#which is kind of why I say he supposedly wanted to conquer East Blue (the world) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

problemswithbooks · 7 months

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So, watched live action One Piece and now I'm watching/reading the OG stuff. No where close to done but my brain decided to fixate on Arlong so I can't help but talk about him a bit.

Something that I find kind of interesting about Arlong is that if you read his backstory then go back to the main Arc he was in you actually realize he's way more mellow then he was in the past. Now, he's still awful but given what we're shown of him in Jinbe's flashbacks I think it kind of shows that he did, in a weird way (and not in the way Fisher Tiger would have wanted) changed due to Fisher Tiger's words on not killing humans.

In the past Arlong was constantly advocating for killing humans and terrorizing them so they'd learn their place. He never warms up to Koala despite the rest of the crew--including his own friends coming to like her. Everyone is sad to see her go even Kurobi who is later one of the worst in Arlong's crew.

After Fisher Tiger's Death it's clear Arlong was going to kill everyone in Koala's village (and no doubt would have killed Koala). He was stopped and put in Impel Down--a notoriously hellish prison (run by humans). It's not clear how long he was there, but probably at least a few months, which is a long time in a place like that.

After his pardon he leaves Jinbe and the Grand Line. Presumably he started taking over villages pretty soon after.

Now, what I find interesting is that this is by far the most justified Arlong is in his hate of humans, yet it's also the nicest we ever see him being to them. Before Fisher Tiger's death and reveal of being a slave, or his time in Impel Down Arlong hated humans because of things that although affected him were not things he himself suffered.

Arlong was never a slave, and at least Hachi, Chew and Kurobi were also never slaves. They were all orphans and this might have been the fault of human pirates who attacked Fish-Men Island, but we don't know that for sure, and it's never brought up as a grievance of theirs. They know Fish-men and mermaids are taken as slaves and they surely get racist treatment from the visiting humans, but they don't have first hand experience with human cruelty--like slavery or murder.

Not until Fisher Tiger is killed for helping a human girl go home after being a slave do they experience real loss due to humans. From there, Arlong is captured and imprisoned in Impel Down where he was surely treated terrible by humans during his time there (given they treat everyone bad there). Yet, despite saying he's the anger of the fish-men he does not actually kill nearly as many humans as you'd think, given how he acts in the past.

In fact in a lot of ways he seems to try not to kill humans if he can get away with other methods of control instead.

This is when he takes over Nami's village. This is not long after Fisher Tiger's death which Arlong wanted to kill an entire village for. Yet, now, despite a huge uprising happening, with nearly the entire village of humans trying to attack them, he's not going for the kill.

This is him probably less then a year before the panel above. He's furious and saying he embodies the rage of all Fish-Men. Yet he arrives to the village and tells his crew not to kill anyone despite their open hostility.

Yes, he wants money because he (supposedly) wants to take over the East Blue(world?) but he's already got his money and killing a few villagers should be no big deal--he plans on taking over more anyway.

In the end though, he does only kill Bell-mere due to her lack of money. She makes a good example, of course, but he was more then willing to let her live, despite her shoving a gun in his mouth before she used the money for Nami and her sister.

This is a huge change in a short amount of time.

This is another time he and his crew don't kill for zero reason. They have been attacked all day by members of Luffy's crew. Zoro absolutely beat the shit out of his guys earlier that day. He was furious when Usopp dared to fire on him (to the point of flipping a damn house) but now they just leave two strangers (so not cash cows) alive? Usopp--was worth Arlong's anger, but suddenly two other random humans doing the same thing aren't worth killing?

This is how he responds to Zoro being what I would assume is racist given what Arlong says. He does not know who this guy is--Zoro was found tied to a boat and just brought to him and his first words are racist. Yet, Arlong lets it 'slide once'. Again this is the guy who hit a child for no reason except she was human way before he lost Fisher Tiger or went to the human torture prison. Yet now he's putting up with a stranger calling him racist names?

Going back to Usopp, this is how furious Arlong was when he was attacked:

He's so furious that for a moment he's willing to destroy one of his money making villages, right after losing one not to long ago, just to kill one human guy who didn't actually hurt him, nor are they a rebelling villager.

Yet this is how he acts once Usopp gets caught.

This is after he comes back to Arlong Park to find most of his crew beaten to a pulp by Zoro. He flipped a house he was so pissed off at Usopp, ready to destroy an entire village that he gets good money from (and which he needs to keep Nami around) but suddenly after his crew is hurt he's not in the mood for killing Usopp ASAP?!

Also, he was only in Nami's village because he saw Genzo had a weapon. He thought the village was going to rebel like the last one and he wanted to nip it in the bud and kill Genzo before it got to far. That was the only reason he was there and yet, after Usopp makes him absolutely furious he and Kurobi leave Genzo alive.

Flashback Arlong, who was barely held back by Fisher Tiger would never have left any of these humans alive. They were in his eyes disrespectful, not fearing him like he wants, and most did not give him money--the only benefit he sees to keeping humans around. Yet, he lets all of them live--maybe he has plans to kill them later, but again, past Arlong would kill them ASAP.

I know that the most likely reason for this is because Oda didn't have everything with Arlong and Jinbe's past in his brain at this point (there's ten years or more between these parts in the story). Not only that he can't have important people like Usopp and Zoro being killed off. He also seemed less willing to kill characters off in the start of the manga, which is why Genzo and Zoro's friends lived (killing Genzo would also have been way to mean to Nami).

But from an in character perspective you could see this as Arlong being affected by Fisher Tiger's words of not killing humans. No, he can't fully follow that rule, let alone Fisher Tiger's orders to not treat humans badly. Arlong has hated humans for far to long, and he was barely managing to restrain himself for Fisher Tiger despite respecting/caring for the man with his whole heart.

He can't not kill humans or treat them like crap--but he can come up with excuses that limit how many he kills. A 'well, if they pay me, they can live', or a 'they're to weak to kill so I won't', or 'I'll give this guy a warning for insulting me before I kill him'.

He lets his crew drag him away from Nami's village because he doesn't really want to destroy it (for monetary gain not kindness obviously). Kurobi doesn't kill Genzo because he wasn't told to so he lets him off, despite that being the only reason they came in the first place (despite defiantly knowing killing him wouldn't get him in trouble and is Arlong's intention). That gives Arlong time to calm down and by the time Usopp is caught he's more willing to take the time to ask him what he's doing there and then let Nami deal with him.

Part of it might also be Arlong knowing Jinbe will come kick his ass as soon as he finds out he's been killing/terrifying humans. He can bribe the Marines, but only to a point. If he was slaughtering every human that looked at him wrong or said something racist he'd be to much of a threat for higher-up the Marines to ignore. Eventually they'd tell Jinbe to deal with him and Jinbe would. Arlong would know that and given he was beaten easily by Jinbe he also knows he'd lose immediately (and either be killed or sent back to Impel Down).

Either way, he's showing some restraint even though he doesn't have someone like Fisher Tiger, or Jinbe directly telling him to. For whatever reason Arlong is way more willing to keep humans alive if he can come up with an excuse for it. Which I find kind of fascinating and adds some depth to his character that I don't think was necessarily intentional, but is the strength of the writing that Oda was able to add something years down the line that somehow didn't conflict with what's already established.

#one peice #arlong #Jinbe #i just find him neat #is this a meta?#i might also give my thoughts about why he liked Nami so much #yes he treats her like crap and he (supposedly) needs her maps #but he would not be seen with Koala at all #he is not in any of the panels of her bonding with the crew even in the background #yet he throws parties when Nami comes back?#after he outright says she's tried to off him multiple times #he even defends her loyalty to the crew--SHE TIRED TO KILL YOU MULTIPLE TIMES!#but he fucking trusts her?!#are you kidding me!#also he hates Koala pre-Tiger's death but accepts Nami and fights tooth and nail to keep her around #again maps are important but really? he can't find anyone else to make maps? can't have someone on the crew learn how to make maps?#also he has a shit ton--must have all of East Blue Mapped #which is kind of why I say he supposedly wanted to conquer East Blue (the world)#it's been 8 years and he only has 20 villages #sorry but dude isn't trying at all #plus he knows he can't beat Jinbe or the Grand Line Marines #so i think he's just saying shit to feel better #probably would have sit on his ass in Arlong Park until he died of old age #Ends up being a slightly more evil Walt Disney with his knock off amusement park for his 30+ year-old fish-men friends #fucking love this dude; he's pathetic

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years

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Waver 1 - 13 (FINAL) | Prisma Illya 1 - 10 (FINAL) | Prisma Illya 2wei! 1 - 3

Another (and to be honest, the last) batch of impressions from the Fate/ project.

Waver 1

Well, this’ll be interesting. I’ve been hyping this show up for a while for myself, so let’s see how it goes.

Geez, this intro is like a dang movie! I’d love to see a proper Troyca movie! (<-Says the fan of Troyca.)

Wait, if it’s Kayneth Archibald, then is Archibald relatd to Archisorte? Or am I just making thing up here…? Also note Reines refers to Kayneth as “Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald”, possibly meaning Archibald is the middle name, since El-Melloi is a shared surname (or is that a title…?). That probably means Archibald =/= Archisorte and both are similar-sounding middle names. The fact Reines is Kayneth’s niece also explains things quite a bit.

Why is Waver upside down…? Won’t the blood rush to his head soon? (Sure, it allows me to ogle his hair more, but…logic rules more than my stupid whims, y’know?)

Interesting. You can see that although Waver grew out his hair, there’s two layers to it – the longer one in the front and the shorter one in the back. (I’m just curious because I like the hime cut – which is pretty similar - and long hair on dudes in general, in part because both are fairly rare.)

Okay, that explained my gripe with upside-down Waver. Thanks, Reines. (<-genuine)

Aw, Waver buddy, even at this stage, you’re plenty cute. Don’t ever change! (<- As you can see, I am an easily pleased person in most cases.)

Melvin who now???

Troyca’s comic animation rules! It’s too bad Idolish7 Second Beat is using chibis instead of this…

Professor Kayneth. I forgot he had a formal title. I wonder, does Waver - I mean, El-Melloi II – have that title as well?

I guess I should’ve known Saber had the capability to look scary, but…I never knew Saber could look so scary…

*cut to eyecatch* - *points at eyecatch* Okay, someone tried to save budget here, didn’t they???

Aw, friendship between fiction boys is cute…until it involves the puking up on blood on one end.

Waver is the OG underdog here…don’tcha think?

“…with several demands.” – Uh-oh…this is gonna be bad, isn’t it?

You need a Tuner for Magic Crests? (…Like a tuning fork, but a person?) *brow raised in suspicion*

…is it appropriate for me to say “Oh, good lord!” now? (Okay, I did that rather deliberately, but normally in these notes I’d self-censor it to be “oh, goodness” or something like that.)

Seriously, the black-haired dude in the Ionian Hetairoi is my favourite, even if only because he looks like Waver (and he’s really easy to spot, to boot).

Why is this in first person??? I’ve dropped entire shows based on their usage of 1st person cam! Room Mate and Makura no Danshi basically scarred me for life on that front…and both of those are TV shorts!

Hey, wait a second. This “use a quote on the titlecard” thing is clearly an Ei Aoki sort of thing to do. I mean, it’s in ID: Invaded as well…

Waver 2

*new blonde girl appears* - So this is the rumoured Animusphere girl (Mary), huh?

Bounded field, huh? I’m glad I chose to watch F/Z before this, then. Now I actually understand the (rough) mechanics of how that works.

There’s assassins and then there’s Assassins…*thinks about the Holy Grail War*

As it turns out, astromancy is basically astrology.

The one thing that bugs me about “Modern Magecraft” (there’s a similar concept of New Magic in Mairimashita! Iruma-kun) is…how is the magic “modern”…? Especially in a work like this, where the magic is based in arcane rituals and bloodlines…you really need to establish how the “modern” bit works.

Gray is facing away from the Animusphere girl (Mary), I noticed.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Sherlock Holmes – Basically, the fact I’ve memorised this quote is one of the lingering impacts of my time in the Detective Conan fandom, as it can be used on things like quizzes, not just mysteries.

Can we please use proper English, Waver??? (Says me to a character whose name I still find nonsensical enough to not be proper English.) As I said previously, “whydunit” is modus operandi or motive…the new bit is “howdunit”, which would be the method.

I do believe the geocentric model was overthrown by people like Kepler.

Gray kind of looks like Saber with that hairstyle, come to think of it.

With the way Gray hides herself under that hood, it’s no mystery as to why guys love her…at least, I know ThatRandomEditor does. Of course, I’m heavily neutral on the whole affair because I don’t swing that way, but…you know…

LEMPC seems to stand for “Lord El-Melloi Production Committee”, if I’m guessing right.

I seem to remember there was a quote somewhere that said the only constant in this world was change…hmm.

Waver 3

They seem to keep calling Japan “the Far East” (or at least, Japan is part of the Far East). That’s a pretty antiquated term for a supposedly “modern” magic anime. I get vaguely peeved by the term “the Far East” because it causes people to take an oriental viewpoint on things and thus it’s kind of like people from the Anglosphere looking down on Asians. (I also get vaguely peeved by the term “Westerners” for much the same reason and “Caucasians” because it implies all people of the Anglosphere come from the Caucasus, which is false…then again, these niggles are specific to international studies, so I have a vested interest in explaining them.)

…Wow, that star-eyepatch girl is…really something, to be thirsty specifically for Waver’s Iron Claw. (Then again, with my weird tastes in things, who am I to critique her?)

Flitz von Erich. I was surprised to learn this guy actually exists…on Wikipedia, at the very least.

“Any lady should know about wrestling.” – I disagree, Luvia.

Blue furry electrical creature…I dunno how the zoology in this show works, but the fantasy series I’m reading as of the time I was typing this comment has a blue creature called a Raiju (literally “thunder beast” in Japanese, so it would suit the “Thunder” in the episode title). If it’s anything like that, I’d laugh myself silly.

This girl on the poster seems to be called Flan Noir (or something similar).

“…yellow, round, fluffy-smelling…” – What? Svin, you have no right to call a girl those words!

When is this series set if people don’t have phones as a standard? *Googles* Okay, if F/SN is set in 2004, then F/Z is 1994. That would make sense, actually. The internet as we know it was first used in 1995 and didn’t become widespread for home use until a few years later, as I remember having computers in 2004 (albeit the blocky ones with the dial-up).

I was looking at images for the source material and I think I know why I like Waver (aside from the fact he has long hair). Normally I like the boys whose appearances are hard to get right, such as En…Waver in the novels and manga for this series sometimes looks grumpy, sometimes he looks constipated and worst of all, sometimes he looks like Snape with a hook nose.

Okay, so I googled Caules to figure out who his sister was…and I got Apocrypha spoilers. See, his sister is Fiore, who is apparently in that series.

The videos got encoded funny again…

There seems to be a mystery around why Svin and Gray can’t be together…well, one deeper than just “Svin is gaga for Gray [for reasons we don’t know at this point in time]”.

Ha, the El-Melloi Class is basically just the Misfit Class from Mairimashita! Iruma-kun.

“Only the flesh was bitten off.”

This Jupiter gibberish, I assume, is drawing upon the mythology of Jupiter – that is, Zeus – as the god of thunder and king of the gods (thus presiding over living beings).

The English is good on the bill, bar a space between “Mystics of magecraft”.

Norwich is apparently a “faculty” which the Modern Magecraft Theories guys – i.e. Waver – rule over.

Can you imagine Waver swearing? Since I had the volume off, I basically made him say “…if Sir Gueldoa had resorted to brute force, we would’ve been f***ed” in my head…and that was hilarious.

Aw, thanks 7Mononoke. “A cowardly thief sneaks away in the night. If you stride away, bursting with song, you are a conquering king.” That’s a quote from Rider himself.

So the Association has set positions for Masters in the War? Geesh…that must be hard on Waver to find out they’re closed, considering how much Waver pines for Rider.

Waver 4

I finally got the chance to listen to the ED last ep and now it’s the OP I can hear properly. This OP isn’t particularly impressive, considering it’s an instrumental (instrumentals always seem to have less impact for me unless I’m looking for something to chill to), but it does capture the London-esque spirit of the setting very well.

What’s up with this metal (?) maid off to the side, anyway?

“Good thinking to leave the door open…” – For some reason, even though it’s a completely different and much more benign context, this made me think of KyoAni and my heart sunk.

Atrum Galliasta…I hate that man. He may look hot, but he was nothing but a b*stard to Medea.

Bolo ties…nrgh…Basically, ever since Arima wore a bolo tie, I’ve become fairly bugged by them. That’s why Bram’s bugs me.

Aw, Waver, buddy, plase don’t sacrifice yourself again. I read on the wiki you become a Servant’s vessel (specifically for Zhu Ge Liang), so keep your hopes up.

I’m seriously feeling ID: Invaded vibes from this episode, what with the lightning.

I suspect a locked room murder is going to happen soon, knowing the genre. Either that or some other crime.

Considering Fate/ was an eroge-based thing initially, these sex jokes…there’s probably plenty of them out there.

Well, it seems this series only makes sense in that non-Detective Conan way, i.e. you want to know how it all comes together and can’t necessarily figure it out for yourself until you know how the magic works. I’m randomly going to guess this is more Jupiter-based stuff and call it a day on that front.

Seriously, I never got what was up with nightgowns (or just pyjamas in general) having hats. You don’t need protection for your head at night…that’s what pillows are for, yeah? (The only reason I see a hat-like thing working with nightwear is a onesie and that’s meant to be part of the inherent appeal of the thing.)

Waver 5

I feel like Adashino is meant to be an Irene Adler-type figure…

“Peaceful Fairys” (sic)

Where did Kairi’s scar come from…?

The Black Dog was in Mahoutsukai no Yome as well, but this one looks a lot less inviting, huh?

It seems, like the name Rail Zeppelin implies (as “Demon Eyes Collection Train”), most of the people involved in this case have Magic Eyes (or whatever they’re actually called). I wouldn’t be surprised if Kairi had them as well, considering he’s wearing dark glasses in the middle of a thunderstorm.

“King Arthur is a dude, right?” - *laughs madly* They finally managed to parody their own bulls***! (Well, I’m not counting Carnival Phantasm or whatever else because this is the first time they threw a meta joke in there in the whole of this project, as far as I can remember.)

Trimmau seems to be the maid’s name…huh. They never mentioned that earlier, I don’t think.

So what’s the difference between Fairy Eyes and Mystic Eyes?

Wait, does that even work…? The entire house is the murder weapon? That’s basically breaking the “secret passageway” thing on a larger scale.

So what’s Trevor’s motive…?

The dogs running towards the Workshop reminded me of the Hunger Games for some reason…must be the climax.

That fairy isn’t emoting much…

Oh cra-Wills is going to sacrifice himself, like Adashino was going to do! That’s the second time I’ve seen that in 2 days (the first was in the Hypnosis Mic manga about the Dirty Dawg).

Uh…Waver’s not particularly fit or fast, is he…?

Can you be paid for your case if your client is essentially dead…?

Adra? I read around and Adra seems to be a way to spell the location (or whatever it is) in the first case…which got adapted into a stage play, but not an anime. That’s probably what he’s (Waver) referring to.

Notably, the title is translated to “lance” but yari means spear…

Waver 6

I seriously wanna slap that pink-haired girl…Update: Her name is Yvette.

This is basically Gray fanservice…

If Gray = Saber and Saber =King Arthur…hmm…does it count as a girl’s party?

Homeland? Since Britain is Saber’s (aka Gray’s) home country, I think they meant “hometown”…I’d hav to listen to the Japanese to make sure, though.

I still think Waver is a stupid, or at the very least false, name for a boy, especially if he did come from Britain. That’s basically my one limitation on him as a husbando.

The red bit of the eyecatch was shapd like an eye…it did catch eyes in a sense, after all.

So Trimmau is sustained by magic.

Locked-room…or rather, bounded field…mystery time!

Luvia did mention wrestling in another episode…

I had to google that, but the Separation Castle is from the Adra case mentioned in episode 5. No wonder I don’t remember it…

“Are you suggesting there were faults…” (from Luvia) - Ooh, I was thinking the perpetrator was caught inside their own bounded field or maybe it was an outsider, but that works too, Reines.

Add calld Luvia out for her extravagance, LOL.

Catch-as-catch-can appears to be “no-holds-barred fighting”, particularly wrestling.

That case was both informative and possibly solveable by the audience. Both good qualities for a mystery.

If you summon the spirit again, is it the same Rider with the same memories? Or can you summon a different version of the same Rider with amnesia, much like Rin did with Archer? Update: Oh yeah, I did read this on the wiki at one point but then forgot about it. The next episode (7) confirms that Rider wouldn’t remember Waver if he were summoned again.

Waver 7

…C’mon, admit it, show. The glasses are not only there for plot reasons but to up Waver’s status as megane boy for the rest of this case. Not that I mind – I actually really like megane boys, but I’m nowhere near the love of Meganebu – but in the case of plausibility, I wanna poke holes into it.

Auction for which Mystic Eyes now…?

There’s a guy…with an elephant head…I know I shouldn’t be bugged by it, but I need the MST3K mantra right now.

This is gonna be a Murder on the Orient Express thing, isn’t it? All cases set on trains seem to take cues or make homage to it. (I may not be that proficient on Christie in comparison to Holmes, since Holmes was Conan’s inspiration, but Murder on the Orient Express I have read and I did secure an anthology of 4 Christie novels at one point specifically so that I could improve in this area.)

The main series never explained the bad blood between the Church and the Tower, did they…?

*sweatdrop* Let me guess…when Yvette mentions “multiplay”, she means a threesome, right?

How do anime people see out of those blindfold thing, anyway??? (Or is it that Leandra has Mystic Eyes that were sold off or otherwise tampered with?)

I believe the word is “palate”, Kairi (or subbers).

Anime characters being bagworms with their blankets is always appealing, no matter the gender. It’s funny and/or relatable, after all.

Does Gray get motion sickness…? Update: Seems I spoke about a minute too soon. She does.

Waver 8

How does Waver know that Adashino got the documents about the train? Is it because she was in all those places at all those times and he connected the dots?

This lady has heterochromia. Specifically, one is brown and the other is blue or green.

Hmm? I thought the character design was familiar for this. As it turns out, Jun Nakai (who did the character design for this) also did Gate’s, which explains it.

Dionysus is the Greek god of wine, IIRC. Hephaestion is, as (s)he explained, the confidante of Alexander the Great (had to google this one).

It’s hard to see before the brightly-lit scene where Olga reappears, but as shown, Waver seems to have cut off part of his forelocks on the left side.

What’s an Odo???...ooh, fanservice…*ogles*

The summoning of Hephaestion and Trisha’s murder may or may not be related…we just don’t know how, yet.

I think a Detective Conan Murder on the Orient Express-style mystery would be a good video ga-*googles* There’s at least one of them out there already (albeit only in Japan)...namely, this one. Spoke too soon.

Oh yeah…this is Olga’s new room, isn’t it? I almost forgot about that.

Update: I think this look at the Adra Separation Castle case is interesting. It’s similar to posts I would write, but done by a professional – namely Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku and Anime News Network.

Waver 9

So if there’s a Servant…you have to find the Master.

Olga reminds me of Reines…kind of.

LOL, whoever thought of a zombie cooking show…?

This series really goes all-in on the zombies and the fake-outs thereof, huh? Dangit, Melvin, don’t scare us.

Melvin has a really odd relationship with Waver, huh? If you’re really insisting you’re “the only person to ever be able to hurt Waver”, I don’t quite see how you guys can be friends in the normal sense of the word.

Why would someone have a violin at a time like this…?

Interestingly, they don’t bother to do any fanservice of Caules. That scene with Gray and Yvette was fanservice for those who like them, but the only guy who’s getting to do any fanservice in this series is Waver himself…(what with him being naked and knocked out right now.)

“Sibyl” seems to be a synonym for “virgin”…(*whispers “Awkward…”*)

Update: After reading some of Marth’s posts on this series, I’m inclined to call this “Murders on a Train (with an Exploding Helicopter for Good Measure)”.

Waver 10

For some reason, there’s episode 0 – 9, then 11 – 13 on the service I’m using. Where’s 10?

I think Waver’s relationship with Rider is interesting because of the way I think of relationships myself. Waver has made it clear that he wants to see Rider again so he can basically prostrate at his feet all over again (and maybe win a wish and/or see Oceanus while they’re at it), but – hey, hear this! - I used to believe, when I was still an impressionable kid, all relationships, whether they be between friends, family or even lovers, lasted roughly in the same state basically forever (as in, friends stay friends forever, they’ll never be so far apart that they can’t kep their relationship alive etc. etc.)…Obviously, I was wrong and arguably, this change in thinking, plus the related changes in technology, are where my ability to fleetingly but passionate love both 2D boys and the series they come from comes from.

Wait, so the Child of Einasshe (sp?) is the forest, yeah? I don’t think I got that 100% straight.

I never thought the shield form of a Mystic Code could be used for snowboarding down a mountain/hill…whatever Gray just went down. I didn’t even know Add had a shield form, for that matter.

“[U]sual individual” – LOL. What a way to refer to Waver.

“Wait a minute!” – I’m just imagining Phoenix Wright all of a sudden. A Waver legal mystery series would be boring as all get out – I’m far less interested in the courtroom versions of mysteries and more interested in how the pieces fit together. (Update: Then again, I am a person who likes the action genre and courtroom mysteries don’t have much of that, which might also explain my choice.)

“…lacking the element of motive to begin with.” – Well, Waver’s not wrong…

I’m observing this apple and noticing someone skimped on the detail around the stem. Does anyone still remember Art Academy for the DS? After looking at some promo material for it, I basically learnt how to draw a proper apple (and nothing else, really). If an apple is just drawn as a circle, it doesn’t quite look like an apple up close. (Two of the main things I screw up on when drawing are perception and the colour of highlights, both of which are covered in something like an apple stem and the related indent.)

Oh goodness…I was hoping Karabo would keep his vision (or actual eyeballs)…but that’s gruesome.

I’m guessing, based on the wheelchair, that Waver’s still paralysed or otherwise not able to move around like normal. Update: Spoke too soon.

Someone encoded the video funny again…

Waver 11

What was that crossword thing…? A warding spell of some sort?

Is that an owl in the back?!

Stealth fighter…Rider wanted on, didn’t he?

Every time he appears on screen now, I basically curse Melvin. He’s entertaining to watch, sure, but he’s annoyingly prodigal (= wasteful). He’s basically Dice from HypMic at this stage (aka he’s the sort of person who’d bet away his own clothes, given the chance and incentive).

Look at the way Waver’s hair drags behind him as he walks…it’s gorgeous…

“Residual Image” (as translated in the title) is literally “the left-over image” (zanzou). Not surprising, but I find the exact combo of characters used interesting since it could be short for “nokoru eizou” (where the nokoru’s character is read as zan in the combo, as you can guess).

Waver 12

Wow…this series really pulled something out of its butt this time, huh? “The guy without a heart”…no viewer would’ve known that actually referred to a character called Dr Heartless unless they knew of his existence somehow (the closest they would’ve been was having an inkling that this pointed to a name of the culprit).

There is an owl in the back of the auction room!

Ay? So what the heck is Pandemonium in this case?

“dotard” – Turns out this means “an old person, especially one who has become physically weak or whose mental faculties have declined.” You can’t say I don’t enrich my vocbulary through watching anime, huh?

I’m still wondering…why adapt case 7 of this series (Rail Zeppelin)? Why not case 1 (Adra)? Update: I don’t know where I pulled the number 7 from, since this is volume 4 – 5 of the series. Apparently some of the cases were anime-original though.

Waver 13 (FINAL)

Oh, Flat, you stupid…

Waver’s exasperated faces are great. No wonder Reines likes to toy with him…

I can assume Rail Zeppelin is a Ghost Liner, yes?

Can I guess that Adashino ~likes~ Waver…? Update: Turns out that’s not quite the case.

Ooh, Waver without his shirt is se-okay, I’m getting distracted. Seriously though, Waver never showed his Crest in F/Z. I never even knew what it looked like until now! The fact it’s such a simple design in comparison to his Command Seals is…kinda underwhelming, really.

I think there’s a bit of a pattern between Jakurai (from HypMic) and Waver…namely, they suck when it comes to drinking. (Also, of course, the long hair. Don’t forget it, never forget it.)

Shut up, Add!

For some reason, I felt like a lot of that last part, while getting closure for Waver, it almost had connotations of “I’ll meet you on the other side, Rider”…so it felt kind of sad, to be honest. That talk between Reines and Olga I don’t think I’d understand without Apocrypha and Grand Order, but I guess that’s to be expected in such a huge franchise. Anyways, moving right along!

Illya 1

I’ve been a bit worried about what I’ll have to subject myself to for the sake of Magical Girls…

Was that…Taiga?

Who’s Liz…?

Okusama, huh? (Okusama = someone’s wife, although it seems to be used in the plural here since I don’t think Kiritsugu and/or Iri are dead in this timeline.)

The subs I’ve got say Shiro is adopted here too (when it’s not in the Japanese), although I wonder exactly how much of UBW is going to be true in this anime…

Hmm…a bit of digging reveals Luvia’s not a Master. So throwing out Lancer is really just a joke on how Lancer gets roasted early on in Grail Wars, right?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…squick, much…(Thank goodness the source I was using edited out the loli fanservice, so I can tolerate this series a lot more…but still, suggesting you have a romance with your step-brother, even if it’s known you’re not related from the beginning, is…you already know my feelings on that, based on my reaction. Shiro is, what, 15? About twice Illya’s age!) Update: Okay, so he has no confirmed age in Prisma Illya, but he’s 17 in F/SN so I’d assum the same or similar, seeing as he attends the same school. It’s fine if it’s platonic, but this is clearly an Onii-chan, daisuki! thing the likes of which Oreimo throws down! Thank you for calling it out though, Ruby.

Oh my gosh, this looks like the Rhongomynaid (Detective Waver) and Excalibur (or whatever Saber’s Noble Phantasm is called) summoning beam! LOL!

Ruby, you lech! Don’t go praising the angles! *shakes fist* (Seriously, what if magical girl mascots were paedophiles…? *blank face* Welp, considering what’s out there on the internet, I wouldn’t be surprised if a hentai or something had such a concept.)

Hmm? Turns out the word for Servant means something like “celestial hero”. Makes sense.

Nice callback to Saber and Shiro!

Illya 2

I thought Illya would say that her parents are dead…turns out the show’s not that grimdark (to the point where it wouldn’t set the show after Kiritsugu and Iri’s deaths), huh?

Do the sticks have a gender? The subs said “she” for Ruby…

LOL, it’s Rider. I thought Lancer was gonna get his butt kicked all over again (thinking more along the lines of CCS).

It’s Gay Bul-I mean, Gae Bolg! (I’ve been reading TV Tropes again…can you tell?)

This episode was pretty pedestrian. I like it more than the first one.

What’s up with the CGI…?

Oh! Bunbun, who does Yuki Yuna! Update: They only did the illustrations for some of the series. They also did SAO illustrations, although that’s of less significance to me.

Illya 3

The sticks do have genders!!! That’s like claiming Jesus for kakera with Mudae! (Yes, that’s possible. I got him in one server.)

The power of fujoshi…is amazing! How did it get to a girl who’s so young?!

These angles are a bit disturbing…

“Casao”, LOL.

Magical girl nakama, huh?

Illya 4

MST3K mantra!

Whose quote is that again…? “Don’t think, imagine”? Update: It turns out to not be anyone’s quote at all, if Google results are to be believed.

Uh-oh! Saber Alter!

Illya 5

Padding the episode already…?

The mist is a quality of a Berserker, right?

Geez the angles piss me off…

These sticks have brains???

Can you call it teamwork if they’re always complaining about each other?

Illya 6

More padding…

Illya’s UBW!

Geesh, that last-minute shot of Rin and Luvia popping out of the ground scared me for a bit…

Illya 7

*sigh* It’s the sick episode…

I recognise the vacuum cleaner. I have the same one at home.

*sigh* Random fanservice of elementary school girls. This is what gives anime a bad name.

*Sapphire pulls out a USB port* - Ohhkay, is that stick fanservice, in a sense…? Because that’s awkward too.

Maids went out of fashion years ago…

“Lyrical Radical Genocide” - I think this Lyrical Radical things is parodying Nanoha.

Based on the cloak, it’s an Assassin.

“Listen, if you aren’t careful, you’ll die!” – Yep, because people die when they are killed. I almost missed that meme for a bit.

Illya 8

Illya’s still reeling from Miyu’s talk, huh?

I noticed it said tomoda(chi) in the background at one point.

Does Miyu exist in any of the alternate universes?

Ah, there’s yuujou (friendship) in the background as calligraphy.

I think the video got encoded funny again…

Geez, complaining about boobs? The series got worse…oh, I forgot Shiro was around in this series.

…who’s left? There’s been Saber, Archer, Lancer, Assassin, Rider, Caster and…who? Berserker, that’s who.

Illya 9

Ohhhhhhhh brother, not more bath scenes…

Iri looks almost exactly like she does in the Eiznbern Consultation Rooms! (I found those around and watched them today.)

Thank goodness the fanservice is censored…

I never realised Berseker had heterochromia until now…

One thing that I assume makes Saber’s outfit look nice to thos that like girls is the window in the top…but it goes to waste on Miyu, LOL.

I find it interesting Illya has all these concerns – the ones (or similar ones) Iri harbourd in F/Z.

Hey, the bridge! This is the bridge where Rider dies inn F/Z, yeah?

The ED looks different this time…

Illya 10 (FINAL)

E-Eep…loli fanservice…

Now Miyu is basically what Waver is to Rider, no doubt about it.

Bulls***! Speak of the devil! I was wondering what Waver looked like in the Illya style, because I read on the wiki he makes a cameo in season 2, and…here he is. Didn’t expect him in season 1, though.

Another new ED animation. I find it interesting they’ve never once had to recast any VAs throughout the entire existence of Fate/ anime…not that I know of, anyway.

Hiroyama Hiroshi is the original Illya creator.

Okay, that’s the end of one season. I feel kind of fatigued since I finished the Eiznbern Consultation Rooms today as well, so I’m going to take a break from watching more Illya until it’s necessary to watch again in a few posts’ time.

Now that they’ve collected the cards, I’m wondering what the series intends to do next…

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 1

They clearly skimped on the budget when Shiro was leaving the house…

I keep forgetting Illya is meant to be German…

That bad English…is actually there in the ep. title…

Oh great…schoolgirls talking about erotic swimsuits…

This s*** is what you call “Class-S”! I have no interest in it, because I don’t swing that way! (Sorry, yuri fans…)

The problem with series that aren’t 100% made with you in mind is that your favourite characters might look ugly…that’s especially the case with En, Jakurai and Waver.

Ryudou Temple, eh? Let’s hope Assassin still looks good.

I don’t think I’ve seen that before…namely, being able to hear what’s going on outside the transformation while it’s happening.

Now this 2 Illyas thing…this is new, alright.

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 2

LOL, what a horoscope.

Truck-kun! I don’t think Illya would make a good isekai protag, come to think of it.

Who is this nurse? I feel like she’s from some other part of the Nasuverse… Update: My guess was right. That’s Caren Hortensia, protagonist of Fate/hollow ataraxia and Kirei’s…uh, daughter. I know he had a wife. We never met said wife, but seeing the daughter really drove that fact home.

Uhhhhhhhh…okay, now the lesbian loli scene just made things go off a cliff for me. I’m not against lesbians or yuri – to each their own – but that scene was clearly meant to be pleasing to a certain audience.

How does anyone kill anything gently…?

Ohhhhhhkay, strike 2 for loli fanservice.

I seem to remember…that’s right, Alice from the [something] no Kuni no Alice series was evaluated on her coffee-making skills (by Julius, I think it was). That’s why I’m thinking of Alice when I see Luvia praising Miyu on something similar.

Wa-hey! It’s Rin’s Azoth dagger!

Well, the mechanics of the transformation are also something you have to think about. I’ll give the show kudos for that.

Illya s2 Pt 1 Ep 3

Can we not with the whole “Onii-chan, daisuki!” thing?! That’s it! That’s the last straw! I’m finishing this episode and aborting early so that I can preserve my dignity…and get some proper sleep for once.

The fact Miyu thinks Shiro resembles her brother must not be a coincidence…(I’ve become far too Fate/ savvy, haven’t I?) Update: It seems I was right. Apparently, Miyu was taken in by Kiritsugu in a certain universe, but apparently this is a bunch of spoilers.

Genki na aisatsu was in the back.

This is just getting worse and worse…

So now Kuro’s name is Kuroe (Chloe), huh? Anyways, good riddance, loli fanservice! So long! I won’t miss you one bit!

#lord el-melloi ii-sei no jikenbo #Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files #fate/kaleid liner prisma illya #Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 2wei!

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lilacmoon83 · 5 years

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Dreaming Out Loud

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 103: Way Above the Chimney Tops

Snow sighed in contentment, as she lay atop his chest and he cuddled her close. It had been a night full of passion and love and neither of them had ever been happier. She mewled sensually, as he kissed her throat and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love you so much…" he rasped, as they bathed in the afterglow of many bouts of lovemaking that had kept them up most of the night. But neither of them minded losing sleep. He knew that soon, she'd have to go back into hiding and he would have to return home. They were fairly safe at the spring cabins and there magical protections around the meadow, but they could never be too careful. So they always made good use of their time.

"Wanna go out and spend the day at the falls?" she purred.

"That sounds wonderful," he agreed, as he kissed her.

"But first...I'm going to make you breakfast," he said, as he got up and she enjoyed the view, as he slipped his pants on and she fell back to the pillow and he went to work in the kitchen. David's mother had taught him to cook and he was very good at it. He loved cooking for her and she was only too happy to let him. She sighed, as she soon smelled the aroma of cooking eggs and homemade bread.

~*~

James marched along with the other soldiers, as they were led by a mysterious warrior that his father called Leviathan. Apparently, this man was some kind of super warrior and rumor was that you never saw him coming once he struck. They had been ordered by Arawn to travel to the east to assist the Royal Vizier in some quest. James knew they weren't being told everything and he had a gut feeling that they were being led into something that would be over their heads. This whole war was senseless and coming from him, that was saying something. He had never been one to shy away from a battle. In fact, he had often thrived on it, but fighting in this war the last few years had changed him. It left him seeing his life differently and yearning for more than just the next fight. But it didn't matter what he wanted. As long as Arawn was in control, the warring would never end. He just kept conquering Kingdom after Kingdom and soon, every single one would just be chess pieces on his board in one big Empire. It was unsettling, but he was trapped in this life and he didn't much like the fact that death quite possibly would be his only escape.

"Excuse me...Leviathan is it?" James called out. The man stopped and turned, before motioning James forward. He watched the man remove his helmet, revealing a dark skinned man, though he didn't show his face to the other soldiers.

"Is that what they are calling me?" he asked, with a bit of amusement.

"Yeah...I thought it was ridiculous too, but where exactly are we going?" James asked.

"Soldiers are to follow orders without question," the man responded.

"Not this soldier," James refuted. The man smirked.

"I respect that actually," he said, with a nod.

"We are going to a place called Bald Mountain," the man stated.

"Why?" James questioned.

"Not even I am privy to that information...but I know that whatever is there could give supreme reign to whoever controls the ancient entity that supposedly exists there," he said.

"And you're okay with that being Arawn and his deviant Royal Vizier?" James questioned.

"I've been paid to do a job," the man replied vaguely.

"Fine...but the men are tired and I think we should make camp here for tonight. There's a fresh water source nearby. I can hear the waterfall from here," James stated.

"Then we agree...we'll make camp here tonight," the man said.

"What do I call you? Because I'm not calling you Leviathan," James stated shortly. The man smirked.

"Lancelot," he stated.

"Of the round table?" James questioned.

"Not anymore," he responded.

~*~

Two Days Later

Frollo gazed up at the cone shaped mountain, as they had finally arrived at the location. The stars atop the hat, in its dormant form, had morphed into the constellations, which had led him straight to the mountain. He had no idea was awaited him inside, but he was determined to have victory for his King. He had full faith that Arawn would rule this land with a firm hand and rid it of the undesirables that plagued it. With this power, they could cleanse the land and destroy the wicked.

The Apprentice's words did echo in his mind and he wondered if he was fair in blaming his impure thoughts on anyone other than himself. But he quashed any doubts the old man had put in him. He was a man of religion and had taken the vow of celibacy. Witches like Esmeralda, a gypsy of all things, had tested him and almost broke him. He had failed to eradicate her and her kind, but he would not fail again. He thought the temptation of the gypsy had been bad, but the wiles of Snow White, daughter of the Underworld, were perhaps even more seductive. She was the second dark haired beauty to tempt him, but he had resisted and truly believed if he succeeded in burning the temptress at the stake, that it would release him from her spell.

Firstly though, they needed the power of the ancient creature that was said to be imprisoned inside this mountain. And now...that power would work for them.

He approached the mountain and saw a crevice that looked to the entrance. With a smirk, he motioned to the soldiers with him and they ventured into the narrow pathway into the mysterious mountain. And Frollo was astonished by what he found inside once they made it through the pathway.

They stood upon a ledge that overlooked a basin of churning magma that seemed half molten and half cooled. They saw water pour from some sort of man created reservoir into the magma pit, keeping it cool and steam billowed around them.

"Inconceivable," Frollo uttered, as his eyes searched the cone shaped mountain and he took the hat in his hands, willing it to open, but it would not. He shook it slightly and it glowed, which made the magma below begin to twist and churn. He smirked.

"Rise Chernabog!" he commanded and the lava began to rise into the air and take form.

"Yes…" Frollo seethed in anticipation, but what took form was not the monster he had been promised. Poofs of light blue magic gave the lava form and several black baby centaurs came flying at them, neighing in amusement, as they ducked away from the creatures. More lava bubbles formed and in blue puffs of smoke, baby cupids flew about, shooting them with hearts. And if he wasn't certain he was being mocked before, he was now, as more lava bubbles formed and formed into walking brooms that marched toward them. He snarled and looked up to find Hades and Persephone on the ledge opposite of them.

"Did you really think that I did not put magical protections in place?" Hades questioned smugly.

"Then this is your doing?!" Frollo demanded to know. Hades crossed his arms over his chest.

"Merlin may have trusted that old fool he calls an Apprentice to keep the hat safe, but I'm not known for my faith in others, save for a few," Hades retorted, as he glanced at his wife.

"I put these protections in place centuries ago, in case someone managed to get the hat. You'll never raise the Chernabog," the God of the Underworld stated. Persephone smirked, as she hooked her hand on his elbow.

"I am a little surprised by the nature of the protections though. I mean, baby centaurs, cupids, and dancing brooms?" she teased. He smirked back.

"I could have gone with the usual spikes, hellfire, and hot coals, but what is life without some whimsy? This is more fun," he replied.

"You think you're denying me?!" Frollo roared angrily.

"That's exactly what we're doing. No mortal or God should possess the power of the Chernabog," Persephone refuted. Frollo smirked.

"You will raise the Chernabog for me then," he stated.

"You really have lost it if you think we'd do that," Hades protested.

"You will...or they will die," Frollo countered. They frowned, as they saw a Knight they recognized as Lancelot of Camelot and Prince James lead in two people. The russet sacks were removed from their heads, revealing Snow and David…

~*~

Two Days Earlier

Snow moaned sensually, as he kissed her lazily and they waded idly in the water. Her legs were still hooked around him and he was still inside her, as they slowly came down from another powerful bout of lovemaking, this time in the lake by the waterfall. As always, it was amazing and they were determined to make the best of their honeymoon.

"Oh David…" she uttered breathlessly.

"I love you so much…" he said in a husky tone, as he kissed her again and she tilted her head, as his lips moved to her neck. Their lips met again and then parted, as she pressed her forehead against his.

"I guess we should probably head back and build a fire," he mentioned. She nodded. Building a fire around a campsite meant sleeping under the stars in his arms and that was always something very appealing to her. They dried off with their blankets and managed to get dressed, before venturing back to their campsite, hand in hand.

"Mmm...looks like Mother packed all our favorites," he said, as he peered into the picnic basket.

"Good...I'm starved. We worked up quite an appetite," she said, giving her husband a hungry look. He smirked.

"We did...and that was only the beginning," he promised, as he swept her close and they started swaying. She giggled.

"There's no music," she mentioned. He shrugged.

"That's okay...I think we can make our own," he responded, as he kissed her tenderly.

"Mmm...I like the music we make," she said dreamily, as they continued to sway.

"Me too...but I better get that fire going or we're going to freeze," he said, as he went about gathering some wood, while she started getting the food out. She opened it and happened to look up toward the woods and froze. She blinked in disbelief at what she saw by a tree. She gaped and glanced back at her husband and then back at the identical man by the tree. The man that looked exactly like her husband seemed just as stunned, as he was looking around her at David.

"What is this?" she uttered, as he started toward her, which made her back away. He may have looked like David, but she knew he wasn't.

"David!" she cried and then gasped, as she saw Deimos there and he had her husband in a headlock.

"Well, well...Snow White, just the fugitive that we've been looking for," he leered.

"Let him go!" she demanded, as she grabbed her dagger, as she was grabbed from behind by another man that she did not recognize, while her husband's doppelganger stood stunned, eyes still locked on the man that looked exactly like him.

"This must be a surprise to you, Prince James...I take it you were both unaware that you each had a twin," Deimos revealed. Snow fought and struggled against the man, but it did no good, as they were both shoved into a prison carriage.

"Charming…" she whispered, as she cradled him in her arms, while he tried to get his breath from practically being strangled.

"Who are you?!" Snow demanded of the dark skinned man. But he did not answer that question.

"Lord Frollo has requested that you both be delivered to him at Bald Mountain," Lancelot stated simply. Deimos disappeared, while the other two men mounted the horses that pulled the carriage and it began to move.

~*~

Two Days Later

"No…" Persephone uttered, as their daughter and son-in-law were prodded forward, hands bound. That was enough shock that they had been captured, but it was clear that James and David were now both well aware of the other's existence and the shock of that had not passed.

"You let them go...or I swear that you will suffer an afterlife that will be nothing short of horrific. And that goes for all of you!" Hades roared. But they didn't seem deterred and that didn't really surprise him. He wasn't as feared as he once was. He knew it was known that family life had softened him and while he was glad for that, it didn't help him any in situations like this.

"Your demon daughter and son-in-law will remain unharmed if you raise the Chernabog," Frollo stated.

"Don't you understand?! Raising the Chernabog will destroy us all!" Persephone shouted back.

"Not if he is controlled with this," Frollo retorted.

"You don't even understand how that hat works. Not just anyone can wear it! This will not end the way you think it will!" Hades yelled.

"Save your diatribe and raise the Chernabog...or they die!" Frollo hissed, as Deimos snapped his fingers and suddenly Snow and David were suspended in a cage above the churning magma. And the cage was slowly inching its way down.

"Damn you…" Persephone growled, as she disappeared and reappeared before Deimos, ready with a blast of magic for him. He countered with his own fireball and they dueled each other in a fiery display. Frollo chuckled.

"That's one way to burn a witch and her lover," he goaded, as Hades clenched his fist and he glared at the evil man. He glanced at his wife, who was holding her own against Deimos, even against his monstrous strength. That meant it was up to him to save Snow and David, without raising the monster in the magma pit below. Hades had plenty of magic and strength of his own on his side. But words and wit were where he excelled and so he decided to appeal to a man that had once been a hero and offer a path back from his fall from grace.

"So...this is what it's come to for you? The great Lancelot is now a mercenary that will have the blood of innocents on his hands?" Hades questioned, directing it to the former Knight.

"I've been hired to do a job," he said simply, but he was clearly uncomfortable with what was happening.

"If this man you're working for gets control of the beast that is dormant in this mountain...then you'll be responsible for the deaths of thousands. Can you really live with that? For money of all things?" Hades questioned.

"Stop stalling or I will use this to see that they fall much faster," Frollo warned, as he brandished his plasma weapon.

"It's out of my hands," Lancelot said regrettably.

"That's too bad...you would have once been admitted to Elysian. A place for only the mightiest heroes. Now...you'll be lucky if I don't sentence you to one of my rivers when your life is done," Hades replied, as he looked at his step-daughter, who clung to her husband.

"It's going to be okay, snowdrop…" he promised, as he met her eyes.

"Papa Hades...you can't release that monster. Not even for us," Snow said tearfully, which made him swallow thickly.

"She's right…" David agreed, as he looked at her.

"Even if we die today...at least I know where we're going and that we'll be together," he said, failing to notice the conflict on Lancelot's face and strangely on James' too.

"He's your brother, Prince James. I know you have questions and they die with him if you let this happen," Hades called.

"This is your final warning, you demon! Anymore attempts at deceiving my men and they will be permanent residents in your realm!" she warned.

"Do something...or she might be one of this man's victims when he uses the Chernabog's power," Hades warned one more time and met Lancelot's eyes as he did. As God of the Underworld, he was well aware of the deception that Camelot's King had them under and that included his Queen, whom was truly in love with the disgraced Knight. Lancelot shook his head and turned on the other soldiers, dispatching them easily.

"You fool...you will regret your treason," Frollo hissed, as he aimed the weapon in line with Snow and David, preparing to use it to shatter the cage and send them falling into the molten death below. But he was the one that was suddenly holding his arm in pain, as James had used his sword to separate Frollo's weapon from his body, along with part of his arm. Hades disappeared in a puff of light blue smoke and then reappeared before them.

"You both have made wise choices," he said, as he used his magic to relocate Snow and David from the cage to the spot next to him. They sighed in relief and Snow hugged her step-father tightly. David met his twin's eyes for the first time and they could only stare at each other, with questions that were obviously overwhelming them both.

Deimos noticed that the tides had turned and abruptly disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Persephone hurried back to her family, glad that Deimos had run like a coward, and promptly hugged her daughter and son-in-law tightly.

"What are we going to do with him?" Lancelot questioned. Hades smirked and picked the man up by his collar with one arm. His eyes flashed with blue fire, as he used his powers to assault Frollo's subconscious with images of what awaited him in the afterlife. Frollo cried out in horror at the images and held his head in anguish.

"You're too dangerous to stay alive...but I will give you one chance to walk out of here and rethink your life," Hades hissed, as he dropped him unceremoniously to the ground at his feet. Frollo glowered up at him, as he turned away and back to the people in front of him.

"There is much to discuss I sense, but perhaps this isn't the best place," Lancelot suggested. Persephone nodded.

"I agree," she agreed and almost didn't see the man at her husband's feet getting up. Fortunately, she saw his movement out of the corner of her eye and the dagger he had brandished from his robes, aiming it at her daughter.

"Hades!" she cried, as he turned and together, they blasted the evil man with their magic, vaulting him over the edge and sending him falling into the churning magma below. His screams of agony, as he burned, echoed through the mountain and Snow shuddered against David, as he pulled her close.

"Let's go...this is no place for anyone, let alone the two of you," Persephone said, as she prodded them out. Hades motioned to the Knight and the Prince, urging them to follow. They did so, having made their choices. And they knew there was no turning back to their former side now. Hades suspected that neither wanted to turn back though and took heart in that. Perhaps this would be the turning point in the battle against Arawn that they needed.

After they left, there was an inhuman roaring from the pit, as the magma churned and boiled. The roaring continued ominously, bubbling violently. The evil that lay dormant inside the mountain was dormant no more.

~*~

Rumple watched the scene on the small crystal ball with great interest. He never had much use for the objects, as his seer powers usually told him what he needed to know. But the Sorcerer's hat had drawn great interest. He had longed to possess the object, but with it back in Hades' possession, he knew that it was unlikely he would get the chance to have it. Frollo's demise gave him pause and he had no desire to fight against Hades or Persephone for it. Essentially, in theory, the hat had the power to free him from the restraints of the dagger, without taking away his powers. But as seen when Frollo tried to open it and failed, the hat was unpredictable and that meant there was no guarantee that it would do what he wanted.

Instead, he was going to keep his efforts focused on the curse and that meant bottling true love from Snow White and her charming shepherd. Interesting enough though, David the shepherd had now come face to face with his twin brother, Prince James. Additionally, Prince James had actually betrayed his post by disobeying Frollo and this would translate back to King Arawn as treason. That made him a fugitive right alongside his brother and sister-in-law.

It was a very interesting development, but did little to get him what he needed from the pair that would give life to the Savior. That was when he was assaulted with a new vision and it was hazy at best. It had to do with Bald Mountain though and he felt the evil stirring inside the mountain. He couldn't be sure what that meant, but that wasn't all he saw. Less surprisingly, he saw Cora and Arawn in the same room, but he expected Cora to try for a deal with him after what Regina did to Zelena. And yet, as usual, he somehow saw Snow and David at the center of all of it. And then he saw why, which led to him letting out a high pitched giggle.

"Oh dearies...no more hiding for you. It's time you take back your Kingdom and become the legends the stars speak of. I will make my potion, you'll conceive the Savior...and then I will find you, Bae," Rumple stated, as he prepared for the final phase of his plan that would end with the casting of the dark curse.

~*~

They reappeared in the meadow they called home most of the time. A frantic Eli, Sera, Ruth, and Robert rushed out of the house and to their son and daughter.

"Snow..." Eli cried, as he swept his little girl into a hug.

"Oh my goodness...where were you?!" Ruth cried, as she hugged her son fiercely.

"We've been worried sick," Sera fretted, while Robert was silent, but his face was ashen and marred with worry.

"We had a bit of trouble and it's a long story," David said, as he could see all three of his parents looking over them and at his brother in awed disbelief.

"James…" Sera uttered and David kept her from collapsing to her knees.

"No…" James refuted, as she slowly walked toward him with tears in her eyes.

"James…" she repeated, as tears streamed down her face.

"No...he said you were dead. You got sick and you died!" James shouted.

"Don't scream at her!" David snapped.

"He lied to you, son...I was taken away. I should be dead, but a Knight spared me and I went into exile. If he knew I had survived, he would have sent someone to kill me," she said.

"Why?! You were his Queen...you were my mother!" James snapped. She looked destroyed by his use of the past tense.

"Because he knew I would interfere with what he wanted for you. I did not want to raise you to in his image. He knew I would raise you with love and compassion," she replied.

"So...you just replaced me with my brother?" James questioned.

"It wasn't like that...I was alone for several years. Then I met Ruth one day and took her and David in when they had no place to go," Sera explained.

"It's true...your mother, Ruth, left me and it was my own fault. I was an alcoholic and she was right to go," Robert added.

"Sera and I fell in love," Ruth said.

"Were you ever going to tell me about him?" David questioned all three of them and they looked down shamefully.

"We didn't know how...we thought you'd never meet and it would be too painful," Ruth said.

"We shouldn't have kept it from you," Robert added.

"We were only trying to protect you, David," Sera said tearfully.

"King George already took one son from me," she said, as she looked at James.

"If he knew about you...he'd kill you on site," she added. James snorted.

"She's right about that," he agreed.

"You don't know how lucky you are," James added.

"Excuse me? Aren't you a Prince or something?" David challenged.

"I am, but you grew up with three loving parents. I grew up with a King that loves power more than anything, including me," he spat. "

And you're married to a Princess, which makes you a Prince too now," he reminded.

"You got our biological mother and our adopted mother," he continued bitterly.

"At least he tried to come for me," James said, as he looked at his father.

"Then you remember…" Robert realized and James nodded curtly.

"What's he talking about?" David asked.

"It's a long story…" Robert replied.

Perhaps the house is a better place for all of this," Persephone suggested.

"She's right...I know emotions are running very high here, but this is still a family," Eli added. James shrugged.

"Why not? It's not like I can ever go home again," the Prince said bitterly.

"Or maybe you can…" a voice said, as it was followed by a giggle. Hades sighed.

"If you're here for the hat, forget it," the God warned.

"As much as I'd like to have it, I know there's no deal we could make where I get it. But that's not why I'm here," Rumple responded.

"Then why are you here and what do you want?" Persephone questioned.

"Hmm...what indeed. Perhaps I'll join this little family meeting and offer all of you a way to not only fight Arawn...but eventually defeat him," Rumple replied.

"What's in it for you?" David questioned, making Rumple let out a shrill giggle again.

"Such a loaded question, dearie. But trust me, Arawn's demise is in the best interest of everyone and I can help you make it happen," the Dark One offered.

"Even for you, that's a tall order. But we'll hear what you have to say," Persephone agreed, as they went inside the cabin that belonged to Snow and David...

#Snowing #SnowxCharming #Charming family #AU #HadesXPersephone #greek mythology meets farytales #Rumbelle #romance #adventure #family #dreaming out loud

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