#I am still committed to writing about EVERY ghoul this month

[duskspring]

Wordless Declarations and a Birthday - Lake/River

Domestic December - Day 18

Summary: River struggles to make Lake’s summoningday a memorable one

Content (do let me know if I forgot anything!): Water (#2) is called Lake in this, Water (#3) is called River in this, anxiety

Word count: ~1.5k

River wasn’t known for a lot of things. He was one of those ghouls that minded his own business and didn’t interact with anyone outside his old bandmates much. But there was one thing everyone knew about him, that being his love for his fellow water ghoul Lake.

And with Lake’s summoningday approaching fast, River didn’t stand still for even a second. He was determined to give his lover the best, most memorable party to ever grace The Ministry.

The problem was River’s incompetence on the topic. He spitballed every possible variation; would it be a surprise party? Something themed? Maybe it could be activity based? Should it be huge or more intimate?

He knew what Lake definitely would not want, but trying to find out what would make him the most happy was a matter of guessing.

He eventually decided to celebrate in his room. That way, if it got messy it wouldn’t be Lake’s problem. They could start out with just the two of them and then let Lake decide who else he wanted there in the moment. Simple, fun… but maybe not enough.

River couldn’t get his anxieties under control. It got to the point that even Lake noticed something was out of the ordinary. River denied such a thing, not wanting to give himself away. If Lake knew his summoningday party was what was causing him all that stress, he’d immediately tell him to stop. But he didn’t deserve to lose out on a party, because of River’s nerves.

The day of, he was lucky Lake already had plans in the afternoon. He’d tried asking River to come along, but he’d just barely wormed his way out of that one with a few excuses. He used the time to set everything up. He did some light decorating of the space. There were garlands, balloons and his fanciest plates and cups, all in a blue theme.

It was now a matter of waiting around for Lake to find his way back there. River sat on the couch, then thought maybe it looked better if he stood up, but then sat back down. His leg bounced nervously. His head turned towards the clock multiple times per minute, getting more afraid with every second Lake wasn’t there to calm him down. It gave him way too much time to think about a variety of topics, one of which being his gift.

It was stupid. It was too lame. Lake would probably hate it but not dare to say anything. He-

River startled aggressively when the phone in his pocket rang. His heart skipped another beat when he saw it was Lake. He answered immediately, “Splash…” He whispered the nickname, unsure what to expect.

“Where are you?” Lake asked, barely audible over whatever the loud noise in the background was.

“My room, why?”

“Well, get down here already! I’m happy to have this, but it’s lame without you.”

River only got more confused, “...Where are you?”

“I just stepped outside the hall, so I could hear you.”

“Outside which hall?”

“Dining.” Lake said like it was obvious.

“Ok…” River’s mind raced, “Ok, I’ll be right there.”

“Better hurry!” And then the line cut off.

River lowered his phone slowly. He speedwalked to the dining hall on autopilot, mind reeling to try and comprehend what was going on. The closer he got, the more he realized the loud background noise heard over the phone had been music.

“Finally!” Lake joked, walking over to embrace his partner, “Can you believe all of this?”

“I’m honestly not sure what I’m supposed to believe here.” River awkwardly tried asking for clarification.

Lake didn’t take it as such, though, “I know right! Even if Papa has technically done it for others, I would never have expected he’d do it for me.” Without providing more clarity, he grabbed River's hand and pulled him towards the dining hall.

It was a near sensory overload to walk in there. The music was loud, decorations colorful yet classy, and at least two thirds of the abbey’s inhabitants were there. They drank, danced and enjoyed their time together. Oh, it was a party alright.

“Papa did this?” River asked, his face an obvious showing of surprise, but also a bit of shame. His planned party seemed so incredibly mundane next to this.

Lake nodded, “Secondo really pulled out all the stops. Wish he had kept a few,” He mumbled the last part quietly enough that the music drowned it out before it reached River’s ears, “Hey, are you alright?” It seemed he’d noticed River’s expression.

He tried to say something, to reassure his lover, but found he couldn’t. His vocal cords were frozen. He could feel the potential for tears building up. He was fucking humiliated.

Lake put his hands on his cheeks, “Flow.” Hearing his own nickname, snapped him out of the trance long enough to hear the next words, “Let’s step outside for a moment.”

And back out into the hall they went. Lake made River sit down against the wall for a bit, his expression still betraying his shock.

“How are the mindwaves?” He asked, it being their way to refer to River’s recurring anxiety.

“I’m… so happy for you.” He meant the words. Lake’s happiness had been the goal from the start. He just wished he’d been the reason.

The second water ghoul scoffed a bit, “Well, I’m happy for Papa. He got an excuse to throw a party.” He said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“What do you mean?”

Lake sighed, sitting down next to River and putting his head on his shoulder, “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but come on. Papa didn’t throw this party for me. I kinda hate this, actually. I hardly even know anyone who’s here. Most of them don’t even know it’s my birthday! Let alone the fact that this environment isn’t good for you. And if you don’t want to be there, then I don't want to be either.” His voice was self assured, he was so certain of his feelings. He raised his head, staring into River’s eyes with his blacked out ones, “Can we go back to your room? I don’t think I’ll be missed here.”

River instantly nodded, getting up to help pull Lake upright. He didn’t want to be there anymore. Even though Lake had made it clear he didn’t enjoy Papa’s party, a part of him was still embarrassed. A feeling that only got worse with every step that brought them closer to his room.

“Uhm Splash, could we… go to your room?” He asked, suddenly realizing and fearing Lake would see his weak attempt at a party.

Lake looked at him curiously. River usually preferred his own room for comfort. Then again, it wasn’t unlike him to try and deny this, “Mine’s a mess. It would only be more overwhelming.” He told a white lie.

“I really don’t mi-” But they were already at the door and his partner was opening it.

Lake took one step into the room, before it was his turn to freeze.

“...Surprise?” River said awkwardly to fill the silence.

Lake turned around slowly, his face betraying how touched he was, “You put this all up for me?”

“You know… I tried.”

The black eyed ghoul rushed over to once again embrace River, clutching him to his body, “Thank you.” 

River brought his arms up as well, enjoying the protective warmth of the hold. It grounded him, instantly lessening his fears.

Lake eventually let go to look around the room again, keeping an arm around the other’s back, “I love it, it’s so nice.” He turned back to face him, “You really like me don’t you?” He teased.

River had to avoid eye contact for a moment, knowing now was​ the best time for him to give his present, but also being terrified to do so.

“What’s on your mind?” Lake asked, reading River’s thought process right off his facial expression.

River took a deep breath, reaching into his pocket. With a shaky hand, he retrieved a small black box from it, “This is for you.” He opened it up, revealing a silver band ring hanging from a necklace.

Lake held his breath, carefully picking up the jewellery and inspecting it closely. It didn’t take long for him to notice the single word engraved on the inside of the ring; ‘Splash’. He looked up a River lovingly, his own hands shaking as he clasped the gift around his neck.

In response, the other ghoul reached into his clothing to retrieve a near identical looking necklace, except his ring read ‘Flow’.

Stunned into speechlessness, Lake lurched forward to passionately kiss River. Neither of them had to say the words, their meaning felt in every second of contact between them. That passion, that need for each other. No one could deny it.

They loved each other.

[My Main Masterlist | Domestic December Masterlist]

#I am still committed to writing about EVERY ghoul this month #the band ghost fanfiction #domestic december #river ghoul #lake ghoul #headcanon #ghost bc #nameless ghouls #ghost fanfiction #the band ghost #water ghoul #the band ghost fic

[mhdiaries]

Diary of Catty Noir

It would be very unlucky for you if you read my diary.

August-13th-CURRENT MOOD-WHINY

I wanted to go to the maul today but I remembered I had a press conference. Well, my iCoffin remembered for me. I would have just as soon forgotten it. I really don’t like press conferences very  much. I can’t really have a “bad day” when the cameras are on me, because I know it will be all over the internet gossip sites before the presser is even over. Of course that happens when I’m having a good day, too. Okay, gotta stop writing and get out my lucky press conference shoes. Since I’ve been wearing them I haven’t made any gossip worthy mistakes. I wonder how many more times I can wear them before the luck runs out? Gotta go.

The luck of the shoes held out! In fact, they held out so well and in such a big way, I might retire them. We lost power to the press conference. No lights-no camera-no action. It was eerie epic.

Back to my whine - So, most of my frustration with the gossip sites - yes, I’m moving on from the press conferences - is that I’m just a ghoul who likes to perform and sing, that sometimes I’m cranky when I don’t get enough sleep - okay, all the time when I don’t get enough sleep - ,that sometimes I get crushes on boys, that I dress the way I do not because I want to draw a crowd but because I like the styles I wear. Of course I can’t ever say any of this publicly, or the monster press will call me “spoiled”, “shallow”, “aloof” or “difficult”. I remember when this used to be fun. Yes, I know, millions of ghouls would love to trade places with me, and when I’m on stage I do forget everything except the fans and the music, and I’m sure that tomorrow I’ll feel completely different... or not. I can’t decide right now... *sigh*... what’s wrong with me? Blah - I need a nap.

September-13th-CURRENT MOOD-EXCITED

Lucky me! Just go my finalized concert schedule, and it looks like I’ll be closing out the year by doing shows in Londoom, Scaris, Boolin, Weresaw and Barceluna! My manager thinks they’ll all be sold out shows. Hopefully, I’ll get to do some fright seeing, too. I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Terror lit up at night and take a tour through the Terror of Londoom. I won’t get my hopes up though, because my schedule is usually packed tight. Oh well, at least I’m getting the chance to go and meet some new creepy cool fans. 

October-13th-CURRENT MOOD-CAUTIOUS

I started thinking last night about how many shows I’ve done since I started performing, but it’s pretty unlucky to count certain things, so I stopped. It’s a lot though. I was in my first talent show when I was only seven. I don’t remember all the details as well as my parents do, but I have no trouble remembering the crowd at the little theatre jumping to their feet and cheering when I was done. Even then it made all my fur stand on end. Still does. I definitely remember when I was twelve and the limoscream pulled up into our driveway to take us to the finals of the national show where I got runner-up; well, it’s all been a blur since then. Lately, though, I’ve been wishing I could have a “normal” unlife, whatever that means...

I was living in the shadows,

A creature of the night,

Afraid that if you knew me

You’d be paralyzed with fright

But the moment that you saw me

You smiled and didn’t run,

Took my hand and gently pulled me

From the shadows to the sun.

Chorus

I’ve only wished forever

To find a friend like you,

Someone to look within the monster

And see a heart that’s true.

Now places that I used to haunt

Are so very far away,

And I’m never going back to them

‘Cause you’ve shown me it’s okay

To live life in the open

Where everyone can see,

‘Cause the thing that I was hiding

Is the thing that makes me me.

Chorus

I’ve only wished forever

To find a friend like you,

Someone to look within the monster

And see a heart that’s true.

To see a heart that’s true

To see a heart that’s true

December-13th-CURRENT MOOD-FRUSTRATED

I’ve completely lost my voice. The doctor said that I have “vocal exhaustion” and we’ve had to cancel the concert in Barceluna. I could actually feel my voice going in Weresaw during the second encore, and I should have chosen something a little easier on my throat, but because the energy from the crowd was so clawsome and because they were chanting “MCR-MCR-MCR”, I sang it. I feel terrible about Barceluna, but nothing that reading the news couldn’t make worse. There’s a report from an “unnamed source” saying I canceled the concert because the concert promoter wouldn’t paint my dressing room in my lucky color. I have a lot of superstitions, but none of them involve the color of my dressing room. To make matters worse, I’m not supposed to talk at all so my vocal cords can rest up. Right, I wouldn’t mind giving the whole music business a rest. When did it stop being fun and turn into work?

January-13th-CURRENT MOOD-NOSTALGIC

For the first time in the past six months I got to sleep in my own bed last night. It was really nice, and I felt like the luckiest ghoul in the world to be surrounded by all those little things I used to take for granted but that make home special. Things like the squeaky door to my bedroom that I would never let my dad fix because it was my “intruder alert”, or the soft yellow quilt my grandmother made for my seventh birthday; the one I cried about when she gave it to me because I thought that yellow was my unlucky color, but now the quilt is one of my favorite things in the whole world. Or how the thirteenth slat on the blind that covers my street facing window is bent just enough so that the light from one of the streetlamps comes through at just the right angle for me to lie in bed and make shadow puppets on the wall. I think most of all I just like that it’s quiet, because on the road it never is.

March-13th-CURRENT MOOD-EXCITED

Last night I have a small surprise concert... Well, not surprise, I guess, since we’d been leaving clues to where it would be online. Anyway, a group of ghouls from Monster High came backstage after the concert, and I know they thought they were hanging out with me, but I think it was the other way around. I can’t explain it, but I really felt a kinship there. One of them was a clawsome surfer ghoul named Lagoona Blue. She told me that she wished I could come and play at Monster High, and I told her if she had any extra lying around that I wouldn’t mind having that wish come true :). We exchanged emails, and as I watched the ghouls leave, part of me wanted to leave with them. It’s hard to have friends in this business, at least ones you can count on. 

April-13th-CURRENT MOOD-RELAXED

I’ve been reading this new book, all about the mysterious disappearance of the last queen of the vampires. Her name was Elissabat, and on the day of her coronation 400 years ago she simply walked away and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. I guess the story is interesting to me because from the outside it’s hard for any monster to imagine walking away from the fame and glory of being a queen. I can’t say that I am the same position by a long way, but sometimes unlife is a lot different when you’re on the outside looking in. I remember talking to a fellow teen scream star Veronica Von Vamp about this when we were doing a music video together. She said that sometimes monsters envy other monster’s unlife because they imagine it’s perfect, even though unlife never is, so when the monster that’s living that “purrfect” unlife chooses to leave it behind to do something else, no explanation is ever satisfactory. “So don’t waste a lot of effort trying,” she said. “It just takes time away from doing what you want to do.”

May-13th-CURRENT MOOD-EXPECTANT

I’ve been talking to my mom and dad about giving up being a touring performer for a while, and today I made my decision. I still want to sing because I love it, but I also want to be in one place long enough to have friends and do things that a “normal” ghoul gets to do. My parents told me they would support me, but I needed to finish out the final concert dates on my schedule because I had already committed to them. I agreed, and so I will. I know this isn’t going to make much sense to any monster but me, and I know that my next press conference is going to suck the luck out of every charm I have, but it’s what I want to do. I will be enrolling this fall as a student at Monster High, and I’ve talked to Headless Headmistress Bloodgood about doing a final concert there. I’m going to need some extra luck to make it happen, though. Wonder if some monster has an extra wish they’re not using?

#monster high #monster high diary #13 wishes #catty noir

[anarchist-soupkitchen]

ooop its a really long essay

A brief list of why the Tories is pretty rubbish

 Before we start, I have a few things to say. As this is intended for UK audiences it might be a little difficult for people outside of the UK to understand the wording of certain topics, I will include somethings that need more explanation up here but if I do not include it here, please feel free to ask down in the comments.

Tory: someone who is a part of the conservative right

Anglicanism: the English church’s version of Christianity

This essay is a PERSUASIVE ESSAY this means its BIASED I hope you could tell from the title. This essay is from the view of someone who is white I am not trying to speak over people of colour on issue like race and I encourage you to look at non-white creators within the UK to get views on this matter.

I am pretty armature when it comes to my writing so do not expect something ground-breaking. And with that out of the way, let us begin.

1.       The tory party we know today was founded in 1834, you would think that would be plenty of time for its members to grow and shape the party into the best organization it can be. But with the tory party still stuck on the same ideas that Anglicanism is the only true religion, and that queer people should not have rights you would think that the party is straight out of the early 20th century, or still stuck on the same ideas the party was founded upon. It does not matter what side you are on and how your choice to view the tory party, people can agree on the prominent figures inside the tory party from old to recent. An example of a prominent tory of old was Winston Churchill a well know racist who also, coincidentally got us through WW2 when he was appointed by Chamberlin. He fostered such views that white people should govern over the “primitive” black and indigenous people of Africa and that Indian people “bred like rabbits”. To anyone who knows their UK history, 1983 was a very eventually year for politics and the UK as a whole. You now have to wear seatbelts in the front seats of cars, the dismembered victims of serial killer Dennis Nielsen are found in his London flat, unemployment was on a record heigh since the 1930’s and a general election found that Margaret Thacher was to be the next prime minister after a landslide win in the polls. Over the course of her 11-year reign of terror she periodised free-market capitalism and privatised public sectors including transport, railways and mines. Then because she did not like the Scottish government, she through a hissy fit and closed all mines in Scotland. Just like that she fucked up the economy, where in the big mining areas of the past are still experiencing the aftershocks today. I remember my granny telling me how she made up food packages for the miners around town and how it was so devastating to the town’s economy. Everyone was unemployed and starving, even my grandad. These examples really show that the Tories will support people who are the worst in British society if they have the parties’ interests at heart. You would think the tory party cannot get any worse but with modern polices such as pledging to get 50,000 nurses for the NHS while only giving them a 1% pay rise, which is only £7.78 for a low band nurse, by 2023. Or being “tough on crime” even though 96.4 crime were recorded by every 1000 people in 2019. You can see how tough they are about carrying out their polices. Let me tell you my favourite of the lot, Boris Johnston, our current PM, wants to limit immigration by 100,000 people. They want to only let in “the brightest and the best,” what a load of shite. Our immigrants are the backbone of our society doing everything people like the Tories would not even dream of doing. Imagen seeing Boris working in a McDonalds or in your local call centre. That fucker probably has not worked a day in his life. According to the migration observatory, migrants make up 50% of the low pay workforce. Either way you look at it, its abysmal. The government should do more for these people that letting them rot in a McDonalds or in a low paying job. If you have taken time to be a model citizen, train and get your qualifications, possibly learn a new langue to mover over to a shitty wet rock I do not see any problem with the government providing necessities to get you started in your new life. We have got the money.

2.       Can I ask you, what side do you think Boris Johnson is on? I will let you think for a moment. The Working class makes up more than half of our population according to the BBC’s class calculator. They say that a government is reflective of the people’s views and I think that is bullshit. Out of the working-class eligible to vote, who do vote, only three in ten vote conservatives. Do you want to know why people in the working class do not vote tory? Because under tory leadership since 2010, 6000,000 more children and their families were forced into poverty. The need for foodbanks skyrocketed 12.3% in the last five years and that is no even accounting for the pandemic. It is clear by now; I have given you enough time to think. “we know whose side Boris Johnson is on- the billionaires, the bankers and the big business.”- labour shadow chancellor, John McDonell. We know the conservatives are very busy committing acts of voter suppression and giving money to their friends instead of caring about you. They are buzzy introducing laws that make it mandatory to have voter ID in order to vote. If you do not make it free people will stop coming. The electoral commissions think 3.5 million voters just will not come back. this is all a part of, “takle[ing] every aspect of electoral fraud”- tory manifesto. It is well known that many rich people have been investing in the party for quite a while. Here is just a few: Anthony Bamford head of machinery in JCB, he gave £12.1 million since 2005. Charles Cayzer owns a shipping tycoon, he gave £480,00. Did you also know, Boris is known to be very generous when it comes to giving back. You’ve probably herd in the news about the conservatives handing out £3mil in contracts to tory owned covid PPE companies over the course of the pandemic. Some of that went to a MP, Nadim Zahawi who is a shareholder in SThree. SThree was given £1mil in contracts over the course of the pandemic. With all the evidence I have given above you’d think the government its rolling in it, I suspect they are but I doesn’t look like it from the outside. They have cut funding to courses drastically, as well as benefit schemes. Like cutting access for eighteen- to twenty-year-olds to the housing benefits. Yet with all the money they been cutting away from services and councils who desperately need it they still have enough money to cough up a commission for a royal yacht named after the duke of Edinburgh, costing over £200 million. Seems sweet does it, name a yacht after the ghoul of Edinburgh, right? You probably know the just of it now, your wrong. Not only is the yacht being paid for by taxpayers, but they are also naming it in honour after a racist. Or how the BBC would phrase his words as “memorable one-liners”. Here is a selection I find quite fitting: “The Philippines must be half empty if you’re all here running the NHS”- while meeting with a Filipino nurse. “If you stay here much longer, you’ll be all slitty-eyed”- he said to a group of British students while on a royal visit to China. My favourite must be “It looks like it was put in by an Indian.”- referring to and old-fashioned fuse box in Edinburgh. He is supposed to be the duke of the bloody place! I really like how one article what I read put it “[Prince Philip] screams out loud what other racists like him have learned how to conceal and camouflage in what they think and project as civilised demeanour.”- Hamid Dabashi.

3.       What I find absolutely astounding, is the Tories inability to show compassion to the people who have nothing. If you did not know the vagrancy act among other things crimeless the homeless and rough sleepers, which is by far a very bad mixture with the recent homelessness statistics, homelessness has risen 28% since labour was last in office and if the Tories continue down the path they are now, it is only going to keep rising. What you would find is most shocking is that there’s solutions for the homeless crisis right in front of us, what the Tories must to not be able to see. Layla Moran of the liberal democrats thinks they “must take a more compassionate and holistic approach, starting by scrapping the vagrancy act”. I think that would be a step forward and away from the old ways of prosecuting people for not being as fortunate as the rest of us, but there is something even more simple than that. Repossessing the 200,000 buildings that have been vacant in the UK for more than six months. Not only would that put a sizeable dent in the houses we need, but it also saves space. The UK is small collection of islands and I do not think the Tories can see that. We do not have the land available to just start building everywhere while leaving all those homes empty and unfilled. Its not a way to solve the housing crisis and its certainly not a way to save the money we supposedly need. Even the homes the Tories are building are left dormant because they are too expensive for the area, they are located in. With the way things are going the Tories will have to build more houses than they ever built before, because by 2041 homelessness is expected to doble. That is 400,000 more households if things do not change -a study by heriot-wat university. The evidence suggests that whatever the Tories are doing to end homelessness it is not working. Everything is not as bleak as I just told you though, the conservative has ended homelessness before. In the hight of the pandemic the conservatives got 90% of all rough sleepers off the streets and put them in hotels or hostels. This helped people apply for benefits, find jobs and get some more permanent assistance. People was helped during the pandemic, but when the funding ran out last July, homeless and the rough sleepers in the hotels and hostels where back out in the streets again. Alone and forgotten by the government that promised to end the very crisis they are apart of years ago. Theis shows that the Tories have the money to help the unfortune but they would rather sit on their arses chatting about what colour they should paint the walls of their house. More recently the Torie introduced a law what will fine people for sleeping in doorways. It really shows what the Tories care about, getting linings for their pockets. The Tories have the money to stop homelessness and when it was a danger to them, they stopped the issue what has been so recuing in our politics for decades. They helped the people who so desperately needed it only to chuck them back into the cold when covid-19 was no longer a danger to them.

4.       The conservatives fail to keep minorities safe in the society that they created. It is not surprise that the Tories are the most incompetent as ever. A study by BBC radio 5 found that hate crimes have doubled since 2013. An optimist would assume that is great, that there must mean that people have been reporting it more, right? Partly so. Although we have seen a rise in reports of hate crimes, the rate of prosecution has dropped down from 20% to just 8%. And that is just the tip of the iceberg, in a survey of faith-based organizations; the home office found that seven in ten of the employees surveyed has never reported a hate crime to the police where one happened. For a country where we are supposed to be the most tolerable it is no surprise that a big portion of the hate crimes committed are ones where the religion the victim followed played a big part. Our population, like many others, is influenced by our politicians. After Boris described Muslim women in burkas as “letterboxes” in an interview; citizen UK found that there where a surge in hate crime directed to Muslim women where the word “letterbox” was used. Again, continuing with the theme of hate crime against religions, Muslims made up half of the statistics in 2018 – 2019. The biggest spike we have seen in the last few years has been to Jewish people, where hate crimes against them have more since doubled. It is not a surprise since people seem to relate being a ‘good’ Jew to being a Zionist. Other minorities like trans youth under sixteen in England and whales now must go through everything that goes with puberty on top of not wanting to have the body you cuntly have all because TERF’s and conservatives do not think puberty blockers should be available to them.  At this point I genuinely think they want trans kids dead, how could you not see that the benefits of puberty blockers far out way the potential consequences. If puberty blockers really where the target they would have taken them of the shelfs completely, but they did not do that did they? They just restricted the rights of an already marginalised group more. Its not just trans kids but the fight for a third gender to finally get recognised is still waging on despite it being a battle since 2018. The government petition has been signed 136,000 times demanding non-binary finally be recognised as a valid gender in the eyes of the law. I hope I can get recognised as well as everyone else. It may not seem a big deal to some of you reading this but it is to thousands. Especially the people who want to go on hormones and medically transition. Because right now I and many other people are restricted and not allowed to get that service. If you are in the UK and you are of age, I urge you to signs the government petition. In other news the conservatives are just now getting to outlawing conversion therapy three years after they announced they would do so. It just shows how the party is not on target. On the topic of not on target let us talk about the increasing number of racial minorities becoming homeless because of lack of funding to their communities. Since the conservatives got into power in the 2010 racial minorities now make up 40% of all homeless despite being only 15% of the current population. It really shows how much they care about anyone who is not white. Yet people like my gran will continue to say they are doing enough for these underfunded communities.

the tory party really has nothing going for them, they are certainly not for the working class, they cannot solve homelessness and they do not give two fucks about minorities. To think anyone would vote form them is just amazing. Its fucking stupid to believe that they are anything but a bunch of rich shites dawdling around and thinking up ways to get more money into their pockets. To end this really all over the place essay, if you vote tory you are a massive twat.

Sources in comments:

#essay #uk #uk politics #uk politics essay #persuasive essay #tory government #tory #left wing politics #conservatism #conservtive #if any reads this well done #im sorry #its long #heehee hastags go burrr

[tisthenightofthewitch]

GHOST – “I would say by early 2021, you can expect the next chapter of the Ghost story.” TOBIAS FORGE

From the underground to a bonafide global take-over, GHOST are fast becoming the most-talked about band in Metal music today, with legions of fans dedicating their total and utter commitment to the bands every move. Overdrive sat down with one Tobias Forge to discuss the bands success and that all important new album…

The spectacular rise of GHOST is a success story that nobody could have predicted. From their captivating live show’s, to a rich discography that continues to win over armies of fans the world over, GHOST are fast becoming one of the biggest bands in today’s current global Metal/Rock scene.

From the projects birth back in 2006 to conquering American arenas, winning a Grammy for ‘Best Metal Performance‘ (2016), headlining their first UK festival at Bloodstock Open Air (2017), selling out the iconic Royal Albert Hall (2018) and now, floating around Europe as very special guests with the biggest metal band the world has ever seen, Metallica.

One could say that that the Cardinal and his Ghouls are in a rather good place right now.

Prior to taking the stage for their Irish debut before 75 thousand fans (no pressure), Ghostmastermind, Tobias Forge is calmly hanging out in the enormous the backstage compound with his band members and crew, happily sipping on a hot coffee and eager to talk about his excitement in playing the impressive Slane Castle venue.

OD – Firstly, let me congratulate you on the continuous success of GHOST. From the outside, it’s been an incredible few years for the band. My question is how has it been for you personally, from the success of the album (s), playing to stadiums in the US, and now this tour with Metallica?

TOBIAS – Absolutely! I have moments where I have to step back and take it all in. You see, I’m not a very ‘in the moment‘ type of person. In fact, I’ve always been very distant and I guess a ‘dreamy‘ sort of person. If I look back on my life so far and I think about how I spent my childhood, I guess this comes with age and it comes from the fact of also being a parent because when you’re a parent, you can’t help to look at your kids from an upbringing point of view where you have to think about our progress.

I found myself asking the question;”Well, how did we do when we were younger?” [Laughing]. I guess there is a certain amount of reflection you have to do as an adult and now, for me, especially being an artist, I tend to have to think about my life and the journey I’ve had growing up and I’ve come to realise that very little has changed. I have spent my whole life drawing, writing and dreaming about doing all of these things that I’m now getting the opportunity to do.

So, at some point, that dreamy, adolescent looser just like, transgressed into this person who could go back into childhood again. The backside of that is sometimes, I have to remind myself that I’ve gone past the point of wishing to get here, and understand the realisation that this is actually happening. Like today for instance, getting to play this infamous venue, (Slane Castle) is huge for me. I’ve known about this place since the ’80’s.

I have a bit of a ‘now‘ moment with this today, but what often happens is that I play a certain venue, or meet a particular person and it’s like that moment just happens and I’m looking in from the outside, but afterwards I’m like; “WOW!” [Laughing]

OD – You recently did your first unmasked television interview, considering the history and the mystic of Papa Emeritus / Cardinal Copia was this a difficult decision for you to make and why did you feel that this was the time to do it?

TOBIAS – I think I thought and pondered for many, many years and at a certain point, in fact on that very day, it was one of those kind of ‘rip the bandaid off‘ kind of moments. Let’s just get it over with, no drumroll, no fanfare, let’s just move on. I try to be super transparent with this, but my choice of trying to be anonymous or should I say “masked” because anonymous is when no-one knows who you are. That choice was purely an aesthetic choice based on how I wanted this project, this band, this concept to become.

It was not my personal choice, because I don’t want to be famous, or a well known rock musician. So, fast forward to right now and when I look back, I have been involved with some very well-known bands and I’ve had my own share of recognition, so really, I don’t have a desire to become more famous. Bearing that in mind, I was noticing over the years that trying to maintain that vague order was causing a few problems and issues with the whole thing.

There was definitely moments when there was discussions and demands and enquiries about what can we do in order to enhance things. So, I figured well, at some point when I feel that the concept, or the band, or the name and it’s visual aspects are big and strong enough to stand on its own, I can do a thing like that unmasked interview, and hopefully whatever we are doing aesthetically and what we choose to present to the world, that will still be more interesting and better than anything I have to do on the side to appease journalists.

OD – What do you think of the critics who don’t look to favourably on what you do?

TOBIAS  – Well, traditionally I’ve noticed that the critics that are critical of the band have been so since day one. Often a lot of the times the shit that people click on is criticism that is not really meant to be positive or productive anyway. I’ve been very vocal towards those people and have to remind them that what I set this project/band out to be, happened to get very popular to an extent that I didn’t foresee.

There are people who say: “Ghost was way better back in 2010” and as a rock fan myself, we can start where my collection begins from ‘A’ and I too will have some critical things to say about each album/artists. That’s just the way things go. You can’t please everybody all the time.

OD – There has been reports of entering the studio for 2020, is this still something that is very likely and is the intention to release the album next year or 2021 or is it too early to think about that right now?

TOBIAS – I think about it all the time.  But, let me be very transparent here. I am indeed going into the studio where I will be beginning the work in January. We’re doing another American tour in September/October and then we’re gonna come back to Europe and that is gonna take us right up until Christmas basically.

So, after New Year’s we are gonna have maybe one or two small things at the beginning of the year and then it’s gonna be all about the new album.

People need to understand that I spend about 5 to 6 months in the studio. That’s not with red lights going or anything [Laughing]. But it’s just being in that creative environment you know? I also try to work ‘normal’ hours because I have a family also so, I try to work traditional hours, you know. I like to come in on Monday morning at about 9 am/10 am and then I do normal stuff like have lunch and think about what’s going on, and then I wrap up for the day and head home and see my family.

In order to make that record, it’s gonna take me about 6 months and then that’s gonna take me to the Summer, which we’ve already decided we’re gonna take a break a let the dust settle, and then hopefully by the end of the summer the record will be finished.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depends on how you see it, the US elections are happening, so bearing that in mind, it’s not the best time to release new material when peoples minds are focused on other things. I just want to make sure that when we release this new album, we have peoples attention.

OD – So, you’re hoping that the album is going to be ready by late Summer then?

TOBIAS – Well, that’s the plan but in the event that it’s not finished, it’s gonna be okay. I don’t want to stress the situation. Every record I’ve done has been under some type of time restraint, even ‘Opus Eponymous‘ (2010), that album was on a very tight schedule. It was definitely last minute [Laughing]. I just want to make sure that I have enough time to release the album that I’m thoroughly happy with.

When strategising about where Ghost is right now and where we want to go moving forward, we have to be aware of all the possibilities regarding the best time to release the new album.

OD – I’m sure you have big ambitions for the production of the new album also?

TOBIAS – Yes, totally. We now have the pleasure of playing in much bigger venues all over the world and with that comes the fact that there are a lot of tickets to sell. I hate to talk about it in this way, but it’s a huge part of this business. We have to take great care in everything we do now. Like the best time to announce a tour, a new album, as well as the best time of the year to release the new album. There’s loads of things to take into consideration.

OD – Do you think that some of the previous album releases were not timed well?

TOBIAS – Yes, some of our previous releases were not released at a time that was in our favour. In fact, I have memories of things being very stressful at times. At this point in the bands legacy, it’s far too important to just release the next album with no plan or strategy put in place first. Also, it’s very important that we give the production of the album a few weeks of rehearsal. Basically, we have to plan it like a rocket launch [Laughing].

OD – So, when do you see this album finally being released?

TOBIAS – I would say by early 2021, you can expect the next chapter of the Ghost story.

OD – With regards to each character, do you have an overall plan of what will be happening or is it something that are inspired about with the writing of each album. Does the writing of the album determine the character we will see when it’s eventually released?

TOBIAS – Well, at first there was no masterplan, but now there is one. A lot of the things that have been communicated over the last few years will be fined tuned and explained in the coming years.

OD – Can you give me an example?

TOBIAS – Well, there will be a number of non-album things that are going to happen. This will all happen in tandem with the overall story. These things might be happening next year also.

Even in the void of 2020 not really being an active year for us in terms of live performances, there will be other things that we will be doing in the interim where there’s going to be an album made.

OD – So, would you say that things are more conceptional now than ever?

TOBIAS – Yes, totally. In the beginning there is was lucid, but things have changed in a huge way.

OD – Have you ever considered making a documentary or perhaps releasing a book about your life?

TOBIAS – Well this can tie in with a previous answer that we have already spoken about. At some point or another, during the high points of Ghost, I’m sure there are people that would be interested in reading about my thoughts and my background. But I feel like I’m not really there yet, if you know what I mean.

I feel that I have a lot more to do, before I can think about something like that. Right now if feels like thinks are ever progressing and it just doesn’t feel like the moment where I need to document everything to date. I mean, who knows what’s gonna happen but for all I know, all of this could go tits-up in four years from now.  If that happens then I can look back and reminisce when it’s all over.

I just don’t feel like I’m anywhere near the end. I’m gonna be 4o years-old in 2 years time and i’ve got a lot more to do even before I hit that age.

OD – Do you worry about getting old?

TOBIAS – Not really. In fact here’s a little life hack about feeling better about your age. I have a lot of friends who are much older than me. Not only is that very interesting socially, but if I have any issues with the concept of ageing, sometimes it’s great to have older friends whom you can use as a sort of barometer.

I have a lot of respect for my older friends. I think to myself; “If I was half as cool as my friends, I would be very happy with that“. The concept of ageing is definitely hated by a lot of people. At the end of the day, regardless of all of this, my plan is to become a really cool 50-year-old [Laughing].

OD – Do you think it’s important to have role models that are older?

TOBIAS – Yes, very much so. You can not stare yourself blind at the idea of youth being the only state worthy of being because that will greatly disappoint you.

OD – So far, what has been your biggest personal achievement?

TOBIAS – Hmmmm, there are many to choose from. [Thinking..] I think the biggest achievement for me and what I really feel blessed about is..there’s not really a word that can encapsulate what I’m thinking here. Let me try to explain.

From a family point of view, knowing where we were and what our options and possibilities were 1o years ago when our kids were born to present day. I am extremely proud and happy and thankful that I managed to steer things around to something very different. I’m not saying that everything would be crap had all of this not worked out as we were still very happy back then.

I’m very happy that it turned out this way because I got to be one of the few that got to live out a childhood dream. Music really is the only thing that I can do intuitively. I’m quite able to do this and I get better at it with age [Laughs]. But, there is a lot of things that I can’t do, and I don’t exactly know if it’s because I didn’t do that certain exam or for another reason.

I have a hard time concentrating when I’m faced with doing things I don’t really like doing.

OD – How did you back in school?

TOBIAS – I actually wasn’t really good in school [Laughing]. I have no scholastic background, so basically the outlook 10 years ago, had this not happened, did not look that good.

OD – There are few (if no other) bands that have managed to achieve the success that GHOST is currently experiencing, although it’s an exciting and wonderful thing, surely that, in its own right, is a huge achievement for you?

TOBIAS – Up until I was 29 years old, I was on the outside looking into the music industry, trying to figure out a way in [Laughing] and during this time, this industry was not interested in having me as part of it.

Since I was a ‘late bloomer‘ in this business and I got this very coveted opportunity, I feel that my biggest achievement is doing the right things at the right time. This is a highly strange situation for me at times. For instance we are a crew of 25 people here today. I’m not setting up the stage, tuning the guitars etc… I’m expected to put my shit on and get up on that stage, do a little dance and sing my songs in the somewhat correct key [Laughing]

If I have to talk about someone else that made all of this happen, it’s my wife, who gave me the freedom and the pass to continue to chase my dreams when things were just starting to happen.

I remember her saying; “Why don’t you quit your job and just go for it?”

OD – At what point in time did this happen?

TOBIAS – Only a couple of months after Opus Eponymous came out. I was in a critical moment in time. I was employed in a position at a company doing a job that I was not really good at, and I didn’t really enjoy nor felt any value in doing.

She then said to me one day; “It seems like some good things are happening with your ‘rock dreams’, so why don’t you just quit your job and try that? It’s not like your job is worth anything to you. So, you can just do that and if it doesn’t work out, then at least you’ve tried it”.

When I look back on that and realise what she helped me do, most people don’t get that break. Most people who are in a relationship and are grown up, with children, just don’t get a pass like that.

Of course, my Mother also was a huge support for me. When I was in school, she was very saddened that I was such a poor performer and we went to many of the school teacher meetings where there were saying things like; “What can we do to aid you?” [Laughing] and my Mom was like [crying sound] “I don’t know what you want to do with your life“.

Meanwhile I’m over there in the corner being obnoxious, telling teachers to “go fuck themselves“. My Mom had to deal with a lot of worrying and hoping that life will fall in place for me. And by 2010 she was finally beginning to think; ‘Maybe this ‘rock’ thing is actually gonna work out!“, because I finally had a job and with two kids etc..

OD – As Mother’s do, she stood by you all the way.

TOBIAS – Yes, she believed in me.

OD – She’s been to the shows I’m assuming. She know’s all about the ‘Cardinal’ then?

TOBIAS – [Laughing] Yes, she’s been there and loves it. She is not an authoritarian. My Mom was born in the ’40’s and is very “arty“. She was very much a part of the ’60’s generation. In fact, a little bit of side information for you. My Mom bought my first and my second guitar.

OD – What kind of guitar was it and do you still have it?

TOBIAS – Unfortunately, I don’t have that guitar. Ironically, since we’re here with Metallica today, the first guitar that I had was a black Fernandes Strat,  just like the one that Kirk (Hammet, Metallica) had on the cover of the original “Garage Days‘ ’87 release.

That was my first guitar and I was so proud that I had the same guitar that Kirk Hammet had and here I am today, sitting backstage on tour with Metallica. Talk about full circle in life. It’s mind-blowing for me, it really is.

OD – I guess there was no hesitation when the Metallica offer came in then?

TOBIAS – I believe the term used was; “A stone-cold no-brainer‘ [Laughing]. It really felt like it was the right time to do this much more than say, if we were given this tour six or seven years ago.

OD – I remember the first time I ever saw Ghost live was back at the 2011 UK Download Festivaland you were on the Pepsi-Max tent, during Soundgarden’s performance on the main stage. There was only a couple of hundred people in that tent but that show was fantastic.

TOBIAS – I remember that show. Phil Anselmo and the guys from Anthrax were standing on the side of the stage watching. That was a really big show for us as we almost cancelled because we did a show in Sweden the night before and we just about didn’t make the journey. It happened because it was very much based on my will to play Donington Park.

Not only were we seen by a lot of cool people, but also that was when our now manager saw us perform for the very first time. I didn’t know that she would end up managing us at the time but it was because of that performance that things took a huge turn for us.

Ghost is very much a collective effort in many ways, from the people that work with us, our crew, techs, management, band members etc, they are all responsible for making this happen. That show was very much a landmark gig that changed the course of the bands destiny.

So, the message here kids is don’t cancel shows, you just don’t know what might happen. [Laughing] Just be cool to everyone because you just don’t know who you’re dealing with. One day a stage hand, or lighting tech, could very well become the next big label, booking agent etc. Just be cool to everyone all the time.

Catch GHOST on tour with Metallica NOW. US dates have also just been announced. Check out the full listing above. For more information, please click here.

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#The Band Ghost #Ghost Band #Cardinal Copia #Ghouls #Tobias Interview #Tobias Forge

[neen-writes]

Silver for Monsters

Series: Fairy Tail/Witcher AU

Pairing: Gajevy

Summary/Key:  (This is a huge oversimplification so anyone not familiar with the franchise can understand the references enough to enjoy the story, I hope!) Story starts in a Province called Velen.  Velen is primarily swampland, often called No Man’s Land, it is filled with death and the leftovers of war.  The land is embroiled in a war between the Nilfgaardians(The Black Ones) and the Redanians(Led by King Radovid).  Under Radovid’s rule and in his controlled territories, non-humans and mages are hunted and burned at the stake by witch hunters, and possession of magical paraphernalia is a crime.  Novigrad and Oxenfurt are the names other large cities.  Witchers are technically non-human though once were.  They are created, given mutations that enhance all their senses and abilities, allow them to use “signs,” give them long lives, and yellow, cat-like eyes.  Their purpose and livelihoods are to hunt monsters and complete contracts for money, but do not take sides in politics.  The Lodge, or Lodge of Sorceresses, was initially a secret organization of all female mages formed during the political climate that had turned against nonhumans and mages.  It essentially collapsed when most of the sorceresses needed to go into hiding or were captured. All monsters named in this AU are all ones that exist in the game.

Enjoy!

Good folk,

It is with great urgency that I write this contract, beseeching the help of any capable.  A beast lurks in our woods, to which I believe we can attribute the disappearances of multiple citizens.  I can no longer enter the wood to gather ingredients necessary for medicine.  It threatens our lives and our livelihood.  We are in grave need of a Witcher.  To any this concerns, please seek the healer’s hut in Midcopse.

A gloved hand pulled the paper off the noticeboard, yellow eyes scanning over the ink.  Briefly, he pulled the paper close and sniffed.  Lavender.  Typical.

The tall, broad man stuffed the contract into the pouch at his side and glanced at the sky, gauging what time it was and what time he would arrive at Midcopse if he left now.  It was early morning, barring any interruptions he could be there by mid afternoon at a healthy trot.  If he was lucky, he could have a trophy, a reward, and a hot dinner before nightfall.

With that thought, he grabbed the saddle of his horse and hauled himself up into the seat.  Gajeel shook his head, tossing black strands unrestrained by a long ponytail from his face.  The sun glimmered off several metal studs cross his brow, down his nose, and on his chin, outlining hard, weathered features.  A thin scar ran from his left cheekbone down to the bottom of his jawline, but a closer look would reveal smaller scars elsewhere on his face as well.

“Let’s go.”  A swift kick in the sides of his horse spurred the ebony beast forward, trotting down the dirt road out of the quaint, quiet village.  His last contract had been a nasty wraith that had taken some time to track down, and his sleepless bones hoped this one was a rogue bear, frightening whatever sweet, old, lavender healer that lived in Midcopse.  Or at least something simple that could be solved with steel, rather than silver.

But there was still the instinctive, purpose-driven part of the Witcher that craved the feel of his silver blade, cutting into some cataclysmic beast or ghoul.  He felt little as a Witcher, most human emotions were lost on him besides the base desires thanks to the mutations, but he felt his calling.  He lived to hunt beasts, and occasionally men if things got boring.  Most times they were one in the same.

The afternoon’s warmth radiated from his dark, leather armor by the time he passed under the wooden arch into Midcopse.  The road had been quiet, and thankfully he had not run into anyone that would mean to slow him down.  The Nilfgaardians were only good for stalling a trip and throwing a wrench into otherwise simple tasks.  They knew who he was, nearly every soldier on both sides of the war knew Black Steel Gajeel.  No other man had ever wielded a steel blade of pure black, and fewer still knew how or where he found a smith to create the alloy.  Yet they took great joy in making everything as difficult as they like for him.  

The village looked about the same as the last time he had been there years and years ago, but they didn’t have a local healer then.  At least in that regard they had something better finally going for them in No Man’s Land.  There were little luxuries to be had in the swamps of Velen, a healer--a good one--could often be what turned the luck for a community.  

He didn’t need to ask where the old woman lived; he usually would never have to. Every healer and herbalist had nearly identical tastes in property and landscaping. The herbs and flowers growing wild on their property always were enough of an indicator, and with a shift of the breeze he picked up the scent of lavender, muddled with other floral scents.  Rose, honeysuckle, gardenia...  There it is.  

No one bothered him or tried to speak to him, in fact he thought he saw wary relief on the faces of many.  They knew why he was there, and they didn’t have to get close enough to see his yellow, cat-like eyes.  They only needed to see the two swords on his back to know what sort of man he was… or wasn’t.  Only one type of person carried two swords, one steel, one silver, in this day.

The scent led him to the other end of the village, finally coming to a small hut surrounded, predictably, with flowers.  He pulled his steed to a halt and swung out of the saddle, his boots hitting the earth with a heavy thud.  He took one more sniff before approaching the wooden door, noting that he would have to duck through the frame.  Small old woman then, he thought, knocking twice.

There was some shuffling inside before the door opened, and everything he had been expecting went right out the window.

The woman was tiny, nearly a head and a half shorter than him, and she was most certainly not old.  In her early twenties, most like, with a full head of wavy, brilliantly blue hair.  Honey-brown eyes started at his chest, then slowly slid up to his face, sending a foreign chill through him the second their eyes met.  

He waited for her to say something, but she was as silent as he for several moments. She squinted, taking in his gaze before flicking to the two hilts peeking over his shoulder. Those eyes suddenly went wide and her whole face lit up.  “A Witcher!” she gasped, stepping back and to the side as she quickly beckoned him inside.  “Come in, please!”

Gajeel ducked wordlessly through the entrance and took in the room around him.  Dried herbs and fruits hung from the rafters, but every wall was stacked to the roof with books.  Books everywhere, far more than he had seen in any simple healer’s collection.  This collection rivaled what he had seen in some homes in Oxenfurt.  

As the door closed behind him, he turned to face her.  “I’m here to see the healer, about the contract,” he stated, arching a brow at her.  Surely she had to be a daughter, or an apprentice.

“I am she.  I wrote the contract,” the girl declared, placing her hands on her hips.  “My name is Levy.  And you are?”

The Witcher blinked at her, looking her over from top to bottom, glanced around the room, then back to her.  She was so young, and by all objective standards she was beautiful.  She looked more like one of the Lodge’s sorceresses than some herbalist.  “You’re the healer?”

Levy frowned, tilting her head.  “That’s what I said.”  There was an air of offense on her tone, like she couldn’t imagine why he would be so surprised.

The contract just got a little more interesting, and at least a little easier on the eyes; that was a blessing when heading off into some new danger.  “Name’s Gajeel,” he finally responded.  

The woman blinked, looking him over again.  “The Gajeel?” she gasped, “As in Black Steel?”

Gajeel grinned, “That’s the one.”  The pride on his voice was evident.  He relished the nickname he had earned years ago.  “‘Fraid I ain’t heard of you so I can’t extend the same surprise.”

She shook her head quickly, tossing her hair hypnotically, “You wouldn’t have.  But that’s not the point; I am fortunate to have gotten supposedly one of the best with my posting.  Now, we don’t have a lot of time.  I’ve taken notes on the clues I’ve found each time I’ve gone out, and who the disappearances were.”

She wastes no time, he thought, until he realized what else she had said.  “Wait, you’ve gone back out into the woods?  More than once?”

“Well someone had to start gathering information until a Witcher took my contract, and all the villagers are too afraid to go out anymore.  Just because I can’t go deep enough to find my best ingredients doesn’t mean I can’t go out at all.”  Levy stopped in front of the table and spread out several pieces of paper.

Gajeel hummed, before approaching her and stopping just behind to look at the scattered parchment.  Several names and descriptions were written down, but there were some sketches as well.  What looked like a tree trunk, with claw marks illustrated through it, and a drawing of a footprint.  One that looked very familiar, but he suppressed the groan that started to rise in him until he knew for sure what it was.  “Ya find anythin’ other than prints and scratches?”

“I’ve found pieces of clothing but never any bodies, barely any blood.  Whatever it is probably takes them elsewhere or is really really hungry.  It started taking people about a month ago,” the woman spoke a mile a minute, hardly even looking at him.  

“Are all village healers this committed to justice?”  Gajeel finally interjected.  “Or is it just you?”

Levy shot him a glance that unnerved him, a narrowed glare that made him feel exposed, and that was not something he felt often.  “These days, these lands, it’s usually just me.  The Black Ones can’t be bothered, I’m sure they think it’s population control as long as it doesn’t affect them.  And I can’t very well make a plea to Radovid.”  Gajeel lifted a brow at that, slightly taken aback.  The Witcher tilted his head, quietly urging her to continue.  Levy, as though realizing how much she had said, paused a moment before she gave him a tired smile, glancing at her books.  “I’ve had interest in grimoires in the past, they have a great deal of historic value.  I collect them, it’s a shame for them to be burned.  But it would be enough to get me into some red hot trouble.”

Now that was unusual.  “That’s a ballsy thing to collect,” he remarked.  “Don’t seem like somethin’ worth facing the witch hunters for.”

“That’s subjective,” she shot back.  “They don’t bother coming this deep into the swamps, there are plenty of non-humans and paraphernalia in Novigrad for them to hunt and burn.  Now, can we get back to this?” she tilted her head, effectively ending that topic.

Gajeel huffed at her and rolled his yellow eyes, “Fine fine.”  May as well play along, he didn’t want to drag this out any more than she.  “This is all great.  Point me in the right direction and I’ll take it from here.”

Now the healer turned to face him fully, her face full of defiance that he could tell was going to make this far more difficult.  “Oh no, I’ll take you there myself.”

“You’ll whatnow?” he replied, crossing his arms.  “Nuh-uh, I can’t have the village gardener following me out there, it ain’t safe.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Watched a lot of people die who said they could ‘handle themselves.’”

“I’m not a lot of people,” she stared him down again with those hard, brown eyes.  “I will take you there, and I’ll let you do your thing.  I swear, I’ll stay out of the way, but I need to see what it is.”  

“Why?  Curiosity killed the cat, or however that goes,” Gajeel replied dismissively.

“And satisfaction brought it back, is how the rest of it goes.  Call me a seeker of knowledge.”  She stood strong, steadfast, staring right into his yellow eyes in a way that most found themselves unable to.  Usually the not-so-human gaze was enough to keep eye contact to a minimum.  Generally the world didn’t know how to feel about Witchers,  A necessity, an abomination, human or not.  There were tales told to naughty children that a Witcher would come and steal them in the night and eat them up.  But most of those same people pleaded with them when the Drowners patrolled their shores or a Hym crept into their guilt-ridden hearts.  The same people that spat at them also wrote contracts when they were in trouble.

“Fine.  But I’m not your escort, that ain’t the contract, and I can’t protect ya.  And speaking of, we need to talk about my payment before we go farther.”

Levy stared him down a moment longer, not wanting to back off, but she finally released a sigh.  “Right, of course, Witchers don’t hunt for free,” she responded, whirling from him and heading to a chest in the back corner of the room.  She opened it up and pulled out a small, jingling pouch.  “I already set it aside.  Two hundred crowns should be enough?”

The Witcher raised his brows, “More than enough.  Didn’t know a healer was that well-to-do, especially in Velen.  Most patients can’t afford to pay much.”

“I get by,” Levy responded simply, dropping the pouch back into the chest and locking it.  “Let’s go, we should get as much done as possible before dark.  That’s when it strikes.”

“Lead the way then.”

--

Gajeel ran his gloved fingers through the grooves slashed into the wood of the tree and smelled his hand.  “Earthy, claws coated in soil,” he mumbled to himself, looking up the trunk of the swaying tree.  Several feet up, taller than he, the bark had been scraped off entirely.  He’d seen these kinds of markings before, though usually, they were much lower; the height of a deer.  “Scraped horns, or antlers up there, probably sharpening them,” he continued, before glancing at the very intrigued woman behind him.  “Where did you see the tracks?”

Levy started and looked around her quickly, before picking a direction.  Several yards from the scratched tree, she found a large, deep imprint in the soil, “Here, this is the one I found.”

The Witcher knelt next to the track and touched the dirt. “Days old.  But, I might be able to follow it.”  He looked back to her, finally noting what she was wearing.  She dressed like she had planned from the beginning to follow him out here.  Attached to a leather strap slung around her waist was a pouch, weighted with whatever ingredients she planned to use.  Instead of the typical matronly skirts she was wearing fitted trousers into which she had tucked a white blouse that was breathable, easy to move in, with a tie across her neck to ensure she was covered no matter how she moved.  Her knee-high boots were worn, heavily used, giving him the notion she spent very little time inside.  Where it was safe for small human women to be.  

“Do you have an idea of what it is?” she finally asked, not carefully.  She was confident.

“Judging by the height of the antler scrapes on that tree I have an idea of how big it is, and the scent left by the claws is deep, earthy, with a hint of rot.  These prints are familiar, I’ve seen them before, and based on what you’ve already told me, we might be dealing with a Fiend,” he scanned her face, waiting for the fear, but she just looked intrigued.  Her brows rose as though she had thought it might be something different, but still not something that phased her.

“Are you sure?”

“You know about them,” Gajeel stated, rather than asked.  Most villagers didn’t know the names of the less common monsters, let alone the ancient ones: Relicts.  They knew about the Ghouls, Rotfiends, Drowners.  The monsters that followed the pervasive death in their war-torn land were common knowledge.  But the Relicts were the danger in the dark, creatures without names they knew of.  Creatures of fear.

But she was here asking him if he was sure with nothing but determination on her face.  “I know of them.  I read.”

Gajeel had the gut feeling that she was not telling him something, or just not being truthful.  But he wasn’t here to learn about her or dig up her secrets.  He was here to complete the contract.  “Has that satisfied your curiosity or do ya need to pet it?”  Gajeel remarked.

“Are all Witchers this brutish or is it just you?” Levy spat, placing her hands on her hips.

“Mutations rob us of decency.  Not my fault,” Gajeel shrugged, but he grinned devilishly at her.  He could see her prickle, ready to fire back at him, but instead he interrupted her again.  “I need to stay here and prepare until the sun sets, when it comes out to hunt again.  Ya need to head back to your village now.  You’ll only be a distraction, shorty.”

Levy narrowed her eyes, stiffening completely.  “What did you call me?”

“I called ya beautiful,” Gajeel fired back at her with a smirk, watching her go stiff.  “Go home,” he turned from her then before she could regain her composure, and followed the trail.

Surprisingly, Levy let him walk away without more than an angry huff and muttered curses.  And he actually heard her turn around and leave back from where they came.  Maybe she decided to finally make it easier on him, but the less optimistic side of him knew that was likely not going to be the case.

Regardless, he had a job to do, and he set off to follow the old tracks deeper into the woods.  He needed to first get closer to its center of activity, and then all he needed to do was wait for dark.

--

The sun had started to sink low on the horizon when the medallion around his neck started to hum.  Gajeel took a deep breath and opened his eyes, quickly scanning the area around him from where he sat cross-legged beneath a tree.  It had taken about as long as he expected to start sensing signs of the Fiend, and the hum of his medallion came soon after.  The silver wolf’s head shook, eyes glowing a brilliant crimson any time monsters were near: a useful tool to any Witcher.  

Silently, Gajeel eased himself up onto his feet and reached back, wrapping his fingers around one of the two hilts over his shoulder.  The silver hissed out of the sheath, glimmering in the orange light peeking through the trees.  With his free hand, he pulled a small glass vial from the pouch at his side and yanked out the cork with his teeth.  The Witcher poured the Relict oil liberally across his blade, twisting it in his grasp to ensure it covered as much as the weapon as possible, sinking into the runes along the silver.  It would be poison to the creature, and he had been fortunate enough to already have some in his possession.  

In front of him he saw green only, but the birds had gone quiet, and no crickets sung in their wake.  He steadied his breathing as hum of his medallion grew more intense and a deep rumble grew in the forest beyond his vision.  Then he heard its breathing, deep, gargled, and uneven.  A breeze rustled the trees then, and he cursed silently as it pushed at his back, and all sounds in the wood beyond stopped.  Gajeel had just started to tighten the grip on his sword when he heard something else, something at his rear.

Instinctively, the Witcher spun, blade at the ready, but it was not the Fiend he saw.  Instead, it was a flash of blue.  His yellow eyes went wide seeing her there, holding something in one hand while the other was raised defensively.  Immediately the irritation boiled out of him.  “What the hell do you think--”

A deafening roar from the direction he had originally faced drowned out his words, followed by the sound of splintering and exploding wood.  Without another thought, he used his free arm to wrap around her waist and haul the tiny woman up and over this shoulder.  Her shouts of protest filled his ears along with everything else, but he couldn’t be bothered with her opinions at this point.  He’d barely had time to look behind him to see the massive creature charging straight for them before he started to run, weaving to the left around trees that would hopefully slow the onslaught.  

The Fiend flew by them, showering the two in wood splinters and leaves, taking several strides before it could skid to a halt.  

Gajeel hastily dropped Levy back to the ground and rose to his full height, squaring his shoulders to glower down at her.  “Go. Home!” he snarled, “You know what I am, you know I can make you.  I won’t ask again and I won’t save you next time.”  

Levy glared right back, flushed from the interaction.  But her resolve held firm as she took a sharp step towards him, looking ready to hit him over the head.  “I don’t need you to!  I can bloody help you if you just let me--hey!”  Gajeel had already turned from her and wholly ignored her words, racing back towards the Fiend while its back was still turned.  Levy watched as he sprinted headlong into danger, at a speed greater than any man.  This was a Witcher in true form, and frustrated or not she had to admire that for what it was.

The Fiend started to turn to him as he reached striking distance, and at full speed Gajeel dropped to his knees, both hands now gripping his blade.  He swung the silver to his left, slashing the metal into the beast’s rear legs.  It screeched in agony, flashing countless fangs, as the toxic oil and silver dug into its flesh.  It lurched forward, blindly swinging its massive rack of antlers.  

On the last cut, Gajeel forced his weight into the strike, using the Fiend as an anchor to swing himself around and come to a stop.  He leapt up to his feet, swinging his blade up high over his head to bring down upon its back.

But the Fiend was faster, spinning round to face Gajeel and swing the back of a paw into him, but not before his silver dug instead into its shoulder.  The Witcher flew backwards, his back slamming into the trunk of a tree a great distance from the monster.  A pained cough ripped from him as pain sung through his entire body, but his grip on his blade held steady.  

Gajeel looked up to see it begin to charge at him again, and despite the pain he started to move.  His left hand flew up in front of him and quickly drew the sign of Igni in the air, just as a blast of fire manifested and flew into the grotesque face of the beast.  It screeched again, lurching to the side to try and keep the fire from its eyes, which diverted its charge just enough to miss Gajeel by mere feet.  

He grunted as he pulled himself back up, staggering a few steps back to face it, ready.  His sides heaved already, aggravating a pain in his back that he knew would be gone in a few days, but in this moment it was brutal.  He’d left himself open to that swipe and it was a misstep he was paying for.

The Fiend finally whirled back around and took several stalking steps towards him, head low like it meant to charge again. The dense fur down it’s back rose and bristled, adding even more to its size.  Its mouth hung open in a pant, thick globs of drool dripping from the maw that wanted so badly to tear into his flesh.  It dug a paw into the earth, tensing, just as the third eye in the middle of its forehead opened.

“Shit!!” Gajeel cursed harshly, seconds before he went rigid and everything in his vision went black.  All he saw was that single eye in front of him, burning through the darkness.  Most humans unfortunate enough to find a Fiend would know this as the last thing they saw before their death, as they could not perceive where the beast would now be.  But a Witcher could see it move, know when it drew closer, even if all their other senses were dimmed.  It greatly impeded him, but he had some loose grasp on when to dodge, which would be enough for him to stay alive until it wore off.  Theoretically.

In the dark, he could see it draw closer, and stalk off to the left, trying to shake his attention.  Trying to fool him.  He willed his body to step back, to keep his sword in front of him, and he could only hope he was actually doing what he thought.  The movements of the eye became more erratic, and he knew it was moving to him, coming to finish him.  It lunged, and he raised his blade.

The dark shattered with an explosion, followed by the agonized scream of the Fiend.  All at once he saw everything clearly and moved freely again, and he watched as the Fiend stumbled backwards, pawing at its soot-covered face.  Gajeel inhaled the smoke rising from it, and his eyes went wide.  Devil’s Puffball?!  But how did, his thoughts trailed off as he turned his attention, and once again saw the blue-haired woman.  But now, he truly saw her.

Because there she stood, with another bomb in her left hand.  But more intriguing than the fact she had presumably crafted the very bomb the monster was susceptible to, was what her right hand was doing.  Her fingers moved, danced, shaping and maintaining a small ball of flame in front of her palm.  The fire lit her face in the dying light of the forest, casting her narrowed honey eyes aglow and streaks of gold through her hair in a way that he would not soon forget.  Sparks danced off of her as her clothing and hair swayed in a phantom wind, and he could feel the magic radiating off of the woman.

“Are you going to move or did that not break it’s hold?  Now, Witcher!”  Levy cried out, watching the monster begin to recover and now turn its gaze upon her.  She hissed through her teeth, bringing the wick of the last bomb to her flame, as she lobbed both at the creature.

The second boom set Gajeel into motion, watching the Fiend now fall hard onto the ground.  He made one final charge at the felled target.  The witcher leapt, arcing his sword up, over his head, and then brought it down with everything he had into the monster’s neck.  The force almost cut straight through, but as the last of the Relict oil flowed into the wound, the Fiend gave one final, disoriented struggle.  It lashed out, dragging claws deep into Gajeel’s right arm and threw him back.  After that final defiance, its life slipped away, chest caving with its last breath.

Gajeel staggered backwards, holding his hand over the wound that now had blood running rivers down his slack arm.  He coughed once and shook his head, the pain from his back and arm mingling with one another.  Still, he managed to turn his attention back to the woman, who stood steady, expectantly.  They stared at each other for several quiet moments, the flames now gone as her visage returned to what he had mistaken for a simple herbalist earlier.

Finally, the Witcher found his words in between his heavy breaths, “You’re a damn mage.”

--

“Someone is gonna report you for those books if you leave ‘em in plain view like that,” Gajeel commented, followed by a groan of pain as she dabbed a wet cloth to the open flesh on his bicep.  The fire at her hearth cast a bright orange light through the small abode, giving the sorceress enough light to work on his wounds.  At her urging, he had come back to her home after the Fiend had been disposed of, if not just for his payment as much as a little curiosity.  He sat on the floor shirtless in front of her fireplace, his tunic, chest armor, and swords on the floor next to them.

“No one here would risk losing their healer,” Levy responded, trying to focus on cleaning out the injury.  The Fiend’s claws were filthy, and it would infect if she didn’t clean this well enough before applying a salve.  But, the horrific scars across his back were a distraction, more so than the perfectly muscled frame.  She knew well enough what Witchers did for a living, and she felt she was staring at a book in another language.  The distinctive teeth marks, large enough to be a bear’s, on his shoulder.  The purplish slash that ran with ragged edges diagonally from right shoulder to left hip.  Multiple round scars that could have been from arrows, or spears.  A burn or two.  A bluish purple bruise had blossomed and spread from the center of his back, creeping outwards from where he had hit the tree.  And she hadn’t even fully seen his front.

“Still risky being a mage in Velen.  How’d ya find yourself here?” Gajeel asked despite himself.

Levy hummed a little, dipping her rag into the water again and wringing it out.  “It’s a better hiding place than you’d think,” she replied, not quite the answer he was looking for.  “The witch hunters ransack known mages in their homes in Novigrad and classrooms at Oxenfurt.  They know to find mages there, but wouldn’t expect to find one like me in the swamps.  And there’s a need for me here.”

He turned his head, looking at her from over his shoulder, studying her for a second. It made sense.  If one imagined a swamp witch, they wouldn’t think of one like her, a tiny beauty surrounded by flowers.  “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough,” she answered, trying to focus, and also not give all of herself to a complete stranger.

The shortness of her answers had the opposite effect on Gajeel, because he wanted to know more about the surprise mage.  “Are you in contact with the Lodge at all?” he finally asked.

Levy flicked her gaze up to him, warily.  But she saw only mild curiosity on that stoic face.  “I was once.  We’ve lost touch,” she put her rag aside.  “They have their own charades to uphold.”

Gajeel finally chuckled, giving her a wry smile, “I didn’t know the Lodge took in dwarves.”

The small mage prickled again and flicked a small bolt of static into his face that surprised him.  “I’ll kick you right out with half your damn coin and a festering wound if you don’t cut that right out,” she hissed.  Gajeel raised a hand in surrender, still wrinkling his tingling nose, and looked back to the fire.  “You’re a damn brute,” she started, “But you are not what I expected of a Witcher.”

Gajeel raised a brow at that, “You ain’t met one before?”

“You’re the first,” she replied.  “Townsfolk talk about you all like you’re as bad as the Fiend.  Bloodthirsty thieves of children in the night.”  She’d been intrigued to the point of near excitement when she wrote and sent off the contract, knowing that she would finally have the opportunity to meet one of his kind.  True, she knew enough about the beasts of this land, thanks to many books Witchers of multiple schools themselves had written, to know what the Fiend would have been weak to and had enough ingredients in her stock to make just about anything.  But that alone would not have killed it.  She needed a Witcher’s skillset to actually dispatch the creature.  And now that she knew one as infamous as he… well that could very well serve her in the future.

“And what do ya make of me?” he rumbled.

She hesitated.  “You certainly didn’t have to save me, brash as it was.  You knew where my coin was, I was little consequence to you.”

“Eh.  Bad for business if I let the people who contract me die,” Gajeel mumbled, tearing his gaze from her.  They went quiet then for several long moments, neither sure how much more they could probe even if they wanted to.  “Thanks,” he finally said after a few beats of silence.  Teasing aside, she had helped him significantly, both with the Fiend and now.  

Levy hummed as a simple reply, hovering her hand over the wound as a green light emanated from it.  A warm sensation spread through his arm, and he looked back again to see the wound closing up, until it was just another thick, pink line across his flesh to add to his collection.  “There,” she said softly, leaning back from him.  

Gajeel rolled his shoulder, only feeling a dull ache from his injuries now, and a throb in his head.  Certainly better off than he had expected to be at the end of today.  “Not bad,” he commented, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.  A deep sigh heaved from him.  “Ya mind if I take a few?  Been a long day…” he muttered.  He could hear her get up to her feet and take a few steps away from him.  

“Mmm,” she hummed the affirmative, and it was the last he remembered before he let exhaustion take him.  

When he awoke early the next morning, she was gone, and the coin purse was sitting atop his clean and folded armor, with a stalk of lavender.

#gajevy #fanfiction #ftfanfics #witcher AU #fairy tail #will this be more than one chapter? maybe

[paxohana]

Dear Writers of Fanfiction

I’ve been reading fanfiction since 2005.  I started out when Naruto was really popular.  I loved Naruto.  My favorite author was a woman that went by Doublezee.  She was my favorite.  It helped that she had my favorite ship (KakaSaku).  Fanfiction.net was the big thing back then.  She was a diamond in the rough.  Not only was she a spectacular writer, she was a wonderful person.  She replied to all of her PMs.  She sincerely appreciated her readers and expressed it openly.  She involved them, asking what they thought about her story.  She already knew where she was going with her fics and wasn’t going to deviate from her plan, but she listened to their ideas.  

She was also very respectful to her critics.  She realized everyone had an opinion and was free to express it.  She didn’t get offended when someone thought differently than her.  I’m sure she was disappointed when she got a negative comment, but she was graceful.  She didn’t attack them.  Notice I said critics, not trolls.  

Fast forward to December 24, 2015.  I finally came up with enough courage to write my first fanfiction.  I didn’t want to post on FF.  Let’s face it, it’s not what it used to be.  I had heard of AO3, but knew I was *NOWHERE* good enough to submit my writing there. But I decided hey, what the hell.  Just do it.  You know you suck but what do you have to lose? So I uploaded Dark Day.  

I kept writing.  I think I wrote eight or nine chapters that first month for Evolution, my main Blue Exorcist fanfic.  I was amazed that anyone was reading it.  I gained my first avid reader (love you, Star!).  I was really happy.

I kept writing.  Some chapters did better than others, but that was ok.  I had a few comments, which I absolutely loved.  I made it a point to respond to every single one.  I wanted the reader to know how much I appreciated them taking the time to read my work.  It was a humbling experience.

Life threw quite a few curveballs at me last year and I didn’t write for months at a time.  With everything that had gone on that year, I was in the mindset that I felt I could give a Tokyo Ghoul fanfic justice...at just a little.  I started with oneshots.  Readers really seemed to love them.  Again, I replied to every comment, answered questions and thanked them for reading.  At that point I wanted to make every reader feel that leaving a comment was worth their time.  I began asking questions.  Why did you like it?  What did you like about it?  

Then I started Found, and Lost.

It’s about my journey with PTSD as shown through Kaneki and Uta with a side serving of Renji.  This was and continues to be the most gut-wrenching piece I have written.  I began to receive comments of thank you so much for writing this, how refreshing it is for someone to write about the horrors and difficulties of mental illness, thank you so much for not glorifying or vilifing it.  I heard ‘Thank you for telling my story’ so many times.  Thank you for not invalidating my feelings like so many do.  

No, dear reader, thank you.  Thank you for letting me share my journey with you.  Thank you for letting me share your own journey with you.  I have told many readers to please hold on, I promise it gets better.  Each one of you is a gift.  Hold on.  Don’t throw it away.

I became overwhelmed.  I didn’t know I would impact so many with a fanfic.

I became addicted to YoI in early November after my dearest friend committed suicide.  I remember scrolling through Facebook aimlessly the Friday after she was gone and I came across the gif of Yuuri telling Viktor to never take his eyes off him.  I had heard of Yuri!!! on Ice but hadn’t watched it.   I was captivated from the opening credits.  I binge watched what was available that night.  I think it was about a week later that I realized I had to write about this.  It was too good to pass up.  And the thoughts were overflowing my mind.

I started with Metamorphosis and was absolutely blown away by the response.  It was extremely humbling.  Again, I made sure to thank each and every reader for their comments. I wanted them to know how much I appreciated them.

Fast forward to January 13, 2017. YOIWeek2017.  Met by Accident was conceived early that week but I was actually able to post it that Friday.  It was originally meant to be a oneshot, but that entire week I kept having the “What if this happened?  What if they did this?  What if Viktor felt this way?  What if Yuuri thought this?”  I played around with turning this into a chapter piece. 

You guys’ reaction and response is what turned the indecisiveness into a reality.

I finally felt that I had produced an ok work.  I was happy with it and having a ton of fun.  New scenes were constantly bombarding me and I loved it, still do.  I had a boatload of free time since classes had just started back and work was utterly boring (I can write at work.  Yay for being your own boss!). I continued to write. You continued to read and comment.  I continued to reply and thank you.  

I have received criticism from some regarding this work and have tried to take it in stride.  I realize they are allowed their own opinion.  I wanted to remain mature about it, recognize their grief yet explain why I did what I did.  If they understand, great.  If they didn’t, I was fine with that.  They didn’t have to continue reading.

But most of you really like what I have posted these past nine days.  I’ve been watching my stats skyrocket.  I’ve watched many of you open up in your comments.  I’ve inquired about you as a person, not just a reader.  Every one of you is unique.  You’re a gift to the world whether you realize it or not.  I appreciate each and every one of you. You have embraced Met by Accident.  It is inconceivable to me how much you guys love this little fic of mine.  You do not know how overjoyed it makes me.  I’m beyond humbled.  I’m on my hands and knees in gratitude to all of you.  I wouldn’t be where I am without you.

Which brings me to the point I wanted to make before I rambled for a year:  I’ve read a TON of fics in my life.  I’ve seen how writers act with their readers.  Many are wonderful.  Some not so much.  It hurts me when I read a fic, see someone gush about how wonderful a work they think the author has written and it hasn’t received a shred of recognition.  Humans like to be acknowledged.  To me, it’s common courtesy.  I understand people are busy, I really do.  It doesn’t take long to type out ‘Thank you so much :)”.  You just might make someone’s day.

Yes, I’m blessed with more free time than most so it’s easier for me to respond to my readers. I have an idea though: Take 30 minutes to answer comments.  When you write your notes for your latest work, genuinely thank your readers. If you’re already doing this, great!  You’re establishing that connection with them. You’re making them feel important.  

This rant popped into my head as I was doing dishes this morning.  I read a fic way early this morning and noticed this one reader kept commenting on every chapter I read.  There was no response, no recognition. As I continued reading, the comments from the reader grew shorter and then eventually stopped.  You could almost feel their frustration and maybe a hint of sadness in their words.  It was sad.  It got me to thinking about the interaction with my readers.  I make it a point to reply and interact with mine.  I vowed at that moment that I would continue to do so and treat each one of you as an individual. You aren’t just a reader.  You’re you.  You drive me.  For that I thank you.  My mind drifted back to Doublezee at that point.  

I want to leave you with this thought, dear fanfiction writer: I beg you to appreciate your readers.  Many of them consider themselves your die hard fans. They eagerly await your updates.  They love your work.  You may be their only bright spot in life at this point in time.  Let them know you love them also.  Because you know what?  Without them, you wouldn’t be where you are now.

Be like Doublezee.

#dear writers of fanfiction #reader recognition #how I love my readers!

[beneaththetangles]

Q&A with Our New Staff: Josh, sleepminusminus, Joseph, and Paris!

Over the last couple of months, we’ve brought in four new staff members to join our ministry. A couple of them have been running our social media accounts for weeks now, so you may have been reading their work without even noticing a change, while the remaining two are brand, brand new!

With this being our 10th anniversary year, it felt very appropriate to throw back, as we’ve done all year, and introduce you to them in the way we once did: through a Q&A! So here we go—introducing Paris, who will be covering conventions and doing cosplay content for us; sleepminusminus, one of our writers, who just dropped a guest post for us last week (like I said, brand new); Josh, who helps run our Twitter account and also contributes to the blog; and Joseph, our Instagram admin and the podcast team’s video editor.

-----

Question 1: How did you become associated with Beneath the Tangles?

Paris: Funny enough, Charles found me on my personal Instagram—not my cosplay Instagram! He saw that I went to Dallas Theological Seminary and wanted to recruit me onto the team, but at the time I was still in school and an active member of of another group, so I didn’t have time to make any commitments. Now I’m graduated and excited to be a part of the team!

sleepminusminus: It’s been so long… I must have looked something up about Christianity and anime and found BTT in the results. I’ve kept up with the blog on and off ever since.

Josh: Charles and I were `both members of the Christian Anime Alliance forums. Years later, when I started up my own blog, Charles was so welcoming and so encouraging. A true inspiration. Fast-forward a couple months and I’m coming off a really, REALLY stressful time due to a blog article I wrote that was not received well by some. Charles helped me out of that dark time and when all was said and done and my brain was no longer a quivering mass of goo, he asked if I would like to join BTT. I had to think and pray about it for a while before I said yes and, well, here I am.

Joseph: I met Charles in college and we went to the same church for some time. I always thought it was cool how he used something as secular as anime to evangelize, but it didn’t cross my mind that I could do the same thing until I saw some of my classmates working for BTT too. Then after I graduated, I asked if I could join and here I am.

Question 2: How did you become an anime fan?

Paris: I guess I was kind of born into becoming an anime fan—being half Asian. On my birthday each year, my uncles would take my brother and I to this anime store back when VHS was still a thing, and we could rent as many anime VHS tapes as we wanted! Some of my first anime included Ranma ½, Kodocha, and Yu Yu Hakusho (we weren’t censored as children). I related so much to Sana Kurata that I literally wanted to change my name to Sana, haha! (I think I still do relate to her lol)

sleepminusminus: At first, Youtube clips of visual novels served as the gateway drug into a deeper obsession with anime. After some personal struggles with pornography, I took a break from anime for around a year. When that year ended, some close friends started watching Nagi no Asukara and invited me to watch along. I’ve been riding the slice-of-life train ever since.

Josh: Okay, first of all, Paris is awesome because I have heard very few people talk about Kodocha and the fact that was one of his first is amazing. Second, SleepMinusMinus is awesome because…well…Nagi no Asukara is awesome, and I also am a happy passenger on the Slice-of-Life train. But I digress. My anime switches were flipped one night in around 2002-2003. I was up late and I was channel surfing. I came across this show that ended up being Yu Yu Hakusho. It was so cool as I had never seen anything like it before! Then…then Cowboy Bebop came along and that’s when I realized there was this whole bigger, wider world of those funny Japanese cartoons than Digimon, Pokemon and Monster Rancher. I came back the following Saturday, and the Saturday after that. Before I knew it, I was writing fanfics and joining online forums. Then I was buying DVD’s and Newtype USA magazines. Next thing I knew I was going to cons and meeting other fans. My ascendance into the world of anime has been quick and amazing.

Joseph: I grew up watching all of the classic kid’s shows like Pokemon and Yugioh with my brother. At night, I remember we would always be excited to watch Inuyasha because of how much more actiony it was compared to American cartoons. I don’t think I realized that I was watching anime until in middle school though, when one of my friends asked me if I watch anime, citing Inuyasha as an example. Then he recommended I watch Code Geass and after I watched that, I realized that there was more to anime than just really cool fight scenes and have been watching since.

YYH is an important starting anime for Paris and Josh (art by つ ゆ / reprinted w/permission)

Question 3: How would you describe your place in the fandom?

Paris: I think my place in the fandom would be a cosplay enthusiast and entertainer. I love Instagram and Tik Tok right now but I’m also hoping to start doing Visual Novel walk throughs on Twitch.

sleepminusminus: In public, I’ve mastered the art of the lurker, only peeking out to mark my completed shows on AniList. Most of the time, though, I watch anime with IRL friends and make fun of bad CG. I also spend excessive hours on rhythm games while procrastinating work.

Josh: I think my place in the anime fandom right now is as a mature anime consumer who has just enough writing talent to put his opinions, thoughts and ideas to a word document or in a 240 character tweet and have it make some kind of sense.

Joseph: I don’t really take part in online discussions, but I know most of what they talk about and the references usually (even the memes). I also try to keep up with the actual industry itself too, like what studios are up to or what the directors are doing. Fandom wise, if anyone mentions the Monogatari series, be ready to listen to me rant for an hour on how it’s a masterpiece.

Question 4: What anime or manga are you excited about these days?

Paris: Right now I’m most obsessed with Re: Zero and My Hero Academia.

sleepminusminus: Kyoto Animation has been consistently good recently. I just finished the Haruhi series and I’m thinking about picking up Lucky Star (but only for the Haruhi references). Beyond that, I’m hoping the new Higurashi remake is better than the original. Oh, and the new Made in Abyss movie had better not disappoint.

Josh: Of course, I’m beyond excited to see where Digimon Adventure (2020) is going to go. It’s been a fascinating watch so far. Seeing these characters who I know but don’t know has been a real prodigious experience. It does feel like we’re moving pretty fast though. Sticking with Digimon, I’m also excited to FINALLY get to see Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna. I grew up with the Adventure ‘99 crew, and knowing this is their final curtain call is bittersweet, but I’m interested to see how this whole thing plays out. Getting away from Digimon, I’m really excited to see the Stone Wars arc of Dr. Stone. I’m completely caught up with the manga so I know what’s to come, but I still want to see it play out in anime form.

Joseph: I’m really excited for the new Maeda Jun original next season: The Day I Became a God. Re:Zero has got me on edge every week and probably will until next year. The Violet Evergarden movie was just released in Japan and hopefully it finds its way here soon. Oh and Haruhi is back in print with the next light novel coming out soon, so that’s been a long time coming.

Season two of Re:ZERO has us all excited (art by 茕榕 / reprinted w/permission)

Question 5: QUICK FIVE

Best live action anime adaptation?

Paris: Ghost in the Shell sleepminusminus: I’ve only watched Detective Pikachu… Josh: Death Note (2006). Chairman Kaga is Light’s Daddy. Joseph: Alita: Battle Angel

Digimon or Pokémon?

Paris: Pokémon sleepminusminus: Pokémon Josh: Digimon Joseph: Pokemon

My first cosplay was…

Paris: Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul! I was really into Facepaint and FX makeup in High School so I literally just painted the mask onto my face. sleepminusminus: Lurkers don’t cosplay Josh: My first cosplay was supposed to be Izzy from Digmon at MechaCon this year, but COVID happened and… Joseph: Kagamine Len from Vocaloid. I like make easy and not hot outfits to wear at cons.

If I could meet one person in the anime industry, it would be…

Paris: Laura Bailey! She’s my favorite voice actress. sleepminusminus: Honobu Yonezawa, the author of the Hyouka novels Josh: Amanda Winn-Lee. I’ve interacted a lot with her on Twitter and she’s so nice. Joseph: Yamada Naoko, director for A Silent Voice and K-On! The Movie.

This anime character would be my best friend:

Paris: Tomo Takino from Azumanga Daioh sleepminusminus: Kyon from Haruhi, for his continual complaints and stream of grandiose allusions Josh: Mimi from Digimon Adventure. She’s an awesome character that needs a good friend to tell her to “hush” whenever she goes ditzy. Joseph: Chitanda Eru from Hyouka because she always wants to do something

Our staff is curious—at least sleepminusminus and Joseph are! (art by ちゅんころもち / reprinted w/permission)

All-time anime crush?

Paris: Kyo from Fruits Basket. For some reason, I always end up loving the angry boys… sleepminusminus: Mayaka Ibara, our tsundere queen from Hyouka Josh: Hinata from Naruto. How can you NOT like that lavender-eyed cutie? Joseph: Holo from Spice and Wolf because of course she is.

Favorite food to eat while watching anime:

Paris: Pho Tai w/ an order of eggrolls and Thai Tea sleepminusminus: Instant ramen (no crumbs!) Josh: Nice cold Muscadine grapes. Joseph: Fruit Basket (Preferably strawberries)

An anime that more people need to watch:

Paris: Kodocha; the manga is good too! sleepminusminus: Hyouka (notice a theme yet?) Josh: Planetes. It’s a great space slice-of-life show that gets little to no love. Joseph: A Place Further than the Universe. Very well rated but I don’t think enough people watch it because of its silly premise.

An anime that is way overrated:

Paris: DANGANRONPA. It’s horrible. Change my mind. Other than the Fate series, I haven’t had much luck with Visual Novel anime adaptations— (let’s not talk about School Days) sleepminusminus: Madoka Magica: watch Steins;Gate instead Josh: My Hero Academia. Come on guys, it’s the same old comic book superhero “I wanna be the strongest ______ ever!” shounen show we’ve seen over and over again. Joseph: One Punch Man. The title tells you what the show is going to be about you guys.

Poor Madoka… (art by 薯子Imoko / artist allows reprints)

Do you like gore / dark anime?

Paris: yes. It’s my favorite. sleepminusminus: Sure Josh: Depends on my mood, but not really. Joseph: Gore for the sake of gore (Another), not really. But everything else I can enjoy!

Shonen or slice of life?

Paris: Shonen sleepminusminus: Slice-of-life Josh: Slice-Of-Life all day everyday. Joseph: Slice of life

Best Ghibli movie:

Paris: Spirited Away sleepminusminus: None yet… recommendations please Josh: Ponyo. It’s just so freaking adorable. Joseph: Princess Mononoke

Ever been to Japan?

Paris: I was supposed to go this Summer, but Covid… sleepminusminus: No Josh: HAHAHAHAHA…on my salary? Heck no! Joseph: Yes two times now!

Question 6: Where can our readers find you other than here on the blog?

Paris: Instagram / Tik Tok / Twitch / Facebook / YouTube: Pariscosplays (in progress) / Email sleepminusminus: You can find me on Twitter. If you’re fortunate, you might catch a tweet once a year. Josh: Blog / Twitter – Heads up on my Twitter, I tend to get very political and I sometimes go off on tangents. I give fair warning for both. But overall, I’m pretty chill! I do have an Instagram but I don’t update it too often, and I do have a Facebook, but I keep it on lockdown. Sorry! Joseph: I don’t really use any other social media actively

#Anime #Interviews #Manga #Beneath the Tangles #Visual Novels #Video Games #Articles #Author: TWWK #Author: Pariscosplays #Author: The Cajun Samurai #Author: sleepminusminus #Author: Joseph