#what i wrote there means “may the year of the snake brings great luck and fortune”

[gomzdrawfr]

蛇年行大运

[andthisiswitchcraft]

Hello and welcome to Folk Magic Friday! 🖤

✨ Today is Friday the 13th. A perfect date for this post as I want to write something about slavic superstitions and old wives tales. And, as we all know, there is always something true in all old wives tales. Well, there was a reason they were told. I will also tell you something about making your own lucky amulet for days like this

✨ Most popular, still believed in and practised are:

red ribbon tied on baby's crib/trolley/hand as a lucky charm and for protection from evil powers or hexes

gathering of straw or branches placed under the roof of the house under construction

swallow's nest on your roof brings luck, be good to them

welcome newlyweds with bread and salt

burning and drowning effigy of Marzanna (I wrote about this here --> https://www.facebook.com/groups/487888341893851/posts/697057317643618/ )

eating mushrooms and poppy-seeds on Christmas - poppy was a connection with Nawia, slavic Nether. All Christmas dishes were typical for funeral meal

worshiping and being respectful for storks, waiting for their come back at the beginning of spring

divination by wax, especially for singles that are looking for love, at Saint Andrew's Day

no welcome or goodbye on the treshold of the house as it brings bad energy - always do this either in or out of your house

three kisses in the cheeks as a welcome and goodbye - for health, luck and prosperity

if you're pregnant don't go under or across any strings, ropes or wires as it may make umbilical cord tangled on your baby's neck

building a wayside shrines next to crossroads for protection

✨ As a protection from evil powers and bad luck Slavs made their own amulets called nawęza. It was little pouch with things closest to the person that was wearing it. Nawęza was wore as a necklace or was tied to the belt. Old Slavs usually put in their amulets animals fangs, feathers, magickal stones (especially hag stones), shells and herbs.

✨If you want to make your own nawęza, you can make it with little pouch with little things that make you feel powerful, safe or brings you luck. There are three types of nawęza:

❤️ nawęza of love - put there the closest things that belongs to the love of your life: hair and nails. Add two tangled red ribbons, rose quartz, mugwort and lovage. Spray it with musk oil and keep close with you or sew into your partner's clothes.

💎nawęza of wealth and prosperity - put there few wheat grains, acorns, some money, wallnut, leaf of mint and sunflower petals. Keep close with you.

🌿 nawęza of cleansing - put there garlic, quartz, sand, little piece of salt (not grinded), St John's wort and marjoram. Keep close with you or put under your pillow.

✨ Good thing to put on your own nawęza is magick symbol. It may be typical slavic symbol or symbol of your beloved goddess/god/entity. Typical for slavic nawęza would be one of these symbols:

Swarga/swarożyca/swarzyca or kołowrót (turnstile) - symbol of Swarog, the divine blacksmith. This symbol is also a slavic uroboros, snake eating his own tale. Arms of swarga are going on and on in the circle like sun and moon. Eight arms are a reminder of eight holidays important for slavic witches through the year. It was common symbol found above the doors or on cribs. It protects from evil in forms of illness, demons and bad luck.

Triskelion - known for Celts but also for Slavs. It was believed triskelion is a symbol of Weles, known as Three-headed god. Weles is a god of Nawia, to which leads a spiral way which was a metaphore of life.

Six-petal rosette - most popular symbol of Perun, the god of thunder, but also warriors. It was a protection from thunders and lightnings, placed inside the house, mostly on roofs or windows. Wear this symbol when you need to feel your inner strenght (for example before important interview).

Lunula - known for ancient Romans, but also for Slavs. It's a symbol of Mokosza, Mother Earth, patron of all women. It's good for love spells and rituals, helps with beauty and protects from health issues typical for women.

Symbol of Veles - a letter V that makes a triangle with added horns. God of Nawia, patron of cattle, god of magic and divination. It was also believed that a bear is an incarnation of Weles, so you can also use a bear paw as his symbol.

Hands of God - symbol of Perun, it is believed that four arms of this symbol are four powerful hands of Perun and each is reaching for each side of the world. It's used as a symbol of protection and inner strength.

Sun Cross/Solar Cross - symbol of Świętowit, most important god in Slavic pantheon. He is a god of all creation, the world maker. Circle means Earth divided by four seasons. It means the beginning of the world. Wear it when you need calm, harmony and inner peace.

Would you like to make your own nawęza? What would you put in your magick amulet? Tell me in the comments 🖤

And have a great Friday the 13th! 🐾

Iga

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

happy new years! i hope this year brings many blessed gacha rolls! may i request an imagine set in an hanahaki au? with jamil being affected because of his feelings for a gn!reader (who believes their relationship is nothing but platonic)? the ending is up to you of course! i really like the angst you write, i always reread your previous works (my favorite is L'Ouverture-- the line "His heart in exchange for Yuu’s" always gets me)

I rolled SSR Dormitory Uniform Rook on a key recently, so I’m starting off the year with some good gacha luck! o v o)9

Oh...!! I’m so happy to hear that, dear reader~ I, too, have pieces that I refer back to and reread when I need a little pick-me-up, or just to appreciate the writing! I’m glad that some of my works have found a place on your heart for that purpose.

You can read L’Ouveture here!

I wrote another Hanahaki piece (reader has Hanahaki; ft. Leona), which you can read here!

Imagine this...

Jasmine.

Why did it have to be jasmine?

Its aroma, cloying and heady The petals a pristine white, like the feathers of an angel. Sickeningly sweet and pure...

Jasmine was everything that he was not--and yet they were what sprouted in his lungs. What he gagged on each time he found himself struggling to catch his breath. What was slowly stripping his life away.

Its intoxicating perfume filled the great banquet hall, mixing with the desert heat that flooded in through open windows, the aromas of their waiting dinner, the din of music and chatter. Somehow, the jasmine floated above it all, magnifying to a dizzying extent.

His body shuddered, and he doubled over, arms cradling himself--as though it would stave away the flower stalks shooting up his throat, the pain shooting through his chest. A hand scrambled for his mouth, to mask the white petals he knew would spill out.

“Jamil, are you feeling okay? You don’t look too good.” Kalim had one hand on his friend’s back, and the other hand clutching a golden goblet. “Should I call my family doctor? I bet he could get’cha patched up fast!”

He gathered the petals in his palm, closing his hand into a fist and hiding it behind his back. Jamil bent into a bow, his hair forming a raven curtain.

“I am fine. Please, do not concern yourself with me.” He attempted at his usual monotone, his voice slightly raw. “Focus on the banquet. Eat, drink, and be merry.”

Kalim glanced to his goblet, then back to Jamil, and vigorously shook his head. “I can’t. Not when you’re not having a good time too. What’s up, Jamil? You can tell me, can’t you?”

“It is none of your business, Kalim.”

“I’m the host of this party, and as the host, I’ve gotta make sure that everyone’s having a good time!”

His dorm leader slapped him on the back--hard. The remaining wind in Jamil’s lungs went sailing out of him, along with a stray jasmine petal. A piece of pure white flickered in the corner of Kalim’s vision, and his expression darkened.

“Hmm? Jamil...” His dorm leader broke out into a wide grin. “Have you been eating flowers? You gotta be careful with those! Not all of them are edible, so you might get a little sick. If you wanted to eat flowers so much, I could’ve asked Trey to candy some for us!”

“... You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I should have known better,” Jamil agreed, the lie easily weaving through his teeth.

“Do you need to take the night off? I can send someone to your room with stomach medicine later, too! And some leftover food from the party so you don’t miss out on too much.”

“That would mean leaving you unattended to, Kalim. What if there is an attempt on your life during the time that I’m resting?”

“You worry too much! I’ll be okay. There’s too many potential witnesses around.”

“You say potential witnesses, I say potential accomplices.”

“You really do worry too much,” a voice called out. A familiar face revealed itself from a sea of guests.

Kalim brightened, while Jamil paled.

“Oh, you finally made it! I was starting to think you’d never show up!”

“I wouldn’t miss your parties for the world, Kalim. I just got caught up at the buffet table serving myself.”

“I see, I see! Makes total sense! Can’t party on an empty stomach, right?” He boomed with laughter, the punch in his cup sloshing around. “You won’t believe this--but Jamil actually ate some flowers earlier, so he’s not feeling great now. Be sure to not eat any of those decorative flowers on the food!, too”

“I’ll be careful,” they vowed, before passing a worried glance over to Jamil. “But are you alright?”  

The fistful of jasmine petals behind his back tightened. Within the depths of his lungs, a tingling, burning sensation had started once more--the beginnings of new buds. Jamil clenched his teeth, doing his best to force the flowers down.

“I am managing.”

It was not a lie, but it was not the truth either--it existed on the cusp of both, at the edge of dusk and dawn.

“Well, I hope you feel better soon. Try to catch up on some sleep,” they suggested. “Actually, why not just leave the party and rest for the night?”

“I’ve been trying to tell Jamil to take a break, but he just won’t!”

“Ah, that’s not good. You should consider listening to Kalim.”

As though I have not already spent my entire life doing that.

“I must tend to my duties. It cannot be helped.” Jasmine clawed up his throat, turning his words scratchy. He clamped his free hand over his mouth, wincing.

“Jamil... You should really do what Kalim said. You look like you can barely stand. If you’re worried about him, I can stick with Kalim in your place.”

“Ohhh, good idea! That should work out for everyone!”

They beamed at each other, eyes twinkling in conspiracy.

Of course--of course they were dismissing him in favor of one another. 

Kalim has always been the golden child. The one everyone favors.

What a privileged life he leads, having everything he desires served to him on a silver platter.

They deserve each other.

Jamil’s stomach lurched, a new feeling making itself known in the pit of his belly. Jealousy-hot and molten, like the searing sun.

The flowers trapped in his throat seemed to singe his flesh from the inside out. Jasmine pushed up, erupting into his mouth, past his lips, into his hand. White petals peeked out from between his fingers, a few fluttering to the floor.

He doubled over, retching.

“Jamil...?” They stared at him in shock. “What is--”

“Jamil--” Kalim put a hand on his shoulder--but he jerked away.

“Don’t touch me.” His voice was low and menacing, matching the hiss of a snake. No--a viper.

But the petals kept coming, jasmine sticking to his lips and filling his nostrils with a flood of its perfume. Pain tore through his flesh and bone with each new flower that blossomed. Beholding a deadly beauty.

He heaved and heaved, until there was nothing more to spit up. Then, trembling violently, Jamil hauled himself onto his feel. He cast a cold look at Kalim and snapped into a bow.

“Excuse me.”

“Jamil--”

He stormed out without another word. Past the party goers, away from his tempestuous thoughts, beyond the double doors--

Into the silent night.

The sky was clear, blanketed by stars and a dusting of sand. Only a sliver of the moon hung above, a wink of light against the dark.

White, like jasmine.

He reached out, cupping the moon in his hands. Slowly closing his fingers around it. Reaching, reaching...

... For something he cannot hope to have.

[valiantly-onward]

The Serpentine War Ch. 9

Sorry this chapter took so long, but finals are now OVER. Merry Christmas all!

Chapter 9: Dearest Misako

Misako was waiting for Wu at the monastery.

She was there often these days. After completing her scholarship in Ninjago City, she was in the midst of a collegiate gap year that really was just another way to say adventures. Her heart ached for restless travels, always had, but the war threatened to end her “research”.

She stood in the monastery doorway, her arms folded over a brown button-up. Wu scaled the steps quickly - it would be unwise to procrastinate. He knew why she was there.

“Misako,” he said.

“You got my message. Thank the First Spinjitzu Master.” She unfolded her arms. “I heard Jamanakai Village is lost.”

“News travels fast.”

“Only if your old professor lives there.” Misako stepped toward him, her breath wafting in the cold air. A brown braid swept over her shoulder. “I want to help.”

Wu stepped away and strode through the monastery doors. “Go home, Misako. It’s not safe for you here.”

Walking away didn’t help - Misako knew how to follow. “Isn’t this why Garmadon taught me Spinjitzu?.”

Wu hid his grimace, as he always did when she mentioned Garmadon. They could pretend that everything was fine between them, until Garmadon came back into the picture. Then this thing hovering hidden in the air became visible. Garmadon flirted with Misako so shamelessly that his feelings were plain, but for Wu, it was different.

And teaching her Spinjitzu...that had been forbidden by their father before his death. Give no one that power until the time of the Green Ninja. Yet Garmadon had gone against their father’s wishes and taught Misako. It was things like that that got under Wu’s skin.

Misako was still waiting. Wu turned with a sigh. Setting his staff on the inside of his shoulder, he took her hands. “Misako. You’re not a soldier, nor a Master. Your skills are needed elsewhere.”

Her brow creased behind her glasses, but Wu could tell she understood. Unlike Garmadon, she was willing to listen.

“Fine,” she said. “But I want to remain here at the monastery.” When Wu began to protest, she added, “There’s nowhere safer in Ninjago. Even if the Serpentine knows this place exists, they have no idea how to find it. You have a radio?”

“Monasteries are supposed to be places of peace, separate from the world -”

“So you have one.”

Wu nodded reluctantly.

That seemed to settle the discussion. He released Misako’s hands. She used them to roll down her sleeves against the cold. “So what will you do now?”

“I’m here to deliver a message from the monastery.” Wu took his staff again. “I’ve received word from the Alliance. There may be a chance to end this war without bloodshed.”

“How?”

“I will speak with General Arcturus,” he replied. “I’m going to Ouroboros.”

~~~

“I thought General Arcturus was in Jamanakai Village,” said the young Master of Fire.

“He was.” Wu dismissed his dragon and started down the road, Ray trailing close behind. “But he returned to Ouroboros last week. It isn’t just the army he leads. He also has a tribe to rule. That’s why there are seven Anacondrai generals.”

“Seven is overkill,” Ray said decidedly.

“Not when we are at war, my young friend. Where is Lorin?”

Ray pointed at the largest brown house on the street. Wu stepped up and opened the door to shouting.

“...those snakes out of my house, Lorin!”

There was Lorin, around the corner of the hall. He was raising his hands placatingly to a village man in dusty attire. Both men turned to Wu as he entered.

“Master Wu,” Lorin said, lowering his hands.

“I would love to assist you in your predicament.” Wu gestured to the two of them with his staff, then continued, “But I need to leave immediately. Lorin, would you be willing to sacrifice your Master of Fire for a few days?”

“Of course,” Lorin replied, even as he looked puzzled. “Is this about -” “Yes.” Wu turned to Ray, who stood impatiently behind him. “Prepare to leave. Meet me outside in twenty minutes.”

Ray nodded. As he left, Wu glanced back at Lorin.

Lorin frowned under his beard. “Master Wu? You alright?” Wu realized he’d been staring into space for a long moment. He shook his head slightly, as if it could kill the terrible worry dancing inside him. “Yes. Pardon, but - do you have a stylus and paper I could borrow?”

A few minutes later, Lorin left Wu alone in an upstairs room, a blank paper spread before him on an old desk. Wu didn’t know how long he sat there, the stylus in hand. Ink dripped onto the page.

He couldn’t do this. Such a thing would mean he was giving up, and he wasn’t. But Wu was under no illusions that he was invincible, no matter how long he’d walked the lands of Ninjago. He was difficult to kill, but not impossible, and if anyone could do it, it would be General Arcturus. And if this mission went wrong…

Not for the first time, he wished Garmadon was coming with him.

He set the stylus to paper. Oh, he was a truly a coward off the page. He would face Underworlds of evils, but not this.

But he couldn’t bear it if she never knew.

Dearest Misako, he wrote. If we do not meet again, there is something I wish to tell you...

As soon as Wu finished, he folded the letter and headed out to meet Ray. Those of the Alliance not on sentry duty gathered round to see them off. Ray was ready as requested. As the Master of Fire, there was a good chance Ray’s presence would sway the Serpentine. They respected power. And by their own tradition, few things were more powerful than fire.

Ray climbed on the dragon’s back. Someone else approached, running, blue robes flapping around her waist. It was Maya.

“I’m coming too,” she called.

“Maya,” Wu said longsufferingly.

She was already at the dragon’s side. “If Ray’s going, I’m going.”

They had a short staring match. Ray looked increasingly uncomfortable.

So stubborn. After Morro, Wu had sent all his students off - all except Maya, who refused to leave. So naturally talented, so headstrong. Just like Morro, in fact.

The fewer in their party, the better. But if something went wrong - well, it wouldn’t hurt to have another Master. Though part of Wu balked at bringing two Masters beneath their true potentials, he finally conceded, “Very well.”

Maya triumphantly climbed up. Wu reached down to hand Lorin the letter. “Will you see this delivered to my monastery?”

“Of course.” Lorin took it and clasped Wu’s hand. “Safe travels, my friend.”

Wu nodded. “With luck, you will not have to defend this place much longer. I will move as quickly as I can.”

Lorin backed away. The great golden dragon raised its wings. Wu guided it into the sky.

@greenygreenland

[quoth-the-sparrow]

Anything For You

A Sanders Sides One Shot

Warnings: TS Deceit, Sympathetic Deceit, depression, feelings of hopelessness, mild hurt/comfort, food mention (If I need to add anything let me know)

Pairings: Loceit

Description: Damian is going through some stuff but Logan is there to help

Word Count: 1,378

You can also find this story here on ao3!

I wrote this for @magicallygrimmwiccan

Damian sighed as he flopped back into bed. He knew he really should go take a shower, brush his teeth, or at least go downstairs, but he couldn’t bring himself too. This time of year is always the hardest for him to deal with. Pathetic, maybe, but he couldn’t exactly help it.

Maybe he could just lay here all day. Pretend there wasn’t anything needing his immediate attention. His commissions and other obligations could all wait until the horrible feeling of loneliness went away. Whenever that would be. A day, a week, a month, a year. Maybe it would never get better. Maybe he’d just be alone and depressed for the rest of his life. “Wouldn’t that just be my luck.”

His phone beeped at him from his nightstand. He thought about ignoring it but decided against it. He could answer his phone. With a sigh, he rolled over to grab it. He had a text message from his best friend, Logan.

Logan: Dee, are you doing alright?

Dee: Never been better, nerd. Why do you ask?

Logan: It’s already half past noon and usually I hear from you anywhere from 8am-10am. What’s wrong?

Dee: Nothing, I told you that I’ll be fine

Logan: You’ll be fine? As in you’re not fine right now?

Dee: Don’t read too much into my wording. You’ve been spending too much time around Picani

Logan: Dee, I know you. We’ve been friends for 4 years, 9 months, 2 weeks and 5 days. I can tell when something’s wrong. I know this is a bad month for you; do you want me to come over?

Dee: …how do you even know things like that? Who keeps track of these things?

Logan: It’s one of my many talents. I’m going to go over there, see you soon.

Dee: Wait, L, no, you don’t have to do that

Dee: L?

No answer, which likely meant he was already on his way. Great. Damian grabbed the covers and pulled them over his head. He didn’t have the energy to deal with this right now… but perhaps having someone with him would help. Then again, this ridiculous crush he had on Logan would probably get in the way.

He didn’t think he could even get up to answer the door, but then again, Logan probably knew where the extra key was hidden. That nerd wanted to come over so badly, he could figure it out.

Sure enough, he got another text about thirty minutes later.

Logan: I’m here. May I let myself in?

Dee: I suppose so

Damian heard the front door open. He sighed. Maybe he could fake being happy long enough for Logan to go away. Then again, Logan would see right through him. He had this uncanny way of reading a person as easily as a book.

There was a knock on his bedroom door. “Damian. May I come in?”

He sighed before saying “Yeah sure, why not.”

Logan entered the room and sat at the foot of the bed. “Have you been in bed all day?”

“Maybe,” Dee mumbled as he shifted further away.

The covers were gently pulled away from him. “I was using those, you know.” He tried to reach for the covers but Logan only pulled them further out of reach.

“Let’s go downstairs, okay? I brought some things, that’s why it took me so long. My apologies on that; I tried to hurry.”

Dee finally looked over at his best friend. Logan looked concerned, big brown eyes focused on him. Despite how awful he was feeling, his heart skipped a beat. Logan was so damn amazing, sometimes Dee wondered why he even bothered to hang out with someone like him. Surely Logan had other, better friends.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

Logan shook his head. “I wanted to. Come on, Damian. Please sit up? I know you can do this. It isn’t good to be cooped up in bed all day.”

“Haven’t you heard? It’s sad boy hours. Either be sad with me or go away.” Dee had meant to sound more harsh but it came out more as an empty threat.

Logan took Dee’s hand in his and gently squeezed. “You can be a sad boy downstairs, come on.”

Dee said nothing. After a few moments, Logan added “I brought Subway, and your favorite ice cream. And a surprise.”

“Wh- a surprise? Logan you didn’t have to…” he stammered. Logan only smiled, the rare kind of smile that Dee had never seen him give anyone else.

“Come downstairs with me and see. Do you need help sitting up?”

“No, it’s fine I got it. Just… be patient? I’m gonna be a bit slow at first.” Logan, to his credit, was very patient, guiding Dee out of bed and down the stairs. The coffee table was covered in food, and a white plastic bag was resting on the couch. Dee reached into the bag and pulled out a snake stuffie, which he immediately hugged to his chest.

“You like it? I found it at the toy store. It reminded me of you." Dee thanked him and set the snake down on the coffee table.

"Here. Let’s sit down and we can talk while we eat.” Dee nodded and sat down, as Logan handed him a bag of food.

He opened up his bag and smirked. “You got my usual. You’re such a nerd. It’s so sweet that you have all my orders memorized.”

Logan chuckled softly. “I told you, I know you, Dee. You’re my best friend.”

The two ate in comfortable silence until finally Logan asked “Why do you do this?”

Dee looked over at Logan. “Why do I do what?”

Logan ran a hand through his dark hair. Adjusted his glasses. Took a deep breath before answering. “Around this time of year, it’s always the same. You lock yourself away, don’t talk to anyone. Not even me.”

Dee shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t know if he could explain. Didn’t know if he wanted to. But Logan was his best friend too, after all. If he couldn’t trust him, who could he trust? Maybe he’d understand. “I… well, you know. Sometimes the world just gets to be too loud, too bright, too full of expectations. And I’m not good at handling it so I just hide. Wait it out alone.”

“Why alone? You know that I… I’m here for you. Always.” Logan moved closer, and hugged Damian close. “I just want you to be okay.”

Dee froze for a moment before hugging Logan back, snuggling into his chest. “I just don’t want to bother anyone is all. It’s not like my problems really matter. You have other friends besides me. I’m sure they are more deserving of your time,” he mumbled.

Logan tilted Damian’s chin up so he could look at him. His gaze was intense, and Dee exhaled a sharp breath.

“Damian. You are never a bother, least of all to me. I may have other friends but that doesn’t mean your problems or feelings aren’t as important. That isn’t how it works.”

“Logan…” Dee could feel the blush that was spreading across his cheeks. He didn’t know what to say. Instead, he leaned up and kissed Logan. The other boy surprised him by kissing back. Dee’s heart was racing, and he finally felt something other than the crippling loneliness that had been plaguing him for the past week.

When Dee pulled away, he was pleased to see Logan blushing too. He reached up to adjust his glasses again. “Well then. I was correct about that, it seems.”

Dee raised an eyebrow. “Correct about what?”

Logan held Damian close. “Well, I’ve had romantic feelings for you for a while now; and after careful observation and long discussions with Patton, I concluded that you reciprocated said romantic feelings.”

Damian rested his head against Logan’s shoulder. “You talked to Patton about me?”

Logan hummed softly. “I did. He’s more of an expert on romantic feelings than I am. Besides, I’m fairly confident that you’ve talked to Virgil about me.” He stroked Damian’s back, which only made him cuddle closer.

“Hmm yeah, you’re right. Thank you for everything, Logan. Really. You’re amazing.”

Logan smiled. “Anything for you, darling.”

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this story! Reblogs are greatly appreciated. Tell me what you think! If you’d like to be added to (or removed from) my taglist, please let me know by sending me an ask. You can find me on ao3 at Storytelling_Sparrow. Thank you so much for your continued support!

Taglist: @theresneverenoughfandoms​ @galaxywitchwolf13​ @magicallygrimmwiccan​ @daring-elm​ @creativity-killed-thekitten​ @007ardra​ @princeyssash​ @demigodnamedathena​ @khadij-al-kubra​ @im-shooting-straight​ @sawyer-saucee​ @gayzelley​ @it-me-the-phi​ @elfarmyenby​ @sparkedawg​ @ironwoman359​ @today-only-happens-once​ @areyousirius-noheisdead​ @madly-handsome​ @milomeepit​ @princelogical​ @silversmith-91​ @xxladystarlightxx​ @poisonedapples​ @romanamongthestars​ @ab-artist​ @ninjago2020​ @anuninspiredpoet​ @justanormalfoot​ @eggheadinthemaking​ @gemini-the-kitsune-rp​ @urielthealienboio​ @queer-guineapig​

[happymetalgirl]

March 2020

Wow, March seems like such a bygone era, time doesn’t mean anything anymore with so much turned upside down (especially in the music industry) in the throes of the pandemic going on right now. One of those things was me losing my punctuality with this blog. While I haven’t been on top of my writing, I have certainly been listening as much as ever, with plenty to talk about this month, so better late than never I suppose. Here are the albums I listened to during March.

Code Orange - Underneath

I just wrote about the Pittsburgh metalcore juggernauts’ highly anticipated fourth full-length, but I’ll summarize again what led me say that Underneath is a good album, but not as good as the breakthrough album whose high bar this album was always going to have a hard time clearing. The band go all in on the industrial elements that accented Forever on Underneath, as well as push their luck on the more melodic, alternative metal-oriented hardcore tracks, which came with some growing pains, the latter more than the former. And I really think that they probably are just growing pains with the band getting more comfortable with this expansion of their sound, which (contrary to what the many zealous 10/10 reviews are saying) I think the band will get significantly better with if they keep this trajectory going into their next album.

8/10

Body Count - Carnivore

I really have tried to focus on the positive aspects of Body Count’s music, the fearless, topical, confrontational lyricism and the capacity the band has to generate a good hardcore breakdown, but the band really do seem to be unable to get out of this one-dimensional rut they’re stuck in, with Carnivore simply a few shovels deeper in. The band’s appeal tires very quickly with Ice-T’s recycling of lyrical themes and his band’s repetitions of generic hardcore tropes. They come through with a few moments of intensity, a sick breakdown or two, but the positive, hopeful moments are too few and far between. I would think that with not a whole lot of competition and a hip hop icon behind the microphone that Body Count would have the capacity to do more for rap metalcore, but they seem stuck in a cycle I do respect the stances Body Count takes against injustice, and I want them to be a more prominent, important voice in metal, but they have some climbing to do to get there.

4/10

My Dying Bride - The Ghost of Orion

The grand masters of gothic death-doom don’t ever really steer too far off course, rather they sometimes just take their foot off the gas, as they do on The Ghost of Orion. It has all the elements of any beautifully melancholic My Dying Bride album; the slow and burgeoning guitars, the downtrodden vocal melodies juxtaposed with bursts of growled anguish, and the melodrama of vibrato-laden strings; but it’s all arranged and conjured without much tangible passion or pain. That’s by the standard of the band’s pretty solid discography though, so with that considered, it’s by no means a terrible death-doom album, it just won’t be converting anybody or getting anyone more excited about My Dying Bride and death-doom.

6/10

Warp Chamber - Implements of Excruciation

Brutal death metal can often seem pretty one-dimensional, and it often is, but in the hands of a band who really has the ambition to make more of it than just some guttural rumblings from all the instruments involved, the genre can really take on a wholy new monstrous form, its horrific, deathly instrumentation heightened by the melody and the compositional nuance that a competent band can bring to it, and that is exactly what Warp Chamber do on their debut album here. Full of cavernous growls and ceaseless low-register battery, it can seem, at face value like just a regular brutal death metal album, but when the band starts breaking out the winding tangents and manic solos that, again, just heighten the chaos and compliment the brutality. It’s more than just regular-ass death metal, and I’m glad to have heard this debut. I hope Warp Chamber has more in store.

8/10

Loathe - I Let It in and It Took Everything

Do you love Deftones? Maybe you do. I do. But I don’t think either of us love Deftones as much as Loathe loves Deftones. I’m goofing right now, but Loathe really do channel their Deftones fandom real hard when they’re not in full hardcore mode or getting eccentric with the segues on this album. And it does offer a great combination of styles, with angular, low-tuned modern metalcore noise riffage juxtaposed pretty strongly against the gauzy shoegaze that immediately hearkens to that facet of Deftones’ music. The band struggle to get the flow just right on certain songs and across the album in general, with some pretty inconsistent songwriting, but it’s definitely outweighed by its still somehow immersive quality and the strength of the individual pieces going into it.

7/10

Earth Rot - Black Tides of Obscurity

The Australian band brings forth some more of the tried and true modern death metal a la Bloodbath, Carnation, and modern Cannibal Corpse, but with enough eerie, blackened oddity throughout the songs to keep the journey from being too homogenous. It’s these moments that both give extra life to the bludgeoning, but at-times basic, modern death metal the band is conjuring and kind of disrupt the flow of that muscly death metal. At times I do wish the band would chose to focus one or the other more exclusively, but if this pushes Earth Rot further into this kind of stylistically ambitious death metal, I appreciate the stepping stone this album acts as.

7/10

Myrkur - Folksange

After riding a pretty strong wave of critical adoration for her contribution to the growing wave of atmospheric black metal that culminated in the respectably sonically unique Mareridt in 2017, Myrkur’s Amelie Bruun has taken a step back to refocus or recalibrate artistically. As the title suggests, Folksange finds its creator rewarding herself for her contributions to black metal with a return to her love of Scandinavian folk music, and you can tell she loves it on this entirely folk-music-based project devoid of any black metal elements. I may not have been as head-over-heels as a lot of critics were about her black metal albums, but I certainly appreciated her folk-inspired ambient take on the genre, especially the unique sonic pallet of Mareridt. I liked those albums quite a bit, yet it is clear that the sound on Folksange is her forte, which makes sense if Scandinavian folk has been a longer-standing passion than black metal for Bruun. The instrumentation is absolutely beautiful and Bruun’s angelic voice fits so perfectly with it, but Folksange is more than just superficially aesthetically gorgeous. The songs (old and original) are written and arranged with such a natural knack for the style that makes it such a serenely enveloping experience that stands as Myrkur’s best work yet. I highly recommend it.

8/10

Old Man Gloom - Seminar IX: Darkness of Being

The famed supergroup’s first of two releases planned for this year after the loss of Caleb Scofield sees them dabbling around in an experimental array of genres that all the members have some sort of significant experience and specialty with. From post-metal of the sludgy, Isis-esque variety to the more noisily esoteric, Sumac-esque variety, to distinctly post-hardcore-influenced stylistic diversions, the band’s wide-reaching sound takes all sorts of twists and turns along their most recent experiment with the members’ varying pedigrees and influences guiding the music on quite the unusual nomadic trek. From the repetitive chord progression of the opening track to the album’s noisy finishing tracks (one of which features what sounds like rocks tumbling down a shaft of some sort for an extensive period of time), the band let their adventurers’ instincts guide them as they wander through their own experiment through the interplay of their members’ various styles. It’s weird, and not super polished, but it’s certainly fixating.

7/10

Candlemass - The Pendulum

After further cementing their relatively unchallenged status as the kings of epic doom metal with The Door to Doom about a year ago, Candlemass have offered up a quick little demo-focused EP with one new fleshed-out song, the title track, which takes them to the faster, more Dio-era-inspires side of their sound with the grand, soaring operatic vocals on the chorus and the relatively fast (by doom standards) guitar rhythms on the verses (think “Paranoid” or “Children of the Grave’). I love the very Dio-esque delivery of the word “fools” at the end too, very fitting. The demo track “Snakes of Goliath” slows it back down to Ozzy-era Sabbath worship in typical Candlemass fashion, the riffs and arrangement pretty respectable for a supposed demo track. The other full-length demo, “Porcelain Skull”, by contrast, does feel much less compositionally fleshed out and more like an actual demo piece. The other three demo tracks are just little instrumental studio doodles that don’t really add anything to the EP. If this EP could be interpreted as any kind of power move, it’s that Candlemass at demo level have just such a sharp compositional intuition for grand Sabbath doom metal and can pretty much nail it in their sleep.

demo-level 7/10

Igorrr - Spirituality and Distortion

I was definitely looking forward to this album big-time after the gloriously unashamed weirdness of 2017’s Savage Sinusoid filled a massive void I felt was needed in my metal bank. By contrast, Spirituality and Distortion is such a reserved project it feels either shy or cowardly from the usually hyper-eccentric band. The greater absence of the vocals of Laurent Lunoir on the album highlight also just how much character he brought to Savage Sinusoid through his zany performances. Without his vocal wildness across the album, the attention on Spirituality and Distortion is then directed to the significantly timid production and electronic finagling that doesn’t measure up to that of Savage Sinusoid.

6/10

In This Moment - Mother

*Sigh* In This Moment is one of those bands who I think really do show a lot of potential but just can’s seem to reach it. They get a lot of unnecessary shit for Maria Brink’s sexy stage presence and generally theatrical aesthetic and live show, but they do have the capacity to produce emotive alt metal ballads like “Whore” and bangers like “Big Bad Wolf” that give some insight into what heights they could potentially reach if they were much more consistent. I was hoping that Mother would be a solid rejuvenation/comeback after the benign disappointment of 2017′s Ritual, and while it’s certainly different, it’s not better. Mother really tries to take on this big, enveloping sound, and biblical, post-apocalyptic feel, and it can sort of carry it for a little bit and be temporarily immersive until the band needs to go full force. When it’s just some fancy eerie atmosphere and Maria Brink’s sultry vocal delivery, it holds up okay, but when the horribly synthetically produced arena-booming instrumentation really comes in and breaks that immersion, you remember that it really is all just trite alt rock whose lofty flair is all a facade.

4/10

Mamaleek - Come and See

Undoubtedly the most wildly experimental album to grace my ears so far this year, I was not expecting such a forceful avant-garde project from Mamaleek so relatively soon after Out of Time, but damn I’m glad I got it! The anonymous brotherly duo have always taken black metal on quite the far-off journey whenever they bring it along on one, ever making it their mission to create something one-of-a-kind with their work, and Come and See has to be their most enthralling album yet. Ramming together the transfixing manic anguish of their blackened experimental noise with the angular dynamism of jazz and even some blues rock in a musical particle collider, Mamaleek have made a truly one-of-a-kind album, and that’s even by their standards. I’ve mentioned before that I tend to like my jazz pretty rowdy and aggressive (like my metal), and the chaos that Mamaleek already generates with their brand of black metal is perfect to trim with and infuse with the angular dissonance of traditional jazz at its more energetically extreme. While the array of chaotic sounds may make Come and See their most intangibly black metal album, the ethos of that root genre pierces through by way of the harshly shrieked vocals just as much as the new jazz elements do. I really might just have to do a full-length review on this one because there is so much going on here that is worth admiring and I can’t stop loving it.

9/10

Phalanx - Golden Horde

This album came out a few months ago and has been making some pretty significant waves on Bandcamp, and for good reason. The relatively young band on their second release ever do showcase a pretty good knack for groove and death metal brutality, balancing slow, thick, tasty groove and blasting death metal without falling into metalcore breakdown clichés or death metal clichés. The three-pronged vocal attack the band touts isn’t quite as dazzling as they might think it is (with the abundance of talented vocalists capable of shapeshifting through a variety of metal vocal techniques), but I do think it would be cool to hear them use that approach with all three vocalists acting more simultaneously to more effectively convey the chaos of the war-related lyrical themes they focus on. Nevertheless, this quarter-hour taster is a great starter for them and definitely worth checking out. Hopefully it’s a foreshadowing of the blossoming of a bright new act for death metal.

7/10

Regarde Les Hommes Tomber - Ascension

I’ve been seeing a lot of praise being thrown this album’s way, and I honestly can’t disagree too much with that it is a pretty damn good album. It is very reminiscent of the Numenorean album Adore that I praised so highly last year. Like Adore, Ascension is an atmospheric black metal album that could easily hook your typical dude who hates Deafheaven and blackgaze and makes a really big deal about it. The band’does well on Ascension to avoid the reliance on generic post-rock guitar reverb ambiance that turns so many people off from blackgaze, working together a lot of unique sonic twists that don’t usually find their way into ambient black metal and channeling direct, cutting, yet humanly vibrant instrumentation that’s backed by raw cries of agony very similar to what Numenorean was doing last year. Perhaps this is the new way forward for atmospheric black metal and blackgaze. If so, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber are doing well to lead the way.

8/10

Deadspace - A Portrait of Sacrificial Scars

I already offered my praises to this album at length with my long-form post dedicated to it, but I’ll give it another shout for its brilliant, bittersweet sending off of the seemingly tireless Australian band. Deadspace give their oppressive/depressive sound the added magnitude and glory offered by choir and orchestral elements with more tact than most bands that use those elements regularly. I really am surprised that the band have decided to split up at such a high point in their artistry and I wish there could be more from them, but I have to respect their decision to end it here, and A Portrait of Sacrificial Scars is a great note to end on.

9/10

[jejublr]

Seatmate!Hoshi

A/N: Anon and Cinderella Anon requested for Seatmate!Hoshi this time! I’m sorry I haven’t been updating bc of school but I have my drafts saved so don’t worry! I’m still writing! To those who are back at school, I hope you guys are doing great! To those still on summer vacation (and to all of you in general): STAY HYDRATED!!!

This one was really fun to write because, let’s be honest, Kwon Soonyoung is everybody’s bias wrecker. Even if you don’t have him as a bias, he’s somewhere lurking on the top of your bias lists don’t lie to me. This one’s a long one so I hope you all enjoy and have a great day~! ^^

How do I start with this guy

Calls himself 10:10 because of his slanted eyes cute

This kid is also pretty hyper ok

Once got into detention because he randomly stood up on his desk in the middle of a lesson to shout “IT’S 10:10″ when the clock strikes 

Often has random dance offs with Junior!Seokmin and it’s the most hilarious thing to watch

Has a lot of friends from every grade because he’s so fun to be around

Cares a lot about his underclassmen and is the one of the nicest upperclassmen around

Everybody knows Soonyoung’s really good at dancing

And I mean, real good

He even has his own YouTube channel NaegaHosh where he dances his own choreos to pop songs

Most people at school follows him and even the teachers stalk his videos lol

Soonyoung is basically in everyone’s good book

Well, everyone’s but yours

You see, you’re childhood rivals

You can say you’re a pretty chill person

You have your own group of friends you usually hang out with but you’re on good terms with people in general

Nobody can deny that you’re an equally talented dancer

You may have a different style from Soonyoung but your dancing is just as captivating as his

While Soonyoung’s style is leaning towards breakdance, you style leans towards contemporary ballet

And it gets pretty heated and entertaining to see you both try out-do each other during the end of year talent shows

For few years in a row, the winner would either be you or Soonyoung

Usually you guys take turns

People are so tired of it tbh

“Just kiss already.”

Your friends like to tease you that your resentment is just internalized crush

But you’re in deniaaallll /guitar rift/

Anyways, you decided early on into the year that you will beat Soonyoung once and for all by winning for the second consecutive year

The story starts in the early morning of your Junior year in high school

So the system in your school was they always pick people randomly to be put into a new class every year

So you can be friends with everyone

And guess what? 

You’re in Soonyoung’s class

For the second consecutive year

People were groaning internally because here we go again

Being in the same class with you both was like being in a real-life drama

Because everybody knows you’re childhood rivals

And imagine the tension of sitting behind two people who are always ready to rip each other to shreds

The teacher was aware of this and tired of this s*** so she decided to sit you guys together this year

What was she thinking lmao

You guys might wonder the backstory behind this age-long rivalry

It began once upon a kindergarten

You never really had any beef with Soonyoung

He’s pretty hyper as a kid; got his hair stuck up everywhere and always the one to break it down on the ol’ kindergarten dance floor

Ok dark secret here; but you had a crush on Soonyoung back then bc he reminds you so much of your hamster Cici omggg

You let him steal your sandwich and borrow your color pencil during art as a result of this crush

This crush went on until that time in second grade when your school held Nutcracker 

And he totally stole your role as the Nutcracker bc you were sick during the dress rehearsal

By the time you got better the night before the show, they had given the role to Soonyoung

So you got stuck playing a candy cane tragic

IMAGINE THE BETRAYAL

That night marked the day you got your first heartbreak and sworn to make Kwon Soonyoung pay one day

Yeah, you’re a pretty dramatic bitter child and you continue to carry that bitterness up till this day

Anyways

It’s that time of the year again

Tension is in the air, looks shared between people

It’s the annual talent show

People are sharing nervous glances bc when are they finally gonna lose it

And by “they”, they meant you and Soonyoung

When you saw the form pinned on the bulletin board this morning, you never wrote your name faster

But guess what? By lunchtime, Soonyoung already had his name scribbled under yours

It’s officially on

“Watch your back, Kwon.”

“Good luck.”

Funnily, you were both dragged into the principal’s office by the time school’s out

“This year, you won’t be participating” the principal said

“What.”

“People are getting discouraged signing up for the auditions bc they know that in the end, the winner would only be between the both of you. That’s why I decided to remove you both from the competition this year.

“And no, Soonyoung, if you think you’re entitled just because your internet name Hoshi means star, you can find your way out.”

You were about to snicker when she went “Y/N, you will not find it funny when I tell you that you two will work together to create and perform a dance to be showcased during the talentshow. While you’re not participating, you and Soonyoung both

You went 0_0 w hat

“I’m not going to work with them!” both you and Sonyoung said in unison

The teacher was like “lmao get over it kids, it’s 2K17″ and then sauntered off like a bo$$

You realized you didn’t have a choice but to do as she said to be able to perform this year

And you see no point to arguing

So you both begrudgingly agreed to do the collab

At first, you and Soonyoung wouldn’t meet in the middle

You try to find faults in each other’s dancing, to 

You ended up trying to sabotage yourselves

Also, you still didn't have the right music to dance with so you and Soonyoung were a complete wreck

Also bc you kept arguing which song to pick smh

It came to a point that one day, Soonyoung went up to Senior!Jihoon 

“Hey, can you whip up some swaggy beats for my performance for the talent show?”

“Tell me a reason why I shouldn’t hit you with a guitar right now.”

“I’ll buy you a burger.”

“I can buy a burger.”

“I’ll buy you a hundred burgers.”

“Deal.”

So that’s how Soonyoung had gotten himself the perfect remix for the dance the next Monday

When you listened to it for the first time, you knew, it’s perfect

Because somehow, Jihoon was able to mesh songs to create one that would work perfectly with you and Soonyoung’s style

And so you two began to work

And you couldn’t help but observe Soonyoung as he worked 

Because you’ve never seen someone do something so passionately

Soonyoung gave his all in his dance and it’s something everybody can see

Watching Soonyoung work his magic woke up something in you

Funnily, you don’t feel intimidated at all

For once, you embraced the fact that you now work with Soonyoung, not against him

So you ended up enjoying it a bit

So you’re finally done with the last steps of planning the choreography

It’s time for you to test it out for yourselves

So you played the music and danced

And you both had gotten so wrapped up in the music and with each other that when the music ended in a crescendo, you suddenly found yourself tangled in his arms

And you were so close in each others arms and he could see the specks in your eyes and suddenly he could feel his breath hitch 

Because Oh no, you’re actually really attractive. How could he not see this?

And all of the sudden, he became hyper aware of how close you both are, his hands on your hips and your warm breaths mingling

It wasn’t until you pulled away that he went woah

Because what was that???

You on the other hand

You tried to play it cool, but inside?? 

You can’t deny you and Soonyoung have a tension chemistry 

But God forbid if your age-old crush was revived 

You thought it was the time you spent together that drew you closer

I mean, you meet the guy in class then spend the rest of the afternoon choreographing and dancing with him

You’d expect yourself to be at each other’s throats 

But you grew comfortable with his presence???

It’s like you started to care about each other

You never really showed it but it’s there

Like that time it was raining by the time you both finished

You had forgotten to bring your umbrella and he basically forced you to use his instead as he dove right into the rain

(The next day you gave it back to him with a small thank you note slipped inside)

He thought it was cute

And that other time when you noticed he looked rather pale and tired

So when you went to the convenient store near the school on your break, you bought him an extra carton of milk and bread

He looked confused as heck when you gave it to him

“I don’t want you to collapse a week before the show, Kwon.”

You totally didn’t blush

You also noticed the change in Soonyoung’s behavior 

When you caught him starring at you in class one day, you were like “What are you looking at, nerd?”

He said “Your hair looks nice today.”

“My hair looks nice everyday, thank.”

And while he didn't say anything in return, you swear you heard him whisper “Yeah it does.”

It’s so confusing bc what’s happening? Why is he suddenly like this? Does he..like me????

And while it’s a nice change from having to bicker everyday, you started to wonder what happened that triggered this change

Bc this is not the standard Soonyoung behavior

Also maybe bc you miss the bickering a little bit

But practice went on like usual

Before you know it, it’s the day of the show

Everyone’s freaking out

And you were too bc this reminded you too much of the first time you performed on stage

The adrenaline and the nervousness coiled in your stomach like a snake strangling its prey

In a way, this does count as your first dance

Your first time dancing with a partner

Your heart skipped a bit when you saw him in the dressing room, made up and dressed in all black

And you stopped in your track bc he looked good

You missed the look he gave you as he scanned you head to toe

He had to stop himself from blushing bc oh my god it’s happening, he’s going to dance with this attractive person

He must’ve sensed your nervousness bc he turned to you

“Hey, don’t sweat it. You’ll do great. I promise.”

Those little words gave you a boost

You can say it’s like his way of saying “good luck”

But who needs luck when you got Kwon Soonyoung amirite

The stage dimmed and it’s just Soonyoung and you and the music

Your body seemed to move on its own, giving up all control to muscle memory and to Soonyoung

You memorized the routine like the back of your hand

Soonyoung’s touches and your eyes teasing, almost sensual, writing a story only the two of you knew

And to say that you wow-ed the audience was an understatement

You bombed the place

You were so in tune with both the song and with each other that what was supposed to be a three-minute dance felt like mere seconds

Before you know it, the song was over, you’re in his arms and you’re both breathing hard

It just felt..fleeting

The show was easily a success

Nobody thought you would work so well together after all those years of rivalry

But it just proves how two great dancers could overcome boundaries if they had enough will

Your friends and family crowded you when the show was over,

They went to congratulate you and tell you how amazing the performance was

But you could only think about Soonyoung

You wanted to thank him for the hard work he’s put into the performance and for all the times he took care of you

You tried to swallow the sinking feeling realizing that it’s over now

You’ll go back to your live before the dance and he’ll go back to his

As the tension was revolved by the time you spent working together on the dance, you knew there was no more reason for you to start something against him

Because you’ve grown so accustomed to him, and him to you

It’s like a routine you couldn’t shake off

It was at that moment that you realized you liked having Soonyoung around

Speaking of Soonyoung

You found him propped up on the edge of the stage, the lights from the projector up in the projector room far ahead in the the auditorium casting white light on him, his silhouette a giant background on the stage

Your silhouette joined his as you plopped down next to him

“What are you doing?” you asked him

“I like sitting along in a theater like this. Makes you feel small.”

“I had fun” you admitted

His lips quirked into a lopsided smile, his bunny teeth showing

“I had fun, too.”

You joined in as you took in the view

How the place seems so vast with the empty red velvet seats

“Hey, Y/N.. about that Nutcracker incident?” Soonyoung started

“What about it?”

“Can I pay you back with a kiss??”

FFFF WOT

And you expected him to suddenly say “SIKE.” and for someone to jump out of the curtains with a camera but it didn’t come

Instead, Soonyoung was looking at you with what seems to be apprehensiveness 

And the realization hit you like a truck

Bc he literally just asked you if he could kiss you to make up to all that childhood bitterness

At this point, Soonyoung looked ready to apologize and disappear from the face of the earth but before anything

You dove in like a hawk

You didn’t know what to expect when your lips finally locked but the kiss was chaste, almost shy even

The kiss felt like your dance; brief, fleeting, teasing

But it brought a certain fulfillment in your heart

When you pulled away, Soonyoung’s cheeks were colored red and he couldn’t stop smiling

“Oh. Oh.”

“What??” you feel yourself heat up in embarrassment 

“...Can I kiss you again??”

“Oh my god.”

So at the end of that night, Soonyoung walked you home, with your pasts melting off like candy with every step that you take and laughter that you shared

And in the end, the kid who once stole your sandwich and role in that grade school musical ended stealing your heart, too

[paintedface]

Misfits Prologue

Summary: An introduction into your college life, including your room mates and your crush which you really shouldn’t have

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE)

Word Count: 1,679

Warnings: none, really

Notes: This is a demo fic, I’m not quite sure if I’ll continue it or not. This is a rushed prologue, but I hope you like it! This series won’t have much angst, sorry!

Now:

Sometimes life didn’t work out the way you wanted it to. Sometimes it worked exactly how you wanted it to. This was one of those times, and you aren’t exactly sure how you lucked out. Or how you are still lucky.

Then:

Your name is Y/N Y/L/N, a graphic design student in your junior, fourth, year of University. You spend your time doing both online and actual painted commissions, finishing assignments and binge watching Netflix. You’re not the most social person, an obvious introvert. You are quite the contrast to your room mates though.

Natasha Romanoff. How do you even begin to describe Natasha Romanoff? She has so many secrets and you don’t even bother to try find them out. She’s dangerous, has a black belt in karate. She could beat up a 7 foot guy with one perfectly aimed punch. Now that you think about it, she has beaten up a 7 foot guy before easily. No sweat. She’s alluring as well, curves in the right places, thick red curls and long eyelashes. However, if anyone even dared to touch her thigh higher than to be friendly, she would kick them in the groin. With her high heel. She’s incredibly smart too, acing all her classes. She’s studying Physical Education, and it’s a breeze for her. You’re lucky to have her as a friend though, she really is good fun.

Wanda Maximoff. When you first met her and Natasha, you thought they may have been related, because of the endings of their last name. She’s a Dance student, you’ve never met someone so graceful before. She’s quietly spoken, shy and reserved. Something happened in her past that had scarred her, making her a bit afraid of herself. Her parents aren’t around anymore, but you’re not insensitive enough to ask about the situation. She’s a bit taller than you, with long brown hair and a complexion you wish you had. Sometimes you wish you had her fashion sense because she rocks all the clothes she wears.

Pepper Potts. She’s the one who stops Natasha from getting involved with all the frat parties. Well…you all stop her, but Pepper has that authoritative ‘mother’ voice. Pepper is studying law, and rightfully so. She is great at negotiation and arguing, from your knowledge. She’s one of the kindest people you’ve met, which is strange, considering her boyfriend is an asshole. She’s always organised, with planners and to-do lists. Her outfits are clean and sharp, hardly an orange hair out of place. Despite her tidy exterior, she’s extremely funny as well.

Finally, Peggy Carter. Your absolute best friend. She actually deserves to rule the world, with all the damn right qualities. She’s been your friend since Year 5, and she’s been your life support through all the years. She was there for you when you first got dumped, she was there for you when you were being bullied. She, like Wanda, is amazing in anything, having flair and style. She’s the right mixture of work and party, though she knows much better than to ever get drunk. She studies business management, and you know her business would succeed instantly once she’s gotten out of college.

You’re not certain how you ended up with this bunch of room mates, but you’re not complaining. At least they don’t bring in random guys into their beds. No way would you tolerate that.

You’re specifically connected to the dorm above you in the apartment building through romance. You don’t have any luck with love, but your room mates do.

Natasha is dating a young man named Clint Barton, who, for some reason, is a master at archery. Every time he does darts in a bar, he wins. He’s doing a Physical Education course too. He has a great sense of humour, and he’s fun to be around. He also goes out with Nat about every weekend, and is probably really bad for her. They’re both bad for each other, but you can’t argue with love, right? They never seem to get hungover after parties, which is strange considering the amount of alcohol they consume. They also screw at least once a week. On those nights, you blast music through your earphones in an attempt to drown out their moans.

Wanda’s with Vis Midsten, who’s just as quiet as she is. He’s highly intelligent, his brain power probably higher than all of your friends’ ones combined. He’s always dressed well, shirts, sweaters, pants and dress shoes. You don’t talk to him much, but then again, he doesn’t talk much either.

About that asshole Pepper’s with…his name is Tony Stark. You have no idea how such a sweet person like Pepper could be dating someone so arrogant and egotistical as Tony Stark. You, personally, don’t see what’s in him, and you don’t know why Pepper stays with him. Maybe he’s soft and mushy in the inside, you have no idea. From what you’ve heard and seen of him though, he’s taking an engineering course, and is quite good at it. Doesn’t excuse his annoying behaviour though.

When you first saw Steve Rogers, you knew he had to be with Peggy. They were made for each other. Steve had golden hair, which looked beautiful beside Peggy’s brown curls. He was virtuous and would help anyone. Peggy was bold, brave, but you knew the moment her heart melted-when she first introduced herself to Steve. You enjoyed his company, especially as he was studying English and wrote amazing stories. You sometimes drew sketches to his stories, and you always had a good time thinking up ideas with him. You never went further than a strong friendship, though.

Everyone else is paired off, but that doesn’t mean that the last eligible person in that dorm would want you. Because it’s Bucky Barnes.

Bucky Barnes…otherwise known as James Buchanan Barnes. God, the moment when you first properly met him, you fell for him. Literally, you stumbled while walking towards him, and almost fell flat on your face. But luckily, he caught you on the upper arm, chuckling, and pulled you back up. You never believed in 'love at first sight,’ thinking it was extremely sappy. However, Bucky sort of changed that. For the first time, you actually longed to be with someone, desperately hoping that one day, you would find out he would reciprocate your feelings. When he held your arm after you had embarrassed yourself, it felt like shivers were running up your spine. The good kind of shivers, like you were excited about something. And that laugh…it was warm, broad and low. You couldn’t get enough of that laugh, you wished you could hear it more often. You still do. His voice is the same, husky and gentle, every word careful. People would find that quite odd, because, speaking frankly, Bucky’s a punk rocker.

That may be an overstatement, as you know he’s not a punk rocker or a heavy metal, he’s more of an emo, but it’s true. It doesn’t mean he’s not kind, because he is. You’ve seen him stand up to frat boys trying to hit on Wanda. And on movie nights, he’s always laughing and not making rude remarks. He doesn’t make rude remarks in general. He’s extremely smart, studying music and English. However, he’s a person who has a lot of piercings, up his ear, a stud in his nose, a lip ring and an eyebrow bar. He doesn’t have enough to make him look menacing, intimidating, but there’s still quite a few of them. You honestly think they’re extremely hot. He has tattoos too, a sleeve of them on his left arm. A red star with wandering vines trailing out of it, metallic lines across his skin, with different geometric patterns that snake up to his collarbone. You think he has one on his right rib, though you’ve never had the chance to properly see it. You’ve seen a few others dotted around, not big ones though. As an artist, you admire them, intrigued by the designs. You wish you could trace your finger over them one day without him thinking you’re weird.

Bucky wears leathers jackets, dark t shirts with the names of bands that are probably like My Chemical Romance and Panic! At The Disco. His skinny jeans just kill you, defining his long and muscular legs, a few of his jeans having rips in the knees and torn in a few other places, looking scuffed. You liked the non-torn ones just as much as the torn ones. He sometimes wears scarves, thin cloth ones, wound around his neck several times. Belts, both chain and leather, hang loose in their loops, slung down to mid thigh. You hardly ever see him out of leather boots, sometimes rivalling the height of the heels you own.

He wears eyeliner. He…wears…fucking…eyeliner. It kills you. It takes all your strength to not eyefuck him from across the room when he’s got that black, smudged liner around his blue grey, stormy eyes. Especially when he’s smirking, soft pink lips curled up in one corner.

Bucky’s taller than you, probably about a head taller. He fucking towers over you. Maybe it’s just the heels. You also want you to bury your hands in his hair, soft, wavy brown hair almost reaching his shoulders. He often wears it in a ponytail or a bun, but when he wears it loose, you inwardly groan because he looks so good.

Yes, you basically have every detail of him memorised, but you’ve been having a secret crush for over a year now. It’s eating you away from the inside, and if you don’t tell him soon, then you won’t see him for a while, seeing as it’s the second final year of college. But the fear of being rejected is way too much, and you’ve chickened out every time you decided to tell him. Nat keeps teasing you about it, and you tell her to shut up.

You tell yourself that one day, you’ll tell him. But you haven’t yet.

Part 1 

Permanent tags: @buckysinthesinbin @thecrownedrose @gallifreyansass @omalleysgirl22 @vibranium-arm @girlwith100names @marvelatthepeople

Tags are open for this series if I choose to continue it

[mytrumarareviews]

Nostalgia Glasses: Canaan - Part 1 (Background + Eps. 1-3)

This was one of the series that really got me into anime back when I was around 14 years old. It introduced me to the action genre of anime and got me into scenes of fluid animation for the sake of making the fights look really cool. And honestly, as far as the first few episodes go this series still holds up really well. I mean we all like things that aren’t good when we’re 14 but this was the first real time when I liked something that was really well done.

So much so in fact that two characters from this series, Santana and Hako, were major inspirations for Kali and Aria from my writing, which isn’t currently published or available for reading. I actually had to change Aria’s character to having her black as well as only having a weaponized voice when she sings because she was a bit too much like Hako. Kali’s death scene was also originally a shot for shot remake of Santana’s death scene. The death scene has been removed now that I’ve rewritten a few characters.

My first published work was in a school magazine that was sold to people outside of the school that we wrote in collaboration with the school paper. it was a Canaan fan fiction centering around Hako and her own inner monologue. it got a couple of my classmates to watch the series but was otherwise shitty, that’s actually up on my fanfiction.net account currently here:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9212506/1/Tormented-Thoughts 

It was also the anime I introduced my younger brother into anime with. So it holds a special place in my heart because of that.

I also got a copy of the series on bluray for by birthday yesterday, so that’s a good reason to jump into doing this now.

Episode 1: Evil, Flood-Colored City

Going into this series I’m remind of how well it sets up it’s tone. It’s an action series and it starts off with a series of shots introducing us briefly to both Canaan (one of the two protagonists) and Alphard (the antagonist). Canaan is shooting balloons with real bullets, which serves to show that she doesn’t really have a concept of value or currency. She’s a mercenary and that’s all she’s really know. Her professionalism is shown off with the fact that she’s wearing a military cap to keep the sun out of her eyes while she shoots and by the fact that she doesn’t miss a single shot. Alphard is being taken into custody by the military, this establishes that she’s not on the good side of the law and insinuates that she’s either grown sloppy or got captured on purpose to gain a strategic advantage against the government.

We also get a monologue spoken by Andrew Love, as his character in this series. About how Canaan and Alphard came from two very different worlds and that Canaan shouldn’t be using her negative emotion to move her forward when Alphard is doing the same thing. So without even giving us an inciting incident in the first 10 minutes of the series they’ve already given us Canaan’s inner conflict; the fact that she has to defeat Alphard through compassionate means rather than hateful ones.

So enough on literally the first two minutes of the series.

On to the main characters of the first couple of episodes. Maria Osawa (which has to be a reference to the porn star Maria Ozama) and how Mino. I honestly like both of their characters. Maria is both naive and optimistic yet it doesn’t come off as overly annoying, like a lot of other overly happy anime characters come off as. Mino is a more stereotypical male character but at the same time he’s quite likable. He’s a down on his luck journalist just trying to get a good story for his paper while on a trip to China. He’s pulled into all this stuff against his will. He follows up on any lead he can and shows a great dedication to his job. And he’s doesn’t come off as a pretentious jerk like Frank West from Dead Rising.

Throughout the latter half of the episode we’re introduced to the relationship between Canaan and Maria. Whereas Canaan is merciless when fighting she shows a really soft side toward Maria because of their history together. She comes off as socially inept.

I’d actually venture to say that Canaan has high functioning level 1 autism. She’s completely capable of functioning as a part of society but doesn’t like being a part of society. It could be the fact that whenever she goes outside she gets a literal sensory overload, which is common for people with autism. Though the sensory overload is caused by her synesthesia, rather than a disability. It’s just interesting to bring up those similarities between how her synesthesia affects her and how autism affects a lot of high functioning individuals.

This is coming from an individual with autism who’s done quite a bit of research into his own disability.

Episode 2: Worthless Games

The second episode gives us a lot more information about the world this series takes place in. Alphard leading a terrorist group named Snake. The nature of Maria and Canaan’s relationship. And much more.

Throughout this episode you start to get this feeling that a lot of the terrorist attacks are linked through a common group, though you still don’t know who they are. You know Liang Qi has something to do with it but it’s not completely clear if Alphard has any knowledge about it. You also find out a lot about Maria’s past, her amnesia that doesn’t turn her completely stupid like it seems to do for every other character that falls under this trope and her relations to synesthesia and the Ua virus, a virus with a 100% mortality rate that she’s the only person to survive, due to the valiant efforts of her Doctor father.

This episode mostly serves to give us exposition and develop the characters a bit more before sending us further into the plot. it also serves to set up later events and give Alphard a reason to let herself get captured by the Chinese government. She mentions something about an anti-terrorism conference, what better place to commit an act of terrorism. Security will also be relatively lax if there’s a lesser threat of terrorism, what with Alphard being olut of the picture and her organization being without proper leadership.

Liang Qi shows that she can’t take rejection from Alphard by taking her anger out on her coworker... Well, I’d more so call Cummings her submissive even if she does act as his assistant. it’s made very obvious by that fact that he drops an important call when Liang Qi needs to take out her anger on somebody and just takes the abuse. Alphard seems to share a mutual respect with Cummings at this point and Liang Qi probably hates this.

This was also the episode where I was kind of struck by the fact that this anime still looks really good 8 years after it started airing. Anime today all kind of looks the same, and that’s not me being some grumpy old man, I’m only 22. A-1 Pictures created this face template that’s used in all of their series. That make most of the anime in Japan right now so that same facial template is in more series than it isn’t in. Seeing a stylized series that looks like it could have been hand drawn with amazing fight animation is really refreshing. Style-wise this is probably my favorite series of the last decade.

We also get to hear Maria’s inner monologue, and experience how depressed and self conscious she really is. It’s a really nice contrast between her outward and inward personalities.

Episode 3: Trivialities

So we see a more sarcastic side of Maria’s personality in this episode when they go to a cosplay bar. Yes Hako is extremely sexualized in this part of the series, but she works at a cosplay bar. We also get a comic relief scene of Mino trying to get information from Hako but failing due to being nervous, because she’s a gorgeous woman with her breasts outside of the shirt. At this point you do start to get this feeling that maybe the Japanese writers are portraying Chinese people as a bit too aggressive and going into a bunch of Japanese taboos. Though the joke about Chinese cab drivers in the last episode was actually pretty funny because of how true it is.

And then we get a scene of Canaan doing a cats cradle with copper wire. Showing her immense, yet still human, physical strength. It’s interesting to note how she’s designed as a teenage girl because she hasn’t yet gone through puberty even though she’s in her twenties, her synesthesia stops her from having a period so she can’t go through 

Liang Qi continues to show her hatred for Canaan and an obsession with Alphard. In fact, much like how Cummings acts as her submissive and takes her abuse (which isn’t good by the way), Liang Qi takes the insults from Alphard and continues to show complete devotion to her, being submissive to her while still taking her repressed anger out on Cummings.

Going further into this episode there’s a noticeable difference between the sound mixing int he prior episodes of the dub (suck it up) and the 3rd on.

And, just through her conversations with Maria I think my theory that she has autism stands a bit more ground. The lines for the other characters are written relatively normally, you can picture a normie talking like Alphard, Maria, or Mino. But Canaan’s dialogue is written strangely when compared to the other characters. She’s socially awkward, doesn’t understand more advanced social situations, and gets really excited when going out with friends. Most people wouldn’t outright say that it’s their first time having fun with a friend or rudely interrupt other people to repeat something she’d said before. I know it could be argued that she’s just weird and with good reason, but in what situation could she get a diagnosis. So she may not be diagnosed by I think she might be an autistic character. She’s sociopathic, a lot of people with autism are sociopaths, which are commonly mistaken for psychopaths (sociopaths can still feel compassion and empathy but only for a select few people). I myself an not a sociopath, as not all people with autism are, but a good portion of us are. The way she walks away from Maria at the end of the episode speak volumes about how she’s still capable of becoming emotionally hurt by another person’s actions, and her lack of understand of Maria’s own moral compass also shows that she doesn’t fully understand other people or societal norms, as most people view murder as wrong.

So that’s the first part of my Canaan retrospective, I hope you didn’t get triggered when I talked about autism and I hope you enjoyed the rest of the analysis of the first three episodes of the series. So far this series really does stand out.