like her half-blindness is genetic, is not this au. that is another au.

anyway, hollyleaf does keep herself more together, because she needs to be alive for some family drama. she’s in background character hell (BGCH) for a while, though, especially the first book.

she still goes to the tunnels, mind, she just comes out sooner.

but otherwise, despite my personal tastes, i’m not changing po3 very much.

section two: brightheart’s litters

okay so cloudtail and brightheart have four children, i believe, and my choice is either to replace whitewing, or to replace the others. now, i don’t particularly care for either of these options, but i’d rather they have their second litter younger, so we’re replacing amber/dew/snow. this still lets you have old queen drama, but not so much that you’re like “brightheart how on god’s green earth did you have 3 children with no issues”

instead, she’ll have dovekit and ivykit at about the same time whitewing had them.

now, for complicated cat genetic reasons, cloudtail could have been a black cat. now, here me out: what i mean is, if he wasn’t white, he could be black. basically, white is a masking color in cats, it goes on top of whatever pattern they would have displayed. both he and brightheart would have to inherit one dilute gene (princess was not dilute, so she had to carry it), and then either dovewing or brightheart are tortie, and that’s the best i can do for keeping dovewing grey.

i, personally, lean towards tortie brightheart, because i always pictured her that way, but i have seen some pretty cute tortie dovewing.

ivykit inherits red from her mother, and is tortie either way, because tortie ivypool is cute.

in fact, i’ve been tinkering with the idea that ivykit and dovekit have kind of mirrored grey and cream spots. not, like, perfectly mirrored, because that’s not how tortoiseshell/calico (they would technically be calico, since they have white) works, but close enough to be cute.

section three: arc one (summary)

these books are going to have six protagonists (dovekit, lionblaze, cinderheart, hollyleaf, jayfeather, ivypool, in that order) with a secondary character who gets less chapters but the most important b-plot (ivykit, hollyleaf, lionblaze, jayfeather, cinderheart, dovewing).

arc one focuses on “two braincells” i.e., dovewing, lionblaze, and cinderheart (sorry bb, ur not like the other two, but i’m putting you somewhere) and the main theme is dovepaw learning to manage her power. it’s a tug and pull between dovewing: glass canon, and dovewing: can’t do shit.

cinderheart and lionblaze also have a romance going on, which irritates ivypaw, who has a bit of a catalyst with the dark forest in the middle/end of the arc (like in the original). we only get this through external perspecives, though, because when this happens, lionblaze is in the secondary position.

one of the ways to fix this book series is to decouple it from ivy and dove, much as i love them. both the beavers and the dark forest make up a b-plot in this arc, while the quest for the third prophecy cat, as well as growing tensions between clans, take center stage, and lionblaze and cinderheart work in the second and third book to give us the adult perspective of the tension that dovekit and ivykit can’t in the first book.

mostly, this is fairly low stakes. part of that is because characters are having stakes appropriate for them, rather than smeared around in a book. (looking @ u, flametail buddy). so dovekit/paw spends her first book worried about apprentice things and doesn’t get to narrate again until the end of the series.

section four: book one — growing shadows

i think the fourth apprentice is a stupid name, okay?

so book one is dovekit and ivykit, for pretty obvious reasons.

although actually i’m pushing off the beavers in this to book two or three. i’m not 100% sure where i want that, yet.

so anyway, dovekit is born and wow is she anxiety child. (i call dovewing anxiety child a lot, because, well, she is? i feel like it’s sort of implicit in the books and i’m making it explicity.) anyway, she’s in sensory overload like 100% of the time. see, she was born late, and so she didn’t have her powers kick in over time like lionblaze and jayfeather. nope. she got the adult version right away.

so she spends a lot of time hiding with cloudtail because he’s big and fluffy and not complicated to look at. cloudtail and brightheart are understandibly pretty worried about her, because no one really knows what to do about it. she’s skittish and distractable and extremely sensitive. she hates going out in the rain, hates bright sun, etc.

(side note: dovekit’s powers extend to pretty much all her senses. she can see, hear, and smell much farther than she should, and she can taste and feel much more strongly than an other cat.)

ivykit doesn’t feel unloved, but she does know her sister is getting more attention, and that always kind of hurts, even if you’re understanding.

cloudtail and brightheart work to try to help dovekit get on her feet, but they’re not super successful. she learns to cope enough to be able to function as a kit, but she’s always kind of a strange, quiet kit. she doesn’t know how to talk about seeing too much because she doesn’t realize its too much.

dove is given to cinderheart, because lionblaze is a terrible mentor for small anxiety child, and ivy is given to lionblaze. this will also create drama later, just wait.

so the main plot of this book is keyed into dovepaw learning to hunt. the stakes are pretty low, honestly. they’re mounting around dovepaw and ivypaw, but the girls are too young to properly understand everything.

dovepaw is initially successful hunting due to some luck and being good at spotting prey, but she can’t replicate it. ivypaw only trains with her a bit at first, and she sees this success, and feels like her parents’ attention on dovepaw made dovepaw better than her.

this gets ivypaw into the dark forest. this is the b-plot: ivypaw training, realizing she made a mistake, and not knowing how to get out. plus, she doesn’t have to mind her sister. (ivypaw is raised by an atheist, so while she’s smart enough to eventually work out that these cats are evil, she doesn’t have a sunshine and rainbows view of starclan. that’s the only way i can justify her not being smart enough to nope the fuck out of there, even if she is really young and really angry.)

in clan life, ivypaw knows she needs to look out for dovepaw. she doesn’t mind, but she gets to experience a life without that in the dark forest.

dovepaw does mind how everyone treats her like she’s made of glass. she sees cinderheart talking to brightheart and jayfeather and firestar and feels like everyone thinks she’s useless. so she decides to go out on her own and prove she can function.

dovepaw starts sneaking out at night and she finds the tunnels. her senses dampened, she panicks, running deeper and deeper, getting lost. fallen leaves will find her, and help get her strength up and then get her out. kind of like with hollyleaf, who is out of the caves by now.

ivypaw sees everyone searching for dovepaw and starts to feel guilty about wanting more attention, and the fact that part of why she wants dovepaw back is so people pay attention to ivypaw again. she also feels responsible for this.

cinderheart is distraught, because she really did care about dovepaw, and it’s been three days, her scent tracked to the tunnels but it was raining and no one has seen her since, so she’s probably dead.

ivypaw, grieving, refuses to accept that dovepaw is dead and she hunts outside the tunnel mouth until she thinks she hears something.

dove and ivy reunite and return to the clan. ivypaw’s convictions that dovepaw needs to be protected are strengthened, and dovepaw knows she failed in her goal. everyone is happy to see them.

we get some fretting about how washed out everything is, how the rain didn’t even stick because the soil is so dry. that’s a cue to the drought, which will be a bigger deal next book.

section five: book two — fading echoes

honestly i’m not attached to book titles, but this works here too.

so this book is split between lionblaze and hollyleaf. i’m pretty sure hollyleaf is out of the caves by now, but i haven’t decided if she’s rejoined the clans. she feels strongly for fallen leaves: they’re listed as mates on the warrior cats wiki, and if hollyleaf and jayfeather are both going to have ancient dead ghost mates, she’s at least going to visit hers. her end goal is to get him to starclan so they can be together after her death.

anyway, this is beavers book. i don’t have a ton to say about it because it’s pretty much the same, except hollyleaf goes with dovepaw and cinderheart and she’s our pov as dovepaw falls for tigerheart because (and this is my understanding of her logic in the books to begin with): “big fluffy tom is safe fluffy tom.”

lionblaze feels the disconnect between him and ivypaw, but he can’t help that cinderheart is away. ivypaw is clearly preoccupied, but he can’t tell with what. his larger conflict is in finding the third cat.

this isn’t a filler book, per say. the tree falls and that happens, and lionblaze gets thrown into rebuilding camp. ivypaw feels doubly abandoned. lionblaze tries to win her affection, but he doesn’t know how.

beaver crew gets back. dovepaw has stars in her eyes. ivypaw is close to passing her warrior assessment, but lionblaze can tell she’s holding back because she doesn’t want to leave dovepaw. dovepaw can hunt by now, but she can’t really split her attention.

she’s scared of going into battle.

after a border skirmish where dovepaw just freezes, ideas of her being a medicine cat are raised.

ivypaw sees tigerheart in the dark forest, and she goes all bluefur being like “snowfur ur bf has rabies” on dovepaw, who is not happy with this. ivypaw pushes dovepaw to be a medicine cat because of this. the sisters are squabbling and barely talking.

book ends.

section six: book three — distant whispers

again not 100% sold on the names.

so this is cinderheart’s book, and she’s going to figure this out, because dovepaw and ivypaw are falling apart, and dovepaw deserves to be a warrior. so she convinces firestar to let her and lionblaze take ivypaw and dovepaw to the mountains. she believes, well, i’m not sure i haven’t worked that part out.

anyway, they go.

the tribe is like “yeah the world sure is a big place with a lot to look at. that’s why only half of us look.” (i know that’s not exactly how cave guard’s work but close enough.)

cinderheart is like “hm. what if, dovepaw, just a thought, what if you just, you know, avoid battles? i know it’s part of clan life but judging by the two souls crammed into my body, i’d say there’s been very few major conflicts over this and, reasonably, you should be able to avoid being chosen for battle control.”

dovepaw says, “but cinderheart, i’m a main character! unless i’m being punished or taught a lesson about duty, i’ll be automatically registered for every battle patrol until i die!”

cindheart says, “you’re right, i’m so sorry. hey ivypaw, [whoops yeah ivy and lion are here too sorry i forgot to mention that] what if you two learn to work as a team.”

dovepaw says, “i don’t want to work with her.”

ivypaw says, “that’s a great idea.”

because dovepaw talks very quietly (she forgets not everyone can hear as well as her), ivypaw wins.

they spend at least a month in the tribe, maybe longer, i’m not sure. eventually, they decide to go back. dovepaw is never happy in the tribe, it’s way too loud all the time, but she does manage to sort out her hunting issues, and so fighting is left.

so there’s still a big push for dovepaw to consider maybe being a medicine cat.

but that is not this au. this is the jaywing/dovefeather au where they basically switch roles. there’s a really good fic where dovepaw goes to riverclan for a while that i love and anyway this au is a as-close-as-possible to canon au for me to rectify my issues with dovewing in canon (nominally, i don’t have any, but i think her character was displayed…curiously, and i’m mad about the prophecy.)

ivypaw is team medicine cat. cinderheart and lionblaze are struggling. cinderheart eventually teaches dovepaw an extension of the techniques of the tribe, and they work out that dovepaw can kind of, track the cats she’s with to anchor herself in battle. this means dovepaw no longer is tied to ivypaw for her success, and so they both become warriors.

while they’re still in the tribe, ivypaw has time away from the dark forest and lionblaze finally puts two and two together, and that basically makes up the b-plot for the back half of the book, lionblaze trying to get ivypaw to admit what’s going on and then trying to help her.

dovewing’s senses begin to return but since they come back slowly she’s able to manage them. so she quickly excels in hunting.

ivypool cottons on to the dark forest breeding loyalty between its members, not to their original clans, and realizes that this is going to threaten all four of the clans.

end book with a bang, end first arc. we will now turn to the actually-have-more-than-two-braincells crew (sorry cinderheart, you don’t deserve to be in this group, but your prefix doesn’t end in -y, so you can’t be with jay/holly/ivy in the brainy crew.)

section seven: arc 2 (summary)

so this arc is when the main conflict (dark forest battle) becomes obvious. dovewing’s problems have been sorted out, so she’s pushed into BGCH for a little bit while the smart adults sort things out.

book three ends with ivypool realizing the dark forest isn’t a personal problem, but a clan-group (like, all of the clans together? not sure how to call it) sized problem. ivypool, jayfeather, and hollyleaf together manage to sort out a lot of the dark forest’s eventual plan, and they try to sort out a way to solve it. then the battle happens. that’s basically the summary?

in here, the clans start working together way sooner and the prophecy comes out way faster.

section eight: book 4 — the forgotten character

alright, hollyleaf is liberated from BGCH. actual title is still the forgotten warrior.

hollyleaf and ivypool start to bond, and hollyleaf is convinced all the clans need to know about what’s up.

ivypool disagrees, and they talk about it like rational people.

hollyleaf and fallen leaves are still cute.

jayfeather has his timetravel thing in this book so he can do flametail’s job in the next book. he gets to talk to hollyleaf and fallen leaves about it.

i don’t think i’d mess with jayfeather and briarlight’s relationship in this au, because i think it’s sweet in canon as is, but you know i have thoughts about half moon and briarlight. anyway, jayfeather gets his book next, this is about hollyleaf.

fallen leaves helps hollyleaf learn to control, idk, spirit dream travel? jayfeather helps with this too. hollyleaf has to share extra hard with jayfeather because she took up a disproportionate amount of time in lionblaze’s book.

so anyway, hollyleaf is learning to travel into the dark forest. similar to the way dark forest cats leave it? but in reverse. this is the main plot.

like the second book, it’s not really filler, so much as lower stakes, and like the second book, i don’t have a ton to say about it because the plot is self evident. unfortunately, hollyleaf has the two “chill” books. sorry bb.

anyway, this is building into jayfeather going all angry old man yells at sky at starclan next book, so the biggest conflict in this book is hollyleaf realizing she can just, leave. she can go back in time the way jayfeather did, but on purpose, save fallen leaves, and they can be alive.

i mean, that wouldn’t actually work, not the least because i’m not keen on hollyleaf being a reincarnation, espcially in the reincarnation-lite universe, but also because she can’t save fallen leaves, then he wouldn’t be a sharpclaw, not really, and like a whole host of other issues but anyway

at the end of power of three, hollyleaf runs away from her problems. this book is about her standing up to defend them.

i don’t know if she explicitly breaks up with fallen leaves, but they have a falling out that won’t get resolved until after the great battle. this is a mutual/not mutual thing where they both know that fallen leaves is stopping hollyleaf from fully committing to helping her clans now, but they love each other.

relationship conflict that isn’t forbidden romance.

speaking of, ivypool getting close to hollyleaf means that the two of them start to reconnect with their siblings. hollyleaf’s actions alienated her from jayfeather and lionblaze and she kind of just was sad and apologetic but they didn’t want to forgive her.

(sorry hollybush, says jayfeather,

that’s not my name, says hollyleaf,

oh, says jayfeather, guess i forget. well anyway, i have a new sister now. her name is dovewing.

dovewing?, says hollyleaf. but you don’t like her.

it’s okay, says jayfeather, she never tore my family to shreds and then abandoned me to deal with the fallout.)

(jayfeather and hollyleaf always seemed closer to me than lionblaze and either of them, until hollyleaf’s whole event. anyway he remains petty about everything and lionblaze stands by him because, well, he’s not wrong, also dovewing is important to cinderheart so he feels like he should be on her side on this which means jayfeather’s side. even though cinderheart is friends with hollyleaf look i said lionblaze is a loveable dumbass already, didn’t i?)

so anyway hollyleaf is sad and ivypool sees that and is like “hm maybe i shouldn’t be a petty bitch for no reason” and this is fine until after this series is over when dovewing and tigerheart are like “bitch we gon b together”

dovewing’s emotions get jayfeather to, well, not go back on his actions, but recognize hollyleaf is the most effective person to work with. because lionblaze and dovewing are just. so dumb.

and yeah this book ends with things feeling almost hopeful.

section nine: book 5 — sign of the moon

i cannot overstate how little i care about the titles of these books.

anyway, jayfeather and cinderheart.

i don’t have a ton of thoughts about this one. jayfeather reunites starclan, cinderheart helps convince ivypool and dovewing to work together. this is the book where clans find out about the propechy but not the dark forest that is for next book

they know something is coming, but everyone agrees not to give ivypool away yet. they like her, you know, alive.

anyway, i don’t have much to say because it’s pretty obvious what happens, because this is just a bunch of events from other books crammed into this book, now, and they’ve been written and i don’t see the need to make many changes.

cinderheart and lionblaze have kit drama, maybe? cinderheart counsels dovewing about tigerheart, maybe? my point is it’s not super important.

the book ends with the two warriors to every camp. and dovewing, jayfeather, and lionblaze, are going to get split up.

this is my biggest change so far imo because it’s the most plot relevant.

dovewing is going to shadowclan with ivypool. jayfeather is going to windclan with…i’m not sure yet? i don’t want him going to riverclan because leafpool has ties to riverclan and, well, i want jayfeather to get a chance to stand on his own. and lionblaze goes to riverclan, with either cinderheart or hollyleaf.

jayfeather is super grumbly about this, but admits that it’s important as a show of unity, and also, he’s pretty functional in wind clan? like they’re all playing to their strengths.

jayfeather learns to navigate pretty quickly, dovewing appreciates quiet and also not being that-strange-cat who everyone is super careful around, and lionblaze is big and gregarious and enjoys riverclan being chill and friendly. so yeah, people get a chance to chill and be happy.

ivypool is in position to be angsty next book.

end book.

section ten: book 6 — the last hope

despite my claim that the biggest change is sending the three to different clans, i don’t have a lot to say about it.

basically, well, okay

first, we see ivypool and dovewing again. reminder that last time we were in one of their heads, they were apprentices. in book one.

dovewing couldn’t even hunt last time we had her pov.

so there’s a few chapters to some characterization that happens. dovewing is no longer anxiety child. she’s somewhat shy, she’s soft spoken, but she’s not skittish. you can’t surprise her. and she’s intense. she’ll just stare at you with wide eyes if you come talk to her until you say something she wants to respond to.

ivypool sees why dovewing and tigerheart are good together. she’s still not supportive, but, like, he understands her. he doesn’t treat her like she’s fragile, but he also is kind and forgiving and soft to her.

plus he’s a total simp for dovewing. that helps.

anyway, ivypool gets along fairly well in shadowclan. i don’t have ton of thoughts about this.

ivypool, hollyleaf/cinderheart, and jayfeather’s companion, as well as half of the other cats away on missions, are acting as messengers between their host clans and their home clans. that’s how ivypool gets to find out about info. they meet on the island every morning. or something.

anyway, this bit is where i most hate the set up of this with two pov per book hard cap because it’d be cool to see into everyone else’s head but that’s for novellas and side stories.

the battle happens.

everything sucks. dovewing has basically committed to tigerheart, but bramblestar’s storm messes with the timeline.

and that’s pretty much it.

section eleven: what’s next?

so i swore i wasn’t starting new fic and then i thought of this and now i do want to write it so, maybe?

the most important thing is:

tl/dr: the reason dovewing shouldn’t have been a prophecy cat is because she’s not the kin of firestar’s kin.

[last-of-the-jaded]

After having willingly given the last month of my life over to MDZS and it’s Live Action counterpart I wanted to compile a list of my favorite aspects of both (including spoilers). Both the original Chinese Novel and it’s stunning 2019 Summer Release counterpart are breathtaking in different manners, but if you are looking for a quick recommendation, I do recommend going for the drama first as it will simplify the further consumption of content if you decide you want to partake in more.

What I love about THE UNTAMED:

The symbolism of the cliff at Nightless City, and how that entire scene marks a clear shift in Wuxian’s mental state as well as the overarching story. Similarly, how in the end it is Wuxian who throws himself off that precipice to sure death. This detail provides a direct comparison between his mental state at this moments and Cheng’s after his core was squashed, while also touching on an unique level of disparity and regret that is unrealized in the novel at this point (considering how this isn’t how Wuxian dies in the written version)

Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo. I’ve made posts about this already so I’ll spare you another essay (Here and Here)

Jiang Cheng’s entire character arc. Seeing him fully fleshed out, utilized, and properly human within the drama made it hard for me to swallow how shallow he often felt on paper, especially in the early chapters. I get that this is partially due to the youth sequences in the book being written completely from Wuxian’s POV, but for me there is something incredibly human and genuine just lacking from the version of Cheng on paper that stood out so gorgeously for me in terms of his drama counterpart. Wang Zhou Cheng did an amazing job bringing out his raw emotion and anger on screen, lines were delivered in a manner that truly solidified this characters growth and vulnerability to me. For such a new actor within his field he did a brilliant job, and is the reason I have so many damn emotions concerning Jiang Cheng’s character arc. (I have a million analysis pieces typed up on my blog if that interests you)

The sequential order for the flashbacks was incredibly easy to consume. It helped to keep events and motivations clear. I understand why the book was able to skip around in a more winding mysterious manner, but from a drama standpoint I massively appreciated being able to consume the events leading up to Wuxian’s demise in consecutive order. The first few episodes were initially extremely confusing to me as a new watcher, and it’s only when the flashbacks hit that the plot-line solidified as well.

The female leads! Yanli, Qing, and Mianmian having larger roles and development was absolutely a plus. Everyone had the same intentions and feel as they did in the original, just more fully fleshed out since they were given time to interact within the world. As a bonus note seeing Madam Yu and hearing her bullshit on screen, said out-loud in the bitchy tone her actress gave her, made her 10X worse and from an antagonist perspective I massively appreciate that they were able to make me despise her so damn much.

Everyone important to the past storyline being involved in the Gusulan Study Sessions under Lan Qiren. This was a simple and effective manner of introducing everyone and having characters feel involved and interactive from the get-go. I was honestly a little disappointed that not everyone was included when I went on to read the novel.

Ning and Wuxian’s interactions early on. Their dynamic in the show was given life, and felt genuine in how it shifted over the course of Wuxian’s trails and misfortune. I love how they included Ning in the early on portions of the series, especially the Caiyi Town waterborn abyss debacle where Wuxian saved his life. It just added more layers to an already intriguing dynamic that plays a massive role overall.

The wolf torture scene. This added a whole new layer to Wuxian’s fear of dogs, while still completing its job of giving Ning and Wuxian a reason to interact and grow. Not to mention the example of Wen Sect Torture Tactics really added to the inhumanity of the sect while sparking our main character’s growth and self-sacrificing nature.

The symbolism behind Yanli’s and Cheng’s dreams. These dream sequences give a glimpse into the heads of two complex character’s and honestly added so much background motivation to their storylines. I loved these details and how much analysis us all as viewers can put into them.

The rain scene. Wuxian telling Wangji he would prefer to die by his hands. The first tears watchers see from an incredibly strong and willful young man who has always appeared stoic. (I cannot express to you enough how sad I was that this scene didn’t take place in the novel)

Wuxian’s mask. I understand logistically why they had to do this from a filming perspective (I mean if you have someone as good looking and Xiao Zhan, damnit you are going to let him look like him as much as you can) but I honestly really enjoyed the smaller details they included to make it work plot-wise. I also appreciate how it was designed as a prop considering it actually altered Wuxian’s features in a manner that made him harder to recognize due to its bulky and carved nature.

The secret underground cave in Cloud Recess under the bathing pool. The whole meeting between Wangxian and the female sect leader. I enjoyed this detail and how they expanded upon it when it came to the burning of their sect home and the survival of their people.

Wangxian’s relationship. Their subtle, trusting, gentle way of showing love. On an additional note I appreciate how it never once felt like I needed to discuss consent with the characters (coughNOVELcough) because everything between them was healthy and playful.

The soundtrack, costuming, and bts. I understand that this was a low budget production (compared to the majority of traditional dramas) and honestly I appreciate what we were given taking that into account. They stayed true to the essence and message of the story. I love the manner in which the costumes became a part of the characters and everyone had a clear style. The soundtrack flowed amazingly well with the scene and tone shifts (this is disregarding how fake their instrument playing looked because I’m still not over how off the finger movements appeared at points). The behind the scenes content on its own could win an award - it made completing the show a million times more satisfying because I do believe that the people working on set had fun (somehow even while filming during the hottest time of the year)

The name of the drama. When you reach that moment when you understand why it is called such - it’s a tale of the rise and fall of Wuxian.

The ending scene. I know it’s not the ‘stereotypical happy ending’ fans wanted, but it perfectly fit the tone and message of the piece as a whole. I love the ending. It felt right.

What I love about MDZS (NOVEL):

The Yi City Arc. It’s worth reading for this part alone. Motivations, logic, and everything just hit so much harder. I do appreciate what the drama gave us, but like, once you’ve tasted this version it’s really hard to go back.

Empathy. In general seeing Wuxian use empathy within the novel just works so much smoother. His little anecdotes and analysis while in stasis reliving ghost’s lives gives it a realism that it’s lacking on camera.

Second Siege of the Burial Mounds. The way the novel sets up this part and actually makes it feel scary with hoard mentality makes it work so much better. It feels like there is a weight to this moment. The waves of corpses are terrifying, and the exhaustion of fighting for hours gives it a level of humanity that makes what Wuxian and Wangji selflessly do stand out even more. Not to mention, the leftovers of the Wen Sect fucked me up. I bawled. This is another detail that I would legitimately read the entire novel over for just to experience.

Wuxian being fucking terrifying at points. Playing with demonic energy and losing control is supposed to be scary. In the novel it honestly felt that way. Seeing him slowly get worse was heartbreaking. Watching how people’s opinions on him skewed, and how he dealt with looks, pressure, and weight on his shoulders, took this arc to a whole new level. The way demons and ghosts flocked to and around him in public added a level of horror that was unsettling and necessary.

Wuxian actually losing control. In the drama they added another flute player to sort of work around Wuxian having to accept the result of his failure. In the novel, there is no such thing -  and I love it. It’s another dowsing to the pain and suffering Wuxian has to accept and learn to overcome.  It makes him coming back a decade later - to live and achieve and get revenge - feel different.

Action scenes and gore. If something is called “The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation” you expect some blood, and damn do I appreciate that the author made stuff have impact. I wish the drama had a bigger budget so they could have done the wounds and cgi more justice.

Wangji rescuing Wuxian after the first raid on yiling, and choosing to suffer together, hated by the world, rather than lose the love of his life. I love the use of the cliff in the drama, especially the imagery of Wangji trying to hold Wei Ying up before ultimately falling, but the route the author took in the novel is so much fucking worse. Like I cannot even imagine the pain Wangji went through.

Lan Xichen opening Wuxian’s oblivious eyes. Best brother ever. This entire scene, leading up to the final battle, is like downing a shot and waiting for it to hit. It deserves a standing ovation.

The details in the Xuanyu of Slaughter cave sequence. Every little tell that Wangji gave - he really did fall in love young.

Mingjue’s corpse. The separated limbs, angry spirit, holding bags, and everything made sense because of description.

Wangji explaining how he got the brand mark over his heart. All of his scars. Fuck. There’s inferring, and then there is having it described to you from the person directly and feeling as your own heart dies.

Lan Zhan’s insane arm strength. This is a detail that deserves recognition.

Wuxian’s inner analysis of Nei Huaisang at the end. This was fully formed and actually had some payoff.

The clear comparisons between Mengyao’s fate and what happened to Wuxian himself. Once again you can infer in the drama, but having it clearly implied in the book hits different because when someone becomes a public pariah it’s easier to go with the public outcry than try and defend them. “Nobody knew with more clarity than Wei WuXian that nobody would care and nobody would believe”

Ning protecting Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng in a manner directly parallel to how he killed the people they cared for.

Jin Ling’s realization about being unable to hate anyone in the end. You feel for this kid. You want to see him grow up well.

The beginning set up chapter. Hearing what happened in the past vaguely through spreading rumors and small talk without seeing it for yourself adds a level of intrigue. It has greater mystery than just seeing the scene play-out and cutting away.

Everything making sense in general with no plot holes. It’s one of those things where in television no matter how well you do, you can’t possibly include all the needed details. With the drama you have to infer a lot, and sometimes you will get it wrong. In the novel it really is just much easier to make sense of. This also included the pacing as well. Timeskips make sense.

Kissing. Smut. Damn, it’s so nice to have actual payoff for the slow burn.

[marcussour]

BTW, since it’s been already a week and since I guess it’s no longer a spoiler, I think it’s finally time to talk about Ahsoka and why her appearance in The Mandalorian was so disappointing.

First, a visual thing. This is how Ahsoka looks like in Star Wars Rebels (a show set 10 years before the events of The Mandalorian), where we last saw her:

And this is how she looks in The Mandalorian:

Even when taking into account the stylization that animation provides, the whole thing with her montrals (the togruta’s “horns”) is there to show the age and growth of the character. Ahsoka’s 41 y/o during The Mandalorian, which is older than what Shaak Ti was during Episode 3, and Shaak Ti looked like this:

Now, I understand that there’s a whole practicality reason behind the “shortening” of the montrals (apparently it had to do with confort and it’s appearance during action scenes), so you can kinda overlook it, but it still feels weird that Ahsoka in her early 40′s looked younger than when she was in her 30′s in Rebels.

Besides, if Disney has the money to digitally erase the “jeans dude” that they overlooked in the background of a scene 2 episodes ago, I’m pretty sure they could have fixed Ahsoka’s montrals during post-production so they looked better.

But beyond the whole appearance (which, like I said, can somewhat be overlooked), my biggest issues where related to the casting and characterization.

Starting by the casting, I know that Rosario Dawson was always the dreamed fan casting. Heck, it was even an option that I liked a couple of years ago, but all that changed the moment the transphobia allegations appeared and that many people kinda overlooked.

With independence of the rumors before this season regarding her apperance and casting, I was shocked to the mere idea that one of my favourite characters was going to be played by someone who had that cloud over them with allegations of physical and psychological violence related to transphobia.

Now, the fact that the person who made the allegations withdrew 18 of the 20 charges (without settlement), including all of those that are related to transphobic violence, changes the panorama somewhat, but the shroud of doubts will always remain (especially when we’re talking about accusations directed to a celebrity who happens to be dating an US senator) and that was always going to affect my reaction towards the episode.

Especially knowing that the social media vocal fan casting was the main reason why Dawson’s was given the role according to Dave Filoni. Because I guess people always assumed that Ashley Eckstein couldn’t play the character in live action, which I think is silly because look at this:

That’s Ashley cosplaying as Ahsoka and doing a magnificent job about it. If she could achieve this with only (expensive I asume) cosplay, imagine what LucasFilm could’ve done with the budget they have for the show. 

Especially because you not only prevent the issues regarding the casting, but also because Ashley’s already inside the mind of the character having played it for 12 years; and also because her voice for the character is really special.

Even if she was Anakin’s padawan, in a way she’s also like the daughter or little sister of Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padme. She’s learned and absorbed things from the 3 of them and her voice, especially in Rebels, reflects that. There’s a calm born from experience, and a special type of solemnity and gravitas, and there’s this hint of pride and arrogance (like Maul’s told her during their fight during the siege of Mandalore in Clone Wars).

And, with exception of the scenes where Ahsoka was testing Grogu Baby Yoda and helping Din connect with him, I never felt that in any other part of the episode. And that’s something that goes hand in hand with the characterization problems.

Sure, the show gives you the idea that she’s been for quite some time trying to liberate Corvus, and you can understand that they did things the way they did during their introduction to awe the audience (especially the one that never saw the animated shows), but it’s hard to reconcile her introduction with the Ahsoka we knew beforehand.

In fact, to me the “real” Ahsoka doesn’t appear until the scene where Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth threatens her with the amount of innocent people she’s going to kill in case Ahsoka kept opposing her. Because that’s Ahsoka to me, the one that puts the safety and well being of others above her own all the time. The Ahsoka that, even when she was in dire danger during order 66, never stopped caring and thinking about the wellbeing of the clones that, beyond being her subordinates, she saw them as her brothers. That’s her character’s essence, and while we saw some of it, it just wasn’t enough.

The other big problem I think with her characterization is her refusal to train Baby Yoda considering his attachment towards Mando and how that can end badly, because she saw it first hand with regards to Anakin (yes, it was one heck of a scene I’ll admit, but in the great context it feels weird).

Obviously there’s a practic reason why they won’t do it (of course the show is not going to get rid of Baby Yoda), but it feels weird when Ahsoka is supposedly in the middle of the search for Ezra and Thrawn (I know that there’s been some talk or rumors of a retcon where the Rebels epilogue, that happened before the events of the Mandalorian, is supposedly going to be placed further down the line, in order to have a new show where Ahsoka and Sabine are looking for Ezra, but that hasn’t been confirmed). 

Yes, I know that it was part of Baby Yoda’s journey and whether he ends up on the light or dark side, but the whole talk about attachment feels like something the padawan Ahsoka from the first seasons of Clone Wars would say, not the Ahsoka that left the jedi order, that saw how the rest of the galaxy lived and thought of the jedi, and that knew that, despite Palpatine’s work, the jedi had a lot to blame regarding being architects of their own demise. There are plenty of similarities between Ahsoka’s and Luke’s thoughts in The Last Jedi, in regards of the jedi and the conceptual failures in their reasoning before order 66.

So to see Ahsoka in The Mandalorian being so “binary” in her way of thinking, so black and white, so “jedi”, felt like a regression of her character development. Of course, something could’ve happened to her after Ezra saved her through the World between Worlds, and then after the Rebels epilogue, but until we don’t know for sure, it felt like a step back for her growth, especially considering how many people where introduced to her through The Mandalorian, it’s kinda of a disservice to the character (here’s hoping that enough people check Clone Wars and Rebels to see the real character journey that she went through).

So, that’s it. I’ve been wanting to write this down for days. Because even though the episode was really good, there were enough reasons and things that made it impossible for me to enjoy it as much as I would’ve like in other circumstances. Yes, there were some things that I’ve been able to rationalize and understand after the episode aired, but I’m never getting my first impression back. 

Ahsoka is one of my favourite characters of everything (I’m pretty sure that, if it weren’t for the childhood nostalgia regarding having seen the OT when I was a child -and being obsessed with SW ever since- she would probably be above Luke in my list of favourite characters), and Clone Wars was a really important show for me (after Empire Strikes Back, is my favourite Star Wars anything).

And I can’t just conform or be happy with her appearance in this episode. The whole “just being there” is not enough, especially when you see how characters like Bo-Katan, Cobb Vanth or Boba Fett were all given their due and well portrayed in a great light, but you can’t say the same about a character that’s more important, and who sadly had this whole cloud surrounding it since the first casting rumours appeared.

Ahsoka is a character that represents the best of Star Wars, so it’s sad to see that her appearance and portrayal not only was dissapointing, but it ended up hurting so many people in the LGBTQA+ community, and especially in the trans community, many of whom are Star Wars fans that have the same passion and love for Ahsoka. And like I said the other day, the trans community concerns must be front and center and must be listened by everyone.

[sablelab]

Covert Operations - Chapter 91

DISCLAIMER: This is a modern AU crossover story with Outlander and La Femme Nikita. LFN and its characters do not belong to me nor do those from Outlander.

SYNOPSIS:  Fergus is making inroads to locating Claire and continues to send a message to Jamie on his PDA. When he finally knows what is on the disk Jamie is livid and vows to find Claire ASAP. He informs Fergus that Karen Yee is implicated someway in Claire’s kidnapping and that he has her in play. He feels that she is the best way of locating his Sassenach.    

Previous chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

I am very grateful for your support of this story and I THANK YOU for reading, the likes and or posting a comment on the last chapter.  If you wish to read something else of mine over the Christmas break perhaps you will find a short story, poem or chapter story on my Master List to your liking. xox

 https://sablelab.tumblr.com/masterlist  

CHAPTER 91

  Once he arrived back in Hong Kong James Fraser set the first phase of his plan into action. Needing to know Karen Yee’s whereabouts, he contacted the architect firm that she worked for in the guise of wanting her services for an overhaul of his city apartment. The firm’s secretary informed him that Karen was away on business but would be returning to Hong Kong later that night. Ever polite, Jamie asked her to check the availability for an early appointment. Impressed by the smooth tone of his voice and persuasive manner, the secretary was only too happy to pencil him in for a scheduled time with Karen the following day. Then when he pressed for additional information about her after hours’ agenda that night his persistence was rewarded. She’d confided that Karen was scheduled to meet with a client at Victoria Peak at 9.30pm, but wasn’t sure if the client was picking her up for the dinner meeting or if she was meeting him at the restaurant. Armed with this information, it gave Jamie some breathing space and the leverage he needed to set his contingency plan into action whilst Karen was not around. He quickly made his way over to her apartment to check for any clues that could implicate her in Claire’s kidnapping or give him Intel as to her whereabouts. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Standing on the threshold of Karen Yee’s apartment he knocked then casually looked around. The corridor was deserted. However, just as Jamie was just about to enter her apartment suddenly a neighbour opened their door into the corridor. The young man appeared to be in a hurry and quickly walked past him towards the elevator. Jamie casually acknowledged him with a nod and watched until the man disappeared into the elevator. When all was clear, he opened the door with his U-key, entered Karen’s apartment and closed the door quietly behind him. Meticulously he searched the apartment from head to toe in order to find anything that would help him find Claire, but her apartment was clean. Karen had certainly been thorough. Though when he searched through some papers on the bureau, Jamie found a copy of a receipt for two meals from a Stanley eatery. The receipt confirmed that Karen and someone else ... most likely her boyfriend Andy Ma ... were in Stanley on the same dates as his Sassenach. It was the evidence that he needed but Jamie was unable to find anything that would indicate where the triad was holding Claire captive. Nevertheless, Karen Yee was involved in her kidnapping and, when he found her ... she would lead him to Claire. Putting everything he’d disturbed back in its rightful place; the last thing Jamie did was place listening devices on her phone and in strategic places in and around the apartment. If Karen returned before her dinner date, he would know. Then just as quietly as he’d entered ... he left. Having had no sleep in over 48 hours, Jamie decided that he would take the opportunity to catch up on some much-needed rest before the critical phase of the mission began. He knew that he would need his wits about him over the next few days to be at his best and function on all cylinders. He needed to conserve his energy and replenish his strength as he anticipated that the triad would not give up Claire without a fight ... but he’d be prepared. For him it would be a fight to the death. If even a single hair was touched on her head, he would wreak vengeance like none they had seen. Disappearing from the apartment building as anonymously as a ghost he was ready to plan his next strategy. He would be waiting and prepared for when Karen Yee next made an appearance. Meanwhile back at Section One...

“Fergus has there been any contact from Jamie?” Madeline asked when he was requested to appear in her office. 

“No ... not yet.” “I see ... No doubt he is not communicating with Section because of the risk of betraying where he is,” Madeline stated knowing only too well that once Jamie had gone dark, he would not jeopardise anything for the personal mission he was on. “I’ll keep trying ... I’ll change the wording of the communiqué and see if he responds this time.” “Good ... Have you managed to get a location for Claire from the information on the disk?” “I’ve reviewed it several times and have been able to identify the building materials used in the room where she was tortured.” “I see ... and what have you gauged from that?” Was Madeline’s next question. “It appears that the type of masonry used is ancient handmade stonework which dates back to the 17th or early 18th century.” “And ...?” The inflection of her voice indicated that she was intrigued by his statement. “This particular stonework was used in monasteries built on Lantau Island of which there are several.” “Excellent. That’s a good starting point. Anything else?” “I can eliminate the Roman Catholic Trappist Haven Monastery located on the east coast." “Why so?” “The Monastery at Tai Shui Hang is still home to a number of Roman Catholic monks. However, the main reason is because there were lotus crests engraved in the stonework. These are not associated with Catholicism. The flower is a significant iconography of Buddhism as it symbolises the ability of everybody to attain enlightenment.” “Good at least that narrows the field. Can you identify which particular monastery it is then?” “Not yet, but I’m working on the possibility that this is a disused one, most likely in a relatively remote part of Lantau off the beaten track and probably located on the rugged west coast of the island where the trails are not easily defined.” “You have obviously systematically gone through the possibilities Mr Claudel ... but what is your reasoning for this hypothesis?” “There are several monasteries in the Ngong Ping area which are highly popular with tourists particularly near the Tian Tan seated bronze Buddha, therefore that leaves us with a few other options. The west coast is mountainous and most of the population lives along the south coast.” “Hmm ... that makes sense. The triad wouldn’t have a torture chamber near a populated area ... but a monastery?” Fergus looked at Madeline and stated solemnly. “How ironic it would be if a place of worship, turned out to be a place of suffering.” “I’m sure the Rising Dragons would find this quite acceptable ... particularly if the monastery is inaccessible. How far along are you in your theory?” “By a process of elimination, I hope to have something very soon.” Madeline congratulated him on the progress made thus far. “Good work Fergus ... Keep me posted when you find something definite or the minute Jamie calls in.” “Yes Madeline.” Outside Karen Yee’s apartment...

Some hours later Jamie’s black SUV Mercedes–Benz pulled up and parked across the road from Karen Yee’s apartment building. He activated his listening device to see if she had in fact made it home or had gone directly to the restaurant. Confirming that Karen was in her apartment, Jamie rolled down the window and surveyed the area. It was relatively quiet and although a few cars turned onto the road they merely sped off along the street without stopping. 

He’d only had the apartment building under surveillance for a short while when Jamie heard the sound of an approaching motor car. Rolling down the window and raising his binoculars he watched as a limousine approached then cruised into the private parking lot reserved for the apartments’ residents. This was obviously Karen Yee’s rich client who had come to pick her up for the appointment. Jamie saw the chauffeur get out of the limousine and open the back door of the vehicle. A male occupant got out of the limo and spoke to the chauffeur. “Wait here Henry ... I’ll be back with Miss Yee in no time.” “Certainly sir.” Jamie observed what was happening for a while then put the car window back up. When the man disappeared into the apartment building, the chauffeur made his way to the newsstand nearby. Seizing the moment Jamie got out of his car. Quietly but quickly, he approached the unattended limousine. He attached a tracking device to the back bumper bar while the chauffeur was preoccupied, then slipping back to where his SUV was parked; he got into the vehicle and waited for further developments. While he waited outside, he listened to events taking place in the apartment building. He heard a knock on Karen Yee’s apartment door, then the man knocked for a second time before the door finally opened and this time voices were heard. “Good evening Miss Yee ... I’m Mr Yi Tien Cho’s  assistant Joseph Peng.  He has sent me to collect you for dinner.” “One moment ... Just let me just get my jacket.” There was a short pause then Jamie heard the man say, “Are you ready to go now Miss?” “Yes, thank you.” “Good ... this way please. The limousine is parked downstairs.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Once again Fergus walked over to his computer. He didn’t even take the time to sit down, he just leant down and quickly keyed in some commands. Although he’d sent a message many times over the last two days, time was now of the essence. This time he had been more explicit in the wording. He was starting to despair as Jamie had still not contacted him. The triad had set a time limit with an ultimatum that Claire would be tortured further if Jamie didn’t show. Since receiving the communiqué, he had been working close to the wire. Time was critical. Section had no idea if the triad would follow through with their threats, but there was obviously a reason for the triad sending it.

Would Claire be tortured again or was the disk just a teaser to show the triad’s power and might? 

Before he hit the enter key, Fergus hesitated for a split second, as if mentally preparing himself for another disappointment ... then banishing his doubts to the back of his mind he sent the message. 

JAMIE: ARE YOU THERE? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ As he waited for Karen to appear, it was the incessant beeping of his PDA on the seat beside him that caught Jamie’s attention. He looked down. It was another incoming message from Fergus. He had paged a few times now so Jamie picked up the device. As he did so a different message appeared on his PDA. This time, the communiqué was more explicit and as he read the message blazoned across the screen his brow furrowed in concern. I HAVE CLAIRE’S LOCATION. SHE’S IN DANGER ... PLEASE CONTACT ASAP. Without hesitation he sent an immediate reply back to Fergus. YES. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

I HAVE CLAIRE’S LOCATION. SHE’S IN DANGER

The communiqué had shaken Jamie to the core. He felt a gamut of feelings course through his body as the meaning of Fergus’s succinct message finally sank in. Section had Claire’s location. While this was fantastic news, the fact remained that she was still in acute danger and alarm bells rang loud and clear in his head. 

Taking a deep breath and quickly reconnecting his comm. set unit he spoke directly to Fergus. “Tell me everything ...” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Despite being overcome with relief that Jamie had finally got in touch with Section, Fergus dreaded having to tell him about the disk they had received of Claire’s torture. But Jamie needed to know what the Rising Dragons were capable of and what he would be up against in his retrieval attempt. Fergus took some minutes to relay all that they knew of Claire’s kidnapping and whereabouts, then biting the bullet, he finally told him of what they had witnessed on the disk. “Jamie there is one other thing ...”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Closing his eyes James Fraser absorbed the words that Fergus relayed, but it was difficult to hear what he had to say. His heart ached for his Sassenach and what she had endured at the hands of the tyrannical triad. However, the more he listened the more determined he became. He wondered what fate would befall Claire if he didn’t find her soon, but deep down inside he knew that she was still alive ... she just had to be ... if not then there was no purpose left in life for him. He also knew that he couldn't let the heartache and rage overpower him. Summoning all the tenacity he possessed James Fraser’s demeanour quickly changed and the cold face of the menacing Section One operative came to the fore. Claire’s life depended on his cunning and ruthlessness right now. With steely resolve he ordered, “Fergus, I need ye to patch me through all the Intel ye have on Claire straight away.” He paused then added, “... and send a copy of the disk.” “Done.” Knowing that Fergus would have been analysing the disk for any clues to Claire’s whereabouts Jamie asked the inevitable question. “What do ye have on her location?” “I’ve narrowed it down to two monasteries on Lantau Island but I’m still working on it.” “Which two?” “Tsz Hsing Monastery in the south-west and Ling Yan Monastery to the north-west. Both of the monasteries are near the village of Tai O ... but the terrain is difficult and mountainous in this area.” “That won’t be a problem.” Fergus was not surprised by Jamie’s answer. In fact, he expected nothing less for nothing would stop him from finding where Claire was being held.

“Is there anything you want us to do?”

“Keep an open channel. Until then keep working on Claire’s location. Ye’ll have to move quickly ... the triad has already moved her once.” “Will do.” “I want to be notified the second ye receive anything else of significant." “You’ve got it. What about Karen Yee?” Fergus’s off-handed question hit a raw nerve. It was even more important to capture her for Jamie knew she held the key to where he would find Claire.

“She’s triad.” “You were right all along about her then Jamie. But how was she able to avoid detection as a member of the triad?” “I dinna ken yet but I’ll find out one way or the other. I have her in play.” “Looks like she’s your best bet at the moment.” All he needed was for Karen to follow through with her arrangements for tonight and then he would be waiting. Jamie’s eyes hardened with his reply.

“Aye ... Karen will lead us to where the Rising Dragons are holding my Claire.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “Or else ...” Fergus finished under his breath. He released a huge sigh of relief for there was no way of stopping James Fraser now. If anyone could save Claire Beauchamp, Jamie would and now he would have help to do it. “I’ll provide tactical ... Just wait a moment until I set it up.” “Thank ye ... When I’ve detained Karen Yee, I’ll call in.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ True to his word Fergus quickly sent the Intel Jamie wanted to his PDA. He viewed the disk that the Rising Dragons had brazenly sent to Section and what they had done to his Claire. Not only had they kidnapped her but they’d done the worst possible thing ... they had tortured her. Jamie was enraged. The more he watched the more he seethed at the callousness of the treatment meted out to her. When he caught up with Claire’s interrogators, they would pay the ultimate price and would suffer for what they had done. He had no qualms about killing each and every one who had hurt his Sassenach. Not only had they tortured Claire, but they also knew about him. It was obvious that their ploy was twofold. They knew that Section One was involved somehow and by sending the disk they’d indicated that they would show no mercy ... well neither would he. Secondly ... if they’d wanted to flush him out knowing that he would come to her rescue then they had succeeded in bringing him out into the open. Despite the triad’s upper hand at the moment it wouldn’t last for long. The one thing they didn’t know was that this James Fraser was a cold Section One operative. He was a man to be feared. Those who had harmed Claire would wish they had died because there was no way they would take another breath when he found them. There would be no forgiveness or clemency. Their days were numbered. He wouldn't think twice about it. It didn't matter what Oversight, Operations or anyone thought. He would make them pay and pay dearly. Having seen enough, Jamie switched off his PDA. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The sound of movement near the limousine brought him back to the task at hand and when Jamie looked up, he saw the couple had arrived downstairs. From his vehicle, he watched as the chauffeur hurried to open the door for Karen Yee to enter the luxuriously appointed limousine. She clambered in and the escort climbed in after her.

Before closing the door after the couple, the chauffeur proclaimed. “If there is anything you would like Miss Yee, press the button to your left and your message will be conveyed to my cabin.”

“No ... I’m sure there will be nothing I need.”

“Very well then. It will be a short journey until we arrive at our destination.”

With that he closed the door of the limousine and entered into the driver’s cabin that secluded the passengers from the chauffeur by the security partition.

“Fergus ... the limousine is leaving,” Jamie announced so that he would be diligent in tracking its movements back at Section.

As Jamie watched the white limousine cruise out of the car park, he activated the tracking device he’d planted on the bumper of the vehicle. The beeps registered loud and clear and as the limousine moved along, so too did the dots indicating the tracking of its journey on the GPS matrix panel inside his car. Once the limo was a short way away, Jamie pulled away from the curb and followed at a safe distance behind.

“I’m in pursuit.”

“I also have the target in view,”

Fergus replied.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The darkened limousine cruised along the streets of Hong Kong Island as it made its way to the location for dinner. After manoeuvring through the evening traffic for some time the limo soon began to ascend the mountain heading to Tai Ping Shan, the summit of Hong Kong Island and the best place for looking down at the scenery of Victoria Harbour.

“The vehicle is cruising north and seems to be heading to Hong Kong Island’s main residential and picturesque areas of The Peak.”

“Thanks Fergus ... that’s verified.”

The road leading up to the summit looped around the mountain. At various points along the way, Karen could see The Peak Tram defy gravity as it made its way up the extremely steep incline of the mountain. The funicular railway continued up the lush hillside towards The Peak as the limousine cruised smoothly along the road. From the vehicle Karen saw commuters standing upright in the carriage and remembered that the floor of the funicular was angled to accommodate the passengers from losing their balance.

She’d found it difficult to keep her balance on the steep incline the first time she’d ridden the tram too,

she remembered.

Jamie followed behind and soon caught up with the limousine, however as he did, it slowed down. Realising that he may be a little too close he pulled back somewhat and decided to pull into a viewing area where the Peak tram made a stop at the steepest incline at May Road, about 27 degrees to the horizon to avoid any suspicion of tailing them by the driver. As he indicated his intentions to turn into the parking bay, Jamie observed what the limousine did. He watched as it increased its speed and turned out of sight around the bend. His hunch had been right. However, it was of little concern as the tracking device was operative and Fergus had the limousine under surveillance as well. He would know soon enough when the limousine had reached its destination.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The viewing bay was nearly full with sightseers and tourists taking in the dazzling panoramic views of Hong Kong Island, the harbour, Kowloon Peninsula and the hills beyond. Parking his car alongside other vehicles, Jamie waited for a few minutes but he too couldn’t help but admire the view. From this lofty vantage point, gazing over central Hong Kong with its towering office and apartment blocks, the harbour with its trademark white and green ferry boats and the surrounding islands was certainly superlative at night.

His thoughts though were elsewhere.

Somewhere out there the Rising Dragons were holding his Sassenach. But where was she? Where had they hidden her on Lantau Island? Would he be too late to rescue her?

The magnitude of the task was suddenly a little overwhelming but Jamie remained steadfast. He had a target to abduct.

Suddenly Fergus’s voice interrupted his musings.

“Is everything okay?”

he asked as it appeared that the chauffeur had sped off and that Jamie was not in pursuit.

“Aye ... but I had to pull back for a while.”

“Okay.”

“The limousine driver was suspicious that I was following them.”

In an attempt at some humour as well as trying to relieve the tension he could sense in Jamie’s voice, Fergus stated

“You were!”

James Fraser ignored his comment.

Finally, he pulled out of the parking bay after allowing for the limousine to put some distance between them and Jamie proceeded to follow the route the vehicle carrying his prime target Karen Yee had taken. He maintained a steady speed around the meandering road that lead to the summit while the tracker beeps continued to flash inside his car.

Then a short while later Fergus announced,

“Jamie ... The limousine has reached its destination.”

That was good news and James Fraser accelerated knowing that the target would soon be his. Karen Yee would not be able to enjoy her dinner or the view from The Peak this evening ... he had other plans for her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ to be continued Monday 30th December when Jamie apprehends his target and they make their way to Lantau Island where the triad is holding his Sassenach.

Until next Monday week …

Seasons’ Greetings to all and my very best wishes for a wonderful and enjoyable Christmas.  sablelab xox

[thehunternovels]

May you wouldn't believe the thing that I confronted just a couple of minutes ago.

... and at the end, blocked.

You know I'm not really these kind of girls who flares out when this typical situation happens, especially if you are getting a goddamn proposal from your ex-boyfriend.

Let's make it a bit clear.

Damian's old body, texted me exactly twenty minutes ago, asking how I am, then waits for his respond and being ignored by me.

Well, the funny part of it, is.. I got a message from my ex-assistant today too. What a fucking coincidence, isn't it?

It's like whole world, all the mans I knew before is keeping sent to me by a Power which is above me.

God, is that you?

If it is you, then stop.

I won't eat it.

I think I felt good after a long time. After I fucked the hell out of him, and tell him that he is unstable, -making the antecedent equal- I might been a little bit cruel, but not as much as he were to me before. Because do you know what..

I'm not that little girl any more. To be fooled. Again and again.

'Oh, my prince, are you getting back to me? Do you wanna be my Damian again?'

'I'm not a sex addicter, I wanna marry you, make you not a slave but my wife..'

Ah, I fuck your lie and ugly big plus dumb eyes.

So yeah, I wasn't that bait this time, and then he blocked, BOOM!

What a surprise.

What a surprising man, isn't he?

Doing me make so good predictions about what his next step is!

At the end, I was the winner, that's totally okay but the real deal is, why now?

Why is it the exact date he choose to text me and dumb me up since days, telling me we will meet but then cancels everything! On the other end, my old assistant were trying to fucking catch up with me and have a chitchat.

I fuck the way you guys lie.

It's like someone is playing with my life, and I am the main actor of it. Leads me as he wants, plays with me, dress and undresses me up.

Who the fuck is this person does dare do it?

You know.. it is the term called 'impossible', when it comes to my real life relationship. I adopted myself to Damian Sainy, the man inside of me, my second soul, first and the last person I will give my breathe for.. I will never going to get out my promise, ever. Whether the most handsome man alive in the world, proposes me and tells me he loves me badly, neither we find Damian's last body.

Which we really do not intending to.

I was just surprised, having him here, trying to fool me from a social media and proposing just with a message.. (?)

See! I don't even know which punctuation mark shall I put to that point.

I must admit, it drove me crazy for a moment, then it passed by the moment that I hugged Bugs Bunny. Damon made me a latte -as he knows me the best, latte heals everything- and I stopped shaking. Especially ended, to have the extensive anger inside of my veins.

Did I believe just for a second?

Yes.

I'm sorry Damon.

He is confused, reading this novel at the same I do write.. but I had to make this confession.. that I'm a fool.

No, you're not.

The best man ever said..

Maybe I wasn't, but I was going to be fooled by believing him. If I would have accepted to meet and all the 'lie marriage' stuff, it is not too hard to guess out what would have happen.. he'd use me all my life as his sex slave, consider that I'm his wife, but only take cares of me because he wants to destroy the body I have.

I think the little paragraph you just read is just the most essence summary of life.

I'm honestly glad this shit happened now. So I could end the fear in me, when am I going to shake to fear, anger to death again?

It was that moment I went to Bonnie's room first -my bunny- and hugged her, tried to avoid myself from his thoughts, next moment back then Damon caught my chin, caressing it slowly, kissing my lips in a row for a while.

I was okay. I learnt what latte is working for! Thanks to that event!

Now he's gone, I'm happy, just like one hour ago. Didn't communicate with anyone but Mr.Scott, during the day, talked with my soul while heading home all along my Bluetooth earbuds. Dah. This is life.

Life that the biggest fact of it is..

No one that texted me knows I am married to Danny Damian Sainy.

[schalaasha]

Favourite Games of 2019

I don’t like making ranked lists anymore. So here’s a bunch of games old and new I played in 2019 because I was busy catching up due to not playing FFXIV as much as in previous years.

 Ciconia When They Cry Phase 1: For You, The Replaceable Ones

I think going in, and even starting to play it, I felt like maybe the game would abandon the WTC mystery game conventions. It ended up not doing that, because the game leaves you with far more questions than answers at the end. The A3W World (“after World War III”) is still trying to deal with political issues and social issues that existed prior to World War III. A global stalemate exists due to the military implementation of the Gauntlet weapon. Eventually things happen where different countries need to deal with a shortage of resources, territorial conflicts, etc which sets off a chain reaction to World War IV.  However, the children who grew up in the A3W era, settled into new ideologies and views of how society currently works are at odds with what the older generation wants and requires of them. Along the way, they need to deal with other groups and conspiracies in order to maintain the Walls of Peace.

 So in essence, R07 still crafts a mystery for readers to figure out, but it isn’t a murder mystery. It’s an international conspiracy mystery and I am more than okay with that. I think this chapter required a lot of worldbuilding to set that kind of story up and coming out of Phase 1, I understood why the first chapter wasn’t exactly like Umineko’s. I thought that it was handled well, despite some of the purple prose (but if you’ve played a R07 game before, you’re likely used to it).  I also thought he really tried to introduce and incorporate themes including gender, generational differences, societal tiers, geopolitics disguised as sports events (possibly mirroring the 2020 Olympics in Japan), etc. as well as he could throughout the story through the game’s cast. Even if the game meanders a bit (and it definitely feels that way towards the start), when it actually starts to roll, I felt compelled to keep reading.

 And truly, the game has an incredibly large cast of characters. The TIPS section handles introductions well, and while some cast members don’t have as much time in the spotlight as others, I can see them getting their time eventually in subsequent chapters. Clearly Phase 1 exists to focus more on the children from the Arctic Ocean Union (the “AOU”) as evidenced by the additional stories unlocked at the end of the game so hopefully other chapters have the same amount of character backstory for the other factions.  I also genuinely enjoyed that the big international cast of characters allowed for many different types of designs with characters with different types of hairstyles and hair texture or characters wearing hijabs and still managed to make them retain adorableness or a sense of style. I do not recall seeing it as often in Japanese media and I’m very happy to see it here.

 I think Ciconia Phase 1 is a very good start to this subseries’ planned four episodes and I hope to see more sociopolitical commentary. It feels as though R07 looked at everything happening in Japan and social media/how news is consumed and decided to write a four-part SFF series about it. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next chapter.

  Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

I backed Bloodstained when it got put on Kickstarter a few years ago.  It was shipped to me at… possibly the worst time since Shadowbringers was coming out very shortly after.  My fiancé and I played ours for a short bit, felt very positive about the game, then dropped it to play Shadowbringers.  We didn’t return to it until maybe September/October?  Both of us ended up getting our Platinum Trophies for it so we both played through everything the game had to offer.

 Bloodstained is a good experience, but not without its issues. I played on PS4 and I’ve had a few outright crashes or some glitching into walls early enough that I couldn’t come out of them again due to not having the required skill to try to get out of it.  I also felt like the game meandered or had a bit of padding in its earlier stages). Later on, you realise you have to put in the farming work to have a better and faster time not unlike its Igavania counterparts, but I did feel like the drop rates prior to actually working towards higher luck stats/drop shards were low enough almost to the point of unfair or deliberately wasting my time.  I also felt as though there were too many weapon types; with adequate shard use and shard grinding eventually you can settle into one weapon type that suits your playstyle or eventually use the gun for everything when you get the special hat quest reward).

 However, I’m speaking about this game as someone who platinumed it which requires a lot of farming and synthesis.  As a player going through the main campaign, I think the maps are adequate. The backgrounds are very lovingly crafted, and the music is absolutely one of the best of the year. Boss design is also fun and rewarding, requiring the player to learn how all the different weapon types work, adequate backstepping and closing in, and boss patterns. If you suck, the game will show you that you suck very quickly and deliberately.  Essentially towards the end, I felt as though Bloodstained tried very hard to cater to fans of the metroidvania style of game, and the classicvania style of game. I personally don’t think it completely succeeded but for a first time experience of trying to combine the two into one, it did its job with preparation for another game.  

 I also feel like some criticism was lobbed towards the game’s narrative for being told in library/book entries, and while I understand that (I actually couldn’t open all of the books for fear of my game crashing), I don’t think elaborate cutscenes and continuous dialogue would work well with this game’s flow. Bloodstained prioritizes gameplay elements and player exploration over anything else, and to be honest, I’d rather it happen that way than with long elaborate cutscenes.  I also felt as though I got more out of the game because I’d played the 8-bit prequel as well.

 Overall, Bloodstained is a passable experience. I’m glad I played it, and I’m glad I put the work in to try to make the game a better experience. I got what I wanted out of the game for as much as I backed it and I hope they try again with a similar formula because this is a very good first step.  

  The Touryst

Sometimes when I see a game with voxel graphics, I feel pretty compelled to pick it up because it looks so darn lovingly rendered and it usually ends up being fun.  The Touryst does a good job with its graphical style and visiting new islands is a complete delight because of it. It looks like a game with style, and performs super-well on the Switch. It’s also one of the freshest games I’ve played in a while.

 Basically you’re playing a blocky dude with a moustache who just wants to have a good time but when he gets to TOWA Monument, he’s told he has to find monument cores to unlock the world’s secrets. And then you can do whatever you want. The different islands have their own little personalities: there’s an island called Fijy which is volcanic, there’s Ybiza with a bunch of dudes chilling on the beach and passed out on their chairs, there’s Santoryn which is just Greece, and a few other places that are essentially recreations of real-world places.

 As you explore, there’s a lot of stuff to do. A variety of things to do.  There are puzzles and mechanics that don’t necessarily overstay their welcome, you can play footy, you can play spelunker, you can take helicopter rides, you can take pictures, get stuff for a museum, surf, play rhythm games…. It’s your vacation, do what you want. It’s a little like Vegas. Unlike Vegas, you can use your ever-increasing money and diamonds to get new moves for your moustached character to reach new objects.

 As a little game where you can do whatever you want little by little, and makes for a smooth experience, I’m glad I picked up the Touryst after asking another person what they thought of it. It has great puzzles, lots of stuff to do and explore and see, and ton of minigames for whatever mood you feel like you’re in. The game is fairly short, but I’m very glad the holiday doesn’t overstay its welcome.

  A Short Hike

A Short Hike places you in the shoes of a bird who is utterly determined to walk to the top of Hawk Peak to get signal for her phone.  I totally understand; sometimes you’ve gotta do what you gotta do.  

 But the game allows you to undertake that journey however you want to. You can go right away and finish up and get that darn signal. Or you can take your time and we’ll build that bridge when we get there. There are different types of terrains to explore if you opt to take the scenic route… and it’s rewarding to do so. You can find treasure, you can water a flower, you can talk to the Animal Crossing-esque characters to do some sidequests, you can do whatever you want.

 I’m sorry to say that when the game introduced fishing, I spent a lot of my time doing that. Fishing ruins me. The completionist in me wanted to fish. But the whole thing is that you don’t have to do any of this. If you want to finish the game, you can absolutely positively focus on that and the game doesn’t pressure you for it.  

 And that’s one of the things I like about it. It’s just whatever about the whole ordeal. I don’t feel like I’m completely and utterly missing out if I don’t decide to do something. Even the task of getting Golden Feathers to progress is fine since you only need eight for it, and the game easily gives you enough rewards to get four or five before sidequests or exploration is factored in.

 Sometimes you just need to take a walk and kind of think of nothing just to clear your head. And A Short Hike accomplishes that very well.

  Worldend Syndrome

In my effort to try to find other games to play in 2019 because I’d fallen a little out of love with FFXIV, I realised that taking baby steps with visual novels and bite-sized games would be the best idea to try to get back into traditional games (particularly since I was, and am, still questioning whether I like games as a hobby or not). On a whim, I decided to download a boatload of visual novel demos one night and tried a bunch of them out. Worldend Syndrome’s demo didn’t exactly grab me until perhaps halfway through the demo when I a) realised that this demo was long af, and b) nothing appeared what it had seemed as I kept going through it and the characters were enjoyable.

 So I decided to get the game and dragged my fiancé along for the ride. It’s one of those standard decision-making/pick which girl you want and go down her route VNs but it didn’t really feel skeezy or ecchi other than one particular point in each girl’s story where you get confessed to.  You go through the VN as an unnamed protagonist who is visiting his cousin over the summer, and you and your friends get dragged into a school club whose focus revolves around folklore. The town the protagonist finds himself in is haunted by the Yomibito, spirits of the undead who look exactly like regular people but are eventually driven mad enough to kill.

 One of the things that drew me to this visual novel was its assortment of animated backgrounds. They colourful and gorgeous. Every CG looks nice and coloured well, and the backgrounds for each area you visit are so beautiful and makes every single location easy to settle into.  The cast is also surprisingly decent, where I expected to hate a few people but I ended up being okay with them because they were written well and weren’t as tropey as I had expected.  I was also very pleased that the character that you were roleplaying as wasn’t skeezy when put into situations where he could have been, and that he treated the girls very well (though I won’t deny that there are some spots where behaviour was questionable but it doesn’t happen as often).  Because the characters were written adequately enough, the game’s true ending route comes together very well and very naturally to a point where I could seriously believe that every character got along with one another to make sure the emotional impact of the mystery was satisfying.

 In order to finish Worldend Syndrome, you have to do each route. A few characters’ routes don’t get unlocked until halfway through the game or even until the very end. The game also remembers everything you’ve done when it autosaves the system data on the world map, so if you need to reload a save to figure out someone’s schedule or if you mess up, it’s relatively easy to come back to something you’ve missed. I’ve played a lot of multiple route VNs before and Worldend Syndrome is easily one of the better VNs that allows the player to skip through to something they’ve missed or skip through previously-viewed text for another route.

 As it is, Worldend Syndrome doesn’t really try to do anything spectacular, nor does it try to stand out like other visual novels of 2019 have (ie: Ciconia, presumably AI but I only tried the demo and I hated parts of the script, sorry). It does its job and tells its story which has a very good payoff in the end.

  Judgement

I bought my fiancé Judgement earlier this year, as I had retired from playing Ryu ga Gotoku after Dead Souls/Ishin, and he was still playing the series religiously.  I watched him play through part of it and I felt compelled to get my own copy because the combat looked nice, and the characters were compelling enough that I felt comfortable picking it up.

 Judgement follows former lawyer Takayuki Yagami who is now a detective.  His tale is one of redemption and conspiracies, reminiscent of some Phoenix Wright games (which this game gives clever nods to when the protagonist is in the courtroom). Yagami is more serious and down-to-earth than Kiryu is so the tone of the game feels quite different than other RGG games (or at least the ones I’ve played).

 It still feels like a regular RGG game where you’re still wandering through Kamurocho, you’re still getting into fights with randos and Yakuza dudes, you date girls, you go to buy food, you play minigames, etc. But it isn’t as big as a standard RGG game; because you stay only in the one area, the cast is smaller, you get a job board to get your sidequests from, and the story itself is fairly short and sweet.  I actually prefer that as a lapsed RGG player since it’s easier to get back into the games this way.

 Judgement, however, disappointed me just a little in how little you spend in the courtroom.  You’re given opportunities to present evidence, do some suspect tailing, use your smartphone to catch a cheating husband, or use a drone to search for evidence. I felt like when you had to use the drone to search for evidence, it ruined the pacing a little. The tailing missions are also reminiscent of Assassin’s Creed, and no that isn’t a good thing! Due to this, I felt like Judgement was not necessarily a great detective game but it did a decent job of trying to mold the RGG experience to a different main character.

 Yagami can… fight… for some reason so he can beat up whatever randos come up to him on the streets. He’s actually more acrobatic than I remember Kiryu being in previous RGG games. He can kick off objects, he’s hard to back into a corner, he can do wall-flips, etc. It’s also much easier to earn XP where it’s all in one bar so you can do whatever you want to fill it up like play darts and just put stuff into his lockpicking. As a lapsed fan, the streamlining feels okay. The streamlining for combat also feels good because if you fights go on too long, the popo can come for you and you’d get fined, so emphasis is on finishing fights cleanly and quickly.

 Overall, as a lapsed RGG fan, the way Judgement looks and feels and wraps up its twists and turns was really exciting for me. It may not have as many things to do as other RGG games, but honestly I think being a leaner experience was better and thus didn’t make the game overstay its welcome.  I also am eagerly awaiting RGG7 since I enjoyed the demo a lot and I think the new protagonist can carry the series the way Yagami carried Judgement.

  Cadence of Hyrule

Sometimes, after my fiancé and I bought our Switch, I’d wake up, go brush my teeth, and return to bed just to see my fiancé awake and playing Cadence of Hyrule. I was perplexed as it’s been ages since he’d willingly played a Zelda game, and his hands are super-huge for the joycons so he doesn’t like using them much.

 You can easily say that Cadence of Hyrule is just a Crypt of the Necrodancer reskin with Zelda stuff all over it, but feels pretty clever in that it uses stuff from roguelikes and a rhythm game and makes the A Link to the Past world feel incredibly fresh. Bosses, especially, feel very fresh. Enemies move according to the rhythm and have a unique pattern that’s easily memorized so you can fall into the rhythm and take advantage of. If you’ve played Necrodancer, you’ll probably feel at home in this aspect, especially since the maps are also randomised (which leads different playthroughs feeling fresh).

 The Zelda feels comes from recreating tunes from older Zelda games in puzzles, the magnificent sprite art, the great Zelda remixes, a simple-enough story, and a standard set of things to find in each procedurally generated dungeon. You also find a variety of traditional items like the bow, the bombs, boomerang… and a spear? It’s a nice blend of Zelda and Necrodancer.

 The caveat is that it takes a little getting used to, since you’re not exactly used to not being able to freely move in a Zelda game. But when you do get used to it, it feels good. Everything is pretty expendable and if you die, you don’t feel like you necessarily lose a lot since you can accrue it all easily enough again. It’s unpredictable and that random roguelike nature is something that makes the Zelda experience feel fresh.

  Spirit Hunter: Death Mark

My fiancé and I were trying to find spooky games to play for Halloween that wouldn’t make me squeamish because despite my profession dealing with analysis of body parts and human body fluids, I can’t see that kind of stuff on TV or in games in a realistic sense. It grosses me out. At least when it’s in front of me, it’s already out and off someone’s body and in a fume hood/biosafety cabinet and I didn’t have to see how it happened. My fiancé picked up Spirit Hunter: Death Mark on a sale we went through it together.

 Death Mark is a tale about horror-themed urban legends and a curse that needs to be broken.  People get marked with a crimson bite mark in the game’s H City and they eventually develop amnesia and die. A group of people live and gather at a spirit medium’s mansion (who is dead upon arrival).  The only hint to break the curse in this mansion is a little talking doll named Mary. The protagonist eventually goes through several mysteries in an effort to break his curse and stop others from dying.

 Death Mark does some surprisingly well-crafted worldbuilding. Each spirit you deal with has a well-told backstory, sometimes especially ghoulish (particularly the bonus post-game episode, the first episode, and the one episode with the telephone booth). The game excels with psychological horror and the enemies involved in each boss battle assist in making the player feel that way as well. The backgrounds also lend well to this as while they are simplistic, the shading and colours used help to execute a sense of dread. One particular chapter harkens back to Japan’s Aokigahara, and the backgrounds used connect very well to that particular location so that it feels super-eerie.

 Regardless, Death Mark relies a lot on its text to establish its atmosphere and as someone who reads stuff like R07 VNs and other regular VNs with a lot of text, I was okay with that. The localization was well-done, albeit with some issues that would have been caught in editing but overall it carried the story very well.

 There are boss battles prior to the end of each chapter, where you must use each item you find in your exploration segments. You need to use specific items in a specific order (even with the correct party setup) in order to achieve a good ending for that particular chapter (and thus eventually the game). I thought this was an interesting mechanic and while it got a little tired depending on the spirit, it showcased how creepy some of them can be on your screen.

 Unfortunately, Death Mark does not have a variety for its soundtrack and it’s almost disappointing that the same piano tunes and boss themes played repeatedly as I felt it detracted from the experience.

 Otherwise, I felt like Death Mark was a short and sweet horror experience that played into urban legends and folklore experiences. I loved the little vignettes that eventually ramped up to a central story point. I hope the sequel is good when we get around to it.

  Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

So my fiancé and I are doing this thing where we’ve started buying one copy of a game so we’d both own it together and go through it together. Sekiro and Man of Medan were two of those games this year.

 Sekiro isn’t really like Souls. Eventually you’ll come to learn that very quickly when the game throws a boss at you and if you try to play like Souls, you’re not going to get the job done.  It will show you that you never learned how to parry properly and you’re going to have to go back and learn it.  Or if you didn’t grab a prosthetic that will make the job easier, you’re gonna have to do that too.

 The game is interesting in that you aren’t exactly whittling down health bars all the time; you’re striking properly so you can overwhelm their posture bars, find an opening, and go in for the kill. Enemy health bars are essentially secondary to that posture bar. You have your own posture bar so you’ve got to learn how to parry properly. Sometimes you need to parry complete combos in order to deliver posture damage back to an enemy. It’s all about getting into the flow and rhythm of combat. And you must beat bosses in order for you to get a stat boost, so being able to beat a boss lies in your skill, and not necessarily your level/equipment.

 Sekiro is Souls-like in its storytelling and worldbuilding. You can run around rooftops and areas to find secrets off the beaten path. You go back and forth between areas and speak to different NPCs to find out their backstories. The plot is also told via NPC conversations with the main characters. At first it’s a little dry but the story opens up eventually. It also has some great voiced NPCs for quests (one quest in particular had voicework that made me feel so sorry for the character that I was like “we need to get the proper item for this guy please don’t make him suffer”).

 It feels rewarding to put in the work in order to beat the bosses, make it so you don’t resurrect as often to make people sick, and meet whatever standard Sekiro is throwing at you. It lets the player know that they’ve met that standard, and then throws another boss phase at them so you have to get even better.

 Owl I’m looking at you.

  Super Kirby Clash

My fiancé and I bought a Switch together this year (which, outside of dinner and movies and clothes, etc. was one of our major purchases together).  We downloaded a few demos to try the control scheme out, including Super Kirby Clash.  I am aware that this game is probably old, but hey it’s still going and it’s still being supported and I’m catching up.

 I’m probably putting it here due to bias, but I think It’s really cute and the hats are super-adorable. I love getting new hats and new weapons for my little Kirby.  It’s fairly standard as far as a “mobile experience” is concerned and playing it a little when I have the time to and hacking away at it little by little is rewarding when I get a new hat or new gear. My fiancé and I played it in multiplayer as well, which felt a lot like Kirby’s Return to Dream Land.

 It’s pretty inoffensive and I haven’t paid real-life money for anything in it, and I still feel like I’m progressing. So as a Kirby game with light RPG elements (ie: something I’ve wanted for years and years), it’s nice to finally see realised.

 Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

An artist I commission very often from convinced me to move this game further up in queue than I originally had it when we were talking about games we were playing after finishing Shadowbringers’ main campaign.  

 Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is the spiritual successor inspired by Wonder Boy III, with the formula being modernized for a new era. It feels fast, and it looks soooooooo pretty. The tracks are bumpin’ too. It’s also a little tough but with every difficult section successfully platformed through, you feel really good about it.

 You play as a plucky boy named Jin whose uncle is an insano who turns everyone in the kingdom into animals. After you experience sweet freedom as a human boy platforming across things easily for like 15 minutes, Jin’s uncle turns him into a pig. Whoops. From there the platforming gets a little harder and you need to learn how to manipulate different forms and different spells in order to get across various sections.

 Different animal forms give you different skills. Pig form allows you to sniff out secrets literally, snake form lets you cling to walls and go through tiny passages, frog has a sticky tongue for swinging, and lion form lets you go through obstacles. You need to use these forms well to platform well enough to get through each area and finish the game. Being successful at platforming in this game feels good and fulfilling and satisfying. As you unlock more, platforming experiences get more and more complex with more obstacles put in your way, so in essence it feels like the opposite of a standard metroidvania.  Playing both Bloodstained and this in one year felt like playing polar opposites. That said, the checkpointing in Monster Boy is really good. Game Atelier knew what they were doing.

 The bosses by contrast were really easy and it’s nice to take the time to look at the art for each boss. All of the effects are also super-nice. Playing Monster Boy on a 4K TV is quite a visual treat for its boss sections, its town section, and its platforming sections. The colours are off-the-charts. Each animal sprite has its own set of unique animations: the piggy farts and looks like >_>, froggy looking at flies, etc. And the music is so good. If this game were a 2019 game I’d definitely put its soundtrack on my list, but it isn’t. It’s a nice blend of new and old stuff and it’s a delight to hear in-context as encouragement to keep going when you fail a platforming section.

 Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is a faithful representation and homage of the old Wonder Boy games. It’s filled with references and secrets and awesome art, and I’m glad to have been convinced to move it up my queue for this year.

  Most Disappointing Game: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers

I love Final Fantasy XIV. It’s brought me closer to so many people in recent years and I’ve met so many more through it. Playing this game means so much to me and I want the best for it for years to come.  It’s one of the reasons why I’m so critical about it. If I hated this game, I would stop playing and honestly, I wouldn’t care about its future.  I will say this before getting started:  I like Shadowbringers’ story so far (we aren’t going to be finished with its story until 5.3).  I don’t think It’s necessarily as consistent as Heavensward, but I think Shadowbringers’ story is the most Final Fantasy story we’ve gotten since perhaps FF10. Truly, it’s the best we’ve seen for the series this decade.  

 I had a lot of hopes and hype for Shadowbringers.  I hated Stormblood, for a myriad of reasons: social reasons, gameplay reasons, and narrative reasons.  The direction Shadowbringers was going and all the trailers made it seem like it was going to be fresh and exciting and new.  My fiancé and I (and a few others) swapped servers+data centers in advance of the expansion for a fresh start, to boot. I watched the Job Actions trailer over and over and tried to decide what I was going to eventually main and gear up because I didn’t really have a main in Stormblood due to the combat changes and how easy things became for certain things.

 During a live letter, they mentioned that they’re changing how things work in battle, and that’s when I became a little cautious. I was hoping for the best leading up to release and then I saw the scholar/healer changes and got very worried.  I changed mains in Stormblood because playing Scholar was freaking horrible at the start of Stormblood.  

 I eventually had to change mains at the start of Shadowbringers because I was not having fun playing Scholar. For people who didn’t bother to level a healer at all, the writing was on the wall for healers during Stormblood. Essentially, it introduced an age of healing where you barely ever used your GCDs to heal. You mostly used OGCDs and preplanned shields. 90% of the time if you wanted to be a good healer, you’d mostly DPS. I don’t think I’ve cast a GCD heal at all in SB and ShB content unless things were going super-wrong.

 The healing changes introduced in Shadowbringers made us think that things were going to change, that things were going to be harder to heal.  I had my doubts, however, because all fights are scripted and if they were to introduce a substantial change to incoming damage, they would have to make it so most people (casual, midcore, hardcore, less experienced newbies, experienced folks) would be used to It and could handle it.  There was no way they were going to introduce more difficulty given that subscription numbers were increasing.

 And so, healers during Shadowbringers got some damage skills taken away, but in their place, they were given more tools to heal with:

-          White Mage came away from this as a very well-rounded healer at launch. It had its damage spells, it had a damage spell with a stun, it finally had long-standing and easily useable mitigation, it has substantial MP recovery, and it has a damage spell that rewards you for using three GCD heals to make up for damage lost. White Mage still making out like a bandit in 5.1.

-          Scholar felt dramatically different and didn’t feel as solid as it used to be. It had most of its damage tools taken away, the usefulness of its fairy was decreased because let’s be honest it was super-overpowered, it got one of its fairies and its AoE esuna taken away, and it was given its PvP move to act as an AoE that doesn’t have another effect. I had to completely unlearn everything I did as scholar in the last 5-6 years in order to play current scholar. Current 5.1 scholar is overpowered as heck and I don’t feel as satisfied to play it in SB/ShB content.

-          AST LOL. All the cards are balance. MP regen is what. Heals are what. Everything is just what. Other fun skills were removed. That said, I really like AST just because it feels like I have to work twice as hard to achieve the same effect the other healers bring to the table.

 So eventually with all of these changes, we had assumed that healing was going to be harder.  It wasn’t. It’s the same experience and all we’re doing is pressing one single button all the time.  I barely have to heal in dungeons.  I barely have to heal in raid unless my party members step in stupid. I just can’t bring myself to play healer every single day anymore, and I love healing in this game. Or I loved it back when it was more dynamic. I just press one button over and over and over and over and over and maybe sometimes another but I just press one button a lot. It’s really sad and it makes me miss old Cleric Stance of all things.

 I like Shadowbringers’ story. I felt rewarded playing through it as someone who’s played the game for years and did everything when it was in-content. So for me, it was like a good reunion.  There were a lot of points where the story dragged or felt rocky. I felt like the start of the 5.0 campaign was utterly boring and poorly paced.  It picked up again, then slowed down again, then picked up again, then got REALLY BAD, then picked up again for a good finish. I don’t think it’s as consistent as Heavensward’s 3.0 campaign, but it was very solid and made up for the 4.0 campaign.

 However, story is only 20% of the experience for me.  The rest of the time, I need to actually play the game. I actually liked the levelling and crafting changes and new skills they brought in during 5.0 because leveling a crafter never felt easier. I felt like I still had to work hard but the payoff came quickly and my macros still worked as well as they did from during Stormblood. I also used my Stormblood melds and Stormblood equipment for the entire levelling experience and had to make concessions for some of my macros as time went on.  I still had to know what my skills did, basically. The 5.1 crafting/gathering changes kind of make me want to craft less since I don’t feel like I have to solve a puzzle anymore and to be honest, everyone crafts now so you make far less money than you previously did.  The desynth changes also made it so that most of my markets tanked since what’s the point of gathering half the materials when desynth makes those materials easily accessible.  I’m not saying to gatekeep at all, but I feel like the experience should have been a little harder (ie: like the Ixali experience where you had to learn what your skills did or desynth shouldn’t be this easy to keep the market fairly balanced). My server is a crafting server so I am more impacted in general from this. That said, I don’t have anything to spend gil on so it doesn’t matter, I guess.  I just feel far less inclined to participate in what was one of my favourite pastimes in XIV.

 I mained Ninja which got killed in 5.0. I was already dealing with the servers moving from East Coast to West Coast, so adding a bunch of stuff to squeeze into your TA window in 10 seconds in Shadowbringers utterly killed the job for me. 5.1 Ninja throws me off as someone who played this game since the time Ninja was introduced, and I can’t make myself play it. The current opener is the Doton opener (which is something I didn’t like in SB at all) and I can’t always rely on my tank to bring the thing to my Doton. That, and making it so you do different things per every other or every third TA just makes the job a little unpalatable for me at 80. I’m one of those people who wants TA to go. I don’t like that Ninja’s become the TA bot in recent years.  I can still do well with it. People still throw buffs at me, but I don’t find enjoyment in the job anymore and I hope we get a proper retool in 6.0.

 I switched back to ranged. Thankfully Bard hasn’t changed as much since SB (though I still prefer HW Bard like a weirdo), and Dancer is one of those “I worked too damn long today and I just wanna do the mindless brainless rotation” jobs.  I miss old Machinist oddly enough.  It felt really good when you played it well and pulled off a decent wildfire. Now it’s a little easier and I don’t feel as fulfilled playing it. That said, it’s probably the best incarnation of the job since it’s sad little introduction in 3.0.

 Even tanking is substantially easier and that’s a mostly good thing. It sucked going into a low level dungeon and having trouble keeping aggro due to the level syncing and your DPS’ stats. Now you can just turn your stance on and go to town without losing any damage potency like you used to. I kind of miss swapping stances after I’ve established aggro though, because you could tell the difference between a good tank and a bad/less practiced tank if they didn’t bother to swap stances in a fight. Tanks came out of this expansion very balanced, though. They might need some work here and there (warrior I’m looking at you), but overall, they came out the best out of the three roles.

 Other than that, you have monks not knowing what they should be, samurai continuously getting buffed and nerfed, black mage staying consistent, red mage being lol, summoner getting changed to the point where now it’s overpowered, among other DPS changes. DPS overall don’t have as much synergy so you can take any job you want to into raid and it’ll get the job done. That said if you want to do as much damage as possible, you’re generally going to take the same few classes into the raid if you’re less educated about them.  And I feel like the lack of synergy or utility between classes or even the loss of something like mana shift makes the whole experience a little boring.  It’s very “f you, I got mine” or the onus is on the player for their own personal burdens and no one’s really helping each other unless you’re a dancer, trick attack bot, dragoon or bard.

 I really hope the other pieces of content are substantial but what I’ve seen aren’t exactly what I had in mind. Boss refights with an alternate version is really neat but I didn’t really want that for this raid tier. I wanted something more original given what we had to deal with in Omega.  I don’t really care for the Nier Automata crossover because, again, I wanted something original to the XIV lore and the First. I think doubling down on Blue Mage is a bad idea and while some folks like its party-based content now, I can’t bring myself to keep doing the content given that it’s clear they don’t know what to do with it (or didn’t know what to do with it). With one dungeon coming per patch I have to question what’s happening internally or what they’re working on. I know SE is weird internally and I really hope that the kind of stuff I’ve read in previous postmortem articles isn’t happening.

 Either way, I’m really disappointed that I want to stop playing XIV so much when it’s the most popular among my friends and followers because it’s so dissatisfying to me and it’s the most accessible that it’s ever been. I hope things get better eventually but going by what I think they have in store and their old reliable formula, I don’t have hope. I’m tired of the formula and I feel like it needs a shakeup. Overall, I’ve been less happy playing FFXIV than I’ve ever been and it makes me feel really sad. 

[blackmaylovesfries]

MX Powers Part 1 - 1st Question

Asked: Yes, by @babybee05​, my darling!

Words: 1743

Sinopse: “How do they discover their powers & what are their individual powers” - So, this one-shot explains more about the boys’ species and what exactly are their powers and what they do.

Notices: I’m not well versed in Fairy Canon Universe so I mostly invented here. Hope I didn’t offended anyone! Also, if you have any advice, I’ll take it! Also, this isn’t really a one-shot since I had to do a lot of explanations so it got more like a topic post… Sorry to disappoint…

Masterpost

URGENT - BIRTHDAY POLL - Wonho’s B-Day is getting closer, help me!

Next

In this universe that I created without any research there are some details about fairies:

Fairies - Beautiful beings that can fly. They can have both human and animal appearance and their wings can be concealed if they wish to. Their powers and elements are random since genetics works a little different with them but usually their elements are the same as their parents.

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The Elementary Clans - There are 4 big clans of fairies, Air, Earth, Fire and Water. They each have subcategories and variations of powers inside them. The relation between the clans is peaceful and friendly. Although they have their ‘favorites’, like Water and Air, all 4 clans live in harmony and hold annual meetings to both discuss serious matters and party with one another.

Being an air fairy means that you could have a lot of different powers. Usually the air fairies divided themselves into tribes, each one mastering one type of power but at the end they weren’t strict about staying only in one only tribe forever.

The fire clan was more intense so it’s fairies didn’t divided themselves, all being in couple of big villages and training both their common gifs and their individual ones in academies builded by the Emperor of the Fire Fairy Clan.

The water fairies were the strangest. They didn’t even meet one another if not during their twice a year gatherings. So all of them train alone or with their blood family but mostly are very calm and easy to talk to, the later being not necessarily a good thing sometimes.

Now, being an earth fairy definitely makes you the closest to human between the 4 Clans. The earth clan lived near other species’ cities so they can make trades and sell their goodies. Earth fairies also are the ones that most value family and connections, so all their youngests are trained near their own home.

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Relation With Other Species - Usually fairies stay in their community because, even if they are a friendly specie, they prefer their own kind. There are exceptions and, knowing the free beings fairies were, the ones who choose to live with the rest of the world would always be received with happiness like they never left.

They also rarely involve themselves in another specie issues but for thoses who are able to convince all 4 fairy leaders they are powerful and loyal allies. Also rare is the marriage of fairies and others beings and many of their offspring turned bad at the early times so now there are some prejudice around half-bloods.

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Fairy Powers - Normally fairies reach 5 years old before starting to manifest their individual powers (that means we don’t count flying), at the latest they could have to reach 14 years to develop them.

They are completely random but their nature (element) usually comes from genes but it isn’t unusual to the point to be rare when the fairy develops a different element from their parents. Normally the later you manifest your gifs the more ordinary they are. Not that you will suffer because of that but it’s really rare to legendary gifts to come after 8 years old.

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So, knowing this, we can go to the explanation of the boys:

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- Shownu:

Hyunwoo was originally from the tribe that could manipulate light but just as he manifested his Holy Vision, his family moved to their current home, the illusion manipulation tribe. He was almost 10 when it happened.

His family was certain that he would have a ordinary gift, like airbend or lightbend since he was born in the light tribe. So imagine their surprise when the kinda late Hyunwoo suddenly started to see pixies and weird lights! When he described it to his teacher, the male immediately called his parents and explained that their boy had just manifested the rare Holy Vision.

His parents were crying and the other relatives were having even bigger reactions. All of that just confused the little Hyunwoo. He was already a distracted kid, after manifesting his power he became worse and worse at focusing in something that was solo in our main plan.

That super rare and amazing power is a great blessing for air fairies. They believed that it was one of the last presents the God race had given to their specie. Two to three air fairies every century would develop it and they lived for something like 4 centuries or more if they took care of themselves.

The Holy Vision works like this: It’s user will see other layers of the world, layers that other beings weren’t able to notice even if they wanted to. So, the pixies they see are what humans call “destiny” or even “guardian angels”, what made sense since they liked to follow and play around with who couldn’t see them.

Also, the lights the users see are the true essence of those around them. Although is believed that the inner thoughts of someone is something that just that person knows, sometimes not even the owner of the heart themselve knows, their hearts had actually send reverberations and waves to the other layers of the world.

So, Hyunwoo could not only see the responsables for the human Butterfly Effect, he could also see the true essence of the beings around them, even if themselves try to hid it or don’t even know yet about what they are.

As the Holy Vision develops, some of it’s users could even feel temperature of the souls, making easier to tell the true nature of them. Each user has a preference and is attracted by a soul that has certain aspects, Hyunwoo found that he was rather happier when near a warm and bright souls. That’s why he found his way to Monsta X.

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- Wonho:

Hoseok was an earth fairy. His clan doesn’t have a lot of power variation, what doesn’t means that there aren’t amazing individuals. At his clan one should rely on their own strength to grow and develop their powers. That was exactly what Hoseok did.

He manifested his Strength when he hit 6 years old. He gave his family a scare when he almost strangled his older cousin while the two was playing near their houses. Hoseok just wanted to hop on the other’s back, like they always did, but his hands was putted wrong and ended at his cousin’s neck.

His father then started to train him, giving Hoseok directions on how to develop and control his gift. The little fairy got all that his father taught him quite quickly even his rules. The most important one was that Hoseok shall be super careful near anyone weaker than him that he doesn’t want to hurt.

Since teen age, after some events, is hard to Wonho to deal with physical contact. He was always the most careful one and rarely stay near others when there were not some form of first aids near. Even fans or the members were not allowed to touch him without letting him know first.

His Strength wasn’t exactly pure force. It was a magical gift after all! It’s true nature comes from the bonds Hoseok made during his life. On contrary of what some may believe, his Strength came from those who he wanted to protect not to those who he wanted to hurt.

So the more he wants to protect and help someone, stronger he becomes, more powerful he turns. Even the slightest sign of danger could trigger his protective aura and he could even lost some of his conscious while trying to protect those who are important to him.

His protective aura could be as light as just overbearing presence to as heavy as turning him into a true killing machine. Without having control over his body and mind, Wonho would be forced to end any treats that are near his protected being, making no difference between friends and foes.

He lived in fear of hurting someone for a long time. Most of the earth fairies that have the Strength end up leaving the community, some never came back. Hoseok joined Monsta X to learn more about living with his power in a society. His family was scared but fully supported him at the end.

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- Minhyuk:

This boy is actually from the same tribe as Shownu. He and his family are one of the few families in the air clan who could change their form. They are specially distant of the rest of the fairies and tend to educate their children in almost complete reclusion.

At ancient times when fairies were still evolving and most of them were pixies, it was common to humans and werewolves to hunt down those families that could change forms. So, as a defense mechanism, those fairies are quite suspicious and ative. They can’t stay put for long.

Those families also don’t usually have other powers besides flying (from the specie) and turning into the family animal (from the genes). This is the only case that fairy genetics works perfectly. In the case of Minhyuk’s family, they turn into white snakes.

Children from those families normally manifest this power as soon as they are able to chew things. So Minhyuk had a really good and kinda easy childhood. Although he had some difficulties when going to Monsta X, since he had been raised in seclusion even if he is sociable he doesn’t really know were are people’s bottom line.

His power is really cool, even if not as rare as Shownu’s one. When he is fully transformed and grown his snake form can reach almost a kilometer and is strong enough to put up a fight with Wonho for at least 20 minutes. But when he is a kid, like on the story, he can be between 10 to 20 centimeters.

Being a light and an air fairy, Minhyuk is quite sensible to the weather and day/night time. He hates when is raining or cold and when is dark. So he often sleeps with the other guys in their beds. Also being a snake shapeshifter makes him incapable of warming himself.

That explains why he has so much nightmares. When he’s cold, his body are more susceptible to bad influences, even if his inheritance protect him from most of it. During the winter he would transform into a small snake and sleep inside Wonho’s clothes, near his heart.

He also can transform just partially, so he can just have scales or the snake iris, he likes to do it for special shows or when he needs to be charming and show off. As he grow up he can control it more and more, creating beautiful mixes between humanoid and snake.

❤♫❤♫❤.•*¨`*•..¸♥☼♥¸.•*¨`*•.♫❤♫❤♫❤ ❤♫❤♫❤.•*¨`*•..¸♥☼♥¸.•*¨`*•.♫❤♫❤♫

I hope you all like it!!! Mostly who asked of this! Tomorrow I post the part 2!!

[make-it-mavis]

Second-Hand Smoke

Wreck-it Ralph Main Timeline Fic (~1983) 2413 words Characters: Fix-it Felix, Turbo Content warnings: Mild Innuendo

Premise: Felix gets an unexpected, unpleasant, late-night visitor, and learns something very strange and alarming about himself.

________________________________________

The clock was twisting leisurely towards 4 AM when Felix heard the knock.

It was a bit past his bedtime, but there were so many jobs to attend to after work, an unusual amount within his own building (the handiwork of his cousin, he suspected). He had only stayed up to record the day's events in his journal as he habitually did, and to have a chamomile tea for winding down, as usual. The nightly rituals had to be observed or sleep would not visit.

But that knock. His mug had almost reached his lips, but it remained suspended while he regarded the door quizzically. Surely, all the Nicelanders would have been in bed by then.

Knock knock knock!

The hand behind the door hit harder, impatiently, like time was of the essence. Fearing that it may have been an emergency, Felix bound for the door without bothering to put down his mug. He nearly dropped it the second he turned the knob.

The visitor did not wait to be invited in, or even greeted. They simply rammed their way right through, leaving Felix to catch his footing behind the door.

"Land's sakes!" he exclaimed, trying to catch up with the situation. "What's this all about?!"

But when he stepped out and saw the intruder, the rudeness made more sense. Turbo, dressed in plain pants for once, and a sleazy leather jacket. Before Felix could ask him what was going on, his sudden bark cut him off.

"YOU IN HERE?!"

Shaken a bit by his aggressive tone, Felix's voice squeaked. "Wh-Who? Me?"

Turbo ignored him completely, and merely threw himself into very thoroughly scouring the apartment, growling all the while. He shoved past the door to the kitchen, and Felix followed him in, his head buzzing with confusion. Turbo was looking everywhere, even unreasonable spaces for a sprite to hide in -- the fridge, the freezer, the cabinets, even the dishwasher. And just like that, he prowled out without so much as a glance at Felix. 

Felix continued to watch him, barely managing to think over the bizarre situation. Why would Turbo be in his apartment? Although Felix did do his best to tolerate him, Turbo was Mavis' friend. Their connection had lasted over a year by that point, an impressively long time for Mavis. Felix was happy for her and all, but part of him wished she had picked someone a little less--

Wait.

Heart threatening to leap into his throat, Felix scurried closer, and squeaked, "Are you looking for Mavy?! Is-- Is she in trouble?"

"You bet your bits she is," Turbo snapped as he hopped onto the couch to peer behind it, leaving bits of dirt and grass on the cushion when he stepped down. After a quick glance under the dining room table, he stomped down the hall to the bathroom and nearly ripped the shower curtain, then made sure to check the washer and dryer. Felix tried to speak, but Turbo whipped around and shoved past him again, intruding into the bedroom.

Bounding after him, Felix insistently asked, "Wh-Wh-What's happened to her?! Turbo, talk to me!"

Checking the closet, Turbo growled, "Quit yer freakin' wailing already, will ya? The damn rainbow rat made off with my keys again."

"Your-- Your keys?"

Turbo threw all the laundry on the floor to check the hamper. Felix would have been horrified, if he had not been hit with a wash of relief. He touched his chest, sighing.

"Oh, thank Litwak," he breathed. "So she's not hurt at all?"

Turbo circled the bed and dropped to check under it. "No," he stood up and growled deeper, "but when I find her, she's roadkill."

Felix's mouth twisted a bit as he watched Turbo storm back out. "Please tell me you're exaggerating."

He heard Turbo grumble flatly, "We'll see."

Felix followed Turbo back into the living room, who seemed to have slowed his momentum a bit, enough to merely pace angrily for a moment, sighing and combing his fingers back through his thick mess of hair. Felix himself seemed to gravitate naturally in the direction of the door, hoping it would prompt his uninvited guest to leave. He rubbed the warm mug still in his hands anxiously.

Turbo’s ‘roadkill’ comment was still nagging at him in a worrying way. He did not want to believe that Mavis’ friend was actually capable of hurting her, but… that temper. He was not sure just how to word it, but he could not leave it unsaid.

“Turbo,” he tried to say firmly, but found his voice trembling, “I don’t like you even joking about hurting my cousin. Why, if I ever catch wind of you takin’ that temper of yours out on her—”

He was cut short by Turbo hanging his head back and pointing a groan at the ceiling, one that seemed to escape the confines of his very code. “For Devs’ sake — I didn’t MEAN IT, ya dimwit, okay?! I ain’t that kinda guy! Now will ya get off my dick for one second?!”

Felix had no idea what to say to that, but he supposed it was a comfort. “...Oh...kay.”

Dragging his hands down his face, Turbo heaved another heavy, wet sigh. He rubbed his cheek, and let that hand snake behind his head. His eyes closed and his brow furrowed, and he seemed to hold his breath for just a moment, before releasing it and dropping his arm to grope around inside his jacket. “That woman, I tell ya…” he grumbled. “Remind me why I let her near me.”

“Because… she’s your friend?” Felix suggested weakly.

At that, Turbo simply curled his nose with a clipped, flat snort. He pulled something out of his jacket, and Felix’s brows raised when he recognized it as a pack of cigarettes. Knocking the nasty little rolls to jut out of the package, he seized one with his teeth and pulled out a lighter. It chuffed repeatedly as Turbo casually lit up, the light glowing back on his face as his other hand guarded the flame.

It took Felix just a moment to process the sheer level of rudeness, but he quickly shook it from his head. He had put up with a lot in the last ten minutes, but this just tore it. It was time to put his foot down.

“No, no. No, that is quite enough. Turbo,” he began with as much force as he could use while remaining polite, “you know you’re welcome to visit at a decent hour, but barging in at four in the morning to ransack my apartment, badmouth my cousin, and— and now, you’re smoking? No! No, I’m afraid I have to ask you to take it outside. This is a non-smoking building. You can’t smoke that in here!”

Suddenly, for the first time that night, Turbo’s gaze locked onto Felix. A touch of regret curled in Felix’s stomach, as if he had just antagonized some wild animal, and Turbo’s warning glare sure befitted one. The demon boy took in a long drag, the glow of his eyes cutting through the hazy plume he exhaled. Before Felix knew what to do, Turbo was already advancing on him with steady, threatening steps. All he managed to do was shrink back until his back hit the wall by the kitchen door, trapped by Turbo’s presence. He was standing just a touch too close for comfort, close enough for the smell of ash to burn Felix’s nostrils — mostly from the cigarette, although his jacket had been wafting the scent of smoke all over the apartment since he arrived. Felix guessed that its leather had seen more than its fair share of cigarettes.

The tension in the silence was palpable. Felix could have stepped aside, but he felt frozen, somehow, seized by that rock-hard, commanding look. Turbo scrutinized him, reading his face. He took another drag, and exhaled the foul smoke through his nose. Frozen as he was, Felix could not keep from coughing into his glove. Turbo watched, just waiting for him to catch his breath. Once he did, his voice rumbled out lowly.

“Did I hear you tell me… what I can’t do?”

Felix stammered, “I— Well, I meant m-mostly to—”

“Do I LOOK,” he snarled to interrupt, before his voice dropped again, “like I’m in the mood… to be told what I can’t do?”

Really feeling that regret, Felix quivered and tried to save himself without caving. Eyes shifting around the apartment, he stuttered, “W-Well, n-no, it’s just that-that the smell of the smoke— Well, it clings, you know, and-and I can’t really— I can’t really fix smells, so, so the curtains, and-and the upholstery, they’d— oh, it’d be a trial to get the smell out...”

“And?”

Felix blinked. “It’s… It’d just be really inconsiderate to do that… to s-someone’s house.”

Turbo squinted. “And?”

“Uh—”

“Lemme make one thing perfectly clear, Choir Boy,” Turbo stepped in even closer, seriously intruding on Felix’s personal space, and hissing out a whisper. “I. Don’t. Care. About your upholstery.”

Felix gulped. “I— I know—”

“See, I don’t know if you got the memo,” he muttered, “but I do whatever I want. And when someone tells me I can’t, I do it even harder. So right now, I’ve got half a mind to come back here every night until I’ve smoked that entire pack, ‘til every last inch of this place reeks of my smoke, and you can’t so much as inhale without seein’ THIS,” his lips snarled a bit with the word, flashing his jagged teeth, “every wakin’ moment. You get me?”

It really was an upsetting prospect. Felix nodded, finding it hard to speak. Turbo was just around the same height as him, but somehow, he felt towering. Felix did not want to feel so intimidated by such a… well, by someone like Turbo, but right then, he… sort of did. ‘Intimidated’ may not have been the right word, not even ‘scared’. His aura was just so strong, his stare so forceful, unflinching. It seemed challenging, even, like it was daring Felix to fight back, but threatening to flatten him if he did. It was… dominant. That was the word. Dominant.

Damn if it was not about to make Felix turn up his belly and submit.

It was wrong. Somehow.

Maybe.

At that point, Turbo’s snarl began to fade, but he did not smile. “I’m not gonna do that,” he muttered, “because this place is a total drag, and I’ve got better things to do. So there’s me bein’ considerate of you. Enjoy it. It won’t come often.”

Felix did not move. He merely clutched his mug to his chest. The tea had gone cold by then, but he felt strangely warm, and… sort of light-headed. Returning Turbo’s stare, he became caught up in one little detail. There was red in his irises. He had never gotten close enough to see before.

Those eyes narrowed, and Turbo turned his head a bit to peer at Felix suspiciously. “Question,” he murmured. “I don’t waste a lot a’ my time lookin’ at you, so tell me…”

A smirk suddenly broke out over his face, and he half-purred, “Is your face always this red, or is it just me?”

“Huh?” Felix snapped out of it, with the feeling that he should have been horrified. “What? It’s not red! Is it?”

His insides twisted as he realized just how hot his ears had become, and his cheeks were practically sizzling at their peaks. Although he was gloved, he touched his face in alarm. There was no way. There was no reason! No sense at all!

He had made it to ‘horrified’.

“Well— Well—” he stammered, only feeling his face glow further, “I have been known to get a lil’ red in the face now n’ then, ‘cause that’s, well I’m just a really red fella, y’know, it’s not uncommon for us peachy-skinned folks—”

In a blink, Turbo slammed his fist against the wall above Felix’s head, and despite himself, he jolted with a squeal. That just about did it. Breathing deeply, staring at the demon’s intrusive glare, he… mostly wanted to crumple down to the floor.

A small wheeze in Turbo’s throat preceded a delighted, barking laugh that at last led him a few steps back from Felix. As Felix caught his breath, holding his forehead, Turbo granted him a few claps to accompany his nasty cackle.

“Oh, Devs above,” he shook his head, swiping a tear from his eye, “I guess one thing runs in the family, huh?”

“Wh… What?” Felix had far too much to keep up with in that moment.

Turbo leaned in a bit again, that grin as smug as ever. “Listen, lover-boy, I hate to break your heart like this, but, ah,” he pointed a thumb at himself, winking with a tongue-click, “girls only.”

Felix blinked. He sure seemed secure about it. “Oh. Well, that’s lovely,” Felix said uneasily, but pleasantly. “I support you. Thank you for— But wait, WAIT, THAT’S NOT— THAT’S NOT RELEVANT TO WHAT JUST— I WASN’T—” 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Turbo stepped in, pulling in one last drag of his cigarette that burned an impressive length, and just spoke through the smog, “No shame in wantin’ a piece a’ this. Anyone would. I ain’t about to make out with ya, sorry to say, but, y’know, if y’wanna spoon with a pillow tonight n’ pretend it’s me? You do you.”

With that, he dropped his cigarette in Felix’s tea, and pat him briskly on the very warm cheek. “‘Cuz y’ain’t gonna do me.”

And he left. Just like that, he opened the door, and he left. Felix’s brain was a map of criss-crossing roads covered in ten-car pile-ups, but Turbo’s voice echoing “Sweet dreams!” as he left down the hall spurred him into action. He thrust his head out the door and saw the dastardly racer press the elevator button.

“Turbo!” he called desperately. “It’s not what you think!”

Turbo gave him a cheery side-glance, brows high.

“IT’S NOT!”

A door creaked as Deana poked out of her nearby apartment, giving Felix a sort of annoyed, but mostly alarmed look. Chastising himself for yelling, he grinned sheepishly and waved her down. But as he saw Turbo strolling into the elevator, something very important occurred to him, and he had to get it out before the elevator doors closed.

“Wait—” he yipped, “WHAT RUNS IN THE FAMILY?!”

[girlsguidetopowertools]

30 days - 30 ideas

i have so many ideas of little things to include in animal crossing games (new horizons and the future), so i wrote one a day on twitter counting down to new horizons’ release, and i thought i’d compile them all here for easy reading now that the list is complete and new horizons is only hours away. (note that some of these were posted before the direct/other information was released, so they may be a little outdated, but what can you do.) let’s go!

day 30: observatory. (i said little but this is the biggest one.) i want the observatory back. but more: imagine if we could learn about real world stars, planets, and constellations like we do bugs, fish, etc. in the museum. & visiting opposite hemisphere towns would teach more!

day 29: combining villager personalities & essences/natures (pocket camp) to create more varied villagers and dialogue. also species' traits. a peppy, natural bunny (dotty) would be very different from a peppy, cute squirrel (peanut).

day 28: be able to combine certain fish or bugs into one container in your house, so you can have a personal mini aquarium or habitat. also, please let us change the type of container (and give fish more space in theirs so it's not so depressing).

day 27: let us refurbish (almost) all items. i'm willing to give a pass on event/gracie items because they're supposed to be special, but otherwise. i hate having a piece that fits the theme but doesn't match and you can't refurbish. (this includes rugs, flooring, wallpaper.)

day 26: different wrapping papers for presents. the wrapping paper in pocket camp is so cute, much cuter than the yellow sacks we get to buy in new leaf. i'd send so many wrapped presents to my neighbors!

day 25: let us build big pwps/amenities that we and the villagers can interact with. bonus if they're seasonal: an ice skating rink in winter, swimming pool in summer, ferris wheel in the spring... riding a ferris wheel with cherry blossoms blowing? sign me up.

day 24: (another big one) a way to change gender, and a nonbinary gender option. in new leaf, i had a lot of friends stop playing entirely because their avatar no longer matched them after coming out as trans, but they didn't want to delete their whole town, so they felt stuck.

day 23: let villagers catch fish and bugs instead of just perpetually trying with no reward. while it's cute to watch them stalk bugs in the bug off, never seeing them catch any makes me feel sad for them!

day 22: choose held items in dream towns (dream towns better still be a thing). a small detail, but most of my characters carry wands or balloons but can't in dream towns. and when your dream is set on a rainy day, you always default to a red umbrella no matter what.

day 21: sound configuration options. (apparently you can change the volume of kk slider songs playing but i wrote this before that, okay?) not just those, but being able to turn up/down/off hourly music, ambient noises, effects, etc. i'd love to turn up the sound of the ocean!

day 20: SUNFLOWERS. well, new flowers in general, but specifically sunflowers! they're my favorite, and we need tall flowers in the game. plus everyone went wild over the sunflower event in pocket camp.

day 19: more things to do with villagers together. not just going to each other's houses, but inviting to the roost, bug hunting, apple picking, etc. would be SO cute! and that *we* can invite *them*, not just wait for a random ping.

day 18: combine “traditional” events and holidays with wild world events for a fuller calendar. i LOVE the unique wild world events, but taking out toy day, halloween, etc. was also a mistake. the wild world events would fill in those months where major holidays don't happen.

day 17: multiplayer islands to live on with friends. now, nintendo is FAR behind the times with multiplayer, so i don't expect this if ever, but i want it. i want to make a town with my online friends, like a minecraft server. please.

day 16: side jobs. no obligation to do them at a given time or at all, but something extra and fun. working at the roost is a great example, and i'd love to see more: villager home designer, shopkeeper, restaurant chef... these would especially be great later in the game.

day 15: diagonal furniture. please. i like putting things kitty corner and some items, like the basket chair, just don't look right without that.

day 14: let villagers write random posts on the bulletin board again! it was one of my favorite things about wild world.

day 13: more interactive items, for both players and villagers. we've seen villagers reading books and eating ice cream, which is great, but it bothered me that they couldn't play on the jungle gym pwp and stuff!

day 12: let us layer small, tabletop items. PLEASE. clutter looks so much better and realistic when layering is an option, like in the sims.

day 11: remove restrictions on where we can plant palm trees and cedar trees. it never even made sense that cedar trees could only be planted on the top half of the town, but nothing we've seen so far hints at this changing.

day 10: customizable community buildings. one of my favorite parts of happy home designer was designing our own shops, hotel, concert hall, etc. they really made my main street feel unique, especially compared to new leaf's main street where everything's the same (minus unlocks).

day 9: let villagers swim! i want to have cute beach days with my villagers but not if they're stuck on the land.

day 8: ceiling items. please don't take away our ceiling items. we saw a pinata that could potentially be, but that's it (even the hanging plant was converted to a wall item). and, while they were a great addition in HHD, there were very few ceiling items. i'd love a LOT more!

day 7: minigames! at the very least, bring desert island escape back, but i'd love to see much more. a mix of amiibo festival minigames and the one in nintendoland would be great, as well as some new ones. especially if they're multiplayer to play with friends!

day 6: create-a-villager! i don't expect them to be villagers actually in the game, but it could be neat as a little side thing. when hacking new leaf was big, there were a ton of cute and creative fan-made villagers just made with retextures, and i'd love to see more.

day 5: nocturnal villagers and activities. i LOVE nighttime, it's so relaxing, but you also run out of things to do (or, pocket space, if you like nighttime fishing like me). at least residential services will let you sell your fish 24 hours a day, but i'd like a bit more to do.

day 4: something to replace streetpass/the HHA showcase. i loved seeing people's houses, and being able to order from them in new leaf was a nice bonus. i'd love something similar with our friends list, a mix between that and what we had in city folk.

day 3: deeper lore on special NPCs. we have a lot on the able sisters and the nooks, even some on brewster and blathers, but i want to know more about the others! what's pascal's story? we know nothing about him, he just... pops up randomly.

day 2: more weather events/phenomena. red moons, eclipses, blizzards, hail, MOONBOWS... there are so many neat weather things in the world!

day 1 (WE MADE IT!): biome DLC. i've been asking for different terrains/biomes since before happy home designer, where we got to choose those. even though new horizons is set on an island, it's still a standard biome with four equal seasons. i'd LOVE dlc that allows us to make a snowy mountainside home, or a home like the PNW where it mostly rains and snow is uncommon. or a tropical town with sunshine and palm trees abound. bonus if the DLC means we can have more than one town per console. please, i need it.

[eryiss]

Fraxus Week Day 4: Hot Springs and Vacations

Summary: Having been given a second chance to become an S-Class mage, Freed had put his focus on making himself strong. The issue was that he overworked himself, and Laxus couldn't deal with it anymore. So what else could he do but take his husband to a hot spring to relax?

This is my fourth admission for Fraxus Week event for twenty-nineteen hosted by the tumbler user @fuckyeahfraxus. This one is fluffy but also a little hurt and comfort based. It's from the prompt 'Vacation/Hot Springs.'

You can read it on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, or under the cut. I hope you all enjoy it!

Day 4: Solace and Steam

As they walked down the street, Freed came to the conclusion that Laxus had lied about why they had come to the scenic mountain town.

Two days prior, Laxus had apparently found a mission on the S-Class board that he wanted to take. He stated that the mission was in the relatively close-by vacation town of Takayama which had been struggling to fight against a group of arsonists, who were said to have been targeting all resorts and destroying them in an attempt to ruin the towns economy. The mission, of course, called for the arsonists to be stopped as soon as possible, as if the acts of destruction were to continue at the rate they were happening then the town would be crippled within the month. As the town was located nearing the peak of a mountain, relatively secluded, and with no other reliable sources of income, time was of the essence.

Laxus had claimed that the mission was perfect for them. The S-Class trials were coming fast and Freed was going to be a contender again, meaning this could be good practice for what was to come. Freed had agreed, and the next day they had packed up enough clothes to pass for a week – how long Laxus had predicted the mission would take – and left Magnolia to start their work.

But now Freed was thinking he had been lied to.

The town was incredibly pleasant. Rustic buildings designed to look like old-fashioned lodges sat undisturbed in the snowy environment, cafes and coffee shops were open and advertising their products with chalk-drawn signs, and people walked without any worry nor concern. Not exactly the behaviour expected of people who had been hit by multiple arson attacks.

It had taken about twenty minutes of walking in the town for Freed to be sure Laxus had lied about why they were there. There was still no signs of arson and destruction, and Laxus seemed just a bit too confident as he navigated the town that should have been unfamiliar.

"Laxus," He eventually said. "There haven't been any attacks here, has there?"

"Figured it out, huh?" Laxus chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck slightly as he stopped in his place. "No, there's not. Made the mission up so I could get you to come up here."

"May I ask as to why you did that?" Freed asked, voice slightly irritated.

His annoyance wasn't aimed towards Laxus himself, rather the fact the time taken to get here, and however long Laxus wanted to keep him here, was probably now wasted. Before he had been told of the fictional mission, his plan had been to perfect a new fighting style in which he would better include his enchantments. He'd been happy to put that aside when the alternative was performing an S-Class mission, but it now seemed like time he couldn't get back.

"Because of that face you're making," Laxus answered, crossing his arms. Freed snapped his head towards his husband in a silent question. "The second you realised this wasn't going to be productive, your face gets all stressed. Happens every time you try to relax recently, and I'm sick of seeing it."

"Well, I'll admit I have been working harder than normal," Freed began, slightly defensive now. "But I'm not doing anything that I can't handle."

"So Levy was lying when she told me she found you passed out in the training ground and had to take you to the recovery room to check you didn't get sun stroke a couple weeks ago?" Laxus looked down at his husband, who remained silent. "Thought so."

"Fine," Freed backed down, not enjoying the slightly saddened tone his husband spoke in. "So, why have you taken me here, exactly?"

"Glad you asked," Laxus grinned, voice more upbeat now.

The blonde wrapped an arm around his husband's shoulders and pulled him a little closer – both to be more intimate with the man, as well as proving he felt no annoyance or anger towards Freed nor his actions – and began to walk again. Freed looked around, slightly lightened now he knew there was no chance of being attacked by a group of fire mages; it was admittedly a beautiful place. The snow-covered ground combined with the log-cabin style buildings made the entire town look as though it was a postcard location.

"I know I can't stop you from pushing yourself altogether, and I don't want to, but if you keep going like you are, you'll just burn out again," Laxus began, and they turned a corner again. "So, to give you some time to recover, we're gonna stay here for a week. There's a place called the Charcoal Retreat that's meant to be pretty good for getting away from everything."

As they walked, Laxus began to recount the features offered by the retreat that they could make use of. Hot springs that were warmed by the natural heat coming from the mountain, an extensive spa containing all the luxuries of a world class resort, and a large pool open throughout the day and night were all particularly interesting to Freed. The pool specifically, Freed had always found swimming therapeutic and being able to do so in the night, hopefully alone, would be a perfect way that he could relax himself.

Laxus also mentioned massage therapy, but insisted he be the person to help Freed in that regard. Freed wasn't going to argue.

When they arrived at the retreat itself, it seemed to follow the same architectural theme as the rest of the town, though at a considerably larger scale. Laxus walked into the front reception and towards the main desk, placing the bags down on the carpeted floor. Freed followed his husband's lead, looking around silently; it was both luxurious and quaint, Laxus must have spent a lot of time thinking through where they would stay.

He would have to thank him properly later. This was incredibly thoughtful.

It didn't take long for Laxus to sign into the retreat and hand their luggage to the person on the other side of the desk, meaning they were soon free to visit their room. As they walked down the rustically themed halls of the retreat, Freed intertwined his fingers with his husband and moved so their sides brushed against each other.

"Thank you for this," He whispered, adoring a soft smile. "I'm sorry if I've been worrying you."

"You haven't," Laxus assured him, smiling just as softly down at him. "I know you're not an idiot and you weren't looking to overwork yourself, but I just wanna make sure that you're okay. And we can both get a little focused on a goal to see what we're doing."

"It's still sweet of you," Freed brought their hands up and kissed Laxus' knuckles.

"Yeah well, it's what a husband's for," Laxus chuckled, stopping when he saw the door to their rooms. He pulled the key and opened their room for the week. He continued speaking with a grin. "And when I walked down the aisle with ya, I knew you were the most stubborn guy I knew, and I'd have to deal with that."

"I'm the most stubborn man you know?" Freed chuckled. "You remember which guild you come from, right."

"I do," Laxus smirked. "And just 'cause you're all refined and shit, doesn't mean your any less stubborn than the rest of us."

Freed chuckled at his husband's gentle teasing at his expense and walked into the impressive room. Laxus must have invested a fair amount of money into the retreat, because it was clear the moment, they entered the town that nobody on a budget would be able to spend any real time there. And to have what is clearly one of the more luxurious – and therefore more expensive – meant that Laxus couldn't have done this on a whim.

The blonde removed his scarf and coat, placing them on the bed and looking towards the open fireplace that had been set alight before the two had entered. Freed did the same after closing the door, though also cupped his husband's chin and pressed their lips together.

"Seriously, thank you," Freed said softly, their foreheads still touching. "I know you must have put a lot of effort into organising this, and you were probably worried badly about me to do this, and I really am thankful that you did."

"You really don't need to," Laxus smiled, leaning down and kissing Freed again. "And if this is the kinda attention I'm gonna get, this place has already paid for itself."

"How much did it cost?" Freed asked, looking around. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, I've been scouting around for a little while and this place was the best one I could find," Laxus grinned, moving his hands down so they rested on the rune mage's waist. "Nice and secluded, pretty much all of the reviews were great, and their whole appeal was to relax you. Exactly what I needed, as well as being in a pretty romantic place, so I can treat my husband the way he deserves."

"To think that the great and powerful Laxus Dreyar is so romantic. What would your teenage self-think?" Freed teased with a chuckle, Laxus nudging him. "How long have you been looking to take a break?"

Laxus blushed a little, and Freed frowned. With a slightly embarrassed expression, Laxus spoke. "About a month or so."

"Have I been overworking myself for that long?" Freed frowned.

The incident wherein Levy had found him collapsed in the training ground had been two weeks ago, and while he had been forcing himself to train harder than he normally would after learning about his place in the upcoming S-Class trial, but surely he hadn't made Laxus concerned the moment the announcement of that years participants. So, either Laxus had anticipated that Freed would work himself into such a state where the time away was needed, or he was already planning to take Freed away for no reason other to treat him. Either way, it made the rune-mage smile softly and bring their lips together again.

The kiss was less chaste this time and ended with Freed lying on the bed with Laxus hovering over him slightly. It stopped before it could get heated, and both men looked at each other with an expression that could only be described as lovestruck on their faces.

"You really are a good husband," Freed smiled, leaning up and planting a chaste kiss on his lover.

"Nah, not that good," The blonde grinned. "The real reason I picked this place was because I knew it had a great pool and wanted to watch you in a swimsuit for as long as I could."

It was clearly a joke, and Freed was laughing even before his husband pulled a ridiculous facial expression that contains wiggling his eyebrows in an overly suggestive way that was practically pantomime. The blonde was soon laughing too, and both men enjoyed the small moment of complete relaxation and comfort. The two weren't the most dramatic about their relationship, instead favouring to have small moments of complete bliss shared between them both, and Freed couldn't help but think this would be one he looked back on in days to come.

They started to kiss again, Freed bringing his hands into Laxus' hair to pull him as close as possible. Laxus quickly returned the kiss, and the world seemed to the both of them as they were the only ones in it.

For perhaps the first time since his part in the trial was announced, Freed felt himself truly relax and enjoy himself. Yes, maybe Laxus may not shout his romantic side from the rooftops and maybe they weren't the type of couple to push their happiness in other people's faces, but Freed would never say that Laxus wasn't anything but a damn good husband.

"Seriosuly though," Laxus grinned when the pulled apart. "You wanna go to the pool now, right?"

Within in a moment, both men were overthrown by laughter again.

-~~~-

It was at the end of the week when Freed and Laxus found themselves at the hot springs for the first time. They hadn't been putting it off, particularly, but the private baths have been fully booked until them and neither thought the idea of bathing with strangers would help relax them; more so given the pseudo-celebrity status being well known mages gave them. Still, when the availability presented itself, there was no reason not to take it.

Freed lowered himself into the steaming water first, allowing his muscles to relax in the comforting heat. The bath was located in what seemed to be a cave, though it had clearly been calved out and the rocks polished to the point where it felt like a regular room.

Laxus came in a little later, placing his town on the nearby rack and sliding into the water beside his husband. He let out a slightly satisfied groan as the coolness of the mountainous region was removed entirely by the hot water. He slid down so that it was covering him up to his neck, closing his eyes and letting the calmness and silence overtake him. When Freed looked over to him, the blonde was wearing a small but content smile; one that Freed mirrored as he too let himself sink further into the water so that he could relax.

The week had been great, and indeed had been a relaxing break that Freed needed. The time spent away from his magic training allowed him to recover from what he now knew was strenuous overworking. Equally important, he had also allowed his mind to wonder instead of focusing obsessively on how he could improve himself.

He was incredibly thankful that Laxus had done this.

But, as this was the last day of their vacation, it meant that reality was going to present itself again and Freed knew that he couldn't fight the oncoming thoughts that came with this. His overworking had been some sort of a defence, Freed had surmised, and now he needed to confront the reality that being nominated for the S-Class trials had revealed.

Freed was nervous.

He hated feeling like this, as it was unfamiliar to him. He had almost always been entirely sure of himself – he was skilled in the ways needed to do what he wanted, and always had been – so nervousness was something of an unfamiliar sensation. But performing in the S-Class trials was something unfamiliar and unpredictable, and he would be doing so against a series of mages who were just as passionate and powerful as he was if the circumstances called for it.

The moment he heard the S-Class rank existed; he knew he'd get there. He was a logical man and knew that the next step in his professional life was to enter the next grade of mage work. It had been his working goal the moment he joined Fairy Tail, so perhaps he had built up expectations of what the trial would mean.

He hadn't felt like this last time, which made his nervousness feel even more absurd. And he knew that the reason he didn't feel nervous before was because he wasn't going to take it seriously as an act of apology towards Cana.

But still, even knowing that, he still felt shit feeling like he did.

The heat of the hot spring now affording him a clear mind and space to think, Freed couldn't stop the nervousness seeping in. He tried to not let his mind dwell on it and thought back through the week in a hope that the memories of what had happened would bring him back to the relaxed state that he'd felt when they had happened; it didn't help.

"Freed," Laxus' voice was in a soft whisper, and Freed opened his eyes to look at him. "You're wearing that face again."

The rune mage sighed, leaning his head against the man's shoulder. "Sorry."

"Keep telling ya, you don't need to apologise," Laxus turned to Freed and pressed his lips against Freed's head. "It's really fucking with you, isn't it? Is that why you've been pushing yourself, 'cause you're stressed about the trial?"

"I suppose," Freed sighed, softly looking up to his husband. "It's just that… basically the moment I became a mage, the goal was to become as successful as possible and to do that I needed to become an S-Class mage. Perhaps I gave it some kind of mythical status in my mind without really realising I was doing it, and now that I've got a legitimate chance of making it a reality, it's just starting to get to me. Is that stupid?"

"Don't think so," Laxus assured him, gently playing with a green stand of hair that floated in the water. "It is a big deal, and as much as you have control about most things, nobody can stop themselves from feeling nervous about something."

Freed nodded slightly. "Were you nervous about your trial?"

"Course I was. Wouldn't admit it, though," Laxus leant back, smiling slightly. "I was too busy thinking emotions made you weak to actually talk about what I was feeling. But yeah, I closed myself off even more than I normally had because I didn't wanna look weak."

Laxus remembered back to his teenage years when he received the S-Class title. It was in a time where he was most unhappy and rebellious in the guild, and he was starting to become more arrogant and dismissive of his guildmates. It was before Freed and the rest of the Raijinshuu had joined the guild, so he was essentially alone and dealing with his nervousness about the trial in his own head. It hadn't been good for him, and he remembered more than one sleepless night the stress caused, so he was determined that Freed would at least have someone to vent to.

For Laxus, the S-Class trials had meant more than achieving a goal. He had been so sure in his abilities that he needed to win. If he failed, all the claims about him being the most powerful member in the guild would blow up in his face. He didn't think he could handle it.

He had to wonder if Freed was feeling like that, in some way.

"You know, I didn't pass the trial the first time I did it," Laxus admitted, and Freed looked up at him with a frown. He hadn't been told this before.

"You didn't?" He asked with a small frown.

"No, the same year I first went for it, Mystogan did as well," Laxus began, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "Honestly, forgot the guy existed; I was too busy in my own head to remember. I thought the trials were just for me; more of a test than a competition. Then when we got to the end, we had to fight, and I pretty much forgot everything about him. He knew enough about me, so made a good plan on how to deal with me and won pretty easily."

The blonde could remember vividly what it was like after that defeat. He refused to see anyone in the guild after that – there was no way he wouldn't be the punchline of every joke after that – and it had been one of the first times in his life he'd suffered a real defeat.

But now, he looked back on it as a good thing. Because he'd gotten over it, and it hadn't ruined his life.

"Freed, I'm not saying you need to prepare to lose, because I honestly think you can do it easily," Laxus assured him, kissing the top of his head again and smiling when Freed shuffled closer to him. "What I am saying is, I know what it's like to think that the trial is the most important thing in the world, and I know what it's like to fail at doing that. And if it does happen, you can get past it. And it certainly ain't worth pushing yourself to exhaustion in training when you're powerful enough to walk it with the spells you've got now."

"I know the world won't end if I don't succeed. It's just that, I don't know, just because I know I don't need it immediately doesn't mean that I don't want it," Freed sighed.

"I get that," Laxus nodded. "And I do think that you've got a good chance of winning this thing. But you gotta be able to take a step without fainting to do it."

Freed nodded, his worries now less on his mind as he looked through the steam and let the hot water relax his muscles. He was now leaning completely on his husband's side and the larger man was gently running his hands through Freed's hair, a small but comforting gesture that the rune mage was thankful for.

He began to think about the trial again, but in a different light compared to how he had before. He now felt a sense of relaxed determination; he wasn't obligated to win the trial, but he was still intending to get the title.

As his mind wondered, one thought in particular stuck and made him laugh. Laxus looked down at him with a small frown of confusion when he heard it.

"Sorry," Freed chuckled. "I'm just imagining how you reacted losing to a person you had forgotten existed. Given what I've been told about how you reacted when you were a teenager, I'm sure that you were calm and rational."

Laxus grinned, nudging his husband as they both knew there was no chance of that happening. "Asshole."

Freed also grinned, glad to have a distraction as Laxus told him just how calm he had been when he realised, he wouldn't be getting the title the first time. Freed couldn't be sure if Laxus had been exaggerating or not when he claimed that he had a 'large tantrum' and 'electrocuted the shit out of the ocean' on the boat trip back from the island. Freed often forgot that Laxus was a pretty talented storyteller, but the vivid image of Laxus' childish pouting was enough to remind the rune mage.

"Seriously though," Laxus said softly as the story ended. "Whatever happens, you'll be fine. You're strong as hell, a talented fighter, and a great husband. You're great."

"Thank you," Freed smiled. "You're a damn good husband too."