#this arc was kinda a practice run for more parts in the future

[quesocheeso]

Heavenly War Part 3

Woooo this was another long one, the action parts had me dusting my skills a bit but we got it done✨

Both Erlang and Macaque are warriors in their own right and respect each other for it. Erlang’s mercy at the end is what keeps them amicable in the future since Mac was able to see that he didn’t’ want to be doing this in the first place (as well as see the first cracks in his loyalty)

Next part should be (hopefully) the last chapter of the Heavenly War arc,,, I can’t promise a schedule for when it’s posted but I already have most of it drafted👍

Next time we’ll see the return of Wukong

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[fabuloustrash05]

My Top 5 Favorite TMNT 2012 Ships

5) Mikey x Renet

I feel we as a fandom has come to an unanimous agreement that all the canon romances/couples given to us in the 2012 series are bad/toxic/poorly written/inc3st/etc with THEM being the only exception (I'll talk about that ship soon), however I think Renetangelo is the other exception.

They’re certainly not perfect with their first problem being Mikey kinda “cheating” on Renet with Shinigami (they weren’t together or officially dating so it’s not cheating, but it still felt wrong that it was never acknowledged that Mikey was pretty much a skirt chaser, crushing on two girls at once), but I still really love their dynamic and relationship. Mikey and Renet are undoubtedly cute together, just two silly goofballs having a fun time and enjoying the other’s company with the occasional flirting and kiss on the cheek (which btw SO CUTE). Renetangelo is that couple that I feel works great both romantically and platonically. If you told me they’re best friends, I’d believe it, if you told me they’re a couple, I’d also believe it. That's how well they work off each other. I'm okay with them being a couple or just being friends.

Season 5 also practically confirms they’re together on two occasions with Mikey saying him and Renet are in a long distance relationship in the When Worlds Collide special, and Renet hinting during the Halloween arc that she and Mikey have some kind of future together.

Overall, I really like Renetangelo and I love seeing these two together. From Mikey's puppy love expressions when he sees her to their overall personalities clashing so well together. This ship is very underrated and needs more love.

4) Slash x Alopex

Btw this edit was made by @robins-treasure <33

Yes, this is a ship that exist and I take FULL CREDIT FOR THE CREATION OF THIS COUPLE! I AM THE REASON THIS SHIP IS ALIVE AND SAILING! YOU ARE WELCOME!!

Slash x Alopex (or what I like to call them Slaopex) is my rarepair of the 2012 series and I’m so happy that I’m slowly getting more and more people one board with it. It started off as just a random silly idea of mine, like "What if Slash got a gf?" and then I thought "Well, who could I ship him with?" and then my brain went "What if Slash and Alopex got together? That would be funny". I laughed at the idea, but the more I thought of it, the more I started to like it. I began coming up with headcanons and a story of their relationship, and the more I did that, the more I fell in love with this concept and the potential of this couple. So much that it placed 4th in my top 5!

I fell so in love with them I even ended up writing a short fanfic of how I headcanon they would first meet and the beginning of their blooming romance (you can read it HERE). But in short, Slash runs into Alopex during a late night patrol and helps her beat up some crooks who were attacking her. The two get to talking, sharing a tender moment before parting ways, with Alopex now being the only thing on Slash's mind <3

I also reference this ship a few times in my fanfic Courting a Salamandrian. Consider it a continuation of that little oneshot.

3) Leo x Casey

While everyone else was shipping Jonatello, I was shipping Caseynardo! I was never a fan of Jonatello, I don't hate it, just couldn't get on board nor understand the hype around it, but then one day I stumbled across fanart of Leo x Casey and I thought "Huh... these two actually look cute together!" and quickly sunk into the rabbit hole. Looking up every little bit of fanart, fanfics and edits I could find.

Liking this ship this much for it to be ranked 3rd in my Top 5 favorite TMNT 2012 ships says a lot. This ship really grew on me very quickly, so much so that I wrote a fanfiction on them! I wrote a Caseynardo fanfic before writing a Renetangelo one (you can read it HERE), which is funny cause I've been shipping Renetangelo since the show was airing, and I didn't start liking Caseynardo till long after the show ended! That says a lot about how much these boy effected me! LOL

My whole HC for this ship is that they bonding a lot in season 3 at the farmhouse which led to a mutual romantic attraction. Eventually they secretly date without telling anyone but due to the circumstances and problems going on in Leo’s life, he was unable to keep the relationship going. They agree to just be friends, which Casey promising to wait for him. It’s basically the “right person, wrong time” trope. But I like to headcanon that by season 5, Leo and Casey finally get together officially and made their relationship known to everyone else. The only one not surprised was Raphael who knew about those two since day one, cause he was stuck being their third wheel/wingman XD

2) Karai x Shinigami

I will NEVER forgive Nickelodeon for be too cowardly to make this happen. They'd rather ship inc3st and force Shini to be straight than give us our goth kunoichi lesbians. For shame, Nickelodeon... For shame...

Not to mention that one of the writers of the show, Peter Di Cicco, shipped them! Calling them his "OTP" and referring to Shini as "Karai's girlfriend", and even pitching an alternate ending to the series where Splinter and Shredder make up but the only thing they fight over now is who gets to walk Karai down the aisle during her wedding to Shinigami XD

The moment I saw Shinigami, I instantly thought "Oh that's a lesbian and she and Karai are a thing". I really love their dynamic, their friendship and the potential they have in being a cute couple of childhood friends to lovers. You can see how much they care about each other. The fury in Shini's voice when she confronts Super Shredder, "I will destroy you, Monster! For everything you have done to Karai!". Shini is supportive of Karai and is always the one down to start chaos with you. Makes me wish we could've learned more about these two and their history. I like to think they've known each other since they were little, being childhood friends while training and growing up in The Foot Clan.

My personal headcanon is that Shinigami has had a crush on Karai since they were young, like preteens, and is so loyal to her and willing to help Karai not just because she is her best friend but also because she loves her. However, she is scared to tell Karai how she really feels because she's worried she won't reciprocate and it'll ruin their long time friendship. Luckily, Mikey is there for support!

Not to toot my own horn, but I did write a fanfic relating to this concept that you can read HERE

1) Raphael x Mona Lisa

What have I not already said about RaMona? If you follow me then you know full well that these two are my life. I’ve written multiple fanfics based on them on AO3 (LINK HERE) and have done a few analysis posts about them as well here on Tumblr. They have consumed my life. I love them so much!

Overall, I believe they are the healthiest ship the series offered us, and the best one in canon. I know some complain that they were rushed and how they got together too quickly, but in truth I can understand why Raph and Mona got into a relationship as quickly as they did. They are both warriors with the mindset of "I might die tomorrow" so it makes sense they'd be open and honest about their feelings right from the start just in case something happens to either one of them in battle. You only live once, you know? And I like how open Raph is when it comes to his feelings for Mona. From the very start, the moment he realized he liked her, never once did he deny it. Even when his brothers and friends laughed or scolded him, Raph proudly admitted he likes her with no ounce of shame. Mikey even points out that Mona is "bigger, stronger and a better fighter" than Raph and him responding by saying "Exactly! What a woman..." The boy does not care that she will be the pants in their relationship. He loves that she's stronger than him, bigger than him, a better fighter than him. We even see how excited he gets when she suggests training with him someday. Not to mention how we also learn in the show that these two have written love letters to each other during the course of the season 4 space adventures. Their personailties clash so well together. Both being strong willed warriors who put their loved ones first. Both can be stubborn and jump to conclusions quickly. We even see that Mona can have a short temper much like Raph. Both are ready to kick some ass with anyone who talks shit (Raph defending Mona but then Mona defending herself *chef's kiss*)

It's not talked about often among the fandom/shippers, but the fact that Mona is as much in love with Raph as he is with her is what truly makes this ship great. While the other 2012 ships make it unclear (writing wise) if the love interest truly feels the exact same way towards her Turtle she's shipped with, but for Mona her feelings are obvious. She's the one who makes the first move during all of their kisses/nose nuzzles, she's the one to say "I love you" first" and do I have to remind y'all of the push up scene? XD

These two are obsessed with one another. You can tell and see just how in love they are with one another. Even with only appearing in about 4-5 episodes, they truly left a major impact on shipping in this fandom. I feel it has come to a unanimous agreement that this ship is the best (canon) couple this show gave us. I love them, I love their relationship, I love what these two have done for the show and this fandom. They were able to bring back a classic ship from the 87 series and add so much more to them! I hope we get to see more of this couple in future generations. They certainly aren't a perfect couple, they got their flaws too, but overall they are truly the best couple in the 2012 series. <333

[scalamore]

I wonder, when it’s mentioned that Rupert using alchemy can decrease his life force, does it refer to his strength instead of actual years in his life?

answering here because i need more space haha

Hmm I never really thought about it, but I think it’s technically both! The mechanics aren’t really explained, but in the earlier chapters it’s explained that alchemy follows the law of equivalent exchange (just like another popular series with a long haired male lead). In this case, one has to give up something to use Alchemy: one’s “life”. To perform the strongest spells, one must use their blood “life” as a medium for it. As Rupert says, one can use a pen or ink to use alchemy, but it won’t be as effective. Alchemists for whatever reason, also tended to die young. In Vellnelni, Alchemists are frowned upon, as they use the devil’s sorcery, yet in Willetan, Alchemy is commonplace. With so much focus on the side effect of alchemic overuse, and how Rupert was so close to dying a few times, it seems that the most common way for Alchemists to die is because of over-doing it. Kinda like “working yourself to death” + blood loss anemia. However there’s also a few examples where it suggests that alchemy steals one’s lifespan away as well: Lari recognizes the alchemic seal Rupert put on her hand is something created from his love; he loved and cherished her so much he wanted her to have a way to protect herself if he wasn’t there, and so he used part of his ‘life” to create and modify that seal so she could more easily manifest alchemy in a crisis if she needed to.

She also wants Rupert to be more mindful of his alchemy, because she wants him to grow old to the point he has to hobble around with a bad back lol. While talking with Louis after coming back from the abandoned palace., she mentioned again that Alchemy is very useful, but it is a double edged sword, and wonders how long Rupert could live at this rate and hopes he won’t have to use it as much in the future. (Also prompting Louis to get the hint that Lari does care for Rupert, more than he believed :) BUT, this could also be because Lari doesn’t fully understand how one’s life is taken by alchemy or she’s being extra careful, because from Rupert’s POV when he was trying to concoct the antidote during the poisoning arc, he mentions chemistry/alchemy is second nature to him, he’s spent hundreds, thousands, ten of thousand hours practicing, reading, studying, learning the art to achieve such experience. He also had to do multiple rounds of trial and error when he developed weapons. When RupeLali were trying to escape from the calling carriage during the Vacation Arc, he wanted to use alchemy for an easy escape, but stopped when Lari told him too (out of concern he may get hurt from overuse again), but once they’re in a safe area he told her that ‘that amount of alchemy is nothing’.

Based on all the above, I think Alchemy is supposed to be something that can be safely used in moderation. It’s easy to overestimate one’s capabilities and get blood loss anemia (use of “too much life”), or use so much mana (also life) that one would faint and develop a cursed alchemic seal mark, which can only disappear with a counter-technique. After a person exerts themselves dangerously to their limits too much, their bodies may just be so run down that just can’t last as long anymore (again, death from overwork/overexertion).

It may have a bad rap in the Vellnelni Empire, but in Willetan alchemy is much more commonplace and used. Otherwise, Rupert enjoys using alchemy and it’s second nature to him, and considering he wants to live a long, full life with Lari I don’t think he’s that eager to die early anymore.

[warlordgab]

NaLu analysis: tension and shipping

A few months ago, shippers brought up an interesting concept: "Tension." Which led to the question, what does "tension" mean in the context of relationships? Doesn't NaLu have this element in their bonding?

Let's start by answering, what's Tension?

It seems some people deliberately leave it vague as they don't specify if it is "romantic tension" or "sexual tension." So, we're going to briefly explore both concepts to see if we find either something from other premises that doesn't belong in NaLu, or something that fits their relationship and growth as seen in Mashima's works.

Let's start by assuming shippers use the term as Romantic Tension

There are a lot of concepts and factors involved, but to make it simple we can define "romantic tension" as the anticipation produced by the way two characters gravitate towards each other before their eventual relationship upgrade. Such interactions usually have some uniqueness to them, and depending on the writer and the characters, it may include a mix of both nervousness and excitement.

We have to make clear appearing in the panel/frame or having the same reaction to certain things or events is not 'gravitating toward each other,' so those scenes don't count as "tension."

What does count as romantic tension?

So, which girl does Natsu gravitate towards the most?

It's kinda hard to miss that since the story started Natsu, slowly but surely, developed a strong attachment to Lucy. It started with Natsu doing what he never did during his whole life in the guild: form a team

They kept growing so close they eventually got the point that he sticks to her a lot more often, even when having the choice to make up for the lost time with his childhood friend by the time of the GMG arc...

...to the point when having to choose between the thrill of battle in the magic games or going on a secret mission to rescue Lucy, he easily chose Lucy.

Bonus points for Lucy getting a little blushed and clearly overjoyed when she got to know about it.

The story also highlights who, more often than not, stays in Lucy's house eagerly waiting for her return...

He tends to go to Lucy's home more often that anyone else, and that special chapter revealed he just does it because he wants to be her.

Also, who was the first person he wanted to go with him to battle Hades?

...and as Lisanna predicted, Natsu drew strength from the fact Lucy was by his side even when everyone else was losing hope

Before the Alvarez battle started, who did Natsu choose to spend the night with?

The one who actually got him to talk about the future and rationalize the thrill he feels in battle was Lucy. More often than not, Natsu tends to gravitate towards her, and that's part of the reason why some of the most meaningful moments come up naturally without any of them being out of character. So, we can say there's some sort of tension there

But, what about Lucy?

Well, after sharing so much with Natsu she began to feel attached to him too. But, the most notable showings are the ones who showcase the emotional chemistry between the characters. Think about this: who did she turned when needing relief...

At the finale of the GMG arc, who did she run to when overwhelmed by, according to the narrative, a warm feeling dwelling in her chest?

Her first impulse was going to Natsu, and it doesn't feel forced at all given the context around the moment; feelings trascending space and time, but ultimately Lucy's own feelings, draw her to Natsu. Before the guild disbanded, who did Lucy run after?

Notice that despite having many guildmates, who are practically her family, it's the prospect of Natsu's absence what would make her feel lonely even if the guild were to be there for her. Still, after the disbandment was announced, she didn't run after any other guild member.

Who did she stick to after the events of HEROs? Who did she seek to prank her new friend? And who did she stay with the rest of their time?

It should be clear by now that the one person Lucy gravitates towards the most is Natsu. So, it's only logical to conclude there's "tension" between them as these unique interactions create some sort of suspense or hype around their bond and its potential to grow and evolve into something stronger.

Still, we have another term to cover: Sexual Tension

It's not the first time we tackled this subject in blogs or forums. Sexual tension occurs when two characters have sexual desires for each other, but they either hold back or never act on those urges. It's also used to create anticipation, since the only resolve that tension is for the character to get "intimate" with the person they desire.

It sounds crazy when you think about how the manga already told us that neither Natsu or Lucy have much experience with love, and take a look at how they respond to the subject. E.g. recall how Lucy reacts to the prospect of having a child with Natsu?

But, we can use a loophole: Drunk Lucy. It started in a OVA, made it into the manga, and stayed with us ever since

When Lucy gets drunk, the only target of her rather suggestive "affection" is Natsu

As for Natsu. Oddly enough, it's difficult to find Natsu "horny" even during fanservice involving NaLu. Some omakes may do the trick. But, the closest thing we got in the main storyline is feeling "good" when having Yokai Lucy firmly wrapped around him:

If we were to use those rare moments, we could say Natsu may be attracted to Lucy in more ways than one. So, despite how oblivious Natsu is, and how shy Lucy gets with the subject at hand, it's possible to argue there's some sort of "tension" in this regard

But, this is merely a small bonus. The true strength of NaLu is in the first kind of tension mentioned here, which is further enhanced by the solid chemistry they haveA lively and exciting dynamic made even more special due to the emotional attachment they cultivated for one another

Bonus:

Still, it's pretty interesting seeing shippers use similar arguments to promote premises that contradict NaLu. It's not uncommon to find fans claiming that NaLu will be canon only because Mashima said so, and because Juvia survived the Alvarez arc, while stating Lucy has "tension" with other guy(s).

So, if Mashima hadn't commented on Natsu and Lucy being the most "suitable" paring, and/or had Juvia died on the Alvarez arc, then NaLu wouldn't have a chance? Does the pairing depends on author's commentary and Juvia's well-being? That makes NaLu sound forced

And when it comes to the claims of tension, remember the definition(s)? So, according to shippers, Lucy will end up with Natsu, but she gravitates towards someone else, probably because she feels sexual desire for this person, and the only way to resolve that kind of tension is having sex with the other guy... That doesn't make any sense

The issue is that Natsu doesn't fit the romantic cliché several shippers want. He's too quirky and dorky, he’s not sexy enough, he doesn't throw corny or cheesy one-liners, and he's not actively seeking romance for he's inexperienced in that particular field. But, even without clichés, he bonded with Lucy to the point of being completely comfortable with the child he could potentially have with Lucy: Nasha

To the point of offering most of what a relationship needs to grow into something stronger and deeper, as explained in another analysis, Natsu provides Lucy with a sense of adventure that brings her joy and excitment as well as giving her both emotional and practical support

All of these are traits that make romantic relationships prosper. The more you break down the reasoning shippers present, the less sense it makes. For example, did Natsu's meaningful gestures to Lucy depended on Mashima's commentary?

Did their most powerful moments happened only because Juvia served as some sort of deterrent to other premises?

Shippers may say or imply that's case. But, what the author's works convey is something entirely different. Their bond is stronger, not because of Juvia or interviews, its strength comes from the chemistry they built through the profound effect the had on each other. The tension they have, it's only there to keep us waiting for their eventual relationship upgrade.

[iheartgod175]

So, thanks to @blazing-shadows , I’m in a huge Ricochet Rabbit mood now, and I want to get started on a few new things that’ll appear in Redux!

I would love to commission someone for a cover for the story in the future. Like, I know that I can draw it myself, but I would love to have some digital art of it (well, actually, my dream is for someone to draw fan art based on my fics! Which has happened to me once, and it was such an amazing feeling.).

So, this idea has been running through my head since I was tweaking a few things on Ricochet’s profile on the BT Wiki, and it’s been a remaster of one of my favorite arcs of Blazin’ Trails: the Protector arc. It was at the time the darkest thing I ever wrote, as it dealt with racism, grief and action/adventure, of course. And while I still love the arc itself, I figured it’d be good to do an updated version showing the improvements I made as a writer, kinda like what happened with the Zula Patrol: Dreamscape Crusade Remastered. And I had a few ideas that I wanted to introduce in this, as well as a few buildup chapters to Redux’s edition of the Protector arc.

In the original BT, Ricochet and Droop’s friendship is considered an oddity due to their species hating each other—not to mention humans having a dislike/hatred towards coyotes. In Redux, there is the added factor that there are certain attitudes/behaviors that rabbits and coyotes—particularly wealthy or renowned ones—have towards each other. In the notes for both Ricochet and Droop’s profiles, I noted that the dynamics between coyotes and rabbits are often manipulative or predatory, but other than it being referenced a few times, I never explored it. In Redux, that’s actually going to be more of a focal point, as seen below (taken from the wiki):

Traditionally, coyotes only stuck close to rabbits if they planned on eating them; sometimes, the positions could be reversed, with a rabbit keeping a coyote as their personal “pet” (to coyotes, this is the lowest form of treatment and is considered slavery). As this was a common occurrence in Hoop ‘n Holler, rumors and accusations of either party using the other ran rampant. Ricochet was aware of this practice, and worked to put an end to it (Redux’s build-up to the Protector arc, titled “Unequal Yokes”, focuses on this exact issue, and in the remastered Protector--Part 1, he becomes physically ill at the thought of doing that to Droop-a-Long), but he ignored the rumors, knowing that his friendship with the coyote was genuine and not manipulative. He was unaware that Droop-a-Long was getting the brunt of the slander, however, which is why what Dave and Chuck did to Droop-a-Long both angered and horrified him.

I’m thinking of adding another villain alongside Dave and Chuck, who I felt were one-dimensional and weren’t super convincing. Not sure if this person will be a man or a woman yet, but I do know that they’re gonna be pretty nasty, and will make what Ricochet and Droop-a-Long went through in the original pretty tame.

I don’t wanna reveal everything…but I DO know that I’ll be putting up a snippet of the remaster on my writing blog maybe next week.

That’ll probably be after I work on a little project for Vulaan Kulaas, though. But that’s news for another post 😏

[opalesense]

the last appointment

zhongli & gn!reader

3.4k words • ~25 min. read

summary: as a studious and credible fortune teller in liyue, you discover something about your last client of the week that completely derails your outlook on life.

warnings: liyue arc spoilers, little bit of existential dread, slight mention of family member’s death

notes: might make more parts to this idk?  just kinda wanted to dip my toes into genshin writing for the first time!!

LIFE IN LIYUE HARBOUR seemed to be repetitive and mundane.  For the past few years, you would wake up, open your fortune telling shop, analyze the futures of your clients using your geomancy, possibly take a stroll around Liyue when you needed to run errands, and then call it a day.  You performed the same routine constantly, sometimes travelling beyond the harbor to collect crystals and magical supplies for your shop, but rarely did anything truly change in your routine.  If something was off in the slightest, it was never too exciting to note.

   As anyone would have suspected, you were tired of your state of limbo in life.  Other vision holders seemed to be going on adventures, travelling with companions and exploring the vast mountains and valleys of Teyvat.  Other vision holders seemed to be fighting against evil, helping citizens, and saving the world from imminent dangers.  You could even recall a recent event where the Qixing had evacuated the harbor to defeat a terrifying sea monster.  The Jade Chamber had been sacrificed for the safety of the people of Liyue, and yet here you were, playing with a bunch of rocks for a living.  Despite being able to grasp the glowing Geo vision that held your coat together, you could not grasp why you felt doomed to tend to this shop for the rest of your days.

   You didn’t know where or how to “start” your life.  The small, inherited establishment from your late aunt was located in the small alley of Chihu Rock, practically out of sight from most of the foot traffic in the harbor.  Not many people came to visit, though your name was still decently known.  In fact, most of your appointments were simply previous clients from your aunt, regulars that relied on her readings for years and believed you were the next best thing after she passed.  Especially considering you were the first vision holder in your family, it made your credibility even stronger.

   You still remember how you got your vision.  The morning after your aunt had passed, the elemental gift somehow made its way into your hand as if the timing was meant to be perfect.  You didn’t celebrate such a special and momentous occasion with pride or joy.  Your face stiff with tears, you instead reflected on why you received your vision at that moment in the first place.  With the shop doors closed upstairs, you gripped your vision and did what you felt needed to be done.  With your family’s legacy and tradition on the line, adventuring like other vision wielders was not a priority at the time.

   But after years alone of research, a social life consisting only of interacting with customers, and a constant state of grieving the experiences you could’ve had in your youth, you were now in your late twenties and closing the shop for the day.  Your last appointment was either extremely late or not showing up at all and you were tired of working today, just like every other day. Regret gripped you tightly as you wondered how you managed to get yourself in such a boring, slow burning loop.

   That is until the shop door opened, eliciting a gasp from you at the sudden noise, shattering the previous thought.  You accidentally dropped the basket of cor lapis you were refilling and immediately knelt down to pick up the precious pieces that thankfully hadn’t cracked on the way down.

   “Hello, [Y/N],” the tall figure practically glided through the doorway, “My deepest apologies for being late.”

   He closed the door behind him, “...and for startling you, it seems.”

   You sighed, checking for any scratches on the gems and sighed again with relief based on the good results.  You grinned to hide the fact you had just been in deep thought.  “It’s quite alright, Mr. Zhongli.  It’s kind of you to stop by at the very least, even if you’re late.”

   Mr. Zhongli was one of your aunt’s longtime clients.  Since you were a child, your aunt had always described Mr. Zhongli as a complex yet thoughtful man that had always shown kindness to your family for many years.  When Mr. Zhongli learned of your aunt’s death and began to receive readings from you instead, you quickly realized what your aunt meant by calling him complex.  Mr. Zhongli was truly a tough nut to crack in every single reading, his sessions taking longer than most other cases.  That is why Mr. Zhongli would always offer to take the last spot of the day at the end of every week as to not trouble any of your other clients.

   As you took a few of the best cor lapis from the basket, you could see Mr. Zhongli’s acts of kindness and thoughtfulness unfold in front of you.  He seemed to carry what was now clearly a gift basket at closer inspection.

   “This gift is for you,” Mr. Zhongli took a few steps forward to set the basket on a countertop.  “I brought you your favorites.  Slow cooked bamboo shoot soup, qingxin, glaze lilies, and all the crystals I could find…  needless to say, let this be a token of my appreciation for your patience and hard work from our last few sessions.  I know I am not the easiest to read, but you truly have a talent.”

   You were speechless at the gesture as your eyes sunk into the intricate detail of the handwoven basket and decorated items inside.  No one had ever done something so kind for you in so long.  It was astonishing enough that he remembered your favorite soup that you mentioned only once a few months ago, let alone your favorite flowers and crystals as well.  “Thank you so much, Mr. Zhongli!   I’m at a loss for words – this is so thoughtful of you!”

   “I even brought you that Rex Incognito series you had mentioned, although, I am not sure why you would need to read the series when I am fully capable of educating you on the history of Rex Lapis myself,” he flaunted, taking his seat on the cushioned chair in front of the reading table.

   “Now, Mr. Zhongli...” you picked out some prithiva topaz from another basket, following the usual protocol you had with such a personalized, frequent client like him. The required materials for his readings were imprinted into your memory like carvings in stone. “You know I don’t want to burden you with my curiosity.  And with such an intriguing topic like Rex Lapis... once I start asking questions I’m afraid I will not stop.”

   “I have all the time in the world,” he got comfortable in his seat as you sat yourself across from him, “I truly think it would benefit you to discuss the history of Rex Lapis with a learned scholar such as myself.  We can even have some tea as we discuss.”

   You chuckled at his eagerness.  He seemed more forward than usual. “You are too kind, Mr. Zhongli.  Perhaps I’ll take that offer someday, but at least let me put those books to good use first. Maybe I won’t need to bombard you with questions if I’m already well briefed on the subject.”

   He sighed happily.  “You make a good point. And you will enjoy them, I’m sure.”

   You settled into your seat as you arranged the crystals between the two of you.  “The usual for tonight?”

   “Yes, please.”

   Your hands meticulously placed the last crystal in its spot on the surface.  You closed your eyes and hovered your hands above the rocks, clearing your mind to make way for the usual reading: a reflection on the past, any significant events of the present to focus on, and some insight into the future.  You held this hand gesture for awhile, letting the energy from the rocks lift into the air and envelop your gloved palms.  When you felt there was enough energy to work with, you opened your eyes to reveal the manifestation of his thoughts in front of you, able to take its physical form using the powers from your glowing vision.

   No one had ever taught your this skill, not even your aunt.  If you had to bloat your own ego, one could say you invented this Geo fortune telling process yourself. The process indeed came to you naturally, a true display of pure talent.

   You slowly lifted your hands to allow the visual manifestation to settle on the table among the gems so Mr. Zhongli could watch his reading unfold in front of him as well.

   “Let us analyze the past first,” he spoke, already knowing the routine without you needing to ask him where to start.  You slowly waved your hands as if you were digging a hole in sand on a beach, the manifestation displaying ambiguous patterns that wouldn’t make sense to any commoner’s eyes but could be interpreted easily by yours.

   Two pairs of focused eyes fixated on the picture as you spoke your mind out loud.  “You have recently given up something extremely important to you, it seems.  I see you handing over something…  small, physically, yet unbelievably significant and personal.  I can’t tell what it is exactly, only that it glows like the sun with its energy.  But you have handed this important object over to a very... evil... figure?” you cocked your eyebrow, confused.  “You seem to be brooding over the fact that its aura is dark with malicious intentions.”  You hesitated, “Well, that can’t be right, can it?”

   He sighed.  “Unfortunately, that is indeed what happened recently.  But it had to be done.”

   “Didn’t we talk about a similar situation in a previous reading?  If I remember correctly, I thought I had advised you to not give up whatever that object was.”

   “I am aware of the consequences that will follow.  Especially with your future guidance, I’m sure the events following this one questionable decision will unfold in a better way soon enough.”

   “I will always be here to help you, Mr. Zhongli.  But please be careful in the future with these decisions.  The importance of this object seems to be off the charts.”

   He nodded.  “It is as you say.  Please, have faith in me now. I cannot change what happened in the past, after all.”

   You hovered over this image of the sacrifice.  You couldn’t make out what this object was, no matter how close you tried to inspect it.  It had the likings of a chess piece, but surely this wasn’t simply a chess piece, was it?

   “Let us move on, if that is alright with you,” his low voice cut the silence.

   You wiped the image from your mind and waved your hands again, as if you were slowly putting the sand back into the hole you dug before.  If the last image wasn’t enough bad news, this new one that formed was even more painful to witness.

   “You have been grieving your losses very recently,” you said gently.  “Your mind is currently weighed down by your past.  I see you looking out at the sea in deep thought.  There are flashes of…”

   You stopped as you inspected the graphic images that suddenly appeared beyond your hands.  You gasped at the terrifying horrors.

   “What is it?” the low voice tried to search for understanding of what you were seeing.  Even though the image was clearly laid out in front of him, it was still too ambiguous to tell when he lacked your years of experience.

   “There are flashes of war,” your breath stifled as you watched his thoughts splayed out in images of lifeless bodies and destruction.  “Very graphic details of war and death.  Mr. Zhongli, I believe this image of suffering has been weighing over your mind like an anchor in the sea.”

   He paused to process your comparison.  “That is... a very good way to put it.”

   “Though, I believe that despite the sorrow that emanates in this image, you are in a state of relief and tranquility.  It seems you are grieving, but you are simultaneously at peace,” you hesitated again, “Yet I wonder what these graphic images of war are meant to represent.  Surely we are not in an actual war, are we? Perhaps you are at war with your past, wanting to move on but haunted by your memories?”

  Mr. Zhongli unfortunately knew the images you were seeing were, in fact, real events he had experienced in his life time and the truth was that lately he had been reminiscing on these events.  Mortal life is kind to humans for them to be blissfully unaware and carefree of these harsh realities, he internally commented.

  He still put your analysis into thought, though.

  “I am haunted, indeed.  I have been attempting to come to terms with my troubled past, just as you advised me only a few weeks ago.  I have tried to follow your guidance, and although they resurface what I have been trying to repress, I believe I am coming to peace with what happened.”

  You grinned.  “That is very good to hear, Mr. Zhongli.  I believe you are currently making good progress when it comes to moving on.  Just remember that it is okay to remember your sorrow.  Let your emotions pass through you instead of repressing them or rushing to move on.  It is okay to take your time and let the thoughts bubble inside of you for awhile.”

  He closed his eyes as you continued, letting your advice seep in.  You continued. “Imagine the stillness of the sea.  Many creatures and lost remnants take their place in the depths of the waters, but on the surface we see constantly moving yet serene waves wash over what is hidden below.  Your memories are there to stay, Mr. Zhongli.  But your present self, the surface of the water, can peacefully coexist with whatever is hiding deep within.  Let these thoughts weigh you down momentarily, but rest assured, you will find balance and acceptance in due time.”

  His eyes fluttered open as he reflected over your words.  You always seemed to know what to say.  “Your words have truly resonated with me, [Y/N].  And you are absolutely correct.  I have been fighting these memories to avoid the pain, but it had not dawned on me that sorrow is... what I am meant to feel, not push away.  I suppose your advice has put my mind at a bit more ease, and I suppose I am focusing too much on when I will be able to move on rather than allowing my thoughts to coexist for a moment.”

  “Now you’re getting it,” you grinned with the relief that washed over his face.

  “Shall we move on?” he offered.

  You got to work on the last segment of the reading.  If manifesting the other images didn’t take long enough, reading one’s future always took the longest.  Interpreting an event that hasn’t happened yet always made you a bit nervous with your words.  You never wanted to let a client down with an inaccurate reading.

  On the contrary, this reading, despite taking quite awhile to appear on the surface on the table, was very clear.

  “That is undoubtedly an image of me,” your eyes glazed over the facial features of the person in the manifestation.  “I apologize for the delay, Mr. Zhongli, I must have accidentally let my thoughts seep into yours–“

  “Do not fret, I believe this is accurate,” he interrupted.  “Keep going.”

  Your perplexed expression remained as you continued the reading.  “I am admittedly stumped.  There is nothing left in this image.  I suppose it is simply me standing in what looks like some ruins.  I am holding a staff, or some kind of long object.”  You paused to think out loud.  “Why am I in your reading?  What could this possibly mean?”

  Mr. Zhongli chuckled as you thought out loud.  “Perhaps this is a good time to tell you why you are in my thoughts.”

  “I’d love to hear it, I have never appeared in someone’s reading in my last decade and a half of experience.  This is quite unique.”

  He folded his hands in his lap, “For some reason, I have had this strange vision of training you.  I’m not sure why, since you don’t seem like the fighting type, but there is some voice inside me that is telling me you are destined for something great and i need to take some part in it.  What do you think, now that you see this vision as well?”

  Your eyebrows rose in shock.  “Training me?  I guess this does relate to something I have been pondering as of late.  I do not want to lay out my troubles on you though, my job is to interpret your life, not mine.”

  “Our lives have clearly intertwined in this vision,” he insisted, “Please do not hold back for my sake. I have the time.”

  You thought for a moment.  How could you form the words without seeming too selfish? How could you maintain professionalism by talking about your personal problems?

  “I am not the fighting type, Mr. Zhongli.  Though, lately I have been quite depressed about the fact that I am not doing as much with my vision as other vision holders are.  My life is uninteresting.  The truth is that I am a simple fortune teller that plays with rocks.  I hope you can understand why I am failing to interpret this reading,” you apologized. “It’s because this doesn’t seem characteristic of me at all.  And with all due respect, after giving you readings for years, I would have never guessed you were versed in combat to train me!”

  He chuckled.  “I respectfully disagree.  To tell you the truth, your talents surpass the abilities of many other vision holders.  Not everyone can read thoughts or tell the future.  Now that I mention it, I know of one talented astrologist in Mondstadt, but think about that.  You are one in hundreds of thousands in Teyvat,” he reassured.  “You did not receive your vision for no reason and I truly believe you are destined for something big.  I regret not being able to realize this before.”

  “How are you so sure of this?  I would love to believe you, but I’m afraid I am not destined for much, really.  Again, I am simply a fortune teller.  What could I possibly do for Liyue other than read some rocks?”

  He sighed and connected his palms with yours, interrupting the reading and wiping the manifestation off the table.  The hovering crystals dropped onto the surface, making you gasp at the sudden sound.

  “I am not who you think I am,” his amber eyes finally met yours for the first time this evening, which sent a chill down your spine.  “Promise me you will not fret, for what I am about to show you may shock you.”

  “What do you mean?  What are you doing, Mr. Zhongli?” you slightly panicked as he firmly grasped your hands.

  Suddenly, the room was engulfed in golden light that emitted from the seat across from you.  Scattered, distorted images of a mystical dragon, a devastating war, and seven seats in Celestia flashed across your eyes as you stared at the beams of light.  Death seemed to swallow you, but not take you.  The baskets of crystals around the room shook with the surge of energy.  The world seemed to destroy itself then remake itself over and over again within fleeting moments.  These thousands of years of memories made your body tremble.  It all happened within fleeting moments, and after a few seconds of your senses being overwhelmed, you finally pulled yourself together and connected the dots.

  His expanded knowledge of Liyue’s history.  The sudden gift of your vision immediately after your aunt passed.  Grieving his losses and having flooded thoughts of war and death.  Offering combat training.  Remembering your favorites the same way he would remember Liyue’s customs and traditions.  His glowing amber eyes alone.

  Mr. Zhongli was the God of Contracts and overseer of Liyue.  Rex Lapis, a being that lived for millennia, sat in the seat across from you. He had been posing as a mere mortal for years, taking readings as if he were any normal customer. The realization shook you to your core as you sat there bewildered, grateful, and horrified at the same time.

  He let go of your hands after seeing that the information successfully processed in your mind.  He saw something in you that was yet to be awakened, where the sky was the limit under your own expectations.  This daydream of his was no simple vision – it was a calling.  Internally, whether you agreed to it or not, he vowed that he would not leave your life until your true destiny was fulfilled.

  He would see this vow fulfilled by offering you a contract that would change the course of your life forever.

[prodigious-ladybug]

wishmaker thoughts

in terms of it being a single installment in the larger narrative of miraculous ladybug, i don’t have a lot of thoughts on wishmaker other than ‘haha cool someone knows both of their identities at the same time wonder where this will go’ bc like. i am unable to separate myself from the idea that i absolutely cannot judge something (in this case, season- and series-long arcs) until i see it in its Entirety, in its Proper Complete State (which i know doesn’t exactly mesh with television as a serialised art form but jhdfghj wtvr thats a whole other discussion) so i don’t, and won’t, really have an opinion on luka knowing their identities until i see what the show does with it

on the other hand, in terms of its own merits as an episode (as in, the parts of the episode that are self-contained and are supposed to have their own story arc within the 20min) wishmaker was probably one of the weaker episodes of the show? alec’s akumatisation practically came out of nowhere - the show usually does a pretty good job of setting up the through lines that lead to a character’s akumatisation right from the start of the ep (you know, like with actual foreshadowing and good writing and shit) but wishmaker felt more concerned with the interactions between luka & adrien & marinette than having the villain feel natural within the story. which is all well and good, like this episode is about those three and should be focused on luka’s relationship with adrien & marinette if it wanted to have the proper impact of luka finding out their identities, but it just seemed like the episode couldn’t balance being both a run of the mill, monster of the week episode and an Event episode at the same time (that being said, i doubt this episode would’ve been enough to hold its own across a two parter so i get how the unbalance arose). instead of throwing alec’s characterisation out of whack they couldve used his early screen time to lead up to his akumatisation more naturally - surely something about being a tv presenter and having to be fake all the time for a living and not staying true to what his younger self wanted or SOMETHING would like. be putting him down in the dumps or smth. idk. that’s just off the top of my head surely the writers could come up with something more substantial. and yeah this might take away some attention from the emotional core of luka, adrien & marinette but it’d at least 1. tie in with the theme of the episode and 2. set some precedent for his negative feelings instead of him getting akumatised in like. ten seconds hgfdfghjk

the only other thing that kinda rubbed me the wrong way was how wishmaker’s power seemed especially contrived, even for this show? like i Know half of the akumatised powers are to either get ladybug and chat noir to kiss (contrived for the sake of romance which is. generally fine in a romance show and also approved by my shipper brain) or reveal their identities (which actually ties into the plot and the villain’s motivations and therefore makes it...not really contrived) so wishmaker being used to reveal their identities is fine. but um. the leap hawkmoth made in how his powers would do that is. wild. it’s like:

reveal people’s childhood wishes

???

reveal lb & cn’s identities

profit

and again, i know hawkmoth has given an endless list of powers to people that make you think ‘what the fuck was he hoping to accomplish with that?? what did he THINK would happen?’ and i’m all for hawkmoth having dumb plans, being soundly beaten and then having to figure out smarter ways to beat lb & cn, but i guess my problem here is that in this episode he was actually proven RIGHT. like he had no guarantee that lb & cn wouldn’t have childhood wishes a la dino man and mr banana, but he really put out this fairly weak akuma with the immediate assumption that it would reveal their identities and like?? if viperion wasn’t there he’d have achieved it! (well, idk abt ladybug, he’d at least probably hit chat noir, which is. an interesting au to think about). the link between revealing childhood wishes and revealing lb & cn’s identities seemed like a massive leap in logic to me (more than this show usually makes), and idk if anyone else felt that when watching the episode but like kjhdfghjk hawkmoth buddy can you explain your thinking for just a second like i’ll accept what you’re doing i just need to know why the fuck you’re doing it and how you got there

but other than that! i really really liked this episode and i was hyped up the entire fucking time!! i had to keep pausing it bc i was getting overwhelmed LMAO. i guess one thing i will say so that this doesn’t seem like a wall of negativity (which i swear i didn’t mean for it to be, there were only two (2) things i didn’t like about the episode that i felt weakened it, it just takes me a billion words to get to my point) is that however they handle luka knowing their identities in future episodes, i fucking loved the way they handled it in this episode. for some background, i’ve honestly never cared much either way abt luka, i have zero negative feelings about him, it’s just that he has the unfortunate case of not being a character type i particularly care abt, and the writing hasn’t done anything much to endear him to me. he’s fine, and i certainly like him more than other characters, but i’m pretty much as neutral on him as you could get. UNTIL THIS EPISODE! okay not really, something abt him agreeing to be friends with marinette in crocoduel made me go ‘:) what a nice boy :)’ BUT! THIS EPISODE! i’m proud to announce i’m officially a luka stan. LYING BALD-FACED TO LADYBUG? KING. LYING TO LADYBUG AFTER THE SEASON OPENER OF HIM GETTING AKUMATISED OVER MARINETTE LYING??? i am SO here for internal character conflicts YES! this is what i WANT! set up a character who has a strict line in the sand and put them in a situation where they’re forced to cross it anyway, and see what happens next!!!! i really would not mind a whole character study on luka after this. like....the fucking intrigue.......why did he lie, and how does he feel about it? does he regret it? does he consider it a necessary evil? i’m sure all of this will be answered in like. a single line from him five episodes down the road bc that’s how this show handles shit like this but. those last few minutes were really just straight bangers i’m still not recovered

well this was. longer than i thought it’d be. and again, i liked this episode a lot, idk what compelled me to write all this out. i usually don’t have a lot of formulated thoughts like this after an episode of ml; i think that it was just bc there were a couple things i could actually critique in the ep that it made it easier to pick apart my feelings. but anyways!

TL;DR wishmaker, in its self contained elements, felt a bit weak as an episode bc 1. alec’s akumatisation was mad rushed and 2. the way his powers were used to further the plot felt contrived to me (yes, even for miraculous). but, in the episode’s over-arching elements within the season/show, i immensely enjoyed it, primarily because of the amount of intrigue it set up in 1. luka’s characterisation and 2. the possibilities emerging from luka knowing lb & cn’s identities

[crystalnet]

Current X-book Mood-Ring Guide

There are an awful lot of X-books on the shelves right now. They are most of my monthly haul. No joke it is at least 12 books at this point. So, in order to cope with that, I’ve organized all the books into one of four different categories, aka “booster-pack” themes. Click through if you want to jump aboard the best X-men run since Morrison before the boat pushes off for the Hellfire Gala this summer! These are the 4 categories:

-Mainline Blue/Gold-style 

-Jr. Mutants Academy 

-2nd-Wave Krakoa Niche (aka “the good stuff”)

-Cetera

#1. Mainline Blue/Gold-style

Mood-color/vibe: Actually 90s-style Blue/Gold and like bright primary colors (but also muddy-ass colors from X-factor). 

Books included: X-men, Excalibur, Marauders, X-force

Typical Pokemon: Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Betsy Braddock, Kate Pride, Beast, Black Tom, Storm, Bishop, Emma Frost, Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Kid Omega, Domino, a Pyro, Iceman, Avalanche. Rare drops: Apocalypse, X-23, Synch, Darwin, Kid Cable, Fantomex (in that Giant-Sized!)

These be the books for someone who wants those direct, mainline, core-members-style lineups. On the main book (adjective/word-play-less X-men) Hickman/Yu have worked wonders with their run, but it hasn’t been a stable team, instead focusing on Scott and his adventures dealing with some of the more prominent threats to Krakoa. 

So it’s essentially been a revolving door of a book with Cyclops sometimes leading assaults against major problems and sometimes just being a dad to teenagers from the future, and it’s been generally great. 

Meanwhile, the teams we find on the other 3 books could basically be a main X-men team if you just throw Jean/Scott/Logan onto them (except for X-force because Logan is usually on that one, actually, and Jean sort of is..)

X-force: Wolverine usually, Kid Omega, Beast, Jean (quitting?/back-up), Domino sorta, Sage, Black Tom Cassidy, Colossus once? Forge sorta. [Lot’s of backup or sometimes-members on this team but kinda centers on Beast, Omega, Wolverine and Jean or Domino]

Excalibur: Betsy Braddock, Rogue, Jubilee, Gambit, Avalanche, baby/dragon Shogo, Apocalypse (honorary, mia)

Marauders: Kate Pride, Storm, Emma Frost, a Pyro, Iceman, Bishop

On X-force, you get a little Morrison-homage energy going on what with Beast being sus, Quentin Quire having a character arc and dating a cuckoo and then all the body-horror. This one hasn’t been amazing and the art sometimes has issues for me but it’s been a solid expansion on Krakoa-Era lore. 

On Marauders, you get a book centered on Kate Pride and the Hellfire Club. It’s been aight but I’m not the biggest Kate fan. Definitely has heart and the art has been beautiful. 

Excalibur started a little weird for me... I lack the references or attachment to Otherworld or Davis/Moore-era Excalibur so I don’t think I’m even really the target demo, but I will say it recently, post-X of Swords-- which it set up single-handedly basically [along w/ one ish of X-men]-- has gotten more interesting in recent months. The Betsy + Kwannon stuff was great! And Howard did great with Apocalypse before he went off to another dimension. (points off for iffy color-palettes sometimes). 

#2. Jr. Mutants Academy

Mood-color/vibe: Pastel

Books: New Mutants, X-factor, Children of the Atom, Cable

Common Pokemon: Magik, Cable, Rachel Summers, Doug, Warlock, Armor, Boom Boom, Scout, Dani, Warpath, Karma, Glob, Beak, Daken, Eye-boy, North Star, Rachael, Prodigy those Children of the Atom kids, Magma, Rahne, and a lot of lil kid mutants runnin’ around in Akademos/the Wild Hunt area of Krakoa whose names I don’t know yet.

This is the junior-crew club. New Mutants would be in the Blue/Gold books practically due to being part of the first wave of post-HoX/DoX books, but its basically been 3 different books/teams over its run and along w/ Children/Cable/X-Factor, it feels like there a whole handful of books offering up junior-crew shenanigans specifically. 

So New Mutants has been all over the place, starting with a lineup of OG Claremont era New Muties, then focusing on a team consisting of Glob, Armor and Boom Boom (perpetual...”young adult” I guess?), now settling on a new team under Vita Ayala with Magik and Warpath heading up a squad of young ‘uns (beautiful art on the recent stretch). Hopefully it’s settling into its self now, because I can see longevity for this new squad... maybe. 

I still have to read the 2nd issue of Children of the Atom,  but am intrigued by it. X-factor meanwhile seems to be focusing on queer representation with people like Prodigy, Daken, North Star and Rachel on the same group together. Polaris started out the lead of that title only to be plucked out by Duggan (or the fanbase) for the main X-team coming up. This honestly makes sense, because even though she isn’t drawn this way, shouldn’t Polaris be considerably older than someone like Rachel? Eh. 

Also, in issue #4 of X-factor we had a beautiful homage to the Academy X mutants, with several cameos, so it seems like Marvel is intentionally using these junior-crew books to acknowledge all the various junior-crews, whether it be OG Claremont kids, Generation X people, the kids intro’d under Morrison and Whedon, or even the dang ‘ol Academy X ones, they seem to all be getting at least some representation in some book. 

Also Cable owns. Didn’t know I’d like the Kid-Cable guy until this book and his appearances in the main title, but now it’s confirmed. Him dating Esme, Kid Omega dating Phoebe? These crazy telepaths! Anyway, I hope Duggan’s main-team book is more like Cable than Marauders, in terms of pacing and characterization, but they both have beautiful art!

New mutants: Karma, Magik, Mirage, Scout, Warlock, Warpath and Wolfsbane

X-factor: Daken, Eye-boy, Polaris (quit?), North Star, Rachael, Prodigy

#3. 2nd-gen Krakoa Niche aka “the good stuff”

mood-color/vibe: purples, metaphysical/cosmic pallets, tertiary colors

books included: Hellions, S.W.O.R.D., Way of X

common Pokemon: I mean they’re basically all rare drops

This is the good stuff! Who would have thought. And when I think about it,  Way of X and S.W.O.R.D., as part of the second wave of Krakoa-era books that started with Cable, both address some of the core issues and ideas that the whole HoX/DoX mini kicked off better than-- or at least more directly-- the other books. So I guess the non X-men, first-wave Krakoa books feel “mainline” in terms of their team lineups, but in terms of content, these newer ones almost feel more relevant by design. S.W.O.R.D. focuses on the cosmic context of the mutants post-Krakoa and Way is Kurt’s first spot-light moment in the era and is expressly concerned with Kurt’s addressing of the deeper moral quandaries that a people who have conquered death will be faced with. I mean, it's expressly about religion and like, spirituality-- a very tall order, but first issue pulled it off super deftly.

Also Hellions is better than it has any business being! Read this if you want savagely dark humor and some very obscure mutants + Havok/Psylocke/Sinister. But if I had to reccomend one, it’d be a tie b/w S.W.O.R.D and Way. First issue of Way was exceptional and got right into things and Kurt’s very well-written and will surely prove a meditative lead for a book like this, whereas S.W.O.R.D is epic in scale while still have sick character moments/dialogue. Manifold had a great issue or two and is now my favorite new mutant, even in the context of a somehow-actually-good King in Black tie-in. Damn! And everything going on b/w Magneto and Fabian Cortez (who was made to argue for why mutants should be allowed to murder “flatscans”/humans to the whole Krakoan council this week whilst naked. It’s fantastic. Hell, even the Snark-War sounds...interesting? What’s happening to me. 

S.W.O.R.D.: Fabian Cortez, Magneto, Abigail Brand, Peeper, Manifold, Wiz-Kid, Mentallo, Fenzy

Children of the Atom: Cherub, Marvel Guy, Cyclops-Lass (?), Gimmick, Daycrawler

Hellions: Havok, Psylocke, Empath, Orphan-Maker, Nanny, Wild Child, Sinister, Greycrow

#4. Cetera

Mood-color/vibe: colorless, “normal” element

Books included: Fallen Angels (complete 6-ish mini), All the damn Wolverine books, the uh Sword of X “guidebook” and the new Peach Momoko Demon Days books and whatever X-men Legends is.

These are titles which are either complete or don’t fit in with other things or in Demon Days or the X-men Legends’ books’ case, I think don’t even occur in-universe. And per usual of course there are multiple Wolverine books... the main one seems fine. 

Anyway all-in-all, these books are doing weirdly well. Mutants as a concept shouldn't be able to be spread this thin story-telling wise, but the books don’t really feel redundant and most are filling a specific niche or purpose. I may be dropping some of the first-wave Blue/Gold style books (Marauders and X-force I'll probably just check in on from time-to-time), but S.W.O.R.D., Way, the main book under Hickman or Duggan and Hellions all have me verrrrrry satisfied. Even standard stories in the Krakoa era feel special, and that speaks to the power of Hickman’s vision. Hellfire Gala, here we come. 

[tendous-socks]

۞ surprise surprise pumpkin ۞

little one piece drabble i had as i’m watching the thriller bark arc.

i fucking love this arc and it might just be my favorite ( please make more perona content- please i’m begging you )

obviously not proof read - also low key bad since i’m writing this while watching so

hi just thinking about reader just vibing on thriller bark and never getting caught??

well actually - you threatened to salt them all if they didn’t leave you alone so you kind of have this relationship where they don’t bother you and you don’t bother them..

then again you also help lure ships to them it’s a win win i suppose

( technically an unofficial member of da team 😎)

( also- perona gave you some clothes cause she thought you were ugly and could’ve been cuter. she was right... also needed to get clothes that kumacy complemented. )

but then one day they hear about the straw hats being on the island and causing mayhem and you’re like “ i want to join them. i like their vibes “

and so you politely ask the spider-mice to hang you onto the ceiling. of course they didn’t fail to see the sparkle your pocket and obliged to your one of many strange requests. ( during the part of when franky and robin are running by to get to usopp and chopper )

and you’re just staring at them “ oi- moshi moshi “

( like shinobu from demon slayer )

and they just fucking s t a r e at you.

but like- what - who are you?? why are you up?? on ?? the ?? ceiling??

they don’t fucking know cause you had a dark brown cloak with orange trim and gold buttons with a matching witches hat- that also manage to get stuck ceiling with the webs. and their hat didn’t reveal much either so it was really any ones guess.

“ do you mind getting me down from here? i’m a little tangled up at the moment haha“

“ kinda in a sticky situation ya know, give a man a hand here haha “

( the puns did not amuse them )

that’s a lie - robin liked you already

it took a bit of convincing information giving for them to let you down, but it worked none the less.

tagging along with them, they seemed like a pretty lively bunch as more and more kept joining them.

though you didn’t join them when they went to their ship, feeling as if it wasn’t your place. so instead you decided to tell that mario guy that they’ve woken up 😀

didnt matter to you, you were bored as hell on that island, so what harm could a little entertainment do for the pumpkin witch?

of course they didn’t find your giggly antics funny as you quickly ran that creep hogback and the other uglies.

there was really no other place to go. bored, you waited inside the big gothic mansion busy blowing tiny sparkler pumpkins as you lounged around.

“ eh? when are they gonna get here? i’m borrrrred :( “

light bulb

“ oh! i have a pleasent idea! i’ll leave them a little surprise :D

‘ to robin and franky ♡ from y/n ۞ ‘ was what a small white card read as sanji picked up what was inside of explosive pumpkin. props to whoever gave the pumpkin little sparkler candles

you

though it didn’t help that they were now covered in pumpkin guts - and pretty sure that luffy was eating it while usopp and chopper were practically having a pumpkin-ball fight.

“ :D haha what. where are they. did they not get my directions? :D “

yeahhh luffy ate those before the rest could read what it said. next time don’t make them out of pumpkin

fortunately -you were able to meet the elusive straw hat captain as were waiting in the hallway that lead to moria.

you call it stalking, i call it intuition

as you would at any other time- you were lounging around on your ‘ giant jack ‘ as you causally went back to blowing up tiny pumpkin soldiers with pumpkin bombs

“ ohh more pumpkins ! just what i need before my big fight ! “

oh lo lo ?

“ huhhh are you that straw hat luffy that everyone’s been talking about“

“ yeah i am-are you the person who made that giant exploding pumpkin in the stairway!? “

“ yes i am! i hope you enjoyed my present! :) “

“ i sure did! it was very tasty-“

“ HEY STOP EATING MY PUMPKIN SOLIDERS “

okay maybe you didn’t want to join them anymore-

“ you should totally join my crew!! “

D:

:D

“ ohhhh really?? that sounds fun! “

casuall puts away bag of jewels you were planning to brib them with

but before he could celebrate the joining of a new crew mate- you held up a quick finger.

“you see... i’m in a stinky situation here lies the only way for me to truly- fully join your crew is if can deafeat mister moria-sama lies as you see i’m in a contract of sorts with him.. which means that i technically work under him, if you’re catching my drift “ -more lies

“ hey- you want to fight is what you’re saying “

“ you catch on quickly cap’n “

a smirk could be felt rising on your face as you both got in your battle stances, him saying something about you joining or whatever - not sure as you were already throwing pumpkin bombs at him as your soldiers snuck up on him.

he was already throwing his signature gatling at your bombs.

“ but alas, i am not in a fighting mood so i guess you’ll just have to beat mister moria-sama.. good luck captain er- future captain i suppose “

and with that he fell into the mouth of your ‘ giant jack’s ‘ mouth as it began to turn- gaining speed with each rotation before finally its unclamping his teeth and spitting him out towards the exit of the tunnel to where the red giant was previously.

“ you think he’s going to beat mister moria-sama y/n-chan? not even you can beat him at your current strength “

“ oh quiet odie, i’m sure hat he’s going to win. and besides- if i truly desired it- i could put more than a few bangs onto mister moria-sama... but where would the fun of a dead warlord be ? hmmmm odie-kun? “

“ HOW DARE YOU SPEK ABOUT MORIA- SAMA THAT W- cindry-chan why are you standing in front of me again “

* help i couldn’t get this scenario out of my head for the whole of my volleyball practice hhhh

side note ; why do i find moria odly attractive... 😀

[murasaki-murasame]

Thoughts on Higurashi Sotsu Ep1 and 2

After what’s felt like an eternity, we’re finally back to our good old fashioned anime about trauma and murder :)

Like with my posts about Gou, this will contain spoilers for all of the original series.

Anyway, thoughts under the cut.

Continuing on from how the second half of Gou went back in time to show Satoko’s descent into villainy, Sotsu is starting off by going back to Onidamashi and showing what was happening from Rena’s point of view, as a way of basically doing it’s own version of the answer arcs from the VN.

This isn’t 100% the same as either Onikakushi or Tsumihoroboshi, but effectively these two episodes were still almost entirely taken from material in the VN, which reminds me of how I still think that this show is more of a reboot than people would like to admit. Even if in practice it’s probably still better to just read the VN first and then watch all of this. I just feel like a lot of VN readers are going to end up kinda bored with this because of how much of it is just retreading stuff from the VN, like with the first half of Gou.

Anyway, I’m entirely on board with this being a new take on the answer arcs, and thus far I think the execution has been done really well. Rena ended up getting kinda sidelined in Gou, so I like how they’re really focusing on her perspective in this. It’s obviously not quite as in-depth as the VN, especially if this arc is just going to be one more episode long, but like with Gou I think they’re doing a great job of getting across the characterization and development without many internal monologues or anything.

Although this ended up basically playing out the same way as Rena killing Rina in Tsumihoroboshi, it turns out that this version of Rina has gone through the same sort of character development as Teppei did, and now she’s way more sympathetic than she was in the VN, with her wanting to cut ties with Rena’s father out of sympathy instead of just being out to extort all of his money no matter what. The way that this new series has been going about ‘redeeming’ it’s more evil characters has been kinda polarizing with people, but I think it worked out really well here. Partly because they don’t really spell out whether or not Rina has gone through the same process as Teppei with getting traumatized by nightmares of previous loops, and we just see her being a more sympathetic person instead. I think it also makes Rena’s actions here even more tragic, since in this timeline Rina would have left them alone if she’d done nothing, and by the time she found out about that she was already past the point of no return. It doesn’t exactly erase or make up for all of the shit that had already happened between Rina and Rena’s dad, though. It still makes sense why Rena ended up snapping like she did.

Which gets into the whole topic of Satoko injecting her with the syringe, which basically sealed the deal on Rena irreversibly going insane in this arc. In practice she ended up just going down the same path that she already did in Tsumihoroboshi without needing to be injected with anything, but it still raises the possibility that she might have been more willing to abandon her plans if she hadn’t been injected.

Sorta like how the VN was already about the inherent tragedy of how in a perfect world none of these things should have happened and nobody should have resorted to murder, this adds an extra layer of dramatic irony with how Satoko’s looping has caused a situation where the external forces triggering people’s insanity have been slowly going away, but because she’s so intent on keeping Rika in the village by mentally breaking her through continued tragedy, she’s having to go out of her way to force all these things to happen, when otherwise all of these loops might have ended up being ‘perfect’ if she’d just left it alone.

And just for the record, a lot of people seem confused by it, but I think Gou already made it clear enough why Satoko is trying to convince Rika to stay in the village by subjecting her to repeated torture. From a meta perspective, it’s all just about setting up the premise of Rika going through the original arcs again so we can have a part-sequel/part-reboot, but in general her whole plan with this seems to be to traumatize Rika enough that she’ll accept the idea that she’s being punished by Oyashiro-sama for wanting to leave the village. Obviously it’s a pretty extreme and convoluted way to try and convince her to stay, but Satokowashi went to great lengths to show how Satoko tried basically everything else she could think of to stop her without resorting to violence.

And yes, the point of ‘she should be able to just talk to Rika directly and work things out that way’ is an intentional part of the whole tragedy of the situation, lol. If this was a story where people were willing to calmly open up about all of their problems and achieve peaceful resolutions, basically none of this entire story would have happened. And honestly, at least on an abstract level, I can totally relate to that feeling of being willing to do literally anything instead of just talking to people openly, no matter how much extra time and effort it takes.

I also just don’t even think that ‘just talking about it’ would even be enough. Partly because Rika is really dead-set on leaving the village and would prefer to take Satoko with her instead of staying in the village just for her sake [which is the entire premise of what happened in Satokowashi], but also partly because in the long run this is more about Satoko’s personal trauma and her inability to accept leaving her childhood behind. No matter what she does, she’d have to eventually contend with the idea of her friends moving on in their lives, or the village itself changing.

She doesn’t just want Rika to stay with her, she wants to keep everything the same forever because this is where she feels safe and in control. And that’s just not something that you can actually achieve without, well, the ability to loop through time, lol. That’s also why I don’t really think it’s ‘unreasonable’ that Satoko was so willing to sit through Rika’s loops, and to enact her own loops. The looping isn’t just something she has to put up with to achieve her goal, it IS her goal. She isn’t exactly aware of it since she’s so focused on the point of keeping Rika with her forever, but what she wants is to keep repeating this time period forever, and that’s what she’s doing. 

Funnily enough I wasn’t really onboard with the idea of Satoko being the villain for most of Gou, but I guess by this point I’m a Satoko apologist, lmao. I just think her whole character arc makes a lot of sense, with her doing everything she can to cling onto the present and avoid the future, but obviously I also get why people think she’s irredeemable.

Either way, I’m kinda curious to see how the next episode goes, since it seems like there’s just going to be one more episode to this arc. It feels like there’s a lot still left to be covered, but maybe I’m over-estimating it. I think they still have to cover the flashbacks with Rena after she moved, her getting more paranoid about Keiichi until finally killing him, and then whatever happened with Rika and Satoko at the end of the arc, so hopefully that’ll fit nicely into one more episode.

I’m still curious to see what happens when we see Rena’s perspective on her fight with Keiichi, though, since there’s been so much speculation about it partly being a hallucination from Keiichi as he rapidly descended into L5 when Rena attacked him. There’s also still the possibility that they’ll reveal that this is an entirely separate timeline to Onidamashi, but I think that’d be a bit convoluted for no good reason. It’s be enough of a twist to just show that the fight scene went differently to how it was originally presented.

Other than that, I think that Rika probably ended up killing herself in despair at the end of this arc, and Satoko kills herself to jump to the next loop. I think that’ll all be pretty straightforward, but hopefully it’ll lead to an epilogue scene with Satoko and Eua.

After this, I guess the next three episodes will be the answer arc for Watadamashi, going by the Sotsu blu-rays being split into sets of 3, 3, 5, and 4 episodes. Unlike how this arc was very straightforward and predictable for people who’ve read the VN, I’m really excited to see what happens in the next arc, since Watadamashi was kinda confusing in a lot of ways, even after we found out about the Satoko stuff. But we’ll get to that when the time comes.

The third arc should then be an answer arc for Tataridamashi, but it’ll be interesting to see if they fit in Satoko’s perspective of Nekodamashi there as well, or if they push that to the final arc, or if the Nekodamashi arc will overlap both arcs. Either way, the fourth and final [unless they reveal more episodes or even another season later] arc will probably then continue on from the end of Nekodamashi and show however things manage to wrap up after that point. It’s really hard to tell how much time they’ll actually need after that to wrap things up, though, which is why I’m not sure if they’ll actually be able to finish things in these 15 episodes, or if we might get more later. Unless we get some major curve balls, I don’t really think it’d be that hard to wrap things up that quickly, but we’ll see.

Anyway, Sotsu is off to a great start, and I’m excited to see where it’s going to go, but mostly at the moment I’m just relieved that the last four months of my life are over now, and I can go back to live-blogging about anime where kids murder each other, lmao.

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

summertime mindset - pt. 4

ice cream & children’s books

masterlist for summertime mindset

Timing is hard to get right and summer doesn’t last forever. You and Tyson learn the hard way.

word count: 2.3

note from the writer: part four! ngl this is a very self-satisfying part as in the whole second half is literally a dream of mine. enjoy and let me know what you think!

SUMMER

Few things went together as well as summer and ice cream dates. And as much as you loved hanging out with Tyson, spending time with his sister was just as fun.

Tyson had to go workout, and Rachel was off with Michael, so you got a few hours to spend with Kacey. Immediately, you had decided to go for ice cream, and after ordering your respective cones, she was driving you back to the houses.

“He’s crazy about you, you know.” Kacey commented after a lull in the conversation. You didn’t have to ask her to clarify who she was talking about, and just the thought of Tyson brought a smile to your face.

“I kinda like him too.” You replied easily, adding a shrug onto the end of your sentence and earning a laugh from Kacey. It was no secret that you were falling for Tyson, he was a ray of sunshine and a total dork all at once—the complete package, in your book.

“He talks about you all the time, I’m pretty sure I know more about you than Rachel does.” This caused you to laugh, and your cheeks were starting to ache from how long you had been smiling. “But seriously, I’m glad he’s got you.”

“I feel like the lucky one, honestly.” You responded with a cheesy comment just as Kacey pulled the car into her driveway. You were just in time, apparently, because Tyson was standing in the driveway having just gotten back too. He was shirtless, tanned skin on display and he was covered in a sheen of sweat that served as evidence of his workout. “Yeah, definitely the lucky one.”

“Gross.” Kacey grumbled, her face scrunched up as she connected the dots on what you meant. You just chuckled as you slipped out of the car, and your feet were barely on the ground before Tyson was standing before you and pressing a kiss to your lips. When he pulled back, he was pouting, and you raised a brow in silent a question.

“You went and got ice cream without me?” He pouted, and you couldn’t help but tip your head back and laugh at his childishness.

“You can’t have her all the time!” Kacey called, but nonetheless she slipped inside her house to eat her ice cream in the air conditioning. You giggled, licking your own melting cone as Tyson called out that he had dibs on you from day one, but the grin on his face told you he wasn’t actually upset.

“You really went without me?” He turned back to you, his hands moving to your hips and walking you back until you were pinned between him and the door of the car.

“Didn’t want to ruin your workout.” You grinned, leaning forward and pressing another kiss to his lips as his playful frown deepened. He smiled at that, your favorite smile of his that was equal parts playful and loving, the one that never failed to make you feel adored. “Plus, Kacey is fun to hang out with.”

“I’m glad you get along with her.” He commented quietly, moving in closer and stealing another quick kiss. “But ice cream is really good.” You watched his grin brighten and grow wider as you laughed at him, and you were certain you had never felt more content.

“Have some of mine.” You held the cone up for him, and he readily took a lick. You giggled at him, he just looked utterly ridiculously with how hard he was smiling while trying to eat some of your ice cream. “You’re welcome.”

“Mhm.” He mumbled leaning in to kiss you deeper this time. You tasted your ice cream on him, the sweetness making you swipe your tongue out to chase the flavor. “Thank you.” He mumbled against your lips, and you pulled back to grin at him.

“You’re a dork.” You chuckled, leaning up halfway to meet him for a kiss that was cut short by a shout of your name from the house you were staying in next door. You practically shoved Tyson away, careful of the ice cream cone that you were going to have to start actually eating soon before it completely melted. With a wince, you turned to face the sound. “Hi, Grandma. I didn’t know you were coming around today?”

She didn’t look happy, if the frown on her face was any indication. You smiled, and Tyson greeted her politely—he always was a charmer. Still, she didn’t exactly take kindly to seeing someone make out with her grandchild

“I need you to run to the store to get a few things I need for dinner tonight.” She explained and you nodded, stepping away from Tyson and cutting across the yard to get the list from her. You were mortified that you had just gotten caught, your face turning bright red. “And Tyson?”

“Yes ma’am?”

“Keep your hands to yourself, young man.” Tyson took the comment in stride, affirming that he would but calling out that he wanted to go with you to the store. Your grandma raised a brow at you, and you just smiled as innocently as you could.

Though, you wished that the ground would open up and swallow you whole.

PRESENT

You hadn’t meant to complain to Tyson when he called you, but he just caught you at a bad time. Plus, he always was the one person you felt you could tell anything to. Despite everything that had transpired between the two of you, you couldn’t help but feel like he was quickly refilling his role of being your confidant.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or am I just going to have to guess?” Tyson asked after a few lines of polite conversation. Apparently, you weren’t doing as good of a job as you thought you were of hiding your annoyance, but Tyson had always been able to see through you.

“Nothing serious. It’s just—” You cut yourself off with a sigh, stopping your pacing in your bedroom and flopping backwards on your bed. “Jon was supposed to help me rearrange my classroom today, but he just texted and said he can’t go.”

“Why can’t he?” Tyson settled on asking, his tone a bit harsher than what you’re used to hearing from him. You shrugged, despite the fact that you were talking to him on the phone and he couldn’t see you, but Tyson knew you. He knew you better than probably anyone, despite the years of silence between you. He sighed, and you sat up at the sound. “Can I go with you?”  

“You want to?” You questioned, though now that he suggested it, you kicked yourself for giving him a chance to back out.

“Of course, I’ve heard you talk about your future classroom so many times, I want to see it.” He sounded so honest, you almost glossed over the fact that he so casually mentioned that he remembered you talking about your future career when you were twenty and in the process of getting your degree.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll come pick you up.” You grinned, heart beating a little too fast and your face just a touch too warm for your liking. Tyson was your friend, nothing more.

You had been telling yourself that more and more often.

You knew Tyson was genuine when he said he wanted to see your classroom and help you out, but he was excited to see where you worked every day. You had to stop and have a laugh from the way he was looking around the room in wonderment. The tiny chairs for your students were his favorite part, and he insisted on sitting in one as he helped you cut borders for your bulletin boards.

“Thank you, Tys.” The nickname fell easily off of your tongue, and you hesitated for a moment until you saw how broad his grin was. You had only called him that once since you reunited, it was a remnant of your past relationship that you had figured would stay buried with all the stolen kisses and nights spent together.

“It’s really no problem.” He waved you off, moving to settle in the carpet to sort through the books you had pulled out. As the holiday’s changed, you needed to switch out the books you had out. “I like keeping you company.”

You didn’t respond to his loaded comment with anything more than a simple smile. Instead, you fished your phone out of your pocket and took a picture of him on the carpet, grinning while holding up one of the books. You chuckled to yourself as you wrote out the caption ‘Finally teaching him how to read!’ and posting it on your Instagram story.

“I don’t even want to know what you said.” Tyson grinned, your expression matching his as you remembered having a contest with Kacey about who could chirp him the most. She had years of ammo against him, but you had spent an ungodly amount of time with him in the previous weeks. Tyson called it a tie, but you were pretty sure that was only because he wanted to steal you from his sister.

“Just some friendly banter.” You grinned, sitting down on the carpet across from him to sort through the books. It took longer than you thought it would, since Tyson would get distracted easily by the stories and you couldn’t help but indulge his every request to flip through the book.

“This is fun.” Tyson told you, thumbing through a book on dinosaurs you wanted to save out for a lesson later in the year. You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t help the chuckle you let out.

“You’re like a child.” At your comment, he feigned an offended gasp, complete with a hand clasped over his heart and pout. You laughed at this, loudly, and an arc of pain shot through you at how this used to be the norm with him. Things had changed so much, and yet they still felt the same. Except, you probably would have leaned across the pile of books to kiss the pout off his lips if things were like they used to be.

The realization had you working quieter, and if Tyson noticed, he didn’t press. After sorting through the books, you cleaned the room back up and got it ready for Monday’s school day. You drove Tyson home, and once you pulled up in front of his apartment complex, you sighed and leaned back into your seat.

“Thank you, again.” You smiled at him, resting your head against the back of your seat and turning to face Tyson. He was already looking at you, his expression just a touch too serious for your liking.

“You know, it sucks that Jon bailed on you, but I’m glad that he did.” Tyson spoke slowly and barely above a whisper. Your breath caught in your throat as he reached across the center console, tucking a strand of your hair that had fallen out of the messy bun you had thrown it up in while working behind your ear. “I’m glad, because it meant I got to spend the day with you.”

You smiled at him, it was weak and forced but it was something—more than what you honestly expected yourself to give. He dropped his hand back into his lap, and with him fully on his side of the car you felt like you could breathe easier.

“I’ll, uh, see you later Tyson.” For the second time that day, you felt yourself avoiding the elephant in the room, but it was for your sanity. Everything with Tyson came too easily and you were worried about falling for him all over again.

He didn’t put up an argument, and instead he slipped out of your car with nothing more than a simple goodbye, and you waited until he was inside his building before shifting your car into gear and pulling back out onto the road to head back to your place.

As you drove, your thoughts ran wild. Thoughts about Tyson and Jon, and your future with either of the two. Before you even knew it, you were standing inside your apartment and checking your phone for the first time in a while. You were shocked to see over a hundred new followers on Instagram, though that all made sense once you clicked on Gabe Landeskog’s story.

He had posted your photo of Tyson with the books on his story and had added his own teasing caption: ‘Someone had to do it. Who’s next—Andre, Mikko, or Z?’ You had giggled at the jab, knowing that chirping was a sign that a hockey player liked you, and an even bigger compliment that Tyson’s captain had included you in his playful teasing.

Next you pulled up your texts, heart catching in your throat as you spotted the newest one was from Kacey—someone you hadn’t talked to since you lost contact with her brother. You felt worse about not talking to Kacey than you did with Tyson, because you were friends with her outside your relationship with him and should have been able to stay in touch.

Her text was a simple ‘I didn’t know you were seeing Tyson again?’ that sent you reeling. You weren’t seeing Tyson, per say, but you had been hanging out with him again. You had thought that Tyson would have told his sister, though.

You contemplated what to say for a while, typing out three different messages before finally settling on one that would put her suspicions to rest. ‘Just friends, I promise. What have you been up to?’

Her reply came quickly after that, and you hoped that you wouldn’t have to discuss the exact nature of your relationship with her brother. Part of you missed your friendship with Kacey, and you wondered if this was your chance to reunite with her too.

‘FaceTime date tonight?’

You smiled at her text. Things were falling back into place easier than you thought they would.

[savagesbonergarage]

Nightsister OC pics and backstory ❤️

So I kinda got my Nightsister oc worked out today!

Meet Eilantha!

No makeup and with makeup since I like both. :) I know her outfit is Rey’s, but it turned out to be the one I liked best after going through all of them. This was so much fun to do! I’m on mobile rn so I don’t have a link, but search ‘rinmaru star wars avatar creator’ and it should be the first result.

The nightbrother is also an oc called Sever. He’s more bulky in my head and his tattoos are different and more brown than black, but whatevs. Also he looks more like a teenager here, which is NOT the vibe, lads. Mans is in his late 20's-early 30's. 👍

I know I’m sorta biased and all since she’s mine, but I’m in love with her? I’m not a huge fan of the Nightsisters and their misandry and general terrible-ness, but this girl is the exception. 💕 Learn more about her under the cut if you’d like. :)

She was born in 46BBY, making her around 27 in the final year of the clone wars. From the time she was a youngling it was clear that she had a natural affinity for magicks and spellcasting, which allowed her to participate in more advanced rituals and rites from an early age. This inevitably caused some contention among the sisters in her age group that felt this privilege was wasted on her, and therefore she had few friends during her time within the coven. She didn’t really mind, as she preferred to spend her days on her own anyway, learning as much as she could about whatever she fancied (usually spells that piqued her interest whose texts she discreetly snuck from within the cavern).

When she wasn’t studying, she loved music - writing, playing, and singing. It wasn’t anything like the typical malicious sounds of tribal chanting and drums you’d hear from within the grotto; not that she didn’t appreciate that also as she practiced it well, but her heart leaned toward a softer, more soothing genre of arias and melodies, bordering on lullabies based on her wanderlust, and, though she’d never admit it, her loneliness.

As she reached adulthood, she underwent the trials for her dark baptism as all Sisters did, which consisted of returning from a challenging hunt to add a token from her kill to the Water Of Life, and receiving her ichor tattoos that signified her coming-of-age before being ritualistically bathed in the ominous liquid which sanctioned her as an active member of the Nightsisters.

After this, I have two different routes (or however many, depending on who I’m shipping her with at the moment 😅 bc I ship her with everyone, no lie) that I like to take with her story. The first is expanded upon in the fic by @fallenrepublick here (still my favorite thing!) where she starts sneaking away into the nightbrother village and befriends Savage and Feral before they go through Asajj’s selection trails. This is the nicer, less-traumatic arc.

This next one gets really, really dark. I'm not going to post it all here bc honestly this post doesn't need all that angst, so I'll save that for later. Essentially, I like to think that Eilantha did at one time have a nightbrother of her own (Sever) that she actually loved, rather than treated as a slave. As you can imagine it doesn't end well, but we're not gonna get into that. We'll talk about how they meet. :)

Instead of sneaking away to the village, Eilantha is pressured into conducting her own selection trails by Mother Talzin. She doesn’t inherently have any reason to object, after all, she was taught that this is was simply the way of things. Part of her even looked forward to obtaining a manservant, whose loyalty would belong to her and her alone.

Perhaps he’d be a useful asset when it came to sneaking spelltomes to and from the vaults, and maybe he’d even be the only one staying by her side while she practiced her songs. What if he’d even appreciate them? Not that he’d have much of a choice, but the thought was comforting nonetheless.

From the moment she stepped foot in the village, all she could focus on was the feeling of the uneasy and fearful gazes of the men who undoubtedly knew more of what was to come than she did. She chose her roster at random, unsure of what she should have really been looking for or what she actually wanted from a servant. Even before the fighting, she knew deep down that she didn’t want to inflict any unnecessary harm on them…but why? From what she’d overheard at home, the violence was half the fun.

It wasn’t.

She evaded and blocked every blow with ease, yet avoided retaliating and taking the offensive in any manner that would prove fatal, causing the battle to go on far longer than anticipated to the point where Brother Viscus insisted that she take the next opening for the kill. With reluctance, the blade of her weapon collided with the ribs of the next brother to reveal himself a target. She watched in horror as the light faded from his hateful, reflective eyes, and she was nearly sick. She didn’t want to do it, but it had been done, and it couldn’t be undone. His body thudded against the ground and she screamed.

“Enough!”

The battlefield went silent, and as she came to her senses she attempted to save face.

“I’ll have none of them!”

Before Brother Viscus could interject with any alternative propositions, she was gone. She ran, fleeing as far away across the rocky terrain as she could. She didn’t cry; at least not until she was certain she was alone. She felt so pathetic - Nightbrothers were meant to be disposable, yet she couldn’t handle killing one. Her shame shifted into heartbreak, and she crouched low and wept for the death of the brother she’d just caused, as well as for all those who came before him. All the needless, thankless, mindless deaths of these men whose lives may not have mattered to the Sisters, but they mattered to someone.

As night fell, she trudged along the jagged landscape and thought of what explaination she’d give to Mother Talzin upon returning home. She had run in the opposite direction of where her speeder was stationed at the base of the village, so she had plenty of time to consider on the long journey back. She casually hummed a tune to herself in some meager attempt to self-soothe, which served to distract the shadow that had been trailing her for some time. The sound of a twig snapping in the rocks behind her alerted her to the presence and she confronted him.

"Are you lost?" she asked in a derogatory tone after he revealed himself.

"I'm not."

Of course not, this was his home, after all. She couldn't say the same for herself, however, she pressed him further.

"Then why are you following me? I never asked for an escort."

The amber-skinned nightbrother looked as though he were choosing his words carefully, though if his aim was self-preservation he'd done a terrible job of it.

"I saw you crying."

Eilantha was hit with a pang of embarrassment, though she feigned otherwise as her eyes met the ground.

"Well, you can forget what you saw. Now leave me alone."

She turned away, but the brother remained there in quiet contemplation before he spoke again.

"I've never seen a Sister cry. I've never seen a Sister feel."

Something about those words struck her directly in her heart. The confirmation that she was inherently considered to be a heartless monster in the view of these villagers hurt a little more than anticipated, though she had no right to refute it. No amount of apologies would ever remedy the divide that separated the Nightsisters from the Nightbrothers, regardless of how she felt. She clenched her fist as she turned to face him again.

“I said, leave me alone. Don’t make me-”

She actually choked on her words, unable to say the rest.

Don’t make me put you in your place.

Despite her partial warning, the nightbrother stepped closer. He grabbed the edge of his already tattered tunic and tore a piece of it off, inspecting it for cleanliness before holding it out to her. Eilantha froze, uncertain of what to make of this interaction.

“You aren’t done,” he explained.

She hadn’t realized that her hot tears continued pouring down her cheeks during her retort. She accepted the cloth with some reluctance, her dainty fingers lightly brushing against his as she took it and dabbed it against her wet face. He promptly turned and started walking away, as instructed. This strange...kindness, or rather, strange act of servitude via obligation perturbed the young witch, whose thoughts were now fixated solely on the zabrak male.

“Wait, Brother,” she implored.

He paused, resuming his attention to her after hearing the endearing use of “brother” from a Sister’s lips for the first time. She continued, an unusual softness in her tone.

“What is your name?”

“It’s Sever,” he revealed, “May I ask yours, Sister?”

She repeated his name in her mind, determined never to lose it.

“Eilantha.”

He did the same, only out loud. Gods, it was an enticing sound.

"Will you be returning?"

This was a question she wasn't prepared to receive, and one that she herself didn't fully know the answer to. Her reply was engineered from a concerned sigh.

"I'm not sure. It might be problematic returning to the coven empty-handed. I may come back, I may not. I don't know what the future holds."

Sever pursed his lips slightly.

"If you do find yourself here again, will you..."

He coughed into his fist and centered himself before continuing.

"Will you consider me?"

Her eyes shot up to meet his hopeful gaze, a golden yellow in the night. She had a hunch as to what he was alluding to, but a little clarification was needed.

"Consider you...?"

He swallowed, his countenance displaying concern that perhaps he was stepping too far out-of-bounds this time, but he wanted to know all the same.

"As your mate."

Eilantha clutched the piece of fabric in her hand. This man was offering himself to her. The images of all the nightbrothers staring her down when she first arrived with fear in their faces raced through her mind, revealing the dread the men felt when they were met with her kind, and yet this one was volunteering. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or angry, as any other Sister likely would be at a savage that dared to seek special permissions. Of course, she wasn't like that.

Imagining him as her mate, however, was certainly...something. She thought of how she would discover just how much of him was tattooed and he would learn the same of her. She could claim him right then and there if she wanted, and he would be obliged to obey. It would solve her worries about returning home if she decided on a servant after all, although, her soul was unsteady. Though she was entitled to any male she desired, she couldn't allow herself to do it. Even though this man was offering, it would weigh on her conscience knowing that even a part of him would only be with her out of fear and obligation, rather than his own free will. This nightbrother wasn't free. None of them were.

"I'll consider it," she replied genuinely.

This news seemed to please him to some extent, a tiny smirk curling at the corner of his lip.

"I'll look forward to the possibility of serving you, Sister Eilantha."

She watched as he turned a final time and disappeared further into the darkness, leaving her alone with her busied mind.

The course was set for the Nightsister temple once she finally got to her speeder, servant-less. She looked over her shoulder to see multiple pairs of glowing golden eyes quizzically prying at her in the darkness, and she smiled before taking off.

It was a long journey home, and the entire trip her mind was occupied with thoughts of the intriguing zabrak male who saw her for what she truly was. She pulled out the tattered cloth from her pocket and pressed it against her chest as the wind rushed all around her before bringing it to her lips and kissing it.

It became her greatest treasure.

That is, until she finally had the real deal in her arms months later when the separation became too much to bear, and they arranged to meet in secret during their first rendezvous of many.

Sever, my treasure.

[atopearth]

Ikemen Vampire Part 8 - Jean d’Arc Route

Anyway, Jean is hot but dang do these guys really have to bite the heroine to show her that vampires are real and to learn to better protect herself? Definitely instant turn off for me tbh, but I can sortaaa understand his sentiments, especially since Jean is kind and tries to think in her best interests. Ooh I completely forgot that Jean is the one who actually didn't want to come back to life? I guess that will be interesting. It's nice how optimistic the heroine is, but I guess that's also because everyone is finally being honest with her about the vampire thing, and if there's one good thing about Jean biting her, it's that there's no side effects and hurts a little bit but isn't as terrifying as she imagined it to be. It's cute how Mozart and Jean are friends because they both hate interacting with other people lmao. I'm surprised Jean lost to the heroine in their bet but I guess she's quite stubborn lol. Honestly, I'm glad Napoleon guided the heroine into understanding Jean better by showing her that Jean tries to learn to read and write at night in the library, because her incessant hassling into trying to get him to go to every social gathering he has avoided all this time was annoying since it didn't think about his feelings at all.

I really liked how Jean took her to a lily field, it was so beautiful and the best thing was he thought about what she would like and decided to take her there. He even bought her a hairclip that had lilies on it! That's so sweet! I think it's amazing how Jean is already using what he's learnt at his weapon shop job, like dang, he can write! I should brush up on my own Japanese and be like him🤣 Anyway, I felt sorry for that Saar kid, and it sucks how he's going to have to labour away at the mines just like his dad did (and ended up dying) to earn some sort of living until he can decide what kind of life he wants to lead. Like yeah, it's definitely better than if he started stealing because he'd just lose his way even more, but it's just so sad that a kid has to think about all this. Jean's story is pretty saddening, I can't imagine being burned at a stake...and to even be betrayed by the king he helped and believed in.. Omg, I feel so sorry for Saar, first it was his father and now his mother got run over by a carriage?? That's absolutely terrible. No wonder why Jean thinks he's ugly, since he has a scar that he covers with his eyepatch, but the heroine is right, Jean is so much more beautiful than his appearance and no one can take that away from him. I love how Jean told the heroine how he thought she was beautiful with how radiant and kind she was to face everything straight on without letting her fears overcome her. I really liked how they hugged each other for the night showing how much they trust the other and how much they find comfort in the other.

Loll, I thought the heroine was going to choose something simple to make with Jean, but of all things, she chooses macarons?! It was so cute how he asked her to teach him that so she would smile again though (since she was feeling down over Saar), that's honestly so sweet. Lmao when Jean called them marorons and then ate them all and declared it as his new favourite food😂😂 Why is this guy so adorable?!🥲 I'm so proud of Saar, I really love how he's decided that he wants to one day be one of the leaders at the coal mines so he can give better treatment and working conditions for people in the future. Honestly, who knows if it'll work out, but I'm happy that he's found something he wants to do after experiencing so much pain in his life. I really love how Jean encouraged him in his own way without giving him empty positivity, I always love how honest and sincere he is with everything he does and says. It makes me think, yeah I can understand why the heroine wants to stay here with him hahaha. It would be nice if Shakespeare didn't appear to ruin things for once in his life lol. Anyway, I didn't think about the idea that Jean would want to return to his time, I wonder why exactly though. I think it's pretty heartbreaking to hear that Jean wants to go back to his time because he feels like he should "die properly" for his sins of killing so many people, and that he deserves everything that happened because of all the lives he took. And I guess considering that mindset, he must feel pretty disgusted with himself that in his dying moments, there was a part of him that wanted to live, and le Comte granted that when Jean feels like that's not what he "truly desired". Honestly, I understand where he's coming from, and maybe he does deserve death for killing so many people especially since he was in an enemy country so obviously everyone hated him, but what's the point? For all these people, he's already considered dead, and the only reason he wants to go back is really to satiate what he believes to be what he deserves, in a sense, you can say it's selfish because the only one who knows and would feel better if he does what he does is himself. Not saying it's any more tormenting and stuff, but the Jean now and the Jean back in the day are already practically separate entities and shouldn't be judged so harshly anymore imo.

Okay, Jean's diary was the cutest thing ever. It was only a few sentences each entry, but you could really see how much thought and effort he put into writing down his feelings towards the heroine and how much he appreciated her ever since she appeared in his life. Anyway, I find Gilles reasons for coming back to life and his regrets very...I dunno, forced? Lol. Or just his reason that he needs to kidnap/kill the heroine so he can fulfill Jean's desire to die properly lol, like what? It's just really silly for me because there were so many other ways for him to approach Jean, and honestly, if he somehow knew this was Jean's desire, why did he need to resort to kidnapping to get Jean to come out and go with him??? Why didn't he appear ages ago when Jean was actually set on the idea?? Yeah anyway, whatever. I guess it's interesting that they made Gilles' reason for killing people be because he was always looking for people like Jean, but when he realised they weren't him, he killed them. Tbh, I never knew about Gilles until I googled him and it's kinda disappointing that someone who was known for being alongside Joan of arc became more known for being a serial killer of children. Anyway, with how things ended with Gilles, he felt kinda like the one who was able to move Jean the most even though it all ended in tragedy when he was alive. Honestly, I found the Gilles part pretty boring but if it makes Jean want to live then I guess I'm okay with it lol.

Overall, I loved everything up until Gilles appeared. Honestly, if they just cut Gilles part out, it would have been perfect for me, because I feel like when the heroine read Jean's diary and realised his feelings for her, and that fuelled her to try again with Jean, it felt really sweet and I cheered her on. But by the time the whole thing with Gilles and his kidnappings ended, I was just like whatever tbh lol. Like, I personally enjoyed how they handled Jean warming up to the heroine, but still be tied to his past, and the heroine feeling like she couldn't heal that, but then realised that there was a part of him that really appreciated her existence, and I think those parts were what made me really enjoy this route. So yeah, honestly, after Gilles, I didn't care about the happy ending and I pretty much forgot my feelings for Jean so it was disappointing, but I guess I still enjoyed it for the most part nevertheless.

[another-stark-sub]

Maybe Marriage, Maybe Baby Carriage - Tony Stark Imagine

Summary: A normal day for you and Tony takes a turn when you find blueprints for some jewelry

Warnings: no actual sex, goes from fluff/emotions to slightly smutty/lime-y territory, mentions of lingerie, marriage, and breeding kink

Word Count: 1603 write only 500 words i thought i have hw i thought but nooooooo my god my poor grades

Your laptop was open on your lap, and you were on your boyfriend’s lap. Or, well, between his legs. It was just a natural thing to do when you were working late, and he wasn’t. Even though the two of you have been together for years, having Tony surround you was still as comforting as it was the first time. 

Usually, he would be watching videos, reviewing holograms, or just spending his time on instagram, keeping up his account as an Avenger and public figure. But, that time, as you were writing up plans for the next week, Tony wasn’t doing anything. So as you mumbled things you had to do, Tony’s rough and calloused fingers ran up and down your sides, arms, and thighs, gently and slowly. 

It wasn’t until you felt his gaze linger so long on your face that you smiled, and without looking up from your laptop, you asked teasingly, “You have pictures, Tony.”

“That I do.” He leaned down to kiss your cheek, and his lips brushed against your ear as he said, “Love that last picture you sent me, by the way.”

You laughed, the heat crawling up your neck and settling in your cheeks, before elbowing him in the side. “Look at those, then.” You went back to your laptop, and only realized your mistake when his lips gently met your neck and he said, “Careful what you ask for, sweetheart.” One of his hands trailed down to the top of your thigh, and before Tony could do anything you grabbed his wrist. “I have wo-”

His other hand rose to view a hologram. Your not-so-work-appropriate picture flashed before you for a second. You yelped and swiped the hologram away. “Tony!” you laughed.

Your boyfriend only bit his lip to hide a mischievous smile. Because just as the first picture disappeared, Tony brought up another picture. “Look at that!”

“Stop it!” You closed your lap and put that down. 

You closed the second picture, only for Tony to hug you to his chest, restricting your arms and hands. “No,” you whined. “Not the pictures!”

“What pictures?”

You struggled against his hold with the biggest smile on your face. “Tony-”

“Oh, these?” With a simple flick of his finger, holographic pictures of you, in lingerie, from that magazine shoot, in sweatpants and his MIT shirt, from last year’s Holiday Gala, blueprints for jewelry, in a four-piece suit, in an Iron Man-

Wait, was that jewelry?

Tony stiffened beneath you, and his grip on you loosened enough, that you were able to comfortably lay on his chest and search for those blueprints you saw. Why were there blueprints in this folder?

“On second thought, what about that TIME shoot?” Tony dismissed all the pictures, and one by one, they disappeared.

You scanned all the pictures, and just as the blueprints whizzed past you, you shot out your hand and held it from being dismissed. “Gotcha!”

“Honey-”

With two hands, you zoomed in and blew up the blueprints so you could see every detail. You read blueprints kinda like how you read. From left to right. So before seeing the whole picture, you looked in the top left corner. A drawing of many models of the arc reactor. From the original circular one to the triangular one. 

After the line of reactors was something big and circular. Fashioned out of metal from the original arc reactor and topped with a diamond. 

A diamond. Your breath caught in your throat, and tears burned in your eyes. This wasn’t a standard, life-changing invention of Tony’s. It was a ring. Blueprints for a ring. 

Immediately overwhelmed, you dismissed the blueprints.

Tony and you have been together for three years, almost four. You’ve admitted that you’ve had thoughts about marriage a few times. The first time was when he was being rushed to the med wing, and you were running by his side. 

“You can’t die on me, ok? Who am I supposed to marry then, huh?”

Even though he had been in pain, Tony Stark’s scrunched up expression softened until he was gazing at you. “Demanding bride-to-be,” he had teased. “Telling me not to die.”

The other few times were much more casual. The two of you had even talked about kids. More than half the times, Tony got off on the idea of you being pregnant with his kids. So, of course, you knew he was going to be the person you were going to marry.

It would be beautiful. Even if the two of you just went to court to sign some papers, it would be a day where you became his, and Tony Stark became yours. What a day that would be. 

“You,” Tony sighed, “weren’t supposed to see that.”

He was so tense, arms so stiff around you. Instinctively, you rubbed circles into his knuckles as you let your thoughts roam and settle. But there were so many thoughts. Of marrying Tony, of how long he had been planning this, of loving this man with all you could for all your life. 

So, instead of staying quiet, you gulped down your inhibitions and admitted, “If I were to… marry anybody.” You shrugged. “It would be you.” You didn’t have to look at him to know he was gazing down at you. You desperately wanted to see his face, but you knew that once your eyes met Tony’s, you’d cry. So, you continued, “I mean, I love you.” Your face felt so hot. How was it this hot? 

Your boyfriend opened his mouth and closed it again to gulp. His throat must’ve been dry. Even after that, he was silent for a while, too many unspoken things in the air. Suddenly, he let out a laugh. “You really weren’t supposed to see that.”

“Oh, hey.” You turned around and straddled him. He avoided your gaze, but even so, you ran your fingers through his hair and reassured him, “I didn’t see all of it.”

“You weren’t supposed to see any of it.” Dejected, he let his head drop on your chest

“I still don’t know a lot about it, Tony.” You sighed and pulled away so you could cup his cheeks and really look at him. His eyes were red-rimmed, and a few tears had escaped. “Oh, my love,” you said. “Tone, I still don’t know how you’re going to do it.” You smiled. “Or when? I mean, it could be our anniversary, my birthday, the holidays, or any other regular day you could propose. And I always knew I was going to marry you.” You wiped away one of his tears, and when he began to smile, you laughed. ‘There you are!” You threw your arms around him.

Tony welcomed the embrace, and he hung onto you like a lifeline. “I just wanted it to be perfect,” he said.

“Are you kidding me?” You kissed his neck, his cheek, and left one on his lips. “I get to be Tony Stark’s, and you get to be mine.” You pushed back his hair and let your hands rest on his shoulders. “Any day where that’s true is perfect to me.”

Your boyfriend, your future fiance, your future husband, he looked at you like you were the stars in the sky. His smile was so soft that you wanted to kiss it, but you let him realize that you weren’t going anywhere, that it wasn’t a dream, that you really did want to marry him. 

Finally, Tony’s smile sharpened into a smirk. “So that’s a yes to three kids?”

“This again?”

“Yes, this again.” His voice was so deep, and you almost forgot that this was the same man who cried because you found out his secret plan. Tony leaned in closer and placed a few open-mouthed kissed on your neck. “You’d like being full of me, wouldn’t you?”

Just like that, you were all his. His kisses were so slow, and they lingered on your skin and left heat behind. “Tony,” you sighed. 

“Greatest sign of being mine, honestly.” He breathed out, letting the air hit the place where your neck and shoulder met. “I could leave a hickey, sure.” Just like that, he sucked the skin right above the collar of your t-shirt.

“Fuck.”

He licked the newly forming hickey. “Yeah, but just fucking you?” He shook his head and lifted up your left hand. “No, I want a ring here.” He kissed your ring finger. “And-”

You smiled. “You’re insatiable.”

“You love it.” He bit his lip and looked at you, from your head to the thighs still straddling his waist. “And a part of me” -his hand traveled from your waist to your stomach- “right here.”

You gasped for air.

Tony leaned forward again, his lips coming to brush up against your ear and his chest perfectly pressing against yours. His hands found their place on your hips. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?” He started kissing your neck again, his beard and mustache tickling your skin and sparking heat in your core. 

He nipped your neck in a particularly sensitive spot. “Answer me.”

“Yes!” You gulped and held his head where it was, never wanting his kisses to stop. “Yes, I want that.”

“Good.” He left your neck just to kiss you hard. Even when you moaned against him, Tony’s lips never left yours. And when he pulled away, you were dizzy. But you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

His hands gripped your waist, and you whimpered. Tony said, his voice dark and straight-up sinful, “Well, we better practice putting that kid inside you.”

[avatarstories]

izumi’s birthday part three:  sources of wisdom

The next morning, breakfast with the family is awkward. Izumi was a few moments late, having had to stop by the royal seamstress to have the last adjustments fitted for party outfit finished. By the time she arrived at breakfast, everyone was seated, and the only empty chair was between her father and Bumi. Bumi’s stony expression made her want to just be swallowed up by the floor. Maybe she could go find Druk and convince him to eat her. She gives Bumi a sad smile, and he rolls his eyes with a noticeable exhale. Izumi takes her seat quietly trying her hardest to give him as much space as possible. 

“Are we going to talk about how Izumi and Bumi are making the air in the room extremely uncomfortable?” Kya says. “Lover’s quarrel?” she jokes. 

“Fuck off, Kya” Bumi mutters, looking down at the table in front of him. Kya is across from him and leans in trying to get his attention. 

“Excuse me?” she says with a joking lilt in her voice. 

Bumi doesn’t say anything. Instead, he throws his tea at Kya and storms out of the dining room. Everyone is silent but all eyes are on Izumi. Having managed to stop the tea from hitting her, Kya bends it back into a cup. 

“Well, Happy Birthday, Izumi! What an exciting way to start the day,” Kya deadpans. Zuko looks at Izumi with a concerned expression. Azula looks ready to go to murder. Toph and Lin have their eyebrows raised and are taking a big sips of their mango juices. Tenzin hangs his head and focuses intently at his rice. Izumi notices Katara giving Aang a look that says go after him and when he doesn’t move she shakes her head. 

“This looks like a job for a wise old man like me,” Iroh says, pushing his chair back so that he can stand up. 

“General Iroh, it’s really ok, Aang can take care of it,” Katara says. 

“Uh, I kinda agree with General Iroh,” Aang replies sheepishly. 

If looks could kill, the ice in Katara’s eyes would have Aang pinned to the wall. “You are unbelievable,” she says quietly, though the anger and disappointment in her tone are unmistakable. She follows Bumi out the door 

“Looks like Twinkletoes is in the polar bear doghouse,” Toph says. Aang groans and then goes after Katara and Bumi.

“Care to enlighten us, Izumi?” Azula asks. 

“Not really,” she mutters. “I’m going to the training yard,” she announces quietly, and she walks out the door. 

Azula looks between Zuko and Iroh “I would go after her, but I was planning to go boss some staff around to make sure her party is perfect, which I think now needs to be even more perfect,” she says. 

“I will see what is bothering our dear Izumi,” Iroh says pushing out his chair once again. He and Azula leave the room. 

“Man,” Lin says “I thought mom and I would be the ones to start drama.” At that, Sokka laughs so hard he snorts, and Suki punches him in the side for it. ————————————————————————————————— 

Izumi is moving through advanced katas when Iroh finds her.

“I have told you before, forms practiced in anger are like tea steeped in unclean water, dear Izumi.” 

She finishes the form sending an arc of a flame towards the stone wall with an audibly annoyed exhale. 

“Now, are you going to tell me what is wrong or should I guess? Kya suggested a -” 

“IM NOT DATING BUMI! CAN EVERYONE STOP THINKING THAT!” 

Iroh chuckles. “Everyone used to think the same of your father and Katara when they were yours and Bumi’s ages. When people share a special bond others cannot help but wonder. But of course I did not come here to talk about your father’s youthful affections. It appears you and Bumi are experiencing a strain. Care to inform your old grandfather so he can help you?” 

“We had a misunderstanding.” 

“I know that I am old, Izumi, but I am not blind.” 

“Bumi was telling me about some issues in their family between him and his dad, and I basically told him that he should be lucky not to have the weight of a legacy on his shoulders.” 

“So your problem stems from your fear of your future,” Iroh affirms. “Rightfully so on an occasion as momentous as your 17th birthday, but Izumi, you are a kind, gentle, and fair minded young woman, and your father is a picture of health, what has brought about this anxiety?” 

Izumi crosses her arms and says nothing. 

“Izumi?” 

“I overheard some of the noblewomen talking about a curse on the Fire Ladies.” 

“And what is this curse?” 

“That Fire Ladies who die in childbirth give rise to evil Fire Lords. The spirits make them pay the ultimate price for what they bring into the world.”

Iroh takes in her words. “And so you have applied this to your own birth?” Izumi nods.

“You’re young yet Izumi, but I think you will find that destiny is what you make of it,” he says. “You and your father are the descendants of Sozin and Azulon, but you’re also the descendants of Avatar Roku on your grandmother’s side. There’s light and dark in you, and you will have to chose what nature you will allow to flourish. But knowing you, I would largely place my bets on the light side. And,” he takes a pause, “you can always seek to redeem yourself for your faults. I tried to break through the walls of Ba Sing Se, and then I took it back from the Fire Nation. Your father chased Aang halfway across the world, and now they are best friends. Azula was one of the most terrifying people in existence -” 

“She still is.” 

He chuckles. “Yes, she still is. But the original fire bending masters deemed her worthy of regaining her power when she lost it and repented, and they even gifted her a dragon egg as they did to your father,” he explains. 

“Your father’s legacy was to end a war. Yours will be the equally important one of maintaining peace,” Iroh says. “Now, maybe you should go practice that and make your amends with Master Bumi. I am off to make some tea.” 

“What if he won’t speak to me,” she asks. 

“Well then your partner dance in front of the court later on at your party will be terribly uncomfortable!” he says walking back inside. ——————————————————————————————————— Bumi does not really know where he is walking to, and he just follows the direction that instinct takes him. He can hear his parents behind him, but he does not stop. 

“Bumi please,” Katara calls. 

He groans and walks faster. In this instance, he was incredibly pleased with himself because he still remembers some of the secret passageways in the palace that Izumi had showed him as children when they would play hide and explode with Izumi’s Aunt Kiyi and Aunt Azula, so he ducked into one that he knew was coming and hears his parents run right passed. It was slightly dark inside, which made perfect sense considering that usually only firebenders used these hallways and had no need for any other light. 

Bumi went off memory and kept his right hand on the wall. If he had to figure this out like a maze in order to get out, that’s what he would do. After about ten minutes in the dark, he feels a variation in the stone that tells him he’s found a door. If he remembers correctly, this one will let him out by the portrait gallery. However, when he opens the door, he’s stopped by a piece of furniture. 

“Huh?” he hears someone ask, and soon the furniture is being shoved out of the way and the door opens and bright light blinds him, and Azula is standing in front of him.

She stares him up and down. “I would offer to help you but I will warn you first that if you ruin Izumi’s birthday, not even the fact that your father is the Avatar will save you from me.” 

Bumi remains frozen, unsure what to do. 

“Well don’t just sit there,” she says, raising a brow. He stumbles into what he realizes to be Azula’s office. 

“If you are avoiding your parents who ran after you when you caused quite the commotion at breakfast, then my office would definitely be the best place to hide. Push that back into place,” she commands gesturing to the small table she had just moved. 

Bumi has not spent much time alone with Azula. Whenever he would visit the Fire Nation, he and Izumi were attached at the hip. Every summer when Kya would go to the Southern Water Tribe and his dad and Tenzin would go to an Air Temple, Bumi would get dropped off in the Fire Nation for a few months of sword training with Master Piandao. After Piandao passed away, Zuko offered to continue training him since Sokka was busy trying to get Republic City up and running. In all that time, he’d never really gotten to know Azula. From what Izumi had told him, Azula was Zuko’s right hand. She lead his small council and sat in on meetings when he was away on diplomatic trips, which made her an extremely powerful person. 

He looks around her office. It’s clean and tidy. There is a small ink portrait of Izumi on the wall to the right of Azula's desk, and vases of Fire Lilies around the room. 

Azula studies him while he looks around the room. “Should I ask what’s bothering you or should we pretend this exchange never happened?”

“Whatever you prefer,” he replies. 

“I prefer to be well informed.” 

“Izumi and I had a fight.” 

“I gleaned that,” she says flatly. There’s a pause. “Izumi hates celebrating her birthday. She tells us every year it makes her feel guilty, but the 17th birthday of the Heir Apparent is a rite of passage in the Fire Nation.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“Traditionally, it’s when the Crown Prince, or in Izumi’s case, Princess, starts sitting on the small council and has to take up a stronger political role than just kissing babies and doing well in school… it’s seen as the last day of childhood.”  

Oh Bumi thinks. “That’s why she’s so stressed.” 

“Most likely a factor.” 

“She never mentioned it.” 

“Well, you know Izumi. Unless it’s Zuko, getting her to tell you what’s wrong is like pulling teeth. She is like you in that regard.” Bumi looks puzzled. “I read people very well,” she says in reply to his reaction. There’s a pause as she regards him. “I do not imagine it is easy to be a non-bender in a family like yours.” 

“Man, you really don’t hold back.” 

She offers him a half smile. “I understand the fear of being a disappointment too. When I was 12 I was so scared of failure and what would happen if I disappointed my father. It was not even two years by the time I self destructed.” 

“I’m not going to self destruct,” he mutters. 

“Then you might need some help carrying that weight on your shoulders around.” 

He is quiet for a minute. “What if there’s no one to help me?” 

 She glances down at a small ink drawing of her mother, Zuko, and herself  that sits on her desk. “From my experience,  you can often find help in very unexpected places, but you have to be open to being helped.” 

AN: you cannot convince me Azula didn’t get a redemption arc and a lot of healing and become a strange source of wisdom. you just can’t. azula redemptions are a peak of feminist literature. 

I imagine redeemed Azula serves Zuko in a position similar to the hand of the king from GoT. 

[taiblogcomics]

It’s A-Parent Something’s Wrong

Hey there, ingrown hairs. It's once more pony time, and it will be for a long foreseeable future. Get used to it! Which means we're pretty much gonna have short preambles for a while. You guys already know the deal with pony comics. But let's see if we can't make this at least a little interesting. Now, we already finished our first story arc of the Season 10 run. So, what next? Well, not a new part of the ongoing arc, that's for sure. Nah, after the big adventure, we need a little filler episode~

Here's the cover:

Scootaloo's absolutely thrilled to be part of this. Can't you tell~? Not much else to this cover. In fact, it's kinda like last issue's. Just a big closeup of a character face, and the main selling point is hoping you like said character. At least this one is more indicative of the contents, though~

So we start way far off in some distant lands, Shire Lanka, which is pretty jungly. Who else would be in such hostile lands but Scootaloo's parents, who got introduced in season 9 and ruined all my orphan jokes forever. I didn't even keep track of their names, so they're just collectively Scoots' Parents to me. Anyway, Scoots' Dad encounters a snake, while Scoots' Mom uncovers some undiscovered species. They look like horrifying plant-based Furbies, and I hate them. (For the record, they're called bush babies, because of course they are.) Thankfully, they're not important to the issue, I just find their Furby-like designs very unsettling~

Anyway, the whole prologue here is actually something being told to Scoots by her aunts during breakfast. It's essentially a note about family being of key importance, even if families are very different. Oh, not usually you get the moral of the episode at the beginning. Anyway, the main point of telling such a story is because her parents are actually coming to visit. Scoots is a little worried her everyday life will seem boring compared to her adventurous parents, but her aunts assure her all she has to do is show what she loves about Ponyville and they'll see it through her eyes.

Unfortunately, when they show up, they're not interested in seeing Ponyville. They've seen it before, after all. Instead, they want to show her their world. Or at least a reasonable approximation, here at the Canterlot animal conservation center. Her parents each got their interest in animals when they were about her age, so they feel like it's a great time to share. Scoots rightly points out that she already has a calling being a Cutie Mark Crusader, but they insist. It feels weird to them to share a love of animals with each other but not their daughter, so they want to find some way they can all connect as a family.

And so a montage ensues of the parents enjoying some animal, and Scoots finding herself harassed by some aspect of the same animal. Her parents are oblivious to this. This culminates in their expecting her to wrestle a cragadile and count its teeth. Somehow this doesn't sound perfectly safe or appealing to Scootaloo, and she runs off. Her parents catch up with her, and poor Scoots is looking rough. Scuffed and mussed and practically in tears. She asks in disbelief whether her parents even actually enjoy all that stuff, and they confess, yes they do. Because they do it together.

The family returns home, and Scoots declines an offer to be walked home. Well, at least they respect her independence. On returning home, Scoots has an absolute breakdown as soon as her aunts ask about her day. Scoots is pretty upset that she can't fake liking the things they do or being the daughter her parents want. But you know what? She's the daughter her aunts want. And furthermore, it's not the love of animals that bind a family together. It's love for each other. But of course, continuing to fake it won't solve anything. Her aunts suggest she tell her parents the truth.

So come next morning, her parents show up looking for more cragadile volunteers, and Scoots suggests they get ice cream instead. The fact that her parents agree to ice cream for breakfast shows they're any kid's dream parents, regardless of shared interests. And during the ice creaming, Scoots does the brave thing and tells her parents the truth: she loves their stories about adventure and animals, but she didn't get any enjoyment out of yesterday.

And of course, they don't think for a minute that she's disappointed them. And so they spend the day doing what Scoots wants to do. She shows them the Crusaders' clubhouse, and they go water skiing. And they let Scootaloo know that, even if they're not around to see it, they'll be proud of whoever their daughter grows into. Awww~

Hey, I thought the filler stuff was supposed to be more light-hearted than the actual storyline stuff. I’m not actually complaining, but if this isn’t one of my funniest reviews, it’s probably because this is actually a pretty good story about a kind of heavy topic. So it’s probably not going to be, like, anyone’s favourite issue, unless the topic really resonates with you. And that’s fine. Nice that they give some more thought towards the Scootaloo family dynamic, since they introduced the concept so late in the series.

Next issue, perhaps something a little more lighthearted, since it involves Pinkie Pie and her favourite activities~