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basementsushi · 3 years

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Aurora - movie review

Movie: Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Would I recommend: No - the movie has some good moments, but overall it didn’t keep my interest. If I can’t relate to or don’t care about the main protagonist/antagonist in your movie you’ve got a problem.

Had seen before: Yes (but couldn’t remember it)

Main movie, prequel, sequel, or midquel: Main movie

Theater or straight to video: Theater

Keep reading below for fun facts, my thoughts, and origin details (contains spoilers)!

Thoughts:

They’re so rude to the blue fairy!

I feel like the fairies should be running an orphanage, they’re so sad they’re going to have to give Aurora back, and it seems like they loved raising her so much

Yikes, not a good sign that by the time we see the prince and his horse the horse is the most interesting character so far

Okay, the prince is more than a little creepy - he overhears Aurora singing and uses details from her song to get her to trust him and like him (a complete stranger). Also, this is Phillip, he was at least 8 (possibly older) when he met her as a baby, and she’s almost 16, he must be 24 (or older)!

Aurora is a bit of an idiot… she thinks she’s in love with someone she met once (she didn’t even give her name or get his!)

King Hubert is a butt! King Stefan is just excited to finally see his daughter after all these years, and Hubert is already pushing Aurora and Phillip to move away together

The music when Maleficent is luring Aurora away is so jarring, it fits the mood of the scene very well

The prince being ambushed at the cottage is the most interesting thing to happen in the movie (it’s the only bit that surprised me at all)

The fairies tell Phillip he will have to face the rest of the dangers himself (once they free him from the dungeon), then save him from the next four or five dangers with their magic - c’mon ladies, consistency!

Maleficent needs to get a hobby, she devoted almost two decades to revenge over an insult, and takes most of it out on people not even responsible for the original insult! (I prefer in the original tales where the “evil” fairy gives her curse and moves on with her life)

CHILDREN EXPLAIN TO YOUR PARENTS - Phillip’s dad is so confused and Phillip just ignores him, explaining nothing when he shows up with Aurora after having run off earlier

Why is no one questioning the dress repeatedly changing color?

Fun facts:

Aurora is the only one of the official 12 that is a true blonde - Cinderella is a strawberry blonde, and Rapunzel is a natural brunette

Aurora is the only of the official 12 to have an abnormal eye color (her eyes are violet)

Once again a tale that has a Grimm and Perrault version! Disney draws from Perrault’s tale, but in my research I found not only Perrault’s tale of a sleeping beauty (“The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”), but two others as well, an earlier tale (“Sun, Moon, and Talia” by Giambattista Basile), and a later tale (“Little Briar-Rose”, by the Grimm brothers). Imagine my surprise when reading them and realizing the Grimm version is the least dark of the three!

Origin: (Charles Perrault tale) In this tale a king and queen who desperately wanted children were overjoyed to finally have a baby girl. To celebrate a grand christening was held, and every fairy that could be found (seven in all) were invited to be godmothers. Beautiful settings were prepared for them, each was to be given a gold casket holding a spoon, fork, and knife, each made with gold and set with diamonds and rubies. Right as everyone was sitting down an old fairy arrived, one that had not been seen in so long most presumed her dead or bewitched.

The king immediately ordered another setting for her, but only seven golden caskets had been made, so she could not be given one. The old fairy, thinking she had been intentionally ignored, began to mutter threats to herself. One of the young fairies sitting near her heard her, and went to hide, so she could speak last and try to counteract anything the old fairy may do.

The fairies all gave beautiful gifts of talent and beauty to the princess, until the old fairy's turn. She declared that the young princess would prick her hand on a spindle and die. The last fairy, the one who had hidden, now came out to give her gift. She did not have the power to remove the curse, but was able to amend it, saying the princess would not die, but fall into a deep sleep, which would last 100 years, and at the end she would be awoken by a prince.

The king, hoping to avoid the horrible event, declared it was now forbidden, under threat of death, to use or keep a spinning wheel or spindle. Despite these efforts, when the princess was fifteen or sixteen and her parents were away she came upon an old woman in the castle spinning. Having never seen a spinning wheel she had no reason to fear it, and as soon as she went to touch it she pricked her finger and fell. Every effort was made to wake her, but it was no use. She was laid to rest in the finest room, upon a bed embroidered with gold and silver.

The fairy who had changed her curse soon arrived, and touched her wand to all in the castle except the king and queen, so that they were all frozen in time, only to awaken when their princess did, and all would be ready for her when she awoke. Shortly after the king and queen left the castle the fairy grew a forest thick with trees, brambles, and thorns around the castle, so that the princess would be safe and away from prying eyes.

A hundred years later the throne had been passed to a different family. One day while out hunting the king's son found the castle, and asked his attendants about it. Most told stories of evil magic, hauntings, or monsters, but one elderly attendant said her father told her that inside the castle lay a princess, who was waiting for a prince. This story emboldened the prince, and he decided to enter.

As soon as the prince approached the castle the thorns and brambles fell away. He made his way through the castle until he found the beautiful princess. Trembling he moved near her, and, the prince having come for her and the hundred years over, she awoke. Supper was soon prepared, and shortly after the meal was finished the prince and princess were married.

The next morning the prince returned to the city, and told his parents he had simply become lost in the forest for a time. His father believed him, but his mother was not fooled. She had noticed he was more often going hunting, and often spent nights away from home.

In the two years since their marriage the prince and princess had two children - the first a daughter, named "Dawn", the second a son, named "Day". All this time the queen was urging the prince to settle down or confide in her, but he was hesitant, as she came from a race of ogres (the king married her for her wealth), and was said to have a hard time resisting pouncing upon children.

By the end of two years the king had died, and the prince found himself on the throne, at which time he publicly announced his marriage, and had his wife and children brought from the forest. Not long after the king declared war on his neighbor, and appointed his mother to rule and care for his family in his absence.

Not even a week had passed when the queen regent summoned her chief steward, telling him for supper the next day she would eat Dawn, with a piquant sauce. When the steward went to slaughter her (she was four by now) she ran to him, and he could not do it, and instead had her hidden. He served the queen regent a lamb instead, and she declared she had never eaten anything so good.

Eight days later the queen regent summoned the steward again, this time declaring she would eat Day (who was three by now). Day was hidden away, and the queen regent was served a young goat. She again said it was delicious, but her desires arose again soon, and she told the steward she wished to eat the princess, with the same sauce as her children.

The steward, not knowing what animal could substitute for her, made up his mind that to save his own life he must take hers. He faltered when he arrived in her chamber, and told her of the command he had been given. The princess (not knowing her children had been hidden) told him to do it, so that she may be reunited with her children. The poor steward, feeling compassion for her, told her she would be reunited with them, that they had simply been hidden away. He instead served the queen regent deer.

The queen regent, planning to tell the king wolves had eaten his family, felt quite satisfied. However, as she wandered the castle one evening she heard the cries of Day, and knew she had been lied to. She ordered a huge vat be brought to the courtyard and filled with snakes and serpents of all kinds so the princess, her children, and those who had lied to her could be thrown into it the next day.

As her servants were preparing to throw them in however the king returned (much sooner than expected). Surprised, he demanded to be told what was going on. No one dared tell him, and the queen regent, instead of confronting him, threw herself into the vat and was devoured instantly. The king was saddened, but soon found comfort and consolation in his beautiful wife and children.

#aurora #briar rose #sleeping beauty #charles perrault #movie #movie review #maleficent

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ymiwritesstuff · 4 years

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My Dear Pet

OK SO.. Uhmm.. how should I explain this.. This is a ROLE REVERSAL AU and well.. just read. Maybe it’ll become clear.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1: Phantom Blood

Dio Brando x Fem!Reader

Summary: Upon arriving to the Joestar mansion with the intention of becoming a part of the family, your eyes immediately notice a certain blonde noble who catches your attention.

Notes: Role reversal AU, Spoilers for part 1, VERY suggestive themes and language

The carriage you are seated in comes to a stop when you finally reach your destination. Looking through the small window you can see the Joestar manor in all it’s glory. This “glorious” sight makes you scoff and you swing the door open, throwing your suitcase on the ground, which catches the attention of the two males in front of you. Under their curious gazes you gracefully jump out of the cramped wagon and land on the ground like an agile cat. Just a small action to prove your superiority.

When your sharp eyes fall on the blue haired boy -which you assume to be Jonathan Joestar-, he looks confused but quickly an expression of realization dawns on his face. “You’re (Name) (Surname), right?” A smug, self-assured grin appears across your lips. At least this noble brat has some manners. Even if he didn’t he’d soon know your name very well. “And you must be Jonathan Joestar,” you say, voice coated with a layer of false kindness. The sight of this pampered boy makes you disgusted. He has no idea how real life works.

“Everyone calls me Jojo. Nice to meet you,” Jonathan turns to the blond boy next to him, who wears an admittedly charming smile on his face. “This is Dio Brando, he’s a member of the Brando household.” The introduction awakened a certain curiosity in you. You had heard of the Brando family more than you had of the Joestars but knew how close the families were. Dio politely took one of your hands in his and gently kissed the back of it, an action which amused you greatly.

“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. (Surname). I hope you enjoy your time here.” The way his strangely sharp eyes looked at you twisted something inside you and made you even more curious about the boy in front of you. “I do believe the pleasure is all mine, Mr. Brando.” You flashed him a smirk which he immediately caught with his amber orbs. That smirk only grew when you noticed a faint wash of pink on his cheeks.

Jonathan’s highly obnoxious remarks of his dog you barely even looked at went unheard as your gaze remained on Dio. There was something.. Alluring about him. He didn’t radiate that same agitating noble boy’s energy as Jojo did, instead, he looked free in a way. The refreshing aura of freedom surrounded him and despite his sharp, cunning eyes the gaze within them was gentle and kind. It was as if he wasn’t meant to be a noble.

Your (E/C) eyes suddenly catch Jonathan’s dog running at you. A vicious snarl creeps on your face and with one swift movement, you mercilessly collide your knee with the snout of the animal. How dare Jonathan let his disgusting mutt get close to you? Danny lets out a whimper and falls to the ground, shaking from the pain. Serves him right. Both of the males gasp in shock and Jonathan is quick to defend his companion.

“What was that for?!” You respond to his pathetic attempt to defy you by glaring at him with eyes that are burning with increasing toxicity. So this was the heir to the Joestars? He was merely a pampered brat, undeserving of the fortune awaiting him. Your goals were absolute and you would not let this fool get in the way of your plans. You would succeed and your hunger for power would not be quenched and you would do anything to ensure your position as the true heir of the Joestars. No matter what.

Just as you expected, defeating Jonathan wasn’t going to be easy. However with the help of a few fake rumors and other lies you were able to destroy his chances with Erina and completely obliterate his friendship with Dio. Just a tiny bit of intimidation to make the girl keep her mouth shut and just a small false rumor about Dio stealing her first kiss was all it took. Jojo had no friends anymore and you were more than happy to serve as Dio’s source of comfort, all the while your true nature was hidden behind a facade. Of course Erina told Jonathan the truth but it was too late for the male to repair his friendship with Dio and was devastated to see him call you his beloved.

For all these years you had maintained your innocent sister’s act and you were finally approaching the end. Soon, your father would die due to a sudden illness that was actually caused by your scheme and the family fortune would finally be yours. However you were a fool to think that it would all go smoothly as your dear brother who had caught glimpses of your mischievous eyes and the feigning tone of your voice, found out about your plan to assassinate your father. And upon confronting you about it, his suspicions were proven correct and he set out to find the antidote for the poison.

Damn that Jonathan. You were so close. You had thought that the thugs on that merciless Ogre Street would’ve finally put an end to the nuisance known as Jojo, but just like a bothersome cockroach, he came back unscathed and with your true intentions revealed, was ready to send you behind bars. But luck was on your side and the moment the spikes of the stone mask pierced your skull, you transcended humanity and obtained that inhuman power you didn’t even know you were longing for.

Your lips curl into a smirk that reveals the tiniest portion of your newly acquired fangs as your brainless servants bring yet another human to your lair. This time however, the mortal brought into your impressive throne room of the dark castle was someone you knew far too well. With a single wave of your clawed hand, you dismiss your servants, leaving you alone with the golden haired man.

“Dio.. What a surprise..” Your low, honeyed voice reaches his ears and he lifts his gaze to look at you, wearing an expression that is a mixture of confusion and -quite surprisingly-, fear. Judging by the condition he’s in; filled with bruises and cuts, bringing him here wasn’t an easy task and the thought of him being a feisty little pet amused you.

“(Name).. W-what is going on?” He looks around him, the unknown surroundings coating him in a layer of nervousness and uneasiness. You let out a playful yet highly sinister chuckle that makes every hair in Dio’s body stand up, his amber eyes locked on your new form. Your slow footsteps echo around the open room, your smirk never fading and your (E/C) feasting on the sight of your lover on his knees. He looked like a lost puppy that was begging for assistance.

“Why do you look so frightened, my dear? Does my new appearance intimidate you?” Once you’re in front of him, you lower yourself to his level and gently caress his face with your claws. Dio notices the sharp fangs in your mouth and immediately remembers the events that occurred moments before his capture.

Jonathan had come to him, frantically trying to warn him about you as he found out that you had managed to survive the fire and he didn’t listen. He couldn’t possibly believe such foul talk about his lover, but now understands exactly what his friend was referring to as the (E/C) eyed monster stared at him.

“He.. He tried to tell me.. Jojo-” His monologue is cut short by your hands grabbing a fistful of his hair and tilting his head back. The sight of his exposed neck excites you, however you must resist the urge to taste his delicious blood for just a bit longer.

“Do not mention that name whilst in my presence..” Jonathan had interfered with your plans far too many times and the mere mention of his name was enough to make you want to rip apart the person who dared to let that name slip. However with Dio, it was different. He had shown undying love and devotion to you and it would be a shame if you lost that devotion. However this didn’t mean that your pet’s miscalculation would go unpunished.

“My dear, Dio..” You gently run your hand across his cheek, the other still keeping a firm grip on his soft locks. “You still love me, don’t you? After everything I’ve done for you..” You say, referring to the time when you comforted him about losing his friend which you caused, trying to manipulate him. It didn’t matter what he thought, though. He wasn’t going to escape. You had grown far too attached to the attractive golden haired man and you wouldn’t let him go.

You press your lips against him and notice him kissing you back, which makes you somewhat delighted. However you weren’t stupid and as soon as Dio tries to push you to the ground in an attempt to overpower you and possibly increase his chances of escape, you deny his attempt and he is the one who ends up on the ground, your form hovering above his. Your pet was misbehaving. Adorable.

“Let me make something very clear, my darling..” Your lips find their way dangerously close to his ear as you hold him in place. Under normal circumstances this wouldn’t have been possible but thanks to your new abilities, you were able to physically overpower even someone like Dio. Your hand runs along his chest, gently tracing the flesh under his shirt.

“You belong to me now.. There’s nothing you can do..” Your light touches make Dio’s heart pound faster and something that to you sounds like a moan escapes his lips. You take this as an early sign of submission and look at him with an intense gaze. “Now be a good boy and do as I say and I might heal your wounds..” Your cold hand caresses his face again, however you’re still unsatisfied with the gaze he gives you, as it lacks the submission you were looking for.

Your claws move to his neck and you break the skin, causing the man below you to groan in pain an discomfort. “Who do you belong to, Dio?” You inquire, refusing to stop until those words leave his mouth. He pants and gasps, realizing that there’s no stopping you unless he bends to your will.

“Y-you.. I.. I b-belong.. To you..” He finally says and you retreat your hand from his neck, licking the tiny drops of blood left in your digits. With an amused hum you lower your face to his and kiss him again, savoring the delicious taste of his blood. Dio feels his wounds healing, but knows that any attempt to escape or resist you would only result in more of them. He hates how much he’s enjoying what you’re doing to him.

And you know exactly how much he enjoys your touch and presence when he whimpers and melts under your dangerous touch. You were going to have so much fun with your pet.

#jjba #jojo #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken #jojo's bizarre adventure phantom blood #jojo part 1 #jojo's bizarre adventure x reader #jjba x reader #dio brando #dio brando x reader #dio x reader #jojo dio #jojo x reader #jojo dio x reader #reader insert

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sunnydaleherald · 3 years

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter - Monday, April 5th

Tara's dorm room. Willow is sitting on the bed playing with a small black and white kitten in her lap. Tara is sitting on the large chest at the foot of the bed. Willow: Oh. I keep thinking "Okay, that's the cutest thing ever," and then she does something cuter and completely resets the whole scale. Tara: Did you see her yawn earlier? Willow: Yes! I thought I was going to die. She picks up the kitten to look into its eyes. Willow: (babying voice) Oh, I love you, Miss Kitty Fantastico!

~~The Yoko Factor~~

The Sunnydale Herald is currently looking for a few new editors. For more information, send us an ask (on Tumblr) or post a reply to this post (on Livejournal or Dreamwidth)!

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Silly Ogres, Eggs Are Not For You (Buffy, Willow, Devil May Cry crossover, T) by madimpossibledreamer

Behind the veil and back (Willow/Tara, T) by Bl4ckHunter

Christmas (Willow/Tara, G) by theacedennis

Five times she calls him William, and one time he asks her to stop (Buffy/Spike, not rated) by VampireValentine

Legends Comparing Life Stories (Buffy, Dawn, Supernatural crossover, T) by TH (TornThorn)

Chats with the non-alive S7E7 - a WWS story (Xander/Anya, T) by absolutefem

Behind the veil and back (Willow/Tara, T) by Bl4ckHunter

Advice from a friend (Riley & Forrest, K+) by jediknigh5

[Chaptered Fiction]

Have a little Faith..., Chapter 1 (Faith & Tara, T) by BuffyBot3000

Foxy Lady, Chapter 13 (Ensemble, Pokémon crossover, T) by dogbertcarroll

The Sun, Chapter 6 (Willow/Tara, T) by heckate

Two Spikes, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, T) by mimeTEC

The lost episode S7E23, Chapter 8 (Willow/Tara, T) by absolutefem

In Another Life, Chapter 9 (Willow/Tara, T) by riah alice drake

Suddenly You're Mine, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Dorians Kitten

Walking in the Sand, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Axell

Child of Shadow, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Sigyn

Out of Our Minds, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by AlloSpoike

Daylight Burning, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by MissLuci

The Naked City, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by bewildered

Rewind Love, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Blade Redwind

Marked, Chapter 12 (Faith/Dean Winchester, Supernatural crossover, FR21) by Holly

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Some of my favorite Drusilla outfits (Drusilla, worksafe) by crabuncle

Video: spike x Buffy (btvs) - trouble by effulgent edits

Video: Buffy & Spike | From Hate to Love by GossipVal1

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 by äzỏŹ дĹShbΉ

[Reviews & Recaps]

Buffy rewatch: S02E06 by three-blogs-in-a-trenchcoat

I’ve been trying to figure out why I’m not jiving with Buffy Season 7 by rainandscarves

Reacting to Reactions! AtS Season 1 continued by Stoney

Reacting to Reactions! - BtVS Season 4 continued by Stoney

Dead Man's Party Makes me Rage (spoilers inside) by iamjustjenna

Video: MVM-How Buffy broke the vampire genre by Jane Talks Reel

Video: Buffy, Ethics, & Seeing Red: Spike versus the Whedon Writers in Season Six by Partially Examined Kubrick

Podcast: The Initiative S4 E7 by Buffy and the Art of Story

[Recs]

I want to read fanfictions by toomuchaffectionlove

Video: Buffy & Angel | Can You Love Me Most by nexusBOS recced by Ann

[Community Announcements]

I started a Buffyverse Fic author’s support and advice group by killian-spey

[Fandom Discussions]

If they wanted a pet, what would they get? answered by council-of-readers

I’ve been rewatching Buffy and dang did I forget how dirty they did some of the characters writing wise by ghastlygalestorm

I think they really should have included Willow’s thoughts about keeping Tara close to Buffy and therefore danger in the show by lqvewillow

Does Spike wear that same red shirt almost everyday? answered by prose-for-hire

If Faith just got the love and affection by faithlehaneapologist

Did Spike really care for Dawn? by darkspook

AtS S1 - A Strong or Stuttering Start continued by BtVS fan and others

Angel investigations vs horror monsters by xisnext

After finishing a rewatch of both Buffy and Angel I genuinely think Angel is the vastly superior show by nixon469

Buffy's resurrection was masterfully done by precita

Can Angel lose his soul if he finds Happines in a different way other than sex? by KirinoNakano

Why do you like Spuffy? by Eggo999

Favorite relationship Buffy had? by Eggo999

What's your favorite episode of every season? by Eggo999

Unnamed uncredited extra in most of seasons 2 and 3, anyone know who she is? by mvandemar

Could Tara have also been autistic/asperger or on the spectrum in some level? by precita

I know how charming Spike can be by AlmostAPrayer

Anyone notice how the same street set with the coffee shop and Magic box is used in Seasons 4-6? by precita

I find it so fun reading the relationship wiki for each character by LightBlueSky55

#buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #angel the series #ats

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tashaodinsbane · 4 years

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14.10.76 Piante e Strani Effetti Pare che il docente abbia voluto mettere alla prova la loro passione per l`erbologia; chi accetterebbe di svegliarsi prima dell`alba per aiutarlo con chissà quale diavoleria misteriosa, se non dei veri erbonerd? Il castello immerso nel buio, e con le luci fievolissimi di un sole che non sorgerà ancora per una scarsa mezz`oretta, ha il suo perchè e rende l`atmosfera abbastanza suggestiva. Arrivati allo spiazzo, potranno facilmente notare un gazebo bianco, piazzato appositamente per l`occasione, sotto il quale si trova Zevran in tutto il suo splendore. Un`altra cosa che i ragazzi potranno notare sotto il gazebo, sono due tavolini; uno rettangolare lungo quanto il lato del gazebo, e uno tondo un po` più piccolo. Sopra il primo, c`è un abbondante assortimento di biscotti, cornetti, muffin e cose del genere; il secondo, invece, è occupato da un paio di grandi caraffe termiche in metallo, di quelle con il coperchio e il beccuccio, più un vario assortimento di mug colorate in ceramica.[...]

Z:« Nel caso in cui qualcuno avesse saltato la colazione,oppure avesse sonno... lì c`è del caffè e del tè » lasciandosi scappare un sorrisetto divertito davanti a eventuali sbadigli o altre dimostrazioni di stanchezza.

T: «Oh,sì.La ringrazio» commenta con sollievo mentre già allunga le mani verso una delle mug colorate. Ascolta il dire del caro professore mentre solleva la caraffa, che si spera contiene tè, per riempire la mug. Ascolta le ipotesi di qualche compagno mentre afferra la tazza piena con la mano sinistra e un muffin con la destra.

Z: « Ho bisogno del vostro aiuto non per piantare ma per raccogliere» dice, lanciando loro qualche occhiata « Siccome va fatto entro l`alba, ho pensato che più mani abbiamo più Giana raccogliamo » sì, butta così il nome della pianta« Non vorrei fare troppi spoiler per il quarto anno. E` proprio per voi che oggi vogliamo raccogliere le foglie » plurale maiestatis perchè sì. Intanto sono arrivati al retro della serra; il docente si avvicina alla porticina, spalancandola e invitandoli ad entrare in quella parte di serra che solitamente non vedono [...]E, in circa una ventina di postazioni, un esemplare di Giana [...]Sorride loro, osservandoli come se si aspettasse qualche reazione strana da un momento all`altro. Non sembra ritenere importante, al momento, spiegare loro le proprietà della pianta.

{Rubrica cosacierainquelbuffet: chi ha mangiato i muffin sentirà il bisogno di parlare a più non posso, e raccontare i pettegolezzi (veri o finti che siano). Chi ha mangiato i biscotti si troverà improvvisamente con una voglia matta di cantare, e... non potrà tenerla a bada.Per quanto riguarda le bevande: tutti quelli che bevono caffè potranno iniziare a sentirsi più energici e lucidi, mentre quelli che hanno bevuto il tè..per ora non sembra stia succedendo nulla, a loro.}

N.R. : « oh, lo sapete che c’è un drago nei sotterrranei? Non so bene dove, forse è nelle cucine insieme agli elfi...» continua a parlare ininterrottamente, non riuscendo a fermarsi, con quella splendida voce acutissima.

Z: « Sinceramente non credo avremmo ancora degli elfi domestici, in quel caso » afferma semplicemente, con un certo cinismo.

C.M.: «Oh, sì. Lo ho sentito dire anche io. Ma non solo draghi! Nei sotterranei si nasconde di tutto!» poi invece mentre canticchia «or maybe it is a door - that`s closing up some hero`s back - on his track to be a man»

Z: « Hai pensato di entrare nel coro? » Tanto per appoggiarli, si unisce un secondo ai pettegolezzi « Sì è vero, nei sotterranei c`è un sacco di gente... anche creature strane » afferma, con un cenno della mano. Sì, signori, sta implicitamente parlando anche di sè. « se i biscotti allo Stridiosporo fanno sempre quest`effetto, li inizio a vendere »

S.C: «Ho sentito dire che di notte i fantasmi si danno alla pazza gioia con Pix, io me li immagino, soprattutto la Dama Grigia e Il Barone Sanguinario, anche se un po` di divertimento non gli guasterebbe.» prega che non ti abbiano sentito, Sunny. .

T: «Mio padre la coltiva nelle serre di casa e io ho sempre voluto provarla» A nessuno interessano queste informazioni non richieste,ma per qualche motivo non riesce a frenare la lingua. «Per qualche motivo però mio padre non vuole che entro nelle serre. Troppo pericoloso dice» E le scappa una risatina «Nemmeno ci tenesse dentro piante carnivore» Quindi si volta preoccupata verso Will «Ci coltiva piante carnivore?»Come se lui lo sapesse Quindi si volta di scatto verso i compagni «Sapete che l’altro giorno Fralker ha ballato in mutande sotto la pioggia?»E ride da sola annuendo con solennità «Si,si. E’ uscito in giardino ,si è tolto i vestiti e ha cominciato a ballare. [...]Dicono che Alyce indossi la parrucca» sussurra a Will dalla postazione accanto alla sua. Si volta a guardarlo per fargli un occhiolino e un cenno del capo verso la Prefetta Grifa «Sai: l’alopecia» Speriamo che il sussurro non sia troppo udibile.

M.B: «How many... roads must a man walk down/ before you call him a man?»

T: «Sai,dicono che Chloe faccia sparire i suoi animali... Quando l’ho conosciuta aveva tre gechi: che fine hanno fatto ora?» Lancia un’occhiata cospiratrice in direzione della compagna Tassa «Te lo dico io: se li è mangiati.Scommetto che entro la fine dell’anno sparirà anche il topo.A proposito di topi: le cucine ne sono piene. Di ratti però. Grossi,pelosi e pieni di malattie»

T.D. : « Spingo per gli spoiler. » Ovviamente. « Un ripasso per gli anni più alti e qualche informazione utile per il futuro per i più bassi. » E’ gentile, eh? Mica vuole sapere cose lui, nono.

Z:« Vi basti sapere che questa trasformante permette il cambio temporaneo di sesso, sia a livello fisico che mentale » afferma semplicemente, con un sorrisetto, prima di aggiungere « e durante il suo effetto non ci si ricorda della propria identità originale » ecco che quindi finalmente afferra la caraffa che aveva alla cintura. La stacca, portadosela davanti « io ne ho raccolta un po` tre settimane fa, e ne ho fatto un`infuso. Visto che mi avete aiutato... » e lascia vagare lo sguardo su nessuno in particolare « chi vuole, potrà averne un po`. A proprio rischio e pericolo » afferma, sfarfallando gli occhi in modo da ostentare un`aria innocente a cui davvero non crederà nessuno. Fissa i quartini per qualche istante « voi no, non voglio privarvi di farlo con i vostri compagni » afferma quindi, con un sorrisetto.

{Cosacierainquelbuffet, parte 2: quelli che hanno bevuto il tè iniziano ora ad avvertirne gli effetti: Un`amnesia localizzata, che riguarda la propria identità.Non si dimenticheranno il proprio nome o i propri valori fondamentali, ad esempio, ma invece potrebbero dimenticarsi aspetti della propria personalità di secondaria importanza}

C.M: «io… io, credo, insomma, sì. Lo vorrei, provare.» mentre lancia un occhiata a Gus come a cercarne un parere .Insomma, provarla potrebbe essere d’aiuto, forse. Ma sempre meglio provarla che non provarla, no? Annuisce mentre però inizia a sentire una strana nuova sensazione «Gus, ho dimenticato qualcosa… Cioè credo. Mi sembra.» ma poi «I boogie down like a unicorn - No stoppin` till the break of dawn - Put your hands up in the air - Like an ogre just don`t care» qua non si può davvero arrivare a finire un ragionamento oh.

T: «Miley mi ha detto che a breve intervisterà il portiere degli Applebay Arrows; dice che verrà a trovarci qui al castello» E si stringe nelle spalle mostrando quanto poco gliene freghi del Quidditch. Eppure lei è battitrice titolare... Va beh. Dà un piccolo buffetto sulla pianta di giana «Stiamo per finire» le dice. Eh,sì.Lei è una di quelle che parla alle piante. «Voglio diventare maschio» annuncia. Forse è una richiesta di provare gli effetti della pianta adesso,sotto la supervisione di un esperto?O forse una semplice dichiarazione di intenti. Un altro gossip, su se stessa stavolta. «Chissà come sono senza tette» Non che ne abbiamo molte. Abbassa lo sguardo sul proprio petto e poi si sofferma a guardare quello di Will,quasi si stesse immaginando uno scambio di corpi. «Dieci giorni?» Se fosse un po’ più lucida ci penserebbe un attimo su, probabilmente l’idea di cambiare anche carattere la bloccherebbe di sicuro. Ma beh,non siamo in noi. Perciò...per quanto la riguarda non se lo fa certo ripetere due volte. Si sfila i guanti e con passo deciso si avvicina al professore. «Alla salute»

Chloe e Tasha,poco dopo aver bevuto l`infuso, si sentiranno un po` strane. Si trasformeranno davanti agli occhi degli altri studenti, diventando a tutti gli effetti due ragazzi. E non serbando alcun ricordo di esser state, fino a poco prima, delle ragazze.

Vi presento il mio alter ego:Dòmnhall Odinsbane

#erbologia #giana #effetti collaterali #gossip #sing #trasformazione

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pendragonfics · 5 years

Text

living with feelings

Paring: Caleb Widogast/Reader

Tags: gender-neutral reader, gender-neutral pronouns, alternate universe - canon divergence, canon-typical violence, Caleb Widogast needs a hug, Caleb Widogast deserves nice things, canon-compliant, spoilers for Critical Role s2 ep1-20, light angst, ambiguous/open ending.

Summary: the reader moves alongside the nein as they journey from Zadash.

Word Count: 2,599

Current Date: 2019-11-01

You knew you didn’t have to stick around, but there was nothing left for you in Zadash, ever since Beau and Fjord walked in on - saved you from your stepfather’s cruel intentions in the back of his store in the Pentamarket. Especially now since the Crowns’ Guards were moving to the border, and the motley crew of The Mighty Nein were making headway to Berleben on business for The Gentleman.

The first day of travel was the hardest; you’d never ridden a horse before, and by the end of the day, you were saddle-sore and sad, aching and somewhat regretful and afraid. What if you’d made the wrong choice, abandoning the city life? It had been horrible, so horrible before, but out here on the road, there was so much that could go wrong.

Before the next uneventful day of travel, you approached Jester for a poultice for your aching thighs. But instead of the remedies of herbs and medicine, you were raised upon, the adorable blue tiefling touched your nose and cast cure wounds. It felt like taking a bath in a once-warm tub of water, except…not.

“Thank you,” your words came out nervously.

You instinctively go to touch where it doesn’t hurt anymore, but there isn’t any pain. You’re not used to your new clothes, and where you had been hurting is now well-hidden underneath the layers of your pants and pantaloons.

She glowed, poking her tongue playfully your way. “You’re very welcome, ________!” she replied, her thick accent mincing her pronunciation in a lovable way. “If you hurt more tonight, I can fix it again!”

“I’ll be sure to remember that.” You thank her once more and mount Mollymauk’s horse for the second day in a row.

They were peculiar names, but Nott told you that they had lovely meanings that her people valued. While Mollymauk hitched Loo and took the cart, Jester on watch, the rest took to horseback. Fjord took time between walking beside and riding his stead, and Beau scouted ahead. Nott sat at the back of the cart, swinging her legs. However, the one who you were drawn to - Caleb - kept quiet.

It seemed he never spoke more than a few words.

You’d met him before the rest of the Nein; he had wandered into your stepfather’s bakery. In `, he’d asked to purchase a loaf of bread. While your stepmother had admonished him for not speaking Common while in the Empire, you replied in his tongue as soon as she was out of earshot. He hadn’t ever been the most mysterious face you had ever seen, but he sure was the most attractive one. You hadn’t noticed that he had slipped you an extra silver until he had left the store. You held the extra silver in your palm until it grew warm, and as you left the storefront, you held the coin tight, and it bit into your skin, hard.

It was one more silver than anything you’d ever had to yourself.

---

W.C. whinnied as your ankles spurred at his sides. The horse began to trot past the cart. As you were led to the front of the Nein, you watched as Beauregard looked you over, as if her monk-trained eyes could see through you.

“Have you ever left Zadash before?” Beau asked, raising a brow.

You swallowed thickly. While boisterous Jester seemed to get on well with her, you weren’t sure how to approach her, you were raised to be not heard, and not seen, and wished very much to be those things when she seemingly interrogated you.

“I - not that I remember,” you respond anxiously.

“Do you have a shitty memory, ________, or…?” Beau asked.

W.C. continued to trot alongside Crapper as you carded your fingers through his mane. It wasn’t the softest, and your fingers grew more and more caught as you pulled them through, but it soothed your wandering hands.

“My parents were forced to move to the city after our village was overtaken by Gnolls,” you reply. You add, almost an afterthought, “I was a baby.”

You noticed that Caleb had neared, his horse going between Beau and yourself without much instruction from the way he held the reigns. Silently, you thanked the Gods for Loo’s little intervention. There were few things you cared to talk about, and one of them was how you came to the city.

While Caleb smelt better, you noted that there were smears of dirt across his cheeks. You wondered if he did it on purpose, imagining Caleb sitting by the edge of the road with his fingers in the mud, applying it to himself just like nobility and their obsession with cosmetics.

“Why do you care so much for ________’s origins?” He asked, his accent thick. You glanced between the pair of them just in time to see Beau scowl at Caleb - not that her usual facial expressions were too dissimilar to that, anyway.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s just really suspicious that they met us like, twice, and now are -,”

“I’m right here,” you spoke up.

“If you want to establish mutual trust between our new travelling companion, by extension do you wish to share to the group about your own background?” Mollymauk spoke up, the cart catching up to you three.

“Oh, fuck off,” Beau told him. She dug her heels into Crapper and went off to scout further along the path.

Molly shrugged and relaxed the pace of the cart to fall behind once again. You silently thanked the Gods once more, and the purple tiefling himself for his perfect timing. But aloud, you hummed and looked to Caleb.

Before you could add anything, he simply went to follow Beauregard, leaving you between the group like a stone stuck in a shoe. You glanced to Molly, but he wasn’t paying you any mind, instead, he was chatting idly with Jester. One person who did catch your eye was Nott. Her wide yellow eyes met yours and gave you a look that made you wonder if she knew something that would explain why Caleb acted the way he did. But she didn’t say a word.

---

You woke up too late, jostled from consciousness as you heard Caleb cry out in pain. By then, the horses - all tied to the cart for the night - were spooked and fled. It was horrible luck that you slept atop the cart rather than beneath, and as they ran off, you were carried away. But there was just enough time for you to notice that there were goblins - more than you’d ever seen in one place in your life! - and ogres and wolves and it frightened you to your bones.

In amongst the melee, you were stunned, and as the horses kept on going, you clamoured for the reigns, doing your best to try and lead them from harm. On one hand, you knew that the Mighty Nein was a travelling band of sellswords for coin and that they could handle the intrusion to the camp, but you felt a rush of fear thinking of Caleb, wounded.

You don’t know how long it took, there was no moon to see what hour of the night it was, but soon enough you had the horses calmed, and feeding on a saddlebag of oats. You couldn’t see fire the Nein lit at the camp from where you were the horses fled to, and it worried you a small amount. But it was no fear that compared to the fact that you were the lone protector of the horses and cart and the treasures and stores that the Nein had collected over their journeys.

There was a rustling in the bushes. Your blood froze, and without thinking, you picked up one of Nott’s daggers left at the front side of the cart and hid behind a wheel.

It was almost too dark to see, but there was a goblin there, no, two of them. They certainly did not look like Nott; they had broken teeth and one had a carving taken out of its body, smelling of fresh ichor. You kept still in your hiding spot, grasping the blade with two hands even though it only required one.

They chattered between themselves, until you heard more noises, and witnessed light growing nearer. The goblins scampered off, but you could hear, could see that they had a bag stuffed with things that you knew came from the cart.

Despite the fear, you felt a fury come over you, and stealthily, you followed suit. You almost didn’t get out of the way soon enough, dodging a spell cast to the fleeing goblins, as one was hit with magical orbs. As soon as they impacted, the goblin was no more - and it certainly smelled that way. But the one that was holding the bag kept on, and you did to, this time without the element of stealth in your favour.

The goblin turned, seeing you approaching. Its stride was no match for your human legs sprinting after it, and you threw yourself at it before it had a chance to reach for its own weapon. The bag was abandoned as it went to protect itself, but the dagger found itself buried in its chest, and again through its throat.

The Nein found you there sometime later, with bloodied hands and sick down your front. You don’t remember who helped you to your feet, or who sacrificed their canteen to clean you off, but soon you were in the cart once more, the horses and it led back to the fireside.

---

“I didn’t know they had it in them to -,” Fjord spoke, his accent was unmistakable through the haze of shock that shrouded your head. You still had it even though you had slept through to the dawn, and you couldn’t help but feel weak. “Those goblins almost got away with a pretty penny.”

You stirred at pretty, looking to the Nein, searching for one person.

“They’re awake!” Nott cried out.

“Where is Caleb? I heard -,”

Yasha stepped aside. You hadn’t thought of her as so large a woman, but as she did so, she revealed what was hidden behind her. In the light of day, you could see Jester beside Caleb, his face looking your way at the mention of his name.

“He’s going to be okay, don’t worry you guys,” Jester responded, and scowled. But the anger wasn’t becoming on her face. The emotion looked like she was a small child in a petulant mood, rather than being upset that the Nein had nearly been murdered in their sleep. “Did you see, ________? Molly killed a wolf that was sleeping!”

The purple tiefling sighed. “It’s out of its pain now.” He said. Perhaps he wasn’t fond of the attention that he was getting for the deed.

“________,” Caleb spoke up. There was an element in his tone that you weren’t used to hearing, and it confused you, perhaps more so because of the wooziness you felt. “I heard - is it true? You -,”

You looked to your hands. Even though they were washed from the blood that you had spilled, you could almost feel it on your fingers, sticky and warm and grotesque. Never in your life had you ever killed something, apart from a cockroach or a stray spider from your bedroom. And yet -

“I don’t know what came over me,” you whisper, somewhat aghast. “It took -,”

“It’s all my fault,” Nott spoke up, climbing into the wagon. The words you were going to speak fell dead on your lips, and you listened to her. “I told those goblins to go after the cart. I didn’t know you were with it, and I didn’t think - I’m glad you’re okay - Caleb was poisoned, and I needed to even the odds for us.”

“Oh, Nott, it’s not your fault,” you touched her small green hand, meeting her yellow eyes. “All things considered.”

“Yeah, all things considered, ________ handled themselves pretty fucking well,” Beau interjected.

“You seem to be a warrior in the making,” Yasha spoke up, a small smile ghosting her lips.

You sit back, feeling another wave of dizziness wash over your thoughts. Even though you passed out after the kill, it seems that finally the adrenaline is ebbing away, and you’re left feeling as you usually do. Like a copper in a pot filled with gold and platinum.

---

Another day’s journey brings the next night, and tonight, you can see the storm approaching from the horizon as dusk falls. While the Nein make their preparations for the night, eating rations and storing things that shouldn’t get wet, you find yourself in proximity to Caleb as he murmurs an enchantment on Nott, to make her immune to the rain’s touch. As soon as he’s done, he catches your gaze.

“What is it?” you ask, feeling unsure. “You’re looking at me funny.”

Caleb blinks, “Funny, how?” His Zemnian mother tongue is thick tonight.

You take a deep breath, before elaborating. “I don’t know…it’s like whenever you look at me, you’re pitying me.”

“I don’t pity you,” he says quietly.

From somewhere far off, thunder crackles, and you feel a chill sweep your spine following a breeze. It has only been half a week on the road, travelling with this group, and you’re feeling both alien to their lifestyle, and yet, settling in comfortably.

“Then what, Caleb?” you ask, words soft so that none other can overhear you. “What do you feel when you look at me?”

“I - I wish I was you.” He replies.

For a startling moment, you know that he’s being completely honest. It takes you a second to comprehend; he’s a wizard, powerful in spellcasting and strong in his mind in ways that you can’t help to be. You’re just…a product of your breeding, passed between caretakers until you were no longer in the home of your own blood. And he -

“I have seen, no, I have done horrible things,” he says, “things that are sure to warrant me to never rest. I am not the man you think me to be, and yet, when I look at you, I see so much, I see -,” he catches his breath. “I see a person, so raw, so beautiful! So full of potential.”

You swallow, the lump in your throat refusing to leave. “I’m nothing of those things, I’m just - I’m just - me. ________.”

“You are ________, a warrior in the making. You slew a goblin none of us could, and in doing so, saved my very precious collection of paper and ink,” he reiterates. “You might not think you are a warrior, but -,”

“Is that why you gave me that silver piece?” you ask him.

Caleb chuckles, but it is quiet, almost under his breath. “No, meine liebe,” he says. “I thought you to be beautiful, and in more need of the coin than myself.” There’s a look in his eyes, and you can’t place it. But then you realise that he just called you those things. It all clicks into place, like a rusted metal puzzle toy. “If you don’t reciprocate -,”

“I do, I -,” the words don’t come out right, but it doesn’t mean you feel any less for Caleb. “I feel the same way you do. I’ve never felt this way before, forgive me.”

“I am an unforgivable man,” he replies, the words coming easily to him. “If all I am asked to overlook is your shyness, your hesitance, then I am not to forgive, but to love you even deeper.”

#caleb widogast #caleb critical role #caleb critical role x reader #caleb widogast x reader #critical role #critical role x reader #chaotic--lovely #pendragonfics #gender neutral reader

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sleepychihuahua · 5 years

Text

MCs as Ayakashi Suitor Descendants

WARNING: Some spoilers ahead.

Ayakashi RR is it’s own universe separate from the Love 365 games, but what if it wasn’t? Ignoring EITM (since the history and rules of their yōkai are so different), maybe some of the MCs are descended from the Ayakashi suitors?

So far, I’ve only finished Koga and currently somewhere halfway with Ginnojo, but from what I do know about the suitors, I imagine that for the Dawn Faction:

Ginnojo and MPDCTY MC

Koga and MFW MC

Kuya and SITS MC

Yura and FILA MC

Aoi and IYAT MC

Ginnojo and MPDCTY MC

Ginnojo reminds me of the MPDCTY MC. I only played Kimura’s stories, but from what I gathered, MPDCTY MC’s main traits are: she’s a big eater, a Judo black belt, and has a strong sense of justice.

Mizuchi dragons seem to be one of the longer-living ayakashi since Ginnojo is apparently 54 and still looks young, so he could potentially be alive when MPDCTY MC was born and growing up.

He’s most likely a grandpa. The game takes place during the Taisho Period (1912-26) so he could be a great-grandpa, but he’s so shy around women. If he doesn’t end up with Futaba/ARR MC, then it would take a while for him to interact with another woman and start a family with her.

He trained MC how to fight and use her water powers. Sparring is normal and their training room/backyard normally floods from the water that they fought with.

She could never beat him.

They probably caused the family grief with how much they eat. Imagine the food budget. They probably eat extra large pork cutlet curry and beef bowls at least two/three times a day.

Ginnojo would read little MC his favorite books after meal times and tell her about the Shinsengumi and their convictions. These stories and Ginnojo’s love for his country were what influenced her to become a detective.

She becomes a Shinsengumj geek, and she and little Kiyonori became Shinsengumi BFFs. Grandpa Ginnojo is highly uncomfortable when they would team up against him to hear stories that he already told 567 times.

Ginnojo is always flustered when MC gets crushes and tells him about it. But he’s also there to kick ass if anyone makes her cry.

Koga and MFW MC

They like to drink.

Honestly, that’s my biggest argument. I only played Yamato’s stories (can’t bring myself to cheat on him with the other guys even though I love Ren and Saeki’s characters...) so I don’t know how different MFW MC is in other routes.

But MFW MC’s funniest character trait is her love of shochu.

Koga mentioned that only few Ayakashi have long lifespans and in his route, he has an illness known as the “carnage” that some Oni Ogre have. Koga’s probably dead by the time MFW MC was born.

If there was a cure for the “carnage” and he’s still alive, he would drink with MC once she was of legal age. The two would have a Sake vs Shochu argument every time.

Koga’s probably a stubborn, old man. He can’t handle not moving around and doing work even when he should be resting. And he feels embarrassed when his granddaughter takes care of him. But MFW MC is just as stubborn and cooks for him, does chores that he can’t do, and makes sure he doesn’t overwork himself.

That was how she developed wife-skills

MC got his kind and strong nature from him. She’s willing to help others, although she didn’t inherit his natural entrepreneurship skills. Not to say she’s an idiot. She probably took business as her major because she was exposed to it. Taking a page from the PARTY version, MFW MC opens up a flower arranging business

Kuya and SITS MC

There are two types of writers: ones that actually write and publish things and ones that don’t and just keep the ideas in their heads.

Like Koga, Kuya is most likely dead or just very, very old when SITS MC was born.

I haven’t even unlocked Kuya’s route yet, but I found the contrast and similarities between him and SITS MC kinda funny.

SITS MC daydreams. A lot. It’s how she writes.

And then Kuya is here:

If Kuya’s alive when SITS MC was little, they probably took naps together under the shade of the mikan tree in their backyard with Kuya using one of his wings as a protective blanket over her.

They’d also go to the mountains where no one would see them and fly around to stretch their wings.

I don’t know if Kuya actually starts writing stories during his route, but if he does, he would tell little MC bedtime stories...

...then proceeds to fall asleep halfway through before MC does.

He’s an old man now, so he sleeps much more often. MC doesn’t mind and finishes the stories for him so she could tell it to him before his nap times.

Watching movies became normal since they don’t have to waste energy talking and can instead sit on the couch and focus on the screen until one falls asleep and the other daydreams scenarios.

SITS MC inherited her workaholic tendencies from Kuya’s kid/her father, who was taught by Kuya’s wife to work hard. That’s why she can handle working as an assistant manager and lyricist for Revance.

The band would find her napping with Little Yamada under the tree in the yard in a regular basis when she hits writer’s block. Poor girl would wake up to Takashi’s monster mode every time.

Yura and FILA MC

Sweets

Haven’t played a full FILA route yet but I’ve read reviews and read the prologue so I kinda have a general idea of the FILA MC.

If Yura didn’t end up with Futaba, he ended up with a confectioner. In this case, Yura is probably FILA MC’s father. He is already 1000+ years old, so another handful of decades probably wouldn’t mean much to him. It took a while for him to find his true love without being blinded by his love of sugar.

Father, grandfather, or great-grandfather, Yura’s alive when FILA MC was growing up. He doted on her and would always take her out to eat cakes, so he when she decided to become a pastry chef, he was happy.

She would always have Yura taste test her desserts. The two were inseparable and practically lived in the kitchen.

Ever since Aoi made that cake, Yura was fascinated with hybrid desserts a d new food combinations.

FILA MC tries to add sweet-bean jelly to almost everything and makes huge batches for Yura’s birthday. She loves seeing the happy look in her father’s face.

She even makes desserts with a bit of spice for her Uncle Gaku since she loves him just as equally and as thanks for always helping pay for the ingredients she needs.

Outside of sweets, Yura would encourage small animals to their backyard. Little FILA MC would play with them almost every day.

If Yura was freed from his curse, he would play his flute for her (sometimes with Gaku on drums) and teach her how to play the instrument so they could have a duet.

Aoi and IYAT MC

Art runs in the veins.

IYAT MC grew up with Aoi’s paintings and with her powers as a Satori, she can feel his emotions and thoughts for each one.

Aoi’s probably still alive since he’s 16 during the story, so he’s most likely to be a grandpa.

IYAT loves watching him paint. Her favorites are the portraits of his loved ones and she always feels warm and loved when he paints her.

The old paintings of his wife and kids in their old homes were what inspired IYAT MC to be an interior designer. She wanted to create that warmth she saw in his paintings.

She learned to paint by imitating him and they would often spend a whole day together just going out in nature to paint.

IYAT MC often painted her three childhood friends and would do commissions for them.

Aoi made sure that his kids had good work ethic he doesn’t want any deadbeats like that tengu so he taught IYAT MC as well to not be lazy. Recipes he learned from Raccord was passed down to her.

Aoi taught IYAT MC to make sure to not use her powers to invade privacy unless necessary, but also to not become bitter towards his powers like he was.

She didn’t use her powers on Koichi until she saw him with his mistress, which made her depressed. She couldn’t help but think that if she had read his heart earlier, she wouldn’t be feeling the pain of being cheated on.

But if following Koichi’s route, it was her powers that let her forgive Koichi when she saw how he was changing and truly learning to love her. She stayed with him because she saw that there was a part of his heart that thought he would grow to love her because he wouldn’t let go of her as a baby.

IYAT MC designed Aoi’s and her grandmother’s new living room. She went all out to make sure her beloved grandparents will be comfortable and happy. Aoi can always sense her love for them because of it and was embarrassed but happy the first time he stepped inside.

And that’s it for the Dawn Faction! I don’t really have any ideas for the other suitors since they’re not out yet and I haven’t read all of the other Voltage stories. I have a vague idea for Kagemaru and Toichiro but not enough to write about. Maybe once I read more.

Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you guys liked it!

#ayakashi romance reborn #scandal in the spotlight #metro pd: close to you #my forged wedding #finally in love again #in your arms tonight #MC #koga kitamikado #kuya #yura #aoi #ginnojo #dawn faction

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fortunatowrites · 5 years

Text

The Reddit Unresolved Plot List and my Rebuttal

A not-comprehensive list of ongoing or abandoned* plotline:

Uldren Sov

Mara Sov

Dul Incaru and the Dreaming City Curse

Eris Morn and the Pyramid Ships

Mithrax and the House of Light

The Traveler being awake/alive again

Ra-ra-rasputin

The Iron Lords (Remember when we became the Young Wolf and started a new tradition of Iron Lords, theoretically?)

Drifter and his gambit

Shin Malphur and his gambit

Praedyth

The entire fucking Cabal Empire. We beheaded them, remember?

Calus and his plans

The Nine and their plans to try and get some hawt bodies

Savathun and whateverthefuck she's up to

Xivu Arath and whateverthefuck she's up to

No Speaker anymore

Cayde's dead and the Hunters don't have a Vanguard

Petra Venj and the Awoken

The Exo Stranger

And many more...

*abandoned as in apparently abandoned, as in haven't been mentioned, progressed or what have you in some time

So this is where I’m typing now. We’re going to assume that “some time” refers to at least two expansions ago. We’re going to count Season of the Forge, Joker’s Wild, and Opulence as one expansion and Season of the Undying will count as part of Shadowkeep’s expansion. So we’ve got several points of talk. Pre-Destiny 2, Destiny 2, Curse of Osiris, Warmind, Forsaken, Seasons, and Undying.

Now let’s crack through that list with what has been the most recent update in these plot lines.

Be warned. Everything below will be a spoiler. So if you’re not caught up in the current Season of the Undying, you run the risk of being spoiled.

1. Uldren Sov. This is by far the easiest of the bunch. During the Season of the Forge, we actually got an update on this guy. Personally, I thought we had reached the end of his story when he died at the end of the Forsaken Campaign. I’ve got plenty more to say on this but will wait for the post dedicated to this one.

2. Mara Sov. Forsaken’s post campaign content was almost entirely about this lady. We’re not sure what she’s currently up to, but it’s been 2 seasons since we’ve heard from her.

3. Dul Incanu and the Dreaming City Curse. Same as Mara Sov.

4. Eris Morn and the Pyramid Ships. This is ridiculous to even be on this list. The pyramid ships were seen at the end of D2 and now we’ve finally gotten a definite answer on that they are part of the darkness. Eris Morn and her moon fireteam have gotten a lot of lore updates from Shadowkeep.

5. Mithrax and the House of Light. I’m not sure anyone even knew Mithrax was important after our first encounter with him on Titan in D2 as part of a side mission. In forsaken, we get lore about him working with guardians and in Seasons (Season of Joker’s Wild) we got this big mission involving him and some more lore. In Shadowkeep we’ve heard more talk of his House of Light from Toland, but not much else. Wouldn’t call it abandoned just yet.

6. The Traveler’s Awakening. To be fair, this has been an over-hyped subject. They made it seem like there was going to be serious change or fallout due to this happening, but we haven’t seen much of what it means. In Curse, we learned it’s messed with the Vex’s Infinite Forest, but other than that, it’s implied that it awoke the Pyramid Ships. So maybe Shadowkeep is the last update we’ve had since it involves the pyramid ships, but overall I feel like there isn’t much more to gain from the awakening. Here’s hoping I’m wrong though.

7. Rasputin. This feels a little abandoned, but also doesn’t feel like there’s more to be explored here. Since Warmind, he’s been awake and apparently launching more satellites to deal with threats and help guardians, but that is a little in the air. There’s stuff about all his protocols that we could learn more about, but otherwise, I don’t agree that there is a hanging plotline here.

8. The Iron Lords. Again, this one feels like reaching. While it would be nice to get an update on the new Iron Lords since there’s apparently guardians taking up the mantle, there isn’t really a hanging plot line either. Nothing foreshadowed to be followed up on.

9. Drifter and his gambit. Season of Joker’s Wild aka Season of the Drifter gave us a lot of info about him. The last update we had was in Season of Opulence (Seasons) where we know he met with Calus and he seems to be against the darkness. There’s more to learn here for sure, but I don’t feel it’s been abandoned yet.

10. Shin Malphur and his gambit. In Season of Opulence we get the Lumina quest and resolution to his and the Shadows of Yor story.

11. Praedyth. We literally just lore books featuring him in Season of the Undying.

12. Cabal Empire. In Forsaken we learn a lot of them are in the Prison of Elders and the rest are scattered like the Fallen’s House of Dusk. Furthermore, in the next season, Season of Dawn, we’re going to get some Cabal plot as they’re trying to use the Infinite Forest to rewrite their loss of the Red War.

13. The Nine. These guys have been a big mystery for sometime and we’ve still got a lot to learn about them I believe. The last big thing we heard about them was Season of Joker’s Wild (Seasons).

14. Savathun. Shadowkeep has stuff in it about her, though not much. We know she’s connected to the Red Keep and trying to become the new Oryx essentially.

15. Xivu Arath. The last we’ve heard about her is Forsaken with her forces being sent into the Dreaming City and an Ogre of hers being within the Prison of Elders.

16. No Speaker. This is one I will agree with. We get lore entries that reference the fact we’re missing one, but no actual plot progressing information. This feels a bit abandoned.

17. Cayde’s Death and the Empty Vanguard position. We’ve actually gotten some updates on these. Cayde’s Death feels done by now but in Season of Joker’s Wild we got updates about how others are reacting to it. Such as the Praxic Order thinking our guardian being a potential suspect in the involvement of such. As for the Empty Vanguard position, it’s almost like the No Speaker position but we have gotten updates about it. Ikora speaks of it in lore in that same Season and mentions viable candidates fled the city.

18. Petra Venj and the Awoken. Once more, Forsaken handled a good bit of this. I would even say that Petra is just synonymous with the Dreaming City curse plot line at this point. As for the Awoken themselves, we definitely learned a ton about them from Forsaken lore and the fate of the Dispensary seems to tie in to this as well. Definitely seems a bit early to call it an abandoned/forgotten plot or one that’s been going for too long without resolution or update.

19. The Exo Stranger. The last update about the Exo Stranger was in Warmind, but granted that is allegedly. There’s a lot of lore that implies her identity, but there are certainly more questions to be answered about her and the fact she seemed to be working with a group in Destiny’s campaign. Yet, I don’t feel there’s an open plot on the subject. Her main mystery was just who she was.

If there’s anything else you’d like me to speak on or look into, please feel free to send a message. Expect some write ups on these subjects that go more into detail about what we know so far in the coming days. (If i dont decide against it or just get too caught up in playing games)

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evolutionxrev-blog · 7 years

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Samurai Jack Series Finale Review [SPOILER WARNING]

With the story of Samurai Jack concluded on the twentieth of May broadcast as part of Adult Swim's late night action lineup, Toonami, longtime fans, as well as the younger generation of the series, have been left with in either awe or slight disappointment. Either way, the series has finally ended as wished. And it's a good thing, too, because then we would have to make our own unofficial ending. Haha. Anyway, with that said, I am here to express thoughts on the show's ending as well as explain the series' history and reception from viewers and yours truly. Of course, beware of spoilers.

History of the Samurai Jack Production Samurai Jack was created by a Russian American animator, director, storyboard artist, producer, and screenwriter named Genndy Borisovich Tartakovsky. The man is also known for works such as Dexter's Laboratory and Star Wars: Clone Wars as well as being involved in the development of Powerpuff Girls, Sym-Bionic Titan, Batman: The Animated Series, and non-Cartoon Network work, Hotel Transylvania. Tartakovsky's goal was to create a cartoon that captures the cinematic feel while incorporating action-packed, humorous, artistic and cultured elements. To add to it, Tartakovsky was actually quite a fan of the samurai culture and the bushido code himself when he was a child and even had a dream of wandering in a post-apocalyptic Earth fighting mutants with his crush. August 10th, 2001, Samurai Jack debuted on Cartoon Network with the three-part special titled "The Beginning". The premiere would receive high praise and positive ratings from critics and won four Primetime Emmy Awards. Eventually, a standalone DVD and VHS format was released on March 19th, 2002. The network ordered 52 episodes (four seasons; 13 episodes each) airing as part of the Cartoon Cartoon Fridays and Toonami programming blocks. The final episode of season 4 would be aired on September 25th, 2004 (a day before my birthday, ouch).

Though, ended without an answer on whether Jack will ever get back to the past or not, fans were left sour with the sudden realization that his adventure was cut short. The last episode ended with Jack finding a baby and returning it to its mother after fighting through bounty hunters and ogres. The halt somewhat had to do with the production of Star Wars: Clone Wars and Tartakovsky not wanting to rush straight to the ending. They likely did not have the time to fully think of the right conclusion for the show. The show would eventually be aired with reruns on both Cartoon Network and sister channel, Boomerang, before being brought back (again) to Adult Swim's Toonami on February 1st, 2014. ...Then it would get removed again on January 25th, 2015.

Thirteen years later after the cancellation, Samurai Jack returned to television after the conclusion of season 4. The show aired on March 11, 2017 on Adult Swim as part of the Toonami action block with most of the original cast including Tartakovsky himself returning during the production with the exception of the late Mako (previous voice actor of main antagonist Aku) now replaced by his understudy, Greg Baldwin (who also took over as Avatar: The Last Airbender's Iroh during his passing). The season would contain more mature and darker elements to fit with the target audience, but still maintain its family feel the last seasons carried. Ten episodes later, the show finally concludes on the twentieth of May 2007.

The Final Conclusion of the Samurai Jack Fifty years have passed during Jack's struggle to return home; however, though time has aged, he did not. Jack was driven to despair by his endless quest to find a way back to the past and defeat Aku. The show started well with viewers discovering Jack is without his sword, the only thing that could defeat Aku, his armored gear, and a manly beard. Along the way, we would also see he struggles with a case of PTSD; experiencing hallucinations of his loved ones as well as children and civilians crying and moaning for him and seeing a mysterious armored figure on horseback. Jack would eventually come across everyone's favorite assassin, Scaramouche the Merciless (voiced by Tom Kenny), a jazzy flute playing android. Before battling, Scaramouhe noticed Jack's sword was missing. Laughing, he proceeded to make a call to Aku before he would get mauled by Jack. Scaramouche would use his signature flute which had the ability to make golems out of stone. After he eventually got his flute destroyed, he revealed that his voice was the true source of his ability, singing a tune to control the direction his blade would go. He also possessed a special "tuning sword", a weapon that would make anything explode within seconds after making contact. Eventually, Scaramouche was defeated due to his cockiness outplayed by Jack being one step ahead.

Jack eventually encounters seven human women named the Daughters of Aku. Born, raised, and trained by their mother, the High Priestess, they exist for the sole purpose of killing Samurai Jack. Jack was clearly outmatched by their speed, agility, and numbers. And even with heavy weaponry, he struggled. During the battle, Jack's hallucinations would continue to spawn. This time, it was his conscious acting out, or rather the anxiety he has been bottling for years. Jack continues to outrun the Daughters of Aku before having to avoid fighting them again in the ruined temple. Though, one of the women have caught up to him and tried to kill Jack. However, Jack got the upper hand and ended up slicing her throat with her blade before the horrified Jack escapes. Remaining hidden for dawn, Jack's conscious continues to haunt him over the fact he has never killed real flesh. Then, he recalls what his father told him after a bloodied encounter; the decisions he makes and the actions that follow are a reflection of who he is. Jack returned from hiding and battles the Daughters of Aku again after warning them. This time, with no hesitation, he succeeds in killing nearly all except for the leader, Ashi, before he would fall off the trunk of a tree. There, he would confront the persistent Ashi who continues to try to kill Jack even after being eaten an enormous creature. Jack's hallucinations would continue to spawn arguing over saving or leaving Ashi to die while Jack continues to protect her. What he had in mind was to convince her that Aku was truly evil and attempt to form a bond through humorous moments. After eventually escaping, Ashi tries to strike Jack again before she would see the light as he gently release a ladybug as opposed to remembering her mother killing it for not being a part of Aku's order.

The Scotsman is one of the fans' most favorite supporting characters in the Samurai Jack lore, maybe even the most favorite. So the reaction of him seeing him return for the season got everyone hyped for the episode. The Scotsman, elderly and wheelchair-bound, leaded an attack on Aku's tower, but to no avail. Aku destroyed two of the assembled armies. The Scotsman attempted to stall Aku in order to have his daughters escape. The Scotsman would then be killed by him, but returned to life as a specter and instructs her daughters to regroup and find Jack.

Jack's chemistry with Ashi started to pan out episode to episode with Ashi noticing Aku's destruction after Jack proved of Aku's evil nature. Ashi wanted to stop Aku then, but the deluded Jack claimed there was no way to defeat him. They would eventually enter a village where they encountered mind controlled children attacking them. Near the end of the episode, Ashi destroyed the device and saved them. However, Jack was horrified seeing them collapsed and believed they were dead. There, the mysterious armored figured appeared and guided Jack to the fog. Ashi arrived seeing the children alive and well, but saw Jack was nowhere near. Ashi started his search for Jack and, on the way, had one of the most beautiful transformations and developments in cartoon history, washing off her tarred body and creating her own clothing from nature. She would also encounter familiar grateful people who have helped Jack in the past including the Woolies, the three blind archers, the older Olivia who was now the DJ of the Ravers, and Da Sam-moo-rhai who was the bartender of the same bar he encountered Jack in. Meanwhile, Scaramouche, shown to be alive but without his body, was out to inform Aku Jack was missing his sword. Ashi eventually found Jack in a graveyard thanks to a mysterious small silhouette and stopped him from committing seppuku. They then set out to find Jack's sword. Jack remembered how he lost his sword which involved encountering Aku and being forced to killed three innocent goats transformed to monsters by him. Traumatized killing living creatures, Jack dropped his mystic sword to a deep pit. Returning to the current timeline, Jack and Ashi were not able to find the sword in the location. It was then he realized the sword abandoned him for his rage rather than accidentally losing it. Jack would meditate to find its whereabouts while Ashi keeps watch. While the meditation took Jack to an astral setting with an old monk, Ashi was battling an army of soldiers trying to kill Jack and the High Priestess, her mother. After the tea ceremony, the monk told Jack he lost his spiritual sense of balance and can't retain his sword without it. This would release the angered conscious that has been haunting Jack. Finally relinquishing the anxiety and frustration of his, he regains the balance and his sword along with his original attire was given back to him by the gods Ra, Rama, and Odin. After returning, he and Ashi set out to find Aku.

Jack and Ashi continue their travels on a giant beast carrying passengers through the desert; however, they realized the passengers are also after Jack, so the two fought them off and escaped. Trapped in the sandstorm, they found shelter in a crashed spaceship, but they were not alone. Leech-like creatures scatter in the ship hunting Jack and Ashi. When the creatures formed together, they turned into a beast named Lazarus. Jack and Ashi escaped and came across a device that stops the said creature. Though, they were not able to activate the device straight away during their battle with Lazarus. Before they were completely engulfed by the creatures, Jack managed to set the device on and electrocuted the creatures. After they were saved, a smash cut of the two sharing passionate kiss to Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" as the episode ends. Jack continues to bond with Ashi telling her of his life before Aku invaded his village. After so, he ventured off alone while Ashi was asleep. Jack entered a familiar field and found a portal was destroyed along with the Guardian's broken red glasses. Ashi eventually caught up to him seeing he left her in fear of losing her to Aku. However, the confident Ashi reassured they will defeat Aku together. At the moment, Scaramouche appeared with Aku, who he informed him Jack lost his sword, saw that Jack indeed did have his sword. Aku destroyed Scaramouche and left before sensing his own power in Ashi. The plot twist would show Aku did appear and left part of him in a goblet. It was assumed the High Priestess drank it and gave birth to seven of her children, which would confirm Ashi is his biological daughter. Aku would then possess and transform Ashi to a form resembling him. Jack tried to get Ashi to resist and remember her identity, but was unsuccessful. After wounding her, Ashi tells Jack he has to kill him, but Jack refused. Hopeless to save her, Jack dropped to his knees and laid his sword for Aku to hold up triumphantly.

At the final episode, Jack was seen imprisoned in Aku's fortress broadcasted for the entire world to see. The broadcast would use the intro that was used for the last four seasons as part of Aku's brief storytelling of his rivalry with Jack. After finishing, Aku mocked Jack's failure and threatened anyone who would defy him. Aku pondered on how he should kill Jack before eventually letting the possessed Ashi kill him. Before then, however, many of Jack's closest allies came to his rescue and try to fight off Aku. In the progress, Jack managed to free Ashi of her possession from Aku by telling her he loved her. Ashi discovered she is half demon with the same power Aku carries and opens a time portal back to Jack's time where Aku sent Jack to the future. When Jack returned, he was able to destroy Aku for good and save his family and village. In doing so, he rewrote the timeline for the future to come. Jack and Ashi's wedding ceremony was in preparation with them wearing their traditional wedding hakama and kimono as they were ready to live together. However, before Ashi would approach Jack, she collapsed and vanished from Aku's defeat in the past preventing her from existing. The episode ended with Jack wandering to the mystic woods, but gained hope for the future after seeing a ladybug lay on his hand reminding him of his time with Ashi. He would then let the ladybug go and stand under a blooming cherry blossom tree peacefully.

Overall Rating Samurai Jack is the kind of show that brings the adventure to viewers on a television screen. Since its debut, everyone watching was cheering for Jack to get back to the past, defeat Aku, and save everyone. Each time he was close, Aku ruined those chances, and brought him frustration along with people like me cursing Aku. However, that was not the only thing brought about. There were moments that defined Jack's character and the show's tone; from fighting battles for and with new made allies, fun and humorous skits, and lighthearted and emotional moments that had us shedding tears, Samurai Jack performed its best to deliver the best story, characterization, and animation direction any action cartoon fans would want. Season five did not fail to continue despite its transitions to the current generations. I believe it did well to not only pleasing the longtime fans of the series, but also gain new fans of the action genre as well. The only problem I had with the show is the fact it's only ten episodes. But other than that, I enjoyed the bond between Jack and Ashi and the thrill ride and am glad the show finally ended on a good note. And I also hope this opens the gate for Genndy Tartakovsky and other animators to get more creative with what they could attract with the younger and older audience for the action genre. Samurai Jack season 5 gets a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

----- Thank you for reading my first in depth review for a TV show. I have been a longtime fan of Samurai Jack since I was a child so I thought of expressing to friends and peers. I plan on doing more reviews like this for other works I've experienced as well. I will write a top ten favorite episodes of season 5 eventually, but until then, thank you again. And I'll see you next time. ^^

#samurai jack #toonami #cartoon network #adult swim #cartoon review #genndy tartakovsky #thank you genndy #samurai jack season 5 #samurai jack series finale #evolutionxrev

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boltlightning · 7 years

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I BEAT ORIGINS so here are some thoughts bc i can’t keep this in. there will probably be spoilers for this 2009 game

honestly...i’m bad at many video games but origins felt like an uphill climb a lot of the time?? i felt like this combat system relied heavily on status effects and auxiliary things like traps and i had to turn down the difficulty during random hoard encounters because i’m a filthy Casul

at some point during the final battle you have to fight like 80 ogres and it’s just super cheap bc ogres knock you down every 5 seconds and having 80 ogres do that at once means you’re guaranteed to take a few hits before you can even stand

(i was also playing a sword/shield dexterity tank which probably made for the least varied gameplay possible? and this was right after playing a tempest dual-wield rogue in inquisition, which is VERY involved. i don’t know. the combat was never ever really fun for me)

it just felt like a game meant to be played in tactical mode, which isn’t in the console versions,

i played as a city elf and it didn’t really come up except for a few choice dialogues so i thought it was a bit of a let down...but then i got to the alienage quest right before the landsmeet and it was SO GOOD! what a good quest! for once the combat didn’t outweigh emotional stress for me and it was a really good origin and i’m glad i picked it!!!

loghain was a good character and i was looking forward to killing him the entire game and they STILL made me feel guilty about it. good shit. good shit

i romanced alistair (it was largely an accident at first but it was a genuinely a good romance) but then also made him king and since my warden was an ELF i had a dawning moment of realization that they couldn’t get married and that also hurt but i just wanted my warden to be happy so she’s his mistress now and it’s fine everything’s f i ne and cool

i hit high approval with zevran towards the end of the game during the landsmeet quests and after i got back to camp after making alistair KING and telling him we can still HAVE A ROMANCE ON THE SIDE i got a cutscene about alistair asking if zevran and i had a thing going on??? and zevran also had a cutscene about how i was the only fereldan lady he’d had relations with when we definitely did not have those relations????? it was so odd and i’m just really glad they fixed the relationship system in the future

why do the sex scenes...look like that

i like that the game wasn’t just fighting darkspawn. the political intrigue was genuinely enjoyable to the point where gameplay and dungeon crawling just seemed to get in my way. really solid, solid writing - but heavy-handed and honestly? overtly bleak at times. lota good stuff tho, and lore things i didn’t understand until i played this made more sense

SANDAL’S LAST ENCOUNTER IN THE FINAL AREA. WHAT THE HELL

playable epilogues are my SHIT and i’m GLAD i got to do that in another dragon age game

overall: i enjoyed the game. i am glad to leave this combat system in 2009 where it belongs. i love love LOVE my warden and am glad to keep her alive in my canon so she can keep doing good. i probably won’t play this again because i do not want to drag myself through the fade and the deep roads on this particular engine ever again

#SAVE ME FROM VIDEO GAME HELL #i wanna play da2 but i've heard the areas get really repetitive and i can't do that to myself after an already repetitive game #sorry hawke. soon tho #bolt plays games #i already miss my warden

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katieskarlette · 7 years

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World of Warcraft characters voiced by David Lodge

[List collected from IMDB and Wowpedia]

Dragons:

Fahrad - Grand Master Rogue of Ravenholdt, savior of Wrathion’s egg, the last black dragon to die on Wrathion’s orders, and a fairly minor character who somehow became one of my all-time favorites and inspired a bunch of fanfics

Forsaken:

Grand Apothecary Putress - treacherous Forsaken apothecary who famously appeared in the Wrathgate cinematic and uttered the lines “Did you think we had forgotten? Did you think we had forgiven? Behold, now, the terrible vengeance of the Forsaken! Death to the Scourge! And death to the living!” (I still get chills from that cinematic...)

Draenei, Eredar & Broken:

Archimonde (in both Warcraft III and WoW) - the Dalaran-destroying, World Tree-humping demon lord needs no introduction

Cabal Spellbinder - broken draenei trash mob in the Shadow Labyrinth

Grand Anchorite Gesslar - a draenei in the priest order hall (he also voices unnamed draenei anchorites there)

Seer Olum - broken draenei in Serpentshrine Cavern

Orcs:

Drahga Shadowburner - orc boss in Grim Batol

Fenris Wolfbrother a.k.a. The Iron Wolf - orc, brother to Durotan in WoD

Gorkun Ironskull - orc prisoner in the Pit of Saron who gets killed by a frost wyrm in mid-speech at the end of the instance (if you are playing a Horde character)

Keli’dan the Breaker (WoD version) - orc enemy in the Tanaan intro

Nazgrim - orc general featured in many quests over multiple expansions, leading up to his role as a boss in Siege of Orgrimmar (also insert Legion spoilers from the death knight campaign here)

Tauren:

Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem - leader of tauren druids

High Chieftain Cliffwalker - leader of the tauren at Cliffwalker Post in the Stonetalon Mountains

Trolls:

Daakara - final boss in the revamped Zul’Aman

Gri'lek - troll berserker in Zul’Gurub

Nalorakk - bear-themed troll boss in Zul’Aman

Goblins:

Pauli Rocketspark - goblin boss in Grimrail Depot

Rax Sixtrigger - one of the goblins in Stormheim whose quests lead to earning the title “The Gullible”

Other:

Captain Grondel - dwarf, Argent Dawn, appears in Zul’Drak and in ICC

Eadric the Pure - human, Argent Crusade paladin who is a boss in the Trial of the Champion

Kor’lok - ogre in Ashran

Lord Marrowgar - bone construct boss in ICC (of ”BONESTOOOOORRRRRM!” fame)

Teron Gorefiend - the version who appears as a boss in the Black Temple raid

Tichondrius - dreadlord, the version who appears in Legion

Ularogg Cragshaper - drogbar boss in Neltharion’s Lair

Ursol - bear demigod in the Grizzly Hills, brother to Ursoc

#warcraft voice actors #david lodge

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ygo-news · 7 years

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[TCG] Star Pack: Battle Royal Spoilers

This appears to be the full list of cards you can pull. Nothing new, but it’s mostly aimed at more casual anime fans and kids.

Superheavy Samurai Ogre Shutendoji Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji Superheavy Samurai Battleball Superheavy Samurai Soulbuster Gauntlet

Bloom Prima the Melodious Choir Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir Schuberta the Melodious Maestra Melodious Opera Score the Melodious Diva Pianissimo Solo the Melodious Songstress Soprano the Melodious Songstress Crystal Rose

Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice Speedroid Double Yoyo Speedroid Terrortop Speed Recovery Urgent Tuning Hi-Speedroid Kendama

Fluffal Sheep Fluffal Lion Frightfur Sheep Frightfur Fusion Frightfur Leo Edge Imp Saw Frightfur Chimera

The Legendary Fisherman The Legendary Fisherman III

Yosenju Shinchu R Yosenju Shinchu L Yosenju Kama 1 Yosenju Kama 2 Yosenju Kama 3 Yosenju’s Secret Move Mayosenju Daibak

Performapal Thunderino Performapal Fireflux Performapal Secondonkey Performapal Drummerilla Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix Xiangsheng Magician Xiangke Magician Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon

D/D Necro Slime D/D Swirl Slime D/D/D Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok D/D/D Oracle King d’Arc D/D/D Duo-Dawn King Kali Yuga

#neoarkadia #anime #yugioh-arg v #ygorganization #yugioh tcg #reprints

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

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This week, critic at large Todd VanDerWerff (who hasn’t read any of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels) and culture writer Constance Grady (who has read the first one) got together to discuss the first two episodes of HBO’s adaptation of the first book in that series — My Brilliant Friend. Beware! Spoilers follow!

Todd VanDerWerff: As someone who’s never read the Elena Ferrante Neapolitan quartet that inspires the new series My Brilliant Friend, what most surprised me about the series’ first two episodes was how borderline pulpy they were.

Don’t get me wrong. This is still a show that puts its best “coming of age story” foot forward. It is, above all else, the story of Elena and Lila growing up as poor girls in an out-of-the-way Naples neighborhood. But mixed in there are darker, pulpier elements, like murder and horrifying cellars with strange shadowy figures in the corner and hints of organized crime. I’m starting to see why these books were such a phenomenon — they both capture certain truths about female friendship that aren’t always well portrayed in culture and they wed those truths to storytelling elements that carry an air of popcorn fiction.

I mean, I assume! Again, I haven’t read the novels. And every single one of the pulpy elements I’ve listed above turns out to have a completely logical explanation that mutes it somewhat. That shadowy figure in the basement? Just the local pawnbroker! Though as you learn about said pawnbroker, you start to realize that he, too, is a story in and of himself.

That sort of realization is what the first two episodes of My Brilliant Friend evoke so well, I think. When you’re a certain kind of literary-minded kid, everything that happens to you feels like the start of some fantastical story or voyage. Elena and Lila are that kind of kid: intelligent, but also too young to fully understand every aspect of the world around them. So they fill in the gaps with stories. What they don’t yet realize is the most important story they’re involved in is the one centered on their friendship.

Constance, you’ve read the book that My Brilliant Friend’s first season is based on. One thing that some critics who’ve read Ferrante’s novels have said about the show is that it can occasionally feel like a perfunctory adaptation — taking bits that sang on the page and literalizing them onscreen in a way that works for those who don’t read much, but falling just a little flat if you know what’s coming. How do you feel about the series’ adaptation choices? And can we talk about how remarkable its child casting is?

Run, Lila, Run: A film by Tom Tykwer HBO

Constance: I am ready to talk about those child actors all day. You get such a strong sense of their personalities from the way they’re shot, and the continuity between the child actors and their teen counterparts is honestly astonishing.

In terms of the adaptation: I think that the pulpiness you pointed to is actually one of the biggest changes we see from page to screen. On the page, Elena describes the murder and violence and horror around her so matter-of-factly that it doesn’t quite register as violence.

We know that Elena is afraid of Don Achille, for instance, and that she thinks of him as a monster — but she writes about that fear as though he’s just a creepy old neighborhood man who the local children have made up some stories about. When I was reading the book, it wasn’t until Elena was well into her teens that I finally put together that oh, okay, Don Achille is a local crime boss who got rich off the black market during World War II. He runs the neighborhood like it’s his private fiefdom, and he is ultimately killed by another local crime family who want to get rid of the competition. In the book, Elena just doesn’t think of her neighborhood in such terms, so I didn’t either.

But the TV show makes it clear who Don Achille is almost immediately. There’s a kind of doubled vision here: We see Don Achille as Elena and Lila see him, as a fairy tale ogre who goes around stealing dolls and putting them in a black bag — but we also see him as he is in “reality,” as a petty crime boss.

The TV show also makes the rest of the violence around Elena and Lila a lot more vivid and concrete. There’s a scene in the second episode in which Lila’s father throws her out a window in a fit of rage. Onscreen, it’s horrifying: You hear voices shouting and crescendoing, and then you see Lila’s tiny child’s body crashing through the window to thud painfully on the ground, shards of glass everywhere. It feels like a monstrous act of violence.

But on the page, the violence of that scene is muted. You have to dig for it. It’s almost comic: “Suddenly the shouting stopped and a few seconds later my friend flew out the window, passed over my head, and landed on the asphalt behind me.” Listen to how peaceful those verbs are! Lila is flying, passing, landing; you don’t get a strong sense of brutality from this language. The horror here is subdued, below the surface, and it only dawns on you gradually how terrible and violent the thing you just read was.

As a result, the TV show feels a lot bleaker and more harrowing than the book does in its beginning. Elena and Lila still have their sense of childish wonder and delight at the world, but now overlaying it we can always see the reality of how terrible their world is, and how difficult it will be for them ever to escape. In the book, you have to work for that realization. The shift in emotional register isn’t necessarily bad, but it is noticeably different.

Todd: That’s really interesting to me! As more and more acclaimed novels are adapted into TV shows instead of movies, and as those TV shows tend to streeeeeeetch everything ooooouuuut, I’ve been thinking a lot more about how onscreen depictions have a tendency to make everything blunter than it would be on the page.

To be sure, that’s not always the case. No Country for Old Men is magnificently blunt both on the page and on the big screen. But your highlighting of Ferrante’s verb choices makes clear that a mini-arc within the book must be Elena’s slow realization of how the world around her actually works, as she loses her childhood innocence and observes more nuance as she gets older. (Obviously, this is something all of us experience.) That’s difficult to portray onscreen, where a small girl flying through a window is hard to depict as anything other than brutal and horrifying, unless you’re deliberately going for comedy.

That also speaks to another adaptation problem I think My Brilliant Friend gets around beautifully — namely, even though Elena is the point-of-view character and one of the two leads of the story, she doesn’t really do much throughout the first two episodes, which makes Lila feel like the more dynamic and engaging character.

I sometimes think of this as the Harry Potter problem. In the first few books of that series, Harry is the point-of-view character, which means that we’re getting a fairly vivid portrayal of the wizarding world through his eyes. But onscreen, the point-of-view character is almost always going to default to the camera. A skillful director can change the audience’s relationship to point-of-view (as Alfonso Cuarón did in the third Harry Potter film and Chris Columbus… pointedly did not in the first two), but they’re always working against the way the audience on some level just wants the camera to be an impartial, unseen observer. So how does My Brilliant Friend avoid this issue?

Well, director Saverio Costanzo (as well as writers Ferrante, Costanzo, Francesco Piccolo, and Laura Paolucci) is always cognizant of how we understand the world through Elena’s point-of-view. When she first becomes aware of Lila in class at their school, Costanzo films the revelation in close on actress Elisa del Genio’s face as it cycles through frustration, irritation, and intrigue. Who is this person? Who does she think she is? And more importantly, when we see Lila, it’s from the perspective Elena would see the girl from — seated at a desk.

Costanzo returns to these filmmaking tricks throughout, at moments of emotional importance, so that we are firmly with Elena. Even when we see things that Elena couldn’t possibly have seen — like the murder of Don Achille — they’re presented almost abstractly, as a small child might imagine them. (The murder is revealed via a knife popping in from offscreen to sink into a neck that gouts blood. Not only does it obscure the identity of the murderer, but it also underlines the way a little kid wouldn’t quite understand how all of this works.)

Adult Elena is telling us this story via narration, which also shoulders some of the point-of-view burden, because we’re always reminded that these are her memories. Elena’s narration also subtly frames the story as something of a mystery about who Lila is. (It would seem something bad happened to Adult Lila in the present.)

When Kid Lila takes those dolls and pitches them down the chute into the cellar, it’s presented as impetuous and rude, but also as something almost impossible to understand. The moment underlines one of My Brilliant Friend’s themes, and one of the reasons point-of-view is so important to its success: No matter how well you know someone, they’ll always be a mystery to you on some level.

This theme also extends to how the little plaza where the girls live is presented almost as an entire fantasy kingdom when they’re kids, full of odd nooks and crannies and adventures just waiting to be uncovered. How do you feel about the “world-building” of the show, for lack of a better word? And do its places match up to the ones in your mind’s eye from the book?

Elena and Lila enjoy reading Little Women, another realistic fiction novel that employs wonderful world-building as it follows girls from childhood to adulthood. HBO

Constance: The world-building is another great example of how My Brilliant Friend has to reconcile the reality of the larger world with Elena’s childish understanding of it. In the book, the neighborhood doesn’t really register as filthy and squalid until Elena has a chance to get out of it and catch a glimpse of the rest of Naples; she’s just living her life in the only place she knows. And we see that onscreen, we see what it is about this neighborhood that would be fun for a kid to play in. But we also see that it’s cramped and impoverished and the light is always gray — and in a way, that raises the stakes. We want these girls to go to school so that they can leave this place, before it seems to have fully occurred to them that they might like to.

One of my favorite things about the friendship between Elena and Lila is just how much of it revolves around their shared desire to escape. Elena first decides to befriend Lila specifically because she can see that Lila is smart enough to get out, and if Elena follows her, she’ll be able to leave as well. She won’t live the life her parents lead, and, as she puts it, her mother’s limp will stop chasing her. (What an image that is!) And Lila, in her turn, seems to be drawn to Elena both because she can see that Elena is the only one in the neighborhood who is almost as smart as Lila is, and because Elena has an ability to please the people in charge who can be useful to Lila.

Their teacher, meanwhile, deliberately sets them against each other as friendly rivals, because she can see that they motivate one another to do better — and when it becomes clear to her that Lila is a lost cause, that her parents will not allow her to go to middle school, she drops Lila, and encourages Elena to do the same.

So much of this friendship is built around utility, around the idea that this person, this one, can be an escape route, a way out of the neighborhood. But what’s fascinating is that even as it becomes clear that even if both Elena and Lila are getting out, they’ll be taking very different paths, the friendship never quite curdles. There are moments of profound resentment — that scene where it becomes clear that Lila orchestrated Elena’s punishment for going to the ocean in the hopes that her parents would be too angry to send her to school is just heart-stopping — but there is never any question of the friendship breaking apart.

They mean too much to each other for that to happen. Each one is the other’s “brilliant friend,” and so their bond keeps evolving and mutating but stays forever intact.

Todd: In my review of the season overall, I described Lila as the “brilliant friend” of the title and was met with a degree of pushback from readers who feel that each of the girls is the other’s “brilliant friend.” And, yes, that is obviously where the series is heading (though it feels to me like it will take several seasons for Elena to get over her Lila-themed inferiority complex), but it also strikes me as something very true about friendships between kids and teens.

We’re so often drawn to people who mirror the things we value most in ourselves, and we’re so often drawn to people who — to us, at least — seem to do those things just a little bit better, to the degree that we can make it to adulthood and still be racing against our childhood best friend just a little bit. I mean, I’m sure there are some people who don’t have this complex, but Lord knows I do, and lots of the people I know and love do as well.

Every brilliant friend, on some level, is also a brilliant rival. Elena and Lila seem to have a pretty good balance right now, but I wonder how that will change as the two are separated by their parents’ decisions, by aging, and by time. They can make each other better, but they can also make each other worse. That dynamic is bound to pay dividends the deeper we get into the show.

My Brilliant Friend airs Sundays and Mondays at 9 pm Eastern on HBO. Previous episodes are available on the network’s streaming platforms.

Original Source -> How HBO’s My Brilliant Friend translates Elena Ferrante’s beloved book to TV

via The Conservative Brief

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