#whether it actually winds up happening or not; i feel like the setup is very deliberate

[invinciblerodent]

an entirely expected side effect of me whipping out my old external HDD is that now I AM going to rewatch basically the entirety of my canon game of Inquisition that I had mostly recorded back in like '15-'16, and get my heart torn right out again by this damn guy making this damn face

he deadass goes "😢" doesn't he

[kozachenko]

Ok finally finished Lotus Eaters today (it surprisingly didn't take me that long to finish) and I wanted to express some of my thoughts on it, so spoilers for the manga below (More specifically chapters 36, 37, and 38).

The art was really good and the page composition and layout from the panels was really interesting. The character writing is also really good, with each of the characters featured actually feeling like they have their own distinct voices. I feel like this aspect of character writing can go under appreciated at times, it's the type of thing that you only notice when it's gone or not there at all.

The more episodic nature of the manga also works well for it, however, one thing that annoyed me a little bit was when we would get the setup for a cool fight between two characters and then it is immediately cut short before it happens. For example, Reimu's confrontation with Yuugi in Chapter 36. The build up to it is perfect, and then is immediately cut short by Miyoi coming out and telling them both to stop. It was kind of a let down for me, and while I understand that it had to be like that for the sake of story, it was a little disappointing.

The individual stories of the arcs in the manga ranged from "ok" to "Great" for me, as some arcs were really well written and had a lot of great character moments in there. My personal favourite arc in the manga had to be the Red Snow arc, where we get a glimpse into the true nature of Tengu society and Megumu as a character. While Aya does exacerbate the truth in her articles, she still cares about her readers and wants to unveil the truth. This trait of hers is shown best during the Red Snow arc, where she writes in her newspaper that while the red snow is a weird occurrence, it still can be a natural phenomenon. While yes, she does dramatize some things, it's all mainly to get the reader hooked, with the actual article contents, she genuinely seems like she wants to bring truth to the human village while also not wanting to cause a panic. She could have easily said, "THERE'S BLOOD IN THE SNOW AND WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE" but she didn't. Then, after some undercover investigations during the commemorative market at the Hakurei Shrine, Aya decides to actually find out if the tengu were involved in the red snow phenomenon. This is when she overhears Megumu talking to Chimata about how she isn't concerned over whether or not someone discovers her. If the knowledge that the red snow was a natural occurence helped to relieve a bit of the villager's anxieties, the commemorative market at the Hakurei shrine helped to completley get rid of them, to the point where if someone revealed that this was all the work of the Tengu, it would do more harm than good, as Megumu states in these panels:

I also love the idea that Megumu probably knows Aya is listening to their conversation and is saying all of this to discourage her from telling the human villagers a truth.

I think my favourite part in all of this is how the chapter ends. Aya doesn't even show up to say her two cents at Geidontei. Instead, we just have Miyoi reading out the Bunbunmaru newspaper to a customer and unknowingly proving Megumu's point. The people of Gensokyo do have peace of mind, but they're still being lied to. I really love how we don't see Aya on the last two pages of the chapter, because if anything, the newspaper is representative of Aya in this scene. Heck, even the writing style of Aya's newspaper is a lot less enthusiastic and excited than usual. All we needed of Aya's reaction was the defeated slump to the ground and her notebook's pages flapping empty in the wind.

I think what also helps this shot is how imposing Megumu's laughter is. The next time we do see Aya in this manga (chapters 43-44), she's very clearly been mentally effected by this, which is perfect.

Overall, I feel like Lotus Eaters excels when it comes to short stories that show the little intricacies of what life is like in Gensokyo and expanding on the character's it involves. I do wish that we could see some of the other parts of Gensokyo's world through the mangas, and I wish that more of the newer characters could have shown up and been involved more in the manga, though I feel like we are getting that with some characters from Unconnected Marketeers, so hey, we might get to see Touhou 17 and 19 characters soon (although I do think we should get a manga that takes place in Hell, please give us that political drama in Hell Zun, there's so much potential for that). As someone who doesn't usually enjoy slice of life stuff, I think this manga does it really well.

Also, I wanted to read Lotus Eaters because I wanted to see Zun's strengths in his writing before I read Cheating Detective Satori which I heard is.... pretty bad. From an outsider perspective, the manga's writing is like a word problem with multiple parts that someone mess ed up in part a, and then by part e you have a house that's 0.399999 m wide and someone who's height is -0.16789789 cm. Don't know how many people would understand that analogy but I have no other way of explaining my thoughts on it before I read it.

So after this, should I start on CDS and then compare that and Lotus Eaters since they're the two most recent Touhou mangas? Or is there anything else I should read to get a better sense of Zun's strengths and weaknesses in writing and then tackle CDS? Also is it Cheating Detective Satori or Foul Detective Satori, I've heard it referred to with both names so are the two interchangeable or is this a weird mandela effect type of thing?

So yeah, I would recommend reading Lotus Eaters if you haven't already, iz gud

Now enjoy this goofy lookin Mamizou because she (and Aya for that matter) have instantly moved up to some of my top 10 favourite Touhou characters and Mamizou's expressions in this manga are an absolute gold mine.

[chemdisaster]

hi chem! for your ao3 wrapped: 3, 17, 28, 29 and! this isn't really on the list, but i'm curious, so: favourite trope or tropes to write vs to read? (if this is a lot at once, feel free to answer only those parts you want <3)

hi ange!! thanks for the ask

ao3 wrapped [writers edition]

3. what work are you most proud of?

it's a bit of a tough choice, but i'm going to have to say silver. it's cohesive and flows well, it has lots of beautiful lines, and my eyes get wet every time i read it, which is big for someone who is pretty much incapable of crying. so yeah, silver, the emotional knife to the gut of all my works

17. your favourite character to write this year?

well. i mean i wrote like 60k words for him. scar the beloved <3333

28. favourite work this year?

silver as well. not much of a choice here unfortunately, considering most of my works were written this year

29. favourite line/passage you wrote this year?

oh i've been waiting to scream about this one

Scar laughs, a sound high like the stars that dance down their celestial staircase and plunge one by one into the moonlit mirror below.

i love the imagery of this and how well it gets across the exact way i imagine scar to have laughed in this instance, as well as the atmosphere of the whole moment. really every line from silver works (i very much have a favourite as you can see). but if we're looking for emotional gut punch, this one's also an iconic one:

All Scar ever wanted was to do good.

pain :')

bonus question:

so this one is a bit tough because i'm not sure how specific i can be before it stops being a trope and becomes a Situation, but - character is struggling as a result of something that happened/is happening, their loved ones notice but can't properly help them for whatever reason (usually it's their want to give the character space working together with the character's determination to keep everything inside, as well as some good old miscommunication). at some point as their mental health worsens the character grows convinced that either no one cares about them, or they do care and the character knows this but can't bear to burden them with their presence. bonus points if it's both at once, so the character is torn between feeling like everyone would be better off if they disappeared and knowing logically that that's not true, and then feeling guilty for thinking like that. basically a whole lot of pain, but anyway, they bottle that shit up for a good long while until it eventually all spills out in an angsty reveal/public breakdown where they get to scream and cry about it in front of everyone. and depending on what actually happened and whether their loved ones were the ones to hurt them in any way, they could either get comforted or refuse to let anyone close and get the fuck out of there instead.

so that is that, very long-winded as usual. that is my favourite both to write and to read, but since i am not always in the mood to read or write something that long with that much painful setup, another similar but shorter answer would be just the act itself of someone crying in front of someone else. whether they get comforted or not, both are good. i just really love it when people cry <3

well, that is all. thanks again for the ask and no, that wasn't a lot at all, i really don't mind getting asks please talk to me

[hopeymchope]

The way you feel about the BotW is actually quite similar to how I feel about TotK.

In contrast to you, I thought most hills were worth climbing and most rivers worth fording through in BotW because I always wanted to see what was over the next rise or around that next corner, whether it be an an enemy compound guarding a treasure chest or some mineable rocks or an NPC camp or a shrine or whatever. It felt there was so much worth discovering and exploring and doing to me. Uh... most of the time. (While climbing up/around Death Mountain, there sure is a LOT of downtime between worthwhile discoveries. Mostly rocks and emptiness.)

So then, for TotK, they made that world bigger than even before! WOW! ..... Yeah, no, NOT "wow." Most of the new territory is so devoid of anything new or, in many cases, anything at ALL to the point that I deeply wish it wasn't there. Yes, Tears of the Kingdom is one of the longest Zelda games to complete... but at what cost? Why bother making the game "big" if it's also so damn empty, and therefore so joyless?

The biggest example is "The Depths" — a massive underground realm that's as big as the entire overworld map. I was SO excited to explore this, and it is absolutely awful. Just... endless miles of fucking nothing worth seeing. The depths are so deeply unpleasant, and you basically HAVE to scour them to unlock so many goddamn things - most notably to get all the Zonaite you need, because 99% of it is down in that nasty hole. (How much Zonaite do you "need" to get through this game? Twelve metric fucktons. That's how much. More than you'd ever expect.)

The sky islands? They're incredibly far apart, usually very small, and take ages to travel to... so basically, the islands of Wind Waker all over again, but significantly worse, because there's only ONE of them that's as big as one the main islands in Wind Waker, and that also happens to be the friggin' tutorial island. After that, it's all tiny places where you have to annoyingly haul some enormous green crystals just to make the shrines show up. (I hate all bigass-crystal-hauling quests. There are like 50something in this.)

I also agree that I never loved weapon durability, but I guess TotK giving us a new power to fuse absolutely anything we see into a new weapon so that we're just constantly surrounded by possible weapons is uh... certainly one way of addressing the issues with durability? I guess? "Tired of your weapons breaking? Well, what if you were constantly surrounded by more weapons?!" I *guess* that's... better? SORT OF?

Hey, how about how you have to use awkward controls to constantly build weird vehicles/devices to solve puzzles in a time-consuming manner? Lots of people were THRILLED by the potential of "Ultrahand" when it was first shown off. But here's the thing: Is it FUN to build these things, in practice? I'm gonna say HELL NO. Controlling it is something you get used to, but it's always sorta jank. Setups that seem like they should logically work just...won't. Things fuse in places you don't want or expect them to. And you can spend ages just building shit. It's a time-consuming joy-suck.

The major Plus-Column addition to TotK is that I'm REALLY grateful that dungeons are back. Definitely didn't think the Divine Beasts were a patch on dungeons. Now, I don't think TotK's dungeons are quite on the level of Zelda's best — Water Temple is too small and simple ,and the Wind Temple is not so much full of "puzzles" as "irritants." But Fire Temple was pretty cool/fun, and the Lightning Temple in particular felt AWESOME in how it gave me a lot of old-school vibes. I was figuring out minor puzzles to open new passageways and dodging narrow traps and I felt like I was home again. Give me THAT, now and forevermore. (And.. y'know, maybe give me more classic items? I'd love to speed up my climbing with a hookshot, is all I'm saying... )

I don't hate TotK - in fact, overall, I still have a lot of fun with it because it DOES retain some of the best parts of BotW. But... it sure ALSO seems to take BotW's worst elements and absolutely RUN with them. I'd probably put BotW in my top five Zelda titles. But I don't know that TotK would even make my top *ten*. So... I don't feel super great about where things are headed anymore.

But hey, you think you're being called nostalgic or whatever? Well bust this: I want top-down Zelda to come back! Link's Awakening remake was cool, and at least Link Between Worlds was like 50% new stuff, but I want a whole new top-down single-player Zelda adventure. I wrote about it at length! So yeah, I feel you as part of esoteric-Zelda-taste crowd.

The Legend of Zelda and shipping

I can't understand people who are like "I only ship Link in every game with one single character ever." What the hell... HOW?!

This seems to be most most common with people who ship Zelda/Link or "Zelink" — always wanting every Zelda to be with Link, because they're the main characters, though the phenomenon does exist with Malink and some other ships as well. And that’s not to hate on Zelink and Malink, because I love them! SPECIFIC INCARNATIONS of them, I mean.

Because there are a bare minimum of EIGHT different incarnations of Link, and you can’t tell me you think every single dude named Link has chemistry with/should have romance with every single girl named Zelda. Like EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.? I just can't with that. It's unfathomable, IMO.

I mean, OKAY, let me back that up: I get that people find it romantic to think that these are like... some kind of soulmates who always find each other through every reincarnation ala Hawkman and Hawkgirl or something, but it's not like they even display the same personality traits or share memories or something in each version of themselves. They just... act like totally different people quite regularly. Because by all accounts, they are.

Furthermore... shit - if we assume the incarnations are all descendants of one another and the same descendancy lines keep hooking up with the same partner lines, at what point do we wind up becoming dangerously incestuous with this repeated pairing? Because that shit seems INEVITABLE in such a case…?

NAH, my fam — I believe each Link and each Zelda are their own person, with their own traits. Their only unifying truth is that every person Link will ALWAYS look best in a green tunic and matching green, pointy flop-hat. (Sorry; I don't make the rules. Facts is facts.)

With that in mind, these are my sundry ships for various Links. And I apologize in advance for the fact that they're all boringly het. :P

Skyward Sword — Zelink, absolutely. Childhood Friend Romance always gets me right in the heart. I love these two together. The casual playfulness and fondness they display. The lengths they'll go to in order to see each other/protect each other. And although Zelda loses some of her distinct personality when she learns she's a reincarnation of Hylia, she gets her groove back near the end, so it's all good.

Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask/SC2 — Malink with a bullet. The singing farmgirl and the boy without a fairy, two people who felt alone in the world and find each other. The nicknames! "Don't be long, fairy boy." The fact that you can declare your romantic intentions for Malon while you're still a fucking KID! The Gossip Stone that tells you how much Malon pines to be saved from her daily life by a hero on a horse! It's SO GOOD.

Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass — I'm only mentioning this era because this Link is an ACTUAL CHILD. He's like, what? EIGHT? Maybe ten, if we're feeling generous? So I just want to say: Yeah... I just can't bring myself to ship this literal child with anybody. It ain't RIGHT.

Link's Awakening — Marink. If you weren't feeling these two by the time their sunset beach conversation wrapped up, I don't know what to even say to you. This was probably my first serious ship from playing the TLoZ games. Plus this ship is a good reason why the original black-and-white Game Boy version's secret ending is actually the best version of that bonus scene.

Twilight Princess — Ilink. Is there even any other contender worth mentioning? The writing and direction of the cut scenes makes it pretty clear that Link and Ilia are sweet on each other. You barely even meet Zelda in this game, and the only other option would probably be, well... Midna? You know - your partner imp that spends most of the game trash-talking you for her personal lulz? Mm, HARD PASS.

Breath of the Wild/Age of Calamity/TotK — Miphlink/Miphalink, no items, FINAL DESTINATION. Their story makes my heart just ACHE. The flashback to Mipha healing him up... Mipha's diary (OMFG that diary)... the Zora armor and its descriptions... holy SHIT, fam. And even if that story DIDN'T melt me into a complete puddle, Zelda put herself out of consideration by stealing my fucking house. I don’t understand why she pulled that, but given her privileged upbringing, I doubt she understands the value/expense of home ownership. So maybe she thought this was like yoinking a french fry. :P

Haven't Played — The only major entry I haven't played yet is "Spirit Tracks" on the DS. So I can't speak to that incarnation at this point. But the two things I can say is A) The Zelda/Link relationship sure appears cute? but B) This is also the same style of Link seen in Wind Waker, so I won't be surprised if she's supposed to be a LITERAL CHILD again (and therefore not a shippable character for me).

[svankmajerbaby]

my very long winded thoughts on episode two of chucky season 2

summary: better than the first episode but still leaves me cold when comparing it to season 1. funnier moments interesting developments and new characters dont fully compensate for the weird pacing and things being mostly setup.

the biggest issue for me so far is definitely that the first season was such a solid 8, and this one is kind of like a weak 6

i thought we would have more of the new characters, at least to establish them better and have a feel of their personalities. but sister ruth (freddie lounds!!!!!!!) made me miss ms fairchild big time, and the detective looking for nica and his interactions with tiffany made me somehow miss gladys from season 1 (the funny "high as a kite" lady, the woman who chucky gave the razor apple to on halloween night and who later was the realtor who sold tiffany the old ray house). i think even the tied-up guy back at the hotel had more of an attitude than these new faces. i dunno if thats a casting thing or a writing thing tbh. the previous episode had ended with an interesting note regarding that boy trevor, but he was absolutely nothing in his only scene here. lexy keeps saying hes evil hes awful but we dont get anything specific (”life a living hell” this and that, i need details), so it feels even more like just talking and no real outcome

nadine is a sweetheart though. i really like her and how she is so drastically different to the other three main kids, even though putting a kid in a catholic boarding school for kleptomania (what a letdown of a backstory tbh) when theres others who were sent there for blowing up a kid with a homemade bomb feels.... a bit weird. but whatever, what do i know. i just hope she gets something to do besides hang around the main three, bc otherwise the feeling that she will only be around to be killed by chucky for some quick emotional impact is not going to go away.

i!! actually loved!!!! that one scene in class with the teacher talking about hieronymus bosch, along with that projection it gave me big hannibal in florence vibes and i loved seeing jake talking about art, even if it was just a quick thing. im really curious about the religious aspect of the season, beyond the aesthetics, which so far seem to be the only way it really impacts the story. i think it was a missed opportunity to not make any of the three kids catholic/religious, especially either jake or devon (not even super religious, just a mention of being baptized or having been raised in a christian household), since that would intersect very well with issues of guilt which feels like its going to be a running theme for jake in particular. having him feel guilty for everything that happened so far (which makes perfect sense and his two little breakdowns were very well done i think) and not really have anything to do with the religious environment feels like such a waste.... especially with how interesting it could be to acknowledge fully how devon sawa is once again portraying a sort of paternal authority figure, continuing with his authority role as logan and lucas. maybe its just too subtle for my thick skull, maybe its something they will build towards as the season goes on, who knows

i really really really hope devon gets more to do in the rest of the season. jake has his guilt, lexy has her drug addiction, and devon... he feels so lightweight compared to the other two. i love him so much, hes a sweetheart (and i think he would accomplish what i think?? nadines role is meant to fulfill) but having him just be the emotional rock for jake in this season is not enough, nor is it to keep the previous seasons tug of war with jake regarding their relationship and whether theyre good for one another. i was all episode hoping hed come up with some interesting info on the school and with charles lee rays childhood in it or something..... devon is a smart one, he made the important research and came up with the trap in season 1, and i wish the series remembered that, like it remembered that jake is an artist at heart

really dumb thought but im kinda glad that in the scene with nica and chucky talking inside her head we didnt get like a gollum/smeagol, david-hasselhoff-as-jekyll-and-hyde-the-musical thing (not that fiona dourif wouldnt be able to pull it off); i liked that it showed them as two separate entities even in her own body. probably not the intention but i always like to see nica in some way in control of herself and it makes absolute sense that in that discussion with him she would conceptualize him as a being apart from her. i do think we will eventually get a pretty hammy “shifting” scene and it will be probably a little bit cringe even if its fiona’s wonderful acting

i liked seeing nica trying to manipulate tiffany to leave her alone with her chiding her for wasting money, it was believable but also just clumsy enough of an effort to show shes really getting desperate and that tiffany is still smart enough to realize when shes trying to get her to do something. tiffany as a whole has been feeling just a little too.... dumb? in some way? especially with how little care she put into even properly lying to that detective. like i know its meant to be funny.... but i dont want the comedy to come from tiffany being clueless or dumb. shes ditzy and a bit naive but never dumb

and also i really didnt like the opening credits with the portraits. what the heck was that. i know its a detail and im petty but that was so lazy why didnt we get like crucifixes or sth else, even if it didn’t fit super well it made more sense than those silly production images of the doll and of fiona floating around...........

most of all i feel like stuff IS happening in each episode (here theres the interesting thing with the doll doing recon and taking those pictures?? for some reason???? and now chucky and nica working together to break free and get revenge) but its nowhere as tightly structured and well built up to as in the first season. im thinking of how every scene added a little more to the characters and the environment and the dynamics and how it juggled a whole bunch of plotlines masterfully, while here i think we might have. three. if we count devon and jake, and lexy and nadine as separates. and theres still this feeling of waiting for something else to happen, of building up to something, instead of a constant succession of impactful events. i hoped first episode was all setup even if it wasnt super well conveyed, and this episode too felt most of all like catching up and setting up possible threads. it got better after the halfway point but it still feels like a slow climb. thinking it will eventually get better isnt much of a comfort to me when i can easily remember how much better season one was

[thebiscuiteternal]

“Paper Scraps”

Post-Canon, Angst, Hurt/Comfort...ish?, Reconciliation, Discussion of Suicidal Ideation, Ghosts, Implied Sangyu, Mo Xuanyu Gets To Be Mourned, Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang Are Going Through It

Series Link on Ao3

__________

"To what do I owe the surprise visit?'' Nie Huaisang asks, and his voice is so devoid of emotion that Wei Wuxian has to bite back a shudder, suddenly very much aware that he is treading in completely new and potentially dangerous territory.

Nie-xiong is as dead as his beloved elder brother, and the Headshaker was nothing more than a mask. All that's left now is Nie-zongzhu, whom he knows nothing about and threatened the last time they actually spoke to each other in person.

Still, he sucks up his nerve and plasters on one of his usual careless smiles. "We need to talk, you and I. Just you and I."

"Wei Ying-"

He holds up a hand to cut off Lan Zhan's protest. "How about it?"

"And what, exactly, do you think there is for us to discuss, Wei-xiansheng? Have I not been behaving well enough for your liking?"

Ouch.

"Okay, I deserved that," Wei Wuxian says as he waves off his defensive husband and friend a second time, suddenly wishing he'd just snuck out and come alone.

Then again, that probably wouldn't have gone well either, judging by the wary looks he keeps getting from the handful of Nie disciples who linger defensively near their sect leader.

Okay... okay. No more trying to joke around. He takes a deep breath and lets it out, then straightens his back. "I'm here about Mo Xuanyu."

Nie Huaisang’s face betrays nothing, but the fan in his hand snaps shut with enough force that it's audible throughout the room. “Everyone, please escort our other two guests to the main gardens so that we may speak privately.”

“Zongzhu-” one massive bear of a man starts to protest.

At the same time Lan Zhan moves in front of Wei Wuxian to growl “We are not going anywhere,” and the tension in the room ratchets sharply to hair-on-end levels as the situation threatens to turn into a standoff.

Wei Wuxian pinches the bridge of his nose to stave off a building headache, then reaches out in an attempt to tug his husband back. “Lan Zhan. I’m the one who requested a one-on-one meeting, remember? Literally just now?”

“He cannot be truste-”

“Wei-gongzi, he might-”

“Enough,” Nie Huaisang snaps, the unexpected whip-crack of his voice making them all, a few disciples included, jump. “Let me remind all three of you that you came here and none of you are required to stay. In fact, today would be much improved if you didn’t.”

“Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian hisses.

Lan Zhan doesn’t budge, hand still tight on the hilt of Bichen. “If you harm Wei Ying-”

“Yes, yes, you and the Ghost General will cut me open and hang me with my own entrails just to start with,” Nie Huaisang replies irritably, giving a dismissive wave of the closed fan. “I’m well aware.”

Judging by the startled and utterly appalled looks that cross Lan Zhan and Wen Ning’s faces, that had decidedly not been on the list of options of what they might potentially do. But the descriptive suggestion does work to knock them off guard, and Wei Wuxian bites his tongue hard to keep his expression neutral as the two of them are herded out without any more fuss after Nie Huaisang makes a short gesture to his disciples. “You did that on purpose.”

Nie Huaisang turns without responding to the jibe at all and walks off towards another door.

Ouch again.

He trots after the other man and falls into step beside him as they enter a hallway that’s clearly not for public use. Part of him wants to ask where they’re going, if just to break the uncomfortable silence, but he keeps his mouth shut.

They finally stop at a door that, when Nie Huaisang slides it open, leads to a tiny garden so deep in the sect's keep that the back wall of it is cut into the mountain itself.

And in that little carved out cave, shielded from wind and rain and snow, sits a funeral tablet on a table shrine.

Wei Wuxian involuntarily sucks a sharp breath through his teeth at the sight of it, his hand coming up to clutch at his chest. Guilt wells up hot and stinging and bitter in his stomach, then higher into his throat. Dizzy, he sways on his feet and is only vaguely aware of the hands that catch him.

Once his resurrection had been revealed, everyone simply accepted him as “Wei Wuxian”, not “Wei-Wuxian-In-Mo-Xuanyu’s-Body”, seemingly having just... forgotten that the face he has now once belonged to someone else. He had grown so settled into this body that until the dreams had begun, he had barely given Mo Xuanyu a second thought.

But right at this moment, staring at the name carved into that tablet, held up by the one person left who had remembered- had loved the original owner of this body enough to memorialize him, he has never felt more like an invader in it.

His vision, gone fuzzy from the sickening torrent of emotion, slowly begins to come back into focus and, for just a moment, he is staring through Mo Xuanyu’s eyes into the worried expression of Nie-xiong before the lingering memory clears to the more neutral face of Nie-zongzhu.

He is on the ground, his head in the man’s lap, and the sudden urge to cry hits him hard. “Do you hate me?” he asks without meaning to, voice coming out plaintive and half-strangled by his effort to hold back the tears.

“You were the one who decided there was nothing left between us worth salvaging.”

“I did. And it was stupid. But that’s not what I mean, and you know it. Do you hate me for having this face?”

There is a pause, then a quiet sigh. “No, I don’t.”

“Why?”

“If it wasn’t you, it would be someone else. Or something else. Yu-er was…”

Nie Huaisang turns his head away, expression softening into a complicated mix sadness and pain, and Wei Wuxian finds himself thinking that while ‘his’ Nie-xiong might be dead, Mo Xuanyu’s Nie-xiong might still exist somewhere deep under the protective layers of Nie-zongzhu.

He swallows hard, then makes himself sit up and looks again at the tablet and its small offerings.

“Determined,” he says quietly, finishing the sentence. A tiny wet laugh bubbles out of his throat. “I thought… I really did believe that you had forced him into it,” he continues, and in the edge of his vision, he sees Nie Huaisang flinch at the accusation. “But no. No. He... really was determined to see it out to the end.”

“How do you-”

“Ah.” He scratches his cheek, then scoots to face the other man. “That’s actually the reason I needed to talk to you. I’ve been seeing- fuck, dreaming his memories, I guess… though they were more like nightmares, considering what was in them-”

“Wait,” Nie Huaisang says, holding up a hand. “When did this start?”

“Mmh. Just a little over ten months ago, I think? Or maybe closer to eleven. The first one was of your visit right after his mother died.”

Nie Huaisang goes slightly pale at that, though whether it’s from the admission of the length of time or the contents of the memory, Wei Wuxian can’t tell.

He gets an answer when Nie Huaisang gets up and rushes to the table, returning with something carefully cradled in his hands.

It’s a spirit pouch.

His hands are shaking as he holds them out to accept the tiny burden, and he’s vaguely aware that he’s gaping like a fish. “Huaisang…” he chokes out when he finally manages to find his voice again, but that’s as far as he gets.

“I… have studied a lot of ways of finding and contacting the dead,” Nie Huaisang says, and Wei Wuxian nods along numbly because that makes a ridiculous amount of sense, given the circumstances. “I know what the ritual notes said, but seeing that there was still something left of Da-ge after everything that had been done to him…”

He reaches out and touches the pouch and Wei Wuxian finds himself thinking of a gentle hand ruffling his (but not his) hair.

“I’m just sorry it took me two years to get up the nerve to go looking.”

But you went, Wei Wuxian thinks. You went.

He’d never even considered it. It had never crossed his mind at all.

“Eleven months ago, right?” he asks, voice still a little squeaky.

“Mm-hmm. I should have written to you about this long before now, but it seemed like every time I’d prepared myself to send the letter, something would happen that would remind me that… well.”

That we’re not friends anymore.

That you want nothing to do with me.

Wei Wuxian closes his eyes and rests his hands in his lap, still holding the pouch as if it’s made of porcelain instead of cloth. “I probably wouldn’t have read it,” he confesses quietly. “Or I would have, but I wouldn’t have believed you. I would have thought it was a ruse, a setup-” A tiny, wounded laugh escapes his mouth and he tilts his head back to stare up at the sky. “Maybe that’s why I started having the dreams. His way of telling me I’m an idiot.”

“A little drastic on his part if it was.”

“Can’t say it wasn’t necessary.” The pouch gives a jangling, discordant little hum when he pets it, the fracturing of the soul within vastly different from what he’d felt from Xiao Xingchen. The pieces feel smaller and fewer, yet heavier. “Oh,” he murmurs when he realizes why.

“Oh?”

“The array was designed to consume the resentment of the caster based on negative memories of the person or persons they wanted to curse. That’s why the memories of you and the flashes of his mother were so vivid when the rest of them weren’t. That’s why you were able to find these pieces. He really did see you two as the only bright spots in his life, so those memories were spared.”

Nie Huaisang makes a choked noise in the back of his throat, and when Wei Wuxian turns his head, the other man is looking away in a clear attempt to hide his expression. “He was wrong.”

“A year ago, I would have agreed,” Wei Wuxian mumbles. “After everything he showed me, though… I don’t think he was. I get it.”

He takes a deep breath. He has never talked about this, not with Lan Zhan, not with Wen Ning, and certainly not with Jiang Cheng, even if they are taking tentative baby steps towards being less awkward around each other. He’s not sure he should be talking about it with Nie Huaisang either, but-

“I know what it’s like, just wanting everything to end. Deciding the whole world can go to hell. Maybe I didn’t intend for the backlash from breaking the seal to kill me, but I sure didn’t fucking care what it would do to me one way or another. Nothing and nobody could have saved me by that point. You couldn’t have saved him even if you’d dragged him home with you like Lan Zhan wanted to do to me.”

“Wei Wuxian-”

He ignores the little flutter in his chest that they’ve at least moved back to an address that feels less precarious than the icy ‘Wei-xiansheng’. “Let me finish, okay?”

“Okay.”

“So... So... Ah, fuck,” he mutters, gently shifting the pouch so he can scratch the back of his neck, trying to catch the lost trail of thought. “You know… I never questioned the clothing I woke up in when I was resurrected. As brutal and nasty as the Mo family were and as disgusting as that little shack was, it should have come off as weird that I was wearing such nice robes.”

There is a quiet sniffle, and Wei Wuxian pretends not to see Nie Huaisang wipe wet eyes with the edge of a sleeve as he continues talking. “He appreciated those. Appreciated that you tried to take care of him.”

He raises the pouch to eye level, and it gives another little crackly hum. “And clearly he still appreciates your efforts, considering his method of dragging me here to make me apologize for thinking the worst of your relationship. So, I’m sorry for that.”

Nie Huaisang gives a watery little chuckle and swipes at his eyes again. “Accepted. Is he… Is he alright? I only know how to contact souls, I don’t know anything about tending to them.”

“Honestly… I’m not sure what can be done,” Wei Wuxian admits as he begins another examination. “There’s really so little of him left, I don’t know what will happen if a purification ritual is attempted. He seems to be more stable as he is than Xiao Xingchen was, but there’s no guarantee he’ll stay like that. Still, I owe it to him to find some way to help him out, so I’ll do what I can.”

“If it would be easier for you to take him back to the Cloud Recesses for study, then… then you should,” Nie Huaisang says, and Wei Wuxian is a little bit impressed that he was able to make the offer despite how much it must have hurt.

“I think he’d be much happier staying here,” he says, then tentatively adds, “But that would mean visits, plural, and while I’m definitely going to have a very long talk with them about all this, I doubt I’ll be able to come without either Lan Zhan or Wen Ning… probably both at first.”

Nie Huaisang rubs his temples with his fingertips, his expression cycling through a complicated series of emotions too quickly for Wei Wuxian to follow, then he sighs. “We’ll figure something out,” he says as he reaches out and takes back the pouch.

Wei Wuxian can’t help smiling at the tender way he cradles it against his chest as he gets up to approach the funeral tablet and put it back in place. “Yeah. We’ll figure something out.”

[starryse]

Tent Bonding

Mingyu x Reader

Fluff, slight angst, implied sexual themes

1,663 words

Summary: it’s your annual camping trip with your friends, but there’s a change of plans this time around..specifically in love

The woods that surrounded the small campsite went on for miles, the lights of the city seeming to be non-existent. Shades of orange and yellow in the sunset lit up the clearing, casting bright shadows off of the trees. You stood on the outskirts of the site, admiring the calm environment. It was a nice change compared to the busy city, the sounds of traffic replaced by the small chirps of birds and the scurrying of the animals running amongst the forest floor.

“Yah! Watch the food, that’s all we have!” Seungcheol’s sudden voice carried through the trees, scaring off the birds that had taken shelter on the branches. You turned your head over your shoulder, peering back at the scene behind you. Soonyoung held the basket of food close to his chest as he tripped over dirt piles and twigs, Seungcheol following close behind, his hands extended, in case Soonyoung fell- not that he was worried for his member, the food was his priority, of course.

You stifled a laugh, covering your mouth with your hoodie sleeve.

“Hey y/n, wanna help me set up the table?” Joshua appeared in front of you, a bag of appliances in hand. You nodded your head, following him to the large picnic table. The table was across from the tents a few of the boys were setting up, right in front of the fire pit that was poorly dug in the ground.

Joshua passed you one end of the dark blue tablecloth, unfolding the cloth over the middle of the table. Once spread to each corner, you taped the end pieces underneath the wooden table, not trusting the wind to keep it in place. Josh grinned, giving you a half-five, “easy peasy.”

You laughed, nodding with what he said, “just be glad we didn’t get tent set up-“

You both turned your heads, chuckling at the chaotic mess the boys were as they miserably set the tents up. One of the tents were lopsided, the other two not even put together quite yet. The cry’s and complaints were heard even across the clearing, the boys laying across the grass in frustration.

“Should we help them?” Josh spoke through giggles, his smile wide across his face

You contemplated your answer. It was highly entertaining watching the boys struggle, as they were so confident in the car. You could still hear their cocky remarks, “were men Y/n! We can put up a simple 2 step tent, okay. Have faith in your friends!” Plus, you were still pissed at Mingyu for acting like a douche over something as simple as you wanting to ride with Jeonghan to the site.

“I dunno, watching Mingyu struggle has been the highlight of my day so far, asshole deserves it from earlier.”

Joshua hummed, understanding why you were mad at the dark haired boy, “it is highly deserved”

“It is-“ you were cut off by the shout of Seungkwan, his voice echoing long after he finished talking.

“Hey you two!”

You and Joshua tensed. Seungkwan marched over, tent sticks in hand, “why are you standing here being useless while I work so hard to put up the tents?!”

Seungkwan held up his hand, shutting up Joshua very quickly, “I don’t wanna hear it, follow me”

You unwillingly followed the grumbling boy, watching as his hands flew left and right as he complained about “how lazy some people are”. Gripping your hand, Seungkwan tugged you to help setup with the left crew (composed of Mingyu, Seokmin & Chan), while Joshua was pulled to the right (Vernon, Seungkwan & Jeonghan).

You stumbled over the hammer that was carelessly lying about, earning a few snickers from Seokmin and Chan- though they immediately shut up when you stared them down.

Seokmin waved you over, patting the spot in the grass next to him, which happened to be right by Mingyu, “come sit, y/n! We need all the help we can get”

You could feel Mingyu’s eyes on you as you moved to sit down, though ignoring it didn’t do too much as your face heated up anyhow; whether that was from nerves or the fact you were still pissed at him, you wouldn’t know. Now you were a fumbling, pissy, mess as you turned your head to ask Chan a question, “Hey Channie?”

Chan hummed, his eyes quickly darting up to meet yours before he refocused on the tent,

“Who’s in what tent?”

That seemed to get his attention as he nervously slid his hand on the back of his neck, avoiding yours and Mingyu’s gaze as much as possible, “well we only have 3 tents, and they’re uh-“ he began to stutter, “pretty big, so we couldn’t fit anymore in the car-“

Oh you didn’t like where this was going.

Chan finally raised his head from anxiously toying with the grass in front of him, “but I figured I could squeeze in one of the small ones from last years trip-“

You cut him, a short sigh leaving your lips, “meaning Mingyu and I will be sharing one, right?”

Chan gulped, mumbling an mhm. Seokmin darted his eyes back and forth from you and Mingyu, who was currently chewing on the inside of his cheek, “that’s not a problem right? I mean, I can always stay with you, y/n-“

“No.”

Your eyes snapped in Mingyu’s direction, his lips in a thin line above his clenched jaw, “that won’t be necessary, they’re fine with me. Right, y/n?”

His eyes dashed to yours, not budging from their place. You quickly nodded in agreement, no clear words forming a response.

The sound of someone clearing their throat in front of you caused all 4 of yours heads to pop up, meeting the confused face of Seungcheol, “is everything okay here?”

A chorus of yeahs and mhms broke the awkward silence, Seungcheol casually shrugging it off with a pout, “anyways, it’s dinner time. We can finish these up afterwards”

You had never been to such an awkward dinner. At least for you and the guy across from you it was.

The entire dinner was spent by ignoring Mingyu’s glances, or the few times he bumped your knee with his own. The other boys continued to laugh and wreak havoc as per usual, but you and Mingyu seemed to be in your own worlds.

You cleared your throat, catching Minghao’s attention next to you, “I think imma head to bed”. Minghao sympathized with you, he knew how close you and Mingyu were, and he hated seeing you two act as if you didn’t know one another.

“Alright, please try and work it out?” You could only budge a sad smile at him, muttering a quiet goodnight. He patted the small of your back as you got up, tossing your plate in the trash bag that was strung on the tree for you.

Meanwhile, Mingyu creeper mode was activated as he silently watched the encounter. He could feel the guilt eat away at his stomach, he hated when you were upset. And knowing he was the cause, was even worse. Minghao exchanged looks with him after you left, a silent agreement settling between the two as Mingyu trudged after you.

When Chan said the tent was small, you forgot just how small he had meant.

The tent was barely big enough to fit a sleeping bag, let alone 2. Meaning you and Mingyu were to be up each other’s asses the rest of the night. Your shoulder deflated as you sighed, a disapproved look etched on your face.

You began to roll out the sleeping bag on the hard floor of the tent, adjusting it so it was as close to the wall as possible. With all the rustling of the bag as it slid around, you didn’t notice the sound of the tent unzipping. That is, until someone coughed right next to your ear.

You let out a sharp screech, body jumping out of its skin before you fell to the ground in shock. After you recovered from the almost heart attack, you whipped around to be with the sullen expression of Mingyu. His features resembled a puppy as his eyes were innocently looking into your own.

He moved to sit on his own sleeping bag he had set up earlier, “I’m really sorry for how I acted earlier, y/n”

You fell back onto your butt, sitting criss cross across from Mingyu. Your lip was hues of red and purple, your teeth had been gnawing on since he entered.

“I know”

Mingyu shook his head, a guilty look present in his eyes, “no, y/n. I shouldn’t have acted like that, you’re allowed to be friends with whoever you want” He paused, thoughts going haywire as he looked at you, Your face showed anger? sadness? He wasn’t sure, all he knew was he didn’t want to ever be the cause of them again.

Sucking in a breath, Mingyu quickly rambled, “I-I like you, Y/n- actually, no. I love it you”

Your heart stopped, pulse slowing down for a split second before rapidly speeding up, “w-what?” Your voice was soft, confused even.

Mingyu smiled, canines on full display. He shifted closer to you, smushing your face between his hands, “I love you y/n”

Before you could register what you were doing, you smashed your lips onto his, teeth clashing from the sudden push. Your cracked lips mixed with his own, the taste of the beer he had with dinner smothered the previous taste of champagne you had drank. Your brain was a fuzzy mess, and your stomach wasn’t so far off either.

You pulled back, a trail of saliva dripping onto your chin. Mingyu pulled his sleeve down, wiping it off, a sheepish grin etched on his face.

“I love you too”

Mingyu melted at your words, quickly reattaching his lips to yours. I think you know how the rest of the night went.

[dascarecrow]

Dating Advice II

Oscar: *Approaching JNR* Hey guys. 

Jaune: Hey Oscar what’s up? 

Oscar: *A bit nervous, rubs the back of his head* Well Jaune... You know how to talk to girls right? 

Jaune: *a bit confused* I... guess? What’s this about? 

Oscar: *still nervous* Well... I was hoping you could help me. See there’s this girl I like and I was hoping you could help me talk to her. 

Jaune: Now when you say like do you mean “I like your hair” like or do you mean “I’d love to go out with you” like? 

Oscar: *bashful* The second one. 

Nora: Oh my gosh! You’ve got a crush! Oh that is wonderful! Who is it? Who is it? Wait it’s not Neon is it? Ugh that girl lives to drive people mad. 

Oscar: Uh no it’s not Neon.  

Nora: Then who? Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!  

Jaune: Nora! *gently pulls Nora back* So who is this girl anyways Oscar? 

Oscar: *bashful and nervous* I’d... rather not say. I don’t want to set things up that might not happen. 

Jaune: *very understanding* Alright. Well you’re in luck. The Arc family has a bevy of secrets and knowledge. And I think I can share some of it with you. 

Oscar: *completely earnest* I know. That’s why I came to you. You’re an expert when it comes to girls. 

Jaune: *flattered* Well I wouldn’t say expert. *places his hand with his index finger pointing on his chin and flashes a confident grin* Though it wouldn’t be inaccurate.  

Nora: *whispering to Ren* I wouldn’t say expert either. And it would be accurate. 

Ren nods his head without a change in expression. 

Jaune: Here’s what you need to do Oscar. Women like confidence. Just go up to them like you know what you want and they’ll respond. 

Nora: *still whispering* Yeah with biting commentary. 

Oscar: Confidence huh? Well the thing is I can’t even get near this girl without freaking out. I don’t know if I can just go up to her like that. 

Jaune: You get nervous huh? Don’t worry, happens to the best of us. 

Nora: *still, still whispering* How would he know? *no longer whispering* Okay that’s enough of that. *Pushes past Jaune* Don’t listen to Jaune. He got shot down at Beacon all the time and couldn’t see a girl crushing on him when it was lit up with a neon sign. 

Jaune: Nora! Not in front of Oscar! And I didn’t get show down all the time! It was just Weiss being... Weiss. 

Oscar: Wait you went after Weiss? 

Jaune: *now embarrassed* See what you’ve done now? Ahem. I attempted to court Weiss and she was not receptive to my advances. She chose to pursue someone else and I accepted with grace and dignity. 

Nora: After she turned you down flat for like the thirtieth time. Look ignore him. Take advice about girls from an actual one. Be direct, okay? Don’t dance around or try to hide it form her. Just go right up to her and lay everything on the table. Leave no doubt about how you feel about her. 

Oscar: *doubtful* And what if she doesn’t feel the same way? What if I wind up ruining something good because I push too strong? 

Nora: *a bit saddened now* Then... at least you both know what’s going on and can figure out where to go from there. Even if she doesn’t feel the same way at least you’ll know whether or not there’s a future there. *looks at Ren, who looks away* Trust me it’s better having everything in the open instead of just dancing around trying to see what might happen if you wait. 

Oscar: *uncertain* Any advice Ren? 

Ren looks up, a bit confused. 

Ren: You’re asking me for advice because...? 

Oscar: Well you and Nora... I don’t actually know what you two are right now but you’ve both gotten your feelings out in the open. You’ve made whatever this is work for you. I just want to know how you were able to say it. 

Ren: *feeling uncertain* Okay then. I don’t think I’m the best source of advice for this sort of thing. I’ve spent most of my life mastering my emotions so they won’t rule me. *gaining confidence* But if I were to give you advice it would be to try and determine how this girl would feel before you say anything. It’s easier when you know how someone else feels to say what you have to say to them. And you should also determine if what you want to say is something that they should hear. You could give them an undue burden or you could be giving them a source of comfort in difficult times. Just be mindful is what I’m saying. 

Oscar, Jaune and Nora look at him in awe.

Ren: What? 

Jaune: Nothing. That was just... incredibly profound. Way better than my advice. 

Nora: Yeah. How are you so good at this? 

Ren: It’s not that difficult. When you look with your heart you see things rightly. You can see the things truly matter and should be done. So look with your heart Oscar and you won’t be led astray. 

Oscar (smiling): Thanks Ren. That’s actually very helpful. Okay I’m going to go try that. 

Jaune: That’s the spirit. Go for it Oscar! 

Oscar: Right. 

Ruby: Hey guys! 

Oscar: *internally* Oh Dust. 

Team RWBY walks up to them. 

Ruby: What are you guys up to? 

Oscar: Well... 

Nora (grinning): Oscar here is crushing on someone! 

Ruby: Wait really? 

Nora: Yep. It’s so adorable. He’s so shy that he can’t even go near her without freezing up. 

Ruby: *excited* Oh my gosh! *gets in Oscar’s space* Oooh who is she? Is it love at first sight? How long have you known her? What made you fall for her? Details Oscar! 

Oscar: *in crisis mode of the inside* Well it’s not that big of a deal. 

Ruby: Not a big deal? Oscar you have a crush on someone. That is a tremendous deal! So tell us about her. Is it someone we know? 

Oscar: ‘You have no idea’. Well she’s someone that I’ve known for a while. She’s... amazing really. Being around her I don’t feel like the next life of Ozma, I just feel like me. As for what she’s like... well *starts smiling* there just aren’t enough words. 

Ruby: *smiling widely* Oooooooh! You make her sound so wonderful! Stop being so mysterious about it! 

Oscar: Er... well... I... 

Jaune: Okay give him some breathing room. This actually might be an opportunity for us. Would any of you be willing to help Oscar? 

Oscar: *starting to panic* Wait what? 

Jaune: If you’re having trouble going near this girl then maybe you just need to practice talking to someone so you know what to say to her. Now any volunteers? 

Ruby: I’ll do it! 

Oscar: *goes wide eyed* You will? 

Ruby: *oblivious to Oscar’s panic* Sure. Might be nice getting to hear romantic things from a boy. Light knows Dad made sure I never got the chance back in Patch. Besides this’ll help you out. So *grabs Oscar’s hands in her own and lifts them up* what do you want to say to her? 

Ozpin: I honestly can’t tell if the Brothers above are blessing you or cursing you right now? 

Oscar: ‘I lean strongly into curse’. 

Oscar looks at Ruby, entranced by her gleaming eyes and gentle smile. 

Oscar: Well no turning back. The first time I ever saw you I was entranced. My whole life had been in chaos and then I saw you and none of that mattered. I saw your eyes and I knew that I would never see anything else so beautiful. And then I got to know you. I saw you for all that you are. Your strength, your wisdom, your resolve. Nothing would ever turn you from the fight to save us all. As I’ve gone on this journey you are the most amazing thing I have seen. Somewhere along the way things changed for me. I don’t know if it was the first moment I saw you or one of the many incredible things you’ve done. You’ve gained my heart and soul ever and eternally for as long as I live this life. You are special beyond measure. Ephemeral. And for all of that... I have fallen in love with you.  

Everyone looks in awe and wonder at Oscar for the words he’s just spoken. 

Ruby: *touched in her very soul* Oh Oscar. That was beautiful.  

Oscar: *emotions all over the place* Y-you really think that was good. I just... spoke from the heart.  

Ruby: It really was wonderful! You better be careful! If you keep talking like that I just might have to fall for you myself! 

Oscar: ‘By the Brothers above!’ 

Ozpin: Alright Oscar this is your chance. Just tell her that you meant those words for her and you will find victory. 

Oscar: I... I’m glad that you liked what I said Ruby. It really does help to know I can say the right thing. 

Ruby: Of course. Well we’re going to go over the mission board. Tag along if you want but I’m guessing you still have to think over what to say to this mystery girl. 

Team RWBY walks away as Oscar watches Ruby. 

Ozpin: I try not to be too condemning or judging of the souls I reincarnate in but I can honestly say that was one of the biggest shows of foolishness and cowardice I have ever seen. 

Oscar: ‘What was I supposed to do? Confess to her in front of everyone?’ 

Ozpin: Of course. You just had the perfect setup to reveal your feelings to her and walked away from it. 

Jaune: Wow. Just wow Oscar. I mean where did all of that come from anyways? 

Oscar: *not fully tuned in* Just something that’s on my mind a lot. I had a lot of time to put the words together. 

Jaune: Well you know what to say. Now we just have to get you to the point you can say it to this girl. *leans in and whispers* Don’t suppose you could give me some pointers? 

Oscar: Another time. I think I’ll see what the mission board has available. *walks away* 

Ozpin: What are you actually planning to do? 

Oscar: Find the hardest wall I can and hit my head against it until I either forget his whole thing or I’m so dazed that talking to Ruby seems like a good idea. 

Ozpin: Believe it or not this actually isn’t the worst luck we’ve had with romance in our lives. 

[littlemisssquiggles]

After today episode I think some how of penny or another member of team rwby makes it past the hate they will tell oscar that cinder new about jinn and I think he will blame him self or others will blame him for what happened if team rwby especially ruby gets lost in the void ,but the way cinder worked it to makes me wonder did oscar not tell them what happened to him with salem ,how he told hazle ,jinns name how ,neo was on the wale with cinder an salem

Hello again Dreamer. …Hmmm…I’m not sure about “the others blaming Oscar” part since following all that’s happened between our little prince and the group between V6 and V8, I think we are way past anything like that happening again within the hero team fam. However I can see Oscar blaming himself for revealing the password since it was him summoning Jinn for Hazel that prompted Neo to learn the password for the lamp. Not to mention that that was the final question from the lamp so even if Jinn was summoned, she won’t be able to answer any more questions “this era” since they were all used up.

I don’t know about Oscar explaining the truth of his experience on the whale to the others. My assumption is that he did since he did say he would “explain everything” to the others after he and YJR returned with Emerald from Monstra. So this is one of those cases where it’s safe to assume that Oscar told the group everything---minus his true feelings on the Merge--- but off screen. That’s my hunch.

For me, I’d actually like it if we got Oscar witnessing Ruby “die” after falling through the void. Currently my Pinehead headcanon is that Ruby will ensure that Penny makes it to Vacuo. And once Penny is on the other side, she tells the others about what happened to Weiss, Yang and Blake before lastly stating that Ruby was still in there fighting Neo and Cinder all alone which would then lead into Oscar making another attempt at trying to go through the portal.

Of course he fails but then we get a glimpse of Oscar’s semblance as he breeches the magic of the Staff to force himself through the portal and back to the Central point. However Oscar only arrives in time to watch helplessly as Ruby falls into the void and disappears. All the while, Cinder and Neo make their exit through another portal, taking the Staff of Creation that Penny had dropped with them. So ultimately a heartbroken Oscar is forced no choice but to go back through the portal, returning to be the bearer of bad news to announce that RWBY was gone. Practically dead since they had all fallen to the void.

They had all fallen to the void. I’d like to believe that, even without Ambrosius’ input, Oz can still give an explanation as to what happened to RWBY since my hunch is that it was through Ambrosius’ power how the King of Vale was able to first create the Vaults that house the Relics. So maybe once upon a time, Ambrosius gave Oz the same kind of warning so perhaps he might know a thing about what happened to RWBY.

Either that or…Ambrosius remains with the heroes and explains it himself but my money is on Cinder claiming the Staff for the villains. For me, I’d like for Oscar to be present when Ruby falls since I’d like for V8 to end on setting up what would be his story for next season. However, as always, these are just my speculations based on things I’d like to see done for the finale.

I doubt the showrunners would ACTUALLY deliver on having Oscar witness Ruby falling. I feel like we’re more likely to see Penny watch Ruby fall and fail to help her before being the one to tell the others how she didn’t make it. 

That being said, I still can’t help but shake the feeling that the whole reason why Oscar was the one who first mentioned the fairytale of the Girl Who Fell Through the World was because it will have something to do with his role for next season.

 I feel like that fairytale was either a teaser for Oscar’s semblance and/or his own part to play in helping RWBY return to Remnant from the Other World.

As a character, Oscar Pine draws inspiration from Dorothy Gale and Princess Ozma from the Wizard of Oz series and lastly the little prince from the Little Prince. Both Dorothy and the little prince were two fairytale characters who visited other worlds in their respective stories after going on a journey.

In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy got transported to the Land of Oz and her story was about her returning home to her family in Kansas. Whereas the little prince came from a planet where he lived with his rose and following a journey where he learnt the value in his devotion to his rose, it is alleged that the prince ultimately “returned home to his rose” whether it be in death or by some other means as left up for interpretation by the reader.

Either way, if RWBY did fall into Another World beyond Remnant, I really would love to think that Oscar will play a part in helping our four main girls return to their world in Remnant. Of all the characters I can see doing this, it’s him given the setup. But…again, this is just me speculating.

What I think would actually be great is if V9 is about Ruby having her own individual journey in the Other World, searching for Weiss, Blake and Yang. All the while, Oscar is her link between Remnant and the mysterious Other World and thus, Oscar becomes Ruby’s guide and companion as Ruby attempts to find the rest of her team on one end while Oscar in turn searches with the rest of the hero team and their allies for a way to bring RWBY back home on the other end. And this is all happening while the villains are on their way to acquire the last Relic after succeeding in claiming the first three.

Personally, I would LOVE to think that Oscar will be a very important character to the PLOT of V9. Buuuuuuuut…as always, this is just me speaking from the perspective of a Pinehead who is still eagerly anticipating the true ending to Oscar’s overall arc.

Shoot, I’m still waiting to see where Oscar’s story will be left off for V8 and personally, I hope it’s left on a note for Oscar to receive development for himself AS HIMSELF and NOT because of anything to do with the stuff he shares with Ozpin or Ozma. For the past few seasons since his debut, Oscar’s story has mostly revolved around all things connecting him to Oz and the Ozma lineage.

Since Ruby has more of an intimate connection to Oscar than Oz giving their budding friendship and trust in one another over the past couple of seasons since his introduction, it would be great if her “death”/disappearance from Remnant becomes a driving force of motivation for his own individual arc next season. Just saying.

For the umpteenth time in the story, the little prince will be seperated from his rose with no way of knowing whether or not he will see her again. 

So it’d be mighty swell if the actual payoff of the Rosegarden bond is Oscar saving Ruby--- playing an important part in bringing her and her team back from “death” and escaping the Other World; returning them all to Remnant. 

I mean....it would actually make perfect sense given the set up. 

But  AGAIN---this is this squiggly Rosegardening Pinehead tossing ideas to the wind [and hoping one of them sticks to the faces of one of the CRWBY showrunners] like I always do. Either way, that’s my thoughts on that.

~ LittleMissSquiggles (2021)

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Maggie and Negan’s Origins Episodes

Morning Everyone! So, I’m late doing this, but today I’ll talk about both Maggie and Negan’s Origins episodes. There’s nothing huge in either, but still some things of note. Tomorrow, I’ll do an in-depth analysis of the S11 trailer. So, here goes.

Maggie’s Origins Episode:

They show and mention Beth a handful of times, but only because she intersects with Maggie’s arc or is in a shot with her. There’s very little emphasis on Beth in Maggie’s arc.

Much like with Norman’s episode, it’s clearly told from Maggie’s POV, so we get her thoughts and reactions, and they skip huge chunks of the story that she wasn’t present for. I feel like she was less in character than Norman was, but that may be because Lauren speaks in her real accent, and it’s so different from how Maggie speaks that it feels like there’s more of a disconnect.

The part that was probably the most interesting (other than the sneak peek for S11, because once again, holy TD symbols, Batman!) was when it showed the end of Coda.

So, because it’s Maggie’s POV, we see her find out from Michonne at the church that Beth is alive, and then it skips to her arriving with the others at the hospital.

(Broken record over here but this is a good example of how it’s from Maggie’s POV. If it were just Lauren telling the story, you’d think they would say something generic about what happened in the hallway of Grady; something like, “unfortunately, Beth dies before Maggie arrives” or “Rick and Daryl try to save her, but things go awry….” But they don’t say any of that. We only see what Maggie saw.)

And it shows a lot of the final scene where Daryl carries Beth out. And there is literally NO commentary from Maggie/Lauren during the entire thing. Like…silence, except for the background music from the scene.

Then it skips to the opening scene of 5x10, Them, where we see Maggie crying near the dry creek bed, and Lauren just says, “The loss of Beth is crushing.” And then they move on with how Maggie copes and to Aaron showing up.

I have to side-eye the fact that they don’t actually mention Beth’s death here. Using the phrase, “the loss of” is both ambiguous and suspicious. Why not just term it “Beth’s death” if she really is dead?

So, once again, they’re being very vague where Beth is concerned. Even with Daryl there was SOME commentary about losing Beth. He said, “unfortunately Beth dies” and “she’s just another person he can’t save.” But we didn’t even get that from Maggie.

So, on the one hand, I just think they’re still being very careful not to reveal too much. It’s just more of what we saw in S5 with Maggie not searching for Beth, etc. To me, it simply shows that Maggie’s arc where Beth is concerned is still going and they’re still keeping to that same story. So, while of course I would like to see more of Beth and this episode isn’t NEARLY as much fun as Daryl’s was, it still doesn’t bother me overly much.

S11 Sneak Peek:

Yeah, this was creepy. Corpses in body bags reanimating. And for the record, it’s hard to know exactly what they’re talking about because we’re only getting this one clip. When they talk about whether “they” were all killed during “the fall,” I’m pretty sure they mean the group they’re hunting (probably Reapers) rather than the walkers they’re looking at. Again, it’s a little confusing. And we don’t know what “the fall” refers to. But we will when we see the entire episode.

Anyway, two major symbols jumped out at me. 1) the walker Daryl killed didn’t make any noise. When they uncover it, Gabriel says its throat has been cut so deeply, it was nearly decapitated. The implication being that its vocal cords were severed and it literally couldn’t make any noise. *speak no evil*

Also, Maggie picks up a stuffed rabbit. Yeah, that’s a ridiculously potent symbol. We saw them a LOT in S4 around Beth and Daryl, and also Lizzie and Mica. I believe the rabbits represent innocence. And especially the pure and innocent being killed, just as Lizzie killed Mica, and Beth was “killed” at Grady.

So, if they’re hunting a group (the Reapers) who are taking innocent lives, it makes sense to have the rabbit symbol here.

Without more context for the episode, I can’t really interpret the rabbit symbol more deeply than that, but it’s definitely interesting.

Negan’s Origins Episode:

Overall, I must admit that I found Negan's origin story to be boring.. I like Negan's arc and they went over parts of the story I really enjoy, but it was all stuff we'd seen before and no massive smoking guns jumped out at me. Nothing like Daryl's origin story.

I will say that they used Negan's story to emphasize other characters, especially Daryl and Eugene. They specifically showed that Daryl wouldn't say he was Negan while at the Sanctuary, while Eugene immediately did. I think something about that will be important moving forward. (Not surprising, especially where Daryl is concerned; I doubt it's a coincidence that they focused on Beth's line about him being the last man standing in his origins episode and then we saw these things in Negan's.)

At the end, they talked about how Negan is doing things his way, now. Telling his own story. It feels very significant, and he's clearly going to have a major arc moving forward. And I actually am excited about that. It's just that, overall, most of this is stuff we've seen and discussed before, so I found myself yawning.

S11 Sneak Peek:

This one didn’t have tons. They’re still in the creepy subway tunnel. Wind blows through the pipes, making them groan, which is freaking everyone out. There is a “serious” mention, which I had to side-eye. Alden says it about the wind. He says, “it’s nothing serious. We’re good.”

Then Negan tries to get them to turn back, siting a water line which shows the tunnel floods during storms, but no one listens to him. That’s pretty much it. So, not much to say other than this is clearly a creepy setup and I’m looking forward to seeing the episode.

@wdway:

In Maggie's episode, there were quite a few scenes from Chupacabra which makes me wonder if they're doing a list of important episodes for each of the characters if that episode is also on Maggie's list. It would be interesting if it were.

You were right that there's not much of a at all the part about how Maggie after the prison fell was looking for Glenn and Beth that makes me laugh. I believe that's what's called backpedaling, ha-ha. This was not in the episode, but I've been meaning to mention this. In the s11 preview where Carol says something about, you don't want to go down that road. I believe she might be talking to Maggie about revenge and how you really never find peace from it. Just a guess.

You are so right about the Negan episode being a little flat. I did come away with the feeling that in trying to honor Lucille, Negan could be essential in helping Beth in the rebel fight. Maybe just wishful thinking. We'll have to wait and see, but I feel that he and Beth are in some way going to be tied together and I truly think that Beth is going to remind Negan of Lucille and he will do whatever he can to help her to ease his guilt over not being there at the end for Lucille.

I think that after we've seen all the episodes, it'll be Daryl's by far that will mean the most for TD for setting the record straight on his feelings for Beth.

I will say that I'm hopeful that there may be some good things in Carols episode next week. I'm so hoping that she makes the point that Daryl is only her BFF and that it's Ezekiel that she loves but can't handle being with him right now because of her need for revenge. A girl can hope, right?

@twdmusicboxmystery:

We can definitely hope! I, too, am looking forward to Carol’s episode, only in the hopes that it confirms or reveals some things for us.

So, this has been my fairly short analysis of these two origins episodes. I did enjoy watching both, but clearly Daryl’s episode was by far the most exciting for TD.

Thoughts? Anything we missed?

[calamity-bean]

16 new horror films i’ve watched at random lately just cause i’ve been in the mood for horror

Been thinking about horror today, and fun fact, I’ve actually been fairly DEVOURING horror films of late! Sixteen new ones in the past couple weeks, in fact, according to the little list I’ve been keeping! New to me, that is, though they do all happen to be very recent releases (2016 at earliest). Horror is a genre with which I often like to pull up Netflix or Hulu and just pick at random some film I’ve never heard of and don’t know the first thing about; I feel like it’s a genre that depends so much on personal taste and that encompasses such a wide variety of tropes and approaches that I never entirely know whether I’ll like a particular film until I try it. It’s a gamble, sure, and sometimes it’s a dull or infuriating couple hours... But I love horror in general, and I feel like it’s a genre in which even terrible films often stir my imagination with the potential of their premise if not the brilliance of their execution. And you do find those hidden gems.

Anyway, since I love to hear myself talk, I thought I’d share my quick impressions of the ones I’ve watched lately, in case any of you are also in the mood to stream something new! These are (almost) all currently on Netflix or Hulu, so have at it. No specific spoilers; mostly just whether I liked it or not and why. I added a few content warnings where I remembered any elements that, to me, went beyond genre-standard levels of content or involved specific common triggers, but, I mean, they’re all horror films, so do your due diligence if necessary and do expect some level of violent or disturbing content in all of them. 

The sixteen films in question are: Sweetheart (2019); The Lodge (2019); Mercy Black (2019); What Keeps You Alive (2018); Cold Skin (2017); The Golem (2018); Rattlesnake (2019); We Summon the Darkness (2019); The Wretched (2019); They Come Knocking (2019); Pyewacket (2017); The Other Lamb (2019); The Silence (2019); Body at Brighton Rock (2019); Under the Shadow (2016); and Seven in Heaven (2018).

Brief descriptions and impressions and such under the cut!

Sweetheart: Survival/monster horror about a young woman who, after the boat she and her friends were on goes down in a storm, washes up alone on an uninhabited island… and then realizes she’s not entirely alone. Quite liked this one! Like almost any horror movie, it suffers from the fact that monsters are almost ALWAYS far scarier (and far less cheesy) before you actually see their CGI rendering chasing the protag, but that’s typical, we’re used to that. The protagonist is smart and capable, and the actress (Kiersey Clemons) has to carry so much of the film solo and often with very sparse dialogue. Warning for mutilated and decomposing corpses.

The Lodge: A woman who as a child was the only survivor of a cult winds up stranded with her new fiance’s two children in a remote, snowbound lodge. This one was pretty dark! I love themes of cold, isolation, and losing connection with reality, and I think the whole cast does a great job; the acting and production are overall high quality. Not sure it captured my imagination enough for a rewatch, but I did enjoy watching it. My fellow Barkskins fans will notice a few glimpses of our own Renardette. Warnings for onscreen suicide, pet death, and psychiatric/medical manipulation. 

Mercy Black: A young woman returns home fifteen years after, in her childhood, being involved in a disturbing act of violence inspired by an urban legend called Mercy Black. I like the concept behind this one, in terms of the urban legend, the protagonist’s relationship with it; I liked the overall film okay, but I found certain aspects a bit cliche or thinly sketched. Standard supernatural horror levels of violence and spookiness, imo.

What Keeps You Alive: For their one-year anniversary, a young couple vacation to a remote house in the woods, where the protagonist begins to learn some strange things about her wife. I really enjoyed this one. It might be my favorite on this list, and certainly one of the ones I’m more likely to watch again. It’s well structured, well made, with a strong, compact cast, and it’s gotten the song “Bloodlet” stuck in my head for weeks. However, you will probably not enjoy this one if, as I know is the case for some people, you would rather not consume content that depicts LGBT relationships that are unhealthy or LGBT characters who are villainous. I get where you’re coming from, but it means this one probably isn’t for you. It also isn’t for you if you would rather not see some quite brutal injuries.

Cold Skin: Okay, this is the only one that wasn’t actually on streaming, I checked this out from my local library. Set in 1914, a young man takes a post as a meteorologist on a remote island in the South Atlantic, inhabited only by the unfriendly lighthouse keeper… and the creatures that crawl onto shore at night. Gosh… How do I feel about this one? There are aspects that are cheesy, effects that don’t entirely hold up. But I liked it. I like the idea of it, and I like the themes of isolation and connection, and I like the protagonist and overall I think it’s a solid and interesting narrative. Sort of… The Terror meets Lovecraft. Warning for offscreen (but audible, and almost visible) sexual assault.

The Golem: Set in the late 17th century in a rural Lithuanian shtetl, a woman creates a golem to protect her community from the threats of Christians who blame her people for the plague. Thematically, this one centers largely around motherhood, which I think makes sense with how it’s done here, and I always like the supernatural elements of a horror film to have a very strong, personal thematic link with the protagonist’s emotional character arc. Stars Maman Brigitte from American Gods! Warning for mentions of miscarriage and themes of child death.

Rattlesnake: After a mishap on a remote highway, a woman unknowingly makes a deal with the devil in order to save her young daughter’s life. I liked this one as well; I found the protagonist enjoyable, the overall concept straightforward but engaging, and the hot, arid, rural setting — I think it’s supposed to be around Palo Duro? — an effective backdrop. Not spooky-scary, but nice tension throughout. 

We Summon the Darkness: Set in the 80s, three girls travel to a heavy metal concert despite the string of recent killings apparently committed by a Satanic cult. This one is basically a slasher flick — with a twist, yeah, but essentially the slasher model of teens plus extensive violence — and I think it’s a pretty decent one. And I liked the hair and costumes, ahaha. 

The Wretched: A teenage boy becomes convinced that his new neighbor has been possessed by something evil. I like the narrative and the characters in this one okay, but where I really have to give it props is in the overall visual presentation of the supernatural threats; it’s able to lean into uncanniness and human body horror that work well on film rather than presenting a creature created wholecloth (which, as I mentioned earlier, often doesn’t work super well).

They Come Knocking: On a drive into the middle of nowhere, a father and his two daughters hear something knocking on their caravan at night, asking to be let in. Okay, so… this one is a black-eyed children story (with a setup reminiscent of ye olde Anansi’s Goatman, too, in a way), and I have to admit that black-eyed children are one of those tropes that doesn’t work for me even as a creepypasta, it just strikes me as lame and dumb. And I did find the actual children in this film to be, well, cheesy and dumb-looking. But the human side of the narrative — the characters and their relationships and emotional aspects — is actually pretty well done! So I found it engaging enough in that regard.

Pyewacket: A teenage girl who has a difficult relationship with her mother lashes out by trying to summon a demon to kill her, only to regret the ritual right away. I think this one was well done, too, pretty dark, with a spooky forest setting and some genuinely creepy glimpses of the supernatural threat. I am also delighted to discover that Pyewacket is actually the name of a familiar spirit according to the confession of an accused witch in the 17th century. (Not delighted by the fact that this poor 17th century woman was tortured for being an alleged witch, but delighted that there’s a little historical inspo here.) Warning for a fairly graphic death by burning.

The Other Lamb: This one is not horror as in “scary” but horror as in thematically disturbing and a little eerie. A young girl who’s been raised in a cult — all female except for their leader, to whom all the members are either wives or daughters — begins to question her faith. Slow, quiet, and a bit surreal, with some slightly feral-woman themes that are up my alley; I think I enjoyed it? The cast is quite good, especially the protagonist (Raffey Cassidy) and cult leader (Michiel Huisman with, I gotta say, some truly lovely hair). Warning for onscreen but nongraphic (as in, clothed and not showing anything below the neck) sexual assault of a minor.

The Silence: A deaf teenager and her family struggle to survive amidst an apocalypse of deadly monsters that attack based on sound. No, I’m not talking about A Quiet Place. I do feel a bit sorry for this film, because I know that it was conceived of and began production well before A Quiet Place came out, only to essentially be doomed by its striking similarity to such a successful film… And honestly, it’s not as good as A Quiet Place; it’s cheesier, there are more plot and character holes, the ultimate main threat feels disconnected from the premise, and the core theme/character arcs aren’t as cohesive. But it’s not TERRIBLE. It’s more of a B-movie-esque monster/disaster flick, is all. And I like Stanley Tucci, so at least he’s always fun to watch.

Body at Brighton Rock: An inexperienced parks employee gets lost in the backcountry and has to spend the night watching over a (possibly murdered) body she stumbles across while awaiting rescue. This one… hm. It’s like, I didn’t hate it? But it was frustrating. It reused the same scares / fake-outs multiple times, and even by horror movie standards the protagonist was maddeningly careless. I think it was all the more disappointing because I do like the setting and premise but felt it could’ve been better. 

Under the Shadow: In 1980s Tehran, during the air raids and missile strikes of the War of the Cities, a woman begins to fear something evil is stalking her young daughter through their emptying apartment building. This is another top fave, and I think overall the most well constructed film on this list in an objective sense. Strong narrative, strong characters and acting, a really great atmosphere of claustrophobia and tension and dread, and an interesting and effective setting. Would absolutely watch again.

Seven in Heaven: At a house party, two teenagers enter a closet as part of a kissing game, and they exit into a parallel universe that is similar but different in striking ways. This one was, hm… okay? I felt like it could’ve gone so much farther with the potential of alternate universes, in terms of really making them weird and interesting, and although I don’t expect a film to spell out everything for me, I just thought that the whole underlying mechanism of what was happening was left too unexplained. Also, the background characters looked like they were played by actual high school-age teens while the main characters looked like your standard Hollywood 20-something “teens,” which created kind of a weird dissonance lmao. But it was okay.

Overall, I didn’t HAAATE any of these; most were fine, some I found less engaging or more frustrating than others, and some I really enjoyed. I did start and then not finish a few more as well... I watched about 20 minutes of Black Rock (2012) before deciding I wasn’t in the mood for where it was going, and I just barely started We Are What We Are (2010) but realized I was too tired and distracted by other things to pay enough attention to subtitles at the moment. On a not strictly horror note, but it’s still thriller so we’ll toss it in, I got a ways into The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) because that’s a helluva title and I wanted to see Barry Keoghan’s work outside Dunkirk (the only film I’d seen him in), but man, that’s a weird one huh, very slow, very odd style of dialogue. I’ll still likely finish some or all of those at some point, but I just wasn’t in the right headspace when I first tried. 

Anyway, this has been me telling you what movies I’ve been watching! I’m sure you’re enthralled. And please always feel free to talk horror movies to me or send me recs!

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 96

96

James could suck the exhaust pipe of the van for all Keith cared. Werewolves were huge, far bigger than the normal family dog or what most people thought. Yet with all that size came zero brain cells. Keith in a huff, not able to stop thinking of Lance and slightly murderous thanks to James loudly mocking him for his “Breeder Boyfriend”. So much for not making a fucking thing out of it, and you know, not putting Lance in extra danger. Sure. He smelt like Lance, before he’d been sprayed top to bottom with that horrible floral crap he and Shiro had used on their scent last time, but if their positions were reversed, Keith wouldn’t be attempting to humiliate him through his boyfriend. He knew it was his name that made James mad... and that he was so close to Shiro, but that wasn’t his fault. He never ever wanted the extra attention.

Worried about his boyfriend’s behaviour, Coran was going to have Curtis check in and maybe stay with Lance. Keith felt like it was something else than birthday blues because he knew birthday depression far too well. He wished he could get Lance out of his mind. Being mad a James helped with that, but that anger was mostly about his comments about Lance, so his mind kept drifting back to his boyfriend as he triple checked his snipers scope. He understood why Coran told him to be extra careful before he left. Vampires had their own set of rules, not terribly considerate towards hunters in that respect. Maybe he really has become soft working here, and actually feeling appreciated for himself. Training his scope onto the recon team, things slowly dissolved to shit as shots rang out. They’d supposed to get the lay of the land and decide from there whether to engage with the werewolves and continue surveillance, the mission plan was basic about the initial components, but being discovered so soon to arriving and in the middle of the freakin’ day was not planned. The first surveillance team had like no contact with the targets. They’d pretty much hadn’t seen anything, and they’d been watching from sun up until relief. Even if it did give them the advantage, some wank stain had ruined everything with that first shot

“Open up the roofs, get us some light in there”

In other words fire a dozen shots into the steel roofing over their target buildings.

There were three target buildings in the shipyard. Keith think he’d thought about there actually be a ship yard in Platt, seeing it was Platt, but the actual words for a place where they constructed ship parts escaped him. Other than the sea of buildings, truck yards, trucks and about 20,000 shipping containers to hide between... they couldn’t shut down the docks without raising suspicion, so instead power for 15 city blocks had gone down with press releases that the problem was being worked on. The Blades didn’t fuck around. Everything outside the mission was null and void until they came back. He shouldn’t be sitting there wondering if Lance would have shot someone’s balls off if he’d been in Keith’s position, no matter if it brought a smile to his face at the thought. Taking aim, he fired at the roof of the closest building, as it was breeched by agents. There were more Blades here than he’d seen in Platt in the whole time since Kolivan waltzed in.

“Explosive device recovered... fall back. Teams X, R, M, rerouting”

Explosives were usually a Blade thing when evidence needed to disappear. Keeping the communication clipped, it failed to warn him it was discovered on a rooftop some 50metres from his position. He didn’t know he was supposed to run until the screams of an unfortunate Blade member filled his ears and huge explosion went off towards the gates of the yard. With the roof blown sky high, Keith was gathering up his rifle and running, before a second device triggered... then the third, this time taking off the side of a storage shed. If that didn’t scream “motherfucking setup”, then Keith didn’t know what did. Nearly clear of the roof, the roofing beneath his feet shifted, Keith losing his step and nearly getting himself killed as he fell off the side of the building and onto a pile of electrical reels... which really hurt. He was getting in mentally before the mocking started. Lance would have a hundred puns to annoy him with after he punched him in the dick for nearly getting hurt.

Being winded saved him as the barred windows to the left and right of the reels blew outwards, glass, concrete and metal showering over him. Had he been getting to his feet, he’d have taken the shrapnel head on, not copping parts second hand as the reels went up in flames. Lance was going to be pissed. You only went after roofs when you knew someone was hiding there or you suspected snipers... Fuck. He had to move and pull back. Something else had been blown up and the air stank from burning things that shouldn’t be burnt. Gathering up his rifle, he was half crash tackled before being pulled along towards the front gate. The mysterious figure was dressed in black, yet he instantly knew they weren’t a Blade member.

Short of the collective of hunter’s, they reached another figure dressed in all black. Hunching over to catch his breath, the first figure who’d pulled him along cackled

“Look at him. Human’s really aren’t good for anything”

Narti?! What the fuck?

“Careful. We need to fall back”

And Ezor? Or was it Zethrid? Which was the tall one again?

“But I wanna take him home”

“This place holds no leads for us. Leave him to return with the human”

Narti crossed her arms

“That’s enough, Ezor. Narti will be mad we meddled as it is”

Ohhh... not Narti... that actually kind of made him feel better... Narti was the grumpy one... Ezor wanted to have fun. He needed to remember that

“Fiiiine”

Ezor licked the pad of her gloved thumb, before reaching and rubbing at spot on his mask

“Good as new. Right. Off you run”

Keith found his voice. He couldn’t let the two of them run off when they knew something

“Wai-...”

“Don’t go getting emotional on us little Keefy. I know you want to join us, but you’re a human and we have a strict no humans allowed rule. Until next time”

With that the pair of them were off, heading back towards the chaos. Feeling every bit of his bruised body, Keith started limping over to where the hurt hunters were getting immediate medical treatment. Had Lotor sold them out? Or was he following them? What the fuck was going on? And where the fuck was Shiro? He was going to kill him very slowly if he’d gotten himself killed.

*

The clean up was worse than falling off the roof. Why the didn’t have a back up team in the sewer system Keith didn’t know, because that’s how their pray had escaped. Right down the jagged hole middle of the building... and of course the arseholes had taken everything with them. It was a mess he was glad he didn’t have to deal with. Fuck being in Kolivan or Krolia’s shoes right now. He didn’t even want to be in his own shoes. He’d traded his sniper rifle for a pair of hand guns, but there really wasn’t anything to do... because thankfully he wasn’t a werewolf with an overdeveloped sense of smell. Ezor and Zethrid weighed on his mind, he hadn’t the chance to tell anyone he’d seen them there, and Shiro was too busy first with the mission, then fussing over him.

Leaving the cleanup crew still working, Keith was still late to Lance’s birthday dinner. Shiro was late too, but that was okay because he wasn’t dating Lance. Between getting back to VOLTRON, showering, changing, and not being able to talk to Coran thanks to the fae being busy as fuck with the Blades mess, he was still late. Heading into the restaurant with Shiro, Curtis was the first to notice, out of his seat and throwing his arms around Shiro within moments of his noticing him.

Lance was sitting with Pidge in his lap, there was a smile on his lips that didn’t turn genuine until he set his eyes on Keith. The warmth in his smile and the relief in his eyes. That was everything he needed after what’d happened. Keith felt like walking bag of bruises that Lance wouldn’t be happy about. It was a shame Coran and Allura weren’t there, but Lance was and that was all he cared about.

Shooing Pidge out his lap, Pidge grumbled over being evicted. Lance reaching for him, and Keith nearly tripped over his own feet in his rush to get to his boyfriend. There had to be rules about two people sitting in the same seat, this wasn’t like Sal’s or at a pub, the place was fancy, but their table was slightly hidden by a jutting room divider. Sinking into his boyfriend’s hold, Lance slipped his arm around his waist, his lips finding Keith’s with practiced ease. Sharing three small kisses, ending as Keith hissed over his scratched lips. Now he was sitting, he wasn’t sure he had the energy to ever get up again. His boyfriend smelt so nice. A little sweet, and little muddly, but comfortingly like him.

Nuzzling into his cheek, Keith expected Pidge to carry on or tease them for being “gross”. Curtis must have filled them all in the mission going sideways. Softly, Lance asked

“Babe?”

“I’m okay...”

He was ready for bed... Cake, Lance and bed. Lance, cake, Lance, and bed sounded better. Or Lance and cake in bed...

“You sure? Curtis...”

“Yeah. A bit shell shocked and bruised but so much better for being here”

Lance kissed his cheek

“I’m not going to be happy later, am I?”

“Mmmm, maybe not, but I’m in one piece and I didn’t take direct damage. I’ll be fine, I promise you, babe”

His ears weren’t ringing and he had both eyebrows so that was a win.

“Okay. You’ve had your time to talk. Now tell us about this mission of yours”

Matt scooched his chair closer. Shiro groaned at him. With him and Curtis sitting down, the seating arrangement around the table was Lance, Miriam, Pidge, Rieva, Matt, Hunk, Shiro, Curtis, with the chair closest to Lance left open for him, though that had probably already been used by Pidge until he arrived. Curtis explained

“Vampires blew up the depot. You know the transport and manufacturing depot. Yeah, well, their going to have a hell of time explaining that away. Though I suppose with the power black out they’ll say some compound became unstable from lack of refrigeration. It makes Allura’s, Lance’s, and Keith’s previous mission pretty void for now. Werewolves have been deployed to scent track”

Mami was the first to voice her worry

“Oh my dear! Neither of you were hurt were you?”

Pidge a little less sensitive in her worries

“Dude, did you get blown up?”

Shiro shook his head, Keith content with no explaining... though it niggled at him not to mention Zethrid and Ezor. He’d talk to Coran about it. He was more tactful with handling this kind of thing, plus Keith kind of feared being scolded by Kolivan for receiving help from the “enemy”

“No. A few other members were injured. I thought we lost Keith, but he’d already drawn back”

Shit. Lance would worry

“They gave the order to. I didn’t think we’d be worrying about being blown up after nothing happening on first shift. They must have used the time from the moment they detected us to that shot firing to retreat. But we’re both okay, Mami. You don’t need to worry”

“As my son, I’m afraid I do. Do you know long it look Lance to bring home such a nice catch? I was beginning to believe I’d be dead before it happened”

Lance scolded his Mami

“Mami! You can’t say things like that”

Miriam laughing it off

“Consider it a perk of being old. They give you the good stuff when they think you’re a bit nutty. Now, we didn’t order for you two boys, and by the sound of it you both need a good meal and rest”

Matt snickered

“I doubt Keith’s going to be getting any of that”

Keith was now sure he was missing something. His anxiety started curling in his gut. This was why he hated being late. He hated feeling like he was on the outside

“Okay. No more picking on Keith. Babe, I’ll tell you later. Mami’s right. You need to eat something. I’m happy you came home safe”

“Yeah. Me too...”

Pidge finally butting in

“And now you’re being gross again. This is supposed to be a nice dinner to celebrate Lance. You’ve got witnesses”

Keith forced himself to slide from Lance’s lap to the empty chair. Ordering felt like too much effort

“Careful, gremlin. I’ve got stories of my own remember”

Pidge scowled at Lance

“I’m going to find a way to make you forget all those embarrassing stories”

Lance picked up his wine glass, mischief in his eye

“I’d like to see you try. Your mother’s potted plants came straight to mind”

“Ugh! I hate you... Matt, Lance is being mean”

“You’re the one who tried to spray paint mum’s plants so she couldn’t tell you’d killed them”

Keith sucked in his lips, trying not to bark out a laugh lest he also be accused of betraying her. He could see Pidge doing that so clearly... or trying to frame Matt for it. Grabbing her knife she faked stabbing herself in the heart, letting herself fall forward dramatically as she whispered

“I’ve been betrayed by both of you. Run, Keith, take Hunk. Be free!”

Flopped on the table, Matt poked at her

“Right. Well, I call dibs on her piece of cake”

Miraculously Pidge was revived

“Touch me piece of cake and I’ll tell Rieva how you couldn’t sleep with your light off until you were 15”

Matt was unruffled

“Seeing you already have, your piece is now forfeit”

“Noooo... Shiro, is there like a training collar for werewolves? I’m going to have to teach him to respect his little sister”

“Notice how you only refer to yourself like that when you’re trying to win me over”

“You can’t be mean! I’m a poor defenceless human”

“Defenceless my left testicle. You’re as defenceless as a barbed wire fence with the personality to match”

“If anything Lance is the “steely” one”

Lance raised an eyebrow

“If I’m so steely, why is it that my home was invaded by a cow today? Pidge, we know you better than to know you won’t go for a kick to balls if you’re cornered. Matt, stop upsetting the gremlin. She can have cake, but only before midnight”

“Why before midnight?”

The words slipped right out, their friends laughing at him... including Mami. Obviously it was some kind of pop culture reference he wasn’t getting. At least Lance was nice enough to comfort him

“Oh, babe. You’re exhausted. We’ll watch the movie when we next get a free weekend”

“Which won’t be for another two weeks”

Lance groaned, cheeks red and hunching down as he did

“Maaaaatt. Shut up”

“Why another two weeks?”

Lance spluttered, replying too fast

“Oh, you know, work and stuff. Stop teasing him before I talk to him about it”

“Fine. But on a serious note, you’re prepared right?”

“Curtis helped me out this afternoon”

“Good. Keith, make sure you take care of him”

He’d had enough of being confused

“What the fuck is going on?”

“Thanks, guys. Babe, come order with me. I’ll order for you too, Shiro, while I’m at it. You all suck”

Keith didn’t know “ordering” meant a trip to the men’s room. Lance splashing his face with water as Keith hung back towards the door. Catching his gaze in the mirror, Lance smiled at him, though it was one of those faked smiles that should be banned

“Sorry. Matt’s been like this all afternoon”

“You want to tell me what’s going on? I haven’t been able to get out my head how you looked at me when I left”

Lance ducked his head, turning off the tap, that blush was sneaking back in

“I... uh... okay. So don’t be mad, and you totally don’t have to be there if you don’t want to... I... um... I’m preheat”

What the what now?

“Preheat?”

“You know how werewolves get horny in spring but before that they’re all like super affectionate and make sure they’re well stocked and safe? Yeah, I’m that”

“You haven’t been preheat before. You kind of just go into heat”

Lance huffed. Turning, he crossed his arms and stared at his feet

“Thank you, Captain Obvious. Curtis came by earlier because you’d talked to Coran and we kind of figured it out together. I drank your blood like 3ish months ago... I’m either pregnant or preheat... and seeing we use protection... well... yeah. Matt reckons he smelt it on me. Rieva agrees. My... uh... scent’s sweeter and stronger ‘cause apparently my body is trying to tell you I need looking after and stuff. Look, I was going to tell you at the hotel, but Matt hasn’t stopped teasing me and it’s not fair you don’t know. He told the others were having a romantic week together... but I’m not forcing you to be there. I mean, we don’t know how long it will last and can you please say something because I’m kind of freaking the fuck out and embarrassed as hell about how I acted last time”

“So this is a thing?”

Smooth. Real smooth. A heat was better than a baby... but a proper heat... Hadn’t he had a long enough day as it was? Now he was being unfair to Lance

“Yep. Surprise”

And Lance sounded resigned

“I... Okay. Neither of us know much about this really and honestly I’m pretty much asleep on my feet and the only thinking happening isn’t much. But you can’t act like I don’t want to be there with you”

“And you can’t act like I didn’t freak you the fuck out last time. You went through that all for me! When do I finally get to do something for you!? It isn’t fair! I hate this body of mine. I just want to be a good boyfriend!”

Lance covered his mouth. Keith kind of felt like punching him in the dick. If Lance could tell, so could he!

“Why do you have to be like that? You can’t help it!”

“Because I’m this! This is me! What I want is to go back to you living with me and none of this other shit even happening! You’re too fucking good to me!”

“You’re the good one! I woke up this morning and realised I hadn’t even gotten a present!”

“I don’t need a present! All I want is you!”

“It’s your birthday!”

“And all I wanted was to be with you!”

“I’m here now! Again!”

“And I don’t want to leave at the end of it!”

“Then why are you yelling?!”

Keith spluttered

“I don’t know! You yelled back at me!”

“I was yelling because you were yelling! I miss living with you!”

“And I miss having you around! I miss it! I miss it and I can’t change it because I won’t put you in danger... I can’t lose you”

Both of them stared at each other, Keith moving at the same time as Lance... more or less crashing into each other than a romantic moment. Wrapping his arms around Lance, Lance held onto his jacket

“I miss you, Keith. I know I’m supposed to be the cool older one... but sometimes it hard to go home”

As hard as it was to go back to “normal” life while Lance wasn’t around

“I miss you too. You’re like... the good thing in my life I still can’t believe I have... I... confession time, Shiro helped me with your present”

“Confession time, I don’t mind. We’re working out this boyfriend thing together... I’m haunted by the memories of things I’ve written in cards”

That seemed to be a common theme. Keith wasn’t too sure about what he’d written in Lance’s card

“Shiro said the same thing this morning”

“I’m far too much on his wavelength”

“Bad taste in music. Odd taste in men. A constant need to talk thing out...”

“Don’t forget I care about you. I don’t want people caught up in this that shouldn’t be. I’m ruggedly handsome and mysterious... Um. I... care about you”

“You said that twice”

Lance sighed against him

“I really do. When Curtis said things went south my heart nearly stopped. Three months isn’t long enough... not to be around you. Not to know you...”

Lance was being too adorable and too sweet. Keith couldn’t lie to him about today

“I’m okay... Don’t tell Shiro but I fell off a roof and was saved by a pile of electrical cable spools”

“Babe!”

“And then Ezor saved me. She was there with Zethrid”

“Keith! What the hell!?”

“I don’t know why they were there, probably poking into the same things as us...”

“God. Why can’t you Blades be bloody careful!?”

“I was falling back when it happened... does that count?”

“Yes, but, babe... are you sure you’re okay? Did you hit your head? Do you know where you are?”

“I’m in some weird restaurant with some weird guy?”

“That isn’t funny!”

Lance was in tears now. He’d teased him too much. Kissing Lance’s hair, his boyfriend was still clutching him, Keith wondered if the jacket would forever retain the marks from how hard of a grip Lance had on him

“I’m fine. The suit protected me for the most part. The worst I got was a little winded and a few bruises. I’m with my boyfriend, on his birthday, which is the only place I want to be”

“I... You’re not allowed to scare me like that. You’re too important”

“I know. I only had to survive for Shiro before, now I have you... and... maybe I think I want to survive for myself”

“I should punch you in the dick”

It’d be deserved. Lance wore his heart on his sleeve and Keith really loved that about him

“Please don’t”

Lance sniffled softly, still angry despite crying

“Only because it’s you asking... You have to tell Shiro you saw them there. It could be important”

“I’m going to let Coran know”

“And Shiro”

That wasn’t a conversation he relished the thought of

“He’ll worry... How about I tell them together?”

“Fine. As long as you swear you’ll tell them”

“Only because it’s you asking. We should get back”

“I suppose so... I’m so fucking relieved you’re alright”

“I know... me too, babe. I wouldn’t miss being here with you for anything”

“You’re such a fucking sap... but... I really like you. I know it’s your job, and this preheat is making me extra emotional... but... the world is better for having you in it”

What was he supposed to say to that? It was Lance’s birthday but he felt like he was the one who’d been given the best present of his life.

[chancebarber40]

Why Should You Write A Will?

Crucial Reasons For Making A Will Today.

Content

Expenses For Probate Guidance.

Just How Much Does A Lawyer Price

How Our Will Composing And Also Executor Service Works.

Leading Inquiries Regarding Writing A Will

But obtaining it best is very important-- grey locations or mistakes might turn out to be as bad as no Will in any way. This is why making use of a legal professional makes sense especially with even more cost effective choices offered.

Does a handwritten will have to be witnessed?

Holographic wills do not need to be witnessed or notarized, which can lead to some issues during will validation in probate court. To avoid fraud, most states require that a holographic will contain the maker's signature. Holographic wills are not accepted in all states and are subject to each states' laws.

Whether Probate is needed depends upon the value as well as materials of the deceased person's estate. Although be aware that if anything is uncertain or incorrect in your Will, that might cause confusion or even the Will being invalid, when you will not be about to establish the record right. The benefit of paying a specialist to aid is that they understand the pertinent guidelines and regulations as well as can guarantee your Will is both legitimately binding and appropriately worded. You ought to always have an updated Will as well as ought to consider creating a new Will or updating an existing one when your conditions transform, as an example when you begin a household or get divorced. Even if you really feel that you don't possess much of value, it deserves writing a Will to guarantee what you do have goes to the people or charity you 'd like it to. It's additionally important to designate an administrator to take care of your affairs when you die, which is done as part of arranging your Will. If you don't make a Will, you die 'intestate' as well as the guidelines of 'intestacy' will determine how your estate is shared out.

Expenses For Probate Suggestions.

A lot more notably the recommendations and details of how to set up a long-term Power of Lawyer helped me make what is for most people a really difficult choice concerning exactly how to plan for an unidentified future. If it is needed in the future, I currently feel that any type of choices to be made are in the hands of people I depend on and will make certain that I am looked after in the method I would want. Sharon gave a very professional service, she was a good listener as well as confirmed my demands.

Authorized as well as Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority No. The professional regulations relevant to us are the SRA Handbook, which can be found at/ handbook.Cyber Crime Alert-- Emails can be scammed.

Just How Much Does A Solicitor Expense

If your estate is likely to be hard or contentious, you may require to think about independent or specialist administrators. This workout can be very handy ahead of a meeting with your solicitor, as some monetary or tax preparation needs to be performed as part of the Will making procedure. It will likewise help you to take into consideration whether you intend to make details presents or other setups connecting to specific properties. If you have residential property together, a Will allows you safeguard a minimum of half of it if the survivor of you has to go right into treatment. We can discuss the treatment cost billing procedures and also summary actions to take when intending your estate and also will likewise include the residential or commercial property being changed from joint possession to Tenants in Common. They do not need to be experts, but they do need to be accountable and very well ordered, as they'll wind up dealing with a lot of challenging documentation. You can find out even more concerning selecting Beyond as an executor below.

The administrators of your will have the job of making your wishes a reality after you pass away. They'll also be the ones to figure out all your legal as well as economic events, ensuring your financial debts are paid and also all your properties end up with the appropriate people. Guardians can be anybody over the age of 18, however it's a great suggestion to select individuals that recognize your children/pets well as well as who are made use of to taking care of them. This search first checks the National Will Register then does a REACH search which get in touches with lawyers closest to the deceased last recognized addresses and locations they may have made their Will. Please note that our fixed or approximated fees for Wills and also Probate job are based upon an issue having requirement features.

If you make a Will, you can ensure your children are attended to after you are gone, as well as you can nominate a guardian, if your youngsters are under the age of 18 years of ages. We will assist you take care of your Will to make sure your family is secured and also everyone recognizes what your dreams are. A recent study revealed that over 60% of adults in the UK have not made a Will, and also extra amazingly 74% of co-habiting pairs do not have a Will.

Exactly How Our Will Writing And Also Executor Solution Jobs.

If you're seeking to protect your family members's future financially or you intend to leave a valued property to an enjoyed one, a will is among the most effective means to see to it this happens. In a will, your desires will be laid out plainly so that your picked administrator can manage the circulation of your estate according to your individual demands when you die. Inghams is a company of lawyers in England and also Wales authorized and also managed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority as well as goes through the SRA Requirements and also RegulationsSRA Registration No. 76362. They presume that their residence and also other properties will fall automatically to specific individuals. Having no will or a will which is not drawn up correctly can lead to severe problems. Dying without a will means that intestacy policies use, so the federal government makes all the choices concerning the estate.

Without a legitimate Will, your loved ones will have little control on the inheritance of your estate. If you create your online will at residence with Unite Wills, our professional group of consultants will inspect your will application to guarantee that your will is legally-binding. A legally-valid will implies that there are no issues or any kind of confusion within the record that can void the record in case of your death. If our experts find any kind of feasible mistakes in your will, you will be informed regarding this straight away and also you will be able to correct it. Nevertheless, there are extra contemporary, effective as well as less expensive ways of doing this. It is entirely feasible to write your will in your home without requiring to interact or meet up with an expensive solicitor by using an online will-writing solution like that offered by us at Unite Wills. If you pass away without a legally-valid will in place, your estate will be shared out according to the UK intestacy guidelines, which will not take any one of your individual dreams right into consideration.

Top Questions About Writing A Will

Wills are really important papers, so it makes good sense to get experienced aid to prepare your Will. Learn even more by contacting among our group or keep reading below for more information regarding our solutions.

Please do not count on e-mail alert of savings account changes without straight verbal confirmation from a relied on source. We advise before a video clip teleconference with your lawyer that you prepare as much information as you can. Please see our FREE 8 step overview to developing a Will to help you. The info consisted of in this overview is based upon our understanding of the law of intestacy in England as well as Wales only as at April 2019. The regulation in Scotland and Northern Ireland is considerably different. This guide is for info purposes and is not planned to be lawful guidance. In basic terms, Probate is a lawful process to develop if a Will stands and also the Administrators have the authority to administer the estate of an individual who has actually passed away.

These solutions may be online-based-- using electronic devices to draft your will-- operate by message, or will involve a person pertaining to see you in the house.

Whether you get your will from a lawyer or a will-writing solution, don't assume you also have to assign them as administrators (the people who'll sort out your finances after your death).

Farewill claims this service is not appropriate for 'mirror wills', abroad possessions or complex estates.

Nonetheless, there are likewise layouts online for fundamental contracts which, as long as a sensible arrangement is created, can be helpful.

Or if you need one that offers specialist lawful advice for older as well as prone individuals, their family members and also carers, trySolicitors For The Elderly.

Executors are the people you picked to administer your estate, manage every one of the documentation and also obtain Probate. Administrators can be Recipients, as well as it is usually suggested to have greater than one. Administrators can additionally be the Trustees of your Will if you have a proceeding Depend on. We will estimate a fixed price for a straightforward Will so you understand in advance what you are mosting likely to pay. If your conditions are a lot more complicated as well as you need Count on or tax preparation advice, after that the prices will be higher. We will attempt to fix these prices where feasible as quickly as we receive your directions.

These regulations additionally bypass the desires expressed in a Will that's not legitimately legitimate, so it pays to get a Will right. Things will change regularly as you go through life-- connections change, youngsters may come along and loved ones die.

Martin Lewis: Functioning From Home As A Result Of Coronavirus, Even For A Day? Case A Year's Well Worth Of Tax Alleviation.

It is additionally vital that you maintain your documents in great order to make sure that your Will and also estate assets can be conveniently determined after your fatality. When you leave any kind of part of your estate to a beneficiary, that inheritance after that enters into the recipients' own estate for all functions. This can leave the inheritance prone to third-party danger, as an example, from separation, personal bankruptcy, poor decision-making, and so on . If you are worried about these third-party dangers after that it may be feasible to secure part of your estate via the use of trust funds. The Administrators that you select in your Will are responsible for the administration of your estate and also carrying out your wishes. You need to think carefully regarding who you appoint to this function as your administrators require to be trustworthy as well as trustworthy, in order to assure that your wishes are properly performed.

will writing services somerset have a wealth of experience in handling accident instances. You must examine your Will every three to five years as well as when there has been a major adjustment in your circumstances. For instance, if you marry, a Will made before the marital relationship will be void. Additionally, the worth of your residence and financial investments might have increased in time and Wills might need to be changed to save inheritance tax. It is a great idea to speak to us if you assume you may require to alter your Will. If you are a moms and dad, specifically to more youthful youngsters under the age of 18 years old, it is a really crucial to make a Will.

It is necessary your Will is upgraded to show your present scenario so the best people will profit when you pass away. You can lay out plans for your youngsters's care, including calling a guardian with the lawful right to look after the personal as well as monetary rate of interests of children under 18. If you aren't wed or in a civil collaboration, your companion might be forgotten if you do not have a Will because the legislation will dictate what takes place to your estate. A Will lets you choose individuals you depend handle your estate when you pass away. A Will is merely a lawful paper setting out your wishes in crystal clear terms and also establishing one up isn't tough.

You can't change your will document after it's been signed and also experienced, so you'll require to produce a different file called a codicil to make changes. If you wish to make huge changes, it might be best to make a new will and destroy your old one. If you do not leave a will, your estate will be dispersed according to the legislation.

Making arrangements for youngsters or adults with a disability in your Will might take some factor to consider. For https://aspley-heath.trusted-willwriting.co.uk/ , if you do not wish your child to inherit their share of the estate promptly, establishing a Trust fund for your youngster might be a choice to think about. For adults with unique demands, you might wish to take into consideration setting up a Trust fund to ensure that they receive income on a regular basis, rather than a round figure quantity. For full information on setting up depends on, go to our Trust Wills.

They provide an indication of the likely series of rates in many circumstances. However if your issue has non-standard functions such as complicated residential property, family members partnerships, personalities or dangers, after that we might not have the ability to aid you for the charges shown on our website. Because circumstances we might provide you an alternate cost quote based on per hour prices or further repaired or approximated charges. You can lay out whom you want to gain from your estate and in what proportions. A Will can permit you to set up a fund to profit individuals long after you have actually passed away. A Will gives certainty regarding what is to happen to you as well as can give guidance to your sights on organ contribution. Whether you have a complex estate more than the Estate tax threshold (currently ₤ 325,000) or whether you simply wish to make certain particular items go to certain people, we can make a Will to match you.

[writefasttalkevenfaster]

Steve Rogers/ Protect

Imagine meeting Steve Rogers in a bar, and he saves you from a creep

Based off @growingpaynes-art‘s artwork, imagine if Steve Rogers looked the same after being injected with the serum, but retained all his powers. For @laneygthememequeen

“It’s a long story, alright?” You set down your mug, steam still rolling off your hot chocolate, as you wiped the condensate from your glasses. Your roommate raised a brow, crossing her arms, before settling comfortably into a glare, to which you lifted your hands in surrender, “so I didn’t go. I’m tired. I just want to relax without some guy trying to see if he can guess what cupsize I am with my shirt on.” 

“That only happened once with the guys I’ve set you up with,”

“And once was enough,” you stared at her over the rim of your glasses, before taking another sip of your hot chocolate, “I rather settle into bed and pine over fictional characters, than deal with the shitty, real ones out there.” 

“Uh-uh,” she wrenched the mug from your hands, setting it on the table, before snatching your wrist and hauling you to your ever reluctant feet, “we are going out whether you like it or not.” 

“Please-“   

“I am willing to negotiate on location, but I am not conceding that we are going out tonight,” she placed her hands on her hips, “I know you can find someone as wonderful as Mike is to me.” 

“Maybe when pigs fly,” you muttered, as she began to dig through your and her own shared closet, “No clubs!” you added when you saw her pick up a skin tight dress, “Bookstore?” 

“No!” She turned, holding up a little black dress, “Bar?” You took the dress, turning to go change, “Don’t look so thrilled.” 

“Don’t worry,” you replied, shutting the door behind you, “I won’t.” 

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

“You didn’t tell me you invited Mike to come along,” you hissed, but Mike couldn’t help but hear, considering he was currently wrapped around your best friend in the booth the three of you were sharing. 

“Ouch,” he said, before pressing a kiss to the top of her head, “I’ll go get us some drinks to numb the pain.” 

You rolled your eyes, before they fell upon your meek friend, “I couldn’t help it. I haven’t seen him all week,” 

“You haven’t seen me either,” 

“Two birds, one stone?” You shook your head, turning to leave, “wait, wait, okay how about this? I’m going to help Mike get us some drinks, and then we can scope out some guys together?” 

You made the mistake of looking into her pleading eyes, and resigned yourself, sipping at the drink you had already bought, exchanging your hot chocolate with marshmallows for an scotch on the rocks. After about fifteen minutes, you realized your friend wasn’t going to come back anytime soon, so you pulled a book from your bag and slid your glasses on. It was a good thing you had thought to bring a backup plan.

“Hi,” an unfamiliar voice greeted and you looked up from your book. He was a short and small man, blonde hair brushing across his forehead, nearly against his very blue eyes. He seemed to squirm under your attention, a blush settling on his cheeks, “I’m Steve, I was wondering if you mind if I join you?” You hesitated for a moment, when he pointed to your book, The Princess Bride,  “I came over because I actually really love that book.” 

“You do?” and he nodded, a shy smile on his lips, “well I only have three things to say to you. My name is Y/N. You seem really cute. Please join me.” 

He slid in next to you, “I’m really glad you didn’t tell me to ‘prepare to die.’” The two of you fell into easy conversation, at first about the book, and then about other things, “if you don’t mind me asking, why are you sitting here by yourself tonight?” 

You shrugged, “My roommate dragged me out and then disappeared with her boyfriend.” 

“Doesn’t sound like a very good friend,” 

“Hm,” you considered, letting your fingers brush his for a moment, “doesn’t seem so bad anymore.” And he smiled, a real, genuine smile unhindered by nerves, and your breath caught in your throat, how did you manage to get so lucky tonight? 

“Hey there,” a hand came to rest on the table and the booth right behind your neck. A large man, clearly intoxicated, grinned at you, “your friend told me that you’re free tonight, and you’re looking for a good man. I’m Harry.” 

You blinked twice, looking to see your roommate giving you a thumbs up. She literally had the most dubious taste in partners you had ever seen, “I’m sorry, I met someone already,” you placed your hand over Steve’s, only to see him glowering at Harry. 

“This runt?” He leaned in closer, his breath revolting, as you recoiled, “come on, baby, you know you can do better than that.” 

Steve rose, slamming his hands on the counter, “She said no.” 

Harry rose an eyebrow, rolling his eyes, before turning his attention back to you, his hand around your wrist, “Back off, this doesn’t concern you.” 

“Let go of me,” you said lowly, looking to see if any of the patrons noticed what was happening. 

Steve rose, sliding out of the booth, approaching him, “You have three seconds to back off, before I make you.” 

“Steve, please,” you struggled against Harry’s grip, trying to break his hold on you, but to no avail, “get the owner.” 

“Oh,” Harry guffawed, dropping your now aching wrist, “you’re going to make me?” Steve stood tall, unwavering even as Harry stepped closer, towering over him, “let’s see you try.” 

And Steve only gave a smile – different from the ones he had given before – there was nothing gentle about this one, or about the way he lifted Harry off his feet with ease, and tossed him to the floor. Silence swept over the bar. Harry’s face turned blood red, as he scrambled to his feet, and winded up for a punch, “You son of a-“ 

Steve easily blocked it, holding Harry’s fist in his hand, as he tilted his head, “Are you done trying?” Steve twisted his arm behind his back, “if I ever see you treat another person like that again, you’ll wish I’d throw your ass in jail.” He sent him sprawling on his knees, stumbling, before he left, tail between his legs. 

The bar exploded with applause, as Steve turned back to you, gaze gentle, as several patrons clapped him on the back, “do you want to go somewhere a little quieter?” 

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

You two walked in a comfortable silence until you got away from the ruckus of the bar, texting your roommate a goodbye as well as a future blanket refusal of possible setups. You put your phone away, glancing at Steve, who was lost in thought, “Thank you,” he jumped a little, the man who had nearly lifted a man off his feet twice his size, “for what you did. I don’t know how to even thank y-“ 

“Did you think Harry was going to beat me up?” Steve asked suddenly, and you shrugged, only to see him raise his brow, “you did, didn’t you?” 

“Okay, okay, I thought ‘it’s cute that he’s tried to protect me and all,’ but you’re like my height, you know? And that guy was huge,” you squeezed his hand, “but you proved me wrong, and I’m sorry for presuming.” 

It was quiet again, until Steve broke it this time, “I really like you, Y/N,” he blurted out, and you paused for a minute, tilting your head. 

“I really like you too, Steve, a lot,” you admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, “I honestly didn’t even want to go tonight, I was happier just staying home.” 

“But are you happy you came?” he asked, his eyes bright. 

And you bit your lip, grinning, “You tell me.” And you kissed him, his lips tasted of the scotch he had earlier with you. After a moment, his lips moved against yours slowly, his arm wrapping around your waist, resting against the small of your back, as his other hand rested on your cheek, deepening the kiss for a moment, before breaking away. You could feel your shared breath mix, his chest rising and falling as it was pressed against yours. He pressed a chaste kiss to your lips, feeling him smile against yours, until the two of you dissolved into laughter as your eyes met.

“I’m going to always protect you, Y/N,” you nodded, pressing a kiss to his forehead, before interlacing your fingers with his, and he gave it a small squeeze. 

“I know, Steve. I know.”

[korranguyen]

Some thoughts on romance in TDP and ATLA: What Does Rayllum Get Right?

Okay, I know this post doesn’t do much service to this claim, but I don’t love the idea of directly comparing ships to one another. Every relationship is different in the context it takes place, and it’s just as unfair to directly compare any two relationships as it would be to compare two different couples in real life: every person, and by extension, every character, is unique in their own way. Not to mention I’m a bit hesitant to write this because TDP just found its footsteps away from ATLA with the new season, and I honestly fear plaguing the lovely positivity of the TDP fan base with old wounds from the ATLA ship wars.

BUT since there are already a lot of popular Kataang/Rayllum comparison posts floating around, I feel the need to share my two cents on the bit as someone who wholeheartedly enjoys the trajectory of Rayllum, but had my... reservations when it came to the canonized romance in ATLA.

Instead of dwelling on those reservations, though, I’m gonna focus on talking about and validating the parts of the ships we do like (meaning both Zutarians and Kataangers).

This essay, in a nutshell:

Two ships form an unlikely bond and find their peace in the midst of warring kingdoms fandoms. #amirite

What Rayllum Learns from Zutara

TBQH I surprised by how many embraced the Kataang/Rayllum parallels because the setup itself reminded me of Zutara— not Kataang. They share a similar origin story: Rayla threatens Callum in an attempt to pursue his little brother, just like how Zuko often pursued Katara to capture Aang. Their introductions are antagonistic, if not explicitly violent, but because the writers take the time to humanize both characters outside of these interactions, the audience understands that these conflicts happen because they’re driven by motivations from opposite sides of the war. Of course, when they are forced to become allies, it’s... not as smooth-sailing as you’d expect.

At its core, both Rayllum and Zutara are very cautious friendships. They don’t trust each other right away. It’s not perfect; they have their outbursts, reluctance to trust, and painful blows to their bond. But against all odds they eventually establish trust in each other. And because that trust isn’t just given, but needs earning, it takes its time dwelling on wounds necessary to transgress those lines and establishes extra depth in the meantime, making it well-earned and conducive to an understanding relationship. When they find their peace and friendship, it feels earned and respected on both sides, and both parties have a deeper understanding of each other than they could've had with a happy-go-lucky friendship.

Also, a side effect of the bitter work (sorry I had to lol) it took to to build that relationship, both Zutara and Rayllum have become especially in-tune with each other’s emotional cues. On the behalf of Zutara, there’s the moment when Katara comforts Zuko as he’s cowering in front of his uncle’s tent. She immediately recognizes that something’s wrong and approaches him about it:

Zuko opened up to Katara yet again about his insecurities and fears just like he did in Ba Sing Se. I love how easy it is for him. Zuko’s normally so guarded yet doesn’t mind being vulnerable with Katara. He’s so worried because he doesn’t see how Uncle Iroh can forgive him. It’s important that Katara’s the one encouraging him because she was also someone he betrayed that day. Someone who had faith in him to make the right choice, someone who changed for the better. She forgave him and she knows Iroh will too. That carries some weight with him. 

-- Geektastic08

Because of how many more opportunities Rayllum than Zutara to show off their perceptiveness of each others’ emotions, I could name off a lot of similar moments-- but I’m going to go with when Rayla slices open the mummy on the Cursed Caldera. When she returns and anxiously gets to ushering people forward, Callum notices almost instantly that Rayla’s acting off and expresses his concern. And, of course, Rayla opens up that she did, indeed, see something “horrible”— immediately opening up to him on the fact she was afraid, almost instinctively overcoming her reluctance to show her fears and weaknesses as established from previous episodes when Callum is the one who asks about it.

Also, this:

"I know that face. It’s your dumb idea face.” =)

Another reason: balanced-out co-parenting is a thing (Ezran vs. the rest of the Gaang).

On a more grand-scheme note, their relationship actually also shares a lot of the same “thematic importance” as Zutara as a symbol of overcoming differences and bonding. As cheesy as this line low-key is (IMO), Harrow says:

“I ask you and your brother to reject history as a narrative of strength and instead have faith that it can be a narrative of love.”

Yeah, read by the human boy crossing foreign lands with a she-elf to return the Dragon Prince to his mother as a gesture of bonding elves and humans and ending the war between nations. Having faith that history can be rewritten as a narrative of love and compassion.

To top it off, Rayllum owns it when it comes to living up to the not-overtly-kissy romantic foreshadowing of Zutara.

This is an allusion to the established Moon symbolism from earlier in the episode. As painful as it was, finding out about the king winds up illuminating, and eventually fulfilling, the possibility of deeper relationship and understanding of trust they originally couldn't see (but was still there) when Callum crosses the barrier into the “light face” from the “dark, shadowed side”. 

Also, this shipper’s haven scene:

Agh, yes.

What Rayllum learns from Kataang

Okay, so one of the bigger (and very understandable) issues with Zutara is that all of their development (aside from “Crossroads of Destiny”) happens very late in the last season. No matter how solid the moments we do get are, there simply isn’t enough time to fully wash away their damaged terms only a couple episodes prior, much less transgress necessary lines before a healthy relationship can occur. Whether or not their build-up does justice for their relationship arc as friends, by the end of ATLA, Zutara’s negative interactions still outnumber their positive ones by a sheer majority, so pushing that relationship into romance so soon comes with negative implications. (Which is where the Book 4 rumors seep in, but let’s not touch those today)(Anyway, even as a person who generally supports Zutara, I don’t advocate for that relationship to be “endgame”, or even as a part of canonized material because romance that soon after establishing that trust wouldn’t have conducive to a healthy relationship.)

On the other hand, Kataang gets a lot more credit in the time department. Because their friendship is established in such a positive light from the very first episode, Kataang has the benefit of faith from their countless endearing moments capturing a casual, comfortable friendship we can know and love, and then can grow nostalgic about over time. Even when their angrier moments play out, they usually fizzle out in the pool of happier memories they already have, so such instances are easily forgivable from the majority of the audience.

Now, despite initially being at odds with each other, Rayllum is established early enough to have the advantage of 5/6/7 seasons under its belt to build to that healthy relationship. Even in the less-immediate circumstances of their trust, the show still leaves plenty of time to fill with the necessary builds and prove their friendship through positive interactions. This is evidenced by the fact that by the end of Season 2, their negative interactions— even Rayla’s original position as Callum/Ezran’s killer— is water long down the bridge.

(Random tangent: To all who believe Zutara is an unforgivably abusive ship because of Katara’s and Zuko’s previous enemy relationship, let me pitch this to you: Rayla literally corners Callum and holds a blade in his face, about to kill him in the second episode yet Rayllum is very inarguably not abusive. The issue with Zutara isn’t that it’s inherently a sour relationship because they used to be enemies, it’s that there’s a dire lack of time to ease the ratio of interactions of Zuko hurting Katara to him helping her before the end of the show where starting that immediate relationship would have come with poor implications. In the case of Rayllum, Rayla actually gets a very extended chance to make that up in a larger span of time and exceeded those numbers two weeks ago long ago)

Thanks to all that screentime, maybe if our Season-2-Shipper-Scenes can be read as glimpses of a possible building crush early on like Kataang’s, that’ll stir up some of the heartstring garble later that it did with Kataang, too (for some, at least).

Rayllum’s interactions share the lovable silliness of Kataang. When it comes to picturing your ideal, sugarcane relationship, we will often find our soft spots in the couples who spend the most time smiling, laughing or being casually friendly with each other.

Also, here’s an interesting parallel: Katara was Aang’s primary support through his loss, just like Rayla was for Callum. Also, both Katara and Rayla struggled to hide the fact from their “romantic counterparts” at first, in fear of hurting newfound friendships with people they cared about, only to have this backfire later. However, I’d say it’s interesting to note that because Callum is almost 3 years older than Aang and thus arguably in a different phase of maturity (older childhood at 12 vs. teen at almost 15), the way they processed that realization took remarkably different forms between the two characters. Breaking the news to Callum meant surfacing more relationship-based questions about trust, meeting its resolution in a heart-to-heart conversation about honesty and hurting people you care about. On the other hand, because Aang is still, for most purposes, a child, that recognition on Aang’s part, as well as the honesty/lack of censorship on Katara’s part, doesn’t exist as much as an expectation in that relationship. Consequently, Aang’s grief process in “The Southern Air Temple” was wholly Aang-centric, coming to life in a display of rage and pain before he comes to accept his new position as the avatar and the last airbender in the arms of his new “family”. (I actually think the most obvious comparison to Aang here is Ezran, who became angry and ran away when he found out about his father’s death, then returned with a fuller understanding of the newfound individual responsibility he must face despite not being ready for as a growing kiddo. But that’s a discussion for another time; maybe I’ll write something on that later). 

Of course, the aforementioned covert foreshadowing of the Zutara ship comes coupled (pun intended) with the overt romantic foreshadowing of the Kataang ship! Because what kid (or kid in the heart) doesn’t let out the giddy squeals over that.

Also, it’s the male and female lead. Everyone’s gotta love those characters! Bet you money all the 2010s children who watch TDP are gonna get hella attached to that stuff and rack up the tears on how well-elaborated those characters were and how perfect they were for each other through thick-lens nostalgia goggles when they grow up. That’s just how dat shit works.

TL;DR If Zutara was too “dark” or “intriguing”, or “bound to make six year olds cry” (as Ehasz himself supposedly said in a class at UC Berkeley; lol), Rayllum re-illustrates that arc with the cushiness of a clear, lovable path and the positive-interaction-to-death-threat ratio, audience faith, (love for small critters,) and longer friendship screentime of Kataang.

Rayllum shares all of the literary nuances of Zutara and the sweet lovability of Kataang. And then adds its own little sparks of healthiness.

It’s a ship built for everyone to fall in love with.

I honestly don’t care whether this winds up being a very strong friendship or a romantic relationship (though I’m inclined to believe from the narrative that it’s the latter), but no matter the direction the show takes, I love their relationship so much and have full faith it’ll be done right.

Let me know if I missed anything else! I know I might be missing the narrative importance and/or parallels others might see in Kataang because I’m a bit biased to Zutara as the poster of this multi-ship analysis (though I tried my best to counteract it for objectivity), so especially if you’re a Kataanger, let me know what you’ve noticed and I’ll be happy to add it in.

positive/non-warring reax only please :)

[comicteaparty]

July 13th-July 19th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from July 13th, 2020 to July 19th, 2020.  The chat focused on Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R by snuffysam.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R by snuffysam~! (http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until July 19th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

carcarchu

I'm only 5 pages in so far, but this comic has a great sense of humour i've already laughed out loud at some of the jokes

Deo101 [Millennium]

god yes the jokes all hit so well

carcarchu

i noticed an error on tapas, page 42 and page 45 are identical

Deo101 [Millennium]

oh no

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@carcarchu fixed, thank you for pointing that out!

carcarchu

i'm 63 pages in now and i'm really enjoying this comic so far. it's solidly paced with an interesting cast of characters. the banter is really fun to read and i'm loving how the world building expands with each new character introduced

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

glad to hear it!!!

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

Damn I feel bad for only reading this now

I love the comedic pauses in between the jokes, and it makes the situation more awkward and hilarious for me!

Also fourth wall breaking and lampshades

Feather J. Fern

I really like the line "I can't hear you from over there." Lampshading why people monologue but they are stepping away from the listener

I really enjoy these types of jokes, this comic has really good comedic timing.

Also It is long, but easy to digest, so I'm speeding through quite easily.

Also Sir Pokes a Lot!! My favourite character, and you killed them! (I love the animated parts of the comic too)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

thank u!!!

and yeah, sorry about sir pokes-a-lot

Deo101 [Millennium]

Can not wait for y'all to meet my fave

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

Wait WHAT SIR POKES A LOT DIES WHAT THE HELL

Oh yes, the animated parts always get me by surprise and I love them too

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

imo, there's an even sadder death in book 2...

RebelVampire

I like that the beginning just has a lot of comedy even while establishing the exposition parts. So you don't really even notice you're learning about characters, the world, and so forth, because the jokes just really make the entire experience vastly entertaining. My favorite moment in the comic is probably now when all the governors show up and Electric Zebra to fight the demon. Cause it was like a party of badasses, had lots of great comedy, lots of great fighting, and just all around it was nice to see everyone else embrace Mizuki's strengths too. My favorite character is a tie between Electric Zebra and Sword Warrior/Taci. Electric Zebra because I love that he works for the gov but also hates the gov while also moonlighting as a musician. He just all around is a fun character for me who could do no wrong. Taci I like because he's simultaneously arrogant, smart, caring, and selfish. I also like that he just blatantly announces his plans to become dictator. As for the art, I really love the colors. The entire comic is just a really colorful experience without being over-saturated, and I really think that makes it stand out, regardless of the other 3D aspects and such that make it stand out as well, of course. I like in the current book it explores the nature of making friends. Since Mizuki is trying hard to make friends with Stella, and Stella isn't having that. So I enjoy this exploration in terms of kind of what do you even do in those situations and how can you peacefully co-exist and overcome that grump gap.

As for the overall related content and the comic's strength, these are one in the same for me: the comedy. This is by far one of the few comic's that clicks for me in terms of comedy. Not only does it have fantastic timing, but a lot of it is really smart with lots of callbacks to things that happened - and damn do I love that sort of continuity. It's not even just the one-liner jokes though. Sometimes it's just the stories overall way of solving problems in comedic ways that is the best, so all in all, just a great entertaining comic.

Krispy §[Ghost Junk Sickness]§

The dialogue is so funny to go through, I love the way Snuffy characterises and just has fun!

also the cell shaded rendering is so cool! I love the aesthetic and design !

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@RebelVampire regarding continuity stuff, this is basically the ending of book 2 lmao(edited)

mathtans

Hm, so this is somehow a trickier one for me to analyze since I've been reading it since the first CTP. Admittedly I fell behind after Book2 (busy months) but I just got caught back up (SpaceMySpace...) so I guess I'll do some further pondering and check back in later. ^^

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

ok so i finished re-reading my comic the only joke that made me legit laugh out loud this re-read was the dancing in panel 3 of this page: http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/255 just because i completely forgot i put that gag in there lol

tbh my favorite character in the comic is taci. like, before his introduction, the comic was incomplete, in a sense. but with him in the picture, all the writing just fits together. (even past the fact that books 3-5 wouldn't happen without taci being a total weirdo who mailed hundreds of letters to the galaxy knights under fake names, lol)

Deo101 [Millennium]

taci is also my favorite,,, as you know, aha

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. Given the comic’s emphasis on comedy, what was your favorite joke insofar? What made it stand out to you compared to the others? In what ways does the comic’s comedy stand apart from other comics?

10. What do you think of Mizuki’s tactics for using magic? Is she crazy as many characters imply, or do you think she’ll continue to make it work far into the future? How will this decision affect her skills as a strategist?

11. What do you think King Zebugu is doing participating in Galaxy Knights trials? Do you think he’s finally changed his ways, or is he up to something? Also, will this help Taci achieve his own goals?

12. Do you think Mizuki will be able to become a Galaxy Knight? If so, what other trials will she have to work through? Additionally, what will become of some of the other characters such as Stella, Taci, and Pejiba in the trials?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Deo101 [Millennium]

Okay my favorite joke so far was DEFINITELY this one, it's the first one I think that really made me like, fully laugh out loud. I dont know why it got to me so much. Also it made me love cahe very much as well.

SPOILER

Also I think Mizuki's magic probably IS something to do with her abillity to copy other's magic really easily, and probably more efficiently.

and kinda combo of 11 and 12 but I hope they all become galaxy knights and be friends :)

(including king zebugu)

back about the magic thing I KNOW weve been told anyone can do any magic, it's just very draining and hard, so they use their own magics always... but People have also commented on her ability to actually utilize other's magics SO i feel like theres more to it than just her being incredibly stubborn.

RebelVampire

I'm sorry Cahe. You used to be my #2 fave character, but then Taci.

Deo101 [Millennium]

LITERALLY SAME

RebelVampire

My favorite joke changes each reading, but right now I'm gonna go with Book 2 when Mizuki is remarking about forgetting something important and then we see Enetoro still stalling for the talent show. It was such great timing since it was long enough most readers probably forgot about it in the front of their mind but still recent enough you're like oh yeah. And I just like that long ass joke setup for the entire book. As for how the comic's comedy in general stands apart, just superior timing. A lot of comedy is about timing, and this comic is just spot on everytime. As for how Mizuki uses magic, it's probably a bit of both. She is crazy, but she will probably make it work for a long time to come just out of sheer force of will and stubbornness. But I think her having to learn so many abilities and find ways to utilize them together can only increase her skills as a strategist, since it allows her to assess the full potential of every ability and command others to reach that potential. King Zebugu is probably up to something again. I don't think he's as evil in the first books, but I def think there's something going on that he isn't telling anyone that he'll reveal towards the end and say, "Well good luck Mizuki peace out." I don't think it'll help Taci though. I think Taci will just wind up getting roped in and never get even one step closer to becoming the dictator he always wants to be. I do think Mizuki will become a Galaxy Knight. As for other trials, I'm not entirely sure. I imagine there's gonna be some sort of tournament arc though cause otherwise how is Stella supposed to say something about how this is a true contest for warriors. I think Stella will befriend Mizuki, and Taci will at least win something he can brag about. I think Pejiba won't win though, but I also think Pejiba would be content to try again and just go back to skipping around with Cahe.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

There's... somewhat of a tournament arc coming up? The structure is gonna be weird compared to other tournament arcs, but it's definitely one of the more interesting chapters I've written lol. So... have fun speculating on that for the next three years lmao

Regarding some of the other questions - there's currently enough information in the comic to figure out all the 11th-hour plot twists for Book 3. I won't say there's enough information to easily figure the plot out, lol, but you could figure it out. Though - there is absolutely something going on that King Zebugu isn't telling anyone about (it's kind of a habit at this point, lol).

mathtans

1. You know something I like about the beginning? The links to the original artwork. It's just a subtle thing down at the bottom, but it simultaneously shows the progress made by the artist, and allows anyone thinking 'wow I could never do anything like that' to realize that it didn't happen overnight.

Also the gradual world building is really well done. You don't get too much at once.

2. I think my favourite moment remains how Mizuki defeated Zebugu near the end of Book 1. It was just really clever in terms of reincorporating something subtle (the comic's good at that in general) to turn the tables, and played off his personality more than his magic, which was also clever. There's lots of other great moments too, but that one stands out over time, I think because we were looking at a climax there.

3. Favorite character is probably Zaxaty. Yeah, yeah, mathtans going for the major lesbian, big surprise, but hear me out. She's connected to the King, a major antagonist, but has her own personality and I don't think she's afraid to slap him down if needed. She might even end up connected to the major protagonist (because of reader ships). She's into art, there's that whole bizarre roller skating thing just to point out she's not normal. I possibly enjoy hairstyles like hers. And she sustained major injuries in the big Book 2 battle but sucked it up and still did what she could. So there.

(Before Zaxaty it was probably Pejiba. She seemed smart and capable.)

4. Character interaction... possibly Mizuki and Taci, simply because I tend to enjoy their interactions with everyone else in the cast. So when they get together, whew... possibly related, Mizuki has a tendency to be oblivious due to inexperience or failing her perception checks, while Taci can be oblivious because he's so full of himself. Their battle and the Sword Warrior revelation was another good moment overall.

5. Again, I'm hardly a person to be commenting on art. But the rendering effects and the occasional animated panels kind of blow me away.

(Not the first person to remark on that, admittedly.)

6. I'm not great with themes either. Perseverance is probably one, based on what/who Mizuki has to put up with. Also friendship, which Rebel referenced, and can even be seen in the earlier bits with the group coming together (Cahe and Pejiba taking it to the next level). And how those in power aren't necessarily the best at decision making (is that a theme)?

Then there's mystery, like what are peoples' goals. Is that a theme? I don't know what I'm talking about, let's face it.

7. Something about the story and content is how much development's gone into it. I don't know if the side stories were started in part due to StArt Faire, or if it provided some perpetual motion, but for example Gynu and Suzigu have this entire childhood backstory in there, and we never saw that much of them in Book 1. (Maybe that one was to highlight more Galaxy Knight stuff? But there's others that expand on otherwise minor characters.)

Then there's the cast page, which seems to be constantly updating, and includes extra random trivia and even what seem like really really minor characters (like the Ferryman).

I have no clue how snuffysam manages to do all that stuff and yet continue to update multiple times in a week. With, as Rebel pointed out, very good comedy too, both situational and connected to character personalities.

8. Comic strength is I think at times doing the unexpected. Like throwing in animation, or referencing someone new or something that adds new pieces to the magic dynamic. Like you want to keep reading to know what comes next because even if it's what you think it might be, there's probably some new aspect you didn't expect that will be there too.

Anyway, there's some thoughts, and for all I know it's similar to stuff I already said in a previous chat. If so, whoops. More tomorrow. I type slow.

(Incidentally, related to the stories, the "wingwomanicon" story won't load for me... it's a blank pdf. And the link in the story proper for when it first went up seems to link to the wrong story.)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@mathtans I really should test my links lol... the story should be fixed now

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

9. I'm not sure I could pick a favourite joke. Mizuki's habit of breaking the fourth wall tends to be cleverly done. Coruby's wit matches well with his character. I'll echo what Rebel said about the timing too; there's effective use of beat panels and the like too.

10. Mizuki's probably crazy, or perhaps it's more her obliviousness, but she's very good at working with what she has to minimize the drain. She also must have a really good memory. I think the main problem with her ability to strategize is she's not great at long term planning, everything seems to be more "in the moment".

(I figure you've got a lot going on as is there. ) Sorry, must scamper again, back later. Should we comment on ships too here, or is that mostly covered by the comic itself?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Hey, you can comment on ships as much as you want!

mathtans

Zebugu and Taci might be a ship. Can't be that much animosity without deeper feelings somewhere, right?

RebelVampire

I can't decide how I feel about Zebugu/Taci. That is a ship that makes sense as much as it doesn't make sense. I am stuck in a loop.

I am looking forward to more Taci because Taci. There can never be enough Taci in the comic, and I think I just really enjoy how he works off Mizuki because it offers lots of beautiful comedic potential. My final words are just amazing comedy comic that everyone should check out.

mathtans

11. I think King Zebugu is in the trials in part because he doesn't like that his wizard and his accountant were former Galaxy Knights. Maybe it's the ace they play to get him under control at times, maybe they don't need to, but I think he's trying to gain more power over his underlings, and by extension the planet. He's always got an angle. As to Taci, for him it's probably more ego driven, but he does have two abilities so maybe he wants to see how he compares off planet. I don't see either of them winning, I see them potentially cancelling each other out so the other guy doesn't win.

12. I think Mizuki could become a Galaxy Knight, but I don't think it'll happen in Book 3. In particular Bily is being set up as an antagonist against her (she has a similar ability to duplicate the spells of someone else, though she does need to touch them AND she has a beef with Mizuki over being the one to knock her brother out of contention). Other trials, I'm not sure... there might be one where they have to team up with someone else. Mizuki and Stella would be an interesting situation, as would Taci and anybody. I don't think Motorcycle Man or Willpower-Copy Lady will get far since the cast page only gives them minor character status. But then that could be part of the joke in the end.

Rebel's analysis regarding the others looks pretty good, actually. I'm not sure how hammer guy fits in, is one thing.

Fun that Stella's officially out now, incidentally. I don't see her going for shorter women though. Also, I wonder what constellations she might have that are in no way tied to the stars as we know them? And for that matter, she made a "Frozen" reference, which is usually Mizuki's domain. Perhaps she's also aware of the 4th wall (or "Frozen" went international there on 'SpaceMySpace' or something). Anyway.

13. Well, that last Starstuff Story is only one page long, so potentially looking forward to reading the rest of that. Seeing how the tournament plays out will be interesting... I'm more hyped about it than the gatherings plot of Book 2, maybe it's the extra title drop, dunno. Also vaguely curious about what's happening with everyone back on the planet during this time... like, if the King's away, who's running the place? (Zaxaty?)

Incidentally, the Galaxy Knights must be pretty well off financially. They set up housing and roommates for EVERYONE, then almost right away had a challenge and eliminated most of the people. Like, a lot of those rooms they didn't need.

Random question too, how DID the Starstuff stories get their start?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

@mathtans I dunno how I keep screwing this up... anyway, I checked, and the newest story is now 100% fixed.

The original reason for Starstuff Stories was to flesh out characters' move pools for potential video game adaptations. Like, that's why Green Archer uses explosive arrows and chain arrows in her story, and why Chill Bro has ice armor in his. Though it evolved over time to just being interesting stories that I wanted to tell that wouldn't necessarily focus on Mizuki.

mathtans

Sorry, was needed elsewhere. Then read the story. I didn't expect ears to be a thing, and that poor woman is cursed. ^.^ That's a neat origin idea, I hadn't thought along those lines. Looks like the story has evolved too, there's been some scenes without Mizuki too (though I guess they were in some way related).

14. For final words, just keep at it I guess, you've got a very interesting world set up and do well at engaging your audience too, from what I can tell.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Zebugu/taci huh...? I can see them being exes or something

mathtans

Maybe that's the real reason Taci wants to kill Zebugu.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Zebugu forgot to tell taci they broke up, and stood him up!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

That does sound like something Zebugu would do...

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

also, regarding something @mathtans said - Looks like the story has evolved too, there's been some scenes without Mizuki too (though I guess they were in some way related). yeah i had to rewrite book 3 like two times before I realized the story worked better if it didn't focus on mizuki all the time. like, book 3 introduces the most new characters out of any book so far, and i was completely neutering it by forcing all their arcs to relate to mizuki in some way. thanks to breaking that mentality, i'm able to include stuff like characters having rivalries with each other in ways that mizuki wouldn't even find out about, which helps keep the book from getting bogged down imo.

mathtans

It's cool that you draft everything out to that extent. And it's not out of the blue, she wasn't there for some of the big battle ending Book 2 either.

(Or at the talent show for most of the story. )

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