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gale-gentlepenguin · 3 years

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ML What If: Part 2 (Alt Volpina)

(Previous)

(What if Marinette didn’t expose Lila in Volpina?)

- Fu had not planned on meeting both Adrien AND Marinette on the same day. But he still got them both Tea.

-After Plagg popped out, the cat, was literally out of the bag. Tikki and Plagg sitting on the shoulder of their respective chosen now.

-Both teens were looking at each other, trying to process this unintentional reveal. Its clear they both want to say something, but don't know what to say. Thankfully Fu is there to cut the awkward.

-Fu however, was also processing his plan not going as well as expected. But honestly, he isn't too broken up about it.

-”Seems it can't be helped. You both know I am the guardian, and you both know each other’s identities.”

-Marinette was first to speak “So does that mean we have to give up being heroes?”

-Adrien iterates that he promises not to tell anyone about it.

-Fu eases them both. “I did choose you both for a reason, and you finding out the other’s identity is more my fault than either of yours. As long as no one else finds out your identities, I believe we should be fine.” (Fu’s whole bit with the identities was so less people would be involved. Having one’s identity public would put more then just themselves in danger. But, right now it would be MORE of a risk getting new heroes, and having them stay out knowing his identity.)

- Fu does ask how Adrien did know to come to this place. Which Adrien explains he had a book that Plagg wanted to show him. He opens his bag and finds it missing.

-Adrien freaks a bit (because that was his father’s book) but Fu then reveals the book. And Adrien looks relieved.

-Marinette had brought the book.

-So Adrien asks why Marinette had it?

-Marinette flustered, confesses that she saw him in the Library and Tikki saw the book. They noticed Lila take it, and followed her. Then they took it when the two were distracted, because Lila tossed it in a garbage nearby.

-Adrien comments that it explains how Lila suddenly had a miraculous looking necklace. She tried to copy it from the book.

-”Well it definitely is a fake. I didn't hand out the fox miraculous.” Fu commented.

-Fu asks if Adrien revealed anything to this ‘Lila’. Adrien swears he didn't.

-Marinette apologizes for taking the book, explaining Tikki insisted they take it to the guardian. (Also is relieved that Adrien didn't believe Lila’s Lies)

-Adrien forgives her, even saying he knows Marinette wouldn't do something like that without a good reason.

-Fu hands the book over to Adrien, asking if he can sneak the book occasionally to him. Adrien comments he isn't sure if his father would allow it.

-”So this is your father’s book.”

-”Yes... I wasn't suppose to take it. Plagg found it.”

-Marinette suggests making copies of it. Which they do. Fu gives marinette his contact information. Adrien says it would be best if just Marinette had it. Nathalie might get suspicious about random phone numbers on his phone.

-Fu agrees. And Just like in Canon They make copies.

- Fu does ask why Adrien’s father has such a rare item pertaining to the miraculous. Adrien says he isn't sure. His father was very secretive...

-Fu comments that he should keep an eye on his father, he could perhaps know about guardians and be an asset, or could be working with Hawkmoth.

-Adrien states that his father would never...

-”Do you know what the Ladybug and Cat miraculous are able to do together?”

-Adrien and Marinette both look confused.

-Fu explains that both miraculous together can be used to grant any wish.

-”A wish?”

-”With a cost, but yes.”

- He tells them both that the wish is NEVER worth the cost, and that they should never use it.

-News of a meteor sets off notifications on their phones.

-Marinette and Adrien quickly transform. They take a second to realize, Yep, they do know their partner’s identity now (Cue blush). But the meteor does get them to focus on the task at hand.

-By the time they get there, Volpina had ‘Saved the day’

-Since Ladybug and Chat noir had just met the guardian, and a Fox miraculous hero just CONVENIENTLY showed up.

-Plus Fu already told them he never gave out that miraculous. So instant akuma.

-Ladybug and Chat noir don't know what her abilities actually are tho, so they decide to ‘Play along’.

-They ‘Pretend’ like she is totally a heroine. And they ask her what her power is.

- Same lie about super strength and Flight. Which they both know is a lie.

-They see the Hawkmoth mirage, and they are sus of it but no proof.

-They get split up, and just like in canon, Ladybug figures out the power is illusions.

-Adrien/chat noir does try his plan like before. (The interaction with Volpina is basically the same. But Volpina is less about proving Ladybug wrong (since she has no qualms with Ladybug at this time. More of trying to show Adrien.)

-Ladybug interrupts, Adrien is also much more insistent that his and Lila’s ‘get together’ wasn't a date.

- Adrien escapes and transforms into chat noir. Volpina takes the fake Adrien.

-Ladybug was about to go after him but stops.

-”Oh right... that can't be Adrien.”

-”But Lila doesn't know that.”

-So Ladybug and Chat noir prepare a plan.

-They pretend that Volpina has Adrien and act like they will hand over the miraculous, But then fake out. They take the akumatized item from vulpine

-Lila is no longer volpina. No use of powers needed (one because illusions didn't cause any harm. and two, they were able to trick her)

-Chat noir tells Lila that she doesn't need to pretend to be a hero. She just needs to be a good person and be honest. They take her down from the Eiffel Tower.

-This actually annoys Lila, but she says she will think about it. Still grumbling about what happened. She does now have a story about how the heroes of Paris saved her. So she has no animosity towards Ladybug and Chat noir. So Hawkmoth doesn't bother focusing on her as much.

- Ladybug and Chat noir do go to the roof of a building, in order to “Talk”

-Ladybug tells him she is surprised that he is Chat noir. Not that she doesn't think he can be heroic, just that he is much more ‘Calm’ as Adrien.

-”Well, Chat noir does let me change my hair style, and be a bit more free. But I still love puns the same way.” He chuckles. “Glad you think I am heroic”

-Ladybug does realize, she has all these notions on what Adrien is, and all these Notions on who chat noir is. Now she is realizing some of those ideas are wrong. They are both actually really similar, because they are the same person. Just that her perspective on them was different. Amazing what a mask could do.

-”In hindsight, I am kicking myself for not seeing it sooner.” Chat noir answers.

-”Your hair style is the same.”

-Ladybug laughs at the lame joke.

-”But really, you are pretty much the same person with the mask on. Though maybe a bit more on the clumsy side.”

-Ladybug answers she doesn't have super human agility to catch her fall.

-”Don't worry, I will be there to catch you.”

-Ladybug looking at chat noir, giving his genuine smile. Yep, that was Adrien. Her face was red.

-”This is going to be harder now.”

-”Probably but we can cover for each other now. We can also communicate better. I can see you in school...”

-Chat noir realizes all of the things he did around Marinette as Chat noir, as well as how he tried to help Nino win over Marinette.

-”Just for the record... you aren't interested in Nino right?”

-”He is with Alya, but even if he wasn't, I already have someone else in mind.”

-Chat noir went red, now insanely curious.

-”W-Who is it?”

-Ladybug booped her partner’s nose.

-”Another time Kitty, we should head home.”

-They both say their good byes and head home.

- Ladybug and Chat noir transform back into civilians.

-They lean against the wall and slowly drop to the floor. both thinking the same thought.

-”The love of my life is my crime fighting partner.”

#ml #ml au #alt Volpina #miraculous ladybug #ladynoir #adrinette #marichat #ladrien #fu #ml what if #FLUFF

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dannyphantom-rewrite · 3 years

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Timekeeper's assistants AU

Alright y'all! This is gonna be my info dump post for the Timekeepers assistant Au- buckle up cause it's gonna be a long one!

Inspired by @queendibz post here

The entire purpose of the assistant squad is to keep all the time lines running smoothly- this can range from stopping a world ending event to making sure things misplaced by natural ghost portals get put back into the right time and place.

So First up on the crew list,

Dan:

-Dan definitely isn't a homicidal maniac anymore but he's not 100 percent "redeemed" either.

-I mean he's probably still a bit of sadist but he tries not to be?

-The best description I can give is that he's in recovery, basically.

-So, Clockwork knew that Dan would eventually bust out of the thermos just because it wasn't built to hold a ghost of his power level for a prolonged period of time. But beyond that?? He has no idea about anything in regards to Dan. Since Dan's creation was averted, his timeline doesn't exist anymore. He's a paradox that exists outside of time, and unfortunately, that means he's the one entity in the multiverse that exists in Clockwork's blindspot. There's no way for him to know what Dan's going to do next.

-Anyway, Dan eventually breaks out of the thermos fully intending to Fuck Shit Up, And Clockwork makes a point of informing him that if he leaves the clock tower he will cease to exist. (Like Dan, the tower exists outside of time, so he's safe there.)

-Dan is the first member of the assistant squad. Granted, it took a while for him to come around to the idea of helping Clockwork but he got there eventually.

-Dan is an entity that was born out of the rage and grief of two very broken people and he has so much shit he's working through as a result

-One of the first things he had to do was recognize and accept that he's an entity that's completely separate from Vlad and Danny. He might have all their memories and the weight of their mistakes on his shoulders, and on top of that, the atrocities he himself committed because of them. The first step is realizing that he doesn't have to be defined by the people that made him.

-It's a really fucking difficult thing to do tho and he's got a lot of weird emotions in regards to Vlad, Danny and the Fentons as a result. A near constant identity crisis, self loathing, daddy issues, something that could arguably be called an Oedipus complex, (FUCKING THANKS, VLAD)

-Cannot stand the smell of fast food, it makes him nauseous and the sight of Nasty Burger sauce alone is enough to make him vomit Ectoplasm.

-He's just a hot mess all around y'all

-He tries to keep his interactions with the Danny's as minimal as possible at first bc of this. The first time he meets them in person he shape shifts into Danny like he did in TUE and just pretends to be one of them. Some of them have had interactions with their respective Dan's already and would be super wary of him and probably pretty freaked out otherwise.

-Dan is eventually allowed to leave the clocktower for supervised "Field missions" with the aid of a time medallion to keep him from poofing out of existence, but it takes a while for clockwork to build up that level of trust.

-Dan's shapeshifting ability Actually comes into play a bit on a lot of those missions, since he can Mimic Danny it also makes sense that he'd be able to impersonate Vlad in the same way. Granted he's not incredibly comfortable taking on either of their appearances but it does help him hone his shapeshifting ability to the point where he's able to pick and choose features from both Vlad and Danny and sorta make his own human disguise.

-Most of the time he acts as the eye in the sky from the tower, monitoring for timeline anomalies and then notifying the appropriate member of the assistant squad.

-He has a room under the clock tower that he operates from. I kinda like the idea of there being like, catacombs down there? Anyway he's got all kinds of monitors and view screens and he very rarely leaves. It also doubles as his "living space." He doesn't need to sleep but he's got a big mess of a pillow fort that he crashes in regardless bc sometimes you just NEED to be unconscious for a while. The catacombs are also absolutely full of those little blob ghosts that wander around the zone bc They're attracted to the ecto energy the tower gives off. He's really annoyed by them at first but they grow on him after a while and now he just dotes on them.

-There's a specific throw pillow sized one that likes to hang out in Dan's room a lot and he ended up getting a little over attached to the stupid thing. His name is Dorian. Bc he's a gift.

-SIR THATS MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT BLOB

-Dan's appearance has changed slightly. He wears his hair loose now and it's kinda just this big fiery mane when it's not contained. His cape is more of a cloak now, it has a hood and he wears it sorta pinned together at the shoulder so the DP logo is covered.

-Dan's relationship with the rest of the Danny's is kinda weird, and a little strained. He has a hard time being around them for very long because, well, he used to sort of be them? Except not really? He does care about them tho, and the last thing he'd want is for one of them to end up like him.

-His relationship with clockwork definitely starts out pretty familial, after he becomes his assistant, anyway. There's room for that to develop into meddling minutes but I'm not entirely sure if I'm gonna go that route yet.

-The Danny's only ever hear his voice for a while before he finally let's them meet him for real, so they end up calling him Charlie for a while as a joke. Cause Ya know. Charlie's angels. Even after Charlie still ends up being his designated name on missions.

Mer! Danny:

-Was recruited bc a lot of the shit that gets sucked through natural portals ends up in a body of water somewhere and when that happens he's on call to retrieve it.

-Is Actually not at all ghostly! Mer Danny's situation is basically the plot of H2O (just add water), or if you haven't seen that, Aquamarine. And by that I mean he's only a merfolk in water.

-He's an electric eel

-His Jack and Maddie are marine biologists, with a particular interest in marine cryptids

-We're taking sea monsters baby!!!

-Not entirely sure how this Danny ended up half mer yet but I'll figure it out, lmao.

-14 years old

-His nickname/ designation is "Moray"

Crown Prince! Danny:

-Nickname/designation is Prince / Princey

-16 years old

-Not allowed to go anywhere in the zone without the Fright knight bc of some ancient ghost law bullshit, so he has a constant babysitter.

-He's next in line bc he sealed away Pariah, but can't take the throne until he is both, A) at least 18 years and B) Completely deceased

-Vlad is his Regent bc he did have a part in the whole sealing the previous king thing, but he's also not completely dead so his power is super limited there.

-As Prince Danny has the crown of fire in his ghost form, although now the name is kinda ironic seeing as it's completely frozen over. It's blue now and it smokes like dry ice.

-As Regent, Vlad has the ring of rage for "safe keeping"

-Vlad and Danny are pretty much constantly at each other's throats, fright knights probably had to shut down more than a few of Vlad's attempts to usurp the crown from Danny through combat.

-Princey deals with the timeline issues that involve the ghost zones' internal / political affairs, and he's gotten very well versed with dealing with the Observants.

Winged! Danny :

-15 years old

-Mallard duck wings

-His Vlad is a swan

-Comes from a family of waterfowl, Jack is a goose, and Maddie is a white swan. Both he and jazz are ducks bc of their grandparents.

-As Fenton his wings are white, like jazz, and as phantom they turn black with a green iridescent sheen.

-He's trans

-Nickname/ designation is inviso Bill. Bc ducks have bills haha get it-

-Ghostly wail?? Nah son he's gotta killer QUACK

-Absolute besties with Mer!Danny/ Moray, sometimes they go swimming together after a mission.

Clone! Danny:

-Physically he's a 12-year-old, but he's only been alive for a few months.

-Alt universe where Vlad manages to stabilize the perfect clone with his own DNA.

-Dani still exists, and the original danny from his time line also rescued the other problematic clones.

-Doesnt like the fact that he's a clone, and very much wants them all DEAD. Bc them running around is a reminder that he's not the real danny.

-Human half looks the same aside from the widows peak and the mallen streak. His ghost half takes after plasmius. Blue skin, and the Hazmat kept it's original white colors.

-Probably has fangs and a forked tounge.

-Not so much a member of the squad as he is someone that they need to be keeping an eye on.

-Does NOT get along with them.

-Dan enjoys making him uncomfortable.

-Designation is Masters / the brat (not to his face tho)

Family Breakfast AU! Danny:

-A BABY

-The boy is a fucking overpowered todler okay. He's an 8 year old.

-The biological son of his Vlad, was born a Halfa. Jack, Vlad and Maddie got their shit together and are in a healthy poly relationship.

-Got separated from Vlad one time in the zone and inadvertently adopted by the assistant squad and clockwork.

-His Vlad is aware of the squad and just. Dad's the crap out of the Danny's as a result. It makes for some..... interesting interactions.

-I can't think of a nickname so I'm just gonna be lazy and say he gets to be the one Tru Danny bc cute little kind privileges lmao.

Full ghost! Danny:

-15 years old, will always look 14.

-Nickname/designation is Toast

-Died in the portal accident and got fucking FRIED.

-He always smells like somethings burning.

-He's really bright and sorta sparks a bit, you can see his bones glowing through the hazmat.

-He still leave the zone to protect his version of amity, but lives with clockwork full time.

Canon Danny (NOT PHANTOM PLANET COMPLIANT) :

-Basically show Danny, except phantom planet never happened fuck you

-Joined the crew after the events of de stabilized

-Also he's trans fuck butch

-Franken! Danny

-Yall remember that Headless Danny Au? This is my take.

-Is Actually 20 years old, but physically stuck at age 14. Bc he's a walking corpse :)

-Came from a timeline that was directly parallel to Full ghost! Danny. He dies in the portal accident, but jack and Maddie are in the lab when it happens and manage to sort of bring him back using a combination of science and freaky ghost junk.

-So he's basically possessing/ stuck inside of his own dead body. Which, is thankfully not rotting or going into rigor mortis bc Ectoplasm is rather similar to formaldehyde, but he's not the most durable thing and bits and pieces fall off from time to time.

-Like his head. For example.

-He's pretty desensitized to it at this point and if he loses a leg after a ghost fight he doesn't see anything wrong with sitting down on the curb of a main street to stich it back on. His being dead isn't exactly a secret.

-Don't ever ask him to "give you a hand" bc he can and will not hesitate to pop one off and Chuck it at you.

-Said hand and any other body part will continue to function just fine even if it isn't attached to anything, btw.

-Nickname/ designation is Adam. Bc. Ya know. that's the name Frankenstein's monster gave itself.

Post Phantom Planet! Danny:

-A very jaded 22 year old who is driven only by spite and enough caffeine to kill a horse

-Very, very tired of the hero thing.

-Being a global celebrity isn't all it's cracked up to be.

-Decided to follow Vlads lead and fuck off to space for a while. Partially to get away from everyone and also partially bc he kinda feels responsible for the fact that the only other person like him and probably floating DEAD in the void somewhere? And yeah Vlad fucked up all on his own but what if he'd tried harder to get through to him things could have been different-

-Joins the crew after a natural portal opens up in space and decides to help out and use clockworks resources to try and track down his Vlad.

-Nickname/ Designation is Polaris, aka the north star.

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mg549 · 3 years

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rainbow high but they each have distinct and varying styles

hi im putting my Disscusion under the post cause ik lots of ppl just wanna rb the art but also i have Thoughts

-ruby’s style is the strongest in the series imo. they designed a butch lesbian and nobody told them ig. my only slight change was giving her cowboy boots cause if shes from “the country” then she should... actually... look like shes from the country. maybe its just cause i grew up in nc but i would love some southern rep from a character where being from the south isnt their whole Personality. anyways i think she should wear western style button downs is all im trying to say

-bella... her style is ALL over the place. since she is a set designer i wanted to make her a theatre kid!!! her style is somewhere in the 40s/50s zone of vintage inspired so that way she has a definite Range of styles and silhouettes to choose from! im a sucker for the new look bc its so Shapes but i could also see her pulling off some long wool circle skirts and peasant top blouses! i also gave her some hearing aids and braces which you can probably only see if you zoom in dhjnf

-poppy got the biggest design overhaul of anyone. i kept the butterfly theme and nothing else fbhdjd. since her music has some definite funk energies i wanted to give her a 70s inspired look with some glam platforms and denim overalls! i think we deserve bellbottom pantsuit poppy. i also changed her hair bc literally the rh main cast all have practically IDENTICAL hair styles save for the direction theyre parted in. i wanted to give her those anime butterfly headphones but toned down slightly hdsjdnd oh and! shes also wearing glasses bc once again we get a whole cast of characters and not one of them is wearing glasses like smh literally like half of all ppl wear glasses?? anyways in terms of personality i wanted to keep her bubbly but instead of just making music thru like Divine Inspiration i think she should take a more realistic and nuanced approach!! show her nerding out abt music theory and talking about the themes her pieces represent and the stories they tell

-sunny’s design is Mostly the same! her hair is slightly changed, i wanted it to match the cover she drew for winnerz! i also made the rainbows on her outfit pride flag colors, and gave her some button pins on her jacket! every Token Anime Kid ive ever met has buttons plastered all over their bags and jackets and its a nice touch that gives her some more Character i feel

-jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaade. jade. i wish she had kept her dark lipstick. and also that she wasnt just billie eilish. and that she was the token goth of the group. her stitched up shirt is inspired by a shirt i wore in high school! it was from the 90s and SUPER beat up to the point where it was literally disintegrating so i just sewed up any new holes that would form with contrasting thread it was a Look. i hc her as wearing contacts bc when she tried wearing glasses she got upset that she couldnt show off her makeup as much gvhbnf! i also gave her a spider necklace bc i think she should still like spiders BUT i HATE the jokes abt “therapy tarantulas” bc only dogs and like 10 horses can actually be service animals and the whole thing w people lying about their untrained dogs/cats (or worse, exotic animals that they should not even own) being service/therapy/emotional support animals just so they can bring them in public is!! Really Bad!! and it hurts people who actually do need service dogs bc untrained dogs are well. untrained and set a bad example for how service animals will actually act! and owners who print out fake certifications also make it harder for disabled ppl bc it leads to store owners thinking that theres some sort of paper they can ask the owner to flash to prove the service dog is trained when that. is not actually true and theres no such thing as an actual certificate for this. if a service dog company offers a certificate/card/whatever to show authority it is specifically for disabled people to do when faced with this issue and has no actual official meaning. and ANOTHER thing that bothers me abt this joke is that.. Therapy For What? it would be really cool to see a canonically mentally ill character as a protagonist for a doll line! it would be fantastic to see them opening up that conversation for neurodivergent kids and their parents! but we have no indication for that at All just haha funy therapy spider :| anyways jade is an nd lesbian my canon now

-skyler is punk now! shes a fashion major and i think it would be a really interesting character to explore, someone who is shy but dresses really flashy and tough! i also changed her theme material from denim to the blue leather she wears at the party bc im biased towards alt fashion. her hair was really fun to design, with a big Cloud of Fluff at the top and long braids underneath bc get it!! its Rain Cloud Shaped :] i dont have much else to say bc this design is def in my Comfort Zone of styles. anyways we stan andershaw here they literally are in love

-vi vi! i didnt change much bc i dooooooont really know that much about influencer/mainstream fashion tbqh... i Did give her That One Halter Top Style that literally 2 other of the main characters are both wearing instead of a loose 1 piece dress tho. i also decided she should be into holographic fabric bc its very Sleek and Future Is Now and Influencercore. i also think the sleek tight fitting holo shirt/skirt is a good contrast to Big Fluffy Fur Jacket. she also has a prosthetic leg idk i just thought it would be a good Touch

overall rh def has some MAJOR problems with diversity in all aspects and it shows in their fashion design as well! if you put the characters in black and white save for a few patterned pieces they would all be interchangeable and i honestly think that its representative of the larger problem! maybe i do follow the monster high design philosophy that every piece should only make sense on the character its from, but the fact that they cant even diversify FASHION despite it being a Fashion Doll Brand really Says It All.

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prince-toffee · 3 years

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Alleyways

Hordak x Shadow Weaver

Canon Divergence | Alt Universe

Season One | Episode 14: Alleyways

Beatrix scoffed and threw the brown ration bar and the rest of her food tray across the prison cell, she far preferred the grey ones. She gave a defeated sigh lowering her head down. She rubbed her fingers over the scratched part of her mask, in the spot where a chip of the Black Garnet used to reside. Her shoulders slouched down, all tension in her muscles left her as she gave up. She felt so powerless. So weak. Just a few days ago she was still one of the most powerful witches on the planet, every magic user feared her name.

Shadow Weaver.

Now, she sat in a prison cell, rank-less. She didn’t know if she should’ve felt honoured, or disgusted by the fact that the cell was specially attuned and adjusted for her specifically. Which meant it was probably designed and constructed, in secret, long before her treason. This place was full of secrets and surprises, usually unpleasant ones. Hec-Tor would’ve probably said it was an honour, he was an architect that truly thought of everything. And The Fright Zone was one of his most haunting creations.

Beatrix wasn’t disgusted, per say. She knew she didn’t have many fans, and plenty of enemies at every corner. This outcome was inevitable, she knew deep down she was getting too greedy for her own good. But the power felt too good to give up. What a fool she was. She saw it all clearly now. Where her addiction led her. Her very unsubtle disregard for orders, her greed peering through her emotionless, cold stature. She knew she was on thin ice with Hec-Tor, the control freak he was. He desired order and expected subordinance. He always disliked her - everybody back home knew she was a wildcard, deceptive, insidious. Looking out for only herself - she never really cared about the cause.

Perhaps she should’ve been more surprised that he didn’t do it earlier. She knew he wasn’t fond of her, and vice versa of course - she couldn’t stand his patriotic and prideful attitude. Acting as if being apart of The Horde was a gift from god. He was an old blind fool. Beatrix wouldn't have thought twice before leaving this place and selling her loyalty and inside information to the most welcoming bidder - The Alliance, or even maybe try her luck with The Empire of Talon Mountain. So any choices to choose from, now if only she could manage to escape her imprisonment.

Unfortunately, if she knew Hec-Tor, and she did, The Hordak had probably thought of every possibility of escape she would think of, and countered it. He was paranoid like that. The spherical pure white containment cell she was unceremoniously thrown into was made out of Glowmoon-Dwarfstone, the surface layer anyway. A magical element only found on one of the moons of Etheria, able to absorb darkness itself. Bad news for the Weaver of Shadows, she was powerless here. She despised feeling weak, vulnerable. She was meant to be the predator, not the prey.

She had no shadow. The stone absorbed it. She felt two dimensional. She didn’t know if that made sense, but she heard the stone had negative effects on the mind if in close proximity for too long. Speaking of which, she had no idea how long she had been locked up, she lost the track of time. No windows. So no sky. No clock. No space. The spherical cell was the size of a small closet. At least they were still feeding her, but the food in there was never anything to gloat about.

She placed her face into her hands, she was loosing it. She couldn’t break! But she was close. She didn’t want anyone to have the satisfaction of seeing her beg, and pled. She was strong, stronger than them. She was going to win in the end, she just had to wait it out, play the long ga-

“Inmate-667. Place your forehead on the wall behind you and position your hands behind your back. The containment unit door will open, and a commanding official will commence your questioning. And Weaver, you’re gonna like this one, hehe.”

Beatrix narrowed her eyes and growled at the announcement. She recognised the voice, Force-Commander Grizzlor. She never liked him. The feeling was seemingly mutual. She did as she was ordered. A groan reverberated through her throat, she knew exactly what this was, she could tell from Grizzlor’s smug voice. Catra. She was back to berate her. It seemed like her former ward’s ego had grown three times the size, rather than her heart. Beatrix dreaded these visits. Catra came over from time to time, to insult and demean the dark sorceress, rub her victory into Beatrix’s face. Insolent little brat! She got lucky! Beatrix was weak when she caught her off guard, too drained by the toll the Black Garnet’s power took on her. If only- if only she could take hold of the Garnet’s power! S- She didn’t need much, just a little, it would’ve cleared her mind, beat her heart faster. If she had just a little more she could’ve had taken out Catra, and her two stooges. Everything would have been all better if only she had a little more. Damn that girl! And her mother!

The cell opened up. A side panel gave out a hiss as it dislodged, pulled out and off to the side. Weaver felt the colder air pour in. The closest shadow cast onto her was too weak for her to do anything with, the upper layer of the walls draining it’s ethereal cosmic weight. Or perhaps she was the one who was too weak. Catra loomed over her. The teen thought she could intimidate her, not a chance.

“Well? Come on then, you spoiled brat! Got anything to say? Came here to gloat and mock me, you think you have won, but one wrong move with Hordak and he’ll throw you to the dogs, he’s-”

“Weaver.”

The sorceress silenced herself. The voice that called to her was cold and smooth, in other words not Catra’s. The single word was followed by a pair of footsteps, metal boots clanking against the stone’s surface. The sound of cybernetics hissing as his joins moved. He was close now. The cell entrance slide back into place closing the cell. They were alone now. Beatrix had to admit, even though she knew Hec-Tor for most of her life, seen him at his most vulnerable, even shared some intimate moments with him, but still even after all that - he was terrifying.

She turned her head around, and there he was. He looked different in the light, stranger. She almost never saw him outside of his ThroneHall. Always cloaked in darkness and smoke. She sometimes wondered if he bought smoke machines on purpose to scare any kids that would accidently wonder into the room. Hec-Tor certainly had a taste for the dramatic. Beatrix turned around and seated herself comfortably looking up at the Overlord, well, as comfortably as possible. There he was, in all his glory, out of shadows - a glorified toaster. The same Hec-Tor that used to write poetry for girls that would never go out with him. The same Hec-Tor that dyed his hair blue, because kids from the neighbourhood made fun of him being ginger. The same Hec-Tor that beat his own father within an inch of his life, and conquered half of the galaxy...

Same old, same old.

She swallowed down quietly, she couldn’t show him she was weak. The mask helped hide most emotions, most weaknesses, she had to control the rest of her body language. Beatrix lifted one leg over the other and intertwined her fingers together, giving off a relaxed posture.

“Lord Hordak. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

She looked over him - blood red eyes, and teeth, grey skin, military regulation hair cut, his two prostatic arms, which could crush boulders, his imperial purple cape, and the neon lit armour implants. She was actually curious as to what he was actually going to say. His eyes narrowed, anger was apparent, but an air of irritation was present too. He gave out a long tiresome sigh, as he moved his fingers to rub the bridge of his nasal cavity, even venturing as far as his eyes. She was in for it.

“Why? Why can’t you just follow orders? Beatrix Hallows, always struggling with adhering to reason and common sense.”

Shadow Weaver’s eyes widened she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, he actually had the audacity to school her, to talk down to her. This was almost worse than Catra, hearing her full name spoken out in a mocking tone, like lecturing a child, slapping them on the hand, this was humiliating. And from Hec-Tor too. When angered by her he’d usually give her the cold shoulder, take her off a mission, reassign command to someone else, like Catra. She thought he had given up on talking to her ages ago. But she wasn’t going to have it.

“Having fun? Look you’re not covering any new ground here. Catra already had multiple pitstops here to make me her new donkey. If you think you get to insult me like that, just remember your punk rear wouldn’t have made it back home if it weren’t there for me. You owe me. Several.”

It was true. Back on HordeWorld, back on the streets. They had nothing. Had to rummage through trash, and steal for food. Stomach empty all day. Times were tough. They had to rely on each other. One distracted the passer-by and the other pickpocketed, on a lucky day, thanks to Hec-Tor’s puppy eyes the stranger would hand them some pennies on top of that. But man, on days like these she wished she had never stood up to those bullies shoving little young Hec-Tor around, should have never allowed him to follow her. But how couldn’t she, he was so adorable.

“I am not here to appoint you my personal laughing stock. And I thought I told Catra talking to prisoners was forbidden. I’ll have a chat with her about the regulations... I am here to understand. Finally. I have been putting this off for far too long.”

This was curious, and unexpected. She would’ve lied if she said she wasn’t interested in what was about to exit that mouth. He had avoided her for years. Often said she was ‘not worth wasting words on’. The feeling was mutual. She heard that mouth declare rousing speeches, bone-chilling monologues, and the softest of kisses. Versatility was everything. He continued.

“We never saw eye to eye, never liked each other, you always went your own way. Chose to differ from others, always take the other path. You talk back to me, you waste resources on personal escapades, and often break protocol... But back there, at such a crucial point, disobeying my orders, for what? Just because of a child that did follow orders?”

Putting faith in that girl was going to be his undoing. Unless she was going to get to him first. Catra was always a nuisance, untrustworthy, going off on her own, not listening to what she was told. She had a rebellious spirit, that drove her away from Weaver’s lessons, she often managed to drag others away with her. She was too smart for her own good.

She’ll be biting down on Hec-Tor’s ankles soon enough. She supposed that an upside of being stuck in the cell was that he had to deal with Catra’s antics now. That was his mess to clean.

“How did she even get a drop on you? Was it the Garnet? I told you to tell me if the artefact displayed any negative effects-”

“Are you done? I know you didn’t come here to talk about my feelings. If you care to know your magic weapon is fine. And Catra. She’s nothing but a brat, that you’re letting walk all over you.”

She wasn’t having any of this, she had to speak up for herself. Call it a warning, that girl is not to be dismissed, she’s trouble - like her mother. But deep down she felt a hint of embarrassment herself, she was one of the most powerful sorceresses, years ago when she first drained the power of the Garnet she did it effortlessly. Even though Hec-Tor didn’t trust her, he handed her the responsibility, because he knew she was the only one who could hold its power. He knew she was mighty. But now, the Garnet rejects her, resists her, no longer bows down to her might. It hurt sometimes. But she could never show weakness.

The infamous Hordak stared down at her, judgementally, much like how he looked down at everybody. He looked off to the side at the thrown away tray, mashed potato and peas smeared on the floor, tray flipped over, and the brown rations crumbled on the floor.

“You’re not eating.”

What was that? She wondered to herself. Was that genuine worry? She noticed he stayed on the ration bars for a second too long, noting her preference perhaps. He seemingly had no idea where to go from there, so she helped him out, she asked.

“Why are you here Hec-Tor?”

This time using his real name rather than his title. More personal, it cut to the point. Plus he was always going to be Hec-Tor to her. That puppy eyed scaredy-bat, the one always picked on, by bullies twice his weight, the nerd allergic to flowers, and the same geek that used to write poems for her. She dismissed them of course, just a bunce of nonsense if you’d ask her. The change never really quite settled in, even when the Council made the public announcement of picking the new Hordak. Even when Hec-Tor’s face came on every screen on the planet. Even when the death of He-Ro shocked the nation. Nothing changed.

Well, maybe not until that day at Vix’s Diner. It was the strangest circumstance. He was the one who called her over. She guessed it was just a nostalgic meet up, like in the old days. 'The Hordak' was present, so they ate for free. Their conversation would be constantly interrupted by randos bowing and giving respects to him. He dismissed them.

But there was something different about the man that sat in front of her, he was colder, more stiff. Beatrix treated herself to the unlimited free breakfast meals, best she’d eaten in years. She half listened to his ramblings, something about the war with the Light and the Ones Who Won’t Be Named escalating, the Council was abolishing anti-terraforming laws, and Horde warships were launching on the offensive against the enemy. The wannabe poet gone, all that was left of the boy was a patriot, and a soldier. Well, what do you do? That’s what the government spoon feeds people.

But the strangest thing was. He asked her to be his 'Weaver' - his second in command. An honour placed apon only those who are seen as worthy, or chosen by the Council. But this wasn’t an ask of desperation or of fear. This was an order. Firm, and powerful. That day in the diner, if Beatrix would’ve refused him, she didn’t know if she would’ve walked out of there with her head on.

The Hordak is no mere man you can refuse after all.

He is the 'Beast of HordeWorld'.

And so, they set off. Boarded the warship: Annihilation, and rocketed into the stars. And the newly appointed Shadow Weaver pondered, that it was quite curious that HordeWorld was completely decimated only few days after they left. Curious indeed. Blah. Blah. Blah. Couple of thousand years, some food shortages and dead bodies later: Etheria. Crash landing in the back fields of King Niro’s Kingdom of Scorpion Hill. And it was through Weaver’s highly skilled dark magic on display, that the kingdoms bowed down to them, Mysticore even building a statue in her honour. They looked up to her, marvelled at her magical abilities. Her Horde magic was far more advanced than what the wizards held in their possession. She taught, and trained them. But good things never last. They turned on her.

“Like I said, Beatrix. I am here to understand.”

Now it was his time to use her name. She was still curious yet cautious. Whatever side-tracks Hec-Tor from the main mission, can’t be good. All this was strangely personal. Was the Beast in fact capable of concern and closeness? She let him continue.

“We’ve known each other longer than most beings live. But in my quest into the unknown, I never even dared to explore what was nearest me. Tell me, why break, why snap at me at a point of victory? And why, why the girl? It’s that Magicat that sets you off at every moment. Why? Why do you hate the girl?”

“Will, you free me?”

“...No. We both know I won’t, I can’t. It is against the protocols, and I gave you too many passes, vouched for you too many times, I overlooked your actions for too long. And that’s why I am here.”

Well, that wasn’t going to work. No freedom, no deal, no talking. She was surprised by the fact that this entire situation was simply a genuine attempt at a heart to heart. But he knew nothing. And that’s how Beatrix liked to keep things. Much like Hec-Tor, she wished to be a bogeyman, imagination was always the greatest deterrent.

And what was there to explain? Catra was a pain, undisciplined, and unwilling to learn. Beatrix wasn’t about to just let that brat walk over her, of course she snapped! Everything Catra got, every punishment, was because she deserved it. Though... no. No, he couldn’t know. Could he? Did he? Hec-Tor was a master tactician and strategist, he always researched and analysed everything before the attack - what if the Beast already knew the answer to his own question?

Did he know about Melendy?

Beatrix never spoke to anyone about her personal life, especially not her love life. And she had made sure she was back for check-ins, erased her tracks, she was sneaky. She didn’t slip up often. How would he know? Could it be? Was the grand Lord Hordak jealous? A curious stalker.

But perhaps it wasn’t that outside of the realm of possibly. The Queen of Magicats. The Lord of the Horde. Hec-Tor set up many negotiations in the time before the war, people talk.

And what now, he expected her to sit here listen to him give her therapy? As if. If that bastard knew about Melendy’s choice... about her leaving, and didn’t say anything, just holding it over her head as bait - then damn him to the Light! But did he truly know? He couldn’t possibly understand. She was in love. Nothing ever came close to making her feel like that. Not even him. Beatrix loved her, and she chose to leave, just because of tradition, culture. To Light with it!

But what prompted him to care? Perhaps he looked back fondly on the past, reminiscing? Hordak and her didn’t sleep together often, but when the duty became too much, too stressful - they aided each other to settle the nerve. Heh, it took practice to get used to each other, their first time, wasn’t pretty.

She still remembered that night, or well, it was day actually. She always misremembered, since the skies over the city of Catrax were always grey from the city’s pollution. Kids used to come over to their windows and watch the rare instances when sunshine would penetrate the dark clouds above. Very little hope shone down on the people of the lower levels. But the kids of the higher levels, the ones on the first floor, above the clouds, they had all the sunshine they wanted, and took it all for granted.

So when Beatrix and Hec-Tor pickpocketed and stole a little, just to keep living, just to have. It wasn’t that selfish. When the two crash landed on Etheria for the first time they ventured throughout the land, claiming everything they could, stealing and conquering, taking - just to have. Just because they couldn’t in previous lives.

On that day, after Beatrix stole old Mister Scurvy’s wallet as Hec-Tor distracted him, they both ran off away from the yelling man. Ran faster than they ever ran before, too afraid that the man’s screaming would attract the attention of any local law enforcement, if they got them, it was Confinement for sure, no matter that they were teens.

She huffed and panted so hard she almost fell off her own feet. She had to lean herself on the side of a brick wall in the alleyway she ran into. Just as Hec-Tor joined her, the rain began to pour. He bowed down, arms holding his knees, trying to support his upper body. His ears tilted down. His exhausted cough turning into a cackling laugh, which clearly infected Beatrix since she burst into laughter with him. She didn’t really know how it happened, but he got closer to her, with her pinned against the wall, looking straight into each other’s eyes. As their chuckles settled, her hand ventured down to his hip as her lips made their way to his own. And then, well, they were teenagers, you know what else.

Good memories.

Perhaps memories were just the advantage she needed, perhaps Hordak didn’t despise her as much as she had previously thought. Could it be? The All-Mighty Lord of The Horde feeling... lonely?

“Do you remember the alleyway?”

“Eh, there were... many alleyways.”

True that, after it felt so good, the first time, it sort of became a daily routine for them. Partners with benefits. They used each other to feel better, to feel something. There was nothing between the two, or so Beatrix thought. But perhaps she was wrong yet again. She wished to test that.

She took off her mask. The Weaver mask was a totemic symbol back on HordeWorld - representing strength and authority. And underneath that mask, was a woman. A broken woman, with scars and stiches, missing flesh. Something many would call a monster. But Hec-Tor Kur of House Kur saw nothing but beauty. A magnificent beast that saved him many a times. The girl he fell for so long ago. And Beatrix knew that, knew it was the moment she locked her toxic waste green eyes with his blood red, which shimmered in the light of the cell. She knew straight away, his weakness.

“Look at me, Hec-Tor. So frail. I wasted away. So little of me left... The Council was right. No matter what power I aim to tame, I fail, I never amounted to anything, like they predicted. I know you’re disappointed to have me as a partner on this venture... But… I miss the alleyways. When we had nothing. Back when so little felt like so much.”

It worked. The seemingly cold and calculated persona cracked. His facial expression changed, from irritation, and anger to a certain softness, maybe pity. He breathed in heavy, and out through the nose. He took a step closer to her. The cell was a snug fit so his leg was already brushing hers.

“We do have nothing, Beatrix. We are the last of our kind. We have little, but we can have it all. You are not a failure. We are not failures. There is a reason why I haven’t just simply executed you like a common thug... I miss those days too. But we still have time.”

The Hordak kneeled down, lowered himself to be closer to her. This was it - the moment of truth. He clearly had no idea what to do with his hands, so one rubbed its thumb and pointing finger together in anticipation, while the other hovered in the air half open awaiting her permission to proceed. The Weaver of Shadows accepted it, took hold of the old vampire’s hand into her own, intertwining their talons. Old scared skin taking comfort in one another, something familiar, in an unfamiliar world.

“We will have our people back. We will terraform this miserable planet! And we will be the new gods of a new utopia... And... though we never seem to see eye to eye... even if all it was, was physical, there is no one I would rather stand with and watch this world transform into hope, because you are my partner. This is our mission.”

Beatrix was the first to move forward. And Hec-Tor quickly followed suit, he closed his eyes and opened his fanged mouth. And the blissful moment was brief, but glorious, the space bat even let a pleasing hum escape him. And perhaps Beatrix would’ve let it go on longer, it wasn’t often that she had pleasures like these. But this situation was dire, and also, she was really tired of looking at the same white walls all day. She decided she earned herself a little walk to stretch her legs.

Hordak knew there was something wrong - his mouth became colder, and something wriggled inside that made him choke on his own breaths. Shadow Weaver rose up, straightening her legs completely, while Hordak bent down, onto his knees. The Dwarf Stone absorbed all darkness present on all surfaces, rendering her powerless, but the magic stone’s reach was limited. Cause Hordak’s entire inside of his body was nothing but darkness - so many shadows coating all of his vulnerable entrails and organs. She wasn’t going to paralyse him permanently, she wasn’t that cruel - just because of their history, she could show mercy.

Hec-Tor’s face pale and sick, his body limp, blood pooling around his organs, he fell on the floor. Shadow Weaver took a good long heavy breath, perfect. She placed the mask back over her face, and approached the wall of the cell through which Hec-Tor entered. Firmly placed her palms on the stone and pushed against the wall. The ethereal shadows twisted and morphed and drilled into the wall, she didn’t have much time. Every second the walls drained away the shadows, Hec-Tor had very little left in him, and the bright magic of the material weakened her, so little strength was left in her.

But there it was, the sound of the stone cracking. She wormed her fingers into the crack, enlarging it, chipping on it. The rock crumbled down, exposing the metallic layer underneath it. That was it, her window of opportunity. She commanded the shadows to bore into the mechanisms, and the shadow beast tore the panel wide open. The steel bending and ripping was extremely satisfying. Weaver loved the look on Grizzlor’s face as he took in what just happened. The witch made quick work of him, throwing him off to the side with the dark mass. She sighed in relief, she wasn’t free yet, but she had plenty of material to work with. The shadows from smallest corner to the largest corridor converged around her, swirling like a vortex.

“Now this is something I can work with.”

#hordak #shadow weaver #my own repost because i can #shadowdak #weaverdak #also on ao3

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yunsoh · 3 years

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i wish i could share in ur visions of badass deadass machi cause that sounds a lot more fun and interesting than how i see her

tbh it’s easier to run wild and free with her when you realize that the most we see from her by the end of the story is the absolute babiest of steps out of her shell and into her own person, and that where her story ends in canon is absolutely just a starting out point for her lmao. for me personally, i think it makes sense to think of her progression beyond where we last see her as her leaning more into expressing herself, but in ways that can still be considered as somewhat detached -- which is namely through fashion sense (which is a big step for her imo, considering her wardrobe to the bitter end is very emulative of her mom’s wardrobe, and i think her deciding how she wants to present herself -- which i love to imagine is way less conservative and errs more towards “don’t give a shit” grungy/alt/artsy/etc looks considering her vibe but again, wide open field here -- would still be pretty challenging to her). obviously this wouldn’t translate as well with school uniforms and all but i live in the college au portion of my brain at all times so. a non-issue 4 me personally. in this vein she absolutely gives into chopping her hair off with kitchen scissors.

and then how she expresses herself emotionally is something that i think would present as more of a challenge, if only because she’s soooo deeply private and so attuned to repressing herself. while we see her start to give more into the side of her personality that’s more quickly irritated, flustered, and even loud, this is something reserved for certain people -- but i can see her starting to cozy up to the idea that she doesn’t have to completely repress all of her emotions in social settings. her repression in the first place is born out of this expectation that she only exists to do a job; everything else is disposable. and while losing that goal (ie the inheritance matter), followed by being completely set aside emotionally & physically by her parents, was extremely disarming to her sense of self, this is in the end her big character challenge -- creating her sense of self, essentially from the ground up, is (hypothetically) intimately wound with her character arc. anyways i think there would be this period of time where she actually kind of owns the fact that she’s pretty aloof, and i think her finding some power in choosing how to express herself (rather than feeling that she has to completely hide herself) would make her a little intimidating LMAO..... idk i just love that vibe for her.

overall i just characterize her in my head as eventually fully rejecting the way she was raised -- to be quiet, perfect, to do the job and nothing else -- in ways that are healthier for her than repressing so long and hard that she only turns to destructive tendencies. and while i do absolutely believe that that’s an issue that takes a long fuckin time to fully work through and process, i at least want her to have some fun with herself as she does.

#fruits basket #machi kuragi #sorry this turned into a whole thing machi is just completely on the brain today #also ig i wouldn't characterize her as 'badass' necessarily but i reject the idea that she's boring #she's not she just got fuckin nerfed by the plot lmfao #answered #Anonymous

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bemused-writer · 4 years

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Witch Hat Atelier Fairy Tale Pictures

What does one do when they have insomnia? Write more meta, of course. Since I went over the Valentine pictures for Witch Hat Atelier, I figured it would be fun to also over-analyze the fairy tale pictures! I'm just going to preface this with the warning that it's been a little bit since I've read any fairy tales so... if I get anything wrong that is why. (^^)"

I'll start with Coco here, who is very fittingly depicted as Alice from The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. There's no doubt that Coco has landed in a mad world, one she's always dreamed of but found to be much stranger than she expected. She's curious and bold, so Alice seems like a good pick. I don't think that kid was scared of anything. 8D And she was definitely willing to investigate everything around her! Having said that, she wound up in a lot of trouble because of that, and while things turned out all right in the end, there was a lot of danger along the way. Perhaps Coco's journey will be similar.

Agott is Snow White, but she's not about to be tricked into eating that poisoned apple. If anything, she might be the one experimenting with it! Visually, Agott fits Snow White pretty well: fair skin, dark hair, etc. There's also the matter of her liking company more than she lets on (our "seven dwarves" or just the other students). Another thing about Snow White: she's very helpful and diligent. She cooks and cleans with all her might. Likewise, Agott works hard to teach her fellow students (Coco in particular) and winds up being more of a team player than she probably expected. Because of Snow White's helpful nature, I think it's fair to expect Agott to take on a similar role in terms of being someone you can rely on; I expect Coco will come to rely on her as the series goes on.

Tetia is ... Puss in Boots? I think? I can't read the Japanese there. Anyway, assuming that's what she is, I have to admit I'm not terribly familiar with the tale, so I looked it up! It seems to be a rags to riches kind of story that emphasizes working hard and passing various trials. Wikipedia also notes it emphasizes dressing well, and Tetia is certainly stylish with her desire to customize her future witch's hat.

So, the rest could certainly be applied to Tetia. She works very hard and always with others in mind and she may have been poor. We know the least about her, so it's hard to say much about how she's similar to Puss in Boots outside of her being courageous and working hard for her goals.

Olruggio's makes me laugh. XD I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be Sleeping Beauty (I think the vines are a reference to what the Prince fights to get to her?) and that's fitting enough because, well, the man really wants to get some rest. However, let's not leave it at that and let's see if we can find something a little deeper to his being Sleeping Beauty!

Well, Sleeping Beauty is induced into a magical sleep that can only be broken by true love's kiss. And she falls into this slumber because she's been cursed. As we know, things haven't been going great for Olruggio in the latest chapter and he has been "cursed" to lose his memory. A symbolic sleep, if you will, where he is unaware of what is happening around him, just like Sleeping Beauty. Likewise, this can only be broken if something jogs his memory. Whether it's a "prince" or not remains to be seen.

Qifrey is continuing the Alice in Wonderland theme to compliment Coco, which is suiting once more. He is the rabbit that so famously led Alice deeper and deeper into the mad world of Wonderland and, well, that kind of speaks for itself here. (^^)" The rabbit may not have had evil intentions, but he wasn't perfectly helpful either.

Tartah is Pinocchio, and I like this take in particular. He wants to be a "real boy." That is, he wants to make his way in witch society regardless of his impairments. Pinocchio finds joy in the end when his wish is granted after he's honest, and as we can see Tartah is an honest boy. Perhaps this means happiness is in his future and he will be permitted to study magic? That would suggest witch society itself changes, and that couldn't hurt.

Beldaruit is the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, which means we now have a trio of madness being passed from teacher to student. The Cheshire Cat largely amused itself and had no qualms with messing with people. Yeah, I can kind of see how Beldaruit fits the bill... But the Cheshire Cat didn't really intend to cause harm either; arguably it offered advice. Beldaruit is always extending his hand to others, but it often results in the negative (Qifrey and Coco both). Will he be able to change this in the future now that he has a new student?

We don't know Suzie too well yet, but here she is portrayed as Cinderella! Hard working, stylish, and a wish fulfilled all characterize this princess, and I can see these qualities in Suzie as well. She must work hard to be an assistant at her age and she definitely has style. Will she have a wish granted? Hard to say at this point, but I'm rooting for her.

And then there are all of the Knights Moralis depicted as mermaids. This is actually quite fitting: nowadays we have a tendency to think of mermaids as positive creatures. Beautiful, alluring, all of that. But they're also dangerous and willing to lure sailors to their deaths. Likewise, the Knights Moralis should be trustworthy and they're certainly all very stylish, but as we've seen they take their methods too far and become more like vipers. Fitting indeed.

Riche and Euini share the same theme: Little Red Riding Hood with Riche as Little Red and Euini as the Wolf. This fairytale gets interpreted a lot of different ways, but straightforwardly it's about a girl trying to reach her grandmother while being hunted by a wolf. We know Riche cares deeply for her brother and wants to make him proud. We also know that she and Euini are inextricably tied together, though the hostility of the relationship in the original fairy tale is replaced by mutual care and growth. They need each other and have learned from one another. Riche takes the lead and Euini follows, sort of like Little Red and the Wolf. I'd say these two are the closest we have to a "canon" couple, so it makes sense they'd share the same fairy tale.

And that's all I got for now. (^^)

#witch hat atelier #Bemused's post

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yeojaa · 4 years

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SUGAR HIGH, chapter ii. (w. JJK)

You're not entirely sure when it happened, though you'd come to terms with it. You'd counted the days, waiting for the inevitable. You'd truly thought you'd be okay, but by the broken, half-beating thing in your chest - you knew you'd never really been prepared.

alt summary. You thought you’d known real love and maybe you had - it just wasn’t with who you thought.

pairing. jeon jungkook. mentions/involvement of ot7.

tags. angst, break up, post-break up, comfort, OT7, slow burn, friendship, moving on, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, emotional bagge, fluff, canon compliant, jeon jungkook is bad at feelings, jeon jungkook is a good friend, jeon jungkook is a sweetheart.

rating. general (for now?)

word count. ~2250

chapter 2. When the Morning Comes

You're reminded of who you were before him - full of wonder and life. You remember who was at your side, skipping in the street and screaming up at the stars with you. You think maybe it isn't so bad.

You've never been a heavy sleeper - though some would say differently. You take hours to fall asleep, drifting just at the periphery of dreams for what seems like forever. You startle easily, drawn from sandman's enticing embrace by any shift in your surroundings. You also snore, as everyone likes to remind you, but that doesn't mean anything.

The sound of knocking catches your attention slowly. It feels like a half-remembered dream, the incessant tap tap tap barely breaking the haze of sleep.

Then the familiar ring of your phone pulls you further past the barrier of la la land. This surprises you, yanking your spine upward and nearly causing you to knock the device off your pillow. You'd set it to Do Not Disturb and yet here it was, drowning out the sound of your complaints like it was its job.

You fumble, fingers still tingling from being cradled beneath your head all night, and swipe at the screen. Your best friend's face stares back to you right before the screen goes black and the knocking resumes.

"I'm coming!"

The shout is a garbled mess, throat hoarse from sleep and perhaps, the endless crying you've done the past few days. You're up before you can think anything of it, eager to cease unrelenting noise that feels like a drill straight to the temple. You don't even have time to consider how he knows you're here before you've stumbled out of your bedroom and all but run to the front door. If you had, you might've been ready.

Jungkook is rocking from foot to foot, the strap of his backpack digging into his shoulder. He leans his forehead against the door frame, frustration evident in the slope of his shoulders and squared turn of his jaw. A yawn presses past pursed lips, barely stifled by the wide hand that rises to catch it.

He's tired. God, he's so tired.

He'd come here directly after he'd landed. Really, he hadn't had a choice.

Not when Minji had texted him asking if he'd seen you since being back, asked whether you were doing any better. It hadn't been her fault that he'd nearly choked on his coffee when the question had appeared on his screen, little Katalk bubble a practical punch to the gut.

No, it 'd been your fault - but he could never fault you for this. Not when he knew how hard it was.

Losing the person you loved was never easy. It had happened to him the day you'd met Seunghoon, after all.

You've swung open the door, standing in the doorway in your over-sized sweatpants and crumpled tee shirt, strands of of spun-gold more akin to a hay bale than a crown. Sleep lingers in your gaze, pulls lids lower over your melancholy stare, and it takes you a moment to truly realize who stands before you. In fact, your body responds before your mind can catch up, feet carrying you over the threshold of your apartment and into the widespread arms of your best friend.

"Kookie." The word falls like a prayer, reverence lacing the seldom-used nickname. It disappears into the width of his chest, the softly worn black tee shirt muffling the hiccup that jumps off your tongue, drawn forth by emotion you can't quite keep down.

His bag sits on the ground forgotten as he embraces you like he hasn't seen you in years - and it feels just as long. He hasn't been home in too long.

"I'm here."

You hiccup once more and immediately regret it, a storm of sadness sweeping you up as they sound fills the cavern of his hug. Before you realize it, you're unloading, fully sinking into Jungkook's comforting hold.

It doesn't matter that he's younger than you - just barely, but still something you remind him of at every opportunity, much to the amusement of his hyungs - or that you're whispering apologies against the now-damp cotton of his shirt. He cradles you like he could hold you here, trapped in this tiny reprieve while the sky storms down upon you. He holds you like you're porcelain, like you could break at any moment, like you aren't already coming apart at the seams.

You stand like that for what seems like forever, his large palms rubbing soothing circles across your back. His chin rests gently atop your head, ignoring the way your baby hairs tickle his nose. He notes the way your roots are starting to grow in more, the inky black a stark contrast to the honey blonde you've been modelling for the past few months.

He feels more than sees the way you slump against him, tired. You're breathing quietly now - he can feel each rise and fall of your shoulders as you regulate the intake of air - and he shifts.

"As nice as this is, let's go inside, okay?" This elicits a partial laugh, halfhearted and wet. He doesn't mind though, because then you're shifting, allowing him to usher you back into the warmth of your apartment. His large palm never leaves your side, thumb settling with practiced familiarity against the dip of your hip, while he scoops up his backpack with his free hand.

Once inside, Jungkook reminds himself he hasn't been here in years. Still, it feels familiar. That's nice.

With the door carefully shut behind him, lock twisted, he focuses once more on you. There's a grief in his eyes, steeped deep in the brown of his irises. It presents itself when he tilts his head, inspecting you from beneath a frame of chocolate and teal.

You look so small, folded in upon yourself as you pick at the edges of your nails. You're frayed at the edges from tearing yourself apart and being torn apart.

It breaks his heart.

So he does what he knows how, what he's known for. He steps forward, drifting a long finger through your tousled mess of bedhead, and flashes the most endearing grin he can. "You really need to do your roots," he teases, tugging gently on what used to be a uniform ringlet before tucking it neatly behind your ear. The smile doesn't fully reach his eyes. Or perhaps, it's your own misery reflected back at you from the person who knows you best.

"Shut up, Jungkook." You're mumbling as you move, feet shuffling from cold floor to the fuzzy area rug. Your knees hit the couch before you meet his eyes, offering a grateful smile.

He feigns offense, hand sprawling across his chest as if your words were bullets. So much for being a bulletproof boy scout, you think, as he settles down beside you, immediately drawing you into the crook of his elbow. Still, he says nothing as you two settle back into the same comfortable silence you've always known, the only sound your occasional sniffling and his wide, unobstructed yawns.

Then it dawns on you.

"How did you know I was here?"

It's shame more than anything that has you pulling away, neck craning to get a good look at him. You feel awful as you inspect him, taking in the heaviness under his eyes, the sleepy turn of his Bambi eyes. He looks like he hasn't slept well in ages, though you're sure he'd say it was simply a consequence of his lifestyle.

As expected, he makes some sort of dismissive motion, as if that answers your question. He's surveying the room, taking in everything that has changed - and all that hasn't.

You remain silent, waiting for a proper response, and level him with a stare he squirms under.

"Minji messaged me," he finally answers in a rush.

You're about to proclaim, words forming around indignation. Not at her or at him, but yourself. You know they're both only trying their best to be here for you. To sooth the ache as best they can, by filling your cracks with their love and unending goodness. It brings a fresh round of tears to your eyes, little pinpricks of emotion softening your gaze until his expression is but a blown-out silhouette of disappointment.

"I'm just confused why you didn't tell me."

The hurt that colours his words black and blue make you want to leap out of your skin. You'd never wanted to do this to him.

"I'm so sorry," you begin strong, the apology a plead and a promise - to never lock him out again. Not from the house you'd built together all those years ago, pieced together into an imperfect masterpiece. "You're just... so far away. And that's not your fault. You've got so much going on and I'm so happy for you. I love that for you. I know how important this is to you and how hard it is. I didn't want to take away from any of that."

You're fiddling with your hands again, not meeting his eyes as you speak.

You only look up when he's pulling you to him, all but dragging you into his lap. Your head finds a home in the space between his head and shoulder and you settle there, forehead hot against the curve of his neck.

He hasn't held you like this in a long time. It wouldn't have been appropriate.

But here and now, it feels exactly like home. You want to capture his warmth in clear glass jars and display them for everyone to see. You want to wear his hugs like the lining of a coat. His arms beckon you back, like a bed you've been away from for too long.

"Soomi-ah, you'll never bother me. Not even if I'm across the world."

There's a finality to his words - something that makes you feel foolish for thinking you ever would. It makes your arms wrap around his neck as you nod, not saying a word in response. You know he understands.

"I'm still sorry." You finally manage, peering up at him and drawing a quiet chuckle from his chest. You're so close to him that his face has become unfocused. The flutter of an eyelash, a quirk of his lip, the flash of teeth as he drags his bottom lip between them. You don't see the way he rolls his eyes but feel the shift of his limbs, long and lean as he rests his feet against your coffee table. You feel it when he flicks your forehead gently, patting the side of your head with the other.

He doesn't need to say anything. He knows you understand.

"Are you tired?" It's almost a whisper but you know he hears you as he hums, head just barely lolling back against the soft back of the couch. "I'm guessing you didn't sleep on the plane? You can take my bed, you know--"

"Here's fine." The return cuts you off, effectively ending your apologetic rambling.

Nodding to yourself, you move to extract yourself from his limbs but are effectively held in place by a hand on your hip and an arm around your knees. Jungkook seems perfectly intent on sitting here, framed in the late morning light filtering through the windows. "You're so stubborn," you muse. Still, you feel lighter now, as if he's taken on some of the weight. Your own personal Atlas.

You wonder if you'll ever be able to repay his kindness.

You hope, as you drag the soft grey throw over the back of the couch over your bodies, that you can.

When you stir, clawing past the edges of sleep, the sun has just disappeared over the horizon and your home is bathed in diffused light. Beneath you, Jungkook is curled around your petite form, his delicate snores breaking the cozy silence. He's still sound asleep, un-moving save for the occasional twitch of his fingers or readjustment of his cheek against your head.

You do your best not to disturb him, allowing yourself to remain cocooned in his embrace as you study the ink on his hands, stark black a contrast to the gold of his skin. You admire the way his knuckles shift when he adjusts, the neatly-trimmed crescents of his nails. His watch is loose on his wrist, the weight of it resting heavy against your knees.

You try to memorize this feeling, commit it to the back's of your eyelids when they flutter shut in satisfaction.

"I'm hungry."

His rough, dream-laced voice draws your attention as he presses his face into your hair. He inhales once, twice, what he imagines sunshine and first love smells like. His grip moves, hand under your thigh as he draws your legs straight out to sprawl across the loveseat, massaging comforting figure eights into the joint of your knee when one cracks from the change in posture.

"Then I'll make you food." As if it's the most obvious answer in the world, you inspect Jungkook's adorable, drowsy face, the softest expression upon your own. Your hand closes the distance, powder soft skin patting the expanse of his cheek before settling easily against the curve of his jaw. "Take a shower first, though. I've got some of your clothes in your old drawer."

You're up and out of his lap before he has time to react, standing uneasily on legs that cramp the moment feet meet the floor. You cast him a shy smile when he steadies you without asking, gently caressing his mop of dark hair.

"Kimchijeon sound okay?"

"Always."

You hum, pleased by his easygoing nature, and disappear around the corner. "Now go get decent."

notes. because i don't really know where this story ends, i apologize if the pacing is off. i’m just trying to keep these two kids wrapped up in this cotton candy castle for as long as i can. as always, feedback deeply appreciated. <3

#bts fluff #bts #bts fanfic #bts fic #jeon jungkook #jungkook #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fic #jungkook fluff #jungkook x you #jungkook x reader #jungkook x oc #work.zip #bestfriends.zip #sugarhigh.doc #jungkook.doc

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faerune · 3 years

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all of storytime & basics for vera 🧡🦾

Age, Birthday, Star Sign 27! She was born July 29th, 2050 and that makes her a Leo!

Gender Identity Cis lady!

Orientation and Relationship status Bisexual and as of a ~month or so post-game taken by Thotty Silverhand

Race and Ethnicity Mexican and russian (only about a quarter because her dad was mixed too)!

Height and Body type 5′10 and as Ms. Stallion puts it curvy, wavy, big titties, lil' waist 😌

Headcanon VA I love Eiza’s voice but I also love canon f!V so I’d say a mix between the two would be perfect.

Occupation Mercenary and solo for a majority of her life! As of post-game she’s a nomad part of the Aldecaldo clan and is a gunslinger for them.

Weapon of Choice Pistols! She loves a pretty pistol. But pretty much any kind of nice gun she digs but she finds pistols to be her Thing.

Hometown and current residence Heywood, Watson, Night City babey! Currently living on the road!

Do they have any markings, piercings or scars? Yes! She has a bunch of piercings on her ears but none anywhere else, lots of scars on her body from various fuckery gone wrong and a ton of tattoos. Most notable tattoos are her mother’s date of death, a really pretty brightly colored tiger, twin pistols on her hips, Johnny’s dumbass tattoo, and a quote from For Whom The Bell Tolls for Jackie.

Do they have any notable features, like horns, tails, or so on? Haha no. Other than that, she dyes her hair pretty often (pink, blonde, etc) and of course she’s got pretty glowy orange eyes when she’s messing around with her holo.

Own any pets? Nah. I can’t see her adopting the canon cat either just because like...she’s going to die so soon and leave that poor thing unattended. I can see her giving it to Judy lmao.

Have any kids? NO. And I refuse to let myself rationalize her having babies I will not succumb to my baby fever.

Can they cook? Can they bake? Lmao no. Vera is comically bad at both. There’s a reason why she lives on street food and fast food.

Can they sing? Can they dance? Vera isn’t a bad singer but it usually only happens when she’s alone or when she’s very drunk and singing with others. She loves to dance and is good at it. She’s a club rat at heart.

Can they drive? Yes, very well to the point where she’s hopping onto sidewalks and squeezing through cars during traffic. Luckily, Night City c*ps have more than enough on their hands so she rarely has gotten trouble. She prefers bikes to cars especially since the traffic in the city can be so bad. And she loves the wind in her hair.

Can they fight? Yes! She prefers ranged but her father taught her hand to hand when she was younger and she sometimes sparred with Jackie (not with Vik he’s too much for her lmao). Vera doesn’t have much constitution so she can’t last very long esp against bigger opponents but she relies on being fast and taking people by surprise.

Have any special keepsakes? Other than the bullet necklace that she chucks the minute she leaves night city...not that I can think of. Johnny’s gun possibly. I’m thinking he might let her just keep it.

What’s their family like? Who’s in it? What’s their relationship with them? Complicated and dead. Vera was an only child. Her father was a Russian gunrunner when Heywood was a mix of the Valentinos and Russian mob warring over the streets. She had a complex relationship with him. He was who she predominantly lived with due to her mother’s problems with addiction and owed debts. Vera was his pride and joy but he also emotionally and physically abused her in the name of making her strong enough to survive Night City. He taught her how to shoot, how to fight to not trust corpos and c*ps, how to work the streets, etc. Hitting and abuse was a common punishment for her doing things she shouldn’t...even just being a kid. Vera never really knew what she was going to get with him - praise or a fist. She wanted his approval so, so badly. Growing up in Night City isn’t exactly a walk in the park and she was exposed to a lot of awful things too young and her father was one of those reasons why. He was the one who encouraged her to shoot her first person.

Her mother was a joytoy and not on good terms with her father. She struggled a lot with mental illness namely addiction. Vera would live with her/have visitation with her every so often but it was always back and forth when her mother would relapse. One of her most prominently emotional memories Johnny sees when they merge is when she visited her mother once after an overdose.

Her mother loved her very much. Adored her. Vera realizes after a lot of misdirected anger and resentment of her mother that she was a victim. It’s why she has so much stake in Evelyn’s rescue.

Are they literate? Did they go to school? How long? What level? Vera is literate! She’s not exactly about to read Shakespeare but she gets by! She did go to school and just barely graduated highschool. After that, nothing else. School of hardknocks was the name of the game in the Volakov household.

What was childhood like? Unstable is the best way I can describe it. Even with all the violence and awfulness in her life she did have good moments. Worked on cars with her friends after school when they hung out at the mechanics shop. Broke windows and snuck into abandoned buildings. Bought the cheapest chili dogs from the street and sat on the curb shooting the shit with her friends. Padre was a pretty big influence on her too - him knowing her mother through distant relation. Her mother often took her to church when Vera was with her and Vera always looked forward to talking to Padre and the other attendees.

What was adolescence like? Lmao also unstable and wild. Vera was a rebellious kid and hid it well from her father (seemed like he taught her too well). Drank and picked up smoking but specifically stayed away from hard drugs. Dated and broke up and got very bad at relationships. Prioritized school a lot less. Started participating in street racing!

What’s their current main conflict / what do they do to tackle this conflict / how have they changed over time? (I just smooshed these together) Throughout 2077, I’d say that Vera is faced with the breakdown of a lot of her idealism. She’s slowly coming to terms with the fact that Night City isn’t how it is supposed to be. Johnny confuses her some. Vera hates corps and c*ps but it has always been an avoid and fuck over instead of change type of attitude. Growing up in Night City she just has always accepted how it is.

She also learns to value her life and impact on the people around her. Vera so wants to be a big name, a drink at Afterlife, a legend. But then she meets all these people who she looked up to and sees how much they have suffered because of Night City and that drive to fame. Johnny died for his cause and his legacy and all that he was left with was the permanent damage he had done to the people who cared for him and an unmarked grave.

Vera grows less idealistic, more paranoid and realistic. She grows tired. She questions if what she has been fighting for in this awful city is really worth it. Night City has consumed so many people - Jackie, Johnny, Alt, her mother, Evelyn...

Judy leaving Night City and telling her that she’s never felt more free, River’s sister commenting that since River left the force he has never been happier....they all impact her and make her think.

Finally, it hits her that being important to the people she cares about and even having an impact on those around her is enough of a legacy for her. She finally breaks free of how cancerous and black night city is and values her life and a chance at a fresh start.

And fucking leaves!!! Cherishes her new found family and her relationship with Johnny. They grow together and piece together who they think they are out of their bullshit personas they both crafted to protect themselves in Night City.

#chuckhansen #you always make me WORK airika thank you sm <3333 #asks #oc: vera

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redjennies · 4 years

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by popular demand (two people who challenged me), the official Nott the Brave/Veth Brenatto (alt) country playlist:

Hard Out Here by Hayes Carll: starting off with the song that directly inspired this nonsense. the unofficial Nott the Brave theme song. mvp lines: "nobody's listening so we might as well scream it / OH GOD WE'RE ALL OUT OF BEER / it gets hard out here."

Fuck Up by Sarah Shook and the Disarmers: admittedly I see this one as mostly a Beau song but the lyrics "I'm lousy in a fist fight even if I have a knife" is a little anti-Beau. this song could be one they bond over relating to. mvp lines: "there ain't a thing I can change to get my luck up / god never makes mistakes he just makes fuck ups."

Copper Canteen by James McMurtry: absolutely heartbreaking song with strong Veth/Yeza vibes. mvp lines (bc I can't pick just one): "honey, don't be yelling at me while I'm cleaning my gun." OR "we grew up hard / and our children don't know what that means / we turned into our parents / before we were out of our teens." OR "hang on to your rosary beads / and leave me to my mischievous deeds / like we always do." OR honestly the whole goddamn song, I love it.

I Swear (To God) by Tyler Childers: I'm going to be honest a lot of these are taken directly from my personal hangover playlist and that's a Nott mood. mvp lines: "pay no mind to the words I say / cause they ain't no count anyway / I been ramblin' around and led astray / by the paths that I been choosin' / cuttin' paths like a forest fire / pupils wider than backhoe tires / throwin' my money on a funeral pyre / but it sure feels good abusin'."

Ain't Living Long Like This by Waylon: another off the hangover playlist. also this is where we get into the been to prison themes. mvp lines: "i live with Angel, she's a roadhouse queen / makes Texas Ruby look like Sandra Dee / i want to love her but i don't know how / i'm at the bottom in the jailhouse now"

"Bus Station" by Dave Alvin: yeah so this is a little widobrave, but it's also just kinda a good representation of Nott and Caleb in the early episodes in general. mvp lines: "bus station, at sun-up / she reads the ticket in her hand / it's a different name for the same old town / and this ain't the life that they had planned / and so he tries to tell her / it won't be like the times before / it's a different town and a brand new start / and he's gonna work a whole lot more."

In Spite of Ourselves by John Prine and Iris DeMent (rip, johnny): okay so I had to put a cute Yeza/Veth to counteract that sad one. plus this song has the exact energy as Nott saying "he's not a looker, but he is to me." mvp lines: "she thinks all my jokes are corny / convict movies make her horny / she likes ketchup on her scrambled eggs / swears like a sailor when she shaves her legs / she takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' / i'm never gonna let her go."

False Eyelashes by Dolly: i couldn't leave my mom out. wanted to get a little of the "i'm off doing other things and can't go back to Felderwin" in here. mvp lines: "mom wonders why i don't drive back in that big fine car i own / the truth is i don't have a car and i'm ashamed to go back home."

the next four songs are just classic country "mommas, drinking, and jailhouses" vibin because i'm about it. if you haven't heard that version of Redneck Mother you should listen to it because it's hilarious. it's just Ray roasting his own song.

Mississippi Nuthin' by Shovels and Ropes: this is me being entirely self-indulgent. who knows why I put this one on? is this Veth and Yeza? is this Caleb and Nott? i don't know. i just like the "country kid that gets famous and also missing someone close to them" feel. mvp lines: "you always think i'm bluffing / like i'm some kind of Mississippi nuthin [...] and you tried to drive and wrecked your car / and i had to help you wash the blood out of your hair / cause i've always been that kind of 'go to' friend / or maybe it's true / maybe i'm just the blue collar version of you."

Sunday Morning Coming Down by Kristopherson: yeah, yeah, a lot of these are alcohol/hangover songs but what else did you expect from a country playlist for a character who's canonically an alcoholic? also consider the mvp lines: "in the park i saw a daddy with a laughin' little girl who he was swinging / and i stopped beside a Sunday school and listened to the song that they were singing / then i headed back for home and somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringing / and it echoed through the canyons like the disappearing dreams of yesterday."

Sleeping on the Blacktop by Colter Wall: I just liked the chaotic "on the run" vibe. mvp lines: "hey darlin'! / leavin' for the next town / less'n my sense catches up with me."

I Was Drunk by Alejandro Escovedo: closing song for my tiny sad cursed goblin girl. mvp lines: "i was summoned / by the angels / to be hung beside your picture / not allowed to feel / to touch / to hold / forever imprisoned at long / i called out your name."

#nott the brave #i spent entirely too much time on this #critical role #cr2 #veth brenatto #joke tag #redneck bullshit #music tag

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jewpacabruhs · 5 years

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bruv im still jus. wow. theres so much to say but. do u kno how good it feels... to be jewish, to accidentally fixate on one eric cartman & love him more than any other fictional character for almost seven years now, and then to see him in a little yarmulke, standing at kyle's side while he recites from the torah? do you know how validating that is?

i gotta get personal for a second here. idk how, but in the last few yrs my relationship with my own jewishness has been deeply influenced and intertwined with south park, as ironic and ridiculous as that sounds. i grew up secular, completely nonpracticing; as a child, i was only ethnically jewish, and saw jews as strictly an ethnicity, and a popularly hated one to boot. and it scared me. ive talked about it before, but as a child hearing about the shoah and about antisemitism, i couldn't understand. i thought it was looks for a while, which confused me, because ive got blonde hair and blue eyes and all my family that got caught up in nazi europe did/do too. i remember thinking as a second grader that i would've been spared for that reason; why didn't a good chunk of my family? but i grew up in a mormon neighborhood, with plenty of other blonde kids, and they stayed away from me like i had a disease. this was before puberty, before my hair got a little frizzier and my nose got a little bigger, when i looked just like any of them. but already, at age 8, i was an outsider. i wasn't one of them and i never would be, and they wanted me to know that.

and then i started to get it. it clicked even more once i got to high school and got called a kike every other day - but prior to high school, you know what i found, and you know what really pushed me towards understanding what being a secular jew in america meant? south park. and as a dumb little sixth grader with no critical thinking skills, you know what shaped my opinions on my own people? south park.

and that's good and bad. good because i do sincerely think kyle broflovski is excellent fictional representation for jewish people, maybe one of the top few ever shown on television. he gets on my nerves at times, but he's good through and through, he's well written and multi-dimensional, he's not a walking stereotype but he still has prominent jewish features that jewish viewers can look at and see in themselves, his morals and viewpoints and beliefs are obviously deeply influenced by judaism, hes deeply proud of his heritage and culture... and that all means a lot to me. and by the amount of jewish sp fans that adore kyle, it means a lot to them too.

the bad thing is, yeah, i can't deny it, during older seasons, cartman's treatment of kyle probably taught a lot of young and dumb viewers how to view jews in real life. have i, as a kyman shipper and cartman stan, justified that within a fictional and narrative context? yes. but it doesn't change the real-world effect; south park, but specifically cartman, since he's the mouthpiece, likely did cause some easily-influenced people to pick up antisemitic beliefs. did this contribute to the rise of the alt-right? debatable, but to some extent, possibly. was that m&t's intention and should south park be canceled and denounced? fuck no, i'll always love it lol, and fuck censorship. but it is something that should be taken into account.

matt and trey clearly regret that, and understand that it's no longer acceptable or fitting or needed in today's sociopolitical climate - or, okay, maybe they don't even regret it; they just understand that when fiction becomes reality, the fictional jackass isn't necessary when there's one right there in real life, sitting in the oval office, yeah? old cartman doesn't deserve or need a voice, not when real, awful people actually have one right now. and m&t are actively trying to change cartman for the better and really, really backpedal on his bigotry, while still doing it in a way that makes sense from a story-telling perspective. it's not a complete uncharacteristic change of character; it's shifting with the times and writing it into the character's arc so that it's a logical and plausible development in cartman's story.

cartman's behavior in the last few seasons is consistent character development. m&t themselves are pushing it, and clearly it's sincere; cartman's not faking. unless they're building up a surprise twist over the last, what, three to four seasons, that he was faking the whole time! woah! if so it better be a damn good pay off, because that's a lot of time invested. though that seems more forward-thinking than sp tends to be. they're intentionally stuck in the short-term, aren't they? plot-wise. but their character development is pretty long-term, and right now, cartman is consistently decent, and if it comes across as faking, it's because cartman's over-dramatic in how he speaks, and trey does that intentionally.

that's a tonal thing, and it's hard to say in a fictional character, but as someone who struggles with empathy myself, empathy and sincerity don't go hand in hand. you can lack empathy while still caring enough to sincerely and wholeheartedly apologize for something and mean that apology. not feeling remorse doesn't mean you can't apologize genuinely; the two don't go hand in hand. you can be mentally ill in any capacity, even a psychopath, and still deeply care about things or people, just not in the way someone else might. so you can headcanon that cartman's still a psycho/sociopath, though right now that's actually kinda going against canon, but don't rain on other's parades if they're happy he's exhibiting healthy growth. besides, and i repeat: what could cartman exploit out of faking sincerity for several seasons? nothing, so why bother? he wouldn't, unless it's literal in-show subconscious growth.

does that mean he's magically developed empathy? no. is it becoming less probable he's a legitimate sociopath/psychopath (while still possibly having better-disguised antisocial tendencies)? yes. does he seem to have better coping or anger management skills? somehow, yes! he seems to be legitimately healthier. does this mean he's no longer accountable for his past misdeeds, and even his present, less-severe ones? of course not! and you can still hate him all you want, but modern cartman is not the same as older cartman, and shouldn't be treated as such. because is this growth? absolutely.

he's clearly healthier, even happier. he's less angry, he's still a little shit but he no longer relies on bigotry or cruelty or anger to get the negative attention he thrives off, rather he gravitates towards being simply annoying. you know why he called ice? pettiness, immaturity, a little bit of spite, and a need for silly revenge. he's being intentionally petty, but going about it in a sly but no longer psychopathic way. less hannibal lector and more, idk, regina george, lol. extremely different on the antagonist scale. and cartman's been both.

and maybe it's personal bias on what type of human is worse within fiction, someone unstable and bizarre with violent tendencies (which is how he's come to be viewed in pop culture & some of the fandom, as a result of eps like scott tenorman must die), versus someone inclined towards pettiness and more silent and, i dunno, social-status-and-pride-driven types of revenge (cartman in general when he's not being particularly awful, tbh)... but i think it'd be pretty universally agreed that the latter is at the very least more tolerable, manageable, and even likeable - and certainly more redeemable. let's put it this way; if cartman continued on the path he was on, he'd be one of those tiki holding fucks, wearing a confederate flag hat, and he'd treat kyle soooo much worse. instead, m&t have turned him into a hypocritical false-woke ignorant dumbass - but that's strongly less problematique than it's counterpart, and it works.

because cartman simply serves a different narrative purpose now. and that's not sloppy writing; it's well-timed evolution of a character that stepped into a pre-9/11, pre-trump, pre-social media world! so much has changed, and south park is reflecting that in its characters, most notably in a character who was stuck in the, what, 1960s with his beliefs? that was fine way back when, but matt&trey are smart dudes - they understand that sometimes things have to change. besides, they love cartman, too. he's their favorite. but they understand that when real people act like him, it's not so comedic or satirical or funny, & they don't want to look at cartman, at their creation who they've invested twenty-two years in, and see the all-too-real hate of modern radical white america.

i think we know enough about matt&trey's social stances these days, and the empathy they've seemed to develop after having kids, to understand that they're no longer in their "apathy is best, everyone is stupid" phase. current south park is left-leaning and admittedly preachy at times, but i wouldn't want it any other way. g-d knows it's better this way than if they'd embraced and decided to appeal to their right-libertarian following instead. cartman's evolved in a progressive and positive way, and it's fucking dope, especially to us cartman stans who so badly want him to be good. and he is good right! he's doing so good!

and i know im up my own ass rn but yall know how much i myself have campaigned for jewish kyman/cartman and how much i just deeply and truly adore it, and to see it actualized in a canon episode to some extent? that meant the world to me. i couldn't believe my eyes. i was tellin lai - that's the most genuine, pure, almost violent happiness ive felt in my soul in years. that was like a straight shot of serotonin to the heart. that simple little scene made me so fucken happy yall dont even know. & theres a lot to be said about the political commentary and plenty of other people are analyzing that, but im a simple jewish kyman & cartman stan and boy ive been fed good fjskfkdkdkfk!!!

#in other news #sickly jew shay had her vision white out at school today and almost fell down the stairs #my grandpa has been given a week to live #AND the anniversary of the most important person in my life's death is approaching #and i turn fucking 19 soon and i always have birthday crisises #so fucken superb!#in happier news family guy airs soon and it's unfortunately still a fixation of mine so im unjustly excited #lissen stewie's worn a yarmulke twice in fg canon and i cried then #i love cartman approximately... 50x more than stewie jus bc of longevity and. nostalgia and favoritism #i was in legitimate hysterics #sp continues to be my light at the end of the tunnel jfkskf #mine #txt #sp spoilers #theres so much here im sorry i ramble sm #i struggle w wordz and usin em ironically

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clouds-of-wings · 5 years

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Rating of all Bioware romances I’ve played

(Note: for a lot of people anything under 7/10 seems to basically mean it’s crap, for me everything under 3/10 means crap, 5/10 means it’s okay - because it’s in the middle - and 7/10 is already pretty good. Also if anyone else wants to make a post like this too, that would be cool, I’d like to read it.)

Baldur’s Gate 2

Jaheira - 7/10 lots of long, intelligent conversations I don’t recall at all, it seems weird to romance your mom figure tbh but nice to not have constant drama Aerie - 5/10 here you double as therapist and cause some serious character development. It’s not really interesting though and then she has a kid at the worst possible moment. I’m still torn on whether the whole “if you sleep with her when she first offers, the romance is over” was a good idea. Viconia - 8/10 starter of countless puberties the world over, you can’t just agree with everything she says or she’ll see you as weak and pathetic, which puts this romance head and shoulders over most of the rest already. Crap ending though, and a shame that they didn’t make her bi like they planned. Although, given Drow gender roles, that would have meant having to write 2 completely different romances probably. Anomen - 1/10 uncontroversially terrible, only gets a single point because you can make him betray everything he stands for, then break up with him, strip him of all equipment and leave him wounded in the wilderness, which I have done on at least 2 playthroughs Edwin (fanmade) - 6/10 the romance a million fangirls were waiting for. Starts out great, becomes unrealistic later due to too fast progression and the player’s response choices being too good. No one really talks like that. Haer’dalis (fanmade) - 10/10 the best, the amazing, everything that’s good and pure in the world, I eventually started responding as myself instead of as my character because it felt like he was actually listening to me, peering at me through the screen, and I wanted to know what he would say. The author is a professional writer if I remember correctly, which might expl- ahh no wait I just remembered that the canon romances are written by professional writers too haha oops Yoshimo (fanmade) - ?/10 too buggy to finish but great alt portrait!

Neverwinter Nights

Aribeth - 9/10 a complicated, sensitive and ambitious woman gets a boyfriend who can’t help her. Here you - spoiler alert - help your mentor cope with her husband being sentenced to death by her king for political reasons, fall in love, then she starts a war and you kill her, meet her again in hell and fight the devil together! Best storyline of all romances for sure! Aarin - 3/10 all I remember is that he tells you endless BORING stories of his life, then gives you gifts for enduring them... but my sister likes him Valen - 5/10 very attractive but also kinda boring. I don’t really like the brooding hero type. my sister REALLY liked him though, one bonus point for horns, one for “yes, my love?” Nathyrra - 3/10 I remember absolutely nothing of her romance, actually had to check while writing this whether she even was a romance option. But I didn’t hate it either, apparently.

Neverwinter Nights 2

All main campaign romances - 3/10 they were utterly forgettable, sorry I could not even bring myself to finish either of them - I don’t even remember who the male romance option was. I wanted to romance Sand and/or Shandra, but nooo we had to... I think there was a paladin and that brown-haired druid, right? And some flirts with this manic pixie dream tiefling? Who gets jealous when you romance druid lady but you can’t actually romance her instead? Bishop - 1000/10 I hated the fucker but it’s funny how realistic his “romance” is: the developers cut the plans for his romance but couldn’t be arsed to remove the writing for it that was already in the game (lol this game is such a mess I can’t believe the balls it took to even release it), so you have a guy who keeps insulting you and being a general fedora DOUCHE... and then betrays you and joins your enemies because “my love meant nothing to you”. Unintentionally great writing! Safiya - 3/10 she’s one of my favourite video game characters ever but the romance made me very uncomfortable. Safiya seems like the kind of woman who’d only be attracted to a very specific kind of person and the game doesn’t give you the option of playing as that kind of personality. I ended up breaking up with her because it felt like the game was holding a gun to her head and forcing her to say she loved me. In a way it’s a point in the game’s favour that both joinable female NPCs are complicated, strong-willed women who would realistically probably not be taken in by the rather generic responses the game allows you to give them (out of necessity of course - a game can’t give you 100 dialogue options and let all of them lead to different outcomes, that would take 293482 years to program). Gann - 9/10 honestly my favourite canon romance. Male Viconia, moody, sardonic, tired of being objectified, pretends to be arrogant as a coping mechanism (lol), it’s actually difficult to make him fall in love with you, which is great - I gained influence with him once by calling him ugly, then lost it again for saying I was sorry he lost his parents. Would romance again anytime.

Dragon Age: Origins

Alistair - 8/10 lots and lots of fun. Saw him and my warden more as bros but played the romance just because he’s so much fun to talk to Zevran - 2/10 wanted to romance him until I actually met him. Very much Not My Type. Still had sex with him in the middle of the camp minutes after Alistair confessed his love to me ahahaha Leliana - 3/10 very boring, didn’t get beyond second romance talk Morrigan - ?? have only played the game once & with a woman but would like to try her romance one day.

#bioware #baldur's gate #neverwinter nights #dragon age origins #bioware romances #others should do this too would like to read it :3

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fly-pow-bye · 5 years

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DuckTales 2017 - "A Nightmare on Killmotor Hill!"

Story by: Francisco Angones, Emmy Cicierega, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Emmy Cicierega

Storyboard by: Vince Aparo, Emmy Cicierega, Victoria Harris, Ben Holm

Directed by: Tanner Johnson

A sweet dream.

The episode begins with a big friend-adversary sleepover for Lena, and Webby, the Nephews, and her newest friend Violet were all invited. Even she does not really know if it's been a year since they met, so nobody should think about that too hard. She made them cake, and she even made friendship bracelets for all of them! The boys question how she can be so nice, and Lena says there's no way she can't do something nice for her friends in a tone that does not convince them. The cake making her look like The Slender Man probably did not help.

After accidentally making the candle flame flare up in an evil way, Lena laments that she's just too new to this "good guy" thing. Webby attempts to comfort her by saying that being Magica's living shadow and still being good is good enough, and I can see where Webby is coming from. I honestly forgot she was ever an outright bad guy. Sure, she worked for Magica for most of Season 1, but it's not like she had a choice in the matter. It looked like she had a choice, until Magica revealed she could just take over her body whenever Lena strayed too far from her. While I was taken aback by that at first, the reveal that she's a shadow and not a niece did soften that for me.

Going back to the present, where she is at least an 80% good guy now, Webby prepares for the best friend-adversary sleepover ever, as Lena looks aside with a worried look on her face.

That worry could be a reason why this sleepover does not have that much sleeping. It's 4 AM, and everyone but Lena wants to go to sleep. Even Mrs. Beakley went to sleep, though her spy talent to sleep with her eyes open makes Louie question that. Lena goes to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face, because she really, really doesn't want to have any bad dreams tonight.

Lena: Like Webby said, I don't have to prove anything. Bad dreams can't hurt you.

As if she said "nothing bad could possibly go wrong", Lena starts to get some black strands in her hair feathers, and her eyes go yellow with triangles, much like that evil witch that cast her. As Webby knocks on the door to ask if she needs any you-know-what paper, Lena snips and inevitably gets ready for the next sleepover game...

...actually going to sleep. Lena being out of the room turned out to be a good reason to get that precious sleep. Webby tells Lena that she knows her secret. Simply put, she does not, as she assumes Lena is afraid of the dark. Looking at the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, Lena closes her eyes, and her and her surroundings are shrouded with pink rings.

Lena and the rest of the sleepover suddenly wake up on a deserted island. Louie tries to phone Scrooge for help, only for his phone to have emojis instead of numbers. While doing an okay job at improvising what his "number" would have been, it then turns into a banana. Then a unicorn shows up to give Webbigail the opportunity to go through an extreme obstacle course.

Magically given a top hat and a cane much like her idol, Webby is excited that this mission of her dreams is happening! Lena tries to deny that dreams has anything to do with this, but, Violet says this could be a lucid shared dream state caused by Lena's magical powers. She proves this by making a living flower pop up in her hand, and asks Lena if she's been having any bad dreams.

Lena: Okay. (pulls up black hair) No more secrets.

This one line really shows Lena's character in this episode. She has to continuously hide her feelings while evil seems to sprout from her being, while everyone else gets to enjoy this wacky ride through their dreams. An easy tell for this plot is when the boys decide to take this dream world opportunity to fly in the sky.

Lena gets horrifying evil bat wings that fit the horrifying evil personality she is trying to run away from. Needless to say, she decides to walk. As for the unicorn ends up blinking out of existence, as nobody was around to dream him.

Eventually, that walking turns into running, as she runs away from a giant tree-like-hand in a purple forest. We don't quite get exactly what this hand is supposed to represent yet.

After falling into a hole, she gets up as all of the others land after a great time flying in the sky. We can tell because it's all blue, and that's something that will be consistent with everyone except for Webby's. I guess they wanted to have this being a dream be a surprise, or maybe she's the only one who could dream in color. I would not put it beyond her.

We get to see that school does exist in the DuckTales universe...at least in Dewey's dreams, where he's the biggest teenage star in the school. Clearly inspired by a certain Disney Channel Original Movie, he's a musically-inclined basketball jock teenager who is so cool, even his hair does a thumbs up.

And that's only the tip of the Dewey-berg, as Dewey shows off all the beauty of his dream. He can get basketballs from the tap, perfect for when Lena accidentally busts one open with her suddenly appearing talons. He has a love interest that hasn't formed because he's still terrified of such a concept. Considering the alternative, I am so glad that is the case. There's also this out-of-place section that apparently appears in all of Dewey's dreams, where we see a Dewey crying on a moon made of all of his tears.

Huey: I have some theories.

Distracting from all of that, we have a lovable mascot character named Dewey Dude. He's the best! That silly duck can teleport around, sneak up behind Lena, and, while only Lena is looking, he can even take his head off to reveal...

Magica De Spell: Miss me?

As far as Lena could tell, Magica De Spell had regained her magical powers somehow, and is in a mission to goad her former shadow into embracing the dark side. She pulls down a fire alarm, causing the sprinklers to start, which, because this is Dewey's dream, turns out to be Pep. It's easy to get the chills from this scene...I cannot imagine that Pep could get out of their feathers that easily, even in a dream.

Dewey is not too happy that his dream has been soaked, even if he takes his time drinking that sugary substance. This doesn't become a theme. Louie decides to go into one of the lockers into his dream, and we learn that that they spent all of their creativity points on Dewey and Webby. Definitely the former.

To be fair, how much water can you squeeze out of Louie being a cat? Being a lazy cat who may or may not have a taste for lasagna is pretty fitting for Louie in any case. While everyone else, except for Huey who is just irritated by this, Lena shows up as a rabid dog. Dream Mrs. Beakley, speaking in gibberish to enhance that dream feeling, calls on the dog catcher. Guess who? I kind of wish they found more ways to dress up Magica; most of the time, she just shows up with her hand outstretched.

But what about Huey's own dreams? Dewey already has school-related dreams, so playing on Huey's intelligence by making him go to a super-university for the super-intelligent would be a little redundant. Instead, he just has bigger legs. Not because he wants to be a baller, which would also be made redundant by that lovable blue scamp, but just because he can reach high places. Even the others make fun of how generic this is, and Magica does not even show up.

Instead, Dewey, of course it had to be Dewey, decides to interrupt that leg plot that was going nowhere into a montage. Literally, he says he wants to do a montage, and it happens, because dreams! We see Dewey riding on the Spear of Selene, which could also lead to theories, and we see all of kids walking around a candy rain, with Huey chasing after. It's a neat reference to "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!"

Speaking of references to previous episodes, "What Ever Happened To Donald Duck?!" had Dewey pretend that a Phooey exists beyond an old comics in-joke. In this episode, we get to see him as a dream construct! We finally have a canon representation of this character in this reboot's universe, and that is something I did not expect to see.

This montage flawlessly ties in Lena's part of the plot by having Magica show up again and again. That candy rain ends with Lena getting a rotten apple. Phooey turns around to reveal Magica's face. The Launchpad whale...actually doesn't do anything else other than have something weird for the trailers, but we do see Magica creepily climbing up a chasm.

The kids do the opposite of climbing, as they literally drop into Violet's dream world, where all she does is read books in a library. I can attest that one can definitely read in dreams, despite what that Batman episode might say. Yes, that is all I really have for this one. Violet does not get to do much in this episode. She's only here because she's the most fitting character to explain that lucid dream thing, and because it would be odd to have the new friend from the last Lena episode be left out.

One character that wishes she was left out is Lena, who gets a small glimmer of hope when Scrooge's knocking ends up getting into the dream. Unfortunately, that hope turned out to be false, as it wasn't enough for Lena to wake up. I would imagine the sleep deprivation from earlier did not help. She eventually falls into her black sweater, and the rest of them fall after her to see the cliched scary evil castle. The cliche works very well, since this is supposed to be Lena's dream getting to her most evil point.

In the end, after having an unwanted talk with Magica, she can't stop herself from becoming a monster, as much as she denies it. In fact, she even says:

Lena: (turning into a monster) I AM NOT A MONSTER!

The rest of the kids barge into the door in their dream-sonas to confront who they think is Magica De Spell. Dewey has his basketball skills, Huey has his legs, and Louie even gets to use his cat-like abilities as an actual cat. As for Violet, she just looks the same as she always did. Again, not much to her in this episode.

Unfortunately, Magica-Lena turns out to be too powerful, as basketballs and cats do nothing to her. Huey's legs do not even do anything to Magica-Lena; he just bumps into a chandelier that loosens and stars to fall on where Webby is standing. Oh, not again! Lena does manage to save Webby this time, and, because, this proves that, despite her current looks, she's still the "good guy" Lena.

Well, that, and she was wearing Lena's friendship bracelet, so it must be the real Lena. It would have been hard to see because they forgot to draw it until Webby talks about it.

This all ends with a big tug-of-war between the "good guys" and the Magica in the mirror, sort of summarizing the Lena plot from Season 1 in a more abstract way. It's here where the friendship bracelets come in; it's neat to see that come full circle.

At first, I thought there was going to be some sort of cop-out. I was just waiting for Lena to wake up and realize that this whole scenario was just a bad dream, and that the others were just sleeping as usual. That doesn't turn out to be the case, thankfully.

In fact, there is quite a bit more to this than I expected! I would have been fine with certain elements just being in Lena's head, but the ending throws a small but significant twist that will be expanded on in a future episode.

How does it stack up?

Another episode in the Lena plot, and another one with some twists and turns. Just like the last one, I'm going to put this in the Jaw$ column as well.

Next, gentlemen, behold! Corn(ielius)!

← Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake! 🦆 The Golden Armory of Cornelius Coot →

#fpb dt 2017 #fpb reviews #ducktales 2017 #ducktales #disney

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