#which is a very high bar especially given that. vampire anime. but still

[hopeheartfilia]

i did pick now to be rewatching owari no seraph. no i dont know why

[amoralityplay]

Tokyo, 1992

[Trigger Warning: Mentions of framed suicides. Genre-related violence.]

It had been nearly a month since Audrey had arrived in Tokyo and there was no sign that the Japanese coalition had accepted her application. Audrey had been to three different vampire-owned blood banks and been refused at each given she was not a member nor a guest of a member. She’d even gone so far as to try to bribe a mortal that worked in one of the Tokyo hospitals for a single bag of blood, to no avail. She was hungry and it might have been decades since she’d had to kill anyone for a meal…but desperation was kicking in. The young vampire, slender under the best of circumstances, was losing weight, the angles of her hips and collarbone growing sharp and her stomach constantly twisting with pangs of hunger. Animal blood and sometimes even just sucking on rare meat—more easily obtained, usually from butchers, had been staving off total starvation, but as Audrey examined her face in the small bathroom mirror of her high-rise apartment, tugging down her lower eyelid to note the pale membrane and pushing her lip up to see the same anemic paleness in her gums, she sighed and resigned herself to it: she was going to have to go hunting. [Cut for Length]

It wasn’t going to be very easy. Tokyo was a huge city, dense with many dark pockets and alleyways, but Audrey, tall and blonde, stood out. There were plenty of expats around, sure, but not enough for her to blend in like she could in Europe or the US. She’d have to be very careful…or…she could go home to Phersipnai and admit she hadn’t been able to take care of herself on her own—always a topic of conversation when they spoke. No, not an option. She’d spent decades hunting like other vampires—though not often alone, she often had company to assist—how hard could it be to pick it back up? 

Later, as she wrestled with a wiry British man she’d met in a bar, grabbing his face and slamming his head back against a wall in a dimly lit alleyway, she realized she was a bit rusty and the malnourishment had left her drained and weak. He’d been charmed by her usual tricks, sure, but that hadn’t lasted very long, and even though she was quite a bit stronger than he was—goddamnit—he wouldn’t hold still as soon as he’d spotted her knife. The third crack of his skull against the wall seemed to do the trick and he finally went limp, unconscious, and Audrey frowned down at the blood splatters on her shirt. It was black, of course—she wasn’t so out of practice as to have worn something light colored—but she hated a mess and, in the age of forensics, bloodied clothes were always a risk. She’d have to burn it. Sliding her knife along his forearm, knowing exactly where to find the radial vein and creating a three inch vertical slit. Audrey felt a wave of relief at the first bright red ebb—his heart hadn’t stopped, which would make feeing much easier. Pressing her lips to the wound, Audrey groaned quietly. She’d been so hungry for so long that even just a mouthful of fresh, warm human blood felt like a godsend…and here she had an entire adult man to feed on. Taking any blood with her would be impractical, especially with how she’d killed him—too risky, someone would find him soon and the police would be looking for a killer, but for a moment, she relaxed just a little, feeling less desperate with each pulse of blood. After a few minutes, the pulsing slowed, then stopped, and Audrey let out a soft sigh. It was just one meal—that wouldn’t get her by very long, but hopefully she’d be able to find a less risky source soon. “So, you do this often, or is this your first time?” Audrey’s own blood ran cold as she turned, hurriedly trying to wipe the blood off her chin. “Wha…what?” “I saw the whole thing. Figured dude here was about to get laid until you started bashing his head in…but damn, I sure didn’t expect that next part.” The man, hands tucked into his jean pockets, was obviously an American; she recognized his accent—a New Yorker. Tall, handsome, broad-shouldered. Audrey was very strong, but unlike the man she’d just killed, this one looked like he could have given her a much harder time; even obvious under the cable-knit sweater he wore, he was sculpted, toned, and built like an athlete or a soldier. Audrey had never, in almost 200 years, been caught with a victim; her heart thrummed against her sternum and her panicked mind tried to find some excuse. The man seemed to notice this and let out a small chuckle. “Don’t worry. I’m not calling the police. But…we should probably continue this conversation elsewhere. Put that knife away and wipe your face.” He took a few steps closer, apparently unconcerned that she was armed, had just killed someone, and was drinking blood. He extended his hand. “C’mon.” Still frozen in place, Audrey’s eyes flickered between him, the corpse, and his hand…and some other sort of hunger nagged at her. She hadn’t quite realized what this other pang was, wouldn’t until years later, but…for the last thirty years, Audrey had been alone. Not always literally…she’d lived with her grandfather in Kiev for much of that time, but…since the disastrous non-wedding, Audrey had avoided other people—vampires and mortals alike, lest she get burned again. She was lonely. “You’re…not afraid I’ll do the same to you?” The man laughed, rolling his eyes. “No. You look like I could snap you in half, you too broke to buy some groceries or something? I’ll buy you dinner…unless that just filled you up.”  Pulling a handkerchief from the pocket of her over-sized leather jacket, Audrey wiped her face, then her hands—most of the blood came off, though she could still smell it—and stuffed the square of fabric back into her pocket and very carefully placed her hand in the man’s. “I can’t eat food,” she said quietly as they walked down the alley, making a few turns until it rejoined a larger street. “Not much, anyway. I’ve got…food allergies, sort of. Too much of the wrong things will make me sick.”  It was very late and the neighborhood, occasionally lit by neon signs, was mostly abandoned. “Interesting excuse. What’s your name? I’m Nate.” Audrey hesitated again. She’d already told him far too much. She could be executed for telling him what she really was, but…he could have already killed her, could have called the police, could have done any number of things to endanger her, and he hadn’t. “Audrey.” “Well, Audrey. I’ll walk you home.” “Oh, that’s…not necessary, you don’t have to—“ “I do have to. Gotta say, I’m a little intrigued, Audrey. Pretty little thing like you, but with those glow-in-the-dark eyes, doing horrible things in alleyways, not being careful enough about it. I would like to know what you are…and, you need a lookout or something.” “…Okay.” It was about 20 minutes before the reached her apartment, and Audrey looked up at Nate as he stood next to her, releasing his hand. “Is this…some sort of trick?” “No. No trick. Invite me in.” Audrey squinted at that. She’d never mistaken another vampire for a mortal before, but that…was an oddly vampiric request. “Why?” “Because…I met some guys in Iraq a few years ago that were ranting about being vampire hunters, and I thought they were just crazy…but I’ll be damned if you don’t seem an awful lot like what they were talking about. And…they said that’s a thing. Vampires—real ones—are very particular about invitations.” Swallowing, Audrey reached into her pocket, fingering her keyring nervously. He was…charming, sort of, and she was lonely and…she supposed if anything went awry, she could kill him. As weak as she was, it might be one hell of a struggle…but she’d manage. “Okay…would you like to come inside?” A bright smile was Nate’s immediate response—and Audrey noted his definite lack of any sort of dentition that would indicate he was a vampire, too. “I would.” As Audrey turned to unlock the door, he rested a hand at the small of her back. “Wasn’t just saying things, by the way,” he said, leaning to murmur against her ear. “You’re beautiful. Nothing hotter than a dangerous woman, y’know?” A little startled by his sudden closeness, Audrey jumped over the threshold, dropping her keys and fumbling as she tried to pick them up. Nate laughed, leaning down to snatch the keyring off the floor, then slid it into his own pocket. “You’re awfully jumpy for a, uh, creature of the night, heh.” “Shhh,” she hissed, pushing the elevator button a few times. “If someone hears you—“ “We’ll kill ‘em.” He finished, draping his arm across her shoulders. “Don’t worry. You and your little secret are safe with me, darling.” 

Once they reached her apartment, Nate snorted softly, looking around the small living room; unlike her Boston home, Audrey had brought almost nothing of value with her to Japan, and she’d found a cheap studio apartment typical to young adults in Japan. It was little more than a kitchenette, a narrow living space with a sofa and a TV, and a bedroom and adjacent bathroom partitioned with a sliding door from the rest of the space.  The single window in the bedroom area was hidden behind a set of blinds and then covered with two layers of heavy, thick black curtains. “How luxurious…No Transylvanian castle for you, then?” Audrey frowned. “That’s a stereotype—“ Nate laughed, dropping onto the sofa. “Sorry, it’s just funny. Supposed to be so mysterious…and you live in this shit apartment like a broke college student. Aren’t you supposed to be some immortal being, thousands of years old and incredibly rich?” 

“I’m not that old…And I have plenty of money, I just…wanted to try something different.” “Ooooh. I gotcha. You’re slumming. Of course you are…heh. I should have known, never met a girl yet who does this grunge look,” he gestured to her outfit, “that wasn’t rich as—“ A low growl gave him pause and his brow shot up as Dogmeat stepped out of the bedroom, lips pulled back in an ugly snarl. “You, uh, didn’t mention the dog…” He squinted, then pushed himself to his feet. “A barghest, huh? Well, that’s a coincidence.” Audrey shrugged her jacket off, hanging it on a coat rack near the door, shushed at the dog, then what Nate had just said caught up with her. “You can…you can tell what he is?” “Sure I can. I’ve got one, too.” Nate looked Audrey over now that she’d removed her coat, then stepped by her to go to the kitchen. “Oughta get yourself cleaned up…You have anything you can eat in here? I’ll make you something while you take a bath.” This entire situation was so strange that Audrey still wasn’t sure how to respond…she stared at Nate for a moment, after which he sighed and leaned against the counter between them. “Audrey. I’m not a rapist or anything…I mean, I have killed people, but…I’m not gonna hurt you.” He shrugged, turning to open the fridge, which was nearly empty except for a few beef bones in tightly wrapped plastic and a foam meat tray with three uncooked steaks on it. “Can you eat this?” He asked, holding the tray out. “I can, a small piece. It’s better to just…suck on it a little, to get the juices out of it. I bought it mostly for the dog…animal proteins don’t make me as sick as other foods will, but…they don’t really do much nutritionally.” “Cooked?” “Only a little.” “Okay. Go take a bath.” Audrey nodded slowly, and for a moment she wondered why she was letting any of this happen. Maybe the starvation was getting to her. As he’d promised, Nate didn’t interrupt Audrey as she laid in the tub for a while, long enough that the water started to chill unpleasantly and she was finally forced to get out. The meal from earlier had started to kick in and she felt better. Dressing in a loose white t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans, Audrey re-emerged to find Nate sitting on the sofa, eating one of the steaks himself while Dogmeat chewed a raw one nearby. Instead of the third steak, a glass with 2 inches of blood at the bottom of it rested on the coffee table. Audrey sucked in a small breath, biting into her lower lip. “Where’d you get that?” “It’s mine.” He held out his hand, which he’d wrapped a dishtowel tightly around. “Cut myself when I was cutting this steak up…why let it go to waste?” “…we’re…not supposed to drink from a mortal we don’t kill. It’s…against the rules.” “That so? How’s following the rules working out for you? That fridge was awful empty and you look like you’re starving even after that guy in the alley.” Audrey frowned, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her t-shirt. “There’s…some sort of problem with my application to the…well, it’s politics, that’s all. I can’t buy blood until it’s sorted out. But…I shouldn’t, it’s…not safe to drink from people anymore, I was just…I had to, earlier. And I shouldn’t…not again. Maybe you should go.” She knew she shouldn’t let him go, either. She should kill him, bottle up as much of his blood as she could and dump his body off the roof like a suicide. But…there was something about him. And he had a barghest, too…maybe it was fate that she’d met him. A mortal that was willing to feed her? It seemed too good to be true. “If you want me to go, I will…but I don’t think you really do. I’m clean, I’m in the Army. Get tested every few months. That’s probably the safest blood you’ll find anywhere this side of the Pacific.” Audrey didn’t move for another moment, considering. She was still hungry, and could smell the blood from where she stood, her mouth literally watering. She could figure out what to do about the rules later, she decided. She sat down next to Nate, picked the glass up and drained it with a low, pleased rumble as Nate watched, letting out an approving hum. “‘Atta girl.” “Thank you,” she murmured, setting the glass back down and glancing at Nate’s hand. “Do you need stitches?” “Nah. Had a lot worse. I’ll be fine. You probably need some sleep, though…” He glanced at his watch. “It’s 5am. Can, uh, vampires go out in the sun or is that another stereotype, too?” “No…that one is true. Vampirism causes extreme photosensitivity…UV light will burn me.”  Nate stood up. “Okay. I’ll come back later…8pm? We’ll go out to dinner…and find you something you can eat. Wear something nice. Grunge doesn’t suit you.” He closed the space between them, standing next to Audrey for a minute as he looked down at her, a crooked smile tugging at one side of his mouth. “You want a bite before I go? Saw those sharp little fangs of yours when you bit your lip…if you’ve got those, why’d you use a knife on that guy?” Audrey looked down, blushing. “N-no. And…it’s just…more efficient. And not as messy.” Nate snorted. “If you say so. I think there’s probably something to be said for living true to our most authentic selves, and seems like you were born to be a predator…but we can talk more about that some other time. I’ll see you later, Audrey.” Leaning as if he might kiss her, Nate stopped, turned on his heel, and abruptly left, leaving Audrey standing in the middle of the small living room, a little baffled…and maybe a little excited. 

[nymphixdevelopmentarchive]

What changes will you be making in your Au? I crave the knowledge

Woah hi anon!! Thank you for all the questions so far! I would be really excited to share with you all the lore I can offer (without giving out too much ;) )!  I hope you didn’t mind the long wait as I wanted to get really deep into this so I hope you enjoy it!!

Nymphix: Dragon's End is a canon-divergent au (which for those who don’t know means after a certain point in canon I cut off from there to begin a new point of lore, writing, and story) which cuts off after season 6's midseason finale and completely erases s6.5 (Mythix) to s8 (Cosmix) in order to place Nymphix in an easier time frame. 

This is basically how ill be sectioning off this entire answer, apologies for how long it is I get really encouraged to write when people as me this stuff: 1 will be basic pre-nymphix lore, explaining how the au will break off from canon, 2 will be changes to designs for each girl/guy/and parents (only really the main two ill be using: Oritel and Marion) and finally 3 the new additions to Winx lore and explanations of them. 

Pre-Nymphix Lore

So how will this au break go about? Well in order to implement Nymphix smoothly, I had to do one rewrite which is for the s6 midseason finale. After the entire Vampire invasion of Gardenia, Selina promises the Trix that her best chapter is yet to come. Selina is planning to summon Archeon at last in order to finally get rid of the Winx and maybe even the Trix to absorb their energy into the Legendarium to free her master. So long story short, the Winx confront Selina and the Trix and they fight. The Trix cover for Selina as she reads from the Legendarium and Archeon slowly starts to climb out of it, sucking in magical energy from all except Selina. That is until Bloom talks to Selina and tries to convince her to stop which causes Selina to do a double-take and stop reading and decides to use the magic energy she gathered and sacrifice herself in order to save the others and to hopefully undo all the damage she's done. Yet she can't, as Eldora finally reveals herself and grabs the Legendarium from Selina and uses her Mythix and stored Fairy Godmother energy to seal herself and Archeon back in the Legendarium causing it to be safe. 

Now with Eldora out of the picture (both literally and plot-wise), the Mythix arc cannot happen setting off a chain of events causing s6.5-s8 to not happen and instead causing Nymphix to be slowly rolling into action. After the Battle of Cloudtower v.3, the Winx decide to take some personal time off from saving the universe for almost 6 years straight to focus on themselves. So for a year, the girls have been pursuing either their royal duties or personal dreams. Bloom is learning more about how to be a Dominoian Royal, learning under her mother, Queen Marion. Stella is back in Solaria going under rigorous training to become Queen of Solaria which causes her to be in isolation from Radius as he hones in on her training. Flora is with Helia in Lynphea with her parents planning a wedding while Helia is learning under Flora’s Father to become a medical wizard. Meanwhile, Musa is with Roxy on Earth working at Frutti Music Bar and working on her music career. Aisha is currently ruling over Andros as Interim Queen due to something happening and Tecna is working on a big project for Zenith with Timmy. Sky and Brandon are on Erakylon as good ol’ King Erendor is attempting to retire, making Sky king and Brandon his right-hand man.       2. Design Changes (cause the Dragon knows we need them) First of all: I’m doing more look changes, giving the girl’s different body types and heights as I just feel like that makes each girl a lot more different. I’ve also changed how some hair looks, probably just on how I draw hair but Bloom and Tecna’s are the most different in a sense of length and style. Here’s a height chart for reference (this is an old one so please forgive the shitty anatomy and other things, I haven’t had a chance to make another yet!):

  I’ll go into each girl’s differences stylistically briefly. Bloom has much longer and wilder hair than her canon s6 counterpart, I honestly didn’t like the whole thing she had going with her hair so I brought the old style back and made it a bit longer and crazier with a lot of waves. Stella is a lot shorter and has longer hair, keeping more or less everything the same. Flora is chaotically different, having a much much taller form and making her bangs not look like they can cut you on impact, similar to Bloom’s bangs. Tecna has a lot of changes as well, mostly with her hair, giving it a very unkept manner but longer than the pixie cut we’ve first seen her within S1-s5, making it as long as her Bloomix hair. Musa has the second shortest hair, keeping it tied with Aisha. Musa is also the shortest in the group, but can still kick your ass. Lastly, Aisha is at the same height as Bloom, but I decided to keep her original hairstyle from s2 and s3 as I feel like those are the best representations of her hair but added the salmon highlights into her hair cause I think those look amazing on her. One other thing I have changed for the girls is their Bloomix designs. I honestly didn’t have to redesign them but I couldn’t help myself as they have a lot of problems aesthetically and efficiently, especially for a webcomic. I went for a still-looking good, but less sharp design and got rid of that shitty side ponytail from Stella’s Bloomix. I’m also giving the girls a lot of unique outfits to wear based off of previous transformations so look forward to seeing that and the Bloomix designs!  The guys have a lot more fixes than the girls, giving them a better glow-up than whatever the fuck s4/s5 did to them (rip Sky and Helia’s hair). Sky and Helia get their glorious locks back in full swing and made them longer, while the entire boy group gets new outfits and armor! The parents also have modified designs and personalities, especially Oritel and Marion. Marion, or The Dragon Queen of Domino, is a feared royal to most of her enemies and even some of her allies but a soft mother and kind leader to her subjects from those who know her best. She’s the current guardian of the Dragon Flame, having the “guardian form” of the Flame giving her a special transformation. Marion is also known to have a fiery temper during Alliance debates and talks with other kingdoms. Oritel rules by her side, gifted “The Key of the Flame” (the sword from SOTLK and MA and other times) by Marion when they were first married. Oritel is a lot calmer and much more level-headed during debates than his wife and usually takes care of these affairs as well as ones closer to home. Also no more bucket helmets and weird half-circle hair for them, they get new designs.        3.  Added Lore 

This is gonna be a bit shorter than 1 and 2 since some of the stuff in the added lore section are MAJOR spoilers. However, I can give you somethings that I think you will like anon! First off we have The High Council of Fae which is a council containing guardians of all canon transformations including Nymphix. This council is the main place where Fairy magic is tested, kept safe, fairy-involved history is recorded and stored, and trails of fairies happen. Daphne is apart of the High Council, being Lady Sirenix (Harmonix included). No one except the Council themselves and their close family knows the guardian’s true identities (except for the royals of Andros due to a loophole in sentencing) and are kept secret at all times. Each guardian looks over their respective transformation and guides those who want to gain it in the right direction or protect those who are involved in said transformation (Like Mythix with the Legendarium, Tynix with the Mini Worlds, Butterflix with the Fairy Animals, and Cosmix with the Cosmic star energy that is used by the Queen to bless fairies who are worthy). Another thing added to the lore is a small thing, Fae is used to reference Earth Fairies as its used in common folklore to call fairies of Earth Fae, especially since the Earth Fae have an almost entirely different magic system and way of life. Lastly, the Dragon Flame isn’t just Blooms, it's also been given to Daphne and Marion. Due to Domino’s past, a girl or son born in Dominoian royalty is usually blessed with the Dragon’s Flame as when they become Queen/King, they are seen and trained to be the protectors of the Flame. Queen Marion is one of them, as stated earlier, having a special fairy form of the Dragon Flame especially suited for Queens and Kings. Daphne, however, is very unique. Due to Daphne also being Lady Sirenix (basically having pure sirenix energy straight from the Heart of Sirenix), combining it with her Flame created the Water Flame which is a special type of Dragon Flame that is so enhanced by Sirenix magic that it becomes the Water Dragon’s Flame. Bloom has the purest form of the Dragon Flame, having the chance to basically become God. Each holder of the dragon flame also has a special Dragon that is gifted to them after being blessed with the Flame, coming in different forms that suit the user. Marion has a ram-horned Dragon, Daphne has an Eastern-Dragon-inspired dragon, and Bloom has the dragon we all know and love. Also as a fun little addition, in times of great fury, power or distress a Dragon Flame user can have horns in the shape of their dragon appear on their heads. 

[chasseurdeloup-retired]

Pour Some Salt on Me || Matty and Kaden

TIMING: Present LOCATION: Soul on the Rocks PARTIES: @likeamattoutofhell and @chasseurdeloup SUMMARY: Matty meets Kaden at the bar and deals with some of his baggage. AKA: Did someone order a Margarita? Extra salty?

It wasn’t often that Kaden spent a free night at a bar that wasn’t the Silver Bullet but he was always up for something new and different. Plus, for all he knew, he could be walking into a prime opportunity for hunting. Not to mention, he could always use a few more drinks to deal with everything that had happened in the past week. Mimes. Wings. Banshees. Werewolves. It was too much. He could use a normal night. The bar was loud. Very loud. It was going to take a lot for him to concentrate on any conversation and not get overwhelmed. He took a deep breath. It’d be fine, as long as he was prepared. He saw a guy at the bar, pretty sure on the end he was supposed to meet him. “You Matty?” he asked. “Kaden. Aka that guy whose dog found a fucking head the other week.” He almost added ‘not a mime-fucker’ but then he thought better of reminding anyone of that before needed. “How’s it going?

So. This had been a day, hadn’t it? Or, well. A night. But, at least some shit didn’t change. Soul on the Rocks was still standing, and nobody gave a crap how you came. Which was good, given that Matty looked a little like a half-drowned poodle, his hair still damp and curling, crazily, from his make-do shower at the pool. Whatever it took. Bit into his budget a little - man, everything cost more, these days - but he was two rounds into the special, and had enough left over for a few more. Solid. He’d just raised a hand for another when some… guy, sleek, sharp-faced, dropped onto the stool next-door. Kaden? Right. Maybe into mimes? According to the internet, but. Couldn’t believe everything you read, duh. “Yeah, that’s - yeah.” The vibes, on this poor bastard. “It’s… going, alright.” Why not shoot the shit? There was plenty of it. “Pipes in my place are, uh. Under reconstruction? Got real messed up last week, full of something fucked, I don’t know. At least the neighbors aren’t, you know, weirder than usual.” Which had been saying something, alright. But he’d draw a line, sure, at suddenly taking up miming. At other people. In the hallway. Matty shrugged, vaguely. “Same shit, different day, around here. How about you, man? What’s up?”

Kaden raised a brow and gave the guy a one over. “I can see that.” The guy looked rough, alright. Soaked and a little bedraggled. “Bad pipes, huh? What happened? Do you live anywhere near the funeral home by chance?” He almost asked if it was vampires or necrophages since that always seemed to be the cause of leaky pipes in buildings. Occasionally pixies. Usually dead things. But he thought better of it. That joke only landed in a hunter bar, really. He waved down the bartender and ordered a beer, wasn’t sure he trusted the liquor to be drinkable let alone mid shelf. “I’m alright. Less severed heads in my life so that’s been good.” A lot more wings and banshees and death but it was fine. He was fine. Everything was fine. He gulped down a sizable portion of his drink. “I mean, yeah. It’s been a fucking week. Got attacked by the wo-- an animal in the woods the other night. Nearly fucking died. So I’m sure yours is going better than that. Least I hope so.”

Funeral home? Matty frowned, faintly, not sure what that was supposed to mean. “Don’t think so?” Hopefully that was a no. Not somewhere he needed, or wanted, to hang around. With actual corpses. “Just some shithole, you know what it’s like.” Fuck, it was a shame you couldn’t smoke in bars anymore. Still had some of that good weed, from Margot, kicking around. And he was itching for something, anything. Matty gave the bartender a seriously grateful nod as the next Moscow mule landed, shaking off a sudden, cold shiver. A bad one. God, he’d have to get ahold of Felix. Soon.

But. A couple drinks wouldn’t hurt, and the company probably wouldn’t. Jury was out, as of yet.

“Solid.” Less body parts flying around in general, the better, yeah? Elbow up on the scratched-to-shit counter, he took a long, needsome drink, hearing Kaden out. The wo-what? His head tilted, there, doing some wo-wondering. Not too much. His week. Where to start? With the waiting to find out if a couple super scary motherfuckers were going to duke it out to the death over at Hanging Rock, come the weekend? Hanging around a psychotic old-ass leech with fancy tastes? Getting thrown out of a tree by a bloodsucking... monkey, with iron teeth, or some shit? No, thanks. “Oh, totally.” Matty tossed off a tired sorta smile, and raised his glass. “Here’s to - death-defying, huh? Life goes on.” Close enough. “The hell were you doing in the woods, anyway? Nothing but crazy and mosquitoes out there, seriously…”

Kaden nodded at his current companion’s words. “Ah, not related to that then. Nevermind. But yeah, I do know how that goes. Surprised I don’t live in a complete dump here, but I got paid a little more than I’m used to when I took the job at Animal Control.” Out of the sheer desperation they had to fill the position. He felt a chill run through him before taking another sip of his beer. Strange, was the door open or something? He looked back but that was stuoid, it wasn't even that cold out anymore. Odd. Must have imagined it. Or the beer was just really cold.

“To deth-defying.” Kaden raised his glass in a toast and gave a small nod. And a wince as he lifted his arm. Side still hurt, he almost forgot, despite toasting his near death. “I was camping. Didn’t want to stay in my apartment any longer.” He gave a shrug. The details weren’t ones he was ready to dig up so soon. Or share in a bar. At least not this sober. “I’m also in animal control so I’m there a lot anyway. Got attacked by an animal.” Explaining what it was seemed unnecessary. Most people accepted “animal” right off the bat, anyway. “You ever had any near death experiences?

Lauren Langley couldn’t stand to watch this any more, this fraternizing with supernaturals that her son kept indulging in. He'd made his choice to turn away from his duty. He didn’t even do a basic check on this man to see the glaringly obvious. The man at the bar was obviously undead. Kaden should have been able to listen and hear the hollow emptiness where his heart should be beating. And yet he sat there, toasting, making small talk. Disgusting. Disgraceful. She could no longer contain the anger raging inside of her. She pushed out her power, let her anger extend outwards and the lights started to flicker, the sound cutting in and out, as she floated towards the man in question, standing between him and her son, glaring daggers at him that she knew he could see, the blood sucking filth that he was.

Animal Control. Okay, then. Matty’s eyebrows slid upwards, but, hey. Whatever paid the bills. Not like he could talk. “Well, hey. Nice.” Did he want to know about… dogcatching, or whatever this guy got up to? Not exactly, but - he’d always been curious. “Seems like a rough gig. Especially in this town, fuck...” Christ knew what kinda freaky shit Kaden had to deal with, on top of bears, and cougars, and rabid raccoons. Had to feel a little sorry for him, yeah?

Cheers, anyway. To camping, too, sure. Whatever the dude was into. “Cool, yeah. I get that, man. Space. Nice thing to have.” Matty drank. And twitched, as the electricity fritzed. Weird. He blinked, throwing an uncertain glance over the rest of the Rocks, watching as the jukebox glimmered in and out, the static sneering into his too-sharp ears. Near death. With a shook-out laugh, Matty turned back to try and field that one  - only to find some lady. Some ghost lady, all silvery; more substantial than most, though. Nobody he knew. Right? No. He was pretty sure. But that stare. The grin was staggering away from him, on its last legs.  “A… a couple…” Leaning back on his stool, Matty cleared his throat. Took another drink. “Animals, yeah.” He was stumbling, quailing under those eyes. Maybe they weren’t, you know, familiar, but. If looks could murder. Violently. “Maybe we oughta take this outside?” Matty winced, suddenly, sliding to his feet. Ghosts got stuck to places, didn’t they? “Just, seems we’ve got some… fucky wiring, in here. I mean, this joint’s probably a total fire-trap…”

Kaden froze, glass at his lips, as the electricity cut in and out. For half a second he wondered if this was just a result of shoddy wiring. This bar wasn’t exactly high end or upscale. But the shocked looks and startled reactions from everyone around him gave him the feeling this wasn’t a typical occurrence. Putain. He really wanted a night off from the supernatural. Didn’t look like he was going to get it. It seemed like his present drinking buddy was looking through him or around him. Hard to say for sure, but it didn’t seem like his eyes were meeting his. Hmm, maybe his near death experiences were a hell of a lot worse than Kaden’s. Shit, might have hit a nerve. “You alright?” he asked, brow raised as the guy started to freak out. “Yeah, I noticed.” Kaden glanced around the place, didn’t see anything else strange, but there was a bit of a cold spot as he stood to follow. “I’m guessing this isn’t normal for here. Got any better suggestions?” Bullet was out so he supposed it was another night at Dell’s. He shrugged as they headed outside, could be worse.

He wasn’t going to get away so easily. Lauren knew he saw her; he must know her feelings as well. Or at least sensed them. And she hadn’t even spoken yet. “Leaving so soon, vampire?” she asked, smirk on her face. “I wasn’t finished here.” Her voice was laced with venom, but it was still and even all the same, cold and poisonous at the same time. Once again, she pulled into her anger and used it to send the unused glasses from the bar exploding out in every direction, but most of the glasses aimed at the vampire. Unfortunately, her son, too. But he could tolerate the pain. And maybe it would give him a hint to either leave this loathsome creature or, better yet, kill it. She disappeared a moment and then flashed back in front of the vampire, spectral face inches from his. “My son may not put a stake through your heart. He’s gone soft, you see, but I sure will. Better yet, I’ll make sure he does.”  

“Me? I’m good, yeah, just...” Haunted. “Honestly, I…” Matty trailed off, a shudder creeping down the back of his neck, all the way. That kind, he realized, now. He’d met his fair share of ghosts. Or, well, his unfair share, depending on how you looked at it. This one was - well, bad fuckin’ vibes, all over, was what she was. Why the hell was the vampire thing her problem? Matty tried to pin his attention down to Kaden, hurriedly tugging his ratty denim jacket on. They’d just fuck off, and he’d try the Rocks again… in a week. Or two. A month from now. Oh, that would blow.

Not as hard as the fuckin’ rain of glass that shattered over them. Matty had heard them rattling just in time to turn, barely soon enough to drop, shoving Kaden by the shoulder, turning his back into a storm of smashing tumblers and sharp edges. Ears ringing, hands shaking - bleeding, somewhere, he could smell it already - Matty gasped out of it, and pushed away across the sticky, glittering floor as the ghost gathered in front of him, face to face. Son? His eyes ticked to Kaden, quick. Back. Yeah, around the eyes, he could see it. Just his fuckin’ luck. Getting in the middle of some kinda family drama.

Wait. Wait, wait. Gone soft? Too soft for staking. Shit. Slayer family drama? Just his fuckin’ luck.

“Listen, I don’t - I don’t know you, or him, or… what your problem is, I...” What he did know, was salt. Salt for ghosts. How, specifically, not so sure. But the salt would be behind the bar - he’d downed enough tequila here to know. Behind the bar, where he was going, fast.

“Shit!” Kaden shouted as he saw the glasses rumble. He raised his hands to shield his head and found himself shoved down out of the way of the oncoming onslaught of glass. White hot pain from his side flashed through him as he twisted and ducked. After the deafening crashes of glass came the screams as patrons started bolting for any exit they could find. Couldn’t blame them. As Kaden stood up straight, his brow furrowed, another wince of a pain, and yeah that was definitely blood dripping along his hands. Fuck. “You o--” He started to ask his drinking buddy as he tried to evaluate the extent of his wounds. Minimal, thankfully. But his words cut short as the other man started speaking to the air.  

“Who are you talking to?” Kaden asked, brows furrowed, and stomach sinking. He had a feeling he fucking knew who the hell it was he was talking to. Putain. Also that meant this guy could see ghosts. Well that narrowed it down a little. Medium maybe? Zombie? Wait what was he going for behind the bar? Shit, time to pull a knife out, just in case. He grabbed a standard blade first but started rummaging in his pockets. Had to have an iron one on him somewhere.

“Oh, how cute. The bloodsucker found the salt,” Lauren smiled and shook her head, arms crossed in front of her incorporeal body. “Do you really think that will stop me?”  Lauren disappeared and sprung back next to Matty’s left, voice slithering right into his ear. “I need you to tell my son something, you filthy animated corpse. Before you turn to dust.” She vanished again and reappeared on his other side, eyes fixed on Kaden even though he couldn’t see her as she spit more venom into the vampire’s ear. “Tell him he should have been better. And that he’s all but proven he’s no son of mine.” Her visage was gone one more for the moment. With a loud crash, half the tables in the bar burst, sending drinks and food tumbling to the floor and wood shards flying in every direction. If that wasn’t a hint for her disgrace of a son, nothing would be.

Shit. Pawing around behind the counter, Matty was doing his best to think, clearly, with blood on the air. Human blood. He’d eaten earlier, but - pig, or something, whatever Nic had drained into those juiceboxes. Not enough to keep the good stuff from being distracting. “Uh…” He stammered, hearing Kaden. Asking a totally sensible kinda question, in the middle of something not sensible at all. There - pinch-bowls of salt. A couple went spilling onto the counter as Matty flinched, that chilling, creeping not-breath riding up his spine again, that hiss an itch across the back of his neck. Tell him.

Oh, this cow could eat it.

“Fuck off, Jesus!” He rasped, flinging a handful of the stuff. Where she’d been, anyway. God, usually ghosts were chill. Why’d he have to wind up drinking with some hunter who had poltergeist-grade baggage? Snatching up another desperate handful of salt, Matty glanced Kaden’s way. Or, almost. Everything went to shit, before he got a good look at the guy. Again. Worse. The back-mirror splintered and sheeted apart as pieces of table and chair stabbed through, into the wall, quivering furiously. “Your mom!” Shouting over the noise, Matty cowered behind the bar, panting hard and panicky from where he’d hit the dirt. “I swear, man - that’s what she says...” Why she felt the need to let him know, well. That, Matty sure as shit couldn’t answer.

Kaden was still fumbling for anything iron when the tables exploded. He dropped down and ducked, once again using his arms to shield himself. Fucking shit. This had to be an angry spirit, right? Shit, he was so far out of his depths here.

He shot up at the man’s words. “My mom?” His brow creased and he looked around, as if he’d be able to see her. “Putain de merde!” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. He had a feeling that was the case. He really wished it wasn’t. Fucking fuck. “Circle yourself in salt!” he shouted

Wait. Did that mean?

No. That. No. It couldn’t be.

As soon as her son froze, Lauren knew he’d figured it out. She’d hoped that he would, maybe a little sooner, but her faith in him had waned. “Do it, mon petitou. Do it.” She whispered in his ear as if he could hear him. All she needed was for him to stake one measly vampire and then she could move on. Maybe.

Kaden shook off his stupor as he felt a chill creep down his spine. There’d be time to evaluate this later. Right now he needed a plan. And to figure out how to stop this. “Want to tell me why the fuck you can see ghosts?” he shouted to Matty. “And why my mother is pissed as shit at you. And me. But you seem like the cause here, too.”

Lauren could feel the rage building up inside her again. Why was he talking? Why wasn't he acting? She threw back her spectral head and screamed, pushing her anger out to shatter all the glass and windows. It lashed out and added more scrapes and cuts to her son’s body. She didn’t care anymore if her son bled. Maybe then this vampire would show its true nature and Kaden would remember that he was meant to fight monsters, not protect them.

Circle of salt. Right. Ghosts, couldn’t cross. Only, then he would be stuck, here, in deep with Langley, who - who, whatever he might be, had shit going on that Matty wanted fuck all to do with, frankly. No offense to the dude, just. No. Kicking some of the wreckage aside, Matty scrambled to draw that circle out, wincing as his supply ran a bit thin. It’d be enough, right? Maybe. He’d stretch it. Did he want to tell Kaden why he saw ghosts? Like hell, if Mama Langley’s hate-on said anything about how she’d raised her son. “It’s, uh - genetic!” Matty shouted back, a little frayed about it. Seemed to work for Nora. Though, Nora was a pretty shit standard for what totally normal people would believe. Obviously. Fuck.

The hot, spattery smell of blood sharpened up, suddenly, tugging at Matty’s teeth until his jaw ached. “I don’t know, man! Maybe she��s just a raging bitch?!” No, the guy didn’t need to hear what mommy dearest was going on about. He shook his head, woozy - a sluggish lick of dark blood dribbled down the side of his cheek, dead and cold. And tried to fix that fucking circle.

Kaden was getting fucking sick of playing duck and cover with a poltergiest. The wounds probably wouldn’t take too long to heal but it still stung. In more ways than one. “Genetic?” Had to be a medium then. Why the fuck was she so mad about a medium? Then his mind jumped to Blanche. Whatever it was, it had to do with her, right? And certainly Regan. There was no doubt there. Fuck. They had to get out of here, but he knew damn well his mother would follow him if they just cut and ran. He had no iron on him. And funny enough, rock bars weren’t exactly filled with it. He looked around on the floor, between the shattered tables and fallen plates, he saw something. A fucking margarita glass. Rimmed with salt. Plastic. Never been so happy to be at a cheap fucking bar. He grabbed it and started swinging it wildly, wielding it like a weapon. “When you see her disappear, fucking run!” he shouted, whirling around the room and waving the salt rimmed glass around.

The hell was Kaden up to? Peeking out around the counter corner, Matty strained to keep his boots in the circle and his eyes on the action. Which was something to see, for fuckin’ sure: Langley, swinging like a drunk playing pinata. Right across his shrieking-mad mom, the spiderwebby substance of her rending apart. And not coming back. For a beat, Matty couldn’t believe it. But, he didn’t have to. Unfrozen, he lurched alive and out - the shattered front window, the shortest path to away from all this. Stumbling wildly into the parking lot, Matty hit the asphalt at a sprint, with a skitter of glass, and didn’t stop. Not until he was far, far away from the blood, and that mess of a bar, and Kaden Langley’s totally batshit mommy issues.

[taergalive]

Okay I filled out that character thingy I reblogged

It’s a little unreasonable for everyone in a Middle Ages-esque fantasy to be perfectly literate, and writing with quills was considered legitimate labor! How well can your oc read and/or write? How detailed is their quest log/journal, if they keep one at all? Imogen took to reading quite readily. She can read high level material and is well read. Her vocabulary is decent. Her journal is fairly detailed, though mostly just emotions shes feeling.  Kalo has dyslexia, so reading can be tricky for him. He would rather read novels than textbooks, but it takes him a while to get through a book. He doesn't keep a journal at all. He just reads his sister's. How educated is your oc? Did their parents teach them, did they have a tutor or were they apprenticed to a master, or did they attend a university? What university? What are they educated in? How long did their education take? (Learned skills like blacksmithing count here too!) Imogen had tutors, and when she was old enough, she attended the Arcane University to study Conjuration and Mysticism. She will never consider herself good enough to stop learning. Even with the war going on, Imogen makes it a point to visit the Mages Guild to keep up with her studies. She also studies history and linguistics.  Kalo had tutors, but the war interrupted his studies. Behind his father's back, he took up swordplay, and he continues to practice. He is over confident in his skills, though he picks up how to fight rather naturally.  Does your oc have any kind of crafting skills that either aren’t in-game or don’t have as much importance in-game as they would in real life? (For example, can your oc sew or weave, etc? Are they skilled in any kind of art? Can they make jewelry or work glass? Are they musicians? etc) Imogen can sew, but not very well. Enough to patch holes. She learned to sing when she was younger, but she's too shy to ever do it in public.  Kalo is really good at making makeshift tools. Give him some sticks and some string and he's good.  What pantheon does your oc worship? If they worship the Cyrodiilic/Imperial pantheon, does that include Talos? If they secretly worship Talos, how do they justify hiding it?  How religious is your oc? Do they come into conflict with others over their beliefs? If their patron deity told them to do something extremely undesirable or against their moral compass, would they do it? Most iterations of Imogen worship the Daedra, but this one is fairly dedicated to Akatosh and Mara. She, however, questions her beliefs often and feels conflicted. Her mother was the head of a cult that worshipped Sanguine. It makes her wonder if Daedra are bad. would be tempted by Hermaeus Mora. But she holds to her moral compass. Kalo is agnostic. Mostly doesn't care about gods or things like that. Never really paid attention to it. But shows interest in some of the Daedra, much to his sister's dismay.   Does your oc have a family of origin? How many members of their FoO are still living? Do they have a good relationship? How much contact does your oc have with their FoO? How in-the-loop is your oc’s FoO about your oc’s being Dragonborn/HoK/Nerevarine? Well, Immy and Kalo are siblings. Their father is still alive but they are not sure where in the world he is because of the war. Haven't seen him since they fled to Glenumbra. Imogen never felt like she met her father's expectations. While he has a hard time showing it, though, her father does care for her. He tends to be colder towards Kalo, as he isn't convinced the boy is his.  Kalo tried to hide the fact he was the Vestige to Imogen. He didn't want her to know that he was soulless because she would have blamed herself. He's bad at keeping secrets though. What social class was your oc born into? Did they change classes at all? How?How politically active is your oc? Are they obviously influential, or is their influence more subtle? Mildly high. Niece and nephew of the Count of Leyawiin. Imogen tries to be politically active, but her emotions run too high. Kalo thinks politics are a waste of time. Especially now with the war. Blames political agendas on it.  What unplayable faction would/did your oc join, if any? Why? I'm still mad I can't be loyal to the empire... How trustworthy is your oc? Would they ever change opposing factions? Both are trustworthy. If they promise something, they mean it. Imogen is fiercely loyal to the empire, though meeting those outside of Cyrodiil makes her question it. She is learning that the empire might not be as good as she believes. Kalo is loyal to individual people. He allies himself with those he considers good.  What is your oc’s main source of income, if they have one besides plundering tombs and adventuring? If they’re mercenaries, are they part of a company? Does your oc own their own business, and if so, what is it?Is your oc good with finances? Bartering? How long can they keep the money they make? As the two take refuge in Glenumbra, they have no connections and no money. Imogen takes up odd jobs as a maid, scribe, bar wench, whatever to get by. Kalo takes odd jobs for people in town, which is how he gets roped into becoming the Vestige in the first place.   Does your oc have any particular rivalry or mutual dislike with any NPC?How well-liked is your oc? What is their reputation, if they’re well-known? Are they simply liked/disliked, or are they respected but feared, or personally liked but not taken seriously, etc? Do major factions consider your oc an important player? Imogen, surprisingly, has reservations on most of the NPCs you deal with in ESO lol. She doesn't trust anyone with the war going on. This makes her come off as cold, which probably makes her hard to get along with. She forms a small bond with King Emeric for helping out alongside Kalo (and for being the one to kill Septima oops). She sort of treats him as a father figure.  Kalo is definitely personally liked but not taken seriously by most people. He's young and reckless. But damn if he isn't loyal. I'd say the Covenant likes him for helping out.   Does your oc have a horse/other mount? A pet? How did they get this animal? If they were given the animal, do they have the money to maintain it? How careful/careless are they with their animal? What do they do with their pets while adventuring, especially on dangerous quests? Imogen has a shadow horse she conjures up. His name is Auferte. She has a stone that she uses to summon him.  Kalo doesn't have any pets but he would love a dog. Or a cat. Or anything really. Imogen won't let him. She doesn't trust him.  Does your oc take their time as they travel, or are they purposeful? How do they survive in the wilds, especially if they aren’t hunter-types? How dependent is your oc on civilized society? Imogen is purposeful; she feels like she's on a timer. Kalo takes his time unless he is on a mission. Imogen relies on her magic to protect her, and she doesn't do well outdoors. Gets tired easily. Kalo seems to be an endless bout of energy.  What does your oc like to eat? How much food do they eat? Can your oc cook, and can they do it well? Kalo eats like Goku from DBZ. Like dear god. Loves potatoes, meat, and bread mostly. Imogen eats like a bird, sort of picks at her food. Enjoys sweeter things like fruits...and actual sweets. Kalo can roast things over a fire. Imogen can't cook. It was not a skill she was taught, though now she's forced to learn to provide for herself and Kalo. She's okay at it, but she gets nervous while she cooks. Makes a mess. If your oc is a vampire, do they go outside in the daytime? Does the daylight affect or hurt them in any way different from in-game? If they interact with society, how do they justify looking half-dead and hating sunlight? How good is your oc at blending in? Do they even like dealing with society?If your oc is a werebeast, how much control do they have over their transformations? Have they ever lost control? What happened? If not, why do they have such strong control? Does Hircine ever call on them, and do they answer? NA What does your oc wear in the city/settlements? In the house? When travelling, but not adventuring or expecting combat? Do they vary their clothes depending on what hold/city they’re in? If they don’t, why not (e.g., if your oc wears the same outfit to tend their garden or lounge around the house as they did to meet Ulfric or Elisif, why?) Does your oc have a good or bad sense of fashion? How many clothes does your oc have?How picky is your oc about their gear? Do they have different equipment for different adventures, or is it the same suit of armor for everything (not counting upgrades like from steel to ebony)? How does your oc acquire their clothes, and from where/whom? While Imogen works in Glenumbra, she tends to dress the part. But once she joins in on the adventure she wears more Cyrodiilic clothing. Typically a tunic and tights. The sandals man. No matter what, she wears the sapphire circlet her mother gave her before passing away. She panics if she can't find it. She sold any other jewelry she had with her after they fled Cyrodiil. Occasionally, Imogen will wear Imperial armor. But that is rare.  Kalo dresses to match the domain. Not so much because he wants to but because he tends to destroy whatever he is wearing. As far as armor goes, he travels light. Prefers leathers to protect him.  Can your oc swim, and how well? Have they ever swam in the ocean, or only lakes/rivers? Remember, it’s much harder to swim in the ocean than in a lake! If your oc is an Argonian, do they take special advantage of it somehow (e.g., do they go diving for fun/for profit, do they instinctively hide in the water, etc)? If your oc is a Khajiit who can swim, how do they get their fur dry? Imogen has always felt a connection to water. She loves to swim in lakes and rivers. Kalo, surprisingly, is afraid of water (though he denies it). Poor dude can't swim. How easy/difficult is it to rob your oc? Pickpocket? Bribe? If your oc is part of one of the more morally questionable or outright evil factions, how do they justify it to themselves? Do they still consider themselves as morally good? How well known is their affiliation to these groups? Do they have separate personas (e.g. Dragonborn to some people, Listener to others)? Do their family/friends know? If they have separate personas, how do they keep their less than righteous activities secret? Imma be honest I'm tired and cant think for this one lol How helpful is your oc, and why? Are they helpful or kind even during difficult situations? Are they pragmatic, or do they have a hero syndrome? Kalo has hero syndrome. Imogen, while she considers herself a good person, has trouble agreeing to help others. Again, she is too cautious. Thinks people have ulterior motives. Will help those she cares about in a heartbeat

[terramythos]

Now that I am finally through the 12 book odyssey that was catching up/rereading the October Daye series here's a post of my general thoughts. (ADVANCED spoilers. Like I don’t hold anything back, lol). 

A. Just for fun, my favorite books tended to be the ones where shit (especially Lore Shit) went down in a Really Big Way. My top 5 for that...  

1. The Winter Long (#8). I don’t think you can beat this one in sheer fuckery. Two MAJOR twists that basically change everything up to this point in the series, and they’re both dropped pretty casually. One, Simon Torquill is maybe not as evil as previously thought? and is also Toby’s step-dad? Whoops? And number two-- fucking EVENING, the fucking throwaway character killed in book one-- isn’t even dead AND she’s a fucking Firstborn and also a total piece of shit. God. It was a ride re-reading book one because there are so many hints (my favorite line: “no one knew her true face” YEAH OCTOBER, YOU SURE AREN’T WRONG). I pointed it out but even the Shakespeare quotes of books 1 and 8 foreshadow this shit. That in particular was 999-level fuckery. 

2. The Brightest Fell (#11). I was not expecting this book to gut punch me so hard. Like, everything goes to shit, obviously, and the consequences of that stretch well into the next book. But then to give Simon a genuine redemption arc, to invest in that so emotionally, and somehow find a way to end it in a WORSE way than him just dying? That stuck with me. I was so fucking upset I just couldn’t do anything of value for like a day. So that’s how you know it’s good I guess! :D 

3. An Artificial Night (#3). God what do you even say about this one. It’s where shit really starts getting real for the whole series. It’s creepy and more fantastical than the first few books and you learn more about The Firstborn and what they’re capable of. There’s a lot that’s just viscerally traumatic too. Literal children being twisted into horrific monsters. And if I’m right, I think the whole series is going to loop back to this one in a big way. There are so many... mentions and (dare I say) hints dropping even now about Blind Michael.  

4. One Salt Sea (#5). I mean, a lot of stuff happens in this one that ultimately ties into book 12, but a really major character gets killed off, Rayseline is taken out of commission, the Undersea gets introduced, and you learn what the hell is up with the Selkies. I really truly believe the epilogue chapter of this one is some of the best writing in the series, it’s so well put together and has such great beats. Idk like it was a tossup between this one and Ashes of Honor (#7), but while the latter had some of my favorite bits I think this one had a lot more. 

5. Night and Silence (#12). Maybe it’s cause it’s the most recent one and the most fresh in my mind, but DAMN. Kinda like The Winter Long this one had two big twists, and while they weren’t as major they really defined the book. The whole Janet thing I really and truly did not see coming and has some BIG implications for everything we know. Amandine’s a changeling! What the fuck! Gillian being very decisively rewritten into the series (and turned into a Selkie) was ALSO not something I saw coming in any way, shape, or form. This one really fired me up wondering where things are going next. 

B. I mentioned it but GOD the Simon thing made me so viscerally upset! I don’t think I’ve run into a series that approached a redemption arc that way. You take a character who’s pretty much evil, then start making it way more gray. Was he a bad guy? Yeah... but he had a reasonable motive. Is he still a bad guy? Yeah kinda, but he seems to genuinely want to change, and actually assists the heroes without ulterior motive. OK, so then he comes  back a few books later as the deuteragonist and gets a whole lot of character development, and he starts to improve. You even get a concrete indicator that the horrible shit that corrupted him is going away. And then, when he ultimately reaches his goals? He’s forced to give it all away, to turn back into the monster he’d been, in order to do the right thing. Fucking unreal. I’m fully aware this is to make the whole “finding Oberon” stakes more personal but it hurt, man! 

C. My vampire crack theory is pretty much dead, so rest in peace, that.

D. OK so what is with the month names? Seriously. You can explain it away a little bit with the whole “fae like to honor people but don’t like to reuse names” shit but there’s absolutely no way it’s that simple. They’re all female characters who are related, however slightly, to the Torquills. I made that observation pre-book 8, but dismissed it because Toby wasn’t technically related to them. ONLY AS OF BOOK 8 SHE IS, SO CHECKMATE. THERE’S SOMETHING HAPPENING, DAMN IT. Anyway I like making lists, so... 

1. January -- January O’Leary, She’s September’s daughter, and she gets killed off in book 2. This might be enough for me to dismiss the month name thing except the epilogue of 11 brings her Back to Fucking Life, so honestly all bets are off imo, she was absolutely brought back for a reason. 

2. February -- no one.. yet. 

3. March -- no one.. yet. 

4. April -- April O’Leary, January’s adopted daughter. She’s a cyber-Dryad and we see her perspective briefly when January gets resurrected. I’m not sure what else to say about her in relation to this? 

5. May -- May Daye, October’s blood clone (basically). I mean, her whole existence is pretty weird. You could make the argument her name is just a coincidence (she was once a night haunt named Mai), but there’s absolutely no way I’m buying that. 

6. June -- no one.. yet. 

7. July -- Gillian Marks-Daye. October’s daughter. I mean. I was going to say “no one”, but she just got decisively re-written into the series. “Gillian” is the feminine form of “Julius”. I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to be the dark-horse contender for this slot. No way that’s a coincidence. 

8. August -- August...Torquill? She’s Simon’s biological daughter and Toby’s half-sister, so.... She was ALSO introduced pretty late, unlike most of these entries, so I am still convinced this is A Thing. 

9. September -- September Torquill. She’s Simon and Sylvester’s sister. Also like, decisively dead I think. She hasn’t shown up in the main series (only mentioned), but I think she shows up more in the short stories? I don’t know enough about her to say much. 

10. October -- October “Toby” Daye. Like. That’s the name of the series. She’s the main protagonist, dawg. She’s Simon’s step-daughter. What more do you want from me. 

11. November -- no one.. yet. 

12. December -- no one.. yet. 

E. So where is the series going? Obviously next book is about The Luidaeg finally calling in the Selkies’ blood debt or whatever, which we knew was coming for a long time. But #12 just made that way more personal with the whole Gillian thing. I have no idea what’s going to happen with that. Beyond that? There are some loose ends here and there, but the big thing is Oberon coming back. That’s pretty much a given. If I’m right, I think the consequences of Book 3 are going to start showing soon, but idk if it will be in relation to that or not. I’m sure she can come up with way more to put into the series (maybe a book around Toby and Tybalt getting married? SOMETHING THAT EXPLAINS THE MONTH NAMES???), but that’s all that’s really evident to me. 

F. So, the characters. They’re probably my favorite bit of the series. The Luidaeg and Tybalt are undoubtedly my faves, but I’ve really enjoyed seeing how Toby, Quentin, and May have grown over the course of the series. I know I mentioned this previously, but I really like how the series’ initial allies end up... not being allies, so much-- whether by getting killed off or severely disappointing Toby. Sylvester, Evening, Luna, Lily, and Connor all pretty much disappear or greatly alter their role in the story. 

Yet the main cast, the “found family” the series focuses on? Pretty much none of them started out even liking each other that much. Quentin is a snotty noble kid, Tybalt is straight up an antagonist who HATES Toby, The Luidaeg is just plain terrifying, and May is some bizarre doppleganger that (seems to) randomly show up. Yet over time they’ve forged into such a strong and really likeable crew. Idk, it really gives me the feeling that it’s not just FOUND family, but EARNED family, and I really like that. 

G. While we’re discussing characters, I want to talk about The Luidaeg in particular. 

I think she’s probably one of my favorite characters of all time. That’s a high bar but she is just so damn INTERESTING. Morally gray for sure, but not in a traditional way. 

Like, she clearly has her own agenda. She’s probably the oldest character in the series, and she’s fucking terrifying. People use her name to warn their kids at night. We see samples of her powers and the things she knows, and she’s basically a walking eldritch horror. A great deal of the series is her calling in and collecting debts from the main characters so she can use them for one purpose or another. She’s the fucking sea witch. Right? 

Except... the series humanizes her so much. She is clearly kind and compassionate and does her best to hide it. While she initially intimidates the main characters, Toby gradually realizes she’s lonely and seems to enjoy their company. Every single bit of her backstory you get adds more context to her behavior. She’s protective of children because hers were slaughtered like animals. She speaks in riddles because there are so many things she’s forbidden to say. She asks for terrible prices because she HAS to help anyone who will ask her to, and there are certain things she doesn’t want to do (and often, it’s because said things would harm others). This is also why she’s so standoffish and avoidant of others-- because they take advantage of her. Despite all the horrible shit that’s happened to her, she still does her best to be kind and do the right thing. And her ultimate goal, I feel, must be a good one. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me. 

There’s more. A lot of what she does is clearly calculated to achieve a particular result. She mostly shows kindness to certain members of the main cast (Toby and Quentin in particular) and very few others. It’s always interesting to see how she interacts with other characters, because it closely mirrors her initial behavior. Yet even then you see little things, like how she took in Poppy as an apprentice. One of the few times you get her perspective, it’s when she realizes Amandine is abusing and literally killing child!October, and you see how horrified she is, enough that she steps in and puts a stop to it. Does she have a use for Toby down the line? Yeah, obviously, but it doesn’t mean she didn’t do the right thing for the right reasons. I suppose it’s possible she’s just manipulating everyone, but the stories like that and her blood memories make me feel otherwise. Also, the amount of human profanity she uses is pretty funny, since so few characters use it. 

Honestly this may seem like an odd comparison but she reminds me of Akane from Zero Escape. She’s playing the long con, and a lot of what she does seems strange and mysterious until you get more context. And she clearly has some ultimate goal she’s working toward (probably something to do with finding Oberon), but we won’t really know what that means until it happens. It’s probably going to be an emotional rollercoaster. 

There’s more to her than that, but I find it hard to articulate. I just really like her! Pretty much every scene she shows up in is interesting, because she has intriguing lore, dialogue, or insights. She’s almost certainly a big focus in the next book and I don’t know if that means I’ll love her or hate her at the end, lol. 

H. Much shorter note, but Toby/Tybalt? How DARE you make me care about a M/F ship THIS MUCH. They’re just so good. The ultimate slow burn Enemies to Grudging Allies to Friends to Lovers. It’s such a ride and a treat to read. Their early interactions are fucking hilarious on a reread. And I find myself caring so much about what happens to them. 

I. I think this is my last point, but I REALLY appreciated the LGBT rep in the series. There’s obvious stuff like “all the fae are bi unless stated otherwise”, but there’s a really good amount of overt rep. May’s a lesbian, Madden’s gay, Quentin’s bi, and no one bats an eye. It’s AWESOME. Also, making Walther (a certified badass and cool character) a trans man was just wonderful. The fact that he goes on right after the reveal to do one of the biggest Lore things (curing motherfucking elf-shot) is the best. I really like Walther and we need more characters like him. 

I’m probably missing SOMETHING, but idk. These were my main thoughts on the series as a whole. I’m interested to see where things go. 

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 25 February 2019

Quick Bits:

Action Comics #1008 continues “Leviathan Rising” from Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, Brad Anderson, and Josh Reed as the DEO is the next organization to be taken out. Great art from Epting and Anderson as the intrigue continues to unfold .

| Published by DC Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #16 gives us a prelude to “Hunted”. The mix of Nick Spencer’s humour with the subject matter of Kraven setting up an animal villain hunting network feels a little weird, but I want to see where he’s going with this.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: No Road Home #3 adds new wrinkles to the tale as we find out that Nyx’s quest has affected Nightmare while another bunch of the Avengers search for a shard of her power. Love the narration and spotlight on Rocket Raccoon this issue. Great work all around from Al Ewing, Jim Zub, Mark Waid, Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco, Jesus Aburtov, and Cory Petit.

| Published by Marvel

Batgirl #32 concludes “Old Enemies” as Batgirl and Jason Bard reluctantly team-up to stop Cormorant. It doesn’t go as well as you’d hope, with Mairghread Scott leaving a lot of questions for future issues and setting up a continued rivalry. The levels of intrigue through the story are very compelling.

| Published by DC Comics

Betty & Veronica #3 continues the conflict between Betty and Veronica over a misunderstanding. It’s interesting as to how these things come about simply through a lack of communication and willingness to discuss the problems between two friends. Jamie Lee Rotante, Sandra Lanz, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Jack Morelli capture the high school drama very well.

| Published by Archie

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #8 sees the return of Dean Ormston to begin a new arc on a strange new world. Like the revelation before of where the heroes were, this is another big change as we follow Lucy Weber in a relatively “normal” world. 

| Published by Dark Horse

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2 sets another high water mark for this rebooted series, capturing the spirit and essence of the original, but updating it for current audiences. The reintroduction of Spike, Drucilla, and Cordelia are great, especially the characterization that Jordie Bellaire gives her. She’s not presented here as a catty mean girl and I think it will lead to a more nuanced, interesting conflict between her and the Scooby Gang in the beginning. Also, the art from Dan Mora and Raúl Angulo is perfect. Seriously perfect.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Captain America #8 continues this trend of Adam Kubert delivering some of the best art of his career. Kubert has always been a good to great artist, providing memorable work with Wolverine, Uncanny X-Men, and The Incredible Hulk, but in recent years he seems to have given a concerted effort to top his own already high bar of quality. The visual storytelling, panel compositions, layouts and transitions through this issue are phenomenal. Thoroughly gorgeous artwork from Kubert with colours by Frank Martin. 

| Published by Marvel

Crimson Lotus #4 twists the tale again with a bit of misdirection and a demon monkey with a revolver. I think more stories need demon monkeys with guns. John Arcudi, Mindy Lee, Michelle Madsen, and Clem Robins up the stakes heading into the conclusion.

| Published by Dark Horse

Daredevil #2 is incredible. Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles seem to be shooting for a masterpiece with “Know Fear” and it’s shaping up very well so far. Gorgeous artwork, coupled with an intriguing mystery, this really isn’t something that should be missed.

| Published by Marvel

Detective Comics #999 concludes “Mythology” and it basically convinces me that Batman is completely batshit insane at this point. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be my takeaway or not, but it seems to be the most logical conclusion to “Bruce tries to kill himself every year”.

| Published by DC Comics

Fantastic Four #7 continues Doom vs. Galactus. The artwork from Aaron Kuder, John Lucas, Marte Gracia, and Rachelle Rosenberg is incredible. There’s a very nice epic scope to the action.

| Published by Marvel

Fight Club 3 #2 is incredibly inventive. There are quite a few moving pieces that aren’t exactly wholly explained, but it’s amazing as to just how much information is really in the art, with this issue giving more context to what was happening last issue pretty much right in front of us, and I suspect the following issue will likewise better inform this one. This kind of recursive storytelling really fits the fractured mindset of “Balthazar”. Also, the art is insanely good, with very unique application of mirrored concepts and a frame that acts as a portal to somewhere else. Chuck Palahniuk, Cameron Stewart, Dave McCaig, and Nate Piekos are really creating something special here.

| Published by Dark Horse

The Flash #65 concludes “The Price” crossover with Batman from Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Tomeu Morey, and Steve Wands. Spinning out of Heroes in Crisis, it’s a dark conclusion, leaving the heroes kind of beaten down despite a “victory” and Flash’s world more or less in shambles. With an epilogue hinting at worse down the road with “Year of the Villain”, while this is interesting now, I’m not sure how much of a repeat of bleak futures where heroes distrust heroes and everyone loses I can handle. That said, “The Price” itself has been an entertaining arc with some heavy development between Flash and Batman and another important puzzle piece in what’s going on in regards to whoever’s working to bring Batman, and likely every superhero, down. With some phenomenal art from Sandoval, Tarragona, and Morey.

| Published by DC Comics

The Forgotten Queen #1 begins a mini-series focusing on the villain War-Monger, fleshing out her backstory as an unwitting marine archaeological salvage crew search for her, from Tini Howard, Amilcar Pinna, Ulises Arreola, and Jeff Powell. You needn’t know anything about War Monger’s, now Vexana, previous appearances before as this can pretty much be enjoyed on its own and seems to be acting as a way to really build her up into something greater. To that degree, this is a great start. Compelling stories both in the present and the past, showcasing Vexana seducing Temujin, with very nice art from Pinna and Arreola.

| Published by Valiant

Freedom Fighters #3 pushes hard the plot point that in order to truly help America rise again and fight back against the Nazi occupation is to give the people hope and have them believing in Uncle Sam again. It’s a quaint idea and I love that Robert Venditti tackles the approach from both angles amongst the Freedom Fighters in regards to application of their efforts. Also, again, the artwork from Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Adriano Lucas is stunning.

| Published by DC Comics

Hardcore #3 pushes the narrative further over a cliff to the point where Drake is now essentially falling, trying just to survive, as everything pretty much explodes. The action in this series is palpable as Andy Diggle, Alessandro Vitti, Adriano Lucas, and Thomas Mauer seem hellbent on making this as exciting a thrill ride as possible.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Hellboy and the BPRD: 1956 #4 is a bit of a turning point with Bruttenholm suffering a loss, the set-up for what happened to Varvara in the intervening years between her early days and the present, and what prompted Bruttenholm to drag back Hellboy. I really quite like Mike Norton’s take on Varvara.

| Published by Dark Horse

Ice Cream Man #10 is part two of “Hopscotch Mélange” and this strange reveal of the history of the Ice Cream Man and his brother the Cowboy. This one gives us a tragic love story, partially in Spanish.

| Published by Image

Invaders #2 deepens the mystery of Namor’s motivating factors and his apparent secret history with Professor Xavier. Carlos Magno handling present day scenes and Butch Guice the past works very well for the storytelling. It gives the flashbacks a dark, gritty feel that separates it from the current day.

| Published by Marvel

Justice League Odyssey #6 sees Dan Abnett take over writing duties, joining Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ivan Plascencia, and Andworld Design as the stakes in the Ghost Sector are raised a bit. Among the chaos of this area of space and the repercussions of Darkseid’s designs, there’s a nice character moment between Jessica and Cyborg.

| Published by DC Comics

Martian Manhunter #3 dives into J’onn’s arrival on Earth and how he became John Jones from Steve Orlando, Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascencia, and Deron Bennett. While I’m riveted by the overall story, the art from Rossmo and Plascencia continues to be thrilling. Amazing layouts, character designs, panel compositions, and an almost psychedelic approach to the colours elevate this story so much.

| Published by DC Comics

Marvel Comics Presents #2 is still an oddball little anthology, with the serial Wolverine lead and this time a Fantastic Four and a Gorilla-Man back-up. On the one hand, it deals with time and the past, which is a key theme in the Wolverine story and a byproduct of the nature of the Fantastic Four tale, which takes place in the ‘50s. It’s kind of weird seeing something like this taking place in the actual time that it would given the original release of Fantastic Four back in the ‘60s, but Mark Waid, Djibril Morissette-Phan, Dan Brown, and Joe Caramagna give us a decent Cold War story. And then there’s the Laphams’ (with Lee Loughridge and Caramagna) Gorilla-Man story, which is good with Ken dealing with his attitude toward his gorilla spirit, but doesn’t necessarily fit that time or out of time theme.

| Published by Marvel

Oliver #2 delves deeper into the social structure of this world and into Oliver’s nature. Gary Whitta, Darick Robertson, Diego Rodriguez, and Simon Bowland are giving us a very interesting reimagining of Oliver Twist, with drop dead gorgeous artwork.

| Published by Image

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #2 is brilliant. Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Mary Safro, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou are creating a story here that acts as a de facto sequel to Watchmen on one hand, but is also a very clever deconstruction of that story, its structure, its characters, in order to present something unique. The little human elements of Peter and Tabu are sweet and the art is freaking awesome.

| Published by Dynamite

Punks Not Dead: London Calling #1 is the welcome return of Sid and Fergie in this second series from David Barnett, Martin Simmonds, Dee Cunniffe, and Aditya Bidikar. It picks up pretty much right where the first book left off, and continues the pair’s quest to find Fergie’s dad while the rest of the world deals with the paranormal fallout.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Quincredible #4 sees Glow help Quin rescue his parents, then launch into an investigation of the powers behind the escalating gang warfare. I’ve really been enjoying what Rodney Barnes, Selina Espiritu, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and Tom Napolitano have been doing on this book, with the coming-of-age tale and family drama, but this one really cinches things as it brings together the shared universe aspect of the Catalyst Prime world.

| Published by Lion Forge / Roar / Catalyst Prime

Redlands #11 is somewhat disquieting as we learn more about Z’s dead friend, Jake, who is currently inhabiting Nancy’s dead body. Jordie Bellaire, Vanesa Del Rey, and Clayton Cowles are doing a wonderful job of continuing the disturbing horror elements of this series, while broadening the characters and wider plot.

| Published by Image

Savage Sword of Conan #2 travels deep into Stygia as Conan and Suty search for the treasure from the map burned into Conan’s mind, while navigating through the terror unleashed by Koga Thun’s cult. While a bit more straightforward in its narrative, this tale from Gerry Duggan, Ron Garney, Richard Isanove, and Travis Lanham is holding its own against the equally excellent story unfolding in Conan the Barbarian. Like that one, this feels like Conan. It feels weighty, bloody, and dangerous with a compelling quest in front of him.

| Published by Marvel

The Silencer #14 starts a new arc from Dan Abnett, V. Ken Marion, Sandu Florea, Mike Spicer, and Tom Napolitano as Honor gets accustomed to her new old role as Leviathan’s cleaner. Great action sequences as always, plus the added benefit of Honor’s husband investigating her life since he can’t accept that she’s dead. That should add some interesting complications down the road.

| Published by DC Comics

Star Trek: The Q Conflict #2 divides up the crews amongst teams for the immortals and sets them off on their first challenge, to recover an Iconian gateway device. I think this is a very interesting way for a crossover between the different eras to occur and the art from David Messina, Elisabetta D’Amico, Alessandra Alexakis, and Carola Borelli is wonderful.

| Published by IDW

The Superior Spider-Man #3 concludes Ock’s battle with Terrax. This is really a wonderful showcase for the art from Mike Hawthorne, Wade von Grawbadger, and Jordie Bellaire. The action throughout the issue is very well done.

| Published by Marvel

West Coast Avengers #8 has Jeff, the land shark puppy, and that’s all you really need to know about whether or not you should buy this. Because you should. For Jeff. Do it for Jeff. Also, there’s an interesting plot regarding abductions that Noh-Varr thinks is Skrulls, but you mainly want this for Jeff. Kelly Thompson, Gang Hyuk Lim, and Joe Caramagna deliver a fun start to this next arc.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Woman #65 concludes “The Grudge” as Wonder Woman confronts Nemesis again, gains a new understanding, and sets off on a new quest. Nice art from Jesus Merino, Andy Owens, and Romulo Fajardo Jr.

| Published by DC Comics

Wyrd #2 continues this entertaining madness from Curt Pires, Antonio Fuso, Stefano Simeone, and Micah Myers, with possibly and even more out there back up from Rockwell White, Pires, Martoz, and Myers. This go around, we get the British Prime Minister getting his kit off with a pig and gaining supernatural powers. It’s dark, it’s strange, but it’s also very good.

| Published by Dark Horse

Other Highlights: Atomic Robo: Dawn of a New Era #3, The Avant-Guards #2, Black Panther #9, Bone Parish #7, Books of Magic #5, Captain Marvel: Braver & Mightier #1, Cloak & Dagger: Negative Exposure #3, Corto Maltese: The Secret Rose, Die!Die!Die! #8, Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror #5, Firefly #4, Hack/Slash vs. Chaos #3, Hex Wives #5, Invader Zim #40, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #11, John Wick #5, KINO #14, Mage: The Hero Denied #15, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #36, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #40, Old Lady Harley #5, Outcast #39, Princeless: Find Yourself #5, The Realm #11, Rick & Morty #47, Rose #17, Spawn #294, Star Trek vs. Transformers #5, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #29, Summit #13, Wasted Space #7, The Wicked + The Divine #42

Recommended Collections: Barbarella - Volume 2: Hard Labor, BPRD: Vampire, Clankillers - Volume 1, Cold Spots, Cyber Force: Awakening - Volume 2, Euthanauts - Volume 1: Ground Control, Faith: Dreamside, Fire, Ninja-K - Volume 3: Fallout, Redneck - Volume 3: Longhorns, Spider-Geddon: Covert Ops, Typhoid Fever, The Unexpected: Call of the Unknown, The Weatherman - Volume 1

d. emerson eddy is running out of things to say in his end piece credit attribution. Tune in next time to find out if it’s finally done him in.

[authorracheljoy]

Toni Ask 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 28 29 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 43 44 45 47 50

1. What is your OC’s favorite color?

Blue!

2. Does your OC collect anything? What do they collect?

Toni collects postcards from the places she visits ^^

3. What kind of things is your OC allergic to?

Nothing! She’s not allergic to anything!

4. What kind of clothing does your OC wear?

Leather jackets, tank tops, leather boots, skinny jeans, did I mention LEATHER??

5. What is your OC’s first memory?

A visit to Coney Island with her family~

6. What’s your OC’s favorite animal? Least favorite?

Favorite: Turtle

Least Favorite: Shark (and for good reason!)

7. What element would your OC be?

Fire! ;)

8. What is your OC’s theme song?

Clarity by Zedd feat. Foxes

9. Do you have a faceclaim / voiceclaim for your OC?

Nope, neither!

10. What deadly sin would best represent your OC?

Envy~

11. What are your OC’s hobbies?

Vampire hunting (it’s not a hobby, it’s her JOB) aaand going clubbing! She also has an appreciation for music and wants to learn how to play piano so does that count as a hobby? No? Well I’m counting it! anyway >:D

12. How patient is your OC? How hot-headed are they?

Mmmm Toni’s pretty impulsive aaand I’d say she’s the biggest hothead in the Agency!

14.What foods does your OC like to eat? What are their least favorite foods?

Toni likes fruity things, like strawberries and cream

Actually, I take that back, she likes various kinds of foods! Especially pizza, though :)

Honestly, I don’t think she has a least favorite food.. she likes food in general!

15. If your OC could have any pet, what would they choose? Why?

Cats are pretty nice ;3c

They’re essentially carefree~

16. What does your OC smell like?

… Vanilla.

17. How do they make a living? What kind of job do they want / not want? What is their dream job? What do they think of their current job?

Toni is a vampire hunter, plain and simple. She has no other real career that she might want (other than maybe a teacher?) I dunno… she tolerates her current job!

18. What are your OC’s greatest fears? Weaknesses? Strengths?

Fears: Avoiding spoilers, I’ll say that Toni has a fear of drowning and losing loved ones!

Weaknesses: She can be extremely reckless! Ya know, rush into things without thinking about the situation first? Kinda bad!

Strengths: Very firm in her beliefs, can be bold and confident at times. She’s definitely not the strongest or smartest hunter of the Agency, but she has her moments, of course :)

19. What kind of music do they listen to? Do they have a favorite song?

She likes alternative pop, and her favorite band reflects my own actually XD Anything by Imagine Dragons!

21. What personal problems/issues do they have? Pet peeves?

Geeze… haven’t I answered this already??

Ehhh whatever.

Personal problems/issues: SPOILER TERRITORY

As for pet peeves? Annoying people/vampires! Oh, and arrogance in general!

22. What kind of student were they/would they be in high school?

Likely Teacher’s Pet!

23. What is a random fact about your OC?

I’ve probably said this multiple times but Toni wants to learn how to play the piano! Her Mom played it occasionally and so it really connects them at times :)

24. What is their outlook on life? What is their philosophy / what do they think in general about living?

Her outlook is pretty good, I’d say. She doesn’t seek death even though she seems so reckless to a lotta people :/ As for life and living, Toni honestly cherishes it

25. What inspired you to create them / how did you create them? Were they originally a fancharacter? What was their personality / design like when you first made them?

Hmm Toni is so much like me when I was a teenager, and I connect with her so much while writing/rewriting so… it’s hard to see if her personality has changed over time? I’d like to think her character has MATURED but what do I know??

28.What kind of nervous habits do they have? Do they stim? Do they have any kinds of addictions?

She tends to fidgets and might bite her nails on or after certain stressful situations.. No addictions at all, though!

29. If they could choose their epitaph for their grave, what would they choose?

Some Shakespeare quote probably XD

32. If they could have one thing in the world, what would it be?

Peace and security!

(oh wait that’s TWO things.. oops well..)

33. Would they ever kill someone? What would someone have to do to push them to kill someone? If they would kill someone, why?

As I said before, Toni cherishes life to the max. If she killed someone, it would have to be a vampire who wasn’t alive anymore and had no humanity left inside them! If that makes sense at all? But.. then again… even Toni isn’t perfect so. 

34. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

God, Toni’s a hermit so no.

She has no life besides vampire hunting, I’m sorry to say.

She’s effing BORING!

35. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories?

Toni isn’t as much of a daydreamer as her friend Clary is.. but she still has a rather vivid imagination! Which could be a good thing, or very VERY bad-

And she’s the epitome of living in her memories/the past (sometimes literally! not that that’s a spoiler or anything… SHHH)

36. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain?

OK, I’m sorry to say that I’m drawing the line this time. SPOILER ALERT and I’m not breaking it! Toni’s future in the books is under LOCK AND KEY ‘kay??

37. What’s something that your character does, that other people don’t normally do?

Ehhh I can’t think of anything, whoops!

38. What would your character do with a million dollars?

She’d probably donate it to a good cause/charity since she already gets enough money/grants from the Agency/Order! Hey, they gotta be good for SOMETHING!

39. What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? Nightstand? Garbage can?

Refrigerator: Orange juice and a cake that Hannah baked just because~

Bedroom Floor: Boots and worn jeans (has Toni heard of a waste basket? ehh NOPE)

Nightstand: Her Mother’s necklace and (big surprise) a lamp!

Garbage Can: Some Chinese Take-Out that she shared with Ethan~

40. Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with?

Toni’s likely going on a mission (since she has no life, seriously), probably going to a club or bar or something supernatural-related. She wears her Hunter gear and, more often than not, she’s alone! But sometimes she goes on missions with Ethan and/or Clary so~

41. What does your character do when they’re angry? Why?

Easy: she’ll blow up! 

Toni is easily frustrated, and anger is even worse.

42. Does your character have any scars? Where did they get them from?

A coupe of vampire bite marks/scars, especially the one that changed her fate forever and destroyed her family life ;) 

Where’d she get it from? I think you KNOW!

43. What was the most offensive thing your character had ever said?

God, she has no filter, so probably something that almost got her killed??

44. How does your character react/ accept criticism?

It really depends on the person giving said criticism. 

Like, say that it was Henri? She’d blow it off. What does HE know, after all!

But if it was Ethan? She might actually listen~

Then there’s Stephen, and that situation would never end well. That’s all I’m gonna say XD

45.If your character was given a slice of pineapple pizza and they HAD to eat it (or something bad would happen), how would they react? Do they even LIKE pineapple pizza?

Fuck yeah, she likes pineapple pizza! 

What idiot DOESN’T!

(it’s probably because I myself like that kind of pizza?)

47. Can your character draw? What do they like to draw? Do they doodle?

Toni has very little artistic talent, so NO XD 

She might doodle for a bit, though~

50. If your character was presented with imminent and unavoidable death/fatality, how would they react? Would they try to avoid death anyways? Would they try to make their last days count?

The answer to this kinda reflects my answer for Ethan? Like.. Toni would accept it for sure.. unless it ended in vampirism? Then fuck that shit! 

Wow… you know I’m tired when I start swearing in my asks XD Sorry, Friendo.. thanks for the ask, though

[purplesurveys]

1211

A

Art: When was the last time you painted something? I don’t remember; maybe about a few weeks before the breakup. I haven’t really been into painting since, but now that I’m over it I should probably dabble in it again soon.

Adventure: When was the last time you really felt alive, and what were you doing? Last Sunday! Watched the Sowoozoo show with Angela and Hans. We set up a huge tent at the rooftop and had fairy lights all around and so much beer and soju and so. much. food. She and Hans ended up bringing most of the food we got home. It really felt like throwing a party with a million other people and it was SO so ridiculously fucking fun.

Allergies: What is one thing that you are allergic to? Slightly allergic to grass.

Answers: What is one question you would like an answer to? If I’ll ever have a family of my own.

Age: What has been your favorite age so far? Hmm, maybe 16. 23 has also been a blast so far; I hope it stays the same.

B

What month is your birthday? April.

Have you ever played house inside a big box? Possibly as a kid. It doesn’t stick out in my memory though.

Are you boisterous? I can, especially if I feel enthusiastic about the situation.

Have you ever dated a bad boy? Nope.

Name one thing you like that is blue: The ocean. Not being in it, but being near it at the beach. < Ooh same.

C

Cinnamon--yay or nay? Yay, I guess. As long as it’s not excessive.

Chocolate: do you love it? I like chocolate-flavored things. Chocolate bars themselves not so much.

Name one favorite type of candy. Gummy bears or worms.

Children: Name one favorite thing to do with kids while babysitting. I only ever ‘babysat’ my much younger cousins; and when I did that more than a decade ago I just enjoyed playing games and toys with them since I too had been a kid who just had to babysit them.

Carefree: Are you carefree? I know how to let go when I want to, but I think most of the time I prefer to be careful and cautious about most things.

D

When was the last time you danced like no one was watching? LOL last Sunday when I drank too much and danced to Boy With Luv, and apparently Angela got it on tape as well. I haven’t checked the video yet and probably never will.

Do you daydream? Quite a lot, yeah.

Dreams: What is one of your dreams? To learn how to cook is one, hahahaha.

What is one thing you are currently dreading? We have an event tomorrow and my team is going to have to host it, so I’ll have to go over my script tonight so that I don’t end up sputtering and stuttering.

Name something delicious. Brownies!

E

Would you ride an elephant if given the opportunity? I have before. I’d do it again but make sure it’s done in an ethical environment.

Do you live life on the edge? Nah. I mean I’m bad at saving and VERY GOOD at spending my money, but that’s probably the most reckless I’ll ever get. Playing safe might as well be my middle name.

Name something you like to eat: French fries.

Do you believe in everlasting life? No.

Name something that comes easy to you. Continued from sometime this week, idek when. Anything that has to do with my reflexes. I can respond pretty quickly.

F

Name a fragrance you like. I like fruity, summery scents, for one.

Are you a free spirit? Eh, not so much.

Are you fickle? I wouldn’t say so.

Are you hiding your feelings from someone? Nope.

Name one flavor you like. Cookies and cream.

G

Are you gentle? This is too vague for me to answer.

Are you generous? I feel like I can say that, yeah.

Name something green. Eyes can be green.

Name a famous giant. My mom was watching something recently about a wrestler named Andre the Giant. He really was. < That’s a good answer :D I’ll just borrow it lol.

Are you a girl? Yessss.

H

Are you generally a happy person? I think more so these days, yeah!

Do you honor the holiness of the day? Idk what this means but if it’s supposed to be related to religion, I don’t really practice.

Do you believe in Heaven? Not the way the Bible describes it but the idea of reuniting with my loved ones when I die is pretty comforting, if that’s what ‘heaven’ is supposed to be, if it exists.

Name one thing you are hoping for. I’d like to be able to go to concerts again soon.

Name one thing you hate. That weekends are only two days long.

I

Imagination: Write the name of one of your imaginary friends from when you were younger. Katrina. Issues: Name one magazine you subscribe to, if there is any. I never did that.

Internet: Name one website you visit often. These days, Facebook.

Itinerary: List one place you would like to visit. Malta.

Interest: Name one thing that interests you. Cooking.

J

Are you joyful? Again, I think I am generally happier these days so yeah.

When was the last time you were filled with joy? Last Thursday when I finally got the BTS Meal from McDonald’s, lollllll.

Can you jump high? As a kid, yeah. We had a childhood garter game that kind of made it a requirement for you to be good at jumping, so that served as practice for me. Idk if I’m still as good, though.

Name one girl's name that starts with a J that you like. Julia.

Name one boy's name that starts with a J that you like. Jacob.

K

Have you ever been kissed? Sure.

Have you ever feared that you would be killed? Yup.

Are you kind? I wanna think so, but idk. This is a question you’ll have to ask other people about, not for me to answer for myself.

Who is your kindred spirit? Angela.

Name one thing you liked as a kid. Chewing gum.

L

Do you love someone? My close friends.

Do you live out loud? I try to make the most out of everything life hands me and enjoy life as long as I can, if that’s what you’re asking.

Do you read food labels? Only when I’m bored and have nothing to do at the dining table. I never read it to actually know the nutritional value of what I’m eating.

Name something local that you like. Balut.

List one thing you like to do at the lake. I don’t think I’ve even been at a lake before...I’ve seen ones, but haven’t been up close.

M

Do you like...

monkeys: Sure.

music: More so these days.

musicals: I never liked them.

mansions: I mean...I guess? I love house tours so if I can get to go around a big ass mansion I feel like I’d have a good time.

miracles: Not so sure I believe in those.

N

Do you want something....

new: I’m well aware that I can be quite materialistic, so yeah I’m always wanting something new.

nice: Too vague.

neat: Vague again.

never-before-seen: As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, sure.

nature-inspired: Idk.

O

How old are you? 23.

What is the last great opportunity you missed? Erm...my 20s? Because of Covid? if it counts lol.

Name one thing you like that's orange (besides oranges). I don’t like oranges, but I do like Hayley Williams’ Riot! era orange hair.

Are you open? In surveys I definitely am. < Agreed.

Name something odd. Can’t really think of any at the moment.

P

Are you...

patient: Too much for my own good.

perky: With the right people, yeah.

pale: Far from it. I live in a place with sunny weather all year round.

peaceful: For the most part but I can provoke people if the need be.

passionate: Not always, but sure it shows up occasionally.

Q

Do you own a...

quilt

quail

queen-size bed

quill pen

book of questions ^ I don’t have any of those things.

R

Do you like to...

run

rave

riddle

rhyme

rap: If I memorize a verse/song, then yes.

S

Are you ever...

shy

sensitive

secretive

sure

stable

T

Are you...

ticklish

trouble

tall

thankful

tactful

U

Have you ever...

ridden a unicyle

used an umbrella

visited an uncle

been undecided

played a ukelele

V

Do you own a...

violin

vehicle

violet dress

vampire cape

veil for a wedding dress

W

What is something you wish for? Longer weekends.

Wonder: When was the last time you opened your eyes in wonder? I guess this morning? When I realized it was finally the weekend and I could stay in bed and relax and sleep in if I wanted.

Name five words you like. Let’s just go with poignant, which is what I always answer. I don’t feel like thinking of four other words.

What is something you wonder? What my own place would look like.

Name someone who thinks you are worthless. I hope there isn’t anyone; but my mom did make me feel like this for a long time. Either she’s stopped it or I’ve grown completely immune to it – I can’t really tell the difference.

X

Have you ever...

played a xylophone

had an x-ray

enjoyed exercise

had excision surgery

been excluded

Y

Are you young? I think 23 is still quite young, yeah.

Are you youthful? Idk lol my stress level these days makes me feel like I’m 35.

Did you have a big yard growing up? No.

What did you do yesterday? Had what was probably my busiest day at work yet.

Do you like yams? I mean I like ube cheesecake, but that’s as far as I’ll go when it comes to yam.

Z

Zeal: What are you passionate about? My work, to an extent.

Zing: Do you like raspberry lemonade? I’ve never tried it. I think.

What's your favorite zoo animal? I don’t go to zoos.

Do you own anything from Zales? No and idk what that is.

List a name that starts with a Z. Zia.

[toxoplasmajuice]

26 Questions with Mikio Ebisawa

@futurecarrie​

What is the most important thing to them? (meaning a person or thing specifically i.e. friends/family) Most important would be their three baby siblings. And their family in general, really. They also have an instinctual response to resist great change, often regardless of what it is. This wears off if they can’t fix what’s “broken” fast enough, but within a certain time frame...

Do they have any deep, dark secrets? What are they? Is their biggest secret the fact they killed someone, or is it more like they wet the bed until they were 8? Eh. Their original plan wasn't to be a bouncer, but rather to get involved in the entertainment side of nightlife (though they weren't too thrilled about feeling like that was the path they needed to take). They hide it because "so, I was almost a stripper” isn't the most ridicule-proof fact, and also because it just doesn't come up often, but if it comes out... eh, whatever.

If something bad happened (i.e. their mum was killed), are they more likely to cry or get angry? Mix of both. Angry tears and the desire to punch somebody. Without the ability to do so, they'll eventually end up just crying.

What’s one of their favourite generic items (meaning something that isn’t special to them in any way, but if someone gave it them they’d be very happy)? kokeshi dynamo Nah, probably actually... stuffed animals and water bottles. And new sunglasses. (Okay, you asked for one, but... you get three! Hooray!)

What is one of their least favourite generic items (again meaning something that isn’t special/unique to them (like a chocolate bar or something))? Give them any makeup and they’ll look at you weird. Same with puzzles of any sort. Also, on second thought, they probably wouldn’t appreciate being given a Kokeshi Dynamo very much

What’s their relationship like with their parents? Pretty good. They’re occasionally a little bitter about the living situation--you know, having to get a job at 13 and having two of their younger siblings rob people for extra money and essentials because only one of their parents can work--but they know that’s not the fault of either of their parents, and overall, it’s a good relationship. Their parents really don’t like them working nightlife security, but they... sort of get that they as a family don’t have a ton of options.

Do they have any fans (if their talent permits them to have fans)? Do they like said fans? Not fans, but over the years they’ve known quite a few friendly regulars by name. They do like these regulars.

Do they have any siblings? How do they feel about said siblings? The Three! Their names (from oldest to youngest) are Hideo (two years younger than Ebi... Mikio), Mio (three years younger), and Takaaki (six years younger). The Three get on Mikio’s nerves quite a bit, but they love them anyway, wouldn’t trade them for the world, and feel the need to protect them.

What three words would they use to describe themselves? Kind, sort of strong, stubborn.

What three words would others use to describe them? Bar/club patrons that have been thrown out by them have a lot of (not so nice) words to use, but most people would probably say... sort of intimidating, cheerful, and... stubborn.

Any fears? They have a big fear of hospitals (like... having to stay in one, or having to visit someone in one, or even being in one at all will trigger this fear), and a lesser fear of... caterpillars. Don’t ask. (🐛)

If they were offered 1,000,000 of their currency to do something immoral, would they do it? ...They’d be very, very tempted. But would they actually do it? Maybe...

What’s their stance on religion? Their family, with the exception of their father (who’s an atheist), practice “folk Shinto”, which (to my understanding) means they participate in the rituals and hold the beliefs but aren’t technically members of any Shinto organizations. Ebisawa’s in the same boat, pretty much. They’ll also respect everyone else’s religious beliefs (as long as they’re not pushed onto them, of course).

What’s their stance on the supernatural? They swear they saw the ghost of an old regular once at closing. Said regular died in a drunk driving-related incident, and a few days later, they swear they saw the ghost of said regular haunting the bathroom at closing time. They don’t believe in much else, though. Vampires? Cool on film, but not real. Werewolves? It’s not very nice to call someone that for not shaving. Weird plant people? Now we’re just being silly.

If they had one day left to live, what would they do? Cry.

What makes the earth turn according to them: Money or love (or is it because when the earth was a gas cloud it started to spin and hasn’t quite grown out of that phase yet) ? Money. It’d be nice if it were love, but they’re a realist, not an optimist.

Knowledge, power or relationships: what’s the most important? Probably knowledge.

Do they like animals? What’s their favourite? They’re not obsessed with animals or anything, and they’ve never had a pet, but they like ‘em. They have a strange affinity for elephants.

Any weird talents (besides their ultimate/shsl) that they’re secretly proud of (like rapping for example)? They’re oddly good at decorating cookies.

Tell me a random story about them! I’ll give you two, one from off the job and one from on it:

When they were eleven-turning-twelve, they and their siblings visited their uncle (on their father’s side) in France for a few weeks in the summer. Their uncle and his totally-not-boyfriend had plans to take the four kids to Paris for a day, but both had heard of “Paris syndrome” and how it was apparently especially prominent in Japanese visitors, so the two of them spent an entire week “preparing” the four for Paris, most of which was showing them every bad thing that had ever happened in the city. Little Takaaki was probably more shocked by the “preparation” than he would’ve been by just going to Paris, Mio found the training hilarious, while Hideo and Mikio ended up thinking “okay, guys, we get it, Paris isn’t a utopia, can we go now??”

At one club they bounced at when they were fourteen, they had to throw somebody out for acting like a total buffoon. Which is pretty typical, but this instance sticks with them. Partially because this woman came in in all olive green, which is a Bad Color for them (for the record, their response to it is feeling uncomfortable and a little nauseated), but moving on. So, there was a live music performance going on, and Olive Lady got up on a table to heckle the band. Not only that, but she was calling the band members by name as she heckled them. Most of the band members were laughing it off, but the drummer was trying not to cry. Ebisawa approached Olive Lady to ask her to please stop being so disruptive, and Olive Lady told them that she was just heckling the band ironically, and she actually loved the music. She kept arguing that what she was doing was Good, Actually, even as more bouncers came to back Ebisawa up, and eventually they all just had to escort Olive Lady out. Olive Lady called the bouncers a “clique”. Really. To this day, Ebisawa still wonders how Olive Lady knew the band members’ names.

Do they have any illnesses or disabilities? They’re autistic, but as was the case with Nagano’s ADHD, this was never formally diagnosed. Hell, it’s not even self-diagnosed. What they do know (well, suspect) they have is a case of PTSD from an incident very early in their bouncing career. (They’d escorted a group of aggressive men out of a bar only to find that they were waiting outside to follow them home after closing. They all attacked them as soon as they got out of a well-lit area. What saved them from literally being beaten to death was the fact that two other bouncers, who’d briefly lost the group when they got out of a well-lit area (but caught up again, obviously), noticed the men who’d been thrown out following Ebisawa home and followed them. This is also where Ebisawa’s fear of hospitals comes from--the injuries earned them a hospital stay.)

Left handed or right handed? Right!

How would they react to being locked up in a school with no foreseeable time of leaving? They’d get very, very antsy very quickly. They wouldn’t be happy about it at all, and it’d lead to a meltdown or two. If kept there long enough, though, they’d learn to adapt.

Will they miss their old high school? Why? Eh. Not really. They were a notorious truant, so that’s part of why not--they were just hardly there.

Do they like the outdoors? If so, what’s their favourite outdoor activity and any memories linked to that? They love the outdoors (in lowercase and not bolded, but they love it nonetheless)! Being inside a lot (bars and clubs tend to be indoors) just makes them like it outside more. They mostly enjoy jogging (or just running around aimlessly), but they sometimes enjoy riding bikes--especially back when Mio (and later Takaaki) was learning to ride and they’d help teach her (and later him).

How important is their talent to them? Does it not mean much or would they die for it? It’s really something they picked up for money, so even though they do enjoy it and they take pride in it, the biggest issue with something interfering with it would be the change in routine. (And the loss of the opportunity to provide for their family.)

[kitsunesbooks]

How Anime is Reviving Comedy

The true definition of a comedy is a lighthearted or cheery story featuring characters overcoming unfortunate circumstances and ultimately achieving a happy ending. But it seems in the modern era, this definition has been more or less lost. Nowadays comedies seem to focus on jokes and only that. It seems that this premise is even more prevalent in western comedies to an almost unhealthy extent. This is especially true for comedies here in the west that focus solely on dysfunction or unfortunate circumstances that the characters don’t overcome.

This of course brings me to anime. One of the reasons I am so attracted to anime as an art form or medium is that it often can be more realistic than things filmed and animated in the west. While shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe earn praise across the board, I cannot vouch for them simply because I’ve never watched them. This Winter season brought two amazing series that help to revive the literary definition of comedy. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is an incredibly cheery gag fest that is far more subtle with its aspects of overcoming misfortune. However, on the other end of the spectrum Interviews with Monster Girls is far more upfront by presenting us a fantastical lens in which we view the day to day struggles of everyday people in the real world. But there is a third show that I would like to lump into this article. While it aired a few years ago, a spin off was announced to air in the upcoming Spring anime season. That show is by far my favorite anime comedy, Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon. All three of these shows truly embody the form of the literary comedy and help to revive comedy as a whole. While comedy isn’t exactly dead either, these shows lift it from the darker place it seems stuck in. I hope to explain how each of these shows contributes to this revival.

The biggest reason to back up my rather bold claim is the theme of all three of these amazing anime. Each one in their own way tackles growth. Whether it be growth as an adult, overcoming the obstacles you are born with, or developing strength and courage, each show presents the stages of growth in its own unique way. Growth is a key part of any comedy, and while humor itself is subjective, it is not the focus of at least two of these great series. In fact, if we continue to go by the literary definition of comedy, humor is unnecessary. Humor is merely a device to perpetuate that lighthearted and cheery tone these kinds of stories portray. But, humor is more than present in all three of these shows and it helps add characterization as wells as a unique flavor to each show. This is especially true due to the subjectivity of humor itself. Its subjectivity lends itself to be a malleable concept. The creators have their own ideas of what makes a good gag and it’s translated into the various episodes of these comedies and that in turn adds to the charm of the shows. But I intend to go deeper than just humor alone, because you simply can’t build a literary comedy on only jokes.

The first show I want to dive into is Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon, or Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, in English. The show is about a group of dragons leaving their fantasy world of a home and traveling to the human world and fitting into human society. But the beauty of this reverse isekai (Japanese for "other-world") show is in our human cast. Kobayashi, our protagonist, is for all intents and purposes a stagnant human being. While she has a well paying job as a programmer. (Which, by the way, props for including actual freaking lines of code in your show as opposed to cyber gibberish.) However, Miss Kobayashi’s life consists of work and bar outings with her co-worker Takiya. When Kobayashi gets a visit from Tohru, a powerful green dragon that Kobayashi inadvertently helped while in one of her drunken stupors, Kobayashi’s life is flipped upside down. While she still sticks to her typical routine, being around Tohru and having her work as her personal maid means she now has a mouth to feed and is no longer living by herself. Being with Tohru, and eventually welcoming the young and frankly adorable Kanna into her home, gives variety and spice to Kobayashi’s ultimately stale life. The show often makes jokes about how hard it is for dragons to blend into our world given their immense power and wide array of magic abilities. But the real hilarity comes from Kobayashi’s interactions with Tohru and Kanna and the ongoing gag of her reminding them to keep things to “her standards.” All in all Kobayashi is very similar to Yoshikage Kira from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. She is a simple girl who wants to live a quiet life. But the inclusion of Tohru and Kanna changes her perspective if only slightly. Her quiet life was intruded upon by these two dragons and she learns to adapt her views accordingly. It’s subtle, yes, but it doesn’t change the fact that Kobayashi learns that a quiet life doesn’t necessarily mean one that is static. It means one that is just simple and uncomplicated. Even with the addition of the dragons, her life still sticks to a routine while occasionally throwing some change into the mix and it’s those minor changes and new events that bring a smile to Kobayashi's face.

Another amazing facet of Dragon Maid is that it shows that Kobayashi and all the other human characters, and in some extent the dragons as well, also live that ideal quiet and calm lifestyle. There are a lot of moments where the show exposes us to a variety of individual cultures and subcultures that remind us of just how diverse the world is. Take the scene when Kobayashi wakes up in her new apartment to a cornucopia of sound from her neighbors. Instead of making a huge fuss about everything, Kobayashi has everyone meet up together and they come to solution. We see a variety of cultures represented here that adds that spice of life I was talking about. One neighbor is a simple woman who likes to cook, the other is an old man who is a wood carver, and thirdly there is a young metalhead who is also in his own band. These are people that you never thought would ever interact with each other because we often separate people into a variety of categories. This separation removes us from the simple fact that no matter what categories you fit under, we all still live in this world and the lines between cultures are often blurred in a variety of situations. It is a such a minor scene but it adds a layer of characterization that makes the show special. It also breaks a huge misconception in our world, that misconception being that our passions should remain just simple hobbies. One character in the show completely destroys that concept. That character is Takiya. Takiya is a closet otaku. His house is covered in moe posters and nerdy memorabilia. More often than not, a person like this would be shunned and considered an antisocial outsider. But, Takiya has a job alongside Kobayashi as a programmer. He pays bills, he lives a comfortable life. While most of us may be turned off at the way they give him a very stereotypical otaku personality, I feel like it was done on purpose in order to show the message behind his character. Takiya is extremely passionate about video games and anime. But that passion is not an addiction. He uses his passion to fuel his desire to work. He works so that he can satisfy his hobby. He is an example of using your passion as a motivation. He more than likely chose a programming job simply because of his love for video games. Hell in episode 6, we see that Takiya is using the skills he knows as a programmer to make his own games. His job essentially serves as a way for him to learn more about his passion while also maintaining a healthy living and earning side money through his independent projects.

Dragon Maid lightly touches on difficulty in blending in and merging with society with its more fantastical characters, the dragons. But, Demi-chan wa Kataritai, or Interviews with Monster Girls, takes the idea and makes it the core theme of its plot. The show is all about monster girls that live in human society. It is kind of similar to Boku no Hero Academia and its Quirk abilities. But in Interviews with Monster Girls, those individuals are still quite rare. Our main protagonist, Takahashi, simply wishes to learn more about Monster Girls or Demis for his college thesis. This leads us into a much more emotionally driven comedy with a powerful message of overcoming or embracing the things that you were born with. The show does an amazing job of using cute monster girls as symbols of real world issues ranging from physical and mental health to things like depression and anxiety. The show is all about these issues and how we deal with them in day to day life. To understand this we have to look at the girls themselves. Firstly there is Hikari, the vampire. While she has no issues dealing with her vampirism, she definitely has issues dealing with anything remotely sexual. Her character is bombastic and happy-go-lucky but she also gets incredibly shy about sex due to her age. Hikari is at that teenage year where sex is still a strange concept, but fascinating nonetheless. This all comes about when she goes into detail about her desire to drink the blood of one of the other Demis. Takahashi remarks that her description is rather erotic, but during another interview they explore this idea and the connotations of such an assumption. However, Macchi, the dullahan, is the character that makes things far more interesting. Macchi is a dullahan, which means that her head is separate from her body. Her being a dullahan can easily be equated to a physical disability, as she often can’t do things in ways that are considered normal. One of the things that I think captures this is when Takahashi speaks to the high school’s principal about allowing Macchi to use a backpack so she isn’t carrying her head in one arm and a bag in the other. The Japanese school system, and in some ways the school system here in the States, emphasizes conformity as a means of eliminating differences. As small as that moment is, it shows that even though eliminating difference can put students at an equal level, it doesn’t change the fact that many differences can slip through the cracks in that system. Macchi’s nature is one of those things. Having to carry her head everywhere she goes makes things a bit difficult and sometimes she even leaves her body behind in places. Macchi represents the kind of person who is scared to interact with people because they never seem to want to address their predicament. Takahashi’s solution for this is that Macchi should be the one to make the first joke. It demonstrates how humor can be an icebreaker and a coping mechanism. Laughing about yourself is a trait that is common in many people. Even I make jokes about autism that some might consider offensive. But I almost always direct them at myself as a way of showing my comfort. Joking about oneself allows us to grow more and more comfortable with our bodies and minds. It helps to reassure of us of our identities. Uncertainty with one’s identity is another big issue that is focused on by another of the girls.

Kusakabe is a yuki-onna, or a snow woman. While for western viewers the translation is kind of strange, the show seems self aware and explains the myth of the yuki-onna as if the creators knew they would have foreign viewers. Kusakabe is very unsure of her identity and is scared that her unique abilities could cause someone harm. This, coupled with the move from the country to the city, creates a large amount of anxiety for Kusakabe. She distances herself from everyone because she is scared of her own nature. When she finally reveals her nature in an albeit panicked state, she retreats further into her solitude. This even causes other girls to gossip about her situation which throws another real world theme into the mix. No one can truly understand what another person goes through in their day to day lives and that in turn is reflected in Kusakabe’s small story arc. Kusakabe hears two girls gossiping about her and she is thrown even further into her depression. But Takahashi uses his maturity as well as his knowledge of science to help Kusakabe grow into a sociable and cheery young woman. Through Takahashi’s simple experiment we see these three outlandish high school girl’s become incredibly close friends and seeing the three of them interact is a sight to behold. It is something that warms your heart’s very core. But there is one monster girl that I think stands out as my favorite. That girl is Satou-san, the new teacher in the school who happens to be a succubus. This show did something that I thought was amazing. It made a complete 180 on the succubus trope. While Satou-san has moments where she herself can be overbearing, she does all she can to suppress the natural aphrodisiac effect that she has on people. All she wants is a real relationship with someone who can resist her temptations. It takes the concept of the succubus and instead of fetishizing it, it puts it under a microscope of realism. Satou is probably my favorite character in the show and I do hope to see her get that relationship she has been pining for.

Relationships and romance are a difficult thing to grasp. But, as in anyone’s life, we always come across one person that seems to feel different from anything we have ever experienced. We all have had at least one crush that made us feel warm and fuzzy inside and forced us to grow as people in order to pursue it. Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, simply referred to as Danmachi, is a story all about those kinds of romantic feelings. It’s a story about slaying monsters and getting the girl. It takes classic fantasy tropes while also playing a little off the success of video game based stories like Sword Art Online. Through video game metaphors we see our main hero, Bell, grow into an immensely strong, god-like character. But unlike Kirito, his strength comes from something. That being said, I am not going to spend my time ranting about why Danmachi is different from SAO. Bell’s crush on the Sword Maiden, Aiz wallenstein, is a hopeless dream. It's the kind of crush that you know you have zero chance of actually getting. But, that doesn’t stop Bell from attempting to impress her. He pushes himself further and further to become stronger. In that sense the show is about self improvement. It’s about acknowledging your faults and fixing them so you can become a stronger human being. But the show also makes the point that you can’t just get strong on your own. More often than not you need friends to back you up and keep you moving forward. You need friends who will fight beside you while also exposing your flaws and weaknesses so that you can become that much stronger.

The show utilizes shonen tropes in a very interesting unique way that helps to paint the show as a very relatable comedy with amazingly fun to watch characters. Not only that, but it is a show all about the human condition and how we act as social creatures. The whole premise of the show is about gods coming down to the mortal world and creating Familias with humans. This whole concept establishes the social aspect of the show and how each Familia works together to achieve common goals. It paints the Familias as separate entities, until the end of the first season. At the end we see multiple familias, parties, and guilds, all working together and supporting each other to take out a super powerful foe. In terms of actions scenes, it is incredibly moving. Action sequences where you see previously contentious groups working together always seem to make my heart flutter. It is the beauty of humanity. With the spin off series Sword Oratoria being released next Spring, I am super excited to see more of what makes Danmachi an amazing comedy. While it isn’t season two, I’ll take what I can get over crappy fan service OVAs.

All in all these shows embody comedy in there own amazing ways. Some just focus on the jokes with the true message hidden in small scenes or background information. Others try to make those messages the main focus while using humor to keep the show cheerful and prevent it from being too much like a drama. Then there are the shows that blur that line between drama and comedy and throw elements of tragedy and romance into the mix to create a truly human story. Humor may be subjective, but the idea of a literary comedy is more or less eternal. It is something I hope to see embodied even more in the future. I hope you enjoyed this article and would love to hear your thoughts on the topic. What shows, books, movies, or even video games do you think embody the literary definition of comedy?

[thepackratchronicles-blog]

Ch3

I don’t traffic in anything have to do with dark magic. Black stuff, the sort that requires blood rituals and deals with demons. Beyond my own, staunch morality, I’m rather allergic to it.White magic, fae charms, and everything between doesn’t even make me itch, but dark magic? My eyes water, my sinuses fill, and my throat feels like sandpaper.This is exactly what happened to me not five minutes after calling Iris. I sneezed in rapid succession and scrambled for a hanky. This would be a long day, I could already tell. Turning the dial of my radio, I picked up a police scanner and listened to all the words fit to broadcast. There had been an attack at Enoch’s store. A struggle, and a man dead matching Enoch’s description from two bullet holes in the back of the head. Very nice. Very professional. I felt my blood boil. I am not, by practice, a man prone to rages. But when someone not only kills a valuable sort of magical goods. Someone I’ve known for a very long time, well I can’t say it doesn’t get my dander up.Blowing my nose, I struggled to pull on my parka, beanie hat, and gloves. I had to do some thinking, and doing it holed up in my pack was not the most productive. I needed fresh air. Salt air.About two hours later I was at the docks. It’s my favorite place to mull things over. Also, like most ‘rough places’ in any city or town, it’s where you’re more likely to find some magical inhabitants.Glamours are expensive you see. Oh sure it’s easy for a thousand year old vampire to pay to keep themselves looking and seeming human. But when you’re a down on your luck Troll trying to feed a brood of kids, a halfhearted masque is the best you can manage.One being in particular, a Hill Giant named Larry, was the one I was after. He ran a seedy little bar at the docks, which catered to the lost and found of magical beings. Especially those who could afford no manner of glamour. And thus had  to keep out of the eyes of ‘normies’ lest the MPD (Mystical Police Department) swoop down and lock them up.Larry was massive, and likely eight feet tall when he stood upright, which he never did. He hunched like most of his kind, and was cleaning massive iron mugs when I entered. He snorted his greeting, and I slipped onto a barstool.“You ain’t wanted here, bub,” “Now now Larry. You know quite well I paid my tab last we-” “Ain’t about the tab. You got yerself a price on yer head.” I blinked once. Twice even. A price? How was that even possible? What could I have done to warrant such an over-exaggeration of a reaction.“Come again?” Another snort. “-y’heard me short-stack. Some.. high end lawyer wit’ a bit of dark power behind him put it our on th’magic radar a half ‘n hour ago. Says anyone who brings y’in gets a hefty price. Gotta be alive tho’, so there’s a comfort,” A half an hour? I had been safe and snug in my little abode a half hour ago. This was ridiculous. But I felt the proverbial weight of a target being draw on my back. I scratched my beard and pondered.“Any chance you won’t tell anyone I’ve been here, Larry?” There was a long pause. He of course was waiting for the reason to not be telling anyone. Digging into one of the many pockets of my parka, I slid him two gold coins, which he took. “-Course not, we’re friends ain’t we?” I didn’t stay much longer at Larry’s place. When you’re prey, you move. As I stepped onto the docks once more, I was spotted. Men in suits... same as the sort that had shouldered me outside of Enoch’s shop appeared on either ends of the long shore. “Ah... feck,” I muttered to myself. I myself, am not one for fighting. In a one-on-one brawl, I can handle myself alright. I’ve watched countless hours of professional wrestling. I know that a good thumb in the eye, or kick in the jewels halts most any fights. But four buff men in suits? No thank you.I weighed my options. I doubt I could run. I didn’t have time to dig into my pack for anything proper. I only kept simple things in my accessible pockets, anything heavy got cataloged away. That’s when I thought of it.A month ago, a mermaid had needed some help getting her children out of debt with a rather disgusting goblin. He was using their songs to get people into his establishment of ill-repute. Abused them rather severely. Normally I’d have taken such a task without charge, but she insisted I take something. So she had given me a pearl. One time-use. Apparently it would allow me to ‘Swim like fish. Fast and true. Much fast’ (she was in fact, a Russian mermaid.)I had never had a chance to test it, do to it’s single use, so I couldn’t organize it in my collection. But now seemed as good a time as any. In a flash, I sunk my hand into one of the pockets of my pack, and heard the splintering of wood. Those bastards were throwing hexes at me!I made a mad dash towards the edge of the dock. Popping the pearl into my mouth, I swallowed and jumped into the icy waves below.My muscles screamed in agony. My chest pounded at the shock. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay under for long. Not a chance. That’s when it happened.I felt my clothes loosen. My arms shrank... my legs seemed to.. melt together. For fuck’s sake. Swim like fish. Swim as a fish. I’m a fucking fish!A marlin to be precise. Thankfully a large enough animal to where I could still carry my jacket and pack. The only two items that mattered and swam as rapidly as I could towards salvation. My pack hanging off a fin, and coat perched on my spear-like snout.I had no idea how to get where I needed to go, I was never a boating sort of person. But the further I got away from those goons, the better I’d be. I kept to the coastline, until I was able to pop up to recognize the lower half of the city. That’d work. I didn’t know how long it’d take to revert back to myself. So I huddled under a dock near the city, and tossed my pack and jacket onto shore. Both hidden by shadow and planks. Then swam aimlessly until I felt the change take place.Once I had the appropriate amount of appendages I scrambled out of the water. I shook the beaded water off my parka and pulled it on . Both my pack and coat had been jinxed to be VERY weatherproof. I thanked that leprechaun, wherever he was.I popped into my bag long enough to dry off. Change into warm dry clothes, a sturdy pair of boots, and a few more layers to keep the hypothermia out. I also grabbed a flask of Orcish Spirits, and after a gulp I felt the feeling rush back to my fingers and toes.Once I was back into the real world, I slung my pack onto my back, and started on foot. I had no idea where I was going. I was very sure that I couldn’t go to any of my usual haunts. They’d likely be watched. And I refused to put anyone in danger recklessly. I did text Iris. Not because I was concerned. She is definitely a woman who could take care of herself. But because I told her I’d be off the grid for a while, and gave her some vague details about why.I received a reply of “Right”. Which was clearly a disguised statement of love, concern, and admiration. I decided then and there that I would in fact be safest among the normies.Magic is a very well kept secret. And the people who enforce that secret are some of the strongest and scariest people you’d never hope to meet. No matter how much power this strange, Warlock... Lawyer.. Lawyerlock had, he wouldn’t dare risk exposure en mass. I went to a mall, for I love the mall as it’s filled to the brim with people determined not to pay attention to you. There I spent a useful hour doing research on my now third cellphone of the day. Devouring a side of “Left Side Moon’s” lovely orange chicken. Iris had installed an app that let me read the “Magical RSS Feed”. Which apparently announced all the goings-on in our world. And true to his word, Larry was right.“Bounty - Packrat Moe - Vast Gold Reward - Alive - Any Information Paid - Contact 555-8392″ “Well Well... this is interesting,” I whispered to myself, the only council worth a flick in times of crisis. I forwarded it to Iris, and asked her politely, if a little vaguely to see if she could find out who had posted it. Her answer came not twenty minutes later.-Someone trying to keep hidden. Lots of magic loopholes. Burnt out computer tracking it down. Bought new one, sending you invoice.- I rolled my eyes, but continued reading.-Law Firm, Ghul & Associates. Nothing on the man who runs it. Doesn’t exist.-I thanked her. It wasn’t much, but it was more than I had had before. I at least had a starting point. I stocked up on supplies, food, odds and ends, and once more set out. I had an appointment with a lawyer to keep.