#does the soup dragon mean nothing to you people....
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Curious why you think ITRN has more stronger songs, which would you say? There's only a few songs on ITRN that stand out to me whereas PDA's weakest song is the most ITRN song on that album (Supercell). And what do you mean by more defined? Just coherent thematically wise or do you mean music wise?
Uh oh you've opened a page in my 1000 page essay on king gizzard and the lizard wizard's music.
Bear in mind this 50 page essay might seem like I hate PDA, I do not. It's just hard not to sound negative when comparing two things in which you prefer one over the other. I honestly think that PDA took the lessons that the band learned from ITRN and made it their own. The album sounds like they had a lot more fun with it, for better... or for worse....(jk)
My main reason on why I prefer ITRN over PDA is that I like the theme of Rats Nest a lot more than that of PDA. While albums don't necessarily need a message to be good, I think that ITRN having a well-defined message (and resolution) makes it more meaningful and memorable to me rather than PDA.
While both albums do have plot lines that are about humanity screwing themselves over. I feel like ITRN has a more grounded call-out, through that of the rich deforming the earth and leaving everyone else behind to die, is stronger than the metaphorical destruction that PDA has both by that of the dragon and motor spirit(?).
Initially, when it came out I didn't even care about ITRN, but once I sat down and listened to it with the lyrics open I was able to understand and appreciate it more. I have a hard time doing that because of prose that lies within PDA, the album uses a lot of tropes that are common in older forms of English and fantasy stories. Thematically, the prose actually fits really well with the fantasy setting and demonstrates the crazy writing capabilities of the band.
On the other hand, that style of writing feels too polite to me. It reminds me of the type of language that i heard at church (sorry gizz) to the point where when I'm just reading it alone, my brain puts it in the same cadence as the stuff that i heard at church that I also never processed into my brain. Like the most sterile way to talk about the horrors.
PDA doesn't have a "Satan points me to the rats nest moment" and the message (if there even is one) is obscured by language that I struggle with which makes me feel quite stupid because I don't even know what the dragon is a stand in for, or even if it's supposed to be a metaphor for anything. Because to me, the Motor Spirit is oil, but the witches are witches, and the dragon is a dragon, but if only 1/3rd of the album is a metaphor why should I think that it's saying anything important. The album has implications of a message but the fantasy elements just throw it completely off because I can't find connections between them and reality.
To me PDA comes across as silly while ITRN is more of an angry album. I have strong (and a bit fond) memories of leaving my customer facing jobs during covid, and just cranking ITRN in my car for my ride home. Maybe its not fair to compare an album that I have long term connection with, over one that just came out, but if we were voting without nostalgia Changes would have destroyed Gumboot Soup.
ITRN is an album that I can put on when I'm mad and I can work it out through some good loud music. Which is not something that I find that PDA does for me, because it doesn't make me feel anything at all, I can enjoy it, but it doesn't stick in me like many other songs and albums in King Gizzards Discography.
It doesn’t feel sinister like the first 30 seconds of Superbug or the last minute of hell does. The dragon talks about destroying the earth and gobbling up people, and I feel nothing.
By obscuring the message, PDA comes across as more goofy and is easy to see it as the album where witches screw up and summon an evil dragon that eats everyone. Which, if that were the story-line alone, it's easy for me to prefer ITRN and its more grounded extinction message. And if that isn't what the album is about then what is it about because I literally can't tell what its a metaphor for. You put on Planet B or Mars For the Rich, everyone knows what you are listening to. The space part in ITRN does not do that as much, but because of its structure it means that by the time Hell plays you've received a payoff. The first 4 songs present an issue, the next 4 songs present the response, and Hell is the resolution. PDA's resolution basically happens in Gila Monster, because none of the songs after that present anything new that you haven't previously been told in Gila Monster.
I honestly think that my main hang-up is that I want more out of it. It's got a strong concept but no real payoff and doesn't build itself up to anything. Supercell & Converge are the different executions of the same thing. Gila Monster, Dragon, & Flamethrower, are the same way. The album doesn't even resolve itself as it ends with what I'm assuming is a teaser. (Which don't get me wrong it does get me excited for the other album, but long-term once that other album is out, what's the point) PDA is presented and created like a concept album, but holds itself back by not doing that and resolving itself. If PDA was instead created as another album with individual songs that tell a story like Changes, Omnium, or IDPLML I think that I would be more forgiving towards it.
As for song enjoyment, in my personal opinion, Perihelion is probably one of the best songs King Gizzard has in their discography. In my listening to PDA there are songs that I enjoy, but with my current music tastes there aren't really any that stand out as something that I'll be listening to over and over long term.
Like I think that Motor Spirit has a cool guitar solo and Ambrose's singing in Gila Monster is funny yet enjoyable. I like Flamethrower's call back to Motor Spirit, but more than anything, that song makes me more excited for the 'techno' album that they keep teasing with its long synth ending.
Between the two albums though, the only song I skip in ITRN is Organ Farmer, while in PDA I don't really care for Supercell, Converge, & Dragon. Flamethrower is also an interesting song because until they get to the part where they start singing Flamethrower, I do not care for it, after that it's good though. I like how Flamethrower was that same guitar pattern that Dragon has so I don't have to listen to Dragon to hear it. And as mentioned earlier I very much enjoy the synth riff at the end of Flamethrower as well. It really makes me think hmmmmmmm...
The music videos for PDA are better though. As a fan of scifi gizz, I like how Galea made the dragon a robot, and they seem to actually have more ties into what the song is about. The way he animated the dragon to the guitar is so funny lmao, every time I hear it or that part in flamethrower all I see are its little leggies scurrying back and forth.
tldr: OP feels like ITRN's extinction message is a lot stronger than PDA's is and also that Perihelion is just an awesome song.
#at least I can explain why I prefer PDA over ITRN#some of my opinions on other albums that are popular boils down to “l just don't see what all the hype is about”#KGATLW#king gizzard and the lizard wizard#if I ever make my top 10 king gizzard album video I will get murdered dead by the king gizzard fandom for my opinions on music#The song Change lyrically takes more swings at people than PDA does#meanwhile ITRN is a wrecking ball#BRUH THIS IS SO LONG NOOOOO
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Little Things
Hiya kids... Uncle Alto here. I might have "borrowed" Rabbit's account after she failed to log out while getting lunch. So... while she's still off getting our beef stroganoff, let me tell you a little more about Site Command's unofficial favorite intern.
First off, Rabbit is the first to just jump in to try and help. Very good in a person, but... somehow it never really seems to occur to her to not help out.
She's scarily observant. She knows who's not doing well with hardly any interaction. Hell, sometimes she manages to predict who's about to breach before I do, and resolved the issue before it gets out of hand. Dr. Glass swears 914 gave her clairvoyance.
She may be sweet in person and on the phone, but in the COD lobby, don't mess with her. She's lethal with a RAAL in game.
She always smells great, like my favorite branch of Federal losers... ATF. Alcohol (whiskey), tobacco absolute, and firearms (hint of gunpowder). Gotta find out what perfume she wears, I dig it.
She can cook. Kinda wish I declared war on soup before now that she's bringing lunch in.
She's good at artsy stuff. It's cool to see some of the things she makes. Dr. Light loves the bracelet Rabbit made her for her birthday. She keeps threatening to make me a lei to go with my Polynesian shirts... Rabbit, if you're wondering, red is my color according to 173.
She's the first intern I've seen to make Dr. Iceberg afraid of her. Julian isn't scared of shit, really... but on the rare chance Rabbit blows her stack, he runs and hides in his office. Thankfully, Rabbit is usually chill.
She's adorable when she blushes. Which happens whenever she's complimented. Dr. Gears told her she made great coffee (she does, fyi) and she turned the cutest shade of pink.
She wears these cute little green dresses, which normally no female who had to fight would pick. Nothing too risqué, maybe the skirts are a bit shorter or with a slit on the sides. Yet, she's never had issues with fights, not even in heels. Abel's even impressed she can flip kick in 4 inch chunky heel ankle boots. And they hurt. I got one to the chest last Friday during the Soup Incident, and I'm still bruised a week later. Cute, but kicks like a ballet-trained mule.
She hasn't been back to West Virginia in years, but still has the accent. It comes out stronger if she's tired or getting sick of crap. The trigger warning for her getting really angry? "Bless your heart" or some variant, followed by brutal honesty. Rabbit angry is still polite, but maliciously so. And, so long as she's not mad at me, I'm here for it. While others raise their voices in anger, she tends to get icily quiet. I've only heard her yell once, and it was at Abel. He was so shocked he dropped his sword. Yeah... Yelling Rabbit is Peak Scary Rabbit. Rarely happens, though.
She loves dark chocolate. I think it tastes like dirt, but she enjoys it.
She's very practical for someone claiming to be a witch. Not militant witch, nor airy-fairy, but very grounded. Like, before saging the office for evil spirits, check the carbon monoxide detectors first stuff. But will holy water the hells out of a fool if needed. Fun fact, even for non-demons, a super soaker full of holy water will at least slow someone down a bit, if not just confuse them.
She's not flirting, she's just nice. Catches people off guard, but some guys just take it the wrong way.
When she's had enough of my crap, she'll tease me relentlessly. Favorite insult of hers towards me? "Bless your heart, Dr. Clef, but, you ain't evil. You're just a surf hobo with access to shotguns. Tone it down."
For a Dungeons and Dragons game, she once created the most evil minions I've seen in game. Forget what she called them, but they were basically what would happen if a casowary horde caught the G-Virus in Resident Evil, but with a hive mind. Meaning... see one, get killed by many while the rest beeline to you and your crew's asses. Rather face an entire factory of Nemesis and Mr X than see those demented nightmares ever again. I took the first chance to lay low after my poor rogue barely survived... which led to a one night subplot, "Phineas The Unseen Attempts to Evade the Overly Serious Sisters of Sigyn and Dodge the Bills". Fun times, but I got out of it.
She's actually funny. She can be mean, but it's with an intent of improvement. Some of her jokes are a bit odd, especially the dad jokes. An example; Dr Gears- "I'm serious-" Rabbit- "Hi, Serious, I'm Rabbit." I did see ol COGswell crack the tiniest hint of a grin while shaking his head.
She's seen the weirdest shit in creation, yet hasn't stopped marveling at little things. The first snowfall is still magic to her. She likes the sounds of thunderstorms, stuff like that. It's honestly one of the things that surprised me most.
She keeps a secret stash of candy for surprise incentives for junior researchers. Those that do good work will often find proposals returned with a candy bar enclosed. Really clever and well drafted ones get the better options.
I've only known her personally over a year or so, but... it's easier to tell her some of the terrible stuff happening than even Glass. She never really judges, just listens and tries to come up with solutions. Plus, sometimes she brings in goodies.
Her laugh. I swear by 343, if anyone really gets her laughing it's more infectious than a zombie virus. There was a three way Joke-Off in the site cafeteria between myself, Bright, and Agent Maine, by the end of round two none of us could tell any more jokes we were all laughing so hard. Her laugh is loud, but like a good pitch.
I may have a tiny crush on my intern. This... may be trouble. But then, I am a Clef, it's only natural I find trouble, heh.
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empress of the first water // Zhongli x Reader (4)
Word Count: ~2.8k
Palace/Harem Imperial Drama AU: You are a princess, soon-to-be-Empress, and Zhongli is the teacher invited by the royal court to show you the ropes before you ascend to the throne after a royal tragedy.
Notes: female!reader (she/her), Zhongli/Reader, Zhongli POV, mutual pining ofc, fake politics, can I call this slow burn yet
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Chapter 4 Synopsis: Of the secrets that people keep, how much can they say without saying anything about it at all?
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You are falling for your tutor. That much, at least, is clear to you. Your quickened heart rate, the way your heart flutters when he smiles, and how your mood lifts when he praises you-- if wisdom is to know thyself, then you consider yourself wise enough to know that you see Zhongli xiansheng as more than just a teacher.
But what of him? You wonder, how does he think of you? Does he know what he means to you? Does he feel the same?
“My lady?" Amber asks you, when you dip your head underneath the rose-infused waters of your bath. "What is wrong?”
“Nothing,” you reply back quickly, hugging your knees to your chest. You take a glance at the mauve coat that Zhongli had left on your shoulders and think about how it will still smell like him.
Amber can only look at you in mild concern when you bury your heated face into your hands and try not to think of kind eyes, a warm embrace, and a gentle voice.
(But you do anyway.)
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Zhongli finds himself talking more freely than ever in your presence, especially now that the two of you have made it a habit of walking around the compound or drinking tea to pass the time together. He talks about fantastical things or expands on random trivia he thinks you would enjoy, even though he finds himself more often than not overindulging.
Your eyes are bright and alert when he tells you about the folktales he had learned when he was younger, so he tells you as many as you can in the cold, wintry months. Under the cozy kotatsu imported over from Inazuma, Zhongli shares slices of mandarin with you as he retells the history of the Qilin to you-- a mythical creature whose stone statues stand at guard in front of the main compounds of the palace.
“In many stories, the Qilin is sacred pets of the gods and rank highly only below the dragon and the phoenix,” Zhongli says, accepting the last slice of fruit you slide into his hands. "It’s said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler."
“I see…” You listen to him attentively, hands absently clearing the table of the orange peels without saying a word. You let out a breath of laughter as you joke, “Hopefully, if I pray hard enough, the Qilin might gift their presence when I ascend to the throne.”
“Nonsense,” Zhongli replies immediately. “If the qilin does exist, you do not need prayer for the qilin to appear before you, as benevolent as you are, my Princess.” He takes the slice and brings it to his lips to taste the sweetness of the mandarin, catching a glimpse at the way you hide your smile behind your hand.
“You have a way with words as usual,” you tell him. “You spoil me with praises, xiansheng; how ever will I survive without them now?” You bemoan, laughing afterwards. Though he knows you’re joking--surely-- he still feels his heart tremble at your words. It is in these moments that he feels keenly how it is to be Amber, abashed by the praise that flows freely from your lips and by the fondness that rings true through the way you speak. To be at the center of your attention is something that Zhongli understands very well to be addicting.
It is only when Zhongli hears the light rapping of knuckles on wood does he realize how long he has spoken and how late it is.
"My apologies," Zhongli says, surprised from his thoughts to bow his head (you fussed at him about apologizing before, but even with your kind reprimands, it is hard for him to kick the habits ingrained in him). "I didn't mean to dominate the conversation this entire time. It's even time for supper--"
"Bamboo Shoot Soup," you pipe up instead, and he can only look up at you stunned as you thank the maid. She sets down the pair of utensils in front of the two of you and clears the table to make space for the large metal hotpot. "It's your favorite dish, isn't it?” You say cheekily, “I thought it was a perfect dish to eat during the cold weather."
What are the protocols to eating dinner with the royal family? Zhongli thinks to himself warily, feeling wildly as though he is constantly stepping out of line despite his learned nature. Still, you would scold him for his distancing, so Zhongli decides to do as the both of you please, as improper as it may be, and waits to be served.
The bamboo soup is beautifully slow-cooked, the broth milky white; just taking a waft of the aroma is enough for him to know that the meat is tender and the bamboo shoots are soaked to the center with flavor. The warmth that pervades is partly due to the fresh heat of the soup but also from the fact that you had remembered a detail he shared in passing. (He says ‘in passing’ but he had gone into detail about where to procure the best ingredients for each component of the meal while you listened to him with eager nods. The bamboo shoots, he recognizes, are from Qingce Village. Did you remember even the smallest details from your conversation when he speaks?) Like many other times before, he is speechless. It seems as though you are constantly surprising him-- for the better.
"What happens next?"
Zhongli blinks, the steam from his bowl rising up to his face. "Pardon?"
"Oh, never mind! We should eat first!" You say, smiling widely in a way that makes his heart leap. You pick up your chopsticks and click them together playfully. "But tell me what happens next in the story later on, Zhongli-xiansheng."
"One day you'll find yourself someone who listens to you and you'll talk their ear off."
Zhongli remembers Guizhong telling him this time and time again, though he never believed in it. He is old-fashioned, he always replies back. He is overly burdened by the expectations of his family and passionate in things that most others cannot care to relate to. How would he know that someday, as proof of the wisdom (or perhaps abundance of hope and love) that Guizhong held, he would find someone who cared enough to listen and look at him as though he knew the meaning of life itself?
The bright-eyed gaze you shoot at him lasts only a moment, and perhaps you don't even know the magnitude of your gesture, but Zhongli feels his chest burn nonetheless with gratitude and soften at the kindness you have shown him. He reaches out to place his hand gently on yours. "Thank you," he says, squeezing your hand. "I'll be sure to not lose my place in the story then so you can hear the rest of it."
He blinks when you look at him, frozen and wide-eyed, and that is when he retracts his hand, feeling as embarrassed as you look. "Ah, my apologies again--"
"No, it's-- it's alright," you stammer, looking down at your bowl. Zhongli feels his face redden and he drops his gaze as well. "But yes, you better remember! I'm counting on you!"
"Yes-- yes, of course," he says, clearing his throat. "It would be my pleasure to." Before Zhongli can wallow in mortification, he hears the beginnings of your laugh and looks up to see your smile as wide as ever. And just like that, he can feel himself be at ease again, just as you have always made him feel with your presence.
"Perhaps next time," he says, a small smile dancing on his lips, "my lady can tell me a story instead."
"Only if you fill in the details I missed," you quip back easily, and he laughs.
Even with an impeccable memory, Zhongli still cannot remember the last time he has ever laughed so easily and so readily as though he could never run out of laughter. He thinks of quiet hours in his study, pouring over pages of text without speaking till his voice grows hoarse from disuse. He remembers days of entertaining guests who never truly listened to what he was saying, and he finds that he is the happiest he has ever been for a long time.
He has you to thank for that.
This is why he responds back, with a soft reverence that is reserved only for you. "Of course." He returns your smile with his own. "I would be honored to, my Princess."
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Reverence should be a tone well-practiced and used in the royal court, but when Zhongli stands aside during the proceedings, he hears very little of it directed toward you. You have half of the court talking over you despite your grace, and he can clearly see your patience wear thin when your presence goes unacknowledged by one of the court officials.
"My studies have been going steadily," you speak unto the crowd, clearly and powerfully, as though you have always known how to command attention. Projecting your voice, you maintain your gaze on all of them as you speak. Zhongli can see from the way your hands clench at your side that despite your display, fear has not left you, and for that, his pride for you seems to overflow.
"With the xiansheng, I can foresee being able to replace my great uncle for the time before the end of this year," you say. "I will have prepared myself dutifully until the time has come--"
"The end of this year?" One of the nobles exclaims in protest, making you pause. "How would you be ready at the end of the calendar when you have started lessons, not even yesteryear?"
"I can't imagine the magnitude of power placed upon the shoulders of the inexperienced,” another one drawls. “Perhaps, ah, the Princess will consider taking a husband to make up for it?"
Zhongli doesn't realize he's gripping imprints into the palm of his hands until he goes to raise his hand and realizes they have gone numb from his tension. The nerve of some of the nobles-- some of which he can recognize have never sought to be on your side. He wishes nothing more than to be able to provide them a verbal lashing, but he knows that neither you nor he can do anything at this point in time.
With knowledge comes power, and you do not know enough to utilize the title you have nor the inherent authority that comes with it. Though one day, you will, if he can help it, regardless of what has been expected of him.
It makes his skin crawl to know that many nobles look to him and believe he is on their side. How many times have they requested him to keep you away from the main chambers to check on your great uncle? How many times have they hoped he would provide falsities and ignorance in the guise of guidance so that you would never truly ascend to the throne? Even with the promise of power beyond his wildest dreams, Zhongli cannot bring it to himself to manipulate you in such a manner. Even though his hands are clean, he still cannot help but taste sin on his lips for knowing the harm that exists against you without your knowledge.
When is the right time to inform you, if at all? Is it kind or cruel of him to keep this ploy from you? (Is his judgment even sound, as muddled as it is with his rapidly growing feelings for you?)
You narrow your eyes, your lips pressed in a straight line, but you refrain, once again. And Zhongli feels a burst of pride at your show of restraint and composure fitting of a lady of your status. "Yes, this may be one of the things I will take into consideration, and I appreciate--" Zhongli feels himself tense at the way you spoke, "--the counsel of the court, though I still foresee my way coming to fruition regardless."
There is a stilted silence that follows your words, and you look toward the messenger who has come with the land's grievances in letters. "I believe this matter can be discussed at a later time," you say with finality. "Let us look at the first report from the harbor."
Using what you know from your lessons thus far, you guide the conversation towards solutions for the problems brought to the court by the people. You are too inexperienced to make decisions on your own, gathering opinions from your council; corrupt or not, they know more about managing land than you. But Zhongli sees how you watch carefully as the discussion continues, letting the information sink in so that you can utilize it in the future, and he is reminded again of how far you have come from a princess holding that urn to the prospective empress quietly learning how to lead a country.
(Is it any surprise at all that he is enamored with you?)
Court adjourns after hours, and Zhongli follows you as you leave first, your robes billowing behind you seamlessly as you hold your head up high. The guards bow their heads as you pass by them, your ladies-in-waiting slowly retreating from the room when you arrive, closing the door behind them. The moment everyone is gone, you sigh in relief, your shoulders dropping to a more comfortable height as you stretch your arms and legs.
“I applaud you on your conduct during court,” Zhongli says finally, amused by how nonchalant you act in comparison to how high-strung you are in front of others. “That was an impressive display of authority.” He sees your face flush from the compliment as you stammer out your thanks. He chuckles. "Perhaps I should start getting used to calling you 'Empress’ then, Princess.”
"Yes?" Zhongli replies, confused. "Is that not a title you would like to be referred to?"
"'Princess?'" He hears you echo, turning yourself to him, and Zhongli loses his train of thoughts when he sees your expression with brows pulled together, disconcerted. "Just... 'princess?'"
"No--well, yes..." you say, trailing off. Your hand, out of habit, nervously reaches up to fiddle with your brooch. "I was just thinking you would have normally referred to me a little differently is all."
Zhongli tilts his head slightly in thought as he watches you press your lips together in what he assumes to be in embarrassment. Has he been calling you differently without his knowledge? He doesn’t think so; you have always been the Princess for him, and he, your xiansheng.
But, ah, he thinks, he has not always called you ‘my Princess’ has he? (Astonishing what one word can change.)
For a brief moment, Zhongli’s mind wonders whether he has overstepped his boundary, but he quickly reminds himself with your words, that if you truly did not want him to call you by that, you would tell him. The fact you protested at his recent use of your title… It was the slip of the tongue; Amber has referred to you by the same title, and Zhongli has always, in some form, coveted the same level of intimacy that the two of you possessed. His fondness for you must have seeped into his words, and he would never have anticipated having you reciprocate.
That being said, could you blame him for feeling pleased that you wanted to be referred to as his Princess?
“But 'Princess' is fine,” he hears you say, gathering the composure to sweep your hands down your gown and appear nonplussed. You take out your fan and hold it to your face as you begin to walk toward the study. “I don’t mind it. You should call me as you so wish, I--”
Your laughter is enough as a sign of validation, but then he hears you say, shier than you have ever been, “My xiansheng,” and he thinks his heart balloons until it takes up the entire expanse of his chest with how much affection he feels for you.
"It is soon time for our next lessons," he says, following behind you without pause, "my Princess." And he watches, enamored, as you look back at him with a smile blooming on your face. "Is that... alright with you?"
“Yes,” he says to you, feeling as though that is the only thing he can say. You shoot him another captivating smile and turn, and all Zhongli can do is walk only a step behind you.
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And he follows you for as long as you will allow him, hoping his choice to keep the darkness at bay is the right one.
#zhongli x reader#genshin impact x reader#genshin impact#genshin zhongli#zhongli#female reader#genshin imagines#sry for repost tags did not work n made me sad#also smth about the possessive pronoun hits diff#imperial drama au
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Hi! I hope you’ll answer this question bc it bothers me quite a lot.. https://www.quora.com/What-does-it-mean-now-that-BTS-are-partial-owners-of-Big-Hit-Entertainment do you think it is true what the second person (Christine Herman) said? After reading this, i started to wonder…what if BTS does really have only profit in mind while doing new projects these days? Maybe they don’t really care anymore about creative and meaningful lyrics and sound? With Butter and PTD…all this generic music sung in English. Of course they say “we wanted to make fans feel good”, “butter and ptd represent who we are” and all these things fans want to hear but.. do you really think it’s true? moreover, don’t get me wrong, i don’t find product placement in their reality shows as something terrible, i believe this is a normal thing, however, nowadays the members really film ads and do marketing a lot. so yeah, for some reason i began to question their integrity dhsjjss i hope you will understand from where my concerns come from and won’t find this ask stupid sjdjjdjd
After reading that persons answer I can immediately tell you that I basically don't agree with an overwhelming majority of what she said (even more so since a lot of it just makes her sound like a manti that hates the company and basically would want them to make music for free or something). Generally I don’t agree with most of the opinions this person holds, and also Quora really isn’t a good source for info or good opinions, most of it is written by mantis, haters, and toxic shippers with an agenda so most ARMY will tell you to stay as far away from that website as possible.
Anyway, her focus in that answer was on money, since BTS are shareholders (and how that’s a conflict of interest despite other artists doing the exact thing but no one really cares or ever thinks about it), but what she failed to consider and note was that Big Hit Music, so BTS' label, isn't part of HYBE in the sense that shareholding has no baring on it since BHM is private. So while BTS profit off of HYBE doing well, and have a small percentage of a voice as shareholders, that has nothing to do with BHM in the classical sense, even if BHM's earnings reflect well on HYBE numbers and the shareholder money.
BHM was made private to ensure their artistry would remain untouched, that was the whole point of that.
Even if they weren't HYBE shareholders, take Namjoon as example. He has more than 170 KOMCA credits, is among the top 3 Korean artists with the most credits and is also the youngest of them all. It is said that his earnings from that alone can sustain his family for 3 generations over. Look at Hobi and Chicken Noodle Soup, that song was a hit and he paid the original creator of that song 2 million dollars upfront and earned a lot back due to how successful it was. Same goes for Hope World which, again, was and is still immensely successful. Look at Yoongi and his work both as prod. SUGA, featuring artist SUGA, and as Agust D, as well as the credits he holds for his work on BTS songs (giving him as well a total of over 100 KOMCA credits, just like Hobi). Bangtan have worked and continue to work extremely hard for their music, put their heart and souls into it, and it shows even if their style changed as they grew older and more mature.
Yes, money is a major motivator, but looking at the above paragraph, do you really peg the members as these corrupt money hungry sellouts with no music related integrity? Who would need to sign major deals and would throw away their passion to just release empty shells of music for the sole reason of money? Am I naive enough to believe that they don't care about money? Of course not, we live in a capitalist society and even if BTS wouldn't care about money anymore at this point, HYBE very much does, and yet still I can't find it in me to agree with any of what was said in that answer that person wrote.
More below the cut:
And that point about how Hyundai cars were sold out because of BTS, isn't that the point why literally any company ever hires celebrities to advertise and endorse their product? And sure, again, I'm certain they earned a lot on these deals, they aren't the first or last or only ones in the history of ever to do so. Besides, look at JK and what he's done for small companies, or Tae who wore a brooch made my a small creator at the airport which catapulted that creator into the eyes of millions of ARMYs enough so that they could move to a proper studio and earn money with their work. Or the modern hanboks JK wore which led to the brand being able to move into actual stores in malls because of their sudden new popularity and demand. Or him wearing a bracelet that helps whales with a percentage of the money from the sales of said bracelet. And for all of that JK and Tae didn't earn any money at all. JK himself said that he's more conscious of the brand he wears now because he wants to help smaller businesses in these trying times, not because they pay him to do so (especially since they would never be able to afford that), but because he's aware of the influence he has and how he can use it to help others. Sound very much like a capitalistic villain, right?
As for the product placement bit, have you been on YouTube recently? Have you noticed that many, if not most, YouTube videos by “bigger” creators (and by that I mean even people who are around the 100k subscriber mark) begin with them thanking whoever sponsored that particular video and give you a scripted minute to two minute long ad before getting into the actual topic of the video? And In The SOOP featuring Chilsung Cider, FILA clothes and the random mention of how good Samsung phones are isn’t much different from it, though really, if you’re not someone interested in fashion much, would you really notice or care that they wore FILA? It’s just...clothes? If it weren’t a BTS related show, would you even notice it much? And it’s not even like they mentioned those brands every five minutes or anything, just a few times, which sure sounded a bit out of place at times, but personally I thought it was easy to look past. That’s just how things work nowadays and it’s odd for people to behave like somehow BTS are the first and only ones to use product placements despite literally every movie and show doing it in subtle and less so manners.
The answer by that person you sent also mentioned the Hyundai song for their car IONIQ and, unsurprisingly, that person wrote it off as just some commercial jingle but I’d actually disagree with that. Not to sound like a Hyundai and Samsung stan, which I am neither of, but I actually think those two knew best how to utilize the artist they have spent millions on signing a deal with. Hyundai didn’t just write them off as pretty faces with a millions strong fan army behind them and that’s it, they remembered that they are musicians so they gave them a song and made a whole music video for it as well. And say what you will, it is a good song. Then, just a few days ago, Samsung stepped up their game and we were given Over The Horizon Prod by SUGA of BTS. For those who aren’t Samsung users, Over The Horizon is their signature ringtone and basically their company sound, and over the years different artists were asked to make their own version of it. And this time they reached out to Yoongi and asked if he’d like to do it as well. It’s kind of a big deal. Sure, Butter is used in one of their commercials much the way Dynamite was last year, but that’s beside the point. Would that person make the same claim about Imagine Dragons whose song Believer is also part of the ads for the new Samsung phones? I have my doubts.
Furthermore, and I don't want this to come across as mean toward you but, I think it is uncalled for to question their artistic integrity based on a total of 3 (three) English songs when last year alone we received 50+ songs, most of which were in Korean, among them the entirety of BE which was, according to the members, the album they were most involved in ever when it comes to both music and everything around it.
You can dislike their English songs, that’s more than fine, they have a very extensive discography you can listen to instead, but questioning their integrity based on them doing something that most, if not every, artist on their level does (as in sign ad deals with brands etc) is a bit much if you ask me. Does that mean indie artists whose songs get picked up for commercials (or for Netflix shows or movies) and thus it catapults them into the mainstream are also just money hungry people with no integrity and ones who don’t care about their music? Or is that, again, just a standard Bangtan is held to (as in that their integrity is questioned based on everything, even the most trivial/normal things) that only applies to them and no one else?
In the recent Weverse Magazine article about how Permission to Dance came to be there is a lot of talk about not only that song but also Butter and Dynamite, among the things being discussed and talked about they mentioned how the original lyrics for Butter were much more materialistic but that the members didn't like that so they asked for that to be changed. Likewise the original lyrics for Permission to Dance, as you'd expect from the penmanship of Ed Sheeran, were much more romantic, almost proposal like, which wasn't what the members wanted either so it was, again, adjusted in a way that would fit what they, as well as the A&R team, wanted. While you may not like these songs, they still had a say in them to a certain degree, could say yes or no and ask for adjustments. Why else would PTD take eight months?
While they might outsource their English songs, their main focus, so their Korean (as well as Japanese) discography is still centered around them, their lyrics, their songs, their sound. Of course you’ll also find outside producers and some lyricists on those as well, because that’s how music works these days, as in collaboratively, that doesn’t change anything at large. Their integrity is still very much there, their hearts are still in it, what other reason would any of them have to say that they want to continue for a long time, for Yoongi to say they want to figure out how to make their career last as long as possible, for JK to say that he wants to sing forever?
Admin 2 also wanted me to add that in their opinion, to a certain degree (though not fully of course), their English songs are like a way to laugh at and expose how shallow the English-centric music industry is. As in, while they made music in Korean with deep and meaningful lyrics, the US industry didn’t care but once they switched to easy to listen to sound with easy to understand English lyrics, they suddenly paid attention, are played on the radio, and even received a Grammy nomination which they wouldn’t have gotten for a Korean song ( A1: regardless how much Black Swan or Spring Day really would’ve deserved it...).
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[CN] Shaw’s 2021 Birthday R&S
🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for an R&S which has not been released in EN! 🍒
Knowledge of Shaw’s 2020 Birthday R&S is highly recommended before reading this!
[ This R&S was released on 16 June 2021 ]
[ Chapter One ]
This is the fifth month that Shaw is learning how to skateboard. The little buddies who started out with him had given up one after the other because they couldn’t endure the bitter taste of tripping and falling. In the end, he’s the only one left.
The wheels grate against the ground in a regular rhythm. Leaping over the obstacle, it makes a swerve, accelerates, and flips... the skateboard is lithe and graceful beneath Shaw’s feet, akin to a reed leaf as it brings him into the largest skatepark in Loveland City with a wilful rush.
“Shaw! Shaw!”
Shaw halts the skateboard and turns around.
A little fatty with a band-aid on his knee walks over, smiling and revealing his missing front teeth. “Finally found you.”
Shaw laughs scornfully. “Why’s a defeated opponent looking for me? Do you want to lose the remaining half of your front teeth?”
“You!” Little Fatty flushes red in an instant. He straightens his neck and points to an area behind him. “I’m not competing with you. Someone else wants to!”
Shaw looks in the direction of his finger. A boy who is obviously taller than him by a head smiles at him, the skateboard beneath his feet sliding back and forth. At a glance, it’s clear that he’s experienced.
“My Bro Zhou is in the Loveland City Qing Xun Team,” Little Fatty hugs his arms with pride, as though he’s the one in the team. “So? Dare to accept it?”
So that’s how it is. He’s a scaredy cat who only dares to call in reinforcements.
Shaw purses his lips. He steps on the tail of the skateboard, and it responds by flipping upwards, the the edge of the board landing steadily in his palm. “Why not? What are we competing in?”
Bro Zhou shrugs. “I won’t make things hard for newbies. We’ll compete in tic-tacs and going over obstacles. How’s that?”
“Sure.”
[Trivia] Tic-tacs are a series of consecutive heelside-to-toeside kickturns where your feet remain on the skateboard. I copied this from Google and have no idea what it means LOL
-
THUD-
Losing his balance for just a moment, Shaw falls heavily onto the ground. His knees, elbows... waves of pain bloom on every joint. It isn’t a good feeling, but what makes Shaw even more frustrated is the arrogant laughter of Little Fatty. t’s even noisier than the cicadas from afar.
“HAHAHAHA Shaw lost! Let’s see if you still have the guts to be proud!”
He has a lot to say despite being a noob. Shaw rolls his eyes. Enduring the pain, he’s just about to lift himself up by the elbows when Bro Zhou walks over to him, offering him a hand. “Not bad.”
“Thanks.”
The other party continues. “But at your age, it’s best to stick to the basics. There’s no hurry to learn high difficulty moves like the dolphin flip. You’ll definitely fall.”
Shaw’s expression immediately turns cold. “I don’t need your pointers on what I can learn at whatever age.” He doesn’t touch the hand, standing up by himself. Lifting his head, he gives the other party a look over. “Do you come here often?”
“The Qing Xun Team practises here every day.”
“Okay. Next time, I’ll definitely win against you.”
Shaw doesn’t bother about the expressions on Bro Zhou’s and the Little Fatty’s faces after hearing his words. He casually pats off the dust on his body, picks up the skateboard which is flipped over on the floor, and leaves the skatepark.
-
[ Chapter Two ]
The moment Shaw enters through the doors of the antique store, the Old Man’s uproar begins. “Little Ancestor, did you wreck havoc in the Heavenly Palace again?”
[Note] Here, the Old Man calls Shaw “小祖宗”, which literally means “Little Ancestor”. This term is used in an affectionate way to address a naughty child
“Wrecking havoc in the Heavenly Palace” is a reference to a novel called Journey to the West (西游记), which features a troublemaking Monkey King Sun Wukong
“I’m hungry. What’s there to eat today?” Shaw doesn’t respond to the shopkeeper’s words. Placing his bag and skateboard behind the counter, he reaches out to play with the silly parrot at the entrance - it’s truly silly. Even after teaching it for a month, it can’t even say “welcome to the shop”. It causes Shaw to wonder if the Old Man was perhaps duped of his money once again.
“All you know how to do is eat...” The Old Man sets down the ancient text in his hands and props up his presbyopic glasses. “Old Qian from next door boiled chicken soup today and is giving us half. I’ll stir-fry two dishes. You can ask if the chicken soup is ready.”
Shaw makes an “mm” of acknowledgement, then turns around and heads next door.
The shopkeeper gets up and takes a few steps towards the kitchen. Then, he abruptly returns to the counter, reaching out to touch the coarse scratch marks at the edge of the skateboard. Inexplicably, he sighs.
The chicken soup is a little bland, and the stir-fried dishes are a little salty. Mixing and eating them together is just nice. Shaw lowers his head and pushes rice into his mouth with chopsticks. In his left ear, he hears the news of how the GDP of Loveland City has risen. In his right ear, he hears the nagging of his mentor:
“...I’m not discouraging you from playing with this thing. It’s good to toughen yourself up while you’re young and your bones and muscles are sturdy. But don’t be too rash. This... this thing of yours...”
“Skateboard.” Shaw speaks.
“Yes, skateboard. I remember that it’s only been a month since it was bought, and it’s already tormented to such a state. You have such an impulsive temperament. You should be more level-headed.”
What does this have to do with temperament? If I were to truly be impulsive, I wouldn’t need a month. Just three days would be enough to break a skateboard. Shaw looks at the chicken leg in his bowl, not saying these words aloud.
“Also, remember to report to the shop early tomorrow. Old Qian and I are preparing to head to the neighbouring city to look for goods. You should come along to broaden your horizons.” The shopkeeper taps his chopsticks against the rim of the bowl, signalling for Shaw to pay more attention. “Isn’t it your birthday tomorrow? I could pick out a gift for you! Sigh, I actually had my eye on an agate snuff bottle, but the guy suddenly decided not to sell it...”
“I’m not going tomorrow.” Shaw interrupts the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper furrows his brows. “Why are you throwing a tantrum?”
“I’m not. I have proper business to attend to tomorrow. The school organised a visit to the museum.” Shaw lifts his eyes, and his thin lips curve upwards. “The things I see there will be much more valuable than those trivial things you fiddle with.”
“You little rascal!”
Shaw laughs, wedging the chicken leg between his chopsticks and sending it into his mentor’s bowl. “I’m full, so I’m heading to the back to do my homework. Chicken legs are really nutritious, so you should have it.”
“Tsk tsk, and you still said you weren’t throwing a tantrum. You aren’t going home again?”
“I don’t want to go back today. I’ll definitely go back tomorrow.” Shaw has already walked to the entrance. He suddenly thinks of something, and turns his head to ask a question. “Mentor, your shop will always be open, right?”
These words came out of nowhere, and the shopkeeper isn’t able to comprehend them. “What?”
“Nothing much. I’m just worried that I won’t have a place to have dinner if an old man like you were to throw in the towel someday.”
The shopkeeper fumes with a glare. “What do you mean by that? You only care about the food? Also, my shop can continue running for a decade or two. I’m still waiting for you to bring back a disciple or a wife to serve me tea!”
Shaw lets out an “oh”, and his eyes crinkle. “In that case, you’ll have to wait for another twenty or thirty years.”
The eyesight of the shopkeeper is no longer as good as before, but he can clearly see that the smile of this child didn’t reach his eyes. After Shaw leaves, he suddenly recalls the fortune that he drew for Shaw half a year ago: “What awaits this catastrophe is a new beginning...”
This child is will meet his predestined fate this year, so what’s left is to see how he endures through it. The shopkeeper shakes his head, sighing once again.
[Note] The actual fortune is “河图数九，洛书数七，脐于九陵，七日来复” but I don’t have the energy to explain it so what I’ve translated above is the overall meaning :>
-
[ Chapter Three ]
When Shaw awakens on the next day, the shopkeeper has already left to inspect the goods. The shop is empty, and he’s the only one left.
Westmoon Street is lined with old houses, and there’s no soundproofing. Lying on the bed, Shaw can hear the chirping of birds outside the window, the yelling of people on the street, and the babble of the Chinese opera from the old bookstore next door: “I’m just like a caged bird with wings that can’t be outstretched. I’m just like a shallow water dragon trapped on a beach...”
Shaw rubs his face, then sits up on the bed.
The school had set the assembling time to be 9am. Heading out now will give him more than enough time. Shaw quickly washes his face and rinses his mouth. Just as he walks towards the front counter with some rice grains from the kitchen for the parrot to eat, he suddenly discovers that there’s something on the counter.
Walking over, Shaw sees that there’s a cake box as well as a t-shirt which has been washed clean.
There’s a slip of paper on the shirt. The strokes are clean and thin. At a glance, he knows that this is the Old Man’s handwriting: You need energy and drive to participate in the school activity. Don’t wear yesterday’s dirty clothes. Change into this.
The shirt look slightly familiar. He probably changed out of it one day and forgot about it, leaving it in the antique shop. Shaw pays it no mind, turning his head to that small cake once again. The various calligraphy and writings in the antique store are considered relatively charming. Yet, why does he always buy such unsophisticated cakes?
When his classmates celebrate their birthdays, what they eat are high quality custom-made cakes - red velvet, matcha crepe, chocolate molten lava... such a traditional longevity cake is probably found only in a place like Westmoon Street. It’s clear from the light red and light green colours that the embellishments on the cake were made by hand. Eating it would definitely dye his tongue. If he were to speak later, wouldn’t he get laughed at by his classmates?
Shaw bunches up his brows, but the fork in his hand doesn’t stop. The cream is plant-based and tastes bad. He eats a small egg shell at the base of the cake and it tastes bad. The “Happy Birthday” was written using peach jam, and it tastes really bad.
The silly parrot at the side tilts its head, watching as the boy eats mouthfuls while shunning it with every bite, finishing the cake entirely.
Shaw wipes his mouth, then rinses it with the barley tea on the table. Picking up that t-shirt, he returns into the house and changes his clothes.
-
[ Chapter Four ]
“...this ‘Painting of the Elevated and Pre-eminent’ depicts four famous scholars enjoying themselves. Students, do you know who the Seven Sages of the bamboo forest are?”
[Trivia] If you���re interested in seeing the actual painting, search for “高逸图” (“gao yi tu”)
“It’s such a waste that you didn’t watch yesterday’s episode. That scene where the main lead destroyed the opponent like a boss is unparalleled!”
“Aside from the both of us, did anyone else have fun at Anime City?”
“Are you done with the math homework? Lend it to me - I’ll find a place to copy it.”
...
The question posed by the museum guide is drowned out amidst the laughing and frolicking of the kids. He forces a smile while shaking his head. All of a sudden, he notices that a boy with bluish purple hair isn’t the same as the other kids. He’s staring at an ancient painting in the showcase, lost in thought.
As though seeing a saviour, the guide quickly points at him. “Student, why don’t you give me an answer? It’s fine even if you get it wrong. Uncle will explain to you!”
“...” Shaw turns his head, opening his mouth to say some words, but his voice doesn’t reach the guide’s ears.
“Student, what did you say?” The guide raises his volume.
“I said that the four people in ‘Painting of the Elevated and Pre-eminent’ are Shan Tao, Wang Jie, Liu Ling and Ruan Ji.” Shaw’s face is pretty much expressionless, and there aren't many fluctuations in his tone. “The one sitting down with his hands on his knees at the far right is Shan Tao. The one holding the ruyi sceptre is Wang Tao. The one next to him and drinking wine is Liu Ling. A boy is serving him. The one at the far left needs no mention - he’s the first of the Sages, Ruan Ji. So this painting is missing Ji Tang, Xiang Xiu and Ruan Xian.”
“...”
The surroundings gradually quieten down, and only Shaw’s voice echoes in front of the showcase.
"The scholars in this painting evoke a refined and tasteful sentiment, and the lines are beautiful. This is an extremely precious treasure in the realm of silk scrolls. This is why the ‘Painting of the Elevated and Pre-eminent’ has always been kept in the royal palace. It’s a pity that in order for our predecessors to avoid taboos, only Si Ma Zhong’s inscription is left on it.”
The youth lifts his chin, shooting a playful smile at the guide. “Okay Uncle, you can explain the next museum piece now.”
“Shaw, you’re incredible!” His classmates flock over to him, bumping him on the shoulders. “You were staring at that painting for such a long time. Did you memorise the words on the museum label?”
“Tch. These’s no need to memorise the museum labels for such things. You’ll know it from a glance.” Shaw laughs. “Also, I wasn’t looking at this painting...” When he says this, he pauses for a moment, swallowing his words.
If he wasn’t looking at this painting, which one was he looking at? The students follow Shaw’s gaze, and realise that there’s a floral painting hanging next to the “Painting of the Elevated and Pre-eminent”.
“Painting of a Courtyard and Dayliles”, Northern Song Dynasty, Xuan He Imperial Art Academy, anonymous... The students read the explanatory note on the museum label.
[Trivia] If you’re interested in seeing the actual painting, search for “霜庭萱草图” (“shuang ting xuan cao tu”)
The painting seems to depict a corner of a courtyard. A few daylilies display the patterns on their leaves. One big and one small dragonfly are perched on the flower. Aside from that, there isn’t anything else interesting about it. This painting doesn’t seem to have a name or seal, neither does it have a detailed explanation. Even the guide skipped past it. Since it isn’t a rare and precious ancient painting, what exactly was Shaw looking at?
His classmates are a little puzzled.
-
[ Chapter Five ]
All the classes assemble in lines at the entrance of the museum. The teacher very patiently reminds the students not to forget to do their homework over the weekend, and to remember to write down their reflections about the museum. The students drawl out “got it”, but their hearts have long since flown a million miles away, ready to keep toys and snacks company.
“Shaw!” After dispersing, Shaw’s classmates wave at him.
Shaw walks over. “What’s up?”
“All of us know that you aren’t in a good mood because you lost to a senior in skateboarding yesterday. Isn’t it your birthday? Bro Lu bought the newest game, so let’s head over to play at his place.” His classmate smiles while putting an arm around his shoulder.
“Who told you that I lost yesterday?” Shaw speaks coldly.
“Who else but Fatty? He was so proud yesterday.” The classmate gives Shaw a pat. “Relax, we’re on your side. Don’t think about these unhappy things. Next time, we’ll have lots of opportunities to get revenge...”
“If I wanted revenge, I wouldn’t wait till next time.” Shaw purses his lips. “I’m heading to the skatepark now. You guys coming?”
-
Since it’s the weekend, quite a number of skateboard hobbyists are already practising by the time Shaw reaches the skatepark. Very quickly, he locates Bro Zhou from yesterday.
Shaw gets straight to the point. “I lost yesterday. Today, I want to have a race with you. Do you accept?”
A hint of shock is in Bro Zhou’s eyes. He has probably never met a kid who is this unwilling to lose. “You fell so badly yesterday but still want to compete with me? You should practise more!”
“There’s no need to practise more when competing with you,” Shaw says.
With this, Bro Zhou’s temper starts to flare. He tilts his chin. “Fine, come on. Just don’t cry if you fall and break your arm today.”
A short while later, the news of how a “junior high school newbie dared to challenge Bro Zhou from the Qing Xun Team” spreads throughout the skatepark. Everyone gathers at both sides of the race course, curiously sizing up the main lead for today.
“S-Shaw...” His classmate pulls on Shaw’s arm. Looking at the deep bowl in front, he gulps. “Are you sure you’re competing with him in this? It won’t be good news if you fall!”
“If I want to play, of course I’ll only play the fun stuff. Just watch.”
Shaw walks to the starting line and takes a deep breath. When moving his limbs, his hand subconsciously touches the hem of the t-shirt - there’s a small Chinese trumpet vine. The green leaves and red petals cover the hole which was originally on the shirt. It’s just that the stitches are crooked, and it’s incredibly crude. At a glance, it’s clear that it wasn’t sewn by someone familiar with needlework.
[Fun fact] Chinese trumpet vine is 凌霄花 (“ling xiao hua”)
Shaw’s name in CN is 凌肖 (“ling xiao”)
Mentor is the best <3
He bites his lower lip.
The referee raises both hands. “The old rules apply. After getting past the Cola can obstacles, cross the bowl. The first person who reaches the goal will win. Ready... go!”
In the midst of a clamour, a bluish purple light rushes forward, taking the lead.
-
[ Chapter Six ]
The friction of wheels against the ground results in ear-piercing screeches. The skateboard brings Shaw forward at a high speed, and the cold strong wind accompanies the summer heat waves, brushing past his cheeks. The upright Cola cans aren’t enough to faze him. With the continuous twisting of his waist and a skateboard which moves naturally like flowing water, he and his opponent seem to bypass the obstacles comprising of twelve Cola cans at the same time-
There are three consecutive rows of Cola can structures in front of him. He has to use all sorts of techniques to jump over them. That way, he can rush down the bowl, and enter the final stage.
The arm he injured from the fall yesterday is still aching faintly. His feet seem to be protesting as well. He successfully jumps over the first row, the second row... Shaw holds his breath. He steps on the tail of the skateboard with his left foot. Gravity takes over quickly, and his right foot causes the skateboard to rise. The skateboard beneath his feet is akin to a flying fish jumping out of the water surface, creating a rotating arc above the Cola cans!
“It’s a dolphin flip!” Members of the audience exclaim.
Clack! Shaw’s shoulders wobble slightly when his feet return to the skateboard. When he finally stands steadily, he continues rushing forward. The final bowl is right in front of him.
The moment the skateboard dives downwards, Shaw feels a brief moment of weightlessness. This feeling is reminiscent of being thrown out of the entire world, making one want to continue falling like this until they plummet into the bottom of the swamp. The deep bowl is like the trough he’s currently going through. If he’s unable to climb out of the trough, he will drown in hatred, anger, powerlessness, disappointment... and lose to that weak heart of his.
But he’s Shaw, and he won’t lose just like that.
With a rapid dash, he soars upwards without trouble - underneath the brilliant blazing sun, the youth leaps out of the bowl!
After flying out of the bowl, the inertia causes Shaw to stumble a few steps. He falls onto the ground, lying on his back while pressing the finish line.
At the same time, he hears a dull thud from the bowl - his opponent had fallen back into it.
“Shaw won!” “Shaw reached the goal first!” “That rascal actually won against Bro Zhou?” “This competition was so awesome!” ...all sorts of voices emerge in the surroundings in a disorderly fashion, and a set of footsteps walk towards him.
“Your name’s Shaw?” A masculine voice asks from above his head.
Shaw doesn't speak.
“I’m Coach Wang from Loveland City’s Qing Xun Skateboarding Team,” that voice continues. “I see that you have lots of talent, and will make a good young successor. Are you interested in joining the Qing Xun Team?”
While saying this, a registration form is handed to him.
The late afternoon sun illuminates the sheet of paper, reflecting a glaring light akin to snow. Shaw takes one look at the registration form, then shifts his lips slightly. “I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“My shirt’s really expensive, so it isn’t worth tearing them.”
The coach is rendered speechless.
Just as he’s about to say a few more words to persuade the kid, he suddenly spots the small flower at the corner of Shaw’s shirt from his periphery - this is clearly not an expensive t-shirt. These days, few shirts are mended using embroidery. And the fact that he’s willing to wear it despite the clumsy embroidery...
This kid has family members whom he cares very much about. The coach seems to understand this. His lips open and shut, and he swallows back the lines he prepared. In the end, he simply says, “...that dolphin flip you did earlier wasn’t bad.”
“Of course.”
The coach laughs as he leaves. Amidst the cheers from the surroundings, Shaw lies on the ground. Covering his eyes with his hand, he laughs.
“I won. Happy birthday to me.”
🛹 Shaw’s Date Prologue: here
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💵KakuHidan💗 Family Part 5
ENGLISH
Ryuō (竜 王) means "Dragon King"
Alias / Nickname: "Ryō" for his friends and "Otōto / younger brother" for his older brothers.
Hobby: None
Food: Miso soup (味噌 汁), Bentō (弁 当) and vegetarian dishes.
Sweets: The dorayaki (ど ら 焼 き)
Likes: Perform / solve math and mental strategy operations.
Dislikes: Relating / communicating with other people.
Favorite Words: "unnecessary" (不要) Fuyō
Phrases:
"A home is not a building, not a street or a city; it has nothing to do with such material things as bricks and cement. A home is where your family is, do you understand?"
Age 7 years
Blood Type B
Family:
Kakuzu (Father)
Hidan (Dad)
Okanemochi (Older Brother)
Shiawase (Older Sister)
Haruka & Haruhi (older twin sisters)
Appearance: Ryuō is dark with light green eyes and his hair is dark brown that reaches his shoulders (in a few words the spitting image of Kakuzu, with the difference that he does not have the burgundy sclera with irises, only his light green pupils). When he uses his ritual he takes on the appearance of a Shinigami, with black skin, and white markings in the shape of bones.
Clothing: He wears loose-fitting clothing, consisting of a long sleeve turtleneck shirt below a short-sleeved shirt with the Jashin print. He also wears long baggy pants with his ninja sandals.
Personality: he is analytical, reserved, expert, mysterious, intuitive. He is also a very intelligent boy who rarely speaks, and when he does, it is at defining moments. He almost never shows faces to indicate his personality, and rarely smiles or makes other gestures. Despite being a child, he has the intelligence of an adult and is usually the most mature of his older siblings.
Curiosities:
-Ryuō when he was younger he found in the bathroom his older sister Shiawase bloody from her arms which caused him hematophobia (fear of blood).
-He is the most intelligent of his group of friends and family.
NOTICE: THIS POST WILL BE IN CONSTANT EDITION.
ESPAÑOL
Ryuō (竜王) significa "Rey Dragón"
Alias/Apodo: "Ryō" por sus amigos y "Otōto/hermano menor" por sus hermanos mayores.
Hobby: Ninguno
Comida: Sopa de miso (味噌汁), los Bentō (弁当) y los platillos vegetarianos.
Dulces: El dorayaki (どら焼き)
Gustos: Realizar/resolver operaciones matemáticas y de estrategia mental.
Disgustos: Relacionarse/comunicarse con otras personas.
Palabras Favoritas: "innecesario" (不要) Fuyō
Frases:
"Un hogar no es un edificio, ni una calle ni una ciudad; no tiene nada que ver con cosas tan materiales como los ladrillos y el cemento. Un hogar es donde está tu familia, ¿Entiendes?"
Edad 7 años
Tipo de Sangre B
Familia:
Kakuzu (Padre)
Hidan (Papá)
Okanemochi (Hermano Mayor)
Shiawase (Hermana Mayor)
Haruka & Haruhi (Hermanas gemelas mayores)
Aparienecia: Ryuō es moreno de ojos verde claros y su cabello es castaño oscuro que llega hasta los hombros (en pocas palabras la viva imagen de Kakuzu, con la diferencia de no tiene la esclerótica burdeo con iris, solo sus pupilas verde claro). Cuando utiliza su ritual este toma el aspecto de un Shinigami, con la piel negra, y marcas blancas en forma de huesos.
Vestimenta: Usa ropa holgada, que consiste en una playera de maga larga y cuello de tortuga abajo de una camina de manga corta con el estampado de Jashin. Tambien usa pantalones largos y holgados con sus sandalias ninjas.
Personalidad: Es analítico, reservado, experto, misterioso, intuitivo. También es un niño muy inteligente que raramente habla, y cuando lo hace es en momentos determinantes. Casi nunca muestra caras para indicar su personalidad, y rara vez suele sonreir o hacer otros gestos. A pesar de ser un niño, tiene la inteligencia de un adulto y suele ser el mas maduro de sus hermanos mayores.
Curiosidades:
-Ryuō cuando era más pequeño encontro en el baño a su hermana mayor Shiawase ensangrentada de los brazos lo que le provoco hematofobia (miedo a la sangre).
-Es el mas inteligente del grupo de amigos y de su familia.
AVISO: ESTE POST ESTARÁ EN CONSTANTE EDICIÓN.
#natsuki sayuri uzumaki uchiha#naruto shippuden#naruto#akatsuki#my ocs drawing#my ocs art#my ocs#my ocs are my children#next generation akatsuki#kakuzu x hidan#kakuzu#kakuhida#kakuhidan#kakuzu akatsuki#hidan#hidan akatsuki#kisame x itachi#hoshigaki kisame#kisame hoshigaki#kisaita#itachi uchiha#uchiha itachi#itachi#sasori x deidara#sasori akasuna#sasodei#sasori#deidara#sasori akatsuki#deidara akatsuki
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orange and gold
...I just need more Cole and Vania content, they seem like they'd be great friends.
Basically it's just 'Cole goes to visit her there, they almost burn down the kitchen, and make way too many puns', lol.
Set a few months after Master of the Mountain, but before Seabound or The Island.
Also yeah, I couldn't think of a better title, sue me- I just know that they wear one of the colours at some point, so... 🤦♀️😂
Trigger warnings: none I think? Huh-
Also, bingo!! I really need to learn better time management, dear freaking gosh- I hope I'm not too late though? I know it's like half a day late, eek- and I was supposed to post this earlier, but I ended up literally falling asleep while writing it😂
Thank you so much Fabro, for hosting such a cool event!:D Your comments on my fics literally never fail to make my day<3. And I'm so glad that I met so many awesome, really skilled people through this event too - it's been a lot of fun working alongside y'all:D, I wish I'd had more time to interact instead of posting stuff and vanishing lol, but exams be like:////
Prompt: cooking (does baking count as cooking? I realized too late lol-) from @ninjago-bingo 's warm board.
Word Count: 2497
---
Trying to escape from killer dire-bats hadn't been on Cole's to do list today - although the mountains were kind of beautiful.
It was a bit difficult to see them while he was being dragged to his death, but hey, didn't Jay always tell them to be more positive?
That was, until he made the mistake of looking down.
Miles of snowcapped mountains touched the pastel blue sky, but he was more focused on exactly how high he was from the ground.
Great.
Trying to swing back onto the Bounty, he didn't notice a golden-winged blur shoot past the bat, almost dropping their spear in haste.
"Let my friend go, or I'll-"
"Vania?"
She throws the spear at the bird, successfully knocking one of its wings.
Huh. She must've been practicing - throwing with accuracy while flying seemed kinda difficult.
"I'm so sorry!" she replies, grabbing his arm before he fell down too. She winces at the strain on her wings, almost dropping him onto the deck. "I was supposed to come earlier, but there was an issue with one of the mines, and it took forever to-"
"There ain't anything in this world that's managed to kill me yet," he replies jokingly, checking that the autopilot hadn't been damaged. "I doubt an angry bird is going to be the first."
"Didn't you mention that you became a ghost once? Pretty sure that means you were dead-"
"Shh, that's not an important detail," he jokes.
"If you say so," she replies with a grin. "Did I mention that Chompy's been tearing down the palace flower arrangements again?"
"Send my regards to the gardener-"
"Did you just make a pun?"
"Remind me why I decided to visit you again?"
"Because you love me?" she asks stepping onto the ground as the Bounty landed gently.
"I hereby crown you as my platonic soulmate," Cole deadpans, taking her hand. "Vania and Cole-"
"Destined to annoy each other for eternity," she giggles, swinging their hands up and down. "But seriously - thanks. I don't think I realized how much work being a queen was."
"What's it like?"
"I mean - I'm glad that people trust me, and they come to me if they have a problem, but the paperwork is a nightmare. I never get to go outside anymore, I swear."
"Paperwork? Also, you just invited me here for a week. I don't wanna disturb you?"
"Nah, I cleared my schedule, don't worry. And trust me, you don't want to know. Everything requires some sort of official written thing, and it's so boring-"
"Official? But you're the queen?"
"Well, yeah, but I don't really want to change something unless it benefits the people. Not after..."
Her smile dims, eyes straying to the palace walls.
Oh- oh.
"You're nothing like him," Cole says firmly, squeezing her hand. "I mean, if you need to take a break, or you can make your job a bit easier by cutting out something unnecessary, that's just gonna help you become a better queen. You've definitely got the interests of your people at heart, and that's the most important thing, you know? And well, uh, everything seems to be going great so far - you don't have to beat yourself up over someone else's mistakes."
"Thanks," she replies softly, her smile slowly returning. "Speaking of breaks, what do you think we should do this time?"
"You could show me around the city again?"
"You've already seen everything cool," Vania giggles, skipping ahead of him. "We don't renovate much - unlike you guys-"
"Hey, it's not our fault that our city gets destroyed every few months-"
"More like every few days," she teases, tying back her golden hair. "How about we find some dragons to adopt?"
"Tempting, but where would you keep them?"
"They could sleep in my room-"
She breaks off when she notices him laughing. "What?"
"N- nothing," Cole replies, in between laughs. "Jay and I just made a bet."
"On what?"
"How many dragons you've adopted. I bet at least six, he bet fifteen."
"Well, jokes on both of you - I'm pretty sure my advisor's going to throw a fit if I show up with another one," she starts, giggling. "We've got twenty living in the palace right now."
"Twenty dragons?"
"They're so cute! You just look into their adorable little eyes," Vania pauses for breath, continuing her animated gesturing, "and you can't help but wanna hug them!"
"Oh, Jay's going to be so mad."
"Aww, I'm sorry guys. They're just too adorable!"
"...Wanna hear a funny story?"
"Yeah, sure!"
"I actually used to be terrified of dragons-"
"No way!" Vania exclaims. "Y'all have been on a lot of adventures though, so-"
"Nah, we used to have our own dragons at first. They were pretty cool! I just- I'm a simple guy! Huge animals with wings are scary up close when you're barely a teenager."
"Or when you're really short-"
"We're the same height!" Cole exclaims, facepalming in a bit of a fondly exasperated way.
"I'm two years younger than you-"
---
"Ugh, whose idea was this?"
"Yours," Vania grins, sitting down on the kitchen counter.
"You were supposed to help me, not leave me high and dry!" Cole accuses jokingly, staring at all the appliances they'd found in the cupboards.
"'One must always be prepared for new adventures,'" she quotes seamlessly, waving one of- what was his name again? Mulch something? Oh! Clutch! Some explorer he was, leaving them to die in the pyramid - Clutch Powers' books in the air.
"Fine," he sighs, staring at the old recipe book she'd found in one of their back cupboards. "But you've gotta help me? I almost burned down-"
"Woah, what? If you finish that sentence with 'kitchen'-"
"In my defense, Kai was playing a prank on me-"
"In my defense, I wouldn't like to explain how the queen of Shintaro burnt down the palace by teaching one of her friends to cook," she grins, flipping through the pages. "What do you wanna start with?"
"Something simple?"
"Have you ever tried baking bread before? It's a lot of fun!"
"I haven't really had the time, but that sounds kinda interesting."
He skims the recipe, raising his eyebrows. "Wait, why does this take hours? I thought you said it was simple?"
"Trust me, it is," she laughs, adding, "besides, I still wanna hear about all your adventures!"
"Uh... okay," Cole replies hesitantly, "but if this fails, I'm so sorry."
"Give yourself some credit, you guys literally saved the world! Multiple times!"
"Bold of y'all to assume we know how we did it," he laughs, only half-kidding. "Besides. I botched soup once."
"I've botched toast," she mock-sighs, smiling. "Pretty sure that makes us even."
"Lemme get this straight. You've messed up toasting bread, but you can bake it from scratch?"
"Trust me, I don't know either," she giggles, trying to open a brightly coloured packet of... something? Did flour come in packets that small?
"Uh, why are you opening something called 'feast'?" he asks, eyebrows creased in confusion.
"Feast," she echoes, trying to stifle her laughter. "Off to a... rocky start, aren't we?"
It took him a second.
"I already regret this," he jokes, facepalming. "But I'd say that your puns are, uh, gold."
"I've un- unleashed-" breaking off, she half-falls off the counter, laughing so hard her face starts to go red, "a monster."
---
"Uh, is it supposed to look like that?" Cole asks, frowning.
The mixture looked less like the dough he'd been expecting - more like one of Jay's inventions gone wrong.
Badly wrong, he thought, eyes widening at the goopy mess of foam that threatened to spill over the jug.
"The yeast?" Vania echoes, poking her head out of one of the cupboards. "Yeah, all good! It always looks a little gross, and you're gonna doubt ever eating bread again, but at least it doesn't taste like it's fermented-"
"It's what?"
"Yeah," she grimaces, exaggerating her disgust a bit. "If aliens ever fell from the sky, they'd think we were crazy for eating bread-"
"Aliens? I think we're a bit crazy!" Cole exclaims, trying not to laugh.
Vania smiles, then sighs, lugging a huge bag of flour onto the counter. "I can never open these bags properly," she starts, eyeing the the bag a bit warily, "and it always makes such a huge mess all over the kitchen. You'd think they'd make it easier for people to use, right? I swear-"
He jokingly puts his hands over his ears. "I can't hear you!"
"But you know that I've sworn off swearing-" she replies, breaking off with a laugh. "Pun not intended - that actually made sense in my head. I swear!"
"No," Cole interjects with a grin, shaking his head. "You don't, remember?"
"See, this is why we're friends-"
"Friends? Is that all I am to you?"
"Oh, be quiet," she shoots back, exaggeratedly dragging a hand down her face. "I mean, sure, just because everyone thinks that we're dating doesn't mean that we-"
Wait. What?
"People think that we're dating?" he asks, clamping a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to muffle his laughter. "I- I- really?"
"I know, right?"
"Even my friends thought so at first," he confesses, dragging a hand down his face. "I mean, as much as I love you-"
"I love you too," Vania replies, completely seriously. "Even if you'll always be more like an annoying-"
"Hey-"
"Sibling to me than anything else," she finishes, grabbing a pair of scissors. Cole watches, a little alarmed, as she stabs them into the flour bag over and over.
"Is it... supposed to be this difficult to just open the bag? Seems kinda stupid-"
"Well, er, they have this piece of paper with glue that you're supposed to pull away from the rest of the bag, but it never works properly and I-"
"Well, we could always make our own flour," Cole interjects, laughing. "I mean, I've got a scythe? Let's go!"
"Uh, but we don't have wheat growing here. I don't think it'd suit the climate very well?"
"Wheat a shame," Cole sighs jokingly, measuring out the flour (which had, finally, escaped the bag).
"Oh my gosh," Vania deadpans, "you did not just-"
"Yep, I did."
"You're horrible," she giggles, "then again, I was the one who started this whole debacle, so I think we'll share the blame."
"Debacle? Where'd you pick that one up from? Sounds kinda cool-"
"Oh, it's from a book someone wrote about you guys," Vania says casually, pouring a cup of water into the bowl.
"Hey, uh-" Cole starts hesitantly, twisting his fingers back and forth, then breaks off. "Why'd you read all that stuff about us, anyways? Adventure books don't really seem like something you read a lot, since we have similar favorite books. I mean..."
"Well, um..." Vania trails off, clearly uncomfortable. "Uh- I guess, well, it sounds kinda stupid, but I'd never really met anyone my age who wasn't a royal or something. I... er, I didn't want to be left out, you know?"
Cole thinks back to a scroll; a quest, a sacrifice. One that his friends never seemed to really notice, unless it was with horror or flinches. Not that he blamed them, but - joking about how he was much more useful to the team when he was freaking dead than he was before he'd stumbled and fell in the temple?
That had been a bit far, even for his best friend. Locks could always be picked or something, he didn't need to be a ghost to provide some sort of value-
Well, that's not completely true, is it? a small voice questions, and he can't keep his hands from shaking a little.
"Jay here thinks you're the least valuable ninja."
Not enough to be a performer. Now, not good enough to even be a ninja, apparently.
Well, he reminds himself firmly, you don't have to be the best - just stand up to those who are cruel and unjust.
Nothing but a scar that glowed warm orange occasionally left of the whole Cursed Realm ordeal, sometimes it was all too easy to forget - or pretend - that it had never even happened in the first place.
Other times, like when he'd dropped a glass of water on the floor and his hands hadn't stopped shaking for hours, or when he woke up screaming, expecting to fall through his bed again, it still felt like he was trapped as a ghost. Literally - and maybe a little figuratively as well.
Yeah. Yeah, I know.
"Thanks for trusting me with that," he replies softly. "And I'm sorry. That sounds... horrible, but, honestly, you're a pretty cool person, and I ain't just saying that because we're friends. People can be awful, and they can- they can leave, but you don't need to pretend to be someone you're not for people to accept you. I kinda know what it's like, and it's... just, uh, not great."
"No, thank you," Vania says, rubbing her eyes. "You're pretty cool, too. And I'm glad that we become friends, even if wasn't in the- the, er, greatest circumstances."
"Right back at ya. The fall was pretty terrifying, though," Cole says casually, as if memories of that nightmarish plunge into the depths of earth don't still send shivers down his spine.
"No, definitely! I was so sure we were gonna splat onto the ground or something, thank gosh we didn't."
"Yeah..." Cole trails off, reading the recipe they'd been following. "Oh- do we just leave the bowl somewhere for a few hours now?"
"Oh, yeah," Vania answers. "Other than clean up the kitchen, what else do you wanna do?"
"That's kind of you, but, ah, I don't mind. You can choose something."
"I don't mind either," she replies, covering the bowl with a dishcloth. "Seriously, I don't."
"Same here though."
"Really, I don't mind-" Vania breaks off with a laugh, adding, "Well, actually, there is something."
She doesn't elaborate, thoughtfully gazing out the window.
"Well, what is it? Don't keep me in the dark."
"Ugh, it's kinda stupid-"
"I'm sure that it's not- well, unless you want to try to jump off a flying ship with a homemade parachute to prove a bet to someone-"
"Do I even wanna know?"
"...uh, probably not. We're way too crazy sometimes, our Master has a hard time keeping us in check. Your thing, though?"
"Can I give you a hug?"
Cole blinks for a second, expecting some sort of punchline.
"That's your thing?"
"Well, yeah- I mean, I said it was kinda stupid-"
"No no, that's not what I meant. You're so sweet - that's all."
"Well, not more than you-"
"Nah, you're sweeter-"
"Let's just call it a tie," Vania says with a smile, reaching over to give her friend a hug. "Thank you so much, I swear- well, no, I don't, but you know, anyways-"
"Yeah," Cole replies, laughing softly. "I know."
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Ducktales Shadow Into Light (Lena Retrospective): Friendship Hates Magic! (Commission by WeirdKev27)
Hello all you happy people! And welcome, and to some of you welcome back to Shadow Into Light, my fully paid for but gladly done Lena retrospective, covering everyone’s faviorite lesbian emo shadow’s personal jounrey through all three seasons and some brucey bonuses.
So this time we pick up in mid-season 2.. yes MID season 2. Though for once taking so long to adress things had valid reasons. It dosen’t make the 8 month wait for Lena to return and for Violet to show up, her concept art having been shown off shortly before Shadow War aired during San Diego Comic Con, any less aggravating, especially since the episode did air overseas before that but never leaked anywhere properly. So I knew she’d be okay but not HOW.
As I said though.. they had their reasons. The episode was set for episode 8 in production order, right behind whatever Happened to Della Duck? which answered the other big cliffhanger from season 1, Della’s exile on the moon. So while this episode was back in the queue, along with Della’s, which had to wait till after the christmas episode to air because said episode takes place before it. So waiting on this episode was fair on the crew’s part even knowing it was a hiatus.
It ended up getting pushed back by a week once the episodes started airing.. but as outlined last time, THIS TIME Disney actually moved it for good reason instead of just doing so because shut up. See the problem with moving episodes around in season 2.. is Della’s return. Several episodes that in theory could’ve easily been pushed back instead of this one, Depths of Cousin Fethry, Treasure of the Found Lamp... couldn’t because they take place BEFORE Della came back and it’d be weird to air them after. One features Donald, the other dosen’t but still lacks Della and it’d be weird if it did> While this episode takes place before Della comes back or was at least meant to, no one appears in person, and Beakly mentoning “the boys and scrooge” at the bin could simply be her forgetting Della’s a part of things for a second. It’s not entirely in character, but it’s much easier than explaning why Della’s not there and Donald is.
They also moved one episode ahead of this.. but it’s one I approve of. See from episode 7 onward the episodes were aired in week long duckbombs, woo-ooo. I I don’t fault disney for it or the reason I suspect they had for doing this: while it wasn’t the intended way of airing, they likely did this airing style to get shows on Disney Plus quicker for it’s debut and given they’ve sunk a LOT of money into the streaming service and it’s a key part of their future, I can’t blame them for wanting the entire series thus far on the platform at launch. It’s one of if not their most popular show at the moment. They wanted it front and center.
So this one took an extra week to air, and an extra day as they aired raiders of the doomsday vault right after Della’s return in “Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!”.. which is also not a bad move. Fans wanted more of Della and her bonding with the kids, I wanted more of that so while the wait was grumble inducing, it was worth the tradeoff to get more of this character and her bonding with Dewey.. and let’s face it Glomgold. You know what i’m about at this point.
So there were delays but not the mind boggling ones that reshuffled the season last time and by next season there’d be zero reshuffling with both holiday episodes designed to go anywhere. So with the history and the agonizing wait out of the way join me under the cut as a snark knight returns, a new fan faviorite debuts and Beakly gets sucked into Launchpad’s awful fandom.
We open our story at the Duckburg Library. Man I fucking miss the library. I mean you can go by apointment and what not but I also have library card debt and stuff, and it’s just not the same.
Anyways naturally Webby is going there to research the Shadow Realm in hopes of finding something to bring Lena back. Last week was “Children’s Card Games, Dark Magic and You! by Professor Yugi Moto which while enlightening got her nowhere. Next up is “Shadow Games on Motorcycles!: How a Crimson Dragon defeated a giant Shadow Monster and brought the dead back and I helped by Doctor Yusei Fudo”.
But that one’s not in yet so she instead goes to the Librarian to get another book.. and it’s Quackfaster! Horay! As for why she’s working two jobs, she’s saving up for a retirement condo in BIRDDDBAAADDOOOSSSSS. I had to type it that way it’s ape law.
But her next book “I Went there and it Sucked, My Time in the Shadow Realm by Mayor of New Jersey Joey Wheeler” is taken by “another strange little girl”. Quackfaster, you chase people around with a scimitar. Just accept your the weird one and live with it like me. You’ll be happier that way.
And so we finally meet Violet whose introduced pitch perfectly. Webby gives out her usual “Hi I”m Webby”.. and Violet simply holds a finger up, finishes her page and gives a simple “Yes?” It demonstrates her quite nature, her love of reading and her lack of social skills all in one fell swoop. The ensuing dead language off is also pretty damn adorable reminding me of that scene from “Lisa’s Wedding” where she and Hugh fight over a book and reading it before making out.. minus the making out because these are children, no one wants that, and Webby is taken. .and even then again children. Most we get is an innocent peck and some blushing.
So Violet, finding out Webby needs it and is researching the arcane too offers to research together tonight, bringing a sleeping bag just in case it goes on long... to Lena’s unheard objections as she’s rattled by the break in her normal routine with Webby, and the possibility of Webby falling for someone else. I mean this i framed as a friendship thing... but you can only say “friend” so many times in a work before you sound like a retired grandma in denial about their granddaughter.
Later at the Mansion, Beakley is enjoying a nice quiet afternoon to herself. Turns out once a month Scrooge has “Binventory Day” where he and the boys catalogue the bin for hours giving her a night to herself and Webby. Webby loudly interuppts the peace as is Cartoon Law, but Beakley is pleased Webby is getting back on the friendship horse.
Bentina ends up ruining it a bit though by bringing up her previous slumber party disasters... which even Lena at her most jealous admits were her fault and only agrees to in the hopes Webby’s going to cancel. Instead Webby decides to make this the most normal sleepover ever! The one where her new friend is coming to specifically help her with magic.
Bentina tries to back her grandaughter/daughter down from this insane logic, but Webby does, if innocently clap back well to her being the one to give her “Be yourself” advice.
“I’m not like you Granny, I need to have friends”
And while Webby quickly flees after Beakley tries to deny it.. she’s not wrong. She has exactly one friend who she works for and no social life to speak of.. and as far as I can tell she’s fine this way. Beakley is happy with her work and raising Webby and has someone to talk to in Scrooge. She has everything she needs, while Webby is a social butterfly.. a socially inept social butterfly. She needs people and loves meeting new people and needs friends and not just her family. One’s an introvert the other’s an extrovert. I’m both at times, and before you ask why yes it is a living nightmare thank you so much for asking. I get where both are coming from. And Beakley clearly had friends at one point it’s just a long war with FOWL and a sudden granddaughter probably whittled it down to just Scrooge. It’s okay to be yourself.
So this is where the plotlines split off, so as usual, i’m splitting the up.
Launchpad and Beakley in Getting To Know You And Getting Sucked INto Your Strange and Lovely Fandom
So Beakley naturally cries out “name one person I don’t get along with.. and in walks Launchpad , Nature’s Perfect Himbo, having destroyed the gate and at least being honest he probably will again. Why he’s here when the boys and Scrooge are all gone?
But I don’t care as this subplot is just.. a nonstop delight. Starting with Beakly inviting Launchpad to sup with her.. which just confuses him. Look Bentina you have to use small words.. it’s a miracle he gets up in the morning, dreses himself and hasn’t died in a tragic gasoline fight accident. You have to know your audience. Still funny.
And “not knowing your audience” continues as Beakly serves them pea soup but Launchpad is intimidated by the spoons and while she does offer to help instead tries to use all of them then a straw and then falls facedown in his soup. And this is the SECOND TIME Beakly’s left someone living at the mansion to die. I mean that’s not a lot but it’s still weird it happened twice.
Finally they sit quitely, Beakly reading the Scarlet Pimpernell, and Launchpad doing a coloring book. And besides the odd couple energy what I really like about this subplot.. is that it fleshes Beakly out> This is one of her ONLY plots in the entire goddamn series, yes really. 70 episodes and she only got five spotlight episodes/plots. But it does at least show her off: her upperclass pedigree we really don’t see often, showing that while she applied to the job as maid out of necisity she knows her stuff, her love of classic literature and her being out of touch with the common person. It’s not a ton but it’s more than ninja butler or “stop having fun with your kids della and be a parent”. I mean she wasn’t wrong but she could’ve been nicer about it given the circumstances.
So Launchpad, given Beakley’s never shown any interest in him as a person before, assumes she’s going to fire him and was just softening him up. I mean Scrooge himself outright said he never would and if he did he’d do it to your face, hard as it’d be. But that aside, he’s fine with getting to know her once he knows that no he’s not being fired she just wanted to hang out, he’s everyone’s friend. But naturally an upperclash british former super spy and a dumb as a bucket with a heart of gold pilot have nothing in common, not even aircraft as “plane go up, plane crash going down’ is about the extent of his actual knowledge on aircraft that isn’t instinct or dumb luck.
He does manage to break the ice though, mistaking her book for a Darkwing Duck book and deciding to show her the show since it might be something they have in common. At first she’s as unintuhsed as you’d expect a british lady who never watches the telly watching a 90′s kids show would be.. but by the end she’s gotten all the way into it.
It’s really endearing, showning that two vastly diffrent people with nothing can common can be brought together by something as simple and glorious as liking the same show. I’ve had it happen with me. She naturally is all for filiming his fanscript after the finale provides no answers, being the one to suggest it and the two end the episode shooting it with her in full darkwing duck cosplay. I’ts a cute and entertaining subplot and a nice contrast to the main plot which while not super dark, does have a fog of tension over it. Speaking of which.
Webby, Lena and Violet: In Two’s Company, Three Accidently Creates Monsters That Nearly Take Your Girlfriend Off Into The Shadowy Abyss
So the slumber party gets underway with Webby shooing away Duckworth after clearing out her room to greet Violet herself and violet having brought pie... a great callback to an earlier joke where Webby wondered if pie was normal at a sleepover. No but it should be. So Webby welcomes her in to her totally normal room devoid of anything. Nothing suspicious about that.
So Violet tries to get her into research, specifically Tulpas, an actual magical concept, a mental construct of some kind created out of desire, imagination or what have you. Gee I wonder if that will come into play this episode. Webby.. wants to play baggle or what have you or do makeovers and drags Violet along to do the second thing after Violet asks about Magica. Lena then finds something glowing in Violet’s bag...specifically, her old amulet, cracked but still working and flowing with Magica’s power.
Lena assumes Violet is Magica and goes to warn Webby only to find her HORRIBLY MUTATED! Naturally it’s a misdirect, as it turns out Violet is just REALLY good at special effects makeup. It’s something I honestly forgot about her... i’m betting one of her dad’s is an effects artist. Just saying that’d be neat. But Webby gives the “i’m normal really even though I live in a giant mansion with my dad I don’t know is my dad and my grandma whose actually my adopted mom” game away by pointing out the demon’s fang is crooked and Violet is curious and heads to Webby’s room finding a picture from said demon. He signed it and everything. Good man that Rakshaka.
Webby is worried Violet will be freaked out by all the weird but nope, she enjoys it. And it’s not a suprise: violet is actively researching the shadow dimension. Why WOULD she be scared off. The conflict was in Webby’s head all along.. and partly out of PTSD, but we’ll get to that. Webby still tries to get her to baggle but they settle on ancient rune dice baggle and summoning some spirits. Lena scoffs.. until it actually works. It does make sense though: As we’ll see in her last starring role, Lena is kinda like Wanda Maximoff: she has an extreme amount of power but she has no idea how to use it and is simply making up most of her magic as she goes along or took magica’s lead. But the spell means Lena can touch the dice so she spells out don’t trust her.. but forgets she’s dealing with two nerds who love unlocking puzzles and assume the message is on the dice themselves.
Webby and Violet decide they need more clarity and resume the seance.. which summons mysterious white shadow creatures Lena saw before.. .some now taking Magica’s shape. And Lena’s panicked “Oh not again” says it all. So Lena tries the tried and true bedsheet ghost cliche, grumbling about it but showing up as a ghost without any abillity to speak or talk to webby dosen’t do anything and Violet tackles the sheet before deciding to grab the amulet to dispiate the spirit.. only for Lena to show up for a breif second before she does show making the panicked child look incredibly supscious.
Webby naturally tackles and interrogates Violet wanting the full story. And it turns out the big secret is.. Violet is entirely normal. Nothing to do with Magica, no possesions or secretly being her or a minon of hers... she was just a logic obsessed 12 year old who thought magic was a myth.. until the Shadow War proved “Nope it’s real everything you know is wrong. Up is down black is white and short is long”. She just happened to be close to the bin and found the amulet when the remains of the staff fell near her and compacted back into it.
It’s a brilliant reveal. See first watch around your genuinely unsure if Violet is a real person or not.. unless you went in knowing she is, but semantics. Point is most first time viewers didn’t know she’d be a beloved member of the supporting cast and didn’t know what to expect. But looking back... it makes no sense. If Magica had the amulet.. why would she need to infiltrate the mansion. Revenge? Possibly but she’d want Scrooge there too. Even being evil on her own Violet had valid opportunity to pilfer Webby’s magical items, she has an entire box of magic rocks right there and then simply zap her with the amulet. But she didn’t.. because Violet is a person. When she DOES use it she’s utterly terrified, and we can see her breathing heavy, scared.. something Magica has NEVER been of Lena. To Violet it was just a ghost. Webby hadn’t told her about lena and any information she had about her was second hand from newspapers and the like.
Webby is sympathetic, as Violet’s feeling of being sheltered from this greater world naturally resonates and while Lena is still supscious, having reincorperated, it’s clear Webby trusts violet and simply dosen’t want to loose another friend to magic. Here trying to hide it now takes another tone.. she knows Lena was behind it.. but is so afraid of it consuming violet the way it did Lena, she forgets almost ALL of the weird magic stuff in sleepovers was magica’s manipulation, and that Lena died because her creator was a monster, not because of magic. Magic is not inherently good or bad, it just is, and that will come back as a theme in a few episodes. It allowed Magica to ravage the town and kill Lena.. but it allowed Lena to exist in the first place and while the terrible events with Magica clearly shook her.. it also shook violet out of her complacency and got her to research a world she never would’ve considered. Good can come from bad.
And it’s with this in mind that Violet.. does not give up. She’s stayed in her box enough.. and now she knows the spirit is a friendly one.. she figures they can bring Lena BACK using the amulet. After all it was lena’s and the source of her powers.. it might be the key to reiviving her. And while Lena, if invisibly as always, remarks it’s dangerous.. Webby, with no hesitation agrees to get her girlfriend back. It’s risky sure.. but what Lena hasn’t gotten is she’s WORTH the list. She’s so full of self loathing from both her manupations of webby and Magica’s gaslighting and abuse that she can’t see herself being worth anything even as Webby spent MONTHS trying to save her, clearly still loves her, and only didn’t want violet getting hurt because she misses her. Webby still loves and needs her for who Lena is.. Lena just can’t it and it hurts to think about that.
So the girls once again try to summon Lena and it starts to work.. but also summons the Tulpa’s back... this time taking Magica’s form and causing a suspcious lena to panic.. and suck both of them into the shadow realm. We get the reunion we’ve been waiting for as Webby tackle hugs her happily.
But it’s soon cut short as Lena still thinks Violet is just manipulating Webby, lying to her and that “she’s mine!”
For the record Joss Whedon sucks, not taking that out on Anthony Stewart Head or the guys who actually wrote the episode. Moving on.
I feel Lena’s jealousy comes from the aformentioned self loathing, mixed with a life of having to live just to surivive at the beck and call of a throughly awful person who didn’t consider her a sentient being worthy of anything especially love. She can’t fathom anyone else loving Webby the way she does because she feels once webby has anyone else.. she won’t need her. It’s toxic and wrong.. but it’s easy to see why that’d happen when sh’es only had one healthy relationship. She barely knows the boys, Beakly only grew to tolerate her and she was only friends with Scrooge for like.. a minute. Webby is the only person she knows, loves and trusts and she just can’t risk loosing that and can’t convince herself to share.
In a realistic scenario Lena would have to simply learn to trust and let her girlfriend have other relationshps and that hogging her all to herself is inhernetly toxic and bad. And while she still does we’re talking about a living pile of shadows smooching a clone, so yeah instead the tulpas come out and drag her off..and take Lena’s form. While Lena tries to blame Violet, Violet has absolutley none of that and makes Lena see the hard truth: Lena is so worried about being forgotten, she created the tulpas by accidnet. As I said her power is raw and unfocused.. so she didn’t do it on purpose nor did she realize how toxic she was being. This finally snaps Lena back to reality, and see Violet geniunely cares about Webby and any ulterior motives were just in her head, so the two agree to work together, using a similar chant to the one from Jaws to destroy the Tulpas and save Webby.
So the shadow realm is disapated and our trio are returned to the human world.. but Lena, not being part of it and no longer having a tether.. starts to disolve, with a really heartbreaking scene of Webby holding her hand, as does violet. But.. then a miracle happens. Since the Bracelet was Lena’s link to Webby, and to her own magic, with it and the amulet close by.. both swirl around Lena, and the power of love.. for a new friend and a first love... revivies her. Mist parts.. and we get one heartwarming sign that after all this time
“I’m back?!”
Lena is confused.. but once again part of this plane of reality. She’s free and WEbby triumphanthly hugs her with Violet joining in. By letting go of her hate.. Lena returned to who she loved. They also run into the end of the other subplot and Launchpad’s casual hey lena is just great.
So our heroes are reunited and doing horror makeup and I really love Webby’s updo here and wish more works fan nd otherwise used it. WE get a final fakeout as Lena seemingly disovles and Violet reveals herself as magica.. only for it to be a prank and Webby to just be glad the love of her life and her new best friend get a long. We get one last hearwarming image and we close out.. with Lena finally having what she always wanted freedom. And while she may not know it yet in accepting violet.. she’s finally found family. More on that in a few weeks.
Final Thoughts:
This episode is excellent. It’s not the best of the Lena arc, that comes next and it does drag once or twice.. but overall it’s a really great character piece, with a nice ballance betwen the tense main plot and the funny and goofy subplot. It adds more to Lena’s character, finally brings her back, while giving us a new and throughly fascenating new character to rave about in Violet, as well as giving Webby her own personal squad. It’s a great episode.. and only leads to a better one. But we’ll get to that in a week or so. First we have a bit of a detour and my plug.
If you liked this review, follow for more, spread it around, and join my patreon. It’s almost time for new patreons to pay up and if you hit my stretch goal i’ll review a darkwing duck episode next month and every month! We’re just five bucks away people! And if you’d like to just comission a review directly it’s just 5 bucks an episode and avaliable via my dms, ask or discord.
Next Time on Shadow Into Light: We take a break from the last two Lena episodes to go to one of her sources as we head back to Ducktales 87 with Magica’s Shadow War! I know almost nothing going in so... Shadow betrayals and stuff? Yay?
Tommorow: It’s Fenton’s birthday! And since i’ve done a LOT of ducktales recently and can’t do super ducktales till I hit my next stretch goal at 25 bucks, we’re going back to ST Canard at long last for Gizmoducks second apperance.. which can’t possibly be worse than the first so i’m excited. Let’s get dangerous tommorow!
#lena sabrewing#webby vanderquack#ducktales#weblena#violet sabrewing#shadow into light#friendship hates magic#great title by the way#bentina beakley#launchpad mcquack#darkwing duck
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S5 Ep 3: Apdnarg is Really Hard to Spell
Yo guys, people are getting vaccinated, the sun is parting through the clouds, and I felt so nice that I even stopped listening to quite so many throwback 00′s BTS mashups (and yet I keep clicking on these dissonant catastrophes thinking “this time it’s got to be better. This time they’ll figure it out.” and like, no. Turns out you can’t match Brittany’s Toxic with BTS’ Black Swan. You can’t do that.)
This must be a sign that things are getting better. If anything, it means my personal tastes are improving. I mean I only clicked on like 3 “Dark Academia” Playlists where I could pretend I’m some sort of spooky witch in an abandoned library with a bad music player and basic taste in classical music (like can we ban Satie from Youtube for a little while?). Hell, I might even do a prompt update to this blog!
Yeah, you heard me, I’m actually going to stay ahead of the update schedule for Yugioh Abridged (maybe. I haven’t actually watched cuz of spoilers, I just noticed the thumbnail pop up on Youtube and was like “Damn it, they came out of hiatus??? I got hurry UP.”)
Anyway, speaking of the sky parting.
I’ll have you know my bro said this is actually more like a circumcision and it was one of the worst thing I have ever heard.
We get a chance to take in this lineup of confusing and varied character designs, and Joey. who is...still Joey.
The animators probably had to hold a strike in order for them to put Yugi in the audience, lets be real. There are TOO MANY PEOPLE in this shot and one is wearing a turban where you draw every single wrap. I hope those artists charged by the line.
Tea has a subplot where she’s just very frustrated with everyone she knows. They have been traveling together for like many weeks and got trapped in a foreign country so I get it. But at the same time, it’s kind of hard to picture Tea with female friends.
Because right now you got this 12 year old child, the other duelist who does not care about anything besides cards, and Kaiba’s 3 dragon cards that we’ve all collectively decided are female.
Hell it’s almost like the writers are asking themselves why Tea is here. Maybe they forgot. There’s no more ghosts to bus, no more people to knock out with her ass with random Olympic feats. Tea’s just sidelining.
(read more under the cut)
Mokuba is a itty bit bit taller this season, and so I guess that means he can legally climb on top of the cherry picker in order to give a riveting speech.
Really says a lot about Mokuba that he is so unphased about talking to, I dunno...an entire planet of people. Kind of a shame we never see this courage from Mokuba used for anything other than talking really, really big and giving everyone around him a really hard time.
Mokuba takes a moment to dunk on Yugi Muto, as is Kaiba tradition.
And then introduce the first pair of duelists, which obviously must be between the few people in this tournament that we actually know and care about.
Thankfully, in between last episode and this episode, Yugi has figured out who his own Grandpa is. This is a relief, because Yugi is such a mess, that I was fully convinced it would take over half a season for him to recognize it. I mean how long did it take him to figure out he shares a body with a ghost? Like half a season?
Instead Yugi recovered gracefully from not recognizing his grandpa, but it’s not like he bothered to tell anyone else, so the rest of our cast is just gonna be like “Is he my hairdresser? The guy who delivers my mail? Who is this guy who made absolutely no significant changes to his outfit or voice?”
Like sometimes this show goes full Spongebob silly kid’s show and you never know when to take it seriously or not. They might be sacrificing the entire cast next episode. I really don’t know. But for now their big concern is who is grandpa??? Like an innocent card version of “Are you my Mother?”
Faced with public speaking, Yugi decides to have a melt down.
We have seen him face monsters, we’ve seen him on TV dozens of times, he’s been in multiple competitions...but give a speech? Of course he can’t do that. The kid doesn’t attend enough school to know how to do that. Them’s learning skills.
And that was when a newly assembled wife-jet spliced through the sky like a souped up razer scooter and deposited 1 fully equipped Seto Kaiba in a Buzz Lightyear jetsuit.
THE RECOVERY.
Seto always watching over his Brother, ready to save this awkward party if it kills him (and it really should, that suit is held together by two seat-belts), making sure to get on that platform before Yugi starts going off about how he’s half an Ancient Egyptian. (Ah, life before social media. You could just be hella famous and also half a dead dude and people would just not know. I kinda miss the time before I knew literally everything about everyone.)
Please admire how close those flames are to setting Mokuba’s heavily hairsprayed mane completely alight. It would be an unforgettable spectacle.
These were absolutely just random ass jet packs that Gozaburo Kaiba made to kill hell tons of people, right? Like Seto found it in the family cabin, clutched to the heart of some crispy fried corpse and was like “neat! Mokuba! I found a cool toy!” and just plucked that thing out of that skeleton’s clutches and has been flying around for months?
Like this is Seto Kaiba’s Butter Glider, right?
Seriously what type of vehicle license do you need for one of these things? RIP My ‘Seto only has a scooter license’ headcanon.
Which I’m only even thinking about because I’ve had to try and make an appt with the DMV for days to get a freakin REAL ID. I went to sleep in 2019 and I could fly on a plane. I woke up in 2021 and it’s like “Want one last screw you?” and just...can 2020 please stop screwing me over? It’s March.
Anyway, the Jet is removed soon after, so no, this is not part of his new outfit. He goes right back to his Post-S4-Trauma-Normcore.
After wrestling this competition out of his brother’s hands and confusing everyone in the audience, Roland must have gotten the memo to cut the microphone before Seto got too excited and we were quickly ushered on to the next stage of the tournament.
One sec...the BTS Mashup playlist I just clicked on did a Black Swan X 7 rings mashup and it’s the worst thing my ears have ever heard.
Holy crap. I had to actually turn down my volume. Like...Ariana Grande already has music that has way too many overlapping singing parts on it--and then lets just stick a 52-person boy band on top? That’ll fix it. Yeah. Go ahead.
Wow. Even I had to change the song and you know how much I enjoy pop culture mistakes.
Spot the Mickey but like a million times easier because it’s a Massive Dick Shaped Dragon.
Yep. That’s my grocery shopping outfit. Except maybe not a lab coat and a duel disk. Wish I had a duel disk, that would make social distancing just a hell ton earlier. Just a “Yo, only one person in checkout, please” and then bap them on the head with a propelled discuss/hologram.
Anyway, Grocery shopping/Doctor man dueled the Purple Hair Boy, and considering that Purple Hair got screen time and shook Yugi’s hand once--I think that Doctor man doesn’t stand a freakin chance.
Good. I hate him.
Also, every time he breathes he’s gonna fog up his glasses. I have experience in this area. He can’t read his own cards in the same way I can’t read my phone if I’m in the refrigerated aisle.
So the way this tournament works, is everyone has to sit in the stadium to watch the show. Kinda like showing up to a football stadium just to watch a recorded TV monitor...but then again...that is how it feels to watch a football game at a football stadium when it’s live (at least with the tickets I usually get.)
And as we watch Grandpa waiting for his competitor, we find out that his competitor (Joey) is too busy eating snacks to give him the time of day.
Why do cartoon hot dogs always have lettuce? Is that seriously supposed to be relish? Or is there a place in the world where you put lettuce on your hot dog?
Sorry, bro has just informed of his favorite hot dog order, which is absolutely terrible so I will share it with you: a Five Guys hot dog with ketchup, mustard, pickle relish, onions, mushrooms, pickled peppers, and you guessed it--topped with freakin lettuce.
My own kin. How am I over 30 and just finding out that my baby brother thinks it’s normal to walk into a restaurant with normal god-fearing law-abiding people and order lettuce and mushrooms on a hot dog?
I have fully failed him.
The rest of this episode is watching both Joey Wheeler and Mokuba have a shared panic attack while Seto does freakin nothing.
Please remember that Seto has both a jetpack and a dragon wife plane and could have easily solved this problem. But nah.
Then again, Seto Kaiba has given this crew so MANY rides, that maybe he’s tired of being the Soccer Mom for the team?
Like they don’t actually say this episode, but Seto was the one in charge of like...this entire place, do you think he made the 2 for 1 special just to get Joey where it hurts the most? Or does it actually not take any subterfuge to screw Joey Wheeler because he’s just naturally this way?
Like Mokuba wasn’t there when Joey was told “stay right here, and then we will all go together to fight Dartz” and Joey was like “I’mma save Mai from herself although she told me not to!” and then he Hella Died. But, Mokuba did see the result, AKA, Joey’s dead body being carried on the back of Tristan. Maybe Mokuba never realized that Joey died because he went out of his way to be late?
Lets do a tally of every time I can recall with my dodgy memory that Joey was threatened to be DQ’d/pretty much was DQ’d either by his own fault or no fault of his own
-When he wasn’t allowed to go on the boat to Murder Island because he was a stupid nobody kid who did not have a dueling glove
-When he wasn’t actually supposed to be in Pegasus’ tourney and was, in fact, secretly using half of Yugi’s entrance ticket the entire time
-when Bandit Keith stole the ticket that Joey got from Yugi so then Joey had to borrow Mai’s ticket although she had just used it so it really shouldn't have counted. Because, really anyone could have just piggy backed off of each other’s ticket until the whole boat went through that castle.
-When his account was hacked to get entered into Kaiba’s tourney when Kaiba very clearly told him he could not apply solely because he was Joey Wheeler.
-When he was late to his sister’s eye surgery because he got mugged by Marik’s Rare Hunters, so she almost refused to do the surgery.
-When Joey got possessed by Marik, and as Marik, threatened to murder everyone else in the tournament including both of the Kaiba brother’s who’s tournament it was, and then chained himself to Yugi Muto to throw both of them to the bottom of the ocean.
-I think there was a point when he threatened to attack Kaiba in Kaiba’s own tourney while not possessed? Like several times?
-when he got struck by Lightning and almost did not stand up fast enough after being struck by lightning, which is apparently a type of DQ in Duel Monsters.
-When he tried to save Mai from getting hit by a fireball, but then Yugi did it instead, and then so many people were standing on the dueling platform that Kaiba couldn’t possibly DQ them all.
-When he entered the restricted area of the blimp in order to hassle Kaiba into landing the Blimp, which Kaiba did not do.
-When Marik killed Joey before Joey could press the “go” button on his duel disk to play the card that should have won Joey the match.
-When he was dueling a lawyer in a digital universe but then the dice was like...weighted? So Noah had to walk over and be like “The hell is this weighted dice? This is my perfect digital world? How did you even do that?” and then Joey won because the match was no longer legit.
-When Joey yelled at Noah too much and so Noah turned Joey to stone for being a rude ass spectator
-When Mai was like “Wheeler and Valon, listen closely: do NOT murder each other” and then Joey did a murder on Valon so she was like “I guess I have no choice, I was very clear” and killed Joey straight up.
-When Joey decided to block Seto’s fireballs while Joey Wheeler WAS a playing card, somehow disrespecting both Dartz and Seto Kaiba at the same time.
-When Joey was playing cards but then got absorbed into a giant Leviathan and basically couldn’t play anymore after that.
-There’s probably hell ton of S0 stuff I just haven’t seen yet.
-This episode
And Joey runs fast for a montage of wacky things that really have no business being in a theme park. Things like this:
(remember when Bakura almost died from a rock that ended up being a balloon? It comes full circle.)
The stuff that the Kaiba brother’s think is normal and fun.
Anyway Joey fights off a bunch of hologram snakes and bats and everyone is like “Should we tell him it’s just holograms???” And it’s like wow, guys, how many times have these ‘holograms’ straight up murdered Joey Wheeler and everyone else on this cast? Too many? Because I have a google doc with so many deaths on it. 7,805,844,048, to be exact.
Anyway, he gets there with five seconds to spare and Mokuba’s like “well at least you were still entertaining while we filmed you in front of a live audience being a total spaz for 15 minutes straight, so I’ll let you go.”
Grandpa and Joey start playing, Joey completely oblivious that this is just an older Muto, while Hawkins walks up awkwardly and is like “hey guys. I’m so sorry about this.”
(welcome to my font choices, for those new here, I have to make weird font color choices to make sure it’s legible for the colorblind and also for the non-colorblind. This one is not much contrast, so I may change it up in the future, but for now, this is Grandpa Muto’s new font. I apologize to every graphic designer reading this. Please don’t tell anyone who has ever hired me for graphic design about this blog.)
What’s funny about this exchange is that after they find out that Yugi’s Grandpa is Apdnarg (HOLY my brain cannot get around the spelling for that, and I will not change it in the caps. I cannot do a ‘pdn’ ever again), they don’t stand on his side of the field or anything. Hawkins is legit Solomon Muto’s only fan during this exchange and like...damn. Way not to back your Grandpa, Yugi.
Yugi immediately strides up to Mokuba to non-confrontation-ally inform him that he has stepped over a line and Mokuba is like “what are these things you say called ‘lines?’”
According to Mokuba, Solomon Muto begged him to be in the competition so he could relive his glory days (glory days making no sense here, because the game has only been released for the past 15 years, so glory days is like...the before times that can only be referring to disgraced archeologists and Pegasus ((who is, in his own way...a disgraced archeologist, too))) and Mokuba was like
“You trained Yugi Muto, right? Hey that’s good enough for me. This drama is gold. People will eat it up. Hell yes. Don’t be afraid to abduct him a little bit. Maybe trap a couple people in a digital hellscape for a little while? Now we go by Pegasus house rules here, so fire as many lasers as you want, but just make sure not to hit anyone in the face. Oh man, we are going to be swimming in cash. Love it, Muto Sr, love it.”
But I dunno, I feel like Grandpa won’t make it past next episode. It is Joey. We kinda need him to make it past Ep 4 of the arc. If Grandpa Muto becomes the new Joey Wheeler, that will be a weird transition for this show to make.
But that’s all for today, as always, here is the link to read these in chrono order becuase there’s SO MANY that you don’t need to read backwards--don’t do it--just use the chrono tag (and I don’t know if you can add compound tags, but I did separate the Season from the Episode, so if you write S4, it should only pop up stuff from S4. I didn't’ do that to seasons 1-3 though because I just...didn’t.)
https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono
And because I brought it up: here it is, the best BTS Mashup that I found on my deep dive. Like legit--this one isn’t a mess:
youtube
Most of other ones are horrible in a fascinating way. Like I’m not even a BTS fan, I think I sort of age out of that metric, I’m just bored and quarantined. And lets be real, we all appreciate a good bop when we hear it.
#yugioh#ygo#yu gi oh#photo recap#recap#episode recap#yugi muto#seto kaiba#mokuba kaiba#Joey Wheeler#Apdnarg#Grandpa muto#tea gardner#tristan taylor#professor hawkins#and then I ranted about BTS#but please don't quiz me about BTS I know nothing about them aside from the music#I actually thought there were over 12 of them because every time I see them perform it feels like an entire stageplay production of people#like a 101 dalmations situation where every time I saw BTS there were 3 new people#I assumed it was like the Gorrilaz where people just show up and then disappear in a rotation#but no. There's 7 BTS members#that can't be right#there has to be more than 7#is this a berenstein bears situation?#how is there only 7?#I swear there used to be like 16#and they would be introduced like here's jimin and Jungkook and red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and pea#like is google seriously telling me there's only 7 kids in this band?#this is the biggest scam google has ever played on me#this weird alternate timeline that not only has an epidemic but also only 7 members of BTS
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Aight my friend I'm here to give you your first post I got you For the Alphabet Soup: Obito, Madara, Deidara, Kakashi, Zetsu, Kisame, Sasori. You ofc do not need to do all, just given some variety; pick and choose, also choose whatever letters you want, my brain can't comprehend so many letters rn Have fun ily
Puca bless u this first post is gonna be a Fat One Folks
Deidara
T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice up your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?
Deidara wants to do new stuff all the time, full stop. He’s perpetually uncomfortable with a distinct routine, which he’d consider being stagnant. With his S/O, he’d be down to do anything once - maybe the one bit of consistency in their relationship is his need to be around his partner on a pretty regular basis.
W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.
He thinks complaining to his partner is a good excuse to tell them about his day.
U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?
Surprisingly pretty understanding! I’ve always seen Deidara as being incredibly independent and assumes others feel similarly, so it’s not like he’ll ever be overly dotting, but he will be considerate. In pain? Go lay down. Need help with something? He’ll lend a hand. That being said, he can be a little egotistical so while he anticipates his partners physical needs often, he can be apt to not check in with them emotionally and sometimes doesn’t consider their views on things. Youth, ya know?
N icknames - What do they call their s/o?
‘Hey, you!’
Lmao, he’s a little rude and not the type for being publically sweet to his S/O - in fact I think he’d see it as a kind of weakness or source of embarrassment - so he’d probably come off as a little gruff when addressing them, as if subconsciously compensating for how sweet he really is on them.
K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?
Decent. He’s not overly passionate, but he gives surprisingly comforting kisses. But. There’s a learning curve. His first kiss with his S/O involved a lot of knocking of noses and clacking teeth. He takes their face by the chin when he kisses.
Kakashi
S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?
Kakashi probably likes his S/O because they’re tenacious and on the ball in terms of their own goals - of course he 100% supports them doing their own thing, and he deeply believes that they’ll achieve whatever they set their mind to. So much so that it doesn’t cross his mind that they could fail.
N icknames - What do they call their s/o?
Their name. Kakashi nearly passed out reading very innocent phrases from Icha Icha, I think he’d actually choke on his own tongue if he even attempted calling his S/O something like ‘dear’ for like. Years. That’s reserved for the bedroom. 😌
A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?
Reading! Exploring the village! I get the impression that Kakashi and his S/O are partial to late night dinner and drinks with friends - especially on cool, smokey nights. Going to obscure bookshops is a big second, and I can see Kakashi enjoying quiet, laid back art scenes - that giant ass painting in his apartment speaks of a taste for impressionist scenery. I feel like Kakashi likes washing the dishes or cooking dinner with his S/O best! They talk about their days, or they just enjoy the silence of working together.
C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?
Sitting next to them. Existing in the same space. If his partner is the type to clearly need physical affection during a crisis, I can see Kakashi being the type to sit next to them and press his shoulder to their’s, or to rub small circles on their back. If they’re crying or are generally on the shorter side, he’ll press his mouth and nose into their hair. It’s his way of telling them ‘I see you, and I’m not turning your pain away’.
Furthermore, Kakashi struggles with himself and what his needs as a person are, and isn’t sure how to relate to his partner beyond being a solider or comrade, and desperately doesn’t want to invalidate his S/O’s feelings, as his own have in the past. He also has no idea what to say, other than going off his his own desperate attempts to make sense of his grief, anxiety, and sadness, but often feels like that doesn’t cut it. The pain may, at the root, be similar, but his S/O’s suffering his their own, so he tries not to say anything at all. I think he especially deeply reflects his S/Os feelings when they’re feeling hurt or sad and it shows in those small physical cues.
To quote Cole from Dragon Age: his hurt touches their’s.
K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Kakashi kisses are electrifying - he’s so soft and sweet but so intense. Lots of pecks are his style versus one long kiss. When he first kisses his S/O, it’s almost a little sad, though they can’t place why at the time. He cups his S/O’s face in his hands when he kisses them.
Kisame
A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?
Hiking! Swimming! I feel like Kisame would be the type to like to distance himself from civilization during his scant bits and pieces of free time, and would genuinely enjoy the experience nature would offer, any time of year. When he feels restless, I could see him wondering away from his campsite and just exploring the area. Alternatively, I can see him enjoying the stillness of it all. I can see him enjoying a deserted stretch of beach with his S/O, not a soul around but them, watching the spring grey clouds or the washed out blue waves and just taking it all in. Very zen.
H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?
Kisame makes it a policy to have zero secrets from his S/O. He doesn’t, by nature, have a taste for lying, but his work and duty have dictated that he lie or, at best, stretch the truth more times than he can count over the years, and now he despises. If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed. That being said, Kisame is human, and I think there are things he’s done that he elects not to volunteer unless directly asked.
U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?
Kisame understands his partner and their needs well - I don’t think he rushes into relationships (in fact I think he shies away from anything more than casual interactions more often than not) and I don’t think he wouldn’t take his time truly understanding how his partner ticks. He doesn’t pry, but Kisame is a good spy and a smart man and he observes what his S/O says and does (and reads between those lines) on a consistent basis.
N icknames - What do they call their s/o?
If Kisame’s partner is female, I feel like he definitely calls her by ‘woman’ affectionately. He’s a little old fashioned like that and I can picture him growing up around adults who referred to their own partners like that. Kisame is one of those men who expresses his affection for his partner through the way he speaks (low pitched voice, soft and just loud enough for you to hear, for instance) versus what he says, so nicknames aren’t really his thing.
K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?
He kisses tenderly, and is kind of stiff - but the more he does it, the more he falls in step with his partner and their likes and dislikes. Not good or bad. The first kiss with his S/O was a simple press of their lips, nothing super passionate, and a little awkward.
Sasori
T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?
Absolutely does not like his routine messed with, and, presumably, neither would his partner. Sasori seems like one of those people who are absolutely adverse to any kind of change and isn’t too thrilled with the idea of ‘spicing things up’. He’s there, he’s present, that’s enough right?
W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.
One of the simplest, most profound expressions of love for Sasori is acts of service - particularly putting a blanket over his partner if they fall asleep without any covers. He’ll never admit it, though.
I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?
That’s a big ol’ no from me dawg. Sasori is just set in his ways and kind of a prick when it comes to anything messing with his plans and how he views the world. If his S/O did slowly influence or help him overcome anything though, I think it would be his consistent rejection of intimate relationships. Like, Sasori has spies, Sasori has informants, Sasori has Akatsuki teammates and associates, but hardly any of them see his ‘true form’ and even less actually like him. He’s a hard man - whose hard on others - who very ruthlessly destroyed his relationship with his sole living relative AND single handedly threw his birthplace into chaos by murdering the third Kazekage.
For him to even toy with the idea of having an S/O, he’d have to really, REALLY like them. He’d have to put aside a lot of subconscious fears and complexes and decide, at the vert least, that he wants them. That’s a huge change, for him, and not one he can fully commit to 24/7. Basically, his S/O changes him before they even get together. Good luck trying to squeeze anything else out of him.
N icknames - What do they call their s/o?
‘Woman’/‘brat’/‘boy’. Sasori is kind of a dick and he definitely means it as half a put down, half letting anyone in the vacinity know who his S/O belongs to.
K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?
Noooope. Sasori doesn’t do affection well, isn’t super inclined to kisses even when he has a human body, and as a puppet, he’s kind of stiff. The first kiss with his S/O is a quick press of the lips to the head or temples - not much of a kiss at all, but for Sasori, it means a lot.
Madara
Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?
Have you watched Naruto?
Yes. Absolutely. Madara has lost so much, and when he connects with someone enough to presumably fall in love with them and pursue a relationship, it’s for the long haul. Madara’s love means Madara’s protection means Madara’s almost obsessive worrying he hides under twenty layers of coo cool, smooth boyfriend material. Worst case scenario, Madara will kill a man for his S/O, and won’t feel bad about it. Worser case scenario, he’d endeavor to create a false dream world where there’s no strife, war, or death, and no choice. ☺️
A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?
Physical activities! Hunting, rock climbing, falconry, hell, even cleaning - i can see Madara’s idea of a relaxing time being cleaning out a shed or re-organizing his office! Presumably his S/O would either be similarly inclined or would indulge him. It does need done after all! There’s something about these all consuming, mentally stimulating activities that i can see Madara truly enjoying. He’d come out feeling refreshed. When feeling less adventurous, or maybe even, gasp, lazy, I can see Madara and his S/O playing board games, practicing calligraphy together, or painting.
D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?
In a long term relationship? Madara definitely sees a future where his S/O is Lady or Lord of the house, deeply involved with clan matters, and maybe, if they’re wanting and capable, with some kids running around. Keep in mind I imagine large families were common amongst the Uchiha pre-Konoha merge, so his idea of ‘some’ probably means five at the least. He has no real expectations of how his S/O would orchestrate themselves - beyond well, that is. He likes them for them, and doesn’t deign to even toy with the idea of putting them in a box, even in his head. The bottom line is: they’re together, and they’re strong together, and the world they build together is sturdier than the one they came into.
D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?
A repeat question, but on the more emotional side: I think Madara, for the longest time, genuinely wishes for a future in which he and his S/O live quietly, and well. It’s in that bittersweet way though, the way someone wishes when they don’t necessarily think it’ll ever come true.
Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?
Not well. Madara is naturally inclined to pinning and has some intense separation anxiety - which no one would ever know because he’d rather die than show just how much he misses his S/O. Madara, paraphrasing John Mulany, stuffs all his feelings deep deep deep down, and he plans to die like that. He just doesn’t cope, and the longer they’re apart the grumpier he gets. He pouts when alone, almost - but not quite - spaces out during meals, and busies himself with the finer details of cleaning equipment. Anything to shake the creeping dread that digs up his spine. Around his S/O’s return, he presses kisses to the nap of his S/O’s neck, just at their hairline, when they’re finally alone; if still around people, Madara has a habit of watching their neck and mouth, but says nothing that gives himself away.
Obito
L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?
Going under the assumption that he has an S/O during the canon timeline? It’s not the sweetest confession in the world. He’s very to the point: his S/O is his. I can’t ever see him saying the world love, even if his body language expresses it loud and clear. He’ll run his fingers over their cheeks, press his forehead to their’s, and his stare? His stare could peel wallpaper, kill, and undress his S/O all at the same time. He’s just real intense and tongue tied at the same time.
O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?
As a kid? Obito is painfully obvious. As an adult with all the maladjusted neurosis boiling under that hood of his? It’s not at all obvious. Obito is a busy man, what with the stirring of many pots and scheming and LARPing as Tobi, local terrorist cell’s local idiot. If he does show his love for his S/O, it’s like a leaking faucet; he doesn’t mean to touch their hand with the back of his, but he does it anyway. He doesn’t mean to look at them as they retreat from a meeting, but he does. It’s the little, tender things that hemorrhage from his cold half dead little heart.
Bonus: if this is a post ‘canon’ au where Obito lives and is the weird, kind of unstable, under house arrest for international dream crimes uncle of the Boruto gen, I can see him being much more open. Super clingy - prone to mood swings where he can become his old, cold self, but that’s just the package deal - a little pouty, and incredibly sweet on his S/O. He’s all hugs when they gets home, his hand pressed firmly to their lower back as they walk the village (probably breaking all kinds of rules in the process) and way more inclined to agree with you or go along with your plans. Everyone knows he’s his S/O’s man because he’s proud and loud about it.
V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?
Their relationship is deeply important to Obito. I would say in terms of importance, only the moon’s eye plan trumps his S/O - how he reconciles with these two deeply potentially conflicting facts? He doesn’t. He just assumes they’re on board. Other than that, he will put his partner above everything and everyone else, with an emphasis on their physical safety.
E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?
Dominate, even in a post-canon-I’m-alive! AU. Obito has an unhealthy relationship with control, and while he’s not one to want to dominate his S/O’s will, he would almost expect his S/O to follow his lead.
R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?
Very very romantic and cliche, although Obito reigns in his more dreamy impulses (flowers or picnics, stuff he daydreamed about as a kid) well. His direct displays of affection or ‘dates’ are few and far in between, and very lowkey. He’ll bring his S/O something he’ll know they like - a string of dried flowers grown only in a particular a temple from the land of Fire, a polished, perfectly oval turquoise rock from the land of Wind. He’ll mail them to his S/O or, more likely, leave these little gifts in places he knows they’ll find them. His idea of a good time, of a happy time with his S/O, is quiet nights where plans and identities are put aside, and they can rest or talk about nothing or go for a simple walk. His biggest daydream he still toys with as an adult is getting caught in the rain and kissing his S/O while they’re both soaked.
Zetsu
P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?
Well Zetsu is an alien prince(?), and a plant, and generally kind of weird. That being said, I think he’s very upfront about his S/O and their relationship! There’s definitely a gap in time where he talks nonstop about his S/O and uses any chance to bring them up. Obito toys with the idea of offing them just to get him to shut up. In terms of kissing or physical affection in front of others though? He’s a nervous wreck/directly dismisses the idea.
L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?
Honestly, I feel like his S/O would have to confess to him, rather than the other way around. They casually mention liking him, he scoffs, only for them to insist, and it ends with a very vaguely embarrassed plant ‘accepting’ their feelings.
A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?
What can you do with a plant man? Probably spying, or exploring various places - he isn’t particularly in awe of nature like Kisame, but he likes the quiet and having his S/O all to himself. I can see him liking cards, too.
N icknames - What do they call their s/o?
‘Babe’ comes to mind - he doesn’t quite get the whole ‘affectionate nickname’ thing humans do, but he likes the sound of babe in particular.
T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?
Nope! Zetsu is just happy to have his S/O present, even if they’re presumably just another human who eventually will be swept away in his mother’s plans. He still loves them, and he’s willing to do whatever they’d like in the time they have together.
#obito uchiha#sasori#kakashi hatake#madara uchiha#kisame#zetsu#naruto imagines#obito x reader#sasori x reader#kakashi x oc#madara x reader#kisame x reader#deidara x reader#deidara#zetsu x reAder#fluff alphabet
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yeah one plan I really wanna work on is an archive of tumblr metas for crit role campaign 3, to keep all the debunked theories remembered!
My only fear is whether it can be publicly accessible :(
Not sure about public screenshots of other peoples content (with links to the original post) without their consent, but an archive of just links is so much drier to click through.
How would you do it?
Hi anon,
You seem like a nice person, from this ask, who does not deserve the tirade I am about to unleash below so my answers in short are:
1. I think a fandom theory on a social media is a thing that most people will recognize might get cross posted so I would just summarize and link, were I to take on this project, which I will not be doing.
2. No idea how I'd make it publicly accessible; I'd probably either make a website, or a Google doc under an anonymous email address, neither of which are ideal, but no better options come to mind.
Anyway welcome to the consequences of entering my inbox. While writing this I enjoyed myself a lot but I was also like 'tbh this is probably why I don't get as many anons any more; it is because I am Gotdamn Annoying.'
So this was like, maybe 75% a shitpost, not in that I don’t genuinely believe it would be useful, but in that a comprehensive list is nearly impossible to do. Even if you limited yourself to Tumblr (ie, no Twitter or Reddit or god knows what else), you would necessarily be limiting yourself also to things that were tagged and/or got a decent amount of traction within the fandom as a whole.
I think there are a number of problems though. The first one is that while some theories can be debunked immediately upon their arrival into the primordial soup that is fandom, some may always remain technically possible, just vanishingly improbable, including some of my least favorites (cough secret dragons cough) because you cannot logically prove a negative unless you just outright ask the creators. And still others may be debunked - or proven - only after a very long time (eg: The Traveler is Artagan) and personally I want to only use this for debunked theories, so you'd necessarily need to keep a separate list of theories that are neither proven nor debunked, otherwise you just become a rehash of the, well, hash, that is the Wild Mass Guessing page on TVTropes rather than what I was specifically envisioning, namely, "this is a list of theories that were proven to be wrong, and here is why."
The second problem, which you may have guessed from my previous line, is that I come to bury these theories, not praise them*. I think some theories are good but ultimately incorrect and it's worth having them on display! I also think a lot of theories are bad, and that a good deal of theories aren't even really theories. You used the word meta, which I actually think of more as analysis than theories although the line between those two things is blurrier than most. But also, a lot of things people call theories or meta are, well, Wild Mass Guessing, headcanons/personal opinions, wishful thinking that has a tenuous relation to canon at best, and/or pure unadulterated nonsense. And I would include some of that, but not all, even though I often use the word 'theory' in a similarly loose way to kind of refer to anything that people are saying might be true in the story even if I think it's the ravings of a madman, even though my 'proper' definition of a theory would be an explanation that both answers an existing question and is supported by the existing text.
My point here is that I think some theories are best forgotten and my motivation is more accentuating the positive, pointing and laughing really hard at the negative, and ignoring a lot of the neutral headcanon-type stuff on the grounds that a neutral headcanon is your own private business and I respect that.
The third problem is curation. I have run into a similar issue with kind of shitpost projects that I did sort of take on and now languish and glare at me from the back of my mind when I am doing nothing on a weekend (specifically my attempt to make a personally useable Exandria timeline). Wiki-style editing has its benefits, but also significant drawbacks, because the same people who make pure unadulterated nonsense theories have the same editing power as people who are excellent at literary analysis, if not more. In an ideal world I would recommend putting something like this on the wiki, and there might even be a page now intended to serve a purpose akin to the WMG page on TVTropes (I did not bother to check), but in practice the CR wiki is currently under the thumb of someone who I will sum up briefly in Figure 1:
Fig 1: A Venn diagram.
Anyway, the fact is, the TVTropes WMG page has had things like "when the Mighty Nein fight Trent, Veth will get the HDYWTDT" even though that's not a theory and in fact by the nature of D&D is impossible to predict by any means. That's just a thing that would be kind of cool to happen. I worry that any true wiki format would fall to a similar fate. It would not actually be a list of debunked theories, telling the story both of interesting and genuinely good ideas from fandom that ultimately just did not turn out to be true, as well as some real clownshoes bullshit, but rather a bathroom wall on which to scrawl vague ideas.
So I think the only way to feasibly do this is to just spend time in the fandom and collect theories, like an anthropologist, and accept that you're going to miss some, and maybe have a Google Form for submission thereof that requires things like a post with a certain threshold of notes such that you can easily collect theories from others but are under no obligation to include every one. Even then this will be subject to personal bias, and while I personally love having executive control of things I also recognize the flaws of such a system. I would definitely include some kind of disclaimer along the lines of "This has opinions in it about theories; while the debunking is objective, whether or not it was a good theory prior to being debunked has some subjectivity involved."
*I know in the context of this line actually the speaker was in fact coming to praise the thing he said he was just going to bury; RIP to Marc Antony but I’m different.
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| OF TATTOOS AND SOULMATES | A GaLe One-shot AU | Fairy Tail |
Ships: Levy McGarden x Gajeel Redfox
My contribution to Gajevy Day! @luna-chan00 Job completed!😁
......
7 year old Levy McGarden was curious, and naturally, a curious kid would end up in the restricted section of the library at 3 am (Way past her bedtime....)
Droy shuffled his feet nervously, "Lev, are you sure we should be doing this?"
"Of course I'm sure! And the real restricted section is over there!" The bluenette pointed over her shoulder to a suspicious looking shelf, "Uncle Macao and Wakaba always borrow books from there and Porly-san yells at them!"
"Then why did she tell you not to come here?" Jet sassed. (Boys were mean, why couldn't they just encourage her thirst for literary enrichment?!)
Levy puffed her cheeks in irritation. "That's what we're here to find out, Jet! Now hold tight or I'll fall!" She caught hold of the nearest book (It was heavy and old, hence the best kind!) and jumped off the ladder making the boys squeak. (Ugh, Boys....)
"What's it about? Oh! Oh!" Both Jet and Levy gave Droy a look, which made him lower his tone to a whisper, "Do you think it's Gramp's secret bean soup recipe?"
"Well, maybe?" Levy sighed. (She didn't have the heart to tell him that Gramps used plain canned soup for his 'Ultra Secret Super Bean Delight'. After all, Natsu was eating all his beans now...)
She blew off the dust on the leather binding. Carefully opening it, Jet held the torchlight as she read the title out loud, "Soulmates ."
.......
15 year old Levy read enough books on romance and witty tall men (Everyone was taller than her now...) with gentle smiles and twinkling eyes to finally have conjured up an exact image of what she wanted her own soulmate to look like.
She had her fingers crossed her tattoo would be a sweet soliloquy from a famous play, or maybe something simple and shy like a "Hi!" or maybe a "You're the prettiest girl I've ever met..."
As for his persona however, he'd have chestnut brown hair that he combed through, a passion for books, a vivid vocabulary, a soft look reserved just for her, would be 5'2" (just tall enough for her to rest her head against the crook of his neck) and have oceans for eyes-
Gramps sweatdropped as he read her list. "That seems a little oddly specific, Levy. Are you sure you didn't meet him yet?"
Levy frantically shook her head. "I still haven't got my tattoo, Gramps! But I bet he looks just like this!"
"Two hundred jewels says you're wrong!" Cana slurred. (Levy had absolutely no idea how she always found every place Gramps hid the drinks in. At 17, Cana was quite the force to be reckoned with...)
"Why we gotta write about what we want in our mates?" Natsu groaned, doodling what Levy wryly registered as the outline of a dragon..... Classic Natsu.....
Erza was surprisingly silent, keeping to herself for most of the project, while Gray had quit it altogether and chose to brawl with Elfman instead.
Jet and Droy, flustered, had both written Levy as their soulmate. (She was honoured, really, but she'd grown up with them. If she like-liked them, wouldn't she know by now?)
"Because, Natsu, your soulmate does not have to be your life partner." Erza now had her attention on Gramps. Levy leaned towards the discussion too. "Not everyone finds what they are looking for in their soulmate. Not everyone truly knows what they even want until they find it. And you are not obliged to fall in love with your soulmate. Love is accepting someone's flaws and your own and learning to live in harmony and for the future."
"Well said, Master!" Erza nodded reverently. Levy sighed, already lost in her thoughts. In two days, her tattoo would appear, the first words her soulmate would say to her, the only way she'd ever find him.
Mira refused to show anyone her tattoo, which was weird, was it something horrible? Erza, ever the knight in shining armour, offered to slay whosoever dared hurt the She-devil ("Intentional or otherwise!") and Levy had a few spells in handy for the occasion too, but Mira was a tough nut to crack.
Cana's had been surprisingly short and mundane. "Another!" It had said. The card mage simply laughed when it appeared, grabbed her water bottle (probably spiked) and promptly passed out 15 minutes later.
Oh, she just couldn't wait!
"What the everloving God Serena?!"
"What'd you get Levy?" Erza chose to ignore her swearing (Thank Mavis!) in favour of leaning for a closer look at the cursive script.
"The shrimp is mine."
The shrimp is mine.
The shrimp-
The shrimp-
The SHRIMP?! OF ALL THE THINGS HER SOULMATE COULD SAY, HE CHOSE THE SHRIMP IS MINE?!
She waited for this her whole goddamn life and this is what she got?! The Gods were laughing at her, she bet. Ughhhh.....
"Maybe he just really likes seafood?" Cana snickered. "I can picture it. Your hands brushed as you reached for the last piece. Your heat skipped a beat. You knew in your heart-"
"Shut it." Levy muttered, embarrassed that she made such a big fuss over nothing.
Lisanna squealed, "Oh I know how we can make you forget this! How about we prank the boys again? Your last prank with the food-colouring was really off-the-wall, Levy!"
Well, Gray covered head to toe in feathers and pink glitter did sound promising.....
......
19-year-old Levy had just about had enough of soulmates.
Natsu- of all the people, NATSU (No offense to Lu-chan, she was soo happy for her!) had confessed his crush on Lucy. And their first meet was something out of a fairy tale too, Natsu being the Prince (or dragon) that brought back the Princess to his castle only to live happily ever after...
"If only my Prince was good with directions..." She grumbled to herself.
"Levy, are you sure you want to do this? Remember what Gramps said? You have to let fate do it's thing...." Jet worriedly remarked.
"I am letting fate do it's 'thing'! I'm only quickening the process." Levy grinned at her teammates.
"This is the seventh sea-food buffet we've been to in 3 days! And we didn't even get to eat any!" Droy complained. Levy sweatdropped.
"Just 32 more and we're done for the month," she reopened her life-sized bullet map to recheck. Can't be too sure.
"Look what we have here!" She stiffened and turned to face the gruff voice.
3 men dressed in varying black and grey attire looked at them like they were meat and nothing more. She felt a shiver crawl up her spine as she gauged the area for exits but found none in sight.
Team Shadowgear couldn't take them on by themselves! She was already tired and she bet Jet and Droy were too! Maybe if she made a big enough distraction, both of them could-
"Oi, you get the fledglings!" a final voice barked out, and Levy felt her blood run cold at the red eyes that stared back at her, "The shrimp is mine."
The next few minutes were a blur. She couldn't find herself to talk, no matter how much her brain screamed at her to say something, anything to save herself from the situation. Maybe he'd recognise her and tell them to leave his soulmate alone. Something, do anything!
As black spots took over her vision, she finally muttered, through the intense pain she felt in every fibre of her being, "Don't....Jet, Droy, please..."
......
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The Captive - 2
“You are getting fat faster than your kind usually does,” George observed.
Elly gritted her teeth. “Maybe if I got to go out and exercise more it would be less of an issue.”
George rolled his shoulders and shook like a dog shedding water. “Of course you can leave! You can go anywhere you want, as long as you are back on the property by sundown.”
Elly shivered. “You ate my cat.”
“I don’t know what happened to your cat,” George protested. “Besides, it’s not like we have mice, what do you need a cat for?”
“Company?”
That made him snarl, “You are supposed to be here as MY company.”
Elly took a step back. George fought to get himself under control. “You just need time to get used to me, treasure, I’m sure we can-”
Elly turned and headed back to the stairs.
“Wait!” George commanded.
Elly paused on the bottom stair and waited, but she didn’t turn to look at him.
There was an award silence for a moment, then George blew out a stream of air through his nostrils. “You are right.”
She looked over her shoulder at him.
“I don’t remember your name.”
She turned to look at him, “I’m Elly.”
George nodded awkwardly. “You are going to need to remind me of that.” He paused for a moment then added, “Elly.”
“I’m the only person you talk to, George. Try harder.” With that, she headed upstairs to get ready for the day.
Ben was already in the kitchen, laminating puff pastry. “Soups today will be chicken and dumplings for the non vegetarians and french lentil as the vegan option.”
“Sounds good, Ben.”
“You ok, Boss?”
Elly smiled weakly at him, “I’m just a little tired.”
Ben grinned, “The storm kept you up too, huh?”
“Something like that.” Elly mumbled. “Now are you going to teach me to run the coffee maker or what?”
“What!” he announced triumphantly. “Go sit down, I’ll bring you a cappuccino.”
They had french toast and coffee together. Ben always made her breakfast, and technically lunch. It was just that they staggered their lunch breaks to cover for each other. He had given up on asking her out when she kept putting him off.
How do you explain to a guy that you can’t be out after dark and that he can’t stay over because the monster in the basement might eat him? Hell, she couldn’t even become that crazy isolated cat lady. George hadn’t ever admitted it, but for how guilty he had looked that first morning when she asked if he had seen Mittens, she was sure he was involved in the disappearance. She had put up signs anyway. No one had called.
“Elly?”
She blinked at looked up. “Sorry? You were asking me something.”
“I was,” he agreed frowning slightly at her. “But now I’m wondering if you just need the day off.”
She shook her head, “I don’t have anyone to cover for me.”
Ben leaned back in his chair. “Well, I can run the register and I’m pretty sure the Wednesday morning group could pretty much take care of themselves. You could always ask to see if any of them want a job as your emergency back up.”
Elly looked down at her plate, “I’m not exactly raking in the big bucks here, Ben. Honestly, after expenses, my take home is less than yours. The only reason I’m not folding is the free rent.”
“Shit,” Ben whispered under his breath. “I mean, I knew it was slow but…”
Elly just shrugged. “You bring in more customers than the yarn does these days.”
There was a long moment of awkward silence. “You know if we go out to dinner, I’ll pay, right?”
Elly’s head snapped up and she looked into a pair of worried brown eyes. She laughed, even if it was a bit on the bitter side. “Funny thing about that. There is a long standing clause in the title. I have to be on the property every day from dusk to dawn. I can’t go out to dinner with you without losing the business.”
“That doesn’t sound real, Elly,” Ben said softly.
Elly pursed her lips, “Do you have anything in the oven that will burn in the next, oh, say, ten minutes.”
Ben glanced at the clock, “three minutes on the cookies, then I’m all yours.”
Once the cookies were out cooling on the racks, Elly lead Ben up to the attic. “I hate it up here,” she explained. “It just feels creepy.”
Ben watched the light bulb flicker, “Bad wiring?”
Elly shook her head. “I insisted the place be rewired before I moved in. There was a fire that destroyed most of the property a hundred years ago. The rest was structurally unsound and had to be demolished. Somehow this survived,” she pointed at huge bronze plaque
Ben read for a moment. “Wait. The king bestowed this land upon your family in 1595. There wasn’t even a town here in 1595.”
Elly nodded sadly. “Look, it’s complicated, but-”
“Oh, come on!” Ben protested. “No one is going to take the farm if you go out for drinks with me!”
Elly looked at the floor and shivered. “The last time the owner of the house was out after dark, a fire burned down most of the house, and a good chunk of the town. People died.” She wanted to say more but she was aware this was sounding crazing all ready, so she turned and climbed down the ladder instead.
“You really believe that?” Ben asked from above her. Then he stumbled awkwardly and mostly fell out of the attic, barely catching himself on the ladder. He looked back up. “That was weird. It felt like something pushed me.”
“Come down!” Elly hissed.
“I have to go turn off the light,” Ben protested.
“Come down! You go bake; I’ll get the light!” she insisted.
The light turned itself off with a click.
“That was weird,” Ben commented. “Is it on a timer or something?”
“Just go, I’ll take care of it.”
Ben frowned at her. “Just think about taking a day off. Even if you have to be here after dark, you can at least go out and see a matinee. Get some fresh air. Something.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Ben watched her for a moment then turned and left. Elly went back up the ladder. She noticed the switch was firmly pointed down and therefore off. “I have enough issues to deal with. If you want me to be here, you leave him alone.” Then she stepped down to the second floor and pushed up the ladder and went back downstairs to have another coffee and set about her day.
----
“Come here.”
“I don’t think so. I’m fine over here.”
George rolled his eyes then he heaved himself to his feet, “I can come to you, but you are much more nimble than I am.”
Elly grabbed tightly on the hand rail, “Sit down. I don’t want you close to me!”
George froze, “I want to see your face. Hold the lantern up then.”
“Why do you care what I look like?” Elly sulked but she did as she was told.
“The boy thinks you are unwell.”
“And?”
“I do not want you to be unwell,” George said patiently.
Elly snorted. “Why does it matter? I can’t leave.”
“Neither can I,” George growled. “That is the arrangement. I do not leave and hunt you. You do not leave and abandon me. You promise to keep me fed and I promise to keep you wealthy. I am holding up my end of the deal, treas- Elly-” he stressed her name, “you aren’t exactly -”
“I am HERE!” Elly snapped. “I gave up my life and my love to be here. I did that. I am here. I don’t have to be happy about it.”
George fell silent and sagged.
Elly watched him looking for the trick.
“If the boy makes you happy, he can stay. I just don’t want you coming home smelling like him.”
“What?”
“Don’t fuck him,” George quailified.
Elly blinked, “You don’t actually think I’m a virgin, do you?”
George made a sound of disgust. “Go. I am done talking to you now.” He huffed out a stream of steam and turned his back on her. Elly fled.
----
It was sometime after midnight when Elly sat bolt upright out of a dead sleep. She had forgotten to feed George. She had been angry about not being able to take the day off and then he reminded her she was trapped. She had been dismissed before she had organized his dinner. In theory, he would be ok if he didn’t eat for a few days.
But.
Mittens.
Shit.
She hauled herself out of bed and trudged down the stairs to the shop, then down more stairs to the basement.
The kettle and her cup and saucer was sitting on the walnut table next to the chair. The room was dark, no electricity down here. How would she ever get an electrician in? Tonight though, there was no faint glow coming from George. She held the lantern up over her head, but the darkness just sucked the light away.
No dragon.
“George?” Her voice echoed. The basement shouldn’t be big enough for that. Then she realized that if he was asleep, maybe waking him wasn’t the best idea. She crept carefully forward. Nothing. She looked over her shoulder and was relieved she could still see the light coming from the doorway at the top of the stairs. She took a few more steps and found a leather couch with deep button tucks that seemed to match the chair. Holding the lamp up over her head she could see a large stone arch way further ahead. Through it there was only darkness. Elly swallowed and tried to listen for the sound of George’s breathing.
Then her nerve broke and she sprinted for the stairs.
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The Flame and the Dragon Ch18
Chapter 18: The Truth
Kai stumbled as he carried the bundle of clean sheets and thick curtains in his arms while balancing a bucket filled with bars of soap, clothes, and oil polish. Despite taking him back to the castle and tending to his injuries, Cole still gave him punishment for breaking his promise and left the castle grounds. Cole only told him to clean the Lord's room and as a reward, he would let the brunette go for a ride on Flame, who was being pampered in the stables by the staff.
Immediately, he dreaded the job but the thought of seeing Flame sent a wave of joy through him.
Kai chuckled to himself. He couldn't deny it was nice being able to spend time with Cole without having to worry about setting off his temper or arguing with him, but if Cole thought he would be that easy to win over, he was sadly mistaken. His eyes lit up at the challenge until the weight of the objects in his arms brought him back to reality. He groaned in annoyance as he reminded himself of the task at hand. When he found Cole's room again, he was surprised to find the door open and the room empty.
He set the items on a clean-looking spot and dug out the bucket, oil varnish, and a half-melted cake of soap.
He dumped the soap in the bucket and filled it with water from the bathroom, and poured a generous amount of varnish into the water. Supplies in hand, he turned to his opponent and glared. His eyes darted from the dusty furniture to the smudges on the wall, the glass, and furniture scattered across the floor. Fortunately, the sheets had done their job, the couches and chairs were free of dirt. He set the bucket on the floor and fished out the leather gloves the servents had given him and slipped them on, refusing to risk cutting his hands.
Carefully, he gathered the scraps and put them in a pile out of the way until he could figure out what to do with them.
Fortunately, none of the pieces were too heavy or large, but the tiny scraps littered the floor. Dropping to his hands and knees, he meticulously scanned the floor until he'd moved every visible scrap to a harmless location. He sighed and fell back on his knees, pulling off his gloves and tucking them into his pocket. Not wanting to ruin any more clothes, he slipped off his jacket and placed it on a nearby chair. He tied a clean cloth around his mouth to keep away the dust.
He grabbed the bucket, the rags, and the rest of the equipment and began attacking the layers of dust covering the furniture.
Painstakingly, he dug into each crevice, leaving a glossy trail in his wake. By the time he finished the furniture, the dust and holes caked the rag, making it useless. He fished out another cloth and attacked the walls. He growled as higher smudges mocked his height and stretched on his toes, scrubbing the black smudges, fiercely. His arm screamed with each stroke. When he couldn't bear the pain, he finally receded and switched hands letting his sore arm fall limp at his side.
He exhaled deeply in liberation an hour later from exhaustion.
His eyes wandered from the pale spots on the wall to the smudges on the floor. Groaning, he dunked a thicker rag in the bucket and carpet and brushed with passion. He stopped and wiped the sweat from his brow, his arms ached with stiffness. When the last smudge faded, leaving bright blue in its wake, he threw the destroyed cloth in the bucket and struggling to lift it. His muscles screamed at him until he dumped his burden in Cole's bathroom sink.
Free at last, he rewarded himself by collapsing in the nearest piece of furniture which turned out to be the bed.
He sighed in relief and let gravity sink his body into the softness of the bed, his arms liquefying with numbness when he tried to move them. His legs dangled over the bedside. A smirk of victory crossed his face. Now all he needed to do was replace the sheets and he was done. He lost count of how many hours he'd been working. For all he knew, he'd been asleep most of the morning and it was already late afternoon. He wasn't sure he cared anymore.
Finally, his body gave and he closed his eyes in relaxation.
"Damn, did you do everything?" A voice suddenly said. Kai's eyes popped open. He jumped in surprise and whirled around just in time to see Cole standing in the doorway balancing a tray of food in his hands. His eyes scanned the room from top to bottom, raising an impressed brow. "You did a nice job."
"Thank you." Kai smiled as he stood on his feet, stumbling slightly from the heaviness of his body. "I still have to do the sheets before I can see Flame, right?" He asked hopefully. Cole frowned and gestured towards the window. Kai's heart sank. Darkness had already crept across the sky, and the last traces of sunlight were the deep purple and reds of dusk. "That's impossible! I only lied down for a few minutes!" He protested, his eyes unintentionally drawing him to the window, pressing his forehead against the glass.
"You must've fallen asleep," Cole concluded, looking around the room again. "Not that I blame you, you certainly did more than I expected."
"Damnit! All that work for nothing!" Kai cursed and pressed his head against the glass hard enough for the sound to echo. Cole almost laughed at the teen's mild tantrum.
"Now you will have the entire day to spend with your horse, and it's supposed to be nice tomorrow." He said as he sat the tray on the table, strolled over to the teen, and gently grasped his shoulders. Kai was taken aback when he was pulled from his position and guided towards the table. He took a seat in a chair that was far too big for him. His stomach sang with glee at the sight of the food Shade must've prepared for him. The thick aroma of spices and meats caused his mouth to water.
"Now eat before it gets cold, otherwise you'll give Shade a heart attack," Cole said, motioning for the teen to eat up. "Besides, I know for a fact you haven't eaten since yesterday and you're much too thin as it is." He teased and Kai surrendered, his eyes widening as he took in what Shade had prepared. A large bowl of thick tomato soup with a plate of bread spread with garlic and herbs and mushrooms boiled in butter formed the appetizers. A whole hen baked to a golden brown and dressed with chestnut and hazelnut stuffing formed the centerpiece.
A separate plate of roasted eggs, potatoes sprinkled with parsley and a plate of biscuits sat next to it.
A bottle of light blackberry wine and two jeweled encrusted goblets completed the meal. He wasted no time, and dove for the closest thing he could find. Devouring the soup, a biscuit, and the spread toast, he moved onto the mushrooms. He ate half the chicken before Cole grabbed his hand and offered him a goblet of wine.
"Slow down before you choke." He commanded. He swallowed a mouthful of food and blushed, mortified by his bad manners.
"Sorry, I guess I was hungrier than I thought." He apologized, taking the goblet. He sipped the wine, noticing Cole had not moved except to stop him. "Aren't you going to eat anything?" he asked, concerned. Cole's eyes widened. His face too confused to respond as if he'd never been asked such a question. "Here, there's more than enough here for two." He suggested, offering the plate of mushrooms.
"I... I don't need to eat."
"But... you do eat, don't you?"
"I can, I just don't need to."
"So, in other words, just because you don't need to do something, you don't do it?"
"Exactly."
"That sounds boring," Kai commented, taking an empty plate and set one of everything on it, then filled the second glass with wine. Cole opened his mouth to question the action only for Kai to place the plate and goblet in front of him. Cole stared at the food with confusion, then back at the grinning teenager.
"Did you not hear what I just told you?"
"I heard you, but you can still eat and Shade's food is delicious, I can't eat all of it and he'll be crushed if we throw some of it out."
"I just told you, I don't need to eat." Cole snapped, biting back his annoyance. "If there's no point to things, why do them?"
"Haven't you ever just done something for the sake of doing it?" Kai interrogated, trying to keep his voice civil. "If not for any other reason than because you can, or to have fun, or to try something new?" He asked and to emphasized his point, he picked up the plate and held it closer to Cole. "When was the last time you actually tasted something? I'll bet one bite and you won't stop."
"Why does it matter?" Cole replied harshly, snatching the plate away and setting it back on the table. "If I don't need something, then what's the point? It's such a waste if something isn't done for a purpose."
"It's not a waste! It's not poison and besides, you not eating means it will go to waste and your staff would've worked hard for nothing." Kai scolded, gesturing with a swing of his hand to address everyone who wasn't in the room.
"I adore my staff, thank you very much, but I doubt my lack of appetite bothers them," Cole answered in a dry tone. "They still eat, though I fail to see the reason why, and regardless, they have always found other ways to entertain themselves in the past." He snarled. Kai's brow narrowed but he had a mischievous smirk on his face.
"But not what they want to do, so everyone else is denied their wants solely because you have nothing better to do but wallow in your room? No wonder you're so grouchy all the time, you must bore yourself to death."
"You really don't know when to bite your tongue, do you?"
"Well spare me for trying to bring a little sunshine to the doom and gloom you call your life." Kai protested, getting to his feet. "I just don't understand you, you have an entire castle here, people who adore your company, and all you do is lock yourself in this room and break things! It's like you purposely go out of your way to make yourself miserable and everyone worries themselves sick because of it." He glared and Cole was on his feet in an instant, anger in his eyes.
"I have my reasons and they are none of your concern nor anyone else's." He countered harshly and turned left. Using his smaller stature to his advantage, Kai cut in front of him, forcing Cole to look at him.
"It is my concern and everyone else's when everyone worries about you." Kai protested passionately. "All the time I hear everyone worrying over you and wondering why you've never left your room; the last two weeks, all they did was ask me what happened to you, and ever since I arrived here, I've been wondering what I did to make you so angry with me!" He blurted out. Cole's expression dropped. The anger from before had vanished, leaving Cole's face a mask of neutrality.
Kai froze and bit his lip as an awkward silence passed between them.
His eyes hadn't left Cole's but he felt himself shaking slightly beneath that gaze. Finally, Cole shook his head, a line formed on his lips.
"If you're referring to the incident in the ballroom, you can relax, I'm not angry at you for that; our... conversation just brought up a few bad memories and I overreacted and your rudeness did little to soften my temper so we were both at fault and it's done." He replied and Kai wobbled a bit, almost sick with relief, but another question came to mind. He opened his mouth to ask, but he bit it back. The rift between them was already large enough.
"What is it?" Cole ordered, curiosity softening the command.
"Nothing," Kai replied, lowering his gaze.
"You wanted to ask me something," Cole observed. Kai didn't look up until the tip of the dragon's tail curled beneath his chin. Cole's arms crossed over his chest, an amused smile crossed his face as he leaned over to meet Kai's eye level. "I know from past experience what happens when your curiosity isn't satisfied, so ask." He said humorously, but there was forcefulness as well. Kai had never been afraid of Cole before the previous night, and he wasn't now, but the knot in his gut twisted.
His voice felt like it vanished.
He froze in place, enthralled by the desire to see what was beyond those emerald depths but the fear of adding another layer to the barrier between them was equally as strong. As if sensing the teenager's dilemma, Cole's expression softened. "Whatever it is, I promise I won't get upset." He added. The statement broke the enchantment. Kai closed his eyes and exhaled a breath.
"Is that your family?" He asked. Completely blown away, by the statement Cole's face dropped to one of flabbergasted silence
"What do you mean?" He asked in a breathy voice, releasing Kai from his grip. His tail curled nervously at his feet. Kai swallowed, almost too afraid to ask, but knowing it was too late, his eyes wandered to the painting on the other side of the room. The cloth had been removed when he changed it and now it was open and visible beneath its glass case.
"The painting over there, are they your family?" He asked with concerned eyes, silently praying he hadn't unintentionally tread into forbidden territory. Cole didn't answer, but the look of conflict on his face spoke for him. He was torn between anger, anguish, and something else. Kai opened his mouth to apologize but Cole raised a hand.
"Don't apologize, you were only curious." He said quickly, silencing any apology. Cole swooped past him, quickly strolling to the balcony, and braced himself on the table where the candle rested. His claws sank into the table as he gave a heavy sigh.
"It's alright if you don't want to say anything." Kai blurted out quickly, his mind racing for some way to repair the rift he knew he'd increased. Cole shot up and the second his eyes met Kai, the teen looked at the ground. "I won't pry into your private life."
"It's not that!" Cole said quickly, hoping to remove the young man's unwarranted guilt. "You've done nothing wrong, it's just something I've come to accept; I know I can't change it no matter how much I wish I could, so I've just accepted it." He explained, turning his back to Kai, who looked at him with wide eyes. Realization at their misunderstanding dawned on him, and he shook his head, turning his attention back to the painting then Cole.
"Are you talking about the curse?" He asked, without thinking. Cole shot up, completely astounded by the statement. He knew the boy knew who he was, but he was forbidden to speak of the details nonetheless.
"I read it in a book," Kai explained with a small smile. "The librarian gave it to me, it's my favorite book." He explained, trying to stifle a laugh at the jaw-dropped expression on Cole's face. "I didn't believe it at first, but it told about this castle, the prince who lived here, the sorcerer who cursed him for no sin other than wanting to protect his kingdom; I wasn't even sure it was real until I saw you for the first time and I later found out Zane wrote it."
"I don't believe this," Cole muttered as he collapsed in a nearby chair, his face a mask of pure shock.
"It wasn't that difficult to figure out, everyone does a horrible job of hiding it every time I ask about it, how dense do they think I am?" He explained with a laugh.
"It isn't that, they can't tell you." He explained, noticing the cute look of confusion on Kai's face. "It is part of our curse, no one can reveal the details of it or how to break it to an outsider; Zane is the only exception because he wrote it down." He laughed to himself at the irony.
"Wait, you mean you knew about it?"
"Yeah, who do you think gave him permission to do so?" Cole laughed, standing up. He hooked a hand around Kai's arm, pulling him to his feet with such swiftness their eyes met again. "I was joking at the time, I'm glad he took me seriously."
"Yes, but that still doesn't answer my question." He replied. "Is that your family? You don't have to tell me about them, I just wasn't sure; they look a lot like you, so I just assumed." He added gently. Cole's face was unreadable as he let Kai go. His eyes darted back to the painting of the happy family safely locked away behind the glass, carefully taking in every detail.
"Why do you want to know?" He asked his voice stoic and his eyes absent of emotion.
"Because I want to get to know you." He answered honestly. His eyes and voice held true conviction, not a flicker of doubt. "The real you, not the character I read in a book or the façade you put up to keep people away, I want to know the real Cole." He said passionately. Finally, Cole closed his eyes and shook his head with a small smile at the boy before him. He walked past Kai with a commanding aura. Kai's gaze followed him until he saw Cole had stopped in front of the painting.
His claws gently glided over the glass and gently caressed the cheek of the girl in the painting.
"My mother was the sweetest person you'd ever meet." He sighed sadly. "She had a heart of gold and a temper to match, do not mistake her though, you would not wish to anger her in fact, those who did often wish they hadn't but she was fair in her discipline; all children in the kingdom she considered her own and it was her personal duty to help all the orphans in any way she could; there was not a soul you could find who didn't love her and I doubt there was anything about her you couldn't love."
"She sounds so kind."
"She was a firm ruler, a tough woman, and a very strict parent." He smiled and, for a moment, Kai swore it was the smile of a child longing for his mother. "My father loved us with every fiber of his soul but he was always willing to sacrifice his own time and happiness for the good of his kingdom." He continued. "He didn't sit around and let officials do the work for him and when something needed to be built or when there was a battle, he was there; he always said a King is only as good as the people who follow him and he never asked his people to do anything he himself wouldn't do." Cole paused for a minute to chuckle at the memory.
"That's a good thing to teach."
"That was the first lesson he taught me; respect for my people." The Dragon Lord smiled at the memory. "I hated it when I was younger; always having to go into town and work, but my father was firm with me, especially in his discipline; despite his duties, however, he always made time for us, and every day, he'd take my sister and I horseback riding or he'd educate us on what it meant to be King; he wasn't there as much as I would've liked, but I also understood his reasons." He sighed heavily.
Kai felt his heart jump as he heard Cole speak, never before had he spoken so kindly, so happily.
It was like he was living a dream and nothing else mattered. He stood up and strolled over to his side.
"They sound wonderful." He smiled, recalling his own parents before they passed away.
"They were."
"Is that your sister?" Kai asked, gesturing a hand to the young girl in the image. Cole didn't answer at first. Instead, he knelt down to meet the eyes of the girl.
"I loved my sister the most, even though she was adopted." He replied.
"She was disowned by her original guardian, but it didn't matter to me or my parents; she was my sister and she meant the world to me, I adored her and she looked up to me and I promised her I'd do anything to protect her." His voice was bright with adoration that Kai swore could only rival his own love for Lloyd. "She was so young." His voice faded to a whisper as his forehead pressing against the glass. "She did nothing wrong." He mumbled. His claws clenched, scratching the glass.
"Neither did you," Kai added, with a small grin of understanding. "Is that why you lock yourself away here? To punish yourself?" He asked and the dragon hybrid looked up. Fierce emeralds bore straight into concerned ambers. The younger held still, not pressuring him but waiting for an answer.
"Why are you so persistent?"
"Why do you avoid answering me?" Kai persisted, his glare hardening. "Am I correct?"
"It doesn't matter," Cole huffed before he turned around and started towards the door, his tail wrapping around Kai's waist gesturing for him to follow. Kai dug his heels into the ground, wincing as the scaly appendage tightened. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. Cole tugged on him, but the stubborn teen remained firm, refusing to back down. Finally, Kai slapped the appendage away and glared at the king. Cole winced, more shocked than angry by the strike.
"What is the matter with you?" He demanded harshly, moving to grab the teen, but Kai evaded his talons, refusing to let time repeat.
"Why is it so hard to answer me?"
"Why does it matter?" He growled at the teen's boldness, his tail whipping at his side, filling the room with loud smacks every time it struck something. "Go back to your room, Kai, you're done here." He ordered, pointing to the door.
"I am not leaving until you answer me!" He shouted and Cole saw red. Before either of them could react he roughly grabbed his upper arm and pinned him against the glass, but not hard enough to hurt him, only immobilize him.
"You are the most stubborn person I have ever met!"
"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you! Now let go of me, this instant!" He yelled as he wrenched his arms, but Cole harshly tugged him closer, making him wince.
"You know nothing about me!" The dragon hybrid snapped, shaking the teen slightly.
"That's exactly my point!" Kai argued, clawing at the man's talons with his free hand, in a weak attempt to earn release from his captor's grip, digging his heels into the ground. "You only tell me about everyone else, but you never say anything about yourself! And when I ask you why you stay here, you change the subject or avoid it? Why! You did nothing wrong! So why are you punishing yourself for a crime you didn't commit?"
"You think I don't know that!" Cole exploded, with such force that Kai went silent. Slightly afraid of the mad anger in the Lord's face, Kai stopped his resistance, paralyzed. He put up no resistance as Cole forcefully pulled him closer. "I know I did nothing wrong! I know there was nothing I could've done! Is it better knowing I could do nothing but watch as my entire family vanished right before my eyes and I could do nothing to save them? That I could do nothing to stop the monster who stole them from me from turning me into this repulsive creature? Yes, I'm well aware of that!"
A disturbing silence fell between them, disturbed only by Cole's heavy breathing.
Slowly, regaining his composure, Kai's gaze softened, and his voice civilized.
"So you are punishing yourself." He concluded in an expressionless voice. He'd braced himself for a blow, expecting Cole to strike him, or yell at him once more, but he did neither. Instead, he responded in the last way Kai expected him to. He laughed. Low pearls rolled off his lips like small dark chuckled, before finally erupting into a triumphant burst of hysterics.
"You think I blame myself for that?" Cole mocked, still laughing. "I'd have to be a damned fool to even think that? Why should I when I know the real culprit?" He asked, breathless from laughing. The Dragon Lord then released him and with a shove, more powerful than he intended, threw the teen back into an armchair he'd backed himself against. Kai hissed at the treatment, but his eyes never left Cole's. Cole strolled across the table, bracing himself against an opposite chair, his head hung low as he continued to laugh.
"You really want to know?" He asked with sadness. Regaining himself, Kai nodded, suddenly alert.
"So persistent, fine I'll tell you." Cole chuckled darkly and his voice drifted off. "I stay here because it's easier this way; it's safer, keeping everyone at arm's length so they can't abandon you because they can't stand the sight of you and they can't insult you or turn you away despite all you've done for them because you're a monster; I've done nothing wrong, but still the world rejects and repulses me; I've long accepted I'm a monster." He explained.
Bitter sarcasm drenched his retort with venom.
Each anguished word, poisoned with a frightening familiarity, all while Kai absorbed each brutal word.
"I just don't like being reminded what I already know." He concluded. "It's just safer this way."
"You fool!" Kai protested in a tone so sharp, Cole shot up. Kai's eyes were locked on the floor, his hands balled into fists at his sides and his frame shook violently with rage. "You're a fool, Cole!" He exploded.
"How dare you!" Cole erupted, rage and betrayal in his voice. He was a fool for accepting sympathy.
"Yes, I dare!" Kai countered, stepping forward until he was face to face with the hybrid. "How dare you just give up!" He paused, voice shaking with anger as he tried to find the right words. "You were betrayed, shunned, and abandoned, I don't blame you for that! But how dare you give in to those accusations! So what?! Just because a bunch of heartless traitors shun you and tell you you're a monster that automatically makes it true? When do you ever listen to anyone but yourself!?" He demanded angrily.
Cole's talons ceased the teen by his shoulders and lifted him off the ground, growling with rage.
"You know nothing! You don't know anything that I've been through! You have no idea what it's to be shunned and hated for nothing! You have no idea!" He bellowed so loud Kai was sure the whole castle shook. Kai flinched at the words, not by the harshness in the man's accusation but by its inaccuracy. He shoved the man off him, so hard, Cole was taken aback by the force and stumbled backward. His legs hit those of the armchair and he fell back, but before he could forget, Kai braced his hands on either arm, pinning the man beneath him.
Stunned by the sudden action, Cole froze, paralyzed by the ferocity and gravity in the intense gaze.
"You think I don't know what it's like to be hated? To be shunned and mocked through no fault of my own? Do you think I don't feel something when I see the way people look at me and whisper about me as I walk by? You don't think I know they think I'm a freak! Just because everyone agrees I'm some brazen youth whose only purpose in life should be to marry some pompous aristocrat, live in a gilded cage, and raise spoiled children until I croak means I should accept it and do it?" His shaking grew work as he spoke.
Passion and rage consumed him, and he narrowed his eyes, biting back the tears threatening to fall.
"At least I don't give up! At least I don't just give up and accept what everyone thinks! Because they're wrong! And I know they are! Even if they all agree, even if everyone and everything thinks you're something doesn't mean you are, right? Even if they drill it into your skull, even if they convince you you're a monster or a freak! That doesn't mean it's true!" He finished screaming, his entire body shook violently. Without bothering to wait for a reaction from the stunned Lord, Kai pulled back and turned to leave, knowing he couldn't keep himself in control any longer.
He didn't get far.
In a flash, Cole blocked the man's path with his wings, carefully placing a talon on his shoulder, and gently turned him to face him, but Kai refused to meet his gaze.
"Kai, wait!" Cole called softly. When the teen looked up, Cole's eyes widened. Tears streaked the teen's face like transparent rivers. Droplets accumulated on Kai's chin until they finally dropped to the floor or dampened Cole's claws.
"What!" The teenager snapped, harshly, furiously rubbing away the signs of his weakness. Even with tears falling from Kai's eyes, fire blazed in them. Those same indomitable eyes he adored, at first sight, blazed with so many emotions at once. Anger, anguish, sympathy, disgust, hurt. It was hard to tell who they were for or what emotions were directed at whom. Frozen at the sight before him, Cole moved a clawed hand to catch the tears, unsure how to react.
The Lord gently brushed his chest, wondering why his heart suddenly felt like it sprang free, and why hit hurt when he saw the tears, he tried so hard to force back fall.
"Kai, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." He choked, sincerely. Kai froze at the sudden apology, barely feeling the leathery wings wrap around him. He found Cole staring at him, guilt and remorse glazed his features. His eyes softened when they met his gently demanding the truth "Are you speaking about me or yourself?" He asked and Kai moved his arm to wipe away his tears before responding.
"Both." He replied. Just then two arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a tight, warm embrace. Cole gently brushed away the remains of his tears, careful not to prick the delicate skin with his claws. Unable to resist, he carefully leaned down and gently kissed the remaining tears away. Kai froze when the king pulled back, his face crimson. His voice died in his throat, unsure of how to respond to the sudden gesture, even as his finger subconsciously brushed the tender area the kiss left behind.
Cole smiled at the reaction and gently stroked the kindred spirit's soft hair hoping to calm him before gently whispering.
"No one has ever cried for my sake." He whispered as he embraced the boy tighter, enjoying the warmth Kai's body radiated. Relishing in the comfort, Kai leaned his forehead against Cole's chest, the soft material of Cole's shirt brushed against his cheek, cushioned by the lean muscles beneath. Cole wrapped his arms and tail around his waist, his wings wrapping them in a cocoon of bliss. Kai finally collapsed, emotionally exhausted, his body felt heavy with bliss.
The Dragon Lord followed his example, taking the teen with him, fell back into his chair.
His body felt as though an enormous burden had been lifted from his being and the loss of such a weight had left him immobile with peace. Cole hummed as he gently running his claws through the silky brunette locks, not caring whether or not Kai heard him. The teen smiled as he faded in and out of consciousness and exhaustion started to take its toll on him. Cole closed his own eyes, letting his hand fall limply at his side...
****************
When he opened his eyes, Cole couldn't recall where he was. He closed his eyes and shook his head for a moment, gently brushing his claw through his black hair. He looked down, feeling a heavyweight on his chest. He almost jumped up in surprise when he found his house guest curled against his chest like a cat. Once the memories returned, however, he calmed himself down and smiled. He had to admit, Kai looked adorable while he slept.
So peaceful and innocent, without a care in the world.
The opposite of the fiery, strong-willed spirit he was when he awoke. Cole decided to let him sleep for a bit longer. He carefully gathered the teen in his arms and carried him to his bed. He brushed aside the veils with his tail and gently placed the boy on his side, pulling the comforter over him. His eyes fell back on the half-eaten tray of food on the table. He tested it with his finger. It was cold but not enough to be inedible. He paused for a bit when he heard a stir behind him.
"Cole?" Kai called half-consciously. Kai rolled onto his stomach and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, blearily looking for the other man. He found him by the table gathering the food and goblets from before.
"I'm just cleaning up," Cole said over his shoulder. He watched as Kai rolled over and sat upon the bed, kicking off his boots and letting his jacket slip from his shoulders. Perhaps letting him sleep in his clothes wasn't such a good idea. He left the plates on the table and strolled over to the wardrobe, searching for something light. His eyes darted to something bright on the table. Closer inspection revealed the garment was a folded pile of red silk glowing like a hot beacon among the dark color scheme.
He snatched up the garment and let the slippery material fall open, revealing an angel-sleeved robe that fell to the knees.
The size indicated it was much too small for him but saw it would fit Kai perfectly. His sharp eyes caught a white note in the pocket. He pulled it out and his eyes skinned it over, instantly recognizing Harumi's handwriting.
For Kai, since he'll probably need it.
His jaw clenched and his face reddened as he crumpled the note in his hand, reminding himself she was too valuable to kill. He could just hear the implication. What the hell did she think they'd be doing? Cole purposely chose not to answer that question. He took a breath and composed himself before placing the garment over his arm and exiting the wardrobe. Having grown used to his dragon scales, sleeping in his clothes no longer bothered him.
When he returned, he paused for a moment.
His eyes drank in the delicious sight of his house guest stripped to only his pants. Cole smirked, licking his fangs at the delicious creamy-caramel skin, briefly wondering if it tasted as sweet as it looked. Deciding to take advantage of the situation before the teen returned to full waking, he slowly strolled over to him. His tail grabbed the blanket as Kai climbed back into the bed. Kai growled, half exhausted, annoyed, and yanked the comforter.
Cole won the small war, the younger being too tired to argue.
When he noticed Kai's eyes starting to brighten, he waited until the teen turned to glare at him. When Kai did so, he held out the robe to him, smiling. Kai blinked in confusion as the slippery material fell into his hands.
"It isn't very comfortable sleeping in your clothes," Cole answered the unasked question. chuckling slightly at the boy's confusion. Realization caused Kai's eyes to bulge and he looked at Cole, then robe, then down at himself. Kai instinctively pulled the robe to his chest, his face scarlet as he glared at the smirking king.
"Cole!" He howled, more from mortification than anger.
"Relax, you can change in the bathroom." Cole smiled, gesturing to the door next to the wardrobe. With as much dignity as the teen could muster, Kai stood up, still clutching the robe, and disappeared into the bathroom. He released a sigh of relief seeing that it was clean. Chuckling, Cole returned to his earlier work, glaring down at the chicken bones, empty plates, and goblet. The wine bottle had been resealed, but the second goblet was still half-full and small amounts of appetizers littered the smaller plates.
"It would be a waste," He agreed, gathering all the food onto one large plate and stacking the dirty ones. He grabbed the half-full goblet, debating its fate. Dumping it would be a waste, but he couldn't return it to the bottle either. His eyes narrowed at the tempting liquid. He couldn't recall the last time he had wine. Hadn't Kai said something about seizing the moment?
"Oh what the hell?" He finally decided, raising the goblet to his lips. A mixture of richness and a sweet woody tang ignited his senses. His eyes flew open. The small sip turned into a large gulp, then another, then another, determined to capture the burning the liquid brought him. He gorged himself until every drop was gone from the goblet then wrenched it away to breathe. "God, I'd forgotten how good this stuff is." He said loudly as if buzzed by the minimal alcohol.
He wiped his mouth on his shirt and turned to the appetizers.
He scooped up a biscuit and took a bite. It was cold and the butter had hardened, but the combination tasted divine. He downed the other half in one gulp, unable to resist the pleasure it brought to his taste buds. He grabbed another appetizer, this time, a piece of bread with the garlic and herb spread and bit down. The bread tasted harder than the biscuit but the pasty spread had softened it, the sharpness of herbs leaving a bittersweet desire for more.
He swallowed the delicious treat before eating another one, deciding to savor the taste before it was gone.
Potatoes dripping with garlic butter went down thick and creamy. Next was the stuffed mushroom. Juice trickled down his chin and the rich, stuffing crunched in his mouth, savoring each bite until he could stand it no longer and swallowed the rest. He licked his lips and fingers, determined to capture the remains of the taste before opening the wine again and downing the rest of the bottle. The taste of berry juice flushed his senses while the sharp brisk of alcohol burned his throat.
He gulped the juice, not even bothering to stop as his lungs screamed for air and his throat burned.
He pulled the bottle from his lips and gasped as the final drop went down. He was buzzed from the ecstasy of the experience. He wobbly placed the empty bottle on the tray and carefully got to his feet. The buzz of drunkenness beginning to slip away as his body cleared his system of the alcohol.
"I told you so." A familiar voice chuckled lightly. The Dragon Lord almost dropped the bottle. His heart plunged into his stomach as he whirled around, just in time to catch the wide grin on Kai's face as he leaned in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were brilliant with triumph and his grin nearly split his face, alerting Cole he had seen the entire scene. Ignoring the blush on his face and the large bruise on his ego, Cole got to his feet and glared at the teen.
Kai said nothing.
He removed himself from the door and walking back towards the bed, the red robe he was wearing perfectly molded his form and leaving nothing to the imagination, but Cole barely noticed. His blush worsening and his glare hardening as Kai's grin spoke more than a thousand voices. Kai sat on the bed and smiled at him, daring him to counter him.
"Go to bed!" Cole finally snapped, plopping down on an armchair. Kai smiled and shook his head...
#The Flame and the Dragon#beauty and the beast#ninjago#ninjago kai#ninjago cole#ninjago nya#ninjago lloyd#ninjago jay#ninjago zane#ninjago harumi#ninjago shade#ninjago neuro#ninjago nelson#ninjago echo#lavashipping
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DAY 5: “Any other lies to tell me?” + Angst
Read it on AO3 Here!
Merlin slumped against his bed, covering his eyes and willing them not to spill. It felt stupid, really. But he was told for so long that Arthur is the other side to his coin, his other half, his soulmate. He should have known better than to think that destiny would ever favor him.
It probably would hurt less if Kilgharrah did not feed Merlin pointless lies. If he had clearly stated that there would be nothing romantic between them. Because Merlin went ahead and caught feelings, those pesky little things. At least he never got a chance to make a fool of himself.
What was he thinking? Golden Prince, Arthur Pendragon, falling for him? Of course, his true love was a 'she.' At least he never acted on his feelings. At least the only one that knows about them was himself. But it is fine. It’s not like he loves Arthur. He hates him half the time anyway.
A lie.
He is just a little bit heartbroken. Maybe a bit more than little. But he should have known better than to think that there could be anything between them. It is a miracle they are even friends, considering the number of lies Merlin has told him.
That, sadly, did not mean that Merlin got over his feelings. It hurt, seeing Arthur with someone else, but at least it was Gwen. Sweet, kind, strong, and caring Gwen. He couldn’t have chosen anyone better. She’s the best in the world.
So Merlin made sure his two favorite people were happy, even if it meant that he would be pining from a distance. He is glad that Arthur’s happy and smiling, even if those were directed to someone else. It’s fine. Destiny was a stupid thing anyway.
Well, it was fine right up until he was getting crushed under the weight of destiny. If one more person reminded him of his destiny, Merlin would scream. Merlin doubts if he can keep going, carrying the weight of the expectations of sorcerers alive and dead. Not to mention the fact that he’s considered some sort of leader to the magical community. Merlin was not trained for this, will never be trained for this, and cannot possibly live up to their expectations.
Everyone expects Emrys to be some sort of divine leader- fearless and ruthless, a guardian and protector of the magical community. Merlin isn’t Emrys. He doesn’t want to be Emrys. But every single Druid he meets bows and pays their respects and tells him how he’s such a great warlock.
Merlin might as well scream.
They treat him like a God, which is not as great as you would think. Merlin is the one to carry their dreams and expectations. Their hopes and dreams followed him around like dead weight, refusing to leave. He is required to fulfill it. It is either that or let every magical being suffer.
And he is the only one to carry the burden of fate.
He doesn’t have anyone to share it with, not even Gaius. Gaius doesn’t get it either, and never will. He treats Merlin like a son, and for that, he is very grateful. Some days he is sure he would be dead in a ditch if it weren’t for Gaius. But with Gaius, it is a bit different. For him, having Merlin is like having a God for a son, which isn’t that far from the truth. He knows that Gaius worries for him and cares for him. But Gaius also has expectations for Merlin. Expectations he’s afraid he can’t fulfill.
With each passing day, the threat to Arthur’s life grows stronger and more dangerous. Merlin cannot keep up.
Everyone who knows about Merlin’s magic also knows about his destiny. There are people that Merlin does not know that know about Merlin’s destiny. Merlin wants to yell that they are entrusting their freedom to the hands of the wrong person. That he is not the one they should be laying down their lives for. That there must be another sorcerer, one who deserves to be called Emrys.
He feels laced with guilt and regret for the lives of Alator and Finna, along with every other sorcerer's life lost for a cause that is impossible to fulfill. They have laid it all down so Merlin could hear, in painful detail, just how his King is going to die.
Merlin did scream then, in the relative privacy of the forest. Arthur’s going to die, and if Merlin doesn't prevent it, it is all on him. Arthur's death would be on him. It is going to be his fault that there will be no Albion. It is going to be his fault that magic will forever be lost to these lands. It is going to be his fault that Arthur's going to die, and he doesn't want that. He wants Arthur to live a happy and long life.
Somewhere along the line, 'Albion' sounded like 'Arthur.' If given a choice between the two, Merlin would no doubt chose Arthur. He would pick Arthur over and over again. Always Arthur. Because Arthur has become his priority, and he won't be able to live with himself if he let Arthur die. It will all be his fault.
It was his fault anyway. It was his fault Morgana turned. It was his fault that Mordred lived. It was his fault that he didn’t let Morgana die when he had the chance. It was his fault that while trying to show Arthur how good magic can be, he did the complete opposite. For Arthur, magic is something that took his mother, his father, his sister, and his wife. Merlin doubts that saving Gwen made Arthur’s opinion on magic any different.
Everything he does, everything he tries, only brings him closer to the inevitable. Arthur is going into battle at dawn, and Merlin won’t even be there.
Merlin promised Arthur that he would always protect him or die trying. A lie. He failed at both. Now Arthur’s saddled up with a piece of a sword forged in a dragon’s breath inside him, the very same dragon he should have looked after.
Aithusa, Light of the Sun, the very same dragon Kilgharrah said would bode well for Albion, for him and Arthur, and for the land they would build together.
A lie.
It is the sword drenched in her breath that brought Arthur down. Merlin did not have the heart to blame her. Merlin was the one that abandoned her, sent her straight to Morgana.
Gaius trusted him, told him that only he could save Arthur. Said that he would have a bowl of his favorite soup waiting for him, for when he would come back. He said that Arthur would be fine, that the Shide would heal him.
Another lie.
Merlin clutched the wheezing body of his love tighter as if he could will him to stay. It is all his deepest nightmares playing out. Arthur- dying in his arms- practically resenting Merlin’s magic. For all his magic and he still could not save his love.
Nothing, nothing ever could be worse than this.
Until it was.
In any other situation, anything but this, Merlin would have cherished Arthur’s last words. He despised them. He despised his final words, the last whisper of something he has never said before. He despised the way they were told- as if a confession of his deepest darkest secret.
But that is what they were. Arthur had a wife, a loving, doting wife, and yet-
And yet, his last words to Merlin had been a choked whisper of, “I love you.”
Merlin has dreamt of those words, thought about every single way Arthur would tell him. Never like this, though. But those were just that- dreams and fantasies. But Destiny was never easy, was it?
Was it all a lie? Could, heaven forbid, Arthur really love him? Or was it just words spoken out of desperation, just another lie?
Just like how his destiny was a lie? Like how Albion was a lie? Like how the Kingdom they were supposed to build, together, was a lie?
Like how everything Kilgharrah said was a lie. Like how his hopes and dreams were lies. Like how every Druid lied. Like how everything was a lie, a half-baked truth, a stupid fantasy.
“There is nothing you can do, Merlin, for all that you have dreamt has come to pass,” Kilgharrah said.
Lies.
He had failed. He’d failed Arthur. He’d failed Morgana. He’d failed Gwen. He'd failed Gaius. He’d failed Mordred, Isidir, and Freya. He’d failed Finna, Alator, and Gili. He’d failed Daegel, Balinor, and Hunith. He’d failed all the sorcerers that died during and after the Purge. He’d failed all the sorcerers living in fear. He’d failed all that sorcerers that are yet to be born.
Merlin stayed long after he sent Arthur away, no doubt his bowl of soup growing cold. He learned that Gwaine, too, had passed in a last attempt to run Morgana through. It was not supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be the three of them, Courage, Strength, and Magic, standing side-by-side, ready to face whatever destiny throws at them.
Another Lie.
He made it as far as Camelot’s gates, listening to the echoes of “Long Live the Queen,” before deciding that Camelot would prosper under Gwen’s rule. He could never, ever face her again. Not after his failure, not after the lies. Not after being the keeper of his King’s last words, which no doubt should have belonged to Gwen.
He only scried for Gaius when he felt the old man’s life slipping away. Gaius saw him and heard him, telling him that they missed him there. No doubt another lie. Merlin watched as the light behind Gaius’s eyes dimmed, saying one last goodbye to the closest thing he had to a father.
Soon it was Kilgharrah, and then Geoffrey, then Gwen, then Leon, then Percival, then Audrey, Queen Annis, Queen Mithian, Queen Vivian, Queen Elena, Isidir, Gili, Sefa…
He should have guessed that he would be punished in some way. The Gods made him immortal, forever waiting for Arthur to return. Forever waiting near the lake, never allowed to be away from Albion for long.
Excalibur might have been his only way out, but he had disposed of it into the lake soon after Arthur died. Again, that could have been a lie too.
The world changed. Green and magic got replaced by iron and steel. Aithusa passed peacefully in her sleep, never once forgiving Merlin for slaying Morgana. Magic slipped away from the land slowly, until the last tendril of magic died along with the last wizard, leaving Merlin to be the only source of magic left.
All of it seeped deep into the Earth’s core, locked away and to never be accessed, leaving the Earth barren.
Wars broke out, along with famine, storms and disasters, and death. The Lake of Avalon remained still and timeless, forever preserved by the Gods, like Merlin.
Merlin looked up at the sky, where he believed the Gods to be, long forgotten like the legend of his love and his legacy. The Gods were never merciful. They had disappeared too, the last of them forgotten like Merlin. But Merlin was forced to keep living, forever traveling the Earth, never straying too far from the lake.
“Any other lies left to tell me?” Merlin said, resigned and pitiful, as he felt the world falling apart around him. Arthur never once returned, dooming Merlin to watch as humans ripped apart from each other, unable to help. They tear themselves apart, rebuilding and rehabilitating soon after. They, too, had been cursed to keep going, destroying and restoring. And for all Merlin knew, that also could have been a lie.
#merthurweek2020#day5#angst#fic#prompt fill#unrequited love#requited unrequited love#immortal merlin#major character deaths#minor character deaths#lots and lots of angst#pining!merlin#bbc merlin
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So... something kinda hit me abruptly and pushed me to feeling about ready to snap, so... Have a word vomit. Kinda feels like a greatest hits compilation of my “another angry queer rant” tag, but I need to get it out, so...
I know I’ve been over plenty about how I don’t feel represented even when I have something with gay representation. How I’d give dozens of Dorians and Iron Bulls to get even one run of Inquisition that properly has my male Inquisitor romance Cullen. How when I look at Mass Effect - this franchise that I love - I can only see how much it hates me for being a gay man who dares to seek content for me. How godawful it is that Gil’s story, a story that is explicitly a story centered on a gay man and the difficulties he faces BECAUSE of being gay, was written by a straight person who ABSOLUTELY does not GET. IT. And how fandom as an entity sucks, because so often it feels like the attitude of the people in it comes across as telling me that my desire to be represented in my media somehow comes in second to celebrating the advances solely for women, that my needs as a queer MAN (the emphasis usually theirs) are less important, because I can still see myself AS A MAN in other characters throughout media.
But... That doesn’t change the fact that this is a very real, very tangible THING for me to grapple with. And sometimes it feels like no one ever, EVER talks about this.
I mean, my go-to example is that after Inquisition dropped, you could not say A WORD in criticism of Dorian without people jumping down your throat, chomping at the bit to call you a homophobe for it. No matter what reason - but ESPECIALLY if you thought he was “too stereotypical” - you got hit with that label. Even if you were gay yourself, it was just your “internalized homophobia” that made you dislike him, or even being biased against the people who genuinely do lean in to the stereotypes, don’t they deserve representation too?!
Well, yeah. It’s not like I was saying they don’t. But that it’s a stereotype means it’s often still in media, still often THERE. It’s not always good representation, but it’s something. Meanwhile for those of us who AREN’T? It just meant further exclusion from the narratives. A continuation of our invisibility.
And sure, one queer character cannot represent every queer person, one individual who embodies one letter of the alphabet soup cannot be everything to everyone under that individual label. But, again, it still means that I don’t get to see myself.
If media representation is a life preserver, then I’m getting pulled out to sea while the lifeguards are busy with people who are closer to them than I am. Which, you can call it triage, cast the widest net to hope to get the most people, but when you’re one of those who are not even able to grab on to the net and use it to pull yourself closer, it’s not helping. And, because they’re focused on those who have grabbed on to the net, your struggle continues to be ignored.
Worse, sometimes they aren’t factoring you in the net they’re throwing (yes, I’m aware my metaphor is getting increasingly strained, just work with me here) because they think you’re not in the trouble they think others are - if you can “pass” as cishet, if you can exist without actively fearing for your safety, if you are the kind of person who can walk down the street and not expect to be harassed because you “present” gay, then you’re not as in need as those people who can’t, who are going to be threatened for existing while visibly queer.
But the truth is that you’re still suffering. I’m not gonna get in to the whole oppression Olympics nature of it all, but there is an element that those of us who “pass” as being “straight-acting” (and, for the record, I think these terms are bogus and bullshit, but I’m using them for the sake of simplicity in getting my message across, because I’m stream of consciousnessing this post instead of going to bed so you’re getting babble and word vomit so that this isn’t playing on a loop as I try and sleep) suffer that... I’m not going to say that it makes it worse, but it does have this level of SOMETHING that is a unique pain that you aren’t going to find from the people who are visibly and noticeably queer at a glance - it’s not just isolation, because this is something that you end up not talking about because no one around you realizes that you are queer, but also this voice in the back of your mind that starts questioning “are you REALLY queer? Are you queer ENOUGH?”
And that’s why it hurts that little bit more, is that much more a twist of the knife, when I see these people who push the “joke” of like “why did they even HAVE male Shepard?” or “the only way to play is as Kassandra.” Because it does reinforce this idea - that there is this attitude of this thing, this character that I was seeing as representation doesn’t matter. So that I take strength in that character, well, that’s just me latching on to REPRESENTATION AS A MAN, and we’re not here to protect your fragile masculine ego.
When all I’m looking for is a queer man like I am.
And sometimes, I don’t even feel like the other queer men I can look to get it. Like, there was that time about a year ago that I looked up issues of queer men in video games, and the three videos I found all got an “...and NOPE!” reaction from me - the first argued in math about how “queer people are a small portion of the population, we can’t realistically expect to be represented equally,” even though we’re talking about FICTION, which is, by definition, NOT reality, the second was clearly a cishet who compared not being represented as a queer person to not being represented as a Swedish person, and then a third who first had a thumbnail on a video of “good and bad representation” and Kaidan was the example of bad (so a negative mark against this video to begin with, but I was desperate), only to lead with Dorian as a good example, which... *vague motion above and at the “dorian critical” tag* I staunchly disagree with this stance.
Like... I have to struggle to think of who my role models in being a queer man are. It’s not just who fits my story, but who do I look up to, who inspires me. And, admittedly, the luster for any personal hero seems to inevitable wear off at this point, I’m in my early thirties, and most of the media I consume will have characters who are my age or younger PERIOD, so my queer heroes would have to be people I’d consider either peers or even someone who I am older than...
But then, that’s kinda the thing about being queer period - we lost a generation to AIDS, and for those who followed that generation, we’ve had to live in this world where our heroes don’t exist like us, while trying to pave the way for those who come after us, and who can’t conceive of what it is like to age - as in “go from adulthood to middle age to elder,” not just the matter of growing up from childhood to adulthood - and so even as they’re the one who we want to give all of this to... It still means we suffer because no one is there to offer US that hand.
And yet, try to explain this to media creators, and you get ignored or even shut down. Like, I about a year ago, I directly replied to tweet from Patrick Weekes, explaining how Inquisition failed me, how all bi LIs actually HELP me feel more represented as a queer person than the mix of sexualities that BioWare on the whole has said that they intend to do (re: the difference of LIs in DA2 and Dragon Age Inquisition). It got no response, not even a like to indicate that it’d been read by them. I could form in my head the response I’d have inevitably gotten from David Gaider when he still had an active Tumblr of what would amount to, nicest, “we cannot please everyone, enough people were moved by Dorian’s story to make it worthwhile, sorry.” Given some of my cynicism, I can’t help but believe that it would also have come with a “sorry you feel that way.” Particularly considering some of the comments he’s made about Cullen and Kaidan as LIs, both of whom being characters I connect to more than others in their respective games...
And like... Gaider is a gay man. Weekes is nonbinary. But they are from that generation who view being able to exist openly as queer as a revolutionary statement, which... It’s a statement I want to make, sure, but it’s not a revolutionary one to me - “existence” is the bare minimum. To me, focusing on existence as a queer person is to say that the queer character must justify existing as queer in order to be a part of the narrative. But what is revolutionary to me is to give the queer person a story in the narrative that has NOTHING to do with their queerness.
Like... Fantasy world here, Inquisition drops with Cullen and Cassandra as same-sex exclusive LIs, while every other aspect of their stories are the same. Women can’t romance Cullen, Men can’t romance Cassandra. Other than that, we have Cullen with his addiction/redemption arc and Cassandra not just struggling with her faith but even getting the chance to be Divine. Yes, fandom would FLIP. THE FUCK. OUT. But here’s what it says - the things that these characters go through in the course of the game are not defined by their sexuality. Hell, with these characters specifically, you get characters with MASSIVE relevance to queer stories that AREN’T exclusive to being queer - addiction is a real issue in queer communities, given how many of our safe spaces are bars or clubs, places where alcohol (and thus alcohol abuse) is easily obtained, and, by extension, drugs as well. Meanwhile, there are SCORES of queer people who struggle with the question of faith in the wake of their queerness manifesting.
THAT is revolutionary. To take these stories that straight people get all the time, that certainly have meaning as queer stories for the queer audience... And yet, when they go to these (hypothetically) queer characters, it has that subtext without making the story ABOUT their queerness, while still making it clear that, in this version of things, they are queer - players couldn’t pretend that it’s only in some parallel universe that they are queer, they would only be attracted to the same sex PC. THAT is revolutionary.
Or, y’know, take it back beyond BioWare for a little bit here - all the characters I feel the most connection to emotionally in TV shows are straight. All these men who are my role models only ever get shown being involved with women. At most, they’ll get queerbaited as MAYBE being queer, if you just keep watching! Inevitably, of course, they are not queer by the end of the show - the closest to date is the debacle that is Supernatural.
Yeah, there’s representation for ya.
And then there are those who end up looking at what I see as thoroughly inadequate and... They’re happy. They praise it. They look at this thing that hurts me, that excludes me, that can, when I’m in the bad headspaces, even make me question myself... And they have found something they like with it.
Which, for the record, good for them, genuinely and sincerely, I really am glad that someone is getting something out of this, but... Well, see above: life preserver, isolation, “sorry you feel that way.” Everyone else is getting what they needed, but what about me? When does my representation get to appear? Why am I always being left, scrounging for the scraps of the scraps? Why does other peoples’ representation always seem to get shoved to the front of the line, leaving me languishing in the back.
That’s the real thing about all of those lines of “if you don’t like it, go make your own!” At this point, even if I did manage to get something in my to-write folder cleaned up and ready to go, in reality... How am I supposed to feel like anyone other than me WOULD proceed to read it? That the audience would exist? Because... no one seems to care about this audience. Hell, how would I get anyone to publish it if it is only going to appeal to me?
I feel on the margins of the margins, where no one really cares. Hell, even here in my own blog, I feel afraid of backlash - I’ve had the assholes show up in response to like little brief comments that are off-the-cuff rambles, not worded in a way that makes them a full, detailed accounting, and either take them as evidence that I, personally, represent all that is wrong with fandom at large, or that I am a target for their trolling. Because saying that “I find the jokes about male Shepard not mattering to be diminishing of me as a queer person, can we please stop this?” is somehow not just lesbophobic, but VIOLENTLY lesbophobic. Or that saying that I don’t care that bad things happen to a fictional species is somehow advocating for violence against actual women. Or even explicitly calling out BioWare for lovingly lingering the camera on Miranda’s ass is slutshaming her. And of course, there are the assholes who responded to me saying on the BioWare Twitter announcement post for the Legendary Edition that, if it didn’t have a full trilogy male Shepard/Kaidan romance, I wasn’t buying it, and proceeded to a) call me entitled for it (like, read a dictionary, the very fact that I have to call for this content that doesn’t exist in the game proper is the OPPOSITE of entitlement...), b) tell me that I “shouldn’t deny [myself] a great story just because it doesn’t have gay people in it” and c) just generally be homophobic. Even in rolling with it on the basis of “the trolls are gonna show up period if you make it clear that you care about something, especially if you are trying to get representation for some group that is in the minority... It gets exhausting. It can be harmful. It makes it clear that you’re not welcome, even when you’re supposedly united by the fact that you and these people supposedly love the same piece of media.
I mean, among those examples, I’ve given the statements that inspired those responses no tags other than my own organizational tags, but SOMEHOW they find me anyway, so it wouldn’t surprise me if I got accused of like being another White Gay™ with this post, that I simply want to center the conversation wholly on myself at the expense of all other intersections of queerness and other identities or something for saying all of this, even though this is, and it says so from the start, a vent post, which, by definition, is centered on myself because it’s about me and my experiences and emotions. *sigh*
Anyway...
And, y’know, when BioWare actively refuses to even ACKNOWLEDGE that the absence of a full trilogy M/M romance option is a bad thing, it just ends up saying that the trolls are actually the audience they’re willing to court. That Supernatural ending with a brothers only focus that doesn’t even allow Cas to be mentioned other than offhandedly while suppressing ANY kind of emotional fallout to his admission of love says that they don’t care about the queer people who at the very least the actor was trying to be respectful and representative of. That every piece of media that says that to have a queer person in it, their presence must be explained and justified is saying that there needs to be a REASON for queerness, a reason that is not “because people are queer, and queer people come in as many stripes as cishet people, and so media should reflect that spectrum just as much.”
Even when the numbers of queer characters in media goes up, it doesn’t really move the needle. And that’s not even getting to the difficulties when you are any mix-and-match combo under the queer umbrella, or any other identity that intersects to marginalize someone in our society. It just...
Y’know, it doesn’t feel like “it gets better.” Rather it just feels like being stuck in position, just with a changing backdrop. Sure, things look different by the end of the day, but that doesn’t change that you’re not getting anywhere.
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