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deniigi · 3 years

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Lando The Nosy Neighbor AU

Title: good fences make good neighbors

Summary: Modern AU based off the premise presented to me as ‘Han and Leia move into the same neighborhood and start a feud, only to eventually overthrow the local Homeowner’s Association.’

Relationships: Pot-farmer!Han/Lawyer!Leia; Farmboy!Luke/Survivalist!Din; Lando & Breha Organa & Chewbacca

This is based off a rural community in Washington which has local cults.

Lando POV

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A hippy has moved in next to the Organas.

It’s a good one, too. This one hasn’t even rented a moving truck, they’ve just come on over with all their furniture tetris-ed in on top of itself and wrapped tight with rope, blankets, and prayer.

Lando’s petunias screech for watering as the hippy throws open the truck’s door and comes staggering out, cracking his lanky back. Out of the other side comes an even hairier, even lankier person. He closes the truck door and looks right at Lando.

He stares.

It is a challenge. But of course, not one that Lando is not prepared to handle.

He points at his watering can.

Hippy Two seems to scoff.

Lando waits until he’s distracted by the first hippie struggling with the blue house’s doorknob to dump the remaining water into the pebbles under his ornamental bridge.

He returns inside and goes about his busy business, tying back the curtains.

It is always good to have someone new in the neighborhood.

It takes the hippy couple a few weeks to get settled into their new home, and in that time neither has ingratiated themselves to Lando.

The stupid one with the floppy hair caught onto Lando’s tricks at the weekly poker match held in the local bar. Lando may have lost his irrigation system, but he has not lost his dignity. It was old anyways. He’s been planning to replace it for nearly a year now. There is never a better time than the present to start making your dreams into reality.

And anyways, the floppy haired out-of-towner will get what is coming to him. Lando has already sown the seed of his demise.

Leia Organa returned home to look after her poor, sick, stubborn mother just two months ago. Breha is fine, of course, not even cancer could snuff out her fires, although she is bored of her husband and daughter trying to trap her indoors. Her immunocompromised escapades have been delightful to watch.

The Organas are always a lively group. There is never a dull moment or lack of machinations among them—especially the lady of the household. She, like Lando, appreciates a good tussle. Which is why he has pointed out to Leia that her new neighbors’ greenhouse is mighty interesting, is it not?

Lawyer Leia’s ears pricked up like a horse’s, and Breha’s sharp eyes took on new sheen.

Lando watches Leia in the mornings now, struggling to find upper-body strength and purchase on the wood of her backyard fence, among the roses and bougainvillea. She’s so tiny, Leia. Breha is not an overly large person either, and thus is no help in this endeavor to collect data on the greenhouse of questionable origins and purposes on the other side of the fence. Leia doesn’t need her, though. She needs no one. She’s seen what she needs to.

Lando pours tea from a glass pot given to him by someone in his company who wishes for their secrets to remain so and beautiful, clear amber liquid fills his cup.

He looks up to see Leia holding her phone out as far as she can without relinquishing her grip on the fence. She fumbles, trying one-handedly to document the crime before her, but alas. Even the mighty sometimes trip on the red carpet.

The phone slips. She grabs after it in slow-motion, horror filling every pore of her face.

It is gone now, that phone.

The Public Nuisances will know what she has been up to.

Lando sighs and leans back in his seat.

It is no time at all before the dropped phone is returned graciously over the white, waist-height fence that separates the Public Nuisance’s yard from the Organas’. Leia snatches her phone back and wipes it off with her hand and sleeve. The shorter public enemy, Han, he calls himself, smiles at her cheekily. He retracts his hand and gestures to the taller fence, barely visible for the fruit trees and vines, between their backyards and says something that makes Leia go very, very still.

It is, undoubtedly, a challenge. Not unlike the one that that the more polite public nuisance, Chewie, opened his and Lando’s relationship with.

Chewie has explained without mincing his words, that he and Han have come here because their last venture was lost in a snowstorm. Chewie will be damned if his precious seedlings are so callously frosted over again. The Pacific Northwest has no chance of freezing over, he says. It provides a better setting to grow stock.

Weed, he means. Marijuana. Chewie is again, not shy. He and Han make good money supplying dispensaries with their organic, hand dried leaves. It is apparently ‘artisan’ like in quality.

Lando isn’t sure he’d go that far, but yes, it is nice stuff. And yes, Leia, bastion of justice, does need to see the men’s permits.

Lando opens the window for a breeze and catches Han telling Leia that he’ll produce them if she arm wrestles him for the right to witness their authenticity. Leia agrees. Han fetches a small worktable from the house’s garage and sets it between them.

The match is over within seconds. Leia has never been so insulted in her life. She demands a rematch and, out of sheer indulgence, Han gives it to her.

He is nearly a foot taller than her. He could lift her up and over her own fence with ease if he so desired. He wins the next round. And the next one. He loses the last one by reason of having his leg deadened under the table but stands abruptly to renegade on his earlier promise.

“You watch yourself, princess,” he calls over his shoulder with his hand on his front door’s knob.

“Oh, I’ll be watching,” Leia snarls back.

Han slams the door. Chewie looks from him to Leia standing fuming in the shade of her family’s pine trees.

“Unbelievable,” she snaps at him before stomping off herself. “UNBELIEVABLE.”

Lando flicks his eyes up to see Breha’s dining room window wide open. She too, has a cup of tea. She lifts it his way and he lifts his back.

Finally, some quality entertainment once more.

Han and Leia’s hatred has become neighborhood gossip. They have begun going to extraordinary lengths to gain the others’ attention. For example, Han, in weeding his sparce flowerbeds, was careful to shove the fruits of his labor between the fence slats into Bail’s well-tended herb garden. Bail, ever the gentleman, does not mind, but of course Leia feels that her family honor has been spat upon. She collects the weeds and returns them to her owner, via mailbox. It is kind of her to put the flag down, so Han knows that he’s received a message.

The retaliation is a mural in rainbow colors commissioned by Han and painted by one of the budding young teenagers from a school about a thirty minute drive downtown. It is...psychedelic. And facing Leia’s bedroom window.

Han asked the youth who painted it to add in a figure in the center of the composition; it is a brown-haired woman dressed all in white, surrounded by thorny vines, and attempting to climb a fence. The young artist must have felt like Michelangelo in the application of those delicate strokes of artistry. They knew they were creating something holy.

Han helps that along by bracketing the figure with solar lanterns that light up at night and keep the image fully illuminated.

When Lando arrives to Breha’s side to go on a walk, arm in arm, with her and her beast of a terrier, she giggles like a schoolgirl behind her hand.

“Han is very handsome,” she tells Lando.

“He’s alright,” Lando says.

“I think he and Leia are a perfect match. Will for will. No one’s ever dared to cross her like this.”

Now that is a fact.

“I wonder if this is the start of something more,” Breha says.

“What does your husband think?” Lando asks.

Breha waves him off dismissively.

“Oh, you know. He’s convinced that Leia will kill Han in his sleep, and we will be forced to post bail, but I told him—as I’ve told you, Lando—Leia’s too smart to get caught committing axe murder. Now poisoning, that’s a different story.”

Lando wakes up and makes coffee. He turns on his computer and opens his curtains to let the light pour in and warm his hardwood floors. He stands at the window, hiding a smirk behind his mug.

Leia has had enough. She has called the Home Owner’s Association and they are standing at Han’s front doorstep.

It is about three weeks before Han and Leia have overthrown the Home Owner’s Association for interfering in their escalating romance—ahem—bloodfeud. By then, Lando’s work-from-home situation is suffering. It is impossible to focus with those two cluttering up his view with distractions left and right. He determines that, for the sake of his finances, he must direct his attention to something a little further afield.

The Lars’s vegetable stand is becoming something of an institution.

It’s about a mile or so out of Lando’s way, tucked smack in the middle of the battlefield that is the stretch of land between the survivalist cult that lives in the forest and the pseudo-Buddhists that live in their compound. The farm itself is a few acres and the Lars’s son can be seen walking around, herding livestock out of the road and into pastures.

Lando has heard whispers that this son is none other than Leia’s twin brother, but no one has the nerve to directly ask the Organas about the truth of such a scandalous idea. The most that can be said about Luke Lars-Skywalker is that he is a master of social media.

He has created a Youtube channel and an Instagram to document the practices of his family’s farm and the products they produce. He is in a twitter-war with many communities online for his videos on small-scale bee-keeping, and his family’s stand is proudly boycotted by the vegan association in the city on farmer’s market days.

It has become well-known among the farm-to-table restaurants in the city, though, and that is why Luke keeps on keeping on with his cows and his fowls and his silly camera holder.

But all that means little because Luke Lars-Skywalker is in love.

Anyone with eyes can see it.

He is in love with an ancestral enemy.

See, in this area there are not one, but two cults and naturally, they abhor and reject the others’ teachings. To the south are the pseudo-buddhist, clairvoyants who have fashioned themselves more or less as monks preoccupied with meditation, self-development, and a few fairly mystical beliefs among the rather terrifying devotion to martial arts. To the north are the survivalist whack-jobs who don’t believe in electricity or running water, but who are also, somehow, preoccupied with self development and a terrifying devotion to martial arts.

Both groups have publicly denounced the other as misguided extremists.

The rumors say that Luke and Leia’s biological father is one of the clairvoyants, and this is where the heart of the current delightful irony lays.

Luke Lars-Skywalker is in love with one of those survivalists.

Lando knows this because he has seen it with his very own eyes.

He took a trip a while back to purchase some greens from the vegetable stand and he was there for a little while, picking through the selection, when he looked up and saw Luke’s posture explode out of its lax boredom. Lando looked over his shoulder to see what Luke’s tan, freckled attention had latched onto and lo and behold.

It was a man. And not only a man, a man with a baby.

Luke stuffed knuckles into his mouth to keep from cooing as the father of the child nodded at him and meandered over to have a poke through the produce piled up on the stand. The baby, dressed carefully in layers of warm, water-resistant clothing, watched Luke right back. He smiled and grunted, waving his dark, stubby arms and Luke melted—literally collapsed into a fraction of his size behind the paystation.

The father, a white rugged guy with dark curly hair and a great deal of stubble, shifted the baby to his other arm. His worn, heavy clothing and the military-style canvas sack on his back marked him as one of the Cabin-In-the-Woods people.

Lando felt like he was watching a country romance flick in real life.

Luke gathered his courage and approached the dad and baby to ask if they were looking for anything in particular. The baby immediately held hands out to him. Luke asked the father if he could hold the little one. The father said ‘no.’

Lando nearly choked on his own spit.

“Oh, sorry buddy,” Luke said to the baby. “Daddy thinks I’m gonna eat you up.”

“He just got a bath.”

Luke gooey expression hardened in an instant.

“Excuse you. You sayin’ I’m dirty?” he asked. “You sayin’ I smell like horseshit?”

The father stared at Luke wordlessly.

“Pigshit,” he corrected.

“WHAT.”

Lando no longer needed only greens. He had to pick a cheese from this bountiful pile. Oh dear, so many to choose from.

“I said, you smell like pigshit. And he just got a bath,” the survivalist father said. “How much for the tomatoes?”

“Twenty a pound,” Luke said viciously.

“That’s steep.”

“There’s a discount for people who smell like pigshit.”

“You get a lot of those?”

“No, but I know how to wallow in the time between buyers.”

“Are you angry or something?”

“Take your damn tomatoes.”

“I didn’t pay yet—”

“Just take ‘em. Go. Go.”

“Twenty—?”

“Hey, Mr. Calrissian, that’ll be ten-fifty,” Luke said over the protests.

That was then. This is now. And Luke Lars-Skywalker has not let up on his tirade against this survivalist. Nor, it is important to note however, has the survivalist stopped coming to the vegetable stand when Luke is working it.

What is even more is that Lando can see with his own two eyes that the survivalist is not holding his baby at the vegetable stand now, as Lando closes his car door a little ways from the stand. Luke smiles at Lando as he draws near; he is bouncing at the knees. He waves the baby’s hand in greeting and the child gurgles and twists back to grab at his face.

Lando smiles and does not say anything.

He finds Chewie inspecting a sprinkler at the edge of his and Han’s yard on the way back and crosses the street to inspect it with him. It sputters. Chewie suspects outloud that their squirrels are getting stronger and more destructive by the day.

Lando asks him if he’s been the Lars’s vegetable stand since moving into town.

He has.

Lando asks if he’s ever seen Luke there, holding a baby.

He has.

Lando is smug.

“Mr. Rugged Mountain Man is falling for the farm boy,” he tells Chewie.

Chewie lifts a thick eyebrow.

“One day soon, that baby is going to go from living off the grid to living in a barn,” Lando tells him. “Mark my words.”

Chewie tells him that that is impossible without a kidnapping charge because the Rugged Mountain Man is the straightest man that he’s ever seen. Lando tells him not to judge a book by its cover.

Weirder things have happened. Han and Leia, for example.

Chewie tells him that he knows that Lando is somehow responsible for those two’s newly inescapable sexual tension and he will never forgive him for it.

Lando cannot believe his ears. Him? An instigator? Of course not, Chewie. He is but a humble spider, waiting around in his house for a fly to shake things up. He is an observer, nothing more, nothing less.

Chewie just points a finger at him.

Lando points a finger-gun back. He fires it with a click of his tongue.

#star wars #han/leia #dinluke #lando calrissian #fic #ficlet #don't mind me I'm just thinking about petty neighborhood politics

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volturiwolf · 3 years

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The Volturi Princess - A Felix Volturi x fem!Reader Story (part 1)

A/N: This is the first Volturi- and Twilight-related story I ever started writing and it is quite long and elaborated/complex, as I tend to overanalyze in many parts. I have wrote a few parts until now and I'll be uploading them in the future. I have been quite emotional throughout writing it, trying to understand the reader's point of view.

A/N 2: I'm sorry if something doesn't make sense. English is not my first language. I also include Italian through the story, with translation, but I'm not a native or a speaker, so I'd like to apologize in advance to those who speak Italian. Enjoy :)

A/N 3: According to "The Amagi" on Youtube, Felix was born in 250 BC (their thumbnail), so I used that in my story.

No of Words: about 5347

Mentions of: Abandonment, Abortion, Anxiety, Blood, Bruises, Coma/Comatosed State, Death Emotional Abuse, Emotional and Physical Pain, Gaslighting, Greece/Greek Language - with translation, Heartbreak, Italian Language - with translation, Manipulation, Murder, Pain, Panic Attacks, Pregnancy, Suffering, Suicide/Suicidal Thoughts, Swear Language, Throwing Up/Puking, Witches/Wizards/Witchcraft

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My heart felt heavy. I may have just escaped the cruelest vampire of all, but I also ran away from the love of my life, my mate, the only person who could fully understand me in this world. I asked him to run away with me, but, although our bond was strong, he felt obliged to stay loyal to his master, his creator. I drove as fast as I could, away from the sunny Volterra, and away from him.

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(Y/N) grew up quite privileged, in Vampire terms. Being born into the Volturi coven was something many vampires could only dream about. (Y/N) was abandoned by her parents when she was a baby, but Aro, one of the three Volturi leaders, took her under his protection, and offered her more things than she could ever have imagined. After all, she was his only biological granddaughter, the “Volturi princess”, an heiress to the throne; her mother lost that “privilege” when she met and fell in love with a wizard.

(Y/N)’s mother soon got pregnant with her, and then later turned her husband into a vampire to help her with her pregnancy, and stay together forever. However, (Y/N)’s parents couldn’t raise her because they wanted to run free and careless, not commit to anything permanent, so Aro took over and raised his granddaughter with the highest honors and privileges, “as a princess should be raised”.

(Y/N) was a mix of Vampire, Witch and Human, due to the grandmother, Sulpicia, being human when Aro found her; Sulpicia later fell pregnant with (Y/N)’s mother, and Aro transformed her to vampire, as he had planned all along. Aro raised (Y/N) according to his own rules and morals, teaching her how to kill humans to feed from, how to attack and slip away from her opponents, how to lead other vampires, and most importantly, how to keep her identity and existence a secret, not only to humans, but other non-Volturi vampires as well. No one could know that there was a possibility of a vampire having a child with a human, and that the child could be effectively controlled and raised as a regular vampire.

As (Y/N) grew older and older, reaching the human age of 25 within 7 years of her birth, Aro would spend more and more time with her, examining and studying her possibilities and her potential powers’ development. (Y/N) grew up to be extremely strong and fast, an excellent tracker with great intelligence and understanding of the world around her. However, Aro could not risk sending her to “Volturi duties”. She was his hope for a stronger coven; with (Y/N) in the throne, Aro felt like he could conquer the vampire world with ease.

That’s why he was always searching for the best guards he could find, to protect the coven and do his work instead of himself, Caius, or (Y/N). He couldn’t rely on Marcus, as he proved to be too emotional since Didyme died, but was still valuable for his plan. Caius, on the other hand, although powerless, was far more sadistic and “diligent” in following vampire rules, and (Y/N)... (Y/N) was just too obedient, following every order Aro gave her - a strong asset for the Volturi.

Aro was changing guards and trackers quite easily, disposing them when they were no longer needed or when he found better ones. He needed talented and strong vampires to serve the coven and do their work.

Chelsea was the very first vampire Aro created solely to serve the Volturi, after recognizing her potential when she was human. Chelsea’s gift of relationship manipulation was truly useful in bringing new vampires into the coven and was used thousands of times during Volturi's reign. It could also easily dispose of them, making their bonds with other vampires break at will; those vampires were isolated by the other vampires and then killed - Aro couldn’t risk letting them get away knowing the Volturi’s secrets and life.

About 100 years later, Corin joined the Volturi, just a couple decades after (Y/N)’s birth. Corin’s gift of addictive contentment was the one which kept Marcus in the Volturi after Didyme’s death - along with Chelsea’s to make him committed to Aro’s greater plans, and was also used on Sulpicia, Athenadora and any other vampire in the Volturi guard to keep them satisfied being in the Volturi. Under Aro’s instructions, Corin was keeping Chelsea content with being in the Volturi, and Chelsea was keeping Corin loyal to them, each of them using their gifts against each other, without their knowledge.

Sometime between 230 and 220 BC, while travelling in Rome, searching for additional vampires to add to the coven, Aro supposedly met a young, strong and ambitious fighter, who wished to become a gladiator one day, named Felix. Felix did not only look, but also was physically capable of fighting even with beasts, during his short time as a fighter, way before the Colosseum was built. Born into a poor family, his strength was his only way of making money, and becoming a gladiator was his only way out of poverty, a way to provide for both his family and himself.

When his family was almost imprisoned by Roman army officers for outstanding debts, Felix was forced to make a deal with them to fight, in whatever they ordered him to. Fighting turned out to be the only way for Felix to deal with his emotions and rage towards people in power. When Aro approached Felix, he was promised a good life, where he wouldn’t have to worry about surviving another day. Felix did not seem willing enough, not being fond of the idea of serving people in power, who he so despised.

Luckily for Aro, Chelsea was the one who “convinced” Felix to join the Volturi guard, with Aro changing him afterwards. Unlike previous guards, Felix showed impeccable strength, speed and talent towards both dodging and initiating attacks, eventually making him a permanent member in the Volturi Guard, along with Chelsea and Corin.

Felix was assigned as the leading guard for the three kings’ protection, this role extending to the protection of their two wives and (Y/N); though Aro knew that, if it came to anyone attacking his granddaughter, she would be able to handle it by herself. However, he still wanted to make sure that she was safe and that Aro would do anything to protect her.

For about a couple millennias, (Y/N) was content with her situation, being the “Volturi princess” and all that. Besides, having Felix in the Volturi was another reason to stay in the coven, apart from staying loyal and true to Aro for taking her in, when she was abandoned.

Every time Felix looked into her eyes, she felt her whole body burn - though, it wasn’t a feeling of suffering, rather a feeling of longing, waiting for something to happen so badly that her body couldn’t control itself. Although she was partially a vampire, (Y/N) would feel like she couldn’t breathe, like her legs were ready to give up on her, like she wanted to grab Felix and never let go.

Felix, although not admitting it even to himself, would feel the same way, but he knew that his position would not allow him to approach (Y/N) in such a way. He was just a guard - although he was the strongest of them all, and she was the Volturi princess, one of his masters, whom he was only allowed to approach in order to protect. He didn’t want Aro to know he saw his granddaughter like that; it could cost him his position in the guard, or even his life. So, he kept these feelings deep within him, not allowing them to resurface, or act upon them.

However, every time these two existed at the same place, the invisible sparks between them would fly left and right. And only one vampire was able to see them. One who hadn’t felt these sparks in centuries.

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(Y/N)’s POV:

I yawned loudly as I woke from a long, much needed sleep. I was the only vampire around who was able to sleep, mostly due to my non-vampire natures. I didn't really need to sleep on a regular basis, but when I did, I could literally sleep 3 days straight and nobody would be able to wake me up. “For my own protection”, as Aro said, I would always have at least two guards outside of my room’s door, in case anything happened while I was sleeping. Like what could even happen? My room was at the furthest side of this huge castle. I’m pretty sure that if there ever was an attack against the Volturi, it would most probably have been dealt with immediately, and the attacker wouldn’t make it anywhere near my room.

I felt the warm sun on my skin, slightly glowing and sparkling beautifully. My eyes, mostly (Y/E/C) with a golden ring around the pupil, could easily adjust to the light. Unlike the other vampires, I could easily live among humans; I could sleep, eat human food, my skin not being as sparkly as others, and I could control my thirst far better than others.

Since Jane and Alec joined the coven, Aro would show an immense interest in them and their skills, helping them train daily and develop their powers further, eventually forgetting about me. I would spend more and more days away from the castle, “protected” by my anonymity, getting to know humans more and more. The longer I was observing them, the more they would trigger my interest in them. They could feel true emotions, real pain, real hurt, real love. They had their families, they received an unconditional love that I could never have.

Unbeknownst to Aro or anyone else for that matter, I have started developing new powers, similar to the other vampires in the Volturi coven or anyone else outside of it. I have also started noticing that I may have an immunity towards others’ talents, feeling that neither Corin’s addictive contentment made me satisfied with being in the Volturi, nor Chelsea’s relationship manipulation could keep me loyal to Aro anymore. If it weren’t for Felix, or Demetri and the Twins, who have all become my best friends by now, I would have probably left.

A vampire named Carlisle Cullen had visited the Volturi and stayed with us for a while, about 100 years ago. He saw the way the Volturi treated humans like they were nothing, and how they were as cruel as to kill other vampires, with the excuse that they were exposing our kind with the way they lived. Entire covens had been wiped out due to such excuses, a way to eliminate potential enemies from becoming too powerful and find as many talented vampires as possible and force them to join the Volturi.

Carlisle was talking about a new way of life, where vampires wouldn’t have to kill humans to survive, a life where vampires and humans could live in peace, without harming each other. He was insisting that vampires could survive on animal blood just as efficiently as with human blood; that animal blood would not make them weaker, and that it would be a much more ethical and sustainable way to feed.

Of course, Aro and Caius were the first ones to mock his proposition, clearly not caring about humans’ feelings and pain. Marcus did not budge at all, his heartache making him indifferent to anything around him. But I was growing more and more interested in this alternative way of life; I was, after all, feeding on human food already, so that I was feeding on human blood as little as I could.

It was a few years after Carlisle left Volterra that Eleazar joined the Volturi. Aro forced him to join after finding out he could detect if someone had any special ability. Aro considered his gift useful in identifying if any of his enemies had any special power when in battles, or when he sent Eleazar around the world to recruit talented vampires.

Eleazar was clearly not liking the way the Volturi forced their ways and wants on others, and how they could take advantage of others for their own benefit. I could just sense that he was displeased and was forcing himself to stay in the coven, one, due to Corin’s and Chelsea’s gifts, and two, out of fear of what could happen to him and his mate, Carmen.

Carmen, a vampire from Spain, like Eleazar, met with Eleazar while he was a guard here, they fell in love, and eventually, Eleazar decided to leave the Volturi and run away with Carmen. Aro decided that he did not care about him and his gift as much as others’, so he let him go unharmed, “blessing” them for safe travels.

Just a few days before he left, I consulted him on my own powers. Though a lower member of the guard, Eleazar had his own room, a decent place to stay, and spend his endless hours in. I knocked slightly on the door.

“Come in”, a calm voice was heard. I opened the door and came into his room. Carmen was sitting on the edge of their bed and Eleazar was reading a book on his desk. They both smiled sweetly. I just felt and knew they were too nice to fit anywhere in here, among the cruel and strict Volturi.

“(Y/N)! So nice to see you!”Carmen exclaimed and stood to hug me. The second we hugged I started seeing parts of her life in Spain, the calm waters of Catalunya, the vast vineyards where she would spend the early years of her life… I quickly detached myself from her embrace. I just couldn’t invade her privacy like that. She and Eleazar both looked at me worried, as if I had offended them.

“I’m sorry. I just can’t let you “show” me your whole life like that!” I looked at Carmen apologetically.

“(Y/N), you saw Carmen’s life?” Eleazar continued, intrigued by my words.

“That’s why I came to talk to you. I..I feel like I’ve been developing a gift, or a few gifts, to be completely honest. And I feel like.. like I have a specific power one day, and another power the next!” I stated frantically.

It was the first time I have openly talked about my powers to anyone, and I was shaking just by the words that came out of my mouth. Eleazar did not say anything, he just stood there for a few minutes, I supposed “examining” me, as if a doctor checking on a patient.

“Remarkable.” He said calmly. He looked at his mate with excitement, as if he just discovered a lost treasure. “(Y/N) has one of the most remarkable gifts I have ever seen.” He then turned to me. “You, (Y/N), are able to copy anyone else’s gifts and keep them as your own. You don’t even have to be in contact with them. Just by meeting someone, you can obtain their powers. I have never met anyone like that. You also seem to have obtained immunity to others’ powers, kind of like a shield. I have met such vampires before. From the stories Aro has been telling, your mother was like that. It is likely that you copied that gift for her. Such vampires are extremely useful to themselves or even others, in battles. Like themselves, you can use your gift to protect others from others’ powers, beside yourself.”

That came too sudden to my ears. I have assumed that I may have at least one power, but I didn’t realise I could copy others’ powers. That is why I was showing signs of Aro’s power!

“How can I train my powers? Eleazar! Carmen! You have to help me!”

“As you know, we will be leaving soon. I don’t know if there will be enough time to train you.”

“It’s okay. We will train as much as you want. Please, Eleazar! Please, Carmen!” I started begging them. As if they were hypnotized, they quickly looked at each other and agreed to help me.

The next few days, before Eleazar and Carmen’s departure, included intense training, far away from Volterra, deep in the woods, where no human could interrupt us. I couldn’t say the same for vampires, but I hoped nobody would cross paths with us. Eleazar and Carmen helped me develop my self-control and self-awareness, concentrating through the deepest parts of my mind, resurfacing my shield and expanding it beyond my existence. I started to have control over it, as if it was an actual solid substance, a veil floating around me towards any direction I ordered it to go.

After Eleazar and Carmen left, I started travelling the world more, trying to copy as many powers as I could come across with, while also training my shield. My excitement for the endless possibilities was what kept me going - kind of when Aro would add another talented vampire to his Guard. His Guard. Felix. I wonder how he was. I hadn’t seen him in a while. I wondered if he thought of me like I thought of him.

After travelling pretty much anywhere I could reach, I eventually went back to where it all started: I went to Greece. Aro met Sulpicia here, apparently my mom met my dad here. Maybe I could find out, understand why they left me. I have never met them, but I felt as if my tracking skills could detect them through my own existence.

I started travelling through the country, hoping that they stayed here or, at least, that they’re alive. I spent about 2 or 3 years in Greece, trying to take in every different place, while also avoiding the battles that seemed to take place in every other corner. I was feeding off animals mainly, mostly when I couldn’t find any other human food. I was washing myself in rivers, streams, whatever I could find.

I was stopping by any village that seemed to be still standing, asking about the current situation. The Greek Revolution, which started a few years ago, seemed to still be going on. The Ottomans, who had been occupying Greece for almost 400 years, could not allow Greeks to turn against them and start claiming their rights within the Ottoman Empire.

Many Greeks I met and talked to, admitted that some of the Ottomans were actually being nice to them; it was only the Ottoman government ordering their armies to execute massive massacres against Greeks, and after all this time, a few Greeks started gathering up and planning a revolution, away from Greece, in fear of being caught. They started getting organized and finding possible allies to help them with the Revolution; they just couldn’t risk getting caught within the country that they were hoping the independent Greece could become. The battles were becoming more and more intense, both on the mainland, as well as on the islands.

I started looking for answers, anything that could suggest that my parents were still alive and somewhere in Greece. To my surprise, I crossed paths with many Greek nomad vampires all over the country. They were also fighting against either Ottoman vampires or each other for territorial claims; however, they all talked me out of travelling north, towards Macedonia. The region had started being reclaimed back by Greek humans, but vampires were also seeing the potential for the area and they fought against each other for the land.

All of the nomads I encountered were talking about some of the most vicious vampires claiming the land, their enemies being literally slaughtered and burned to set an example for other vampires to back off their territory. I was intrigued, and I knew that, most probably, I would be able to deal with them or flee before they got to me.

So, I started travelling north, through the woods and mountains, in order to avoid any possible battle between humans, though many of them seemed to hide in the mountains, preparing for their battles. Macedonia was a quite big and vast region, so I had to travel quite a few days and search every possible corner.

I know I shouldn’t have done this, but I was feeling exhausted from all the searching. I haven’t fed in quite some time, and my throat was burning by the familiar need for blood. I haven’t seen any animals all these days, and I was wondering if they were gone or hiding.

Sadly, I came across a human. He seemed to be wounded, probably during a battle, his blood gushing out of his body. I couldn’t help myself, when I breathed in the smell, the burning sensation becoming unbearable. I thought of approaching him slowly, so as not to scare him, offering to help him, but deep down I just wanted to feed off of him.

“Γειά! Συγνώμη αν σε τρόμαξα. Σε είδα από μακριά. Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω με κάποιο τρόπο; (Hey! Sorry if I scared you. I saw you from afar. Can I help you in any way?)” I offered calmly.

The man was trying to suppress his growls. I could sense his pain. I tried to help him stand on his feet, and then I saw all of his memories. He was in the army, fighting alongside Greeks against the Ottomans, in Macedonia, just outside of Thessaloniki. I didn’t even know I was so close to a city, let alone Thessaloniki.

He was trying to pass through the woods, when he came across what seemed to be two red-eyed vampires, one male and one female. They tried to attack him, but someone else managed to shoot him first, forcing the two vampires to run away. I don’t know how or why, these two felt familiar to me, I could feel that through his memories.

“Γειά! Μπορείς.. Μπορείς να πας στο κοντινότερο χωριό; Νομίζω.. Νομίζω ότι είδα κάτι στο δάσος, δε νομίζω ότι ήταν κάτι φυσιολογικό! Πρέπει.. Πρέπει να προειδοποιήσω τους άλλους! (Hey! Can.. Can you get me to the nearest village? I think.. I think I saw something in the woods, I don’t think it was something normal! I have.. I have to warn the others!)” He mumbled in between sharp shoots of pain.

“Με συγχωρείς πολύ! (I’m really sorry!)” I plead with guilty eyes. I put my hand in his wound, searching for the bullet, while he was consumed by pain. I took the bullet out of the wound, and quickly attached my lips on his skin, sucking the blood as fast as I could, biting deeply unintentionally. His screams were becoming louder and louder, so I covered his mouth with my hand, while trying to shut him up or break his jaw. A few seconds later, he stopped screaming, and I let his lifeless body fall, completely numb and drained out of blood.

I felt renewed, his blood travelling to every part of my body and giving me a new kind of strength that I haven’t felt in a while. I still felt guilty for killing him, but he was already wounded and I couldn’t risk him exposing our kind to others. I assumed that whoever found him - if anyone found him - would also assume that he died of blood loss, so I tried to position him in a realistic pose for that purpose, as best as I could. I left him there, and continued the search for my parents.

--------------------------------------------------------

I was running through the woods, trying to locate the two vampires from the guy’s memories. My mind was chaotic, I wasn’t thinking about something specific. I stopped in my tracks. What Aro taught me, and what I understood from Demetri’s tracking skills, is that you have to stop, take a breath and realize your position in the world. Then, you would be able to realize everything around you and find your targets. I have successfully found other vampires like that before, vampires who I have either met in person or smelled their scent, but I didn’t know if I could find someone through someone else’s memories of them.

I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate as best as I could, focusing on the smaller details of the guy’s memories of these vampires. I felt two vampires running on my west, about 10 kilometers away, and I ran after them. They were running fast, but I was way faster. Within a minute or two, I was running right behind their tracks. They must have realized that a stranger was following them, but, instead of running, they suddenly stopped. I stopped as well, and we were now facing each other.

The female had long, brunette, curly hair, and the male short, dark brown, straight hair; both of their hair looked shiny, healthy, and rich. They were of average height and their eyes were piercing red, as if they also fed quite recently. The female was exceptionally beautiful and enchanting; I could only compare her to Heidi’s exceptional beauty. The male looked quite stoic and austere, though still beautiful.

Both of them on defensive positions, waiting for me to attack. I wasn’t planning to move any further from my position; I was only waiting for their own reactions. I felt that kind of a burning sensation within me again, like a feeling buried deep inside me, trying to find an escape.

Suddenly, the male growled at me, flames springing out of his hands, and being thrown at me. I felt my heart fall out of my chest, fearing that this would be my end. As if my body reacted on its own, I felt my own shield extending out of my body, building a wall around me and protecting me from the male’s attack. My hands started burning and flames came out, ready to counterattack the male. The male looked at the female, dumbfounded by what he witnessed, still in a defensive position, but ready to attack again.

“I’M NOT HERE TO FIGHT YOU!” I shouted at both of them. “I’M JUST SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE!”

The male shrinked back, the female following close by. “Who are you looking for? We haven’t seen you around. Who are you? Why are you here?” The male requested. His voice serious, but smooth at the same time; a voice I could only describe as the warm earth below their bare feet.

“No, I’m not. I come from Italy, though I think I was born around here. My name is (Y/N), I’m looking for my parents. I don’t quite remember what they look like, but I’m pretty sure that they lived around here. They abandoned me when I was a baby.”

“This has been our territory for almost 3 millennials! We would have known if any humans abandoned their offspring around here!” The female exclaimed, as if she didn’t believe a word I said. I didn’t want to tell them the whole story, but I had to show them that I didn’t mean to fight in any way.

“I never said they were humans. My mother was actually sort of a vampire, like you.”

The female started letting her guards down. “What do you mean sort of? I’ve never heard of a “sort of vampire” before!” She continued doubtfully.

“Believe me or don’t, my mother was born half vampire, half human. My dad wasn’t even a vampire before she met him. He wasn’t even human to be honest.” My eyes started stinging slightly. I could have had a good, happy life if they didn’t abandon me. I wouldn’t have to grow up with Aro.

“You said you were from Italy.” I nodded at the male, as he continued. “You never said where exactly.”

I wasn’t sure if I should tell them my real origin; I wouldn’t like them to know I was a Volturi, but I knew I needed help to find my parents. If they were actually here as long as they say, they might have known or met my parents at some point.

“Volterra. I was born here, in Greece, like my mother, but grew up in Volterra with my grandparents.” I looked down, kind of scared, kind of anxious, waiting for their next move.

The female gasped. “Are you a Volturi?!” I looked at her, straight in the eyes, swallowed, and nodded. “I know the Volturi. Who are your grandparents?”

“Aro and Sulpicia.” I answered so quietly that, if they weren’t vampires, they wouldn’t have heard me, my voice trembling slightly.

The female suddenly fell on her knees, the male wrapping his arms around her, comforting her. I didn’t know what was going on. Did I say something wrong? Were they scared? The sheer mention of the Volturi would scare a lot of vampires, but I thought that maybe these two seemed strong enough to deal with them.

The female started sobbing, no tears coming out of her red eyes, her body shaking. I felt something within me break. I felt that I didn’t want to upset them, that’s why I was hesitant in telling them who I really was. The male looked at me, pain in his eyes. I saw a familiar look. I saw me in his eyes, what I looked at in my mirror anytime I was thinking about my parents, or, sometimes, when I thought of Felix.

“Are you a half witch?” The male asked quietly. Something snapped in me. How would he know that?

“I swear, I didn’t do anything to your mate! I DIDN’T!” I shouted at the male. I didn’t want him to think that I would hurt his mate, or himself.

“I know you wouldn’t. It’s just..” He looked at his mate who had stopped sobbing, but was still down on her knees, unable to stand up. “..my mate is Aro and Sulpicia Volturi’s only daughter.”

My body tensed and shivered. If that woman is the only daughter Aro and Sulpicia ever had...could that mean..?

I took a few steps back. “AM I YOUR DAUGHTER? ARE YOU MY PARENTS?” I looked at them in disbelief.

Those were the people who abandoned me! That let me grow parentless, under Aro’s rules and directions! I was breathing heavily, in between sobs. I didn’t even realize that I set my whole body ablaze, until both vampires looked at me shocked. I didn’t feel any pain, but I couldn’t stop the flames licking my body, and in my frantic state, I started panicking even more.

The male started approaching me slowly, trying to not scare me away. “Shush, shush. You’re okay. You’re doing okay. I know how it feels at first. You’re experiencing some aspects of the life as a witch. It’s okay. Close your eyes and picture the flames in your head.” I closed my eyes and tried concentrating on the flames. “Now, imagine them burning out, becoming smaller and weaker.” I focused on the flames, imagining them weakening. After a few minutes, I felt them getting smaller and smaller, and finally disappearing. I opened my eyes slowly.

The female was standing next to the male, watching me carefully. In a quick motion, she pulled me and embraced me, stroking my hair lightly. I breathed in her scent, a mix of mountain flowers and the saltiness of the sea. Her touch was soft, and filled me up with what felt like a thousand different emotions.

But, I mostly felt safe. It was the first time in my life that I actually felt this safe. And whole. I felt like I actually belonged somewhere. I hugged her back. Tears started spilling from my eyes. That was my mom! That was actually my mom! After all this time, we were finally together. I felt the male, my dad, hugging both of us, and in that moment, I felt my legs giving up on me, and I finally fell into a long sleep.

#felix volturi #felix volturi imagine #felix volturi x reader #volturi #twilight #twilight renessaince #twilight post #demetri volturi #alec volturi #jane volturi #the cullens #the denali coven

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variousqueerthings · 3 years

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Daniel LaRusso: A Queer Feminine Fairytale Analysis Part Two of Three

Part 1

Part 3

6. Sexual Awakenings part 1: Love, Obsession, & Size Differences

[Insert that post talking about the creators making sure that Daniel’s antagonists were much bigger than him so that the audience would sympathise, spawning 10000 size kink fics]

I’m sure this won’t awaken anything in Daniel

Corporate wants you to find the difference between these two pictures

The hallmark of feminine fairytales tends to be growing into womanhood, with all those symbolic sexual under/overtones, searching for a prince, encountering monsters (or evil stepmothers), on the surface tending to be quite passive/reactive, but actually being about young girls and women getting out of their environment and choosing to tussle with those deep, dark desires – monsters. They’ve got to function within the limitations of power that they have – escaping an abusive situation through marriage, chasing forbidden desires under the guise of duress, asking questions about sexuality through things like symbolic plucking (flowers) or consumption (fruit) or pricking (needles), etc.

Daniel isn’t striking out to find his fortune or win a girl or a kingdom Like A Man, he’s not a threat to Silver, who – like Jareth in Labyrinth – is in control for almost the whole of the narrative, he’s not actually able to do much more than react until he makes the decision to stop training, and even then he’s immediately ganged up on and assaulted, needing to be saved by Miyagi while he stands and watches, bloodied and bruised.

Daniel’s journey in the third movie is to be forced into an impossible situation, seduced by Silver, and then prove that whatever violence Silver did to him isn’t enough to destroy him. It is incredibly similar to Sarah’s in Labyrinth, who by the end declares: “you have no power over me,” and that’s her winning moment. Not strength, not wits, not a direct fight, (although Daniel does fight Barnes and gets beat up again – only winning in in the end by taking him by surprise, unlike in TKK1 or TKK2 where you could argue that he proves himself to be a capable physical opponent to Johnny and Chozen), but by declaring that whatever power was held over her is now void.

Daniel’s narrative isn’t satisfying in the same way, because the dynamic of Silver and Daniel only accidentally emulates this - it’s not an intention on the side of the film-makers.

When Miyagi tells Daniel that he has strong roots, when he tells him not to lose to fear and Daniel wins over Barnes (in an almost fairytale-esque set of events), on paper he’s defeated whatever hold Terry Silver has over him. In the film itself though, Daniel never defeats Silver (which will likely be confirmed once he returns in Season Four). Daniel cannot simply say “you have no power over me,” and see Silver shattered into glass shards.

The film is a contradiction: It wants to be a masculine sports film, but it exists in the same realm as Goblin Kings seducing young girls with the promise of: “Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.” Unlike Sarah, Daniel doesn’t claim the power that’s been promised to him on his own terms. His subtextually sexual awakening is so corrupted that all he can do is pretend it never happened.

Still, Daniel proves in the film that his strength is not in his fists. It’s in his praying to the bonsai tree that’s healed despite a violent boy brutally tearing it in two.

These looks on Daniel and Silver though?

So why does Silver become obsessed with him? What’s up with all those red outfits (that he doesn’t wear in Cobra Kai)? What does the temptation reveal about Daniel? How does it recontextualise TKK1 and TKK2? Is Daniel bisexual? (yes).

Ah, beach-Daniel, in your red hoodie and your cut-off jorts. Iconic hot-girl summer vibes.

If you didn’t want me over-analysing this, you shouldn’t have put him in so many red outfits and then have this man leering at him like he wants to eat him alive.

Surface-level it’s not hard to read into a Dude Story: Masculine power fantasies are about strength in a very direct way. Fighting, control, suaveness – and if you’re not the most traditionally masculine of guys, asserting dominance through being a good lover or intelligent or overcoming that unmanliness in some way through beating the bully or convincing the hot girl to go out with you, levelling up in coolness. Being A Man. It’s not too dissimilar from Daniel’s arc in the first movie, if you watch it without taking later events into account, although Daniel is never interested in proving himself as a man, and more in making Miyagi proud. Still, he does win and gain respect, and arguably “get the girl,” although Ali’s interest in him was never dependent on the fight.

7. Sexual Awakenings Part 2: Sexual Assault, Liberation, and Queerness

Feminine power fantasies are often about sex. Metaphorically. More accurately it’s “owning sexuality.” Even more accurately: “Freedom.” They also inhabit a fluid space in which empowerment through monstrous desires and non-consent can happen at the same time. And on top of that, many of these “fantasies” are actually being written by men, so whose fantasy is it really? A lot of them are based in oral traditions so presumably they were originally from the mouths of women, even if modern iterations (starting with Grimm’s collections) are filtered through cis men’s perspectives.

All of that being acknowledged: In Angela Carter’s “The Company Of Wolves,” Red Riding Hood unambiguously sleeps with the wolf. Belle discovers her freedom from expectations and unsuitable suitors (and in some versions, evil stepsisters) by falling in love with a Beast (the original novel was written by a woman, the 18th century Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve). Jareth informs Sarah of his obsessive devotion to her in Labyrinth. To lean into horror for a moment – Buffy is stalked and eventually has relationships with both Angel and Spike, Lucy in Coppola’s Dracula (which I have mixed feelings about) is raped by the werewolf and Mina is stalked by Dracula, The Creature Of The Black Lagoon kidnaps Kay (the lead’s girlfriend) – subverted in both The Shape Of Water in which Eliza forms a consensual relationship with the amphibious sea-god and in the short-lived horror series Swamp Thing, in which the connection is purposefully framed as seductive…

and in The Karate Kid Part Three Daniel LaRusso punches a board until his hands bleed because an attractive, older man tells him to and in this moment he gives in to what he (thinks he) wants.

Not all of those examples are equal. Some are consensual, some are hinted as abusive and/or stalkery, all of them have large age gaps, and a few are outright non-consensual.

But they’re all fantasies.

They’re all power-fantasies.

Except for Daniel, because he’s a man and the idea that being obsessed (lusted) over by an older man who keeps you in his thrall, specifically because you tickle his fancy for whatever reason, because you’re beautiful, breakable, different – could in any way be considered empowering is a difficult concept to wrap your head around. It doesn’t contain that “but I’m a good girl, I’d never go off the path and pluck flowers if a bad wolf told me to, honest,” societal context or the social context of rape culture. It’s closest comparison is closeted (perhaps even unknown until that point) queer identity.

There have recently been some comparisons of Daniel LaRusso to Bruce Bechdel in Funhome (and everyone who says that Ralph Macchio ought to play him in the upcoming movie: you’re right and I’m just not going to enjoy it as much without him). I’ve written a post about Sam being the heir to his legacy and trauma, specifically as a queercoded man. It’s not dissimilar to the plot of Funhome in a lot of ways.

The other interesting source that’s been going around in connection with Daniel is the essay “The Rape of James Bond,” which discusses the use of sexual assault as a plot device for women and not for men: “About one in every 33 men [in the US] is raped. … [your statistically average, real life man] … doesn’t have a horde of enemies explicitly dedicated to destroying him. He doesn’t routinely get abducted, and tied up. Facing a megalomaniac psychopath gloating over causing him pain […] is not the average man’s average day at the office.” That last bit is just a descriptor of Terry Silver, (although I take issue at the blasé use of psychopath).

The two part youtube essay Sexual Assault of Men Played for Laughs posits that there is nothing more de-masculinising than the threat of sexual assault and therefore any narrative that features this “rightfully” must mock any man who has been a victim or who fears being a victim of sexual assault. It is feminising. There is nothing more humiliating – and therefore unheroic – than a man dealing with sexual assault.

So what do we feel when we see an attractive young man being put into a vulnerable position by an older man? A trope associated with female characters, a trope that is considered unpalatable for men (see reactions that happened when the hint of sexual assault was introduced in Skyfall).

Was it the fact that he was being threatened, or the fact that James’ next line is: “what makes you think this is my first time?”

Some thoughts added by @mimsyaf are around the idea of safety in how a lot of cis women might relate to this narrative through Daniel’s eyes. He’s not a woman, he has – societally – more power than a girl or woman would have, which makes this a different watch to, say, if Danielle were to go through the same narrative. Daniel doesn’t carry that baggage of rape culture, or of the male gaze that you might find in a similar scenario of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Christine in Phantom of the Opera (and once more the age differences between these characters and the men who love/lust over them are substantial), which makes the narrative “safer” to engage with.

I agree with that, although as a transmasc person I also come at it differently. I specifically like to headcanon Daniel as a trans guy and find his fraught interactions with masculinity through his own non-toxic lens relatable, as well as the way other boys and men react to it – also I think Terry Silver is hot. I know there are people who write Terry Silver with female OCs, which is also a form of empowerment.

On the flipside putting Daniel in this space runs a risk of fetishising him as a queer youth who is either Innocent and Pure, or a bisexual stereotype that deserves to be assaulted for not being a real man. After all, Real Straight Men don’t run the risk of sexual assault.

Alas, the road to empowerment never did run smooth.

The comparisons between the way Daniel is treated by the text and how female characters are often treated in texts are undoubtedly there. Through Ralph Macchio and TIG’s casting and the direction and acting, but also within the text itself.

It might not be with the same purpose as Neo’s symbolically trans journey, but it puts the whole narrative that Daniel’s going through from TKK1 under a different light than if there had only been one movie that ended on a triumphant sports win and a girlfriend.

Johnny’s masculinity and the use of tears as liberation, now that’s a whole other analysis….

#daniel larusso #terry silver #the karate kid part three #the karate kid #cobra kai #ck #cobra kai meta #part two of three #we're going into labyrinth and james bond in this one fellas #(non-gendered fellas)

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lovelettersforthevoid · 2 years

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All questions with an even number

2. Album of the year? Leprous - Aphelion. Used to listen to Leprous a lot a few years ago, then they made some albums I really didn't enjoy, and now they came back in all their glory with Aphelion. Mhhh superb 👌

4. Movie of the year? Dune, since it's the only movie I've seen in theater this year. Absolutely loved the visuals and the sound design and it actually gave me an idea of the overwhelming power and mightiness of space and the universe. Something Star Wars and Star Trek never had accomplished for me.

6. Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you? TV shows haven't shaped me as much as some YouTube videos have, and since this is the platform where I spend most of my time online I'm gonna focus on videos/channels that were important to me this year:

'Ask a Mortician - Let's Visit the Human Composting Facility' this has honestly been life changing for me. The idea of being burned or buried in a coffin never sat right with me. I always wanted to become a tree or something. Continuing as a part of nature. And this procedure makes that possible in the most natural and spiritual way. Given back to the earth that nurished you and gave you a home seems like the most fulfilling thing one can do after they have died.

Mr. Beast's Squid Game Video and the behind the scenes to that. This is just something that's way mind-blowing to me on a technical level and production standpoint. The fact that YouTube productions are at a point where they have hundreds of people behind the scenes and especially a whole VFX team just makes me speechless. And I find it even more impressive that they used Unreal for all of it. Unreal Engine is literally changing so much in the industry right now.

'Not Just Bikes' Definitely my favorite channel of the year. I never thought that urban planning and design could be so interesting. Especially when you look at the US and see how faulty it is and how it affects so many parts of life and the system itself. I've been planning to move to the Netherlands for a long time now, and this whole channel just strengthens that idea

8. Game of the year? Definitely 'Half-Life: Alyx'. Just standing in a basic room within the game and looking around makes me speechless. And the interactions are the stuff of dreams.

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year. A girl at Uni. And it's just a stupid situation because she is just as interested in nerdy stuff like me but she just started her studies and I'm going to write my master's thesis next semester. It's a shame that we won't have the opportunity to work on something together.

10. Something that made you cry this year? My grandpa's passing. It was the first time for me that someone within my close family has died. Really made me think a lot about death, aging and time passing.

14. Favorite book you read this year? Eeeeerrrrmm, about that...

16. Post a picture from the beginning of the year

18. A memorable meal this year? Seven course dinner at a michelin cook's restaurant for my boyfriend's birthday. Simply unbelievable. Things I've never tasted before. A truly memorable experience. 10/10 recommend

20. What’s something you learned this year? I learned a lot this year. About myself and the world. But with the crisis we are currently in I learned that people are fucking stupid. They scream freedom and you wave it in front of them and they wouldn't be able to see it. Fuck all of you virus deniers and morons against vaccines. May you choke on your fucking ego.

22. Favorite place you visited this year? Visited Amsterdam twice this year and I will visit it again for New Year's. I'm just in love with this city. Every time I go there I already feel like I'm home.

24. Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions? I didn't even make any. I never do tbh. I just try to do my best in general.

That was a lot, thanks for the questions ✌️

#asks

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doomface · 3 years

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Figured I’d toss my hat into the ring and get back into the swing of things with this contest entry for @kururu418 ‘s latest contest! I feel like its been a hot minute since I’ve contributed to this universe and have been itching to get back into it... though classes and life in general have kept me from it sadly :’D With that said lets get into it!

Name: Syssa

Age: (Appears 18, likely much older)

Gender: Cis Female

Pantheon: Greek

Appearance: In her usual form Syssa is rather unassuming other than her notable muscles that might look a bit odd on such a “hippie” sort of individual. She wears a brown dress, sandals, some sleeves and some gold jewelry here and there. Most notably worn is THE AMULET OF HARMONIA, really its a copy of the one her father wears. It keeps her suitably blissed out. She’s about 5′10″, freckled, has green eyes, messy black hair (often with flowers in it), and often has bags under her eyes.

In her “angry” form she manifests armor upon her body of a dark purple hue, as well as a blue cape. Her eyes appear as little more than red orbs of hate hidden beneath her helmet. Lots of spikes everywhere. Oh, and also she tends to grow in size in this form - the exact upper limit of this height is unknown though surely within the 100s of feet, much like her father.

Background: Syssa is the demi-god daughter of Ares and an unknown mortal woman. Unfortunately for her mother she inherited her father’s otherworldly temper and tendency to fly off the handle, grow in size, and spew fire everywhere. Her mother, unable to handle such a child handed her over to her father.

From a young age her father trained her in the art of war as a means of an outlet for her inhuman rage and bloodlust. She has the blood of a war god in her veins, surely this would help? Though she was well trained Syssa still had little control over her godly temper and thus a duplicate of THE AMULET OF HARMONIA was made for the young demi-god. So long as she wears it she exists in a blissed out state, her inner rage sated. Syssa much prefers it this way and has thus spent much of her time gardening, taking naps, doing yoga, and spreading kindness unto others. While she cannot use her full powers in this state she understands that it is necessary so that she does not lash out and attack/kill her friends and family.

The amulet constantly fights the godlike rage within her in tandem with her own body, so, even with it on she appears pretty tired because her body is still in a constant war with itself.

When she hears about Oberon’s hit on Astro and promise of a special favor she jumps at the opportunity. The favor she would ask for? A means for her body to be at balance with itself - a way for her to tap into her true godly potential without succumbing to mindless rage - one that doesn’t require the amulet.

And so she has come to claim that prize. She will keep the amulet on for now, but beware, if backed into a corner she may just take the amulet off and give in to her fury. Woe betide any who cross her path in such a sate for both friend and foe alike will be little more than chaff to be trampled under the demi-god’s foot.

Personality: With the amulet on Syssa is the most chill gal you could ever meet. She speaks slowly and often appears pretty blissed out. She might appear a little airheaded, and a little too calm and friendly, but the alternative is worse.

Without the amulet on she is quick to anger. That anger can quickly blossom into a rage state the likes of which, though she might try to fight it to the best of her abilities, will always consume her mind. In this state she sees not friend or foe, but rather EVERYONE becomes the enemy of the endless war she is mentally thrust in. She is little more than a raging berserker, a beast, one which cannot be sated without her amulet. As long as you have the amulet on hand and don’t break it or something it should be fine right?

Powers and Abilities: Syssa has godlike strength, the ability to grow in height/size to over 100s of feet, a control over the element of fire, and a proficiency in weapons (taught by Ares himself!) With the amulet on these powers are greatly weakened, with the amulet off... She can certainly be a problem even for other gods.

Relationships (if any):

Ares: Dear old, dad. He’s the only one who gets the rage she has to live with. She greatly loves her father and seeks to make him proud. Even in her blissed out state she may try to spar with him every now and again just to make him happy.

Other Greek Gods: Most of the other gods are probably at least a little wary of her and her temper. They like her better when she’s blissed out, but... might still keep their distance. Syssa is... not unaware of the distance they keep.

Quotes:

Amulet!Syssa: “No, no, mannn I, like, don’t even like fighting that much. Just because I’m good at it doesn’t mean I have to like it yknow?”

“Have you tried maybe meditating a bit? That helps me clear my mind.”

“Why don’t we all - like - talk about our feelings or whatever?”

No Amulet!Syssa: “You don’t like the flowers in my hair? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY LOOK STUPID!? YOU LOOK STUPID!”

“COME HERE SO I MAY PART YOUR SPINE FOR YOUR BODY, WRETCH!”

“What did you just say about me!? I’LL KILL YOU!”

“RAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!!! *more wordless screaming*”

Trivia: The Ares I based her father off of, and subsequently her, is actually the iteration from the DC Superhero Girls webseries! While I’m not overly fond of the webseries (at least in comparison to the show proper) I do actually like this interpretation of Ares and think its very endearing. (You can check out the episodes he’s in by looking up Fresh Ares and Ares Up There on youtube. That’s it that’s all he appears in! So that said he really could be any Ares, just those episodes were my main inspiration)

Story: N/A (might come back and do this later if I have time c:)

#kururu418 #tales of mewni #tales of mewni gods contest #ares #next gen #fan kid #dc #d00mart

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hadimrska · 3 years

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i watched a movie analysis on youtube about a movie thats primarily defined by how whimsical it is and the guy just said the most mind-boggling thing lol he described a scene in which a character escapes a dangerous situation by swallowing a pearl after her friend told her that it would protect her from harm. the reviewer said at first he thought this "a bit silly" but then did some research and found out that pearls symbolize incorruptibility so now he thinks that plot point was "very smart"

and like..... u needed to turn to some obscure Symbolism Dictionary after watching the film instead of idk interpreting that particular element within the context of the film itself?? like dsfghjkl its Explicitly stated by a character in the film that this pearl is a magical object and swallowing it will keep one safe. thats just a fact in this fictional world. what if the Symbolism Dictionary (that tells u the meaning of Everything Regardless of Context apparently) said that pearls symbolized idk "pineapple doesnt belong on pizza" like how would that influence ur reading of that scene? imagine analyzing anything else this way like beauty and the beast "at first i thought it was silly that a magical rose reminded the beast of time passing and of the fact that he didnt have anyone who loved him but then i looked it up and apparently roses symbolize love so now i think its really smart" lol

i know men tend to rely more on Authority but wow dude maybe if u have a youtube channel dedicated to media analysis u should consider taking up a more text-centric pov and/or read a book abt semantics lol

#blah

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jackie-talks-about-starkid · 3 years

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Firebringer (Rewatch #10, 11/15/2020)

YouTube publish date: December 31, 2016

Number of views on date of rewatch: 4,317,045

Original Performance Run: July 6 - August 7, 2016 at Stage 773 in Chicago, Illinois

Ticket price: General-$35, VIP-$60

Director: Julia Albain and Nick Lang

Music and Lyrics: Meredith Stepien and Mark Swiderski

Book: Brian Holden, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang

Cast album price and availability: $9.99 on iTunes Release date: November 22, 2016

Parody or original: original content

Funding: $154, 670 from 3, 722 backers on Kickstarter (x)

Original Goal: $88,000

Main cast and characters

Jemilla - Meredith Stepien

Zazzalil - Lauren Lopez

Molag - Lauren Walker

Keeri - Denise Donovan

Emberly - Rachael Soglin

Grunt - Joey Richter

Tiblyn - Tiffany Williams

Ducker - Joe Walker

Schwoopsie - Jamie Lyn Beatty

Chorn - Jamie Burns

Smelly-Balls - Brian Holden

Clark Baxtresser - Clark Baxtresser

Musical numbers

Act I

“Fire” Characters: Company

“We Are People Now” Characters: Company

“We Got Work To Do” Characters: Zazzalil, Jemilla, and Ensemble

“What If?” Characters: Zazzalil

“Welcome to the Stone Age” Characters: Ensemble

“Just a Taste” Characters: Emberly and Grunt

“The Night Belongs to Snarl” Characters: Smelly-Balls, Schwoopsie, Ducker, Tiblyn, and Ensemble

“Into the Night” Characters: Zazzalil and Ensemble

“The Night Belongs to Us” Characters: Zazzalil, Jemilla, and Ensemble

Act II

“Jemilla’s Lament” Characters: Jemilla

“Paint Me” Characters: Grunt and Emberly

“Ouch My Butt” Characters: Ensemble

“Backfire” Characters: Zazzalil and Ensemble

“Together” Characters: Jemilla and Zazzalil

“Chorn” Characters: Chorn and Ensemble

“Finale (Make the Most of It)” Characters: Company

Notable Notes:

“I Don’t Really Wanna Do The Work Today” became a meme that was so popular the Broadway cast of The Book of Mormon and that year’s touring cast of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella made their own videos performing the song

Cultural Context: 2016

Beyoncé releases her visual album, “Lemonade”

Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins an Oscar for his performance in The Revenant

Hamilton won the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama and that year’s Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them opens in theaters

Content Analysis:

Firebringer has one of StarKid’s most inventive storylines in their collective works and has the added bonus of being an inherently feminist, woman-led piece. The story of a woman who invented fire and another woman who led the ancestors of the human race into creating a just and equal society sounds more like a provocative, experimental play rather than a comedy musical yet StarKid once again seems to be the only group of people that can pull off such a unique concept, successfully critiquing our current society while also presenting the storyline and characters in a way that makes the audience relax with each bit of commentary rather than tense up and ignore the performance. It’s refreshing to be an audience member of Firebringer. The musical numbers and character performances are entertaining in a way that feels comforting and almost happy-go-lucky despite the fact that the production takes place at an imagined pivotal point in the history of the human race. The dialogue and small comedic moments between the characters make fun of how dumb humanity can be at times, resorting to crude body humor and questionable social skills, but pull an about-face in the next scene by displaying the strength and ingenuity of the human race and our desire to succeed and prosper in an environment that seems dead-set on ensuring our demise.

As well as just generally being an enjoyable work of musical comedy, the dynamic of the piece is feminist in a way that is not explicitly stated but simply accepted by the characters within the universe and, by extension, the audience itself. Jemilla is a woman who is a well-respected and undisputed leader of an entire tribe, whose female mentor and former leader is just as highly regarded, and Zazzalil is a provocative thinker who kickstarts the tribe into advancing as a society by introducing fire and hunting into their daily survival skills, yet no where in the story do any of these strong female leads gets questioned for being women in positions of power. It is an indisputable fact accepted by all characters regardless of gender that these women are the leaders of their society and the fact that this isn’t brought up in any negative or positive connotation within the confines of the story’s universe is such a genius way to address feminism in a theatrical work. If they were to make a point of putting the women in a negative situation where gender discourse is the main cause of the threat to the characters only for the woman to bounce back in order to prove that she is just as strong or worthy as any potential male leader, it would have reinforced the idea that women need to prove that they are just as good as men rather than the society around them accepting the fact that all genders are equal regardless of identity. On the other hand, if they were to pat themselves on the back and make it a point of being progressive in choosing women to lead their tribe, it would have turned the choice into one of pandering rather than genuine belief on the writers’ part and on the characters. By not mentioning the feminist core of the musical within the story itself, Firebringer naturally shows the audience through fictional storytelling the gender equality that our society can achieve for itself without making the situation too unrealistic to be considered unattainable (not than unrealistic situations cannot be written and performed successfully otherwise, it’s comforting to see).

As for the actual book content of the show, it is not StarKid’s strongest in terms of consistency. The humor, the heart, and the quality of performance are always aspects of StarKid shows that the audience can depend on being as good as ever with each new production, but there are moments in certain scenes, such as Keeri’s initial confrontation with Zazzalil and Jemilla and Zazzalil’s reunion, that the dialogue between characters switches in and out of a natural flow of conversation, making it easy to lose interest in a dialogue heavy scene until another joke happens. Similarly, there are moments where lyrics in songs, such as “Into the Night” and “Paint Me,” are not musically or verbally compatible with the verses in which they are sung. The majority of lyrics are clever and match the tone and character of the performance perfectly, but there is an occasional clunky line or oddly-placed word that I found to be distracting enough to take note of during the song.

Overall, Firebringer is a lighthearted musical with great performances and cleverly intertwined social commentary that adds to the comedic tone of the piece rather than distracts from it. I wish that more musicals were written in the tone of Firebringer, in both the sense of overall quality, gender representation, and sexuality representation, which, like the gender placement of the main characters, is written so naturally that it’s almost hard to believe real life isn’t like the one represented onstage in which gender ruled without the patriarchy and sexuality lived in without heteronormativity is so commonplace it’s a nonissue.

#@TeamStarkid #firebringer #for my independent study #starkid productions #starkid musicals #team starkid #starkid #musical theatre #musicals #theatre

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raisingsupergirl · 3 years

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I'm Back! Returning to the "Real World" After Six Weeks Unplugged and Undrugged

If I'm being honest, I don't really want to write this post. I don't want to go back to the way things were. It feels like returning from vacation on a Sunday evening and setting my work alarm for Monday morning. I know my next vacation won't come for a while. I know I'm "back in it" now. And the sensation is completely opposite of what I'd expected from all of the "restrictions" I put on myself six weeks ago. But I'm sure you're just dying to know how I did, so here goes.

I failed. A lot. Just like I said I would. And the number one thing I failed at was reading to my kids. I tried it. Once. I started Harry Potter, but it felt like pulling teeth. I didn't enjoy it. The kids didn't enjoy it (even though I poured all of my energy into the BEST character voices). But even if I didn't read to my children, at least I didn't fail completely at reading. In fact, I stayed pretty true to my goal of replacing my weeknight TV with reading (with a subtle exception… but I'll get to that later), and it was honestly one of the biggest successes of all. Just an hour or two of quiet entertainment and contemplation in the evenings (whether with a Bible devotional or a bloody space adventure) did wonders for my mood and sleep habits. And speaking of sleep habits…

I failed at that, too. Again, not completely, but I definitely didn't live up to the whole bargain. I don't care how comfortable I got with going to bed at 9:45 pm and waking up at 5:45 am, when I would get home from work at 9:15 at night, there was no way I was going to have time to eat, shower, and wind down enough to be asleep within thirty minutes. And so, I bent the rules a little. But never more than an hour. And that's where I found my rhythm. I would never go to bed or wake up more than an hour different than I did the day before. That compromise allowed me to adjust slowly to different schedules without suffering too much.

Interestingly enough, the things I succeeded at completely are the things that sound like the biggest commitments. I worked out every day without fail, I didn't get on social media or YouTube, and I cut out all drugs (aka alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, night time snacking, and weekday fast food) cold turkey, right down to my morning pre-workout drink, which has a little caffeine in it. I'm not sure exactly why these things were easier to stick to. I'm sure a part of it has to do with my particular personality, but I suspect the bigger part is the nature of these things. They're easier to define. Easier to grasp and control. So what's the big deal about sleeping in a few extra minutes on the weekends (half-asleep rationale is always a little bit skewed…)? Why should I fight to read to my kids if they don't even enjoy it? But exercise and diet are very external. They're obvious to myself and to others when I screw them up. There's more accountability, so they're not as easy to make excuses for. The hardest promises to keep are the ones nobody knows about.

And… there's a third factor, and I hinted at it earlier. Remember when I said I didn't TECHINCALLY stick to the "no TV during the week" goal? Well, I didn't "watch" TV during the week, per se. But that's because I was playing a video game. A video game called "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." And, well, I was completely unprepared for it. First, Zelda is my jam. Always has been since I was a wee lad. Like most functioning adults, I fell away from video games after high school because I was trying to make all the monies and didn't have time to spend six hours at a time in front of a screen. But when Santa brought us a Nintendo Switch for Christmas, I knew there was a game I "had" to try. And, well, BotW didn't disappoint. Those who have played Skyrim or other open-world games would have known what they were in for, but I didn't.

The moment I popped open that glider and drifted off of the Great Plateau, the real world faded away. This game had no limits. No boundaries. It's impossible to describe my awe at that slow and continuing realization as I delved into underground temples, climbed distant peaks, and trudged through vast deserts, so I won't try. Those who think video games are "a waste of time" will never get it, and those who embrace the value of story telling already know what I'm talking about. Suffice it to say that I "did the Zelda things." Not all the things, mind you. I didn't find all the koroks, beat all the shrines, or kill all the lynels, but I DID awaken the Divine Beasts, sneak into the castle dungeon to claim the Hylian shield, tame the royal mare, ride all the animals, build Tarry Town from the ground up, and head butt a guardian to death with the Lord of the Mountain. I trudged through every region and stared out at the realm from the highest spire of Hyrule castle. In the end, I defeated Calamity Ganon and brought peace to the land. And in that triumphant moment, I finally realized the truth about the game…

It was just another drug. You see, I never did have a real urge to sit down to a whiskey and a pile of snacks on a Saturday night, even though that had become an engrained habit over the past year. Why? Because I had an entire world to explore and save! And I needed to stay hydrated and healthy to beat the biggest baddies in Hyrule. The game completely overshadowed other primal urges. Any time I was feeling lazy or weak—times when I would look for a quick, mindless reward—I would pick up the Switch controller. And sometimes, that would be during the week. In fact, all told, I played 110 hours over six weeks. That's around two-and-a-half hours a day, EVERY day! So the amount of time I would have generally wasted with social media, TV, or "drugs," I instead committed to Zelda.

In the end, I'm not sure what to think about the whole six-week experience. I do know that I grew closer to God. My thoughts cleared significantly. I experienced deeper and wider peace, seeing previously scary and stressful situations with new clarity and confidence. I loved my family more completely, and I committed harder to my duties (work, family, etc). But I had low moments, too. Not enough to hit rock bottom or consider giving up, but because I knew what it felt like to ride that "high" with my savior and creator, to be present in the moment with a sense of purpose and appreciation, every moment of minor disconnection or apathy hit me harder than it normally would have. So I guess everything is relative. Once we know just how good we can feel, our expectations rise. On the other hand, my perspective has changed regarding rewards and fulfillment. A moment of earned relaxation or celebration doesn't need to include a glass of wine. I don't "need" to stay up late and sleep in on the weekends. And most importantly, my joy comes from God, not from the things I do, but there ARE some things that keep me away from God's joy. Mostly things that become habit—things I fall back on when I want to "check out."

And I guess that's the whole point. When we're present and intentional, life's good. We're happy with our choices and usually with the results. But when we're exhausted, when we've given all we can and think we've earned some reward (or at least a break)… well, that's when we make mistakes. And that's when we should just go to bed. Sure, maybe a little reading to calm us down and get our minds right first, but we're never at our worst than when we're mentally tapped out. And so, I plan to be more aware of this fact through the rest of the year. I'm going to continue to cut out electronics during the week. I'm going to avoid the Facebook scroll (which doesn't appeal to me even a little bit anymore). I'm going to enjoy sunrises and cuddles. And, most importantly, I'm going to create the time and space for quiet thought and divine whispers.

That's my secret to happiness. Do less (especially less "check out" activities like Twitter and television) and think more. Talk less and listen more. Let your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no." In other words, live a life that speaks for itself and don't feel the need to justify your thoughts and actions to everyone. Live lightly, love deeply, and let the rest wash away with the tide. That's all I've got, friends. And you know what? This post was actually a joy to write. I'm excited to be back, to see my friends again, to share what I've learned with you, and to learn FROM you. And most importantly, I’m excited to enjoy all the beauty that the real world has to offer...

#lent 2021 #lent #social media fast #unplugged #take time to unplug #soberissexy #religion #christianity #minimalism #mindfulness #zelda #botw screenshots #botw #momblr #mumblr #dadblr

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iamthenerdqueen · 4 years

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Meet My Gaze. part 1: First Moon

*small warning. Slight gore and some cussing. Also Unedited and written at like 1 am. Sorry for the bad grammar and spelling*

P.s. to set a time frame this chapter happens June 2018.

Teaser/opening

I wouldn’t say I was just excited because I couldn’t ignore the anxiety gnawing at my stomach. Don’t get me wrong I was grateful for the life I had the opportunity to lead, but it came with a lot of pressure. My parents were the alpha pair over the pack, which just happened to span the majority of the eastern seaboard of the United States. Our line was old and on my father's side could be directly traced back to the offender, but that doesn’t really make us special. Lots of our kind can trace to the offender... technically they all could. What makes the line I was born into special is how my grandfather took his place as alpha. Being an alpha wolf promises nothing because what is really looked for is how powerful someone is. Which can be indicated by how much of one's iris is left after their first moon. My grandfather was the seventh child of thirteen and his oldest brother was a decently strong alpha and assumed to take the leading role after their father. After my grandfather's first moon his iris was gone and completely replaced by vermilion. It was unspoken for many years,but everyone knew he would challenge for power. The day their father died has been described by many as an all out war between the two brothers. The fight lasted for hours and well into the night until my grandfather came out on top as the only of the two alive. His eleven other brothers, some also bearing red eyes, submitted to him that night. They all spread through the territory with positions of power to keep the large pack in check, but they never dared challenge him. My grandfather bore three sons, the oldest being my father and the only alpha. His two younger brothers, however, never say eye to eye and both had decently matched blue rings. They followed the pattern their father had set and fought to the death. Many had gotten the idea that William, who was by far the biggest of the two, would come out victorious. They were wrong. James, the youngest of the three, lived; however, James still bears the scars of the fight to this day. They cover the left side of his face from temple to neck and remind the pack that he earned his place as my father’s beta. They remind the world that he lives up to his position and will ensure loyalty to the pack.

Being the only female born into this line in three generations was enough pressure on its own, but seeing as my older brother had come out on the other side an alpha, the expectations were high. Being trapped in your bedroom for twenty-fours hours to ‘say goodbye to your old life’ didn’t help either. In all honesty I had spent most of it sleeping and the rest of it trying to ignore my anxiety by watching YouTube videos. It also helped the time pass by faster and before I realized it was time for me to ready myself. Dressed in appropriate attire, so practically nothing more than an easily removed dress covering a black slip, I met my parents to begin.

It was deadly silent as the ceremony demanded, but I could see the struggle on my father's face as he desperately wanted to comfort me. Everything they had wanted to say they had days prior and they had done their best to ease my worries, promising that everything would be okay no matter what. The absence of the usual chatter of the pack sent shivers down my spine because I knew the silence was directed at me. The moments before it began were like a blur, the water, being stripped down to nothing but a slip… all of it was clouded by the extreme pain that came exactly at midnight. The pain of your bones breaking and rearranging themselves accompanied by your skin being ripped to shreds only to be replaced by fur stains your mind. Nothing would erase one’s first moon from their memory.

The first seconds being on new legs are unsupported and strange. The new legs don't work like our original ones and it takes a few moments of falling then getting back up to understand how they work, but the first time you run in this new body the world falls away. It’s during this time a new voice entered my head almost like intrusive thoughts, but the voice wasn’t my own. This voice was deeper than my own, stronger and held more intent than mine. It had an age to its tone that reminded me of the elders of the pack who had seen the decades slip by. It took hearing her voice and her knowledge of the wood for me to understand that in this form it wasn’t my body, but hers. She was in control and I, the background thoughts. We ran through dawn as she followed the trees as far as she could east toward the sea. Every detail of the world was heightened by her eyes and watching the sun reflect off the ocean, we could see every drop of water as the waves moved. Seeing the world move in harmony from her eyes everything seemed right, but there was something missing and we both knew it would never be whole without it. We sat in that spot for hours, watching people come to the beach and fill the water. When the sun got low we started the trek back home, to the heart of our territory, where we would be safe for the painful transformation back into a human body that would happen once again exactly at midnight. As the smells we could point out as home drew closer, indicating we were less than 10 miles from home,we were joined in our sprinting by wolves immediately recognizable as my father, uncle, mother and brother. A strong family unit.

We were noticeably smaller than the four of them and our coloring was much lighter in comparison. My anxiety was back as my thoughts raced because of the indications of my low status, but my beast was calm among the high ranking wolves showing no signs of submission. It was nearing midnight when we reached the clearing where this had all started nearly twenty-four hours ago and just as we had left it the pack members stood in a large circle around the edge of the clearing, watching only me with great expectation in their eyes. As my family left my side and easily returned to their human form as only one could do with enough time, we stood as one being in this form panting heavily from the fast paced run we had just finished. As the date changed, once again did my body return from wolf to human in a manner just as painful as the last transformation. Bones snapped back into shape and skin once again shredded itself as I came back into my original form. My hands and knees were planted firmly on the ground while I kept my heads low, avoiding the gaze of the curious onlookers. Desperate to avoid their disappointment that was bound to come when our eyes meet for the first time.

“Raise your head child. There is no shame here” called the voice that had entered my head only a day prior

. The soothing statement brought me to my feet. Back straight and shoulders firm, I lifted my head in the direction of my father as tradition requires. The first to see the newly claimed eyes should be the alpha. As my eyes connected with my fathers which were mostly red except the small ring of green just around the pupil, a simultaneous gasp sounded from those who could see my eyes.

“We have to get you inside the house. Now.” My mother broke the stare my father and I had as she spoke while grabbing my arm leading me toward our home.

“Are they that bad? Is it that disappointing? Have I disgraced this family so badly I must be hidden?” I asked,nearly in tears, as we entered the house.

“Look.” her voice rang out as she turned me toward a mirror hanging in on the wall. What stared back at me was impossible. My eyes had been replaced by purple. Completely replaced, no iris was left.

“It’s been more than a century since eyes like that graced the earth,” said my father to the small group of people surrounding the table, “They’ve alway been rare, but it was thought they completely died out. So believed that people gave up on even fully explaining their place among the pack.” his words died out on his lips as a look of sorrow that had been there since that night less than a week ago. I had been hidden inside our house since and before dawn that day the news of my colored eyes had spread not only through the pack, but through most of the world reaching those of our kind even in the farthest reaches.

“Amethyst eyes, she’s a pack healer and spirited ‘one’. Whatever the fuck that means, who cares. Just because her eyes are rare doesn’t mean people should be coming from all over to try and see them. She’s not some sideshow freak.” by brothers angered words flowed freely from his lips as he failed to control his anger with the situation.

“It’s so much more than that, charlie. Yes, she’s a healer, but she is also an oracle. Given the right circumstances she can see well into the future and aid those who need it the most or those who abuse it,” my uncle took a deep breath before beginning again, “her beast is also extremely unique. It’s why only one with purple can live at one time, her beast has been in the head of every she-wolf who has possessed purple eyes and will be in everyone to come. She also doesn’t belong with this pack. She did not make the connection with the alpha that is required by healers that show they are destined to be in and work within that pack. That's why so many alpha’s and their councils are coming or attempting to. She represents power and they want that.she is also now ensured an early death. None with purple eyes has ever made it to old age.” His speech to our very own council ended with the same look of sorrow my father had. I no longer belonged in the home that had raised me and the whole world wanted to pull me away from it.

I met countless alpha’s beginning that very same day in mid June, but it wasn’t until late September when they finally came. The seven that I was destined to be with.

(Tag list I guess? @geminidrawsstuff)

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has-gilgamesh-doneanythingwrong · 3 years

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Just Another Day in Fuyuki

Follows the events of Fuyuki’s 5th Holy Grail war from the perspective of an ordinary student.* (also lmao i put it on ao3 too)

*(This idea was based off a hilarious YouTube comment I read)

The first time she realized that something was rotten within the town of Fuyuki was on a cool, midnight blue night. It was a night like no other, ivory rays of moonlight dancing atop her skin as she took a casual jog past the all-too familiar gates of Homurahara Academy.

It should’ve been a normal night, yet the streets were much more silent than usual. Before she could spin to the side to cross over to the next junction; a powerful array of red lights assaulted her eyes, darting around like spirits.

‘WHAT?’ As she looked back, she saw that the red lights were emanating from none other than Homurahara Academy itself! That was strange, she had never witnessed such an event before.

‘Looks like we’ve got a case of delinquents at our place as well, huh?’ All it took was a split second for her to turn her back against the bizarre sight, regarding it as no more than a minor prank. Well of course she did. It’s not as if anything exciting happened within Fuyuki, anyway!

Little did she know that such an action may have saved her very life...

‘Good morning. Recently we’ve been sighting reports of multiple gas leaks and bloodless murders. In addition to this, there’s recently been an online trend of blurry pictures of people wearing suspicious cosplay being shared online. Many sources suggest that...’

As the local Fuyuki news blared yet more macabre news surrounding recent incidents, the young girl slipped on her wood brown loafers, as she patted down her coffee brown school jumper.

The young girl’s name was none other than Sakaki Ayane; a student of Homuhara Academy. As she jammed her plain, homemade bento filled to the brim with Strawberry Cream Sandwiches and Fried Chicken Cutlets into her extremely ordinary school bag, and switched off the plain television with a bland remote, a singular thought passed her mind.

‘It really is just another normal day in Fuyuki today!’ Sure, the news was terrifying- but hey, as long as her daily peace wasn’t disturbed, she was fine! Slamming the door to her basic house closed, she skipped through the mundane streets of her hometown, warm sunlight beaming down on her face, as she bowed politely to fellow shop-owners and neighbors.

See, her life was totally fine! There was no need to worry about the news, or that time she witnessed giant fireworks at her school, after all! Everything was definitely all-ok!

As she prowled past numerous mounds of identically-emblazoned students, and sat herself right in the middle of Fujimura Taiga’s homeroom class- students guffawing at their sensei’s top-notch sense of humor- she breathed a sigh of relief.

However once lunchtime passed, Ayane was shocked speechless by a minor change to her daily lifestyle. Just as usual, her orange-haired classmate- Emiya Shirou- had caught the entire hall’s attention, due to his lively interactions with a twin-tailed genius named Tohsaka Rin. Ayane was pretty used to their interactions by now- Emiya would bust out into an awkward show, whilst students would gasp, their faces marred with awe and jealousy. As for Rin, she knew next to nothing about the beautiful girl, except for the fact that she’d sometimes catch her mid-conversation with Emiya, using rather surreal vocabulary such as ‘holy grail’ and ‘mages’.

Thinking it was nothing much, Ayane was convinced that Emiya and Tohsaka were a bunch of Roleplayers or something. She didn’t know much about the genre, but found it to be quite fun to imagine scenarios such as being a mage fighting over holy grails, and fighting dangerous beasts- such as skeleton armies. ‘I mean, why else would they talk as if they’re in the middle of a quest?’ Taking another humongous munch out of her sandwich, shock finally settled into her pores once she noticed that something was a little off about their interactions this time.

‘Where’s Shinji?’ That greasy-seaweed-haired, smug little man’s features were very prominent in Ayane’s mind. Based on her assumptions, he was the kind of idiot who kept on trying to interrupt Emiya and Tohsaka’s Roleplay sessions- much to both their chagrins.

However, this time- he wasn’t here at all?! Where had he gone off to? ‘I guess they finally kicked him off their Roleplay club, once and for all.’ Ayane heaved a sigh at that. She had no idea why they’d accommodate such a selfish guy in the first place; seeing as he always kept on trying to centre their Roleplaying on topics concerning himself instead! ‘If I was a Roleplayer, I definitely wouldn’t want him on my squad!’ Incredulously tapping her feet against the linoleum flooring; she tried to think of various reasons as to why Shinji was kicked out of the gang.

But it was to no avail. Slamming her head against the tea brown shade of her desk, she groaned.

That was it! There was no choice but to catch the latest gossip! Packing up her lunchbox, she rushed out of the classroom like a blur of wind; leaving bemused classmates in her wake. Running as if her life depended on it, she leapt onto the school roof; caught sight of the local gossips- and pulled out a spare sandwich.

“I’ll offer you this sandwich! So, spare me the news, what’s going on with Shinji?!”

A bunch of confused girls, smack bang in the middle of a game of cards- looked up at Ayane, their faces confused.

“Shinji? Who’s Shinji again?” A girl with blonde hair and piercings shrugged her shoulders.

“You know, that rich guy? That one that has cash leaking outta his pockets.”

“Oh, that guy? Have no clue.”

“A friend of a friend of a friend dated him. Said he’s a pain in the butt to be around.”

“Yes, that’s the one!” Ayane pointed excitedly, as she plonked herself in between the girls, her body heaving with laboured breaths. “So, what happened? When did he disappear?”

“If you want details like that, you’re gonna have to offer more than a sandwich,” The blonde-haired girl whined. “You’re always asking us for gossip these days, Ayane.”

“A-ah, is that so?” Anxiously wiping sweat off her forehead, Ayane rummaged through her bag: oodles of paper; pretty rocks; textbooks and other strange materials clattering onto the stone ground. Eventually, she uncovered a small talisman from her bag, eyes gleaming with excitement. “How about this then? I’m sure this is worth quite a bit of yen!”

“Dude, my sister bought that for 500 yen the other day. No dice from me.”

“It’s pretty cute, though...I’ll take it!” As one girl happily exchanged it with Ayane, the others spun their heads in horror.

“Kikuo! You damn betrayer!”

“You can’t be human, accepting such a cheapskate offer!”

“Damn, though...I can relate. Who can resist cute things, amirite?”

As they began to squabble, Ayane laughed. Nothing beat a good gossip session!

The school day had finally ended, with only the loud cheering and yells of various school clubs filling the now empty halls of Homurahara Academy. As she pulled out her loafers from her metallic gray shoe locker; a conflicted expression crossed her face, as she recalled the events of her gossip session.

“Ah, that Shinji? Well, it was really odd, but he pissed off right after a major incident hit our school!”

“W-what happened?” Ayane was more or less right in the other girl’s face, her eyes bulging with curiosity.

“E-erm, well...” Blushing awkwardly, the girl scratches her face. “I mean, weren’t you there? It was kinda unforgettable.”

“Actually, I decided to take a day off school that day.” Ayane’s directness was like a major slap in the face for the others. “School can be really boring sometimes...”

“I had a feeling you’d say that...” Another sighed. “Well anyway, some HUGE shit happened. Like we were all sitting in class one second-”

“- and then there was this weird- ass red light-”

‘What is it with our school and red lights?’ Ayane’s gut instinct could tell that something was strange about this story. It felt unreal.

“-Yeah, and then like everything just blacked out. Like the only memory I have is of me waking up the next day or something.” The other girls nodded in assent. “It’s like some freaky curse possessed the shit out of Homurahara Academy or something!” None of them were able to fill in the missing blanks about what happened; eventually blaming it all on poison gas.

“Well, anyway; Shinji disappeared from that day onwards. Not like that’s a bad thing, mind you.” And that was it.

As Ayane exited the gates, a heavy cloud permeated her mind. Time was certainly out of joint, for them to not even be able to recall what happened! ‘Maybe Shinji was possessed by a ghost...’ Strolling by the courtyard, she caught sight of a familiar purple-haired student.

It was Matou Sakura. Because Ayane was such a nosy student, she recognised her as that one shy girl who’d label her classmate-Emiya, as her senpai. As she passed the girl, she bowed ever-so-slightly in respect, as Sakura embarrassedly bowed back. Watching after her back, yet another terrifying wash of surprise crawled across her back.

Didn’t Sakura usually meet up with that one super-glamorous, plum-haired model-like lady on her way home? It was strange to see Sakura walking home alone.

‘Shit’s really hitting the fan now...’ Ayane mused, as she turned in the opposite direction. She needed an emotional escape to purge herself of the encroaching force of dread threatening to engulf her body. ‘Ah, that’s it! Let’s go to the harbour!’ Regaining her previous sense of joy, Ayane more or less sprinted to Fuyuki Harbour. Aside from a few guests, people going fishing- and the odd seagull- it was often quiet, making it the perfect place for silent contemplation!

She more or less flew towards the harbour, breathing in a deep gulp of the fresh sea air once she arrived. The harbour was like heaven, drifting clouds trundling overhead. Pointing exuberantly at that one special lighthouse perched far away, she grinned. ‘This is the best- OH?!’

Before she could release a scream of joy, she caught sight of something.

It seemed as if she wasn’t alone at the harbour, after all. Shielding her eyes from the billowing wind, she caught sight of a rather fit man in skin-tight black pants; and a figure-hugging white shirt. But what really caught her off-guard was his bold blue locks of hair.

‘Hey, wait a minute!! Why does he remind me of those blurry pictures of people wearing suspicious cosplay?!’ Clamping a hand over her mouth, she prayed to all of the gods and deities in the world to disguise her presence. Seeing as the man was looking so intently at the sea, she didn’t want to disturb his peace time. ‘What a shame...’ One of Ayane’s favourite hobbies was to scream at the harbour, where nobody else could hear her. However, she would be cordial to this visitor today. ‘You better watch out, blue hair!’ She declared in her mind; fists clenched. ‘I’ll be considerate today, but won’t be next time! If I see you again, you’ll definitely have to put up with me screaming at the sea!!’

As she moonwalked as silently as possible away from the sparkly man, a major thought hit her mind. ‘There sure have been a lot of beautiful people with stunning hair colours hanging out in Fuyuki lately...’ It made her somewhat excited yet terrified at the same time to see just how much her daily life was changing.

Oh well, there was no choice but for her to release her pent-up emotions somewhere else instead. As a rather detailed map of Fuyuki appeared within her mind, a lightbulb popped in her brain. ‘The Fuyuki City Centre!’ Nothing was better than throwing one’s emotions at a cup of ice cream. ‘I’m a genius,’ Ayane twirled down the road, pattering rays of sun following behind. After screaming at the sky in the park (startling a few children); and buying the biggest matcha sundae that she could afford, she was all set for the day and ready to go home.

Although today had been quite suspicious, things were finally settling back to normal. Or so she thought. All peace instantly came to a halt, as she bumped into something quite long. ‘Oh crap!’ Raising her head, she came face-to-face with none other than a human wearing a... strange combination between a... biker outfit and school uniform? ‘Never seen an outfit like that before.’ As she bowed in apology, a piercing gaze reminiscent of death itself froze her body to its very core.

“The humans of this era are such pathetic mongrels...” The voice trailed off, as the harsh man’s presence all but disappeared.

‘Err...What?’ Once he was out of sight, her legs buckled; as she fell to the ground- passer-by's sparing her disgruntled glances. ‘I’ve never felt a presence that scary before...’ Clutching her heart anxiously, the shadow of death curled itself around her chest; suffocating her breath. It would take until the pitch black of night for her to regain her composure again. As she trawled back home within the dark, Ayane exhaled painfully, clutching her head.

What a weird day this had been! ‘I’m so glad I’m home now.’ Relieved, she withdrew her jangling keys from her bag; overjoyed to be right in front of her basic house again!

“Yay, I’m home-?!!!!” The ground beneath her rattled ominously, as she toppled to the ground- her eyes rattling wildly. Powerful tremors rippled around her, warping Fuyuki into the most demonic rollercoaster ride she had ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!!!’ Idealistic images of the bland, mundane Fuyuki that she loved were shattering, right before her eyes. As a mere human she was blissfully unaware of the blood-curdling terrors lurking right beside her, in this cursed town...This was the fate of those unaware of the events of the Fifth Holy Grail War.

THE END

(lmao Ayane is the weirdest original character EVER. However, I do wonder what random passers-by think about all of the strange crap occurring in Fuyuki!)

#fate series #fate stay night #my writing #gilgablog #original character #LMAOOO this ended up being much funnier than expected daymn...#meh i put it on ao3 too

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markostazes · 3 years

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Lecture 2: What influences fashion trends?

In this lecture, we discussed what a trend is, how trends start and the power of trends and trend setters.

Starting off, we asked ‘Who influences trends?’ – a very broad question. Taking inspiration from the presentation and my own considerations – I came to the conclusion that trend influencing comes from a variety of sources, including: Stylists, Magazines (i.e Vogue, i-D), Street & Instagram celebrities (such as gullyguyleo and Molly-Mae Hague), Retailers, Celebrities (such as Kanye West and Kim Kardashian), Models (both on and off the catwalk) and subcultures and style tribes.

These influencers have different methods when influencing trends. Gwyneth Holland and Rae Jones discuss the idea of trickle-down theory – the idea that designers, magazines, stylists and retailers dictate trends and feed them to the customer – in their book ‘Fashion Trend Forecasting’. As seen in the list above, a large amount of the influencers use trickle-down theory – coming from high status within and outside the fashion world.

However, due to the increase of social media – in addition to the long standing model of style tribes and peer influence – there is definitely a good amount of bubble-up theory, in which (as explained in ‘Fashion Trend Forecasting’) the consumers’ fashion tastes influence the top designers and influencers.

When looking at celebrity influence, it is clear that not all celebrities are deemed socially stylish. For example, Boris Johnson would not be looked up to for fashion advice. A celebrity such as Kanye West, however, is famous for his impact on trends and what people wear. As soon as he wears a brand, people follow – which actually a huge turning point for the streetwear brand Palace’. Due to our desire to be like celebrities; our desire to be cool and both socially and for the other sex, celebrities have a huge power on trend setting.

This is also clear when browsing lower cost brands. Celebrities or hyped designer items will have cheap imitations made sometimes within a day, so those that can’t afford the high end price tag can still look as fashionable as their celebrity icons.

A task we were given was to research a trend with 3 questions to answer:

For my research, I picked the punk trend. In my opinion, punk never left our shelves. It may have become less popular but studs, patches, rips, and paint splashes have not disappeared from our stores – especially over the recent decade. Stores and designers from Urban Outfitters to Philipp Plein and DSquared all have classic punk aspects visible.

As evident in the answer above, I do think punk fashion is still visible in the youth today. Patches, studs, ripped jeans and paint splatters are all prevalent in today’s youth style. Maybe, without them even being aware of the origins of the style.

As mentioned, it would seem as if the punk evolution is more of a devolution. Aspects of the punk style have been taken and added to otherwise relatively mainstream clothing. Of course, truly punk clothing can still be found. However, it is my belief that the punk theme has transferred more into the streetwear bubble. Brands such as ‘Pleasures’ into a more of a streetwear ethos (with printed shirts, hoodies, trackies, etc).

We then shifted our attention to other forms of trend influencers and how they originate.

The Guardian (2018) stated that what is considered cool in fashion depends on your interests, whether it be jazz, punk, skateboarding, etc. I agree with this statement. I believe that within different interests, there are clear go-to staples within their fashion atmosphere.

This idea is manifested in what is called a subculture. A subculture is a social group that bases itself around a certain ideal, with its attitudes thus affecting the group’s fashion. They define themselves outside of the mainstream, not caring about what is deemed fashionable in society and making their own definition of what is fashionable to THEM. This made them and their fashion exclusive, distinctive and different.

The first subculture is thought to be the Teddy Boys of 1950s London. They adopted Edwardian era garments, wearing tapered trousers, long jackets and waistcoats, due to an over-supply of tailored clothing. This subculture is considered to be the first generation to have its own style, desiring to dress up and stick out from the masses and the fashion sense of the generations above them.

In the present day, the effects and influence from this subculture is still felt. Close resemblance can be seen between photos of the Teddy Boys and Celine AW19 and Yves Saint Laurent AW 14/15.

A later example of a subculture is the hippie era of the 1970s. The subculture’s philosophies and ideals were that life is beautiful and must be lived freely, all must be accepted for who they are and love and positivity should be spread. This was manifested in their fashion through baggy, loose clothing, bright colours and patterns such as paisley and tie dye.

Style tribes can also influence fashion trends. Style tribes are groups of people united by a distinctive look. However, there is no core philosophy or ideology that inspires this look. This is clear when looking at ‘hype beasts’. Hype beasts wear anything as long as it is from a big or popular brand and is loud about it. Supreme and Palace’s logo tees are the first examples that spring to mind. The fashion is about showing off your money (by buying expensive clothes) and showing off that you are in the know as to what brands are cool. This clearly opposes subcultures’ structure to how fashion is evoked. Hippie fashion, for example, is fashionable because it is comfortable, freeing and colourful, which ties in with their philosophy that life should be enjoyed and you should embrace the freedom and beauty of nature.

One slide in the lecture that caught me most was one questioning if we had lost the subcultures and style tribes that informed fashion. In my opinion, due to social media, globalisation and an increase in the perceived pace of life – yes, fashion is beginning to lose long term trends and replace them with fads. I believe that fashion is heading towards an idea that for 3-6 months you wear these sets of hot items, and then move on or you are unfashionable. And due to the increase in instant communication and desirability of social status through social media, less people will be inclined to deviate from these fads and set up or join a subculture or style tribe due to their worry of loosing social status. In the era of the instant communication and social media, we are more scared than ever to deviate from the mainstream.

The lecture then went to discuss the idea that social media has an effect on the evolution of fashion trends. Those that are famous or in control of forms of influence (such as established websites) have power to deem certain looks desirable and undesirable, and the masses will listen. For example, Zoe Zeebo, who started as a YouTube personality (adding to the idea that ‘she is just like you or I’) has gained massive popularity and can now dictate through her videos or blogs what is good or bad, both within and outside of fashion. Similar personalities that gain attention on social media are guaranteed to have an influence on fashion. If a lifestyle vlogger puts a video of their guide to fashion for Autumn – even if it is their opinion of what they individually enjoy and not intended to be a guide – it will gain traction and spread influence. This idea of course is even more powerful and true if the source of the information is someone established within the fashion atmosphere as a whole.

Global issues can also influence fashion. It may be social reaction to wars, social injustice or – as is happening currently – environmentalism. Right now, there is huge social conversation about the environment, global warming, and concern over being harmful to the earth. This is shifting consumer taste to clothing that is environmentally friendly and ethical, which may be accomplished by using botanical and natural dyes as to not pollute, reusing offcuts of fabric, and producing clothing to be biodegradable.

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wickedlyqueer · 5 years

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Wickedly Queer - Animated

Two years ago I created a gif series where I took Wicked and retold the story by making it explicitly queer with as little changes as possible. Now, it’s time to create the next step: a two part animated queer retelling of Wicked!

This project will take many months as I have to write, animate and edit everything by myself. So why am I telling you about this now? Well, here’s the thing...

I need YOUR voice!

Quite literally so. While I’ll be the narrator, I want to include the community and have you voice these beloved (gay and foodified) Wicked characters! You don’t need to be a voice actor and these days many phones have passable audio recording. Nonetheless, it’ll be a big voluntary community effort.

For this to work I do need everyone to “audition”. But if possible, I’d love to give everyone who sends in a demo to voice at least something! Singing will not be required, but if you can sing that’s definitely a bonus.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 15 November 2019, 23:59 CET

For more information on the roles I’ll be casting, where to sent in your audio and on the project itself please keep reading under the cut!

What to Expect?

Two videos posted on my YouTube channel BannedFromZoos, both consisting one Wicked act. Expected release dates will be in 2020.

Much of the plot will be summarized by the narrator, but all altered dialogue (as seen in Wickedly Queer) will be spoken by you!

The characters will be in the style of the double name witches animatics. For reference what it’ll look like click here.

The script for the first act is around 15 pages and general rule of thumb is one minute per page. The second act is slightly longer with 23 pages. So we’re looking at a total of at least 30 minutes of animation!

Especially if you want to audition for the main cast, be aware this project will stretch several months. Make sure you have room in your schedule between November-February for at least several days of a couple hours of recording and potential re-recordings as not all audio is immediately great the first time around.

If the main cast wants to, we can do a private readthrough on Discord, so the dialogue flow will be more organic as you’re playing off each other.

Unfortunately, I’m not able to pay anyone! I can’t even pay myself and I’m doing the writing, animating and editing for this beast. I don’t monetize my videos either. All input will be voluntary. Obviously, each separate video will have credits and you can choose to either be referred to as by your name or one social media handle of your choice.

How to Record

If you’re new to recording here are some basic tips on how to record proper audio:

Make sure you’re in a non-echoing room with no background noises.

Don’t mumble! Actually speak as if you’re speaking to another person. (This is a lot harder than it sounds, as you are essentially talking to the air. So be conscious of this!)

If recording with a phone, keep the mic input near your mouth, but keep a distant of about 15cm (~ 6 inches) between you and the device.

I can’t work around spiking audio. So make sure all of your audio is not too loud. (This counts double for Popping -- when you make a Pop-sound especially with hard p’s your audio tends to spike).

You don’t have to sent in your raw-file. If you want to edit your best takes and sent me that, that’s fine too! Keep your total recording under 5 minutes, but preferably between 30 seconds - 2 minutes. I prefer to have you do a line a few times in different ways than just once and leave it at that.

What I Expect

To not have you bail on me halfway through the project. Like I said, this will be a longterm project. If for the next six months you can’t commit to at least several hourlong sessions, then either don’t submit or choose a small role.

Small roles will essentially be ensemble and only be a line or a reaction or two that could be done in like 15-30 minutes. Easily done and the only reason you’ll have to re-record is if the audio is bad.

That said, I expect that if I want you to re-record something, you’ll do it. I have to mash up about 20 different voices, all being recorded at different times, places, rooms, and level of audio quality. Anyone who has worked with audio knows how ridiculously difficult this is. If I ask you to re-record, please just do it.

If you don’t get cast in the role you wanted, you don’t take it as a personal insult. Right now I have no idea how many people will want to join. But if it’s more than 20, I’m forced to select and choose. The ones with the best audio and acting will get the role.

But more than anything, I want this to be a fun experience! I really hope this will bring the community together as we create an acted-out queer version of this beloved musical.

Main Roles

The main cast of three. We’ll work closest together and I have to depend on you the most.

Elphaba Thropp

Non-binary in this iteration, so any voice will do! Elphaba is ambitious, and fierce in their beliefs - to the point they’ll give up close personal relationships to do ‘what is right’. Actor needs to be able to portray a nice balance between snarky commentary and empathetic behavior. Will use they/them pronouns throughout this show, therefore preference goes to someone who is trans. Being able to sing is a bonus, but not required.

Glinda Upland

Feminine voice. Glinda clings to popularity as that’s the only way she knows how to gain affection. Therefore terrified of coming out to anyone, as she believes that would ruin her status. For this role I’m searching for someone who can have good comedic timing as well as show her very difficult emotional struggle. Please be aware, in Wickedly Queer her emotional journey is far bigger and more present, so that will be most important.

Being able to sing is a bonus, but not required.

Fiyero Tigelaar

Masculine voice. He has no idea what he wants from life and goes into careless behavior because of it. Fiercely loyal, selfless and dependable. Actor needs to be able to convey the struggle of an existential crisis without wanting to admit to it. As Fiyero is a man of colour, preference for casting goes to a PoC.

Being able to sing is a bonus, but not required.

Side Roles

These roles are around one scene and most of them interact with another character. Not as much commitment needed, but still a real fun time.

Nessarose Thropp

Feminine voice. Role for someone who can convey bitterness and frustration and somehow coming across not too spoiled (only Act II scene). Being able to sing is a bonus, but not required.

Madame Morrible

Feminine voice. Perfect for someone a bit older (at least for this fandom - lol). Regardless of age, you need to be able to be daunting and terrifying.

Announcer

You’ll be the first voice people will hear! Like a real theatre show, there will be an ‘intercom announcer’ before the show starts. Practice that peppy customer service voice if you want this role!

Sounds / Animal Noises Person(s)

This role is a lot of fun for someone who has a lot of skill with their voice. I need several sound clips throughout the show for at least the Monkey (Overture), Goat (Dr. Dillamond) and wails from the Lion cub. Might need some more! So if you got that versatility in your voice, this one’s for you!

Small Roles / Ensemble

These roles will be for the people who did not get cast as main or side, or for the ones who do not have time to commit to the larger roles. These roles are either ensemble reacting or a role with one or two lines.

2-3 Guards

Dr. Dillamond

‘Is it true you were friends?’ Loudmouth

Several Ozians (reacting)

__________________________________________

SEND IN SUBMISSION

Send in your audio submission to: [email protected]. I only need audio, I don’t need video. If your file is too big use another site like WeTransfer to sent it. Your audio is preferably between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, but must be under 5 minutes.

Record whatever you like! You can choose to do any monologue, whatever song that is within the range of your role, or any scene of a play or musical you like. Make sure you show the range of what you’re capable of acting-wise and fits with what the role entails!

For more information on submitting an additional song go here.

In the mail please add:

Your first name (+ pronouns)

Age

Which role(s) you’re auditioning for

If you audition for a main role: choose at least one from side / small roles in case you don’t get cast.

What platform I can reach you at besides mail (preferably, Tumblr or Discord)

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 15 November, 23:59 CET.

#wicked #wicked the musical #wickedly queer #voice acting #wq animated

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