#based on a comic i dubbed a long time ago
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number 5: undertale yellow
god i fucking love this game. i love undertale, it's one of my favorite games if not my favorite game of all time. this comes as no surprise to anyone that knows me already, but it had to be said. so, while i haven't been actively waiting for undertale yellow, it absolutely was one of those things i remembered to check every couple of years.
to this day i still remember all the undertale alternate universe comics i read and all the comic dubs i watched (which may or may not have had an impact in my entire career choice). the idea of a full on game based on an au has always been an ideal scenario, a dream even; so to see this finally come to fruition is akin to seeing a dream come true. to see these people, some of which have been working on this project since they were 14 years old, is highly inspiring, and the sheer passion and dedication put behind it is nothing short of incredible.
undertale yellow isn't as much of a "what if?" scenario, as it is the undertale prequel we never got, except it’s made by fans. it feels canon, yet it’s not. throughout its entirety you need to remind yourself, "wait, right, this is a fan game" and it's not something many pieces of fan media can accomplish. we know undertale already, know its canon, characters, world, systems. how do we improve this? well, we can expand the world, add new characters, give a spin on the things we know, improve the systems, create more battle scenarios, etc. and etc. that or, you know, play deltarune i suppose.
i adore deltarune, do not misunderstand anything i'm about to say, but in its current state it's completely unclear on what it even is. it's made by toby fox, it shares characters and a lot of similar aspects, but it's not quite a sequel, is it? as of now deltarune feels like a fan au made game. i love this aspect of the game too, not everything needs a sequel to continue, specially when you've already made such an interesting world you can use. which is where tracking steps back and going into a prequel makes the most sense.
in all the years me thinking about undertale and reading up on theories i never actually thought about the timeline of events. 6 humans fell down, now they need a 7th soul. how long ago have these monsters even been trapped in the underground? what are the humans even doing right now? how big is the underground even? it's not that undertale yellow answers these questions, and frankly it doesn’t need to, but it stirs them up in a really interesting way i haven’t thought of before.
you play as clover, the 6th human soul. yellow. already giving a name and motive to the human may seem weird for undertale standards, but i believe it's one of the game's strongest points. you can distance yourself from clover. he's not you. sure, you control the guy, though not all the time. he has his things to say, he moves around on his own and has his own thoughts. he's way less of a vessel than frisk is. while distancing yourself may sound like a negative, the issue at hand is that we know for a fact clover died in some way or another. you can't exactly change the canon, what you can choose is the path you will take for this to happen.
for most undertale fans, going pacifist is the way, as i did for my first run. i certainly remember watching the demo for yellow back in the day, however it's been so long it might as well be a dream i had once. what did forever stick with me was dalv's battle theme, forlorn. at the time, probably my favorite fan song. ironically, dalv ends up being arguably the most irrelevant character in the game, and his song, probably not the best, although still good. i like dalv though. the new ruins definitely have an older feeling to them, they are the one part of the game that's been around the longest and still works well enough as undertale's ruins did. compared to toriel, a nice and warm character that wants you to avoid battle, dalv is the cold and antisocial guy that wants you gone. he's been wronged, he has his hopes but it's hard to stay positive when your worries are always crawling on your back. i kind of wish he had a more active role in the story, but i digress.
snowdin is where things take a turn. we already know snowdin, but we're in new grounds. it's good to know that there's more to the underground than just the 5 places we see in undertale. each area has so much more to explore, of which we (supposedly) don't really get to see in undertale. there's no sans and papyrus here (they probably wouldn't have been around by that time anyway i assume), no grillby's, no librarby. instead, we get martlet, a new royal guard recruit. martlet works well as both the papyrus and sans of this game (more on that later). she's lovable, she's clumsy, but she's determined. i would say she's something of a coward, but she knows she needs to stand up for others when it's necessary. her naiveté works against her in this regard, though, putting her entire trust in anyone and everything, going as far as to help you get back home. still, snowdin is a wonderful place to walk around. the music is beautiful, the slight hue change is a really nice tone and getting to see a different side of the place we already know is generally great to do.
the dunes are a nice change of pace. not sure how going from the snow to a desert works in the underground, but it fits the cowboy hat, so it was a must. the dunes is where the game starts to show its strength. for starters, i absolutely adore the battle theme shifts for every zone, the dunes being my favorite one. it adds so much character to the encounters, along all the creative bullet patterns, character designs and animations. which is perfectly exemplified with the feisty four (the j is silent). they are as pure of a version of toby fox's comedy as you can get. the entire "training" process is the goofiest thing imaginable, they're really likeable (my favorite was moray if you care to know) and go to show that monsters don't want anything more than to be happy. starlo, or north star, is a great character. here we have a clumsy, delusional farmer wanting to play cowboy for everyone to enjoy. he shows off as upbeat and confident, although clouded through his way of treating life as a game. he eventually learns people care about him for who he is, and that he doesn't need to do everything for the rest, showing off another, kinder, side of him. by the way, his fight with the soul being tied by the lasso is genius work.
here is also where ceroba gets introduced, the kitsune that has more to show than it would initially seem. his husband is apparently dead and his daughter in serious condition. you travel with her through steamworks learn about her, her husband and a bit of the conditions of the underground. while i'm gonna be avoiding questioning the idea of corporations in the underground, other robots besides mettaton being designed for different tasks and, specifically, dealing with humans, is great. i don't have a lot to say about steamworks besides the fact the really aggressive vending machine is extremely funny to me.
now ceroba’s backstory is really cool and it brings up something i wanna talk about in detail about the game. ceroba, and chujin (her husband) for that matter, are the monsters in this game that are the most judgemental about humans. while she still comes around and understands that not all humans may be inherently bad, such is your case in the pacifist, it still is her duty to get your soul. monsters aren't that different from humans, that's what undertale has already established. yet, the question we're not asking is: how different are humans from monsters? she's not wrong. clover may be the best human you'll ever meet, but you can't know for sure what will happen in the surface. undertale's pacifist ending seems to imply everyone is happy in the surface, as it is what everyone has been wanting for years. but what if it's not the case? monsters need to find ways to survive. they need to do whatever they can for those they care about. boss monsters do not age, unless they have offspring. how can they make sure their children are safe once they're gone? she comes from a place of desperation. she's done something terrible that can't be fixed, getting your soul is the only way. while it's nice to be positive and hope for the best, you can never be sure. kind of makes me wonder why the monsters even want to leave the underground considering they have everything they need there, but still.
this can be solved in one of two ways, killing ceroba or sparing her. sparing her gives you one of the craziest most satisfying endings i've seen all year. you know, humans can be nice. not everyone lives just to spite monsters, a lot of them may not have even been around back when monsters got sealed. we know for a fact clover will die, there is no way to go back home. instead, he decides to do the ultimate sacrifice, and offers his soul for the monsters to keep until the next and final human falls down. otherwise, the other option is to stop her suffering once for all. hope can't fix your mistakes, right? which gives us a piece of dialogue i really liked:
once that is done, you go up to asgore and get killed by him. at least you go out with respect i suppose.
bringing us back to the start, time to kill everyone. i will always find the no mercy runs really interesting. undertale brought a sense of morbid curiosity that made you reflect on your actions. at the end of it all, it is just a game, but it's a game that means something to you. why are you killing the characters you love? can you really go back to normal after what you've done? deltarune is on completely different levels of fucked, going as far as to gaslight someone else to do the dirty work for you. yellow definitely pulls back on the "shame on you" part of undertale, as we're still talking about clover being the one doing this, not necessarily you. it even goes as far as to have clover be the one that decides on his own a lot of the times. can't argue it doesn't feel bad though, the monsters in yellow are all really nice and friendly. in the eyes of a human, why would one care about the monsters that killed all those poor children? it does definitely turn into something much more sinister however. going around in circles killing as many monsters as you can will always be messed up in undertale, unlike most other rpgs. the music shifting down as you go is always cool, alike the original game. the x showing up on new encounters when there's no one else is a nice extra detail.
martlet shows that she still has hope for even those who seem dangerous. others never stop to consider they "why" after all, right? her escaping away may seem cowardish, but i feel it can be more than that. she does genuinely have hope for you, but she still has a backup plan. she knows she's not strong enough to defeat you, she's a bit of a failure of a royal guard, even self-described as not being good at fighting. although maybe too late, she will make sure her actions are just.
as a side note, someone i haven't mentioned is mo, everyone’s favorite entrepreneur. he's funny, what can you say. there is a shift i found extremely interesting from seeing him in the pacifist route to the no mercy run. initially he seems as a clumsy yet passionate guy trying his damn hardest to get off the streets. it means a lot to him that you support his endeavors. when you're killing everyone though? his character doesn't really change, it's the perspective that does. now you get a guy pretty much willingly giving a serial killer what he needs to continue his rampage. now he's not a passionate rascal, but a scumbag narcissist. just something i found interesting.
in the dunes we also have el bailador which i liked as a character, i only hated how his theme restarts for every attack and it sounds pretty bad. this time, simply ignore his rhythm game! fuck you bitch! it fits works excellently for a no mercy route and i dig it. later, ceroba comes back as a boss, right after shooting down north star before you were even supposed to draw your gun (unless you do wait, which at least makes him die with a little bit more pride). her patterns end up being way more touhou-esque than before, really fun fight, even if tough. the yellow soul shooting as it did in undertale is cool and all, but the dash is a really great addition. even if she's supposed to be the undyne equivalent for this game's route, she ends up working as sans with the pattern order and health depletion similar to his karmic retribution. really nice stuff.
steamworks, again, not a lot to say. the roles reversing between axis and yourself throughout the entire section is sublime. you do the chase now, you are the one attacking while he defends, you are the killer robot. another standout moment was the gardener not leaving to fight. found that curious. i definitely drank the poison just to see what would happen (what did you think would happen?).
at this point in the run, i seemingly fucked up and didn't kill all the robots. whoops! you get a letter from martlet asking you to come talk to her, and there she tells you to come back with her and live peacefully. arguably weird in a genocide run. could clover suddenly be forgiven after all that? i guess martlet's just really nice. either way, this is the neutral ending. the craziest of them all.
right! flowey is here. my best friend. he's always had an undeniable presence in undertale, but having him actively help you out and follow you around (instead of stalking you like in ut) puts him in a different perspective. it's nice to see different sides of flowey, even though he may always be hiding his true intentions, and will probably betray you in the end. just like he's doing here, same as he did with asgore. he's a being of constant suffering, he lives for his own sake and uses others for his benefit, not for many reasons besides him having nothing better to do. in many ways, a reflection of the player.
the new omega flowey fight is indescribable. just go play that yourself, or watch it, i guess. an excellent rendition of your best friend / your worst nightmare that may be a bit corny when we're talking about "creepy undertale fan made songs" but works perfectly in the context of the fight. that motherfucker is just creepy. it gives off the exact same feeling the original omega flowey fight did, and i applaud them for that. the style shifts and back and forth between fight and escape. impeccable.
getting back on track and actually finishing the no mercy route. martlet appears, giving us the hardest fight in the game. by now, there's no going back. you've decided this is how you want things to go down, so she has no other option. she may be late, but she will do all she can. she will be the one doing the final judgement. she’s just fucked up. learning the dash is a must for this boss. the visuals are awesome the music is great and the bullets are really creative. i'm not sure if martlet being unpredictable with the order of her attacks is what makes her seem harder than sans, or the fact i've fought sans so many times its second nature by now makes her seem way harder. she's still up there in terms of difficulty though. being divided in two phases definitely made it more complicated though, as i’m running out of items by the end of the first one and end up with barely anything for the second one. the update adding a healing action helped a lot.
up to this point it could be argued the genocide path may be the most canon of them all. none of the monsters we meet are in undertale. all of these events are never mentioned. they're almost part of completely different worlds at times. yet, we go up against asgore and he gets completely wiped. clover gets the monster boss soul and leaves. maybe not the most impactful of the endings, but why would it be? if the goal was to kill and get out, that's what you got. pointless? not sure, that's what you decided to do.
seeing the last corridor again definitely sends shivers down my spine.
more or less, that's how i experienced undertale yellow. yellow is not the color of justice, it's the color of judgement. flowey mentioned that on his fight and i think it puts this game into words. "justice is determined by the winner" or so they say. it's not justice that ends up determining what you feel is right or wrong, but your own judgement. judgement on your actions and judgement over others.
i don't like saying "this is a love letter to x" but, yeah. undertale means a lot to me and it's no wonder yellow ended up being what it is. it knows what undertale is while following its principles and understanding it fully. i could only wish my projects are as resonant with people as undertale and, in turn, undertale yellow are. please, fans, show your passion for the things you love*. you may end up doing an undertale yellow.
*(just don't be a nintendo fan)
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Fav Series to get to know me a little better.
Been seeing a few posts do this and thought it could be fun to try too. No pressure but feel free to join along if you want!
The Sandman- While I've read a few chapters of the comic (which I still need to read more of) par say, the Netflix show adaptation is so freaking good & seriously exceeded my expectations in terms of the visually effects also the storytelling is done so well & seeing Morpheus in live-action is also great too. So hyped for S2.
POSE- I swear this series doesn't get enough attention on it as far as I can tell. Because it's honestly I think one of the best shows I've seen so far, Set during 1980s America during the AIDs crisis with a mostly Black and POC casting that's focuses on Ballroom culture which offers a place of belonging to NY gay/queer communities. This show is a emotional roller-coaster that had me feeling so much for its great characters & it should be watched more by everyone because it's so good.
Arcane- Just seriously one of the best mature adult animated series thus far. Before I got into Arcane the only one or two thing I knew about it was hearing how awesome it was and that its based off of the long time popular online game League of Legends & that was pretty much it. But actually seeing this show upon first episode had me hooked from the start, everything dealing with this show is top-notch. From the fantastic, incredible 3d animation to the mature well-written compelling storytelling, along with well-rounded, morally complex flawed characters that feel so human in terms of the choices they make be it in the wrong or right, also the real banging soundtrack along with it. Just one of the bests series I so far seen.
Primal- Yet another example of really great adult animated series that have come out recently way ago. By the creator of Samurai Jack and Dexter Laboratory, Gennady Tartakovsky Primal is to me a good, well done showcasing of visual storytelling. Just a epic & awesome story about a caveman dub as Spear and his Dinosaur pal "Fang" that bonded over the loss of their families & now goes on a journey together through the violent prehistoric times. I consider this animated show to be akin to art, like a show with zero dialogue & all atmosphere & raw emotions. Just a piece of like animated art.
American Gods-Ah this show, Yet another one of Nail Gaiman works. I have a bit of some conflicted feelings on this show because while its so damned good and I seriously love everything about it on the premise of Gods and Deities from other cultures and mythology living within the modern world & trying to rebuild the influence they've once had on humanity & everything else how this show is put together in terms of visuals also storytelling is great...except for that damn cliffhanger and the fact that the show was cancelled...so yea. Still love it a bunch but eh...yeah.
Tuca & Bertie- Yet another fav adult cartoon show of mine that also got done so dirty yet again but also I feel don't get a lot of attention on it. Made by Lisa Hanawalt who in case you didn't know was the character designer of BoJack Horseman, and I would say Tuca & Bertie is like the less depressed and lesser cynical sister series of Bojack while still tackling some real heavy mature issues and problems. The world of Tuca & Bertie is one filled with mainly anthro bird people and dogs also talking plants people too. The show just has this more off-beat , zany , fun optimistic feel-good vibes going for it that's feels so inventing. But similar to Bojack in a way were its not afraid to get emotional serious about adult problems like sexual abuse or dealing with harassment & treating said issues with tact & maturity while still keeping the show overall light-hearted tone. Should be watched more.
The Midnight Gospel- The short way to giveaway on what this show is or deal with? Can be phase in one way. And that there's should be more animated Podcast. Made by Pendleton Ward the same man behind Adventure Time, I swear this show was quite the experience but in a good way. The animation is so trippy and yet so uniquely creative with using different styles. It follows a dude who goes inside a simulator to different worlds to try to interview people. The talks within this show can hit on many different levels with discussions of coping with loss and death or dealing with the struggles of hoping, a show you should take your time with, but so worth it.
Castlevania- I'll try to keep this one short & sweet. But another real awesome and oh so good adult animated series based off the classic game of the same title. great and amazingly done action /fight scenes as well as also just as wonderfully engaging and entertaining characters that you'll truly end up feeling so much for and the crap they have to deal with. Fantastic beautiful animation also the storyline and plot is just as good as the look of the show. Truly another banger.
AMC Interview with a Vampire- Now, this might sound like a controversial statement. But I deeply think and feel that this series version of interview with a Vampire is ten times more better then the movie. Not! That the movie is bad or anything, I very liked and enjoy the movie...but it never been one of my top fav movies to be honest. But the show on the other hand is so Top-notch on many levels, especially with the great performance of each actor. So Love Jacob Anderson playing as Louis de Pointe du lac and with him as an black man during 1900s America and how that's play into dealing with his vampirism, also his sexuality in terms of black queerness and showing the intricacies of the many challenges also jump ropes a black man having to keep the front of hypermasculinity especially black masculinity in a time era were being black your already seen as less than human is written so damned well. Also Sam Reid playing Lestat De Lioncourt is so fucking both great and entertaining to watch like for real, and Claudia in this show I feel is so much better then the one in the movie. Like I felt so much for her in this series. Like its so good.
Documentary Now- One of my most favorite comedy series that's never fails to creak me up. Like for real if you're interested in or into mockumentaries style of comedy then this show right here is right up there. Each episode focuses on a different "documentary " topic from dealing with a band rise & fall from success to the son of a famous chef overcoming his fears of chickens and taking over for his dad to a broken man that's ends up having a deep connection with a monkey. This show is just something else ^0^ .
Final Space- Final Space is probably one of if not the best adult animated series that I truly feel belongs right alongside with Bojack-Horseman to be honest. It's severely underrated in terms of adult animation which I think it's a shame because it really surprises me with how good it ended up becoming. At first glance looking at this sci-fi themed average typical comedy adult cartoon ended up being and becoming a much more well-rounded, emotional thought out very developed top-notch mature series. What I love about final space is that unlike other so-called “adult” animated shows is that it doesn’t try so hard with its adult humor or go overbroad with how much it tries to make it so “adultlike” such as having non-stop cussing or unnecessary super crude gore or out of place sex & nudity ( which I feel isn't always a bad thing when done right...but some adult cartoons tend to go overboard with it) This show has such a great balance of its comedy while also not afraid to get emotional serious about loss & grief or deal with some real heavy dramatic moments that are treated as serious as can be & isn't treated as a joke or a one off thing like how it would in certain other adult cartoons. One of the most mature animated series I've had the pleasure of watching & still pissed that it was done so wrong.
Welp that's about it! Sorry if this got too long ( ￣▽￣). This is just a couple of series I love. Tag in if ya'll want too!
@iamnmbr3 @dorkynerd23 @lokomotives
@feministfandomforever @uncleasriel
@zinexine @itwv-brainrot @vulgar-mary-p-ppins @captainbarinius @eddawrites @that1-otter @ghostbauhaus @freedom-and-beyond @dreballinarts @youlackconviction @toe-star @gey-scout
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Dragon Ball Super 069 (nice)
This is Super’s Driver’s Ed episode, basically.
All right, I still haven’t read/watched Dr. Slump, so a lot of these callbacks are lost on me. Fortunately, there aren’t that many characters to keep track of in this episode. Dr. Senbei Norimaki, aka “Dr. Slump” is heading to West City to participate in an award ceremony for inventors. Arale and the Gatchans are excited to go along, but he tells her to stay put and mind the house while he’s gone. Big mistake.
Bulma’s family is also attending the award ceremony, although we never find out just what her invention was that got her nominated. It can’t be the time machine, since Beerus destroyed it last episode, so it’s kind of badass that Bulma knocked out at least one other game-changing invention off-screen while the last three or four sagas were going on.
Mr. Satan is the emcee for this thing, and he got Goku a job on the security detail. He had to wear a suit and fix his hair, but neither of these things last very long, so Goku just gives up and leaves his post.
Senbei is surprised when he wins, almost like he only went to this thing for the free food, but he proudly shows off his prize-winning invention, Reality Machine #2. It can walk and talk, by the way. Basically, you direct your thoughts to the machine and it creates your fondest desire, something you’re so passionate about that you’d die for it.
You know, like girlie mags!
Or figurines of yourself! I feel like the characters in this show lack imagination.
Then Dr. Mashirito, apparently Senbei’s arch-rival, shows up to object to his receiving the award. Senbei consults the Dr. Slump comics and confirms that Mashirito died years ago. And he’s right. Mashirito has returned as a ghost. In the dub, he even says he broke out of the “Home For Infinite Losers” to protest this ceremony, and how wild is it that we get an HFIL mention in 2016?
But before he came to West City, Dr. Mashirito paid a visit to Penguin Village, where he fed Arale and the Gatchans a secret elixir called “Playtime X”, which makes them even more hyperactive than usual. His plan is to use Senbei’s own android daughter to wreck the whole place and ruin his big day. Mr. Satan tries to defuse the situation and gets his ass kicked, so he asks Vegeta to intervene.
Meanwhile, Goku’s sleeping out on the grounds like a dog. Goku, you’re the laziest man on Mars.
The Vegeta/Arale fight leads outside, and for a moment it seems like Goku and Arale recognize each other, but they don’t. Vegeta continues to fight, but Arale beats him like a drum. Vegeta concludes that this is because she’s a character from an 80′s gag manga, which means her powers aren’t constrained by the laws of physics. What, like Vegeta’s powers are based on reality or something? I mean, sure, compared to Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball might as well be a documentary, but still.
The best he manages to do is to kick off Arale’s entire head, which horrifies the boys, but Arale’s a robot, so it doesn’t matter.
Anyway, Vegeta gets wrecked because of course he does. This isn’t even the worst humiliation he’s experienced while fighting a female android.
Goku and Arale finally remember each other, and Goku’s basically like “fuck it, let’s just fight.” He goes Super Saiyan Blue and they shoot energy blast at each other.
I guess the Gatchans just sort of wore themselves out? I completely forgot they were in this thing, but I guess it doesn’t matter.
Senbei manages to buy some time by using Reality Machine #2 to make some poop, which Trunks tosses onto the battlefield to distract Arale. This won’t keep her busy for long, but it’s a start.
This gives Bulma a chance to execute her own plan. She had tried contacting Whis to get help from Beerus, but Beerus is taking a nap, and Whis refuses to wake him. So Bulma speaks with the live television audience and tells them to focus their thoughts on Reality Machine #2. Wait, why is this being covered live? And how many people are watching a show like this, anyway? Well, I guess Mr. Satan’s in it, so that might explain its popularity.
Anway, Bulma has everyone imagine their most favorite food, and the Reality Machine combines all those thoughts to produce a single, supremely delicious treat. It looks like the coffee-flavored jawbreaker from the Buu Saga. Has Vegito returned?
Whatever it is, the aroma is so enticing that Beerus smells it from over a kajillion light years away. He wakes up and makes Whis take him to Earth immediately, and picks up the treat. Dr. Mashirito is annoyed to see this newcomer, and starts confronting him...
... so Beerus destroys him. Apparently even ghosts can be destroyed, so I assume this is the last we ever see of this character, dead or alive.
Then Arale annoys him while he’s savoring his treat, and he prepares to destroy her too, until...
... I don’t know for sure, but it seems like Beerus suddenly got diarrhea. He forgets his divine wrath and demands that Whis take him back home immediately.
No one is sure what just happened, but Trunks suspects that Beerus got sick from eating food that came out of a device that previously had poop in it. Sure.
Anyway, Playtime X wears off just in time for Senbei to return home, so the crisis is over.
Meanwhile, Vegeta sulks from the branch of a tree.
This was easily the best episode of Dragon Ball Super until the part where Goku fought Kefla, so I’ve been looking forward to it since I started this thing. This whole series has sort of been screwing around, so it’s about time they started screwing around seriously instead of the half-assed stuff they’d been doing before.
#dragon ball#dragon ball super#2023dbapocryphaliveblog#senbei norimaki#dr mashirita#beerus#whis#goku#vegeta#bulma#trunks#mr satan#arale norimaki#gatchans#reality machine number 2
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An Introduction
I am Kris Ravencroft, author of The Darkwhisper Chronicles.
The Darkwhisper Chronicles is a book series that I am currently working on, and it is not yet released. With the nuances of my writing and storytelling, as well as my protective nature over my creative vision, it is possible my work will be too niche and strict to ever be formally published by a company. If such is the case, then I intend to at least self-publish, unless something catastrophic prevents even that.
I have been simultaneously developing these characters and building this world myself (and for my own entertainment and creative channeling) since my adolescent years: starting roughly between late 2011 and early 2013. It is only recently (roughly a year and a half ago from this post) through changes in my life and the encouragement of a dear friend that I have decided to tell these stories in novel form. If nothing else, doing so would allow me to immortalize my stories in writing and gift them to the friends who have known of them for a long time, but certainly, the temptation to share them with any kindred spirits that might be interested has also driven me forward: especially now that I have reached a place in my life where I am confident I can render these stories with their best possible face.
Currently, I am working on the first nine or so books in the series, seven of which I am -- at present -- writing concurrently. Internally, I dub the nine as "the starter novels/saga" or "The First Wave," as I view all of them to be perfectly valid entry points into the series which will uniquely frame how a reader engages with the rest of them. This is intentional, as with the nature of my storytelling and the diversity of tales to tell, the reader will be exposed to several main characters all at different points in their respective arcs and all driving their entangled stories forward. I currently have over twenty books planned, and in the total absence of padding, my novels are each likely to be between 500 and 900 pages if I can keep myself from going over.
The identity of The Darkwhisper Chronicles is fully fleshed out and that will be palpable in the reading experience, but pinning down how to describe the series is daunting even for me to explain. When reduced to its absolute bare-bones, it is generally an adult high fantasy and gothic horror series -- meant for veterans of the genres -- that also has dramatic (and conscious) shifts in tone, perspective, narration style, and general flavor based on not only the main protagonist of a given novel, but the driving protagonist of a given scene within said novel. These shifts can be from fast-paced and utilitarian to tranquil and contemplative; from heavy and dramatic to light and comical; from adventure to horror; and from swords and sorcery in a medieval backdrop to noir against a diet steampunk backdrop.
It is worth noting that I subscribe fully to the mindset that a protagonist is someone we follow, rather than the hero/good guy/agreeable figure of a narrative, as many of the primary protagonists will be established as flawed people at best and outright villains at worst, and depending on the perspective of the character as it influences my narration, who serves as protagonist and antagonist will shift just as often as the tone and perspective of a story.
These characters -- and the world they live in -- are very near and dear to my heart, and I look forward to eventually being able to share them with others. For now, I am going to keep track of my progress, use this blog to establish that I am well into the project, and when it sees the light of day, I can interact with those who've enjoyed it. In time, I may give updates here, but I am still thinking on it.
I am open to receiving questions, but keep in mind that I will not be sharing crucial information to the development of the series, and I want to ensure that my ideas remain mine with no room for dispute. Prior to the publication of the novels, I ask that none of the information I share here be used in any capacity, unless specifically stated otherwise.
I simply wish to document and share a bit of my journey as I write.
#The Darkwhisper Chronicles#Darkwhisper Chronicles#thedarkwhisperchronicles#books#book wip#book writing#author#authors#writer#literature#fantasy#dark fantasy#gothic horror#comedy#noir#adventure
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30 Films I Watched In 2023 #22
this wasn't on letterboxd, so I'm posting it here.
Last Of The Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home (1983)
I discovered Last Of The Summer Wine a year ago and since then I've fallen in love with it's comical and endearing characters so when I discovered the season 7 finale was a tv movie I was ecstatic
luckily It did not disappoint, like the show this film is full of hilarious slapstick, though it's more of a dark comedy with the trio reacting to they're cohort Sam's death in a rather nonchalant fashion, our trio as well seemed a bit more cynical but not in an overbearing way
the reason why this film feels somewhat different compared to the show is that it's based of Roy Clarke's 1974 novel of the same name, now they are bound to be apparent changes but I've never read the novel so I can't list them off with precision
Sam was an endearing character himself even though we see little of him alive, judging from his disastrous relationship with Sybil it's reasonable to assume the man was miserable for a long time, much like poor little Wally Batty
I swear marriage in this show is perceived as worse than death, luckily though Sam died cuddling with the woman he truly loved with a silly grin on his face which stays for the entire movie
another aspect I loved about this film was despite it being an extended episode really, it was filmed in a very cinematic fashion so it really feels like Last Of The Summer Wine: The Movie
as for my criticisms apparently this film was intended to be a Christmas special yet the atmosphere didn't implicate Christmas in the slightest, I also felt the narration was a bit jarring and unneeded, that never happened in the show
unfortunately this film marks the last appearance of a beloved character I always enjoyed Sid, the actor John Comer passed away shortly after filming from throat cancer
he was rendered unable to speak so Tony Melody dubbed his lines and props to him because his impression was pretty convincing
overall, Last Of The Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home was a fun darkly comedic tv movie perfectly encapsulating the humor and charm of the show, i'd say it's a worthy adaptation and if your a fan of last of the summer wine, this is definitely worth the watch, 9/10
#last of the summer wine#compo simmonite#norman clegg#foggy dewhurst#tv movie#streedtvreviews#streed#abrasiousproductions#1980s
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Just realized I didn't leave a link to my ask about Papyrus - sorry about that :')
While I'm here, I wanted to go ahead and also ask- how'd you first realize you adored him? What are traits you own that he'd brag about if he was talking about you to someone else?
Moxie @tex-treasures
once again, thank you for the asks !!! also this is quite long (I ranted on for quite a bit) so there's that lol. hope you enjoy the answer!
1/2: So, to be honest (and I was younger so don't blame young me for not actually going to the source material first), my first exposure to Undertale and him was a comic dub. Yep. Hold your tomatoes /j. I was hooked immediately from then on and found out that fanfiction existed 2 seconds after. However, as I'm reading this fanfic...I realize that I feel way more fond of Papyrus than I do with the character I was actually reading the fic about and that I enjoyed whenever I was reading about him...then I'm like "wait...wait..." and my love for him has grown ever since. I would watch more comic dubs just to see him, I read fanfic at crack speeds... and when I played the game itself for the first time about *looks on fingers* 3 years ago, he was just everything I knew he was. Even though comics and most fanworks at the time were always like "he's a cinnamon roll!" (he is an actual person!!!! everytime i hear this phrase nowadays I foam at the mouth and literally everything the person says is now false beyond and before "cinnamon roll" in my mind.) I always knew deep down that he was not. He's his own thing, not just fodder. Not just character development for his brother. Not just "Sans' Brother". He is the great Papyrus, not a thing to be shoved under the rug or traded for something else. And still to this day, I intake stuff about him like a vacuum and I somehow love him more every year that goes by. like a new year happens and my papyrus loving stat goes up by 100 but this year it accidentally went up by 1000 and...yea I just love him very much
2/2: I think he'd talk about how passionate I can get about some topics and how my passion for life in general is always just visible. but in his usual grandiose I think he might say something like "HIS FIERY PASSION IS ONE THAT MATCHES MY OWN!" but in reality it's just me rambling on about splatoon lore and other things that are very interesting at the moment. and also me watching summoning salts hour long videos on the history of video game speedrunning for a specific game. and just loving life in every one of its strangely beautiful aspects. and even though a lot of people in my life say this so much that i' like "probably not lol", he would probably talk about my "high intelligence and mutual love of puzzles" because I DO LOVE PUZZLES THEY ARE COOL !!! I LIKE PUZZLE GAMES I DIG PLAYING THEM. EVEN IF ITS AN OBSCURE snes game that is based off of tarot and doesn't really have anything else to it other than the puzzling aspect. *stares at magical drop 2 for nintendo switch online* and I am really good at academics (everybody in my fucking classes cheat off of me lol and everybody calls me the smartest but boohoo they're probably just trying to cheat off of me more.) and I genuinely put work into the stuff I do and I do believe that I do quite well at some things. ...I think he's the only person I'd believe about my "smartness" though. I may get practically straight A's up in the mid 90s except for a B in my math class, but I've heard that a number doesn't determine much. ...I still think he'd brag about all of that "intelligence" though, even if I (myself) don't think it's something brag-worthy.
#answered asks#f/o asks#selfship asks#self ship asks#papyrus undertale#also i really did have a lot of fun answering these#so thank you !!!!#anyways yes#i love him very much and i just#i just love him hes so cool and comforting#and he means everything to me#thank you for coming to my ted talk#*sets down mic*
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I’m sorry but people can claim to be “not against the LGBTQ+ community” and also be unaware of behavior/opinions that can be homophobic.
The way you disregard the writers’ intents for adding more queer characters to the cast by saying “i only see them as sisters/best friends” when it’s so common to erase and disregard the very few representation wlw/sapphics/lesbians get. In fact, The Owl House got that type of censorship in several countries by making Amity & Luz have a “sisterly” bond instead or how Sailor Neptune & Sailor Uranus were made “cousins” in the english dub of Sailor Moon despite canonically being in a relationship. These are only a few examples that come to mind.
Ian Flynn, Aleah Baker & Jennifer Hernandez have spoken out about how they were on board with Sallicole being a thing as well as confirming that Sally is bisexual. The Spark of Life arc was only the foundation of the more intimate relationship they’d eventually have, but unfortunately since the comics were cut short not long after, they couldn’t really go forward with more stories that explored their dynamic.
Sallicole isn’t like other ships like Fiona/Scourge or Mina Mongoose/Tails that came out of the blue just because, but I don’t see as much people complain about how they interacted like once before they ended up as a couple 🤷
The fact that you decide to purposely disregard the writer’s intent of Sally & Nicole’s interactions to be romantic and then say “no they’re not in love just because I don’t want them to” says more about you than anything
Wow, just wow…
You judge me as an instant “homophobe” is like judging a black person as a “criminal”.
You don’t even know me, and yet you only judged me based on my one post, which was more of a rant than anything.
Speaking of which, I’ve said before that I wasn’t homophobic in any way, shape or form, I was ranting about how people just mistook one Sonic story as an instant Sally/Nicole shipping when there’s not even proof of said shipping being canon in any way.
Even in the last few issues, there was no confirmation that Sally and Nicole were a “thing”, despite people seeing it and Ian just “making it a pairing because he hated shipping wars”.
If I did sound homophobic, I apologize, but I was in no way saying or doing anything against the LGBT community, I was ranting on here.
Also, I’d be more against the person that’s kicking up a huge stink loud about someone else and their opinions. Just respect the opinions of others.
I was just speaking from my own perspective, and made some minor good points. Again, I made no indications or said anything that was even remotely “homophobic”.
EDIT: And as for the LGBT+ in other shows; the scenes featuring Amity/Luz in Owl House are only censored in countries like Russia, for obvious reasons.
And Uranus and Neptune being dubbed as “cousins” only happened years ago in the original English dub, before ViZ studios did a new dub in the 90’s Sailor Moon anime, when they were made for the newer DVD sets.
And I know there’s animated series with the LGBT+ theme in it, mostly because of Steven Universe. And even though the Gem characters are genderless, they still had that LGBT+ theme in it, mostly Ruby and Sapphire’s relationship and wedding scene.
Hell, there was even a scene near the end of the live action Beauty and the Beast movie, where Le Fou danced with another man, but that only lasted for a second.
The reason why I said “I saw Sally and Nicole as best friends/sister figures” is because I’ve grown up watching the original SatAm series and read the original Sonic comics from Archie.
I don’t see that “Romantic bond” between the two, because Nicole’s an AI first off, she was already in a relationship with Shard in the later issues while Sally and Sonic’s relationship were still being slowly healing (And Sally was with Money Khan/Ken for a short time) secondly.
Third and most importantly of all, you talked about how two writers and a penciler talked about how it’s “confirmed” that the SalCole is canon in the comic universe, which is mostly a “They said, we said” thing.
Unless you had solid proof that this is all true, then it’s basically “Your word against theirs” kind of thing. Again, (as I’ve stated in the first reply to you) if you or anybody else like that pairing, then that’s completely alright and your choice.
Point is, we have different opinions on what we like or don’t like. I’ve spoken up about my opinions, but someone else didn’t respect that and instead of being civil about it, they pulled the “Homophobe Card” and labeled me as. Homophobe, despite not even knowing me to begin with.
If you don’t like my opinions on certain things, that’s all fine and dandy, but I only ask that you be respectful and civil to me and other fans/people.
There’s a golden rule that goes “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”, and I think that also applies to others that makes opinions on certain subjects.
Sure, there may be some opinions you won’t like, but that doesn’t entitle you to just instantly label someone else in a relationship rude manner, just because you don’t like their post or what they like/dislike.
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Persona 3 Reload, and now the new .hack// merchandise...I’m eatin good these days! qwq
But one thing after the other: I’m doing a bit better. Not in terms of lifestyle, per se, today I only slept 2 hours and these days I’m eating (food wise) not that great but...there’s always room for improvement. At least my morale is high after this!
Persona 3 Reload- what a time to be alive. I don’t feel like Persona 3 was that long ago, but it is actually well over 10 years now, incredible. The art and the style looks reeeeally good, it actually is Persona 3 if it came out like, five years ago. I like that they expanded upon the social links (Bebe in HD! qwq Minato in HD! qwq) it seems, Maybe it’s time to reread My Life Is A Goddamn Mess again!
They also have a full-on new voice cast. They’re great voices and absolutly professionals but...I kinda got used to the old ones, you know? Well, I probably watch the Lets Play anyways, because I sure as heck aint gettin an Xbox only for that game, but...I’m so happy to see one of my favorite videogames ever remade in such a wonderful fashion.
I will miss the Aigis social link though, it was emotive. Maybe DLC? Maybe? Who knows.
Aaah, I can’t wait to see everyone again.
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And today i found out that the .hack// anniversary was yesterday, I think? Anyways, new merch!! They can’t ship to the country I live in, though qwq I guess I will have to stare longingly throught he screen qwq The plushies are A-DORBS!! SO FRIKKIN CUTE HDFSHIOH I want a kite and a haseo one qwq And the little charms!! look at them in their tiny suits!! haseo is grinning like he knows exactly what he’s doing. That little bastard, I love him so much. No dice on an Endrance or Elk one though, only the protagonists from different media.
There was an image from hosokawa with mia and elk tho!! Elk, my bby, my little ball of rainy day, my lonely tear in a vast lake..:! I don’t know why I associate him so much with water and ice when his element always has been wind...
- clutches her halloween chibi kaorus- i have to survive off of crumbs...that’s why I get for liking a side character comic relief of an ancient videogame...
GNNHH KAOOCHAAANNN QAQ
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Oh, and in a few days I managed to catch two shinys in pkmn!! One in Violet, a Mudbray which I dubbed Pinata (He’s yellow, so cute qwq) And I shiny Litleo in Y, I called it Dimitri! Only the best for the royal sinammon bun.
Right now I’m trying to get a Farfetched and a Riolu...they’re both quite rare (not quite as rare as MY SHINIES THOUGH; OOOOHHHH)
someone should do a gangster rap, just that it isn’t about money, but about pokemon shinies
it probably already exist, everything has been already invented at least once, as proved AI, which bases everything of off things on the internet
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It’s way too hot out here...i am very much so in the mood for ice cream, but I have to get my shti together...sweet stuff isn’t good anyways when it’s warm, it produces only more heat...so much craving...i should go outside and move, get my natural vitamin D, yet...I bet all the benches are full when it cooled down a little...global warming be damned
Maybe the world will turn up like in Nier:Automata in a few thousand years and there won’t be a night anymore, or it will be 24/7 summer, like in the Canary Islands...my chair is sticky...
Okay, enough bitchin around. Positive thoughts! Sunshine! Warmth! Happiness! Reaggeton! Power to me! HAAAAAHHHH!
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On the Trail
gif via lokihiddleston
Pairing: Dark!President!Loki x Reader
Warnings: NSFW, 18+!!! This is a Dark!Loki fic hence it explores dark themes including degradation, humiliation, dub!con, spanking, dirty talk, fingering, and choking. This is based off of the Vote Loki comic + President Loki in the Loki Series hence it briefly mentions dark political themes (i.e. US politics 2016-2020), guilt/shame and there is a death threat. Read at your own risk!!
Words: 3,495
Summary: You’re the only reporter left on the campaign trail who’s willing to factcheck Loki’s lies. Unfortunately, he’s taken a keen interest in you. Set in an AU of the Vote Loki comics with Loki from the Loki 2021 TV Series. No spoilers for the Loki 2021 TV Series, but there are minor spoilers for the Vote Loki comic.
Author's Note: Yes I'm adding to the flood of President Loki fics... but I needed to get this out after watching episode 5. I'm honestly not sure where this came from- this is the darkest I've written Loki so far. Anyways I hope you enjoy and have a lovely evening!
...
You’d been on the campaign trail for weeks. Reporters better than you had tapped out early on but you’d bitterly refused. You had no comrades, no fellow writers in arms left. It was all Brietbart, Newsmax, and worse. The closest thing you had to an ally was the old grump from Fox.
On the upside, your work had never been more in demand. The sole reporter willing to face the oppressive measures taken by the campaign team to rid fact-based media of their press briefings. They told you the wrong room, wrong time, hell once they’d given you the wrong state. But you worked overtime to get your questions in, determined to get a sliver of truth from The God of Lies.
“What do you have to say to the victims of the recent hurricane here in Florida? They lost their homes much like those did in New York in 2013. Though I suppose you weren’t responsible for this particular-“ your mic cut out before you could finish the question. You rolled your eyes, looking to the side of the stage where the tiny blonde campaign manager had thrown aside the sound guy to get at your mic.
“Ah, what a question. From one of my favourite reporters of what is it you call it? ‘Fact-based journalism?’ That right?” Loki made air quotes with his hands, smirking down at you as a chuckle rose from the crowd.
He strolled in front of the podium, hands in his pockets. “What’s happened in Florida is truly, truly awful. Tampa in particular- that democratic senator, Howard is it? Really doing a bang up job,” he shook his head pitifully, “saw the photos of her leaving before the storm. Retreating from her own district in its time of need. Such a shame really.” The crowd in the room booed in response.
You dug your nails into your palm- you knew she was following evacuation orders, the storm had torn apart the area. Loki licked his lips and gave you a sly, pitying smile before looking out across the crowd for the next question. You sat back in your chair, keeping your back strait and handed the mic to one of the snickering assholes beside you.
The rest of the press conference was much like every other, some fact followed by glaring lies, all eagerly eaten up by the “reporters” in the room. Afterwards you beelined to the hotel bar, checking your phone for the updates on the investigation into Loki’s campaign office back in New York. A week ago you’d received a tip that Loki had orchestrated the Hydra attack that’d publicly led to his decision to run. The anonymous source came from within his own campaign office, and claimed to have a recording of him setting it up in some way. You’d sent your PI friend to go look into things and you were expecting an update very soon.
Ordering a double of Maker’s and perched yourself on the bar stool, consumed with the email your editor had sent back about your tip. All things were a go as long as it checked out. God you hoped it checked out.
It was a few hours later when you returned to your hotel room, you’d treated yourself to a steak after the mental beating you’d taken today. As you waited for your floor in the elevator you thought about taking a bath in your hotel room- it’d been a while since you’d touched yourself and you could tell you needed it, your body tense. Although the last time you did you found yourself thinking of Loki and your stomach twisted at the thought of just how fast you came.
It all started when you took the time to notice- really notice how well that fucking suit fit him. God it showed off every toned angle of his body, the vests he wore always fitted perfectly to his core. His hair- inky black, fell behind his crown in silky waves. His face- that smug fucking face. His cheekbones were framed by his horned crown, the loud piece of metal somehow accentuating them even more. His dark brows hung over the green-blue of his eyes, forever mocking you, as if you’d never be in on the joke. Jesus. You needed a vacation. Far away from The God of Lies and his loyal fans.
The elevator quietly dinged, pulling you from your thoughts and you stepped out onto your floor.
You entered the dark of your room and secured the lock on the door. Sighing, you toed off your heels at the front, throwing your purse and blazer on the bench by the door before flicking the light on.
“There you are darling. I so hate it when you make me wait,” Loki smiled from the chair in the corner of your room.
You jumped- your feet stumbling backwards. “Ah! Fuck! What the fuck!”
He chuckled and swirled the glass in his hand at the edge of the armrest. His horned crown glittered in the light of the room when he moved his head downwards, pouting though his eyes were mocking you. “Not happy to see me?”
“Loki- what the fuck are you doing in here? If you wanted a meeting you could have scheduled one,” you were frozen in place, heart beating rapidly as you attempted to casually edge back to your purse where you kept your pocket pistol.
“Oh I couldn’t be bothered with such a formality. Not when there’s such good news to share,” he grinned at you.
You were right beside your purse now, you could see the black leather out of the corner of your eye. You just needed him to keep talking. “Good news? Are you dropping out of the race?”
He responded with a bitter laugh. “Now you know that’s not in the cards, darling.”
“A girl can dream,” you smiled at him thought it didn’t reach your eyes. “Hm, let me guess. You’re going to stop trying to accuse your opponent of crimes they didn’t commit?” You inched to the side so you were in front of the bench, your purse hidden behind you.
“No,” he frowned, “why would I ever do that? America doesn’t trust her- they don’t want her in power. Anyone can tell.”
You huffed, you’d dipped your hand behind you and into the bag and moved it around in search of the cold metal. You couldn’t feel anything except your wallet, phone, keys, and other smaller items.
“Looking for this?” In a flash of green Loki held your pistol in his free hand, aiming it directly at you. He smiled, lifting the drink in his other hands up to his lips for a sip.
Your heart was racing now. “Okay,” you lifted your hands up, “Okay. I’m sorry- no more guessing. What do you want?”
He tilted his head at you, his eyes running over your figure before snapping back up to your own. You’d never admit it but you felt your core pulse at the sight of his blue-green eyes taking you in.
“Sit,” he motioned to the bed, “relax. I just want to talk.” He looked at the gun for a moment, his eyes flickering to you as he disappeared it in a flash of green.
You took a breath then moved to the bed, keeping your front to him before perching yourself on its edge. At least the gun was gone. For now.
“Good girl,” he smiled. “I so admire your drive, your will to try and take me down. You’ve been the only one from those so-called reporters you choose to associate with to stick with the job. I’ve enjoyed our banter on the campaign trail so far.”
Again you felt your body respond to his words, particularly a the way his deep voice enunciated “good girl.” You inwardly chastised yourself, and swallowed dryly. “I wouldn’t exactly call it banter-“ you started but he silenced you with a finger.
He sighed, “but you had to go sticking your nose where it didn’t belong. So what was there to do? You’d already told your editor and your PI of the lies this poor, deranged staffer decided to spread.”
Your eyes widened at that- he knew. Fuck! You frowned, how could he have found out?
“It’s hard to keep something from The God of Lies,” he smirked, “especially in his own house. Though I do applaud your efforts. As I was saying,” he took another sip of his drink, “what was there to do? Kill you?” He laughed, “now that would look bad. Very bad indeed. Besides, I do so enjoy our banter,” he put a heavy emphasis on the last word.
“So, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. I- well not me exactly but Angela, who’s been heading Ophidia Holdings, bought you.” He finished his drink and disappeared the glass in another flash of green.
You frowned. “What? You can’t buy me,” you laughed, shaking your head.
“Oh but I did. You see I own you. I own your editor, your publisher, hell I bought the network.” He got up from his chair to step in front of you, his hands behind his back as he beamed at you.
“But you can’t do that- people will know, people will care!” You shouted, getting up from the bed.
He laughed, “oh you naive little thing. First, we did it through a shell company of a shell company- very hard to trace. Second, if anyone found out, I honestly don’t think they’ll care. In fact, I think it may increase your dwindling ratings. Really, you should be thanking me.”
You were in his face now. “I won’t let you do this. I’ll go to someone- I’ll go to the Avengers. I’ll go to Thor!”
In the blink of an eye he’d grabbed your shoulders, turning you both so he could press you firmly against the wall, his hand coming to grip your throat. “Do you not realise how insignificant you are to me?” His hands flickered from your eyes to your lips, his breath hot against your skin. Your breathing was laboured, your thighs clenching together at the feel of his firm body pressed against you, his long fingers curled against your skin.
He tilted his head, a sly smile spreading across his lips. “My, my. You dirty little thing. You’re excited by this aren’t you?”
Another wave of heat pulsed through your core and you shuddered, swallowing once more you felt something stir along the inside of your thigh. You licked your lips and raised an eyebrow at him, sliding your hand between your bodies to his length, now hard against you. “And what’s this?” You taunted, pressing your neck harder against his hand.
The corner of his mouth twitched upwards as he observed you, his eyes falling to your chest, from his view you knew he could see the lacy black bra you wore under your blouse. “Naughty little girl,” he growled, his hand around your throat moving to grip your hair at its roots, pulling downwards to expose your neck to him.
Some small, rational part of you was telling you to run, to get as far away from him as you could. But it was silenced as soon as you felt his lips on the skin of your neck, licking, then biting, then sucking angrily, as if he wanted you to be marked up tomorrow. His free hand roughly pulled up the fabric of your skirt, before his fingers lightly traced along the lace covering your heat. You were panting, holding back moans- you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing what he was doing to you.
“You can lie to yourself but you can’t lie to me,” his deep voice was dripping with sin in your ear, a golden horn on his crown coming into view. “You’re dripping.”
You gently palmed his erection in your hand, and his grip loosened at your roots. Pulling your head to the side and out of his grip you looked at him, his breath now heavy as you ran your fingers over his length through his trousers. “So let’s get it over with. Fuck me,” you said, your eyes locked with his.
“No darling,” his gaze darkened as his hand cupped your heat and you whimpered. “I’ll do no such thing. Not until you beg me,” he deftly moved your panties to the side and slid a finger through your folds, forcing a hiss from you. “Not until you’re pleading with me to fill you with my cock. Though I have a feeling it’ll be very soon,” he smiled at you.
He hooked a finger in your blouse, swiftly pulling it downwards to tear it open, the buttons flying against the wall. Your bra was fully exposed now, your chest heaving as you watched his eyes slipping down to take in the curves of your body. His finger ran up your folds and touched your clit lightly, causing you to shudder. He smirked and began to rub it in slow, tiny circles, his eyes taunting you as you writhed against the wall.
His hand roughly cupped your breast through the lace, pinching your nipple through the fabric. “Jesus-“ you breathed, his pace picking up as he watched you.
“Nope. Loki,” he corrected before taking the skin of your neck between his teeth, running his tongue along it and letting it go. He moved his fingers from your clit to suddenly curl them within you, immediately finding the spot that made you scream. You gripped his arm, your nails digging into the fabric of his suit as he set a pace.
“Oh, fuck!” You cried when the heel of his hand ground against your clit. He was watching you, his expression passive as his movements brought you closer to your finish.
“Are you going to cum?” He asked, his voice rough.
“Yes- yes, I’m about to-“ he suddenly slipped his fingers from you, moving your panties back into place.
“What,” you huffed, “why?” You asked, almost whining.
“Beg me.” He said.
“No,” you shook your head. “I won’t.”
He moved the lace of your bra down, exposing your breast to him. He ducked to take your nipple in his mouth, lightly nipping at it with his teeth. You arched your back and groaned, pressing the skin further against him. He gently ran his fingers against your covered heat and you shuddered.
Releasing your nipple with a “pop!” he came back to look at you. “Beg me, and I’ll fuck you.”
“No-“ you were more breathless than before.
He ran his fingers from your slit up to your ass, pressing one delicately against your tight hole. He nipped and sucked at the skin just under your ear as he gently toyed with it, and you moaned loudly. You could feel your slick soaking through the lace- it was beginning to drip down the inside of your thigh. He was pressing himself against you, his hard length reminding you of what you needed to do for release.
“Come now, just say it. Three words and I’ll make you feel so,” he gave your skin a lick, “much”, a bite, “better.” He sucked on the spot, earning another moan from you as the tip of his finger delicately fucked you.
You writhed against the wall- you felt overstimulated and empty. “Fine!” You shouted, his ministrations continuing. “Please fuck me.” You felt defeated. Dirty. As if you’d let the devil in. And it sent a rush of heat through you.
“Come again?” He smirked, looking down at you.
“Please fuck me Loki,” you felt your cheeks heat up in embarrassment, your eyes falling from his.
“Oh darling, don’t look so put out.” He pulled his finger from you, his other hand tilting your chin upwards to meet his gaze. “Now be a good little slut and take me out so I can give you what you need.”
You shivered and reached between you to unbuckle his belt before releasing the button of his trousers and unzipping his fly. You quickly found out he wasn’t wearing any underpants- of course he fucking wasn’t. Slipping your hand in to his pants you let out a little gasp at the sheer size of him. You could easily fit three- no maybe four hands around him.
You felt him twitch in your hand and looked back up to him. He quickly lifted you with one hand, his arm coming to hold your bottom, the other lining himself up against you, pushing your panties out of the way.
“Now darling, just say it one more time.” He grinned at you and you swore if you weren’t so wet and needy you would have punched him square in the jaw.
“Please fuck me Loki,” you bit your lip, the pain distracting you from everything other than the need for him.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that.” He said before bringing you down on him, fully seating himself within you in one thrust. You cried out, your fingers holding on to him for dear life as your muscles started to relax. He didn’t give you much time to adjust before beginning to move within you, his cock hitting places within you you’d never felt. He was watching you as you took him, a dark glint in his eye as he fully claimed you.
“Fuck, Loki!” You cried, your finish close.
“That’s it, give in. Cum on my cock, you dirty little thing.” He brought his hand back around your throat, gripping it firmly.
You came with his words, your walls fluttering around him as he continued to move within you, his name breathlessly falling from your lips between “fuck” and “holy shit.” He pulled himself from you and flung you face down on the bed, your legs hanging off the mattress.
His strong arm came around your waist to lift you up, so that you were on all fours. He grabbed your ass then gave it a hard slap, the sound ringing out in the silent room along with your whimper. He gripped your hips before thrusting himself within you, the new angle making you scream.
“You need to quiet down darling, someone may hear you. And you wouldn’t want that.” He began harshly fucking you into the mattress. “You wouldn’t want someone to come in here and see you eagerly taking my cock would you?”
You whimpered in response, lowering yourself onto your forearms so you could muffle yourself in the sheets. You heard him groan as you raised your hips higher in the air to meet him. Smiling to yourself you circled your hips, eliciting a moan from him.
Your triumph was short-lived as he brought his finger tips around you to play with your clit, causing your movements to stutter. His pace was brutal and you found yourself just meeting his thrusts, your fingers twisting painfully in the sheets. You were close again, the pleasure rising within you rapidly.
“You’re going to cum again. I can tell by how your tight little cunt is gripping me. Fuck- I’m going to cum with you. My little whore.” He gripped your ass tightly with one hand while the other kept playing with you, driving you wild. With one swift little pinch to your clit you came, your muscles twitching as you moaned into the bed.
He pulled out and groaned, and you felt his warm seed coat your skin, marking you, tainting you further with his essence. You held still, afraid to move as you heard the clink of his belt buckle as he did himself back up.
Suddenly his hand was in your hair once more, pulling you upwards from the bed. You scrambled to hold your arms under yourself, his grip turning your face towards him at the end of the bed. He held a phone in his hand, the camera aimed at you and you heard several of the telltale shutter sounds.
You felt all the blood drain from your face as you realised he’d just taken several photos of you in this position, with his cum all over your back.
He chuckled at your expression. “Just a precaution darling. Be a good girl and no soul will ever see these. Now, I’d like to see you in my room, 7AM sharp tomorrow. I’d like to give our readers an inside scoop on the real Loki and his plan to save America.”
You looked at him as if he was insane. What in the absolute fuck have you gotten yourself into?
He took one last look at you, his eyes running over the marked skin of your body and he smiled. “Tomorrow darling. Don’t forget. I own you.” He swiftly turned and walked out of your room. The door softly clicked behind him before the silence and what you’d just done started to settle in.
End Notes: Want to read more Loki fics of mine? My masterlist is here.
#president!loki x reader#dark!loki x reader#president!loki x reader smut#dark!loki x reader smut#president!loki smut#dark!loki smut#president!loki x you#dark!loki x you#dark!president!loki x you#dark!president!loki x reader#dark!president!loki#loki x reader smut#loki series#vote loki#vote loki fic#president!loki#dark!loki#on the trail#dark fic
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Can you maybe do another season one and two buzzcut stiles smut
𝑂𝑛 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑟 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑆ℎ𝑖𝑡
Summary: after getting harmed, Stiles comes to the hospital to render you with comfort. His methods definitely work
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski x reader
Warnings: mention of injury, smut, handjob, oral sex (m->f)
Word count: 2968
Masterlist Link
“Did you bring the movies?” You asked from your reclined and supported perch on the hospital bed, resting your elbows on the mattress beside where your body was splayed, watching your dork of a boyfriend obviously fumble with the containers within the plastic bags that he was carrying. The two of you hadn’t been dating long, but the pair of you had been friends for so long, since your sand box days, that it felt like it was already a serious commitment. And thus, the transition into something more was not a large step out of the ordinary, it was merely an acknowledged level up, with a label attached to it as through it were being viewed by passers by at a flea market. Scott had already predicted before his height in supernatural senses evoked, the obvious signs of attraction being visible to all, even the strangers in the hall. He thought it was about damn time that the pair of you made your interaction official, the exchange being a relief to all when it was finally announced, and states out in the open, for all to discern.
“Did I bring the movies?” Stiles scoffed, laughing lightly at the end of his mocking enquiry, placing the carrier on the ground, rifling through the plastic to grasp out the first of many within the series of movies that the two of you were to watch. “A new hope.” He mumbled, jumbling with the case as he removed the historical disc out from its case, gently, as though it were made of glass, moved the contextual footage towards the disc tray of the DVD player, placing it perfectly in the flimsy slot. The two of you, especially Stiles, had seen the iconic succession of comic based movies about one million times, and you highly doubted that was an over exaggeration, your childhood and now teen life had been consumed with the prodigy of cinematic syfy series, the leniency to watch them sorely prompted by Stiles’ nerd like support. If it weren’t for him, you were sure that you’d hardly have the sustainable ability to have revised and succeeded in learning over half the movies lines word by word. You’d say it was rather impressive, that and the fact that you managed to not get bored by the storylines, that had skirted around you and landed upon your lap.
Once that deed was done, he grasped the old and sanitised remote, that was flaked with minor remnants of speckled dust, walking back towards you, and clambering beside you upon the pressed hospital mattress. A warmth radiated from him, the extra layers of clothing that he endorsed over his body providing a soft yet comforting rump for you to adorn your head on his chest, a smile roamed upon your face as you engaged your hand around his, your other swirling the scope of circles upon his stomach. One click, and the scene was set, a long time ago, in a galaxy far away... The background of stars invaded your vision, as the instrumental music began to play, and as you turned, you pouted, noticing that Stiles had became vaguely slack from pouring attention over you, and as selfish as it was, you wanted that. So you dubbed for rubbing your thighs together, and nestling your head further into him, lightly moaning from the little friction that you allowed yourself.
It merely succeeded in earning a large yawn from the boy, to which you were condemned to roll your eyes at; such a guy thing! His flouncy arm that lacked any mobilisation of increased strength from paranormal changes, reeled over your shoulder, gently enclosing the space that was little between the both of you. The move was not original by any means, every guy did it, you’d even seen Jackson try and be smooth when he had pissed Lydia of, using the exact same tactic. There was one difference though, all of his attention was consumed upon his strawberry blonde haired girlfriend, and not some movie (you’d never describe it as that for you feared Stiles’ reaction), for Jackson hardly attained interest in the Notebook anyway, you were pretty sure that he had been sentenced to watch the romance over one hundred times now.
There was one solution that came to mind however to captivate Stiles’ interest, you leant your head up, pressing a single peck upon the angle of his jaw, causing a light and temporary smile to adorn his face. But it quickly faded as he returned his attentiveness to the flashing screen, and you found it in yourself to repeat your actions, multiple times, turning sloppy as began to work on leaving a mark upon his abominable snowman skin. You could see his amber brown eyes struggle to concentrate, the umbrella of his lashes struggle to stay all the way open, as he suffered from your amorous teasing that sent a ripple of arousal down his body, though he tried to let it be and ignore the effects that it was rousing from within him. That was made difficult to do so however as you traced your hand down, parking it upon the meat of his thigh, and subjecting the flesh beneath your palm to a strong squeeze, your nails barely leaving indents through the materials of his bottoms, though he still felt their presence.
A rugged moan ripped from his throat as he noticed a shift within the confines of his clothing; his cock was awake, and growing to strain against the claustrophobic material of his underwear, which was then layered over with his sunday sweats. Moisture began to collect on his skin as your hand stifled closer to his conflicted bulge, his face was clenched in a straight demeanour as he tried to continue watching the movie, but it was pointless. He’d never win this battle, even his cock was against him, and he could tell as he felt the tip of his head leak, having an instinctive craving to be handled by your well versed hands, that were now covering his package, and stroking over the rise in lounging fabric. “Y/n...” he hoped the sound of his voice would make you revise your close to public display of sexual urgency. It in fact contorted to encouraging the opposite, as you directly stroked over his hard cock, enforcing him to bite his lip as a means to muffle his sounds.
“I still feel terrible after my accident.” You deceptively admitted, running your finger through a hidden vein on his length that was concealed by the fabrics that adorned his thighs and above. “But I think you have the perfect medicine for me Sti, and it’s right here, in my hand.” Your opposing hand pawed at the hem of his joggers, and your boyfriend had a hard time optimising his struggle of staying adamant against your testing of him. “Spoiler alert; its your cock, and I want it inside of me, don’t you think that’s much better than watching some boring old movies?” It was a clear conflict barraging upon his features, a true endorsement of wanting two things a once. A furrow dented between his brows, posing his inconvenience of suffering before you, as you continued to touch the skin at the bottom portion of his face with your integral lips that was wanting to suck away at his very soul, though, there were other parts of him you could suck to do exactly that.
“Well-“ before he could manage to make an impromptu diversion of topic that would partially insult you, you slunk your hand into the insides of both his joggers and boxers, feeling his warm length confided in the covering of your hand. Riveting from your chest was a ‘hmph’, that along with your soft strokes around him, had a dribble of moans condoning out from his supple mouth. “Shit.” He drawled the swear out, remarking a significant appearance of smugness to dance across your amused expression. “I-“
“Hush.” You ordered him, licking your bottom lip as you tugged at his weeping cock, gently digging your teeth into the skin of his jaw, bleeding a dew of red to blossom upon the patch that you had toyed with. “Look at that, so fat and pretty, look at your balls clenching.” You spoke once you pulled the layers down so that you could gift yourself with the view of his masculine anatomy. “Want me to suck it?” His hand swatted you, making you repress a sound of objection from you. “What?”
“You literally just had like a million stitches, and if we are being specific, you had seven because of the kanima, and not to mention, you had your tonsils removed yesterday!” He stressed, his aggravation also averting from the lack of orgasm that he was still viable to reach, as well as your carelessness. If you were so presumptuous to continue, you would be in this hospital bed for much longer, as well as sour from the risk that you were condemning to catch an infection, just because you were hungry to choke on his cock, and have him spill an incessant stream down the drain of your all accepting throat. “Don’t give me those eyes, is there anything else that I can do to fulfil your needs?” A provoked laugh escaped through your lips to which you were biting, as you swiped your thumb over his slit, making him repel his hips from the sensitivity that prevailed through him.
“Now that you say that...” removing your hand from around him, a disappointed mewl puffed from his cheeks, you reeled the hospital gown up your legs, showing him your thin cotton panties that were mostly for the excerpt of comfort, nevertheless, the plain and black underwear still managed to enforce a wideness to contort his sockets. “I think there’s plenty that you can do Stilinski, why don’t you start down there?” His cock lambently twitched, more so as you reached your own hand down, and circled your covered clit through the seam of the material. Gentle passages of air brewed from your mouth, as you felt a whim of bliss from the small touch adjourn your body into a sway of pleasurable faith. “If you don’t, I will.”
“Someone could walk in.” He tried to reason with you, but his flippant excused upheld no structure in convincing you. His eyes impossibly dealt with the standard of remaining strong as you tried to cripple him with the persuasion of his greatest weakness; sex. Ever since the pair of you had started to be intimate, he was absolutely hooked on the mosaic of sensations that practically took him to another planet. He always knew before the two of you had even done anything, that he wanted to have sex, he wanted someone to sex him! And here he was, trying to refuse and optimal offering of such a gut wrenching reprisal. “And you don’t care, do you?” There was a trial of annoyance written upon your face, it had been almost a week since the pair of you had done anything replenishing together. The time that you had endorsed being a patient in Beacon Hills Memorial hospital had been punctually insatiable; you were being driven mad, craving a slither of a touch that would provoke a state of coursing epiphany and an image of a white hot glare behind your eyes. You felt touch starved, partially neglected.
“I touched yours, so you should touch mine.” That was a fair point, atop of the crucial fact that you were currently feeling celibate, as though you were a virgin all over again. You wore a triggering pout that had Stiles wanting to sink between your legs and replace the expression with one of dismal contortion, and he was more than happy to, as long as you did not endure any more suffering, much less so if he were the one causing it. The kanima had not only paralysed you, but feverishly scathed your side with its paralytic claws, the sharp ends swiping through your flesh, leaving you in the midst of healing from the threatening injury. “You know you want to…” you waggled your hips, holding in a hiss from dragging your bandaged wound against the cot, not wishing to reduce your own chances of getting any. It was bearable, it was already healing, you could handle it.
“I do.” His head bobbed in a ludicrous nod, his buzz cut head daunting the visible skin beneath the thin and short ripples of dark hair to your sore eyes, as he rapidly toyed with the band of your panties, quickly trying to pull them down in a frenzy to have you bare before him, though, the fabric was caught on your thigh, and he had to attempt to do so more slowly, which to anonymous luck, succeeded. “Pussy so pretty.” He hummed, deriving the pad of his finger through your folds, conjuring you to whimper from the attention that filed down your cunt, that you had bashfully attuned to miss. “D’you want my fingers or my mouth?” Stiles enquired, and you coiled in thought, the end result being one of self indulging greed, although, no bone in your body attained any regrets.
“Both.” Was your plausible response, that Stiles had no problem bestowing upon you nor your body; he worshipped you like an oracle in an ancient deity’s temple. He slid his veiny hands down your thighs, making your pulse increase as you awaited him to do something that would have you collapsing upon the old and modernity used mattress, your hips ravenously bucking into his touch whence he breathed a flow of warm air over your clit, filling you with a marriage of anticipation. With a slick and unexpected attendance, the boy stuck his tongue out, swiping it through your folds, collecting a moisture of your essence, your flavour stinging upon his taste buds, only encouraging him to continue eating you out, his index prying at the passage of your entrance, slipping inside and filling your folds with the thick digit that went perfectly between your spongey folds. “Oh my.”
“You taste so good.” He mumbled against the wet flesh of your folds, flicking his mouth upwards to be appealed around the hood of your clit, as he snuck the tip of it beneath, teasing the bead itself as he sunk another knuckle into you. Stiles was relentless, suctioning upon your most intimate parts as he hungrily devoured you, a pressure pivoting in the bottom of your stomach, as you tried to withhold from releasing, so that you could elongate the travel to the milestone high. “Cum on my face, come on y/n/n, wanna feel you finish against my tongue.” His administrations quickened as his tongue consistently flickered upon your bud, and thus, you could not endure the journey to bliss any longer, your face screwed up and chin turned towards the ceiling as you felt his fingers curl inside of you. Your face flushed inwardly with an emancipation of heat, sprung upon your body like a spa’s expansive sauna, your hips hoisting up as you followed down from your high.
When you finally raised your head, being greeted by the image of Stiles removing his head from between your thighs, the wetness that had emitted from your cunt was smeared across his chin, he wiped it with the behind of his hand, as he clambered off the cot, slumping in the seat by your bed side, as you fixed your underwear and pulled it back against your skin, throwing the gown back over your legs as you caught your breath. The pair of you shrivelled in a pristine silence, that was until a visitor inclined themselves legalisation to enter, promptly enforcing your instigating feeling of nervousness, wary that they knew of the counter that you had just participated in; public relations with a lack of digression. It was Melissa, a smile on her face, that supposed the prying glow of her friendly and kind hearted smile.
Her expression radiates the suggestion that she did not know of events that had just unfolded before her presence. “Hi guys.” You had always been well acquainted with her, as had Stiles, she was like a second mother to all, what with the pair of you being such quality friends with her only child. “How are you feeling y/n? I came to check on you, you do appear as though you are sweating a lot. Have you been suffering any pains in the back of your throat or on your side?” No, you had had no pain in your throat, because your lovely, supportive, and simultaneously clumsy boyfriend had deprived you of such a throbbing that far back, or close at all. Gulping, you conjured an answer in the depths of your mind, until you spewed them out in a formation of verbal communication.
“Fine, just fine.” You sighed, puffing your chest out as you flares your irises to the corners of your eyes, lightly yet not too aggressively crossing your arms as you shot Stiles a playful glare. “Though I think Stiles should step outside, I think we should check over the place beneath my ribs, it wouldn’t be appropriate if he stayed and saw me in such a prolific state of undress, now would it?” Stiles spluttered as he endured your words through the canals of his ears, clearly against your personal judgement and wishing to see you completely out of your gown, rather than just having experienced a single, dragged out peek of one of the many treasures that was underneath, gifting himself with more than a glimpse. He had been spoilt with a hands on approach, and he could wait longer for more.
#stiles stilinski smut#stiles stilinski one shot#stiles stilinski imagine#stiles stilinski x y/n#stiles stilinksi x reader#stiles x reader#stiles imagine#stiles Stilinski x you#imagines#imagine#xreader#teen wolf fanfiction#teen wolf#teen wolf x reader#teen wolf x you#teen wolf fandom#teenwolf#teen wolf stiles x reader#dylan o brien x reader#dylan o'brian imagine#dylan o'brien#stiles x you
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A Deal with a Demon (Part One)
Beetlejuice x fem!reader. Closer to the musical Beetlejuice, but I took a lot of creative liberties with his background and abilities. Reader is a witch who summons a demon, but finds herself more than a little out of her depth after misunderstanding the inscription.
Rating: Mature. (Part Two will be NSFW.) Minors DNI!
Word Count: 3,300
Warnings: Witchcraft, demonic Beetlejuice, mentions of sex, and the use of sex as a payment.
Next | Masterlist
---
You scanned the spell a third time, looking for loopholes that could be dangerous. It was always risky to summon a demon, especially from a spellbook that was secondhand.
That wasn’t you being picky, either. No, you had no problem with thrifting. Reduce, reuse, and recycle was a way of life for you. But new spellbooks were… tricky until the spells were proven to be dependable.
There were witches who made a good living testing the spells from new spellbooks and verifying that they worked. Those witches had to be powerful enough to work even the most complex incantations, clever enough to undo any catastrophic damages, and brave enough to face down anything unwelcome that might appear.
And rich. Spellbook-testers also had to be rich. A new spellbook cost more than most witches made in a year.
That was the other reason that the preferred method of getting a spellbook was to have your mentor witch pass hers down to you. The best spellbooks were filled with notes scribbled in dozens of styles over hundreds of years, detailing what worked best, along with any dangers or additional information the user had found over their years of practice. Your mentor witch would typically offer you individual warnings as well, based on her knowledge of spell requirements versus the level of power you typically displayed while casting.
Compared to the rich deposits of information found in the pages of a good, used spellbook and the knowledge of a mentor, new spellbooks were frighteningly blank and untested.
Even less helpful than a new spellbook, though, was a used spellbook that had been found somewhere. A ‘recovered’ spellbook - as the kinder-hearted witches had dubbed them - was one that had been discovered in a location where one shouldn’t be. The owners usually didn’t recognize what they had, and a witch bought it at her own risk. There was no way of knowing if the previous owner had died working her last spell.
To make matters even more difficult, counterfeit spellbooks had been spotted occasionally over the centuries, filled with notes and knowledge, but they were often tricks. Witches who tried to work those spells found themselves donating vast sums of money to the person who wrote the spell, transported to the Bermuda Triangle just for a laugh, or - on one memorable but thankfully rare occasion - having lost her powers to a demon who had created the spellbook from inside of the prison dimension where they had been trapped.
You had found your spellbook in the Used Books section of a local Goodwill.
It had been labeled as a fun, if odd, Halloween decoration. You sensed the power when you picked it up, but it was faint. Either the book was utterly fake and had been bewitched to seem real, or the original owner had died long ago.
Maybe not died, you reminded yourself, trying to pull away from your morose thoughts. Maybe she had just given up magic and didn’t have anyone to pass her spellbook down to and had chosen not to earn the incredible amount of money that came from selling one’s spellbook on the open market…
Yeah, she was probably dead.
In any case, your mentor had given her spellbook to an estranged niece instead of to you, and you couldn’t afford a new one of your own. So here you were with a recovered spellbook you had found between a copy of Fahrenheit 451 and a well-loved comic book emblazoned with the title, John Constantine: Hellblazer #1.
Maybe the spells would work, but it was far more likely that you would end up scouring the forums for answers to whatever nonsense the book spat out at you. It didn’t matter; you were desperate. Your mentor had always said that only the truly desperate opt for demonic summoning. As a truly desperate witch, you could verify that it was true.
The book was propped in front of you, resting against a stack of paper plates that you would almost definitely try to remember to wipe down before you ate off them. At the top of the page, the inscription urged you to ‘Find what you lack! Summon the Great Demon Be-”
Tragically, the rest of the title had been obscured by some kind of liquid that had been spilled on the pages. Your money was on barbeque sauce. Given enough time, that would turn to this particularly rusty shade of reddish-brown right?
You didn’t especially want the answer to that question, so you focused on the book.
From the short description, you would summon the demon using the given inscription and he would help, but that was all it told you. Even the inscription itself seemed to be written to be as vague as possible.
Your Latin was far from perfect, but as near as you could tell, it was about the creature bringing you what you lacked, filling a void and bringing you peace through his gifts.
So, yeah, it was vague, but so was all you had. You glanced around your living room, fighting back a sigh of dissatisfaction. If you could point to one thing in your life that was wrong, you would fix it or die trying, but how could you fight when there was no enemy? You were willing to take some advice on how to fix things, even if that advice came from a demon.
You drew the standard containment circle to keep the demon inside the small area until you negotiated terms. That was how things were done, otherwise, what incentive would the demon have to fulfill the bargain? Demons wanted, above all else, to be brought to this plane. If you didn’t keep them in place, they would just go around doing… demony things… until someone managed to put them back in their home plane.
Okay, so you didn’t necessarily know what demons wanted with this plane, but that didn’t mean you intended to find out. You drew the circle, added the containment chants at the appropriate points, then stepped back to read the inscription aloud:
“Ut creatura afferat mihi quid mihi deest,” you started, faltering your way through the pronunciation of the unfamiliar Latin terms.
“Imple vaccum et da mihi pacem,” you continued. Since nothing had exploded yet, you were rapidly gaining confidence in your Latin and rolled the words through your mouth with ease, finding the subtle beat of them with ease.
And then you smelled the fresh dirt and hints of moss common to a graveyard. You started to get nervous again.
“Dona sua da mihi.” Another line finished, but you frowned. Were you hearing the faint screeches of a bow over violin strings?
“Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,” you concluded. That last line didn’t seem like Latin to you - at least, not spelled the way it was - but the book was insistent that it was necessary to finish the chant.
A roaring filled the room and you stepped back, making sure to give the circle a wide berth. Protective circles were meant to keep dangerous things contained, but there were still ways that a demon could bypass your security measures. You had heard one too many cautionary tales about witches who had their throats clawed out by a demon who had simply reached past the protective line, but kept its feet inside the circle.
Smoke filled the circle, demonic in origin. Unfortunately, since it was demon-created smoke, the circle kept it inside. You had summoned something, but it was fully obscured in the cylinder of smoke, leaving you to peer fruitlessly at the boundary. You weren’t stupid enough to get closer, much less break the circle… but you admitted it was tempting.
It took two minutes and forty-seven seconds for the smoke to fade… not that you had been watching the time too closely. When you could finally see the demon you had summoned, you could only frown.
He was male, clearly masquerading as human. Admittedly, the attempt wasn’t fully successful, but the effort was there. He appeared to be an average height and was wearing human clothing and shoes. You were particularly impressed by the shoes - demons tended to go barefoot unless they were working extremely hard at passing as human.
But the rest of his appearance was just slightly… off. He had chosen a black and white suit, but striped in the least flattering way possible. Whatever the opposite of pinstriped fabric was, he had made a suit out of it. His hair was dark, but the ends held more than a hint of green, and his skin was far too pale. His nails were dark around the edges, and you started to suspect that the ever-strengthening smells of dirt and graveyard mold weren’t an effect of the demon - they were a part of him.
Dark eyes met yours and the demon’s lips spread in a smile. His teeth were human when you looked at them closely, but when you were looking at any other part of the demon’s face or body, they looked disconcertingly sharp - pointed in a way that human teeth just… weren’t.
You were still trying to figure out the smile when the demon spoke. His voice sounded rough. Part of that was probably from disuse. Most witches were too smart to summon demons often and humans lacked the necessary communication channels to learn their rules, so demons regularly went decades or even centuries between summonings. Something about this demon’s voice, though, made you think that he might just sound like that all of the time.
“See somethin’ you like, toots?” he asked, grinning at you.
Toots. That bit of slang had been around since the late 1800s, so the demon had made at least one stop on this plane before. That was a good sign. Normally, demons who killed someone were banished to their home dimension for five hundred years, minimum.
You cleared your throat, trying to disguise your own feelings of unease. “I suppose we’ll have to see. First, what is your name?”
The demon frowned at you. “My name? Ya already know my name. You have to, or you couldn’t’ve summoned me.”
Ah, he was one of those. Some demons required their true name to be spoken a certain number of times before they could manifest. It was thought that those demons shared a common ancestor with certain types of noble fey, but that was unproven.
There was only one word you had repeated in the inscription, and you frowned. “Your name is Beetlejuice?”
He gave an almost imperceptible wince, but nodded. “Yep. Expecting somethin’ else?”
You shrugged. “It just doesn’t sound like any name I’m familiar with.”
“Oh, yeah, like Harold the demon? Or the fearsome Paul? Or how about the infamous-”
“I get it,” you interrupted. “So, Beetlejuice-”
The demon winced again, more pronounced this time. “Could ya take it easy on the name, there, babes? I’d prefer to have some warnin’ if I’m gonna be blasted off this plane. Call me Beej, or B… BJ if ya nasty…”
You frowned at his waggling eyebrows. That had sounded a lot like slang from the 1990s. How often was this demon being summoned? Maybe you had lucked out and called a reliable one! You had never heard of a reliable demon, but you were willing to go along with it. “Beej, then. When was the last time you were in this dimension?”
“Oh, ya know… a summoning here, a haunting there…” Beetlejuice trailed off, letting his half-suggested explanation trail off into nothingness. “But let’s get to the good stuff, huh? Why are you calling a demon?”
Something about the question rubbed you the wrong way and your spine straightened. “Why wouldn’t I call a demon?”
“You’re a little…” he gestured at you, wiggling his fingers to add the explanation. “...witchy.”
You relaxed minutely. “I am a little witchy. A lot, actually. Which is why I knew to make a containment circle.” You had seen him eying the circle as he spoke to you, glancing at it under the guise of studying your apartment.
“Good, so you know what you’re gettin’ into,” Beetlejuice said, his optimism unexpected. “What do ya want from me and what will ya promise in return?”
“I want what your inscription said,” you told him. The inscription had been written vaguely, but maybe that was the key to all of this? Maybe he could tell what it was that you lacked, and he would be able to help you get it. “I want you to help me get what I lack. What I need. Use your gifts and give me peace.”
“Odd way of puttin’ it,” he mused. “But okay. And in return?”
“What do you want?”
“Freedom,” Beetlejuice answered immediately.
“We both know I can’t do that,” you denied. “I would be banned from practicing my craft, tried for all of your crimes, and imprisoned or executed when they were proven.”
“I wanna be offended by that, but I’m just relieved ya understand me,” the demon said. “Fine. I’ll take a bit of freedom. Let me out for a limited time or in a smaller area, if that makes ya feel better. But that’s the only thing I’ll bargain for.”
“It’s a deal,” you agreed, but Beetlejuice shook his head, smiling.
“That’s not how we do things and you know it,” he announced, producing a contract. He used his finger to scrawl his name across the bottom before passing it to you.
You eyed the scroll, forcibly reminded of Ariel and Ursula from The Little Mermaid and trying to banish the odd vision of Beetlejuice with tentacles from your mind as you glanced over the terms.
“It’s a standard contract,” Beetlejuice told you, breaking your concentration. “Just sign it and we can get started.”
You scanned over the scroll anyway, but didn’t know what you were looking for. The whole thing was written in strange, abrupt terms - more like an instruction manual than a legal contract. Having given that up as a lost cause, you found a stray ballpoint pen and signed your name at the bottom.
Despite the fact that Beetlejuice had signed it before you, there were no signs of his signature. As soon as you lifted the pen from the page, you saw why: your signature soaked into the scroll until it had also disappeared. The contract looked blank once more.
When your signature had been absorbed, the scroll began to heat up rapidly. Beetlejuice made an impatient gesture at you and you happily handed the contract back to him. He seemed unbothered by the temperature and tucked it into an inner pocket of his striped jacket. The moment he let his jacket fall closed once more, your containment circle flared with light - so brightly that it hurt - then disappeared entirely.
“What happened to my circle?” you demanded. You had planned on breaking it, obviously, but seeing it dissolve was… disconcerting.
Beetlejuice laughed, but broke off the sound at the look on your face. “Oh, you’re serious. You really haven’t summoned a demon before, huh?”
“It’s not really something my mentor encouraged,” you told him, which was putting things rather lightly. She had been open about her distaste for demons and the witches who were desperate enough to summon them. You felt a momentary surge of guilt, but pushed it away. If she had really wanted to keep you from summoning a demon, she would have given you her spellbook instead of passing it on to a niece she hadn’t spoken to in a decade.
“The energy of your containment circle was transferred to the contract,” Beetlejuice told you. “The circle kept me bound to a certain place, but the contract keeps me bound to our deal instead. It’s just another type of containment.”
He sounded so disgusted by his imprisonment that you felt guilty for a whole new reason. Yes, demons were inherently evil and had few redeeming qualities, but the ethical quandaries were too many for you to ignore.
“Then let’s get our deal completed,” you told him bracingly. “The sooner we take care of things here, the sooner you can earn your bit of freedom.”
“Sounds good to me, doll,” Beetlejuice agreed, taking his first step out of the place where the containment circle had been. You watched as he walked easily through the room between you, like the containment circle had never been there. “Yeesh, some place ya got here. Don’t worry - I like a bit of mess. Rotting carpentry really gets me goin’, ya know?”
You frowned at him. Your home wasn’t nice, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was yours. More importantly, it was all you could afford. But there was really no use in lecturing the demon on manners. He was here to help you make things better, after all.
Having completely crossed the boundary where the containment circle had once been, Beetlejuice continued on his way until he was approaching you at a rapid pace. You watched curiously as he loomed above you… until he ducked his head and tried to press his mouth to yours.
You pulled away and he looked surprised, then smiled. “Okay, no kissing, straight to the fucking. I can do that. Hell, I respect it.”
Your eyes went wide even as the demon saluted you and dropped his hands to the top button of his moss-discolored shirt. “Wait, what are you talking about? I don’t want to have sex with you - I want you to fix my life!”
Beetlejuice froze, staring at you blankly. “You summoned a sex demon to fix your life?”
“A sex demon?” you repeated, horrified. “No, I summoned- Hang on!”
You found the spellbook, picking it up from where it had fallen on the floor from the wind that had swept the room during Beetlejuice’s arrival. You had marked the page of his inscription and held it open for him to see.
“Find what you lack,” you repeated, ignoring the way his dark eyes were already scanning over the page. “Even the inscription itself says it! Listen:
May the creature bring me what I lack
Fill the void and give me peace
Give me his gifts
Beet-”
You cut yourself off rapidly even as Beetlejuice shot you a warning look. “Well, you see what I mean. Nothing about sex.”
“Of course not,” he replied, sounding offended. “This book was written centuries ago. No respectable witch would have summoned a demon if the inscription said: Bring me a demon to rock my world and my bed. Hope I don’t need to walk for the next few hours. It’s an innuendo.”
“No it isn’t,” you argued, probably pointlessly, considering that the demon in front of you had apparently lived under this inscription for centuries.
“No?” he asked mockingly. “Let me tell you how the inscription is supposed to be read, if you know your Latin:
May the creature give me what I need
Fill my void and satisfy me
Give me his ‘gift’
Then my name three times.”
With the pointed eyebrow waggling, there was no way you could really argue Beetlejuice’s point. It sounded bad - probably as bad as it was meant to, you reflected - but you hadn’t had any other sign that this was anything other than routine summoning…
Except, now that you were looking at it from a more critical angle, the abstract designs tracing the outside of the page had a curiously erotic effect. Was that… an extremely stylized depiction of a penis?
You shook your head and sighed. “I summoned a sex demon.”
“Yeah, ya did,” Beetlejuice said happily, unbuttoning his shirt again. “And we made a deal. So get over here and let’s get started on my side of the contract.”
---
A/N - Like I said, many liberties taken with the character of Beetlejuice. And a weird amount of world-building.
Thanks for reading! Find other works on my masterlist.
#beetlejuice#beetlejuice the musical#beetlejuice x reader#beetlejuice x you#reader insert#mature#witch reader
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The Forgotten Shounen: Katekyo Hitman Reborn
This is not a “Why you should watch/read khr” or anything like that. This is just me going into the deep dive and throwing my findings at you. I’m making this because khr used to be my favourite series when I was 15 (I had plushees, posters, tradingcards, the art book etc) and now as an adult I constantly find myself baffled at how unknow it seems to be.
1. Okay first what is khr?
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! or just Reborn! is a series by Akira Amano which was published in Weekly Shounen Jump from 2004 to 2012 (with 42 volumes) and got an anime adaption which run from 2006 to 2010 on Tv Tokyo (with 202 episodes and one OVA).
2. What’s it about?
Khr is a parody of the italian mafia and plays in a world where the mafia is heavily influencial. The protagonist is the japanese middle schooler Sawada Tsunayoshi who is known as “No good Tsuna” because of his failing grades, general weak and cowardly personality and weak physics.
He becomes aware of the mafia world when a 2 year old baby called Reborn arrives at his house claiming to be the greatest hitman and declaring himself his home tutor. Reborn was send by the 9th head of the Vongola famiglia who is ready to retire and looking for a new heir. Which of course, is supposed to be Tsuna and now it's Reborns job to shape him into a worthy sucessor.
Tsuna rejects the violence of the mafia world and refuses the position as the 10th. Thanks to Reborn and his general craziness Tsuna meets different people and starts to make real friendships. Reborn wants 6 of those friends to be Tsuna's future guardians, basically a group of people which will be closest to him in the vongola famiglia. Tsuna might have no interest in those positions but the friendships he builds with them become really precious to him.
Reborns arrivial also brings in the enemies of the Vongola family which leads to Tsuna being forced to engage in battles. Generally Tsuna openly avoids fights and prefers to run away but will put himself in danger for his friends' sake or because of something Reborn did.
Through out the series Tsuna matures and gains strenght but he never becomes a power fantasy. He's just a guy with many flaws who grows through the human connections he makes.
Personally I think the relationship between Reborn and Tsuna is one of the best student teacher reltaionships in all of manga only topped by Mob and Reigen from Mob Psycho 100. Especially the last arc really underlines their unique relationship to me.
Furthermore, khr offers a new and unique battle system: The flames. I'm not gonna go into to too much detail but the general idea is that one fights with their dying will flame which basically turns off your the savety switch so you can fight with everything you have. The flames are seperated into different categories such as: sky, storm, mist, rain, sun, lightning and cloud and have different attributes asigned to each one. Tsuna's use of the sky flame and his transformation when using it is still one of my favourite shounen transformations to this day.
3. What happened?
The series did really well and then not so well over the course of its serialisation. After the manga got an anime adaption it increased in populairty and video games, light novels, and other products such as CDs were created based on the series. Reborn is one of the best selling series of Weekly Shōnen Jump and has sold around 30 Million volumes overall. It was and still is very popular in Japan but rather unknown in the west.
According to the article "The Rise and Fall of Weekly Shonen Jump: A Look at the Circulation of Weekly Jump" khr was the 10th bestselling series in Weekly Shōnen Jump, with a total of 7 million copies sold in 2007.
This number increasing to 15 milion in 2008. Which placed khr into the 4th best selling series of 2008 in Japan.
Between 2008 and 2010 those sales declined but still kept strong with khr as the 6th top selling manga in 2009, 8th best selling in 2010 and then 24th best selling in 2012.
In November 2014, readers of the Da Vinci magazine voted khr number 17 on a list of Weekly Shōnen Jump's greatest manga series of all time.
After the anime came to an apprupt stop in 2010 for unknown reasons the manga sells took a visible hit. (Apparently the studio wanted to put the anime on halt because they were busy with other projects and give Akira Amano time to develop her story but I couldn't find any source for this claim) Furthermore, the rushed last chapters of the manga in 2012 declined the popularity of the series even more. There's no offical statement as to why the manga was ended in such a way but it's reasonable to assume that Jump either cut it considering the decreasing sales or Akira Amano choose to end it for personal reasons.
Nontheless, Tsuna not being included in Jump Force (a fighting game where you can play as different characters from Jump) in 2019 even tho he made it in earlier Jump Stars games also underlines the decreased interest in the series.
Rumors on a reboot or anime adaption of the last two arcs surface from time to time but are genereally unlikely. Artland the studio which made khr has gone bankrupt around 2015-2016. It might be taken on by another studio but rather uncommen especially with such an old series.
4. Art style
The khr anime ended over 10 years ago and the old art style might not be appealing to newer audiences.
Especailly because the anime adaption follows Akira Amanos old art style which heavily developed within the years. Here a picture comparing characters in the new art style:
A modern anime adaption in the new art style would be aesthetically pleasing. It would probably look similiar to Psycho Pass since Akira Amano did the concept art for this series.
(My personal art student hot take is that both art styles are unique and fun. Up to this day Akira Amano still has my favourite art style and even if the amount folds in the characters clothing is a little extreme I love it dearly.)
5. Criticism
The show is not without flaws and even if I greatly enjoy it it wouldn't be right not to adress them.
Daily Life Arc:
A lot of people view the first 20 to 25 episodes as fillers and quickly lose intererst in the series. This is due to the fact that Akira Amano inteded the series to be a gag manga and focuses the first chapters on world building, character introduction and comical narratives. It's rumored that the decision to develop the story into a battle shounen was made because the sales weren't doing well enough at first. So the first chapters/episodes may seem titidious but are necessary for the story and the development of the characters. The tonal shift from a more gintama like gag manga to a darker battle focused story can also be offputting to some viewers.
Either way a lot of people blame this arc when discussing why khr never got an english dub or didn't end up on Toonami. I've also read that the manga never finished serializing in the north america. However, it finished in other western languages like german and spanish.
Censoring:
The anime censors A LOT. From Gokudera's smoking habit, Yamamoto's whole character arc which deals with heavy themes such as depression and suicidal thoughts. The general bloodiness of the manga was censored and sometimes whole chapters and characters were left out even if those were important to the devolopment of others.
Filler episodes:
Out of the 202 episodes the anime has around 29 filler episodes which makes roughly 14 %.
Sexism:
Even if Reborn was written by a woman most female characters are rather flat and their storylines often tied to a male character in one way or another.
Genereal things:
Khr, like many other long running series, is sometimes criticised for a lack of world building or unpopular narrative choices.
6. Hope?
Khr isn't exactly dead. As stated before the series is still very popular in Japan and still gets new merch pretty regulary. There are also petitions floating around for a reboot or a new anime season but those never get a lot of traction. Furthermore #Reborn2期アニメ化 (#Reborn2ndAnimation) used to get some traction on twitter not too long ago. Last year the Anime News Network did a poll on which anime the readers would like to see a rebooot of and khr placed second.
Either way here's a collection of recent khr things I could find.
- In 2018 a new bluray set was released in north america
- The khr stage play reached yet another new season
- A mobile game was released last year
- Currently ongoing anime cafe event called "Concerto di Vongola"
- Last month there was an event with the former VAs and stage play actors where they discussed their favourite khr episodes.
- There has been an increase in blind reacts to the openings on youtube which might bring in a new fan base. The biggest one I could find had around 90k views and was made in 2019. On this note check out the soundtrack. The first openeing Drawing Days by SPLAY still makes me go insane (but I'm biased of course)
There also renewed hope for a new season/reboot because Shaman King, Inuyasha and Bleach got anounced for new seasons after a long hiatus. It's important to keep in mind that the circumstances for those series are differnt tho. For example bleachs new anime is often tied to the immense success of the gatcha game.
7. Conclusion
Khr is a series which used to be a flagship for Weekly Shounen Jump and is deeply beloved by it's fans, especially in Japan. It influenced other shounen series like bnha. It would be nice to see it gaining a bigger fanbase in the west :)
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SEGA and its most recent Sonamy side – more canon than ever
[Translator’s note: this article was originally written in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik]
Hello again! Today we’d like to discuss about something that’s been happening recently, and probably taking Sonic fans by surprise: what is going on with SEGA and its stance about Sonamy?
At the beginning of this year, to celebrate the 200 articles on Seaside Hill Paradise, I finished what I call “the Sonamy trilogy” of articles that I started in 2018 and which cover different themes, such as:
SEGA and the eternal issue of the Sonic-Amy dynamic
“I love you” – Forbidden words in Sonic
SEGA and the eternal issue of “Sonic’s girlfriend”
The idea was to offer a more-or-less complete analysis about the many facets of their dynamic in the last 27 years; a dynamic that, you may have noticed, is not that easy to pin down, and that we’ve been updating almost regularly (although I also intended to investigate on other dynamics, like Knuckles and Rouge’s for example, and write about them). Generally speaking, in these articles I don’t draw objective conclusions about the status of the ship in canon (despite the fact that the available information tends to confirm it in various occasions). I also like to repeat myself and say that shipping is supposed to be for fun, not for tearing each other’s hair in that black hole of misery that is Twitter, but recent events left us slightly perplexed, and this is why we’re here once again.
We left the status of the Sonamy canonicity with these two peculiar instances back in August: Sonic mentioning his “girlfriend” in the Japanese version of Sonic Battle, and the Twitter account of SEGA of Europe saying Sonamy is their “favorite videogame romance”. Now, let’s recap a bit…
Sonamy in Sonic IDW... Round 3
[SPOILERS ALERT FOR IDW SONIC #14-#35]
In 2018, when IDW just started, I decided to study a little how the Sonamy dynamic worked in this new universe. To our surprise, the comic didn’t waste time in dropping its biggest bomb, in one of the cutest scenes we had seen in ages. Since the very beginning, IDW proved that it didn’t intend to deceive those fans that looked for a bit of development of both characters.
I wrote an article about it in June 2019, and it coincided with the beginning of one of the most infamous arc I’ve seen in a Sonic comic for a long time: the Metal Virus Saga. The question is, what has happened since then?
Well, in 2019, with the same accuracy of an aimbot, I said “We’ll probably see some new interactions between Sonic and Amy sometime around IDW #20”. And wouldn’t you know, as misery and tragedy settled in that arc, it was exactly around IDW #20 that we saw some Sonamy interactions: both exhausted, to their limit, with a Sonic that couldn’t even touch Amy to soothe her pain, due to him being infected with the virus.
The arc developed like this in what felt like an eternity, to finally conclude in one the most absurd ways in Sonic history. But it wasn’t a complete disappointment, as, after months and months of asking and discussing on the internet about how much Sonic and Amy deserved a hug at the end of the arc… it actually happened.
Since that moment in IDW #32, we shippers thought that it was what both of them deserved after so much time spent separated and pushed to their limit to survive, but also that after the end of the arc everything would go back to normal. However, what we didn’t know was that the Sonamy train had no intention of stopping, not in IDW, nor anywhere else.
A recurring detail in IDW Sonic is that Amy’s tail starts wagging every time she sees Sonic, as if she was a happy dog. I swear, it happens every time.
Come IDW #35, once again we have some hugs and bits of dialogue between our hedgehogs. For sure, the question here isn’t their relationship itself, as it was for IDW #2, but rather the issues this arc is slowly dealing with. But it’s really nice to see them again, sharing that closeness that they’ve had in the comic since the beginning– be it with some gestures of affection, a wink, a gesture, a private joke.
My favorite image is the first one, Belle’s reaction to seeing Amy hugging Sonic. It’s like she’s thinking “oh, is she his girlfriend?”, and she wouldn’t even be wrong in thinking that.
It can’t be denied that IDW Sonic provided us the conversations and the emotions that the games seldom do. Certainly, the comic has its share of issues and it’s not really a story that I personally follow for its own merits (it’s more because it’s still Sonic, for my interest for things like this, and Belle’s existence… whom I already ship with Tails, sorry not sorry), but what it does well it does really well.
For now, we have to see how IDW Sonic will follow the development of the characters, especially in view of the closure of the current story and beyond. And we may be done with this part of the article, but there is still a lot left.
Sonamy in merchandise
Taking us completely by surprise, recently SEGA launched, in collaboration with Hot Topic, a series of Sonamy-themed t-shirts. No, seriously.
So many people told me this as soon as the voice spread (you know who you are, thank you guys for thinking about me <3), and I can’t help being still surprised that this is actually a thing. T-shirts with lines like “You’re my favorite”, “Love in the fast lane”, and my personal favorite, “S&A Forever”, with drawings of Classic Sonic and Amy… in SEGA-approved products. I don’t know if you realize how much of a big deal this is, even more than “Celebrate the 25 years of Sonic’s girlfriend” from 2018.
One of the things that surprised me the most (aside from how explicit they are in officializing the relationship, and the fact that there are still 2 months left before Valentine’s Day 2021), was the decision to use Classic Sonic and Classic Amy. I tried to understand this decision by analyzing the simplicity and easiness with which the Classic designs convey a message (let’s not forget that Classic Sonic was so iconic because it was specifically designed to convey his expressions without words), besides the fact that they’re inherently cuter than their modern designs. There’s also the controversial aspect of post-Adventure Sonamy, with all the dubbing and weird interpretations that the fandom made over the years… By comparison, the Classic design are a much simpler choice.
What is actually going on?
Well, let’s take a step back and think about what we just saw. The way SEGA has been recently trying to push Sonic and Amy in front view (and for the entirety of 2020, based on the articles I mentioned in the beginning) tells us the harsh truth we all have to accept sooner or later: Sonamy sells, and it sells a lot.
From a strictly business point of view, the ship is so iconic and popular, with fans and detractors alike, that it would be absurd for SEGA to ignore the chance to print these two characters and get a load of money. As I said in my 2018 article, despite the fact that in Japan Sonic isn’t as big of an icon as it is elsewhere, they know pretty well that Sonic + Amy = love, and they have huge amounts of merchandise to back it up. It’s in the West that because of different cultural values, of which we’ve already talked about, along with some internal resistance, left this aspect of the franchise a little on the side. But they’ve been trying to fix it… and how…
Let’s not forget that a decade and a half ago Sonic Team seriously favored Sonamy. They officially said it, Sonic X was their purest view of Sonic they had at the time.
Outside of the business perspective, I believe we’re facing the moment that we’ve been waiting for: it’s time they’ll establish once and for all the dynamic of these two characters, following more closely the original Japanese vision of Sonic. I said many times that, in trying to change canon, the West, especially SEGA of America, did nothing but confuse fans and generate more discussions than needed, by introducing different data and portrayals that contradict the canon established by Sonic Team.
We’ve talked about Unleashed and emotional support, about Sonic X, about the major moments that opened the door to interpreting this dynamic as something more. We don’t threaten at gunpoint those who would rather stay away, but we respond to those declarations that still try to violently discredit the simple fact that Sonic and Amy, who are most of all close friends, form in some measure a couple that, even with its imposed limitations, manages to captivate fans and not fans everywhere in the world. Even the Simpsons used it as a joke, and that says a lot.
What the future has in store for us.
Unless something else happens in this last month of 2020, this is the most complete compilation I can offer at the moment about the status of Sonamy in the fandom and in the official canon. Yes, canon.
It’s impossible to ignore the signals. As you may have noticed, I’ve been considering Sonic and Amy as an official couple, with its clarifications (for example, that at the end it’s more of a friendship, that it’s not a romantic relationship in the most explicit way, that it’s more of a personal perspective to justify a more mature vision of the relationship in the future, not right now), but nowadays I think that SEGA has spoken loud and clear. I think canon is ready to negotiate the idea that Sonic and Amy, apart from being excellent friends who would risk their lives for each other in a heartbeat, have something else on their hands (probably the other’s hand). This won’t automatically translate into a kiss, or a complete love declaration (although Sonic X came close…), or a commitment to a formal relationship like we know them in real life. SEGA canon affirms that Amy is “Sonic’s girlfriend” and nothing more. Outside of that detail, they still pretty much function as friends interacting with a little flirting here, and a little Sonic running away there. It’s the basis of their dynamic, now enhanced by the fact that SEGA is giving us a clearer message.
I think that this all may culminate in a game or an animated series, but I wouldn’t completely count on that. It is good to recognize how far the official position goes on this issue, but at the same time I want to reaffirm that there are things that are better left in the hands of the fandom, and in the meantime that IDW or any other continuity gives us hugs, winks, gestures and words of encouragement, we as the fandom will take care of exploring other avenues and hypothetical scenarios.
This is all I have to say on the matter for now, and I hope you’re happy with this wonderful Sonamy experience we’re going through – I certainly am. See you next time!
#sonic the hedgehog#sonamy#amy rose#translation#long post#whew#this one was a doozy#but super interesting#thanks again latin for writing these long ass sonamy posts
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Are you of the opinion that giving a character voice acting essentially robs the reader/viewer of their agency on how they imagine a character sounded like? So to put it in another way, would no voice acting be better than any? A Sonic-related example would be Classic Sonic, who isn't voiced in Generations, but the main inspiration for this question is Bill Watterson's hesitancy in giving his characters voices.
I mean this is just a different version of the argument people sometimes make where, like... there were people who were against making movies based on the Harry Potter books, right. Because some kids might imagine themselves in Harry's shoes, or retroactively J.K. Rowling said she imagined different characters in different nationalities when she was writing them (famously I believe some people interpret Hermione as african-american).
The idea that movies might damper the imagination inspired by books isn't entirely incorrect. However, in my experience, it's also just different mediums and reaching different audiences, right.
I don't read a lot of fiction. I know I should, I've made more efforts to in the past, and it just never works out. Maybe it's my ADHD brain or whatever, but I'll start a book and never finish it. Even audio books are like this for me a lot of the time.
But there are two books I've finished in my life: Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, and its sequel, The Lost World. They are pretty much the only fiction books I've ever read purely for fun, and also, more importantly, finished reading.
I would have never tried reading those books on my own terms if I did not see the Jurassic Park movie first. The movie is what sparked my interest in the books.
And the books, for what it's worth, are VERY different experiences! By their very nature, books are longer, more detailed stories than most movies. If you translated the Jurassic Park book into a movie, as an exact replica of the novel, it would be something like 6 hours long. Maybe closer to 8 or even 10 hours. To get a watchable movie, you have to cut a lot of scenes out and streamline things to a huge degree.
The Jurassic Park book opens with this long vignette that's practically a whole short film itself -- it starts with recapping the history of the "designer genetics gold rush" of its world, and focuses on a hospital at the edge of Costa Rica that continually receives patients with strange, poisonous bite marks from unidentifiable animals. The head nurse there suspects a conspiracy, because the patients are all InGen construction workers flown in from a nearby island and they refuse tell the doctors how they were injured. Clearly something else is going on. It weaves together with Costa Rican folklore about demons that visit cursed villages in the night and steal their children, only for one of the nurses to witness a creature in the newborn ward doing just that before seeing it skitter back in to the jungle. (The implication being that it was a dinosaur, of course)
If translated to film, that entire sequence would be 10-20 minutes long, if not more. Instead, it was condensed down in to the far more action-heavy "SHOOT HER!" opening scene. It gets some similar ideas across, but it is nothing like the book. It only lasts two minutes.
And not only is there a lot of stuff like that, but characterization is often dramatically different, too. John Hammond is much less sympathetic in the book, and much more of a villain. Alan Grant is more of an Indiana-Jones-type cowboy who is deeply ignorant of even the most simplistic modern technology. It goes on and on. There's one particularly great chapter where Grant is piloting a pontoon boat down a river while being stalked by a T-Rex that swims like a crocodile. They painted concept art for it for the movie, but it never even made it to storyboarding.
There's even a level for it in the Genesis game!
And if we're talking about The Lost World, well... 80% of that book is a completely different story from what ended up in the movie. The book has dinosaurs that camouflage like chameleons! It's terrifying!
For me, at least, it means that they don't even really compare. I find it much like how comic books feature multiverses and showcase many alternate versions of a character, where Ultimate Spider-man's Peter Parker is a different guy from the original "616" Spider-man. The book interpretations of Alan Grant, or Hermione Granger, or whoever are usually entirely different people from how they are portrayed in movies, or cartoons, or whoever. Ergo, it's hard to visualize Sam Neil as the book's version of Grant in Jurassic Park.
Even in comic books. A couple years ago I went through and read all of the original Dragon Ball. I cut my teeth watching the Saban dub of Dragon Ball back in 1995 and 1996, so I knew in my head what I thought these characters sounded like, but after reading deep enough in to the manga, that all kind of faded away and it just became it's own thing. Every now and then my mind would drift back to reading the dialog in the voices from the Saban dub (or the voices from Funimation's re-dub of Dragon Ball from 2005), but for the most part it stood on its own as its own thing. I mean, that's one of those things that lead to Dragon Ball Kai, right? Because the anime ended up just that different, and they wanted to re-edit it to be more faithful to the original books.
Not everyone has a good imagination. Reading can help facilitate and exercise a dormant imagination, I guess, but representing these things in other media formats can also aid those who struggle with the original text. Again, I'd never have read Jurassic Park if it wasn't for the movies. I'd never have read Dragon Ball if I wasn't feeling nostalgic for the anime. An important bridge was formed by adapting these properties so that other types of people could also enjoy them. It all contributes to a richer overall experience for all involved.
The only thing I'd say is that giving Classic Sonic a voice is a different kind of stylistic choice, because as Sonic Mania Adventures has shown, you can still use those characters to tell stories without necessarily having dialog. The difference there is that characters like Calvin or Hermione or Alan Grant are written with dialog in mind, and you change who they are by translating them across media types. How Classic Sonic is depicted is a bit more of a strange beast because he's been left mute. I suppose it's not that different, but it's still a little different regardless.
#questions#winstein-nin#sonic the hedgehog#sega#sonic team#harry potter#hermione#jurassic park#alan grant#reading#fiction#books#dragon ball#interpretation
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Ya know what these self-indulgent Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow posts need? Self-indulgent banner art, that’s what.
Spoilers for issue #4!
Let’s start this off right with CREATOR CREDITS. Issue 4 of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is titled “Restraint, Endurance, and Passion.” Written by Tom King, Art by Bilquis Evely, Colors by Matheus Lopes, Letters by Clayton Cowles, and Edited by Brittany Holzherr. (w/ Assist. Editor: Bixie Mathieu & Senior Editor Mike Cotton)
THE STORY:
Right, so this? This issue? Best one yet.
Also the bleakest of the bunch thus far; even though we don’t always see the brutality of the space pirates that Kara and Ruthye are following, there’s...the suggestion of it. The aftermath. And how Kara responds to it.
Okay, getting a little ahead of myself. BASIC PLOT SUMMARY: Ruthye and Kara continue their pursuit of Krem, who has taken up with Barbond’s Brigands.
The Brigands basically just. Murder and terrorize people, for profit.
Each planet they visit brings new horrors, as well as people who need Supergirl’s help.
And help she does.
KARA-CTERIZATION:
I yell a lot about the art on this book, and have, in fact, openly admitted that I’m primarily here for Evely and Lopes.
Well, that wily son-of-a-gun King went and wrote some of the best ‘Super’ stuff I’ve ever read and dang it, dang it, now I gotta yell about the words too. XD
Specifically, I wanna yell (in a good way!) about some words that occur towards the very end of the book.
Kara and Ruthye have Seen Some Things; things like genocide and mass grave sites and horrible violence, and upon reaching a planet where peaceful monks were slaughtered, Kara’s had enough, and needs to leave because if she screams, she’ll destroy what little is left of the monks’ monastery.
Here’s the text in full, because my gosh. It’s so good:
“What I write next I write based on my observations in those long-ago days at the side of the greatest warrior in the history of this august reality we all call home. It is important to note that my assertions do not rely on anything Supergirl said. It was not a subject we ever discussed or even approached, but nonetheless I believe it to be as true as the turning of worlds. You see, what is not well understood about the daughter of Krypton is that her power was not one of action but one of restraint, endurance, and passion. She did not choose to fire a beam from her eyes, or have breath of ice, or run faster than a speeding bullet. Or any of her other well-documented miracles. No, she held back her heat vision to look you in the face. She warmed her breath to converse with you. She slowed herself to walk by your side. Ever moment of every day, she suppressed the forces churning inside of her. All of the energy of a dead world that strained against her many barriers, eternally demanded to be released. I believe this effort hurt her. I believe she lived her life in pain. But I reiterate again, for I think it important enough to repeat--These beliefs are based on my time at her side, watching her as she moved through strife and sorrow. If you were to have asked her, I have little doubt she would have claimed that such as assertion was absurd. She would say she felt fine and well and then she’d as you if you needed any help.”
A long chunk of words, I know (this comic is DENSE!) but like. This is it. This is one of the defining attributes of the Supers--all that raw power at their disposal and they choose to help people, to be kind, to suppress that power for the benefit and safety of others.
HNNNNNNNG.
Hope, Help, and Compassion for All.
Whole lotta folks claimed at the outset of this book that King did not understand Kara, that he was a bad fit. And that may be so, I suppose--there’s a whole other discussion about like. The violence and swearing and ‘does that belong in a Supergirl book?’ But the characterization? Getting that Kara and Clark are just good people?
King gets it. He got it in Superman: Up in the Sky and he gets it here, in Woman of Tomorrow.
Other things King gets! Kara is stubborn! Kara is passionate! Kara is going to fix things, even if the effort of doing so hurts her, physically, emotionally, and mentally!
(Fuuuuuuun fact for the crowd saying that Woman of Tomorrow is vastly superior to the CW show: TV Kara is ALSO all of those things! King isn’t pulling this stuff out of thin air. It’s almost like...gosh. I don’t know! Both the show and Tom King are pulling from the character’s comic history, or something!!!! HOW NOVEL.)
Like, seriously. There’s a lot of overlap. Stop pitting Karas against each other!
Anyways!
I promised art, so here is art!
Oh, right, forgot to mention, Kara literally THROWS HERSELF INTO THE SUN to express her grief and anger, so as to not cause that unnecessary destruction. She gives new meaning to the phrase: Set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.
More art yelling: GOTTDAMN, the way Evely draws Kara just colliding with the surface of the sun and then the way Kara’s hair like...becomes the flames...
I am FEELING FEELINGS. HOW DARE.
Also, props to King and Cowles; King for deciding to have that initial scream, Cowles for the way the letters burst forth from the point of impact on the sun, and then back to King who decided that it would just be...devastating silent screaming from Kara, for the remainder of the scene.
Back to the characterization, I just wanted to highlight something I mentioned...earlier on, I think? In these posts? But haven’t brought up recently, and that is how this book has not once brought up Zor-El, and I think Superman only got a quick mention in issue 2.
Honestly, I think that’s gotta be some kind of record.
It’s so refreshing. Not because I think there should never be mentions of Clark, or anything--I love that boy--but because so much of modern Supergirl comic drama is mined from the same like, angsting over her place compared to Clark, or her crazy sometimes-a-supervillain dad.
There is no Clark and Kara drama here, no manufactured friction, because it’s just. A cool Supergirl story!
Gonna keep going, but let’s do it with some more...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT!!!!
Once again, Mat Lopes is all over the dang place with his palettes, it’s marvelous.
Each new planet gives Evely the opportunity to go hog wild on the worldbuilding and design, and similarly! Each new locale is an opportunity for Lopes to set the tone with colors. Like, here, towards the beginning of the book, we’ve got a planet bathed in this warm, pale yellow/orange light.
(Quick note: “Sure, yeah, I get it. We all have our duties. And it’s mine as a neighbor to do what I can to help you with yours. Please.” A+ Kara content. We love to see it. And then locating the remains of the alien’s daughter, so that they can go visit the grave site and have some emotional closure???? It’s just. So. Touching.)
Anyways, back to colors.
Like!!!! LOOK AT THAT JUMP. From the soft, almost pastoral feel of the delicate oranges and yellows to HARD GREEN, PINK, AND PURPLE. (Difficult colors to pull off in print, I might add.)
(This is also an interesting scene, character-wise, because I think it helps re-contextualize some earlier stuff with Kara. Like, I’m mostly thinking that incident on the bus, where she was swearing at the passengers as the space dragon was about to destroy them. Here, we see Kara kind of...goad this alien woman into releasing her pent up emotions by yelling at her/getting her to fight, and you can clearly see at the end of it that Kara did not mean the things she said, because check this out:
She goes and gives her a hug once the woman is able to finally cry.
It’s not ‘Kara is being mean, Kara is swearing at her’, it’s, ‘Kara has an unorthodox solution to a problem, and she’s gonna FIX that problem, NO MATTER WHAT.’
Circling back to the bus thing--again, that could be an instance of ‘unorthodox approach to a weird situation that Kara is going to handle because lives are at stake.’)
But also, DIG THAT KIRBY KRACKLE, BAY-BEEEEE!
And a little Strange Adventures easter egg! The Pykkts!
(I think those guys are unique to the Black Label series, rather than deep Adam Strange lore, but don’t quote me on that.)
Moving on to YET ANOTHER PALETTE, one I’ve dubbed, ‘Treasure Planet Purple/Grey’
Love Ruthye’s snoozing against the door, waiting for Kara.
Also, just as striking as the colors of the environment, are the colors used on Kara.
If you compare this page with the previous one, Kara’s eyes are a paler shade of blue, and the red-rimmed look on her eyes here is not as intense as the red-rimmed look we saw back in issue one, when she was confronting Krem.
All of which to say! There’s a pale, haunted quality to both the linework and the colors. Like. We know Kara has Seen Some Things. But she’s shoving all that stuff down to protect Ruthye, to save Krypto, and to stop these monsters, and you get all of that WITH COLORS AND LINES ON A PAGE.
I love it, I love it so much.
OTHER BOOKS WISH THEY HAD THIS LEVEL OF CHARACTER ACTING, I TELL YA! THEY WISH THEY HAD THIS BEAUTIFUL ALCHEMY OF INKER, COLORIST, AND WRITER WORKING IN SUCH TIGHT TANDEM!
Ahem. XD
Alright, last bit of art, lest I just. Post the whole issue in here. (Which I’m honestly always tempted to do but Strong Feelings about Piracy hold me back.)
JUST HECKIN’ LOOK AT THAT BLUE, MAN. JUST LOOK AT IT. S’BEAUTIFUL.
And more stunning character acting from Evely. Like. Bottom middle panel. The expression, the tilt of her head and the shadows on her eyes...
*insert silent flailing here*
Oh, also, KRYPTO LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVESSSS (for now).
I’m never right about these things, so I’m glad the one time I’ve correctly read a thing is when it involves Krypto not, ya know. Being dead. XD
Also absolutely love that Kara’s instinct is to send Ruthye home to protect her--once more leaning into that whole, ‘I’m going to protect you, even at great cost to myself’, though of course we know that she can’t send her home, not here, not now, just halfway through our journey.
ERRRRRRGH, so mad we’re not getting twelve issues of this! CURSE YOU, POOR SUPERGIRL TRADE SALES! CURSE YOOOOOOU!
That said, King’s pacing? Has been phenomenal. I feel like Strange Adventures and even Mr. Miracle kinda...I’m not gonna say dragged, that’s not quite right. But it is more build up, I guess. Takes a while to get to the payoff.
Here, I think King is pushing things steadily along as he doesn’t have the benefit of an additional four issues, so he has to get to the point, so to speak. Keeps everything moving.
SOME FINAL, MISC. STUFF:
I’ve sort of glossed over the darker stuff from this issue, and I just wanna note that like. This is a book that features a bad guy getting stoned (in the death sentence way, not the drug way) on panel. Like. I can’t recommend this to children.
I can’t even really recommend it to some other Supergirl fans, because I know that the King elements will be too off-putting.
It never feels like the book is going too far, though. At least in like an...exploitative way? If that makes sense?
The violence is handled with discretion, I guess is what I’m trying to convey. This could very easily tip over into like, gross shock factor territory, if not handled well, but I think the creative team pulls it off.
...Still wouldn’t hand this book to kids, though. XD
As mentioned, we’re halfway through this series! Can’t wait to see where it goes--every time I think I have this book figured out, it surprises me. So, like. Bring on the Dinosaur planet! With no sunlight! I wanna see how Lopes handles THAT. XD
(But Oh, OooooOOooh, we gotta wait until NOVEMBER.)
(Hhhnnnnng!)
(Then again, maybe that’s good; we’ve got the TV show in the meantime, and then once it ends we can pick right up with new Supergirl content just a few weeks later.)
(...Aw. Made myself a little sad, thinking about the TV show coming to an end.)
:C
So as not to end on that sad note, here once again is tiny, smushed Kara:
Give ‘em the ol razzle dazzle.
#stranger speaks#supergirl: woman of tomorrow#supergirl: woman of tomorrow spoilers#dc comics#comics talk#comics opinions#comics thoughts#long post#are those the right tags? I can never remember#gif
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Reverse dragon au 5
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
———————————————————————
Janus was terrified. The grip holding him wasn’t painful, but it was certainly uncomfortable, and it was clear that the dragon wasn’t letting him go anytime soon. They started approaching a cave and Janus squirmed desperately.
Falling to his death would at least be quick, but whatever the dragon had planned probably wouldn’t be. He was doubly terrified when he saw two other dragons, and then the fear slowly shifted to confusion when he saw the other humans, glaring intently at the large reptiles, and screaming curses.
What was even more baffling was that the dragons didn’t seem to understand a single thing that they said. Why could they understand the dragons, but the dragons couldn’t understand the humans?
The dragon placed him next to the other humans, who had momentary stopped their screaming to stare at him. Most likely at his scars in particular.
“What happened to your face?” The one in green asked, very bluntly may I add
“Remus! You can’t just say that!” The one in red hissed to the one apparently called Remus
Red turned to him “I’m Roman, this idiot is my twin brother Remus. The dragons kidnapped us about nine days ago because we were away from people for a week and that apparently makes us ‘strays’. We are now their pets, and everything we try to do to escape or annoy or hurt them gets written of as us being playful.” The newly dubbed Roman spoke with thinly veiled anger at the dragons.
Although the anger wasn’t directed at him, Janus felt as though Roman would hit him or hurt him in any way. He figured that his fear was evident on his face, based on how the angry boy immediately started trying to calm himself down after seeing his expression. He was glad for that, the last time someone had been angry near him, he had been tortured and left for dead.
The previously silent dragons (who were presumably watching how the humans interacted with each other) started conversing
———————————————————————
Logan spoke up “I found the human tied up in the woods. The other humans had hurt him and abandoned him. I don’t see why, though.. he seemed to be in almost perfect shape other than the starvation and the scars...”
Patton let out a soft gasp “oh no... at least the mean humans can’t get him anymore. There’s only cute and cuddly humans here!” He exclaimed, curling around all three humans and almost immediately feeling the first two playing. It was at this point that he remembered that he still didn’t have names for them.
They had yet to find names that the humans would respond to, and he felt like it’s pointless to give a pet a name if it won’t respond. Logan had suggested making a list of all the names they had tried so they wouldn’t lose track.
The list was now a few scrolls long and they still hadn’t found suitable names! Maybe they could name the new one with one of the previous scrolls though... he was pulled from his thoughts by a particularly sharp tug to one of his scales. He gently pulled the green human off of him, lightly scolding it, even knowing that it couldn’t understand him. “No, nu-uh. Don’t pull on scales, it hurts”
He placed it back in the middle of the circle, only to have to pull the red one off of scales as well for pulling them.
———————————————————————
Remus was quite proud of himself for managing to hurt the dragon. But his mind was slightly preoccupied by the new arrival. Was he really tied up in the woods and abandoned? It would explain his earlier fear at Romans anger...
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Tag list: @moonfrost-star-comics @vann-cat @icantthinkofacreativeurl
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