#and I kinds get obsessed with creating this like vision of all these linked works

[gust-jar-simulator]

I think it would be fun to try writing an LU fic more closely based on the canon characterization plus the FSA game canon Shadow, even if half the reason I’m so violently obsessed with Four is him being system coded. It feels like a missed opportunity to not utilize that. BUT.

I am compelled by what the difference in Four and Shadow’s dynamic would be, especially because (as far as I know) we don’t really know who or what the black lizalfos is in canon. I’ve been assuming it’s everyone’s favorite from OoT for fanfic reasons, but there’s no reason it has to be that particular shadow.

Timeline wise, I don’t know how Four works, considering two of his games are set before Time and FSA is set after Twilight Princess. Time Travel? Is Jojo putting FSA before OoT? Hard to say. If she is, though, then that opens up an interesting possibility.

Of the darks I know about in the games, we have:

Hyrule’s final trial of worthiness before obtaining the Triforce

Time’s duel in the Water Temple™️

Four’s major low level opponent Shadow, serving as Vaati’s (actually Ganon’s) second a la Ghirahim in SkSw and implied by Hyrule Historia to be Ganon’s creation, a combination of Link’s shadow and Ganon’s emotions pulled from a mirror that may or may not be a reference to Twilight Princess

Warriors’ three shadows, his animated faults sumoned by Cia

Legend in the Palace of the Four Sword, a gimmick dungeon in LttP in reference to the attached original Four Swords game

And if we really squint, Twilight’s fucked up nightmare where dark versions of himself are used as stand-ins to illustrate the Interlopers, traitors who became the Twili people

The black lizalfos actually being kind of lame in LU and put on the run by Twilight fits very well with the idea that the iconic Dark from OoT is kind of a pushover if you use the Biggoron Sword. But I wanted to point out a pattern in the canon shadows/darks I’ve mentioned.

They’re usually meant as a test, and/or a method for the videogame narrative to have the hero confront his own flaws. With something like the original Zelda game it could be hard to apply much depth, but that shadow is very explicitly a test by the forces of good to see if Hyrule is worthy.

In OoT, we don’t get an explanation for why the shadow is there, and the place you fight him in vanishes like an illusion. It’s not even connected to the main boss room. You get Navi saying “conquer yourself!”, and the only environmental clues are perhaps the temple structures, the lone tree, and the fact that you are fighting while walking on water. I have a lot of theories about that fight, that incorporate everything from the Bodhi Tree to Chinese proverbs, but I think the biggest clue is Nayru’s thematic significance as the goddess of water and wisdom/justice as well as possibly time in that game. Ganondorf has no connection to water and wouldn’t want you to conquer yourself- but Nayru would. Also, the Sacred Realm fight against Demise in SkSw looks like a visual callback to me.

I think the use of Dark Links in the Twilight Princess cutscene is specifically to drive the point home that the Interlopers could be anyone, your neighbor, even people like you, who gave in to the allure of power. This vision was given by a Spirit of Light.

Warriors’ fight might be a reference to the multiple darks in Twilight Princess, but also the thematic significance of the darks in OoT and the original LOZ. He needed to fight the avatars of the faults that prevented him from being a real hero, get an ego check, though for a change of pace they were created by a villain this time.

Legend’s fight against four darks, even if they looked like him, was specifically a reference to the original Four Swords game that was released on the exact same card. Four Swords wasn’t sold separately, it originally came with LttP. Your job in the Palace of the Four Sword is to purify the blade by collecting all four and then defeating the darks, and you can only do this after beating both games. It’s the ultimate challenge as well as ultimately a cool reference, but I think an argument could be made that the darks in the swords aren’t really connected to Legend. They don’t split from him- he has to exorcise them.

Which leads me to Shadow from Four Swords Adventures.

Shadow is quite literally on your ass, laughing at you, killing your teammates, pranking, terrorizing villagers and kidnapping maidens from the second you start the game. He blows up the area to force you to retreat to another screen. He shapeshifts into your teammates, so you all accidentally stab the wrong guy. The person he mimics is the only one who can hurt him. He shifts between the Dark and Light worlds, forcing you to follow him. He clones himself to fight all of you at once. He shows up out of nowhere, laughing the whole time, wrecks shop, and just harries you throughout the course of the whole plot. I haven’t seen what his boss fight is like, but I am EXTREMELY curious to see if he has any dialogue. He steals people’s keys. He fucks up their bushes. He drops a whole village into the Dark World. He sets a whole village on fire. Unlike the others, notably the legendary OoT Dark and the original LOZ one, he’s not waiting for you at all. He’s playing with you.

Considering the connection between Four Swords shadows and LttP, and the fact that Shadow came from a mirror that is likely a Twilight Princess reference, that is very feasibly a lot of connections to make. On top of that, most of the previously listed darks are tests of character. Your test of character in the Four Swords games is very textually whether or not you become like Shadow, considering the voting mechanism where you can elect who was the most annoying during the chapter. Shadow himself, however, is not one of you.

He’s the only dark from a canon game to have been created by Ganon.

So that leaves me with two ideas. Either The Shadow™️ from LU is a test from Hylia/the gods, created by her, or it’s a demon created by Ganon/Demise/whatever is currently the big bad demon king. There is a third option of “it used to be a test but became corrupted somehow”, but we’ll see.

Then, as I said, there’s the timeline question. Either we use the Hyrule Historia timeline and have to explain why Four somehow jumped a few thousand years to post-Twilight, or FSA gets scooted up to exist before OoT. If that’s the case, that would make Shadow the first of the darks, as opposed to Dark Link, which opens up some interesting ideas.

Who is The Shadow™️? We honestly have no idea yet. I do think the black lizalfos could possibly be OoT Dark, considering it mostly functions as an observer, but the infectious miasma-like quality of the black blood (which might’ve been the venom that nearly took down Twilight) seems like a callout to BOTW malice and its ability to corrupt Guardians. It does textually empower monsters, so it might be some sort of Ganon juice.

But the only shadow entities that have anything to do with Ganon are Zant, the Twili usurper skilled in shadow magic who worshipped Ganon as a god, or Shadow, a literal actual shadow who may or may not be connected to the Mirror of Twilight but who was definitely a major villain and a major pain in the ass.

I just think it would be funny if OoT Dark is working for the smallest and most chaotic dark of them all. Shadow doesn’t have to be the ultimate villain, because as we all know it’s barely a Zelda game if the final boss isn’t a warmup for fighting the Demon King (plot relevant or not), but I do think there’s a chance that if we see Shadow in LU he might be very different from what manga fans are expecting.

#linked universe #shadow link #dark link #lu dark link #theory

[alfareria]

love lingers in the kitchen

perehelion, franny choi // joan didion's kitchen, vogue // teija lehto // tennessee williams // daidai's kitchen, @pakchoys // kitchen, banana yoshimoto // bread, phoebe wahl (@phoebewahl) // chocolate chip pancakes, caitlyn siehl (@alonesomes) // podlaskie klimaty

#I knoooow there's so many compilations about the kitchen but I love all of them #and I kinds get obsessed with creating this like vision of all these linked works #I am that meme of that guy with a map of red string looking like he hasn't slept in four days that's literally me #little windows #compilations #kitchen #art #words #mine #interconnection

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - The View from the Top 2

2.5D Interview Translation with Asuma Kousuke

======

Since the show “The Strongest Team,” it’s been about two and a half years since you last played Oikawa. How did you feel when your casting for this show was decided? I really didn’t think the day would come when I’d get to return to Engeki Haikyuu. So when my casting my was set, I was so incredibly happy. This time I will be the only one appearing from Aoba Johsai. So that makes me a little sad, and I also feel some pressure since I’m responsible for representing everyone from Aoba Johsai and I carry the weight of all of their emotions. That’s the main challenge I want to overcome.  

=====

Full interview and more photos under the Read More! Please do not repost my translations

Asuma-san, your debut was with Engeki Haikyuu. And now this will be your final time portraying Oikawa, so please give us an insight into your state of mind. I’m only here because of Engeki Haikyuu, so I really am very grateful. I’ve never been able to play the same character for this long, so it’s the character I’m most attached to, and I feel like I understand Oikawa better than anyone else. This is going to be the grand culmination of eleven shows, and I want to make it the best production yet, full of all of the emotions of everyone in the cast and crew. That’s the “Summit” that everyone in this company is aiming for, and I will be only one portion of that.  

Asuma-san, you will be the only one appearing from Aoba Johsai, so is there anything in particular you’re conscientious of?   Even with only Oikawa on the stage, I think the atmosphere changes. And because I will be alone, I want to be even more unrestrained in how I present Oikawa. Even at rehearsals, I want to be calling so much attention to Oikawa that even the director will stop me. (laughs) I haven’t been able to join the others at rehearsals yet, but I’ll be the only one there who’s been a part of this from the very beginning, so I think everyone will come to me with their questions. Like, “Show us how you did this in previous shows” or “Show us an example of how to do that.” Although I’m not sure I even could... (laughs) I’m sure there will be times when people tease me like, “That’s no good!” but if I can make rehearsals lively with that, I’m fine. Also in terms of age, I’m somewhere in the middle of the group, and this is my first time in that situation. Normally I’m always teased by my senpai, but since I’ve been here since the very first show and I’ve been able to see and experience a lot, I hope that I’ll be able to give some advice to others. 

Are there any parts of your personality that you think resemble Oikawa? A lot of people around me say that I'm like him, but I don’t really think so. At first I thought we might be similar, but as I’ve gotten deeper into this role, I’ve become less able to say that. Right now, I can only say that I respect him. Oikawa has this one line that I like, which goes, “Talent is something you make bloom, instinct is something you polish!!!” In this world, there aren’t that many people you can call prodigies. Oikawa rose to the top with hard work, and I think it’s just too cool that I got to say that line! Even when I rewatch that DVD, I often feel like, “Wow I got a really cool line...”   Even Iwa-chan says to him, “Even when you’ve become an old man, you probably won’t be happy. Even if you won some big tournament, you wouldn’t be completely satisfied, because you’re an annoying guy who’s going to chase volleyball for his entire life.” Oikawa loves volleyball, he’s obsessed with it, and I have nothing but respect for that.  

Do you normally rewatch the shows you’ve starred in? It is embarrassing, so I don’t often rewatch things. There are things where if I watched them now, I’d think, “Man I sucked.” But when it comes to “Winners and Losers” or “The Strongest Team,” those are different and I used to rewatch them often even back then. I think to myself, “I haven’t done any other plays that are this rough. So I can do this!” They’re encouraging that way. Also I’m good friends with everyone in those casts. The sense of teamwork and friendship is very strong.  

Speaking of your teammates, you spent a long time together with the Aoba Johsai cast. Please tell us about a time during a past tour when you felt strongly about your connection with them.   There are a lot of things I can only talk about now. Everyone was my senpai, but at the time, we would argue a lot. Because we didn’t want to give in to one another. For the duration of the tour, we agreed that we wouldn’t have that kind of pecking order, and that’s how we were able to create those shows. There’s a scene in “The Strongest Team” when Oikawa says, “Thank you for the past three years!!!”, and when I saw everyone’s faces in that moment, I couldn’t stop myself from bursting into tears. I was just so glad that we really had become such a great team by that point.

Within the entire Engeki Haikyuu series, please tell us what you think is Oikawa’s best scene. The first is the opening sequence for the very first show. Because I was good at the count, I deviated from it to do a little double peace sign. And also that’s my very first scene as an actor. At the time, I was really nervous about even doing that one jump, but I’ll never be able to forget the view while facing the front of that stage. We don’t have any lines there, but it’s a scene that I have a very strong emotional attachment to.   The other one is from “the Strongest Team” when Kyoutani gets over himself and really becomes part of Seijoh. Oikawa has continued to trust in Kyoutani, and he continues to grind that gear into place. The result is a unified Seijoh to oppose Karasuno. When I rewatched that moment on DVD, I have this really great smile on my face. I’d kept such a serious expression up to that point, so I really enjoy that shift in expression.  

Tell us something we should look forward to for this show’s Oikawa. I think fundamentally he’s the same as when he was a high school student, so I think the highlight will be to see the parts of him that have changed with age. There’s a lot that wasn’t portrayed in the manga, so I’m personally looking forward to seeing how I can craft those portions on my own on-stage. I’m going to be fairly conscious of my manner and behavior, not just my lines. It'd be great if I can show his difference in age with how I carry myself. I also want to polish my jump serve more. My jump serve right now is the high school version, so I want people to see the change in form and power.  

Earlier you mentioned the line, “Talent is something you make bloom, instinct is something you polish.” What are the things that you will continue to make bloom or polish from here on? Tell us your vision of yourself as an actor. I honestly don’t know if I have any real talents. But for now I’ve continued to get work in this field, so someday I’d like to be able find my specialties while focusing on the work in front of me. In the future I’d like to go overseas, so right now I’m studying English and Chinese. Haikyuu is very popular all over the world. Every time I’ve gone to some other country, there are many people who tell me, “I’ve seen Engeki Haikyuu!” Because I’ve been able to perform in a production that’s this beloved the world over, I’ve come to think that I need to go out into that world! After this, I would love to become an actor that can work all around the globe.  

And lastly, please give the fans a final, exuberant message   In times like these, I think that entertainment and the arts are absolutely necessary. I know there are many things to be depressed about, but that’s exactly why I want people to watch Engeki Haikyuu and then gain some motivation.  This is a production where you can absolutely feel the passion whether you see it in person or through a screen, so I want people to see it whether through an official stream or on DVD.   At last, we’ve reached the finale. Please support us to the very end!  

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You can read the original Japanese interview here: (x)

Please do not repost my translations!  This includes screenshots of bits and pieces taken out of context, especially if they don’t link back to this full post. If you appreciate the work I do for this blog and want to support my translation efforts please consider donating a ko-fi! (x)

#Haisute #Engeki Haikyuu #Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu #Final Show #View from the Top 2 #asuma kousuke #interview translation

[incorrectsmashbrosquotes]

Another Age of Calamity 2

*Sometime after the battle to rescue the champions, in a secure location somewhere in Akkala Citadel …*

BotW Zelda: I can’t believe this is all really happening. Not only did we save all the champions and recover the divine beasts, but now I get to speak with one of my ancestors face to face!

Smash Zelda: Believe it girl! It’s all real.

Smash Zelda: I mean *cough* by deciding to interfere we may have inadvertently created yet another offshoot timeline.

Smash Zelda: But it’s all definitely REAL.

BotW Zelda: Um, this is a bit awkward, but can I ask who this woman is upon whose lap you are sitting?

Smash Zelda: Oh this is my girl, Eve! Yes, I know what you’re thinking, she is technically Dark Samus but I promise she’s completely harmless.

BotW Zelda: Forgive my apprehension, it’s just that in our legends “dark” copies of heroes tend to be creations of Ganon himself.

Smash Zelda: No, I get it. But I swear there’s nothing to be afraid of. She may come off as intense, but she’s actually a complete sweetheart. Isn’t that right, honey?

Eve: If anyone here harms one hair on your head I swear I will raze this kingdom to the ground until they are found and I can personally eviscerate their still-living body before their eyes.

Smash Zelda: D'aawww! <3

BotW Zelda: Yes … um, very … sweet?

——————–

*Meanwhile, in the Citadel’s war room …*

Impa: It’s great that we managed to thwart the Calamity’s attempt to overtake the Divine Beasts, but that’s far from the end of our problems.

Urbosa: Indeed, the enemy still has the guardians under their control, and what seems like a neverending swarm of monsters.

Impa: But our biggest problem is the meddling of the Yiga clan. They’re numerous and also tricky. It’s difficult to know what they’re planning.

Marth: Don’t worry guys, we already have our best spy on the case.

*Transition to the Yiga hideout, where Sheik is disguised in Yiga gear amongst a few other Yiga footsoldiers.*

Sheik (thinking): Alright, where would be the best place to find some juicy information…

Sooga, entering the room: Alright men, listen up. The Seer thinks there may possibly be a spy in our midst. So I need you guys to- … yes?

Sheik, with her hand raised: Yeah, are you guys lovers?

Sooga: What?!

Sheik: You and Master Kohga. Do you, like, make out and stuff?

Sooga: What is this? This is so ridiculous…

Sheik: It’s okay if you do. We’re totally cool with it, right guys?

Yiga Footsoldier 1: I mean, Kohga’s not really my cup of tea, but to each his own happiness.

Yiga Footsoldier 2: Omigods is my 235 page fanfiction actually coming true before my eyes?!

Sooga, somehow clearly blushing despite the mask: Okay you guys are clearly too stupid to be spies. I have to go … do something … elsewhere … *disappears into smoke*

Sheik (thinking): Yessss! Juicy gossip acquired!

——————–

*Meanwhile, under a bridge somewhere in Hyrule, Wolf is waiting alone.*

Isabelle, ducking under the bridge: Wolf! It’s me! I got your note.

Wolf: Isabelle. I’m not happy to see you here. You realize this is a war, right? This isn’t fun and games. People are dying here.

Isabelle: But I want to help! Besides, you don’t have to worry about me, they just have me helping out at the lab. Robbie and Purah may be brilliant but they’re horribly disorganized. I’m as far out of danger as you can get.

Wolf: Hmph.

Isabelle: Besides, what about you? What are you doing here?

Wolf: Ganondorf has me keeping tabs on this Astor guy. Dude is kind of an idiot though.

Wolf: What is up with that? First Zant, and then Ghirahim, and now this guy. Why are all of Ganon’s followers complete idiots?

Isabelle: *stare*

Wolf: I- I mean not us obviously!

Isabelle: *raised eyebrow*

Wolf: I mean yes, Bowser isn’t that bright, and K. Rool is a moron … Dedede is incompetent but he barely counts … and Ridley is supposed to be “cunning” but all he cares about is murder … and Wario’s obsessive greed makes him easy to manipulate … and Gruntilda couldn’t witch her way out of a paper bag …

Wolf: *pause*

Wolf: Holy shit, are we all actually idiots?!

Isabelle: Yes, but you’re my adorable idiot. <3

——————–

*Meanwhile somewhere else in Hyrule, one could find the scattered remains of a once army of bokoblins, moblins, and lynels, now nothing more than piles of corpses. On a hilltop overlooking their hard work sits two heroes having a peaceful victory picnic.*

Samus: This is nice.

Link: Yeah, the view from here is pretty great.

Samus: Well, yes, that too, but I was actually referring to getting to help you save Hyrule.

Samus: I’m so used to isolated missions. Doing it for the bounty or to keep pirates from abusing my adoptive family’s legacy. It’s nice to do something that helps people in immediate need, getting to see the smiling faces of the people for whom you’ve come to their aid. I’m genuinely glad that we decided to come help here.

Link: Wow, I didn’t realize how therapeutic this was for you.

Link: But, err … speaking of deciding to intervene, we’re not going to get in trouble for abusing the Mansion’s space-and-time thingy, are we? I feel like that might have been a big no-no.

Samus: I’m hoping by the time Master Hand notices it will be too late.

Link: Isn’t he going to notice that a bunch of us are missing?

Samus: I’m not worried about it. The assist trophy crew offered to run distractions for us.

*Meanwhile, in the Smash Mansion*

Master Hand: Where the heck is everybody? We have Smash matches to run here, people! Young Link and Daisy are supposed to be fighting in like five minutes!

Skull Kid, in a tunic: Yes sir! Young Link, that’s me! Best buddy any guy could have in the whole world! See, I have a sock on my head and everything.

Master Hand: Uh… huh… sure, whatever. Dare I ask about Daisy?

Skull Kid:

Oh she’s right here, see?

*drags somebody into the room*

Shadow, in a dress: I don’t know how you convinced me to do this but know that I will be ending all of you later.

Skull Kid: See? I’m sure she says that all the time.

——————–

*Much later, back at Akkala Citadel*

Sheik: So, what do you think?

Marth: Sheik, you were supposed to be gathering intel on the Yiga’s plans. What you gave me is a shipping chart of everyone in Hyrule.

Sheik: But it’s good, right?

Marth: SHEIK.

Sheik: Okay relax I’m just playing with you. The truth is, though, the Yiga don’t really have any plans. They just wait for this Astor guy to have a vision or something and then do what he says. And he’s obviously being set up by Ganon. Very dumb.

Marth: Alright, I guess you’ll have to keep and eye on that guy for us then. Good work.

Sheik: Oh and it’s probably worth mentioning I saw a suspiciously DK-shaped Yiga member.

Marth: Donkey Kong dressed as a Yiga? But why?

Sheik: Either he’s joining them for free bananas or he’s plotting to steal all their bananas for himself.

Sheik: Either way it’s going to end hilariously bad for them. I can’t wait.

#incorrect quotes #smash bros #submission #incorrect super smash bros #super smash bros #Zelda #Dark Samus #impa #Urbosa #Marth #Wolf #Isabelle #Link #Samus #Master Hand #Skull Kid #Shadow #DK #Legend of Zelda #Breath of the Wild #Fire Emblem #Metroid #Star Fox #Animal Crossing #Sonic the Hedgehog #Donkey Kong

[artsy0wl]

Maul: A Broken Evil Retrospective

On a Star Wars Amino I’m in, I had made an introspective on why I feel that Maul, while he is a villain is not whole heartedly evil, but broken.  I took from said Amino post, with a few needed edit tweaks.

Chaotic Evil

Of course given the fact he was a Sith and some of the decisions he’s made, I don’t completely want to negate that in this discussion. If we were to use the alignment chart (lawful good, true neutral, chaotic evil, etc), he would probably fit best in Neutral Evil. From my understanding, Maul would fit Neutral Evil as a lot if what he does has to do with benefiting himself. Even if that means using allies (i.e. Ezra initially) and potentially betraying them (i.e. blinding Kanan once the Inquisitors were dealt with). He’ll follow things as he needs and can be calculating when he needs (like his take over of Mandalore). He’s not spontaneous enough or lacks enough restraint to be Chaotic Evil (like the Joker for instance), nor is he as calculating and “lawful” to be Lawful Evil (like say Thrawn and/or Palpatine). With that said, I’d agree that Maul has a darkness/evil in him considering all of the things he’s done. Obviously, he’s not winning any hero points by killing people like Qui Gon and Satine or blinding and attempting to kill Kanan. 

Onto why I feel he’s broken.

Palpatine: Taken From a Young Age and Molded into what Sidious Wanted

Whether it be Talzin offering Maul as a child in Canon or his mother giving Palpatine Maul as a baby in Legends (Darth Plagueis), Maul was caught in a situation that he really didn’t have much control over. Granted, his life may not have been much better on Dathomir, given how the Nightsisters used their male counterparts, but there’s no telling what kind of life he could have had, had he not been handed over to Palpatine. Maul was molded into a weapon as Darth Sidious’ apprentice. And Maul spent most of his younger years being molded into what Sidious wants. Only to be “cast aside” when he is presumed dead. With Sidious being his only form of human contact/interaction, it’s fair to say that Maul feels a level of rejection/abandonment by the only person he had a bond with.

However, rather than having a level of depression because of it, he’s angry about it. For him that seems to be a common response, along with hatred and arrogance (the latter of which was used to explain how he survived the Phantom Menace). Sidious created a weapon out of Maul. And with that, a character with no real coping mechanism or knowing how to let things go.

A lot of, if not all of, Maul’s issues can be linked back to Sidious in some way. Sidious isn’t exactly Mentor of the Year material. Especially with Maul.  Though that could be chopped up to him being a Sith and very manipulative.  He wasn’t the kindest person to the Zabrak pre or post Phantom Menace (both in canon and Legends). Either way, a lot of Maul’s issues are a direct result of Palpatine’s involvement in his life.

If it weren’t for Sidious, Maul would have a normal life (or whatever that would equate to on Dathomir). He would have had his family, would have been more level headed and maybe less cocky, and he wouldn’t have enraged abandonment issues. The amount of grief, trauma, and hatred would be vastly different

Family: He Lost a Brother and a Mother

Let’s be real, thanks to Sidious, Maul’s lost a brother and a mother (two brothers when you count Feral, though he never got to meet him). By the time Savage came around in Clone Wars, we got to see Maul sort of build his character more than say the Phantom Menace (the novels did too, but I can’t say that everyone’s read them). We also get to see Maul exhibit more emotion where, again, the movie lacks as well as the introduction of his family, Mother Talzin, Feral, and Savage. And while Maul may not have been what you’d call an “affectionate” brother, he does care for Savage to the best of his ability.

Their deaths still haunted him years after the events of the Prequel Trilogy and Clone Wars. These deaths stuck with him psychologically to the point that he is still effected by it in Rebels. Which in turn, may have contributed some to him wanting Ezra as an apprentice (among other factors).

Torture After Loss

In Son of Dathomir after Maul tries to get back at Sidious, he is captured after his last battle with Sidious in Clone Wars (season 5). It starts off with Maul being interrogated and tortured by Sidious. He makes it through without faltering and escapes with the help of the Shadow Collective. That being said, we never really get to see where his mindset is. During Son of Dathomir, he gets a lot done, capturing Dooku and Grievous (taunting Sidious and working with Dooku to fight Obi Wan and a few other Jedi before escaping). However, we don’t get to see the mental toll Savage’s death here. Though with everything going on, I guess there wasn’t time.

Now the reason I bring this up, is because part of me felt like I should and the timing. Prior to Son of Dathomir, Maul had recently lost Savage. At the end, he loses his mother. The torture and the scheming in between shows how he didn’t catch a break. And while he was able to stay strong when he had to, they never really explored how the torture effected him, which one would think he would have been.

Obsession, Insanity, Arrogance: Maul’s Faults

I do feel like I address this point. I’ve already kind of touched on his anger and arrogance (synonymously with cockiness). While training Maul, Sidious didn’t consider how arrogant he had let the Zabrak become (according to Darth Plagueis, the novel). This has Maul’s Achilles Heel since the Phantom Menace. While having a healthy dose of pride never hurt anyone, a healthy dose, Maul dose not possess.

His obsession with getting Obi Wan and Sidious is another issue. This really only pops up after his apparent death in Phantom Menace. Because after that point, Maul finds out that he was replaced by Sidious (with Dooku) and that he was bested by a mere Padawan (Obi Wan). I feel like this obsessive tendency is a combination of his feelings of abandonment and having his ego damaged.

And of course, I feel like Maul’s roughly decade long battle with insanity really didn’t help his psyche. While his sanity was restored thanks to Mother Talzin and Savage, I do feel like that’s caused more harm than good. Something like that had to feel draining after getting his sanity restored. He was sitting on a trash planet and on his own. Along with not having anything from the waist down and forced to manage with what he had. Hatred may have helped keep him alive, but his psyche during those ten years didn’t.

He has a lot of internal conflict in an emotional and mental sense. Unfortunately, these negative emotions, obsession and pride especially, cause him more harm than good.

The Ezra Bond: Feeling a Need to Replicate a Connection, Even if He Approaches it Incorrectly

By the time Rebels rolls around, Maul is older and calmer (though still proud). Obviously, he still wants to get back at the Empire for what they (more specifically Sidious) did to him. And at first, Ezra seemed like someone that he could use. This is an element that is prevalent, however, not the only aspect of their relationship.

According to Sam Witwer, Maul’s VA, Maul did have a (platonic) fondness for Ezra. And on top of wanting to make Ezra his apprentice, Maul wanted to emulate a sense of brotherhood between him and Ezra. For example, his phrase in Visions and Voices when Maul says “...We can walk that path together. As friends. As brothers.” How he said it shows how he does miss Savage and wants that family back.

That being said, how he approached this connection could be seen as manipulative and more than likely one sided.  Sure, over the course of Twilight of the Apprentice, Ezra grows on Maul, to the point where Maul wants to make him his apprentice and has an appreciation for Ezra. However, his pride and lack of planning cause a rift between them and there was a lot of mistrust on Ezra’s part, not that one could blame him.

Subsequent episodes show that Maul is hellbent on making Ezra his apprentice through any means possible. 

Maul lost Savage and Talzin, and Ezra was one of the first few people to trust him in years.  I think it’s safe to say that, in Maul’s mind, Ezra gave him a sense of belonging or connection.

Maul’s need for a connection could be interpreted as him trying to find something good in life. However, manipulative tendencies and how he was brought up, hinder him doing that in a healthy and positive way. With Savage, he didn’t need to do anything as they both had a similar plan when they met (Savage being indoctrinated into the ways of the Sith). But subsequent relationships (i.e. Ezra), Maul is at a bit of a disadvantage emotionally and morally. 

Sure, he could relate to Ezra since they both lost people they care for because of the Empire (and by extent Sidious), but manipulation and harming Ezra’s allies hinder a smoother connection. Even if a force bond was eventually made. Ezra, arguably, could have been what he needed for what he wanted and a possible change/redemption/blank slate only for things not to entirely go as plan.

Could Maul Have Something Along the Lines of PTSD?

Now, I could do a mini theory about this as I’ve speculated that with another character before. It’d be an interesting way to look at Maul’s psychology. It’s one last little avenue I thought I’d address before closing this post out. Of course, it’s worth noting that I am not a Psychology major (as interesting as psychology is). I have, however, done some research.

I do believe that Maul, to some degree, may have PTSD. But instead of exhibiting panic/anxiety, depression or easily startled, Maul has more aggressive tendencies and is easy to anger. He still lives with the trauma of the death of his brother (and mother) and flashbacks of that and other events in his life, I’m sure he’d be effected by.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while I certainly think that Maul is no hero, his life experiences certainly effected what kind of person he became. Being raised as a weapon, abandoned, and tortured would bring any normal person way down. And because that was all Maul knew, I don’t think that entirely means he’s evil. Rather, he’s a character who’s been used and abused to the point that he’s mentally and psychologically broken. Unfortunately, that effects his life in ways that make him arrogant, hateful and obsessive. And when he tries to build bonds later in life, he doesn’t know how to in a way that, while laced in trauma, has manipulative and one sided undertones.

That being said, I feel like I should round out this introspective with a little positive. While he’s definitely been through a lot, Maul is pretty resilient all things considered. He’s cheated death and managed to live through a lot of abuse. The fact that he could keep bouncing back shows just hoe resilient and determined the character is.

#Darth Maul #Star Wars #Rebels #Clone Wars #Movies #Retrospective #Theory #Speculation #Discussion #PTSD? #Chaotic Evil #Maul #Star Wars Rebels #Star Wars Clone Wars #Zabrak #Prequel Trilogy

[definitelynotscott]

LINK TO TOP TWEET OF THREAD HERE

LINK TO THE EPISODE OF HER PODCAST WITH GLADWELL HERE

Transcription below the cut.

[44-Tweet thread by @amandaknox

Does my name belong to me? My face? What about my life? My story? Why does my name refer to events I had no hand in? I return to these questions because others continue to profit off my name, face, & story without my consent. Most recently, the film #STILLWATER

/ a thread

This new film by director Tom McCarthy, starring Matt Damon, is “loosely based” or “directly inspired by” the “Amanda Knox saga,” as Vanity Fair put in a for-profit article promoting a for-profit film, neither of which I am affiliated with.

I want to pause right here on that phrase: “the Amanda Knox saga.” What does that refer to? Does it refer to anything I did? No. It refers to the events that resulted from the murder of Meredith Kercher by a burglar named Rudy Guede.

It refers to the shoddy police work, prosecutorial tunnel vision, and refusal to admit their mistakes that led the Italian authorities to wrongfully convict me, twice. In those four years of wrongful imprisonment and 8 years of trial, I had near-zero agency.

Everyone else in that “saga” had more influence over events than I did. The erroneous focus on me by the authorities led to an erroneous focus on me by the press, which shaped how I was viewed. In prison, I had no control over my public image, no voice in my story.

This focus on me led many to complain that Meredith had been forgotten. But of course, who did they blame for that? Not the Italian authorities. Not the press. Me! Somehow it was my fault that the police and media focused on me at Meredith’s expense.

The result of this is that 15 years later, my name is the name associated with this tragic series of events, of which I had zero impact on. Meredith’s name is often left out, as is Rudy Guede’s. When he was released from prison recently, this was the NY Post headline. [Picture of headline reading “Man who killed Amanda Knox’s roommate freed on community service By Lee Brown December 6, 2020]

In the wake of #metoo, more people are coming to understand how power dynamics shape a story. Who had the power in the relationship between Bill Clinton and @MonicaLewinsky? The president or the intern?

I would love nothing more than for people to refer to the events in Perugia as “The murder of Meredith Kercher by Rudy Guede,” which would place me as the peripheral figure I should have been, the innocent roommate.

But I know that my wrongful conviction, and subsequent trials, became the story that people obsessed over. I know they’re going to call it the “Amanda Knox saga” into the future. That being the case, I have a few small requests.

Don’t blame me for the fact that others put the focus on me instead of Meredith. And when you refer to these events, understand that how you talk about it affects the people involved: Meredith’s family, my family, @Raffasolaries, and me.

Don’t do what @deadlinepete did when reviewing #STILLWATER for @deadline, referring to me as a convicted murderer while conveniently leaving out my acquittal. I asked him to correct it. No response. [Picture of text from his article reading “The 2007 case of Amanda Knox, the American convicted in an Italian court of murdering her roommate, was the impetus for writer-director Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater, but in the 10 years since beginning, abandoning and starting over, it has evolved into something much more - and much better.”]

And if you must refer to the “Amanda Knox saga” maybe don’t call it, as the @nytimes did in profiling Matt Damon, “the sordid Amanda Knox saga.” Sordid: morally vile. Not a great adjective to have placed next to your name. Repeat something often enough, and people believe it.

Now, #STILLWATER is by no means the first thing to rip off my story without my consent at the expense of my reputation. There was of course the terrible Lifetime @LMN movie that I sued them over, resulting in them cutting a dream sequence where I was depicted as killing Meredith.

A few years ago, there was the Fox series Proven Innocent (@InnocentOnFOX) which was developed and marketed as “What if Amanda Knox became a lawyer?” The first I heard from the show’s makers was when they had the audacity to ask me to help them promote it on the eve of its debut. [Picture of text reading “During the panel, one TV critic wondered if the series sets out to imagine “What if Amanda Knox became a lawyer.” as an exchange student, Knox became a headline when convicted in the murder of a fellow exchange student with whom she was sharing an apartment. Knox later was acquitted by the Italian equivalent of the Supreme Court. Strong acknowledged he’d said virtually the same thing when developing the series, after seeing a documentary about Knox on Netflix. This series is a “very fictionalized version of her story, obviously,” he said.”]

Malcolm Gladwell’s last book, Talking to Strangers, has a whole chapter analyzing my case. He reached out on the eve of publication to ask if he could use excerpts from my audiobook in his audiobook. He didn’t think to ask for an interview before forming his conclusions about me.

To his credit, Gladwell responded to my critiques over email, and was gracious enough to join me on my podcast, Labyrinths. [Link to the episode of her podcast with Gladwell]

I extend the same invitation to Tom McCarthy and Matt Damon, who I hope hear what I’m about to say about #STILLWATER

#STILLWATER was “directly inspired by the Amanda Knox saga.” Director Tom McCarthy tells Vanity Fair, “he couldn’t help but imagine how it would feel to be in Knox’s shoes.” ...But that didn’t inspire him to ask me how it felt to be in my shoes.

He became interested in the family dynamics of the “Amanda Knox saga.” “Who are the people that are visiting [her], and what are those relationships? Like, what’s the story around the story?” I have a lot to say about that, & would have told McCarthy... if he’d ever reached out.

“We decided, ‘Hey, let’s leave the Amanda Knox case behind,’“ McCarthy tells Vanity Fair. “But let me take this piece of the story - an American woman studying abroad involved in some kind of sensational crime and she ends up in jail - and fictionalize everything around it.”

Let me stop you right there. That story, my story, is not about an American woman studying abroad “involved in some kind of sensational crime.” It’s about an American woman NOT involved in a sensational crime, and yet wrongfully convicted.

And if you’re going to “leave the Amanda Knox case behind,” and “fictionalize everything around it,” maybe don’t use my name to promote it. You’re not leaving the Amanda Knox case behind very well if every single review mentions me.

You’re not leaving the Amanda Knox case behind when my face appears on profiles and articles about the film. [Picture of Vanity Fair headline “Stillwater: How much of Matt Damon’s New Movie Was Inspired by Amanda Knox? By Julie Miller” with a picture from the movie below and a picture of Amanda Knox superimposed over it.]

But, all this I mostly forgive. I get it. There’s money to be made, and you have no obligation to approach me. What I’m more bothered by is how this film, “directly inspired by the Amanda Knox saga, “fictionalizes” me and this story.

I was accused of being involved in a death orgy, a sex-game gone wrong, when I was nothing but platonic friends with Meredith. But the fictionalized me in #STILLWATER does have a sexual relationship with her murdered roommate.

In the film, the character based on me gives a tip to her father to help find the man who really killed her friend. Matt Damon tracks him down. This fictionalizing erases the corruption and ineptitude of the authorities.

What’s crazier is that, in reality, the authorities already had the killer in custody. He was convicted before my trial even began. They didn’t need to find him. And even so, they pressed on in persecuting me, because they didn’t want to admit they had been wrong.

McCarthy told Vanity Fair that “Stillwater’s ending was inspired not by the outcome of Knox’s case, but by the demands of the script he and his collaborators had created.” Cool, so I wonder, is the character based on me actually innocent?

Turns out, she asked the killer to help her get rid of her roommate. She didn’t mean for him to kill her, but her request indirectly led to the murder. How do you think that impacts my reputation?

I continue to be accused of “knowing something I’m not revealing,” of “having been involved somehow, even if I didn’t plunge the knife.” So Tom McCarthy’s fictionalized version of me is just the tabloid conspiracy guilter version of me.

By fictionalizing away my innocence, my total lack of involvement, by erasing the role of the authorities in my wrongful conviction, McCarthy reinforces an image of me as a guilty and untrustworthy person.

And with Matt Damon’s star power, both are sure to profit handsomely off of this fictionalization of “the Amanda Knox saga” that is sure to leave plenty of viewers wondering, “Maybe the real-life Amanda was involved somehow.”

Which brings me to my screenplay idea! It’s directly inspired by the life of Matt Damon. He’s an actor, celebrity, etc. Except I’m going to fictionalize everything around it, and the Damon-like character in my film is involved in a murder.

He didn’t plunge the knife per se, but he’s definitely at fault somehow. His name is Damien Matthews, and he starred in the Jackson Burne spy films. He works with Tim McClatchy, who’s a Harvey Weinstein type. It’s loosely based on reality. Shouldn’t bother Matt or Tom, right?

I joke, but of course, I understand that Tom McCarthy and Matt Damon have no moral obligation to consult me when profiting by telling a story that distorts my reputation in negative ways. And I reiterate my offer to interview them on Labyrinths.

I bet we could have a fascinating conversation about identity, and public perception, and who should get to exploit a name, face, and story that has entered the public imagination.

I never asked to become a public person. The Italian authorities and global media made that choice for me. And when I was acquitted and freed, the media and the public wouldn’t allow me to become a private citizen ever again.

I went back to school and fellow students photographed me surreptitiously, people who lived in my apartment building invented stories for the tabloids, I worked a minimum wage job at a used bookstore, only to be confronted by stalkers at the counter.

I was hounded by paparazzi, my story and trauma was (and is) endlessly recycled for entertainment, and in the process, I’ve been accused of shifting attention away from the memory of Meredith Kercher, of being a media whore.

I have not been allowed to return to the relative anonymity I had before Perugia. My only option is to sit idly by while others continue to distort my character, or fight to restore my good reputation that was wrongfully destroyed.

It’s an uphill battle. I probably won’t succeed. But I’ve been here before. I know what it’s like facing impossible odds.

If you’re on @Medium reader, you can find this all here: [link to article shared above]

#long post #Amanda Knox #privacy

[crybabyddl]

I posted 8,117 times in 2021

1612 posts created (20%)

6505 posts reblogged (80%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 4.0 posts.

I added 2,764 tags in 2021

#aesthetic - 390 posts

#jatp - 368 posts

#julie and the phantoms - 352 posts

#voltron - 344 posts

#vld - 267 posts

#voltron legendary defender - 235 posts

#art - 235 posts

#keith kogane - 212 posts

#crybabyddl found this funny - 183 posts

#music - 178 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i’m literally laughing at the scene i’m writing right now. i swear i’m a comedic genius. it’s nothing revolutionary but i just think this is

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

OKAY DO Y’ALL KNOW THOSE BERNIE MEMES THAT ARE GOING AROUND WITH HIM SITTING WITH HIS MITTENS?

WELL HERE ARE MY CREATIONS!

See the full post

417 notes • Posted 2021-01-21 04:01:17 GMT

#4

🦋Random asks to spice up your life🦋

1. Which Greek god/goddess do you relate to most and why?

2. What’s your love language?

3. Which stereotypical trait about your zodiac sign do you have? Which trait do you not relate to at all?

4. Who is your favorite talk show host? Who’s your least favorite?

5. What is your favorite kind of juice?

6. What is a weird interest/obsession of yours that you probably wouldn’t bring up unless someone else mentioned they liked it first?

7. What piece of jewelry is your favorite?

8. If you were getting married, what would you wear?

9. What store would you want to live in?

10. Which restaurant/food chain is really good and refuse to take any criticism on?

11. What song makes you feel like life is worth living and makes everything feel okay and like you’re the main character and could make you cry or fall in love regardless of the actual meaning it just makes you feel whole and you consider it YOUR PERSONAL SONG?

12. What’s your favorite number and why?

13. Everyone has a dream, that vision of ourselves in an alternate reality with a career or hobby that you know won’t happen irl. What is that skill, hobby, career for you?

14. What practical subject do you wish they taught in school?

15. Which impractical subject do you wish they taught in school?

16. Who is a celebrity you fear or dislike for absolutely no reason?

17. Who is a celebrity you have zero connection to and you’ve never gone out of your way to see, hear, or indulge in their work, but would die for regardless?

18. What was the big scandal at your school?

19. What was your favorite show as a toddler?

20. What’s the story of the first time you drank alcohol?

21. Do you have a favorite vine or tiktok video/sound?

22. What is your comfort youtube video? (That video that you’ll never get tired of watching. It can be literally anything. Instant serotonin. You watch it at 3am and all is right with the world)

23. What romantic gesture would you absolutely melt over if someone did it for you?

24. Is there a location that you lowkey think doesn’t actually exist? What/Where is it?

25. Favorite animated movie?

26. A book that changed your life, made you cry, and/or when you finished it your sense of purpose was renewed or completely destroyed? lmao

27. Is there a name that nobody you know personally has that just pisses you off bc it sounds stupid? What is it?

28. Favorite color of crayola crayon?

29. Favorite early 2000s toy?

See the full post

427 notes • Posted 2021-01-26 01:51:13 GMT

#3

As DJ Khaled once said...

ANOTHER ONE

See the full post

464 notes • Posted 2021-01-22 20:12:53 GMT

#2

I found the cutest picrew!! I figured I’d share it with you guys!❤️

HERE’S THE LINK

I’m tagging @n0wornever @cordeliascrown @alexpjoyner and @jaskiers-sweetkiss but anyone who wants to do it is welcome to!💖

612 notes • Posted 2021-01-05 22:33:12 GMT

#1

In case any of you didn’t see it, here’s what’s going on:

ON JANUARY 29TH, FANTOMS ARE GOING TO BE WATCHING JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS TO TRY AND GET IT IN THE TOP 10 OF NETFLIX!

12PM - Moscow

1PM/13h00 PST - Los Angeles

3PM/15h00 CST - Mexico City

4PM/16h00 EST - New York, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, & Toronto

5PM/17h00 - Chile & The Dominican Republic

6PM/18h00 - Brazil & Argentina

9PM/21h00 GMT - Britain, Ireland, & Lisbon

10PM/22h00 - Madrid, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Prague, Berlin, Zurich, Vienna, Oslo, Copenhagen, & Budapest

11PM/23h00 - Tel Aviv

6AM - Japan (Jan 30)

8AM - Australia (Jan 30)

10AM - New Zealand (Jan 30)

Here are some helpful tips to help motivate you when the day comes!

Even if you don’t feel like watching it or have stuff to do, just play it on your device and go outside for a bit, do some yoga, do your school work, make yourself a meal, take a shower, finish a project you started and never got back around to! This is the perfect excuse to get off your phone if you don’t want to cry during Unsaid Emily!

If you have multiple devices, try going on a different profile on your netflix account, idk if this works, but maybe it’ll count as another stream bc it’s someone else’s profile and a different device!

Getting JATP to the Top 10 on Netflix is a tricky thing, especially since it’s been a few months since it came out, but if the show has taught us anything, it’s to go for it, try your best, and take the risk!

This is the perfect time to heed Reggie’s words of wisdom: TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

870 notes • Posted 2021-01-23 01:43:59 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[crystal-ball-for-brains]

|TODAY’s TOPIC| : ♡ general advice for the next 2 months ♡ pick whichever pile calls out to you strongest ♡

Pile 1 • Ethereal Visions deck and a piece of purple Amethyst🔮

Pile 2 • holographic A. E Waite Tarot deck and angelite crystal🕊

Pile 3 • Terra Soleil tarot deck I purchased off Etsy (message me for the link if you want to purchase it too, I forgot the shop’s name but we love to support small businesses♡), and a silver and obsidian ring ⭐️

Here’s a better image of Pile 1’s amethyst because the lighting in the first picture wasn’t that great lol • it’s 11:11 as I type this ;) •

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Ok, onto the ✨readings✨🎴🃏🎴🃏🎴

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

So firstly, Pile 1.

These are the cards I pulled for you.

The 4 of pentacles, the Knight of Wands, The Devil, the King of Swords, the Six of Cups and I shuffled a hand made advice deck (ignore my bad handwriting lol) that says “pot of gold, a vow, a promise already fulfilled. Turn the page.”

Ok so immediately while I was shuffling I heard music and I heard “dieting” and “diet plan” when I looked at the Devil card. So I’m getting a few messages off the bat from that,

I feel like for some of you, you might be really self deprecating or fall into habits of low self esteem and pressuring yourself to meet certain standards, I’m hearing “societal standards” that you shouldn’t be trying to force yourself to reach. I feel like this is very restrictive for your mind and body energetically because of all of that stress and pressure you’re putting onto yourself. I also feel like your guides are asking you to release some of that if it’s becoming somewhat obsessive in nature. I heard “curl your hair” so maybe some of you do that from time to time. Or maybe if you naturally have curlier hair you might straighten it, I heard “compulsively, to feel good.” Or to “feel better about yourself”. I heard you have a hard time facing your reflection in the mirror, that it feels like “you get the wind knocked out of you”. I also heard you might be neglecting some inner self reflection of some kind and this is the way that you avoid that in your mind, by using self criticism “of your weight and body size” to escape it. I heard you just want to look and feel attractive. Maybe to a friend or a coworker. Also just to yourself in general. You’re very hard on yourself and hard working, you also belittle your efforts subconsciously by never allowing anything to really be enough. I feel as though these thought patterns are stemming from your childhood. I heard “self esteem issues” I also heard “isolation” and weirdly enough “death row”- which I feel represents feeling criticized by your parents often and feeling socially ostracized at school or even in a work place you had earlier on in life. Wow. Pile 1, I just want to give you a hug. I also heard you could benefit from a safe space where you can just relax. Your guides see that and they want to help co-create that for you. Ask them for guidance and help and they will assist you. I feel like you have a very strong and deep connection with them. I also feel like (TW: skip to next paragraph) some of you might have struggled in the past with self harm and might’ve even wanted to commit suic*de. I’m tremendously sorry for you if this resonates.

Your guides want you to know that they are here for you now and that everything is going to be okay. They want to take care of you and I heard “take control of the situation”. I feel like you were meant to live this life in comfort and peace but a lot of the things from your past are still weighing you down and they want to help lift those burdens and ease those sufferings for you. Wow. I also just heard “build big business” so for some of you, you might have large aspirations for your career that you wish to get strong monetary gains from somehow. They want you to know that this is supported and they want to give you lots of abundance and good fortune in your life. They feel like you definitely deserve it after everything you’ve been through so far in this lifetime. I also feel like your soul isn’t really from here, on earth. It’s from somewhere else and that’s why you have such a strong connection to your guides and the angelic realm. I feel like they want to keep one hand on your shoulder and to comfort you in this time. They want you to know that they are there, and that they want you to be comfortable in your own skin. Ok, wow. Alright moving on to the card interpretations. • The four of pentacles represents to me security and staying in your comfort zone. I feel like this represents you hiding your body in certain clothing, even when you’re very overheated because of a lack of confidence and self love to show your body in less clothing. It also shows you limiting yourself and staying in a comfort zone of “I’ll just chill at home and worry about things later...” and barely really getting by, or barely feeling like you’re really out there living your life to the fullest when you have so much potential and you’re such a bright and loving soul. The world deserves more of you, I heard. So your guides want to listen to what you can tell them about how you’re feeling and help guide you and empower you to feel more confident.

[komahinasecretexchange]

Title: Visions

Author: @nadisabug

For: @cellophanerose

Pairing: Hinata x Komaeda

Warnings: mild language, other than that none

Prompt: I used two of the three prompts: Hinata being ‘haunted’ by Komaeda, who is still in a coma post sdr2 (whether the hauntings are real or not is up to you) AND Komaeda tracing Hinata’s “Kamukura project” scars when Hinata is overwhelmed with self-identity issues

Author’s notes: I really enjoyed writing this, I hope you like it! I will also be posting this to my AO3 so look out for that link later!

“Hinata-kun.” Gorgeous green eyes smiled at Hajime, arms open wide in an invatation that made Hajime’s heart ache.

Hajime was tired. That had to be it. He had just been relieved from duty by Fuyuhiko from watching over the program because he “was no use to anyone sleep deprived.”

It was a twenty hour shift he had just taken, marked only by the fact that Fuyuhiko worked four hours each day at the same time like clockwork. Everyone gave into the structure Fuyuhiko demanded, knowing that it was more for his wellbeing than anything. Nevermind, Kazuichi, Owari, and Fuyuhiko each watched over the simulation for four hours in rotating shifts, the last eight hours of the day designated as Hajime’s watch. Hajime usually did not abide by the rules, staying past his shift, and only Fuyuhiko had enough strength and little sympathy to tear Hajime from the monitors.

They knew once their peers began to wake up from the simulation - if they would wake up, Kazuchi was always wont to mention - their shifts would become shorter and shorter. However, they all knew Hajime’s would get longer and longer until he woke up. Hajime was obsessed with waking them up, using all of his talents and skills to manipulate the system into releasing them. He worked with the AI he met inside the simulation, Alter Ego, unlocking firewalls that barricaded them from previously accessing certain areas. He knew that they were so close. So close to waking them up. To waking him up.

So Hajime wasn’t sure if it was because he hadn’t slept in the past twenty-eight hours, or if it was because he was actually going crazy, but Komaeda was standing in front of him.

Crazy as it may seem, this was not a rare occurrence by any means. He had been seeing Komaeda everywhere, his eyes chasing his silhouette in peripherals, a flash of cream coloured hair when he opened his eyes in the morning, honeyed greens smirking at him in reflections.

But this, this was the first time the apparition had spoken.

Maybe Fuyuhiko is right, I am overworking myself, Hajime thought to himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head quickly, then opened them back up, expecting his vision to be gone.

But it wasn’t.

Komaeda was still standing there.

Arms open.

Hajime couldn’t help but imagine himself running into them. He had much clarity since he woke up from the simulation. He had regained his memories, and with that, clarity on his feelings, on how he always felt, about Komaeda. The moments they shared in the simulation were some of his most treasured memories now, seeing as they did not interact much before the simulation. He knew that Nevermind still clung to her… what was it called, boat? No, a ship. Her “ship” of Hajime and Chiaki, but everyone else was aware of how Hajime felt. It was hard not to - Hajime was on his last thread of sanity, so keeping his mouth shut was hard. Not like he cared either. They could know or not for all he cared. He just knew that they knew and they knew that he knew they knew and no one really spoke about it. Well, except for Kazuichi’s occasional lighthearted jabs. They never quite landed right though.

But, despite the fact that everything was so peaceful and no one cared about anything here, Hajime felt himself growing angry. He had been working his ass off all day and all night to bring everyone back, to bring him back, and he had the gall to show his stupid sexy face all smiling and offering something that Hajime wanted so fucking bad but knew he could never have. It was just so…. so… infuriatingly Komaeda.

So he did what an overworked, stressed, tired, angry, and quite frankly horny person would do.

He briskly walked past Komaeda, flipping him off on his way.

After the initial acknowledgement, Komaeda became more talkative. He would chatter while Hajime worked, while he ate, while he pretended to sleep. Komaeda would just follow Hajime around, talking to him, and Hajime would ignore him. He figured out that only he could see him - not that it had been confirmed or denied at this point - and as a result wrote it off as a hallucination from being over worked. Playing into it would only make it worse, he reasoned.

“You should take a nap,” Komaeda murmured, reaching out to stroke Hajime’s hair. Hajime didn’t so much as flinch at the action. He knew Komaeda wouldn’t touch him. He hadn’t yet. And Hajime couldn’t let him know that he wanted it. Even if it was fake Komaeda. At least it would be good practice for when real Komaeda woke up, pretending not to crave his touch. If he woke up. “Or just rest even a little. Just because no one has woken up yet means you are a failure.”

Hajime continued to type on the keyboard.

“Such… such hope…” Ah, here he went again. “You could have left them. You could have left us all but you haven’t. There is nothing saying that we will wake up. Honestly, everything is pointing towards us not waking up. And yet still you persist, you push on, you have such hope that we will wake up. Quiet foolishly actually. Idiotic really. Sacrificing everything for just your bizarre hope that something-”

Hajime was glad Komaeda abruptly stopped talking. He wasn’t sure he would be able to keep up his regimen of ignoring him if he hadn’t stopped speaking. However, he was concerned about why Komaeda stopped talking. He looked over at Komaeda and saw his eyes fixated on a single monitor, his mouth slightly ajar. Hajime stared at Komaeda a second longer than necessary before turning to the monitor he was observing. The displays for the still eleven occupied pods held a steady green light-active. Well, all except for one. Pod four was blinking orange. Deactivating.

Hajime ran to the pod room as fast as he could, completely forgetting on his way to notify the others.

He ended up not having to tell the others, as they ended up walking into the cafeteria where he was catching up the Ultimate Imposter to their situation. They were not happy they were left out of the beginning of the celebration, but they seemed to understand because of Hajime’s mental state at the moment.

During the celebration, Komaeda made only a short appearance. He strolled up to Hajime while he was alone at one point, leaning up against a wall next to him. Hajime gave him a smug look, then turned to the Ultimate Imposter. I told you so. I fucking told you so.

Komaeda just laughed. “Your hope was always stronger than any reality.”

Hajime wasn’t sure what it meant, but it made him feel warm for some reason. It wasn’t a normal compliment, not by any means, but it was a compliment by Komaeda’s standards. And for some ungodly reason, that was enough for Hajime. The vague but positive comments on Hajime’s hope still made Hajime feel happy, just as if Komaeda were telling him his hair looked nice, or his face was attractive or something.

…Maybe it was Hajime’s inexperience in dating. That definitely had to play a part, but it still took a certain kind of person to actually listen to Komaeda’s comments and hear them for what they actually are.

You were always strong. Stronger than anyone and anything.

That’s what he really meant. And it made Hajime feel good, even if it was just Hajime’s delirious hallucination of Komaeda.

And with the awakening of the first classmate, everyone else’s hope began to burn brighter. While they had been skipping out early on shifts before the Ultimate Imposter woke up, now they stayed late and even doubled up. They did make comments every once in a while that because they were six now Hajime could take four hour shifts as well, but those comments flew in one ear and out the other. As more peers began to wake up, Hajime began to work more and rest less. The World Destroyer Program he created was working, it was waking up classmates, but it still wasn’t waking up him. It wasn’t working enough. With each passing day he worried that somehow Komaeda was different, that maybe he wouldn’t wake up like the rest. And with each passing day, his theory only seemed stronger. Koizumi woke up, and Hiyoko, and Nidai, Teruteru, Pekoyama- and the rest. Next thing Hajime knew everyone except Komaeda was awake.

It stayed that way for a few days, which was not too abnormal. After the Ultimate Imposter woke up, it took a week for Teruteru to wake up. Yet, every single day that Hajime was awake and Komaeda wasn’t was one too many for Hajime. It was pain. Not to mention that when he did sleep he had terrible nightmares of the simulation. Visions of Chiaki being crushed all over again. Scenarios of Junko surviving despite all that everyone had done to prevent it. Images of Komaeda dead, blood everywhere. In every one, Hajime was just helpless. Useless.

Though those were the best dreams compared to the other nightmares Hajime suffered from. The ones about… the project. The worst part about leaving the simulation was regaining his memories of what happened at Hope’s Peak. And what happened when Kamakura was in control.

It was during one of these dreams when Hajime woke up screaming. He shot up in his bed, clutching at the sheets that were soaked with his sweat.

“What’s wrong?” A worried Komaeda fluttered to Hajime’s side. But he did not soothe Hajime.

Anger boiled in Hajime’s veins. Anger at Hope’s Peak. Anger at the ones who created the simulation. Anger at the people who created the Kamakura project.

Anger at himself.

So much anger towards him and only him. None of this ever would have happened. The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history would have never happened. Nothing would have happened if Hajime just wasn’t so weak. So unhappy with his pathetic, talentless self. Kamakura wouldn’t have taken those lives. Junko would have never gotten the firepower Kamakura provided. The uprising would have never happened. Nothing would have happened.

It was all his fault.

He let out a strangled scream and stood up, kicking the sheets off of him, and stormed to his bedside table. Then, in one fell swoop, he threw the bedside lamp onto the floor. It shattered into a million satisfying pieces, the lightbulb letting out a little pop. He stared at the broken mess for a second. Then, suddenly and all together, all the rage that he had been seething drained from his body. He felt like an empty shell. A ghost.

He collapsed back onto the bed, elbows on his knees, back in a tired hunch. His scars hurt. He hurt.

He felt the bed shift next to him.

Hajime cleared his voice, hoarse from screaming, and spoke. “I hate how weak I was. How weak I am still-”

“Bullshit.”

Hajime looked to Komaeda. His eyes were hard and his face stern.

“I didn’t know you were that deluded to be honest. To think that Hajime Hinata is weak- hah! You are anything but weak. At the last trial, you were given two choices. What did you pick? Neither. You made your own choice. When you woke up from the simulation, Makoto told you to leave, Byakuya told you to leave, Kirigiri told you to leave. Did you leave? No. You stayed and created a program to wake us up. You are strong Hinata, you just don’t believe you are."

"But the mistakes I made-”

“Everyone makes mistakes! And I know everyone says that but its true. We are imperfect creatures. We speed, we cheat, we lie - everyone does wrong in their life. Just because you think your wrong that you did is the worst possible one out there doesn’t mean that you should hate yourself for it. Someone else has probably made the same mistake before. Its how life works. We make mistakes. We stumble. We fall. And when we do, we don’t hate ourselves for it, we push through and become better. Because we have hope for an even better future. We have hope for a future that is perfect because it is imperfect.”

“I don’t want to have hope for a better future, I want my life to be better. I want to not have made these mistakes. I want to not hate myself.”

“Well, no one can take back what has been done,” Komaeda reached out and stroked the scars on Hajime’s head. “We can only make the best of it.”

Hajime leaned into the touch, forgetting for a moment that this was a hallucination.

“How can I do that when I don’t even know who I am? I am not Hajime Hinata, and I am not Kamakura. I am some sort of freak in-between and I hate it.”

“Does it matter who you are?” Hajime didn’t know how to respond. But he did know what he wanted Komaeda to say. I still love you, either way, whoever you may be.

“And just for the record, I don’t hate you, whoever you may be.”

Hajime smiled. That was enough for him, for now.

“Thank you, Komaeda,” he murmured. And he meant it.

“Even the strongest have their moments,” Komaeda agreed. “And you are strong,” Komaeda asserted.

Hajime smiled and turned to face Komaeda. In the dim lights his eyes shone like beacons of hope, of acceptance, of… love. Before Hajime could even think he was leaning toward Komaeda his eyes closing his heart beating his mind swirling his-

“Hinata-kun!” Fuyuhiko burst into the room snapping Hajime out of his trance. He was still sitting on his bed, leaning towards an empty space.

“What?” Hajime responded to Fuyuhiko’s curious gaze. “I couldn’t sleep. Now what is it?”

Fuyuhiko seemed to shake his confusion off. “Get dressed. You’re gonna wanna see this for yourself.”

Hope burst in Hajime’s chest. He couldn’t wait to know. “Is he…?”

Fuyuhiko nodded.

Hajime never got dressed faster in his life.

When Hajime made it to the pod room, he was breathless. He ran up to Komaeda’s now-open pod and leaned towards it. Komaeda was still asleep, eyes firmly closed, which allowed Hajime a moment to catch his breath. About once he did, he saw Komaeda’s eyes begin to flutter.

“Hey! Can you hear me?” Hajime called out to his peer.

It took a moment, but then Komaeda responded. “Ahh… Izuru Kamakura?” Komaeda held out his hand towards Hajime. “No, you’re, uh, Hajime Hinata, right?”

Fueled by his earlier revelation, Hajime responded confidently. “They’re both me.”

“I suppose I should thank you for waking me up? I knew you’d make it to the lowest stratum- I believed in you." Komaeda lifted his head, seeming to remember something. "How are the others?”

Hajime just smiled as the door behind him opened, revealing the rest of their peers waiting outside the pod room. “You’re the last one out.”

Komaeda smiled. Then, he looked pointedly into Hajime’s eyes, a small smirk present on his face. “You’re hope was always stronger than any reality.”

#komahina secret exchange #komahina #fanfiction

[ciestessde]

NOT My Hero Academia: Part 1 “The Butterfly Effect” -- Ch.1

The butterfly effect is the idea that even slight changes in starting conditions can lead to huge changes in outcome.

Tomura Shigaraki is dead. All For One is searching for a new protege. And Izuku Midoriya never makes it to the Slime User's attack on Bakugo.

(A Villain!Deku origin story.)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Quirks.

Most people in their world had them.

… And most abused them.

… and then…

There were idiots like this slime-quirk user.

All For One had sent a lackey with a stealth quirk, someone capable of staying unnoticed by the Number One Hero, in order to keep track of All Might and keep an eye out for good candidates… for Tomura’s replacement.

All For One didn’t have much choice after Tomura died. Sure, he could take just about any goon off the street with a bone to pick with All Might and turn them into a force to be reckoned with. But what would be the point of that?

What he desired was a personal connection. It wasn’t just about taking All Might -- or his successor -- down.

It was about breaking his spirit.

If watched long enough, All Might would mess up. It wasn’t ideal -- Tomura had been PERFECT -- … but it would have to do. All Might would screw up, ruin someone’s life, and he’d be there to pick up the pieces. Direct that anger. Turn that anger into hatred, and that hatred into POWER.

So his lackey followed All Might everywhere he went. And All For One watched what All Might did, and how the people around him reacted to it.

And then this slime-quirk user…

Well.

He supposed he’d seen dumber.

Through the sewers All Might went, following after the villain. And he caught the guy. Because of course he did.

And he stayed to make sure the kid who was attacked was ok. Because of course he did.

He even signed the hero-obsessed kid’s…

… Notebook…

All For One turned the mic on. It wasn’t unusual for him to tell the lackey to look closer at something. Granted, he didn’t always watch the feed, but, with All Might only able to do hero work for three hours a day, he didn’t need to. “When All Might and the kid look away, get a better view of that notebook.”

All For One wasn’t surprised it was filled with notes on heroes -- he’d expected as much from the title. No, what was surprising was how detailed the notes were.

‘And this is number thirteen? If the other twelve are anything like this one…’ “... Keep watching the kid, for now.”

After the kid woke up, and All Might got ready to leave, All For One expected to have to tell his lackey to drop watching the kid to follow the hero. But that kid… He had guts, clinging to All Might like that.

Then the icing on the cake: After landing, the kid asked, “Can someone without a quirk… become a hero like you?”

And that fool… Not only did All Might actually revert to his unpowered form in front of the kid -- the idiot actually told the kid “no” and to “be realistic”-

-and walked away!

The lackey went to follow All Might.

“No.” The lackey stopped moving. “... Stay with the child.”

Poor thing looked on the verge of tears -- absolutely crushed. ‘… He’s smart and observant. He has drive. ‘… If left alone, he probably will become a police officer like All Might suggested. An excellent one, even.

‘… Yes…

‘He’ll do nicely.’

And like that, All For One’s plan began anew. “Follow the kid. Don’t let him out of your sight.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Izuku was walking alone, away from where he’d just met his idol. Not really paying attention to where he was going. … Maybe that’s how he ended up inside all of a sudden???

He was in some kind of bar… He thought.

And sitting in front of him were two people he didn’t recognize. “... Huh?” Izuku looked around, thinking he’d just wandered into someplace he wasn’t supposed to be, starting to freak out and apologize to them.

“It’s alright. You made no mistake, Midoriya-san,” came a deep voice from the bar. “We’re the ones who should apologize to you.” Taken aback, Izuku actually stopped to look at him. The man talking, he… Well, with all the different quirks in the world, Izuku couldn’t be sure why, but… the top half of his face seemed scarred. The man didn’t have any eyes -- but seemed to be looking right at him. “-But after my subordinate heard the awful things All Might said to you, we couldn’t help but step in.”

The other man -- who looked like he was made of shadows -- set a glass of water on the counter in front of Izuku. “Please, sit down,” the eyeless man said to him, “I have some questions for you.”

“I… I really should be getting home,” Izuku said. This wasn’t good. This was the opposite of good. Everything about these guys screamed “villains” -- and they’d been watching All Might? Without All Might even knowing?! “Now, no reason to panic. Kurogiri here can get you home faster than any train. He has a portal-creating quirk, you see,” the eyeless man said, “I only want to know… how badly you wish to become a hero.”

Izuku paused, “… Huh?” his conversation with All Might flashing through his mind. “... I…”

All For One watched the kid’s face fall. That was all the answer he needed. Time to set the plan in motion. “You see, I’m in charge of a group of… well, vigilante heroes.” “Huh?!” Izuku blabbed -- then immediately covered his mouth. “Haha, it’s all right to act shocked!” the eyeless man smiled, “No need to hold yourself to formalities, go ahead and ask, if you want.” Lowering his hands, Izuku asked hesitantly, “But… why? Heroes make it to most crimes practically before they have a chance to happen! Why would…?” “Because…” All For One feigned anger, “The system is corrupt. The so-called ‘heroes’ are more focused on making money and becoming famous than on actually helping people. Not to mention the battles they aren’t fighting.

“Like, for example…” Izuku felt the man’s non-existent eyes on him again. “... society’s prejudice against the Quirkless.”

There was a beat of silence as Izuku and the man studied each other. “Tell me, Izuku Midoriya… What is a quirk? And I don’t mean the definition given in your textbooks.” “I…” he was sweating, “I’m not sure what you mean…” “What I mean, young man, is this: A quirk is…” the eyeless man got up, “... nothing more than a tool.”

Linking his hands behind his back and pacing, he continued, “Some tools are useful in a variety of ways. Others are a burden except in very specific situations. Many can be used as weapons, if turned against another person. The only difference between a tool and a quirk is that one is made… while the other is born.

“So I ask you again, Izuku Midoriya: How badly do you want to be a hero?”

Izuku, still standing, turned his head away. He looked toward the untouched glass of water, though he wasn’t really seeing it. He thought hard for a moment, then turned back to the man. The eyeless man was facing him, non-existent gaze penetrating. Izuku’s expression wasn’t nervous anymore. “No offense to you and your… organization. But not badly enough to break the law to do it.”

All For One smiled. “That won’t be a problem.” He gestured to Kurogiri, and Kurogiri handed him his own glass of… something. Alcohol of some kind, Izuku had no doubt. “We’ll just train you so you can become a licensed hero.” “Ah-!” Izuku jaw nearly hit the floor. “You…! But…!” It took him a few moments to find the words.

All For One took a sip of his drink, waiting patiently.

Izuku felt like he was about to faint. Too much was happening in one day. ‘But… if he’s serious…’ “You… You really think I could make it…?”

“Ha ha…” He looked at the boy, smiling. If Izuku weren’t so happy, he might have found the smile unnerving. “I wouldn’t even be offering if I thought otherwise. That,” he gestured toward the notebook in Izuku’s hands, “tells me all I need to know.”

Izuku looked at the notebook -- burned from when Kacchan took it, wavy pages and torn edges from its time in the pond with the fish … and with All Might’s signature in it. “Kid… Izuku Midoriya. I promise you…” He looked back up at the man promising him the world. “You have what it takes to be the world’s first quirkless hero.”

Tears were blurring Izuku’s vision before he even knew what was happening to him.

“Of course…” The man sipped his drink again. He took a deep breath. “… It will be grueling. And I won’t go easy on you. Knowing that…?” He turned back to Izuku.

Without any more prompting, Izuku answered, “I know… I’ll have to work harder than anyone else. But-!” He thought to himself, ‘I have no reason to refuse!!’ With steel in his eyes, Izuku shouted, “-I want…! TO BE A HERO!”

And the kid did, indeed, work harder than anyone else. For ten months he endured the most grueling -- but efficient -- training possible under the mysterious man he knew only as “Master.”

If anyone knew the man’s name, they never spoke it in front of Izuku.

He was trained in strength. Speed and agility. Strategy.

And even in the use of various weapons.

And when the ten months ended… He applied to the U.A. High School Hero Course.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Next Chapter]

#villain!deku #villain deku #my hero academia #izuku midoriya #fanfiction

[naruto-oc-critiques]

not to be that girl lmao, but could i get some sasuke pairing advice? i really enjoyed reading the pairing advice you gave to others but i hadn’t seen one of his yet. personally, i don’t see him being the type to really fit with anyone but? yeah please and thanks!

So, a Sasuke pairing guide.

That’s no problem. I mean, why else has he been without one for so long? It’s not like he’s super difficult to write for or anything.

he is omg help me

On a serious note, Sasuke is a complex character. That said, I think what makes him most difficult to pair isn’t necessarily his personality but these two things:

His tunnel vision. Sasuke was occupied with his goals and was only interested in seeing them realized. He didn’t pay attention to people unless they could somehow help in achieving those goals (see: Team Hebi / Taka). Sasuke was never seeking an intimate relationship (whether platonic or otherwise) because it was irrelevant to what he was trying to accomplish.

The timeline. Sasuke’s personal journey is closely linked to Naruto’s main plot—he’s pretty much the main driving force of the story. He’s got a lot going on and, combined with the previous point, there’s not a lot of wiggle room to integrate an OC into his story.

Of course, there are ways of pairing Sasuke—he just requires some careful consideration if you’re sticking with canon, which is the assumption I'm going with when writing this guide.

On that note, I want to mention something: a relationship with Sasuke will likely be a slow burn, long distance one. It will include Sasuke being MIA frequently and, when he does finally return, there will likely be baggage to work through.

This, however, should be embraced, in my opinion.

The most common approach I've seen in pairing Sasuke with an OC is to have them meet in Konoha during Part I > OC follows Sasuke to Orochimaru > OC follows Sasuke by joining Team Taka / Hebi and then profit. This approach, while giving Sasuke and OC consistent exposure to one another, is one that really works against OC creators as it creates this need to justify too many story and character deviations, which causes unnecessary frustration.

My solution: don't have OC present during every step of Sasuke's journey.

Think outside the box. Have an OC that was always an affiliate of Sound and they meet when Sasuke defects. Let OC and Sasuke first meet or reconnect after the Fourth Shinobi War. Have them meet as adults during the Boruto era. Develop your OC's life outside of their interactions with Sasuke; don't force them to always be together.

or you can just do what you want also

With that little tangent out the way, let’s talk about his personality a little.

After the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke was pretty cold. He didn't care much about relationships—or other people in general. Unless they were stronger than him, in which case, he would obsess over surpassing them. During Part I, Sasuke's capacity for empathy was a bit higher—as seen with his interactions with Team 7, among other instances—but he eventually discards this in exchange for pursuing power during Shippūden. There is a callous disregard for others during this time as well, something he doesn't begin to move past until the end of Shippūden. Following Parts I and II, Sasuke begins moving towards trying to form and strengthen connections with those around him. He's still not outwardly brimming with emotion, but he is much more capable and open to expressing those kind, caring feelings he has for others in his own way.

So, finally, onto what you probably want most: what Sasuke might like in a partner! Yay!

Someone talented and / or useful. Applicable mainly to Parts I and II Sasuke. If your OC is not as strong as or stronger than Sasuke, he's not interested, as the great Cloud Strife often puts it. OC would have to be on Neji / Gaara / Rock Lee levels of strength and notoriety to catch Sasuke's attention—everyone else is literally fodder to him. Similarly, when he's in his Team Hebi / Taka days, he's only interested in those that can help fulfill his goals. This is where issues of power level can come into play (especially during Part I), but the only advice I can really give is to just develop your OC's abilities, strengths and weaknesses.

Someone empathetic but uncompromising. Applicable mainly to post-Shippūden Sasuke. What I mean is Sasuke might want someone that understands his motives for his past actions—but would also need to see the error in them. Sasuke himself is completely ashamed of his past actions and seeks to repent for them, so I doubt he would want someone making excuses for him when he himself doesn't.

Someone steadfast in their convictions. Someone that stays on their own personal path no matter what. I think this would be appealing to Sasuke, considering how his own goals, feelings and convictions were constantly tried and tested throughout the series.

Someone accommodating. A person that understands that Sasuke won't always be there but still chooses to welcome him, maybe not with open arms, but at least with an open heart would go a long way. OC can (understandably) be upset, hurt and annoyed with him but someone that realizes Sasuke is trying in his own way to become better and is willing to work on their relationship together is cool.

Emotionally grounded and mature. I'm not saying your OC has to be without their own problems—everyone has their problems, ya know—but I think someone that is aware of their emotional needs would be able help and support Sasuke in mending his emotional needs. They'd be able to communicate and all that good jazz.

Easygoing and open. While I don't think Sasuke is bothered by loud, more rambunctious people (see: Naruto and Sakura), I do think that a calm, mellow individual could work well with him. Also someone forthright with their feelings would mesh well, in my opinion. They'd probably be the "lead dancer," if you will, when it comes to the communication aspects of their relationship—they could say the things that Sasuke might struggle to say or express without feeling the embarrassment or hesitation he might feel.

Overall, like I said, when it comes to pairing an OC with Sasuke, it's better not force things or do too many things at once. Working on a smaller scale, I think, would be ideal and more enjoyable when attempting to write a romance for Sasuke.

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend going the typical route of having an OC born and raised in Konoha jumping around the story following after Sasuke—unless, of course, you think you have good reasoning behind it. I would recommend on exploring post- Shippūden and Boruto era Sasuke, where he is more emotionally available, and there is more room for relationship building plus boruto era sasuke is pretty tasty fr fr.

But, as always, do what makes you happy and have fun with it!

- ATB

#mod atb #atb answers #naruto oc critiques #pairing guide #tagquest2020 #sasuke uchiha pairing guide #anonymous

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 50 – Yuhyung’s Scheme, and...

“What favor?”

Rael retorted, his posture frozen in poor coordination, a result of being interrupted when he was about to take a major leap towards KSA headquarter.

As he was waiting for Yuhyung’s following words, Rael was met with an unexpected heavy grit of the human’s upper and lower teeth, because of which he shifted his red irises towards the rear.

“What is it?”

The atmosphere perched upon his back turned grave out of blue, and Rael’s voice got graver to match it.

He could not fathom what could make such a hopelessly careless man so solemn without any warning.

“I know this is sudden, but I must ask you not to go to KSA.”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

“Please, could you take us to somewhere else? And I mean right now.”

They had not a second to waste for the QuadraNet project, and Rael could not be more baffled at Yuhyung’s request.

Still, as far as he was concerned, Yuhyung Jang was not the type to speak or behave with no reason, so Rael decided to give him ears.

“There’s someone after us.”

Right then Rael’s blonde hair made a rushed turn towards the speaker.

“What did you say?”

This cannot be.

I am the umbra unmatched, the sharpest steel of Kertias. There’s no way somebody, if anybody, could bypass my senses.

For the mere seconds he spent waiting for Yuhyung’s further details, the storm in Rael’s brain took his cognition towards deepest dread.

Normally he would have begun retracing everything he knows and has done until now, to ultimately and calmly deduce the most likely case that is at work at the moment.

However, he was held back by the barely-made progress of the QuadraNet project and the hardly-improved relation with the Kertia patriarchs.

What if someone did deceive my senses?

What if such qualified enemy is indeed stalking us?

What if I just went ahead and invited such surely-powerful foe to the KSA’s domain AND the country that the Noblesse has made his home?

And what if it turns out I raised the curtains for the sequel of Ignes’s assault on KSA or the trigger of this human’s trauma?

Rael could see the reprimanding faces of patriarchs ghosting within his vision.

His legs would have given out if Yuhyung had not called him once more.

“Uh, allow me to rephrase that. There’s someone after you.”

To me alone?

Does this mean this pursuer has something personal to deal with me, unrelated to Lukedonia or QuadraNet or the Union?

The tremor that was creeping over Rael’s entire shape was relatively gone.

Relatively.

“And I’d like to apologize... This is my fault.”

“What do you mean that it’s your fault?”

“Because this person is a noble just like you.”

“What? What do you...”

“There is this extremely pale man that looks like he’ll collapse if someone pokes him. Do you know him by any chance?”

“Deneb Illiness? Is that who you’re talking about?”

“Oh, that’s right. He called himself Deneb Illiness.”

Rael was aware that their history was not very beautiful.

Or rather, they had no history at all.

But is there a reason for him to chase me?

Above all, why is this human apologizing me regarding him?

Rael was busy rolling his eyes, and Yuhyung feigned guilt by tightening the entire muscles on his face.

“And for duration of my stay at Lukedonia... I served him as his eyes.”

Don’t tell me, muttered Rael in his head.

“He forecast that you’ll rarely separate yourself from me, as you are the Lukedonian ambassador for this project. So he demanded I spy on you for him.”

“...He told you to spy on me?”

“Y-yes... He said he should keep his eyes on you and even eliminate you if he has to, in order to get what he wants.”

Rael was shocked enough that someone has been trailing them from Lukedonia.

His shock was doubled upon finding out it was none other than Deneb Illiness.

Now his head was spinning to know that Yuhyung had been performing espionage behind everyone’s back for the noble with bloodless looks.

That did not mean the growth he had gone through during his strife against Union is entirely gone; despite that it took him a lot of effort to keep his lobes from being fragmented, his brain was slowly but surely whirring in process.

The only scenario he could think of to assign appropriate reason for Deneb to dare dream of watching and killing him, to the latter’s utmost displeasure, was a love triangle that involves Seira.

Though Deneb has never made his obsession with Seira conspicuous in Rael’s presence, the Kertia’s memories unfortunately remained vivid in terms of the nightmarish tea party during which he was relentlessly ripped apart by the non-octaclans.

Now he could see so very well what Deneb intended during the said tea party; it was no task at all for Rael to link the enlightenment to the fact that Deneb was currently on the chase for him.

“So, did he slip that he’ll be coming all the way to Korea for me?”

“No, he warned me that once you depart, he will wait several minutes before he sets off, so that you wouldn’t notice how you have an uninvited guest looking for you. He added that once he gets caught in a battle with you... He will go all out against you, whether I’m there or not, lest you note we have a connection. He was basically telling me that I’m on my own when it comes to my life.”

“He didn’t order you to relay all this to me, did he?”

“No. Consider it my repentance, albeit late, for deceiving you and other nobles and being unable to beat his coercion and...”

Yuhyung deliberately let the end of his speech droop, in order to make taut the bond of faith Rael has attached to him.

He knew how Rael will react after this.

Rather, he was hoping he knew correctly.

Actually, there was no need to hope; he was already confident that his knowledge will be as true as it can be.

He remembered how that pallid noble admitted himself that his competence in combat cannot be even dubbed competence, compared to what Rael could exercise.

He even specified that he would last less than 3 seconds given that the Kertia pulls out something called soul weapon.

Yet Yuhyung knew that now Rael will recalibrate his destination so that he could settle this quietly by himself.

Based on what he had picked up during his business at Lukedonia, Rael Kertia is fatally conscious of himself.

Though Yuhyung had not the faintest idea who could make him so self-conscious, there was no doubt they were influential enough to make THE head of the Kertias fear his own word and action.

And Rael was severely afraid of providing them with reason to give him a heart-rending lecture, which Yuhyung assumed will be in effect whether he is within or beyond Lukedonian boundaries.

Which gave Yuhyung conclusion that he would not want to cause any trouble in Korea, no matter how brief or small it is.

Therefore, if he is to cast an idea that he must deal with Deneb by himself without anybody else’s awareness, Rael would not be able to walk away from such option.

“Are you going to be okay? I feel like we’re about to have a skirmish with your own kind. Uh, but I’m not questioning your fighting capabilities! They have already been deemed worthy during your struggle against the topmost modified humans from the Union.”

Rael’s lips remained zipped as he listened.

“B-but still... Forgive me for being nosy, but I’m worried you might get caught in trouble once your people find out that you had a physical issue with your own kind during your mission related to the QuadraNet project, though you’re not the cause...”

With the bait out in open, Yuhyung expected Rael to take a bite; and the noble did, by exhibiting awfully dense fear.

Rael’s face was invisible from Yuhyung’s angle; nevertheless, he could see what Rael was going through, thanks to the shiver Rael’s backside delivered to his chest, which was certainly not there before.

“...Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he will not lay his hands on you. And... I must ask you not to spill this to any other soul.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, sir! I happen to be going against my boss’s order to come back as soon as possible.”

“...Now, I shall take you there.”

“There...? What there?”

“I’m terribly sorry I must take you there, but... That’s the only place in this country that comes with an empty space big enough so I wouldn’t have to mind my surroundings during brawl.”

Rael said no more, and Yuhyung, having foreseen this, simply nodded to show his consent.

The spot that bloody chaos took place due to Lunark, Zarga, Urokai, and 8th Elder remains as a concrete desert that looks like a crater created by a gigantic meteor.

To Yuhyung, it is the birthplace of everything that had ever happened to him.

‘As much as I’m still unpleasant to even near that place, I suppose it’s only logical that I finish everything there.’

Rael told him once more to hold on tight, and Yuhyung followed suit, as his lips shrunk in infinitesimal rate.

I’m almost there.

Just a little bit more, and I’m gonna make it.

*****

Meanwhile, somewhere across the sea

Pow! Thud!

Pow!!!

The blue-black surface was being bombarded with an array of deafening noise and aquatic pillars humongous enough to swallow an apartment at least twelve stories high.

Faster... Faster! Come on, don’t fail me now, my legs!

Lunark had been mercilessly kicking across the sea ever since she had passed the shorelines of Korea.

During her race, the wrinkles rooted to her forehead and corners of her lips did not fade a bit.

She could only come up with the worst of the worst-case scenarios regarding what the definitely-to-shred-into-pieces man who repaid her beloved’s hospitality with betrayal would be up to at this very moment, which got renewed and worsened every second.

Which is why she could catch the silhouette of Frankenstein’s island much faster than usual.

She could soon behold the island’s face, and that was when her own face began to shift.

‘...Did my eyes choose to go on a strike because of the recent series of business trips I booked myself in a series? That island shouldn’t look like that.’

Lunark closed the distance with the island that had obviously gotten monochromatic in overall, and she found herself in stupefaction.

“What in the...?”

The heavenly sight that almost rid her of her purpose of visit during her introduction to the place was nowhere to be seen.

Everything – emerald-hued leaves and bushes, petals of thousand colors waltzing in the wind, and horde of butterflies flashing their mesmerizing natural dyes – were all gone, as if telling her that they were all her imaginations.

She was instead met with the aftermath of the scent from something burned and the concrete debris that had been flung to the corners of the island.

‘Did they put up a round while I was on my way?’

After a pregnant gulp, Lunark forced her half-petrified legs to move.

Before she could even take good several steps towards the building, she gasped at the mind-numbing, creepy feeling grasping her from head to toe.

It was, according to Lunark’s personal impression, what one would feel if death is made compatible with sixth sense.

And the only time she could ever feel like this happened when Frankenstein summoned the cursed weapon to brandish his cursed power.

Her mind already surmising that there was at least a bloodshed in this place, Lunark hurriedly ran, her cloak flying about behind her, until her eyes caught a figure ahead.

‘Is that him...?!’

(next chapter)

At the moment I happen to be composing chapters that feature battle scenes, but the chapters I’m posting didn’t even get started yet lol. Which reminded me that as much as I’m moving on to the highlight of this fic, I still have a long way to go until the finale. XD

#korean webcomic #korean webtoon #fanfic #noblesse #frankenstein #lunark #frankensteinxlunark #wolfsbane

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

The OTHER Members of Eve’s Coven

Me and @lilmissrantsypants couldn’t fit all the coven in as cameos in chapter 3, so here’s a rundown on the members who didn’t make an appearance. I added some of the stuff that inspired us into making the characters, My wife just went crazy with descriptions for her characters.

Aleister & Tantomile Deering: A pair of twins who were orphaned during WWII. They had to scrape by to survive, with Tantomile whoring herself out for drug money. They were turned when Aleister begged for help as his sister was overdosing. They were plagued by psychic visions as mortals, their powers awakening fully when they were turned. They are practically inseperable nowadays.

Power: Aleister and Tantomile have innate psychic abilities, activated by touching someone. Tantomile can see into a person’s past, while Aleister can see multiple outcomes the future could hold and then latch on to the most likely scenario. Their vampiric power is a twin link that allows them to experience the emotions the other one does, as well as keep them connected.

Inspiration: The psychic cat twins Tantomile and Coripocat from Cats 

My wife came up with the basic concept and we workshopped them together from there; it’s a joint effort. She does Tantomile, I do Aleister.

Bartholomew Comstock: An overly aggressive puritan who was despised by his fellow townsfolk, he was banished from his New England home and forced to start a farm on his own. He nearly perished in the winter before Eve turned him. His hatred at being a disgusting, demonic creature such as a vampire is only ameliorated by his knowledge that Eve, having once been the angel Samael, ‘confirms’ his beliefs and allows him to eternally punish those he views as sinners.

Power: He believes his power gives him great strength against sinners, allowing him to inflict pain upon those who have done foul deeds. In truth, it is actually his own sins that give him strength, though his power does weaken as he exerts himself or runs low on blood (he cannot become unstoppably powerful).

Inspiration: The dad from The VVitch

Beatrix Cullen: Beatrix Cullen was a happy woman once, a skilled seamstress in the 1950s who simply loved the act of creation. She had an adoring boyfriend, and the two were set to be married, with Beatrix making a gorgeous wedding dress for her special day. But on that day, her groom never arrived, as he had been killed in a car accident on the way. Stricken by grief, Beatrix was easily convinced by Eve to join her coven, with the promise that perhaps her power could help her bring her husband back some day...

Power: Beatrix can imbue any object such as a sculpture or statue with life, essentially making golems without a magic scroll. Her most trusted golem is her mannequin, Manny, who often tries to steal her wedding dress. Her ultimate goal is to use her natural skills and her power to bring her husband back to life, stitching a Frankenstein monster of him and pieces of sleazy men who hit on her into a perfect flesh golem.

Inspirations: The bride from the Haunted Mansion, Kill Bill, Frankenstein, that one Tumblr post about 50s housewives fighting zombies with chainsaws, La Pascualita, Pegasus from Yu-Gi-Oh

Blanche Atterton: Daughter of Lady Drusilla Atterton, she grew up wanting nothing more than her mother’s love, though her mother was often far too preoccupied with “other things” (which she later learned was all of her plotting and planning to ensure her riches).When given the choice for vampirism, she excitedly vowed her loyalty to her mother and Eve. As she was only 15 at the time and children would not survive the turning, her mother waited until she turned 21 before turning her.Blanche does everything for her mother’s attention and love. She doesn’t hesitate to do her bidding in hopes of her mother praising her for it. She’s misguided, not evil, though her mother’s praise has given her a superiority complex and she’s a bit of a narcissist.

Power:  Blanche’s power gives her a powerful, painful scream. Those within 5 feet of her screaming will suffer from temporary deafness for 5 minutes. Whether they fall deaf or not, bleeding from the ears is very common, especially among mortals.

Inspiration: Drizella from Cinerella

Dee Comporre: Giorgio Nero’s faithful, somewhat obsessed bodyguard. She quite obviously has a crush on him due to her hatred of any woman who so much as interacts with Giorgio, though Giorgio just sees her as being a bit overprotective. She has a shaved head, and paints her face to look like a skull.

Power: She can secrete and spit a powerful corrosive acid that can melt through even metal.

Inspirations: D’Compose from InHumanoids

Dorian Ferris: A serial killer known as “The Ferryman,” who always leaves coins over his victim’s eyes. As a mortal, he had far too many close calls, and was nearly caught several times, particularly during a bout in a town back in 1999. He tends to target wicked people such as domestic abusers, rapists, crooked cops, and so on, sending them down the River Styx ahead of time to make the world a better place. He willingly joined the coven to escape punishment. More than anything, he just wishes to live a quiet, peaceful life.

Power: Has luck manipulation, which can allow him to do everything from dodge attacks by near misses or turn his surroundings into a Final Destination movie for opponents. He tends to activate a particular mode based on the whims of a coin toss. 

Inspirations: Jinx from Teen Titans, Final Destinatiin, Two-Face, Yoshikage Kira

Elizabeth Bathory:   The Blood Countess herself. After evading death in the 1600s thanks to Eve, she became a loyal follower of the demon, and was recruited into the Order of the 1800s. Dracula and Rasputin managed to defeat her and supposedly kill her, but Bathory is notoriously hard to slay. True to her infamous reputation, she tends to “Feed” by bathing in the blood of her victims. 

Power:Bathing in blood gives her an insane power boost; the longer she soaks, the stronger she gets. She can also absorb blood through her skin, though she can’t absorb the blood of supernatural beings this way.

Elvis Rey: Growing up near the border, Elvis always wanted to be like his hero, Elvis PResley. He obsessively watched the man’s performances and learned his every move. When the man died, he vowed he was going to become the greatest Elvis impersonator that ever lived. The 80s weren’t too kind to him, and drinking, gambling, and overeating left him looking like chubby later-years Elvis. With debt collectors crawling down his neck, he turned to Eve, and became a powerful vampire.

Power: He is capable of replicating any non-supernatural ability he sees. For example, if he watched a martial arts movie, he would be able to pull off those moves. Think the comic book character Taskmaster. 

Inspirations: Elvis (Presley), Elvis (God Hand)

Giorgio Nero: Giorgio Nero was a member of Cosa Nostra who attempted to retire from this life due to his wife and child. However, his past would eventually catch up with him, and his child was nearly killed, which lead to Giorgio accepting an offer he had once rejected, but now couldn’t refuse: vampirism and joining with Eve’s coven. Despite everything, he is an honorable man who dearly loved his wife and adores and accepts his child.

Power: You know Magneto? Like from X-Men? Imagine that but instead of a Holocaust survivor it’s an Italian guy. Boom.

Inspirations: Magneto, Risotto Nero from Vento Aureo, Metlar from InHumanoids

James Wilson: James was born in 1812 as a slave. When he was 8, he was gifted to the man one of his master’s daughters married, along with 13 other slaves. As his former master’s name was Wilson, he took that as his surname. He worked as a stablehand until he became a farmer at age 12. After a rather brutal beating when he accidentally dropped a bag of freshly picked potatoes at age 25, James encountered Eve. She promised to help free him. She turned him into a vampire (1837). He lived on the run until the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and went into full effect in 1863. James used to speak in thick, Gullah speech, but over time, it has lessened as he acquired modern language.

Power: James’s power gives him the ability to summon and play with water. He can use it however he wishes: to drown someone, to create a small unnatural pool to swim in, or to cool someone off with a quick sprinkle. This comes from his silent love for water, though he wasn’t ever allowed to swim or play in it.

Inspiration: Splash Mountain

Juno Nero: The child of Giorgio Nero. They tend to wear long black coats, masks, and facial bandages to hide their face and body due to extreme anxiety. They are mute as well, and communicate via sign language. They are nonbinary.

Power: They can stretch their body like rubber (think Elastigirl, Rubber Band Man, Plastic Man, you get the idea).

Inspiration: Tendril from InHumanoids

Lady Drusilla Atterton: Born in 1852 in England as Drusilla Graham to a middle-class family. She grew up idolizing the wealthy and decided she would do whatever it took to become wealthy herself.Met Josiah Kipling, a 28 year old man, when she was 22. He fell madly in love with her. She was overjoyed as he was quite wealthy. They married in 1874 and had two daughters together (Katharine [1875] and Blanche [1877]). However, after 8 years of marriage (1882), Drusilla (now age 30) fell out of love with him and secretly laced his food with rat poison, ultimately killing him. As they had personal chefs, it was deemed to be the fault of the chef, who was arrested and charged with the crime. As his widow, she inherited a share of his wealth.Over the next 10 years (1882-1892), Drusilla married 8 other wealthy men from all over the country, all who mysteriously died less than a year later in what were deemed to be unfortunate accidents.

Donald Thompson, married in 1883, died in a carriage accident.

Maurice Parker, married in 1884, died of a laudanum overdose.

Timothy Edwards, married in 1886, died by drowning

Christopher Watson, married in 1887, died by falling out of a second story window

Nathaniel Harris, married in 1888, died of apparent suicide

Bernard Carter, married in 1890, died of a hunting accident

Percy Clarke, married in 1891, died after being attacked by a burglar

Timothy Atterton, married in 1892, died in bed (cause unknown)

She met Eve in 1892 shortly after marrying Timothy Atterton. Eve had heard of her reputation as the Cursed Widow (but knew full well her husbands’ deaths were her doing). As Eve was extremely weakened, Amon turned her. With Eve’s assistance, she killed her final husband by scaring him to death by introducing him to Eve. Drusilla vowed her loyalty.With the knowledge of how to turn another from Eve (as Amon refused to tell her how), Drusilla offered the gift of vampirism to each of her daughters. Katharine ( refused and cut herself off from her mother, instead choosing to live a full and honest life. Blanche, on the other hand, being so keen to be accepted and loved by her mother vowed her own loyalty to both her mother and Eve. When she turned 21, Drusilla turned her as well (as she was informed that youth would not survive the turning).

Power: Her  power allows her to paralyze her target with a simple cold stare for a full 5 minutes.

Inspiration: Lady Tremaine from Cinderella

Lord Gordon Ruthven: A rich, aristocratic vampire who enjoyed luring in and preying on young women. He was part of the Order of the 19th century. He is currently a severed head, as his body was destroyed by the Silverwings.

Power: Can exude a charm aura that makes women more susceptible to his commands and desires, though it only works on women capable of being attracted to him (it would not work on lesbains, for instance).

Mabel Lockhart: A sickly young girl whose father made a deal with Eve to keep her from dying. Her dad is currently missing, and she is unsure if he’s even alive.

Power: She has the ability to absorb energy, such as steam energy, electrical energy, etc and gain boosts and power depending on what type she absorbs. For example, absorbing electrical energy would allow her to to shoot lightning. She can also absorb a person’s energy, but at most she can make them very lethargic and gets little else from absorbing that sort of energy.

Inspiration: Loosely based on the Pokemon Magearna

Maddox Hinton: Maddox was born in 1863 in a small town in England. He doesn’t talk much about his past, but he does boast about how he and his father were valued hypnotists in their small town. He was his father’s apprentice, learning how the art of hypnotism worked, though he wasn’t quite as successful as his father. This was what Eve used to convince him to turn to vampirism. It occurred when he was 25 and preparing to take over the family business.His power helped him convince his customers that they were actually under the effects of hypnotism. His father simply believed that taking over the business helped him tap into his true potential. 

He continued this way until Eve demanded his help. He lied to his dad, telling him he was going to travel abroad and spread their business, causing his father to take over the business once again.Maddox served Eve for a few years before she told him she didn’t need his help anymore. It was likely this that irritated him so much that he eventually became loyal to Amon while under the very convincing facade he’s loyal to Eve.

The rest of his past is unknown. All he will often tell people is he traveled all over the world, performing great feats under fake names as “world-renown hypnotists”. Maddox is a wild card. He does things for the fun of it or for his own pleasure, often without any sympathy towards others.

Power: Maddox’s power allows him to take control of another (similarly to Gabby’s). However, he can take control of up to two people at once. Instead of physically puppeteering them, he simply suggests they do something and they do it.

Inspiration: Vex from Lost Girl

Margaret Derwin: Margaret was born in New York City in 1902. She grew up with a love for music, particularly singing. She had dreams of becoming a famous singer.When she was 18, she pursued these dreams. She got a job as a dancer at a speakeasy with hopes of, eventually, being able to become one of their singers in time. It was there that she met Elizabeth, one of the other dancers. They secretly fell in love (which answered Margaret’s confusion about why she wasn’t interested in men). Eventually, they decided to run away to California together. They made plans and prepared for this, but on the day it was to happen, Elizabeth never showed up. Margaret later discovered she had changed her mind and, instead, was going to marry a man she’d met at the speakeasy.Eve found Margaret heartbroken and wandering the streets looking for a new job after quitting at the speakeasy (as it was too difficult to continue working there when Elizabeth was still there). Eve easily wooed her to her side. Though, as Margaret had good intentions, Amon had eventually been able to convince her to assist him instead as he wanted to ensure Eve would stop preying on innocent people like herself.

Power:  Margaret’s power involves her voice. Through singing, she can influence one’s emotions depending on her intentions (anger them, seduce them, calm them down, soothe them to sleep).

Nora: Nora’s memories are very faded. She knows she was born to a very poor family in Ireland. She knows she was sold as an indentured servant at age 13 in exchange for her tickets to America, board, and food. She knows she worked for that American family for 7 years. She knows she caught influenza and was promptly fired by the family for fear she’d infect them all. She knows she was near death, wandering the streets alone, when a massive black snake promised to save her. At the time, Nora believed it was just an illusion. She found out the next day, however, that it was not. She’d been saved by the gift of vampirism.Nora lived a long, long time as a homeless woman. She watched as America grew into a country of its own. She preyed on any she could find in order to survive. Eventually, she took residence in an abandoned house on a street. Over time, rumors spread that a ghost lived in the house on Blackwell Street. Her appearance and her power did much to add to this as well, as did the occasional mysterious deaths of those who wandered into the house hoping to catch a glimpse of the ghost.

Power: Nora’s power allows her to become visible or invisible on command. She can only switch from one to the other every 10 minutes. She often uses this to frighten mortals and uphold her identity as the Ghost of Blackwell Street.

Tony Sugar:  Tony Sugar is the owner, spokesman, and iconic figure of the Lost Paradise Candy Company. With the help of Amon, he became one of the first successful Black candy makers in America. He’s very flamboyant, campy, and charismatic—essentially a black Willy Wonka. He is pansexual because, in his own words, “everyone deserves a little Sugar.” He is also an avid beekeeper.

Power:  He has the power to “mellify” corpses, filling them with a honey-like substance and turning them into zombies.

Inspirations: Tony Todd’s Candyman, Ruby Rhod, the song “Sweet Bod,” the myth of the mellified man

Walter Sherman: Formerly a college professor and devoted family man from the dawn of the 20th century, Walter was a good man known for always thinking forward and being able to accept new changes in the world. However, when a freak accident claimed the life of his wife and child, he couldn’t handle it and attempted suicide before being saved by Amon. He’s mostly in the coven out of loyalty to Amon.

Power: He has the power of adaptability, allowing him to easily adapt to any situation. For example, using lightning against him would make him adapt lightning resistance.

Inspirations: The Carousel of Progress

Wayne Nicol: A formerly friendly clown who was forced to witness unspeakable horrors during WWII. He survived the horrors, but was left fundamentally disturbed by the nightmare he had lived through. He joined the coven hoping to find some sort of safety, but as it turned out, Eve had other plans.

Power: Has the power to control and manipulate a person’s fears to weaponize against them.

Inspirations: Scarecrow (Batman), Pennywise, Freddy Krueger, The Day the Clown Cried

#The vampirino story

[dennou-translations]

Violet Evergarden the Movie: Special Interview

Public commemoration for the Violet Evergarden movie! Featuring the series producer, Hatta Shinichirou.

Raw || Index

――Firstly, could you tell us the circumstances from when it was decided that the original novel by Akatsuki Kana-san was going to be animated into a TV series?

The original was the first winning work of the Kyoto Animation Grand Prize, as its story, which depicted the importance of delivering feelings through letters, pierced through the hearts of the judges, who are living in the current digital era, so its victory was decided unanimously. From that point on, comments such as, “I want to transform this deep work into animation” arose amongst the staff members of Kyoto Animation/Animation Do, and this led us to the TV series.

――Was the production of “Violet Evergarden the Movie” decided from time you started making the TV Series?

I was not expecting it when we began the series’ production, but the TV series portrayed the figure of Violet Evergarden living her life, and we believed that depicting the future from then on would be the conclusion point of this work, so taking the TV series into account, we decided to portray it in detail through a theatrical version.

――So you commenced the movie adaptation when the TV series’ broadcast ended.

This topic came up for a little bit when we were making the TV series. In episode 10, there was a story where fifty letters ghostwritten by Violet are uninterruptedly delivered to a girl named Ann for fifty years. While making this episode, we staff members were talking amongst ourselves things such as, “How was Violet doing during the time those letters were being delivered?” and, “What happened to her in the end?”. They linked up in a natural manner with the concept of this movie, which depicts “her future”.

――With what kind of balance did “Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto-Memories Doll”, which was released back in 9/6/2019, progress towards the movie?

The production of the Gaiden and the movie happened at the same time. Director Fujita Haruka was the one in charge of the Gaiden as her directorial debut, so the work also included this challenge for her. The Gaiden is but a sidestory, so the idea was to follow it and make a conclusion in the movie, which depicts Violet’s future even further.

――The movie is an original story in film format, right?

That is right. The narrative of the TV series differs from the novel in the first place, so it is a matter of course that the movie will be an original one. But the author, Akatsuki Kana-san, shared with us conditions for the scenario and settings, thus the movie also properly reflects the essence of what is most cherished in the novel. I hope that the people who enjoyed the original work will enjoy her future again with a different flavor to it.

――Yoshida Reiko-san has been writing the script since the TV series; what do you deem as the charm of her screenplay?

I guess it is the fact that she wrote sensibly about Violet Evergarden as a young woman. On top of having Violet stand at the center, she also granted her the function of narrator, and I think she was able to very finely portray the process where Violet could do nothing at first but then developed through the meetings she had with all kinds of people and through accomplishing the jobs assigned to her by them. I have the impression that she operated in tandem with director Ishidate.

――So she saw the same world as director Ishidate.

Right. The drama’s course of action was the same for both of them, and the outlook configurer, Suzuki Takaaki-san, created the foundation for the worldview that the two had pictured, so the image of a work where they were cooperating with each other became even more solid.

――What are the highlights of the movie’s story?

If I had to say it, there are several parts of the TV series where Violet is the point of view, thus it became a composition where she pieces together the feelings of the many people she met through her ghostwriting job. On the other hand, we are matching the focus of this movie with Violet’s way of life itself, so I believe this will be a big highlight.

――It also has the charm of a “story that tells about love”.

Agreed. To begin with, having been raised as a “weapon” since she was little, Violet had no idea what emotions were and did not understand the “I love you” that Gilbert had conveyed to her, so she was looking for what they were. In the TV series, we have portrayed her until she comes to understand the meaning of “I love you” a little through her many encounters, but in the movie, this “I love you” has become the very base of the developments. How does Violet personally feel about “I love you”? We would like everyone to watch over it.

――Then it seems we will be able to see her growth and evolution in it too.

You are right. If it were the former Violet, there was the fact that she also did not understand her own emotions, so I believe she was pushing her way forward according to the course of events, but now she has become able to properly dig up people’s feelings and take action after thinking about them. This is a growth greater than any other for her, but since she became capable of understanding her own feelings, Violet’s “I love you” has turned into something madder and more dramatic.

――What are the distinctive characteristics of director Ishidate Taichi and the appeal of his work?

He is a director full of obsessions and skills, from the making of the art to the layouts, up to the action of the animation. Moreover, he strongly loves the young woman named Violet Evergarden as if she were his own daughter, so I guess the fact that he had the resolve to handle and depict her life steadily is appealing of him as a director.

――These strong feelings can also be felt from the script. The climax where the complicated thoughts of Violet and the people that she meets will surge and intertwine seems like it is going to be terrific, both drama and animation-wise, so I am looking forward to it.

Director Ishidate’s passion is incredible. From the cityscapes to the landscapes, from the actions to the ways of presenting Violet, every single cut is drawn dynamic and carefully. Not even the smallest detail is compromised, and he carries his obsessions to extremes until the last minute.

This work was developed with the intention of being delivered to people all over the world since the start. The director’s posture during the production transmits his desire to make the series even better, and the staff is also frantically getting to grips with it, so we are working on it as one.

――Following the Gaiden, instead of the TV series’ screen proportion of 16:9, the movie be of a theatre-appropriate size of 2.31:1, which broadens the sides, so are there any obsessions with that as well?

The one who first suggested it to be made with this screen size was director Fujita, who had discussed with director Ishidate about what the adequate animation making would be for watching “Violet Evergarden” in the theaters. Because of this, the sky, sea and mountains are drawn larger and more dynamically. The necessary composition and essence of the paper we use is also related to its size, so along with the Gaiden, it turned out as a challenging work in our production struggles.

――I also believe there are many fans looking forward to the abilities of the character designer and general animation director, Takase Akiko-san.

Takase-san is also someone who has the story and vision inside herself quite clear, such as, “I want Violet to be this kind of woman” and, “I want Gilbert to be this kind of man”, which become the characters’ peculiarities and strong points. I think this plays a big part on the reason why the individuals she draws are so charismatic.

――The nearly-completed movie is about to become a masterpiece over two hours long, and this is also a result of director Ishidate and the staff unleashing their obsessions, isn’t it?

We must handle and depict the life of the young woman named Violet Evergarden in a steady way. The director’s sense of responsibility also shows in that he says we simply needed this much if we were supposed to make a proper “Violet Evergarden Movie”.

――I believe there are also people who will be discovering the world of “Violet Evergarden” through this movie, but can they expect it to be a work that they will also be able to enjoy?

It has turned into something that people can enjoy quite a lot even if they watch only the movie. Aside from the usual work of the young woman named Violet Evergarden and her sentiments from such occasions, the people involved with her and her feelings are portrayed carefully, as they had always been until now, so the easiness to watch this work and dive into it have not changed from the time of the TV series. Should anyone become interested in her way of life after watching the movie, if they go over the TV series and then watch the movie once again, there will be further depth to the story, so I think it would be even more fun.

――Lastly, please leave a message for the fans who are looking forward to the Violet Evergarden Movie all over the world.

“Violet Evergarden the Movie” will be the finale of this work, which started with the TV series. The staff is making it while putting their utmost thoughts into it, and it has gone through to a point where director Ishidate and the screenplay writer, Yoshida Reiko-san, decided that they cannot write any further. I would be happy if people could warmly watch over the lifetime of the young woman named Violet together. I strongly wish that we will be able to share our feelings with the fans who watched this series, and that our thoughts will connect with the future. Thank you very much.

#violet evergarden #violet evergarden movie #fyeahvioletevergarden #kyoani #kyoto animation #hatta shinichirou #interview #my translation

[antihero-writings]

Red and Gold (Ch1)

(Absolutely incredible cover art by _xstylyricax_ on instagram!! I’ll put a link to her profile in a reblog!!)

Fandom: Pandora Hearts

Fic Summary: Memories of a strange music box in Ada's occult shop intertwine with a present where she meets the equally mysterious pirate Vincent Nightray...

Notes: Originally written for phsecretsanta2018 for tumblr user @endoreon!!​ 

I'll put chapter 2 in a reblog, and links to both chapters in a reblog too!

Chapter 1: Whispers

Ada placed an old compass on the shelf, between an antique sextant and a dull crystal.

She turned to face the rest of the shop, smiling and putting her hands on her hips, proud of her work; she had just finished tidying up the place, putting everything in order, and could finally have a moment to relax, and admire the way everything gleamed.

Outside the sun always shone bright, reflecting off the white sand, sending green shadows onto the ground as it sifted through the palm leaves. Inside, the low light that filled the shop, emanating from candles, lanterns, as well as a few crystals hanging from nets, (and the occasional mysterious object), bouncing off the wooden walls, creating an atmosphere of dormant animation in the darkened place. Almost like the shop itself was lying in wait for something to happen, like if you broke a single object, all the spirits would come spilling out, and the place would live.

“Mew!”

Ada knelt down to scratch her cats’ ears.

She had had this shop for a few years now; for a long time, she had tried to learn about the occult, in attempts to bring her brother back from the Abyss, and in the midst of her research, had become a bit of an enthusiast, and had collected too many occult artifacts for the spare Vessalius house to hold. She didn’t use all of them, so she decided to start selling them to interested parties. From there she started collecting things just to sell. When she was at school, or otherwise couldn’t man the shop, she had servants watch over the place, (she warned them not to tell her uncle, or anyone who might not approve, or start spreading rumors). She had also hired someone to find more artifacts—(at sea, buried beneath the sand, anything)—both for her own fascination, as well as the shop.

Those who knew of her knew that she wasn’t just some collector, she was very knowledgeable in the ways of the occult, and novice practitioners, or fanatics, would come to her for advice on spells, or the authenticity of the objects they had found on their own. Some of them genuinely shared her interests—(she could talk to them for hours if she didn’t curb her excitement)—but sometimes people came in who were more…creepy than anything. Of course, by the nature of her hobby, often she herself couldn’t tell the difference.

“Now, now, you’ll have to wait outside. You’re not old enough to take part in the ceremony yet.”

Ada gasped, spinning around wildly. “Who’s there?!”

“Mew!” Snowdrop responded.

She petted her cat once more, looking around.

No one. Wooden walls and a breeze.

She breathed out. It wasn’t exactly unheard of that objects such as these could give off strange visions, or spill voices into one’s ears, and she was no stranger to the dark and the dangerous. It was surely just a particularly powerful object, which was simply doing its job, and someone would buy it soon enough.

Despite her mind’s attempts to reassure her, she probably should have been listening more carefully.

For the next few weeks, intermittently when she was in her shop, whispers would tread the air around her. Simple words, cries, accusations, voices that—dare she admit it?—she recognized.

Her brother’s, her uncle’s, her father’s, and—somehow worst of all—her own.

Her own voice, sounding so pitiful, so lost, and tiny.

Did she still sound like that?

After a while, it wasn’t hard to recognize what they were: memories. Memories of a past calling back to her. A sad and empty past that she had tried to forget. A past in which the Baskervilles threw her brother into the Abyss, and that place kept him from her for ten years.

Was this just her mind playing tricks on her? Was it all in her head? Nothing real?

But, of course, these memories were real. She just didn’t think of them too often, because she didn’t quite like that fact.

What kind of an object could do this? Why would someone create such an object in the first place? What should she even be looking for?

She tried to block them, to find something else that would drown them out, to cover her ears, but the whispers seeped in through the boards she nailed over her mind’s doors, and the cracks between her fingers.

The murmurs followed her. They pooled in her brain when she left the shop, and didn’t drain away. They grew louder. There came a point when she tore apart her neatly polished shop in search of the offender, and found…nothing.

But as she turned to leave one day, she saw her reflection in the door window, and behind herself, the curtain to the back…She turned, and did something dangerous:

She started thinking.

Hidden away, back there, like a caged beast, was in an old chest, and within it, something she had been warned about, but whose purpose had never quite been explained to her.

Her hand shaking ever so slightly, she fingered the necklace she was wearing, pulling it from beneath her shirt, holding the end up before her eyes, twinkling in the low light; a tiny, old silver key.

*****

Ada walked out into the darkened school grounds. There was something about the cool night air that made everything seem less inviting, less pure. The person waiting for her, during the day, would—(if a little odd)—have been an ordinary student, but in the dark he was a figure, a mystery, harbinger of more mystic nights to come.

They weren’t supposed to be out after dark—and she was one of those adamant rule-followers—but there had been something about the plea to his voice earlier…

“Good evening, Leo-kun.” Her small, but strong, voice broke the silence.

Leo turned to her, half moonlight reflecting off his glasses, and bowed.

“Yes, Good evening, Miss Vessalius.” He smiled, though there was a twitch in the corner of his mouth that betrayed its reality.

“If I may, can I ask how you found out about my shop?”

He scratched his chin, looking around as if the courtyard had suddenly become more interesting. “I simply heard about it from some of our fellow students. You know how they can be prone to gossiping.”

Who knew about her? And why they wouldn’t say anything about it to her? How did they find out? How many people knew by now? Or, what if he was lying? If so, why didn’t he want her to know how he knew?

“Ah, I see.” She didn’t press the issue, but wasn’t completely satisfied with the explanation either.

She was surprised that Leo would even come to her in the first place; he only ever spoke to her through Elliot—and was always with Elliot in general—so she didn’t want to scare him off with extra, unnecessary questions. This was already the longest conversation they ever had. Though the question of who knew about her shop, and how, troubled her, what was important was this object he was giving to her. It was the reason for their meeting, after all. If she badgered him too much, he might decide not give it to her at all. Nevertheless, the simple fact that he had arranged this late-night meeting, alone with her—without Elliot—in the first place, meant that whatever he was trying to give to her was affecting him deeply.

Or maybe it was affecting Elliot.

“So…you have something for me?”

“Right.” He seemed relieved she wasn’t going to ask any more questions. He set his bag on the ground, and knelt down to fish something from it.

But once he retrieved it, the cloth-covered object gave her few more answers than questions.

She cocked her head to the side, leaning forward, puzzled, but intrigued, trying to keep her excitement from bubbling over.

Leo breathed out the answer to her unasked question. “It’s a music box.”

“Oh! I’ve heard of enchanted music boxes before!” her obsession started to peak through, “What’s this one called?”

She reached out her hand towards it, but he jerked it away from her.

He seemed to realize the suddenness of the action, and relaxed a little. “I…Sorry, I just…” the veiled agitation bled out from behind the curtain.

What was it that made him so jumpy? Usually he was quiet, but confident. Was it this object? Or could it be her? He didn’t seem very comfortable around most people who weren’t Elliot, so maybe her sudden movement just startled him a little? Although…if it was the object itself… should she be scared too?

She decided not to let it bother her. Once again, this wasn’t exactly the first time someone had acted strangely when trying to get an occult object off their hands.

“So…might I ask what its purpose is?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m…afraid I’d rather not say.”

“Eh? It’s going to be rather hard for me to sell if I don’t know what it does, you know.”

“Sell it?” fear came to the surface. “No, no, no, no, you can’t sell this! You can’t even open it!”

She blinked.

“So…you’re giving me something; you wouldn’t like to tell me what it does, and you…don’t want me to sell or use it? Forgive my rudeness, but why don’t you simply hide it yourself? Or destroy it?”

“I’ve,” he cleared his throat, “tried both.” He looked at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck, and she often wished she could see the look in his eyes behind those glasses.

“And?”

He stayed silent, but it was obvious both had failed.

“But you’re used to dealing with these sorts of things, right?” he spoke up again, “So I thought you might have methods of keeping it from…activating. Or be better be able to,” he mumbled the next few words, “tune it out.”

“I’m sure I can handle it!” She smiled, though she was losing confidence the more they spoke.

The same phenomenon seemed to be happening to him.

“Please listen to me, Miss Vessalius;” he placed a hand on her shoulder—and how afraid, how insistent, would the look in his eyes have been, if she could have seen it?—“I can’t force you to accept this, or teach you how to stop it. All I can do is give you a warning; do not open this. For whatever reason, if you start to hear things, cover your ears, if you see anything, cover your eyes.”

“Huh? But why?”

What exactly did all that mean? What sorts of things would she hear or see? Just how powerful was this thing?

He rubbed his temple as if that would keep his aggravation from spilling out.

“This is…dangerous. Maybe the most dangerous thing you’ve ever handled.”

“Well, I have handled—”

His expression shut her up.

“So…” She cleared her throat, trying to keep from getting annoyed herself. “Why do you have it in the first place?”

He shook his head, looking at the veiled box. “Just a mistake.”

He proceeded to pull on a chain around his neck, which ended in a small silver key. He pulled it over his head, pooling it in his hand, holding it out to her his head bowed (out of respect, or a desire not to look at it, she didn’t know)—though he did so as if it were a gun—“Please keep this with you at all times.”

This was more than she bargained for, or guessed the care of this object would entail. Usually if she got a call, even if it was something dangerous, they wouldn’t be so cryptic, and they often just wanted to get rid of it, they didn’t bother with warnings and precautions.

Still, nothing she couldn’t handle.

She nodded, taking it and slipping it around her neck.

He bit his lip, his grip tight around the box, his hands shaking a little.

“Please hide this in the most secure location you can find.”

He thrust the box towards her, though his death grip made it clear he didn’t really want entrust it to her. She wrapped her fingers around it, looking curiously at him as she felt his resistance, before tugging it away from him.

“I promise to take care of it.” she tried to reassure him.

“Promise me you won’t open it.” His voice was the most serious she’d ever heard of it.

She smiled, giving a curt nod.

“Promise.”

But what do people do when presented with a mystery, a curious object, and an unshakable warning about it’s volatility?

They do the very thing they’re commanded not to do.

*****

It was a few days later still, when she gave in.

She knelt on the floorboards in her back room, a battered chest before her, its hinges rusty, its wood splintering. The rug was folded back, and the trap door the chest had been heaved out of propped open.

Did Leo know, then, about the whispers? About how they nagged and poked and prodded at one’s mind? How they staked themselves there, laying claim to her heart? Did he know how powerful it would be? How much it would affect her life?

She told herself he didn’t.

When she knew full well he did; otherwise he wouldn’t have been so adamant, so tense.

The chest’s maw, creaking as she lifted the lid, revealed the veiled oddity sitting at the bottom. Waiting, like a black bride, for her groom.

Surely it wasn’t this object, so small and unassuming, that was capable of invading her thoughts so entirely?

It wasn’t such a big deal. Just one peak. Listen to a few notes. Keep the whispers at bay.

“Come on, Ada!”

She drew in a breath, and lowered her hands into the depths, as if into murky waters, and gently took the dark bride’s hand, pulling her from the waves.

It was light, as if she was holding the whispers themselves. Yet the longer the bride held her hand, the tighter her grip, the heavier the weight of their vows.

“Say, what’s Abyss?”

The voice was louder this time.

Just breathe.

It’ll all be over soon.

She pulled the cloth, unveiling the wretched face she was destined to kiss.

“Well it’s a sort of prison…”

The box was black, ornate silver designs, curls and borders on the sides and top. Other than that it was relatively plain. But holding it made her breath catch, and the room darker.

She told herself it was just her own fear.

Letting it sit in her hands for a moment, she weighed it, along with Leo’s words. Part of her brain begged her to listen to him, screamed at her to return it to its place in the ground.

But it was too alive to bury.

“for bad guys…”

A lump grew in her throat as she tugged on the chord to the key around her neck.

As curiosity often bids us, she did the very thing he demanded she never do. For the simplest reason as a few whispers, and a rickety past.

“Please, let me in! My brother’s in trouble!!”

She gasped, reaching her fingers gently to her lips, as if not quite sure if she had said it herself. The shout had sounded so real, less ephemeral, less there, more here…

Shaking, her hands sweating, glancing around as if someone would see her breaking into something that belonged to her, she fit the key into the lock.

Though the weather was perfectly calm outside, she could hear rain beginning to pound.

“Oz Vessalius, your sin is…”

The pronunciation felt like it was coming down on her own head, like the past-born rain.

She was that little girl again, soaked through with water and fear, begging to be let in. The rain breathed; it was talking to her with the fluttery voices of those she loved, and those she had grown to hate. Some words broke through the crowd—brushing shoulders and pushing others down, louder, stronger—but the memories were so many by now that the whispers seemed like a mob.

Hands shivering, shutting her eyes tight, she turned the key,

—It clicked—

Placed her fingers on the wood of the lid—

The rain was so loud….

“Your very—“

And lifted it.

The action was like a conductor bringing down his baton; those whispers, the breath of the wind and rain, were all simultaneously silenced.

She glanced around, as if she would be able to see their smoke dissipating in the air.

The silence was almost worse…Almost.

Because silence is empty, and can be filled.

When she tipped it open, no tiny dancer twirled around. No frilly art or pretty words decorated the inside. She could see the cogs beneath, like if a ship’s deck were glass, and you could see the rudders, all the working parts and windswept waves that kept it going.

Though the look of it was plain, and rather unexciting, the inside of the lid held a peculiar inscription:

To he who dares play this song

You may yet still know it wrong

If it’s for redemption that you’ve asked

And the answer, you believe, in long awaited past

Without map, without wind, in the end, no sign of treasure

Too late, the hands of time will show you your own measure.

Upon seeing the words, questions boiled in her thoughts. What could this mean? What was she looking for in opening it? If she wasn’t looking for redemption, did that mean it was safe to listen? What about the past? Why would she want to hear whispers of, look into, the past? But if she didn’t…what was she doing here? Could this be more than simple attempts to shut the whispers up? Was there real temptation behind her current actions?

Then, without warning, or winding, the music began to play.

Though the notes were slow and few, they plucked at her heart. They tugged on her veins and sent vibrations through her, like she was their true instrument.

She slammed both the lid and her eyes shut, breath heavy.

She peeked open an eye.

Just a music box. Nothing strange. Nothing to tell her it was capable of great and terrible things. Just an ordinary music box. No notes fell out unannounced.

Taking up the key to lock it again, she felt another presence in the room.

She turned to see—

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