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warabidakihime · 9 months

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A Glimpse Beyond Grief: Chapter 2

Characters: Toji Fushiguro x Reader | Office AU | Both characters are in their early 30s | toji is good daddy in this uwu

Synopsis: galactically intertwined journey of two souls: one navigating the depths of loss, the other offering a beacon of healing. through witty banter and unspoken connections, they find solace in unexpected places, uncovering the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love to mend even the most shattered hearts.

Content warning: profanity, (eventual) smut, highkey adult themed, can be psychologically and emotionally triggering for some so read with caution.

A/N: there might be a few typos. will fix them once i get home later :D

"Kento, thoughts on this?"

You shared your concerns with your associate director, currently presenting his report during the weekly meeting with your group heads. The session was progressing well, with this month's revenue breaking records again after finalizing the partnership with Gojo Enterprise. The influx of inquiries from other companies kept everyone busy, a challenge you welcomed.

Toji, seated beside you, diligently recorded meeting minutes and contributed insights, especially during Kong Shiu's presentation, the head of your BFSI business unit. Toji collaborated closely with Kong Shiu on certain projects, but ultimately reported directly to you.

Nanami nodded in response to your inquiry. "Yes, according to Gojo-san, our current pace aligns with our agenda. He stressed maintaining service quality as crucial. The partnership has garnered attention, and upholding our standards is paramount."

Leaning back, you considered Nanami's response. "Good to hear. Quality remains non-negotiable as we scale up. We can't afford to compromise and damage our reputation."

Nanami remained composed. "Agreed. I've discussed resource allocation with team leads. We'll handle increased workload intelligently without compromising performance."

As the meeting progressed, Toji contributed, "I've reviewed potential synergies with Gojo Enterprise. Tech implementation stands out as an area where our teams could complement each other."

Nanami showed interest. "Excellent point, Fushiguro-san. Let's set up a meeting with their tech leads to explore these synergies."

You agreed, "Worth pursuing. Coordinate with their team and see if we can arrange something for next week."

The meeting continued with energy, ideas flowing, and plans taking shape. The partnership with Gojo Enterprise had opened opportunities, and your team aimed to leverage them.

After adjournment, Toji lingered. "I'll draft a proposal for joint tech exploration and run it by you before sending it to Satoru."

"Sounds good," you replied, appreciating Toji's proactive approach.

As everyone dispersed, Nanami approached, cautious before expressing his thoughts. "It's reassuring how well things are progressing. The team cohesion is stronger than ever. It should keep him at bay, or, with luck, we can finally shake him off."

You smiled, acknowledging his observation. "Teamwork and adaptability are our strengths. Let's maintain this momentum. Kento, thanks for your insights. I can imagine the effort, despite my reminders to take it easy."

Nanami nodded. "Of course, anytime. I want him out of the picture pronto."

You sighed, looking at your senior director. "Me too, Nii-san. Me too."

Toji observed the interaction between you and Nanami, later discovering he was your big brother. Upon realizing the resemblance, he understood why some mistook you for twins. Despite the age difference, you maintained a professional demeanor at work, surprising Toji when he learned about your relationship.

Returning to your office, your confidence in your team's abilities was evident. Once in the safety of your workspace, you released a slightly shaky breath, realizing you had been holding it during your walk from the boardroom. Toji, ever-observant, had been watching you but remained silent until you were both back in your shared office.

"Everything okay?" he asked as you settled at your desk, noting the unreadable expression that shifted into a rehearsed smile when you faced him.

"Yeah, just a bit tired from the meeting," you replied.

Toji hummed, settling at his desk to resume his tasks. Memories of the day Kenjaku visited replayed in his mind. He recalled the odd look on your face when Kenjaku entered, sensing the animosity between you two. Most of it emanated from you, your eyes shooting daggers at Kenjaku, who reveled in the confrontation with a smug smile.

The man's smile oozed smugness, his posture radiating self-assurance. Toji observed the interaction with a nonchalant air, his instincts signaling that this encounter held more depth than apparent.

You held your ground, a façade of composure concealing the turmoil brewing beneath the surface. Toji's sharp eyes shifted between you and Kenjaku, a flicker of intrigue igniting in the depths of his gaze.

As unspoken tension thickened the air, Toji found himself an unwitting spectator to a history shrouded in secrecy.

Kenjaku's voice flowed smoothly, carrying an unearned familiarity that echoed through the room. His eyes bore into yours with a dangerous mix of amusement and shadows.

"Kenjaku," you replied evenly, your voice a masterclass in masking the storm within.

Kenjaku advanced, his movements calculated, invading your personal space with the ease of a predator. "You're looking well," he remarked casually, as if the years between you were nothing more than a fleeting moment.

Your jaw tensed, every muscle poised against the instinct to step back. "Cut to the chase, Kenjaku. What do you want?"

He chuckled softly, the sound grating on your nerves like a dissonant melody. Toji's frown deepened as he observed, the room's tension a silent ballet of wills.

Kenjaku's smile turned predatory, revealing the hidden fangs beneath charm. "You've done well for yourself. JJK Holdings, partnering with Gojo Enterprise. Quite the success story."

Arms folded, you defended with a defiant grace. "I'm not here for pleasantries. If you have something to say, say it."

Toji's gaze flicked to your hands, the subtle tremor betraying the composed exterior. His concern deepened, a silent promise to intervene if needed.

Kenjaku's eyes narrowed, the charm slipping away to reveal the cold calculation beneath. "You always had a sharp tongue. But some things never change, Y/N."

Toji remained steadfast, the lines of readiness etched into his features. Your nostrils flared with a potent mix of anger and frustration. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, Kenjaku. Your games won't work."

Kenjaku's expression darkened, the mask crumbling further. "We'll see, Y/N. We'll see."

Eye contact lingered, anger boiling within. It took everything in you not to succumb to the impulse to slap him. As Kenjaku made his way to the door, his eyes landed on Toji, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"Ah, and who might you be?" Kenjaku's voice carried amusement, a calculated interest.

Toji leaned against a nearby table, his posture a blend of nonchalance and quiet confidence. "Fushiguro Toji, Y/N's Executive Assistant."

Recognition flickered in Kenjaku's eyes, a fleeting memory trying to resurface. "Ah, an executive assistant. How quaint."

Toji's lips curled into a knowing smile, his tone casual yet laced with an underlying challenge. "Indeed, quite quaint. But even the most ordinary roles can play a part in remarkable stories."

Tension thickened as a verbal spar unfolded. Kenjaku's arrogant smirk met Toji's confident gaze. "Well, it's good to see that some find contentment in such… supporting roles."

"Supporting roles often hold the threads of the story together, ensuring the narrative's success." Toji's response was a masterful blend of cleverness and professionalism; his words served as a shield of support for you, skillfully countering Kenjaku's implications.

However, Toji wasn't the only one adept in the art of subtle jabs. Kenjaku's attention shifted to you, but his words were directed at your executive assistant, a man visibly measuring your visitor. "Yes, yes... I'm sure Y/N picked you among her seas of applicants for your... capabilities," he turned to Toji, a sick smile playing on his face. "As someone who knows her so well, you're in good hands, Fushiguro-san."

Kenjaku's words dripped with innuendo, a vile implication that sent a chill down your spine. You understood the insinuation, feeling a deep sense of disgust – not towards yourself as Kenjaku perceived, but rather at the twisted conclusions he drew due to your past involvement with him. Meeting his gaze with a calm demeanor, you concealed the tumultuous emotions swirling within.

Toji's response was a seamless fusion of level-headedness and a touch of cheekiness; his words carefully chosen as a retort. "It's always reassuring to provide valuable assistance to a highly respected colleague."

An uneasy tension lingered as Kenjaku's gaze shifted from you to Toji, as if he were peering into the depths of something he shouldn't be privy to. With an arrogant smirk revealing concealed intentions, he slowly backed away. "Ah, well then, I shan't keep you any longer. You both seem to have been having a really good conversation before I arrived."

Kenjaku turned and left the room, his departure leaving behind a residue of tension that slowly dissipated yet never truly disappeared.

As the door closed behind him, you exchanged a brief glance with Toji, the shared unease unspoken yet palpable. Then, for a split second, the lump you had been suppressing surged upwards, choking you with a whirlwind of emotions.

"Y/N!" Toji's voice carried urgency as he swiftly moved to your side, a pillar of support in the aftermath of Kenjaku's unsettling presence.

Slumping down on the floor, you felt the weight of the encounter crash down upon you, your body reacting to the overwhelming stress in a way that you couldn't control. As you expelled the contents of your stomach, the taste of bile on your tongue was a bitter reminder of the toxicity that still lingered from your past.

Toji's hand found its place on your back, rubbing comfortingly as he tried to offer solace amid the storm raging within you. His other hand fumbled for his phone in his pocket, the urgency of the situation driving him to seek help from anyone who could offer support.

Frustrated tears streamed down your face, mingling with the remnants of nausea. The sudden and unwelcome intrusion of your ex-husband had shattered the carefully constructed walls you had built to keep him at bay. The image of his smug smile was seared into your mind, each flash of memory a fresh wave of distress.

Your body convulsed with coughs, and your chest tightened with each intake of air. Toji remained steadfast, his presence a stabilizing force amidst the chaos. He murmured words of reassurance; the sound was a lifeline that helped ground you even as your panic threatened to consume you.

Moments later, the door swung open with a sense of urgency, and Nanami burst into the room. His usually composed demeanor was replaced with raw concern as his gaze landed on his sister, trembling and broken on the floor. He knelt down beside you, his touch gentle yet firm as he sought to offer his support.

Nanami's eyes held a mix of frustration and protectiveness; he had witnessed the toll Kenjaku's presence took on you before, and the sight of your suffering struck a nerve within him. He gently reached out, his hand finding yours in a comforting grip. "Y/N," His voice was soft but unwavering, a lifeline echoing Toji's earlier attempts to anchor you. "You're safe now. He's gone."

But just like any other attack, their words flew by you, distant echoes in the midst of your overwhelming turmoil. You were trapped in a whirlwind of emotions, your chest constricting with anxiety and pain. The memory of Kenjaku's smug smile and cutting words replayed like a haunting melody in your mind, each note reverberating with the memories of past wounds.

As you trembled, unable to find your voice, you felt Nanami's arms wrap around you in a protective embrace. The warmth of his presence and the strong beat of his heart against your back provided a sense of solace; his touch was a silent promise that he was there for you and that he wouldn't let you face this alone. His grip tightened as he held you close, his voice a whisper against your ear. "I'm here, Y/N. You're not alone. Not anymore. Not ever."

But even in the safety of his arms, the pain persisted, the memories too vivid to ignore. Tears streamed down your face as you struggled to regain control over your racing heartbeat. The suffocating weight of fear and anger pressed down on you, threatening to overwhelm your senses.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. It's my fault. I failed you again today." Nanami’s words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of his own guilt and turmoil; his tone was heavy with regret and self-blame.

You turned your head slightly, seeking his eyes through tear-blurred vision. His gaze was earnest, filled with a mixture of remorse and affection. In that moment, you saw not just your older brother but a man who had carried his own burdens and regrets, a man who had always tried to protect you, even from the demons of the past.

Toji, once again a star witness to yet another spectacle he's probably not allowed to see, continued to observe from a respectful distance. His expression was a mix of concern and understanding. He watched as Nanami cradled you in his arms, offering the comfort that only a brother's embrace could provide.

As your tears gradually subsided and your breathing began to steady, you were too tired and drained to speak. Nanami's grip remained firm, an unspoken promise that he would stand by your side through it all. In the midst of the lingering pain and vulnerability, you finally found peace in the presence of those who cared for you—a reminder that you were not defined by the scars of your past.

However, your eyes still looked distant, a complete contrast to the ones that Toji was used to. When you turned to him, your eyes somehow regained their clarity, and the sight sent shivers down his spine. The scene felt hauntingly familiar to him, a poignant reflection of the depths he had once sunk into during his grieving days after the loss of his wife. It was as though he could see the shadows of his own past in the turmoil you were experiencing. He had been lost in a similar type of pain and despair until Megumi and Tsumiki helped him stand up again and start anew.

You mumbled something under your breath; it sounded so faint, but both of them heard you loud and clear.

"I'm sorry."

The weight of those words hung in the air, carrying layers of meaning that resonated with the shared experiences of pain and redemption. Toji's gaze held a mixture of empathy and recognition, silently acknowledging the complexities of healing and the journey toward self-forgiveness.

The day slipped by effortlessly, and before anyone realized it, the clock had already struck five, signaling the end of the workday. Toji was in the midst of organizing his belongings when he noticed you still engrossed in your laptop, your fingers dancing across the keyboard.

"You're not heading home yet?" His question held a hint of concern as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, his gaze lingering on you, absorbed in your work.

"Hm, not just yet. I need to wrap this up in time for our meeting with Satoru next week."

After gathering his belongings, Toji walked over to your desk and peeked at what you were working on—the proposal for the partnership. "If you want, I can work on that at home. Just email me the key points, and I'll have it ready by Friday."

You met Toji's gaze with a mixture of reluctance and relief in your eyes. Despite wanting to refuse his offer, your gratitude betrayed you, causing a chuckle to escape Toji's lips. He affectionately ruffled your hair with one hand and suggested, "Leave it to me, Y/N. Head home and get some rest."

A grateful smile formed on your lips, and in an uncharacteristic move, you leaned gently into the warmth of his hand, now cozily resting on your shoulder. Such familiarity between a supervisor and her subordinate might raise eyebrows, but the fatigue coursing through you outweighed any adherence to protocol. And in all honesty, it had been so long since you'd experienced any semblance of softness and warmth that your hormones were acting up. You couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious as it physically manifested through the apples of your cheeks.

Besides, ever since that pivotal day, the seed of a harmless crush had deepened its roots, evolving into something more profound. While you hesitated to label it love, you were certain you were hurtling in that direction at the speed of light.

However, your musings on Toji's feelings for you were less certain. Was he merely being a steadfast friend, or was he forging a deeper connection? Or did your own self-doubt misconstrue his intentions as pity, stemming from witnessing your vulnerability?

"I'll leave it to you then, Toji. Thank you," you replied to him, to which he responded with a gentleman-like nod. You smiled at the gesture before standing up to stretch your very tired limbs. You were practically glued to your seat, so sore all over your body that a tiny whimper escaped your lips.

"Just doing my job," Toji said, his voice laced with mirth.

"Make sure to plot in your timesheet that you allotted overtime hours, so it gets measured by the payroll team," you reminded him as you gathered your own belongings. Toji chuckled at this and nodded again as a response, but it was soon followed by a cheeky reply, "Thanks, boss."

You snorted at his remark and playfully smacked him on the chest. A shared laugh filled the room, and your eyes briefly met before you pulled away to finish tidying up, preparing to head home and rest. The journey to the elevator was enveloped in a comfortable silence, punctuated by the occasional brush of your hands. Each accidental collision sparked a wave of warmth in your chest, and Toji's ears showed a hint of crimson. He contemplated whether to pull his hand away or yield to the desire to grab yours and hold it tight. Ever since that day, something stronger and more compelling had stirred within Toji.

What he had been denying to himself since your paths crossed was becoming clearer. It wasn't just gratitude; it was a genuine attraction that burned and ate away at him the more time he spent with you.

As you waited for the elevator, Toji broke the silence by asking, "Are you free this weekend?"

"Hm? Yes, why?" Your voice betrayed a subtle excitement, and your heart raced. Is this what you think it is?

"Well, I was kind of thinking of inviting you to come along with me and the kids to an animal shelter we visit monthly," Toji started. He cleared his throat and scratched a spot on his nape, a nervous habit. "Tsumiki, my daughter, and well… Megumi too, they love animals, and so we have this tradition of volunteering at the shelter near our neighborhood. If you want, you can tag along and, you know, relax. Not that working at an animal shelter would help you relax, but at least, it would keep your mind preoccupied." He chuckled sheepishly.

A genuine smile dawned on your face. You couldn't help but appreciate that he wasn't outright addressing what happened a couple of days ago, as you weren't quite ready to have that conversation. You looked at him, and this time, you were rather bold with your actions as you subtly batted your eyelashes at your executive assistant, saying, "I'd love to." The air seemed to crackle with unspoken emotions, and Toji's gaze held a mixture of relief and anticipation, a silent acknowledgment of the uncharted territory your relationship was treading.

Taglist: @nerdiel-has-no-braincells @bontens-angel

#warabidakihime #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #jjk smut #toji smut #toji x you #toji x reader #toji fushiguro smut #toji fushiguro x you #toji fushiguro x reader #jujutsu kaisen smut #jjk headcanons #jjk imagine #jujutsu kaisen headcanons

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adarkrainbow · 1 month

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Romanian witches: Muma Padurii

(Note: I unfortunately cannot add the accents needed for the writing of those names since my keyboard is not equiped. So know that there are accents missing)

I originally made a post about one Romanian fairytale figure... which turned into a post about two fairytale figures... which became a post about three fairytale figures... So ultimately I decided to split this post into a whole series because it was getting too big. I want to explore with you three characters tied together in Romanian folklore and all present within Romanian fairytales, but each fascinating in their own right. And I want to begin with the first of these ladies... Muma Padurii.

Muma Padurii means "The Forest Mom", or "The Mother of the Forest" (Muma is an archaic form of "mom").

In fairytales, Muma Padurii is an antagonist. She is an embodiment of the wicked witch, or rather of the hag. She is a very old and very ugly woman (so ugly the expression "You look like Muma padurii" is an insult) who lives all alone in a little, dark and scary house in the depths of the woods. She is not a normal woman: she is a witch gifted with various supernatural powers (including shapeshifting), and she is also an ogress who loves to eat children. It is as a children-predator that she usually appears within Romanian fairytales, luring kids to her house to kill and cook them. One of the most famous Muma Padurii fairytales is the Romanian version of "Hansel and Gretel", which mostly differs by A) having the witch named B) the house not being made of candy and C) the genders are reversed (here it is the girl that is to be boiled alive into a soup, while it is the boy that pushes the hag into the oven).

But the thing with Muma Padurii is that, in a similar way to Frau Holle, she is an entity that was "split" between fairytales and legends. There is a Muma Padurii of folktales which is the evil hag I presented above, but there is also a Muma Padurii of beliefs and legends which is quite different and much more neutral.

This Muma Padurii is still an old, ugly, shapeshifting witch - but she is presented as amoral rather than wicked, with a personality mixing a fairy-like mischieviousness and just pure insanity. The name "Muma Padurii" is also very revealing... In the fairytales this name is used in the typical motif of the witch/hag as the "false mother" or "anti-mother", but in the Romanian mythology, this name indicates what Muma Padurii is. She is the Mother of the Forest, as in the spirit of the forest. Her main role, and the reason for her hostility towards humankind, is her function as the guardian of the woods. She still lives in a remote and hidden location - but it is not always a little cabin, it can just be a tree, and it is usually within a virgin-woodland at the heart of the forest, untouched by human hands. She still brews potions - but they are good potions, that she uses to heal injured animals and sick trees. For Muma Padurii always keeps the forest alive. She does attack humans - but only those that destroy the fauna and flora, or that trespass within forbidden areas where only wild things are supposed to be. This was why those that entered the woods were warned to not go too far and to respect what surrounded them: else Muma Padurii would at best scare them away, at worst drive them to insanity with her magic. As such, it was forbidden to pick up certain wild fruits and berries in the forest during certain times of the year - they were for the animals to replenish their strength, and Mama Padurii made sure this rule was followed. In the most extreme cases she would kill the trespassers and devour their corpses like a wild animal - a bogey-version of Muma Padurii that explains her role as a child-eating crone in fairytales...

Muma Padurii is present all across Romania, sometimes in local variations (Padureanca, Muma Huciului), and this explains why there are so many different incarnations of her. Sometimes she is an angry ghost of the woods, a vengeful spirit which can be heard crying among the trees for all the plants that mankind destroyed, and if a house built near the forest isn't carefully locked up at night, she will enter in them at midnight and kill all those inside... Other times she is depicted as a young and beautiful fairy of light, who will be kind and helpful to children but will trick adults into being lost, having their body paralyzed or dying in various ways. This specific idea of the "young faced Muma Padurii" is notably present in another folktale/fairytale, where it is said that the Muma Padurii is a witch that needs to eat human hearts to keep herself young and alive - as such she takes on the appearance of a beautiful woman to lure young men into the woods, but once they are isolated enough she turns into a giant monster and rips their hearts away.

Her link to the forest is highlighted by how she is often said to disguise herself as a tree, to be a part-tree woman, or a hag clothed in moss (she also can appear as a cow, a horse or an ox) ; her function as a "Romanian fairy" is also highlighted by how in various legends she either makes babies sick, or replaces them by changelings (and as such they were several folk-spells and rituals Romanian country-folks used to protect their babies from the Forest-Mom). But mostly Muma Padurii stays an embodiment of the woods in what they have of dangerous and scary. She can be kind and helpful - but only towards the "innocent", animals, plants and (sometimes) children. However she stays an ancient woman of the woods, the mistress of the wild animals, the embodiment of a state of non-civilizations, and as such she is the fright that drives one mad and the savage force that will kill and eat men. And even then, the fauna and flora itself is not always escaping her wrath - some records say that Mama Padurii knows the name of every tree of the forest, but that she can get angry at some and curse them to fall either by the woodsman's axe or by lightning.

The last interesting difference between the fairytale Muma and the legendary Muma is that, while the fairytale Muma is usually a lonely entity, in beliefs Muma Padurii was part of a large family. Sometimes Muma Padurii herself was multiplied into several "Muma" - there was notably a belief about many of them sometimes visiting the cabins of those that lived near the woods, asking to have their hair brushed and cleaned, with a comb and butter (which isn't an easy feat since she had her hair dirty, tangled in snake-like braids and so long it touches the floor). Anyone who agreed to the task and performed it well could receive a wish from the Mother of the Woods - but the rule was that they could only pronounce three words in total as long as she was here, if a fourth was pronounced, she would take your voice and leave you mute. Sometimes Muma Padurii was given a male counterpart of companion called "The Father of the Forests", or the "Woods Papa".

Muma Padurii was also said to have several sons, which were the spirits of the woods and/or of the night (going by names such as Decuseara, Zorila, Murgila, Mamornito or "Midnight"). She is also linked to a set of female forest spirits known as the Fata Padurii (Fata being of course linked to the "fairies", "fées", "fatum" - but here it is to be understood as "The Daughters of the Forest", "The Girls of the Woods, and fittingly they are said to be the daughters of Muma Padurii) ; and to an entity I personaly do not know much about, "Mosul Codruilui" (she is said to be her mother, and "Mosul" means "old woman")

Finally, there was a certain Christianization of the Muma (as some tales started saying her task as a guardian of the forest was given to her by God), and a modern attempt at explaining how she could be such an ambiguous entity, benevolent and malevolent at the same time: most modern storytellers highlight how protective she is of the fauna and flora, and how she was said to wail and cry for the destroyed wood, to explain her "transformation" as her becoming more and more bitter, and angrier and fuller of hate the more humans destroyed her domain, harmed her trees and wounded her "children". A true ecological fable.

Some people point out that Muma Padurii could be a "Romanian equivalent" of the Russian Baba-Yaga which is... not quite exact and not quite true. The two characters seem to derive from a same old "forest mother-goddess" but there are too many differences between Muma Padurii and Baba-Yaga for them to be consideed one and the same. There is however a interesting link between the two, which will be the subject of my next post... about Baba Cloantza.

#romanian folkore #romanian fairytales #romanian witches #romanian mythology #romania #muma padurii #forest goddess #hag #witches of folklore #legendary witches #forest-woman #wild woman #fairytale antagonist #forest mother

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canonically47 · 7 months

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my take on the OFMD s2 finale: fuck that

(major spoilers continuing from here)

it’s sweet that the crew now also has zheng, auntie, spanish jackie and the swede is back, the reunion kiss was the sweetest thing ever, i loved lucius and pete’s wedding etc etc but there’s some things i can’t look past.

let’s get into izzy. izzy went through a lot this season. he started off as someone we were meant to dislike and slowly evolved into the only reason the crew was alive and functional. they became his family, and he became their new, true leader. their new unicorn, if you will. they cared for him, they loved him, and he loved them back. hell, he even had that sweet speech about piracy that made me tear up!

but then he died. and this isn’t the bury your gays trope, since the show has dozens of happy gay people and a lot of queer joy, but the redemption through death trope - or at least a poor attempt at him.

look at me. izzy got all the redemption he needed. he proved himself. he was happy. he was content. he had a good life ahead of him. and then he died.

his final words didn’t even mean anything, because ed still left the crew (along with stede). and this is sweet because they got to fulfill their dreams of having an inn, but this would have been better if izzy’s speech was just slightly different. or if it was like it canonically is, then it should have been established the crew was going to visit, or the inn was temporary, or ANYTHING.

back to izzy - i’m not mad he died. i’m mad the timing was horrendously bad. a single 28 minute episode is not enough to have ed’s character arc evolve, a sweet reunion, lots of drama and comedy, kill izzy off, have a lupete wedding, and have gentlebeard stay behind to have an inn. there should have been one or two extra episodes. there should have been more time to mourn izzy! i was sobbing my ass off and the show had already moved on to the wedding - i mean, what?? are we just not meant to care? i get that he had that burial, and he was shown as the last frame in the show yes, but how much tribute is that? stede’s dialogue made it seem like he barely cared when we knew the two had gotten closer! i get that he may have had conflicting emotions and this show is a comedy, but come on, people, you can do better!

the inn idea is sweet but i don’t see it lasting. the fourth episode really makes me wary of this idea because those two girls really fucking hated that domestic lifestyle bro!!! also, ed just accepted himself as a pirate outside of blackbeard, he just forgets that life? that’s bullshit. you can’t just spend the entire season exploring ed’s character as a pirate and then drop the pirate part. you can’t!!!

still mad about izzy. still confused about why everyone was in such high spirits after his death despite, you know, them getting along with him amazingly this season and loving him so deeply. but whatever, i too would be back at sea and giggling after my (at heart) captain died. in fact, i would even get married after that! yay, ring those bells! (/sarc)

i loved the wedding but you cannot tell me it wouldn’t have been better if there had just been more time between izzy’s death and it.

also. i’m pretty sure so many other characters walked off wounds in that exact area izzy got shot in... but i guess... plot armor??

tl;dr: i’m pissed off at OFMD’s season two ending, especially the way izzy’s death was handled.

yeah, i’m not happy with this. at least put me out my misery and announce this is the last season. dragging it on for longer would not work.

ending words: i would have been much more content with izzy dying if he was given more time, if his death was handled better, and if his speech had meant anything at fucking all to ed.

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axewchao · 4 months

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Another look at the three new faces from the previous pic! They may only be memories to Dal now, but they're memories that he keeps close to his heart.

Fun fact: Everyone in Dal's tribe had their names come from gems. Would've had each gem connect via what they symbolize, but it was hard to get any concrete meanings when multiple sites would say different things about the same gem. So I decided, "screw it, go random."

Tanzi: (Name comes from tanzanite.) The older of Dal's charges. A shy yet curious sort, Tanzi loved exploring the caverns with her Warden. She especially loved lessons revolving around gems and their uses, and would collect different ones so she could practice making jewelry. Coming from a whole family of jewelers, it was clear that Tanzi would've had a head start on her future once she was of apprentice age.

Whenever she wandered the lower levels of the tribe's home, Tanzi would often sense something... "off" about the area, but no one ever saw her concerns worth investigating. Except her Warden, that is...

Ama: (Name comes from amazonite.) The younger of Dal's charges. Reckless and confident, Ama's dream from the get-go was to become an Ascendant and see the world above, and she spent every day trying to find ways to make that happen. Often to disastrous effects; proving how fast she could run led to her crashing into people/fragile objects, she'd nearly set off a few traps that could've seriously hurt her, and Dal himself had his own share of injuries when trying to keep her out of harm's way. Him being gentle yet firm was what made him the only Warden capable of keeping her in check, as others would loudly scold her, which both scared and made her all the more determined to prove herself, just so they'd stop yelling all the time.

Her motivation took a hard hit after her Warden was sealed inside a crystal; that's only for the bad guys, and her Warden was never bad!! So why'd the grown-ups take him away...?

Lazule: (Name comes from lapis lazuli.) A friend of Dal's since childhood, Lazule was an Ascendant; a tribe member that was granted access to the surface world after proving he was capable of handling the dangers that waited up above. His role was mainly to gather various herbs, fruits, and any other plants when requested. He did this happily, often coming back with more than what was asked of him because he wanted to spoil the puggles. And maybe get a flower or two for Dal, since seeing the latter left him more and more tongue-tied as they both got older...

While Tanzi and Ama are at peace in the afterlife, Lazule's spirit remained dormant in the caves, watching over the crystal Dal was imprisoned in, the Protector Pearl, and the ruins they both once called home. It isn't until Team Sonic arrives and frees Dal that Lazule finally passes on, knowing that both his dearest friend and the tribe's beloved Protector Pearl were left in good hands.

The new world Dalex had ascended to was completely different from what Lazule had always seen... but Dal would be fine. And someday, when Dal's time truly comes, he can tell Lazule all about it.

Until then, Lazule, Tanzi, Ama, and many others are more than content to wait.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic oc #Tanzi the Echidna #Ama the Echidna #Lazule the Echidna #originally i was gonna have Lazule be a hunter #but then i realized the gold he wears wouldn't be very good for stealth and such-#so i made him a forager instead #gotta make sure the little ones stay healthy!#axewchaoscribbles

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cloudninetonine · 4 months

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Reading the crossover stuff you've written for linked universe is rotting my head so much that it got me back into writing!!! (which is honestly a miracle I haven't written anything for myself in ages)

but like. I'm imagining a player's aid! insert who's also a big fan of Sky: Children of the Light (great game btw very fun with friends I recommend hehe)

and one day they just. find a random sky child????? In Hyrule??? so obviously since the sky child is all on their own where they really shouldn't be, mc just. adopts a kid. they can't really communicate well, if at all, except through very very exaggerated body language and gestures (emotes in the game is a common way to talk with strangers. or spam honking to get someone's attention. imagine the noise.) but eventually the player and the sky child become so close that they can just share looks or read each others body language and just know!

Wind has a new sibling now who is very happy to mess around and help play pranks on the others. The sky child wouldnt be afraid of Wolfie because they dont really have much reference for dangerous creatures except for the krill/dark dragons and Wolfie is too cute and small to scare them! Sky would probably really like them too because they can fly and they could be a really musically inclined sky child and be able to play different instruments! Like the harp in-game!! one of the links might find out about the child's arsonist related needs and be concerned, but the mc insists that the child is fine! Don't worry at all, Hyrule. They genuinely won't get any burns from standing directly on top of the campfire! they aren't a normal hylian child, they actually kinda need fire to stay alive and rain isn't good for them, it puts out their light. now I'm imagining angst with rain oh no-

the sky child (who would probably be a veteran who's been around a long time and was probably exploring out of bounds areas and somehow managed to get to Hyrule. whoops) is kinda confused but up for exploring this vast realm and find mc and they just. adopt this weird not-a-spirit-yet person who kind of has light too? so maybe a moth? (affectionate term for new players gicitdkgdigditdoyd)

and when the sky child first meets the chain, they are probably just freaking out over their clothes lol. cosmetics and basically dress up is a very big part of the game and the sky child would not be above begging to get their hands on their own really pretty blue scarf, black pelt, cool looking armour, etc etc.

So the sky child is super caring and protective over mc. they would probably bite legend at some point lmao. they can just sense the bad vibes from him! They don't really understand it, but legend doesn't like their moth, and obviously they won't stand for any slander so they bite :D (even if there could be a communication barrier because they can't speak the language, only HÖNK)

side note, I'm actually writing a crossover fic for linked universe and Sky:COTL. can you tell that i've been losing my mind over them??

Shameless plug in to my amazing friend @sketchyspook who has their very own Sky Linksona that y'all should check out!!

God I haven't played Sky in so long PIUFGP

Now back to the ask

I LOVE THIS IDEA SO MUCH IT'S SO CUTE- Player adopts a little child is one of my favourite genres honestly. LET THEM BE A PARENT!!! Running around and trying to take care of their kids they're gonna be in aches and pains at the end of it all PIUGFPI

ALSO THE SKY CHILD BITING LEGEND I'M LAUGHING- REFUSING TO LET GO AND BEING SWUNG ABOUT AS PLAYER WATCHES WITH A SMIRK

Very happy after it all, sitting on Player's lap while Legend glares across the camp and they honk happily

#cloud answers #violetregrets1837

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n7punk · 6 days

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"Lightbeam" Fic Notes

Pretend I posted this *checks watch* two days ago when I finished Lightbeam. I got busy lol and I was playing Stardew Valley.

Epilogue Life:

:) You’ll have to wait

Chapter 1:

⦁ This fic was originally written back in February after Embrace the Blame in preparation for the Bang. TLDR is we needed to have the fics ready early so the artists could then illustrate them, so I just wanted to write the whole thing at once because that’s how my projects work. I actually finished Embrace the Blame a few days before I posted the final chapter(s) because I had been posting it on a schedule and I could just continue using that as I worked on this to make the gap in my posting overall smaller. I think it actually took me like two weeks to write this, which is why there was a week and a half between the end of EtB and start of MMaM (and of course I had to write MMaM some too, but I already wrote the first few chapters ages ago). It’s also why there was almost two weeks between Start Your Engine finishing and Our Love Is God starting. I wrote the entire rough draft in February, and during that break I edited and finalized the fic for posting in May. I also just had a lot going on then, but yeah this fic has been slotted in between my others over the last few months.

⦁ Adora’s father’s information was left blank because she was an immaculate conception. More on this will be explored in the sequel fic <3

⦁ Norwyn is officially unnamed in the reboot I think but he’s one of the higher-ups at Mystacor. In the OG he was Shadow Weaver’s mentor.

⦁ Adora’s weather powers come up a lot in the first few scenes and I wish I had more “diversity” in magical incidents, but the problem is, as outlined later in the fic, Adora has no idea the stuff she’s doing (see: her coffee) and the weather stuff is pretty much the only consistent thing she has identified as maybe her fault. There was initially also mention of a drowning incident she miraculously survived when learning how to swim that even she knew was weird, but it ended up cut for flow.

⦁ In general, magic is normal, inevitable, and accepted, but there are still some “normie” communities that pop up in small pockets and want nothing to do with, say, a lesbian drowning the upper east side by accident on a Wednesday afternoon because she’s sad. Legally they can’t do anything to “discriminate”, but it’s a culture thing. Catra faced constant bullying and Adora was only safe because she didn’t even know if she had magic. Weaver moved there after getting cursed from her own incompetence because they easily believed the story that someone else cursed her and welcomed her in as a victim with open arms. Her understanding along with rejection of magic made her the perfect person to point to justify their ignorance (see, even a once-sorceress can be turned on and reject magic when she realizes the dangers. Etc). The main reason she moved there was just because there was less magic in the area, though (part of the reason a normie community popped up there), so it made it easier to manage her curse because it was weakened.

⦁ Oh boy, the Whispering Woods section. So first, I should say the version in the fic is pretty much what I originally outlined. The only big difference was Adora was supposed to find out about Razz from her research and went seeking her out rather than going there following her “mom.” I couldn’t figure out what that research would look like, though, so I went with the mom thing because that aligned with her backstory. My big problem was that I got a new idea once I got to writing the woods and the new idea was bad but it felt like reversing progress to go back to the original thing. The new idea was that Mara was an ancient She-ra who fell in love with Light Hope and, in her grief when Light Hope died, accidentally transformed her soul into a guardian spirit who would watch over future She-ras and “keep them safe” so they don’t get in a position where they, yknow, accidentally warp time and space and the laws of physics again. Light Hope was the one who actually sent the lightning, sent Catra, and protected Adora when she was drowning when she was seven. Adora would find the hut, would talk in circles with Razz, spot Catra who immediately fled, and get so frustrated and sad it started pouring rain, which forced Catra to flee back in through the window and into Adora’s arms for safety from Razz but she refused to change back because she was mad at her. While waiting out the storm, Adora eventually had the idea to google guardian spirits, found different methods for getting in contact with them, and tried meditation. This is around when I realized this whole set-up was bust, but the idea was going to be that she got in contact with Light Hope, had her powers she wasn’t in touch with explained to her, and told Light Hope to stop the wrath of god shit. Light Hope’s existence kind of wiped out everything I had planned for what was supposed to be the actual fic with her learning her powers. This new backstory changed everything and ruined what I actually wanted to write about, so I went back to my original outline. It’s way better for it and it meant I actually got to do the slow discovering and mastering of her powers I had planned, but boy can it be a struggle to dig yourself out of a hole and lose “progress”.

⦁ Catra eating the pie was actually a joke from before I started working on the fic. The original joke was that she was legitimately visiting the woods just to “steal” food from Razz and this was a thing she did on the weekends sometimes because they all lived nearby. Razz was fine with sharing with her cat “guest” in this version and seemed oblivious to the fact she was a person. This got changed because 1) Even if I changed it so they were all living near the woods and there weren’t barriers to Catra and Adora spending time together early on when she’s reluctant, that then posed the question of why the hell Adora hadn’t tried visiting her mom’s place already if it was easily accessible, 2) while I think Catra taking the pie once she knows about it is in character, her ever wandering through the woods enough to even find Razz to steal from wasn’t, so the basic set up didn’t really work, 3) the final version, with Adora’s powers going haywire and bringing her there, is way more impactful and in line with the fic’s story. It gives Catra a motivation to keep in contact with Adora after this point and illustrates definitively just how powerful Adora’s powers can be when she’s still in denial about the “warping the fabric of reality” thing.

⦁ Agatha Trunchbull was the basically demonic head mistress in Matilda, which, from my understanding, had a fucking torture closet she would lock kids into, in addition to regularly assaulting them like when she clobbered a massive serving tray over a kids head. I haven’t actually read the book, I just knew someone who liked it growing up and I went to the wikipedia to be sure when I went for the reference.

Chapter 2:

⦁ Adora’s spiraling and exaggerating, but empaths do need to actually hold the hand of someone and open their heart to feel their energy, so Adora isn’t likely to ever cause an accidental concussion as long as she’s careful about who she holds hands with.

⦁ “Catra sends her a condescending look that makes Adora blush for some reason.” It’s because you like belittling, idiot.

⦁ Catra’s kitten form is partially a result of trauma and partially natural self-defense. Having such a small form allowed her to hide and slip away when she needed safety from Weaver/bullies/etc. The trauma getting a little better is why she was able to “grow up” a little but she was right that it’s permanent in the sense she will never be able to have an adult form.

⦁ The meditation was actually a lot more helpful than Adora gave it credit for, but again, lack of self-awareness.

Chapter 3:

⦁ Adora’s whole thing about “oh, I’ve never actually experienced this thing I’ve heard talked about” is definitely a realization I’ve had a few times in my life, usually in some medical context though, like when I found out I’d never had an actual runny nose because I’d never breathed through my nose before.

Chapter 4:

⦁ Catra is being especially cuddly as a cat because it’s an “acceptable” way to get snuggled up close so she can then transform and properly cuddle Adora.

⦁ Catra showing up at her door as a cat was literally just because I wanted an excuse to write more kitten!Catra I was ready to be done with her yet lol.

⦁ I’m planning to write a sequel fic set a few years down the line once Catra and Adora are married, but as you know if you’ve been following my Tumblr, I have like three active WIPs demanding attention, so that’s going to have to wait.

⦁ This isn’t related to the fic so much, but this was my first time ever doing a fandom event! There’s definitely zines and stuff I would have wanted to participate in before but I only ever learn about these things after they’re already over lol. I loved being part of this Bang and oh my god do I love the illustrations so much Karo did an INCREDIBLE job. I knew I wanted to participate in the Bang the second I heard about it, but picking a fic was hard. I really wanted to write something in canon but didn’t think any of my current OotW ideas would be long enough for the word count requirement. At that time, I had a canon divergent AU ready to go, but it was Make Me A Monster and I wanted to do something happy so… yeah that was a no go lol even if someone might have wanted to draw the cybernetics. Lightbeam ended up being the perfect option because it was 1) fairly short for an AU but long enough to meet the requirement and post over the week, 2) light-hearted, 3) had plenty of scenes I thought someone might want to illustrate between Adora’s powers and kitten!Catra, 4) I’ll be honest, it kind of felt full circle, because…

⦁ At the start of this year I posted freak occurrence: confluence as a celebration of over three years of posting Catradora fics and finally getting to my fics being 1% of the entire Catradora tag on AO3 (next goal is 1% of the SPOP tag — JOKE THIS IS A JOKE THAT’S NEVER HAPPENING). It featured tons of my Catradora couples from various AUs — including one AU that hadn’t been posted yet. I’d had the freak occurrence fic idea for three years, so whenever I came up with a new AU I’d picture its Catradora in that scenario, which meant I’d already thought about what Lightbeam’s couple would do in that scenario even though I hadn’t written it yet. Getting to post it as part of the Bang was so exciting and I hope it lived up to expectations! The version that was featured in that fic was a few years older, when Adora had a better grip on her magic, but you’ll see a bit of that in the sequel fic.

Meta:

Playlist

Upcoming:

I have a one shot I’m probably going to post in the next couple days and then I’m aiming for Slipstream (my hacker AU) but uh….. Something is coalescing that may also demand attention. Stay tuned ig lol

#lightbeam #fic notes #ficmeta

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coldgoldlazarus · 10 months

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Metroid Prime 4 Wishlist: Remastered

I decided to look back at this old list again, and while I more-or-less stand by what I said at the time, I still wanted to get a bit more in-depth with some of it, as well as discuss new thoughts I hadn't had at the time. So in the spirit of Prime's recentish remaster and Echoes' hopefully upcoming rerelease, here's a new and improved wishlist of things I would like to see in Prime 4. I'm certainly not expecting all of this, and I won't even be too disappointed if most of it doesn't come true. But still, here's what I'm personally hoping for, at least.

World Design & Exploration

1. One Interconnected World: While I respect Corruption's efforts to broaden the scope with multiple planets, and it did fit that particular story well, I still would rather sticking with one planet and getting to know it more intimately, like in Prime and Echoes. A possible compromise of approaches could be to have a main planet with multiple regions and then some orbiting moons with their own isolated biomes that wouldn't fit with the rest, but either way I want a smaller scope and a bigger, more complex map.

2. Naturalistic Layout, Smooth Progression: Prime's world layout was interesting and unpredictable, but the pacing and smoothness of progression was marred by Magmoor and the frequent ping-ponging through it. Meanwhile, Echoes had a generally much more consistent progression, but achieved through a very straightforward and artificial world layout. I feel like a nice sweet spot between would be ideal, capitalizing on the advantages of both approaches while mitigating the downsides.

3. Splitting/Parallel Progression Paths: One of the things Hollow Knight did very well was in balancing the metroidvania upgrade loop against the freedom to explore. (To a certain extent Super Metroid had this as well, but not to the same degree.) Meanwhile the first three Prime games, much as I love them, suffer in replayability due to having a very defined and fairly railroaded progression path obscured by the backtracking.

I would like Prime 4 to try loosening that path and allow for upgrades to be obtained and bosses to be fought in different orders, (at the very minimum, intentionally allowed sequence breaking like in Super and Dread, without relying on stuff like the Scandash glitch) while maintaining enough structure for the progression to follow the intended story. Again, Hollow Knight is a strong example to look to.

4: Gunship As Fast-Travel: While I again favor a single-planet approach to exploration, I still think Corruption's heavier use of the gunship should be carried forward, and one of the ways that could happen would also address the problems in backtracking that Prime had. Having the ability to discover and clear access to other landing pads on-foot that the gunship could then be called to and travel between would be immensely useful. It could make late-game cleanup easier, reduce padding, and keep the ship relevant, rather than gathering dust in the far corner.

Ideally these pads would still be fairly spaced out, I think one per major region would fit the bill, but it would still be a nice way of reducing frustration in the lategame without completely trivializing exploration beforehand. (Just don't play the arrival fanfare Every Single Time she steps out of it, please)

5: Diverse Area/Room Layouts: One of Echoes' strengths, I feel, is in how the individual regions were constructed to each have their own distinct feeling. Prime's areas were either fairly gridlike (Ruins, Phendrana) with some occasional unconventional parts, or long hallways; (Magmoor, Mines) (yes the mines were a hallway it was just curled up) while Corruption's were all mostly just hallways, aside from the Pirate Homeworld; but with Echoes every region had their own style.

The Temple grounds were a big ring, with some branches and the Federation tunnels off to the side and the temple in the center, while Sanctuary Fortress was a pair of T-intersection halls stacked atop each other. Agon Wastes was a huge spread-out grid of big arenas connected by narrow corridors, while Torvus Bog was a tight, heavily interconnected web that had you going in dizzying spirals until more shortcuts were unlocked. Every one stood out not just in aesthetic, but in how it felt to actually traverse them, and I hope Prime 4 maintains that sort of variety.

6. More Verticality: While elevators afford some semblance of topography, and Prime's Phazon Mines and Echoes' Sanctuary Fortress in particular had some of this proper going on, I would love to see Retro take full advantage of the third dimension. From individual rooms, to broad areas, to the world as a whole, I want to see something more layered and topographically interesting, adding literally a new dimension to exploring throughout.

7. Mazelike Complexity, Grounded By Strong Landmarks: One of the things Samus Returns and Dread did that admittedly many don't like, but that I kinda do, is taking advantage of newer hardware to create a bigger, more complex map overall than prior 2D games, making for a more dense and mazey feeling. I personally would like to see Prime 4 do something similar, making each area bigger and with more rooms each, for a more complex layout on the whole with more to explore and discover.

However, where I do agree that this approach somewhat hampered SR and Dread was the aesthetic being overly-consistent (particularly in EMMI zones) and aside from a few specific rooms, not much in the way of memorable landmarks to use in navigation. While it had a more detailed map (and more railroading by blocking off prior areas) to lean on to mitigate this, it still makes navigation confusing rather than fun.

I feel like Prime 4 has an opportunity to rectify that with both more distinct individual rooms, and use of big landmarks (or even parts of other visitable areas) visible from multiple different rooms, (such as the shielded seed on Bryyo in Corruption) to keep navigation intuitive despite the greater complexity of the layout.

Upgrades & Features

1. Extremely Customizable Map Screen: Dread was a step in the right direction with the ability to place personal markers wherever, (which I definitely want to see here too,) but some have also said the level of detail in it can either be too easy or too overwhelming. I would like the ability to control the level of detail of what the map shows, whether it's Dread's positive deluge of information, the Prime trilogy's more straightforward marking of door types and simplified room layouts, Super's simple boxes, or even no map at all like in the original Metroid. Similarly, a feature like Corruption's Skytown Observatory, to mark uncollected upgrades in the map once you've progressed to a certain point in the game, but also still very optional.

Similarly, I would want map stations to be clearly delineated, (as I once attempted a playthrough of Prime with only the map showing places I had already been, only to mistake a map room for a missile refill and ruin it for myself,) and for the hint system to be able to be turned off like in Prime and Echoes, rather than mandatory like in Fusion, Zero Mission, and Corruption. In general, let people decide how much assistance they do or don't want in their exploration.

2. Retain Beam Swapping: While I know many people will likely disagree with me on this one, I personally favor the Prime/Echoes approach of swapping between distinct beams, rather than the flat stacking of effects like in Corruption and the 2D games.

While combat is honestly a secondary concern to me, I still feel like needing to change back and forth based on different enemies and contexts gave it a more engaging feeling compared to simply growing more straightforwardly powerful in Corruption. (Ironic given that one was the most combat-oriented of the three.) I will agree that the color-coding in parts of Prime wasn't the most exciting way of doing it, but Echoes' light/dark system was implemented better/more subtly, and I trust Prime 4 could similarly keep it fresh and interesting.

Alternatively, a good compromise between the two could be done like I said in another post a while back; having both specific beam types (IE wave, ice, plasma, dark & light) that need to be swapped between, and other stacking upgrades (such as the long beam, spazer, diffusion, etc) that impact how it fires. This could be a good way to have our cake and eat it, having that feeling of growth and evolution while maintaining the slightly deeper context switching system as well.

2.5. No Beam Ammo: While I do honestly like that as a feature in Echoes and felt it fit well there and added to the experience, I also feel like it is probably best kept there for now, unless Prime 4 somehow winds up involving the Luminoth again.

3. Keep Scanning Big, Freshen Up Other Visors: This is a more straightforward one. Again, I love the Scan Visor and I hope it remains a central feature of the game.

However, I'll also agree with those who have said that the trilogy thus far has kinda struggled with what to do with later visor upgrades. Prime's Thermal visor, while functional enough, still has few fans, and Echoes' Dark visor is a more limited and extremely contextual version of the X-Ray.

The Echo visor, meanwhile, I feel was an absolute win in terms of concept, but hamstrung by also being very limited in its actual utility. I realize there was only so much that could be done with it given an already-ambitious game running on the Gamecube's limited hardware, but given how pervasive sound actually is, I wish it had been given its full dues. Similarly, I think Corruption's Command visor was an interesting and smart addition, but also felt somewhat limited in the same way the Gunship as a whole was.

If either of those two make a comeback I hope they do more with them. If they introduce new visors, I hope those can also be unique and interesting additions; and given enough varied use-cases to be utilized throughout the game, rather than simply a handful of extremely specific moments.

4: More Original Upgrades And Suits: On that note, I hope Prime 4 maintains the trilogy's trend of adding new upgrades and even new upgrade branches (such as the visors and gunship), rather than simply falling back on the tried-and-true collection from Super. Especially nice in Echoes and Corruption were the new suits, and I particularly hope for Prime 4 to add some new interesting designs, off of the beaten Power/Varia/Gravity progression path.

5. Bring Back The Speed Booster: As hypocritical as this may be coming off of the last point, I hope to see an implementation of the speed booster and shinespark in 3D. Other M of all games managed to pull this off well, and I see no reason why Prime 4 couldn't do the same. Shinespark puzzles may have to be simpler than in the 2D games, admittedly, but I feel like it could still be utilized well enough to be worth that.

Furthermore, while some people insist this could only work in a third-person perspective, I personally disagree, and hope Retro will be daring enough to let the speed be felt from inside the helmet. (Though bear in mind my bias as a weirdo, who likes to play racing games from an inside-vehicle PoV when able.) Dread's Fast EMMI cutscene was a good tease of what this could be like.

6. Run Button & Parkour: Speed Booster or not, I feel like another way to alleviate the pacing complaints with the prior Prime games would just be allowing Samus to move a bit faster and be more agile, to make traversal and backtracking less of a slog, and bring it a bit more in-line with the 2D games. (Different planet gravities could be an easy way to justify the discrepancy.)

Similarly, this could take at least some cues from Mirror's Edge for how to make the first-person platforming a bit less clunky and more interesting. On the whole, I would want the generally more relaxed pacing of the Prime series to remain the primary vibe, but the option to move faster and take shortcuts when wanted would be nice to have.

7. Toggleable Upgrades: This is a minor one and probably what I'm least married to overall, but in the spirit of options, it would be fun to bring back the ability to toggle upgrades on and off like in Super and AM2R. They could even make use of it with certain rooms to traverse, or puzzles that require or at least are easier to do with certain ones being temporarily turned off.

Gameplay & Mechanics

1. Control Customization & Quality Of Life: This is a pretty broad and loaded topic to try to cover under a single point, but looking back on the prior trilogy and all of their respective strengths and flaws, it still felt like it warranted mention.

For the controls, Prime Remastered feels like a pretty strong indicator of what to expect, and I do like the ability to choose between the new control scheme and the Gamecube and Wii versions. (And hopefully they'll retain lock-on as a feature even with the gamecube limitations that necessitated it in the rearview, it's just a nice thing to have.) I also feel like they could be taken further, though, with button mapping, and (if possible, I know this is more of a hardware issue with the Switch) stronger and more consistent Gyro controls; given I played the trilogy on the Wii, that is most likely how I will be playing 4 as well, if all goes well.

As far as general quality of life features go, that's a bit harder to discuss in brevity and without foreknowledge of what issues might crop up in Prime 4, so this is mainly based off the precedent of the trilogy. I appreciate some decisions Corruption made in this area, (like the divots in spots where morph ball bomb-jumping will be required, something the Spider Guardian in Echoes could have benefitted from) while feeling others came off as too hand-holdy, so a tactful employment of that sort of thing could be very nice, while something more haphazard could really harm the game.

1.5: Avert Past Mistakes: In a similar fashion, there were certain recurring trends in the first couple that I feel Prime 4 would do well to learn from and avoid repeating. The Chozo Ghosts and Pirate Commandos as frustrating mini-boss-level enemies that reappear in certain rooms and lock you in with them were a consistent irritating time-waster that eventually frayed even my patience. The Cloaked Drone in the Phazon Mines being unscannable was irritating, and in general certain logbook scans and enemies only being obtainable within certain sections of the games were a consistent thorn in my side given my completionism. (And would be especially important to avoid if this winds up being as loose in sequencing as I would hope for.) This one is again more of a world layout issue already covered, but hopefully this can avoid the Magmoor problem. There are other examples escaping me right now, but hopefully this gets the point across.

2. Restrained Keyhunt (If Used): On that note, while I don't mind the endgame keyunts of the trilogy as much as some do, I still agree that they could be A Bit Much. (Particularly in Echoes.) It's possible that Prime 4 could simply choose not to do this at all, given the amount of criticism leveled at the concept, but I feel like it is a fun way to encourage cleanup and isn't inherently terrible. If they do decide to do this, I would hope it takes the best from the Prime and Corruption approaches.

With Prime, they were all out of the way and not mandatory to acquire until the end, but if you were keeping an eye out or knew where to look, the vast majority could be obtainable ahead of time, and there was a consistent spread of what upgrades would be needed for each, allowing one to basically drip-feed them pretty consistently across a playthrough. With Corruption, both the mere fact of only needing two-thirds of the total amount to progress to the finale, and the implementation of a dedicated penultimate area in which they could be used to unlock additional rooms and upgade-expansions, was a nice way of mitigating frustration while rewarding completionism. I feel like a combination of these two features would be a great way to redeem the concept.

3. Introduce New Unique Mechanics, Tactfully: Another thing I like about the latter two games is the way they branched out mechanically from Prime, even outside of the Upgrades. Even if I feel that was handled much better in Echoes with the Dark World, than in Corruption with Hypermode, I respect both attempts. I hope Prime 4 will have a similar unique, defining "Gimmick" to set it apart, but I also would want Retro to implement it with care and restraint, so it doesn't wind up throwing the whole experience off in a "damned if you do damned if you don't" way like with Hypermode. Similarly, more blatant gimmicks like all the motion-control busywork should be avoided.

4. Do More With The Gunship: I've already touched on this a couple times, but one of the mechanics from Corruption I hope sticks around is the Command Visor and making use of the gunship. I appreciate that they held back with it there so as to not be too obnoxious, but I also feel like with that proof-of-concept under their belt, there's room to expand on the whole idea and integrate it more, beyond its use in travel and infrequent bombing runs. Exactly what form that may take I'm not sure, but I am very certain that there is something.

Also, bringing back the dashboard trophies/decorations couldn't hurt! Add more customization than that, even?

5. Bounty Hunting Sidequests: I don't remember where I heard/saw this, but I remember learning that Corruption was planned to have the optional mechanic of a bounty board, where Samus could track down and capture specific targets and so actually fullfill on the whole Bounty Hunter title. It wound up having to be cut early on, and I think narratively it was a good call to leave out, given the urgency of the Phazon Crisis.

But now, assuming Prime 4 is more dialed-back again, (and takes place somewhere more populated, given the Sylux-vs-Federation stuff that's likely to feature) I feel like this would be an opportune time to try that again. (Plus mechanically, it could feed into the gunship customization idea on the last bullet point.)

While the general Metroidvania format of course does limit it slightly, I feel like a good way to handle it would be having bounties show up once you've got the right upgrade to access whatever area a target would be making base in. In the spirit of sidequests it would be purely optional and the targets would only show up in those rooms/handful of rooms if you've signed up for their bounty on the board, but it could be a good way to add some variety to the experience, flesh out Samus's more mundane missions, and even tell some interesting self-contained stories and do some worldbuilding.

6. In-Depth Multi-Room Puzzles: While we're on this track of Corruption-related bullet points, one really interesting thing it did was that bridge puzzle on Bryyo. Using the gunship's grapple beam to reassemble a Mogenar and move a power generator between a few different rooms, to access and bring together two halves of a bridge, and so create a shortcut between two previously-disconnected areas.

While the whole thing took place lategame enough that you didn't really get anything out of it other than another power core key to the GFS Valhalla, on its own it was still a really neat concept. Again, I would like to see Prime 4 try more of that sort of thing again, but able to be done earlier so it feels more useful.

7. Grandiose, Challenging Bosses: IE the Echoes approach. This one is pretty self-explanatory; while none of the trilogy have exactly struggled with giving their bosses epic scale, Prime's suffered from being too bullet-spongey and drawn-out, while many of Corruption's irritatingly forced you to use Hypermode to get anywhere. Echoes' bosses simply worked, being mechanically involved and requiring you to use the full arsenal of upgrades obtained to that point, while the built-in time-limit of the Dark World prevented them from being able to be as much of a slog as the ones in Prime. Even the Spider Guardian, while flawed and frustrating in execution, was a great concept. Prime 4 would definitely do well to take this approach.

Vibes

1. Compromise Of Aesthetic Consistency & Variety: Another case of wanting a mix of prior games' conflicting approaches, I like both Prime's vibrancy and variety, and Echoes' bleak consistency. While I do feel Echoes still managed to give the light world versions of each area enough distinctiveness to work more than people give it credit for, they all still shared a certain drabness, (while the Dark World aesthetic definitely overrode their counterparts) while Prime instead suffered from frequent whiplash transitioning between areas.

So a nice midpoint between the two, along with an injection of Corruption's sheer grandiose scale, I feel would serve Prime 4 well. Give it an overarching aesthetic and avoid Prime's level of whiplash, (except when done intentionally, so it hits all the harder when it comes) but let each region be distinct and memorable regardless.

2. New, Fresh Types Of Biomes: This is more in like, comparison to prior games than within itself.

The usual formula of enviroments has worked so far:

Caves: Crateria, Brinstar, Temple Grounds, all of SR-388, SRX, NOC, Artaria

Jungle: Brinstar again, Tallon Overworld, Torvus, Bryyo, TRO, Ghavoran

Desert/Ruins: Chozodia, Chozo Ruins, Temple Grounds again, Agon, PYR, kinda-sorta Ferenia

Lava: Norfair, Magmoor, Bryyo again, PYR again, Cataris

Glacier: Phendrana, Bryyo yet again, ARC, Artaria again

Underwater: Phendrana again, Sunken Frigate Orpheon, Torvus again, kinda-sorta Phaaze, Maridia, AQA, Burenia

Industrial: Tourian, Derelict Frigate Orpheon, Phendrana yet again, Phazon Mines, Temple Grounds yet again, Sanctuary Fortress, Norion, Pirate Homeworld, Wrecked Ship, Main Deck, Dairon, Hanubia

(Though in fairness a few stand out from the usual vibes to some degree or another; Impact Crater, Sanctuary Fortress, Norion, Pirate Homeworld, Phaaze, and Ferenia in particular, though it's worth noting that half of them instead have Phazon in common)

I feel like we could benefit from branching out a bit from that? If not whole new types of biomes entirely, then at least fresh variations on stuff. Beach episode when?

3. Populated Places & Federation Location: While this kinda goes up against the whole isolation vibes Metroid typically has, (though IMO Samus could and would still feel alone in a crowd) I think it would be interesting to actually get a look at what the Federation is like outside of the military stuff, (and again, this would enable the bounty hunting sidequest mechanic I mentioned,) and hopefully get to see more friendly races instead of just all humans like in Corruption.

So yeah, even if probably not a full-on city planet like Daiban in the ZM manga, it would be cool if Prime 4 took place on a colony planet with a Federation city that would comprise at least one or two of the areas, while the rest is still wild. Plus, if Sylux is involved, it would just make sense to face off against them someplace where the Federation is a relevant factor.

4. Darker Tone & Atmosphere: While this may conflict somewhat with the above wish, I'm kinda hoping for this to lean more on the eerie and horror-influenced end of the series' tonal spectrum; perhaps not as dark and intense as Echoes, but still more in that neighborhood than the bombast and action focus of stuff like Zero Mission and the first half of Corruption.

5. Utilize Hostile Gameplay Design For Tension: Kinda similar to the above, one thing I really like about Metroid II, Echoes, and Dread is how they use stuff like the gameboy's monochrome and small screen, the idea of the Dark Aether atmosphere dealing constant damage, and the EMMI and their zones. (And by contrast, Phaaze was a little bit disappointing on this front.) The aesthetic aspects of the environment are intensified by gameplay or design elements that work against you, making for a more tense and challenging experience. Again, I would like to see Prime 4 do something like this as well, hopefully something new but achieving the same effect, in the areas where Retro really wants to stress us out.

6. Speed Up The Pace, Still Smell The Flowers: As I already said with the run button suggestion, I personally really like Prime's relaxed pace, but I also know many do not, and even I have had times where I've wished for things to hurry up a bit more. In the same vein as Samus's movement, I would want this to apply to the pacing overall; letting me still take my time, but allowing those who want to move a bit quicker on the whole do so.

7. Strong Soundtrack!!!: I originally got into this series purely because of the Metroid Prime soundtrack, so my bias is clear, but I hope they really aim for that kind of strength in the music again. I would want new tracks rather than recycling old themes, of course, but the same blend of melodic strength and dense atmosphere.

Dread's OST isn't bad, and I've come around on a lot of it, but I feel like it definitely suffers from favoring unsteadiness in the notes and consistency in the progression too much, fading into the background a lot of the time, while the boss themes largely blur together in being loud and chaotic and not much else. Burenia does stand out for being a lot more melodic in comparison to the rest, and a few of the other tracks have grown on me anyway, but on the whole, I hope they stray away from that sort of style.

Some of Samus Returns' remixes of the original Metroid II soundtrack work magic in making memorable and atmospheric tracks of the assorted ambient bleep bloops, and I really like the sound design there in general, so if we're sticking with something more modern, that could be the way to go. But of course, ideally, I would hope for this to take after Prime and Echoes (but especially Prime) in creating memorable, gorgeous themes to accompany the game's environments, and strong powerful boss music that won't leave my head for weeks if not months afterward.

Narrative, Worldbuilding, & Characters

1. Direct But Restrained Conveyance: Once again using prior games as a point of comparison, while I think Fusion and Corruption's directness fit well for the stories they told, I think something more restrained like Echoes and Dread would be ideal; a few key scenes of dialogue, and then a lot more conveyed indirectly through subtext, body language, and of course the scan visor. Of course, it does ultimately depend on what sort of story will be told, and if Sylux and the Federation are indeed a big factor, it could make more sense to take Fusion's approach; if that's the case I probably won't be too disappointed. Besides, thanks to Other M, they already know what not to do.

2. Scanning & Same Depth Of Worldbuilding: As I already said, I want the scan visor to remain a big deal, and for there to be a lot of it. They could maybe put a twist on it, do a thing like Arknights's operator files or Nier Automata's weapon stories with the Main logbook entries. The way I'm picturing it, you could scan an entry early on, only to find parts of it still blocked out; then after certain thresholds in the story progression have been reached, (or simply something like gaining higher security clearance levels like in Fusion,) the classified sections become readable, adding new information to what was there before, or completely recontextualizing it.

But honestly, even if they just stuck with the same format as the first three games, that would be plenty fine by me, so long as they don't skimp out on the scans. In general, I think the biggest strength of the Prime series is the way it has expanded the universe and worldbuilding in comparison to the 2D games' much tighter focus, (which to be clear isn't a knock against those, just different but equally valid approaches) and I want them to keep that energy going here as well.

3. Proactive Samus With Agency, Sylux Given Nuance: Samus's side of this is pretty straightforward, but still felt like it was worth mentioning. In Corruption, Super, Fusion, and Dread she's put more in reactive scenarios, which IMO works well there, but I would like to see her acting more proactively again to some degree, like the setups for Zero Mission, Prime, Echoes, and Return Of Samus. The second part is more important to me either way, but I'm not too concerned about something like Other M happening again. And of course, remember body language is key; while I hope she gets at least a few lines like in Dread, I also think she's generally best served when speaking through her actions.

If Sylux is indeed the main antagonist here, I hope they're not painted as just a one-dimensional bad guy with no valid points about the Federation. While I love the more utopian vibe it was described with back in the Metroid NES manual, and would like to see at least some elements of that original vision brought back; as of Fusion and to a lesser extent Corruption, they're clearly not the flawless paragon faction they once were treated as, and it would just be weird to try to ignore that now. Don't get me wrong, I love all the truly evil villains of this series too, but at least based on how they were set up in Hunters, I feel like a more complicated portrayal would just make more sense where Sylux is concerned.

I'm also interested in how the Federation Force end scene with the stolen Metroid egg could factor into things, and that could be a good avenue to indirectly tell us some things about Sylux's character, and even draw parallels (or contrasts) with Samus.

4. Other New Characters, Given Time In Moderation: Similar to what I said about worldbuilding, I feel like another thing the prior Prime games have done fairly well with, is in introducing new characters to populate the universe, without (for the most part) intruding on the loneliness that's a big part of the series' identity.

I've seen some people hoping for Prime 4 to make a hard pivot away from Corruption's direction with the other hunters and leave Samus completely on her own again, but personally I wouldn't mind more friendly/neutral characters like them, U-Mos, and Admiral Dane. Again, it would be ideal if this is employed with restraint, and ultimately comes down to what would best fit the story and setting they wind up giving us.

By the same token, if they do go this route, I would hope the characters would still be given just enough room to breathe without becoming intrusive. The hunters in Corruption were pretty well-handled despite being painted in broad strokes, leaving us wanting a bit more, but the hunters in Hunters were ironically not so well-served by their game, intriguing hooks to bigger stories (literally in Sylux's case) but not really given too much beyond the bare minimum there. Again, so long as they can hit that "just enough" sweet spot between "not enough" and "too much", I look forward to meeting some new faces 4 could bring to the table.

5. Other Friendly (And An Unfriendly) Species: This one is pretty straightforward. Going back to what I said about the NES Manual (and ZM manga) depiction of the Federation as a multi-species conglomerate, compared to the all-human presentation of Corruption and Other M, I would hope to see more friendly alien races. Even if this winds up departing from my idea of a colony city in favor of a more remote world, something like the Luminoth would be welcome.

The other part of this is, (especially if we're already bringing Sylux out of Obscure Spinoff hell,) I want to see something of the Kriken, big or small. Even if they wind up not making a direct appearance, then at least further mention of them would be appreciated. Maybe clarification of their place in things, while we're at it, given how Hunters implied them to be a pretty big deal, but their presence is otherwise completely absent from the series.

Also, while I'm generally not fond of nostalgia for its own sake, Kihunters could be cool to finally see more of.

6. Feel Unique And Well-Defined: While I'm always in favor of a balance between building on (or twisting around) existing ideas and introducing new ones, I also hope that with its story and overall presentation, Prime 4 has a distinct identity within the series.

Prime had its beauty and the tale of a dying planet, Echoes had its oppressive darkness and the losing struggle against the Ing, and Corruption had its grandeur and climactic feeling amidst the urgency of the Phazon Crisis. The 2D games also largely do this; (IMO Super is a debatable case, revisiting and reusing Zebes but adding plenty of new stuff) while the much longer gaps between releases are an influencing factor, even without that they all still have their own distinct vibes and developments. (Hell, Other M even has a distinct identity, even if for all the wrong reasons.)

So in that vein, whatever Prime 4 does, I hope it does something that I can point to and say "This is the [Fill in the blank] one."

7. Surprise Me: Above all, I just want to be surprised. While there are a few specific things I'd like to see, yes, (I have this whole wishlist of them after all,) in general I've still been talking in pretty broad terms. That's because I want to go into this and get something new out of the experience; something that still fits with the rest, but that I could never have thought to predict on my own.

Final Wishes:

1. Emphasis On Exploration: Much as I love Dread, the way it blocks off prior areas to push you along in particular, is (for me) a big blemish on an otherwise excellent game. Similarly, Corruption and Fusion, for all their other narrative strength and ambition, are also more focused on combat, and give frequent, non-optional directions on where to go. And in fairness that approach works for what they're doing! But I hope Prime 4 won't follow in that route.

I hope for it to return to the Super/Prime/Echoes approach of just dropping you in the world and letting you figure stuff out yourself, with minimal handholding if any, (again, hint system optional, please!) and very little if any backtrack prevention, either. I just want to wander and become acquainted with this world on my own terms like I did with the first two Primes.

2. Maintain FPS View & Immersion Focus: This seems maybe a little redundant, but I'm putting it down anyway just to be safe. Some people have expressed wanting a third-person perspective, and even setting aside my personal hangups against that format, I just don't understand the appeal of making such a shift. The trilogy as a whole (and Prime in particular) hangs its hat on literally putting you in Samus's shoes in every way that matters, and I want Prime 4 to do the same. I don't seriously expect Retro to try changing it up like this, but I also hope they won't anyway, just in case.

3. Wait To Release: I hope it comes soon, yes, but not before the end of the year at least, lol. Partially because I have no money right now, and I want to be able to play it on release day! And partially because I would want Retro to be able to really take their time and polish it up into something beautiful.

#not a reblog #metroid #metroid prime #metroid prime 4 #wishlist #samus aran #sylux #long post #maybe I should have broken this up into different posts tbh #it will be interesting to look back on this once Prime 4 does come out

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alchemistdetective · 2 months

Text

KAKASHI SPIRIT NEWS Special Edition 2024!

Welcome, dear reader, to the Kakashi Spirit News! This is a one-time special edition as Spring has graced itself into Gensokyo's doorstep on once again! Love is in the air, with picnics and dates abound!

In this edition, I'd be covering a few individuals you might be interested in visiting in this season, whether it's for a date spot, or a change of scenery!

Now, a word from the Herald of Spring, Lily White!

Herald of Spring Message

@letsspringintoaction

"IT'S SPRINGGGGGGG" "ITS SPRING ITS SPRING ITS SPRING ITS SPRING"

Thank you, Lily White. Now then, first in the list!

Rainbow Dragon Cave

@mountainofhistory

Have you encountered one of those strange cards which gave you temporary powers based off abilities from others?

Of course you have, they're everywhere! And there's even an incident based off it!

But have you, dear reader, ever asked yourself how they were made?

Then it's time to take a trip! With Momoyo Himemushi the oomukade who's working hard deep within, she can tell you all about them, like how they're made, for instance!

Or if you fancy testing your strength against one of the stronger people in Gensokyo, then she's your girl!

P.S: Entering the cave may NOT be reccomended. Please contact Momoyo for information regarding the cave, or a brief overview regarding ability cards!

Old Hell/The Underground

@gensokyogarden

Does it sound scary? Of course it does, it's Hell, after all!

But do you know who isn't scary? Hikaze Fuwa! Blonde, and looks like she could throw a ball(and you!) up to 100 miles!

Usually seen roaming around the outsides to the Underground and sometimes practicing her punches and kicks, this Kasha is very friendly and outgoing, and a great drinking partner!

However, if you ever seek a challenge and a completely different culture, you can always try heading to Former Hell for the experience, but! Only if you're brave enough to pass the scary obstacles ahead, from a bridge princess, to a giant spider!

She… also claims herself to be illegally bleach blonde during swimsuit season.

Take that what you will, dear reader.

Forest of Magic

@warriorsofcrimsonrealms

You may know Alice Margatroid, the beautiful puppeteer who puts up shows and entertains others! But what you may NOT know, is that she's sisters (technically) with a certain Hakurei Reimu!

But to visit her, you would require to enter the Forest of Magic, which is filled with fairies and perhaps some other youkai in the way, and of course, the dangerous mushrooms which fill the area.

But if you manage to brave through the forest, you may get to know a new friend! And of course, a compeletely different world, which is that called 'Makai'!

Ask her for a sample of her cup of tea if you're ever in the area! It's a delight to try!

Also, if you ever see a black-haired fairy named Oberon... try not to provoke her. She has a dragon.

The Great Mausoleum

@thathermitwiththehairpin

Are you a Taoist or an avid traveler, dear reader? Then you definitely have came across this place once in a while! But have you ever stopped by at the gate just to say 'Hello'?

First of all, are you aware of who Seiga Kaku is, that noisy neighbour? Of course you do! Now it's time to meet Yoshika Miyako, Seiga's little zombie! She's cute, adorable, and although she may look like she need a bath!

There's a bit of a rumor, but she may have a secret or two you might learn about that resident hermit! Who knows, maybe there's something she knows about Seiga which we don't know!

P.S: I am NOT fake News! I report the truth, thank you very MUCH!

Nyalter's Bakery

@nyalternatehellkitten

And last in the list, when you've explored long enough and decided to take a break, why not stop by at Nyalter's Bakery! (Name pending(?))

Grab a bite for one of the best bread baked in Gensokyo! Funded by none other than Satori Komeiji herself who saw the potential after trying her food, you can get a load of bread for a sandwich, a nice muffin for an afternoon snack, or a hot pie for lunch!

If you would like to taste bread approved by Former Hell itself, drop by and get to talk with a certain cat!

(This is not a paid advertisment, your favourite tengu took a stop on the way back and it's one of the best bread she's had in a while)

Final Words

Well, unfortunately, that's all the time we have today, dear reader! Thank you for the time on reading up on this Special Edition, and I wish you a festive Spring! Who knows? Someone might have an idea of making a Spring Festival, here in Gensokyo!

Until then, be safe, and be sure to subscribe to Kakashi Spirit News! See you again next time!

#I have been LAZY TO DO THIS lhjLAHSGJLSG #I MEANT TO DO THIS LAST WEEK BUT I WAS OUT OF TIME #So you guys get it TODAY INSTEAD #This is what the intervews LED UP TO+++

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runa-falls · 2 years

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Possibly a request, but I was thinking of marc or steven coming over to your place for the first time and they are exploring your little space and your room and they come across you little collection of perfumes and they pick up each one smelling them, and then they find the one u regularly where everyday and they spray it on themselves. I’m just in such a smoochy mood for those two

like a breath of fresh air

pairing: marc spector x reader

rating: mostly fluff, but there’s some suggestive content so read at your own discretion (as you should anyway!)

tags/warnings: needy!marc, nosey!marc, fluff, established relationship, some over the clothes petting, kissing, scent kink(ish)?

word count: 1.4k

A/N: wow wow wow this request. this is so damn adorable i couldn’t help but start writing it right away 😀 i know this one is a bit spicier than you requested, but i can’t help it when i write about marc lol. i hope this does your imagination justice :)

masterlist

-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-

He loves how adorable your space is, feeling huge in the little room that’s filled with everything that encapsulates your spirit. Everything you love can be found in stacks around the small area, filling the space with various soft and calming colors.

A large window pours sunlight into the room, drenching it in life. Cute succulents and indoor plants sit on the windowsill accompanied by a small purple watering can.

He gazes over the posters and photos posted on the walls, eyes locking onto a photo in the very middle. It’s perfectly placed at your eye height so you can look at it every day, hung up with a piece of cat patterned tape.

It’s a polaroid photo of you on his lap, beaming a smile at the camera while he kisses you on the cheek over your shoulder, arms securely wrapped around your waist. You have written “me and my hero” under the photo in loopy handwriting, signing the message off with a heart.

Marc can’t help his grin when he thinks about you seeing it as soon as you wake up, or when you are getting ready to go out. He’s tempted to steal it so he can hold you in his wallet, but decides against it, mentally making a note to ask you for a photo later.

He wanders over to your overcrowded vanity, nosily picking up different products wondering what their purposes are. Marc curiously picks up an intimidating-looking tool from the top of your makeup bag, no clue what it could be used for.

He moves the metal contraption with his fingers, clacking it like he would some tongs, enjoying the way it presses together so satisfyingly. He sees the words, “Eyelash Curler,” engraved into the top of the clasping thing, immediately amazed at how you’ve avoided chopping off your eyelashes with this thing.

After politely placing it back in your overfilled pouch, his gaze pauses on a few bottles resting on top of your dresser, organized in a perfect line from tallest to shortest. He can guess what those are: your perfumes.

You quickly learned early in your relationship that one of his favorite hobbies is crushing you in a cuddle before burrowing his face in your neck, breathing in your scent, and leaving featherlight kisses as far down as your skin shows.

He picks up the tallest one, curiously looking at the smokey glass bottle. The dark color certainly doesn’t match your sweet personality, he thinks, precariously uncapping the bottle. He carefully spritzes a small cloud in front of him, leaning in for a short sniff. He’s unaccustomed to the citrus honey scent that fills the room. It lingers with intensity, even with the tiny amount he sprayed out.

He feels it attack his nose, pulling a sharp sneeze from him even as he backs away. He almost feels like he’s gonna keel over from the strength of it. Deciding he doesn’t like it, he puts it back in its place, waving his hand in the air in an attempt to clear the smell.

The next perfume is in a pale heart-shaped bottle, perfectly embodying your sweet and soft nature. He’s sure this one would be your usual one. Marc carefully picks it up, silently hoping it wouldn't be as strong as the first one. This time he uses his wrist to smell it, feeling proper as he rolls up his sleeve to lightly spray it onto his skin.

His eyes close as he breathes in the bright scent of bergamot mixed with a sweet floral undertone, instantly having mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he objectively enjoys the scent. He holds his wrist to his nose, taking in another appreciative whiff. But on the other, it doesn’t smell like you. He scoots it back into the middle of the lineup, wondering why you’d have three different perfumes if you didn’t use them all.

Finally, the last and smallest perfume awaits its trial in a squat clear bottle, pale whiskey-colored liquid almost halfway gone. This must be the one. The one he thinks about all day and dreams of all night. He shoves his other sleeve up, uncaring of the way the fabric bunches with wrinkles, spritzing in an isolated area of skin.

The scent flows through him like a breeze through a field of flowers, sending shivers up his spine. This is the one: a comforting fragrance of sweet gardenias and jasmine. He mists it a few more times over the rest of his body, wanting to be enveloped in the familiar scent.

Bouncing onto your bed, he grabs a pillow and wraps it in his arms, holding it to his chest as if you were there with him. He takes a deep breath in, trying to relax in the warmth your space gives him, but something is off.

He sniffs again, wondering why he isn’t getting that love-drunk high he usually feels whenever you’re near. He doesn’t have the chance to worry over it before he hears you at the front door.

His face unconsciously lights up at your soft voice.

“Honey, I’m home!” You jokingly call out, struggling as bags of groceries hang off each arm.

“Finally,” Marc hurries off your bed and out of your room, arms aching to be around you. “Thought you forgot about me.” As soon as the bags are set down, he embraces you in a hug, happily dotting little pecks all over your face, earning him some cute giggles from his favorite girl.

“Marc, I was only gone fo–are you wearing my perfume?” You experimentally lean your nose to his chest, suddenly delirious from the way his smell melds with yours.

“Uh, yeah, maybe…” He avoids eye contact like a child who’s been inevitably caught, “...possibly.” You raise an eyebrow teasingly as an amused smile graces your face.

“You better not’ve wasted any.”

He earnestly shakes his head, “It was just a little bit, I promise.” You hum against his chest, arms lovingly wrapped around his waist. You think it’s adorable how much he yearns for your scent. “But…I think it’s broken or something .” You abruptly push him away, looking up at him with confusion.

“Did you, uh–drop it?”

“No! It’s just–it smells like you, but it doesn’t. Like something is missing, or something.” You let out a relieved breath before humming in understanding. Grabbing his wrist, you start pulling him back toward your room.

“You know,” You sit yourself down on your bed, ignoring how ruffled the duvet looks when you walked in, “sometimes scents can change if they’re sprayed on different people.” You can see something click in Marc as his eyes widen and brows perk up.

“Hold on.” You watch him get up to grab your preferred scent, uncapping it then spraying it in your general direction, before returning it promptly to its original spot.

You feel his weight rejoin you on the mattress, large arms pulling you in towards his body. You feel Marc mold himself against your side before he pushes his face into the crook of your neck.

You squeak out a giggle as his scruff tickles against the sensitive skin, sending goosebumps along your arms and up your spine.

Your face heats up when he audibly graons at your sweet smell, taking in the way your natural scent perfectly compliments your favorite perfume. Marc runs his lips methodically down your throat.

“Now I know your secret, baby…It’s all you.” His whisper warms your skin as his hands caress your softness over your shirt. “You have no idea how mouthwatering you smell.”

“Marc…” You whine out, not expecting a full pat down when you returned home. You feel him slide to the top of your thigh, warm hand splayed over the bulk of leg before tenderly kneading at it.

“Come’ere.” He says gently, pulling at your waist to guide you to straddle over him. A thumb brushes over the surface of your cheek as he affectionately stares up at you. “Gimme a kiss. Please.”

You dip down, sparsely placing peck on his lips before retreating teasingly as he desperately chases you for another kiss. His hand grips around your jaw, anxious eyes meeting yours.“Wha-please?”

You slowly give in, shyly smiling against his mouth at his endearing neediness. Arms pull around your hips, blanketing the length of your body over his. His soft lips eagerly move over yours, pushing firmly to make sure you’re flush against him.

“You even taste good.” He murmurs against your lips. “Hmm, maybe it is just you…”

#marc spector x reader #marc spector fluff #marc spector x you #moon knight #oscar issac #oscar issac x reader #oscar issac x you #moon knight request #Marc Spector request #request #request fic

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gooeykit · 1 month

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whats up with TC!

TC isn't super developed yet, so there isn't much to say, but he's someone i've been exploring more lately!

TC's from a colder climate on the arena planet but now lives in a warmer one with the rest of the gang. He's shy, speak very little and very softly, always ending what he says with a 'yeah'. TC's a DJ and like.. supply area effects 4 his team thru his music. It;s not magic but like the planet being alive means that like it has a special physics system it made which enables interesting things to happen, so like in example of this, Sotto doesn't adhere to our understanding of things like momentum and gravity either... So TC gets essentially bard powers i guess they would be.

He has a ram motif which im having fun playing with and have been trying to think of more ways to incorporate into his character. He fights using a buckler and ice harvester pick, the buckler harks to his turn table in shape and a ram in function.

There's another character in the story named Jibble Jump [name is stupid 4 story reasons] who TC really looks up to and has a bull motif. JJ is a very strong fighter and takes down the rest of the posse single handedly despite his age, and TC is the one to defeat them. JJ ends up kinda being his mentor or father figure later on, but are also somewhat distant, neither of them being conversationalists.

TC ends up falling in love with an avian volcalist [aliens are present in this story] who reciprocates it because of like TC being so quiet compared to her fans and also just like appreciating her and her band's music and showing them different ways to do thingz. type interaction.

I've been thinking about if TC is human or ethereal [recycled spirit] because his eyes have a glow sometimes but a constant shadow over them too, but doing that would hugely change the story. it depends on where i want to take it in the end.

also part of their ear is gone because an industrial got snagged lol

#gooeymail #ovengoats #OC:TC

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synergysilhouette · 8 months

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An alternate take on "Frozen II" (2019)

I'm back! I wasn't expecting to do a rewrite for this, but considering how polarized the feedback for this film is, I wanted to give my own spin on it--but keep in mind, this takes into account my rewrite for "Frozen," so read that first! You have NO IDEA how hard this was to rewrite, especially since I had to alter a lot. Hope you enjoy this, and be sure to check out my rewrites for other revival-era films!

Again: make use of the concept art! Unlike part 1, it doesn't really look historically/culturally accurate to medieval Scandinavia, but at least it looks amazing! Maybe the silhouettes could be changed to make it more accurate. Keep the color schemes, though; I love the oranges and reds used for Anna rather than her black look used in the final product--and yes, I know the last picture is from her Arendelle festival dress at the beginning of the film; I'd like it to be formatted to her travel dress (I like the silvery-grey coat though), as well as using the blues and greens for Elsa.

2. Stay in Arendelle a little bit longer. If you recall my "Frozen" remake, it's a larger kingdom, and I'd like to see it a bit more during "Some Things Never Change" and before we relax in the castle. Considering my other changes, it works out fine; they could be perusing the town when Elsa hears the magical voice. And Liutenant Mattias and his group are never trapped in Northuldra; they remain in Arendelle and didn't have a large role in part 1 due to Agnarr's advice to the staff to keep an emotional distance from the royals.

3. Hans is Anna's main love interest, being a genuine good guy here, and joins the team on their adventure. Given the events of the first film, they actually have been engaged for a while, as Anna is working on her relationship with Elsa and Hans is trying to bond with (some of) his brothers. He's also earned bonus sister points from Elsa because he serves as a confidant to her. Despite being engaged, Kristoff hoped Anna's feelings would've changed, but despite caring for him, she chose Hans.

4. Explore Northuldra culture more, and make Arendelle ancestors (a separate culture from the Northuldra) Sami-inspired. I find it a waste that the Northuldra simply existed to give Elsa a hint to the voice and serve as the victims of a colonial story. In my opinion, they don't live THAT far from Arendelle; they just stay a little ways away, enough to keep their cultural distance while still keeping in touch with current events. Plus they're not stuck in one area. In my version, their mythology would have a BIG impact on the story.

5. Remove Iduna's Northuldra origins. Maybe it's just me, but I do think Iduna doesn't look Northuldran. In my version, she was from a tribal group, racially similar to the people of Arendelle and hidden thanks to the trolls (and I'd also make Kristoff related to them as well). Or if we wanna utilize more of the Nordic mythology, she can be descended from elves, who are said to live in Ahtohallan, where Elsa ventures to find out the origins of the voice.

8. What were different elements in the film now embody seasons: Bruni (summer), Nokk (spring), Gale (fall), and Elsa (winter), which can be spiritual or in corporeal form, usually the former. The nokk (as per mythology) can also shapeshift. I'm removing the rock giants, since they don't really serve a purpose in my rewrite.

9. "I Can't Lose You" is included. After finding out the REAL reason their parents died, Elsa feels awful for how she blamed their deaths on Anna, and Anna attempts to prevent Elsa from shutting her out again, but Elsa is realizing that she's now at a point where Anna may not be able to understand (or survive) Elsa's destiny.

10. After Elsa sends away Hans, Olaf, and Anna, a new trio forms: Elsa, Honeymaron (who joins the team to help uncover the secrets of the voice), and the spirit of a previous winter incarnation named Cajetan. Elsa is able to summon him thanks to her own abilities tied to memory (it's mentioned the nokk can do so as well). A Northuldran from decades ago, he silently guides Elsa throughout he journey to find the voice, with Honeymaron bridging certain gaps in unspoken communication that may be lost on someone not from Northuldra. Can't decide whether or not Cajetan is like a little brother to Elsa or a hinted-at love interest (like I'd make Honeymaron). Regardless, Elsa does have higher priorities here than romance, but the seeds can be sew. The other trios are Anna/Hans/Olaf and Kristoff/Ryder/Sven. It's also revealed the previous embodiment of winter killed Kristoff's parents, as well as many of the ethnic group that lived with the trolls. Elsa suffers a lot of guilt for this, and thus involves Kristoff less in their journey, not wanting to hurt him, especially given that he's still reeling about Anna and Hans' upcoming wedding.

11. "Lost in the Woods" is about Kristoff letting go of his feelings for Anna as she decides to marry Hans, with possible hinting at him being attracted to Ryder, as well as reeling from the reason his family was taken from him.

12. We get a physical, PRESENT, villain. Sound exciting right? Well, my idea for the villain might lose a few people. Diving into the world's religion a bit more, I do like the idea that the Northuldrans (as well as the Arendelle people's cousins) spoke of an embodiment of destruction and chaos, a being that made seasons violent and dangerous, and prevents them from coinciding. Their goal is chaos, hoping to rebirth the world and crafting the wretched mirror that Arendelle royalty eventually gained possession of. Failing to convince Elsa to freeze Arendelle (and eventually the world), they turned their attention to the other spirits, who, due to lacking a human form, were easier to manipulate and control, using them to corrupt Elsa, who could also be the most destructive force if they to control her. The nokk attempts to flood Arendelle, Bruni burns up the Northuldra forest (causing them to relocate to Arendelle for a period) and Gale killing off other forms of life by taking their breath away until there isn't even a breeze in the air. Perhaps I've played too many video games, but I love the idea that he oversees much of the heroes like a deity would, similar to Eris from "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas."

13. Change Elsa's origins. When Runeard dies in a frost, Iduna prays for the spirit of winter to be born as someone to bring Arendelle out of it's dark age, resulting in Elsa. "Love," as to be expected, is an honorary 5th element, and it's revealed that humans can only embody the seasons if true love is involved. It also explains why Agnarr abhors magic and attempts to put on a tough front. All of this is shown at Ahtohollan thanks to the magical elves who imbue wisdom to her. She spends a bit more time there before leaving, with "Show Yourself" being sung once she's there, and they're able to show her other memories of her family and show how much her parents loved her. Perhaps the "You are the one you've been waiting for" line is sung by the benevolent primordial entity. And Elsa is able to let go of the past discretions of the frost that killed her grandfather and Kristoff's parents.

14. The ending is a bit more open-ended. The chaotic deity is defeated, though it's noted that such things cannot be defeated, simply diminished or banished, similar to what Elsa does by working with the other seasons to defeat the deity. Elsa realizes that unlocking her full potential has made her a target for the deity's wrath, but she believes as long as she has those she cares about, then she can get through anything (it's cheesy, but it's true!) However, she does decide that she wants to learn more about the seasons and the magical world, and asks Anna to be a regent in her stead. Anna (and Hans) accept, with a bittersweet goodbye. The film ends with Anna and Hans kissing (and Olaf watches) while Kristoff, Sven, Elsa, and her seasonal contemporaries make for Northuldra, where Ryder, Honeymaron, and Cajetan await them.

One again, I've got A LOT going on with this remake. Maybe it needs to be a 2 hour movie. PLEASE let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions! I may tweak this later.

Update: I've also made a post about my own take if I was in charge of a Disney movie about the Snow Queen. This adaptation is independent of my Frozen remakes.

#frozen #disney #disney animation #elsa #anna #frozen 2 #hans #olaf #jack frost #show yourself #into the unknown #kristoff

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thesharkbaitspellbook · 4 days

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Cozy Magic

What is Cozy Magic?

In the simplest definition, Cozy magic is the magic involved in one's sense of coziness. So, what does that mean? Well, I am so glad you asked. The definition of cozy is: giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation [Oxford Dictionary] I like to view cozy magic as a huge simmer pot of several areas and subsections of magic. Cozy magic, to me, is going to be slightly different for each practitioner. Simply because what is cozy to me, may not be the same for you. However! There are overlapping themes that apply here and we will definitely explore them in this deep dive into coziness. So grab a blanket, and a hot beverage of choice and let us begin.

Themes

There are some ideas that I think are central pillars to Coziness and Cozy Magic.

Comfort: The state of physical ease and free (or as free as you can be) of pain or constraint.

Relaxation: The state of being free from tension or anxiety

Simplicity: Magic doesn't have to be complicated or hard.

The Moment: That small thing from 15 years ago doesn't matter right now lol, don't let it ruin your now.

Home: Whatever that word means to you. A physical home or a person, or a state of being. (I also want to note that even though this is a focus, nothing is stopping you from getting nice and cozy while working or out with a friend at a coffee shop or little bakery… Home can be wherever your heart is🩷)

Warmth: Not physically. But the warmth inside when your happy and fuzzy and okay exactly where you are.

Connection: To home, family, friends, fur babies, spirits… all of it

Peace: although true inner peace is probably unrealistic. Creating a space for you to be have even 10 seconds of peace is absolutely obtainable.

Hygge

Hygge (n/vb) /HOO-gah/ : The art of creating warmth comfort and wellbeing through connection, treasuring the moment, and surrounding yourself with things you love.

Whenever coziness is brought up I often get led to the concept of Hygge. As far as I can tell this is a Danish concept but the word is used in most Scandinavian countries to mean the same thing. There is a lot of meaning packed into this little word. Essentially it's a term that includes coziness but also a mental state of wellbeing and connecting to your life and those around you. Which I absolutely love. Taking in the moment and stepping outside of the typical American go-go-go mentality has come to be uber important to me as of late. Enjoy your life, before it passes in front of you. Even on busy days taking a pause to just inhale and look at the clouds, or touch some grass in extremely good for the mind and your being. There is honestly so much to discuss in this topic alone, but for now I will leave it at this: Hygge is a term I think can be useful for the lifestyle that comes with this mentality of wanting/needing to slow down and simplify a bit. Which, in my eyes, magic and lifestyle go hand in hand. I think this concept provides a solid foundation for the way magic and the craft can help amplify and give a deeper meaning to those who choose to explore this path.

Other names for Hygge across cultures (Not a comprehensive list)

Cosagach: Scotland

Gezelligheid: Holland

Omotenashi or Wabi-sabi: Japan

Gemutlichkeit: Germany

Koselig: Norway (but this term focuses more on social groups and hosting friends)

Coziness: America we have no cool words in english lol

The Simmer Pot

I described Cozy Magic as a simmer pot of other types of magic. So, lets go over what some of those might be for a practitioner and where the cross sections lay for our pot.

House/Hearth/Cottage Magic

House, hearth, and cottage magic is exactly what is sounds like: Magic having to do with the home. It is the idea of making your living space and the everyday magical in it's own right. Where this overlaps with Cozy Magic is some of the concepts we see within hearthcraft. Those being: Simple, Practical, Family-related, Domestic, Everyday, and the Household. The home is a core part of the cozy mindset. Our homes, no matter what that looks like: house, apartment, condo, shack, a single dorm room, your room at your parents, etc… Our homes should be our place of relaxation and comfort. So putting the effort into creating your space is, dare I say, essential. And this will look different for everyone. Are you a maximalist goblin? or perhaps a minimalist queen? A dragon over a hoard of more expensive taste? A college dreamer just trying to survive and have inspo everywhere to keep going? A trash panda in which you huddle into your bed and only come out for food? No judgement, whatever brings you that sense of relaxation, comfort and warmth when you come home. (As long as it is a safe environment!!)

Kitchen Magic

Kitchen magic is also exactly what is sounds like. Magic but in your kitchen! Foods, drinks, baking, recipe books galore, oh my! Think of your perfect cozy night in. I bet it involves a good snack or comfort food and a nice beverage (probably hot but I'm from the south so sometimes it's cold lol). And where does nice cup of hot tea come from? Your kitchen lol. This gives several opportunities for kitchen magic to in use. I go so far into including the dining table (or tv tray, lets be real here) into kitchen magic because what plates, mug, glasses or silverware you use can absolutely amp up a vibe. Further, when hosting a night of friends, I find this area heavily involved. Even if you host a potluck, the magic in that kitchen is bountiful, comfy, warm and full of laughter and joy. Embrace that.

Green Magic

I am adding green magic as a subsection here because herbs play a role here. In both home and kitchen magic, sure, but also in other areas of Cozy Magic like what scent you have going in your home or on your person. Or perhaps actual spell work you create. I just wanted to touch on that herbs and scents and plants all help with cozy vibes so I thought it was important to mention here.

Folk Magic

I won't go overly in depth here because let's just realistic folk traditions are heavily varied. BUT. the overlap and where these traditions can come into play if you are involved in your folk traditions, is that they typically have practices around the home, everyday life, family, traditions, and recipes. So, if you were wondering if can practice cozier magics while keeping your tradition, absolutely you can tailor it to your life.

Self Love/Help Magic

When I think of the idea of Cozy, I think of really taking take for me. Slowing down at night after a long work day, tuning out the hustle and bustle of life and relaxing. That cup of coffee in the morning as the sun rises, is for me. That workout session while breathing and helping my body, is for me. My walks i take with the dog are for my fur son and me while we take in nature for the 1.5 miles. That cleansing shower in candlelight, is for my body and mind to relax. You get the gist. Self care and self love acts are something I would argue is just as important to Cozy Magic as Home Magic. There is nothing wrong with romanticizing your own life and living for you, in each moment, in each breath. Find the warmth and comfort within your own being and soul. I find that an extremely beautiful thing in this path.

Embracing in Praxis

You might be asking, okay but, how do we PRACTICE these things? And by golly I am so glad you asked. In truth, you probably already are when you do something for yourself. And that is the beauty of this. The idea is to not make magic a task or chore or extra thing you have to go out of your way to achieve. Magic can be in your everyday. Scratch that. Magic IS in your everyday. All it takes is a little shift in perspective to see. So let's see some things in action!

Types of Magical Workings to Include

Let's go a step further into magic and discuss what types of workings and spells you might think to include to make your practice just a touch more cozy. Keep in mind the idea here is easy going and relaxing. So whatever your experience level, activity level, relaxation level, or ability, there is something in here for you! and if there isn't… well, get creative with what these these mean to you!

Cleansing: I find cleansing a space, or just moving the vibes around, can help me feel so such more relaxed.

Protections: Everyone needs protections at one point or another. protecting my space helps give that peace of mind we are after.

Sleep: Sleep is harder for me when I am anxious, calming and winding down absolutely falls into this magic system.

Calming: Whatever this means to you. Calming your mind, attracting calmness, giving things calming properties, etc.

For Peace: You deserve some inner peace in this world.

Connectiveness: Feeling disconnected? or disjointed? Meditate, align, touch some grass, get some coffee with a friend to chat, have a family dinner, just feel for a moment.

Cutting ties/cords: I am a big proponent of leaving what is not serving you. Snip snip yourself from the baggage, it can weigh you down.

Happiness/Joy: get that pick-me-up, blare that song, light that joy candle, watch that favorite movie, be not afraid to bring yourself some happiness on the daily.

Inner Healing: Shadow work, Therapy, Healing… it's a journey, not a race, allow yourself freedom and a safe space to heal

Comforting: Blankets, pillows, friends, family, food, drinks… all of these and more can bring you some comfort. enchant those blankets, stuffies, pillows etc. Spend some time with friends while drinking wine and snacking. light the candle for the comfy smells.

Self Love: Please take care of yourself, beautifuls, k thanks💕

Affirmations: Easy little saying to attract things into your life

Simmer pots: good little spells that also make your home smell amazingg

Happy Healthy Home: Interpret this as you wish

Activity Ideas

Several of these things can be included in your magical practice!! But, thought I'd give a jumping off point. Do you do any of these things? How can you include them? Think of something you do on the daily, or pretty often to start adding some magical meaning to. Even if that is washing the dishes. Sure it's a chore but it's also cleaning your kitchen, which can be a central and sacred space for many homes. So instead of saying "ugh, I have to wash these dishes" (Which I still say too but bear with me lol) say "I am taking care of my sacred space"…. gives a different motivation and meaning to the task at hand. So put on that favorite playlist for vibes and take care of your sacred space 🩷

Baking

Cooking

Drinking Tea/Coffee/Hot Cocoa

Photography

Drawing

Writing

Cozy easy gaming

Watch a movie

Snuggles (pets, partners, etc.)

Walking

Yoga/Stretching

Making homemade gifts

Hiking/Camping

Make candles

Make soap

Hanging out with friends/family

Weight lifting / Slower sports (I'm a gym girlie lol)

Decorating/organizing

Reading

Warm bath/shower

Dancing

Playing an instrument

Journaling

The Tools

Okay okay, I hear you asking: "But what do I need for this?" The answer is nothing. You need absolutely nothing to begin. Remember the idea is be easy, comfy, and simple. There is no need to have fancy and extra things about. But… while we are here, we might a well. Let's go over some tools of the craft you might want to include. Of course there are so many choices but I wanted to narrow it down to a few and what they might be used for.

Candles: I feel like this one is a given in this context. Or really any lower light source to set the mood. Can't use candles? use fairy lights or warm light lamps. No overhead lighting to be seen here.

Kettle/Coffee Maker: For all your brewing needs ☕

Blankets: Enchant them, cuddle them, get nice and comfy, lay them on the floor for your spell work/meditation space.

Mugs: The brew must go somewhere. also nice stand in containers for candles. Or just drink from one for the vibes.

Cauldron: Cook, burn things, make things, cauldrons are good for so many things.

Broom: Sweep out the anxiety, cleanse your space,

Needle and thread: Repairs, embroidery, clothes making, sewing magic all apply here!

Divination Types

Tasseography: by tea leaves or coffee grounds

Scrying : to gaze, In Cozy magic that would include: herbs while cooking, batter while baking, scrying into tea or coffee, watching creamers/milks for shapes as you pour, etc.

Nephomancy: by clouds

Stichomancy/Chartomancy/Bibliomancy: by books, lines, paper

Pinterest: By Pinterest

Tarot/Oracle: by the cards

Augury: by bird formations

Theriomancy: (also zoomancy): by animal behavior

Lampadomancy: by flame

Lychnomancy: by candles

Shufflemancy: by the use of an electronic media player such as an electronic playlist, iPod, or other medium wherein one skips a certain number of songs and the lyrics and/or tune of the song is the answer to the divinatory question

Spirits, Entities, and Deities

Deities

These are deities that you might consider but it is not in any way a comprehensive list. Many of these are just ones I am familiar with but really deity related to any of the topics touched on so far will fit in perfectly. Remember this is about your comfort! Take my brief descriptions with a grain of salt… Norse deities aren't really gods of things but associated with things but for list purposes it's worded as such.

Sif (Norse): Goddess of hearth fire and agriculture

Hestia (Greek): Goddess of Hearth and Home

Brigid (Irish): spring growth, protection of women and children, protection of the household and livestock, creation and inspiration, the sun and sacred fire, healing wells, and keening

Frigg (Norse): Goddess of family, marriage and home

Thor (Norse): God of the people, protection of the home, workers, and thunder

**Beelzebub **(Hell/Satanist/Demonolatry): Sin of Gluttony, Associated with food, cooking, kitchens, warding, nourishment and balance

Belphagor (Hell/Satanist/Demonolatry): Sin of Sloth, Associated with sleep, rest, healing, mental heath, grounding, self care and dreams

Sigyn (Norse): Goddess of fidelity, family, grief

Andhrimnir (Norse): Chef for the Aesir

Dagda (Irish): Honestly just here because he was cozy vibes.

Aphrodite (Greek): Goddess of love, beauty and war

Hera (Greek): Goddess of Marriage and family

Isis (Egyptian): Goddess of love, healing, fertility, and magic

Hathor (Egyptian) Goddess of love, beauty, music, dancing, and pleasure

Vesta (Roman): Goddess of hearth, home and family

Tsao Wang (Chinese): god of the hearth, also known as the kitchen god.

Spirits

These are various spirits you might look into. Again, not a comprehensive list by any means, and not full descriptions… please do your due diligence when working with spirits.

You home spirit: The animist in me fully believes your home has an energy and spirit that is unique to it. Tapping into and working with that will definitely amp up the cozy vibes for you.

Husvaetirr/ House Wights(Norse): Any spirit of the home. And sometimes the spirit of your home.

Brownies (England and Scotland): A familiar household spirit.

Goblins: (European): Mythical little guys that can connect to the home.

Boggart (England, North Country region): Boggarts can be either helpful or malevolent spirits. In their helpful form they are brownie-like

Hob (England): The hob functions much like a brownie, but instead of providing general help he focuses on one specific task.

Domovoi (Russia): The domovoi is a helpful household spirit much like the English brownie.

Nisse (Denmark, Norway): A brownie-like household spirit who likes a quiet and orderly household, the nisse or nis works on household chores at night.

Gargoyles (Unknown Origin): In folklore, gargoyles are thought to ward off harmful spirits, their wide open mouths symbolic of devouring giants. They were also thought to act as a reminder of the hell that awaited anyone who did not attend church.

Thanks for reading 💕

#witchcraft #witchblr #cottage witch #cozy vibes #cozy cottage #kitchen magic

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pleathewrites · 2 months

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bellow the fire into my deadened lungs

chapter 3 excerpt — fuyumi confronts endeavor read full story here

“You’re home.”

Fuyumi toes off her shoes.

“It’s been a while.”

As her sole slips out of her flat, she loses herself in the engraved lines of the tatami floors at her home's entrance. She imagines what they’d look like to a wandering ant — imagines in a next life if she were reincarnated into one, how she’d most likely roam onto and over the beige grooves as if they were hills; an endless expansion of rice straw landscape to be explored. How she may even feel protection in the surrounding deeper valleys of each indent during her journeys.

“Fuyumi?”

Then she remembers what her father does to wandering house ants. Her lifespan would probably be cut to two — maybe three — minutes, maximum.

In her most vicious thoughts, the ones that creep at three in the morning when the house echoes with the blaring silent loss of her mother, her brothers, and pieces of herself, she swaps the positions. Her father the ant, herself the executioner. She imagines, in the hazy moments between wet lashlines and clogged sinuses, bringing her thumb over her ant of a father, how ginormous and catastrophic the view would be for him, how scared he’d be, how powerless he’d be, as the pad of her thumb gets closer, closer, closer, and closer until —

She wonders if monstrosity runs through her veins, bitten through her umbilical cord, and infected her D.N.A.

She’s read that study, the one that theorizes how trauma is genetic. How it burns through the bodies of each next generation, over and over again.

The part of her that loves her father wonders what his own father was like.

“Fuyumi, are you — ”

“I spent the last couple of nights at Natsuo’s,” She finally says, taking her eyes off the mats that hold the twenty-six years of Fuyumi’s existence — soul, spirit, spit and smiles.

She looks at her father.

He’s healed quite well, physically, these past few weeks.

However, his eyes are different.

Before last week, Fuyumi didn’t understand why her father woke up from his coma in tears. She remembers being scared because she was so confused, ‘My father? Crying? Oh, Gods, someone has died, surely, haven’t they.’

Little did she know, the fool she was, it was the arrival of someone coming back to the land of the living. Those anguished eyes were not of mourning but of guilt and horror, azul irises flooding with the dire consequences of his own sins.

A prideful man, filled with greed and burning lust for power, wrathfully envious of those who rise above him in heart and skill, fueled by the gluttonous desire for respect while his efforts to obtain so are drenched in nothing but sloth and empty expectations.

But his eyes are different, they’re so different. No longer are they scrunched in downward severity, no longer burning for sky-high promises.

He hasn’t turned his flames on since the incident.

‘Is he ready to come back down to Earth?’

“We need — ”

“ — To talk,” Her father finished her sentence, his new eyes slightly widened at the unison of their thoughts.

Fuyumi isn’t sure if they’re referring to the same topic. There’s a feeling deep in her gut, though, that thinks, ‘Yeah, we’re talking about the same thing.’

She decides to break the ice. She needs the upper hand here.

“I know. About the villain who did that to you…” Fuyumi sees her father’s head hang slowly, “About Touya.”

He nods towards the open area in the center of their house, “Can we sit? The weather is nice today.”

Fuyumi’s throat is so dry at how easily her father accepts this, “Yeah,” She croaks, using her arm to gesture, ‘lead the way.’

They sit at the ledge, five or six feet apart.

Fuyumi remembers sitting here as a child, with her twin who grew faster than her, and how he’d make fun of the way her feet wouldn’t reach the ground as she’d swing her little legs back and forth while he’d stomp the ground with his big feet for emphasis on how much longer his legs are.

Fuyumi snorted quietly through her nose at the memory, ‘That dickhead didn’t even grow to be that tall. Natsuo practically towers over him.’

“Such a beautiful garden,” Her father starts, sun in his eyes. The way his knee bends up to his chest reminds Fuyumi just how large her father’s stature is, how sometimes he’d make her home feel like a dollhouse — how child-Fuyumi would think that her own father just doesn’t quite fit right in this home of hers. “I really let it go to waste, didn’t I?”

“Not enough plants for you?”

“The grass is too perfect,” Her father seems to be in his own world, a large hand trailing a thatch of greenery beside his feet, “Parents complain about their lawns constantly being scuffed up by their kids. Running around, rolling in the dirt, digging, and playing these… ‘scavenger’-type games. You should have had a home where the grass was not so perfect.”

‘You never provided such a home!’

Fuyumi’s eyes sting. She sucks in her cheeks and presses her tongue to the roof of her mouth, to pause, to think.

“You’ve been sleeping in Touya’s room.”

“I have.”

‘Gods,’ Her father is being so quiet right now. Fuyumi never imagined her father’s thick vocal cords were even capable of such softness.

She asks the only thing she’s wanted to know since her father woke up from his coma three weeks ago, “Why?”

Her father buries his face in his hands, wipes his eyes, and holds his mouth as if he can’t utter the words out loud, can’t speak the truth lest he makes it real.

“Please,” She begs.

How many times will she have to beg this man? For kindness, for cooperation, for truth?

Hands folded at his chin as if to hold a quivering jaw, her father’s auburn eyebrows turning upward, “Fuyumi. I don’t…” He breathes deeply, “I don’t even remember… what really happened that night.”

That night.

The night of Touya’s death.

Her father intertwined his fingers to rest his chin upon, a ray of light highlighting the glittering of clumped auburn lashes, “I sleep in his room because I feel… that if I… If I’m surrounded by him — by his things and his scent and who my son was, I will finally remember or-or understand why he is who he is today. But Fuyumi,” Her father rasps thickly as he turns to her, “His room… His room does not smell like him. His things haven’t been his for such a long time, and the only thing I have ever been certain of is that all of this is my fault.”

Her heart aches.

Fuyumi has seen her father in physical pain. She is often the one who mends him and feeds him after a particularly draining battle. But she has never seen what the man looks like in fear.

“What will you do?”

“For once in my life, I’m at a complete loss.”

Fuyumi grips the strap of her bag.

[ “Are you sure you want to give these to him? Usually, these are mailed or delivered by professionals in a matter of seconds.”

“Yes, Eraserhead-san. I… I need this, and I know him. This will end better if this news comes from me.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Not a whole lot to like about this entire situation, Sensei.”

“Shouto… Do you always talk to your teacher like this?”

“Sensei says I need to speak up more, put myself out there.”

“Todorokis… Fuyumi, I’m calling you in an hour. If I don’t get a response, I’m putting an all-points bulletin on you.”

“Thank you, Eraserhead-san.” ]

“Do you truly seek redemption, Father?”

“Yes, Fuyumi,” Her father’s eyes pleaded something fierce with her, “I... I want to atone. I want to be different. Better.”

Fuyumi takes the manila folder out of her bag, the one with a bolded ‘YOU HAVE BEEN SERVED’ stamped on the front, and lays it down in the space between them, “Then confess.”

Tawny eyebrows scrunch briefly as he takes in the words on the folder, before they shoot up in surprise, “Fuyumi…” His head snaps up and shakes as he pulls back, “I am a hero.”

She snaps, “Then, for once in your life, be heroic!” And, ‘ Gods,’ it may be wrong but the way her father flinches back makes something inside her chest feel so good, “Be worthy of that title. Face the consequences of your vile actions. Turn yourself in, and spare all of us the trauma of a trial, the possibility of a biased and undeserved verdict.” She searches for signs of immediate danger, for raising arms and rising heat because bravery only got her family members so far in this household. However, what she sees — slumped shoulders, quivering lips — makes her softly finish, “In your heart of hearts, you know you’re guilty.”

“... Is this the only path? Towards forgiveness? Redemption?”

A bitter laugh escapes her throat, “After everything that’s been revealed, it’s much too soon to talk about forgiveness, and I’m not even sure it’s my right, anymore. But regarding redemption? Father, what is the reason you put villains in jail?”

Her father jams the final nail into his own coffin, “Because they broke the law.”

“And are you arrogant enough to believe you are the exception?”

There’s silence for a long, long moment.

“So it’s out,” Her father mumbles, taking the manila folder into his lap before looking towards the sky.

Fuyumi has never been able to read her father, as Todoroki Enji is not a man of visible words and coherent sentences to make sense of.

Fuyumi stands up to leave, “Spare us all the burden of trial. Don’t make him beg other people to give him the justice I know, and you know, he deserves.”

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